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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and other specials

The San Pedro Sun

Press Release – Country music star Kelly McGuire loses another shirt for Saga
Country music star Kelly McGuire certainly has found his island dream in San Pedro, and part of that dream includes celebrating his birthday each year, Saga-style at the Palapa Bar and Grill. As Kelly entertained this year’s sold-out crowd with his favorite tunes, “Boat in Belize”, and “Blame it on Buffet”, birthday guests hoped that Kelly might again, give a lucky fan the shirt off his back this year. It has become a tradition of McGuire to interrupt the Saga Humane Society Live Auction to offer a personal item for bidding…the very shirt he performed in at the event, sweat and signature included! The shirt went for over $500!

Wolfe’s Woofer: Eight Ball
“It looks like Vernon’s going to be late again,” Mario said. “Oh, he’s usually only ten or fifteen minutes late,” I told him. “He makes up for it by being an incredible pool player.” “I don’t mind so much him being late,” Juan said. “What I mind is that he beats us nearly every time shooting either lefthanded or righthanded.” Every Saturday evening at six o’clock I meet Mario, Juan and Vernon at the bar for our weekly Eight Ball challenge. We went ahead and started without Vernon but he wandered in about fifteen minutes later.

ACES relocates large problematic crocodile to mainland sanctuary
An old 10.5-foot American crocodile named Julio was transported to Sandhill on the mainland of Belize on Wednesday, February 14th, where his beautiful and lush pen in the sanctuary at Rainforest Adventure Zone awaited his arrival. American Crocodile Education Sanctuary (ACES) has given this crocodile many chances over the years, but unfortunately, even after interventions, he continued to express worrisome and problematic behavior, leading ACES to make the decision to remove him from the wild for the safety of the community, as well as for his own safety.

Doctor Love: Name Withheld
Dear Doctor Love, My mother-in-law is ruining my marriage. From the moment she took over my wedding planning she has let me know I am not good enough for her son. She criticizes my cooking, complains about the way I keep my house and constantly reminds me that I don’t have a good education and my job doesn’t make much money. She knows I take a medication that makes it hard to manage my weight, but she always points out when I am “getting chunky” or “thin and sickly looking.” She is not concerned about my health—she is concerned that my pants look “painted on”. We cannot have a normal discussion because having a differing opinion or disagreeing with her makes her become aggressive.

Misc Belizean Sources

Temporary Delay in Replenishment of Supply of Diesel Oil
It has come to the attention of the Government of Belize (GOB) that a temporary delay in the replenishment of the supply of diesel oil, which has led to some gas stations not receiving their full orders, is somehow being attributed to a purported non-payment by Government of its fuel bills. The Ministry of Finance wishes to advise the public that this delay is solely due to unanticipated difficulties encountered by PDVSA, not by PUMA or the GOB, in the offloading of a shipment of fuel from Venezuela to Belize, and has absolutely nothing to do with any payment by GOB of its fuel bill. All GOB bills are, and are expected to remain, up to date. The Ministry of Finance has been informed by PUMA that it is has made alternate arrangements to bring in diesel fuel from other sources to fill the full needs of the gas stations.

Gov't of Belize Issues Statement on Current Cash Flow Position
The Ministry of Finance wishes to clarify emphatically that the Government of Belize’s annual budget is achieving its broad goals, allowing all obligations to be satisfied in a timely manner, including payroll. There is no requirement for the Government to access any financing whatsoever outside of the budgeted and approved sources. It has come to the attention of the Ministry of Finance that certain statements made by the Financial Secretary in an internal document sent to accounting officers are being interpreted to suggest that the Government is broke and may have to resort to borrowing to meet the end of March payroll.

Tza-ten-a-ha by Yasser Musa
Holding a bamboo stick, 79 year old Jorge Verde, took his own stage, a small room with a big mural, overlooking the green blue waters of Sartaneja. He stood ready, in front of forty members of the history club of St. John’s College. And for thirty-five minutes he masterfully sanctioned the spirit of charm, charisma and passion. He danced with words, giving a gripping narrative of his people who in the mid-19th century fled blood and fire from the Caste War raging to the north near Tulum, Mexico. Earlier that morning, before the sun broke, we journeyed by bus from the swamp of Landivar in Belize City three hours north, though cane fields, past San Estevan, through sorghum, past little Belize, then Chunox, until we navigated a rough road shadowing the Shipstern Conservation Area toward the north-east coast. When we arrived at the place of the boat builders, farmers, tourism operators, and fishers our band of hungry teenagers packed the tiny Taste Twister family restaurant for some tacos and coke. Some of us ventured off next door to the Sarteneja Community Library, a rock building once the village water reservoir, now a container of books.

2018 Belize DJ Championship
Great hype, great energy at this past Friday night's District Championship of the 2018 Belize DJ Championship produced by Music Ambassador of Belize Shyne Barrow. Congratulations to DJ Trick who came out on top and will advance to the National Semi finals and Finals. Great thanks to all of our DJs who took up the challenge, it was an excellent opportunity to showcase our talented artists. A gracious thank you to Shyne Barrow for producing such a high energy event in Corozal; Scotty's Bar was lit!!!

Corozal House of Culture 6th Anniversary
We graciously give thanks to our community members, educators, students and visitors to Corozal for attending our 6th anniversary celebration this past Friday. It was an honour to feature Wildtracks which is located just outside of Sarteneja Village. Wildtracks is the only manatee and monkey rescue and rehabilitation centre in the region. A wonderful day with the outreach and educational staff of Wildtracks; most of our community members were unaware of Wildtracks....making the event even more meaningful.

Cayo DJ Competition
Congratulations, DJ Wicked Vybz! He won the Cayo round of the DJ Competition. He routinely plays at Oki's. Best of luck at the national competition. Darren Lamb got some great pictures of the event.

Birding
Finishing an AMAZING Tour with Whitehawk - Birdwatching and Conservation. We ploughed through Crooked Tree, Chan Chich and Mountain Pine Ridge. These gems are from the MPR on the last day...

The Reporter

Soldiers to be charged with murder
The Belize Police Department has announced that the Belize Defence Force Soldiers involved in the beating death of Ariel Salazar will be charged with murder. On Friday the department said that the Director of Public Prosecutions would consider the evidence and determine what charge would be laid in the case. Yesterday the officers were officially arrested and will be charged. Lennart Cajun, 29yrs, Police Constable assigned to Special Patrol Unit and Assigned to BSAG, of San Francisco street Orange Walk Town, Mateo Bolon 28, of Jalacte Village Toledo, Patrick Villagran 31 of Ladyville, Patrick Diego 26, of Pomona Village, Elvis Cob 33, of San Victor village, Edmar Petillo 26 of Catmelita Village, Bladimir Escarraga 21, of San Jose Village and Francis Sho 23, of Mountain view Belmopan, will all be charged with murder and attempted murder. They are expected to be arraigned tomorrow.

GOB says all well with economy
Today, the Government of Belize acknowledged that the leaked correspondence circulating in the media on GOB’s financial position did come from Financial Secretary Joseph Waight. GOB’s statement, however, went on to say that the message is being shared out of context, and that all is well with the Government’s finances. “The statement made by the Financial Secretary was the standard financial year-end instructions given to Accounting Officers so as to restrain overspending and encourage senior public officers to remain diligent in the pursuit of budgetary objectives,” GOB said. GOB added that Prime Minister Dean Barrow will share all the pertinent financial information when he presents the National Budget on March 9.

Another illegal farmer in the Chiquibul found
Friends of Conservation and Development, the NGO which co-manages the Chiquibul Forest Reserve, has found another Guatemalan national illegally farming in the reserve. FCD said they were conducting a joint patrol with the Belize Police Department and Belize Defense Force on Thursday when they found 28-year-old Elfido Francisco Esteban Cano cultivating beans. Cano, who is from of the community of Laurel, Municipality of Dolores, told authorities that he had been cultivating beans, corn and pumpkin for about a year in south Cebada are of the Chiquibul, along with other relatives.

Breaking Belize News

Protocol for Sarstoon visit?
Today, there was an incident at the mouth of the Sarstoon River in southern Belize. According to reports, Guatemalan military officials stopped a Belizean boat from being in Belizean waters.

Temporary delay in replenishment of supply of diesel oil not due to “cash flow” says GOB
The Government of Belize Press Office has issued a statement to inform the nation that the temporary delay in the replenishment of the supply of diesel oil (which has led to some gas stations not receiving their full orders), is not attributed to a purported non-payment by Government of its fuel bills.

Fuel tanker anchored on Belizean waters; Government reportedly unable to pay for it
Information reaching BBN is that the fuel tanker “Syrtos” continues to be anchored on Belizean waters. A source informed our news desk that the owner has refused discharging operations until the government pays for the fuel.

GOB issues statement on current cash flow position
The Ministry of Finance has released a statement to clarify that the Government of Belize’s annual budget is achieving its broad goals and allowing all obligations to be satisfied in a timely manner, including payroll.

Thousands hit the street in Belize City for Street Art Festival
Thousands of Belizeans crowded on Albert Street for the eighth installment of the Street Art Festival hosted by the National Institute for Culture and History (NICH).

Maya Mountain Challenge takes off
The Maya Mountain Challenge, a four-day challenge for expedition athletes, kicked off today in San Ignacio town. From February 25-28, co-ed teams of four will travel more than 220 miles, while canoeing, hiking, trekking, rappelling and spelunking.

Jamaican man dies after jumping out of moving Police vehicle
Yesterday afternoon around 2:25, police officers in Dangriga detained Humphrey Mitchel, 44, a Jamaican of Sarawee Village on the strength of a commitment warrant.

Man shot while socializing in a bar
Adolfo Flores, 29, of Arizona Village was shot late last night while socializing at a bar in his village. According to police reports, Flores got into a misunderstanding with a male person known to him as Alex Hernandez […]

Motor vehicle stolen in Belmopan
Police in Belmopan are looking for a gray 1997 Honda CRV that was stolen this morning around 1:30.

Beans plantations found inside Chiquibul; Guatemalan farmer arrested
On Thursday, February 22, 2018, a joint patrol by rangers of Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD), members of the Belize Defence Force, and Special Patrol Unit of the Police Department met a Guatemalan man on a beans field in the Chiquibul National Park.

Blogs

A Few Blissful Hours on the Sandbar, Leeward Side of Ambergris Caye
I won’t talk too much right now about the sargasso that has been coming onto our shores. I’ve heard reports of it in Cancun and in Southern Belize. Towards the end of this week, it’s really started coming in and hotels and town workers are having a hard time keeping up. This is one of the busiest weeks of the year – just this past Monday was a holiday in the US and many schools are on a one week break. When we arrived, there was a fishing boat and people wading the north end of the island. A few boats of swimmers and loungers arrived… And then some of the boys went off to stalk some Permit. (Note: it is not easy to creep up on fish in large groups of small children)

International Sources

Natuurgebied Burgers' Zoo in Belize wordt uitgebreid met meer dan 15.000 voetbalvelden
De regering van Belize heeft deze week een zeer belangrijke beslissing bekend gemaakt voor de toekomst van de dieren en de natuur in dit Midden-Amerikaanse land. Het natuurgebied dat Papiliorama Zoo (Zwitserland) en Burgers' Zoo al bijna 30 jaar succesvol beschermen is officieel uitgebreid met 110 km2, oftewel meer dan 15.000 voetbalvelden. Essentieel voor de toekomst van diverse bedreigde diersoorten is dat het nieuwe stuk ongerepte natuur een groene brug vormt die het noordelijke en zuidelijke deel van het bestaande natuurgebied met elkaar verbindt. Actuele onderzoeksgegevens bewijzen dat de nieuwe verbinding ook daadwerkelijk wordt gebruikt door bedreigde dieren als jaguars en Baird's tapirs!

CRFM fast tracks protocol for climate change and disaster risk management in fisheries and aquaculture
We know from the devastation wrought in the Caribbean last September by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, just how important it is for the region to step up its game in tackling climate change and the risks posed by natural disasters. The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) has recently inked an agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) that will put the region on better footing to address the impacts of disasters on fishing communities. The CRFM—the CARICOM agency which works to promote sustainable development of the fisheries and aquaculture sector—is a regional partner on the Climate Change Adaptation in the Eastern Caribbean Fisheries Sector (CC4FISH) Project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). It is under this umbrella that the new initiative is being implemented for the benefit of the CARICOM States.

Videos

Barry Allen Munson Memorial Service, 1/2min. Family and friends gathered this evening for a memorial service at the Millenium Restaurant in Consejo Village to pay their last respects to a man that made Corozal his adopted home for the last eight years. Those who knew him, Barry will be remembered for the love he had for life and for his friendly, jolly and outspoken personality. Barry Allen Munson and his beloved wife Dena Carey made Corozal their home and over the years, acquired many friends and that was evident at today's service.

Keisha Rodriguez YLAI Impact Story, 3min. Keisha Rodriguez shares her story of the YLAI. There's still time to submit your application; March 4th is the deadline. "'Being able to meet so many young people who are doing great things in their countries and being able to interact with so many different cultures and learning about their experiences has just been tremendous … it’s a once in a lifetime experience.' – Keisha Rodriguez

Belize Diving from Caye Caulker, 8min. Starting with a free descent in open water. Diving to complete my PADI Open Water certification to 60ft outside the barrier reef near Caye Caulker in Belize. We dove with Frenchie's Diving. 2-17-18

Belize Fishing Cobia and Manatee, 15min. Belize Flats Fishing with live sardines and balloon float. Excellent experience and curious manatee near boat gave quite a show.

Belize Diving from Caye Caulker - Video 3, 8min. Diving to complete my PADI Open Water certification to 60ft outside the barrier reef near Caye Caulker in Belize. We dove with Frenchie's Diving. 2-17-18

BACALAR AND BELIZE [017], 4min.

Traveling to Ambergris Caye, Belize!, 2.5min. I'm so excited to finally share this March 2017 trip to Ambergris Caye, Belize with you!

Belize Diving from Caye Caulker - Video 1, 4min. Diving to complete my PADI Open Water certification to 60ft outside the barrier reef near Caye Caulker in Belize.

Police United FC vs Verdes FC:, 2hr21min.