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Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials
The San Pedro Sun
Melonie Gillett releases new single!
The super talented Belizean songstress, Melonie Gillett has released a new song and it definitely one to party too. Titled "Soca Mode", the single was released on Friday, February 20th and embraces the party culture of Belize. It makes for the perfect song to dance the night away!
Late night shooting in San Pedrito: toddler killed, mother in critical condition
A toddler is dead, while his mother remains in a critical but stable condition, after they were shot while sleeping inside their apartment building. The victims are two-year-old Charlie Daniel "Danny" Espat and 33-year-old Aleyda Sandoval, both of an unnamed street in the San Pedrito Area of San Pedro Town. The two were at home sleeping when at least 10 shots were fired toward the direction of their apartment around 1:45AM on Tuesday February 24th. According to Officer in Charge of the San Pedro Police Formation, Superintendent of Police Luis Castellanos, Aleyda Sandoval, Daniel Espat and her common-law- husband Rolando "Roli" Espat were at home sleeping in their apartment room located on the ground level of a two storey wooden structure. Sometime around 1:45AM, they woke up to the sound of several loud bangs after which Sandoval realized she and her baby had been shot.
San Pedrito shooting leaves toddler dead and mother injured
Initial investigation revealed that earlier at about 1:45AM, Aleyda Sandoval, Daniel Espat and her common-law-husband Rolando Espat were at home sleeping in their apartment room located on the lower flat of a two storey wooden structure in the San Pedrito Area when they heard several loud bangs after which she realized that she and her baby had been injured. They were both rushed to the clinic where the toddler was pronounced dead at 2:25AM. Sandoval was given primary medical care and later transported to the Karl Huesner Memorial Hospiatl in a stable condition.The body of Daniel Espat was also transported to the morgue in Belize City. Police have since detained a 16-year-old male of San Pedrito area pending investigations.
Tiburon Rum officially launched in Belize
The newest award winning rum, Tiburon Rum, was officially launched in Belize on Wednesday, February 18th. Created from a collaboration between Basil Destefano and Traveller's Rums Limited, Tiburon is a hand crafted, aged, premium rum that originated in Belizean soil. Since its inception, Tiburon Rum has captured several international awards and is quickly becoming a top seller in the liquor market. At their fabulous launch party, invited guests got the opportunity to taste the award winning rum.
Ambergris Today
Castillo's Hardware Gives Away $15,000 on 15th Anniversary
Celebrating a great milestone in the town of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize last week was Castillo's Hardware that his the BIG 15th Anniversary. Mr. and Mrs. Alfonso Castillo could not think of anything better than to celebrate along with the community that they hold dear at heart. They decided to give away $15,000 to their loyal costumers.
So Castillo's Hardware held a raffle and gave away 15 $1,000 prizes to 15 lucky winners.
"It seems like just yesterday Ms. Miriam and I, along with one other worker opened our hardware store downstairs at the present Social Security building. We started out with 2,500 sq ft and a hired delivery truck and driver. Today we have 8,500 sq ft when we relocated here in August 2002. We have 15 dedicated staff members, some of whom are serving for over 10 years.
Free Specialized Clinical Services at the San Pedro Polyclinic
The Belize Medical and Dental Association will be conducting FREE specialized clinic on Saturday, 7th March, 9 am at the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic.
Services that will be available include:
Pediatrician, Obstetrician/Gynecologist, Neurologist, Urologist, ENT Specialist, Pediatric Surgery, Internist, Cardiologist, Nephrologists, Dermatologist and Orthopedic Surgery
Visiting Doctor Donates Pediatric Care Equipment to Poly Clinic
The Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II received another generous donation from a visitor of St. Pete, Florida. Dr. Mike Mazzaferro, a medical director who has volunteered at the Poly Clinic in the past during a medical trip to Belize, presented a very useful device to the doctors on Friday, February 20, 2015.
This time around Dr. Mazzaferro was in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize on vacation and decided to bring with him a very useful and cool donation to the polyclinic. He donated a Pedi-Sleeve (Pediatric Dosing System) which is a three-page protected sleeve worn on the forearm (like a quarterback) that displays pediatric medication dosing and equipment sizes. The sleeve contains information to provide medicinal dosage to children depending on their height. A quick measurement and the sleeve can quickly indicate the dosage needed for the child in case of emergencies and quick response situations, without the need for making calculations.
Two-Year-Old Dies in Neighborhood Shooting
Police reports state the bullets rang into the sleeping neighborhood of the San Pedrito area at around 1:40a.m. directed at the residence of Rolando Espat. Nine expended shells were discovered by the police at the crime scene as bullets pierced through the house straight into the bedroom where the family was sleeping. Aleyda Sandoval, Daniel Espat and her common-law- husband Rolando Espat were at home sleeping in their apartment room located on the lower flat of a two storey wooden structure when they heard several loud bangs after which she realized that she and her baby had been injured.
In the process two-year-old Daniel Espat was fatally shot in the head and his mother 33-year-old Aleyda Espat was shot in the arm and back. The baby boy succumbed to his injuries while the mother is receiving treatment for her wounds, with a bullet still lodged in her back. Rolando Espat, who was also inside the house at the time of the shooting, did not receive any injuries.
Police have since detained a 16-year-old male of San Pedrito Area and are still investigating the incident; it is believed that Roland Espat was the target of the assailants.
Misc Belizean Sources
From San Pedro Town Council
The San Pedro Town Council would like to make a clarification on accusations made on the Good Morning San Pedro TV Show of Mayor Daniel Guerrero by the present People's United Party (PUP) slate contesting for election this March.
Attached you will find a scanned letter of request from the Office Manager, Mr. Cervantes, requesting Central Park for the PUP's political rally for either February 28th or March 1st of this year. Also attached is a scanned letter of response from Mayor Daniel Guerrero where he grants the PUP permission for usage of Central Park on Sunday, March 1, 2015.
The San Pedro Town Council did not receive a formal request or notification in regards to the soliciting of Boca del Rio Park or the intent of relocating the rally from Central Park to the Boca del Rio Park.
We take this opportunity to notify the general public that the Boca del Rio park, after the beautification project (installation of palapas, plants, re-painting of basketball court etc.), the SPTC has denied all requests to use the park for events or situations that may expose the park to any damages.
JOB OPPORTUNITY at CTV3 News
A vacancy exists at Centaur Communications Corporation Limited for the post of reporter at CTV3 News.
The individual will be stationed in Corozal Town.
Requirements:
The applicant must be from the Corozal District, preferably male.
- 6th Form Graduate
- Good writing & oral skills in English and Spanish
- Ambitious and outgoing
- Willing to work long hours
- Ability to work well in a team
- Experience in journalism would be an asset
Deadline for applications is March 6th 2015
New commercial center breaks ground in Chetumal
Mexico
The initial investment will be to the tune of around Five Million US Dollars or 65 million pesos. "CAPITAL CENTER" will have 43 different businesses including, banking services, gymnasium, laundromat, sports bar, and more.
The commercial center will be located at the corner of "Avenida Erik Paolo Martinez" and "Avenida 4 de Marzo".
This announcement couldn't have come at a worse time for our Corozal Free Zone as we struggle for competitiveness with our Mexico neighbours.
We hope there can be a new infusion of ideas and creativeness for our Corozal Free Zone.
Polling places in Corozal
All registered Voters for the Upcoming Corozal Town Council Elections on March 4th, 2015 are advised that there will be three (Polling Areas) designated to cast your votes. Depending in the area that you are registered, you will need to go to the right polling area to cast your vote.
COROZAL TOWN COUNCIL ELECTION, 2015
Polling Area No. 39 (ST. FRANCIS XAVIER ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL), Polling Area No. 40. (ST. PAUL'S ANGLICAN SCHOOL), and Polling Area No. 41 (OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE R.C. SCHOOL
In accordance with the Town Council Act and the applicable Regulations, I Mario Tun, Returning Officer, hereby give notice that more candidates having been nominated than there are seats to be filled, the election of one (1) Mayor and six (6) other members of the Corozal Town Council will be held on Wednesday, March 4th, 2015 between the hours of seven o'clock (7:00 A.M.) in the morning and six o'clock (6:00 P.M.) in the afternoon of the same day in the following Polling Stations established in the various Polling Areas described hereunder:-
"The Year of Technology: Bridging the Digital Divide"
University of Belize students in Belmopan received their tablets today. Students of the institutions listed below can look out for theirs this week. Kindly check with your school's administration for the distribution dates.
Corozal Junior College
St. John's Junior College
University of Belize (all campuses)
Galen University (all campuses)
Stann Creek Ecumenical Junior College
Belize Adventist Junior College
Centro Escolar Mexico Junior College
Muffles Junior College
University of the West Indies Open Campus
Wesley Junior College
San Pedro Junior College
Sacred Heart Junior College
Pope John Paul II Junior College
Independence Junior College
GOB CLARIFIES EXPENDITURE FIGURE CONTAINED IN COST SAVINGS REPORT
The Ministry of Finance (MOF) of the Government of Belize makes reference to a Report on Proposed Cost-Savings Strategy for the Government of Belize dated June 2014 which was prepared by the Committee to Evaluate and Advise on the Cost Savings Measures for the Government of Belize. This Committee is comprised of members of both staff side and unions side as an offshoot of the
Collective Bargaining Process.
The MOF wishes to clarify that the figure of $568,453 mentioned in the Report as being GOB's Advertisement Cost paid to Wave Radio for the Year 2013 is incorrect as it actually represents the payments to this media house for a three year period, being FY2011/12, FY 2102/2013 and part of FY2013/14. (up until the date of the Report), and not for the single year FY2012/2013. The other expenditure figures in the Report related to Advertisement Costs are also for the same three year period.
Hon. Dean Barrow Heads to Summit of Heads of Government of the CARICOM States
The Office of the Prime Minister informs the general public that Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow will be attending the Summit of Heads of Government of the CARICOM States in Nassau, Bahamas.
"The Year of Technology: Bridging the Digital Divide"
In his New Year's address, Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow said, "So if 2014 was a year of infrastructure, 2015 will be a year of technology. Thus, Government is purchasing from the Asus company in Taiwan nine thousand tablet computers so as to be able to provide one for each tertiary level student in Belize. As a result, every student at UB and all sixth forms and junior colleges countrywide, will be gifted one of these brand new tablets as we prepare to march into technology's brave new world."
Delivering on that promise, today at an official ceremony, students at the University of Belize main campus were the first group of recipients of the tablets. For the remainder of the week, tablets will be delivered to all tertiary level schools throughout the country.
San Pedro Aids Commission Thanks it's Sponsors and the Business Community of San Pedro
for supporting this year's Carnaval Comparsa
Pedro Guerra Mena Park Renovation
Rotary is celebrating 110 years this week. To celebrate, the Lin-Wood Interators are here in Cayo, and they are teaming up with the Rotaract clubs of Benque and San Ignacio to do some community service projects. The first one was a renovation of Benque's Pedro Guerra Mena park. Thanks, Rotary, and happy birthday!
"The Lin-Wood Rotary Interact Club conducted their International Service Project in Belize. In Benque Viejo they sponsored the renovation of the Pedro Guerra Mena Park in the New Area. Our members donated their time today to paint and mow the grass."
Exotic Caye Fire .... Under control
At around 3:30am the southern most roadside building started fire. It spread one building towards the beach and then one building north. The SPFD did a pretty good job keeping the north building from completely burning and keeping it from spreading more towards the beach. Under control now.
NOTICE from The San Pedro Police Formation
Please be informed that you're cordially invited to a community meeting that will be held at the San Pedrito Park on Thursday February 26, 2015 at 6:00PM.
Organized by the San Pedro Police Department, this meeting is in order to discuss current social issues, and your voices will be heard. Your presence will play a vital role in the rehabilitation of the San Pedrito Community.
Exotic Caye fire
Just wanted to keep everyone updated. The resort did catch on fire early this morning (these taken at 3:30am). Everyone is safe. Three buildings towards the south side are destroyed but the bar is okay.
We will be open for normal business hours today.
Stay safe everyone!
BOLEDO DRAWING for Tuesday, February 24, 2015: 73. FANTASY 5: 23 11 27 19 21 O
Cayo Animal Health Clinics
CAWS and HBHS are teaming up again to bring in vets to do some free spay and neuter clinics in Cayo. They will also have deworming medicine and vitamins. Saturday...the 29th??...maybe the 28th this year...the clinic will be in Santa Elena. Sunday, it will be in Bullet Tree Falls. Thanks CAWS! Thanks, HBHS!
Caribbean Tales Submissions
If you have a project you would like to submit to Caribbean Tales, please don't hesitate to do so now. NICH has partnered wtih Caribbean Tales to open more doors to Belizean film projects and our Film and Media Arts Unit within ICA stands by to assist you in preparing your application form to maximize your chances. Contact us at [email protected] for more info
Ambassador of Taiwan to Belize, Mr. Benjamin Ho visits Chiquibul
To observe macaws along the Chalillo Reservoir.
Channel 7
The Murder Of A Toddler
Last week Thursday, police found 2 men on northern Ambergris Caye with gunshots to their head. The week before that, a 13 year-old girl was shot in San Pedro Town, and 2 days later, 32 year-old Kareem Eaghan was shot.
Indeed, Belize's #1 tourist town has become ground zero for violence fuelled by the drug drops at the north of the island.
But now, it has gone too far: a 2 year-old boy was killed by gunshots in the San Pedrito Area this morning - he died in the embrace of his mother: An innocent life taken by bullets meant for adults. The background to the story reveals an even greater pattern of violence - Daniel Ortiz found out more on san Pedro today:
Bullets penetrated the Espat's family home early this morning, just before 2 a.m. Rolando Espat Sr., his wife, Aleyda Sandoval, and their 2 year-old baby, Daniel Espat, were all sleeping in their bed when an assailant, or assailants opened fire on their front door.
Another Jaguar Paw Junction Fatality
Last night we told you about the accident at mile 37 near the Jaguar Paw junction. It was the second serious accident at that spot in a week - and the only good news the second time around was that it was not fatal.
Well, there's no good news now: 58 year old accident victim Pablo Martinez died this morning. Last night at newstime when we spoke to his family, he was in a stable condition at Medical Associates - but at 4:00 AM, he died of a heart attack.
I spoke with his family members this afternoon and they are demanding justice for their loved one. Here's his son, Jose Martinez, followed by his wife, Anna Martinez:
Jose Martinez, Son
"This morning at 4am he got a heart attack and the doctor said that if he get another heart attack, he will pass away. So, this morning at around 11am, they call me they told me news that he passed away."
Fin. Sec. Says Petrocaribe Rolling Out
The Petrocaribe programme - it has the Barrow Administration awash in cash and freely funding multiple infrastructure programmes across the country. But what if Petrocaribe just went away? With the turmoil in Venezuela, it's a topic that's been speculated on for months, and today the Financial Secretary Joe Waight said that's just what could happen. Here's what he told the media this morning in Belmopan:..
Joseph Waight, Financial Secretary
"The Petro Caribe is tenuous, going forward. The world oil price has fallen and therefore the amount of money coming from the Petro Caribe has also fallen. How much longer Petro Caribe will last, we don't know. But we are not planning that it will last for perpetuity."
According to the Financial Secretary, the Petrocaribe Fund has accumulated 270 million dollars - and there's 160 million currently in the account - meaning about 110 million dollars has been spent.
Joe Waight Says 500K WAVE Media Expenditure is Correct, But Not Quite
Another issue that the Financial Secretary had to address today was a report that's been in circulation from mid 2014 - but is surfacing now in the run-up to municipal elections. It is compiled by a Committee To Evaluate And Advise On Cost Saving Measures. The group, comprising senior union representatives and public officers assesses all government spending and makes recommendations to the Prime Minister on areas where costs could be cut. One such area is media advertising. According to the report, more than half a million dollars was spent on the UDP-owned WAVE Radio and TV in the year 2013. That's an awful lot of spending for a single year, but today the Financial Secretary told the media, it's about right:..
Mike Rudon, Ch5
"There is one figure which says that Wave in particular received over 500,000 in 2013 for advertisements. Again, are you aware of that?"
Joseph Waight, Financial Secretary
"I guess that was in the report and as far as I know it is accurate. I've ask them to substantiate it, to bring the copies of the Smart Stream invoices, but I was told by my people that the number is real."
Man Claims GSU Beatdown
There is another allegation of brutality against the GSU tonight. This time it comes from the Port Loyola Area of Belize City. A teenager says police brutalized him for no reason - and left him badly banged up. Monica Bodden found out more when she visited the family today:..
Monica Bodden reporting
On Friday night GSU officers conducted a search here at this address on Rivero Street on the Southside of Belize City.
18 year old Shaquille Patnett was home at the time, inside the yard in one of the bungalow houses. He soon became another victim of police brutality.
Shaquille Patnett - Alleging police brutality
"I was sitting down in my chair and I heard the GSU outside and so I opened the door a little bit because the door was closed. I didn't want them to run in here and see me, like I was hiding them and so I opened the door. They ran inside and they ask who and I lives here and I told them only my mom and I."
GOB Delivers ASUS Tablets To UB Students
Over 500 tablets were distributed to university students today. It's a follow up on a promise that Prime Minister Dean Barrow made in his New Year's Address. Today - just in time for municipal elections - a ceremony was held at the UB Gymnasium in Belmopan to hand out the first set of ASUS tablets. The gym was packed with eager students and I spoke with some of them today about their new gadgets.
Patrick Faber, Minister of Education
"It's not necessarily only that we wish for you to use it as a tool for your education advances, it is especially to be used however to bridge the digital divide to make sure that those of you who are still outside the loop, in terms of the use of the technology."
Courtney Weatherburne Reporting
In order to bridge that divide, university students were each given an ASUS tablet today.
Hundreds of students waited patiently in line with their ID's and application forms to get their device.
When they did, some began to initialize their devices to browse through some of the features.
Faber Says Teacher Misconduct Sometimes Covered Up
In the past few weeks - multiple reports of gross sexual misconduct by teachers have emerged in the North, Central and West of the country at the primary, secondary and now tertiary level. Today, at the UB event we asked the Minister of Education about it and he said that the reports had not reached his desk - but there are instances of professional misconduct in the teaching ranks, and a culture of covering it up:
Patrick Faber, Minister of Education
"But let's say for instance, somebody gets into the classroom, puts on the proverbial sheep skin on the wolf, for instance. What we do then is very important and that is where I cannot find a fault with our system. If we don't know about something then, there is not much that we can do and there are many players out there who help to cover what is going on and when I say that, I mean the schools themselves, sometimes the parents refuse to make the complaints, sometimes the school want to embarrass or they protect, sometimes the churches are involved, sometimes there is politics involved, I will tell you. And there can be no excuse or that and I want to place on the record certainly my position and our ministry's position, that that should not be tolerated. These kinds of cover-ups should never be tolerated and any person, especially those that are given the kind of sacred trust to take care of our children. This ministry does not condone that kind of behavior and those persons should be dealt with according to the law."
Principal-Hate At Arms Of Love School
At the Arms of Love Primary School in San Ignacio Town - the charge is of maladministration not sexual misconduct. The parents say the Principal is deliberately difficult and they want her removed. A month ago, parents kept their kids home in protest. Since then, the ministry has gotten involved and the District Education officer discussed it today:..
Luis Carballo, Principal Education Officer - Cayo District
"The allegations against her is the way that she has been treating parents and teachers. And parents are concern because of the way she has been treating their children, that she shouts at them, sometimes pull them or argues with them or in a way that they feel it's not necessary and with some of the teachers, they believe that she treats them unfairly and sometimes shouts at them in the presence of other parents and things like that. Because of their frustration, it led to about 50% of the students not attending school for a period of time. The management side saw it fit at the time to put on administrative leave the principal, so that they can carry out an investigation with the parents and the teachers and the students, as to the way they have been treated and things like that."
The Case Of Compensation For Conorquie
Tourism Police Officer Danny Conorquie was killed in September of last year - while on duty at Caracol. And while the lawman was likely killed by Guatemalan bandits in the line of duty, his family says it has not gotten promised compensation. We asked the financial secretary about it today:..
Joseph Waight, Financial Secretary
"We did make some payment. I don't have the figures. Again, it's a goodwill gesture. He was a tourism police as I understand it, there are certain benefits that should have been paid due to the death and above that. I think the government paid $10,000, I am not sure. I think the government paid something towards the family, with more to come. I really don't have the figures in front of me. The legal payments when somebody dies, in harness is very small, depending on your category."
15 K For Elisa
The Financial secretary also had to answer on the compensation for Elisa Hunter. She's the 31 year old woman who was knocked down by the Minister Wilfred Elrington's driver on November. The mother of one, died days later. Government paid five thousand dollars for the family to fly her body back to her home country of Nicaragua but will they pay more -w e asked the Fin Sec:..
Joseph Waight, Financial Secretary
"There was a request from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for ex gratia payment which my instructions were to hold on the payment pending clarification as to what the insurance company would actually pay. Having said that, we had already paid about almost $5,700 for funeral expenses. The government gave an ex gratia payment. But since yesterday, I spoke to my minister, the Prime Minister, who said the insurance company is taking too long, let us go ahead and make the payment. So the payment is in train, the $10,000 ex gratia - a few more days, it should be paid."
PM to Caricom
And while his financial secretary was in Belize fending off the media, Prime Minister Dean Barrow left the country today to attend the Summit of Heads of Government of the CARICOM States in Nassau, Bahamas.
The meeting, which will be held on February 26 and 27 is to continue the CARICOM Mandate. That mandate includes working together to improve standards of living and work of the people of the region; the full employment of labour and other factors of production; accelerated, coordinated and sustained economic development and convergence; expansion of trade and economic relations with third States; and enhanced levels of international competitiveness.
The ATC Dispute: Both Sides Now
Today, Air Traffic Controllers returned to work as normal at the Phillip Goldson International Airport. This is after a sick out on Saturday that immobilized operations at the country's only international airport for five hours. Since then, operations have been normalized and the controllers have met with the Civil Aviation Department bosses to air some grievances. We don't know what was said behind closed doors - but we do know that the most cogent list of grievances was circulated by COLA - which seemed to act as a sort of spokesperson for the group of 18 Air Traffic Controllers. Here's what COLA had to say and how the Director of Civil Aviation rebutted it:..
Geovannie Brackett, President - COLA
"Is that they have made it very clear to the management that one of the biggest problem that they have is a shortage of professional qualified controllers and what has frustrated the members of the control, the controllers, is that some of them have not been able to take their vacation adequately. Some of them have had to work for more than 12 hours, and in some extreme cases, 18 hours and yet have to return back in a morning shift after leaving work at 2 in the morning - that is pretty much frustrating. I can only as president of COLA relay after I have done my research, to relay what has been told to me and I could only understand their plight."
Women Out Of The Shadows
As a part of women's month, every year in the month of March female artists from around the country take part in an exhibit called Women in Art. Curator for this year's project is Belizean Painter Rachel Huesner who has teamed up with the Institute of Creative Arts. The exhibit theme for this year is "Shadows" and Huesner is calling for all female artists who are interested in submitting art work to be featured in the upcoming exhibit.
Pieces can be submitted to the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts and deadline of submission will be March 6th. Interested Artists who need more information can contact Rachel Heusner at 2-2-7-2-1-1-0 or - 6-2-2-9-5-5-1.
Street Art Bigger This Year
It's the fifth year for the annual Street Art Festival and this year is expected to be bigger. On Saturday afternoon downtown Albert Street all the way down to South Street will be lined with booths showcasing live art, fashion and a wide selection of entertainment. The festival offers artists the opportunity to showcase their talent and artwork in a dynamic public setting. 7news spoke to one of the organizers today.
The Festival starts at 2pm on Saturday afternoon and is being celebrated under the theme "Street Art Festival, come party with us".
We Could Be Heroes
The House of Culture in Corozal is hosting the 6 anniversary of the exhibit called "Belize's Heroes, Patriots and Benefactors".
The exhibit focuses on figures in Belizean history who were influential in changing the social or political landscape in their time so that the society provided equal opportunity for all.
The 3 new heroes who were introduced to the public as part of the exhibit were Nurse Vivian Seay, Nurse Dorothy Bradley and Jesus Ken. Research Assistant Linette Sabido explained a bit about the contributions of Jesus Ken:
Schools in the north stopped by to view the exhibit which opened today.
Remembering Romaldo
The funeral for Police Constable Romaldo Herrera was held this afternoon at St. Martin's De Porres in Belize City. Now, Romaldo Herrera was not a big name in Belize - in fact he only briefly flashed across the public stage - but when he did, he shined brighter than most. That was in February of the year two thousand, when he was a BDF second lieutenant in his mid 20's. Herrera was the senior officer in a 4 man BDF and Police patrol and accused of crossing into Guatemala. All four were captured by Guatemaln Armed Forces on February 24th, and put in a Guatemalan jail. Herrera was their leader and when we spoke to him 15 years ago, he was showed uncommon lucidity:..
Channel 5
San Pedro Shooting Leaves Toddler Dead
Family members and the community on San Pedro Ambergris Caye are tonight mourning the terrible loss of two year old Daniel Espat, who was shot and killed as he slept. [...]
Kareem Eagan Detained for Questioning in Deadly Shooting
Thirty-two-year-old Kareem Eagan, who is a person of interest in this morning's bloodbath, was shot in the right foot in San Pedrito on February second, as he sat inside his [...]
Fin Sec Says Report is the Real Deal
A report allegedly commissioned by Prime Minister Dean Barrow in 2014 has been making waves in the media. It's a white paper type document on cost-cutting measures in government, and [...]
UB Silent on Alleged Sex Scandal
The University of Belize has remained absolutely close-mouthed about reports that three faculty members are being accused of sexual misconduct with students at the facility. There are reports that at [...]
Minister of Education Wants Answers
After that roundabout answer without anything concrete, we tried to press the minister for more details. The alleged UB sex scandal is only one example of various allegations of that [...]
Teacher Suspended for Alleged Sexual Misconduct
And since we were on the subject of inappropriate sexual conduct in schools, we did some digging into another scandal, this one at the Mopan Technical School. A male teacher [...]
Moody's Predicts Loss for Bondholders
The 2014-2015 budget speech is expected to read after the March fourth Town Council elections and while there is a three percent economic growth to boast, the rating agency Moody's [...]
Free Tablets for UB Students
Today, the Ministry of Education invited the media to a breakfast where they discussed the road forward. But that was only a prelude to the real show - the distribution [...]
An Update on Petrocaribe
Those tablets cost about one million U.S. and reliable word is that it was paid for with Petrocaribe monies. We haven't heard much about Petrocaribe lately on the local scene, [...]
Still No Money for Hunter Family
In November 2014, Elisa Hunter was knocked down and killed on the George Price Highway. The vehicle which hit her was government issued, and was taking Minister of Foreign Affairs [...]
The Value of the Sacrifice Made by Danny Conorquie
In October 2014, when asked about compensation which would be paid to the family of slain tourism police officer Danny Conorquie, Prime Minister Dean Barrow said that it would reflect, [...]
Meighan Charged for S.S.B. Offences
A well-known Belize City businessman, Joseph Meighan of JB's Security Firm, was hauled to court today for failure to pay three months of Social Security for his workers. �This morning, [...]
San Pedro Minor Molested by Father
There is very disturbing news tonight about a father who molested his twelve year old daughter. The minor who lives in San Pedro told police that while she was at [...]
OW Man Charged for Drug Trafficking
An Orange Walk man has been charged with drug trafficking after he was discovered with eight hundred and sixty four grams of cannabis. On Monday around six thirty in the [...]
Drug War Threatens Residents of San Pedro
A near-fatal shooting in San Pedrito on February eleventh preceded this morning's deadly attack at the Espat apartment in which two year old Daniel was killed.� It is firmly believed [...]
Workshop on Preserving Antiquities Opens
In Belize, there are Mayan, colonial and modern artifacts from different cultures that are kept under lock and key to preserve the tangible work of art. Since Monday, representatives from [...]
Interpol Contacted in Stolen Artifacts Case
Still on the issue of stolen artifacts, which globally represents a billion-dollar industry in the parallel market. Over the weekend, the San Pedro House of Culture was burglarized and stolen [...]
Call to Artists for Women in Art Exhibition
The annual Women in Art Exhibition will open at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts on March twelfth. It takes place during Women's Month as one of the calendar [...]
Education Reference Center Launched
Have you considered studying in the United States? Well, your opportunity to do so just became easier. Today, the U.S Embassy and the Leo Bradley Library teamed up to open [...]