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Posted By: Marty Today's Belize News: August 20, 2017 - 08/20/17 12:49 PM

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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

Island athlete Ada Cordova receives sports scholarship to the University of Belize
A recent San Pedro High School (SPHS) graduate has been awarded a full sports scholarship to the University Of Belize (UB). On Friday, August 11th, during a ceremony at the UB Jaguar Auditorium in Belmopan City, Ada Cordova of the graduating SPHS Class of 2017 was officially presented with a scholarship for the upcoming academic year. Cordova is no stranger to the sport scene, having represented the SPHS at several national tournaments, and joining the Belize team at international tournaments such as the Under-17, Council for Sports and Recreation of Central America (CODICADER) games. The Student-Athlete Scholarship Program is funded by UB and has been in existence for the past 11 years. The scholarship caters for students who excel in both academic and athletic skills. Scholarships are given to both male and female students in the disciplines that range from Basketball, Football, Softball, Cycling and Canoeing. At the ceremony, all scholarship recipients were presented with their awards and signed their contract agreements which include stipulations for good behavior, good grades, and community service.

New Auditor General's Report showing Mismanaged Accounts
On Friday, August 18th, the House of Representatives reviewed the Auditor General's report on the Government of Belize's (GOB) April 2012/ March 2013 Financial Statement. The Financial Statement in question was for the first year of Prime Minister Dean Barrow's and the United Democratic Party's (UDP) second consecutive term in office. While ministerial comments on the report are yet to be released, an initial review of the document by the Belizean media quotes the Auditor General as claiming 'mismanaged accounts'. A statement within the Auditor General's report indicated "in the analysis of Financial Statement 2012/2013 most bank accounts along with other Government of Belize accounts managed by the Accountant General were not reconciled. These accounts have not been reconciled for a number of years. In some instances, accounts have significant discrepancies, and in all instances, have a material effect on the overall presentation of the Financial Statements."

San Pedro Food Bank to be renamed in Honor of Colleen Schwendinger
Raise Me Up (Belize Non-Governmental Organization) is excited to announce that the San Pedro Food Bank program will be renamed in honor of the late benefactor Colleen Schwendinger of Rendezvous Restaurant. Her husband, Glenn Schwendinger decided that on the second anniversary of his wife Colleen's untimely death, her memory should have meaning. Through donations collected at "Colleen's Celebration of Life" memorial service, and from long-time friends Matt Russell, and Al and Janet Kruebbe, over $14,000 dollars will have been donated to Raise Me Up for its food bank program. Currently operating as "San Pedro Food Bank", and located at the San Pedro Lions Den, the program will relocate to Hope Haven, a children's shelter and community outreach center located adjacent to Maya Island Air's terminal in San Pedro Town of Ambergris Caye. Upon its relocation, the name will be officially changed to "Colleen's Kitchen at San Pedro Food Bank".

Government of Belize Officially Announces Legislation on Indefinite Moratorium on Offshore Oil Exploration
oday, Friday, August 18th, in the sitting of the House of Representatives, Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow officially announced Cabinet's August 15th decision to legislate an indefinite moratorium on offshore oil exploration in Belize's territorial sea, including the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Prime Minister Barrow stressed that the current administration has had, and has committed to for some time now, an official policy decision to abstain from oil exploration in our territorial sea and EEZ. Cabinet's decision is in furthering that policy decision, to assure citizens, the environmental community, and investors, that the Government of Belize is committed to sustainable development.

Misc Belizean Sources

mzz

Closing Ceremonies for Zone 4 Neighborhood Watch Summer Program a Success
Kids had a week full of activities such as art & crafts, games, and guest speakers as well as presentations by local entities in the community.

Our Country Desk Officer, Benjamin, came for a visit to get to know Belize and the experience of Peace Corps Volunteers here
He'll take his new-found knowledge back to the States to help future applicants prepare for successful service in Belize. Thank you Ben!

Student says athletic scholarship made the difference
The athletic scholarship lead me to Student Gov't. & a Bachelors Degree "It is with my utmost sincere gratitude, that I write to the Dean of student affairs and all those who operate under her supervision, expressing how thankful I am, to have been granted the opportunity to further my education through the means of the Student Athletic Program. As another semester has come to end, and as I am on the last leg of my journey; I reminiscence on how this program has not only contributed to my development as a young person academically, but has also contributed to my personal development, in areas such as: being responsible, committed, maintaining proper discipline, and last but not least, understanding the importance of giving back.

Job opening at BEL
A vacancy exists for the post of Customer Care Representative II in the Customer Care Department (San Ignacio) of Belize Electricity Limited.

Below the Surface Exhibit
Valerie Penner is having an art exhibit at the Wildfire Artmosphere next Saturday, August 26th. The exhibit is entitled 'Below the Surface,' and will start at 7:00pm. "I will be having an exhibit showcasing the journey of a set of paintings that came to life under a period of more than three years. Together they show the life below the surface of the mind."

Clean Water Camp evaluation survey
Two of the many smiling faces welcoming us in San Mateo as we start the 2017 Kids for Clean Water Camp evaluation survey with Belize Community Conservation and Caribbean Youth Environment Network - Belize.

LOVE FM

Harvey has Belizeans in suspense, will it hit or miss?
The National Emergency Management Organization issued its first advisory on Tropical Storm Harvey earlier today. At the time of the advisory Tropical Storm Harvey was located near latitude 13.4 North, and longitude 62.9 West or approximately 1,700 miles east of Belize. Harvey has sustained winds of 40 miles per hour and was moving to the [�]

Offshore Drilling Moratorium to become Law
Today, Prime Minister Dean Barrow officially announced government's plan to convert the moratorium on offshore oil exploration into a permanent piece of legislation. As we had reported yesterday the Prime Minister wrote to the Vice President of Oceana, Janelle Chanona in respect to Belize's moratorium on offshore oil exploration. In his letter, the Prime Minister [�]

House to decriminalize Marijuana
Eight bills were introduced during today's Special Sitting for the House of Representatives. One of those bills is the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill, 2017. This bill seeks to 'decriminalize the possession of cannabis in amounts not exceeding ten grams, to provide for the imposition of monetary and non-recordable penalties for the possession of cannabis [�]

PM says Shoman comments may land her in hot water
Yesterday we told you about the open letter written to Prime Minister Dean Barrow by former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Senator, Lisa Shoman. Shoman's letter was in response to a recent comment made by the present Foreign Affairs Minister, Wilfred Elrington in regards to the Guatemalan Belize territorial dispute. In an interview, Elrington said [�]

Hon. Julius Espat walks out over Auditor General's Report
Tabled today during the Sitting of the House of Representatives was the 2012-2013 Auditor General's Report. As we have been reporting, the audit conducted focuses on several government ministries and departments including the Ministry of Works, Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Education and the Department of Sales Tax. Yesterday the Leader of the Opposition, [�]

Re-registration saga
The topic of re-registration was brought up today in the Sitting of the House of Representatives. As you may already know, the Governor General signed a Statutory Instrument recently delaying it until July 2018. The Government says it does not have the money to carry out the exercise which would cost up to twenty million [�]

Will GOB create Maya Lands Registry?
Last week The SarstoonTemash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM) announced the launching of its own Maya Lands Registry with Crique Sarco being the first Maya village to make use of it. The creation of the registry came after two years that the CCJ handed down a ruling ordering the Government of Belize to "create an effective [�]

House discuss Town Council Bill
The eighth bill that was introduced today at the Special Sitting of the House of Representatives in Belmopan was the Town Councils Amendment Bill 2017. The bill makes provisions for greater autonomy to the Town Councils for raising funds for capital projects. Opposition Leader John Briceno and Prime Minister Dean Barrow debated the bill. John [�]

Is the fish on your plate safe?
The Ministry of Health has issued an advisory after suspected ciguatera or fish poisoning was detected in persons that had eaten barracuda bought from a fish vendor in Ladyville. The Ministry says ciguatera poisoning is normally seen in predatory fish, mainly barracudas. However, other fish such as the coral trout, red snapper, donu, parrot fish, [�]

NICH comments on BSCAP
The National Institute of Culture and History says it is saddened at the state of affairs that is on-going with BSCAP and the now Ex-CEO Shyne Barrow since the situation destabilizes the movement towards copyright and fair economic rewards for our Musicians. NICH says it is very supportive of copyright and artist development in Belize [�]

The Reporter

Rotaract and Westrac support education at Ebenezer Methodist school
Today, the Rotaract Club of Belize City and Westrac Limited, assisted 150 students from Ebenezer Methodist School today with school bags containing school supplies. Representatives from the Rotaract and Westrac met with students, parents and the staff of EMS at 10 a.m., to hand over the bags, which also contained Westrac T-shirts. The Rotaract's Jalen Good explained that the donation forms a part of the organization's back to school initiatives which have been running for about four years. Good said that the bags were distributed to Infants 1 and 2, along with Standard 1 and Standard 6 classes. Westracs' Julian Thiessen said that the entire donation was valued between $2,500 - $4,000, and forms a part of the company's initiatives to support education and sports for youths.

NEMO on alert for Tropical Storm Harvey

New Bills passed during House Meeting
Following the House of Representatives special sitting on Friday, town councils now have more autonomy when it comes to raising funds for Capital Projects; and the Government of Belize has placed a moratorium on offshore oil exploration in Belize. The town councils have been empowered through the Town Council Amendment Bill 2017, one of eight Bills tabled, and the only one to go through its full reading. Prime Minister Dean Barrow explained that one of the major reasons for the amendment was to give the San Ignacio Town Council the ability to borrow the money to complete the construction of its new town hall. The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) says it is on alert, given the pending Tropical Storm Harvey, but has not activated. The latest advisory from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which was issued this morning, warns that Harvey is moving toward the west at around 21mph, with maximum sustained winds of 40mph and some higher gusts. NOAH added that Harvey is expected to strengthen within the next 48 hours. Meteorologists have noted that Harvey is a "rather disorganised system" that has already brought 4.5 inches of rain to Barbados.

NEAB makes statement on marijuana decriminalization
The National Evangelical Association of Belize, on Friday, spoke out against the Government of Belize's decision to decriminalize 10 grams of marijuana. NEAB said that it is convinced the move is an incremental step towards full legalization of marijuana in Belize. The organization, which says it represents over 250 churches countrywide, noted that it had made a presentation to the Prime Minister, quoting studies from sources such as Harvard Medical School, and the University of Australia, which emphasized that marijuana is harmful and decriminalizing it is a bad policy decision.

Breaking Belize NewsPJ

Harvey weakens to Tropical Depression
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is reporting that Harvey has weakened to a Tropical Depression. As of this afternoon, the center of Harvey was located near latitude 14.1 North, longitude 70.0 West. The depression is moving toward the west near 22 mph (35 km/h) [�]

Man shot by Customs Officer dies
Four days ago, on Tuesday August 15, 31-year-old Dwayne Almendarez was shot by a Customs Officer in Yo Creek. Since then he had been hospitalized in a critical condition and had even gone into a coma. However, just before 7:00 a.m. today he succumbed [�]

Peruvian singer, Rossi War, in Belize
The Miss Estereo Amor Pageant will be held tonight at the Sacred Heart College Auditorium in San Ignacio. Eight contestants from around the country are vying for the title of Miss Estereo Amor 2017. The talented young ladies will compete tonight: Selena Urias - [�]

Harvey continues to move west
The National Hurricane Center (NHC), reported this morning, that Harvey remains a tropical storm but is less organized than yesterday. As of this morning, Harvey was located 1,010 miles east of Cabo Gracias a Dios on the Nicaragua/ Honduras border with maximum sustained winds [�]

Blogs

A Myriad of Meals: Lunch Options on Ambergris Caye
In Belize, lunch is often the big meal. The busiest time by far is Noon to One. Some businesses - like govt offices or shops - close during that time for lunch hour. And if you get to some of the most popular local delis after those hours - the daily special (whether it's Escabeche, pig tail or Black Soup) can be sold out. There is even MORE of a reason to love your lunch these days. With the growth of our island - both in popularity and population - we have SO many choices. An overflow of options. An abundance of alternatives. To highlight just some of it, here is what I ate just this week on Ambergris Caye. If you had shown me this list 10 years ago�when I first moved to San Pedro�I wouldn't have believed it. An ode to my favorite meal and the massive DELICIOUS selection that we have in San Pedro.

International Sourcesizz

US calls out Caribbean on religious freedom
Though religious freedom is generally upheld in most, if not all, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, the United States has called out some nations for what it describes as religious intolerance. In releasing the 2016 International Religious Freedom Report earlier this week, the US Department of State said that almost 20 years after passage of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, "conditions in many parts of the world are far from ideal," including those in the Caribbean. The Department of State, therefore, cited instances of what it regarded as religious intolerance in some CARICOM-member states, particularly in the larger ones.

On mission trip to Belize or facing Lamar Jackson, UK's Stephen Johnson won't be rattled
You can take Stephen Johnson to Central America. You can confront the Kentucky quarterback with challenges - repairing churches, rebuilding fences, laying cement - that stretch his skills. Yet even on a mission trip this summer to Belize with his family and other members of the Abundant Living Family Church, Johnson couldn't be rattled. "He was asked to do a lot of things, maybe, he hadn't done a lot of before," the UK quarterback's father, also named Stephen Johnson, said of the trip. "But you know Stephen: He just kept his head and put in hard work."

Videos

  • The crocs that live in the lake beside our pool, 1min. Never seen them do this before. Apparently it's feeding time and somebody has them in a routine!

  • Eating termites in Belize, 1/2min.

  • Belize- Aug 2017, 3min. 5 Days in Caye Caulker.

  • Hol Chan Tunnel, Belize 2017 - outside reef, 2min.

  • 1977 SJC St John's College Class of 1977 Reunion Complete Slideshow Belize City July 29, 2017, 17min.

  • 1977 SJC St John's College Class of 1977 Reunion Complete Video Belize City July 29, 2017, 68min. St John's College Class of 1977 Reunion. 40 years!

  • Lamanai Archeological Site in Belize, 15min.

  • Furrowed Wood Turtle, 1/2min. A tiny turtle was crossing the highway which cuts through the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve so our team gave this little guy a hand. It turned out to be a Furrowed Wood Turtle (Rhinoclemmys areolata).
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