May 9, 2018

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

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

9-a-side Football Tournament regular season finales this weekend
Three weeks of the 9-a-side Football Tournament were completed this past weekend at the Ambergris Stadium in San Pedro Town. With the first round of the matches being played on Friday, May 4th. In the first match San Pedro Pirates went against San Mateo F.C, in a match that ended in a 2-2 draw. In the next match, Atletico Madrid took on Los Catracitos in the Under-15 (U-15) category. At the end of the game time, it was a 1-1 draw. The last match of the day featured Island Warriors #1 going against Island Warriors #2, with no goals being scored the entire game time. Games continue this weekend starting on Thursday, May 10th with U-15 Teams. Everyone is invited to come out and support their favorite teams in the week of the regular season of the tournament. Food and drinks will be on sale during the games.

Ambergris Today

Honduras Intercepts Transportation Of 700lbs Cocaine Headed To Belize
On Sunday, April 29, 2018, Honduran Police and Military forces presented 319 Kilos of cocaine at the Puerto Cortez Naval Base which they confiscated from a vessel registered in Panama which was destined to Belize. According to La Prensa (Honduran Media) Police and military officials intercepted a Panamanian vessel named Angeline where they found three occupants, two Colombian nationals and a Honduran national, were later released because an initial search of the vessel did not turn up anything illegal. The report continues on saying that the vessel was taken to the Puerto Cortez Naval base where a further sweep was conducted on Monday, April 30, 2018, which led to the discovery of the drugs.

Dead Bonefish Wash Up on Shore on Ambergris Caye, Residents Concerned
After Sandy Toes Beach Bar and Grill posted a video of dead fish washing up ashore in front of their establishment, residents rushed to the area curious as to what was happening. This took place last night, Monday, May 7, 2018, at around 8p.m.; it is a startling occurrence that has some residents worried. The big question on everybody’s mind is, what could possibly be causing this? Amongst the many dead and dying bonefish were sardines, needle nose fish and even puffer fish. There are more questions than answers at this point though, because there are no obvious clues to what would have killed those fish. There are many speculations as to what could have caused this strange phenomena - some suggest a strong rip current, a low tide trapping the fish out of the water and even poisoning by sargasso toxins.

Madison Edwards Receives Recognition by WWF at International President’s Youth Award
Nina Gualinga, an indigenous woman leader of the Kichwa community of Sarayaku in the Ecuadorian Amazon, is the recipient of this year’s WWF International President’s Youth Award. Joining her in receiving recognition this year is Madison Edwards of San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize. Madison Pearl Edwards is a twelve-year-old Belizean environmental activist. WWF added that Madison is another example of how youth around the world are stepping forward to help protect the planet. Recognized with a special mention and her video message played at the awards ceremony, 12-year old Madison has been advocating for the protection of the Belize Barrier Reef, the second largest reef system in the world and home to Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage site, for the past three years.

Hol Chan Marine Reserve Reef Week 2018 opens with “Swim to the Reef”
Hol Chan Marine Reserve’s Reef Week 2018 officially opened with the traditional “Swim to the Reef” on Monday, May 7th. Reef Week is an annual celebration featuring a week-long calendar of activities to celebrate Belize’s Barrier Reef System aimed at raising awareness on the importance of protecting and preserving the marine environment.

Misc Belizean Sources

Workshop on Building Belize’s National Capacity on Climate Change Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment
The National Climate Change Office (NCCO), which is part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment, Sustainable Development and Immigration, is hosting a workshop aimed at building Belize’s national capacity on climate change vulnerability and capacity assessments, as well as identifying adaptation measures to decrease vulnerability. The workshop is an intensive three-day session to which began today, Tuesday, May 8th and will conclude on Thursday, May 10th, 2018 at the George Price Centre for Peace and Development in Belmopan. It aims to introduce participants to vulnerability and capacity assessment methodology and complementary adaptation initiatives under different scenarios, as well as measure for monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.

Tiger Sharks v/s Defenders Boat Joyride!
11th May, Pan to joyride. Friday evening 5:30pm boat left San Pedro to Belize city. tiger shark v/s defenders $20 for the boat $20/$25 for some nice seatings/tickets buy your drinks on board... return back after game contact 632-1011 get your tickets now before it’s too late

Strong Man & Woman Championship 2018
Males and Females will compete for the title of Strongest Man and Strongest Woman in Belize on Sunday May 20th 2018, at Santa Elena Sports Complex, Cayo. Disciplines include: -Bench Press -Dead Lift -Squats -Tire Flip -Farmers Walk -Truck Pull. The Belize Body Building & Fitness Federation

2018 Children's Essay Contest

Travel Tourism
Travel and Tourism is one of the world's largest foreign exchange earner among industries, provides employment directly to millions of people worldwide and indirectly through many associated service industries. A very wide industry, it includes Government tourism departments, Immigration and customs services, travel agencies, airlines, tour operators, hotels etc and many associated service industries such as airline catering or laundry services, Guides, Interpreters, Tourism promotion and sales etc. Travel and Tourism enterprises include major internationals with a workforce of thousands, to the small private travel agent with a handful of employees. Here are some stats to show how Belize is performing among some other Caribbean countries in various key areas when it comes to Travel Tourism.

“Las Mujeres Flores” Photograhic Exhibit Opening
The National Institute of Culture and History along with The Embassy of Mexico in Belize announce the inauguration of the photographic exhibition "Las Mujeres Flores | The Flower Women" by Eunice Adorno, which will be presented at the Corozal House of Culture from May 9 to May 25, 2018.

Environmental and indigenous rights activist to receive WWF’s top youth conservation award Cartagena, 8 May 2018 - Nina Gualinga, an indigenous woman leader of the Kichwa community of Sarayaku in the Ecuadorian Amazon, is the recipient of this year’s WWF International President’s Youth award. Madison Pearl Edwards from Belize is another example of how youth around the world are stepping forward to help protect the planet. Recognized with a special mention at the awards ceremony, 12-year old Madison has been advocating for the protection of the Belize Barrier Reef, the second largest reef system in the world and home to Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage site, for the past three years. Through her blog and social media, Madison has helped mobilize public support against offshore oil exploration in Belize, which resulted in the adoption of the permanent moratorium on all extractive activities in Belize waters in December 2017. The move not only made Belize one of only three countries in the world with such legislation but is expected to help take the Belize Barrier Reef World Heritage site one step closer to being removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Paint N Splash
See you this week at from 2-4pm Thursday for these “Jumpin’ Jellyfish”.

Belize Red Cross announces vacancies
Job Title: PROJECT MANAGER, Job Title: Project Field Officer, Job Title: Assistant Finance Officer.

Channel 7

Citco Firings: the Axe For The UDP Hacks Or Victimization in PUP Nation?
This morning, news spread like wildfire that 6 employees were terminated from City Hall in Belize City. Among them was City Administrator Candice Miller, who faced a hearing last week Thursday before a Council Caucus led by Mayor Bernard Wagner. Others who got termination letters today include Whitney Waight, the Parks and Playgrounds Coordinator; Lisbeth Butler, the Manager in the Office of the Mayor; Cecil Jenkins Sr., the Coordinator of the Sanitation Department; and other technical staff members including Wayne Samuels, brother of the former Councillor Dean Samuels; and Shana Whyte, a supervisor in the Parks and Playgrounds Department.

Mayor Was Ok With Keeping On “Second-Tier” Employees In March
As soon as we learned about the mass terminations, we reached out to Mayor Bernard Wagner for comment, but up until news time, he has not responded to email and text message requests. We do have his unaired comments from an interview he gave us on March 14, discussing this very same security of tenure issue. Here's what he had to say then: Reporter: "What is the issue with security of tenure? We know that was a big thrust of the former mayor so that people would not be subject to the whims of elections. How are you managing that?"

Shooter Charged
Last night on the news we showed you the moments after 38 year old Tyrone Stevens was shot on Central American Boulevard on Sunday morning. It's part of ongoing rivalries in that area. Well, tonight police have charged 20 year old Eric Edward Mendez from 114 Jane Usher Boulevard for it. He appeared today before Chief Magistrate, Sharon Fraser where he was charged with the attempted murder of Stevens, plus grievous harm and use of deadly means of harm with intent to cause grievous harm.

Street Justice Went Searching For Shooter
And directly connected to this case, is a separate shooting which happened in the Jane Usher Boulevard area last night. It happened right at Eric Mendez's home. As you just heard, he was charged for shooting Tyrone Stevens. Well, it appears that even before the cops charged him for that shooting, rivals wanted to mete out some street justice. Last night 2 men went to his family's house and opened fire on it. His sister told police that she heard 3 gunshots, and when she opened the door to see what was happening, she saw 2 men, dressed in full black clothing. They were standing across the street, and the immediately ran into the nearby bushes. The family checked the house and found 2 bullet holes in one of the walls.

66K USD in Suitcases - Belizeans Facing Serious Money Laundering Case in Salvador
Last week we told you about the three Belizeans who were arrested at the Monseñor Romero Airport in el Salvador for not declaring tens of thousands of US dollars in cash. Well, it turns out there are actually five with Belizean nationality. They are Marlon Alberto Valle, Jessy Grabiel Ojeda, Lilian Racquel Salazar, and Deymy Vanessa Rodríguez, plus Rongcang Chen, who has Belizean and Chinese nationality. So far we know that Ojeda was born in Cayo while Rodriguez and Valle are naturalized Belizeans originally from Honduras. They were caught along with a Guatemalan and a Honduran.

Big John Versus The BTB
Tour Operator John Pollard has appeared on this newscast many times. And that's because he's often in open conflict with the BTB - which regulates guides and operators at the Fort Street Tourism Village. Now, he says the BTB has it in for him - after they pulled his tour operators license and gave him a cease and desist order - saying that he is to stop running tours. But, this morning we found Pollard right back at the Tourism Village. He says it's not that he's being defiant, it's just that he's now changed his game up and is just a regular freelancing tour guide:...

BEL Workers Want New Uniforms
Yesterday, around 75 BEL employees and union members showed up to work in casual clothes - not in uniform. The dispute is over uniforms which management promised in January - but they haven't reached yet. Now, showing up at BEL without a uniform is frowned upon - so the management told those who weren't wearing uniforms to go home and get changed. But, that didn't happen - those who went home just didn't come back. It could have been the start of a testy labour dispute - but - things got ironed out today - as neatly as the crisp seam on an (imaginary) new uniform. General Secretary Marvin Mora told us more via phone:

Belgian Chocolate, Meet Belizean Cacao
Belgian chocolates are some of the most highly cherished sweet treats in the world. And, similarly, Belizean organic cacao is among the most prized on the planet. And now, the two might be coming together. In March of last year, we told you how the different Belgian brands were being encouraged incorporate Belizean Cacao to their blends. The Belize Embassy in Brussels hosted a promotional event to increase interest in our high-quality cacao beans. And, now, as a follow-up, a delegation from Belgium and the Netherlands is here in Belize as a part of the Belize Cacao Trade and Investment Mission. The delegation is here to learn more about the Belizean Cacao industry and hopefully come one step closer to investing in it. We found out more from the experts this afternoon.

Turning Intellectual Property Into A Competitive Advantage
Today the World Intellectual Property Organization along with its partners were in day 2 a 3 day workshop. The workshop focuses on the importance of intellectual property and how business can use IP to enhance competitiveness. Here's more from the workshop coordinators. Olabimpe Akinkuolie, Deputy Registrar, BELIPO: "Well overall the workshop is to create an awareness of what intellectual Property is all about and how the use of registering your trade mark, registering your inventions, registering your design can be an added value to anyone's business whether you are starting up, whether it is a traditional industry that you are a part of or a new and emerging one."

BWSL Resisting PUC Ordered Rate Reduction
It kind of went under the radar, but BWSL has not implemented the lower rates ordered by the PUC. It's not "OPEN DEFIANCE" - because the utility did go to court for judicial review. So, that has put the new rate package on hold until the matter is heard later this month. But, in January of this year the PUC took an initial decision to approve a 6.39 percent reduction in your water rate. That was supposed to come into effect on April first, but on March 19, 2018, BWS filed an Urgent Without Notice Application for Permission to Apply for Judicial Review and Interim Injunction against the new rate package. The Supreme Court granted BWS an ex parte injunction restraining the PUC from implementing the new rate.

From Hope Creek To Armenia, Stolen Gun Found
Today, Belmopan Police recovered a stolen 9 millimeter pistol in the outskirts of Armenia Village. It was found in an open area and the Browning pistol with one live round had a serial number. When police entered that in the Crime Information Management System officers discovered that the firearm had been reported stolen on 4th April 2018 in Hopecreek Village Stann Creek.

Sr. Supt. Howell Keeps At Community Work
LATELY, the Jane Usher Boulevard area has been one of the areas in the city torn by gang violence. There's no easy fix to gang feuding - but there are common-sense community solutions which are simple enough to implement. According to southside commander Howell Gillett, a big factor for the crime in that the area is the overgrown lots which can harbour criminals or serve as stash spots for guns and drugs. Today he enlisted the help of some prison inmates to embark on a major clean-up. Thanks to them the grass is a lot greener and shorter.

Thank-you, Baba
The Leo Bradley Library got a valuable collection of books and recordings today. It's a collection of works from Olatunji Balogun. He died last year and his wife, friends and fans all gathered at the library today to hand over all his books. Courtney Weatherburne has more. An ancestral performance from the Kwatamani Royal family - a tribute to their hero and friend Olatunji Balogun. Balogun was an author and researcher known for his works "A victim of my Own Wealth" among other publications. He was originally from Trinidad and Tobago but at age 36, he made Belize his home and it's ultimately where he made his mark.

The Y Needs Your Help For Court
That famous 1 mile stretch of Fabers Road from the Central American Boulevard to the Western Highway is in the process of getting a 8-million dollar facelift. And following right behind the major roadworks is a new basketball court that's being built at the YMCA compound on Fabers Road. For years, the children who benefit from the YMCA sporting programs have been struggling on an old basketball court. So, improve their facilities, the management is preparing to construct a full-sized basketball court. The executive director told us more about it today:

Cheap Birds For Mother’s Day
And while the "Y" is looking for a few good benefactors, Quality Poultry is hoping to be just that to mothers across Belize. Now, I don't know if you'll be eating chicken on mother's day - but if you will Quality Poultry has activated a mother's day discount that may leave you with a freezer full of chicken. Raymond Barkman told us more: Raymond Barkman, General Manager- Quality Poultry Products: "It is a mother's day deal and also the first time in the history we have ever done something like this. This is a whole week meaning it started Monday which was yesterday and it goes all the way to Saturday which is one week of big sale. The only reason we are doing it is for all the hardworking mothers out there and hoping we can give them a little break in their pocket for this mother's day."

PUC Put BEL In Check With Westlake Depreciation
Earlier on we showed you the PUC Chairman throwing shade at BWSL. Well, he also had a mild admonition for BEL with their Westlake Generating Station. That's at mile 8 on the Western Highway and when it was commissioned in 2003, it was to be depreciated over 15 years. That 15 years finished on June 30, 2018 - but the PUC that - in its submission to them - BEL kept depreciating the diesel substation at the same rate. Avery says BEL is proposing to switch the plant from diesel to natural gas.

Channel 5

CitCo Fires 6 including City Administrator Candice Miller
Two months after first entering office, the Belize City Council has begun clearing house, starting at the very top.  News Five has confirmed that there were six terminations by the [...]

Honduras Stops Ship with Cocaine Cargo Headed to Belize
We have been reporting on the frequency of suspected drug planes – at least seven since November 2017 – landing in northern and central Belize. The abandoned planes are usually [...]

5 Belizeans Held for Not Declaring Money Allegedly Tainted by Drugs
There’s another bust that has given Belize a black eye in the international press. A judge in El Salvador has ordered further detention for seven persons, including five Belizeans, who [...]

Dean Galvez to Court for Murder of Roni Casasola
A Saint Matthew’s villager was escorted by police to a courtroom in Belmopan this morning and arraigned for murder. Twenty-one-year-old Dean Galvez was well-known to murder victim, Roni Casasola who [...]

Mom Mourns Only Son Habib Hajjara, Lost to Gun Violence
Thirty-six-year-old Habib Hajjara was ruthlessly done away with inside his taxicab on Sunday morning when someone shot him at point-blank multiple times while driving his vehicle along Mahogany Street.  The [...]

Eric Mendez Charged in Attempted Murder of Tyrone Stevens
An air-conditioning technician is accused of the attempted murder of a Belize City man on Sunday. Thirty-eight-year-old Tyrone Stevens remains in the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, but he has identified [...]

Where Will the Teachers Be on Teachers’ Day?
Teachers Day is quickly approaching; this year, the activities are intended to step up to a national celebration which will bring six thousand teachers from all over the country under [...]

O.W. on Alert after Fish Kill Exposed in New River
Residents of Orange Walk Town and surrounding villages are on alert tonight as the New River has suffered another fish kill. Hundreds of river fish such as tilapia and tarpon [...]

Education Continues, But No National Position on I.C.J. for B.N.T.U.
The Belize National Teachers Union says it will not influence the decision of its membership on whether the unfounded territorial claim Guatemala has over Belize should be taken to the [...]

Why Teachers are Tit-for-Tat on Salary Deductions
On March twenty-second, hundreds of primary and secondary school teachers from across the country gathered in Belmopan to march on Independence Hill.  While the annual budget was being debated inside [...]

Teachers Got Time Off for Women’s Rally
According to the union senator, management did not hesitate to grant teachers and students the day off to participate in the biennial Twenty Thousand Strong rally.  When it came to [...]

Referees Suspended for Error on Penalty in Premier League Semifinal
Two referees have been suspended from officiating football games in Belize. The B.D.F. Football Club has filed a protest against a decision made in a most recent match of the [...]

A Stop to Championship Would Have Financial Costs
Sanctions aside, Chuc says that there is a legal process to the protest made by B.D.F. Football Club.  Immediately following the game on April twenty-ninth, the military team—as is mandated—filed [...]

Belize Welcomes Potential Cacao Investors from Belgium, Netherlands
Today, the Belize Trade and Investment Development Service is hosting an inbound mission from Belgium and the Netherlands that is here to learn about the cacao industry and explore opportunities [...]

Coaches Receive Training from F.F.B.
Thirty-two football coaches from across the country converged at the F.F.B. Headquarters in Belmopan for day-one of a week-long FIFA training course to improve the sport in Belize. German Instructor [...]

FIFA, F.F.B. to Install Synthetic Pitches in Belmopan and Belize City
While speaking with F.F.B. President Sergio Chuc, we also found out about some mega projects that the federation has in the pipeline. These include the refurbishing of the F.F.B. stadium [...]

Library Hosts Collection for Late Olatunji Balogun
Today, the family of Olatunji Balogun handed over a collection of his work to the Leo Bradley Library in Belize City.  Balogun, who died last year at seventy years old, [...]

Gov’t, I.D.B. Shake Hands on Loan for Climate Change Project
On Monday, the Government of Belize and the Inter-American Development Bank signed a ten million U.S. dollar loan contract. The monies will be used to reduce Belize’s vulnerability to climate [...]

Contract Signed for Airport Link Road
The Government of Belize also signed a contract with CISCO Construction Limited, for a little over thirty-four million dollars for the construction of the Airport Link Road.  The proposal includes the construction [...]

CTV3

Union Tells Teachers To Halt Contributions, In Response To MOE Salary Docking
In April, the Ministry of Education decided that it would dock the salaries of hundreds of teachers who off a day from regular school to attend an anti-crime rally in the city of Belmopan on March 22nd which was organized by their union, the Belize National Teacher’s Union. The news was very unwelcome to Union leaders, for the rally was a positive initiative to take a stand against crime. Today, firebrand Union President Elena Smith shared with the media that in response to the move by the Ministry, they are calling on their teachers to discontinue the contributions they pay, out of generosity, to assist school managements.

BNTU Says Rising Cost Of Living Is A Concern
While the Union is unhappy with the Ministry of Education’s decision to dock teachers’ salaries, the BNTU also shares concerns about the rising cost of living and the diminishing purchasing power of its members. Last year, teachers and public officers collected the third and final portion of a salary increase granted by the Government. The negotiations for the increase had initiated from as far back as 2010 under then national President Jaime Panti. His successor President Luke Palacio took up the mantle and in 2014 there was finally an agreement with GOB but it wasn’t the 30% requested.

Firefighter Pleaded Guilty To China Store Armed Robbery
Yesterday we reported on the brazen armed robbery of China Store, a supermarket located on 7th Avenue in Corozal Town. The business establishment was targeted by a male individual just after 3pm on Saturday. While the male Chinese owner stood behind the cashier and chatted with a customer, the assailant arrived riding a bicycle and strolled into the store with his face covered with a mask and with what appeared to be a firearm in his hand.

Belizeans Under Preventative Detention In El Salvador
Last week we reported on a group of Belizeans who were arrested in El Salvador after they were caught with a large amount of money at an airport in that country. Well tonight a report on the Salvadoran news outlet ‘La Pagina’ indicates that a judge in that jurisdiction ordered preventative detention for all individuals, which includes five Belizeans, who were detained last Thursday at the ‘Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero airport’ for transporting large amounts of undeclared money.

LOVE FM

BWSL takes PUC to court of reduction of rates
The Belize Water Services Limited (BWSL) has engaged in court proceedings against the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). BWSL has been granted judicial review, challenging the PUC’s decision to reduce the water rate which should have come into effect April of this year. The PUC has mandated that there should be a rate reduction of six …

Trouble at BEL
There was some trouble at the Belize Electricity Limited after employees protested not receiving uniforms. According to reports, while some employees received new uniforms from the company, others did not and in protest, they showed up to work in casual clothes. They were later asked to go home and change into their proper attire. Marvin …

Williams says most of their resources are focused on the Old Capital
Deputy Commissioner of Police Chester Williams who is Commander of Operations deploys police officers to different areas to conduct special operations as the need arise. Williams said that his department focuses primarily on Belize City in conducting these special operations in an effort to maintain law and order. Chester Williams, Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations: …

PSE grades should determine if you get accepted to high school, says BNTU President
Last week thousands of students sat the second portion of the Primary School Examinations. They sat the Math and Social Studies papers. On average, students have difficulty passing the Math and Science papers satisfactorily. But does the PSE grades play a role? Some high school uses PSE grades to accept new students while others do …

Police latest strategy to help curb crime
The Police Department is pulling out all the stops in order to bring crime under control and restore confidence in the department. One of the latest strategies is setting up an office that will be used to execute crime interventions. ACP Robert Mariano, Eastern Region Commander, explains. ACO Robert Mariano, Eastern Regional Commander: “Since I …

Police working to restore normalcy in Dangriga
Recently, there were two murders that took place in Dangriga, that of 55-year-old Jamaican national Patrick George Crossdale and 43-year-old Gabriel Laurie Jr. Both murders took place in broad daylight and what is even worse is that Crossdale was killed across from a school where children were present. Deputy Commissioner of Police Chester Williams told …

Potential investors visit Cacao industry in Belize
A trade and investment mission is currently in Belize with the purpose of meeting with Cacao farmers. The visit is organized by BELTRAIDE with support from the Embassy of Belize in Brussels. Manager of Export Belize at BELTRAIDE, Shahira McCoy says the delegation including representatives of Belgium and the Netherlands are interested in trading with …

Nurses’ Week: “Nurses a Voice to Lead, Health is a Human Right”
This week is being celebrated as Nurses’ Week under the theme: “Nurses a Voice to Lead, Health is a Human Right”. The week started with a church service and today, the activities continued with a fair, which was held on the compound of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Love News was there and spoke with …

Healthcare service on the rise due to the spike in crime
With the recent spike in crime, there have been more patients that access the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for treatment. Yvette Massiah, Acting Director of Nursing Service, spoke to Love News about how the hospital has been able to adapt to meet the rise in the demand for healthcare services. Yvette Massiah, Acting Director of …

Belize City Council terminates half dozen employees
Several persons were fired by the Belize City Council today. About six persons were let go and those include the City Administrator, Candice Miller, Whitney Waight, Shana Whyte, Wayne Samuels, Lisbeth Butler and Cecil Jenkins Senior. According to Jenkins, he reported to work as usual and was called in by the Director of Administration, Sherlene …

Teachers decide to withhold contribution for school managements who want to deduct their pay
The Belize National Teachers Union has decided to take action against school managements that have decided to deduct salaries from teachers who participated in the rally on March 22 in Belmopan. The teachers rallied against the increase in crime committed against women and children. While the school’s managements have the right to deduct from their salaries, it is the teachers’ belief that it should not be done because they were peacefully demonstrating for a worthy cause.

BNTU helps in fighting crime
The BNTU’s rally in Belmopan was a response to the spate of crimes committed mainly against women and children. The teachers urged the Government to take a collaborative effort to address crime. Since then the Ministry of National Security embarked on a series of consultations on strategies to fight crime. Last month, the Ministry of National Security met with the BNTU to discuss the teachers’ role.

Gwen Liz teachers waiting on Education Minister’s response
Majority of the teachers of Gwen Lizarraga High School in Belize City are awaiting a response from Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, with respect to the nomination of former UDP city councilor Alifa Elrington to the school board. As we reported last month, more than twenty teachers staged a ‘sit out’ after they learned that the acting principal would be reappointing Elrington to the board as the Community Representative. The teachers believe that the principal did not follow the proper procedure in selecting Elrington who had to step down from the post after she was not re-elected to the Belize City Council on March 7.

GOB signs $10M loan to address climate change
Belize has received a ten million US dollar loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The money has been earmarked to address Belize’s vulnerability to climate change. The second component of the project will deal with disaster risk management governance and climate change adaptation in the tourism sector. Signing on behalf of the Government was Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Country Representative Dr. Cassandra T. Rogers signed on behalf of the IDB.

BEL spends more than $3M on diesel for Caye Caulker
According to the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission, John Avery, it has been decided that electricity rates will increase because Belize Electricity Limited is losing revenue and the cost of power is increasing. Every year, BEL spends three million dollars on diesel to power Caye Caulker Village. This is because Caye Caulker is not connected to the national grid. Avery says that if the village is connected to the grid, operation and production cost will decrease. Unfortunately, this has not been done as yet, says Avery.

Eric Mendez charged for attempted murder of Tyrone Stevens
Twenty-year-old Eric Edward Mendez, an air condition unit technician of Tamarind Street, was charged with the attempted murder of 38-year-old Tyrone Stevens when he appeared today before Chief Magistrate, Sharon Fraser. Mendez was also charged with grievous harm and use of deadly means of harm with intent to cause grievous harm.

Belizeans caught in El Salvador imprisoned for money laundering
Four Belizeans who have been charged with money laundering in El Salvador were arraigned this morning in San Luis Talpa, of La Paz in El Salvador. They and three other persons who were detained for the same charges have been sentenced to preventive detention. According to an article on “La Pagina” of El Salvador, authorities there took into consideration that the detainees work for drug trafficking rings by smuggling money derived from drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and other illicit activities.

700 pounds of cocaine was destined to Belize
Honduran authorities say that 319 kilos or a little over seven hundred pounds of cocaine that was confiscated on April 29 in Puerto Castillo, Colon, Honduras, was destined to Belize. Police and military officials intercepted a Panamanian vessel and at the time the three occupants were released because an initial search of the vessel did not turn up anything illegal. According to reports, the vessel was taken to the Puerto Cortez Naval base where a further sweep was conducted on Monday which led to the discovery of the drugs.

PlusTV

Murder in St. Matthew’s Village
A teenager was murdered in St. Matthew’s Village early Sunday morning. The victim was 19 year old Roni Omar Casasola Jr., a resident of that village. According to Cassasola’s family members, he was socializing at a nearby bar the evening of his shooting. Cassasola reportedly got into an altercatio...

Murder on Partridge Street, Daniel Guardado killed
Belize City also saw a couple of murders this weekend. On Saturday May 5th, 43 year old mechanic Daniel Guardado was gunned down on Partridge street sometime after 9 p.m. ASP Alejandro Cowo, Head of NCIB: Police responded to shots being fired at Park Range extension, and just on the street side pol...

Mahagony Street Murder; taxi man executed
Also in the early hours of Sunday morning, Honduran Taxi Driver, 36 year old Sbiero Habib Hajjara was gunned down while in his cab on Mahogany Street. Police told us more. ASP Alejandro Cowo, Head of NCIB: Just minutes before 4 o clock, police responded to shots being fired at the corner of Western ...

Police concerned over increased murders apparently due to robberies
By all accounts, it appears that the two murders in Belize City this weekend were of honest working men with no criminal records. Today, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, told us these cases are harder to predict and we assume, more difficult to solve. Chester Williams, Deputy COMPOL:...

Tyrone Stevens shot on Jane Usher Blvd
Sunday morning in Belize City saw more violence as there was another shooting, this time at the corner of Central American Boulevard and Jane Usher Boulevard. Thirty-eight year old Tyrone Stevens, a security officer, was shot several times to the body. ASP Alejandro Cowo, Head of NCIB: Mr.Tyrone Ste...

Three vehicle collision leaves one dead
A three car collision between miles 32 to 33 on the George Price Highway has left one man dead. The victim has been identified as 58 year old Miguel Ayala. Ayala was driving his F-150 truck en- route to Belize City, to make a delivery, when the fatal traffic accident occurred. According to eye witn...

Families robbed by armed men while at creek in Belmopan
Four armed and masked men held up a group of 3 families at the Rivera Creek side in Belmopan on Sunday. The families were robbed of all their personal belongings, valued at a total of $8,000. Paul Lopez reports from the scene of the robbery. Paul Lopez, Reporter: Rivera, as the creek side, is famous...

No one detained for Jason Sutherland’s murder
On Friday we told you about the murder of Jason Sutherland which occurred last Thursday night in Belize City. Today, police updated on this case and said while they do not have anyone detained as yet, they are reviewing surveillance footage captured by police surveillance cameras in the area. ASP A...

Shots fired on Vernon street; one arrested
Shots were also fired on Vernon Street in Belize City on Saturday but no one was hurt in that incident. Police caught up with the shooter and have since arrested him. ASP Alejandro Cowo, Head of NCIB: Police quick response in that area led to the trace of a male person where the police was able to apprehend that person somewhere in the vicinity of Vernon Street and as a result...

Police efforts to curb shooting spike in old capital
In the first section of this newscast, we told you about the two murders in Belize city and the other shooting incidents that occurred over the weekend in the Old Capital. As we mentioned, the two Belize City murders are not gang related...

Fire in Price Alley
There was a fire early Saturday morning in Belize City. The fire started at an abandoned house at number 6 Price Alley, but spread to a nearby residence. The house at number 1 Usher Street, belonging to 40 year old Andrew Fuller, was also totally destroyed. Fuller was at home at the time of the bla...

Belize Embarks on Study to Measure Iodine Intake
The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education in partnership with Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), as well as the Iodine Global Network, will be carrying out a survey to measure and report on the levels of Iodine in children in Belize. ...

Airport Link Road contract signed
The Government of Belize signed a contract with CISCO Construction Ltd. in the sum of 34.2 million Belize dollars for the construction of the Airport Link Road. The proposed upgrades for the Airport Link Road include the construction of one high-level bridge, which will intersect at the George Price...

Belize Signs Loan with IDB to Reduce Climate Vulnerability
The Prime Minister of Belize, Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, and Country Representative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Dr. Cassandra T. Rogers, today signed a loan contract for US$10 million that will seek to reduce Belize’s vulnerability to climate change. Belize is one of the countries most ...

Tit for tat, says BNTU prez, Senator Elena Smith
The Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU), the most organized and militant union in the country, agreed over the weekend to withhold the teachers’ contribution to school management, in protest over the insistence of the management of many schools to deduct one day’s pay for the union’s protest against crime and violence against women and children, that was held in Belmopan on Thursday, March 22. Since the idea of the salary deduction came from the Ministry of Education, whose minister is Hon. Patrick Faber, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, many of the church-led schools have opted for the day-pay deduction, although the salaries of most teachers come from the government, the senator told us.

1 dead in horrific 3-vehicle highway accident
There was a terrible accident between Mile 31 and 32 on the George Price Highway around 10:00 a.m. today involving two pickup trucks that were traveling toward Belize City and a BATSUB (British Army Training Support Unit Belize) four-ton truck that was heading in the opposite direction. One eyewitness who was traveling on a motorcycle, and who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the BATSUB vehicle was traveling in a convoy with about 5 other trucks.

Rony Cassasola, 19, shot dead in St. Matthews
There was a spike in violent crime over the weekend that resulted in four persons losing their lives to gun violence. Three of the weekend murders occurred in Belize City and one took place in St. Matthews Village, in the early hours of Sunday morning, when Rony Omar Cassasola, 19, a construction worker, was shot dead. The gunman, who was shooting randomly in the direction of some of Cassasola’s relatives, fired about six shots without hitting anyone, but his last shot hit Cassasola in the chest. At their press briefing today, police said that Cassasola and another man had gotten into an argument outside a club located in the village and the man ended up shooting him.

Mechanic and cab driver murdered over the weekend
Daniel Guadardo, 43, a mechanic of Belmopan, and Sbeiro Habib Hajjara, 36, a taxi driver of Belize City, both died over the weekend as a result of the city’s ongoing gun violence. The first senseless murder occurred at about 9:30 Saturday night on Partridge Street Extension at a curve not far from St. Martin Swift Hall. During the weekly press briefing held this afternoon at the Queen Street Police Station, ASP Alejandro Cowo, Commander of Crimes Investigation, told us that Daniel Guadardo was pushing his motorcycle on the street from Vernon Street into Partridge Street Extension, when an unknown gunman rode up on a bicycle from around the curve on the street and met Guadardo at the junction of Partridge Street Extension and the narrow road that leads from Vernon Street.

PUC explains initial decision to raise electricity rates
Today at around 2:30 p.m., the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) held a press conference to discuss the raise in electricity rates which was requested by the Belize Electricity Limited, and which the commission has recently approved. The conference was conducted by John Avery, the chairman of PUC, and Ambrose Tillett, the director of electricity for the PUC. Avery began by stating that every four years the PUC conducts a full tariff review proceeding (FTRP), where it forecasts certain values, targets, rates, etc. for the next four years. There is also an annual review where adjustments are made if necessary.

Councilor Candice Pitts, Gilroy Usher and the PUP’s UWG
On March 7, 2018, Dr. Candice Pitts, a first-time political aspirant, topped the polls in the Belize City municipal elections, helping to regain the old capital for the Opposition People’s United Party (PUP). Following the PUP’s successful campaign, Dr. Pitts submitted her candidacy to become the Port Loyola standard bearer. Her aspirations for national office, however, fizzled when the PUP Secretary General, Linsford Castillo, wrote her on May 2, thanking her for her interest, but explaining that the Party’s vetting committee thinks that Gilroy Usher, Sr., is the PUP’s choice for Port Loyola, and she should support his endorsement convention on May 20.

Bandits – Verdes, 1-1 in San Ignacio; Finals Game 2 in Belmopan on Saturday
Despite the controversy, the game must go on, said the PLB (Premier League of Belize), and yesterday evening at the Norman Broaster Stadium in San Ignacio, game 1 of the Finals for the PLB 2017-2018 Closing Season Championship saw home standing Verdes FC take the lead on a header by Alcides “Paco” Thomas (47+’) near the end of first half; but midway through second half, visiting Belmopan Bandits SC got the equalizer through young defender Norman Anderson (67’); and that’s how it ended, 1-1. The championship will be decided in the Final Game 2 this Saturday at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan. As in the semis, if there is an aggregate tie at the end of regulation on Saturday, then the “away goal rule” takes effect. If there is then still a tie, overtime would have to be played.

FFB Inter-District “Round of Sixteen” Week 1 results
The Football Federation of Belize (FFB) National Amateur Inter-District Club Championship 2018 kicked off over the weekend with 8 games played in its “Round of Sixteen” home-and-away knockout series. The return legs will be held on May 12 & 13, after which the eight winners will qualify to enter the Quarterfinal Round draw, which will be held on Tuesday, May 15. On Saturday, at the Santa Elena Sporting Complex, Cayo’s Peniarol FC prevailed, 3-0, over Arenal FC from Benque, with a goal each from Alex Saldivar (5’), Roy Cano (30’) and Jorge Monroy (56’). Meanwhile, at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium, it was Belmopan’s Valley United FC, 2-1, over Benque’s Red Bull FC. Shaking the net for Valley United were Wilberth Maldonado (9’) and Emerson Orellana (36’), while Noel Hyde (68’) scored for Red Bulll.

Done deal; so much for “Fair Play” in PLB playoffs
Surprising to many football fans, the Premier League of Belize (PLB) held game 1 of its 2017-2018 Closing Season Finals series yesterday at the Norman Broaster Stadium in San Ignacio. As late as Thursday night, the weekend Finals game was in doubt, as the BDF team was still in camp, hoping for a return to action in a re-play of their semifinals game 2. In our last report in these sports pages on Thursday night (May 3) of last week, titled “PLB football suspense,” we were still awaiting the verdict on a BDF FC protest against the outcome of their decisive semifinals game 2 against Verdes FC in San Ignacio on Sunday, April 29. The referee report on that game said that Verdes FC had won, 3—0; and thus, Verdes had advanced to the Finals on the strength of a 3-2 aggregate victory, BDF having won game 1 the previous week by a 2-nil score in Belize City,

Women’s League completes 1st round of football competition
The first round of the double round-robin tournament in the National Amateur Women’s League (NAWL) 2018 was completed over the weekend with Week 3 games at 4 different venues. At the MCC Grounds on Saturday, Belize City’s Millennium United managed to hold undefeated Gladiators of Orange Walk to a 0-0 stalemate, thanks to some outstanding goalkeeping from new addition, Joslyn Cadle. Gladiators dominated the game, but the agile Cadle handled everything they sent towards her, including leaving her six-yard box at times to intercept dangerous attacking plays.

Editorial: Battle plans and their adjustments
There was a time in human history when almost all substantive leaders were military, or so it appears. Societies were led by their greatest warrior, one of the reasons being that such a man had the ability to enforce his orders, pronto. King David of the Jews led on the battlefield. So did the Roman ruler, Julius Caesar, a few decades before the time of Christ. The Prophet Muhammad led on the battlefield in the seventh century after Christ. So did Henry V of England in the fifteenth century. Napoleon Bonaparte, perhaps the greatest military genius ever, led the French on the battlefield in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Mao Tse-tung led the Chinese Revolution on the battlefield in the early part of the twentieth century. Fidel Castro led the Cuban Revolution on the battlefield, then defended Cuba from the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 on the battlefield.

From The Publisher
When I visited Guatemala City for medical reasons in May of 2012, our hostesses took us to Antigua (Guatemala), which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Antigua, which was the third capital of Guatemala (according to Wikipedia, contrary to Stephens), is about a half hour’s drive roughly southeast of present day Guatemala City. The Guatemalan leaders made a decision, when they moved the capital from Antigua because of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, some two and a half centuries ago, to preserve the place, as much as was possible, for posterity. Antigua is now a scintillating tourist attraction. When you visit there, it is as if you are going back in time. The streets are cobblestones, and there is a powerful religious aura to the place. We visited a convent cum church which had been preserved and now partly transformed into a small hotel and restaurant.

Ed. U Kate exposes Smith
It is good that some Belizeans can afford the Godfrey Smith book, and that some of those who can, believe in the Christian virtue of sharing. A lot of people call themselves Christian, but they are confused followers of Moses. Ah, the Guardian’s Ed. U Kate believes in sharing, and last week, thank you, thank you, he/she did. Hope you keep it coming, brother or sister. Looking forward to more real smelly revelations about Price, the PUP, and di lak, di stak, an di baril. But let’s get off the wikid business for a while and look at—what the heck is wrong with Mr. Smith. If someone lets you into their house, you leave your baggage at the door. Objectivity is to be cherished, but you absolutely can’t maul your subject.

Guatemala, Belize, and the ICJ: The Big Picture
I am addressing this brief message to ALL Belizeans, wherever they may be and irrespective to which of our three political parties they belong, or, like myself, owe allegiance to none. Belize’s going to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in any case with Guatemala is NOT the option Belize should adopt. The people of Belize must resoundingly tell both the UDP Government and the PUP Opposition on Wednesday, 10th April, 2019 – NO. Why? 1. Guatemala, as against Belize, has assembled the best team in the world of renowned, world-class and tried and tested international lawyers, historians and international politics specialists its extensive war chest has purchased.

Councilor Micah Goodin hangs up on Amandala
On Thursday morning, as he was leaving the studios of the KREM WUB morning show, we asked Belize City mayor Bernard Wagner to comment on councilor Micah Goodin’s social media post on Monday. Mayor Wagner directed us to Councilor Goodin, who, he said, had made the social media post. After we made several attempts to call him, Goodin finally answered his cell phone this afternoon, and when he was told that we wanted to ask him about his Facebook post, he replied, “Hold on.” Then there was a click, and the line went dead.

2 houses destroyed by fire in Price Alley
Two wooden houses, about ten feet apart, were completely destroyed by fire in Price Alley at about 12:30 last night. One of the homes was an abandoned house that belonged to a Belizean who had migrated to the United States, and the other house belonged to Andrew Fuller, 43, a survey technician of Price Alley. Information we’ve received is that the fire started in the abandoned, dilapidated house, and spread to Fuller’s house. The Belize Fire Service responded, but they were unable to save Fuller’s house and belongings, which were completely destroyed.

Jason Sutherland, 29, murdered in yard on southside
Jason Sutherland, 29, a laborer of Fabers Road, Belize City, was killed around 8:30 last night in Sutherland’s yard, at the corner of Fabers Road and Central American Boulevard. Information to us is that Sutherland was socializing in his yard along with friends and relatives. His sister told us that he was talking with a friend of his near the gate when a man approached him and asked for some marijuana. Sutherland had gotten the marijuana and was about to hand it over when the gunman, who had entered the yard, shot him several times in the abdomen. As Sutherland was trying to escape by running under a food table, the gunman shot him in the back.

Kevaughan “Bigga” Staine convicted of attempted murder
Kevaughan Staine, 25, aka “Bigga”, charged with the attempted murder of his cousin, Taisha Staine, 23, was found guilty of the charge today by Justice Colin Williams in a trial that was without a jury. Crown Counsel Rene Montero submitted that the sentencing guidelines require a social inquiry report. As a result, Justice Williams ordered that the report be submitted on or before September 5, and he adjourned sentencing until September 24.

Breaking Belize News

Dean Galvez arraigned for murder of Roni Casasola
This morning Roaring Creek resident, Dean Galvez, 21, appeared in the Belmopan Magistrate Court. He was […]

World Red Cross Day celebrated
Today the world is celebrating World Red Cross Day. In Belize, where the Red Cross […]

BEL employees protest for new uniforms
Yesterday close to 75 employees at the Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) showed up to work in […]

Trial Farm family attacked by angry mob
A family of six was almost chopped up with machetes on Orange Wall District over the weekend. […]

Belize City Council fires more than 11
Our newsroom has confirmed that more than 11 persons have been terminated from the Belize City […]

Deron Lizama missing for 21 months
It has been almost 21 months since Deron Lizama, 21, was reported missing. The father […]

Candice Miller formally terminated
Today the Belize City council officially terminated City Administrator Candice Miller. Two weeks ago she […]

Elderly Belize city woman gets home from Hand in Hand Ministries
Staff members and 12 students from Boston College High School in the United States of America […]

Belize city man charged for incest
Yesterday, a 42-year-old Belize city man was charged with incest. The man is accused of […]

Miguel Ayala loses his life in traffic accident
Yesterday, BBN reported on a collision of three vehicles near Mile 33 on the George […]

Happy Nurses Week!
This week is celebrated internationally as Nurses’ Week. Every year Nurse Week is celebrated from May […]

Football finals kicks off; Bandits looking good after Round 1
Game 1 of Premier League of Belize (PLB) finals kicked off on Sunday, May 6th between […]

Blogs

Laughs and tasty treats at Iguana Juan’s Restaurant & Bar
Ambergris Caye has a lot to offer in terms of dining and entertainment, and new businesses certainly have much to live up to. With their witty slogan, eclectic vibe and great menu, Iguana Juan’s made their debut in style. Oh yes, let’s not forget their cool factor: Comedy Night! Owners Brad and Shannon Reeder had one of the top comedy clubs in the U.S., along with two restaurants in their hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, and so their move to Belize clearly would be a combo of the two. Iguana Juan’s is the very definition of: “Conveniently located upstairs of an old building, on a back street, on an island, in Central America”. Its open air setting on the second floor of the ‘old building’ makes for a very pleasant dining and drinking experience. With the level of heat we’re experiencing these days, sitting at a table and feeling a cool breeze is practically a religious experience.

Thinking of Buying Property in Belize? Here’s What Not to do
So many come to Belize, fall in love and start working out how they can invest in something more permanent than a 2-week vacation. Since there are so many things to consider I decided to accept an offer from a Belize City real estate attorney to give guidance to my readers. Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Ryan J. Wrobel, an American-born attorney who has called Belize home for the past 14 years (and counting). Ryan’s office, Wrobel & Co. deals predominantly in assisting people looking to move to or retire here in Belize and also assists with companies who would like to operate from Belize. This will be helpful for those who interested in relocating to Belize and purchasing a property and/or business here in paradise. You will learn more about what is involved in an official capacity and especially what to watch out for.

15 Things No One Told You About Living in Belize
In the blogging world, it’s all about lists these days – and I guess, when they have a bit of substance, there is nothing wrong with that. They are orderly, informational and easy to read. So, here’s my list – of things that I learned in my last 11 years living in Belize. Many…like the signs planted all over Caye Caulker, Belize, I may not have learned without moving here. It’s a pretty simple but solid piece of wisdom. Especially when expanded upon. Some on my list are not so deep. Here are the 15 Things that I learned living in Belize.

International Sources

Minister: Crime Hurting Caribbean Tourism
CNS-Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has said crime and security concerns were hurting the Caribbean’s potential to generate greater returns from its tourism product, as based on studies, the region could have earned US$13 billion more than the US$37 billion that was earned last year. Bartlett, who was speaking on the first day of the four-day 33rd annual general conference of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP) at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James yesterday, said studies have shown that the region has the potential to earn much more than it is now earning. “We brought in 30 million people [visitors], but we could have brought in 45 million. One of the reasons [we didn’t] was that there is a creeping volcano … the rumbling sounds of insecurity that are pervading our Caribbean space,” said Bartlett.

Videos

May 8, 2018

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

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

2018 National Agriculture Trade Show- A grand success!
Despite high levels of humidity and a baking sun, thousands of Belizeans and visitors alike attended the annual 2018 National Agriculture and Trade Show from Friday, April 27th to the 29th in the capital city of Belmopan. The three-day event was held under the theme ‘Let’s Get Growing,’ and saw hundreds of booths featuring local products, livestock displays, governmental and regional agencies, cultural presentations, mechanical rides, live music and lots to eat and drink among many more. At the end of the three days, authorities from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment, Sustainable Development, and Immigration deemed it as another successful show with a total of 37,461 visitors attending this year.

Tiger Sharks take a bite out of the Digicell Defenders in first semi-final game
In a hotly contested game against the Digicell Belize City Defenders, the San Pedro Tiger Sharks squeezed out a win in the first of three semi-finals matches of the 2018 National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) tournament. The island team is eying the big prize, having won all home games in the season. With one win left before the final round, the Tiger Sharks are eager to become the 2018 NEBL champions. Shortly after 9PM on Saturday, May 5th, both teams took over the court at Angel Nuñez Auditorium, trying to establish dominance. The visiting squad quickly went on the offensive, but by the end of the first quarter, the Tiger Sharks had a 21-17 lead. The Belize City Defenders rallied in the second quarter, and with the assistance from Captain Darwin ‘Puppy’ Leslie, they managed to overcome the island team. At halftime, the visiting team had a 45-42 lead as they retreated for the 10-minute intermission.

Dia de la Cruz celebrated at the San Pedro House of Culture
The island’s Catholic community celebrated ‘Dia de la Cruz,’ signaling the ending of the novenas on Thursday, May 3rd at the San Pedro House of Culture (SPHC). Also known as the feast of the Holy Cross, the event saw a large crowd singing, praying and delighting in the history of the Cross through an exhibit inside the House of Culture. Song and prayer led the event at 7PM, after which SPHC Director, Guillermo ‘Mito’ Paz explained how important the Holy Cross is to Catholics. A representation of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, it is believed that Jesus Christ died on a cross. Paz further shared that the practice of the celebration was brought to the island by the first settlers that came from the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula. “They brought with them the tradition and crosses, and then they passed it on to their relatives so it could survive for generations,” said Paz.

Ambergris Today

Reef Week 2018 Kick Off With Swim To The Reef
Hol Chan Marine Reserve is celebrating its 13th Annual Reef Week from Monday, May 7, 2018 to Sunday, May 13, 2018. A week filled with fun activities aimed to educate on preservation and conservation of our beautiful reef. Swimmers for the "Swim to the Reef" event swam from the Amigos del Mar Pier to the Reef and back! Hol Chan Marine Reserve would like to thank those who participated and invite the public to be a part of their week long events!

Belize Embarks On Study To Measure Iodine Intake
The Ministries of Health and Education in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Iodine Global Network, will carry out a survey to measure and report on the levels of iodine in children in Belize under a project entitled, “Caribbean Region Urinary Iodine and Sodium Study 2018”. Belize is one of the nine Caribbean countries participating in the project.

Son Of The Late Paisano Hajjara Murdered In Belize City
Island residents are saddened with the news of the passing Habib Hajjara, son the late Paisano Hajjara, and Belize’s latest victim of gun violence. According to reports, sometime around 3:47a.m. on Sunday, May 6, 2018, Belize Police responded to reports of shots being fired at the corner of Mahogany Street and Western Ave. On arrival police observed a silver Nissan Sentra, four door car with license plate # D7781 parked on the right hand side of Mahogany Street towards the direction of Complex Avenue. Inside the car was the motionless body of a Hispanic male person seated in the driver’s seat apparently dead. He was identified to be 36 year-old, Sbeiro Habib Hajjara, a Honduran, Taxi Driver of a Raccoon Street Belize City.

Misc Belizean Sources

NATIONAL TOUR GUIDE TRAINING
Starts June 4th!

Bowen & Bowen donates of two basketball backboards
Thank you Bowen & Bowen, Ltd on the donation of two basketball backboards. Councilor Hector Tito Alamilla Jr. and Sports Coordinator Kent Bob Gabourel were on site to receive the donation. Stay tuned as to where these will be placed!

Contract Signed for Construction of Airport Link Road
The Government of Belize today signed a contract with CISCO Construction Ltd. in the sum of BZ$34,274,306.17 for the construction of the Airport Link Road. The proposed upgrades for the Airport Link Road include the construction of one high-level bridge, which will intersect at the George Price highway and cross the Belize River to intersect the airport access road near Gentrac Belize Ltd.; and the construction of earthen embankments, crushed gravel pavements, and two lanes (3.65 m) with shoulders (1.2 m) conforming to a 100kph design criteria. The bridge structure, which is designed to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standards, has a total span of 81.7 meters (3 spans at 26.7 m); a trafficable width of 12.05 meters; and is of a reinforced-concrete build.

Belize Embarks on Study to Measure Iodine Intake
The Ministries of Health and Education in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Iodine Global Network, will carry out a survey to measure and report on the levels of iodine in children in Belize under a project entitled, “Caribbean Region Urinary Iodine and Sodium Study 2018”. Belize is one of the nine Caribbean countries participating in the project. The survey will include approximately four hundred children, ages 6 to12 years, from four primary schools in the Belize, Stann Creek, and Corozal districts. Children’s height, weight, and head circumference will be measured and bodily fluid samples will be taken for laboratory test analysis.

High command of Belize Police Department distributes lunch Region One of Eastern Division
On Friday, May 4th, the Minister of National Security, Honorable John Saldivar; Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie and the high command of the Belize Police Department distributed lunch to all the police officers and soldiers on duty on Operation ACT in Region One of Eastern Division, Belize City.

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY: Icetex Scholarship Programme 2018
Scholarship covers : * 100% Tuition * Monthly Living Expenses * Health Insurance * Courtesy Visa * Stipend for books and materials.

2018 Children's Environmental Poster Competition

Metal Haven Acoustica III
The Metal Haven Acoustica 3 is Saturday at the Soul Project. No Te Creo will be headlining, and their will be plenty of local talent, including Dai Luna. The Soul Project is the perfect spot for a small concert.

Nighttime water interruptions in San Pedro
Belize Water Services informs customers in San Pedro that water supply will be interrupted from 11:00pm to 4:00am weeknights in order to build storage for the day-time supply. Customers may also be experience low water pressure especially at peak times during the day. BWS apologizes for any inconvenience this is causing our customers in San Pedro.

BTB at Passport DC 2018

For the month of May, we are excited to feature Deona Osiris Pilgrim as our Young Belizean Entrepreneur!
Deona Osiris Pilgrim is an Artisan Shoe Maker and instructor who started Feet 2 Soles. She is a regular vendor at Corozal’s monthly Art in the Park. On weekends, Deona travels around #Belize, selling shoes at markets and gift shops. Being a creative person, Deona had always been a textile artist, well-versed in the art of creating batik, shibori, tie dye, and hand-painted clothing and jewelry. However, Deona also had an interest in fashionable shoes. After completing her formal training for Artisan Shoe Making and Design in May 2017, Deona realized that it was something she enjoyed doing and decided to pursue it as a career. When Deona’s friends learned of her newly acquired skills, they asked her to make footwear for them. Eventually, the word and Deona started receiving many request for shoes. Deona realized she wanted to work for herself doing what she loved, so in September of 2017 she opened her own small business Feet 2 Soles in Ranchito Village, Corozal.

Dr Peter Schmidt passes away
It is with regret that we announce the passing of Dr Peter Schmidt. Schmidt is a well known Mayanist. He was the second archaeological commissioner for Belize and has worked at sites in Belize including Cahal Pech and Xunantunich. May he rest in peace.

Noches de Cuentos Folkloricos
Come listen and learn about traditional Maya stories based on mythical legends that have haunted our generations for centuries. Friday May 11, 2018 at Sandy Hunter Library, Orange Walk Town. Its FREE!!

San Pedro Smile Clinic hosting free exams May 10,11, 14,15
On Thursday and Friday, May 10 and 11th, and Monday and Tuesday, May 14th and 15th the San Pedro Smile Clinic located at the Holy Cross Anglican School will be hosting free dental exams. The clinic is open to all island children ages 16 and under and will be held from 8:30am till 3pm during these dates.

Are you interested in a career at the United Nations?
The UN Young Professionals Programme (YPP) is an exam held once a year for talented, highly qualified professionals to start their career as an international civil servant with the United Nations Secretariat. The list of participating countries and exam subjects have been announced! Find out more today

Belize Signs Loan with IDB to Reduce Climate Vulnerability
The Prime Minister of Belize, Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, and Country Representative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Dr. Cassandra T. Rogers, today signed a loan contract for US$10 million that will seek to reduce Belize’s vulnerability to climate change and risk with the implementation of climate resilience measures in the tourism sector, and the improvement of disaster risk management governance. The project is a continuation of the Bank’s support for flood mitigation in Belize City, which included the Flood Mitigation Infrastructure Project, completed in 2017. Based on losses as a share of GDP, Belize is one of the countries most affected by extreme meteorological events –mostly hurricanes and tropical storms– in Latin America and the Caribbean. Between 1930 and 2016, the country has been hit by 16 major tropical storms, or one every five years on average, which affected 287,670 people and caused US$635 million in losses. The tourism sector is particularly vulnerable to climate risk, and the situation could worsen in the future due to climate change.

COMMUNITY CLEAN UP - BOCA DEL RIO/SAN JUAN
Wow! What a great turn out! On Saturday, May 5th at 6 o'clock in the morning, the San Pedro Town Council held its first Community Clean up in the Boca del Rio Area and the San Juan Area. The San Pedro Town Council Staff and volunteers were out at Boca del Rio bright and early, excited to keep la isla bonita clean! After a few hours of hard work, the team managed to take out loads of garbage-filled trash bags - which was very rewarding for the team. Thank you to Castillo's Hardware on the donation of six packs of garbage bags, which were used for the clean up. Look out for our next Community Clean Up date as we tackle another area!

HELP JAMIR BEAT CANCER!
Two weeks ago we told you the story of eleven-year-old Jamir Valentine, who was recently diagnosed with bone cancer. Valentine is the eldest son of performing artist Positive Vibes. Friends and family have been assisting to raise much needed funds to help Jamir get medical treatment. You can make your donations via the Gofund Me link. Be sure to share this post to help Jamir get the help he needs!

Donation for macaw conservation
A cheque totalling Bz$3763.26 was handed over to FCD for macaw conservation by Dr. Isabelle Durand of the Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic. This donation was made possible through the Marathon event that took place in March. We thank all the runners and BWRC for making this donation possible

International Musical Leader to Visit Belize in Educational Fieldwork
Thanks to the Global Leaders Program (GLP), American cellist and composer Erin Busch will visit Belize City, Belize from May 20th – June 3rd to collaborate with the National Institute of Culture and History, Belize’s premiere cultural institution, and the National Youth Orchestra & Choir of Belize (NYOCB) an organization that builds civic capacity among the youth of Belize through the arts. Cellist and composer Erin Busch is currently an Adjunct Professor of Music Theory and Composition at Temple University in Philadelphia, USA, where she earned both a BM in Music Composition and a MM in Music Composition and Cello Performance. Erin is a founding member of the Blue Line Quartet, and performs with regional orchestras including Symphony in C and the Philly Pops. Busch has had her works premiered at the Kimmel Center, the Temple Performing Arts Center, and other venues in the Philadelphia region.

JESUS KEN A MAYA CAÑERO REVOLUTIONARY
One of our Belizean Yucatec Maya brothers from the village of Xaibe in the Corozal district Jesus Ken . Jesus Ken is from Yucatec Maya descent and descendant from one of the most succesful Maya General Bernardino Ken(Cen) from the Maya army of Chan Santa Cruz during the Caste War .He is a Belizean cañero revolutionary who fought for the Caneros in northern Belize.

Channel 7

Teenager Killed in St. Matthews
It was another killing weekend - with three murders - two in Belize City and on in St. Matthew's village. That brings the murder total for the first 18 weeks of this year to a stunning 66 murders. So, regrettably, tonight, the headlines are about crime, and more crime - though we promise you, that's not the only thing on the news. We begin in St. Matthew's village where were shaken by violence this weekend. 19 year old Roni Casasola was gunned down in front of his family home at around 12:30 Saturday morning. His family says Casasola was loved in the village and that he did not deserve to meet his end like this - shot dead in his mother's yard. Courtney Weatherburne has more.

Police Charge Roni’s Alleged Killer
Now, police have a different version of events. They say the misunderstanding started at a bar in the village while the family says everything started in front of their house - not at the bar. But, regardless, of that difference in detail, the police have made headway in this case already. The alleged shooter turned himself in. Here is more from police. ASP Alejandro Cowo, O.C., C.I.B., Eastern Division: "Mango Creek police visited St. Mathews Village and upon visiting unnamed street in the village, they observe the motionless body of a male person on the StreetSide. That male person we understand that was at a bar in the village and where he had an argument with another male person and as a result the person who he had the argument with followed him whilst he came out of the bar and thereafter fired several shots at his direction."

Working Man Murdered in Random Act of Ruthlessness
We turn now to Belize City where two men were killed between Saturday night and Sunday morning. The first murder appears to be a textbook case of that overused phrase: "senseless murder". It happened in the Saint Martin's area and the victim was a working man with no ties to the streets. 43 year old Mechanic Daniel Guardado 43 was just out on a Saturday night - looking for a friend to show off his new motorbike. That's when a gunman - who was looking for someone else - seems to have decided to kill the first person he saw - and it was Guardado.

Another Cabbie Killed
And then early on Sunday morning - a taxi man was killed in the same St. Martin's area, probably about a quarter mile from where Guardado had been murdered. Well know taxi man Sbeiro Habib Hajjara was murdered at the corner of Mahogany Street and Western Avenue in the early hours of Saturday morning. Hajjara was out socializing at a popular club in Belize City when he left to drop a client home. Shortly after he was shot three times. Today Sahar Vasquez found out Hajjara was a loved taxi man, friend, and family member. 36-year-old taxi man Sberio Habib Hajjara would often start his morning by sending out cute GIFS or a positive voice message to his friends and family but now that positivity and charisma he once radiated are gone forever.

Cops Have Few Clues on Habib
Today the police told us what they know about that murder. According to them, it doesn't seem like he was robbed nor was he known to associate in any troubled activity. ASP Alejandro Cowo- OC, CIB: "They observed a gray in color Nissan car with taxi license plates facing towards the passport building. Upon closer inspection, inside the vehicle police observed a male person with several gunshot wounds to the body. He is a Honduran national. So far what police has gathered is that he was at one of the night clubs in Belize City and that he had picked up some passenger and was supposed to transport some passenger in the Mahogany area; and that is where his body was found. So far, we don't have any suspect and the motive is something that we are still trying to establish."

Are The Innocent Being Targeted?
So, there are no easy explanations for why Habib was killed. He's just another working man murdered - hours after another working man, Daniel Guardado, was murdered in the same area for no apparent reason. We asked police about the very worrying implication that innocent people are being targeted. Here's what the Deputy Police Commissioner had to say: Chester Williams - Deputy Commissioner of Police, Commander Operations: "While some may think that police effort should be able to avert any incident, we do not police the homes and the minds of people. When you have these murders that are not gang related, they are very difficult to predict..."

Cops Working To Quell Gang Rivalries
But, the cops say that they that they hope to have more success with the gang related murders and shootings, particularly those in the Port Loyola area - where 4 people were shot and one murdered in just 25 hours last week. 29 year-old Jason Sutherland was killed at his house on Central American Boulevard, which is only a few blocks away. Though it remains unconfirmed, there is reason for police to suspect that he was killed in some sort of gang rivalry. The Deputy Police Commissioner told us that police are trying end these conflicts. They are aware, however, that as soon as they help resolve one dispute, others sprout up to replace them very quickly. Here's how he explained the difficulties in trying to maintain a lasting peace:

Three Vehicles Crash, One Life Lost
There was a fatal 3 vehicle collision on the Western Highway this morning. It happened at mile 32 near Cheers restaurant. It was a terrible accident and Courtney Weatherburne has more from the scene. Crushed and mangled beyond recognition. The other truck craned on its side. Headless swine carcasses splayed on the pavement - cargo from one of the trucks. And not too far off, a BATSUB Truck lodged in the bushes. That was the scene at mile 32 on the Western Highway. The 3 vehicle collision happened around 10:45 this morning. The driver for one of the vehicles was killed due to the massive impact.

Deceased Was A Farming Man
Today at the scene, the media spoke to the deceased's brother. He is Pastor Ayala, the elder brother to 58 year old Miguel Ayala, the man who died in the crash. Pastor explained that he was driving the vehicles with the pigs:... Pastor Ayala, Brother of Deceased: "His left hand side everything is chopped off and I see the truck after it was hit it was tossed to the other side. The other vehicle I don't know if it was behind my brother or on the same lane and the truck stay at the middle. I am not sure."

A New Road To Bridge Two Major Highways
A 34 million Belize dollar contract has been signed for the construction of a major new thoroughfare. It's the Airport Link Road - which will go from mile eight on the Western Highway over to the Phillip Goldson International. Another one of those inscrutable Ministry of Works Press releases omits many major details - but we can tell you that the road will be eight kilometers, it will take two years to build and work should start in a month. It will include a high-level, 268 foot bridge, which will, quote, "intersect at the George Price highway and cross the Belize River to intersect the airport access road near Gentrac Belize Ltd." End quote.

Price Alley Fire Is Costly
On Friday a family of 11 lost their home in a vicious blaze. The fire happened minutes before midnight. The owner of the home 40-year-old Andrew Fuller woke up to the smell of smoke coming from the side of his home. He urgently called the fire department but by the time they got there the damage had already been done. According to Station Officer Smith, there were two structures on the property and one of them was an abandoned lot. That is where the fire started. Orin Smith - Station Officer, National Fire-Service: "We had 2 units responded to that location. On arrival at the scene, found was 2 wooden structures fully engulfed in flames. Following a brief sized up the fire department went into operation extinguishing that fire. As a result of that fire both structures were destroyed. Preliminary investigation revealed the fire originated from a structure that was 10 by 20 in size, elevated some 6 feet off ground, owned by a person who resides within the US. That structure, we understand had no occupant and no utility. The smaller structure behind it was occupied by a family of 11 that were left without a home as a result of this fire."

Stove Caused Fire
This afternoon at around two another fire occurred at the upper flat of Chinese vendors home on Central American Boulevard. Station Officer Orin Smith gave us a few details and it seems the fire was caused by a stove that was not properly turned off: Orin Smith - Station Officer, National Fire -Station: "On responding to that fire, arrival on scene, we saw smoke and flames coming from a window on that lower flat of a 2-story concrete structure. Preliminary investigation revealed that the lower flat was occupied as a shop by a Chinese vendor who occupied it. That individual had left the structure to retrieve their child at the school. That individual reported that prior to leaving the home there were doing some cooking and they had turned off the stove. Apparently, the stove was not fully turned off as a result, the fire destroyed the kitchen area of that structure. The upper flat was not damaged as a result of the fire"

Man Survives Shooting on Blvd.
At the top of the news, we told you about the 3 weekend murders. Well, there was another shooting in which a man was hurt, but very fortunately, he survived. On Sunday morning, 38 year-old Tyrone Stevens, a resident of Jane Usher Boulevard was at the Belikin Boulevard Shop, which is located at the corner of Central American and Jane Usher Boulevard. He was there to purchase several items when when he came under fire.

GSU Got A Gun While Responding To Shooting
The GSU has taken two more guns off the street. They found the first in an empty lot last night on Flamboyant St. in the St. Martin's area. It's silver CZ brand 9 millimeter pistol which was bundled up in a plastic bag. Today at the bi-weekly police press conference, the cops say that they actually came upon it while responding to reports of a shooting in the area:

Tour Company Owner Wants Police To Arrest Bus Thief
Early on Friday in Forest Home, which is just outside of Punta Gorda Town, a group of men stole two Blue Bird busses from Romero's Charter and Tours. The next morning one of the busses was found many miles away by Bladden - it had overturned. The next stolen bus was miraculously returned. Today, we spoke to Stephanie Romero who says they took a big loss - and they want the culprit arrested and charged:

Man Accused of Incest With 13 Year Old Daughter
A father was charged for incest today. The forty-two year old fisherman of a Faber's Road Extension address, who allegedly had sex with his 13 year old daughter appeared today before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford. He was denied bail because of the nature of the offence and he was remanded him into custody until August 7th. On May second, the girl and her mother reported to the police that some time in December 2017, she visited her father at his house and he had sex with her.

PUC To BEL: Connect Caye Caulker To Grid
As we told you last week - your light bill is going up - slightly - starting in July. The Public Utilities Commission issued its initial decision for BEL's annual review proceeding last week. It granted BEL a modest increase in the rate per kilowatt hour, but not quite what the utility had asked for. Today at a press conference, the PUC Chairman explained that one of the main reasons was BEL's slow movement on phasing out diesel generators on Caye Caulker:...

Checking Your Child’s Iodine Intake
You may know that iodine is a key nutrient for your body's normal function. Without it, you could develop a thyroid problem, known as goiter. And it is essential during pregnancy and infancy. But, the body doesn't produce iodine so you have to get it through your regular diet. Now, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education along with international partners will be carrying out a survey to measure the levels of Iodine in Belizean children. It's a regional project called the Caribbean Region Urinary Iodine and Sodium Study 2018 and it runs from today May 7th - to next week Thursday at four primary schools in the Belize, Stann Creek and Corozal Districts.

IDB Sponsors 10 Million USD For Climate Change
Belize is in the hurricane zone and along with other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean we have experienced serious storm damages. And that provides all the reason to invest more in climate change resilience. That's what the IDB has done. Today the government of Belize and the IDB signed a $10 million US dollar loan contract. As it states in the release the main focus is "to reduce Belize's vulnerability to climate change and risk with the implementation of climate resilience measures in the tourism sector, and the improvement of disaster risk management governance." Here is more from the signing.

Take ‘Em to Church, Chester!
Love them or hate them, the Gang Suppression Unit doesn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. For residents living in gang infested neighborhoods, they're viewed with deep suspicion and distrust, but some sectors of society, see them as the necessary hard buffer between the lawful and the lawless. For the police, they are a disciplined unit which performs. And, the police top brass displayed their support for the unit, yesterday, when they accompanied members of the controversial unit to a church service at Wesley on Albert Street.

A Novel Way To Approach Conflict Resolution
So, while the department shows unity with one of it's notorious units, they also want to play nice with the civil society organizations who want to lend a helping hand to address the problem of crime. It's on everyone's mind, and as we told you, it needs to be curbed as soon as possible before 2018 becomes the bloodiest year on record in Belize. Today, at the bi-weekly police press conference, the Eastern Regional Commander told us that he has set up a new Conflict Resolution Office at the Raccoon Street Police Station. Here's how he explained how it will work, and what it hopes to achieve:

Channel 5

3 Weekend Murders: Daniel Guardado Executed on Partridge
In Belize City, the murder count went up by two over the weekend and now stands at more than thirty. According to police an alarming sixty-six homicides have been recorded [...]

Taxi Driver is Murdered in the City
The second murder victim in the city is a taxi driver who was murdered at the corner of Mahogany Street and Western Avenue not far from where mechanic, Daniel Guardado, [...]

In St. Matthew’s, Cayo, Determined Killer Pursued Roni Casasola
In the wee hours of Sunday, the third murder in a period of twenty-four hours was recorded, this time in Saint Matthews Village in the Cayo District. Nineteen-year-old Roni Casasola [...]

3-Car Pileup Takes Miguel Ayala
A fifty-eight-year-old father of eight from Valley of Peace perished on the George Price Highway this morning. Miguel Ayala, a handyman, was heading to Belize City this morning transporting meat; [...]

Family Speaks Out on Death of Jason Sutherland
The family of Jason Sutherland is still coming to terms with his murder which occurred last week Thursday. A gunman discharged as many as nine shots killing the twenty-nine-year-old Belize [...]

Tyrone Stevens, Another Gun Victim
A man was shot on the corner of Central American and Jane Usher Boulevards on Sunday morning around eight-thirty. Thirty-eight-year-old security guard Tyrone Stevens was outside a nearby grocery store [...]

Police Say Gang Rivalry Shifted from Lake to Port
The question everybody is asking now is, what’s driving all these violent crimes, and what can police in Belize City do to contain it? A few weeks ago, the headlines [...]

Dangriga Protests Crime Spike; Police Offer Assurances
This coming Thursday, there will be a peaceful demonstration in the evening in Dangriga. There were two murders and a shooting incident in a week’s span, sparking action from concerned [...]

Minor Suspected in Bus Theft from Charter Service
Late on Thursday evening into Friday morning, robbers stole two buses from Romero’s Charter Service in Forest Home village, Toledo District. The thieves took a forty-eight seater and a fifty-two [...]

P.U.C. Approves Rate Increase for Electricity
There is an old claim that nothing is certain but death and taxes. But for the past two years or so, it was virtually guaranteed that Belize Electricity Limited would [...]

Cost of Power Increased; Consumers Decrease Use
There are two reasons, according to the P.U.C., that B.E.L. is getting back some six million dollars in what are called “annual corrections” based on the most recent annual tariff [...]

Why Caye Caulker Can Benefit from B.E.L. Linkup
Residents of Caye Caulker village are powered by diesel generators – one of the few remaining areas in Belize not connected to Belize Electricity Limited’s power grid. The Public Utilities [...]

B.W.S. Takes Regulator to Court Over Rate Decrease
Back in January, the Public Utilities Commission issued a preliminary decision to lower rates for water and sewerage by an average of six point three nine percent from April of [...]

Teachers to Withhold School Contributions in Payback for Salary Deduction
President of the Belize National Teachers’ Union, Senator Elena Smith, has confirmed to News Five that the ten Union branches this weekend voted to withdraw donations and contributions to those [...]

Mysterious Fire Wipes Out Andrew Fuller
A Belize City man’s house burnt down on Friday night. Andrew Fuller lost everything when the fire destroyed his home on Price Alley off Victoria Street on north side Belize [...]

Chinese Shop’s Kitchen Burns as Owner is Out
There was another fire, but this one was contained rather quickly. It happened around twelve this afternoon today on Central American Boulevard in the lower flat of a commercial building. [...]

Father Remanded for Incest with Daughter, 13
A forty-two-year-old fisherman is accused of incest with his daughter, thirteen years old. He was read the indictable charge before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford and no plea was taken. The [...]

Accused Fraudster Nabbed by Police in Maskall
Thirty-six-year-old Luis Velasquez faces judgment in the Supreme Court for a debt owed to a company even as he faces potential charges for alleged fraudulent activity. On the strength of [...]

Intellectual Property and Industry Competitiveness
BELTRAIDE, in partnership with the Belize Intellectual Property Office , Citrus Research and Education Institute of the Citrus Growers Association and World Intellectual Property Organization is hosting a three-day workshop [...]

Are Our Kids Getting Enough Iodine and Salt?
The Ministry of Health is undertaking a two week survey to measure and report on the levels of iodine in children in Belize. Four hundred school children between the ages [...]

Controversial P.L.B. Championship Tops Sports Monday
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.   [Highlights of the weekend sporting activities…]

LOVE FM

Man loses home to fire
Forty-one-year-old Andrew Fuller is lucky to be alive after he escaped a fire on Friday night. He was sound asleep in his house when he noticed smoke creeping into his home in Belize City. Fuller realized that his house was catching fire. Hipolito Novelo reports. The house was not insured. The value of the damages …

Minor fire reported in Belize City
The National Fire Service prevented a major fire this afternoon on Central American Boulevard in Belize City. Firefighters were called out to a store where smoke was seen originating from the lower flat of the two storey cement building. Fortunately, the fire was quickly controlled and extinguished before further damage was caused. Station Manager, Oren …

GOB and Cisco construction sign $34M contract
A contract valued at just over thirty-four million dollars was signed today between the Government of Belize and CISCO Construction Limited. The money will be used for the construction of the Airport Link Road. Works will include the construction of one high-level bridge, which will intersect at the George Price Highway and cross the Belize …

PUC explains why your light bill will increase
Lower revenues and a higher cost of power, these are the two main reasons why Belize Electricity Limited asked the Public Utilities Commission to increase electricity rates. As we told you last week, the PUC agreed with BEL but the figures differed. BEL recommended an increase from thirty six point nine-nine cents per kilowatt-hour to …

Caribbean Region Urinary Iodine and Sodium Study 2018 being conducted in Belize
In the next two weeks, approximately four hundred students between the ages 6 to 12 will participate in a survey to measure levels of iodine in children in Belize. The Ministries of Health and Education, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Iodine Global Network have joined …

PLB football match causing controversy
A decision by a referee during a football match for the Premier League of Belize Championship finals is causing much controversy in the football arena. Belize Defence Force Football Club has protested the decision by Referee Christopher Reid to determine a penalty goal by a BDF player against Verdes FC as illegal. BDF FC protested …

Know your IP rights
Laws which protect the rights to intellectual property do exist in Belize but are seldom enforced. In Belize BELIPO, the Belize Intellectual Property Organization is the entity responsible to administer the intellectual property legislation of Belize and promote knowledge of intellectual property law in Belize. Today BELIPO is one of the key players at a …

The Reporter

Traffic accident reported on George Price highway
A traffic accident reportedly occurred sometime around 10:30 this morning on the George Price highway. The mishap occurred near Cheers Restaurant and Bar and involved two pickup trucks that crashed into each other and ended up off the side of the road. The Reporter will […]

Breaking Belize News

Thieves steal two buses in Forest Home village
On Friday PGTV reported that thieves stole two buses from Romero’s charter service situated in Forest […]

PUC justifies amended rate given to BEL
Today the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) held a press conference at the Radisson Fort George Hotel […]

Ministry of Health prepares to launch Iodine deficiency survey
The Ministry of Health held a workshop today at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza, […]

Airport link road contract signed for $34 million
The Government of Belize today signed a contract with CISCO Construction Ltd. in the sum […]

Belize signs $20 million loan with IDB to reduce climate vulnerability
Prime Minister of Belize, Dean Barrow, and Country Representative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), […]

Climate change workshop to be held in Belize this week
The National Climate Change Office (NCCO), which is part of the Ministry of Agriculture,Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment, […]

PUP holds 3 endorsement conventions over the weekend
This past weekend, the Opposition People’s United Party (PUP) held three endorsement conventions throughout the country. […]

Police charge Dean Galvez with murder
Over the weekend three men were shot and killed in Belize. We report that police […]

BNTU stands firm against salary deductions
The Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) has voted to withdraw donations and contributions to those school managements […]

Belizean student offered $120,000 scholarship to attend US university
Maria “Paula” Salazar-Valiente, a student at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor Township, Michigan, who grew […]

Three vehicles collide on George Price highway
According to reports, there was a road traffic accident involving three vehicles near Mile 33 […]

Positive Vibes seeking assistance for son battling cancer
Garif Valentine, a father of four and musician popularly known as “Positive Vibes” received less […]

Help Rotary Club complete Santa Elena park project
The Rotary Park in Santa Elena town is used daily by neighboring children and students. […]

Made in Belize Expo coming soon
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) will be hosting the first ever “Made […]

Belize City students benefit from Project Smile
Marie Calabrese is an American dentist who has volunteered her time to help […]

Belize embarks on study to measure Iodine Intake
The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education in partnership with Pan American Health […]

Blogs

Let's keep Corozal a visitation Town
Corozal, Belize is a quite slow paste growing town. Very limited things are happening around town, except those weekly bar activities, sports activities, visiting the touristical places of Corozal. Corozal has several spots to enjoy your day at the beach. Maimi Beach and Rainbow beach are both common to go visit on a Sunday. Corozal has stunning views when it comes to the month of May to September. And, we need to do our part to keep Corozal clean and tide. There's garbage bin that was installed around town for garbage to be thrown. Corozal are visited by many tourists coming to Corozal and we have more things for them to enjoy and visit. I was surprised this past weekend that there were tourists wandering around Corozal. Over on the weekend I saw a group of tourists riding on the bicycles along the beach.

International Sources

Mayfield Heights dentist travels to Belize to offer her services to children in need
When dentist Dr. Marie Calabrese was completing her residency program at the Cleveland Clinic 20 years ago she spotted on the wall of the specialist with whom she was studying an article telling of doctors working abroad to help the underprivileged. "I thought then that that's what I wanted to do some day," she remembers today. That "some day" has come to pass -- twice -- and Calabrese has felt the experience so rewarding that she is looking forward to traveling and offering her services once more. Specifically, Calabrese has traveled, in 2016 and again in February of this year, to Belize City in Belize. Formerly known as British Honduras, and still a British commonwealth, Belize is located in Central America, along the Caribbean Sea. To the west of the city are jungles.

BC High students build home in Belize
Twelve Boston College High School juniors and school staff spent their April vacation helping construct a new home for Miss Florence, a 72-year-old woman in Belize. The group of volunteers went to Belize to assist an organization called “Hand in Hand Ministries” to build a home for a family in need, reflect on their place in the world, and pray together. Hand in Hand provides simple yet stable housing for people in Appalachia and Central America. The BC High group built the 349th house for the Hand in Hand Ministry Building for Change Program.

Videos

May 7, 2018

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

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

Wolfe’s Woofer: Griddle-clock
“Hey, Mr. Dennis! Hey, Mr. Dennis.” I slowed down at the sound of the familiar voice and looked back. Mario and Vernon stumbled around the corner with Mario trying to keep Vernon upright. “I see you guys have had some liquid refreshment tonight,” I remarked, as they climbed onto my golf cart. “Oh, yeah. We’re drunk,” Mario said, “if that’s what you’re trying to say. What about you? What are you doing out at this time of night?” “I had to go to a wedding up the coast and the party broke up late.”

Doctor Love: Protective Mom
Dear Doctor Love My family and I were with a group of friends this weekend and I heard my eleven-year-old daughter screaming in the back yard. One of the fathers of another child was tickling her and by the time I got to them she was fighting for him to stop. I grabbed him and made him let her go. She ran away in tears and he got defensive saying he wasn’t hurting her—he was only playing. I explained that tickling is not always fun for the person on the receiving end and when she asked him to stop, he should have respected her wishes and let her go...

Misc Belizean Sources

Belize to host Caribbean internet peering forum in June
Belize will host the fourth Caribbean Peering and Interconnection Forum, known as CarPIF, on June 13 and 14. Since its inception in 2015, CarPIF has brought together regional and international technology experts and telecommunications industry execs to discuss a range of topics related to Internet peering and interconnection trends, and their relevance to the Caribbean region. It is coordinated by the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG), with support from the Internet Society, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, the American Registry for Internet Numbers, Packet Clearing House, the Latin America and Caribbean Internet Address Registry (LACNIC), and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Power outages on Wednesday, May 9 from 6:00am to 6:45am and 1:15pm to 2:00pm to affect: entire Toledo District and portion Stann Creek District
Including entire Placencia Peninsula, Independence, Maya King, Santa Cruz, Georgetown, San Pablo, San Roman, Santa Rosa and Maya Mopan. BEL to conduct climbing inspections and replace transmission poles in the area.

Dr. Carla Fry in Belize
Our Fulbright Scholar Dr. Carla Fry wrapped up her short, but extremely comprehensive and productive program with University of Belize. Not only did she revamp UB’s nursing curriculum, she formed strategic partnerships, and helped chart the way forward to enhance healthcare in Belize. Moreover, Carla volunteered every week teaching emergency medicine at Western Regional Hospital. THANK YOU, Carla, for ALL that you have done to advance healthcare and nursing in Belize!

Downtown Mural Concept Design Workshop
The Belize City House of Culture and Downtown Rejuvenation Project completed its Downtown Mural Concept Design Workshop yesterday at the House of Culture with students from Wesley and ACC. Fifteen students participated. They were tasked with developing their own abstract interpretation of one historic significant event in Belize City's past that contributed to make Belize City what it is today. Their interpretations will be combined in a collage with the assistance of Ms Fiona Hsu of the Department of Youth Services. The collage will become the mural. This mural will be painted by the community on the wall of Belize Bank facing Battle Field Park. When the painting commences, members of the community will be invited to help us complete the mural. The painting of the mural will be a celebration of our community, history, culture and art. The mural should be painted during the months of June and July.

The Reporter

Three killed, another shot in deadly weekend
Three men were killed between Saturday night and early Sunday morning – two in Belize city and one in St. Mathew’s followed by a fourth shooting in Belize city. The first of the three murders happened on Partridge street in Belize city around 9:30 on Saturday night. Career mechanic Daniel Guardado, was shot as many as four times to various parts of his body and was found fatally wounded in a drain when authorities responded to the scene. Guardado was reportedly standing beside his motorcycle on the street when five to eight shots were fired in his direction. The second murder of the night happened after midnight on Sunday in St. Mathew’s village. According to police, Roni Omar Casasolo, 20, was socializing at a bar in the village and was involved in an argument with another man who took out a gun and fired two shots at him.

Breaking Belize News

Fourth man shot in Belize city
Belize city police are investigating the shooting of a man that occured this morning. Around 8:30 a.m., Tyrone Stevens, a security guard, went to a shop at corner of Central American and Jane Usher boulevards when someone fired several shots at him.

Bloody weekend: 3 killed in less than 24 hours
Between last night and this morning, three persons were murdered in Belize. The first murder happened at around 9:35 pm. Career mechanic, Daniel Guardado, 43, was on Partridge Street in Belize City when he was shot dead.

International Sources

BC High Cohasset student helps build a home in Belize
Jake Allen of Cohasset, a junior at Boston College High School, with 11 classmates and three BC High staff members including BC High President Grace Cotter Regan, Dr. John Sullivan and Jeff Keith spent their April vacation helping construct a new 16 ft. x 16 ft. home for Miss Florence, a 72-year-old woman in Belize, Central America. Allen and the BC High volunteers went to Belize to assist an organization called ‘Hand in Hand Ministries’, to build a home for a family in need, reflect on their place in the world, and pray together. Hand in Hand provides simple yet stable housing for people in Appalachia and Central America. The BC High group built the 349th house for the Hand in Hand Ministry Building for Change Program.

Ecology cruises aboard Winnie Estelle offered this summer
From 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 19, children and adults are invited to join Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum educators aboard buyboat Winnie Estelle for an up-close and personal exploration of the Miles River and its unique habitat and ecology. The cruise will be offered again from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, July 12, and from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8. During the ecology cruise, participants will learn how to monitor the water quality of the river, perform water testing and explore the critters on an oyster reef, all while cruising in the breeze on CBMM’s buyboat. Birders will enjoy the route, which features a route near Long Point Island, known for its eagle and osprey populations, and heron rookery.

Videos

May 6, 2018

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

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

Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic celebrates medical laboratory week
The Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II hosted a health fair on Friday, April 27th in commemoration of the annual ‘Medical Laboratory Professional Week.’ Held under the theme ‘One Lab, One Team, Making a Difference,’ the event saw 40 participants who learned a bit more about the laboratory services at the Polyclinic. They also had access to free medical check-ups for blood pressure, sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides testing and even finding out their weight and height. Under a tent outside the Polyclinic, laboratory staff welcomed patients from 8AM to 12 mid-day, where they provided valuable information on how to maintain a healthy life. According to them, everyone who attended benefited from good quality service and learned more about the different tests that are done at the island’s main medical center. Apart from participating in the fair, each attendee was given bottles of water and salads in an effort to promote a healthy lifestyle.

See and Taste Belize, Inc. donates $160,000.00 for the children at the Inspiration Center of Belize
On Monday, April 30th, 2018 at 10:00 am, there was a formal handing over of the funds raised by See and Taste Belize Inc. along with its partners, BELTRAIDE, BTB and NICH at the Inspiration Center, represented by Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow, Special Envoy for Women and Children and foundress of the Inspiration Center. See & Taste Belize Inc. doubled its donation after only the second year due to the joint efforts of its partners, sponsors from Belize and abroad who increased in numbers and support as well as the Belizean Diaspora who came in droves to attend. The Hon. Consul General of Belize in Florida, and foundress of See and Taste Belize Inc., Janine Sylvestre handed over a check in the amount of $160,000 raised from the festival held in Miami, Florida last October

New garbage collection regulations implemented by SPTC
A new garbage collection regulation mandated by The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) has many island residents unhappy. Effective Friday, May 4th, all garbage containers must be placed inside the yards of residential and commercial areas. This new regulation also demands that all garbage bins must be easily accessible by its sanitation personnel for disposal, and warns that failure to follow this new rule will result in the removal of their garbage containers from the street. The announcement was made on Thursday, April 26th and despite the immediate opposition by residents, the new regulation will go into effect as is. Residents are frustrated that the public was not consulted prior to this new policy or that a trial period was imposed. “This will be complicated. The Town Council should reach out to residents before implementing these rules,” said one concerned resident, “this will cause more problems than solutions.” Many homeowners claim that the garbage collectors are careless once garbage has been tossed in the collection truck, and they simply leave the garbage bins lying around.

Misc Belizean Sources

Caye Caulker Yard Sale
Yard Sale @ Bondi Bar SUNDAY May 6th....starting 9am. I have really nice clothes especially S & XS sizes that i just brought back from the States!! Restaurant supplies, bits and pieces...come check it out! If you have stuff to sell...come join :) the more the merrier

Around the World Embassy Tour 2018... Welcome to Belize!
The event is a part of Passport DC, an annual event in Washington DC where the embassies showcase their countries to the community.

The Reporter

Residents concerned about dead marine life in New River
Orange Walk residents who frequently use the New River are appealing to relevant authorities to investigate the conditions of the river after several visitors today observed dead marine life floating to the top of the water. Video footage taken near the vicinity of the Maracus restaurant shows […]

Three cars involved in Friday night collision
There was a three car pile up near mile two and a half on the Philip Goldson highway on Friday night, which caused traffic to back up for several minutes. The accident happened in front of Belize Electricity Limited headquarters. There were no fatalities recorded in this […]

Cane truck overturns near Orange Walk bypass
According to reports from up north, a cane truck overturned earlier today near the Orange Walk bypass. There are no details on whether or not anyone was injured in the accident. The Reporter will have an update as soon as details are made available by local authorities. […]

Belize city family loses home in fire
The Fire Department is investigating the cause of a fire that destroyed two buildings, one abandoned and another occupied by a family, on Saturday night on Price Alley. The fire completely destroyed the two structures. According to police, just after 12:00 a.m., fire erupted from inside an […]

Five persons charged for trafficking 30lbs of cannabis
Five men were busted on the San Antonio road in the Cayo district on Friday with 30 pounds of marijuana and have each been charged with ‘drug trafficking’. Danilo Tzib, 55, and Guatemalan Carlos Esquivel Garcia, 20, both from San Antonio village; along with Andre Pug, 24; […]

Escaped prisoners recaptured in Orange Walk cemetery
Two prisoners who had remained at large after escaping from the Corozal police station on April 11, were recaptured this week in the Orange Walk cemetery. According to Officer Commanding CIB Belize City, Alejandro Cowo, police received information that the escaped prisoners were hiding in the cemetery. […]

Breaking Belize News

BELTRAIDE to host Belize Cacao Trade and Investment Mission
The Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE) in partnership with the Embassy of Belize, Brussels, and in collaboration with the European – Central America Chamber of Commerce (EURACEN) are facilitating a mission from Belgium and the Netherlands called the “Belize Cacao Trade and Investment Mission” that will take place from 8-11 May 2018 in Belize.

Happy Cinco de Mayo !
Today, May 5, is celebrated in Mexican culture as ‘Cinco de Mayo’. Cinco de Mayo is a huge cultural celebration in commemoration of the battle in Puebla de Los Angeles, Mexico.

Thousands of Primary School students sit second part of PSE
Yesterday, thousands of Primary School Students sat the last part of the Primary School Examinations (PSE). The students completed their Math and Social Studies papers. English and Science papers were taken last month.

Man found guilty of attempted murder of his cousin
He was accused of the 2012 attempted murder of his cousin, Taisha Staine. However, yesterday in court, Kevaughan Staine was found guilty before Justice Collin Williams. He will be sentenced on September 5, 2018.

Uno gas station robber released on bail
We had previously reported that Marvin Phillips, 19, was one of two men remanded to prison after they were charged with the armed robbery at the UNO gas station in San Ignacio. However, in the Supreme Court on Friday he was granted bail of $5,000 by Justice Francis Cumberbatch. He is to return to court on June 28.

Belizeans jailed in El Salvador for money laundering
International media outlets are reporting that three Belizeans have been jailed in El Salvador. They are Marlon Alberto Valle, Jessy Gabriel Ojeda and Deymy Vanessa Rodríguez. Reports are that they were along with three Hondurans and a Guatemalan who were all busted with over $10,000 each at the that Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero Airport.

PUP backs Usher for Port
For weeks, political discussions have zeroed in on the People’s United Party’s (PUP) activities in the Port Loyola Constituency. That is where political newcomer and Belize City Councilor, Dr. Candice Pitts, stepped up to challenge incumbent Standard Bearer, Gilroy Usher Sr.

Robbery caught on camera but robbers steal security camera too
It never made the news but on Thursday afternoon a Chinese store was robbed in Corozal town. Sometime after 3 o’clock while the sun was still shining, three men entered Chang Fa Restaurant and Bar on Park Street North.

Escaped prisoners captured and jailed again
Austin Sutherland, Marvin Pech and John Matus escaped from cell block #3 at the Corozal police station on April 11. They had reportedly cut through the bars of their cell to gain their freedom. On Wednesday Sutherland and Pech were scene at the cemetery in Orange Walk. A source called the police who quickly made their way to the area and captured the men.

4 Belizeans and 1 Guatemalan busted with weed in Cayo
Yesterday morning San Ignacio police were on a mobile patrol when they intercepted a Toyota pickup. When police searched the vehicle, they found 3 knapsacks containing a total of 30 pounds of weed.

Blogs

Ramon’s Village & Estel’s Dine by the Sea & Jimmy Buffett
Yesterday we met up with friends at favorite breakfast spot, Estel’s Dine by the Sea. Feet in the sand, oldies on the radio, we all ordered one of my favorite foods – the Belizean Fry Jack. I knew Estel’s had been around for a while…but I asked our waiter what year the diner on the beach opened. January 1, 1992. And while 25 years ago might be considered modern history in most of the world, San Pedro really was a tiny village just a few decades back. San Pedro High School was founded in 1971, our first tourist hotel in the country, the Holiday Hotel, is just over 50 years old. Tropic Air started in 1979 with just one plane.

Corozal Rotaract is renovating Mother's Park
A number of volunteers from Corozal Rotaract club came out to renovate Mothers Park right here in Corozal Today Saturday. The Corozal Rotaract are planning to paint the entire park which will be done on Mother's Day. Today, I spoke to the President of the group and explained more: " Corozal Rotaract club comes out to volunteer doing work around Corozal. We depend on the items being donated or fundraised to get our equimpents being done. Our volunteer works are many from our group members and don't depend on anyone to change our communnity positively. We do our job and we promote a voluntary change for Corozal. If everyone wants to join Corozal Rotaract contact our Corozal Rotaract page. You must be between the ages 18 - 30. Also, we will be having a Ceremony on May 10, 2018 at 5pm right here at Mother's Park.

International Sources

Caribbean Photo of the Week: Sunrise on Ambergris Caye
The latest Caribbean Photo comes from Caribbean Journal reader Mitchell Paugh, who sent in this stunning shot of a lone gull awaiting sunrise at the Isla Bonita Resort on Ambergris Caye in Belize.

Videos

May 5, 2018

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

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

The island’s standard six students sit second part of PSE
The second phase of this year’s Primary School Examination (PSE) exam took place on Friday, May 4th, and saw hundreds of Standard Six students from across schools on Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker sitting the exam at the San Pedro High School. The second part of the PSE tested students in Mathematics and Social Studies. The exam started at 8AM, and at 2PM the school’s buzzer signaled the ending of the 2018 PSE testing. Many students were relieved to be done, happily heading to the school gates to meet their teachers or parents. Several claimed that the exam was not as challenging as they thought it would be. Evan Vernon of the San Pedro Roman Catholic Primary School told The San Pedro Sun that the exam was very easy. “My teachers did help me a lot, that is why I did not feel that it was so complicated,” he said.

San Pedro Chapter of Justices of the Peace elect new Board of Directors
During a meeting held at the San Pedro High School (SPHS) on Wednesday, May 2nd, the San Pedro Chapter of the Justices of the Peace (JP) elected a new Board of Directors for the upcoming year. After nominations and voting, the new board consists of Clive Welsh remaining as president, Walter Zepeda as the new vice president, Maria Elena Alamilla as treasurer, Ana Ico as secretary, while the new executive members include Delia Pere and Grant Crimmins. The third meeting of the year for the Chapter started at 7PM with president Welsh, welcoming and thanking everyone for their attendance. This was followed by the singing of the National Anthem and a short invocation by JP Javier Gongora. The meeting proceeded with the election of the new board facilitated by Magistrate Janelle Villanueva.

Belize sets April 10, 2019 for ICJ referendum
Following a Cabinet meeting, the Government of Belize (GOB) has set April 10, 2019, as the date for the referendum to resolve the Guatemalan’s claim to Belize at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The announcement was made on Monday, April 30th, via a press release in which GOB also stated that a public awareness campaign to the tune of $8 million is already underway under the banner ‘ICJ, Be Informed.’ The nationwide campaign will include various approaches and Belizeans are encouraged to learn more about the sensitive issue on which they will be asked to decide upon. On referendum day, Belizeans will simply answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to the question if the ICJ should decide on the territorial, maritime and insular claim from Guatemala over Belizean territory.

PUC approves a 4.4% increase in electricity rates
The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has granted Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) a 4.4% increase in electricity rates. The increase represents 38.62 cents per kilowatt hour through June of 2020. BEL had originally requested an increase of 7.1%, which is equivalent to an average rate of 39.5 cents per kilowatt-hour for the annual Tariff Period from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019. BEL made the request to PUC early in April of this year stating that an increase is needed to cover the cost of power purchased from power producers. Even though the approved increase was lower than what BEL had requested, the increase is still expected to impact the cost of living in the country.

Ambergris Today

Ministry Of Health Receives Donation Of Equipment To Support Vector Control Efforts In Belize
On Thursday, May 3, 2018, at a small ceremony held at the Ministry of Health conference room in Belmopan, various vector control equipment was officially handed over to the Ministry of Health by the Government of the United Kingdom. The piloting of an Aedes Mosquito Surveillance Program supported through the procurement of 30 Android-based tablets, which would allow program managers to have real-time information on the Aedes mosquito infestation levels in order to monitor potential threats, and take appropriate interventions;

Misc Belizean Sources

Job Opening Chicken Depot on Caye Caulker
If interested come by!

DigiNet is in Orange Walk!
Get Ready Orange Walk! Our new state of the art fiber optic network- DigiNet is in your area! Our technicians are hard at work deploying fiber, so you can enjoy lightning fast internet speeds. Plans start as low as $69.

CARSI ESF Grants
Funds: US $ 200K - 400K Focus: Strengthening Civil Society and Civil Servant capacity through partnership. Deadline: June 4th, 2018 APPLY NOW!

2018 Lagoon-Reef Eco-Challenge
Mark your calendars! The 2018 Lagoon-Reef Eco-Challenge takes place on Saturday, May 26th and Sunday, May 27th. Those interested in taking on the challenge can find our more via email: [email protected]

Photos of the Grand Opening of the Belize City Civic Center
Grand Opening of the Belize City Civic Center Smart Hurricanes vs. Digicell Defenders on Monday 30th, April 2018

BTB at the Taipei International Travel Fair 2018

TENDER NOTICE
National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) hereby wishes to invite tenders for Audit Services required in connection with the general operations of NICH.

CANDICE PITTS SIDELINED BY PUP
Newly elected PUP city councilor Candice Pitts PHD, also known as the “johnny cake girl” saw her overly ambitious attempt to challenge PUP stalwart Gilroy Usher Sr for Port Loyal standard bearer come to a crashing halt after the PUP bosses dictated that Gilroy Usher would instead be endorsed as Portloyola standard bearer May 20th. This after there was a public outcry from PUP loyalists that it was unfair & facey for the Johnny Cake girl to try her hand as area rep when she’s hast even been a city councilor for a month. Many Portloyola voters and PUP party loyalists felt thrown off by the rush to power by Pitts. Many feel she should pay her dues in the council before challenging someone like Usher who has taken a beating for the PUP in the last three general elections.

Holy Cha Chaac
Maya from the villages of San Pablo and San Jose(Orange Walk) preparing the food which will be the offering for the Holy Cha Chaac . Cha Chaac one of the most important rituals for the Yucatec Maya of Belize . The Way of the Masewal (U Beelil Máasewal Wiinik).

Channel 7

Another Night, Another Murder
For most of this week and last week, violent crime has dominated the headlines. And last night was no different when we reported on a wild shooting at a Chinese Store on Fabers Road in Belize City, which left 4 persons injured. And the violence in that area continued. Tonight's headline is about a murder which happened a few blocks away at the corner of Fabers Road and Central American Boulevard, only 25 hours later. 29 year-old Jason Sutherland was in his yard when a gunman, pretending to want to do business, got close enough to kill him at close range.

Sutherland Spent His Last Day At Court
In an odd aside, Sutherland spent most of yesterday at the Belize City Magistrate's Court for a traffic offence. He pleaded guilty to driving a car without insurance and was fined $155.00 - with a one year disqualification from driving.

Police Resisting Crime Wave
So, what's driving all these violent crimes, and what can police do in Belize City to contain it? That's what we asked Deputy Commissioner Chester Williams when we caught up with him at another event today. He said that police have an idea why all these recent murders and shootings are happening, and they will re-adjust and deploy as necessary. Here's how he put it: Chester Williams - Deputy Commissioner, Operations: "I can assure the public that we have noticed that the trend in the violence have changed. We are concentrating more with the rivalry involved with two other fraction. That rivalry had in some extent became dormant..."

Cops Calibrating Crime Response
National Security Minister John Saldivar had a similar opinion on the spike in violence. He told us that the police top brass are carefully tracking the crime trends and calibrating their response accordingly: Hon. John Saldivar - Minister of National Security: "Crime has as you know is cyclical sometimes its up, sometimes it's down. We are trying to control it. Whenever we see the spikes we try to find out what's the reason for it and see if we can adjust and try to reconfigure our operations and that's what we are doing. The last few days that we have had, we think we are able to get it under control."

Shot Up Cousin, Judge Says Guilty
Today a man was found guilty of the attempted murder of his own cousin. It was a trial without jury and Justice Colin Williams found that 25 year old Kevaughan Staine was Guilty of shooting his cousin Taisha Staine 9 times. Prosecutor Rene Montero Jr, who represented the Crown, submitted that the sentencing guidelines require a social impact report. Justice Williams ordered that the report be submitted on or before Wednesday, September 5, 2018, and he adjourned sentencing until September 24.

5k Bail For 40K Robber
He is accused of jacking almost 40 thousand dollars in a daring armed robbery at the UNO gas station in San Ignacio, but 19 year old Marvin Phillips was released on a bail of $5,000 today by new Supreme Court Justice Francis Cumberbatch. The allegation is that on April 23, Phillips and Asher Saunders - both from Belize City, held up the UNO Service Station in San Ignacio and made off with a total of thirty seven thousand one hundred and forty dollars and forty-eight cents (37,140.48) in cash and cheques. The police reported that at around 10:00, four men went to the service station. Two of them went inside the convenience store while the others stayed outside.

Owning A Gun, Never So Expensive
Tonight there is concern amongst gun owners after reports emerged that gun license fees are going up sharply on Monday. 7News has seen a copy of a new fee schedule which increases the fees by as much as 300% in some cases. And, in other cases introduces two or three hundred dollar fees where previously there were none. The new fees were first proposed in September of 2017, and the announcement was that they would be implemented in the coming months. And it seems that they will now be implemented as of Monday.

Std. Six Students’ Sigh Of Relief
Today was an exciting day for thousands of Standard 6 students all over Belize because they sat their final two PSE exams, in math and social studies. After it was all over this afternoon we asked a few students how it went: Interviewee 1: "Well the math was easy but the math two was kind of challenging and the Social Studies was easy." Sahar Vasquez, reporter: "Do you feel like you were well prepared?" Interviewee 1: "Yes." Sahar Vasquez: "How do you feel now that the PSE is over?" Interviewee 1: "Well, I feel better and I have confidence I will do well."

Long Distance Leadercast
Today the Biltmore was packed with Belizeans ready to participate in one of the world's largest leadership seminars - which is called Leadercast. The seminar is actually held in Atlanta but countries all over the world live stream the seminar and for the third year in a row Chamberlain Consulting organized it in Belize. We stopped by at the Biltmore this morning and found that this year's event had another all-star line up of speakers. Teresita Perez Martinez, Chamberlain Consultants- Chief Implementation Consultant: "This year our theme is leading yourself. This year we are focusing on you as an individual. Understanding that you need to be able to take care of yourself, make sure that you're in a good state of mind health wise, minds, soul-wise, spiritual wise before you are able to lead other people..."

Saldivar Serves Stationary Cops
Earlier in the news, you saw our interviews with National Security Minister John Saldivar and Deputy Police Commissioner Chester Williams. We ran into them this afternoon delivering lunch to all the police officers stationed at those temporary outposts as part of Operation, ACT. Their police and ministry bosses wanted show them a little appreciation for remaining diligent and standing watch at these locations in the blistering hot sun.

The Terms Of Torture
The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture visited Belize for the first time last week. They spent five days here and visited the central prison, police stations throughout the country, as well as a juvenile institution, where - a release says "members of the delegation freely interviewed staff as well as people deprived of their liberty." Their conclusion?: Belize must establish an independent national preventive mechanism to avert and deter torture and ill-treatment of people deprived of their liberty.

Marijuana On The Move, San Antonio Road
Cayo police caught a wholesale quantity of marijuana on the move on the San Antonio Road this morning. At around 9:40, San Ignacio Rural West precinct police intercepted a Toyota pickup. They found 13.6 kilos or 30 pounds of cannabis packed tightly into two knapsacks and a large garbage bag in the pan. The truck was heading in the direction of Pine Ridge towards a feeder road that leads to Georgeville village Five men were in the pickup. They are 55 year old Danilo Tzib of San Antonio Village, 26 year old Fernando Alford, 21 year old Daniel Villanueva, and 24 year old Andre Pugh, all of Georgeville along with 20 year old Carlos Esquivel Garcia 20yrs, a Guatemalan of San Antonio village.

Belizean Baller Devin Daly From Denmark
The Civic Center opened up on Monday to a full house, actually it was standing room only. But, tonight will be the true test of what kind of numbers it can pull without the excitement of an opening night for the most expensive building in Belize's history. It's the opening night of the playoffs for the Elite Basketball League and there is a marquee name to get fans into the seats. The Belize Hurricanes and Dangriga Dream Ballers will be battling it out in the first game of their matchup. Both teams have an impressive lineup but the Hurricanes have brought in Devin Daly - who has been playing in the top league in Denmark - where he won a championship last year. He told us he is hungry to win and to re-introduce himself to fans.

COLA: “No, No, No to The ICJ”
As we've bene reporting, Belize's referendum on the ICJ is set for next April - and public opinion is split on whether to vote yes or no. But, activist group COLA has launched a campaign for an emphatic "NO" vote. Today, President Geovanni Brackett told us why: Geovannie Brackett, President - COLA: "We want people to come out in numbers and vote no to the ICJ. We're not calling for a boycott because we don't want what happened in Guatemala with very little participation and then you have a majority of that. We're calling for people to come out and vote no to the ICJ."

Mental Health Begins in Placencia
This month is being observed worldwide as Mental Health Awareness month and Placencia village is doing its part to bring some much-needed awareness to the often un-diagnosed illness that affects millions. Tomorrow they are kicking off the month with the "Good Minded Festival". It may sound very "yogi" but in fact, the festival promises to be a day filled with fun and knowledge about the debilitating illness. We spoke to one of the organizers by phone.

CHARGED FOR SHAL...
On Wednesday we spoke to Maya Mopan resident, Police Constable Brian Shal who got chopped up by a machete mob when he tried to break up a fight. He was chopped to the head and leg. Today, Belmopan police report that they have formally arrested and charged, 19 year old Abelino Cal and 24 year old Irvin Cal both of a Belmopan address for the crimes of Aggravated Assault and Wounding.

Channel 5

The Cold-Blooded Execution of Jason Sutherland
Gun violence in Belize City appears to be on the rise once again, particularly in Port Loyola where two separate shooting incidents have been recorded within a twenty-four-hour period.  On [...]

Kevaughan Staine Guilty of Attempted Murder of Cousin
Twenty-one-year-old Kevaughan “Bigga” Staine remains on remand after he was convicted on a charge of attempted murder for trying to kill his own cousin, nineteen-year-old Taisha Staine.  The near fatal-incident [...]

Conquering Mathematical Jinx on Day 2 of P.S.E.
A common theme of our reporting over the years on the Primary School Examination is that English, Social Studies and Science have all been less challenging to exam-takers than Mathematics, [...]

B.D.F. Stops Championship Final Show with Protest on Disallowed Penalty
In sporting news, the planned game one of the Premier League of Belize Championship Finals for this weekend has been postponed. General Secretary to the Premier League of Belize, Wilhelm [...]

Seeing Improvement in English Writing
The Primary School Examinations are already half-marked – a computer scanner does the job for the multiple-choice English and Science papers, while selected teachers come in to mark the composition [...]

The Special Measures for “Special Needs” P.S.E. Takers
We have previously covered how students with “special needs” – the visually and hearing impaired; the handicapped; those with autism and developmental learning disabilities – have taken part in the [...]

Why the P.S.E. Remains Relevant
What really are the importance and significance of the P.S.E. results? There is an annual debate about whether the teaching content gets through to the youths, and the majority of [...]

How You Can Be a Leader
For a third consecutive year, Chamberlain Consulting has embarked on hosting a leadership conference in Belize. Leadercast Live takes place in Atlanta, U.S.A., but is simulcast to over a hundred [...]

Michelle Rudon Chosen as an Inspiring Leader
Nine dynamic presentations were featured in the 2018 Leadercast. The inspirational speakers are from different walks of life, but overcame challenges that have proven that a leader is not a [...]

Hepatitis A Watch in the West
The Ministry of Health is monitoring growing cases of Hepatitis ‘A’ in the west. It is a highly contagious liver infection caused by the Hepatitis virus. According to the ministry’s [...]

Donations to Fight Mosquito-Borne Diseases
The Ministry of Health’s Vector Control Unit received a trove of donations, including traps and tablets to fight mosquito borne diseases. The British Government handed over the equipment to the [...]

Smart Belize Hurricanes Import Belizean Overseas star Devin Daly for Playoffs
On the heels of a strong performance on Monday night at the Belize City Civic Center, the playoffs for the 2018 season of the National Elite Basketball League kicks off [...]

Hurricanes C.E.O. Says Category Five is Coming
The Hurricanes are currently ranked second in the 2018 season, with a five-game winning streak going into tonight’s game. Dubbed a battle of rice and beans versus hudut, C.E.O. Gilbert [...]

LOVE FM

Students sit the final two PSE papers
The second phase of the Primary School Examinations concluded today. Thousands of primary school students sat the final two papers, Math and social studies. The exams do not only test what the standard six students learned over the past year but they actually cover material that has been covered over a span of eight years. …

Leadercast molding leaders
Good leaders are in demand and in order to fill this void a leadership conference was held in Belize City. The conference was made up of nine dynamic speakers who were being simulcast live from Atlanta, Georgia, USA to several different countries. Here in Belize, more than two hundred persons attended the conference. Love news …

UK donates $30 K to assist in the fight against vector-borne diseases
There are several mosquito-borne diseases found in Belize including Dengue and Zika. The Ministry of Health has been making strides to eradicate these diseases. For example, in 2014, there were one thousand one hundred confirmed dengue cases; however, in 2017, the Ministry managed to reduce that amount to forty-seven cases. Yesterday, the Ministry of Health …

Mayor Wagner has a new plan for collecting property taxes

took control of the Belize City Council after they were elected on March 7. As part of the council’s plan in collecting revenues, Wagner says that the property tax collecting scheme will be changed. Here’s how: Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City: “What we have is a property tax …

Mayor Wagner says the elderly will not be affected
In a release last month, the United Democratic Party, expressed its disappointment and strongly condemned what it describes as the callous decision of Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner to discontinue the property tax discount program. The UDP says that this program provides a standard 25 percent discount to senior citizens living in Belize City. They …

Belize City Council loses million dollar lawsuit
A de facto judgment was handed down against the Belize City Council and the mayor did not know about it. Belize Waste Control successfully sued the council for one million dollars. Mayor Bernard Wagner says he had no knowledge of this because he was not apprised of it by the City Administration Candice Miller. Bernard …

SSB says BCCI did not flatly reject proposal to increase contributions
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) says it does not support the SSB’s proposal to increase contributions to the fund. This is what BCCI President Nikita Usher said in an interview aired on Love News earlier this week. According to Usher, the BCCI cannot support the proposal because besides increasing contributions and benefits, …

Jason Sutherland gunned down in his yard
Last night, another man was shot and killed in Belize City. According to police reports, sometime after 8:00 p.m. 29-year-old Jason Sutherland was socializing with friends in his yard on Central American Boulevard when they were approached by someone who fired several shots in their direction. Sutherland was hit several times. As a result, Sutherland …

Ministry of Health continues to monitor Hepatitis in Cayo Schools
On Wednesday the Ministry of Health informed the public of a localized outbreak of Hepatitis A in Benque Viejo del Carmen and Arenal Village in the Cayo District. Three cases were confirmed in Benque and eleven in Arenal Village. Lorna Perez Surveillance officer at the Ministry says the surveillance continues and the Ministry is currently …

Josue Carballo surprised about colleague’s bid for Orange Walk East
The People’s United Party will be holding a convention in Orange Walk East in June. While the party has endorsed numerous candidates for the upcoming general elections in 2020, the party has opted to have East residents chose the best man of two candidates – the current Mayor of Orange Walk Town, Kevin Bernard and …

SPT: Belize needs mechanism to stop and prevent torture and ill-treatment of persons in detention
The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture, SPT, says that Belize must establish an independent national preventative mechanism to stop and prevent torture and ill-treatment of persons in detention. The committee was on a working visit Belize in late April. A national preventive mechanism is an independent national body that will examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in places of detention on a regular basis. It should subsequently make recommendations to appropriate authorities.

PlusTV

Four shot in Faber’s Road Shooting
Five persons were shot in Belize City last night in two separate shooting incidents. We begin with one that happened on Faber’s Road Extension outside of a Chinese business establishment. A total of four persons were shot. The shooting was caught on video by a surveillance camera in the area. ...

Shooting in Taylor’s Alley
There was also a shooting near Pregnant Alley last night. 25 year old Hugh Thomas was the target and he was shot in the back. Police told us more. ASP Alejandro Cowo, OC CIB; Eastern Div: Sometime after 7 pm, police visited the Karl Huesner Memorial hospital where they observed a male person by the ...

Masked gunman shoots inside Burrel Boom police station
While police were on the scene dealing with the shooting of four persons at Faber’s Road extension, there was a brazen shooting incident at the Burrel Boom Police station. ASP Alejandro Cowo, OC CIB; Eastern Div: Burrel Boom police reported that police constable Chris Stain was inside of the Burrell...

Police update on Owen McFoy murder
Police are investigating the murder of 30 year old Owen McFoy who was gunned down on Tuesday night. It happened in the Windmill Area of Hattieville Village. ASP Alejandro Cowo, OC CIB; Eastern Div: The investigation is pointing out that sometime earlier in the night, the deceased was socializing wi...

Police update on Jason Williams Shooting
Yesterday we told you about the shooting in Dangriga where Jason Williams was shot to the shoulder. Today, police updated on that investigation. ASP Alejandro Cowo, OC CIB; Eastern Div: Sometime after 7:30pm, police visited 24 Unmagarugu Road where they saw Jason Williams suffering from an apparent ...

Escaped Corozal prisoners all recaptured
All three prisoners who escaped from a Corozal detention cell have been recaptured. Last week we told you that police had recaptured Johnito Matus. Yesterday, the last two prisoners, Austin Sutherland and Marvin Pech were also caught. ASP Alejandro Cowo, OC CIB; Eastern Div: On yesterday’s date at ...

Belmopan residents assess damage left by squatters
The residents of Doyle’s Delight Street in the Mount Pleasant Creek Community in Belmopan are in the process of rehabilitating the Green Reserve destroyed by squatters. Members of the community group met on the land reserve this morning to assess the damage caused. The community members also celebr...

Anthony Carballo walks from murder charge
24-year-old Anthony Carballo Junior has been acquitted of the charge of murder. Justice Colin Williams ruled that the caution statement given to police by Carballo was inadmissible after Carballo claimed that police tazered him to force him to confess. Carballo was accused of killing businessman Jermaine McNab in May of 2012.

Son-in-law charged for killing father-in-law
Gaspar Vargas was stabbed to the stomach. The 57 year old succumbed to that injury and police have since arrested his son in law and charged him for murder. ASP, Alejandro Cowo, OC CIB; Eastern Division: Sometime after 2pm, San Pedro police visited the polyclinic where they observed Mr. Gaspar Vargas, a Belizean unemployed of San Mateo Area suffering from apparent stab wounds to the center of his stomach.

Will Candice Miller’s contract be terminated?
Tomorrow the suspension for Belize City Administrator Candice Miller is supposed to come to an end. However, online media reports are that a decision has been made to terminate Millers’ contract. A meeting was held between Miller and the City Council this afternoon but before that meeting, our colleagues in Belize City tried to get information from Mayor Bernard Wagner on the matter this morning; but he didn’t offer much. Here is how that went.

Belizeans arrested in El Salvador for money laundering
Four Belizeans have been arrested in El Salvador for money laundering offenses. According to Salvadorian media, 32 year old Marlon Alberto Valle, 28 year old Jessy Grabiel Ojeda, 35 year old Deymy Vanessa Rodríguez, all of Belizean nationality and 45 year old Abraham Felipe of Guatemalan nationality, were detained at the Monseñor Romero Airport in El Salvador.

One more freed of Bou-Nahra home invasion charges
Another person has seen charges withdrawn in the home invasion case of Diplomat Sarkis Bou-Nahra. Originally, 19 persons were charged in connection with the 2015 home invasion at the Burrell Boom residence of Bou-Nahra where a woman was reportedly raped during the invasion and burglary. However, the prosecution has had a hard time letting those charges stick and on Wednesday, only 4 of the 19 accused are left to face charges at this time.

Alleged Sex victim says she lied due to police threats
Another person who has been freed of charges is 39 year old Denfield Davis. Davis was accused of having unlawful sex with a 15 year old some two years ago. Davis faced four counts of unlawful sexual intercourse and one count of grievous harm. However, on Wednesday, May 2nd, Senior Crown Counsel Sheneiza Smith was forced to enter a “nolle pros” motion when the alleged victim gave a statement denying that she had sex with Davis.

Light bill gwen up!
Belizeans have been complaining about extremely high gas prices at the pump. While every few weeks there is an adjustment increasing those prices, your light bill is also going to increase. BEL had applied to the PUC in April for a 7.1% average increase in the mean electricity rate. While PUC has not granted that percentage, there is still an increase. PUC has approved a 4.4% increase.

PUP Endorses GILROY USHER
Last week we reported the ongoing tension in Port Loyola between Gilroy Usher and Candice Pitts. Long standing PUP Port Loyola Standard Bearer Gilroy Usher was contesting the 2020 general elections. However, his seat was not going unchallenged as newly elected PUP City Council Councilor, Candice Pitts, also threw her hat in the ring for PUP Standard Bearer of Port Loyola.

Amandala

Faber wants to dock teachers’ salaries
On March 22, teachers from all across Belize traveled to Belmopan and gathered at the Belmopan Comprehensive High School for a Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) anti-crime rally. From the grounds of the Belmopan Comprehensive High School, the teachers marched around the Ring Road and ended up at the Civic Center, where they heard speeches that addressed the issues which prompted the teachers to take a stand. Following the end of their rally, a considerable number of teachers gathered at the steps of the National Assembly Building, prompting some Opposition parliamentarians to come out of their House of Representatives meeting to greet and interact with them.

Shootings surge in the city — 5 shot , no fatalities
Five persons were shot last night in Belize City, four of them in front of a Chinese store on Fabers Road, and one while driving in a car on Cemetery Road near the Salvation Army building. None of the victims were fatally injured. Hugh Thomas, 25, a mechanic of Belize City, was in his vehicle when he was shot in the right side of his back at about 7:00 yesterday evening. Thomas was driving on Cemetery Road, towards Albert Street, and when he arrived in front of Trench Alley, also known as Pregnant Alley, an unknown gunman came through the alley and fired several shots at him, one of which struck him.

A rise in electricity rates imminent
Earlier in April, Amandala reported that the Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) had requested a 7.1% increase in mean electricity rates from the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for the period from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019. We had reported that “BEL explained that the call for an increase in electricity rates is necessary to offset an increase in the cost of power purchased from power producers.” After reviewing BEL’s application, the PUC approved an increase in rates, but only of 4.4%. While BEL had wanted the current rate of $0.3699 per kilowatt hour to be increased to $0.3954, the PUC has allowed a mean electricity rate of $0.3862 per kilowatt hour. This has been approved for the period from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2020.

Woman’s flu symptoms led to her death
A woman from Camalote never expected that what started off as the flu would escalate into something fatal. Carolina Williams, 31, became sick after she returned from a trip to Punta Gorda. According to her husband, Thaddeus Williams, Carolina began experiencing high fever and severe bodily pain. When she began to bleed from the nose, Carolina was taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH). However, when she arrived there, doctors told the couple that she had arrived “too late,” and Carolina ultimately passed away from double pneumonia.

World Press Freedom Day
Today, May 3, is World Press Freedom Day, and various media organizations around the world are observing the day with special activities related to the so-called fourth estate of government. World Press Freedom Day was first celebrated in 1993, 25 years ago, when the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the day. This year’s World Press Freedom Day featured a flagship celebration organized by UNESCO and the government of Ghana. The events marking the day are being celebrated in Ghana’s capital city, Accra, and country’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, participated in the two-day event, which began yesterday, May 2.

Former Foreign Minister, Lisa Shoman, adds new insight into the Guatemalan claim and the ICJ referendum question
Ever since Guatemalan voters went to the polls on April 15, and voted yes in their referendum to taking their country’s territorial claim to the International Court of Justice, (ICJ), the question of the Guatemalan claim and Belize’s impending referendum has been dominating the national discussion. The government’s only input in this process has been a post-referendum congratulatory message to Guatemala, which claims more than half of Belize’s territory and all the country’s islands, except for St. George’s Caye. Kremandala, as a news organization, has been committed to providing all relevant information to the Belizean public on this very existential subject. This morning, attorney Lisa Shoman, S.C., a former Foreign Minister of Belize and PUP Opposition senator, who has wide-ranging knowledge about the Guatemalan claim and the process for submitting it to the jurisdiction of the ICJ, took to the airwaves of Krem Radio’s and Krem TV’s WUB morning show with co-host Nuri Muhammad...

Women’s League completes 1st round of football competition
The first round of the double round-robin tournament in the National Amateur Women’s League (NAWL) 2018 was completed over the weekend with Week 3 games at 4 different venues. At the MCC Grounds on Saturday, Belize City’s Millennium United managed to hold undefeated Gladiators of Orange Walk to a 0-0 stalemate, thanks to some outstanding goalkeeping from new addition, Joslyn Cadle. Gladiators dominated the game, but the agile Cadle handled everything they sent towards her, including leaving her six-yard box at times to intercept dangerous attacking plays.

Corozal Billiards Association’s Open 8-Ball Tournament – Mighty Ducks champs!!!
The Corozal Billiards Association (CBA), a member of the Belize Billiards Sports Federation (BBSF), held an Open 8-Ball Tournament at the Andres Campus Civic Center on April 28 and 29 in Corozal Town. Ten teams participated, hailing from Belmopan, Belize City, San Pedro, and Corozal; but at the end it was the Mighty Ducks, one of the teams from Corozal, to swim to the end and crowned champs. Here’s how the finals ended, with two teams of Corozal, Mighty Ducks vs Eagles. Eagles was undefeated going into the finals, so Mighty Ducks had to defeat Eagles twice to be the champs; and that’s what they did, though it meant swimming in the deep blue sea of Corozal Town.

Hurricanes and Defenders open Civic; Pepsi NEBL playoff matchups set
After games on Friday and Monday nights, one more regular season game remains in the Pepsi NEBL 2018 competition, which will be played on Thursday night, May 3. On Friday night, April 27, at the Russel Chiste Garcia Auditorium, visiting Smart Belize Hurricanes came away with the 73-61 road win over the Griga Dream Ballers. Leading the Hurricanes were Tyson Reynold 16 pts 7 rebs, Akeem Watters 14 pts, Brian White 13 pts 12 rebs, Glency Lopez 9 pts 8 assts, and Raheem Thurton 9 pts 5 rebs; while for the Dream Ballers, Edgar Mitchell had 20 pts 7 rebs 8 assts, and Tahj Wells 14 pts 9 rebs.

Cricket Update – Florida Cricket Academy visits
Greetings from the Belize National Cricket Association (BNCA)! Only four games were played over the weekend of April 28 & 29; the results are as follows: Summer Fever won over Western Eagles in Rancho Delores with a score of 268 to 116 (Summer Fever declared at 39.3 overs; it was a 40-overs game) with one wicket to spare. For Summer Fever, Jermain Baizer top scored with 78 runs not out, and Travis Stephenson took 5 wickets. For Western Eagles, Dirk Sutherland top scored with 26 runs, and Norman Pook took four wickets.

Editorial: ICJ referendum volatility
COLA’s media outburst on Wednesday, May 2, two days after the Government of Belize’s somewhat of a surprise announcement on Monday, April 30, that Belize’s national referendum on International Court of Justice (ICJ) arbitration for the Guatemalan claim to Belize will be held on Wednesday, April 10, 2019, suggests that the road from here to April 10, 2019 will be an increasingly bumpy one in The Jewel. The fact of the matter is that $8 million is about to be introduced into the domestic discourse in Belize with the specific intention to have the Belizean people vote “yes” to going to the ICJ. We have been told for years that the money, subscribed by the international “Friends of Belize,” will be used to educate the people of Belize about the ICJ process and the precise choices facing us in the referendum. It is now pretty clear to the people of Belize, notoriously laid-back but also quite observant and analytical, that the “education” hype was a lie: the money has a message. That is why COLA went on the offensive Wednesday, and made threatening statements.

From The Publisher
Over the past four decades and more, there have been several occasions on which I sought to give our readers a glimpse of the most powerful families which comprise the Guatemalan oligarchy. I used as my source material on these previous occasions a 1974 publication, entitled GUATEMALA, by a group which called itself the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA). In 1974, the publication sold for $5 US, but today my personal copy, tattered and falling part, is priceless to me. I have no recollection of how it came into my possession. One of the most important sections of the book is called “Guatemala’s Bourgeoisie: The Top 20 Families.” It occurred to me that we had to reproduce some of the material in that section when, during KREM Radio/Television’s live broadcast from Guatemala City on Sunday, April 15, during Guatemala’s referendum on International Court of Justice (ICJ) arbitration for their claim to Belize, a skeptical roots Guatemalan underlined his disinterest in the referendum vote by telling his Belizean interviewers...

Check the “T” sign at Libertad
Dear Editor, The “T” at the Libertad junction in the Corozal District has been without traffic direction signs for more than a year. I see many visitors coming from Mexico go straight to Libertad and not realize they are on the wrong road until they run out of pavement. This makes visitors upset. I wonder who is in charge of such sign?

CRIMINAL CHARGES FOR CIRCULATING NUDES!
It is most unfortunate that it seems that one of the national pastimes has been to use social media to bring down, attack, degrade, humiliate and where possible, destroy the lives of each other. This has reached one of the most vile phases, where without regard for any consequences many have taken to Buy & Sell page and posted vile comments and ‘“obscene” nude pictures or videos of persons who have become the target of their vitriol. Much of what is said is also hate speech, especially the two most recent of two men, apparently in gay relationships, being called out and their pictures being sent all over. One female went as far as calling out the mother of one of the young men and another female went after the status of the other as a “badman” in the community.

A deeper look at the Barranco protest
The people of Barranco finally decided that they had enough of the decades-old, clandestine shenanigans of the Forest Department and its habitual practice of granting logging concessions to foreign and oligarchic interests while denying local loggers similar concessions to log within and around their own village. On Tuesday, April 25th, a delegation of stalwart village leaders traveled the roughly 165 miles each way from their village to Belmopan to publicly air their grievances. One of their main concerns was that over several decades, distant bureaucratic decisions regarding forestry and other resources adjacent to their village have most often been made without consultations and have repeatedly excluded them from opportunities to substantially improve their quality of life.

UN told them to get off that
I am, like almost all Belizeans, a very interested party in the ongoing to-go or not-to-go discussions re the ICJ. I do not consider my opinions “expert”, but on this one we have to sleep wid wi own eye, as they say. I read; I listen; I try to understand. My opinions on the matter are about sharing, not so much about winning souls. I believe I understand the “no” vote. I lean “yes”. Brother Clinton Canul Luna said in his column last week that if we go to the ICJ, he wouldn’t be “surprised that probably Belize may lose a southern part of its territory.” Before I go on, I must point out that the United Nations already ruled on Belizean territory, in 1981. The United Nations ruled that the rights of the Belizean people trump any claims by Guatemala that she inherited this territory from Spain.

BELIZEAN STANISLAUS
In 1798, when the Settlers of the swamps and bush became aware that a flotilla from Yucatan would sail to the Settlement to dislodge them, they held a meeting and decided unanimously to confront that Spanish force and defend what they had come to regard as home. Spanish explorers had passed through and skinned up their nose regarding where they were treading as not worth the effort to colonize. British pirates, however, had thought the shallows and swamps of this land very suitable as safe havens, from which to launch their efforts in piracy. So in September of 1798 led by H.M.S. Merlin and boarded on other small vessels also the Baymen sailed to St. George’s Caye to confront the Spanish threat. We do not know exactly why the Spanish forces left the field of battle, but they did. Common sense tells me that when you abandon the field of battle, you lose and abandon the claim that had caused you to embark on a mission to exert your will to possess.

Government sets ICJ referendum date: April 10, 2019
Exactly two weeks after an estimated 26 percent of Guatemalan voters went to the polls, where 97 percent of them voted “yes” to take their country’s territorial claim to more than half of Belize to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Belize announced today that it has set a date for its own ICJ referendum, “in accordance with the Special Agreement and its protocol.” Incredibly, Guatemala had been congratulated by the Belize Government after the outcome of their referendum had been made public. In the Government of Belize’s press release, captioned, “Cabinet Sets Date for Referendum on International Court of Justice”, the following is stated: “The Government of Belize announces that Cabinet has set the date for the referendum where Belize will decide whether or not to take the dispute arising from Guatemala’s claim to Belize’s land and insular territories, and to the maritime areas pertaining to them, to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for final settlement. In accordance with the Special Agreement and its protocol, the referendum will be held on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.”

How cooperating with the Feds helped illegal Belizean, Steven Reneau, from being deported
All across the United States, Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are cracking down on illegal “aliens”, deporting them in accordance with the campaign promise made during the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump, who was elected president of that country in their November 2016 elections. In January, ICE agents stopped at the Florida home of Belizean Steven “Insect” Reneau, picked him up and took him into custody to begin deportation proceedings. Reneau has been living in the US illegally for a number of years. Reneau was not only living in the US illegally; he is also a convicted felon who had served two years in a federal prison.

Anthony Somerville, 38, dies in traffic accident
Anthony Maurice Somerville, 38, a construction worker of Hattieville, was a passenger in the pan of a vehicle travelling from Orange Walk to Belize City around 1:00 Sunday morning, when the driver of the vehicle observed a checkpoint at the Boom-Hattieville Road junction with the Philip Goldson Highway, at Mile 13. Reports to us are that the driver spun the vehicle around and headed back toward Orange Walk when he saw the roadblock. As the driver was trying to get away, however, the vehicle overturned. Somerville was thrown out of the vehicle, which landed on top of him. He suffered massive injuries to his head and body and reportedly died on the scene.

2 escapees from Corozal Police Station cell block recaptured after 20 days
Three prisoners from Corozal — Marvin Pec, Austin Sutherland and Johnny Matus, who broke out of the holding cell at the Corozal Police Station, have been recaptured. Pec and Sutherland were at large for twenty days before being captured. However, Matus was caught by police last week. The breakout occurred sometime between 4:00 and 6:00 on the morning of Wednesday, April 12. The three men sawed through three iron bars of the holding cell and escaped to freedom by scaling the fence that secured the compound. The police said that they conducted regular inspections of the cell block where the men were held, but the prisoners timed the routine of the officers doing night duty.

The Reporter

Fire reported through Usher Street and Cadle’s Alley
News has been received at the Reporter of a fire through Usher Street and Cadle’s Alley around 1:00 a.m., today. We do not know the extent of the damages and will have more details later on.

Belize City man shot dead inside his yard
Jason Sutherland, 29, was shot multiple times last night inside his yard on Central American Boulevard in Belize city. Sutherland was injured around 8:35 p.m. on May 3rd, and died shortly after while receiving treatment at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH). According to police, Sutherland was […]

Empirical Costs of Corruption
At least once per month the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI)’s Business Perspective TV and Radio Show, the broadcast counterpart to this column, seeks to feature a discussion (and where possible) an update on the United Nations Convention Against Convention (UNCAC) and its relevance to the Belizean economy […]

Meat pie legend, Dario, to be laid to rest Friday
Rufino Dario Hernandez – the man everyone knew as Dario – was laid to rest last Friday at the Homeland Memorial burial ground at mile 8 off the George Price highway following a funeral service in his memory at the Holy Redeemer Cathedral on North […]

Man stabbed to death in San Pedro
A man allegedly stabbed his father-in-law to death in San Pedro around 2:00 on Monday afternoon after they had a dispute at their home in the San Mateo area on the island. The Reporter has learned that the deceased, Gaspar Vargas, 57, a construction worker, […]

Boyfriend stabs his girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend
by Anita Nembhard/Flowers Tonight a Salvadoran national, identified as 21-year-old Jefferson Jacobo, who has been living in Belize while processing his nationality papers, is on remand at the Belize Central Prison pending bail. Jacobo is accused of stabbing his girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend and was taken to court 2 on […]

Estranged girlfriend accuses man of stealing her panty
by Anita Nembhard/Flowers Michael Martinez, 25, remains in police custody after he was accused by his estranged girlfriend of stealing her $5.00 undergarment. Martinez was charged with theft, assault and the use of threatening words on Monday, April 30th in court 2 before Senior Magistrate, Aretha Ford. He was unrepresented […]

Climate change activists should strongly resist Guatemala’s unfounded claim
It may not seem an important angle to the territorial dispute between Belize and Guatemala, but the world – and especially climate change activists – have a stake in ensuring that Guatemala’s unfounded claim over at least half of Belize is never sanctioned. Western and […]

More attention needs to be paid to male suicide in Belize
Universally, more males commit suicide than females do but in Belize, there is a growing problem among young males that needs to be addressed. The crime statistics reveal that young males in central Belize (particularly the Belize and Cayo Districts) are the most frequent victims […]

Ninety-nine resilient youths awarded for engaging in positive lifestyle
Staff Repoter The Community Rehabilitation Department (CRD) within the Ministry of Human Development, last Thursday, hosted an award ceremony at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts to honor 99 young people who have made tremendous strides in living a positive lifestyle despite adversity. The Youth Resiliency […]

National Agriculture Show numbers decline
The 2018 National Agriculture and Trade Show was held this past weekend at the show grounds in Belmopan from Friday to Sunday, and while attendance was slightly down from last year, organizers say the show was still a major success. According to the Ministry of […]

Roof repair contract for KHMH goes to tender
The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority (KHMHA) is seeking a local construction company to conduct the remedial works on the hospital’s ceiling and roof. Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Health Ramon Figueroa, who sits on the board at the KHMHA, confirmed that the […]

CARICOM buys more of Belize’s exports than the USA
Although the USA and the UK are said to be Belize’s top trading partners, the biggest declines in export sales so far this year were recorded for those destinations. Meanwhile, CARICOM countries are becoming increasingly important trade partners for Belize, particularly as they are now […]

GOB sets referendum date
The Government of Belize announced, this week, that Cabinet has set the date for Belize’s referendum to decide on taking the territorial dispute with Guatemala for a final decision at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). GOB issued a statement on Monday evening saying that […]

Chamberlain consulting presents Leadercast 2018
On Friday, May 4, Chamberlain Consulting is hosting the 2018 installment of the world’s largest one-day leadership seminar “Leadercast”. The conference, to be held at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza, will be held under the theme “Lead yourself.” More than 200 local participants will join over […]

Editorial
April 2019 is the month set for Belizeans to vote in a referendum on what direction we are to take to refute the Guatemalan claim to our land. We have an opportunity to put to rest the century old dispute brought on by our neighbour’s claim to the southern portion […]

Four shot on Fabers road
Four people were shot on Faber’s road in Belize city on Wednesday night in front of a Chinese shop and surveillance cameras at the establishment captured the entire ordeal. Emerson Requena, 34, was shot in his hip and right thigh. Michael Requena, 27, was shot […]

PUC decides, light bill going up
While the price of various goods and services have steadily increased in recent months, Belizeans are now bracing for increased electricity rates, following the latest decision by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The PUC issued its initial decision this week, to grant Belize Electricity Limited […]

Micah Goodin rants about Mayor and party on social media
Micah Goodin, the People’s United Party’s (PUP) second youngest City Councilor who garnered the second highest number of votes in the March 7th Municipal Elections, finds himself in political embarrassment after he ranted on social media this week about his boss, Mayor Bernard Wagner. On […]

Belizeans arrested in El Salvador for suspected money laundering
Three Belizeans were among a group of seven arrested at the Monseñor Romero Airport in El Salvador, this week for attempting to smuggle undeclared sums of cash amounting to US$10,000 each. Authorities from El Salvador’s Financial Investigation Unit busted the Belizeans along with co-conspirators from […]

Gunman shoots at officer in Burrel Boom police station
The Police Department is reviewing its security measures at the Burrel Boom police precinct after a bold gunman entered the station on Wednesday night and opened fire on the lone officer on duty that night. According to police, Police Constable Chris Staine was the only […]

Breaking Belize News

Crooked Tree Cashew Festival coming soon
The annual Crooked Tree Cashew Festival and Agricultural show will be held this year on […]

Cacao festival kicks off on May 18
The annual Toledo Cacao Festival is kicking off on May 18 in Punta Gorda town […]

Officials meet to discuss regional agriculture and rural development
Officials from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and Caribbean Community Climate Change […]

National Security Minister meets with IDB consultants
Yesterday, Minister of National Security, John Saldivar met with two consultants from the Inter-American Development […]

UN experts say Belize must establish a torture prevention mechanism
United Nations experts have issued a statement after their first visit to Belize, stating that […]

United Kingdom government donates equipment to Belize’s Health ministry
Yesterday, various vector control equipment was officially handed over to the Ministry of Health in […]

Fair weather will continue
The 24-hour forecast is for mostly fair and warm weather to continue with sunny skies […]

Teachers who protested against violence to get salary cut, BNTU to discuss response
On Saturday the executive of the Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU) will determine actions to be taken […]

Anthony Carballo beats murder charge
Anthony Carballo Jr. is home after serving six years on remand at the Hattieville prison. […]

Man Dies After Being Shot Multiple Times in Belize City Last Night
Belize City police are investigating a murder that occurred last night. Around 8:35 pm, crimes investigators went to […]

Blogs

Juan and Abelina Cho believe that chocolate will save the rainforest
I think it is safe to say that there’s not many people on the planet who really appreciate how chocolate is made. As is the case with many agricultural foods we enjoy, the process from crop to table can be a complicated one, and when it comes to the transformation of the cacao pod to delectable chocolate, the procedure it is nothing short of magic. Ingrained within the Maya culture, and once a revered delicacy that only the privileged hierarchy of the Maya civilization could indulge in, thankfully chocolate is now a sweet treat even we common folks can enjoy! One couple, Juan and Abelina Cho have not only embraced their Maya heritage of producing fine chocolate in the Toledo District of Belize but are dedicated to preserving the rich culture that surrounds it through conservation, education and organic crops.

Cinco De Mayo and so Much More
As usual too many great parties at once. If you are a smart planner and have wheels or are good at hitching rides, you could make them all. Aside from being a good planner, you also need to be able to stick to a schedule haha. It is all to easy to get waylayed somewhere – you never know who you will meet.

International Sources

Belize to Host Caribbean Peering and Interconnection Forum
Belize will host the fourth Caribbean Peering and Interconnection Forum, known as CarPIF, on June 13 and 14. Since its inception in 2015, CarPIF has brought together regional and international technology experts and telecommunications industry execs to discuss a range of topics related to Internet peering and interconnection trends, and their relevance to the Caribbean region. It is coordinated by the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG), with support from the Internet Society, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union, the American Registry for Internet Numbers, Packet Clearing House, the Latin America and Caribbean Internet Address Registry (LACNIC), and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Videos

May 4, 2018

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

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

Minister of National Security meets with San Pedro BTIA
The crime situation on Ambergris Caye was discussed on Thursday, April 26th, during a meeting between the Ministry of National Security and the San Pedro Chapter of the Belize Tourism Industry Association (SP BTIA). Held at the conference room of the Sunbreeze Hotel, some of the topics discussed included the increase in tourism police, foot patrols, and police personnel on the island, 24-hour police manned substations, the introduction of a water-taxi boat manifest, better lighting on the roads, reducing gun-related issues and gang violence.

9- A-Side Football Tournament continues
San Pedro Sports Committee’s (SPSC) 9-A-Side Football Tournament continued this weekend at the Ambergris Stadium in San Pedro Town. During the second week of the tournament, seven matches were played in three different categories, which include: Under-13 (U-13), Under-15 (U-15) and the female category. Games continue this weekend, starting on Friday, May 4that 7PM with U-13 teams. San Pedro Pirates going against San Mateo F.C, followed by Los Catrachitos versus Atletico Madrid in the U-15 Category. The last match will feature Island Warriors #1 and Island Warriors #2 in the female category. The following day, Saturday, May 5th the last set of matches will be played, beginning with San Mateo F.C taking on Larubeya F.C in the U-15 category, and finishing in the female category with SPHS versus Ambergris Combined Force. All islanders are invited to come out and enjoy a fun weekend of football.

SP BTIA asks PUC to help resolve water supply issues in San Pedro Town
The San Pedro Belize Tourism Industry Association (SP BTIA) has issued a letter to the Public Utilities Commission requesting resolution between the two water service companies on Ambergris Caye, stating that for the last decade the island has been subject to extremely low to no water pressure not only during peak tourism season but is now becoming the norm in San Pedro Town. The two companies, Belize Water Service Limited (BWSL) and Consolidated Water Belize Limited (CWBL) each claim that the other company is at fault when it comes to the inadequate supply of water. In a long-term binding contract (2004-2026) it was agreed that BWSL would distribute water produced by CWBL to San Pedro Town and surrounding areas on Ambergris Caye.

Ambergris Today

Belize Participates In The Central American Council Of Tourism Ministers Meeting For Sustainable Tourism
Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr., Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, led an official delegation on April 27th to April 29th, 2018 to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to participate in the CVII Ordinary Meeting of the Central American Council of Tourism Ministers (C.C.T., for its Spanish equivalent), as well as the LI Ordinary Meeting of the Central American Tourism Promotion Agency (C.A.T.A., for its Spanish equivalent). Main areas of focus were the further development and promotion of intra-regional and multi-destination tourism within the Central American region, as well as, alignment of the region’s tourism development agenda with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Public Utilities Commission Approves Electricity Rate Increase
The price of everything is going up, fuel, butane, there was tax implementation on internet data and now electricity rates are going up. To add insult to injury the Statistical Institute of Belize is claiming that the cost of living is down! On a press release dated Wednesday, April 4, 2018, The Belize Electricity Limited announced that it had made its submission to the Public Utilities Commission requesting a change in electricity rates for the Annual Tariff Period July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019. This request for a change in electricity rate is a result of increase in the cost of power purchased from power producers.

Misc Belizean Sources

SCHOLARSHIP & INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:
CCRIF Scholarship Programme: Provides scholarships to individuals to pursue a masters degree in hazard/disaster related disciplines at Caribbean universities (other than UWI) as well as institutions the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Deadline May 31, 2018. . CCRIF-UWI Scholarship Programm, Provides scholarships to students at UWI for undergraduate and post-graduate study in fields such as natural resource management, climate change, meteorology, geography/geology and civil/environmental engineering

Mrs. Ofelia Graniel passes away
Mayor Daniel Guerrero, the San Pedro Town Council and Staff would like to extend its sincere condolences to the Graniel family and friends on the passing of Mrs. Ofelia Graniel. May you all find the strength in each other to over come this loss. May her soul rest in peace. Funeral services are scheduled for today, May 3, 2018, at 4:00 p.m. at the San Pedro R.C. Church.

Belize Lobster Festivals 2018
Are you ready? Get ready! San Pedro Lobster Festival, Caye Caulker Lobster Fest and Placencia Lobsterfest, Belize planning time!

Power outage scheduled for portion Cayo District from 7:00am to 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 6th
To affect Unitedville to Arenal including Benque Viejo, San Ignacio, Santa Elena, Duck Run 1 & 2, Billy White, Georgeville, Central Farm, Esperanza, San Miguel, Cristo Rey, San Antonio, Santa Cruz, Bullet Tree Falls, Branch Mouth, Santa Familia, Calla Creek, Corozalito, Succotz and surrounding areas. BEL to conduct maintenance and testing of all equipment at the Mollejon Substation.

BELIZE FISHING REPORT: Weeks of Apr. 23rd thru Apr. 29th, 2018
A couple of days this week we experienced northeast winds when the fishery emptied a bit and created some tough fishing conditions. Everyone was able to land bonefish, but the tarpon and permit proved to be more difficult. Susan, Jake and Sara all managed to land their "first ever" bonefish and have vowed to come back and do it again.

World Press Freedom Day
Happy World Press Freedom Day to our Belizean press corps! “On World Press Freedom Day, we renew our commitment to promoting and protecting a free press -- an essential pillar of #democracy, and we honor journalists who have dedicated their lives to promote #transparency and #accountability throughout the world.” -Secretary Pompeo

Paradise Theater playing this weekend
Black Panther, Samson, The 15:17 to Paris, Pocahontas

San Antonio Women's Group
“A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.” — Diane Mariechild The organization that I am about to describe perfectly represents Marichild’s above statement. The San Antonio Women’s group has made a name for themselves through perseverance and hard work. Located relatively at the western entrance of San Antonio Village beside the United Pentecostal School, the organization of women continues to be a source of pride for our community. They are a true representation of women’s power to create and transform; from a moderately unorganized group of family and friends they grew into a firmly planned entity.

Ministry of Health Benefits from Donation of Equipment to Support Vector Control Efforts in Belize
This morning, at a small ceremony held at the Ministry of Health conference room in Belmopan, various vector control equipment was officially handed over to the Ministry of Health by the Government of the United Kingdom. The donations were made possible through a partnership established with several Caribbean countries, including Belize, Public Health England, and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), to support vector control efforts. Three major outputs were agreed upon after that visit to specifically assist in strengthening surveillance and outbreak response in high-risk areas for Dengue and Zika: The piloting of an Aedes Mosquito Surveillance Program supported through the procurement of 30 Android-based tablets ...

BELIZE PARTICIPATES IN CVII ORDINARY MEETING OF THE CENTRAL AMERICAN COUNCIL OF TOURISM MINISTERS PROMOTING GROWTH OF INTRA-REGIONAL AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr., Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, led an official delegation on April 27th to April 29th, 2018 to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to participate in the CVII Ordinary Meeting of the Central American Council of Tourism Ministers (C.C.T., for its Spanish equivalent), as well as the LI Ordinary Meeting of the Central American Tourism Promotion Agency (C.A.T.A., for its Spanish equivalent). Main areas of focus were the further development and promotion of intra-regional and multi-destination tourism within the Central American region, as well as, alignment of the region’s tourism development agenda with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Mary Hill's Grand Annual Maypole Fair2018
Sunday May 13, 10am. Get Involved!

"Sparks" of Joy for Tapir Day
The Belize Zoo had their Tapir Day celebration over the weekend. They named the new baby 'Sparks,' and it fits perfectly. "We had a blast with lots of tapir themed fun, and, of course, the big reveal of the unbelievably enchanting baby tapir: SPARKS! At just three weeks old, and now weighing an impressive 30 pounds, little Sparks boldly follows mamma Navidad around inspecting every inch of his home, and does not shy away from his many fans.

BTB Love Belize Sea Challenge
Follow along and keep updated with the upcoming BTB-Love Belize Sea Challenge!

OCEANA E-Newslettter April 2018
Check out the latest edition of our Newsletter to see what we've been up to since the year began! You might even spot yourself in there!

BECOME A PARTNER: Ya'axché Conservation Trust
Collaborate with us in working toward a shared vision. Partnerships allow us to have a greater impact in southern Belize. A very good example of a successful longstanding partnership is the one we have with the world’s oldest conservation organization, Fauna & Flora International, who has been working with us since 1998. Discover how you can support our work by partnering with us.

Channel 7

Four Shot in Front of Chinese Store
Tonight, specialized Police operational units have city's gang hotspots on a tight leash after a night of wild gun violence in the Eastern Division last night. Five people were shot in the city - and there was a brazen attempt on a police officer's life in Burrell Boom. Fortunately, no one was killed - but four persons were injured in an attack that has shades of a mass shooting. It happened on Faber's Road just before 8:00 where two young men pulled up at a crowded Chinese Store and one of them just opened fire on a group of regular folks just lining up to buy. Cell phone video captured what happened next - and Courtney Weatherburne has the story:..

Pregnant Alley Preyed on Angel
But that wasn't the first shooting of the night in the city. The gunplay started at around 7:00 when 25 year old Hugh "Angel" Thomas Jr was driving his red Isuzu Trooper on Orange Street. That's the turf of the Taylor's Alley Gang - and just as he was passing Pregnant Alley a man strode out and opened fire on him. Police told us more: ASP Alejandro Cowo, OC, CIB, Eastern Divisio:n "Police visited the Karl Heuser Memorial Hospital where they observe a male person by the name of Hugh Thomas, a 25 years old Belizean suffering from a gunshot wound to the left side of his back. What police had gathered so far that Mr. Thomas was driving his vehicle on Cemetery Road heading towards Albert Street and whilst approaching Pregnant Alley a male person came out from the alley and fired several shots at his direction causing the above-mentioned injuries. He was admitted last night and he was treated and later discharged from the hospital. So far no one has been detained but police have taken 2 persons for questioning in regards to this shooting."

Police Take In Six Suspects In Taylor’s Alley
And Taylor's Alley is one of the areas where police cracked down hard today in response to last night's violence. As we understand it, the Commander of Operations has launched a joint operations with all units and branches to reign in rival gangs in the city. This morning they were in Taylor's Alley where 6 persons were detained pending investigation into last night's shooting of Hugh Thomas, Jr. In the alley, Police also found a four foot tall marijuana plant which was uprooted and removed.

Walks Into Police Station, Opens Fire
Just as police were responding to those shootings last night in Belize City, there was another very disturbing one in Burrell Boom Village. A man tried to kill an on-duty police officer inside the Village Police Sub-station. It appeared as though the gunman had no reason to target the officer, other than trying to hurt him or worse. Daniel Ortiz has that story: This police station compound was the scene of a strange but deadly attack on an on-duty police officer. Fortunately, he escaped unharmed.

PUP Give Green Light To Gilroy, “Brakes” Candice
Last week we told you about the tensions building in the PUP around a contested convention for Port Loyola Standard Bearer. Newcomer and newly elected councillor Dr. Candice Pitts threw in her hat to challenge Standard Bearer Gilroy Usher Sr - who has been working in the division since 2011. Usher came close to beating the UDP incumbent in the 2015 general election - and it is widely believed that after years of chipping away - he could finally tip the scales in the next general election and win the division that the UDP has held since 2003.

City Administrator Faces Council Caucus Firing Line
And, this afternoon at the Belize City Council, it was another Candice - in this case, Candice Miller, the embattled City Administrator who was at the center of the controversy. We are told she made an appearance before the Council Caucus led by Mayor Bernard Wagner for a disciplinary hearing. Miller and her attorney, Magali Perdomo, made an appearance before the council, and at around 4 p.m. this evening, they exited, refusing all requests from the awaiting media for comment.

Man Gets Free on 2012 Businessman Murder
It was a high profile murder back in 2012 when businessman Jermaine McNab was killed inside his hardware store in Belize City. But, today, almost exactly 6 years later, the man accused of his crime walked free - acquitted of murder in a trial without jury. Anthony Carballo Junior - who was just 18 when he was first charged - walked free as a 24 year old today. The prosecution was forced to close its case after Carballo said that his confession statement was given after police tasered him. Justice Colin Williams ruled the caution statement inadmissible.

Garcia Got A Gun
Last night as they scrambled to contain any violence in response to the shooting, Police recovered a .380 pistol and arrested a man for it. 24 year old Nisani Daniel Garcia has been charged with kept unlicensed firearm and kept unlicensed ammunition. Police say that at 8:30 they responded to a shooting incident on Saint Jude's Street in the Back-A-Town area. They found Garcia stooping down at the back of the house, and then discovered a 380 Ruger pistol under a cement block about 10 feet from him. In court, Garcia pleaded not guilty to kept firearm and ammunition without a license. He was denied bail and remanded until July 12, 2018.

Charged For Killing Father-in-Law
Jose Ricardo Mendoza has been charged for the San Pedro killing of his father in law, Gaspar Vargas. They were hanging out, drinking but had a misunderstanding and Mendoza allegedly stabbed Vargas to the stomach. The report is that they had a history of disputes, but on Monday it ended it murder. Police told us more. ASP Alejandro Cowo, OC, CIB, Eastern Division: "The first stabbing incident happened in San Pedro, that was on Monday the 30th of April sometime after 2:00 pm San Pedro police visited the San Pedro Polyclinic where they observed Mr. Gaspar Vargas a Belizean unemployed of the San Mateo area suffering from an apparent stab wound to the center of his stomach. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the polyclinic..."

Why Was Owen Killed?
Police are looking for two Hattieville residents in connection with Owen Mcfoy's killing. He was gunned down on Tuesday night while he was watching a basketball game. At this time police say they don't have a motive. ASP Alejandro Cowo, OC, CIB, Eastern Division: "The investigation is pointing out that sometime earlier in the night, the deceased was socializing with family members and neighbors outside of the yard, they were watching a basketball game when suddenly they were approached by a male person who fired in their direction causing the fatal injuries to Mr. Mcfoy."

Police Have No Suspect For Williams Shooting
Did a gunman try to silence murder witness Jason Williams in Dangriga ? Police could not confirm this but Williams was a witness to the 2016 murder of Gerald "SHINEY" Tillett. And, on Tuesday night, he escaped with minor injuries after a gunman targetted him while he was gambling in a yard. Police told us more. ASP Alejandro Cowo, OC, CIB, Eastern Division: "Police visited number 24 Gumagarugu road where they observed Jason Williams suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the left side of shoulder, what police received from him is that he was socializing inside a yard along with two other persons when a person jumped the fence and fired several shots in their direction causing the injuries."

All Three Cell Breakers Re-Captured
They had three weeks of freedom, but now all three prisoners who escaped from the Corozal cellblock have been recaptured. 19 year old Johnito Matus was captured two weeks ago, and now Austin Sutherland and Marvin Pec have been picked up in Orange Walk. Police told us more today:... ASP Alejandro Cowo, OC, CIB, Eastern Division: "Reference the 2 escape prisoners from Corozal on yesterday's date at about 10pm they were captured in the burying ground in Orange Walk Town. As a result this morning Corozal police arrested and charged 2 of them Austin Sutherland and Marvin Pech for the crime of escape and damaged to property."

Keeping Mosquitoes In Check
The Ministry of Health will benefit from thirty thousand dollars' worth of vector control equipment donated by the British Government. The handing over was held this morning at the Ministry of Health Conference room - where the Director of the Vector Control Unit explained how the equipment will be used to curb mosquito borne diseases:... Kim Bautista, CO - Vector Control Unit: "We'll be piloting a project in Cayo, Orange walk and Corozal Districts where we'll be using a mobile base platform android base tablet. Using a collector app and incorporated with GIS to basically work in most of our major urban areas for the collection of data regarding infestation levels of AEDES mosquitos. What that will enable us to do is have real time data on what our primary target areas. By so doing, we'll be able to mobilize resources more efficiently..."

Belizeans Busted in Salvador With Big Bucks
Three Belizeans were stopped at the Monseñor Romero Airport in El Salvador for not declaring tens of thousands of US dollars in cash. They are Marlon Alberto Valle, Jessy Grabiel Ojeda, and Deymy Vanessa Rodríguez. Ojeda was born in Cayo while Rodriguez and Valle are naturalized Belizeans originally from Honduras. They were caught along with a Guatemalan. According to the report of the Office of the Prosecutor, they carried an approximate ten thousand dollars each. The names of the three other people were not disclosed.

ICJ - Public Opinion Divided
So, the Guatemalans said "yes" to the ICJ on April 15th, and next year on April 10th - Belizeans will get to have their say. Nationally, it's an existential decision that requires lots of reflection. But today on Albert Street, we found quite a few who already knew what they wanted. Sahar Vasquez has more:... Wednesday, April 10, 2019, is the day you will get to vote on this question. The vote will either be yes or no and today we found out that quite a few Belizeans actually want to go the ICJ court in Hague, Netherlands to settle this centuries-old dispute.

Educating About Health
AS you just saw in that extended commercial break, it's Education Month and to kick off the education festivities in Belize City a Community Health Fair was held. It was about educating the community on health. We stopped by and found out more. Darlene Lozano, Education Officer: "This is an event organized by the Belize District Education centre. It is the community health fair. We have invited fourteen different organizations. Both government and non-government to promote a healthy lifestyle, to spread an awareness of how to prevent illnesses and also for us to identify some of the symptoms. It is to help us to live a healthier lifestyle."

Understanding Agroecology
The Ya'axché Conservation Trust in southern Belize has partnered with Professor Jose Ruben Sanchez, a renowned plant genetic resources specialist from Cuba to pioneer an area called agroecology. It's all about climate smart farming practices and the protection of nature while getting a yield from crops. Thirty-five farmers and fifteen agriculture extension officers participated in last week's training session - and here's what they learned:

Sharon’s Superstitious
Media personality Sharon Marin-Lewis is trying her hand at writing, and she has published her first book. It's called "Superstition: A Belizean Snapshot", and as the name suggests, it takes a look at some of the cultural superstitions that have persisted in Belizean society. Right now, her new book is being launched at the Image Art Factory in Belize City, and she's hoping that readers will pick it up to look up some of the enduring local myths that Belizeans still faithfully believe in.

Channel 5

Caught on Camera: 4 Shot by Gunmen Posing as Chinese Store Customers
News of a shooting incident on Faber’s Road spread quickly across Belize City on Wednesday night, when it was discovered that three men had been injured while standing in front [...]

Ambush on Pregnant Alley Ascribed to Gang Rivalry
Just a few minutes before the daring assault on a group of men at Win Kee Saloon, Belize City police were busy securing a crime scene on Cemetery Road.  A [...]

Policeman Survives Hail of Bullets at Burrell Boom Station
The rash of shootings overnight was not limited to the Old Capital, as gun violence also found its way to Burrell Boom Village.  This time, however, the intended target was [...]

Killer of Owen McFoy Still at Large
A criminal investigation into the Labour Day murder of Owen McFoy, in the Windmill community of Hattieville, continues tonight, despite police not being able to make an arrest.  The thirty-year-old [...]

Ricardo Mendoza Charged for Murder of Father-in-law
Thirty-five-year-old Ricardo Mendoza remains in police custody, following the vicious stabbing of his father-in-law in San Pedro on Monday afternoon.  The pair had been known to have a troubled relationship [...]

Jason Williams Survives Shooting Attempt in Dangriga
Jason Williams, a resident of Dangriga, was lucky to have escaped with his life on Tuesday night when a gunman let loose a hail of bullets at him.  He did [...]

Candice Pitts Out of P.U.P. Port Loyola Race; She Lashes Out
It is now official: the People’s United Party is continuing with businessman Gilroy Usher, Senior, as standard bearer in the Port Loyola division. Usher had been facing a challenge from [...]

Candice Miller Back to City Hall But Will She Keep Her Job?
Candice Miller was back at City Hall this afternoon, attorney Magalie Perdomo in tow. She spent upwards of a few hours in what appeared to be a closed-door session with [...]

Teachers Weigh Response to Salary Deduction Threat
News Five has confirmed with the Belize National Teachers’ Union that there is an intention by school managements to dock a day’s pay for teachers, between five and seven hundred [...]

Businessman’s Accused Murderer in 2012 Acquitted
He was just eighteen when he was incarcerated for the murder of businessman Jerminie McNab at his store, Mobile Hardware, in Belize City. But today, Anthony Carballo Junior was adjudged [...]

Nisani Garcia Held for Unlicensed Weapon
Twenty-four-year-old Nisani Garcia was found with a loaded point three-eighty pistol in the area of Saint Jude’s Street on Wednesday night by police responding to a shooting incident. Today, he [...]

Maya Mopan Village Complains About Logging by Neighboring Villager
There is concern by villagers in Maya Mopan, Stann Creek where for some time now, persons from neighboring Santa Maria Village have been illegally logging in the area. Today, Alcalde [...]

Who Re-Surveyed Village’s Farm Land?
Alcalde Constancio Teul says that he is also reaching out to the Ministry of Natural Resources because two plots of land in Maya Mopan Village, where the illegal logging has [...]

On World Press Freedom Day, the Legacy of Philip S.W. Goldson
Today, Belize joins the rest of the world to commemorate World Press Freedom Day. May third is a day used to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press [...]

Discussing Experts to CARICOM
Earlier this week, BELTRAIDE’s Export Belize and the Directorate General for Foreign Trade held a roundtable meeting with private sector enterprises to share their experiences in exporting to CARICOM with [...]

Health Fair Opens Education Showcase
Health and education are not normally paired together, unless it’s a subject in school. But the Belize District Education Center is kicking off the Education Showcase held every May by [...]

Healthy Living: Challenging the Chronic Lung Condition, Asthma
World Asthma Day is celebrated on May first. But what is really known about it? It’s a lung condition that can be caused by any number of conditions. Healthy Living [...]

CTV3

Three Men Robbed Chinese In Corozal
Yesterday afternoon three armed robbers targeted a Chinese store downtown Corozal. Shortly before 4:00pm, a female Chinese businesswoman and her 13 year old son were inside their establishment Chang Fa Restaurant and Bar located on Park Street North in Corozal Town, when three men wearing caps but no masks entered pretending to buy a juice. One of them, a tall male person of dark complexion then took out a firearm which appeared to be a 9mm gun, while one of the two other men of Hispanic descent took out a knife.

Ex-fugitives Plea Guilty to Escape At Corozal Magistrate's Court
This afternoon the two men who were on the run since April 11th after they pulled off a head-scratching escape from the Police Station’s cell block #3 were back in court after they were caught in Orange Walk Town yesterday, Wednesday May 2nd. According to the Police, the men were spotted at one of the cemeteries in Orange Walk Town and the information was passed to the Police. The authorities acted quickly and cordoned the area before moving in to detain the wanted men.

Ambassador Alexis Rosado Says AG Should Respond To Chamber's Concern
The Chamber of Commerce has still not received a formal response to the concerns raised in multiple letters written to senior Government officials including the Prime Minister. Those concerns have to do with whether it has been unconstitutional for hundreds of Guatemalan citizens to be granted Belizean nationality, on the basis that they have signed a renunciation form in Belize. The belief is that they have given up their Guatemalan citizenship, but apparently that may be not be so, because the renunciation forms are not recognized in Guatemala and therefore the individuals could still be considered Guatemalans under their laws. It’s a touchy issue that involves international and constitutional law, but even more so because with the ICJ referendum coming up next year the fear is that Guatemalan nationals can end up voting if they have obtained voter’s IDs in Belize on the basis of their Belizean nationality.

Three Belizeans Charged For Money Laundering In El Salvador
Three Belizean nationals are tonight behind bars in El Salvador after they were caught with a large amount of money at an airport in that country. Reports from Salvadoran news ‘La Pagina’ indicates that the Attorney General's Office in El Salvador today ordered the capture of seven foreigners at the ‘Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero airport’ for the crime of special cases of money laundering. Among those detained were Marlon Alberto Valle, Jessy Gabriel Ojeda and Deymy Vanessa Rodríguez, all of Belizean Nationality along with Abraham Felipe from Guatemala.

Belizeans To Pay More For Electricity
Tonight, we can confirm that electricity rates will be going up. In the beginning of April, we told you about a request made by Belize Electricity Limited to take up electricity rates. At the time, B.E.L. attributed the proposed rise to an increase in the cost of power purchased from producers and proposed an increase of seven-point one percent in the Mean Electricity Rate from the current 36.9 cents per kilowatt hour to 39.5 cents for July 2018 to July 2019.

LOVE FM

Health fair held to encourage healthy lifestyle

onth under the theme “Literacy: A Ladder to Learning and Earning”. Today, the Belize District Education Center is holding a health fair as a part of this month’s activities. Love news was there and spoke with Darlene Lozano, Education Officer who spoke about the fair and the other activities …

NATS attendance decreased this year
The number of people who attended the National Agriculture and Trade Show this past weekend totaled 37,461. It is a decrease of 927 when compared to last year. The National Agriculture and Trade Show Committee attributes this decreases to the sustained social media campaign disseminating false information aimed at discouraging attendance at the show. This …

Tourism Minister attends regional meeting
Minister of Tourism, Manuel Heredia Jr., was in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic along with a delegation for the Ordinary Meeting of the Central American Council of Tourism Ministers. The regional meeting focused on the promotion of the Central American region as a multi-hub tourism destination. The Ministers also discussed how their regional goal …

BELTRAIDE is celebrating “National Competitiveness Month”
This month BELTRAIDE is celebrating National Competitiveness Month and will be holding several activities with the aim of improving Belize’s competitiveness. The Export to CARICOM Roundtable was the first event which was held yesterday. Love news spoke with Melanie Gideon, the General Manager of BELTRAIDE, who said that the roundtable was a success. Melanie Gideon …

Candice Miller and attorney meet with CITCO

inistrator Candice Miller. Reports are that the council voted in favor to terminate Miller. Bernard Wagner, Mayor of Belize City: “That is an internal caucus matter, I cannot say yes to it or no to it but it is an internal matter …

No arrest in Dangriga Shooting
Meanwhile police in Dangriga continue to investigate the shooting that happened on the night of Tuesday May 1. Around seven o’clock Jason Williams was shot in the left side of his shoulder. ASP Cowo says no one has been detained so far. ASP Alejandro Cowo, CIB: “Sometime after 7:30 PM Police visited #24 Guamagarugu Rd. where …

Two sought for Mcfoy murder
Police are looking for two men from Hattieville Village as they continue to investigate the shooting death of Owen Eugene Mcfoy. The 30-year-old man was shot several times around nine o’clock on Tuesday night while he socialized with family and friends at a neighbor’s house in the Windmill Area of Hattieville Village. Police say the …

Jose Mendoza Charged with killing his father-in-law
San Pedro Police have charged Jose Ricardo Mendoza for the stabbing death of his father-in-law Gaspar Vargas. The two reportedly got into a misunderstanding on the afternoon of April 30th and Mendoza is accused of stabbing Vargas in the center of his stomach. Police say by the time officers responded Vargas had been taken to …

What’s in store for Belize ICJ referendum campaign?
Cabinet has set April 10, 2019 as the day that Belizeans will vote whether or not to take the dispute to the ICJ. According to Ambassador Rosado, the campaign is expected to intensify. Alexis Rosado, Belize Ambassador to Guatemala: “As you know we had a public awareness campaign ongoing since 2012 really when a referendum …

Electricity will increase by 4.4%
Consumers will soon see an increase in their electricity bill as a result of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approving a four point four percent increase in electricity. On April 1, Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) in their Annual Review Proceeding (ARP) requested an increase to the electricity rate from thirty-six dollars and ninety-nine cents per …

Belize’s Ambassador to Guatemala addresses BCCI’s concerns
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has written to the Prime Minister, Dean Barrow, with respect to the renunciation process that Guatemalan go through in order to acquire Belizean citizenship. The BCCI is of the view that the process is flawed and Guatemalans do not truly renounce their Guatemalan citizenship, especially since no similar action is taken in Guatemalan …

Belizeans arrested in El Salvador
According to a report from the Financial Investigation Unit in El Salvador, people from Belize, Honduras and Guatemala have been detained at the Monsignor Romero International Airport, for the crime of money laundering. According to the authorities …

Mayor Bernard Wagner speaks of Micah Goodin’s outburst
It seems that Belize City PUP Councilor Micah Goodin has gone rogue. The newly elected councilor spoke against Mayor Bernard Wagner in a Facebook post claiming that Mayor Bernard does not listen and take advice. It is in this light that Goodin says he lost all confidence in the Mayor. Goodwin contemplated resigning saying that quote …

Armed gunman ambushes police officer in Burrell Boom Substation
There was an attack upon a police officer last night in Burrell Boom Village. A brazen, lone gunman walked into the police substation compound and fired at an officer who was on duty at the time. ASP Cowo spoke of what investigators have gathered on this case so far. …

Police believe Cemetery Road shooting is gang related
Just before the shooting on Fabers Road in Belize City, one Hugh Thomas was shot sometime after seven o’clock in the night while driving. ASP Cowo says that they have reason to believe that the shooting was gang related. ASP Alejandro Cowo, CIB: “Sometime after 7PM police visited the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where they observed a male person by the name of Hugh Thomas …

Four injured in shooting incident in Belize City; images caught on camera
Police are still trying to determine the motive behind the shooting incident that left three men and a woman hospitalized. That incident took place on Wednesday night shortly before eight o’clock at a Chinese store on Faber’s Road …

PUP decides to endorse Gilroy Usher for Port Loyola; Candice Pitts vex
Gilroy Usher Sr., can breathe easier tonight after he received a letter from the People’s United Party, indicating that he would be endorsed rather than face Dr. Candice Pitts in a convention for Port Loyola. In the letter, the PUP’s Secretary General Linsford Castillo tells Usher that the party’s Vetting Committee believes he is the best candidate to run in the division …

PlusTV

Owen McFoy murdered in Hattieville
Police are investigating another murder. On Tuesday May 1st, at about nine p.m., police were called to the Windmill Area of Hattieville Village due to a shooting that happened there. Owen Mcfoy had been shot several times to the body. Police say that McFoy was in a yard in Hattieville along with ot...

Man shot in Dangriga
There was another shooting in Dangriga, the third in a week. This victim has survived, however. According to police reports, sometime after 7 p.m., 32 year old Jason Williams was shot. Police say that Williams was socializing with some friends inside a yard on Isla Road when they heard two gunshots....

Man chopped in Maya Mopan
A police constable was brutally attacked in Belmopan by four men; two of the men chopped the officer to the head and foot. On Sunday, 27 year old police constable Brian Shal was attacked and chopped near his home in Maya Mopan while walking home with two of his cousins. According to Shal, they were...

Belmopan Squatters moving
Over the Labor Day holiday, squatters in the Belmopan Heights Area behind Doyle’s Delight street began to dismantle the structures they had built on the reserve land . The squatters were spotted by residents of the area several weeks ago and were reported to authorities. The Belmopan City Council a...

Guatemalan using river to enter Belize drowns
A Guatemalan national using the Mopan River to enter Belize drowned. The drowning incident occurred on Labor Day in the Cayo District. According to police reports, 78 year old Juan Antonio Segura, a Guatemalan resident of Melchor de Mencos, had crossed over to Belize via the Mopan River. Police say ...

House fire on Cran Street
There was a house fire in Belize City on Labor Day as well. Sometime before 9 o’clock in the morning, a house situated at number 25 Cran Street was on fire. The fire started in the upper flat of the green and yellow two storey building. The fire was extinguished by personnel from the Fire Departmen...

A third PUP hopeful for Belmopan Constituency
Oscar Mira is throwing his hat into the political ring. With his extensive experience and knowledge in the field of National Security, having served in the Belize Defense Force for over two decades, Mira believes he is the candidate of choice to represent the residents of Belmopan. He is the third P...

COLA issues warning to GOB over ICJ Campaign
As we have reported, the date for Belize’s referendum on whether or not to take the Guatemalan Territorial Dispute to the Internationl Court of Justice has been set for April 10, 2019. Government made the announcement on Monday and said via its press release that they will be stepping up campaigns on educating citizens ...

Belize City criminals targeting other districts in robberies
A Belize City resident has been charged in connection to A UNO gas station robbery that occurred last week. As we reported in last week’s Monday news cast, a UNO Gas Station was robbed in San Ignacio. A witness pulled out his phone camera and captured the two robbers running from the UNO gas station ...

Customs Broker caught trafficking Cannabis
Corozal police have arrested a Customs Broker for a large quantity of marijuana. Early in the morning on May 1st, sometime after 3 a.m., police were conducting patrol on 7th Avenue in Corozal Town when saw 25 year old Javier Patrick Myers sitting in front of the bus terminal. Myers had a knapsack on his back, which police searched ...

Teen charged for Drug Trafficking
An 18 year old has been charged with Drug Trafficking. On Monday afternoon, police were conducting patrol on North Front Street when the saw 18 year old Shemaud Nunez. According to police, Nunez was walking on the sidewalk with a plastic bag in his hand ...

More Drug Trafficking arrests
Two persons were also arrested by Corozal police for Drug Trafficking. Police say that at 5:15 a.m., on Labor Day, they searched the residence of 18 year old Francis Chan, and found eight thousand and ninety grams of cannabis ...

9 MM Uzi Gun found
In the north of the country, Corozal police conducted operations on Labor Day. The officers searched an abandoned house in the Dominguez Layout area, which lead to the discovery of a 9mm Uzi pistol ...

Inmates Cleaning Belize City
Today, inmates from the Belize Central Prison partnered with Eastern Division Police Officers and the Region One community members to clean overgrown lots in Belize City that will be used for sporting activities. So far, the prison inmates have cleared lots in the Log wood area, Moya area and Mayflower Street ...

BIRTH DOULA TRAINING
Twenty-one students from Belmopan graduated from a one day Doula Warriors Birth and Educational training held at the Western Regional Hospital today. Participants were trained to become Advanced Doulas and Lactation Consultants ...

The Guardian

Wagner puts bukut on senior citizens – no more discounts
Last Thursday, Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner came down hard like a ton of bricks on the heads of the Belize City Property Owners. The hardest hit group amongst the property owners were the Senior Citizens. According to Wagner’s pronouncements, the Belize City Council will no longer be affording any more discounts on property taxes. Prior to this announcement, the Belize City Council used to give discounts to property owners, as an incentive for them to pay. Back then the seniors were given a special discount on the property where they lived. For the senior citizens, the discount was like a Godsend, because those seniors are either on a fixed pension, or they depend on the generosity of relatives, or they live on the little rent they collect, or they live on a combination of two or more of the ways we’ve described.

Micah will not apologize to his Mayor Bernard Wagner or the PUP
We were elected on the platform of social infrastructure but the Mayor has apparently abandoned that ideology only days after tasting power. Strong words, but the post was taken down when Goodin’s Facebook page was deactivated and he went into hiding. No one can and has been able to contact him. That is until Tuesday when Goodin contacted the administrator of NBZLive, Rhenea Nunez asking her to take down a post she had made about the entire situation. In the post Nunez said the relationship between Goodin and Wagner soured after Wagner refused to sponsor an event that Goodin was planning for the Fort George Constituency. Additionally NBZLive speculated of some sexual misconduct by Goodin against an employee of the council.

$80 million for Caracol Road upgrade
The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has made an initial decision on an application by the Belize Electricity Limited for an increase in electricity rates. In a release the PUC noted that in its initial decision the PUC has approved a Mean Electricity Rate (MER) of $0.3862 per kilowatt-hour, representing a 4.40% increase in the MER. The current MER is $0.3699 per kilowatt-hour). The release continues to explain that the Commission approved various adjustments to Cost of Power, Regulated Asset Value (RAV) and other Regulated Values approved for the Full Tariff Period of July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2020.

Owen Mcfoy succumbs to gunshot injuries
On Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at about 9:20 p.m., Hattieville Police visited the Windmill Area in Hattieville. Upon arrival at the area, they observed Owen Mcfoy suffering from several apparent gunshot wounds to the body. Mcfoy was transported to the KHMH where he succumbed to his injuries on arrival. Initial investigation reveals that Mcfoy had gone to visit a neighbor who lives in front of him and was returning home with he was approached by a male person who fired several shots at him, causing the fatal injuries. Police are investigating.

Where did he come from?
Another thing that came out of last Thursday’s press conference was the confirmation that Hubert Pipersburgh has been hired as the ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER at the Belize City Council. In layman’s terms he is the PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER. Pipersburgh is a Belizean who lived in the USA for about 25years. We are not sure at what point he returned to Belize to live or what were the circumstances that caused him to be back home, but what we do know is that when he lived in the USA, he was not one of those Belizeans who spoke highly of Belize or the prospect of returning to Belize.

Howell Gillett works with Inmates to clear lots
In his continued effort of improving citizen security, the Director of Eastern Division Region One, Sr. Spt. Howell Gillett has gone on the task of clearing lots. A total of three lots between Logwood, Moya, and Mayflower streets were cleared with the help of inmates from the Belize Central Prison. These cleared lots will be used by the different communities. One use will be the playing of football and as a result, footballs and football equipment were donated to the areas.

United States Embassy opens its doors to 4-H youths
In Celebration of Earth Day last week, students and teachers from the National 4-H Youth Development Center in Belmopan were given a tour of the United States Embassy. Leading the charge for the tour was Chargé d’Affaires Adrienne Galanek, who also took time to make presentations to students. A statement from the public affairs section at the United States Embassy states: “we welcomed students from Belmopan’s National 4-H Youth Development Center. American diplomats and our Belizean colleagues took the students on a STEAM tour of the Embassy, explaining the science and technology behind our IT, air conditioning, and water treatment systems, xeriscaping, our solar panels, and various art pieces around the Embassy.”

48th National Agriculture Show held in Belmopan
Belize’s 48th National Agriculture and Trade Show was successfully held on April 27th, 28th and 29th; bringing thousands together on a “Let’s Get Growing” agenda. Once a year Belizeans from across the Country come together to appreciate our farmers and learn about agriculture. On Friday, three prominent farmers were awarded at the National Show Grounds for pursuing a life of bringing food to the Belizean table. Male farmer of the Year Mr. Baltazar Campos, who hails from Carmelita Village in the Orange Walk District, joined in with his friend Ms. Lorena Peralta, Female Farmer of the Year.

BEWU elects new executive
Energy Workers Union (BEWU) held its annual general meeting AGM yesterday, May 1, 2018, and elected a new executive team to serve for 2018 – 2021. Elected were : President- Garry Yearwood; Vice President- Mark Gladden; General Secretary- Mark Bowman; Asst Secretary- Janine Samuels; Treasurer- Oscar Gongora; Trustee- Vanessa Bowman; and Trustee- Emerson Castillo.

Belmopan City Council Update on Squatters’ Situation
After eight families of squatters were given two weeks’ notice on Friday, April 13 to vacate an area, the Belmopan City Council along with officers from the Belmopan Police and Human Development revisited the area on Monday, April 30. The area being illegally occupied is the Mount Pleasant Creek Reserve which acts as a water catchment where any form of development is prohibited. The area is also property of the Belmopan City Council.

Belize’s exports to CARICOM has been declining
Belize’s relationship with the Caribbean Community CARICOM has been brought to a new focus; especially for this week. The Directorate General for Foreign Trade DGFT and the Belize Development and Investment Service met with potential exporters in a round table on Wednesday morning at the National Emergency Management Organization NEMO headquarters in Belmopan to discuss trade with a trading bloc that now involves 12 million persons. Among the topics covered with them were trade opportunities and market access, challenges faced in entering CARICOM, logistics of exporting and the way forward in building public and private partnerships.

Belize in El Salvador for training against illegal trade
The 3rd Annual Regional Training against Illegal Trade and Customs Defraudation was held in San Salvador, El Salvador on April 25 and 26, 2018. There, Belize was represented by Sr. Spt. Howell Gillett, Commander of Eastern Division. Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and the United States of America also had representation at the training which was sponsored by Crime Stoppers.

Date set for ICJ Referendum
The Government of Belize has announced that the Cabinet has set a date for the referendum on the issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In that referendum, the citizens of Belize will decide whether or not to take the dispute arising from Guatemala’s claim to Belize’s land and insular territories, and to the maritime areas pertaining to them, to the ICJ for final settlement. In accordance with the Special Agreement and its protocol, the referendum will be held on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.

Port Loyola Organization for Women finds a home on Kraal Road
The Port Loyola Organization for Women, PLOW, inaugurated its new facility on Kraal Road on Wednesday, April 25. At the unveiling on its new headquarters, the Director of PLOW, Lauren Burgess-Eagan, shared with those in attendance her intentions from PLOW. According to Burgess-Eagan, “This building is going to be a lighthouse in a dark world. We are on the border of Queen Square and we are still in Port Loyola so we serve this area with love and joy in our hearts.” It is a blessing for PLOW finding a place to call home as it has moved from location to location and from place to place, over the years of its existence.

WCS focuses on FRER, RZ’s & SPAGs for Reef Week 2018
Since 2013, local and international conservation organizations in Belize, including the Wildlife Conservation Society, have been collaborating to celebrate Reef Week, where, individually and collectively, we create awareness of the ecological, economic and cultural significance and value of the Belize Barrier Reef to our country, as well as a number of environmental issues affecting this precious resource. The week of activities, supported by local businesses and the media, is held throughout the country, and coincides with International Year of the Reef, celebrated annually on March 10.

R.O.C. (Taiwan) terminates diplomatic ties with Dominican Republic
Since wresting away diplomatic ally Panama in June 2017, China has offered huge financial incentives to the Dominican Republic, successfully enticing it to end 77 years of ties with Taiwan on May 1. The Republic of China (Taiwan) is deeply upset by China’s actions. To uphold both the nation’s dignity and sovereignty, the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) announces the termination of relations with the Dominican Republic, effective immediately. This extends to the immediate termination of all cooperative projects and assistance. Embassy officials and staff of technical missions will also return to Taiwan.

Charged dropped against 15 in diplomat’s home invasion
The number of persons accused of a home invasion in late 2015 has decreased drastically. Initially, 19 persons were charged in connection with the home invasion of Sarkis Bounehra, a Diplomat, where his watchman’s wife was raped and his home was burglarized. Since the date of the incident to present, a number of persons saw charges of aggravated burglary and handling stolen goods withdrawn against them. On Wednesday, May 2, 2018, only 4 men still had charges against them. Those men included known criminal figure, Tyrone Meighan; brothers, John and Sheldon Grinage; and Brandon Baptist. A fifth man, Lane Grinage, cousin to the Grinage brothers, was once charged in relation to the home invasion but has since seen those charges withdrawn from against him. Despite those charges being withdrawn, he remains behind bars on another charge.

Teen kills teen at basketball game
Police are about to bring criminal charges against a 15 year-old male minor for the fatal stabbing of 15 year-old Arkel August, a resident of Kraal Road. Police say that around 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, they visited the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where they found August suffering from a stab wound to the left side of the chest. August’s mother, Dana August, told the press that on that afternoon, he went out to the basketball court located at on the Wilton Cumberbatch Field, which is right around the lane from his house.

Corozal man shot in front of his son
Shortly before 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, 2018, Mark Myvette, a 30-year-old resident of Corozal, was in his mother’s yard at the corner of G street South and 5th Street South lane along with his 4-year-old son when he was shot. According to reports, someone exited a red van, fired several shots at him, and then made his getaway. He was shot to the left arm and transported to the Corozal Community Hospital for medical treatment. Police are investigating.

Denfield Davis walks from allegations of un-lawful sexual intercourse
Back in 2015, a 15-year-old minor accused Denfield Davis, a mechanic of Evergreen Street, of having sexual intercourse with her on four different occasions. Due to those allegations, Davis was arrested and charged with five counts of unlawful sexual intercourse and one count of grievous harm upon the minor. He was initially arraigned on January 5, 2015 and remanded to the Belize Central Prison until he was successful in securing bail through attorney Bryan Neal at the Supreme Court.

Motive unknown for murder in Dangriga
Police continue to look for one man who they want to question about the shooting murder of 42 year-old Gabriel Tex Laurie Jr., a resident of Dangriga Town. At around 10 a.m. on Friday, April 27, residents of the Wagierale area of Dangriga heard about 5 gunshots ring out. Wary residents remained inside their homes until they believed that the danger had passed. When they went searching for victims, they found Laurie at his front door suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck. He died right inside his house.

Jason Williams stable after being shot
According to police, at 7:26 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1, 2018, police responded to a report of a shooting incident on Isla Road in Dangriga Town. Upon arrival at the location, they observed Jason Williams, a 32-year-old Belizean of a Dangriga address, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the left shoulder.

Jealousy leads to stabbing incident
Police officers visited the KHMH on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 3:23 a.m. There, they saw Joselyn Duarte, a 20-year-old Honduran national and resident of Freetown Road, suffering from stab wounds to her left upper shoulder and left upper wrist. She is listed in a stable condition. They also saw Manuel Jesus Acosta, 21, with stab wounds to the body. He is listed in a critical but stable condition.

Man caught with weed
At about 4:45 p.m. on Monday, April 30, 2018 while police were conducting a patrol on North Front Street, they observed a male person walking with a black bag in his hand. That person, later identified as Shemaud Nunez, was searched. The police discovered that the plastic bag contained 115.2 grams of cannabis. Nunez has since been arrested and charged for drug trafficking.

Policeman chopped in Belmopan
Belmopan police are investigating an incident in which one of their own was chopped multiple times with a machete. Reports to police indicated that on Monday April 30, police constable, Brian Shal, 27 and resident of the Maya Mopan area of Belmopan reported that on the day prior, Sunday 29th April, at about 8:20pm he got into an altercation with a group of four young men in the Maya Mopan area. During the altercation he was chopped to the head and left leg with a machete.

Two acquitted of robbery
Two men who were accused of assaulting and robbing 19-year-old Joshua Jones have walked free from the charges brought against them after Jones failed to show up in court. Jones, an unemployed resident of Belama, was robbed and beaten by two men on November 11, 2017. When his case was finally called to the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, April 26, 2018, he was a no show.

Bailed after allegations of shooting a man
At his bail hearing before Supreme Court Justice Colin Williams on Friday, April 27, 2018, Ezmir Garrido was granted bail on his charge of use of deadly means of harm. Garrido has been on remand since Friday, May 16, 2018 after he appeared before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford. He was charged with one count of use of deadly means of harm with a deadly instrument, a firearm, upon Reginald Garoy, a taxi driver.

19-year-old woman on remand after stabbing common-law husband
Renesha Alvarez, a 19-year-old unemployed of Holy Emmanuel Street, was taken to court on Friday, April 27, 2018 after accusations of causing harm to her common-law husband. Unfortunately for Alvarez, that charge of dangerous harm could very well be upgraded to murder if the conditions of her common-law husband should worsen. In court, Alvarez appeared before Chief Magistrate Sharon Frazer who explained that a plea would not yet be taken since the matter is being dealt with on indictment.

Teenager charged for killing young man in San Pedro
Police have arrested and charged a male minor for the murder of Reniery Figueroa Garcia, a 25 year-old Honduran shop-owner from San Pedro, who was shot and killed inside his business place on the island. Police say that around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 26, they visited the San Pedro Poly Clinic, and that’s where they found Garcia’s body. Someone shot him in the head.

Police catch UNO San Ignacio robbers
An armed robbery at the UNO gas station in San Ignacio town has led to the detention of two men. The two masked men strolled into the gas station on Monday, April 23, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. and held up the cashier with a .9mm pistol. They made away with $33,000 in cash and checks and ran out of the establishment and escaped in a Geo Prism car. While the entire ordeal was caught on surveillance camera and civilians passing by, it was not as clear cut a case as it could have been since one of the robbers has an identical twin.

Uzi found in Corozal
A house search was conducted in Corozal on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. At about 9:00 a.m. on said date, Corozal police conducted a search in an abandoned house in the Dominguez Layout area. That search led to the discovery of one 9mm Uzi pistol, along with a magazine containing 12 live rounds of ammunition. No one was in the area so the items were labeled and deposited as found property.

Pursuit of car leads to drug bust
While operating a checkpoint at the Burrell Boom Junction on Friday, April 27, 2018, police officers attached to Ladyville noticed a vehicle stopping at a distance and making an about turn. This led to the officers pursuing the vehicle which ended at around mile 17. The vehicle somehow overturned and the three persons in the vehicle were badly injured. They have been identified as Jermaine Michael Sanker, David Donavon Morrison, and Diana Elizabeth Sutherland. Given their situation, the Fire Department had to be called to remove the persons from the vehicle.

Silk Grass Methodist School wins National Primary School girls softball championship
The 2017-2018 National Primary Schools Softball Championship was played on Friday 27th April, at Rogers Stadium in Belize City. In the championship game, Silk Grass Methodist Primary School representing the Stann Creek District defeated San Antonio Government School representing the Corozal District by the score of 3-2 to capture the national title. The winning pitcher was Sherilee Pixabaj and the losing pitcher was Yatana Mossiah. In the third place game, Belize Rural Primary School representing the Belize District defeated Forest Home Methodist School representing the Toledo District by the score of 13-1 to take third place.

Belize District Basketball Association forms Firms League
The Belize District Basketball Association at its Annual General Meeting held earlier in April, granted permission for the Firms Tournament to be an affiliated self-governing league. At a meeting held on Thursday 26th April, the new Belize District Basketball Firms League (FBL) endorsed a managing team: The Management team consist of Commissioner Mark Usher, Deputy Commissioner Berisford Codd, General Secretary Chyla gill and Treasurer Kenyon Wright.

Smart Belize Hurricanes pick up back to back wins in Pepsi Elite Basketball competition
The 2018 Pepsi national Elite Basketball League regular season competition continued over the weekend with a single game on the schedule and on Monday 1st May, also with a single game. On Monday 1st May, at the Belize Civic Centre, the Smart Belize Hurricanes picked up its second win in as many outings when it defeated the Digicell Belize City Defenders by the score of 80-60 to secure the second seed into the playoffs. The top scorers for the Smart Belize Hurricanes were Glency Lopez with 30 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists; Brian White with 15 points, 11 rebounds, an assist and a steal and Akeem Watter who contributed 8 points to go along with his 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals.

Salvation Army Primary School wins National Primary Schools boys’ softball championship
The 2017-2018 National Primary Schools Softball Championship was played on Friday 27th April, at Rogers Stadium in Belize City. In the championship game, Salvation Army Primary School representing the Belize District defeated Xaibe Roman Catholic School representing the Corozal District by the score of 9-1 to capture the national title. The winning pitcher was Terrence St. Clair and the losing pitcher was Jeffery Rodriguez. In the third place game, Independence Primary School representing the Stann Creek District defeated Carmelita Government School representing the Orange Walk District by the score of 3-0 to take third place. The winning pitcher was Joshmar Almendarez and the losing pitcher was Lawrence Wade.

Words of Life With Pastor Barry Fraser
Sunday, May the 13th will be Mother’s Day, so it is fitting we should begin to look at role models of Mothers found in the Bible. This week, let us consider Hagar: The Mother Who Endured. The story is found in Genesis chapters 16, 17, and 21. Please read it when you can.

Bernard Wagner out of Control
“Goodin claims to have lost all confidence in Mayor Wagner, whom he says does not listen and heed advice.” (News 5) Bernard Wagner - Belize City Mayor: “Out of control…The barbarians are at the gate and they are hungry.” (7 News April 6, 2018) “…he makes out checks to himself…” (7 News April 11, 2018) “He [Price] knew his people too well; they were indisciplined and lazy.” (Godfrey P. Smith pg. 197)

Let’s get ready to rumble!
I still recall a Belize Times headline following the 1997 municipal elections which read “Why Wait till ’98?” History has recorded that indeed in 1998 the PUP went ahead and won 26 of 29 seats in the House of Representatives. And so the era of pillaging began, a period of rape which lasted ten solid years, from top to bottom, big to small; vile acts perpetuated by Town Council and Central Government officials alike, the real “rake and scrape of our assets”, as we Creole call it. We lived through a PUP Government united in purpose to rob our country senseless; creating underhanded money schemes and promoting greedy land transactions which are now just seeing the light of day. My discourse today will consist of two parts; one a story of arrogance and the other on the topic of mud wrestling.

TSUNAMI RESPONSE TIME IS SHORT: GET READY!!!
On January 9 this year around 7:50 p.m. we were all alerted by sirens and fire alarms. We were not sure what the sirens and alarms were all about, was it a fire warning? It could not be hurricane. What was all this noise about? Then we heard the police bullhorns alerting citizens of a possible tsunami threat. In the aftermath, many were and continue to declare that a tsunami threat is a new event for Belize. Whilst tsunami threats are not as common as the threats during our hurricane season, it is definitely not new. The last time a similar tsunami threat was issued on May 28, 2009 around 2:45 a.m. The 2018 and the 2009 tsunami alerts were the consequence of magnitude 7.6 and 7.3 earthquakes respectively that occurred along the Swan Islands Transform Fault as the result of strike slip faulting in the shallow crust near the boundary between the North America and Caribbean plates in the Western Caribbean Sea. Over the past 100 years, 9 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater have occurred with 400 kilometers of the January 10, 2018 event.

Belize City Basketball is Alive Again ‘Coope’ Claims Ownership of the Fabulous Civic Center
Two of Belize’s all-time great basketball icons laced up their sneaks to play in the official opening and first ever semi-pro game at the new Belize City Civic Center on Monday, May 30, but at the end of the night it was a young phenom who stole the show when he ripped the torch out of a legend’s hands in a 20 point rout. Over 4,000 Belizeans made it out to the opening of the new Belize City Civic Center and all they could talk about after the game, other than the magnificent facility itself, was 20-year-old Glency “Coope” Lopez. Coope lit Civic on fire with a barrage of long range missiles and swift attacks that rendered ‘Defenders’ powerless.

Life Principles I Recommend
Do you have a personal manual of life principles to live by? What adages do you use to guide you in your everyday living? I’d like to share a list of 75 important life principles that I’ve learned at one point or another and it pertains to different areas of life from dealing with people, to our emotions, to life’s challenges, to achieving success, to handling failure. While I have compiled a list of 75, today in this article I will share the first 25 and the rest in my next 2 upcoming articles. As you read each point, think about the truth behind each principle, how it applies to your life, and the actions you should take in light of it.

The Reporter

Man reportedly shot and killed in Belize City
A man was reportedly shot and killed tonight in Belize City. Unconfirmed but reliable reports are that the incident happened sometime after 8:00 p.m., near the junction of Central American Boulevard and claimed the life of a man identified as Jason. The victim reportedly suffered […]

International Sources

Best of Belize: Vacation Homes, Treetop Villas, and Other Top Real Estate Listings
Belize isn’t just for backpackers and off-the-beaten path adventure seekers anymore. The Central American country—which has long been a travel hotspot because of the Belize Barrier Reef, Mayan ruins, and cacao farms—is now welcoming a crop of luxury resorts and residences designed with discerning buyers in mind. From a private island to treetop villas, the following properties showcase the best of Belize—and make it easy to see why Christie’s International Real Estate ranked Belize as one of the top places to buy real estate in 2017.

Shyne Talks B.I.G., His Brooklyn Roots & More In Red Bull Radio Interview
Shyne recently sat down with Max Glazer for an in-depth Red Bull Radio interview in which he discussed a number of topics including his Bad Boy days, NYC’s link between rap and reggae, and the Notorious B.I.G. “The moment in time that defined me was the “Bad Boyz” video, but the song definitely was an undeniable song. I think I’m old timer status now but back in our time, we called that a banger, a missile. I’d never forget – with all the questions and associations and even criticisms, that I had to be the greatest thing ever, but I could never be greater than B.I.G. I don’t think anyone could, certainly coming from New York..,”

The World's Best Private Islands And Villas According To Travel Experts
If your idea of a holiday is switching off, being one with nature and relaxing in an area off-limits to most people except for resort staff and a handful of guests, then a private island or secluded villa is your best bet. Gladden Private Island, Belize: This property in Belize touts itself as the world's most private island resort, and for good reason. The Gladden Private Island only allows two to four guests at a time, and while you're ensconced in the island's 3,000-square-foot villa, you’ll never spot a neighbour. This island jewel is set in a swirl of turquoise and aquamarine lagoons fringed with coral and white sand in the heart of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System.

Videos

May 3, 2018

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

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

Minor charged with Reinery Garcia’s murder
A minor has been charged with the murder of 25-year-old Honduran National Reniery Adalid Figueroa Garcia, who was shot and killed on Thursday, April 26th. Garcia received one fatal gunshot to the head while managing his store in the San Mateo Area. Along with the minor, the San Pedro Police have another person in custody who is presently being investigated as an accomplice to the crime. Despite charging someone for the death of Garcia, a motive is yet to be established. According to Assistant Superintendent, Alejandro Cowo Officer in Charge of Central Intelligence Branch Eastern Division, “So far there is no indication that it is a robbery. We are getting other information as to what led to the death of Garcia but it is still just part of the preliminary investigation at this moment; we can’t release the information.”

Albert Tillet charged for wounding
On Wednesday, May 2nd, 25-year-old musician Albert Tillet also known as ‘Continental Cat,’ from the Boca del Rio Area in San Pedro Town, was charged for wounding after appearing before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford in Belize City. Based on the ongoing investigation, Tillett stabbed his girlfriend on Saturday, April 21st during a confrontation. At the court hearing, Tillett wanted to plead guilty to the charge, but Senior Magistrate Ford entered an equivocal plea of not guilty after he explained that it was his girlfriend who assaulted him first. Tillett was then offered a bail of $1,000 and his case was adjourned to July 2, 2018.

Food service workers trained in advanced safety practices
Members of the hospitality industry participated in an advanced safe food practice training at the National Emergency Management Organization in San Pedro Town from Wednesday, April 25th through to Friday, April 27th. The training was facilitated by Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Head of Tourism and Health Programme and Foodborne Diseases, Doctor Lisa Inder, along with John Bodden and Lisa Sanchez-Marin from The Ministry of Health. During the first two days, participants were trained in various areas of food safety. They discussed how to handle food in ways to prevent the spreading of disease during outbreaks, cleaning and sanitizing, the use of safer facilities and equipment, and overall methods to safer ways of handling food.

Fuel Prices go up for the third time this year; SIB reports the cost of living down
For the third time this year, gas prices have gone up in the country. On Tuesday, April 24th, via an erroneous press release from the Belize Bureau of Standards, they misstated the level of increase reported, however, a correction was released later showing the increase on the prices of regular gasoline and diesel. Regular gasoline saw an increase of .39 cents, going up to $11.04 per gallon. Regular gasoline began the year at $10.18, making the overall increase of .86 cents in three months. While, diesel increased by .86 cents, going up to $10.49. Premium gasoline remained at $11.34 per gallon, however, it has seen a price increase of .32 cents since the start of the year. The price of kerosene did not rise in this latest spike, but it has suffered the highest price increase since the start of 2018, with close to a two dollar per gallon increase.

Ambergris Today

Dawson's Pit Fighters Compete At 1st Annual Jiu-Jitsu Competition
On Sunday, April 29, 2018, The Sports Jiu-Jitsu Belize Federation (SJJBF) held its 1st Annual Belize Kids BJJ Championship was held at the Gateway Youth Center in Belize City where a total of 36 competitors from three different teams registered across 13 different categories. The three participating teams were Belize Jiu-Jitsu Social Project, Judo Life Changers and Dawson Pit Fighters San Pedro. Children between the ages of 5 and 15 participated in different categories and were awarded with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.

Misc Belizean Sources

Managed Access: A RightsBased Approach to Managing Small-Scale Fisheries in Belize
In Belize fisheries contributes to domestic food security, livelihoods, economic development and is an important part of the tourism product of Belize. Additionally, Fisheries ranks 4th in income earnings and contributes 3% to the country’s GDP (2016). Belize is committed to ensuring the sustainability of its small-scale fisheries and has implemented a model for small-scale fisheries management based on three main pillars.

Fisheries and Aquaculture: Outlook and Opportunities
Belize offers an ideal marine environment that has bolstered continued growth and diversification in the fisheries and aquaculture industry. Belize’s unique geographical location and close proximity to major market destinations, offers a multitude of key advantages for investment. Being located only 2 hours away from the US and other key Central American and Caribbean markets has enabled the industry to supply fresh products on a weekly basis. This continues to provide many benefits to the industry’s continued development allowing Fisheries to rank 4th in income earnings contributing up to 3% to Belize’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2016.

Sacred Heart Primary School visits House of Culture
So wonderful to have out of district school visits here at the House of Culture! We enjoyed sharing Northern Belize's history and culture with Standard 5 students and teachers of Sacred Heart Primary School, Dangriga Town last week during their educational visit.

Belize's Wonder Women! Mrs. Martha Pulido
We are proud to announce that for the month of May, Mrs. Martha Pulido is our Belize Wonder Woman! Mrs. Martha's love for what she does is truly inspiring. Mrs. Martha leads the Cornerstone Foundation Belize feeding program. She works from early mornings to late nights prepping food for many children and elderly who are less fortunate and cannot afford a nutritious meal. Mrs. Martha also spends her free time volunteering at the Octavia Waight Centre and the local hospital, where she cares for and nurtures patients.

Goldson House hosts "Let Journalism Live" on World Press Freedom Day
The National Institute of Culture and History, through the Institute of Social and Cultural Research and The Goldson House for Democracy and Patriotism will host “Let Journalism Live!” to honor Journalists and Journalism in Belize. “World Press Freedom Day” will be celebrated on Thursday, May 3, with this year's theme being ‘Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law’, highlighting the importance of proper journalism. We will also be taking this opportunity to remember Philip Stanley Wilberforce Goldson as a gifted writer, well recognized for his skills as a journalist. He wrote numerous articles published by The Belize Billboard, the foremost newspaper of the time, which championed the cause of Belizean workers and the unemployed. On Thursday, May 3, we will have two guest speakers at the Goldson House: Ms. Adele Ramos will be heading our morning session at 10:00 AM and Mr. Paul Lopez will lead the afternoon session at 1:30 PM. Both Journalist will be discussing topics such as the History of Journalism, Importance of Journalism and its Influence on Society.

These are some of the legends between the Yucatec Maya people of Belize
The Legends of the X'tabay,Huay K'eek'en,Nukux Tat ,Alux ,Huay peek' and others . The Northern Maya of Belize belong to the Yucatec Maya group which are found in Corozal, Orange Walk and Cayo. Their native language is known simply as Maya or Màaya t’àan but it is also known as Maya Yucateco. Today mostly elders are the Maya speakers while many of the younger generation have exchanged their native Maya language for Spanish and English, putting the Maya language endangered with just a little over 2000 speakers in Belize. The Yucatec Maya in Belize identify in different ways depending on the individual, such as Maya, Masewal, Maya Masewal, Maya Mestizo or Mayero.

Las Mujeres Flores by Eunice Adorno
Photographic Exhibition at the Corozal House of Culture, Wednesday May 9.

Caye Caulker Certification Ceremony
May 14, Basketball Court. CERTIFICATION CEREMONY FOR: Customer Service Training, First Aid & CPR, Wine Pairing, Tour Guide. $10 Contribution/Entrance fee is to Cover General Expenses and any Surplus going to Education Fund. OA students will get their Customer Service certificates at this event.

Lionfish Tournament in San Pedro
May 11, Join us in showing how we do our part to manage lionfish. Part of Reef Week Hol Chan 2018.

Channel 7

Unpleasant End for Mount Pleasant Squatters
For some - squatting is the only way they know to get a piece of land. And that's just what 6 immigrant families in Belmopan did. And, usually, that's the end of it - since a large part of greater Belmopan was settled through persistent squatting. But, not any more, apparently. These squatters settled in a jealously guarded reserve which is within City limits. Area residents had carved out the area Mount Pleasant Creek reserve as an important environmental buffer - and weren't about to stand by and watch it overtaken by squatters. That's why three weeks ago the city council ordered them off the lands - but they didn't budge, and today the Council enforced its removal order. Courtney Weatherburne has all sides of this story:...

Working Man Killed in Windmill Area of Hattieville
Last night the usually the usually quiet Windmill area of Hattieville was the scene of the murder of Owen McFoy. The 30 year old was watching a basketball game at a neighbour's house when gunmen ambushed and tally shot him. Today Sahar Vasquez found out that Mcfoy was just a hardworking man who stayed away from trouble - but, last night, deadly trouble came looking for him. Sahar Vasquez reporting: Last night the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Toronto Raptors in an overtime thriller. Fans all over enjoyed the intensely competitive game. Thirty-year-old Owen Mcfoy was one of them but the difference between Mcfoy and others is that the thirty-year-old will never know the outcome of the game because he was murdered.

Family Wants Justice for Hit and Run Victim
On Sunday night St. Ann Village resident Aurelio Gonzalez was riding his bike home from Maskall Village when he was knocked down by a vehicle. The person who knocked him down did not stop to render aid, but miraculously Gonzalez survived the ordeal. He's still at the hospital - and has a tough recovery ahead, but his family wants justice: Gloria Ramirez, Wife of Accident Victim: "I was wondering why he did not reach home but when I look I saw the policemen come and his Godson on a cycle. When they brought him they told me that it looks like he fell off his bike or something. When I looked I saw him bleeding. I was trying to help stop the blood but it did not want to stop. His foot was in pain. He tried to lift it and was shaking so we knew it was broken.

Policeman Lives to Tell Tale of Machete Mob
A police man is happy to be alive after he survived a machete-mob attack. Maya Mopan resident PC Brian Shal was on his way home with his cousins on Sunday night. They had just left from the Agriculture Showgrounds. A man then approached Shal's cousin on Bethel Street in Maya Mopan - asking or a drink, but things turned messy quick and Shal intervened to try and break up the fight. But playing the role of the mediator almost cost Shal his life. The man and his crew pounced on Shal and chopped him to the head and leg. We spoke to Shal at his home where he is recovering. Here is his story.

Attempted Murder of Prominent Figure
Last week there were two execution style murders in Dangriga in just four days - which left townspeople reeling. And last night there was the attempted murder of a high profile town resident. 32 year old Jason Williams was reportedly gambling with some friends at a yard on La Isla Road when two shot rang out - one of them hit him on the shoulder. He was treated at the Southern Regional Hospital for minor injuries. Williams is known to be a close associate of UDP area representative Frank Mena - but he was also witness to the April 2016 murder of gang boss Gerald Shiny Tillett in that southern Town.

No Arrests for In-Law Murder
He allegedly killed his father in law - but San Pedro police have not charged Ricardo Mendoza for it. The 35 year old remains detained after he allegedly stabbed 57-year-old Gaspar Vargas in the stomach on Monday afternoon. It happened at the family's San Mateo home on Monday afternoon where Vargas and Mendoza had a disagreement. Alcohol was involved. The San Pedro Sun reports that the pair had a history of disputes, and Mendoza had allegedly beaten his father in law before.

And Then There Were Four
Originally, 19 persons - old and young, male and female - were charged in connection with the 2015 home invasion at the Burrell Boom residence of Diplomat Sarkis Bou-Nahra. But, that number has been successively whittled down by the courts, and tonight, one more name has been removed from the list. Lane Grinage saw the charge of aggravated burglary charge withdrawn today by the police prosecutor prosecutor. He remains in jail on remand for a charge of carrying a prohibited firearm.

Mother & Daughter Claim Coercion in Creation of Complaint
Denfield Davis spent three days in jail in early 2016, and his picture was all over the evening news, when he was accused of having unlawful sex with a 15 year old. He faced four counts of unlawful sexual intercourse and one count of grievous harm. But today, more than two years later, the 39 year old mechanic was freed of the charge in the Supreme Court. Senior Crown Counsel Sheneiza Smith was forced to enter a "nolle pros" motion when the alleged victim gave a statement denying that she had sex with Davis and revealing that the statement and its contents that she gave to the police were untrue.

Corozal Cops Capture Uzi
Corozal may be a sleepy border town, but, owing to the drug trade, there's a violent subculture. Town Police saw a sliver of that yesterday when they found a high powered machine gun. Based on intelligence, they searched an abandoned home in the Dominguez Layout Area. They found one slightly beat-up 9millimeter Uzi pistol along with one magazine containing twelve live rounds of ammunition. No one was around, so everything was labelled and deposited as found property

Cran Street Fire Caught Early
Yesterday morning a two storey house on Cran Street caught on fire. 19-year-old welder William Mcdonald was outside when he saw sparks coming from the upper flat. He rushed to turn off the electricity but it was too late the fire had already spread to the living room. The fire department was able to reach before it spread any further. No one was injured and the total cost of the damage has not been assessed yet.

Creating a Culture of Competitiveness
Today, Beltraide had a lot going on in Belmopan. The Beltraide team launched what is called Competitiveness month with a round table discussion at the NEMO office in Belmopan. Also SBDC client Laura Raymond of Amarabi seasoning got a special distinction. Here is more from today's packed schedule. Lejia Melanie Gideon, GM, Enterprise and Innovation - BELTRAIDE: "Today is the official launch of the national competitiveness month. Beltrade has partnered with 12 different government agencies and private sector to bring awareness and celebrate what is competitiveness at the firm, labor and government level."

Price of Power Going Up
Your light bill is going up - but by less than the figure the power company was asking for. Back on April first, BEL asked the PUC for a 7.1% average increase in the mean electricity rate. 30 days later, the PUC has approved a 4.4% increase - basically meeting the utility halfway. BEL had asked that the average rate go up from the current 36.9 cents per kilowatt hour to 39.5 cents for July 2018 to July 2019.

More Micah Madness
On Monday night we told you about PUP City Councillor Micah Goodin who posted a scathing rebuke of his mayor Bernard Wagner on his personal Facebook page. Goodin also threatened to resign - and then shut down his page. Now, we've seen this kind of Facebook rant and renunciation from him before - and, while entertaining, he always ends up right back in the arms of his beloved PUP. But, this time Goodin says he has no "sorries" to say. He is quoted on NBZ Live as saying, quote, "My party wants to punish me for speaking out yesterday…I have no apologies for anyone. I meant every word I wrote and I will stand by it…."

Remembering Goldson, The Journalist
Tomorrow is being observed as "World Press Freedom Day" - all around the world. In Belize, it will be observed at The Goldson House in Belmopan with a presentation called 'Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law'. It's appropriate since Goldson started out in public life as a journalist at the Belize billboard - and he was made - basically - a political prisoner of the colonial government when they jailed him for sedition based on what he had written. The free and independent press has come a long way since then, and Coordinator Kendra Griffith gave us the historical perspective:..

Civic Center Opens, Game Sold Out
The Civic Center opened to a full house on Monday night. The two Belize City teams faced off against each other and in the end, the Hurricanes easily beat the Defenders. But, the real story was the civic. It was a full house, and a comfortable one with the Ari conditioning. Managers of the facility tell us that there was standing room only. They say that in addition to 4500 seats, they sold 175 standing tickets and turned away 50 people. The NEBL's next game there is on Friday night when the playoffs start.

Agric Attendance Down
And while Civic had a big crowd, attendance was slightly down at the National Agricutlure and Trade show. 37,461 people visited the showgrounds, down 927, 2.5% from last year's 38,388. Event organizers believe that a baseless social media scare campaign hail on Friday and a bit of rain might have impacted attendance.

Channel 5

In San Pedro, In-Laws’ Argument Turns Deadly
A San Pedro resident remains in police custody tonight, pending charges for the murder of his father-in-law in the San Mateo area of the island town. Gaspar Vargas was ran [...]

Owen McFoy Gunned Down in Hattieville
Shortly after nine p.m. on Tuesday, a succession of gunshots rang out in the Windmill neighborhood of Hattieville.  When the shooting subsided, Owen McFoy would lay mortally wounded inside a [...]

Dangriga Man Shot while Socializing
There was also a non-fatal shooting on Labour Day in Dangriga. Around seven-thirty p.m., police responded to a report of gun violence on Isla Road and found thirty-two-year-old Jason Williams [...]

Family Asks Perpetrator of ‘Lelo’ Knockdown to Come Forward
Sixty-five-year-old Aurelio Gonzalez, known to all as ‘Lelo,’ remains in the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital with injuries sustained in a late-night traffic accident on the Old Northern Highway between Maskall [...]

Morales, Jovel, Almagro Gives Thumbs Up to Referendum Plan
As expected, Belize’s announcement on Monday of the date for our referendum on the taking of the unfounded Guatemalan claim to the International Court of Justice was good news for [...]

COLA Says Belizeans Will Vote No
But don’t expect Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) to pop any champagne. It issued a strong blast at both sides via press release this morning, pointing out that [...]

COLA President Brackett Urges ‘Get Tough’ Measures with Guats
COLA also noted in its press release that of those Guatemalans interviewed by Belizean reporters, including our News Five team which covered the recent referendum, the majority only want their [...]

Belmopan Squatters Moved on by City Council
For the past two weeks, we have been reporting extensively on the squatters’ situation in the Mount Pleasant Creek Reserve area of Belmopan. Well, today that situation came to a [...]

Mayor Bernard, Councilor Carballo Head-to-Head for O.W. East
In the run-up to the March seventh municipal elections, mayoral candidate Kevin Bernard and councilor candidate Josue Carballo campaigned collectively with other members of the People’s United Party slate to [...]

Mayor Denies Tension in Council and Says He Has Not Abandoned Sugar City
Since commencing his campaign a few weeks ago, Mayor Bernard has been soundly criticized for his decision to run for standard bearer for Orange Walk East.  This is considering the [...]

Light Bill Going Up!
At the beginning of April, just after the Easter break, we told you about a request made by Belize Electricity Limited to take up electricity rates. At the time, B.E.L. [...]

Turning Abandoned Lots to Football Fields and Healing Hearts in Mayflower
There were inmates of the Belize Central Prison in the city today, but they were being kept out of trouble. Region One Commander Senior Superintendent Howell Gillett employed them to [...]

A Draw on the Field, But a Victory for Region One Police
On the occasion of Labour Day, police from Region One, Eastern Division, brought out thirty-two kids from Region One area of Eastern Division to play football against Roaring Creek and [...]

Belize Talks Competitiveness in Trade
BELTRAIDE, in partnership with public and private sector partners, are celebrating National Competitiveness Month. The month of May is being used to showcase how competitiveness is being strengthened in firms, [...]

Entrepreneurs Share Success Stories
All month long, there will be a series of activities and events to highlight national competitiveness month.  The activities kicked off today with a roundtable discussion on export within CARICOM. [...]

LOVE FM

COLA: the problem is “border issues”
COLA’s President Geovanni Brackett, says that the problem is not Guatemala’s claim but rather “border issues”. Taking a page out of US President Donald Trump’s book, Brackett suggested that there is a need for immigration reform and even close the border. Geovanni Brackett, President of COLA: “What Belize has is not, this claim is not …

BCCI opposes increase of social security contributions
The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) is not supporting the Social Security Board’s proposal to increase contributions. Last year, the SSB began a countrywide public consultation with regards to the possibility of increasing employee’s contribution and benefits to the scheme. The SSB’s reasoning is that if the contributions increase so will the benefits. …

COLA says NO to ICJ
The Government of Belize has set April 10, 2019, as the date for Belize’s referendum. COLA, a grassroots organization which is anti- ICJ, has weighed in on this latest development. In this regard, COLA said that Belize will be putting everything on the line. Love News caught up with the President of COLA, Geovanni Brackett …

Shrimp Industry still battling deadly bacteria
Government Hulse is a very busy Government Minister and Senator. He is in charge of many portfolios including agriculture. So when we caught up with him over the weekend we asked him for an update with regards the shrimp industry. Godwin Hulse, Minister of Agriculture: “The Shrimp Industry had been struggling a little bit because of …

Citrus industry to expand, says Minister
We also asked the Minister of Agriculture about the citrus industry. Minister Godwin Hulse says that the citrus industry will experience major expansions in the near future. Godwin Hulse, Minister of Agriculture: “There is a little difficulty in terms of production based on several factors. What we intend to do is to hold a …

Senate Select Committee begins to compile report
For more than a year, the nation tuned in every Wednesday to hear the controversies that would air during the Senate Select Committee hearings. Senators sat for more than 12 months hearing testimonies of witnesses as they investigated the Auditor General’s Special Visa and other findings Report on the Immigration and Nationality Department for the …

Belmopan City Council removes squatters
The Belmopan City Council has forcibly removed families who were squatting on a privately owned land near the Belmopan Heights Area. The council had initially given the squatters fourteen days to voluntarily move but when some refused, the council warned that they would be removed by force and their houses dismantled. This is what happened …

No motive for Gabriel Laurie’s murder
Police in Dangriga Town are still investigating the brazen daylight murder of 43-year-old Gabriel Laurie Jr. He was shot dead while at his resident in the Wagierale area of town. Neighbors say they heard as much as five gunshots before finding Laurie’s body at his front door. Investigators have not established a murder and no …

Minister of Foreign Affairs address concerns raised by BCCI
Since last year October the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has been asking the Government for clarification regarding the renunciation process that Guatemalans have to go through in order to receive Belizean nationality. In a letter dated October 23 2017, BCCI President Nikita Usher points out to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred …

Mid-afternoon murder in San Pedro Town
A man was killed this afternoon in San Pedro Town. He is 57 year old Gaspar Vargas. Police say that Vargas was at a house socializing with his son-in-law when they got into an argument. According to police, the son-in-law allegedly stabbed Vargas with a knife during the argument. He died while undergoing treatment. Vargas …

The Reporter

Man reportedly murdered in Hattieville; another shot in Dangriga
A man was reportedly murdered in Hattieville on Tuesday night, while another was shot in Dangriga. Unconfirmed but reliable reports are that the murder in Hattieville happened sometime around 10:00 p.m., while the shooting in Dangriga took place about an hour earlier. The Reporter will […]

Issue #39 - March 2018 of The BELIZE AG REPORT is online here!
Click HERE to download the PDF

Ramon – Also Known as Maya Nut
Brosimum alicastrum, is a member of the fig/mulberry family can be considered as one of the ‘miracle trees’ found in our forests. It has over 50 common names but we may know it as Maya Nut, Ramón tree, or Iximche (Corn Tree). The name Iximche derived from the classical Maya Ixim – corn or grain, and Che – Tree. The Spanish name Ramon derives from the word ‘ramonear’, meaning ‘to forage’ and makes reference to one of the widespread uses of the tree as feed for livestock. Maya Nut refers to the seed of the tree and is known as being a nutrient dense food that was a staple in the diet of the Maya civilization.

The Sweet and Sour of Sugar
The latest export figures for 2017 highlight the significance of the sugar industry to the country; 35% ($157.8 Million) of the total national export revenues of $445.6 Million is derived from the exports of sugar (and molasses). The figure in 2016 was only $110 Million, reflecting a substantial 43% increase. With the addition of Santander entering the production phase, the volume of sugarcane production and processing has significantly pushed national output levels. Cumulatively in 2016, the national sugarcane deliveries rose by 24.6% to 1,455,053 long tons, of which the North and Santander accounted for 1,292,515 long tons and 162,538 long tons, respectively.

Beyond the Backyard
By Jenny Wildman — Driving from north to south one can find tall droopy berry trees following the paths of our inhabitants. Considering that the berry tree grows so profusely it is surprising that there is very little information on its taxonomy and uses. In fact, even its name is in question as there are plants of similarity and several varieties within that species. Perhaps we can pull them out of the woodwork and take a closer look.

Homemade Health – Essential Oils – Part 2
Why and How to Use Essential Oils – Part 2 By Marguerite Fly Bevis, RN, BSN This article, part 2 on how to use essential oils, follows part 1 in the Belize Ag Report, August 2017, issue 37, which described the basic properties of essential oils and why they are used. See also Issue 30, November 2015, for background information. There are several ways to use essential oils. Diffusing is a way to “clean the air” as the tiny particulars destroy microbes in the air. Inhaling, simply smelling the drops on a cotton ball for 90 seconds is an easy and safe method. Diluting in a carrier oil such as coconut oil and applying to the skin or affected area…

Industrial Hemp Cultivation in the Tropics
It is important to understand the differences between industrial hemp and marijuana. Technically, industrial hemp and marijuana are from the same plant genus: Cannabis. However, the genetics of industrial hemp and marijuana have evolved from different subspecies and there are many important chemical and physical differences.

Pesticide Import Data 2015-2017
Tables & Charts: Pesticide Import Totals, Top ten most imported pesticides, Total Kg of Active Ingredients – by Year, Total Kg of Active Ingredients – by Class

Energy Production from Organic Waste
Reliable energy is critical to all world governments and available renewable energy production has become a focus of industry worldwide. Belize purchases about 46% of the country’s power from Mexico at a cost of $137 million USD per year, 38% from Belize Electric Company Ltd., 2% from Hydro Maya, and 10% from Belize Aquaculture Ltd. Belize Electric Company Ltd., and Hydro Maya produce power from dams that supply hydro power generation.

Spanish Lookout Community Statistics – 2017
Agriculture production statistics chart for the Spanish Lookout Community 2017.

SOS: Save our Soils
Dr. Christine Jones Explains the Life-Giving Link Between Carbon and Healthy Topsoil. To the pressing worldwide challenge of restoring soil carbon and rebuilding topsoil, the Australian soil ecologist Dr. Christine Jones offers an accessible, revolutionary perspective for improving landscape health and farm productivity. For several decades Jones has helped innovative farmers and ranchers implement regenerative agricultural systems that provide remarkable benefits for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, water management and productivity.

Rainfall Reports for 2017
Rainfall reports for 2017 from various agricultural communities and sources, with charts and graphs brought together for us by Dottie Feucht.

Preparing Soil Fertility for New Plantings of Deep Rooted Crops
Preparing new soil for planting can make significant differences in plant growth – some good and some bad – depending on several important, but too often overlooked, considerations. It may be dressed up in one way or another, but taken as a whole, those whose goal is only to sell fertilizer generally use some type of feed the plant program. Too many who offer advice about what fertilizers to use have never been taught to understand any other way!

The Protein Bank – A Project For Cheaper Feed
Like many small farmers, here at White Rock Farm we have heavy feed bills for our poultry, pigs, sheep and goats. We have been looking for ways to mitigate this burden, and came across the idea of a “protein bank”. We’re also looking for feed which will be more nutritious, more natural, and more sustainable. We’re very conscious that we depend heavily on corn and corn derivatives, and corn prices can fluctuate quite a bit.

Seven Miles Women’s Group and Farmers Association
November 2017 was an exciting month for the El Progresso (Seven Miles) community located near the Chiquibul National Park; two groups there are grant recipients, beneficiaries of the project entitled, “Promoting Sustainable Natural Resource-based Livelihoods in Belize (PSNRL)” being implemented by the Government of Belize, funded by the Japan Social Development Fund, and administered by the World Bank. The objective of the PSNRL is aimed at “promoting viable and sustainable natural resource-based livelihoods for poor communities in Belize and, thereby, reducing anthropogenic pressures on key natural resources”.

Canning Tropical Fruits
The potential abundance of fruit in our tropical climate creates a preservation paradox. You don’t “need” to can fruit because with the right effort and planning, you can have some kind of fruit year-round, or nearly so. But when you really have lots of a certain kind, it’s hard for the thrifty householder to see it spoil. So we can fruit, stockpiling for the winter that never comes. I have mixed feelings about canning, but I do it, and you can too if you want to.

Sapodilla Trees in Belize
Growing and harvesting sapodilla trees have been an important contribution for nutrition, healing, chicle production, building and boosting the economy of Belize for many centuries. Many birds and animals depend on the sapodilla tree for food and shelter. Sapodilla, also known as naseberry, chicle tree, dilly, chiku or chico. The tree is a hardy, slow-growing, long-living evergreen which can grow in the wild up to one hundred feet in height.

Friesen Cattle Auction
Cattle Auctions in Spanish Lookout are becoming an annual tradition for the Joe Freisen family. Joe Jr and Eva Friesen hosted a successful auction on Saturday, 17th February 2018 at their facility in the Iguana Creek area of Spanish Lookout.

Ag Calendar

Agriculture Prices At A Glance

Blogs

Labour Day Photos In San Pedro Belize
Yesterday was a national holiday in Belize – Labour Day. And while Labor Day in the US is a bit sad, marking the end of summer, back to school and the end of wearing white pumps (old-fashioned “rule”: NO WHITE AFTER LABOR DAY – and the history of that rule), in Belize it is a beginning. Originally May Day – it is now a day-off. A celebration of labor and spring. And I had NO idea it was a holiday until I arrived in town on the Coastal Xpress water taxi and realized that my first stop – the gas station (for an icy cold Coke Zero in a bottle) was closed. Kids were out of school and out and about. Banks, offices and some businesses were closed.

International Sources

Hawaii lawmakers approve ban on sunscreens with chemicals harmful to coral reefs
Hawaii lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that prohibits the sale of sunscreens believed to be harmful to ocean ecosystems, including coral reefs. The bill, if signed into law by the state’s governor, David Ige, will make Hawaii the first U.S. state to enact such a ban starting Jan. 1, 2021. “Amazingly, this is a first-in-the-world law,” Gabbard told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “So, Hawaii is definitely on the cutting edge by banning these dangerous chemicals in sunscreens.” “When you think about it, our island paradise, surrounded by coral reefs, is the perfect place to set the gold standard for the world to follow,” Gabbard added. “This will make a huge difference in protecting our coral reefs, marine life, and human health.”

Shyne Hints At New Album & Reflects On Bad Boy Days In Rare Interview
Shyne appeared on Red Bull Radio’s The Federation Sound for his first interview in years, providing insight about his current life in Belize and looking back at his brief run as a Bad Boy Records artist. During the conversation, Shyne said he’s working on a documentary and book about his life. The film could lead to him releasing a new LP, which would be his first since 2004’s Godfather Buried Alive. “There’s a possibility of another Shyne album,” he told host Max Glazer, stating it would serve as a soundtrack to the movie.

Why British overseas territories fear transparency push
Britain has incurred the wrath of several of its overseas territories by backing measures to force them to publish unprecedented levels of information about who owns the companies based in their jurisdictions by 2020. Territories including the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands fear that the new transparency measures could undermine their positions as leading offshore financial centres. But the British politicians who pushed the new disclosure rules through the House of Commons on Tuesday insisted that having publicly available registers of beneficial owners of companies based in the territories will help stamp out money laundering, tax evasion and terrorist financing.

The Race to Build the Perfect Island
“The cruise lines have done an extraordinary job of building their private islands to create an experience that captures the laid-back, ‘fun in the sun’ vision most people embrace,” says Don Walker Co-President of the online travel agency iCruise.com. However, he also cautions, “The majority of our clients also want to experience different cultures and interact with locals from various islands.” Passengers such as inveterate cruiser Teyoune Harris agrees, saying: “The man-made sand and beaches gets old pretty quickly.” She is looking to explore the local culture and explore new places and while the private ports are nice, she says they provide “no authenticity to the islands.” Some of these concerns are addressed at newer private ports that combine the resort-style amenities with local attractions. For example, Royal Caribbean in partnership with the Port Authority of Jamaica re-initiated the historic port of Falmouth, which was billed as the “first-ever thematic cruise port.” Similarly, NCL in conjunction with Belize developed Harvest Caye, a 75-acre destination with resort amenities but also offering tours to the nearby rainforest and an ancient Mayan archaeological site.

Friends to Foes: When a Symbiont Becomes a Parasite
Hotter water changes the relationship between coral reefs and tiny single-celled organisms called symbiodinium. We’ve all heard that rising global temperatures are bad for the environment. Typically, this is framed in terms of rising sea levels and melting Arctic and Antarctic ice and a host of other ecosystem level changes. Sometimes though, the ways these changes affect organisms are more difficult to understand. For years, coral reefs have been dying in a process called bleaching which has been linked to rising sea temperatures and lowered pH. However, exactly how that happens wasn’t so clear and a research study led by David Baker sought to answer exactly that.

Videos

May 2, 2018

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

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

Misc Belizean Sources

Gesneriaceae of Belize
There are a number of field guides that we are working now with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens team- this is all part of our Inventory of Epiphytes of Belize project. As you can imagine we came across very interesting plants that were lithophytes( growing on rocks) as well, so we including them in our materials. Visit the fieldmuseum website for more fieldguides.

Epiphytic and Lithophytic Fern and Lycophyte Genera of Belize
You can recognize a lot of plants that you see in Belize and it gives you various photos and descriptions to help with identification:

Circus show La casa Negra with dinner at Suggestion Gourmet, Caye Caulker
Friday, May 4 at 6:30 PM - 9 PM, Dinner show 50 Bzd per personnes including Show + 1 drink (soft, soda or beer) + main plate + dessert Pre sale open.

Protecting Hickatee Turtles
Another partner highlight, a critically endangered species highlight, as well as thanks to our sponsors: We at BWRC are proud to support the Hickatee conservation efforts and this great organization with free veterinary services thanks to supporters and donors like yourself! We encourage you to check out the amazing work of BFREE and the National Hickatee Conservation and Breeding Center. Pictured is the amazing "Turtle Tom", curator of the project releasing a turtle back into the breeding pond after the recent health check revealed no issues. How YOU can help hickatees? 1. Obey the law; Hickatee turtles are protected and their consumption is regulated, and unfortunately they are indeed "critically endangered", which means they will go extinct in the next years, if we don't change our ways now, and this is largely because existing laws were ignored. Or even better 2. Decide to no longer eat Hickatee, to give them a break and recover. Or if you are not from Belize or would never eat them 3. Educate others around you about their plight or 4. Consider making a donation towards their protection so future generations can still enjoy them!

Placencia Breeze May 2018
What’s Inside: From One Vehicle to a Fleet: How One Couple Powered Forward Through the Auto Rental and Tour Business ... pg. 5 ... Placencia Football Makes a Comeback ... pg. 6 ... From the Fire Hearth ... pg. 7 ... Sixth Placencia Sailing Club Regatta Announcement ... pg. 7 ... Crocodiles: From Ancient Veneration to Modern-Day Vilification ... pg. 9 ... SEA Partners with Local Area Fishermen to Educate Students on Sustainable Fishing Practices ... pg. 10 ... Tire Swings, Wheelchair Ramp, Eye Testing, Blood Drive and Sports Lights Among Rotary's April Projects ... pg. 11 ... Award-Winning Placencia Boutique Hotel Expands to Tres Cocos, Ambergris Caye ... pg. 14 ... Find the Placencia Sweet Life in Chef Simone de Angelis' Fine Italian Food ... pg. 19 ... PIA Students Dazzle Visitors on Earth Day ... pg. 20 ... PIA Celebrates Five-Year Milestone: A Look at the Private School ... pg. 20 ... Animal Abuse is No Joke ... pg. 27 ... Life in Belize of Former Singing Sands Inn Owner Remembered ... pg. 28

Reef Week Coastal Clean Up 2018
San Pedro, May 12 at Hol Chan dock, 8am.

The Reporter

Police take city kids out west for football match
As a part of a continuous effort to Foster better community relations, the Belize Police Department took 32 Belize City children to the Cayo district for a football match. The students were gathered from various neighborhoods on the south side, now referred to as the “Region One” area of Eastern Division, such as Mesopotamia, Collet and Queen’s Square. The students participated in friendly matches against Under 13 football teams from Roaring Creek and Camalote

Police-constable chopped during altercation
Police are investigating a chopping incident in Belmopan where one of their own received chop wounds to the leg and head. The department said that sometime after 8 p.m. on Sunday, police constable Brian Shal, 27, got into an altercation with four young men in Maya Mopan […]

Breaking Belize News

Elderly man in critical condition after hit-and-run in Maskall village
On Sunday night, sixty-five-year-old Aurelio Lelo Gonzalez was knocked down by a vehicle and left on the road in Maskall village. The driver reportedly took off after hitting Gonzalez.

Taiwan loses another ally
The Republic of China (Taiwan) lost another ally today as the Dominican Republic severed their long-standing ties in favor of the People’s Republic of China. The Dominican Republic announced the switch today, and Taiwan’s government immediately put out a response saying that it was “deeply upset” by the move, calling out mainland China for using monetary incentives to entice allies away from Taiwan.

Fair weather expected to continue
The 24-hour forecast is for mostly fair and warm weather to continue with sunny skies today and partly cloudy skies tonight. Isolated showers are expected over the extreme south and inland areas throughout the day along with a chance of an isolated thunderstorm development.

Caye Caulker listed as top destination for women traveling alone
Caye Caulker was recently singled out by Yahoo as a top tourism destination for women looking to travel alone. Thousands of visitors come to Belize annually for business, leisure, honeymoons, summer vacations or just a weekend for relaxation.

BBN Persons of the Week: Wilfred & Abigail Pascacio
Lifelong natives of southern Belize, Wilfred Pascascio and his wife Abigail are the founders of Yok Ha, a popular island resort located on Waterfoot Caye, situated approximately eight miles off the coast of Dangriga.

El Classico Belize -Bandits and Verdes qualify for PLB finals
On Saturday night the second game of the Premier League of Belize’s (PLB’s) Closing Season semi-final playoff was held at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan. After a 2-2 draw last week the Belmopan Bandits hosted Police United in a very exciting game.

Hubert Pipersburgh appointed Economic Development Manager for Belize City Council
Last week, Hubert Pipersburgh announced through his personal Facebook page that he has been appointed as the new Communications and Economic Development Manager of the Belize City Council.

Guatemalan President congratulates Belize for setting referendum date
Guatemalan President, Jimmy Morales has tweeted congratulations to the government of Belize for finally announcing a date to hold its national referendum. The government of Belize yesterday announced that the referendum will be held on April 10, 2019.

Blogs

HOW TO PLAN AN ECO-FRIENDLY FAMILY TRIP TO BELIZE
Recently I’ve been on an extreme health kick…for eco-friendly and sustainable travel, and knew one of the best places to experience that is in Belize! I had some time off in between business trips, so I asked my mom (who I try to take traveling as much as I can) if she wanted to go. Obviously, she said yes, so off we went to Belize to enjoy the sun, water, and ruins, and learn as much as possible about how to be more eco-friendly when you travel! I did tons of research on the best eco-friendly hotels and resorts in Belize, and it all came down to one that really stood out — Hamanasi Resort. Hamanasi also stood out because of its all-inclusive packages, which include adventures as well as food, which was exactly what my mom and I were looking for!

Spotlight on the "Tres Cocos" neighborhood of Ambergris Caye, Belize...
Tres Cocos is the area just north of the bridge in San Pedro. San Pedro is the biggest town on Ambergris Caye, and there are different neighborhoods around the island that you will hear talked about. One of the more famous destination neighborhoods is called Boca Del Rio - which is the heart of town, where the majority of beach bars and docks are. This is a definite must-do, it has some of the anchor places on the island, like Palapa Bar, Sandy Toes, Wayo's, all the excursion docks, Melt, Sandbar, and many more. The other great parts of town to visit are south of there, where you'll find Estelle's, Nook, Blue Water Grill, and then farther south, an entirely different neighborhood with the fun of Crazy Canuck's, Road Kill, AJ's and more....this is why Belize gets many repeat guests, as each area has its own vibe and I am barely scratching the surface of all the places to go, eat, see, and do.

Belizean Spring Destination Vacation
Belizean Spring Destination Vacation is one of a kind experience! With a diversity of cultures and tropical environment, Belize should definitely be a destination vacation on your bucket list – especially during Spring! From our ancient Maya ruins and lush tropical rainforests to our white-sand beaches and islands with access to the largest living Barrier Reef in the world, it’s definitely worth a visit.

The Rainforests of Belize
More than half of Belize's mainland consists of dense tropical rainforests, much of it explored. A sizeable percentage of the rainforests of Belize are under government protection in the form of a national park, wilderness sanctuary, or animal refuge. The rainforests of Belize are highly diverse ecosystems home to a wide range of plant, bird, and animal species. Indigenous wildlife in Belize includes five species of big cats (including jaguars, the sacred animal of the ancient Maya), armadillos, tapirs, monkeys, and crocodiles. In addition, more than 4000 species of tropical flowers are found in the rainforests of Belize, including more than 250 types of orchids.

Belize Islands and Cayes
In Belize, offshore atolls and islands are known as cayes (pronounced "keys"). Belize has hundreds of cayes, all of which are located on the Belize Barrier Reef, a 185-mile long stretch of coral reef system that is the biggest in the northern hemisphere. Each caye in Belize has its own ecology, but most of them have at least a section of mangrove forests. Mangrove trees, of which there are more than 80 different species, are unique in that they can withstand salty seawater that would kill most other plants. Mangrove trees send down tough roots under the water, and it is these roots that form a key component of marine life on the reef. Fish, mammals, amphibians and other marine life use the complex labyrinth of mangrove roots as a nursery, feeding ground, and protection from predators.

Best Beaches in Belize
Simply put, Belize has been blessed by a bounty of beautiful beaches. Belize enjoys more than 200 miles (380 kilometers) of beaches along its Caribbean coast, ensuring a more than ample supply of white sandy beaches for both locals and tourists to enjoy. In addition, Belize has more than 200 offshore islands located on the Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the second-largest coral reef system in the world. In Belize, islands are known as cayes (pronounced "keys"), and most are located within just a few miles of the mainland.

International Sources

The unsolved murders of a Canadian and an American in Belize
It has been one year since the bodies of Francesca Matus and her American lover were found tangled together in a sugar cane field in Belize. The urn holding the Canadian woman’s ashes now sits in a niche at Toronto’s Highland Memory Gardens, across from the spot where her 80-year-old mother will be buried one day. “So we can always look at each other,” said her mother, Mafalda Rino. A local pathologist determined that the 52-year-old Matus, who lived part of the year in the Central American country, and Drew DeVoursney, 36, a former marine from Georgia, had died of strangulation. Their murders remain unsolved. There are no suspects, and a person of interest, a Canadian man arrested shortly after the bodies were discovered, has been cleared.

Videos

May 1, 2018

HAPPY LABOUR DAY!!

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

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

Gaspar Vargas stabbed to death at his home in San Pedro
San Pedro Police has detained 35-year-old Ricardo Mendoza for the murder of 57-year-old Belizean construction worker Gaspar Vargas of the San Mateo Area in San Pedro Town. Vargas was stabbed once to his stomach on Monday, April 30th, around 2PM allegedly by Mendoza, his son-in-law, as they socialized at home. Vargas was rushed to the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II, where he was immediately treated but later succumbed to his injuries. The Vargas family is devastated and believe that their loved one was unnecessarily murdered. According to a few neighbors, Vargas had a drinking habit, and on a few occasions he would get into arguments with Mendoza and others, but things never escalated. According to one of the deceased’s relatives, who wishes to remain anonymous, when she left for work earlier in the day, Vargas was working, but hours later she received the bad news while at her job. She also stated that this was not the first time Mendoza had attacked Vargas, as in a previous occasion Vargas had allegedly been badly beaten by his son-in-law.

Ambergris Today

Construction Worker Killed During Argument in San Mateo
San Pedro Police confirm the death of Gaspar Vargas, 57 year old Belizean Construction Worker of San Mateo Area, San Pedro Town. At about 2:24 p.m., Police visited the San Pedro Poly Clinic where they encountered the lifeless body of Vargas that had one stab wound to the abdomen. Reports indicate that Vargas was socializing at home along with his son-in-law Jose Ricardo Mendoza 35 year old Belizean Chef of San Mateo Area, San Pedro Town when an argument ensued over a old misunderstanding.

Belize Sets Date For Referendum On International Court Of Justice
The Government of Belize announces that Cabinet has set the date for the referendum where Belize will decide whether or not to take the dispute arising from Guatemala’s claim to Belize’s land and insular territories, and to the maritime areas pertaining to them, to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for final settlement. In accordance with the Special Agreement and its protocol, the referendum will be held on Wednesday, April 10th, 2019.

SPHS Celebrates Drug Awarness Week
"Actions Today - A Healthier Tomorrow" - this was the theme under which the San Pedro High School celebrated Drug Awareness Week from Monday, April 23 to Friday, April 27, 2018. The week consisted of various in class activities including motivational speakers talking to students. The week full of activities came to an end with students gathering at the Angel Nunez Auditorium where each class made presentations in relation to drug use/drug awareness. Many beautiful and meaningful poems were recited as well as interesting and well practiced skits.

Misc Belizean Sources

Ag Fair in Belmopan is the Real Thing!
Enjoyed a great day around the Grounds!

Best Part of the Ag Fair 2018... The YOUTH RODEO!
These kids were so much fun to watch..... Pics & Video worth watching in this post! Love my beautiful Belize!

Paint N Splash
See you this week at from 2-4pm Thursday to paint this Southern Sting Ray.

San Pedro Community Clean-Up Day
The San Pedro Town Council hereby announces its Clean-Up Campaign and we're starting with the Boca del Rio Lagoon Side! Every one is invited to join in and help clean the area. Saturday, May 5, 2018 at 6:00 a.m. Meeting place: Boca del Rio Park. Residents are being invited to clean up their yards and take out any trash from their yard so that the SPTC trucks can dispose of it. Trash bags, gloves and refreshments will be provided.

Join Ya’axché As Sustainable Conservation Financing Officer
We have an exciting volunteer opportunity for you to join our team as Sustainable Conservation Financing Officer! In this position, you will be responsible for the implementation, management and development of Ya’axché’s sustainable financing initiative. The initiative aims to generate funding for Ya’axché’s critical conservation and community development work.

Cabinet Sets Date for Referendum on International Court of Justice
The Government of Belize announces that Cabinet has set the date for the referendum where Belize will decide whether or not to take the dispute arising from Guatemala’s claim to Belize’s land and insular territories, and to the maritime areas pertaining to them, to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for final settlement. In accordance with the Special Agreement and its protocol, the referendum will be held on Wednesday, April 10th, 2019.

Computers for Everyday Use Training
Do you have little or no experience working with computers? Would you like to learn the fundamentals in 5 days? Get started today with this 5-day crash course offered by BTEC!

CARICOM Week 2018
The Directorate General for Foreign Trade is celebrating CARICOM Week beginning today April 30th to Friday, May 5th! See the schedule of events lined up to celebrate the week.

La Idea Incubator Program
If you are an entrepreneur and you are developing innovative solutions in the food and farm industries, the U.S. Department of State and its partners encourage you to apply for the Small Business Network of the Americas (SBNA) La Idea Incubator Program. This includes small businesses that produce food and beverage products or provide agricultural/agriscience products or services.

World Trade Organization (WTO) Advanced Workshop on Agriculture Notifications
Belize participated in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Advanced Workshop on Agriculture Notifications at the WTO headquarters in Geneva from 24th to 27th April 2018. The country was represented by a Member of the Directorate General for Foreign Trade. The Workshop was a Level 3 specialized training activity implemented within the WTO Progressive Learning Strategy and represents the highest level of learning among WTO training activities.

Export to CARICOM Roundtable
On Wednesday, May 2nd, 2018, EXPORT Belize, a unit of BELTRAIDE, along with the Directorate General for Foreign Trade (DGFT) of the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Commerce joins together with private sector enterprises to facilitate an Export to CARICOM Roundtable that will bring together private sector enterprises that have experience in exporting to CARICOM with potential exporters, who have serious interest in entering the CARICOM markets as well. The objective of the session is to have companies, who have an interest in exporting to markets in CARICOM receive a first-hand account of the documentations and logistics required to start the exportation process. Participants will engage in active discussion about the challenges, market access requirements, trade opportunities, distribution channels, shipping logistics and more.

Labour Day Model Sailboat Regatta on Caye Caulker
What are you doing on your Labour Day? Come out to a day of family fun at CCCSC's Labour Day Model Sailboat Regatta. Seaworthy Small Ship pine wood models, 'BUILD IT AND SAIL IT' in the pond or in the sea., $20.00 donation Your contribution will help to fund training costs and expenses for competing in regattas. See you there.

BELTRAIDE’s National Competitiveness Month – May 2018
BELTRAIDE, with several of its key public and private sector partners, will be celebrating National Competitiveness Month in May. The month with showcase how competitiveness is being strengthening in three key areas: in firms, in labour, and in government. As a result, there will be a series of export development discussions and workshops, importance of intellectual property rights to competitiveness, career fairs and job preparedness trainings, as well as the launch of BELTRAIDE’s very own client assistance mobile app,

Police Youth Cadet Corp Visits Ag Fair
On Sunday April 29th,2018, Community Policing officers and members from the Police Youth cadet Corp from Regions 1 and 2, visited the National Agriculture and Trade show where they participated in a booth display that was organized by the Police Department. Whilst at the show grounds, the cadets visited the different booths where they learned about the importance of the Agricultural Industry.

Corozal Historical Society General Meeting
We kindly invite our community to the Corozal Historical Society's general meeting next Saturday. The objective of the group is to retrieve, document, preserve and promote the diverse history of Corozal. The group is still in its initial phase and is looking for community participation. If you are a historian, history buff or just an interested citizen please join us on May 5th here at the House of Culture.

BEL Info Fair
BEL Info Fairs are coming to Caye Caulker, San Pedro and Placencia. Residents are invited to come out and learn about BEL’s plans for your community. Visit our interactive safety, environment and technology booths. Update your account info and get a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy Tab. See you there!

The Maya Cross
The Maya Cross’s symbolic identity is that of supernatural entities, such as Itzamná and Chaak; as well as ancestral entities, trees, corn stalks, and other plants which abound in the Mayaab, the land of the Maya. Maya Crosses often have an overhead semi-circle of flowers. Maya crosses are often painted a blue-green hue, which signifies centrality, and are referred to as "ya’ as che’ "--’green tree’ and "kuxa’an" –alive. The Maya belief that proclamations of these crosses come from the "divine" voice of "hahal ku," the true Maya god of the Macehual. Interestingly, this Maya God, which communicates through the different crosses, is sometimes literally stated as being Itzamná, the god of creation.

THE YUCATEC MAYA, CULT OF THE TALKING CROSS AND THE CASTE WAR
During the nineteenth century the subject Maya population of the Yucatan revolted against the Hispanic overlords who kept them in servitude. The conflict , the Maya Social war more commonly known as the Caste War of the Yucatan in 1847 . Soon the Maya had nearly succeeded in driving the Hispanics out of the peninsula, driving them back to one final refuge, the city of Merida in the north of the peninsula. However, the Maya abandoned their seige of the city when the season for planting corn came. That allowed the Hispanics to bring in new troops. The Hispanics with the new force push back the Maya deeper to the Jungle . When the Maya was losing the war a miracle happen .

Conquer the HIlls
For those interested in participating and supporting some of the events for the Cultural Day in the Maya village of San Antonio Cayo . Let's support our Yucatec Maya brothers and sisters of western Belize .

Channel 7

Referendum Will Be In A Year. Ready?
Belizeans will vote on the ICJ in about a year's time. Cabinet today decided that the referendum to decide whether or not Belize should take the territorial dispute to the International Court of Justice in the Hague will be held on Wednesday, April 10th, 2019. That's exactly 345 days from now - and government says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will now ramp up its public awareness campaign under the banner - "ICJ, Be Informed." A press release says quote, "The nationwide campaign will include various approaches in an effort to reach citizens in every corner of the country." 25% of the Guatemalan electorate voted an emphatic yes to the ICJ on April 15th.

BDF To The Rescue On The Sarstoon
And so you have a little under a year to gather information and make up your mind. But, Wil Maheia and his Territorial Volunteers don't need all that time - their mind is already pretty much set on a "no" vote. It's a position hardened by many weekends spent being harassed by the Guatemalan Navy on Belize's side of the Sarstoon. And that was expected again this weekend when they took an outing for the Sarstoon Island Annual Concert. Maheia set out along with brukdong singer Cocono Bwai and Pastor Derek Aikman. They were inevitably shadowed by the Guatemalan navy - but then a most unexpected thing happened. It begins with Cocono Bwai singning his patriotic song:…

Foreign Minister Clueless About Belizean Fisher in Guat Jail
And keeping it on territorial issues, on Friday we told you about Belizean Fisherman Iginio Canto who is currently being held in a Guatemalan Prison. Canto was arrested with two other Guatemalans about two weeks ago for smuggling large quantities of out of season lobster into Guatemala. On Wednesday his brother who lives in Corozal got a call from inmates in Puerto Barrios. The inmates demanded $5000 from him to ensure Canto's safety. This is apart from the fine they have to pay the Guatemalan authorities. For the family, it's very scary stuff, and for Belizeans it's very disturbing, since there is some lack of clarity about whose waters the fishermen were captured in.

Teenager Tried To Part Fight, Got Killed
Tonight a Belize City family is mourning the death of high schooler Arkel August. The 15 year old was stabbed in the chest during a basketball game on Saturday - and he died on Sunday. It's a crazy, senseless killing - but it's even more so when we find out that it's another 15 year old who did it. And sadly, the young victim's family has lost a loved one to murder before: 23 months ago - Arkel's older brother was slain. Today, Daniel Ortiz spoke to a mother who knows loss all too well:..

Killed His Father In Law On San Pedro
And tonight, there is another murder to report from San Pedro - the second in four days, and the third this month. While the others are suspected to have been drug related - this one seems to be a family rivalry. Around 2:00 this afternoon, 35 year old Jose Ricardo Mendoza got into an argument with his 57 year old father in law Gaspar Vargas at his home in San Mateo. Police say the men were socializing in the yard - which suggests that alcohol was involved - when they got into an argument about what is being called "an old misunderstanding"

Teen Killed Shopkeeper
So, while island cops now have another murder case on their hands, they have made an arrest in last Thursday night's murder on the island town. As we told you, 25 year old Shop-owner Reniery Figueroa Garcia was killed as he sat behind the counter in a store in the San Mateo area. The cops say that a male minor pulled the trigger, and they will charge him for it:

No Arrest Yet For Griga Murder
The cops aren't making the same kind of progress in Dangriga murder of 43 year-old Gabriel Laurie. He's the man from the Wagierale area of Dangriga who was found dead at his front door with a gunshot wound to the neck. We asked around and none of the neighbors could tell us what happened. Apparently, the cops are having the same difficulty, and today, police told us that they had to release the suspects they had detained:

Another Charged For Mental Patient’s Murder
Police have charged a second man for killing 25 year old Albert Ervin Johnson 9 days ago in Belize City. The Punta Gorda resident - who was mentally ill - was shot twice in the head on Rectory Lane near Southern Foreshore on Friday night, April 21. Today 19 year old Wagner's Lane resident Israel Anthony Usher. Usher was arraigned before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford. He was also charged with abetment to commit murder. The allegation is that he aided and abetted Marlon Evrett, the first man charged for the murder. Usher was remanded into custody until June 25.

Another City Man For Cayo Heist
A second Belize City man has been charged for a big money robbery in San Ignacio. Asher Saunders - who is from Bagdad Street in Belize City - was charged with three counts of Robbery, two counts of Aggravated Assault and one count of Grievous Harm. He was picked up on Thursday in Belize City. The other man charged is 19 year old Marvin Phillips, from George Street. The armed robbery happened last week Monday, and was caught on security camera, and cell phone by civilians standing outside the gas station. They saw the robber dashing off, but he was one of a team of 4, who got away with a whopping $33,000 in cash and cheques.

Fatal Accident Leads To Drug Find
There was a very unusual drug bust this weekend - where the drugs were found at the cost of a life. At about 12:50 on Saturday morning, police had up a checkpoint at the intersection of the Phillip Goldson Highway and the Boom Road. That's when they saw a Mazda pickup approaching, but it diverted and sped off. The officers set chase and when they finally caught up with the vehicle at mile 17, it had crashed. Two men and a woman were trapped inside with severe injuries, while another man was crushed under the vehicle, dead.

Councillor Micah Mad With Mayor
He's only been in office for 52 days, but it seems one PUP councillor's notoriously short fuse has already run out. Today, PUP City Councillor Micah Goodin lost it on his mayor, Bernard Wagner. Goodin posted on his personal Facebook page, quote, "I will not be seeking re-election in 2021. Additionally I am contemplating resignation. I have lost all confidence in Mayor Bernard Wagner. He does not listen. He does not take advice. I am elected, and I feel powerless…we were elected on the platform of social infrastructure, but the mayor has apparently abandoned the ideology only days after tasting power."

Former Mayor Answers His Predecessor
As you saw last week Thursday, City Mayor Bernard Wagner had a lot to say about his UDP predecessors at City Hall. He criticized them for reckless spending and fiscal indiscipline - and added that the council did not pay in to government employee's tax and social security deductions between August 2017 and the date of election. Former Mayor Bradley had sent a text message in response saying that was untrue. Well, today, Bradley underscored that point, and advised Wagner to stop living in the past and embrace the future.

Bradley Says 6k to Chinese Restaurant Was Not Irregular
Bradley also addressed the city council's $6,000 Chinese restaurant bill - the bill Bernard Wagner suspended City admin. Candice Miller over. The new mayor says it was irregular - but the old mayor - whose father paid the bill - says it is not irregular at all. He says the council spends legitimately on food for social events, meetings and even in emergencies. Darrell Bradley, Former Mayor: "Nobody at City council just signs a cheque, when you sign a cheque there is at least 8 pieces of paper that comes beyond that cheque and for something like that it would have documented. Each and every incident if it was a meeting..."

Responding to Gender-based Violence and Human Trafficking
Relief and Resilience through education in transition - or the group called "RET" hosted an open forum today at the UWI Belize City campus. The discussion centered on improving mechanisms that respond to incidences of Gender-based violence and human trafficking. Those are two very weighty topics - certainly not issues that can be fully addressed in one session. But today's forum is a start. Courtney Weatherburne has more. Dr. Susan Kasadde, UNICEF Country Representative: "If you take away violence from armed conflict from wars, if you take away the current level of death due to violence in Syria, in the middle East, in Africa resulting from war, then the region with the highest level of violence where teenagers, children are more likely to die from violent behavior is Latin America and the Caribbean."

Strange Story From Miami
There's an interesting story coming out of Miami tonight. A Belizean involved in the drug trade who became a criminal informant for the DEA in 1999 - has avoided deportation - because if he comes back to Belize he might be killed. Steven Reneau also known as "Insect" gave information that led to the extradition requests for Andrew and Floyd Brown in 2005 - as well as other high profile extraditions. But, he never regularized his status in the US - and in January of this year, he was targeted for deportation to Belize, where he would be a marked man. That is, until a retired Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent intervened.

Man Accused of Attempted Murder of Girlfriend and Her Male Friend
Tonight, 21 year-old Jefferson Jacobo, a Salvadoran of Freetown Road, is at Belize Central Prison after being taken to court for allegedly trying to kill his girlfriend and another man. Police say that on Friday, he went home and found his girlfriend, Joslyn Duarte, in a compromising situation with another man, later identified as Manuel Acosta. Here's what the cops had to say about the case when the media asked about it:

Man Gets off Murder of Stepfather
He spent 7 years on remand for the brutal murder of his 72 year old step-father, Reginald Rowley, but, tonight, 31 year old Amir Dominguez is a free man. He was acquitted of all charges inside the Orange Walk Session of the Supreme Court this morning. The ruling delivered by Judge Herbert Lord came more than two months after closing arguments were made on February 27th, by both the defense and the crown. In the trial without jury, Justice Lord found that there were serious inconsistencies in the case against Dominguez along with contradictory and sparse evidence.

CNN’s Evan Andres Won
Saturday night was big for a pair of Belizean Americans in very different fields. CNN's Evan Andres Perez and HBO Boxing's Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller took center stage in events in Washington, DC and Brooklyn, New York. Perez was honoured at the White House Correspondent's Dinner for "presidential news coverage under deadline pressure." It was a black tie event snubbed by President Donald Trump - but that didn't dampen the applause for the CNN crew - which included Perez, who grew up in Belize City - with family from Sarteneja. Here's his moment:..

“Big Baby” Won
And while Perez wore a tuxedo, Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller wore no shirt at all in his Saturday night event. He was in the ring at Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, New York where he proved himself as a worthy opponent for the top heavyweights, Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua. "Big Baby" Miller fought journeyman Johann Duhaupas - and won in a unanimous decision against the tough Frenchman. Here's his post fight interview:… Miller hopes to face Wilder or Joshua in his next fight which could be in September. Both he and his wife are Belizean and they plan to visit Belize before then.

CIVIC’s Grand Opening
It's finally here: tonight the Civic Center will be christened in the first real, full scale basketball game at the most expensive public structure ever built in Belize. So while many Belizeans should throng to the Civic Center to see the NEBL's two city Basketball teams, the Defenders and the Hurricanes battle it out, let's face it: the main attraction tonight is the venue. The state of the art area is the first of its kind in Belize and is set to deliver a fun and unique experience for those attending. We found out more:

An Inspired Donation
See and Taste Belize Incorporated is an NGO founded by the Consulate of Belize in Florida. The goal of the NGO is to hold events that can raise money and donate to Belizean companies in need. For the past two years, the NGO has held the SEE and TASTE Belize festival giving foreigners in Florida the chance to donate and experience some of what the country has to offer. Last year's festival raised a total of $160,000 and today the money was donated to the Inspiration Center. We stopped by and found out more about NGO and the large donation.

Labour Day, the Meaning Behind The Holiday
Tomorrow we will all enjoy a day off from work and school but what does Labour day really mean? Well, it's celebrating workers, but also workers unions and their rights. Today the Public Service Union of Belize sent out a release praising workers saying, quote,"We can all be proud of what we have accomplished over the years both individually and collectively. But when people stand together they can make a change.

Channel 5

I.C.J. Referendum Set for April 10, 2019
Late this evening, the Government of Belize announced that it has set the date for Belize’s decision on taking the dispute arising from Guatemala’s claim to Belize’s land and insular [...]

Ex-Mayor: We Can Document What We Did
Former Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley came out swinging today, after remaining quiet in the face of questionable city council spending that have since been exposed by his successor.  Last [...]

Darrell Bradley Insists Father Joe Signed for No Tab at Chon Sing
The tab at Chon Sing Restaurant which came up to roughly six thousand dollars, according to Bradley, is a blatant falsehood.  He says that for payment to have been approved, [...]

Former Mayor Maintains Stance on Tenure for Administrators
While he dismissed the allegation that it was indeed Joe Bradley who racked up a hefty food and beverage bill nearby, former Mayor Darrell Bradley also spoke candidly on the [...]

New Mayor Questioned Administrator’s Contract and Salary
During last Thursday’s presentation, Mayor Wagner went on record to state that in spite of all the financial mismanagement taking place at City Hall during the previous term, the city [...]

Ex-City Mayor Holds Firm
When asked about the city administrator’s contract extension and raise of pay, Bradley told News Five that he believes in remuneration based on ability.  But when pressed with the present [...]

Councilor Micah Goodin at Odds with Mayor Bernard Wagner?
Is there discontent brewing at City Hall over Mayor Wagner’s leadership style?  Earlier today, outspoken councilor Micah Goodin, in a social media post, expressed his dissatisfaction in the municipal leader.  [...]

‘Peacemaker’ Teen Stabbed Dead Over Weekend
A teenager was stabbed and killed over the weekend just around the corner from his house. Fifteen-year-old Arkel August was seriously injured on Saturday evening and by Sunday night he [...]

Gaspar Vargas Stabbed Dead in San Pedro this Evening
There was also a mid-afternoon stabbing murder in San Pedro today which claimed the life of a fifty-seven-year-old construction worker of the San Mateo area of the island. Around two- [...]

Hattieville Man Dies after Accident Caused by Fleeing Alleged Drug Smugglers
One person is dead and three others were severely injured in a traffic mishap which police say was apparently caused when they tried to avoid a vehicular checkpoint. At the [...]

Former Couple in Hospital after New Flame Wields Knife
Twenty-one-year-old Jefferson Jacobo, a Salvadoran national, is behind bars after an altercation with his girlfriend and her ex-partner. Jacobo was this morning read charges of one count of attempted murder, [...]

Crime Being Exported from Old Capital
You’ve probably noticed, but there haven’t been that many murders in Belize City since Regional Commander Senior Superintendent Howell Gillett took over in Region One in March. He has put [...]

Suspect Sought in City for Dangriga Murder
Police are still puzzling over Friday morning’s murder of Gabriel Tex Laurie Junior in the Wagierale area of Dangriga Town.  The forty-two-year-old was found seated inside the living room of [...]

Shopkeeper’s Accused Murderer is a Minor
Meanwhile, police have made an arrest for Thursday’s murder in San Pedro. Twenty-five-year-old Honduran national Reniery Figueroa Garcia, owner of Dicky’s Store in the San Mateo area, was shot to [...]

B.T.V., Guats, B.D.F. Come Together in Sarstoon for Treaty Anniversary
Today, April thirtieth, is the anniversary of the signing of the 1859 Anglo-Guatemalan Treaty which was intended to establish borders between the Belize Settlement, run by Britain, and Guatemala. Among [...]

48-Hour Reprieve as Some Squatters Leave Mount Pleasant Creek
The fourteen days notice given to squatters within the Mount Pleasant Creek Reserve area elapsed on Sunday.  Today, the Belmopan City Council, Belmopan Police and Human Development went back to [...]

I.D.B. Plans Coaches Training to Help Keep Violence Down
Two Inter-American Development Bank consultants are in Belize doing an assessment for Region One of Eastern Division in an effort to reduce violence through sports. The bank has provided funding [...]

Police Welcome More Help for Region One
Consultants Arimany and Claude Magnifico met with the regional commander, Senior Superintendent Howell Gillett, at a breakfast meeting at the Princess Hotel. Having taken command on March nineteenth, Gillett has [...]

The Sights and Sounds of the National Agriculture and Trade Show
“Let’s Get Growing” was the theme for this year’s National Agriculture and Trade Show held in Belmopan over the weekend. The total figures are not in as yet, but thousands [...]

Civic Ready for Grand Opening with all-City Basketball Showdown
The Civic Center is officially opening its doors to the Belizean public tonight for a much talked about showdown between the Smart Belize Hurricanes and the Belize City Defenders.  It’s [...]

Halftime Will Rock to Belizean Artists
Garth Guthrie has also been working tirelessly to ensure that tonight’s entertainment is technically sound.  He has been busy tweaking and fine-tuning details such as sound and lighting.  He speaks [...]

A Sporting Review of the Weekend
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.   [Highlights of the weekend sporting activities….]

LOVE FM

European Union provides over 2M worth of equipment to Sugar Industry
The European Union, last week, handed over two million dollars’ worth of equipment to the Belize Sugar Industry Control Board. These include the Sugar Industry Management Information System (SIMIS), and a Sugar Cane Testing and soil laboratory. The SIMIS is a data management and mapping tool which will store data and assist with boosting sugarcane productivity planning and organization of harvest and milling operations. The Laboratory which uses Near Infra-Red technology, will provide farmers with a fast and accurate analysis of the sugar cane quality delivered to the mill.

The ReporterMan knocked off motorcycle on George Price highway
A man was seriously injured a few minutes ago after he was knocked off his motorcycle on the George Price highway. Reports to the Reporter is that the man, who was driving a motorcycle when a car knocked him down near Red Creek school in […]

Stabbing reported in San Pedro
A man was reportedly stabbed in San Pedro this afternoon. Sketchy and unconfirmed reports are that the victim, a man, suffered a stab wound in his chest shortly after 1:00 p.m., in the San Mateo area of the island. The Reporter will have details of […]

Meat pie legend, Dario, laid to rest
Rufino Dario Hernandez – the man everyone knew as Dario – was laid to rest on Friday at the Homeland Memorial burial ground at mile 8 off the George Price highway, following a funeral service in his memory at the Holy Cathedral on North Front […]

Breaking Belize News

Belize to hold national referendum for ICJ on April 10th 2019
The Government of Belize has just announced that Cabinet has set the date for the referendum where Belize will decide whether or not to take the dispute arising from Guatemala’s claim to Belize’s continental, maritime and insular territories to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for final settlement.

Is newly elected Belize City Councillor Micah Goodin resigning or not?
Is there turmoil within the newly elected Belize City council? Or is Councillor Micah Goodin Facebook page hacked? This morning, a startling post on Micah Goodin’s personal Facebook page suggests that there may be trouble brewing within the newly elected PUP Belize City Council.

Belizean boxer wins big fight, challenges Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua
Belizean boxer, Jarrel ‘Big Baby’ Miller was successful in his recent bout at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday night beating French boxer Johann Duhaupas by unanimous decision and setting the stage for a heavyweight title fight with current unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

Man stabs father-in-law to death
Police are investigating the stabbing death of a San Pedro man, in which his own son-in-law inflicted the fatal wounds. Around 2:00 p.m. today, Gaspar Vargas, 57, a construction worker of San Mateo area, San Pedro town was socializing at home with his son-in-law, Ricardo Mendoza, 35, when they began arguing.

Export to CARICOM Round-table
EXPORT Belize, a unit of BELTRAIDE, along with the Directorate General for Foreign Trade (DGFT) of the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Commerce will join together with private sector enterprises to facilitate an Export to CARICOM Roundtable.

Benque taxi driver robbed at gunpoint
A taxi driver from Benque Viejo Town was robbed at gunpoint on Saturday, April 28th. According to reports, the taxi driver was conducting a taxi run when he picked up three Hispanic men on the Benque Viejo Road and took them to Benque Viejo Town.

Three families leave reserve in Belmopan; 5 families remain
The squatting situation in Belmopan city have gained much publicity recently since the land that the squatters took and began developing is a reserve. Today, the Belmopan City Council issued an official update on the situation.

42 Nicaraguans dead in anti-government protests
Protests and civil unrest continues in Nicaragua after a new Social Security law passed by President Daniel Ortega’s government. The law increases employer and employee contributions but decreases the overall pension amount by five percent. Thousands of students have since walked out of their universities and civil unrest has erupted in many towns and cities.

Blogs

Shopping & Plastic Free Market Day: An Easy Beautiful Afternoon in Belize City
A day trip to Belize City can seem daunting. Belize’s largest city has a sharper edge – and is most certainly less visitor friendly, less easy than many other areas of the country. Just a few days ago, I had a bunch of things to do in Belize (the city is often referred to as just Belize by locals) so I planned a day trip. I needed to buy 8 pillows, some new heavy duty frying pans and some other kitchen and gardening ware. I wanted to refill my monthly prescription for half the price that I pay in San Pedro. (And about 1/20th the price it is in the US – I checked on PharmacyChecker.com) PLUS they do a discount all weekend. I picked up some cheap toiletries too. But MOSTLY I wanted to go to Plastic Free Market Day where a selection of my favorite vendors and organizations would be participating.

International Sources

Retirement destinations: Beat the retiree crowds to these 5 places abroad
Coronado in Panama once had pristine beaches and not much else. Today the resort town is a haven for U.S. and Canadian retirees, with strip malls, fast-food joints and a lot of people speaking English. “For all the world, it’s like you’re in a U.S. beach town,” says Kathleen Peddicord, publisher of Live and Invest Overseas, a site and newsletter for people who want to work, invest or retire abroad. Belize is popular with U.S. expats for good reasons: English is the official language and the country exempts qualified retirees from many taxes, Peddicord says. Away from the more crowded Caribbean coastline, the inland Cayo district offers rainforests, lovely rivers and fertile soil for gardeners.

Seton Hill team takes to Belize
So, you thought college team work was all about sports? Think again. That's what a team of eight Seton Hill University students did when they immersed themselves in the culture of a small Central American country over the last six months. It's a long way from Greensburg, PA to Belize, but that didn't stop the Seton Hill University team from shining at a recent Model United Nations Conference in New York City where they represented the Central American nation.

Belize FW Salazar: "The Gold Cup is one of our goals"
Belize FW Michael Salazar believes that 2019/20 CONCACAF Nations League qualifying can serve as the springboard to the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup for the Central American country. Salazar, who played three matches in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup with Belize, is hopeful that the Jaguars can finish in the top 10 in the CNL and qualify for its second ever CONCACAF Gold Cup. “Returning to the Gold Cup is one of our goals, it was a great experience the first time and we want to get back to that level,” said Salazar in an exclusive interview with CONCACAF.com. “It would be huge knowing that we’ve been there before and I think our experience would help,” added Salazar.

Florida company says: 'We've beaten citrus greening'
As HLB, or Citrus Greening, continues to devastate the Florida citrus industry, many different organizations, including the citrus industry itself, researchers, and commercial manufacturers are trying to find ways to minimize or ideally eliminate the disease. ScoringAg, a Florida based food safety equipment manufacturer, has developed several different techniques that growers can use to prevent the spread of the bacteria, which is generally found to be carried by psyllids. The company has already developed and distributed their TreeSteamer© solution, which it says is ideally suited to older, mature trees. Now, it has devised a product to protect young trees.

Hundreds of human trafficking victims rescued in the Caribbean
Nearly 350 potential victims of sexual exploitation and forced labour have been rescued in an INTERPOL-coordinated operation targeting human trafficking in the Caribbean, Central and South America. More than 500 police officers in 13 countries also arrested 22 individuals during Operation Libertad (3 – 9 April), held under the INTERPOL Project to Combat Human Trafficking in the Caribbean. The Joint Regional Communications Centre (JRCC) in Barbados hosted the operational coordination centre, with specialist officers from INTERPOL’s Trafficking in Human Beings unit deployed to the region.

Videos