June 19, 2019

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Specials and Events

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

The San Pedro Sun

Rescue Team locates and rescues missing girl at sea
On Thursday, June 6th, The Rickilee Response and Rescue Team (Triple R) along with local authorities managed to find and rescue a young girl that had gone missing at Secret Beach north of San Pedro Town. The young female tourist had gone kayaking with her father without a life jacket, and after losing her, the dad returned to Secret Beach looking for help. Pirates Secret Beach Bar and Blue Bayou personnel made calls to Triple R for assistance. The Triple R Response team arrived at the scene by boat, along with Hol Chan Marine Reserve Rangers and immediately had the grid leaders get to Secret Beach.

Sea Star Belize wins Hol Chan Marine Reserve Lionfish Tournament 2019
San Pedro’s 2019 Lobster Fest opened with Hol Chan Marine Reserve’s annual Lionfish Tournament on Thursday, June 13th. Hosted at Estel’s Dine by the Sea, the tournament saw the participation of Sea Star Belize, Island Divers, and Amigos Del Mar. Teams competed in three different categories, including ‘Most Lionfish,’ ‘Largest Lionfish’ and ‘Smallest Lionfish. When all the catches had been counted and weighed, the respective winners were announced. First place went to Sea Star Belize, who caught a total of 190 fish, thus winning the grand cash prize of 2,500 dollars.

Ambergris Today

A Time When Fishermen Considered Lobsters A Pest
Before 1920 the spiny lobsters were considered trash fish or pests by the San Pedrano fishermen. The waters of Ambergris Caye were infested with them and the fishermen complained when the lobsters got trapped in their fishing nets. Although nobody was buying them commercially, the locals had discovered that it was a delicacy. So even though they spent hours at times casting them out of their fish traps, they also enjoyed this delicious yet cheap delicacy in various menus like hashed fried, boiled or steamed, or in an aphrodisiac soup called "chechac" by the locals. (probably Yucatec Maya)

Misc Belizean Sources

2019 Nursing Scholarship
The Ministry of Health in partnership with the Ministry of Education announces the opening of submissions for suitable applicants for the 2019 Nursing Scholarships. Deadline for submission is July 19th, 2019.

Scholarship Opportunity: Jovito-Perez Scholarship
Calling all youth who reside between Benque Viejo and Santa Elena Town. This opportunity is for you! Applications are available at the DYS Benque Office.

The National 4-H Youth Development Center is now accepting application forms for the Youth in Agriculture Training Course
The National 4-H Youth Development Center is now accepting application forms for the Youth in Agriculture Training Course which will operate for forty (40) weeks from September 2019 to June 2020. This course will provide enrollment opportunities for 35 youth (male or female) who are out of the formal education system, mainly from rural Belize. 20 males who do not reside in the Cayo District will be given residential status while 15 females or males will be given commuting status.

DISSOLUTION OF VILLAGE COUNCILS
WHEREAS, Section 10 (1) of the Village Councils Act Chapter 88 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2000-2003, provides that the Elections and Boundaries Commission shall, at least seven days before any general election of members of the council becomes due under the provisions of this Act or any regulations made there under, dissolve that council, by Order published in the Gazette and on the radio; AND WHEREAS, the general election of members of the Village Councils set out in the Schedule hereto becomes due during the period 23rd June, 2019 to 28th July, 2019.

Power outage 6:00am to 2:00pm on Sunday, June 23 to affect the portion of the Cayo District from Georgeville to Arenal
Including San Ignacio, Santa Elena, Benque Viejo, Georgeville, Central Farm, Esperanza, Billy White, Duck Run 1 & 2, San Miguel, Cristo Rey, San Antonio, Santa Cruz, Bullet Tree Falls, Branch Mouth, Santa Familia, Calla Creek, Corozalito, Succotz, Floral Park, Arenal and surrounding communities. Two 10-minute outages will affect Unitedville and Blackman Eddy from 6:00am – 6:10am and from 3:50pm – 4:00pm. BEL to replace poles, conduct substation and distribution system maintenance, and clear vegetation from along power lines.

Belize Archaeology Symposium 17th Annual Meeting
June 26-28, San Ignacio. The BAS is the hallmark event through which current archaeological research in Belize is shared with the people of Belize, the tourism industry and the general archaeological and anthropological community. The event will be held under the theme: “From the Early Formative to the Postclassic in Northern and Southern Belize: Challenges to the Narratives of Ancient Maya Civilization.”

Ministry of Agriculture Hosts Train-the-Trainers Workshop on Climate-Smart Agriculture
The Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) through the Japan Caribbean Climate Change Partnership (J-CCCP) is hosting a five-day Train-the-Trainers Workshop on Climate-Smart Agriculture. The training aims to strengthen the capacity of Extension and Cooperative Officers from the Ministry of Agriculture, lead farmers and high school teachers for increased resilience to climate change in the agricultural sector of Belize. The training consists of theory and practical sessions centered on the use and implementation of Climate Smart Agriculture and Farmer Field School methods using the Climate Smart Agriculture approach.

Don't miss the Placencia Lobster Fest this weekend!
The Placencia Lobster Festival is an annual event that celebrates the reopening of lobster season in Belize. Is a three day event where you can experience live music entertainment, a lot of food and drink. Belizeans and visitors come and enjoy an extensive menu of lobster dishes such as: lobster pies, grilled lobster, lobster pizza and even lobster fajitas. This event also features games like the Cast Net where players attempt to throw a fishing net over a coin on the ground, in such a way that the coin ends up in the very center of the net. You cannot miss this adventurous event where you can win prizes!

Job Vacancy: Have a passion for Belize as a sustainable destination?
As the Capacity Building & Sustainable Tourism Manager, you’ll be helping to promote Belize’s natural and cultural resources. Read on for more information.

Ya’axché Farmers' Expo
Ya’axché Farmers' Expo will happen on Saturday, 22nd of June 2019 at Indian Creek village school grounds. There will be lots of fresh, organic farm produce, live music by a DJ, food, drinks, fun games with prizes and a grand football marathon! We will be awarding outstanding farmers of the Maya Golden Landscape and having booths with information on climate-smart farming practices. Join us for a fun day at the Ya’axché Farmers' Expo!

JUAN CHUC
Juan Chuc or Juan Bautista Chuc was a Yucatec Maya General second in command of Crescencio Poot . By 1864 Bonifacio Novelo,Berdardino Cen and Crescencio Poot became the leaders of the Maya nation . While Juan Chuc became a Tata Polín(Guardian) from the Maya Cross in 1864 . Through this leadership by 1869 the Cruzo'ob Maya collected rents from the British mahogany cutters . Since the 1880's General Chuc made various trading trips to Belize City. In the 1884 Juan Chuc and some delegates from the Maya nation of Chan Santa Cruz visited Belize City to sign a peace treaty with the white Yucatecos. The Yucatecan Governer Teodocio drunk disrespected Aniceto Dzul(Maya Commander) during the celebration of the treaty .

Channel 7

8 Year old Killed By 15 Year Old Driver
The Our Lady of Guadalupe Primary school family in Belmopan is reeling after one of their own was knocked down and killed this afternoon near the school compound. 8 year old Gabriela Corales was riding her bike home after school around 3:35. When she was crossing the pedestrian ramp near Brodies, the driver of an SUV knocked her down.

The Most Dangerous Junction in Belize Proves Itself Again
A man is critical after he was knocked down this morning at the most dangerous intersection in the country. We're talking about the airport junction on the Phillip Goldson highway, which has seen more than its share of accidents and fatalities. And, this morning at 6:30, 30 year old Jimmy McLaughlin, was the latest victim. The Belize city resident was on a motorbike headed to the city when he ran into a Kia Sportage which as turning into the airport.

Danny Mason Trail Stalls Again
In Mid May we took you to the Belmopan Supreme Court to meet Danny Mason's new Guyanese lawyer Dextor Todd. That court session was mostly for Todd to get up to speed with the particulars of Mason's case. The court also appointed 4 other attorney's to represent the other accused men. As we told you in March, Todd and the other lawyers had to come on board after Herbert Panton walked off the murder trial and asked to be relieved of the defense of the 5 accused. Now, in that May session, it was decided that the trial will resume today, but that was not the case.

Social Security Defends Itself Against Political Aspersions
Last night, you heard how the PUP went "all-in" on the Management of the Social Security Board. The Opposition accused them of mismanagement, which they say has forced the crisis that will result in you having to pay more to keep the fund viable for future generations. The background is that after extensive consultations by SSB, the Government has approved a phased increase in contributions of 2 percent spread out over 3 years, starting next month. This has become urgent because there has not been an increase in the last 17 years - meaning it's 7 years overdue.

SSB CEO Colin Young Takes on PUP
And so since, CEO Colin Young took the most hits from the PUP yesterday, he also took the opportunity to respond to the allegations made against him. Here's what he had to say about their spin from yesterday: Dr. Colin Young - CEO, SSB: "When I went to present to Cabinet in January of this year, and during that presentation, while the Administration understood the financial situation of the fund, they were also very concerned about the political implications..."

When Will Social Security Come Back To Take More From Your Pay?
But, all the politicking aside, today's press conference did give the media an opportunity to ASK when workers should expect them to come back and ask for yet another increase in contributions. If the increase went immediately from 8% to 10%, it would mean that the SSB would remain viable for another 10 years before they would need to request another increase. However, the social partners rejected that, and, after a back-and-forth, the two sides agreed that a phased increase would be more easily digestible. The final decision is that come next month, you will start to pay 8.5%, and in 2020, you'll pay 9%. By 2021, the final increase kicks in, and you'll be expected to pay that 10%.

CCJ Issues Major Regional Judgement
The Caribbean Court of Justice has ruled that the Government of Guyana must call new elections. This is after the Guyanese parliament passed a no confidence motion against the David Granger administration in December of last year. That's when Charandas Persaud, a member of the Government side, joined the 32 Opposition members in supporting a no confidence motion, resulting in 33 members voting in favour of the motion and 32 voting against. That should have triggered the resignation of the President and the Cabinet, and new elections in three months, but Granger's government did not resign; it resisted - saying that 33 was not a clear majority of 35 - and even retained Belizean Senior Counsel Eamon Courtenay to make arguments before the CCJ in May.

Police Issue Mental Health Memo
How Police handle mentally ill persons has come under scrutiny since Nestor Vasquez Jr was killed in custody by Colin Francis, a dangerously violent mentally ill man. In what can only be interpreted as a deliberate act, Police put Vasquez in a cell with Francis, who beat him viciously to the head; he died from brain injuries a few days later. And now, the cops have sent out a curious memo - which seems to be urging police to take more of a hands-off approach, and, wherever possible, leave the mentally ill for the Ministry of Health to deal with.

BATSUB Has Open Court Martial For Sargeant Who Killed Man
In September of 2016, a British Military Officer ran over and killed a man at a nightclub. But the 41-year-old British Sergeant, named Lee Humphreys, attached to BATSUB was never charged for the death of 43-year-old Salvadorean Jose Chinchilla Molina. Chinchilla was crushed under his wheel and died on the spot. At the time police told us, it is not a regular criminal prosecution because of the agreement with BATSUB. Well, now, Sargeant Humphreys is facing a Court Martial - which is a military court hearing - at BATSUB headquarters in Ladyville and it is open to the public - which is a first.

Meshek Allegedly Stabbed Common Law
29 year-old Meshek Banner, an electrician from mile 8 on the George Price Highway, is at the Belize Central Prison tonight. That's after he was taken to court for allegedly stabbing his common-law wife to the right side of the chest. The incident happened on Sunday, June 16th, and police report that at around 6 a.m. on that day, they received reports of a domestic dispute at #28 Guadalupe Street. When they arrived, they found 36 year-old Orlette Sanchez suffering from that stab wound. She reported to them that she and Banner, her common-law husband, had a quarrel which escalated when he pulled a knife and stabbed her with it. She was taken to the KHMH in a stable condition. Police say she was trying to separate from him.

Entrepreneurs Rising Up
The spirit of entrepreneurship isn't easy to kindle and now, a consulting group has teamed up with the Department of Youth Services to find entrepreneurial talent among single mothers between the ages of 18-28. Samos Consulting and the Department want winning business proposals from the young mothers. One winner will be selected to qualify for startup funding, and that person will be celebrated at the Rising Entrepreneurship Gala in November.

Collective Going Strong
The Garifuna collective has resumed its world tour which will take them to a dozen countries on 3 continents. The first week took them from Switzerland to Poland where they played a variety of world music festivals. And, inc coming weeks, they'll go to the United Kingdom, Slovenia, Norway, Demark and Germany playing at several world-renowned festivals.

Channel 5

“How the U.D.P. Can Leverage S.S.B.’s Sustainability to Gain Political Advantage”
A three-page memo explaining “How the U.D.P. can leverage S.S.B.’s sustainability to gain political advantage” does exist. The document, written by Chief Executive Officer, Doctor Colin Young, with the support [...]

S.S.B. Chairman Supports C.E.O.’s Memo to Cabinet Ministers
The memo details five reasons why the United Democratic Party should implement the reform this year. The first reason listed is ‘leveraging political capital.’ The memorandum explains that it is [...]

Chairman Says S.S.B. is Not Broke
According to the opposition party, the people’s money has been pumped into projects and investments which it claims are unjustifiable. The P.U.P. is charging the C.E.O. of politicization of the [...]

P.U.P. and S.S.B. Officials Met to Discuss Contribution Reform
And finally, the P.U.P. says that the S.S.B.’s directorate has failed miserably and must be held accountable.  The party calls on the government to immediately desist from playing politics, but [...]

San Pedro Men Still Missing: 1 Vehicle Impounded, 1 Man Detained
It’s been five days since two men disappeared on Ambergris Caye. Silverio Cal and Melvin Montesino were last seen alive on Thursday night heading to the north side of the [...]

Female Student Knocked Down and Killed
A young girl was knocked down and killed this afternoon in Belmopan. The incident occurred near Our Lady of Guadalupe RC Primary School. Witnesses say that the female student was [...]

Mason’s Trial Adjourned
William Danny Mason’s murder trial has been adjourned until Monday. Today, Mason’s lawyer was a no-show for what should have been the restart of the trial in the Belmopan Supreme [...]

C.C.J.: Motion of No Confidence in Guyanese Government was Properly Passed
We have been following closely the latest political developments in Guyana since the passage of a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly last year.  This morning, the Caribbean Court of [...]

Was Charandas Persaud Eligible to Vote as Dual Citizen?
The issue of Persaud’s eligibility to vote as a dual citizen was also challenged before the C.C.J.   In Guyana, dual citizens are not allowed to run for office in elections [...]

Meshek Banner Remanded for Attempted Murder of Common-law Wife
Twenty-nine-year-old Meshek Banner, a resident of Western Paradise, appeared unrepresented in the courtroom of Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford today where he was arraigned for the attempted murder of his common-law [...]

Detainee Escapes from Custody by Casually Walking Out of Police Station
Charles Foreman Junior, who was in lawful custody for common assault against his girlfriend, has been slapped with another charge after casually walking out of the Queen Street Police Station [...]

A Look at 2014/2015 Audit Report
In January of this year, Auditor General Dorothy Ann Bradley submitted to the Prime Minister’s office her financial reports on the accounts of Belize for the year 2014/2015. In the [...]

Village Councils Dissolved for Upcoming Elections
Over the course of the next six weeks, one hundred and ninety villages will elect new councils. Village council elections are scheduled to commence on Sunday, June twenty-third.  More than [...]

Court Ruling Won’t Stop ACCSD’s Commitment to Protecting Cayo Rosario
The Ambergris Caye Citizens for Sustainable Development says a decision by the court will not stop its members from the commitment to protect Cayo Rosario. On May thirtieth, the Supreme [...]

The Fisheries Administrator Has the Final Say in Cayo Rosario
But even with the green light, is there still an opportunity to stop the project – at least when it comes to the over-the-water structures that will be erected within [...]

Sargassum Task Force Working on a National Plan
The Sargassum Task Force, which is a public-private committee charged with the responsibility to lead mitigation and adaptation measures to address the impact of Sargassum on four tourist destinations, says [...]

Sargassum Management Comes at a High Cost
And so, while the tourism stakeholders have been getting some relief, there is still the issue of sargassum and how it must be managed. The task force with support from [...]

Rising Entrepreneurship Gala is Here Again
The 2019 Rising Entrepreneurship Gala is drawing near and young business minds, particularly single mothers, are being called to come forward.  The goal is to raise eight thousand dollars that [...]

Amandala

Female security guard shot dead
A female security guard was shot dead while on duty at the Crystal Bottling Company, located on the Bowen and Bowen Ltd. Compound on the Airport Camp Road in Ladyville, at about 4:00 yesterday morning by an unknown person, or persons. Marcia Talbott, 40, of Double Head Cabbage, Belize District, was shot multiple times in her chest and died almost immediately in her guard booth, while Mansa Baptist, 41, of Bermudian Landing, Belize District, a security guard who was working with her, was shot in his left lower back. He was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he was admitted in a critical condition.

Bert Vasquez fails at Court of Appeal
Bert Vasquez, a Belize City businessman who is serving multiple sentences for sexual offences, appeared in the Court of Appeal this morning, clutching his court papers and legal documents in large manila envelopes that has become standard practice for him since he began acting as his own defense attorney at his last Supreme Court trial late last year. Vasquez managed to beat a forcible abduction rap (a charge for which he had been convicted in another case before another judge), but failed to convince the jury on the attempted rape indictment, of which they found him guilty.

Ernesto Lewis, alleged woman beater, charged with grievous harm
Ernesto Caddy Lewis, 33, a tour guide of Nargusta Street, Belmopan, who allegedly attacked his ex-common-law wife, was charged with grievous harm when he appeared today before Magistrate Michelle Trapp. Lewis pleaded not guilty to the charge and was released on bail of $3,000; his case was adjourned until August 19, and bail was granted on the condition that he doesn’t interfere with the virtual complainant, Maria Cristina Cawich, 22.

Two lives lost in traffic accidents on the Philip Goldson Highway
Road traffic accidents claimed the lives of two men in two separate incidents. The two persons who lost their lives in the traffic collisions are Castellanos Mendoza, 33 and Yancey Nelvio Eck, 30, both the father of three children. Police said that Mendoza was driving his vehicle from August Pine Ridge to Trinidad at about 9:00 p.m. Friday night when he lost control of the vehicle and it ran off the road and slammed into a culvert, causing it to overturn.

At the Court of Appeal, Deon Bruce’s attorney argues that he is being held unlawfully
Belizean national Deon Bruce, for whom the United States Government has issued an extradition request to the Belize Government, for him to be sent to trial in Chicago, Illinois, where a grand jury has indicted him for the murders of Aaron Carter and Bryan Rodgers, which occurred in July, 2010, has been at the Belize Central Prison since January 2014, from where he has been fighting his extradition case in the court. This afternoon, Bruce, 34, and his attorney, Anthony Sylvestre, appeared in the Court of Appeal to argue his ground of appeal that the committal warrant on which he has been sent to prison was irregular and did not fulfill the requirement of the extradition treaty.

Tourist Welcome Center to be constructed on Paslow Building site by year’s end
The empty land at the foot of the Belize City Swing Bridge, on the northside, where the landmark Paslow Building once stood, is being reclaimed as part of the Downtown Rejuvenation Project and will now be the location of a Tourist Welcome Center, the Ministry of Tourism announced this week. The once famous Paslow Building, which got its name from one of Belize’s slave owners, which history has recorded as having been a cruel man, was destroyed by fire in 2002. A government employee who worked at the Magistrate’s Court, which was located on the third floor, was charged with arson in connection with the fire which destroyed the building. The employee, however, was acquitted.

COBY Basketball Camp and 3 on 3 Knockout Tournaments return to Bird’s Isle, June 20-22
Returning to Belize today for his 11th Annual COBY Foundation/FIBA 33 Youth Basketball camp and tournaments for youths at Bird’s Isle is 1970s Belize basketball star, Evondale “Coby” Coburn, who will personally coordinate the weekend of activities with the cooperation of a number of his veteran basketball teammates and friends.

Belize City primary school basketball semifinals results; finals on Tuesday at Bird’s Isle
The Belize City Primary School Basketball Tournament 2019 had its male semifinal games today at the Bird’s Isle court. (Earlier games in the season were at the Civic Center.) In the first semifinal, St. Martin De Porres crushed Belize Elementary, 40-28. Tarique Solis led St. Martin’s with 17 points, while Maddox Heusner had 8 points for Belize Elementary. And in the other semifinal, St. Mary’s rolled over Holy Redeemer, 47-25. Top scorer for St. Mary’s was Jayson Orosco with 18 points, while Roy Blades led Holy Redeemer with 16 points.

FFB National Amateur League quarterfinals end; semifinals start this weekend
Starting with 20 teams, 2 each from the 10 different “football regions” of the country, it was down to the Round of 16, then the 8-team quarterfinals, all home-and-away affairs; and with the completion of the quarterfinals this past weekend, it is now down to 4 teams in the Football Federation of Belize (FFB) National Amateur League Championships 2019, which will kick off its semifinals with the first leg games this coming weekend. Three of the 4 quarterfinal series were decided in regulation, but one went all the way down to a penalty shootout, in which the Belmopan champion prevailed. Interestingly, both the Belize City based teams have made it to the semifinals.

Smart 13 & Under Mundialito continues at the MCC
All 12 teams were active on Saturday at the MCC in the 2018-2019 Closing Season of the Smart 13 & Under Mundialito. In game 1, City Boys bombed Brown Bombers, 6-1, with 3 goals from Tom Moguel, 2 from Raymond Gentle and the other from Shemar Thomas; while Fladen Carter scored for the Bombers. Game 2 saw Elite FC Jr. with a 3-nil win over Belize United, courtesy of a goal apiece from Tyrick Aranda, Norman Munoz and Kenyon Pratt.

Editorial: It will be better for the fishing family when gill nets go
Ten, twenty years ago, many fisher folk who used gill nets noticed that their catch was dwindling, realized that that method of fishing was unsustainable, and destructive, and on their own, without any prodding or legislation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, they gave up their nets. The fisher folk of today who are clinging to their gill nets don’t seem to realize that the reason they are still making a catch is because many stopped fishing that way. If those fisher folk who quit using gill nets started setting them again, the fishing industry, where it concerns scale fish, would be in much deeper trouble.

Business is the sole rationale for gay nuptials
My elder sister, Christine — I have two, and the elder is one year older than I am – and my youngest brother, Ronald, two years my junior, have been at it in our email conversations these past two weeks about gay-related matters, particularly gay marriage. I think the topic has been engaged in because Ron, a Belizean-American, is supportive of candidates for the Democratic Party, one of whom he will put his chips on to dethrone the American president, Trump. If you’ve been on a retreat you may not know that a prominent candidate for the Democrats is named Buttigieg, and he is a gay man proudly toting a husband.

Corozal’s 19th century elite
Cornelio Lizarraga, whose father came from Valladolid, in northern Yucatán, installed modern milling equipment at San Máximo, which he leased from Schofield. He married Petrona Staines (niece of Bernabé Carillo), and their daughter married Leopoldo Rosado, son of merchant José Remígio Rosado and sister of Catalina María Rosado de Schofield. Juan de la Cruz Ramírez, whose parents both came from Mérida, owned sugar mills at San Francisco and San Pedro Patchacan; from there his sons, Juan, Felipe, and Luís Felipe, expanded into stock raising and more shops, and in 1958 Luís Felipe bought the 377-acre San Pedro estate from William Schofield.

Ancient Egyptians were distinctly African
The ancient Egyptians were distinctly African people. They were not Hamites, as some history books tend to indicate. The manners and customs and religions of the ancient Egyptians suggest that the original home of their prehistoric ancestors was south in a country in the neighborhood of Uganda and Punt. (The Biblical land of Punt is believed to be in the area now known as Somalia.) In many ways, Egypt is the key to ancient African history. Unless Egypt is seen as an African nation, African history becomes distorted. The invasions of Egypt that started about 1675 B.C. and continued until after the Roman period brought into Egypt large numbers of people who were not indigenous to the country.

Accomplishments and disappointments
This is the graduation season, and I must say it makes for a lot of happy moments and I am absolutely happy and overjoyed when I see so many youths graduating and sharing this joy with their families. I know for many or the majority it has been a struggle, since many of these students are from lower- middle-income situations and even below the poverty line and come from homes where their single parent is working very hard to see them through school. Of course, there are those middle- income to upper-middle-income families who are a little bit better off and who are barely making it comfortably but still not having life as hard and challenging as others.

Melvin Montesino, 27, and Silverio Cal, 26, missing from San Pedro
Melvin Montesino, 27, and Silverio Cal, 26, both laborers of San Pedro, have been reported missing from San Pedro since Thursday, June 13. Police said that the men were socializing at a house on the island when Montesino received a phone call and told his friends that he was going to the northern San Pedro area, and he and Cal left the house on a motorcycle. They have not been seen or heard from since.

The embarrassing police promotion exam failure rate, and the departmental silence
The Belize Police Department has been silent after the news got out that there was an 80 percent failure rate at the recently held police promotion exams, which leaves the department with a number of vacant spots that need to be filled. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, who has always been forthcoming with the media, has been silent on what could be perceived as a major embarrassment on his watch, that a large number of policemen and women failed to make the promotion grade, putting the department in a predicament in terms of promoting the officers to the vacant posts which need to be filled.

Michael Hulse, 31, auto mechanic, charged with 2 counts of drug trafficking
Michael Rodney Hulse, 31, an auto mechanic of 262 Sundial Avenue, was arraigned on 2 counts of drug trafficking when he appeared on Friday, June 14, before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford. The charges were for 5.6 grams of cocaine and 52 tablets of methamphetamine. Hulse pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on bail of $5,000; his case was adjourned until August 13.

Undocumented Cubans taken to court
Seven of twelve undocumented Cubans were taken to the Orange Walk Magistrate’s Court on Friday on charges of illegal entry into Belize. Reliable reports to us are that four of them pleaded guilty and were fined $2,000, which they had to pay immediately to avoid a 6-month prison sentence, and it was ordered that they be deported afterwards. Three others remain in custody pending application for refugee status.

The Reporter

Student Dies After being Knocked Down By SUV Near School
A student from Our Lady of Guadalupe RC Primary School in Belmopan was knocked down this evening near the School. She was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the Western Regional Hospital.

Motor-Cyclist Seriously Injured In A RTA Near The Airport Junction
A motor-cyclist was seriously injured in an accident near the airport junction on the Phillip Goldson Hwy.

Breaking Belize News

Motorcycle driver in critical condition after road traffic accident
A man is in critical condition after colliding into a vehicle with his motorcycle this […]

Belmopan student dies in tragic traffic accident
A student from Our Lady of Guadalupe in Belmopan lost her life to a tragic […]

Minister of Education touring primary schools countrywide
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Patrick Faber is on a national tour to […]

Belize Represented at Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean
Director of the Women and Family Support Department in the Ministry of Human Development, Anna […]

Deon Bruce still fighting extradition
Deon Bruce was ordered to be extradited by then Chief Magistrate Ann-Marie Smith in 2013 […]

Father accused in common assault escaped police to take care of son
Charles Foreman of Pickstock Street, Belize City took advantage of a lapse in concentration by […]

Upcoming symposium to challenge what you know about child abuse
The community organization Children First and Last Belize is inviting professionals in the field of […]

Saldivar steps up bid for party leader – appoints Shary Medina as head of Women’s Brigade
By Facebook announcement this morning, candidate for leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP), John […]

A tribute to Calbert “Cinco” Flowers
By Micah Goodin:On a sunny day like this, you can be sure to find Calbert “Cinco” Flowers in […]

The Garifuna Collective embarks on Tour Europe 2019
Belize’s own, The Garifuna Collective recently embarked on its largest ever world tour. The band […]

Ministry of Agriculture hosts Train-the-Trainers Workshop on Climate-Smart Agriculture
The Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) […]

Time for the Government of Belize to implement a plan to deal with the issue of Mental Health in our country
The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not necessarily those of Breaking Belize […]

Trinity Methodist Primary burglarized over the weekend
Authorities are investigating a burglary that occurred sometime over the weekend at Trinity Methodist Primary […]

Dissolution of village councils
Today, the Government of Belize informed of the dissolution of village councils. WHEREAS, Section 10 […]

Team of chefs represent Belize in Taste of the Caribbean
Belize’s team of elite chefs will again be competing in the Taste of the Caribbean […]

Football Federation of Belize announces new coach
The Football Federation of Belize (FFB) announced, this week, that it has hired a new […]

Police: Jacinto Luna kidnap claims filled with inconsistencies
Jacinto Luna, 31, reported that he was kidnapped and a rental he was driving was […]

Belize to improve Solid Waste Management with Support of IDB and Japan
PM Barrow and Country Representative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Dr. Cassandra T. Rogers, as well as […]

LOVE FM

LOVEFM

Cops close down vendors but Peddlers license does not limit time of operation
Last week there have been some reports of vendors being ordered to shut down their operations at night. Dozens of food vendors survive by catering to people who work night shifts and patrons of nightclubs who desire a plate of rice and beans or hotdogs after burning calories at the nightclubs which are strewn across …

BTIA will hold bi-annual AGM next month
The Belize Tourism Industry Association’s bi-annual general meeting will be held next month, on July 4th at the George Price Center in Belmopan. The executive director, John Burgos, told us more about what can be expected at the meeting. John Burgos – Executive Director, BTIA: “At the end of May we presented the Sustainable Tourism …

The Trust of the Americas discusses outcomes of Open Government Project
Open Governance, Transparency and Accountability are buzz words that have been around for some time. The terms are more dominant during an election season when numerous promises are made. This next story looks at open governance minus the campaign season. It is about a project dubbed, ‘promoting an open government ecosystem in Belize’. This tripartite …

City Council pays School Bills for Students to graduate
Three thousand dollars was gifted to St. Luke Methodist Primary School last week during an official visit by the Belize City Council. Last week Mayor Bernard Wagner and Councilor Ryan Elijio stepped in to assist students who had outstanding bills with the school. Without the cash donation, the students would not have been able to …

City Bond will bring savings
The Belize City Council is preparing to deal with seasonal cash flow issues that occur this time of year. The Municipal paper, short-term financing tool is expected to raise $6 million dollars in short-term securities structured over three tranches. The tranches will have pay interest rates of 3.20%, 3.45%, and 3.70%, which is much higher …

Beachfront Hotels receive Sargassum tax relief
Sargassum has become a plague that is especially affecting tourist destinations in our country. Not only is it unsightly, but the smell is nothing short of unbearable. It has become such a problem that last year, a Sargassum Task Force was created which comprises of several institutions including the Ministry of Tourism, Belize Tourism Board, …

Videos

June 18, 2019

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Specials and Events

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

The San Pedro Sun

BELTRAIDE Completes Business Development Training at the Kolbe Foundation- Belize Central Prison
The Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE) through its technical units; the Belize Training and Employment Centre (BTEC) and the Small Business Development Centre Belize (SBDCBelize) conducted its third round of Business Development Trainings with the Kolbe Foundation- Belize Central Prison. The Business Development Training programme, which ran from May 7th – June 5th, had two components: soft skills and business development skills. BTEC led sessions on positive attitude and communication skills and SBDCBelize delivered sessions on business including topics such as: entrepreneurship lab, business model development, introduction to book-keeping, marketing your business and costing and pricing.

Ministry of Agriculture Hosts Workshop for Sheep Farmers
The Ministry of Agriculture Livestock Unit, through the Genetic Improvement in Sheep and Goat Project, hosted a one-day workshop on the June 12, 2019 at the Central Farm Livestock Unit. The workshop was based on the “Operation of Sheep Farmers” Association, Registration of Certified Breeding Sheep, Traceability and Trading System. A total of 35 sheep farmers from the Cayo District attended the training.

Silverio Cal and Melvin Montesino reported missing in San Pedro
The San Pedro Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating two island residents’ 27-year-old Silverio Cal and 26-year-old Melvin Montesino, who has been missing since Thursday, June 13th. According to the official police report, Cal and Montesino both departed from their homes in town en-route to the northern coast of Ambergris Caye on Thursday, June 13th and have not been heard from or seen since. Two days of searches have been conducted by family members and police officers in the area where they were last seen. On Friday, June 14th, during a frantic search, Police officers reported that they found a motorcycle helmet and a mirror, suspected to be from a motorcycle, on the northern beach.

U.S. Embassy Belize Hands Over New Building to Machaca Forestry Department
The U.S. Embassy handed over a new building valued at $973,000 USD ($1,946,000 BZD) to the Machaca Forestry Department of the Toledo District on June 13, 2019. The project was led by the Embassy’s Security Cooperation Office and funded by the U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) through the U.S. Southern Command.

Ambergris Today

Sargassum Task Force Update On Impact Of Sargassum
Over the last ten months, the Sargassum Task Force (STF), a public-private committee, has worked diligently to strategize possible mitigation and adaptation measures to address the impact of Sargassum on the top four impacted tourist destinations, namely, San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Hopkins and Placencia. In late 2018, Cabinet approved a set of relief support mechanisms, including a hotel tax relief for 4 months for accommodation situated on the beach front, duty exemption facility for machinery and equipment imported to support clean-up efforts and containment of the Sargassum, as well as a BZ$1.5 million to support municipalities for beach clean-up.

Misc Belizean Sources

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS IS NOW OPEN
OAS Scholarships are available for Master's and Doctoral studies in Brazil. Benefits include full tuition waiver, living and settlement expenses, and free Portuguese classes. Portuguese proficiency is not required to apply. This program is offered by the Organization of American States (OAS) and Grupo Coimbra de Universidades Brasileiras, with the support of Ministério das Relações Exteriores & PAHO-WHO. Application deadline August 7, 2019.

Mr. Christopher Nesbitt from the Maya Mountain Research Farm was one of the fifteen winners of the Commonwealth Innovation Awards
Maya Mountain Research Farm’s primary innovations include the use of tropical staple food trees in the agroforestry system, the application of biochar from crop residues to premium cultivars of cacao, turmeric, vanilla, and timber with cooperative family labour as the economic driver. Congratulations, Mr. Nesbitt!

Congratulations to Spokenword501 Group of Belize
An Embassy and produce this book "Poetic Narcotics", keep up the great job, I am proud of each of you. When Belizean voices synchronize to echo and pen our reality, identity, challenges, woes and dreams, we get a masterpiece like “Poetic Narcotics.” This is a publication birthed by talented individuals answering the magnetic pull, a need to express life in lyrics. “Poetic Narcotics” is nothing short of quenching a high that is both natural and painfully real. It is a beckoning, an invitation and an art piece that is can only be labelled as priceless.

Taiwan - Belize Friendship Fair
Saturday June 22, 10:30-4:30

Caye Caulker R.C. School gets a new playground!
The children, Principal, Teachers, staff and parents of Caye Caulker R.C. School would like to send out a big thank you to Miss Debora Rigney, Mr. Scott Rigney and their group of Barn Raisers of Indiana for this beautiful play ground, Lawn chairs and laptops that they donated to our School. Thank you to Mr. Russel Lansworth and Eujenia Heredia for the troubles of getting these out of port and shipped here to Caye Caulker. A Big Thank you to the Caye Caulker Village Council for paying the barge freight to get it here.

A beautiful day in San Antonio Cayo 2019
Was a day of cultural splendor as the maya yucatec culture of the north of Belize merged with the maya yucatec of the west of Belize to create a day of cultural pride, beauty and memorable experiences. The audience were blown away by the various dance pieces of the dynamic cultural group, Jats'uts O'ok'ot of Xaibe village, Corozal District and the presentation of the ancient maya ballgame, The Pok ta pok by the world Championship team EK Balam. A big thank you to Jats'uts O'ok'ot for opening the event with the singing of the Belize national anthem in maya and English. Thank you Professor Delmir Tzib. Timoteo Mèex. Genara Cano. Adan Palomo. Genaro Acosta and the dancers of Jats'uts O'ok'ot and all the parents for your support and commitment to successful experiences. Thanks to NICH Belize and Mr Victor Camal at Camal bus lines. Thanks to our deligent bus driver Mr Luis Moh and our conductor for safe traveling.

Belize to Improve Solid Waste Management with Support of IDB and Japan
Grant of US$500,000 will boost the country’s capabilities to manage solid waste in touristic areas and rural villages. The Prime Minister of Belize, Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, and Country Representative of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Dr. Cassandra T. Rogers, as well as IDB Executive Director Toshiyuki Yasui as witness of honor, today signed an agreement to implement a non-reimbursable Technical Cooperation (grant) to improve solid waste management in Belize by promoting the reduction and recovery of municipal solid waste generation and contributing to the expansion of coverage of municipal solid waste management to rural areas.

5th Annual Succotz Archaeology and Culture Fair
clock Sunday, July 7, 2019 at 10 AM – 5 PM. San Jose Succotz, Cayo

Channel 7

Woman Security Guard Murdered, But No Robbery Attempt, Was Talbott Targeted?
Another security guard has been shot and killed - the second in 8 days, and this time it's a woman. 40 year old Cerberus security guard Marcia Talbott also known as "Coco" was on duty at the Bowen and Bowen Crystal Bottling Company in Ladyville. Early Sunday morning gunmen crept up near the compound and opened fire on the security booth, hitting Talbott twice to the head and striking 45 year old Bermudian Landing resident Mansa Baptist to the back. Talbott was killed instantly and Baptist is at the hospital. Courtney Weatherburne has more on this ruthless attack and the It might have seemed like an ordinary day at Bowen and Bowen's Crsytal Bottling Company in Ladyville but really, there is nothing normal about coming to work and finding out that one of the security guards was shot and killed on the compound while the other is hospitalized. Security guards Marcia Talbott and Mansa Baptist were on duty on Saturday night and at around 4:00 Sunday morning, gunmen pounced on them - shooting Talbott to the head, killing her and hitting Baptist to the back.

Worries Over Missing Men in San Pedro
Two San Pedro men are missing and their families fear the worst. On Thursday night, 27-year-old Silverio Cal and 26-year-old Melvin Montesino, went to the north of the island on a motorbike and haven't been seen since. Now, you probably know that Northern Ambergris Caye has been the scene of countless murders and bodies found - and that's why the families are gravely concerned tonight. Police told us what they know so far: ASP Alejandro Cowo- OC CIB: "Aida Montecino, of a San Pedro address, visited the San Pedro Police Station and she reported that she had not seen her son since Wednesday the 13th of June. His name is Melvin Alexander Montecino, 26 years of a Sea Star Street in San Pedro. He is of Hispanic descent, medium built, about 5 feet 8 inches in height. What we understand is that on Thursday at about 9 pm he was at his address along with other friends when he received a call and thereafter departed from that location along with another friend on board of a motorcycle..."

Guate With Guns At Border
Over the weekend, police caught a Guatemalan at the Benque border with quite a stash of guns and weapons. Romeo Cardona Zapata is from El Chal Peten, but on Saturday he was in the parking lot on the Belize side of the border in a Toyota Hilux with some big guns stashed. Police told us more: Supt. Hilberto Romero, Acting Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch: "On Saturday the 15th of June 2019 around 2 pm police conducted a search on Romero Cardona Zapata, Guatemalan national, at the parking lot by the Benque border where police found on him a 9 mm pistol. A further search inside a Hilux pickup, police discovered a 12 gauge shot gun along with an assortment of ammunition for the 9 mm pistol and the shotgun. Romero Cardona Zapata has since been charged for the 2 counts of unlicensed firearm and 2 counts of possession of unlicensed ammunition."

Police Beating Victim Back To Court
On last week Thursday's news, we told you about the case of 31 year-old Michael Hulse. He's the Belize City resident from the Buttonwood Bay Area who claims that on last week Tuesday morning, a team of GSU officers barged into his home to search for illegal drugs and firearms, but ended up putting a beatdown on him, which landed him in the hospital. Police say that they found cocaine, and suspected methamphetamines in house, but he was alleging that they planted it there, in attempt to justify the brutality. Well, on last week Friday, he was arraigned before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford on 2 counts of drug trafficking. Police say that they found 5.6 grams of cocaine and 52 tablets of methamphetamine inside his house.

Dean Bruce, 6 Years Later, Still Fighting Extradition
He's been fighting his extradition to the US for almost 6 years now, and today, Belizean Deon Bruce went to the Court of Appeal to make another major attempt to stop the proceedings against him. As we told you, the US Government wants him extradited to face trial for the murder of Aron Carter and attempted murder against Aaron Rodgers. They say that on July 28th, 2010, he allegedly opened fire on both on both men. The incident happened in Chicago, Illinois, when Bruce and Carter allegedly got into a disagreement, which ended when Bruce pulled a firearm from the trunk of his vehicle, and fired at Carter and Rodgers. Rodgers escaped with his life, but Carter passed away from gunshot injuries.

Victorious Guat Presidential Ticket Has Strong Belizean Family Ties
Presidential elections were held yesterday in Guatemala and a team with strong ties to Belize won the first round of voting. Sandra Torres - who is Narda Garcia's sister - got 25% of the vote, along with her Vice Presidential Candidate former Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales, who has a Belizean wife. They are the candidates for the National Unity of Hope, UNE party. But that's just the first round of voting, now the top two candidates will have to square off in a runoff election in August. The challenge now for Torres - who is a center-left candidate - will be to fend off the candidates to the right of center - who will likely form an alliance against her.

Crashed Into A Culvert And Died
There were two fatal accidents in the north this weekend - and both happened on those well-paved new roads connecting villages in the Corozal and Orange Walk Districts. The first happened on Friday night between the villages of Trinidad and August Pine Ridge where 33 year old Casiano Mendoza crashed into a culvert and smashed his Ford pickup. He was rushed to the Northern Regional Hospital - but died shortly after.

Village Footballer Killed On High Speed Road Through Village
And while that happened in the OPRange Walk District on Friday night - last night at around 8:30 there was another fatal, this one in San Narciso village. Footballer Yancy Ek was riding on the highway that runs through the village to San Victor when he was hit by George Kawich - his own uncle - who was driving a Ford Escape. Police told us more:...

Friends Tried To Help Accident Victim
When CTV3 spoke to one of Ek's friends, he said that Ek and his buddies had been hanging out and drinking and then Ek left. He was knocked down about 15 minutes later. His friends rushed to his aid but Ek died shortly after. Here's what a friend said in Spanish: Eder Patt, Friend: "We realized what happened and we heard the bang of the accident and we went there and he was all broken up, and we saw himand we picked him up. The police nor the ambulance came so we took him in the Chairman's pick up and then he died when we were leaving Libertad Village, he grabbed my hand and told me I am going and then he died."

Four Gunmen Stormed In
There was an armed robbery at a grocery store in St, Margaret's village on Saturday evening at 5:00. Four armed men stormed into Ping An store and demanded everything from the owner and his staffers. Police have more:... Supt. Hilberto Romero: "On Saturday 15th June, 2019 around 3:40pm there was a robbery at Ping An Shop in St. Margaret's Village where 2 armed males persons entered the establishment, stole an assortment of items including cash, cell phones and a nine millimeter pistol. The proprietor reported that the male persons entered, demanded the items and then they left. We are presently looking for two suspects at this time and the investigation is ongoing."

Supreme Meats Victimized
In Belize City a meat shop was targeted on Friday night. It happened at Supreme Meats on Cemetery Road where two males, one with a knife and one with a gun held up the owners and stole everything they could get their hands on. Police told us it's two minors who did it:... ASP Alejandro Cowo- OC CIB: "Friday just after 7pm police responded to a robbery at that location, where upon arrival one of thje employee reported to the police that whilst he was cleaning inside of the business, 2 minors entered the establishment and held them at gun point stealing from them 2 cellular phones and a small amount of cash. Based on that report police arrested 2 minors yesterday for the crime of robbery. One is 15 and one is 16 years old."

Special Constable Claims Carjacking and Kidnapping
Police aren't quite sure what to make of the report from a special constable who says he was carjacked and kidnapped while he was driving a rental car. Jacinto Luna says that on Saturday at 3:00 am - two men dressed up like police stopped him own Princess Margaret drive and then went about with criminal intent. Here's moire:... ASP Alejandro Cowo- OC CIB: "At about 3 in the morning he was driving a rented vehicle along the Princess Margaret Drive when he was stopped by a vehicle and 2 male persons alighted the vehicle..."

Common Law Wife Stabbed While Trying to Separate
A 36 year old woman was stabbed in a domestic dispute this weekend. Police told us why they are taking it seriously:... ASP Alejandro Cowo- OC CIB: "On Sunday 16th June, 2019 just before 6am, police visited 28 Guadalupe Street where they observed Orlette Sanchez with an apparent stab wound to the right side of her chest. She mentioned that while she was inside of her house along with other family members, a dispute ensued between her and her common-law husband and as a result she felt a stabbing injury to her chest and thereafter realize that she was bleeding..."

PUP Blasts SSB Increase
Next month, on July 15th, all working Belizeans - and their employers - will start paying more into the Social Security fund. The government and social partner -approved increase is designed to prevent the impending collapse of the country's social security fund, which is operating at a burgeoning annual deficit. Well, the PUP has had time to digest that news, and they say that the ruling UDP Government is to blame for the struggles that SSB is facing at this time. In a press release from today, the Opposition Party starts throwing punches early when it says, quote, "The news that Belizeans will have to pay double to bail out Social Security because of UDP incompetence is an affront to every Belizean..."

Belize Best Flavors Take on The Caribbean
Right now, 5 Belizean culinary experts are preparing to compete in this year's Taste of the Caribbean. It's a regional competition in which the Caribbean's best chefs and culinary teams go up against each other to see who's the best of the best in the kitchen. It also serves a great marketing tool for each competing country to put their best dishes on display. This year, with the support of the Belize Tourism Board, the team of 5 Belizeans competing are Team manager, Rob Pronk, Senior Chef Sean Kuylen, Senior Chef Evan Longsworth, Junior Chef Rojel Lisbey, Pastry Chef Maria Urbina, and Bartender Mark Jacobs. The tournament will be held from June 22nd to the 25th in Miami, Florida.

New Italian Coach for Nat'l Team
The Football Federation of Belize is reporting tonight that they've hired a new head coach for the National Football team. He's Vicenzo Alberto Annese, and his appointment takes effect today. He's an Italian Association football manager, and a former player who has a UEFA Pro license. This allows him to coach football at the highest levels, and he has experience coaching in youth Italian academies and clubs. He also has international experience as a head coach for senior teams.

Teenaged Shanice Missing
A teenaged girl from Belize City has been missing for 5 days now. Her family and police are concerned - and tonight, they are asking for your help: Police say Shaniece Ramirez does not have a history of running away.

Kim Barrow the Beggar?
The Government of Taiwan has again come to the rescue of the Inspiration Center. The Center caters to children with special needs, but keeping it funded has been a challenge, and shortfalls are a chronic problem. Found Kim Barrow says she has had to master the art of begging to keep the center going for the children it serves:... A press release simply says that it was, quote, "a very generous monetary donation."

Solid Plan For Solid Waste
The IDB and the government of Japan have chipped in to giver Belize half a million US dollars to, quote, "boost the country's capabilities to manage solid waste in touristic areas and rural villages." Prime Minister Dean Barrow, and Country Representative for the IDB Dr. Cassandra Rogers today signed an agreement for a grant to improve solid waste management in Belize by promoting the reduction and recovery of municipal solid waste generation and contributing to the expansion of coverage of municipal solid waste management to rural areas.

Channel 5

A Deadly Father’s Day Attack on B&B Compound in Ladyville
Father’s Day for the Talbert family in Doublehead Cabbage was shattered on Sunday morning when they were informed of a tragic incident involving their loved one who was at work [...]

Father of two dies in road collision
A father of two was fatally injured in a road traffic accident on Father’s Day in the north. Police say Yancy Ek was riding his bike in San Narciso Village [...]

Road Traffic Accident in O.W. Claims Life of One Man
Thirty-three-year-old Casiano Mendoza of August Pine Ridge died as a result of a road traffic accident. He was behind the wheel of a white car which was observed in a [...]

Belize City Woman Allegedly Stabbed by Common-Law-Husband
Belize City Police are investigating a stabbing incident that left thirty-six-year-old Orlette Sanchez hospitalized. On Sunday morning, before six o’clock, officers were called out to Sanchez’s residence on Guadalupe Street [...]

PUP Alleges Political Corruption at S.S.B.
In fourteen days, the new social security contribution and pension scheme is set to take effect. The People’s United Party, however, is not happy about it. Cabinet has approved the [...]

A Special Constable is Kidnapped and Carjacked
An employee of the Belize City Council was abducted at gunpoint on Saturday morning by a pair of thieves dressed in camouflage and later released in an area along the [...]

2 Men Go Missing on North Side Ambergris Caye
Worries are mounting over the sudden disappearance of two men on northern Ambergris Caye. Twenty-seven-year-old Silverio Cal and twenty-six-year-old Melvin Montesino have not been seen or heard from since last [...]

No Lead in Recent Kidnapping of Businessman
Corozal police continue their investigations into the kidnapping of fifty-year-old Kiran Kumar Solanri. The businessman of Palmar Village in Orange Walk was robbed at gunpoint on Thursday morning as he [...]

Guatemalan Man Busted With Firearms & Ammunition at Western Border
A Guatemalan man is in police custody facing firearm charges. His name is Romeo Cardona Zepata who, on Saturday afternoon, was spotted in the parking lot on Belize’s side of [...]

Sandra Torres Ahead in Guatemala’s Presidential Elections
Sandra Torres, Guatemala’s former first lady, is leading in the Guatemalan elections, following the release of partial results today. Torres, who has ties to Belize, successfully won the first round [...]

A Writ of Habeas Corpus for Dion Bruce
Dion Bruce, wanted by the United States government for a murder he reportedly committed in Chicago in July 2010, continues to fight an extradition request, despite being locked up at [...]

Saint Margaret’s Ping An Shop Targeted by Armed Thieves
An armed robbery in Saint Margaret’s Village in Cayo has police searching for two men. The robbery was captured by security cameras which show the duo barging into Ping An [...]

Late Night Belize City Vendors Given Curfew
Late night food vendors in Belize City are being shut down at midnight on the south side and by two a.m. on the north side. From what we are told, [...]

Taiwan Embassy gives to Inspiration Center
The Embassy of the Republic of China – Taiwan has teamed up with the Inspiration Center to sponsor a number of projects this year. These projects will provide community-based rehabilitation, [...]

Belize Signs Grant for Solid Waste Improvement
A grant of five hundred thousand U.S. dollars to improve Belize’s capabilities in managing solid waste has been signed by the government and I.D.B. Country Representative Doctor Cassandra Rogers. The [...]

Traps to control the Small Hive Beetle in Belize
OIRSA has partnered with the Ministry of Education to combat an invasive pest in the north. Beekeepers in Corozal and Orange Walk will get much needed help in the form [...]

Weekend Sporting Activities with James Adderley
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.   [Highlights of the weekend in sports...]

The Reporter

Two Security Guards Shot; One Dead, One Critical
Sister of the murder victim, Ethel Garcia Talbert, told the Reporter today that they have not received much information from the Police or from Bowen and Bowen, where Marcia Talbert had been working for a year. Garcia Talbert says the family has also heard about the threats the victim allegedly received, but only since the murder.

Breaking Belize News

Bail confiscated from accused gunman in 2018 shooting incident B
It is traditionally part of bail conditions that one must attend all court dates until […]

Dr. Candice Pitts hosts successful tournament in Mesop
Dr Candice Pitts, the PUP aspirant for Mesopotamia, along with young leaders from the division, […]

Student missing for 12 days now
A Belize City student has been missing for the last 12 days. She is Shanice […]

Man, 31, charged with trafficking crack cocaine and crystal meth
Accused drug trafficker Michael Hulse, 31, pleaded not guilty to two counts of drug trafficking […]

Two minors sent to jail for armed robbery of a meat shop
A fifteen-year-old boy and a sixteen-year-old boy are on their way to the Belize Central […]

Two men missing in San Pedro Town
On Saturday a San Pedro woman visited the San Pedro Police Station to report her […]

Woman stabbed to the chest on Father’s Day
As the country celebrated Father’s Day on Sunday, a woman was the victim of domestic […]

Armed robbery inside Corozal Freezone
Last week Thursday there was a robbery at the Corozal Freezone. Orange Walk businessman Kiran […]

Guatemalan busted with weapons at western border
A Guatemalan national was busted with weapons at Belize’s western border. He is Romero Cardona […]

Armed men rob shop in St Margaret’s Village
Police are investigating a robbery in Western Belize. It occurred on Saturday afternoon at Ping […]

PUP slams GOB for Social Security increases
The People’s United Party (PUP) criticized the Government of Belize (GOB) for the recent increase […]

UB honors over 1,000 students in June Commencement Exercise
The University of Belize honored 1,145 graduates in its June Commencement Exercise held on Saturday, […]

Public service week kicks off with health fair for public servants
Today, the Ministry of Public Service began its commemoration of Public Service Week with a […]

Davina Sosa, 12, is top PSE scorer in Santa Elena Town; Also valedictorian of her school
Meet Davina Sosa, 12, from Santa Elena Town, Cayo. Sosa is the only top performer […]

Sandra Torres wins first round of Guatemala elections; poor turnout among voters in U.S.
Sandra Torres of the National Unity of Hope party (UNE) and Alejandro Giammatei of the Vamos […]

Social Security to “name and shame” lagging contributors
In the wake of the embarrassment of the Belmopan City Council being found out for lagging […]

Three men to face trial for the murder of Paul Jex
A pair of brothers and their friend from San Pedro Town will have to stand […]

Court of Appeal denies Bert Vasquez’ request to enter new evidence
On Friday in the Court of Appeal, incarcerated sex offender Bert Vasquez was denied the opportunity […]

Man must leave his hometown as part of conditions for bail
It appears the insular village of Crooked Tree in the Belize District is not big enough […]

LOVE FM

Free Zone Businessman robbed at gunpoint
A businessman who was about to conduct transactions at the Corozal Free Zone was robbed at gunpoint. Fifty year old Kiran Kumar Solanri was headed to the free zone at the border with Mexico when he was apprehended and robbed at 4:40 p.m. on last week Thursday evening. Sr. Superintendent Hilberto Romero (Acting) Head NCIB: …

Guatemalan National busted at border with guns and ammunition
Every few months, the police make checks at the Benque border with Guatemala and find Guatemalan nationals daring enough to bring weapons and ammunition over the border. Senior Superintendent Hilberto Romero, the Acting Head of the National Crimes Investigation Branch said that on Saturday at two they searched a Guatemalan National at the border parking …

Two San Pedro men missing
Police may have reasons to believe that two men of Ambergris Caye were killed. Correspondent Jorge Aldana has the story to two men, Melvin Montecino and Silverio Cal, who were reported missing and yet to be located. George Aldana – Reporter: “Authorities in San Pedro Caye are investigating a possible double murder after they found …

Two men die in separate Road Traffic Accidents
Two men died over the weekend, not as a result of gun play or foul play, but from accidents. The police say that Cassian Mendoza died on Friday in Orange Walk when he crashed and in Corozal, Yancy Eck was killed after he was knocked off his bicycle by a Ford Escape driven by Jorge …

Spousal Stabbing and suspect not caught
Domestic violence is a closed door issue that many women face but do not speak of to their families. Sometimes the abuser never gets prosecuted because it would mean sending a parent to prison. It is one of the issues that the Commissioner of Police indicated he intends the department to pursue to a greater …

Ping An Robbery Suspects Caught on Camera
Moving from the coast to the west. Criminal activity in the Cayo District continues as a shop was robbed at gunpoint. On Saturday afternoon, Ping An Shop in St. Margaret’s Village was robbed at 3:40 p.m. Senior Super Hilberto Romero says two men committed the crime. Sr. Superintendent Hilberto Romero (Acting) Head NCIB: “There …

Team Belize will compete in this year’s Taste of the Caribbean
Team Belize will once again be competing in the Taste of the Caribbean Competition being held in Miami, Florida. The competition lasts from June 22 to June 25 and the chefs who make up the team have sacrificed their Sundays to practice as much as possible before the competition starts. The media was invited to …

Supreme Meats robbed of cash
Shops in the districts are not the only victims of robbery. Lately, just about every type of businesses have been robbed including hot dog vendors and small food shacks. On Friday night a meat shop, Supreme Meats was burglarized. ASP Alejandro Cowo, the Officer in Charge of CIB for Belize City says they caught the …

Two Security Guards Shot, one killed. Was it a Hit?
41-year-old, Marcia Talbert and Manza Baptist reported to work as security guards and only had a few hours left before they were to go home. They didn’t make it home as planned, however, as one of them was killed and the other hospitalized. Here is the story. Jose Sanchez: “Two security guards were ambushed and …

Special Constable says he was Kidnapped in Rental Vehicle by Cops and released on Highway
A man who rented a vehicle for three days says he was intercepted by police on Princess Margaret Drive and ended up a victim on the Hummingbird Highway. On Saturday, Jacinto Luna, a special constable attached to the Belize City Council alleged that he was stopped by men in police uniform who bound and kidnapped …

Blogs

Buy MY GUIDE BOOK – 50 BIG Experiences on Ambergris Caye on Amazon NOW!
For the last few months, I’ve been working on a book. After 8 years of blogging about Belize, over 12 years living on Ambergris Caye and almost 2000 posts on my blog, SanPedroScoop.com, it STILL took me four months to put it together…but here it is! The guide book I would LOVE to have when visiting Ambergris Caye. 50 BIG Experiences that you can have on Ambergris Caye and all the reasons why I love them. Food, drinks, shopping, day trips…all stuff I LOVE to do and reasons why I think you will love it too. PLUS, a bonus DIY fly fishing section by Jeff Spiegel of Cayo Frances Farm and Fly. AND a bonus 9 for Caye Caulker – for a REQUIRED day trip to my other favorite island. There are maps, there are pictures.

Belize City {What to Do and See}
Belize is a popular Caribbean tourist destination and cruise stop – check out what to do in Belize City with our comprehensive guide! We visited Belize as the third stop in our recent Caribbean cruise – this is actually our second visit to Belize City and we would definitely go back a third time! On our first visit we did a zip line and cave tubing excursion (so cool!) and this time we visited Mayan ruins (absolutely incredible).

Belize: A True Melting Pot Society
When it comes to Belize, many people think of the offshore islands replete with palm trees or the incredible diversity of colorful wildlife on the mainland. But one of the best reasons to visit Belize on your vacation is to experience the different cultures in the country. Thanks to the long centuries of British rule, English is the official language of Belize, but don’t be surprised to hear a medley of different languages as you travel up and down the country, including Spanish, Mayan dialects, Garifuna, Plattdeutsch (an old-world dialect of German), Chinese, and Kriol. Many different ethnic groups have immigrated to the country over the past two centuries, adding their unique languages to the mix of tongues spoken in Belize.

San Pedro Town – The Colorful Capital of Ambergris Caye
San Pedro, Belize is perhaps the most famous location in the country due to it being featured in the hit 1986 Madonna song “La Isla Bonita” which was written about this lovely seaside town. Indeed, portions of the video for the song were filmed on location in San Pedro. Belize vacations are just not complete without a visit to San Pedro. Originally a small fishing village, it now has a year-round population of about 20,000 people but receives tens of thousands of visitors every year. San Pedro is located on the southern tip of Ambergris Caye, which makes it an excellent base of operations for activities like windsurfing, sea kayaking, kite surfing, fishing, snorkeling, sailing, and scuba diving on the reef.

Fundraiser For Corozal Animal Program
Please join us for a fun afternoon of Bingo called by our very own Teamous Newberne! DATE: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26. TIME: 2 TO 4 PM. PLACE: TORTUGA RESTAURANT. There will be cash prizes, as well as other great prizes. 100% of the funds we raise goes to CAP! Hope to see you there!

International Sources

Caribbean Innovators Recognised At Commonwealth 70th Event
THE DUKE of Sussex presented prizes to innovators in international development at a garden party celebrating the Commonwealth’s 70th anniversary in London. Fifteen trailblazers won the Commonwealth Secretary-General’s Innovation for Sustainable Development Award, with winners attending a special ceremony on Friday (Jun 7). Amongst them were the CEO of Greening the Caribbean, Wayne Neale from St Lucia , and the director of Maya Mountain Research Farm in Belize, Christopher Nesbitt . They received their awards from Prince Harry, Commonwealth Youth Ambassador.

Videos

June 17, 2019

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, and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and other specials

The San Pedro Sun

Four San Pedro girls drafted for Belize’s U-17 Female National Team
The Football Federation of Belize (FFB) recently issued the names of the players that will form Belize’s Under-17 (U-17) Female National Team to participate in the upcoming Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) U-17 Girls Qualifier in Bradenton, Florida USA in August 2019. Among the 30 young players selected are San Pedro’s Dennisa Mairena, Tanya Teul, Babee Lopez and Esther Galeano. This is not the first time Mairena, Teul and Lopez have been selected to be part of Belize’s U-17 National Team. In the past, they have been part of both Belize’s U-17 and U-15 teams and had the opportunity to represent the country internationally in several football tournaments such as Unión Centro Americana de Fútbol (UNCAF-Central American Football Union) and CONCACAF.

Wolfe’s Woofer: Job Interview
At the small hardware store in Belize City the owner saw me shopping and waved me into his office. When he got off the phone he said, “Good morning, Mr. Dennis. How is life in San Pedro?” “It’s good Abram. How is business?” “It’s almost too good,” he said. “I say that because I can barely hire enough qualified workers to keep the doors open. I run advertisements in the newspapers, and I have a sign in the window saying, ‘Help Wanted,’ too. I interview eight or ten a day but very few of them have any experience or knowledge of the hardware business.”

Global Sustainable Tourism Council Assessment Conducted in Belize City
The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MTCA), the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) and the Belize Tourism Industry Association through the World Wildlife Fund partnered with the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies to conduct a Sustainable Destination Assessment for Belize City, using the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) sustainable tourism criteria.

Doctor Love: Concerned Mother
Dear Doctor Love, My twelve-year-old daughter is already worried about how she looks. She wants a thinner waist and has decided that certain foods, pizza, for example, are bad foods. She can’t wait to grow breasts, but they have to be large ones. She talks nonstop about how other girls look and judges very quickly, who is the best looking of a group. When we watch television, she can name a lot of the plastic surgery procedures or injection any character has had.

Misc Belizean Sources

Father Snyder of Caye Caulker retires
The caye caulker community has come together to wish a Happy Birthday and bid farewell to Father William Snyder for 38 years of giving service to our island. We wish him the best for his retirement and may our Lord enrich him with good health and strength. No doubt that we will miss him and have great memories of all the church services we have shared.

Lobster Season Opens July 15th - Feb 14th
June 15th marks the OPENING of the Lobster Season 2019-2020. As we enjoy this exquisite delicacy let's do so by following the below regulations:

Ernesto "Neto" Gomez passes away
Mayor Daniel Guerrero, the San Pedro Town Council and Staff would like to extend its deepest condolences to the Gomez family and friends on the passing of Mr. Ernesto "Neto" Gomez. Don Neto will be greatly missed by the community of San Pedro and we shall always be grateful for his contribution to the fishing industry in San Pedro. We hope his friends and family find the strength in each other to overcome this great loss. May he rest in peace.

Two shot, one dead at Bowen Compound
On Sunday, 16th June, 2019, at 4:30 a.m., Police responded to a report at Bowen and Bowen compound located on BDF Road in Ladyville Village. Upon arrival at the compound, officers broke the padlock to the main entrance gate to gain access to the compound. And upon entering the compound, they found the body of 41 year old Marsha Sherie Talbott, a security guard. The body had gunshot wounds. A distance away they found Manza Baptist with a gunshot wound to the left, lower back. He was transported to the KHMH where he is listed in a critical condition, while Talbott succumbed to her injuries. The buildings were checked and no signs of forced entry was observed. The police continue to investigate.

BWS Notice for customers in parts of Belize City: Planned interruption for Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Duration: 1:00pm to 5:00pm Area to be affected: all that area bounded to the North by Haulover Creek, to the West by Central American Boulevard, to the East by West Collet Canal, and to the South by South Creek. Motorists are being advised of the following street closure: Nargusta Street, from its intersection with Central American Boulevard to its intersection with Hondo Street.

Taste of the Caribbean | Final Practice Session

CECILIO CHI
Cecilio Chi (1820 - December 13, 1848) was an indigenous Yucatec Maya leader, and revolutionary from Tepich . In 1842 he had participated in the defense of Campeche which allowed him to know the military organization . In 1846 he was chief(Batab) of his native town. He participated in the organization of a rebellion against the domination and exploitation of the Hispanics in the region. He coordinated the insurrection among others with Manuel Antonio Ay, the Cacique de Chichimilá, and Jacinto Pat, with the purpose of constituting a Maya Nation independent of Mexico, which respected the rights of the indigenous people.

Family-Friendly Magic Show in San Pedro!
Here's a special treat! This Wednesday, Master Magician Diane Gauthier will perform her magic show at The Truck Stop! Her show combines comedy and magic with audience participation to create a show that's fun and captivating for the whole family! And as if that's not enough, we'll also have live music by Dennis C. Wolfe II starting at 5pm, and we'll be showing "The Meg" on the big screen out back! There's a LOT going on this week -- Happy Lobsterfest, everyone! Wednesday, June 19, 2019 at 7 PM – 8 PM.

Channel 5

From Inmates to Entrepreneurs
Twenty residents of the Belize Central Prison proudly received their certificates for having successfully completing the Business Development Training programme. It is a programme rolled out by the Belize Trade and Investment Development Service through its technical units, the Belize Training and Employment Centre and the Small Business Development Centre Belize for the third year. The programme had two components: soft skills and business development skills. The participants were taught how to become entrepreneurs with the aim to explore more viable options upon re-entry into society.

Shooting at Crystal Bottling Company
Police have released officials details of this morning’s fatal shooting. According to police, at around 4:30am officers were call out to the Bowen and Bowen compound. Officers had to break the gate’s lock to gain entrance. There they saw the body of 41 year old Mercia Talbott with one gunshot wound to the body. The second security officer has been identified as Manza Baptist. Police say he was shot in his lower back and is in a critical condition. While searching the compound, officers saw no signs of force entry.

Crystal Bottling Company - Fatal Shooting
At approximately 4:00 AM perpetrators shot two unarmed Cerberus Security Guards near the entrance gate of Crystal Bottling Company in Ladyville, Belize, Belize. The gunshots were heard by the other Cerberus Guards, who immediately called the Police and went to the site of crime. Upon arriving at the site, Ms. Marcia Talbott was found dead in the security booth with multiple gunshot wounds, and Mr. Mansa Baptist had received gunshots to the back and was taken to KHMH in critical condition.

The Reporter

PSE Results Show Students Still Performing Well Below 70%
While there are the top performers in the Primary School Exams (PSE) whose parents and schools are celebrating and are proud of the show of excellence, the overall achievement of students from across the country generally, as in previous years, leaves much to be desired. The average score in Math was 53.9%, with 45% of students scoring an E, which is 49% or below, and defined in the grading system as inadequate.

Two Security Guards Shot; One Dead, One Critical
The second of two security guards who was shot early this morning has been identified as Mansa Baptist, 41. Mr Baptist was on duty at the Crystal Bottling Company on the BDF Road in Ladyville along with the other security officer, Marcia Talbert,.40, of Double Head Cabbage Village when they were shot.

Breaking Belize News

Guatemala votes – Sandra Torres who has part Belizean heritage is one of the early leaders for presidency
Votes are being counted in Guatemala tonight after a day of voting for a new […]

Fair weather to continue
The National Meteorological Service informs that a fresh and gusty easterly airflow continues to dominate […]

Police: Female security officer,41, murdered in Ladyville
Authorities are investigating the murder of Marsha Sherie Talbott,41, a security officer at Bowen and […]

One dead, another injured in Ladyville Shooting
This morning around 4, perpetrators shot two unarmed security guards near the entrance of Crystal […]

Blogs

Carnival Sets Up for Dia De San Pedro
It is the yearly festival on Ambergris Caye – that often coincides with the San Pedro Lobster Festival – that honors our town saint. San Pedro. Or St Peter. The patron saint of fisherman. Here are some pictures of carnival set-up. I LOVE seeing these rides – I’m not sure if I would feel the same way about getting on them.

Videos

June 16, 2019

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, and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and other specials

The San Pedro Sun

Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Workers’ Union Certified as Sole Bargaining Agent for KHMHA Employees
At a signing ceremony held on Tuesday, June 11th at the Belize City Labour Department, the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority Workers’ Union was declared the sole, certified and recognized bargaining agent for the employees of the Hospital. The Ministry encourages the Union to uphold the tenets of their constitution by supporting and working together with management in order to promote good industrial relations and improve efficiency for organizational success. The Ministry also merits the efforts of its Tripartite Body and the Board of Governors of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority on the occasion of this historic achievement.

The Fight against Child Labour: Highlighting Achievements and Charting the Way to Sustainable Results
Belize joined the international community today, June 12th, in celebrating World Day against Child Labour and highlighted the achievements of the country through the Country Level Engagement and Assistance to Reduce Child Labour II Project (CLEAR II) – an intervention that was designed to support efforts to reduce child labour. On May 22nd, 2018, the Ministry of Labour, Local Government and Rural Development launched the CLEAR II Project and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with WINROCK International for the execution of the project. WINROCK International is a non-profit organization that is globally recognized as the leader in combatting child labour through its work with governments.

Social Media Detail now a request for US Visa Application
Belizeans applying for a visa to travel to the United States of America must now provide social media details. This new regulation came into effect June 1, 2019, following a new USA State Department policy. All persons filing for a US Entry Visa will be required to provide information about social media accounts they have used in the past five years, including past usernames, email addresses, and phone numbers.

FFB U-15 and U-17 Inter-district Football Tournament underway!
For their second match in the Football Federation of Belize (FFB) Inter-district Football Tournament Under-15 (U-15) and Under-17 (U-17) Male, San Pedro Teams (U-15 and U-17) traveled to Orange Walk Town on Saturday, June 8th. Both island teams gave their best, but only the U-17 Team managed to come out victorious over the Orange Walk U-17 team with a 3-2 score. Meanwhile, San Pedro U-17 team fell short against Orange Walk U-15 team with a loss; 6-2 points. For their next match, San Pedro Teams will be traveling to Belmopan City to go against Belmopan teams on Saturday, June 15th. Both matches are going to be held at Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan City and will begin at 11AM.

Misc Belizean Sources

Belizean company Maya Mountain Research Farm wins prestigious Award in UK
MMRF applied for an award based on our work of the last 30 years in agroforestry, food security, land repair, and the last 15 years intensive work on carbon sequestration through agroforestry and biochar. Over 800 projects applied from the 53 nations and 2.4 billion people of the Commonwealth. We were were one of 15 projects accepted. The other awardees who attended the ceremony are doing truly amazing things, and it was an honor and a privilege to be among them. We would like to thank Prince Harry, and The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, Secretary General of the Commonwealth, and the many people who have worked tirelessly, for making this possible, and for being such wonderful hosts at todays awards ceremony. A special thanks is due Bilikisu Ibrahim, who took excellent care of the six prize winners who made it to London.

National Song Competition 2019 Call for Artists
This year the competition will be held in Corozal Town on August 10 at 8pm!

No whopping cough in Belize
The Ministry of Health has been alerted of a concern circulating in a social media platform group on whopping cough. At present, we have no confirmed cases of Whopping cough in the country. We are investigating two cases from the Belmopan area that were sent to us as positives for Whopping cough through a rapid test done from a private sector clinic. We have specific protocols to follow in our investigation process which includes sending the samples to our reference CARPHA laboratory in Trinidad. We are awaiting those results at this time and will update and advise the public accordingly. While we use information gathered through rumor circulation, we urge the public to only trust the information that is official through the Ministry of Health.

International Day of Yoga 2019 Belize City Free class
Sunday, June 23, 2019 at 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM. pin Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina in Belize City.

The Cultural day of San Antonio Cayo
It is a grand cultural extravaganza as dynamic cultural groups of northern Belize converge onto the village of San Antonio Cayo tomorrow June 16 for The Cultural day of San Antonio Cayo. See dance pieces by Jats'uts O'ok'ot of Xaibe village, enjoy dances by Uyil Imix ( Espiga de Maiz) seasoned dance group from San Narciso Village in Corozal district and become mesmerized by the performance of the world cup champions of The Mundo Maya Ball game of Pok ta pok, EK BALAM. We are grateful to National Institute of Culture and History of Belize and other generous sponsors for the opportunity make this great endeavor a reality. Thanks to Professor Delmer TzibTzib and the community of San Antonio Cayo for the invitation. .

42nd Annual International Herpetological Symposium
This meeting for reptile, amphibian, and crocodilian enthusiasts is next week. $75BZ/day to attend- all ages are welcome! Many young Belizeans through Crocodile Research Coalition's wildlife youth program Next Gen Croc will be presenting at the meeting.

Dead manatee at Four Mile Lagoon
Residents living along Four Mile Lagoon in Corozal report of a second dead manatee calf washed up ashore within the past week. In both instances, no visible signs of superficial injuries were noted. Residents of Four Mile Lagoon will be forming a task group to find out the probable causes of deaths on these wonderful protected animals.

Belize Electricity Limited FAmily Day
fun & sun @ KoKo King, Caye Caulker

U k’iinil Yuumo’ob Belize(Father's Day Belize)
A Yucatec Maya dad and his baby son from Orange walk district entering El Festival del Pueblo in San Lazaro(Orange Walk) . El festival del Pueblo is a place where the Maya communties in Northern Belize get together to honor their heroes, express their culture and to enjoy . Note: Picture taken by Belize Yucatec Maya/Ak Kuchkabal Maya December 16,2018 .

The Reporter

Fatherlessness & Childhood Development
By: Dr. Abigail Joseph – Father’s Day is upon us and I could not help but ponder on how weak the celebrations are with regard to this. Mother’s Day was blown totally out of proportion with flowers, talk shows, radio talks, movies dedicated to them and gifts in abundance.

ComPol Writes Officers Who Sat Police Exam
The Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, has written to the Police Officers who sat the recent Police exams. In it, he congratulated the ones who passed the test and offered a word of encouragement to those who didn’t. The letter stated in part: “Please accept my congratulations to those of you who were successful in the promotional exam.

Special Constable Says He Was Kidnapped At Gun Point By Police
A Special Constable from Belize City has told Police that he was kidnapped early this morning by men in Police uniform. According to the victim, around 3:00am this morning he was driving near the Fisheries Department on Princess Margaret Drive when he was stopped by a black pickup.

Security Guard Attacked and Killed
A Haitian national who had only just relocated to live in Belize about a year ago was murdered over the weekend during an apparent aggravated burglary at the Foam Factory compound at mile two on the George Price Highway. The body of Triple-A security guard, Jacques Jean Wilder, 34, was found around 5:05 a.m., on June 8th lying in a face-up position between two cargo trucks, with both of his hands tied behind his back.

Education Minister Faber Stands By “Compre’s” Decision
This week, the Belize National Teachers’ Union’s (BNTU) Pesident, Elena Smith criticized the board of the Belmopan Comprehensive High School, in the Reporter, for allowing 16 fourth form students who did not pass to march up in thr graduation ceremony with the rest who earned their grades.

Breaking Belize News

Support women’s cycling champion Kaya Cattouse racing in Chicago
Defending the Women’s Cross Country Cycling Classic Champion Kaya Cattouse is headed back to the […]

Sargassum Taskforce reports on its work
Since its pledge in 2018, the Government of Belize (GOB) has taken decisive action against […]

Atlantic Bank hosts second Real Estate Fair
Today, persons interested in owning their own home flocked to the Atlantic Bank Branch in Albert […]

Ministry of Health clarifies reports of whooping cough
The Ministry of Health (MOH) issued a statement today clarifying concerns of messages about whooping […]

Guatemalans to elect new President tomorrow
Tomorrow, Guatemalans will go to the polls to elect a new President and congress. If […]

Stig Da Artist hooks up with Beenie Man for re-creation of dancehall classic
“Welcome the girls dem sugar /The girls dem need this nigga, yah…” A massive regional […]

Maya Mountain Research Farm wins prestigious Commonwealth award
The Maya Mountain Research Farm (MMRF) in San Pedro Columbia in Toledo has won the […]

San Ignacio gets new traffic lights
The San Ignacio and Santa Elena town council has installed brand new traffic lights at […]

San Pedro Lobster fest kicks off today
The official opening of the annual San Pedro Lobster Festival will kick off at midday […]

International Sources

Renewables: A focus of the UAE and the Caribbean
One of the challenges encountered these days in the Caribbean is access to energy. This region is highly dependent on imported oil and other fossil fuels for transport and electricity, accounting for huge amounts of money spent every year in this sector. No doubt, this dependency negatively impacts the overall competitiveness of the region. On the other hand, climate change has contributed to unprecedented natural disaster, urging people to transit to a resilience revolution. The potential for renewable energy, based on the geographical position, is limitless — which opens the door for transforming the energy sector. International cooperation plays a major role in supporting renewable initiatives in Caribbean countries.

Antivirus pioneer John McAfee complains that he is trapped in Cuba while on run from the IRS and vows to expose 'corrupt' CIA agents if anything happens - one week after his 'body double went missing'
Eccentric security software guru turned Bitcoin entrepreneur John McAfee has said that he is stuck 'unwillingly' in Cuba, where he has issued a series of threats to expose 'corrupt' US officials he claims are unjustly pursuing him. McAfee, 73, took to the high seas in January, fleeing his heavily fortified Tennessee compound with wife Janice, 36, claiming a grand jury was preparing to indict him on tax-related charges. Meanwhile, McAfee has pressed on with his campaign for the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination for 2020, vowing run 'from exile' by utilizing surrogates wearing masks and video-conferencing equipment.

The astonishing career of William Walker
Looking back at the astonishing career of a man who took US embroilment in the rest of the Americas to extraordinary lengths. Ask someone in Central America to name a figure from US history and there's a good chance they'll say William Walker. Of course, if you mention that name to most Americans, you'll receive a blank look for your trouble. But in Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and, most especially, Nicaragua, the people know all about Colonel Walker. Just don't expect to hear anything good about him. In the world of the renaissance men, William Walker was king. Before he got ideas above his station, Walker - born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1824 - studied medicine at the Universities of Edinburgh and Heidelberg, qualified as a doctor aged just 19 in Philadelphia, practised law in New Orleans in his early twenties, bought a newspaper, the New Orleans Crescent, and appointed himself editor.

WHY BELIZE IS THE PLACE TO BE FOR LOBSTER LOVERS THIS JUNE
As we jump into summer, fishermen are jumping into the sea, on a quest for the Caribbean Spiny Lobster! The lobster season officially opened on June 14th, 2019. The best time to visit Belize is during the Lobster fest Season. As the lobster season opens, Belizeans celebrate by having the annual Belize lobster fest in three locations, San Pedro, Caye Caulker and Placencia. Take advantage as this is the time that prices drop in Belize for tourist and lobsters are especially cheaper than usual. Therefore, you can enjoy lobster in as many ways as desired.

Videos

June 15, 2019

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, and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and other specials

The San Pedro Sun

Miss Belize and Miss El Salvador announced for Reina de la Costa Maya
And then there were six! The International Costa Maya Festival – Reignited committee is excited to announce two more delegates in the 2019-2020 Miss Costa Maya Pageant. Miss Belize and Miss El Salvador join Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Panama in the quest for the coveted crown which will be won on Friday, July 26th. The pageant will see a total of eight beauty ambassadors from Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama vying for the title of Reina de la Costa Maya. Proudly representing Belize at this year’s Reina de la Costa Maya pageant is Jenelli Shanice Fraser.

LPG retail and wholesale prices receive modifications
As of Wednesday, June 12th, the Supplies Control Unit (SCU) will adjust the maximum retail and wholesale price on the sale of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). The implementation of this new price regiment for the retail price of LPG is motor vehicles, households, restaurants, hotels, and a maximum wholesale price for quantities more than 300 gallons, less than 3,000 gallons and quantities more than 3,000 gallons. The price will also vary according to district and town, with transportation fees being accounted for. In regards to maximum retail price, the new set price will see those purchasing LPG paying $1.14/$5.18 (per pound/per gallon) in Corozal, $1.15/$5.23 in Orange Walk, $1.14/$5.18 in Belize City, $1.16/$5.27 in Belmopan, $1.16/$5.27 in San Ignacio/Santa Elena, $1.17/$5.32 in Benque Viejo del Carmen, $1.18/$5.36 in Dangriga and $1.19/$5.41 in Toledo.

2019 NALC Quarterfinals begins: Los Catrachos F.C lose 5-2 against Barrack Road F.C
During the first match of the 2019 National Amateur League Championship (NALC) Football Tournament Quarterfinals playoffs, Los Catrachos F.C hosted Belize City’s Barrack Road F.C at the Ambergris Stadium in San Pedro Town on Saturday, June 8th. The match saw both teams going hard for the win, but when the long whistle blew, it was a clear 5-2 victory for Barrack Road F.C. For the second match of the 2019 NALC Quarterfinals playoffs, Los Catrachos F.C will be traveling to Belize City to go against Barrack Road F.C. The match is scheduled to start at 4PM at the MCC Grounds in Belize City. For more information on how to accompany Los Catrachos as a fan, you can call 608-6396.

Belize-Guatemala Territorial dispute official before the ICJ
On Friday, June 7th, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands officially received Guatemala’s territorial, insular and maritime claim on Belize for review and a final verdict. The decision to take the dispute to the ICJ was made following a People’s Referendum held in both countries where the “Yes to the ICJ” vote won.

Caye International Bank hosts children from Samuel Haynes Institute of Excellence
Caye International Bank hosted 52 children and ten adults from the Samuel Haynes Institute of Excellence (SHIE) from Belize City at Exotic Caye Resort from Saturday, June 8th to Sunday, June 9th. The field trip aimed to offer the children an unforgettable experience before they demolish the existing structure to make way for the new Belize Marriott Residences Ambergris Caye Resort. “We have been working with the SHIE for many years, primarily fundraising efforts. We helped create a 501 (c-3) charitable foundation in the USA to facilitate giving from both individuals and charitable organizations.

Ambergris Today

Meet Miss Belize & El Salvador For Costa Maya Pageant
This week we introduce the Miss Belize contestant for Costa Maya Pageant; she is Jenelli Shanice Fraser. She is 27 years old and is 5 feet 6 inches tall. She presently a student in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in the hopes of becoming a Forensic Psychologist to assist in the efforts of understanding criminal behavior and helping with crime prevention. Miss El Salvador is 20-years-old Debora Raquel Guadron Rauda. Debora Raquel Guadron Rauda is currently pursuing a career to be a judge and is a full-time student at Universidad de El Salvador studying Legal Sciences. She aims to become a successful businesswoman and hopes to continue to help and better her country through her career and to moreover become a well-rounded individual to improve her defects on her journey.

28 Prisoners At Kolbe Foundation Complete Business Development Training By BELTRAIDE
The Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE) through its technical units, the Belize Training and Employment Centre (BTEC) and the Small Business Development Centre Belize (SBDCBelize), conducted its third round of Business Development Trainings with the Kolbe Foundation- Belize Central Prison.

Misc Belizean Sources

Retrofitted Lucky Strike Community Center/Hurricane Shelter Inaugurated
ceremony was held on June 13, 2019, to inaugurate the Lucky Strike Community Center which has been retrofitted to serve as a hurricane shelter. Through the combined efforts of the Area Representative, the Village Council and residents, and the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government, the roof was replaced and the building retrofitted with new bathrooms, windows and doors. Additionally, the National Sports Council assisted in refurbishing the basketball court adjacent to the Community Center. Besides being fit as a disaster shelter, the repaired and upgraded building will better serve the general needs of the community.

Here are some Activities to do this Summer in Corozal
Love the time when summer is here. It is a time when they conclude their classes to register for another School year. It is a time when they take a break. Some Parents might be finding something to do in Corozal. What to do in Corozal during summer when not all children can travel abroad? Summer in Corozal has lots of activities when you are here. Corozal House of Culture will be having several activities during this summer 2019. And, your child can have a fun summer 2019. Here are some activities you can attend this year.

Opportunities in Corozal, with Belize Defense Force
2019 Recruit Selection (ages 18 to 23). Must show up on Saturday, July 20th at Corozal Drill Hall on the San Antonio Road just before the BEL office at 7:00 a.m. with all documents required. *Please contact Major R. Ramirez directly for further information.*

Community Cats of Belize - TNR Las Flores Colony!
I can appreciate the frustration of bird lovers with outdoor cats. Cats that are feral or are community cats - their population needs to be managed responsibly and humanely by humans in order to ensure their wellbeing and the wellbeing of native species of birds and reptiles. Predators are not all bad- the right balance keeps the gene pool of the prey species strong. I have started a TNR (trap/neuter/return) program in my neighborhood of Las Flores in Belmopan. I am hoping it will serve as a model for other areas in Belize. The idea is that by spaying and neutering the existing cat population, the cat's numbers will dwindle down to very few or no unwanted cats

Sargassum Task Force Update
Over the last ten months, the Sargassum Task Force (STF), a public-private committee, has worked diligently to strategize possible mitigation and adaptation measures to address the impact of Sargassum on the top four impacted tourist destinations, namely, San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Hopkins and Placencia. In late 2018, Cabinet approved a set of relief support mechanisms, including a hotel tax relief for 4 months for accommodation situated on the beach front, duty exemption facility for machinery and equipment imported to support clean-up efforts and containment of the Sargassum, as well as a BZ$1.5 million to support municipalities for beach clean-up. Based on the latter, the Task Force led the development of destination-level Sargassum management plans that focus on a four-prong strategy of collection, containment, disposal and awareness.

CLOSURE OF THE MINISTRY WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR IMMIGRATION FRIDAY 21ST JUNE 2019
The Ministry with responsibility for Immigration hereby informs the public that the Departments of Border Management and Immigration Services, Nationality and Passports, and Refugees will be closed on Friday 21st June 2019 from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm in connection with Public Service Day.

Changes in the Pump Price of Regular Gasoline
The Ministry of Finance announces that effective June 15, 2019, the pump price for Regular Gasoline will decrease by 52 cents from $10.48 to $9.96 per gallon. These price changes reflect current demand and supply conditions of crude oil in the international petroleum market and the availability of refining capacity in the countries from which the fuel is supplied to Belize.

Get Plastic Trash Off the Street!
Hi, my name is Candy and I am a business owner and proud resident of Corozal, Belize. Our community is raising $5,300 BZD to purchase a used plastics shredder and here’s why: Plastic trash is a global problem. I’m asking you to help me make Corozal an eco-jewel in the Caribbean. Corozal citizens are volunteering to clean our streets, parks and waterways of trash in organised community events. We care about the environment and beauty of our town. The community has a Keep-Corozal-Clean attitude and supports initiatives to place barrels for trash in strategic areas, like parks and along the bay-front beaches. We are educating people and getting more organised throughout our community. donation to Mama Lowe's.

BEL's NEW eReceipts!
Get an electronic receipt when you pay your electricity bill online.

Karate Summer Camp 2019
The Cayo Shotokan Karate Club is having their annual Karate Summer Camp. They'll have 6 different weeks, 3 each for younger and older children. Registration is open, and you can contact Lisa at 625-9329 for more information.

Nominations are now open for this year's National Tourism Awards!
Kindly click to submit your nomination:

New building given to the Machaca Forestry Department
The U.S. Embassy handed over a new building valued at $973,000 USD ($1,946,000 BZD) to the Machaca Forestry Department of the Toledo District on June 13, 2019. The project was led by the Embassy’s Security Cooperation Office and funded by the U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) through the U.S. Southern Command. The facility will serve as a daily operating location for the Forestry Department and will be able to accommodate joint meetings with the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) and other entities in times of disaster relief. The building houses a reception area, a conference room, three offices, storage space, a breakout room, three bathrooms, and five bunk rooms.

Ya’axché BioBlitz 2019 photos
Yearly, we engage over a hundred students from the Maya Golden Landscape in biodiversity research in the BioBlitz event. This year we hosted 120 primary school students from villages of Big Falls, San Miguel, Silver Creek, and Bladen at Ya’axché’s field station located at the heart of the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve. A special Thank You to private donors and the Protected Areas Conservation Trust for supporting this interactive annual event in southern Belize.

Channel 7

Bert Battling in Court As His Own Attorney
The last time that Bert Vasquez made the news, it was back in December of last year. That's when he was sentenced to serve 4 years for attempted rape. That's his second conviction for a sex crime, and since he was already sentenced to 10 years for the first, Justice Colin Williams, ordered that his second sentence would run consecutive to the first one. That means that he's staring down a 14-year prison sentence. But Vasquez maintains that he is innocent of both allegations, and that he didn't get a fair trial. Furthermore, he's an aspiring attorney with nothing but time on his hands to research and prepare legal arguments, so that he can represent himself in his own appeals.

The Complicated Compre Situation
Last week Wednesday, Belmopan Comprehensive High made headlines when its students sat out of exams to take a stand with teachers. They were objecting to 17 fourth form students who graduated despite not meeting the school's minimum graduation requirements. Compre is a government school and today, Minister of Education Patrick Faber, gave us his thoughts on the chaotic situation... Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education: "Our position is that, as far as I understand it, the school merely said that they will allow the students to participate in the ceremony..."

The Controversy Over Excelsior's Missing Money
The Minister also discussed controversy at another government school, Excelsior High where almost $200,000 has reportedly gone missing. The misappropriation of these government funds came under scrutiny during the investigation of the murder of Excelsior's principal, Alarice Andrewin. Here's what Faber had to say about it... Reporter: "Can you speak on the oversight of funds passed from government to schools especially in the case of Excelsior where we found out that over two hundred thousand dollars went missing or it was misuse?"

The Persistent Problem With The PSE
PSE results came out earlier this week, and the results, while steady, were not encouraging. Minister Faber told us how his Ministry plans to respond, and what strategies are being considered to improve student performance... Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education: "The results this year don't demonstrate any departure from what we are now very accustomed to and that is, for us, very concerning. Some will point out in fact that there are some areas that have gone down. I think they've said that Science has gone down a bit and those matters are concerning for us..."

Students Debate: UNCAC, The Solution or the Illusion?
Today Sacred Heart Junior College and Stann Creek Ecumenical Junior College battled it out in a debate competition at the George Price Center. The theme of the debate was "Be it resolved that the only legally binding anti-corruption instrument in the world (UNCAC), will never be able to completely eradicate corruption." It is a weighty and very relevant topic. Sacred Heart argued the affirmative side meaning that their position was that the UNCAC will never be able to completely eradicate corruption while Stann Creek Ecumenical got the negative, meaning that they argued that UNCAC can eradicate corruption. In the end, Sacred Heart Junior College was victorious. Here are few excerpts from the debate.

Human Cargo Cubans to Court
On Wednesday, before dawn there was drama on the San Antonio Road in Orange Walk when police set chase after a van loaded with illegals. The chase ended when the driver jumped out of the van and ran through the bushes - leaving his human cargo to deal with the police. They were 12 Cubans inside, nine adults and three children. Police detained the dozen and took 7 of them, 6 men and 1 female to court today.

Sargassum Smothering Beaches Leaving Them Bilgey Brown
For months now, the smelly seaweed known as Sargassum has been washing up on Belize's beaches, and coastlines of Caribbean and Central American Nations. The situation has gotten to so out-of-control in Quintana Roo that it was recently declared a state of emergency. The government of that state is addressing the situation as an "imminent natural disaster", which is threatening their tourism economy. Here in Belize, the public-private committee known as the Sargassum Task Force has been working to come up with strategies to reduce the negative impacts of sargassum on San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Hopkins, and Placencia, which all depend heavily on the tourism industry.

An Alliance To End Hunger
Yesterday the Belize Parliamentary Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition held a sensitization meeting for key stakeholders. Deputy Prime Minister, Patrick Faber attended the meeting and spoke to the media today about how the alliance plans to make Belizeans healthier, and even told us about his own personal health challenge.... Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education: "This is a collaboration of players, but what warm my heart particularly, we were able to bring together parliamentarians from different political footings..."

The Equipment Exchange
While educating us on the importance of a healthy lifestyle, Faber brought our attention to the controversial new outdoor gym equipment at the Marion Jones Stadium. The equipment was promised to the Belize City Council, but ended up in the hands of the National Sports Council which is in Faber's Ministry of Sports. Belize City Mayor, Bernard Wagner called out the Minister of Health, Pablo Marin for playing political favorites with the donation. Today Faber weighed in... Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education: "We worry about gun violence, we worry about road traffic accidents and all of these things when in fact the big killer in Belize are these diseases..."

Two Years of High School Free
Minister Faber has commenced a countrywide tour to deliver government subsidies to graduating primary school students. The initiative, which is focused mostly on rural areas, will pay for the first two years of the student's high school education. Faber told us more about the importance of these subsidies, and gave us some details on their future... Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education: "I am going around the country now engaging in what is known as the Stepping Up Ceremonies. This is the second year that we are doing it in the manner of calling it the stepping up ceremony and what it is is that we distribute the subsidy tickets to those recipients from across the country..."

High Schools and Those Funny Fees
And while the Ministry of Education is working on lowering the cost of education, Faber told us that some schools are trying to do the opposite. According to Faber, certain school across the country are adding arbitrary fees to school tuition costs, and he told us that he is working on correcting this issue... Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education: "I am noticing that there are some primary schools, I'm not ready to call their names yet, we are engaging with their managements to ask them to desist from adding on additional fees to the primary school. There are primary schools in this city now especially who have taken the bill all the way up almost $200, while the actual registration fee is only about $70-$75..."

UNCAC Debate Winners
Earlier we told you about the UNCAC Debate between Sacred Heart Junior College and Stann Creek Ecumenical Junior College at the George Price Center in Belmopan. As we told you earlier. We spoke with the winners about their preparation for this debate. UNDP along with other partners sponsored this debate competition.

US Gives To Forestry Dept.
The US Embassy has made a major donation to the Machaca Forest Department in the Toledo District. Yesterday, the Embassy handed over a new building, valued at just under 2 million Belize dollars to the Forestry Department. This new facility will serve as the location for daily operations, and it will be able to accommodate joint meetings with NEMO, during times of disaster. The building houses a reception area, a conference room, 3 offices, storage space, a breakout room, 3 bathrooms, and 5 bunk rooms.

TR Shines Spotlight
Well known musician and recording artist TR Shine has been accepted as a semi-finalist in the Yellow International Bashment Soca Competition. His song "Dip and Split", which was chosen by a panel of judges, is one of the top 25 songs in this years competition. TR stopped by our studios to tell us he need you the Belizean public's help to push further ahead in the competition: To vote and show your support for our own....a link to the website can be found on 7newsbelize.com and on TR Shine's Facebook.

A Cultural Development Fund for Projects Outside The Lines
Today NICH launched the Cultural Development Fund, a mechanism that will be used to better support cultural endeavors not directly associated with NICH's overall work plan. NICH's President, Sapna Budhrani told us more...

September Celebrations Planning Starts
September may be three months away, but the planning for Belize's annual holiday month is already underway. The September Celebrations Committee met for the first time today to begin preparations for this year's celebration. Culture Minister Faber also co-chairs that committee so he told us more... Faber also mentioned that the majority of funding for September Celebrations will be provided by the government.

Small Hive Beetle In Belize
And, finally, tonight.Beekeepers in the north are struggling with the invasion of the small hive beetle which is a bee-keeping pest. It can decimate bee colonies - and today OIRSA donated some traps to BAHA. We found out more: Most of the traps will be distributed to keepers in the north. Last year, the beetle was detected in a number of hives which were located along the north-eastern border of the Corozal District.

Channel 5

Paul Jex’s Alleged Killers to Stand Trial in October
Brothers Delson and Tionne Paguada, as well as thirty-seven-year-old Timothy Carcamo, will be tried in the October session of the Supreme Court for the January 2018 murder of Paul Jex [...]

Bert Vasquez Has His Day in Court of Appeal
In the Court of Appeal this morning, incarcerated sex offender Bert Vasquez represented himself before the bench in an attempt to appeal a conviction that was handed down in November [...]

P.S.E. Performance: Same Old, Same Old
The results of the Primary School Examinations for 2019 were released on Monday and while we have been able to speak with the top performers across the country, we did [...]

Education Minister Weighs in on Compre Graduation Fiasco
The situation at Belmopan Comprehensive High School, where teachers and students have been protesting the participation of several fourth form students in this year’s graduation, despite not meeting the requirements, [...]

Belize CitCo Introduces Municipal Paper to Address Seasonal Cash Flow Problem
The Belize City Council is facing cash flow problems. It’s a recurrent financial hurdle that all municipalities go through and it is caused by the ‘seasonal nature of tax collections’. [...]

Mayor Says Belize CitCo’s Municipal Bond Performing Well
Belize City Mayor, Bernard Wagner, also updated News Five on the municipal bonds. According to the mayor, investors in all tranches of both Series one and Series two bonds have [...]

P.U.P. Leader Says Party Ready for Village Elections
Village council elections are scheduled for this month. Elections will take place between June twenty third and the twenty-eighth. Village councils across the country have been dissolved and while not [...]

P.U.P. Leader Calls on P.S.U. President to Recover Hilltop Property
At the beginning of the month, the Public Service Union which represents tens of thousands of public officers held its annual general meeting. During the meeting, an election took place [...]

What Happened to the Senate Special Select Committee’s Report?
It has been more than a year and three months and a report on the Senate Special Select Committee’s inquiry has yet to be produced. The committee drilled and interrogated [...]

TR Shine Needs Your Vote for International Bashment Soca Monarch
Soca Dan Dada TR Shine has made it to the semi-final round of Yello International Bashment Soca Monarch Competition with his most recent track “Dip and Split.” The Belizean artist [...]

Donate Blood, Save Lives – World Blood Donor Day 2019
June fourteenth is recognized annually as World Blood Donor Day. In Belize, it is used to create awareness on the value of blood, as well as encourage voluntary donations to [...]

From Inmates to Entrepreneurs
Today, twenty residents of the Belize Central Prison proudly received their certificates for having successfully completing the Business Development Training programme. It is a programme rolled out by the Belize [...]

UNHCR Opens Refugee Resource Centre
The United Nations Human Rights Commission has opened a resource center for refugees coming into the country. It is based in Benque Viejo and is expected to provide information services, [...]

NICH Launches Cultural Development Fund
This afternoon at the Museum of Belize, the National Institute of Culture and History launched a first-of-its-kind Cultural Development Fund.  It is a program which will see local artists and [...]

September Celebrations Commission Meets to Plan Upcoming Activities
September Celebrations are set to commence in the next ten weeks, but extensive preparations are already underway to ensure that activities during the national month go off without a hitch.  [...]

Amandala

No justice for Kareem!
Mark Waight, 21, aka “Pito”, charged with the murder of popular Amandala journalist, Kareem Clarke, 27, was acquitted of the charge today by Justice Colin Williams in a trial that was without a jury. Clarke was shot and killed about 1 a.m. on July 6, 2015, while he was on Lakeview Street. The Crown, represented by Senior Crown Counsel Shanice Lovell, had relied mainly on the testimony of the witness, 54-year-old Orlet Bevans, but Bevans, who had allegedly given a statement to the police in which she said she had witnessed the shooting of Clarke by Waight, turned out to be an uncooperative witness.

Former Belize City mayor, Frank Lizama, 88, passes
Former Collet Division area representative (1984 to 1989) and Mayor of Belize City (1984 to 1989), Frank Lizama, 88, of Cemetery Road, Belize City, who had been ailing from cancer for some time, lost the battle yesterday in a hospital in Orlando, Florida, USA. Lizama, who was a master carver and teacher, had been living in Orlando, where he migrated after he was diagnosed with the dreaded disease. One of Lizama’s sons, Stanley, said his father’s body will be arriving in Belize City on Monday, and his remains will be taken to the St. Martin De Porres Church on Vernon Street in Belize City on Wednesday, where he will lie in state in the church at 1:00 p.m. The church service will commence at 2:00 p.m., after which he will be taken to the Lord Ridge Cemetery, where he will be buried with honors in the section of the cemetery that is designated for city mayors.

Hypoxia kills Sittee River fish
Amidst all the irregular climate patterns in Belize and the broader Caribbean, an equally strange occurrence known as hypoxia has been occurring in Southern Belize since last week. Concerned residents reported to the media that dead fish have been seen floating in the Sittee River, and initially, no one knew what was causing this phenomenon.. On Wednesday, the Department of the Environment (DOE) confirmed that the fish died due to a lack of oxygen, which is transported to the cells of the fish during breathing and used for metabolic reactions. According to the DOE, water samples and DNA samples from dead fish were tested and the results had proven that oxygen levels were below sustainable for the lives of the aquatic animals (a phenomenon known as hypoxia).

Judge acquits Oliver Peters, 41, of murder of his uncle
Oliver Peters, 41, who was charged with the murder of his uncle, Thomas Ferguson, Sr., 47, was found not guilty of the charge today by Justice Colin Williams in a trial that was without a jury. Ferguson, who resided on Arlington Drive, was stabbed in his chest at his residence shortly after midnight on December 7, 2013. Peters was first charged with attempted murder, but the charge was upgraded to murder when Ferguson died about two months later. The Crown, represented by Crown Counsel Portia Ferguson, had relied mainly on the evidence provided by Thomas Ferguson, Jr., the son of the deceased.

New Social Security contribution rates take effect next month
A wide cross-section of employers and employees crowded into the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s McField Conference Center to hear a presentation from the Chief Executive Officer of the Belize Social Security Board, Dr. Colin Young, on the rationale for an increase in social security contribution rates which comes into effect on July 1, 2019. At the beginning of the presentation, which was aided with Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, Dr. Young said, “We have done this presentation literally, probably close to a hundred times, as we have traversed the length and breadth of the country, from Corozal, to Punta Gorda, to Cayo, to San Pedro, talking about why it is that we need to get an increase in the contributions.”

Addressing mental health in Belize
Recently, Belize has witnessed the devastating effects that can arise from not knowing how to address mental illness. Exposure to persons suffering from mental illness is not necessarily uncharted territory for Belizeans. A large majority of the homeless demographic have been known to display characteristics that are demonstrative of living with mental disabilities; however, the concern of Belizeans has been growing considerably in light of a series of tragic incidents. Various media outlets have reported on the unfortunate incidents that have occurred within the past two weeks. Mental patient Colin Francis had been arrested and charged for attempted murder of Nurse Augustina Elijio at the Port Loyola Mental Health Daycare last Thursday – a charge for which he could not receive bail and was remanded despite his evident mental instability.

1970s football star, “Peru” Oivera back in the Jewel
It’s been over 40 years since he last set foot on his home soil, and, like the fabled “Rip Van Winkle,” it is taking some time for former Belize City and National Football champion, Rudolph “Peru” Oivera to get his bearings right. Arriving in town late last week, and leaving his Lake I, Santa Barbara Street residence on Saturday on a solo walk across the Belcan Bridge, Peru said he wasn’t familiar with the surroundings that faced him, so he postponed his intended visit to the MCC Grounds and walked back to his Santa Barbara Street home. When Peru left Belize for the U.S. in mid-1978, BEC football field was the standout feature after you crossed the Belcan; there was no Atlantic Bank building or 13-million-dollar Fire Station in that area.

National Primary School Track & Field Championships 2019
The Marion Jones Sports Complex was alive with activity on Friday, June 7, when primary school athletes from across the country converged for the one-day National Primary School Track & Field Championships, being hosted by the National Sports Council. All six districts were represented, and the competition was divided into two age categories for both females (F) and males (M). Below are the various event results in the different categories (district abbreviations: Stann Creek – SC; Corozal – Czl; Cayo – Cyo; Belize – Bze; Orange Walk – OW; Toledo – TOL):

National Over-40 football update
The past weekend saw the start of second round in the double-round robin group stage of the Football Federation of Belize (FFB) 2019 National Over-40 Tournament. All 4 games were played on Sunday, June 9. After a 2:00 p.m. kickoff time at the M.A. Stadium in Independence, it was a 1-1 stalemate between Golden Eagle Veterans and River Walk Quintas from Cayo. Andres Monroy (31’) put Golden Eagle in front, but an own goal by his teammate, Jorge Garcia (69’ OG) evened things up for the visitors.

Rural Softball scores from Crooked Tree; this Sunday in Lords Bank
The Belize Rural Female Softball Tournament 2019 continued on Sunday, June 9, with 2 games hosted in Crooked Tree Village. There are five (5) teams in the tournament: Lords Bank Sunrise (Lords Bank), Unity (Double Head Cabbage), Orchid Girls (Burrell Boom), Crooked Tree (Crooked Tree), and Arrows Reloaded (Bermudian Landing). In the opener on Sunday, Orchid Girls defeated Lords Bank Sunrise, 18-7. Winning pitcher (WP) was Yvette Flowers, and losing pitcher (LP) was Karen Hilton. In the nightcap, it was Arrows Reloaded, 14-4, over Crooked Tree. WP – Herlet Bull; LP – Kyra Gillett.

Editorial: Bullying led to death in cell
Most Belizeans know that bullying is a part of our culture, and that it is one of the worst things about us. We bully, and that includes making sport of people who we perceive to be weaker than we are. We can’t say definitively where this bullying culture derived from, but we know the European whites, with their superior weaponry and belief that people who weren’t white were inferior human beings, bullied people who were brown or black. We know that based on the European-imposed system we had, to a large extent still have, a culture where we put down people because of the color of their skins and the texture of their hair.

Brian Plummer on parliamentary supremacy
Dear Editor, Under the point of the sword, King John of England enacted the Magna Carta on 15th June, 1215, and created parliament. The principle is that everyone is subject to the law, even the king, and it guarantees the rights of individuals, the right to justice and the right to a fair trial. The problem with any rights is how you enforce them. The effective control of government is the supremacy of parliament. In the 17th century, Edward Cook wanted to make the Magna Carta above the king and above parliament.

Accomplishments and disappointments
This is the graduation season, and I must say it makes for a lot of happy moments and I am absolutely happy and overjoyed when I see so many youths graduating and sharing this joy with their families. I know for many or the majority it has been a struggle, since many of these students are from lower- middle-income situations and even below the poverty line and come from homes where their single parent is working very hard to see them through school. Of course, there are those middle- income to upper-middle-income families who are a little bit better off and who are barely making it comfortably but still not having life as hard and challenging as others. Then there are those few who come from the wealthier families, these with family names and social recognition because of their social statuses and business statuses outright.

YES was humbling, but very low risk
To my mind, the Belizeans who voted No to the ICJ did so because of the indignity of handing over our property title to the court, not so much because they were of the belief that the court would hand over Belizean territory to Guatemala. Of course it is not a done deal. Under the sun a lot of things are possible. Some things are absolutely incredible. Who would have believed, who would have believed¯help me, I’m drawing a blank here. Okay, got one¯who would have believed that the world would embrace two men jumping down church steps under a shower of rice? We know there have been crooked judges. We know there have been crazy judges. Neither is a common breed. Using the modern process of selecting judges in the democratic world, you cannot find 15 judges who fit those caps. We might have issues with the politics of some judges, but we can’t find 15 judges who are cuckoo or crooked.

Musings by the Curious Non-Conformist
I first wrote and published this piece almost in July of last year via my Facebook account entitled, “Sweet Belizean Child, I apologize.” I do not remember what news story spurred me to write this piece, but for sure it was about a child shot, and possibly, killed by a person whose trigger finger knew no mercy and whose bullet had no name. I reshare this piece today knowing that the heartless phenomena has not ended. I don’t know the number of children that were shot and killed between the year I was born, 1997 and this year, 2018, but today I remember ALL children affected by gun violence and I say the names of these children and the ages they were shot with a heavy feeling on my heart:

The Caste War and the flight from Bacalar
Bacalar was attacked by the Santa Cruz Mayas in April 1848, the rebels offering to spare the lives of its ladino inhabitants if they surrendered and left for British Honduras (Cal 1983:47; Anderson 1952:15). Thereafter, refugees from the ranchos around Bacalar moved to Belize, stopping at Douglas, Haylock’s Bank, and Four-Mile Lagoon. By July there were an estimated 1,000 ladino refugees in Belize. While ladinos retook Bacalar the following year, and many refugees returned with the troops (Reed 1964:118), most stayed, moving south along the New River: to Corozal, Back Landing, Orange Walk, San Estevan (Cal 1983:60,208).

Roger Wallis, alleged attempted child kidnapper, denied bail a third time
British national Roger Wallis, on remand for two counts of attempted kidnapping, was denied bail a third time when he appeared before Justice Antoinette Moore on Friday, June 7. Wallis’ attorney, Hurl Hamilton, reiterated the grounds for bail that had been outlined in the two previous bail applications — that Wallis has property in Belize, that he has applied for permanent residence and that he wants to make Belize his home. Hamilton also stated that Wallis is a diabetic and that he is not a flight risk.

Belama Phase 4 squatters under fire
Last Friday, a number of residents from the Belama Phase 4 area of the city converged in front of Fen Lan Company on the Philip Goldson Highway in a protest for which they did not get a permit from Belize Police Department. Police moved in and as quickly as it had started, it abruptly ended. The message, however, was sent: these residents are prepared to stand up and fight. Life for the 22 families, 18 of which are Belizeans, took a drastic turn in January when they were served with eviction notice to vacate the lands on which they have been living, some for a long as 10 years.

Starling Perez, 24, charged for killing Carlos Reyes, 48
A man who has been eluding police for about 73 days, has been arrested. Police said that Starling Perez, 24, a laborer of Jane Usher Boulevard, Belize City, who was wanted for the murder of Carlos Reyes, 48, a fisherman of Dangriga, and the shooting of Reyes’ friend and worker, Ishmael Pimentel, 23, of Sarawee, Stann Creek District, was charged with murder and attempted murder, and he has been detained pending arraignment at the Dangriga Magistrate’s Court for the offences.

Hugh Middleton, 23, charged for 28-year-old Kyne Gentle’s murder
Police investigations into the murder of Kyne Gentle, 28, a driver of Esperanza, Cayo District, led to the arrest of Hugh Middleton, 23, an unemployed resident of Roaring Creek Village. He has been charged with murder and has been detained at the San Ignacio Police Station pending arraignment for the murder charge at the San Ignacio Magistrate’s Court. The announcement was made yesterday by police.

The Reporter

Bert Vasquez Loses First Application; Appeal Not Over Yet
By Marion Ali – The application of Bert Vasquez to present new evidence at the Appeals Court has been declined. Vasquez made several applications, the rest of which have not been ruled as yet. Vasquez, who was found guilty in 2017 in the Supreme Court of forcible abduction, sexual assault, and harm against a 16 year-old, had received a 10-year sentence.

Pump Price Roller-Coaster, Regular Gas Going Down At Midnight
The Ministry of Finance announces that effective June 15, 2019, the pump price for Regular Gasoline will decrease by 52 cents from $10.48 to $9.96 per gallon. These price changes reflect current demand and supply conditions of crude oil in the international petroleum market and the availability of refining capacity in the countries from which the fuel is supplied to Belize.

City Council Declines Chang’s Parks Improvement Project
The Belize City Council, this week, declined a request from Caribbean Shores UDP hopeful, Lee Mark Chang, to install children’s play-sets made from recycled tires in a park in the constituency. Chang had made a request to the Council seeking approval to install the play-sets, an initiative spearheaded by his wife Geovanna.

The End Of The World !
Mike Rudon Jr. - It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine As I write this, and hopefully it is read by the seven faithful, I will be approaching three full weeks without a drink. Don’t haul out the champagne, kegs and fireworks just yet – I’ve been here a few times, emphasis on few. On those very few occasions, I screwed up something so royally, or messed up so bad, or lost something or someone so important to me, that I vowed never to touch another drink, ever.

DPP’s Office Seeks Retrial of Calaney Flowers
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is seeking to have the Court of Appeal overturn a not guilty verdict which the Supreme Court handed down in 2017 and the retrial of a woman who was charged with the murder of her ex-boyfriend and the attempted murder of his girlfriend at the time.

Jasmine Espat Tops PSE 2019!
The bragging rights for top performer in this year’s Primary School Exams (PSE) belongs to Saint Andrew’s Anglican Primary School in San Ignacio and 12 year-old Jasmine Espat. The young lady attained a total of 386 out of a possible 400 points on the PSE, of the 7,015 students who sat the exams.

Vasquez Family vs. Belize Police Department
A legal battle is brewing between the Vasquez family and the Belize Police Department (BPD) following the death of Nestor Vasquez Jr., 60. Vasquez died around 9:40 p.m., on June 8th due to multiple head injuries he sustained while in Police custody – at the hands of a mental health patient awaiting a charge of attempted murder.

Editorial – Friday, June 14th. 2019
There is mounting evidence that many of our marginalized young people have become radicalized to the point where they no longer have scruples about killing other people. We have seen policemen and businessmen and tourists come under attack. The recent attack on a respected high school principal and the memorable attack on a prominent lawyer bring the specter of violent death closer to middle-class families.

Breaking Belize News

Accused child kidnapper denied bail for third time
British national Roger Wallis, 63, was this week denied bail a third time ahead of […]

Ministry of Immigration will be closed for Public Service Day
The Ministry with responsibility for Immigration is notifying the public that the Departments of Border […]

Love and Hope from Taiwan
The Taiwan Embassy in Belize today announced that it is once again partnering with The […]

Police performed poorly in promotional examinations
More than three-quarters, 77 percent, of the 869 police officers who recently sat examinations for […]

NICH launches new Cultural Development Fund
Today, the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) launched its new Cultural Development Fund, […]

The Botanical Garden at Caves Branch Jungle Lodge: A tour through Nature’s kaleidoscope
It is quite easy to become so preoccupied in the everyday hustle and bustle of […]

US Department of Defence hands over million dollar building to Machaca Forestry Department
The United States Embassy’s Security Cooperation Office handed over a building to the Machaca Forestry […]

Regular gas goes down by 52 cents
The Ministry of Finance announces that effective midnight tonight, the pump price for regular gasoline […]

Risk and vulnerable youth targeted for crime prevention initiatives
On June 13, 2019, the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBSI) Technical Working Group on Crime Prevention wrapped […]

San Ignacio residents concerned about water situation
Residents in the Moratown area of San Ignacio Town are deeply concerned about the water […]

Belizean competes in Ms. New York Continental Pageant
Belizean born Jasyra Franklin, 24, is one of six contestants from the Caribbean competing for […]

Lucky Strike community center/ hurricane shelter inaugurated
The Lucky Strike community center was modified to serve as a hurricane shelter for the […]

Belizean artist makes it to semifinals in international soca competition
Belizean Artist TR Shine has been accepted as a Semi-Finalist in the Yello International Bashment […]

Belize City Council’s new fundraising venture promises a win-win for investors
The Belize City Council (CitCo) is aiming to address its short term cash flow problems […]

Mark Waight walks; trial for accused killer of journalist Kareem Clarke falls apart
Mark Waight, 21, charged as a minor with the murder of Amandala reporter Kareem Clarke on […]

Sheep farmers attend training hosted by Ministry of Agriculture
The Ministry of Agriculture Livestock Unit, through the Genetic Improvement in Sheep and Goat Project, […]

Caribbean Federation of Police writes to Police Association
The Caribbean Federation of Police Welfare Association (CFPWA) wrote to the Association of Caribbean Commissioners […]

LOVE FM

Regular Fuel Price Goes Down
Commuters will be happy to know that there has been a dip in the price of regular gasoline. At midnight tonight, the pump price for Regular Gasoline will decrease by 52 cents from $10.48 to $9.96 per gallon. Premium gasoline remains at $11.54; diesel at $10:25 and kerosene at $7:83. The government says the change of …

The Ministry of Education gives out high school subsidies
Minister Faber has also been touring around the country as a part of the “Stepping Up” ceremony. At these ceremonies, lucky students who are moving from primary to high school are able to receive a grant to help them on their education journey and take some of that financial burden away. Honorable Patrick Faber told …

Minister of Education comments on this year’s PSE results
The 2019 Primary School Examinations were released earlier this week and the results proved that schools in the rural communities are fighting to be on top. While there wasn’t a major rise or fall in the overall grades, Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, says that the education stakeholders need to “tighten up” so that the …

Summer Camps for Children
With a few weeks left for school to close, students are looking forward to the summer break and to let the fun begin. Meanwhile, parents are wondering how to keep their children occupied for the summer. Well there are a lot of organizations that will be having activities just for the children. We stopped by …

Cultural Development Fund established
Today at the Belize Museum, an opening ceremony was held in light of the Cultural Fund Development that has been established as part of a collaboration between NICH and the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture. The president of NICH, Sapna Budhrani, was able to tell us more. Sapna Budhrani – President of NICH: …

Belize City Mayor ready for new Cash Flow Plan
Rather than resorting to the high cost of overdraft bank facilities and expensive property tax discounts, the Belize City Council has devised an alternative plan to deal with cash flow issues. It intends to institute a Municipal paper, short-term financing is a useful tool for the implementation of a better cash management system. A municipal …

The Great Debaters win
There was a debate in the Capital, Belmopan. Several schools participated in the competition. It was a nerve wracking time for the competitors but education of the students on the various topics assisted the debaters. Cayo correspondent Fem Cruz spoke to the winners of the competition.

The Great Debaters winPrisoners Graduate from Entrepreneurial Program
Beltraide’s Belize Training & Employment Center (BTEC) and the Small Business Development Centre (SBDC) has been leading initiatives to help develop and grow businesses. While the services are usually offered at the BTEC offices, this time BTEC took its trainers to the Belize Central Prison. After several weeks of training, a graduation ceremony was held …

Republic of China (Taiwan) partners with Inspiration Centre
The Republic of China (Taiwan) is one of the country’s staunch allies that continues to contribute to Belize’s development. One of the ways it does this is by contributing to humanitarian and charity-oriented programs or institutions in Belize. In this regard, the Republic of China (Taiwan) is partnering with the Inspiration Centre to foster more …

Court of Appeals dismisses Bert Vasquez’s application for new evidence
This morning the Court of Appeals dismissed the application submitted by 33-year-old Bert Vasquez for new evidence to be admitted as a part of his appeal. Vasquez is appealing a judgement which was handed down against him in July 2017. In that case, Vasquez was found guilty of one count of forcible abduction and one …

Blogs

Corn – A staple on Belizean Tables!
Coming from a Mestizo household means that I have eaten a lot – A LOT – of corn! From simple corn tortillas to tamales and tamalitos, we love corn. We even consume it in traditional drinks such as atole and pozole. Not only is corn a staple in the Belizean diet, but its cultural significance is a major source of pride. You see, corn was one of the most valuable agricultural products to the original inhabitants of Belize: the Maya. Their daily lives revolved around the cultivation, trade, and consumption of this vegetable. Corn was so significant to the Maya people that they even had a Maize God to which offerings were given to ensure a bountiful crop. While that tradition is no longer observed, the Belizean populace still places much importance into the growth of corn, particularly for consumption.

International Sources

Sweet times for Stig Da Artist
Belizean singjay Stig Da Artist has high hopes that Girls Dem Suga , his collaboration with Beenie Man, will be a big hit. “Well, it's a good feeling to have a song with a dancehall legend, especially on a tamale of his classic Girls Dem Suga. I'm pretty sure the song will go places and I'm forever grateful for the opportunity,” he told the Jamaica Observer's Splash. Girls Dem Sugar, released in 2000, was a massive hit for Beenie Man and pop singer Mya.

The English-speaking country with ancient ruins, spectacular wildlife – but hardly any tourists
elize, one of only two English-speaking nations in Latin America (the other is Guyana), offers wildlife, underwater wonders, idyllic beaches and Maya ruins – yet fewer than 500,000 tourists went there in 2018, according to the latest UNWTO statistics. More people visit Colchester Zoo each year than this entire country. Here are seven good reasons to make it your next holiday destination:

Videos

June 14, 2019

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Specials and Events

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

The San Pedro Sun

Ian Gordon nabs another victory, seeks sponsorship for upcoming race in Mexico
Ian ‘Lion’ Gordon participated in and won another race in San Ignacio Town, Cayo District on Saturday, June 8th. The 20K race was organized by Mass Gym in San Ignacio and saw the participation of six runners. Gordon came out victorious over the other five contestants by finishing the race in 41 minutes and five seconds. With this victory, Gordon is confident about his next race, which is scheduled for this weekend in Toluca, Mexico on Saturday, June 15th. The Toluca 20k Run is to commemorate Father’s Day and is organized by PAVIGUE. Athletic Promotions PAVIGUE began in 1996 as a Center of Registration and Promotions of Athletic Careers in the city of Toluca, state of Mexico and the Pacific Marathon.

2019 PSE results are out: Island student AnnElyse Fleser-Perdue places second countrywide!
After Standard Six students sat through two separate days of intense Primary School Examinations (PSE), the Ministry of Education (MOE) released results on Monday, June 10th. A total of 7,280 Standard Six students sat the PSE countrywide on April 8th and May 3, 2019, testing their knowledge on the four major subjects of Mathematics, English, Science, and Social Studies. Topping the country were Jasmine Espat from St. Andrew Anglican Primary school of Cayo District with 386 out of 400 points, followed by San Pedro’s AnnElyse Fleser-Perdue from Isla Bonita Elementary School (IBES) with 380 out of 400 points, and Jasmine Tatyana Nadine Faber from St. Peter Claver Primary School of Toledo District with 379 out of 400 points.

GOB approves Social Security Contribution Reform: Contribution rate to increase
In September of 2017, the Belize Social Security Board (SSB) first proposed an increase in contributions to 10% of workers earnings, and to also raise the ceiling for insurable income. Dubbed the Contribution Reform, this new policy was recently approved by the Government of Belize and come July 1, 2019, employers and employees will be paying a higher contribution rate. According to SSB, the changes to will occur over three years, with contribution rates increasing from 0.5% to 8.5% with the ceiling for insurable earnings going up from $320 to $440.

San Pedro sees 117 students graduate from High School
The island’s two secondary education programs, San Pedro High School (SPHS) and San Pedro Adult Continuing Education (SPACE) held commencement exercises over the weekend. With a total of 117 students receiving high school diplomas. This marks a record number of students graduating on the island. First to walk to the tune of Pomp and Circumstance was SPHS Class of 2019. One hundred young men and women proudly celebrated the completion of another chapter of their education career before an audience of proud family and friends. Starting at 5PM on Saturday, June 8th at the Angel Nuñez Auditorium, the ceremonies were led by graduates Shanelly Gutierrez and Elias Zetina. After the singing of the Belize National Anthem and the SPHS school song, Ivanna Nuñez delivered the Salutatory Address.

Ambergris Today

Mother And Daughter Graduate At SP Adult Continuing Education
For the first time at San Pedro Adult Continuing Education (SPACE) in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, a mother and daughter team received their Associate's Degree from the tertiary education institution during the Graduation and Commencement Exercises that took place on Sunday, June 9, 2019. They were among seventeen students completing their Sixth Form studies under the distinguished patronage of Mr. and Mrs. Gustavo Ellis, Dean of San Pedro Junior College.

Misc Belizean Sources

Corozal ArT In ThE ParK
Saturday, June 15th at Central Park

SBDC Workshop: Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses
Presented by: Ms. Rebeca Guerrero, Marketing & Information Officer, Beltraide. Location: SEA Belize Placencia Village. Workshop Date: June 20th, 2019. Time: 9am to 3pm. In today's dynamic digital age social media is seen as a powerful tool to assist small businesses by bridging the gap of expensive marketing. With the majority of your customers in the palm of your hands, it is important to communicate and promote your business to optimize recruiting new customers and increasing sales. It allows you to receive real-time feedback, encourages sales, allows you to stay up to date with key industry trends and ultimately extend your business reach.

Caribbean Trade Organization looking for Secretary General & Chief Executive Officer
CTO vacancy | The submission deadline for the position of "Secretary General & Chief Executive Officer" has been extended to June 28, 2019. Kindly visit www.OneCaribbean.org for detailed job description.

Another Beautiful Day in San Antonio Celebration!
Come and see the Yucatec Maya culture of San Antonio Cayo. Did you know that most of the peanuts in the country come from the village of San Antonio? The village is rich in history and culture and organizers of Another Beautiful Day In San Antonio (ABDISA) hopes to bring awareness to this. ABDISA seeks to celebrate the Mayan village's identity by bringing hundreds of villagers and visitors to the village to experience a day filled with Maya traditions, food, dances, art and craft, games, educational booths, a football marathon, and a bicycle race (The Don Elijio Panti Cycling Race). We spoke with Delmer Tzib about the event and the cultural significance of the activities.

Encroachments must be removed from beach & public areas
June 7th, 2019 - In an effort to continue the Town's beautification, the San Pedro Town Council would like to notify the public that any encroachments •signs •fences •vehicles •trees •old equipment •and other objects/etc. must be removed from the beach and all other public areas. Under the Town Council's Act Chapter 87 of the Laws of Belize, Section 26 (1) Subsection (b) states: "Any person who, not being authorized by a Council by any law encroaches on a street or other public right of way by making or erecting any building, fence, ditch, or other obstacles or work of any kind upon, over or under it or planting any tree or shrubs thereon is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars and to a further sum equal to the cost incurred by the Council of the Town where the offence occurs in removing the encroachment, obstruction or matter, or in repairing any injury done.

Ministry of Agriculture Hosts Workshop for Sheep Farmers
The Ministry of Agriculture Livestock Unit, through the Genetic Improvement in Sheep and Goat Project, hosted a one-day workshop on the June 12, 2019 at the Central Farm Livestock Unit. The workshop was based on the “Operation of Sheep Farmers” Association, Registration of Certified Breeding Sheep, Traceability and Trading System. A total of 35 sheep farmers from the Cayo District attended the training. The objective of the workshop was for farmers to acquire knowledge on the importance of forming an association as well as the sharing of information to link better market resources and prices.

BELTRAIDE Completes Business Development Training at the Kolbe Foundation- Belize Central Prison
The Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE) through its technical units, the Belize Training and Employment Centre (BTEC) and the Small Business Development Centre Belize (SBDCBelize), conducted its third round of Business Development Trainings with the Kolbe Foundation- Belize Central Prison. The Business Development Training programme, which ran from May 7th – June 5th, had two components: soft skills and business development skills. BTEC led sessions on positive attitude and communication skills and SBDCBelize delivered sessions on business including topics such as: entrepreneurship lab, business model development, introductio

BKF Junior Championships
The Belize Karate Federation held their National Junior Championship over the weekend, and youths from all over the country came to compete. They have 100's of pictures from the event. Congratulations to Cayo's Kazoku Shotokan Dojyo, which won the most gold medals. They got some pictures and video too. The Cayo Shotokan Club tied for the 2nd place in gold medals.

Girls Going Global visited the Embassy
They met with Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Keith Gilges and other diplomats today. The group learned about our strong bilateral relationship with #Belize, as well as our Mission, our work, and our priorities. #GirlsGoingGlobal is a social enterprise aiming to expose African American adolescents to the cultures of the world.

Paradise playing this weekend:
Dumbo, Murder Mystery, Wonder Park, Detective Pikachu.

Lionfish LOT PARTY - Part of Lobster Fest 2019 TODAY!
Friday, June 14, 2019 at 9 AM – 4 PM, Come celebrate Lobster Fest and stamp your passport at The Commons San Pedro with Cook Inc, Iguana Juan's and Madisco serving tasty food and drinks. There will be live music and artisans. Stop by for a fun day with family and friends! Cook Inc will be serving Lionfish and traditional Arepas, drinks and desserts from 9am. We will also be featuring incredible #vegan food by Chef India from Back2live by CHEF INDIA in our shop so if you or someone in your group is vegan we will have options for them too.

Channel 7

No Justice for Journalist: Kareem Clarke's Alleged Killer Goes Free
When Amandala journalist Kareem Clarke was murdered in mid 2015 - it caused a sensation in the press corps. Clarke was a peaceful, law abiding citizen and a working reporter, and his murder showed how truly random and senseless crime can be. And tonight, any hope that his family or former media colleagues had for justice, may be slipping away. That's because the man accused of his murder, 21 year old Mark Waight was acquitted today by Justice Colin Williams in a trial without a jury. The Crown, represented by Senior Crown Counsel Shanice Lovell, had relied mainly on the testimony of a witness who claimed to have seen Waight shoot Clarke.

Businessman Jacked and Stuffed in Trunk
This morning in Orange Walk a businessman was jacked and stuffed in a car trunk. At around 11:00, 50 year old Palmar resident, Kiran Kumar Solani was robbed of $3,000US and $50,000 pesos by two creole men with firearms. They put him in the trunk of his white Toyota Camry and drove the car to the Corozal Free Zone, parked it under a shed and are believed to have fled with the cash. Solani managed to escape and called the police who have processed the vehicle for clues and are now looking for suspects.

GSU And Composite Team Accused of Serious Brutality
On Monday, Police Commissioner Chester Williams publicly acknowledged that his officers mishandled the detention of 60 year-old Nestor Vasquez Jr., which ended with him being killed by a violent, mentally ill man who was also in police custody. And tonight, police are being accused of improper behavior once again. Their accuser this time is 31 year-old Michael Hulse, an auto mechanic who lives in the Buttonwood Bay area of Belize City. He's claiming that early on Tuesday morning, officers from the GSU stormed into his house, and put a beatdown on him. They were there to search for illegal firearms and drugs, and they say that they found 5.6 grams of cocaine inside his house. That's a drug trafficking charge that he is refuting, and his attorney says he is claiming innocence, and that the drugs were planted on him.

Successfully Sued, Sedi Turns Table On Former Business Partners
He may be a Cabinet Minister, but that hasn't kept Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington out of the Courts. For some time now, he's been tangled in a lawsuit with the directors of Progresso Heights Limited. These are his former business partners, and back when he was a practicing attorney, the Corozal based real estate company retained his law firm. Elrington later became a minority shareholder in the company. Best information indicates that the business relationship between the two went completely sour in 2009. That's when they parted ways due to a bitter commercial dispute, and immediately after that, Progresso Heights sued him in the Supreme Court.

COLA's New Captain Takes Over From General Giovanni
COLA started out in 2008 as the "Citizens to Oust Lord Ashcroft" - a KREMANDALA pressure group with Bernard Adolphus as its first president. From that single issue group, it has morphed into a full fledged, broad spectrum activist group, the Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action. And the man at the helm for much of COLA's rise to national prominence has been Giovanni Brackett - the three term president. The hard-charging, hard-talking Brackett has become synonymous with COLA, but today, he surprised many when he announced that, it was time for him to take a step back.

Police Update Media On Murders
Today, at this week's second police press briefing, ASP Alejandro Cowo gave an update on the police's progress in ongoing murder investigations. In all three cases the police have arrested and charged the suspects they were searching for. Here's what Cowo had to say... ASP Alejandro Cowo - OC, CIB: "Country-wide we have three arrests for this week. The first arrest we have is reference the shooting death of Carlos Noe Reyes, which occurred on the 28th of March, 2019 at Dangrig Town. Reference that investigation police arrested Starling Perez, 24 years from Jane Usher Boulevard for the crime of murder."

Stabbing Outside "I'n'I"
Cowo also told us about a stabbing incident in Caye Caulker that took place just outside of one of the island's most recognized party spots, "I'n'I" Reggae Bar. According to reports two men started fighting outside the bar, which resulted in 21-year-old William Thomas being stabbed. Here's ASP Cowo with more... ASP Alejandro Cowo - OC, CIB: "Last night Caye Caulker police responded to a stabbing incident where they saw William Thomas, 21 years of Caye Caulker Village suffering from an apparent stab wound to the back..."

Police Make Progress in Robbery Investigation
There is an update in the case of the robbery of Bowen and Bowen Sales Supervisor Malcolm Mortis, who was held up in his company vehicle on Gabourel Lane on Tuesday. Police told us more... ASP Alejandro Cowo - OC, CIB: "There was a robbery on Tuesday, just after midday. Business sales supervisor for Bowen and Bowen Mr. Malcolm Mortis, 28 years was doing his delivery on Gabourel Lane in Belize City. WHile he was inside of his vehicle he was approached by two persons of dark complexion. One of them was armed with a firearm. The person pointed the firearm at him and as a result robbed him of his cellular phone and $1000 Belize currency. Thereafter the two male persons made good their escape. So far police have not detained anyone reference to this robbery."

One Arrest In Waste Transfer Robbery
Lastly, ASP Cowo shared more information about the robbery at the Solid Waste Transfer Station last weekend. One man suspected to be involved in the robbery has been arrested. Here's more on that story... ASP Alejandro Cowo - OC, CIB: "Reference the robbery and burglary at Solid Waste Transfer Station police arrested and charged Erwin Castillo for the crime of robbery and burglary."

Plenty Police Fail
880 police officers countrywide sat their promotional exams on May 4th. The results were released yesterday, and only 20%, or one out of every five officers passed; that means 80% failed. These officers were trying to get promotions from the rank of Constable to Corporal, from Corporal to Sergeant, and from Sergeant to Inspector. An internal document we've seen says that of the 880 officers, 685 of them - or 77.8% - failed.

Creating Opportunities Through Sewing
Late last year we told you about one of the Police Department's most unique community outreach programs, teaching single and stay-at-home mothers how to sew. The project is spearheaded by Deputy ComPol Robert Mariano, who has been sewing all his life. Today we went to a graduation ceremony for the project's newest set of seamstresses and spoke to Mariano, as well as a former student turned teacher, about the program's success... Robert Mariano, Deputy ComPol: "It started just over a year ago whilst I was officer commanding eastern division. We realize that there is a lot of people within our communities that are unemployed and I have the skills of sewing..."

Belize City Council Wants Money From Sale of Bonds
They've been discussing it for months, and yesterday the Belize City council announced that it plans to float a municipal bond. It's a 6 million dollar bond - maturing over the period of three months, six months, or a year, and paying interest rates of 3.20%, 3.45%, and 3.70% - which is more attractive than what you'd get at the bank. The council says the proceeds from the bond will allow it to alleviate short-term seasonal cash flow challenges. Instead of using costly overdraft bank facilities and expensive property discounts, the council would use the proceeds form the bond to bridge its financing needs. place before the end of July.

Come To Me, Refugee
Today the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and other related agencies officially opened up a refugee resource center in Benque Viejo del Carmen. The center will serve as a shelter for incoming refugees as well as an information hub for those attempting to seek asylum in Belize. We heard more about how the new resource center will assist refugees today...

Channel 5

Police Perform Poorly in 2019 Promotion Exams
There is disappointing news coming out of the Belize Police Department tonight, where hundreds of officers who sat last month’s promotion exams have failed to meet eligibility to move up [...]

In Defense of Corporal Eldon Arzu
Corporal Eldon Arzu, President of the Belize Police Association, is suing Commissioner of Police Chester Williams and has been granted judicial review of the legitimacy of his post as the [...]

Man is Beaten, Kidnapped and Robbed
Fifty-year-old Kiran Kumar Solanri is tonight recuperating from a frightening ordeal he experienced this morning.  Solanri, who is from Palmar Village in the Orange Walk District, told police that the [...]

Caye Caulker Stabbing Victim in Critical Condition
A Caye Caulker resident is fighting for his life at the Karl Heusner Memorial, Hospital having undergone a round of life-saving surgery today following a stabbing on the island. On [...]

Sales Supervisor is Robbed at Gunpoint on Gabourel Lane, Belize City
There is little to report from the crime blotter tonight. Just after midday on Tuesday, two thieves – one armed with a gun – held up the sales supervisor from [...]

Search Continues for Trio as Investigations Continue into Armed Burglary
Police also gave an update on the armed burglary at the Solid Waste Transfer Station in Belize City. As we had reported on Monday, a group of persons targeted the [...]

Sedi Goes Before the Court of Appeal
Foreign Minister Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington appeared before the Court of Appeal this morning where, in his private capacity as a shareholder in the legally embattled Progresso Heights Limited, is appealing [...]

Foreign Minister Elrington on I.C.J. Application
On Wednesday, the International Court of Justice issued a release in which it essentially acknowledges receipt of Belize’s application to have its territorial dispute with Guatemala resolved in that jurisdiction.  [...]

Geovanni Bracket No Longer President of COLA
Geovanni Brackett is no longer the president of Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action, COLA. Brackett passed on the baton to twenty-one-year-old Shawn Christopher Saldano who won the post in [...]

Shawn Saldano is COLA’s New President
According to Saldano, under his leadership, focus will be placed on building COLA’s membership and economic revenue.   Shawn Saldano, President, COLA “The first of which is the security of [...]

Saldano Renounces His Support for the U.D.P.
While Shawn Saldano is new to COLA, he is not necessarily new to the world of politics. Saldano worked at the Youth Department and years ago he had the aspiration [...]

Residents Cry Foul as Company Disposes of Waste
A number of residents along the Philip Goldson Highway near mile fifteen, just after the Burrell Boom cut off, are expressing concerns over what they say is a health hazard [...]

Stakeholders Discuss Challenges Affecting Girls
A national consultation to address challenges to girls’ education was held today at the Belize Institute of Management in Belize City. Private and public sector stakeholders gathered to look at [...]

Safeguarding Education for Young Girls
The idea is to get young women and girls to understand their position and value in society. There must be a multi-ministerial approach to solve the issue. Today’s consultation serves [...]

Sewing with the Ladies on Southside
The Belize Police Department, through its Community Policing Unit, is teaching south side residents how to sew through an initiative called the Community Development Sewing Programme. The police partnered up [...]

Apply Today for the National Youth Awards
Are you an active youth in your community? If you are doing good work that is making an impact, then you may qualify for the National Youth Awards.  The Department [...]

Another $15,000 Winner for Scratch & Win
There is yet another fifteen thousand-dollar winner in the recently established Scratch and Win game. Caye Caulker resident and father of one, Wilber Chi is taking home twelve thousand seven [...]

Healthy Living: Mental Health among Adolescents
A four-day gathering of mental health professionals continued today as part of an effort to finalize a tool that will be used to gather more information on the state of [...]

The Reporter

Beltraide Completes Business Development Training At The Prison
The Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE) through its technical units, the Belize Training and Employment Centre (BTEC) and the Small Business Development Centre Belize (SBDCBelize), conducted its third round of Business Development Trainings with the Kolbe Foundation- Belize Central Prison.

Man Kidnapped, Beaten, Robbed Then Taken To Free Zone
The Reporter has confirmed that a man has reported that he was beaten, robbed and kidnapped by two men this morning. According to the man, who resides in Palmar Village in the Orange Walk District, he was robbed of $3000US and $50,000 pesos by two men with guns.

Breaking Belize News

Jamaica takes field Friday as Women’s World Cup continues
The “Reggae Girlz,” Jamaica’s national women’s football team, have already made history even if they […]

COLA elects new President, Shawn Saldano
By acclamation, 21 year old youth activist Shawn Saldano was earlier this week elected president […]

Apply for a scholarship from the Government of Belize
The Government of Belize (GOB) is offering Professional and Technical Scholarship Awards for 2019. The […]

ICJ acknowledges pending Belize/Guatemala case
As a formality, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has acknowledged that the territorial dispute […]

Belize joins the Region in Fight against Hunger
Yesterday, the Belize Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition (BPAHM) hosted a sensitization meeting with […]

Erwin Castillo charged for burglary at Belize Waste Control
Belize City police have charged Erwin Castillo with the crime of robbery and burglary. Readers […]

William Thomas, 21, stabbed in Caye Caulker
A Caye Caulker man is hospitalized after he was stabbed sometime last night. He has […]

28 Inmates Complete Business Development Training at Kolbe Foundation
The Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE) through its technical units, the Belize Training […]

COLA elects new President, Shawn Saldano
By acclamation, youth activist Shawn Saldano was earlier this week elected president of Citizens Organized […]

Man charged for murder of Kyne Gentle 13 months later
Hugh Middleton, 24, has been charged with the murder of Kyne Gentle, 28. In the […]

Man charged for murder 13 months later
Hugh Middleton, 24, has been charged with the murder of Kyne Gentle, 28. In the […]

Belize joins the world in celebrating World Day against child labour
Belize joined the international community today in celebrating World Day against Child Labour and highlighted […]

A new vision for the south: third-party pledges to change the status quo
As Belize prepares for Village Council elections, a team of Villagers from Independence has stepped […]

Two cops on trial for manslaughter
Four years ago, a teenager detained by police over an alleged burglary died in their […]

LOVE FM

Paslow Building to be rebuilt as a Welcome Center
The Paslow building, which was one of Belize’s historic buildings, was built in the 1920’s and started off as a retail store. It later became the post office building, before it was burnt down in in the early 2000’s. For years, it was just a parking lot utilized by many in the congested downtown streets, …

Exposure to violence and lack of exercise linked to Teen Mental Health
Two initiatives, a Measurement of Mental Health Among Adolescents at the Population Level and Helping Adolescents Thrive, were launched earlier in the week. The initiatives, a product of collaboration between the Ministry of Health and UNICEF is expected to address the mental health of teens by assessing and eventually addressing the concerns. Love News spoke …

Alarice Andrewin Scholarship fund established
Alarice Andrewin, a dedication educator, lost her life in a tragic triple murder which shocked the country. Her family, friends, and students are still reeling from this disaster, but one of her close friends has decided to take out a scholarship in her name. The scholarship will be managed by the Ariel Rosado Foundation. The …

Helping teenage mothers to finish their education
Today at the Belize Institute of Management, a conference was held to talk about young girls and education, specifically the hindrances to these girls’ education. Diana Shaw from the Child Development Fund was able to tell us the details of what was being discussed. Diana Shaw – Child Development Foundation: “We are looking specifically at …

Elrington and Progresso Heights Ltd back in court
Wilfred Elrington and Progresso Heights Limited were back in court today. As you will recall, Wilfred Elrington was a shareholder of Progresso Heights Limited owned by an American father and son, Lawrence and Adam Schneider. In a previous case, the Caribbean Court of Justice, CCJ, had ruled in Progresso Heights Limited favour by ordering the …

COLA has a New President, Christopher Saldano
In 2007, if you asked for cola, chances are you’d be referring to a beverage sold by Bowen and Bowen. But in 2008, COLA referred to The Committee to Oust Lord Ashcroft. At its genesis, KREM Radio talk show host and KREM TV director, Mose Hyde, headed COLA’s ad hoc committee. At the time there …

Police make arrests for murders
Convictions for murders is perhaps the primary criticism of the Belize Police Department. However, the police department continues to make strides in the investigation of crimes even when they are no longer in the daily headlines. Earlier today, Assistant Superintendent of Police, and the Officer in Charge of CIB for Belize City, Alejandro Cowo told …

Shots fired after Hot Dog Vendor Robbed
There were shots fired last night in the “Back A Town” area which is behind the Belize City Centre. The police department believes the shots were fired to mask the getaway of a robbery that had just occurred on Central American Boulevard. 49 year old Reina Andino sells hotdogs and burgers, in front of Star …

Blogs

What’s Going on With SanPedroScoop? LobsterFest Starts Today!
Today is the first season of Lobster Festival. Over a week of festivities celebrating Belize’s favorite crustacean. (Least favorite? Mine are sea lice. Though barnacles really REALLY creep me out.) I’ve been busy editing and finishing this book. Here’s the story. A friend of ours visited the camp at the end of January. He was hosting two weeks of anglers from Canada at Cayo Frances Farm & Fly but more interestingly to me…he was just about to release an ebook. It clearly wasn’t the title of the book that got me…it was the idea of a BOOK. Passive income, Jordan said. Now that sounds appealing! So here I am…4 months later. Blood, sweat, tears, self doubt, misery and…a book! Passive income my ass! If the stars align, it will be available on Amazon on Monday, June 17th.

Caye Caulker - a laid-back, bohemian, Caribbean paradise....what to do and how does it compare to Placencia?
I recently spent some time in Caye Caulker, which is one of the top destinations in Belize - the top places people tend to go are Ambergris Caye, Cayo, Placencia, and Caye Caulker - about in that order. People go to Ambergris for the crazy fun, Cayo for the world-class adventure in the jungle, Placencia to experience a remote, pretty, fishing village, where you can connect to an authentic Caribbean/Central American village, and then Caye Caulker - which people go to to experience a perfect little bohemian, Caribbean island - it looks like a postcard. Caye Caulker is really easy to get to - a quick (ish) ferry from Belize City; within an hour you are there, and the ferry itself is a fun adventure. Caye Caulker is super cute the minute the ferry pulls up - it is a line of candy-colored wood buildings with appealing patios, swings, happy people, beach dogs....

International Sources

Agriculture still ‘old school’
Belize Agriculture Ministry CEO Jose Alpuche said there has been a lack of proper policy for agriculture in the region. Agriculture, he said, has been seen for a long time as a sector that survives on handouts. That has to change. Outlining efforts by farmers in Belize to access markets in other countries, Alpuche said agriculture needs to be seen more like a business.

5 Overwater Bungalow Resorts That Are So Much Easier to Get to Than Bora Bora
Maldives, Bora Bora and Tahiti—these are all high on our list of dream trips, especially since their luxury hoteliers are the O.G. pioneers of overwater accommodations. But factor in a couple thousand dollars on your flight and 15- to 20-plus hours up in the air, and you'll find the allure wanes a bit. That’s why we couldn’t be more thrilled that resorts in Belize, Mexico, St. Lucia and more have jumped on the overwater bungalow bandwagon. A couple hundred bucks and only a couple hours to get to these desirable destinations? Consider our bags packed.

Patterns with a purpose: Local girls sew dresses, send to Belize
In a world with so much negativity, there is a group of local girls who are working diligently to make a positive impact. That impact will be felt far beyond the boundaries of Sullivan County. They are sewing together dress patterns. Their purpose? These dresses will be sent over 2,500 miles south to be given away. On July 16, Maura Secrest and Wes Bedwell will take off to San Ignacio, Belize on a 100% youth-led mission trip. During their week there, they will be wearing many hats, doing everything from helping to build a church to conducting a Vacation Bible School. This will be a new experience for Secrest, as she and Bedwell will be traveling with a group from her aunt’s church in LaPorte.

Trophy human skulls found unveil Mayan´s gruesome war practices
Archaeologists in the jungles of Belize recently discovered two “trophy skulls”. This significant event may help shed light on the very little-understood collapse of the once mighty and powerful Maya civilization. The human skulls were defleshed, painted and ornamented, meant to be worn around the neck as pendants. This was found in a burial ground more than a thousand years old at the Maya city of Pacbitun, where a warrior was buried with it. The article has multiple symbols apparently of military might: war trophies made from the heads of defeated foes. Both skulls are similar to depictions of trophy skulls worn by victorious soldiers in stone carvings and on painted ceramic vessels from other Maya sites.

Eight great places to see beyond the sea
Will of Tres Pescados Fly Shop and Hopkins! Chart a course for an extraordinary coastal experience in places combining life on the water with culture, nature, and history. Hopkins moves to the irresistible drum and shaka (rattle) beats of the Garífuna, descendants of Carib Indians and West Africans who escaped shipwrecked slave ships and found refuge in coastal Belize. Take a deep dive into Garifuna culture by taking drumming lessons and trying hudut, a savory fish and coconut stew dish and served with mashed plantains. Explore the flats where you can fly fish for bonefish, permit, tarpon, and other hard-pulling fish in the expansive saltwater flats inside the Belize Barrier Reef.

Videos

June 13, 2019

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Specials and Events

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

The San Pedro Sun

Ministry of Labour hosts Workshop on Child Labour Identification, Monitoring and Inspection
On Tuesday, June 10th, 2019, the Ministry of Labour, Local Government and Rural Development hosted a Child Labour Training Workshop for officers of the Labour Department. The workshop sought to equip the employees with theoretical knowledge and practical skills in identifying and addressing the issue of child labour under a countrywide inspectorate programme within a legal framework. The issue of child labour is one that requires individual as well as national attention. The issue is both a complex and a multifaceted one, which requires specialized training and inputs, and collaboration from all stakeholders.

Belizean culinary ingenuity to spice up this year’s Taste of the Caribbean
Belizean culinary ingenuity and mixology will spice once again this year’s Taste of the Caribbean as Belizean chefs and bartenders go head on against the region’s finest. Taste of the Caribbean is the region’s premier culinary competition, food & beverage educational exchange and Caribbean cultural showcase. It will be held from June 22 – 25 in Miami, Florida. Since 1993, the Caribbean’s best chefs and culinary teams unite at Taste of the Caribbean to compete, demonstrate their skills, learn from each other and offer the general public a scintillating exhibition of the most delectable culinary treats.

The Belize Youth Awards 2019 Call for Nominations
The Department of Youth Services (DYS) in the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports, and Culture is now accepting nominations for the Belize Youth Awards 2019. This year’s awards include 16 categories for young people to showcase their diverse talents. The Department is looking for young people aged between 15 and 29 years old, who have demonstrated the importance of youth advocacy and leadership in categories such as The Youth in Entrepreneurship, The Environmental Steward, Youth in Journalism, Social Media Influencer, and Youth Minister’s Award for Leadership and Advocacy.

World Oceans Day 2019 – June 8th, Celebrated under the theme “Gender and the Oceans”
On Saturday June 8th, 2019, the international community celebrated World Oceans Day under the theme“Gender and the Oceans”. This year’s theme focuses on the importance of gender equality, particularly for the effective conservation and sustainable use of marine resources as we strive to build greater ocean and gender literacy, and discover possible ways to promote gender equality in all ocean-related activities. Ocean and marine resources create employment opportunities in marine scientific research, fisheries, hospitality, and labour at sea to name a few.

Ambergris Today

Ministry Of Labour Hosts Workshop On Child Labour Identification
On Monday, June 10th, 2019, the Ministry of Labour, Local Government and Rural Development hosted a Child Labour Training Workshop for officers of the Labour Department. The workshop sought to equip the employees with theoretical knowledge and practical skills in identifying and addressing the issue of child labour under a countrywide inspectorate programme within a legal framework. The issue of child labour is one that requires individual as well as national attention. The issue is both a complex and a multifaceted one, which requires specialized training and inputs, and collaboration from all stakeholders.

Sherlet Ramclam First Belizean Police To Graduate From The FBI National Academy
Four years ago, Belize Police Department Inspector Sherlet Ramclam’s boss returned from a 10-week law enforcement leadership training program in the United States called the FBI National Academy and shortly thereafter pushed for some changes within the Central American country’s ranks of more than 2,300 officers. Last month, during her own 10-week tour as a student in the National Academy’s 276th class in Quantico, Virginia, Inspector Ramclam was moved to send a message to her boss to thank him for the work he was doing to push for institutional change.

Misc Belizean Sources

Hon. Frank Lizama passes away
The Government of Belize extends its condolences to the family and friends of former Belize City mayor and Collet Area Representative Hon. Frank Lizama. Hon. Lizama was also a well-known woodcarver of Belize City. He was appointed Order of the British Empire in 2013 for his contribution to art, education and politics.

JOSE MARIA BARRERA
José María Barrera was born in Peto, Yucatán, on a date not yet specified. Like Jacinto Pat and Cecilio Chi, he was a soldier in the Yucatecan army and reached the rank of sergeant first. During the internal struggles between the Yucatecan bourgeoisie he was part of the forces of Colonel José Dolores Cetina and after deserting he joined Don Jacinto Pat. During the algid stage of the Caste War he was well known for his bravery in the combat against the whites and they called him "The terrible tireless enemy".

Work on San Pedro underwater pipeline delayed

BTB at FSTV Lobster Event

Thursday Schedule for San Pedro Lobsterfest
HIGHLIGHT is Lobster Crawl !!!!! 10 day festival celebrating everything Lobster!! MORNING -Yoga Ak'bol Yoga Retreat and Eco Resort 9am, Zen Belize 8:45/10am, Sol Spa 8:45am AFTERNOON -Paint Thursdays at Crazy Canucks Beach Bar Paint N Splash...

The Fight against Child Labour: Highlighting Achievements and Charting the Way to Sustainable Results
Belize joined the international community today, June 12th, in celebrating World Day against Child Labour and highlighted the achievements of the country through the Country Level Engagement and Assistance to Reduce Child Labour II Project (CLEAR II) – an intervention that was designed to support efforts to reduce child labour. On May 22nd, 2018, the Ministry of Labour, Local Government and Rural Development launched the CLEAR II Project and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with WINROCK International for the execution of the project. WINROCK International is a non-profit organization that is globally recognized as the leader in combatting child labour through its work with governments.

“Promoting an Open Government Ecosystem in Belize: Outcomes and Lessons Learnt Closing Ceremony.”
Mon, June 17, 2019, 5:00 PM – 8:30 PM. Open Government and Open Data have shown practical gains to advance and achieve transparency and development outcomes worldwide. By introducing modern collaborative and participatory methodologies of co-creation; public management is innovating together with civil society and the private sector in the design and delivery of new public services or social and commercial opportunities to productive sectors of the economies and to citizens.

Lionfish Lot Party
June 14, 9am-4pm @ The Commons

MR. FRANK LIZAMA, ONE OF BELIZE CITY'S GREATEST MAYORS, .HAS PASSED AWAY. - BUT HIS MEMMORIES WILL REMAIN ALIVE
I knew Frank from 1950, when I met him at St. John's College. He was always a jovial person. - His attitude drew him many friends. He was one class ahead of me, but we associated mostly at the SCOUT ROOM, at the Parish Hall.. - In fact I was once a member of his TROOP. In later years, I met my old friend Frank, as His Lordship the Mayor of Belize City. - Even though e belonged to different Political Parties our Friendhip remained intact. all I can say that Frank became famous as the " WORKING MAYOR OF BELIZE CITY. - He was always seen inspecting the needs of the people and the plans for tomorrow. My deep Condolences to his family and friends, R.I.P. my friend.

case study report on Ya'axché Conservation Trust work within the Maya Mountain North Forest Reserve
We are very excited to share with you a case study report on our work within the Maya Mountain North Forest Reserve. Since 2014, Ya’axché has been supporting the 31-member Trio Farmers Cacao Growers to grow cacao within the 936 acre agroforestry concession – a first for Belize! "The agroforestry concession is a new pathway forward for protecting natural spaces in Belize. It offers valuable land access to rural households in need, while also creating a regulated, climate-smart zone between PAs and nearby threats such as fire, agrochemicals, cattle and encroachment along boundaries." Thank you Meredith Beaton for putting together this fantastic report!

Jacinto Pat
Jacinto Pat was a batab (Yucatec Maya indigenous intendant) from the town of Tihosuco. He was leader and initiator - along with Cecilio Chi and Manuel Antonio Ay - of the denominated War of Castes (1848-1901). According to the Encyclopedia of Quintana Roo, Pat is an ancient Mayan surname that means "invent", "create", "make things with mud or wax". Before the Spanish invasion, this family ruled the Maya province of Ekab, had great power and presence on the island of Cozumel. Ah Naum Pat was the halach uinic of Cozumel, and when the invaders arrived many inhabitants of that island moved to the Yucatan peninsula, more than 70 families with this surname lived in Cochuah, especially in Tihosuco. In the book The Conspiracy of Xinum, the Yucatan writer Ermilo Abreu Gómez says that the Maya who were in the service of Jacinto Pat called him Tatich and shared with them the products and profits of the land. He was vain but not selfish.

Channel 7

Belizeans Weigh in on SSB Contribution Increase
Last night we showed you the critical state at Social Security. As we've reported, Social Security is currently paying out more money than they are collecting and are operating at a deficit in the millions, so, the reality is that the Social Security Fund is on the brink of collapse. And, really, you, the Belizean workers, are the only solution. At yesterday's press conference the board outlined how much more you will have to pay to sustain the fund. Now, how are people reacting to this ? Well we hit the streets to get feedback from the public and we got mixed responses some are completely against this increase while others see the logic behind it.

Loved ones Say Goodbye to Alarice Andrewin
The funerals for the victims of two high profile cases were held today. The first service, for Alarice Andrewin, was held at 11:00 this morning at the Wesley Methodist Church right next to our studios. Andrewin was the acting principal of Excelsior High and her fellow teachers, as well as some of her students among many others attended her funeral. She was cremated and her ashes were escorted out by her family after the service. In terms of the case, as we reported two men have been charged with murder.

Net Vasquez Jr. : Farewell Spirit Warrior
Nestor Vasquez Jr's funeral service was held this afternoon at 3:00 at the Divine Mercy Catholic Church. As we have reported, Vasquez was brutally beaten to the head by another detainee last week Thursday afternoon at the Queen street police station. Police placed Vasquez, who was mentally ill, in the same cell with Colin Francis who had been charged for attempted murder after stabbing psychiatric nurse Augustina Elijio. Francis is considered a violent mentally ill man. Now as you saw the Vasquez family have spoken out about their loved ones tragic death and are calling for better care and support for persons living with mental illness. The Vasquez family have retained attorney Leslie D. Mendez  and are looking to "pursue any and all legal remedies available in this case." At this moment, Colin Francis is on remand for the attempted murder charge until July 29th.  He is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation.

Letter from The Hague: ICJ Acknowledges Submissions in Belize-Guatemala Case
As a formality, the International Court of Justice in the Hague Netherlands sent a release acknowledging the submission of the 2008 Special Agreement. The release opens by saying "the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, was seised of a dispute between Guatemala and Belize by way of a special agreement. On 8 December 2008, the two States concluded a "Special Agreement . . . to submit Guatemala's territorial, insular and maritime claim to the International Court of Justice", which was subsequently amended by a Protocol concluded on 25 May 2015 (hereinafter "Special Agreement")."

Immigrant Cubans Caught in Orange Walk
Police intercepted a band of Cuban migrants in San Antonio, Orange Walk. Based on the police report, this morning around 4:45, police were on mobile patrol when they saw a maroon Ford van speed by towards Santa Cruz. The police followed the van into San Antonio village where the driver jumped out of the moving van and scrambled off into the bushes, leaving 12 Cuban nationals behind. There were 9 adults and 3 children. They were all detained and taken to the Orange Walk Police Station.

PUC vs. Consolidated Case Back in court: PUC's Appeal Heard
3 weeks ago, we told you how Belize Water Services Limited was making multi-million dollar investments to provide residents of San Pedro Town with a more reliable access to water. Before this plan was put into motion, the island was supplied for years by the company, Consolidated Water Belize Limited. They generated clean, potable water by collecting sea water, and then processing it through their sophisticated reverse osmosis filtration system, which purified it. They then sold that water to BWS, which then distributed it all households and business places on the island. 

It wasn't...Mine! City Resident Claims Innocence in Bullet Bust
He claims that he found a bullet right outside his family's home, but tonight 19 year-old Odilio Hernandez is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after being taken to court for possession of unlicensed ammunition. Police say that at around 3:30 p.m, on Monday, they spotted the Nargusta Street resident at the corner of Central American Boulevard and Mahogany Street. They decided to search him for illegal items, and the officers say that while they were patting him down, a live round of 9 millimeter ammunition fell out of his clothes. They then picked it up, and arrested and charged him for it.

Man Charged for Stealing License Plate Sticker
Another man who's claiming innocence in another unfortunate situation is 26 year-old David Dion Tillett. Police have charged him for being in possession of a stolen vehicle license sticker. According to the cops, On last week Friday, Arturo Gallego, the Assistant Manager of Belize City Council's Works Department, reported that 2 days earlier, he was conducting a vehicle fleet inspection at his job site. That's when he noticed that the international dump truck with the license plate 00032, had its sticker missing.

B&B Employee Jacked on Gabourel Lane
Police are currently investigating the robbery of a Bowen and Bowen sales supervisor. According to reports, Malcolm Mortis was parked alone in his assigned company sales vehicle on Gabourel Lane. Mortis said two men approached the vehicle and one of them pointed a gun at him. Mortis handed over his cell phone and wallet, along with about $1000 in cash that he had collected in sales for that day. The men then fled immediately after, and police are looking for the assailants. 

13 year old Girl Raped by Brother in Law
Police are investigating the rape of a minor today. A 13-year-old Orange Walk resident and her mother reported to police that the girl's brother-in-law forced himself onto her on March 22nd. Police are looking into this case.

3 Men Charged for .38 Revolver in Griga
In Dangrigra, 3 men were charged with keeping a firearm and ammunition without a gun license. Yesterday evening police stopped at a gas station and searched a suspicious vehicle as it was refueling. After a quick inspection they found one .38 revolver along with 6 rounds of live ammunition. The driver of the vehicle is Dangriga resident Jebran Wagner. He was accompanied by Jaheem Bradley and Deon Cayetano. None of the men had a gun license, and were all arrested and charged for keeping a firearm and ammunition without a license. 

Police find 2 Pound Weed Stash in Hopkins
Hopkins Police conducted a search on the village's more rural roads yesterday. While inspecting a feeder road the cops came across two parcels of suspected cannabis, totaling about 2 pounds in weight. There was no one in the area at the time so the drug was labeled and deposited as found property. 

Cops Confiscate 'Craftsy' Corozal Gun
Yesterday police in Corozal searched an abandoned house on 5th Avenue in Corozal Town where they discovered a home-made firearm. There was no one in the vicinity at the time of the discovery, so police labeled the weapon and deposited it as found property. 

Leave the Kids to Play
Today the Ministry of Labor and other partners celebrated the closing of the CLEAR II Project. CLEAR II is an initiative aimed at combating child labor in Belize by strengthening the country's legislative framework and improving monitoring and enforcement methods. We attended today's closing ceremony and spoke to a few of the project's key stakeholders about their work... 

Belize Coast Guard Head to Chile for Big Competition
7 members of the Coast Guard Special Operations Group are probably already packed up and ready for their journey to Chile tomorrow. This is the first time the Belize Coast Guard Special Operations Group will be participating in the 15th Annual Fuerzas Commando Competition. In a release it states "these men will be competing against nineteen other Special Operation Forces from across the Western Hemisphere in the most distinguished competition of its kind.

Channel 5

I.C.J. Seized of Belize/Guatemala Territorial Dispute
The International Court of Justice has issued a release informing that it remains in consideration of a matter involving a dispute between Guatemala and Belize via a special agreement which [...]

Transparency and the Road to the I.C.J.
Belize’s notification to the International Court of Justice puts in motion procedures agreed in the 2008 Special Agreement. Within one year, Guatemala will submit its claim after which Belize will [...]

Opposition Leader Says S.S.B. is G.O.B.’s “Piggy Bank”
Effective July first, employers and employees will begin paying a higher contribution to the social security fund.  The new contribution and pension reform, approved by Cabinet, is essentially to save [...]

Does S.S.B. Need a Trigger Mechanism to Keep Fund Afloat?
According to S.S.B.’s Chief Executive Officer, Doctor Colin Young, the new pension and contribution scheme will not impact existing pensioners. As it stands now, the fund is approaching the ‘period [...]

Belize Attends 6th Annual CARICOM-Cuba Ministerial Meeting
Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte headed to Guyana today where he is scheduled to participate in a top-level diplomatic conference between CARICOM foreign ministers and Cuban Minister of Foreign Relations, Bruno [...]

P.U.P. Leader Comments on Crime Situation
There has been an apparent spike in crimes, especially armed robberies, across the country and fatal shootings, mostly in the Old Capital. While the Ministry of National Security reported a [...]

The P.U.P.’s Solution to Crime
There is a level of difficulty when addressing the issue of crime. It is a problem that should be addressed in a multi-faceted, inter-agency approach.  According to Briceño, for crime [...]

P.U.P. Leader Says Andre Vega Should Return the $400K
Last week, Andre Vega, son of former Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega, appeared in court for a civil trial initiated by the Government of Belize.  The government is attempting to [...]

A Political Spar over Exercise Equipment
The Leader of the Opposition also took on Minister of Health Pablo Marin over exercise equipment.  In May, Minister Marin handed over exercise equipment, which was donated by the Taiwan [...]

Eliminating Child Labour in Belize
In 2002, the International Labour Organization launched the World Day Against Child Labour to raise awareness on the extent of child labour across the world and the actions and efforts [...]

Orange Walk’s Brightest in the P.S.E.
Tonight, we bring you more of the top twenty-five students in the Primary School Exams. A News Five team visited Orange Walk earlier today and met four of the top [...]

Toledo Has Bright Students but Still Lagging behind in P.S.E. Performance
You just heard about the bright students in Orange Walk, but there’s also another bright spot in the south.  In recent years, Toledo has been producing a handful of the [...]

How to Improve P.S.E. Scores
So, how do schools improve moving forward? Longsworth says that it will take a concerted effort to see better grades. He says that an overall improved performance will not come [...]

Red Cross Official Addresses Issue over Delayed Payment
A survey is currently underway within the refugee population in Belize. The survey is being commissioned by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in partnership with the Belize Red Cross. [...]

Manslaughter Case Commences in Death of Hilbert Sotz
The trial of Corporal Leonard Nunez and Police Constable Hallett King, charged for manslaughter in the death of eighteen-year-old Hilbert Sotz, commenced today in the courtroom of Justice Collin Williams.  [...]

Kareem Clarke’s Accused Murderer Has His Day in Court
Twenty-one-year-old Mark Waight is accused of murder in the shooting death of Amandala reporter Kareem Clarke back in July 2015.  Today, he also appeared before Justice Collin Williams where his [...]

OW Police Intercept Vehicle Transporting 12 Cubans
Twelve Cuban nationals are in police custody after they were arrested early this morning. Just before five o’clock, Orange Walk police were on mobile patrol in San Antonio Village when [...]

Fire Destroys Wooden Structure on Old Belize Compound
There was a fire on Tuesday morning at Old Belize located at mile five on the George Price Highway. A wooden structure near the entrance of the compound was partially [...]

The Reporter

PACT & Other Conservation Grp. Saving Silk Caye Marine Reserve
Recently, the Reporter travelled to South Silk Caye, off the coast of Placencia, where erosion has threatened the very existence of a pristine island which is important to the tourism and fisheries industries in the South.

KHMH Workers Union Certified as Sole Bargaining Agent
At a signing ceremony held this morning, Tuesday June 11th. at the Belize City Labour Department, the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority Workers’ Union was declared the sole, certified and recognized bargaining agent for the employees of the Hospital.

Breaking Belize News

UNHCR to open new resource center in Benque
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Help for Progress is opening a […]

Belizean author publishing book in the US pledges to donate to domestic violence survivors
Belizean author, Tricia Logan, is using her life experiences and craft to assist women and […]

Is your Social Security money compromised by government investments? Board says no
Social Security is regarded as the safety net for Belizeans in time of need, whether […]

Teenager held over single bullet on street
Before he could go to the police to turn in a single bullet he found […]

Fish “drown” in Sittee River: DOE explains
Today, the Department of the Environment (DOE) explained that the fish discovered floating dead in […]

Alarice Andrewin laid to rest
Today, the family and friends of Alarice Andrewin bid her their final farewell. Andrewin’s memorial […]

Majestic Alley affiliate and friends busted with gun in Dangriga
A Majestic Alley affiliate and his two associates are well on their way to the […]

Tirone Martinez charged with attempted murder
Tirone Jason John Martinez, 18, will spend the next few months of his life on […]

Police find home-made firearm in Corozal
Corozal police conducted a search inside an abandoned house on 5th avenue in Corozal and […]

Police make drug bust in Hopkins, Stann Creek
A police operation in Hopkins, Stann Creek has removed a substantial amount of cannabis from […]

Orange Walk man accused of raping underage sister-in-law
Authorities are investigating a report of rape in Orange Walk. A 13-year-old minor, accompanied by […]

Former Belize City mayor passes
Former Mayor of Belize City, Frank Lizama, passed away last night. The Government of Belize […]

Belize Ocean Club presents Lobster Boil!
Belize Ocean Club is hosting its first ever Lobster Full Moon Party. The event kicks […]

Southeastern Watershed Alliance meets to discuss water quality
Members of the Southeastern Watershed Alliance Group and stakeholders gathered for a meeting on the […]

A dozen illegal Cuban immigrants busted in van on San Antonio Road
Twelve Cuban nationals, believed to have been smuggled into the country, were busted by police […]

Belize hosts blood drive for World Blood Day
Every year countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day on June 14. The […]

Robbers target Bowen & Bowen delivery truck
Belize City police are investigating a robbery, which occurred on Gabourel Lane at midday yesterday. […]

John Paul II JC to host famous Guatemalan writer
John Paul II Junior College in Benque Viejo del Carmen will be the venue of […]

Bandits appoint new coach in preparation for CONCACAF League game versus Saprissa
Belize’s Premier League football champions, Belmopan Bandits, are turning to a familiar name to try […]

KHMH workers union certified as a sole bargaining agent for hospital employees
Yesterday, a signing ceremony was held at the Belize City Labour Department whereby the Karl […]

Fire at Old Belize not related to BEL’s electricity supply
Authorities are still investigating the cause of a fire that partially destroyed a wooden structure […]

LOVE FM

KHMH 630 plus staff now Unionized!
The staff of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority (KHMHA) has formed a union called the KHMH Workers Union. It came as part of one of the deliverables of a memorandum of understanding signed in 2015 between the Board of Governors of the KHMHA, the staff’s Ad Hoc Committee and the Government. The road to …

The Belize Coast Guard set to compete in Chile
The Coast Guard Special Operations Ground will be travelling to Santiago, Chile to participate in the 15th annual Fuerzas Commando Competition. The team will leave Belize tomorrow and arrive at Chile on Friday morning. Starting June 17th, they will be competing against 19 other Special Operation Forces from across the Western Hemisphere for 9 days. …

Wildcats eat pets of Gracie Rock Residents
There are five big cats that are native to Belize: the Jaguar, Jaguarundi, Margay, mountain lion and the ocelot. The Jaguars’ primary prey include monkeys, agoutis, deer, birds, fish, lizard, turtles, and other animals. The mountain lion also referred to as puma and red tiger in Belize consumes deer, but they do eat porcupines, raccoons, …

Transcolours with the Aid of UNIBAM and Planet Romeo gets a safe-house for LGBQT
A new initiative has been implemented to assist people who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, as queer/questioning their sexuality or transgender (LGBQT). When some members of the LGBQT community make their identity known to their families, sometimes they are kicked out of the family home. A group called Transcolors sought help from UNIBAM and …

CLEAR II Project draws to a close
The Ministry of Labor in collaboration with the US Department of Labor, has been working to curb the incidents of child labor under the CLEAR II project. Today, there was a ceremony to mark World Day Against Child Labor and to look at the achievements under the CLEAR II project, which is coming to an …

Blogs

Corozal Bay was Cloudy and Rainy this Morning
Today, I will be blogging about a cloudy wet Morning in Corozal. After the rain this morning, I went around town taking photos. Corozal has beautiful scenery view, wether it rains or not. For other people, it is a blessing to have rain in Corozal. Not, everyone likes the rain. But, it is always good to stay home and stay dry. For others, they are taking photos of that dark cloudy weather in Corozal when you are out on the right time. I took photos of beaitiful houses in Corozal. Especially, when you find the right area to take photos. I took a photo about the Palm Trees. It was quite scenic view of Corozal.

International Sources

Expert says the sargassum situation in the Caribbean Sea is very serious
Dr. Brigitta Ine van Tussenbroek, researcher at the Puerto Morelos Arrecifal Systems Academic Unit of the Institute of Marine Sciences and Limnology of the UNAM, said that the sargassum situation in the Caribbean Sea is very serious, as the spot now extends along the eastern and northern coasts of the Yucatan Peninsula. The expert, a doctor in biology and ecology of seagrass and macroalgae by the University of Liverpool, forecasted the massive arrival of sargassum to the Mexican Caribbean six months ago, based on studies from the University of Florida. “We have no idea of the capacity of resilience of the environment before this event, the amount of this type of organic matter is growing exponentially; the biogeochemistry of the systems is changing completely, “ said Dr. Brigitta.

Swapping conch shell for a bell, youth in Belize inspired by North End movement
An Indigenous-led movement to end violence and help young people in Winnipeg's North End has spread beyond Canada's borders and inspired Mayan youth in Belize to take similar action in their communities. Now a crew of University of Manitoba students community activists, including Michael Champagne and Kakeka Thunder Sky from Aboriginal Youth Opportunities, are travelling to the Central American country to learn about the local culture and the work they are doing. "It's super exciting," said Champagne, who founded the weekly Meet Me at the Bell Tower gatherings, now going on for nearly eight years of meeting at the bell tower on Selkirk Avenue every Friday. "We never imagined that our little bell tower rallies would be heard so far away, but I think we've been really inspired. We've been inspired, and other people have been inspired by us." The Mayan youth from Belize have even adopted a name inspired by the bell tower, but adapted to their local culture, calling their weekly gatherings Sounding the Conch Shell.

Winds shift, moving sargassum away from Yucatan
Miles of sargassum, said to be four times the size of the city of Merida, have shifted track. Rather than fouling beaches as far west as Sisal, the seaweed-like algae is headed to Florida instead, said the head of the Secretariat of Sustainable Development, Sayda Rodríguez Gómez. According to Rodríguez Gómez, “in relation to Esteban Amaro’s version of the Sargasso Monitoring Network in Cancun, which states that a sargassum stain would be spreading on 120 kilometers of Yucatan beach, the SDS clarified that the possibility that a significant amount of sargassum will reach the Yucatan coast shortly is very remote.” On Saturday, the seaweed could be seen a few kilometers from the eastern Yucatan coast. The Gulf side of the Peninsula has so far been spared the intensity of sargassum washing ashore on the more touristy Caribbean side.

How mangroves protect people from increasingly frequent and powerful tropical storms
Mangroves are incredibly productive coastal ecosystems found in the tropics and subtropics. These dense green forests are known for their bizarre-looking roots that poke up into the air from shallow water. Among the meshed webs of roots are fish nurseries, enabling humans to make a living from the marine life in and around the mangroves. Mangroves also play another important role for humans, protecting communities from major storms. Climate change is more than rising temperatures, and the increased frequency and intensity of cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons is apparent. Cyclone Fani for example, which recently struck the Bay of Bengal, was one of the strongest to devastate India in the past 20 years. Mangrove roots can break up the force of a storm surge, soaking up some of its energy and protecting people living on coasts from cyclone damage. Yet it is a challenge to effectively value and protect individual mangrove ecosystems. And we just don’t have the people or funds to deliver detailed studies for even a fraction of the villages and towns sheltered by mangroves.

Big Boss and Chicken Pollo Shack: new contenders on the hot-fried-bird front
Chef Jassy Lee is a living embodiment of an international fried chicken triangulation, a case study in the global affinity for spicy, battered, and crispy poultry. Born in Taishan, Guangdong, she emigrated to the U.S. in 1991 with her parents, but also visited relatives in Belize, members of that country's Chinese immigrant community, which is largely responsible for another beloved expression of deep-fried poultry. Lee's Belizean family owned restaurants and served fried chicken—uhhh, BFC?—marinated in a multichile blend, battered and fried, and draped with sweet ketchup. Back in Chicago, the family went on to open two western-suburban Chinese restaurants they sourced from a common commissary in Bridgeport. A few years ago Lee left them behind for a packaging business in Los Angeles. She remained a dedicated cook, though—the photos she sent to me of dozens of bacchanalian feasts she's cooked for family and friends over the years are jaw-dropping. Belizean fried chicken was one formative influence on the recipe she later developed. But it was also inspired by the Nashville hot-chicken craze that's swept the country, emanating from the legendary Prince's Hot Chicken in Nashville, where chicken is battered and fried, then mopped in a magma of oil, chile, spices, and sugar.

Global court to hear Guatemala-Belize territorial dispute
Guatemala and Belize have asked the United Nations' highest body for inter-state disputes to help resolve a border disagreement that has rumbled on for centuries, the court said on Wednesday. The Hague-based International Court of Justice said the two Central American nations had requested its intervention after referendums in Guatemala in 2018 and Belize this year. In a dispute stretching back to the dawn of the colonial era in the Americas, Guatemala recognised the independence of Belize at the beginning of the 1990s. But it never accepted the borders and continues to claim about 11,000 square km (4,250 square miles) of Belize, about half of its territory.

ELA 2019: Belize reports 9% increase in UK tourists
Belize has welcomed a 9% growth in tourists from the UK this year so far, as the country maintains its image of being a sustainable and eco-friendly destination. This 9% growth from the UK market comes on the back of UK tourist numbers increasing by 12% from 2017 to 2018. “[This growth] shows the confidence and shows the demand. And it shows the potential that Belize has,” said Belize Tourism Board director of tourism Karen Bevans, at the Experience Latin America event in London this week.

Videos

June 12, 2019

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Specials and Events

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

Ambergris Today

Isla Bonita Elementary School Student Places 2nd In PSE Countrywide
The Primary School Examination results are out and the students from San Pedro Town did an excellent job! The top scorers this year where AnnElyse Fleser-Perdue of Isla Bonita Elementary School (95% - 380/400 points), Kamryn Rhaburn of San Pedro RC School (91.8% - 367/400 points) and Nia Lisbey of Ambergris Caye Elementary School with (91% - 365/400 points). A total of 7, 280 students sat the PSE and of which 11 were private candidates. PSE Numbers for 2019 show that 65 fewer candidates sat the exam over 2018. The Top Achiever for this year’s PSE was Jasmin Espat of St. Andrew Anglican Primary School in Cayo who scored a 96.5% (386/400points). The following are the results for schools here on the island:

World Oceans Day 2019–June 8th, Celebrated Under The Theme “Gender And The Oceans”
Hundreds of Belizean wave makers country-wide observed World Oceans Day with different activities. On Saturday June 8th, 2019, the international community celebrated World Oceans Day under the theme “Gender and the Oceans”. This year’s theme focuses on the importance of gender equality, particularly for the effective conservation and sustainable use of marine resources as we strive to build greater ocean and gender literacy, and discover possible ways to promote gender equality in all ocean-related activities.

Misc Belizean Sources

2019 Lionfish Tournament
The Lionfish Tournament is back on again!!! The prizes are bigger and better....so gather your teams and claim that top prize!!! June 13th is the date to prove you are the top Lionfish slayer!!! Register your teams at Hol Chan office. #holchanmarinereserve Our Reef, Our Life, Our Responsibility, Get Involved!!!!

Chris is a superhero! Look at this crocodile!
Rainy season is upon us once again. Flooding of roads, yards and underneath homes is unavoidable at this time for most living in low lying neighborhoods. As crocs tend to become quite active in rainy season moving through these flooded areas, it’s not uncommon for them to find their way into peoples yards or to take up residence underneath homes, which through crocs eyes are like beautiful man made caves. Whilst we are of course happy to respond to any and all calls in these scenarios, prevention by denying crocs access is a far better long term solution than having to trap and relocate an animal.

First Belizean woman graduates from the FBI National Academy!
Congratulations to Inspector Sherlet Ramclam of the Belize Police Department on being the first Belizean woman to graduate from the FBI National Academy! Continue doing your great work to enhance Belize’s citizen security and build partnerships between our countries!

Taste of the Caribbean 2019
Belizean culinary ingenuity and mixology will spice once again this year’s Taste of the Caribbean as Belizean chefs and bartenders go head on against the region’s finest. Taste of the Caribbean is the region’s premier culinary competition, food & beverage educational exchange and Caribbean cultural showcase. It will be held from June 22 – 25 in Miami, Florida. Since 1993, the Caribbean’s best chefs and culinary teams unite at Taste of the Caribbean to compete, demonstrate their skills, learn from each other and offer the general public a scintillating exhibition of the most delectable culinary treats.

U.S. Social Security Service and other Federal Benefits Services
The U.S. Embassy in Belize is pleased to announce that a Representative from the Regional Federal Benefits Unit from Costa Rica will visit Belmopan to offer services for beneficiaries or individuals with questions about U.S. Social Security and other federal benefits. Where: U.S. Consular Section, U.S. Embassy Belmopan. When: June 19 from 9:00am to 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 4:00 pm.

Caye Caulker Village Council Candidates Debate
7pm June 18, at tjhe Caye Caulker Comminuty Center. All information pertaining the Debate kindly read carefully.

Ministry of Labour hosts Workshop on Child Labour Identification, Monitoring and Inspection
On Monday, June 10th, 2019, the Ministry of Labour, Local Government and Rural Development hosted a Child Labour Training Workshop for officers of the Labour Department. The workshop sought to equip the employees with theoretical knowledge and practical skills in identifying and addressing the issue of child labour under a countrywide inspectorate programme within a legal framework. The issue of child labour is one that requires individual as well as national attention. The issue is both a complex and a multifaceted one, which requires specialized training and inputs, and collaboration from all stakeholders.

Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Workers’ Union Certified as Sole Bargaining Agent for KHMHA Employees
At a signing ceremony held this morning at the Belize City Labour Department, the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority Workers’ Union was declared the sole, certified and recognized bargaining agent for the employees of the Hospital. The Certificate of Recognition was signed by Mr. Gabriel Martinez, Chairman of the Tripartite Body, and witnessed by Ms. Anne Marie Thompson, Labour Commissioner; Ms. Michelle Hoare, Chief Executive Officer for Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital; Mrs. Lidia Blake, Union President; and other representatives of the Hospital, Union, Tripartite Body and the Labour Department.

NEW CONTROLLED PRICE OF LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS (LPG)
The Supplies Control Unit (SCU) in the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Commerce is hereby informing the general public that effective Wednesday, June 12th, 2019 there will be a new maximum retail price for the sale of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for motor vehicles; households, restaurants, hotels, etc. and a maximum wholesale price for quantities >/300 gallons /3,000 gallons.

First Aid & CPR full training course in San Pedro
The BTIA in partnership with the Belize Red Cross will be offering a First Aid & CPR full training course in San Pedro on June 27th 2019. All 2018 certified past participants are also welcomed to partake and have the opportunity to receive their certification once again through this training. Note that all cards expire after a year. To register contact us at [email protected] or 227-1144.

The nominations for this year’s Belize Youth Awards are officially open!
We are looking for young people aged between 15 and 29 years old, who have demonstrated the importance of youth advocacy and leadership in categories such as, but not limited to: Youth in Entrepreneurship, The Environmental Steward, Youth in Journalism, Social Media Influencer, and Youth Minister’s Award for Leadership and Advocacy. There is a total of 16 categories that our young people can be nominated for. To see the full list of categories, requirements needed to be eligible to apply, and the application form, please visit: https://forms.gle/RgUqD9zLKpuVWsKH9. For additional information regarding this activity, please feel free to contact our Communications Team at telephone number 207-0773 or email us at [email protected].

Paulita Bedran Scholarship Winners
This year, there were 2 winners of the Paulita Bedran Memorial Scholarship. Congratulations, Ms. Ciau and Ms. Landero! Thanks, Rotary, for sending students through high school with your Raphael Cal Memorial Scholarship.

BELIZE FISHING REPORT: JUNE 2, 2019 THROUGH JUNE 9, 2019
Windier conditions moved most of the action to the lee of the islands and cayes. El Pescador hosted the fourth Orvis Bonefish Bonanza of 2019. Very good week for numbers of bonefish on the fly including 69 landed by two anglers on a day trip with Capt. Emir.

Grand Caribe Birdathon
The Grand Caribe Birdathon was a first ever for the "island" of San Pedro. Many cool birds among the 71 species they encountered. Shorebirds were of course a main, but Reddish Egrets and Black Catbird topped the list. Thanks again for supporting our ongoing efforts!

Belize Archaeology Symposium 2019....coming soon!!!
One of our favourite events of the year is FINALLY here! Get the scoop of all things Archaeology— this event is filled with lectures, networking, and so much information for those who are fans of history. We have a feeling this year is going to be one to remember.

120 students engaged in biodiversity research
On Friday, 24th of May 2019, Ya’axché hosted 120 primary school students from Big Falls, San Miguel, Silver Creek, and Bladen villages at Ya’axché’s field station, which is located at the heart of the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve, southern Belize.

Bonifacio Novelo
Bonifacio Novelo (19th century) was a Maya fighter in the so-called Maya Social War(Caste War) . He was a Maya caudillo and tatich (in maya: cacique, great chief, in the east of the state of Yucatan, along with Cecilio Chi and Jacinto Pat. Before the beginning of the aforementioned war, Novelo was commander of a thousand Maya who participated in the siege of Valladolid under the orders of Colonel Antonio Trujeque. When the city fell into the hands of the rebels, hundreds were attributed to the ferocious action of Bonifacio Novelo. Some historians say that although the orders came from Trujeque, it attributed to Novelo the beheading of the defense commander of the plaza, Colonel Venegas. After that, there was a whole battalion pursuing and harassing Novelo, forcing him to live "salto de mata" without ever being caught. Hence his reputation as a daring and astute man.

Our Ancestors Running Away from the violence of the Caste War
“Oral History of the war goes like this: When the war began every able man including young boys were recruited for service in the Masewal armies by the Masewal leaders called batabs. No one was expected to say no. While the majority of the men were at the war front, some of the older men attended to the corn fields and other crops. Everybody contributed food for the army. Many of the women prepared food for the soldiers. As the war penetrated the jungles of Yucatan, the cultivation of corn and other food crops penetrated the jungles as well. Whenever the war eased a bit, the Masewals collected their farm seeds and moved deeper into the Jungles.

Channel 7

Health Ministry Empathizes with Vasquez Family and Speaks on Safety of Workers
Last night you heard from Jules Vasquez on the tragic death of his brother, Nestor Vasquez Jr. As we told you, Vasquez, who is mentally ill, was in police custody at the Queen Street police station on Thursday afternoon. Officers put him in a cell with Colin Francis, another mentally ill patient who had been charged for attempted murder after stabbing psychiatric nurse Augustina Elijio to the chest. Francis then attacked Vasquez, that beat down led to his death. Today Nurse Eleanor Bennett from the Mental Health Unit spoke on both cases specifically on nurse Elijio's. She said that health workers are at risk when they handle patients such as Francis who display violent behavior.

Police should be a part of the Solution, not the Problem
Bennett also addressed the issue of police officers not knowing how to properly handle persons living with mental illness or those who are a danger to themselves and others - if they commit a crime, the police just see and treat them as a nuisance and law breakers who need to be detained. Yes, while the police have a duty to detain anyone if they break the law, no matter their history or mental state, there are certain practices and approaches the police can use when dealing with such persons. Bennett says the Mental Health Unit offers training to police but they are not so receptive of it.

Treatment is better than Detention
Now While Bennett applauded Commissioner Chester Williams for his commitment to ensuring that persons living with mental illness are better treated and handled in police care, she doesn't quite agree with investing in a padded cell, her focus as a mental health professional is treatment. Eleanor Bennett: "For me from a health perspective I would prefer that we invest in having more acute units and acute facilities where people are acutely ill, this is an illness..."

SSB's New Deal: What it means for you
On July 15th, 5 weeks from now, all workers who are registered with Social Security will notice that their mid-month paycheck will be a few dollars less than what they are used to. That's because employers will start to deduct more to comply with the newly approved social security contributions. It's the result of the 2-year-long public consultations that the Social Security Board has been having with Belizeans countrywide about the Social Security Fund, and why they need you to contribute more to keep it financially sustainable.

Pay More Now, Get More Later
As you heard in the story, with these changes all contributors who earn more than $320 a week will get a bigger portion of their salaries insured. That means that if you should fall ill, and you need to make a sickness benefit claim, you will get a bigger payout. It increases through the 3 phases all the way up to $520 by the year 2021, but, there is another benefit that comes with paying more money into the fund. The Social Security Board CEO told us that your retirement benefit will also be greater. Here's how he explained why:

Proud PSE Top Performers
As we mentioned last night, this year's PSE saw several top performers come from the Cayo district. Three students from St. Andrew's Anglican School placed in the top 10. We caught up with those students and their teacher this morning and spoke to them about their achievements... Jasmine Espat. 1st, St. Andrew's Anglican: 'I was expecting to do good because I work very hard and I put a lot into it, but I didn't expect to do this well. so I was a bit surprised. I was a bot happy and I feel very proud."

Kudos to H.R.R.C and BES for Stellar Work in PSE
And here in the city, we spoke to two 9th place finishers from Holy Redeemer. We also spoke to the principal of Belize Elementary School. Their school came in first in their category. Here are those interviews.

Police Solve Dangriga Murder: City Man Charged
Now to crime news, police have arrested and charged 24 year old Jane Usher Boulevard resident Starling Perez for Carlos Reyes murder. 49-year-old Carlos Reyes was gunned down in his Dangriga home in late March. Reyes, who was armed, had no time to defend himself and was shot 8 times and eventually succumbed to his wounds.

No Bail for Alleged Kidnapper Roger Wallis
In October of last year, 63 year-old Roger Wallis, a British National who has been living in Belize, made headline news when he was charged with 2 counts of attempted kidnapping. His alleged victims, an 8 year-old boy and his 2 sisters, told police that he tried to abduct them in his white van in the City of Belmopan. He has been attempting to get Supreme Court bail, and on last week Friday, when he tried for a third time, he his application was denied once again.

Man Walks Free after Stabbing Uncle
He was charged with killing his own uncle - but after more than 5 years on remand, forty-one year old Oliver Peters is a free man tonight. The Judge said he killed his uncle 47 year old Thomas Ferguson Sr, in self-defence. It happened back in late 2013 when Peters stabbed his uncle with a chicken knife. Multiple witnesses said they saw Peters do it - and police found him with the knife - so that was not in dispute. But, Peters said he did it in self defense.

Accused Drug Trafficker Freed of Charge for Now
Back in January of last year, it was big news out of the north when police arrested and charged 42 year-old Robert Gentle with drug trafficking after they accused him of allegedly attempting to cross the border in a vehicle that had over 6 kilos of cocaine hidden in a white Lincoln Navigator SUV. Well, the Ranchito Village resident walked out of Corozal Magistrate's Court a free man yesterday. Court reports say that The prosecutor told Magistrate Lionel Olivera that in the interest of justice, they would not proceed with the charge at this time. The prosecutor also added that police and the crown reserved the right to bring charges against Gentle at a later date, should more evidence come to light.

Minor Fire At Old Belize
The police are currently investigating two fires. One occurred earlier today at Old Belize located on the George Price Highway. According to one security guard, a green 30x30 foot building caught fire when electricity was restored after a power outage. The building and it's contents were partially damaged before the fire was put out.

$20,000 Dangriga Home up in Flames
The other fire police are looking into happened this weekend in Independence village. Victorino Cowo, who was renting the house from Rebecca Habet, told police that he left home at around 12:30 on Sunday. Cowo said that he received a call a few hours later and was informed that his home was on fire. Fire personnel weren't able to put the blaze out before significant damage was done. Cowo estimates about $23,000 in damages.

Cops Confiscate Gun in City
Yesterday police conducted routine searches around Belize City. After examining an empty lot on the corner of Zacaranda and Consuelo Streets the cops found a .380mm pistol along with a magazine containing 7 live rounds.

'Griga Police Find Hidden Weapon
Police found one more gun yesterday, this time in Dangriga. According to reports, the police found the firearm hidden in an overgrown lot in Dangriga's First New Site Area. The black Strum Ruger P85 9mm pistol was found with a magazine containing two live rounds.

Mental Health Projects for Youth
At the top of the news, you saw Nurse Eleanor Bennett's interview about the Vasquez and Elijio cases, well we met Bennett at the Biltmore for the launch of two projects geared towards addressing mental illness - quite fitting given these cases. The first is called the Measurement of Mental Health among Adolescents and the other project is Population Level Project and the Helping Adolescents Thrive. Here is more from the event.

Calling on Applications for National Youth Awards
The National Youth Awards will be held on November 15th but if you want your nominee to get a chance to receive an award you have to send in an application. Don't worry you have time, the call for applications opened yesterday and you have until October to send your information in. Communications Officer from the Department of Youth Services told us more.

A Guide to make Parenting a bit Easier
It's safe to say that parenting is one of the most demanding and difficult jobs. Of course, it is also a blessing to be a parent but with the right approach, getting a few parenting tips couldn't hurt right ? Well the National Committee for Families and Children have a parenting guide that can help parents better raise their kids. They held a train the trainers workshop today at the Biltmore and the Executive Director of NCFC told us more about it.

KHMH Union and Employees Working Together
Today the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority Workers' Union was officially certified as the sole bargaining agent for the hospital's employees. The Ministry of Health issued a press release encouraging the Union to work along with the hospital management to promote positive relations and organizational success. The Ministry also applauded the hospital's Tripartite Body and Board of Governors on the historic signing.

Consumers should get their Money's Worth of Gas with New Retail Price Listing
The controlled price of LPG Gas or butane, as it is called is measured in pounds, specifically, the price per hundred pound cylinder - which is set at 114 dollars in the city right now. But, Butane companies don't sell in pounds or use a scale - even though the law requires it. They fill up your tank by the gallon - creating a gray area where consumers could be taken advantage of.

Channel 5

S.S.B.’s Contribution Reforms Takes Effect July 1st
Cabinet has approved S.S.B.’s proposal to reform its contributions and pension scheme. The Social Security Board embarked on a countrywide consultation process two years ago to seek support for its [...]

S.S.B. Loan Portfolio’s Rate of Return is 5.5%
So what about S.S.B.’s loans and portfolios? Well according to C.E.O. Doctor Colin Young, S.S.B.’s 2018 audited financials are near completion. Doctor Young says that in 2017, the fund’s rate [...]

Police Charge 1 Man for Carlos Reyes’ Murder
Police have charged twenty-five-year-old Belize City resident Starling Perez for the crime of murder. Perez stands accused of killing forty-eight-year-old Carlos Reyes who was gunned down on March twenty-eighth, while [...]

Oliver Peters Walks from Murder Charge After Stabbing Uncle in 2013
Oliver Peters, who was charged back in 2014 for the stabbing death of his uncle, has been found not guilty of murder.  Forty-seven-year-old Thomas Eugene Ferguson Senior was stabbed once [...]

2019 P.S.E. Top Scorer is from St. Andrews School in Cayo
On Monday afternoon, the results of the Primary School Examinations were released by the Ministry of Education. But are students performing better when compared to previous years? We’ll have a [...]

P.S.E.’s Brightest in Belize City Share How They Did It
We also visited a few schools in Belize City today to speak with students who place on the top twenty-five list. As we reported on Monday night, the top performing [...]

Top Ranked Schools in Belize City Share Their Tips for Academic Success
The Ministry of Education’s P.S.E. report also details the top performing schools in the country. According to the report, the schools are ranked based on a methodology called the School [...]

Small Victories in P.S.E. Results, but not Much has Changed
And while those top performing students are celebrating their results, many others not so much. The needle of improvement has not budged over the last ten years of the Primary [...]

Ministry of Health Concludes Investigation into Death of Baby Thevane
An investigation following the death of eight-week-old Thevane Banner has been concluded by the Ministry of Health.  The newborn died from battered child syndrome and his father, twenty-eight-year-old Troy Banner, [...]

DHS Weighs in on Protocols Following Stabbing of Retired Nurse Elijio
The near-fatal attack on Matron Augustina Elijio last Tuesday at the Port Loyola Health Center has prompted the Ministry of Health to revisit existing procedures for patients accessing services at [...]

Are Police Officers Trained to Deal with Mental Health Cases?
In the tragic case of Nestor Vasquez Junior, who lost his life over the weekend after being badly beaten by a fellow inmate inside a holding cell at the Queen [...]

2 Mental Health Initiatives are Launched in Belize City
Today at the Biltmore Hotel, the Ministry of Health and UNICEF launched an initiative which aims to measure mental health among adolescents, as well as a project called Helping Adolescents [...]

Extended Drought Causing Water Woes in Georgeville, Cayo
Many communities and villages that rely on reservoirs to provide water to their homes have been experiencing issues as a result of the extended drought. Over the past few months, [...]

Georgeville’s Water Board to Resolve Crisis
There are a number of short-term and long-term actions that must be taken to fix the perennial water problem in the village. Water Board Chairman Al Westby says that there [...]

Amandala

Nestor Vasquez, Jr., dies after beating in police lockdown
Nestor Vasquez, Jr., 60, of Belize City, the brother of media personality Jules Vasquez of 7News Belize, died after he was severely beaten by Colin Francis, 28, who is mentally challenged, while they were in lockdown in a cell in the cell block at the Queen Street Police Station on Wednesday night. Police reportedly saw the attack in the holding cell on a monitor. It appears that after Vasquez was removed from a cell which he had been sharing with some young detainees and was put in the cell in which Francis was being held, Francis attacked Vasquez, viciously slamming his head against the cement wall of the cell and on the iron bars of the cell door. After a while, police went into the cell and took Vasquez out, but he was already unconscious.

Kyle Zetina, 24, and Shawn Flores, 18, remanded for triple murder
Late yesterday, police announced that they have charged two men from Mahogany Heights with the brutal triple murder that occurred sometime last Tuesday, June 4, at Mile 10 ½ on the George Price Highway, where the bodies of two women and a man were discovered with gunshot injuries to their heads, and with their hands bound behind their backs. This afternoon, Kyle Zetina, 24, and Shawn Flores, 18, appeared before Chief Magistrate Sharon Frazer and were arraigned on 3 counts of murder. Police charged the two men with the murder of Alarice Andrewin, 44, the principal of Excelsior High School; Vidal Antonio Yuman Cacho, 39, and Maria Delfina Juarez Lucas, 19, both Guatemalan nationals.

US demands 5 years of your social media postings for visa applicants
At the end of last month, the United States Department of State changed the rules for persons applying for visas to enter the US. A person applying for a US visa must now submit his or her social media accounts and 5 years of their emails and telephone numbers before they can be considered eligible to obtain a US visa. Human rights groups in the US have been critical of the new measures, citing privacy issues and the government’s unnecessary surveillance of visa applicants. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has described the policy as “ineffective and deeply problematic.”

Court of Appeal will hear DPP’s appeal of Calaney Flowers’ murder acquittal in October session
The Court of Appeal held a case management conference this afternoon for an appeal from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution, which is appealing the murder acquittal of Calaney Flowers, who was acquitted of the murder of her baby’s father — her ex-boyfriend Lyndon Morrison, 29. At the end of the case management conference the panel of Appeal justices, which included the president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Manuel Sosa, and justices Samuel Awich and Minet Hafiz-Betram, gave instructions on the way forward in the case to the applicant and the respondent attorneys.

Traffic accident on Philip Goldson Highway leaves one man, 25, dead
Michael Andrew Young, 25, of Belize City, who was a passenger in an SUV being driven at the time by his cousin, Evan Gillett, 35, of Victoria Street, died in an accident on the Philip Goldson Highway. Reliable reports to us are that at about 4:00 Friday morning, Gillett and Young were traveling from a nightclub in Ladyville to Belize City in a Saturn VUE SUV, when on arrival at the road partition not far from Fin Lan Company at Mile 4 on the Philip Goldson Highway, Gillett lost control of the SUV and the vehicle slammed head-on into the concrete base of a lamp post on the road partition.

PSE results 2019
The 2019 Primary School Examination (PSE) results are in, and on Monday, the Ministry of Education took the opportunity to congratulate all top-performing students and published the official results of the top twenty-five scorers for this year’s exams. Participating students were identified and ranked based on their cumulative scores calculated by adding the scores of all four exams, which together yielded a total maximum score of four hundred points (400). From the Cayo district, Ms. Jasmine Espat, representing St. Andrew Anglican Primary School, attained the highest cumulative score countrywide with three hundred and eighty six (386) out of a possible 400.

San Pedro Tiger Sharks grabs third NEBL Championship
The 2019 NEBL season climaxed on Friday night at the San Pedro High School, as San Pedro Tiger Sharks grabbed the game 5 victory against Mirage/Smart Belize Hurricanes, to claim their third NEBL championship in the past six years. The home teams were 5–0 in the finals this season, which was a huge turnaround from the two semi-final series, where the road teams won all 6 games. This is the first season in NEBL history that both semi-final series and the finals series went the distance to determine a winner. Game 5 started off very slowly on the offensive end, as the pressure of a game 5 surely had an impact on the players, who took a few minutes to settle in and embrace the big stage.

Primary school basketball in full swing at Civic Center
The Belize City Primary School Basketball Tournament tipped off back on Tuesday, May 28, and games have been in full swing every afternoon on week days, beginning at 1:15 p.m. at the Belize Civic Center. Only 3 female (F) teams are in the competition, but all of 13 male (M) teams, which have been divided into Division A (6 teams) and Division B (7 teams). In games today, (M) Holy Redeemer won, 26-18, over St. John Vianney. Holy Redeemer – Roy Blades 11 pts; St. John Vianney – Malachi Tillett 15 pts. (M) Queen’s Square Anglican clipped Wesley Upper, 26-22. Queen’s Square – Raymond Gentle 9 pts; Wesley Upper – Leroy Garoy 14 pts. And (M) Belize Elementary crushed Holy Redeemer (35-13). Belize Elementary – Nathan Ford 8 pts; Holy Redeemer – Rajeeve Blades 4 pts.

Ahmadiyya Basketball League Championship Finals 2019
The Grand Finale of the nation’s premier youth league, the Ahmadiyya Basketball League 2019 Championship, was held, beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 2, at the Swift Hall basketball court. Below are the results: U-15 Championship Game – Belama Gators over Future Shock, 41-39. Belama – Ahmad Smith 11 pts, Delhart Dominguez 10 pts; Future Shock – Shane Pratt 12 pts, Kyle Castillo 11 pts. Sportsmanship Award given to Jahmir Young. Season MVP given to Harlem Noralez. Coach of the Year given to Mr. Clinton “Pulu” Lightburn.

Quarterfinal 1st leg results in National Amateur inter-district tournament
From the “Round of 16” it is now down to 8 teams remaining in the National Amateur League Championship (NACL) 2019 inter-district tournament, and the 1st leg of the quarterfinals took place this past weekend. On Saturday evening at the MCC Grounds in Belize City, Sydney “Buck-it” Bradley struck twice (16’ & 75’) to give home standing Caesar Ridge FC the 2-0 win over CJM Strikerz from Independence. A little later on Saturday night, out at the Ambergris Stadium, it was Belize City’s Barrack Road FC with the 5-2 win over Los Catrachos of San Pedro, who led briefly in first half.

Editorial: We must take control of our country
You have to be careful about bending because if you bend too far you might hurt yourself. Everyone, everything has a breaking point. The healthiest, sturdiest trees will break in a storm. The toughest man will wise up and cry “uncle” if a policeman grabs his arm and bends it behind his back. In the celebrated movie, Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye, the hero, breaks tradition and bends for his two eldest daughters, but when his third eldest daughter, Chava, marries out of the Jewish faith, Tevye says, if I bend that far I will break. In probably his most famous speech, at the United Kingdom’s darkest hour during World War II, Sir Winston Churchill, pressed to accept surrender by senior parliamentarians, said it was his observation that “Nations that went down fighting rose again, but those who surrendered tamely were finished.” (quote from www.goodreads.com)

Response to Dr. Young’s “Governance in our Democracy”
Dear Editor, Dr. Young writes, “We need to stop the self-defeating handwringing and work on building public and private institutional strengths. That, in turn, can improve governance …”. (The self-defeating handwringing being purportedly caused by “the shrill voices of those who attack and undermine institutions”.) What is so self-defeating about handwringing? Letting decision-makers know our concern or distress regarding some matter or other is an important part of democracy, and this is exactly why we wring our hands. Sure, we could wring more effectively, or, with some effort, take steps to address the matters that distress us.

The first Spanish families in Belize: the history they never taught in B.H.
Mestizos, or “Spanish,” as they are known locally, have a long history in Belize. The first Spanish families came from neighboring Yucatan in Mexico, fleeing the Caste War between Yucatecans and Mayas that began in 1847. They ranged from rancheros and planters to landless laborers, from light-skinned Yucatecans to dark-skinned mestizos. Rancheros quickly established themselves in the north of the country, where they began to plant sugarcane. Today, Spanish-speaking mestizos are the fastest growing segment of the population. While in 1980 they constituted only 33.4 percent of the population, Central American refugees swelled their ranks throughout the 1980s, and they now make up fully 43.6 percent.

Adios Kwalpeh (Bryan Muschamp)
It happened in the mid-1980s that I had to serve my adopted home, Camalote, as the manager of the village’s football club. I know it was the mid-1980s because I was working at Belize Food Products Ltd. at Alta Vista in the Stann Creek District, and I was there two years, between 1983 and 1985. The title of manager of the football club was forced on me by my best friend in the village, Freddy Palacio, aka Lee Cal, or Mr. Domino. Freddy, who was the manager of the club, suddenly upped and got married to a young lady in Bullet Tree Falls, and he uprooted and followed his wife and dumped the job on me, his assistant.

Pay Day
As you may know, our dear readers of this column, on Dec. 8, 2008, at the headquarters of the OAS, the representatives of Belize and Guatemala signed a Special Agreement known as the compromis to take Guatemala’s claim, unfounded claim, finally legal claim, to the International Court of Justice. On 8th of May 2019, the process of a referendum took place for Belizeans to decide whether the case should be taken to the ICJ or not; 53,388 voted in favor, 43,029 voted against, meanwhile 52,083 cared less, or was it a silent protest? We will never know. Nevertheless, the yes votes complied with what was expected by the government of Belize, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and the European Union. The words of hope for the believers is that Belize has a strong case and the 1859 treaty is an eaten bread. But my understanding is that the compromis had made the 1859 treaty void. The vision of this pen is one of so many opinions which I’ll share in the open campus.

Belmopan City Council owes Social Security $100,000 for its employees’ contributions
An employee of the Belmopan City Council who had fallen ill and wanted to access some sick benefits from the Belize Social Security Board (SSB) got a rude awakening when a letter was dispatched from the Social Security Board on May 31, which informed the employee that “your claim for sickness benefits has been disallowed, since you did not satisfy the conditions for this benefit pursuant to the Social Security Act, Chapter 44 of the Laws of Belize.” The letter went on to inform the employee, who has been in the employ of the Belmopan City Council for 4 years, that 0 contributions had been paid on his behalf. The letter was signed by Melissa Rhys of the SSB’s Belmopan branch office and was copied to the Belmopan City Council.

Belize sends notification papers to the ICJ to begin process
The nation state of Belize continued along the path of going to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) when today it formally submitted its notification of going to the court by means of diplomatic hand delivery, at the court’s headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands. Belize’s Ambassador to Belgium, H.E. Ambassador Dylan Vernon, delivered the notification papers, which were signed by Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington. Voters in last month’s ICJ referendum voted “yes” on the question of whether to submit to the ICJ what was once referred to as Guatemala’s” unfounded claim,’ but which became a legal Claim in 2008 when the Dean Barrow-led United Democratic Party (UDP) government signed the Special Agreement with the Republic of Guatemala for taking “any and all of Guatemala’s legal claim” to the ICJ for a final, binding settlement.

Senseless murder — security guard killed on worksite
A security guard posted at the Belize Foam Factory at Mile 2 on the George Price Highway was found dead on the compound, lying face-down between two delivery trucks, his hands tied behind his back with black plastic straps, at about 4:00 Saturday morning. Haitian national Jacques Jean Wilder, 34, a security guard of Franklin Street, was seen with a small open wound beside his eyes, which were bruised and swollen. He was taken to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

“Safe House” for the LGBTQ community
Every year in the month of June, the LGBTQ community celebrates “Pride Month” all over the world with a series of festivals, parades, etc. In recent years there have been gradual breakthroughs in Belize that have provided opportunities for members of the LGBTQ community who live in this country. Belize TransColors is an organization that is dedicated to reducing social exclusion of the “trans” population. The organization has been registered as an NGO since 2018, and immediately began to seek funding to provide relief projects for members of their community who feel unsupported.

The Reporter

Horrific Beat-Down In Cell Block – Nestor Vasquez Dead
Nestor Vasquez, 60, died over the weekend following a brutal beating he sustained inside the holding cell of the Queen Street Police Station.

Breaking Belize News

Ministry of Labour Hosts Workshop on Identifying Child Labour
Tomorrow marks the International Day Against Child Labor and the Ministry of Labour, Local government […]

Court acquits Oliver Peters of murder over land dispute
Supreme Court Justice Collin Williams has found Oliver Peters, 41, not guilty of murder in the […]

“New price of Butane considers both sellers and consumers,” says Bureau of Standards
Today the Belize Bureau of Standards (BBS) announced a new pricing scheme for Liquified Petroleum Gas […]

Man Arrested For Stealing Vehicle License Sticker From City Hall
David Dion Tillett,26, a driver and heavy machine operator was caught by police in possession […]

Social Security Board discusses increases to contributions scheme
The Social Security Board (SSB) says that due to financial issues, it has little choice […]

Police find gun and ammo in bushy lot
Yesterday, police in Stann Creek were conducting patrols in First New Site area in Dangriga […]

Fire destroys home in Independence
Authorities are investigating a fire that destroyed a home in Independence, Stann Creek. Victorino Cowo […]

Gun and ammo found in the old capital
Authorities conducting a patrol in Belize City yesterday recovered a .380 gun and 7 live […]

Power shortage may have caused fire at Old Belize
Authorities are investigating a fire that occurred today at Old Belize. The security guard, Orlando […]

Belize City man charged for murder in Dangriga
Yesterday police charged Belize City resident, Starling Perez, 24, with the murder of Carlos Reyes. […]

San Ignacio & Santa Elena Town council engage stakeholders in new economic development plan
The San Ignacio and Santa Elena Town Council held a meeting with stakeholders from the […]

Ministry of Health working toward banning sugary drinks from schools
The Ministry of Health has embarked on a nationwide initiative along with the Ministry of […]

Taiwanese embassy donates to Micah Goodin Scholarship Fund
Today the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) made a donation to the Micah […]

LOVE FM

Director of Health Services says safety protocols will be re-examined after violent attack
Collin Francis is the mentally disabled man who violently attacked Nurse Augustina Elijio at the Port Loyola Health Clinic on June four. He was charged with attempted murder of Elijio after he stabbed her. Two days later on the six, Francis attacked Nestor Vasquez junior inside holding cell 2 at the Eastern Division police station …

National Commission for Families and Children prepare for better parents
Parenting, particularly in this age, is not an easy task. Perhaps that’s why the National Commission for Families and Children (NCFC) launched a parenting guide on November 18, 2018. Today the NCFC and partner organizations held a training session for facilitators and guides to help people become better parents. Margaret Nicholas, the Executive Director for …

Leah Martinez places sixth for PSE’s in the country
Leah Martinez, a bright young lady, has made her family and herself proud by placing sixth in the country for the Primary School Examinations (PSE). Leah, who just graduated from Hummingbird Elementary, stopped by our studio earlier today and told us that she knew from the start that she would be in the top 25. …

DHS says baby Trevane never had a pulse when father brought infant to hospital
Troy Banner was charged with manslaughter for the death of his 8 week old son Trevane on June 5. The result of the autopsy showed that the infant died from multiple skull fractures due to battered child syndrome. At the time of the incident, Banner told the media that the infant died from an adrenaline …

SSB to roll out new contribution rates
It has been over two years since Social Security Board, SSB, has been discussing the possibility of increasing employees’ contributions and benefits to the scheme. Fast forward to the present and SSB is ready to roll out the new plan. This morning, the Chief Executive Officer of SSB, Dr Colin Young, shared how it will …

Southern Regional Morgue back in Operation
In April, the doors of the morgue at the Southern Regional Hospital were closed as a result of lack of storage and cooling units. There was an issue at the San Ignacio Hospital as well regarding storage of bodies. The Director of Health Services says that over a hundred thousand dollars has been spent on …

Central Medical Lab encourages persons to donate blood
Blood is in short supply and the Central Medical Laboratory is responding to this shortage via a blood drive. Adrian Martinez, the Medical Laboratory Technologist, says that O-Positive blood type is in high demand. Adrian Martinez – Medical Laboratory Technologist at Central Medical Laboratory: “We are promoting voluntary blood donation, specifically this week. We celebrate …

Medical facilities being transformed through smart initiative
The Pan American Health Organization, PAHO, and the World Health Organization, WHO, have been on a mission to see hospitals and medical facilities transform into smart institutions. This means equipping these facilities to stand up to disasters and to make them environmentally friendly by reducing their footprint. Yesterday, a training was conducted to familiarize staff …

National Thrust to study Adolescent Mental Health
Our small population of over 300,000 has lived without war in its short existence. But while we say we are a peaceful country, the murder rate per capita is very high and amongst the highest in the world. The conviction rate for those murders are also less than 5 percent. The prevalence of violent crime …

Blogs

21 Photos to Inspire You to Travel to Caye Caulker, Belize
As far as chill island vibes goes, Caye Caulker has to be one of my favorite places I’ve ever visited. Traveling to Caye Caulker is like stepping far away from the realities of life in 2019 and taking it back to a time when life was slower, technology ruled a bit less of our lives and community was paramount. I love that on this tiny Belize island you run into the same people over and over again because it’s that small — there are truly only a few go-to watering holes and beaches where people spend most of their time here. This fosters a sense of community between both locals and visitors, so that by the end of a week or even a long weekend on Caye Caulker, you’ll be on a first name basis with your fellow shoeless, beach-going friends. That’s very rare these days and I hope if that doesn’t convince you to visit this special slice of paradise, then the following photos will!

Food In Belize: Dishes & Restaurants For Vegetarians
Deciding where to eat in Belize should be a priority when visiting. And Caye Caulker, a five-mile-long Caribbean island 20 miles off the coast of Belize, is a surf and turf town. From the sweet smell of jerked chicken barbecued beachside by sun-kissed chefs to oceanfront restaurants with dishes starring the day’s freshest catch, eating meat is as much a cultural mainstay as the island’s tourist-friendly slogan: “No shirt, no shoes, no problem”. It’s no surprise, then, when I asked a shirtless chef grilling food by the beach to whip me up a veggie kabob, he gave me a quizzical look and said, “No meat?”. A staunch vegetarian for the past decade, this is a question I’ve grown accustomed to, and I wasn’t shocked to hear it in Central America.

Climb To The Summit
The Tropic Air adventure duo of Kenny and Lennox summited Victoria Peak! Check out Part 2 of our Climb to the Summit and read what it takes to reach the heights Belize has to offer.... The first thing Kenrick said when asked on Monday how it went was “It was hard this year. The Heat was extreme! Indeed, it was an extremely hot and humid weekend here in Belize, with averages in the 90s and even rising to 100F. This year the team was made up of 12, with one guide, Benedicto. Their motto for the expedition was “We are one with Nature, life is an adventure we got to live it”. The group started out at 7.22am on Friday morning, a little later than usual as one of the new team members had a backpack that was overweight, when checked by the guide. They were all eager to make up time and walked the first part at a fast pace, knowing from experience that this was the easiest part and they wanted to get as far as they could before the heat intensified. Along the way, Lennox, our other Tropic employee tried to clear some branches blocking the path, with his machete, when a small stick hit his left knee and gashed it open and they had to perform some quick temporary first aid until they got to the camp.

Getting to Belize From Europe
Due to Belize’s location in Central America, there are no non-stop flights to the country from Europe. The good news, however, is that it is now easier than ever for people in Europe to enjoy an unforgettable vacation in Belize. As a former British colony, Belize has always been a popular destination for Britons. American Airlines now offers direct flights to Belize that depart from London’s Heathrow Airport and make a stop in Miami, Florida before continuing on to Belize. Flights to Belize depart four times per week from Heathrow and have only a short layover in Miami before continuing directly to Belize City.

The Best Time to Visit Belize for Whale Sharks
Belize is a world-famous mecca for scuba diving and snorkeling thanks to its massive barrier reef system (the second-largest in the world), crystal clear waters, and abundance of marine life. But one of the rarest and most beautiful animals in the ocean’s waters only visits Belize once a year. Whale sharks are not whales in the true sense of the word. Instead, they are the largest fish which have ever existed. Whale sharks can grow to up to 41 feet (12 meters) in length and weigh up to 47,000 pounds (21 tons), roughly double the size and weigh of a semi truck. Despite their huge size, these sharks pose almost no danger to humans because they are filter feeders.

5 Awesome And Cheap Backpacking Destinations in Belize
For many years, it was difficult and time-consuming to get to Belize. But now, all of the biggest airlines in North America fly to Belize, making it easy to find very affordable tickets. If you’ve ever wanted to come to Belize and explore this magnificent country, here are five awesome and cheap backpacking destinations: One backpackers’ favorite stop in Belmopan is the lively farmer’s market, the perfect place to see locals swap gossip and trade produce, dairy, handicrafts, and even traditional medicinal compounds made from local plants found in the jungle. And don’t miss the world-famous giant burritos that go for less than $5 BZD at the market.

Back to Belize!
Oh it had been a minute. Two and a half years since I said goodbye and boarded a tiny plane to the mainland. After leaving Belize in 2017 I spent the next years working hard as a small animal vet at Qatar Veterinary Center, in the tiny country of Qatar in the Middle East. I had seen and learned so much, but as I finished up my time there, my heart ached to get back to San Pedro, back to Saga Humane Society, back to see my vet tech and friend Ingrid. I arrived at Saga on Tuesday morning ready to work. That day we saw 23 patients. We saw distemper, urinary problems, vaccinations, ticks, the list goes on. If you’ve followed my blog before you know that vet medicine in Belize always has its challenges. Most treatments are based on good histories and physical exams.

San Ignacio Belize: Best Place to Retire in Latin America
Retirees eager for small town living with conveniences are flocking to San Ignacio. Everyone speaks English. Real estate is affordable. Proximity to natural wonders is so expansive, retirees can pick different activities every day—swimming, bird watching, hiking, cave tubing, and cultural exploration—and never run out of things to do. Residents roam outside San Ignacio where steep hills are lavished with stately trees that cover the land. They stay in town and do their thing with the fast-growing ex-pat community. According to “U.S. News and World Report,’ San Ignacio, “the heart of this country's rainforest interior,” is a unique example of unspoiled beauty, tranquility, spectacular mountains, rivers, waterfalls and Maya ruins. Yet it’s also starting to blossom. The laid-back pace that was once the hallmark of Cayo now offers more. Retirees have access to upscale stores, restaurants, spas, yoga studios, elegant resorts, and quaint markets.

Videos

June 11, 2019

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Specials and Events

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

The San Pedro Sun

Belize Medical Associates San Pedro Clinic to open on Jun 17th, take a look inside!
BMA Medical Chief Dr. Victor Rosado shared with The San Pedro Sun that the developers of Grand Caribe approached them with the idea of installing a clinic here on the island. “We liked the concept, and then the building was designed perfectly for a clinic. We decided that it would be a great thing to do,” he said. BMA also believes that by having specialists available on the island will help the patient by saving them time from traveling to the mainland; and thus, saving time away from work. Their main goal is to help augment the services that are already provided at local facilities. Dr. Rosado added, “Our pharmacy at the clinic will consist of three pharmacists, who will be able to assist island residents/visitors with more efficient information about their medication.” Dr. Sersland invites all island residents and visitors to visit them at the new clinic and check out all the services they have to offer to the community.

San Pedro Tiger Sharks are the NEBL Champions!
San Pedro Tiger Sharks are the 2019 National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) Champions after defeating the Mirage/Smart Belize Hurricanes in the fifth game of the finals with a 72-65 score on Friday, June 7th at the Angel Nuñez Auditorium in San Pedro Town. The 2019 NEBL Champions took home the coveted first place trophies and $20,000 cash prize. Meanwhile, the sub-champions walked away with a second place trophy. This win marks the San Pedro Tiger Sharks’ third NEBL Championship in the past six years having risen as top teams in both 2014 and 2015.

Costa Maya Festival Committee presents delegates from Mexico and Panama
Over a month away, the committee behind the anticipated International Costa Maya Festival – Reignited is excited to announce the delegated representing Mexico and Panama for the 2019-2020 Miss Costa Maya Pageant. Scheduled for Friday, July 26th the pageant will see eight beauty ambassadors from Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama vying for the title of Reina de la Costa Maya. Following the pageant the festival will continue on Saturday, July 27th with Noche Internacional with live performance but none other than Belize’s punta king, Supa G! Supa G will set the stage for this year’s international artist, Becky G.

Ambergris Today

100 San Pedro High Seniors Receive Diplomas At 43rd Graduation
Founded in 1971 San Pedro High has grown by leaps and bounds. After its first graduation of ten students, this past Sunday, June 8, 2019, SPHS marched 100 students up the aisle of the Rafael Angel Nuñez Auditorium in Graduation and Commencement exercises. The Salutatory address was delivered by Ivanna Nuñez and the Vote of Thanks by Gaven Zapata, who had the second and third highest cumulative marks in the class, respectively. Honor student with the highest cumulative average who delivered the Valedictory address was Miguel Hancock. Guest speaker was an inside teacher, Mr. Paul Kelly, just back from his studies after obtaining his Master's Degree.

Global Sustainable Tourism Council Assessment Conducted In Belize City
The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MTCA), the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) and the Belize Tourism Industry Association through the World Wildlife Fund partnered with the George Washington University International Institute of Tourism Studies to conduct a Sustainable Destination Assessment for Belize City, using the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) sustainable tourism criteria.

San Pedro Tiger Sharks 2019 NEBL Champions
On Friday, June 7, 2019, The San Pedro Tiger Sharks played against Mirage Smart Belize Hurricanes at the Rafael Angel Nunez auditorium and swept away their third National Elite Basketball League Crown with a score of 72-65. Tiger Sharks led the game although it was a though one as they had though competition as the Hurricanes were also seeking their third league championship. In the end the Tiger Sharks came out victorious and thanked all their fans for their unconditional and wavering support. Congratulations to the San Pedro Tiger Sharks!!!!

Misc Belizean Sources

RISING BELIZEAN FOOTBALL SENSATION IN AMERICA!
Belizean football rising sensation in the United States, Rybert McNab, is the son of former Belizean football player, Francis McNab, of Belize and he has been making some positive and outstanding moves as a soccer player in Long Beach, California. McNab recently signed a four year university contract to play soccer (football) at Belhaven University in the United States. He may be the first Belizean to play soccer for a four year division university in the U.S. He has started preseason training and has told "Belize Sport Tops" at "Belizean Legends" that he is doing this incredible athletic work on the behalf of his country Belize and for his proud dad who has instilled deep hope in him that he can be the best he can in American soccer.

International Day of Yoga in Corozal
Come join us Corozal Town Thursday June 20th for the International Day of Yoga . Everyone is invited . Yoga is for all ages, body types, genders and finess levels.

169 Graduate at Escuela Secundaria Técnica México
in Corozal held its 33rd Graduation Commencement Exercises for the Class of 2019. Our media shack joins in extending our most sincere congratulations to the 87 girls and 82 boys who graduated from this wonderful high school institution. Congratulations to the entire school faculty. Special invited guest was Mexico's Ambassador to Belize, Carlos Quesnel.

Underwater Pipeline installation June 10-13 in San Pedro
Belize Water Services hereby advises all mariners that works will be conducted in San Pedro to install an underwater pipeline crossing on the seafloor from Boca Del Rio to San Mateo, starting Monday, June 10, 2019 until Thursday, June 13, 2018. Mariners are being advised that vessels will be restricted to navigate within this area on Thursday, June 13, 2019. Extreme caution and adherence to the NO WAKE zone will be enforced by the Belize Port Authority for the duration of the installation of the underwater pipeline crossing. BWS apologizes for any inconvenience caused.

BTB at Experience Latin America 2019
Belize was proudly represented at this year's Experience Latin America in London. The event showcases the very best Latin American product and connects key European buyers with exclusive exhibitors.

Tour Guide Licenses expire on July 31
Please be advised that all Tour Guide Licenses expire on July 31, 2019. Applications for renewal are now being accepted at BTB's Belize City and San Pedro Offices. Application forms can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/2ZkwdFw

Learn the Yucatec Maya Language
Belize Ko'one'ex Kanik Maaya T'áan Belize let's learn Yucatec Maya . The language of our grandparents .

Police looking for suspect
The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chester C. Williams is seeking the assistance of the general public in identifying the individual whose photograph is enclosed. This person may be able to assist the police in an ongoing investigation. If you have any information of the whereabouts or identity of this individual, please call the Commissioner of Police, Chester C. Williams at 610-5716, or Alejandro Cowo at 602-8683, or 922. All information that is shared will be kept in the highest level of confidentiality.

PSE Results are in!
Congratulations to all who successfully sat the examination and especially to this year's top performers.

Corozal Carnaval Committee Important Meeting
June 13, 4pm at the CorozalTown Council Conference Room

Wildtracks releases loggerhead turtle
Wildtracks Update: We say a fond farewell to Oasis, the loggerhead turtle that has been with us since she came in with injuries at the end of last year. She has made a full recovery - and is now back in the wild.... FREE! It has been a collaboration getting her this far - from the local fisherman who rescued her to the rangers from Sarteneja Alliance for Conservation and Development - Belize, who brought her to Wildtracks...to then take her today towards her release site. To the staff of Hol Chan Marine Reserve, especially Kirah Forman Castillo, tagged her and then took her to the reef to release her.

Benque Fiesta 2019
The 2019 Benque Fiesta is just over a month away. They'll have live music, DJ's, rides, food, sports, and much more. The Flor de la Feria pageant kicks off the celebration on the 12th of July, and it goes through the 14th. "You are all invitede to join us for the Benque Fiesta 2019. Save the dates for you and the family. Be sociable and share!"

BELIZE CRUZO'OB MAYA: THE CHILDREN OF REBELLION "General May sold out to the Mexicans."
The Yucatec Maya group known as the Cruzo'ob Maya were one of the main protagonist of the Maya social War wrongly called the Caste war . The Cruzo'ob Maya mantained a good relationship with the British since they bought weapons from them . The British even recognized the Maya nation of Chan Santa Cruz as independent but all this ended when the British Government assigned Sir Spenser St. John to disentangle Her Royal Majesty's Government from the Maya free state. In 1893, HRMG signed the Spenser Mariscal Treaty, which ceded the Maya free state's lands to Mexico and a border was created without asking the indigenous Maya .

Channel 7

Big Break in Triple Murder Case: Police Charge Two Men
2 men have been charged for the chilling mile 10 triple murder. Those men are 24 year old Mahogany Heights resident Kyle Zetina and 18 year old Sunset Park Community resident Shawn Flores. They were both arraigned this evening on 3 counts of murder. As we have reported, On June 4th, well known acting principal of Excelsior High Alarice Andrewin -, her friend, naturalized Belizean Vidal Antonio Yuman, and his friend from Guatemala, Maria Delfina Juarez were all shot and killed inside Andrewin's home. Their hands were bound with pieces of cloth and a pair of socks in one case, or in another case, bound with duct tape. All three of their feet were tied with a single hundred foot extension chord. Andrewin was shot twice to head and the other two received a single bullet to the head. It's a heinous and calculated act of violence and today at the police press briefing, Commissioner Chester Williams and his team told us more about the progress they have made so far but said that there are still more loose ends in this case.

Nestor Vasquez Jr. dies, Family Blame Police
Tonight, Jules Vasquez and his family are still trying to come to terms with the death of their loved one, Nestor Vasquez Jr. As we told you on Friday, Vasquez was detained on Thursday morning at the Queen Street police station for a trespass charge. In the afternoon, police then placed Vasquez, who is mentally ill in cell number 2 with inmate Colin Francis, who is a dangerously violent mentally ill man. Police knew the history of these two men and still placed them in a cell which resulted in the vicious attack on Vasquez - it is a decision that ultimately led to Vasquez's death on Saturday night. Today, Jules Vasquez told us more about Vasquez's fatal injuries and gave us a snapshot of the series of event that led to the cell block beat down.

Police Commissioner Commits to Delivering Justice For Nestor Vasquez Jr.
Now as we told you on Friday, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams sent out a release condemning the negligence of the officers on duty and he took swift action in placing the officers on interdiction. Today at the police briefing, Williams re-iterated the action he is taking in this case and admitted that the police officers failed to follow proper protocol. Williams also committed to constructing a padded cell for mentally ill patients. Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police: "As we have reported last week, the police department considered the actions of the police who were working the cell block, as well as that of the executive duty officer on duty at the time..."

Security Guard killed on the Job
A Haitian Triple A security guard was murdered early Saturday morning at the Foam Factory on the George Price Highway. He was on duty when a couple thieves attacked him, choked him to death then broke into the building. Courtney Weatherburne has more on this burglary turn murder. Close friends and members of the Haitian community were shocked when they heard the news of Jacques Wilder's murder. Voice of: Family Friend: "So I woke up but I dint know that it was something unthinkable so I woke up, I wasn't frightened. I just have this positive mind that nothing is wrong, maybe they jack him or maybe they stole something from him so I woke up. I go to take a shower and a little bit after the supervisor called me and he say come and I say okay I am coming and when I got there that is when I get the news you know."

Calaney Flowers Acquitted of Murder of Baby Daddy
Viewers may remember the March 2017 acquittal of Calaney Flowers. Just over 2 years ago, she walked out of the court room of the retired judge, Justice Troadio Gonzalez, a free woman after he found her not guilty of both murder and attempted murder. Back in August of 2012, she was charged with these offenses for the accident which led to the death of her baby's father, 29 year-old Lyndon Morrison, and the severe injuries suffered by Sochyl Sosa, who was Morrison's new girlfriend at the time. On the night of August 28th, 2012, Morrison and Sosa were traveling on Freetown Road in Belize City on his red Suzuki motorcycle. They were passing in front of Central Assembly of God Church, when Flowers knocked them down with her car.

Police Quickly Catch Culprit after Mile 3 Burglary
There was another burglary this weekend, it happened last night at the Solid Waste Transfer Station at mile 3 on the Western Highway. Fortunately no one was killed in this case. The burglars entered the compound through the back fence. They broke into the building through the back door, ransacked the place, stole several items and then drove off. Well, police say they did not even know about that burglary when they intercepted the same burglars who fired at police near Fabers Road. It is only until after they caught the driver that they got the call of that break in. Police told us more.

Power Punch Saves Ladyville Man's Life
So, while police moved quickly to intercept the vehicle with those stolen items from Belize Waste Control, they must looked for a gunman who nearly shot 34 year-old Alrick Smith twice in the head. The Ladyville resident was grazed twice after he got into a scuffle with a masked gunman, who came to kill him. It happened at around 11 o'clock last night on Pigeon street, when Smith was walking toward Perez Road. That's when the masked shooter tried to ambush him, but according to Smith, he saw when the man pulled out a gun and pointed it at him.

Old Beef Escalates to Shooting in Dangriga
There was also another shooting yesterday which happened in Dangriga Town, and Police Commissioner Chester Williams told the media what they know about the incident so far: "Yesterday morning around 6:45 thereabout, police responded to an incident on Riverside Street, Dangriga Town. Upon arrival, they met one Tyrone Flores suffering from a single gunshot injury to the shoulder. He was taken to the Southern Regional Hospital where he was admitted for treatment in a stable condition. He reported to the police that he was on Riverside Street when he was accosted by a lone gunman who fired one shot at him causing the said injury. Police have since detained one individual and that person is expected to be charged sometime today with the crime of attempted murder."

The Good News and Bad News of PSE Results
The 2019 PSE scores are in and the results are more of the same. Most of the over 7000 students who sat the exam received scores within the "E" range, which translates to an "Inadequate" performance according to the Ministry's grading scale. While there was some minor fluctuation in the students' performance, the The average English score was 56.7%, a 1% increase from last year. The Math scores also saw a 1% increase, with students averaging about 54%. Students were most successful in Social Studies, receiving an average grade of 64.2%, the highest of the individual subject scores.

Correction to SWMA Burglary Story
And....a correction to a story we ran earlier about an armed robbery at Belize Waste Control. Police told us that's where it happened and you heard the COMPOL say it - but it actually happened at the Solid Waste Management Authority which is a compound right beside Waste Control.

Man Charged for following "Wrong Crowd"
Police are attempting to prosecute another Belize City man for allegedly being a member of a criminal gang. He's 21 year-old Duesbury Bowen, a construction worker of 26 Rocky Road, and today, he was arraigned before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford on the offense of being a member of gang. He pleaded not guilty to the charge, and he was denied bail, and remanded to the Belize Central Prison until September 18th, his next court date.

No Turning Back: Journey to ICJ Begins
On Friday we told you how Belize has formally started the countdown to the ICJ by submitting the Special Agreement to the Registrar of the Court. That happened on Friday, in the Hague, Netherlands. It now means that Guatemala will present its case, which is called a memorial within 1 year of Friday, June 7th, 2020. Belize will then have 1 year to respond. Guatemala's Foreign Minister, Sandra Jovel was also at the ICJ on Friday to comply with Guatemala's requirements before the court. She also presented their Agent and the Coagent.

The Social Security Deficit Remedy
As we told you last week, it's official now, Social Security's new schedule of deductions is going into effect on July first. The business and labour groups have given their stamps of approval and so has Cabinet. Employers have now gotten the notice of how much more they will have to pay, and to deduct from salaries for the Social Security Board. The new package will be outlined to the press at a session tomorrow, We learned today that the changes take the insurable benefits coverage from $320.00 dollars to $520 dollars - but, it will be phased in over two years.

Health Officials Tackle Medication Addiction
On last week Thursday's newscast, we showed you part 2 of Courtney Weatherburne's investigation into the life of recovering alcoholics. These are Belizeans who fight the urge every second of every day to stay away from drinking, due to the very harmful effects it has had on their personal lives, and their relationships with family members. Local law enforcement and health authorities continue grapple with the seemingly impossible task of reversing the culture of excess. At the same time, they have to keep a watchful eye on the possible abuse of other drugs.

Adios! Aero Mexico
In November of last year, Aero Mexico made its inaugural flight from Mexico City to Belize - and it was hailed as a major breakthrough to an airline with many direct flights to Europe. But, faster than you can say "CDMX", it seems Aero Mexico's Belize connect has gone muy frio, muy pronto. Unconfirmed reports tell us that after taking the usual summer break when flights are suspended - Aero Mexico will not resume its Belize flight as expected in November.

Celebrating the Deep Blue
World Oceans Day was Saturday, celebrated under the theme"Gender and the Oceans". In Belize, OCEANA led the observation by deploying its Wavemakers across the country to do Beach cleanups in Corozal, Caye Caulker, Hopkins, Snake Caye and Punta Negra among many other activities, such as Art Sessions, and School presentations.

Channel 5

Kyle Zetina and Shawn Flores are Arrested for Triple Murder
Twenty-four-year-old Kyle Zetina and eighteen-year-old Shawn Flores are tonight on remand at the Belize Central Prison after being arraigned earlier today on the principal charges of murder.  Both men are [...]

Nestor Vasquez Junior Succumbs to Injuries After Deadly Beat Down in Holding Cell
Sixty-year-old Nestor Vasquez Junior, the namesake son of B.T.L. Chairman Nestor Vasquez and elder sibling of broadcaster Jules Vasquez, succumbed to injuries he received inside a holding cell last Thursday.  [...]

How We Treat Mental Health in Belize
While the Vasquez family, through attorney Leslie Mendez, issued a statement on Friday criticizing the police for negligence, it is expected that legal action will be taken against the department.  [...]

ComPol Admits to Liability in the Death of Nestor Vasquez Jr.
Commissioner of Police Chester Williams has weighed in on the issue and admits that the department failed in safeguarding the rights of Nestor Vasquez.  While disciplinary action has been taken [...]

Haitian Security Guard Murdered in the City
A Haitian national who recently migrated to Belize for work was murdered on Saturday morning. Jacques Wilder was on duty, working as a security guard at Foam Factory on the [...]

Masked Gunman shoots Ladyville Resident
A gunman fired two shots a Ladyville resident on Sunday night. Luckily for Alrick Smith, he narrowly escaped with his life when he came under attack while walking along Pigeon [...]

Tyrone Flores is Shot in the Culture Capital
A resident of Dangriga is lucky to have escaped grave injury, following an attempt on his life on Sunday morning.  Tyrone Flores, according to police, may have been the victim [...]

Armed Robbery Leads to Shootout; 1 Person Detained
There was an armed robbery at the solid waste transfer station located off mile three on the George Price Highway. Armed robbers entered the compound and stole an undisclosed amount [...]

Another Alleged George Street Gang Member behind Bars
Another alleged George Street gang member is behind bars after he pleaded not guilty to the charge. He is Marvin Phillips; a resident of Belama area in Belize City. This [...]

Heavy Machine Operator Charged for Handling Stolen Goods
A heavy machine operator from Belize City is out on bail tonight after he was caught using a vehicle license sticker belonging to the Belize City Council. David Tillett was [...]

More Controls needed for Controlled Drugs
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime opened a two-day workshop today to discuss how to improve the regulation of controlled drugs by strengthening legislation, institute regulations and implement [...]

P.S.E. Results are in!
The Primary School Examination results are in. Today, the Ministry of Education released the full report on how students performed for this year’s P.S.E. – but before we get into [...]

World Oceans Day 2019 – Gender and the Oceans
June eighth was celebrated as World Oceans Day 2019 under the theme “Gender and the Oceans.” Hundreds of Belizeans countrywide carried out different activities as they joined the international community [...]

Sports Stats with James Adderley
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.   [Highlights of the weekend in sports...]

The Reporter

2 Men Charged With Triple Murder – On Parade At Court House
Kyle Zetina, 24, and Shawn Flores, 18, both of Mahogany Heights were this afternoon remanded to the Belize Central Prison on three counts of murder. The two are accused of last week’s triple homicide of Excelsior High School Acting Principal, Alarice Andrewin, security guard Vidal Yuman and Maria Juarez.

Robbery At Belize Waste Control – Shootout With Police
There was a robbery at the Belize Waste Control office last night around 11:15pm. A security guard at the compound told Police he was tied up by four men who stole his phone.

Breaking Belize News

Another accused gang member in court
Marvin Anthony Philips, 20, is behind bars after being accused of being a member of the […]

Fun, sun and lots of lobster: Lobster Fest 2019 coming to Placencia
Belizeans and tourists alike are getting ready for one of the largest events on Belize’s […]

What’s killing the fish down south?
There are environmental concerns coming out of southern Belize this week, as a large number […]

Michael Salazar is joining the Houston Dynamo Football Club
Belizean football player, Michael Salazar has signed as forward for the Houston Dynamo Football Club. […]

Belize to participate in Fuerzas Comando Military competition
Belize is one of 20 countries that will be participating in the Fuerzas Comando 2019 […]

COMPOL seeks public’s assistance in locating this person
Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, is seeking the assistance of the public in identifying the […]

Five Twin-Town students top PSE scores
Five students from San Ignacio and Santa Elena achieved high scores on the 2019 Primary […]

Alrick Smith escapes from masked gunman
Ladyville resident, Alrick Smith, is alive after an attempt on his life over the weekend. […]

Eric Hernandez shot in Dangriga
Just before 7 o’clock yesterday morning there was a shooting in Dangriga, Stann Creek. Eric […]

2 fishermen charged for illegal possession of lobster during closed season
On June 5, 2019, officers from the Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association Conservation embarked on a […]

San Pedro Lobster fest coming soon!
The annual San Pedro Lobster festival is scheduled to commence on Thursday, June 13 and […]

Taiwan’s ICDF projects in Belize
The Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) is a Government funded program that is […]

Warm weather to continue
Warm and mostly dry conditions are forecasted for today. Skies are expected to be mostly […]

Shootout between Police and Armed Robbers in Belize City
There was a shooting early this morning in Belize City. It occurred in the vicinity […]

LOVE FM

Stopping the abuse of controlled drugs
A two day workshop on rational use of controlled medication commenced today. The workshop deals with abuse of controlled medication and ways to combat it. Samira Gongora, the acting technical advisor for the pharmacy unit at the Ministry of Health told us more about the workshop and drug abuse in Belize. Samira Gongora: “We want …

Two men charged for Triple Murder
The police department had made a serious commitment to find the killers of of 44-year-old, Alarice Andrewin, a school principal, 39 year old Vidal Yuman and 19-year-old, Maria Delfina Lucas Juarez. Juarez, a Guatemalan national had come to visit her boyfriend Yuman, a naturalized Belizean. The couple were looking for a better life in Belize …

Police say Two men lucky to be alive after being shot in separate incidents
There were two minor shooting incidents that occurred over the weekend. Luckily none of the injured persons were seriously hurt. According to the police, 34 year old Alrick Smith, a Ladyville resident was quite lucky to be grazed twice on the head. A.S.P Alejandro Cowo – Head C.I.B. Belize City: “Last night just after 11 …

Another 15k winner of Scratch & Win
Another family has won fifteen grand simply by scratching a winning ticket. The Georgetown family decided to try their luck on Friday and, today, the daughter of the winner, Keandra Fernandez, stopped by our studio to tell us how it all went down. Keandra Fernandez – Daughter of the Winner: “It was Friday, she purchased …

Excelsior High holds Candlelight Vigil for slain Principal
On Sunday night at 6 p.m. the students, staff and faculty members of Excelsior High School held a candle light vigil for the acting principal Alarice Andrewin who was killed in that tragic triple homicide. Love News spoke to Sean Martinez, the Acting Vice Principal, Excelsior High School at the event which was held at …

Security Guard murdered for $150 burglary
Haitian National, Jacques Jean Wilder moved to Belize a year ago. For the past three months, he worked as a security guard for Triple A Security fpr the past three months. He was stationed at the Foam Factory on the George Price Highway. He went on duty at 6 p.m. on Friday night and he …

Longsworth: minimal improvement in PSE results
If you would judge by the way young people are grammatically incorrect on social media on many occasions, you would think that English is lost to the young generation. The PSE results for 2019, however, is showing some improvements in this subject. As a matter of fact, the PSE report, notes, quote, “More students in …

2019 PSE results officially released
The Primary School Examination results for 2019 have officially been released and by now many are aware that the top performer came for a school out west. While many are still trying to figure out what went wrong or what went right with their grades, Jasmine Espat, who attends St. Andrew Anglican Primary School in …

Nestor Vasquez Jr. Dies from Injuries in Police Station Cell
60-year-old, Nestor Vasquez Junior passed away on Saturday night just before ten o’clock. Vasquez was admitted due to stab injuries he sustained inside a police holding cell at the Queen Street Police Station. He was being detained for common assault and was sharing a cell with Collin Francis who is known as a mental patient …

Court of Appeals will hear case against Calaney Flowers
It has been over two years since Calaney Flowers was acquitted of the murder of her ex-boyfriend, Lyndon Morrison, and the attempted murder of Morrison’s girlfriend, Sochyl Sosa. It is alleged that Flowers hit Morrison and his girlfriend with her car as he drove his motorcycle on Freetown Road in August 2012. Today, Flowers was …

Belize Waste Control burglarized but company denies incident occurred
Early this morning police officers were engaged in a shootout along Krooman Road, adjacent to Faber’s Road. The Belize City police officers were patrolling the area when they encountered a white sport utility vehicle. At the time they were unaware that the men inside the vehicle had just burglarized Belize Waste Control …

International Sources

ANCIENT MAYA: TROPHIES MADE FROM HUMAN SKULLS SHED LIGHT ON MYSTERY COLLAPSE OF CIVILIZATION
Two trophy skulls, recently discovered by archaeologists in the jungles of Belize, may help shed light on the little-understood collapse of the once powerful Classic Maya civilization. The defleshed and painted human skulls, meant to be worn around the neck as pendants, were buried with a warrior over a thousand years ago at Pacbitun, a Maya city. They likely represent gruesome symbols of military might: war trophies made from the heads of defeated foes. Both skulls are similar to depictions of trophy skulls worn by victorious soldiers in stone carvings and on painted ceramic vessels from other Maya sites. Drilled holes likely held feathers, leather straps or both. Other holes served to anchor the jaws in place and suspend the cranium around the warrior's neck, while the backs were sawed off to make the skulls lie flat on the wearer's chest.

Caribbean Countries, IOM Address Climate Change and Human Mobility Challenges
The growing frequency and intensity of tropical storms and other natural disasters have pushed Caribbean countries to prioritise their response planning. Tackling the challenges of human mobility in the context of disasters and climate change in the region has become a top concern. This was the focus of a meeting in Trinidad and Tobago, where 18 Caribbean countries and territories and 12 international and regional organizations, as well as observers, gathered last week (6-7 June).

Tax information sharing causes 25% drop in IFC bank deposits: OECD
Overall, cross-border bank deposits held in 40 key international financial centres by companies and individuals have fallen by 34% from their 2008 peak of $1.6trn, declining by $551bn. The OECD says the onset of automatic exchange of information (AEOI) under the OECD's Common Reporting Standard (CRS) accounts for about two thirds of the decrease. Specifically, it has led to a decline of 20% to 25% in the bank deposits in IFCs, according to preliminary data.

WORRELL SAYS: CARIBBEAN CURRENCIES ‘HAVE OUTLIVED THEIR USEFULNESS’
THE time has come to permanently retire all Caribbean currencies. This is the view of Economist, Dr. Delisle Worrell, in his latest Economic Letter for June 2019. “The currencies of Caribbean countries have now outlived their usefulness, and have become a liability,” according to Dr. Worrell who is a former Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados. Currently, Barbados, The Bahamas, Belize, the Eastern Caribbean teritories, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, all have their own national currencies which along with several others from around the world, were on display at the Central Bank of Barbados.

How Dengue, a Deadly Mosquito-Borne Disease, Could Spread in a Warming World
To estimate the future spread of the disease, Dr. Brady and his colleagues took data on mosquito behavior and projections on urbanization (one type of Aedes mosquito that spreads the disease is especially prevalent in cities) and combined them with three different climate scenarios to model what might happen in 2020, 2050 and 2080. Under all three scenarios the spread of dengue increased. But how much the world warms has a significant impact on the spread of the disease. The research, Dr. Brady said, “hints at the idea that if we do control emissions better, we could stop or at least limit this kind of spread.”

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