Belize News Daily, 7/11/2019 to 7/20/2019, Ambergris Caye

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, Reef TV, KREM, and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Belize Now, Talk Ah Di Town, and other specials.

The San Pedro Sun

Tourist dies while diving on Ambergris Caye
On Thursday, July 18th around 1:55PM the San Pedro Police received information of a male person at the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II who drown. Upon arriving at the clinic, police regarded the lifeless body of a male Caucasian, identified as 66-year-old Steven Williams Vorhaus from Lafayette Colorado, USA. He was identified to police by his 68-year-old common-law wife Carol Puchalsk of Lafayette Colorado, USA. Initial investigation revealed that on Thursday around 11:45 AM Vorhaus departed the island on a diving boat along with eight other tourists and divemaster Ernest Raymond Leslie Jr. to dive at the nearby reef. Upon arrival at the location, they all entered the water and began to dive, going to a depth of 80 feet.

KHMH workers protest for pension benefits
Over one hundred workers of Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) in Belize City held a protest in front of the hospitals building on Thursday, July 11th. Led by KHMH Workers Union President Lidia Alpuche-Blake, the group is upset over a June 28, 2019 memo in which CEO Michelle Cox-Hoare informed that they are not pensionable. The primary concern for the Union remains whether KHMH staff members are considered public officers and are eligible for pensions. The CEO and KHMH Board of Governors, based on a series of legal opinions, have determined that they are not. The Union, however, has obtained their own legal opinions which say that staff are eligible for pensions, and are insisting that the matter be taken out of the realm of legal opinions, and to the Cabinet or the Court for final clarity.

2019 Kids in Action Youth Scuba Summer Camp begins
The 2019 Kids in Action Youth Scuba Summer Camp officially began on Monday, July 15th, with an orientation session at the San Pedro High School (SPHS). The two-week summer program has enrolled 30 island children and is organized annually by the San Pedro Tour Operators Association (SPTOA) in collaboration with the San Pedro Tour Guide Association (SPTGA). The camp aims to teach and certify children in diving so they can better appreciate the natural marine resources surrounding Ambergris Caye. After certification, the new divers will be able to assist and volunteer in the different marine projects held by the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and other environmental organizations.

Still no arrests on murder of Mario Graniel and Dr. Gary Swank; new suspects released
It has been almost a month since local tour guide Mario Graniel and American National Dr. Gary Swank were shot to death while on a fly fishing tour on the lagoon side of Ambergris Caye. Police investigation led to the custody of several suspects, but all were released. On Monday, July 15th, police informed the media that three new persons were in custody for further questioning. However, they have also been released, and authorities are now back to square one in arresting the criminal(s) responsible for the double slaying. The police explained that the suspects were not the same persons they initially had in custody a couple of weeks ago. They further maintain that the intended target was Graniel and not Dr. Swank.

Rafael Ramirez Calderon acquitted in 2015 murder of Dionicio Trujillo murder
On Tuesday, July 16th, 45-year-old San Pedro resident Rafael Ramirez Calderon was freed of murder charges in connection with the death of taxi driver Dionicio Trujillo. Calderon had been serving jail time since 2015 when he and Arvington Neal were jointly charged for murder. After the main witness could not be located for the Supreme Court trial, the case was discontinued, and crown for the Director of Public Prosecutions’ office entered a case of nolle prosequi- a formal notice of abandonment by the plaintiff and acquitting Calderon of the charge.

Police officers Leonard Nuñez and Hallet King found guilty of manslaughter in death of Hilberto Sotz
Former Caye Caulker police officers Leonard Nuñez and Hallet King were found guilty and convicted of manslaughter for the death of Hilberto Sotz on Monday, July 15th at the Supreme Court in Belize City. Nuñez and King had initially been charged with murder in connection with the death of Sotz, who perished while under police custody in June 2015. The trial against the two former officers has been underway for the past month and included members of the court visiting the police station in Caye Caulker where the incident occurred. The deliberation reportedly lasted for about four hours, and when the jury returned to the court, they read the verdict of guilty against Nuñez and King.

Various Belizean Sources

Police Department Forms Special Investigation Team
In response to the request of the Minister of National Security, the Commissioner of Police Chester Williams has appointed a Special Investigation Team to look into the circumstances surrounding the shooting death of Alyson Major. Members of the investigation team are: Senior Superintendent Suzette Anderson who heads the team, Superintendent Dwayne Sutherland from the Professional Standards Bureau, Inspector Isais Sanchez, Winnie Parchue representing the Umbudsman, and Martin Griffith from the Citizens Complaint Board. At the conclusion of this investigation appropriate action will be taken as per the findings. The officers involved in the shooting will remain removed from active duty until such time.

Day.2 on the island for Katherine Portillo's Angel De Amor
- Fridge bought & delivered to Maynor. - Picked up 2 wheelchairs & boxes from the depot (we shipped them down a month ago). - Took Maynor to lunch at El Fogun (he is wearing clothes, watch, hat, catheter bag he got yesterday). This is real help for real people. You are helping change a persons life. Maynor even asked to call his sister today. He is becoming a human being again after being so discarded. YES I can donate: strongwithkat.com/donate

SBDC Workshop: Financial Statement Analysis
CALLING OUT ALL ENTREPRENEURS, ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS AND BUSINESS OWNERS This Workshop is for you!!! A wealth of information is available to you if you know how to read financial documents. Being able to glean information from an income statement, a cash flow statement, or a balance sheet can give you an edge in understanding not only your own business but also your competition. Presented by: Mr. Jorge Gentle, Business Adviser, SBDCBelize, Beltraide. Location: BTEC Building, ITVET Campus, Belize City. Workshop Date: July 25, 2019. Time: 9am to 3pm. Cost: $60.00, Includes snacks, lunch and refreshments.

Belize defeats Nicaragua 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-14
To win its first game at the 18th Central American U-20 Women's Championship in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Belize now has 1 victory after 2 defeats, while Nicaragua remains without a win. Again the center of attack of the Belize team was Fatoumata Camara, who in this game made 18 points, Gareth Bruce made another 10 for her team. For Nicaragua, Masiel Brenes lead the attack with 8 points. Both teams committed few unforced errors, Belize 25 and Nicaragua 26. Belize had complete dominance. In attacks at the net, Belize was superior 26-16, also in blocks 8-5, and in services 15-2.

El Salvador defeated Belize 3-2 (25-14, 25-22, 16-25, 21-25, 15-11)
Getting into the fight for the Bronze in the XVIII U-20 Central American Female Volleyball Championship in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The victory leaves El Salvador in a direct fight for the Bronze with Costa Rica tomorrow at 2 pm, both teams are tied in games won and lost (2-2) and the winner of the direct duel between the two will define who climbs the podium of the tournament The Salvadorans took advantage of the 55 unforced errors that Belize made, being more efficient with only 23 errors. Daniela Sánchez, captain of the El Salvador team, once again shone in the attack with 17 points, supported by Daniela López who contributed 11 points for the victory. Belize’s attackers were Fautomata Camara (31 points) and Gareth Bruce (29 points).

This morning the new Caye Caulker Village Council was sworn in
Chairperson: Seleny Villanueva Pott Vice Chairperson: George Delcid, Treasurer: Miguel Neal, Assistant Treasurer: Lilia Marin, Secretary: Kimberly Sutherland, Assistant Secretary: Danny Reynolds, Councilor: Alejandro Carrasco. Mrs. Seleny Villanueva Pott and the new Village Council were sworn in this morning at 10:00 a.m. Congratulations to all the new members. A little bit of trivia: Mrs. Seleny Villanueva Pott is the third female Chairperson of the village. The first is Mrs. Ilna Auxillou and the second is the outgoing Chairlady, Lady Enelda Rosado. Mrs. Seleny Villanueva Pott is also the third member of her family to become Chairperson. The first was her father, Mr. Beto Villanueva and the second is her brother, Alberto Villanueva, who held the position for four terms. We wish our new Chairlady only the best!

Men's Volleyball torunament in Corozal
Saturday 3 August, 9am. Sunday 4 August, 10am.

Belize, get ready for the 2nd Annual Belize Birding Festival!
Join us in San Ignacio to celebrate all things birding during our exhibition, panel discussions, workshops, keynote presenations, and much more. Featuring: - Dr. John Fitzpatrick (Director, Cornell Lab). - Serge Arias (CEO, Birdwatching Central America). - Dr. H. Lee Jones (Author, 'Birds of Belize'). Save the Date! Registration: http://bit.ly/RegisterBBF Belize Birding Festival 2019. October 19-20th, 2019. San Ignacio Resort Hotel. San Ignacio, Cayo.

Digital Marketing Summit 2019
Summit Day is here! Attendees are excited to hear our speakers present.

Don Baltazar Tuz
Don Baltazar Tuz also known as "Don Balta" is from Yucatec Maya descent and resident of San Jose village(Orange walk) . He is one of the few surviving members of the legendary Belizean Maya Pax band known as La Banda de San Jose who played in the fiestas Padronales from the surrounding villages for years . Today he continue preserving his culture by organizing the U Óok'ostaj Pool(hoghead dance) with a younger generation dedicated to their faith . Belize Yucatec Maya wants to recognize Don Baltazar Tuz for his work. Thank you ,Gracias , Yuum Bo'otik :)

Channel 7

Judge: Former Lands Minister's Son Must Pay Back 400K
400 thousand dollars - that's how much former land minster Gaspar Vega's son Andre was compensated by government for land he bought - and now the Supreme Court says he's gotta pay it back! It's the dramatic culmination of a major trial that's been in the court for weeks. Last month, we told you about the civil case that the Government brought against Vega. They're seeking to get back 400 thousand dollars that the Government paid him in compensation for private land that GOB purportedly sold to him when Gaspar Vega was in charge of the Lands Ministry. The Attorney General is asserting that Andre Vega benefitted from unjust enrichment, contrary to public policy.

Police Hand Over Alysson Major File to DPP
Police have sent the file for Alyson Major's killing to the DPP - and - sources tell us - charges could go forward as early as next week. While the DPP still has to make her decision, police have gathered substantial evidence - including security video from the area which shows a corporal leaning out of the chase vehicle and shooting at Alyson Major. The Commissioner yesterday said that the use of lethal force was excessive and unjustified: Chester Williams: "The truth is from what I have seen excessive force was used. We cannot run away from that..."

Kids Curfew, Come Een!
And, the commissioner also promised that as of tonight - a new curfew for minors is in effect. Seems unilateral, knee jerk, and terribly ad-hoc, but the commissioner virtually decreed it yesterday: Chester Williams: "Re-institute the curfew. This time we are not going after the children, we are going after the parents. So once the child is found on the street after hours, we are going to take the child home and we will bring the parent and the parent will face the music. It is time that parents begin to take responsibilities for the children that they have brought on this earth and until we can do that, we will not see a reduction in our crime problem."

COLA Says Curfew is a Band Aid
One activist group says the youth curfew is a band aid reaction to the gaping wound called crime. Here's what COLA president Shawn Saldano had to say about it today:... Shawn Saldano, President, COLA: "How would that deter crime? How will the curfew deter crime? Tanya Stephens says this explicitly in her song, "providing no job and tell us not to cry is like beating a child and telling them not to cry..."

Is Chester One Of the Acrobats Too?
And while we were struck by the COMPOL's curfew decree, what really caught our attention from yesterday's late evening press conference was his militant and unyielding stand on gangs. This is one senior cop - who, when he was Southside commander from 2015 to 2017 - worked steadily to mediate gang disputes, and try to re-integrate gang members into mainstream society. But, now he's gone to the other extreme. For comparison, we contrast yesterday's remarks with those he made exactly four years ago at a gang neighborhood family day he organized in July of 2015.

GSU Officer Charged For Child He Ran Over
In December of 2018, PC Marvin McKoy was driving a police mobile that accidentally ran over 2-year-old Tevin Cacho's head. 8 months later, PC McCoy was today charged for negligent harm. He pleaded not guilty, met bail of $2,000 dollars and is due back in Court on September 27, 2019.

Mason Trial: Blow For Prosecution, Judge Says No to Confession Statement
Last week, we told you about the latest developments in the murder trial without jury of William "Danny" Mason and his 4 co-defendants: Ashton Vanegas, Keron Fernandez, Terrence Fernandez, and Ernest Castillo. They are accused of the beheading murder of Pastor Llewellyn Lucas. The trial resumed last week Tuesday, with an important inquiry into an alleged confession statement from Ernest Castillo. He allegedly told police that he allegedly committed the heinous crime against Pastor Lucas. That inquiry took place during a trial within this trial, which occurred privately, where only the accused, their attorneys, the judge, the prosecution, and the police officers assigned to the Belmopan Supreme Court could listen.

Home Invasion In Consejo
It's a quiet seaside retirement community most for expats - but the coastal community of Consejo village in the Corozal District has been targeted multiple times by roving criminals. And it happened again on Wednesday night when there was a home invasion at the home of an American couple. 52 year olds Rodney and Wanda Brean were targeted by four burglars who stormed into their house while the couple was watching television in their living room. Rodney Brean was stabbed and the couple was tied up as the men ransacked the house. They left without causing major injury, but took a number of valued at $17,000.

Police Say Haulze Helped Kill Clothing Vendor
53 year old Clothing vendor Jose Hilario Diaz was gunned down at his stall on Tuesday evening. Well, police don't have the shooter just yet, but they have accused 23 year old Leroy Haulze of abetment to murder. Haulze who is a well-known criminal figure from Taylor's Alley was arraigned for that crime. Police say surveillance footage indicates that Haulze acted with someone to commit the offense of abetment to murder. Police are still looking for that other suspect.

Man Shot Up In Ladyville
The Milpa Area of Ladyville continues to be a chronic crime hotspot and, last night, it was the scene of another shooting. Around 11:00, Tyrique Munning was walking home when a lone gun man wearing a black hoodie came out of an empty lot and opened fire to him. Munnings started to run to his house and the gun man chased him, which is when he was shot multiple times to the arms and legs. Police found him in the ground in a pool of blood, but he was alive and taken to the KHMH where ehe is hospitalized in a critical condition.

Mastering Marketing In The Ether
The Belize Tourism Board today held its fifth annual Digital Marketing Summit. The idea is to teach tourism business owners how to extend and expand their marketing reach through the clever use of free internet based platforms. Here's more from the BTB's Digital Marketing Manager: Perry Bodden Jr. - Digital Marketing Manager, BTB: "The Digital Marketing Summit is a training opportunity that we provide our tourism stakeholder, mainly to increase their capacity in digital marketing fields, especially the 4 training pillars that we have for the summit, which is the social media, digital marketing, and a new one, influencer marketing. That is on the rise."

COLA Not Ready To Demonstrate for Sanctuary Belize
Last night you heard the PUP talk all around Sanctuary Belize - but they didn't talk much about it. And that's because the Prime Minister's law firm sent out a warning letter telling everyone - especially the media - to steer clear of the libelous and defamatory claims in the report. For the president of COLA that amounts to muzzling the press. Here's how he put it:.,..

Weed Found Stowed In Spare Tyre
Tonight more is known about the weed bust police made in Buena Vista village, Corozal on Wednesday evening. It happened around 6:20 when Special Branch Corozal intercepted a Ford Explorer with Belize City plates. The vehicle was driven by Joseph James, who had three passengers Casey SMITH, Kareem JAMES and Michelle YOUNG.

Weed Found Buried in San Antonio
And while that was Wednesday, on Thursday morning at 9:00 Corozal special branch made another weed bust. This one was found in San Antonio Village. This one was found buried in the ground. Police dug up 2 parcels wrapped in plastic amounting to 1.3 kilos, or just under three pounds. It was labeled as found property. No one was in the area at the time of the discovery.

Santa Rosa Robber Caught
Security cameras captured a frightening robbery on Monday night in Santa Rosa Village, Stann Creek. It played out at the Santa Rosa Mini Mart at 8:15. A gunman with a warm cap pulled over his face, strode into he store pointing a gun. He pushed two customers out, and held one by the counter. The terrified proprietor held up her hands, and went to the cash drawer where she handed him $3,000 dollars - which he ordered her to put into a plastic bag.

Youths Teaching Youths Financial Literacy
Financial literacy training for primary schoolers is part of an ongoing education campaign - and now, youths are training the youths. The programs has reached the stage where the one time students can now be teachers.

The Pan Am Plan
And while those youths learned financial literacy, others are going to Lima Peru for the 28th Pan American Games. The delegation had a preparatory meeting today at the Belize Olympic Committee Headquarters - and we spoke to the head of delegation about their hopes for team Belize:

COLA Camp Taught Kids to Protest
And, our final story tonight is about a summer camp that taught kids how to exercise their civil rights and protest! That's right - they learned that and lots of other stuff at the COLA camp. The president told us more at the closing of the summer camp:..

Channel 5

Andre Vega Ordered to Repay G.O.B. $400K!
The son of former U.D.P. Deputy Prime Minister, Andre Vega, has been ordered by the court to return some four hundred thousand dollars to the Government of Belize. The government [...]

Court Rules that Andre Vega Was Unjustly Enriched
Central to the case was the Minister’s Fiat grant, which was issued during the land transaction. The minister responsible for lands at the time was Gaspar Vega, father of Andre [...]

Judge Rules: Caution Statement in Murder Trial against Mason & Co-Accused Men Inadmissible
In the Belmopan Supreme Court, Justice Antoinette Moore handed down a major decision in the murder case of Danny Mason and his co-accused. At the conclusion of a voir dire [...]

Cop is Finally Arraigned for Negligent Harm on Toddler
A two-year-old toddler was injured when a GSU vehicle ran over him about seven months on Iguana Street Extension, Belize City. Fortunately, he survived his near death ordeal. And even [...]

“Cabinet Confidential’ Memo Shows Fiscal Incentives Given for Sanctuary Bay Project
Tonight, we take a closer look at the millions of dollars, as much as a whopping one hundred and fifty million, approved in tax concessions to the failed Sanctuary Bay [...]

COLA Says Suppressing the Media is Unacceptable
Last Friday, the law firm of Barrow and Williams issued a statement which essentially served as a cease and desist letter warning the media against publishing or broadcasting details of [...]

P.U.P. Says F.I.U.’s Explanation is Bogus!
The P.U.P. has fired off a press release highly critical of the Financial Intelligence Unit, following the issuance of a statement today. The P.U.P. condemns the F.I.U.’s attempt to extricate [...]

Armed Robbery in Santa Rosa Village Caught on Camera
An armed thief was captured on camera as he held up a store owner in southern Belize. He got away with thousands of dollars in cash, but soon enough, the [...]

Belize City Man Charged for Conspiracy to Commit Murder
Businessman, Jose Hilario Diaz, was brutally murdered at his place of business on Cemetery Road as he was preparing to close shop on Tuesday evening. A gunman walked into the [...]

Ladyville Resident Targeted by Gunman
Twenty-eight-year-old Tyrique Munnings is at the K.H.M.H. in a critical condition after he was shot several times on Thursday night. Munnings was in the Milpa Area of Ladyville when a [...]

American Tourist Drowns While Diving in Belize
An American retiree drowned on Thursday afternoon in San Pedro. He has been identified as sixty-six-year-old Steven Vorhaus of Colorado. News Five has learned that Vorhaus left on a boat [...]

COLA Weighs in on Officer-involved Slaying of Allyson Major Jr.
The state of affairs regarding crime and violence in the country, particularly in Belize City, continues to erode. The police department has fallen into distrust from the very public its [...]

From Chester Williams Sings New Anti-gang Sankey
In April 2017, Assistant Commissioner of Police Chester Williams was instrumental in bringing together a number of feuding groups in Belize City to call a ceasefire. Along with Dianne Finnegan [...]

From Organizing Peace Treaties to Clamoring for Life Imprisonment
When grilled about his recent anti-gang approach, ComPol Williams defended the position he took a few years ago in uniting the warring factions. However, those who continue to wreak havoc, [...]

Will a New Curfew Work? COLA Thinks Not
At a press conference on a range of issues this morning, Cola also touched on the reinstituted curfew that came into effect on Thursday night, COLA President Shawn Saldano scoffed [...]

B.T.B. Hosts Annual Digital Summit
The Belize Tourism Board held its annual digital summit today, a forum which allows stakeholders to learn how to market their companies, products, as well as the country, on the [...]

A Summer Camp on Financial Literacy
Financial literacy is the possession of a unique set of skills, as well as knowledge, that allow an individual to make informed effective decisions with all of their financial resources. [...]

Young Footballers Conclude 11th Annual Smart Star Football Camp
Children are taking advantage of summer programmes they find appealing and capture their interests. The annual summer camp organized by SMART attracts aficionados of football. The event kicked off this [...]

COLA Wraps Up First Summer Camp for Belize City Kids
Primary school children from across Belize City participated in a weeklong summer program organized by COLA. The camp which culminated this morning at Wesley Lower School in the downtown area [...]

Meet the Belize Delegation Heading to the Pan American Games
The eighteenth Pan American Games takes place in Lima, Peru from July twenty-sixth to August eleventh. A select few have been chosen by the Belize Olympic Committee to represent the [...]

Amandala

Trigger-happy cop kills teacher
Shortly before 4:00 p.m., on Tuesday, July 16, a pickup truck was seen traveling at high speed on Regent Street, and behind the speeding pickup was a police vehicle. It was a high speed police chase in progress, and according to eyewitnesses, gunfire began erupting from the police vehicle. The pickup then crashed into a city bus that was on Regent Street, navigating the crossing in front of the Swing Bridge, on the southern side, to cross over the bridge’s approach into Regent Street West.

PUP defies PM Barrow
The newly designed interior of Independence Hall came alive this morning when the Opposition People’s United Party (PUP) parliamentarians and standard bearers packed inside for a press conference. Leader of the Opposition, Hon. John Briceño called the press conference to elaborate on the Sanctuary Belize Enterprise (SBE) scandal that has rocked the government of Prime Minister Dean Barrow when the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) made damning allegations in a court document it filed in opposition to the removal of the bankruptcy case of Atlantic Bank International Limited (ABIL) from the US to the Belize jurisdiction.

Chester pulls out the “curfew”to deal with crime
Commissioner of Police Chester Williams held a police press conference at the Raccoon Street Police Station late this afternoon, at about 4:30, during which he spoke on the spike in violent crimes and what his department proposes to do to contain it. Compol Williams said that many of the crimes that are being committed are being carried out by children, and that parents are now going to be forced to take responsibility for them. He said he has given directives for a curfew to be effected in the entire Belize City for children 18 and under, from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., beginning tomorrow, Friday, July 19.

Mayor Earl Trapp’s home invaded; he was assaulted and robbed by fake cops
At about 10:00 Tuesday night, the home of Mayor Earl Trapp, the Mayor of San Ignacio and Santa Elena, the twin towns of Cayo District, was invaded by three counterfeit policemen who attempted to subdue him, but he was too strong in his resistance, discouraging the fake cops, who stole a bag out of his room containing $7,000 and a cell phone before escaping. The thieves ran out of the house and escaped in their getaway vehicle. Mayor Trapp believes that it was an inside job and masterminded by someone who has a good knowledge of his house. The thieves had to pass four dogs to get into his house, which made him believe that the men have a good idea of the layout of his house.

The sugar industry is seeing good times
The Belize Sugar Industry (BSI) and American Sugar Refining (ASR) are celebrating a record-breaking harvest of the sugar cane crop. The sugar cane season commenced in December of 2018 and ended at 5:55 a.m. on Monday, July 15, 2019. Within this period, the BSI managed to harvest 1.317 million tons of sugar, surpassing the 1.314 million ton record that was set in 2016. BSI Farmers’ Relations Officer, Olivia Avilez, discussed the factors that played a role in the industry’s achievement, such as dry weather conditions, mill efficiency, and the efforts of local cane farmers to ensure the quality of the cane remained up to par.

A “Single Window” for Customs
The Belize Customs Department has embarked on a workshop to familiarize themselves with a new program to improve the efficiency of our border trade procedures known as the “Single Window”. The Single Window is an electronic database where all permits and documents required for importation and exportation can be accessed. The Belize Customs Department has collaborated with the World Customs Organization to implement this system to enable the department to accept these documents through one inlet and for the importer/exporter to have access to these resources in one central place, instead of having to visit the various offices to complete transactions.

Cricket Corner – “It only hurts for a little while. That’s what they tell me; that’s what they say.”
Pleasant time of the day to all cricket enthusiasts! Again, under the auspices of the Belize National Cricket Association (BNCA), the Sir Barry Bowen/ Harrison Parks Cricket Competition continues with the playoffs. On Saturday last at Lords Bank the tie-breaker between Summer Fever vs BDF ended with BDF as the victor. This match had started on the 6th, but because of rain it had to be stopped, and resumed last weekend (July 13). BDF had scored 239. Summer Fever tried their best to cover the score, but fell short by 17 runs, scoring 222 runs. For BDF, Jerry Casasola top scored with 68, followed by Alexander Reynolds with 44; and T. Samuels took 6 wickets.

Dangriga sports stats – Mayor’s Cup finals next week Sunday; Fubu signs with Wagiya
At the Mayor’s request, the Dangriga Mayor’s Cup championship finals will be held next week Sunday, July 28, at the Carl Ramos Stadium. Wagiya Football Club breaking news – the newly improved Wagiya Football Club has signed their very own Carlton “Fubu” Thomas from Police United FC. Fubu is now back home for this upcoming PLB season along with Elroy “Bib” Kuylen and the other newly signed players.

FFB announces Female U-17 National Team players for CONCACAF Qualifiers in August
The Football Federation of Belize (FFB) is calling the final U-17 female players to camp for a one-day training on Wednesday, July 15. The players are to report at the FFB HQ by 9:00 a.m., where they will continue to prepare for the CONCACAF U-17 Girls Qualifiers in Bridgetown Barbados in August 2019.

Rural North football regular season ends this Sunday in Burrell Boom
The Belize Rural North Football Tournament for the Edmond “Clear the Land” Castro Cup 2019 continued on Sunday, July 14, with Week 9 games at the Lucky Strike football field, instead of in Burrell Boom as planned, due to some field booking complications. Four games were played, three Seniors and one U-17 game. In game 1, (Seniors) Lucky Strike Titans dropped Burrell Boomers, 3-0, on two goals by Keenan Gillett (52’ & 74’) and the other by Byron “Barrow” Usher (83’).

Editorial: Negative stimulus from US might prick our leaders to action
We are familiar with the saying that there is too much good in the worst of us, and the saying that every dark cloud has a silver lining, and the saying that it’s an ill wind that blows no good. These sayings, the first two especially, mean that we can always find something positive in a negative experience. The present president of the United States of America is giving us many negative experiences and we ought to be able to extract something from his barbs. You would be ignorant if you don’t realize that President Trump does not respect us. We have to take his words as a challenge. In Belize, we shouldn’t need this kind of stimulus to make us strive for excellence, but thus far there hasn’t been anything that has spurred our leaders to be great for our country.

Why do poor people put up with corrupt politicians?
Dear Editor, I was born into a poor family. I had 4 older sisters and 3 older brothers. My father was a factory worker and my mother was a seamstress. We grew up poor, but mostly happy. I was the last child, so I got to wear all my brothers’ cast-off shirts, pants, socks, tennis shoes, etc. All of us were moderately bright and did well in school. My parents struggled to put us into high school, and then into sixth form. After graduating from sixth form, I had high hopes of going abroad (Jamaica) to study to be a lawyer. This, since I graduated with a G.P.A of 3.99.

Garifuna Collective ambassadors spreading the Belizean love!
Dear Editor, Belize’s very own GARIFUNA COLLECTIVE, a musical group formed to promote the rich Garifuna culture, has recently completed a European tour and is now embarking on a North American and Canadian mission. The group, no stranger to international tours, is promoting their new album “ABAN.” The tours, attracting huge crowds, are being compared to the “WATINA” success. While ambassadors are referred to by the words “Protocol, Alcohol and Geritol”, our Musical Ambassadors are known for their commitment, sacrifice and production. Our Garifuna drummers are definitely the best in the world.

Our words are meaningless if we do not act!
I write because I want to be part of the historians of this country and thus I have to record what is happening in this country in real time through my writings. I don’t want to have the story told through the eyes only of the leaders who have corrupted the country and have benefitted from corruption. We the people, who live daily lives struggling to make it a better country and who have a greater vision for a greater country, need to place in the annals of history the reality of where we are and how we got here and what is being done, if anything, to change things for the better or the worse. Change is constant, and be it for good or bad, change keeps happening.

We are the cause of the disease on the reef
It is a wonderful thing when you are faced with a very difficult problem and you find out that you can fix it, just by fixing yourself. The doctor said that all you have to do is get off your stool and do a little exercise. The money manager said all you have to do is fix the leaks in your water system and stop burning lights all night, and you will have sufficient savings to help pay the bank loan for your investment in a new project. By now we’ve all seen the terrifying reports about the disease that is affecting coral in a way scientists say they’ve never seen. Cassie Martin, in the story “A mysterious coral disease is ravaging Caribbean reefs”, in the magazine, Science News, says the disease is “moving faster and killing more corals than any disease before.”

BELIZE CAYE FEST 2019!
The legendary Belizean musical and cultural festival, Belize Caye Fest, returned again this year at the historic Leimert Park in the popular Crenshaw District blazing out of the afternoon sun of sunny Los Angeles, California. Hotter than July, the 30-year-old Belizean music festival may have found another great place to call home nestled within a predominantly black community of Los Angeles where Belizeans are the largest black immigrant group. Topping the large list of Belizean artists in the Los Angeles Belizean community were Belizean musical artists like Danki Man, Preachaman, Eljai Royal, Bella Carib, Michael Wagner, Little June and others. The large Belizean audience that has always embraced the culture and music of the Belizean community around it, appeared somewhat puzzled at first with the very familiar Leimerk Park they traversed daily on Crenshaw Boulevard.

Emmanuel Ampomah, 52, taxi driver, fatally stabbed on Seashore drive
Emmanuel Ampomah, 52, a taxi driver originally from Ghana, Africa, was stabbed to death in his car at about 8:00 last night on Seashore Drive in Buttonwood Bay by one of two men who were posing as passengers. Reliable information to us is that Ampomah was in his cab with two men on Seashore Drive when, according to persons who claim to have witnessed the incident, the car stopped, and two men got out and ran off.

Roderick Elijio, 57, ITVET instructor, dies in traffic accident
At about 2:30 this morning, Roderick Elijio, 57, was driving towards Belize City from Orange Walk when he lost control of his pickup, ran off the road and slammed into a tree, causing him to suffer massive head and body injuries. He died on the scene. Police said that on arrival at Mile 22 on the Philip Goldson Highway, they saw an Orange Nissan Frontier pickup on the right side of the highway, facing the direction of Belize City, and saw the driver motionless inside the vehicle, behind the steering wheel.

Jose Hilario Diaz, 53, shot to death in his clothing store
Jose Hilario Diaz, 53, the owner of the “Me To You” clothing stand on Cemetery Road, Belize City, was shot to death in his store at about 5:00 Tuesday evening. Information to us is that he was sitting in his store when an unmasked man entered, shot him in the throat, and then ran out of the store. People who were in the area rushed Diaz to the hospital, but he was declared dead on arrival.

Anke Doehm, 48, to stand trial for death of adopted daughter, Faye Lin Cannon, 13
Anke Doehm, 48, an American who had been living in San Pedro and who was the adopted mother of Faye Lin Cannon, 13, also of San Pedro, will be tried in the Supreme Court without her husband for the death and sexual abuse of the girl. In July 2017, Anke and her husband, David Doehm, were arrested and charged jointly with cruelty to a child after a post-mortem exam conducted on the body of their adopted daughter certified the cause of the child’s death to be compression on the chest, which caused internal hemorrhaging, and additionally revealed that she had been sexually and physically abused.

The Reporter

If You Are 16 & Under – The City Is On Lock-down At 6pm
Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, at a press conference late Thursday evening, announced that following a spate of violent and shocking crimes in Belize City since the beginning of the week, a curfew will become effective starting Thursday night for children aged 16 and under. This time, however, Williams said the parents will be the ones held accountable for minors found out of their homes after hours.

Prison’s Got Talent
A cache of treasure that sits inside the Kolbe Foundation Gift Shop located on the Boom/Hattieville Road is glaring testament to the amazing level of talent that lives behind the walls of the Belize Central Prison. A recent visit to the Prison’s Gift Shop turned up woodwork, paintings and handicraft including beautiful picture frames, flower vases, wood carvings from zericote and rosewood, cutting boards, furniture, bed frames, doors, customized cabinets, hammocks, jewelry, bags and the most recently added product, colorful and creatively crafted piñatas.

The Purge
By: Dr. Abigail Joseph - I grew up in a family house on Sibun Street in Belmopan. Times were different. Our parents and grandparents would put their chairs outside and watch us play red light green light, mother may I and hopscotch in the street. Very few people had vehicles back then; there wasn’t this congestion we see today where there is a 4 vehicle ratio to a house. So for us playing on our street was not a big deal. Life was bliss, simple and very carefree. The ONLY thing that ever disrupted our happy play was when summer came and school was closed. My grandma Rosa would line us all up.

Authorities Raid ‘Stash’ House
A Police raid and search of what is believed to be a ‘stash house’ located at mile four and a half on the Phillip Goldson Highway on Tuesday morning yielded over 58 pounds of compressed high-grade cannabis and over twelve thousand dollars in local currency and has resulted in the arrest of two persons. On Wednesday, July 17, cab driver Lynroy Longsworth, 34, and hairdresser Kenosha Beaton, 21, were both charged with two counts of possession of controlled drugs with the intent to supply.

A Whited Sepulcher ?
By: Major Lloyd Jones (Ret’d) - The Sanctuary Bay debacle has easily become Mr. Barrow’s greatest political embarrassment. People close to Mr. Barrow, because of their lust for money, have helped to put Belize in an unsavory light, the likes of which we have never seen. Sanctuary Bay has exposed the ugliness of corruption that seems to be omnipresent in Belize these days; corruption that is perpetrated by the private sector with the public sector acting as willing accomplices. This is partly why when the Chamber speaks of corruption in government so many Belizeans scoff at them.

Blame It On The Alcohol
By: Mike Rudon Jr. This column has blown up beyond all my expectations. I don’t want to brag, but I think I may have grown to eleven readers. If this continues, I may have to leave my job and just write this column full-time…maybe even hire staff to handle the fan mail, and security for the inevitable, lovestruck stalkers. And it gets better. I am now a celebrity after appearing on a TV show the other day. I may even have to get a celebrity name to fit my new status.

Editorial – Friday, July 19th. 2019
We are satisfied, after looking at all the evidence, that the Central Bank of Belize could have averted the collapse of Atlantic International Bank by insisting on a closer monitoring of its loans portfolio? All financial institutions in Belize are subject to the Domestic Banks and Financial Institutions Act and all international banks are subject to the International Banking Act which requires them to provide the Central Bank of Belize with regular and timely updates on what they are doing.

Police on the Trail of Bulldozer Owner
Police Officers in Punta Gorda are following up on the only substantial lead that they have so far in the discovery of a suspected drug plane which was found deep in Southern territory near the Guatemalan border. That lead involves tracking down the owner of a yellow bulldozer which was found abandoned on a makeshift airstrip near to where the twin-engine aircraft was discovered on Sunday of this week.

LOVE FM

Woman and 4 Children Missing
Reports are that 29-year-old, Solanie Ewan and her four children went missing from Orange Walk on July 12, 2019. The family left their home at 11:30 am, where they were headed towards Corozal to visit a family relative. The victim’s family said that she was going to be out for two days but never came …

Marketing Belize by digital means
Digital Marketing is the way of the future, and an opportunity that every business should jump on. The Belize Tourism Board is assisting different establishments by having a Digital Marketing Summit that took place today. Reporter, Courtney Menzies, was able to bring you some of the highlights from the day. Voice 1: “Digital Marketing is …

Man shot a few feet away from his home
28-year-old, Tyrique Munnings is in a critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after he was shot multiple times last night. Tyrique was on his way home when a gunman emerged from an open lot in the La Milpa area, (MILPA VO) and fired several shots at him, hitting him in the right arm, …

COLA condemns efforts to muzzle the media
Citizens Organized for Liberty Through Action (COLA) is now under Shawn Saldano who took over as president a few weeks ago. In his first public fight, Saldano met with the media today to criticize the Sanctuary Bay saga with a view on the muzzling of the media via the Prime Minister’s threatened lawsuit. Shawn Saldano …

Court finds that Vega was unduly enriched and ordered him to repay $400K to GOB
Andre Vega, the son of Belize’s former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Lands, Gaspar Vega has been ordered to give back the four hundred thousand dollars paid to him in land compensation. It is an unexpected decision rendered by Justice Abel Courtney late this evening. Many critics had expressed doubt in this case, saying …

Smart Football Camp
Today marked the ending to Smart’s 2-week football camp held yearly for the past 11 years. The camp provides children with the positive engagement in the community as well as helps them improve their football skills. The camp ended with the awarding of certificates to the participants and issuing trophies and medals for winning teams. …

Man shot a few feet away from home
28-year-old, Tyrique Munnings is in a critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after he was shot multiple times last night. Tyrique was on his way home when a gunman emerged from an open lot in the La Milpa area, (MILPA VO) and fired several shots at him, hitting him in the right arm, …

Blogs

50 years of Belikin
The beer of Belize, Belikin, celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. The actual date in history is May 29, 1969, when the Belize Brewing Company was founded by Eric W. M. Bowen and his son Barry M. Bowen. It’s the beer that almost never was, but as the company records tell it, ‘vision’ has the company standing strong today. Family encouragement kept the vision going, and despite disappointment from the first attempt and bringing that vision to life, there was no turning back.

Videos

BIG Permit and Good Memories on Belize Trip, 5min. Me and a buddy of mine took two weeks in the summer to travel around Belize and fish some untapped waters on the way. Truly an experience I will never forget.

Belize V.S Guatemala highlights - Belize 2-1 Guatemala, 3.5min.

Belize 2019 - Fishing and Lobster Diving, 1min. Belize, Placencia, Mayan Ruins, Lobster Diving, Fishing.

Blue Bonefish Lodge - Belize, 2min. The Blue Bonefish Lodge is strategically located on the southern end of Ambergris Caye. Four miles south of San Pedro Town, overlooking the Caribbean Ocean and the Belize Barrier Reef. Just a short ride in a panga and our guides will have you on the bow searching for tails.

Looking for a great place to visit for coffee shop in Corozal?, 1min. Ice coffee is located at across from the post office in Corozal.

Day 4 at the U-20 Central American Female Volleyball Championship in Tegucigalpa, Honduras: Belize vs. El Salvador, 1hr25min.

Mr. Matus and Celvin is out at the football field giving away some fun gifts for the children of Caye Caulker, 10min. They will be going to Bahia to bring all this fun for the children there too.

App development workshop on Caye Caulker, 35min. We spoke to Miss Tiffany Simpson and her 11 year old son Jaden Simpson and we had an insightful conversation about their story and the app development workshop they are facilitating for the island. If you are interested in finding out more details or if you want to sign up, feel free to click the link and take a look at their website.

New Caye Caulker village council, 4min. We spoke to the new village council and they had some words to say to the community

Morning Matters with Sandra, 75min.

Scuba Diving in Ambergris Caye, Belize, 9min.

Scuba Diving Belize | San Pedro, Ambergris Caye - 2019, 5min. San Pedro Town is in the southern area of Ambergris Caye, in northern Belize. Its sandy streets are lined with wooden houses, seafood restaurants and beach bars. Everyone drives golf carts to keep consistent with the chill island vibe. Hol Chan Marine Reserve is a channel in an offshore reef. It features dive sites with a multitude of marine life including moray eels, nurse sharks and stingrays at Shark Ray Alley. To the north, Bacalar Chico National Park protects wildlife and the Chac Balam Mayan ruins. Wicked!

Belize Snorkeling, 35min.

Belize 2019, 9min. Brianna's and Andrew's Honey moon trip to Belize Thatch Caye Island and to Belize City

San Pedro, Belize Sunset, 1min. A lovely sunset on the island of San Pedro, Belize.

They Came from Corn, 66min. They Came from Corn: The Origins of the Maya, by Antonio Beardall, Institute of Archaeology, National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) in Belize. Part of Ancient World Week, Corozal Town, Belize, 15 July 2019.

Two of our Community Conservation Project, partners, PADI and DAN., 1min.

July 19, 2019

Arrivals of the delegates and their first dinner at Pineapple's on the Beach at Ramon's Village Resort!

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, Reef TV, KREM, and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Belize Now, Talk Ah Di Town, and other specials.

The San Pedro Sun

Ministry of Health Confirms Quality Generic Medications
As part of its ongoing initiatives to provide quality healthcare medications, the Ministry of Health sent five different generic medications to the Caribbean Regional Public Health Agency’s (CARPHA) Drug Testing Laboratory, which is CARICOM’s regional reference laboratory for testing. The medications range from antibiotics to antidiabetic drugs that were sampled from the public sector. All five medications have passed the quality tests performed as per international standards. This means that these generic medications are of confirmed quality.

Ambergris Today

Children And Early Village Life In San Pedro
The daily life of children in the village in the 1950's began early at six in the morning. Boys had to get water out of the well and fill the containers for mom's laundry. Girls swept the house and made the beds or hammocks. When there was fresh coconut husks that were used as fuel for cooking, the boys also had to put them out in the sun to dry. This was to cut down on the smoke at mom's fogon (fire hearth). By seven a.m. everyone had tea “breakfast” which generally consisted of friend fish, beans and fresh flour tortillas, Johnny cakes or fry jacks. By 7:30a.m. all children headed to school which called in at eight. This gave them some time to play games in the schoolyard or on the beach by the Central park in this case. Lunch time was a quick rush home for some more fried fish with rice and beans and fried plantains with a glass of well water. At school children had one exercise book each and the few textbooks like reading, child's Bible History, were given free of cost to the students. All other subjects like mathematics, civics, science, spelling, English, came from the teachers' notes or from their heads.

Various Belizean Sources

Minister of National Security Hands over New Equipment to BDF
The Minister of National Security Hon. John Saldivar, today handed over eight chainsaws to the Belize Defence Force for use at the various observation and conservation posts along the Western Border. During a recent tour of facilities in the Cayo district, the Minister became aware of the need for these chainsaws, which will be used to cut fallen trees that block trails and pathways in the areas patrolled by the BDF, and as well, to cut firewood for cooking. The Ministry of National Security remains committed to improving the conditions under which our security forces operate.

Re: ECO Futures Belize Limited (dba Sanctuary Bay and Sanctuary Belize), Atlantic International Bank Limited (AIBL) and the United States Federal Trade Commission (the FTC)
The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has been monitoring media reports relating to issues surrounding the enterprise known as Sanctuary Bay or Sanctuary Belize, Atlantic International Bank Limited and the United States Federal Trade Commission. The FIU generally does not make public statements on its investigations (past or ongoing) in accordance with international best practices, unless a prosecution is publicly underway. To provide clarity and in response to several inquiries received , the FIU issues the following statement.

Belize Attends 44th Annual Conference of the Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic (CAA) Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Speakers, parliamentarians and Clerks of parliaments from the Caribbean Legislative Assemblies have gathered in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, for the 44th Annual Conference of the Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic (CAA) Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), that is being held under the theme “Globalization and Nationalism: Quo Vadis – Impacts on Commonwealth Parliaments”. The conference is being held from 12th - 19th July 2019, and comprises of sub-meetings, namely: 12th Regional Conference of Women Parliamentarians (CWP); Regional Executive Committee Meeting; Annual General Meeting; 44th Plenary Conference; and 15th Regional Youth Parliament.

Special Investigation Team to Look into Death of Alyson Major
The Minister of National Security Hon. John Saldivar has requested that the Commissioner of Police forms a Special Investigation Team to thoroughly investigate the shooting incident that led to the death of Alyson Major. The police officers involved have been removed from active duty pending the outcome of this investigation after which appropriate action will be taken. The Ministry of National Security continues to emphasize that good conduct from its officers is of paramount importance and action will be taken in every instance where inappropriate behavior is displayed towards the people they are to serve and protect.

Miss Independence Corozal
Girls ready! Heels on! Who will be the next Miss Independence? Mark your calendars 24th August @ Corozal Community College Auditorium starting 7pm.

Annual Spartan Classic
Time: 7pm Place: C.C.C. Auditorium. Price: Adults 10$ Children’s:5$

Beach Cleanup this Saturday at Mangrove Park in Corozal
We're inviting you to join us as we do our part to help clean up our beautiful Northern coast. There will be light refreshments, but don't forget to bring your water bottle! So come out and join us! For more information, contact our Corozal Field Representative, Ryan Rivera at [email protected].

Corozal Public Library - " READING IS ESSENTIAL (RISE)
Come to the library and select a book of your choice and join the Challenge"

Vanessa Salazar Crowned Flor de la Feria
Congratulations, Vanessa Salazar! She won the crown at the Flor de le Feria pageant this weekend. They have

many pictures from the event

, and the swimsuit competition video is up. "Congratulations to Ms. Vanessa Salazar our new Srta. Flor De La Feria 2019-2020. Thanks to all the beautiful young ladies who took on the challenge to compete for the Srta. Flor de la Feria beauty pageant 2019. It was a fun, memorable and beautiful journey for all the organizing committee in your company. Thanks to all the parents and families who stood side by side with their daughters/loved ones supporting them all the step of the way. Mayor Marconi Sosa and his administration for his unconditional support from the beginning to the culmination of the event. Ms. Irma Guerra, Ms. Ashrie Yacab, Mr. Jose Perez, Ms. Pilar Monroy, Ms. Cindy Albeno and Mr. Jimmy Leslie for their time and dedication to making the event a success. Mr. Carlos Lara and team for designing clothing and the cultural wears and decoration of stage."

BELIZE FISHING REPORT: JULY 7, 2019 THROUGH JULY 14, 2019
El Pescador hosted the 2019 Orvis Grand Slam School. Attendees made a lot of memories while becoming better anglers for Bonefish, Permit, and Tarpon. Good size and numbers of Bonefish landed.

FCD Board members Visit Las Cuevas Research Station
FCD Board members, Mick Fleming, Tony Rath and Jorge de Leon visited Las Cuevas Research Station to learn of upgrade needs and validate the recreation potential of the Chiquibul Forest.

Channel 7

Compol Exasperated With Spate of Crime, Says Only So Much Cops Can Do
It's been a disastrous week for law and order, and when Commissioner of Police Chester Williams returned to the country this evening, he went directly into a meeting with his senior crime investigators. His priority? The Allyson Major Jr police killing - and the night of killing that rocked Belize City on Wednesday. Speaking about those three hours, which saw three men, aged 19 - 53 killed in the city - an exasperated COMPOL said there is only so much the police can do:

"Who Raised These Monsters?" The COMPOL Kids Curfew, Now!
And to do more, the COMPOL is instituting a youth curfew for the city with almost immediate effect. Effective tomorrow at 6:00, no one under the age of 18 can be on the street after 6:00 pm. Sounds severe, but the COMPOL is clearly under pressure - and speaking fo the parents of gang members - he asked bluntly: "who raised these monsters?" Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police: "And instead of blaming the police, we need`to begin to look at those persons who raised these monsters and unleashed them on the streets. There needs to be stricter rules when it comes to parenting..."

Gangsters? COMPOL: Lock em Up For Life By Constitutional Decree
And from that quite extreme curfew declaration, the Commissioner went after gangs. He said gang members should be locked up for life!: Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police: "Enough is enough. We cannot continue to have gang members live freely and comfortable among us and they only live free and comfortable among us because we allow them to. So we have to take a hand line when it comes to dealing with them. I would want to see we make it or we put it in our constitution that it is wrong and illegal to be a gang and once you are a gang you must be locked up for life - put it in the constitution. Gang members must feel that they are not welcomed among us."

Compol Says Corporal Who Pulled Trigger on Aly Major Will Have to Face Consequences
And while the COMPOL is holding a very hardline on gangs, he started out the press briefing on a far more conciliatory note. He spoke about the Allyson Major Jr shooting. As has been widely reported, the 36 year old was shot in the head by police as he tried to escape a pursing patrol. The police shot him in the head as he tried to race over the swing bridge. Major died the following day from his injuries. Today the commissioner expressed condolences and gave his assurance that the investigation will be thorough and transparent:

Cops Reinforcing Rules of Engagement
So, clearly, the COMPOL has confirmed that the use of lethal force in that situation was wrong. It cost a man his life, left his children fatherless, and his parents without their only son. But what will be done to prevent a recurrence? The COMPOL says they are reinforcing to police the rules of engagement:... Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police: "We do have a use of force policy and I will task the legal advisor to ensure that he goes around and train officers in terms of that policy, because as you say there may be a need for us to ensure that we don't only have the policy, but that officers are aware of the content of that policy as well."

PUP Says Sanctuary Bay Land Scam Will Topple Barrow Admin.
Last week on the news you heard all about the Sanctuary Bay land scam - as Prime Minister Barrow had to defend himself and his administration against a broadside from the Federal Trade Commission. That was contained in a legal filing lodged on June 10th in a US Court - by the FTC. It was nothing nice and made all kinds of allegations and suggestions against the PM, members of his government and local regulators. Turns out many of the allegation were manifestly untrue and designed strictly to convince a US judge not to send the case to Belize.

PM Barrow Attorney Demands PUP Media Apology
And, while Barrow and Williams all warned the media that, quote, "any rebroadcast, republication or relating of this informationmay subject you to civl action." The PUP radio and tv station also got one of those letters - except their one demands an apology for what they already broadcast on the air on July 10th. So, will the PUP apologize? The leader of the opposition says, we'll see you in court:..

PUP Says Former FIU Director Failed
We note that cases of libel by political media organs are almost always settled out of court. But that won't stop the PUP from criticizing the performance of the former director of the FIU Joy Grant. FoUr days before she left the office in 2016, she was advised by the Governor of the Central Bank of the looming scam. The PUP says she shares the blame:... Hon. John Briceno, PUP Leader: "From 2016, then Central Bank Governor Glen Ysaguirre put in writing to the director of FIU Joy Grant that "there was strong evidence of massive fraud and money laundering occurring through this project..."

Jail For Teenaged Killer Who Killed Teenager
Police have made a swift arrest for one of the 3 killing which happened between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m on Wednesday. 19-year-old Jovi Hernandez is on remand at the Belize Central Prison, after being taken to court for the manslaughter of the 19-year-old Honduran immigrant, Nixon Matapinto. He was arraigned before Senior Magistrate Tricia Pitts-Anderson. She remanded him into custody until September 19th, his next court date.

Veteran Educator Dies on Road, Heart Attack, Not Crash Says Family
Tonight, the family of 57-year-old Rodrick Elijio, a resident of Kraal Road in Belize City, is mourning his passing, after he died early this morning on the Philip Goldson Highway. Police are treating it as a fatal traffic accident, but his family tells us that he most likely died from a heart attack while he was driving. Police say that at around 2:25 a.m., they responded to a traffic accident at mile 21 and a half on the highway, in Gardenia Village. When they arrived they found an orange Nisan Frontier pickup truck on the right shoulder of the road in the direction of Belize City. It was under a tree, and it also had minor damage to its front portion.

Fire in Village Leaves 9 Homeless
Tonight, a family of 9 from the Another World area of Roaring Creek Village in the Cayo District, is homeless. That's after their home was completely destroyed by fire yesterday evening. The homeowner, 44-year-old Denise Arnold, was at work at around 4 p.m., when she received word that her brand-new house had caught fire. It's a devastating blow for Arnold, who recently received this home as a gift from family in the United States. She told our colleagues from Plus TV News that she and her family lost everything in the fire:

Alleged Weed Traffickers Remanded
Last night, we showed you the comments from Assistant Police Commissioner Marco Vidal, who discussed Tuesday's big drug bust in Belize City, where police came up on 58 pounds of high grade marijuana and over 12 thousand dollars in cash at a stash house. Well, the common-law couple who lives at that house is in jail tonight. As we told you, they are 34 year-old Lenroy Longsworth, and 21 year-old Kenisha Beaton. They were arraigned today before Magistrate Emerson Banner on the charge of drug trafficking. They both pleaded not guilty to the offense, but the Magistrate informed them that due to the quantity of the drugs, he could not offer them bail. As a result, they were remanded to the Belize Central Prison until September 24th, their next court date.

Another Big Weed Shipment Busted
And in Corozal this morning, a special branch operation turned up another sizable marijuana bust. They found 32 pounds compressed marijuana inside this Ford Explorer coming out of Buena Vista village. The vehicle was occupied by 3 Belize City residents - two males and a female - who, police believe, brought the weed from Mexico. We'll have their names when they are charged for the 14.2 kilos.

Cops Plan to Defuse Sandhill Gang Beef
And, finally tonight, Commissioner Chester Williams commented on the situation in Sandhill. Gang rivalry in that small rural village has accounted for the death of one young man and the shooting of another. He says police have been directed to go in there and clean it up:..

Channel 5

4 Officers are Placed on Interdiction Following the Death of Allyson Major
Four officers have been placed on interdiction following the shooting death of former teacher, Allyson Major Junior. Major was shot by one of the cops during a police chase that [...]

ComPol Williams Gives Assurances on Special Investigation
This evening the Commissioner of Police Chester Williams met the media, he has been tasked by the Minister of National Security with putting together a special team of investigators to [...]

ComPol Admits to the Use of Excessive Force in Major’s Shooting
As part of the ongoing investigation, Commissioner Williams outlined the steps that will be taken, including a forensic analysis of the bullets fired, to determine who shot and killed Allyson [...]

Curfew Revisited, Parents Will be Held Liable
So, with the spate of unrelated murders that gripped Belize City on Tuesday evening, Commissioner Williams has decided to, with immediate effect, reinstitute a curfew for children which was met [...]

P.U.P. Blasts PM Barrow Over Sanctuary Bay Scandal
The Sanctuary Bay scam is back in the news tonight. First, there is a response from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission which tells News Five that the matter is still [...]

2011 G.O.B. Memo Shows Concessions Afforded to Sanctuary Bay
In November 2012, former C.E.O. in the Ministry of Trade and Investment, Mike Singh, told the Sanctuary Bay investors that the Belizean government stood committed to help develop the project. [...]

F.I.U. Speaks On Sanctuary Bay Land Scam; P.U.P. Calls for the Removal of Joy Grant
In the multitude of documents, the F.T.C. points out that the Financial Intelligence Unit was warned by then Central Bank Governor Glen Ysaguirre, via email, of an ongoing investigation into [...]

Final Submissions Made in the Voir Dire for the Murder Trial of Danny Mason et al
Final submissions were made today by both the prosecution and the defense attorneys in the voir dire in the murder trial of Williams “Danny” Mason et al. D.P.P. herself, Cheryl-Lynn [...]

What’s Next If Court Admits Caution Statement?
The case of the five accused murderers, including Terrence and Keiron Fernandez, Ashton Vanegas as well as William “Danny” Mason and Ernest Castillo, had been on hold for many reasons. [...]

A Teen is Arraigned for Murder of Nixon Pinto
A teenager has been arrested and charged for Tuesday’s murder of Nixon Pinto. Nineteen-year-old Jovi Hernandez, a Honduran national living in the village of Hattieville, was arraigned this evening in [...]

Springfield Farmer Charged for Murder of B.D.F. Volunteer in Armenia
An arrest has been made three and a half months after a murder in Armenia Village, Cayo District; at the time, B.D.F. volunteer soldier Hermelindo Ical was killed. Police now [...]

Educator Loses Life on Philip Goldson Highway
Long time educator and staff member of the Institute of Technical and Vocational Training died in the early hours of this morning. Roderick Elijio was found dead inside his crashed [...]

Family of Nine is Displaced by Fire in Roaring Creek
A family in Roaring Creek Village has been left homeless following a devastating fire. The blaze consumed the house in which they lived for seventeen long years. It is believed [...]

Opposition Party Defends the Fourth Estate
The allegations made by the Federal Trade Commission against Prime Minister Dean Barrow are so damning that the Prime Minister hired his law firm, Barrow and Williams, to warn that [...]

PM Threatens Lawsuit against P.U.P.’s Vaughn Gill
And the Prime Minister has made good on his warning. Barrow and Williams has written Vaughn Gill, host of the P.U.P.’s media organ Positive Vibes Radio. The letter speaks of [...]

P.U.P.’s Cordel Hyde says G.O.B.’s Crime Fighting Strategy Flawed
In a recent statement made on social media, Minister of National Security John Saldivar spoke on crime and perception. The minister said that murder, burglary, theft, and robbery all declined [...]

P.U.P. Leader says Party Ahead in Village Council Elections
Round four of the village council elections took place this past weekend. It saw the election of thirty-five new village councils across the country. But there seems to be a [...]

Growing the Future Project Summer Camp A Success!
Today more than two hundred young students from across the country proudly received their certificates for having completed this year’s Growing the Future Project. It is an educational summer camp [...]

Ahmadiyya Basketball League Heads North for Copa Cancun 2019
The Ahmadiyya Basketball League is an athletic movement in Belize that has grown exponentially since it was launched a few years ago. It has proven to be an effective means [...]

Belize to Improve Cross-Border Trade with Single Window
The World Customs Organization and the Belize Customs Department wrapped up day-four of an all week training for agencies involved in cross-border trade. The event brought together agencies that are [...]

Healthy Living: Summer Slide
Have you ever heard about the summer slide? Well, if you’re a parent of a child on summer break, it’s something you need to know about. It’s a term used [...]

The Reporter

LOVE FM

ComPol reinstates city-wide curfew
The Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams is rethinking his approach and is implementing a curfew starting tonight. In a late evening press conference, he told the media that the parents of these criminals should be held responsible as well. With that thought, Commissioner Williams says for all children under 16 found on the streets without …

Ahmadiyya Players Go to Copa Cancun
Ahmadiyya Basketball plans on bringing home even more Gold medals after they attend the Copa Cancun Tournament. The tournament takes place in Cancun, Mexico. The team told Love News that they are excited to be attending for the third time and hope to achieve yet another victory. Ahmadiyya basketball will be taking two teams to …

Cane Farmers continue to lose money
Sugar has been produced in Belize since slavery days and today it still remains vital to the economy. Most of the country’s sugar is sold to the European market but since the preferential prices have been discontinued in October 2017, it has cut profits by half. Love news spoke with William Neal, Communications and Government …

Investigative team to look into Allyson Major’s death
The death of 36-year-old, Allyson Major has left Belize reeling, since his death has been regarded as unwarranted and unnecessary fire power from police. Major was shot in the head, reportedly, over 4 ounces of weed. The officers involved in the incident reportedly saw him picking up a package from a residence on George Street …

Blogs

La Villistas Del Mar now open in Corozal
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 7:00am to 10:00am 1:30pm to 8:00pm. Special requests are fulfilled with anticipation. We are located at #3 2nd street North.

Four Belize Tours You Have To Try In 2020
Belize cave tubing tours are one of the top five activities for adventure-seeking visitors. In antiquity, caves were valued sources of shelter and important ritual spaces. The ancient Maya of Belize believed that caves were portals to the Underworld and to the gods that ruled there. These formations were also linked to fertility, used as pilgrimage sites, and were treated as places of ritual transformation and rebirth. To better understand the fascinating history and the sacred landscape and symbols of the ancient Maya, we’ve put together a list of the top four Belize caves you should visit while vacationing with us.

8 Adventurous Things To Do In Belize
Travel Awaits has a nice article about many of the adventurous excursions found around Belize, and of course, Cayo sights make up the majority of the list. They highlight Caracol and Actun Tunichil Muknal, along with Mountain Pine Ridge and the Garcia Sisters. Definitely worth a read. "Atop a plateau near the Guatemalan border rest the ruins of a city that was once the political powerhouse of the ancient Maya civilization. Dubbed Caracol, the nearly 25,000-acre archaeological site is known for its vast agricultural field system and sophisticated city planning. But despite how remarkable it is, Caracol offers visitors lots of freedom to wander around the site on their own. You can even climb the Sky Palace -- the tallest man-made structure in Belize. The site only receives about 10,000 visitors a year, so you won’t have to worry about running into crowds at this curious place. To get to Caracol, rent a car and make your way to the Chiquibul Forest Reserve in the Cayo District. Or, take the easy route and set up a guided tour with your hotel."

International Sources

Now that Barry has come and gone, what's in store for the next few weeks?
Now that Barry, the first hurricane to make U.S. landfall this year, has come and mostly gone, what's in store for the next few weeks? Not too much, if the jet stream does what it usually does this time of year. Each year, from around July 1 to mid-August, coastal states get a short window to catch their breaths as tropical activity goes into a quiet period. Those states can thank a variety of factors for these tropical season doldrums. Storms form from two main ingredients: Tropical waves moving across the Atlantic and interactions between jet streams and the tropics.

UNESCO calls for concerted action to strengthen the resilience of coral reefs
As a side event of the meeting of the World Heritage Committee (Baku from 1 to 10 July), UNESCO and its partners met on 5 July to take stock of the initiative launched in October 2018 to strengthen coral reef adaptation to climate change. “Coral reefs are the major witnesses of climate change,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “The health of our planet and the future of our humanity can be seen today in the poor condition of these reefs. Swift action is needed to reverse the trend and limit the rise in temperatures. Such action can only be undertaken on a global scale, and UNESCO presents the most appropriate platform to accelerate this effort.”

Selby Gardens Receives APGA Program Excellence Award
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens has been the recipient of the prestigious Program Excellence Award given by the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) for a four-year partnership entitled “Air Plants and Other Epiphytes of Belize: A Collaborative Project Between Two Botanical Gardens and a University.” Through work with these botanical organizations in Belize, about 860 accessions, or plant materials, were collected for Selby Gardens and Caves Branch living collections. More than 2,000 mounted specimens were added to Herbarium collections at both Selby Gardens and Belize National Herbarium.

Belize and Guatemala acknowledge OAS contribution territorial differendum
The foreign ministers of Belize, Wilfred Elrington; and Guatemala, Sandra Jovel, this week spoke to the permanent council of the Organization of American States (OAS) about the progress made in recent years to find a permanent and definitive solution to the territorial differendum involving both nations for several decades, especially the decision by both countries to submit the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). During the meeting, the secretary-general of the OAS, Luis Almagro, congratulated both governments for having held referenda to submit the case to the International Court of Justice, in compliance with an agreement signed in 2008.

Videos

The Ministry of Human Development - The Ministry of Human Development, 51min. The Ministry of Human Development is mandated to protect and nurture children and families. We invited their representatives to talk to us about how they work to keep children safe and to empower families. Our guests gave us an overview of Belize's Child Protection System Lliani Arthurs - Director, Department of Human Services (DHS). Ganesha Smith - Human Development Coordinator (HDC), Child Protective Services, DHS.

Kendoyll Simpson of KSBeats, 20min. It's KTV Tuesday and we've got music on our mind. We invited the accomplished music producer, Kendoyll Simpson of KSBeats to talk about what makes a hit song. He has had many hits producing for local and international artists. He's even produced a few of Channel 5's theme songs including KTV The Remix. He says it's actually a combination of relevant lyrics, good melodies and effective marketing.

The US Embassy is hosting the Belize Entrepreneur Fest, 32min. The US Embassy is hosting the Belize Entrepreneur Fest. The objective is to match activism and entrepreneurship to produce businesses geared towards creating profit and social change. We spoke with representatives of the US Embassy and ImpactJunkie to understand how this concept will be introduced to local entrepreneurs. On our couch: Dr. Philip Harding - CEO, ImpactJunkie. Lorraine Herrera - Business Advisor, SBDC Belize. Natella Svistunova - Public Affairs Officer, US Embassy to Belize.

The Institute of Creative Arts summer programs, 30min. The Institute of Creative Arts has a wide array of summer programs that will engage your children in the creative arts. Our guests walked us through the many options available for the different age groups. The goal is to use the expressive arts to teach children culture and history. On our couch: Kim Vasquez - Youth Development Officer, ICA. Barbara Eligio - Expressive Arts Teacher.

The Ministry of Health representatives - quality of the medications available at local pharmacies, 36min. The Ministry of Health representatives talked with us about the work they do to ensure the quality of the medications available at local pharmacies. Our guests are representatives of the Pharmacy Department of MOH who are responsible for assessing generic medications to ensure they meet the standards to be used locally. They explained how the monitoring process works. On our couch: Samira Gongora - Drug Inspector, Pharmacy Department. Amini Galvez - Pharmacy Department.

The Belize Game Fish Association of Belize, 23min. The Belize Game Fish Association of Belize was our guest to promote the 3rd Annual Grand Caribe Deep Sea Classic. This year's competition boasts of $55,000 in cash and prizes. We talked with organizers about the competition and how you can participate. On our couch: Kyle Castillo - Marketing Officer, Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute Tiffany Jones-Ferguson - General Manager, Grand Caribe Resort Andrew Roe - President, Belize Game Fish Association

Talk Ah Di Town July 18, 2019, 30min.

Morning Matters with Sayer Paints, 60min.

Under The Sea 8ft, 2min. You don’t have to be a diver to explore the reefs.

Under The Sea 60ft, 1.5min. 60 feet this is what’s happening.

A really cool sighting at the Raptor Center, 30sec. Yes we love birds but we also REALLY love snakes. Raptors and snakes are the best pest control on the planet. As wildlifers we all were guilty for standing around watching this for the 15 minutes it took for him to eat the Ruddy Ground Dove.

Reina de la Costa Maya contestants enjoying la Isla Bonita with Island Dream Tours - YOLO, 3min.

Costa Maya Contestants- sunset cruise with Island Dream Tours - YOLO, 3min.

Reina de la Costa Maya contestants- sunset cruise! Island Dream Tours - YOLO, 3min.

People’s United Party hosts press conference in Belize City, 26min. Party Leader John Briceno first addresses the FTC’s allegations against the Belizean Government.

Snorkeling in Belize! Loggerhead Turtle, 10min. While Snorkeling in Belize I stumbled upon this clip of me catching a turtle on film.

Belize Barrier Reef, 3.5min.

Swimming With Sharks In Belize [Pt. 2], 10min.

What to do with a Raw Coconut! Ambergris Caye Belize, 2.5min.

Sports Talk Show, 62min.

Cockburn Lane and Human Development Building Properties Update, .5min. Here is an update by photos for our Cockburn Lane and Human Development Building Properties as of July 19,2019. The Human Development Building will be completed by early August and our Cockburn Lane won't be too far behind.

Update from Government House, .5min. Here is a short update with photos of the works going on at the Government House as of today July 19, 2019.

July 18, 2019

Official Results for Village Council Elections held on July 14, 2019

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, Reef TV, KREM, and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Belize Now, Talk Ah Di Town, and other specials.

The San Pedro Sun

The lovely contestants for Reina de La Costa Maya International 2019-2020 have begun touching down on Ambergris Caye
The 12 noon Maya Island Air Belize flight arrived with reigning Miss Costa Maya Mary Cruz Cardona Galindo of Honduras, alongside Miss Guatemala, Nallely Paola López Juárez. Both beauties are excited to be on the island and are ready for the activities lined up by the International Costa Maya Festival Pageant Committee. Around 5PM, 5 more contestants had arrived. Welcome Miss Belize, Costa Rica, Mexico, El Salvador and Panama! Delayed until tomorrow is Miss Honduras.

Two San Pedro young ladies drafted for Belize’s Female Senior National Team
The Football Federation of Belize (FFB) has drafted a selection of players for the Belize Female Senior National Football Team to represent the country at a triangular tournament in Turks & Caicos from the 25-28 August 2019. Among the selection of players are San Pedro’s very own Ada Cordova and Normalee Nunez. Participating teams in the triangular tournament are Belize, Turks and Caicos and the Cayman Islands. The players for the National Selection were chosen from various football tournaments hosted across the country.

PAHO launches ‘Stronger Together’ Campaign for Hurricane Season 2019
In the Caribbean, most disaster response communication materials focus on ensuring that people recognize storm warnings, know where to go for assistance, and have prepared their homes. However, few communication campaigns or products help people build resilience to cope with the impacts of disasters. This campaign aims to fill that gap. The “Stronger Together” campaign will also tackle the stigma associated with seeking mental health and psychosocial support. It will put a special focus on vulnerable people, such as children and adolescents, women, older persons, or persons with disabilities.

San Pedro’s Lighthouse Christian Radio Station observes 15 years of service
San Pedro Town’s Lighthouse Christian Radio Station observed 15 years of serving the island community on Monday, July 15th. With its slogan “Shining the Light on Darkness,” Lighthouse Christian Radio 101.3FM has been providing a variety of Christian-based programming and music for 24 hours, seven days a week. The radio station is spearheaded by Pastor Clive Welsh, who is optimistic that his ministry will continue to positively influence the community of San Pedro, Caye Caulker, and across parts of Belize.

Ambergris Today

Kids In Action 2019 Summer Program Officially Kicks Off
For the past eleven years the San Pedro Tour Guide Association (SPTGA) in collaboration with PADI, the largest diving organization, the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and the San Pedro Tour Operators Association provide island kids the opportunity to explore the underwater world and learn to scuba dive. On Monday, July 15, 2019, the camp officially kicked off as students were presented with their Open Water Diver Manuals and officially introduced to their dive instructors. This year students that participated in the Kids in Action Program in 2018 are being offered a special diving course by PADI, they will be certified in Coral Reef Conservation Specialty Course.

Various Belizean Sources

Caye Caulker Summer Camp Grand Performance
If you would like to be musically entertained ... AND you don't mind supporting a worthy cause...

Sweating in of new Caye Caulker Village Council
Friday, 9:30 am at the Community Center. We wish the new village council and Chairman Seleny Villanueva Pott only the best. Free beers,ceviche ,burgers n hot dogs, all are welcome.

Mr. Eloy Escalante Sr. wins 2019 September Celebrations Theme Competition
Today we joined NICH and other members of the media to surprise the winner of the 2019 September Celebrations Theme Competition, Mr. Eloy Escalante Sr. of Orange Walk District. He had no idea that his theme won! Our 2019 September celebrations theme is “From Maya Grandeur to Modern Glory, Together Let’s Shape the Belizean Story.”

Another New Sugar Industry Production Record
The northern sugar industry of Belize—the three farmers associations, ASR Group-BSI and other industry stakeholders—set a new record for sugar production at Tower Hill Factory, Orange Walk with its 2018/19 crop. This new record, in excess of 155 thousand metric tons in 214 days of milling, eclipses the pre-existing sugar production record set in 2016 by more than 12 thousand metric tons. Belize Sugar Industries Ltd. (BSI) would like to thank all the cane farmers and mill workers who labored tirelessly until the early hours of Monday, July 15, 2019 to conclude a record cane crop as well, grinding the most cane ever, with more than 1.317 million metric tons passing through the mill. “This is a landmark crop”, said Country Manager Celestino Ruiz, “We are grateful to the farmers for bringing high quality cane and to our workers for extracting record quantities of sugar from it. With investment now pouring into the factory during the off crop, we are in a strong place to build a sustainable future for all involved in the industry.”

Corozal Municipal Bazaar on Friday
The Municipal Bazaar is a wonderful idea. It keeps getting better and bigger. Friday, July 26th it is. We support this great initiative for small business owners. Big Up!

Miss East Indian Pageant 2019
August 3rd. Support our East Indian Culture & Heritage. One Love.

Belize/Mexico Presentation
Belize presentation for the Mexican Association of Travel Agents at the Camino Real Hotel.

Paradise Theater playing this weekend
Ugly Dolls, The Intruder, Longshot, La Llorona. *Note: the Kruffy air performance will take up both rooms on Friday, so the movies will only be on Saturday and Sunday*

Channel 7

Allyson Major Junior Dies, Family Wants Murder Charge For Cops
When we left you last night, gunshot victim Allyson Major Jr was clinging to life. Well, the 36 year old died this morning at 9:45; the injury to his head was too massive. And that injury came from the barrel of a police weapon. A police patrol which was pursuing him shot him at the foot of the swing bridge - in the centre of Belize City. The family says it is a wrongful death, and there was no reason to shoot the father of young children. The cops say they wanted to search Major after they saw him make a drug pick up on George Street. And they add that they recovered 118 grams of cannabis - about 4 ounces which they claim was thrown from his vehicle. His family says that he was in his mother's vehicle - and that he had left her home 10 to 20 minutes earlier to buy panades for his kids.

Security Ministry Meets to Give Family Assurances
Musa spoke to us just after he and the Major family finished a meeting with the CEO in the Ministry of National Security. He brought along the Deputy Commander, Edward Broaster and Superintendent Dwayne Sutherland, the head of Professional Standards Branch. CEO Gorge Lovell told us why he called the family to the meeting: Col. George Lovell - CEO, Ministry of National Security: "Jules it was a very unfortunate incident which resulted in the loss of life and we felt that the ministry, that it's important that we reach out to the family and let the family understand that we will do all in our powers to investigate the matter and if our officers who have been named in this very unfortunate incident is found to be culpable, then the full extent of the law will apply..."

Police Explain The Major Pursuit and Shooting
Before the National Security CEO and the Deputy Police Commissioner went to meet with the Major family, the Deputy ComPol and other senior police officers called an early morning press conference in Belmopan to discuss yesterday's deadly hours in the city - which saw four violent deaths between 4:00 and 8:00 pm. Attempting to get out in front of Allyson Major's fatal shooting at the hands of their own, these top cops gave the same assurances to the press. They asserted that there would be fairness and impartiality in the way these officers would be investigated. The media then tried to get more specific details about how the incident unfolded. But, the cops kept repeating that they couldn't answer certain questions at this time, because the 6 officers involved in the deadly chase were still give their statements. Here's how that conversation went:

Allyson Major Was Well Known In Community
And while there is a criminal and disciplinary investigation - for the family, nothing will bring back, this son, husband, sibling and father. Allyson Major Jr was also well known and liked in the community - particularly in basketball circles. Today his close personal friend and his area rep remembered him: Giovanni Brackett - Close Personal Friend: "We tried, the family kept praying, he was clinging to life all up to this morning and eventually we got the news that he passed away. The family is grieving heavily, Ms. Major, this is her only son. Mr. Major this is his only son, he has 2 children, one daughter, one son, the Craig and Major families are very close netted family."

Criminals Dressed As Cops Stage Home Invasion At SI/SE Mayor's Home
Many times over the years, we've reported on thieves impersonating police going to the homes of unsuspecting members ion the public to rob them. These smooth-talking criminals make up all kinds of believable excuses for wanting to enter, such as wanting to conduct a search for drugs or illegal weapons. Once the civilian grants them access to his or her home, the men then pounce, hold up the victim, and then ransack the house for valuables. That's exactly what happened to Cayo Mayor Earl Trapp and his wife, Cladeth, last night at their home in San Ignacio. At around 9:45, Several men, dressed in full camouflage military type outfits, went to the Mayor's home and begged for something to drink. The Mayor opened his door - not knowing what awaited him. Today he told us his story as a warning to the public, to be careful of thieves pretending to police. Daniel Ortiz has that story:

Police Warn Public About Pretend Police
So, as you heard, Mayor Trapp warns that if anyone visits your house claiming to be police, check with the station first before opening your door. That's pretty much the same caution that the Head of the National Criminal Investigations Branch had to share today when we asked about this new trend of thieves impersonating cops to commit crimes: ACP Joseph Myvette - Head, NCIB: "What I would want to advice the public is that in the event that something like this should occur at your residence, you must first seek the identification of those persons and if they are police officers they will come in police vehicles."

Belize City: 3 Murders in 3 Hours
And while Cayo police are seeking suspects for that crime, the Belize City CIB office is overwhelmed with the frightening spate of killings that happened yesterday evening into night. Between 5:30 and 8:00, three men were murdered in the city. The youngest victim is 18, while the eldest are 52 and 53. We start first with the killing of 52-year-old Emmanuel Ampomah, a Ghanian taxi driver who lived on Chetumal Street in Belize City. Just after 8:00, police found him dead, wedged under his taxi-cab, which was tilted on its side across a drain on Seashore Drive - the same street where the Prime Minister lives - and which is also home to the iconic Belize sign.

Ghanian Cabbie Was Well Liked Cabbie
And a correction to what police said: he is from Ghana, not Nigeria. One of his most faithful customers, Channel 5's Isani Cayetano knew that very well. Ampomah ran his taxi service just outside the KHMH, but he only provided service at night - exposing him to certain risks - but also endearing him to his regular fares - who knew he could be depended on. That hard working night shift was a part of his migrant's story - and Cayetano told us more about it today: Isani Cayetano - Friend and Client of Ampomah: "From Ghana to seek a better life in Belize and he was not only a cab driver but he was also a mechanic but he was nocturnal, he only came out after 6 in the evening and he worked the late shift until 2 or so in the morning. Yesterday something strange happened..."

Killer Didn't Say A Word To Vendor
And while Ampomah was the last murder last night - the first of the evening happened at 5:30. As we told you last night, 53-year-old vendor Jose Hilario Diaz was killed yesterday at his used clothing store called New 2 U Shop. That's located at the corner of Cemetery Road and Mosul Street, where a gunman strode up - in the middle of the evening rush hour in this much trafficked area - and didn't say a word or try to rob him: he just opened fire and shot him in the face. So, it was an apparent execution but why? Those we spoke to in the area say it may be a case of mistaken identity. Police wouldn't go so far. Here's what they know so far:

Two 19 Year Old's Fight, One Left Dead
And between that murder of the 52 year old taxman and the 53 year old clothing vendor, a 19 year old was killed. Just before 6:00, Honduran immigrant Nixon Matapinto, got into a dispute with fellow 19-year-old construction worker Jovi Hernandez at the Western Avenue bus stop on the George Price Highway. That escalated into an altercation where Hernandez stabbed him to the right side of the chest with an unknown object. Matapinto's died from the injury - and Hernandez has been detained. The cops told us today that this killing may have some gang connection:

Teenager Charged For Murder of 52 Year Old
On Monday we told you about 36 year old Fidel Bardalez. He was killed on Saturday in a drinking brawl, chopped multiple times to the head. Well, it's a 17 year old who did it, and today the minor has been charged for Manslaughter, not murder. The charge suggests that there may have been some element of provocation or self defense.

Couple Caught with "Mexican Kush"
Last night, we told you about the good police work which led several specialized police units to make a major marijuana and money bust at a northside stash house yesterday. Acting on Special Branch intelligence, a joint law enforcement team of GSU and BDF visited a house near Driftwood Bay, at mile 4 on the Philip Goldson Highway. Within this residential community, the cops found a house, which was being used to conceal large quantities of high-grade marijuana, known as Mexican Kush. Aided by the K-9 unit which found the hidden compartment under a van, the joint patrol team searched the premises and found over 58 pounds of this high-grade marijuana, and over 12 thousand dollars in cash. At today's police press conference, the Commander of Operations, Assistant Police Commissioner Marco Vidal, shared a few details about the find:

Gang Beef in Sandhill Leads To Shooting
So, we've already told you about the 3 murders, and the fatal police shooting of Allyson Major Jr., which all happened yesterday. But, Wednesday's violence started with a non-fatal shooting in Sandhill Village, at around 10:00 in the morning. 27-year-old Ivan Hyde was inside his home at mile 19 and a half on the Philip Goldson, when a killer barged him and tried to gun him down in his bathroom. He survived the attack, suffering injuries to his hands and legs. Police told us today that they suspect that he was targeted as part of an ongoing feud between 2 rival groups of men in the village. They told us that they intend to make an intervention, in an attempt to defuse tensions:

The Theme Is A Meme
The theme for this year's September Celebrations has been chosen by the National Celebrations Commission. At the end of May, Commission opened the Competition and "theme players" had 21 days to come up with 10 words to commemorate the 221st Anniversary of the Battle of St. George's Caye and the 38th Anniversary of Belize's Independence. For one thousand dollars, there were about a thousand entries and the winner was announced today. But, sneaking up as stealthily as those slaves with Pocono bwai sticks - the NICH crew surprised the winner fo the competition today But, this year it was unveiled in a different way. NICH went to Orange Walk to surprise the winner. They told Eloy Escalante Sr that he was among the finalists and then they sprung it on him - here's how it went:..

Instruction Offered to Media Practitioners
A US media instructor is in Belize this week. Dr. Chuck Pollak of Sharing International and Queens university of Charlotte has been training Belizeans since 1988 in the area of media. he teaches radio, television film and journalism. His organization been doing similar training in over 20 countries. He told us about his courses which start tonight at UB: The media seminar RUNS THROUGH TO SATURDAY and is open to the general public.

Taiwan Deputy Mayor in Belize
Today, the Deputy Mayor of Taipei visited Belmopan. Dr. Chia-Ji Teng was greeted by Mayor Khalid Belisle who gave him a key to the capital. According to a release, "during the visit, the mayors discussed issues relating to emergency response and city security. The Deputy Mayor also extended an invitation to Mayor Belisle to attend the Smart City Summit which will be held in Taipei in August 2019."

Two Stabbed in Alley Beef
And argument between a 16 year old, a 25 year old and a 32 year old, resulted in two persons being stabbed. It happened yesterday at 11:30 a.m. when 25 year old Keinen Bermudez, and 32 year old Melanie Castillo, were both stabbed. Bermudez was at the corner of Rhaburn's and Price Alley when he got into an argument with a 16-year-old, which later resulted in a struggle. A relative of the 16-year-old pulled out a knife and stabbed Bermudez. Melanie Castillo who is a relative of Bermudez tried to intervene and also sustained an apparent stab wound.

Channel 5

Allyson Major Jr. Dies at the Hands of Pursuing Cops
Four persons were killed in the mayhem of a very violent Tuesday evening. In a span of five hours, two were killed and died on the spot, while two others [...]

Allyson Major Jr. is Remembered by Friends and Family
Allyson Major was a very close friend of Caribbean Shores Area Representative Kareem Musa and a lifelong friend of former COLA President Giovanni Brackett. Like Major’s immediate family, both men [...]

Vendor Murdered in Belize City; Police Don’t Know Why He was Killed
A Belize City vendor was shot and killed on Tuesday evening shortly after the shooting of Allyson Major Junior. Naturalized Belizean Jose Diaz, a clothing vendor, was inside his small [...]

6-Month-Old Baby Abandoned by Belizean Parents at Guatemalan Hospital
The following story is heart-wrenching. A six-month-old beautiful baby of Belizean parents was left abandoned at a hospital in San Benito Poite, in Guatemala. The parents, from what we gather, [...]

Ghanaian Cabbie Emmanuel Ampomah is Murdered by his Fare
One of the murders in Tuesday night’s madness that is baffling police involves Ghanaian Emmanuel Ampomah. The fifty-two-year-old cabbie was fatally stabbed inside his taxi by his fare after eight [...]

Nixon Pinto is Stabbed to Death During Antelope Street Beef
A feud between rival groups in the area of Antelope Street Extension has resulted in the stabbing death of nineteen-year-old Nixon Pinto. Sometime around six o’clock on Tuesday evening, Pinto [...]

Fake Cops Target Mayor Earl Trapp in Brazen Home Invasion
The Mayor of San Ignacio Earl Trapp and his wife were victims on Tuesday night of the violence that is sweeping across the country and spares no one. The Trapp’s [...]

Fire Destroys Family Home in Roaring Creek
A house was completely destroyed by fire in Roaring Creek today. Shortly after four this evening, a fire broke out inside the house of forty-four-year-old Denise Arnold in the ‘Another [...]

Charges of Extortion are Dropped against Special Constable and Police Officer
Charges of extortion have been dropped against a Special Constable and a police officer attached to the San Pedro Police Formation. An American visitor accused them of shaking him down [...]

Duo Charged for Major Drug Bust
Police have formally arrested and charged Lynroy Longsworth and Kenosha Beaton for the crime of possession of control drugs with the intent to supply. The duo was busted with many [...]

Police Move Quickly to Defuse Dispute between Warring Groups in Sandhill Village
Police are moving quickly to defuse a feud between two rival groups in Sandhill Village, Belize District. That feud led to the shooting of Ivan Hyde who was injured while [...]

17-Year-Old Charged with Manslaughter for Fidel Bardalez’s Death
On Saturday morning, thirty-six-year-old Fidel Edilberto Bardalez was found brutally murdered in Alta Vista Village in the Stann Creek District. He had been beaten and chopped to death by a [...]

Police Re-strategize to Address Spike in Major Crimes
Belize City residents are at the mercy of criminals. Following the string of major crimes that occurred on Tuesday evening and the recent murders over the past weeks, the Belize [...]

Y.W.C.A.’s Summer Programme for the Entire Family
The Y.W.C.A. on Saint Thomas Street, Belize City is a popular place to be at this time of the year. Persons of all ages flock to the venue for the [...]

September Celebrations 2019 Theme Announced
“From Maya Grandeur to Modern Glory, Together Let’s Shape the Belizean Story.” Get used to hearing and seeing that line because it is the brand new theme for this year’s [...]

Labour Rights Training for BTEC’S Nail Techs and Event Planners
The Belize Center for Employment Training is hosting its summer training programme for nail technicians and event planners. A component of the summer programme is a session on labour and [...]

The Reporter

Arresting Our Fourth Estate
Prime Minister Dean Barrow, through Barrow and Williams, has written to all media houses, warning that any re-broadcast, re-publication or repeating of F.T.C.’s allegations against him may result in a civil action.

A Nation Traumatized By Many Mysterious Murders, Why ?
In the past 72 hours the nation of Belize and in particular, Belize City is traumatized by daily murders and mysterious events that begs the question, WHY ?, does a nation of 350 thousand and a City with approximately 100 thousand people have a higher homicide rate than London, a city of 8.1 million.

Home Invasion & Assault Of The Mayor Of San Ignacio
The Reporter has confirmed that Police have detained one person for questioning in a home invasion and assault of the Mayor of San Ignacio/Santa Elena Town, Earl Trapp last night. Trapp and his wife were at their home in San Ignacio when three men in full camouflage, claiming to be Police, gained entry to his home stating that they were on duty and wanted refreshments.

Taxi-Man Killed On North Side Of The City – Near PM’s Home
Last night a taxi-driver was killed on Seashore Drive, the street on which the Prime Minister of the country resides. Just after 8:00 Police were called to the scene of an accident where a silver Toyota 4 Runner had run into a drain and flipped on its side. Inside they found the body of Emmanuel Ampomah, 52.

International Sources

Accelerating progress on Food Security and Nutrition in Small Island Developing States
Presentation by Dr. Patrick Gomes Secretary General of the ACP Group of States at the FAO High Level side-event on “Accelerating Progress on the SDGs through the Implementation of the Global Action Programme (GAP) on Food Security and Nutrition in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)” during the High level Political Forum of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on 15 July 2019, New York.

Invasion of Seaweeds Poses Threat to Tourism Along the Caribbean Coast
Tourism industries in Mexico and several Caribbean countries are staring at the prospect of a downturn, with large mounds of sargassum, a kind of seaweed, from the Atlantic washing up on beaches along the coastline from Cancun to Belize. The sargassum on the beaches are emanating foul odors and keeping tourists away. Scientists are blaming deforestation, releasing of untreated water into seas, and excessive use of fertilizers in the Amazon rainforest area, for the environmental hazard. Little amount of sargassum is beneficial for the marine life, as it provides habitat for birds and other creatures. However, excessive generation of seaweeds blocks the movement of fish and dolphins, say scientists.

Videos

The Police Link Up Show, 58min.

Belize Fishing Video June 2019, 14min.

Green Moray Eats Lionfish / Half Moon Caye, Belize, 1min.

Porcupinefish / Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize, 1min.

Barracuda / Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize, 1min.

Belize 2019 - Loggerhead Turtle, 1/2min.

Belize Snorkeling, 40min. This video contains nearly all footage from the first part of our snorkel tour at Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve. It skips the boat ride, and goes straight into the sea.

Building a School in Belize (Part 1), 9min. I spent the last 16 days building a school for deaf children in Belize through HEFY. It was one of the best 2 weeks of my life.

Building a School in Belize (Part 2), 10min.

Belize 2019, 8min. Coco Plum Island Resort: July 2019. 55 friends and family, we will be back!

SXU goes to Belize - 2019, 6min. A video that I created when group of students and myself went to Belize to build a house for a woman and her son.

Belize Trip Off Shore Fishing, 7min. Belize Off Short Trip with the BOYS!

San Antonio Cayo Belize Festival Pt.1 Bus Trip, 15min. This is another Cultural and Heritage Tour of Belize featuring the Maya. Pt. 1 is the 5 hour bus trip from Corozal.

July 17, 2019

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, Reef TV, KREM, and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Belize Now, Talk Ah Di Town, and other specials.

The San Pedro Sun

Frank Trapp to be arraigned for theft, abduction and assault
Island taxi driver 26-year-old Frank Trapp will be arraigned in Belize City on Wednesday, July 17th for theft, abduction, and assault. Trapp is accused of having stolen jewelry, beaten and allegedly kidnapping his ex-girlfriend. Trapp had recently been at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) recovering from injuries he sustained when his taxi hit a cement wall at a high-speed. The incident occurred in the early morning of Saturday, July 13th on Mullet Street south of San Pedro Town. The cab driver suffered severe head injuries and was transported to Belize City in critical condition.

BTB reports a remarkable tourism growth for mid-year of 2019
As one of the leading industries in Belize, tourism continues to grow, exhibiting record-breaking figures for the mid-year of 2019. On Thursday, July 11th the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) released their latest statistics for the first half of this year, which shows a remarkable and persistent growth in both overnight and cruise ship arrivals positioning Belize as a favorite vacation paradise. It further underscores the effective marketing strategy of its industry stakeholders in promoting the country as a leading tourism destination.

Belizean boxer wins international competition on Ambergris Caye
The Honourable Louis Sylvestre Sporting Complex in San Pedro Town was the venue for five intense boxing matches on Saturday, July 13th. The action-packed night saw boxers from Mexico, Honduras, Peru, and Belize. The main event of the evening had spectators more than happy after Belizean boxer Eduardo ‘Mecanico’ Esquivel from San Ignacio Town, Cayo emerged victorious against Reno Reyes from Peru after eight rounds of intense boxing. The fight night started at 8PM, with the first three-round match in the Lightweight Feather division between Belize’s Carlos Silverio against Mexican Sebastian Benitez.

2019 Ambergris Caye Camp Starfish ends with a colorful parade
The 2019 Ambergris Caye Camp Starfish ended with a joyful parade through the main streets of San Pedro Town on Saturday, July 13th. The aim of the free one-week camp was to create a space for children with learning and physical disabilities to explore their creative abilities while raising awareness and acceptance of our ‘more alike than different’ community members. At 10AM, many colorful and beautifully decorated golf carts gathered in front of the Lions Den. The l parade through the main streets of the island was led by Castillo’s Hardware’s big truck blaring entertaining music, followed by the decorated carts.

Meetings on Mesoamerica Network for Integral Risk Management
Meetings are being held this week in Belmopan to assess the progress made in fully incorporating Belize into the Mesoamerica Network for Integral Risk Management (RMGIR). The platform of the RMGIR is a virtual tool which makes available to governments, institutions and related actors the information products generated for the identification of threats and vulnerabilities, as well as geospatial information in terms of cartography, agrology, cadastre and geography. The map layers are guaranteed by the governments that upload them both nationally and regionally.

Various Belizean Sources

PDAS Chung has a productive meeting with #Belize Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington
They discussed regional priorities & next steps towards resolution of Belize’s territorial dispute with Guatemala after their successful referendum in May. Looking forward to more collaboration!

Jose Maria Manzanero
Jose Maria Manzanero was a Maya Yucatec captain of the group known as the Icaiche Maya . He along with Marcos Canul raided many logwood camps . Little is known except that he and his wife were detained in 1872 by the British . They where kept captive in Orange walk town . The Icaiche Maya reach town asking why captain Manzanero and his wife were being arrested also that there was no official trail made for them . The British ignore the questions . The British shoot at the Maya to make them go away which the Maya retaliated fast causing the Battle of Orange walk . What happen to Manzanero and his wife is unknown .

Problem and solution at the Caye Caulker airport
It’s a cement mixer.......Tropic Air using it today to pour cement on the roof of the building!

BHA announces its new Board of Directors
Belize Hotel Association introduces its new Board of Directors for the new 2019-2020 membership year.

Don't Miss the Deer Dancing Festival in August
August 01, 2018 - August 03. Based on Mayan rituals, dances are performed, portraying the hunting of a deer. The dance is acted out to the music of homemade harps and violins and parades through the streets of San Antonio. The festival also includes greased pole climbing competitions. An important heritage practice to the Mayan communities, the deer dance depicts the relationship between the Maya people and the land. The Mayan heritage is deeply connected with the rainforests where the communities have made their livelihoods for hundreds of years. This festival is an important ritual and a nice tradition that has been passed down through many generations.

Ministry of Health monitoring Dengue outbreak in Central America
The Ministry of Health continues to monitor the Dengue outbreak in Central America and within the Caribbean regions. We take note of our neighbor Honduras that has reported over 30,000 Dengue cases, majority classified as severe or hemorrhagic. Deaths as well in Honduras with over 75% reported in the younger population. The Ministry of Health continues to remind the public, "...that source reduction strategies are the most effective way to prevent mosquito borne diseases. Persons are urged to ensure that potential breeding locations, including: flower pot saucers, vases, tyres, buckets, barrels, plastic drums and water storage containers are regularly cleaned, removed, turned over or treated to support the Ministry’s source reduction efforts. The public is further advised to protect themselves and their family from mosquito bites by: · Sleeping under mosquito nets, using insect repellent (apply to the skin) or spraying insecticide indoors, wearing long sleeved shirts and long pants.

Help Abandoned Dogs in Cayo Belize
Asking for your help please. I have rescued abandoned dogs, mostly puppies, for years now. Currently I have 12 fosters in my care ranging from simply starved to total decrepitude. Once they are healthy enough I get them spayed/neutered and then adopt them out to good homes. I am asking for you help with the expense of spay/neuter.

It's Always Sizzling Football Action at the Ricalde Stadium
Saturday, July 20th - Corozal All Stars District Selection takes this opportunity to invite each and every one to Saturday's games that will be happening at the Ricalde Stadium. Corozal Selection vs. Belize Selection in both Male and Female. It all starts at 9:00 a.m. with the U15 Females, U17 Females, followed by the U15 Male and U17 Male. Come and support our District selection as we compete in the FFB Interdistrict Elite Competitions 2019.

Cayo Corn Fest 2019
The SISE Town Council's 2019 Cayo Corn Fest will be held at Macal River Park on Saturday, August 3rd. There will be everything corn there, with food and fun for everyone in the family.

Belize/Mexico Presentation
Belize presentation for the Mexican Association of Travel Agents at the Camino Real Hotel.

Ya’axché's Summer Camp
Ya’axché's Summer Camp is an annual event that brings together young persons from the Maya Golden Landscape to have fun engaging in conservation. Our Summer Camp, being held under the theme “Empowering communities, Conserving biodiversity, Connecting the world”, aims to involve young Belizeans in our work. In doing so, we hope to educate the next generation of leaders about the importance of our natural resources. Campers will engage in games, activities, and field trips to learn about climate-smart agricultural practices, protected areas management, pollinators and their importance, how to protect forests, integrated landscape approaches to natural resource management, and much more. If you are between the ages of 9-14 years and from the Maya Golden Landscape, make sure to complete your application by the deadline on Friday, 26th of July 2019. Applications are available at the Ya’axché PG office and at the Ya’axché field station from Monday – Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m – 5:00 p.m. Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Costa Maya Delegates Night
Come meet the Miss Costa Maya delegates at one of their first outings! Thank you Sunset Lounge.

Day 2 of Kids in Action
Chapter one of PADI dive manual and video. I'm so happy to see that the kids are so excited to learn to dive. Image may contain: 3 people, people sitting and table

Channel 7

Man Shot In Head During High Speed High Pursuit, Did Police Pull the Trigger
Tonight, a Belize City man is clinging to life after he was shot in the head in downtown Belize City - and police are believed to have pulled the trigger. It was reportedly the culmination of a dangerous, high speed chase through downtown which happened two hours ago. Here's more: This was the frenzied scene at the foot of the swing bridge as police lifted Alysson Major Jr from his pickup into a police mobile as a throng of pedestrians looked on in stunned disbelief.

City Erupts Into Violence
And that incident was the first in a series of violent assaults in the city this evening. The next one happened around 5:30. A 44 year old businessman who is a clothes vendor from Vernon Street, Hilario Diaz was shot on Cemetery Road near its junction with Mosul Street. This is right across from Amara Avenue. He is confirmed dead tonight - and his body was removed from the scene about 20 minutes ago.

Cops Capture Stash House In Northside Neighborhood
And...if it weren't for that extraordinary and troubling outbreak of violence, tonight's headline would have been about good police work. That's what we saw today, when acting on intelligence provided by special branch the GSU searched a residence near Driftwood Bay at mile 4 on the Phillip Goldson highway. It's a residential community, but this home was actually a stash house - used by a city gang to conceal large quantities of high grade marijuana brought in from Mexico and called Mexican Kush. The tarpaulin all over the fence was there to conceal all that happened inside. And inside is where police found 27 packages of marijuana weighing 53 pounds. But it was concealed in a hidden compartment under the minivan.

Attorney For Abetment Gets Bail
Last night, we brought you late-breaking news from the Magistrate's Court in which the well-known defense attorney, Oscar Selgado, had been arraigned on the offense of abetment to commit murder. Police say that a man has come forward to accuse Selgado of trying to hire him to kill one of his former clients. As far as we know, no officer of the court has been accused of such a serious offense, but police say that his accuser, Giovanni Ramirez, has given them credible pieces of evidence to substantiate his claims against Selgado. Now, at the end of Selgado's arraignment yesterday's evening, the Magistrate's Court had already closed for business. That meant that even though Senior Magistrate Tricia Pitts-Anderson granted him bail of $10,000, the business section of the court which processes bail documents was already closed, and its staff had already left the office for the day.

Shot In Sandhill, the Day After Murder
At the top of the news, we told you about a man shot in the head in Downtown Belize City; a late evening murder of a clothes vendor, and a stabbing a short time ago. But the very violent day started this morning with a shooting in Sandhill village this morning - the same Sandhill which saw an apparent murder yesterday. At around 10:00, 27-year-old Ivan Hyde, a resident of mile 19 and a quarter on the Philip Goldson Highway was at his home, in the bathroom, when someone barged in, stormed into the bathroom area and opened fire on Hyde. He survived and was being treated for gunshot to his hands and legs.

Security Guards Pleads Down to Manslaughter
42-year-old Kevin Jex, the man who police charged with murder for the killing of the security guard, Desmond Miller, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter today in front of Justice Marilyn Williams. In November of 2013. Miller, was a security guard for San Pedro Belize Express and was instructed to keep Jex away from the water taxi terminal because he was allegedly harassing the tourists.

Bank Executive Defends New Cheque Clearing Charges
Two weeks ago, we told you about the new bank charges. They see the commercial banks charging for use of the Automated Payments & Securities Settlement System, known as APSSS. This system was introduced with much fanfare in October 2016 - and enabled you to clear cheques and electronic payments across banks on the same day, rather than 48 to 72 hours. But, it comes with a charge, and in April, the Central Bank announced that it has been bearing those costs for the past two and a half years. And earlier this year, it asked the commercial banks to, quote, "contribute minimal fees for the processing of transactions through APSSS." Of course, commercial banks - who never saw a fee they didn't want to hike - not only passed those costs along, but multiplied them!

On Being Business Minded
Today at the Belize Institute of Management, entrepreneurs and business-minded Belizeans from all over the country participated in a workshop called Impact Junkie. It's an initiative co-developed by the American, Dr. Philip Harding, and it seeks to inspire up-and-coming entrepreneurs from all over the world through a mandate that promotes innovation, youth participation, and entrepreneurship aimed at positive social impact. The Small Business Development Center, a unit of BELTRAIDE, partnered with the US Embassy in Belmopan to bring Dr. Harding to Belize to impart his wisdom to business-minded Belizeans for the entirety of today.

Two Guns in Corozal
The Special Branch in Corozal got 2 guns and several rounds of live rounds of ammunition off the streets of that northern town. Last week Friday, officers from the Corozal Special Branch conducted operations targeting known criminals and drug traffickers living in that municipality. That led them to visit an unfinished house in the White Cocal Area. After searching the property, the officers found a plastic bag that contained 7 live rounds of 9mm ammunition, and another bag, which contained a chrome and white .22 pistol. No one was in the area, and so the items were deposited as found property.

BSI Looking For Markets For Direct Consumption Sugars
Last night we told you about a record harvest and record sugar production at ASR/BSI. But, there won't be record earnings because the world price for sugar is about half of what it was about two years ago. But, the hope for future sustainability of this industry is in the production of those much discussed direct consumption sugars. Yesterday we learned that ASR/BSI is producing five such sugars, but is still having a hard time penetrating the CARICOM Market:..

Frank Trapp's Outlaw Saga
A 26 year old man named Frank Ivan Trapp is in a whole lot of trouble with police. His saga of lawlessness started in San Pedro on Saturday. That's when Shirlene Sentino reported that he broke into her house and stole $17,000 in jewelry. He then allegedly abducted her in a minivan around 1:00 am the following morning, but she escaped. That's when he tried to flee and rammed into a fence near Banyan Bay.

The Bank, Students, and Scholarships
Belize Bank hosted its annual scholarship presentation today. This year 18 students are recipients of scholarships, that is 12 primary school students moving on to high school, and 6 doing either their associates or bachelors. According Mr. Filippo Alario the program has a fair number of success stories 8 years after it started:

YMCA Takes the Dive
Summer for swimming! With all this heat - many of us would want to be in the YMCA summer program. But, it's only for girls and boys to learn how to swim or improve their swimming technique. Today we caught with them as they prepare to end three weeks program. Swimming instructor and program coordinator Chloe Kelly shares more.

MOH Says Generic Drugs Safe
With the landscape of available pharmaceuticals have changed in the past year - many who use prescription drugs ar enow having to use generics. They are cheaper, but are they as good as the brand name product? Well, the Ministry of Health's Drug Inspectorate says they are. The Ministry sent five different generic medications to the Caribbean Regional Public Health Agency's (CARPHA) Drug Testing Laboratory for testing. A release says the medications range from antibiotics to antidiabetic drugs that were sampled from the public sector.

Channel 5

A Major Marijuana Haul on the Philip Goldson Highway
Mayhem in the city, where two late evening shootings have left one man dead and another injured. But tonight, we go first to a major drug bust early this morning [...]

Chaos in Downtown Belize City; 2 Men Shot
Police are currently at the corner of Mosul Street and Cemetery Road processing the scene of a late evening murder in the Old Capital. News Five has confirmed that a [...]

Ivan Hyde is Shot Inside his House in Sand Hill Village
There was also gun violence in Sand Hill, Belize District, where a resident was injured and recovering at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after he was shot inside his bathroom. [...]

ComPol says Spike in Violence in Sand Hill Linked to 1 Person
But there is a spike of violence in the village that the police are trying to mitigate. It appears outside of rivalry in the area; there is a person of [...]

Are Human Remains that of Missing Teen, Doren Grinage?
While it is believed that the lower half of a young male body, discovered on Monday morning in the river behind Sand Hill Village, is believed to be that of [...]

ComPol Details Selgado’s Arrest and Arraignment
Attorney Oscar Selgado made headlines on Monday evening after being arraigned for the crime of abetment to commit murder. It is alleged that the well-known criminal lawyer contracted the services [...]

Is Selgado Being Targeted by Police?
While it is the second time Selgado has been pursued by law enforcement, the ComPol says that the attorney is not being targeted. In fact, he says that there is [...]

Former Investment CEO Told Sanctuary Bay Investors that GOB ‘Stands Committed to Help Develop this Project”
Tonight, we pick up the Sanctuary Bay story and show you images of what has been billed as a multi-million dollar development in southern Belize, which ended up as the [...]

Joseph Budna Explains Why He Cannot Be Sent Back to Guatemalan Prison
Thirty-nine-year-old Joseph Budna is a free man after being released from police custody in Belmopan on Saturday evening. His release comes after Budna was grabbed on Thursday by a team [...]

Budna Alleges Physical Abuse in Guatemalan Lockup
According to Budna, he was subjected to severe abuse at the hands of prison authorities in Guatemala. He went as far as showing his scars from stabbings and chopping incidents [...]

San Pedro Man Freed of Murder Charge
A San Pedro resident is a free man tonight after his murder case which had kicked off before Justice Colin Williams fell apart in the Supreme Court. Forty-five-year-old Rafael Ramirez [...]

Cops Found Guilty of Manslaughter
Corporals Leonard Nunez and Hallet King are tonight spending their time behind bars, in a cell at the Belize Central Prison. The cops were found guilty of manslaughter on Monday [...]

Kevin Jex Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter
Also in the court, a man accused of murder pleaded guilty to manslaughter. An argument between a security guard on the job and a hustler ended fatally for the guard [...]

Meet the Recipients of the Belize Bank Scholarship Programme
The annual awarding of scholarships by the Belize Bank was held today. As many as eighteen students will now continue their studies in high schools and sixth forms across the [...]

New Cheque Cashing Fees are linked to the APSSS
Persons carrying out transactions via cheques are paying an additional service charge for its processing. Commercial banks have been laying that cost at the feet of their customers. As we [...]

An Elderly American National is Knocked Down and Killed in Placencia
Robert McNealy, a resident of Placencia, was knocked down and killed on Friday night as he was riding his bicycle along the highway. The body of the elderly American national [...]

Impact Junkie hosts workshop for local entrepreneurs
The Small Business Development Center partnered with the US Embassy Belize to coordinate an entrepreneurship workshop hosted Doctor Philip Harding, Co-Founder of Impact Junkie. Harding is a speaker and former White House [...]

Learning to Live with Diabetes
A group of sixty-young children and youths are attending a camp where they are learning to take care of their blood sugar levels with the support of their parents. The [...]

3-day Greenhouse Gas Inventory training in Belize
A three-day workshop to train climate change personnel in the data management for national Greenhouse Gas inventory in Latin-American and Caribbean kicked off in San Ignacio on Monday. The training [...]

Beach Volleyball Athletes Bring home Bronze Medal
With all the crime affecting the City, there is some good news tonight. Two beach volleyball athletes were victorious over the weekend and came home with the bronze medal and [...]

Amandala

Attorney Oscar Selgado, 49, arraigned
The defendant’s box is an unusual place for a practicing attorney at the criminal bar to be, but that is just where the attorney Oscar Selgado found himself late this afternoon when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Tricia Pitts-Anderson. Police charged Selgado with the offense of abetment to commit murder. Selgado, 49, was represented by attorney Herbert Panton, while the Crown was represented by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Cheryl-Lynn Vidal.

Half of missing 15-year-old Doren Grinage’s body found
The search for teenager Doren Denver Grinage, 15, of Sandhill, nephew of Hon. Edmond Castro, who had been missing since Tuesday afternoon, July 9, when he left home, came to a sad conclusion this morning. What has been described as “half of his body,” the lower part, partially decomposed, was found floating in a lagoon in the Double Run area of Sandhill. The body part was retrieved and taken to an area where an onsite post-mortem exam was to be conducted. Denise Grinage, the teenager’s devastated mother, said that they identified him due to the boxer shorts that was on the body.

Constables Hallet King and Leonard Nunez guilty of Hilberto Sotz’s death
In June 2015, Hilberto Sotz, 18, died in a cell in the Caye Caulker Police Station. He had been detained in connection with a burglary that had happened on the island, and two officers, Constable Hallet King and Constable Leonard Nunez, had been charged with manslaughter because Sotz was in their care when he died. Allegations were that he had been beaten by the officers, and that resulted in his death. One of the witnesses was a man who had been detained the same time Sotz was in the cell, and he told police that he heard when Sotz was being beaten.

“Nazy” executed in hospital parking lot
Edwin Felix Nasario, aka “Nazy,” 45, was shot to death, execution-style, in the parking lot of the Southern Regional Hospital at about 10:00 Friday morning, July 12, by one of two men who escaped on a motorcycle. Nasario was shot in the head and chest. He was rushed into the hospital, but died as doctors were trying to treat him. Nasario had visited a relative who was admitted to the Southern Regional Hospital, and he was returning to his car, which was parked in the hospital parking lot, when two men traveling on a motorcycle drove up, and one of the men, who was armed with a pistol, shot him several times as he was getting into his vehicle.

“We want our pension; we deserve our pension!”
The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH), which is managed by the KHMH Board of Directors, has had a policy of not providing pension for its employees. That situation has been brought into sharp focus by the KHMH Workers Union, which has been making strident demands for its members to receive their pension. Last Friday, the KHMH Union staged industrial action in the form of a walk-out. This afternoon, Monday, July 15, the goings-on at the country’s premier referral hospital appeared to be normal. According to the hospital’s public relations officer, Tylon Tillett, those participating in the impromptu walkout were from all sectors of the hospital. Tillett estimated that about 125 KHMH employees participated in the walkout.

PUP maintains its dominance in village council elections
The fourth round of village council elections took place yesterday, Sunday, July 14, when villagers from 35 villages across the country cast ballots to elect their village councils for the next 3 years. At the end of round 3 last week, the Opposition People’s United Party (PUP) had maintained a consistent dominance at the polls in villages across the country. The governing United Democratic Party (UDP) Secretariat released its numbers last week and those numbers matched those released by the PUP, which has been claiming the lead in the elections.

Belmopan’s Club Atletico are back-to-back National Amateur League Champions
At the MCC Grounds yesterday, in game 2 of the National Amateur League Competition (NALC) home-and-away championship series, defending champions, Club Atletico of Belmopan came away with a 1-1 draw against Belize City’s Caesar Ridge FC, and it was all that Club Atletico needed, after their 1-nil win in game 1 at Isidoro Beaton Stadium, to emerge as back-to-back champions. After a somewhat difficult start in the 20-team National Amateur inter-district football tournament, where they lost a home-and-away series to Caesar Ridge FC, Club Atletico was not one of the 10 winners that automatically qualified to the next round.

Dangriga sports stats – PLB pre-season friendly
Home team, the newly improved Wagiya, today played their second pre-season friendly match at the Carl Ramos Stadium, where they won over Roaring Creek United, 3 goals to 1; but Roaring Creek gave Wagiya a good, competitive, 90-minute practice match. Ajohny Banner opened the scoring for Roaring Creek United in the first half; but before the half-time whistle, Byron Chavez tied up the score for Wagiya at 1 apiece. In second half, Wagiya got 2 more goals that came from Gilroy “Bredda” Thurton and Kelker Palacio.

SMART Mundialito playoffs at the MCC; Finals this Saturday
Yesterday, Saturday, the Smart 13 & Under Mundialito 2018-2019 Closing Season entered its knockout playoff stage, with the top 8 teams from the 12 that started the competition, engaging in 4 quarterfinal games, beginning at 10:00 a.m.; and then in the afternoon, the 4 winners moved on to the semifinals. Two games at a time were played on Fields 1 and 2, using half of the MCC pitch for each game.

Showdown at the Garden
The Football Federation of Belize’s (FFB) 20-team National (1st Division) Amateur League Competition (NALC) 2019, with 2 teams each representing the 10 football zones of the country, is now down to its final 2 teams – defending national champion, Club Atletico of Belmopan and Caesar Ridge FC of Belize City. In the semifinals, Caesar Ridge FC cruised to a 4-1 (2-0, 2-1) aggregate win over Roaring Creek FC; and the series between Barrack Road FC and Club Atletico had seemed to be over with Barrack Road FC the 3-2 (1-1, 2-1) aggregate winner, following the Monday, July 1, report from the NALC secretariat.

Editorial: PM is too often perplexed, doesn’t know
The Prime Minister of Belize, Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, looked perplexed, perhaps a much used adjective in his case, when Amandala journalist, Mr. Rowland Parks, suggested to him that his government, having landed in yet another scandal, should consider “new elections to get a fresh mandate.” The Prime Minister, after furrowing his brows and glancing around, then skyward, as if nonplussed by the question, responded that every government will get embroiled in controversies, especially one that has been in power for three consecutive terms. We could be afflicted with amnesia, but we don’t recall having our previous United Democratic Party (UDP) governments being embroiled in chain controversies of this kind during the periods when the present Prime Minister’s boss, the Hon. Dr. Manuel Esquivel, was at the helm.

About the once-beautiful New River, and Eudaldo Briceño, laid to rest on July 11
Dear Editor, From the time Belize Sugar Industries (BSI) commenced operations in Orange Walk in the 1960’s, the beautiful New River changes from time to time. When we were kids, we would swim in its clear waters among the sunken logwood which were parked by the BEC “Bridge,” as we referred to it, but in reality, it was a pier. But after BSI, I remember one time, about fifty years ago, that the river became as yellow as pus. Nobody dared swim in it then. The blame was placed on the sugar factory and BSI looked into the matter and did its best to fix the problem. After doing all its best over the years, the problem persists, not with the color now, but the stench and the dying of the fishes.

I had no one to play with
Dear Editor, It was surprising yet gratifying when I opened my email and saw a note from a very special person who I have not seen for quite a while, but thanks to this medium, I was able to read the message sent to me, to which I respond by saying: Thank you, dear cousin, for reading my letter to the Editor that was published in the Amandala newspaper on Tuesday, July 9, 2019. Yes, there are many circumstances that are experienced to which many others can relate. I hope that through this medium I will be able to reach the minds and hearts of many youths, because there are so many things that we go through which we cannot share with the adults, since their world and ours are totally different.

Being drunk and exposing yourself in public are against the law
Dear Editor, The abusive consumption of alcohol in public is a real problem in our society. I concur with Compol Chester Williams. Just today, Sunday, here in Orange Walk, I saw two vehicles with young men stop in the middle of the street, in different areas of town, and the men relieved their bladders without regard for whether ladies or children were around. That is disgusting, and surely, if they weren’t consuming alcohol, they would at least have looked for a corner.

In honor of Ignacia Cacho’s 115th birthday
July 15, 2019 Dear Editor, Greetings! We have been holding our monthly Jahmaniez Open Mic Night Eventz at the Ignacia Cacho Library in Dangriga Town since October, 2015. This is an event where the community is invited to participate and perform skits, share riddles, read a passage, sing a song or recite a poem in the language of their choice. Our performers are not professionals, but they can entertain the audience for about an hour or so at least, and no one gets bored and everyone has a good time with clean, family entertainment. We have had the young boy who recited the poem about his apple and at the end he bit into it unexpectedly.

Can’t locate Christ in a capitalist plane
I don’t think I’d be reaching too far if I said that Christians who belong to the Catholic Church are divided between capitalism and modern socialism, and Christians who belong to the crowd called the Evangelicals are almost all full-blown, 100% to the bone, capitalists. One of our more prominent evangelicals, sometimes pastor and sometimes secular television owner/talk show host, Brother L. Wade, recently posted a story about a plane on his Facebook page that drew quite a commentary.

To live in peace and harmony
Crime has turned out to be a national concern, and we now listen and read many opinions addressing this concern, including those from foreign personalities who have come to Belize to study the situation and, thereafter, give their report on the reason why the criminal activity has been occurring and their recommendations on how to solve such problems. However, for some reason or the other it seems as if nothing has been able to work, including the projects that were set forth by governments and their NGO allies. It is obvious that such a situation cannot be solved because it had turned out to be a big business, even though it leaves many of the society in pain as a result of the loss of their loved ones.

$2,000 reward for the arrest of Yanira Novelo De La Rosa’s killer
A reward of $2,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the killer or killers of Yanira Novelo De La Rosa, 26, a mother of two children who was found dead in a cane field near the San Lorenzo Road in Orange Walk District, at about 11:00 a.m., last Tuesday. She had been stabbed 5 times in the chest and abdomen. A post-mortem exam conducted on her body revealed that she was strangled after she was stabbed.

Joseph Budna free, but for how long?
Joseph Budna, 38, a Belizean who has been serving a 30-year jail sentence in a jail in Guatemala after he was convicted of kidnapping and other offences in Guatemala, but who escaped from a hospital in Guatemala in May and made his way to Belize, was arrested by police in Camalote, Cayo District, last Thursday morning. Budna said that when he was captured walking on the road in Camalote, he took police to his mother’s house where he was living, and the officers conducted a search, but nothing was found, and he was taken into custody. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams has said that if the Guatemalans want Budna, they have to make a request for him through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Patrick Reyes, Teakettle villager convicted of double murder, to be eligible for parole after serving 40 years
Patrick Reyes, a resident of Teakettle who was convicted of a double murder and was given two life sentences, was told today by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin that he would be eligible for parole after he has served 20 years in prison for each conviction, which would amount to 40 years. Reyes was actually given sentences of 25 years for each conviction, but 5 years was deducted from each sentence — 2 years for the time he spent on remand and 3 years for his exemplary behavior while he has been in prison.

Jealous ex-husband’s life sentence for murder commuted to 25 years
Alwin Gabb, 46, who was convicted of the murder of Nolan Arana, an employee of Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, was given a fixed sentence of 25 years today by the Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin. Chief Justice Benjamin deducted 6 years and 5 months from his sentence, which was the time he spent on remand. The remaining sentence amounted to 17 years and 5 months. Chief Justice Benjamin also stipulated that the remaining sentence is to take effect from December 3, 2013, when Gabb was found guilty.

The Reporter

Police Chase & Gun Shots In Downtown Belize City
The Reporter has been informed by multiple sources that the incident which unfolded at the foot of the Swing Bridge was the result of Police chasing a red pickup. We are told that a man inside the pickup, identified as Allison Major, was shot and was rushed to the KHMH in the back of a Police pickup.

Major Drug Find Near Haulover Bridge
The Reporter has been able to confirm that there was a significant drug bust this morning. Details are scarce, but we are told that parcels of what appears to be compressed marijuana were found in the false floor of a van, and a search is currently underway at the owner’s home somewhere near the Haulover Bridge.

The Wild & Elusive Frank Trapp – Escaped Twice In 48hrs.
The Reporter has just confirmed that Trapp has been detained in Corozal and is currently being transported to Belize City. The Reporter has confirmed that the Police are seeking Frank Trapp, 26, a man charged with Kidnapping, Aggravated Assault and other charges who escaped from the KHMH yesterday.

LOVE FM

Entrepreneurs receive tips on how to build their businesses
Entrepreneurship is no easy task to undertake. It takes courage, skill, and lots of resources for one to venture on their own and create a new business. Every business starts small, and every opportunity is a chance to learn how to better oneself. The US Embassy, in collaboration with BELTRAIDE and Impact Junkie, held a …

Basketball Tournament Underway
People gathered at Swift Hall, Southside Belize, as basketball teams go head to head in the annual summer basketball tournament. Youths from the southern region of Belize were invited to both watch and play. The Tournament engaged both U 17 and U15 teams both female and male. Love News spoke to Micah Goodin, Councillor for …

Diabetes Camp for All
For the next week children who have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes have been invited to a Diabetes youth summer camp at ITVET. The camp is held by the Belize Diabetes Association, making this their 9th annual diabetes camp. The camp aims to bring awareness to the children on their required diet and self-care …

Police chase caused chaos and left one injured
A man was shot to the head this evening as he tried to get away from a police mobile that was in pursuit in the downtown area of Belize City. It is unclear where the chase started or why but by the time Allyson Major Junior reached the Regent and Albert Street intersection, things came …

Man shot by intruder
27-year-old Ivan Hyde was found inside his bathroom, injured with gunshot wounds just after ten o’clock this morning. Hyde was at his home at mile nineteen on the Philip Goldson Highway in Sandhill Village when someone entered and fired several shots at him as he was taking a shower. While our newsroom was receiving wrong …

Blogs

Los Hijos Del West Marimba Group to Travel to Costa Rica for the “Festival Nacional de Marimba”
F Los Hijos Del West are travelling to the 10th “Festival Nacional de Marimbas Limonal Abangares” in Costa Rica. This festival is normally an exhibition of Costa Rica’s national bands, however, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary the organizers have invited international marimba groups from Guatemala, Argentina, Mexico and Belize to participate. The Marimba is the national instrument of Costa Rica. The “Festival Nacional de Marimbas” is a national festival where various marimba groups from all over Costa Rica are invited to perform, amounting to 50 groups that participate in the Festival with an estimated audience of 50,000 persons. The Benque Viejo del Carmen based marimba group “Los Hijos del West”, through its personal and collective efforts, ensured participation by fundraising to cover their flights, improve on items such as uniforms and instruments and purchased promotional materials for this event.

International Sources

Lessons from the Caribbean
Before Congress decides to dump another boodle of our money into the nations of Central America in a vain attempt to curb the illegal immigration problem on our southern border, its members ought to travel there. Without the advance teams, weeks of intense planning, embassy minders, staffers and official passports they always use. Just get an ordinary passport and go. They might come back with different ideas about what the problems really are in countries to our south. I’ve thought about this before, when I lived and worked in the region; the question was reinforced last week as I visited Belize. I was in a former “porte-cochere,” a covered area on a spacious semicircular driveway intended for vehicles arriving at the once-impressive customs area of the Port of Belize.

CBP denies Marine Corps veteran entry for citizenship interview
A deported Marine Corps veteran who has been unable to come back to the U.S. for more than a decade was denied entry to the country Monday morning when he asked to be let in for a scheduled citizenship interview. Roman Sabal, 58, originally from Belize, came to the San Ysidro Port of Entry around 7:30 on Monday morning with an attorney to ask for “parole” to attend his naturalization interview scheduled for a little before noon in downtown San Diego. Border officials have the authority to temporarily allow people into the country on parole for “humanitarian or significant public benefit” reasons. Sabal first applied to become a U.S. citizen in 1995 after serving for six years as a Marine and then several more years in the Army Reserves. Sabal has two U.S. citizen children with a U.S. citizen partner whom he hopes to one day marry.

Videos

Belize, July 11 2019 Dive 2 Part 2, 23min.

Belize (The Jungle), 2hr13min. Belize - drive back to airport - flight back home.

Belize Trip, 1hr16min. Starts at airport in New Orleans

Belize, Dive 1 part 1, 25min.

Belize, Dive 1 Part 2, 21min.

Belize, Dive 2 part 1, 25min.

BLAST FROM THE PAST ....1980s BELIZE VIDEO, 21min.

Belize Sugar Industries & ASR Group Update, 34min. ASR BSI Group is heralding the close of another successful season. This year 1.3 million metric tons of cane was produce which is an increase from last year. We talked with representatives about the challenges of this year's season and the plans in place to grow the industry. On our couch: William Neal -Communications and Government Affairs Officer, ASR Group. Olivia Avilez - Cane Farmer Relations Manager, Belize Sugar Industries (BSI).

IPCC Special Report, 46min. There are many changes in our weather patterns that have been touted as clear signs of the impact of Climate Change. Stronger hurricanes, the melting of the Ice caps and the increase in coral bleaching are among the changes that are a result of the 1 degree increase in the temperature of the seas. We invited Carlos Fuller, International Liaison Office with the 5Cs to help us understand the latest in the international conversation and to report on the recently convened meeting for the IPCC Special Report. He talked about how the initiatives of the global community to implement strategies to reverse the effects of climate change.

Belize Jaw fish, 1min.

ADULT MALE HOWLER MONKEY at Blush of Eden, Belize, 1min.

Snorkeling/Free Diving Belize 6/7-10/19, 26min. Went snorkeling in Belize off of St. George's Caye-ECOMAR on the boat, the Oceanica. I went with the Aquarium of the Pacific's Student Eco Ambassador Program/Walking Tree Travel. It's not diving, but still was a lot of fun.

Flowers Bank Festival 2019 in pictures | Belize Creole - Bileez Kriol, 4min. The annual Flowers Bank Festival was held on June 1st, 2019 in the Flowers Bank Village. It has become a showcase of Belize's Kriol/Creole culture with food, games, plays, and more. Enjoy the photos, taken by NICH Belize.

Belize- Ziplining, ATV Trek and Cave Tubing, 8min. Chukka Jaguar Paw Ziplining, ATV and Cave Tubing Adventure excursion at Belize City port on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas. ATV trek through the jungle...with my GoPro mounted on my helmet, its a good thing it had a full face shield that you couldn't hear whatever not-fit-for-youtube words may have been coming out of my mouth. LOL

BELIZE TRIP 2019 - EF TOURS, 15min. 8 day educational trip to Belize

Air view Belize, 44min.

Driving in Belize: Tips for Tourists & Visitors, 3min. Is driving in Belize as scary as it sounds? Check out our tips on driving, navigating, parking, and getting gas. Yes, the roads are rough in some parts of the country but it's worth it to rent a car if you will be driving around often. We drove from Belize City to San Ignacio to Placencia. We drove mostly on the Western Highway and Hummingbird Highway as well.

July 16, 2019

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, Reef TV, KREM, and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Belize Now, Talk Ah Di Town, and other specials.

Various Belizean Sources

Mr. Jose Oscar Flores passes away
Mayor Daniel Guerrero, the San Pedro Town Council and Staff extend their sincerest condolences to the Flores friends and family on the passing of Mr. Jose Oscar Flores. We hope his friends and family find the strength in each other to over come this great loss. May he rest in peace.

Inter Beach Club | Pre-season in Belize
It turned out to be a great experience for the Inter Playa Club tour in Belize where 2 friendly matches were played with positive balance of a draw and a victory. The draw (0-0) was against the Bandits Sports team of Belmopan in a closed duel that was televised nationally in Belize as the Belizeans prepare to face Costa Rica's Saprisa in the Conca champions and took the visit of Inter with great expectation.

Mr. Spartan 2019
Spartan Fitness Presents - "Mr. Spartan 2019" - 6th ANNUAL SPARTAN CLASSIC hosted by Rigo Vellos. Categories will include Men's Physique, Bikini, Body Building (up to 70 kilos and over 70 kilos). Come out to the Corozal Community College Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. on July 27th, 2019. Admission: Adults $10 - Children $5.

2nd Annual CCCSC19 Sailing Regatta
Mark your calendars for the 2nd Annual CCCSC19 Sailing Regatta taking place on August 10th & 11th, 2019 at the Palapa Gardens right here in Caye Caulker. Come out and support our young sailors of our Caye Caulker Community Sailing Club as well as other sailors from other sailing clubs here in Belize. First race on Saturday the 10th starts at 12 noon. Everyone is invited.

CAYE CAULKER CODERS WORKSHOP - MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT & ANIMATION DEVELOPMENT
Hey parents! Belizean Artwork Publishing is inviting you and your child to enroll in the Caye Caulker Coders Workshop, for Mobile App Development and animation development. Place: Caye Caulker Community Center Dates: July 29 - August 2, 2019 Age: 10 - 16 Time: **9am to 12 Noon (Animation Development) participants will create a cartoon in Stick Nodes Pro and publish to YouTube.

Fire Relief Donation Drive
"As a family of 10 was left homeless after a fire destroyed all their belongings and family house this past weekend, we have partnered with the North Ryder's Car Club, Rotaract Club of Corozal, and the Rotary Club of Corozal, Belize to gather as much support and supplies as we can to assist this family in need. We ask each and everyone who would like to assist to get in contact with any of us for further information".

Corozal Sports Summer Camp
Great opportunity to get your child involved in the perfect Sports Summer Camp in Corozal.

Pan Pedro Power Outage Wednesday
Power outage 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 17 to affect San Mateo Area in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. Two 30-minute outages from 6:00am to 6:30am and 8:30am to 9:00am will also affect Boca Del Rio, Almond Street, Barracuda Street, Basil Jones Street, Beach Front, Bermuda Beach, Blue Dolphin, Buena Vista Area, Bonefish Street, Bright Waters Street, Canary Cove Area, Coco Beach Area, Deer Street, Habaneros Area, Iguana Street, Indigo Street, Jewfish Street, Lagoon Street, Laguna Street, Mangrove Drive, Middle Street, Pescador Drive...

British Honduras Merchant Flags
The Honduras Almanac 1829 lists 26 Commercial Houses of Belize and presents signals (or flags) for 21 of these businesses. The signals were likely flown on their vessels and possibly places of business. There are no flags for the following merchants, but they did own vessels.

Kids in Action 2019!
Second summer program with kids scuba diving !!

Maya Yucatec men from Patchakan(Corozal) doing food for the Wahil Ko'ol
The Maya Yucatec in Northern Belize continue secretly practicing their traditions . This ceremonies like the Wahil Ko'ol and Cha Chaak revolves around an altar: center of the world from which food offered to the U YuumBáalamo'ob (los dueños del Monte) ,Yuum Chaak (Señor de la lluvia) and Hahal Ku (God) . The Maya did not had gods but had representations over every human action and aspect of life: lord for birth and death, for the ball game and gambling, for travel and traders, for pregnant women and infants, for youth, age, health and suicide, for wild nature and for agriculture, a lord of maize and of thunder, lord creator and lord of destruction, lord of Death and lord of heaven.

Channel 7

Top Criminal Attorney Arrested For Abetment to Murder
The well-known defense attorney, Oscar Selgado, is being held tonight in police custody after he was charged with the crime of abetment to commit murder. To our knowledge, there has never been an attorney being accused of such a serious offense, and we'll share all the details that we have been able to gather so far. But, first we take you back to 2 months ago on May 16th. That's when we showed you the search of his Toyota Forerunner SUV, which ended up happening on Fabers Road that morning. That's when 6 police pick-ups pulled up on him and stopped his vehicle in the middle of traffic, to conduct a 20 minute search of the vehicle.

Guatemalan Escapee Budna, Free In the Land Of the Free
Last week we told you about Joseph Budna, the Belizean who escaped from a Guatemalan jail at the end of May. He had been serving a 25 year sentence for kidnapping. So, when he was caught in Belize last week Thursday - many thought he would be sent back to Guatemala to face justice. But there's no extradition treaty so he was released on Saturday night, free and clear of charges. Today in Belmopan he spoke to the media and told us how it feels to be free:...

Police Say They Had No Reason to Hold Budna
And while you may say he is bush lawyering - the police who released Budna on Saturday are saying pretty much the same thing. Here's what the head of national crimes investigation Joseph Myvett told the media today:... ACP Joseph Myvett, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch: "In respect to Joseph Budna's detention, he had to be release from police custody on Saturday evening late as there has been no request made for him by the Guatemalan authorities, that is one and we know that he had a pending matter in the San Ignacio magistrate court which we are still looking at as well."

16 Year Old Found Killed In Sandhill
On last Friday night's newscast, we reported on the story of Doren Grinage, the 16-year-old resident from Sandhill who went missing last week Tuesday. You'll remember our interview with his worried mother, Denise, who explained that he is not the type of young man to stay out of her house for any extended periods of time. His family has been frantically searching for him since Thursday, and this morning, their worst fears were confirmed when they found human remains which they identified as his. Those remains were found in the river near BWS' Double Run Water Treatment facility, which is a few miles from away from his family's home.

Police Waiting For DNA to Call It Doren
And while the family is grieving tonight their slain son and brother tonight - police are not calling it a homicide, nor are they confirming the identity. Here's what the head of CIB told the media today:.. ASP Alejandro Cowo- OC CIB: "At this moment the body was retrieved an a postmortem is being conducted at this moment. We cannot tell you or confirm if that body is that of that missing person up to now. We believe that a DNA test has to be done to confirm if indeed that is the missing person Dorian Grinage."

Drug Plane Found in Remote Western Toledo
An apparent drug plane was found in extreme southern Belize this weekend. Yesterday afternoon the police and BDF got information that a plane was flying low over Graham Creek, which is in the remote reaches of Western Toledo. Police told us more:... ACP Joseph Myvette- Head of NCIB: "On Saturday night, shortly before midnight, Punta Gorda police was informed of a low flying aircraft in the Graham Creek area, which is somewhere near the Guatemalan border..."

Allegation: 17 Year Old Chopped Up 36 Year Old In Drinking Brawl
And, keeping it in the south, there was a murder in Alta Vista village this weekend - and a teenaged minor is the suspect. The 17 year old allegedly killed 36 year old Fidel Edilberto Bardales by chopping him multiple times to the head. Police say it stemmed from a drinking party: ACP Joseph Myvette- Head of NCIB: "On Saturday, sometime around 3 am, Dangriga police was called to Alta Vista Village on the Hummingbird Highway..."

Cops Looking At Multiple Angles in Nazario Murder
And - in another southern killing - police are looking for a suspect in the apparent execution of Dangriga resident Edwin Felix Nazario. As we told you on Friday, the 45 year old was in the parking lot of the Southern Regional Hospital, when a gunman pulled up on a motorbike and shot him multiple times in the back. Police say he had been called to help a friend:..

American Retiree Kills din Placencia By Drunk Driver
And, in one more traumatic death in the south, an American riding a bicycle was knocked down and killed on Friday night by a drunk driver. It happened between miles 22 and 23 on the Placencia road at around 6:30. 71 year old Robert McNeely - a retiree who lives on the peninsula was riding his bicycle on the side of the road when a 21 year old driver in a Toyota Hilux, Luis Felipe Flores, a construction worker of San Jose Palmar in Orange Walk knocked him down. Flores was along with his father. Police told us the younger Flores was driving drunk:..

A Very Good Year For Can Production
The sugar cane crop, or La Zafra opened in December - and it closed this morning. We found out from ASR/BSI that it was a very good year:.. Olivia Avilez, Farmer's Relations Mgr., ASR/BSI: "So today at 5:55am we received the last cane truck for the season 2018-2019. we set out to mill 1.3 million tons on cane and we are very happy that we achieve that target. So we ended up with 1.317 million tons and that is a new record for us. Our last record on cane milling was in 2016 and it was 1.314. So we are 4,000 tons of cane above our record and we are also above 11,000 tons of sugar above our last record in 2017 for 144,000 tons of sugar. So also we are above record for direct consumption sugars."

The Window of Opportunity For "The Single Window"
All this week, law enforcement representatives who monitor and police cross-border trade are in a workshop discussing the topic of a program coming to Belize called "Single Window." It's a collaboration between the World Customs Organization, and the Belize Customs Department aimed at improving the way they work to regulate import and export into the country. They tell us that Single Window is an electronic computerized system, where every single permit and official document needed to carry out importation and exportation can be accessed at one location.

Two Cops Convicted of Cell Killing
Tonight, two police officers have been convicted of manslaughter, for causing a man's death in custody. Last month, we told you about the manslaughter trial of the two police constables, Hallet King, and Leonard Nunez. They were charged for the June 2015 death of 18-year-old Hilberto Sotz, who passed away while in police custody. Well, they have been found guilty by a jury of 9. As we reported, Sotz died in a holding cell at the Caye Caulker Police Station, while he was being detained for questioning about a burglary.

Cooking Master Crime Crew Was Being Watched
On Friday we told you about the sensational arrest that police made when they caught 6 robbers who had just jacked a restaurant. Well, all 6 have now been charged. But we also learned that this crime crew had likely been active in a home invasion on the Northside and that police had been watching their movements closely:...

Rachel Returns
Rachel Heusner has been drawing since she was 15 years old and, over decades now, has become well known in Belize for her work. And, while she's left home and is living in Trinidad and Tobago, she's kept on painting - and a romantic vision of Belize remains her main project. We visited the Bliss today to see her latest exhibit:

Softball Saviours
Last year there was no softball tournament for the primary school division, and that was because of the lack equipment and gears, but now 12 schools will share $35,000 in high quality equipments for their softball program. The Belize City softball Federation stepped in and with the help of the Philadelphia adult softball league, 12 schools will each receive softball gears amounting to 3,500. President of the Belize City Softball federation Shane Williams told us more.

A First! Beach Volleyball Bronze
Tonight, the Belize Volleyball Association continues to celebrate the accomplishments of 2 Belizean athletes who traveled to Guatemala for an elite beach volleyball tournament and came back with bronze medals. They're the 2-man team of Francis Hauze and Michael Jenkins, and this weekend, that pair and another male team, as well as a female team, participated in the U-21 Central American Beach Volleyball Championships.

Channel 5

Attorney Oscar Selgado is Charged and Arraigned for Abetment to Commit Murder
There is breaking news tonight. News Five has been able to confirm that attorney Oscar Selgado will be needing an attorney for himself. While the details are brief at this [...]

Lower Half of a Young Man’s Body is Discovered in River Behind Sand Hill; is it Doren Grinage?
The family of a missing minor made a shocking discovery this morning. A body was fished out of the Belize River in the area of Sand Hill and the Grinage [...]

Police Say DNA Test Will Confirm Identity of Human Remains
According to Police, Doren was last seen alive on July ninth around five-thirty p.m. around mile nineteen on the Old Northern Highway. As we said, the lower half of a [...]

Murder in Alta Vista; Fidel Bardalez is Beaten, Chopped to Death
Fidel Bardalez suffered a horrible death at the hands of his murderer. He was beaten and chopped to death multiple times and his body left along the Hummingbird Highway. The [...]

Police Say Male Minor Murdered Bardalez
A minor is in police detention pending the investigation into the brutal murder of Bardalez. According to ACP Joseph Myvett, Bardalez and the minor, both believed to have been consuming [...]

Joseph Budna Recounts Being Imprisoned for Kidnapping and Extortion in Guatemala
Joseph Budna is home safe, following a daring and successful escape from a Guatemalan prison where he was serving a twenty-five-year sentence for kidnapping and extortion. It was his second [...]

Budna Explains His Arrest and Release in Belize
According to Budna, on Thursday a group of plainclothes police officers swooped down on him as he was walking along the George Price Highway near Camalote Village. With guns trained [...]

Will Guatemala Request Budna’s Extradition?
This afternoon Assistant Commissioner of Police Joseph Myvett explained why Budna had to be released after being picked up and detained since Thursday. He told the media that they are [...]

Diaz Family Displaces by Fire in Georgeville
In a matter of minutes, a family of eight was displaced by fire in the village of Georgeville, Cayo at the start of the weekend. It is believed a four-year-old [...]

K.H.M.H. Workers Union Meet with Minister of Health Amidst Tensions Over Pension
The executive of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Workers Union met with the Minister of Health, Pablo Marin; C.E.O. Doctor George Gough and Director of Health Services, Dr. Marvin Manzanero [...]

K.H.M.H C.E.O, Michelle Cox-Hoare, Mum on Pension Issue
In the letter sent by President of the K.H.M.H. Workers Union, Lidia Alpuche Blake, to Michelle Cox-Hoare, Blake tells the C.E.O. that the staff is unhappy with her administration. Cox-Hoare [...]

Another Suspected Drug Plane Landed and Destroyed in the South
Another drug plane lands in southern Belize. Remnants of the drug plane were found in southern Belize on Sunday evening in the vicinity of Graham Creek. As in most cases, [...]

No Arrests in the Murder of Edwin Nasario at SRH
Dangriga police continue to investigate the execution of Edwin Nasario which occurred on Friday in the parking lot of the Southern Regional Hospital. Nasario was about to enter his vehicle [...]

3 New Suspects Hauled in for Question in San Pedro Double Murder
Three men have detained on separate occasions in respect of the murders of San Pedro tour guide Mario Graniel and American Doctor. Gary Swank. These suspects, according to Superintendent Alejandro [...]

Who Shot Raheem Chambers on LaCroix Boulevard?
Nineteen-year-old Raheem Chambers remains hospitalized at the K.H.M.H. after being shot near Lacroix Boulevard on Thursday night. The incident is believed to be gang-related as police are saying that it [...]

Sugar Cane Crop Closes with Record Breaking Numbers
Today was a big day for the northern districts, as the 2018-2019 sugar crop closed off at A.S.R/B.S.I. It ended on a positive note for the sugar industry with record [...]

Belize Sugar to CARICOM – the Challenges
And so while sugar experts and farmers are happy about the boost in this year’s sugar cane milled and sugar extracted, it also brings into the focus the much needed [...]

Belize has 140+ Thousand Tons of Sugar that Needs a Market; Will it be CARICOM?
Neal says it would be significant for Belize Sugar to get into the CARICOM market. B.S.I. alone is producing upwards of one hundred and fifty thousand tons of sugar and [...]

Week 4 of Village Council Elections
Another round of village council elections was held this past Sunday. According to a P.U.P. issued release, this round saw elections in thirty-five villages across the country. The release states [...]

A Summer Programme to Develop Agriculture for Young Minds
A two-week summer programme with a focus on agriculture concluded over the weekend with lots of fun activities for the budding farmers. As many as two hundred young people took [...]

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

The Reporter

Well Known Attorney Face Serious Charges – Abatement To Murder
Late this evening the Reporter has confirmed that attorney Oscar Selgado was arraigned today for Abetment to Murder.

Body Of Missing Teen Found
A gruesome discovery was made earlier today near the water treatment plant on the Northern Hwy. The Reporter has confirmed that half of the body of 16 year old Doren Grinage , has been found in the water near the facility.

LOVE FM

Sugarcane crop closes
The 2018/2019 sugarcane crop came to a close this morning. According to Belize Sugar Industry/American Sugar Refineries, BSI/ASR this year’s crop has seen an improvement in the amount of cane supplied to the factory. Love News spoke with BSI’s Cane Farmers Relations Officer, Olivia Avilez said that the amount of cane supplied to the factory …

Body of teenager retrieved from lagoon
Contrary to popular belief, the media does not thrive on reporting stories of death and violence. As a matter of fact, it takes a toll having to face families who are in mourning in order to bring you the details of these stories. Tonight, there is another death to report out of rural Belize. The …

KHMHA and staff at odds with each other
The Karl Huesner Memorial Hospital Authority union workers and administration are at odds with each other over pension or, in this case, lack of one. In a meeting held in January, the administration had reportedly informed the staff that they were pensionable. Months later, however, via a memorandum dated June 28, they reneged and informed …

Family Homes Burned Down
There are two house fires to report tonight. The first is in rural Cayo. According to police reports, on July 12, at approximately 4:50 p.m. police officers responded to a house on fire call in Georgeville Village, Cayo. The fire was caused by a child who was playing with matches. No one was injured during …

Blogs

Your Heavenly Honeymoon in Belize
If you're looking for an exotic destination to host your honeymoon, then Belize is the right option for you! A honeymoon in Belize will bring you unforgettable sunsets, delicious food, long walks on golden beaches. Surely, romance has found its perfect getaway in beautiful Belize. Cure your wanderlust and ignite the flames of love with all-inclusive honeymoon packages that include some of the top adventures in Belize, all while indulging in comfortable accommodations and taking in timeless views. There is a multitude of activities, tours, and locations in Belize for you and that special someone to do together, from snorkeling along the Belize Barrier Reef to enjoying candlelit dinners on private islands. Come experience all this and more with the person you love most, and fall in love with beautiful Belize while you’re at it!

Three Great English Speaking Islands
Living on an island conjures up images of white sandy beaches, sparkling blue water and no rush hour traffic. We all dream of one day retiring to a tropical paradise, buying a second home in a quaint beach town where it’s summer all year round, or relocating our lives to an island in the sun. But it can be more than just a dream…your tropical island or beach life can be a reality. There are tropical destinations around the world where you can be by the beach, enjoy perfect weather, sip cocktails while swinging in your hammock, and generally lead a laid-back and stress-free lifestyle.

Guest Blog - Top 10 Traits Successful Expats Share
Guest Blog - If you are looking to move to Belize, one of the factors to keep in mind (the same concept as picking a career!) should be evaluating if your personality and strengths match those that have been successful and happy here. There are expats in Belize who leave it better than they found it and are a positive influence on the community (and of course those on the other end, which is a group preferable to avoid joining). I went to one of my expert friends for this topic. Chris Appelbe has been in Belize over 10 years; we were lucky enough to meet him almost 6 years ago the first day we came to Placencia. He showed us our first property that we turned into CBC, and we have been close friends ever since. You can see Chris on our HGTV show where you get a real taste of his Canadian dry humor that makes working with him so enjoyable- (the show airs again July 18th at 3pm Eastern!)

14 Photos That Will Inspire You to Visit South Water Caye
What was meant to be a snorkel tour turned out to be a day spent on South Water Caye, another Belizean paradise. The sea was rough and I was with two friends that were diving so the boat had to head to a different location than originally planned. This meant the reef was deeper and not visible from a snorkelers perspective. So I, very, willingly offered to hang on South Water Caye while they went diving. There’s not much to do on this 15-acre island other than lounge in the sun and walk among the palms. Wi-Fi is spotty to nonexistent and service will not work here. Take the opportunity to disconnect and sip a coconut (or a Belikin). I was staying in Placencia and the hotel organized the dive/snorkel tour. Just ask your hotel in Placencia or Hopkins (another Belizean town within boating distance to South Water Caye) and they’ll coordinate it all with a reputable dive company.

Top 10 Things to Do in Placencia with Kids
Placencia is fast becoming a popular family destination in Belize- and for good reason. The Village is compact and is easily traversed on foot via the Sidewalk or by bicycle or golf cart on the Main Road, there are plenty of restaurant options to appease even the pickiest of eaters, and the tap water is perfectly safe to drink. But what is there to do? The Placencia Sidewalk & main road converge to terminate at the Placencia Pier, or, “the Point.” This is a great place to swim as the beach lies on the leeward side and is always calm. Pro tip: hang around until about 5PM or so when the fisherman come in to sell their catch directly to restauranteurs.

A Bone Fishing Adventure on the Flats of Belize
I was staring at the water in front of a long stretch of mangroves, trying not to breathe through my nose. A large raft of rotting grass extending several hundred yards offshore floated near our boat and had stained the water brown, turning the normally crystal-clear Caribbean into murky tea while giving off a stench that was pure sewer. This wasn’t the picturesque Belize that draws scuba divers from around the globe. A frigate bird circled overhead, easy to identify by its forked tail and broad wings. Like me, it was scanning the shallow water along the edge of the matted grass for fish. But whereas it was in search of a beak full of baitfish, I had something bigger in mind. “Over there, mon. Forty yards. One o’clock.” Perched behind and above me on the platform that straddled the skiff’s outboard, guide Alton Jeffords was leaning into the push pole, trying to move us to where he’d just seen a tarpon roll. In his island accent, “forty” came out as “fohr-tee.”

Local food in Belize that you can't miss
Who doesn't love trying local food in a new place? In Belize I was in a food heaven, it being close to Indian food had the warmth and comfort to it. What I didn't expect was learning to cook the local dishes myself. From trying almost all the Belizean cuisine to devouring homemade delectables and developing personal favorites, Belize gave incredible satisfaction to my food palate. Here are some of the must try local food in Belize that I absolutely enjoyed!

BELIZE’S FIRST FEMALE DRUM MAKER
had traveled over six hours through Belize’s bumpy, unmarked jungle roads to meet a man whose name was on everyone’s lips. I’d seen his sun-bleached photo plastered on clapboard shopfronts, I’d heard his name as I queued for my daily fry jack fix, I’d even read about him between the pages of my Lonely Planet guide. This man was Austin Rodriguez, Central America’s most famous Garifuna drum maker. With over 50 years of drum-making experience, Austin is known throughout Belize—and the world—for being one of the most skillful drum makers in history. What I found as I approached his thatched, wall-less seafront workshop, however, wasn’t what I had been expecting. Swinging in his hammock to the sound of the ocean, the legendary self-taught drum maker was indeed there but now, at 89-years-old, it wasn’t Austin Rodriguez behind the chainsaw, it was his daughter, Daytha Rodriguez.

A Day in Corozal: Your Guide to Visiting Belize
orozal Town is the capital of the Corozal District in Northern Belize. Situated nine miles from the Mexican border and the city of Chetumal, the town is 84 miles north of Belize City. For many visitors to Belize, Corozal is off the beaten path which is regrettable because the area is rich in Mayan history and is a prime location for water sports and fishing. Formerly a private estate, the area was settled in 1840 primarily with Mestizo immigrants from the Caste War of the Yucatan. The Mestizos are a people that are half Spanish and half Indian heritage. Corozal Town is believed to have been built on top of an ancient Mayan city known as Santa Rita.

Dive into Adventure: Cave Tubing in Belize
You float along the cool water, gently pushed by the current as your headlamp illuminates the beautiful limestone caves that are sacred to the Maya people. This is definitely the coolest way to see all that Belize has to offer wrapped up in one adventure: ancient Mayan culture, a beautiful natural landscape, a lazy river and, of course, our fascinating caves. All while lounging in an inner tube! You start out with an informative hike through the rainforest, passing incredible animals and native plants as you follow your guide deep into the jungle. Soon you’ll reach a stunning lagoon surrounded by steep limestone walls, and then the fun really begins!

Belmopan City – The Smallest Little Capital in the World
Tucked in a cute little corner of Central America and many times missed by most viewers of any map of the isthmus, Belize is famous for a few things….. its natural and lush rain forests, the largest cave system in Central America and of course the world renowned Great Blue Hole but what is amazing and something that most people do not know is that Belize owns one of the smallest capitals of the world! Smack in the center of the country, Belmopan has a population of just around 20 thousand residents. When the country was under British rule, it was known as British Honduras and its capital was Belize City, a bustling port center on the coast. Colonial infrastructure can still be seen today and include well-known landmarks.

5 Best Road Trips in Belize
For many travellers with adventurous hearts, road trips are always a fun alternative. The beauty of discovering nooks and crannies in a small country as Belize can reap memorable moments and unforgettable local experiences. Road trips are all about moving at your own pace, and having the freedom to roam and explore fun or odd surprising roadside attractions that you come across with your closest buddies and family. In this travel entry, we will explore five of the best road trip destination routes found in Belize in the hope that you too will take on the road and explore this unique & beautiful Caribbean jewel.

How to Travel to Belize on a Budget
Belize is an amazing and exotic getaway destination, but the good news is that you don’t have to break the bank to travel to Belize. If you’ve been interested in visiting Belize but were worried about affordability, we’ve provided this handy guide for exploring this astonishingly beautiful country on a limited budget.

Tips for Solo Travellers Visiting Belize
Whether you’re a seasoned pro at solo traveling or are heading out into the world for the first time by yourself, one of the best places to visit is Belize. Many solo visitors like to visit Belize outside of the major holidays like Christmas and Easter. If you come during the “off season,” you can save on lodgings, and airfare is often cheaper as well. Some of the best months to visit when it’s less crowded are January, February, and after Easter. And don’t worry about meeting people or making friends! Belize is world-famous for its friendly locals. Belize is still far enough off the beaten path that it feels like a small town. And with everyone speaking English, you’ll never have any problems striking up a conversation.

10 Gorgeous Birds You Are Likely To See On Your Belize Birding Adventure
With more than 600 different bird species recorded in Belize, it can be difficult to decide a top 10 list of the most beautiful. Belize’s pristine landscapes of mountain forests, wetlands, offshore islands, rainforests, and jungle make it an ideal location for birds to thrive, including several rare and endangered species. Here is our list of the top 10 most gorgeous birds in Belize:

Belize Eco-Kids 2019 Summer Camp Takes Off!
Well hello there, if you’re reading this, then you’re probably a concerned parent who’s naturally worried about your child being away from home. That’s totally okay! I hope these blogs can help relieve your stress. You can be assured that your child will be completely taken care of by experienced and caring volunteer counselors. On Sunday July 14, the Chaa Creek adventure bus travelled to the Biltmore Plaza in Belize City to pick up campers from Orange Walk, San Pedro and Belize City respectively. From there the bus made its way to Belmopan where campers from Stann Creek, Punta Gorda and Belmopan hopped on.

International Sources

UNESCO calls for concerted action to strengthen resilience of coral reef
As a side event of the meeting of the World Heritage Committee (Baku from 1 to 10 July), UNESCO and its partners met on 5 July to take stock of the initiative launched in October 2018 to strengthen coral reef adaptation to climate change. The event brought together those who launched the initiative, and experts and managers of marine World Heritage sites to present the effects of climate change on their sites. Beyond the five sites concerned, the event also provided an opportunity to present a strategy to support all World Heritage sites’ adaptation to climate change.

New coalition to promote peace in the Caribbean
More than 25 Caribbean ambassadors and heads of states, including former Prime Minister of Belize Said Musa, gathered in Washington D.C. to support the implementation of international peace legislation, the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), within their respective countries. The event was hosted by Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a United Nations Economic and Social Council registered peace non-profit organization. The DPCW serves as the solution for worldwide peace and conflict resolution and is a legal framework for spreading the culture of peace on a local, national, and international level.

The Top 5 Islands in Mexico and Central and South America
As much as our readers appreciate beautiful beaches, they expect a more diverse experience when traveling to Mexico and Central and South America. The islands that T+L readers rated the best in the region offer much more, from wildlife found nowhere else to archaeological sites that date back to the 13th century. For the fourth year in a row, two islands in Belize made the list. Caye Caulker (No. 5) is a spit of limestone — measuring about five miles long and one mile wide. Scuba divers flock there to experience what’s called the Great Blue Hole. Ambergris Cay (No. 4), the country’s biggest island, is also popular for those seeking underwater adventure — as is Mexico’s Isla Mujeres (No. 3), which is surrounded by coral reefs.

A tale of two countries
Travel broadens one’s horizons. And it provides excellent training in what our military refers to as “situational awareness.” So when my Spidey sense started tingling mightily Thursday last, I paid attention. I was standing in a former “porte-cochere,” a covered area on a spacious semicircular driveway intended for vehicles arriving at the formerly impressive customs area of the Port of Belize. There is now a roughly painted brick wall separating the port and customs house from the street, and both entrances to the drive were closed by tall, iron gates onto which sheet steel had been welded. Outside the narrow gap in the gate guarded by burly, uniformed men with guns, was a street full of indifferently clothed and shod, jostling, shouting, young men. Inside the port area were many other large, uniformed, armed men, none of them smiling. To even a casual observer, Belize looked like trouble.

Videos

Swimmer meets extremely friendly stingrays in Belize, 38sec. These stingrays are completely free, living in a marine sanctuary called Hol Chan in Belize, off the island of San Pedro. Although they are very accustomed to people, they are not routinely fed here and their interaction with humans is curiosity based, not motivated by food. They are protected and treated very respectfully so they have learned to not fear humans.

Belize Vacation, 3min.

Bus trip in Belize, 3min.

Diving Belize 2019,10 min. SCUBA Diving trip to Ambergris Caye and in-land tour of Sleeping Giant Rainforest Lodge.

Belize 2019 - Chocolate Farm Tour, 16min.

Don Tattoo Professional Tattoos and Custom Designs, 38min. The Tattoo industry has developed into fine art with more elaborate styles and technologies available. We caught up with Phylldon Thomas, Owner of Don Tattoo Professional Tattoos and Custom Designs, to talk about the dos and don'ts for your first tattoo.

Grace Flava With A Beat - Coconut Curry Shrimp recipe, 15min. Grace Flava With A Beat brought us a Coconut Curry Shrimp recipe for the weekend. They also introduced us to the new line of ketchup now available in a store near you. On set: Chef Duane Lizama - Resident Chef, Chef Orlando Brown - Food Solution, Alex Gordon - Marketing Officer, Grace Kennedy Belize Ltd.

Rumajay Dutty Mas Band, 25min. The Belize Soca Connect and Terror Squad Entertainment is partnering to bring you "Rumajay Dutty Mas Band." The event takes place on July 13th at the Travellers Compound. It a new initiative that seeks to bring a jouvert experience and develop the local carnival industry. We caught up with the organizers to talk about the vision for the experience. On our couch: Demmy Williams - Cofounder, Rumajay Mas. Rondre Lewis - Confounder, Rumajay Mas.

Maya Island Air Blue Hole Flight Belize 2019, 9min. Today we are flying on Maya Island Air over The Great Blue Hole, Lighthouse Reef, Turneffe Atoll, Half Moon Caye, Caye Caulker, Caye Chapel, and more. Come along on this amazing flight as we see the islands of Belize.

Accion Deportiva, 57min.

Int'l. Costa Maya Festival AFTER PARTY! CHECK IT OUT!!!, 1.5min.

July 15, 2019

Rehabilitation of the Nedi Raymundo Brotherhood Park in Corozal Town

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, Reef TV, KREM, and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Belize Now, Talk Ah Di Town, and other specials.

The San Pedro Sun

Wolfe’s Woofer: Umbrellas
“Stop! Thief! Thief!” As I walked out of the restaurant a stout angry lady ran behind me shouting and pointing. I had picked up her umbrella by mistake. “Ma’am, I am so sorry,” I said. “I always carry one in the rainy season but mine is broken right now and I accidentally picked up yours. It was an honest mistake.” “Thieves always say that,” she said, and then she called me a few more choice names. “I’m glad you think it’s funny,” I said to Sherry when I told her about it. “I’ve never been so humiliated.”

PAHO/WHO urges northern hemisphere countries to prepare for heatwaves
In view of the current heatwaves in Europe and predictions that this phenomenon will hit various parts of the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is urging countries in the Region to be prepared, due to the impact that this could have on peoples’ health, including the risk of death. Weather forecasts for North America, Central America and the Caribbean predict heat waves during the summer of 2019. This could increase drought-induced stress, lead to forest fires, and have harmful effects on human health.

Doctor Love: Teen Sexuality
Dear Doctor Love, My seventeen-year-old son and I are close, and I have always encouraged him to think for himself and am very supportive of his ideas even when they conflicted with my own. I’m pretty sure he’s gay. He hasn’t said anything, but I am worried that he might be afraid to tell me. How can I let him know that it’s okay and I will love him no matter what? Should I ask him and reassure him or wait until he’s ready to tell me? /s/Dad

Various Belizean Sources

Missing Person: Kiely Acevedo, Orange Walk

Job Vacancies - Belize Sugar Industries Limited
Belize Sugar Industries Limited invites qualified and self–motivated individuals to submit applications for the following positions: Customer Service Representative– Supply Chain - Tower Hill, Orange Walk The Customer Service Representative will be a liaison between the company’s day-to-day operations and our external customers. This role will also be responsible for providing product and service information and address any concerns that customers may have. The overall goal is to maintain excellent customer service satisfaction.

FEMALE VOLLEYBALL U18 IN CENTRAL AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP!
Today our U18 national team departed to Tegucigalpa, Honduras for the U20 Central American Female Volleyball Championship!

The Reporter

Cooking Masters Restaurant Robbers – Face Multiple Charges
Late Friday the six men detained for the robbery of Cooking Master restaurant Thursday night were formally arrested and charged. Francis Lizama, 19, Delroy Chaplin, 35, Raheem Budran, 19yrs, Kareem Heusner, 30yrs, Shane Budran, 43yrs...

Breaking Belize News

Two convicted murderers re-sentenced by Supreme Court
Two convicted murderers face considerable further time behind bars before becoming eligible for parole after […]

San Pedro man fined for a second drug trafficking offense
Mario Trotman, 42, of San Pedro Town, was convicted once again of drug trafficking, but […]

Israel Usher free of murder charge
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has withdrawn charges of murder and abetment […]

Belize Red Cross elects new executive
Yesterday, the Belize Red Cross held elections for its executive board. After the ballots were […]

Man, 24, busted with unlicensed firearm in Belize City
Floyd Robinson, 24, is well on his way to the Belize Central Prison. On Friday, […]

Six men charged for restaurant robbery
Francis Lizama, 19, Delroy Chaplin, 35, Raheem Budran, 19, Kareem Heusner, 30, Shane Budran, 43, […]

6 police officers and 1 civilian honored by Office of COMPOL
On Friday, the Office of the Commissioner of Police (COMPOL) Chester Williams held a recognition […]

Blogs

Perfect First Day At Las Terrazas Resort
My best friend is in town and though she has been here quite a few times before… and even though she knows and loves the island of Ambergris Caye…I knew it would be fun to spend one of her first few nights at one of the most beautiful resorts on the island – Las Terrazas Resort. I’ve written about this spot before -about the beautiful restaurant in the midst of a pool, about the HUGE cool, clean, super-well appointed rooms, about the beautiful bedding and pillows (this stay has me dreaming of new down pillows) – so I am just going to show you some of the pictures that I took. Only about 24 hours…maybe less…but such a fantastic kick-off to Jamie’s MONTH long vacation in Belize.

Why visit Belize on September
Belize is a small country with a population that has undergone tremendous upheaval every century since the Spanish arrived, but the people here still have plenty to celebrate. A mixture of Mayan, Catholic, and Caribbean culture makes for a busy calendar of holidays and festivals. This diversity in culture has also led to diversity in Belize's religious practices, which is further reflected in the nation's holidays and festivals. You will notice a few consistent traditions — beauty pageants, soccer games, and folk dances are central to many Belizean celebrations.St. George’s Caye Day – September 10

International Sources

Husband, wife use cross-state bike ride to raise mission funding
For many who participate in Pedal Across Lower Michigan (PALM) annually, the some-300-mile ride is a family-based or for-fun feat. For Elias and Robyn Correa of Adrian Township, they used their first time participating to raise money to send members of their church on a mission trip. Robyn Correa said they opted to make their bicycle ride a “bike-a-thon” to seek pledges to support missionaries at Berean Baptist Church in Adrian who are headed to the Central American country of Belize in October. As of Saturday, Berean Baptist and several “sister churches” who sponsored the Correas on a per-mile basis had raised $3,317.

Fire rages through reserve in Mexico's resort-filled Yucatan
Mexico has deployed seven fire-fighting brigades and a military helicopter in an effort to stamp out a fire raging through the Sian Ka'an nature reserve on the Yucatan peninsula. The civil protection coordinator for the state of Quintana Roo said Sunday the fire has already consumed 600 hectares (1,500 acres) of brush and other plants. Adrián Martínez said the fire started in the municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, which is slated to become a stop between the high-end beach resort Tulum and Bacalar near the Belize border for the Maya Train that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador plans to build.

Videos

EVERYONE needs to hear this 12 year old's message, 3min. "It's hard to clean it up, but it's not really that hard... it's just your mentality." (While filming in Belize for the Save the Reef documentary)

Galen University 16th Commencement Ceremony, 2.5hr..

Belizean Cultural Explosioon - Belize In America, 3min.

Airboat tour in Belize, 8.5min.

Belize - Lobster Season 2019, 3min.

Diving and Snorkelling in Belize June 2019, 6.5min.

Snorkeling with sharks and manatees in Caye Caulker, Belize, 2.5min. For our last stop, Jamie and I visit one of the most chilled out towns on the Caribbean coast: Caye Caulker. While here we ate TONS of lobster (cheap!) and oh yeah went snorkeling with sharks. Highly recommend getting into the water here if you're ever in Belize.

Sunrise in Belize, 17min. On our last morning in Belize, I connected the GoPro to a beach chair and just started recording.

Belize Lobster Fest, 4min. I went during LobsterFest but I think this would still be a nice destination at other time

NACL 2019 | Caesar Ridge FC vs Club Atletico | Live at MCC Grounds, Belize City, 2.5hr.

July 14, 2019

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, Reef TV, KREM, and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Belize Now, Talk Ah Di Town, and other specials.

The San Pedro Sun

Anke Doehm case adjourned to October
American National Anke Doehm was back at the Supreme Court in Belize City on June 18th to finalize her trial on the charge of ‘Cruelty to a Child,’ in connection to the 2017 death of her 13-year-old adopted daughter, Faye Lin Cannon. However, the trial has been extended after Doehm’s case was once again adjourned until October 15, 2019. Doehm continues to live on the mainland and is not to leave the country until her case concludes. In September of 2018, she sought permission to leave the country because of health issues. But before the court approved it, she withdrew it. Since then her case has been quiet, and her court appearances adjourned.

PM Barrow says GOB, nor the people of Belize are liable in Sanctuary Bay land scam
According to Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow, the people nor the Government of Belize (GOB) are liable in the Sanctuary Bay land scam carried out by U.S. convicted felon Andris Pukke, who from behind bars defrauded United States investors out of millions of dollars with promises that they were buying into land development in the Sittee River area of southern Belize. At a press conference at the Ramada Princess Hotel and Casino in Belize City on Wednesday afternoon, July 9th, P.M. Barrow emphatically stood behind his claim.

San Pedro’s resident Israel Gilharry competing in the 2019 KTV The Remix
On Tuesday, July 9th the ten finalists competing for the 2019 ‘KTV the Remix’ song/karaoke competition were revealed at Bliss Center for Performing Arts in Belize City. Among those ten finalists is San Pedro’s resident Israel Gilharry. Various persons from across the country auditioned in late June. However only the top best ten were able to make it to the live segments of the competition. This is the third season of KTV the Remix, which is a singing competition that takes place every Tuesday night at 8:30pm at the Bliss Center for Performing Arts in Belize City.

Taxi van driver crashes into the side of a concrete fence
A taxi van driver crashed into the side of a concrete fence in the San Pablo Area some time after 1AM on Saturday, July 13th. Witnesses told The San Pedro Sun that the taxi driver began speeding away from police on Seagrape Drive after they witnessed a female passenger jump out of the van. The cab detoured to a dirt road heading to San Pablo where it crashed into a cement wall at a high speed. The driver sustained severe head injuries and was airlifted to Belize City. His condition is unknown at this moment.

Various Belizean Sources

Hair Salon targetted by theives
Marbely's Beauty Salon informs the public that it will be temporarily closed while it recovers from a massive rob last night. All products and some equipment were stolen and we cannot offer any services in these conditions.The general public is asked to kindly collaborate with any information if they come to them selling Firenze hair products, cosmetics, peroxides , keratins, hair dyes, iron, blow dryers, gel nail polish and, nail products etc.

Channel 5

Fire in Georgeville, Cayo
A family of eight is homeless after the six-bedroom house they lived in went up in flames on Friday afternoon just after 3 o'clock. The blaze started in one of the rooms to the rear of the building. Residents quickly ran to assist; shortly after, firefighters arrived to extinguish the blaze.

The Reporter

BOMBED BY THE F.T.C. PM Barrow Says ‘It Wasn’t Me!’
Prime Minister Dean Barrow called an unusual last minute press conference on Wednesday at the Princess Ramada Hotel, a venue seldom used, and unleashed an almost two hour tirade vigorously refuting claims made by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about his alleged involvement with the Sanctuary Bay real estate scam, which defrauded consumers of approximately US $100 million and is under investigation in a US court.

Farm-Raised Voters
The Queen Square, Mesopotamia and Fort George divisions have all voted for the same man to represent them for the better part of thirty years. If winning general elections is the sole measure of success then Messrs. Dean Barrow, Michael Finnegan and Said Musa are political titans.

The Mystery Of A Murdered Mother & Her Child Is Stabbed
The murder of Yanira Novelo, 24 and the stabbing of her four-year-old-son continue to baffle investigators in Orange Walk who are working around the clock in pursuing several leads that they have turned up so far. Late Thursday evening Police confirmed that they have one person detained for questioning and are seeking one more individual.

DENGUE – Fight The Mosquito Bite
By: Dr. Abigail Joseph - Have you ever been somewhere and noticed lots of red marks on a person’s leg and automatically you told yourself that “they are not from around here.” As Belizeans we are under the impression that bugs and insects only bite people ‘weh smell different.’ Hence the reason why you can be in the same room or place as someone else and they would be the only ones being bitten by the sand fly, dakta fly, ‘batlass,’ and the mosquitos.

Response To Your Correspondence
By: Neri o. Briceño - Allow me to express my heartfelt thanks for your reply to my various articles about the nationalization of Belize’s utility companies in your letter, ‘Long Distance Advisors Commentary’ in this newspaper dated Sunday, July 7th, 2019. Your response gives me great joy in knowing that after writing for this newspaper for all these years, I can now confidently say that I have at least one reader and that someone is actually reading my message.

Body Found On The Hummingbird Hwy. Identified
The Reporter has confirmed another murder, this one on the Hummingbird Highway. According to reports, around 3:00am this morning Police visited an area between Miles 15 and 16 on the Hummingbird Highway where they found the body of Alta Vista resident Fidel Edilberto Bardales, 36.

Breaking Belize News

Museum of Belize hosts Summer Arts Programme 2019
The Museum of Belize is continuing its annual Summer Arts Program on Monday, July 15, […]

“The Dark Side of the Caribbean,”: Special report on drugs in northern Central America launched
Investigating journalists from Latin America’s El Faro and Spanish newspaper El Pais are looking at […]

Benque hosts 53rd annual town Fiesta
The 53rd celebration of the Benque Fiesta is happening this weekend in Benque Viejo del […]

American retiree killed in Placencia Road traffic accident
Police are investigating a fatal accident reported on the Placencia Road on Friday evening, July […]

Conejo home completely destroyed by fire
The home of Martinez Maquin of Conejo village, Punta Gorda was completely destroyed by fire […]

Man busted with illegal 9mm
Belize City police were conducting mobile patrol last night when they noticed a black SUV […]

Man,36, murdered in Stann Creek; One person detained
Police are investigating the death of 36-year-old Alta Vista resident, Fidel Edilberto Bardales. Around 3 […]

Child playing with matches causes house fire
The home of Georgeville resident, Antonio Diaz was partially destroyed by fire yesterday evening. A […]

Reward being offered in Yanira Novelo murder case
A reward of $2,000 is now being offered for information leading to the conviction of […]

KHMH workers stage walkout over pensions
Members of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) Workers’ Union on Friday staged an impromptu […]

International Sources

Belize: Cruise Traffic Up 10.8% For First Six Months
Belize has reported 697,767 cruise visitors for the first half of 2019, up from 629,684 for the same period last year, for a 10.8 percent increase year-over-year, and 571,216 for the first half of 2017. For land-stays, overnight arrivals totaled 284,576 for the first half of 2019, up from 268,356 in 2018 and 230,153 in 2017. Total cruise passengers for 2018 were approximately 1.2 million, compared to 1 million for 2017.

Videos

Lots of grasshoppers!, 10sec.

We spoke to little miss Thandi Alcala and her mother Andreina as they have enrolled in the Junior Miss Belize Pageant, 7min. Thandi will be representing Caye Caulker on September 8th 2019 at The Bliss Institute of Performing Arts. Today the family had a fundraiser to aquire funds for Thandi's expenses for the pageant. Any donations for Miss Thandi will be well received.

Lionfish Souvenirs and Adventures on CayeCaulker, 17min.

Large Nurse Shark / Belize Barrier Reef, 2min.

Camp Allen/Belize 2019, 7min.

Honeymoon in Belize, 9min. Follow along as we explore the beautiful Hopkins Village in Belize, zip line through the forrest, cave tube through Xibalba, snorkel at Coco Plum Island and the Southern Barrier Reef and hike the Ancient Mayan Ruins Xunantunich!!!

Belize Mission Trip 2019 Grace Cowboy Church, 12min.

Loggerhead Turtle eats in Hol Chan Marine Reserve Belize, 2min.

Belize Helmet Dive 2019, 13min.

Snorkeling the Barrier Reef off of the Silk Caye in Belize, 8min. Went snorkeling the Barrier Reef in Belize off of Silk Caye for our honeymoon! Got to see amazing fish, coral, sharks, sea turtle, and sting ray!

Belize Aggressor III May 8 2019 Long Caye Wall, 4min. Glover's Reef Atoll, feeding sea turtle

Fight Night | Boxing In San Pedro, 3hr.

July 13, 2019

Letter addressed to media houses on behalf of the Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow regarding Sanctuary Belize

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, Reef TV, KREM, and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Belize Now, Talk Ah Di Town, and other specials.

The San Pedro Sun

BWSL installing new pipe system to improve San Mateo’s water supply
Residents in the San Mateo Sub-division, north of San Pedro Town, will soon see an upgrade in their water distribution system after Belize Water Services Limited (BWSL) completes work in the area replacing the old pipe system. A two-inch pipe supports the current system, and due to the growth of San Mateo, it is no longer able to withstand the needed water pressure to efficiently provide non-interrupted water supply to the area. To remedy the current challenges with water supply, BWSL will install a six-inch pipe to improve the flow of the vital liquid and provide a consistent source. This refurbishment to the water system in this area is part of 35 million dollars the company is investing in Ambergris Caye for the expansion of water and wastewater services.

SPHS students step up to ICT gear with DigiLearn
The first form students of San Pedro High School are speed-surfing the Internet to a bright future, with brand new tablet computers and 500 megabytes/second fiberoptic Internet provided by the new Digi Learn pilot project. Digi has partnered with Microsoft to set up the learning platform, which the SPHS students have been using for the past four months, to get lesson notes from their teachers, submit homework assignments, quizzes, tests, and exams, for totally paperless learning. They use One Note, PowerPoint, Excel, and other apps in Microsoft Office to prepare for tomorrow’s job market.

MSME Enhancement program workshop held in San Pedro Town
The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Enhancement (MSME) program was launched on May 29th in Belize City to reduce the cost of doing business and strengthening the competitiveness of the MSME participants. On Wednesday, July 10th, the first presentation took place in San Pedro Town, where an informative session brought interested stakeholders to the San Pedro Town Council Conference Room. The MSME program is available for micro-businesses with less than five employees and generates annual sales of less than $100,000 with less than $50,000 of investment. Others who can also apply are establishments with five up to 19 employees, generate less than $500,000 in annual sales, and invest less than $150,000. Businesses with 20 or 51 employees and generate less than $1.5 million and invest less than $500,000.00 can also sign up to be part of the MSME program.

San Pedro tour guide arraigned for sexual assault
33-year-old Demas Alfredo Mejia, a tour guide of San Pedro Town has been charged for sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman. Mejia appeared at the Belize City Magistrate Court on Monday, July 8th before Senior Magistrate Tricia Pitts-Anderson. According to the police report, Mejia wanted to plead guilty to the charge, but the Magistrate entered an equivocal plea of not guilty after Mejia told her that at the time of the incident he was intoxicated and could not remember what occurred. The incident occurred about 4PM on Tuesday, July 2nd. The woman reported to the police that she met Mejia at a local store on the island.

Ambergris Today

Flashbacks: Rush Hour On Barrier Reef Drive
Rush Hour on Barrier Reef Drive better known as "Front Street" to locals. Sandy, two way street in San Pedro. You could walk up and down the street without worries as there waw barely any vehicles on the once quaint fishing village of San Pedro. Here is a comparison of today's Barrier Reef Drive.

Various Belizean Sources

COOKING MASTER SUSPECTS DETAINED
Police detain 6 and seize two guns following robbery of Cooking Master restaurant. Quick police action has led to the detention of 6 men and seizing 2 firearms following a robbery. The men were intercepted inside a vehicle last night. This after a robbery was executed on Saint Thomas St. A 31 year old Belizean Chinese businessman personnel visited #2136 Saint Thomas St, Belize City reported that at about 11:00pm two dark skin male persons wearing masks on their faces approached him from the direction of Heusner Crescent while he was sitting outside in front of his business establishment namely Cooking Master. The men forced their way into the restaurant at gun point and proceeded to rob the owner of an undisclosed amount of cash that was secured under the counter in a bag. About 2 shots were fire in the establishment, however, no one was injured.

Land Sale at Narrows on Placencia Peninsula
Recent vegetation clearing at the narrowest part of the Placencia Peninsula (known as the “haul-over” or “isthmus” locally) has come under the attention of angry Peninsula residents. A Placencia real estate agent says falsified land documents in the Maya Beach area have been an ongoing activity and go “all the way up the food chain” in Belize. Says he dropped the subject on corrupt land dealings after his life had been threatened by a Placencia-based real estate company he believes may be involved in the recent alleged criminal land sale at the narrowest part of the Placencia Peninsula known locally as “haulover” or “isthmus.” Says he informed the

PRESS RELEASE from the U.S. Embassy in Belize
The Embassy is aware of the recent public release of documents related to a court filing by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in a case involving the Sanctuary Belize development. The FTC is an independent entity, whose views and actions do not represent those of the U.S. government. Neither U.S. Embassy Belmopan nor the State Department contributed to or approved the FTC’s arguments as presented in its filing. Furthermore, we note that the persons referred to in the filing did not have an opportunity to counter the allegations in court. Therefore, we strongly caution against making any accusations based on the filing.

Colorfest 2019 in Corozal
Don't forget that Colorfest 2019 is happening Saturday at Rainbow Beach. The DJ line up is Fyah Statah Sound (Belize), DJ Julian (Caye Caulker), DJ Callie (Corozal), DJ Smurf & DJ Clarks (Belize) & DJ Trick (Corozal). Also powder paint will be provided once in the grounds. We will have a foam section, water spraying all night along with neon paint. Doors open at 9pm.

Channel 7

KHMH Doctors, Nurses, Staff Walkout
Operations at the country's national referral hospital slowed significantly this afternoon when about 150 nurses, doctors, and medical personnel staged an impromptu walkout. It's the new KHMH Workers Union flexing its labour muscle in a dispute over pensions. The workers and management are in a protracted dispute over whether - as workers at the country's largest public hospital - they qualify for the government pension scheme. It has been a matter of some debate, since the KHMH is an autonomous institutions and hospital workers also contribute to what's called a "provident fund".

Execution In A Hotel Parking Lot
And while those hospital staffers took over the parking area at the KHMH briefly this evening, this morning at the Southern Regional Hospital in Dangriga, a gunman chose to strike in the parking lot of that medical facility. At five minutes to 12:00, 45 year old Edwin Felix Nasario, known as Nazzy was sitting in his Ford Escape when two men pulled up on a motorbike. One of them got off, pulled out a handgun and shot Nasario three times and they sped off. It was a very deliberate act. He was in the parking lot of the hospital - and this chilling scene unfolded in public view as attendants brought out a stretcher and rushed him inside the A & E room:

Hon. Castro's Teenaged Nephew Missing
Tonight, a mother in Sandhill is hoping for the best but fearing the worst. Her 16 year old son, Dorian Grinage has been missing since Tuesday. Today we met a search team behind Maxboro led by his mother, Denise Grinage. She said she doesn't know where to look but she had to start somewhere:... Denise Grinage, mother: "No clue where he is. We just need to search somewhere; we need to start somewhere. We are searching in the Maxboro area and then we go back to the Sandhill area and then search the area to see if we can find him..."

Cops Bust Robbers And Weapons
Super sharp police work last night led to the arrest of 6 alleged robbers and two handguns - one of them looking like a brand new Glock pistol. It started after 11:00 on St. Thomas Street at Cooking Master restaurant where two armed, masked men jumped out of a van, grabbed the owner who was sitting outside and forced him inside at gunpoint. They then robbed him of a bag with cash and ran off, firing two shots as they left. No one was injured, and the men hopped into the waiting van and sped off. But police on routine mobile patrol saw the van and stopped it. Inside they found 6 men - all form the Jump street or Wagner's lane area - many of them very well known to the cops.

US Embassy Makes Extraordinary Statement, Subtly Chides FTC
All this week, the news has been about the Federal Trade Commission in the US. In a June 10th filing in a US court, that powerful federal agency took some broad swipes at Prime Minister Dena Barrow and members of his administration. The court documents suggesting Barrow and some of his minister were actively supporting what has been described as the biggest overseas land fraud ever encountered by the FTC. Well, Prime Minister Barrow this week held a two hour press conference to refute almost everything that was said about him.

Patrick 99: Man Who Killed Two Will Get Parole in 40 Years
He has been serving 2 life sentences in prison for a double murder conviction, but today, 59-year-old Patrick Reyes, a native of Teakettle Village, was re-sentenced to 40 years, or 20 for each killing. His convictions were for the murders of Wayne Garbutt, and his wife, who Reyes shot and killed in April of 1997 in a land dispute. He shot the couple and then turned the weapon on himself but recovered from the gunshot injury. He was later convicted in a Supreme Court trial.

Wilfred, In his Own Defence
The scorched earth campaign between Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington and his former business partners from the real estate company, Progresso Heights Limited, is continuing with yet another lawsuit before the Supreme Court. By now, you've probably heard about this fight between Elrington and the American father and son, Lawrence and Adam Schneider. It started back when Elrington was a practicing attorney, and the company's directors, who are the Schneiders, retained his law firm. That relationship grew to the point where Elrington became a minority shareholder in their company.

Lake I Boulevard, Who's to Blame
Last night - we told you all about the big plans for the 50 acre Special Development Area in the Like Independence Area. There's going to be a 15 million dollar Ministry Of Finance building, a new international bus terminal, and a community resource center. But, how is all this going to be built when the road to the place - Lake I Boulevard - keeps sinking? It is a subject of great and enduring shame for the Barrow Administration and, for its opponents, a perfect example of the kind of wastage which rewards UDP friendly contractors at the cost of taxpayer dollars.

Deja Vu All Over Again
But is BIL inviting the possibility that it will happen again by awarding the same contractor with the job to build the road within the Special Development Area? She said it's true, the contractor who built Lake I Boulevard is now working in the Special Development Area:

What About Gungulung?
And when millions are being spent - and, at least in the case of the Lake I Boulevard - misspent - that stands in stark contrast to the adjoining low income community of Gungulung. In that neighborhood, access to basic services has been a challenge, and land tenure is a mess. We asked about the contrast and what can be done to address it:.. "How can we have this juxtaposition and sleep at night, knowing that we are building a $15 million dollar Ministry of Finance Building and this impoverished community is right here on the edge without access to any services?"

Three Angles, One Park
And, one bit of good news for that community is that a park will be built in front of the Community resource Center. Mastry told us about the Triangle Park:... Christy Mastry- Director of BIL: "So, there is a parcel and you will see it on many of the maps, between the two sites that we are now asking for lease opportunities and it is in front of the resource center..."

BNTU Tells Teachers Don't Submit Forms
The Belize National Teachers Union is making the news tonight because they are disagreeing with a directive from the Ministry of Education saying that teachers need to apply for the renewal of their licenses. Coming out of an emergency meeting by the Union's Council of Management, they unanimously agreed that they consider the "Application for Renewal of Full License", which was sent out by the Education Ministry, contrary to what is set out in the Education Rules.

US Presses Belize to Support Guaido
Since the end of April, the US has been pushing for regime change in Venezuela. They want to replace President Nicolas Maduro with opposition leader June Guaido. Following the lead of the US, more than 50 countries support Guaido as the interim president - including most of the America's. But it has counted for very little because Maduro retains a firm grip on the presidency backed by the country's muscular military.

Foreign Minister Says Belize Stands With CARICOM
Today, Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington responded. He said Belize has to stand with CARICOM: Talks between the Venezuelan Government and Opposition have been ongoing in Barbados recently - arranged by Norway, which is mediating.

Killer Alwin Gabb Gets Shilling
46-year-old Alwin Gabb, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of Nolan Arana, has been re-sentenced by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin to 25 years. Arana was killed on July 1st, 2007 in a dispute with Gabb over his ex. That ex testified against him as the main witness in his trial in December 2013.

Collective Goes North
The Garifuna Collective has finished up a very successful European tour and today embarked on a north American tour in support of their new album "ABAN". This morning at the airport, Music coordinator Al Ovando told us about the standout shows in Europe: And with those spectacular successes under their belt, the band now heads to the US and Canada. Ovando told us about where they will be playing:

The Christian Solution
And in another kind of musical and religious celebration, tomorrow at the National Agricultural Showgrounds in Belmopan, youth Christian leaders from all over the country will converge for a 1-day summer camp program called "Youth Summer Fever." It's a faith-based initiative in which these young minds want to voice their concerns and develop a strategic plan to help address the nation's crime and violence. We spoke with one of the organizers about some of the activities these Christian Youths will engage in, and here's what he told us:

Channel 5

Edwin Nasario is Executed on Southern Regional Hospital’s Compound
There are not too many places where you would feel safe, but now not even the hospitals can bring any sense of security. This afternoon in Dangriga, a resident was [...]

K.H.M.H. Workers Union Protest over Pension Disagreement
An impromptu protest took place today at the compound of the national referral hospital over an issue that has been simmering since June. It has to do with pensions for [...]

Businessman Robbed at Gunpoint; Suspects Detained
A group of robbers did not get too far after executing a well-planned armed robbery. On Thursday night, the masked robbers accosted the owner of Cooking Master on Saint Thomas [...]

Teen Injured in Belize City Shooting
While robbers targeted a restaurant on Saint Thomas Street, in the south side a teen was shot multiple times on Thursday night and is recovering at the Karl Heusner Memorial [...]

Joseph Budna was Also Wanted in Belize
Tonight, Joseph Budna remains in police custody and not at the Central Prison in Hattieville. He escaped from Guatemala earlier this year, in May, and ended up in Camalote, Cayo [...]

The Process for Joseph Budna to be Handed over to Guatemalan Authorities
Budna has a checkered past and as it relates to his troubles in neighbouring Guatemala, ComPol Chester Williams says that sans extradition treaty, there are protocols in place to hand [...]

Central Bank’s Email to F.I.U. Regarding Sanctuary Bay Scam Surfaces
The Sanctuary Bay scam is one that has many legs. One of the allegations made by the Federal Trade Commission in relation to Sanctuary Belize lands at the Central Bank [...]

F.T.C. Attacks Belize’s Justice System
Prime Minister Dean Barrow, through Barrow and Williams, has written to all media houses, warning that any re-broadcast, re-publication or repeating of F.T.C.’s allegations against him may result in civil [...]

What Happens to Sanctuary Bay’s Land?
One of the questions posed to the Prime Minister is what happens now to the lands that scammer Andris Pukke and his associates had secured for this real estate scam. [...]

U.S. Embassy Weighs in on F.T.C.’s Sanctuary Bay Allegations
The United States Embassy in Belize today issued a one-page press release relating to the Sanctuary Belize real estate fraud. It addresses the long list of serious allegations filed by [...]

Social Security Board Proposes to Lend Medical Council $600K
The Social Security Board has proposed to lend the Medical Council of Belize six hundred thousand dollars for the construction of a multi-purpose auditorium. The loan facility, according to the [...]

Fixed Sentence for Patrick Reyes, Guilty of Double Murder
After months awaiting a fixed sentence, today Patrick Reyes, who is in his late fifties, learnt that he will have to spend forty years of a life sentence with the [...]

Home Invasion in Lord’s Bank
Police have confirmed that they are investigating a home invasion at a property in Lord’s Bank area of Ladyville. While the information is scarce at this time, reports to our [...]

A Land Issue in Sandhill; Woman Says She is the Rightful Owner
Over the years, we have reported on a number of stories about land issues. Often times, there are more than one persons claiming ownership of a piece of land and [...]

Good Management Practices are Critical to a Sustainable Honey Industry
If you’ve ever come across a bee, your natural reaction would be to run away because their sting can be painful and deadly. And while bees have proven deadly to [...]

Let’s Start the Conversation about Mental Health
Employees generally spend long hours at work, which means that the work environment should be healthy and stress free to their state of mind. According to studies, one in every [...]

Garifuna Collective Heads to North America Tour
The Garifuna Collective departed Belize today to start their North American tour which will take them to over ten states in the United Sates, as well as to different cities [...]

Europe Embraced the Garifuna Collective
Band members, Sam Harris and Marcela Aranda, also spoke to News Five to share their experience on the European leg of their 2019 tour. In June, the band made appearances [...]

Honouring Those Brave Cops that Did Their Part in Nabbing the Criminals
Earlier today, a number of police officers attached to Eastern Division and a civilian from Belmopan were honoured for their bravery and for a job well done in the apprehension [...]

Recruitment Exams: The Police Department Searches for A Few Good Men & Women
The Police Department is also looking for a few good men and women to join its ranks; one hundred and ninety to be exact. ComPol Chester Williams says that the [...]

Hands of Mercy Charity Foundation Collecting Shoes for Students
Hands of Mercy Charity Foundation has embarked on a mission to collect five thousand shoes for the coming school year. Representative Moses Sulph says that when the charity foundation was [...]

Amandala

Sanctuary Belize fraud – FTC fingers Barrow-led government in bankruptcy court
The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed objections to the transferral of the Atlantic International Bank Limited (AIBL) bankruptcy case from the US jurisdiction to the Belize jurisdiction. In its 50-page written submission filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida, the FTC highlighted the involvement of the Barrow-led government in the facilitation of the Sanctuary Belize Enterprise (SBE), the biggest real estate scam case in the FTC’s history. The FTC’s objection, in effect, labels as complicit the authorities in Belize — from Prime Minister Dean Barrow, to his law partner, Rodwell Williams, S.C., to various Cabinet ministers, to a UDP senator and the Central Bank of Belize, which the FCC claims had advance knowledge of the SBE scam, but did nothing to stop it.

San Jose woman found in cane field, murdered
Yanira Novelo de la Rosa, 26, a domestic of San Jose who was reported missing after her 4-year-old son, Alexander, was found wandering alone on the San Lorenzo Road in the Orange Walk District at about 5:00 Monday evening, was found dead in an abandoned cane field on the San Lorenzo Road on Tuesday morning. She had been stabbed five times in her chest and abdomen. Alexander was found by a farmer who was driving on the road. The little boy had a stab wound to the right side of his abdomen, just below the rib cage, and the farmer took him to the Northern Regional Hospital for medical attention.

25 years for 25 cents
Yesterday at the resentencing of Earlin White, 47, who was convicted of the murder of Dwayne Arnold, Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin reaffirmed White’s sentence of life imprisonment and stipulated that he would be eligible for parole after he has served 25 years in prison. White’s sentence took effect from February 14, 2002, when he was remanded. Arnold was shot and killed on February 11, 2002, at his workplace, Electrical Zone Rebuilding, that was located at 88 Cemetery Road. According to the evidence that was presented at the trial, Franz Hamilton, an employee of Electrical Zone Rebuilding, was in Arnold’s car, which was parked in the yard, when White approached him with a gun in his hand and demanded twenty-five cents from him.

Budna recaptured in Belize
Joseph Ryan Budna, 38, a Belizean who has been serving a 30-year jail sentence in Guatemala for kidnapping and other crimes, escaped on the morning of May 27 of this year from a hospital in San Benito, Guatemala, and fled to Belize. He has been hiding in Belize since, but this morning he was recaptured during a police raid at dawn in Camalote, where he was found sleeping in a house. He was immediately arrested and taken to the Belmopan Police Station, where he is being held.

SIB expands our horizons
The Statistical Institute of Belize celebrated a major accomplishment today, Wednesday, at the launch of the Belize National Statistic System (BNSS) Portal on their website. This project has been years in the making and is expected to increase the volume of information that will be readily available for public consumption. The initiative was conducted in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and a live demonstration of portal navigation and the website’s features were presented at the Radisson Fort George Hotel by SIB staff.

Belize’s virtual school, Kaina High School, holds 6th commencement exercise
On Sunday, July 7, 14 students graduated from the country’s only virtual school, Kaina High School Limited, and are now equipped with high school diplomas to further their education. This was the school’s sixth commencement exercise, the school’s founder, Ethnelda Paulino, told Amandala today. Alberita Enriquez, 68, is the co-founder of the school. Paulino, 70, a lifelong educator, said that Belize does not have enough high school graduates, so that inspired her to start the school in 2014.

Belize United FC returns from Columbia U-10 tournament with 4th place trophy
Appearing on Krem WUB this morning was a group of parents and players of the Belize United FC youth football team that travelled to Cali, Columbia recently to participate in a friendly tournament, the Copa Ciudad de Cali International Football Tournament, consisting of some 16 youth teams. According to manager Juan Carlos Dussan, whose son also plays on the team, the team that travelled to Columbia consists of 15 players selected from four different active teams in local Mundialito tournaments, namely Belize United FC, City Boys FC, Reality Youth FC, and Poor & Famous FC. They left Belize on Monday, July 1, and returned home on Sunday, July 7.

Pedal by Pedal report – Chetumal Race of Sunday, July 7
While many Belizeans traveled to Chetumal this past weekend for the purpose of shopping, a few Belizean cyclists made the sojourn to participate in a Bike Race on the Seaside Circuit. Despite pouring rain, the race took off just after 8:00 a.m. This made for a very slippery surface, and many cyclists paid the price, either by crashing, or nearly crashing, and abandoning.

Stann Creek F.A. on Mayor’s Cup semifinals and Smart Mundialito schedules
Below are the schedules for Mayor’s Cup semifinals and Smart U-13 Mundialito, being held at the Carl Ramos Stadium under the supervision of the Stann Creek Football Association (SCFA). Mayor’s Cup semifinals The Dangriga Mayor’s Cup has 2 semifinal games scheduled for this week. The winners go on to the Finals for 1st and 2nd prizes; the losers play for third prize.

Editorial: Running afoul of USA or UK means pain
Belize is an independent country, which means that we have a flag, an anthem, borders, and a vote at the United Nations (UN). These are common but unequal features of independent countries. The flags of the world are of different designs and colors, and they are all flown at the same height on the flagpoles at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The anthems of the world have different words and tunes, and they are treated with the same solemnity by all. The inequality lies in the strength of the economies within different borders, and the weight of our votes at the United Nations.

“The best solution to crime is to prevent the criminal from being created.” — Brian Plummer
Dear Editor, I am a teacher and I know the value of a good education, but if we get the at-risk youth in school, it is likely their education will be inadequate, or they will drop out. It has less to do with the quality of teachers and more to do with a system that values money over people. Generally, the high schools are overcrowded and cannot deal with students with serious academic deficiencies. In January 2019, teachers went on a strike in Los Angeles (LA) for a smaller class size and higher pay.

My 26-day-stay at the KHMH
Dear Editor, I was admitted to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) on June 3 on what was to be a 7-day stay, including a surgical procedure on a foot ulcer which then turned into 26 days of hospital care. After preliminary preparation, a bacteria was discovered in my foot, which called for a 10-day antibiotic treatment, followed by a shortage of anesthesia. The surgeon was overwhelmed by surgeries (mostly emergencies), and my surgery took place on June 20. I was discharged on June 29th. As I was saying goodbye to the KHMH and entering the vehicle, we were bid farewell by a shower of blessing.

“Cut that nigger down!!”
Are you a lover of music? Who’s the greatest, besides Jah? Can there be a guy so cool, so smooth, with a voice so golden, and a style so unique, so refreshing, so beautiful, and a charm so irresistible that other guys are spellbound with jealous admiration, and girls, both black and white, just go crazy!!? Now, we’re talking early 1960’s, before Cassius Clay became heavyweight champion and changed his name to Muhammad Ali; and Malcolm X was still alive and breathing fire into the brains of racist white bigots across America, especially in the south.

EVAN X HYDE’S “SPORTS, SIN & SUBVERSION”!
After my interviewing so many legendary Belizean athletes of the 1960s, 70s and 80s of Belize sports greatness, the book by Belize’s most astute and prolific writer, sportscaster, and historian of all time, Evan X Hyde called, “Sports, Sin & Subversion”, has been resting deeply on my conscience for years now, having used it as a road map to chart my direction of who, what, when, how and where is Belize’s past, present and future direction in sports.

The point of no return
I believe that there comes a time when a nation reaches a point of no return in all it does. There is that time when you just can’t undo certain things and surely can’t change the trajectory already encrypted in our way of doing things. And by things I mean all social, political, educational, fiscal, economic, physical, sociological and physiological decisions and conduct pertaining to a nation. Most of what is happening in Belize did not stem from events that took place overnight; rather they stem from seeds sowed some time back and are now being reaped.

This road disrespects villagers
If I was paranoid, and if I felt that big people in this country paid attention to what I do or say or write in my column, and those big people weren’t happy with me, wanted to cut me down to size, wanted to show me that I don’t count for much of anything, I could explain why they created this dangerous madness of a highway that passes through the village where I live. I have been putting in my pound on road safety over the years to readers of my column. Those who read my column know I’ve written many times about the pathway in my village, the need to complete it, and the need for pathways in all our villages. Now a government comes along and disdainfully obliterates the incomplete pathway in my village.

Mason’s beheading murder trial resumes in voir dire
The most sensational murder trial in recent times is taking place in the April Session of the Belmopan Supreme Court. It is the trial of William “Danny” Mason, who, along with four other accused men, has been indicted for the beheading murder of Dangriga pastor Llewellyn Lucas. After the necessary adjournment so that the accused men, including Mason, could get legal representation, the trial resumed today, Tuesday.Almost all major media houses dispatched reporters to Belmopan to cover the trial, which was delayed this morning because of a power outage (blackout), so it was rescheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.

Five alleged human traffickers charged
Five persons, 3 men and 2 women, all of them Belizean nationals, were charged with facilitating the commission of a crime by assisting in the transportation of four Honduran nationals to Orange Walk when they appeared today before Magistrate Emerson Banner. The five accused persons are Neysa Gomez, 25; Joanna Arevallo, 19; Felicito Galvez, 34; Enrique Morales, 39; and Ervin Arevallo, 26. They pleaded not guilty to the charge and were released on bail of $3,000 each and their case was adjourned until September 17.

Armed robber of Belmopan gas station arraigned and remanded
The man who held up the Belmopan Buca Shell gas station on Sunday afternoon and was unable to make good his escape with an undisclosed amount of cash because he was apprehended by a brave employee of the gas station, was smiling as he exited the police vehicle that transported him from the Western Regional Hospital, from where he had been released into police custody after being treated for gunshot injuries he sustained after the robbery.

Ernesto Caliz, 64, remanded for allegedly sexually assaulting boy, 9
Ernesto Caliz, a 64-year-old laborer of San Pedro, has been charged with sexual assault of a minor who is 9 years old. He was arraigned at the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Court reports state that he was granted bail of $8,000 plus two sureties of $4,000 each; however, he was unable to meet bail and was remanded until September 12. Police said that Caliz pulled down the little boy’s pants and kissed his buttocks, and the boy told his parents, and they went to police and made the report.

The Reporter

BARROW & WILLIAMS Does Legal Ballet – After FTC Findings
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Dean Barrow, flanked by AIBL liquidator Julian Murillo and Central Bank Governor Joy Grant, refuted allegations made in a 50-page Court document filed by the Federal Trade Commission in Florida on June 10th. That document was filed to counter AIBL’s application to have bankruptcy proceedings heard in Belize, and not in the US.

Police Hold 6 Men Following Robbery At Cooking Masters
As of 5:30 this evening, no charges had been levied against six men believed to have been involved in the robbery late last night of a popular restaurant located on St. Thomas Street in Belize City.

KHMH – Staff Walk-Out
This evening members of KHMH staff from all categories, along with the Executive of the KHMH Workers Union, walked out of the hospital during a meeting and gathered in front of the building for half an hour. They did so in direct protest of an ongoing controversy over pension payments.

Salazar: FTC Got It Wrong
Senator Aldo Salazar, following the Prime Minister’s press conference regarding the Sanctuary Bay real estate scam, spoke with the Reporter on Thursday and also denied having any direct involvement with or knowledge of the Sanctuary Bay scam though he acknowledged providing services to key principals of the development.

Eight Belizean Beauties…One Title
Plans to get the 2019 Miss Universe Belize Pageant underway have already commenced and last Friday the organizers introduced the eight Belizean, beauties that are vying for the prestigious title on September 6th.

Editorial – Friday, July 12 – 2019
This floating seaweed thing- sargassum – has become a major headache for countries like Belize which depend on tourism and fisheries for their economic well-being. The problem was first noticed in 2013 when the first waves of unwanted seaweed began to pile up on once-pristine beaches of the eastern seaboard and the Caribbean.

LOVE FM

One-of-its-kind Media Seminar to be held at UB
It is no secret that there is no formal training for journalists, or any media position for that matter, in Belize. Many times, the people you see on local television and radio are thrown into the media world and are forced to learn as they go. Things are about to change, though, as a one-of-a-kind …

Our Future Kids of Tomorrow
For the last two weeks, thirty one children who have been affected by crime and violence were engaged in an initiative spearheaded by the Eyes of the Jaguar Neighbourhood Watch Group and the Belize Police Department. These youngsters who are students of St Martin de Porres Primary School found themselves engaged in activities to not …

Dangriga man marks 66th murder for 2019
Dangriga residents were startled at midday today when gunshots rang out in the parking lot of the Southern Regional Hospital. Those shots rendered 45-year-old, Edwin Felix Nasario, dead despite being so close to the hospital. Reporter, Courtney Menzies has the story. Courtney Menzies: “We are currently in the 7th month of 2019 and there have …

KHMHA worker up in arms over pension
The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority, KHMHA, Workers Union staged a walkout a little after three o’clock this afternoon in front of the main entrance of the hospital. The protest is over their pension program; or in this case, a lack thereof. The administration of the KHMHA notified the workers that they a pension since …

18-year-old survives being shot
An 18-year-old resident of Police Street was targeted by a gunman last night. Raheem Chambers was reportedly standing on M&M Street, not too far from his home, when he was approached by a short, slim, dark skinned man who pulled out a gun and opened fire in his direction. Chambers sustained gunshot wounds to the …

San Pablo Villagers want justice for Yanira Novelo
A group of villagers from San Pablo held a sort of peace march this afternoon from the Novelo home to the highway and back. The march is in the name of 23-year-old Yanira Novelo was murdered this week and her 4-year-old son who was stabbed and abandoned. According to a family friend, Lorenzo Aldana, the …

Camp for youths to be held at Agricultural Showgrounds
Tomorrow, youths around the country will have the chance to participate in a one day camp event at the Agricultural Showgrounds in Belize. The event starts at 10am and features a multitude of activities, including workshops and performances. One of the organizers, Paul Lopez, told us that the high rise in crime committed by young …

Lettter to Central Bank shows knowledge of Sanctuary Bay’s scam
A letter addressed to the Central Bank Governor, Joy Grant and dated September 26, 2016, whilst she was still the Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), has surfaced. Before we get to the contents of that letter, however, we bring back Grant’s statement made on Wednesday, July 10 during a press conference at the …

Blogs

International Costa Maya Festival: Reignited!
A re-energized committee will bring back ‘Noche San Pedrana’ – making it a street affair, bringing the block party vibes that will keep residents entertained with local band Rompe Raja and up and coming young talent Guillermo ‘El Criminal’ Rivero. Steel band music will add to the island Caribbean feel and highlighting the evening will be the presentation of the eight beautiful delegates from Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. These beauties will be vying for the coveted title of Miss Costa Maya – an annual pageant that draws hundreds to the festival grounds. The title is currently held by Honduras’ Mary Cruz Cardona Galindo. An all-night street party, Noche San Pedrana will set the tone for the rest of the festival plans on Saturday, July 20th.

International Sources

Dramatic jump by Coast Guardsmen onto vessel laden with cocaine
Drug seizure by US law enforcement agencies on high seas captures the moment when an officer courageously jump on the moving submergible vessel. The drugs seized is over 17,000 pounds worth over US $220 million. The fight against organized drug cartels are real. It is believe that a large quantity of undetected cocaine passes through Belize. Most of these drugs are targeting the US illicit drug market.

The Reserve Belize: A Cautionary Tale About Buying Property Overseas
How things got messy at this luxury development in Belize, previously known as Sanctuary Belize: feuds, delays and a tangle of lawsuits.

Mother-daughter duo cook side-by-side at Belizean pop-up No Reservation L.A.
Dorla McKenzie thought she had retired from professional cooking. It took her 29-year-old daughter, Tina, to coax her back into the kitchen. Now you'll find the duo cooking side-by-side under pounding dancehall music and a colorful wall menu at No Reservation L.A., their late-night, weekends-only Caribbean soul food pop-up at Annie's Soul Delicious in Little Ethiopia. Dorla came to Los Angeles from Belize City in 1970. In 1982, she opened McKenzie's Restaurant alongside her husband's South L.A. auto body shop; she claims it was L.A.'s first Belizean restaurant.

Videos

Rebuilding Belize's Honey Inudstry, 11min. The honey industry was a once-thriving industry in Belize, but now through the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Belize Marketing and Development Corporation, the industry is making a comeback. Our Belize Now team headed to northern Belize where they got an inside look at beekeeping.

Belize Spearfishing Lion Fish - Snapper - Grouper, 1min.

Brief Political History of Belize, 10min.

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, BELIZE I Travel Vlog, 8min.

Whale Sharks spotted on the reef off of Placencia!, 1min. Thanks to the gentle nature of whale sharks, divers and snorkelers get quite the treat when swimming with them. These curious creatures are night feeders, most often seen in the Placencia and Hopkins areas.

An in depth look at the Tarpon View, Caye Caulker, 13min. We visited the Tarpon view reserve on Caye Caulker, located at Calle Laposa. It is a site that is slowly gaining popularity by tour guides, locals and tourists. Also a nice spot to view amazing sunsets. The tarpon view is located right at the Badillo’s back yard, where these Tarpons are bred beyond one of the largest water cave 15ft at the entrance and as deep as 90ft. The cave opens up into different tunnels that leads to different areas. Presently being explored by BDS. Natalie Arceo · 1:17 Buddy is the sacrificial sardine !!!!

Belize: Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, 3min. CVC conducted a Legal Literacy, Shared Incident Database and Communications training in Belize from June 18-21, 2019. Here's what the participants had to say about it.

Frigate bird, 1.5min. Saw lots of this frigate birds flying across Corozal, looking for food. I was told that, They were hunting for fish in the water of Corozal.

Belize 2019, 13min. -Belize City -Lamanai -Orange Walk -Belize Zoo -San Pedro -Hol Chan -Coral Gardens -Shark Ray Alley

Lamanai Mayan Ruins & Boat Ride on the New River in Belize, 8.5min. We booked a tour with Elio Avila of Lamanai Belize Tours to go check out the Lamanai Mayan Ruins which is located in the jungle near Orange Walk. Our guide Julian picked us up from our hotel and drove us to Orange Walk where we then took an hour long boat ride down the New River to the Lamania Mayan Ruins to which we were allowed to explore the impressive Mayan monuments and even climbed the High Temple for spectacular views! If you ever get to Belize City, this is definitely a must do tour, so worth the one hour drive and the one hour boat trip to get there. Getting there is half of the adventure!

little harvest caye | placencia, belize, 5min. shoutout to my brother for taking these cool drone shots...I didn't really know how to use it when we were there...LOL this is mostly Little Harvest Caye, a private island in Placencia, Belize, but there are a couple clips of other places in and around Belize! hope you enjoy, I had so much fun making it!!!

Nurse shark feeding frenzy off the barrier reef in Belize, 1min. They started throwing sardines off the side of the boat while we were snorkeling with the nurse sharks and they went nuts! There was also fish EVERYWHERE!

, min.

Belize - Therapy Abroad 2019, 16min.

Bandits SC vs Inter Playa FC | Live at Isidoro Beaton Stadium, Belmopan, 2hr.

July 12, 2019

Ocean Academy High School in Caye Caulker is looking for teachers for next school year

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5, LOVETV, PGTV, Reef TV, KREM, and CTV 3. Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Belize Now, Talk Ah Di Town, and other specials.

The San Pedro Sun

Medical students and health authorities conduct fever survey after confirmed cases of dengue
With the rainy season comes an increase in mosquitoes, which can spread diseases such as dengue fever. In San Pedro Town, the first cases of dengue have been confirmed and in an effort to further educate the community on the disease and its prevention, local health authorities, along with medical students from the Washington University of Health and Sciences, conducted a fever surveillance in several areas of the island on Wednesday, July 10th. The activity covered the areas of Seagrape Drive, Mar del Tumbo, San Marcos, San Pablo, Escalante, and the DFC sub-division. According to Dr. Javier Canul from the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II, due to the rise in cases across the country, they worked on the said activity along with the island’s Health Inspector and medical students to be ahead of any possible outbreak and to be better prepared.

SPTC administrators and Mayor Daniel Guerrero attend an institutional anti-corruption workshop
San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) administrators and Mayor Daniel Guerrero attended a two-day Institutional Anti-Corruption strategy workshop held from Wednesday, July 2nd to Thursday, July 3rd at the Radisson Fort George and Marina in Belize City. The workshop was organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which is seeking to strengthen the state-run systems for the application of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in Belize. The workshop was also aimed at strengthening the capability of municipal leaders to prevent corruption.

2019 Ambergris Caye’s Camp Starfish brings joy to special island children
The extra-special Ambergris Caye’s Camp Starfish 2019 began on Monday, July 8th at the Lions Den in San Pedro Town and will run until Saturday, July 13th. Under the yearly theme: “We are more alike than different,” the free one-week camp not only focuses on children with learning and physical disabilities but also provides them with an outlet to explore their creative abilities. During each camp day, children and volunteers meet from 9AM to 12PM for a morning of fun-filled activities and interaction. The first day of camp, on Monday, July 8th, the theme was Rainforest and Ruins. Children got to engage in arts and crafts, creating rain sticks. The following day was a sports day theme, and campers were very active in playing different games such as sports bingo, musical chairs, relay games, and even making jerseys.

San Pedro R.C School’s first floor classrooms being tiled thanks to island businesses
Blue Water Grill Restaurant, along with its sister businesses, Red Ginger, The Phoenix Resort and Wine de Vine, continue to assist the community of San Pedro Town. The latest community project they have embarked on is to tile the first floor classrooms of the San Pedro Roman Catholic School (SPRCS). The projected is estimated to cost $30,000 dollars and is expected to be done before the school re-opens in September. The money was raised via Blue Water Grill’s monthly charity guest donations. From January through June 2019 they raised money to tile the first floor classrooms at SPRCS. In total, guests at The Phoenix and customers at Red Ginger, Wine de Vine, and Blue Water Grill donated $8,881.24 dollars.

Ernesto Caliz remanded for sexually assaulting a minor
64-year-old San Pedro Resident Ernesto Caliz has once again been accused of sexually assaulting a minor. A 9-year-old boy is alleging that Caliz kissed his anus. Caliz was arraigned at the Magistrate Court in Belize City on Monday, July 8th, where he was offered an $8,000 bail plus two sureties of $4,000 each. Caliz was unable to meet his bail and was thus remanded to the Belize Central Prison until his next court date on September 12, 2019. Caliz was unrepresented when he appeared before Magistrate Michelle Trapp. Prosecutor, Corporal Roman Andrews submitted to the court the allegations against Caliz, stating that he pulled down the minor’s pants and kissed his anus. Andrews told the Magistrate that this is not the first time such allegations have been made against Caliz and that no bail should be offered to the accused.

Belize and Suriname Begin Technical Exchange for Safeguarding Pre-Columbian and Historic Built Heritage Sites
A two-member team from Suriname arrived in Belize on June 16 to begin a two-week technical exchange with authorities in Belize’s culture sector. The exchange, which is funded by UNESCO, is phase 1 of a project in which Belize and Suriname will share expertise on how Pre-Columbian archaeological and Historic period built-heritage sites are conserved and managed. As one of the countries which is home to ancient Maya archaeological sites, Belize has a well-developed program in Maya archaeology. Similarly, Suriname’s Inner City of Paramaribo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which features Dutch colonial forts and wooden architecture.

Ambergris Today

Vivian Noralez Vying For The Miss Universe Belize 2019 Crown
The Miss Universe Belize Pageant is set to take place on Friday, September 6, 2019 and on Friday, July 5, 2019, eight beautiful contestants were officially presented during a press conference at the Bliss Center for Performing Arts in Belize City. This year San Pedro has a representative and she is no stranger to beauty pageants, she is the lovely, 20-year-old Vivian Magdalen Noralez. “I am representing San Pedro, it has been three years since San Pedro has been on the Miss Belize stage so I feel very honored to represent us once again.” Stated Vivian Noralez during the press conference. “Not only do I feel honored, it’s a huge responsibility because I also have a huge load on my back, a lot of weight to carry on my shoulders because I know my town, they love pageants and they have been looking forward to having a San Pedrana on stage again.”

Various Belizean Sources

BTB training for language courses
Hey, Tour Guides! Want to hone your French or German language skills? The Belize Tourism Board is now offering training for language courses! Sign up here: https://forms.gle/HE49VTphwPqpN1Ca8

Transportation of Bridge Beams and Periodic Closure of Roaring Creek Bridge
M&M Engineering Consultants Ltd. and the Ministry of Works would like to caution the public that they will be transporting extremely long and heavy bridge beams on Friday, July 12th and Saturday, July 13th 2019. The beams will be transported from Ladyville through Burrell Boom Road and unto the George Price Highway with destination to the Roaring Creek bridge site in Belmopan. The public is advised to exercise extreme caution when approaching the convoy transporting the beams as it may take up the entire width of the highway. In addition to the transportation of the beams on the aforementioned dates, the public is advised that on Saturday, July 13th, 2019 and Sunday, July, 14th 2019, the Roaring Creek bridge will be temporarily closed for short intervals to accommodate the installation of the beams. The duration of closure will be for 45-minute intervals between 7:00 a.m. and midday on both Saturday and Sunday.

CASTE WAR STORIES: CHAN SANTA CRUZ IN SAN PABLO
Pedro Marin is said to have fled to Belize from Chan Santa Cruz, Quintana Roo with his wife Paula Acosta shortly after the turn of the century. Before coming to San Pablo he lived in Corozal Town and Louisville where he worked as a laborer on sugar ranchos. Many of the mayeros who settled in the Douglas-San Pablo area during the 1920s came from sugar ranchos in the Corozal and Orange Walk Districts ( San Juan Saltillo, Louisville, and Caledonia; and Louisiana Farm, and San Lorenzo) while others had moved away from BEPC-owned villages (San Estevan, San Felipe, Libertad, and San Joaquin) get out form under company control.

Back to School Essay Competition 2019
Tune in this Saturday, July 13th Live on Radio Bahia 99.7 FM. BACK TO SCHOOL WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED. Join us and be part of the excitement. A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS for your generous contribution. This is what makes our "BACK TO SCHOOL INITIATIVE 2019" possible.

List of Endangered Fish in Belize
It's time to protect these Giants before none are left in Belize. Catch and release everybody... Goliath Grouper, Nassau Grouper, Cubera Snapper.

Henry Fuller "Sugar" passes away
On behalf of the Ramon's Village Family, I hereby announce the passing of our beloved brother, "Sugar". Henry Fuller had been THE security guard at Ramon's Village for many years. We are deeply saddened by his passing, may He Rest In Peace. We will miss you Sugar! Funeral services will be announced.

Ya’axché receives National Energy Globe Award
Ya’axché receives the prestigious National Energy Globe Award for its Sustainable Use Zones in the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve (GSCP). We are leading the implementation of Sustainable Use Zones within the 15,441 acre GSCP for communities to carry out their cultural traditions and livelihood practices. Members of the buffering communities of Tambran, Golden Stream, Medina Bank and Indian Creek are privileged to extract materials for building and harvest plants used for cooking ingredients.

BTB MID YEAR STATISTICS 2019
The latest statistics for the first half of this year show a remarkable and persistent growth in both overnight and cruise ship arrivals; positioning Belize as a favorite vacation paradise and underscoring the effective marketing strategy by the BTB and its industry stakeholders in promoting the country as a leading tourism destination. The following is a breakdown of the latest figures for the first half of 2019 for both overnight and cruise ship arrivals.

Government of Belize Cautions the Public Against Dealing with Trust Lands in San Jose Palmar in the Orange Walk District
In 1936, a trust was created in favor of the San Jose Palmar Indians and pursuant to the terms of the trust, the Government of Belize is entrusted with the power to dispose of the trust lands in accordance with the advice of the committee appointed by the villagers of San Jose Palmar. There is currently no legally constituted committee; however, the Government of Belize is in the process of appointing such committee. As such, until that is done, the public is advised against dealing with any trust lands outside of the terms of the trust deed. The Government of Belize assumes no responsibility for any liability incurred as a consequence of reliance or otherwise, by any person, estate or otherwise, on any representation or otherwise, that is contrary to the terms of the trust deed.

MINISTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY CONCLUDES SOUTHERN TOUR
The Honorable John Saldivar concluded his southern tour this morning with an overnight spent at Cadenas Military base currently being manned by F Company. Today the Minister's tour continues with a helicopter ride along the western border with visits to the other Military installations at Rio Blanco, Ceibo Chico, Cebada, Caracol, Valentin, Caballo Douglas D'Silva and then lunch in the western village of Arenal, Cayo. Other Officials will then join the Minister as his tour continues for the next two days with visits to all police and military installations in the Cayo District. Minister Saldivar is accompanied by CEO Ret Col. George Lovell, General Steven Ortega, commander of the Belize Defence Force, Senior Superintendent Linden Flowers and Senior Officials of the Ministry of National Security.

Alex Palacio passes away
National Garifuna Council would like to announce the untimely death of our dear Alex Palacio, President of National Garifuna Council Libertad Branch. Condolences to his family and friends let us keep his family in our thoughts and prayers during their time of bereavement. May his soul rest in peace.

MSME Enhancem,ent Program sensitization and registration session
Corozal Town Council Conference Room, today July 12, 9am.

Back to the Grotto Dance
Video promo for the Back to the Grotto Dance, which will be held at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel on Saturday, July 27th. DJ Special will be mixing through the night. "BACK TO THE GROTTO! ...because there’s no goodies like the oldies! Join Love FM Belize - News and Music Power at San Ignacio Resort Hotel for a night to remember! Featuring old time classics from the 70s, 80s, and 90s brought to you by Dj Special! Date: July 27, 2019. Time: 9pm-3am. Entrance fee: $20BZD. Must be 21 years and older!"

The Bridge Across Pleasant Creek Halloween Rave
The Bridge Across Pleasant Creek Halloween Rave has a date! Friday, October 12th is the night -the first night of two it appears - and it'll be at Kiki Witz Resort near Belmopan. Mind & Me never fails to amaze with their themed raves. "Who says Halloween can't be early? It's always Halloween. Join us for a mind blowing experience 2 Day event! More information coming SOON..."

Culinary Diplomacy in China
Our Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative - YLAI fellow Hernan Urbina demonstrates his culinary diplomacy skills during his entrepreneurship workshop in the Republic of China, Taiwan! “We have been learning a lot about the culture and food here in Taiwan. Now was our chance to present our culture and a bit of our country's history through food. Each country presented a dish to our professor, his assistants and our colleagues. We presented a Belizean breakfast: journey cakes, fried jacks, fried beans, cheese, ham, and jalapeño. Caribbean/Latin flavor!”

Paradise Theater playing this weekend
Hellboy, Falita, Missing Link, Shaft

Ya'axché’s Nursery has seedlings for sale
Get your plants for as low as BZ $1.00 per seedling! Available in stock are Balam, Bilimbi, Cacao Regular, Cashew, Cedar, Coffee American, Coffee Caturra, Coffee Local, Chinese Plum, Grafted Cacao, Jamaican Lime, Mahogany, Monkey Cap, Star Fruit and Vanilla.

The Amazing Race: San Pedro Edition, Pt. 5!
Get ready for another edition of one of the most-fun games we've ever played at The Truck Stop! To win this famous scavenger hunt, you'll need to complete fun challenges, decipher cryptic clues, race between stops, and show the other teams who's boss. Teams will be competing for a huge cash prize, among other fun prizes. Sign up now! We'll post more details soon, but if you want to play, you should sign up! There's a limit of 20 teams, which we'll be accepting on a first-come, first-serve basis, so sign up soon to make sure you don't get left behind!

Channel 7

Five More Alleged Human Smugglers Charged
On last night's newscast, we told you about the 2 Belizeans, one of whom is a social worker, who was charged with facilitating the commission of a crime. That's after police allegedly intercepted them near Crooked Tree Village on Tuesday, smuggling 4 Honduran nationals from San Ignacio to Orange Walk. Well, police today charged 5 more Belizeans with the same crime, after they were linked to the same incident. They are 25 year-old Neysa Gomez, 19 year-old Joanna Arrevallo, 34 year-old Felicito Galvez, 39 year-old Enrique Morales, and 26 year-old Ervin Arrevallo.

Police Explain Human Smuggling Arrest
So, 7 persons have been charged for smuggling four Hondurans - 2 adults and 2 minors. Police and the Immigration Department are working to build as airtight a case as possible to get a conviction - which is rare in such cases. Today at the bi-weekly press brief, the head of national crimes investigations told us about the arrest that police made:' ACP Joseph Myvett, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch: "Based on information, Orange Walk Police mounted an operation supported by Ladyville police where upon doing the investigation..."

Balloons For Yanira's Funeral
Today was a sad day in San Jose village in the Orange Walk District. The village came out to bury 23 year old Yanira Novelo, the mother of two who was found dead in a canefield on Tuesday morning. Today, her funeral was made memorable by some villagers who quickly organized a movement to show solidarity with the family by wearing white, floating balloons and carrying small signs with messages of support, demanding justice.

Yanira Was Stabbed and Strangled
And those calls for justice are weighing heavily on the police - who have not made any arrests and have no one detained at this time. Police today discussed what they know about the case - starting with the state of Yanira's body when it was found in the canefield; she had been stabbed multiple times, but she was strangled to death:.. ACP Joseph Myvett: "Police immediately launched an operation in the San Lorenzo Road and on yesterday's date they were joined in the search for Yanira de la Rosa by family members where shortly after 11am her body was discovered in a cane field..."

On the Run From Guatemala, Budna Found in Camalote
39 year old Joseph Budna, he escaped from a Guatemalan prison at the end of May, and had been on the run for weeks, but police found him in Camalote village this morning. Based on intelligence from Special Branch, Belmopan police detained Budna at a home in that western village this morning. There wasn't much ACP Myvette could tell us about it at the 11:00 am press brief: ACP Joseph Myvett: "This morning, I believe shortly after nine, the details are still sketchy, police carried out an operation in Camalote Village where one Joseph Budna was found at a home and he has been taken into custody at this point in time. No other information is yet available. As I said, this is something that just recently occurred earlier this morning."

What's Special About Special Development Area
If you travel on Lake Independence Boulevard with any regularity, you will have seen the ongoing construction work on the western side of the Boulevard. Well, that's the new Ministry of Finance, a 15 million dollar building - paid for by taxpayer dollars. We found out about that and everything else that's happening on the Lake I Boulevard - at what is now designated as a Special Development Area. Jules Vasquez has the story: The Lake Independence Special Development Area, it's 50 acres of consolidated government land - and the signs are aggressively advertising land available for lease. Even if this passerby didn't seem too interested, BIL is hoping the mega developments in the area including this new Ministry of Finance building will be a pull:

The Troubles With Lake I Resource Center
And while that story only covered the plans for Special Development Area - you don't need to be a news junky to know that there's a whole lot in that same area that's very controversial. First, there's the Lake I Boulevard of broken pavement - which is a saga unto itself. Then there's the Lake I Resource Center - construction of which has stalled completely, and it now stands dormant and incomplete, a monument to wastage and contractor incompetence. It should have been opened two years ago, but the Contractor: Wood, Brick and Stone has now pulled out - and the job of finishing it falls to BIL. Mastry told us they plan to finish it by the end of the year:..

Man Gets Off Murder Charge
He was charged last year with murder and abetment to commit murder, but tonight 20 year-old Israel Usher is a free man. That's after both charges were withdrawn against him at the instruction of the DPP's Office. Usher was one of 2 people charged with the April 2018 gun killing of Albert Johnson, a mental patient. Johnson was walking on Rectory Lane in Belize City, when he was approached by 3 men, one of whom pulled a firearm and shot him twice in the head. By all indications he was shot for no reason at all.

Mental Health Training for Lawmen and Women
Today at the Police Training Academy in Belmopan, police and Coast Guard officers participated in an all-day workshop discussing mental health and wellness. The organization known as the Belize Brain Awareness Society wants to help these officers learn how to better cope with the the intense stress that comes with the job, as well as any trauma caused by the dangers of being a member of law enforcement. Additionally, the hope is that these officers will be better equipped to properly handle civilians suffering from mental illness, who also come in contact with the law.

Big Beams In Motion On Highway
Be careful on the major highways on Friday and Saturday - because long and heavy bridge beams will be in motion. The beams will be taken from Ladyville through Burrell Boom and unto the George Price Highway headed to the Roaring Creek bridge in Belmopan - which is under construction. The beams will have escorts, but it will take up the entire width of the road, and the public is advised to exercise extreme caution when approaching the convoy transporting the beams.

Earlin White Life Sentence Upheld
47 year-old Earlin White is a convicted murderer who has been serving a life sentence at the Belize Central Prison. Now, we've told you about multiple "lifers" who have been re-sentenced to 25 years, but in White's case, Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin says that he should continue serving out that life sentence. White was convicted in October 2003 of the 2002 murder of businessman Dwayne Arnold who was at his workplace, Electrical Zone Rebuilding when White shot him in the head. According to the evidence in White's murder trial, white demanded a quarter from one of Arnold's employees, and when he told White that he had none, White held him at gunpoint and marched him up to Arnold's office. When Arnold asked White what he wanted, he also demanded 25 cents from Arnold. When no money was forthcoming, White fired 3 shots at Arnold, injuring him in the head and the right arm - killing him on the spot.

What Will Jilted AIBL Depositors Get
Yesterday we had coverage of the Prime Minister's press conference on the Sanctuary Bay debacle. He flatly refuted claims made by the US Federal Trade Commission in a court filing on June 10th. But, he also discussed practical elements of the settlement between the FTC and Atlantic International Bank - which was signed this week. The group most interested is the community of mostly US depositors in AIBL - who live in Belize. They have no idea what's up with their savings they had in the bank - which went belly up. It's clear they will not get it all back -but how much will they get? We asked the PM

Mason Trial Update
All this week, we've been telling you about the resumption of the Belmopan murder trial for William "Danny" Mason and his 4 co-defendants who are accused of the beheading murder of Pastor Llewellyn Lucas. This week, the court has been carefully testing a confession statement allegedly from one of the 5 accused, which could become a major piece of evidence in the favor of DPP Cheryl-Lynn Vidal prosecution's of this case. As we've told, it is being done in a trial within this trial, where multiple witnesses have testified to the court disclosing details of this written statement. After hearing from all the witnesses, Justice Antoinette Moore will decide whether or not it will be admitted into evidence.

Channel 5

Bus Catches Fire on GP Highway with 41 Tourists Onboard
A group of U.S. nationals, who arrived on a scheduled cruise ship call this morning, had a huge scare. The visitors were heading to the Belize Zoo when the bus [...]

5 More Belizeans Charged for Alleged Involvement in Human Smuggling Case
Five additional persons have been charged and arraigned for their alleged involvement in a case of human smuggling that was intercepted by police on Tuesday afternoon. It is being categorized [...]

Police Were Tipped About the Human Smuggling Caravan
Even before the five were arraigned today, Assistant Commissioner of Police Joseph Myvett shared details on the investigation surrounding the alleged human smuggling. He says that the operation, which led [...]

Escape Prisoner Joseph Budna is Recaptured in Camalote, Cayo
Escape prisoner Joseph Budna has been captured in Belize and remains in custody. Back in May of this year, the thirty-eight-year-old Belizean, who is serving a thirty-year sentence in a [...]

Yanira Novelo was Strangled to Death
The official result of a post-mortem has been released by the Police Department in the murder of Yanira Novelo in Orange Walk. It shows that the young mother had a [...]

What’s the Motive Behind the Murder of Yanira Novelo?
Police are looking for answers on whether four-year-old Alexander witnessed the heinous murder of his mother. While has not been confirmed at this time, it is known that the child [...]

A Peaceful Demonstration for Murder Victim, Yanira Novelo
Murder victim, Yanira Novelo, was laid to rest today in her home village of San Jose in Orange Walk. Over one hundred and fifty residents from San Jose and San [...]

Dean Oliver Barrow Could Never Been Charge with ‘Any Kind of Civil Fraud’
His name is Andris Pukke and he is the felon who orchestrated the Sanctuary Bay real estate scam which has Prime Minister Dean Barrow, ministers and other high ranking officials [...]

Prime Minister Defends Barrow and Williams Law Firm
In the document filed by the F.T.C., the Prime Minister’s law firm and his partner, Rodwell Williams, are named. Aside from suggesting that the Prime Minister owns a piece of [...]

PM Barrow: “Maybe the F.T.C. Should Look at Some of the Banks in the U.S.”
Present at Wednesday’s press conference was Joy Grant, the Governor of the Central Bank of Belize and Grant was there to answer to a very specific allegation. The F.T.C. alleged [...]

Barrow Stays Away from Accusing the F.T.C. of Incompetence, Bad Faith
Prime Minister Dean Barrow, having learned that the F.T.C. filed such damning documents against him and his government, summoned the Chargé d’ Affaires, Keith Gilges, to make sure his complaint [...]

A.I.B.L. and F.T.C. Settlement Soon to Be Sealed
After negotiations, A.I.B.L. and the F.T.C. were able to come to an agreement which resulted in the F.T.C. filing an application to stay proceedings against the bank. An appointed liquidator, [...]

P.U.P. Blasts Barrow Administration over Sanctuary Bay Allegations
After the Prime Minister’s press conference, the People’s United Party fired a press release describing the PM’s conference as an attempt to clear the air. The P.U.P. says that Barrow [...]

Sarteneja Honey Producers Association Fight Small Hive Beetle
Last month we told you about a donation of small hive beetle traps that was handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture. Those traps are to be used to control [...]

Mason Murder Trial Resumes with Voir Dire
Following a lengthy adjournment, the murder trial of William ‘Danny’ Mason and his accomplices resumed before Justice Antoinette Moore in the Belmopan Supreme Court on Wednesday. Onboard are attorneys Bryan [...]

Man Charged for Theft of $42,000 from Buca Shell in Ladyville
Tonight a former Buca Shell employee is in trouble with the law. He is twenty-five-year-old Victor Ayuso, a resident of Orange Walk, who appeared this morning before Senior Magistrate Tricia [...]

M.O.E. Requires Teachers to Renew Their Teaching Licenses
There is a new pressing issue between the Ministry of Education and the Belize National Teachers Union that is bubbling beneath the surface while school is presently out. It has [...]

How Will Renewal of Teaching License be Administered?
So what will teachers do now that the ministry has sent out the memorandum while they are on summer vacation? According to Executive Secretary Keisha Young-Flowers, B.N.T.U. is prepared to [...]

Tourism Stats for the First Half of 2019
Despite the murder of a U.S. national recently in San Pedro that gave Belize a black eye in the international news, the Belize Tourism Board is touting a growth in [...]

Young Prisoners Graduate from Kaina Online High School
Two inmates were beaming with pride as they stood among a group of graduates on Sunday in Belmopan. The two successfully completed a programme with Kaina Online High School. Five [...]

Entrepreneurs Get Training in Developing a Business Plan
A one-day business plan development workshop was held today at the BTEC building on the ITVET Compound in Belize City. It’s sister agency, the Small Business Development Centre, which also [...]

The Reporter

Joseph Budna Caught In Camalote Village
Police have captured fugitive Joseph Budna, 38. The Reporter has confirmed that the former journalist was caught in Camalote sometime this morning. Budna, serving a 30 year sentence in Guatemala for kidnapping and a previous escape, eluded Guatemalan authorities during a visit to a hospital in late May.

High Heat & Max AC Causes Tourist Bus To Overheat – Fire
The Reporter has confirmed with a representative from Chukka that no tourists were hurt when a tour bus caught fire earlier just outside Hattieville. That representative told us that all tourists were taken off at the first sign of smoke, put on another bus and they continued on to their scheduled tour at the Belize Zoo. The bus was totally destroyed.

LOVE FM

Governor of Central Bank discusses Sanctuary Bay
While we told you of the allegations against the government, we didn’t tell you that the FTC had also documented the lack of action by the Central Bank of Belize. The Central Bank is accused of knowing from early that something was awry with Sanctuary Bay and they did not act on the report. Governor …

Human Smuggling or Human Trafficking?
Police continue to investigate the human smuggling incident that saw six persons detained including 4 Honduran nationals and two Belizeans; a Social Worker and the husband of an immigration officer. Initially we reported that it was a case of human trafficking but officials have since clarified the report, saying it is human smuggling. The Orange …

National Workshop on Marine Litter
Belize has made significant inroads to tackle marine litter, which is a problem faced by many countries. Today, the Department of the Environment, in collaboration with Commonwealth Litter Programme, CLiP, is holding a two-day workshop which focuses on how to derive ways of dealing with marine litter. Dr. Percival Cho, the Chief Executive Officer of …

Budna captured by Police
38-year-old, Joseph Budna is wanted by the Guatemalan authorities and was captured this morning in Camalote Village, Cayo District, as he made a quick trip to a nearby shop. Budna is a Belizean man who had been serving time in a Guatemalan prison prior to his escape from a hospital on Monday, May 27. This …

Harmony Between Nature and Human
Ya’axche Conservation has won the prestigious National Energy Globe Award for its sustainable Use Zones in Golden Stream Corridor Preserve. The award recognizes that the GSCP utilizes renewable or emission free sources and as well as preserving the wildlife located there. The GSCP uses Sustainable Use Zones to cooperate with the community and aid them …

AIBL Liquidation
Yesterday the headlines were all about Sanctuary Bay and the web woven with Atlantic International Bank Limited. Prime Minister spoke on allegations against him and his administration and kinda set some things straight – for now, at least. What has been placed at the forefront now is the way the liquidator will proceed with the …

Corals at Risk!
A disease at hand is threatening our Corals located in the Northern region of Belize. The Fisheries Department has confirmed the presence of the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) (Stony Coral VO) on the Northern region of the Belize Barrier Reef Complex. The disease attacks the coral colonies and results in a loss of …

Small Funds but Big Results
Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) has concluded a GEF Small Grants Program (SGP) at Vaca Forest Reserve. The Program aimed to aid farmers adapt and fight against climate change. The project revealed that a total of ten strategies were learned and are now being implemented by the farmer in the Vaca Plateau. The study also …

Blogs

5 Reasons Why Birding in Belize is for Everybody
Birdwatching has ceased be known as such. Forget the old, cliche image of the bespectacled, clumsy professor wearing a pith helmet peering into bushes and jotting down notes. Although there might have been a few ornithologists and birdwatchers like that at some point in time, most folks who watch birds nowadays wear whatever clothes or hats they want, carry cameras just as much as binoculars, and come from all walks of life. These days, we go “birding” and although the hobby continues to be popular among retirees, a growing number of birders are twenty and thirty somethings. Birding has become discovered by the younger crowd, has become “a thing”, and Belize is one of the best places to do it, with a thriving community or avid birders.

International Sources

Mysterious Disease Ravages Caribbean Reefs
Marine biologists are dealing with a mystery. What's killing the coral reefs in the Caribbean? The scientists first noticed a deadly outbreak earlier this year off the coast of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Big white lesions were breaking up the colorful tissues of stony corals. Some corals died the next day, bleaching completely. Others suffered for weeks, but within four months, more than half the reef died off from the mysterious disease, as Science News reported. Researchers estimate that the mysterious disease is now affecting around a third of the Caribbean's 65 reef-building species, but they remain unsure if the disease is microbial, bacterial, viral or something else. "Whatever the cause, it's annihilating whole species," said Marilyn Brandt, a coral ecologist at University of the Virgin Islands, leading a research team studying the outbreak, as Medical Daily reported.

Videos

Very first episode of Caye Caulker entrepreneurs, 16min. This is the first launch to our new segment where we feature and promote all local businesses and entrepreneurs on the island. Be on the look out for our next episode.

Central America | 2019, 4min. Costa Rica, Guatemala, Belize & Mexico

PLACENCIA TO CAYE CAULKER: Traveling from beach to island in Belize, 8min. Traveling between scenic beach towns in Belize often means a small prop plane take off from Placencia airport, a taxi from Belize airport to water taxi and a water taxi to Caye Caulker. That about sums up our journey from Placencia to Caye Caulker. The Belize aerial view is spectacular. Watching rivers wind their way through the beautiful jungle from the air was quite the sight. The entire flight was picture-worthy - it was a great view of the stunning landscape.

Vacation in Belize, 39min.

Sail from Guatemala to explore Belize / with the - all new - shiny Rigg, 22min. Insight to the sweet cruising Live from RioDulce to TurneffReef. Beautiful Sailing, White Sandy Beaches and Cristal Clear Waters

Real Talk Show , 1.5hr. w/ Host Ash Belize Special Guest Dajah

The Statistical Institute of Belize launches a National Statistical System (NSS), 20min. The Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) and the IDB are partnering to launch a National Statistical System (NSS). The initiative is a part of a strategy to strengthen the country's capacity to produce and use quality official statistics. Our guests gave an overview of how the portal would work and expanded on ways the use of quality statistics would contribute to development. On our couch: Dr. Leopold Perriott- Director General, SIB. Janine Perfit-Modernization of the State Lead Specialist, IDB.

Belize City Council - CITCO to offer 20% off on outstanding fees for city residents, 31min. Mayor Bernard Wagner and officials of the Belize City Council were our guest to talk about their efforts to recoup outstanding property tax payments. A statutory instrument was recently passed to allow the CITCO to offer 20% off on outstanding fees for city residents. Our guests explained how this is a part of the efforts to bring in much needed revenues to further the work of the Council. On our couch: Mayor Bernard Wagner - Mayor, CITCO. Troy Smith - Evaluation Manager, CITCO. Tamara Minto - Communications Manager, CITCO.

Justin " J. Cas" Castillo - Musical Guest, 21min. Justin " J. Cas" Castillo is one part of the musical duo of Kadence. Today he was our guest to talk about the recently released EP entitled "Intro". He wrote the songs and created the beats for this project all in his home studio. We talked with him about his inspiration for the music and plans to further his career. We were also treated to a performance of the song - Love and Affection. On our couch: Opening Performance: Love and Affection, J. Cas - Artist, Keanu Chaplin - Artist/Kadence.

Representatives of the Public Sector Worker's Trust, 31min. Representatives of the Public Sector Worker's Trust were our guests to update us on the work of the trust. Our guests talked with us about the history of the trust and current affairs. On our couch: Dr. Philip Castillo - Mutually Agreed Trustee, PSWT. Elena Smith - President, BNTU. Gerald Henry Jr. - President, Public Service Union.

The MSME ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM, 31min.The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Commerce, along with its partners, embarks on a countrywide sensitization and registration session for the MSME Enhancement Program. The MSME ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM (MEP) formerly known as the Conditional Duty Exemption Mechanism (CDEM), seeks to strengthen the competitiveness of Belize’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), and foster exports, through the removal of Customs Import Duty for a shortlist of packaging and labeling materials, specifically for eligible MSMEs.

Talk Ah Di Town July 11, 2019, 31min.

Divers in Belize remove 60 lbs of invasive lionfish from the Caribbean Sea, 5min. I went on a week long scuba diving service trip on an island off the coast of Placencia, Belize. About a dozen divers went out and hunted invasive lionfish every day. I was lucky enough to be one of those divers. There were so many lionfish! We later cooked and ate the lionfish. We took measurements of some of the lionfish (such as length and weight) for scientific research, and even cut open their stomachs to see what food they were eating. Often, the lionfish had local baby fish and shrimp in their stomachs.

Night-time Spearfishing in Belize, 6.5min. Spearfishing in the Belize River at night with some friends.

DRONE SHOT OF BELIZE CITY, 1min.

Whale Shark in Belize!, 1min. How crazy is this??? Whale Shark literally bumps into our fishing boat!

Belize Scuba Trip - Nov/Dec 2018, 6min.

July 11, 2019