February 19, 2015

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Two bodies found in shallow grave in Northern Ambergris Caye
Authorities on Ambergris Caye are investigating the circumstances surrounding the discovery of two bodies found in a shallow grave. They were found sometime around 11:40AM about 11 miles north of San Pedro Town on Wednesday, February 18th. Police have confirmed their identity as Benjamin Molina and Selvino Chi, both originally from the Corozal District. According to police the two were reported missing earlier today and police visited the area where they were last seen.

Former police officer Alpheus Parham found guilty in fatal shooting of Caye Caulker detainee
Almost five years after ex-Police Constable Alpheus Parham was charged for murder, he was found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter. Parham’s guilty verdict originates from the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Alex Goff, who was a detainee at the Caye Caulker Police Station in May of 2010. Parham was found guilty on Friday February 13th before the court of Justice Troadio Gonzalez in the Belize City Supreme Court. On May 9, 2010, Goff was detained by Caye Caulker Police and was placed inside the eastern police cell inside the station. According to two officers who testified in court, Goff was alone in the cell when Police Constable Parham went towards the cell and shortly afterwards, a gunshot blast was heard. A second police officer in his statement to the court said that he saw Parham heading to the back of the cell and he heard an explosion. The officer added that Parham walked out of the station without saying anything to anyone. When the two officers went to check the cell seconds later, they saw Goff with a single gunshot to the forehead and in a sitting position.

San Pedrito Residents concerned over increase Gun Violence
San Pedro Police are investigating two separate shooting incidents that occurred in the San Pedrito Area leaving two residents injured. The first shooting occurred on Monday, February 9th and left 32-year-old Kareem Eagan suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg. The second shooting took place on Wednesday, February 11th leaving a 13-year-old minor, Meredith Escalante suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. Police cannot confirm if the shootings were related, but believe that they most likely are based on their location. But some residents claim that the second shooting could have been prevented if police would just do their job. According owner of Espat’s Apartments, Rolando Espat, a neighbor had reported to the San Pedro Police that she had been threatened by an unknown gunman the day before the shooting on Tuesday, February 10th. “We expected something to happen because the night before, we reported to the police that three gunmen came to the building and were looking for someone. They went to a lady’s apartment and pointed a gun at her. This happened around midnight, and we called the police. They said that they were going to come but never reached. The last call I made to the police was at 3AM on Wednesday, the police never came,” said Espat. He stated that the police refused to take reports from residents in the area. “We have no cooperation from the police over here. We have information to give the police that can help them catch the persons responsible, but they don’t listen to us. All the police do is blame us for the shooting when we are not the ones involved in it,” said Espat.

Belize Fisheries Department reports on 2014/2015 Lobster Season
According to Fisheries Officer, Mauro Gongora, there was very little change in comparison of this season to the last. Fisheries recorded a total of 484,891 pounds of lobster being caught out of Belizean waters during this season. “The 2014/2015 lobster fishing season is considered a good one and the fishery has remained relatively stable over the past 28 years within the production range of 400,000 – 600,000 pounds. In 2014, lobster catch landings amounted to 484,891 pounds, which represents a decline of merely 0.45% when compared to the 2013/2014 season when 487,066 pounds was produced,” said Gongora. He also stated that there were less violations to the law on lobster fishing this year as compared to other years. “In 2014, violations of the lobster fishery regulations were low and only a few cases are still being dealt with in court. The Belize Fisheries Department remains adamant that all regulations be followed to ensure the continued prosperity of the industry,” said Gongora.

Ambergris Today

Pic of the Week - Celebrity Child Star Tamera Mowry-Housley Selfie's with Belizean Fans
The last day of Carnaval was in full swing on the island of San Pedro, Belize and many were enjoying the entertaining comparsas and paint party. Celebrity child star Tamera Mowry-Housley and her husband Adam Housley were spotted walking around town enjoying our traditional Carnaval. Ambergris Today's Gerry Badillo got the opportunity to talk to Tamera and ask her about her vaction in our beautiful Belize and she stated: "I love Belize so much that I will have to convince my sister Tia Mowry and my girls from The Real Show to come on the next trip." Below are Selfie's of fans who got the opportunity to meet Tamera Mowry-Housley.

San Pedro AIDS Commission Boasts 6-Time Carnival Win
At the end of the three-day Carnaval celebrations in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, the San Pedro AIDS Commission was honored with the Best Comparsa (street dancing) group for Carnaval 2015. The winners were announced on Tuesday, February 17, 2015, at Central Park where the grand finale party was held to close of the painting and street dancing of the celebrations. This makes it the sixth straight win for the AIDS Commission for Best Comparsa whose members truly go all out in making their costumes, writing the perfect song and even choreographing fun dances. This year was no exception for the group as they had more elaborate costumes compared to previous years. Coming in second place was Doña Flora’s Group that boasted having the contestants of the 2015 Reina del Carnaval (Mrs. Carnaval) dancing all three days with the group. The Barbies (Men’s Group) had the largest group with close to 40 male dancers dressed in drag; they came in third place.

Tennessee Residents Make Heartfelt Donation to San Pedro High
San Pedro High School received a generous donation via visitors from Clarksville, Tennessee, United States on February 13, 2015. The donation consisted of school supplies from typing sheets, pencils, among other items. Jayson Walden’s huge donation is not like any other donation, but a special one close to his heart.

Misc Belizean Sources

Keep updated on the Alternative Movement
Vision Inspired by the People and People's National Party. Find out what they have plan for the San Pedro, Belmopan and Punta Gorda Town Councils.

Guatemalan military in Belize Waters
According to Wil Maheia, an environmentalist, owner of PGTV and Peoples National Party representative, this recently taken photo was taken of Guatemalan military personnel who were Belize's territorial waters off the coast of Punta Gorda.

Hol Chan Marine Reserve Extension Approved!
The Extension of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve has been approved and signed. Great news! Inauguration on the 25th of February 2015. S.P.T.G.A

Temperatures and Rainfall - 2014 - Belmopan
Last years Temperatures and Rainfall in picture form : Temperatures - There are 3 Red lines, the dotted line is the long term average day maximum temperatures. The Heavy Red line is the 31 day smoothed running average maximum for 2014. The wavy thin Red line are the actual daily maximum temperatures. Similarly there are 3 Blue lines for the night time minimum temperatures, for Belmopan 2014. The Green line is just the Median between max and min lines, and technically has no significance, but probably that used in many published records. We had a cooler May than usual, due to the early rains in May.

Medical and Dental Outreach Clinic in San Pedro
The Belize Medical and Dental Association will be conducting FREE Specialized clinic on Saturday 7 March, 9am at the Dr. Otto Rodriguez Clinic, services that will be available includes: Paediatrician, Obstetrician/ Gynaecologist, Neurologist, Urologist, ENT Specialist, Paediatric Surgery, Internist, Cardiologist, Nephrologist, Dermatologist and Orthopaedic Surgery For more information feel free to call TEL: 226-2536

Prime Minister Accompanies Wife on Medical Visit
The Office of the Prime Minister informs that Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow leaves the country today, Wednesday, February 18th, 2015 to accompany his wife, Mrs. Kim Simplis-Barrow, for a scheduled medical check-up.

THE BELIZE DEFENCE FORCE OFFICER SELECTION BOARD
The Belize Defence Force will conduct an Officer Selection Board Examination on 13 and 14 March 2015. The examination will start at 7:00 a.m. at Price Barracks, Ladyville. Selected potential male officers will attend training in any of the following countries: United Kingdom, United States, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Mexico, Taiwan. Successful applicants will be required to join the Belize Defence Force Regular Element. Applicant must be a Belizean citizen, physically and mentally fit, be of ages 18 to 23 years, and hold an Associate’s Degree or higher. Any additional qualifications will be an asset. Candidates who are interested in attending training at the United States Military Academy at West Point must sit the American College Test (ACT) prior to attending training.

Lionel “Yogi” Martin (a local Tour Guide) found a dead green turtle floating by Uno Gas station in Punta Gorda
The TIDE Science team quickly recovered the female turtle and transported her to the TIDE compound for a necropsy. Preliminary results indicate that this turtle may have been suffering from Fibropapillomatosis (FP). According to literature reviewed this is a disease plaguing sea turtles worldwide that causes tumors on the skin. These tumors can affect a turtle’s ability to eat, swim or see. TIDE is communicating with ECOMAR staff and other scientists concerning the results of the necropsy. We will keep you up-to-date as we learn more. Elmar Requena (TIDE Terrestrial Biologist) carried out a necropsy with assistance from Norman Budna (TIDE Education and Outreach Co-coordinator), Tanya Barona (TIDE Marine Biologist) and Curtis Hines (TIDE Community Researcher).

John Paul II JC Progresses
The Chapel Hill campus of the John Paul II Junior College is quickly taking formation. Looking good. More interesting pictures from the project are here and here. They are currently accepting applications.

Tony Garel Receives James Waight Conservation Award
The Belize Audubon Society awarded Tony Garel, who has worked with the Belize Zoo for almost 3 decades, the James Waight Conservation Award. The award recognizes one's outstanding contribution to the field of conservation in Belize. Congratulations, Tony! In a ceremony held last evening at the historic Chateau Caribbean Hotel, Mr. Tony Garel was honored with the prestigious James A. Waight Conservation award. Mr. Garel was recognized for his outstanding contribution to the field of conservation in Belize, namely in the area of reptilian conservation and education. Mr. Garel is the author of Field Guide to the Snakes of Belize and the curator of the snake educational display at the Belize Zoo. "According to Sharon Matola, Director of the Belize Zoo, 'one of Tony’s most outstanding accomplishments was the design and development of the wheelchair accessible walkway at the Belize Zoo which has enabled hundreds of wheelchair bounded Belizeans, especially children, to easily view native wildlife.' Mr. Garel has been working at the zoo for over 25 years, and has assisted with all of the conservation programs at the zoo."

"Akeelah and the Bee" at the Seine Bight Community Center
Last Monday, Belize Screen on the Green hit the road and featured the movie "Akeelah and the Bee" at the Seine Bight Community Center. The children loved learning about the spelling bee in the U.S. and we even held a "mini" spelling bee before the movie. This year we will be exanding our outdoor movie program to villages throughout Belize. Let us know if your village is interested in partnering with us to organize an educational screening. The first district we will focus on will be Cayo.

Bingo plus Rum!!!
Like BINGO on Friday nights at the San Pedro Lions Den wasn't already fun enough....let's add some RUM! ... Come join us on Friday Feb 20th at the Lions Club for BINGO night for a chance to win money and RUM with each BINGO!! Sponsored by Travellers Liquors & Tiburon Rum!! The fun starts at 7pm don't be late !!!

San Pedro Councilor and Mayoral Candidates Debate Rescheduled
The public is advised that the Town Council Candidate Debate scheduled for this evening, Wednesday February 18th has been canceled. However, all political parties have confirmed their participation in the Mayoral debate which is scheduled for Monday, February 23rd at 7PM at the San Pedro Lions Den.

SAT APRIL 18TH "THE GRAND INTL. RED CARPET AFFAIR AWARD & DANCE
HONORING "THE QUEEN" CALYPSO ROSE & MORE! FEAT LOVA BOY, CARIBBEAN DYNAMICS,MICHEAL WAGGY WAGNER, SAM HAMILTON, GUWIE POSSE, & THE RETURN OF DADDY TRACY WITH DJ MISTA B & BELIZEAN VIBE CREW!!!!!

BOLEDO DRAWING for Wednesday, February 18, 2015: 60

Corozal Maryhill Scout Group
The 3rd day of our Scout Week, Members of the 11th Corozal Maryhill Scout Group gathered tonight for their Campfire along with special invited guests. The night was a fun one since they showed off what Scouts do when gathered around a campfire.

Scouting Week 2015 in Corozal
To culminate the celebration of the Scouting Week 2015 in Corozal, the 6th Corozal Methodist Scout Group has organized a Mini Scouts District Olympiad. All Scout Units/Groups from Corozal are warmly invited. Trophies in forms of CUPS will be awarded to the top 3 most outstanding scout groups and consolation prizes to other participants. Let's all go aloud for this. This event will be held this Saturday February 21st to begin at Children's Park for the initial event which is a triathlon style 1 cub (runner), 1 Scout (rider) and 1 Venture (swimmer). Then the activities will follow at the Andres Campos Civic Center. The message is "Scouting is alive in COROZAL!"

Operation Skate: Cayo Edition
Operation Skate Belize is coming to Falcon Field this Saturday, starting at noon. Check out their video here. "Operation Skate is heading to Cayo! Saturday, February 21st from Noon - 5PM @ Falcon Field. All skaters from Belize City must sign up beforehand at DYS at 55 Regent St. For more information please contact DYS at 207-0773."

John Paul II JC Progresses
The Chapel Hill campus of the John Paul II Junior College is quickly taking formation. Looking good. More interesting pictures from the project are here and here. They are currently accepting applications.

Vanny Pat at Miss Culture International Maya
Vanny Pat, who won Queen of the West in 2013, is representing Belize at the Miss Culture International Maya pageant, previously called the Diosa Maya International pageant, in Merida. Belize has won the last 2 years: Grisel Rosseli Carballo in 2013 and Dalina Reyes in 2014. The pageant will be this Saturday. Go, Vanny! In related news, Jhoshi Valencia is representing Belize in the Mister Culture International pageant.

ATM Trail and Camping Area Upgrade
The trail to Actun Tunichil Muknal has gotten a much needed upgrade. It's a really nice trail now, albeit a little wide in some places. The new restrooms at the parking area are great too. Well done, NICH! "The photos show the end result of the ATM Upgrade Project which was designed to enhance the trail system from the parking lot to the entrance of the cave. In order to improve safety, trails were widened, stairs and bridges constructed where necessary and ropes erected to safely guide visitors across the river. Two resting shelters and a communal area were constructed at the camping area at the entrance of the cave."

Channel 7

Teenager Hangs Himself While In Detention
18 year old Otto Palma committed suicide in the Ladyville police station around 6:00 this evening. He was pending charges for rape. Police caught him after he allegedly raped a female behind Vista Del MAr. He was arrest don Sunday, released on Monday pending medical exams, and then re-arrested this morning. This evening at 6:00 he was found hanging by a t shirt in the jail cell. He had been charged and remanded for rape before. His body was still in the holding cell at the station at news time.

Unlicensed Driver Knocks Down Septuagenarian
A 70 year old woman was knocked down in Belize City today – and is hospitalized tonight. She was knocked down by a 19-year-old driver who has no license. It happened around 1:30 in Belize City on Water Lane at its junction with Baghdad Street. Police believe the driver – who was in an SUV borrowed from his boss – came too fast out of Water Lane when he hit a vehicle on the right hand side, then swerved left to compensate. And that’s when he burst two water mains, raked down a fence, and knocked down the senior citizen. She received extensive facial and other injuries. After that, he still hit another vehicle. Tonight, the 19 year old is in custody pending charges, and police have also detained his boss, a Chinese businessman who will also be charged for allowing someone to drive without a license.

How that Terrible Accident By Jaguar Paw Intersection Happened
Last night, we told you about the fatal traffic accident between mile 36 and 37 which claimed the life of an American National, and put another in the hospital. What police have been able to piece together so far is that at around 11:30 a.m., 30 year-old Leon Rodriguez, a tour guide who works for Big Johns Taxi and Tour Company was taking tourists 66 year-old Samuel Douglas Schulte, and 56 year-old Teresa Lyn Mauers to Jaguar Paw. When he was approaching the cutoff for Frank’s Eddy and was just about to turn left. Rodriguez says a Tow Head loaded with oranges hit him from behind. The Tow Head overturned on the highway and Rodriguez’s Blue Suzuki SUV was crushed. Schulte was suffering from various injuries to his head and body, while In the back seat, 56 year-old Teresa Lyn took the brunt of the impact and was crushed in there Meuers suffered massive head and bodily injuries, and she died while undergoing treatment at the Western Regional Hospital.

ComPol Willing To Disclose Penner File By Court Order
Last week Friday, we told you how COLA’s Geovannie Brackett and Nedal McLaren, the private prosecutors in the Elvin Penner case, have gone back to the Supreme Court to appeal his acquittal for the passport and immigration offences which they brought against him. They want Chief Justice Benjamin to overturn Magistrate Aretha Ford’s decision. She refused to call Allen Whylie, the Commissioner of Police, to disclose the police file into the investigation of the Citizen Kim Passport scandal. Today, when he met Whylie at a police event, we asked him if he is prepared disclose the police evidence in the case if the court orders him to: Daniel Ortiz "Are you prepared if that is the decision of the court to disclosure of information on the Penner investigation?" Allen Whylie - Commissioner of Police "That is a private matter as you said. The outcome will decide what ever takes place. I am a law officer, I will always obey the law and the court and that has nothing to do with me what is taking place. Whatever is decided will be complied."

American Tourist Says Police Chanced Him
An American is claiming that he was targeted and assaulted by San Pedro police because he is black! 33 year old New York resident Tracy Blount came to our studios today and told us that he traveled to Belize for his friend’s wedding last week. Buton Wednesday night, when he and his friends were celebrating at Daddy Rock’s Night Club on San Pedro, he claims that police escorted him outside and assaulted him. Here is his version.

Christian Ebanks Freed Of Firearm Charges
It made major news in May of last year when Christian Ebanks, was picked up by police on a firearm charge. But tonight, he’s out free of that charge here in Belize after he was acquitted in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. 7News was there when officers of the Gang Suppression Unit searched his house on Teachers Street, Belize City, and they found a concealed weapon. That meant that that he was charged with keeping an unlicensed firearm, and since then, he’s been facing Magistrate’s Court on that offence. The officer who searched his house testified that they found the weapon in shoved inside an oven. In his defence, Ebanks told the court simply that he told the court that he didn’t know that a gun was there. He told the court that at that time he was having marital problems with his now estranged wife, Amber Edwards and that on the day the incident occurred, she was the only one who knew that he was going to that house after he told her that he was ending their relationship.

Inside CDB Meeting In Barbados
It made major news in May of last year when Christian Ebanks, was picked up by police on a firearm charge. But tonight, he’s out free of that charge here in Belize after he was acquitted in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. 7News was there when officers of the Gang Suppression Unit searched his house on Teachers Street, Belize City, and they found a concealed weapon. That meant that that he was charged with keeping an unlicensed firearm, and since then, he’s been facing Magistrate’s Court on that offence. The Caribbean Development Bank held a press conference today in Barbados to review the economic performance of all 19 of its member countries for the year 2014. 7News was at the event in Barbados and Jules Vasquez found that Belize was at the top of the list:… Jules Vasquez Reporting…. This morning at the Hilton Barbados Resort in St. Michael, Barbados, president of the Caribbean Development Bank Dr. Warren Smith told media from throughout the region that the 19 member countries are rebounding:

How the Unrest in Venezuela Will Affect Belize
Presently, Venezuela is going through one of the most difficult periods in its history: a collapsing economy, soaring inflation, food shortages and a high murder rate are all converging in a sort of perfect political storm bearing down on President Nicolas Maduro. But, the Venezuelan government believes that the international media which have been covering the unrest, have been mischaracterizing it, working an agenda against their Bolivarian revolution. And, so the Venezuelan Ambassador in Belize went on a local offensive today to get his Government’s side of the unrest broadcasted. He says the sustained the unrest is a coup attempt by the Opposition to overthrow the Maduro Government. But, despite all that, the Ambassador told us today that Venezuela maintains it’s friendly relations with it’s allies, including Belize:

Improving Relations Between Police and Press
In the last few years, the working relationship between the media and police department has improved, but, as they say, it is a work in progress, building trust between these two social actors who always find themselves on opposite sides of the crime scene tape. With that in mind, the Police High command organized a 2-day workshop for all the commanders and deputy commanders of the police formations and precincts. Here’s what Police Commissioner Allen Whylie had to say to his high ranking officers about the importance of the session: Allen Whylie - Commissioner of Police "I'm pleased to see so many of you here this morning for what I believe is a very important 2 day workshop. It took sacrifice, and determination to say let's bring in all the district commanders and their deputy. I believe that this is a workshop that is very timely and very essential.

Deliver Your Weed By Airmail?
We’ve heard of getting high – but now it seems weed dealers are taking their drug packages higher than ever. On Monday afternoon, at around 2:00, police received information from Special branch that a parcel was flown in on a Tropic Air flight. Police searched the cargo area and officers found a brown box, which had been mailed from Corozal Town to San Pedro. Inside, they found police found 444.7 kilos – or just under a pound – of marijuana. Because police could not link it to anyone, the drugs were deposited as found property. Acting on Special Branch intelligence once again, police visited the Municipal Airstrip in Placencia, and they intercepted a domestic flight coming once again from Corozal Town.

Former BWS Employees Still Battling
After the attorneys for both sides deliver their written submissions to the Supreme Court, Justice Michelle Arana will consider whether or not the 6 former employees of Belize Water Services Limited were terminated without just cause. Viewers may remember that these 6 employees, Don Gillett, Colin Morrison, Charlette Barnett, Michael Novelo, Journett McKoy, and Mark Menzies were fired - officially - for redundancy, but they say it was really victimization, a purging of the ranks after emails and letters were circulated around about sex scandals happening within the company. Well, the case went back to court today for the last time, when BWS's attorney Julie-Ann Ellis Bradley successfully applied to recall one of the claimants, Charlette Barnett, to testify about a pair of meetings held in early October of 2012, the first between members of the company's in-house workers' union, and the other a committee meeting to discuss the union's proposals on salary scale adjustments after workers rejected the company's proposals.

Mek Mi Rich Says It Didn't Steal Intellectual Property
Last week, we told you how Dale Curtis Swasey sued BTL and the Mek Mi Rich Game show for intellectual property rights. He claims that as a Belizean entrepreneur, BTL broke a non-disclosure agreement and gave his idea of lottery texting to the owners of Mek Mi Rich. Well, On Tuesday, February 17, the company sent out a release. They said, quote, “MMR Belize Ltd. categorically denies all allegations of infringement upon intellectual property in a claim brought forth by Mr. Curtis Swasey. The allegations being made that MMR Belize Limited relied on the intellectual property or concepts of Mr. Swasey are completely false and baseless. On the 27th November, 2014 Curtis Swasey filed a claim against Belize Telemedia Limited, with MMR Belize Limited listed as a codefendant, for breach of confidence. MMR Belize Limited was alerted to the claim, however, was never served with a copy of the said claim

Breakfast For Lunch And Dinner?
Waffles for lunch anyone? Or how about freshly fried bacon and eggs? Well if you wouldn't mind those choices for your lunch break, the Memorial Park Dinner is the spot for you. It's a newly opened 24 hour dinner that serves breakfast all day. Today we caught up with one of the owners, restauranteur Ian Lizarraga and he told us what the idea behind it is. Courtney Weatherburne reports. Courtney Weatherburne Reporting… This white picket fence and these green bi-fold doors are not what you would normally see at an outdoor restaurant. But for this Belizean Dinner, that quaint look is exactly what sets it apart from others. And of course the service and unique food selections accomplish that as well.

CitCo's Land Giveaway To Employees
For the past 8 days, Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley has been under pressure from his opposition, PUP Mayoral Candidate Yolanda Schakron. He’s been accused of deflecting attempts to call him to task for his promises of transparency and accountability. And since it’s the election season, it was the perfect time for the press to find out that City Hall intends to give away land to its staff. So, before his opponent thinks to use it for political football the mayor discussed it with us today. So, how will this program work? Well, Central Government has given the City Council 50 acres of land at Mile 14 on the George Price Highway. A plot will be given each staff member who has worked for the council for 2 years. It’s a social program to reward the staff members, in a similar manner as the increment system which the staff got at the end of each year to for a salary increase. Bradley told us today, that neither he nor any of the councilors who are elected to office will be getting any:

Mayor Bradley Responds To Audit Questions From His Political Opponent
So, what about the audit issues which Mayoral Candidate Schakron keeps harping on? Well, as we told you, they are challenging all 3 audits which have been done of the council’s finances in the term that Darrell Bradley has served the city as mayor. In the 2011-2012 audit, the firm, Castillo, Sanchez and Burrell, gave City Hall’s finances an adverse opinion. The 2012-2013 Audit hasn’t been completed, and it is still in draft form. So, the PUP reason that since the first audit does not show confidence in the starting point of the Bradley term, then the 2013-2014 audit, the most recent one, cannot properly speak with accuracy of the end of Bradley’s term. He discussed the audits to us today, defending the council’s expenditure:

Channel 5

Missing Men Found in Shallow Grave on Ambergris Caye Hours After Report
There is a grisly double homicide making headlines tonight, following the discovery of a pair of bodies inside a shallow grave eleven miles north of San Pedro Town.  The bodies [...]

CitCo Audit Revisited, Mayor Bradley Responds to Media Grilling
Just two weeks before municipal elections, Mayor Darrell Bradley has come under some heat over the finances of the City Council. It’s all about the findings of an audit report [...]

Mayor Bradley on the Offensive When Asked About 2013 Audit
In the end, there was an agreement to disagree, respectfully. We’ve seen no 2013 audit, and neither has the Council, which in our books means there is no 2013 audit. [...]

Why Has CitCo’s Debt Ballooned to $47 Million?
We also asked about one line item in particular, listed in the 2014 audit. That’s the total debt of the City Council. In 2012, it’s listed as just over twelve [...]

COMPOL Whylie Quizzed on Penner Fiasco One Year Later
Today, News Five was at a media workshop involving senior police personnel, and Belize’s top cop was also in attendance. We took the opportunity to ask him about some pending [...]

Is There Still Bad Blood Between Police Department and DPP’s Office?
There has been a well-documented contention between the Police Department and the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Things came to a head with a memo written by Assistant [...]

Will Truck Driver Be Served Notice Following Tuesday’s Fatal RTA?
On Tuesday, an accident claimed the life of a U.S. tourist and left another hospitalized. The accident, which involved a small SUV and a tow head truck, collided around eleven [...]

Harvest Caye Development on Track for 2015 Tourism High Season
The controversy may have died down, but Norwegian Cruise Line cruise ship port on Harvest Caye in southern Belize is well underway. According to Director of Cruise and Regional Operations, [...]

Venezuelan Economy in Dire Straits, Ambassador Explains Media Misrepresentation
So while in southern Belize, there might be a boom due to cruise tourism, in Venezuela, the international media is reporting economic turmoil.  According to Ambassador Yoel del Valle Perez [...]

Will Belize Be Affected By Petrocaribe Quagmire?
In spite of its existing economic woes, Venezuela is yet to pull the plug on the Petrocaribe initiative.  The last shipment of premium fuel to Belize arrived in country in [...]

Payments for Petrocaribe Become Due Later This Year
The first tranche of payment to Venezuela for the Petrocaribe loan is due later this year.  That disbursement will bring to an end a two-year grace period granted to Belize [...]

Investigation Continues Into Corozal Robbery
On Friday, twenty-nine-year-old Mahesh Balani, a businessman of Corozal Town, was robbed at gunpoint of two hundred and forty thousand pesos, the equivalent of forty thousand Belize dollars.  The incident [...]

Minor Reportedly Raped Near Beach in Ladyville
A thirteen year old student of Ladyville, Belize District was reportedly sexually abused last Sunday afternoon. According to the girl, she and her friends went swimming in the sea behind [...]

Trio Acquitted of Murder in Santa Elena Shooting/Robbery
Three men were free of murder charge today when they appeared in Belmopan Supreme Court. Twenty-two year old Anthony Dennison, twenty-four year olds Traevon Williams and Denfield Tasher were acquitted [...]

Belizean Tour Operators Tom and Ivette Wilson Honored by Carnival Cruise Lines
Belize has been gaining recognition worldwide as a top tourist destination. Well tonight, there is one more to add as the leading tour operator for the Caribbean hails from Belize. [...]

CitCo Workers to Receive Parcels of Land
Earlier, we showed you Mayor Darrell Bradley engaged in the very spirited defense of the Council’s finances. But there’s more than that going on at the Council. Bradley is also [...]

Corozal Police Says Stay Alert for Kidnapping Attempts
It made big news at the end of January when news of child predators on the prowl in the north spread like wildfire. Schools were on alert and so were [...]

Kiosk In Front of Assembly Building is Dismantled
Residents in the capital city of Belmopan were up in arms about a wooden structure that was erected on reserve land near the market. Somehow, a clerk at the Belmopan [...]

Police Department Holds Media Training Workshop
Today, senior police officers from formations across the country gathered at Raccoon Street Headquarters for day one of a two-day media workshop. It’s an initiative by Commissioner of Police Allen [...]

Is There Turmoil Brewing Within the Belize Boxing Federation?
The dust seems to have settled at the Belize Body Building and Fitness Federation, but over at the Belize Boxing Federation, a storm is in the making.  Former member of [...]

…President Moses Sulph Responds to Allegations
We contacted the President of the Belize Boxing Federation, Moses Sulph, to comment on the state of the executive. He says that it boils down to a few people not [...]

CTV3

PM Accompany His Wife For Medical Treatment
Prime Minister of Belize, Honourable Dean Barrow, departed the country today to accompany his wife, Kim Simpliss Barrow for her medical visit, announced a release from his office today. The release states that in his absence, Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega will take over the reins of the country’s affairs. Barrow is scheduled to return to the country on Saturday, February 21st.

BFD Releases Lobster Statistics For 2014/2015
Following the closure of the Lobster Season on Sunday, the Belize Fisheries Department issued statistics from the 2014-2015 Season. BFD figures reveal a 0.45% decline in the total production when compared to that of the 2013-2014 season. The Spiny Lobster remains as one of the top marine exports for Belize, with earnings for the 2014-2015 season amounting to an estimated $15.2 Million Belize dollars. Fisheries recorded a total of 484,891 pounds of lobster being caught out of Belizean waters during this season. The 2014/2015 lobster fishing season is considered a good one and the fishery has remained relatively stable over the past 28 years within the production range of 400,000 – 600,000 pounds. In 2014, lobster catch landings amounted to 484,891 pounds, which represents a decline of merely 0.45% when compared to the 2013/2014 season when 487,066 pounds was produced.

Belize Ranked Among Top Foreign Retirement Haven For 2015
In the international scene, Belize was ranked among the top twenty “Foreign Retirement Havens for 2015” by Forbes Magazine. According to the travel and business publication, the list is non-ranked and the places named were chosen by considering factors such taxes and the cost of living. Other countries on the list include Philippines, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Portugal, and Uruguay. Earlier this year, Frommer’s Travel Guide picked Belize as one of 15 Most Tantalizing Travel Destinations for 2015!

COMPOL Not Too Concern About Penner's Appeal Case
The case against Cayo Northeast area representative and former Minister of State for Immigration and Nationality Elvin Penner has been appealed in court. The rare inferior court appeal was heard on February thirteenth but was adjourned to later this month. The appeal is being brought by Geovannie Brackett, president of Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) and advisor Nedal ‘Jihad’ McLaren, against Penner. According to Brackett and McLaren’s attorney Kareem Musa the appeal surrounds the analysis of section thirty of the Summary Jurisdiction (Procedure) Act under which they had applied to the Magistrate for the Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie to be summoned to court and deliver all evidence in his possession relating to the Penner and Kim scandal. Today the media asked the commissioner of police if he is prepared should the previous decision to not summon him to court is reversed. Here is a clip of what he responded, provided to us by our colleagues at KREM News.

Murders Gone Unsolved In Orange Walk
One year ago today, the decayed remains of Luis Moreno better known as “Patch” was found approximately half a mile in on a farm at Richman Hill, off the Guinea Grass Road. This was after he was reported missing fourteen days before he was found. As we’ve reported, Forensic Pathologist Dr. Mario Estradaband conducted the post mortem examination which concluded that the cause of death was chest trauma with a sharp instrument. Viewers may recall that at the scene where the human remains were found, Moreno’s sweater was riddled with slashes and from what the Estradaband could establish, Moreno was brutally beaten before he was fatally stabbed. Today, one year later that case has gone “cold” and no leads or arrests have been made since. Patch Moreno was the second homicide recorded in Orange Walk Town for 2014.

OWTC Officially Adopts Municipal Development Plan
The Orange Walk Town Council held an open council meeting last night during which they officially adopted the Municipal Development Plan for Orange Walk. The adoption of the plan is the last leg of the work that begun in 2013 through the Belize Municipal Development Project under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture. Keisha Rodriguez is the Urban Planning Officer and told us more about the project. Keisha Rodriguez – Urban Planning Officer, BMDP “We prepared the plan with the collaboration with the local planning working group here in Orange Walk as well as a consultant team, Institute for International Development, and us working at the ministry as well and really it was a of work and a lot of meetings and so forth so it is really Orange Walk’s plan and the people prepared the plan where the residence of Orange Walk town, we had stakeholders meetings and we meet with different sectors of the society here in Orange Walk and all of that contributed to what is in the development plan.”

Bodies Of Two Corozalenos Found Buried In Shallow Grave
The bodies of two Corozal residents were found shortly before midday today in a shallow grave 11 miles north of Ambergris Caye, according to the San Pedro Sun. The newspaper reports that police have identified the bodies. Benjamin Molina and Selvino Chi were found sometime around 11:40 this morning about 11 miles north of San Pedro Town. According to police the two were reported missing earlier today and police visited the area where they were last seen. Investigators were led to a blood trail and upon searching the area; came across a shallow grave. The grave was located about 150 feet away from the beach in a bushy area. While police have not released any further details, they believe it may be drug related. More in our subsequent newscast!

LOVE FM

Mayor Seeks to Distribute Land to Belize City Council Staff
The Belize City Council has an Employee Land Program which it had initiated last year with the coordination of the Ministry of Natural Resources. Fifty acres of land along mile 14 on the George Price Highway has been earmarked for distribution to the council’s employees who have been here for more than two years. Mayor Darrell Bradley explained. DARRELL BRADLEY “We want to give people a suitable parcel of land. We were looking at 100×90 parcels. We are seeing how many parcels we could get out of the 50 acres but one of the things for example I will give you one of the specific challenges that has arisen, the surveyor who is working with us indicated to us that there is part of the area that you have to leave for road reserve, there is part of it that you have to leave for public access, there is part of it that you have to leave for parks and different things like that and then there is part of the land because we have already done a walkthrough of the parcel which is land not suitable for housing development so that that determines how many parcels you can get out of the amount and then that determines how many years you are working with.

BSCFA Chairman Requests Retraction of New Registration
Two weeks ago attention was brought to a registration certificate of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers’ Association changing its status from a free membership organization to a company limited by guarantees. Following the revelation, executives of the BSCFA as well as the Chairman of the Belize Sugar Industry Control Board and even the Prime Minister, spoke against this action taken by a group of five members of the BSCFA. At a meeting of the BSCFA committee of management last week it was revealed that based on their investigation, former Vice Chairman of the BSCFA, Alfredo FRED Ortega, is behind the registration. Ortega granted us an interview where he admitted to being a part of the group who registered the association as a company limited by guarantees but explained the purpose of it was not to usurp administration of the institution but to protect its assets from “ministers” who had been persuading members of the BSCFA to abandon the association and form new organization and in the process leading to the disintegration and selling out of the BSCFA’s property. Following last week’s meeting, chairman of the BSCFA COM, Ezequiel Cansino explained they had sent a letter to Ortega and attorney Audrey Matura Shepard, who had facilitated the registration process, requesting both to retract the registration of the new company. We spoke today with Cansino who said they have received a reply from Matura but will not comment much on the matter as the issue is being dealt with by BSCFA attorney Chris Coye.

Police Commissioner Says Penner Investigation Is Completed
Last year Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin ordered that Commissioner Whylie investigate Elvin Penner after the People’s United Party successfully filed for a Writ of Mandamus. Whylie told the media that the Penner investigation has been completed. ALLEN WHYLIE “Investigation had to commence; it has continued; the passport was retrieved. I think we are at the stage where the investigation has been completed in terms of all the directives the Director of Public Prosecution had given to the police. As is the norm, that file will be sent back to the DPP, if it has not been sent already. Basically we are doing what the law says. Basically the law says the police have the authority to investigate and to lay charges and there are only two areas where the DPP should be consulted. But you also have to remember what the role is of the DPP’s office. It does not preclude the police from doing investigation, issuing the charges after sending files to the DPP office and that is what we are doing. Whether or not the DPP’s office accepts is another matter. “

To Testify or Not: Compol Awaits Court’s Decision
Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action, COLA, has kept its eyes on Elvin Penner after the private prosecution filed against him was thrown out simply because COLA’s attorney, Kareem Musa, had no first hand evidence to provide to the courts. Musa asked Magistrate Aretha Ford to summon the Commissioner of Police to testify as a key witness. Ford refused and dismissed the case. Her decision has been appealed and was to be heard last week but it was adjourned until next week Friday. We caught up with Commissioner of Police, Allen Whylie, at a police workshop and he briefly commented on the matter.

Police Seeks Rapist Following Minor’s Report in Rural Belize
A minor, in the company of her mother has filed a report of rape at the Ladyville Police Station in the Belize District. According to the 13-year-old girl, she had gone swimming on Sunday at around twelve thirty in the afternoon in the Vista del Mar area. She told investigators that she was in a secluded area and had already come out of the water when a man emerged from some bushes and had sexual intercourse with her against her will. A medical examination was conducted on the child and that has confirmed that the minor has been carnally known.

Missing Person Found in Shallow Grave on Ambergris Caye
A body was found in a shallow grave in an area about twelve miles north of San Pedro earlier today. Police are still on the scene as a doctor is being transported to the area then the body will be removed. Reports are that the body is that of a person that was reported missing today. We will have more on this story in our newscast on Thursday.

Elderly Woman Critical After Being Swooped Off Sidewalk by SUV
A 70-year old woman is in a critical condition tonight at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after she was swooped off a sidewalk on Bagdad Street in Belize City by an SUV, reportedly traveling above city speed limits. It was a traffic incident that brought out residents from their homes and drew the attention of passersby just before two o’clock this afternoon. According to reports a blue Toyota Highlander belonging to Chinese businessman, Xin Hua Zhu, owner of a store on Douglas Jones Street was being driven at the time by 19-year-old, Boyd Lopez, an employee. Lopez was traveling from Water Lane onto Bagdad Street heading toward Mosul Street … but some yards prior to reaching the intersection with Alexandria Street, he reportedly lost control of the vehicle.

PlusTV

Elderly woman knocked down in Belize City
On Wednesday afternoon around 1:32 p.m. according to Police, 19-year-old Boyd Lopez of a Belize City address was driving on Baghdad Street in a Toyota Highlander, when he lost control of his vehicle and knocked down a 70-year-old woman, who has been identified as retired educator Marie Knowles. Mrs. Knowles was walking on the sidewalk toward her Water Lane home when Mr Lopez’s vehicle, going in the opposite direction, struck her.

Elderly Man Knocked Down By Motorcycle on Hummingbird Highway
There was an accident Wednesday evening just outside of Belmopan on the Hummingbird Highway, just a couple Hundred yards below La Cabana. An elderly man, who lives near the creek close to La Choza, was crossing the highway when he was hit by an oncoming motorcycle. The man fell to the ground and was seriously injured, bleeding profusely, and with one of his legs almost amputated. The motorcyclist and his passenger, a female were also hurt in the collision, and all three were rushed to the Western Regional Hospital.

Complete Penner file going to DPP, says ComPol
On Wednesday, Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie confirmed to reporters in Belize City that the Police Department’s investigation into alleged wrong doings in the issuance of a Belize passport and Belizean nationality to Wong Hong Kim in 2013 has been completed. It comes at nearly one year since the Commissioner was ordered by Writ of Mandamus from Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin last March to continue and complete the investigation into the issuance of the passport and nationality to the South Korean national and accused fugitive, who was seeking Belizean status to avoid extradition from Taiwan, where he was being held in prison.

Bodies discovered in shallow grave on La Isla Bonita
Reports from La Isla Bonita are that the bodies of two men were discovered early on Wednesday, buried in a shallow grave about 12 miles north of San Pedro Town. Due to the state of decomposition authorities had to conduct an onsite post mortem. Police are withholding the names of the individuals until the family members can be properly informed. Information indicates that the two men were reported missing sometime before midday on Wednesday. Police continue investigations.

Controversial wooden structure will be removed from Belmopan green space
The construction of a small wooden structure on lot number 1127 or 1128 in the Belmopan Market Square raised some concerns as reports were that it was being built on a designated green space area, close to the National Assembly building. Construction began last two weeks and information was that someone who works at the City Council received permission to build a temporary structure in that area for private commerce. It caught the attention of PUP Senator and PUP Standard Bearer for Belmopan Patrick Andrews, who wrote to the Central Building Authority requesting that matter be looked into. The City Council says due process was taken; however because of the general concerns expressed by the Belmopan residents, the Belmopan City council met on Wednesday and decided to remove the structure from that area.

Male Teacher accused of sending nude photos to teenage boys
Police in Benque Viejo del Carmen are investigating reports that a male teacher allegedly sent nude pictures of himself to teenage male students. On Wednesday the teacher from Mopan Technical High School in Benque Viejo del Carmen was placed on administrative leave, while investigations continue into the allegations. Two police officers were present on Wednesday to witness the teacher leaving the compound, after he was served with the letter suspending him from duties. Pictures of the teacher in the nude began circulating on facebook on Wednesday, allegedly posted by the father of one of the teenage boys who showed his father the pictures.

13 year old girl raped in Ladyville
A 13-year-old girl reported being raped in Ladyville. According to police reports, the student of Ladyville Village visited the station in the company of her mother, and reported that on February 15 at about 12:30 p.m., she along with some friends went to bathe at sea just behind Vista Del Mar. She further stated that while out of the water and in a secluded area, a man came out of the bushes and had raped her. Medical examination was conducted on the minor, where the doctor certified that the minor has been carnally known.

BWS workers in court for final hearing
After final written submissions on March 6, Supreme Court Justice Michelle Arana is to consider the case of six former employees of Belize Water Services Limited (BWS), who say they were terminated by the utility company two years ago in February of 2013, in response to alleged improper behavior in facilitating the circulation of a series of salacious and unproven allegations made against various employees that sunk the company into a morass of bitter infighting, featuring threats against all levels of staff and Board members which were reported to Police. Concurrently, according to the testimony of top BWS executives, the company was deciding to implement redundancy as a cost-cutting measure after its rates were cut 7.2% by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), and department heads recommended the claimants for redundancy despite fair to good marks in their most recent performance appraisal in March of 2012.

Highway chase yields almost 2000 grams of cannabis
Four persons, including a 14 year old female minor were charged for Drug Trafficking. On February 14 at 7:00p.m., police intercepted a car on the George Price Highway heading to San Ignacio. However, while pursuing the car, an object was seen being thrown from inside the car. The vehicle was stopped and the occupants of the vehicle were identified as 31-year-old Jamaal Rupert Bennett and 31-year-old Astrid Alvarez both of Guadalupe Street, Belmopan, 21-year-old Keshawn Dennison, a Belizean Security guard of Gibnut Street, Belize City, and a 14-year-old female minor of Belize City.

Tortilla Vendor robbed in Belize City
A tortilla vendor was robbed in Belize City. On February 15, 40-year-old Francisco Mai Jr., a tortilla vendor and a resident of Albert Street, Belize City, reported that at about 11:20a.m, while he was on Lake View Street, Belize City he was approached from behind by four men of dark complexion. Two of the men were armed and both of them held a firearm to both sides of the vendor’s neck. They proceeded to rob him of $300.00bcy and a Motorola brand flip phone valued at $165.00bcy. The culprits then rode off in the direction of Vernon Street, and made good their escape.

87 year old man reported missing
An elderly man has been reported missing. 39-year-old Isai Mejia, Salvadoran National of Belize City reported that on February 13 at about 6:45a.m., he left home leaving his 87-year-old father, Jose Gregorio, a Salvadoran National of the same address, at home. Upon his arrival at 6:00 p.m., his father was nowhere to be found. Isai Mejia is 5 feet in height slim built, white straight hair, and was last seen wearing a green long pant and a T-shirt. Police investigation into the matter continues.

Court to consider no-case submission in Titan currency case
On Tuesday, Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer heard a submission of no case to answer from the attorney for Rohn Knowles and Kelvin Leach, the Bahamian executives of Titan International Securities, accused of failing to declare separate sums of U.S. currency in their possession totaling $12,300 on attempting to leave Belize in September of 2014, around the time that their firm and others were targeted as part of a U.S. federal indictment alleging billion-dollar securities fraud. In December when the case was heard before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer, a police officer who picked up both men from the Philip Goldson International Airport testified that the envelope he confiscated from Leach contained US$6,300 and 11 Belize dollars and was so labelled. A check of the envelope, however, failed to turn up the Belizean currency and Senior Magistrate Frazer declined to accept the envelope as evidence, because its integrity was compromised in her view.

Sexual Assault Allegations Against UB Professors
The University of Belize is currently dealing with allegations of sexual assault on students by three male employees of that institution. According to reports, on Tuesday morning flyers were being distributed on the Belmopan campus in which allegations against a male Dean and two male professors were made. The flyer lists three male employees of the schools as top sex offenders who prey on innocent students. We called the police department in Belmopan to find out if any police report was made about any such incidents connected to the named individuals on the flyer.

Senior attorney on hook for large land sale debt
On Monday, Ernest Staine, a senior member of Belize’s legal fraternity, came to the Supreme Court in an unfamiliar role. He is the defendant in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Forward in Faith Ministries and Rita McField, on whose behalf he had handled sale of a plot of land on Douglas Jones Street, Belize City, for the purposes of building a church. The total sale was for a quarter of a million dollars, the money held in an escrow account by Mr Staine. However, Mrs. McField as the seller received just $20,000 and the remaining $230,000 would be paid to her as seller on the completion of the land title in the middle of last year, but that came and went without payment.

Patrick Jones

ComPol says Penner passport investigation has been completed
Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie today confirmed to reporters in Belize City that the investigation into alleged wrong doings in the issuance of a Belize passport and Belizean nationality to Wong Hong Kim has been completed. According to Whylie, the case file is now complete and will be presented to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), if it has not already been so presented. This is coming up on one year since the Commissioner was ordered by Writ of Mandamus from Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin to continue and complete the investigation into the issuance of a passport and Belizean nationality to South Korean national and accused fugitive Won Hong Him.

Police department holds senior officers’ training in Belize City
This morning the Police Department in Belize City hosted Formation Commanders and Deputy Formation Commanders for a two-day training concerning improving communications with the media. At this morning opening ceremony, Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie said that Formation Commanders and Deputy Commanders are free and invited to speak with reporters on critical issues related to crime in their respective district. Belize City’s Eastern Division already has its own community and public relations unit to address such matters.

Belmopan Baptist High School takes part in World English Experience
The Belmopan Baptist High School is embarking on a bold new initiative … and they need your help to make it happen. The school is sending a contingent of students to take part in a World English Experience, an initiative which brings together high school students from around the world to immerse themselves in the English Language.

Blogs

Holy Cross Belize kicks into high gear
I will always be grateful for the education I received volunteering at Holy Cross school way back when we first turned up. It has paved the way for me to work work with our fantastic crew and help implement San Pedro Belize Red Cross volunteer vacations, a very exciting new chapter in our book (and a big part of my mind movie) :) The school was a great role model to me and I enjoyed many amazing times there. Even though I may not write about them as much these days, Holy Cross and San Mateo area beside it are still strong in my heart. I think about them a lot and quietly work towards hopefully helping being one of the grains of sand make a difference in that area one day. Thankfully for San Mateo residents and kids, Holy Cross School has always cultivated and enjoyed the benefits of attracting a wide range of groups that wanted to Volunteer in Belize and make a difference as you will see below.

Junior Buddy’s 8th Birthday Party at the Belize Zoo: My Chance to High Five a Jaguar AND Be A Jaguar
The Belize Zoo educates kids around the country but yesterday, they brought two schools to the zoo to meet the “ambassador jaguar” – Junior Buddy – and to celebrate his birthday. I snuck right over to see Junior Buddy, the birthday boy. 8 years old…I saw him as a cub when I first visited the zoo in November 2007 with my family. His mom, Springfield, was captured, pregnant, sick and killing sheep in Springfield village and brought to the zoo. She still lives in the enclosure right next to her son.

Wondering what to do in Belize?
Whether you are on vacation or live here, having fun and getting fit are 2 great options and there are no shortage of places to do either. A bit of fun first Although I did not attend any of the evening Carnival Celebrations I have been enjoying catching bits and pieces of the early festivities while running errands. Below is a fun picture I snapped the other day when I picked up my bread maker from Pelican Properties. I also got to see the Comparsa dancers that night see tacogirl.com facebook page for picture. I missed the party last night due to work but you can catch some pics and some funny commentary on Reset and Restore Belize blog sometime soon.

Factory Farming – It’s coming to Belize
I watched Food Inc when it was released and it is important to watch. I have asked media houses in Belize to air this so people understand what is happening around them. I know you have heard the terms GMO or Organic Food; you may have even heard of Factory Farming. If you have not heard about these you may be asking what this is about. Intensive animal farming or industrial livestock production, also called factory farming, is a modern form of intensive farming that refers to the keeping of livestock, such as cattle, poultry (including in “Battery cages”) and fish at higher stocking densities than is usually the case with other forms of animal agriculture — a practice typical in industrial farming by agribusinesses. The main products of this industry are meat, milk and eggs for human consumption. There are issues regarding whether factory farming is sustainable and ethical. PETA has this article on Factory Farming. Watch the documentary now and please share with as many people as you know so they too may know. These things are coming to Belize, in fact you may have seen some already depending on where you live. Choose wisely as you shop.

The best places to go Scuba Diving in Belize
Approximately 3 years ago I was vacationing in Caye Caulker and I ran into my high school friend ILya Rosado. I hadn’t seen him in a while and to my surprise he had fallen in love with scuba diving and was now a dive master, working towards becoming a dive instructor. Due to his passion for the sport, I asked him to share on this blog, his experience of learning to dive, so that tourists could see what it was like. I was so impressed by his article that I quickly asked for more. I am regularly bombarded by readers requesting what are the top dive sites in Belize, and therefore my plan was to get enough articles to share this information. Three years later…here’s the article. Thanks for your patience. BTW: Ordinary lists like to include the Blue Hole as the number one place to go diving in Belize but ILya was clear to state that it is not! …Continue reading and you will find out why. 1. Half Moon Caye Wall 2. Long Caye Aquarium 3. Esmeralda Canyons 4. Great Blue Hole 5. Gladden Spit

International Sources

Car crash in Belize kills Twin Cities woman on Valentine's trip
A Twin Cities couple on a Valentine’s weekend cruise in the Caribbean met with tragedy during a port of call in Belize, where a traffic crash left the woman dead and the man hospitalized with injuries, a family member said Wednesday. Theresa L. Meuers, 55, of Minneapolis, died in the midday Tuesday collision while traveling to an inland community about 45 miles from the Yucatán Peninsula’s Caribbean coast, according to Emily Meuers, the woman’s niece. An extensive news report by a Belize television station from the scene said the couple’s taxi was about to turn and had pulled over to the right to first allow a semitrailer truck hauling oranges to pass. However, the truck hit the taxi, an SUV, from behind.

How Many People Visited Belize in 2014
Belize received 321,217 stopover tourist arrivals in 2014, according to year-end data released by the Caribbean Tourism Organization. The Central American country on the coast of the Caribbean Sea saw a strong 9.2 percent improvement compared to 2013. That made Belize among the fastest-growing destinations in the Caribbean region, surpassed only by the Cayman Islands, Aruba, Grenada, Haiti and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Belize’s totals were buoyed by a strong winter season that was 12.4 percent higher than the same period in 2013. On the cruise side, Belize saw a significant growth rate of 42.9 percent that was also among the highest in the region. In total, 677,350 cruise passengers stepped foot in Belize.

The White Sand Beach P*rn You Need Right Now
It's never wrong to daydream about white, sandy beaches and crisp, aqua waters. But when it's cold, slushy, and there's four feet of snow out your window, well, those thoughts take on an entirely new voyeuristic value. And if Fifty Shades of Grey taught anyone anything (it didn't, really), it's not to be embarrassed by your inner desires. Embrace them. If you're cruising the Internet for a steamy, full-frontal ocean shot to carry you through the dismal winter months, then take a look at these sexy BILFs (Beaches I'd Like to Frequent). Laughing Bird Caye Belize: This island national park is perfect for people who love to go down... diving. Laughing Bird Caye is the southernmost island in the Belize Barrier Reef and is full of colorful marine life and coral. There's no place to stay on the Caye itself -- you'll have to stay in nearby Placencia Village. But if you're looking for the perfect one-night stand of beaches, this is it. Best features: Diving; bird-watching Order now: Daily flights run between Belize City and Placencia. From there, hire a boat out to the caye.

Tamera Mowry Celebrates Her Pregnancy With a Babymoon!
Who’s pregnant and wearing a red polka-dot swimsuit? That would be Tamera Mowry-Housley! The mama-to-be is kicking back in Belize during a babymoon with husband Adam Housley as they celebrate their second pregnancy. The co-host of daytime talk show The Real is currently expecting a second baby — a girl! — so it’s only right that she have a chance to sit back, relax, and glow in a tropical getaway. “Belize, oh how I love thee!” Tamera captioned her selfie on February 16. The 36-year-old went on to share yet another snapshot of the pool and beach saying, “Thanks @adamhousley for an amazing #babymoon #Belize.” It sure looks like a great time!

Fortis Releases 2014 Annual Results
Fortis Inc. ("Fortis" or the "Corporation") (FTS) released its 2014 annual results today. Net earnings attributable to common equity shareholders for 2014 were $317 million, or $1.41 per common share, compared to $353 million, or $1.74 per common share, for 2013. Excluding the impact of non-recurring items in 2014 and 2013, described further below, net earnings attributable to common equity shareholders for 2014 were $407 million, or $1.81 per common share, an increase of $63 million, or $0.11 per common share, from $344 million, or $1.70 per common share, for 2013. In December 2014 Fortis increased its quarterly common share dividend to 34 cents from 32 cents, commencing with the first quarter dividend payable on March 1, 2015, which translates into an annualized dividend of $1.36. Fortis has raised its annualized dividend to common shareholders for 42 consecutive years, the record for a public corporation in Canada.

Videos

February 18, 2015

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
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The San Pedro Sun

Stretch it out with Pilates at Zen Arcade
Zen Arcade offers a variety of classes throughout the day, including Yoga and Pilates, Guided Meditation, and more. I was convinced by a friend to take a Pilates class with the bubbly and energetic instructor Rose Alcantara. Saturday at 10AM, on the rooftop of the Zen Arcade building. Ambitious, I cycled to Zen then climbed the two flights of stairs to meet the rest of the gang for some core workout. This is not your average bedroom practice people. A combination of cardio and stretching, Saturday’s class is more invigorating and designed to leave you sweating and breathing heavy! Each one of us was assigned a card with a move to practice for two minutes, followed by a minute of heart-pumping free-style movements. I saw Adam dancing, Ruthie shaking her thang, and I tried some jumping jacks and squats before just wiggling my booty like them. What fun!

San Pedro and Bacalar take first steps towards Sister City Relationship
The letter of intent was signed under the prospective of a lateral relationship between the two communities to foster integrity and sincerity in both municipalities. The privileges of the agreement will facilitate a beneficial relationship between Mexico and Belize, specifically, between Bacalar and San Pedro. In order for the intent to develop into the actual Sister City relationship, both municipalities need to create conditions to promote the exchange of tourism, agriculture, sports, health and other sectors of main concern. “I would like to thank the community of San Pedro for allowing us the opportunity to visit this island. While here on the island, we have received nothing but hospitality and warm welcomes. We have paved the pathway to unite our two beautiful communities. History proves that Belize and Mexico has always had an outstanding relationship, and we will continue to keep it that way. Our communities are very similar in culture and traditions. We hope that the signing of this document will only strengthen those bonds even more,” said Mayor Contreras Méndez.

Meet your San Pedro Mayoral Candidates
Name: Dr. Giovanni Solórzano Representing Party: PUP. What do you understand to be the responsibility of the Mayor and town council? What do you think is the single most important task you will have to do as Mayor? The single most important thing to do as a Mayor is to dedicate oneself to the progress for a better San Pedro. Some of the main responsibilities include the maintenance of streets, parks, infrastructure, a cohesive master plan for the development of the town, appropriate garbage disposal, sports and youth activities, social issues , and traffic regulation, most importantly we would like to deliver these activities with a new and innovative perspective.
Name: Daniel Guerrero Representing Party: UDP. What do you understand to be the responsibility of the Mayor and town council? What do you think is the single most important task you have done as a mayor? The responsibility of the mayor and council is endless because we work 24 hours around the clock always involved in almost everything. However, we can summarize it as ensuring that our garbage is picked up, thus making sure our municipality is kept clean, improvements made to our parks and playgrounds, ensure that our beaches are well kept, ensure that we improve our infrastructure and work towards improving the quality of life our people for them to live in a healthy and crime free environment. However, the single most important task is to ensure we can fiscally the affairs of the municipality. All the activities we carry out hang around a cost. We have to ensure that we properly account or our income and expenditure because without proper accounting, things can become catastrophic for any council.

Ambergris Today

Dedicated Comparsa Street Dancers Keep San Pedro Carnaval Alive
Only three groups of comparsas (Street Dancers) made it out to the streets of San Pedro for Carnaval this year; they are the loyal group of committed dancers and Carnaval enthusiasts of Doña Flora’s Group, the San Pedro AIDS Commission and the Barbies men’s group. Day two of Carnaval in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, was heightened by the dance presentations of these three amazing groups. When you take a closer look at the intricate costumes these groups come up with, closely listen to the song lyrics and see how passionately they dance for hours through the streets of downtown, you get to appreciate the dances even more. Laugh at the lyrics and crazy dancing until your belly hurts and follow the comparsas down the streets as every time there is something new or a surprise on hand. It’s a great part of Carnaval in San Pedro.

Misc Belizean Sources

Stolen Boat on Ambergris Caye
Last night at approx. 5:30 am a 38'-0" Boat was stolen from the North Tres Cococs Area from the dock. Grand Caribe Security spotted the boat traveling north. Boat is an older used WHITE hull and looks like an older " Coastal Ferry STYLE " with a cover over the passenger area and a stand up helm. Boat name is " Sea Prowler " and it has graphic drawings of LIONFISH painted on the sides. Has twin 200 hp Yamahas with charcoal grey engine covers.

BOLEDO DRAWING for Monday, February 16, 2015: 42

Corozal House of Culture Third Anniversary Open House
Join us one week today as we celebrate our 3rd anniversary! We are honoured to have the Institute of Social and Cultural Research with us to unveil three new additions of the Belize Heroes and Benefactor's Exhibit, including Corozal's very own living legend Jesus Ken

Juan Carnaval Presentation
A great turn out and great thanks to all who attended the Juan Carnaval Presentation yesterday. It was an entertaining night of traditional celebration. Thank you to the COLCHA Committee and everyone involved in so many ways with making this event a success. Performers: Students from the Corozal Junior College, Our Lady of Guadalupe RC and San Narciso RC Schools, Xaibe Nicte Ha Children's Group, Roy Rodriguez, and Mistress of Ceremonies Joanna Magana. Our sponsors: COLCHA, Corozal Town Council, Bowen and Bowen and the Department of Youth Services. We are truly looking forward to next year when we invite the community to participate in the various traditional activities on the streets of Corozal Town!!

Wildtracks Update: Some weeks are super positive
and this last week has been one of those - after struggling with an unreliable vehicle for the past six months or more (off the road more often than on), we finally have a roadworthy vehicle that fits all our needs! It has the capacity for carrying up to a medium-sized manatee, or four large (spider monkey-sized) kennels without having to resort to carrying them in a truck pan, open to the elements. A major step forward, and doubly so for ensuring we won't break down on the road while transporting endangered species around the country.

Southside Poverty Alleviation Project - Phase 2
Government of Belize Press Office

Belmopan Active Youths New Website
The Belmopan Active Youths have a new website, and it looks good. You can read all about what they do, and even volunteer to be part of their amazing team. Thanks, BAY for doing all you've done for the youths. "With a mission to EDUCATE, ENGAGE and EMPOWER the youths of Belmopan and its surrounding communities, since its inception, BAY has and continues to impact and invest in youths through the development of positive programs and recreational activities. To date, the organization has engaged over six hundred young people through its various programs including the BAY Marching Band and Dance Group, its Community Park Rehabilitation Program, its Youth Drug Demand Reduction Project and most recently its Job Creation and Entrepreneurship Development Project."

Jaguars Announce Player Selection
The Jaguars will be hosting Grand Cayman on March 25th as part of the 2018 World Cup qualification rounds. They've released the roster, and Cayo has quite a few great players on there. They'll have the home field advantage since they'll play at the FFB Stadium. Practice hard! "Good morning! Please note the Press Release attached. Who is excited for this upcoming match?! Go Belize!"

BOLEDO DRAWING for Tuesday, February 17, 2015: 99. FANTASY 5: 37 5 38 3 23 N

Sarteneja Nazarene Primary School
Our preschool won second place in the Early Childhood Preschool Story Telling national competition. Congrats to teacher Pablito Canul.

CET vs SHJC Football for pre Valentine's Day
In honor of Valentine's Day, SHJC hosted CET for a friendly game of football, and they had a chocolate fountain there dispensing treats. SHJC won the match, 4 - 2.

Belize History Association Logo Design Competition

Feb 7 - Feb 13 2015 Belize Fishing Report
First bonefish ever kudos go to husband/wife teams: Marilyn and Gordon, Jeff and Beth, Pat and Sibyl, Mike and Dana. Returning guests Nick, Carl, Mike, and Bill all had their way with the bonefish surrounding Ambergris. Todd and friend Steve arrived late in the week and were greeted by some friendly bonefish on their first day out. Sharon was visiting from NYC for a few days to learn this saltwater fly-fishing and started on a tough day with North winds that seemed to give our bonefish a bit of lockjaw. Captain Erlindo and Sharon had a school of a thousand fish that just wouldn't bite despite changing flies, lengthening leaders and the like. Some 6-7 pound bonefish were caught while reef fishing!!! There are some big ones on the ocean side.

Old Embassy cables
Treasure trove of historical US Embassy cables on Belize here dating back to 1973.

FCD management plan implementation effectiveness
FCD has started an evaluation of its management plan implementation effectiveness for the period 2009-2014 together with Forest Department and FCD staff. This assessment will help in the definition of its next management plan for the Chiquibul National Park.

Channel 7

Fatal Accident On Western Highway Claims The Life of American Tourist
There was a fatal accident just after midday today on the Western Highway at mile 37 which claimed the life American Teresa Lyn Mueres and which has put her companion, American Samuel Shulte in the hospital. Police have not released official information as yet, because they are still taking statements from the parties, but we have managed to speak with eyewitnesses who saw how the accident unfold. The two were on a tour with guide Leon Rodriguez, who works for the Big John Taxi and Tour Company. They were on their way to Jaguar Paw in a blue SUV. Reportedly, Rodriguez had already been signaling that he intended to turn into the Jaguar Paw Road. He pulled off to the side, and was waiting for the 18 wheeler truck, which was carrying oranges, to pass behind him, but somehow the driver of the truck lost control of the vehicle. The truck rear-ended the SUV and the force of the impact crushed from behind. The accident ended with the truck overturned on the highway and the SUV in a mangled wreck in the drain. Mueres, who reportedly was in the backseat, died as a result of the collision. Our news team was on the scene about an hour and a half later, and here's what they found when they arrived:

Ernest Staine's Continued Legal Difficulties
2 week ago, news broke that 77 year-old Ernest Staine, one of the most senior legal practitioners in the country, was in trouble of being jailed for contempt of court. That's because he has 230 thousand dollars for Rita McField - the proceeds from a land transaction. Staine was holding the money in escrow on behalf of a client for McField. He was supposed to release it when the land title was cleaned up. That happened in the middle of 2014, but he didn't hand over the money. Now almost half a year has passed and he still hasn't handed it over. Supreme Court Justice Courtney Abel gave him until the end of January to hand over the money - and still, nothing was forthcoming. Well, he's since complied with the court's order to disclose his finances, and it doesn't paint a picture of confidence that he still has McField's money. Today, her attorney spoke with us outside of court and explained why:

No Case Submission For Titan Securities Owners
Bahamians, Rohn Knowles and Kelvin Leach, who were shoved under the public lens because of a billion-dollar securities fraud allegation brought by the US Government, have been battling their case against the Belizean Law enforcement, which was believed to be a holding charge while the Belizean government cooperated with the US Government to try to get them extradited to face grand jury charges in that country. That charge is failing to declare funds over 10 thousand dollars, and according to the Police and the Immigration Officers, these men had cash in amounts above that limit when they tried to leave the country on a chartered flight last year in September. Their case has been ongoing before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer, and so far, the FIU prosecutors couldn't get the cash they supposedly had in their possession admitted into evidence.

The Continued Shouting Match Between Bradley And Schakron
Last night, we showed you the back and forth between the Belize City Mayoral Candidate, incumbent Darrell Bradley, and Aspirant Yolanda Schakron. The PUP's candidate was challenging the Mayor, and pressuring him to make further disclosures in relation to the audits of the last 3 years of his term in elected office. As you saw, Mayor Bradley was intolerant of the criticism from the Opposition, and he summed it up as mere politicking from the other side, to try to create controversy where there is none. So, what did Schakron think of the mayor's flat out dismissal of her concerns as a politician? Well, we caught up with her at another event, and she discussed it with us: Yolanda Schakron, PUP Mayoral Candidate - Belize City "The personal attacks that he does against me doesn't move me. It doesn't bother me. The thing is that Darrell said a lot last night, but he did not answer the questions."

How The Municipals Will Determine the Political Landscape
politicians up at night - and they do their best to minimize that X factor. Most of the time that means trying to convince themselves that their own mantras are the gospel truth - and on election day, one of them will be proven right, either through political prescience or just plain dumb luck. But what are those mantras? We asked both mass party leaders on nomination day. The leader of the opposition said it's about the change, while the Prime Minister said it's about transformation:.. Hon. Francis Fonseca, Leader of the Opposition "Everywhere we go and I think people are receptive. People want to be a part of this change. So, I really believe that the change will begin as I keep saying, it will begin on March 4th and will continue through to the general election. I really believe that people are concern about the direction the country is headed. I think they want to be a part of the change."

Drainage Works Coming Under Southside Poverty Alevation
The Lakeview area in the city will be transformed under the Southside Poverty Alleviation Project-Phase 2. The main focus of this project is drainage but it also covers a broader scope of works. Francis Woods from CISCO Construction, discussed how this project will increase convenience for motorists and uplift the aesthetic quality in the area. Francis Woods from CISCO Construction "This project is focusing mainly on drainage, lining the canals, it's very similar to what we did on North Creek and it will widen the street. You will have two way parking and two way traffic on both sides, including several pedestrian bridges and one bridge across along Ebony Street - that will go across this particular canal behind me. It will be major improvements for this area. The job that we have right now is Lake View canal, which is from Vernon Street up towards Cemetery Road, from Vernon Street down to the Haulover River and then Trench Town, which is close to Sadie Vernon School."

The Spittle Bug's Deceiving Secretions
It wasn't snowing in Ladyville after all. BAHA representatives inspected the cotton tree in Ladyville today and confirmed that it was the spittlebug's secretion or "spittle mass" as it is referred to; NOT ice. According to them, these bugs attack mostly plants and agricultural crops. BAHA's Entomologist, Adriano Vasquez discussed the extent of damage they cause to crops and what can be done to eliminate these bugs: Spittlebugs or "El Salivaso" as they are referred to in the North, also attack sugar cane crops. Hosing down the tree or plant along with common pesticides will get rid of these bugs. There are thousands of species of spittlebugs and one that is a common threat to Craboo and Soursop trees is the plant hopper. They also cause extensive damage to plants. As a final note, the spittle mass has also been spotted on a tree in Jamaica, misleading people into thinking it was ice. According to an online news site entitled RJR NEWS, the mass or frothy substance was seen on a branch of a Dogwood Tree in Trelawny, Jamaica…

PUP Cleanup Attempt In Port Loyola
In our last segment, we showed you Yolanda Schakron's reaction to the Mayor's comments on the news last night. Bradley called her out for being insincere and only raising this issue now to gain political mileage. Well, her critics in the political circles may have been hard on her today when they saw that she and her team were out in Port Loyola along with Gilroy Usher on a cleanup campaign. Here's what she had to say about it. About 30 residents participated in the cleanup campaign.

The Vision For Belize City Council 2015
And before we go tonight, our last story is on what the two parties are offering to the voters of Belize City to think about between now and March 4. When Schakron was asked about her plans for the city if she was elected Mayor, she responded with these comments: Of course, Mayor Bradley is confident of his chances, so confident in fact, that he was willing yesterday to declare that Belize City residents will return him to office, even with the PUP's best efforts to unseat him. Here's his bold assertion:

Channel 5

Supreme Court Orders Senior Counsel Ernest Staine to Pay Off Monies Owed
No legal professional in Belize’s history has ever been incarcerated for misappropriation of money entrusted to them by clients, but this morning senior attorney, Ernest Staine, almost became the first. [...]

Bar Association Provides Legal Representation for Embattled Lawyer
With the facts of the case on display, the court appears to have little sympathy for a member of the legal fraternity who has committed serious wrong. And certainly, Staine [...]

Claimant’s Attorney Unimpressed with Staine’s Defense
As we told you earlier, today attorney Ernest Staine appeared unconcerned by the very real threat of prison time. Until just days ago, he had failed to obey orders of [...]

Eamon Courtenay Says General Legal Council is Dysfunctional
The accusation levied against Staine is by no means a rare one where attorneys are concerned. Traditionally, those complaints against attorneys should be taken before the General Legal Council, the [...]

American Tourist Perishes In RTA on George Price Highway
Before noon today, a delivery truck from the Hummingbird Citrus Limited Two- farm collided with a small SUV at mile thirty-one on the George Price Highway. One of three persons [...]

Do you believe there are irregularities in the finances of City Hall?
And tonight’s question is: Do you believe there are irregularities in the finances of City Hall?  Send your comments and responses using your SMART phones to 8686 or post your [...]

Christian Ebanks Acquitted of Firearm Offence…
Belize City businessman Christian Ebanks remains a free man tonight, following the dismissal of a single charge of unlawful possession of a firearm.  The charge was brought against the forty-year-old [...]

…Extradition Matter Still Pending
In court this afternoon, Ebanks testified that on the night before the GSU sting he was involved in a bitter dispute with his wife during which he informed her that [...]

Attorney for Bahamians Kelvin Leach and Rohn Knowles Says FIU Messed Up
Also in the Magistrate’s Court, Bahamians Kelvin Leach and Rohn Knowles were today back before Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer. The Financial Intelligence Unit is contending that the men tried to [...]

Territorial Volunteers Encounter Illegal Guatemalan Fishermen Near Sarstoon
With sustained incursions by Guatemalan poachers into Belizean territory, along its terrestrial borders, a year-round issue for local law enforcement, military and coastguard patrols in the waters off southern Belize [...]

Guatemalan Military Patrol Also Within Belize’s Territorial Waters
According to Maheia, despite reporting the incident to local authorities, very little is being done to increase police and military presence in the area of the Sarstoon River.  In fact, [...]

Schakron Says She is Undaunted By Mayor Bradley’s Personal Attacks
On Monday, P.U.P. Mayoral Candidate, Yolanda Schakron, who is seeking to unseat U.D.P. Mayor Darrell Bradley in Belize City, held a press conference saying there are flaws in the audit [...]

A New Belize City Under Mayor Yolanda Schakron?
This morning, we also took the opportunity to ask the aspiring mayoral candidate about her plans for the city, if she is elected to office.   Yolanda Schakron, P.U.P. Mayoral [...]

Mek Mi Rich Responds to Allegations of Infringement of Intellectual Property
MMR Belize Limited which is the parent company of the television game show, Mek Mi Rich, is denying allegations of infringement upon intellectual property in a claim brought by Curtis [...]

Arson Suspected in Roaring Creek Fire
A man’s house was burnt down and he lost all his belongings in a fire on Monday. By the time the neighbors called for the fire truck, the structure and [...]

Corozal Businessman Robbed of Forty Thousand Dollars in Cash
A Corozal businessman of Indian extraction was robbed of a significant sum of money on Friday evening.  While the incident has flown below the radar, twenty-nine-year-old Mahesh Balani was relieved [...]

Placencia Police Bust Weed Shipment on Tropic Air Flight
In news from the south…Placencia Police intercepted a package containing weed at the airstrip in that municipality. Based on Special Branch intelligence, officers searched a package that arrived this morning [...]

P.U.P. Mayoral Candidate Cleans Up the Old Capital
Mayoral Candidate, Yolanda Schakron today teamed up with Port Loyola standard bearer for the P.U.P., Gilroy Usher Senior, and took to the streets of south side Belize City for a [...]

Tumor Patient Efrain Alvarado Needs Your Assistance for Treatment
The family of eleven year old Efrain Alvarado needs your help. He was first hospitalized back in October for chest pains and was later diagnosed with a minor tumor, for [...]

CTV3

River Hills Christian Church Empowers Women In Corozal District
A group of professional health care providers and missionaries are in Belize providing much needed assistance to Belizeans in the north. The missionary group from River Hills Christian Church from Ohio, USA are offering medical assistance and empowering women from the village of San Pedro in the Corozal District. Nancy Brokamp – Missionary Leader “Our mission trip is from River Hills Christian Church, Cincinnati Ohio, and we come down every year as a medical mission trip basically, the sowing was an off shoot of that trip, we started here about three or four years ago with one women and now we have a group of fifteen and we invited women from Louisville to come in and also learn how to sow, so they are here with us today we have a group of about twenty three.”

Belize Met Service Conducts National Climate Outlook Forum
Variation in climate influence directly or indirectly affects human activities in either experiencing losses or benefits. Understanding and making effective use available of climate information is therefore critical to ensure efficiency and sustainability. Without a doubt Climate Change is an important topic and with that in mind, today the Belize National Meteorological Service, in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization and Environment Canada, hosted the Second National Climate Outlook Forum at the ITVET conference room in Corozal Town. Dennis Gonguez, Chief Meteorological Officer at the Belize Met. Service, spoke today on the status of the service and its five components of the Global Framework for Climate Services and how the National Meteorological Service is fostering the developments and advancements of these components locally.

Strange Formation Observed In Orange Walk
There was a report made on one of the Belize City media last night about an icicle like formation on a tree branch in Ladyville Village which probably sent many Belizeans looking up their trees. Today, we report another strange looking formation on a tree in a family’s backyard that resembles the one featured in the media last night. This time though, that was found in Orange Walk. The family did not want to comment on camera but they did say that they came across this white substance by accident. Someone was pinning some clothes out and felt water drops on her forehead and looked up. Upon closer inspection of the branches on this very tall fig tree, the woman spotted the limb which was dripping. Below, on the lawn, the drips have dampened bricks.

Shell Conducts Annual End Of Year Give Away
Today, four winners selected in the grand end of the year fuel promotion held at Shell One Stop Service Station walked into the service office to collect their prizes. The promotion which is an annual event was kicked off on December of last year and closed on February of this year. For every 30 dollars spent on Shell Fuel purchased at any shell gas station countrywide, customers received a coupon to fill out. This year, all winners hail from the Orange Walk District and we got to speak to the Sales Executive and some of the winners.

Post Mortem REveals Cause Of Death To Be Due To A Fracture Skull
Yesterday we told you about a hit and run incident that left one Orange Walk teen dead and tonight, police are no closer to solving the puzzle of “who did it”. As we reported, sometime around 6:45am police visited mile marker 61 where they saw 19-year-old Christian Javier Villalobos, Belizean of Narajal Street Louisiana Area, lying face up with head and body injuries apparently dead. Police have concluded that Villalobos was walking on the Highway when he was hit from behind by a vehicle traveling in the same direction which did not top to rendered aid.

PlusTV

Belize City men arrested and charged for unlicensed ammunition
Two Belize City men were arrested and charged for possession of unlicensed ammunition. According to police reports, on February 14 at 11:30 a.m., police were on mobile patrol on East Collet Canal, where they conducted a search on a blue Ford 4-Door Pick-Up truck, and searched the occupants of the vehicle. They are 23-year-old Oliver Anthony Sutherland of an East Collet Canal address, and 24-year-old Oscar Avilez of an Albert St address.

Arson suspected in Roaring Creek Fire
On Monday we reported about a fire incident that gutted a single bedroom apartment at noon time in the San Martin Area Belmopan. Well just before our news time on Monday, we received reports of another fire this one in the Village of Roaring Creek. According to reports at around 5:30 Monday evening, neighbours saw a fire rising from a wooden bungalow house in the Another World Area, Roaring Creek Village. Neighbours also reported seeing a person running away from the house. The authorities were alerted of the fire; however when they arrived at the scene the house was completely burnt down.

Fatal Hit and Run Accident in Orange Walk
There was a fatal traffic accident early Monday morning on the Phillip Goldson Highway. It happened between Miles 61 and 62 on the Phillip Goldson Highway, Orange Walk District, where 19-year-old Christian Javier Villalobos was the victim. Christian, a Belizean of Orange Walk Town, was found on the highway lying face up with head and body injuries apparently dead. Initial investigation revealed that while Mr Villalobos was walking on the Highway, he was hit from behind by a vehicle traveling in the same direction which did not stop to rendered aid.

American National perishes on George Price Highway
Belmopan police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal traffic accident at the Jaguar Paw Junction on the George Price Highway, that caused the death of American citizen 56 year old Teresa Lin Neuer. At around midday, hundreds of oranges littered the road in front of the Jaguar Paw Junction, about 36 miles on the George Price Highway. This Western Star brand 18 wheeler truck transporting an estimated 675 bags of oranges belonging to HAL 2 flipped on its side spilling all its contents. Inside the truck were Miguel Angel Arriaza Jr, the driver of the 18 wheeler, and Emil Lisbie, who was on the passenger’s side. He received a large cut wound to the head. But the worst part of the accident was found behind this large 18 wheeler cargo truck.

Robbers in Corozal make off with thousands of dollars
Robbers in Corozal made off with thousands of dollars. The robbery happened on Friday February 13. 29-year-old Mahesh Balani, a businessman of Corozal Town, reported that while standing in front of a store on 4th Avenue, Corozal Town, speaking to a friend, he was approached from behind by two men who placed an object to his back and robbed him of $240,000.00 Pesos (Mexican Currency). That is over $40,000 Belize dollars. The two men made good their escape. Police investigation continues.

Mayor Darrell Bradley dismisses opponents
Of course the press went to City Hall seeking a response from the incumbent Mayor Darrell Bradley. First, Mayor Bradley noted that the Council converted from a manual system to an electronic system, which has been helpful in addressing some of the auditors’ questions, but he says that any incompletion in previous audits is no indication of mismanagement to him. “When I took over office at that City Hall, every single transaction in City Council was a manual transaction. When we did our first audit, it was nightmare to have to locate all the documents and all the information. But we wanted to bring in auditors, so that the auditors could assure members of the public that those things were done in a consonant way.

Man Demands money and threatens murder
Police are investigating a case of extortion, where it is believed a man is attempting to solicit $15,000 through the use of threats. On Thursday February 12th, a 37 year old Honduran supervisor of Bella Vista village, Stann Creek District, reported to police that on January 29th at around 9:00 pm, he received a call from an unknown number, where a man’s voice spoke and demanded $15 thousand dollars or else one of his family members would die.

Policeman found guilty of manslaughter of detainee given jail time
Police Constable Alpheus Parham, who was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter on Friday in the court of Justice John Gonzalez, was sentenced to 10 years today. But PC Parham will only serve 5 years, because 5 years was deducted from his sentence because of the of the time he spent as a prisoner on remand and the plea for mitigation by his attorney, Simeon Sampson. A jury of six men and six women deliberated for four hours to reach unanimous verdicts on both charges before Justice Gonzalez.

Hammerhead Shark caught near Hopkins
A Hammerhead shark was caught by a fisherman’s net in the shallow waters of Hopkins over the weekend. The one caught was a Scalloped Hammerhead shark a breed rarely seen. At one point in time hammer heads were a common sight in Belizean waters, however the Scalloped Hammerhead is today considered an endangered species. According to reports the 8 feet long hammer head shark was found entangled inside a net in the shallow waters of Hopkins Village at around 4:00 pm on Sunday February 15th.

PUP Mayoral Candidate questions independent audit
On Monday morning the People’s United Party invited members of the press to hear their conclusions as to the independent audit for the 2013-14 fiscal year of the Belize City Council. It is two weeks before the municipal elections and the PUP are trying to unseat a Mayor, thought in some circles to be popular and effective at City government. But clearly not in the PUP’s circles, as the Opposition led by candidate Yolanda Schakron leveled multiple charges at the credibility of the Pannell Kerr Forster report, including that previous reports done by Castillo Sanchez and Burrell showed an adverse opinion of the Council’s fiscal management in one instance, and in another, none at all.

Police shoots Dangriga man in both legs
A man is at the Southern Regional Hospital recovering from gunshot wounds to his legs, after he allegedly refused to relent his advancement on a Dangriga man with the intent to harm. According to police reports, at around 12:40 pm on Friday February 13th, 27 year old Elroy Quinonez of New Site, Area, Dangriga, was sitting on a bench outside a bike shop located on George Price Drive, Dangriga, when 43 year old Gregory Williams passed by on a bicycle cursing at Mr Quinonez and making a lot of noise. Williams allegedly had a machete in hand.

Apartment in Belmopan gutted by fire
A fire in the San Martin Area of Belmopan gutted a single bedroom apartment on Monday morning. The fire started on the upper flat of this two story building that is surrounded by an intricate web of houses. One eye witness reports that at around 11:40, upon going to bathe, she saw smoke coming through the zinc roof of the upper building, belonging to 46 year old Eva Sanec. 46 year old Eva Sanec and her husband were not at home, and their son who lives with them in the apartment is believed to have been playing outside when the fire started. Family, neighbours and friends who were there at the time, laboured to put out the flames as soon as they realized the house was on fire, but by that time it was already out of their control. The authorities were immediately alerted and due to their quick response time the flames were brought under control before it could spread to the adjoining buildings.

Amandala

Hattieville resident, 29, executed in Ladyville
Investigators are still trying to pinpoint the motive behind the appalling execution of Denver Owen Jones, 29, of Hattieville, an ex-BDF soldier who was found shot to death on a dirt road in a remote area of Ladyville two days ago, the police press office reported today. Authorities said that around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 14, they visited a road which connects Marage Road with Lake Gardens in the Ladyville area, where they found Jones on the ground with a single gunshot wound in his left cheek. According to Superintendent Hilberto Romero, the head of the Crimes Investigation Branch (CIB) in the Belize District, Jones went to the area in his car with the intention of dropping off some money for an unknown individual at the time that he met his death.

Cop sentenced to 10 years for manslaughter
A jury deliberated for more than four hours on Friday in the murder trial of Police Special Constable Alpheus Parham, who has been charged with the 2010 murder of Alex Goff, before returning to the courtroom of Supreme Court Justice John “Troadio” Gonzalez to announce their unanimous not guilty of murder verdict. The jury, however, reached a unanimous guilty of manslaughter verdict. This afternoon, Monday, Justice Gonzalez heard a mitigation plea from Parham’s attorney, Simeon Sampson, S.C., who suggested that Parham should only be sentenced to the time he had already spent in prison, and sent home. Parham gave an expression of regret along with an apology to the family of the deceased. Justice Gonzalez then sentenced Parham to 10 years in prison. He stipulated that Parham, who has been on remand since 2010, will have 5 years deducted from his sentence, the time he spent in prison; he will, therefore, only serve 5 more years in prison.

Yolanda Schakron attacks Darrell Bradley
The recently concluded audit of the Belize City Council was the subject of a press briefing this morning by the opposition People’s United Party (PUP) and its mayoral candidate, businesswoman Yolanda Schakron. During the press briefing, the Opposition described the audit report as “an indictment” of Mayor Darrell Bradley’s performance, but minutes later, reporters heard from the Mayor, who called the PUP’s categorization “baseless allegations …a red herring and political mischief two weeks before an election.” Apart from its mayoral candidate Schakron, the PUP head table featured Jose Coye, a former Minister of Health during the past two Said Musa administrations, who is also a former mayor of Belize City. Coye spoke at the press briefing in his capacity as a chartered public accountant.

Motorcyclist’s legs “broken up” after accident in Gungulung
Earl Pitts, 23, an employee of the Ministry of Works, who resides in the Gungulung area of Belize City, was knocked down by a Mazda Tribute while travelling on his motorcycle on Holy Emmanuel Street in the Gungulung area and as a result, suffered severe injuries to both legs and his arm. He was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in a critical but stable condition. According to Pitts, he was travelling on his motorcycle when the vehicle, which was traveling towards him in his lane (on the wrong side of the road), slammed into him. The impact hurled him off his motorbike and he landed on the windshield of the vehicle, rolled onto the bonnet and landed on the pavement. The incident occurred at about 12:30 this afternoon.

Municipal Elections 2015 round-up
In the last municipal elections held in 2012, there were 170 candidates; for the upcoming municipals, to be held on March 4, 2015, there are a total of 163 candidates: 26 mayoral candidates (down from 28 in 2012) and 137 councilor candidates (down from 142). The race will be strictly between the two dominant parties – the ruling United Democratic Party (UDP) and the Opposition People’s United Party (PUP) – in the northernmost municipalities of Corozal and Orange Walk as well as in the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena; however, third parties and independent candidates have thrown their hats into the electoral ring for the remaining 6 municipalities. Punta Gorda is the municipality with the most candidates (24). In that town, the People’s National Party (PNP) has nominated a full slate led by PNP leader Wil Maheia, and there are three independent councilor candidates who will compete alongside the mass parties. PG mayor Anthony Fuentes, the incumbent PUP candidate, is making a bid to retain his seat, but he is being challenged by Fern Gutierrez, the female councilor who landed the only seat on that council for the UDP in 2012, after having garnered the most votes for her slate.

“Somebody has to bell that cat!”
Last Thursday morning, the Supreme Court of Belize declined—just as the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) had done in 2013—to enforce a mega multi-million-dollar award won in foreign arbitration by British billionaire Michael Ashcroft against the Government of Belize, on the grounds that the award could simply not be enforced because it would be contrary to public policy, since the agreements from which the award had emanated had not been approved by Parliament. Later that evening, at around 3:00 p.m., Ashcroft sought a breakfast meeting via Channel 5 CEO Amalia Mai, with Audrey Matura-Shepherd, a prominent Belizean attorney and activist – a request which Matura-Shepherd said surprised her, given the sour note on which things had ended when she first met with Ashcroft 15 years prior as a senator of the ruling United Democratic Party (UDP).

BDF on top, Police registers first win, Verdes first loss in Week 3 of PLB Closing Season
With defending champions Belmopan Bandits resting, 4 games were scheduled for yesterday, Sunday, in Week 3 of the Premier League of Belize (PLB) Closing Season 2014-2015, but only 3 games were actually played, as a sudden downpour in P.G. forced the cancellation of the game between home standing King Energy/Freedom Fighters and Placencia Texmar Assassins. At the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan, home team Belize Defence Force (BDF) bombed San Ignacio United, 5-nil, with goals from Ricky Ricketts (14’), James Flores (15’), Andrew Allen (57’) and Adgar Adderley (67’), who was reportedly just signed up with BDF last week. BDF are now at the top of the standings. ( See standings below.)

After Week 2, NEBL has two undefeated teams remaining
The National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) saw record crowds in basketball arenas country wide, as fan support increased while basketball passion dripped off the faces of game attendees. Belize Hurricanes (1-1) had their first home game on Friday night at the Belize Elementary Gym in Belize City, where they were able to record their first victory of the season, handily defeating Belize City No Limit (0-2) by the score of 86-62. Belize Hurricanes was led by newcomer Ty Bradley who made a splash in his first NEBL game, tallying a double-double, with 19 points and 10 caroms, while dishing out 3 assists. Rookie Tariq Middleton finished with 17 points, behind a 58% shooting night, with three 3 pointers. Brian White was also huge in the paint, with a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds; while Winston Pratt finished the night with 10 points and 3 assists. In a losing effort, Belize City No Limit was led by Brandon Rogers who scored 16 points and pulled 8 rebounds, and Lennox Bowman tallied 11 points and 5 boards. Gregory “Chippy” Rudon scored 8 points with 9 rebounds and 3 assists, as his team is only one of two teams to yet record a win in this season.

Editorial: Uphill battle
An incredible amount of data and knowledge is available on the Internet these days for serious seekers of the truth. The story of the island of Diego Garcia, for instance, is very interesting, and may be relevant where understanding Belize’s situation is concerned. Diego Garcia was/is an island which was strategically located in the Indian Ocean. The United States Defence Department wanted the island for a military base, because its strategic location would enhance their ability to monitor and menace China and Russia, their two greatest rivals for world hegemony. Diego Garcia was a British possession with two or three thousand native residents, primarily of African and Indian ancestry. The natives needed to be gotten out of the way, by any means necessary. The natives were, of course, considered expendable by the British and the Americans, and the story of what happened has been told by the internationally famous journalist, John Pilger.

From the Publisher
The sexuality of children, especially girl children, is an economic factor in homes where there is extreme poverty. Society has made laws which declare a specific age to be the age of consent. Before such an age, a girl child cannot legally consent to sex. So that, any male who engages in sex with a girl child who is legally underage is guilty of what they refer to in America as “statutory rape.” But, in homes where there is extreme poverty, starvation in fact, an underage girl child has a financial value out there in the street world where people bend and break the law in order to survive. What the previous sentence is really saying is that there are adults – parents and guardians, who become desperate enough to make their underage children available to predatory males who can pay the price. (It should be noted that there are also predatory females.) We’re absolutely not talking about situations like the Maya cultures which have a tradition of having girl children marry years before the colonial law said they were of age to do so. We are talking about this urban situation which is around us in Belize City.

FCD pioneers wildlife conservation ties with Taiwan
Rafael Manzanero, Executive Director of Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD), met this morning in Belize City with Taiwan’s Ambassador to Belize, Benjamin Ho, who reiterated his support for FCD’s patriotic conservation work in helping to protect Belize’s resources inside the Chiquibul Forest. Manzanero, whom Ho sees as Belize’s wildlife ambassador, recently returned from a mission in Taiwan, where he had a chance to promote the Chiquibul, as well as to forge new alliances with related NGOs in that Asian country. “It was really a very wonderful experience. Even though I had taken trips before, this one was [exceptional]. I was able to visit national parks and protected areas and meet other institutions in Taiwan,” Manzanero told us. He said that Ho has encouraged him to strengthen any potential partnerships with Taiwan’s environmental institutions and he will be pursuing that over the next few weeks.

Authorities must remain vigilant on Chiquibul
With the murder of Special Police Constable Danny Conorquie at Caracol in September 2014, there has been a strengthening of police and military presence in the Caracol zone of western Belize, and Rafael Manzanero, Executive Director of Friends of Conservation and Development (FCD), the organization which co-manages the Chiquibul National Park, said that this has dissuaded a lot of “incursionists” along that zone. However, he stresses that Belizean authorities still have to remain attentive. “We have to maintain our boldness. We have to maintain our strength out there. We have to be as tactical and strategic, and we have to always be vigilant and demonstrate that we, as a country, are serious about our stability in that area,” Manzanero said. “With all the eyes being put towards the border, the Chiquibul and Caracol zone, we feel that there was much more attention [paid] to [the] zone, and the public became much more responsive and wanted to become more aware of what is happening there,” he pointed out.

Death of rare shark highlights need for gill net ban
The death of a rarely seen scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) in the waters off Hopkins village after it became entangled in a gill net, highlights the need to transition away from this destructive fishing gear. According to Oceana Belize’s investigations into the incident, the approximately 8’ hammerhead swam into a gill net placed in the shallow waters on the north end of the village. By the time the fisherman pulled up his net on Sunday, February 15, the shark had already drowned. Once a common sight in Belizean waters, the scalloped hammerhead is today classified as a species endangered by extinction. Globally, it is estimated that in the last 30 years, the population of scalloped hammerhead sharks have declined by more than 95%.

Supreme Court Appeal of Penner private prosecution decision
On September 20, 2013, the Office of the Prime Minister issued a press release that shook the country by announcing that the Hon. Elvin Penner, Minister of State in the Ministry of Immigration, had been fired from Cabinet due to his apparent connection to the illegal issuance of a Belize passport. The Barrow administration, however, seemed to impede the levying of criminal charges against the disgraced area representative for the Cayo North East constituency—and not even a Supreme Court-issued writ of mandamus to the Commissioner of Police was able to move the process forward. Last year, two members of Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) — Giovannie Brackett, the organization’s president, and Nidal McLaren — filed a criminal complaint against Penner in a private lawsuit in Belmopan.

Patrick Jones

Tourist dies, another injured in road traffic accident
There was a serious road traffic accident this morning on the George Price Highway in St. Matthew’s village. It happened around eleven thirty this morning and as this video footage show, involved a tow-head truck that was hauling oranges and a small SUV. One of two American tourists traveling in […]

Court to consider no-case submission in Titan currency case
Senior Magistrate Sharon Frazer today heard a submission of no case to answer from the attorney for Rohn Knowles and Kelvin Leach. They are the Bahamian executives of Titan International Securities accused of failing to declare separate sums of U.S. currency in their possession totaling $12,300 on attempting […]

Senior attorney avoids contempt charge but must pay debt
Ernest Staine, a senior member of Belize’s legal fraternity, appeared in the Supreme Court this morning as the defendant in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Forward in Faith Ministries and Rita McField. Staine had handled sale of a plot of land on Douglas Jones Street for the […]

Marijuana found in shipment of vegetables
A box of vegetables arrived at the Placencia airstrip today. It is not an unusual occurrence; but when Special Branch officers searched the box, they found that in addition to the tomatoes, cucumber and onions, someone had included a hearty helping of marijuana. It appears that much care was taken […]

Truck and SUV crash on the George Price Highway
A traffic accident this morning on the George Price Highway left several people injured. The incident happened just before midday near the Jaguar Paw road junction with the George Price Highway in St. Matthews village, Cayo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCTcUb66q0E

Blogs

Monday on Ambergris Caye, Belize – What’s New?
Yesterday was a holiday in the states – President’s Day – many kids are off from school and families on vacation. In San Pedro, it was day two outta three of our unique Carnaval. (Read lots more about the holiday here.) And the island feels super busy. Sunday afternoon kids were out on the beach and the front street painting each other and jumping in the water. Adult joined in yesterday and today, Tuesday, is the finale… I ran into two of the comparsas groups. This one dressed as hippies and dancing…super cute. This morning, the town clock was wrapped and didn’t have too much paint on it yet.

Southwest Airlines Prepares For Houston-Belize Route
According to Southwest’s Senior Communications Advisor, Brad Hawkins, the airline will allow passengers to and from Belize to carry two bags of up to 50 pounds each for free, which, last time we checked, can tack up to a couple hundred dollars on the price of a flight with competing airlines. Southwest is apparently also scrapping additional fees for changing your tickets. Nice! Combined with free Wi-Fi and live TV, it sounds like Southwest is going the distance to attract Belizean business, meaning that they see this increasingly popular little country as a valuable destination. And that’s music to our ears… Oh yeah, speaking of music, it sounds as if Southwest will also be adding Belizean music to the inflight playlists.

CARIBBEAN EXPORTER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
THE AIM OF THE CARIBBEAN EXPORTER OF THE YEAR AWARDS IS TO CREATE AN EXPORT CULTURE ACROSS THE REGION BY ENCOURAGING CARIFORUM FIRMS TO BEGIN EXPORTING OR TO EXPAND their exports through a programme that acknowledges and rewards exporters. The specific objectives are: To give recognition to exporters (SMEs) that have demonstrated an ability to achieve exporting success as demonstrated primarily through export volumes, diversity of export markets and sound export strategies and action plans; To give recognition to youth and female exporters across the CARIFORUM region; To give recognition to exporters that have integrated green technologies into their operations; To encourage exporters to innovate by investing in R & D to improve product development and; To encourage exporters to engage in corporate social responsibility.

Commentary: Nomination Day in Belize and its accompanying hysteria
By Frank Edward Paco Smith, Jr. (JP) Alas, as much as I searched Belize’s two major news channels’ websites, I was unable to find a news story concerning the Belize City Nomination Day "festivities" that wasn't segmented. In so saying, I mean that I was unable to find one concerning the Belize City event that featured both of the two major political parties' goings-on. On one hand, I could chalk it up to the formatting, because it certainly makes sense from a technical standpoint to post them on their respective websites as separate stories. Yet, from another perspective, I could very well deduce that the manner in which both Channel 5 and Channel 7 posted the relevant coverage is indicative of the 'red' and 'blue' stranglehold the PUP and the UDP (also known as the PUPD) have on the collective Belizean psyche. That, of course, might not be fair... given what I explained beforehand.

Icy Valentines at the Sandbar Hostel
For some myself included, Valentines 2015 will go down as the longest Valentines day celebration in San Pedro history. It was a 3 day affair and the gold medal endurance winner goes to Best man Joe Chung. He planned and attended the bachelor crawl Thurs night, crashed the bachelorette Fri evening, showed up reasonably fresh faced, all partying considered and still faintly marketed for the Saturday afternoon wedding. After we arrived I asked Kendall if he would not mind taking a few pics for me on his awesome 41 megapixel camera phone and as the day went on, I decided to increase picture selection few more of the many cell phone photographers attending the event. I wanted to just enjoy my time and not loose the moment behind a camera which happens all too often as a blogger.

Lemon Herb Chicken
The flavor of this chicken is similar to that of Pollo Loco. It's not cooked on a grill, but I cook it just below broil so that the meat remains juicy and the flavor pops. You can put more spice and more color to suit your own needs.

International Sources

Cookbook of the Week: 'Caribbean Potluck'
Yahoo Food’s Cookbook of the Week: Caribbean Potluck: Modern Recipes From Our Family Kitchen (Kyle Books) by Suzanne and Michelle Rousseau, the Kingston, Jamaica-based sisters from cooking show Two Sisters and a Meal. The two women, who write that their friends refer to as “balls of fire,” are proud of their Jamaican heritage, and celebrate its cuisine and way of life in this book. They write, “We have always believed in promoting the best of Caribbean living, in spite of the many challenges faced by what many consider a ‘Third World lifestyle.’” Noteworthy: You’ll learn some Caribbean lingo in this book! “Fetin’”, for example, means gathering around together, usually for a meal. As the Rousseaus write: “Our time living in Trinidad in the 1970s was defined by what the Trinis call ‘fetin’ and limin’ (that’s Trini speak for partying and socializing).” Another one is “mix-up and blenda.” “Our family is a perfect example of what we call the ‘mix-up and blenda’ (a Jamaican patois expression meaning ‘a diverse mixture and blend of things’) that is Caribbean history; complete with our own unique blend of African, French, German, Indian, Scottish, Haitian, Cuban, and British heritage.”

Avon to Cease Operations in 16 Caribbean Territories
Cosmetics giant Avon has decided to cease operations in 16 Caribbean territories as it works to restore its core business in the United States, a spokeswoman confirmed to Efe on Tuesday. “Avon has announced its decision to cease operations in the Islands markets that fall under U.S. distribution,” said the firm’s manager of external communications, Lindsay Fox. She added that the New York-based company “remains committed to focusing its resources on restoring the health of the U.S. business to deliver future growth.” Fox said Avon will no longer accept orders from 16 Caribbean territories after Feb. 20. Avon will cease operations in Antigua, Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bonaire, Curaçao, Dominica, Grand Cayman, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

UNICEF Tap Project Challenges Americans to Stop Using Their Phones to Provide 14 Million Days of Clean Water to Children
The UNICEF Tap Project today announced its challenge to the American public: put down your phones and help save children's lives. The unique mobile experience aims to unlock 14 million days of clean, safe water for children around the world by encouraging Americans to stop texting, calling, emailing, tweeting and posting -- and challenging their friends to do the same. 748 million people around the globe do not have safe, clean water to drink, and more than 2.5 billion people live without a proper toilet. The lack of these basic necessities is not merely inconvenient -- it can be lethal. By simply logging onto UNICEFTapProject.org beginning March 1, Americans can work to change that and help to put children first.

Videos

February 17, 2015

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Councilors’ debate in San Pedro date change
The San Pedro Sun and Reef Radio/Reef TV would like to inform the general public that due to the Carnival activities, the councilors’ debate for February 16th has been rescheduled for Wednesday February 18th. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Houston to Belize via Southwest Airlines – it’s coming!
Southwest Airlines, where “bags fly free”… We’re pretty sure this delightful tagline has travelers mentally packing and preparing for the October 2015 Houston-Belize route launch. As we discovered during a very informative meeting with Brad Hawkins, Senior Advisor in Communications at Southwest, ‘bags fly free’ is a HUGE positive in the aviation industry. Joined by Tropic Air’s Anthony Hunt (Chairman of the Belize Aviation Development Committee) and Julie Kee, Brad met with the media on the island to talk about Southwest’s move to bring more visitors to Belize. We already have airlines bringing daily flights to Belize, so what’s the difference with Southwest? Aside from two free 50-pound bags chock-full of items to make your next vacation here super-awesome, they also DO NOT charge additional fees! More often than not, travelers’ biggest complaint is about hidden fees and extras that take a chunk out of their fun money before they have even gotten to their paradise destination. Well, Southwest is here to ease that travel headache, which means more margaritas and Belikins in your future!

Sexual Abuse against Children is a no no…
Belize became the fifth country to ratify the UN convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). That CRC document has since become the most widely ratified convention and human rights instrument in the world. This is testament to our country’s recognition of the importance of caring for our children and nurturing them to be responsible and productive citizens. This commitment obligated our Government to enact laws and policies that create the enabling environment for children to flourish. One of the obligations to our children is to protect them from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse and neglect. In this light, the recent alleged sex-related cases and the sexual exploitation of our children in the news is extremely troubling to the NCFC. It is an example of the challenges the social sector encounters when attempting to change attitudes that allow children to remain vulnerable to violations of their person.

Kelly McGuire celebrates birthday in San Pedro!
Some people REALLY know how to celebrate their birthday, and singer/songwriter Kelly McGuire is no exception! For years the crooning Texas musician has returned to the island each February to not only celebrate his birthday, but to treat the island to some toe-tapping, fun dancing, sing along music. From playing at an afternoon party at Palapa Bar, to a snorkel cruise to Hol Chan, to a Sunday afternoon show at the beachside Island Time Bar & Grill, to a dinner show at Ramon’s, Kelly was joined by many friends and fans alike.

San Pedro’s Joe Melgar graduates with honors from US Army
American Author Henry David Thoreau once said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you have always imagined.” That is exactly what 19-year-old Joe “Joey” Amelio Melgar did when he followed his dream to become a soldier in the United States Amy. The Sanpedrano graduated with top honors on February 5th from the Fort Benning army post located in Georgia, USA. Joey, as he is affectionately known by many on Ambergris Caye, is the son of Pamela Zetina. The young Belizean is pursuing his dream of being in the US Army and will be specializing in General Mechanics.

Heredia Jr says that a government school will be built before the end of his term
Primary Education in Belize is compulsory for children ages 4 to15 years; however there are several factors that can affect school attendance. One such factor on the island has to do with the lack of classroom space for children on Ambergris Caye. School populations at the three main grant-aided schools have passed accepted standards, and because of the lack of space, many simply stay home. For some time now, islanders have been promised by the Area Representative Honorable Manuel Heredia Jr. that a government school will be built.Interview with Heredia- web It is unclear how many children between the ages of 4 to 15 are not attending school, but unofficial estimates put it at around 200. That is based on results from the 2010 census and a Child Activity Survey conducted in 2007. With the influence of the imported labor force from mainland Belize, there continues to be a need for more classroom space as the current congestion is straining the capacity of existing schools.

Ambergris Today

Celebrity Spotting – TV Show Host/Actor Tamera Mowry Vacations in San Pedro
TV show host and actor Tamera Darvette Mowry-Hously must be wondering what is going on in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, as she chose to vacation in La Isla Bonita during one of the craziest times of the year – Carnaval!! Word got out that Tamera was in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, after she posted a few images on her personal Instagram account of her setting in a lounge chair on beach with the comment: “Belize, oh how I love thee.” Tamera also hastagged one of the pictures with #babymoon indicating that she was on vacation during her second pregnancy. She just recently confirmed, during one of her talk show episodes, that she was expecting a baby girl. Ambergris Today got word that Tamera was riding around town during the Carnaval celebrations but was unable to spot her.

Yes! This is Carnaval in San Pedro, Belize
Men dressing up in drag and dancing through the streets of downtown San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize – there is nothing odd with that, once it is Carnival time, of course. The official Carnival celebrations kicked off on Friday, February, 13, 2015. The comparsas (street dancing groups) are always a highlight of Carnaval in San Pedro and three of them made their way through downtown San Pedro once again with vibrant costumes and cheerful song & dance. The men’s group who dress in drag came out in full force and are always there to give spectators a great laugh. Of course Carnaval is not complete with revelers hitting the streets with paint and raw eggs in hand to joyfully paint each other; it’s the signature practice that makes the yearly event so colorful and fun. The painting and street dancing continue for two more day. Here are some images of the FUN of San Pedro Carnaval Day One:

San Pedrano Looks Towards Successful Career in US Army
Upon completing his education at San Pedro High School, Joe Amelio Melgar, known as Joey or Jojo, moved on to the United States of America where he joined the U.S Army. It seems like only yesterday but already Joey has graduated from the U.S. Army Basic Training program at Fort Benning in Georgia. Joey graduated with honors and as team captain with a few awards. We had the honors of speaking with him and here is what he had to say: “I started basic training on November 3 at Fort Benning, Georgia which is one of the most decorated and best bases in the USA for developing the best soldiers in the army. I was with 2nd battalion known as the panthers. The company I was with was named Charlie 2-47.

Misc Belizean Sources

Manatee Fact-Sheet (The Real Belizean Mermaid)
I'm pleased to announce that the new Manatee Fact-Sheet (The Real Belizean Mermaid) is now available on the Be Kind Belize website. This is a free download, like the rest of the resources available there, for any educators, volunteers, community workers or simply people who wish to learn about Belizean wildlife. Please do have a look and share.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE for Hammerheads
If you want to see Endangered Hammerheads protected in Belize please write to the Fisheries Administrator Ms Wade and the Fisheries Department (species@btl.net) and urge them to pass a law protecting these species. Thank you for caring and wanting to keep hammerheads alive to thrive!

Nohoch Che’en Sinkhole Expedition
Check out one of the reports from the 14 day expedition that went into the Chiquibul Forest, and explored some of the natural beauty found there. Tony and Therese Rath got some amazing pictures during the trip. Check out the size of that sinkhole. Well worth the read. A 14 day expedition into the Chiquibul Forest of Belize to explore and document biological and geological diversity, find and map Maya sites and discover what exactly was at the bottom of the Holec sinkhole elicits contradictory emotions for a Belizean visiting the Chiquibul for the first time.

DEATH OF RARE SHARK HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR GILLNET BAN
The death of a rarely seen Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) in the waters off Hopkins village after it became entangled in a gillnet, highlights the need to transition away from this destructive fishing gear. According to Oceana Belize’s investigations into the incident, the approximately 8’ Hammerhead swam into a gill net placed in the shallow waters on the north end of the village. By the time the fisherman pulled up his net on Sunday, February 15th, the shark had already drowned. Once a common sight in Belizean waters, the Scalloped Hammerhead is today classified as a species endangered with extinction. Globally, it is estimated that in the last 30 years, the population of scalloped hammerhead sharks have declined by more than 95%. Known as “walls of death”, destructive gear such as gillnets and activities such as finning contribute to this staggering reality faced by shark species like the Scalloped Hammerhead.

OCEANA: Sneak peak of the sensational selfies done today at the Placencia Art Festival!
The overwhelming response to the say no movement by fishers, tour operators and Belizeans in general was amazing! Thank you Placencia! We're excited about tomorrow!

BOLEDO DRAWING for Monday, February 16, 2015: 42

Michael Hyde Wins 2nd Grammy
Congratulations, Michael! Belizean keyboardist Michael Hyde won his 2nd Grammy award, the second year in a row by the way. Last year he won for his work on Ziggy Marley's 'Ziggy Marley in Concert' album, and this year for 'Fly Rasta,' both of which won Best Reggae album. Here's to a 3rd win next year!

Channel 7

Cold Blooded Ladyville Killing
Tonight, Ladyville police are investigating an execution style murder that happened in that village on Saturday night. It was staged in an open lot between the Japan area - which is home to certain Belize City gang elements - and the Lake Garden area - which is an upwardly mobile residential community. Denver Jones met his end between those two worlds. 7News was there on Saturday night and Daniel Ortiz reports:.. Daniel Ortiz reporting At about 9:30 on Saturday night, 29 year old Denver Jones parked his Geo Prizm at a cut off on Marage Road. He left 3 teenaged males - all minors - inside the car and walked in about a hundred feet - he told them he was going to buy weed. But, inside the bushy area under the cover of tall grass, there would be no weed transaction, he was killed here in cold blood - with a single gunshot to the head:

Man, Boy Injured In Random City Shooting
That was the weekend's only murder - but there was a terrifying public shooting spree on Sunday night in Belize City - which left two injured: a young boy and a middle aged man. It happened at around 7:00 on Faber's Road. 56 year old Charles Guy and 9 year old Davian Sanchez were buying at the corner Chinese Store when a gunman just opened fire on them - and the general area they were standing in. Fortunately they only received injuries to their legs. Police told the media today that it was a random shooting:.. Supt. Hilberto Romero, OC - CIB - Belize City "Police visited Fabers Road area where a report was received that there had been a shooting and several extended shells were found. Police made checks at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where they found two male persons; one with a gunshot wound to the leg and one with gunshot wound to the lower part of the right foot."

Two Men Killed In Hit And Run Accidents
A man was found dead on the Phillip Goldson Highway this morning around mile 61. That is near San Pablo village north of the "Mameyal" curve. Christian Javier Villalobos appeared to have been walking north when he was the victim of a hit and run - who left him on the road to die. It happened sometime in the pre-daylight hours, but his body was not found until early this morning. Police told us they need the public's help:.. Rafael Martinez - Police Press Officer "At approximately 6:45 this morning, Orange Walk police proceeded to an area at around mile 61 on the Phillip Goldson Highway, where they saw 19 year old Christian Javier Villalobos, suffering from what is characteristic from a hit and run accident. At this point, police cannot locate or they don't have any suspect in custody and for this incident, they are again, requesting the assistance of the public to find out who are the person involved in this allege hit and run incident at mile 61 on the Phillip Goldson Highway. Police believe that some persons around there may have seen what had happened."

First A Prison Officer, Now A Prisoner
He was a prison officer, but tonight Ryan Rowland is a prisoner - after he was convicted for drug trafficking. Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith convicted him in absencia for the trafficking of 55 grams, about two ounces of weed. She ordered him to pay the mandatory minimum fine of $10,000 dollars, or in default serve 5 years in jail. But, he wasn't there to pay, so police went to pick him up. He couldn't pay by noon, so they took him to jail - where the prison officer is spending the first night of his 5 year sentence. 10 months ago, on April 17, 2014, Rowland, was busted at the Belize Central Prison in possession of 55 grams of cannabis.

Darrell Vs. Yolanda, GRRR!
Last week on the news, you heard the PUP's Mayoral Candidate for Belize City Yolanda Schakron, issue a public challenge to Mayor Darrell Bradley to explain why the council spent 1.3 million dollars in legal fees. Schakron said it was exorbitant; the mayor rebutted by explaining that it was to settle a debt with Belize Waste Control, a debt which no other council paid. Well, if you thought it would be the end of that back and forth, you thought wrong. Schakron and the PUP are keying in on the audit - they say it shows several degrees of financial mismanagement and a lack of accountability. Of course, the Mayor categorically disputes that, and he has declared that the PUP Mayoral Candidate is electioneering. Today, Yolanda Schakron invited the media to a breakfast meeting to drive her point home. This time, they aren't only questioning last year's audit - they start with the audit of 2011-2012 in which the auditors gave an adverse opinion of Council's finances at that time. There were millions of dollars under question which the auditors were unable to verify that the Council, under the Zenaida Moya Administration, had either paid out or collected.

Endangered Scalloped Hammerhead Snared In Gill Net
The Scalloped Hammerhead shark is endangered and a rare sight in Belizean waters, and tonight the image we have is of a dead one, snagged in a gill net. OCEANA says the death points to the dangers of gillnets. OCEANA's investigation has determined that the approximately 8' Hammerhead swam into a gill net placed in the shallow waters on the north end of Hopkins village. They say that when the fisherman pulled up his net on Sunday, February 15th, the shark had drowned. Globally, In the last 30 years, the population of scalloped hammerhead sharks has declined by more than 95%. Oceana Belize's Vice President Janelle Chanona says, "From a sustainable management angle and an economic standpoint, gillnets have no place in Belizean waters."

NHI Goes North
The National Health Insurance scheme has been rolled out to the north. NHI services were officially launched at two newly expanded clinics, Corozal Polyclinic II and Patchakan Presbyterian Clinic. The Minister of Health - who is the representative for Corozal Bay was all over it at the at the Corozal Community Hospital Compound on Santa Rita Hill, in Corozal Town today:.. Hon. Pablo Marin, Minister of Health "We are starting to roll out here in Corozal and soon we will be extending this healthcare services. Already working so well in the Southside of Belize and in the south of Belize. Throughout the rest of our beloved country, I am also very happy to inform all Belizeans that this is being accomplished without touching any Social Security reserve."

Cop Gets 10 Years For Killing Detainee
Police Constable Alpheus Parham, who was found guilty last week of manslaughter for killing prison Detainee Alex Goff, will spend 5 more years in jail. That's the sentence he was handed today by Justice Troadio Gonzalez today. In his mitigation hearing today, his attorney Simeon Sampson reminded the court that he has been on remand since 2010, and that prior to this conviction, he was of good character. So, after consideration, Justice Gonzalez, sentenced Parham to 10 years in prison, but 5 years were deducted for the time he spent on remand.

Three For Firearm To Court
Three persons were arraigned on ammunition offences when they appeared today before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser, and tonight, they are on remand. They are 39 year old Darrell Rowland, a resident of 200 Pigeon Street, Ladyville; 37 year old Angela Burns, a public officer of 205 Sunset Park, located at mile 8 on George Price Highway; and 45 year old Jessie Stephenson, a nurse who resides in Los Angeles. They were charged with keeping prohibited ammunition, keeping unlicensed ammunition and possession of .02 grams of cannabis. The police reported that on Saturday, February 14, they went to Rowland's house and when they searched the yard they found 5 rounds of prohibited ammunition, 2 rounds of .38 calibre unlicensed ammunition and a small quantity of weed.

Was Icicle In Ladyville Just Bug Droppings?
On Friday we told you about what looked like the formation of an icicle on the limb of a cotton tree in Ladyville. It caused quite a stir in the community because some residents thought it was snow. As we reported, meteorologist Derrick Rudon attributed this occurrence to an excessive cooling of the limb or rapid evaporation. But that might not be the only explanation. According to email and facebook chatter we've picked up on, the sliver of ice may be the work of what's known as a spittlebug.

The Art of Being 102
Eulalio Smith, a resident of Rancho Dolores, turned 102 on Thursday. Now, he's one of the very, very, very few Belizeans to reach that ripe old age - and he made sure to celebrate it in style, indulging liberally in his favourite beverage, Brandy Mist. That's right, old Mr. Eulalio still likes a good drink. But there's much more to him as Courtney Weatherburne found out today:.. Courtney Weatherburne reporting "In the sweet by and by", that's one of Smith's favorite songs to sing on his bed. It is where he spends most of his time, listening to his tunes on this 20 year old radio. But he did get up and enjoy the birthday party his family threw for him on Thursday. Birthday signs, balloons and messages of admiration for Smith still hang in his room.

Apologized For Bad Touch
A woman accused 45 year-old Cresencio Flores, a fisherman from Santa Elena, of touching her inappropriately, and caused him to be criminally charged, but tonight he's free, after apologizing in court for the unwanted sexual advance. The incident occurred on Friday, February 13, when, according to the complainant Flores touched her crotch. Well today, when the case went back before the Magistrate's Court, the woman informed Senior Magistrate Frazer that she wanted no further court action. After she was questioned several times by Senior Magistrate Fraser, the woman admitted that it was a man by the name of Cruz who asked her to drop the charge.

Getting On Bad In Chetumal
And tonight we leave you with footage of Carnival Chetumal Style. In the true tradition of carnival, our neighbors to the north are engaging in one week of revelry before the beginning of lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday, February 18th. They held their Carnival on Avenida "Er-o-es" on Saturday - and they invited Erotic Mass Band and Mother Nature to participate along with the Pandemonium Steel Band. Courtnesy of NICH, we have footage of the Belizeans showing our Mexcian neighbors a thing or two about getting down on the road. We leave you with that, have a good night and join us back here tomorrow.

Channel 5

Ex-B.D.F. Soldier Killed on Valentine’s Day
A former B.D.F. soldier was likely lured to his death on Valentine’s Day. Denver Jones was murdered after nine o’clock on Saturday night in an area that he was known [...]

9 year old Boy and a Fisherman Shot In Belize City
In Belize City, nine year student, Davian Sanchez, and fifty-six year old fisherman, Charles Guy, were shot while they were in front of Zen’s Shop on Faber’s Road. Guy is [...]

CitCo’s Financial Records Under the P.U.P. Microscope
This morning, the P.U.P. held a press briefing to draw public scrutiny to what they say is very questionable management of the City Council’s finances over the past three years [...]

Former Mayor Joe Coye Says Mounting CitCo Debt Unsustainable
According to accountant and politician, Joe Coye, although the 2012 audit is inconclusive and the 2013 audit is incomplete, the figures presented in the 2014 audit are cause for alarm. [...]

Mayor Bradley Scoffs at Coye’s Opinion on CitCo Audit
The P.U.P. maintains that from what they’ve seen of the audit, and from what they haven’t seen, there is a clear indication of mismanagement. According to Coye, it’s almost impossible [...]

Is Audit Scrutiny Really Political Propaganda?
According to Bradley, it’s beyond him how anybody could question the record of the Council, when he maintains that they have been nothing but transparent. He got quite hot under [...]

Yolanda Schakron Says Mayor Bradley is Incompetent
The Belize City Council has received financial assistance from Central Government, to the tune of millions of dollars to bail out city hall for B.M.L. workers, for streets and other [...]

Will Taxes Be Lowered Under a P.U.P. City Council?
So with all that said…is all the hullaballoo about CitCo’s finances a genuine concern, or a political red-herring? We figure that depends on who you ask, on which side of [...]

Darrell Bradley Defends His CitCo Administration
And to wrap up the political discourse, Mayor Darrell Bradley dismissed the P.U.P.’s assertions as utter nonsense. And to prove it, he even threw his predecessor under the bus, claiming [...]

Ladyville Trio Charged for Possession of Unlicensed Ammunition
Darryl Rowland, a real estate officer from Ladyville, along with two women, Angela Burns, a Second Class Clerk employed with the Belize City Prosecution Branch, and Jessie Stephenson, a visiting [...]

Separate Hit & Run Accidents Claim Two Lives
Two persons also lost their lives over the weekend in separate hit and run accidents, one up north in Orange Walk and the other in the Stann Creek District. Just [...]

Meet the Dangriga Mayoral Candidates!
Our Meet the Mayoral Candidate series takes us tonight south, to the banana and citrus belts. In Dangriga, the mayoral seat is between two educators—one is in the classrooms and [...]

Dangriga Machete-man Shot by Police Officer
Also in Dangriga, forty-three-year-old Gregory Williams is tonight recovering from gunshot wounds to the legs after being injured by a police officer at the start of the weekend.  On Friday [...]

Rare Specie of Hammerhead Shark Dies In Gill Net Near Hopkins
The drowning of a rarely seen Scalloped Hammerhead Shark in Southern Belize has brought into sharp focus the use of gillnets at sea. For years, fishermen have been calling for [...]

Sports Monday with James Adderley
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.   The 2 Belize City teams in the NEBL season went into the Belize Elementary School Auditorium desperately looking to [...]

CTV3

PUP Northern Caucus Elects New Committee
The People’s United Party’s Northern Caucus has a new Chairman. In fact it has an entire new committee. The election of the new committee took place on Sunday and it comes at the heels of Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez, the former Chairman being stripped from the post by the party’s National Executive after he was charged for aggravated assault against two minors. Aspiring candidates and elected officials of the PUP met at here in Orange Walk where the elections took place. At the end of the meeting, Orange Walk South Area Representative Jose Abelardo Mai was elected as Chairman of the Northern Caucus and aspiring Area Representative for Belize Rural South Elito Arceo was elected as Vice Chair. We spoke with both political leaders at the event and they filled us in on the role the caucus plays.

San Narciso To Hold Annual Agric Show For Corozal Southwest
Since being elected in 2012 to represent the people of Corozal Southwest, P.U.P Area Representative Ramiro Ramirez has been working for his people in that constituency by organizing many projects. One of those projects involves the continuing of social and economic activities and this year, Ramirez says things are coming along well for the 3rd Annual Agriculture Show that is scheduled in San Narciso Village. At the Northern Caucus Meeting over the weekend, we had the opportunity to speak with Ramirez on the logistics of the event. “Traeríamos una vez más el Agric Show que tantos años abandono el UDP cosa que hay que darle beneficio a los agricultores entonces se ha hecho cada año desde el 2012 vamos en la tercera etapa y seguiremos siempre y cuando Dios preste vida e tenemos el Agric Show este 28 de Febrero y la inauguración seria a las 3 de la tarde y demos gracias a Dios que estamos haciendo esta cosas para los agricultores que son muy importante ellos dan el pan en la meza a todos los Beliceños y hay que darle ese aplauso a ellos porque ellos hacen ese tal trabajo arduo que no muchos les gusta pero estamos enfocados en eso. Eventos que vamos a tener todo el día arrancamos a las 10 de la mañana y vamos a tener bastantes empresas allí...”

Newly Formed Youth Group Assist The Ederly
A newly formed Youth Group is starting to leave their mark with humanitarian gestures and outreach initiatives to the community of Orange Walk Town. We are talking about the La Inmaculada Youth Group who were showing the love to our golden citizens this past Sunday at the Zenobia Meggs Helpage Center. Shamin Urbina who is the Youth Leader says they are looking at recruiting new members into their proactive group. Shamin Urbina – Youth leader “We want our youths to reach out to other people because as you may know we want to give out youth to God and not only our older days as it is the best time of our lives so we want to give this part of our lives to God so that someday someone can wait for us.” Maria Novelo – Reporter “Who are we?” Shamin Urbina – Youth leader “Our group is made up of mainly youths made up of between the ages of 13 and 23 but we also have other people that are older and mainly from the Orange Walk community.”

Student Of Compassion School Wins PAHO/WHO Award
The Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) launched its #TOUCHINGLIVES international school talent contest in August of last year where they invited students from throughout the Americas to submit creative work that promotes hand washing, one of the most effective and low-cost measures for preventing disease and illness. And while there were countless submissions from schools across the Caribbean Region, we are very much delighted to report that a Belizean student from Yo Creek Compassion School in the Orange Walk District won one of the internationally recognized awards in the print category of the contest. Dr. Kathleen Israel is the Interim Representative for PAHO. “One of the students from this community Dianelly Carrillo, she got recognized in the competition for the written component a poem that she submitted and for me I think that is a wonderful thing and I think it just demonstrates how important it is to mould young minds no matter where they are, no matter how rural the community may be, no matter how small the school may be if the teachers are interested if they are involved with the children will also become enthusiastic about learning and about contributing so this is a contribution she has made not only for this community for which she originates...”

NHI Rolled Out In Corozal District
The Government of Belize has implemented the National Health Insurance “NHI” program in Belize, Stann Creek and Toledo Districts, that up to today’s date 36,000 persons on the Southside of Belize City benefit of the program that was established in 2003 following the pilot project in 2001 conceived by the People’s United Party. Today residents of Corozal can boast that they have also been rolled into the NHI program. This morning in a short ceremony, Hon. Pablo Marin, Minister of Health, Dr. Peter Allen, CEO in the Ministry of Health, Manager of the Corozal Hospital Dr. Nelson Marin and Regional Director, Guadalupe Longsworth in the company of Corozaleños witnessed the inauguration of the much anticipated Poly Clinic 2 at the Corozal Community Hospital under the NHI program.

LOVE FM

Minor Injured in Faber’s Road Shooting
Following a fatal shooting in Ladyville this weekend, a shooting also occurred in Belize City this weekend that leaves a nine year old minor and fifty-six year old Charles Guy in a stable condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. According to Eye Witnesses, Guy and the minor were standing in front of the Chinese store on Fabers Road when the alleged gun man rode passed and fire shots at them and made his escape on Sanker Street. Deputy Officer in Charge of Crime Investigation in Belize City, Inspector Hilberto Romero, explained further more. “Police visited the Faber’s Road area where a report was received that there was a shooting, several expended shells were found. Police made checks at the KHMH where they found two male persons one with a gunshot wound to the leg and one with a gunshot wound to the lower part of the right foot. These people were at the Chinese store when someone came and opened fire in that general are. We have not established who the target was because this was a minor and then a 56 year old man who were shot. The investigation continues. One person is in custody and again based on investigations we will determine if he will be charged but one person is in custody at this time.”

Hattieville Resident Killed in Ladyville Shooting
29-year-old Denver Owin Jones was shot and killed on Saturday night in Ladyville. The shooting occurred on a dirt road that links Marage Road and Lake Gardens. Deputy Officer in Charge of the Crimes Investigation Branch in Belize City, Inspector Hilberto Romero briefed the media. “On Saturday the 14 of February police visited an area off Marage Road a road leading into the Lake Garden area where they saw the lifeless body of Denver Jones 29 years with a gunshot wound to the head apparently dead. Investigation revealed so far that he went to that area in his car and he went into the road that he was found which is in a dark area. Later on his body was found there, he was in the car there were three other persons that went along with him in that particular area.

Former PUP Mayor Combs Through Citco’s Audit
As we mentioned, Joe Coye, was brought in as an expert with numbers and he too commented on what he calls the many fallacies stated in the audits. JOSE COYE “The council has contracts that it also services, sanitation and solid waste management which is about $8 million and he was giving us a figure, .40 cents on the dollar which proved not to be true but that is another matter. Now before when you look at the financials that were being put out which is on the website prior to 2011-2012. If the council had only paid let’s say $4 million of the $8 million we would not have known that the council has $4 million owing. We would only have known that they paid out $4 million.

Political Heat Turns Up Between Schakron and Bradley
With that said, Bradley responded to Schakron’s statements, saying her concerns are not genuine and purely election propaganda. DARRELL BRADLEY “I believe that the first two pages of the audit contain the auditors’ opinion. So, I would dispel any kind of allegation that the auditor didn’t give an opinion. The first two pages of the audit which I released to the public in December contain the auditors’ opinion. Of course they won’t give an audit that is 50 pages long, they will give an opinion to say that they checked the accounts of the City Council; they are satisfied in doing the audit and they give an opinion which I think is like two or three pages long.

Mayoral Aspirants Debate Before the Media on Increase of Taxes
In the first segment of our newscast, we told you about the City Council’s Audit Report that aspiring Mayor Yolanda Schakron and Belize City Mayor, Darrell Bradley, spoke of. Both mayoral candidates held a press conference for about an hour in which the city’s audits were not only the key subjects. It became a “she said-he said” with Schakron stating that Bradley has plans to increase taxes- a notion he strongly refuted. “I have heard that they will increase taxes if they win again. That would really be unfortunate first of all if they win and to increase taxes. As we walk around this city the cry of the people is ‘we are being overtaxed’ we are burdened with tax. You cannot burden a community with tax, the community will fail. The businesses are failing at this time. What I can tell you is that we will not increase taxes.”

Joint Efforts in Toledo To Cease Bandit Activities
Activities described as Bandit related criminal operations are reported in Rural Toledo. The reported criminal activities are of major concern to villagers of the affected rural areas and joint Police and BDF operations are part of efforts to capture any individual or those involved in what is described as Bandit related activities as confirmed by Officer in command Toledo Police Formation Superintendent Simeon Alvarez. “At around 10 p.m. on the 8th of February, based on information received of some bandits in the Otoshaw/Dolores area a team of police which consist of the quick response team departed around 4 a.m. that morning to that area in search of the alleged bandits. As a result of that one Juan Cus a 32 year old Guatemalan national was located and brought to the Punta Gorda police station where it was alleged that he was a part of the team. As a result of the interview it was later learnt that he was not a part of that particular operation where it was said that the bandits were armed and were threatening and robbing people in that area. In the interview we found out that it was a negative of him and he was later released.

Has Central Government Been CITCO’s Saving Grace and Money Back-Up
The People’s United Party’s mayoral candidate for Belize City was flanked this morning by chartered accountant, who was once a Government Minister and a Belize City Mayor under the People’s United Party, Joe Coye along with other PUP councilor candidates. Aspiring Mayor, Yolanda Schakron called a press conference to speak about the City Council’s figures and bottom line. According to the PUP, Mayor Darrell Bradley, has failed to account properly and has deliberately misled the residents of Belize City. In the nearly one hour press conference, Schakron outlined what she says is wrong with the audit. “The audit for 2012 by Castillo Sanchez and Burrell Charted Accountants had an adverse opinion. Basically what that means is that they did not have enough evidence to say what the real position of the council was. The numbers reportedly could simply not be independently verified as being correct.

Mendez Replaced as PUP’s Northern Caucus Chairman
The People’s United Party has a new Northern Caucus Chairman. Following the allegations of inappropriate behavior against Orange Walk East Area Representative, Marco Tulio Mendez, who held that seat, the party requested Mendez to vacate the seat. On Sunday the representatives of the eight electoral divisions in the Orange Walk and Corozal Districts and Belize Rural South convened in Orange Walk to elect a new chairman. Orange Walk South Area Representative, Jose Abelardo Mai was elected as the new Chairman. JOSE ABELARDO MAI “Essentially the rule of the Northern Caucus is to monitor and report on the party’s activities and the different party arms, their functions and their organizations. Right now we are busy with the Town Council elections so we are helping to organize the campaign, the Northern Caucus members to go out and visit along with the candidates; organizing the different activities that lead up to the municipal elections.”

PlusTV

Hit and Run in Orange Walk
In Orange Walk Town, Police are seeking assistance from the community to find out who may be responsible for a road traffic accident that knocked down a young man from the community, With more, here is Police Press Officer, Raphael Martinez. “At approximately 6:45 this morning, Orange Walk Police proceeded to an area at around mile 61 on the Phillip Goldson Highway, where they saw 19 year old Christian Javier Villalobos, suffering from what is characteristic from a hit and run accident. At this point, police cannot locate or they don’t have any suspect in custody and for this incident, they are again, requesting the assistance of the public to find out who are the person involved in this allege hit and run incident at mile 61 on the Phillip Goldson Highway.

Hattieville man lured to death in Ladyville?
29 year old Denver Owin Jones of Hattieville, Belize District, is the second man from that village to die in the last few days. He was found dead lying face up on a road connecting Marage Road in Ladyville to Lake Garden community, with a single gunshot wound to the left cheek, around 9:30 on Valentine’s Day evening. According to police, he went alone into the road, leaving three friends behind in his vehicle, but did not come out alive. The question is, did someone call him to do business in an unlit area which resulted in his death? Superintendent Hilberto Romero, who is in charge of Criminal Investigation Branch for Eastern Division, which includes the entire Belize District, says police have not established a motive but are looking at that angle and others.

Boy, 9, and senior citizen shot in Belize City
It was not fatal, but residents of Fabers Road in Belize City were surprised around 7:00 p.m. Sunday by the sound of gunfire in their neighborhood. Nine-year-old student Davian Sanchez of Rivero Street Extension was found shot twice to the right leg, and 56 year old Charles Guy, also known as Robin, a fisherman from Fabers Road, was hit to the right leg as well. The two were buying at a store when, according to police, a single armed man rode up and opened fire. But was this shooting targeted, or random? We found out from Officer in Charge of CIB Eastern Division, Superintendent Hilberto Romero. “Police visited Faber’s Road area where a report was received that there was a shooting and several expended shells were recovered. Police made checks at the Karl Huesner Hospital where they found two male persons. One with a gunshot wound to the leg, and one with a gunshot wound to the lower part of the right foot. One person is in custody for this shooting, and an investigation continues.

Man killed in hit and run on Southern Highway
Independence police are investigating a hit and run incident. According to reports, on Sunday February 15th, Police visited an area near mile 23 on the Southern Highway in the village of Santa Cruz, where they saw a man lying face up on the right side of the road apparently dead. The victim was later identified as 38 year old Oswaldo Portillo, a Guatemalan farmer. Mr Portillo received injuries to the face, abdomen and left arm. His body was taken to the Southern Regional hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:40 am.

Patrick Jones

Political parties spar over independent audit
Two weeks from the municipal elections, in Belize City the major political parties exchanged blows over the results of an independent audit for the 2013-2014 fiscal year of the Belize City Council. People’s United Party candidate Yolanda Schakron and two of her councilors hosted the press this morning […]

Orange Walk student wins international award
In August of last year, the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization launched a “Touching Lives” School Talent International Contest. It called for the participation of school students from all across the Caribbean Region. And from a pool of submissions, a Belizean was fortunate enough to win […]

Gill net snares endangered Hammerhead shark
Concerns have been raised over the killing of a rarely seen Scalloped Hammerhead shark. The shark died this past weekend in the waters offshore southern Belize and it has raised serious concerns for Oceana-Belize. The organization today sounded the alarm after its investigation, based upon information it had received, revealed […]

Policeman jailed on manslaughter conviction
Supreme Court Justice Troadio Gonzalez has sentenced Police Constable Alpheus Parham to a total time of 10 years in prison. Constable Parham was found guilty last week of a charge of manslaughter in the shooting death of Alex Goff, who he shot to death in a detention cell at […]

Two die in hit-and-run incidents on opposite sides of the country
Police in Orange Walk are investigating an apparent hit-and-run incident on the Phillip Goldson Highway. The victim has been identified as nineteen year old Christian Villalobos, a resident of the Louisiana area of Orange Walk town. According to reports, Villalobos’ body was found at the side of the Phillip Goldson […]

Police investigate hit-and-run incident in Orange Walk
Police in Orange Walk are investigating an apparent hit-and-run incident on the Phillip Goldson Highway. Preliminary information received says that the incident happened near mile 61 on the Phillip Goldson Highway. The body of the victim, whose name has not yet been confirmed, has been taken to the morgue at the Northern Regional Hospital for a post mortem examination.

Blogs

50 Shades of Grey in Belize
What IS sexy, and I noticed it yesterday afternoon while taking this picture, is a grey sky in Belize. 50 shades? 100 shades? Who cares… As it says in that seriously crappy book – Belize makes “my very small inner goddess sway in a gentle victorious samba”. Ewwww. Here are some of the many beautiful shades of Belize gray.

SCENES FROM A TRIP NORTH
Another glorious day on Ambergris Caye so we decided to head north of our house and evaluate the scenery up there vs. the more populated areas south of us. Also, I’m tired of running into people we know while I’m sweating my ass off and, obviously, way out of shape. There was a great breeze and sunshine reflecting from the waters everywhere we turned, so heading to some of the most beautiful beaches on this day was the perfect scenario. We can walk the beach most of the way from our place to the bridge and, on the way, you run into this festive looking park. Would you expect any other colors? Here is the bridge over the split that heads north. If you’re in a vehicle or golf cart, you’ll need to pay the toll, which is $10BZ roundtrip.

15 Mind-Blowing Belize Landscapes

International Sources

Maimed Toucan Set To Receive 3D Printed Beak
Last month, a toucan was brutally attacked by a bunch of youths in Costa Rica, an assault that left the poor bird mutilated and missing a substantial chunk of its beak. And the world was not happy about it. The incident quickly earned a lot of attention online, and it didn’t take long for people to dip into their pockets to help the fella out. Now, thanks to the generous public, the animal’s outlook may not be so miserable as he is set to receive a prosthetic replacement. According to BBC News, four different companies in the country said they have the skills to help him and have volunteered their services to 3D print the bird a new beak, which could be the first time that a toucan has received such a prosthesis. However, scientists know that such a procedure can be successful as prosthetic beaks have been fitted on an eagle and a penguin before.

Belized to meet ya: Central America’s sexiest secret beach
Peek-a-booing out of a far western pocket of the Caribbean, Belize’s Ambergris Caye is like the shy kid whose older brother gets a DUI and whose underage sister gets knocked up — all of a sudden he’s the golden child for just basically sitting there, doing nothing. It’s true, the Central American country’s largest island — just a 20-minute prop-plane hop northeast of the mainland on Tropic Air — is surrounded by at-risk siblings. Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico — across the hall are all sorts of narco-trafficking, kidnappings, white slavery and head-removal shenanigans. (Remember cartels? They just have slightly better table manners than ISIS.) But beachy, mangrovey, 25-mile-long, mile-wide Ambergris is quiet as a mouse. The most danger you’ll encounter in bustling 13,000-souled San Pedro, the caye’s only town, is getting your foot run over by a tipsy driver on a golf-cart (the main form of transport). I apologize in advance. Ah, what a difference a barrier reef makes — barrier being the operative word — and calling it home has other perks, too, like insane diving ops attracting all sorts of snorkel-faced expats. Not to mention a reality show or two. Do you think Fox would’ve filmed season one of “Temptation Island” just anywhere? I think not. Here’s how to do one of Central America’s, indeed, most temptation-filled secret beaches.

Cope and Alfaro lead Costa Rica to beach volleyball victory in Central America
Costa Ricans Karen Cope and Natalia Alfaro won a golden set 15-7 over Guatemalan siblings Maria Jose Orellana and Maria Andrea Orellana as Costa Rica claimed the women's top place of the Central American Beach Volleyball Tournament, a first round competition of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Continental Cup. El Salvador and Honduras blanked Honduras and Belize respectively 4-0, earning the other two tickets to the next phase. Nicaragua 4, Belize 0: Lolette Rodríguez/Elia Torres of Nicaragua A defeated Tichele Solis/Tisha Solis of Belize B 2-0 (21-5, 21-11) and won 2-0 (21-5, 21-6) against Jasmine Anderson/Kelsey Balderamos of Belize A. Claudia Machado/Osiris Patricia Juarez of Nicaragua B defeated Anderson/Balderamos 2-0 (21-16, 21-14) and won 2-0 (21-16, 21-9) over Solis/Solis.

Vickie Swan Releases SPLIT SECOND DECISION II APPREHENDED
In the new book "Split Second Decision ll Apprehended" (published by AuthorHouse), the second installment in author Vickie Swan's trilogy, is set in a village in Belize and presents a fictional story based on nonfiction testimonials of human trafficking reports. Now that Anita is a pawn in his game, Dante proudly takes her on a tour of his 'empire.' She witnesses how he forcibly takes children from the surrounding villages in Belize and barbarically trains young boys to be soldiers and how he 'prepares' young girls to be sold on the human black market. Gaining some freedom, with Anita's help, some of the young girls show their strength and courage to rebel against Dante and the outcome will surprise the readers. The cruel experiences Anita faces, while in Dante's care, teach her how to be manipulative and her feat is - can she put Dante behind bars and still free Carolyn from his clutches?

For the adventurer in you: The top 10 exotic caves from around the world
The hidden treasures of the world captivate the adventurous hearts of common people everyday. Caves are unique; no two caves are the same. Actun Tunichil Muknal, Belize provides explorers with a unique journey, including underwater traveling. Reaching this legendary Mayan cave is not easy. "One must hike, wade and underwater swim," states Perfect Vacation. But if you make it, this is a life-changing view.

Videos

February 16, 2015

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Tropic Air Launches Codeshare to Tegucigalpa
Effective, February 17, 2015, Tropic Air has entered into a partnership with CM Airlines of Honduras to offer same day travel between Belize City and Tegucigalpa, Honduras via both airlines’ flights to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. This service will eliminate costly overnights when travelling between Belize City and Tegucigalpa, and will serve to stimulate tourism and trade between the two countries. “Today, in partnership with CM Airlines, we are pleased to add Tegucigalpa, Honduras to our route network” says John Greif III, President of Tropic Air. “Our passengers have been asking for this service for some time, and today we are pleased to make it happen”.

Wolfe’s Woofer: Why Marriages Break Up
“Hey! Dennis! What are you doing here?” I was at the big market in Chetumal, Mexico, right across the border from Belize. I turned around to find that it was my old friend Mike calling me. “Hey, Mike. I’m killing time until it’s time to catch the boat back to San Pedro. What about you?” “My wife dragged me out to do some shopping. I think I’ve been through every stall in this market.” “Where is your wife?” “We got separated about an hour ago. She was looking at some curtains and she probably hasn’t even noticed that I’m not there.” “How are you going to find her?”

Letter to the Editor: Harrison Longsworth
In your last week’s publication, I read with, great annoyance, the letter to the editor that alleged that the writer had conducted a survey at his place of business which yielded certain conclusions. I have no problem with any legitimate findings, whatever they may happen to be. Fact is fact. However, I have always held that those who would sign voluntary submissions as “concerned citizen” or “name with-held by request” or any other shield for anonymity are either cowards or liars or both. When someone does not accept ownership of a statement by signing his name to it, the credibility of the statement is immediately suspect.

Doctor Love
Dear Doctor Love My husband is a jealous guy. I know he loves me and I love him but this is really getting to me now. My husband does not work regular. He gets little jobs to make money but he usually spends it at the bar. I have a very good job and I pay the bills. At my job there are people that I have to work very close with. Most of them are women but one is a guy. He is a happily married, attractive man. All of the women like him but only as a friend, not in a physical way. My husband hates him because he is convinced that I am cheating with him. Everyone else knows it is not true but my husband will not give it up. He has talked about it with my family, his family and everyone we know.

Misc Belizean Sources

Benque Market Lonely on Valentine's Day
Saturdays are considered the most important market days in the country. However, this is how the Benque Market looked on Saturday February 14th. According to a release from the European Union "The Benque Viejo del Carmen Market is now a developed 6000 square foot plaza which facilitates permanent stalls; paved parking spaces, an upgraded recreational area which features a gazebo and beautification through added green spaces. All the stalls facing the new plaza and green areas are connected with covered walkways." According to residents, many vendors are either on bicycles or on foot going house to house to sell their goods. These goods are not limited to local goods as some are contraband goods and some from their farms in the area. Benque shoppers also have a culture of going to the district market in Cayo or to Melchor De Menchos, Guatemala which is closer and cheaper.

BRAD PATTICO: IN CELEBRATION OF BELIZEAN CREOLE FOLKLORE!
The last standing Belizean Creole folk artist, musical ambassador, and Grio, Brad Pattico posed here with yours truly Bilal Morris in 2011 in Los Angeles. Pattico is the only formidable Belizean musical folk artist that has a complete musical package of Belizean folk music ready for the live international stage.

REMEMBERING GEORGE GABB: BELIZEAN ARTIST EXTRAORDINAIRE!
Yours truly Bilal Morris posed alongside, The Sleeping Giant, Belize most celebrated artistic masterpiece to date at the National Institute of Culture & History (NICH) in 2010.

YAYA MARIN COLEMAN: A BELIZEAN ACTIVIST FOR A CAUSE!
Yours truly meeting of Yaya Marin Coleman for the first time in December of 2013 to cover the first attempted visited by Minister Louis Farrakhan to Belize was an rewarding experience that will be remembered here at Belizean Legends. This dynamic Belizean woman of courage needs no accolades to represent her since she is all the accolades in itself. Straight up and outspoken, Yaya was clear to me as a Belizean who was downright serious about the causes she struggled for. While penning an article at the Amandala Press on UNIBAM versus the churches, Yaya came straight to me that day and introduced herself with one of the most powerful personalities that would be ever be seen in present day Belizean society. She was to the point and made an urgent invitation for me to attend the CABO meeting in Honduras that was unfolding in a few days. Though my trip was too short, and it was a must to refuse the invitation, since the work at Amandala was priority, the offer could hardly be refused though my instincts succumbed.

AZIATIC & ELJAI: BELIZEAN LEGENDS IN MUSIC!
Seeing Aziatic perform live at Pupa Curly's Sea Breeze Festival a few years ago at the Los Angeles Sports Arena was a show of epic performance that will go down as quality and outstanding performance for us here at Belizean Legends. The captivating artist's stage show and musicians were just one of the best in Belize's Punta Rock genre, and if duplicated on the world stage again will blow away any Caribbean, R&B and African artists for that matter. We hope to see more of this Punta Rock icon in Belizean music take the stage more in concert hopefully at the Belize City Council BTL Park Concert shows in Belize City soon.

CTV3

COLA Call on Mendez To Face The Media
And while COLA President Giovanni Brackett spoke with the media this morning following the hearing of the case against Elvin Penner, he took the opportunity to share the organizations sentiment on the charges against Orange Walk East Area Representative Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez who has been charged with six counts of aggravated assault against two minors. According to Bracket, COLA has issued a press release on the matter and asks that Doctor Mendez give a statement on the accusations that have been levied against him. “Unlike other cases where COLA has been leaked documents for us to see the nature of the statements against individuals or the scenario, this has been quite different. We have not seen any statements. And what makes it a bit peculiar is that it involves minors. And as you would know in the media that we are commanded to be very sensitive under the different laws and we have to be very careful not to put children’s identities out there. But we want to make it very clear that COLA by no means has any tolerance for any act against children, and we’ll go even further, we not only find this allegation serious and disheartening...”

Contraband Cigarettes Confiscated In Mexico, Product Believed To Be From The CCFZ
Tonight a two ton container truck loaded with what is believed to be cigarettes exported from the Commercial Free Zone is impounded by the Procuraduria General de la Republica in Mexico. According to a Mexican Newspaper in Mexico, around midnight yesterday, officials from the PGR were on a routine check point where the truck driver was asked to open the doors of his containers. When he did officials noticed the large amount of cigarettes being transported.

Road Works In Corozal 70% Complete
With 285 days into the road project launched by Prime Minister of Belize Hon. Dean Barrow in June of 2014, the Corozal infrastructure project is approximately 70% complete. Today as our news team paid a visit to the work site in Corozal Town, over 80 workers employed by Imer Hernandez were busy as they aim to complete the work by the end of July. According to a ground supervisor, the weather has been holding up favourably and if it remains that way the project should see much more improvement in the near future.

Case Of COLA Versus Penner Goes Back To Court, Penner Is A No Show
Earlier this week we reported on a rare Inferior Court Appeal to be heard today Friday by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin. That appeal is being brought by Geovannie Brackett, president of Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) and advisor Nedal ‘Jihad’ McLaren, against Cayo Northeast area representative and former Minister of State for Immigration and Nationality Elvin Penner. This goes back to the case against Penner in the Kim Won Hong Passport scandal that was dropped in court in June of last year. COLA representatives and their attorneys appeared before the court today but the matter was not heard. COLA attorney Kareem Musa explains. "The appeal before the Honorable Chief Justice from the court's decision of the learned magistrate Ms. Aretha Ford - today was the first hearing of that appeal. As you know this matter concluded at the magistrate's court level in last year and in August of last year, we had filed our notice of appeal. We filed a ground s of appeal and we are now in a position to proceed with that appeal. We have filed our skeleton arguments as well. This morning we were notified that Mr. Penner had a change of an attorney. As you would recall at the magistrate's courts level he was represented by Mr. Ellis Arnold. This morning, we were notified that Ms. Trecia Pitts Anderson would be going on record and in that regard she requested an adjournment, because she was only retained I believe Wednesday of this week, so she will be needing a little time to prepare her arguments for a full hearing."

The Reporter

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner may face Argentina bomb probe
An Argentine prosecutor has asked a federal judge to investigate President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner over allegations she helped cover up Iranian links to a deadly 1994 bombing. Prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita inherited the case from Alberto Nisman, who was found dead in mysterious circumstances. The president denies the allegations, with the government calling the probe an “anti-democratic attack”. The attack on a Jewish centre killed 85 people. Iran denies being involved. The latest prosecutor’s move means the judge will have to decide whether to authorise new investigations to prove the president’s alleged involvement. If the prosecutor and the judge agree that there are enough elements to prove Ms Fernandez committed a crime, she could face prosecution and be charged.

Man and minor shot in Belize City Sunday night
Two people, a man and a minor were shot on Sunday night in Belize City. The two, Charles Guy, 56, and a 9-year-old boy were shot to their right legs while making a purchase at a grocery shop on Faber’s Road. Reports are that the shooter rode by sometime around 7 p.m. and unleashed a volley of shots into a small group who were at the shop before riding off on Sanker Street. Police, who recovered about a dozen expended shells from the scene, have no suspects.

Hattieville man shot dead in Ladyville
Denver Jones, 29, a villager of Hattieville village was shot dead shortly after 9 p.m. on Saturday night in Ladyville Village. The incident happened on Marage Road with its junction with a road lwading to an area called Lake Gardens. Jones was shot once to his left cheek and died at the scene. Ladyville police have detained three persons in connection with the murder.

Patrick Jones

Two people injured in Sunday night shooting incident in Belize City
A man and a minor were victims of a shooting incident in Belize City on Sunday night. The victims, a 9 year old boy and 56 year old Charles Guy, both sustained non-life-threatening injuries to their right leg when a man fired several shots in their direction as the two of them were buying at a grocery store on Fabers Road. Police responded to reports of the shooting incident around 7 pm on Sunday and when they visited the emergency ward at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, they found Guy and the minor undergoing treatment. Initial information received say that close to a dozen expended shells were recovered from the scene of the crime.

Senior Citizens attend social event in Orange Walk town
The La Inmaculada Youth Group today hosted a social event for 12 golden citizens from Orange Walk Town. The afternoon was spent by playing games, youths reciting poems and showcasing their talents in short skits. A care package was given to each person which were contributions from the community. The group meets for planning every Sunday at the auditorium.

Hattieville man murdered in Ladyville
A man was shot and killed last night in Ladyville village, Belize district. The victim has been identified as 29 year old Denver Owin Jones, a resident of Hattieville village. Police say that around 9:30 pm on Saturday they visited a road which connects Marage Road with Lake Gardens where they found Jones on the ground with a single gunshot wound to his left cheek.

Blogs

It’s Carnaval time in San Pedro, Belize
Carnaval 2015 begins in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize. On Sunday, Front Street, the beach and Central Park were given over to paint wars by kids. They descended on the park with bottles filled with washable paints (hopefully) and even some raw eggs. Often banding together in teams, they waged battles on other groups, gleefully smearing each other from head to toe. They get to do it again after school tomorrow and Tuesday, starting at 3 p.m. The adults get to join in too. A big part of the celebration is Carnaval Comparsa, the marching of adult groups in themed costumes. They can be political, social, cultural — and as often as not, that very attractive woman marching by you is a guy. Some, like Felix, head of the local HIV Commission (in a photo in this blog) do an amazing transformation. The groups march and dance every night and compete for prizes.

Belize Pollution Problems
Pollution is the leading cause of death in low- and middle-income countries, according to a report from the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP), an organization whose members include the World Bank, Columbia University’s Earth Institute, and various United Nations’ bodies and national governments. In 2012, pollution – in the form of contaminated soil, water, and both indoor and outdoor air – was responsible for 8.4 million deaths in developing countries. That’s almost three times more deaths than those caused by malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis combined. And the Ebola outbreak that had American legislators shaking in their suits, while ignoring more pressing national issues? Last year, fewer than 8,000 individuals died from the Ebola virus. Belize has managed to preserve its natural environment more effectively than any of its neighbors in Latin America and the Caribbean. Nevertheless, the country still faces its own environmental pollution challenges, most of which are consequences of development projects and a growing population. There are currently seven major environmental issues, related in one way or another to pollution that impact Belize’s natural resources. While these issues are by no means exhaustive, they represent the most pressing matters. High deforestation rates, improper solid-waste management, polluted water, rapid coastal development, increasing poverty, weak institutional and legal frameworks, and the recent discovery of sweet crude oil all pose significant threats to Belize’s ecosystems.

Gorgeous Weather, Good Eats and Cute Spots in San Pedro
This week’s weather in San Pedro has been absolute perfection. Cool in the morning and evening and warm sun all day. A bit breezy the last day or two but now I’m just getting nit-picky. It was a week of political rallying – elections in San Pedro are coming up QUICK – March 4th…and kids gawking at them over the school fence. Okay…on to the good eats. Wednesday, for lunch, I had an extremely tasty burger at Blue Water Grill. Green apple, thick thick bacon and lots of blue cheese. Yum.

12 of the Best Restaurants in San Ignacio, Belize
While Belize is well known for its scenery, its outstanding cuisine often goes unnoticed. San Ignacio in particular has a restaurant scene that rivals cities many times its size. Here are a dozen establishments worth visiting. Cahal Pech Village Resort Restaurant, Ko-Ox Ha-Nah Restaurant, Erva’s, Mr Greedy’s, Fuego Bar & Grill, D Catch Sea Food Bistro, Pops Restaurant, Mincho’s, Cenaidas Belizean Food, Maxim’s Restaurant, Hode’s Place, Rolson’s Cocina Cantina.

International Sources

BELIZE ON DRUG TRAFFICKING – ANALYSIS
Currently, Belize is struggling with an onslaught of drug trafficking, a common theme experienced by many Latin American countries, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. You can now add Belize to the list that is now caught up in the “War on Drugs.” Geographically, Belize shares a northern border with Mexico, a western one with Guatemala, and access to the Gulf and several Caribbean countries. Its physical location and the increasing violence in Mexico and Guatemala make Belize an ideal transshipment point to the U.S. market. To counter the drug trafficking threat, Belize has followed the U.S.’s policy by adopting a hardline approach and cracking-down on drugs. Belize has looked to its allies- the U.S., Canada and the U.K. – to help strengthen its military, called the Belize Defense Force, and the country’s police force. The question is whether this militaristic approach is the best option for tiny Belize because the same approach has arguably failed in Mexico and Guatemala. After laying out the facts, Belize may want to look at other options, like marijuana legalization and investing in new social programs, to combat the drug problem into which it has fallen.

Why Caribbean Business Needs Reform
Doing Business 2015: Going Beyond Efficiency is the 12th in the series of long-standing co-publications of the World Bank and International Financial Corporation which ranks the global competitiveness of nations annually. In this publication, 189 economies were assessed over the period 2013 to 2014. 32 of these economies are within the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. LAC and South Asia “remain the two regions with the smallest share of economies implementing regulatory reforms as captured by Doing Business”. 13 of these economies are recorded as Caribbean States. Like “Doing Business in the Caribbean: CARIFORUM needs Reform”, this article includes 3 additional states taken from Latin America which are members of CARIFORUM: namely Belize, Guyana, and Suriname. The current and previous rankings of these 16 economies are shown in the table below.

Videos

February 15, 2015

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Jennifer Mefford donates to Holy Cross
Jennifer Mefford decided to donate her lucky earnings from the National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl XLIX to Holy Cross Anglican Primary School. While enjoying the Super Bowl at Lola’s Sports Bar, Mefford participate in a Super Bowl Squares Competition, where to her surprise she won $500. She decided the money should be used for a worthy cause and as such donated it to Holy Cross to be used in the schools feeding program. Way to go Jennifer! The faculty, staff and students of Holy Cross extend a big thank you to Jennifer Mefford on her kind donation.

Immer Perez loses court case against The Split Landowners
The Belize Supreme Court has ruled against Immer Perez in the land dispute of Emerald Point, better known as The Split in Caye Caulker Village. Perez, owner of Lazy Lizard Bar and Grill which was located on the Split, and lease-holder of the area, was in a legal battle against Emerald Point landowner, Dan Nichols. Perez has now been mandated to relocate within 20 days’ time and his liquor license has been annulled. The dispute started back in August 2014 when Perez was presented with a 90-day notice that he must leave the premises on Emerald Point because it was sold. His lease stated that if the land was sold then the lease would terminate, but Perez found out that the land was never sold. The lease, which was valid up until May 31, 2018, was still legal and as such Perez refused to evacuate The Split. The problem escalated in November 2014 when he was forcefully and apparently illegally evicted along with all his belongings off the premises.

Local Tour Guides participate in Dive Safety Seminar
Several local tour guides from San Pedro participated in a Dive safety Seminar on Monday, February 9th at the Isla Bonita Yacht Club conference room. The seminar is part of a dive accident prevention campaign being carried out by Sub-aquatics of Belize Limited via the Hyperbaric Chamber Clinic. Participants received vital knowledge on Decompression Illness (DCI) from two members of the International Sub-aquatics Safety Services (SSS) Chamber Network: Paul Cunliffe, Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer, and Netzahualcoyotl Segundo, Emergency Medical System (EMS) Dive Medical Technician (DMT). The seminar included information on how tour guides should deal with dive accidents, including the signs of DCI and how to provide first aid to affected divers. “This a part of our service to the community and the chamber, as it is a soft session on dive accidents management training. The seminar will improve awareness and safety in diving. We will highlight the services that are provided by the chamber. It’s important that all tour guides are aware of the general information involved in DCI to ensure that immediate treatment is given. Simple steps can be taken before the diver is taken to the chamber to ensure he/she makes a full recovery,” said Cunliffe.

The San Pedro Belize Red Cross hosts successful First Aid/CPR Training and Blood Drive
The San Pedro Belize Red Cross (SPBRC) is pleased to report much success in their first two events for 2015. These events included a First Aid/Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training held on Thursday, January 29th and a blood drive held on Saturday, February 7th. Recently appointed co-leaders of the SPBRC Health Committee, Sue Barkhouse and Joann Reilly were in charge of organizing the events.

Misc Belizean Sources

Now introducing Belizean Actress Shantay Reyes from the new Movie $TATE$
An exclusive interview with Shantay Reyes with dA Net-Work Magazine: A lot of people still haven’t heard of the country Belize or think Belize is in South America. What do you think can be done to put Belize on the map? Shantay Reyes: My opinion on this is that Belizeans as a whole should be a little more united. I think if, as a country, the citizens of Belize help each other, the country itself will be more recognized. dA Net-Work Magazine: In your own words, how would you describe the movie $TATE$ and why do you think other people should come see it? Shantay Reyes: REAL! The movie shows what people go through in reality. People should want to see the movie because I'm in it. Duh! I know one way or another, someone can relate to the movie. dA Net-Work Magazine: How did you get involved with the movie $TATE$ and what have you done to make your friends and family aware of this project? Shantay Reyes: I was approached by Jah about having a role in the movie and of course I couldn't say no to him, lol. Honestly, I kept the movie a secret to friends and a few family members. Well, I don't want to say a secret, but I just didn't announce it. I'm more of a person who's going to do and tell later when everything is done.

Little Belize Offers a Lot (Including Tax Advantages)
Among other benefits, those in the program can import household goods and vehicles (cars less than three years old, a boat, or a light plane) tax-free within a year of approval. They are also exempt from paying any tax on income or investments generated outside Belize. The couple brought in a shipping container’s worth of household goods to start their new life near Bullet Tree Falls Village, just outside San Ignacio, the regional capital of the Cayo District. This region in the interior is known for its jungle, mountains, and agriculture. The couple’s North American-style house, which includes a large courtyard and swimming pool, sits on a double lot near a narrow river. A solar power system, which cost $65,000, enables them to be completely off-grid.

Western Ballaz Defeat Tiger Sharks
The Western Ballaz defeated the Tiger Sharks last night. The final quarter saw the Ballaz up, and as the clock ran out, the gap was erased. The Tiger Sharks hit three 3 pointers within a minute. With under a minute to go, the Ballaz took it to a 3 point lead. The 4th 3 point shot never made it. Congratulations, Western Ballaz! You are the greatest!

The Reporter

Family receives death threats from extortionist
Police in the Stann Creek district are investigating a series of death threats that a family has received from someone who has demanded money from them. According to police, the threats started on the night of January 29th when Nelson Folgar, 37, a Honduran-born supervisor of Bella Vista Village, Stann Creek received a threatening phone call. Folgar told police the man who called from an unidentified number said that one of Folgar’s family members would be killed if he did not come up with $15,000. A second threat came on Thursday afternoon when Folgar’s sister-in-law found a note making the same demand and threat. The note indicated the family had 72 hours in which to provide the money.

COLA’s Penner appeal case starts in Supreme Court
Former Minister of State, Elvin Penner, will have to appear in the Belize Supreme Court after Chief Justice, Kenneth Benjamin started to hear the appeal by COLA, the Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action on Friday. The CJ will deliver his ruling on whether Belmopan Magistrate, Aretha Ford erred in her judgement that Penner had no case to answer in July of 2014. Penner, charged with immigration offences for having allegedly facilitated the issuance of a Belizean passport to Kim Wong Hong, a South Korean who was in a Chinese jail at the time when the passport was issued in September of 2013. Although Penner himself was absent in court, his new attorney, Trecia Pitts Anderson informed the court that she had just been retained two days prior and requested an adjournment to prepare for the case.

Crash between freight train and bus leaves 16 dead in Mexico
At least 16 people have been killed and 30 others injured in a collision between a freight train and a bus at a level crossing in northern Mexico. Pictures showed the bus split in half by the force of the crash, in the town of Anahuac in Tamaulipas state. Local reports said the driver of the bus may have ignored the stop light at the crossing. The bus was reported to have been carrying about 60 passengers although it only had seating for 40. A statement by the train’s operator, Kansas City Southern de Mexico, confirmed there had been “a lamentable accident” at about 17:25 (23:25 GMT) on Friday.

The Belize Times

Ready For Victory!!!!
Over 2,000 supporters turned out to stand shoulder to shoulder with PUP Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca and the PUP Belize City Council team"][/caption] The venerable blue machine of the People’s United Party revved its engine to high gear in all municipalities countrywide as Nomination Day was held for municipal election candidates in all towns and cities. The images of the marches that simultaneously began throughout the country around 9:30 on Wednesday February 11th morning were powerful. It showed large crowds and long lines of stalwart supporters who came out to show their support for People’s United Party Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca and the candidates who are contesting the upcoming municipal elections. In Belize City, led by Mayoral Candidate Yolanda Schakron, the team was surrounded by leaders from the various constituencies in Belize District and over 2,000 loyal supporters. They ecstatically walked, marched and danced up Vernon Street, unto Central American Boulevard and then on Mahogany Street, where they gathered in front of the Charles Hyde Building to take part in the official nomination process. Inside they met with Elections and Boundaries officials who supervised and completed the nominations.

UDP CitCo will raise taxes – Leaked memo reveals vehicle licensing and traffic penalties will be doubled, tripled and quadrupled
Mayor Darrell Bradley and his band of lazy and do-nothing UDP Councillors have been secretly considering imposing significant increases to traffic fees and penalties for the already tax-burdened city residents, according to a Belize City Council memo leaked to the BELIZE TIMES. The memo was reportedly prepared and introduced for review at a City Council meeting in mid-2014. The document is titled “Suggestive Price list for Traffic Offences” and contains the Council’s plans to increase various fees by large sums. The document lists up to 57 traffic violations, several of them first-time heard of, that fall under the proposed sky-high fines. For example, the Council plans to hike the fine for “Using motor vehicle without mud wings” from $25.00 to a whopping $200, which is an increase of 800%. Another example is “Fail to stop engine of stationary vehicle”, which will go from $25.00 to a staggering $50.00, an increase of 100%.

Yolanda Schakron – FOR THE PEOPLE!! – Darrell Bradley calls proposal for scholarship fund “STUPID”
The difference between Yolanda Schakron and Darrell Bradley was very clear for all to see when UDP Mayor Bradley attacked Mrs. Schakron’s noble idea that her entire salary will be used to finance a scholarship fund. At the PUP’s Belize City manifesto launch on Saturday, February 7th, Mrs. Schakron unveiled that her personal pledge to the city is to give up her salary in order to get an education scholarship fund going for the children of Belize. Mrs. Schakron has been a successful business woman for over twenty years. She explained that through her business she has been assisting children every year through an education programme that provides funding to support their studies. Throughout the campaign for City Council election over the past months she has seen the high levels of poverty in the city and in particular the level of inequity in the access to education among our young people. She said she believes that providing more support to education would assist in the alleviation of poverty that exists in Belize City.

UDP Politics as Usual…
In terms of this crime thing, can we realistically expect 2011 to be any different from 2010? Can we expect a decrease in murders, in home invasions, in assaults, in robberies and shootings and thefts? The government has offered nothing different from 2010 – no new initiatives, no new agenda, no new plans, no bold, visionary ideas. There is nothing new coming out of the Ministry of Police, nothing new coming out of the Police Department. Operating Restore Belize is still putt-putting merrily along on the wings of a song. Poverty is increasing apace, as is unemployment. Frustration and desperation are heading on up. There have been no social programs offered and no move to address the school dropout rate. There is still no state of the art forensic/DNA lab which Mr. Barrow promised something like three years ago. He continues to promise the lab periodically but still nothing. That’s all we’ve gotten from this government – NOTHING. The Minister of Police did his media thing the other day but while he may be cute (or not) we were given NOTHING concrete, nothing to base our hopes for better on. So far 2011 isn’t looking all that great…

Editorial: WRONG AND OUTRAGEOUS
The Prime Minister, like his Belize City Mayor, cannot keep his mouth shut. Even when he is wrong, outrageous and disgraceful. On Nomination Day, Wednesday 11 February 2015, he had to be himself. Never mind he looked frail, drawn up and run- down. He forced his weak voice to make disgraceful comments about the personal family tragedy of an elected member of the House of Representatives. Trying to squeeze political mileage from the Dr. Mendez matter, the Prime Minister ranted about the need for the doctor to resign his seat. He even dragged in the Leader of the Opposition by suggesting enough was not done to force a resignation. Excuse us Prime Minister, but how dare you? Your remarks are out of order and they are inexcusable. You know fully well that Dr. Mendez’s matter is before the courts. As an attorney you know how improper it is to make such comments and pass judgement on a matter not yet decided in court. As a Prime Minister you, of all persons, should be the last one to be uttering such comments.

Louisiana girls are national basketball champs
The Louisiana Government School girls from Orange Walk Town won the national primary schools basketball championships at Birds Isle on Friday, February 6th. The Sugar City girls won 37-5 over the St. Peter Claver RC School girls with Eloisa Moreno scoring 14 points, and Aaliyah Leiva adding 11 points, while PG’s Normalee Gomez scored 3 points. In 3rd place, the Sacred Heart RC School girls won 10-5 over the BES girls with Shannel Thomas scoring 6 points while BES’ Allyana Musa scored 5 points. National Sports Council coordinator, Kaya Cattouse, presented team trophies and individual medals to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners, while the Most Valuable Player award went to Sugar City’s Aaliyah Leiva.

SCA advances to football nationals
The St. Catherine’s Academy girls will represent the Central Division at the high school football championships on February 20-21, after winning the finals 2-0 over the defending champs, the Gwen Lizarraga High School girls, at the MCC grounds on Saturday. SCA’s Shevonie Crawford created the plays for Gabriela Mendoza to score the 1st and 2nd goals against Gwen Liz’s goalie Loretta Cadle. SCA’s Jennifer Estrada, Jody Pott and Jada Myvett looked to increase the lead, while Gwen Liz’s Essenie Ciego, Vivica Young and Landisha Saldano sought to get on the scoreboard, but the long whistle sounded to a 2-0 win.

Belize Bank Bulldogs win softball champs
The Belize Bank Bulldogs repeated as champs of the 7th annual Charles Solis Memorial softball tournament at the Rogers Stadium in Belize City on Sunday. The Belize Bank ladies walloped the Cayo district champs, Roaring Creek Grace Kennedy, 8-7 in Game 6, the championship final. Belize Bank’s Marsha Wills and Sharette Vernon came home in the 1st inning, and winning pitcher Ashley Lucas made it 3-0 in the 2nd inning.

Mek WHO Rich??? – Curtis Swasey claims his “Mek Mi Rich” idea was illegally replicated by not normal Belizeans
Belizean entrepreneur Curtis Swasey is taking Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) to court for alleged breach of contract in a claim that involves the alleged misappropriation of intellectual property. Swasey claims that the idea of the “Mek Mi Rich” lottery draw is his. He explained in court files that in January 2012, he had approached marketing representatives and shared the concept for a lottery draw program which can be accessed exclusively by BTL customers. According to Swasey, he signed an Information Exchange Agreement with BTL reps which contained a two-year period of non-disclosure in the event the agreement would be terminated. He said that since 2012, he has been in dialogue with BTL reps on the program. Throughout that time, he reportedly provided training and had discussions about implementation. On August 7, 2014, BTL abruptly wrote Swasey informing that they would not accept his proposal. However, a few weeks later a lottery draw initiative and game show called “Mek Mi Rich” was introduced to the public by a private company with BTL as their partners.

WOMAN IN THE HOUSE – Striking A Balance
In 2005, which amazingly is all of ten years ago, I was invited by the Commonwealth Secretariat to be a member of a group of international Observers for the elections in Tanzania in East Africa. We attended a briefing at the Commonwealth Office in London before flying to Kenya, then on to Tanzania that October. As it turned out the elections on the mainland were postponed. However, the Zanzibar elections proceeded as planned. Zanzibar is semi-autonomous and has two main Islands – Unguja and Pemba. My colleague, Christiana Thorpe from Sierra Leone, and I were deployed along with two Commonwealth staffers to the northern island of Pemba. Pemba is beautiful and lush. It is the more rustic of the Zanzibar islands, and it specializes in the production of cloves and other spices. Almost all the population are Muslim in their faith. The topic of this piece is how do we strike a balance in women’s attire between revealing clothing, or a lack thereof, and what is appropriate and acceptable culturally. We were three weeks in Tanzania/Zanzibar, and I was intrigued by the brightly colored kangas (from the Swahili word ‘ku-kanga’ – to wrap) of the women and the very modest attire of people there. Women were well-clothed, covered, and beautiful. The varieties and loveliness of fabric were a joy. On returning home, I was driving on Central American Boulevard, and there I saw two young women strolling in their back-out blouses and very hot pants. For me it was a bit of culture shock in reverse. What a lot of skin was showing!

A Government that Tramples on the Constitution
Dear Editor, When a leader cannot protect and wantonly tramples the Constitution which is the Supreme Law of the land, he should no longer remain in government. Belize is currently led by such an arrogant leader. The PM doesn’t allow the 13th Senator; and doesn’t allow PAC to function, undermining the important layers of check and balance. The President of the Senate voted unconstitutionally against an Inquiry Bill proposed by the Business Senator; while the “guardian” of transparency Minister Godwin Hulse should have abstained from voting on his principled beliefs, yet he voted. This was during the Penner passport/nationality scandal. Hulse, interestingly, was also the one who allowed Penner, who was not the substantive Minister of Immigration, to sign the infamous and scandalous passport and certificate of nationality to the Korean national who was in jail in Taiwan and had never set foot on Belizean soil.

Public Transportation: A Backward Industry
Dear Editor, It’s a frustrating scenario with nothing being done to alleviate it. The current bus schedule and the amount of buses running are clearly not meeting the public’s demand. A “herd” of people waiting in congestion at the bus terminal for ONE bus that cannot accommodate all of them is the daily struggle. It becomes a situation of “Survival of the Fittest” where people run, push and curse each other just so they can get in the bus. All respect for grandma, grandpa and children is thrown out the window as they are pushed and shoved around in all the commotion. The number of standees and people that get left behind can easily fill another bus or two but no extra buses are sent. How difficult can it be for the Ministry and bus companies to solve this issue? Terminal Management is a waste of time and resources! Their duties seem to be opening and closing the terminal gate, writing down bus arrival and departure time just for the sake of it, cursing the standees to get off the bus and calling the police when they refuse to do so. Terminal Management should be gathering vital information and making daily reports on the amount of seats available when a bus arrives (since most buses arrive at the terminal almost full), the amount of people waiting at the terminal, the amount of standees, and the amount of people that get left behind. They should have the authority to call the bus company to request an additional bus to be sent within 15 minutes to accommodate the people left behind.

“Let’s follow the money!” – PUP Mayoral Candidate Yolanda Schakron’s Open Letter to Mayor Darrel Bradley
Dear Mayor Bradley, The financial statements of the Belize City Council for 2014 leave many questions unanswered under your management. You stated that the $1.3million in legal fees and professional fees under the Office of the Mayor was due to the various lawyers the Council have on retainer. Then subsequently in another interview, you have stated that $1.2million of the amount was for the judgment ordered by the courts on the settlement of the BWC court case against the City Council – not lawyers on retainers. But a basic accounting principle is that any arrears for a specific item would have been recorded as such- an arrear that is in effect what the judgment payment for BWC is. They are not legal fees. Sanitation is recorded as sanitation, and a legal fee as legal. 1. It is our understanding that the Auditors for the 2011/ 2012 Financial Statements gave an Adverse Opinion on the financials because they were not satisfied with millions of accounts receivables and monies owing that they could not find sufficient evidence to satisfy themselves as to the true amount. Who was the previous auditor of the 2013 financial statements? Will you say what is the reason they have not issued an opinion on that audit? Why would you proceed with the audit of 2014 if the previous audit has not been qualified?

Patrick Jones

Rotary Park in Santa Elena town undergoing renovation
A new set of playground equipment is on the way for installation at the Rotary Park in Santa Elena town, Cayo. The equipment is coming from Canada and will be installed over the course of two days, on March 7 and March 8. To make way for the new equipment, members of the San Ignacio Rotary Club were out at the park on Saturday morning to put in “sweat equity” as the preparation of the Rotary Park for the major upgrade is well underway. With shovels in hand, wheelbarrows at the ready, a backhoe on hand and a dump truck filled with sand, the Rotarians went to work on a bright, sunny and warm Saturday morning ripping up old concrete slabs and carting them away.

Hattieville man dies weeks after being shot
Three weeks after he was wounded in a shooting incident in Hattiville village, 28 year old Eugene Pitts has died. Someone opened fire at a party on the night of January 25 in Hattieville village, injuring him to the midsection and damaging his internal organs. Pitts had been hospitalized at the Karl Heusner Memorial in Belize City until he died of a heart attack on Thursday night. Police have still not made an arrest for the shooting and the case has now been upgraded to a murder investigation.

Prime Minister: Dr. Mendez must resign
Prime Minister Dean Barrow has joined the chorus of opponents of Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez, area representative for Orange Walk East, who faces serious charges of aggravated sexual assault with two young women who were minors at the time the incident was alleged to have taken place to resign from his position immediately. While his party, the People’s United Party, have suspended him from party activity and he has already declared that he will not stand in the next general election, his opponents have demanded much more. His immediate resignation would trigger a by-election in the constituency.

Blogs

GOLF CARTS & GRILLS!
As previously mentioned in an earlier blog, we hadn’t decided whether to buy or rent a golf cart. After shopping around to 4 different rental companies, we pulled the trigger and rented this gem at a great rate! It possesses all 3 requirements we insisted it have – good tires, a windshield and SPEED! Many of the golf carts down here can be passed up, quite easily, by the likes of my grandmother. And she uses a walker. This golf cart has some pep! We were now able to run the errands for large and heavy items that we couldn’t possibly have done on foot. First things first, we hit Bowen & Bowen (the beverage distributor) for two 5 gallon bottles of water, a case of Fanta Club Soda and, my favorite item, a water dispenser with a stand! It’s the little things, I guess. With a golf cart loaded to it’s maximum, it made sense to drop this stuff off at home before heading out on more errands.

The Conflict of Interest Regime in Belize
Proposals from the National Plan of Action By: Geraldo Flowers, Ph.D. Introduction Belize ratifies Inter-American Convention Against Corruption on August 02, 2002. The Belizean Attorney General’s Ministry and the OAS signed an MOU to develop the National Plan of Action Against Corruption in June of 2007. The Draft Plan of Action was produced in June 2009 and can be found at www.belizelaw.org. A Draft Plan of Action Workshop was held in March 2010 in Belize with a broad spectrum of stakeholders to review the Plan of Action and provide input. Belize’s legal-institutional system was borne out of the British colonial experience. Section 2 of the Imperial Laws (Extension) Act, Chapter 2, provides that, “2(1) Subject to the provision of this or any other Act, the common law of England and all Acts in abrogation or derogation or in any way declaratory of the common law passed prior to 1st January 1899, shall extend to Belize.”

Belize Mexico Border
I. BOUNDARY BRIEF The Belize–Mexico boundary is approximately 250 kilometers (155 miles) long. Inland from the Boca Bacalar Chico on the Caribbean coast, it extends through the Chetumal Bay for about 81 kilometers (50 miles) to the mouth of the Hondo (Rio Hondo). The boundary follows the thalweg of the Hondo and Blue Creed (Rio Azul) upstream to the meridian of Garbutts Fall. It then follows this median southward to the tripoint with Guatemala on the parallel of 17º49 North. II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The British Bay Settlement was established in the area which is now Belize1in 1638. By the Treaty of Madrid of 1670, Spain accorded recognition to the de facto British possessions in the Caribbean area, but it did not accept Great Britain’s contention that the terms of the treaty included the Bay Settlement.

Maritime Areas Act of 1992
An Act to make provision with respect to the Territorial Sea, Internal Waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone of Belize; and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto of 24 January 1992 National legislation – DOALOS/OLA – United Nations BE IT ENACTED, by and with the advice and consent of the House of Representatives and the Senate of Belize and by the authority of the same, as follows: PART I PRELIMINARY Short Title and commencement 1. (1) This act may be cited as the Maritime Areas Act, 1992 (2) This Act shall come into operation upon such date as the Minister may by Order published in the Gazette appoint. Interpretation 2. In this Act: "baseline" means the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured as described in Section 4; "equidistance line", as between Belize and an adjacent State, means a line every point of which is equidistant from the nearest point of the baseline of the "exclusive economic zone" means the exclusive economic zone of Belize as described in Section 6 and, to the extent that Section 7 applies, as delimited pursuant to Section 7; "foreign vessel" means a vessel that is not registered as a Belizean ship under the Registration of Merchant Ships Act, 1989 (Belize) (Act. No. 32 of 1989); "foreign State" means a State other than Belize;

The Top Most Romantic Places in Belize
I’m not an expert in destination weddings or honeymoon getaways but there’s something that is clear to me…Belize is special…Belize is magical…Belize is perfect for romance. I have been all over Belize and have worked in the tourism industry for years and through that experience I have encountered many couples vacationing in Belize and wouldn’t stop raving about Belize. Time after time, they would repeat to me that they were fortunate to travel to Belize, choosing an adventure destination is a fun bonding experience. Here are eight places I recommend for a unforgettable romantic vacation: El Secreto, Hamanasi Resort, Roberts Grove, Cayo Espanto, Ka’ana Resort, The Lodge at Chaa Creek, Matachica Beach Resort, Victoria House.

Why Buy Real Estate in Belize
Belize is a great investment in real estate. Why not own a tangible asset outside the U.S. in a country with great investment fundamentals? It’s an English speaking country and only two hours from the U.S., and less expensive than other Caribbean countries, since it is relatively undiscovered. For that reason, the values are going up. Nowhere else can you find such pristine natural resources in an area that has been a well-kept secret for so many years, until now. Move to Belize.

Manatees and Monkeys - Nicole shares her experiences as a Wildtracks volunteer
I first read about Wildtracks on Facebook this summer, a post about the manatee calves shared by a friend of a friend. It seemed like fortunate timing since I was already planning a trip to Central America so I sent an application, thinking that it sounded like a great place volunteer. It was my first time volunteering abroad, first time in Belize, and first time working with animals other than dogs and cats so I set off with no real idea what to expect. And I loved it. I was leaning toward working with the manatees when I arrived and that’s where I started out. My very first day I got to swim with each of them: Rhamases, Khaleesi, Mitch, and Lucky. It was an amazing experience to get to see manatees up close and get to know their personalities. After a couple days I got to start learning how to prepare Rhamases meals: about three bottles, four times a day, and buckets upon buckets of seagrass. This boy has a very healthy appetite! I also helped collect seagrass by swimming or canoeing out into the middle of the lagoon and picking the grass off the seafloor. Rhamases definitely keeps the volunteers busy with this, usually eating at least two five-gallon buckets each day.

Guests having fun in Placencia, Belize! Check out these pics....
If you want to get excited about a trip somewhere warm (BELIZE!!!) what better way than to enjoy pictures of other people having fun? Our Cleveland friends just left and we had the time of our lives. I am sure the rest of the group is as exhausted as I am after 10 days of nonstop fun :). I already posted the first few days of pictures....here is the rest of their trip!! First picture of the whole group, with Lacey! Coconut drinks on the beach..... Some beach fun.... She let the beach dogs lick her face. Not recommended.

Northern Belize is Filled with Amazing Wildlife
Northern Belize consists of Corozal District on the coast and Orange Walk District located inland. Corozal is in the very northern edge of Belize, closer to Mexico, while Orange Walk is southwest and closer to the middle of Belize. You’ll find an abundance of wildlife which attracts many tourists every year to this region. In northern Belize, you will find all five species of wildcat: Jaguar, Puma, Margay, Ocelot, and Jaguarundi. There are two species of monkeys here: the howler and the spider monkey found living in trees. Other wildlife typical of the area include: White-tailed deer, the grey fox, armadillo, opossum, and the kinkajou. You’ll also find different lizards, such as the anole and the rainbow ameiva. There are over 200 kinds of trees and 250 kinds of orchids found in this region.

International Sources

Cathedral raises money for Belize child care home
A BD375 donation has been given to the Dorothy Menzies Child Care Home in Belize on behalf of the congregation of St Christopher's Cathedral. The money was raised during last year's Christingle service, where the theme was "children helping children". Bahrain resident and volunteer Yvonne Trueman raises money for the orphanage in Belize to commemorate the death of her helicopter pilot son, who used to work with the children more than two decades ago.

Where to Go in 2015: Frommers' picks reflect celebrations, sustainability, value
Travel experts Arthur and Pauline Frommer, publishers of the famed Frommer Travel Guides and hosts of a long-time "Travel Show" on radio, offered their list of places to go in 2015 during the New York Times Travel Show. "We polled our contributors – journalists – we hire people in destinations we’re writing about – to produce this list of top places you should go in 2015," Pauline said. "We believe destinations like fine wines, years when they are better than other years." There are also some destinations they recommend on the list as a "see it now before it is destroyed" and others they recommend because tourism can be a salvation, sustaining a community under siege economically, environmentally and culturally. Belize is one of the most life affirming destinations on the planet – wonderful for families – consider it a place that has everything: like Costa Rica, it has pristine jungles, beautiful beaches, fabulous water sports, but unlike Costa Rica, it also has cultural riches (Costa Rica is more of a nature destination). Belize has Mayan temples, caves that were used by the Mayans for human sacrifice. Actun Tunichil Muknal (the Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre), also known locally as Xibalba or ATM, near San Ignacio, Cayo District– I did it with my daughters and to this day, it is still their favorite adventure - you swim into the cave, and at one point, take off shoes, and walk in your socks over a calcified floor where there are ancient Mayan pots that can’t be moved because they are embedded, and next to pots are skulls and skeletons from human sacrifice. You feel like Indiana Jones. We also rappelled down cliffs.

Forbes 20 Best Foreign Retirement Havens For 2015
Belize: The sole Central American country with English as the main language is a warm outdoor paradise of barrier reef diving, fishing, boating and beach. Belize aggressively courts retirees with a Qualified Retired Persons program offering permanent residency, and the cost of living is modest. Popular spots for retirees include Ambergris Caye (pictured), an island 35 miles northeast of Belize City. Health care away from Belize City can be spotty, but Miami is just a two-hour plane ride away.

Videos

February 14, 2015

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Falling in love with Caye Caulker
It doesn’t matter how long it’s been, docking along the shores of Caye Caulker still has that calming, soothing effect. She’s got brilliantly colored homes along her beaches juxtaposed next to a few less gaudy ones, the trees still line her shores, and more often than not, a hammock is strung between them for a quick nap. You could walk her streets at the most leisurely pace, not once coming across a vehicle. In fact, you have to walk around sleeping dogs more often than stepping aside for a golf cart! Caye Caulker is not pretentious. She is tiny and unique, from her pretty sandy beaches and funky boats tied up to mooring spots – to the darker, yet just-as-enticing, west side where older homes, fishermen’s spots, and mangroves have taken root and made their home. Caye Caulker is really a fun date – casual if you’re up to it, and for her formal means slipping on flip flops instead of being barefoot. Her restaurants are homey, but the food within is often out-of-this-world. Her beaches shaded from her many coconut trees, the drinks icy cold and unique.

San Pedro Councilor and Mayoral Candidates Debate Plans Finalized
Plans have been finalized for the first ever council candidate debate to be held on February 16th. A mayoral candidate debate will be held on February 23rd and both debates will commence at 7pm. The debates, hosted by The San Pedro Sun and Reef Radio/TV will be held at the Lion’s Den and will be televised live on Reef TV on channel 20 and broadcast live on Reef Radio at 92.3FM. For the Councilor Candidates’ debate, the names of two aspiring candidates from each party will be submitted to the organizers as their representative, while the Mayoral candidates will be the only person to represent their party in the Mayoral Debate. In order to assure an orderly crowd the debate will be open to only those with tickets. Each candidate will be allotted equal amount of tickets to distribute at their discretion. In addition, select members of the Town Council, private sector and media will be invited. It is anticipated that close to 100 people will be in attendance. Crowd participation will be limited to applause when appropriate and alcoholic beverages will not be sold or permitted at the events. The debates will be limited to two hours and The San Pedro Sun will also have up-to-the-minute updates on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SanPedroSun.

Estel’s 2015 BBQ Cook-Off tantalizes island taste buds!
It may have been a competition for the best BBQ, but the clear winners were certainly the 120+ sets of taste buds that got to enjoy some finger-licking BBQ at Estel’s on Tuesday, February 10th! The fourth annual BBQ Ribs Cook-off saw sold-out tickets and lots of delicious ribs being enjoyed on a gorgeous Tuesday. Competitors were Kevin Urbina, Rick Saager, Jim Gochenour, Randy Blanscet, Ali Rush and Charles Worthington (the champion two years in a row). Smoky, tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs seasoned and grilled to perfection – what more could one want on a beach on Ambergris Caye?! Well, bragging rights of course! According to the judges, the clear winner was Ali Rush – who ousted Charles Worthington from his reign. A good-natured Charlie said “It was getting hard being on top!” as the crowd applauded Ali’s win. Charles still took second place, and he was followed closely behind by third place ties Rick Saager and Kevin Urbina.

Corozal Bay Regatta opens 2015 Belize Sailing Season
Sailors from across the country converged in Corozal Town on Saturday February 7th and Sunday February 8th from the first regatta of the 2015 Sailing Season. The Corozal Bay Regatta saw young sailors participating in the Optimist and Laser Pico Class from Belize City Sailing Club (BCSC), San Pedro Junior Sailing Club (SPJSC), Belize Sea Scouts (BSS), Corozal Bay Sailing Club (CBSC), Caye Caulker Sailing Club (CCSC), and Placencia Sailing Club (PSC). The Corozal Bay Regatta is the first national ranking regatta of the year. National ranking regattas determine the sailors who will participate in the National Champions Regatta (BIZ15) at the end of the sailing season. In the Optimist class, six races were carried out. Each sailor was allowed to discard their worst race score. In the end the sailor scoring the least points ranked on top. In the end Antonio Ricardez Jr. from BCSC took the win with seven points. In a close second was SPJSC’s Blanca Velasquez with eight points. Other top sailors included: Nashira Ricardez from BCSC in 3rd, Trent Hardwick from BSS in 4th, Jazmin Campos from CBSC in 5th, Glenford Barera from CCSC in 6th, Tyler Garbutt from PSC in 7th, Connor Rhamadas from PSC in 8th, Angel Mo from CCSC in 9th and Ronaldo Bo from CCSC in 10th. Other SPJSC sailors included: Rashawn Gonzalez in 19th, Leroy Azul in 21st and Danny Trejo in 24th.

SPHS celebrates Career Week
From Monday February 9th to Friday February 13th, San Pedro High School (SPHS) has been focused on Career Week. The annual event is held in secondary school across the country as a means of informing students on the many professions available in their communities. The highlight of the week long activities was the opening ceremonies, where students were treated to an inspirational speech from Attorney at Law Diana Shaw. Organized by SPHS Counselor, Alexis Guerrero, the event kicked off at 9:30AM. Principal Emil Vasquez was first to address the students, speaking of the hard decision that choosing a career is, and encouraging the students to go after what they like and not what others expect them to do. Following his speech, Guerrero took time to introduce the guest speaker for the event.

Owner of sailboat lodged on the reef allowed to leave amidst investigation
The Belize Department of the Environment (DOE) has finally released details about the incident in which sail boat Termaji, originally from France, ran aground on the reef near Caye Caulker on December 30th. The island residents of Caye Caulker village are concerned that if not moved soon, the vessel may cause further damage to the reef eco-system. It was not until Oceana in Belize joined the residents of Caye Caulker Village in calling for the removal of the vessel that the DOE sent out a press release over a month after the incident.

Ambergris Today

Miss West Indies Belize to Compete in St. Maaten
Miss Marcia Flores Moody, 20 years old arrived in St. Maaten (Martin) Island in the Caribbean on Monday, February 9, to represent Belize at the 2015 pageant for Miss West Indies and will be competing with more than 20 other countries. Miss Moody is first place in the voting category as the public favorite for this event. She requests that all her Belizean friends and supporters vote for her by going to misswestindies.org/vote-now/. You can vote for her once every day from until Saturday, February 14, when the final night of the completion will be held. She is expected to return on Monday, February 15, on American Airlines to Belize.

Closure of The Lobster Fishing Season in Belize
In a press release sent out by The Fisheries Department, the public is informed that the lobster fishing season will close on February 15 and it will remain closed until midnight of June 14, 2015. “Any person found in possession of lobsters during the said closed season will be prosecuted in accordance with Section 3(1)(b) of the Fisheries Regulations, Chapter 210 of the Subsidiary Laws of Belize Revised Edition 2000-2003.” The Fisheries Department also reminds fishers that lobster traps should be removed from the fishing grounds during the closed fishing season. During the month of March 2015, Fisheries Officials will be visiting fishing camps and coastal fishing communities to take stock of lobster traps owned by individual fishers in order to facilitate the registration of such lobster traps. The Fisheries Department will be actively enforcing the removal of traps from the waters during this period.

Misc Belizean Sources

Business Plan Development WORKSHOP
Workshop Date: February 26th, 2015, Time: 9am to 12pm. PRICE: FREE. The overall objective of this training is to equip our clients with knowledge, skills, and capabilities necessary to develop their business plan. The purpose of this workshop is to help participants understand what the elements of a business plan are. The time constraints of the session, and sensitivity of private client information, do not allow the participants or the facilitator to actually draft any component of the business plan during the workshop. However the workshop instead should be lead as a brainstorming session to allow participants to be thinking of what would be included in their specific plan. Then later they would write their business plan using the ideas generated during this workshop. Therefore the class should be very informal and mostly discussion based. The manual provides pointers, but it is up to the participants to come up with their own specifics. Trainer should actively engage the participants throughout the workshop to be sharing ideas and thinking of how each element of the business plan comes into play in their specific business. ** NOTICE ** Workshop location has been changed!! Workshops are now held at out BTEC Building on ITVet compound, Belize City.

CJC Eagles Environmental Club
There is magic all around us! All you need to do is to slow down, take some time, and enjoy all that nature has to offer! CJC EAGLEs Environmental Club participated this morning in the Belize Audubon Society's 18th Annual Backyard Birdcount. Elma Levy, Jeanette Gomez, Raul Manzanilla, Eddii Sorto, Endevora Jorgenson, Varsha Clarke

Big fish!
Remember today is a Black Friday but we wish to share this awesome Picture of Ceci Lara from San Pedro, Ambergris Caye at Isla Marisol or Cayo Doble.

Visit from Miss Audrey and her Standard One class of St. Francis Xavier School
A great visit from Miss Audrey and her Standard One class of St. Francis Xavier School today! The students were dressed as their favourite Public Service officer and enjoyed learning more about our national patriots with our current exhibit; the Belize Heroes and Benefactor's Exhibit.

TRAFFIC RULES DURING THE PAINTING AND COMPARSAS FROM SUNDAY FEB 15 TO TUESDAY FEB 17

Here are the rules and regulations for Carnaval.

San Pedro Carnaval Schedule
Don't miss out the Carnaval Fiesta! Block Party tonight at 7:30 p.m. There will be dance performances by Yaka's Elite Dancers, Miss San Pedro 2014, Michelle Nuñez and from the Ballet Folklorico de Bacalar with over 20 dancers. We will also have a performance by Guillermo and Neslen Rivero and our very own local band Rompe Raja! You definitely won't want to miss this show! QUE VIVA EL CARNAVAL DE SAN PEDRO!

UB's February 2015 Graduating Class
Congratulations to all the February 2015 graduates! Lissette Staine gave the keynote address.

Cayo's Best on Travel Channel
Congratulations are in order for 3 Cayo restaurants. Fuego, Guava Limb, and Montagna Ristorante were all on the Travel Channel's top 10 Belizean restaurants, giving Cayo the most, with 3. In related news, Guava Limb is ranked 1st place in Cayo on Tripadvisor. "Belize is becoming a trendy culinary destination with chefs using fresh seafood, herbs, fruits and vegetables to create contemporary dishes and drinks... Belize is an intriguing new culinary destination. Chefs use fresh seafood from the Caribbean, herbs and vegetables from organic gardens and tropical fruits from local markets to create culture-blending dishes."

Become a Friend of the GPC
You can become a friend of the George Price Centre. Support a great cause, and a place where 100's of cultural events take place every year. Call 822-1054 for more information. In related news, the GPC is offering Quickbooks classes next week, and every Friday this month they are showing movies on the life of Peace Pilgrim. The Cayo Coca Cola Spelling Bee will take place there on the 20th. They are also having a Kite Contest next month. "Join the GPC Friends of the Centre Programme for 2015.......Support a Worthy Cause!!!"

BUA ENDORSES VIP7 SLATE FOR SAN PEDRO
The Belize Unity Alliance is pleased to announce its endorsement of Vision Inspired by the People (VIP) slate in the elections for Mayor and Councillors for the town of San Pedro. Comments Charles Leslie Jr, Chairman of the BUA, “We are delighted to be endorsing three very strong teams this year’s Municipal elections: PNP in Punta Gorda, led by Wil Maheia, VIP in Belmopan, led by Hubert Enriquez, and now VIP in San Pedro,led by Bobby Lopez. Residents of these three municipalities have a real choice this year, and we urge voters to have the courage of their convictions, and support these outstanding candidates.” Says Bobby Lopez, “We feel confident that this time the voters will take the opportunity to elect to their Council people who are not in it for themselves. We at VIP stand for service and fairness – whether you are VIP, PNP, UDP, PUP or no Pat all, we promise that we will deal with each and every person as what they are first and foremost – a Belizean and a tax payer. We will of course also be working in partnership with the PNP and other alternative and independent parties endorsed by BUA, to combine forces for the good of our municipalities.” Charles Leslie Jr goes on the say, “In Belize, the alternative parties and independents are regional and tend to work in isolation. They typically have limited access to resources.”

BOLEDO DRAWING for Friday, February 13, 2015: 39

CARILEC Human Resources & Public Relations Conference
BEL invites HR and PR professionals to register for the upcoming CARILEC Human Resources & Public Relations Conference to be held March 15 - 20, 2015 in Belize City.

A vacancy exists at Belize Electricity Limited
for the post of Programmer/Analyst, in the Information and Communication Systems Department.

A vacancy exists at Belize Electricity Limited
for the post of IT Support Specialist I, in the Information and Communication Systems Department.

2 vacancies exist at Belize Electricity Limited
for the post of Administrative Assistant in the Human Resources and Purchasing and Stores Department.

Channel 7

Penner Case Called Up In The Supreme Court
It made major news last year when disgraced UDP representative Elvin Penner was criminally charged in Belmopan Magistrate's Court for the role he played in Citizen Kim passport scandal. The charges were brought through a private prosecution launched by COLA's Geovannie Brackett and Nedal McLaren. Penner was acquitted in July based on the interpretation of a law used by Magistrate Aretha Ford. Since then, COLA's attorney, Kareem Musa, has been trying to get an appeal heard. Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin, agreed that it must be heard, and was prepared to hear opening arguments this morning. COLA and Musa, were prepared to start today, but Elvin Penner, who has been lying very low since this scandal broke in late 2013, was a no show. His attorney, Tricia Pitts Anderson, told the court that Penner retained her for this case 2 days ago. So, Chief Justice Benjamin was forced to adjourn the case to allow her time to get up to speed and make an adequate defence for her client.

COLA Calls Out Marco Tulio
And while the cameras were recording today, COLA President Geovannie Brackett kept it rolling by issuing a second challenge to Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez to face the media and account for himself following his criminal arraignment on the serious allegations of child molestation. Since he fled from the press two weeks ago, Mendez has not been seen or heard from since, and it is believed that only his family and his attorney know his whereabouts. Brackett told the media that, given the nature of what he's being accused of, on principle, he has no choice but make a public statement. Here's how he put it: Geovannie Brackett, President - COLA "We want to make it very clear, that COLA, by no means have any tolerance for any act against children. Or as a matter of fact we will go even further, we not only find this allegation serious or disheartening or whatever the largest word you can find, but when we hear stories of men in parliament who beat women or men in parliament who sues their position, their ministerial post, to seduce young women for scholarships or for job - we find those things very disgusting and its left for the public to decide how much will they tolerate from men in parliament.

The Passing Of Pitts, UB Student
Three weeks ago 28 year old Hattieville resident Eugene Pitts was mysteriously shot from behind at a party. The shotgun blast riddled his midsection with pellets and ruptured a number of internal organs. Just after 7 last night, after weeks in the hospital, he died from a heart attack. Police have still made no arrests and do not know what the motive of the shooting was. Pitts was a student of the University of Belize and was pursuing his bachelor's degree in nursing.

Justice For Justin
In December of 2010, Justin Jones was killed in Ontario Village at a wake. It happened in front of his common-law-wife and 14 month old baby. The young father was leaving the wake with his family when he was stabbed in the head. He died in his wife's arms. Now, over four years later, his family says they have finally gotten justice. 39 year old Godwin Santos was today convicted of murder and was sentenced to life in prison. His mother-in-law Joan Sutherland was crying what she called tears of joy today. Monica Bodden spoke with her an hour ago. Joan Sutherland, Mother-in-Law "Monica, the way I feel, nobody could understand. When they killed Allen Sutherland, my son, I was hurt, I was down to the last, but now, I could scream and I could shout and I could say thank you sweet Jesus, we got what we deserved - justice. Justice that we hardly get in Belize. So we got justice today - life imprisonment and I say thank you sweet Jesus. All day, I was a bit nervous, I sat down and I wonder, I lay down, I came home and I tried to keep myself busy, not to think that I am going to get the worse of it. But while I was doing laundry, my daughter scream out and say "princesa, I have good news" I look through the window and I said what, I said he got year true and she said no, life imprisonment. Right away washing stop Monica. I mean, it's a really good feeling."

Judge Says Shaheem Didn't Kill 69 Year Old Watchman
In March of 2011, 69 year old watchman Julian Lara was brutally murdered inside a bar on the Bullett Tree road named "The Spot." He was tied up and stabbed to death. Police said Shaheem Espat did it; he had gone into the bar to buy cigarettes just before the murder occurred. Police said they found him with blood on his shirt - which turned out to be type O - same as the deceased. But, his attorney established that type O is a very common blood type and that bloodstains could remain on a person's shirt for years. But he also gave a confession statement, so what about that? Well, Espat told Justice Moore that he never gave the statement freely and that the police had told him to help himself so he'd better talk.

Killer Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter
Another murder case came to an end today - this one in the Orange Walk Supreme Court. 27 year old Marvin Lennen Stevens pleaded guilty to manslaughter after 5 years on remand for murder. In 2009, he bashed Roberto Cal in the head with a cement block in Guinea Grass Village. After that, he took Cal's bicycle and pounded him repeatedly with it. Cal died an hour later at the Northern Regional Hospital. On Tuesday before a jury of 1 woman and 11 men, Stevens pleaded guilty to the lesser charge. Yesterday he was sentenced by Justice Herbert Lord to 15 years with 5 years and 5 months deducted from his sentence for time served.

Snow In Ladyville?
Those who have traveled to cold countries in winter know all about snow. But, for those who don't, you won't need to travel all the way to America to find it. You can plan a more affordable trip right to Ladyville where snow - or something like it - is falling from a tree! According to them, what looks like an icicle began to form on the tree from yesterday and survived even today's warm temperatures. If it sounds too odd to be true - that's the same thing we said, so I went to Ladyville this morning to see what it was all about.. Courtney Weatherbune reporting This boy is waiting patiently for what residents in Ladyville are calling melted snow - to fall in the palm of his hand. It is such a rare sight that this man stopped by just to taste it.

Killer Cop Convicted Of Manslaughter
Police Constable Alpheus Parham shot and killed detainee Alex Goff in May 2010. Goff was in the police station when it happened. Well tonight, almost five years later, Parham is awaiting sentencing after being convicted by a jury of 12 of the charge of manslaughter. Justice John Gonzalez presided over a trial where the prosecutor only managed to produce circumstantial evidence against Parham - because there were no eyewitnesses. Goff was 29 years old at the time and alone in a holding cell when he was shot to his forehead, which was fatal. One police officer testified that he saw Parham go to the back of the cell and shortly afterwards he heard the sound of a gunshot. A second police officer testified that he saw Parham go to the back of the cell and he heard an explosion, then Parham walked out of the station without saying anything to anyone. When the officers went to check what happened, they found Goff, dead with a bullet in his head.

Motorcycle Rider Knocked Down By Young Driver
A man was knocked down on Holy Emmanuel Street in the Gungulung area this afternoon. At around 12:45. 23 year old Earl Pitts was travelling on his motorcycle when he was knocked down by a 17 year old female driving a Mazda Tribute. Details are still sketchy at this time but according to Pitts family, he is pointing fingers at the driver of the vehicle. Tonight he is listed in a stable but critical condition. 7news spoke with his sister outside the KHMH. Voice of: sister of accident victim "He is in pain and right now they are taking an x-ray on his entire body, but he is a critical condition." Monica Bodden "Tell me what doctors told the family?" Voice of: sister of accident victim "They told us that one of foot is broken in 4 parts and then the other foot is broken in 2 parts and one of his hands is broken in several parts also. They say that he has to take a surgery in one of his foot to put steel in it."

Dr. Dionne's Departure
Dr. Dionne Miranda, the General Manager of Customer Services of BTL, reported to work today for her very last day in that very senior post. She tendered her resignation on Monday, and decided that after 6 years of with the company, it was time for her to leave. But her departure is abrupt and it has led to speculation as the real reason behind it. So, today, we requested to speak with Miranda, and she granted us an interview for the last time in her Church Street Office. She told us that she is moving on to her side project called Chamberlain Consulting: Dr. Dionne Miranda, General Manager - Customer Services - BTL "I'm leaving because it's time for me to pursue the things that I've been speaking to young people about all of their lives. In my sessions, in my motivational missionary tours. There are times in your life when you have to seek out what is important to you and to also fulfil your passion and I believe that it's the right time, the right age, the right moment.

Old Arcade Games Gifted
Today the Princess Ramada Hotel and casino donated 16 used arcade machines to 4 children's homes. The hotel is remodeling its bowling room and bringing in new machines, so they decided to donate the used ones to the kids. They are quite the worse for wear, but they are still working - and we found out how they will be put to use:.. They went to the Dorothy Menzies, Kings, and Liberty Children's home. One Orphanage declined the donation.

A Fugitive From the North, Caught
The Corozal man known as Jermaine Sanker has been on the run from police since the first week in December of last year. He was identified as a suspect in a number of armed robberies, and most recently, police tried to corner him, but he escaped. ON WEDNESDAY, the Commanding Officer of Corozal Police outlined for us the number of cases he is suspected of being involved with: Supt. Andrew Ramirez, OC - Corozal Police "From the 9th December last year, the name Jermaine Sanker, of a Corozal Town address was being sought by the Corozal police, on the strength of warrant in the first instance in relation to armed robbery; robbery committed with the use of firearms. We have the initial information where a 17 year old minor reported that he was accosted by three male individuals and he had identified Jermaine Sanker, as being one of the assailants in relation to that matter. Also we have another young man who was also robbed and again he had identified Jermaine Sanker. It would appear that the guy Jermaine Sanker went on a crime spree and as a result, based on him being identified, and named in the statement, we had issued a warrant in the first instance. We have acted on numerous information.

More Weed For the GSU Crew
And, as we told you last night the GSU has been active in the north. This is the six pounds of high grade marijuana known as "hydro" that was found in a corn flakes box on the Thunderbolt Water Taxi yesterday. As we reported last night, Captain Miguel Florencio DOMINGUEZ, from San Andres Corozal pleaded guilty to two counts of "Possession of Controlled drugs with intent to Supply" and was fined ten thousand dollars. And yesterday, we also told you about 26 pounds of marijuana that police found in the Collet area of Belize City. Well, there was more in the stash, apparently. Last night at 6:30pm the GSU searched a bushy abandoned lot on Neal's Penn Road. The y found a large garbage bag with 20 smaller plastic bags inside. All totaled it weighed in at 20.7 pounds - this is in addition to a find of the same amount we told you about yesterday.

Channel 5

More Swiss-leak Revelations
Tonight, there is additional information on the hundreds of millions of dollars stashed away at the H.S.B.C. Bank in Geneva. That story broke on Thursday night and in our research [...]

Eugene Pitts Dies 3 Weeks After Being Shot
The Hattieville community on the George Price Highway has recorded its first murder for this year leaving a mother to mourn the death of her only son. The Hattieville resident [...]

Cop Found Guilty of Manslaughter
A cop accused of murdering a Belize City man detained at the Caye Caulker Police Station has been found guilty of the lesser charge of murder. The verdict was reached [...]

Espat Acquitted of Murder
And while Parham will face sentencing for manslaughter, another man was acquitted of murder today before Judge Antoinette Moore. Shajeem Espat had been accused of the brutal murder of sixty-nine [...]

Boat Captain Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking
The captain of a boat belonging to Thunderbolt Water Taxi in Corozal was arraigned and he pleaded guilty to two counts of Possession of a Controlled Drug with Intent to [...]

GSU Cracks Down on Drugs
The gang suppression unit is currently conducting countrywide operations including in the west and the Old Capital. The success of the drug bust in Corozal was followed by the discovery [...]

Penner Appeal Starts Today
In July 2014, former minister of state, Elvin Penner was acquitted of immigration offences because of a lack of evidence before the magistrate. He was accused of facilitating the issues [...]

Former U.D.P. Minister is a No-Show
Elvin Penner was a no-show this morning and his decision to absent himself did not please the Court. An order has been issued that he is to present himself at [...]

Ashcroft Presence Still Creating a Buzz
Following a breakfast meeting between Audrey Matura-Shepherd and Lord Michael Ashcroft last Friday, there has been much speculation on the reason for the tycoon’s presence in Belize. On Wednesday, we [...]

Matura-Shepherd on U.D.P. Campaign Financing
But the issue of campaign financing also came up on Wednesday when Audrey Shepherd Matura held a press conference to discuss what she had spoken about over breakfast with Lord [...]

COLA Speaks on Parliamentary Conduct
COLA has issued a release on the formal arraignment of P.U.P. Orange Walk Area Rep., Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez, in which it has called on Mendez to make a public [...]

Wooden Structure in Belmopan Under Scrutiny
The construction of a wooden structure on reserve land in Belmopan, in the vicinity of the Assembly Building, has raised the ire of residents, as well as vendors near the [...]

Reserve Land Ends Up in the Hands of a City Hall Secretary
According to Andrews, building on the reserve contravenes a section of the RECONDEV Act which deals with green spaces.  Failure to address the matter, says Andrews, will result in the [...]

Ramada Princess Donates to Children
A number of agencies that work with underprivileged children have been gifted with gaming machines courtesy of the Ramada Princess which is upgrading and modernizing the hotel to make it [...]

Motorcyclist in Critical Condition
Tonight, twenty-four year old Earl Pitts is in the K.H.M.H. in a critical, but stable condition after he was involved in an accident.  Shortly after midday today, Pitts was on [...]

GSU Finds Weed on Empty Lot
The Gang Suppression Unit, as we told you earlier, is busy conducting anti-drug operations. Following information received, on Thursday, the GSU conducted a search in an abandoned lot on Neal’s [...]

Gospel Artists Spread Love
With Valentine’s just a few hours away, the sharing of gifts and expression of acts of love are in no shortage. But, tonight two international gospel artists are in Belize [...]

PlusTV

Elvin Penner changes attorneys for COLA appeal
The Inferior Court Appeal launched by Geovanni Brackett and Nedal McLaren, respectively President and National Security Adviser for Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA), against Cayo Northeast area representative Elvin Penner, in respect of a decision by Magistrate Aretha Ford to dismiss charges against him, after denying an application to summon Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie among others to give evidence, began Friday morning before Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin. However, it was just as quickly adjourned as Elvin Penner, who was not present in court, only recently retained new counsel in the case in the person of Tricia Pitts-Anderson, who replaces Senior Counsel Ellis Arnold.

Man in critical condition after early morning accident
There was a road traffic accident early Friday morning on the Hummingbird Highway, and one man has been left hospitalized in a serious condition as a result. According to police reports, 23 year old Oscar Mehia, a resident of Armenia village, was flung out of a vehicle which experienced a tire blow out. The incident happened at around 7 o’clock Friday morning when 30 year old Pedro Barrido, resident of Armentia village, was driving his pickup from Armenia to Belmopan. Along with Mr Barrido at the time were Oscar Mehia and a 13 year old boy. Police say that Pedro Barrido reported that after the tire blew out on a curve between miles 50 and 51, he lost control of the vehicle and the vehicle flipped before landing back on its wheels.

Gunshot victim succumbs to injuries
23 year old Eugene Pitts has succumbed to his injuries after being shot three weeks ago. The shooting incident happened on January 24th in Hattieville. According to police reports, Eugene Pitts was at a party on Camal Street in Hattieville sometime after midnight. Mr Pitts was reportedly near the front of the yard when a shot came from somewhere near the back of the yard. The crowd scattered and Pitts fell to the ground with a bullet in his lower back. He was taken to the KHMH where he was listed in a stable condition, however, complications from the bullet injury eventually led to Eugene Pitt’s death.

Investigation into Spanish Lookout attempted kidnapping dismissed
Due to the widely spread rumours and the paranoia that followed from an alleged attempted kidnapping of children in the Spanish Lookout area, Cayo District, the Chairman of the community Clarence Dueck appealed to Justice of the peace Harry Letkeman to investigate the reports. Mr Letkeman spoke to all parties involved and has since emailed us his findings. According to JP Harry Letkeman, he first spoke to the father of the two children involved. According to the father, his two boys, ages 8 and 10 were coming home on their bicycles from Palm Ridge School on February 9th. The boys reported that a dark SUV stopped, and the driver, since identified, got out the car and offered them a ride. The boys said they declined and road off on their bicycles. A woman, who had gone to pick up her children at the same school, said she witnessed the incident, and noted that when she approached the driver, he got into his vehicle and sped off. She immediately alerted the community and as a result the Chairman asked police to investigate the reports.

Matura: Ashcroft should meet with Unions
The press briefing took place at the CWU headquarters in Belize City, and while according to Audrey Matura-Shepherd, she did not speak in her capacity as the President of the Christian Workers Union (CWU), the unions did come up in the one hour conversation with Lord Ashcroft, as a suggestion that h...

Belmopan City Council to pay $26,000 over wooden house lawsuit
In April 2014, PlusNews covered the story of Abner Valladares and his run in with the Belmopan City Council, when he attempted to place a wooden structure on his private property on Mountain View Boulevard, a commercial area of the capital.Mr Valladares told PlusNews back then that he had gotten th...

Succotz demonstrators back at court
15 residents of Succotz who participated in a demonstration on August 19th of last year were charged with rioting and illegal gathering at the Benque Viejo Magistrate’s Court in November 13^th.The protest took place after the then Deputy Commissioner of Police crashed into a taxi, killing a woman on...

PUP scolds PM on statements about Marco Tulio Mendez case
The People’s United Party  issued a press release Thursday evening saying that they “deplore in the strongest terms the Prime Minister’s intervention to the Media yesterday February 11, 2015 concerning the charges against Hon Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez.”While addressing the media on Wednesd...

Bank leak reveals $109.6 Million from Belize stashed in Switzerland
International Consortium of Investigative Journalist released information on Leaked Swiss Banking information. This is based on a trove of almost 60,000 leaked files that provide details on over 100,000 clients of HSBC Private Bank in Geneva Switzerland between the years 1998 – 2007.The report di...

NTUCB, SSB continue sparring over Floyd Neal
The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) and Social Security Board (SSB) remain at odds over the appointment of Floyd Neal, General Secretary of the Christian Workers’ Union (CWU), to the Board as a union representative. The Board, led by chairman Doug Singh, maintains that this is a conf...

Matura- Ashcroft Meeting addressed at press briefing
On Friday last week, Audrey Matura Shepherd accepted an invitation to meet with one of the most controversial names in recent Belizean history- Lord Michael Ashcroft; controversial because by the end of 2007, the then PUP government had sold several of Belize’s utilities to Ashcroft...

Bank leak reveals $109.6 Million from Belize stashed in Switzerland
International Consortium of Investigative Journalist released information on Leaked Swiss Banking information. This is based on a trove of almost 60,000 leaked files that provide details on over 100,000 clients of HSBC Private Bank in Geneva Switzerland between the years 1998 – 2007. The report di...

Teenager accused of wounding co-worker
A teenager from Lord’s Bank, Belize District, faces charges of wounding and aggravated assault. 19 year old Clyde Morris, who works at the Philip Goldson International Airport in Ladyville, is accused of attacking his co-worker, aero-dispatacher Alfonso Assi, 21, with a pair of scissors, resulting i...

Amandala

Mek Mi Rich and BTL sued for intellectual property rights violation
Belize’s latest game show, Mek Mi Rich, which was launched last September, is now the subject of litigation in the first intellectual property rights claim that will be heard in the Supreme Court of Justice Courtenay Abel. On Monday, attorneys for MMR (Mek Mi Rich) Belize Limited, Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) and Dale Curtis Swasey, the man who brought the claim against BTL and Mek Mi Rich (MMR), had a case management conference in the chambers of Justice Abel. Swasey, who is being represented in his claim by attorney Kareem Musa, filed court papers last December alleging that BTL violated a non-disclosure information agreement the company had with him, when he gave them the idea for the lottery, which was later put into operation by MMR.

Over BZ$100 mil in Swiss bank
Belize’s offshore sector has recently been under major pressure, as international players last year forced the passage of a suite of sweeping legislation which has put the industry on edge. Today, we came across a report published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), along with a database of accounts, which, although they do not fully disclose the identities of account holders, reveals that upwards of BZ$100 million has been channeled to an overseas bank in Switzerland, the HSBC Private Bank, and many Belizeans have been asking questions after seeing the online reports on the matter. Interestingly enough, Belize ranks 5th among the 12 CARICOM countries listed, when ranked according to the total sum of money stored in Switzerland, and it ranks 3rd among its Central American counterparts.

A deeper look at the “Fatback”/”Ralphie” saga
This past Monday, February 9, we reported on the response of former PUP Minister of Home Affairs and Budget Planning, Ralph Fonseca, Sr., to allegations of skullduggery which were made by Eugene “Fatback” Webster, 55, a former employee of his late son, Ralph “Ralphie” Fonseca, Jr. – claims which he, Fonseca, categorized as “ridiculous and pure fabrication.” Amandala dug deeper into the story today, and we spoke to Webster, who is seeking what he calls the rightful compensation that he has earned after 18 years of service to the Fonsecas. According to Webster, things started to go downhill after the death of Fonseca, Jr., and Ralph Balderamos (a friend of Fonseca, Jr.), who both died in a tragic road traffic accident that occurred on September 11, 2007 when Fonseca, Jr.’s Toyota Prado SUV collided with a trailer that unhitched from a truck just outside Orange Walk Town.

12 years for killing his brother over a quart of rum!
This afternoon, Supreme Court Justice Adolph Lucas sentenced a Bermudian Landing man to 12 years in prison after the court accepted his guilty plea to manslaughter for the killing of his older brother, for which he was initially facing a murder indictment when the incident first occurred. The Crown, however, dropped the murder charge and re-indicted him for manslaughter. Jeremiah Pott, 54, had spent almost 4 years on remand for the death of his brother, Fidencio Pott, who was 57 years old when Jeremiah admitted to police in a caution statement that he beat him in the head with a spade during a fight over a bottle of rum on March 21, 2011.

Woman, 23, perishes in road accident
A young woman died and seven others were injured in a terrible road traffic accident that occurred shortly before 6:40 p.m. today between Miles 85 and 86 on the Philip Goldson Highway in Corozal. The victim, Iris Mabel Chicas, 23, of San Roman, Corozal District, was reportedly driving a grey 2006 Ford Fusion car that crashed into a cream-colored Toyota Tundra pickup in the vicinity of a slaughterhouse near the entrance to Corozal Town. According to Corozal police, Chicas – who was driving from Corozal Town towards the Belize/Mexico border – was accompanied by Ahmad Shah Amini, 28, of Miles 41/42 on the George Price Highway, who was in the front passenger seat.

Nomination Day in the twin towns of Santa Elena and San Ignacio
The incumbent United Democratic Party (UDP) and the Opposition, the People’s United Party (PUP), took their war machines into the streets of the twin towns of Santa Elena and San Ignacio for Nomination Day today. Both parties flexed their campaign muscles in parades that commenced in Santa Elena, then traversed the Mopan River into San Ignacio before stopping in front of the town’s police station, where nomination papers were signed upstairs in the Magistrate’s Court. Shortly after 8:00 a.m., PUP supporters began assembling in front of standard bearer Dan Silva’s office in Santa Elena. Then, as the 10:00 a.m. hour approached, the crowd began to move off. The PUP slate is led by mayoral candidate Ramon “Munchie” Quiroz, and the six Town Council candidates who were nominated to contest the elections are Sharon Codd, Omar Rodriguez, Danielle Rodriguez, Elias Rodriguez, Sheena Urbina and Shane Vasquez.

SCA girls and Gwen Liz boys are CSSSA 2015 Football Champions
The Central Secondary Schools Sports Association (CSSSA) wrapped up its abbreviated high school football competition yesterday with the male finals at the MCC Grounds. The female championship game was played on Saturday along with three other male games, including two by eventual champions, Gwen Liz High. In game 1 on Saturday, Wesley defeated E.P. Yorke, 2-0, with goals from Bernard Bailey. Game 2 saw Gwen Liz with the 2-1 win over SJC. Devaughn Zuniga and Naim Wilson shook the net for Gwen Liz, while Dmitri Fabro scored for SJC. Game 3 was the female championship match between SCA and Gwen Liz High, and it was SCA coming away with the 2-nil win and the championship, both goals coming from Gabriela Mendoza, a 13 year old first former.

BelCare to hold roots Football Festivals in San Ignacio & Griga
BelCare Football Youth Academy, despite the name similarity with the electricity company’s bill heading “BEL-Care,” is a completely different “ball game.” While the bill collector has a job to do in receiving payment for BEL electricity services rendered to consumers, BelCare is all about giving to the Belizean youth community. That’s because, as stated in its release last week, “BelCare Football Youth Academy (BelCare) is a non-profit/social enterprise organization that uses the power of football to educate, inspire, and empower young people to lead meaningful lives.”

C-Ray Saturday Race results for February 7
The C-Ray Cycling Club held its 5th Saturday Race on Saturday, February 7. The race started in front of Leslie’s Imports, travelled up the George Price (Western) Highway, made a right at the Hattieville roundabout, through Boom road, turned at the half-way point at Bissett Gas Station, and finished back at Leslie’s Imports. The race was open to all cyclists of the Junior, Female, Weekend Warriors, Category 4/5 and Elite Categories; one race with separate prizes. Below are the results for the 5th Saturday race: JUNIOR: 1st – Anthony Marin (Cabral/Marin Racing); 2nd – Brian Sutherland (Cabral/Marin Racing). FEMALE: 1st – Kaya Cattouse (C-Ray); 2nd –Alicia Thompson (Belize Bank Swoosh).

Athletics past and present – Gilbert Sebastian “Sabé” Nunez
An extraordinary and great personality is the best way to describe this remarkable person, known to all as “Sabé’,” but Mr. Gilbert Nunez is his real name. He got his running origins back in school days at St. Joseph Primary School in a 6-mile race at a school competition held at the Roger’s Stadium; but it was not until years later, while in the States, that he got serious about it and took up the challenge. He stated that in Harlem, while he and some friends were watching the annual New York Marathon passing, he saw all types of people from all countries and cultures, but to his dismay, no Belizean. That’s when he decided to workout hard to represent his country, so he joined a running club called Youths Function, based in Staten Island and worked out with them. Mr. Ralph Stuart was the man running the club at the time. He spent 6 years with the club and ran the New York Marathon 3 consecutive years.

Editorial: Personalities, emotions, and colors
The important thing this week on Wednesday, February 11, the day on which candidates for national municipal elections were nominated, was the color of the apparel/paraphernalia and the size of the party crowds the respective political parties were able to generate. Nomination Day is a show of strength in order to boost the morale of campaign workers and, in certain cases, intimidate the opponents. At this newspaper, we have written off the third parties in Belize, because they refuse to unite in a national organization. We did this reluctantly, because some of the people in the third parties are our personal friends, and we believe they are sincere. No one can say for sure, but it is quite possible that there are more independent voters in Belize than there are committed United Democratic Party (UDP) or People’s United Party (PUP) voters. From election to election, the committed UDP or PUP voters are a numerical constant of sorts, but the independent voters move from side to side on the political party spectrum. The independent voters are responsible for the massive swings in election results, such as that from 2003 to 2008, from PUP to UDP.

From the Publisher
The late Dr. Leroy Taegar and I spent a lot of time together in the early months of 1982. This was because he was coaching a senior basketball team I had put together named Geritol. Geritol is a story that deserves telling all on its own, but not today. Let me, however, just set the table. Col. George Lovell, for instance, played on that team. So did Wilfred “Chickiblue” Nicholas, later a big time superstar but only a rookie that season. Geritol was an earlier version of the Raiders, except that Geritol did not have the height to go with our team speed. We couldn’t clean glass all that well. In order to ignite the fast break, we were forced to press and trap on a full court basis. The referees did not like the kind of exertion this forced upon them, so they made foul calls to slow down our game. There was major politics involved in that 1982 season, which was played at both Henry Young’s Bird”s Isle and the brand new Civic Center court the ruling People’s United Party (PUP) had imported from the United States. Basketball had moved from the St. Ignatius court to Bird’s Isle for the 1976 season, and the sport had increased in popularity at the Island. But Henry Young was a known, prominent supporter of the United Democratic Party (UDP). Not only that, the Bird’s Isle court was inadequate in size and other facilities, so the Civic Center Court was a necessary upgrade which basketball’s no. l superstar, Clinton “Pulu” Lightburn, had called for and supported.

The Third World War
The Third World War Letters — 13 February 2015 The Third World War Dear Editor, Organizing to rebuild the international economic system during World War II, 730 delegates from all 44 Allied nations gathered at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States, for the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, also known as the Bretton Woods Conference, from July 1 to 22, 1944.They signed agreements to regulate the international monetary system. These established the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), which today is part of the World Bank Group. The United States of America (US), which controlled two thirds of the world’s gold, ensured that the Bretton Woods system rest on both gold and the US dollar. Soviet representatives attended the conference but later declined to sanction the final agreements, asserting that the institutions they had created were “branches of Wall Street.”

UBAD’s 46th, UEF library’s 15th
Tomorrow, Thursday, February 12, the Library of African and Indian Studies, located on the Kremandala compound at 3304 Partridge Street, Belize City, celebrates its 15th year in existence, having primarily served, since its inception, youth of Belize who cherish it as an invaluable asset in their quest to reconnect with their past and to establish in themselves a deeper sense of identity. Established by the UBAD Educational Foundation (UEF), the library brings to life the vision of the late Dr. Leroy Taegar, who was also instrumental is ensuring that this vision became a reality. Virginia Echols, an active member of the UEF for the past 15 years, said: “We’ve had our ups and downs; however, the purpose of the library is to benefit the community, and we have been steadfast in offering that space to the community.”

Royal Canadian Legion makes call on Belize war veterans
A group of 115 members of the Royal Canadian Legion, Canada’s largest veteran and community services organization, traveled to Belize aboard the Carnival Escape cruise today, as part of their annual Caribbean tour to jurisdictions which are home to the World War II veterans they support with a regular stipend as a token of their service. The group, of which 75 persons came ashore for a recognition ceremony and sightseeing tour, was headed by the dominion president Tom Eagles. Bernard Adolphus, member of the Belize Ex-Services League and a former president, said at an opening ceremony organized by the Belize City Council that the Belize league cannot thank the Royal Canadian Legion enough for the help that it has given to the veterans and widows over the years. “We are forever grateful,” Adolphus commented.

Disgruntled factions stir more internal troubles for BSCFA
Who was behind the effort to register the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) as a limited company and why? Those were two chief questions that sparked an emergency meeting at the BSCFA headquarters in Orange Walk Town this afternoon. The move was carried out at the end of January, but BSCFA Committee of Management chairman, Ezequiel Cansino, only found out about it last Friday, February 6, when one of the five BSCFA members who had allegedly facilitated the initiative brought it to his attention. It turned out that the re-registration exercise was actually an attempt to register the 55-year-old entity not as a company, but as an association under the Companies Act, and at the conclusion of today’s 3-hour meeting, Cansino told us that several errors were made when the association was re-registered.

Bullet grazes chest of San Pedro girl, 13
The quiet of the San Pedrito area of San Pedro Town was shattered at about 9:30 last night when the sound of 4 to 5 gunshots rocked the neighborhood. There was fright and panic and police responded quickly. Police conducted a search of the area, but did not find the shooters. A 13-year-old girl, however, who was in her house at the time of the shooting, was grazed in the chest. She was rushed to the San Pedro Polyclinic, She is now admitted to ward and has been listed in a serious but stable condition. Maria Escalante, 35, of San Pedrito, and her daughter were at home last night at the Spats Apartment when gunshots sounded. Escalante went to close the door, but bullets penetrated the wall and the door. She then saw that her daughter had been hit and was bleeding.

Corozal fugitive surrenders to GSU commander
Another fugitive who has been on the run has handed in himself in to police. The most recent man on the run to surrender himself to police is Jermaine Sanker, 25, an unemployed resident of the Skeleton Town area of Corozal Town. He was wanted by police for a series of armed robberies, and theft. On December 5, 2014, Corozal police had issued a warrant for Sanker on charges of aggravated robbery and attempted robbery, but he had managed to evade police and had been on the run for just over two months. However, at about 11:30 Tuesday night, he contacted Superintendent Mark Flowers, Commander of the GSU, and an arrangement was made to hand himself over.

The Reporter

Embassy of Taiwan opens cultural festival at Bliss
The Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) on Friday night opened its “2015 Taiwan Cultural Festival in Belize” with the first of a series of activities. The feature on Friday night was a Chinese painting art exhibition, featuring unique works by young artists from that country. The display will run for through the coming week. On Saturday starting at 7:30 p.m. the embassy will showcase a 30-minute documentary entitled the “Food Culture in Taiwan” followed by a two-hour long comedy entitled “The Movable Feast”. The events are free to the public and fall under the cultural exchange between Belize and Taiwan.

GSU raids in the city yield 25 pounds of weed
GSU raids yield sizeable amounts of weed By Marion Ali, Staff Reporter Two anti-drug raids by the Gang Suppression Unit (GSU) in Belize City have yielded a sizeable amount of marijuana. The first raid occurred on Thursday morning on an overgrown lot on Iguana Street Extension in the Collet division […]

Argentina oil company leaves Peru town after protests
An Argentine oil company says it will withdraw from an area of the Peruvian Amazon where it has been prospecting for gas deposits. The company, Pluspetrol, was asked to leave by the government after the death of a demonstrator in Junin province, during four days of violent protests. The demonstrators, […]

Coast Guard to get two blue water patrol boats to protect exclusive economic zone
Poised on its tenth year of existence, the Belize National Coast Guard is making strides to meet the goals of its 2020 strategic plan of action. It aims to begin, in the near future, its Beyond the Reef Blue Water Operation, a move that […]

Belize signs $60 million climate change project
The Social Investment Fund announced this week that Belize has secured a $60 million loan from the World Bank for a climate change project. The project is called the Belize Climate Resilient Infrastructure Project” (BCRIP) and is geared towards improving and strengthening Belize’s climate resilience […]

Dyed pink potatoes found countrywide Agriculture department waiting on lab test results
The Ministry of Agriculture confirmed this week that the Mexican potatoes which were dyed pink have been discovered in markets all over the country. Chief Agricultural Officer, Roberto Harrison explained that thus far, the potatoes have been spotted at major markets in all districts, with […]

Tax evasion: serious business!
Swindlers try all kinds of schemes to evade taxes and people have found very clever ways to trick the system. They cross barriers in sectors ranging from the common grocer to the well-to-do, often times in collusion with the very people whose job is […]

One Dead, several injured in Corozal RTA
One person is dead and several are injured after a road traffic accident in the Corozal district this week. According to police, sometime after 6 p.m. on Tuesday between Miles 85 and 86 on the Phillip Goldson Highway, a grey Ford Fusion car, driven by […]

Roaring Ck./Tea Kettle record 4 murders in 6 weeks

Six weeks into 2015, and Belmopan police have their fourth murder; the second homicide for the community of Roaring Creek. Around 6:50 pm, last Saturday afternoon resident, John Alexander Smith, 61, was killed; shot to death with a single bullet to the head, only feet from his home on Young […]

CitCo and Canadian Legion honour veterans
The Belize City Council, in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Legion, held a small recognition ceremony, which ended with a wreath laying to commemorate war veterans from Belize, Canada and all over the world. Mayor Darrel Bradley said that as the grandson of a […]

Belize listed among world’s most free countries
Belize has been listed among the world’s most free countries, according to Freedom House’s 2015 Freedom in the World report. According to the report, Belize is among the 90 most free countries in the world. Belize received a rating of one for political rights, […]

SSB seeks to avoid conflict of interest in union rep
The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) has decided to seek legal advice following a meeting with Prime Minister Dean Barrow. The meeting was about the NTUCB’s appointment of union member, Floyd Neal to the Social Security Board of Directors. Marvin Mora, NTUCB […]

Mutiny in the BSCFA! Splinter group stages surprise coup!
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture has issued a release condemning, in no uncertain terms, a move by elements of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association to register that Association under the Companies Act. The release states that the unsanctioned move by members is a “blatant attempt to wrestle […]

Editorial
The laws governing a limited liability company and the regulations governing an organization such as the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association are so different and distinct that if one tried to super-impose a company structure on the membership association, it would result in disaster. Companies operate on the ownership of […]

Nomination day – It’s do or die!
Thursday, Ferbruary 12 went down in history as Nomination Day 2015, and all across the country in all nine municipalities, political candidates headed to their respective Elections and Boundaries Departments to establish their bis for office. Once there, potential candidates must produce two registered voters to “nominate” them for office, […]

Counterfeit bills in the City
Belize City police are advising vendors and business owners to be on the lookout for counterfeit currency after several fake bills were identified this week. According to police, they first learned of the counterfeit notes last week when they were summoned to the Michael […]

Nine super rich Belizeans have secret Swiss bank accounts
Nine Belizeans were identified as being implicated in an international tax evasion scheme this week. A report issued by International Consortium of Investigative Journalists disclosed that the names of nine Belizeans were discovered in the Swiss banking arm of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking […]

The Belize Times

Patrick Jones

St. Hilda’s Anglican School chooses representatives in Spelling Bee eliminations
St. Hilda’s Anglican Primary School in Georgeville has chosen its candidates for the zone eliminations in the ongoing push to the National Coca Cola Spelling Bee. A school spelling Bee was held in Georgeville this morning and it did not take very long for Brianna Fairweather, Shamira Moralez and Helen Adolphus to emerge as the top spellers, beating out their classmates to get a chance to represent their school in the competition. But for one of the students the joy of winning soon ended as reports to our News Stream says that the girl’s mother informed the school that she would not let her daughter take part in the competition.

Policeman found guilty of manslaughter of detainee
Next Monday, February 16, Police Constable Alpheus Parham will learn his fate after a jury of six men and six women found him not guilty of an original charge of murder, but guilty on the lesser charge of manslaughter. The jury deliberated for four hours to reach unanimous verdicts on both charges before Justice Troadio Gonzalez today. Constable Parham is accused of causing the death of 29 year old Alex Goff, a Belize City resident and detainee at the Caye Caulker Police Station on May 9, 2010. Goff was by himself in a holding cell at the station when he was shot fatally to the forehead.

Labour education seminar held in Punta Gorda
A one day seminar on labor issues was held today in Cattle Landing village in the Toledo district. Labour Commissioner Ivan Williams says the event was designed to educate the close to 75 attendees on workers’ rights and responsibilities under Belizean laws and other conventions. During the course of the seminar, feedback was also gathered to inform the Ministry of Labour and Local Government of labour problems being experienced in the Toledo district.

Elvin Penner changes attorneys for COLA appeal
The Inferior Court Appeal launched by Geovannie Brackett and Nedal McLaren into the decision by Magistrate Aretha Ford to dismiss charges against Cayo Northeast area representative Elvin Penner began this morning before Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin. Brackett is the president of Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action, (COLA) while McLaren is the group’s national security advisor. COLA had initiated a private prosecution of Penner for alleged wrongdoing in respect of the issuance of a Belize passport to Wong Wong Hong Kim while he was in prison. Magistrate Ford had dismissed the charges against Penner after denying an application to summon Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie among others to give evidence.

Blogs

Carnaval in San Pedro: A Look Back on the Festival at the House of Culture, Lots of Pictures & This Year’s Events
Carnaval is here. The official pre-Lenten party that is celebrated in different but generally raucous ways around the world. Mardi Gras, Carnival, Fat Tuesday, it is the three days of partying up until Ash Wednesday went Lent begins. Carnaval is from the Latin “carnem levare” = take away meat and it’s an important holiday and celebration in many Catholic and Anglican countries. San Pedro is one of the last areas in Belize that still celebrates. Take a look how we do it on Ambergris Caye… A FANTASTIC way to get a sense of the history of the important holiday in San Pedro is by stopping by the new San Pedro House of Culture run by San Pedrano and Town Councilman Mito Paz. It’s hard not to tease him about this sign…you almost kick it over on the way in, it’s about one foot tall. :) Mito has done a fantastic job. And one of the biggest traditions…the comparsas. Generally groups of people in costume dancing and parading in the streets. Often men dressed as women. He’s got some FANTASTIC old pictures in San Pedro.

Tropic Air Tegucigalpa Codeshare Launch
Effective, February 17th, 2015, Tropic Air has entered into a partnership with CM Airlines of Honduras to offer same day travel between Belize City and Tegucigalpa, Honduras via both airlines’ flights to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. This service will eliminate costly overnights when travelling between Belize City and Tegucigalpa, and will serve to stimulate tourism and trade between the two countries. “Today, in partnership with CM Airlines, we are pleased to add Tegucigalpa, Honduras to our route network” says John Greif III, President of Tropic Air. “Our passengers have been asking for this service for some time, and today we are pleased to make it happen”.

International Sources

Flora and fauna at cozy Belize lodge
For Fredy, one eye may have been on the road, but he also had one eye on the sky. We were birding, after all. The Hidden Valley Inn & Reserve, in the Cayo region of Belize, is home to some of the rarest avian species in Central America. Fredy is the six-cottage property's conservation officer and a wildlife expert. In short order, we pulled over to the side of the road with a jolt and disgorged from the van as Fredy urgently pointed toward the sky. "That's an orange-breasted falcon," he whispered. Hidden Valley is home to one of only 30 breeding pairs of this endangered species in the region. Serving as the backdrop for the sighting was Tiger Creek Falls, which at 700 feet is one of the tallest waterfalls in Belize and one of five located in the 7,200-acre private forest reserve in which Hidden Valley is based. Eagles, black-and-white-hawks, a stygian owl and a king vulture all turned out during our trip. We didn't spot the howler monkeys, peccaries or five species of exotic cats that also call Hidden Valley home, due mostly to our group being too big and loud to employ stealth.

Videos

February 13, 2015

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Beastmode Activated: La Ruta Maya River Challenge is coming!
The most grueling canoe race in Belize is right around the corner, and paddlers are preparing to take on the 17th Annual La Ruta Maya River Challenge. The four-day race is one of the most highly anticipated events of the year, and sees racers traveling the 180-mile river route from the Macal River in the Cayo District to the Belize River in the Belize District. This year’s race will take place from Friday, March 6th to Monday, March 9th and will test participants’ endurance and survival skills. In other words: BEAST MODE ACTIVATED!! La Ruta Maya River Challenge was founded by Richard Harrison of Big-H Enterprises for the purpose of launching Vida brand purified water. It made its official debut on March 9, 1998, and was seen as an opportunity to bring many partners with similar interests together to build an event that could allow for promotional themes of ‘natural products’ identified with sports, endurance, nutrition, and well-being. The underlying concept is one of a team of businesses and organizations interested in the environment/ecology, history/culture and the tourism potential which the Belize Old River offers as one of the great natural resources of the country.

Police Report
On Sunday, February 8th at about 4PM 21-year-old Andre Burgos of San Mateo Area reported that on Saturday, February 7th at 5PM he left his motorcycle, Honda brand, white and black with license plate number SP-M-0562 with VIN number LTMJD19A4C5326292, parked right in front of Barrier Reef Resort where he works because the rear tire was punctured and he went home in the San Mateo Area. Upon his return to work the next day, he observed that his motor cycle was burnt. The motor cycle is valued $5,500BZ. Police investigations continue. On Monday, February 9th at about 8:30PM, police visited the San Pedrito Area in the vicinity of Lopez`s Apartments where they met 32-year-old Kareem Eagan suffering from a wound to his right foot just above his ankle which appeared to be that of a gunshot injury. Initial investigation revealed that two Hispanic male persons, dressed in dark clothing with hooded jackets, ran into the yard of Lopez’s Apartments and fired several shots, injuring Eagan who was seated inside his room. During the shooting, a Green RAV-4 S.U.V License plates SP-C-647, which was parked in front of the apartment building received an apparent bullet hole to its right front fender. Police have detained two minors pending an investigation.

Tiger Sharks take first big bite out of Belmopan Red Tiagaz
The Belize National Elite Basketball League (NEBL) kicked off its 2015 season over the weekend and for the San Pedro Tiger Sharks, they started on the right “fin”. On Saturday February 7th, the Tiger Sharks took their first win of the season at the Belmopan Red Tiagaz to pick up their first three points of the tournament. The game was played at the University of Belize (UB) gymnasium in the Garden City of Belmopan and did not disappoint fans who went to witness the match. Defending champions San Pedro Tiger Sharks started with Darwin Leslie, Tyrone Edwards, Ashton Edwards, Raul Rochez and James Milton. Home team Belmopan Red Taigaz featured Terrel Eskridge, Christian Rodriguez, Jarrel Velasquez, Travis Lennon and Farron Louriano on their starting lineup. San Pedro Tiger Shark’ newcomer, James Milton led the charge capturing 20 points and 8 rebounds, while Darwin “Puppy” Leslie finished the game with 18 points. Andrew “Bynum” Ortiz and Densmore Edwards chipped in with 12 points each, while Ashton Edwards netted 10 points. In a losing effort, Belmopan Red Taigaz was led by newly acquired Travis Lennen, who had 15 points and 7 carries, while their American point guard, Terrell Eskridge, finished the game with 12 points and 4 assists. Last season’s MVP, Farron Louriano had an off night, only tallying 9 points and 7 boards.

Mayor Danny donates to Heaven’s Voice Choir
The Mayor of San Pedro Town Daniel “Danny” Guerrero handed a donation to the young and upcoming Heaven’s Voice Choir. At less than a year old, the choir, comprising mainly of the youth members from the San Pedro Roman Catholic Church, have been performing at various community events. In a show of appreciation, on Tuesday February 10th, Mayor Danny handed over a pair of drums and two pairs of maracas to choir leader Natalie Arceo. In handing the donation over to Arceo, Mayor Guerrero said that he hopes the small donation will be used for the improvement of the choir. “This is a donation for the youth choir so that they can keep busy learning new musical skills,” said Guerrero. The Mayor took the opportunity to reiterate his commitment to the local musicians on the island.

San Pedro High School Boys are 2015 Northern Regional Champions!!
The Secondary Level Northern Regional Football Competition was held in Santa Clara Village in the Corozal District on Saturday February 7th. Eight teams competed; four females and four males. At the end of the day’s competition, San Pedro High School Boys moved on in the Male division and Orange Walk Technical High School moved on in the female division. Competing teams were: Males: Belize High School of Agriculture, Bishop Martin High School, San Pedro High School (SPHS) and Escuela Secundaria Mexico. In the female division were: Corozal Community College (CCC), New Hope High School, San Pedro High School SPHS and Orange Walk Technical (OWT).

Ambergris Today

25 Years Ago: How San Pedro Carnabal Tradition went from Powder to Paint
During the first day of Carnabal, which was the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, painting was permitted with white powder only. Most people used body powder while others mixed powder with flour. If a guy met a young lady on the street, he would politely approach her and rub some of the body powder on her face and arms. Of course she offered no resistance; she simply covered her face because she knew they would laugh at her painted face. After being painted with powder, she would remove the excess and continued on with what she was doing. Body painting was done mostly by boys unto girls and vice versa. There were no gangs running about because nobody was trying to escape from anybody. In fact it seemed like girls were inviting to the guys to get some perfumed talc on their faces. On the second day the color blue and red were acceptable but the rule of thumb was that it had to be easily removable. Blue bleaching detergent was used for the color blue and lip stick for the red. Now on the third day it got a bit uglier as black was permitted. Most people used the soot from the pots and pans that had been in use and still on the “fogon” or fire hearth. The sooth was mixed with water and it really got you black all over. However, one dip into the sea or one bucket of water at the well, and it was off your body instantly. This was Carnabal, soft and tender, colorful and cultural.

Celebrity Spotting - Lord of the Rings Actor Films in Belize
Dominic Monaghan, best known for his ‘Hobbit’ role in the trilogy blockbuster movies The Lord of the Rings, was spotted in San Ignacio, Belize this week with a noticeable film crew tagging along with him. Ambergris Today was able to obtain a couple of pictures of the actor/tv personality while he was filming in downtown San Ignacio, Cayo, as one of his fans was able to take a picture of him with his son. Besides his Hollywood acting career, Dominic is the host of BBC America TV Show Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan. The show is described as an exhilarating travel-adventure series that follows the actor and wildlife enthusiast as he explores the remote corners of the globe in search of some of the most ‘badass’ animals in the world.

Belize Organizations Speak Out on Cases of Child Sexual Abuse
In a press release sent out by the Special Envoy for Women and Children, Kim Simplis Barrow called on parents and guardians to put the well-being, safety and protection of their children as a top priority. Kim Simplis Barrow’s statement comes in the wake of charges being brought against the area representative for Orange Walk East, Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez last week. Dr. Mendez was charged with aggravated assault of an indecent nature and common assault, based upon reports from two minors. The National Committee for Families and Children stated in a press release that Belize became the fifth country to ratify the UN convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). That CRC document has since become the most widely ratified convention and human rights instrument in the world. This is testament to Belize’s recognition of the importance of caring for the country’s children and nurturing them to be responsible and productive citizens. This commitment obligated the Government of Belize to enact laws and policies that create the enabling environment for children to flourish.

Misc Belizean Sources

Garbage everywhere!
Corozal is a sleepy seaside town, located just south of the Río Hondo (Hondo River), which forms the border between Mexico and Belize. Set on a crystal-clear bay, Corozal was an important center on the early Mayan trading routes, and the evidence remains in the ruins of Cerros and Santa Rita, and the old English Fort Barlee. During the mid-1800s the modern town was settled with a large population of refugees from Mexico’s Caste War. Today, Corozal is home to a growing expatriate community, mostly concentrated in the northern tip of the town and along the seaside in the Copper Bank and Chunox areas. While not part of the traditional tourist circuit, Corozal Town makes a good base for fishing excursions in the calm bay; bird- and wildlife-viewing tours into nearby Shipstern Nature Reserve; shopping trips to neighbouring Chetumal, Mexico; and explorations of surrounding nearby Mayan ruins. Our Corozal Bay is one of our greatest attractions for both local and foreign visitors to the area. Lately, we have seen the uncaring of the coast along the bay with many hot spots of garbage and dump being accumulated and left unattended by the local authorities.

Belize and World Bank Signs BZ $60 million Project to Improve and Strengthen Belize’s Climate Resilience & Impacts of Climate Change
The Project entitled: “Belize Climate Resilient Infrastructure Project” (BCRIP) will improve and strengthen Belize’s climate resilience and its anticipated impacts of climate change in relation to infrastructure, in particular, to a 24km section of the Philip Goldson Highway , a primary roadway linking the cities in the North of Belize to the International Airport located on the outskirts of the greater Belize City area and if possible, other smaller sections of primary roadway on the George Price Highway nearing the Belmopan encountering similar vulnerabilities. The Government of Belize through the Belize Social Investment Fund/Belize Climate Resilient Infrastructure Project (BCRIP) will enable Belize to effectively implement mitigation and adaptation strategies in the war against this global threat as it relates to the negative effects on Belize’s economic growth and welfare of its present and future generations.

MOH to Officially Launch Services at New NHI Provider Clinics in Corozal District
The Ministry of Health is pleased to announce the official launch of services at the two newly expanded National Health Insurance (NHI) provider clinics, Corozal Polyclinic II and Patchakan Presbyterian Clinic.

Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture Comments on Decision Made by Some Members of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture views with grave concern the continuing machinations by some members of the sugar cane farming community to try and disrupt the smooth functioning of the sugar industry. The Ministry condemns in the strongest possible terms the unethical move by some members of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) to register the name of the Association without the knowledge and consent of the duly elected leadership of the BSCFA. This blatant attempt to wrestle control of the Association and its assets from the farmers is immoral and illegal as the legitimate BSCFA continued to function under the revised Sugar Industry Act as they were recognized by the Sugar Industry Control Board (SICB) and issued a certificate of registration. This is the first and only entity using the BSCFA name that will be recognized by the SICB as having rights to represent farmers.

Western Ballaz Host Tiger Sharks
Friday is Western Ballaz night here in Cayo as they host the Tigersharks. The game starts at 9:00pm at the SHC auditorium. They'll have tons of food and drinks, along with some quality entertainment from Mistah Geeh. They dominated over the Belize Hurricanes last week. The Tigersharks narrowly won the finals last year, so this is the big rematch. Go, Ballaz!

Southwest and American Adding Belize Flights
Southwest Airlines has announced that it plans on starting flights between Houston and Belize in October, and American Airlines will be adding a direct flight to and from Los Angeles in June. Sounds like flying to and from Belize might be getting a little cheaper, allowing more people to visit family in both locations. Should also help with the tourism sector. Tour guides, get ready.

House of Culture in San Pedro needs volunteers
Are you looking for an opportunity to serve the youths and promote culture in our island? We welcome your time and talent! Volunteers need at the new House of Culture.

The San Ignacio Map project
The San Ignacio Map project is an effort to make a simple and readable map for tourists as well as locals to find their way around the heart of San Ignacio. The map also features well known, top and reliable businesses around San Ignacio; which both locals and tourists may be looking for, want information of, or simply want their phone number, Facebook page, trip advisor page for reviews, etc. If your business is not currently featured in the hard copy or the website you can simply inbox us through this Facebook page or email us at: info@sanignaciomap.com for details on how this project works. We will gladly assist you in promoting your business. This page will also share updates that businesses featured on the map put on their Facebook page. Thank you very much for all the recent likes! We hope to serve you all with equality and quality!

BOLEDO DRAWING for Thursday, February 12, 2015: 76. FANTASY 5: 27 5 28 34 33 C

Channel 7

Belizean Passport Holders Control 17 Million Dollars? Who Are These People?
A list of leaked Swiss bank accounts is making news in Belize tonight. And that's because the list shows that 97 Belizean bank accounts holding 54.8 million US dollars are hidden away in these accounts. Now, in a country like Belize with an active offshore banking sector, that's not too unusual, but what jumped out at us is the disclosure that nine of the accounts are held not by offshore companies, but by persons with Belizean passports. Information released by a group of journalists called Swiss Leaks says that about 17 million dollars is controlled by those 9 Belizean passport holders, and the largest single account is for one Belizean with 8.9 million US dollars. All the accounts on the list were formed between 1999 and 2006. Now, to put it in context, this list has been dominating headlines in Europe for the past week -the accounts linked to Belize rank the holdings of this country at #115 out of over 200 countries.

Alleged Succotz Rioters Went Back To Court
In August of last year, the villagers of Succotz staged an angry, impromptu protest to demand the Deputy Commissioner of Police Miguel Segura be criminally charged like any other person. Segura was driving under the influence when he crashed into a taxi and killed the passenger, 54 year-old Yolanda Consuela Valencia - a Succotz resident. The driver, 28 year Yannie Evan Cu, was seriously injured. The villagers were standing up for their own, and believed that they had just cause, but the protest devolved into a riot where stones were thrown at the police who trying to put out roadblocks of burning tires. 15 persons were later charged in November for the offence of rioting and participating in an unlawful assembly, and they were initially arraigned. The sitting Magistrate, Herbert Panton, scheduled today as the start date for the trial against all of the accused. They reported dutifully to court as they were supposed to, and after 3 hours of waiting, they were told by the Chief Magistrate that they needed to come back for another adjournment in April.

More On BSCFA Limited
Last night, at the end of a very full news package, we told you about the dispute over a newly registered company called the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association. Now, that is also the name of the real Cane Farmers Association - the BSCFA in Orange Walk. The suggestion made by Prime Minister Dean Barrow is that those who incorporated the company were trying to basically steal the BSCFA's assets and identity. That points to Fred Ortega, the Director for Orange Walk. With legal advice from Audrey Matura Shepherd, he was supposedly the moving hand behind the whole maneuver. Today - speaking with CTV-3 in Orange Walk in Spanish - he defended his actions as completely benign and said the Prime Minister's plan to strike out the company is what's wrong:.. Fred Ortega, Director - BSCFA (translated) "The certificate is in favour of the caneros, in favour of the association, to clearly establish it, equal to the other associates within the Companies and Corporate act. This is all we were trying to do with the BSCFA. This is not a case of anyone trying to hijack BSCFA. Because this is not a new institution or new members, it is the same membership that would be covered within this name. For me, it is a pity that the prime minister wants to make this move, because for me what was done was to protect or to give validity to the association under the laws of Belize."

GSU Caught A Water Taxi Captain Who Was Trafficking Weed
We all know about the GSU's movements in Belize City, but this morning they hunkered down in Corozal Town waiting for the Thunderbolt Water Taxi to depart to san Pedro. The GSU had intelligence that the water taxi was involved in the carriage of drugs. So, they searched the passengers and the vessel and found the boat captain with a stash of high grade marijuana. The Commander of the GSU told CTV-3 more:.. Insp. Mark Flowers, COMMANDER - GSU "A total of four and a half pounds of hydro marijuana was found onboard the boat in the captain's private compartment. He has since been arrested and charged for drug trafficking. In facts two counts of drug trafficking."

13 Year-old Girl Shot In San Pedro
A 13 year old girl was shot in San Pedro last night. It happened at around 9:20 in the San Pedrito area. Two men reportedly opened fire on a room in the Espat Apartment building. 13 year old Meredith Escalante was closing the door at the same time and one of the shots grazed her chest. She was taken to the polyclinic where she did not require treatment because it was only a superficial wound. Police believe the shooting is retaliatory and drug related.

GSU Seized Big Weed
WE already told you about the water taxi weed bust in Corozal, but the GSU was also active in the city where they found 27 pounds of weed today. The first seizure happened this morning at around 10. The GSU searched an empty lot on Iguana Street Extension and found a black plastic bag with 6 pounds of weed. No one was in the area and it was labeled as found property. Later on today at 3:00 another bust was made this time in an empty lot on Pelican Street. A black plastic bag was found with 21 pounds of cannabis. Again, no one was found in the area so it was labeled as found property.

Ladyville Teacher's Phone Sent Inappropriate Messages To A Female Student
A Ladyville teacher is under scrutiny after an underaged female student blasted him on Facebook. The girl - who has been expelled from the school reportedly for missing classes posted a bunch of very inappropriate text messages from the teacher's cell phone on her Facebook page. In these messages sent between September 9th and October 15th, the male teacher is openly flirting with the under-aged girl - telling her to stay after school and eventually inviting her to have sex with him. We spoke with the teacher by phone and he said that someone else was using his phone without his knowledge or consent. We note that they would have had to have been doing that for at least 6 weeks. He also said he reported the matter to police - but they told us they have no such report.

The Men Who Want to Be Mayor Of Benque Viejo Town
Last night, we showed you how nomination day looked in Corozal, Orange Walk and Belize City for both the PUP and UDP. We didn't get a chance to speak with all of the candidates from other municipalities, and so, today our news team went west, starting in Benque Viejo Town. Present UDP councilor, Heraldo Ramcharan Jr., is offering himself as mayor. He told us why Benque will choose him: Heraldo Ramcharan Jr. - UDP Mayoral Candidate, Benque Viejo Town "My 6 years at Traffic Department motivated me to serve the people and I have been there for 6 years working with the people in Benque and its one of the main point why I decided to run, apart from my friends and my family who had me pushed and supporting me. Yesterday, we had almost over 300 people. We had a big crowd compared to the opponent. I think our crowd was much larger than what they had."

The Mayoral Hopefuls Of SISE
Another municipality in the west which is being governed by a UDP Council is the twin towns of San Ignacio/ Santa Elena. The PUP wants to change that, and they've chosen another politician with the nickname "Monchie" to lead that team. He's Ramon "Monchi" Quiroz, and he told us today that based on his showing in the last municipal election he has the hope that he can be mayor this time around: Ramon "Monchi" Quiroz - PUP Mayoral Candidate, Cayo's Twin Towns "This is my second time around. I ran in the last election and the margin of lost was very minimal. So, I decided to run again and I've been working ever since. I've been walking the streets of San Ignacio and Santa Elena and I can tell you, the reception is really good. A couple did not know me in Santa Elena. I was born and raised in San Ignacio, but I can tell you, from the campaign started, we've been doing excellent and I can say we will deliver for the 4th March."

Belmopan's Would Be Mayors
And also from the west, the City of Belmopan is has also been led by Mayor Simeon Lopez and his UDP council for the past 9 years. But, in 2012, residents of the capital voted for a split council 5 UDP candidates, including Lopez, and 2 PUP candidates. The Opposition Party's Mayoral Candidate, Jose Chacon, spoke with us this afternoon, and he told us that from his visits with the residents of Belmopan, they want to increase that number from 2 to an entire PUP slate of 7: Jose Chacon - PUP Mayoral Candidate, Belmopan "I have been contemplating this decision for many years now. My first experience to politics was when I was 20 years old. I was elected the chairperson for the community where I grew up in Las Flores. That's went of Belmopan and I've always been involved in my community since then, so it's something that I felt I had to do. I enjoy serving people."

Hon. Boots Speak Candidly About Why Mayor Bradley Is Likely To Win
And Belisle is being mentored closely by the Belmopan Area Representative John Saldivar. Like all the UDP municipal candidates, he hopes that Saldivar's Ministerial pull can help propel him into office. That;s true even in Belize City where Darrell Bradely's council has spent tens of millions of dollar son infrastructure, but will still look to the UDP strongholds of Port Loyola, Collett, Mesopotamia and Queen Square to deliver the voters which will send them into office. PORT LOYOLA REPRESENTATIVE ANTHONY BOOTS MARTINEZ SAID IT'S A SIMPLE FORMULA:.. Jules Vasquez "With the strength of those 4 divisions on the southside; the UDP strong holds, anybody is electable who gulves on a UDP municipal ticket, because you all will bring them in." Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez "That is a fact, yes. That is a political fact."

Hon. Longsworth Supports Phillouby For Now ...
But in the Albert division, it's not so clear cut. UDP representative Herman Longsworth is benign challenged by a UDP City councilor Phillip Willoughby. We asked him how he will play it:.. Jules Vasquez "I spoke to Phillip Willoughby and he says, you see the crowd I bring out from Albert. Who bring out the crowd from Albert?" Hon. Herman Longsworth "The UDP brought out the people from Albert. Today, is not about either me... well, to some extent, it's about Phillip Willoughby, because he is a part of the city council slate. But for me, today is about the UDP. Today is about bringing out our people to show the strength that the UDP has."

When Will Sports Minister Longsworth Deliver on Marion Jones And Berger Field?
And while Longsworth is playing a balancing act in the Albert Division, as Minister of State with Responsibility for sports, he can't be so cautious, he has a much promised much delayed stadium to deliver. We're talking about Marion Jones and he told us it will be ready for Cross Country... Hon. Herman Longsworth "Marion Jones will definitely be ready for Cross Country, but we are hoping that we can have a little soft opening prior to that, but certainly, definitely, it will be ready for Cross Country." Jules Vasquez "Cross Country 2015?" Hon. Herman Longsworth "It will finish there."

Hon. Finnegan Unapologetic About His Vehicle Use Yesterday
And finishing up with politics for tonight - the media also used yesterday's political feeding frenzy at nomination day to ask Mesopotamia Representative Michael Finnegan about his ministerial vehicle's role in the nomination day parade. The vehicle led the way for the contingent from his division - and he told us he has no apologies to make:.. Hon. Michael Finnegan "Asking if my government vehicle is in a party activity, man, that is trivial. I don't that bother the people of Mesopotamia Division or the people of the country. The people of the country wants a politician who works hard for them and who doesn't thief. I think that is what is important, but a government vehicle that is given to me for 7 years, run-down vehicle - I need to get a new one... left from the UDP office right to the administration building. You all let that bother you. That is petty. That is small. That is narrow mind-ness. There are more bigger and more important things to do."

Florists Flourish On Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is coming up - for lovers it's cause for excitement and love-struck butterflies, while the single and un-attached may find themselves feeling the other kind of butterflies, the kind that comes with anxious worry…that the phone just won't ring, and that bouquet of roses will never arrive. But while the lovers and the lonely have the next 48 hours to count their blessings or curse their bad luck, florists are counting their money, and the only thing they are cursing is the calendar: which only has one valentine day per year. Today we visited two flower shops where the owners were busier than cupid in a crowded restaurant on Valentine's night. Courtney Weatherbune reports: Courtney Weatherbune reporting These white orchids, freshly cut gingers and flowers are transformed into these lovely valentines flower arrangements and orders for these arrangements have been pouring in from last month.

Reggae Royalty In Belize, Ky-Mani Marley Will Perform For you
The 9th son of reggae icon Bob Marley is in Belize City tonight. Ky-Mani Marley will be the second Marley to perform in the jewel - he will do so at his Valentine's Night concert at the Riverside Tavern. 7news caught up with the international superstar and actor this afternoon at the Radisson -where he told us what his fans can expect on Saturday. The concert will be happening at the Riverside Tavern in Belize City. Ky-Mani's older brother Julian, who is Bob's eighth son, was the first Marley to perform in Belize and that was in the early 90's. Bob's 10th, and last child, Damian performs here in March.

El Jai To Perform For CitCo's Concert
And while Ky-Mani will be on the riverside on Saturday - on Friday night there will be a concert for the people at the BTL park. It's an event organized by the City Council to celebrate the one year anniversary of the park that has re-defined the social scene in Belize City. It will be free to all and the main attraction will be Eljai - the Belizean born reggae crooner who had his name all over the world - and has come back home to share his talent:.. The concert starts at 6:00 on Friday night at the BTL Park. And featuring an all-Belizean lineup, it promises to be good, actually better than you might expect and that's because the promoter has brought in a musical director who is home grown but internationally known. He is Michael Hyde, keyboardist for countless international reggae acts from Ziggy Marley through Burning Spear to Inner Circle. Today he told us what he will bring to this show:..

Honoring Belize Zoo's Tony Garel
Every so often, the Management of the Belize Zoo invites 7NEWS go behind the scenes and see the conservation work that they are doing to rescue wild animals, or just keeping the Zoo going. And now, one of their very unassuming professionals, has managed to capture a prestigious award for conservation from the Belize Audubon Society. Tony Garel, one of the senior members of staff at the Zoo, told us today that it was a surprise to have been chosen for the honor:

Channel 5

Minor Shot in San Pedro
A thirteen year old student of the Ambergris Caye Elementary School has been shot at her home while she prepared for dinner. Tonight, Meredith Escalante is lucky to be alive [...]

Shooting in the City
There was another shooting, but in the city. Thirty-year-old Mark Alamilla, known to friends and family as Chabo, remains hospitalized tonight, following a near-fatal shooting a stone’s throw away from [...]

Boat Intercepted With Drugs and Contraband
A boat belonging to the water taxi, Thunderbolt, and carrying a number of passengers, was intercepted this morning at the Corozal pier before its scheduled departure to San Pedro. Unofficially, [...]

Rumble at the B.S.C.F.A.
On Wednesday’s newscast, we showed you the Prime Minister’s take on a situation which is bubbling in the B.S.C.F.A., the much embattled cane farmers association. To break it down, a [...]

Ortega Says Same Association…Different Rules
But while there is little doubt it is the same association, the move is seen as an attempted coup because of the way it was done. The B.S.C.F.A. company has [...]

SICB Says Move Is a Bad One
With all that said, the B.S.C.F.A.’s Committee of Management isn’t budging, and has written to the subscribers of the new company to back off. The Prime Minister has announced his [...]

Swiss-leaks Reveal Belize Millions Stashed
There is a report that surfaced earlier today in Caribbean news outlets, about billions of dollars being stashed away in Swiss Banks. The report claims that the funds were deposited [...]

PM Barrow Reveals Identity of Allegedly Abused Minors
The protection of minor’s identity in sensitive cases, such as molestation and rape, has long been priority for agencies concerned about the rights of children. In the recent, highly publicized [...]

Foundation to be Instituted in Memory of Fallen Officer
Danny Conorquie was twenty years old when he was shot and killed whilst on duty at the Caracol Archaeological Site last year. The killing of the special constable, who was [...]

Lord Ashcroft Says Matura-Shepherd is “Charming”
As we reported on Wednesday night, a photograph of a casual breakfast between Audrey Matura Shepherd and Lord Michael Ashcroft was plastered all over social media last Friday even before [...]

No Break in S.S.B./N.T.U.C.B. Impasse
Even as the protracted impasse between the B.S.C.F.A. and ASR/B.S.I. has been resolved, there is another between the S.S.B. and the N.T.U.C.B.  It revolves around the proposed appointment of CWU [...]

Hard Time for Stealing a House
Rupert Avila was sentenced to three months in prison after he pleaded guilty to theft for stealing a woman’s house. When he appeared in court today before Magistrate Herbert Panton, [...]

Fugitive Surrenders to GSU Boss
Today a man who was the subject of an intense manhunt is on remand at the Belize Central Prison. Jermaine Sanker went on a mini-crime spree in Corozal late last [...]

San Pedro Gears Up for Elections 2015
In San Pedro, twenty one candidates, including three mayoral, are running in the upcoming March fourth elections. It is the first time on the island that three slates have been [...]

Five Mayoral Candidates in Belmopan
While San Pedro has three mayoral candidates, the battle for mayorship of Belmopan is between five candidates, including two independent nominees.  On Wednesday, those candidates officially signed up to participate [...]

Faber Says Collet Secure
While Nomination Day is theoretically an official event, in reality it’s just a big show…and in Belize City that show in the south-side is run by the U.D.P. which controls [...]

Finnegan Defends Use of G.O.B. Vehicle in U.D.P. Parade
On Wednesday when the United Democratic Party flexed its muscles for Nomination Day, it was an ocean of red. Well, except for one spot of blue – the government license [...]

Belizean Wins a Grammy
The 2015 Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on Sunday before a packed audience of A-list celebrities.  Kanye West’s now infamous post-show rant [...]

Taiwan Host Cultural Festival
The Embassy of the Republic of China/Taiwan has been successfully promoting the cultural exchange between Belize and Taiwan for many years. In an effort to continue to educate locals about [...]

B.T.L. Park Turns One
There is another activity to look forward to this weekend as the B.T.L. Park celebrates its one-year anniversary since it was renovated by the Belize City Council.  The recreational space [...]

McAfee Settles in Tennessee
Software magnate John McAfee fled Belize in 2012 after being named a person of interest in the murder of Greg Faull in San Pedro.  Since then the sixty-nine-year-old, who claims [...]

Healthy Living: Diabetes and Vision
Globally, it is estimated that half the people living with type two diabetes don’t know it.  Even though type-two diabetes may remain undetected for years, it still poses a great [...]

CTV3

PUP Responds To Comments Made On Marco Tulio Mendez By Prime Minister
Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s comments in reference to the allegation made against Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez did not sit too well with the People’s United Party. In a release issued today the P.U.P states that the PM’s comment was quote “very irresponsible”. We spoke with Dolores Balderamos Garcia who elaborated on the PUP’s sentiments on what the PM told the media. “When you are dealing with very sensitive cases involving children and he allege abuse of children we all need to be very sensitive and we believe as the Prime Minister bothered to check with his wife, the Special Envoy for Children, she and her advisors could have said to him that we should never publicly identify the type of family relationship so that minor can be readily identified, we believe that it is not correct and as a matter of fact the media and all concerned especially...”

PM Weighs On Registration Certification Of BSCFA
We have been reporting on the latest matter that came up within the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association. That surrounds the registration of the association under the companies act by, what we know so far, at least six members of the Committee of management of the BSCFA. Alfredo Ortega has spoken on the matter sating that it was not done to hurt the association but rather to protect it and all its assets. Others don’t take the move to mean this however, and one of those is the Prime Minister Dean Barrow who commented on the matter. Here is a clip from his statement to the media yesterday, provided to us by our colleagues at KREM News. “I don’t know, I can guess, I don’t know which lawyer or so called lawyer advised those that subscribed to this new company. I don’t know how there could ever have been any sense that to find this new company would automatically mean that that company can step into the shoes of the B.S.C.F.A., the real B.S.C.F.A., the association that is recognised by the Act.”

Ortega Questions Where Was PM When Cane Farmers Needed Him Most
And while the Prime Minister has responded to the situation within the BSCFA, today Alfredo Ortega who has been named as the person behind the registration of the association under the companies act responded to the Prime Minister’s statement without holding back any punches. “Realmente es una lástima de que el Primer Ministro salga hablando de esa manera cuando realmente no ha hecho un análisis de la situación y yo creo que el movimiento es más para frustrar a los caneros para dar un sentimiento de que el movimiento que se ha hecho va en contra del mejoramiento de los caneros en la cual eso no es el propósito sino es mejorar la vida de los caneros y darle más fuerza dentro de los marcos de ley a BSCFA, realmente me lastimo a mi bastante al escuchar de que él está promoviendo inmediatamente de que se haga revoke...”

PM Say PUP Tiptoeing On Mendez's Case
The accusations against Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez for alleged sexual misconduct have received national attention. This is obviously due to his position not only as a doctor of medicine but probably even more so because he is the duly elected PUP Area Representative of the Orange Walk East division. Dr. Mendez has been charged and the matter is now before the court. As word of the allegations spread, supporters of the United Democratic Party from Orange Walk East held a small protest in front of the Orange Walk Town Hall demanding that Dr. Mendez step down as the Area Representative of that constituency. In an interview with the media yesterday, the Prime Minister for the first time spoke on the matter and criticized the PUP for what he deems is a reluctance to promptly react against the doctor under the allegations. “I am absolutely astonished over the fact that people generally don’t seem to have focused on the clear difference between the way the U.D.P. handled the situation with Penner and the way the P.U.P. is handling the situation with Marco Tulio Mendez. We in effect constructively expelled Penner.

Ministry Of Natural Resources & Agriculture Comes Out Swinging At Registration Certification Of BSCFA
The Prime Minister of Belize is not the only one who has come out swinging at members of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association for registering the association under the Companies Act. Today the Ministry of Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture also weighed in on the issue via a press release and they had no kind words. The release states and we quote “The Ministry condemns in the strongest possible terms the unethical move by some members of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) to register the name of the Association without the knowledge and consent of the duly elected leadership of the BSCFA. This blatant attempt to wrestle control of the Association and its assets from the farmers is immoral and illegal as the legitimate BSCFA continued to function under the revised Sugar Industry Act as they were recognized by the Sugar Industry Control Board (SICB) and issued a certificate of registration.” end of quote.

Corozal Poly Clinic & Patchakan Prebyterian Clinic To Offer NHI Services
The National Health Insurance Project was piloted in 2001 and legally established in 2003 by the Peoples United Party following the first pilot project in the Southside of Belize City. Under the scheme, Government subsidizes health care for registered patients at both private and public medical facilities. And tonight we have some good news for the residents of the northern part of the country as the Corozal District now joins the Belize, Stann Creek and Toledo Districts in this program. The announcement was made today by the Ministry of Health. According to the Ministry the Corozal Polyclinic II and Patchakan Presbyterian Clinic will be offering similar services as other NHI clinics across the country. These services includes clinical management for persons with Diabetes, Hypertension, Asthma and acute respiratory infections; pre-natal and post-natal care, including lab tests for pregnant women; early detection of HIV and Tuberculosis and detection and referrals for some types of Cancers; eye care services; immunization clinics; nutrition programs and minor surgery procedures.

Report Reveals Nine Belizean Stashed Million In Bank Accounts
A report released this week by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists revealed billions of dollars held in nearly 60,000 internal Swiss bank documents from 2006 to 2007. The report disclosed that HSBC maintained accounts for customers connected with 30 countries in the wider Caribbean and among them is Belize. The report shows that when it comes to Belize 29 persons put 54.8 million US translating to 109 million Belize dollars in Swiss Accounts in which billions were hidden by HSBC accounts. The report shows that 9 Belizean citizens or passport holders were associated with accounts at HSBC. Also noteworthy is that one Suriname national held an account with HSBC in Switzerland, five customers from the US Virgin Islands, four from Dominica, one from the Dominican Republic, three from Haiti, one from Grenada and two from Jamaica.

Belize Signs On 60 Million Dollars Project For Climate Change
Last week Belize and the World Bank signed on, on a $60 million dollar project to improve and strengthen Belize’s climate resilience and impacts of climate change. The project entitled: “Belize Climate Resilient Infrastructure Project” (BCRIP) will improve and strengthen Belize’s climate resilience and its anticipated impacts of climate change in relation to infrastructure, in particular, to a 24km section of the Philip Goldson Highway. The Government of Belize through the Belize Social Investment Fund/Belize Climate Resilient Infrastructure Project (BCRIP) will enable Belize to effectively implement mitigation and adaptation strategies in the war against climate change considered a global threat.

Helpage Members Gathered For Games And Some Tea
There are two days left to February fourteenth, a date for which quite a few Belizeans are making some big plans. Today however, a few celebrated the occasion a couple days early. We are talking about the members of the Orange Walk Help Age Center who were invited to an afternoon of games and some tea. Well over twenty elderly men and women joined in the fun afternoon and President of the Help Age Arcelia Leiva says the afternoon was definitely for the member to have some fun and a bit more. Arcelia Leiva – President, OW Help Age “The evening we had much fun, we had games, we had pin the heart on an elderly and we had some musical arms and pass the ball and these games it helps them to make movements to participate and to be active not to just sit and it is healthy that they can move around and we try to find games that are not harmful to them but at the same time they do some movement and exercise and at the same time they have fun, they interact with one another and that helps them and the comments they give is that they enjoy coming because they meet their friends whom they don’t see every day, I would want to take the opportunity to wish all those elderly who are not here with us we wish them well and we hope that the next time we have something that they are able to come.”

LOVE FM

Spelling Bee Zone Elimination in Orange Walk
The Coca Cola Spelling Bee zone elimination for the Orange Walk district concluded today. The last zone elimination was held this morning in Blue Creek village for the southwest division. Lisa Carrillo of the district education department is coordinating the competition at the district level. LISA CARILLO “We have five different zones and this morning we had the East Zone and this afternoon we had the North Zone. For the East Zone we had both schools from Progresso being the winners and this afternoon we had Trial Farm and San Pablo. We are very proud of the students because they are winners already in their schools but we can see that students are preparing more and more every year, it is becoming very competitive because the prizes are very encouraging so our students are really preparing and the teachers and schools are putting a lot of effort in preparing the students. We can see that they really have this background in spelling and phonics that they are preparing.”

Will Mayoral Candidates Engage in Debate?
During yesterday’s Nomination Day for the upcoming municipal elections, there were a lot of issues that were brought to the forefront by opposition candidates, who feel that enough works were not being done in the municipality and that monies were not being accounted for or spent wisely. In the course of our interviews, the media did ask the two main mayoral candidates it they would consider a debate. Little did we know that PUP’s candidate, Yolanda Schakron had already proposed one to the current Mayor, Darrell Bradley but now she is not so sure if the invitation is still opened. Yolanda Schakron: “I did call for a debate but Mr. Bradley did not answer so right now he has decided that he called me that I am stupid to give up my salary for scholarship he wants a debate now we had called that from a long time so now to me what the problem seems to be with Darrel is that he wants things at his timing and his way. I have a lot of things to do, I have to pound the pavement I have to reach every resident of this city to tell them what our plan is. On the debate we have not decided yet because it is either his way or the highway ‘I noh deh pan dat’.” But Mayor Bradley told the media that this is the first he is hearing of this proposed debate from Schakron and that he would be more than willing.

Independent Candidate Confident of Victory
While the two candidates from the major political parties spoke of debating or not debating issues, the independent candidate, Ernesto Torres, told Love News yesterday that he believes that this is the time for his victory. ERNESTO TORRES “I don’t ask people to vote for me, they call me and meet me on the street and they stop me whenever they see me and they promise and tell me they will vote for me so if it is true then that means this is the time for Mr.Torress. I am not against the concreting of streets, I have never been and never will but the mode of concreting was not in the best interest of the $40 million dollars that was spent. Belize City does not only need the streets concreted, from when they started the concreting of streets I was making noise to deal with drainage first and open drainage and separate the side walk from the drainage because of the rats and the roaches.”

PlusTV

Minor shot in the chest in San Pedro
According to reports, on February 11 at about 9:30 p.m., shots were fired in the San Pedrtito are of Ambergris Caye at Espat’s Apartment. 38-year-old Maria Escalante of San Pedrito Area, San Pedro Town, and her 13-year-old daughter Meredith, occupy one of the rooms at the facility. Police say that Meredith Escalante was closing the door to their apartment when three loud sounds were heard, and she realized that she had been shot in the chest area.

BSCFA Limited?
Earlier this week it was reported that on January 27th, the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) was registered as a company. This caused major concerns within the members and directors of the association because there is a clause, specifically article 2 of the Companies Act of Belize, that says that once a company is registered an interim group takes over until a general meeting decides who they want as their leaders. The argument on one side is that Alfredo Ortega, and a few others who were behind this move, are attempting to seize control of the BSCFA by registering it as a Company. We spoke to Alfredo Ortega, via phone on Thursday, who categorically rejected that assumption.

Belmopan Nomination Day
Municipal Nominations were held on Wednesday countrywide. The Belmopan Civic Centre was the place of nomination for the City of Belmopan, where candidates running for Mayoral and councillor offices had to present receipts  showing they have paid their fee of $50 dollars to participate in the municip...

Nomination Day for Municipals in Belize City
Three Mayoral candidates and twenty councilor candidates  were nominated on Wednesday in Belize City. The People’s United party candidates and about 400 supporters made their way to the nomination center at Charles Bartlett Hyde building  Wednesday morning...

Municipal Elections in the Twin Towns
In the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena, UDP Earl Trapp is the new face as a mayoral candidate while Ramon Quiros was nominated for the PUP’s mayoral candidate. PlusNews spoke first to Ramon Monchi Quiros as the PUP made their way first to the nomination center on Wednesday morning...

Island Town Municipal Nominations
In San Pedro Town on Ambergris Caye, La Isla Bonita, Nomination Day began with the People’s United Party Town Council Candidates parading to the San Pedro Town council facility, where Election Officer, Miriam Codd-Pott and Returning Officer, Colin Griffith logged them into the system. The PUP Mayo...

Man found guilty ex parte for handling stolen laptop
He was not present in court, but 33 year old Vincente Vernon Jr. was found guilty of handling stolen goods in a trial held ex parte,that is, without his presence in court. Chief Magistrate Ann-Marie Smith issued a fine of $3,000 to be paid immediately, in default three years’ imprisonment. Peter Cu...

Trafficked weed and offered bribe
A Belize City man, who attempted to get rid of marijuana he had in his possession and then attempted to induce police officers not to charge him, still faced charges of drug trafficking, tacked on to another pending charge. 30 year old Everal Gray pleaded not guilty and met bail of $3,000. On Tuesda...

The Guardian

Countrywide nominations prove that UDP will win
Massive crowds of residents came out on Wednesday February 11 to support the United Democratic Party as mayoral and councilor candidates made their way to the various nomination centers to officially be signed on as candidates for the upcoming municipal elections on March 4, 2015. The energy of all the UDP supporters was evident across the country where, by measure of numbers, easily outdid each and every one of the PUP slates seeking office. The UDP election machinery is now in full gear and the nomination day proved that in each and every municipality the party is ready for the elections which is 4 weeks away. In Belize City, at least two thousand party supporters came out from early in front of the headquarters on Youth for the Future Drive where the contagious rhythms of party songs, both new and vintage, blared out from earlier on in the morning. As soon as the clock struck 1 the motorcade was off making its way down Vernon Street, Central American Boulevard culminating at the Charles Bartlett Hyde building where the 10 councilor candidates along with Mayoral candidate Darrell Bradley were nominated.

NTUCB executive in bed with Ashcroft???
One of the first meetings the new Vice-President of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize took after being elected to the post is one with British billionaire ventriloquist, Lord Michael Ashcroft. Audrey Matura-Shepherd was elected as 2nd Vice-President of the most powerful union umbrella group in Belize on February 2nd and five days later she was summoned by the dark lord to a breakfast meeting at his Radisson palace. The meeting with Ashcroft and Matura-Shepherd was not meant to be a secret. There was no slip in them being caught on camera. Ashcroft’s sole purpose was to showcase the “unofficial Leader of the Opposition” as his choice to replace the oficial Leader of the Opposition. Belizeans believe that Lord Ashcroft is a businessman more than he is a human being. Therefore, any meeting with him is a business meeting. The question on everyone’s mind is “what business does Matura-Shepherd have with Lord Ashcroft?”. He surely does not need Matura-Shepherd on his legal team since he already has half the Bar; including the current and past Presidents.

Shackron isn’t good with numbers
On the local news Yolanda Shackron was asked how many people were in her nomination parade. Her answer was that 'I am not good with numbers." Really, this lady wants to run as the mayor of Belize City and she says she isn't good with numbers? Just last week she was attempting to take Mayor Darrell Bradley to task over the finances of the council, which we might add, is not as paltry a figure as 400 people, which came out to support her, it is in the millions of dollars and we see her admitting she is not good with numbers. If she cannot add up to a few hundred, then we can surely say that she will definitely not be able to manage millions.

Francis’ Double Standards
Now let’s be very clear Mr. Fonseca, that sounds like a huge pile of Bulls**t to everyone with half a brain. Tulio Mendez, he can no longer be referred to as Honorable and neither can you, has been fingered by children as their abuser. That is a very serious allegation made against someone who should have been at all times beyond reproach. He has been charged by the Police so there is a legal proceeding against him. The legal aspects cannot be discussed in this forum but what we can discuss is the moral implications that such an allegation has. First and foremost is the fact that Tulio had sworn to serve his people in Orange Walk; that includes providing a safe environment for his people. Secondly he is a licensed pediatrician charged with the sacred responsibility of making children well not making them uncomfortable. When a child for whatever reason makes an allegation, that child is somehow not comfortable. The courts will eventually make a determination as to the validity of these allegations in the meantime Tulio should exercise good judgment and suspend his practice as a pediatrician and resign as an area representative.

Caribbean Court of Justice to rule on BTL and BEL Nationalization
The former owners of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) and Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) have gone to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) requesting that if the Government of Belize should lose the appeal, the court should order that both companies should be given back. Part of their argument is the Government has somehow mismanaged BTL and BEL. Readers may be aware that the CCJ has heard the final cross appeals from both the Government of Belize and the Ashcroft Alliance, which owned BTL, and Fortis Energy International, which owned BEL. That case happened on December 10 – 12 of 2014 at the seat of the CCJ in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. An appropriate reminder of the events which have led to this point in the life of the two utility companies is to recall how and why the Government nationalized them both. Up until 2009, the Ashcroft Group of Companies owned BTL, but by that time, the Barrow Administration and the rest of the country had learned about all the questionable contracts and business decisions that the Musa Administration made with businessman Michael Ashcroft.

DOE responds to grounding of sailboat “Termaji”
At about 7:00pm on 30th December, 2014, personnel from the Department of Environment (DOE) were informed of a vessel grounding that occurred on the Belize Barrier Reef just south of the access channel in front of Caye Caulker Village, Belize District. Based on the information received, the DOE contacted the relevant agencies, including Belize Fisheries Department and the Belize Port Authority, to respond to the incident in accordance with the National Standard Operating Procedure for Marine Casualties. During the response to the reported area by the team on 31st December, 2014, the DOE personnel observed a stationary 40-foot, blue and red steel hull sail boat named “Termaji,” with Flag State as France. Upon investigations, it was learnt that the owner and captain of the vessel, a French National, was attempting to access the channel in front of Caye Caulker Village when the vessel grounded on the reef. The 100 gallons of diesel that was in the storage tank of the vessel was immediately removed to prevent any spill or contamination of the exposed reef crest. In the implementation of the National Standard Operating Procedure for Marine Casualties, the DOE and other relevant agencies has since made several attempts to remove the vessel from its grounded position, but because of inclement weather, the team had to postpone the removal of the vessel for safety reasons on more than one occasion.

Eamon Courtenay confirms that Ashcroft will bleed Belizeans
"Somebody and it can only mean the people of Belize, will be called upon to pay the cost for the loss that arises from the gross mismanagement by the current management of Telemedia".- Eamon Courtenay. Courtenay has been appearing on just about every legal matter that Lord Michael Ashcroft has against the government and by extension the people of Belize. During an interview with Channel 7 on February 5, his agenda became scarily clear. He indicated that if BTL were to ever revert back to Ashcroft, "somebody and it can only mean the people of Belize will be called upon to pay the cost..." To have an attorney, actually fighting for this to take place really makes us wonder what his motivation is.

Punta Gorda – A Bright Star in the Toledo Sky
How can anyone forget the phrase “the forgotten district” which was coined and survived for decades when the PUP was the government? That phrase has been put to pasture by this United Democratic Party government which has directed a significant amount of attention to Toledo. In keeping with its transformation agenda the UDP government, under the competent leadership of the Honorable Dean Barrow, has focused its sights on Punta Gorda. Apart from the cementing and upgrading of major streets, opening of new ones, electrification of new areas, job creation, granting of land titles and a myriad of other amenities, the GOB is now investing over 5 million dollars for the upgrade and construction of sporting facilities. The Belize Infrastructure Limited (BIL) - the government vehicle which has the responsibility to provide each district with signature sporting facilities, is currently addressing Punta Gorda’s sporting needs. The plans and drawing for a new state of the art Multi-purpose sporting facility is currently under design by Sheldon Mahung and partners.

In Small Dose - Killer Statements
Evan X Hyde In the Amandala “from the Publisher” Sunday January 18, 2015: “My friend lives in a residential area southeast of the municipal airport. The houses are pretty expensive in this part of town. I think some ambassadors live out there.” What???? ..it is like saying……”My friend lives on Seashore Drive. All the properties are pretty expensive in this part of city, these are all seafront lots. The owners, from one end to the other, start with Julius Espat and ends with the Arnold’s house with Evan X Hyde [the publisher] in between” Cordel Hyde Amandala, Sunday January 25, 2015: Article: In commemoration of George Price birthday PUP launches Education Reform Agenda Statement by Cordel: “It is absolutely unacceptable that 60 years after it was first introduced in Barbados there is no free secondary education in this country. That cannot continue and it must not continue in a country as rich as ours” What???

Special Envoy for Women and Children on Child Sexual Abuse
In light of the grave allegations recently made against a Belizean public figure, the Special Envoy for Women and Children, Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow, urges all persons involved to ensure that this highly sensitive issue is handled with the best interests of the affected children as the priority. This is an opportunity to rise above political lines and raise awareness on a serious issue that continues to be seen as taboo.

Supreme Court rules that GOB does not need to pay $33.5Million UHS guarantee
Once again, the Government and people of Belize have to be worried about whether or not the courts will enforce a multi-million dollar debt which the Musa Administration saddled the country with illegally. The Government on February 6, 2015, won at the Supreme Court Level when Justice Shona Griffith ruled that Belize does not have to pay a judgment debt of 33.5 million dollars plus interest to the Ashcroft Alliance. If our readers will remember, this legal battle is over an illegal and immoral money transaction that the then Prime Minister Said Musa made for a private hospital, known then as Universal Health Services. That happened in 2007 when Musa and the then Attorney General, Francis Fonseca, signed a loan note, using public funds to guarantee a private debt.

Busted with weed and offered gun for release
Everal Gray, 30, was busted by police on Tuesday, February 10, as officers were on mobile patrol on Jones Street in Belize City. Their attention was drawn to a man riding a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction and when the man saw them he jumped off his cycle and ran into a nearby yard where police said they saw him throw a bag into the canal on Lacroix Boulevard then a second bag close to the area. Police caught up with the man identified as Everal Gray, apprehended him and took him back to the area where the two bags were thrown. Both bags were retrieved from the canal and opened in his presence.

Belize is set to benefit from more European Union funded projects to 2020
The number of European Union EU projects that have been taken to full completion around Belize, mostly without much fanfare, seems in-exhaustible. Belize is set, yet again, to benefit from more European Union outlays in the coming years. From the records of the EU, 2014 was the best year in terms of EU disbursements to Belize, which amounted to 36 million Belize dollars. In keeping with this trend, the EU has recently signed a new contract with Belize for the same amount, which will translate eventually to more disbursements. Indeed; there is much cause for celebration for 2015 was the first time there was political dialogue between Belize and the EU. For just a few examples of these projects, the EU is supporting the Organization of American States Office located near the Benque Viejo del Carmen Border. Under the OAS programs, cultural groups are supported in Melchor de Mencos and Benque Viejo to foster brotherly relations on both sides of the border. One project that the EU-Belize Program is especially proud of is the cattle sweep for tuberculosis and brucellosis, for which two sweeps have already been conducted; resulting in the doubling of profits for the sellers of cattle.

Belmopan FFB pitch certified by FIFA
Belize was unable to be represented in the CONCACAF Champions League Tournament in August of last year as the field had ‘brown spots.’ At the time 1.8 million dollars had been spent on bringing the pitch and the facilities up to FIFA standards. Even with that amount of money spent, the field was not certified by FIFA and Belize lost out on the opportunity to be showcased on the international arena. Six months after that fiasco, the Football Federation of Belize sought the professional assistance of a Costa Rican expert and with the infusion of 75 thousand dollars more into the field, the grass is now, litterally, looking a lot greener.

Galen University vehicle crashes into Government property
Sometime after midnight on Sunday of this past weekend, a driver of a Galen University vehicle crashed into the fence of a property, occupied by Officer in Charge of Benque Viejo Police, Daniel Arzu. According to Arzu, the “Gentleman” was driving away from an ATM machine and on nearing the intersection of George Street in Benque Viejo del Carmen, accelerated his vehicle, crashing into Government property without major injury to himself or others. The driver has been dealt with according to the law and has agreed to repair the fence.

Only Floyd Neal is Capable?
Of all the professionals that fall under the umbrella of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB), is Floyd Neal of the Christian Workers Union the only individual capable of representing workers on the Social Security Board of Directors? The Social Security Board of Directors have been unable to meet for weeks because the NTUCB has refused to let its Directors attend meetings. The law requires at least one Director from NTUCB and one Director from the business community for there to be quorum. The umbrella union is holding out due to the Board’s objection to its appointment of Floyd Neal, Secretary General of CWU, as one of its two Directors. The Christian Workers Union represents the workers of Social Security who are currently engaged in collective bargaining with the Board.

Orange Walk Town Council Guilty of Mismanagement
Two years and 11 months into the fiscal year, The Orange Walk PUP Town Council led by Mayor Kevin Bernard has received more than $9,000,000.00 in revenue since they came into office in 2012. Based on figures extracted from their own financial reports posted on their webpage, the Council confirms having received $8,353,443.74 up to the end of November last year for the same period. December and January have now passed and these are the big revenue earning months. February and March figures are yet to be seen. However, based on their own expected revenue for the 4 months, they expect to receive an additional $ 1,731.714.78 in revenue and if that happens, then the total revenue for the 3 year period would be a whopping believe it or not figure of $10,085,158.12.

The Countdown Begins
Excitement, confusion, doubtfulness and joy are all bundled in one package to be delivered to students this time of the year. It’s the second half of the school year, and for most of us students, the countdown towards the end begins. Knowing well by now the work we’ve done in the first half and how much more we need to put in next- preparations for examinations, schools, work or whatever the next level may hold- all have us on our toes. All the tedious nights of “burning the midnight oil”, the harsh remarks from teachers and the rush to get to classes on time were all that was needed to get us to where we are now; but it doesn’t stop there. Many times we feel the need to “take a break” from life because of how great the work load may be, but not even the hardest workers take breaks. Just take a look around, not as far as the Prime Minister of Belize, but at our parents, and even their parents too, who all kept going until they reached where they wanted to go. And for those of us with our enthusiasm down in the dumps, let’s not wait until forever to continue a path of our very own success. Whether you are a standard six student preparing for PSE in March, or a college student gathering transcripts for scholarships, if by now you haven’t started preparing, it might just be too late.

Sexual Abuse against Children is a no no…
Belize became the fifth country to ratify the UN convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). That CRC document has since become the most widely ratified convention and human rights instrument in the world. This is testament to our country’s recognition of the importance of caring for our children and nurturing them to be responsible and productive citizens. This commitment obligated our Government to enact laws and policies that create the enabling environment for children to flourish.

Opening old wounds
My attention was brought to an article in the Amandala, dated Sunday, April 3rd 2011, by a good friend who recognized that a story being told therein, did not coincide with her recollection of the facts. Titled “When fish come from River bottom….”, the article was the narrative of a drama in which I was a main player. Let me first of all pledge to my readers, that I will in no way be engaging in any back and forth on this subject and will subject none to the rehashing of this story, long told and grown old. There are just too many fallacies and inconsistencies however and too blatant an attempt to defame my character for me to not at least try to set this record straight.

The $10M Question
It has been a long time since I have had so many issues to comment on, which has me undecided as to where to begin this discourse. There are four competing topics; these being Matura/Ashcroft, Courtenay/Ashcroft, Chebat, and Bernard. Of course with the municipals right around the bend, I will certainly want to use more ink on Bernard and his bowtie set here in OW. But first let me comment on the “street smarts” of the recently appointed candidate for Cayo North, Chebat. This gentleman was interviewed last week by Channel Fox, and he said that he was looking at the numbers in the recent by-election, and these give him high hopes of victory in the next Generals. Chebat says that the UDP candidate only received 40% of the total votes, and he sees this low performance as a positive development for him. He also said that Hon. Figueroa has been elected one month now and has done nothing for the people of Cayo North.

Verdes FC maintains lead in Closing Tournament
The Premier League of Belize Closing Season Tournament continued over the last weekend with a number of games being played across the country. On Saturday 7 February, 2015, at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan, Police United and the visiting Placencia Texmar Assassins played to a 3-3 draw. The visiting Placencia Texmar Assassins were the first to get onto the scoreboard when Luis Torres scored the 1st goal of the game in the 12th minute of play to give his team an early lead. The Police United responded when Harrison Roaches scored his team’s equalising goal in the 15th minute of play to tie the score at 1-1.

Double fatality in Belmopan
Two families in Belmopan continue to mourn the loss of their loved ones after two men were knocked down and killed by a vehicle being driven by a man who police believe was drunk at the time. The victims, 26 year-old Leonardo Ramos and 17 year-old Rigoberto Cabrera, were both travelling on Ramos’ motorcycle on the morning of Saturday, February 7, at around 1:50 a.m. Their families believe that they were heading to a house that they were looking after.

Senior citizen murdered in Roaring Creek
The community of Roaring Creek Village in the Cayo District, is morning the loss of one of their well-known senior citizens who became a victim of gun violence. 61 year-old John Alexander Smith was shot in the head by a gunman who had no apparent reason to kill him. It happened just before 7 p.m. on Monday, February 9, on Young Street. Smith was walking home, and he was only yards away from his house when an unknown shooter ambushed him. That assailant, who was wearing a mask, needed only one shot, which he fired at Smith. The bullet struck Smith in the left side of his face, and he went down immediately.

Perfilio Rodriguez Free from Aggravated Assault Charge
Perfilio Rodriguez, 19, who prefers to be called Vanessa Paris Champagne is a free from a charge of aggravated assault upon Golda Orosco. The case stems from an incident that occurred on June 29, 2014 at Kaleb Orosco’s home in which Kaleb’s sister, Golda, claims that Rodriguez pulled a knife at her. Golda Orosco reported the incident and Rodriguez was charged with aggravated assault with a knife.

Jeremiah Pott pleads guilty to killing older brother
Jeremiah Pott, 54, was charged with the murder of his older brother Fidencio Pott, 57, in September of 2013. According to reports, the brothers were drinking extra strong rum at a friend’s home in Bermudian Landing on March 21, 2011. They then got into an argument over a bottle of rum and a fight started between the two. Fidencio reportedly dragged Jeremiah out of the house by his shirt and the two engaged in a brawl. It was duing this exchange that Jeremiah picked up a shovel and hit Fidencio in the head. Fidencio fell to the ground and Jeremiah hit him multiple times to the head until he was unconscious. Fidencio was then rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where he received treatment until he succumbed to the injuries on March 26, five days later.

Man dies in Spanish Lookout
A resident from August Pine Ridge in the Orange Walk District has died as a result of being involved in an accident in Spanish Lookout this past Friday morning. Sometime after 9:45 am, San Ignacio Police received information of a death at the Mid-West Steel Company, located in the Spanish Lookout Community. At that location, Henry Reimer 64 year old businessman reported that he was driving a forklift loaded with three cases of metal plates when one of those plates fell and hit 38 year old Belizean laborer Ramon Ku.

Shaquan Almendarez gets break on guilty plea for weed possession
Shaquan Almendarez pleaded guilty to drug possession simplicitor on on Monday, February 9, and was sentenced to serve one year in prison. This was a huge break for the 22-year-old who has one year left on a three year sentence he is currently serving for another drug related charge. Almendarez was hanging out in front of a gate on Electric Avenue in December of 2012 when officers spotted him and he ran into a nearby yard. The officers said that when Almendarez ran he threw a bag away but it got caught up unto a fence. The officers caught up with Almendarez and took him back to the area were he threw the bag. It was opened in Almendarez’s presence and inside was 154 grams of weed. He was charged with drug traficking since it amounted to more than 60 grams.

$100 for Possession of Weed
Keenan Kenyon Brown, 19, was busted with 27 grams of weed by the Gang Suppression Unit on 6th Street in Kings Park in February of 2014 and was charged with one count of possession of a controlled drug. He initially pleaded not guilty and the case was adjourned. However, on Wednesday, February 11, 2015, on the advice of his attorney Edwin Flowers, Brown changed his plea to guilty.

Brandon Tillett walks from aggravated assault charge
Brandon Tillett, 29, the George Street associate known as BT, was cleared by Magistrate Dale Cayetano from a charge of assault upon a police officer. In August of 2004, PC Abner Itza accused Tillett of headbutting him in the face causing his nose to burst. He was arrested and charged with wounding, resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer. The trial against Tillett began on Wednesday of last week in the Belize City Magistrates’ Court. The case was prosecuted by Cpl. Noel Muschamp who called PC Abner Itza and PC Gian Young to testify. However, on Friday, February 6, Magistrate Dale Cayetano dismissed the charge against Tillett because he did not believe the officers’ version of the story.

Traffic accident claims life of young woman
A family from San Roman Village in the Corozal District is taking steps to bury one of their own after a fatal traffic accident near the Belize Mexico Border claimed the life of 23 year-old Iris Mabel Chicas. At around 6:40 p.m. on Tuesday, February 10, Chicas was driving, a grey 2006 Ford Fusion, which belongs to her boyfriend, 28 year-old Ahmad Shah Amini, who was in the passenger seat at the time. At an area between miles 85 and 86 on the Phillip Goldson Highway, she made an attempt to over-take a van which was in front of her.

Victim of Attempted Murder Wants No Action
Albert Clother and Tareef Westby are now free men after shooting victim, Samuel Halliday, told the court that he wants no further action against the men accused of trying to kill him. Just after 6 p.m. on the evening of Friday, March 22, 2013, gunmen ambushed Halliday as he was standing at the corner of Central American Boulevard and Vernon Street near the stop light. The men opened fire on him and at least five bullets were sent in his direction. One struck him in the lower back but Halliday lived to tell the tale. After two months of investigation, on May 14, 2013, police arrested Clother and Westby, who was 17 at the time. They were arraigned for the attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm, dangerous harm and conspircy to commit murder upon Halliday and a Preliminary Inquiry was scheduled to commence on Tuesday, February 10, 2015, before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser.

Louisiana Government School girls are the National Primary Schools Basketball champions
The 2014-2015 National Primary Schools Girls’ Basketball competition came to an end on Friday 6 February, 2015, at Bird’s Isle in Belize City. In the championship game played, Louisiana Government School representing the Orange Walk District defeated St. Peter Claver Roman Catholic School representing the Toledo District by the score of 37-5 to claim the National Primary Schools Basketball Championship. The top scorer for Louisiana Government School was Eloisa Moreno with 14 points and the top scorer for St. Peter Claver Roman Catholic School was Normalee Gomez with 3 points. In the consolation game, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic School representing the Stann Creek District defeated Belize Elementary School representing the Belize District by the score of 10-5. The top scorer for Sacred Heart Primary School was Shannel Thomas with 6 points, while the top scorer for Belize Elementary School was Allyana Musa with 5 points.

San Pedro Tigersharks open on the right footing
The National Elite Basketball League 2015 season opened on Friday 6 February, 2015 out at the Sacred Heart College Auditorium in San Ignacio Town between the Belize Hurricanes and the Cayo Western Ballaz. The Cayo Western Ballaz in its first game of the 2015 campaign defeated the newly formed Belize Hurricanes by the score or 85-52. The top scorers for the Cayo Western Ballaz were Richard Troyer with 21 points and 12 rebounds, Ivan Flowers with 19 points, 3 assists and 2 steals and Keith Acosta with 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. Meanwhile, the top scorers for the Belize Hurricanes were Winston Pratt with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, Jermaine Small with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 1 assist and Earl Johnson with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

Brandon Cattouse wins third Saturday Test Race
The C-Ray Cycling Club held its 5th Saturday Test Race on Saturday 7 February, 2015. The race started from in front of Leslie’s Imports at Mile 2 on the George Price Highway, then travelled to the Hattieville Round-About, where the riders made a right turn onto the Boom Road, turned at the half way point at Bisset Service Station and then back to the George Price Highway where the race concluded at Leslie’s Imports. In the junior category, first place went to Anthony Marin of Cabral/Marin Racing while second place went to Marin’s teammate Brian Sutherland. In the female category, first place went to Kaya Cattouse of C-Ray with second place going to Alicia Thompson of Belize Bank Swoosh.

Belizean Sporting Fraternity mourns the passing of Mario Vázquez Raña
It is with great sadness that the Sporting Fraternity in Belize has learnt of the death of President of the Pan American Sports Organisation (PASO) long-time IOC member and former President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), Mario Vázquez Raña, aged 82. “Mario Vázquez Raña dedicated a great part of his life to Olympic sport”, said IOC President Thomas Bach. “He served over decades with great commitment as President of PASO, even until his last moments. He had outstanding merit within the Olympic Movement and we will always remember him as a great Olympic leader. The Olympic flag at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne will be flown at half-mast in his honour”, he added. Mario Vazquez Rana was President of the Pan American Sports Organisation (PASO) from 1975 until his death and he also headed the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) from 1979 to 2012.

Mount Carmel Primary School boys are national basketball champions
The National Primary Schools Basketball Championship came to an end on Friday 6 February, 2015. The first round of the championship and the semi-final round were played at the YWCA Court here in Belize City. In the championship game, Mount Carmel Primary School representing the Cayo District defeated Holy Cross Anglican School representing the Belize District by the score of 38-36. The top scorer for Mount Carmel Primary School was Kenneth Sarceno with 14 points while the top scorer for Holy Cross Anglican School was Christian Orellana with 19 points. In the third place game, Holy Family Roman Catholic School from Hopkins Village representing the Stann Creek District defeated Louisiana Government School representing the Orange Walk District by the score of 20-17. The top scorer for Holy Family RC School was Kyle Maximo with 12 points and the top scorer for Louisiana Government School was David Smith with 11 points.

Verdes FC maintains lead in Closing Tournament
The Premier League of Belize Closing Season Tournament continued over the last weekend with a number of games being played across the country. On Saturday 7 February, 2015, at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan, Police United and the visiting Placencia Texmar Assassins played to a 3-3 draw. The visiting Placencia Texmar Assassins were the first to get onto the scoreboard when Luis Torres scored the 1st goal of the game in the 12th minute of play to give his team an early lead. The Police United responded when Harrison Roaches scored his team’s equalising goal in the 15th minute of play to tie the score at 1-1.

Patrick Jones

Punta Gorda man detained pending rape charge
Police have detained a man from Punta Gorda town pending a charge of rape. This follows a report that he raped a fourteen year old girl on Thursday night. Police say the girl told them that she was at a computer lab on Main Street in Punta Gorda town, when […]

Early morning shooting in Belize City leaves man hospitalized
In Belize City, an early-morning shooting incident has left one man hospitalized. Thirty year old Mark Alamilla, Junior, a resident of Majestic Alley was shot in the lower back and abdomen around one o’clock this morning. Police say Alamilla, Junior was walking through Brides Alley on his way home, when […]

Teenage girl shot in the chest in San Pedro town
A thirteen year old girl was the victim of a shooting incident on Wednesday night in the San Pedrito area of San Ignacio town. According to police reports the shooting happened around 9:25 last night and the teenager was shot in the chest. The mother of the teenager, Maria Escalante […]

P.M., Government question new BSCFA
The Government of Belize has vowed to investigate and strike out the entity known as the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) – not the giant association of cane farmers so recently splintered in the wake of a bruising battle with sugar producers Belize Sugar Industries Limited (BSI), […]

NTUCB says Audrey made “error of judgment” over Ashcroft meeting
National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB)’s recently elected second vice president, Audrey Matura-Shepherd, raised eyebrows in the public after a published photograph of her breakfast meeting with Lord Michael Ashcroft, older son William in tow, brought up questions of what she was seeking from him, or what […]

NTUCB, SSB continue sparring over Floyd Neal appointment
The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) and Social Security Board (SSB) remain at odds over the appointment of Floyd Neal, General Secretary of the Christian Workers’ Union (CWU), to the Board as a union representative. The Board, led by chairman Doug Singh, maintains that this is […]

Kuxlin Ha Government School Inaugurates School Library
Parents, Teachers, Students, School Leaders, Volunteers and donors gathered at Kuxlin Ha Government School on Monday, February 9th, to inaugurate its well deserved and needed Library. The building was constructed by parents with donation from community members, parents, and volunteers. Mr. David LeBlanc, chairman of the Volunteer […]

Trafficked weed and offered bribe
A Belize City man who attempted to get rid of marijuana he had in his possession and then attempted to induce police officers not to charge him, still faced charges of drug trafficking, tacked on to another pending charge. 30 year old Everal Gray pleaded not guilty and […]

Man found guilty ex parte for handling stolen laptop
He was not present in court earlier this week, but 33 year old Vincente Vernon Jr. was found guilty of handling stolen goods in a trial held ex parte, that is, without his presence in court. Chief Magistrate Ann-Marie Smith issued a fine of $3,000 to be paid immediately, in […]

Special report shows there was no kidnap attempt in Spanish Lookout
A widely circulated social media report of the alleged attempted kidnapping of children in Spanish Lookout is much ado about an “innocent” incident. It happened on Monday, February 9. Two days later, the chairman of Spanish Lookout Clarence Dueck assigned Justice of the Peace Harry Letkeman to investigate the situation […]

Blogs

Lip smacking good Fundraiser for Sunshine Foundation a Huge Success
Plan was to meet up around 11:30 and first man in score a choice table. When I arrived after Pilates class Shirlee had scored us a choice table on the beach away from the speakers – it was going to get loud. Kendal and Eric turned up not long after and Anna decided to join us for drinks. As I passed by the grill-masters on my way in, I noticed no females again this year, Big Shout out to the Q queens for next year. I know you are out there seen a few bad @ss grill girls on food network. Come claim your Grilling fame on Ambergris Caye. When the party filled out and the heavenly meat aromatherapy started wafting over the crowd, you could almost hear the stomach monsters growling. Some went as far as skipping breakfast in anticipation of lots of food… of course I was not one of them. I am a lucky girls these days and 3 week house guest Dennis is making my morning smoothies, breakfast and other assorted cooking – now that’s what I call a friend with benefits ;)

Spider Woman and Mesoamerican Cultures
As with most Mesoamerican ruins, archaeologists rise to the occasion of exploring and studying the ancient cultures and their remains. Many archaeologists have invested time and energy at this ancient city. One of the finds was what archaeologists originally called a piece of art depicting Tlaloc, the Mexican Rain God. Then, after further studies by Esther Pasztory and other archaeologists the art piece suddenly took on new meaning – it wasn’t Tlaloc! It was a female! Karl Taube, a great Archaeologist from University of California Riverside argued further that the goddess was more of a spider because of its fangs and palps. Taube suggests that this was the goddess that created this present universe and was the supreme diety of the people who lived in the city of Teotihucan. The most amazing thing about this find is the fact that spiders, such as this Spider woman goddess were also important to the Pueblo and Navajo creation mythology like it is with the Spider Woman idea of the Kogi people of Colombia. The Spider Woman is real. She hails from Mesoamerica.

Fish, BBQ, Boogers...er, ah, Bloggers!
Couple minor adventures have taken place since last we spoke. Went deep sea fishing for the first time, ate some BBQ at a fundraiser BBQ cook off thing, Likely some other cool stuff I'm just not remembering right now...will work on that. Fun stuff and some food porn ahead. So yeah - fishing. I'm not a big fisherman. I love going to the river, lake, or pond with my pole and chair. Though I usually cast out an empty hook so I can just sit and enjoy nature all day. I mean really, who wants a bunch of fish ruining your day by making you work? I think I've covered this in a blog already - but meals I have to work for are not meals I'm interested in. Fish is fine and all, but not interested in wrestling the bastards myself, just like I don't like to peel, though I love to eat, shrimp and I would be SO much happier if baked potatoes came out of the oven split open, insides mixed up with butter, salt, and pepper already in there. We can genetically engineer anything! I've eaten apples that taste like grapes (so good). When will my damn potato have butter, salt, and pepper pre-grown into it?! Can't be that hard.

Serious question seeks fun answers: Why fly Southwest to Belize?
Southwest Airlines is looking for a few good reasons to visit Belize. The U.S. airline will begin daily flights to Belize in October, from Houston. And anyone who knows Southwest knows this airline doesn’t do anything unless it is fun. If you’ve ever had the good fortune to land on a Southwest flight when the safety speech is given by a budding stand-up comic you’ll know what I mean. Here, sample some of these. Southwest likes creative employees. Heck, it simply likes its employees (and I think they are called team members, or something like that). My friend and neighbor in San Diego for many years was a Southwest flight attendant who rose through the ranks to become a recruiter and trainer among other duties for the airline. Wayne Toups loved the airline and loved going to work every day. Like the famous Cajun singer Wayne Toups, he was from Louisiana and he had a ball with their common name. Believe it or not, passengers would ask Wayne, handing out drinks and peanuts while clad in the khaki shorts and polo shirt uniform of Southwest, if he was the singer!

International Sources

9 Belizeans put 109 million Belize in Swiss Accounts in which billions were hidden HSBC Accounts
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists released a report this week revealing billions of dollars held in nearly 60,000 internal Swiss bank documents from 2006 to 2007 leaked by whistleblower Herve Falciani, a former employee of HSBC in Switzerland. The report disclosed that HSBC maintained accounts for customers connected with 30 countries in the wider Caribbean -- seetable at this link.

Bank leak reveals billions from Caribbean stashed in Switzerland
Some of these come as no surprise in that territories such as the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands are established offshore financial centres and none of the leaked accounts were held by their citizens or passport holders although billions of dollars were held in accounts associated with those territories. However, in the case of The Bahamas, although it is also a financial centre, 55 Bahamian citizens or passport holders were associated with accounts at HSBC. Likewise, Bermuda, where 13 of its citizens or passport holders were associated with such accounts.

Area students to visit Belize
Ask people what they could consider a once-in-a-lifetime experience and many would reply with “visiting exotic places.” A select number of area students will get that opportunity — provided they can raise the money. Four students from Maxwell Public Schools hope to visit Belize as part of a trip with a company called Educational Tours. The students will join more than 30 others from Gothenburg and Valentine who are also going. The trip is planned for June 2016. “A teacher from another district told me about the opportunity and asked me if I would be interested in participating,” said Crystal Ryker, a Maxwell special education teacher. “I told her I would and spoke with students to gauge their interest level.”

Person of interest in Belize murder now lives in Lexington
The software developer who has been on the run after being named a person of interest in a Belize murder case now lives in West Tennessee. John McAfee said he only feels comfortable armed, which is why he chose to be interviewed with a loaded gun in each hand. "Very little gives me a feeling of being safe and more secure other than being armed in my bedroom with the door locked," McAfee said. McAfee said he outfitted his pickup truck with a heavy duty push guard and emergency lights. "In case I am trapped or blocked in somewhere on a remote highway they can be seen easily from the air," he said. The developer, who created the McAfee anti-virus software, said he moved to Belize in 2010. In 2012, his neighbor was killed and he has been on the run since refusing to let Belizean police question him.

Defiance students journey to Belize
Two Bryan residents were among seven Defiance College students who recently spent several days in Belize conducting community-based research through the college’s McMaster School for Advancing Humanity. Megan Roberts Davis, a junior majoring in early childhood studies, and Tory Savage, a sophomore majoring in digital forensic science, are McMaster Scholars who have been part of a Belize learning community for the past several months. One of the goals of the McMaster School is to work with community partners to identify challenges and then address the problem or issue. Projects were carried out in Belize during several days in December.

What We Know About the Earliest History of Chocolate
On a sunny morning in San Francisco's Mission District, half a dozen men and women scoot around a tiny chocolate factory, wrapping bars, checking temperature settings, sorting beans. Cacao beans that have been fermented, dried, roasted, shelled, and ground tumble with sugar in a row of shiny metal mixers. After three days of gentle mixing, the buttery smooth results will be transferred to a tempering machine to shape the cacao’s natural fat molecules into stable crystal structures. This is the home of Dandelion Chocolate, a small-batch chocolate maker founded in 2010 by two former tech entrepreneurs. The tools and flavors have changed, but the work of roasting and grinding fermented cacao beans, and mixing them with a few simple ingredients to create a divine food, is a practice that goes back to early Mesoamerican civilizations.

Videos

February 12, 2015

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Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
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The San Pedro Sun

Young girl shot late last night
The San Pedro Sun has received reports of a shooting in the San Pedrito Area tonight, Wednesday, February 11th. According to police a young girl was shot in the chest and was rushed to the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro PolyClinic II. Reports confirm that she is in stable condition and undergoing medical treatment. The shooting happened around 10:10pm. The girl was injured inside her home and residents say at least three shots were fired. Police are on the scene conducting their investigation.

21 candidates in the race for SPTC elections
PUP Mayoral Candidate Dr. Giovanni Solorzano was officially nominated by Jose Wilfredo Nuñez and Patricia Josefa Marin. Then followed the other candidates which includes Gualberto “Wally” Nuñez who was endorsed by Miguel Perez and Gonzalo Muñoz, Marina Kay who was nominated by Eulodia Cocom and Baldemar Graniel Sr., Alex Noralez who was nominated by Maria de Rosario Perez and Sheila Alexis Eiley, Conchita Flota who was nominated by Erlindo Flota and Yolanda Galvez, Reymundo “Mundo” Nunez who was nominated by Rablo Kumul and Romel Bardalez and Omar “Cansi” Guerrero nominated by Hector Salazar Sr. and Rigoberto Kumul. Following the nomination, PUP Mayoral Candidate Dr Solorzano addressed the crowd that had awaited the PUP 7 team to be nominated. “We want to take the opportunity to thank our supporters for coming out in full force. It is an indication that people truly want to see a change. This is the first step to victory because on March 4th we are going to take over the helm of the municipality,” explained Solorzano who was flanked by PUP Standard Bearer Elito Arceo.The PUP has lost the four past municipal elections and has been serving as municipal opposition for the past 12 years on the island.

VIP reveals remaining three councilor candidates
On Tuesday February 10th, Mayoral Candidate of the Vision Inspired by the People (VIP) Roberto “Bobby” Lopez introduced his remaining three council candidate. The fourth council candidate is Martin Dawson. He is a born and raised resident of San Pedro and known for his involvement in martial arts for the past 12 years as well as other sporting activities. The fifth candidate introduced was Mary Boiton who said that while she is not originally from San Pedro, she now considers the island her home. According to Boiton, she believes that the community involvement can bring about the change. The sixth candidate on the VIP ticket is Francisco Salguero. The young islander, who is born and raised on Ambergris Caye, says that the issues affecting San Pedro are many including the environment, education and lack of activities for youth of the island.

San Pedro pays tribute to Bob Marley
Reggae icon Bob Marley was remembered by island residents on Friday, February 6th and Saturday, February 7th at the 6th annual Tribute to Bob Marley Concert. Organized by Irie Belize and hosted by Ras Milan, the event commemorates Bob Marley’s life and significant contributions to the music industry. 2015 marked Bob Marley’s 70th birthday (February 6, 1945) and 34 years since he passed away (May 11, 1981). The two day event saw a display of art and music. During the day on Friday, February 7th, local artists display their paintings at the San Pedro House of Culture. Residents and visitors were invited to come by and view the work. Each piece either highlighted the Rastafarian culture or honored Bob Marley. Later in the night the event moved to Central Park where local artists took to the stage performing some of Bob Marley’s iconic songs. The event continued on Saturday, February 7th with more musical performances at Central Park. Preforming artists included Coconut Leo, Melody Man, Blackheno and Ras Indio.

Barcelona wins Under-11 LAFALE Champions League
It seems like the football fever in San Pedro never dies down, as there are always tournaments going on. After three months of competition, the Under-11 LAFALE Champions League came to a close with team Barcelona taking first place. Held at the Honorable Louis Sylvester Sporting Arena, the tournament saw children between the ages of 5 to 11 competing in a series of matches since November 30, 2014. Six participating teams took on the names of some of the top European football clubs including Barcelona, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Manchester City. The tournament was organized by Javier “Lalin” Calderon, Anthony Castillo, Fulli Hoare, Angie Olivarez, Luis Pant and Edgar Castillo with aims of providing a recreational activity for the island’s children.

Ambergris Today

San Pedro Town Council Nominations Held for Election Day
Nomination Day was held on Wednesday, February 11, 2015, in the heels of the upcoming Town Council Elections. All three political parties presented their candidates who were officially nominated to run for a seat at the Town Council elections on March 4, 2015. With the nominations taking place, the San Pedro Town Council has officially been dissolved, which means that no new transactions or projects can be taken by the councilors until after elections. The Town Council is only to work on the daily routines that keep the town running. Municipal elections are set for Wednesday, March 4, 2015 and the polling station will be #37 - the San Pedro High School.

United Democratic Party Marched on Nomination Day for upcoming elections 2015
Video, 1.5min.

People's United Party Marched on Nomination Day for upcoming elections 2015
Video, 2min.

Flashbacks: Carnaval Comparsa Mimicking Fidel Castro
During the three days of Carnaval there was a lot of street dancing called “comparsas” from which the village folks derived a lot of fun and entertainment. Here are a few popular ones: Las Cubanitas, Los Negritos, Los Africanos, Las Chinitas, Las Hawaiians, Los Indios, Las Americanas, and Las Estudiantes. At times the comparsas mimicked a village scandal like a theft, a mean teacher, an arrogant boss, a couple that eloped, or even a product that was not good. One year Belize produced a starch named Darara and it too darn stiff for the clothing, so the men danced and ridiculed that product called Darara. Well last year you had an example with Elvin Penner selling of Belize passports. That was the manner in which comparsas were composed. In this comparsa in the 1970’s you see the men of San Pedro mimicking Fidel Castro and his dominion over the people of Cuba. You see Cuban ladies dancing and you see a refugee with his life saver as he tried to make his way from Cuba to the free world. You see the plight of Cubans and their happiness after they land in San Pedro to dance the Carnaval.

Misc Belizean Sources

Cornerstone's Free Classes
The Cornerstone Foundation is offering free classes on subjects like computers, English, sewing, and hammock making. The courses are on weekdays, with most being in the early afternoon, and will take place at their new building(which they painted recently), located at 27 Far West street. You can call them at 667-0210 for more information. Thanks, Cornerstone!

Painting at Carnaval
Painting has always been a part of the Carnaval Tradition in San Pedro. Come check out the Exhibition at the San Pedro House of Culture.

Carnaval Photographic Exhibition
There is a Carnaval Photographic Exhibition going on at the San Pedro House of Culture. You are invited to view the exhibition.

HAPPENING TONIGHT!!!!
Please remember to join us for Belize Screen on the Green in Belmopan at GG Field. Movie starts at dark! See you there!!!! Movie: Remember the Titans Rated: PG (for thematic elements) Theme: Social Inclusion, Youth and Sports, Civil Rights.

UDP in Corozal
United Democratic Party (UDP) Mayoral candidate and councilor candidates hold nomination day rally this afternoon at approximately 2:00 p.m. in Corozal Town.

Job vacancy Belize Roadway Construction
Project manager.

Nomination Day Wednesday Feb 11th, Corozal
Mayoral candidate David "Dido" Vega and his fellow councilor candidates of the People’s United Party (PUP) and its supporters stood en masse this morning following a short rally from their headquarters on College Road to be officially nominated. Supporters were seemingly encouraged and are ready for the March 4th Corozal municipal elections. Immediately after nominations, supporters will move back to the PUP Grounds for a short rally. The People's United Party stated: "Let’s begin the march to victory and send a strong message by rallying shoulder to shoulder alongside our dynamic PUP 7 and Vote PUP on March 4th". This afternoon, the United Democratic Party will be holding its own nomination rally.

BOLEDO DRAWING for Wednesday, February 11, 2015: 51

Corozal Bay Sailing Club: After the Race-from the Commodore
Greetings to all, First I would like to thank all our volunteers,too numerous to name . Without your help the regatta would not have been such a success. Thank you donors for the wonderful prizes for the raffle and to the donors that choice to help sponsor a child by paying the yearly youth membership fee. Big thanks to Jam Rock for being a great host and providing the venue and feeding the children. It was a sunny weekend even though the winds were light and delayed the start on both days. This was an invitational regatta so the number of boats were less, 30 boats. Corozal will be hosting the nationals in mid November. We hope all will be able to enjoy this big event. As for the results our Jazmine came in 5th place. If you wondered what the larger boats on the water were, they are laser pico's for the children who have aged out of the optimists......Our sailor Christopher finished in 2nd place for that race. We will update you soon on these lasers It is a great boat to learn sailing on. We hope to teach adults to sail these. Thank you all once more Gerard Cordts Commodore Final tallies 1st place Antionio Ricardez from SCSC 2nd place Blanca Velasquez from SPJSC 3rd place Nashira Ricadez from BCSC our Jazime Campos came in 5th place We are very proud of ALL the sailors no matter what team they sail for. Best part is they all are great friends and have fun.

Corozal Sailing Club Invitational Regatta Recap
The Second full regatta season for the Caye Caulker Sailing club kicked off this past weekend in Corozal Bay. The difference between this year and last year for our club was night and day. Of the six clubs and 24 sailors that attended, the Caye Caulker Sailing Club posted the most impressive results top to bottom. Our club sent 4 sailors posting overall finishes of: 6th Place – Glenford Barrera 9th Place – Anhel Moh 10th Place – Ronaldo Bo 12th Place – Harrison Cadle Jr. That’s 3 sailors in the top ten, the most of any club, and all 4 in the top 12, also the most of any club. Unlike last year, all of our sailors were sailing in the White Fleet, not the Green Fleet. The two-day event featured wonderful weather but with light winds, challenging the sailors’ skills.

New Kitchen for the OWC
The Octavia Waight Center has broken ground for their new kitchen, a much needed addition. In related news, they have teamed up with the Challenge Gobie Foundation so they can raise the rest of the funds for the kitchen, and are having a Valentine Dinner and Dance, which will be at the OWC auditorium. The Jade band will be there to provide entertainment. Tickets can be bought at the Shell station.

Belize History Association Logo Competition
The Belize History Association is having a Logo Design Competition. Anyone can enter, and you could win a Galaxy Tab 4. The deadline for submissions is February 27th. The application form is here: http://goo.gl/d1BJpS Good luck!

Call for Benque Women in Arts
The Benque House of Culture is calling on all female artists for submissions for the Women in Arts exhibit. Let them know by February 20th. You can call them at 823-2697. It's guarenteed to be another awesome exhibition. "Inviting all Women Artists to be a part of the Women in Art Exhibition 2015, inbox us for more detail. Please spread the word and prepare for a reflection of the Work of Women in the Arts..."

BTB Tour Guide Certification Awards
Sacred Heart Junior College was where more than 30 students were awarded their BTB Tour Guide Certificates. Andy Bahadur and Dean Fermin Magana proudly presented the certificates. Congratulations to all the brilliant minds, and future tour leaders!

Street Arts Fest time
Where will you be on Feb 28th? Its Street Arts Fest time..come paarty with us, downtown Belize City! Mark your calendars and get ready...

TRIBUTE TO ELJAI ROYAL: A REVIEW OF HIS MUSICAL WORK!
Belizean reggae artist Eljai Royal, better known as Junior Rankin', has rose to become Belize's most outstanding musical artist today. The expose features a review of his best musical project ever to date, the CD album, Da Rebirth. He is this month's Belizean Legends artist. Go deh Eljai!

Channel 7

Nomination Day: A Test of Strength, A Show of Muscle
Today was nomination day all across the country which meant that all those persons seeking municipal office went with two nominees to various government offices and town halls to pay their fee of fifty dollars in cities, and twenty five dollars in towns – to become a nominee, or candidate for any of the 67 municipal seats across the country. But, that’s the business end of it – for mass parties, nomination day is really about political muscle: who can flex enough to convince voters that they have the swing for election day. We start with the PUP in Belize City this morning – where they took the role of a determined underdog. Jules Vasquez was out there to gauge their strength:… Hon. Francis Fonseca - Opposition Leader - PUP "What ever the number is you come up with, we are proud of the fact that we brought out a lot of people here today to support our party and we're nominating good quality candidates. The people you see out here are not paid, they're not paid to be out here. They are people who have come out here to support the PUP."

Did Money Mike Chip In?
And so was that improved showing the product of increased campaign financing? That’s the question we had to ask after Michael Ashcroft’s widely reported visit to Belize last week. Widely reported except no report reached the Leader of The Opposition, apparently:… Jules Vasquez "We all know that Lord Ashcroft recently." Hon. Francis Fonseca - Opposition Leader - PUP "I didn't know." Jules Vasquez "I did know and it has been reported. A lot of people are speculating that perhaps he was here to inject some money into the PUP campaign machine as he has in the past. He has been a significant contributor to both parties in Belize. Did he give anything?" Hon. Francis Fonseca "I didn't know he was here."

UDP: "Moving Like A Tremendous Machine"
20 years ago – we referred to the PUP on this newscast as an unmatched political machine. Well two decades have passed and now the shoe is squarely on the other foot. It’s the UDP that has the formidable political machinery at its disposal – and today for nomination in Belize City – the ruling party wanted to prove that the engine is ready for municipal elections in three weeks. But, more than that, they also wanted to outmatch and overpower the PUP – with they city’s residents to bear witness. Did they manage to pull it off? 7News was there:… Hon. Dean Barrow - UDP, Party Leader “I’ve not had a chance to assess the numbers, but from what I can see, it’s huge and of course, it’s very colourful, very lively. People are clearly committed, I feel great.” Jules Vasquez “Perhaps people are coming out because the UDP is paying and the PUP is broke.”

PM Ready For The Ashcroft Effect
Today, the Prime Minister had his own thoughts on whether Lord Michael Ashcroft will factor into the municipal elections. You heard the PUP say he wasn’t giving them any campaign financing – and today the PM said it is only a matter of time:… Jules Vasquez "Are you concerned just from a strategic perspective that he was here to inject some campaign financing into the PUP." Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister "I wasn't concerned by his most recent visit because I know for a fact that he will inject a serious campaign monies into the PUP. Whether it happens now or did happen on this particular visit, whether it will happen a little later closer to the general elections, that's a certainty, that's a given.”

PM Says PUP Position On Hon. Marco Tulio "Outrageous"
The Prime Minister also spoke out on the case of Area Representative for Orange Walk East Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez. As has been widely reported, he has been accused of child molestation, and was charged for six counts of aggravated assault of an indecent nature. The PUP has suspended him from all party functions, but today the PM said it’s not enough for what he calls an outrage: Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister "It's outrageous and I feel that legal proceedings aside, he and his party should be called to account in an unambiguous fashion over what has happened and I don't see it taking place." Jules Vasquez "You think he should resign as a member of the house?" Hon. Dean Barrow "Absolutely."

Woman Died In Corozal Accident
2 nights ago on, our headline story was the fatal traffic accident, which claimed the lives of 2 men in Belmopan. Well, tonight, we report on an accident near the Corozal Border which claimed the life of a 23 year-old woman – and it could have been a mass casualty. It happened at miles 85 and 86 on the Phillip Goldson Highway. 23 year-old Iris Mabel Chicas, a resident of San Roman Village, was driving her 28 year-old boyfriend in a Ford Fusion. From what police have been able to establish, she made an attempt to overtake a van on a curve. A Toyota Tundra was coming in the opposite direction, with 6 persons inside. Today, Corozal Police told the media that Chicas lost control, hit the van, and then ended up being stuck in the lane of the oncoming, which caused a head on collision:

UDP Outnumbered PUP In Corozal
At the top, we showed you how both the PUP and the UDP looked in Belize City for Nomination Day. And while the UDP easily won the numbers game in Belize City, how did they do in the districts? Our news team went north to both Orange Walk and Corozal Town. In Corozal town, PUP Mayoral Candidate, David “Dido” Vega, told us that even though UDP Incumbent Hilberto Campos has won 3 consecutive elections in the past, he is confident that Corozal will go blue this time: David “Dido” Vega - PUP Mayoral Candidate "I think the people of Corozal town are ready for the change. We're tired of victimisation, we're tired of not getting quality for what we deserve. I think we need to en power the people. This thing about UDP being first, Belizeans second and PUP last has to stop. I have here my daughter Kelsey, she is one of my biggest inspirations for getting into politics. I want a Corozal town that will have less crime, better parks, better centres. I want the people to know we can do better. There's a time for politics, there's a time for flags but after the 4th of March we need to work for everyone. That is what inspires me the most. I am confident that on the 4th of March, the people will come out in numbers, the will come out strong and they will vote for Dido on the slate."

Southwest Airlines Ready For Belize
Belizeans now have another way to travel to Houston and other cities in the U.S. Southwest airlines, a major US carrier, is introducing a new daily non-stop service from Belize to Houston, Texas. Southwest airlines is known as a discount carrier and these direct flights are expected to come in at a lower price point for travellers. The spokesman for Southwest Airlines who’s visiting Belize discussed what this means for Belizean travelers. The service will be launched in October. Customers can connect to 40 to 50 cities in the US using this service.

Yolanda Schakron: Salary Proposal "Not Stupid"
PUP Mayoral Candidate Yolanda Schakron has gone on record to say that, if elected, she will donate her salary to charity. Two nights ago on this newscast – you heard Mayor Darrell Bradley call that “stupid.” Today Schakron fired back at him:…

Schakron: Mayor's Debate Proposal Debatable
Schakron also responded to the mayor’s call for a debate. She said that she was the first to invite him to a debate, and he didn’t respond. So now that he’s invited – what is she going to do about it? Here’s her response:…. The mayor today told us that he never received Schakron’s invitation to a debate. We told him she said it over the media – and he said it never reached his hearing.

PUP Had Swag In OW, But UDP Held Its Own
In our last segment we showed you how the PUP challenger is trying to unseat the UDP incumbent in Corozal. Well, it’s the opposite in Orange Walk – where the PUP is the incumbent and the UDP are trying to pull an upset. SO in Orange Walk, it’s the PUP that had the swagger – here’s how they looked:.. The Incumbent Orange Town Mayor and the rest of his team gathered in front of the BSCFA office on San Antonio Road. A few minutes later, the PUP Crowd moved to Victoria Avenue, attracting bystanders as they traveled. Eventually, the 7 aspirants arrived at the court house, where they quickly moved in to be nominated. Mayor Kevin Bernard - Incumbent PUP Candidate "Its the official, we declare ourselves officially as candidates, the 7 of us. We do have 2 registered voters that will nominate you from the community that votes in the town, so that's what we did there this morning. Symbolise the official name that will appear on the ballot paper and the people who will affair for the PUP come March 4. The icing is on the cake already, it's just to put the top layer. You say I'm a veteran but I'm still young. At the end of the day yes, we are experienced in this game but we are prepared and we're going to fight every single day. We're going to take out every single voter needs to come out. We are a team of capable individuals that will ensure victory for the PUP on March 4th.”

O. Walk In Red
So we’ve showed you how nomination looked for the PUP Town Council Slate, who are the incumbents. The person who wants Mayor Kevin Bernard’s job is the UDP Mayoral Candidate Yvette Torres. This afternoon, she and her team of 6 went in for their nomination, and 7News was there. Daniel Ortiz reports: Orange Walk UDP 7 focused its attention on the Parade through the streets, keeping the energy visible. They were there to show residents and the incumbent Council that the support they have is enough to truly challenge the PUP incumbent council: Yvette Torres - UDP Mayoral Candidate, Orange Walk Town I'm Yvette Torres as the mayoral candidate and I have our 6 councillor candidates who is Shartel Cassimiro, Luigi Gomez, Roberto Hoare, Pearla Pases De Leon, Aldo Vasquez and Heira Vega. What Orange Walk can expect is that under my leadership, progress and development will definitely be one of the top priorities that we as a team are committed to ensure that it happens in our community."

Audrey and Ashcroft, The Miniseries
On Monday we reported on the picture that has been circulating of Audrey Matura-Shepard and Michael Ashcroft having breakfast at the Radisson on Friday. Normally, a breakfast meeting wouldn't make the news but because of a swirl of speculation and mass hysteria on facebook, Audrey-Matura Shepherd held a press conference this afternoon to dispel all the assumptions. Here is what she had to say. And she did take that opportunity to ask Ashcroft 3 questions. Two were centered on the lawsuit against the Government of Belize regarding the nationalization of BTL and BEL. The other was regarding the falling out between Prime Minister Barrow and Ashcroft.

PM Meets With NTUCB: Proposes Way Forward For SSB Board
As we’ve been reporting, Social Security’s Board of Directors can’t meet: that’s because the National Trade Union Congress of Belize is boycotting the meetings. They do so in protest of Government’s rejection of their nominees to the Board. He is Floyd Neal, the General Secretary of the Christian Workers Union – which also happens to be the union which represents social security’s workers. The Prime Minister says it’s a conflict of interest:… Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister "I've had legal advise on the matter and that advice is, the appointment of Mr. Neal would constitute a conflict of interest. I have looked at the advice, I have looked at the circumstances, I've made up my own mind and I too am convinced that it would represent a conflict of interest. They NTUCB is clearly not so persuaded. I've suggested that they might want to take their own legal advice and once they do that, I would certainly be prepared to look at the opinion they procure - assuming that the opinion will take a position different from the one I have taken; And I will try to be open minded and if there is anything in that opinion that can persuade me to change my own mind, I would be happy to do so."

BSCFA "Limited"? Whodunnit?
You have heard the name Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association or BSCFA countless times in our newscast, especially in the months leading up to the anticipated opening of the sugar crop in late January. Well, a separate issue has sprung up but this time regarding the association itself. Reports are that a new private company –Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association Ltd – has been registered with the aim of replacing the existing association and assuming its assets. Audrey Matura-Shepard told us today that she did advise some of the farmers on this matter but that she has nothing to do with the removal of the original BSCFA. Audrey Maruta Sheppard "I did help some cane farmers with advise on the structure that they needed. You have to recall that when the act was removed, when section 32 to 56 was removed - that had set up the system to justify there being their committees, their visional areas, their branches. So my advice to them was simply that you then need to be able to take that same system and incorporate it in your articles of association which sets out your system of governance. You also need to make sure you have your memos. It's a normal thing to incorporate any entity, so it would be yes. That's just suspicion and speculation, that's impossible.

Mayor Bradley Calls PUP Criticism of Audit "Hogwash"
And, in our last news item tonight, the back and forth continues between the Mayor of Belize City and the PUP over 1.3 million dollars in legal fees which are listed on the city council’s books. Now the question has been asked and answered earlier this week – but the PUP has now written to the Mayor making a formal query. The mayor says it is elections hogwash:… PUP Mayoral candidate Yolanda Schakron today sent a signed Open two page letter to the mayor asking 5 extended questions about the audit.

Channel 5

P.U.P. Shows Muscle, but are they ready for Municipal Elections?
As far as municipal electoral politics go, today was about as important as it gets – well, with the exception of election-day…that is. Across the country, in every municipality, candidates [...]

U.D.P. Brings Out the Crowd –they say they are ready!
This afternoon at one, the United Democratic Party flexed its Nomination Day muscles, and answer to the P.U.P.’s respectable showing that morning. Mike Rudon was in front of U.D.P. headquarters [...]

Mayor Audit – Schakron say’s not so! Bradley says so!
One point three million dollars paid in legal and professional fees – that’s the claim in an audit done of the Belize City Council for the period 2013 to 2014. [...]

To Debate or Not to Debate?
Today, in the midst of the melee surrounding Nomination Day, the incumbent Mayor and the businesswoman, who wants to unseat him, also spoke on the issue of a mayoral debate. [...]

5 Mayoral Candidates in Belmopan
In the capital city of Belmopan, the field is crowded with as many as five mayoral candidates, who were nominated today for the upcoming elections. While the U.D.P. is the [...]

Deputy Party Leader says the P.U.P. is looking great in Belmopan
The political race in Belmopan is seeing the endorsement of mayoral candidates by powerhouses from both major parties.  The U.D.P.’s Khalid Belisle, as we mentioned, is supported by area representative [...]

One dead and several others injured in Corozal accident
A fatal traffic accident in between miles eighty-five and eighty-six on the Phillip Goldson Highway has claimed the life of a UB graduate. Around six-thirty on Tuesday, twenty-five year old [...]

PM weighs in on Marco Tulio Mendez
P.U.P. Orange Walk East Area Representative, Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez, was arrested and formally arraigned in Magistrate’s Court last week, on six charges of aggravated assault of an indecent nature. [...]

PM on B.S.C.F.A. madness
After the successful start of the 2015 crop season, the B.S.C.F.A. was mercifully out of the spotlight. But the reprieve did not last long. This week reports surfaced that a [...]

Audrey Matura-Shepherd on breakfast with Lord Michael Ashcroft
A casual breakfast at a very public place between attorney Audrey Matura-Shepherd and Lord Michael Ashcroft has attracted attention in many sectors. Matura-Shepherd accepted an invitation to breakfast last Friday [...]

Ashcroft open to mediation?
Audrey Matura-Shepherd also says she spoke of the possibility of reaching an agreement through mediation, to which Lord Ashcroft was not opposed.   Audrey Matura-Shepherd, Attorney “The third question about [...]

Belize City man guilty of handling stolen goods
In court, Belize City resident, Vicente Vernon, was found guilty and sentenced in absentia for handling stolen goods. Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith imposed a fine of three thousand dollars [...]

Bernard versus Lui-Torres in Orange Walk
Our team also provides coverage of Nomination Day in Orange Walk Town. The P.U.P. controls that municipality and its slate was first to be officially nominated. There was hype, plenty [...]

Red and Blue say they are ready to lead the Twin Towns in the west
Both political parties said they were confident in the west. Now there has not been a P.U.P. town council for some time in San Ignacio, but that did not dissuade [...]

U.D.P., P.U.P. and V.I.P. for town council in San Pedro
In San Pedro, candidates for three political parties were nominated. While the municipal’s issues are pretty much the same, crime is a major headache for the U.D.P. town council.  A [...]

CTV3

BSCFA Focus On Child labor Program
In last night’s newscast we told you about the progress of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association into recovery. While the association is currently conducting an inventory of all its assets in Orange Walk and Corozal, the organization is also working towards making amends with Fairtrade following the disbarment of six point five million dollars of Fairtrade premiums. Ezequiel Cansino says they continue to work towards launching the Child Labor project and other in an effort to stay in good standings with Fairtrade. “We are planning on the child labor program and with the limited funds that we have we are trying to do other programs that we believe it will help us to convince the auditors that we are serious and that we are willing to keep with the standards of Fair-trade.”

Good Quality Sugar Cane Continues To Be Delivered
It is over two weeks since the new sugar crop commenced. We have reported favorable feedback from officials at the BSI factory who indicated that the sugar cane quality was very good from the onset of the crop. Reports today only reiterate this as Chair of the Committee of Management Ezequiel Cansino and Chair of the Sugar Industry Control Board Gabriel Martinez say all is looking well. “We are, I would say that the majority of the test groups are doing well, we have CGP that is first in quality and followed by Patchakan but we have a good TC/TS right now but some branches test group that are low we are thinking that it is because they are delivering a lot of stand over cane so that is why we think they are low in quality.”

Jermaine Sanker Hands Over Himself To Corozal Police
After being on the run from the law for more than two months, last night a fugitive sought by Corozal police handed himself over to authorities. According to the Officer Commanding the Corozal police formation, Superintendent Andrew Ramirez, Jermain Sanker was being sought to answer to several criminal charges filed against him. “From the 9th of December last year the name Jermaine Sanker of a Corozal town address was being sank by Corozal police on the base of a warrant on the first instance in relation to arm robbery or robbery committed with fire arms, we have the initial information where a 17 year old minor reported that he was accosted by three male individuals and he had identified one to be Jermaine Sanker as one of the assailants in relation to that matter, his name was also mentioned as a suspect in the Bel-quisine robbery recently occurred couple weeks ago, yesterday sometime in the morning the special operations team headed by Marvin Salam visited an area in the Ranchito area where the said Jermaine Sanker was spotted, was sought after however he eluded the police in relation to that, warning shots were indeed fired because Jermaine Sanker was considered armed and dangerous.”

Controversy Continues To Unfold At The BSCFA
Controversy continues to trail the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association. As we have reported, the association continues to battle differences within and the latest has been the registration of the association under the Companies Act. Yesterday Ezequiel Cansino, Chair of the Committee of Management spoke with the media and gave his side of the story. Today we spoke with Alfredo Ortega whose name was called out as being part of the group that registered the association without the knowledge or approval of the officials at the BSCFA. Here is his take on the issue. “Como mencionaron mi nombre por esa razón estoy aquí porque necesito dar ciertas aclaraciones es esta situación, no tengo porque correr y no se está haciendo nada que dañe la imagen de la BSFCA o que valla en contra del bienestar del canero, el movimiento que se ha hecho para registrar a la Asociación y que este legalmente registrado y que ese dentro del Company’s Act es para que legalmente BSFCA este registrado...”

SICB Legal Entity To Issue Registration Certifcate
At the top of the newscast we told you about the battle that is currently being fought within the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association. It all has to do with the latest move by five cane farmers, two who have retracted their decision to register the association under the Companies Act. This has caused quite a stir with the association as the Committee of Management claims they were not informed of the move. Alfredo Ortega, one of the cane farmers who support the registration of the association, says the move was made to fully protect the BCFA. Viewers might recall that the sugar act was recently amended to allow the Sugar Industry Control Board to be the legal body to register associations which was a court order handed down since 2010. In the wake of the latest confusions within the association, we spoke with Chair of the Sugar Industry Control Board, Gabriel Martinez to find out what a registration under the board covers. This is what he told us

LOVE FM

BSI/ASR Release Latest Statistics on Cane Production
The information bulletin from BSI/ASR in regards to the factory’s performance was release today and according to the latest statistics, in its second week, the factory ground fifty one thousand tons of cane producing five thousand six hundred and seventy five ton of sugar. Extracted from the amount of sugar cane was close to two thousand tons of mud. The factory ground a little over seven thousand tons every day. The tons cane per ton sugar, TC/TS stands at 9.0- considered as good cane quality. The factory’s efficiency was recorded at 97%. Truck drivers are reminded to loosen truck straps only when they are about to off load sugar cane on the ramp because spilled over cane cannot be milled.

Fatal Road Accident Claims Life Young Woman
A young woman lost her life after she was involved in a head on collision last night on the Phillip Goldson Highway. The accident happened at around 6:40 yesterday evening between miles 85 and 86 and claimed the life of 23 year old Iris Maribel Chicas of San Roman Village. The traffic accident also left seven other persons injured. According to police reports, Chicas was the driver of a Ford Fusion car and was accompanied by 28-year-old Ahmad Shah Amini of Cayo. The duo had left Crozoal Town and was on their way to the Belize/Mexico border. Travelling from the border to Corozal Town was a Toyota Tundra pick-up driven by 65-year-old Chawki Karam Eddin a business man of Corozal Town. The passengers in the pickup was business man 41-year-old Muhamade Ahmad Hijize while seated in the pan were 36-year-old Jorge Patt of Paraiso Village, 29-year-old Eucebio Campo of San Narciso Village, 35-year-old Carlos Elvir of San Antonio and 30-year-old Eleaser Gutierrez of Progresso Village.

Party Leaders Speak on Ascroft Presence in Belize
The presence of Lord Michael Ashcroft in Belize has been stirring speculations, particularly in the political sector. One of those speculations is that perhaps the Lord is in country to render financial aid to the People’s United Party in light of the upcoming elections. The Opposition Leader was asked if there is any truth to that speculation but according to Fonseca, he was not even aware that Ashcroft was in the country. HON. FRANCIS FONSECA “I didn’t know he was here.” JULES VASQUEZ “It was in the news, Amandala editorial.” HON. FRANCIS FONSECA “Did your national campaign manager know that Mr.Ashcroft was here. He has been out of the country for the last four days.” There you heard it from the Leader of the PUP – he was oblivious to Aschroft’s presence in the country … but according to the Prime Minister, Dean Barrow, while he is not concerned about the mogul’s presence in Belize, he is pretty sure that Ashcroft’s monies will be injected into the People’s United Party.

Man Charged For Theft
Thirty-three-year-old Vincente Vernon Jr was charged with handling stolen good for a laptop computer. Vernon was charged in an ex-parte trial which was held today before Chief Magistrate, Anne Marie Smith. In his absence, Vernon was fined $3,000 and was ordered to pay the fine forthwith; if he defaults to meet payment, he will serve three years. On 27 November, 2013, Peter Cuellar testified that his laptop computer, which has a value of $2,000, was stolen. According to Cuellar, around 3 a.m. he was socializing with some of his friends at Bucket Bar near the swing Bridge, where he left his laptop in his red Geo Prism car. Vernon testified that three hours when he went to his car, he saw the door on the driver’s side ajar and discovered that his computer was missing. On 7December, 2013, he stated that he saw his computer on Facebook and immediately contacted the individual who had it on sale. He also mentioned that he contacted the police.

Nomination Day 2015: Who Will Win The Seat?
Belize City, the biggest of the nine municipalities, saw the main opposition, the People’s United Party, rally from the Berger Field at around nine thirty this morning to the Charles Bartlett Building on Mahogany Street where election officials awaited the mayoral candidate and ten councilor candidates to be nominated. There was much blue and white hype and fanfare as the crowd, estimated to be anywhere between six hundred and a thousand, made its way down Vernon Street, onto Central American Boulevard and down the stretch of Mahogany Street. Once the candidates and supporters reached the complex building, the media met up with PUP’s Party Leader and of course, the first question posed to him was what his take was on the show of supporters. Here is how that went as the media flocked him.

PlusTV

Woman dies in traffic accident
A 23 year old woman perished in a road traffic accident last night.The accident happened between miles 85 and 86 on the Phillip Goldson Highway just before 7 p.m. The victim, 25-year-old Iris Mabel Chicas of San Roman Village, was driving a grey car heading from Coroza Town towards the Northern Border. With Iris Chicas at the time was 28 year old Ahmad Shah Amini. Ms Chicas reportedly started to overtake a van which was travelling in front of her, but in the process of overtaking, she collided head on into a cream pickup. In the pickup at the time were the driver 65-year-old Chawki Karam Eddin, an Arab/Belizean businessman of Corozal Town. He was accompanied by 41-year-old Muhamade Ahmad Hijize, an Arab/Belizean businessman of Corozal Town, who was seated on the front passenger seat.

Roaring Creek Man Murdered Near His House
Belmopan police station’s unsolved murder cases are piling up and now there is another murder to solve. As we reported on Monday, there was a murder in the village of Roaring Creek around 6:30 pm., where it is believed that a lone gun man killed a 61 year old resident of Roaring Creek. Emanuel Pech followed up on the story and has this report. A 61 year old man was gunned down about 50 yards from his home in Roaring Creek Village on Monday February 9th. According to reports, John Smith, better known as Jatta, was walking home on Young Street after what appeared to be a normal day. But it was not a normal day for Smith as a lone gun man, dressed in camouflage and wearing a stockings over his face, approached Smith and fired a single gunshot which hit him on the left side of the face, fatally wounding him. The incident happened around news time and relatives say they heard the gun go off but mistook it for the sound of harmless pop-shots. Nothing could prepare them for what came next.”

Royal Canadian Legion President visits Belize
On Tuesday, Belize City hosted the Dominion President of Canada’s Royal Canadian Legion (RCL), an organization dedicated to supporting veterans of major world wars and conflicts such as World War I and II. In welcoming President Tom Eagles and representatives of the RCL, Mayor of Belize City Darrell Bradley reflected on the price of freedom and the burden the current generation has to never let that sacrifice go unremembered. “Many times in our generation we do not recognize how those who have come before us, many of those have paid the ultimate price in defending that freedom which we can now stand and sing about, and bask in the joys of having a land that does not have warfare or terror.

Patrick Jones

Southwest Airlines ready to partner with Belize
Southwest Airlines, based in Dallas, Texas, USA, plans to enter the Belize market later this year with a non-stop daily flight from Houston, Texas, to Belize’s Philip Goldson International Airport. While that first flight is still some months away, preparation has already begun to make Southwest a serious contender among the international carriers visiting Belize. According to Brad Hawkins, Senior Advisor for Communication for the airline, Southwest has maintained its reputation as the largest low-cost carrier in the United States by doing things differently from its competitors. It has tried to ensure that passengers have the best experience from start to finish, from booking at the airline’s website, to boarding the plane, to arrival at the destination.

23 candidates nominated for municipal elections in Belize City
A total of 23 candidates were nominated for the March 4 municipal elections in Belize City – three Mayoral candidates and twenty councilor candidates. In addition to the major parties there was independent candidate for Mayor Ernesto Torres, making his second run after trying for office with both major political parties. Torres says Belize City residents are seeking good governance and accountability, not merely a switch from red to blue and vice versa. The taxi operator and driving school operator says the impetus for his run comes from ordinary Belizeans who have asked him to participate after hearing his contributions in local media.

PUP candidates nominated for Municipal Elections
This morning, the candidates for the People’s United Party (PUP) for the March 4 Municipal Elections along with hundreds of their supporters marched to the Charles Batlett Hyde building this morning to complete the process of nomination. Two years ago Yolanda Schakron was denied her nomination as Standard Bearer for the Lake Independence division for the PUP due to issues with her nationality. While in tears then, she was all smiles today after being successfully nominated as the party’s Mayoral candidate. She says she is looking forward to winning the Municipal Elections and serving the people of Belize City.

Blogs

Desert island dreams become real on a Monday afternoon
I’m flat on my back in water that is just deep enough to cover my ears and muffle the sounds of friends who are happily chatting just a few feet way. The water is a gloriously comfortable temperature. The sky above is a radiant blue with just enough fluffy bits of cloud to add interest but my eyes are closed, letting the gentle heat of the sun sink deep into the frontal lobe and warm it up like bacon. Two thoughts are floating through my brain: 1. This is a Monday afternoon. Incredible. 2. If I stay like this long enough, can I grow gills through my ears and never have to get up?

Popular TV Series Visits Chabil Mar Resort in Placencia to Highlight Family Travel
Travel With Kids is a family travel guide show produced by parents for families to get inspired and learn about destinations around the world. The program takes families on journies to exotic places around the globe to meet the locals, try new foods, discover history and have a genuine adventure. Travel With Kids shows what it’s like to travel with kids – from tantrums to sibling rivalry to actual family bonding and memories that last forever. Travel With Kids recently visited Chabil Mar Resort as part of their Belize series.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels & Plantain Chips
A sweet treat for Valentine's Day. Chocolate Covered Pretzels and Chocolate Covered Plantain Chips are both delicious and very simple to make.

No Woman,No Cry” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize.
My ‘me time’ out on the veranda (you know which one) with the mug of black coffee just didn’t feel the same this morning even though my routine was the same as most mornings. I was out there early – shortly after 05.00 hours- I had my iPad and Ziggy for company but it just felt different. A feeling of loneliness. The stark realisation that Rose had left us for a month finally truly hit me (and I think Ziggy too looking at his mournful eyes). Rose and I have never really spent that much time apart in the thirty-five years we’ve lived together. I used to have the occasional business trip that might take me away for a few days, maybe even a week. And in 1995 I did spend eight weeks on an assignment in Dublin but Rose we weren’t apart all that time because Rose used to fly over every weekend. So I don’t suppose I should be surprised that it feels strange.

FUN IN THE SUN!
Yesterday was the 4th Annual Barbecue Cook off hosted by Estel’s Dine by the Sea. This proved to be a wonderful way to raise money for a wonderful cause – The Sunshine Scholarship Foundation. This charity gives under privileged children of Belize the opportunity to receive quality schooling and proper training to be the best they can be! How great is that?! We were told to arrive early in order to get seats, however, we had ordered tickets to the event and weren’t aware that our seats were assigned so we were there about 2 hours early. The 6 barbecue aficionados in the competition were all outside doing what they do best so I left my post and took a couple of pictures. Here are the two local men that were competing. Kevin Urbina and Charles Worthington. Kevin is owner at Kevin’s Kitchen and also works at Crazy Canucks. Charles is the chef at Estel’s – and you all know how we feel about eating at Estel’s.

SouthWest Airlines Preparing For Houston-Belize Route & Marketing Belize…How Would You Do It?
Southwest Airlines is flying to Belize in October 2015. And the more I learn about the newest announced carrier to our country, the more impressed I am becoming. Not only do they allow FREE baggage on your flight (up to 2- 50lb bags) but there are no additional fees for changing your tickets. NO ADDITIONAL FEES. American and United, two of the bigger carriers flying daily into Belize charge for both bags and ticket adjustments. Both companies – $25 for the first checked bag, $40 for the second. Reservation change fee: $150 to $200. That ain’t cheap. Southwest also provides Wi-Fi in all of the planes, free live TV and now country specific music playlists with their partnership with Beats. A Southwest team is in Belize working on the logistics and the security but Brad, who is a Senior Advisor in Communications, is here to meet with the local media and tourism board to work on the launch. The first flight from Houston to Belize in October of 2015 and will be daily, 147 seat flights.

MOVING DAY!
It’s been a dream of ours for quite some time and the day has finally arrived. Our ride to the airport was promptly awaiting departure to the airport at 5:00 a.m., however, the driver (my dad) and his first mate (my mom) were not at all pleased with the 6 pieces of luggage needing perfect placement in the rear of their Chrysler Town & Country minivan. With every crack of my dad’s spine and knees, I silently thought “Do we really need ALL of this stuff?!” Of course we do!!!! Everything we usually missed while on our previous vacations was thoughtfully and carefully packed in these behemoth, archaic, thrift store suitcases. When all was said and done at check-in, it all weighed in at 428 lbs. of luggage costing us $450.00! That’s pretty cheap considering we brought housewares for the kitchen (because I love to cook) and a 28 flat screen television. That alone would have cost us approximately $700 US, if we were to purchase it here.

4th Annual Estel’s BBQ Rib Cook-Off Is A Screaming Success For Diners & Charity
Six grill masters, 7 judges, 120 tickets sold, two charities, everyone’s favorite beachside breakfast spot, a full band and a plateful of delicious ribs. Screaming success is the only way to describe it. I mean…look at this pic someone snapped of me helping Kelly McGuire auction off some of his stuff for charity. No I didn’t win…I was just having a great time! AND THE WINNERS! Judges’ Choices: 1. Ali (Blue) 2. Charles (Green) and 3. Rick (Orange) and Kevin (Purple) Tie Peoples’ Choices: 1. Rick (Orange) 2. Charles (Green) and 3. Jim (Yellow) Congratulations everyone. What a super fun day and $10bzd of each ticket went to the Sunshine Foundation.

International Sources

Belize: Paradise Found
Tune in on Travel Chanel for the Booze Traveler, Belize: Paradise Found. As Jack explores the many drinks Belize has to offer, he finds that the rugged Central American paradise has attracted people from all over the world. But no matter where you come from or why you're there, Belize always welcomes you with a cocktail. FEB 16 Mon 10 | 9c. FEB 28 Sat 12 | 11c. MAR 25 Wed 9 | 8c. MAR 26 Thurs 12 | 11c.

La Ruta Maya -- One of the World's Toughest and Most Historic River Races
In the misty early morning light of March 6, 2015, dozens of athletes will gather with their canoes at the Hawkesworth Suspension Bridge on the banks of the Macal River in San Ignacio, Belize. More than 80 canoes are expected to participate in this year's annual La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge, oared by enthusiasts from around the world. Their objective? To be the first to reach the Belcan Bridge in Belize City, more than 180 miles downriver. The journey takes four days. La Ruta Maya is the biggest annual sporting event in Belize. Thousands of spectators line the banks of the Belize River to cheer on their favorite teams. The race has its origins in the 1995 Save Our Rivers Programme, a canoe race intended to promote cleaning up debris in and on the banks of the Old Belize River. This event has evolved to become the annual La Ruta Maya Challenge, a four-day event that follows an ancient Mayan route from San Ignacio to Belize City and is ranked 40th on Peak Races' 100 Toughest Races in the World. Anyone can participate.

The Caribbean Makes Its Luxurious Comeback
When airlines like Pan Am began flying nonstop from New York to tropical destinations like Martinique in the 1960s, the islands were a hotbed for celebrity sightings. Of course, not much has changed in that respect. Sun, sand and bottomless sangrias have a way of staying relevant. In the decades since, though, the region stretching east and west from Belize to Barbados, and north and south from Cuba to Colombia, has gone through a family-friendly phase, had more than a few romantic runs and even took a couple of eco-tourism jaunts. But through it all, the Caribbean has worn the same warm smile and carried the same jovial disposition it always has. Of course, the trend toward more luxurious, if-you-can-dream-it-you-can-have-it stays isn’t necessarily anything new; we’re almost certain Frank Sinatra had some unforgettable Caribbean jaunts back in his day. It’s just that things have gotten bigger and even more over-the-top these days. So, while other places around the globe can offer 75-degree forecasts, very few can do so from piercing blue shorelines in front of world-class accommodations.

Last Of The 'Lost Lads' Passes On
Seventy-six years ago, five Jamaica College (JC) students went missing in the forest of the Blue Mountains. The last surviving member, Don Soutar, passed away last month at his home in Florida, United States. His death completes the story of the lost lads; an event which captured the nation's attention in 1939, their return to civilisation a national celebration. The Other Boys: John Ennever was the youngest of the five. He was 15 years old during the time of the events and died of typhoid fever in 1946 at the age of 22. His brother, Vincent Harvey Ennever, later became headmaster at JC. Teddy Hastings was 17 when he and his friends went hiking in the Blue Mountains. He migrated to British Honduras, the country which is now known as Belize. Eric Gray became an executive of Jamaica Time Square in downtown Kingston, and died on October 10, 1998. He was 17 years old at the time of the hike.

Caribbean Reasserts Condition as Privileged Tourist Destination
The Caribbean reasserted its status as prime destination in 2014, considering the record figures in the influx of visitors and income earned by this concept, now considered experts in the field Records the Caribbean Tourism Office (OTC), based in Barbados, show that during the previous year, the region received 26.3 million tourists, who spent more than 29 billion dollars to more than a billion increase dollar relative to 2013. This is the fifth consecutive year that this area is placed at the forefront in the international list in terms of increasing the number of visitors, rate reached 5.3 percentage points area and left behind the 4.7 percent of the global rate Improvements in hotel management at airports, incorporating as much accommodation, seats on airlines and direct flights to the region's countries, conspired in favor of these results, added Radio 4G.

Fossil Fuel Pollution Drying out Central America
Fossil fuel pollution may have caused a southern shift in a vital rainfall belt across Central America, according to a new study in Nature Geoscience, potentially leading to drier conditions and droughts in some northern tropical countries. Using data from a single stalagmite in a Belizean cave, the researchers were able to create an accurate record of both rainfall and temperature for the last 450 years and show a likely change in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a precipitation belt around the equator. “The research presents strong evidence that industrial sulfate emissions have shifted this important rainfall belt, particularly over the last 100 years,” said lead author, Harriet Ridley, from Durham University. According to the research, the shift began around the time of the Industrial Revolution in the northern hemisphere. The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), known to sailors as the doldrums, girdles the planet near the equator. However, it likes heat best. This is important, because when industry in the northern hemisphere ramped up in the mid 19th Century, it spewed tons of sulfate emissions into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels. Sulfate emissions have a regional cooling effect by reflecting light back into the atmosphere and increasing cloud cover. Scientists believe that when the parts of the northern hemisphere cooled slightly from these emissions—at least compared to the southern hemisphere—the ITCZ migrated southward, repelled by the cooler north.

Videos

February 11, 2015

FOR TODAY'S BELIZE WEATHER, CLICK HERE

Click for our Daily Tropical Weather Report.

Specials and Events

Last night's TV news on Channel 7, Channel 5 and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

San Pedro Cancer Society Lights the Night for Awareness
Hundreds of island residents came out to show support in the fight against cancer at the annual “Light the Night” awareness walk on Wednesday, February 4th. Hosted by the San Pedro Cancer Society (SPCS), the walk is held in commemoration of World Cancer Awareness Day. Supporters gathered at the Central Park shortly after 6:30PM with candles in hand, ready to illuminate the night for a good cause. SPCS President, Miguel Perez, also took the time to address the crowd giving a short briefing on the activities of the organization. “We would like to thank the community for an even greater turnout at this year’s walk. We have seen many of our local businesses group together to show their support. It is our sincerest hope that this display of human concern may encourage others to learn more about cancer and begin to take preventative measures. The San Pedro Cancer Society is really pleased with the community’s response and that alone will fuel us to serve them in 2015,” said Perez.

The VIP introduces three councilor candidates
Also flanking Lopez was Amalio Requeña, better known as “Tua.” As a resident of the San Pedro for the past 14 years, Requeña highlighted the challenges to access land for first time landowners, people getting sick without adequate facilities, garbage mounting everywhere, the lack of decent playground for the children and the growing crime problems on the island. “The people have to make a change, because the PUP and the UDP keep promising and we still haven’t seen any progress,” explained Requeña. Meanwhile, the third person to be introduced was Bill Henkis. A born Sanpedrano and a fisherman by trade, Henkis shared his disheartening view at the changes San Pedro went through at the cost of the environment. “We cannot continue to damage our environment, the very source of our livelihood,” said a passionate Henkis. He explained that while San Mateo is a community built on mangrove swamp land, garbage is not the most environmental friendly way to fill the area. “There is a better way that can cause far less damage to our eco-system,” he outlined.

Silvia Patricia Lopez is the 2015 Reina del Carnaval!
It was a night of beauty and entertainment as five lovely ladies competed for the title of Reina del Carnaval 2015. For the second year in a row, Flora Ancona’s Comparsa group organized the pageant to raise funds for the group’s carnaval activities. 49-year-old Rose Marie Linarez, 51-year-old Silvia Patricia Lopez, 48-year-old Nerie Itzab, 42-year-old Sinia Catalina Cruz and 44-year-old Zeida Alamilla competed in three segments in aimed of taking the crown and the coveted title. The pageant is a relatively new part of the traditional island carnival, but its quickly making its mark by opening the Carnaval celebrations before the Lenten season.2015

Ambergris Today

Can’t Stop the Finger Licking at Estel’s BBQ Competition
“It’s too much pressure being on top, so I am very glad to hand off the title to another great grill chef,” commented Charles. “This is so much fun and I thank all those who came to enjoy a great day by the beach and enjoying the great food prepared by these great guys.”

Tropic Air Launches Codeshare Connection To Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Effective, February 17th, 2015, Tropic Air has entered into a partnership with CM Airlines of Honduras to offer same day travel between Belize City and Tegucigalpa, Honduras via both airlines’ flights to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. This service will eliminate costly overnights when travelling between Belize City and Tegucigalpa, and will serve to stimulate tourism and trade between the two countries. “Today, in partnership with CM Airlines, we are pleased to add Tegucigalpa, Honduras to our route network” says John Greif III, President of Tropic Air. “Our passengers have been asking for this service for some time, and today we are pleased to make it happen”.

Defending BBQ grilling Champ Charles Worthington
Doing his thing at Estel's 4th annual BBQ Competition taking place now!!

Pic of the Week-: Catching A Goliath Grouper in Belize
Back in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize once again for their vacation, Erik Winning and Susan Michnay went out for a fun-filled day of fishing for the first time around the Turneffe Atolls. They, along with a couple friends, had an amazing experience provided to them by Suya Tours. The group was amazed when their guide, Carlos Alejos, managed to catch one HUGE grouper. Below is what Erik had to say about his exciting trip: Erik Winning – “This is a Goliath Grouper that our guide caught while spear fishing, we dropped him and another guy off in the middle of the Caribbean and went snorkeling about an hour and half, later we went looking for them and this is one of the many fish that they speared. When I say looking for them, I mean we were just driving around searching the open sea. Can you say Bad Asses!”

San Pedro High School Kicks off Career Week
San Pedro High School kicked off Career Week, Monday, February 9, by inviting a guest speaker from Kingston, Jamaica to talk to the student body on how to become successful in their future careers. This year’s Career Week theme reads, “Get excited get involved & plan for your future". It is exactly what guest speaker Diana Shaw talked about during her inspiring presentation. School Counselor Mrs. Alexis Guerrero stated that Ms. Shaw is an attorney of law from Kingston Jamaica and now residing in Belize City; she is the chairperson of Child Development Fund Belize and advocates awareness for her work on the publication Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents in Belize.

San Pedro Belize Red Cross Host Successful First AID/CPR Training and Blood Drive
The San Pedro Belize Red Cross (SPBRC) recently appointed Sue Barkhouse and Joann Reilly as co-leaders of the Health Committee. Sue is in charge of quarterly blood drives and Joann will be handling the First Aid/CPR training program and monthly courses. Both Ladies had the opportunity to jump right into their new positions as the San Pedro Red Cross hosted the first events of 2015 in both areas. Sue and Joann did a wonderful job from start to finish and the SPBRC is pleased to have them volunteering in lead positions within the organization.

Misc Belizean Sources

BELIZE FISHING REPORT: Week of February 1st – February 7th, 2015
It was a pretty quiet week here at the lodge with only a couple boats going out each day. Congratulations to Marty our most improved caster this week, she came out to the casting clinic 3 days in a row, determined to cast well enough to get her bonefish pin. Sure enough first day she got it! Steve teamed up with Captain Emir and Gordy for the only slam of the week. It was Steve’s last day and after landing 3 permit earlier in his trip he and his guide decided to get up early and get it done. It paid of big time. Leaving the dock at 5:30 they ventured through the dark arriving at a calm channel hoping to see some rolling tarpon. Sure enough a few fish did roll but still no bites...

International Partners Visiting Shipstern
This week for us at CSFI was a very delightful one. We were honored with the visit of Mr. Caspar and the Professors Jaboury Ghazoul and Claude Garcia. This year just like previous ones Mr. Caspar brought us new and creative ideas and filled our staff with joy and good vibes. It was quite a refreshing experience and we would like extend our gratitude to him and the professors .We hope that they had as much of a great time with us as we did with them. For now we say goodbye but we will be waiting for your return with our arms wide open.

Northern Highway paved at Sandhill junction
If your travel bug takes you anywhere around Altun Ha, Maruba or Maskal on the old Northern Highway, note that at the junction from Sandhill, the old northern highway is now paved. Safe travels and enjoy Belize!

Aubrey Matura meets Ashcroft
On February 7, 2015 Robert Tillett posted this picture in the group page Se La vee.... with the caption "the new opposition..." We have monitored this picture and the thread that subsequently exploded with speculation as to Audrey Matura's meeting with, mainly, the infamous Michael Ashcroft. However, out of all the speculation as to why Audrey Matura was meeting with Ashcroft, we did not notice anyone pointing out the fact that if this picture was not taken and exposed on Facebook, the public would have never known that Ashcroft was in Belize. And we are confident that he has not only met with Audrey. We believe that Audrey, intentionally or not, put herself in a situation where her enemies would want to make her look compromised, however, in our view this incident drew the public's attention to the fact that the politically manipulative Ashcroft - puppeteering Belize via the PUDP for decades - is in town...and meeting with influential people.

Commentary: It is high time for these court hearings in Belize to end
By Wellington C. Ramos. It seems as if Mr Michael Ashcroft will not stop pursuing the people and government of Belize for this $33.5 million that he claims he is owed. I have heard our Prime Minister Dean Barrow say over and over again that, in his opinion, the then prime minister, Said Musa, and his attorney general, Francis Fonseca, now the leader of the People's United Party (PUP), acted illegally by approving the loan without the approval of the Belize's National Assembly. Now, it is clear that the Supreme Court judge is in agreement with their line of argument. Knowing them, they will never be satisfied with this judge's ruling because they think that, because they have money, we in Belize must succumb to them. Our country cannot afford to pay this kind of money to anybody. Especially, when most of our people did not benefit from the use of Universal Health Services. Even up to today, the average Belizean citizen cannot afford the cost of the healthcare this institution provides. Also, within the PUP Cabinet at the time there were ministers of government who were opposed to the government paying this money but Said Musa and his attorney general Francis Fonseca went ahead and paid it anyway.

Zoo Education team visits St. John’s Anglican School
City kids seldom have the opportunity to get to know the wildlife which calls Belize home. Their days are marked by urban activities, and this is far away from the magical arena which includes, Tapirs, Jaguars and lots more beguiling beasts. When the Zoo Education team visited St. John’s Anglican School to talk about jaguars recently, Education Officer Johanna did some readings for the students, as well. This is just the start of an innovative Zoo program aimed at taking animal and nature books into schools throughout the country. However, the focus schools will be in urban areas where kids are prone to be affected by negative urban issues. Bringing animal stories into classrooms and igniting the young imagination, is the goal. What a fun and exciting way to learn! Definitely, a very big PAWS UP

Ride to the Reef!
Join us at the steps of the National Assembly on March 15th for a 50 mile ride to BTL park in Belize City. Celebrate our heritage. Protect our future. Belief in the reef!

Belizean Artist of the YEAR -2014- A star studded event
Its going to be Big Big BIG............. Congratulations to all Awardees. If you love BELIZE and Belizean/Caribbean music /Artists this Award & Show has it all. Save the date April 18th at The Alpine Village Center in Torrance Ca. If you live out of State book your Airline Tickets and hotel fast.. It's set to be big big massive LINEUP. Coming all the way from the Bahamas, please join us on April 18th @ The Alpine Village as we give thanks and recognition to the one & only, Mr. Clinton Crawford ( Juni Crawford).

Sexual Abuse against Children is a no no
Press Release - Government of Belize Press Office.

BOLEDO DRAWING for Tuesday, February 10, 2015: 12, FANTASY 5: 36 29 20 37 25 D

Comparsas groups
We are asking all Comparsas group to contact the San Pedro Town Council to confirm their participation in order to be taken into consideration for judging. Deadline: Friday, February 13, 2015. If you have registered, you may disregard this message.

Come out to support the NICH Canoe Team!
Belize Canoe Association 2015 Schedule. The list of races and events below is a tentative schedule for 2015, please be advised that dates can change and events can be canceled.

Channel 7

Roaring Creek Senior Citizen Shot In Head
When we left you last night, it was with the news that a Roaring Creek resident had been killed. Well, it turns out that the victim John Alexander Smith was 61 years old. At around 6:55, he was heading home when he was fatally shot to the left side of his face. His murder has shocked his family and members of the village because he was a well-known handy man - and no considered a threat or a trouble to anyone. So why was he killed? Our news team traveled to Belmopan today for answers. Courtney Weatherburne reporting This is where John Smith slept every night. Right beside his favorite bottle of cologne and colonial cigarettes. But he never got to take his midnight smoke on his mattress last night. Because he was shot and killed about 50 yards away from his green wooden house. His family members were at the house waiting for his return.

Gapi Vs. Monchi In Supreme Court
It made national headlines when the explosive allegation emerged that Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega somehow had a hand in the murder of Ramon Cervantes Sr., father of PUP Standard Bearer Ramon Monchie Cervantes. Vega categorically denied that claim, and now, he's suing Monchie Cervantes for libel in the Supreme Court. Viewers may remember that the Cervantes's family released a phone call from a man claiming to be wanted murder mastermind Manuel Castillo. In that phone call, he accused DPM Vega of organizing a political assassination which ended with Ramon Cervantes Sr. being brutally killed. That phone call, in Spanish, was played on Love FM during a live broadcast of the family's memorial ceremony for the patriarch. Vega immediately released a statement, denied the allegation, and demanded that Monchie Cervantes retract all comments made. He didn't do that and so, Vega instructed his attorney, Rodwell Williams, to commence a libel suit, which had its first hearing today before Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin.

Eagan Shot At Again In San Pedro - this Time They Caught Him
Last night at around 8:15, a man was shot in the San Pedrito area of San Pedro Town. 32-year-old Kareem Eagan of was shot to his right foot just above the ankle. Two Hispanic men wearing dark clothing and hooded jackets, ran into the yard of his Apartments building and fired several shots at Eagan who was sitting in room. Police have detained two minors. Police say that this isn't the first time Eagan has been shot at - and they believe it is drug related - the product a beef with a local drug running crew.

A Prospective Purchaser For The Port?
Three weeks ago the CEO of the Port of Belize, Arturo Vasquez told 7News that the Port of Belize is for sale. He explained that it's not being actively shopped around, but as receiver for the Port, he is entertaining offers from prospective buyers. And one local investor emerged. He is Lawrence Ellis, the owner of BML - which up until a month ago was cleaning up the city. Ellis has been seeking financing in Mexico, and today a delegation of investors came from the state of Monterrey. Ellis and one of the would-be financiers told us why he is the right man to own the port of Belize:.. Lawrence Ellis, Interested in Buying Port "We made formal letter of interest to the receiver. We presented our case to them and we are waiting for them to respond to us."

Mexican Investor Interested in Tourism
Ellis was having lunch at Chon Saan Palace with a high-powered group of Mexican investors - led by Luis Carlos Urzua of the Merca Sol Group. His promoters say he is one of the first developers to get into Cancun and Cabo in the 80's and that he currently runs a human resources first which handles payroll for twenty thousand workers. And now he's interested in investing in tourism in Belize. Francisco Turu-eno and Urzua told us what they see in Belize:.. Francisco Turueno, Organizing Mex Investor Group "We have detected that there are several fields that we can cooperate within the two countries, getting entrepreneurs from Mexico and Belize. We feel that right now it's the precise moment to look for opportunities within your country."

Man Claims BTL Gave Away His Idea To Make Someone Else Rich!
Intellectual property rights is something we don't hear too much about in Belize - but it's in the law - and now, one Belizean entrepreneur is claiming BTL, broke it when the company gave away his idea - to make someone else rich! Dale Curtis Swasey claims that he signed a non-disclosure agreement in the form of an Information Exchange Agreement, after which he pitched them the idea of lottery texting as a form of gambling. It was supposed to be seamless and easy for the owner of the lottery game, BTL, and phone users playing the game. He further claims that for almost 2 years he helped BTL develop the platform and mechanism in their network to enable lottery texting, with the understanding that he would be allowed to sell such a lottery game using their service. He says that the company abruptly ended that relationship and a few weeks later, the popular new game show, Mek Mi Rich, emerged with the very same idea that he helped BTL to develop.

Cop Thought He Got Shot; He Was Stoned
Last night at 7:30 news went out that a police officer had been shot in the head. It's an explosive report, but we waited around for confirmation - and were relieved to learn that it was inaccurate. But it was based very loosely on the truth. Here's what happened: Special Constable Jerome Flowers got stoned - not shot - in the head on Pelican Street. But, an x-ray was taken to determine the extent of his injury - which was only a burst head. Police feared that he may have been shot with a pen gun.

The Split Saga Has Another Twist; And The Lazy Lizard Moves On
The last time we told you about the Lazy Lizard Bar, the iconic business located at the Caye Caulker's Split, it was with the news that bar owner Immer Perez won a minor victory against his landlord who was trying to get him evicted from that property. Well, yesterday, he lost his case in the Supreme Court, and he must vacate within a month's time. As we told you the last time, the property owner said he found a buyers, but Perez said that he couldn't because there was a caution on the land. Well, yesterday in court, Naima Barrow, attorney for the landlord, proved to Justice Courtney Abel that a sale has been arranged, and that it is legal and binding. Barrow also proved that she has the money for the sale of the land in escrow while this dispute is being resolved.

Dr. Dionne Departs, Abruptly
BTL's Chief Customer Service officer, Dr. Dionne Miranda resigned abruptly yesterday. Miranda is one of the top five senior managers in the company who reports directly to the Executive Committee - so her sudden departure comes as a surprise. Miranda had been with BTL for the past six years, and received the very senior posting in a corporate re-organization last year. She says she is moving on to her own pursuits and to grow her business. And although that's her story, insiders tell us that she had her differences with Chairman Anwar Barrow. Miranda's last day is Friday.

Pressing The Penner Matter
For months we haven't reported on Elvin Penner - but the passport allegations have not gone away - even thought he was acquitted in Magistrate's Court. The private prosecutors, Geovannie Brackett and Nedal McLaren, have still kept the case going in the background. We've not heard of many Magistrate's Court cases being appealed at the Supreme Court, but attorney for the private prosecutors, Kareem Musa, has convinced Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin to hear the case. Since this case turned on the ruling of the sitting Magistrate, Aretha Ford, Chief Justice Benjamin will have to decide if she took the right interpretation of the law. Here's what Musa had to say about the pending appeal:

An Abundance Of Undersized Conch
Tonight five Belize City men are faced with charges of possession of undersized conch. They were caught by officers of the Fisheries Department late this afternoon with eleven hundred and fifty two undersized conch. Also a container was found in the area with two hundred and fifty conch. The men were detained and the conch are now in the possession on the department. We got to see the undersized catch today:.. Michael Sabal -Supervisor, Fisheries Department "What is happening, due to the increase amount of small seafood products coming in, we have launched a countrywide operation because illegal sea food coming in from the fishermen. So, we have officers at strategic locations and this afternoon we manage to intersect a sailboat as they were delivering at the Northern Fisherman Cooperative, and that's where 5 fishermen were busted with a total of 1,152 undersized conch.

Man Gets 7 Years For Fratricide
54 year-old Jeremiah Pott, a resident of Bermudian Landing, is spending his first night of a 7 year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to killing his brother. The incident occurred around 11 a.m. on March 21, 2011 at Bermudian Landing. Jeremiah and his brother, Fidencio Pott, went to the house of a friend and they were drinking "red top" extra strong rum when they began to quarrel over a bottle. Fidencio, who was 57 at the time, pulled Jeremiah outside, and that's when Jeremiah pulled a shovel and stuck Fidencio in his head. When Fidencio fell to the ground, Jeremiah didn't stop there, he then stood over his brother and continued to bludgeon him with the shovel. Fidencio Pott succumbed to his injuries 5 days later, and on September 6, 2013, Jeremiah was indicted on a charge of murder. Six months later, the charge was substituted with manslaughter because there was evidence provocation.

A Movement Towards Technology
Performance. Image. Exposure Data: That is the name of the newly launched youth organization. PIEDATA offers youth from Belize as well as the Caribbean - the opportunity to pitch their business ideas and connect with investors in the Caribbean. The two areas of advancement are technology and business. Vice President of the youth development sector of PIEDATA, William Mahler, told us how he and his team plan to realize this advancement. The organization was launched in August of last year. The team will also be traveling to Miami in July for another youth conference.

Channel 5

Gunman Executes Elderly Roaring Creek Man
In Monday’s newscast, we broke the news of the second murder in twenty days in Roaring Creek, just outside Belmopan. The details tonight are that an elderly man, John Smith, [...]

Alleged Drug Peddler Shot in San Pedro
There was another shooting on Monday night. It happened in San Pedro where a well-known alleged drug peddler, was shot to the foot. Kareem Eagan is no stranger to the [...]

Vega/Cervantes Libel Suit Gets Underway
Today was the first day of a case which will draw much national scrutiny. Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega is suing Ramon Cervantes Junior for libel. In November, the Cervantes [...]

B.T.L./MMR Taken To Court
B.T.L. and MMR Belize Limited, the company that owns the game-show Mek Mi Rich, are currently being taken to Court. It’s a highly technical case, but in a nutshell – [...]

Swasey Says ‘Mek Mi Rich’ Was HIS Idea
According to Musa, the non-disclosure agreement between B.T.L. and Swasey specifically says that no information can be shared within two years of the termination of the agreement. The relationship between [...]

Case Due Back in Court March 10th
Curtis Swasey was present today, but declined comment. Still, the case in which he is suing for damages is based primarily on his expectations after more than two years of [...]

Should Marijuana Be Legalized in Belize?
And tonight’s question is: should the use of marijuana be legalized in Belize? Send your comments and responses using your SMART phones to 8686 or post your vote on our [...]

N.T.U.C.B. meets with Prime Minister on S.S.B. Director’s Nomination
About a week ago we spoke with the new president of the N.T.U.C.B., Marvin Mora; he told us that they were confident that the Prime Minister would be reasonable in [...]

Internal Rumblings in the B.S.C.F.A.
The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, established over fifty-five years ago, has existed as a recognized body representing the interests of eighteen branches. But that was until mid-January when government [...]

An Update on 2015 Sugar Cane Crop
In other developments in the sugar belt…Since opening on January twenty-sixth, the 2014-2015 sugar crop has been off to a slightly rocky start with milling coming to a grinding halt [...]

Mayor Bradley Clarifies $1.3M Legal Fees
Today Mayor Darrell Bradley vigorously defended reports that his Council paid out over one point three million dollars in legal fees between 2013 and 2014. In fact, he took great [...]

Bradley Still Has Eyes on Caribbean Shores
But while vigorously defending himself and the Council, the Mayor was noticeably warmer towards, in his own words, his political brother Santino Castillo. In an interview done with Castillo a [...]

Signs of Life In Memorial Park
There is sign of activity at the Memorial Park, finally. Belizeans probably remember the joyous ceremony well over a year ago when the newly upgraded, multi-million dollar upgraded park was [...]

Mexican Investors in the City
A large contingent of Mexican entrepreneurs is in Belize conducting high level meetings with government officials and local business owners. While conducting meetings, the team is also scouting Belize and [...]

Murder Charge Reduced to Manslaughter
Today, fifty year old Jeremiah Pott pleaded guilty to the charge of manslaughter of his brother, fifty seven year old Fidencio Pott. Jeremiah was sentenced to twelve years in prison, [...]

Belize City Men Freed on Attempted Murder Charge
Two Belize City men, Albert Clother and Tareef Westby, were freed of attempted murder after Samuel Halliday, who is currently incarcerated, decided he wanted no further court action. The matters [...]

Elections Run-up in Orange Walk
There is a total of nine town councils nationwide; the opposition party controls three. Up north, the People’s United Party hopes to retain the Orange Walk Town Council in the [...]

8 Year Old Cancer Patient Needs Your Help
An eight year old Roaring Creek student, Al-Dane Moro, and his mother, Latoya Lennon, are tonight asking for help.  Moro was diagnosed back in August of 2014 with stage three [...]

Veterans Lay Wreath at Memorial Park Monument
Today a visiting delegation of war veterans from the Royal Canadian Legion were in the country to pay respects to Belizean veterans of the World Wars. In a brief ceremony [...]

CTV3

BSCFA Navigating In Trouble Waters
Last night we told you about the developing story within the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association which was reportedly being registered as a company. Today, officials at the association met with the organization’s attorney Christopher Coye to clear the matter. Chair of the Committee of Management Ezequiel Cansino told the media late this evening that they received the information from their attorney. Today the clarification is that the organization is not being registered, or we should say was not registered as a company but as an association under the companies act. The process however, is reported to be riddled with errors but despite this, the move by what we understand is again a small fraction of the association is of grave concern to the association.

Annual Coca Cola Spelling Competition Kicks Off
The Coca Cola Spelling Bee Competition is back and is on its 21st anniversary. The competition kicked off in Orange Walk Town today with the first zone eliminations held at the Crystal Palace Auditorium. Students were focused this morning as the first rounds were being carried out. As part of the yearly process, contestants were joined by teachers and other schoolmates who cheered them on. The annual competition by now has become a popular part of the yearly activities for almost all primary institutions across the country. Credit Control Manager at Bowen and Bowen Nicholas Pollard Junior, who also doubles as the Manager of the competition, says they now see the full participation of all schools in the country, which includes well over two hundred. Today he told us that they are proud to say that schools have met up to the constant increase in the difficulty of the competition in each year.

Belize Represented At 3rd Central American & Caribbean Capital Project Infrastructure Summit
The 3rd Central American and Caribbean Capital Projects and Infrastructure Summit took place on the 4TH and 5TH of February in Panama City, Panama and Representing Belize was the Executive Director of the Belize Social Investment Fund (BSIF), Mr. William Lamb Jr. The summit saw the gathering of the largest project developers, concessionaires, construction companies, operators, investors and government leaders who discussed opportunities about a wide variety of sectors including: roads & highway networks, canals and ports, airports, railways, mining infrastructure, telecom infrastructure, oil and gas, real state, mass transportation systems, water sanitation and sewage and technology.

Centaur Win Inter Office Five a Side Competition
We have some good fun news to share with our viewers tonight as Centaur’s very own football team has, for the first time, won the inter-office five a side competition over the weekend. The annual event has been played for several years. The competition commenced in October of 2014 and seven companies registered for the competition. The games were played weekly at the People’s Stadium and at the finals held this weekend, the Centaur boys won on a penalty shoot-out, two to three. One of the team members, Ladrick Shepard told us more about the event. “It was quite an excited game, Yazir Campos scored the first goal for Centaru early inside the second half and then Nelson scored the second goal to draw the game we had to go to penalty shootout. One of the twins Nelson missed the penalty and we end up managing to win the tournament in penalty shootouts 3-2, we must congratulate the champions because this is the first time that Centaur won a championship after trying four times.

Producers Of make Me Rich Taken To Court
The producers of the television game show “Mek Mi Rich are tonight in the hot seat as they are being taken to court. Curtis Dale Swasey, a computer programmer and former employee of the Belize Agricultural Health Authority is suing Belize Telemedia Limited and MMR Belize Limited managed by Andre Vega son of Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega under the grounds that in 2012 he developed the concept of lottery texting, whereby a fee is paid to buy numbers via telephone and a live prize draw is conducted.

BSCFA Working On Recovery Stage
And the BSCFA is dealing with the situation at a time when they are still trying to recover from previous missteps. In that regard, Cansino says they are still working on their recovery and are still conducting an inventory of the association’s assets. Ezequiel Cansino – Chair, CoM, BSCFA: “We are evaluating all the vehicles that are in good conditions and that need to repair and how much it would cost and if it is beneficial for us to repair them or for selling them and by doing this we believe that by next week we will be having a complete report on all of this and then we can say in what position the BSCFA will be, right now we are signing the contracts with the employees that were rehired and by Friday we will be finishing with this and by next week we will be having a complete report on how the Association stands.”

Ramon Cervantez Jr, Before the Supreme Court To Face Suit Filed For Defamation Of Character Of DPM
Today the case filed by Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega against P.U.P Orange Walk North Standard Bearer Ramon Monchie Cervantes Junior began Judicial process today at the Belize City Supreme Court. As you might recall the Deputy Prime Minister is suing Cervantes Junior for defamation of character after the Cervantes family released a recording of a phone call allegedly made to them by Manuel Castillo the man believed to be the mastermind behind the murder of Ramon Cervantes Senior who was kidnapped on July 2nd and murdered the following day. During the conversation the man purporting to be Castillo, claimed that Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega was involved in the murder of Cervantes. The DPM refuted those allegations and right after preceded with the lawsuit against Cervantes Junior after his request for a full and unequivocal public retraction was not met by Cervantes Junior. After the case management was held before Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin Cervantes Junior and his attorney, Senior Counsel Said Musa, spoke to the press.

LOVE FM

Sugar Rumblings: Who Is Behind It? Ortega Claims Innocence
Yesterday we told you about a major development within the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association that had caused concern to its directors and membership. The issue on the table is that on January 27, the existing association was registered as a company limited by guarantees. But what was of major concern was the articles of association, article two specifically. Articles two explains that on the day the association was registered as a company, an interim committee of management takes over. This was received with grave concern by the directors because they got word that the five subscribers who petitioned the changed in organization status were planning to take over the administration of the BSCFA. When we spoke yesterday with BSCFA’s chairman Esequiel Cansino, he said they were investigating the matter. Today Cansino us told based on their investigation, the committee of management believes former chairman of the association Alfredo Fred Ortega is behind it. In a late evening interview, Ortega defended the accusations when he spoke with Love News.

Mek Mi Rich Game: Whose Idea Was It?
There is controversy brewing in relation to the recently created game show, “Mek Mi Rich.” Curtis Dale Swasey has filed a lawsuit against Belize Telemedia Limited and MMR Productions Limited. According to Swasey’s attorney, Kareem Musa, Swasey, developed the idea of a lottery game show involving cell phone texting. Swasey says he took his idea to BTL, worked with them for two years; teaching the technicians the ropes of the software and other highly technical matter. In August 2014, he received a letter from BTL informing him that his idea was not in line with the company’s goals and as such, was rejected. A few months after, the game show “Mek Mi Rich” premiered on national television. Musa told the media that Swasey had signed a non disclosure agreement with BTL on January 13, 2012 referred to as the Information Exchange Agreement.

Private Prosecution Against Penner on Life Support
In July of last year, the private prosecution brought against former Minister of State, Elvin Penner, was thrown out by Belmopan Magistrate, Aretha Ford. The private prosecution was brought by Citizen Organized for Liberty through Action, COLA, in the persons of Geovanni Bracket and Nedal McLaren. Penner was being accused of facilitating a passport for South Korean criminal boss, Wong Hong Kim. However, the case was struck out on the basis that the prosecution did not have first hand evidence. However the decision of Magistrate Ford was appealed and case is schedule before Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin on Friday. It has now been close to 7 months since the case was dismissed but COLA’s attorney, Kareem Musa, says that the ship has not sail on this matter.

Bradley Responds to Schakron’s Questions on Legal Expenditure
Yesterday we told you that the People’s United Party had launched their manifesto this past Saturday for the Belize City slate. During the launch, the aspiring Belize City Mayor, Yolanda Schakron, spoke on and questioned the legal expenditure of the Belize City Council for the year 2013/2014. Today, Mayor Bradley responded to Schakron’s concerns and broke down how the one point three million dollars were spent as stated in the audit. MAYOR DARRELL BRADLEY “Let me be abundantly clear, the City council has never spent 1.3 million dollars on legal fees. What I did was, I asked our Financial Director to print me a report which shows how that line entry in the audit report was expended and essentially what it was, was 1.2 million dollars for the judgment that was paid to Waste Control. It was listed under legal fees because it was paid through Young’s Law Firm, which we did not pay. The City Council has never paid Young’s Law Firm any legal services but it’s listed as legal fees because the payment to Waste Control went from us to Young’s Law Firm to Fred Lumor who is the Attorney for Waste Control to satisfy the million dollar judgment.

More Lawsuits: Deputy PM vs OW North Area Rep
On November 5, a damning and sensational allegation was made on national airwaves against Deputy Prime Minister and Area Representative of Orange Walk North, Gaspar Vega. We will not repeat the allegations but we will say that it had to do with the Cervantes family in Orange Walk, a tape recording and the alleged mastermind of the kidnapping and murder of Ramon Cervantes Sr. ….Vega quickly released a statement denouncing the allegations and demanding a retraction and apology from the Cervantes family. Neither the retraction nor the apologies was forthcoming and so Vega instructed his attorney, Rodwell Williams, to file a lawsuit against Cervantes Jr. The case management of the case was held this morning and the media spoke with Cervantes Jr., and his attorney, Said Musa. SAID MUSA “The court made what they call Case Management Orders for disclosure by all the parties and for witness statements to be filed on both sides, actually on three sides because there is a third party involved as well; a radio station.”

PlusTV

“Mek Mi Rich” producers sued in court
On Monday evening,  PLUS News  broke the story of the lawsuit in the Supreme Court against MMR Belize Limited, producers of the popular television game show “Mek Mi Rich”, and Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) by computer programmer and former BAHA quarantine inspector Curtis Swasey. Two years ago, M...

Ramon Cervantes Jr. begins defense of Gaspar Vega libel suit
In the aftermath of the kidnapping and  brutal murder of Orange Walk resident Ramon Cervantes Sr. in July of 2014, questions arose as to why anyone would target the older man...

COLA back in court for Penner appeal
On Friday Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin is to hear a rare Inferior Court Appeal between Geovannie Brackett, president of Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA), and advisor Nedal ‘Jihad’ McLaren, and Cayo Northeast area representative and former Minister of State for Immigration and N...

Jeremiah Pott given seven years for manslaughter
A labourer of Bermudian Landing, Belize District, accused of murder pleaded guilty on Tuesday to the lesser charge of manslaughter and was handed a sentence of twelve years’ imprisonment, but will actually serve seven years on the order of Justice Adolph Lucas. Jeremiah Pott, 54, was accused of caus...

Minors detained in San Pedro Shooting
Two minors have been detained in connection to a shooting incident that occurred on Monday night on the island of Ambergris Caye.  According to police reports, on February 9, sometime around 8:30p.m., 32-year-old  Kareem Eagan of San Pedrito Area, San Pedro Town, was shot to the foot...

Missing persons from Toledo
A 16 year old boy has been reported missing by his father. On Sunday February 8, 53-year-old Pedro Ical, a Belizean farmer of Jalacte Village, Toledo District, reported that on Wednesday February 4, he was at home with his son 16-year-old  Juan Ical...

Punta Gorda man arrested for drug trafficking
On February 7, police was conducting a search at the residence of 18-year-old Denroy Nicholas on Toucan Street, Punta Gorda, when Denroy ran out of a wooden structure holding a camouflage jacket and a back pack. He was pursued, caught and escorted to his residence, where police searched the camoufla...

Special Envoy for Women and Children address Area Representative’s charges for sexual assault of minors
In light of the grave allegations made against Orange Walk East Area Representative, Dr. Tulio Mendez, the Special Envoy for Women and Children, Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow, issued a statement in which she urges “all persons involved to ensure that this highly sensitive issue is handled with the best interests of the affected children as the priority.” The release also says that “ This is an opportunity to rise above political lines and raise awareness on a serious issue that continues to be seen as taboo.”

PUP leader discusses Marco Tulio Mendez and John Briceno
Last week saw back to back appearances in court of prominent politicians for the People’s United Party in Orange Walk. Former leader John Briceno, area representative for Orange Walk Central, faces three traffic offense charges related to an alleged run-in with Christopher Hendricks, the driver for Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega. PUP leader Francis Fonseca dismissed the allegations against Mr Briceno as political mischief. r “ That’s complete absolute nonsense. It’s absolutely political mischief by Mr. Vega and his driver, acting on his instructions. That’s not even worth discussing, really. We know what it is. The Belizean people see it for what it is.

Anthony Sylvestre named Queen’s Square Standard Bearer
Senator and legal adviser for the People’s United Party, Anthony Sylvestre, is challenging Prime Minister Dean Barrow in his stronghold of Queen’s Square for the third time. He was endorsed on Saturday during the launch of the Manifesto. Anthony Sylvestre has twice lost by heavy margins, but he tells us that things will be different this time because he plans to highlight a major imbalance between the representative and his constituents. “One of the certain points in terms of representation of the people is that every single person counts, and so that the situation in Queen Square [that] has evolved over the years, where it is quite clear particularly those who physically live in the division that the current Area Representative clearly has no regard for them, and is not properly representing them.

PUP launches Belize City Municipal Manifesto
The People’s United Party (PUP) released its manifesto for Belize City on Saturday afternoon. The manifesto comes after weeks of campaigning on the ground and meeting with residents who have addressed to them a number of concerns, mostly centering around the neglect of poorer areas of Belize City by the current City Council led by Mayor Darrell Bradley who is seeking a second term. Mayoral candidate Yolanda Schakron describes the chief concerns “The two main concerns that we have heard is the drainage problem. Many people who have gotten cement streets, because of the drainage problems. their houses have become flooded. In the Southside, people don’t have good streets. The streets are in terrible condition. [In] the Southside of Belize City, we have heard a lot about the playgrounds. There are no playgrounds and no sporting facilities. That’s the main problem in the Southside.

Trial date set for Julius Espat PetroCaribe suit
Last year member of the House of Representatives for Cayo South, Honorable Julius Espat, sued Prime Minister Dean Barrow in his capacity as Minister of Finance and Economic Development, for deciding to delay a bill authorizing the spending of funds, including monies gained through the PetroCaribe program. Julius Espat, who also chairs the House’s Public Accounts Committee, says that the agreement entered into by Government in with ALBA PetroCaribe Belize Energy Limited is not enforceable as approval was not sought from the National Assembly, and without such approval any loans gained cannot be paid from the public purse.

Training youth to train youth on Road Safety
The Belize Youth and Road Safety Capacity Building Project known as YOURS saw 19 young men and women graduate in June 2014 from a two week training program. Since then these youths have been reaching out to other youths in the country through sensitization workshops on road safety strategies. This week the director of Youths for Road Safety, Floor Lieshout, is in the country to evaluate their progress and joined their workshop at the police training academy today. “In June 2014, we trained 19 youth leaders from Belize to design and to implement Road Safely Workshops with their peers. Since then they have trained over a thousand young people in the communities of Belize.

Teenager charged with burglary
Nineteen year old Gregory shepherd, an auto mechanic of Belize City, allegedly entered as a trespasser the dwelling house of his aunt and stole several household items. He was subsequently charged with burglary when he appeared on Monday before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser, where he pled not guilty to the charge. He was offered a bail of $5,000 and his case adjourned until April 20. The incident occurred on January 30, 2015. Gregory Shepherd’s aunt, Jolie Sanchez, reported to police that she left her home and she went to work. She said that when she arrived at her work , she realized that she had forgotten something and went back home. That is when she found her nephew in her house.

Ammunition removed from Belize City streets
Police have removed ammunition form the streets in Belize City. On January 8, police visited an area by the corner of Lakeview and Vernon Street behind the Lodge Building, and found a black plastic bag containing 12 live rounds of .9mm ammunition. The following day, they also searched visited an area on Pregnant Alley, and found a Plastic bag containing 15 live rounds of .9mm ammunition.

Watch out for counterfeit bills!
Business owners and vendors are being advised to be on the lookout for counterfeit currency. On Friday February 6, police visited the Michael Finnegan Market located at the Corner of Cemetery Road and West Collet Canal, and spoke to several fruit vendors who handed over seven 20 dollar bills having the same serial number. Also, on Monday February 9, police visited the Belize Bank located on Albert Street, Belize, where the teller handed over a counterfeit $50.00 bill. All notes have been confirmed to be counterfeit.

Amandala

Laborer, 38, crushed by steel plate in Spanish Lookout
A laborer who had recently been employed by a steel company in Spanish Lookout, Cayo District, met a bizarre and untimely death today after being crushed to death by a 4,000-pound metal plate while on the job. Officer Commanding San Ignacio Police, Superintendent Dinsdale Thompson, told Amandala that the tragedy occurred at about 9:45 this morning at Midwest Steel Company in the Spanish Lookout community. According to Superintendent Thompson, Roman Ku, 38, of August Pine Ridge, Orange Walk District, was standing on top of some 8’x20’metal plates that were being conveyed on a forklift when he suddenly fell of the plates, after which one of the plates also fell, and landed on his upper chest area.

Ralphie’s $37 million “nonsense”: Ralph Fonseca
Former PUP Minister of Home Affairs and Budget Planning, Ralph Fonseca, told Amandala this evening that remarks aired in an interview with Eugene “Fatback” Webster, a former employee of his son, the late Ralph “Ralphie” Fonseca, Jr., were “ridiculous and pure fabrication.” Webster, more popularly known as “Fatback,” who worked as personal bodyguard to Fonseca, Jr., up to the time of his death in a freak accident, gave an interview to talk show host Alfonso Noble for his Fus Ting Da Morning show aired this morning, Monday, on WAVE Radio and Television. The interview, however, which was obviously pre-recorded, was posted on Noble’s Facebook page yesterday, Sunday.

Belize Musicians Past and Present celebrates 20th anniversary
Belize Musicians Past and Present, a show aired on KREM Radio that features music produced by local musicians, is celebrating its 20th anniversary today, Monday, February 9. The show is produced to promote Belizean artists nationally and internationally, and provides a medium for artists to tell their story, and get media exposure. The show was first aired on February 9, 1995, and is produced by Tony Wright assisted by JC Arzu, both of KREM Radio. In an interview with Amandala, Wright said that prior to the airing of Belize Musicians Past and Present, there was no other show, or outlet, besides the Amandala, by means of which artists could go and tell their stories, and demonstrate their art.

2 killed in early morning Hummingbird accident
Two men died in an early morning road traffic accident involving a motorcycle and a car, which occurred on the Hummingbird Highway near Belmopan in the early hours of this past Saturday morning. Police said that at about 1:50 a.m. on Saturday, February 7, Leonardo Ramos, 26, of #15 Calle Las America Street, Salvapan, Belmopan, and Rigoberto Leon Cabrera, 18, of Saint Andrew’s Street, San Martin, Belmopan, were traveling on a blue SKYGO motorcycle between Miles 54 and 55 on the Hummingbird Highway when they collided with a black Mitsubishi Galant car driven by Daniel Cunil, 24, of #22 Nargusta Street, Belmopan, that was going in the opposite direction.

Beware: new batch of counterfeit dollars
Police warn the public to be on the lookout for counterfeit Belize currency notes that are being circulated in Belize City. So far, seven $20 notes have been recovered, along with a $50 note. Six of the $20 notes which have been recovered bear the same serial number, DL 287655, while a seventh $20 note bore the serial number DL183156. Also at about 1:00 p.m. today, police went to the Belize Bank on Albert Street, where a teller handed over a $50 note with serial number DJ792434. All notes have been confirmed to be counterfeit.

Shane Bennett, 28, charged with abduction, rape, aggravated assault and robbery
The search for Shane Bennett, 28, of Dangriga, whom police were seeking in connection with the raping of a woman and the robbery of a vehicle belonging to her male friend, ended, after he was on the run for ten days — since January 25. Police believe that it was the pressure of the manhunt and the stress on the fugitive that flushed him out of hiding. On Wednesday, February 4, Bennett went to the Independence Police Station and surrendered himself. He was then taken to the Dangriga Police Station, where he was formally arrested and charged with robbery, 2 counts of abduction, 2 counts of aggravated assault and rape.

Shane Bennett hands himself in to police
On Sunday night, January 25, a woman lived her worst nightmare when she was abducted, tied up, raped and sodomized by two men. The woman had been heading to her home in the Benguche area of Dangriga Town in a car being driven by her friend at about 8:00 that night when they were held up by two men who were armed with a knife and a gun. The woman was tied up in the vehicle and a knife was put at her neck, while her friend was ordered at gunpoint to drive the vehicle to the beach near the cemetery. At the beach, the assailants tied up the driver, then took turns raping and sodomizing the woman. When they were done, they evicted both their victims from the vehicle, and drove away in the car. The man and the woman managed to free themselves from the knots that restrained them and went to the police, where they made a report.

3’s run wild in Week 2 of PLB Closing Season 2014-2015
Verdes FC is the only team with a perfect (2-0) record at Week 2 of the Premier League of Belize (PLB) 2014-2015 Closing Season, with only 1 game, Saturday night’s, producing a draw this past weekend, while 3 others on Sunday ended in decisive victory margins. In the only Saturday night game, at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan, home standing Police United FC led 3-2 late in second half until the veteran Norman “Tilliman” Nunez unleashed a right foot blast from 25 yards out that tightened the net in the left pigeon hole to knot things up at 3-3 for his visiting Placencia Texmar Assassins. After two early take-downs inside the Police eighteen, referee Amir Castillas signaled the penalty spot, and Placencia’s Luis “Baaka” Torres drilled it to the left of Keith Allen, who got only a finger tip on it. But Police came roaring back a few minutes later, as Devon Makin’s center from the right side saw advancing Harrison “Cafu” Roches in perfect position for the close range side-volley, to tie the score at 1 apiece.

Cricket Corner – Excellence, winner of the T/20
The T/20 finals were held over the weekend, with Excellence as the winner in the first game. Western Eagles defeated Easy Does It with 101 all out to 102 with 8 wickets to spare. Easy Does It went to bat first and batted 101. Warren Anthony top scored with 44 runs, followed by Sherman Smith with 22. Western Eagles made 102 with 8 spare wickets. Conway Young top scored for Western Eagles with 51 runs, followed by Andrew Banner with 27. In second and final game, Western Eagles lost to Excellence 137 to 55 all out. Excellence took to bat first and scored 137 runs. Keenan Flowers top scored with 39 runs and Orson Flowers 21. Kevi Flowers and Jermaine Look took 5 and 3 wickets, respectively for Western Eagles. For Western Eagles, they scored 55 runs only. Dirk Sutherland top scored with 19 runs. Percy Flowers took 3 wickets for Excellence.

Orange Walk 5-A-Side semifinals results
The semifinals date had finally arrived, with the top seeded teams from the Interoffice and Open Divisions looking to qualify to the finals. Congratulations to all teams who made it so far, as they surely provided the fans an evening full of 5-A-Side football excitement on Tuesday, February 3, at the People’s Stadium. The officiating team was Freddie Gonzalez and Percival Gideon. 1st Game (Interoffice) – Odette’s 4:2 Cuello’s. The newcomers Odette’s Home Center came out with a game plan and quickly got on the score board, as Nelson Estrada (1) found the back of the net. The undefeated Cuello’s team quickly responded with a goal by Robbie Cuello (1). However, Mauricio Estrada (3) then registered his hat trick for the game, shocking the Cuello’s Team. A late goal by Cuello’s Leo Corado (1) was not enough, and it was the first upset of the night, as the #1 seeded team will have to witness the finals from the bleachers.

Editorial: Matura’s mistake
Less than a week after being elected second vice-president of the powerful National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB), activist attorney Audrey Matura-Shepherd decided, on her own, to accept an invitation to breakfast Friday morning at the Radisson Hotel with the British billionaire, Lord Michael Ashcroft. In this age of instant electronic communications, word of the sensational breakfast meet was quickly sent to the radio and television stations of the ruling United Democratic Party (UDP) which were broadcasting their Friday morning propaganda talk show with Joe Bradley and Alfonso Noble as hosts, and UDP chairman Alberto August as their guest. Noble immediately broke the news to the WAVE Radio and TV audiences, and alerted his television viewers to look out for a photograph to follow shortly. According to Matura-Shepherd, who appeared on KREM Radio/TV’s Sunday Morning Review to expand on the damage control she had initiated on Friday afternoon with an explanatory letter to the NTUCB leadership, the photograph of herself, Lord Ashcroft, and one of her sons which made a stunning appearance on WAVE TV was taken by Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s wife, Kim Simplis-Barrow. But on Friday morning going for 9:30, it didn’t matter to Belizeans who took the photo: the great Matura-Shepherd appeared to be in a compromising situation.

From the Publisher
The family of Galento X Neal asked me to say a few words at his funeral services, held on Friday afternoon at the masjid of the Islamic Mission of Belize. I spoke briefly on three subjects – gender, religion, and racism, with respect to my late, great, beloved brother’s life. In this column I will consider the matter of gender. Time brings increased insight to a man, and I had come to realize how important Galento’s sisters were for him – especially his oldest sister, the one we called “Rofel.” In Belize City, which was an African-based culture when I was growing up, it seemed to me that women were the powerhouses, but they ran things in a discreet manner. Men were allowed to puff up their chests and “show themselves” in different ways, but the real power belonged to Belizean ladies.

Puzzling Placencia fish kill
Chief Environmental Officer Martin Alegria told Amandala today that the Department of the Environment (DOE) will continue to investigate the cause of a fish kill reported in Placencia last week. The DOE says that on Wednesday, February 4, 2015, it received reports of a fish kill occurring in the Placencia Lagoon, Stann Creek District, and it also received pictures of the fish kill showing the dead fish and numerous birds in the area. The DOE reported, however, that it visited the area in question but did not observe any evidence of the fish kill, and it added that its officers conducted onsite water quality assessments, which determined that the water quality of the marshland was normal. DOE personnel collected water samples to conduct testing on the nutrients level of the marshland waters, since higher levels of certain nutrients could lower the amount of oxygen available to organisms, thus resulting in a fish kill. The results of those tests are pending.

Fake red potatoes found across Belize
Chief Agricultural Officer, Roberto Harrison, told Amandala today that the Agriculture Department has been confiscating supplies of fake red potatoes from major vendors across the country, and these potatoes, imported from Mexico but dyed to look like local red potatoes, have been found in all locations except the northern districts. Harrison said that the dyed potatoes may have been in those districts at smaller mom and pop establishments which they would not have visited, and so they may still be on the market in those districts. Last week, the Belize Agricultural Health Authority and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture issued a warning, advising consumers not to purchase the brightly-colored potatoes, since they are not genuine red potatoes and they may pose a health risk.

BSCFA re-registered; directors up in arms
Tensions are brewing once again within the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association (BSCFA) after it was revealed that the 55-year-old association had recently been re-registered at the Belize Companies Registry as a “private company limited by guarantee”, reportedly without the knowledge of its Committee of Management (CoM). The apparently secretive move was reportedly carried out two weeks ago on Tuesday, January 27 – one day after the delayed 2014/2015 sugarcane crop season was declared open following the signing of a hotly-debated new commercial purchasing agreement between the sugar millers, Belize Sugar Industries (BSI)/American Sugar Refineries (ASR), and the three cane farmers associations, two of which were recently incorporated into the sugar industry. Although information regarding the new development has so far been sketchy, Amandala understands that the change was initiated by five members of the BSCFA, and may have been led by individuals from the same faction that had previously opposed the signing of the present agreement, citing what they termed as partiality in its terms.

US Capital Energy closing shop?
US Capital Energy has packed up its drill rig and shipped it back to Mexico, but Alistair King, the representative of US Capital Energy in Belize, told Amandala today that “it’s not over until it’s over!” and they intend to import other equipment that would allow them to drill a bit further, as well as perform the kind of appraisal tests they wish to undertake in the months ahead. US Capital Energy commenced drilling in the latter half of 2014, but to date it has not declared a commercial oil find. Director of Geology and Petroleum, Andre Cho, told our newspaper today that US Capital wants to go deeper to check out the geological formations, and that they are being allowed to bring in new equipment from Mexico to undertake further exploratory works.

Patrick Jones

One woman dies in road traffic accident in Corozal
One person died in a road traffic accident tonight on the Phillip Goldson Highway in Corozal. The name of the victim has not yet been confirmed, but we can say that a 23 year old woman perished in the crash involving a pickup truck and a car. It happened around […]

Jeremiah Pott given seven years in jail for manslaughter
A labourer of Bermudian Landing, Belize District, accused of murder pleaded guilty today to the lesser charge of manslaughter and was handed a sentence of twelve years’ imprisonment, but will actually serve seven years on the order of Justice Adolph Lucas. Jeremiah Pott, 54, was accused of causing […]

COLA appeal of Penner case in court Friday
On Friday Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin is to hear a rare Inferior Court Appeal between Geovannie Brackett, president of Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) and advisor Nedal ‘Jihad’ McLaren, and Cayo Northeast area representative and former Minister of State for Immigration and Nationality Elvin Penner. In […]

Mek Mi Rich and BTL sued over creation of game show
On Monday afternoon a case management conference took place between Curtis Dale Swasey, a computer programmer and former employee of the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA), and Belize Telemedia Limited and MMR Belize Limited, producers of the television game show “Mek Mi Rich.” Swasey claims that in 2012 […]

Ramon Cervantes, Jr. defends libel suit brought by Gaspar Vega
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture Gaspar Vega has filed a lawsuit charging libel against his political rival in Orange Walk North, Ramon Cervantes, Jr., and RSV Media Centre, proprietors of radio station LOVE FM. The claim against the radio station is that the airing of a […]

Toledo man dies, reportedly after drinking herbicide
A family from San Antonio village in the Toledo district is mourning the death of their loved one. On Sunday morning, Primetico Coc, 63, was found in his yard gasping for air. Police say Coc was found by his daughter when she arrived at their home around 9:30 am on Sunday. Police say a bottle of Gramaxzone was found beside Coc and his daughter believes that he may have swallowed the herbicide.

Roaring Creek man murdered on his way home
A man was shot and killed on Monday night in Roaring Creek village, Cayo. The victim has been identified as 61 year old John Alexander Smith. Police say Smith was walking towards his Young Street home around 6:55 pm when he was accosted by a lone gunman. A single shot was fired at Smith, fatally wounding him to the left side of the face.

Blogs

CAN’T YOU SMELL THAT SMELL?
Well, one thing is for sure! You’ll never run out of food choices on this island! Every where you turn, there are insurmountable options for a very satisfying meal. There are several fantastic restaurants, local street food vendors and a plethora of local recipes to be made at home with ingredients that I’ve never heard of before. (We will elaborate on all of these different food options from time to time during the year.) As we headed out for our morning walk, the smells around town were torturous! Barbecue was in the air! You will find stands like this one all over the island, however, this guy (I think his name is Tino) is about 45 steps from our house. He grills up chicken, pork and sausage and serves it with baked beans and coleslaw. Sounds and smells amazing! Is this a good or bad thing having him within such close proximity? Not sure yet. Look at the line he has going here! We assume, at this point, that he has some really good barbecue. But, we trod on and kept walking, hoping to achieve the feeling of looser fitting clothes. Soon!

SETTIN’ UP SHOP AND GETTIN’ SOME GRUB!
After we successfully unpacked our 400+lbs of luggage, we took inventory of what, if anything, was missing from our new home that would make it more “suitable” for living and cooking. I had packed my favorite cookware items, housewares, knives, etc. that I use on a regular basis and, after inspection, found that our landlord’s kitchen was pretty well equipped. The only thing missing was FOOD! (And basic spices to make it taste better!) Off to the market! It was a beautiful day to go shopping! We haven’t decided on whether or not to purchase/rent a golf cart yet, so we are hoofin’ it everywhere. We walked the 2 blocks into town and discovered that we are close to everything we need! Little did we know that shopping for one meal would include visits to several different markets! First stop, Richie’s Supermarket! Simply put, this place is a very organized “mess”. More emphasis on “organized” than “mess”.

Secrets of Success in San Pedro
We all know event planning can be a total crap shoot in San Pedro and no matter where you live. You just never know what speed bumps will pop up along the way or who will show no matter how much you get the word out and where. I always say the right people show up at the party :) Recently appointed Sue Barkhouse and Joann Reilly as co-leaders of the San Pedro Red Cross Health Committee rolled with the punches as they organized their first events for 2015 and survived baptism by fire ha ha. Both Sue and Joann did a wonderful job from start to finish. Sue is in charge of our quarterly blood drives and Joann will be handling the First Aid/CPR training program and monthly courses. The San Pedro Red Cross, especially Shirlee and I are very excited to have them volunteering in lead positions – it is a big step forward for our organization.

Monday On The GORGEOUS Leeward Side of Ambergris Caye
Everyone who visits Ambergris Caye sees the barrier reef that lines the eastern side of the island. And the BEAUTIFUL sea… Over 25 miles long and about 5 miles wide, the opposite side of the caye is a whole different and very sparsely populated world. Just getting across the caye is an adventure – the road to Grand Belizean estates (5 miles up) is the only non-boat thoroughfare. And there is a not so “secret beach” up there that people love. Especially on Sunday. This side of the island is gorgeous…and yesterday, I got a pick up and was taken to one of the sand bars that form on the southern end of the many cayes back there. Note: It’s not only gorgeous but a very delicate environment…this whole inner lagoon and its surroundings were set to be part of the larger national protected area of Hol Chan Marine reserve until it died on someone’s desk. Most are still hoping, with fingers crossed, that the years of efforts finally pay off and this area get the protection it deserves.

Vacation Planner Alert – Belize Whale Sharks
Whale sharks, those tranquil behemoths of the sea, are already planning their annual migration to Belize. And if you’re looking for a truly remarkable adventure, you should consider joining them. It only happens once a year, and only in a handful of lucky spots on Earth, with Belize, for our money, being at the top of a very exclusive list. Sure, you can see whale sharks in Madagascar, South Africa, Australia, Mozambique, Indonesia and the Yucatan, but Belize’s Gladden Spit is an amazingly accessible and stunningly beautiful spot to see and even swim and snorkel with these incredible creatures. Measuring over 40 feet (or over 12 metres) and weighing in at more than 79,000 lb (some 36 tonnes) these guys are the world’s largest fish, and indeed some of the biggest animals to ever inhabit the planet. They’re also some of the oldest, having remained relatively unchanged over the last 60 million years.

New finding at Caracol
“Everyone moved into the various huts and situated themselves while Diane and I went to the top of Structure A13 and photographed the new monument with an elaborate flash setting. The resultant photograph was remarkably crisp and revealed a lot of detail on the new altar. The iconographic scene is one of two seated individuals facing each other, with the one on the right making a gesture of submission or alliance; both are named in the accompanying hieroglyphic text.” PhD Arlen Chase The story coming in of this new finding at the ancient site of Caracol is still very vague and downright sketchy if you ask me but I tell you as I heard it. We know that the BDF Belize Defense Force are situated at the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve and the Chiquibul National Park specifically in Douglas Da Silva Forestation and Tapir camp. Everyday or whenever they have a working vehicle members of the BDF will accompany tour groups heading to Caracol. One one such day a member of the BDF had climbed on top of structure A13 possibly to get a higher vantage point such tactics can also me observed at the site of Xunantunich. While also cleaning in the same area a caretaker of the site climbed to the top of A13 and noticed that the BDF was observing an exposed stone the caretaker later commented that he had always climbed above to clean and had never given the stone any importance.

Grill of my dreams: Bring on those ribs!
The fourth annual BBQ Cookoff at Estel’s Dine by the Sea is history and 120 rib-loving customers have spoken: Rick Saager of Oregon — a frequent visitor to Ambergris Caye — is the People’s Choice among the six talented barbecue chefs. For those of you keeping score, Rick’s ribs were the ones with the orange stick in them. There were six chefs in all. The cook-off is a fundraiser for the two-year-old Sunshine Scholarship Foundation which is dedicated to giving the island’s neediest children a fighting chance at an education. This past year, six children were helped and Isla Bonita School got 20 portable computers according to Eve Dirnback, co-founder of the organization with Joy Flowers. Last year, fresh to the island, Rose and I stumbled upon the cook-off. Too late to buy tickets we none-the-less had a great time soaking in the atmosphere and listening to a pick-up band of some of the island’s finest musicians. This year, we were ready for the ribs.

International Sources

Has The Great 20-40 Year Flip In The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) Occurred Or Is It An Anomaly?
The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) which is the long duration changes in sea surface temperatures across the Atlantic Ocean. The AMO cycle goes through natural 20-40 year warm and cold phases. The AMO is important in terms of tropical cyclones as it in part regulates active and inactive periods of activity across the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. When there is a warm cycle of the AMO, there is normally a 20-40 year period of increased tropical cyclone activity. On the opposite end, when the AMO cycle in a cold phase, the activity across the Atlantic goes through a 20-40 year period of near average to below average activity. Since about 1995, the AMO has been in a warm cycle which has led to a marked increase in tropical cyclone activity across the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Now, the latest data indicates that the AMO is at its lowest levels since the period between 1983 and 1994 when we had the last cold cycle. So, this raises the question, has the AMO flipped to a cold phase which if true would last for the next 20 to 40 years or is this negative AMO index just a anomaly. To be honest, I’m not sure as there is conflicting data that suggests either scenario is possible, although my initial thoughts are that it is an anomaly.

Marijuana in Jamaica: Possession of up to two ounces decriminalised on Bob Marley's birthday
Possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use has been decriminalised in Jamaica after a drugs law that was passed on Friday was debated by senators for five hours. Having up to two ounces (around 56 grams) will only be punishable by a fixed penalty ticket, instead of a criminal charge. The amendment of the law happens to have been passed on the birthday of reggae legend Bob Marley, who died of cancer aged 36 in 1981. He is well-known to have praised weed as “the healing of a nation.” The new penalty will cost, or if it would be a criminal offence to not pay the amount, is not yet known.

Environment and development in coastal regions and in small islands
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF URBAN AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT A case history: Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico By Peter V. Wiese, retired exploration geologist Executive Summary Before its development, Cancún Island was a barrier island, 17 km long and 100-400 m wide. It faced the Caribbean Sea and enclosed a shallow lagoon and was an important nesting site for seabirds and sea turtles. There were several openings to the mangrove lined lagoon in which there was a variety of marine life. In order to create a tax base for the newly created state of Quintana Roo (1973), it was decided to create an upscale resort for the wealthy. First, farmers were brought in from other states to set up the agricultural infrastructure on land to the west of the lagoon. However, poor soils resulted in these farmers becoming subsistence farmers, and most food is brought in from other parts of Mexico.

Mystery of Cynk Stock Jump Endures as SEC Sues Belize Brokerages
A U.S. probe into alleged penny-stock scams has again led to the Belize office building that was home to Cynk Technology Corp., the company that enthralled Wall Street last year by surging 36,000 percent. The Securities and Exchange Commission last week sued two Belize-based brokerages, as well as three firms in the Cayman Islands and Panama, saying they generated more than $75 million by dumping worthless shares of shell companies. While the case doesn’t mention Cynk, the SEC said one of the defendants, Clear Water Securities Inc., was run by Phil Kueber -- one of the people tied to Cynk, which said it planned to run a social network but had no assets, no revenue and, for one hour in July, a market value of more than $6 billion. The other Belize firm, Legacy Global Markets SA, lists its address as the fourth floor of Belize City’s Matalon building, which Cynk also called home.

John McAfee prepares for his 'last stand'
We were somewhere near the Georgia border, riding shotgun with John McAfee in a tricked-out monster truck along Interstate 85, when things got spectacularly weird. We'd been on the road since 5:30 a.m., subsisting on caffeine and cough drops, when the mercurial McAfee nonchalantly drops a bombshell. Days earlier, someone affixed a mysterious box near the gas tank of the truck that is hurtling down the highway at 85 mph. "Yes, I believe the device was an explosive meant to do me great harm," he says. "Oh, don't panic. It was removed from the vehicle and is being investigated by the FBI." The FBI had no comment. After spending the better part of 2014 on the run from, he says, assassins sent from Belize, McAfee and his wife, Janice, are living in plain sight in a house in Lexington, Tenn. He fled the country and initially moved to Portland, Ore., before settling in Tennessee. According to reports, his fortune, once more than $100 million, has dwindled to a few million dollars — possibly less. McAfee declined to discuss his personal finances. Along the way, McAfee's outsize ambitions — and tales — made for riveting entertainment. As mind-bending as they may be, the stories required a note of skepticism.

The Caribbean Reports Record Number of Tourists and Spending in 2014
A record 26.3 million people traveled to the Caribbean last year and spent an unprecedented amount of money in what is considered the world’s most tourism-dependent region, officials said Tuesday. It is the fifth consecutive year that the Caribbean has reported an increase in tourists following an economic crisis that forced resorts to shut down and caused a drop in visitors and spending. Hugh Riley, the Caribbean Tourism Organization‘s secretary general, said Caribbean tourism rose by 5.3 percent, while the worldwide tourism growth rate was 4.7 percent. Officials attributed the increase in part to improvements at airports around the region, the opening of new hotel chains and an increase in direct flights and airline seat capacity.

SUNY Cortland Study Abroad Scholarships Presented
SUNY Cortland recently awarded more than $54,000 in scholarships and exchange awards to help 64 students expand their educational horizons through study in Chile, Turkey, India, Germany and many other countries. Three winter 2015 OAP recipients traveled abroad for fieldwork related to a course in Belize: History, Arts and Culture: • Dylan Ferrier, a senior history major from Middletown, N.Y.; • Kelli Grossmann, a sophomore art and art history major from Miller Place, N.Y.; and, • Amanda Sacca, a junior speech and hearing science major from Latham, N.Y.

This is the Fastest-Growing Caribbean Destination for Europeans
No destination in the Caribbean saw more growth from the European source market than the Cayman Islands in 2014, according to data from the Caribbean Tourism Organization. The British Overseas Territory received a total of 36,405 tourists from Europe last year, a 30.9 percent increase in European tourism compared to 2013. That was the fastest growth of any Caribbean destination, with Grenada coming in second with 21.5 percent growth from Europe and Belize at third with a 20.8 percent improvement.

Caribbean delegates discussing new climate change tools
A three-day workshop aimed at exposing senior Caribbean technocrats to a suite of tools developed under the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) project began here on Tuesday. The Belize-based Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) said the workshop is being supported by the Caribbean Weather Impact Group (CARIWIG) project involved in risk-based decision-making in the region. The delegates are being exposed to the Caribbean Assessment Regional Drought (CARiDRO) initiative that was designed to facilitate drought assessment in the context of the Caribbean and Central America. “It is a flexible system that should accommodate the requirements of different users. The online tool is composed of two main sections: a descriptive one where the user can find information on how to use the tool as well as terms and concepts that are useful,” the CCCCC said.

Caribbean enjoys fifth year of tourism growth
Tourism to the Caribbean saw its fifth year of growth in 2014 with a record number of visitors and spend. A new report from the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) found there was a record 26.3 million tourists to the islands in 2014, up 1.3m on 2013.

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