August 30, 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, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Just a few more pictures of the Miss San Pedro 2015 Pageant...
Miss Congeniality: Ethel Villatoro ~ Miss Photogenic: Iris Salguero ~ Bella San Pedrana (a separate title given by Hotel Los Cocos in Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico): Brianna Hope Leslie First Runner-Up: Velie Alexis Williams ~~ Miss San Pedro 2015-2016: Iris Salguero Judges for this year's event were: OJ Elrington, Monica Gallardo, Leonardo Melendez, Miriam Abdul and Cara Thomas.

Izzy’s Smoothie & Juice Bar
Cool off with a delicious array of fresh fruit smoothies, juices and shakes at Izzy’s Smoothie & Juice Bar. Located on the junction of Pescador Drive and St, it’s impossible to miss the little juice shack that’s serves up the cold concoctions. Choose from fresh fruit ingredients such as papaya, pineapple, melon, mango and more or build your own beverage by choosing a combination of your favorites!

Wolfe’s Woofer: The Marriage Limit
“Melody came by while you were downtown,” Sherry said. “She said something about a wedding and will you watch Davin for her.” “Ah,” I said. “The Grandpa Child Care service. Oh, well. What is it that Melody always says about it?” “She says that if you didn’t want to look after your grandchildren you should never have become a grandfather.” After lunch Melody came over. “We’re going to a wedding,” she said. “Glen and I want to stay for the reception but we don’t need a nine year-old hanging around there getting into trouble.” “I’ll take care of him,” I said.

Police Report
Found Property: *On Saturday, August 22nd at 6PM, acting on San Pedro Special Branch Intelligence, Caye Caulker Police retrieved a black plastic bag containing a shoe box from a water taxi cargo section in Caye Caulker Village. When the box was opened, police found two parcels wrapped in black plastic and transparent tape which contained suspected Cannabis. Drug Trafficking: *On Thursday, August 20th at 3PM, acting on Special Branch Intelligence, a team of Special Branch and Criminal Investigation Branch personnel visited the vegetable shop of Ernildo Estrada and Lydia Gonzalez located on Laguna Drive, Boca del Rio Area to conduct searches for illegal drugs. The search led to the discovery of black plastic bag containing 109.9 grams of Cannabis which was hidden behind a stereo system.

Doctor Love: Bad Marriages and Bad Drivers
Dr-LoveDear Doctor Love, I am divorced after my third marriage. My first husband was an abuser. My second husband was an alcoholic. The third was an abuser, an alcoholic and a criminal. The longest of these marriages was two and a half years. The smart thing I have done is that I only have one child and she is not by any of these three men. Each time I have gotten divorced it has been a messy, drawn out process where I have to go to court and file all kinds of papers. Now I have met a man that I think might be the one I have been looking for. He is talking about marriage but the idea scares me. I am thinking about moving in with him instead of getting married. Then I could leave whenever I wanted to. Would I be better off to live with him instead of being married to him? /s/ Tired Of This

Misc Belizean Sources

Letter: People's National Party of Belize condemns presence of military on political station
Dear Sir: The People’s National Party notes with grave concern the appearance of Admiral Borland and Commandant Jones on UDP owned radio and TV station Wave. The appearance of these two gentlemen along with Minister of National Security John Saldivar on Wave can only be construed as using the military, which serves the entire nation, not just the UDP government, for political ends. An important line has been crossed, one which should never be crossed again. Surrounded as we are by countries that have experienced in the recent past, or currently suffer the evils of military dictatorship, we Belizeans are right to be extremely angry that it seems that here in Belize the military are now being used for political ends.

BTL Entrepreneurial Challenge
BTL has teamed up with BELTRAIDE to have the 1st Entrepreneurial Challenge. If you have a great idea for a new or different business, you could win $10,000 for starting it.

Calla Creek Community Center Facelift
4 the World, along with many volunteers, repaired and painted the Calla Creek Community Center. Looks great! Thanks, 4 the World! "The community center at Calla Creek Village has a new look with Quetzal Green paint thanks to our partner S.O.S volunteers from Canada and all the 4 the World volunteers from the village!"

The Reporter

Chikungunya-like symptoms surface in Corozal
The Ministry of Health is investigating four suspected cases of Chikungunya (Chik-V) In the Corozal district. On Friday the Corozal Town Hospital revealed that it was treating several persons with symptoms of the virus. All the cases originated in the Altamira area, Corozal Town. The ministry’s Vector Control Unit is trying to determine if the infected persons travelled outside of Belize recently, where they might have contracted the potentially deadly flu. As a precautionary measure, the ministry has initiated a clean-up campaign with the Corozal Town Council of breeding areas for mosquitoes.

PUP holds meetings with concerned 11
The People’s United Party (PUP) is holding meetings with the 11 of its standard bearers who have raised concerns over the party’s leadership and who have requested for a national convention that would challenge Francis Fonseca as leader. On Thursday, representations from both sides were presented, but while the party is willing to consider holding the national convention, it is not prepared to agree to their request to challenge Fonseca’s leadership. Deputy leader, Julius Espat told The Reporter following the meeting that the discussion was positive and that they “agreed on most items. We should conclude by next week. Very productive meeting.” One of the 11 members told us us that the party has indicated that Fonseca’s leadership will not be challenged because of their belief that generals elections will be called early. But they feel that they should have been consulted in order yo arrive at a conclusion – a process that the party claims not only happened, but at a meeting of all executive members and standard bearers this year, there was a unanimous vote (Including the 11) for Fonseca as leader.

Russell Hyde and woman killed in ambush
Well-known Roaring Creek resident, Russell Hyde Sr., whose common-law wife was shot and killed in a vehicle he was driving on the George Price Highway in May, was shot and killed on Friday night. Hyde was reportedly heading to his farm in Camalote Village, Cayo along with Marcy Humes when a group of gunmen ambushed them and opened fire on them. Hyde was hit several times, died at the scene. He had been targeted numerous times and had also been accused of a number of offences. Police have no suspects in connection with these latest killings. Several members of his family were killed in 2015 alone, and earlier this month, his nephew Brian Hyde, was arrested and charged in Florida for e triple murder of his aunt, her daughter and son-in-law.

Breaking Belize News

Kareem Clarke Memorial Fund donates to St. Joseph feeding program
Members of the local press braved the hot Saturday sun to collect goods for donation to the St. Joseph R.C. School Feeding Program, run by the St. Vincent de Paul Society. They did it in honor of the late Kareem Clarke, 27, gunned down late at night in […]

Corozal uncovers cases of Chikungunya
Chikungunya or Chik V, as it is commonly called, is a vector borne disease that is transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito and made its first appearance in Belize in November of last year, when a case was reported in the Las Flores area of Belmopan. Chik V had seemingly […]

Man and woman killed in double homicide in Camalote Village
We have received reports that Russel Hyde and Marcy Humes were the two victims of the double homicide that happened in Camalote Village, Cayo District last night. According to reports, Hyde and Humes were en-route to their farm when they were ambushed by a group of gunmen in an area […]

How the crisis in Guatemala affects Belize
The political scandal involving Guatemalan government officials involved in corrupt activities has reached a fever pitch as thousands of Guatemalan took to the streets on Thursday morning to demand the resignation of President Otto Perez Molina, but the controversy in that country may also have effects on Belize. Molina has […]

Blogs

September Celebrations in Belize
September is a great time to be in Belize. It’s the tourism off-season, which means cheaper prices on accommodations/ tours, and you can also partake in the festive September Celebrations. The most important date is September 21 – Belize’s Independence Day, but there are many festivities throughout the country for almost two weeks leading up to the national holiday. In early Belize history, the country was under Spanish rule, but Spain did not actually control the area due to a belief that it did not have sufficient resources to gain the country’s full attention. Spain allowed British settlers into the area, and the British eventually gained a large presence. During the Battle of St. George’s Caye, the Spanish and British fought for about a week in September 1798, and this essentially led to British rule of the country. The British held control over the area until it was granted self-government in 1964, and it was renamed Belize from British Honduras in 1973. Belize finally attained independence on 21 of September 1981. Each year during September, Belizeans celebrate their independence in a number of ways.

International Sources

The 5 Best Countries to Retire In
Retirement can bring thoughts of relocation. We might move to be nearer our children, or to enjoy a lower cost of living in a smaller home, perhaps in a different town or state. Consider thinking out of the box a little, though, as you might want to relocate to a different country! Keep reading, to learn about the best countries to retire in and about why you might or might not want to move to one of them. (NYSE: HRB ) Pros and cons of retiring in a different country The biggest advantage of retiring in a foreign country, for most people, will be a lower cost of living, often enhanced by lower taxes. That can be a big deal if your retirement nest egg and your expected Social Security income seem insufficient to support you in your desired lifestyle. Some countries, such as Switzerland, are actually costlier places to live than the U.S., but many others will seem quite a bargain. Among low-cost countries you might consider Ecuador, Nicaragua, Vietnam, Thailand, and Belize.

Investigations into corruption in Guatemala
Investigations into corruption in Guatemala have expanded to the highest levels of government as President Otto Pérez Molina and his former Vice President Roxana Baldetti were named on Friday as the head of "La Linea," a criminal structure that has been robbing an unknown amount -- but what could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars -- from the State. Baldetti, who resigned on May 8, is in police custody, and will face prosecution for criminal conspiracy, customs fraud and accepting bribes. Guatemala's top court also approved a process to repeal the president's immunity from prosecution, and the matter now awaits a decision from the congress. These investigations have spurred massive and sustained protests calling for the president's resignation and represent a historic opportunity to bring about meaningful reform in a moment when the nation is on the verge of institutional collapse. With unprecedented momentum building to address unbridled government corruption and impunity, the biggest impediment to successful reform may be the September 6 elections.

Videos

August 29, 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, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Work on phase two of Police Barracks resumes
Works on the second phase of the police barracks building has finally resumed as of Wednesday, August 26th, after being at a standstill for almost a year. The construction of the second barrack building began early in October of 2014, and so far, only the foundation and first floor walls have been constructed. The Ministry of National Security gave $50,000 towards the completion of the building in August of last year, but according to Guerrero more will be needed. “The government provided us with some funds which have already been used in purchasing the construction materials. The funds were not enough so we might need the San Pedro Town Council and maybe the business community as well to chip in, in order to finalize the completion of the building,” said Guerrero. The additional funds that are needed will cover the cost for plumbing, electric wiring, painting and tiling.

Horris Patten is the new Health Inspector for San Pedro
Horris Patten is the new Health Inspector, who will be in charge of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker. As of Wednesday, August 5th, the senior public health officer took over the position that was held by health inspector Lisa Tillett, who has now been assign to Belize City. Patten is a native of the Corozal District and is excited to be on the island. He looks forward to work together with the San Pedro residents in order to reach out to everyone and assist them in their health issues. During his time in the islands, Patten will implement different programs within the community which will stress healthy livig. “First of all, we need the public’s participation, this is very important since when it comes to health we need to engage with the community a lot. In my portfolio, the investigation of commutable diseases is a must as well the investigation of public health complaints. In San Pedro my department is in charge of food safety and from time to time we will conduct private and food premise inspections at the different food establishments to ensure that the food being prepared is safe and the people who are consuming it are not exposed to any illnesses by food not being prepared in a clean way. I will also be overseen anything that has to do with vector diseases which is the Malaria program and with the recent Dengue outbreaks in other parts of the country, we will be monitoring for any signs of any vector illness,” elaborated Patten.

Ambergris Today

Travellers Launches New Fiesta Rum - The Belizean Party Rum
Just in time for September celebrations Travellers Liquors launched its first-ever celebrity tie-in rum “Fiesta Rum” at the Traveller’s Liquors Heritage Center on Wednesday, August 26, 2015. Last year the popular “Belizean Rum” hit the stores countrywide just before the September Celebrations festive season; this time around it is all about Fiesta Rum. It is Travellers first blended spice rum inspired and in collaboration with Belizean celebrity Disc jockey DJ Dalla. Fiesta Rum is a very clean and smooth alcohol (goma free/ hangover free) with an aroma of vanilla, hazel nut, chocolate and cinnamon coming from the barrel and other natural spices of Belize. The new rum is now readily available in stores countrywide Belizeans and visitors to enjoy during the nation’s patriotic celebrations.

Misc Belizean Sources

Please support the fundraiser for Mrs. Dora Badillo
Please come out and support this Fundraiser we are doing for Ms. Dora Badillo as she is in need to pay her medical expenses! IT will be this saturday at 9am! Thank you and God Bless! Donations are appreciated!

Caye Caulker: San Pedro Belize Express ticket office moving
The San Pedro Belize Express ticket office on Caye Caulker will be moving to the bridge today, so you will be able to buy your tickets and send cargo right on the bridge as of 1 p.m. TODAY (Friday August 28, 2015).

Corozal to hody 8 Ball Billiards Tournament
Aug 28 - Corozal to host the Finals of the annual Belikin sponsored 8 Ball Billiards Tournament. It is all happening this Saturday Aug 29 and Sunday Aug 30 beginning at 9:00 A.M. at the Andres Campos Civic Center. Elements will be the defending champions. Everyone is invited to attend. Plenty of sitting area and Free Entrance.

Cayo Got Talent at CWC
Check out the Cayo Welcome Center tonight for Cayo Got Talent. This will be a preliminary show, getting ready for the bigger events coming later this year. "This is the start of something BIG.Together with Masabaduga - Barefoot Restaurant and a number of the Twin Town's positive youth, we aim at helping our youth build and grow any and all talent into Something Great. We hope to make this a successful annual talent competition."

Government of Belize Does it Again - Bulldoze the homes of Belizeans squatting on land.
This time it happened in the Salvapan area of Belmopan. Without any warning, Government sent in heavy equipment to bulldoze the homes. A protest march has been planned to register the affected families outrage. According to a source, prior to his election as mayor of Belmopan, Khalid Belisle promised to have the land in the area surveyed and distributed to the residents in the area. He has since reneged on that promise. The displaced families also say that they will lodge a complaint with the Human Rights Commission in Belize. This video was captured by a child who has been displaced by the government's unconscionable act.

Freshmen's Day 2015 San Pedro High School

Katy Sealy Wins Gold!
Heptathlete Katy Sealy Repping Belize. Katy Sealy won GOLD in the Central American Championship title for Belize in Nicaragua

People's National Party of Belize condemns presence of military on political station
The People’s National Party notes with grave concern the appearance of Admiral Borland and Commandant Jones on UDP owned radio and TV station Wave. The appearance of these two gentlemen along with Minister of National Security John Saldivar on Wave can only be construed as using the military, which serves the entire nation, not just the UDP government, for political ends. An important line has been crossed, one which should never be crossed again. Surrounded as we are by countries that have experienced in the recent past, or currently suffer the evils of military dictatorship, we Belizeans are right to be extremely angry that it seems that here in Belize the military are now being used for political ends.

Power Interruption 8:00am to 3:00pm, Sunday, August 30, Belize City
Entire West Landivar area. Two twenty minute power interruptions from 8:00 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. and 2:40 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. will also affect the portion of Princess Margaret Drive from St. Matthew Street to University Drive, Lizarraga Avenue, Gentle Avenue, Meighan Avenue, University Drive and Moho Caye and area from Mile 1 to Mile 3 on the Philip Goldson Highway including entire areas of Coral Grove, Buttownood Bay and Belama Phase 1. BEL to conduct system upgrades on the power distribution system in the area.

NTHU Scholarship Ceremony
The National Tsing Hua University Belize Educational Service Group was in Cayo doing community service projects for 6 weeks this Summer. While here, they visited 11 local schools to meet with their principals, and help out with various projects. They come to Belize every year, and stress the importance of education, and they continually find ways to use computers to increase education in the local schools. They donated computers, laptops, and projectors to the 11 schools. This year, they also awarded 4 scholarships to local students so they could go to high school. The ceremony was carried out at Sacred Heart College's auditorium. The Taiwanese Ambassador, Benjamin Ho, was instrumental in this year's activities, and gave a wonderful speech on community service. Thank you, NTHU, for all you have done in Cayo over the years. See you next year. Pictures on G+.

Remember this????
The U.D.P. at that time was headed by Theodore Aranda, Manuel Esquivel and Dean Lindo. Mr. Aranda was quoted on BBC television at the time as saying "We want nothing to do with independence." The U.D.P. boycotted the Belize Independence Ceremony at Government House where the Union Jack was lowered, then replaced by the Belize Flag to the joy of hundreds of Belizeans who had gathered for this historic event. The current Prime Minister of Belize Mr. Dean Barrow (nephew of Mr. Dean Lindo) had left Belize for the U.S. at the time and did not return to the country to participate in Independence Day Ceremonies for the new nation-state. Belize became an independent nation on September 21st, 1981. Independence Day in Belize is a day that honors our struggles for a better life, a day that celebrates our triumph that has led our country and its people to freedom and a new and improved way of life.

Channel 7

Four Years Later, Government Will Compensate Fortis For BEL Expropriation
Last night we told you about the special Cabinet meeting which is set for Monday, and the special House Sitting which we are now informed will be Wednesday, not Tuesday. But what's it all about; what could be so special? Many have speculated that it's to announce a date for elections - but tonight 7News has confirmed that it's not that. Best information to our newsroom is that Government has hammered out a settlement agreement with Fortis International to compensate the Canadian Power company for taking over BEL. Our information says that the special Cabinet meeting to sign off on the agreement will be held in Belize City in the morning followed by a press conference in the afternoon - where the Prime Minister will publicly announce the settlement. From there, it will be taken to the house for approval on Wednesday and then the Senate on Friday.

Senator Shoman Wants CEO's To answer To Senate About Sarstoon
The Sarstoon River has become the flashpoint for the Belize Guatemala Territorial Dispute - and now PUP Senator Lisa Shoman wants answers from the top brass in Foreign Affairs and National Security. She sent a "notice of motion" to the clerk of the National Assembly today - in advance of next Friday's Senate meeting. Shoman is invoking the powers of the Senate to bring the CEO's in both Ministries before the upper house to speak about the recent aggression that the Guatemalan military has shown on the Sarstoon. She's says its necessary after the Prime Minister reported tone week ago that the BDF has been putting up with routine harassment and intimidation from the Guatemalan Navy when they go up river to the Cadenas border lookout. When we travelled there eon Tuesday we saw the BDF Patrol Boat jetting out of the Sarstoon, which the Guatemalan navy boat at high speed right behind them. It looked like a chase, but the BDF has not confirmed. the She explained via telephone today:... Hon. Lisa Shoman, PUP Senator "I think it is important for us as the senate to bring in, because we can, we have that right and that responsibility to bring in the CEO's of National Security and of Foreign Affairs and let them tell us what has been happening in the Sarstoon River, how long it's been occurring, the steps that have been taken, if protest has been made to Guatemala."

Billy's Kitchen Caught With Crustaceans
Undersized lobster caused a major headache for a Chinese Restaurant Owner in Belize City today. Fifty year old Pin Yin Wu Li, the owner of Billy's Kitchen, a restaurant at mile 1 on Phillip Goldson Highway, was charged with possession of 18 undersized lobster. She appeared today before Magistrate La Donna John where she pleaded not guilty. She was released on bail of $800 dollars and her case was adjourned until October 7. On August 25 - a fisheries officer found the undersized lobsters inside the cooking area. Lobster season is open right now, but tails must weigh 4 ounces or more for it to be legal.

Home Invading Carjackers Caught
One week ago on August 21st. at 10:50 pm, two men - one black, one Hispanic, stormed into the San Ignacio home of 37-year-old Environmental Officer Anthony Mai. They demanded the keys for his government owned Toyota Hilux and his Chevy Colorado Pick-up which was parked in front of his yard. They drove off in the Chevy and fired a shot at Mai's house as they tore off into the night. Well, police say they have the culprits. Cayo residents, Melvin Budna Jr. and Julian Garcia have been charged for aggravated burglary, aggravated assault with a firearm and theft of motor vehicle. They appeared in court on Wednesday and were remanded into custody until October. The stolen pickup has not been recovered.

Belize Embassy in Mexico, A Resource
Yesterday we told you about the "Export to Mexico Workshop". The idea was to give Belizean producers and exporters an overview of the Mexican Market - with the finer trade details of all the in's and out's of the third most populous country in the America's. And while BELTRAIDE took the lead, the effort was brought together by the Belizean Embassy in Mexico City. It's an important detail because as the Deputy Chief of mission explained, that embassy is also a quick reference resource for exporters:.. Michelle Vanzie - Deputy Chief of Missions, Belize Embassy to Mexico "The Mexican economy is a very big economy. It's one of the largest in Latin America. I believe it's the second largest, perhaps after Brazil. So what we are trying to promote, is basically to get the Belizean products into Mexico because it's such a big opportunity, such a huge market. We are able to assist. One of the things that challenges Belizeans producers and distributors and so forth is that I believe because the market is so big they don't know where to start. They don't know who to touch base with and that kind of impedes them from trying to get in. So this is where the Embassy of Belize can come in. You contact us. We have set up strong relationships with different entities from the private sector, NGOs, non-profit and so forth. For example the chambers of commerce out there, licenses, accreditation and certification bodies. So if we are there to provide assistance and to provide advice and to network you with the persons that can get your product in."

Police Minister to Islands
Two weeks ago we showed you Police Minister John Saldivar touring the newly restructured Eastern Division's North, South and Rural formations. Well, San Pedro and Caye Caulker are also part of Eastern Division - North. He toured those areas on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Now, the island formations have their own particularities - not the least of which is the high number of extortion cases committed by corrupt cops against tourists, and of course, the murder of 18 year old Hilberto Sotz, which happened on Caye Caulker. But bad policing can sometimes be caused by poor working and living conditions. And that's what Saldivar found when he visited Caye Caulker. He discussed that and more when the tour was finished yesterday evening. Hon. John Saldivar, Minister of National Security "I continue to be impressed with the level of organization and strategy that the various officers in charge have been employing in their area. I am also again more convinced that the new configuration that we have put together for the Belize District is working and will continue to produce dividends for the police department."

Slain Bishop's Mother Speaks
Joel Bishop was killed in a massive gang related brawl on Princess Margaret Drive two weeks ago. Police have not made any arrests because we are told there are no witnesses coming forward. Bishop was viciously beaten and run over - and while police do have suspects - there's no enough evidence for an arrest. Today, Bishop's mother Deseree Hernandez who is visiting from Miami told us that she knows who is responsible for orchestrating her son's death - because there had been threats: Deseree Hernandez "I would like the world to know who send out the threat and who is happy and laughing about my son's death. And I would like them to know that she has threaten my son a long time ago. She threaten my son, she threaten me, she threaten my brother Goldburn Samuels, she threaten my other son Joseph Bishop and she needs to stop. My son told me that she told him that 'we will let them slaughter you like a cow in the street you Bishop, you will die and I will make them kill you.' She needs to stop and like my scriptures says that I have to forgive her and you cannot with Yahooweh Yahshua, you cannot play with him. He is nothing to play with."

No Faith In Principal At Faith Nazarene
Next week Tuesday, September 1, primary schools all around the country will be opening up for the new school year. Faith Nazarene Primary School in San Ignacio, like other schools are doing the same, but tonight a rift between the parents and teachers on one side, and the principal on another, is widening, and threatening the stability of the school. 400-500 students stand be affected, and parents are contemplating pulling their children out and enrolling them at another school. What's the reason for all this? Well, the teachers and parents who we have spoken to say that the Principal, Policarpia Pech, has mismanaged the school, disenfranchised the teachers, and disrespected the student population and their parents. Add to that allegations of poor decisions which have caused the school money, and it made for a tense situation where teachers and Parents of the Parent Teacher Association committed to protest this evening. But, they decided against it at the last moment, because the General Manager of the Nazarene Group of schools called them into a meeting to discuss a compromise.

Why Chicken Prices Went Up
On Wednesday's newscast we told you about the inflation figure for July. It was down minus one percent - meaning, that the groceries you bought for 100 dollars in July of 2014, would cost 99 dollars in July of 2015. Now, anyone who shops at the market knows that isn't so - and that's because essentials like eggs and beef have gone up sharply. Eggs went up 17% and today we asked the Manager of the Belize Poultry Association, Orland Habet to explain the price spike and tell us when you can expect lower prices:.. Orland Habet, Manager - Belize Poultry Association "The production of eggs actually went down because if you recall in January, BAHA had made a report that Spanish Lookout through a regular surveyance program flocks of hens were found to have Avian Influenza H5 which is a low pathogenic Avian Influenza. Belize had options of either depopulation and or also to do a vaccination program. We, along with BAHA and the Ministry of Agriculture opted to go the depopulation side instead of the vaccination, because it's more difficult, it costly and it takes a long time and we have to have a plan to get out of it.

Making Kareem Matter
Journalist Kareem Clarke was killed on July fifth, and by July 10th media workers had organized themselves to honour his memory with the Kareem Clarke Memorial Fund. After 6 weeks of meetings - the group is moving ahead with its first event tomorrow. It's a food drive for a feeding program where media workers will be gathering outside some of the city's largest supermarket and asking you to contribute. Treasurer Marisol Amaya told us more:... The media crew will be in front of the supermarkets from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, so you can make your donations then.

Bredda D, Come A Long Way
The musical artist Bredda David created Kungo Music in the early 80's. Since then he's remained an enduring presence on Belize's musical scene - where he sees the himself as more than just a music man - he sees himself as a messenger. And he's carrying an important message in his latest CD called Mama Africa - he says it's about a nation at 34, coming of age:.. The song "We've come a long way" was first recorded in the early 80's - but it's experienced a resurgence in popularity, so the video was recorded this year.

POLICE TOP COPS
And, in our last story for tonight - our news team today happened on a small police ceremony being conducted by the commanders of the San Ignacio Police Formation. The purpose of it was for the police leaders to decide who would be the officers of the month for August. We got a chance to speak with them about the rigors of the job and how they managed to distinguish themselves amongst their peers: We are obliged to note that while Corporal Ricky Valencia is making positive news tonight, he was under intense scrutiny last year when he was accused by Unitedville resident, Elston Arnold of looking on while a fellow officer brutalized him, shot him, and left him on the road while he was bleeding out. He was charged with criminal and disciplinary charges for that incident, but he was freed of the criminal charges.

Channel 5

Chik-V Cases Confirmed in Corozal
The first confirmed case of Chikungunya was recorded in Belize’s public health archives back in November, following a rash of the mosquito-transmitted fever across the Caribbean and Latin America. Since [...]

Police Finally Arrest Suspect in Brutal PG Murder
There finally is an arrest in the vicious murder of a labor officer that occurred months ago in Punta Gorda. Fifty-five-year-old Alberto Coleman, the ex-boyfriend of Juana Cowo, has been [...]

Opposition Senator Files Notice of Motion
Opposition Senator Lisa Shoman is unrelenting on the issue of the incursion in the Sarstoon by the Guatemalan military. Today she wrote to the Clerk of the National Assembly informing [...]

Senator Shoman Expects Support from Government Side
Shoman has tried to pass a motion once before, requesting an official Senate special select committee investigation into corruption in the Immigration Department. Thanks to a government majority in the [...]

Cost of Living Decreases By 1%
More Creole women are gainfully employed than Creole men. Unemployment figures improved slightly and the cost of living is down marginally when compared to the same period last year. Those [...]

Canada Selects Team to Battle Belize Jaguars
Canada’s twenty-two man roster has been selected ahead of a two-game home and away series against the Belize Jaguars in the third round of World Cup Qualifiers.  On Thursday, veteran [...]

CEMO Promotes Informational Exercise Books
The hurricane season started in June but in time for the school, year, the City Emergency Management Organization wants your support in purchasing exercise books that they say has very [...]

City Youth Charged for Drug Trafficking
Today, twenty-three year old Raheem Marsden, a resident of Belize City who was busted in possession of nine small parcels of marijuana, was arraigned at the Belize City Magistrate’s Court [...]

Undersized Lobster Lands Business Owner in Hot Water
A Taiwanese businesswoman who was caught with eighteen undersized lobster tails at her business was today dragged to court on fisheries offenses. But she pleaded not guilty and is challenging [...]

Tourism Minister Boasts About New Subdivision
In September of last year, News Five aired a story on which three hundred lots had been surveyed and granted to residents as part of a proposed subdivision for the [...]

Albert Pandy Organizes Highway Cleanup
A resident of the Georgeville Community on the George Price Highway in Cayo has started a cleanup campaign to inspire civic pride among the villagers. This past Sunday, Albert Pandy, [...]

Media Colleague Hold Food Drive In Memory of Kareem Clarke
On Saturday, personalities from various media houses will come together to ask Belizeans for help. Friends who have joined to form the Kareem Clarke Memorial Fund will be holding their [...]

“Sleepless Girls” Launches on Saturday in San Ignacio
Since February of this year, the Youth Advocacy Through Arts has been traveling the country and visiting high schools across the city performing its latest play entitled Sleepless Girls. The [...]

LOVE FM

Belize Waste Control takes Belize City Council back to court
Mayor Darrell Bradley and the Belize City Council have had their fair share of headaches with the sanitation companies. Today Mayor Bradly told the media Belize Waste Control is taking the Belize City Council to court once again, this time it has to do with recycling. Mayor Darrell Bradley “They are suing us again in […]

Senator submits motion to have CEOs appear before the Senate
Senator Lisa Shoman sent a letter along with a Notice of Motion to the clerk of the national assembly today. In her letter, Shoman is that the Notice of Motion be part of the Order of Business at the Senate meeting which has been scheduled for next week Friday. Shoman explained what the motion is […]

Man detained for fake currency
Police have detained a man after he reportedly attempted to make a credit card payment using fake currency. A bank teller at the Belize Bank Belize City Branch, reported that the man was making a credit card payment of eight hundred and eighty dollars using one hundred dollar bill, sixty eight five dollar bills and […]

Fire leaves family homeless
Fem Cruz reporting… A fire last night in the Maya Mopan area of Belmopan has left a family of three homeless. 25 year old Valentino Choco spoke to Love News about thier loss. Valentino Choco – Fire Victim “Well my wife left home around 11 on Thursday morning while I was already out for work. […]

Mayor says street works continue
During our interview with Belize City Mayor, Darrell Bradley, we got an update on the infrastructure work that is happening in Belize City. Bradley shared that several more contracts have been signed in order to pave more streets in Belize City. Mayor Darrell Bradley. ““Some of the areas we are now is off the main […]

Kareem Clarke Memorial Fund to hold fundraiser
Kareem Clarke Memorial Fund has planned its first fundraiser to be held tomorrow in Belize City. Kareem Clarke who was gunned down in July was a reporter for the Amandala newspaper. The fund which was created in his memory by his friends in the media looks at eliminating hunger among school children. As its first […]

Homeless man shares his story
Wayne Gentle – Homeless “I can’t believe it, nobody could have told me that I would have come to this.” Hipolito Novelo, Love News “If you think that you have it bad then you better think again. In fact, think about 59 year old Wayne Gentle. He has been having it bad for the past […]

Sculpture to be placed at BTL Park
The Belize City Council has plans to erect a fifteen foot sculpture at BTL Park. Mayor Bradley says he plans to do so before the year is over and he plans to hire Stephen Okeke as the sculptor. Bradley told us more about the sculpture. Mayor Darrell Bradley “It’s similar to the concept of the […]

Police Officers complete training on community policing
Angelica Cruz reporting… “The closing ceremony was held this afternoon at the Police training academy in Belmopan for a one week community policing training which began on Monday August 24. This training had the participation of 36 police officers from across the country. Sergeant Elroy Carcamo, NCO in Charge of Community Policing spoke to Love […]

Mayor Bradley says he has support of business community on campaign trail
Earlier in the week, PUP’s Standard Bearer for Caribbean Shores, Kareem Musa, told Love News that he feels confident that he will defeat his UDP opponent, Darrell Bradley. Musa said that his campaign has been going great. However, he did also say that the only thing that Bradley has over him is Government monies to […]

PlusTV

BTV travels with BDF; Plants a flag on Sarstoon
A Belizean flag has been planted on the now iconic Sarstoon Island. While that was not the main objective of today’s Belizean Territorial Volunteers trip down the Sarstoon river, the BTV saw an opportunity and took it. As we have been reporting for the past few weeks, tensions have arisen between th...

Police demlish Belmopan squatters’ homes
A community of Squatters in the Maya Mopan Community were upset when City Council workers, flanked by a police mobile rolled into the community today and started dismantling their wooden structures. A total of 4 wooden structures were dismantled and more were slated for dismantling that same afterno...

Blackman Eddy villagers upset over sale of land
A 20.7 acre piece of land in the village of Black Man Eddy is in Dispute. According to the Chairwoman of the Village, Yolanda Molina, she along with the village council, has been working since 2009 to acquire the land for the purpose of village expansion. She lost the 2010 village elections and so ...

Ray Davis dismissed as Senator
The General Council of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize has voted to remove Ray Davis as Labor Senator. Tensions have been building since Davis abstained from voting on the Petrocaribe Loans Act when it was first passed into law on March 30 of this year. There was public chiding of Davis...

Director of Health Services unceremoniously cleared out of office
The Director of Health Services, Dr. Michael Pitts, the highest ranking Public Servant in the Ministry of Health, was unceremoniously cleared out of his office at the Ministry of Health today. According to credible reports to Plusnews, the cleaners at the Ministry of Health were ordered by the Mini...

Charged for killing two persons in traffic accident
24 year-old Ethon Belisle, a resident of St. Pauls Bank was charged him with 2 counts of manslaughter, 2 counts of causing death by careless conduct, 1 count of driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention, and 1 count of improperly overtaking a vehicle that was in front of him. All these ...

15 year old killed in Home Invasion
A 15 year old boy was killed during a home invasion at his grandfather’s house on the Hummingbird Highway. Dangriga Correspondent Harry Arzu has the story. Harry Arzu: a 15 year old boy is dead as a result of a gunshot wound that he sustained during a robbery that occurred Friday Mornin...

Amandala

Former rap artist “Bobo Youth” fished out of the river
A fisherman from Hattieville had an unnerving experience yesterday morning that made him run off, leaving his fishing net in the river near the BelCan Bridge. Herman Lawrence Williams, 39, felt something heavy tugging on his net, and as he began pulling on the net, he saw a human hand in the net, coming out of the water Williams dropped his net and ran, out of fright. Williams managed to find two policemen and told them of his “find.” Within a few minutes, a curious crowd was gathering on top of the Belcan Bridge, staring below at the body of a man near the shoreline. There were murmurs in the crowd, as some people began saying, “that man is Bobo Youth, he hang around this area a lot.”

COLA pressures GOB: “Protect Belize: Build the base now.”
The activist grassroots organization Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) this morning launched its response to the government’s delay in the construction of a Forward Operating Base (FOB) on Sarstoon Island under the banner “Protect Belize: Build the base now,” at a press conference that was broadcast live from the Radisson Fort George Hotel. Around the end of May, there was a standoff around Sarstoon Island between elements of the Belize Coast Guard and the Guatemalan Navy. The government later reported that Guatemala had objected to the construction of a military base on the island until their territorial claim is adjudicated at the International Court of Justice. Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington had said that Belize and Guatemala were scheduled to discuss the matter at the Organization of American States.

Did Guat navy chase BDF out of Sarstoon?
The Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV), in defiance of Prime Minister Dean O. Barrow’s warning not to return to Sarstoon Island a second time, did just that Tuesday morning, August 25, when Wil Maheia, the BTV founder, set out in two boats with over a dozen persons, including media representatives, to witness the changing of the BDF guard at their Cardenas observation post, accessible only through the Sarstoon River. This time, however, while the BTV was spared harassment from Guatemalan navy boats, they witnessed the returning BDF boat being “escorted,” at high speed, by a Guatemalan navy boat deep inside Belize territorial waters, constituting yet another violation of Belize’s territorial integrity. Last Wednesday at his prime ministerial press conference, where he was flanked by Foreign Minister Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington and National Security Minister John Saldivar, BDF Brigadier General David Jones and Coast Guard Admiral, John Borland, Prime Minister Barrow disclosed to the nation for the first time that not only has Guatemala beefed up its claim to the Sarstoon River, but “…our BDF are routinely challenged by the Guatemalans and as happened just last Tuesday, frequently told to turn back.”

Alberto Coleman, 55, arraigned for murder
Alberto Coleman, 55, a bus driver of Hopeville, was arraigned at the Punta Gorda Magistrate Court today before Magistrate Emerson Banner on the charge of murder for the death of Alberta Cowo Cardinez, 29. He was remanded until October 29. Police said that they conducted a two-month investigation into the brutal death of the Labor Officer, which led to Alberto Coleman, her ex-boyfriend. On Friday, July 3, Cardinez’s decomposing body was found in her room on Jose Maria Street in Punta Gorda by her family members who went to Punta Gorda to look for her after she was reported missing on Wednesday, July 1.

Accused murderer walks
Supreme Court Justice Adolph Lucas, sitting without a jury, ruled yesterday to acquit Nicholas Swazo, 29, of the October 7, 2011 murder indictment of Mennonite businessman, Windell Reimer, 35, who was gunned down at his hardware store Eagle One, on the Philip Goldson Highway. Swazo becomes the second person to be acquitted of Reimer’s murder. On August 18, Earnest Staine was acquitted of the murder of Reimer when his attorney, Dean Molina, successfully made a no-case-to- answer submission that Justice Lucas upheld. In finding Swazo not guilty, Justice Lucas found that the prosecution’s case suffered a key defect in Swazo’s identification.

Statistical Institute of Belize reports on the economy
The Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) had a press conference at the Central Bank of Belize at which presentations were made by Angelita Campbell, Marilyn Pinelo-Lee, Jefte Ocihaeta, and Dr. Leopold Perriott. Campbell stated in her presentation that consumer prices are down, but not by a significant amount — only by 1%. She pointed out as well that these consumer prices represent the average price of particular goods, which is derived after aggregating a range of prices being charged, and so what is actually spent at any given store by a customer may vary. A comparison between prices of certain goods in July 2014 and those same goods in July 2015 showed the following changes: the price of eggs rose from $3.25 a dozen to $3.75 a dozen, the price of pork chops went from $6.71 to $7.16, and the price of ground beef rose from $5.06 to $5.90. Meanwhile there were price drops for red kidney beans which cost $2.33 per pound last year but now can be purchased at $1.41 per pound, and rice (retail) – the price of which fell from $1.21 per pound to $1.10.

Former Belize national team coach “Chelato Ucles” seriously ill
Reports received at our sports desk are that former Belize national team coach, Honduran Jose de la Paz Herrera, better known as “Chelato Ucles,” was today flown out of Honduras to Costa Rica for medical treatment. He has been suffering from diabetes and had been hospitalized in Honduras to undergo a foot operation. From the sports desk, and on behalf of his many friends in Belize, we send our best wishes and prayers for a successful recovery to Chelato. Following his 2010 stint as national team coach for Belize “in a bid to qualify for Brazil 2014,” Chelato had reportedly been helpful to Belizean players attempting to secure places with teams in the Honduran league.

PLB Opening Season Week 2 results, standings, schedule
FC Belize is officially out, and with 6 teams remaining, the Premier League of Belize 2015-2016 Opening Season is already in full swing, with 10 regular season weeks before the top-4 playoffs. With the competition schedule adjustment, after the withdrawal of FC Belize last Friday, Placencia Assassins and Police United FC now have a Week 2 back match, scheduled for September 19 at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium. There were two Week 2 games this past weekend. At the FFB Stadium on Saturday night, visiting Wagiya from Dangriga got on the score card early through Eugene Martinez (1’), but home standing Belmopan Bandits replied before the half with goals from Evan Mariano (39’) and Marlon “El Matador” Meza (44’), and held on for the 2-1 victory. On Sunday afternoon at the MCC Grounds in Belize City, after a scoreless first half, midfielder Jesus Patino centered for Deon McCaulay (54’) to put visiting Verdes in front, but home squad BDF got a late tap in from Orlando Trapp (82’) off a free kick by John King, to knot things up at 1-1, the final score.

Dangriga: Wagiya vs Police United at Michael Ashcroft Stadium
Cycling: Here are the results from the second annual Harlem Street Fest Cycling Classic that was held last Saturday from the Roxy Bar to Hopkins junction and back. For the juniors category, first place, second place and third place went to Team Smart; the entire team came in together holding each other’s hands in the air. For the senior category, first place went to Joel Vanagas, in second place was Allan Castillo, and third place went to Erwin Middleton. The Southern Regional Cycling Association would like to inform cyclists that the next race coming up will be the last Sunday in September, which is the 27th September. 8-Ball: The Stann Creek District 8-ball fans would like to wish Valley Shooters all the best this weekend, as they will be representing the Stann Creek District for the National Belikin 8-Ball Tournament in Corozal.

Cricket Corner
Under the auspices of the Belize National Cricket Association, the Harrison Parks Cricket Competition Finals continues this weekend in Flowers Bank , between the home team Wicked 11 and Easy Does It of Lemonal. This is game two. Easy Does It had won game one earlier. This is a must win for Wicked 11, or they could well be on their way to hunt. The Wicked boys will try to push a game three. So, best of luck, teams! Play to your hardest, and please display sportsmanship. Respect your fellow men. As the season reaches the end, I take this opportunity to thank each and every one who looked forward every Friday for getting an Amandala to see what is written on cricket and some. It is with great pleasure and respect that I thank some people who had given me courage to continue writing, giving the public information about the game that is so loved by them, but were unable to attend all games at the same time. I love the sport very much, hence the reason I take pride and time to do just that, put it in black and white.

Editorial: The Jewel gangster
Belize is a country where people live, overall, well above their means. The reason for that is that Belize is a country where there is a lot of trafficking of illegal commodities, such as narcotics and human beings and travel documents. The Jewel is a gangster. With the de facto standard of living based on such gangster activity, Belize is a country where life is cheap. It is a country where crime pays very well. It is a country where the attorneys are so powerful and have so thoroughly subverted the judicial system that the really big-time criminals never go to jail, or if they visit, it is not for very long. Those whom we sometimes refer to as the “street people” of Belize understand completely how bogus it all is in Belize. The middle-class people of Belize, sometimes called the bourgeoisie, those who work 9 to 5 jobs and pay all their taxes and go to Christian churches on Sundays, know something is wrong somewhere, but they are still basically wide awake in a dream. How could Belize have become so bloody?

From the Publisher
At the end of August fifty years ago in 1965, my parents flew with me in a TAN propeller plane to Miami, from which we took a Northeast Airlines jet to New York City. These were my first plane flights, and immediately the experience had intimidated me. But, that August day had been so exciting and exhausting, I fell asleep in the jet from Miami to New York. I woke as we were coming in to land. The lights of New York City were spectacular. In Brooklyn, we stayed with my grandaunt, the late Gladys Lindo Ysaguirre. She lived on Rutland Road, near the George Wingate High School and just two houses down from where the late Rev. Gerald Fairweather, Compton Fairweather’s father, lived. Around the lane and a block away around the lane down Midwood Street Bill Lindo lived, along with his mother and stepfather. This was right at the back gate of Brooklyn’s famous Boys High, where Kareem Abdul-Jabaar (then Lew Alcindor) went to high school. Bill was going to Wingate.

Rowland Parks wrote OAS about BTV’s Sarstoonexpedition
Attention: Mr. Sergio Benitez Director Office of the General Secretariat of the OAS Adjacency Zone Belize and Guatemala August 17, 2015 Dear Mr. Benitez: Please find below a list of questions relating to the expedition led by the Belize Territorial Volunteers yesterday to Sarstoon Island. As observers of the events at Sarstoon Island, regarding the trip by the Belize Territorial Volunteers and the Northern Territorial Volunteers on Sunday, August 16, 2015, did your representatives observe the Guatemalan navy in Belizean waters blockading a Belizean boat from joining the rest of the flotilla that had gone to the island along with Wil Maheia and his supporters? 2) All local media reports say that the blockage of the Belizean boat occurred in waters that are clearly Belizean waters. Do your representatives agree that the blockage of the boat occurred in Belizean waters?

September reminders from Victor Cucul
Dear Editor: September is around the corner again for us Belizeans to appreciate our country, this time 34 years of Independence since 1981. The colorful red, white and blue decorations will be going on display, carnival fever will be hitting the streets like wild fire, and the radio air waves will be flooded with patriotic songs. Then finally on Independence Day, families, friends and distinguished guests will be sitting under the tent waiting patiently for the usual persuasive speeches by our local political leaders reminding us that we are an independent nation. However, are we indeed “independent” in that political aspect of the English word? As a former British colony, we as a people have made basic decisions and drastic changes that have positively contributed to the standard of living and the way we are presently governed. In addition, we have a Belizean Constitution that defines us as a sovereign nation under the supremacy of God. We are also taught that our country is made up of 8,867 square miles and is bordered by Mexico in the North, the Caribbean Sea in the East, and Guatemala in the West and South. Moreover, we have reputable leaders claiming to govern and manage our resources in the best interest of us, the Belizean people. I could certainly go on; however, the unending issues between Belize and Guatemala give me reason(s) to believe that something is wrong somewhere.

Senator Shoman takes on Foreign Affairs Minister Elrington
Opposition Senator Lisa Shoman, a member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bipartisan Commission on the unfounded Guatemalan claim to Belize’s territory, has written to Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington today, requesting a copy of the diplomatic note of protest that the Belize Government sent to the Government of Guatemala over Guatemala’s military incursion in Belize’s internal waters. The letter also requested a copy of the Organization of American States (OAS) Report on the Sarstoon incident involving the Belize Territorial Volunteers, on Sunday, August 16. Senator Shoman’s letter, written on behalf of the Leader of the Opposition, characterized the incursion of Guatemalan Navy vessels into internal Belizean waters as a “…hostile, aggressive and unacceptable confrontation and the detention of a vessel with Belizean citizens in our waters…” Senator Shoman also offered to provide the Foreign Minister with “a full first-hand brief of the unwarranted and intolerable actions taken in internal Belizean waters on the Sarstoon River, on August 16, 2015 by the Guatemalan armed forces…”

After 27 years, Melvin Hulse “divorces” UDP
In June, Melvin “Flippin” Hulse, a former United Democratic Party (UDP) Cabinet minister and then standard bearer for the Stann Creek West constituency, had a conversation with an unnamed person, during which he lashed out at the UDP government of Prime Minister Dean O. Barrow. As a consequence of that conversation, which had secretly been recorded by that unnamed person, and was subsequently made public by the Opposition People’s United Party, Hulse resigned his standard bearer position and now, he has decided to resign from the UDP, ending 27 years of his life in electoral politics. Hulse, who earned the nickname “Flippin,” due to his constant use of the word, made the announcement this morning on the Love FM Morning Show, where he appeared as a guest. In the July recording, Hulse was brutally critical of PM Barrow’s spending of Petrocaribe dollars on the July 8 by-election in the Dangriga constituency, following the resignation from the House of Representatives of the PUP area representative Hon. Ivan Ramos.

The Reporter

Hit-and-run victim needs public assistance
Hit-and-run victim, Hilton Conorquie, who was knocked down and left on the road almost two-weeks ago, is still in critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hopsital. His family is appealing to the public to help by donating blood. Therese Leiva, Conorquie’s sister, said […]

Mark Phillips disputes police version of shooting incident
The family of Mark Phillips, the minor who was shot last Thursday, has disputed the police version of events, which indicate that Phillips was shot by a friend during an attempted murder. Phillips, in the company of his mother, told the media that the […]

The Battle of September 10, 1798 – a first person’s account by Steven Forbes
The only detailed first-person account we have of the Battle of St. George’s Caye is the account given by Steven Forbes. It was edited by E.W. Williams and printed by The Sheldon Press in London. Belizean novelist Stephen Fairweather, has done exhaustive research on this subject, and in his book […]

Lions Club gets equipment for rapid eye screening for children
A group of doctors from abroad has completed familiarization sessions with the organizers of the Belize Lions Club’s Eye Care Program for needy children, showing them how to use special eye screening equipment. Through a grant from the Lions Clubs International Foundation along with […]

Tourism police get new cycles and radios
The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) with assistance from the Ministry of Tourism, presented the Tourism Police Unit (TPU) with some new equipment, including cycles and radios to assist the unit with their day-to-day activities. Minister of Tourism, Manuel Heredia presented the new fleet of […]

25 Belizean scholarship recipients take up studies in Taiwan
Twenty five of Belize’s brightest young minds will leave Belize this weekend for Taiwan, where they will swell to 155, the number of Belizeans studying there. Twenty-one of them have received university scholarships under Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) Scholarship Program, for which […]

BTIA: “Cuban tourism market no threat to Belize – at least not yet”
The Belize Tourism Industry Association (BTIA) this week, said that the opening of the Cuban market as a destination for United States tourists poses no short-term threat for Belize’s tourism industry. BTIA President, Osmani Salas, told the Reporter this week that since Cuba is still […]

Segura sued for damages after fatal RTA in 2014!
The mother of Yolanda Valencia, who died in an early morning collision on August 16, 2014, has filed a lawsuit against former Deputy Commissioner of Police Miguel Segura. Segura was driving the government-issued SUV which slammed head–on into a taxi in which Valencia was a passenger, as she headed for […]

In defense of the OAS
By: Alejandro Vernon The Organization of American States is made up of 35 members of this Western Hemisphere. It was established on April 30th, 1948 at Bogota, Columbia, was reorganized and strengthened the inter-american system, which dates from 1820. It is a regional agency within the United Nations. Its role […]

The Guatemalan Experience
By: Neri Briceno History has shown that Guatemala is an aggressor nation. Its military is by far the most powerful institution in the region and basically still controls the country, despite the fact that there is a civilian government in place. The military takes the lead in most domestic and […]

British government takes keen interest in incidents between Belize and Guatemala
The British Government, particularly its Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has been taking a keen interest in the situation and incidents as they occur between Belize and Guatemala. That’s according to Belize’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Her Excellency Perla Perdomo. In a question […]

Belize and Mexico bridging the trade gap the trade gap
The “Export to Mexico Workshop”, a one-day seminar, was held by the Embassy of Belize in Mexico on Thursday, August 27th, 2015. In collaboration with the embassy, the Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE) upheld its plan to promote export-ready products. The workshop, which […]

Editorial
The year 2015 is shaping up to be an election year, and all of us know that during an election year people become high-strung and emotional. The insistence of the Belize Territorial Volunteers on their right to visit certain parts of the Belize Border which are under dispute with Guatemala […]

Economic activity dips
Belize’s economy contracted slightly for the second quarter of 2015, according to new data released by the Statistical Institute of Belize. The SIB on Wednesday released its latest statistics, including the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimates and External Trade Bulletin, which showed decreases in primary […]

COLA to GOB “Build the base now!”
Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA), this week, launched a campaign to pressure the Government of Belize into building a forward operating base on the island in the Sarstoon River known as Sarstoon Island. COLA, at a press conference at the Radisson Fort George […]

Bobbo Youth found dead in Haulover Crk.
Well-known Belizean musician, Theodore “Bobbo Youth” Parchue, 34, was found dead in the Haulover Creek near the Belcan Bridge early Wednesday morning. A fisherman who had gone out to cast a net made the chilling discovery. According to Herman Williams, the fisherman who found […]

BEL makes new proposal to BEWU
Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) made a revised proposal to the Belize Energy Workers Union (BEWU) on Thursday via Minister of Labour Godwin Hulse, who has been brought in to mediate the situation.But the parties involved remain tight-lipped on the details surrounding the proposal. Following […]

The Belize Times

From the Belly of the Beast!
Hubert Elrington, the older brother of Foreign Minister Sedi Elrington, launched torpedoes into the Barrow Administration’s mismanagement of the country when he appeared as the special guest on the Dickie Bradley Special show which aired on Channel 5 TV on Monday night this week. Elrington, a former UDP member who served as Attorney General under the Esquivel regime, is known for his stern dislike and tough criticisms of UDP Leader Dean Barrow. Elrington was the political genius one who coined the term “all glitter and substance” for Barrow, a description which has stuck throughout the politicians’ record. But his personal feelings aside, Elrington discussed the quantitative and qualitative evidence throughout the country which abundantly, overwhelmingly and ever-growingly shows that the Barrow Administration has been a miserable failure. “This economy has been run into shambles. It does not even exist. We live because Venezuela gives us handouts every month. That’s how we survive. Where is the creativity? Where is the ingenuity? Where is the talent? Where is the ability? Where are the goods that we should be producing?

The Blue Machine on the Rise!
Whenever there is any mobilization on the part of the People’s United Party it causes grave concern within the camps of the United Democratic Party. The “Power to the People” tour has been such an event. People’s United Party leader Francis Fonseca and champion of the good people of Freetown has taken the time to engage with the people across the nation of Belize – from the proud Rio Hondo to the Old Sarstoon. The tour is considered a consultation endeavour in conformity with the great motto of the PUP – Serve The People! The People’s United Party under the leadership of its leader has its sights set on winning the upcoming General Elections whenever Dean Barrow dares to call it! The fact is that the People’s United Party knows how to win election and it is without a doubt that the Blue Machine is on the rise again. Like the Reggae sensation “The Itals” said “Don’t mess with the Lion when he is awake for he will eat you to the bone”. The Lion within the PUP has awakened and no petty propaganda will detract from the agenda of holding the UDP in the crosshairs when the Election is called.

Artist “Bobo Youth” fished out of Haulover Creek
A local fisherman hoping to get his best catch of the day got the scare of his life when instead of pulling out fish with his net, he dragged out a lifeless body out from the Haulover Creek, under the BelCan Bridge in Belize City. Herman Williams, the fisherman, said the first thing he recognised was a human hand hooked on his net. He was startled. “I deh inna wata to about my knee and I dash di net and when I do soh, I feel something heavy pon it. I feel something heavy and when I do soh I look and I see like wah piece ah board di come and when I look I see dah wah hand. And I let go dih net and I run pon dih edge ah dih wata,” recounted Williams.

Think About It
The Prime Minister said at his last “press conference” that Guatemala believes the whole Sarstoon River and Sarstoon Island is part of their national territory. This is a bomb shell. This is very different from what Belizeans have always thought was the situation. Meaning, we all thought that Guatemala claims the Sarstoon in the same way she claims the south of our country-from Sibun River to the Sarstoon River. She claims buy we exercise possession and control. But now we are being told Guatemala is treating the whole Sarstoon River as part of their land. They are in possession and they are controlling it. This explains their new aggression towards Belizeans and the BDF when we go “on their river”. The heroic Belize Territorial Volunteers led by Wil Maheia were on the Sarstoon River on Tuesday 25 August 2015. They report that a Guatemala military gun boat escorted the BDF on its journey up the river to take soldiers to Cadenas. This explains why the Prime Minister was saying how every Tuesday of every week our BDF are confronted by Guatemala and are even told to turn back. The BDF do not turn back but this routine behavior by Guatemala has significance.

Wake up Belize!
Prime Minister Dean Barrow once warned his team of Idiots (Butty’s term, not mine) that if anything could bring down his government it would be corruption in Immigration. Well, I believe that he was at least half right. Belizeans seem to have become quite tolerant of and very comfortable with corruption but immigration seems the bigger problem; immigration in particular, as it relates to the large influx of people from neighboring Guatemala. Section 29:3 of Part 3 of our Constitution states specifically that: “No person shall be entitled under the provisions of this Part to be a citizen of Belize or be granted citizenship of Belize if such person shows any allegiance to or is a citizen of a country which does not recognize the independence, sovereignty or territorial integrity of Belize”. Appended to this particular section is an addendum which reads: “Provided that the Minister may in his discretion grant Belizean citizenship to persons falling under this subsection who would otherwise been titled to such citizenship under the provisions of sections 23 and 25 of this Constitution”. Interestingly enough, while these ministers have used this addendum to Section 29 as justification for their actions, both Section 23 and 25 are specific as to who “would otherwise been titled to such citizenship”. It does not give legality to nationalization of Guatemalans. The nationalization of just about every Guatemalans since Independence is, for all intents and purposes, unconstitutional and therefore illegal.

Guatemala Government in Turmoil…so is Barrow’s
The Government of Guatemala is in trouble, deep trouble. It is rapidly falling apart, weeks before it’s general elections. Each day sees Ministers rushing to resign and thousands of protestors taking to the streets. Guatemala holds its first round of elections next month on the 6th of September. Their system of Government is different from Belize. The elections are for a new President, new congressional leaders and for Mayors and Governors. There are some fourteen different political parties which are fielding candidates. If the candidates do not receive a clear majority of votes, a second round of voting is held for those with the highest votes. Guatemala has a more progressive electoral system than Belize in terms of its laws which set specific dates for elections. Also, a specific date and procedure for power to pass from the present President to the newly elected President. So, although the elections are in September, October and November, the newly elected President will not take office until in January. This system is similar as the United States of America.

Belize Bank Bulldogs lead Firms basketball finals: 1-0
The Belize Bank Bulldogs defeated Central Bank 60-42 in Game 1 of the Belize City Firms basketball championship finals held at Birds Isle on Saturday night. Rupert Brown led the game with 16pts, while Roscoe Rhys and Brian White scored 11pts apiece. In the semifinals Game 1, Central Bank had eliminated Heritage Bank: 82-66 while the Bulldogs defeated Central Health 71-68. Game 2 of the finals is set for Friday, August 28; Game 3 if needed will be played Saturday.

SQ Stars Mega & UB Jaguars are Volleyball Champs
The SQ Stars Mega won the 2015 Belize District Volleyball Association’s B division female championship, while the UB Jaguars won the male championship at the Belize Elementary auditorium last Saturday night. The SQ Mega Stars’ Shericka Burton, Jahshema Saunders, Kevaunna Sebastian and Karena Bernard hammered kills at the net on plays set by Nayala Tun and Karen Quan to win over the Leopards: 25-19, 20-25, 25-16 and 25-13. The Leopards had eliminated the Belmopan Mystics: 25-23, 26-24 and 28-26 in Thursday’s semifinals.

Blackwater bombs Juventus 2-0 in O.W. U-12 football
The Orange Walk Under-12 football eight-a-side competition organized by Orange Walk Deputy Mayor Ladrick “Mad Bull” Shepard continued with Young School, Vibes Alive and Blackwater posting wins at the Orange Walk Technical High School field last Saturday afternoon. Game results: Young School vs. Centaur Minions – 1-0 Goal by Jayshaun Dawson Vibes Alive vs. Belize U-12 –1-0 Goal by Luis Sosa Jr. Blackwater vs. Juventus – 2-0

Ras Indio Trailblazing – Represents Belize at 1st Reggae Fest in Chetumal, Quintana Roo
Belize’s true Reggae Ambassador, Ras Indio, has been on a successful trend-setting campaign. Ras Indio, who is relentless on his mission to make his music recognised around the world, recently returned from the first ever Reggae Fest held in Chetumal, Quintana Roo held on the weekend of August 16th. “It was truly a blessing to be so close to home and get the Love and Appreciation for this daily hard work I put in to this music with a mission to spread positive messages worldwide,” Ras Indio wrote on his Facebook page. Reggae fans from all over Mexico travelled to Chetumal. The main feature of the three-day event was Kymani Marley, who gave fans a free show. Interestingly, K. Marley was in Belize several months ago in a ticket-access only concert.

Eulogy for former PUP Mayor, Cornelio Acosta Sr.
I can try in the next few minutes to deliver a eulogy that hopefully would celebrate the life of your husband, your dad, your brother, tio and our friend, but to do that would mean that we would be here for days and you know Cornelio would rather we be singing with Renan’s Karaoke machine than making too much fuss with speeches. Plus each and every one of us has our own special eulogy we could deliver about the Cornelio we knew. There are just too many great stories and I hope that over time we will get to share them with you and with each other, for when we do, we keep Cornelio alive in our hearts and minds. So instead of a eulogy, I want to use my time today first to say to you, his family, thank you for sharing Cornelio with us. He was a good man, loved by all of us here whether we were his neighbour, friend, co-worker or a PUP and yes many UDP’s too, but not around election time. For when it came to his Party we all know Cornelio was a warrior in Blue.

PUP Marshalls – Serving the People!
On Thursday August 20th, members of the Marshalls joined Party Leader Hon. Francis Fonseca, former PM Hon. Said Musa, and Belize Rural South Standard Bearer Elito Arceo, in paying homage and respect to a loyal member, supporter, fighter and a true dedicated soldier of the People’s United Party: Mr. Milo Paz Sr. On Friday August 21st, through efforts and hard work of San Pedro Marshalls and Standard Bearer Elito Arceo, 15 gallons of paint, rollers and brushes were presented to the principal of the San Pedro Roman Catholic School. This donation was a continuing effort of service to the community and people, to help to improve the school’s environment.

BYM supports UB decision to recall mandatory insurance fee
The Belize Youth Movement, the youth arm of the People’s United Party, congratulates the students of the University of Belize (UB) for their efforts which have resulted in the cancellation of the unfair mandatory insurance scheme for students. At a student forum held last week Thursday August 20, 2015 in Belize City, University of Belize President Alan Slusher announced that the University would no longer impose the insurance fee on students and would instead make it optional. This is a great victory for the students who spoke out against the unfair scheme and who attended the forums held throughout the campuses to make their discontent known.

Dog & Pony Show – Were senior military officers forced onto UDP political station?
Belize’s top military officers, Belize Defence Force Brigadier General David Jones and Coast Guard commander Admiral John Borland, sent the wrong signal when they placed their credibility on the line and made an ill-advised appearance on the UDP’s political show, Wus Ting Da Mawning, on Wave Radio last week Thursday along with Minister of National Security John Saldivar and the two UDP empty-heads Joe and Fonso. This was a day after Jones and Borland sat next to the Prime Minister Dean Barrow, Saldivar and embattled Foreign Minister Sedi Elrington, and wilfully entangled themselves in the same bed sheet that the Barrow Administration is using to cover their misdeeds.

Petrocaribe Party Done!!
Since 2012 the Dean Barrow UDP government have been running the country of Belize economy on ‘barrowed’ and risky funds. Well the chicken has come home to roost. All right-thinking economists have been advising the Belize government that they have become extremely dependent on the Petro Caribe loan funds. What the UDP government should have done over the last eight (8) years was to ensure that they grow the economy and attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) as well instil confidence in the Belizeans people to invest their earnings. But foreign investments dwindled by almost 80% since the UDP Government took office and there is no visible plan to improve it.

WOMAN IN THE HOUSE – This Sarstoon Thing
I really cannot stomach listening to anything that Foreign Minister Hon. Sedi Elrington has to say these days. But I do admit that I watched a part of the Peacefest “Culture of Peace” program, which was sponsored by the Government and the Organization of American States, on television one evening. It was hard to miss, since at least five TV stations were carrying it live that night. During the event Hon. Sedi proclaimed proudly that in 1981 Belize was able to attain our Independence with all of our national territory intact. My immediate thought on hearing this was: “No thanks to you!!” It never ceases to amaze me the way this good gentleman has managed to botch virtually every utterance he makes. He has now once more outdone himself in saying that he would have to await independent confirmation of the encounter at the Sarstoon last week Sunday, unable, it seems, on his part to believe what over a hundred patriotic Belizeans as well as members of various media houses told us had transpired. He seemed also unable to believe all the video footage which proved the belligerence and naked aggression of the Guatemalan navy. Senator Lisa Shoman was, I think, too kind in saying that Hon. Sedi’s stance is “unfortunate”.

Dr. Lesbia Guerra-Cocom – Working for Cayo West
While the invisible elected UDP area representative for Cayo West waits for borrowed Petrocaribe money to reach his desk to act on the needs of the people, PUP Standard Bearer Dr. Lesbia Guerra Cocom has naturally assumed the very important leadership role in the community. Over the past weeks, Dr. Lesbia has been on the ground, meeting the residents and discussing the issues that have affected them. Her visit to visit to Arenal Village, along with the communities of Corozalito and Primavera were welcomed by the residents. During the visit, Dr. Lesbia shared out school supplies to every child, and carried out basic medical consultations for anyone in need of it.

Dollar Diplomacy? – Venezuela’s VP visits to discuss territorial dispute with Guyana
Belizeans have become very suspicious of Venezuela’s Vice President Jorge Arreaza’s visit to Belize last week. Arreaza arrived in Belize on Friday, August 21st without any kind of fanfare or public announcement of his visit. In fact, the news of his visit spread fast and had become widely known before the Government’s Press Office issued a release at 6:36PM Friday evening broadcasting the news of the visit. Of interest is that Arreaza’s sudden visit came just two days after Prime Minister Dean Barrow had declared at a press conference that his Administration stands in solidarity with Guyana in a recently resurrected territorial claim by the Venezuelan Government. Officials in Guyana have expressed concern that their Caribbean counterparts have not reacted to the attack on their territorial sovereignty, and have suggested that perhaps Venezuela’s dollar diplomacy, powered by the millions of Petrocaribe dollars, could be at play.

Concerns with respect to the UB Notice dated August 6, 2015
Dear Editor, The faculty and staff of the University of Belize are hanging on for a glimmer of hope as their morale keeps going downhill. This year, the qualification of Dean’s position was downgraded from a PhD to a Master’s Degree. Could this be in order to put certain person(s), who does not have PhD, in the position> Remember, the Presidential post was downgraded from PhD to a Bachelor Degree! Now, there is the mention of a Vice President. Did the Board handpick him? What happened to procedural principles? What direction is the university taking? Downwards? According to inside sources, in two instances persons were notified verbally, by Management, that they got the position for Dean but were told otherwise at a later date. The faculty and staff also felt it unprincipled in the manner the Dean of Faculty of Science and Technology, who is also the Faculty Rep on the Board, was selected. It is alleged that management asked her to apply after the deadline had passed although others from the faculty had applied and the post was even advertised externally. Of course she got the position. Is this a reward? The faculty rep had indicated that she voted yes for the new President which had upset the UB community.

Blood Sucking Reconnection Fees!!
Dear Editor, “There comes a time when people get tired of being plunged into the abyss of exploitation and nagging injustice.” Martin Luther King, Jr. For the first two disconnections within a year Belize Water Services (BWS) charges $10 to reconnect its service to a customer. On the third disconnection within the same period, the utility company that is owned by the government is downright chancy, merciless and cruel. A customer must pay the full amount owed to the company plus three times his average monthly water bill for the last three months. This means that if a customer’s water service is disconnected for $75, and his average water bill for the last three months is $70 he has to pay BWS $285 to be connected to the service again. If a customer water service was disconnected because his monthly salary cannot afford of a water bill for $75, how will that customer afford to pay three times more? How can BWS see it right to force families to be without water for months and years?

Senator Lisa Shoman requests key disclosure from Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Dear Minister Elrington, As the Representative of the Leader of the Opposition on the Bipartisan Commission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which deals with the unfounded Guatemalan claim to Belize, I request that we be provided, as soon as possible with the OAS Report which has been provided to the Government of Belize in respect of the events of Sunday August 16, 2015. I also request, on behalf of the Leader of the Opposition that we be provided, with a copy of the Protest Note which the Prime Minister has indicated was sent to Guatemala, with respect to the illegal incursion of Guatemalan Navy vessels into internal Belizean waters and the subsequent hostile aggressive and unacceptable confrontation and the detention of a vessel with Belizean citizens in our waters; as well as the false and provocative statements of officers of the Guatemalan Navy towards peaceful, unarmed and patriotic Belizean Citizens.

Breaking Belize News

Double Murder in Camalote Village, Cayo
Reports reaching Belize Media Group’s news desk, are that a family was ambushed by a group of gunmen in Camalote Village, Cayo District, a short while ago. The family was en-route to their farm when the incident occurred, leaving one woman dead and reports suggest that the life of a […]

Senator to present motion on military confrontations in Sarstoon
Opposition Senator Lisa Shoman is to present a motion in next Friday, September 4’s, meeting of the Senate in Belmopan, demanding under Section 61 (A) (2) of the Belize Constitution Act concerning powers of the Senate to make inquiries on any matter of public interest and requiring the […]

Solar lights to power Jalacte and San Vicente
In many of the most remote Toledo Villages, like Jalacte and San Vicente, electricity is a luxury that villagers can only yearn for, with flashlights, candles and kerosene lamps being the only means of light at night. Lending a helping hand to these villages in recent years, is […]

Undersized lobster found in restaurant
Fifty year old Pin Yin Wu Li, a Chinese businesswoman who is the owner of Billy’s Kitchen, a restaurant at mile 1 on Phillip Goldson Highway, was charged with possession of 18 undersized lobster when she appeared today before Magistrate La Donna John. Li pled not guilty to […]

Squatters in capital hit by eviction
Move in two weeks, or be removed. That is the choice facing alleged squatters in a parcel of land on the border of two suburban communities of the City of Belmopan, San Martin and Maya Mopan. 20 families were ordered by the Belmopan City Council to leave because […]

King calls out Krem and the Hydes
Lake-Independence area representative and Minister of State Mark King, at a ground breaking ceremony for a community center in the constituency earlier this month, called out the KREMANDALA institution and the Hyde family, who owns it, saying they are fair political game and accusing them of refusing to do business […]

Two charged for home invasion in San Ignacio
Melvin Budna Jr. and Julian Garcia, both residents of San Ignacio Town, appeared before a Magistrate on Wednesday, August 26, and were charged for the offenses of “Aggravated Burglary”, “Aggravated Assault with a Firearm” and “Theft of Motor Vehicle”. Those charges came as a result of the aggravated burglary that […]

Cayo police recover abandoned marijuana
In two separate searches conducted in San Ignacio on Tuesday, August 25, Police discovered more than 81 pounds of cannabis that were stashed in empty lots. The first discovery was made in a lot on Malhado Street, where 587 grams of the drug was found, followed by a second search […]

One arrested in Placencia after drug sweep
An anti-drug operation conducted over the course of Wednesday morning through afternoon, yielded a total of 858.2 seized grams of cannabis in the Seine Bight and Placencia Villages. Several houses, persons and empty lots were searched between the hours of 3:00 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. on August 26, resulting in […]

Fire reported in Maya Mopan
A wooden structure, measuring 25 by 30 feet with zinc roofing, was completely destroyed by a blaze last night, August 27, in the Maya Mopan Extension area, Belmopan. Police and the Belmopan Fire Department responded to the call around 9:20 p.m. and saw the structure completely engulfed in flames, after […]

BEL revises proposal for union agreement
Management of Belize Electricity Limited (BEL) has revised again its initial proposal to settle the labour dispute with the Belize Energy Workers Union (BEWU) over staff benefits. Minister of Labour Godwin Hulse and Labour Commissioner Ivan Williams are overseeing the process. The state-run power company says it is willing to […]

Fake $5 notes to pay for credit card
A man was detained by police for allegedly using suspected counterfeit Belizean currency when he attempted to pay on a Belize Bank credit card. One of the bank’s tellers informed her supervisor that the man handed over $880.00, comprised of 168 ($5) notes and 4 ($10) notes, and that the […]

Seine Bight man to be charged for drugs
21 year old Anthony Paulino, a resident of Seine Bight Village, faces charges of drug trafficking after he was busted with a large amount of cannabis on Wednesday, August 26. Anthony was on a bus heading towards Dangriga from Placencia, when around 2:30 p.m., police searched a bag in his […]

Friends for Conservation and Development cites US$18 million in mahogany and cedar stolen
An annual report on illegal logging activities in the Chiquibul National Park, released by co-managers Friends for Conservation and Development, states that some US$4.248 million in cedar and US$5.199 million in mahogany was cut and sold off from the park between 2010 and 2012. According to FCD there has not […]

PetroCaribe, the future of the Belize economy and nearing general elections
General elections loom on the horizon in the near future as a certainty, as the United Democratic Party (UDP) look to secure a third consecutive term against a visibly vulnerable People’s United Party (PUP), but less certain is the status of the PetroCaribe program and in the longer-term, Belize’s economy. […]

European Union to provide loans to cane farmers
Thanks to funding being made available by the European Union, cane farmers will be benefitting from loans to be used primarily for replanting of their crop and Raton maintenance. According to Marcos Osorio, Director of the Sugar Industry Research Development Institute (SIRDI), if the monies which are […]

Generally fair and warm conditions will continue
The National Meteorological Service of Belize is predicting sunny skies with cloudy spells today and partly cloudy skies tonight. Showers and thunderstorms will be isolated, except for a few more in the South this morning. Winds will be blowing from the East at 5-15 knots and the sea state will […]

Blogs

Beautiful Boca Del Rio and Some Changes
For the slow season, construction all over the island is anything but slow. Old wooden houses leveled in a matter of days, new concrete multi-floored buildings going in… I got a bit of Scoop. Sandy Toes Bar is moving RIGHT NEXT DOOR to an empty lot – empty except for a shipping container. Apparently a dispute has forced the LOVELY Ishmael…(here are some photos of him in March of 2014 finishing his bar)… …to start building again! Oh man. I hope all of the bar’s fans support his new venture. He might even want some work with the re-build.

16 Wonderful Pictures of Belize. #10 is our favorite!
You’ll return home relaxed and invigorated, with memories and a collection of pictures of Belize that could only be found in Belize, where acres of pristine rainforest, the misty Maya Mountains, monkeys, jaguars, ocelots and other exotic animals as well as toucans, parrots and colourful tropical birds, the turquoise Caribbean, sparkling white beaches and a striking, multicultural populace all compete for your camera’s attention.

“When I’m Sixty-Four” in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize
Sitting out on the veranda the other morning with a mug of coffee ((I’ll skip the usual description – regular readers will know which veranda and what type of coffee and if you’re not a regular reader (why not?) then go through the archives)) and I started to consider (I have no idea why) how I might have changed since moving to Ambergris Caye just over three years ago. Well obviously I’m three years older ( some more about this later). I’ve got a little greyer. Gained a few lines and wrinkles. I’ve lost some weight. Not intentionally. In fact people that know me will attest that I can ill afford to lose a few ounces let alone pounds. But the biggest change of all can’t be seen. It’s my state of mind. When I think back to the days when I was working (and trust me I don’t do that very much now) I’d wake in the morning (as now that was anywhere between 04.00 to 05.00 hours), make a mug of coffee and start working or thinking about work straight away. And that was the way it was through to around 19.00 hours later that day.

Hopkins Bay Resort Shows How Much it Cares by Helping Belize’s School Children
The handmade sign standing at the edge of Belize’s Holy Family Primary School says it all: “Preparing young minds for the future.” But were it not for the area’s tourism industry, and especially generous members of this community like the Hopkins Bay Resort, the start of school wouldn’t be as exciting, nor would students be as well-equipped and ready to learn as they are, thanks to the resort’s ongoing support. These days, both staff and guests of the Hopkins Bay Resort have become members of an elite family eager to reach beyond providing pens, paper and books. There’s a plan afoot to build a new classroom to expand the school (best estimates are that $10,000 BZD should accomplish this project) and there’s a feeding scheme on deck to underwrite the cost of feeding each child breakfast and lunch costing $4 BZD per student, per day. Down the road, playground equipment, building improvements and computers will be added to the list.

Belize City Carnival 2015 – What You Need To Know
If you've never experienced a September in Belize, you probably have also never been a part of Belize City's Carnival. What makes this experience so unique to the country, is the various groups that participate in the annual road march. From costumed revellers and human floats, to musical bands and dance groups; Belize City's Carnival 2015 promises to be a spectacular four-hour performance through the streets of the City. The day typically starts with J'ouvert, a pre-dawn event (open to any and every one) where individuals cover themselves in paint and/or coloured mud and dance to various genres of music including Soca, Punta, Calypso, Reggae, Pop, Edm and House, to name a few. This event ends on Barrack Road near the MCC Grounds, where participants usually clean themselves by jumping into the Caribbean Sea. After J'ouvert, most participants will choose to rest up for the main event at 1:00 pm – the Carnival Road March. As locals and visitors line the streets, the Carnival participants begin preparing themselves for the march ahead and making final alterations to their costumes and floats. Vibrantly decorated trucks equipped with generators and large speaker boxes playing popular dance music, are usually stationed in front of the costumed performers and marchers as they move to their choreographed dance routines. Private companies and NGO's, commonly prepare their floats to feature a service or message that they wish to highlight and often reward spectators with pamphlets, stationery, beads, sweets, t-shirts, and beverages.

Belize’s Top 12 Experiences and How You Can Do Them
We know what you’re thinking: Each time you consult a travel website or print magazine, somebody claims to be the expert on what to do and see in Belize. As a result of too many suggestions, your list may be so long, you’d have to stick around for months to see it all. We’ve got your solution: a list of the top 12 experiences to see first. You’ll fall in love with Belize, so you may as well save the rest for your next visit. 1. Watch birds. You don’t have to be an ornithological snob to appreciate the hundreds of bird species attributed to Belize—some say 300; others suggest 600. Numbers won’t matter once you experience the beauty of these colorful and often rare birds as they fly overhead, nest in trees and pose for photos. 2. Search for jaguars. Belize is home to the only protected jaguar reserve on Earth, but if you want to stand a chance of seeing them, you’ll have to visit their habitat, the Cockscomb Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Preserve, by night because these nocturnal cats hide by day and prowl the jungle after sundown.

Overnight tourism rebounds as BTB looks for new markets
The Belize Tourism Board says overnight and cruise arrivals are improving after a contraction in the first quarter. June and July saw increases of 1.6% and 3% in overnight arrivals, while cruise passenger arrivals have risen by 0.2%. The BTB blames the 0.8% drop in cumulative arrivals through the first seven months of 2015 in part on decreases in the number of overnight visitors from Canada, in turn caused by a slowdown in the Canadian economy.

International Sources

Largest Protests of Year Add Pressure on Guatemala President
About 70,000 protesters filled a central plaza in Guatemala City on Thursday as part of a national strike meant to demand President Otto Perez Molina’s resignation as Congress investigates him over accusations of bribery. Perez Molina, who has seen five cabinet members resign since last week, met with his security minister and watched live images from street cameras showing the anti-government marchers waving flags and chanting “Otto your time is up.” Hundreds of schools and local businesses supported the rally, suspending classes and closing their doors in the country of 14.6 million people. With the Supreme Court’s approval, lawmakers formed a five-member committee Thursday to consider allegations that Perez Molina led a customs tax fraud scheme. The committee could report back to the legislature by Sept. 1, when Congress will vote on whether to strip the president, who has rejected the accusations, of his immunity from prosecution. “The country is living through dramatic circumstances,” said lawmaker Nineth Montenegro, who is on the five-person committee. “For the unity of the nation, the president should have already resigned.” Perez Molina, whose terms expires in January, has said he would confront the charges against him. In an Aug. 23 speech, he vowed to remain in office, even as his central bank president as well as his former vice president are in jail and the country’s main business chamber and religious authority call for him to step down.

Belize Summer Camp celebrates 25 year
During the 25th anniversary of the Belize Summer Camp, the Ignacio Volunteers went on a service trip to a town called Dangriga from July 20 to Aug.11. While there, the volunteers taught arts and crafts, sports and gave creative lessons to a camp of primary school students. They were also given the opportunity to learn about the culture and the political, sociological and economic issues that occur in the Caribbean and its developing countries. The Belize Summer Camp was started in 1990 by Ted Dziak, S.J., university chaplain, and has been held 22 times in the past 25 years. Dziak said like all camps, this one was unique in its own way. “It is a strong cultural city of 6,000 with great music and amazing food. Any time a student immerses themselves in the cultural differences and similarities of a country, a unique experience occurs,” Dziak said.

First Presbyterian youth build children’s library in Caledonia, Belize
For nine days this summer, 10 senior high youth and their adult sponsors returned for a second year to Caledonia, Belize, deep in the sugar cane fields of Belize to build a children’s library. The youth collected gently used books from their congregation all spring, and hand carried down over 750 books for children of all ages. “We took everything from Clifford the Big Red Dog and Curious George to Harry Potter and Anna Karenina,” said Rev. Kibbie Laird. “I was speechless when our American translator, a university graduate from Belize, told me that his family had never owned a single book, not even the bible or a cook book. Needless to say the books were such a big hit, that it took our breath away. We do a lot of things to help our kids understand the world, and my contribution to our New Canaan kids is opening their eyes to a world in need. For these our New Canaan youth, poverty now has a name and a face. And we cannot wait to go back and be with the Caledonian children again. They are our sister church. They feel like family.”

Stock recovery plan for Pacific Bluefin tuna urgently needed
Members of the Northern Committee (NC)* of the Western and Central Pacific Fishery Commission (WCPFC) meeting on Monday next week urgently need to commit to a rigorous recovery plan to address the collapse of Pacific Bluefin tuna stocks. They should also agree on catch limits for tuna weighing less than 30kg, warns WWF. Pacific Bluefin tuna is one of the most valuable fisheries in the Northern Pacific Ocean, supporting a billion dollar industry that sustains the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people and contributes to economic growth and social development in the region. "We are deeply concerned about the fact that Pacific Bluefin tuna breeding stock have declined from their unfished levels by more than 96 percent,” said Dr Aiko Yamauchi, WWF-Japan Head of Fishery and Seafood Project. “Around 90% of the fishing take is now young fish that have not yet reproduced. It is clear that Pacific Bluefin tuna management in the Pacific is totally inadequate to preserve the tuna stock.”

Marine Leaders of the Americas Conference comes to a close
The Marine Leaders of the Americas Conference 2015 concluded after a closing ceremony, August 26, 2015. Co-hosted by the Infantería de Marina de Colombia and U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South, the conference provided an opportunity for 15 partnered nations to combine experiences and work together focusing on continuing relationships and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts. “When I was given the opportunity to come to this meeting I was very excited,” Neller said. “Because I knew in that in the next four years we’ll have the chance to work together even more closely than we do now.” The conference concentrated on continuing relationships within the Western Hemisphere focusing on improving Marine Corps training programs and enhancing naval infantry support to operations.

The Man Behind “Unseen Cuba”
When the aerial photos of Cuba taken by Lithuanian Marius Jovaisa began to be published on the Internet, we saw more than one expression of wounded, nationalist pride bemoaning the fact a foreigner had come along and captured those images before Cubans could. But Jovaisa’s status as a foreigner played a very small role in this feat, which required five years of his life, spending one million dollars, putting his patience to the test and even an interrogation by Cuban authorities on suspicion of espionage. The secret to the success of this initiative – which anyone familiar with the workings of Cuban institutions would dismiss as impossible – is to be found in the photographer’s athletic background. The obsessive and perseverant attitude he developed as a triathlon contestant – not being blonde or having been born in Europe – was what allowed him to master the “extreme sport” of pitching any unusual idea to Cuban institutions and negotiating the precipices of the island’s bureaucracy. In 2006, Marius published Unseen Lithuania, his first collection of photos of his native country, a book which became a best-seller. It was followed by his first international experience, Hevenly Belize (2008).

Videos

August 28, 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, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

New RE/MAX Island Real Estate company formed in San Pedro
E/MAX Caribbean and Central America is pleased to announce the formation of a new REMAX franchise –RE/MAX Island Real Estate – for Ambergris Caye, Belize. The former franchise, RE/MAX Southwind, LLP, owned and operated by Broker/Owner(s), John D. Turley and Daniel Hartin, has ceased operations, and John D. Turley is the owner of RE/MAX Island Real Estate for both Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker, Belize. These changes are effective immediately. Despite the change in leadership, processes have been put into place to make this business transition transparent to customers and to maintain business continuity. As a result, current sales agreements and upcoming closings are unaffected by this change in business ownership.

Vessel “So Sea” removed from the sea

Five-a-side Football Tournament crowns four champions
The Island Citizen Sporting Club (ICSC) and San Pedro High School (SPHS) Five-a-side Football Tournament has come to a most exciting end. The quarter finals took place from Thursday, August 13th to Sunday, August 16th and saw more teams being eliminated, with possible champions winning a spot in the semi-finals. But the excitement really ramped up from Thursday, August 20th to Sunday, August 23rd during the final week of games. Large crowds of football fanatics came out in full force to the Angel Nuñez Auditorium to support their favorite teams. In the end, the four teams that rose as champions in each of the divisions were FC Bayer Munich Under 10, and Los Catrachos FC. The finals started bright and early on Sunday, August 23rd with the first match being played at 11AM. The first four sets of matches were to determine the third and fourth place for each division. United FC Under 10 took on FC America in the first. The match ended in 9-4 point win for FC America, allowing them to take the third place trophy and prizes. Scoring for the winning team were Steven Almendarez with four goals, Logan Espat with four goals and Joecel Liandre Bulnez with one goal. In the Under 13 division, Manchester United FC faced off against Inter de Milan FC. Taking the third place trophy and prizes in this division was Manchester United FC who defeated Inter de Milan FC in a 3-2 point game. The next match was between the female teams of Ernie’s Warriors and Hyde’s Strikers. Ernie’s Warriors took the third place trophy and prizes through a win by default as Hyde’s Strikers were a no show. Green House FC rose as the third place champions in the senior division after defeating Varela’s Boys in an 8-5 point game. Scoring for Green House Fc were Harbin Velasquez with three goals, Jesus Lizano with two goal, Dinho Noralez with two goals and Pedro Tzul with one goal.

Road to the 2015 Miss San Pedro Pageant
The 2015 Miss San Pedro Pageant is only days away and the six lovely contestants are making final preparations for the big show. But prior to the pageant, Brianna Hope Leslie, Vivian Noralez, Ethel Villatoro, Tisane Martines, Iris Salguero and Velie Alexi Williams have been kept quite busy, as they have participated in several events and outings. The contestants’ journey to the Miss San Pedro Pageant kicked off on Tuesday, July 21st with their first social outing. The girls had the opportunity to interact and meet each other during an overnight stay at Grand Colony Island Villas. This was also the site of their first official photoshoot.

Ambergris Today

Equipment Donated to Tourism Police Unit to Improve Services Countrywide
On Wednesday, August 26, 2015 the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) presented the Tourism Police Unit (TPU) with five (5) Yamaha XTZ125 CC trail bikes and twenty eight (28) handheld radios to assist the TPU in carrying out its mandate, which is to enforce tourism legislation and safeguard the tourism industry. Minister of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation, Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr., did the handing over. The trail bikes are designated for the Tourism Police Formation in Hopkins Village, Orange Walk, Ambergris Caye, Cayo, and Belize City.

Misc Belizean Sources

Belize Electricity Limited is looking for external auditors
Belize Electricity Limited is seeking to appoint external auditors to review its financial and operational systems, procedures and internal control systems in accordance with internationally accepted auditing standards.

Benque Summer Camp
The 8th annual Zone 4 Benque Viejo Neighborhood Watch Group Summer Camp was held at Sams’ Community Park this past week starting Monday 17th of August and ending Friday 21nd . The camp was available to all area children and was held all week from 8:30 am to noon daily. The children received free of charge instruction and participation in various arts and crafts. The children also enjoyed football, volleyball as well as use of playground equipment including swings and slides and use of the club-house. The annual event was hosted and organized by Neighborhood Watch Captain Sam Bruce with help from volunteers, sponsors, and with the cooperation of the Benque Police Department. Guest speakers included an opening address by Deputy O/C Insp. Stanley Bowden, Cpl. McNeil on domestic violence issues, Armando Chulin on patriotism and a statement in the closing ceremony by Cpl. Joshua McKoy, which is also Belize’s first recipient of “GREAT” International Training program Certification. With an initial registration limit of 50, the ranks swelled daily until an aggregate total of more than 500 willing participates attended, with great strain on resources as all was donated by the organizer, Mr. Bruce, and community businesses based on 250 total attendances.

BUA - Press Release - Boycott Guatemala
Guatemalans are laughing all the way to the bank as innocent Belizeans continue to prop up their country with our hard earned dollars. - August 27, 2015.

Our beautiful nurse Rochelle driving the new ambulance on Caye Caulker.

IllumiNation Festival of Light
Corozal House of Culture (NICH) The Corozal House of Culture is dedicated in uplifting and inspiring residents through various creative forms. We are pleased to offer an entertaining annual event for all ages with a patriotic theme as part of the September Celebrations activities in partnership with the Corozal Town Council. IllumiNation Festival of Light is a patriotic celebration encompassing light in many forms; candle, laser, glow in the dark, as well as fireworks which will take place on September 9th at Miami Beach. Leading up to this event we are inviting the community to participate in our free lantern making workshops at the House of Culture Aug 29th, and Sept 5th. We will have on hand items to create lanterns from recycled materials, and paper-mache lanterns, if possible, we are a encouraging persons to bring in any used large plastic/glass bottles. All ages are invited to participate in the free workshops as there will be a variety of designs offered. Participants of the lantern making workshop will be encouraged to attend the IllumiNation Festival of Light event to display their lanterns. Cash prizes will be given to most patriotic and most creative lantern, bicycle and boat. Join us in this positive, creative activity Saturday August 29th beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Corozal House of Culture.

Update on Mediation Process for Negotiation of Revised Partnership Collective Agreement
Belize Electricity Limited’s (BEL) Management Negotiating Team has been participating in mediation sessions with the Labour Department in an effort to reach a compromise on the pending articles in the revised Partnership Collective Agreement (PCA). In June, the Company requested that the Labour Department mediate the completion of the pending PCA articles regarding salaries and benefits after BEL and the Belize Energy Workers Union (BEWU) were unable to arrive at an agreement following several months of negotiations. As a result, these negotiations officially entered into mediation by the Labour Department. In the spirit of compromise, the Company made a second revision to its initial proposal and presented this revised proposal to the Labour Department at a meeting yesterday. As communicated before, the Company’s initial proposal was for an increase in salaries and benefits that is equivalent to a 24% increase in salary.

Restore Belize and Yata Road Tour
Restore Belize and the Youth Atlantic Treaty Association have teamed up to bring a show on issues affecting girls in Belize. They'll be performing at the Cayo Welcome Center on Saturday, starting at 5:00pm.

Channel 7

Cola To GOB: Build The Base Now!
Last week when the Prime Minister held a press conference to say that the Guatemalan Navy was wrong for coming into Belize to bully the territorial volunteers - the government hoped it would stem the political hemorrhaging over the Sarstoon Island and River. But, the pressure just keeps building - and today the pressure group COLA tried to ramp it up a few notches with the launch of a campaign called "Build The Base Now." They're referring to the forward operating base on Sarstoon Island and today the group held a fiery press conference at the Radisson to launch their campaign:.. Jules Vasquez reporting Supporters were bussed in to the Radisson for the event where they filled up the VIP Room which was plastered with vinyl all weather banners - complete with Hollywood style logos and branding all the trappings of a political party - so we had to ask. Jules Vasquez "Will COLA be activating itself as a political party? I ask this because I see you all mobilizing like a political party. You brought a bus with supporters - that's fair. I counted 16 all-weathered banners across the room, quite sophisticated."

GOB, Special Meetings Next Week
But government is moving ahead with its own business - and there's something big coming down the pike next week - but no one seems to know for sure what it is. 7News has confirmed that there will be a special House Meeting next week Tuesday - the day after a special cabinet meeting on Monday. Now - there are all kinds of rumours and speculation about what both Meetings will be about. Some say that Monday's Cabinet meeting is for a Cabinet shuffle. Well based on what we've heard from our sources we can say with almost absolute certainty, that's not going to happen. And the house meeting? Well, the rumour mill says that could even be to dissolve the house and set the date for an election. But, again, our best information says there's almost no chance of that. But, there is some major announcement that is expected - just that, right now, it's a tightly guarded secret, and no one can say for sure what it is.

FCD Says 18 Million in Hardwood Stolen From Chiquibul
The Friends for Conservation and Development or FCD as they are known, the co-managers of the Chiquibul National Park, released their annual report today on illegal logging activities in the protected area. Their estimate is that from 2010 to 2012 4.248 million US dollars' worth of Cedar has been illegal cut, and 5.199 million US dollars' worth of Mahogany has been illegally harvested. That's a total of $18.89 million Belizean dollars that has been lost from the Chiquibul. First off, the good news is that there have not been any visible signs of illegal logging since September of 2014. But the bad news is that's probably because all the logs close to the border have already been illegally extracted and the poachers would have to come too deep into Belize to find more. But, no doubt, it's also because there are a greater number of park rangers and security forces patrolling the Chiquibul.

BEL Says It's Willing To Compromise
Over the past two weeks - we've talked to the minister of labour, the labour commissioner, and the energy Workers Union about the ongoing dispute between BEL and its union. Well, today the company put in its five cents. The company says it has made a second revision of its initial proposal, which it presented to the Labour Department yesterday. The company says it is willing to compromise on the following: The total increase in salaries and benefits; The vesting period for employee pension; and Adjustment to the Annual Performance Increase Matrix. While the union says it is principally asking for an across the board 8% increase, the Company's maintains that its initial proposal was for an increase in salaries and benefits that is equivalent to a 24% increase in salary.

Maskall Marijuana
Eastern division rural police took down a good-sized marijuana plantation on Tuesday. It was found in the area of Maskall village - where 800 mature plants were uprooted and destroyed. Police sat on the field for two days waiting for the owner to turn up - so he or she or they could be arrested. But when no one turned up - they proceeded to destroy the field.

Belize And Mexico, Making Trade Work
One month ago, we told you about the moves that the Ministry of Trade was making to strengthen trade ties between Belize and Guatemala. They're also working on opening up trade relations with Belize's other neighbor, the one to the north: Mexico. Today, BELTRAIDE hosted a conference between the producers and exporters all around the country to meet and speak with the regulators and trade facilitators from the Mexican Government and the private sector. Both sides are working on completing a platform that allows unimpeded access to the Mexican market with all the benefits, and none of the headaches. We spoke with the CEO about the progress both countries have made, and how much further they have to go: Mike Singh, CEO - Ministry of Trade "The meeting today is a third in a series that we've been promoting for exporting Belizean products to different regions and through collaboration with the Belize Embassy in Mexico and through a lot of work put on their behalf, as well as collaboration with our group in Belize, we were able to put together a very high level team of experts from Mexico that will work with our exporters to understand market procedures, policies and hopefully help them with their quest to expand markets into Mexico."

Working Towards Zero Traffic Accidents
Within the last 2 weeks, there have been 4 traffic accidents around the country, resulting in 4 fatalities. That statistic is not lost on the Belize Road Safety Project coordinators who are still working towards reaching zero deaths and zero to traffic accidents by the year 2030. Since 2011, however, there's been an average of 56 fatalities per year. So, it's a very ambitious goal, and so the coordinators have come up with a draft National Road Safety Master Plan. This plan seeks to engage the multitudes of Government professionals - in all areas from education to enforcement - to try and work towards that goal. Today, the National Road Safety Committee gathered all the different traffic departments, Health, Education and Emergency personnel from around the country to discuss what the draft master plan currently looks like, and how it should be improved towards final implementation. 7News stopped by for the opening ceremonies of the workshop, and here's what the Leaders of the committee had to say:

Solar Powered Lights to Replace Kerosene
For those of us who live in areas with electricity - we take it for granted that we'll always have lights. But in the remote reaches of the Toledo District - electricity is a far off reality - and in villages like San Vicente and Jalacte - they use kerosene lamps. That includes school children who have to get their home work done using those same lamps but, while it has been going on for generations, a US Charity called grid earth says breathing in that kerosene smoke is toxic to children. So they give out specialized solar lights - 200 of which were donated in San Vicente and Jalacte earlier this week. Here's how it was pitched to the villagers:.. This year grid earth gave out 200 solar lights, last year they gave 400.

Southside Police Back Into Community
Community policing is one thing - but the eastern division Southside is taking it to a whole new level. The Southside cops have been holding a back to school drive for the children of Mayflower Street - and they handed over their donations today at the Berger Field. Senior Superintendent Williams told us why they are doing it:... Supt. Chester Williams - OC, Eastern Division South "It's a continuation of our back to school drive. We had the one last week in the Jane Usher Boulevard area and now we are doing one for the Mayflower area. Today we will be giving out a total of 100 bags to the children of this area and again like I have said before we try to reach out to the younger generation as well and not only to those who are already caught up in the criminal justice system. So it's just a good gesture from the police to give back to the community and show the community that you know we are serious about working with you.

Chester On Checkpoints
And while Senior Supe Willaims and his teams were doing their thing on the Southside - hardly a mile away at the Belcan Bridge - there's a 24 hour checkpoint waiting for everyone crossing over from Southside to north.. It's a new policing strategy where these checkpoints have been installed at all four bridged connecting the northside and the south. But it it discriminatory? Because it almost seems to suggest that criminals travel from the Southside to the north - when it's really not that clear cut. Today we asked Williams about it: Supt. Chester Williams - OC, Eastern Division South "The checkpoint, I must say at times are very inconvenient, but at the end of the day, we must understand that crime is everyone's business and the commander on north side do have her responsibility and the obligation to ensure that crime on her side of the city remains at the minimal. And if they believe that the checkpoint is one way of doing that, then by all means that is the way to go."

King At Work, No Truce With Kremandala
If you've been around the Lake Independence constituency, behind the CB Hyde Complex building, you may have noticed street works in an area formerly known as Junesville. It's the work of UDP Area Rep Mark King - who says nearly 100 streets will be getting much needed attention. According to King, about 1.5 million dollars will be spent on the construction upgrades of these streets: Hon. Mark King, UDP Area Rep. - Lake I "We are doing the second round of Petrocaribe powered streets. As you know the entire country is doing streets and in this area, we've picked out under the project, streets that really need develop, streets that really needs drainage and streets that really need that extra resurfacing and so we've selected like 30 streets throughout the entire constituency which is going to be brand new streets. Brand new simply meaning up to pave standard. We are going to do everything to it except tar. We are going to put the hardcore material on top of all of them. We are going to come in with the all-in, we are going to compress it and its going to be smooth and then we are going to put culverts and dig out the drains in front of everybody's home and cement it so they can have access to their drive ways. So we are looking at almost one million dollars' worth of streets. On top of that, we are going to be doing remedial work on another 30 streets and then we will be doing patching and so forth on those that aren't too bad and so that brings us to almost 100 streets being fixed between now and October."

Bobo Youth, No Foul Play
A post mortem was conducted today on the body of Theodore Parchue, formerly known as the performer "Bobo Youth". The post mortem concluded that he died of drowning and police have ruled it as an accidental death - not a homicide. The 34 year old's body was found yesterday morning in the Belize River under the Belcan Bridge by a fisherman who found Parchue when he cast his net. After being sentenced to 7 years for burglary in 2006, Parchue had fallen on hard times. He was homeless, living under the bridge and was also an epileptic. A police report says he was last treated for an epileptic seizure in April of this year.

Belize Work Force Mostly Uneducated
Yesterday we told you about the labour force survey - which showed that unemployment was down. But the survey does much more than determine the unemployment rate - it also monitors work trends, who's entering the work force and who is leaving. The survey found that more females than ever are entering the work force, and the more educated a female is - the more likely she is to find work. Now, overall far more men are employed, but women with tertiary education - have almost exactly the same employment rate as men. And because more women have tertiary education than men, in this sector of the workforce, there are actually more women employed than men - fifteen thousand compared to 11 thousand. Keeping it on education, perhaps the most alarming finding in the labour force survey is that 55% of the workforce has completed primary educator or less. That means that more than half of the workforce would be considered un-educated.

Channel 5

COLA Renews Call for F.M. Elrington’s Head
Two weeks ago, Prime Minister Dean Barrow at a press conference threw his Foreign Minister, Wilfred “Sedi” Elrington, under the bus for comments that have inflamed Belizeans on numerous issues [...]

President Says COLA is Not Pushing Opposition’s Agenda
The rollout of COLA’s anti-government campaign, complete with banners and other related propaganda, was done in grand fashion, relatively speaking.  The press conference was held at the Radisson and was [...]

COLA Depends on Public Support for Funding
And, just where is COLA getting its funding from?  According to former president, Moses Sulph, the organization is still very much dependent on the altruism of private individuals, as well [...]

FCD Commissioned Study Reveals Startling Facts
Illegal logging within the Chiquibul Forest remains one of the foremost causes of biodiversity loss within the national park.  An assessment of the problem to determine its scale was commissioned [...]

Belmopan Squatters Given Deadline to Vacate Premises
A piece of the jewel – any piece of the jewel – is as coveted as the Holy Grail. But unless you’ve got money, power, political connections or any combination [...]

Belmopan Mayor Says Land is Scarce
In his interview today, Belmopan Mayor Khalid Belisle maintained that the problem is land. There is a high demand for that precious commodity in Belmopan, and a long waiting list. [...]

Mayor Belisle Denies Promising Land Survey for Votes
Today, when we spoke to residents of the creek-side parcel, they maintained that they have been allowed to live there by both previous Mayors Anthony Chanona and Simeon Lopez. They [...]

Two Charged for Handling Stolen Goods
A room being rented in the city by Harold Perriott was burglarized last week Thursday.  This week, two men were charged with the offense of handling stolen goods; one took [...]

Firearm Charge Withdrawn…Drug Charge Sticks
A man reported to police that he was robbed at gunpoint, but today in court, he claimed he never told police a gun was used and when he tried to [...]

Eastern Division Holds Back to School Drive
The Eastern Division South today held a second back to school drive; this time in the Mayflower Street area of the city as part of their strategy to build relations [...]

Is the Placement of Police Checkpoints a Result of Profiling?
On August fifteen, a deadly fight took place on Newtown Barracks in Belize City. It occurred near the entrance to the MCC Grounds across from the Ramada Belize City Princess. [...]

Transport Stakeholders Evaluate Road Safety Program
Today, stakeholders across the transport industry gathered at the Biltmore to evaluate the progress of the National Road Safety Program, which started in 2014. It is the second round of [...]

$14M Invested in Road Safety Program to Date
The Road Safety Project is funded by the Caribbean Development Bank and the Government of Belize. And while the program highlights the dangers resulting from drunk driving, approximately fourteen million [...]

Workshop Held to Bridge the Trade Divide
Mexico is one of Belize’s important trading partners, especially as it relates to agriculture and fisheries products. The trade and investment arm of the government, BELTRAIDE, is planning to increase [...]

Healthy Living Looks at Tips to Staying Hydrated
Belize has been experiencing below average rainfall and above average temperatures. All Belizeans can attest to the discomfort of high temperatures but one warning that we all need to take [...]

CTV3

Highway To Cancun Collapses
What some are calling a “cenote” has appeared in the middle of the Playa del Carmen-Cancun highway today at around four in the morning. The sinkhole suddenly appeared according to reports and caused the total collapse of a twelve meter section of the road in both directions. The situation reportedly caused chaos as all four lanes of the highway have been affected. The road dropped about 2.5 meters in an area of cenotes, or natural sinkholes hear the Hotel Iberostar. It is estimated that some 3.5 tons of asphalt was displaced. Reports indicate that one person sustained minor injuries. Authorities have been working to restore traffic and have suggested alternate routes.

Heritage Bank International Cut Off From Bank Of America
Another bank in Belize is cut off from the Bank of America. According to reports, Heritage Bank International is losing its correspondence with the BOA as it continues its de-risking process. This follows remarks from officials at the Central Bank and even the Prime Minister Dean Barrow who said that any other banking institution would be cut off following termination of corresponding ties with the Belize Bank and Atlantic International Bank. Central Bank Governor Glen Ysaguirre conceded that financial institutions are under constant review and said that while he could not say if any other banks were at risk to lose their corresponding ties, there is always a possibility. He also said that some banks do business with more than one corresponding bank.

Closeness Of Bush Fire Scares Residence
Shortly after the lunch hour today, a small brush fire gave some homeowners on and around Poinsetta Street a big scare even though fire officials contained the fire from growing out of control. Residents in the area say that an individual intentionally set the property ablaze and instead of monitoring the burning, he vacated the premises. The flame came dangerously close to some homes in the area. Fire fighters shuttled in water from the truck’s hydrants to help put out the relatively small fire but caused some discomfort with the inhalation of smoke. Recent dry conditions and wind have increased the risk of brush fires and so officials are discouraging residents from lighting fires in residential areas which pose the highest risk.

LOVE FM

COLA calls for immediate construction of FOB
Under the theme, “Build the base now”, Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action, COLA, held a press conference at the Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina in Belize City this morning. The general topic was the Belize/Guatemala dispute and Belize Territorial Volunteers’ recent trip to Sarstoon Island. During the press conference, COLA made three demands. […]

Millions lost as a result of illegal logging
Friends for Conservation and Development, FCD, issued a release in regards to the state of Illegal Logging in the Chiquibul Rainforest. According to the FCD, “Illegal logging is one of the leading causes of biodiversity loss in the Chiquibul Forest”. In order to determine the extent of the problem, FCD, carried out an assessment between […]

Belmopan City Council deals with squatters
The Belmopan City Council met with a group of squatters that have erected structures in the Maya Mopan Area in that municipality. Earlier in the week, three wooden houses were destroyed by orders of the Belmopan City Council. On Wednesday, Belmopan City Council Ralston Fraser met with a group of more than 50 squatters. Ralston […]

Another Association gets certified by FAIRTRADE
On Monday the Corozal Sugar Cane Producers’ Association received confirmation that it had been certified to sell its sugar with the Fairtrade Logo. This morning the second largest of the three associations, Progressive Sugar Cane Farmers’ Association, got word that they too were certified and will be benefiting from the premium price upon the sale […]

Businesses target Mexican market
The Belize Trade and Investment Development Services (BELTRADE) is collaborating with the Embassy of Belize in Mexico in keeping with its objective to promote realistic export-ready products to reachable markets. The initiative is being conducted through ExportBelize, BELTRADE which highlights business opportunities from both trade markets that complement each other. Michael Singh CEO, in the […]

Solar lights distributed to rural communities in Toledo District
The Ministry of Rural Development teamed up with the Grid Earth Project to issue out 200 hundred solar lights to Belizeans living in rural areas. The grid earth project is a charity dedicated to saving lives, improving health, and increasing educational and economic opportunities by providing solar powered LED lighting to those in need. Coordinator […]

UN Resident Coordinator presents credentials
Last week, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for El Salvador and Belize, Christian Salazar, presented his letter of introduction to Prime Minister Dean Barrow. He was also received by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wilfred Elrington. Before this appointment, Salazar was Deputy Director, Programme Division with UNICEF in New York. He also served with […]

Road safety project on track
Government of Belize through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Road Safety Project has engaged consultant Mavis Johnson to coordinate the development of Belize’s Road Safety Master Plan 2030 with the vision of zero deaths on Belize’s roads and highways. Love News spoke with Crispin Jefferies, Co-Chair of the Road Safety Committee. Crispin Jefferies […]

Man charged with cattle theft
Fem Cruz reporting… “Based on a stressful call of pig rustling in progress, Belmopan police quickly responded to William Swan’s farm on the Valley of Peace road Cayo District. Love News spoke to Inspector Stephanie Grinage officer in command of the Belmopan branch who shared with us some more information. Inspector Stephanie Grinage “On 26th […]

Four ladies vie for title of PG Queen of the Bay
Paul Mahung reporting… “The Queen of the Bay pageant is one of the major events held in connection with September Celebration activities. All preparations are in place for the annual exciting event as explained by pageant coordinator Sherlyn Cassimiro.” Sherlyn Cassimiro “The four delegates vying for this year’s Queen of the Bay pageant here in […]

The Guardian

Big payday for BWS shareholders - $6.765 Million in Profit at BWS
Shareholders of the Belize Water Services Limited are receiving a 5 percent return on their investment this year as Alberto August, Chairman of BWSL, has announced that dividend to minority shareholders will be paid out at a rate of 7.5 cents per share. This rate of return is greater than is available at the commercial banks in the country and has been made possible due to Government’s decision to forgo collection of its share on the agreement that it be paid out to minority shareholders. The handsome dividend share was not the only good news shareholders received at the company’s Annual General Meeting on Friday, August 21, at the Biltmore. August pointed out that there is “a significant improvement” in the company’s key performance indicators: Water Coverage, Non-Revenue Water, Staff Efficiency, Collection Efficiency, Working Ratio and Profitability.

National Bank to open Belize City Branch
Preparations are well underway as the National Bank of Belize is readying itself to open another branch office in Belize City. After almost two years in existence, there has been a growing need for the bank to expand its operations and it is now doing so in Belize City. The new offices will be located on Regent Street and will feature regular banking services including ATM services, as well as night deposit capabilities. Located at #53 Regent Street in Belize City, the bank will see official opening ceremonies take place on Thursday, September 3. At the opening Prime Minister Dean Barrow will declare the second branch of the bank officially opened.

Conspiracy to get rid of Ray Davis as Labor Senator
Ray Davis, a prominent labor unionist, and a career member of the National Assembly, has been kicked out his position as Senator for the Labor Unions. That’s the decision that the General Council of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize took on Saturday, August 22. The Council held a tribunal prior to this decision meeting, where they gave Davis an opportunity to explain himself. Readers may know that the former senator’s problems began back on March 30, when he abstained from the voting process in the Senate on whether the original Petrocaribe Loans Act was passed into law. First to take aim from the firing squad was Audrey Matura-Shepherd, who publicly called for his resignation. She condemned that abstention when in actuality, the NTUCB did not give the Senator any instructions as to what his position should be on this loan. Documents have emerged in which Davis explained via email the reason he did not vote for or against the bill since the Unions enjoyed some benefits of the Petrocaribe Funds indirectly. Things quieted down, even though there was some internal rifts created over Matura-Shepherd’s rocking the boat. Then, on July 1, the day of the Senate Debate over the Petrocaribe Loans Amendment Act, Davis was out of the country, and so that’s when members of the NTUCB had to come together last minute to decide on First Vice President Adelaida Guerra to fill in as an interim Senator.

Where is SATIIM? It is no longer co-managing the Sarstoon Temash National Park!
A group of individuals once again made a trip to the southernmost point of Belize in the hopes of raising awareness of what was taking place in the area. A 7 News report singled out fishing as a major concern and there was even mud waddling too by the media hound Audrey Matura (we were actually pleased to have seen her in an environment in which she was quite comfortable in). But back to the matter at hand, the report stated that fishing was a serious issue which was threatening the area. The images of small dories alongside the mangrove patches irritated even the most nonchalant Belizean. The reality in this whole situation is that the southern waters have been plagued by illegal fishing from neighboring Guatemala, Honduras and even other nationalities who exploit the lack of fisheries enforcement in the area for decades now. As it relates to the fishing which was seen on 7 News, this was being done within what is called the Sarstoon Temash National Park. This park is co-managed by an organization called SATIIM- the Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management. The last time we heard about them they were battling a scandal where a quarter of a million dollars was misappropriated from its coffers and it was not until months after the theft took place that the managers noticed.

Summer Camp held in Benque
The 8th Annual Zone 4 Neighborhood Watch Group Summer Camp was held at Sams’ Community Park in Benque Viejo del Carmen last week, from Monday 17th to Friday 21nd of August. The camp was available to all area children and was held all week from 8:30 am to noon daily. All children received free of charge instruction and participated in various arts and crafts. The children also enjoyed football, volleyball as well as use of playground equipment including swings and slides and use of the club-house. The annual event was hosted and organized by Neighborhood Watch Captain Sam Bruce with help from volunteers, sponsors, and with the cooperation of the Benque Police Department. Guest speakers to the event included an opening address by Deputy Officer in Charge, Stanley Bowden, who spoke on domestic issues. An address was also given by Armando Chulin, who based his talk on the importance of patriotism. Also speaking at the Summer Camp was Corporal Joshua McKoy, who is also Belize’s first recipient of “GREAT’s ” International Training program Certification.

Chicken Little in journalism
In Belize it appears to be a new fad for some people to be always on Social Media and even mainstream media via the morning talkshow circuit to spread rumors, half truths and in some cases outright lies. You see some of these are attention seekers or highlight grabbers, then there are those who are just plain LIARS. Every so often they would come up with stories that make one pause and ask did he or she really say that? Some of the notables who like the spotlight are, but are not limited to: Don Hecto, Ernesto Torres, Arthur Saldivar, Audrey Matura- Shepherd, Wil Meheia, Moses Sulph, Paco Smith and Sandra Coye. Most of them are serial callers to the talkshows. Then there are those talkshow hosts who are equally as guilty as the callers. Some of those hosts are Mose Hyde, Yaya Marin, Louis Wade, Albert Vaughan, Marshall Nunez and Vaughan Gill. The last three will get a pass because they work for a political party whose mantra is to spread lies and nobody takes them seriously. The other host will get a temporary pass for now but we plan to give them special attention at a later date.

CITCO promotes hurricane preparedness on exercise books
The Belize City Council has published exercise books in an effort to raise awareness about hurricanes within school children. Wayne Usher, City Emergency Management Organization’s liaison officer, explained to the Guardian that the rationale behind the print is to always keep hurricane preparedness in the minds of students. They in turn, will take the message to their parents. On the cover, the exercise book features the Hurricane Warning Flags along with the shelters that are available in Belize City. On the reverse side of the cover there is the hurricane tracking chart and on the inside of the back cover are a number of hurricane safety tips.

Community policing strategy adopted to combat crime
Assistant Commissioner of Police and Commander of Management Services, Robert Mariano, officially declared open a “Basic Community Policing Training” for 32 Community Policing Officers from across Belize at the Police Training Academy in Belmopan on Monday morning of this week. During these five days, Police Officers will be undergoing training in how to interface with the community. Community policing has now been the adopted strategy of Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie to reduce crime in Belize. As confirmed by Robert Mariano in his main address on Monday, and from his experience as Police Commander in both Orange Walk and the Stann Creek Districts, the strategy of community policing can reduce crime. On arrival in the Orange Walk District, Robert Mariano observed that from the 50 police officers at the police station some were on sick leave, attending court, and as a result only two or three police officers were able to work at any given time. But by adopting a community policing strategy, Robert Mariano was able to get 100 additional persons to assist and as a result ten persons were able to work at a time at the Orange Walk Police Station. He also revealed to the police officers now on training that he did the same in Dangriga, where crime plummeted as a result of getting the community involved in the fight against crime.

Dr. Barnett will win in Freetown
I had not known Dr. Carla Barnett personally until after she declared her intent to be the Standard Bearer for Freetown, before then all I had known of Dr. Barnett was as the consummate economists who had attempted to advise the Musa administration into the right economic path but was unable to do so and instead of bucking heads with the stubborn, chose to walk away as the Financial Secretary of Belize to expand on her professional career outside of this country. During those times, Dr. Barnett stood aloof of the everyday fray of politics, it would have appeared if I had been asked at the time, that she was unapproachable. That however is the furthest thing from the truth when it comes to the good doctor. When I had first contact with the her, I must admit, I was a bit sheepish about the encounter but surprisingly enough, it was a pleasant one. From her numerous accolades my initial reaction was that she would have been someone very difficult to communicate with, but she was anything but. After a few encounters with Dr. Barnett I'd say that I rather enjoy them. She is a straight forward individual who has now turned into quite the politician. She is always pleasant on contact and at times surprisingly funny during interactions.

Belize claims two top prizes in FCCA poster and essay competition
The Belize Tourism Board on Wednesday August 26, announced the winners of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association’s (FCCA) poster competition which was held earlier this year. Held under the theme My Caribbean, Your Caribbean to protect and preserve, the FCCA invited participants from the Caribbean region to submit a poster depicting the theme. After holding a local competition, one poster was selected in the junior category and another for the senior category which was then submitted as the country’s entries. The junior category featured works from children 12 years and under while the senior category depicted works from children 13 to 16 years of age. At the end of the competition, Belize’s entry by Nissa Sanchez placed overall second place earning her and her school U.S. $1,500 and Homira Sarah from St. Joseph took third place in the junior category winning U.S. $1000 for herself and her school, St. Joseph Primary School.

Media whores masquerade as territorial volunteers
On Tuesday, August 25, the Belize Territorial Volunteers went back to the Sarstoon River, for yet another attempt at “asserting sovereignty” over the Belizean territorial waters in that area. It is becoming abundantly clear, however, that the more of these trips that these people take, the more the mask of patriotism slips. Are they really acting patriotic, or are they simply instigating circumstances for an international incident to occur? If it’s the latter, then it simply means that they are posturing simply because they want the fame and the rush from being on camera. Fortunately, once again, the Tuesday trip went without incident, most likely because the Guatemalan Navy boat that is usually in the area of Sarstoon Island was shadowing the Belize Defence Force change over vessel for the entire length of the trip from the mouth of the Sarstoon, all the way to the Cadenas Conservation Post. Because there was no Guatemalan Naval officials to stop them, Maheia and others went to the Sarstoon Island and erected the Belize Flag to fly on that territory. Now, that does nothing to change the minds of the Guatemalans who are in the area, and neither does it help Belize’s position in trying to keep Belizean territories.

Queen of the West selected
Samantha Harrison was crowned Cayo’s Queen of the West for 2015--2016 on Saturday night of this past weekend at the Octavia Waight Convention Centre in San Ignacio Town. Samantha Harrison was crowned to an admiring crowd by outgoing Queen of the West Arianie Lara. This followed a full night of entertainment that involved trumpet playing, dance, singing and a question and answer session with participants. The curtsy presentation was done by all participants with a smooth grace to a cheering crowd. In gracefully receiving her new title, Samantha Harrison told the Guardian that “…there are strong Belizean people working at the back of our talented girls.” She also said that her effort on stage takes a lot of time, tears and strength. Her message to her peers was that “…we need Belizean girls to come out of their cage, to be outstanding, to show who they are.” In her presentation on stage, Samantha Harrison reviewed the life of Victor August as well as provided a colorful review of Belize’s rise to Nationhood. Second runner-up was Alexis Del Valle, who was sponsored by the Hon. Erwin Contreras. Alexis Del Valle is a graduate of the San Pedro High School and spoke briefly about the contributions that Seferino Coleman had on broadcasting.

Road Safety Demonstration Corridor saving lives
Road traffic injuries are the fourth leading cause of death in Belize regardless of age and sex. According to the Road Safety Unit in the Ministry of Transport, this year alone, up to August there have been 38 deaths across the country. The break down is as follows: 7 on the Southern Highway, 7 on the Hummingbird Highway, 9 on the Phillip Goldson Highway, 5 on the George Price Highway between Belmopan and Benque, 7 on other offroads and 3 on the George Price Highway from Belize City to Belmopan. The latter section of road is what is deemed to be the Belize Road Safety Demonstration Corridor Project under the Ministry of Transport. The project is a BZ$14,495,000 one which is funded through a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank which began to be implemented in March of 2013. Government is putting in counterpart funding of $3,191,000. Under the project the stretch of road from Belize City to Belmopan has undergone major improvements including the widening of the road, resurfacing dangerous areas, placing of cat eyes, reflectors, painting of the road lines, signage, installation of guardrails among other safety features.

San Ignacio and Santa Elena Town Council and UDP reps working for a better municipality
Mayor Earl Trapp Junior and his team of councilors from the San Ignacio and Santa Elena Town Council have recently been busy working on several initiatives as part of their work plan. Mayor Earl Trapp took a working tour of San Ignacio this weekend and came up with more plans for the Towns. According to Mayor Earl Trapp, the paving of Salazar, Carmelita, Martin Galvez, Bishop Desmond and Cahal Pech Streets within the Twin Towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena will commence on August 31st 2015. As the San Ignacio and Santa Elena Town Council continues to improve the streets and drains of the Twin Towns, it is being done with the participation of the Hon. Rene Montero, Representative for the Cayo Central Division, Hon. Omar Figueroa, the Representative for Cayo North Division as well as John August, Standard Bearer for Cayo North East; given that the jobs ahead are large-scale and challenging in nature.

Daniel Bradley faces new charges of sexual assault
Junior college student, Daniel Bradley, 19, who only two months ago was accused of having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old minor, is in trouble again for allegedly engaging in sexual activities with another female minor. Bradley appeared before Magistrate Ladonna John on Tuesday, August 25, where he was read a single charge of unlawful sexual intercourse for carnally knowing a female under the age of 16. According to reports, between May 1 and May 31, 2015, Bradley had sex with a girl who is now 14 years and 4 months. In court, Bradley was represented by attorney Ellis Arnold. No plea was taken since the matter will be dealt with on indictment. Magistrate John asked Bradley if he understands the charge and he said yes. The magistrate then allowed him to leave freely but ordered that he return to court in October.

Jayear Flores accused of jacking church’s money
Saint Joseph Parish was robbed as one man targeted an employee on his way to the bank. At around 11 a.m. on Monday, August 24, retired teacher Eric Neal, 76, was at the Saint Joseph Parish compound to collect money for deposit at the bank when he was ambushed. According to Neal, he was just about to reach his vehicle when a man wearing a white shirt and camouflage pants approached him and grabbed a laptop bag from him which contained $2,188.11 in cash and cheques.

Was Mark Phillips shot by mistake?
Mark Phillips, 16, a Belize City resident, continues to recover from a gunshot injury he suffered on Thursday evening, August 20. Police are saying that an armed friend of his shot him by mistake while they were trying to ambush another young man, but Phillips and his family are refuting that. They say that Phillips and his friends were targeted by a gunman who shot him while he was trying to run away. Because of this incident, Lloyd Leslie and Dwayne Evelyn, are at the Belize Central Prison after being charged and arraigned on the offences of aggravated assault with a firearm. Police say that they threatened Belize City youth Delbert Palacio with a weapon the day before and on the day of the shooting. Police say that they believe that one of these young men were the ones who shot Mark Phillips but no criminal charges can be brought if there is no complainant.

Pregnant waitress of Long Island Bar pleads guilty to immigration offense
A pregnant undocumented woman who was caught working at a bar in Belize City has pleaded guilty to failure to produce immigration documents when requested by the authorities. On Friday, August 21, immigration officers visited Long Island bar, located on Blue Marlin Drive in Belize City, and detained four women for immigration offenses. The owner of the bar, Rixie Mejia, 34, was detained for employing people who were not in possession of employment permits. Three waitresses were detained because they could not produce immigration documents. On Monday, August 23, Honduran nationals, Mariella Nohely Murillo and Irma Isabella Arita Portillo appeared in court along with Salvadoran Jessica Maribel Diaz to face immigration charges before Magistrate Ladonna John.

Soldier claims fire destroyed Courts items, not so says police
BDF soldier, Rigo Francis Zuniga, 28, recently made a report to police claiming that there was a fire at his residence on June 3 in which all of his household items were destroyed. The report caused police to open an investigation into the fire but that investigation produced no evidence or signs that a fire ever did occur. Checks were then made into the items allegedly destroyed by the fire. This led police to a female who reported that Zuniga gave her a flat screen television he got from Courts Belize and a stereo to pawn at Fair Brothers Pawn Shop in Belize City. Police visited the pawn shop and located the two items Zuniga claimed were destroyed in the fire. Zuniga was arrested by police and charged for committing a mischievous act.

Of Heroes and Patriots
Five major Opposition media outlets; Krem, Times, Plus, Vibes, and Channel Fox, are daily representing themselves as not only supporters of the Belize Territorial Volunteers, but also as co-organizers of the events that has gripped the headlines in recent weeks. Their bursting excitement is palpable that maybe at last, just maybe, something has come along that can swing the pendulum their way to the Promised Land, and they may soon get to feed from the trough once more. The main players in the above news conduits have gone to all lengths to glorify the principals of Territorial Volunteers as “heroes” and “patriots”, not minding to explain to the Belizean public the true definition of those venerable terms. Even the Executive of the People’s United Party has hopped on the bandwagon and laid claim to the purported heroism of the BTV; refusing to be elbowed away from the shining limelight of the cameras.

Should pageants still be held on a pedestal, even with all value being lost?
Today, television is peppered with reality shows that feature pint-sized beauty queens decked out in pricy gowns, full make up and big hair. Pageants aren’t the “dress up” play we knew as little children. And it’s not just a beauty pageant. This world of glitz and glamour is built around a sadly superficial, limited concept of beauty, and ultimately enforces internal ugliness. In fact, the whole founding basis of pageants is that people are measurably better than each other, and that looks triumph over all other qualities in importance. For all of the fame, winnings, and titles, nothing can justify the hurts inflicted on these participants, and the pageant system is in serious need of restructuring. Beauty pageants are ridiculously costly to parents, females are programmed into being ultra conscious about physical appearance, and it leads to unnecessary mayhem in society. A common claim is that pageant participants can win money and scholarships, which is indeed true. However, this is not a logical incentive, because the cost of competing often equals or outweighs the value of the potential winnings. We hardly ever hear of our Mom wanting to enter a beauty pageant at her mature age; it’s always in the childhood and teenage years that we become eager to participate in pageants. Of course, it wouldn’t be a problem for Mom to prepare for a pageant, since she will be able to fund the fantasies that are believed as pageant standards- the big, sparkling gowns, flashy outfits for each segment, extravagant hair and make-up by the ‘best’ stylist in the country, and so on. While some pageants don’t have entry fees, there’s no escaping all the investment that’s required. Whether unemployable or unemployed, children force their parents into spending sometimes thousands of dollars for something that might not even be worth it.

Singing the Blues...
like Joe Tex, Rufus Thomas, Otis Redding, Millie Jackson, Carla Thomas, Gladys Knight, BB King, Percy Sledge and Clarence Thomas would have a lot of catching up to do in order to sing about all the troubles PUP are experiencing right now. It seems the PUP is SINKING TO RISE NO MORE. Two Sundays ago PUP had created an ARTIFICIAL GROWTH by renting on credit and busing in a crowd to Bigfalls. That same Sunday some Belizeans had gone to the Sarstoon island to express to Guatemala that the island was ours. On that visit those persons were met with resistance from the Guatemalan military. The PUP were quick to try and piggyback on that. In Belize the age old Unfounded Guatemalan claim strikes a sour note amongst Belizeans, so Belizeans would side with whomever is expressing Anti - Guatemalan sentiments at the time. One would have expected their Hopkins outing that followed the Bigfalls operation would have been bigger. However the PUP have not cashed in on that. People don’t trust them, their word is not their bond. They did not pay those persons they rented on credit for Bigfalls.

The biggest PUP rogue won’t come back
On every occasion the PUP get they try to capture one of Johnny’s crew. They have now postponed the PUP RALLY that was scheduled for the North where Johnny is KING and holds the real power amongst the PUP faithfull. The PUP old guards are now trying to isolate him in order to bring him back into the fold. Johnny cannot be threatened or blackmailed into submission because he has dirt on everybody. They also cannot use the pressure of not giving him any of the party’s dwindling finance either. Johnny has his own money. Some would go as far as saying he is better off financially than his party. One would have to be a super idiot not to remember it was Johnny who single handedly financed the party’s day to day operations during the time he was the leader. He had gone as far as to lend the party money to run its newspaper and then radio station during that time when their electricity, water and telephone were disconnected for nonpayment.

Workers and employers meet to discuss labour
Leaders of labour unions, the business community and Government had the opportunity to share their positions and concerns on social and economic policy development with each other and their regional counterparts at a tripartite workshop on Monday, August 24. The International Labour Organization is collaborating with the Caribbean Employers’ Confederation (CEC) and the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL) to host workshops in each member states in an effort to review the challenges, concerns and opportunities present during the regional integration process. The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB), the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and the Labour Department of Belize made presentations on their experiences and concerns with the movement of labour in the region.

Major equipment and infrastructure
The Government of Belize and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) signed, on Friday August 21, a Loan Agreement for the Belize Integral Security Program. The overall objective of the Belize Integral Security Program (BISP) is to contribute to improving the quality of life of Belizeans and to support regional efforts that seek to combat crime. The key goal of the BISP is to strengthen citizen security by providing support to those institutions directly engaged in maintaining national security. The BISP consists of a US$30 million (BZ$60 million) loan from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI). Funds will be used for the improvement of infrastructure and the provision of equipment for the Belize Defence Force (BDF), Belize Police Department (BPD), Belize Coast Guard (BCG) and the National Forensic Sciences Service (NFSS). Infrastructure works will include new construction as well as refurbishment and improvement of existing buildings. Surveillance and monitoring, mobilization, and specialized technical equipment will also be supplied to these institutions.

10 million more for streets in Belize City
Last week infrastructure work started off once again in Belize City after having gone on a bit of a lull. The first street where work commenced was on King Street where residents had been experiencing some inconveniences after BWS completed its works on that street and the paving had not started. Well on Tuesday of last week the work crews moved in and in just over a week significant work has been done on the street with it being paved with cement. The Guardian Newspaper is reliably informed that this type of work will continue in the city with Amara being the next street to be concreted all the way to Z town. Paving will also be done on Plues Street, Seashore Drive, University Drive and Tanoomah Street. By the beginning of next month work will also be done on secondary streets in Port Loyola, Lake I, Collett, Pickstock and Queen Square. This will be in addition to the concreting of the approach to the Chetumal Street Bridge from its intersection with the George Price Highway. All told, central government will be investing an additional 10 million dollars in streets across the city in the coming months.

Tourism Police Unit gets equipment boost to improve law enforcement
The Tourism Police Unit (TPU)is better equipped after the Belize Tourism Board handed over 5 off road motorcycles and 28 handheld radios to the police unit on Wednesday August 26. According to Valdemar Andrade, Director of destination planning and cruise, safety and security is paramount in an industry that contributes to 25% of the country's GDP which translates to 700 million dollars annually and employs 1 in 7 persons who are employed. He says that it is the industry's responsibility to ensure that the Tourism Police Unit is properly equipped as they play their role in law enforcement and in particular in the tourism sector. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Manuel Heredia explained that the industry needs to give back to the community and this time around it is through law enforcement. He added that for crime to be prevented there is a need to place resources and equipment in the TPU for them to be able to perform their duties. In this instance the BTB invested over 44 thousand dollars in the motorcycles and radios. The radios will be deployed countrywide to improve communication between the unit and other areas of operation while the motorcycles will be deployed in key tourist areas including Belize City, Hopkins, Caye Caulker, San Pedro and Cayo.

15 year old killed by robbers in Stann Creek
The Polanco Family, which resides in the Stann Creek District, is mourning the loss of their loved one, 15 year-old Briaton Tharique Polanco, who was shot and killed by a robber who targeted his grandfather’s farm and shot him with his grandfather’s gun. The tragic incident happened on Friday, August 26, sometime after 8:30 a.m. at the Polanco Family farm situated on Mile 26 on the Hummingbird Highway. 64 year-old Bernard Usher, caretaker of the farm, and friend to the Polanco family, told police that he was inside his room when 3 masked Hispanic men, armed with machetes, tied him up. They ransacked his room, and stole a Samsung cellular phone, and his machete. The men then went into the main house, and that’s where they tied up the rest of the Polanco grandchildren, except Briaton Polanco. He was out in the fields, and he heard the commotion of the robbery in progress. He went to check what the noises were, and as soon as he arrived close to the side of the house, one of the 3 men pulled his grandfather’s shotgun and shot him once to the neck. That injury proved to be fatal, and shortly after that incident, the men fled from the house with a flat-screen TV, a DVD player and $3,000 cash from the main house.

Accused bank robbers out on bail
Supreme Court Justice, Antonette Moore, released the four men accused of robbing First Caribbean International Bank on bail of $8,000 plus two sureties of $4,000 on Friday, August 21. Patrick Jones, 22, Jermaine Belgrave, 33, Jareth Crawford, 30, and Emmerson Skyers, 24, have been ordered to report to the Queen Street Police Station at least once a week, seek gainful employment and appear at each adjournment date until the case is closed. The men are accused of robbing First Caribbean International Bank on Friday, July 31, just before 9 a.m. on a crowded payday. The bank, located at the foot of the Belcan Bridge at the corner of the Phillip Goldson Highway and the Central American Boulevard, opened for business as per normal. Customers entered, and began conducting their business, but unbeknownst to them, four armed thieves were among them, well-dressed to try to masquerade as legitimate customers.

Eaton Belisle charged for death of 2 men
Bus driver Eaton Belisle, 24, has been slapped with six charges for an accident that resulted in the deaths of Shane Goff and Alden Rudolph Locke on Friday, August 14. At around 5 p.m. on Friday, August 14, Belisle was driving a white Mercedes Benz between miles 6 and 7 on the Phillip Goldson Highway when he collided into a Chevy S-10 pick up truck driven at the time by Chinese businessman, Zaun Sheng He. Shane Goff and Alden Rudolph Locke sustained significant injuries on impact and perished as a result. Police’s investigation has led to the arrest and charge of Belisle. He appeared before Magistrate Ladonna John on Monday, August 23, where he was charged with two counts of manslaughter by negligence, two counts of causing death by careless conduct, driving without due care and attention and improper overtaking. Belisle was unrepresented but has sought legal advice from Attorney Hubert Elrington.

Belmopan Bandits are the early leaders in PLB Opening Season
The Premier League of Belize Opening Season for 2015-2016 continued last weekend with two games on the schedule. On Saturday 22 August at the FFB Stadium in Belmopan, the home team Belmopan Bandits edged out the visiting Wagiya by the score of 2-1 to win its first game of the 2015-2016 campaign. The visiting Wagiya Team was the first to get onto the scoreboard when Eugene Martinez scored his team only goal of the game to give them a 1-0 lead. It was not until well into the first half of the game that the home team the Belmopan Bandits was able to get onto the scoreboard when Evan Mariano scored his team equalising goal. The Belmopan Bandits then took a 2-1 lead when Marlon Meza scored the go-ahead goal in the 44th minute of play for a 2-1 lead.

Belize Bank Bulldogs a win away from basketball Firms’ title
The Belize District Basketball Association Firms Competition has now entered its championship round on Saturday 22 August, 2015, with game one in the best of three finals between the Central Bank and the Belize Bank Bulldogs. In the first game played, the Belize Bank Bulldogs defeated Central Bank by the score of 60-42. The top scorers for the Belize Bank Bulldogs team were Rupert Brown with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals; Brian White with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals and Roscoe Rhys who also scored 11 points, he also had 5 rebounds and 4 assists. For the Central Bank Team, the top scorers were Mark Swift with 11 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist; Farron Louriano also with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. The second game in the championship series will be played on Friday 28 August, 2015, at 8:00 pm and if a game three becomes necessary then that game will be played on Saturday 29 August also at 8:00 pm.

CYDP 5th Annual Football Peace Cup Tournament opens
The Conscious Youth Development Programme is sponsoring its V Annual Football Peace Cup Tournament which opened on Saturday 29 August, 2015, at the MCC Grounds. A total of 16 teams are competing in the tournament. According to the organisers of the tournament it is an Open Tournament and it is expected to conclude in January of 2016. The games are scheduled for every Saturday commencing at 9:00 am at the MCC Grounds. The champion of the tournament will receive $5000.00 cash, a team trophy and meals; 2nd place will receive $2000.00 cash, a team trophy and medals while 3rd place will receive $2000.00 cash, a team trophy and medals. There will also be individual awards given out.

Belize Bank Bulldogs to defend national softball title
The Belize Softball Federation will be holding its XXV National Women’s Softball Championship from August 28-30, 2015, at Rogers Stadium, the home of softball in Belize. According to the Constitution of the Belize Softball Federation, the National Championship is played for, between the champions and the sub-champions of the Affiliated Associations of the Federation. The teams that have earned the right to participate in the XXV National Women’s Championship are from the Belize City Association: the Belize Bank Bulldogs who are the defending National Softball Champions and Belize Telemedia (BTL); from Belize Rural: Double Head Cabbage and UB Jaguars and from the Cayo Association: Roaring Creek Grace Kennedy and Rebels United from Unitedville. The championship will commence on Friday 28 August at 6:30 pm with game one which will feature Belize Telemedia (BTL) against Double Head Cabbage and in game two it will be Rebels United of Unitedville against UB Jaguars.

Junior Volleyballers return home from Costa Rica
The National Junior Female Volleyball Team returned home from San Jose, Costa Rica, where they represented the country at the XI Central American Junior Championship. The team played a total of six games during the championship where it won 2 games and loss four games. After a rest day on Wednesday 18 August, 2015, the team then played against Honduras on Thursday 20 August, where it felled to Honduran in three sets by the score of 25-12, 25-23 and 25-22. On Friday 21, Team Belize went up against the defending Central American Champions Costa Rica and felled to the defending champions in three sets by the score of 25-12, 25-17 and 25-19. On the final day of competition, which was Saturday 22 August, 2015, Team Belize also felled to Guatemala in three sets by the score of 25-14, 25-10 and 25-10 to finish the championship with a 2-4 record.

Breaking Belize News

Mexico and Belize speak of trade expansion
Belize continues to be an important trade partner for Mexico and vice versa, as the two friendly neighbors develop deeper economic ties. As they prepare to negotiate the partial scope agreement going into 2016, the Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE) has reached out to exporters to […]

Youth poets operate in workshop
This afternoon a group of youths from Belize City attached to the programs of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) and National Youth Cadet Service Corps completed a two-day workshop in poetry development. Long the tool for the sensitive artists among us to express themselves, Arturo Quiroz, the […]

Travel re-routed after Mexican highway collapse
The Federal Highway between Playa del Carmen and Puerto Morelos remains closed due to the collapse of the road. A large portion of the highway has collapsed, leaving a hole of 10 meters wide and approximately one meter deep. The closure of the highway has caused massive traffic […]

Canadians get ready for Jaguars in World Cup qualifiers
The opponents of Belize’s national football team in the third round of the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifiers have selected what they call an experience side and say they will not take Belize lightly. Canada, who advanced to this round by dispatching Dominica, are in training for their […]

Annual summer camp in Benque Viejo concludes
Captain of The Zone 4 Benque Viejo Neighborhood Watch Group Sam Bruce hosted the eighth annual Summer Camp at Sam’s Community Park from August 17-21, open to all area children and held all week from 8:30 am to noon daily. The children received free of charge instruction and participation in […]

The Secret to a Happy Life – What Belize can learn from the Rosetans
Roseto Valfortore lies one hundred miles southeast of Rome in the Apennines foothills of the Italian province. Centuries, the paesani of Roseto worked in the marble quarries in the surrounding hills, or cultivated the fields in the adjoining valley below, walking four and five miles down the mountain in the morning […]

COLA demands FOB and Elrington’s removal
“Build the base now!” That is the primary demand of Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action (COLA) as it launched its Protect Belize campaign. The Forward Operating Base remains delayed due to a myriad of issues but president Giovanni Brackett insists it is needed to secure an area […]

Heritage Bank to also lose corresponding ties with Bank of America
Heritage Bank International, like Atlantic International Bank before it, has received word that their corresponding ties with Bank of America (BOA) is also being terminated as part of the bank’s “de-risking” process. Heritage International is just the latest financial institution in Belize to face such consequences as a result of international financial institutions cutting ties with perceived high-risk jurisdictions. Interestingly though, several weeks ago after Atlantic International had its ties cut, Central Bank Governor Glen Ysaguirre denied reports that Heritage or any other institution would be facing the same outcome.

Melvin Hulse resigns from UDP
Former Minister and Stann Creek West area representative Melvin Hulse has parted ways with the United Democratic Party, after seemingly mending fences following the publication of his recording attacking party leader Dean Barrow and other senior party officials. Hulse now says he and the party are “on a different page” […]

Senator Shoman requests OAS report, discusses latest developments
Despite no apparent objections from the Organization of American States (OAS) or Prime Minister Dean Barrow subject to the diplomats’ consideration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belize seeks approval from their counterparts in Guatemala to release the report. But according to News 5, Senator Lisa Shoman, the Opposition representative […]

Bobbo Youth found dead at Haulover Creek
Popular Belizean artist, Theodore “Bobbo Youth” Parchue, 34-years-old was found dead in the Haulover Creek near the Belcan bridge on Wednesday morning by a fisherman in the area. Herman Williams, the fisherman who found Parchue, said he had just cast his net when he saw what he thought was a […]

Blogs

Tough to Mobilize for Fall Frenzy in this HEAT!
School starts next week…the stores are selling out of notebooks, pencils, backpacks… The Roman Catholic School is getting cleaned and painted. And the September celebration gear is moving in…hurray…September celebrations in Belize! It is about 84 degrees in the morning and about 90 by mid afternoon – and the humidity is around 80-85%. Warm in the morning, HOT in the afternoon, very warm at night. As the sun was setting last night, I headed back into the DFC area to my local store for some cold soda waters. The trees along the dirt/sand road are coated in dust. I think I heard them whimpering for a bit of rain. Just a spritz…

5 Can’t Miss Ocean Experiences In Belize
Is there anything quite like the feeling of dropping into turquoise blue water and drifting slowly to the bottom of the ocean as you not only observe the world beneath the surface, but become part of it? It’s hard to think of anything more perfect. Scuba diving is one of those magical things that is both peaceful and exhilarating. I spent a month in Belize earlier this year and was in the ocean almost every day. I was able to enjoy dozens of absolutely incredible dives and encounter more large marine life than I had seen in my diving adventures. Home base for the month was San Pedro, on the gorgeous Ambergris Caye. It is the ideal spot to access the underground playground that is the Belize Barrier Reef, the world’s second largest barrier reef system. There’s a lot to experience in Belize, and I could write for hours about the vibrant culture, delicious food, breathtaking sea views, and the wonderful inhabitants of San Pedro, but to keep things concise I’ll focus on the ocean!

Updated: Seeing Belize anew through the eyes of a child
If you want to really see Ambergris Caye through fresh eyes, try walking around with a four-year-old. Recently, my grandson, Brody, and I took a walk up to Ak’Bol, the yoga resort, a 15-minute stroll along the shore. With Brody the walk stretches to an hour-plus. We play a game called “Does it float or sink?” for which the rules are quite simple: Every few feet we stop to inspect a palm tree frond, a small coconut, a piece of plastic flotsam or jetsam, a toy race car missing three wheels, a shell, or whatever. Brody then asks, “Will this float?’ “Let’s see,” I say. “Toss it in.”

International Sources

Blancaneaux Makes Worlds Sexiest Hotel List
Congratulatoins, Blancaneaux Lodge! Maxim Magazine ranked them as one of the sexiest hotels of the world for their Enchanted Cottage. Being located in Mountain Pine Ridge surely helped with the ambiance. Well done! "This is the deal: skinny dipping in a private pool in the middle of the rainforest, stars impossibly bright above you, so secluded from everything else in your life that you become the only two people who have ever existed on the planet, at least for a minute. That’s what The Enchanted Cottage at Blancaneaux offers, plus a private bath house with a Japanese tub, steam room, open fire, under-floor heating...let’s just say it’s luxe. Bonus: the cottage comes with a full-time chef and attendant, who is available at the touch of a radio button whenever you’re in the mood for a snack or cocktail. Or both."

Belize’s ‘Blue Hole’ May Hold Secret to Mayan Downfall
Everything from overhunting and a peasant uprising to deforestation and an alien invasion has been proposed to explain why the Mayan civilizationcollapsed, Smithsonian notes. But one theory has been gaining ground in recent years: extreme drought. Now more evidence has surfaced to support the drought postulation—and the proof may just lie in Belize’s most famous underwater cave. Rice University professor Andre Droxler’s team analyzed sediment found in the “Great Blue Hole,” a 410-foot-deep sinkhole in the middle of Lighthouse Reef, LiveScience reports. Not only did the chemical composition of the silt indicate periods of sparse rainfall during the Mayan decline (likely between AD800 and AD1000): It also showed that a second huge drought probably occurred between AD1000 and AD1100—right around the time the Mayans’ relocation site of Chichen Itza is said to have fallen.

Caribbean fishing industry ends meeting on food safety systems
A two-day meeting aimed at introducing a new regime for safe seafood for local and international consumption has ended here with delegates acknowledging that they were at the very early stages of introducing this new policy. The meeting is part of a European Union-funded project to help Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) countries introduce laws, regulations and a governance system to guarantee safe seafood for export to EU markets and beyond. The project, which is being carried out by the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) and supported by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA), aims to improve food safety standards to enable CARIFORUM fish exporters to take up trading opportunities under the EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). "Developed countries -- the EU, United States and Canada -- all have standards that you must meet in order to export to their market," said Milton Haughton, CRFM executive director.

OLLI Travel Series
Johnny Sellers has traveled to Belize many times and has taken groups to study the eco-system as well as to do service. His breathtaking photography, and depth of understanding of its tropical paradise will make the traveler want to quickly book a ticket. Session times are 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and available to members and guests at no cost. Registration is required as sessions are limited to 50. Complimentary coffee and water will be available, soft drinks are available for purchase, and participants are welcome to bring “brown-bag” lunches. Details or to register: Contact the OLLI office at (601) 264-2780.

Videos

August 27, 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, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

BBQ Blast Fundraiser closes a successful August for Saga!
Saga Humane Society supporters were in for a real treat with Charles’ world famous Bar-B-Q at their BBQ Blast Fundraiser. Hosted at Estel’s Restaurant on Tuesday, August 25th, the fundraising event included raffles, live music and a crowd of hungry people. The event raised much needed funds for the feeding and wellbeing of the animals, but most importantly for Saga’s Spay/Neuter Initiative program (SNIP). Unlike the monthly cook-off fundraisers where there is an array of different dishes to choose from, this time the event had a single three – course meal which included a ceviche appetizer followed by the main course and apple pie for dessert. The main course was the anticipated part of the meal, a delicious plate of an incredible combo BBQ. For a contribution of $60, attendees had the opportunity to enjoy a yummy and hearty plate loaded with pork, chicken, Spanish sausage, vegetable kabobs, coleslaw, baked beans, flour tortilla and even corn on the cob.

PM Barrow confirms Guatemalan Military hostility in Sarstoon Area
Tensions between Belize and Guatemala are at an all-time high and the territorial dispute continues to cause issues. The most recent and widely disputed issue is that of Sarstoon Island, which Guatemala openly claims and even has military personnel patrolling. But Belize remains adamant that the island forms part of the country of Belize, and that Guatemala has no claim over any Belizean land. In the most recent controversy, the Government of Guatemala opposed to the construction of the Belize Coast Guard Forward Operating Base (FOB) on Sarstoon Island. This issue had escalated to an altercation between Guatemala’s Navy and Belize Coast Guard (BCG) personnel, who were working in the Sarstoon Area. As a result of this growing issue, the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV) led an expedition to Sarstoon Island on Sunday, August 16th, where Belizeans had a patriotic day. The aim of the expedition was to assert the sovereignty of the nation and demonstrate that Sarstoon Island is in fact, Belizean territory. But the expedition faced disapproval from both the Government of Belize (GOB) and Guatemala. GOB denounced the expedition and did not provide any form of security escort. In a press release sent out before the expedition set off, GOB stated, “The Government takes the opportunity to caution and reiterate its position that has been expressed to the Belize Territorial Volunteers that it is imprudent and potentially dangerous for the organizers of this type of excursion to expose innocent Belizeans to the risk of inadvertently entering into Guatemala territory.”

San Pedro participates in 2015 FFB National Male U-15 Football Championship
The San Pedro Male Under-15 (U-15) Football Team was among the ten participating teams in 2015 Football Federation of Belize (FFB) National Male U-15 Football Championship. The tournament kicked off on Monday, August 17th in Belmopan City, and while San Pedro did not take the championship, they certainly performed well. In the semifinal round, San Ignacio Town lost to Independence Village and Orange Walk Town lost to Belize City. This left San Ignacio Town and Belize City to play for third place, while Independence Village faced off Orange Walk Town for the championship. In the third place match, San Ignacio Town defeated Belize City. And the champions of the 2015 FFC National Male U-15 Tournament were none other than the Independence Village U-15 team as they defeated their rivals in the final match. The Orange Walk U-15 team was left to settle for second place. Congratulation to the champions of the tournament. Kudos to the San Pedro U-15 team for showing great sportsmanship!

First 7 months of 2015 show no major improvement in tourism statistics
Now in the eight month of the year, Belize is starting to see a rise in tourism arrivals after having a slow start. From January to May 2015, with an exception on March 2015, overnight arrivals for each month register a decrease when compared to 2014 statistics. But the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) has indicated that the figures are beginning to show an improvement as overnight arrivals have increase in both June and July of 2015. According to the number overnight arrivals are showing a 1.6% increase in June, and 3% increase in July when compared to the overnight arrivals of 2014. Overall there is still a 0.8% decrease in overnight arrivals for the first seven months of 2015 when compared to the first seven months of 2014. “The 0.8% drop in cumulative arrivals through the first seven months of 2015, was partially attributed to the consistent decreases in the number of overnight visitors from the Canadian market. Statistical indicators have pointed to Canada’s economy going through a downturn,” stated BTB in a press release. March was the only other month that registered an increase with 39,136 overnight arrivals in 2015 as compared to the 38,719 of March 2014. March was also the month that saw the most overnight visitors in the first seven months of the year. The lowest number of overnight arrivals was recorded in May 2015 at 24,707.

Ambergris Today

Boobies and Paradise – Escape to Half Moon Caye Belize
How about escaping to an isolated island for the day where you can disconnect and appreciate the great outdoors? Sounds like a great idea, right!? This little piece of paradise that I am talking about is called Half Moon Caye, located in the lower southeast corner of the reef in Belize; home to a national park and protected bird sanctuary. Half Moon Caye lies within the Lighthouse Reef Atoll offshore Belize and can be reached from San Pedro, Ambergris Caye in about a couple hours (faster from Belize City). A visit to the island as part of a diving/snorkeling tour or an all-day beach picnic is a time well spent walking around barefoot with absolutely no cares in the world. On this tiny island you get to enjoy the best of both worlds. You can do some beachcombing and then find yourself within lush greenery all in a very short walk; without the crowds. The only traffic that you need to worry about is that of Hermit Crabs crossing your path and avoiding crashing into one of the hundreds of coconut trees that fill the island.

Deputy Mayor Greif Hosts First Think Tank to Address Island Issues
I applaud Deputy Mayor Gary Greif for taking the initiative to reach out to his community last week by hosting the first of many Think Tank socials. He invited a small group of community-minded residents, business people, community pushers/leaders so that they could mingle and discuss issues that are affecting the island. His goal was to get people communicating and sharing ideas in finding solutions to problems on the island, creating new initiatives and projects that can boost tourism and life on the island of Ambergris Caye. With the portfolio of Tourism under his belt, Deputy Mayor Greif, is looking for positive solutions and initiatives that will work to benefit everybody on the island community. The Think Tank is a social gathering in which invited guests can create networks and meet new people, adding to social circles which can only be positive towards obtaining the common goal to promote tourism and business on our Isla Bonita.

ABTEC Places 100 At-Risk Youth & Group Trainees in Jobs
American Belizean Technology and Education Center (ABTEC), a non-profit organization funded by the US Embassy in Belize, which provides job training to at risk youths and vulnerable groups, is proud to announce that it has placed over 100 trainees in jobs. Over 300 trainees have completed the program in 2015. While some have already been placed, a lot more have applied and are scheduled to attend interviews. After completing the program, ABTEC assist trainees to find jobs. The feedback has been good from organizations where trainees have been placed, and we continue to fine tune our program to increase its success ratio.

It’s Very Hot and Dry in Belize, El Nino Brings Drought Conditions
Weather experts are predicting that this El Niño could be one of the strongest ever recorded, bringing further drought to the Caribbean. That’s according to an updated forecast issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which indicates that there is a 90% chance that El Niño will continue through the end of the year, and an 85% chance that it will last until next April. The hot and dry conditions are being felt in Belize; the country is in the middle of the rainy season and drought warnings have been issued. Currently the Belize National Meteorological Service indicates that there is a drought watch for northern Belize and an extended drought concern for the entire country until the end of 2015.

Misc Belizean Sources

Musical Summer Camp performance
Come and support our little ones First Musical Summer Camp performance. August 29th, Caye Caulker

Poets Corner: Banana Peel
By Abdulmajeed K Nunez. Belize media does not yet understand its power To make or break a leader They need to look at the Jamaica media Who when they talk politicians shiver Perhaps that’s why we have lost Khalillah Belize has nine local and forty national media houses By vested interests they are now clouded Journalist beholden to media house owners Protecting secrets for his lodge brother the minister It’s not all about competing for infomercials and ads Be you reminded that you are in a service industry lads Government must not be allowed to manipulate you with licence renewals and that’s sad Government lowdown tactics of liable coercion This amounts to nothing but extortion

Channel 7

Man Acquitted For Mennonite Murder
After 4 years on remand, 28 year-old Nicholas Swazo, is at home tonight after being acquitted of murder in a trial without jury for the shooting death of 36 year-old Mennonite Businessman Wendell Reimer. On October 7, 2011, the three men barged into Eagle One Hardware Store, located at mile 4 and a half on the Phillip Goldson Highway. One of the men was armed, and that’s when they held up the cashier, stole the money in the cash register and the gunman shot and killed the store-owner, Wendell Reimer. Now, both Swazo and 25 year-old Ernest Staine, who was acquitted on last week Tuesday, are now free of the capital offence. As soon as Justice Adolph Lucas finished delivering his written ruling, we spoke with Swazo’s attorney outside of court about it: Christelle Wilson- Attorney of Nicholas Swazo "Nicholas Swazo is my client, he has been on remand for about 4 years for the murder of Mr. Wendellin Reimer who was the owner of the Eagle One Hardware store; and today he walked out of the courtroom a free man acquitted of the charges or murder so we are very happy to have received that result. They had actually charged 2 men with this crime of murder. One of the men was acquitted a little bit earlier in the trail, Ernest Staine; on the grounds that they did not have any evidence to show that Ernest Staine had the mental intention or mens rea as we say in law to commit murder.

After 27 Years, Melvin Hulse Calls It Quits
Former UDP Minister, and most recently the UDP standard bearer for Stann Creek West, Melvin Hulse says he’s resigning form the UDP. Hulse, who is a three time representative – and a veteran UDP politician for 27 years appeared on the LOVE FM Morning Show today to say that he’s calling it quits with the UDP – because they keep frustrating him in his attempts to help his people in Stann Creek West:.. Melvin Hulse - Resigned From The UDP "I never expect the day mi wa come when I had to say, as of now, as of today, I am officially no member of the UDP party; I resign from the party. And I want to be an independent free thinker who; if he sees any injustice or anything. Because when you belong with a party, you are to a degree obligated not to be attacking your organization. Man if I work for BTL, I can't be criticising them. I work for Love FM, I can't criticize them. We can do it out there and then they tape and we get in trouble. I have decided that we reach a point that; no reason to quarrel with you anymore, we're on a different page. My loyalty is that we have an obligation to help grass root people and they should not. How much, every day we the hear about we the put system, put system. People can't get their purchase price, can't get their title. I have people who have paid for their title years ago; can't get lease, can't get that, can't get education help, can't get electricity, can't get pipe for water expansion. That da no weh this country is about you know."

Sr. Supt Williams Disputes
On Monday’s news, we showed you our interview with the family of 16 year-old Mark Phillips who was shot in the abdomen on Thursday night. The police said that he and another man were armed and waiting to ambush a man who was walking by. The cops say the plan went wrong when Phillips ended up getting shot by his partner in crime. Phillips, his family, and residents in the area, say that the cops have it all wrong; Phillips and his 2 friends are in fact the victims a failed street slaying. So, who put the police narrative together – and how could it be so far off? We asked Senior Superintendent Chester Williams, the Officer Commanding Eastern Division South. He told us that Phillips and his alibi witnesses better prepare themselves to tell that story to the judge, because the police will move forward with the prosecution base don their version: Daniel Ortiz "Are the police investigators reconsidering the position that they have taken to take criminal action against all 3 of them?"

Former Musical Artist Found Dead In River after Falling On Hard Times
Back in 2004, the performer named Bobo Youth lit up the local music scene with his song “Protect and Serve,” a searing criticism of police. But, when he wasn’t on stage or in the studio, Bobo Youth, whose real name is Theodore Parchue got in major trouble with the law, caught in the act during a burglary – for which he got sentenced to 7 years. That was back in 2006 – and since then the former rapper has fallen on hard times. He had been homeless for the past few years, living under the Belcan Bridge in Belize City. Well, this morning at 8:20, the 34 year old was found dead under that same bridge – afloat in the Belize River. He was caught in the net of a fisherman – who got quite a scare. He told us about it:…

Unemployment At Lowest Mark in 7 Years
All over the world, unemployment figures are a critical indicator of an economy’s wellbeing. In Belize, the unemployment rate is derived from the Labour Force Survey – which is done twice yearly – in April and September. The results of the April 2015 survey were released today and they show that with a labour force of 153 thousand persons, 138 thousand are employed. That leaves 15 about thousand unemployed – for an unemployment rate of 10.1% - the lowest recorded figure since April of 2007 – and one percent lower than a year ago. Director General of the Statistical Institute of Belize Leopold Perriot explained at press conference today:.. Leopold Perriot - Director General, SIB "The employed labour force went up slightly from April 2014 to April 2015; went up by total of about 3,500 people. So the employed persons, 138,145 person in April 2015. They are 15,544 persons that are unemployed in Belize April 2015 compared with 16,730 in April 2014; we're down in the unemployed categories. And we're down mostly due to the females. Compared with April 2014, the unemployment rate is down 1 percentage point. Currently it stands at about 10.1%; and so it's down from 11.1% in April 2014. And this is the distribution in respect to various districts. Stann Creek of course seems to give us the highest unemployment rate; followed by Cayo. Lowest in Toledo, that's what it was last time Toledo also is 2014."

GDP Down For Second Quarter
And while the unemployment figure is down – so is the GDP – and that’s not good, because the GDP is the total value of all goods and services produced within that territory. And when it is down – as it is for the second quarter of 2015 - that suggests an economic slowdown. The latest GDP estimate was released today along with the figures of inflation in July of 2015 – which, despite the fact that you may be paying more for groceries and foodstuffs, shows that overall, prices are falling. We’ll let the experts explain it: Jules Vasquez Reporting…. Inflation for July was down -1% when compared to July of last year. That is based on a one hundred dollar so called shopping basket – and the statisticians say – it costs less than last year: Angelita Campbell - Statistician II "For instance if you were to purchase a basket of goods last year on an average of 100 dollars, this year it will cost roughly 99 dollars."

Managing The Sargassum Phenomenon
The sargassum phenomenon is swamping beaches all over Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. Belize is no exception – and with tourism numbers for the first half of the year sagging just a little bit – the blighted beaches can be safely scapegoated for the modest downturn. And what is government doing to try and help? Today the Tourism Minister said they are giving duty exemptions to any resort or hotel owner who is importing equipment to dispose of the Sargassum:… Hon. Manuel Junior Heredia - Minister of Tourism "The overall from the January to July it was .08 % only the difference between one year and the other. So I believe that even though there were little factors, one that I could say that you mentioned privately a while ago the sargassum has been a minimal; I cannot say that it is just a minimal part of that one because our beaches for almost 2 years have been practically 25-30 feet wide, the entire beaches of Belize with that sargassum. Whenever you cannot keep your beaches 24 hours a day as white as it used to be, it is indeed a problem. There are some of the tourists that will come specifically to be bathing in the shallow waters right in front of the beach of their resort.”

Sunset Cove Revisited
And today the media also asked Heredia about the Sunset Cove subdivision. You may remember that a year ago, news came out that survey pegs had appeared in the middle of a mangrove wetland – one that had been put aside for part of a protected area – but somehow ended up as a proposed subdivision. IT brought heat on area representative Manuel Junior Heredia – but today, he told the media that an alternate and viable plan has been worked out:… Hon. Manuel Junior Heredia - Minister of Tourism "Today I can tell you and I can invite you to go and see the subdivision that we have done. What we decided because; indeed I have to accept that a subdivision in low area has been done in other parts of the island. But politics unfortunately, politics is the name of the game and the opposition will use it to their advantage. But in this case, it worked to my advantage because Cabinet decided to give us 400 acres of what was invested in Beltraide; which is far better land than what we were using and we have created. We have created a concept plan of what we want to in those 400 acres.

Community Policing 1, 2, 3
Once upon a time not too long ago, it seemed like every evening newscast would be filled with reports of police brutality. But nowadays you can substitute the buzzword “community policing” for “police brutality” – because that’s what’s on the news, like, every night. Now don’t get us wrong; this isn’t to say that police brutality has come to an end – we’re very sure it hasn’t. But the police department is trying to change the public narrative about policing – apparently by inundating the news with community policing initiatives. For the past two months, we’ve been showing you the sustained community policing efforts that the Belize City cops have been rolling out in the different neighbourhoods that have been trapped in the cycle of gang violence. Well, Eastern Division South Commander Chester Williams and other police officers were out in the area of Supal Street and Kraal Road today. This is the turf of two powerful gangs, but for the past few weeks, it has been incident free. Williams told us today that the police will not be lulled into a false sense of security:

There Will Be A New DHS
There will be a new Director of Health Services. After 7 years in the job, we are told that Dr. Michael Pitts is moving on. We don’t know the terms of his departure, but we do know that Dr. Ramon Figueroa will be replacing him. Dr. Figueroa was formerly the Director of the Planning and Policy Management Unit. The transition is expected to happen before the end of this week. Pitts had an adversarial relationship with CEO in the Ministry, Dr. Peter Allen – which went on for years. His departure is seen as CEO Allen eventually winning out in the power struggle.

Cruise Tourism: The Real Ideal
Every year, the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association Children's Environmental Poster Competition, awards Caribbean and Latin American students for creating posters depicting ways to protect the environment and promote awareness in their country. This year's competition featured finalists from 12 destinations ranging from juniors to seniors with nearly $26,000 awarded to the participants and schools. 16 year old Nisa Sanchez of E.P York High School won second place in the senior competition and was awarded three thousand dollars to put towards her education and another three thousand dollars for her school. 11 year old Homayra Sarah on St Joseph RC School won third place in the junior competition and was awarded with two thousand dollars, also for her education and another 2 thousand for her school. Today the Belize Tourism Board held a handing over ceremony of the cheques to the winners. At this morning’s ceremony there was another handing over. The Tourism Board donated 5 Yamaha trail bikes and equipment to the Tourism Police Unit to assist the Unit in carrying out their mandate. The bikes will be distributed to Hopkins, Orange Walk, Ambergris Caye, Cayo and Belize City.

A Rum Called Fiesta
Our next story is about rum – but in no way is it promoting drinking. That said, there’s no denying that the sugar cane alcohol is a major part of Belize’s tourism product, and, again, this year, just in time for September, Travellers Liquors has launched Fiesta Rum. This is a follow up on last year’s release of “Belizean Rum.” Now Fiesta Rum is the first we know of with a celebrity tie-in. The celebrity in question is DJ Dalla – and he launched the blended spice rum today at Traveller’s headquarters: We stress alcohol consumption is for adults.

Sarstoon Misadventures
For the past 2 weeks, Sarstoon Island and Sarstoon River have dominated the headlines – and you all got to see how the Belize/Guatemala Territorial Dispute was playing out in real time. But, tonight, we have slightly different take for you. Sure enough, the Sarstoon issue is no joke – but the civilian-led river adventures – have also had their share of misadventures – mainly because the territorial volunteers are figure out as they go along. And that’s fine – the men and women of the volunteers, are stout of heart and strong in spirit. But they also have to have a good sense of humour – because as the saying goes, if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. So, we’ve put together a parable of misadventure on the Sarstoon, partly at our expense. Enjoy – and try not to laugh too much: Daniel Ortiz Reporting…. Protecting the sovereignty of the Sarstoon: it’s a serious and powerful statement, but there have been a few misadventures in that location which provides ample comic relief.

Bobo, Before The Fall
And as we close tonight – we look back to June of 2004. That’s when Theodore Parchue, then known as Bobo Youth was the popular artist on the local scene with his breakthrough song, Protect and Serve. It was a very effective police protest music song – and one that resonated at many levels of the community. It was the high point for Bobo Youth – who as we told you at the top of the newscast went very much downhill after 2006 when he was convicted of burglary. He died this morning as a homeless man under a city bridge. But in 2004, when, as the old spiritual says, “hope was still unborn”, no one could have guessed at such a tragic, and nameless end for a one time street celebrity. Tonight we look back at Keith swift’s story of the then ebullient artist. Theodore PArchue, aka Bobo Youth, dead at 34. Tomorrow we’ll know more about his cause of death, but police do not suspect foul play

Channel 5

Senator Shoman Formally Requests O.A.S. Report
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that it will not release the O.A.S. report on the Sarstoon Incident unless both governments, Belize and Guatemala, agree to do so. That’s [...]

Military Aggression at Sarstoon Was News to Her
Every Tuesday, the Belize Defence Force heads up the Sarstoon to the observation post at Cadenas where shifts are changed. That’s been happening for years, but suddenly there are claims [...]

Turmoil in Guatemala Escalates
As the Opposition seeks the report of the Guatemalan incursion at the Sarstoon, Guatemala remains in turmoil as calls for the resignation of President Otto Perez Molina escalate. On Tuesday, [...]

Congress to Decide If President Should Stand Trial
Since the scandal broke in April, there have been waves of protests across Guatemala.  According to McDonald, President Perez Molina can be made to stand trial as a civilian for [...]

Former U.D.P. Minister Melvin Hulse Resigns
It hasn’t been a great week for the United Democratic Party, which came under fire on Monday from former U.D.P. Minister Hubert Elrington. Apparently its reunion week for former Ministers [...]

Hulse Claims the U.D.P. is Victimizing His People
Just in case you missed it, that last shot from Hulse to his former colleagues was a not so subtle threat – coming from the belly of the beast, so [...]

Hulse Reveals Details of Placencia Land Transaction
The straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back, said Hulse, is a land deal gone terribly wrong in Placencia. He claims that the Ministry of Natural Resources, at which he [...]

Body of Bobbo Youth Found Floating in Haulover Creek
Police have positively identified the body of a man pulled from the Haulover Creek this morning as that of thirty-three year old Theodore Parchue, better known as Bobbo Youth. He [...]

Another Murder Suspect Walks Free
A second suspect in the murder of a Mennonite businessman four years ago walked free today. On October seventh, 2011, Wendelin Reimer was shot and killed during a robbery at [...]

City Man Charged for Jacking St. Joseph Parish
Eighteen year old Jayear Flores of a Curassow Street appeared in court this morning and was charged for robbery. The charge stems from the robbery of a laptop bag containing [...]

Tourism Ministry Donates to Tourism Police
Today, the Tourism Policing Unit of the Belize Police Department was the recipient of a much needed donation courtesy of the Ministry of Tourism. Five motorcycles and a number of [...]

Minister Heredia Explains Drop in 2015 Tourist Arrivals
Late last week, the Belize Tourism Board issued the figures for tourist arrivals for the period of January to July of 2015. When compared to last year, the report says [...]

Sargassum Still Affecting San Pedro
Sargassum, it is a regional environmental phenomenon that has been plaguing the entire Caribbean.  In areas such as Cancun, the sargassum spreads four feet deep and about a hundred feet [...]

SIB Says Imports Up…Unemployment Down!
The Statistical Institute of Belize held a press conference this morning at the Lecture Hall of the Central Bank Building where the July 2015 External Trade Bulletin, the Consumer Price [...]

Community Policing Meet & Greet Targets Hotspots
If the police haven’t been to your house yet, you might as well look out for them because they are busy with a community policing strategy led by the Eastern [...]

B.T.B. Awards Winners in Poster Competition
A total of twelve countries participated this year in the Florida Carnival Cruise Association’s annual poster competition. This year, an EP Yorke High School student and a Saint Joseph Primary [...]

Travellers’ Launches Fiesta Rum
There’s a brand new rum on the local scene and it’s called Fiesta Rum coming out of the barrels at Traveller’s. But this one is actually a partnership; the brainchild [...]

Fisheries in Belize…Part Deux
There are many challenges facing fisher folks, who depend on marine resources to earn a living. On Tuesday night, we featured part one of a series on the state of [...]

CTV3

Orange Walk Mayor Speaks On The On-going Work In Town
Yesterday we told about the Mayor’s trip to Puerto Rico for a Mayors Conference that focused on decentralization and autonomy, among other local government related issues. And while we had him in our grasp, we asked him to elaborate on the ongoing Town maintenance works being carried out in specific areas…. Some of the works he says are being carried out by other area representatives unaffiliated with the council…. A gesture he says he welcomes since it will benefit all residents… “We have not really had a heavy down pour of rain over the past few months because the heat has been very terrible but what we have been doing is working in the drainage on those low lying areas because that is crucial and we have to make sure that whenever we have the heavy rain the drains are properly flowing, ...

Jaguars To Play Against Corozal Selection
In preparation for the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier road to Russia, the National football selection the Belize Jaguars, will be playing a practice match against the Corozal selection at Calcutta Village football field tomorrow August 27th at 6:00p.m. Chairman for the Corozal Football Association, Frank Sutherland, told us more about the scheduled practice match. “The selection will be having their last game practice match right here in Corozal but we will be playing it in Calcutta Village, the National Selection will be playing against the Corozal Selection, we had form a pool of player out of 27 players from all the different villages and within the town, tomorrow coming is the full national selection with the exception of Woodrow West, he had a compromise with his club this weekend playing, the National selection will be travelling to Canada on Monday but Monday morning Woodrow West will be here, we will have players like the central defense Elroy Smith player playing in Honduras, we will be having Shane Moody he come this morning from Guatemala, we will be having our mighty forward Dean Mcauley he also is playing with Verdes who played with Queretarro the other day, this game will be happening at six o’clock in the evening in the beautiful village of Calcutta.”

Belize Labour Force Survey Has Ben Released
The Belize Labour Force Survey for April 2015 has been released. The survey sampled 2,800 households and looked for three key things, the size and structure of the labour force, employment and unemployment rates and labour force participation. According to its figures, unemployment is down by one percent. In April 138,145 persons were recorded as employed, an increase to 2014 records in the same time at 13,587. This means full time workers or part time, or what Belizeans call “Ketch and Kill”. The mean average salary stands at $1, 192. Unemployment on the other hand stands at 15, 544 person’s states the report. This is a decrease from 16,730 in April of 2014. Of these 40.7% are men and 59.3% are women. 10, 780 people have been unemployed for a long period of time, which is up by 175 persons from April 2014 or is 69.4% of the unemployed force. The highest unemployment rate is recorded in the Stann Creek District at 14.6%, followed by Cayo at 13.4% and Belize at 10.3%. Districts showing unemployment rates under ten percent include Corozal at 6.8%, Orange Walk at 6.3% and the lowest rate is in the Toledo District at 3.7%. The unemployment rate of 10.1% reflects a decrease over the last three years in the same month which stood at 14.4% in 2012, 11.7% in 2013 and 11.1% in 2014.

MOT Speaks On Infrastructure For Island Of San Pedro
Heredia’s interview did not end without him using the opportunity to speak on works being done and carried out on the island. Reporters asked him for an update on the proposed new subdivision for island residents who wish to own a slice of paradise. And while he boasted about the Petrocaribe initiative that has been funding these development projects to date, he stated that soon this newly created concept plan will include a hospital, police station and fire station.

Consumer Price Index Reports Inflation Down By Minus One Percent
The consumer price index reports that inflation is down by minus one percent. That is for the month of July which simply means that, on average, prices are one percent lower than they were in last July. By category, the price on food and non-alcoholic beverages are down minus zero point five percent. Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels are down also by minus zero point five percent. Transport is down at minus seven point one percent and all other categories of goods and services are up at 0.7 percent. The report shows a significant drop in fuel prices in July 2015 from July 2014. Premium gas is down to $9.37 from $12.25, regular gas is down to $9.58 to $11.88 and diesel is down to $7.56 from $10.54. In the food index, the price of eggs has increased dramatically by a 17.6 percent followed by meat at a 3.3 percent increase. The cost of vegetables has dropped however, to 11.4 percent. By municipality, Dangriga has seen the highest inflation at 1.8 percent. The inflation in Belize City stands at minus one point five, Corozal at minus 0.8 percent, Orange Walk town at minus 0.7 percent, Belmopan at minus 2.1 percent, San Ignacio/Santa Elena stand at minus 1.3 percent and Punta Gorda at minus 1.0 percent.

BTB Donates Equipments To Orange Walk Tourism Police
The Orange Walk Tourism Police unit will be acquiring new trail bikes and hand held radios thanks to the Belize Tourism Board. This morning BTB officials including Minister of Tourism Manuel Heredia Jr presented the much needed tools and transport to the Tourism Police Unit (TPU). A total of five (5) Yamaha trail bikes and twenty eight (28) handheld radios were handed down. The purpose says Minister Heredia is to assist the TPU in carrying out its mandate, which is to enforce the tourism legislation and safeguard the tourism industry. The trailbikes are designated for the Tourism Police Formation in Hopkins Village, Orange Walk, Ambergris Caye, Cayo, and Belize City. Hopkins Village has popular sites nearby such as Mayflower Bocawina National Park and the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. The motorcycle will assist greatly in Orange Walk, as the TPU does not have any form of transportation at the moment. Northern Ambergris Caye is not easily accessible, therefore a trailbike will allow for the deployment of the TPU and rapid response capabilities. The Cayo district is a large stretch of land rich with diverse activities and ecotourism, therefore this trail bike is much needed. In Belize City, patrols are needed to ensure that only licensed operators are taking guests on tours and to increase police visibility to deter criminal activity in the Fort Street Tourism Zone.

Senator Lisa Shoman Demands A Copy Of OAS Report And Protest Note Sent To Guatemala
Keeping in line with the topic of the Sarstoon, Senator Lisa Shoman sent a formal letter to Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington today in which she requests that government provide her a copy of the OAS report that was received by government last week surrounding the Belize Territorial Volunteers’ trip to the Sarstoon Island on August 16th. She also requested a copy of the protest note that was sent to the Guatemalan government last week. Senator Shoman made the request on behalf of the leader of the opposition PUP on the Bipartisan Commission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which deals with the Guatemalan claim over Belizean territory. In closing, the Senator offers her time to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to provide him with a full, quote, “firsthand brief of the unwarranted and intolerable actions taken in internal Belizean waters on the Sarstoon River on August 16th 2015,” unquote. She further expressed that she expects the minister to make himself available for such a briefing and a full and frank exchange of views on the matter.

Minister Heredia Says Crime Does Not Affect Tourism
Last week we told you about a minimal dip in the tourist arrival as it pertains to cruise tourism in Belize. Without a doubt the drop is cause of concern for those involved in the tourism industry. This morning while at a handing over ceremony in Belize City which we will tell you about later in our newscast, the media had the opportunity to speak with the Minister of Tourism Manuel Heredia on the matter. Heredia was asked if Belize’s alarming crime rate has impacted the tourism figures and his response was that he does not think so and we should feel lucky not to be directly affected since maintaining the figures is in itself a triumph. “When it comes to crime we are very fortunate and lucky that it has not recently been very minimal when it comes to the tourism industry so we are very lucky and hence the reason for trying to support them to make sure that no tourist is hurt or no tourist is assaulted because that can really hurt the industry at this point we are fortunate and we will continue doing our best to make sure we can equip our police officers and to make sure they do whatever they can like the voluntary police, we have neighborhood watches that we are doing across the country to make sure that this beautiful of jewel remain a such in the years to come.”

Students Named Winners Of FCCA Poster Competition
Two students were awarded with cheques today for their winning submissions in the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association’s (FCCA) annual Children’s Environmental Poster Competition. A release from the Belize Tourism Board states that the annual competition hosted by FCCA, enticed school children to design a poster under this year’s theme: “My Caribbean, Your Caribbean, To Protect and Preserve”. A finalist was selected from each division both junior (under age 12) and Senior (13 to 16 years) and submitted to FCCA to compete against other FCCA member Caribbean countries. Today, the BTB announced that Homayra Sarah placed 3rd in the overall Junior Division, while Nisa Sanchez placed 2nd in the overall Senior Division. Homayra Nawar received $1,000 US dollars for placing third in the junior category, and her school, St. Joseph RC Primary School, also received $1,000 US dollars. Nisa Sanchez received $1,500 US dollars for placing 2nd in the Senior category, and her school, Edward P. Yorke received an additional $1,500 US dollars also.

Cane Farmers Offered Loans Under EU Funds
In recent years, several developing countries have experienced strong economic growth and have managed to reduce poverty thanks to funds provided by the European Union. Among the 150 countries that are aided by the E.U, is Belize. The funds provided by the E.U are granted to different entities and are to be used within a specified period. Here in Belize cane farmers have experienced the positive impacts of the E.U funds in the past and to date continue to do so. The Sugar Industry Research Development Institute, SIRDI, is currently offering cane farmers loans for replanting and ratoon maintenance. The initiative is being carried out with funds from the E.U. “We are out here today and actually for four days for this week which started yesterday in San Narciso and today we are here in Corozal Town, tomorrow we will be in Trinidad in the afternoon and on Friday we will be at Orange Walk Town at the Central Park and well for this week we are conducting a cane farmers open day to promote the funds available for the industry provided for credit to farmers for replanting and maintenance, what has happened is that the optics of the funds has been very slow and we are running the risk of losing most of the funds and we are at risk of losing between four to five million Belize dollars, why it is important to us and the industry and the stakeholders is that if the monies are contracted by farmers and we wish we can take up the hundred percent which is about somewhere around seventy million dollars, if we take up the monies the monies thereafter remain for industry development programs, if we don’t use the funds, the funds will go back to the European Union and it will be a loss for the sugar industry.”

LOVE FM

Former UDP Minister Melvin Hulse resigns from party
In June of this year former UDP Minister and at the time standard bearer for Stann Creek West, Melvin Hulse was in the headlines as a secret recording was made public. In that recording, Hulse was heard criticizing Prime Minister Dean Barrow. He also made statements considered to be libelous. At the time, the Prime […]

Opposition Senator requests copy of protest note
Today, Senator Lisa Shoman, who represents the Leader of the Opposition on the Bipartisan Commission, has written a letter to Foreign Affairs Minister, Wilfred Elrington. In that letter, Shoman requested to be provided with a copy of the Diplomatic Note which Prime Minister Dean Barrow told the media that the Government had sent to the […]

Senator Shoman says changes in Guatemala could have impact on Belize
Senator Lisa Shoman has been keeping a close eye on the chaos that is occurring in Guatemala and believes that Government officials should do the same. The latest coming out from Guatemala was that the country’s top court has approved a motion by the attorney general to impeach President Otto Perez Molina over allegations he […]

Body of man retrieved from river
Just before 9 o’clock this morning the body of man was found floating near the Belcan Bridge in Belize City. The discovery was made by Herman Williams, a fisherman who would usually fish in the area. The body was later identified as that of Theodore Parchue, also known as Bobo Youth. Williams told us how […]

Bus driver charged for murder
Paul Mahung reporting… “Deputy Commander of Toledo Police Formation inspector Clement Cacho spoke of the arrest and charge.” Inspector Clemente Cacho – Deputy Commander “Yesterday police conducted a predawn operation to apprehend our suspect, Alberto Coleman a 55 year old bus driver of Hopeville Village. He was arrested yesterday and formally charged for the murder […]

Statistical Institute releases latest figures
The Statistical Institute of Belize, SIB, held a press conference this morning to release the latest figures in regards to Labor Force, Gross Domestic Product, Inflation and External Trade. According to SIB, the economy in Belize declined by one point six percent in the second quarter of 2015. Jefte Ochaeta – Statistician One ““For the […]

Police Department sticks with story on shooting incident
On August 22, Mark Phillips was shot in the Queen Square Anglican Primary School Compound. Police reports say that Phillips was with two other individuals armed with a point thirty eight revolver and a nine millimeter pistol lay waiting someone. The report that police gives says that Phillip’s own partner in crime shot him by […]

False alarm at National Bank
This morning, information was given to us that, there was a bank robbery at the National Bank of Belize in Belmopan. Reports were given after that it was only a false alarm and that there was no robbery to report. The National Bank of Belize later sent a press release saying that the security system […]

Guatemalan national deported
Paul Mahung reporting… “Officer in charge of immigration department in Punta Gorda is Therese Chavarria. Therese Chavarria – OC, Immigration Dept “On the 25th of August at approximately 5:30pm Punta Gorda police were on routine patrol. On their patrol they discovered Mr. Marvin Najera, a Guatemalan National of Puerto Barrios. He was detained on our […]

Senator Shoman urges Belizeans who were attacked to take action
Earlier this week we reported on what happened during an excursion that Diana Trapp and other Belizeans took to Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala. Trapp would regularly cross the border into Melchor to do some shopping but on this particular trip, things got out of control. On Monday, Trapp told Love News, that they were attacked […]

Breaking Belize News

Statistical Institute of Belize reports sluggish economy in second quarter
Belize’s economy contracted in the second quarter of 2015, by 1.6%, reported the Statistical Institute of Belize, but overall growth was recorded for the first half of 2015 at 2.7%. Both the primary industries such as agriculture and fishing and secondary industries, mainly manufacturing, recorded decreases of 9.4% […]

Traffic accident in San Ignacio sends driver to KHMH
The driver of a red Cherokee vehicle was transported to the KHMH last night after colliding into a parked RAV 4 vehicle and then into Atlantic Bank’s fence on Buena Vista Street in San Ignacio Town. Reports are that around 10:00 p.m last night, August 25th, the Cherokee was coming […]

Central Government provides training for municipal councillors and local managers
Officials from the Urban Planning sector of the Central Government are currently doing countrywide training sessions aimed at local governance practices and policies. The two-day local government orientation training that engaged municipal councilors and local managers concluded yesterday at the Social Security Conference room. The aim says […]

Two accused beats robbery-murder
The Supreme Court has acquitted two men charged with murder in separate trials without jury. 25 year old Ernest Staine, charged with the murder of 36 year old Wendelin Reimer, the owner of Eagle One Hardware Store at Mile 4 1/2 Philip Goldson Highway, Belize City, was acquitted […]

Fisherman fined for handling stolen goods
Twenty-six year old Errol Lynch, a fisherman of a Zacaranda Street address, was fined $300 today by Magistrate Deborah Rodgers after he pled guilty to handling stolen goods. Lynch was given until September 30 to pay the fine. If he defaults on payment he will serve 3 weeks. […]

18 year old charged with robbery
Eighteen year old year Flores, a resident of 15 Curassow Street who allegedly stole $2,188, the collection money for St. Joseph Parish, was charged with robbery when he appeared today before Magistrate La Donna John. Flores pled not guilty to the charge. He was offered a bail of […]

Tourism Police receive motorcycles and radios
The Ministry of Tourism and Culture and the Belize Tourism Board have handed over 5 motorcycles and 28 radio sets to the Tourism Police Unit of the Belize Police Department. The items will be used to aid communications and transport in remote areas home to tourist sites countrywide.

Students in top ranks of FCCA poster competition
Today two Belize City students were handed their awards for a successful entry in the annual Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Poster Competition. Homaira Sawa of St. Joseph’s R.C. placed third in the junior category, winning $1000, while Lisa Sanchez of E.P. Yorke High School, was second in […]

Ex-Minister claims Belize is “run by idiots”
Senior Counsel and former area representative and Minister Hubert Elrington had harsh criticism for the current Government of Belize on the Dickie Bradley Special on Channel 5 as it relates to the economy. Elrington argues that the Petrocaribe initiative is just another “handout” covering the country’s economy, which he says […]

Belmopan police investigating false alarm at National Bank of Belize
Belize Media Group has received an unconfirmed report that the National Bank of Belize that is located in Belmopan has been robbed. Police are currently at the scene. This is a developing story and we will be updating it as more information becomes available. UPDATE: BMG has confirmed that it […]

Blogs

SAGA Humane Society & Estel’s BBQ: Perfect Together
Last night, the SAGA Humane Society and Estel’s Dine by the Sea teamed up for a beautiful fundraiser on the beach. Estel’s is usually closed on Tuesdays – but the whole crew was there to help and support SAGA. And FAMOUS BBQ it is…you can read below of Charles’ prowess on the grill. And the international competitions that have been held at Estel’s to name the world’s greatest ribs. Even Coconut Leo was there to support the cause with a little entertainment. Like climbing up a totally vertical tree. Go Leo!

2015-2016 Miss San Pedro Pageant
Don't miss out on a great show! You can get your reserved tickets at the San Pedro Town Council office. Gates open at 6 PM. and Show starts at 8:00 SHARP! RESERVED TICKETS EXCLUSIVELY SOLD AT THE SAN PEDRO TOWN COUNCIL OFFICE. Reserved: $25 General: $15 Children: $5 We have put together a GREAT show; the contestants have been training hard - YOU definitely won't want to miss it! See you there!

September Celebrations 2015
September is almost here! This year's list of activities for the September Celebrations is out! Here's the Official September Celebrations 2015 event dates!

System’s Thinking for Sustainability in Belize
Systems’ thinking integrates all the causal factors within an environment such as a human community or a mangrove swamp. This means that previously fragmented, thought-to-be unrelated elements must be treated as one. The era of the specialist is over and the era of the generalist has begun. Similarly, what may solve a problem in the mind of some specialists may easily turn out to make things worse unless the entire system is considered. The methods of yesterday’s solutions are what caused the problems of today. We must make sure that they do not cause the problems of tomorrow as well. A holistic approach that considers the many connections of individual elements in taking on a particular problem is crucial to developing new solutions. With the foregoing in mind, one of the central challenges of the 21st century is how to achieve a more sustainable relationship between people and the environment in human community settings. To accomplish this objective means training professionals working with communities to think systemically so they can assist those communities to view, understand, anticipate, prevent, and correct the causes of social-environmental degradation instead of insisting on the limitations of symptomatic thinking and short-term action.

A fun way to kick off of September Celebrations
One of the biggest music competitions in Belize, the National Song Competition, kicks off the September Celebrations with live music, vibrant costumes and energetic Belizean artists all on one fun stage! The competition, sponsored by the National Institute of Culture and History, the September Celebrations Committee, and Atlantic International Bank, is extremely unique as it celebrates Belize and encourages originality since all songs submitted have to be original songs created by Belizean artists. Pretty cool, huh? This year, there were three regional competitions held in Punta Gorda, San Ignacio and Belize City that took place before the finals . At the end of it all, 18 contestants advanced to the final round of competition which was held in Belize City on the 14 August 2015.

Placencia Village: Marine Adventures and Inland Excursions
Placencia Village offers diving, snorkeling and fishing opportunities in its underwater ecosystems. Know the different activities you can enjoy in your tours Placencia. Diving, snorkeling and reef fishing opportunitiesPlacencia village in the clear underwater ecosystems near the Silk Cayes and along the southern portion of the Belize Barrier Reef are just a short boat ride away from Placencia Village. Closer to shore, the Placencia Lagoon is the perfect place to explore via a sea kayak or to try your hand on flats fishing for Bonefish. You can also enjoy jungle adventures in Placencia. The Cockscomb BAsin Wildlife Sanctuary, otherwise known as the Jaguar Reserve, is a huge jungle park that is only a mere hour away from Placencia that offers miles of hiking trails to stunning overlooks, magical waterfalls, and a change to see jungle animals. Ride a boat to Monkey River, and you should be rewarded with abundant opportunities for wildlife viewing and is very much recommended. And if you just want to relax, the idyllic beach and laid back atmosphere of the comfortable resorts of Placencia Village give the perfect place to just kick back and enjoy the breeze.

International Sources

North Huntingdon woman gets first-hand knowledge in Belize
Amy Owens is no stranger to exotic animals and the environmental changes that affect their lives. The 2009 Norwin High School graduate has a degree in environmental science from the University of Pittsburgh and works in the education department at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. But spending several weeks in the jungles of Belize in Central America as part of her master's degree program in biology at Miami University in Ohio was a chance to experience firsthand what she has been learning. “I really didn't have any predetermined expectations when I went to Belize this summer, I was just really excited to have the opportunity to go there,” said Owens, 24, of North Huntingdon, who spent 10 days in the tropical nation studying the coral reefs, manatees, jaguars and other wildlife. Owens said the biggest surprise to her was experience what it is like to “live in the middle of nowhere.” “Our base camp was the tropical education complex off the Belize Zoo, and there were very few people around,” she said. “We lived in huts built on stilts because of flooding, and there were very few conveniences.”

Videos

August 26, 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, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Summer Bible Study Camp is a tremendous success!
The San Pedro Roman Catholic Church hosted a bible study camp from Monday, August 17th to Friday, August 21st under the theme “Champions for Christ,” for children ages 6-12. The Bible camp was organized by the local parishioners and the Sisters of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity from New Mexico, United States of America and ran from 9AM to noon. The event was designed to teach the participants about Christ and make the children be Champions of Christ in a camp of faith. According to Sister Mary Peter the turnout was excellent and the camp was full with fun activities. “Each day we had singing, dancing, arts and crafts, and games. We also had a faith stations where they learn biblical things. Each day we had about 65 children along with teens who helped us with the group of younger children as they moved through the different activity stations,” stated Peter.

Belize Brewing Company: Work in Progress
As part of a continuous improvement program, Belize Brewing, a Bowen & Bowen Company, is in the midst of major upgrades to increase production capacity for our products; Belikin Beer, Belikin Stout, Belikin Premium, Lighthouse Lager, and Guinness. These ongoing improvements are necessary to help us meet the increasing demand for these popular Belizean Beers. Unfortunately, over the weekend we encountered an unexpected equipment failure in a crucial area of Belize Brewing’s bottling line. We are working around the clock to fix it and expect to be back to normal production capacity by Tuesday the 25th. Over the next few days we may have a shortage of Belize Brewing products as a result of the lost production time. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause, and ask you to bear with us as we work through this.

San Cas Realty joins Christie’s International to bring new level of Real Estate to Belize
Belize now boasts association with one of the oldest and most prestigious action houses in the world, as San Cas Realty is an official affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate. The grand announcement was made on Thursday, August 20th during the official inauguration of San Cas Realty at Rain Restaurant and Rooftop Terrace. San Cas Realty is part of the Santiago Castillo Group Limited (San Cas) with Gil Castillo pioneering the venture into the international real estate market. With sales of $7.7US billion in 2014, Christie’s is undoubtedly the leading enterprise in the industry and is sure to elevate Belize’s own real estate industry to new levels. “Belize will provide Christie’s with new opportunities. We’re always looking for the next best thing. Most of the Caribbean has been done, and now it’s Belize’s turn, in our opinion, to be the next best place to go. You’ve got some of those pristine, beautiful beaches and landscape in this whole part of the world and it has that appeal for the Caribbean customer and also that Latin American person so it’s the best of both worlds,” said Moeser. He indicated that target investors will not only be for residential but also for commercial development. “Christie’s is the largest action house in the world, and we will bring a new set of cliental to Belize. These people are looking for fantastic properties to invest and are willing to pay for the value. We are glad we have the opportunity to be involved from the ground up to take this market to the next level,” ended Moeser.

Ambergris Today

Temporary Beer Shortage Expected as Bowen & Bowen Experiences Equipment Failure
There might be a scarcity of Belikin Beer in Belize in the coming days as a press release from Bowen & Bowen Brewing Company indicated that over the weekend the company encountered an unexpected equipment failure in a crucial area of Belize Brewing’s bottling line. The press release indicated that: “As part of a continuous improvement program, Belize Brewing, a Bowen & Bowen Company, is in the midst of major upgrades to increase production capacity for our products; Belikin Beer, Belikin Stout, Belikin Premium, Lighthouse Lager, and Guinness. These ongoing improvements are necessary to help us meet the increasing demand for these popular Belizean Beers.” Unfortunately, over the weekend, the brewing company experienced equipment failure which will have a trickle effect on the delivery of products in the coming days. Bowen & Bowen stated that the company is working around the clock to fix it and expect to be back to normal production capacity by today, Tuesday, August 25. Over the next few days a beer shortage is expected as a result of the lost production time.

NBA All-Star Kareem Abdul Jabaar Vacation House Hunting in Belize
The seven foot, two inch tall NBA U.S. Basketball legend could not hide from the public eye as he traveled around the country of Belize last week, reportedly looking for property to purchase. Might he be looking for a vacation home to relax? Kareem Abdul Jabaar, an all-time leading scorer in the NBA was in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye and other parts of the country, not only vacationing, but also reportedly looking around at real estate. He had been sighted since Wednesday, August 19, 2015, in San Pedro with local real estate agents and businessmen and then hopped to Orange Walk shortly after. While in San Pedro, though, he had the opportunity to be hosted by San Pedro Mayor Daniel Guerrero, accompanied with a few of his Councilmen and local contractors. Jabaar, in return, gifted Mayor Danny with an autographed jersey as a token of appreciation for his hospitality.

Misc Belizean Sources

Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow Departs the Country
The Office of the Prime Minister informs the general public that the Hon. Dean Barrow departed the country today, Tuesday, 25th August, 2015, to accompany his wife, Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow as she continues scheduled medical checkups. Prime Minister Barrow will return to the country this coming Friday, 28th August, 2015. During the Prime Minister’s absence, the Hon. Gaspar Vega, Deputy Prime Minister of Belize will act as Prime Minister.

Heist at the Corozal Free Zone
Proprietor of Euro Moda, Daniele Chou says thief or thieves broke into her store and stole around $6,666.00 in US, Belizean and Mexican currency. Corozal Police continue to investigate.

t's Official. Southest Airline in Belize!
Here is the Southwest counter at the Philip Goldson International Airport.

Magic happens when you swim with Dolphins
”Los Bambinos” and “Mama” with their first encounter of these magical creatures from our seas. Bottlenose dolphins are well known as the intelligent and charismatic stars of many aquarium shows. Their curved mouths give the appearance of a friendly, permanent smile, and they can be trained to perform complex tricks. However, dolphins are threatened by commercial fishing for other species, like tuna, and can become mortally entangled in nets and other fishing equipment. Lets us all work together to love and protect these ambassadors of our seas.

Make some Belizean Fry Jacks today.
Serve with some fried beans and maybe stew chicken. This recipe is really made simple. it works really good if you follow the instructions just as is if you are a beginner. once you get the hang of it make your own adjustment or add your own flavoring. you could even sprinkle powdered sugar on it for the kids or serve with honey. make sure to fry in hot oil to get your puffing up. remember they cook real fast. drop in wait a few seconds and flip and then out. dont step away or they will burn or get too brown.

BELIZE FISHING REPORT: Weeks of August 16th – August 22nd, 2015
The tarpon fishing improved as the week went on! it is fairly certain that during their migration the tarpon do this to spawn and get a larger gene pool going for reproduction. Even though tarpon mature at 14 or 15 years, our younger resident tarpon on Savannah flats were exhibiting odd pre-spawn behavior out on the flats and proved tough to engage with a fly.

Takasan Japanese Restaurant opens in Belize City
As of August 13th 2015, a new Japanese restaurant has opened in Belize City. The restaurant is located on Mile 1 along the Philip Goldston (Northern) Highway, inside the new shopping mall, Northern Shops. Being the only restaurant in Belize with a Japanese chef, we can guarantee that you will enjoy the real taste of Japan. Our opening hours are from 11am to 9pm from Tuesday to Sunday. Please do visit us, see the attached menu and enjoy some delicious Japanese food.

Go babies GO!!!!!!
Today's Turtle Hatchlings. Eight nests hatched this week. Three new nests were identified bringing our total to 102 nests on Ambergris Caye for 2015.

Paint N Splash "Coco Craze"
Thursday, August 27at 2:00pm, Crazy Canucks Beach Bar

Beach Cleanup - Dangriga, Seine Bight, Placencia, PG
Instead of arguing lets work together to beautify Belize... Clean where you live so you can enjoy where you live... Tropic Air, Oceana Belize and local communities teamed up for a successful beach cleanup on Saturday! Thank you to everyone who came out to help. We will let you know when and where the next one will be.

Queen of the Bay travelled to Belmopan
Yesterday, as is tradition, contestants for the annual Queen of the Bay travelled to Belmopan to meet with the Prime Minister. However, this year, Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Gaspar Vega had the honour of greeting and conversing with these ten Belizean beauties.

Our Freedom Fighters
Belize Territorial Volunteers and Northern Territorial Volunteers erect Belizean flag on our Sarstoon Island this morning in memory of Danny Conorquie who was murdered by Guatemalans conducting illegal activities in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve and who entered our land illegally. BTV volunteer and activist Audrey Matura-Shepherd's wrote in her FB timeline "I today was a part of the planting of a Belizean flag on Belize's Sarstoon Island. On September 25, 2015 Danny was killed and in exactly one month it will mark one year since his death yet the government has not settled compensation to his family."

BECOL U19 Tournament
The BECOL Under 19 Basketball Tournament was held at Falcon Field, and Kenny Lamb got some incredible pictures of it.

Channel 7

Once More Unto The Island
For the last 2 weeks, the news has been dominated by Belize Territorial Volunteers and their trip to Sarstoon Island which ended in a confrontation between them and the Guatemalan Navy. It even prompted a Prime Ministerial press conference where he was flanked the Ministers of National Security and Foreign Affairs, and the commanders of the BDF and Coast Guard - who comprise the National security Council. In that press conference, the Prime Minister implored the Volunteers not to return to the Sarstoon River because it strains diplomatic and military relations. BDF Commander, General David Jones also made it clear that the agitation by the Territorial Volunteers endangers his soldiers who are posted at the Cadenas Conservation Post. The only way to get to Cadenas is through the Sarstoon River, which the Guatemalans consider theirs. Well, as we also showed you last week, Wil Maheia, responded that he would make attempts to follow the BDF change overs which happens roughly every other Tuesday. Today was supposed to be the first such mission, and our news team of Daniel Ortiz and Codie Norales left out at 1:00 am for Punta Gorda Town to see for ourselves how this would work. It didn't, but something else did work out. Daniel Ortiz reports:

Orange Walkeno Caught In Nicaragua With Weed
An Orange Walk man is detained in Nicaragua tonight after he was caught with a wholesale quantity of weed. He was intercepted on Saturday at Rio San Juan which is on Nicaragua's Caribbean Coast - right at the border with Costa Rica. 32 year old Wayne Thomas of a St. Peter's Street address in Orange Walk Town was driving a Dodge Van with Orange Walk license plates headed south for Costa Rica. Nicaraguan police stopped the van and found a secret compartment in the ceiling. They took out 101 packets of weed, weighing in at 55 kilos, or 123 pounds. The Nicaraguan media asked him where he was bringing the drugs form - here's what he said:.. Police say he entered the country at "Las Manos" - which is the border crossing with Honduras, south of Tegucigalpa. Police say they suspect there is a drug smuggling ring at work.

Audrey On Ray: It Wasn't (Just) Me
Last night our headline story was about the removal of Ray Davis as the Labour Senator. That was the decision that the General Council of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize took after a motion to vote on whether the members were satisfied with his performance. An easy majority of the 25 representatives voted that they were not satisfied - and so the long embattled Davis will be replaced. But there are those within the labour movement who take the view that he was being dismissed without just cause having been established - and "just cause" is one of the cornerstone principles for trade unionism in general. Today in Punta Gorda, we asked NTUCB Vice President Audrey Matura-Shepherd about his departure. She's the first one who went public and said he has to resign or be removed - but today she stressed that it was a group decision: Audrey Matura-Shepherd, 2nd Vice President - NTUCB "Let me tell you, all I say about that is within our union, democracy prevails and clearly I was not the sole vote. It was an overwhelming majority. I know Channel 7 always gets the scoop because we have the traitors within who always leak the information. So go interview them. But the official word comes from our president Mr. Marvin Mora, who I support and I am just but one vote in votes that go in the double digits."

NUTCB: Many Email Fails
And so while Ray Davis was removed for non performance - it really comes down to an issue of email protocol - or a lack thereof. Things came to a head because the NTUCB believes that Davis bailed on a Senate meeting - and never told anyone, leaving the unions in the lurch. But in fact he did send this email weeks before the meeting - both to the President of the NTUCB and the General Secretary. Except none of them got it. That e-mail fail is what ultimately triggered the campaign to resolutely deal with Davis. So it's ironic that even as the union sent him off - there was another email fail - this one of epic proportions. On Saturday evening at 5:30, General Secretary Rebecca Suazo sent out the email with the minutes of the meeting held earlier that day. She sent it to her NTUCB mailing list - including ex-Senator Davis. It shows who brought the motion to questions Davis's performance and shows who seconded it - and how the vote went: 18 not satisfied, 6 satisfied, 1 abstention. It's awkward, but it's also very bad form - kind of like finding out you got fired in a mass email - before getting a letter of termination.

Yolanda Gomez Denies Credit Card Misconduct
The La Inmaculada Credit Union in northern Belize - it's a large and powerful institution with tens of thousands of members, and - we are told - more than 52 million dollars passing through it annually. But, with all that prosperity, tonight there are deep public misgivings about the management of the union. And as we showed you last night, a special general meeting on Saturday did nothing to allay those concerns - in fact, its inconclusive ending may have resulted in even deeper agitation. But while there is public frustration with the board - which narrowly escaped having to face a no confidence vote on Saturday - there are also concerns about the tenure of Yolanda Gomez as General Manager. No less than the chair of the board has publicly heaped substantial allegations of wrongdoing at Gomez's door. Gomez has consistently denied any wrongdoing - and the board has not come up with any proof. But, the allegations include unauthorized loans - we are told to family members and Gomez's personal employees. It also includes misuses of the LICU credit card - and alleged repaying of the debts with LICU funds. Gomez flatly denied that on Saturday:..

GUATEMALAN FISHERS...
As we showed you at the top of the news, the Belize Territorial Volunteers went back to the Sarstoon River today. They were there to follow the BDF soldiers downriver to the border post of Cadenas. But the volunteers missed the trip from PG to Cadenas, so they had to wait a long time until the BDF vessel returned through the Sarstoon. And we had to wait with them. So, how did the volunteers pass the time? Well, they went chasing after suspected Guatemalan fishers poaching in Belizean waters. Our news team followed them on that mission - which had elements of both mild tragedy and deep comedy; here's how it went: While waiting for the BDF change over to return from Cadenas, Maheia and the boat captains took us along the southern shore of the Toledo District, just before the Sarstoon River mouth, waters considered to be clearly in Belizean territory. It immediately became apparent what they were signaling to a number fishermen believed to be Guatemalans who were illegally fishing in Belizean waters. Now, we're unable to say 100% that they are illegals fishing in Belize, but there were very distinct traits of their behavior while we were there.

BDF In Court For Trying to Defraud Courts
BDF soldier, Rigo Francis Zuniga went to court today accused of committing a mischievous act. Here's what happened: it seems 28 year old Rigo Francis Zuniga was trying to avoid paying Courts Belize bill after getting a flat screen television on credit. He made a false report to police alleging that all his household items were destroyed in a fire, but it turns out there was no fire. It was more like a fire sale! Because when police went looking into the story, they found that he gave the items to a woman who pawned them out at Fair Brothers Pawn Shop. She told police that Zuniga gave her his flat screen television he got from Courts and a stereo to pawn out for him. Police found the items at the Pawn Shop. As a result, he was charged with committing a mischievous act. This morning, Zuniga appeared unrepresented before Magistrate Ladonna John in Court #4 where he pleaded not guilty to the offense. Magistrate John granted him bail in the sum of $500 plus one surety of the same. He is due back in court until October 27, 2015.

Sixth Former Again For 14 Year Old
18 year old Saint John's College sixth former Daniel Bradley has been slapped with another charge of unlawful sexual intercourse - again for having sex with a 14 year old girl. Two months ago, he was accused of having sexual intercourse with a 14 year old girl was back in court again to be slapped with another sexual offense. He appeared before Magistrate, Ladonna John in Court #4 where he was read a single charge of one count of unlawful sexual intercourse for carnally knowing a female girl under the age of 16 to wit, 14 years and 4 months. The contact is alleged to have occurred between May 1 and May 31, 2015. In court, no plea was taken from Bradley - who was represented by attorney, Ellis Arnold. Magistrate John explained to him that she will not be taking a plea in the matter since it's an indictable offense.

PM Accompanies Wife
Prime Minister Dean Barrow left the country today to accompany his wife Kim for a regular checkup. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2011 - and after aggressive treatment, it has been in remission for the last two years. A government press release says that the Prime Minister will return on Friday 28th August. Gaspar Vega will be acting Prime Minister.

Mr Program Makes Introspective Track
Belizean Artist Mr. Program is back with his latest song and music video called "Them Should Ah Know". The catchy song is more than just another track - it speaks about his personal struggle as an artist and where he would like to see himself in the near future. He told us what you should know. The video is available on Youtube.

Notepads With A Safe Message
Hurricane season is upon us - and the City Emergency Management Organization is always pushing for greater community awareness - specifically - what do you need to know when a storm is coming. Well, a lot of your plan should be based on the warning flags. But do you know the difference between preliminary, red on, red two and all clear? Well, CEMO wants even your children to know. That's why they have launched a new notepad series. Wayne Usher told us more:.. The notepads are available at the CEMO office at the downtown Commercial Center in Belize City for 50 cents each or six dollars per dozen.

Channel 5

The BTV Raises Belizean Flag on Sarstoon Island
The Belize Territorial Volunteers remain in the headlines tonight. This morning, a smaller group headed down south once again to the Sarstoon Island. Unlike their previous visit when they were [...]

Hubert Elrington Says Territorial Volunteers Are Insane
The group which succeeded in planting a flag on Sarstoon Island today is now being lauded by Prime Minister Barrow. In a press conference last Wednesday, the PM changed his [...]

Former U.D.P. Minister Says Country Is Being Run By Idiots
The former U.D.P. Minister also didn’t shy away from criticizing the Barrow administration, which he says is running the country into the ground. Elrington claims that rather than growing the [...]

Miguel Segura Sued by Victim’s Family
Former Deputy Commissioner of Police Miguel Segura is being sued for damages. The claim is being brought by the mother of Yolanda Valencia, who died in a terrible head-on collision [...]

GSU Boss Mark Flowers at Centre of Land Controversy
The quaint village of Blackman Eddy is the second smallest village in the Cayo South Constituency. Located at mile fifty-seven on the George Price Highway, the village is home to [...]

Do You Support BTV’s Trek to Southern Border Areas without Military Escort?
And tonight’s question is: Do you support the Belize Territorial Volunteers’ trek to border areas in the south without military escort? Send your comments and responses using your SMART phones [...]

Flashback – George Price Speaks on Territorial Sovereignty
At the top of our newscast, we showed you the BTV-led trip to the Sarstoon Island where they, along with a handful of Belizeans and the media, planted the Belize [...]

Standard Bearer Says Progress Made in P.U.P. G11 Dispute
A group of eleven standard bearers of the People’s United Party continues to boycott official Party functions. They are agitating for change in the P.U.P., and until some common ground [...]

Kareem Musa Says He Will Deliver Caribbean Shores
Even as Kareem Musa deals with internal party issues, he can’t lose sight of his own upcoming battle in Caribbean Shores. He will be facing off against a formidable candidate [...]

Belizean Busted With Weed in Nicaragua
A Belizean is tonight in big trouble in Nicaragua after he was busted near its border with Costa Rica with a large quantity of marijuana. Reports from the Nicaraguan media [...]

B.D.F. Soldier Charged for a Mischievous Act
B.D.F. soldier, twenty-eight year old Rigo Zuniga, is also in trouble with the law tonight for attempting to avoid paying Courts Belize for a flat screen television.  Zuniga made a [...]

Teen Charged for Sexual Assault of Minor
An eighteen year old student, Daniel Bradley, was back before the court today. In June he was accused of sexually abusing a fourteen year old girl, and today he was [...]

Hubert Elrington Says Petrocaribe Going Soon
Appearing on the Dickie Bradley Special on Monday, Hubert Elrington, a former U.D.P. Minister, blasted the government, claiming that there is absolutely nothing to cheer about under this administration. Not [...]

N.T.U.C.B. Moving Toward Firm Stance on Petrocaribe
Earlier this year the Belize National Teachers Union (B.N.T.U.) announced that they were holding countrywide consultations with their members about the Petro Caribe Bill 2015. The consultations were a part [...]

Marvin Mora Says the Union is Monitoring Situation at B.S.I.
And where does the N.T.U.C.B. stand on the issues of the workers and B.S.I./ASR? President Marvin Mora says that the concerns of the Belize Workers Union have been brought to [...]

Guatemalan Poachers Fish in Belizean Waters
Gillnetting is a common fishing method that is closely monitored and regulated by fisheries management and enforcement agencies. Unfortunately, the practice used by commercial fishermen is not adequately controlled, despite [...]

Receiver Says Port has Made Progress
Since it went into receivership in 2012, reports of the purchase of the Port of Belize have circulated. Earlier this year, we told you that at least one local businessman [...]

Challenges Facing Belizean Fishers Documented
British Honduras was built on logwood and mahogany trade. That colonial history was based on exploitation of natural resources and people.  Though we have achieved independence, Belizeans still depend on [...]

CTV3

Store At Free Zone Robbed Of More Than Six Thousand dollars
Corozal police are investigating a burglary at the Corozal Commercial Free Zone that netted a thief or thieves more than $6,000 in cash. Twenty eight year old Italian businessman Daniele Chou of Carretera Bacalar, Chetumal Quintana Roo, Mexico, reported to authorities between 6:00pm on Sunday August 22nd and 7:00am on Monday August 23rd, thieves broke into his business namely Euro Moda situated inside the zone and made off with $6,666.00 in Belizean, Mexican and US dominations. Police have no suspects and their investigation continues.

CSCPA Get Certified By Fair Trade
The Corozal Sugar Cane Producers Association was formed last year after the Government of Belize amended the sugar act giving cane farmers the freedom to break away from the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers and form their own group. Automatically cane farmers who divorced from the BSCFA and joined the Corozal Sugar Cane Producers stopped benefitting from Fair Trade premiums since the BSCFA was the only association certified at the time. But that is now a thing of the past because after much hard work the CSCPA has been certified by FLOCERT. According to Chairman of the CSCPA Elvis Canul the certification is valid from the 24th of August to the 24th of May 2016. “This brings a great moment for our cane famers because by being certified we will be entitled to premium that is catered for the small cane farmers and it helps to sustain the high cost of production of cane so definitely this is a big achievement for our Association to be certified.”

OWTC Participated In Orientation Training On Do's and Don't Of Roles Of Council
A two-day local government orientation training that engaged municipal councilors and local managers concluded today at the Social Security Conference room. The sessions says Mayor Kevin Bernard, included a refresher course on the do’s and don’ts of roles and limits of the council. “Discussed the role and the responsibility of the Council, that are their rights and what are their responsibilities as policy makers what is it that they can do or can’t do and today they touched on the accounting regulations, the powers vested into the Mayor, the Administrator in terms of what should be done and shouldn’t be done so it is basically informative information getting our councilors aware of what really they are to do as a council, what really we are to do as a body and then we are talking about the projects that has been ongoing it is a matter of continuity and information being passed on to those new council members as well for example what has been done with the BMDP projects in terms of the sustainable child friendly initiative and in the partnership we have done with the Social Investment Fund through the World Bank project so those are the things we are talking the Municipal Growth Plan what are we to do with those things how do we continue to work with those plans to make our town sustainable to make our town to be able to grow and for us to be able to increase in terms of revenue and initiative that we have been able to put forward as a Council.”

Another September To Remember, Biggest Event In Belize
The celebration of Belize’s Independence is one of the biggest events Belizeans at home and abroad look forward to and today the hypnotizing vibes are already being felt in all corners of the country. In Orange Walk Town, the wheels have begun spinning when it comes to preparations and planning of the two most anticipated holidays, the tenth and the 21st of September. Today, we asked Mayor Kevin Bernard about this year’s plans for a smooth celebration since last year there was a first recorded casualty. “At the last September celebration meeting just before leaving we reminded and we have seen a letter of request from the vice chair of the National September Celebration Committee where they are requesting for additional security for Orange Walk and it has already been advertised Jove was the first time they had that last year and they are coming gain this year and there will be more people coming again to Orange Walk so we are requesting and I don’t want what happen last year happen again so what we will be doing too we will calling a meeting by the end of this week to those participants because we want to ask them to be able to provide their own Marshalls especially for those big trucks.”

CJC Get Renovation Of Classrooms For Bio/Chem And Humanities Department
It is said that an individual will be best receptive towards learning depending on the environment he or she occupies. Bearing that in mind the Corozal Community College is constantly finding means and ways to best accommodate its students. The institutions newest accomplishment comes in the form of a writing lab Chair for the Humanities Department. “This is something new to CJC an addition to our current facilities; it is the CJC Humanities Department Writing lab we have space to comfortably seat twenty students, we recognize that there is a writing issue or a problem that our students face not just at this level but at every educational level and in an attempt to address that we have come up what is this writing lab and the purpose of the lab is for us to be able to help our students to sit with them on a one to one basis or in small group conferences so that we can help them with their writing, help them to identify their strength their weaknesses in writing and in so doing edit their work and revise so that they can produce better quality work and we hope that the student will make the best of the opportunity that we are providing for them.”

Prime Minister Accompanies Wife For Medial Check Up
Prime Minister Dean Barrow left the country to accompany his wife, Kim Simpliss Barrow on a scheduled medical visit to the US. During his absence, Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega will hold down the fort as Prime Minister. The Barrows are expected to return to Belize on Friday.

Orange Walk Mayor Returns From LAMC In Puerto Rico
Yesterday, Mayor Kevin Bernard made his return to the country after participating in the Latin American Mayor’s Conference in Puerto Rico held last week. The summit for government sector professionals gathered Latin America and Caribbean leaders to discuss the challenges of the global economy and to bet on sustainable economic development and the decentralization of power as the new frameworks for participatory governance. Bernard, who represented the Belize Mayor’s Association, told us today that the weeklong sessions was geared at enhancing local government structures and approaches. “What that congress involved is also a time to share ideas, share best practices as you know across the region and as Mayor and in the Belize Mayor’s Association we are always been saying that we need to fight for more autonomy, we need to talk more about decentralization and these are things that were discussed from an international level where we are seeing other municipalities fighting for that same cause in their various countries so over the three days it was a very packed agenda, there were several session that you could have attended; one of the things that I know it was very crucial that was discussed very passionately was the issue of decentralization and more autonomy in local governments because as you know the local governments are the ones that really they are the ones that see the people more and so another area that we touched on is how do you enhance local government?

Belizeans Chased Out Of Melchor
It is no secret that thousands of Belizeans travel to neighboring Melchor de Mencos in Guatemala and the Mexican frontier with the intent to save money on groceries, clothing and other services. And while millions of Belizean dollars are being pumped into those thriving economies, a Belizean family is crying foul tonight after a visit to Melchor de Mencos over the weekend ended in an unnecessary brawl with Guatemalans which caused injuries to many. According to Diana Trap, on Sunday her family suffered a traumatic experience and had to run back across to the Belize border after they were attacked by a mob of Guatemalan men near the Melchor market. Trapp says the scuffle stemmed from an assault upon her niece, a minor who accompanied her on the trip. Trapp recounted the tale to our friends at Krem Radio and here is her tale as she and her family and friends entered that alleyway near the market.

LOVE FM

Belizean national caught with marijuana in Nicaragua
A Belizean man is in problems in Nicaragua after he was caught with over one hundred pounds of marijuana. According to the Nicaraguan National Police website, 42 year old Wayne Thomas Reneau was caught with 101 packs of the controlled herb which when weighed, totaled approximately 123 pounds. The operation was conducted on Saturday evening […]

Belize Territorial Volunteers head back to Sarstoon Island
Early this morning, Belize Territorial Volunteer’s Leader, Wil Maheia and a small group made another trip to the Sarstoon to place a Belizean Flag on Sarstoon Island. Love News spoke earlier today with Maheia via phone. Wil Maheia – BTV “Well this morning was quite an interesting morning. As you know we had planned to […]

Attorney speaks of civil suit against ACP Miguel Segura
On August 16, 2014, Yolanda Valencia was killed in a traffic accident on the George Price Highway. Valencia’s mother, Guadalupe Valencia has filed a civil suit against Deputy Commissioner of Police Miguel Segura who was the driver of the vehicle that hit the car in which Yolanda was a passenger. The driver of the vehicle, […]

Kareem Musa speaks on PUP’s G11
Apart from being an attorney, Kareem Musa is also the PUP’s Standard Bearer for Caribbean Shores and he sits on a sub-committee within the PUP that is carrying out with negotiations with the G-11 members. Today, we asked Musa for an update. Kareem Musa – PUP Standard bearer, Caribbean Shores “We are in negotiations with […]

Corozal Sugar Cane Producers’ Association receives FAIRTRADE certification.
Arturo Cantun reporting… “The news that the organization has been certified by Fairtrade has been received very well by farmers belonging to this association. According to Chairman of the CSCPA, Elvis Canul, he recognizes the importance of this achievement and has compromised the organization in keeping in compliance with the requirements. Elvis Canul – Chairman, […]

Prime Minister travels to the US
Prime Minister Dean Barrow left the country today to accompany his wife, Kim Simplis Barrow as she continues scheduled medical checkups. Prime Minister Barrow will return to the country on Friday and during his absence, Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega will act as Prime Minister.

UB mandatory insurance discontinued
The Belize Youth Movement in partnership with the Student Board of the University of Belize is celebrating their victory over the University of Belize’s mandatory Black Jaguar Accident protection policy. The policy has now become an option for students who wish to purchase the insurance when registering. Alberto Vellos, President of the Belize Youth Movement […]

House destroyed by fire in Dangriga
“The house of Eric Flores, a resident of this municipality was destroyed by fire in the wee hours of Monday morning. According to one of Flores’ relatives the lumber house which measured 14×16 that was situated in the Monument Site of town apparently caught on fire as a result of someone burning […]

PUC introduces program to improve networking
The Belize Public Utilities Commission held a work shop today for a new initiative called The Signal Information System. It’s a program that would be expanded to agencies that would be able to share information more efficiently. Rudolph Williams, Director of Water and Waste Water sector at Public Utilities Commission told Love News more about […]

CEMO introduces information books
The 2015 hurricane season is almost at its mid-point and the City Emergency Management Organization (CEMO) has come up with an initiative to keep awareness at the forefront. Wayne Usher is CEMO’s Liaison Officer. Wayne Usher – CEMO’s Liaison Officer ““The school program is to give the message that CEMO sends throughout the year to […]

Amandala

Two remanded for aggravated assault with firearm
Two Belize City men were remanded to prison after they were arraigned before Magistrate Ladonna John this morning on a charge of aggravated assault with a firearm. Lloyd Leslie, 23, a laborer and resident of 5 Bocotora Street, and Dwayne Evelin, 25, a laborer and resident of 17 Armadillo Street, both entered not guilty pleas after Magistrate John read the charge to them. Magistrate John explained to the men that because the offense for which they were charged was allegedly committed with a firearm, her court could not offer them bail. “You have to apply to the Supreme Court for bail,” she told the two men, before they were remanded to prison until their next court date, October 26.

Men remanded for FirstCaribbean robbery bailed
Four of five men who were remanded to the Belize Central Prison on the allegation that they staged a broad-daylight armed robbery of FirstCaribbean International Bank branch, located at San Cas Plaza, were granted bail this morning by Supreme Court Justice Antoinette Moore. The four accused men all pleaded guilty to one count of robbery and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery. The fifth man was only charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. Justice Moore decided to grant the four accused men bail despite strong objections from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution, represented by Crown Counsel Sabita Maharaj, who argued that at least two of the men have previous convictions and are likely to commit other offenses if released on bail. The Crown also based its objections for bail on public interest grounds.

Melchor mob attacks Belizean shoppers
Around this time of the year, there are more excursions from Belize to Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala, than the normal weekend trips, because many Belizean families are of the view that they can literally stretch their dollars in Melchor, especially in the season before the new school year, when their uniform/books expenses are very high. Yesterday, Sunday, however, a Belizean family suffered a traumatic experience and had to run back across to the Belize side after they were attacked by a mob of Guatemalan men near the Melchor market. This incident comes on the heels of the Guatemalan navy’s aggression against the Belize Territorial Volunteers two Sundays ago, on August 16, in the Sarstoon River, Belizean territory, where the Guatemalan navy has been exercising sovereignty since the last days of May when the Belize Government ordered a contingent of the Belize Coast Guard to withdraw from the area.

Boy, 15, shot dead in home invasion
A young man, 15, died after being shot at the farm of his grandfather, Thomas Polanco, located at Mile 35 on the Hummingbird Highway, shortly after 9:00 Friday morning by three masked men, who were armed with machetes. Police strongly believe that one of Polanco’s past employees was one of the three men who went to Polanco’s residence on Friday morning with machetes, held up and tied up the family members who were at home at the time, and then ransacked the house looking for cash and valuables. The gunmen stole $3,000 cash, Polanco’s 12-gauge shotgun and some cartridges, as well as some household items. According to police, Thomas Polanco’s teenaged grandson, Briton Tharique Polanco, 15, who was out in the field at the time the robbers went to the farm, heard noise coming from the house and ran up to the door of the house to see what was happening, and that was when one of the robbers shot him in the chest with the stolen shotgun, which belongs to his grandfather. The three bandits then escaped in the family’s vehicle, and are currently on the run.

Shot in ambush by “friendly fire?”
A 16-year-old who, along with two other men, allegedly was lay-waiting an intended victim around 8:45 p.m. last Thursday, is now in a critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after he inadvertently was shot in the abdomen by his partner in crime while in them ambush position, according to police. Police say that the three men went into the Queen’s Square Anglican Primary School compound on Fairweather Street on Thursday night and took up ambush positions to shoot a man who was to come over the Fairweather Street Bridge and onto Fairweather Street, near the school compound. As the unsuspecting, intended victim was approaching, one of the three men took out a .38 Special revolver to shoot the victim, but the gun misfired, and he began to tamper with it. According to police, the revolver then fired a round which hit the man’s accomplice, the 16-year-old, in the stomach.

La Immaculada Credit Union meeting “got too hot” and was adjourned
On Saturday, August 22, Muffles College in Orange Walk Town was the venue for a Special General Meeting held by the La Immaculada Credit Union. The member-owners had collected signatures demanding a Special General Meeting to address the issues surrounding the termination of Yolanda Gomez, the former General Manager. In April, Gomez was suspended from her position, then in July, she was terminated. There are allegations of fraud, forgery, unauthorized cash movement and loan write-off that the Board claimed was done by Yolanda Gomez. However, at the Special General Meeting there was no actual evidence presented because the investigation is still ongoing, said Board members.

Fans ride underdog BDF to 1-1 draw with Verdes
The news began filtering through the football community on Saturday night, and spread quickly when it was made public on Krem’s Press Cadogan Sports Show on Sunday morning, that FC Belize, the last remaining Belize City based team in the Premier League of Belize (PLB), had withdrawn or been dropped out of the competition before playing their first scheduled match, which should have been against Placencia Assassins on Saturday night, August 22, at the Michael Ashcroft Stadium in Independence. Following their second match forfeited to end the previous season, there was talk of a possible suspension of FC Belize from future competitions. But the new management of the Premier League, which now has a board of directors and a hired General Manager, Wilhelm Miguel, to run its competition, had appeared sympathetic to the plight of FC Belize, which had struggled with ownership controversy for the past year, along with a tremendous handicap with the closure of the MCC until early this year. And just a couple weeks before the start of this new season, the lights at the MCC were taken down by the National Sports Council, making work-out difficult for the team.

National Women’s Softball Championship this weekend
The Belize Softball Federation will be holding its XXV National Women’s Softball Championship over this weekend, from Friday to Sunday, August 28-30, at Rogers Stadium in Belize City. The action starts on Friday and according to a release from the Federation, the first game gets under way “at 6:30 p.m. sharp.” On Saturday, the games will start at 9:00 a.m., and Sunday games begin at 10:00 a.m. Official opening ceremonies for the Championship are scheduled for Saturday, August 29, beginning at 1:00 p.m. after the second game. Six teams will be vying for this year’s National Championship, two each from three different softball zones, namely: BTL and Belize Bank Bulldogs (Belize City), Unitedville’s Rebels United and Roaring Creek Grace Kennedy (Cayo), and Double Head Cabbage and UB Black Jaguars (Belize Rural).

“Ladies” Flores set to win BDF 13 Miles Race
Veteran runner, Anthony “Ladies” Flores, 54, originally of Dangriga, is set and ready to win the upcoming BDF 15 Miles Road Race that will be held this Saturday morning, August 29. Ladies came to Amandala today, and reported that that he has been working out on the beach sands in Dangriga, and now possesses the endurance and stamina to punish and defeat the competitors, and has declared himself the winner. The veteran runner said that he has been running for the past 15 years, during which he has been achieving second and third place, but he will dominate this race and achieve first place in this upcoming race. Flores said that on Saturday morning, the race will commence from Old Belize at Mile 5 on the George Price Highway, and will make its way to Central American Boulevard, left over Belcan Bridge, and left into the Philip Goldson Highway, and conclude at Price Barracks, which will be a distance of about 15 miles.

BDBA Firms finals: Bulldogs vs Central Bank
The Belize District Basketball Association’s (BDBA) Firms Basketball Tournament 2015 held its knockout semifinal games on Friday night, August 21; and it was right into game 1 of the best-of-3 games championship finals series on Saturday night, August 22, at Bird’s Isle. The semifinal opener on Friday night featured a battle of the banks, as Central Bank disciplined Heritage Bank, 82-66. Leading Central Bank were Jacob Leslie with 32 pts 6 rebs 4 assts, Dave Apolonio 21 pts 2 rebs 3 assts, and Farron Louriano 15 pts 8 rebs 2 assts; while Heritage Bank was led by Marvin Skeet 19 pts 8 rebs 3 assts, and Winston Pratt 14 pts 3 rebs 3 assts 3 stls. The semifinal nightcap was a much closer contest, as Bulldogs pulled out the 71-68 win over Central Health. For the victorious Bulldogs, Brian White had 22 pts 8 rebs, Rupert Brown 22 pts 2 rebs 4 assts 2 stls, and Tarique Gabb 11 pts 4 rebs 2 assts 2 stls; while Central Health was led by Neil Nicholson 33 pts 3 rebs 3 stls, Travis Bernardez 11 pts 3 rebs 2 assts 2 stls, and Lonnie Trapp 10 pts 5 rebs 2 assts 2 stls.

Editorial: Armed and dangerous
On Wednesday, August 12, United Democratic Party (UDP) Junior Cabinet Minister, Hon. Mark King, made serious threats against the Kremandala organization; against Evan X Hyde, the Kremandala chairman; and against Mose Hyde, the general manager of KREM Television and a talk show host. Mr. King’s threats were broadcast on national television news: the threats had been made earlier that Wednesday during a speech in his Lake Independence constituency. Mr. King, a former Belize Defence Force soldier who was made a Justice of the Peace in 2005 by the PUP Belize Rural Central area representative, Hon. Ralph Fonseca, is thought by some observers to be eccentric. But, he owns security companies, which means he has armed employees at his disposal. Mr. King is also the Minister of Gangs. We are not exactly sure what his portfolio involves, but it is for sure that the Junior Minister has frequent contact with the various Belize City gang leaders who have been in charge of work gangs on government infrastructural projects in the old capital. Overall then, it is reasonable to say that Hon. Mark King is armed and dangerous.

From the Publisher
With your permission, I’d like to use my column today to inform you about your enemy. Sun Tzu insists that you should know as much as you can about your enemy. Belizeans, your enemy is the Guatemalan military, which now directly controls the political directorate in Guatemala. The President of Guatemala, Otto Pérez Molina, is a General of the Guatemalan Army. He was an officer in the Guatemalan military during the presidencies of Lucas García and Ríos Montt. General Perez Molina was head of the EMP during the presidency of Ramiro de León Carpio, from 1993 to 1996. The EMP is the Estado Mayor Presidencial (Presidential Military Staff). The EMP is in charge of interrogation and torture. The following is from pg. 307 of Francisco Goldman’s THE ART OF POLITICAL MURDER, published by Grove Press in 2007: “General Otto Pérez Molina represented the military during the Peace Accords negotiations. He was one of the principal architects of the amnesty. In 1996, the year the accords were signed, the New York Times reported that in the early 1990s, when then Colonel Pérez Molina was the head of Military Intelligence, he’d ordered the murder of the captured guerrilla Efraín Bámaca.

The elusive courage
Dear Editor, In molding democratic citizens most people argue that a good education system is needed. I would like to add another component to a successful democracy besides good education and people participation – courage. Due to victimization and our colonial history most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have citizenries that are afraid of their government. This is a sad state of affairs because the people should give direction to their government. This is the only way history has shown you will have a prosperous and happy country that’s democratic. We need only look at the Scandinavian countries of Europe. Many times it is not that the citizenry don’t know their rights and responsibilities: it is that they are afraid that if they exercise their rights they will be victimized by their government. Your newspaper has experienced such occurrences already.

Breaking Belize News

Police continue community outreach in Southside Belize City
The Eastern Police Division South, commanded by the unconventional and innovative Superintendent Chester Williams, continues with its community outreach efforts, attempting to reduce crime in troubled areas. Officers of that division will be doing a “Meet and Greet” on several streets on Wednesday, August 26, including Supal, Kraal Road and […]

Free Zone Store’s proceeds burgled
An Italian National, currently residing in Quintana Roo Mexico, 28 year old Daniele Chou, who owns the “Euro Moda” store at the Corozal Commercial Free Zone, reported to police that his place of business was burglarized sometime over the course of the night of August 22nd. When Chou returned to […]

Dangriga businessman reports burglary
A burglary at the residence of a well-known Dangriga businessman, yesterday, August 24th, resulted in the loss of items valued at a total of $10,150.00. 32 year old Charles Zabaneh Jr. reported that while checking his garage yesterday morning, he noticed that a 40 horsepower outboard boat engine, valued at […]

Melchor trip ends in insult and injury for City family
Told in rude language to go back to Belize after an inappropriate touch on a minor, a Belizean family on excursion to Melchor de Mencos, Peten, Guatemala, has said they will never go back again and encourages other Belizeans not to either, today’s Amandala reports, via KREM News. […]

Lady bar owners charged over undocumented workers
The owners of two entertainment establishments in Belize City, Rexis Mejia and Mora Mejia, were charged with immigration offences when they appeared on Monday before Magistrate La Donna John. Rexis, who is the owner of Long Island Bar on Blue marlin Drive, was charged with 3 counts of […]

Sixth former charged again for carnal knowledge
18 year old Daniel Bradley, a sixth form student, who was charged with 1 count of unlawful carnal knowledge in June, was brought to court today for another charge of unlawful carnal knowledge regarding the same complainant. Both offences occurred between May 1 and May 31. Bradley was […]

Two men charged for firearm assault
Lloyd Leslie and Dwayne Evelyn have been remanded into custody for separate incidents of aggravated assault on August 19 and 20. In the latter, the target, identified as Delbert Palacio, was reportedly accosted by Leslie, Evelyn, and 16 year old Mark Phillips inside the compound of Queen Square […]

Driver charged for traffic accident
Two weeks ago there were multiple fatalities reported on the Philip Goldson Highway between Miles 6 and 7 when a 4-door Mercedes with no license plates slammed into a Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck. Two men identified as 52 year old Alden Locke, also known as “Tall B”, and […]

Belizean Captured with weed in Nicaragua
On Monday, August 24 2015, Wayne Thomas, 32, from Orange Walk was reportedly caught trying to traffic marijuana across the San Pancho border from Nicaragua to Costa Rica. Officials informed that when Thomas arrived at the border in San Pancho, the white van he was driving was thoroughly searched. During […]

First Lady of Belize departs to US for continuous medical checkup
Prime Minister Dean Barrow has left Belize as of today, Tuesday, to accompany his wife Mrs Kim Simplis Barrow to the U.S. for continued medical checkups. Mrs Barrow continues to fight breast cancer, with which she was stricken a few years ago. The Prime Minister returns on Friday, August 28. […]

Good weather continues across Belize
The National Meteorological Service of Belize predicts mostly sunny skies and warm weather today with isolated showers or thunderstorms developing mainly inland this afternoon. Tonight, skies will be partly cloudy with little or no rainfall. Winds will be blowing from the East at 5-15 knots and the sea state will […]

Blogs

Planes, Trains and Automobiles…and More Planes: I’m Home!
A long trip home became a wee bit longer on Sunday afternoon when we were experience some bad weather on Beaver Island, Michigan. JUST when we needed to fly the rain and a bit of thunder started…and for a little plane? That’s never good. Finally the plane arrived…just a little four seater…and we were off…bye Beaver Island. Man…what a great spot.

Remembering Radio Swan Island ….
A casual Facebook interaction with Daedra Haylock on a post by Renee Trujillo yesterday brought back a few memories from my childhood, partly from what it was like growing up in a Belize before Independence and the proliferation of available and accessible media. I grew up in a time when we only had one radio station, no tv and mostly in parts of the country where running water, electricity, paved roads and telephone service was virtually non-existent outside of the population center that was the old capital Belize City. Besides Radio Belize’s AM signal my folks used to tune into baseball and other sports, as well as the Grand Old Opry (Country and Western music) on Armed Forces Radio and news on the BBC, on shortwave. It occurred to me while commenting about media in Belize with the ladies and monitoring the progress of Hurricane Danny that there was also another radio station that my weather-wise folks used to tune into that perhaps the majority of Belizeans currently do not even know existed and played a role in Belize’s history.

The Evolution of Belize’s Public External Debt
In a letter to the News Director of Channel 7 News Belize and the Editor, AMANDALA newspaper, Dr. Carla Barnett, former Financial Secretary, Government of Belize, and currently United Democratic Party Standard Bearer, Freetown Division wrote: “August 12, 2015 Dear Editor, I have heard several commentators make strong assertions about the state of the public finances and public debt, that have caused me to pause. Commentators have suggested, for example, that government is “borrowing at an unprecedented rate” or that the debt to GDP ratio has risen to “unprecedented levels”. These assertions tend to be made without providing the supporting evidence and, having been involved in finding solutions to the fiscal and debt crisis of the mid-2000’s, I know that these comments are not based on accurate information.

The “Battle” for Sarstoon – a first person account
As usual these are my observations and opinions solely, and, of course, my conclusions for my own purposes. It is NOT a news report. The women! Carolyn Trench-Sandiford woke me up a few minutes after 4:00 a.m. and quite adeptly drove us to Barranco Village. Although I had awakened at 3:00 am and had gotten up and made coffee, I went back to bed and for some inexplicable reason fell back asleep. I was awakened from blissful sleep when she hollered for me outside and I cannot thank her enough. I would’ve hated to have missed going to the Sarstoon. As a citizen I am thankful for the efforts of the Belizean Territorial Volunteers to try and wake up Belizeans from their induced sedation where the existential threat that Guatemala’s claim is to the nation of Belize. The BTVIPNP saying “No” to the ICJ does not make a lot of sense to me but the effort to draw attention to Guatemala’s posture, (stance and action), as well their more critical-than-not analyses of and commentary on the GOB’s dispute management in this regard is very needed at a time when the official opposition has been too circumspect in my estimation.

The “Battle” of the Sarstoon … (Part 2)
There is something about being out on the open water that exhilarates me. It is a primal, visceral reaction. My thoughts as we steamed determinedly towards the Sarstoon and perhaps a date with destiny were a jumbled stream of consciousness as I absorbed the sights, the sounds, the emotions, the feelings, my now compatriots. The boats had returned to the small dock at Barranco after taking about 50-60 persons presumably to the Sarstoon Island. I had managed to climb on to one that had a bikini, strapped on a life vest, and settled into the shade for what I anticipated would be a swift, smooth ride across a calm sea with Carolyn Trench-Sandiford, Alberto Vellos and Dickie Bradley as my seat companions. Richard Bradley Jr., another attorney, and Alton Humes, a reporter, had helped a frail, elderly Garifuna lady to a seat on the foremost “tart” in front of me and I later learned she was Barranco’s most famous resident, Andy Palacio’s aunt. I was glad that he was there in spirit. In the flesh he and I would’ve composed a song, maybe even two, mostly for my entertainment and because that is what he does. It is a Garifuna cultural tradition.

Slices of Life from Belize - August 23, 2015
Well this entry will be brief, because we've hardly had any rain. Oh sure, a few storms have blown through, but in no way dropping enough water to keep things lush and growing. One of our local news stations, 7 News Belize, ran an article about the situation with this headline: "Min. of Agriculture: There is a Northern Drought (Duh)". You can read the article here. Farmers are really bearing the brunt of the weather situation. Crops, especially corn, have been turning yellow from lack of water. Our trees and shrubs almost all have a yellow tinge, and our grass is turning brown and crunchy. David was saying just the other day that we want and need rain so badly, he wouldn't care that we would have the dogs cooped up in the house with us, should the rain gods decide to visit. That's really saying something.

An updated list: Low Season closings and openings in San Pedro
Ah, low season on Ambergris Caye. Do restaurants, resorts and hotels close down because the visitors aren’t coming to Belize? Or do the visitors stop coming to Belize because so many restaurants, resorts and hotels are closed? Well, for whatever reasons a lot of places here on Ambergris Caye close — for as little as two weeks to as long as two months. During this time some places upgrade, change menus, add fresh coats of paint. It is pretty safe to say that come November, the island will be back in full swing and looking as beautiful as ever. Here is an updated list of Low Season venue closings (with some who plan to stay open through the season). If you know of others e-mail me at robertj.hawkins2012@gmail.com or call 650-1987. I will update as needed.

International Sources

Faculty explore, share talents, serve during summer break
College of Southern Maryland professors Paul Billeter, Laura Polk and Michael Walls traveled to Belize, Bolivia, Peru and remote Appalachia this summer to research and study, and provide service to communities outside of the region. Billeter developed a lifelong passion for the tropics as an undergraduate biology major and during a trip to Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, in 1968. As a biology and physical sciences division professor since 1974, Billeter continues to learn about and explore the Caribbean region, and he shares his love for marine life and the tropics in the classroom and on travel study experiences each spring. This summer, Billeter gave a presentation on the evolution of travel courses at the Conference on International Coral Reef Education at the Tropical Education and Research Center in San Pedro, Belize. “The conference brought together college professors who teach field biology courses focused on marine biology and coral reefs,” Billeter said in the release. “My presentation focused on the evolution of travel courses in the Caribbean over the past 45 years and how I have internationalized my course to include case studies from Chile, Australia, Belize, the Maldives, the Line Islands, United Arab Emirates and Mexico.”

Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association focusing on local associations
Emil Lee, president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), reported progress during his first year in office as CHTA continues its evolution into a Hub and Spoke organization. He said he is pleased that the focus on strengthening the National Hotel and Tourism Associations (NHTAs) throughout the region is evolving quickly. He also cites a new era of public-private sector collaboration between CHTA and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) which has emerged as a point of optimism for the industry's future. Lee recently visited with local CHTA members and ministers of tourism in various countries including Antigua, The Bahamas, Barbados and Belize.

Indian-Origin Man Found Dead in UK Hotel Room
An Indian-origin man believed to be a solicitor has been found dead in a hotel room in south east London. Scotland Yard officers involved in the search for John Neville Singh found him unresponsive in a room at the Premier Inn hotel on Lansdowne Road in Croydon on Friday. He was reported missing from his home in Mitcham, south London, on August 19. Formal identification is yet to take place but officers believe they are satisfied that the body is that of 67-year- old Singh. "The death is not being treated as suspicious at this time," the Metropolitan Police said. A post-mortem examination has been scheduled and Mr Singh's next of kin have been informed. According to a LinkedIn profile in his name, Mr Singh was a solicitor with more than 30 years of experience in civil litigation and a former magistrate in the Central American nation of Belize.

Videos

August 25, 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, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Belizean Actors land role in International Film “Jungle Move”
American Director and film producer Christopher Coppola is currently in Belize shooting his latest film “Jungle Move.” Coppola who is president of Christopher R. Coppola Productions (CRC Productions), has been on the filmmaking team as both producer and director of over ten films and series in the United States of America (USA), Canada and Germany. Coppola’s latest film “Jungle Move” takes place in San Francisco and the jungles of San Antonio, Punta Gorda Belize and saw several Belizeans and islanders landing supporting roles. The thriller is based upon the life of Clara, who after the tragic death of both parents was sent away by her grandfather. Clara grows up to fall in love with Gabriel Coronado and returns to the jungles of Belize. Little did Clara know that returning to the place she loved meant confronting her fears and past with events of supernatural occurrences. Clara ultimately overcomes new and old demons to regain control of her life.

Ambergris Today

New Cruise on Ambergris Caye Will Have You Screaming YOLO!
Vacation like you never have before on the YOLO, the newest cruise on the island of San Pedro. It is the ultimate booze cruise but it can also be chartered for family fun adventure at sea or marine reserve underwater activities. The cruise company also offers an excellent dining experience while sailing the Caribbean Sea. You Only Live Once (YOLO)! And life is too short to limit your experiences and Island Dream Tours is happy to bring something new and fun to the island for everybody to enjoy. Welcome aboard the YOLO! This customized and luxurious 40-foot catamaran caters to vacationers seeking that memorable and relaxing experience. The tour company gives you the opportunity to design your own cruise to some of the best hotspots on the island such as: Shark Ray Alley, Mexico Rocks, a visit to Caye Caulker, a cruise to the west side of the island or chilling on a sandbar. Witness some of the most vibrant and colorful sunsets on a Romantic Sunset Dinner cruise with Yolo. This cruise is like no other, equipped with an open bar serving delicious handcrafted cocktails by one of the best Mixologists on deck.

Flashbacks: Royalty and Pageantry in San Pedro Village
As we enter the season of the festivities connected with the anniversaries of The Battle of St. George’s Caye and Independence it is apt to look at some of the past queens who reigned over the hearts of San Pedranos after having won the Miss San Pedro title. Here is Miss San Pedro 1966, Marcia Dawson sharing the stage with Miss San Pedro 1964, Flora Graniel right at Central Park in San Pedro. This Flashback shows the absence of any elaborate stage with props and backgrounds. There is not even a sign indicating the year. Note that in that day and age there was a lot more fabric as the queen and maids of honor were all dressed in very expensive and detailed white evening gowns. The emphasis was not in showing flesh but rather in showing beautiful dresses. And the ladies were all wearing long gloves which was a requisite of the royalty. Indeed, the Miss San Pedro Pageant and the Installation of Miss San Pedro has always been a true gala event.

25 Years Ago: Remembering When WE USED TO… in San Pedro Village No. 2
Oh yes we used to do that and we used to think and we used to play and even eat back then much different in San Pedro from today. It was not better or it worse. It was just different. Let’s enjoy a few more. BEACH COMBING: This was a very popular activity back in the 1950’s and 60’s. Many of the village fishermen USED TO beach comb for bamboo, which was used to make the lobster traps or lobster pats as they were called. We picked up strange bottles and took them home to be used as water bottles. Any piece of usable lumber was considered a good pick for a beach comber. PIG TAIL: You will probably laugh when you see pig tail repeated so many times in so many dishes. But it is very true. Pig tail was a delicacy and USED TO eat it at least once a week a week or perhaps more. Here we go. Boil pig tail with tomato sauce and corn tortillas. Boiled pig tail fixed up in a soup with chaya. Boiled pig tail fried with egg and chaya. Pig tail with boiled ripe plantain with coconut oil. Pig tail in tamales. Pig tail in split peas soup. TRAVELLING BY SAILBOAT: Back then we used to travel to Belize City by boat and here is how author Angel Nunez describes this aspect of life in San Pedro in his book Twenty Five Years Ago. Rosa got up at midnight to board the Elsa P. San Pedro’s only cargo sailing boat which also served as the island passenger boat that provided this service with distinction. Tio Pil, the captain and owner, liked to travel in the wee hours of the morning so that he could arrive in Belize City by dawn and make full use of the entire day loading the boat with merchandise and all types of cargo.

San Cas Realty Holds Inauguration of Luxury Realty Affiliation in Belize
Santiago Castillo Ltd. of Belize and Christie’s International Real Estate of London/New York were delighted to announce the inauguration of SANCAS Realty Ltd. as the exclusive Christie’s International Real Estate affiliate of Belize. The new luxury real estate company officially launched its services on Thursday, August 20, 2015, at a cocktail social held at Rain Rooftop Restaurant, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. With 89 years of service in Belize, Santiago Castillo Ltd. is one of the oldest companies in the country which made its fortune as a wholesaler and retailer. Now, San Cas Realty Limited is the newest addition to the San Cas Group of Companies, established on August 13, 2014, with a vision of being the leading luxury real estate company in Belize. Christie’s International Real Estate of London/New York is one of the most glamorous, upscale brands in the world now working on boosting the luxury real estate market in Belize.

Pic of the Week - Best Underwater Selfie Ever
Six-year-old James is enjoying summer in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, the way almost all island kids do - in the water. Summer holidays in Ambergris Caye includes sleeping in and then running to the beach as you get up. It's an all-day, every-day must to spend endless hours on the beach and enjoying all the water activities possible during summer in Belize. Young James is a natural underwater and has even mastered the art of taking a selfie under the turquoise waters of the beautiful Caribbean Sea.

Belize Tourism Arrivals Improve, Looking into European & South American Markets
Tourist arrivals for January to July have begun to show improvements, with overnight arrivals showing a 1.6% increase in June, and 3% increase in July. Cruise passenger arrivals have shown an overall increase of 0.2%. The 0.8% drop in cumulative arrivals through the first seven months of 2015, was partially attributed to the consistent decreases in the number of overnight visitors from the Canadian market. Statistical indicators have pointed to Canada's economy going through a downturn. Bob Michael stated (International Business Time) "The Canadian dollar fell to a three-week low against the US dollar on 30th June as data from Canada showed the economy contracted for the fifth straight month."

Misc Belizean Sources

Clapboard Houses On Caye Caulker Belize
Photos by Lee Vanderwalker

Commentary: My views on the Belize-Guatemala issue
By Wellington C. Ramos. The Guatemalan claim to Belize, like all the claims that exist among the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, has its roots in the Treaty of Tordesillas that was signed between Spain and Portugal in 1493 and approved by the then Catholic Pope Alexander the VI of Spain. Neither Spain, Portugal nor the Catholic Pope had the right to come all the way to this part of the world to take away the land of the indigenous people of this planet. Such action is deemed as genocide committed by all those who were involved in this inhumane act. All territories taken by these individuals must be returned to those who were there at the time they came to use force to wage an unjustified war against these people's nation state. In addition, all titles to land obtained by these Europeans must be voided and the lands must be handed back to the true owners, the indigenous people who live in these countries today. Just look at the way Spain treated the Mayas in Guatemala from the time Alvarado conquered that nation state in the 1500s. It is the same way that the Guatemalan people and government have been treating the Maya people since Guatemala became independent in the 1820s. Guatemala has compulsory service so even the same Mayas who join their military are involved in removing their own people from their villages and slaughtering them.

TEDx Belmopan
Belize is having a TED Talk in Belmopan, on October 1st. The theme is 'Changing The Conversation.' "TEDx Belmopan is a local, independently organized event that strives to re-create the unique experience found at TED, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers congregate to share what they are most passionate about. At its core, the fundamental goal of TED and TEDx Belmopan is to foster and spread great ideas. We aim to provide a platform where the smartest thinkers, greatest visionaries, and most fascinating teachers will be inspired and will have the opportunity to inspire others."

Rotaract Fill-a-Backpack
The Rotaract Club of Benque is in the middle of their 2nd annual Fill-a-Backpack school supply drive. They are collecting school supplies of all kinds, even supplies for the teachers. If you can help in any way, contact them at 623-7740. Thanks, Rotaract! "You can also deposit your monetary donation at our Belize Bank account 650-1-1-26073. Help us send a child to school!"

Money for Macaw preservation!
Ambassador Ho of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Belize hands over a cheque of Bz$20,000.00 to FCD for scarlet macaw conservation. FCD is thankful to Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture and Forest Bureau for the grant that will be used to construct a laboratory and promote public awareness on macaws.

Channel 7

Hon. Davis Didn't Resign; He Was Removed
"Resign or be removed" - that's the mantra that Vice President of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize Audrey Matura Shepherd has been repeating against Labour Senator, Ray Davis. Well, the news tonight is that she got her way: the General Council of the NTUCB has voted to remove him. Things came to a head after Davis appeared before a tribunal in early August to explain why he was absent for the Senate meeting on July first. As we've told you he sent the president and the general secretary of the NTUCB an email on June 17th informing him of his planned absence. But, it seems neither the President or the Gen Sec got the mails. Now, add that to the fact that on March 30, Davis famously abstained from voting on the Petrocaribe Loans Act when it was first passed into law. At the time, the union had given him no clear position on the bill. So, at Saturday's meeting, all those opposed to and those in favour of his continued tenure as Senator gathered to decide whether the NTUCB was satisfied with Ray Davis' performance. We understand the meeting got very heated - and have confirmed that at least three people - including Dylan Reneau of the PSU and Sharon Fraser of the APSSM walked out in frustration. But, the meeting continued, and in the end those remaining decided that they were not pleased with Davis's performance and that he should be replaced.

16 Year Old Shooting Victim Refutes Police, Tells Truth About Shooting
On Friday night, we told you about 16 year-old Belize City resident Mark Phillips, the youth who police say was shot by one of his friends in the Queen Square Primary School Compound. That's after they allegedly were waiting to ambush another youth - that, police say, went bad when the gun jammed and Phillips was shot by mistake. Well, since Sunday, his family has been contacting us to try to set the record straight, claiming that police are terribly mistaken, and that they're looking to charge the wrong persons. Today, we got a chance to speak with Phillips at the KHMH, who is still trying to recover from the gunshot injury to his abdomen. Here's what he had to say about the encounter with the shooter who injured him: Mark Phillips - Shooting Victim "He and I went into the school yard and he was standing at the gate texting on his phone and I went to see what they wanted. By the time I went there all I heard was a gun crank and I saw my friends ran. I ran too when I heard the first shot and the first shot caught me too. I ran out of the school yard and I yelled out for my family "Danito" and he help me down the street to catch a taxi or a car, but none of that was passing at the time, only a motorcycle. I ended up going on a cycle and I reached the hospital. I lost a lot of blood."

A Homicide On Hummingbird: 15 Year Old Killed
And while Phillips is recovering, today the family of Tarique Polanco was building his tomb. It's a tragic and completely unexpected turn of events for the family which lived in the country, at mile 26 on the Hummingbird Highway. Through those long rolling hills near the gap -one of the most picturesque settings in the Stann Creek District - that's the last place you might expect a violent - ultimately fatal - home invasion. Today, Monica Bodden went south to find out how the family is coping and coming to grips that their grandson was killed at their home:. Mateo Polanco - Grandfather "When the men finished broke in and took out the gun, the opened the door and the came out right here and they put the gun right here (neck) on the little boy and they shoot him." This morning Mateo Polanco recalled the horrifying home invasion - that took the life of his 15 year old grandson - Briaton Tharique Polanco. Mateo Polanco - Grandfather "I got a phone call about 11:10am in Dangriga and I came. I made it in 35 minutes and when I came, my grandson was lying right here in front of my house and the police was here already and they didn't want I come and see my grandson, because they say I will disturbed the scene."

Overdid Overtaking, Caused Two Lives To Be Lost
10 days ago, we told you about the terrible accident between Miles 6 and 7 on the Phillip Goldson Highway which killed 2 men. Well, the man who police say is criminally responsible for their deaths is 24 year-old Ethon Belisle, a resident of St. Pauls Bank. Police charged him with 2 counts of manslaughter, 2 counts of causing death by careless conduct, 1 count of driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention, and 1 count of improperly overtaking a vehicle that was in front of him. Due to the nature of some of the offences, no plea could be taken, and when he was asked for his plea for the others, he pled not guilty. He was offered bail of $7,000, and his case was adjourned until October 28.

Guatemalan President Holds On While Things Fall Apart
Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina will not resign even as thousands protest outside the presidential palace; eight of his cabinet members have been forced to resign in 24 hours, and his former vice president Roxana Baldetti appeared in court today accused of accepting $3.7 million dollars in bribes as part of a customs corruption scandal. Add to that the fact that the Guatemalan Attorney General has called for his impeachment on corruption charges, and Perez's last 5 months in office promise to be a real challenge. But, he's not backing away from it. In a televised message last night, the former general announced that he's not going anywhere, his conscience is clear, and will fully submit himself to the impeachment proceedings that have been initiated against him. The Archbishop of Guatemala, Vian Morales, has also called for his resignation, and protests have been ongoing for four months in front of the presidential palace.

Credit Union Special Meeting Is Feisty, Abrupt
The La Inmaculada Credit Union held its special general meeting on Saturday in Orange Walk town. The meeting was the result of weeks of gathering signatures by member - owners of the credit union who are demanding instant accountability from the Credit Union's Board of Directors. The issue, of course is that the long time general maanger Yolanda Gomez was suspended in April and terminate din July - and the board said she left a half million dollars unaccounted for in her wake. So at Saturday;s meeting the member owners wanted to get answers about their money - and they flocked by the thousands to the venue in Orange Walk Town. Here's what happened:... Jules Vasquez reporting More than a thousand member owners of the La Inmaculada Credit Union streamed into the Muffles College Auditorium on Saturday morning. Outside the mood was genial - even though the media was told that no news cameras would be allowed inside, but inside, it would be heated and volatile. With many of the member owner calling for the board to go. But above the howls of protest. A motion for the meeting to be adjourned was passed before Yolanda Gomez - or many other could speak - causing widespread disapprobation among the members.

Drinkers Must Bear Beer Scarcity
There was a scarcity of Belikin Beer this weekend and Bowen and Bowen says it's because they had an equipment failure. The bottler of Belikin Beer, Belikin Stout, Belikin Premium, Lighthouse, and Guinness say they are upgrading to, quote, "meet the increasing demand" for these products. But, progress brings problems, it seems, and they say, quote, "over the weekend we encountered an unexpected equipment failure in a crucial area of Belize Brewing's bottling line." The company says it is quote, "working around the clock to fix it" and expects normal production capacity to be restored by Tuesday the 25th. Until then - and probably for some time after, Belikin, Lighthouse and Guinness will be scarce.

Employing "Waitresses"
Tonight, 2 owners of Belize City bars are in trouble with the Immigration Department after allegedly being caught with for illegal immigrant workers. They are businesswomen Rexis Mejia, owner of Long Island Bar, and Mora Mejia, the owner of La Catracha Bar. The Immigration Department says that Rexis Mejia was employing 3 persons without a valid work permit, and Maura Mejia employed 4 persons without a valid permit. When they arraigned before Magistrate Ladonna John, they both pleaded not guilty and were granted bail of $6,000 each. They must return to court at a later date.

Hit and Run Hilton Needs Help
Tonight, the family of another accident victim, Hilton Conorquie, is asking your help to donate blood so that he can get important medical surgeries for the extensive injuries he suffered in a hit and run accident which happened on Saturday, August 15. He was doing some work at the Mile 8 Community on the George Price Highway, and that's when he was hit by a driver who ran him over and fled the scene. He's suffered massive injuries to his legs, and right now, the doctors need to repair the damage. But, because the blood bank needs blood in order to keep him alive during the procedures, they aren't prepared to conduct the surgeries as yet. Today, we met his family at the KHMH, and his sister made the impassioned plea to try to convince those of you who are of O-Positive blood type to donate a pint on Conorquie's behalf. Here's how she described it:

Stopping a Fire Before It Was An Inferno
Early on Sunday morning, residents in the vicinity of #133 Neal Penn Road were awakened by a fire which destroyed 2 houses. The aggressive blaze then began to spread to a neighbour's house which. Luckily, they managed to stop the fire in its tracks. We spoke to that homeowner about how they managed to save their home. Here's what the patriarch had to say about how they handled the emergency: Edward Baldarez - Fire Victim "When my neighbor saw the fire, he saw all what he heard "voom" the fire went there and came back. By this time one of family came to call me. He knock at the door, so when I jumped out of my bed, when he came I saw the entire outside already under fire. So I ran in back and call my common-law-wife, ran downstairs, call my son and his wife and told them fire, fire. So my neighbor and other people from around here started to bring water for us to out the fire. So by this time, the entire kitchen was already under fire. But the help that I got, they were bringing water and we were throwing it on the fire. My daughter has called the fire engine. While we were trying to out the fire, the fire engine came. By that time I had already out the fire in my kitchen. They just came and finish throw some water and that's it."

Finding Common Ground In BEL Labour Dispute
About a month ago, workers from BEL's Energy Workers Union, were using their lunch break to picket their company's management. To hear them tell it, management was playing hardball at the negotiating table, refusing to give an across the board 8% pay raise for staff. Since then, Labour Minister Godwin Hulse stepped in as the go-between for the Union and the management. So, how close, or far are both sides now? That's what we asked the Union Representative and the Labour Commissioner today: Marvin Mora - General Secretar, BEWU "One of the things that we have seen happening over the past days is that we have not received any update coming from the ministry as to his proposal that he laid on the table for BEL management and the board to consider. We are awaiting word from them as to whether or not that was accepted, what was accepted, so that we can be able to quantify and present that to our membership for their approval as well. If that is done in a timely manner, then we could resolve this issue probably in the next couple of weeks. But either management or the minister keep dragging their foot on the issue - they have to remember that the union itself has its own mechanisms that we have to activate in order for us to get some sort of agreement coming from the membership."

Capital And Labour Meet
We met both men at a workshop held by the International Labour Organization, in collaboration with the Caribbean Employers' Confederation and the Caribbean Congress of Labour. The Caribbean Employers Confederation is a regional organization made up member groups representing the private sectors in each Caribbean Country. The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry is Belize's representative on the confederation. The trade unions of each Caribbean country make up a part of the Caribbean Congress of Labour and the NTUCB is Belize's representative. So, today, Marx would have wept, as labour and capital sat at the same table to discuss common ground, or more specifically, the full implemention CARIFORUM's Economic Partnership Agreement, which makes up a part of the free movement of skilled laborers in CARICOM and CARIFORUM countries. We found out that this forum is about helping skilled laborers in Belize to get ready to compete for jobs in the region:

PUP Not Too Hyped Up In Hopkins
The PUP's Power to the People Rally went to Hopkins Village in the Stann Creek District yesterday. Coming off a strong showing in Big Falls Toledo, the turnout was somewhat of a letdown. Reports say that a crowd of about 700 went out to the beachside event. The G-11 again did not show up - but in the picture we saw of the stage, only about 10 standard bearers seemed to be there. The tour is expected to head north next - an area where five of the rebels are based - so it ought to be interesting to see if they come out for that one.

UB Drops Mandatory Insurance
At the end of July we told you about the mandatory 45 dollar fee that UB Students had to pay for insurance coverage called Black Jaguars Accident Protection Policy. Well, the Belize Youth Movement which brought the story to the forefront in the first place, reports that at a student forum last?week Thursday University ?President Alan Slusher?announced that the University?would make the fee optional, not mandatory.

School Starts When Again?
And keeping it on the subject of school, the ministry of education sent out an odd press release today saying that public primary schools and pre schools should start on September first. The release quotes the Education Act which states, quote, "In the case of pre-school centres, primary schools and secondary schools or institutions, classes for the school year shall commence on September 1 of each year, except that where September 1 is a day later in the week than Wednesday, classes begin on the first after September 1." Of course if you can understand that impenetrable language, you probably don't need to go to school.

Prospects Exciting For Expo
TODAY, we asked the President of the Chamber of Commerce about the preparations for the 2015 Belize Expo and Market Place. As we've shown you, despite the weather and other challenges, the Expo has been drawing record crowds. Tux Vasquez told us that he expect this year's expo to be no different: Last year's expo had over 19,000 visitors, a record, despite the rains. This years expo takes place on September 5th and 6th.

CITO Certified
The Central Information Technology Office, or CITO, is the repository of government's highest computer functions, like the SAMRTSTREAM System. And for them, computer security is a very big deal. That's why they are the first government office to be ISO CERTIFIED, which means they adhere to the highest security standards in the world. In the world of information technology, that's kind of a big deal - and that's why they held a ceremony to mark the achievement today:.. The CITO office will be reviewed annually for ISO compliance.

Channel 5

L.I.C.U. Hosts Fiery Special General Meeting
There is a dark cloud of controversy and contention over the La Inmaculada Credit Union following a special general meeting held Saturday in Orange Walk. That meeting was demanded by [...]

Has Senator Ray Davis Been Booted?
Ray Davis – is he in or out as senator for the unions? Well, our sources say he’s out, but when we spoke with President of the National Trade Union [...]

N.T.U.C.B. Says FM Elrington was Disrespectful
And what is the position of the unions in respect of the Belize Territorial Volunteers’ recent encounter with the Guatemalan Military near the Sarstoon Island? President of the N.T.U.C.B. says [...]

Dangriga Police Seek Murderer in Pomona Home Invasion
A horrible home invasion at an isolated farm on the Hummingbird Highway ended tragically for the Polanco family. One of five minors at home was senselessly murdered in front of [...]

B.T.V. Heads to Sarstoon Tomorrow
A small detail of territorial volunteers, led by Wil Maheia, is headed to Sarstoon Island on Tuesday morning again.  The trip is the first of several planned visits to the [...]

O.A.S. Report on Sarstoon Incident Kept Under Wraps
Still on the matter of the Sarstoon….The O.A.S. report on the incident has been handed in to the Government of Belize. Today, News Five was able to confirm that the [...]

Guatemala in Chaos as Vice-President is Arrested
Over in Guatemala, there is huge political crisis which could lead to the collapse of the government of President Otto Perez Molina. On Friday, the former vice president, Roxana Baldetti [...]

Chamber Looking for Answers in B.O.A. De-risking
For the past few weeks, we have been reporting about the Bank of America severing ties with banks in Belize. Since then, Heritage Bank has been put on notice that [...]

B.E.W.U. Awaiting B.E.L.’s Response to Proposed Agreement
Exactly one month ago, we spoke with Marvin Mora, wearing his hat as President of the BEWU.  Mora said that the union was cautiously optimistic after meeting with Minister of [...]

Sunday Afternoon RTA Leaves 3 Men Injured
A near-fatal traffic mishap along the George Price Highway sometime around three-thirty p.m. on Sunday afternoon has left several persons injured.  A white Isuzu Trooper driven at the time by [...]

Eaton Belisle Arraigned for Double Fatality on Phillip Goldson Highway
Eaton Belisle, a Belize City bus driver is identified as the driver of a Mercedes Benz which collided into a Chevy pickup truck which caused the loss of life of [...]

2 Youths Remanded for Aggravated Assault
Tonight, two of three Belize City youths, Dwayne Evelyn and Lloyd Leslie Junior are on remand at the Belize Central Prison accused of committing an aggravated assault with a firearm [...]

Police Nab 11 Immigrants in Orange Walk
Eleven undocumented Salvadoran nationals are tonight the involuntary guests of the Immigration Department after they were picked up in the Orange Walk district. According to Police, they were conducting a [...]

I.L.O. Facilitates Workshop in Belize City
A national bipartite workshop facilitated by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in partnership with the Caribbean Employers’ Confederation (CEC) and the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL) was held today at [...]

G.O.B. Certified in Information Security Management
The Government of Belize has received a certification from the International Organization for Standardization for meeting the universal requirements of information security management.   The yearlong program commenced in August 2014 [...]

Weekend Sporting Highlights With James Adderley
Good evening, I’m James Adderley and this is Sports Monday.   Fresh off the scoreless draw against Gallos Blanco of Queretero, Verdes FC got back to tending its business in [...]

CTV3

St. Francis Credit Union Assists Students To Further Their Education
On Saturday while members of the La Inmaculada Credit Union were busy at the Special Meeting, members and staff of the Saint Francis Xavier Credit Union in Corozal were engaged in a totally different activity. The management of the institution celebrate their annual back to school initiative by awarding students school grants. The program is one the institution is proud of says General Manager, Rafael Dominguez. “This student grant actually we started in 2008 for this year we have an increment of students from 335 last year to 475 students that qualified for the students grant, throughout the district of Corozal the students from what we can say Corozal Community College, Escuela Mexico, Chunox, Adventist College and we even have participating other members that travel to Orange Walk to Muffles, Technical and even to Belize City, St. Catherine, Palotte High School and also for those in the island we have members that qualify also for that including the ITVET students.”

Possible Air Route From Chetumal To Belize Announced By Mexican Media
Mexico’s ambassador in Belize, Quesnel Carlos Melendez, in speaking with the Mexican press said that they are seeking a new air route from Chetumal to Belize, especially since Belize already has established air routes to Cancun and Merida. Here is a report from Notivision in Chetumal.

Deputy Commision Of Police Being Sued By Family Of Yolanda Consuelo Valencia
Approximately one year after Deputy Commissioner of Police, Miguel Segura was involved in a traffic collision that killed a woman; her family has filed a suit to get compensated for damages suffered in the incident. Viewers may recall that on Saturday August 16th 2014 around 5:30am, Segura was driving a police issued Nissan Pathfinder to his home in Benque Viejo when he crashed head on into a taxi which was heading to San Ignacio. The collision happened just outside Succotz Village and the female market vendor who was in the passenger seat, Yolanda Valencia, died on impact, while the driver suffered multiple injuries. Segura is being sued by Guadalupe Valencia who is seeking damages for negligence in her daughter’s death. The mother is also seeking to recover monies for Valencia’s funeral expenses, as well as loss of income since her daughter’s earnings were used to defray various expenses. And while Segura remains on interdiction, probably the most damning evidence against him is a cell phone video, which went viral on Social media. Viewers may recall that the video was captured shortly after the accident and it shows Segura in a white shirt and uniform pants, first putting his pistol into his left pocket. Segura then nonchalantly pulls out a cigarette, takes a puff, and then goes to pull up his pants - which was unbuttoned. What makes the video most jarring is that all this is happening ten feet from where the accident victim 54-year-old Yolanda Consuelo Valencia lay dead in the taxi. Guadulpe Valencia has attained the services of Attorney Kareem Musa.

Guatemalan Authority Seek To Investigate President Otto Perez
Last Friday Guatemala’s Attorney General sought to impeach Guatemalan President Otto Perez over a corruption scandal that led to the arrest of his former vice president, deepening a government crisis ahead of presidential elections next month. Following months of investigation which included some 89,000 telephone taps, 6,000 emails and seventeen raids, prosecutors and a powerful U.N.-backed anti-corruption body known as the CICIG moved against Perez. A report from Reuters says that quote, “Attorney General Thelma Aldana told a news conference it was "highly probable" that taped telephone conversations of people involved in the customs racket referred to Perez and ex-Vice President Roxana Baldetti, who stood down in May,” unquote.

Scotia Banks Awards Educational Grants To Twelve Students
This afternoon Scotia Bank handed out checks to 12 primary school students at their Main Street branch in Orange Walk Town. The checks were for three hundred dollars each and are education grants to help the students and their parents pay fees and buy books for the upcoming school year. The money is from the Scotia Bank Education Fund which was originally an initiative of the bank of Nova Scotia but it is now a commitment of Scotia staff. Today we spoke with Manager, Gilberto Magana, who told us that the students were selected based on merit and need. “We have given out around eight hundred scholarships country wide and every year is about 70 to 75 grants of $300 each for and they are selected on the base of need but also on merit so it is a combination of both we go to schools every year to target different school in the district and we speak to the principal and to the teachers to help select the children and we provide them with applications and they submit eight or nine applications every year and then we do the final selection, we believe that is the best way because especially in the rural areas the teachers and the principals would be the ones that would most know and gladly we are able to help and as I mentioned the introduction we know that there is need in the education sector at all levels primary and up to University level where things get even more expensive.”

Former Corozal PUP Mayor Passes
Cornelio Acosta - to the young his name may not ring a bell but to the older folks especially from Corozal, they may remember that he took office as the Mayor of Corozal in 1997 to 1999. The well-known politician who served Corozalenos as Mayor under the People’s United Party passed away on Saturday at his home after he suffered a massive heart attack. Today he was laid to rest at 3:00p.m but there is no doubt that his memory will live on. Standard Bearer Gregorio Garcia recalls that Acosta’s support and work contributed to encouraging him in becoming the standard bearer of Corozal Bay. “We express our heartfelt condolences to the family and he was a big part of us and especially he is a big reason why I am here and if we mourn as a party as a community for Cornelio Acosta and so many others who have passed before him, if you look at the wall here at the PUP office we have other a lot of great Mayors some have passed an some are still here and it is a hard thing but one of the attributes that Mr. Acosta has is definitely his passing will have an impact in our campaign and he will be missed totally but one thing with him is that he was always teaching and definitely we can’t have any other person taking his place because of that he has always shared information and very well known for past experiences where we can learn form and he was always adjusting, he was adamant about party unity and adamant about us hitting the ground and doing the things right here in Corozal Bay so Cornelio will be missed and we want to thank him for all what he has done for this community for the people of Corozal and for the People’s United Party.”

LOVE FM

La Inmaculada Credit Union holds special general meeting
The much anticipated meeting of the membership of the La Inmaculada Credit Union took place on Saturday. The board of directors was forced to call the special general meeting after over one thousand members signed a petition demanding answers. Arturo Cantún reporting… “Saturday’s meeting was highly anticipated and attended by over 1,000 member owners of […]

Member says meeting left a lot to be desired
Dave Espadas has been one of the members at the forefront of the movement and calls Saturday’s meeting invalid. David Espadas – Member, LICU “And today’s meeting you didn’t need to come here it was all in the media and they went against one of the credit union’s bylaws, I think it is article seven […]

Former GM says matter will be settled in court
As was reported earlier, the former general manager Yolanda Gomez was not allowed to address the gathering. Following the meeting Gomez spoke with the press. She was asked to comment on the allegations made against her. Yolanda Gomez – Former, General Manager “Definitely I deny all of them and the president actually claimed that the […]

Police detain one man, seek two others for teenager’s murder
Harry Arzu reporting… “Dangriga police have one person in custody and are looking for two others in connection with the shooting death of a teenager during a home invasion at mile 26.5 on the Hummingbird Highway that occurred last Friday. Love News spoke with the officer in charge of the Southern Formation Sr. Superintendent Ralph […]

ILO conducts tripartite workshop
Private sector representatives as well as those representing different unions in Belize shared their thoughts on social and economic policy development, during a National tripartite Workshop that was held this morning at the Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina in Belize City. The workshop was facilitated by the International Labor Organization as part of a […]

Shooting victim says Police has it all wrong
Last Friday Senior Superintendent of Police, Chester Williams called a press conference and told the media that 16 year old Mark Phillips was shot by his friend after they were reportedly waiting on their target. Chester said Phillips is known to police and is from the George Street Gang. Today, Phillips disputed William’s version of […]

Police detain illegal immigrants
Orange Walk police have detained a group of illegal immigrants. According to information reaching Love News, while on patrol Saturday morning near the junction of the Phillip Goldson Highway and the Chan Pine Ridge cut-off, they noticed a group of persons walking on the dirt road. They intercepted the group and questioned them about their […]

Belizean woman says they were attacked in Melchor de Mencos
On Sunday, Diana Trapp and a group of Belizeans had their regular excursion across the border to Melchor de Mencos. However, this trip was not like the previous ones. Trapp told Love News at the end of their trip before heading back to the border, they got into an altercation. Diana Trapp “I took an […]

Is Ray Davis out as senator for the unions?
The last time we heard about Senator Ray Davis is when the Second Vice President of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, Audrey Matura Shepherd, publicly expressed that he would no longer represent the unions in the Senate. That was a few months ago and today we got an update from the President of […]

Labor Commissioner updates on negotiations with Belize Energy Workers Union
The Ministry of Labor has been assisting in the negotiations between the Belize Energy Workers Union, BEWU, and the Belize Electricity Limited, BEL. As we have reported, members of the union are unhappy and are asking for an eight percent increase. Minister of Labor Godwin Husle met with both parties on August 7 but since […]

Breaking Belize News

Cesar Romero wanted for motorcycle theft
The San Ignacio Police Department is requesting the public’s assistance in locating Cesar Romero, a resident of Santa Cruz area Santa Elena Town, who escaped from officers after stealing a motorcycle. Romero is wanted on the strength of an arrest warrant, issued for the crime of “theft of a motorcycle” […]

Scotia Bank Orange Walk branch gives back
12 primary school students from San Felipe and Progresso villages were awarded with scholarships thanks to the Scotia Bank Education Fund. A small ceremony at their Main Street Branch in Orange Walk was the venue for which the cheques of 300 hundred dollars each were given out. […]

Judge a man by his results
Look at a man like Abraham Lincoln, perhaps the greatest president of the United States. He had little formal education and grew up in a harsh frontier environment. As a young man he liked to take apart machines and put them back together. He was practical to […]

Guatemala’s President Otto Perez Molina: “I will not resign”
Speaking to his nation on television, Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina insists he had no link to a customs bribery scandal, had not received money from same and thus will not stand down from his presidency, which expires next January. The former military leader, according to the BBC, insisted that his […]

2015 -2016 school year commences September 1st, 2015
There will be 182 days of school for Government-run and grant-aided pre and primary schools for the 2015-2016 school year, which commences on Tuesday, September 1 and ends on Friday, June 24, 2016. The official calendar presented by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, lists official activity and holiday […]

Primer on Guatemalan claim
The Belize Guatemala territorial dispute has remained unresolved since the 19th century, about a hundred and fifty years, and counting. It is, arguably, more in the Belizean public domain than ever before. More nongovernmental organizations have spoken out against resolving Guatemala’s unfounded claim at the International Court of Justice, a […]

Minister Castillo plans to continue his career in politics as ‘adviser’
He stepped aside for Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley as Caribbean Shores standard bearer in April, but Minister of State Santiago Castillo Jr has told reporters he is not quite done with politics yet. As he winds down his only term in office, Castillo says he has told Prime Minister […]

Caye Caulker police seizes weed from water taxi
More than 1,000 grams of cannabis were discovered and labeled as “Found Property” in Caye Caulker on Saturday, August 22nd. Police discovered two parcels wrapped in plastic bags on a water taxi, containing 1,140 grams of cannabis. The drugs were then transported to the station and no one was charged […]

Ten illegal Immigrants detained in Orange Walk
Authorities in Orange Walk Town have detained ten illegal immigrants over the weekend and today, the men, women, and children remain under lock down. According to authorities, on Saturday morning while on patrol near the Come and Go Gas Station, they observed several Hispanic persons walking with […]

Blogs

Get Expert, Insider Advice on Exploring Belize
Living in San Pedro, on Belize’s Ambergris Caye, I’m a bit spoiled. It offers spectacular Caribbean Sea activities and lifestyle options. So I don’t typically need to take a vacation to anywhere else in Belize. But I recently spent a wonderful week checking out Placencia and it far exceeded my expectations. Each morning I woke to find a calm, glistening sea, it’s surface smooth as glass…a delightful way to start the day! Much has changed on the Placencia Peninsula in the last number of years, so if you’re thinking of adding Placencia to your list of places to visit in Belize, I’m going to share some of my travel tips. Since the Placencia Peninsula is 17 miles long and rather spread out you’ll need a car to get around. To save time, many tourists fly directly from Belize International airport to Placencia, rather than drive there, which takes an extra day.

San Pedro Belize Fishing: A Quick Guide for Tourists
San Pedro Belize fishing is one of the most popular tourist activities in the country. Read through this San Pedro Belize fishing guide to help you determine the best places to get great catches. Fishing is great throughout the coast of Belize, from Rocky Point on Ambergris Caye to the Punta Icacos Lagoon and Port Honduras of Toledo. Any of the numerous rivers that empty into the Caribbean along the coasts of Belize can guarantee a daily catch. Many of your boatmen and guides speak English so learning where and what to fish should not be a problem. The waters that surround Ambergris Caye abound with a wide variety of saltwater fishing, while the island boosts some of the best fishing guides in all of Belize. Most types of fish, including tarpon and bone fish, can be caught all throughout the year. Within just 15 minutes of leaving the dock, you can start fishing in the tidal flats, or head on to blue waters hundreds of feet deep.

In Mexico, Crime Is Bigger Than a Crime Boss
The July 11 escape of the notorious Sinaloa crime boss, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera, from a maximum-security prison in Mexico has drawn considerable Mexican and international media attention. While the brazen and elaborate nature of the escape will add to the lore already surrounding Guzman, the escape itself carries little significance for organized crime in Mexico — though it will place a momentary strain on coordination between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement. The forces that drive the evolution of organized crime and their impact on society in Mexico are simply greater than any single crime boss.

9 Maya Site Maps Of Belize
Belize is synonymous with pristine; with unspoilt; with Mother Natures best kept secret; with “the nicest people on the planet”; with ancient Maya Cities. Yes, all of the above! When people visit us in our little space on the planet they are absolutely blown away that we have much more than awesome beaches and absolutely splendid places to stay there. They are blown away by the amazing jungle and treks through them and the adventure that sit in wait for them to push the button. We have realised that there is a tremendous amount of reverence that people who visit us pay to the ancient Maya cities that sit in the jungle and coastal settings of our country. Thousands of years of history waiting to be told and we cannot wait to offer the stories to everyone. The following is a listing of small maps for your use when you come visit us to and decide to go to one or more of our Maya Cities.

Always So Many Things to Do in Belize
I was very excited when my friends Mark and Andrea from Las Vegas told me were coming to San Pedro to visit. As a countdown to their arrival date approached I tried to get as much work done as possible because I knew I probably wouldn’t be working much over the course of the two weeks they were going to be here. I was ready for a break from sitting on my butt at my desk on the internet all day. There is certainly not a shortage of things to do in Belize, but even just staying in San Pedro, I never imagined how much I would actually do in that two weeks. The first week Mark was solo and he stayed for the first few days at Grand Baymen, because his brother owns a condo there and let him use it. Last year he really liked Exotic Caye Resort so he decided to move to beachfront for the latter part of his stay and for Andrea’s arrival. The unit that he stayed in last year was one that was destroyed in the fire so he got one closer to the office.

International Sources

A blind eye being turned to erosion of heritage, history
Everyone sings praise for government efficiency. That is, until the radical Islamic State obliterates ancient sites like Palmyra’s Baalshamin in a matter of days. The sheer brutal nature of ISIL is horrific, shocking and blunt. Bombs are just, well, downright gauche. After all, the weapon of choice to wipe away history in our so-called more “civilized” countries is decades of underfunding, cutbacks, privatization, unbridled development, and a failure to take decisive action to stop climate change. There are currently 48 properties on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites in danger. Some are there due to conflict in the Middle East, but others from a long list of other causes. This includes the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, threatened by “overharvesting of marine resources, coastal development, tourism, industrial development and proposed oil and gas exploration and exploitation.” Or the Chan Chan Archaeological Zone in Peru —at risk due to “extreme climatic conditions” making the site “susceptible to decay and deterioration,” illegal farming practices, encroaching urban and infrastructure development and more.

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command & U.S. Fourth Fleet
Sailors and Marines deployed as an Adaptive Force Package (AFP) from USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) wrapped up their first mission stop in support of Southern Partnership Station-Joint High Speed Vessel 2015 (SPS-JHSV 15) in Puerto Castilla, Honduras, Aug. 24. USNS Spearhead is deployed in support of SPS-JHSV 15, a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored deployment focusing on enhancing cooperative partnerships with regional maritime services and improving operational readiness for all participating services. In addition, SPS-JHSV 15 provides the opportunity for U.S. and partner nation forces to operate in the multinational environment, refine coordination, improve interoperability and demonstrate flexibility. While ashore, the AFP provided training and subject matter expert exchanges (SMEEs), conducted community relations projects and completed multiple construction projects throughout the Colon district. The AFP traveled to Honduras and sent a small detachment to Belize. During the next stop in Guatemala a small contingent will be sent to Colombia. The deployment concludes mid-October.

Videos

August 24, 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, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

Misc Belizean Sources

Commentary: My views on the Belize-Guatemala issue
By Wellington C. Ramos: The Guatemalan claim to Belize, like all the claims that exist among the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, has its roots in the Treaty of Tordesillas that was signed between Spain and Portugal in 1493 and approved by the then Catholic Pope Alexander the VI of Spain. Neither Spain, Portugal nor the Catholic Pope had the right to come all the way to this part of the world to take away the land of the indigenous people of this planet. Such action is deemed as genocide committed by all those who were involved in this inhumane act. All territories taken by these individuals must be returned to those who were there at the time they came to use force to wage an unjustified war against these people's nation state. In addition, all titles to land obtained by these Europeans must be voided and the lands must be handed back to the true owners, the indigenous people who live in these countries today.

Pro Boxing Fight in San Ignacio Sept. 25
VIP TICKETS $75.00 GENERAL ADMISSION $25.00 7:00pm @ Victor Galveston Stadium

CTV3

Write Offs Can Only Be Approved By Board Of Directors Of LICU Says Former President
As you heard, one of the accusations made against Gomez by the Board of Directors has to do with unauthorized loan and interest write offs. As it refers to the write offs Gomez has stated that it was mentioned in her letter of termination. But one person that is not buying that reason or any of the remaining 10 mentioned by the president of the Board of Directors Ena Martinez, as a reasonable cause for Gomez’s termination is Emory Jacobs. Jacob’s is the former president and vice president of the Board of Directors and he is also a member/owner of the institution. He told us today the board has got it all wrong and shared that when it comes to write offs, it has to be authorized by the board of directors. “The way the Board run the Credit Union is that on a monthly basis we have management meetings, the manager would present the financials to the Board a copy to each member before the meeting so you could have time to go through it read it and understand it and write down whatever question you may want to ask the manager and that is the way it has been done monthly and if there is any cash shortage you would get it on a monthly basis and you could question it but no five hundred thousand dollars can jump out and appear now in the figures that is craziness I would never support that they cannot prove that.”

Ex-Vice President Of Guatemala Detained For Corruption
Ex-Vice President of Guatemala Roxana Baldetti was detained this morning by Guatemalan Authorities in connection with a customs corruption scandal that led to her resignation on May 8th 2015. The Ex-Vice President was informed of her detention at a hospital where she was seeking treatment for health problems since Sunday. Reports are that prosecutors have also announced that they are seeking to investigate President Otto Perez Molina in the matter and are seeking to have Perez Molina's immunity of office withdrawn so they can investigate his possible involvement. According to reports from the International press, Perez Molina also has denied involvement, and a recent bid to lift his immunity died in Congress last week.

CCCPS Receives donation From JICA
The Corozal Church of Christ Primary School first open its doors in 1993 and since then it has grown by leaps and bounds. What started as a single building has evolved into a 2 story building with continuous growth not only with its physical structure but also technologically. Today, through the assistance of Japan International Cooperation Agency, the school received a total of 15 laptops just in time for the new school year. David Diego, General Manager for Church of Christ told us more. “This is a partnership between the Corozal Church of Christ primary school and JICA and what happened is that through our volunteer here with JICA we get to know about these computers that it could be bought over in Japan and transported her to our institution so as to enhance our information and communication technology.”

BTB Releases Latest Statistics On Tourism
The latest tourist arrivals statistics for the first seven months of the year were released this morning by the Belize Tourism Board. The figures reveal that overnight arrivals had a 1.6% increase in June and 3% increase in July. The BTB statistics also indicate that Cruise passenger arrivals show an overall increase of 0.2%. The official press release from the BTB says that “the 0.8% drop in cumulative arrivals through the first seven months of 2015 was partially attributed to the consistent decreases in the number of overnight visitors from the Canadian market.” On the Cruise tourism side, the BTB says that there were “major increases” of 16.6% in January and 15.8% in March of this year. A “slight decrease” of 2.7% was registered for February due to the cancellation of two ships “due to adverse weather conditions.”

Yolanda Gomez Speaks Out, She Denies Allegation Made Against Her
Tomorrow the Board of Directors of La Inmacualda Credit Union will face thousands of its members/owners at the Special General Meeting scheduled to commence at nine in the morning at the Muffles High School Auditorium. The Board of Directors will be addressing four points as requested by a group of members/owners who demanded for the special meeting to be held. Among the four issues is the termination of the institutions General Manager Yolanda Gomez. Tonight though there are some members/owners who are questioning whether it makes sense for the meeting to take place. The sentiment comes at the heels of pre-recorded statement issued by the LICU’s Board of Directors late Wednesday night. In the statement, Ena Martinez, the Board’s president, goes into more detail as to why the board decided to fire Gomez after 24 years of service, by outlining 11 major reasons which were discovered as a result of an investigation carried out by the Central Bank and a special financial investigator. Martinez talks about Misdirection, violation of conflict of interest policy in the extent of undisclosed and under disclosed related party transactions to the board of directors, misrepresentation, fraud, substantial cash shortage, forgery, unauthorized rules of the corporate credit cards for personal purposes, Improper cash management, unauthorized loan and interest write offs, deliberate falsification of cash card reports and excessive loan exposure.

The Reporter

Rotary Gift of Life Program holds August clinics
The Rotary Club of Belize held the final session of its gift of Life paediatric cardiology clinics on Sunday at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH). The clinics, provide free cardiology (heart) checkups and treatments to children and youths, and also coordinate with hospitals in the United States to arrange surgeries for patients who are in critical conditions. Through the clinics, the ROtary assisted approximately 83 patients, many of which have been identified as needing surgical intervention for varying heart conditions. Jai Mala-Vasquez, Rotary GOL committee member, explained that the clinic was a novelty this year, exceeding the average number of new patient encounters.

NICH wraps up summer art program with a puppet show
The National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) brought a month-long summer arts program to a close this past week with a puppet show at the Bliss Center for Performing arts. The program, carried out by the Institute of Creative Arts (ICA) closed off with the show on Saturday, featuring Mexican Puppeteer Raquel Robles Pacheco, as well some of the participants who trained under Robles during the program. Kim Vasquez, Youth Development Officer with NICH explained that Robles teaches puppet-making and the art of conducting a puppet show to both adults and children. “This is her third year with us. She teaches how to make cultural puppets and how to address social using the puppet show”, Vasquez said. “She always caters the trainings she does to meet the specific needs of the communities she’s working with.”

Ahmadiyyah leader encourages his followers to make sacrifices to the comfort of others in distress
Ahmadiyyah World Leader His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, has encouraged his followers to be considerate and helpful to their fellow human beings. “According to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an, the love that a Muslim must adopt for humanity should be such that he or she should become restless upon seeing any other person in discomfort. A true Muslim must always be watchful of the sentiments of others and must sacrifice his own comfort for the sake of the comfort of his fellow beings”, the Ahmadiyyah leader said. He was addressing attendees to the 49 Annual World Conference (Jalsa Salana) for Ahmadiyyah Muslims in London, England. His Holiness also said that the wider society has been misled as to the true teachings of of Islam and that people who come to know of what the Ahmadiyyah Muslims stand for, their views and perceptions change.

The Belize Times

Barrow Endangers Belizeans – Prime Minister knew Guatemala has asserted control of Sarstoon Island
In one of his worst press conference, Prime Minister Dean Barrow was seen as deceitful and hypocritical and as the person principally at fault for the unacceptable situation with the Sarstoon River and Sarstoon Island. The nation of Belize has now heard from his own mouth that the Belize Defense Force, when travelling on the Sarstoon River to access their small base at Cadenas, are routinely harassed by Guatemalan naval vessels. This has never been told to our nation before. Neither has there been any information of any formal protests by Belize to the Guatemala government. Nor did the Prime Minister say that each and every such behavior has been documented and rigorously protested. No such thing was said because no such actions have been taken. This constitutes grave lapses and negligence on the part of the Prime Minister of Belize. On whose watch the behavior of the Guatemala has become aggressive and intolerable.

Pride and Shame!! – PUP Leader hails Territorial Volunteers; chastises PM and Foreign Minister
The Leader of the People’s United Party Hon. Francis Fonseca saluted the brave and bold Belizeans who travelled to the Sarstoon River on Sunday, August 16th as part of a patriotic expedition to assert Belize’s territorial sovereignty, at a Press Conference held at the Party Headquarters on Tuesday, August 18th, 2015. Fonseca declared that he was filled with “Pride in our Belizean citizens who on Sunday August 16th, gathered in the beautiful community of Barranco in southern Belize and embarked on a journey of courage and determination in support of Belize’s territorial integrity and sovereign dignity. Pride in those who stood up to Guatemalan aggression in defense of our homeland”. But he also pointed out that he felt very ashamed of the Government of Belize, whose decision to abandon the expedition goers and deny them protection from our military and security forces in the face of Guatemala’s known aggression, was the highest form of dereliction of duty.

Naughty, Naughty Carla
Last week’s Amandala carried a Letter to the Editor on Belize’s External Debt ostensibly signed by now UDP political aspirant Carla Barnett. The letter was obviously written by an apologist for the UDP. It repeatedly attempted to confuse the reader about the debt incurred by the PUP Government between 1998 and 2005. While most political insiders know that this comes from the pen of the Hallmark Advisory Ltd. elf of Super Bond $1.7M commission fame, it was naughty of Carla to be used in such an obvious display of revisionism. Naughty Carla did not once mention hurricane Mitch in 1998, Keith in 1999 and Iris and Chantal in 2001. The blue ribbon commission of the Economic Commission for Latin America, ECLA, after considerable study deemed Keith alone to be a $560M loss for Belize of which GOB had to reconstruct $211M in projects. Other studies show overall losses on Keith, Chantal and Iris alone to be well over $1Bn. The IDB responded immediately with $25M, but even they knew that this was a drop in the bucket. Naughty Carla knows that the IMF did not give us a penny.

28 year old Joel Bishop beaten to death by 20 men
The vicious brutality and cruelty involved in the murder of 28 year old Joel Bishop over the weekend has evoked shock and outrage among city residents. Bishop was found on the cold cement ground of Newtown Barracks, between MCC Grounds and Princess Ramada around 3am on Saturday August 15th morning. Moments earlier, he had been ambushed by a crowd of young men, reportedly some 20 of them, who launched a cruel beating and assault using bottles, sticks and rocks. Reports are that while Bishop lay on the ground, even a car ran over him crushing his frail body. Exactly what caused this public display of rogue and brutal aggression is not yet known, but it is being investigated by the Police.

The Courageous and Few
On Sunday September 16th, Belizeans at home and abroad held their collective breaths and awaited word from the southernmost region of our nation. Against the stern advice and strict warning from the government of the day, a hundred plus persons, led by the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV) hired five boats and headed out on an expedition to the Sarstoon Island. That island and surrounding area, while indubitably within the confines and borders of Belize, has been the scene of various incidents between Belizeans and the Guatemalan armed forces. As recent as February of this year, a team on a similar mission was taken into custody by Guatemalan authorities and transported to Livingston, an eastern port town inside of Guatemala. The group, consisting of 36 Orange Walkeneons and one from Corozal Town, was detained overnight but were released the following day after Captain Guillermo Avila signed a statement agreeing that he had indeed strayed for a few minutes into Guatemalan waters. The response from our government was to say the least, very weak! On May 28th of this year, there was another tense moment when members of our Coast Guard were aggressed by members of the Guatemalan Navy.

Big Picture – Small Picture
Offshore banks without correspondent banks means no offshore banking sector. The essence of offshore banking is the free flow of foreign currency, primarily US dollars, through the banks without any exchange control. This is akin to conducting banking business in the U.S. but doing it outside the U.S. Without correspondent banks, then you are forced to do banking essentially back in the U.S., which means that Belize’s offshore banks are no longer attractive, and ultimately would lead to a loss of skilled labor jobs in the banking sector. Moreover, apart from facilitating the offshore services sector in Belize, funds that ended up in the Belize offshore banks played a key role in tourism investment in Belize. It has also played a key role in financing citrus and shrimp, major export industries in Belize, among others. This will all now dry up thereby negatively affecting these key industries in our economy. This will mean reduced investment in these industries and most certainly loss of jobs. The loss of correspondent banks by domestic banks can have an even more severe adverse impact on our economy. Ordinary everyday transactions may be impaired if not curtailed. Just the purchase of consumer items from abroad like imported food or imported electricity or imported fuel (not to mention capital items like steel, cement and equipment) will become difficult.

Chetumal’s Eduardo José Mayo Poot wins Spartan Fitness Club Bodybuilding Classic II
Eduardo José Mayo Poot, from Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico won the 2015 Spartan Fitness Club (SFC) Bodybuilding Classic held in Corozal Town on Sunday, August 16, 2015. The competition, hosted by Corozal Town’s Spartan Fitness Gym which is owned and managed by three-time Mr. Belize titleholder Rigo Vellos, saw the participation of fifteen fitness and bodybuilding athletes in the categories: Men’s Physique, Up to 70 Kilograms, Over 70 kilograms, and Overall. Spartan Fitness Club expresses sincere gratitude to those who provided sponsorship to the event and to the fans who came out to support. The competition was officiated and observed by officials of the Belize Body Building and Fitness Federation and the results are as follows:

Belize spanks Panama & Nicaragua, after loss to El Salvador – 2015 Central American U-18 Volleyball Championships
Belize has a two-game winning streak, defeating Panama 25-8, 25-14, 25-10 on Tuesday night and hammering Nicaragua: 25:20, 25-21, 25-17 on Monday night at the Central American Under-18 volleyball championships in San Jose, Costa Rica. In the match against Nicaragua, Belize’s Mya Musa and Kori Diego scored 12pts apiece, each hammering 10 kills at the net; while Mya also served 2 aces and Kori had 2 blocks. Team captain Juel Lewis also scored 7 hits, and Anyka Flowers had 2 blocks to score 4pts. Alexis Burns served 2 aces for 3 pts, and libero Alia Alvarez dug up 3 saves in 10 good receptions by Team Belize. Nicaragua also committed 38 errors, to Belize’s advantage; while Belize had 31 errors.

Verdes and Queretero tie 0-0
There were no goals in Hankook Verdes FC’s debut in the 2015 CONCACAF Champions League against Mexico’s Gallos Blancos de Querétaro at the FFB Stadium on Tuesday, August 18, 2015. The Gallos dominated the opening moments, with Edgar Benitez, Mario ‘Mono’ Osuna and Luis Madrigal, pressuring on the field, but as the minutes passed no goal was scored. Verdes’ goalkeeper Benito Morreira was steadfast in his defense of the goal. He stopped all attempts and was constantly called the man of the match by the game analysts. The home team pressured with shots by Yoras Silva and Jarett Davis, who were active in the penalty box and keenly watched by visiting goal keeper Edgar Hernandez.

“An assault on Belize’s sovereignty” – Major Lloyd Jones warns: Guatemala’s actions should not be taken lightly
“Belize has given up rights over Sarstoon Island to Guatemala’s military”, stated former Belize Defence Force Maritime wing Commanding Officer Major Lloyd Jones who offered his expert view on the events that occurred at the Sartsoon River on Sunday, August 16, 2015. “What we witnessed on Sunday was an assault on Belize’s sovereignty. What we had was an armed incursion into Belize and these matters must not be taken lightly,” Major Jones said at a PUP Press Conference this week. The Major explained that while the Guatemalan military or naval forces normally exercise a right of visit near the Sarstoon waters to check on the visitors, having determined that the group of people were Belizean civilians who were not a threat that right had extinguished.

Where was GOB in the Battle of Sarstoon Island?
“It’s a frickin’ disgrace that the Government got NO backbone to support us out here,” blurted out Orlando de la Fuente in an interview on the Territorial Volunteers’ visit to the Sarstoon last Sunday August 16th. To make matters worse, Sedi Elrington, in his “artificial” style stated in an interview with senior journalist Rowland Parks that he does not know if the Guatemalan military was in Belize’s waters and that he would have to see the OAS report. Firstly, we are proud of the men, women and children who formed part of the Territorial Volunteers expedition who went by bus and boat to Barranco determined to enforce Belizean rights over Belize’s Sarstoon Island amidst Guatemalan intimidation and abandonment from the Belize Government at the orders of Prime Minister Dean Barrow. It was a victory for Belizeans against a spineless and weak foreign policy of this UDP administration.

Human Bats – The Echolocation Project
Did you know that it is possible for people to “see” like bats do? Using echolocation techniques, the brain can be trained to see using sonar waves, the way bats can see in the night. This means immense possibilities for people who are blind! For the past 10 days BCVI clients Rowan Garel, Juan Reina and Donovan Reneau have been working in-country with echolocation instructor Brian Bushway of the US-based organization World Access for the Blind. Brian has been blind since his teens and has been studied by scientists across the globe after displaying the ability to echolocate. When Brian uses his tongue to make clicks, the sound bounces off the objects around him and tests results show that both the audio and visual cortices of the brain are activated. Just like a bat, Brian is able to see! This Echolocation Project came about late last year when scientist and photographer Carol Foster approached long-time friends Milagro and Joe Garel about Rowan learning the technique. Carol quickly contacted the organization in the US and along with BCVI spent months raising funds to make the dream a reality.

Of this and that…
There is a show down. Chronixx is coming. “Looser than Lucy” is coming. They will be in Belize. They have shows. The shows are the same night. September 9. Flesh vs. consciousness. Trinidad vs Jamaica. Drunkingness vs. Parrowness. Little Belize is growing up. Too fast. Maybe Belize is too small. Too small for both. Wonder who will win. I say nakedness and wine up. Rastaman don’t stand a chance. Pokonoboy win. The song competition was lucky. Lucky that this youth is real. He is a senior performer. He had a Phillip Goldson. He had a George Price. He had a Mr. Peters. He deserved to win. What a fluke. He did win. Lisa. You big. Large. Tall up. You are having the best week ever. First a woman press conference. Then you string up BTL. Blast dem. Then you brakes the Guatemalan. They mi di lie. You get four senior PUP Ministers to put them in check. Four Foreign Minister. Then bam. You put on your shades. A pair of BDF boots. Then you gone to brace the Guatemalans. You di win.

WOMAN IN THE HOUSE – BLUE LETTER DAY
Sunday, August 16, 2015 was an important and exciting day. My group and I filled up on fuel, and we left the Ladyville area before 10am. We knew it would be a long drive to Big Falls, Toledo for the Power to the People Rally and Consultation. We had arranged earlier to stop for a brief lunch in Silk Grass Village on the Southern Highway, so we factored that time into our plan to arrive in Big Falls by 2 pm, the time for the scheduled start of our PUP event. The previous day, our Chairman of BRC Pepe Garcia left, along with Senator Lisa Shoman and others, for Punta Gorda, intending to spend the night in PG, before going on the excursion to the Sarstoon River and Island as planned and coordinated by the Belize Territorial Volunteers, on Sunday. My thoughts during the drive south were of course with all the brave Belizeans who decided to proceed as planned to the Sarstoon, despite the cowardly stance of the Belizean government that it was not only ill-advised, but also downright dangerous to go to the Sarstoon. We all know of course that our infamous Foreign Minister sat idly by and left the lies of the Guatemalan Foreign Minister completely unanswered.

We have lost Sarstoon Island
We lost the battle for Sarstoon Island. evoke It was a bittersweet defeat at the mouth of the Sarstoon River which separates us from our neighbor. This happened early Sunday afternoon August 16th, 2015. The day had started out like any other day. Jehovah’s mighty sun rose in the east as we headed south by road. When the first rays hit the sky, they scattered the clouds in crimson splendor across a land that once was so free alongside the Caribbean Sea. Wil Maheia had organized another of his border expeditions. His territorial volunteers would travel to the Sarstoon Island and if possible try to place the Belizean flag on it. If not possible, the island would be circled by a flotilla of hired boats.

What about salary increase for the Faculty and Staff of the UB??
Dear Editor, Both the Public Service Union and the Belize National Teacher’s Union have neglected the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and the University of Belize and their need for a salary increase. We all know that UB is run by the Government. The Government pays their salaries, Government appoints the President, Government determines if UB can raise fees or not, the Minister of Education appoints the Board of Trustees. The amalgamation to form UB included 4 Government institutions. UB is controlled and managed by the Government of Belize. UB is still owned by the Government of Belize! When Government froze increments for public officers, UB froze the increment for employees. When Government reduced payment for study leave for 80% to 50%; UB reduced payment also (Government reinstated the 80%, but UB did not). When Government granted salary increases; UB gave salary increases. Now, UB is ironically a Statutory Body. Wasn’t this so all along?

Breaking Belize News

Cayo police looking for Rayford Staine in drugs case
While conducting foot patrol in San Ignacio Town around 10:00 a.m on Friday morning, August 21st, police officers saw man known to them as Rayford Staine, throw some green, leafy substance as they approached him near the Cayo Welcome Center. The suspected cannabis was retrieved and weighed, amounting to 12.8 […]

Motorcycle thief sought by Cayo police
The San Ignacio Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating Cesar Romero, who stole a Meilun motorcycle valued at $3,000 that belonged to police constable Tedford Augustine of Geoegeville Village, Cayo District. Romero stole the red and black motorcycle from underneath Augustine’s home while he was asleep […]

Drugs found in church yard
Base on information received, San Ignacio police conducted a searched on Friday August 21st, inside the compound of Nazarene Church on Burns Avenue in that municipality which led them to the discovery of a black plastic bag with green vegetable substance weighing in at 26.7 grams of cannabis. Since no […]

Foul play not suspected in death of Cayo teacher
On Friday, we broke the news on the female body discovered in San Ignacio Town. Today, an official police report from the San Ignacio Police formation has been issued with the details surrounding this unfortunate incident. According to officials of that formation, around 1:05 pm they responded to a call […]

Sunny skies in Belize as T.S. Danny closes in on islands
The National Meteorological Service of Belize is predicting mostly sunny skies and warm weather is expected today and partly cloudy skies tonight with little to no rainfall. Winds blow from the East at 5-15 knots and the sea state will be light chop – choppy. High temperatures today are expected […]

Oil prices below US$40; will they stay there?
USA Today reported on Friday that for the first time in six and a half years, prices for oil dipped – however briefly – below the psychologically important threshold of US$40 (BZ$80) per barrel. It is mixed news for Belize, which has seen prices in LPG (butane) and gasoline dip […]

Blogs

You’ll be Sorry if You Miss Belize’s September Carnival, So Make Plans Now
If you need an excuse to dress in an outrageous costume, apply mud paint to your face and dance through streets, you don’t have to wait for the Lenten season because Belize invites the world to celebrate its independence each September by staging an extravagant Carnival. A long winter is on the horizon and chances to cut loose won’t come again until February, so make plans now to be part of the 2015 extravaganza in Belize City. How did Carnival in Belize get its start? Thank parents who decided to dress their children in costumes 40 years ago to add excitement to the nation’s bland 10th of September Battle of St. George’s Caye celebration. Every year, the costume parade generated more enthusiasm. Adults wanted to be part of the celebration and with it came the evolution of a Carnival that now showcases the country’s ethnic diversity. This mash-up of Afro-Caribbean and Creole cultures with a dash of Mayan and assorted other influences shaped the parade that’s staged today.

The “Battle” for Sarstoon – a first person account
As usual these are my observations and opinions solely, and, of course, my conclusions for my own purposes. It is NOT a news report. The women! Carolyn Trench-Sandiford woke me up a few minutes after 4:00 a.m. and quite adeptly drove us to Barranco Village. Although I had awakened at 3:00 am and had gotten up and made coffee, I went back to bed and for some inexplicable reason fell back asleep. I was awakened from blissful sleep when she hollered for me outside and I cannot thank her enough. I would’ve hated to have missed going to the Sarstoon. As a citizen I am thankful for the efforts of the Belizean Territorial Volunteers to try and wake up Belizeans from their induced sedation where the existential threat that Guatemala’s claim is to the nation of Belize. The BTVIPNP saying “No” to the ICJ does not make a lot of sense to me but the effort to draw attention to Guatemala’s posture, (stance and action), as well their more critical-than-not analyses of and commentary on the GOB’s dispute management in this regard is very needed at a time when the official opposition has been too circumspect in my estimation.

For Rose’s Birthday Season, the gifts that keep on giving
I think I outdid myself this year. In 2014 during that special monthlong holiday known as Rose’s Birthday Season (it ends Sept. 7, more or less … ) I gave my wife an especially thoughtful gift — new fenders for her bicycle! What? I hear you snickering. But let me tell you something, diamonds are not a girl’s best friend when you are pedaling a bicycle through water-filled, truck-eating potholes during the rainy season in Belize. Good fenders are! Last year, during Rose’s Birthday Season, there was no concrete road in front of our home but they were building one and the heavy equipment cut deep tracks into the rain sodden road, tracks which filled, merged and were deep and wide enough to sustain whole ecological systems, if not the Loch Ness Monster. OK, this year we have the road. I do not know where the rain is but we could sure use some of it now.

International Sources

Cuba’s tourism gains will be at others’ expense
Neighbouring islands in the Caribbean stand to lose out as more Americans head for larger, and quite possibly cheaper, new competitor in their midst. The sight of the Stars and Stripes being hoisted over the newly opened US embassy in Cuba was one of the most visible signs yet of the diplomatic rapprochement between the long-term foes. If President Barack Obama gets his way, the US Congress will soon go further still and lift its 55-year-old trade embargo on the island. Such a move would be a major boon to the Cuban economy, not least by unleashing a torrent of big-spending American tourists on the island, which has largely been starved of such arrivals for more than half a century. This, however, could prove disastrous for some of the small islands elsewhere in the Caribbean which are heavily dependent on tourism. They could see much of the US tourism trade they have come to reply on decamping to the large, and quite possibly cheaper, new competitor in their midst. “Although the embargo and travel restrictions remain in place, an eventual lifting of sanctions would be a watershed event for the region,” says Claudia Calich, emerging markets debt manager at M&G Investments. “Countries that have the majority of tourists coming from the US are the ones that will stand to lose the most as these tourists head to Cuba instead. That could be disastrous for some.”

All that weed…
No, I mean the other sort. Smells worse, and just as much trouble. Piles of brown stinking seaweed, sometimes six feet deep, rot on beaches from Barbados to Belize. “I don’t think it will affect the tourism in Tobago,” said Tourism Minister Gerald Hadeed this month. UWI Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles disagrees. Last Monday, he called sargassum “the greatest single threat to the Caribbean economy I can imagine.” He wants a Sargassum Emergency Agency. Sun, sand, sea and sargassum? Island economies depend arms, legs and neck on tourism. But Hadeed says Tobago “is not only the beaches…it is so beautiful and friendly.” Yes, up to a point. There’s more to life than beaches. Scuba diving, for starters. But stink up the beaches, and you have trouble. If in doubt, check TripAdvisor.

Declaration of the Secretary General of the OAS on the Situation in Guatemala
The Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, expresses his concern over the recent political developments in Guatemala, including calls from various sectors of society to postpone the elections scheduled for September 6. In accordance with resolution AG/RES. 2877 (XLV-O/15) Support for the Electoral Process in Guatemala, adopted by the General Assembly of the OAS on June 15, 2015, and the Inter-American Democratic Charter, the Secretary General stresses that it is essential that the elections be held under the existing constitutional framework. The Secretary General reiterates the inalienable right of citizens to express their will through the ballot box, thus ensuring the continuity of the democratic process in Guatemala. In addition, he calls on all sectors of society and the authorities in the country to respect the laws and the Constitution.

Guatemala ministers resign after impeachment bid against president
The last remaining ministers of Guatemalan President Otto Perez's original cabinet said on Saturday they could no longer work in his government after prosecutors sought to impeach him for corruption, piling pressure on the head of state to resign. Economy Minister Sergio de la Torre and Education Minister Cynthia del Aguila said they were standing down a day after the attorney general asked the Supreme Court for permission to prosecute Perez over a suspected customs racket. "I took office without political affiliation. We're disappointed and cannot continue in our posts," de la Torre told a news conference in Guatemala City. Asked whether Perez should resign, de la Torre said: "That is up to the president, it's not for us to answer this." The president has denied any wrongdoing, but his position is in increasing jeopardy after prosecutors on Thursday also arrested his former vice president over the customs scandal and said they believed the 64-year-old Perez was in on the scam.

Videos

August 23, 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, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

San Pedro Town Council hosts first ever Think Tank Mixer event
The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) held its first ever Think Tank Mixer on Tuesday, August 18th at the Rum & Bean located at Mahogany Bay Village. The event was designed for invited guest to mingle and discuss issues that are affecting the island and suggest possible solutions. Kicking off at 5:30PM in a formal ambiance with complimentary snacks and drinks, the function motivated the attendees to discuss the island’s future plans. Deputy Mayor, Gary Greif briefly welcomed everyone officially opening the event. “This idea of getting together in a network with everyone has prove to be successful in other places, thus, we want to start this practice here in San Pedro. By having frequent gatherings like this one, we can discover the skills of our residents. For example if we need a graphic designer we feel that we have to go out of the island or the country to find one, when that professional we are looking for can be right here in San Pedro,” Greif explained. He continued by emphasizing the aim of this initiative, which is to get together in small groups from time to time and discuss issues affecting the island and the tourism sector. “Everyone wants us to have a sustainable growth of tourism on the island which will benefit the people and likewise the tourist as well. during this event I will like to talk to everyone and get your contact information and in the next week or two weeks we will be contacting you for private meetings to discuss any ideas that came out from this event,” said Greif.

Belizean Doctors to Benefit from Specialty Scholarships from the Government of El Salvador
Minister of Health Hon. Pablo Marin recently returned from an official visit to San Salvador, El Salvador on the invitation of the Minister of Health of El Salvador, Dr. Elvia Violeta Menjivar and her deputy, Dr. Julio Robles Ticas. The three-day visit from the 12th – 14th August allowed for further discussions to finalize a Memorandum of Understanding for mutual health benefits in human resource development and information sharing between both countries. While negotiations continue, the Government of El Salvador has offered to provide free services through the visit of a medical team at the end of this month and has also offered 21 scholarships in various medical specialty areas to Belizean doctors.

Verdes FC draws in first Champions League match
In a historic participation in the Scotiabank Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Champions League (SCCL), Verdes FC tied in their first match against Queretaro FC. The match took place on Tuesday, August 18th at the Football Federation of Belize (FFB) Project Stadium. Hundreds of fanatics came out to support the Premier League of Belize 2014/2015 champions as they took on Mexico’s Queretaro FC in the group stage of the tournament. With this draw, Verdes ranks second in Group C of the SCCL. Queretaro is in the first position as they had previously defeated Panama’s San Francisco FC on Tuesday, August 4th in a 2-0 point game. In their next match up Verdes FC will once again face Queretaro in an away game scheduled to take place on Thursday, September 17th at the Estadio Maracana in Mexico.

Misc Belizean Sources

Precipitation Outlook August - October 2015

Ocean Academy needs your help
Please donate to help keep our youths in school. OA is a privately run, non-profit high school. They don't get government funding. Dear Friends, Where would you be without a high-school education? What if you had to quit school at age 12? Ocean Academy provides an award-winning education in Belize . . . but we need your help! We have been working to find sponsors all summer . . . we still need more! School starts next week. Check out the videos of these young persons wanting to get an education. School is not free anywhere in Belize which is why only half of youth are in high school across the country. Together, we can "pass along" the gift of education! YOU + 3 of your friends @ $25 USD each = Changing a life with education! On what do you spend $25? How cool are your friends?

Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad
In a small bowl combine red onion, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Let them marinate at least 5 minutes to mellow the flavor of the onion. In a large bowl combine chopped shrimp, avocado, tomato, jalapeño. Combine all the ingredients together, add cilantro and gently toss. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. In a large bowl combine chopped shrimp, avocado, tomato, jalapeño. Combine all the ingredients together, add cilantro and gently toss. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

The Reporter

UNICEF releases last video in “Time Out” series
This week the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released the final video in its “Time Out” series, which focuses on ending violence against children in Belize. The final video is the culmination of the first four in the series, highlighting the different forms of violence against children: verbal, physical and sexual abuse, as well as neglect. Through the video, UNICEF acknowledges the difficulties associated with parenting, and calls on Belizean parents to consider the long-term effects that violence can have on their children. Caroline Bach, communications specialist for UNICEF Belize, explained that the videos in the series were geared towards promoting positive communication and disciplinary techniques.

SIB to present latest data
The Statistical Institute of Belize is preparing to release its latest economic performance and estimate data. On Wednesday August 29, the SIB will launch the Second Quarter 2015 Gross Domestic Product estimates, July 2015 External Trade statistics (ETB), July 2015 Consumer Price Index/Inflation Rate statistics. The SIB will also present the April 2015 Labour Force Survey Preliminary Findings. The GDP estimates give a picture of how the economy has grown, the ETB quantifies the value of Belize’s imports and exports for the given month, while the CPI measures the increase/decrease of local goods and services. The LFS provides employment related data, in terms of number of people employed/unemployed, or those unfit to be in the work force. The data will be presented at the Central Bank of Belize Training room.

Education Minister says Ahmadiyyah Muslims’ model for peace is inspiration to Belize
Belize’s Minister of Education, Patrick Faber, has said that the Ahmadiyyah Muslim community is an inspiration to Belize for its model on world peace, and thanked the community for that commendable effort. The Minister was speaking on the occasion of the 49th Annual International Conference of the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Association (Jalsa Salana) at Oak Farms, Alton area, London England on Saturday afternoon. “After learning of the ideals of the Ahmadiyyah Muslims and of the ideals of His Holiness, The Promised Messiah, I was pleased to accept the invitation to Jalsa Salana 2015 … We place on record our admiration for your work on tolerance, peace and justice.” With its slogan, “Love for All, Hatred for None”, the Ahmadiyyah Muslim community has been known for its promotion of peace and international brotherhood, its charitable work of building schools and health centres across the world, and for being among the first to respond in times of disaster to those who need.

Breaking Belize News

Danny churns toward Leewards, losing strength
As of noon today, Hurricane Danny was centered near 15.5 degrees North latitude, 52.4 degrees West longitude or about 635 miles East of the Leeward Islands. Danny was moving west north west at 12 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour. Elsewhere in […]

Teen killed during robbery
Dangriga Police are investigating an apparent robbery at Polanco’s Farm at Mile 26, Hummingbird Highway, during which a 15 year old identified as Briaton Tharique Polanco was apparently shot dead. According to 64 year old Bernard Usher, he was in his room at the residence around 8:30 a.m. […]

Fire reported in Independence may be arson
Belize Media Group has received reports of a house fire in Mango Creek that reportedly damaged a teacher’s home. Further reports suggest that the incident is a case of arson and the teacher knows who set her house ablaze. Independence Police confirmed the fire and told us that a team […]

PM Barrow and Minister Santiago Castillo signed $60 million loan for security initiatives
Prime Minister Dean Barrow and his Minister of State Santiago Castillo Jr have signed for a US$30 million loan with Armando Blanco, the Legal Representative of CABEI, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration for security initiatives. The money will fund the Belize Integral Security Program which will strengthen citizen […]

Accused in bank robbery released on bail
Four men accused of robbing First Caribbean Bank in Belize City in July and a fifth man charged with conspiracy to commit robbery along with the others were each released on bail of $8,000 each by Supreme Court Justice Antoinette Moore. Of the group, 33 year old Jermaine Belgrave, 22 […]

Santiago Castillo goes into real estate with Christie’s auction house
Santiago Castillo Group of Companies is best known as merchants of imported, usually high-end goods. But they are now partnering with the Christie’s art auction house to branch into another kind of high-end sale – real estate. The new San Cas Realty-Christie’s International Real Estate held a launch on San […]

Deputy ComPol in lawsuit over accident
One year after the fatal traffic accident on the George Price Highway that claimed the life of 55 year old Yolanda Valencia, interdicted deputy commissioner of police Miguel Segura faces a lawsuit for damages filed by her mother Guadalupe Valencia, who is being represented by attorney Kareem Musa. Valencia was […]

Former Mayor of Corozal, Cornelio Acosta Passes Away
Belize Media Group had received reports that Cornelio Acosta, the former Mayor of Corozal passed away today. Acosta served as Mayor in Corozal Town in 1997 under the People’s United Party.

Ex-LICU GM attends special meeting
Former General Manager of La Inmaculada Credit Union in Orange Walk Town, Yolanda Gomez, is present at the special general meeting called by the Board of Directors today at the Muffles College Auditorium. This is contributing to a tense atmosphere among member-owners of the Union present to hear a report […]

Another Government vehicle stolen after armed home invasion of public officer
San Ignacio Police are currently investigating a report of a home invasion at the residence of 37 year old Anthony Mai, Environmental Officer. He was at home relaxing with his family when an unknown Hispanic man barged into his residence accompanied by a armed man of dark complexion. Mai reported […]

Blogs

In Low Season, some of our favorite bistros close down, but some surprise openings too
So, one sign of Low Season: Closed for Business signs. Venues shut down anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, riding out the tourism doldrums. Kind of a sad time for us who remain on the island, as our favorite places go on hiatus. Most places close in September and October but some have already shuttered their doors. Among them, Casa Picasso, one of the island’s premier restaurants, closed last week with the traditional pouring of a tower of flaming blue-green aperitif by bartender Nikolai. Many on hand to observe this sacred moment — after the last dinner was served — were also treated by owners Jacki and Adam to what deserts remained in the kitchen. Key takeaway is that Casa Picasso reopens on Nov. 3.

International Sources

Fortis Receives C$41.83 Consensus Price Target from Analysts (TSE:FTS)
hares of Fortis (TSE:FTS) have earned an average rating of “Buy” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is C$41.83. Fortis (TSE:FTS) opened at 36.31 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $37.15 and its 200-day moving average is $38.18. Fortis has a 12 month low of $33.12 and a 12 month high of $42.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.12 billion and a P/E ratio of 16.41.

Videos

August 22, 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, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

Annual Kids 4 Clean Water Camp is on the go!
The fourth time the Annual Kids 4 Clean Water Camp is once again being held in the San Mateo from Monday, August 17th to the Friday, August 21st. The camp is been hosted by Belize Community Conservation (BBC) in partnership with Caribbean Student Environmental Alliance (SEA) and the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), with aims to teach children of San Mateo about environmental conservation and health issues. The week-long camp is led by founder of BCC Heather Zwicker along with the many volunteers that joined the camp this year. Devon Saldado, leader of the volunteer group from CYEN, stated that some of the activities involved getting the children familiar with the water around the area where they live. “We did water testing with the children in San Mateo and we found out that both the ground and lagoon water were contaminated as oppose to pipe water which was clean. Crucially, we do these tests and show the children and their parents informing them if the water they are consuming is clean. This way we touch in the public health aspect. One of the main things we look at is if there is proper sanitation in the area or not. So we need to look at all these factors in order to avoid any illnesses,” said Saldano.

Another successful Belize Fashion Week!
The Belize Fashion Industry was showcased in full force Thursday, August 13th to Sunday, August 16th at the 2015 Belize Fashion Week (BFW15). Gorgeous Belizean models displayed some of the top designs from both national and international designers during a weekend of color, style and creativity. Organized by Patricia Grief, Carlos Barrieñtos and Zuzana Mello and held in Belize City at the Ramanda Princess Hotel and Casino, BFW15 was truly a great success! But the most anticipated segment of BFW15 took place on Friday, August 14th and Saturday, August 15th with the runway shows. Featuring 12 designers, the show showcased everything from casual wear, swim wears, formal wear and even ball gowns. Each model strutted the runway with such fierceness flaunting each of the unique designs. Throughout the night, guest were entertained with live performances from Denise Castillo, Chales “Ninja” Nunez and DJ DzL.

San Pedro Lions Club 2015-2016 Board of Directors installed
On Saturday, August 15th, the San Pedro Lions Club held their annual Installation Ceremonies for the 2015-2016 Board of Directors. The vent took place at the Lions Den shortly after 8PM before Lions members and invited guest. Also taking part in the ceremony were the San Pedro Leo’s Club who also installed their new board. Led by Master of Ceremonies, Angel Nuñez, the ceremonies opened with the singing of the National Anthem followed by a short invocation by Lion Abel Guerrero. A moment of silence was then offered for the recently departed Lions members. Reigning San Pedro Lions Queen, Marisha Thomson then delivered a warm welcome address. She then handed over the podium to Lions Zone 59 Chairman Raul Castillo to make the official presentation of the new Board.

Ambergris Today

Bible Camp Sees Participation of 65 Island Youth Group
We are running on the last days of summer and island students are getting ready to head back to school. But summer vacations on the island were full of camps that allowed island participants to enjoy a variety of fun activities that included arts and craft, sports, water activities and educational activities that had them expanding their young minds. One of the last summer activities that was available on the island was that of a Vocation Bible School/Bible Camp “Champions for Christ” hosted by the San Pedro Roman Catholic Church for one week from August 17 to 21. Sixty five children participated in arts, music, faith sessions and game stations. The Bible Camp was conducted by volunteer local parishioners and the Sisters of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity.

Misc Belizean Sources

Power interruption 6:00am to 2:00pm, Sunday, August 23, Belize District
Crooked Tree, Sandhill, Gardenia, Biscayne, Santana, Saint Anne's, Corozalito and Maskall. BEL to conduct testing and replacement of equipment at Ladyville Switching Station.

SISE HoC Puppet Making Workshop
The SISE HoC had their Puppet Making Workshop. Wow! Those are some cool looking puppets. "San Ignacio House Of Culture hosted Mexican puppet masters/artist they volunteered there services to teach puppet making this week."

A quick update on Oliver
e surrendered yellowhead that had started stress-plucking following the death of his partner. He's in an outdoor enclosure with 7 other birds. No romance yet, but I think he's doing well!

H. E. Jorge Arreaza, Vice President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela today flew into Belize to meet with Prime Minister Barrow
This visit is part of President Maduro’s plan to have the Vice President and the Foreign Minister of Venezuela visit all CARICOM countries to speak on the issue of the territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana. Belize was country number thirteen on the circuit. The Vice President shared with Prime Minister Barrow Venezuela’s position on the territorial dispute with Guyana and reassured Barrow that Venezuela does not want a fight, and has long demonstrated their commitment to dialogue and peace. Specifically, they are asking the CARICOM countries to encourage Guyana to dialogue with them. Recently both the President of Guyana and the President of Venezuela met with the United Nations Secretary General separately on this issue and the Secretary General is trying to negotiate a meeting between the two presidents.

The Government of Belize and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) signed, today, a Loan Agreement for the Belize Integral Security Program
The overall objective of the Belize Integral Security Program (BISP) is to contribute to improving the quality of life of Belizeans and to support regional efforts that seek to combat crime. The key goal of the BISP is to strengthen citizen security by providing support to those institutions directly engaged in maintaining national security. The BISP consists of a US$30 million (BZ$60 million) loan from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI). Funds will be used for the improvement of infrastructure and the provision of equipment for the Belize Defence Force (BDF), Belize Police Department (BPD), Belize Coast Guard (BCG) and the National Forensic Sciences Service (NFSS). Infrastructure works will include new construction as well as refurbishment and improvement of existing buildings. Surveillance and monitoring, mobilization, and specialized technical equipment will also be supplied to these institutions.

Sir Barry Bowen Bridge receives maintenance
It is going to need more then maintenance if they don't stop those full blown cement trucks & huge dump trucks loaded with sand & gravel pass over it. They will have to completely rebuild it as it is not designed for that heavy of a load factor. I live 2 blocks from bridge & hear those trucks honking at least 12 or 14 times per day.

International Magic Show
Intermagia's Magic Tour is coming to Cayo. They'll be at the Octavia Waight Center on October 5th and 6th. They'll also be visiting a couple of Cayo primary schools to wow the kids. Thanks, Rotary, for making this happen! "The Rotary Club of San Ignacio is sponsoring two nights of MAGIC for the Twin Towns. The magicians will also be visiting some schools in the area. More details to come."

Channel 7

Teenaged Boy Killed In Ruthless Hummingbird Home Invasion
Tonight we start the news with the stories of two teenaged males shot: one 15 year old murdered in Hummingbird Highway home invasion, and a 16 year old critical in Belize City after an accidental shooting. First to Dangriga where a 15 year old was killed when he happened upon a home invasion at his grandfather's house. It happened at mile 35 on the Hummingbird Highway near the gap - at Thomas Polanco's residence. Polanco is a bus operator, and police believe that one of his former employees set up the home invasion to rob him. Wearing masks, they stormed into the house this morning, tied up Polanco and his family members who were at home and helped themselves to three thousand dollars and his shotgun. Unaware of what was happening his teenaged grandson who was out in the field heard a commotion and ran up to the house. That is when one of the robbers fatally shot him with his grandfather's shotgun. Police believe the key suspect is a Honduran and that the trio of culprits have already taken to the bush. We'll keep following the story:..

Teenager Critical After Accidental City Shooting
And another teenager is fighting for his life after being shot in the city last night. 16 year-old Mark Phillips, a youth who was recently released from prison, is under police guard at the KHMH after one of his own crew shot him by accident with a .38 revolver. According to police, it happened when he and 2 other males, were lying in wait for a man in compound of the Queen Square Anglican Primary School. Police intelligence is that Phillips and another man were armed, and as soon as the would-be victim came close enough they ambushed him. But, when Phillips' friend made an attempt to shoot the young man, the gun jammed. That's when Phillips was critically injured.

Venezuelan VP Visits
There was no official notification sent to the press, and we're still waiting for confirmation from the government press office, but 7News has learned that the Vice President of Venezuela, JORGE ARREAZA visited Belize today for a meeting with Prime Minister Dean Barrow. Arreaza flew in this afternoon and went directly to the Prime Minister's Coney Drive Office where they met for an hour. He left at about 5:00 - and headed north presumably for the airport. We don't know anything about the subject of the meeting or why it was sho hastily convened. As we said, the media was not invited. The Government Press office promised us an official press release, but, we're still waiting. Arreaza is married to Hugo Chavez's daughter who accompanied him. More on the visit in our next segment.

Bradley Snubbed Santi
The UDP convention for Caribbean Shores was in May - and the outgoing area representative, Santino Castillo is wrapping up his first and last term in office. He's transitioning back to private life, to his family business - and says he stands ready to support his successor Darrell Bradley, if called upon. But we get the distinct impression, he isn't being called upon - because Bradley seems that he doesn't put too much stock in Santino's remaining political capital. That was pretty much confirmed back in May when Castillo wasn't invited to Bradley's convention - or at least that's what we were told. At an event last night in san Pedro we got to ask him directly about it - after he spoke in general terms about supporting Mayor Bradley in general terms:... Santiago "Santino" Castillo, Jr, Santiago Castillo Ltd./Min. Of State "And i think that Darrell stands a very good chance in Caribbean Shores, and, ahm, if he needs my assistance on Election Day whenever that is called, I am her to assist Caribbean Shores." Jules Vasquez "Sir are you being excessive magnanimous. I didn't see you at his convention and I saw a lot of people there. A lot of news came out of that convention. And a lot of people were there saying bogs things, but I didn't see you there. Were you invited to attend the Bradley Endorsement Convention?"

Venezuelan VP Wants CARICOM Comfort For Guyana Dispute
As we told you earlier - the Vice President of Venezuela Jorge Arreaza visited Belize very briefly today for a meeting with the Prime Minster at his Belize City office. Well just a few minutes ago the Government Press office sent out the official release saying what the visit was about. He's here as part of a tour to lobby support from CARICOM Nations. That's because Venezuela and its neighbor Guyana have a territorial dispute; Guyana is a CARICOM Nation so the CARICOM bloc, Belize included have taken a position in support of Guyana. OF course, Venezuela is funneling PEtrocaribe fuel to almost all of the Caribbean too - so they can always get a seat at the table of any Head of State or Government in the region. Belize was the thirteenth stop on the 15 nation CARICOM circuit where, according to a government press release, quote, "The Vice President shared…Venezuela's position on the territorial dispute with Guyana and reassured Prime Minister Barrow that Venezuela does not want a fight….they are asking the CARICOM countries to encourage Guyana to dialogue with them." At his press conference earlier this week, The Prime Minister told the Press what Belize's position is:

Tourism Figures Improving For June and July
Recently, tourism figures have been very much in the news - and that's because for the first time in years, the numbers are going down ever so slightly. But, figures released today show that things started to pick up in June and July. After significant decline sin April and May, June showed a modest uptick of 1.6% and July was encouraging with 3.3% more arrivals. That puts the total figure for the year so far at less than a percentage point fewer arrivals than last year at this same time. That's about 1800 fewer visitors, and to explain it the BTB turns again to that tired line about Canadians not coming because their economy is in a slump and their dollars has devalued slightly. Problem with that argument is that it hasn't stopped those same Canadians form flocking in record numbers to Barbados which has the same currency peg as Belize. The only difference? Air Canada flies directly to that eastern Caribbean country.

Former LICU CEO Yolanda Gomez Says Board Attack Is Personal
The special general meeting of the LA Inmaculada Credit Union will be held tomorrow in Orange Walk Town, and it promises to be combative - because loyalties within the union membership is split over former General Manager Yolanda Gomez. She was at the Credit Union for 24 years before she was sacked at the end of July - and as you might expect as boss of the biggest credit union in the north for all those years - she has many allies. Those allies are the ones who circulated a petition forcing a special general meeting - and on Wednesday - the Board of Directors mad a most unusual pre-emptory maneuver. The president recorded a 12 minute televised statement in which she made eleven allegations against Gomez, accusing her of a conflict of interest, fraud, quote, "substantial cash shortage", forgery and, quote, "big financial losses of at least half a million Belize dollars!" Those are some severe allegations of wrongdoing, and iut drew out Gomez to appear on Orange Walk talk shows this morning. Here's what she said on Fiesta FM's "Despierta Belice":

Prestigious Christie's Comes to Belize For Luxury Real Estate Properties
In May, a Pablo Picasso painting called "The Women of Algiers" sold for a record 179.4 million dollars at a Christie's auction in New York. You're probably saying, so what does that have to with Belize, right? Well…not a whole lot, but it might - because the Christie's franchise is now in Belize, not to auction art, but to sell real estate - and the thinking is that those same folks who buy 200 million dollar artworks might also be interested in some prime beachfront properties. Christie's Real Estate International was launched last night in association with San Cas Realty - which is an offshoot of Santiago Castillo Limited. That's a new turn for the San Cas Group which made its fortune as a wholesaler and retailer. But now, luxury real estate? We travelled to San Pedro yesterday last night to rind out about one of the oldest companies in Belize diversifying its portfolio:.. Jules Vasquez reporting The Rain Terrace at the Grand Caribe was the venue for the launch of one of the most glamorous, upscale brands in the world - Christie's Real Estate the franchise for which has been acquired by Santiago Castillo Limited, one of the oldest merchant houses in Belize: Gil Castillo, President, San Cas Realty "Santiago Castillo Ltd. has been in the country of Belize as you know for 89 years and Christie's International has been around for 250 years. So we thought it was a good fit."

Santino Straddling Two Worlds?
And in that story you surely saw Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Santino Castillo wearing his private hat as part of his family business. He's already said he won't run again as area representative - and we asked him if he's now straddling the public and private sectors:.. Jules Vasquez "Are you sort of stepping away from public life now and re-entering private life?" Hon. Santiago "Santino" Castillo, Jr., Advisor Santiago Castillo Ltd. "None at all. I have told the Prime Minister that I am here to serve him and his next UDP government in any capacity he sees fit. Jules, I am going to be 60 and I can still advise our companies in an advising capacity and I can still assist the company. I can still do the public life. I quite honestly enjoyed them both, so I plan to continue doing them both."

30M USD For Security Initiatives
Castillo was back to wearing his public hat again this morning when he accompanied the Prime Minister who signed a 30 million US dollar loan with Armando Blanco, the Legal Representative of CABEI, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration for Security initiatives. It's called the Belize Integral Security Program and the main idea is to strengthen citizen security by bolstering police, forensic service, coast guard and BDF infrastructure. Here's how the money will be spent: improvement and construction of 7 police stations/substations and 4 barracks for police; construction and improvement of 30 barracks and dormitories for the BDF; 1 laboratory and 1 forensic medical unit for the Forensic Service; and 1 multipurpose building to conduct training and serve as a warehouse for the maintenance of the Coast Guard patrol boats, and a 137 meter marina also for the Coast Guard.

CARSI Gives, COPS Create Crime Analysis Pattern Unit
And, while the entire National Security Ministry will get an upgrade, Eastern Division South has recently been given a 20 thousand dollar donation from the US Embassy in Belmopan. The money comes as from the US Embassy's Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) fund, and according Senior Superintendent Chester Williams, it will fund the creation of the Crime Analysis Pattern Unit. This new unit will be tasked to provide intelligence to Eastern Division South, which will lead to more targeted police operations. Williams explained it to us this morning: Sr. Supt Chester Williams, OC - E.D. Southside "We are the recipient today of a very handsome donation from the United States Embassy, the CARSI program, where we are receiving equipment for our crime analysis room. Effective next week, we will have established a crime analysis pattern unit within eastern division south and we hope to extend the work that is being done in that office to eastern division north. We will be looking at intelligence lead policing. So while we continue to work with people who want to work with us, we will continue to give them that leverage to live a peaceful life and those who wish to continue live the criminal life, we will pursue them methodically through the intelligence process.

Did Y.E.S. Make At Risk Youths Say N-O?
Another initiative that the US Embassy's CARSI program has been funding for the last 3 years is the Youth Enhancement Services training program for about 500 at risk youths and 80 adults who are struggling parents. The US Embassy has donated $187,100 US to this program to help enhance the community policing that the police department does. With this money, the Youth Enhancement Services has focused on strengthening the family support system for at-risk youths, increasing their economic opportunities, and providing social alternatives to gang membership. So, this morning after 3 years, the Youth Enhancement Services held its graduation ceremony for those who've passed through. We talked with the director about how the program went:

Bail For Bank Robbers
On July 31st four bank robbers stormed into First Caribbean Bank and made off with over fifty thousand dollars. Police arrested and charged five persons, and tonight four of them are out on bail. Four who were charged with robbery and a fifth man who was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery along with them, were granted bail of $8,000 each today by Justice Antonette Moore. Of the 5, 4 of them have met bail. They are 33 year old Jermaine Belgrave, 22 year old Patrick Jones, 30 year old Jarett Crawford and 32 year old Erwin Castillo. Only 24 year old Emmerson Skyers has not met bail, because he owes a court fine of $205 dollars which has to be paid before he can get bail. The Crown objected to bail on the grounds that the offence has become prevalent and that there is the possibility that the offence will be repeated if they are granted bail. But after Justice Moore heard submissions from the accused men's attorneys, Leroy Banner and Bryan Neal, she offered them bail.

Abdul Jabaar Trying To Score a Property in Belize?
Kareem Abdul Jabaar is the all time leading scorer in the NBA - and now it looks like he's trying to scroe some property in Belize. Jabaar has been sighted in Belize since Wednesday - and we saw him in San Pedro this morning where the 7 foot two inch basketball great was definitely the tallest guy we've ever seen getting into a Cessna Caravan. Jabaar firmly declined an interview - but we do know that the 68 year old had a quadruple coronary bypass and had a battle with cancer in 2009. Reports say that he is looking for a vacation home in Belize which took him to san Pedro, and then reportedly, to Orange Walk this morning. Again, Jabaar would not comment on any of his plans when we spoke to him - and his publicist would only tell us that he will do press "next time."

Make Us Laugh!
Clowns and Puppets, that's what NICH's Institute of Creative Arts wants you to support tomorrow afternoon by coming out to participate in a show that they are putting on for the public. The performers are young people who have been training with Mexican Puppeteer Raquel Robles Pacheco, who has been visiting Belize since 2013. This year, she's been holding workshops for interested young persons in San Ignacio, Benque Viejo Del Carmen, and at the Samuel Haynes Institute in Belize City. After learning to create their own puppets, and training how to stage performances with them, ICA wants you to come out and see for yourself how talented these children are. The Youth Development Officer told why you'd enjoy it: The show takes place at 4 p.m. at the Bliss Center for the Performing Arts in Belize City.

A Just Jungle
Last night, we showed you how Assistant Police Commissioner Dezerie Phillips and the officers of Eastern Division North were on a clean up campaign in the Majestic Alley area. Well, today, they went back to the Pickstock Hutment - better known as the "Pickstock Jungle" - continue what they started last week Thursday. We dropped by and found the officers engaging with this impoverished community and donating items to needy families so that they could prepare for when school opens. ACP Phillips told us more: One other person who we met in the "Jungle" is Roger Espejo, the UDP Standard Bearer for Fort George. He was busy preparing breakfast for a family who lives in one of the apartments. Breakfast for votes? We had to ask him if he was being genuine or simply profiling for the cameras:

Addy Castillo Says Chinese Dominating Import & Wholesale Business
Earlier in the newscast, you saw our interview with Addy Castillo, the matriarch of the Santiago Castillo business empire. It was a rare chance to talk with Mrs. Castillo who - as far as we know - has never given an interview. We used the opportunity to ask her about the present state of the business environment. Castillo took over the family business, after her husband Santiago Castillo died in 1983. She ran it up until the early two thousand's when she handed over day to day operations to her daughter Lorena, But, even at the age of 81, she still remains very involved at the board level and is still the boss of the family business. She told us that the commercial landscape is tougher than ever: Jules Vasquez Seeing so many things change in your sector of the business world over the years, would you say that the business environment is better, worse, easier, harder than it was say 30 years ago when you first took over?" Addy Castillo, Matriarch, Santiago Castillo Ltd. "Well Jules, we must accept that business has not been easy at all. There is much more competition in our business and I am sure you know that. The Chinese are taking over Belize when it comes to our type of business and to fight them it's not easy. But guess what, we are not going to throw the towel and we are fighting them and we are going to be very successful."

Channel 5

Teenager Shot and Killed During Home Invasion in Pomona
A teenager was shot and killed this morning on a farm in the Stann Creek District during a daring armed robbery.  The incident occurred sometime before eleven o’clock, when a [...]

George Street Affiliate Accidentally Shot by His Colleague
A sixteen-year-old Belize City youth is tonight fighting for his life at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after he was shot to the abdomen on Thursday night. It occurred inside [...]

Did Police Go Too Far During Raid of Gungulung Residence?
Allegations of police brutality are nothing out of the ordinary and tonight, a Belize City resident is claiming that police went too far this morning when they conducted a search [...]

Tourism Arrivals Slightly Up in June and July
The numbers for tourist arrivals between January and July have been released and, according to the Belize Tourism Board, those figures are showing an improvement.  Overnight arrivals saw a one [...]

Santi’s Handing Over to Darrell Bradley in Cari Shores was Seamless
In April, Santiago ‘Santino’ Castillo stepped aside in Caribbean Shores to make way for current Belize City Mayor and aspiring Area Representative Darrell Bradley. That signalled the end of a [...]

SanCas Realty Unveiled in Belize
Christie’s is one of the world oldest and most prestigious art auction houses, but it is also a certified powerhouse in the real estate industry – high-end real estate. That’s [...]

FCIB Bank Robbers Out on Supreme Court Bail
The alleged robbers of the First Caribbean Bank heist were granted bail today when they appeared in the Supreme Court before Justice Antonette Moore.  All four men, Patrick Jones, Emmerson [...]

James Alvarez Convicted for Drug Trafficking
A Belize City man is spending his first night of what could possibly be six years behind bars on a conviction for drug trafficking. Sixty-one-year-old James Alvarez appeared unrepresented before [...]

Deputy ComPol Miguel Segura Sued by Family of Deceased Accident Victim
Deputy Commissioner of Police Miguel Segura, who remains on interdiction, following a fatal road traffic accident on August sixteenth, 2014, is being sued by the family of Yolanda Valencia.  The [...]

Eastern Division Receives Donation of Surveillance Equipment
The Eastern Division of the Police Department is the recipient of some much needed donation of surveillance equipment and other items to assist with intelligence-led policing methods. The donation, valued [...]

MusAID Hosts Concert at the Bliss
As a culmination to a two-week workshop done through MusAid and The National Youth Orchestra, a huge concert will take place tonight at the Bliss at seven. It will feature [...]

Summer Fest 2015 Recap
Summer Fest 2015 was held today during the Open Your Eyes morning show.  The stage outside of our studio was abuzz with the sights and sounds of young Belizean talent.  [...]

PlusTV

Yolanda Gomez responds to allegations
Earlier in our newscast we reported the explosive statements made by Ena Martinez, the chairwoman of the board of directors of the La Inmaculada Credit Union and President of the Credit union, in a pre-recorded statement in which she made pointed allegations against terminated General Manager of t...

FFB still raising monies for WorldCup hopes
Belize is doing well in football so far. The Verdes club obtained a point while playing against a highly skilled Queretaro , and Belize’s national team is still in the WorldCup Race. Belize’s National team has been in since July and has been in camp ever since training for their upcoming...

Agriculture Ministry working action plan for drought
On Tuesday we reported on the abnormally low percentage of rainfall that is affecting the country. Since May, the forecast for drought condition for Belize, done by using Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), indicated that Belize was on a drought warning. Farmers and livestock producers in the No...

Danny is First Hurricane of 2015 Season
Hurricane Danny is the first hurricane for this 2015 season. It is a category one hurricane but Belize has no need to worry at this time. That’s because the system is still about four days away from reaching the eastern Caribbean if it maintains its speed of 12 MPH and then it is expected to weaken...

Driver of vehicle who killed two kids still missing
The driver of a vehicle who killed two children is still missing. On Monday, August 16th, PlusTv reported on a fatal accident on the Hummingbird Highway which claimed the life of two children and injured 9 people. The driver absconded from the crash and police were not able to locate him. While at t...

Taiwan donates to Belize’s September Celebrations
Taiwan has made a huge donation towards Belize’s September Celebrations. His Excellency Benjamin Ho, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Belize handed over a cheque of $40,000.00 BZD to the Co-Chair of the National Celebrations Commission (NCC), Diane Haylock at the Bliss Centre for the...

Amandala

He went to Sarstoon and came back a national hero
About 130 Belizeans who travelled to Sarstoon Island at around midday on Sunday saw the heroic actions of Orlando De La Fuente, leader of the Northern Territorial Volunteers, and they have hailed him as a national hero for standing firm and not backing down in the face of the aggressive and intimidating Guatemalan navy, whose soldiers ordered him to turn back and began blocking his boat, the lead vessel in the small flotilla whose mission was to visit Sarstoon Island, which is in Belizean territory, but is claimed by Guatemala. De La Fuente demonstrated that he is made of steel, and his persistence was rewarded when he managed to breach the blockade by the Guatemalan navy boats and led his fellow Belizeans, in three other boats, around Sarstoon Island in a show of patriotism, to demonstrate that the island is a part of Belize, despite what Guatemala says.

Useless OAS!
Shortly before 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, Wil Maheia, the founder of the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV), expressed his frustration with the Organization of American States Observers (OAS), who were out on the Sarstoon River, where Guatemalan navy boats were behaving aggressively against the BTV, which had led a small flotilla of four boats in an expedition to Sarstoon Island, which is in Belizean territory. Speaking on KREM Radio, Maheia said, “We need to run the OAS out of Belize.” Maheia and Northern Territorial Volunteers leader, Orlando De La Fuente, and supporters who had undertaken the journey, were under constant threat from the Guatemalan navy, whose boats were deliberately bumping their boats, while the largest of the small flotilla was blocked by Guatemalan navy boats from going any further to circle Sarstoon Island, which was the goal of the expedition.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Miguel Segura sued
One year and four days ago, on August 16, 2014, there was a fatal traffic accident on the George Price Highway that claimed the life of Yolanda Consuelo Valencia, 55, at about 5:15 a.m. near Mile 71 on the George Price Highway, when a government-owned Nissan Pathfinder, driven at the time by Deputy Commissioner of Police Miguel Segura, slammed into a taxi in which Valencia was a passenger. Yolanda Valencia’s mother, Guadalupe Valencia, through her attorney, Kareem Musa, has filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court seeking damages for negligence in the death of her daughter. DCP Miguel Segura is named as the 1st defendant. The claim, which is #412 of 2015, also names the Commissioner of Police as the 2nd defendant, the Minister of National Security as the 3rd defendant, and the Attorney General of Belize as the 4th defendant.

PM Barrow sends “extremely strong protest note” to Guatemala
More than 72 hours after Guatemalan navy boats made incursions into Belizean territorial waters in the Sarstoon River, where they accosted over 130 heroic Belizeans inA an expedition led by the Belize Territorial Vaolunteers (BTV) to Sarstoon Island, located at the southern tip of Belize, Prime Minister Dean O. Barrow called a press conference today, Wednesday, the same day government received a report from OAS “observers,” who had failed to mention the incursion, and who were also intercepted by the Guatemalan navy in Belize territorial waters. PM Barrow told the media that he had sent an “an extremely strong protest note” to the Guatemalan government about its navy’s incursion into Belizean waters and its interception of Belizean boats going to Sarstoon Island. “Any unwitting Belizean entry into Guatemala by unarmed, civilian boats is of a different order completely from the deliberate violation committed against us by a presumably well-armed Guatemalan Navy. An extremely strong protest note has therefore been prepared by our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was approved just now by NSC [National Security Council] for immediate dispatch to the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry with a copy to the OAS,” Barrow said.

Easy Does It takes the first in the finals
Thanks to our generous and kind sponsors, SMART and BELIKIN, under the auspices of the Belize National Cricket Association, the Harrison Parks Cricket Competition finals continued over the weekend at Lemonal. Easy Does It, the home team, versus Wicked 11 of Flowers Bank. It was an easy one for Easy Does It, as they defeated Wicked 11 with a score of 270 to 162. Aaron Muslar top scored for Easy Does It with 63, and Walter Flowers took 3 wickets for Wicked 11. Shelton Robinson top scored with 32 for Wicked 11, while Herbert Banner took 4 wickets for the Easy boys. Aaron Muslar, after top scoring for the home team, went to his home and changed his uniform and came back to the playing area to socialize and breathe in the glory of helping his team to win the game.

Verdes draws with Queretaro for first SCCL point
Goalkeeper Benito Moreira made six saves to help Verdes FC earn an historic point in a 0-0 draw against visiting Queretaro in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League (SCCL) on Tuesday at FFB Stadium. Queretaro (1W-1D-0L, 4 points) held a 12-5 shot advantage and remained atop the Group C table although it couldn’t find the target in the first-ever SCCL match held on Belize soil. The host had lost both of its previous games in the competition, falling twice to Cruz Azul by the same 6-0 score in 2008/09 preliminary-round play. Verdes (0W-1D-0L, 1 point) and Panama’s San Francisco (0W-0D-1L, 0 points) will meet on August 26 to complete the first half of the group schedule. Edgar Benitez missed an early opportunity to put the Mexican side ahead, sending his first-time shot off a cross just wide of the left post in the 16th minute. In the 32nd minute, Mario Osuna got into a good position on the edge of the penalty area, but fired his effort straight at Moreira.

Editorial: Belizean crossroads
At this Wednesday afternoon’s press conference hosted by the Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. Dean O. Barrow, one of the aspects of the press conference which has remained with us afterwards was how much Brigadier-General David Jones, the commandant of the Belize Defence Force (BDF), was sounding like a politician. His line was, and he repeated it, that the initiatives of the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV) to “show their patriotism” were endangering his BDF soldiers. At the head table on Wednesday, from left to right, sat Belize Coast Guard Admiral John Borland, Foreign Affairs Minister Wilfred Elrington, Prime Minister Barrow, National Security Minister John Saldivar, and General Jones. Elrington and Saldivar never spoke. Shortly after the Prime Minister gave his extended opening statement and the questioning from the media began, the microphone was turned over to General Jones. Some BDF history is relevant here. When the BDF was formed in 1978, more than a decade after the Opposition National Independence Party (NIP) Leader, Hon. Philip Goldson, had issued a call for same in the National Assembly, the army was commanded by a British officer. In 1978, Belize was still a self-governing British colony. After independence in 1981, protocol demanded that command be turned over to a Belizean.

From the Publisher
I know I have fans out there who look forward to a column with every issue of our newspaper, but sometimes it’s very difficult to do this work. I don’t want to do a column just for doing a column’s sake, but most times I have to deal with the reality that this is how I feed myself and my family. This is my job. Here goes. This Tuesday evening, as I write, we Belizeans are an emotionally exhausted people. Sunday afternoon at the Sarstoon took a lot out of us. I know that is the main reason I have trouble cranking it up. I’m a tired senior Belizean. The ruling United Democratic Party (UDP) have taken a party line on this matter which does not allow for dissent within their ranks. Or, perhaps the party is so unified that there really isn’t any, dissent that is. I did hear the one Kenrick Ysaguirre on the UDP radio station this morning take issue with a National Security Council (NSC) release, based on information from Organization of American States’ (OAS) observers, which pointedly neglected to mention that Guatemala naval vessels and their armed personnel had clearly entered Belize’s territorial waters during last Sunday afternoon’s incidents.

Tell us the truth, PUP
Dear Editor, Kindly permit me space in your most read newspaper to direct the Belizean public to my critique of a statement made by the People’s United Party (PUP) and to inform Belizeans that going to the “International Court of Justice (ICJ) is a terrible mistake. I read with interest an article published in the Amandala of the 2nd August, 2015 with heading “No Ban On Military Bases.” I draw the attention of the Belizean public to the following which I quote from page fifty five (5): “The July 4th resolution of the PUP’s national executive says that, ‘we have as a party, always rejected in its totality, the unjust and unfounded claim of Guatemala to the land, maritime areas and insular waters of Belize.’” This article also states that the PUP is withdrawing its support of going to the ICJ. Even though I am a supporter of the Government and the UDP, I subscribe to the PUP position of not supporting us going to the ICJ. However, I draw to the PUP’s attention that it was under their administration with the help of the UDP and the “National Bi-Partisan Commission that drafted, explained and presented “The Maritime Areas Bill” to Parliament which became law as the “Maritime Areas Act” in 1991.

Back to School
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” In an effort to ensure that our children are well-prepared as they return to the classroom, this Wednesday, August 19, several organizations made donations to further the education and development of our children. Belize Telecommunications Ltd. (BTL) hosted its 24th annual high school scholarship award ceremony at the Best Western Biltmore Plaza Hotel, where it gave out 20 new scholarships to students. Nineteen were at the high school level and 1 was at the tertiary level. According to Lorena Martinez, BTL’s Public Relations Representative, BTL offers 75 scholarships each year; 20 recipients recently graduated, which made it possible to add 20 new recipients. These are full scholarships that cover tuition, books, fees, and tutoring lessons where needed.

“Just Us” making a difference in at-risk young people’s lives
Just Us Inc., in collaboration with the U.S. Department, has established Just Us Belize/American Belizean Technology and Education Center. This organization has been in Belize since January 2014. According to the director of the program, Gtoe S. Washington, Jr., “The program targets the at-risk youth population within Belize for the purpose of providing positive alternatives to gang, violent crime and drug trade.” The students first have to take job readiness training, which teaches them how to understand other people, how to deal with conflicts, and how to set goals. After taking that course, they can then enroll in one of the following courses: Graphic Design, Web Development, Programming, Basic Computer, Customer Service, Sales & Hospitality and Sewing. Washington went on to say that in the first year there were 109 graduates, and it is projected that 312 students will graduate by the end of the 2nd year, which ends on September 30, 2015.

Robbers, posing as cops, on the prowl
Three thieves pretending to be police officers went into the home of a couple on the Hattieville/Boom Road, in Hattieville, where they beat the wife and robbed the couple, getting away with about $600. Senior Superintendent Edward Broaster, Commanding Officer of Belize Rural Police, reported that at about 10:00 last night, three men dressed in camouflage went to the home of Irma Ortiz, 58, and Augustine Ramos, 62, and knocked on their door. Ramos opened their door because they saw that the men were wearing camouflage and thought that they were police officers. The three men then rushed into the house, held them up and stole about six hundred dollars. Ramos managed to escape the house and went to his neighbor and called police. The Rural Rapid Response Team arrived there and they were shown the direction in which the three robbers escaped. Police, along with some civilians and ex-BDF soldiers, chased the thieves, but to no avail – they had already escaped.

Traffic accident victim needs blood
Thirty-six-year-old Hilton Conorquie was the victim of a traffic accident at Mile 5 on the George Price Highway. His sister, Ingrid, said, “Conorquie had left work around 7 p.m. and is believed to have been knocked down about 8 p.m. He was left in an unconscious state. It was not until 2 a.m. that he was discovered by the police, who called for an ambulance that took him to Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.” According to Ingrid, the injuries he sustained include a broken left arm (from the shoulder to the elbow), a broken left leg, a broken rib, and a cut on his right hand. Also, his right foot was displaced, and his back was injured.

The Reporter

Venezuelan Vice President visits Belize to discuss Venezuela/Guyana land conflict
Making a brief stop in Belize on Friday was Venezuelan Vice President, Jorge Arreaza. The purpose of his visit was to meet with Prime Minister Dean Barrow to discuss the territorial dispute between Belize and Guyana. It was the wish and plan of the late Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro to have the Vice President and the Foreign Minister of Venezuela to visit all CARICOM countries to discuss the issue.

Ahmadiyyah Muslims worldwide gather in London England for 49th annual conference
Between 30,000 and 40,000 members of the Ahmadiyyah Muslim community from over 200 countries across the world are attending their annual conference or ‘Jalsa Salana’ in London England, where their association is headquartered. The purpose of the three-day event is to reinforce the mission of […]

BTB releases latest tourism stats
After months of showing overnight tourist arrival decreases, the industry is finally beginning, according to the Belize Tourism board. The Belize Tourism Board released the latest tourism arrival statistics on Friday. The data underscored that tourist arrivals for January to July have begun to show […]

16 year-old boy shot in failed ambush attempt
A 16-year-old boy, who was reportedly part of an attempted ambush attack, is in a critical but stable condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) after the attempt failed. According to police, at around 8:45 p.m. on Thursday, the 16-year old and two older […]

Guatemala’s Boldness Caused by GOB’s Weakness, Says PUP!
The People’s United Party has roundly criticized the Government of Belize in the wake of Sunday’s incident in the Sarstoon between Belize Territorial Volunteers and Guatemalan military. They say that the foreign policy of the government is feeble, which has allowed the Guatemalans to gain ground and put our territorial […]

GOB teams up with El Salvador for better health care
The governments of Belize and El Salvador have begun a working relationship aimed at benefitting the health care sectors of both countries. GOB announced this week that Minister of Health, Pablo Marin, Made a three-day trip to El Salvador at the invitation of Minister of […]

Fire guts pizza house in Hopkins
A business in Hopkins Village, was destroyed by fire on Saturday night, and fire officials are investigating whether or not its cause was the work of an arsonist. The business, Little Richard’s Pizzaria, located on the lower flat of the two storey uilding on […]

Ministry gives laptops to high schools
The Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports, through its collaboration with Price Waterhouse Coopers and Peaceworks International, donated 10 laptops to high schools this week, to aid their delivery of financial literacy and entrepreneurship materials in schools. The ministry handed over 2 Lenovo brand laptops […]

National Economy Threatened by Banking Crisis, PUP says
Is the economy of Belize under dire threat from recent, unprecedented events in the banking sector? People’s United Party Leader Francis Fonseca replied with an unequivocal YES at a press conference held at Independence Hall on Tuesday. “The crisis in the banking sector, the crisis in our banking system has […]

A Wave of Attacks
By Neri Briceno The media in any democracy is a part of, and is as important as any of the fundamental elements which constitute that democracy such as the legislature, the executive, the judiciary, the opposition and most importantly, the people themselves. Democracy does not operate within a vacuum and […]

Infant dies in traffic mishap
Ariani Rodriguez, an infant less than a year old, was killed in a traffic accident on Sunday evening when her vehicle careened off the Hummingbird Highway between miles 50 and 51, throwing her ont o the road. The baby was traveling with her parents […]

Police looking for missing 15-year-old girl active on social media
The Belize Police Department is seeking public assistance in t finding 15-year-old Nethania Acosta who was reported missing by her mother on Sunday. But Nathania has been active on the social media since the day she was last seen. According to police, Karen Acosta, […]

Was Brian Hyde seeking asylum in the US?
Reliable reports reaching The Reporter say that Brian Hyde, the 19 year-old Belizean from Belmopan, who was charged last week by Florida police with the murder of three members of his family, was seeking asylum in the US. Hyde fled Belize after being accused […]

Gian Gandhi passes away
Career public officer Gian Chand Ghandi, Senior Counsel, passed away at the age of 82 in Belmopan on Monday morning after battling with an unknown illness. At the time of his death Gandhi was Director General of the International Financial Services Commission (IFSC). He […]

2015: hottest year on record!
Temperatures for the first seven months of 2015 have shown that 2015 has been the hottest year on record, and the month just past, July, was the hottest one yet since 1891! Weather experts explain that El Niño is currently going through a strengthening […]

A focus on export can help Belize grow faster
As I have mentioned in previous Ripples, this writer supports the Inclusive Growth framework, of which growth is a pivotal cornerstone. But whether one adheres to the relatively young (and evolving) inclusive growth philosophies or to that of Pro-Poor growth, the common thread is that the country needs to grow. […]

Belize supports Guyana over Venezuela
The Government of Belize made its position clear on the matter involving Venezuela’s claim over a portion of Guyana’s maritime territory, declaring its whole-hearted and unwavering support for Guyana over Venezuela. Prime Minister Dean Barrow made the declaration of Belize’s foreign policy on the […]

Editorial
Because of the good offices of the Organization of American States, which was present as a silent observer, the visit of a group of more than a hundred and fifty Belizeans to Sarstoon Island last Sunday ended in the safe return of the protesters. The mission to visit Sarstoon Islands […]

Who trespassed? Guatemalan Navy Trespassed in Belize, Says PM
The Government of Belize has issued what it is calling “an extremely strong protest note” to the Government of Guatemala, following the attempted interception of Belizean vessels at the mouth of the Sarstoon River on Sunday. “It is my belief that what the O.A.S. calls the mouth of the Sarstoon […]

Sarstoon travellers rebutt PM’s statements on excursion
Several persons who travelled on the trip to the Sarstoon Island, hosted by the Belize Territorial Volunteers, held a press conference this week responding to statements made by Prime Minister Dean Barrow. Representatives from the BTV, the political third Party Vision Inspired by the People, […]

Verdes holds its own with 0-0 draw
The Gallos Blancos players’ long faces said it all as they left the locker room to board the bus for home. Ecstatic Verdes FC’ fans continued their celebration in the stands after the “Green Machine’s scoreless draw with the Gallos from the Mexican state of […]

Breaking Belize News

Police still clueless over Princess-MCC brawl
Saturday morning’s lawless all-out brawl along the Newtown Barracks between BTL Park and Princess Hotel and Casino and MCC Grounds left one man dead, four injured, and police with a major headache. According to ACP Dezerie Phillips, they still have yet to establish a motive, but they are […]

When mediation is not enough
The Police Department has been meeting with gang elements in Mayflower and Jane Usher Boulevard as well as PIV in Lake Independence and on the Northside as well. These efforts have so far mostly yielded positive results, with a reduction in the number of shootings and criminal complaints. […]

Police to unveil new Crime Analysis and Intelligence Unit
At the time of his rise to head one of the three sections of Eastern Division, the South Region, a month ago, Senior Superintendent of Police Chester Williams detailed his intention to make policing in Belize City more community and intelligence-led. With the support of his bosses in […]

BTB confirm rebound in overnight tourism
After a poor first quarter, overnight tourist arrivals show enough improvement to slow the reduction in figures to under one percent for the first seven months of 2015, according to the Belize Tourism Board. Meanwhile, cruise ship passenger arrivals have so far not made up the slack entirely, with a […]

Venezuela VP in Belize over territorial dispute with Guyana
It may not do much good, but the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela wants to tell its side of the territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana and is asking for its brothers in CARICOM to encourage Guyana to dialogue with them. Recently both the President of Guyana and the […]

UNHCR adds Belize to fight against statelessness
Statelessness, defined as having no nationality, affects 10 million people worldwide and a child is born without a state every 10 minutes. Being born without a nationality means that a person will be denied basic human rights such as the right to education and healthcare, so in an attempt to […]

Minor, 16, shot by accident in Belize City
There was a shooting incident in Belize City Thursday night, but the intended target was not harmed. In fact, it was one of the persons who lay in wait for him inside the compound of Queen Square Anglican Primary School who wound up hurt. Officer Commanding Eastern Division […]

Lifeless body of female discovered in San Ignacio Town
Reports coming out of San Ignacio Town is that the lifeless body of a female was discovered in her residence. According to Officer commanding the San Ignacio Police formation foul play is not suspected. He also added that no visible signs of injuries were seen on the body. This is […]

Gerald and Loida August on bail
Despite the objections of the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), former corporal in the Belize Defence Force Gerald August and his wife Loida August are out on bail of $5,000 each after a hearing before Supreme Court Justice Antoinette Moore. In February of this year […]

Hurricane Danny continues toward Leeward Islands
As of 3:00 p.m. local time, the National Meteorological Service of Belize reports that Hurricane Danny was centered near 14.5 degrees North latitude, 49.1 degrees West longitude or about 860 miles east of the Leeward Islands. Danny was moving West North West at 10 miles per hour with maximum sustained […]

16 year old recovers from gun shot at the KHMH
A 16 year old is listed in a critical but stable condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital following a shooting incident a little before 9 pm on Thursday. Information released by Police is that around 8:49 pm, they responded to a shooting incident in the vicinity of Fairweather Street […]

$8000 motorcycle stolen in the Cayo District
Twenty two year old Oscar Ramos reported to San Ignacio Police that sometime between August 19th and August 20th, someone stole his red and white 2006 Honda Motorcycle 65 R, bearing license plate PG M-00013 valued $8,000.00. Ramos claims that he had his motorcycle parked in front of his house […]

Woman’s house burgled in Orange Walk
Orange Walk Police are investigating a burglary, in which items valued at close to 12 thousand Belize dollars were stolen. 41 year old Shirleen Coote reported to police that between August 14 and 15 someone burglarized her home. An assortment of electronics, perfumes and bathroom supplies were missing. After making an assessment […]

Caribbean Shores businesses “targeted” by Mayor?
Mayor of Belize City Darrell Bradley wants to reduce trade license fees by 50% for all businesses in Belize City as a part of a plan to overhaul the entire tax system and make doing business here better. The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry has already called for a […]

Former General Manager of the LICU fires back and denies allegations of fraud
Following strong and damning allegations of Fraud by the Board of Directors at the LICU, former General Manager Yolanda Gomez has fired back. In her statement, Gomez quoted, “I have devoted most of my productive life to growing the credit union and ensuring that it becomes one […]

Warm and generally fair weather to prevail
The National Meteorological Service of Belize is predicting partly sunny skies this morning with generally isolated showers and thunderstorms. Skies will be mostly sunny this afternoon with little to no rainfall. Tonight, skies will be partly cloudy with the chance of an isolated thunderstorm in the South. Winds will blow […]

Blogs

10 REASONS TO VISIT AMBERGRIS CAYE AT THANKSGIVING
How many reasons do you need to say thanks for the opportunity to jettison the work and the stress involved in hosting a Thanksgiving dinner at home in favor of celebrating in Ambergris Caye, Belize’s #1 destination? You might not need all 10 to justify your trip, but in case you feel conflicted about abandoning the shopping, preparation and clean-up associated with this time of year, it can’t hurt to have a few reasons in reserve just in case you start to waffle! 1. Snorkel on Thanksgiving Day. Send home photos to friends and relatives whose most exciting experience is likely to be watching that day’s football games. You can watch the games, too—after you return from snorkeling where an underworld paradise that defies description may rival the most exciting touchdown.

13 Things About Belize That Might Surprise You
Belize is the hidden jewel of the Caribbean. It is an independent country lying in the south-east corner of the Yucatan Peninsula, and has a population of just over 350,000. Its history is fascinating, its natural beauty is amazing and its lifestyle will make you want to stay forever. Belize has many secrets. These thirteen might surprise you:- 1. Its barrier reef is the second biggest reef in the world. The reef was created on limestone fault blocks, not extinct volcanoes, as many assume. Its drop-offs descend thousands of feet into the clear Caribbean water 2. It has a plethora of national parks ranging from the country’s highest point, a mountain known as Doyle’s Delight, to beautiful coastal atolls 3. Wildlife is abundant. There are 500 types of tropical bird, 5 species of wildcat, 56 + species of snakes, 145 species of mammals and 139 species of reptiles and amphibians.

International Sources

UNHCR welcomes Belize's support to global initiative to reduce statelessness
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has welcomed Belize's landmark decision to join the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, the second accession by a Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member state and a strong example for the region. "UNHCR hopes to see the Americas as the first continent to end statelessness and Belize's accession is a step in the right direction," said Renata Dubini, Director of UNHCR's Americas Bureau. The Convention will enter into force for Belize on 12 November 2015. "This decision, along with reactivating its Refugee Eligibility Committee earlier this year, are excellent signs that Belize is emerging as a regional champion on international protection," said Shelly Pitterman, Regional Representative of UNHCR.

Southern Partnership Station-Joint High Speed Vessel 2015 (SPS-JHSV 15) completes mission in Beliz
U.S. Navy Diver and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician training teams completed their second stop of the SPS-JHSV 15 mission Aug. 21 in Big Creek, Belize as part of the Adaptive Force Package (AFP) onboard USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1), operated by the Military Sealift Command. USNS Spearhead is deployed in support of SPS-JHSV 15, a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored deployment focusing on enhancing cooperative partnerships with regional maritime services and improving operational readiness for all participating services. In addition, SPS-JHSV 15 provides the opportunity for U.S and partner nation forces to operate in the multinational environment, refine coordination, improve interoperability and demonstrate flexibility. While ashore in Belize, Navy Divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Company 3-1 from EODMU 3 and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians from Platoon 642, EODMU6 provided training and conducted subject matter expert exchanges (SMEEs) with their counterparts to increase partner nation’s capabilities to counter illicit trafficking and deal with explosive ordnance disposal.

MERR board member shares oceanic awareness in Central America
The Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute, in cooperation with the San Pedro House of Culture in Belize, shared information on the importance of oceanic awareness to several groups of at-risk Belizean youths who spent one week in the remote setting of North Ambergris Caye. Camp Basil Jones invited 100 youth to spend one week on the coast, where they participated in snorkeling, arts and crafts, life skills, kayaking, yoga and several educational presentations by MERR, Oceana Belize, the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and the National Emergency Management Organization of Belize, among others. MERR board member Rob Rector visited the camp weekly to provide information on the importance of sea turtle nesting areas and the overall importance of protecting the ocean and its inhabitance. “My family and I were vacationing in San Pedro for the month, and after reading about the camp, I thought it would be a great opportunity to give back to the island that has provided so many memories for me and my family,” he said.

NASA building satellite mission to improve hurricane forecasting
Ten years after Hurricane Katrina formed in the Atlantic, construction of NASA’s next-generation hurricane-observing satellite mission now is underway in Texas. NASA’s Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission, a constellation of eight microsatellites, will improve hurricane forecasting by making measurements of ocean surface winds in and near the eye wall of tropical cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes throughout their life cycle. CYGNSS will allow scientists to probe the inner core of hurricanes from space frequently for the first time, using both direct and reflected signals from existing GPS satellites to obtain estimates of surface wind speeds over the ocean. These measurements will advance forecasting methods by providing data that can lead to better predictions of hurricane tracks, intensities and storm surges. As the CYGNSS and GPS satellites circle Earth, their interaction will provide a new image of wind speeds over the entire tropics every few hours, whereas a single satellite supplies a new image every few days. The ability to better monitor and predict the rapid changes in hurricane intensity, such as those observed with Hurricane Katrina, is critical to hurricane forecasters and U.S. coastal communities.

Videos

August 21, 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, LOVETV, PGTV, West Vision (Cayo) and CTV 3
Also with the most recent Open Your Eyes, Rise and Shine Morning Show, and the Dickie Bradley Specials

The San Pedro Sun

San Pedro welcomes NBA Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
American National Basketball Association (NBA) Hall of Famer and six time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kareem Abdul- Jabbar is on Ambergris Caye. During a 20 year career with NBA franchise Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks Abdul-Jabbar set records and today remains the NBA’s all -time leading scorer with 38,387 points.

SPSC launches Special Needs Sail Training program
On Friday, August 14th, the San Pedro Sailing Club (SPSC) hosted the first ever Special Needs Sail Training Program session. With equipment being provided by the Belize Sailing Center, one island child living with a disability was trained in Optimist sailing techniques. The Special Needs Sail Training session was a collaborative effort between SPSC and Ambergris Caye Camp Starfish.

El Pescador donates to San Pedro Town Library
26 children’s books were donated to the San Pedro Town Library on Thursday, August 13th courtesy of El Pescador Resort. The donation was well received and with the new school year quickly approaching, children will now have more material to continue developing their reading skills at the library. Assistant Librarian, Brianne Leiva received the donation and encourages everyone to continue make good use of the library services. “We are happy to continue getting the support from everyone and of course the helpful donations that improve our services. The library offers a wide range of services such as access to internet, assistance in research for students, vast information of different topics, educational programs as well as an open space for meetings which can be arranged ahead of time,” said Leiva.

Ambergris Today

El Salvador Offers Specialty Scholarships to Belizean Doctors
Minister of Health Hon. Pablo Marin recently returned from an official visit to San Salvador, El Salvador on the invitation of the Minister of Health of El Salvador, Dr. Elvia Violeta Menjivar and her deputy, Dr. Julio Robles Ticas. The three-day visit from the 12th – 14th August allowed for further discussions to finalize a Memorandum of Understanding for mutual health benefits in human resource development and information sharing between both countries. While negotiations continue, the Government of El Salvador has offered to provide free services through the visit of a medical team at the end of this month and has also offered 21 scholarships in various medical specialty areas to Belizean doctors.

Channel 7

Prime Minister Meets With NTV; Common Cause Reached
Last night, you saw extensive coverage of the Prime Minister's Press Conference in which he discussed the issues and implications surrounding the activities of the Belize Territorial Volunteers. He praised the patriotism of the volunteers, and announced that a diplomatic protest has been made against the aggressive incursion of the Guatemalan Navy, but, after all that, he implored the volunteers not to make another trip to the Sarstoon River and Island. Part of the reason for that is the danger to civilians, but also because it strains the military relations between the Belize and Guatemalan armies. Brigadier General David Jones said it plainly: because of the actions of the territorial volunteers, the lives of his soldiers are being endangered. But, still, the Prime Minister today held a meeting with the leaders of the Northern Territorial Volunteers, which is a completely separate group from the Belize Territorial Volunteers - though they share similar ideas and goals.

GOB Will Try To Chart A Protocol For Sarstoon
While Sunday's trip has, from the perspective of the Government, done more harm than good, it did clarify what the Guatemalan position is on the Sarstoon River. What they believe is that the Sarstoon Island and the entire Sarstoon River belongs to them, and they consider that while Belize is part of their country, the Belizean territory starts north of the banks of the Sarstoon River. Right now, there is no protocol on how the militaries and civilian law enforcement agencies of both countries should engage each other while on the Sarstoon River. There is the well-established protocol of linkup patrols between both militaries at the Western Border. So, now that the lives of the soldiers who operate at Cadenas are being endangered, there is an urgent need of a protocol for the Sarstoon area. That is made even more urgent by the fact that, as you heard in our interview, the Northern Territorial Volunteers intend, at some point in the near future, to make another trip at Gracias A Dios, a border marker also accessible by only boat travel through the river. The Prime Minister and Government recognizes the need for the establishment of that protocol for Sarstoon, and he discussed what actions will be taken to address the issue:

Despite the Warnings, Wil Maheia Will Go Back To Sarstoon
And if you thought the warning about the dangers to civilians would have been heeded by the leaders of the Belize Territorial Volunteers, you thought wrong. This morning, while the Prime Minister was meeting with the Northern Territorial Volunteers, Wil Maheia, the founder of the Volunteer activist movement, and the leader of the Belize Territorial Volunteers, was part of a press conference held by the independent political party, Vision Inspired by the People. He declared on national television that not only will the Territorial Volunteers continue to visit the Sarstoon Area, they will try to patrol with the military. Here's how he described it: Wil Maheia - Founder/Leader, Belize Territorial Volunteers "As a member of the BTV, I want the Belizean public to know today, because it's not the first time that they have said to the Belizean public that the BDF makes weekly Tuesday patrols on the Sarstoon River. Well, take not BDF.

LICU Board Drops A Bomb; Half A Mill In Mismanagement And Loss
For months, the dispute between the La Inmaculada Credit Union and its former General Manager Yolanda Gomez has been simmering. That culminated at the end of July when Gomez was terminated - after 24 years at the Credit Union. Since then, members who support her have circulated a petition and enough of them signed it, to force a special general meeting on Saturday in Orange Walk. The petition has four points - and the last asks about the dismissal of Gomez - who, after two decades at the biggest credit union in the north - had become a quote beloved figure in the community - one who has popular support. Sensing perhaps that her supporters could be gaining momentum which would lead to further upheaval at Saturday's Annual General Meeting - the Board of Directors has done a most unusual thing. The President Ena Martinez recorded a 12 minute statement making some rather dramatic disclosures about the tenure of Yolanda Gomez. She says these are the findings of a special audit by Chartered Accountant Cedric Flowers and a review by the Central Bank:

Eastern Division South Tries To Reach Out To PIV
For weeks we've been reporting on the re-structuring of the biggest police formation in the country - that's the eastern division. Unless you've been under a rock somewhere you'll know that it's been split into three: Easter-South, Eastern North and Eastern Rural. The top brass says it's made for better policing - and the media can tell you it's made for a lot more news. We're not the kind to look gift horses in the mouth, but the new commanders have sure been busy with press appearances. Tonight we have three - one from each formation: south, north and rural. We start in the southside - where community policing is the operative terms. The commanders have been busy making visits in neighborhoods that have gang problems. The area called "back a complex" is one of those - where the PIV gang is dominant. Today we found the second in command for the Southside in the area of Lacroix Boulevard and he told us that making community interventions saves them from having to respond to crime:. Alden Dawson, OC - Police Precinct 2 "We intend to sustain this as long we need to and that will definitely continue." Jules Vasquez "Now these specific officers you have out here are they the community officers that ae tasked to work this area?"

Mayor's Political Opponent Claims Uneven Taxation In Caribbean Shores
On last week Wednesday, we told you about the forums held by the Belize City business community and Mayor Darrell Bradley's administration to discuss how to fix what is broken with tax regime of the city. As we told you, the Mayor's plan is at the initial stage to give all tax payers a 50% reduction in the short term. That's while the task force set up to deal with this issue can come up with solutions to overhaul the entire system. Well, PUP's Kareem Musa, the Opposition's standard bearer for Caribbean Shores, takes issues with the tax break. Musa claims to be representing the sentiments of tax payers in Caribbean Shores, and as viewers know very well, he's Bradley's political opponent in that constituency. He says that he's been going around to the voters in the area, and the urgent concerns of those who've spoken to him is that the tax system is uneven in the way it is assessed. And so, those residents and business owners from that area say that they are paying higher taxes than the other 9 constituencies in the city.

VIP...
At the top of the news, we told you about how the independent political party, Vision Inspired by the People, held a press conference to discuss their perspective of Sunday's trip to Sarstoon Island, and how the Government handled the situation. Not surprisingly, they condemn it, and they say that it is just another example of how the other Mass political party has mishandled the situation while in Government. Here's a few excerpts from their comments: Paco Smith - Member, VIP "I am a member of the BTV and I stood in solidarity with patriotic individuals like Wil Maheia and the brother form the diaspora Mr. Hubert Pipersburgh just to name a few. I feel compelled to stress this point, because a long with the aforesaid gentleman the VIP has been on the frontline with the BTV long before it became politically expedient, fashionable or even involved to accompany the BTV on its treks to the border areas." Wil Maheia - Leader, BTV/PNP "I was born and raise in the Toledo District and I have been going to Sarstoon River all my life and while growing up we work that river and there were several Belizean families living on the banks of the Sarstoon River. So, I don't know what has changed between then and now, but hearing the Commander making statements that it is almost impossible to build on the bank of the Sartsoon River tell me a lot the knowledge the commander have about the grounds in this country."

The Tribulations Of Joseph Nunez
Viewers may remember Joseph Nunez, he's the Belize City Council employee who made the news in June 2014 after he was arrested and charged by the police after he was caught with a weapon that he had no licensed for. His story was of high interest because critics of the oppressive gun law regime say that he ought not to have been charged and sent to jail because he was acting as a good samaritan. He said that he took away the gun from his friend who was a licensed holder because he was having marital problems and he had been drinking. Nunez says that he asked his friend to hand over the weapon for fear that he might use it on his wife. Unfortunately, he was stopped by police with the weapon on his way home, and that's when he was arrested and charged, no questions asked. Well he's been fighting his case, and on last week Friday, he told us how he managed to get himself acquitted of all charges a few weeks ago: Joseph Nunez - Former Prosecutor, Belize City Council "I was at my friend's house at 33rd Dougal Street socializing when I saw he and his wife got into an altercation, but prior to that, in the day he was at my house having some beers and he made mention that he and his wife were having some problems. So he ask me to accompany him to the house. Hence the reason I went over that side and while there, him and his wife got into an altercation. So I decided that just since I am your friend, hand over the firearm because I don't want you to use it on your wife."

Majestic Alley Gets Some Attention From City Cops
The clean-up efforts by the Eastern Police Department North continues in the city. Last week we told you about the cleanup campaign in the Pickstock area. Well today the police teamed up once again with CISCO and the Belize City council to tackle the Majestic Alley Community. The cleanup campaign started at 6 this morning.

Eastern Rural Cop Awarded For Bravery
This morning PC 225 Randy Lyons was awarded for bravery by the Eastern Police Division Rural. Lyons received a certificate and monetary award of five hundred dollars after saving the lives of the police youth cadet. The incident happened 2 weeks ago while on a trip in the Stann Creek district. The group of police cadets were attacked by killer bees. Some of the Police Cadets had to be taken to the Southern Regional hospital for medical treatment.

The Sarstoon; In A Time Of Calmer Waters And Moods
For the past 10 days, or so the Sarstoon Island has been dominating the headlines. And, it continued tonight. But, truth is this little scratch of territory has been making news from 2007. That's when we first visited - at the time the issue was also Guatemala - but it wasn't about the Navy more about the fishermen. But, what strikes us as we look at it now is how relaxed the river mouth was at that time - there was no confrontation, no ramming, just pretty much easy going. We were accompanying SATIIM and the then Minister of Fisheries Vildo Marin - and here's how our trip went:. Posted (January 19, 2007) This is called Sarstun Island - a small cluster of land at the middle of the mouth of the Sarstun River - and it's what fisheries personnel use to mark the boundary between Belize and Guatemala. 200 yards to the to the south, is Barra Sarstun a small Guatemalan fishing village. Made up mostly of thatch houses, it is where Guatemalan territory begins - and the village is most known for the small military base that the Guatemalan Armed Forces maintains there.

Channel 5

Northern Territorial Volunteers Meet with PM Barrow
This morning, three representatives from the Northern Territorial Volunteers met with Prime Minister Dean Barrow at his Belize City office. The NTV is a different entity from the Belize Territorial [...]

PM – Any Assertion of Sovereignty Should be Handled by B.D.F. and Diplomatic Corps
At a press conference on Wednesday, PM Barrow sent out an appeal that any assertion of sovereignty should be left to the military and to diplomats. B.D.F. Commander, Brigadier-General David [...]

Did B.T.V. Trek Change Status Quo of Military Encounters in Sarstoon?
Apart from accusing the BTV of endangering the lives of his soldiers, Brigadier General Jones goes further to blame them for the aggression of Guatemalan soldiers at the Sarstoon, claiming [...]

What’s Next for Territorial Volunteers?
So what’s next for the Northern Territorial Volunteers? Another expedition, of course! But it likely will not be back to the Sarstoon or to the Gracias a Dios border marker [...]

Prime Minister and B.D.F. Commander Sing From Different Hymn Books
The first release from the National Security Council, issued just before the expedition on Sunday, broke the news of “countless encounters” between the B.D.F. and Guatemalan military. The release speaks [...]

Wil Maheia Challenges B.D.F. to Build F.O.B. at Sarstoon
Brigadier General Jones has gone on record to say that the mutual relationship between the Guatemalan and Belizean armed forces is now vulnerable, thanks to the unsolicited trek to Sarstoon [...]

Failed Foreign Policies to Blame for B.T.V. Confrontation, Says V.I.P.
At a press conference held this morning, Vision Inspired by the People presented its position on what transpired in the Sarstoon over the weekend.  According to Paco Smith, the confrontation [...]

Is Fear of Dengue Reason Why B.D.F. is Reluctant to Build F.O.B. on Sarstoon Island?
So will the Coast Guard’s Forward Operating Base be constructed at the mouth of the Sarstoon? And if so…when? The F.O.B. has been on the drawing board for eight years [...]

Coast Guard Commander Explains Absence from B.T.V. Expedition
On Sunday, the Coast Guard made its presence felt in Barranco, as they checked to ensure the safety of passengers and vessels headed to the Sarstoon. But they couldn’t do [...]

Belize Unity Alliance Wants to Recruit You
The Belize Unity Alliance, an organization which aims to bring together and galvanize all third parties, is very much a part of the present geopolitical picture.  Led by former Placencia [...]

Driver in Fatal Road Traffic Accident Wanted by Ladyville Police
Last Friday, thirty-year-old Shane Goff and fifty-two-year-old Alden Locke were killed in a traffic accident that occurred around five-thirty between miles six and seven on the Philip Goldson Highway. The [...]

Police Officer Recognized for Rescuing Cadets from Killer Bees
Today, the Ladyville precinct of the Rural Eastern Division of the Police Department came alive as one of the officers attached to the formation was honored. Police Constable, two-two-five Randy [...]

Police and CitCo Clean Up Majestic Alley
Last week the Police, Belize City Council, and residents cleaned out the Pickstock Hutment known as the “The Jungle” and this week the Police Department is back at it again [...]

George Street Affiliate Arraigned for Attempted Murder
George Street associate, twenty-three-year-old Shane Harris Senior has been charged for the shooting of a seventeen-year-old on Sunday morning.  The minor was injured in a drive-by shooting at the corners [...]

Taxi Driver Michael Andrews Indicted on Rape Charge
A forty-five-year-old Belize City taxi man stands accused of raping a forty-one-year-old woman from the Belama area. Today, Michael Andrews Senior appeared unrepresented before Acting Chief Magistrate, Patricia Arana, where [...]

MusAid Hosts Music Workshop with National Youth Orchestra
MusAid is a non-profit organization that seeks to help musicians around the world is in Belize once again. Partnering with the National Youth Orchestra, MusAid, with the support of guest [...]

Healthy Living and Diarrhea Dos and Don’ts
It’s not one of the most comfortable issues to talk about but, as one of the most commonly reported illness; we figured there must be some information that you needed [...]

CTV3

PM Meets With Representatives of National Territorial Volunteers
Months after requesting an audience with the Prime Minister, today the Northern Territorial Volunteers were successful and met with the PM to discuss the groups concerns and objectives. President of the NTV, Giovanni De La Fuente spoke to the media after his briefing with the PM today in Belize City. De la Fuente says the PM has agreed and recognized that more education is needed about Belize’s border points. “Basically what occurred was that we came here and we met with the Prime Minister and we briefed him on the goals and objective of the NTV and as you well know the goals and objectives of the NTV briefly outlining it relates to educating the Belizean people about their border markers more specifically the Western Border marker between Guatemala and Belize so the Prime Minister has been enlightened and briefed about the goals and objectives of the NTV and we discussed the area of education and we both agreed that more needs to be done in the country of Belize to educate especially the primary schools...

BTV Leader Explains Incursions Are Happening Down South
And while the Prime Minister met with the leader of the Northern Territorial Volunteers, Giovanni De La Fuente, as was requested by the group some time ago, Belizeans and other representatives of the group and those of the Belize Territorial Volunteers were left wondering why the P.M did not meet with leader of BTV Wil Mejia. Was the Prime Minister looking to divide the volunteers? We spoke with Mejia today and he explained that the meeting with the PM was not related to the incursions down south. WIL MEHEIA – Leader, BTV: “No, no really I have no gripes I mean this is something that those guys send to the PM months ago and I believe as the PM used this as an opportunity to divide and conquer but I don’t think it will work in my opinion…” Maria Novelo – Reporter: “Have they told you what the outcome of that meeting is?” WIL MEHEIA – Leader, BTV: “Yes which basically hardly has anything to do with what we are doing so they focus more up north but the issue is happening down south and our issue is the incursion happening from Garbut Falls to the Sarstoon.”

PM Brushes Off Question Pertaining Minister Of foreign Affairs Actions
The statements made, in fact, the position taken by the Prime Minister in Wednesday’s press conference is notably different from that of the Foreign Minister who has been widely accused of being appeasing to the Guatemalans. When asked whether the Foreign Minister may be misrepresenting the Government’s position in the matter, the Prime Minister basically brushed the question off. Honorable Dean Barrow – Prime Minister of Belize: “But you see sir, you based your question on a judgment you make on Mister Elrington’s utterances. I don’t know that I accept your judgment.” Reporter: “But it’s on the record sir…” Honorable Dean Barrow – Prime Minister of Belize: “But, but…I’m not saying I don’t, I’m not saying I do, but you surely will understand I can’t answer a question that’s premised on your judgment. All I can do sir, is to repeat that there are ministers, they are responsible for their portfolios, they make their statements in connection therewith. Ultimately, if I have to speak on any issue in any minister’s portfolio that becomes the authoritative line.”

First Hurricane Danny To Form In The Atlantic
Forecasters have their eyes on Hurricane Danny; the first storm of the Season to have developed into a full blown storm. According to the Hurricane Center in Washington, Danny has exploded to life overnight and is now a hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph. Hurricane Danny’s forward speed is just 12 mph, meaning it is still about four days away from reaching the eastern Caribbean if it maintains this speed. The official forecast from the National Hurricane Center calls for Danny to maintain its hurricane strength through Sunday as it approaches the Lesser Antilles islands. The Hurricane Center suggests Danny will continue west toward the Caribbean over the weekend, reaching the Lesser Antilles on Monday and then weakening to a tropical storm. By Tuesday, Danny could be close to Puerto Rico, though there’s still a lot of uncertainty about whether Danny will be able to maintain any intensity through early next week. And given what we know now, it is still far too uncertain for anyone beyond the Leeward Islands to be on alert for Danny. The center stresses that the storm won’t reach the Leeward Islands for another four days, and a lot can change in the meantime. We’ll keep monitoring this storm and bring you updates.

LOVE FM

Prime Minister says no confusion on sovereignty of Sarstoon
On Wednesday Prime Minister Dean Barrow hosted a press conference to address the Sarstoon Island expedition which took place on Sunday. He said after revision of video footage and the report from the OAS, the Government is indeed sending a note of protest to Guatemala over the incident. While the protest note is reportedly on […]

Members of NTV meet with Prime Minister
Yesterday Prime Minister Dean Barrow said he would be meeting with Orlando de la Fuente of the Northern Territorial Volunteers. A meeting took place today but it was Orlando’s brothers, Giovanni and Phillip de la Fuente who met with Prime Minister Dean Barrow at his office on Coney Drive in Belize City. This meeting comes […]

BTV responds to BDF Commander
During the Prime Minister’s press conference yesterday, Commander of the Belize Defense Force, Brigadier General David Jones, expressed that due to the activities of the Belize Territorial Volunteers, his soldiers have begun having problems with Guatemalan Armed forces in that area. Leader of the BTV, Wil Maheia rebutted Jones’ assertions. He said Brigadier General Jones […]

More border expeditions planned
Like Wil Maheia, Giovanni de la Fuente will continue to lead expeditions to different border points. De la Fuente is more focused on educating people about the different border markers. Volunteers had travelled to the Gracias Adios border marking in March and had installed a plaque with the name “Belize” on it. However, days after, […]

LICU Board speaks of firing of General Manager
The controversy over the termination of Yolanda Gomez as the general Manager of the La Inmaculada Credit Union has taken another turn, as on Wednesday night, the Board of Directors issued a recorded statement. Before this, Gomez’s supporters have been asking for answers, something they said was not forthcoming from the Board of Directors. After […]

Former LICU Board President says more answers needed
And while members of La Inmaculada Credit Union wait for Saturday to get a detailed explanation about the special financial investigation currently underway at the institution, former Board of Directors President, Amory Jacobs has shared his opinion about the position taken by the current board. Jacobs has come down hard and critical about the statement […]

VIP stands firm on No to the ICJ
The Vision Inspired by the People, VIP, has been very vocal in regards to the Guatemala’s claim over Belize. Today the VIP called a press conference to reiterate their position on the matter and to demonstrate their support for the initiatives of the Belize Territorial Volunteers. Paco Smith – VIP ““The VIP calls on Belizeans […]

Man charged for attempted murder of minor
Twenty-three year old Shane Harris, an unemployed of a George Street address, who allegedly shot a 17-year-old minor, was charged with attempted murder when he appeared today before Acting Chief Magistrate Patricia Arana. Harris was also charged with grievous harm and use of deadly means of harm. Acting Chief Magistrate told him that she will […]

Taiwan donates to Belize’s celebrations
Taiwanese Ambassador Benjamin Ho today handed over a cheque of forty thousand dollars to the co-Chair of the National Celebrations Commission, Diane Haylock. In presenting the cheque, Ambassador Ho reiterated the importance his Government places on culture promotion and exchange, and his appreciation for the rich cultural elements in the Calendar of Events in honour […]

Police Officer recognized for bravery
Today, PC 225, Randy Lyons, was recognized for his bravery. Two weeks ago, PC Lyons was out on a field trip down south with fellow police officers and police cadets. When they visited a cave, a swarm of killer bees attacked a group of cadets. PC Lyons’ quick thinking and response led him to save […]

Charges pending for fatal RTA
Last Friday we reported on a fatal traffic accident in which Alden Rudolph Locke and Shane Goff died. The accident happened between mile 6 and 7 of the Phillip Goldson Highway and it was reported that a white Mercedes Benz being driven at the time by twenty four year old Eaton Belisle, reportedly lost control […]

New film being shot in Toledo District
Paul Mahung reporting... “The movie production crew from California arrived earlier this week in Punta Gorda where filming of a movie entitled “Torch” began at different central locations in town. The director of the movie production is Christopher Coppola along with his son Bailey Coppola who as assistant director spoke of his love of Belize […]

Family gets new home
Today Love Foundation and its partners officially handed over a house to a single mother of three. Judy Turton reporting… “Two weeks ago we featured LIcia Diaz who had move into a new home. Diaz shared with us some of the challenges she faced, including abuse. Diaz’s new home was made possible through the efforts […]

Income generation project for prison inmates
When the public hears of the Kolbe Foundation, it is centered on work they do, that of managing the Belize Central Prison. Love News visited the prison where we got a closer look and some of what goes on behind the prison walls. Chief Executive Officer, Virgilo Murrillo told us about the efforts they have […]

PlusTV

Belize protests Guatemalan incursion at Sarstoon Island
Prime Minister Dean Barrow says that Guatemalan military boats intercepted Belizean Territorial Volunteers in Belizean Waters on Sunday. And the fact that armed forces of the Guatemalan navy entered Belizean waters in order to prevent unarmed Belizeans, members of the Belize Territorial Volunteers (...

How will military respond in wake of BTV incident?
There are many dimensions to the handling of the incident in the Sarstoon and one of them concerns military relations between Belize and Guatemala. Prime Minister Barrow told today’s gathering that one of the reasons why the BTV’s intervention was not needed is that the military, facing ...

P.M. defends Foreign Minister over media comment
Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington was silent for all of today’s Prime Ministerial Press Conference, and that is for a reason. The Minister, speaking in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s events to Amandala, insisted that formal confirmation from the OAS was needed and that t...

Verdes Held Its Ground
Belize’s Verdes FC played their debut match for the 2015 Scotia Bank Champions League at the FFB stadium last night after making its latest addition to the squad, bringing in three Brazilian players and star striker Deon McCauley. After an intense 95 minutes of game play, Verdes held their gro...

From Proud Rio Hondo to Old Sarstoon
Sunday, August 16th 2015 was a historic day in Belizean history, as over 120 Belizeans travelled to the Sarstoon Island to plant flags to show that the island is Belize’s and no Guatemalan claim can change that. The day started off by travelling to Punta Gorda to board Belizeans Vessels as they emb...

Hope for Life Completes One Year
Yesterday, August 18th marked the 1 year anniversary for the Hope For Life Pregnancy Center. The Hope For Life initiative started in August last year as the first pregnancy center in the Belmopan Area. One of the founding board members, Andrea Rodriguez, told us what has been accomplished in a year ...

Taxi driver charged with rape
Despite his protests, 45 year old taxi operator Michael Andrews of Kraal Road in Belize City has been accused of raping a 41 year old woman late last week. The complainant told police that on August 15 Andrews went to her residence in Belama Phase II and forced sexual intercourse with her. Andrews a...

The Guardian

PM Barrow Condemns Actions of Guatemalan
The Government of Belize sent “an extremely strong protest note” to the Government of Guatemala on Wednesday afternoon, August 19, for condemning the actions of its navy on the Belize side of the Sarstoon River on Sunday, August 16. Guatemalan naval boats intercepted five civilian vessels that were transporting Belizeans to the Sarstoon Island on a Sunday expedition. Based on accounts from the passengers on the boat, which included members of the group known as the Belize Territorial Volunteers and members of the media, the interception occurred “squarely in Belizean territory”. These testimonies were supported by the report of Magdalena Talamas, Chief of the O.A.S. Peace Fund, who observed the Belizean excursion. Talemas reports that the interception took place at “the mouth of the Sarstoon River”. Prime Minister Barrow said, “It is my belief that what the OAS describes as the mouth of the Sarstoon River, is clearly in Belizean waters, and that the Guatemalan Navy committed an incursion when they intercepted our boats at that spot.”

Francis Smith rips Francis Fonseca’s head off
It was an unusual occurrence on Sunday August 16 when Francis Smith defied his party leader, Francis Fonseca publicly. The defiance came after he along with 10 other dissenters to Fonseca's leadership had been publicly threatened by Fonseca that they had to attend a rally at Big Falls in the Toledo District or else face the consequences. Well Smith told him in no uncertain terms- go to hell- he not only boycotted the rally, but in a crude fashion called out Fonseca. On Sunday, while the rally was in full swing, he sat in his office in Belize City, called the media in and figuratively ripped Fonseca's head off. He went to great lengths to say that he could care less about any consequences that his absence from the rally would befall him. He even went further to call out Fonseca, again reiterating that there are at least 10 more like him who want Francis Fonseca removed as leader via an election.

Territorial Volunteers’ actions endangering BDF soldiers say
Prime Minister Dean Barrow held a press conference on Wednesday to discuss the Sarstoon Island situation with the media. While Prime Minister Barrow gave the government’s position on the matter so too did the commander of the Belize Defence Force, General David Jones. In a plain spoken manner, Jones explained that what the territorial volunteers have been doing with visits to various locations on the border, and most recently the visit to the Sarstoon Island was not only ill advised but is putting in jeopardy decades of military practice which the BDF has been exercising. The BDF commander stated that as a result of the increased activity by civilians in the Sarstoon area the Guatemalan armed forces have changed the way they interact with the BDF as they go about doing their duties in the areas. He expressed concern that the Territorial Volunteers’ actions can change the military to military relationship between the two countries. Jones went further to state that the Guatemalan military boats now follow Belizean soldiers as they go to their posts in Cadenas, an action which was not done in the past. The entire involvement of civilians where military personnel should be the ones conducting their duties is actually endangering the BDF said Jones.

Doctor Smith Prescribes remedy to the PUP ailments
The Doctor on Sunday did a diagnosis on the patient named PEOPLE'S UNITED PARTY (PUP) Being an Orthopedic Specialist he ordered some X-Rays and an MRI for this patient, and as soon as those tests were completed the results revealed what we had all suspected since 2003 . The patient was suffering from a condition know as CORRUPTION SYMPLECTUS known locally as Rotten Bone Cancer. This is a condition where the rotten bone attacks the Pocket and causes holes to be made in the pocket causing the contents to fall out the pocket. There is only one treatment to stop this condition and that is bone transplant surgery and because this cancer has an opportunistic characteristic all those bones around the cancerous bones must also be removed. This cancer's survival is dependent on another condition known as NEPOTISM aka Family Connections /Oldguard Syndrome, so those too must also be removed. That is the only hope the patient has of returning to good health. The Prescription :- On Sunday Dr. Francis Smith, called the media to his office at Belize Medical Associates to explain that he didn't go to Punta Gorda because he has political work to do, rather than being in what he calls a show:...

BTL Welcomes 20 to Scholarship Family
Nineteen scholars from working class homes are getting ready to start their high school education with the assurance that financial limitations will not be an impediment to their education. Noelle Roberts, Luis Lara, Dalton Franklin Jr., Kayah Arnold, Kaylan Garbutt, Keisha Ferguson, Kristen LaCroix, Mikhael Smith, Sinead Ireland, Jenifer Guevara, Axel Ewan, Zeidy Ayuso, Brithney Longsworth, Antonie Sanchez, Glenford Pook, Jonathan Balan, Ashira Woods, William Locario and Luis Santos are recipients of the 2015 Belize Telemedia Limited Scholarship Awards. The scholarship recipients were hosted at a reception on Wednesday, August 19, at the Biltmore Plaza where BTL’s Chairman Nestor Vasquez congratulated the distinguished scholars. These individuals were selected from a pool of over 200 exceptional applicants. The BTL Scholarship Committee reviewed all applications and selected a group based on financial need, academic performance over the last three years of primary school and performance in the Primary School Examinations. Those candidates were called in for an interview with the committee during which they were asked questions that did not appear on the application form. Based on those interviews, the committee awarded scholarships to nineteen students.

A look at Belize’s public debt
I have heard several commentators make strong assertions about the state of the public finances and public debt, that have caused me to pause. Commentators have suggested, for example, that government is “borrowing at an unprecedented rate” or that the debt to GDP ratio has risen to “unprecedented levels”. These assertions tend to be made without providing the supporting evidence and, having been involved in finding solutions to the fiscal and debt crisis of the mid-2000’s, I know that these comments are not based on accurate information. A lot of information on the Belizean economy is available on the internet at the websites of the Central Bank of Belize, the Statistical Institute of Belize, the International Monetary Fund and other institutions and I encourage anyone interested in informed discussion, especially public commentators and opinion-makers, to peruse these data and to arm themselves with accurate information, so as not to inadvertently mislead the public.

Contract signed for more Belizean Cacao to be exported to Belgium
A contract was signed between the Toledo Cacao Growers Association and Dutch importer, Daarnhouwer, for an initial purchase of 14 metric tons of cacao beans in the next quarter. The contract was secured after a visit was made to Amsterdam in February by a team from Beltraide led by CEO Michael Sing. That was subsequently followed up by other meetings held in July to finalize the deal. With the signing of this first shipment there is the possibility that larger and more frequent purchases are made. Currently there are opportunities for the Toledo Cacao Growers Association to improve logistical distribution in Europe through contacts made by the Embassy in Amsterdam. There is also the possibility of accessing development funding for the industry in Brussels as well. These can include investment in the value chain of cacao supply. Accordin to Dylan Vernon, Ambassador of Belize to Belgium “there is significant interest in Europe in the high quality organic beans Belize produces and this deal is just a small first step.”

Sarstoon Island not suitable for forward operating base
General David Jones on Wednesday August 19 declared that based on studies of the Sarstoon Island, it is not suitable for the construction of a forward operating base as had been intended by the Coast Guard to do law enforcement in the area. Jones said that at this point there is no issue with constructing a forward operating base however there has been difficulty in trying to locate an appropriate site for the base's construction. He said that the terrain on the Sarstoon Island is swampy and "it is not practical to build a base there, even if it is strategic to build a base there to say the island is ours." He continued to say that the BDF has located two areas on the north side of the Sarstoon River that may be able to accommodate a building to house soldiers properly.

Nothing gained from Sarstoon trip
Just over 160 Belizeans went on a foolhardy trip to the Sarstoon Island, which is a relatively short distance from the mouth of the Sarstoon River. No one can dispute the collective sigh of relief that this was not a misadventure for those citizens; there was no injury, or loss of life. But, as was foretold, the Guatemalans did confront the persons who went on that expedition. It could have been a lot worse, but fortunately, the Government did its very best to ensure that while they did not have a military escort, diplomacy at its highest levels were employed to de-escalate the possibility of any kind of violent confrontation. Our correspondents who were on the ground observed the entire trip and can bear testimony that at Barranco Village, the Coast Guard and officers of the police department showed up to assist the expeditioners. They worked to ensure that everyone who was entering the boats, did so under conditions that would not put their lives at risk. The 5 boats were not overloaded when they left the Barranco Village Pier, and none of the participants had any weapons on them, so there could be no mistaking any act of aggression because arms were drawn.

Financial Institutions reach out to students in Belmopan
Three of Belize’s main and long-standing financial institutions registered their presence on Wednesday of this week at the University of Belize’s (UB) Central Campus in Belmopan to lobby students and offer them an array of financial services. This is to coincide with the two weeks of orientation, where some 1,500 promising and eager students are expected to visit the UB campus. Lecturer of the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences Audry Pascacio described to the Guardian that this is the first time that a Financial Lenders’ Fair is being held at UB and it is hoped that the event will be held at least yearly and at the beginning of every Semester. The event is being held to sensitize UB and Senior High School students to the funding that is now available for their higher education.

Taiwan’s culture of selflessness
Between July 20th to the 26th myself and 5 other journalists from St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent, Nauru, Kiribati, and Swaziland got the rare opportunity to visit Taiwan. It was an initiative through the Department of International Information Services in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan. This arm of government organizes various familiarization tours to Taiwan for the sole purpose of familiarizing members of media organizations to various aspects of Taiwan's culture. Manfred P.T. Peng the Director-General of the department says that on average there are two groups of journalists who visit Taiwan per month. For Belize it meant that myself along with a 6-member press group visited Taiwan. Having had some understanding of the grueling hours of flight time that it would take in order for me to reach, it was first a case of mental preparation. To simplify the travelling tale, let me just state that I left Belize on Saturday at 11:00am travelled to Houston for a 5 hours lay over and on to Los Angeles for another 5 hour lay over and then on to Taipei for a 14 and a half hour flight. I arrived at 6:00 on Monday morning (Taiwan is 14 hours ahead of Belize) so in reality I arrived at 4:00p.m. on Sunday evening Belize time. That's almost a day and a half of travel time! After shaking out the legs and preparing one's self for a different cultural experience- it was all good!

Convicted of drug trafficking
James Alvarez,61-year old labourer of #9 Eden Site area, Belize City was sentenced to three years in jail after being found guilty of drug trafficking in Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Ladonna John. Police acting on information executed a search warrant at the home of Alvarez where they found him in possession of a black plastic bag containing 124 grams of cannabis. The bag was lying on his lap and Alvarez who was surprised by the police’s sudden visit to his home got no opportunity to hide the weed. The bust occurred on Tuesday, August 18, 2015. In court Alvarez was read a single charge of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply to another person or persons for the purpose of drug trafficking for which he wasted no time and pleaded guilty. Magistrate John asked him if he understood the charge and what he was pleading guilty to and Alvarez told her yes.

Taximan charged with rape
A Taxi man has been accused of raping a 41 year old woman he knows well and on Wednesday August 19 he was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court with the offense of rape. 45 year old Michael Louis Andrews Senior, appeared in court before acting Chief Magistrate, Patricia Arana unrepresented where he was read a single charge of rape. No plea taken and the court prosecutor, Inspector Hector Rodriguez had heavy objections to bail. His grounds for bail denial were that the charge of rape is very serious and has become a prevalent crime. He added that police strongly believe that if Andrews is granted bail at this time, he will try to interfere with the victim since he knows her very well.

Two sisters caught smuggling weed into prison ten days apart
Shelmadine Nicolia Garbutt, 33, is out on bail just like her younger sister, Anna Marie Garbutt, 28, for allegedly trying to smuggle weed into the Belize Central Prison when visiting inmate Patrick Jones. According to police reports, on Sunday, August 16, Garbutt went to visit Patrick Jones who was recently remanded for the robbery of First Caribbean Bank. When she entered the search area, prison officials did a routine check on her and found weed in her brassier. Garbutt was detained and police were called to the prison. She was later handed over to Hattieville Police who arrested and charged her with drug trafficking. The weed amounted to 3 grams, which is under the amount associated with trafficking, but because she was attempting to smuggle it into the prison the charge imposed is drug trafficking.

Michael Gladden accused of wounding but claims victim is a rapist
Michael Gladden, 30, is out on bail for a charge of wounding upon Shawn Palacio. Gladden was unrepresented when he appeared before Magistrate Ladonna John on Friday, August 14, to answer to a single charge of wounding. In court, Gladden wasted no time and pleaded guilty to the offense. He had an explanation, however. According to Gladden, he caught Palacio trespassing on his premises. Gladden further claimed that Palacio attempted to rape his girlfriend. After hearing this explanation, Magistrate John rejected Gladden’s guilty plea and entered an equivocal plea of not guilty. She then offered him bail in the sum of $3,000 plus one surety of the same amount. Michael Gladden is due back in court on October 14, 2015.

Chelsea McKay charged for stabbing common-law-husband
Chelsea McKay, 21, is out on bail after she was charged for allegedly stabbing her common-law-husband, David Castillo. According to police, on Thursday, August 13, McKay and Castillo were engaged in a domestic dispute at their home located at #19 Faber’s Road, Belize City. The two got into an argument over their young child who allegedly broke a cellular phone. Mckay disciplined the child and when Castillo learnt of the manner in which she disciplined the child he slapped her. McKay then grabbed a knife and stabbed Castillo once in the shoulder. Mckay was arrested and charged with dangerous harm and use of deadly means of harm.

Santa Cruz FC and Barrio Boyz played to a draw
The Vega Cup Tournament continued on Sunday 16 August, 2015, with five games on the schedule out at the Trial Farm Football Field in Orange Walk North Constituency. In the first game played, Douglas FC blanked San Roman Jr. by the score of 3-0. The goals for Douglas were scored by Dario Torres in the 30th minute of play, Azain Cardenas in the 44th minute of play and Kevin Mendez in the 56th minute of play. In game two, T.F. Banditz white wash Jaguars United by the score of 1-0. The only goal of the game was scored by Tyron Baptist in the 29th minute of play. In the third game of the day, United Ballers shut-out San Pablo Chelsea by the score of 6-0. The goals for United Ballers were scored by Andrew Allen in the 22nd, 32nd, 57th and 85th minutes of play, Dedron Baptist in the 40th minute of play and Marlon Garcia in the 72nd minute of play.

Wagiya opens Premier League Opening Season on the right foot
The Premier League of Belize 2015-2016 Opening Season commenced on Saturday 15 August, 2015, with two games on the schedule. In the game played at the Norman Broaster Stadium in San Ignacio Town, the defending national football champions of Belize Verdes F.C. and the visiting Placencia Assassins F.C. played to a 1-1 draw. The home team Verdes F.C. got on the scoreboard first when Yoras Silva scored the 1st goal of the game in the 31st minute of play to give his team a 1-0 lead. Verdes F.C. took that lead well into the second half of the game when the visiting Placencia Assassins F.C. was able to get onto the scoreboard when Kareem Haylock scored the equalising goal for his team in the 76th minute of play for the 1-1 draw.

Country Rose wins one in Rural Softball competition
The Belize Rural Softball Association 2015 Senior Female competition continued on Sunday 16 out in Willows Bank. In the first game of the day that was played, Easy Does It defeated UB Jaguars by the score of 14-11. The winning pitcher was Margaret Hendy and the losing pitcher was Amber Wade. In game two, Country Rose picked up its first win of the 2015 campaign when it upended the host village Willows Bank by the score of 12-8. The winning pitcher was Angie Tucker and the loss was charged to Shauna Avilez. And in the final game of the day, Lord’s Bank Sunrise defeated Double Head Cabbage by the score of 9-7. The winning pitcher was Sheraine Westby and the losing pitcher was Herlett Clarke.

Duncy Francis don’t know finance
On Tuesday night's news Francis Fonseca attempted to address the problem of Offshore Banks losing correspondent banking relationship. In typical fashion Francis tried to deliberately mislead the people or is genuinely 'duncy' with respect to international banking. Somebody needs to educate Francis on the fact that domestic banking which affects local business is separate and apart from Offshore Banking. The loss of intermediate banking relationship with offshore banks does not affect the relationship with domestic banks whose source of customer funds is earned from local business or legitimate trade in exports which represents clean money. Either Francis don't know or he is just plain liad and is trying to frighten the Belizean business sector.

Cayo Welcome Center now has free Wi Fi
Free Wi Fi was activated last week at the Cayo Welcome Center in San Ignacio Town. The free Wi Fi is in fulfillment of a promise that had been made by Belize’s Prime Minister the Hon. Dean Barrow. In his New Year’s address, Prime Minister Dean Barrow had said, “So if 2014 was a year of infrastructure, 2015 will be a year of technology.” A release from the Cayo Welcome Center states that the Management as well as the San Ignacio and Santa Elena Town Council would like to say a special thank you to the Hon. Prime Minister, Dean Oliver Barrow, for his generous contribution to the people of Cayo by providing free Wi Fi to the Cayo Welcome Center. “This initiative by his responsible Government now gives our visiting Guests, another reason to visit the Welcome Center,” states the release. Residents who visit the Cayo Welcome Center and access WiFi on any mobile devise are first greeted with, “Welcome to GOB Wi Fi, Free Wi Fi powered by BTL’s High Speed internet.”

DEATH ANNOUCEMENT - Mr. Gian Chand Gandhi, S. C.
It is with deep regret that the Office of the Prime Minister announces the passing of Mr. Gian Chand Gandhi, Senior Counsel and Legal Counsel in the Ministry of Finance. Mr. Gandhi passed away in Belmopan City on Monday, 17th August, 2015 after a long illness. He was 82 years of age. Mr. Gandhi has had a long and distinguished career in the Service of the Government of Belize having served for over 37 years in various capacities such as Crown Counsel, Director of Public Prosecutions, Solicitor General, and most recently as Legal Counsel in the Ministry of Finance.

Pup Senator Lisa Shoman and the Sarstoon Island
A more appropriate title for this story would probably be: ‘Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel,’ however, those words are owned by Samuel Johnson (1709 – 1784) who has the reputation of being a very wise man. Recall the famous story about Jack and the bean stalk; we automatically empathize with the widow and her son Jack who had very difficult lives indeed. They were extremely poor, and the day came when they looked around and the only possession that they had, that was worth any money at all, was the old cow. There was great sadness in their hearts when they decided that the cow must be sold. Recall that the cow helped with the hard work around the farm and that it also provided a little milk. Understand the deep pain that they felt about having to sell the cow. It was their one option; they had nothing else of value in this world; so, Jack went to the market with the cow on a rope in tow behind him. He met a stranger who purchased the cow from him. Jack was happy for the sale because the family was desperate. To his surprise the stranger didn’t pay him in money but multi-colored beans! Poor Jack, he was disappointed.

Press release from the National Security Council on Territorial Volunteers Sarstoon Island expedition
The National Security Council of Belize, which was in teleconference session for the duration of the Territorial Volunteers Sarstoon Island expedition today, expresses its profound satisfaction that the expedition ended without major incident. The Council concluded its session after Admiral Borland of the Belize Coast Guard confirmed by early afternoon that all participants in the expedition had returned safely to their staging point at Barranco Village. The welfare of Belizean citizens, no matter what the circumstances, is always of paramount concern to the Council and the Government of Belize. Thus, nothing can take away from the Council’s pleasure that no misadventure overtook the hundred plus Belizean men, women and children that journeyed to the Sarstoon. Nevertheless, there is confirmation by the Organization of American States (OAS) that four of the Belizean boats that approached the Sarstoon island did so by transiting not just the north, but the south channel of the river.

Toledo forgotten by the PUP, transformed by the UDP
Toledo District like the rest of the country has entered the mainstream when it comes to development, thanks to real representation in the person of Peter Eden Martinez. Although Toledo has PUP representatives that vowed to serve the people there has been no involvement of the two “honourable” gentlemen in the development of their communities. This has not, however, stopped the Eden Martinez from stepping up to the plate and answer the call of duty. Despite his not being in government, Eden has tirelessly lobbied government for the allocation of funds to develop and enhance Toledo East’s infrastructure. Last year he requested and received funds for the improvement of the streets in Punta Gora and for the first time in its history Punta Gorda had cemented streets much to the delight of its residents. Eden did not stop there, appreciating that in order to have a good citizenry administrators need to invest in sports and sporting facilities he again engaged government earlier this year and brought forth his plight. He was immediately answered and money was made available for the rehabilitation of the Fred Westby Park, Union Football Field and the construction of a state of the art sporting complex which will replace the old derelict and now demolished sporting complex.

Belize’s Vector Control Program can succeed with public’s input
To address a wide range of vector borne deseases, Belize’s Vector Control Program can only achieve twenty percent of its effectiveness, and is highly dependent on the remaining eighty percent from the public’s input. That’s the conclusion of Health personnel from the Ministry of Health in a recent meeting with reporters in Belmopan. As a reminder, Belize’s reference laboratory, CARFA laboratories in Trinidad, has confirmed that the two samples taken from the Corozal District about two weeks ago are confirmed cases of Chickungunya, which is a disorder characterized by headache, muscle pain, joint swelling and rash. There were only two confirmed cases of Chickungunya reported earlier this year with eight positives for the virus in Belize last year.

Junior Volleyball Team at XI Central American Championship
The Belize Volleyball Association is participating in the XI Central American U-18 Female Championship that is currently taking place in San Jose, Costa Rica. The championship is being played from 16-22 August, 2015. On Tuesday 17 August, Team Belize defeated Panama quite handily by the score of 25-8, 25-14 and 25-10. In the team second game on Monday 16 August, it defeated Nicaragua in three straight sets by the score of 25-20, 25-21 and 25-17. On Sunday 15 August, in the first game of the championship, Team Belize felled to El Salvador in three sets by the score of 21-25, 13-25 and 16-25.

C-Ray Cycling Club Summer Camp concludes with races
The C-Ray Cycling Club camp concluded with the last of six races on Sunday 16th August at 2:00 pm on Princess Margaret Drive (in front of Marion Jones). Considering it was the last race for this summer, we had special invited guests to race with our junior guys; youths between the ages of 18-25 who are already at the elite age but not exactly at the elite level. We also had the return of last year’s series winner, Stephen Cabral Jr. Participants took part in 9 different categories and the results are below. Two trophies were given for the “Most Aggressive” rider of the race, one in Category B and one in Category A. This was judged by C-Ray Cycling Club’s owner, Ray Cattouse. The trophies went to Gian Lino and Kaydine Pinelo respectively.

Firms Basketball competition enters semi-final round
The Belize District Basketball Association Firms’ Competition Quarter-Final Round was played over the last weekend with four games. On Saturday 15 August, 2015, in the first game of the evening, Central Health eliminated Digicell by the score of 59-56. The top scorers for the Central Health Team were Neil Nicholson who scored 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals; Steven Wade with 11 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal and Tevin Vernon with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. For the Digicell4G, the team was lead by Chaka X who scored 11 points and 2 rebounds and Lennox Cayetano who also scored 11 points, had 7 rebounds and 1 assist in a losing effort. In the second game of the evening, Central Bank eliminated Atlantic Bank by the score of 51-49. The top scorers for the Central Bank squad were Jacob Leslie with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals; Mark Swift with 10 points and 4 rebounds and Clayton Ogaldez with 8 points, 4 rebounds and Benedict Terry who also scored 8 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and had 2 steals.

Brawl on Newtown Barracks claims a man’s life
Joel Bishop, 28, a Belize City man, was killed in a brawl on New Town Barracks. It appears that he was viciously beaten by a group of men, and then knocked down by one of the attackers who ran him over with a vehicle. Police responded to the report of the fight at around 3:10 a.m. on Saturday, August 15, near to the BTL Park area. Others, responded to the KHMH, and that’s where they found Bishop’s unconscious body on the ground with several injuries to the face and a fractured leg. Also in the near vicinity, they found 22 year-old Mark Benguche with a cut on his left cheek, 21 year-old Eugene Arana with 3 stab wounds to his right shoulder, and 28 year-old Austin Rowland with a cut wound to the left ear and forehead.

4 dead in 4 traffic mishaps over the past weekend
Between Friday, August 14, and Monday, August 17, there have been 4 accidents, which have caused 4 fatalities. The first accident happened on Friday at around 5:30 p.m. between miles 6 and 7 on the Phillip Goldson Highway. There the police found a white pickup truck with extensive damages. There was also a 4-Door Mercedes Benz car which had it’s front end completely smashed in. What police have found out is that the Mercedes, being driven by 24 year-old Eaton Belisle of Saint Paul’s Bank Village, was heading toward the direction of Ladyville. It was behind another vehicle which was trying to overtake in the line of traffic. That vehicle in front of him managed to get back in the right lane, but Belisle was not so fortunate.

One fatality near San Ignacio Town
An impact between two vehicles on Saturday night of this past weekend near the Rumors Club on the George Price Highway between San Ignacio Town and Benque Viejo del Carmen has resulted in a fatality. The chest of 68 year old Davis Turner was crushed as a result of the impact between his White Ford F150 and a Toyota Corolla Car, being driven at the time by 40 year old Carlos Chanek, from Benque Viejo Town. Carlos Chanek was being accompanied at the time in his car by 34 year-old Barry Gongora, 30 year-old Kevaun Gillett, 31 year-old Allan Gongora and 31 year-old Randy Andrews, all of whom sustained injuries.

Rockville resident charged for illegal shotgun
Daniel Vincent Meighan Jr., 32, is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after he was arraigned on two firearm related offenses. According to police reports, on Saturday, August 15, officers saw Meighan walking on the George Price Highway near Rockville Village dressed in a camouflage outfit. He was stopped by police and a search on him led to discovery of a 16 gauge Stevens brand shotgun along with four rounds of 16 gauge ammunition and four rounds of 20 gauge ammunition. Meighan was asked to produce a gun license and couldn’t. Therefore, police detained and charged him with keeping an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

Convicted police thief out on bail
Dean Perez, a 28 year old Interdicted police officer #966, is out on bail after his attorney filed an appeal and was granted a stay of execution on his sentence. Perez was accused of commiting the crime of theft whilst being on duty in San Pedro in October 2014. PC Perez was sent to detain Jose Hernandez, a Salvadoran national who was wanted by police for child maintenance. At the time, he and another man entered Hernandez’s home claiming that they had a warrant for his arrest. While in the house, they allegedly stole a cell phone and $300 cash.

Breaking Belize News

LICU board reveals extent of accusations against ex-GM
Allegations of fraud and forgery among other financial woes haunt former General Manager of La Inmaculada Credit Union, Yolanda Gomez. A recent recorded statement from the president of LICU’S board of directors, Ena Martinez, indicates that the institution has estimated a loss of about half a million […]

VIP and BTV pressure Government over Forward Operating Base
The question of when and how Belize will build its Forward Operating Base in the South continues to bedevil the Government. As you heard Commander of the Belize Defense Force Brigadier General David Jones say during Wednesday’s press conference, there are logistical issues regarding the location of any […]

Belize Territorial Volunteers will return to borders, says Wil Maheia
Yesterday the Prime Minister told reporters he couldn’t stop them, but he would appeal to them not to return to Sarstoon Island. As can be expected, then, Belize Territorial Volunteers’ leader Wil Maheia, who also leads the People’s National Party (PNP), says the BTV and Northern Territorial Volunteers […]

VIP dismisses Government’s response to BTV incident
Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s protests and fire-breathing declarations of sovereignty have failed, at least initially, to impress the Vision Inspired by the People (VIP) and their partners the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV). Admittedly, it takes much to impress the alternative political movement where the Guatemala issue is concerned, […]

Hurricane Danny forms in Atlantic Caribbean
At 9:00am Hurricane Danny was centered near latitude 12.5 N and longitude 44.8 W or about 1090 miles east of the Windward Islands. Danny was moving West-Northwestward at 12 mph with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. Elsewhere in the North Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, tropical […]

Garifuna Collective lead Belize CARIFESTA contingent
Leaving Belize today for Haiti is a group of artists representing Belize in the 12th Caribbean Festival of the Arts, or CARIFESTA, scheduled from August 21-30. Group headliners are the world-reknowned Garifuna Collective, the first pick according to head of delegation Karen Vernon, due to their experience and […]

Public Service Union elects new president
A new leader has been elected to hold over the reins of the Public Service Union. Eldred Neal has replaced Marvin Blade and is now in the leadership role of the union. Neal told us that under his leadership the executive will continue to follow their 4 […]

Blogs

Orange Walk bound
I recently got an email for a great deal in Orange Walk at Lamanai Landings Hotel and Marina for their Fiesta Rama special. As I read about their offer it instantly made me want to go, unfortunately timing was off as I was going to be at the big Belize Tourism Board awards party. Being one who is always willing to give it a shot I decided to write the hotel and ask if they would be willing to extend the special to a different date and explained why. After all the worst they could do was say no, but I was hopeful especially since it is low season. Thankfully I got a yes and a nice surprise that the answer came from Blanca and Enrique who used to live here and are now living and working in Orange Walk. She said yes and that she look forward to collecting a San Pedro hug from me :)

1900 Miles Due North: Ambergris Caye, Belize to Beaver Island, Michigan
Someone said (and I wish it was me) – “I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list”. And while I don’t have a proper travel bucket list, I can tell you one thing – Beaver Island, Michigan was never on it. Never heard of the place. But here I am. Happily. In the way north of Lake Michigan. The largest island in the second largest Great Lake (by volume). And the island we are on…Beaver Island, happens to be pretty close to due north from Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Things to Do in San Pedro: Why It’s Worth Visiting | Do san pedro
There are so many things to do in San Pedro that would encourage anyone to visit this beautiful and exciting town. Know 20 activities in San Pedro that you should try. There’s a good reason why Madonna called this little island ‘La Isla Bonita.’ And it’s not just because of the blue skies and lush palms that are easy on the eyes, but the island will call you in a deeper way than anyo other. It’s just different, with lots of character in every direction. The longer you stay here, the more you feel like you’re connecting with the island. While on the island, you will discover what your life is really missing, which is the stress-free island life atmosphere. Here are more things to do in San Pedro, and why this little town is worth visiting.

Ambergris Caye's Festivals and Events
If you’re planning on traveling to Ambergris Caye, you probably aren’t specifically doing it for any of its festivals – but you’re totally missing out if you are not, because the island has a ton of fantastic events! Throughout the year, Ambergris Caye, or should I say the town of San Pedro throws more parties than anywhere in Belize. Visiting during festivals allows visitors to see the town at it’s merriest state and experience a little of the culture. And let’s say you’re only looking for a quiet time, retreating to the island’s Northern or Southern tip will allow anyone to stay away from all the fun.

7 BEST BELIZE FAMILY RESORTS
Belize is limited in sprawling beachfront properties with all-inclusive meals and drinks provided in rates. Instead, the island begs families to enjoy eco-tours and exploration in the jungle. The island’s resorts have created all-inclusive packages to entice families to their treetop cottages and jungle cabins, and many include meals and other activities. Here are our family- and editor-approved favorites.

Summer Mango Stone Fruit Smoothie
Combine all of the ingredients into the blender except for the ice and blend on high for 30 seconds until well combined. Add the ice cubes and blend on high for 10 to 20 seconds more, until chilled and crushed. Divide between two glasses and garnish with mint.

International Sources

Yippee Ki Yay in Cayo: House Hunters Off the Grid
Catherine and Cathy love owning and running their Miami restaurant. But dealing with crowded and hectic city life there became too much to bear. A vacation to Belize's Cayo District triggered thoughts of a new life, and they jumped at the chance to call the area home. Cathy yearns to get back in touch with nature far from civilization with a home that is self-sustainable. But in the remote areas of the Cayo, Internet connections become spotty and Catherine knows that in order to run their business remotely, they need a stable Internet connection, as House Hunters International gets Off the Grid in the Cayo District of Belize. FRIDAY Aug 21 1am | 12c. SEE FULL SCHEDULE

Are you concerned about Sargassum on Belize beaches?
Let us know. The Pan American Development Foundation has met with community leaders about ongoing efforts to support community volunteer groups in Dangriga. As we continue our needs assessment, we will be conducting focus groups or consultations in various neighborhoods in Dangriga to best identify strategies to address this problem. One idea is to support beach clean-up efforts through volunteers and then seeking people or companies interested in using Sargassum as an agricultural bi-product. Please share your comments and stay tuned for details about a focus group.

UNHCR hails Belize's accession to 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) welcomes Belize's landmark decision to join the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, the second accession by a Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member state and a strong example for the region. "UNHCR hopes to see the Americas as the first continent to end statelessness and Belize's accession is a step in the right direction," said Renata Dubini, Director of UNHCR's Americas Bureau. The Convention will enter into force for Belize on 12 November 2015. The 1961 Convention, which with Belize will have 64 states parties, provides concrete and detailed safeguards that states parties must implement through their nationality legislation to prevent and reduce statelessness. Jamaica became the first CARICOM state to accede to the 1961 Convention in 2013. Belize was already party to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, along with four other Caribbean states and territories (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago).

Scientific Tourism Flourishes in Costa Rica and Belize
This summer, the first-ever study abroad opportunity for the University of North Georgia’s (UNG) biology department took students to tropical reefs teeming with vibrant sea life off the coast of Belize and highland forests in Costa Rica, where 100 percent humidity keeps the treetops shrouded in mist. In Belize, Dr. Nancy Dalman, head of the Department of Biology, and Jill Schulze, assistant dean of the College of Science & Mathematics, taught a course on tropical reef ecology in the waters of Calabash Caye, which contains an array of animals, including lionfish, the red-footed booby and various species of coral. During the course students had the opportunity to snorkel in the Meso-American Reef, the world’s second-largest barrier reef, and explore the Great Blue Hole, a sinkhole in the Lighthouse Reef that is more than 1,000 feet wide and 400 feet deep.

Three Middlesex Vo-Tech schools get top national ranking
Eleven students and two chaperones from The Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison embraced a new culture, language and way of life during a two-week service learning trip to Guatemala and Belize in July. “These trips very much reflect our mission of global learning,” said Head of School Andrew Webster, who accompanied 16 students on the school’s first service learning trip to Peru in 2012. Wardlaw-Hartridge has worked in tandem with the World Leadership School on all of its service learning trips. Students on the trip to Guatemala and Belize ranged from rising freshmen to recently graduated seniors. Chaperones Tanda Tucker of Bernardsville and Ryan Oliveira of Middletown were impressed with the teamwork and maturity of the students.

Videos