After the country went to bed on Thursday night, many homes were thrust into darkness after midnight. It wasn’t the start of the rolling blackouts signaling nonpayment to Comisión Federal de Electricidad of Mexico. The blackouts coincided with very strong winds and rains that pounded Belize City to the northern districts. It was a freak […]
Rhaburn’s home was not the only one damaged. A section of a roof on a home in the Jane Usher Boulevard area of Belize City was also blown off. According to the Met Service, the intense winds were clocked at fifty miles an hour. While the forecast had called for a change of weather primarily […]
During the Prime Minister’s second quarterly press conference on Wednesday, he addressed a myriad of issues, including the current state of the transportation industry. But while Barrow may have painted a wonderful picture of an agreed solution to the transportation crisis, today the Belizean Bus Association (BBA) held its own media briefing to offer a […]
A public notice caught our attention in a recent issue of the Star Newspaper based in Cayo. It states that the Investment Committee of the Social Security Board has recommended to the Board of Directors, the approval of fourteen point nine million dollars to a company by the name of Nature Fresh Belize Ltd for […]
The Ministry of Economic Development and Consumer Protection today announced an increase in the controlled price of flour. The new retail price per pound of La Gitana household flour is now ninety cents in Belize City. In Belmopan and Orange Walk, the price is ninety-one cents while in San Ignacio, Dangriga and Corozal, it’s ninety-two […]
The emergent scrap metal industry is also facing government scrutiny. The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment intends to whip the scrap metal business into shape by introducing new regulations. According to a release from the ministry, the collection, storage, transportation and exportation of scraps will be controlled through a licensing system. The Scrap […]
After Wednesday’s press conference in which Prime Minister Dean Barrow dropped the bombshell that he might have to consider nationalizing Belize Electricity Limited, the nation has been on edge on both the possibility of blackouts and the effects on investors’ confidence if another company is nationalized. B.E.L. has been unable to meet debt obligations or […]
The Orange Walk community is still coming to terms with the death of Dr. Enrique Guerra who was attacked in the early hours of May twenty-first. Guerra was hospitalized in a coma ever since and passed away early on Wednesday morning at the KHMH. The doctor was walking on Main Street in Orange Walk Town […]
Tourism is on the rebound from the global recession that threatened the industry that provides jobs for one out of every four Belizeans. The Prime Minister said today that the numbers are going up and that Belize has survived the worst of it. Government is investing millions of dollars in different projects including infrastructure and […]
Wednesday night’s question to viewers was whether Government should provide Chetumal Street squatters with crown land elsewhere. Sixty-four percent voted no and many commented that the evicted persons are immigrants and should not be given a shortcut while Belizeans have to go through the proper procedures. Another view is that “Squatters should not be given […]
This morning the BTB held a presentation on the state of the industry. That was preceded on Wednesday by its annual award show. It is the premier event in the BTB calendar of activities in which the stakeholders get recognition in a number of categories; from the Frontline Person, to the best restaurant and the […]
We have been reporting on the precarious financial situation of Belize Electricity Limited and whether or not there will be blackouts. The issue of its nationalization was dealt with squarely by Prime Minister Dean Barrow today. B.E.L. has been unable to keep current with payments to suppliers, primarily the Comision Federal de Electricidad to which, […]
While the P.M. waits for B.E.L.’s Lynn Young to sit with him at a meeting on Friday to find out if Fortis will invest more into the company, others won’t have to wait to hear from the P.M. The Chetumal Street squatters held a small demonstration in Belize City on Tuesday morning. They want land […]
And after clearly dismissing the squatters by calling them fraudsters, the P.M. moved onto the next hot button issue. The transport industry has been going through several changes as the bus associations have been dealt several changes to the routes assigned to them by the Ministry of Transport. When the roads were being blocked and […]
Turning to other news, a well-known doctor was assaulted and robbed two weeks ago in Orange Walk Town. Thieves got away with Dr. Enrique Guerra’s cash, credit card and cell phones. He was brutally beaten and suffered severe injuries to his head. Despite three rounds of surgery, he remained comatose and this morning he passed […]
Tonight’s question is: Should Government provide Chetumal Street squatters with crown land elsewhere? Send your comments and responses using your SMART phones to 8686 or post your vote on our e-poll at channel5belize.com. You can also send an email with your comments to questions@channel5belize.com.
The citrus industry is still reeling from a protracted dispute between the Citrus Growers Association and its subsidiary, the Citrus Products of Belize. Tonight there is word that another industry is in trouble, that’s the banana industry. Combined the citrus and banana industries are the life blood of the south providing most of the employment […]
At his quarterly press conference that was packed with a cheering gallery of workers from the poverty alleviation project and at least six ministers, the prime minister also deal with the Football Federation of Belize. That’s one of several sporting associations that are no longer recognized by the National Sports Council of Belize. The decision […]
It was not one of the biggest protests, but COLA and Belizeans for Justice stepped up pressure on the government today on a wide gamut of issues from the recent eviction of squatters to the expulsion of Marcel Cardona and the troubles in the transportation industry. The protesters did the talk and walked the walk […]
Not far away at the Michael Finnegan Market, things were also heating up. For months, there has been a myriad of problems that have pitted vendors against Belize City Councilor, Phillip Willoughby who has responsibility for the markets. Some have been ironed out, others persist and new issues keep popping up. When we headed out […]
The eviction of squatters from the site of the Chetumal Street Bridge has elicited a mixed bag of responses from the public. Over five hundred people polled on our last question: “Is Government justified in using force to evict the squatters in the Chetumal Street area before they could identify where to go?” Fifty-seven percent […]
The embattled chairman of the Belize Bus Owners Association, who was accused of not consulting with his membership before accepting an offer on bus routes for the west, stepped out today. Claude Frazer, who remained under the radar in the aftermath of a countrywide transportation shutdown on May twenty-seventh, today joined forces to oppose the […]
Thirty-five year old Ted Armstrong was escorted in shackles when he arrived at court today but walked away a free man having spent five years behind bars. Armstrong was twice tried for murder but convicted of manslaughter and was serving a twelve year sentence. Armstrong challenged the Supreme Court decision and got the news this […]
The Matura family of Central American Boulevard is no stranger to the constant street violence. At the start of the weekend, a fourth family member was murdered. Mark Matura was shot once in the head by a brazen gunman who first checked his identity and then came back to finish the job. The Matura family […]
In Ladyville, the body of a thirty-six year old resident was found under suspicious circumstances but the Police Department is unable to ascertain if the man was murdered. According to the Ladyville Police Formation, the body of Enoc Abel Montero was found after three p.m. on Friday, at his home at the Lake Garden area. […]
