For many Belizeans, Easter time is synonymous with many things; beach, cross-buns and fish. Every year around this time, the price is usually jacked up but buyers are still willing to pay top dollar to get their fish. This year the price per pound for most fish is ten dollars. And while buyers felt it […]
Tensions have been high in the Mayflower Street neighborhood after residents and GSU personnel clashed on Sunday evening, following the burial of slain gang boss Kendis Flowers. The Ministry of National Security has since justified the conduct of the Gang Suppression Unit, denouncing the actions of the residents. Since then, they have gone on the […]
And caught in the Mayflower and Deputy Commissioner Williams crossfire was new Officer in Charge of Eastern Division South Howell Gillett. He was on the meet and greet today – but he says he will not be deterred from carrying out the community policing activities because of high tensions in the community. Howell says he […]
As of eleven o’clock this morning, the Belize/Mexico border crossing up north had been blocked by Mexican protestors, impeding traffic to and from the neighboring country. News Five confirmed with Mexican officials in Belize that the blockade was staged by a group of persons known as contraband smugglers who were reacting to efforts by Mexican […]
The 2018-2019 General Revenue and Appropriation Bill is headed to becoming law going into the Easter break. Debate in the Senate wound up late Tuesday evening with the Leader of Government Business, Senator Godwin Hulse. Hulse contends that in his sprawling portfolio of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change, and Immigration […]
Senators also touched significantly on the issue of crime during Tuesday’s budget debate, and the funding being put toward fighting it and keeping the streets safe. There was a cross-section of opinions from the P.U.P. to the social partners to the government. Whether the cause is poor parenting, lack of police funding or simply societal […]
“The Attorney General’s ministry will provide quality and innovative legal services to the government and people of Belize and will contribute to its development.” So reads the mission statement of that ministry as provided in the budget book. But in his budget presentation, business community Senator Mark Lizarraga publicly questioned the function and budget of […]
Unless you have family or friends there or had the unfortunate experience to be a guest, the Belize Central Prison at Hattieville is not likely to cross your mind regularly, never mind having a chance to visit. But with the crime issue a hot button in Belize, the police department is seizing the opportunity to […]
Like most establishments in Belize, the Central Prison at Hattieville is for adults only – eighteen and over. Since 2004, when an American couple put up the seed money for its establishment, it has hosted youths charged with criminal activity. It currently hosts twenty-three young men, but due to the ebb and flow of crime, […]
Two volleyball athletes attached to the Belize National Team are receiving an opportunity of a lifetime. Twenty-three-year-old Bryton Codd and team captain Karym Coleman have been handpicked by a Canadian coach and awarded full athletics scholarships to Briercrest in Saskatchewan, Canada. Today inside the conference room at the Marion Jones Sporting Complex, both athletes signed […]
Seven police officers of the Eastern Division North were recognized for doing good work today. The awardees each received certificates and a small gift to thank them for the performing well on the job. They were honored with a brief ceremony today and we stopped in to talk with the officers on their latest accolade. […]
A family from Burrell Boom was today gifted a house courtesy of the Building for Change program of the Hand in Hand Ministries in partnership with Belize Electricity Limited. News Five’s Duane Moody found out today that the donation changes the dynamics of the family and what needy families require in order to qualify for […]
Local cable and internet service providers are in a pickle tonight, as they collectively face several issues that will affect what subscribers pay for internet. Government is proposing a twelve and a half percent increase for data which will affect just about everyone across the board except for internet in certain schools. The start of […]
The General Revenue and Appropriation Bill and nine others were brought to the upper chamber of the National Assembly, the Senate, for debate. With the galleries empty, it can be argued that the true debate – rather than the mud-fest in the House of Representatives – took place today. It began with Business Senator Mark […]
The Business Senator also zeroed in on how much the Government has had to borrow just to balance the budget. This year’s figure is some one hundred and eighteen million dollars, mostly sourced from Taiwan and draw-downs of previously approved loans and grants. Senator Mark Lizarraga pointed out that as long as Government devotes funds […]
Complaining that the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other social partners had been ignored during the preparations for the announcement of the Budget, Senator Lizarraga reiterated that the frightening national debt and size of Government urgently needs to be addressed. While some have suggested that it may involve retrenchment of public officers, Lizarraga calls […]
Next to speak was the People’s United Party Senate leader, Eamon Courtenay. Echoing Opposition Leader John Briceño’s presentation last week, he described the Budget as lifeless and lacking any meat or muscle to address Belize’s problems. But Courtenay zeroed in the late fiscal strategy paper which had not been prepared as of earlier this year. […]
Two significant events are on the horizon: on April fifteenth, Guatemalans head to the polls to vote on the I.C.J. question, and in July, re-registration of Belize’s voters is scheduled in advance of Belize’s own poll and the coming general election. Last year, when it was announced that re-registration would be postponed to this year, […]
As we have reported, there are questions surrounding what has been described as a guarantee between the Government and the new managers of the Belize Civic Center, Apex Events Services Limited. It involves about a million dollars in expenses to maintain the multi-million dollar facility. This was brought up today in the Senate debate by […]
During a run-down of programs in the “social ministries” – education, youth, sports, human development, housing and others – Trade Union Senator Elena Smith made note of a reduction in funding for RESTORE Belize. Established in 2010 in response to the attempted murder of Rodwell Williams and an attendant crime spree, it has been providing […]
RESTORE Belize was also discussed in a different forum today. C.E.O. George Lovell says that its structure is good, but it cannot be effective without good leadership. At a conference to dissect masculinity and violence, the C.E.O. of National Security spoke on the effectiveness of groups targeting crime. Lovell didn’t hold back; he says that […]
Ministry of Health officials, representatives from the Pan American Health Organization and engineers have been having technical discussions on the crisis at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. This morning, three Mexican engineers, identified by the Secretaria de Saludos Quintana Roo, Mexico arrived in country and were joined by engineer Douglas Westby of the National Engineering […]
On Monday evening, the Belize Poultry Association held its annual general meeting at the Biltmore Hotel. Producers from across the country came together for a comprehensive presentation on the state of the industry. While the chicken business continues to be the hallmark of best practices within the agro-productive sector, the aim is for Belizean produce […]
Crime was not far from the minds of senators during today’s budget debate. Indeed, much was proposed, including focusing on social reform and reining in both the police and the would-be gangsters. But the police department, according to N.G.O. Senator Osmany Salas, needs more sophisticated training to confront modern challenges. Osmany Salas, N.G.O. Senator […]
Last Thursday, Senator for Trade Unions and Civil Society, Elena Smith, was outside the National Assembly, rallying her members as president of the Belize National Teachers’ Union in the fight against crime. Today, she was inside, reviewing the performance of the education and social sectors in the last year and the plans for the coming […]
