While most residents are not against a curfew for minors, the proposal brings to light the issue of parenting or the lack thereof. Recently, the Belize City Council signed on as a Child Friendly Municipality. In a sit-down with Mayor Darrell Bradley, he expressed that the curfew is not the best approach to keeping the […]
As we reported on Wednesday, charges against two members of the Santa Cruz Thirteen were withdrawn when the case against a group of Maya leaders came up in the Magistrate Court in Punta Gorda. Both Reymundo Show and Oligario Sho will no longer face unlawful imprisonment and common assault charges. The Maya leaders were arrested […]
There is more from the Senate other that the budget debate that provide for interesting moments from senators on both sides of the floor. In her budget presentation, Doctor Carla Barnett, a former financial secretary, contextualized the role of the senate in respect of the annual budget. She says that the senate has no influence […]
Doctor Barnett’s perspective on an elected Senate was not lost on lead Opposition Senator Eamon Courtenay. While Courtenay fully agrees with Barnett, he maintains that it is the U.D.P. government, to whom she belongs, that is preventing the election of senators. Eamon Courtenay, Opposition Senator “I think most people in the senate and those […]
Government has come under fire for failing to consult with the Opposition and the social partners during the process of putting together the annual 2016/2017 budget. All, with the exception of the U.D.P. senators, agreed and were vocal that the Barrow administration should have sought input from the various organizations when drafting the financial plan. […]
Failure to meet with social partners and the Opposition on the budget is a point of concern that has been raised in the senate and seasoned parliamentarian Eamon Courtenay. Even as he led the charge in voicing that displeasure, he found common ground with Barnett on the need to consult. Eamon Courtenay, Opposition Senator […]
There is a firestorm building over controversial remarks made by Evangelical Pastor Scott Stirm. Tonight, the Garifuna community has come out strongly over recent remarks made by Stirm in reference to their spirituality. The firebrand evangelist appeared before an international congregation where he spoke undesirably about the spiritual practices of the Garifuna people, particularly about […]
Well-known Belizean historian and Garifuna activist Sebastian Cayetano has also weighed in on the controversy. While expressing disappointment, Cayetano also makes a striking observation in respect of the gradual breakdown of certain aspects of the Maya culture. Sebastian Cayetano, Garifuna Activist “I am particularly disappointed by the statement because we Garinagu we believe in […]
On Saturday, Staff Sergeant Richard Lambey was shot on the hand and abdomen while he was on duty at Camp Valentin in the Chiquibul. Lambey was assaulted by a group of men, believed to be from the community of La Rejoya, Guatemala. He was at a routine water supply and administration task when he and […]
There is a bitter land dispute among two families in Camalote Village which has seen a seventy-five-year-old resident and his older sibling at odds with each other for several years. Albert Hoare has been occupying a piece of property in that western community for many years. It was left behind by his deceased father over […]
While the Hoare family of Camalote is seeking to resolve its land dispute through legal means, several families in the Lake Independence area are tonight incensed that a Chinese businesswoman has fenced in their property, blocking access to their residence. This afternoon, when News Five was called out to Mahogany Street Extension, a fence was […]
The Belize City Council is embarking on a citywide project to replace all sewer openings. That’s almost four thousand manholes at a cost of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. It’s the brainchild of councilors Michael Theus and Deon Leslie and fits within the context of an overall project to rehabilitate additional streets and drains. […]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Ambassador Said Badi Guerra has secured the return of a pick-up truck stolen earlier this year from Assistant Superintendent Selwyn Tillett. The vehicle was jacked in Benque Viejo del Carmen and promptly taken across the border on February fourteenth. The vehicle belongs to Tillett’s son-in-law and was found in an […]
It’s a good week for outstanding Belizean women. Immigration Officer Deborah Baptist Estrada was singled out as the first Belizean woman to promote issues such as human and gender rights, peace and other social issues. Her recognition as made by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Today, we can report that world-renowned pepper producer Marie […]
The annual report issued by the Office of the Ombudsman has been released. The document comprises thirty-nine pages and covers the period of January first to December thirty-first, 2015. Prepared by Ombudsman Lionel Arzu, the document will be tabled in the House and Senate as is required by law. A total of two hundred and […]
Most of the 2015 complaints originated from the Belize District. The Cayo District accounted for the second largest percentage and the remainder was spread evenly among the other four districts. As it relates to the investigations: thirty-three point six percent of complaints are under investigation; only one point four percent have been investigated and as much as […]
Over one million dollars were disbursed today by the Protected Areas Conservation Trust. Six entities were beneficiaries, with the largest sum going to the Belize Audubon Society for the sustainable management of three reserves which they co-manage. Others who received funding Steadfast Tourism and Conservation Association, the Community Baboon Sanctuary Women’s Conservation Group, the Sarteneja […]
On Wednesday evening, there was a meeting between executives of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) and various stakeholders of the cruise tourism industry in Belize, at the Old Belize Center. A spokesperson for the Belize Tourism Board told us that it was closed to the press – an insiders’ only event to discuss best […]
In news of a political nature, the U.D.P. convention for a first deputy party leader will be held in June or July. Minister of Education Patrick Faber at the launch of his candidacy received the endorsement of senior colleagues in the U.D.P. and other newcomers to his party. Today, we asked Minister Omar Figueroa who […]
This morning, Staff Sergeant Richard Lambey was released from the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where he was receiving treatment for injuries to his hand and abdomen. Lambey was promptly handed over to the Belize Defense Force accompanied by his family. He was shot on March twenty-sixth about four hundred meters east of the Belize/Guatemala border […]
The Results Management Authority of the Regional Anti-Doping Organisation has confirmed that well-known cyclist Gregory Lovell has tested positive for the In-competition prohibited substance Dexamethasone a Glucocorticoid steroid. The test was administered by the National Anti-Doping Organisation of Belize (NADO) in connection with the twenty-sixth Annual New Year’s Day KREM Cycling Classic. After two hearings […]
After a significant delay, work is about to begin on the transformation of the Cinderella Plaza in Belize City. Mayor Darrell Bradley says that the contract for the four-million-dollar project was granted to R.J.B. Construction Limited, the company that was responsible for the rebuilding of Chetumal Street and a number of other infrastructural projects. Mayor […]
Evangelical Pastor Scott Stirm has come under fire for remarks he purportedly made about the sacred “Dugu” ceremony of the Garifuna on a webcast beamed to the U.S. earlier this month. So controversial were his remarks that during last week’s House debate, Minister of State Frank “Papa” Mena called on him to take the next […]
An initiative to incentivize officers attached to Rural Eastern Division was launched earlier today in Ladyville. The top twenty-five men and women in law enforcement working within that jurisdiction will receive an additional five hundred dollars at the end of the year for executing their assigned duties with utmost professionalism. It’s a partnership between the […]
Three weeks ago, the Department of Youth Services had its Youth Council Elections. Micah Goodin and Stafin Duncan vied for the top spot in the Belize District; the race ended in a tie. On March tenth, a bye-election was held and Duncan came out on top. The results stirred controversy because it looked like party […]
