On Thursday, we showed you the results of a two-million dollar facelift on the football field and facilities at the F.F.B. headquarters in Belmopan. The works are scheduled to be completed by July second, in time for the Champions League. At the same time, the F.F.B. will be pulling in the National Team for training […]
The interim report of the Auditor-General Dorothy Bradley was leaked to COLA two weeks ago and handed over to the media this week. It has now made its way before the court, forming part of the disclosure in today’s hearing. The document, or at least the portion we received, is twenty-seven pages long and is […]
As much as three hundred and seventy thousand dollars was siphoned off from the Southern Regional’s Maternal and Child Health account over two years. Administrator Nasley Sommerville has been fingered in the embezzlement of hospital funds in which a subsequent audit found that there was a clear lack of accountability on the part of the […]
US Ambassador Carlos Moreno has hit the ground running. The US head of mission arrived on Saturday and on Tuesday; he was greeted with an anti-homosexual protest as he presented credentials in Belmopan. Another issue that surfaced early this week was the downgrade of Belize by the State Department for human trafficking. The State Department […]
COLA stood against Penner today but the organization didn’t stand alone. Representatives from the recently formed Rod of Correction were on hand. R.O.C. has come under fire from Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who called it a lame and ill-fated attempt to recreate the civil unrest of 2005. So far the group has demonstrated representation from […]
A recent study indicates that Belizeans are living longer if they survive the first year after birth. That’s what surveys by the Statistical Institute of Belize are concluding. In the region, the picture is pretty much the same in Mexico and Panama, but way behind as it relates to Costa Rica. News Five’s Isani Cayetano […]
The Football Federation of Belize facilities in Belmopan are getting a much needed facelift, to the tune of two million dollars. The upgrade includes a FIFA certified field with certified bleachers and sanitary facilities with team lockers, as well as a complete enhancement of existing buildings. The work started in April 2014 and must be […]
A closing ceremony was held today for New Horizons Belize 2014 after the completion of two projects in education and health. Personnel from the U.S. Southern Command were here for two months working along with the B.D.F. and the Ministries of Education and Health to improve health and education facilities. On hand was the new […]
The New Horizons initiative is a collaborative effort between both the US military and the B.D.F. One of their projects is the joint operating center, better known as JOC, which allows for local law enforcement agencies to tap into assistance from the US. JOC has been active since April of this year and since then […]
A twenty-three year old mother of three tragically perished this morning in a massive fire which completely destroyed two large buildings on Newtown Barracks in Belize City. Jacqueline Arteaga, three months pregnant, was trapped in the upper flat of Kimmie’s Bar when the fire started at around four this morning. The blaze was extinguished a […]
Following this morning’s blaze, the owners of both Kimmie’s Bar and Business Computer Systems looked through the wreckage to see if anything could be salvaged. That seems unlikely, because the destruction was absolute. In a majority of blazes, the Fire Department comes under fire for everything from response time to faulty equipment, and this one […]
While all attention was on the main blaze which engulfed the buildings and killed one young woman, there was much drama being played out in Hunter’s Alley beside and behind the two buildings. The fresh sea breeze in this instance became the enemy of residents, feeding the hungry flames and neighbours were at real risk. […]
A release from the Office of Prime Minister Dean Barrow late Tuesday evening has stirred a hornet’s nest in the Bar Association. The release targets current and past presidents of the Bar Association Eamon Courtenay, Andrew Marshalleck and Jackie Marshalleck. In a nutshell, it is a spirited defence of the appointment of Court of Appeal […]
While Fonseca vouched for the characters of all three attorneys named in the Prime Minister’s response, he says that the behavior is typical of government. According to the Leader of the Opposition, a draft of the resolution was circulated prior to a position being taken by the association. Francis Fonseca, Opposition Leader “I know […]
As we told you, former President of the Bar Andrew Marshalleck is specifically named in the release. Today, he told us that the release is just a red herring to distract from the real issue which is the PM’s appointment of Awich, and not Awich or the Court of Appeal. Andrew Marshalleck, Attorney […]
Three persons are named in the Prime Minister’s release – Eamon Courtenay, Andrew Marshalleck and Jackie Marshalleck. But whether or not that was an attempt to get personal, Marshalleck remains unfazed, and focused on the real problem and the real message – which is that things need to change where appointments in the judiciary are […]
Attorney Godfrey Smith also weighed in on the release from the Office of the Prime Minister, and he wasn’t bashful about it. Smith says that the PM deciding to enter the fray at this point, and using his office to do so, is just plain wrong in every way. Godfrey Smith, Attorney “I think […]
The latest figures on unemployment were released this morning by the Statistical Institute of Belize. It shows a nominal drop in joblessness compared to the same period last year. The improved figures, according to S.I.B., are reflected in the city where there is construction work taking place. In the other districts, however, the unemployment rate […]
Police are reporting a case of electrocution in the city. Despite warnings by the utility company against the practice of illegal connections, thirty-three year old Ernest Caniquie of Rivero Street climbed a lamb post on the street where he lives in an attempt to steal electricity. Rivero, however, was electrocuted and lost his life over […]
Government threatens the president of the bar and two former presidents. Prime Minister Dean Barrow is in Dominican Republic for a SICA summit, but just after six this evening, his office sent out a stunning, but lengthy release on comments made on the reappointment of Justice Samuel Awich. It is a most unusual release […]
US Ambassador designate Carlos Moreno arrived in Belize on Saturday morning to take over from his predecessor, Vinai Thummalapally. The retired California Supreme Court Justice turned diplomat made it official with the presentation of his credentials to Governor-General Sir Colville Young this morning to begin his diplomatic tour. But there was a slight glitch to […]
The media was not allowed on the grounds of Belize House this morning, but we were invited to the US Embassy parking lot for an impromptu, very brief word from Ambassador Moreno. As we told you, he and his wife Christine arrived a few days ago, but notwithstanding the unexpected mini-protest this morning, they seem […]
Ambassador Moreno could not help but notice the welcome he received outside the residence of the Governor-General. To our knowledge he is the first arriving US Ambassador to ever been greeted with a protest. He seemed unfazed, but adamant that the US has no LGBT agenda, and he is not here to promote homosexuality. The […]
The Christian Workers Union has been accepted back into the fold of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize after being booted out of the umbrella organization, following a failed congress in October 2013. The expulsion of the C.W.U. came on the heels of a strict notice which required a general assembly to elect new […]
In mid-August of last year during the apparent implosion of the union, negotiations for a Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Port of Belize Limited on behalf of the stevedores came to a standstill. The stevedores are one of nine entities represented by the CWU. According to Audrey Matura-Shepherd, negotiations still have not resumed. Isani […]
