The existence of that preliminary report has been kept under wraps, so what’s contained in it is anybody’s guess. As we said, it only came up as a side note in a letter from the Auditor-General to COLA, which has mounted a private prosecution against Elvin Penner. The case is set for disclosure on May […]
It’s a frustrating development – or maybe we should say lack of development – for COLA. The small grass-roots organization has taken the lead in the Penner fiasco, even as it appears that government wants nothing more than to let it all go away. With three weeks to go before trial date, much hope is […]
We told you earlier about the significant setbacks Cola is experiencing in the private prosecution of Elvin Penner. But despite the setbacks, COLA is unwilling to relent in the criminal prosecution of Elvin Penner. They’re utilizing all means at their disposal where the law is concerned, but thanks to an anonymous donor, there’s now a […]
In the latter months of the Elvin Penner debacle, the only man who has come under similar fire is Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie. That’s because widespread public opinion is that the Police have fallen down on the criminal prosecution of Penner. Add in the writ of Mandamus court issue and now the inaction where […]
And finally where COLA and Elvin Penner are concerned, today it is clear that all legal avenues are being pursued, or at least contemplated. It’s even possible, according to the claimants, that if all else fails you may eventually see Prime Minister Dean Barrow on the witness stand. That’s probably unlikely, but as we said, […]
“It is the historical trademark of a corrupt, inept, despotic and discriminatory government.” Stern words coming from the Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management, in a letter written to Prime Minister Dean Barrow on Tuesday. SATIIM, which represents the villages of Midway, Conejo, Crique Sarco and Graham Creek, is lashing out at the Government of […]
The Pharmacy Association of Belize was outraged and went public when the post of Director of Drug Inspectorate was created and Danini Contreras, the daughter of Minister Contreras, was appointed to it even though she does not qualify. Since then, the association has been speaking out on a myriad of decisions taken in Ministry of […]
The leadership of the Belize Association of Evangelical Churches met today with Prime Minister Dean Barrow at his Belize City office. It came on the heels of a report that Director of Women’s Commission had said in an interview in New York that the government would proceed with the revised national gender policy. Ann-Marie Williams […]
A High School Innovation Challenge was held today as part of activities of education Week. High school teams from throughout the country were challenged to come up with an innovative concept to manage waste. It came down to the wire among ten teams today; but there was one high school that impressed the panel of […]
As we reported earlier, the annual financial literacy training initiative of PricewaterhouseCoopers in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Peace Work culminated today at the ITVET Compound. It gave way to a well attended community fair. The main attractions were a Vendor’s Fair and a Business Showcase which encouraged primary school students to become […]
Geographic information systems or GIS, as it is called, is designed to process geographical data of all types. The technology is driven by location, purpose or application requirements. Today, the fourth annual symposium to focus on the implementation of GIS in the national development of the country was held at the Biltmore Plaza. Loretta Palacio, […]
There is growing discontent in San Ignacio tonight over one acre of land. The land is a portion of a five acre plot on which the Center for Employment Training sits. The institution doesn’t own the land…government does. And government wants to build a new fire station there. CET has no problem with a new […]
The pharmacy dispute surrounding the appointment of a Minister’s daughter remains on centre stage. Danini Contreras is the daughter of U.D.P. Minister Erwin Contreras. Contreras, who is not registered as a pharmacist in Belize, has been appointed to a post which was created for her in the Ministry of Health. The questions arising from her […]
Those circumstances surrounding the Chief Pharmacist, and arising from the appointment of Danini Contreras, are among the issues which have been taken before the Minister of Labour. As promised, the PSU has declared the matter an essential services dispute. Also on the table is pharmacy related legislation which has been sitting on the Solicitor-General’s desk […]
The village of Barranco is a Garifuna community in the Toledo District; it is also one of five buffer communities on the outskirts of the Sarstoon Temash National Park where pre-drilling activities are taking place and where US Capital Energy had previously established an operating center. While the position of the Maya communities on oil […]
One of the prime tourism islands has been without a doctor, in some instances for months, and the access to timely healthcare on Caye Caulker has become an issue for residents. The problem, we are told, is a perennial one, where the facility has been short of a physician at times for up to eight […]
The appointment of the new director of drug inspectorate has brought to the forefront a wide range of shortfalls within the system in respect of imported pharmaceuticals and persons practicing without a license. According to the Pharmacists’ Association of Belize, there is need for drug inspectors across the country to ensure that proper procedures are […]
A Belizean who left Belize years ago has died in a helicopter crash at Fort Bliss, Texas. He is twenty-seven year old Sergeant Dwight Burn who lived in Barstow, California up until his death on Saturday, while on a training exercise in a helicopter belonging to the eighty-second Combat Aviation Brigade from Fort Bragg, North […]
Financial Literacy Training…it not a topic that you often hear about, but it is an initiative that has been ongoing in Belize since 2008. It targets teachers and students from various schools across the country as well as parents and even private companies. For the past two days at the ITVET, these various groups of […]
The two-day training is interactive and includes presentations from various institutions. Deputy Chief Education Officer, Carol Babb, spoke of how the continuous work of the international organization has led up to three fairs at the ITVET Compound. FOR VIDEO CLICK HERE. Carol Babb, Deputy Chief Education Officer “First it started with four schools and then […]
The Norwegian Cruise Line tourism development project in southern Belize is running into yet another obstacle. That’s because, the Belize Tourism Industry Association, through Senior Counsel Godfrey Smith, has proceeded with legal action against government, particularly the Department of the Environment, as well as the National Environmental Appraisal Committee. B.T.I.A. is seeking a judicial review […]
At this morning’s press conference, B.T.I.A. President Herbert Haylock also made reference to the outcome of a public consultation held in Independence in January as the origin of the impending litigation. Similarly, Placencia Chapter President, Stewart Krohn, says that the proposed project goes against what has been outlined in the National Tourism Master Plan, a […]
The Public Utilities Commission has approved a nominal reduction in electricity rates, following an Annual Review Proceeding submission by Belize Electricity Limited earlier this year. While the mean electricity rate presently stands at zero point four-four-six-five cents per kilowatt hour, it will be lowered by zero point four-three-zero-zero cents per kilowatt hour. The proposed reduction […]
The Police Department is tonight grieving the death of one of its own. Superintendent Alton Alvarez, the officer commanding Intermediate Southern Formation, died unexpectedly on Friday night in Independence. Forty-five year old Alvarez had complained of chest pains and was taken to the Independence Polyclinic and released. But on the way home, accompanied by his […]
Two notable Belizeans were laid to rest over the weekend. Former Minister of Government, Maxwell Samuels was eulogized by P.U.P. Party Leader, Francis Fonseca at a service in Willows Bank; his interment was in Burrell Boom on Sunday and attended by a large number of party supporters as well as family members. The other Belizean […]
