In Monday’s newscast we showed you the food storage area at the Western Regional Hospital. The condition of that room, complete with rat infestation and just generally nastiness, came to a head on Friday after staff members who had been disturbed by the smell from the room for weeks went looking for answers and allegedly […]
The new tourism figures for the first three months of this year are in. According to the stats from the Belize Tourism Board, overnight arrivals remained steady while cruise arrivals grew significantly over the same period in 2014. The B.T.B. reports that there was a one point one increase in overnight arrivals in March which […]
On Monday’s newscast, we showed you the images of the massive erosion in the southern village of Hopkins. It started about a week ago and since then, some residents and resorts have lost up to fourteen feet of beach and the value of their properties has drastically depreciated. The Department of Environment was called in, […]
As to residents and resorts who have lost their beachfronts to the erosion and whose property values have gone down, is there any way that they can reclaim their lands or get any sort of compensation? Vallejos says that the department will be looking into the matter. Via Phone: Wilbert Vallejos, Lands Commissioner “Well […]
On Monday, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center and the Western Kentucky University. The agreement seeks to help the region with its climate change efforts through science and education, by acquiring resources and expertise. One of the organizations that is set to benefit from this partnership is the […]
There are rats at the Western Regional Hospital – a lot of rats – big rats, medium-sized rats and little baby rats – entire rat families. But it’s no laughing matter, because those rats were found in the room where food supplies are stored at the Western Regional Hospital…food supplies which the kitchen, located right […]
Late last week, Treasury Department Second Class Clerk David Enriquez was arrested and charged for three counts of theft. Authorities believe that he diverted half a million dollars into private accounts. It’s a startling bold hustle, and one we found out today was done with the greatest of ease. In fact, Enriquez had already gotten […]
According to a Police report issued, the money diverted by Enriquez was meant as subventions for the Toledo Community College – two hundred and twenty-five thousand plus dollars diverted in January 2015…and two hundred and twenty-five thousand plus dollars diverted in March 2015. So you would expect that in January the College would have raised […]
Last week, Government sent out a tag team of political legal advisor Michael Young and Financial Secretary Joseph Waight to sell the Petrocaribe Bill. That was a short-lived initiative as the duo came under heavy fire. One major point of contention has been the rationale behind the Petrocaribe Loan Motion, passed in the House last […]
There is some news coming out the People’s United Party tonight which may give the opposition party wind in its sails after the devastating March fourth defeat at the Municipal Election. Retired B.D.F. Major Lloyd Jones is throwing his hat in the ring and will be running in the Belize Rural North constituency. With the […]
On April seventh, businessman Scott Harnish was found in possession of over a hundred thousand dollars in U.S. currency inside his home on the north end of San Pedro Town. The discovery was the result of an operation in which authorities on the island conducted a search of his residence. The American national was subsequently […]
Once known for its delicate shoreline, the village of Hopkins in the south is facing chronic coastal erosion. Residents woke up one morning to find that their beach had been stripped away; some have lost more than ten feet while others are losing the tourism dollar. There are well-known causes for erosion such as climatic […]
Over a month ago, new rangers graduated from the Friends for Conservation and Development, also referred to as the FCD rangers program. The now eighteen rangers have been deployed to critical hot spots in the Chiquibul. Since then, they have been active and their training has resulted in two separate detainments of Guatemalans illegally within […]
The World Health Organization estimates climate change will cause an additional two hundred and fifty thousand deaths per year between 2030 and 2050. And with this alarming fact, the efforts to mitigate the impacts and to increase resiliency have been ongoing, across the world and even in our region. While developing countries are challenged for […]
The Twenty-first National Coca-Cola Spelling Bee is underway and the Belize District Finals were held today at the Belize Elementary School Auditorium. Of the sixteen participants who competed, Shandel Parham of Saint Ignatius Primary School would clinch first place by correctly spelling the word lucubrate. It’s a seldom used word in day-to-day language but it […]
The United Nations Country Team resident members UNICEF, U.N.D.P., U.N.F.P.A., and PAHO held a press conference this morning to talk with the media about some of the social issues in Belize and where they fit in the bigger picture. The mandates of the resident agencies include equality, human rights, vulnerable groups and H.I.V./AIDS issues that […]
HelpAge Belize has a new Patroness. Appointed by the Board, Maria Elena Sylvestre is now the lead advocate for the N.G.O. that champions the rights of the elderly. Sylvestre has been involved with HelpAge since 1988 and served as a board member, president and past president over those years. As the front line advocate for […]
A dubious land transaction involving the sale of a beachfront parcel on Caye Caulker has left a retired English couple short of tens of thousands of dollars. Sydney and Anna Higgins fell in love with the island a few years ago and decided to own a property north of the village. The Londoners purchased an […]
The Higgins have sought legal advice and despite the efforts of their attorneys, have been given the runaround by the Lands Department. The uncertainty of how the matter will be resolved has forced the couple to suspend any development on the parcel. Sidney Higgins, Land Owner “The lawyers here have been looking at it […]
Former administrator of the Southern Regional Hospital, Nasley Somerville, has been dismissed from the public service after a year of administrative leave. Somerville was suspended from her post in October 2013 when it was discovered that over three hundred and sixty thousand dollars had been siphoned from the hospital’s account during a three-year period. Her […]
Government operatives charged with selling the Petrocaribe Bill 2015 have sought to convince the media that the outcry is much ado about nothing. But tonight the Petrocaribe fire continues to burn bright. Business sector Senator Mark Lizarraga has gotten hold of the loan agreement between G.O.B. and Alba Petrocaribe which he says proves that G.O.B. […]
Just in the event that you’re one of the very few who hasn’t been following the Petrocaribe hue and cry, the relevance is this. The government has stated time and again that it is forced to borrow and spend before seeking approval in the House because the exact amount of money to be borrowed cannot […]
Five Belmopan High schools were the first in the Caribbean to initiate a network of school based environmental clubs with a strong climate change focus. The launch of the network is set to see hundreds of young people across the region more involved in raising awareness of climate change and implementing changes to encourage a […]
The multi-million dollar Norwegian Cruise Lines tourism port on Harvest Caye is expected to be completed by the end of the year and opened in early 2016. It’s a huge project which received significant opposition across the political spectrum – primarily those sectors which are proponents of pocket tourism in the South as opposed to […]
Apart from the social concerns the NCL project raised, there are also some environmental concerns. One, raised just a week ago, is that developers have dumped rocks on top of coral heads which abound just off Harvest Caye. Another concern is that there is a proposal in the EIA to construct a thousand foot pier […]
