It was a crime of extreme brutality, but police have acted quickly to arrest and charge two young men for the Friday night murder of businessman Michael Burns. News Five’s Jacqueline Woods was at Magistrate’s Court today as the duo were walked up those familiar steps. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting Eighteen year old Keith Lewis and […]
A Belize City man is behind bars tonight, accused of sexually assaulting a ten year old girl. Twenty year old Basilio Bolon appeared before Magistrate Margaret McKenzie where he was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of threatening words. Police allege that Bolon first made advances on the child on January […]
And while we’re on the subject of sex crimes, Justice Adolph Lucas today used the occasion of a trial for carnal knowledge to warn the press about how it covers such cases. He particularly reminded reporters that they are not to publish the name of any minor involved in sexual assaults and emphasized that there […]
In October of 2003 the town of Punta Gorda–and the nation of Belize–was caught up in a lurid case of alleged child sex abuse. Three U.S. citizens were vilified by the media and charged with various crimes ranging from carnal knowledge to trafficking in persons. But after several years of postponed trials, the cases against […]
You would have thought that the two major political parties would have fought tooth and nail over electoral registration, but today, the appointed date for courtroom challenges to newly registered voters, there was an eerie silence from both P.U.P. and U.D.P. With a few minor exceptions for clerical errors, the voters list for the March […]
He is well known for his generosity to political causes in his native U.K. and Belize, but news from Australia indicates that Michael Ashcroft is spreading some of his wealth down under. According to Aussie press reports, the billionaire has made a one million U.S. dollar donation to that country’s liberal party. Handed over in […]
A Parent’s Guide to the Child Protection System is the latest publication by the National Committee for Families and Children. And according to N.C.F.C programme coordinator Starla Acosta, the booklet seeks to promote awareness of child abuse and neglect. Starla Acosta, Programme Coordinator, N.C.F.C. ?A lot of times we realise that a lot of reports […]
It’s called “The Song of Kriol: A Grammar of the Kriol Language of Belize” and this latest effort from the Bileez Kriol Projek is sure to stir up discussion. Compiled through the collaborative efforts of Belizeans and international linguist, Ken Decker, the book is designed to reveal the inner workings of Kriol. According to local […]
It may not be the most glamorous part of the medical profession, but while community nurse’s aides do not perform open heart surgery, they are often responsible for the health of entire villages. Today I learned more about these vital workers as they began a major training initiative. Janelle Chanona, Reporting For more than a […]
There is no question that Belize possesses an underwater treasure chest unrivalled in other parts of the world. And while a number of international film-makers have documented the wonder and awe that is life along the Belize Barrier Reef, tonight we feature the work of a local diver who took his love for the sea […]
Tonight Belizeans are reeling from a series of murders and shootings that have left a trail of bloody violence across the old capital. And while our coverage tonight will include a full report on those senseless killings, we will begin our newscast on a different note: a story of celebration from the cultural capital, Dangriga, […]
In our years of broadcasting the daily news, we’ve used words such as heartless, cold-blooded, and merciless. But there were no words we could think of to describe what a nine year old boy endured on Friday night on the streets of Belize City. Around eight p.m., the child watched in absolute terror as a […]
He fled the country in August of last year following allegations that he raped three British teenagers during a night of drinking. Today, after almost six months on the lam, Aaron Juan turned himself in to police in San Ignacio. The twenty-four year old tour guide was immediately arraigned in Magistrate’s Court on two counts […]
The person in our next story is definitely a contender for VH1’s “Best Week Ever.” Thirty-four year old Belize City salesman Osvaldo Zetina can’t stop smiling. On Sunday, he won a hundred and ten dollars in the Boledo draw and then on Monday morning, he found out that he had won a hundred and five […]
For more than a month now, commuters have been forced to deal with the chaos within the transport industry. Following the recent heavy rains, complaints about the lack of terminal facilities were high on the list of criticisms levelled against Belmopan. In an effort to alleviate the situation, last week Cabinet ordered terminals reopened … […]
Caribbean leaders converged in Jamaica today to participate in the official inauguration ceremony to launch the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. Representatives included heads of governments from across the Caribbean, the Caribbean Court of Justice, the Caribbean Development Bank, and the University of the West Indies. Standing in for Belize’s Prime Minister Said Musa was […]
A Belize City shopkeeper accused of raping a twelve year old girl has been found not guilty by a jury of his peers in the Supreme Court. According to the testimony of the victim, in the months of January to March of 2004, seventy-six year old Tereso Hernandez had sex with her in his store, […]
Two years ago, he made headlines after he was arrested for scamming over two hundred thousand dollars from the K.H.M.H., but tonight Romanian Robertino Oprescu is out on bail. According to court reports, Oprescu was initially granted bail late last year, but did not meet the conditions until this week … conditions which include a […]
While much of the attention of the political campaigns for the March municipal elections appears to be concentrated in Belize City and Belmopan, by all accounts, the race for dominance in all seven towns and two cities will be tight. On Thursday, News Five’s Janelle Chanona travelled west and found contenders of all colours. Janelle […]
Just one week before Christmas, Lisa Garoy and her four month old son were brutally gunned-down near her home in Taylor’s Alley. While the baby has recovered from the injuries, tonight his mother remains admitted to ward at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. But as we have noted throughout our coverage of this heart wrenching […]
For much of this week, News Five has shown you startling images of the Belize district flooded by heavy rains. Tonight, as periods of rain continue to turn much of the city into a swamp, we investigate the side effects that could pose long-term problems for waterlogged residents. Jacqueline Woods, Reporting It?s not certain just […]
Heavy rains and school cancellations earlier this week may have threatened the National Primary School Basketball Championship games, but it appears nothing could have dampened the spirits of an enthusiastic crowd of children who showed up at the Belize City Centre today to compete and cheer for their peer players. This afternoon, News Five spoke […]
Fire-fighters normally take a lot of heat, both on the job and from the public, but tonight the National Fire Service is making headlines for honouring its most outstanding members. This afternoon Fire Chief Henry Baizar would not reveal the names of the recipients, but maintains that recognising a commitment to excellence in officers is […]
You might not have seen his handiwork as you drove or rode by his workshop on Victoria Street, but tonight Curl Gordon gives News Five’s Karla Vernon a look at the inner workings of art … in wood. Karla Vernon, Reporting To an ordinary person, these are just pieces of wood. But to artist Curl […]
On Tuesday we brought viewers dramatic footage of massive flooding on the Western Highway. But while that road is no longer wet, the waters that covered it are now working their way east… and tonight villagers in Gracie Rock are living the aquatic life usually reserved for hicatee and iguana. Not even rubber boots could […]
