A few months ago, nineteen year-old George “Junie Balls” McKenzie was accused of pulling the trigger on a man who was shot on Victoria Street. But just when he was about to be arraigned on a murder charge before Senior Magistrate Sharon Fraser, the arraignment was halted and McKenzie Junior was held in police […]
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 […]
On June seventeenth, the organization called the Alliance of Ministers and Leaders of Belize took to the steps of the National Assembly in an initiative called Occupy Belmopan. Since then the pastors and members of mainly Hispanic-based evangelical churches have been a constant presence on Independence Hill. Belize Can President Patrick Menzies is spearheading the […]
In recent months Belize’s military branches have benefitted from millions of dollars in equipment, infrastructure and training, courtesy of the US. Those donations are a part of a larger regional security initiative. But with a new Ambassador taking over, will the B.D.F., Coast Guard and Police continue to reap the benefits of a very beneficial […]
Canadian Brian Townsend was murdered at Christmas in the Valley of Peace community in the Cayo District. It was a sensational crime, more so because within a matter of weeks two men suspected in the murder also died violently. Brothers Raul Balona and Marlon Flores were killed, but Police found another suspect in early February. […]
A money changer from San Joaquin, Corozal, narrowly escaped death today when he was targeted shortly after five this morning. Forty-seven-year-old Martin Guerra was shot after he left his brother’s house in the Santa Rita area of Corozal Town. Guerra was driving his Dodge Caravan towards the Philip Goldson Highway when he detected a man […]
Scenes of Crime technicians and personnel of the Belize Police Department are being trained to meet international standards in forensics. Today, the Belize National Forensic Science Service Department and the U.S. Embassy launched a one year forensic crime scene investigation course. The trainer, Hayden Baldwin, is a retired Master Sergeant from the Illinois State Police […]
With a widening trade imbalance, Belize has been attempting to close the gap. To this end, a two-year program to bolster foreign trade concluded today. The project, funded by the European Union focused on negotiation tactics and strategies to increase trade in Central America and beyond the region. Stakeholders from both private and public sector […]
The wait for Channel Five’s exciting new entertainment show is over. At nine o’clock, the recorded auditions of If You Can Sing, Bring It will premiere right here on this station. We’ve been busy putting the final touches on the show which will blow you away. It’s a totally new format, with the best local […]
Lavern “Anti-Christ” Longsworth remains in prison tonight; whether or not she will spend more time in prison or be freed will be decided by the Court of Appeal on Friday. Longsworth was sentenced to life in prison in November 2012 for the murder of her common-law husband. Her murder conviction for dousing David White with […]
The U.S. State Department’s Human Trafficking Report 2014 is out, and Belize has been downgraded on the Tier Two watch list. The annual report evaluates countries on their efforts to combat human trafficking, and where Belize is concerned, the evaluation is not a good one. The report claims that the government of Belize does not […]
The report observes other inadequacies in government’s efforts to combat human trafficking, claiming that authorities failed to protect victims of human trafficking while in Belize, and also failed to safely repatriate victims. It is an outright condemnation of the government, but more so the Human Trafficking Council which is the front line operational committee. Alpuche […]
This morning, attorneys for the Cotton Tree Village Council and the government of Belize met in Supreme Court for case management. The dispute is over two hundred and fifty-four lots which were acquired by government and subdivided. The lots were then issued to eight U.D.P. area representatives in Belize City for distribution to their supporters. […]
Marshalleck is also the attorney on record for the Valley of Peace Farmers’ Association, currently in dispute with agricultural giant Green Tropics. So-called peaceful negotiations broke down more than a week ago when farmers were handed an eviction notice by the company. The matter started with a claim by farmers that Green Tropics had damaged […]
At around three this afternoon, the Court of Appeal struck out an application by attorneys for the government of Belize. In 2010, young Benjamin and Onelia Rash went missing in Toledo, and residents of their home village San Marcos were convinced that the disappearance of the children had something to do with the crocodile research […]
Allegations of excessive use of force by police officers are commonplace in the media and reports of brutality are no longer as sensational. But for one San Ignacio resident who has found himself in the middle of an alleged love triangle, the wanton act of violence followed him from his home where he reportedly busted […]
This afternoon, we spoke with Inspector Reymundo Reyes who told us that the matter is being investigated both criminally and internally since there are conflicting accounts of what transpired. Via Phone: Inspector Reymundo Reyes, Deputy O.C., San Ignacio Police “Thursday night we had a gentleman by the name of Ernesto Chan, who visited the […]
A total of twelve teachers have been fired as a result of the merger of three high schools in Belize City. It means that if the Ministry of Education has its way, they will not be able to teach in the upcoming school year. But the group of teachers from Maud Williams, Sadie Vernon and […]
Public Service Day is celebrated every year on June twenty-third. This morning, a number of public officers with a quarter of a century of service were honored at an all day event held at the Belize Biltmore Plaza under the theme: “Public Service! Service for You, Service for Me, Serving the People, Serving Belize.” Duane […]
Twenty-seven-year-old Marlon Foreman, who was initially accused of murder and three counts of attempted murder, gained his freedom today. Foreman was behind bars since January 2009 for the shooting death of Barney Cunningham who succumbed on January sixth. Foreman had also been charged with the attempted murder of Edmund Castillo, Enrique Alvarez, and Glenford Myers. He […]
There has been a recent spike in violent crimes and drug trafficking in San Pedro, the most recent resulting in the arrest of a couple on Friday for possession of a hundred and sixty grams of cannabis. To combat the upsurge the Belize Police Department has reshuffled its command on the island. Assisting Superintendent Luis […]
A mass congregation of approximately two thousand men, women and children, primarily of Maya descent, converged on the primary school compound in the village of Indian Creek on Sunday for what was being called The Gathering of Children of the Earth. The meeting at that venue was the second largest since June 2010, when Chief […]
Belize is assuming the presidency of the Central American Integration System, SICA, for a period of six months, beginning July first. Prime Minister Dean Barrow left the country for the Dominican Republic today to receive the presidency which is rotated between all Central American countries and the Dominican Republic. Barrow is attending the SICA Summit […]
Early indications are that carnival 2014 will be the biggest ever; so far seventeen bands have registered for the hugely popular event which attracts thousands of spectators along the carnival route in Belize City. This year, competition also promises to be even fiercer because a band from neighboring Chetumal has registered to enter the event. […]
