The Moro and Humes families of Punta Gorda Town continue to grieve the loss of their loved ones. In the wake of the tragedy they have organized a candlelight vigil which they hope will bring other families together in the name of peace and solidarity. While they have not heard anything official from investigators, the […]
Aside from the spate of violence there was another unfortunate incident in Punta Gorda where a baby was injured. Eighteen-month-old Vela Usher was transported to Belize City and is hospitalized at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital following a fire on Tuesday evening at her home in Punta Gorda. According to the toddler’s mother, twenty-five-year-old Aaronie […]
Also in the south, an American national was attacked and robbed inside his home in Hopkins on Saturday. Seventy-three-year-old Thomas Shannon reported that two armed men broke into his home, sprayed him with bug spray, stabbed and tied him up. The men stole cell-phones, a laptop and other gadgets. Shannon reportedly freed himself and got […]
PUP Belize City Councillor, Micah Goodin remains without a portfolio tonight. After being benched following an altercation with City Administrator Stephanie Lindo-Garbutt, Councillor Goodin took to Facebook to respond to the Council’s unified position on the incident. Councillor Goodin posted that he was being used by the ‘bigger heads’, stating that “the bigger heads loved […]
In October 2018, the Department of Environment issued a stop order to businessman Hiasam Diab for a construction that had commenced along Sand Lighter’s Promenade, next to the Ramada Princess Hotel. D.O.E. was concerned about the disposal of garbage and sewer. It was later explained that Belize Waste Control would deal with that matter and […]
The Belize City Council will increase the cost of new license plates for vehicles. The new price will be thirty-five dollars and it’s scheduled to take effect on March fifteenth. The Belize City Council issued a notice on Tuesday and today Mayor Bernard Wagner explained the reason for the increase. Bernard Wagner, Belize City […]
On Tuesday, Commissioner Chester Williams was asked about the status of the investigation into interdicted Corporal Darrell Tutsie Usher. If you’ll recall, he has been on interdiction because he was charged with drug trafficking. Usher was recently freed of that charge but he is still facing charges before a police tribunal. Earlier this month, he […]
For a long time the top brass of the Belize Police Department was viewed as an all boys club. Across the world there is a hyper-masculine culture that plays out in police departments, from policies to promotions. In Belize, there has never been a female commissioner since the first Belizean commissioner in 1969 – the […]
In 2018 a butane gas explosion rocked the Mopan and Mahogany Streets neighbourhood in Belize City when a faulty butane cylinder exploded in an apartment building. Three persons were injured including twenty-two-year-old Grayson Cadle. Cadle received second and third-degree burns to more than seventy percent of his body. After a few days at the K.H.M.H., […]
It has been two years since the Social Security Board embarked in a consultation process to seek support for the adjustment of the Board’s contribution and pension scheme. The S.S.B. is critically close to what experts call the ‘period of equilibrium’ where total income equals total expenditure. In order to avoid a financial crash, the […]
Legal changes have also been made to the submission period for sickness and injury benefit claims. According to Doctor Young, the submission period has been extended from four days to fourteen days. Doctor Young says that because of the short period in which employees were being asked to file claims, many had been disallowed due […]
Over the next ten years, the S.S.B. would have been renewing almost four hundred thousand cards and as you can imagine, this takes a lot of money and staff time. So the S.S.B. also made changes to the life term of its card. Starting this year, social security cards won’t expire. According to Doctor Young, […]
As the Belize City Commercial Centre nears completion, Mayor Bernard Wagner has been left with the task of sourcing funds to furnish the huge structure. According to Wagner, the previous U.D.P. City Council did not budget monies to furnish and equip the interior of the building which will also houses City Hall. He says that […]
The Belize National Youth Mainstreaming Strategy Framework Consultation kicked off today in Belize City. It’s a big name for a strategy that seeks a coordinated government approach to enable equity for all young people. The strategy looks at the social, economic and political bearings for Belizean youth in decision making process and planning. In order […]
A regional forum hosted by the Wildlife Conservation Society, involving representatives from ten countries across the Caribbean, concluded today in Belize City. The purpose of the workshop was for the exchange of experiences and reflections on technology solutions for enforcement and compliance for fisheries and marine protected areas in the Mesoamerican and Caribbean Region. Nicole […]
Using the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool, SMART, participants demonstrated solutions to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries using drones. They also discussed commonalities of Marine Protected Areas compliance gaps, as well as capacity needs for the region. Julio Maaz, Technical Coordinator, WCS “The Wildlife Conservation Society works across the globe in the conservation of […]
A spike in gun violence has shattered the calm and peace that Punta Gorda is known for, following a heinous double homicide on Monday evening. Oscar Humes and Kevin Moro were lifelong friends, growing up together in town. They were at a residence on Main Street sometime before seven p.m. when a gunman entered the […]
Police in Punta Gorda Town remain on high alert tonight and additional manpower has been sent in to quell what has been an escalation of gun violence over the past twenty-four hours. Deputy Commissioner of Police Edward Broaster was on the ground today surveying a situation that has seen the operational deployment of officers from […]
There were signs that a wave of violence was sweeping through the district. Even before the double murders there were two shootings in Toledo. Police say the first incident happened overnight on Sunday in Colombia Village and two persons were injured in what appears to be a family related dispute. The second incident took place […]
There is another murder victim. Twenty-two-year-old Edward Conorquie succumbed to gunshot injuries today. He was receiving medical attention at the K.H.M.H. after he was shot in the head and back over the weekend. Conorquie, who is originally from Belize City, was found on the roadside of the Southern Highway, near Independence Village in the Stann […]
As his deputy was in the south, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams was in Belmopan where he spoke about the growing gang-related violence in Punta Gorda. He says that that the department will do everything within its power to curb this issue because if they don’t act fast and consistently, it will be hard to […]
The commissioner also told the media that they will be coming down hard on the criminals – not just to apprehend them, but to make sure that they are held accountable for their actions. Williams says that while they will be doing a clean out of the criminals, they will also flush out those dirty […]
The situation in Punta Gorda begs the question whether criminal elements are being brought in from out of town for use as hired guns. The notion arose in the wake of the shooting death of Jordy Flores a few weeks ago. It has come up once again in light of Monday night’s bloodbath. Earlier today, […]
The Belize Council of Churches has come out in favour of going to the International Court of Justice and is offering prayers for a settlement of the dispute. After carefully examining the evidence, and the pros and cons, the Council issued a statement saying that “a favourable vote on April tenth, 2019 to submit the […]
So while the churches are in the yes corner, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize says its membership is free to exercise a conscious vote. The N.T.U.C.B. has been holding discussions with its wider membership involving the other unions. Today, President Marvin Mora told News Five about why they took that position. With the […]
