Fifteen-year-old Niccanor Fermin became the latest victim of gang violence when he was executed and dumped in an overgrown area near the entrance to Vista del Mar on Wednesday morning. Police were alerted to shots being fired in the area sometime around ten a.m. and when they responded to the scene, they discovered the lifeless […]
Several months ago, Fermin’s mother had reached out to the Belize Police Department, as well as the Wagner’s Youth Facility to secure a scholarship opportunity for her son. While that did not work out, Director William Dawson did come into contact with the young man. William Dawson, Leadership Intervention Unit “In the past three […]
The Department of Youth Services is critical in providing the kind of assistance that is needed to intervene in the lives of young men who choose a life of crime. DYS has been working closely with the Leadership Intervention Unit to help these at-risk youths. This afternoon, Director Kevin Cadle announced that a Memorandum of […]
On Independence Day, a stabbing incident in Hattieville ended the life of coast guard seaman Elston Morter. His friend, Marcel Gill was also stabbed and remains hospitalised. Today, police formally arrested and charged B.D.F. soldier Leon Perez for the crime of murder. The incident stems from a traffic accident that occurred on September twenty-first. Gill […]
We’ve been reporting on the physical and emotional toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has been having on frontline healthcare workers. Personnel from the COVID-19 units would go hours on end caring for patients – some to their last breath – and then have to do it all over again the next day. The mental health […]
In the COVID-19 Unit at the K.H.M.H., there are twenty-six nurses, seven patient care assistants, six attendants and about ten to twelve doctors who work on a shift basis. Nursing Supervisor Kereen Birch hones in on the struggles that these frontline healthcare workers have been going through and Nurse Casilda Bowman shares how this will […]
Earlier this week, News Five received reports from Crooked Tree Village of staffing issues at its health center. During an interview with the Deputy Regional Health Manager for the Central Health Region, Doctor Melissa Diaz-Musa, we asked her about the struggles of dealing with COVID in rural Belize District. Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Deputy Regional […]
The Ministry of Health and Wellness has spoken at length about COVID-19 health measures, such as wearing your mask, washing your hands and physical distancing, as means of preventing the spread of the virus. While Doctor Melissa Diaz-Musa reemphasizes what needs to be done by residents to protect themselves from COVID-19 and its variants, she […]
This year, for the first time, Belize is commemorating International Sign Language Day, which is being held under the theme, “We Sign for Human Rights.” It is observed annually on September twenty-third and today, News Five spoke with some of the actors about the importance of inclusive language in Belize. Duane Moody, Reporting There […]
The Spouses of CARICOM Leaders Action Network (SCLAN) held its third annual side event in the margins of the Seventy-sixth Session of the United Nations General Assembly. The event was chaired by Her Excellency Rossana Briceño, spouse of the Prime Minister of Belize. The conversation focused on acknowledging the impact of COVID-19 on women and […]
Twenty-six persons were issued certificates of completion, having successfully participated in a first-of-its-kind autism program. Among the participants were teachers and parents who acquired much needed information on how to care for a child who falls within the spectrum. News Five was there for the award ceremony. Here’s that report. Christy Castillo Almeida, Founder/Executive […]
A virtual public consultation is ongoing for the Port of Belize Expansion Project. The initiative proposes to expand the port with a modernized cargo area and bulk cargo facility. Additionally, the expansion will include a cruise terminal and a berthing facility that proposes to accommodate onshore docking for larger cruise and cargo ships. To facilitate […]
During the question and answer segment, presenters were asked if the Port of Belize Expansion takes into account the transportation master plan. Here is the response. Allen Herrera, Nextera Environmental and Engineering Consultancy “Yes it does. To put it in a word, it does. The transportation master plan for the country addresses road transportation, […]
During his Independence Day address on Tuesday, Prime Minister John Briceño announced that over a hundred starter homes are being built to assist single mothers who are first-time homeowners. It’s a campaign promise that falls under the People’s United Party’s Plan Belize manifesto, but can the Briceño administration make good on its word? Prime […]
Together We Rise – it’s the name of an education pilot project also being rolled out by the Briceño administration to provide intervention programs at four secondary schools in Belize City. Here’s more from Prime Minister Briceño. Prime Minister John Briceño “Today along with the Minister of Education I am also pleased to announce […]
Tonight on COVID Chronicles, we bring you the story of forty-three-year-old Keith Yearwood, a COVID hospitalization survivor. Yearwood, a diabetic, was rushed to the COVID Unit at the KHMH when he began experiencing difficulties breathing. His cases were among the most severe. He told News Five’s Paul Lopez what it was like spending two days […]
For a second time since the advent of COVID-19, Independence Day celebrations have been subdued, largely in part to an increase in cases across the country. On Tuesday, government officials, dignitaries and other invited guests journeyed to Belmopan where an official ceremony was held in commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of Belize’s political freedom. Among […]
A stabbing incident on Independence Day, in the New Site area of Hattieville, off the George Price Highway at mile seventeen, has left a Belize City resident dead and another in critical but stable condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Coast Guard seaman Elston Morter and security officer Marcel Gill were involved in an […]
There was a mid-morning murder in Ladyville today. Around nine-forty-five a.m., a vehicle was seen driving on Blue Marlin Drive, which is the entrance to the Vista Del Mar community. Shortly afterward, shots were heard in the area. Police responded and found the body of nineteen-year-old Niccanor Fermin. The Belize City resident was on the […]
A San Pedro resident is clinging to life at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, following a shooting incident on the island on Tuesday evening. Noe Nelson Zetina was at the Sacachispas Football Field at the corner of Angel Coral and Buccaneer Streets with a friend when he was approached by man who produced his licensed […]
There was another loss of life on Independence Day, but up north in Corozal. Thirty-three-year-old Constancia Cano was found dead between miles seventy-three and seventy-four on the Philip Goldson Highway near Louisville Village. Constancia was reportedly travelling home from Concepcion Village to Santa Clara in a Dodge pickup driven at the time by Fabio Cano […]
The issue of constitutional reform has been on the table for quite some time and while both political parties have discussed the need to improve the existing laws in an effort to stomp out corruption, the Briceño administration has introduced a Constitutional Reform Commission. It was announced on Tuesday that the task force will be […]
The restructuring of Belize’s external debt has been much talked about since it was first announced on September third by Prime Minister John Briceño. Since then, additional details of an agreement with bondholders, as well as The Nature Conservancy, to streamline the Super Bond payments have been shared by the Government of Belize. In his […]
The ongoing Seventy-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly was opened on September fourteenth and is chaired by Abdulla Shahid, President of the General Assembly. Earlier today, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei addressed the gathering of heads of state in New York City. During his presentation, President Giammattei touched briefly on the resolution of the […]
Active COVID-19 cases continue to increase daily. The data up to Monday indicates that there are one thousand, seven hundred and thirty-three active cases and of that amount, eight hundred and ten are in the Belize District. There are twenty-five active hospitalizations and seven ICU admissions. Over the weekend, six new deaths were reported, bringing […]
