One of two individuals believed to have landed an aircraft laden with narcotics in Mountain Pine Ridge on Sunday is under police guard at the Western Regional Hospital tonight. He is recovering from injuries sustained when the drug plane crash landed on a crude runway near Hidden Valley. Police were back on the scene today […]
A family of ten, including children, are tonight homeless after an afternoon fire gutted the two-storey structure they lived in. It was a frightening ordeal that has left members of the family, who were at home at the time of the blaze, traumatized. Fortunately, no one was hurt but they lost everything except for a […]
The 2021 Hurricane Season has come to an end and once again, Belize has been spared from any major storms. The prediction was for an above normal season, which the National Met Service says proved to be accurate; thankfully Belize was not affected. Chief Meteorologist Ronald Gordon spoke with News Five’s Duane Moody today about […]
Brian Castillo is on remand at the Belize Central Prison for allegedly killing his common-law wife and her twelve-year-old daughter last weekend in San Ignacio. Following the harrowing incident, Castillo took custody of his seven-year-old son and absconded to Guatemala. He was apprehended by local authorities in Melchor several days later and was handed over […]
Young men living in gang ridden areas of Belize City are often deemed lazy and unmotivated to work. But, many of these young men would argue this is far from the truth. On the contrary, they say the youth in their communities are willing to work, but job opportunities are slow in coming. In addition, […]
And while the Intervention Unit and the City Council are joining forces for the clean-up, more tools are needed on the ground. Jermaine Garnett is making an appeal for donations of items like wheel barrows, rakes and shovels. Jermaine Garnett, St. Martin’s Community “From the outside community, right now we got all the lee […]
And while providing opportunities for manual labor as a means of generating an honest income, the Department of Youth Services says it also cares about the psychosocial well-being of the men. That is why they are planning a retreat in the Mountain Pine Ridge, to facilitate wellness and wilderness trainings for those involved in the […]
Another program is the “Heal up With Roots” Initiative where sixty Belize City residents are being trained to act as mediators in their communities. DYS is utilizing the cure violence model and participants learn basic counseling and intervention skills. It is a long term approach to addressing the issue of gang violence. We spoke to […]
In line with the decreasing number of COVID infections, the Minister of Health has issued a new Statutory Instrument that repeals Regulation #27 as of November twenty-ninth. The repeal effectively lifts the prohibition on the sale of liquor after six p.m. The SI read: “Notwithstanding anything contained in the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Act or any […]
On December first Belize joins the global commemoration of World AIDS Day. This year, the theme is “End Inequalities, End AIDS, End Pandemics.” The National AIDS Commission says if Belize is to help keep the international promise of ending AIDS by 2030, the task of ending inequalities must be seen as a matter of urgency. […]
And in Diaspora news, a young man who is on a basketball scholarship at a university in California is encouraging other Belizean youth to pursue their sporting dreams. Arik Nicholas, from Punta Gorda Town, plays basketball for the University of the Antelope Valley in Lancaster. He shared his message of encouragement with News Five. […]
The final preparations are underway for the annual tree lighting ceremony at Battlefield Park. This year, Coca Cola and National Institute of Culture and History, are partnering with the City Council to ensure that the Coca Cola tree at the Mule Park in front of the Belize Bank at Market Square will also be lit […]
In regional news, Barbados has removed the Queen of England as its head of state to become a republic. The island nation celebrated the event with a ceremony which included invited guest Rhianna, who was named a national hero, and Prince Charles who stood in for the Queen and wished the new republic well. Here’s […]
In business news, today News Five has the story of a local footwear company trying to compete with international imports. Jaime Marin only brings in a few of the components but sources all the leather locally. Marion Ali visited Umbraland Adventure Gears’ in Georgeville Village, Cayo today. Marion Ali, Reporting A man’s idea […]
For the fourth time in a month, a drug plane has been discovered soon after it landed in Belize – and for the second time in that period, at least one police officer has been accused of some level of involvement. Today Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, held a press conference. News Five’s Marion Ali […]
One of those in police custody in relation to Sunday’s drug plane landing is a Corporal who worked under Assistant Commissioner of Police, Marco Vidal. Vidal, as you will remember, had stepped down as Commander of Operations after the November fifth drug plane bust in Bladen, Toledo. At that time, an internal investigation had begun […]
Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams expressed disappointment that Attorney Dickie Bradley is the defense attorney for the men who were charged in the November fifth drug bust, when he said the Belize Police Department had hoped Bradley, who has spoken out against the plane landings, would have opted to prosecute the defendants. Now, Williams says, […]
A Belize City man, Chef Ruben Cano, was murdered over the weekend on Antelope Extension. The assailants targeted Cano and unleashed a number of bullets that caught him to the body on Saturday. He was rushed to the KHMH, but pronounced dead. Cano leaves behind his two children, their mother who is Cano’s ex-wife, and […]
A man was shot and killed in Dangriga on Friday night. He has been identified as Eden Ramos. Reports are that he was in the Backatown Area when he was approached by two men, one of whom shot him to the forehead. Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams spoke briefly on this incident. Chester Williams, […]
First Doctor Lesbia Guerra, then Doctor Deysi Mendez and now C.E.O. Rey Guerrero. The Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing announced today that it is parting ways with one of its two C.E.O.s. Guerrero was responsible for the Housing portfolio. A second C.E.O. was appointed to the ministry to undertake the rebuilding and restructuring of […]
For some time now, the positivity rate of COVID-19 has been on a downward trend, registered between five and ten percent. It’s the lowest that the country has seen in a while as Belize appears to be overcoming our third wave. Currently, there are one thousand eighty-two active cases with one hundred and seventy-three new […]
The news spread like wildfire last week that a new variant had been detected in South Africa. Omicron is more transmissible, but so far, cases are milder in terms of symptoms. The concern though is that more people infected could mean more hospitalizations. Omicron has not been detected in the region and the predominant variant […]
There is a proposed reopening of land borders in January. While it is being met with mixed reviews, today we took the opportunity to ask Doctor Melissa Diaz-Musa for her take on the reopening. Here’s what she had to say. Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Deputy Regional Health Manager, Central Health Region “With omicron being detected, […]
Over the weekend there were a few large parties held across the country, at least one of which was in Placencia. Pictures that were opening circulated on social media show that people wore no face masks at all and were not social distancing. Today the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams said that while people bash […]
The most recent statutory instrument eased public safety restrictions when curfew was changed to ten p.m. from Sunday to Thursday and then on Friday and Saturday it is between eleven p.m. and five a.m. But Doctor Diaz-Musa cautions residents to remain vigilant and not participate in risky activities that may cause a spread. Dr. […]
