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As has been reported, by law, it is the police who have the mandate to handle any mental health patient who may be having an acute episode. The last time the Commissioner of Police commented on the issue, he spoke of the sensitivity of officers dealing with mentally challenged persons. Last week, police officers were […]
Written on February 21, 2023 | Posted in
Economy,
People & Places,
Social Issues |
Comments Off on ComPol Resolute on Addressing Mental Health Cases
A devastating late-morning fire on Simon Lamb Street in Belize City has left up to twelve individuals displaced. A two-storey wooden apartment building occupied by eighty-five-year-old landlord Neftale Martinez, his son and at least eleven other persons, caught fire just after eleven a.m. The fire moved through the building so quickly that there was no […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Twelve Persons Displaced By Late-Morning Fire in King’s Park, Belize City
Late this evening, we heard from Kenneth Mortis, the Station Supervisor at the National Fire Service. According to Mortis, a preliminary investigation has revealed that the house fire was unintentionally set by one of the tenants. He gave us an overview of the destruction the fire left in its wake. Kenneth Mortis, Station Supervisor, […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
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Environment,
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Comments Off on National Fire Service Addresses Simon Lamb Street Fire
Mortis also responded to criticisms that the department’s approach to fighting the fire contributed to its spread. There was also disapproval coming from onlookers over the fact that the fire truck ran out of water and had to leave the burning building to go and refill. Here is how Mortis responded. Kenneth Mortis, Station […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
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Economy,
Environment,
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Comments Off on Station Supervisor Responds to Criticisms of Water Shortage in Fire Trucks
Tonight, a final demand has been made by disgruntled bus operators who are calling for the removal of the chairman of the Transport Board. It’s the latest development in a series of events taking place within the embattled public transportation industry since the permit for Ritchie’s bus will not be renewed going forward. Earlier today, […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
Economy,
Environment,
People & Places |
Comments Off on B.B.A. Issues Ultimatum to Ministry of Transport, But What’s Next for the Industry?
According to Shaw, while the B.B.A. initially started out with an amicable relationship with the Minister of Transport and the Department of Transport, things went south when Floralia Limited was brought into the fray. Thomas Shaw, President, Belize Bus Association “Since we got in, everything was good. For the first year we had the […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
Economy,
Environment,
People & Places |
Comments Off on B.B.A. Explains Its Floralia Issues
While Shaw insists that the B.B.A.’s gripe with Floralia is not a personal attack on the owners of the company, Transport Minister Rodwell Ferguson also responded to the position taken by the B.B.A. president. Thomas Shaw, President, Belize Bus Association “For Mr. Floralia, I have nothing against you sir, it’s not a personal attack. […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
Economy,
Environment,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Thomas Shaw and Rodwell Ferguson Go Tit for Tat
This weekend, passengers onboard an outbound Silva’s bus were taken aback when the rear door of the bus flew off. It happened in Belize City on Central American Boulevard and couldn’t have taken place at a most inopportune time, during the bus operators’ dispute with the Ministry of Transport. Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Transport […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
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Environment,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Rear Door for Silva’s Bus Flies Off on the Boulevard
Today the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Workers’ Union expressed disappointment and discontent with the removal of Doctor Andre Sosa, chairman of the hospital’s board of directors. In a press release from the union, it states “Doctor Andre Sosa understands the plight of the hospital making him a suitable advocate for the K.H.M.H.A. and its patients. […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
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Health,
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Comments Off on K.H.M.H. Workers Union Express Discontent at Removal of Dr. Andre Sosa and Board Chair; Minister Says It’s for the Best
And as the Cabinet huddles over the next few weeks to finalize its National Budget draft, public health care is expected to be one of the top priority areas, as Minister of Health Ken Bernard alluded to. Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness “I’m sure we will be getting an increase, to address […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
Economy,
Health,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Minister of Health: Ministry of Health’s Budget for New Fiscal Year Will Have to Include Funding to Assist K.H.M.H
A team of officials from the World Bank is in Belize and met earlier today with the Cabinet in Belize City. The team comprised representatives from the International Finance Corporation, I.F.C, which is the private sector arm of the bank, as well as from the bank’s International Development Association. That is a branch of the […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
Economy,
Environment,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Cabinet Meets with World Bank
Several areas of the Ministry of Education will be prioritized during the upcoming fiscal year. As Minister of Education, Francis Fonseca told us today that those areas include vocational/technical education, and expanding free education to southern Belize, among others. Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education, Culture “Later this week, Thursday, we’ll be having a Special […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
Economy,
Education,
People & Places |
Comments Off on What Areas of Education with the Ministry of Education Look to Expand in the 2023-24 Fiscal Year
Last week, the joint unions met with representatives of the government to discuss the increment freeze. The unions want their increments to be unfrozen and they have given April first as their deadline. The President of the Public Service Union, Dean Flowers, indicated last week that they were pleased with the humility of the government. […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Where is G.O.B. on Lifting the Increment Freeze?
There were no reports of loss of life over the weekend; in fact, according to our archives, there was no gun violence recorded since last Monday. There is, however, a disturbing report of a sexual assault out west. The incident occurred on the fifteenth of February when a forty-five-year-old woman woke up to find that […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
Crime,
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Woman Sexually Assaulted in the West; 1 Person Detained
The Belize Police Department recently activated a police substation in the Maya Mopan community on the outskirts of Belmopan. That twenty-four-hour presence by officers may have very well saved the life of Wilber Rivera, a resident of the area who was the victim of an attack by four persons, including three minors. Emilio Saqui, along […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
Crime,
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Fight in Maya Mopan; Police Patrol Saved Victim’s Life
On Sunday, there was a brazen robbery of a businessman on Mahogany Street Extension in Belize City and it was allegedly committed by minors. Police say that the forty-two-year-old was sitting inside his vehicle when he was accosted by armed gunmen on bicycles. They stole two thousand dollars in cash and a phone. Quick response […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
Crime,
Economy |
Comments Off on Businessman Robbed in Belize City; Cops Recover Stolen Money, Phone
Police have charged twenty-three-year-old Ryan McCulluch with attempted murder in connection with a shooting that occurred on February fourteenth in Ladyville. McCulluch is accused of opening fire on sixteen-year-old Kylee Gordon and twenty-year-old Harrison Parks on Edwin Parks Avenue in Ladyville Village. Sometime after seven that night, Gordon and twenty-one-year-old Orson Parks were walking in […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
Crime,
Economy |
Comments Off on Police Charge Ryan McCulluch for Attempted Murder of Two Youth
Belize’s first human trafficking academy commenced today at Umaya Resort on the Placencia Road in southern Belize. Engaged in the week-long training are personnel from the justice sector, including human rights agencies, the Belize Police Department, the judiciary and other government departments as they are learning tools and techniques used in trafficking in persons investigations, […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
Economy,
Foreign Affairs,
People & Places,
Social Issues |
Comments Off on Belize’s First Human Trafficking Academy
During her speech today, Minister of Human Development, Dolores Balderamos-Garcia said that while Belize has been doing well, there are more cases of potential familial human trafficking in Belize. The Chair of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons (ATIPS) Council was in southern Belize over the weekend and says that they may have identified a case of […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
Economy,
Foreign Affairs,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Ministry of Human Development to Investigate Case of a Madam in Toledo
Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday. I am Paul Lopez. Belize has produced a number of outstanding athletes that have travelled abroad to play for teams in the U.S and around the world. Within the last ten years, we have been hearing about more and more young athletes across various disciplines travelling […]
Written on February 20, 2023 | Posted in
Economy,
Entertainment,
Environment,
People & Places,
Sports |
Comments Off on Francis Hauze Takes The Spotlight in This Week’s Player Profile
There has been a seismic change at the top of Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital tonight. Chairman of the hospital’s board, Doctor Andre Sosa has been removed from that position. The news came on the same day that the K.H.M.H. Workers Union decided to abort its plan to take industrial action against the hospital. However, our […]
Written on February 17, 2023 | Posted in
Featured,
Health |
Comments Off on Arun Hotchandani Replaces Dr. Andre Sosa as K.H.M.H.A Chairman
And now to the latest in the transport sector, last night’s news about tax exemptions for the importation of Florala’s fleet will undoubtedly keep the bus operators critical about the government’s improvement plan for the sector. While this is a long-standing issue, the cancellation of the permit for Ritchies was a turning point for this […]
Written on February 17, 2023 | Posted in
Featured,
Travel |
Comments Off on Owner of Ritchie’s Bus Company Shifts to Restaurant and Entertainment
Leader of the Belize Progressive Party, Wil Maheia, also weighed in on Ritchie’s case and what he feels is an unreasonable approach by the government to Belizean-owned bus companies. He believes that the companies are mostly Belizean families who have been providing the service for decades, and they should be given a chance to continue […]
Written on February 17, 2023 | Posted in
Economy,
Featured,
Travel |
Comments Off on B.P.P. Leader Weighs In on Transport the Bus Companies and their Permits
On Thursday night, we reported that in late 2021 and early 2022, the Ministry of Finance approved a seventy-percent import duties and excise tax exemption for Floralia Limited to bring six 2022 Yutong buses in country. Since the news broke, Thomas Shaw, the President of the Belize Bus Association, has declared that the Government of […]
Written on February 17, 2023 | Posted in
Economy,
People & Places,
Travel |
Comments Off on The Cost of Importing Buses into Belize and Tax Exemptions
On Thursday we brought you the story of the fire that destroyed the house of an elderly woman in Orange Walk. Sixty-one-year-old Bernadette Allen woke up to find her house ablaze at both the front and back entrances, luckily she managed to escape. A neighbor who was close to the family said that it was […]
Written on February 17, 2023 | Posted in
Disasters,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Fire Official Confirm That Orange Walk Fire Was Intentionally Set
