Home » February, 2024
You are currently browsing entries posted in: February, 2024
A well-known employee of Pou’s Meat Pie here in Belize City lost his life overnight when the building he was renting on Gibnut Street went up in flames. The incident happened shortly before the blackout on Wednesday night. Phillip Cattouse had just returned home and was talking to his landlady about lighting a candle inside […]
Written on February 8, 2024 | Posted in
Disasters,
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Deadly House Fire on Gibnut Street Claims Life of Phillip Cattouse
Last week, Senator Michael Peyrefitte publicly criticized the Briceño Administration for what he interpreted as a breach of the Senate’s Standing Orders. Today, Carolyn Trench-Sandiford, the President of the Senate, announced her position on the matter. As we reported, Senator Peyrefitte contended that the standing orders stipulate that the lead senator for government business must […]
Written on February 8, 2024 | Posted in
Economy,
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on President of Senate States Position on Standing Orders
Following today’s Senate meeting, we asked U.D.P. Senator Michael Peyrefitte if he agrees with the Attorney General and the President of the Senate’s position on his legal query about having a lead senator for government business who is not a minister. As would be expected, Senator Peyrefitte says he disagrees with the AG’s legal opinion. […]
Written on February 8, 2024 | Posted in
Economy,
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Senator Peyrefitte Disagrees With AG’s Legal Opinion on Lead Government Senator
And, we also heard from Eamon Courtenay, the Lead Senator for Government Business. He explained how he is able to function in his role as a senator after resigning as a government minister. Senator Courtenay did not wish to discuss his resignation. He noted, however, that the prime minister has already spoken on the matter. […]
Written on February 8, 2024 | Posted in
Economy,
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Senator Eamon Courtenay Explains His “Cabinet Privileges”
This morning, representatives of various media houses met for breakfast with the Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs and her senior staff, including C.E.O.’s Adele Catzim and Marconi Leal Junior. Also present was Senior Counsel Andrew Marshalleck and Assistant Solicitor General Samantha Matute-Tucker on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General. The purpose of the […]
Written on February 8, 2024 | Posted in
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Government Updates Media on Draft Maya Land Policy
The controversial, provisional document put forward by the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs has been met with cold water by the wider Maya community with one alcalde openly trashing the draft land tenure policy. With the Government of Belize on one side of the divisive issue and the Toledo Alcaldes Association/Maya Leaders Alliance on the […]
Written on February 8, 2024 | Posted in
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Is the Mayan Community Properly Informed on Draft Land Policy?
At the adjournment of today’s Senate meeting, we asked Senator Michael Peyrefitte if he has received a response from the prime minister. As we have reported, Peyrefitte wrote to Prime Minister John Briceño requesting further details on the government’s reacquisition of the Port of Belize Limited. Senator Peyrefitte requested the names of any private individuals […]
Written on February 8, 2024 | Posted in
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Senator Peyrefitte Does Not Expect Response to FOIA Letter from PM
Inside the National Assembly chamber, senators debated amendments to the Criminal Code and Summary Jurisdiction Acts. The proposed amendments seek to increase jail time for individuals who interfere with the work of law enforcement officers. Lead U.D.P. Senator, Michael Peyrefitte, raised concerns over the definitions of certain offenses outlined in the legislation, such as indecent […]
Written on February 8, 2024 | Posted in
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Senate Debates Amendment to Criminal Code Act
An amendment to the Families and Children Act, stemming from a recent High Court ruling, seeks to mandate that a grandfather care for his grandchildren if the father of that child neglects his responsibility. The proposed amendment caused a great deal of concerns and questions among senators. Several parliamentarians referred to the proposed amendment as […]
Written on February 8, 2024 | Posted in
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Should Law Obligate Grandfathers to Care for Grandchildren in Absence of Father?
The Government of Belize is changing the mandatory school age from fourteen to sixteen-years old. An amendment to the Education Rules was passed in the House of Representatives and debated in the Senate this morning. The primary objective of the change is to decrease the nation’s school dropout rate and increase enrollment in primary and […]
Written on February 8, 2024 | Posted in
Education,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Senate Debates Change to Mandatory School Age
You may know them for various meat products, but Quality would like to remind you that, these days they have much more to offer than just poultry. Quality Foods restaurant and store located in San Ignacio has a selection that ranges from groceries to pastries, drinks to deli meats and so much more. Today, we […]
Written on February 8, 2024 | Posted in
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Quality Foods, More Than Just Chicken
A man who was caught stealing several items inside Simon Quan Store on Queen Street was ordered to pay thirty times the cost of the two items he stole after he pleaded guilty to the offense. Thirty-five-year-old Rashaan Kadeem Castillo, an unemployed of a Holy Emmanuel Street address in Belize City, was arraigned this morning […]
Written on February 8, 2024 | Posted in
Crime,
Trials |
Comments Off on Man Pleads Guilty to Theft; Fined a Hefty Sum
A man was fined today for consuming alcoholic drinks in a public space. Twenty-five-year-old Francisco Torres pleaded guilty to public drinking after he was caught drinking a beer in public. The incident happened on January twenty-eighth on West Canal. In court, Torres wasted no time to plead guilty to the charge, and picked up a […]
Written on February 8, 2024 | Posted in
Crime,
Trials |
Comments Off on Man Fined for Public Drinking
With the ongoing elections in El Salvador, Belize has set up a polling station to accommodate Salvadorans living outside of their home country. With this in mind, the question was raised as to whether or not Belizeans living abroad will ever be afforded the same right. Here’s what Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca had to say […]
Written on February 8, 2024 | Posted in
Foreign Affairs,
Regional / International |
Comments Off on Will Belizeans In The Diaspora Ever Be Able To Vote?
For years, Belizeans have had to travel to Mexico in order to apply for a Schengen visa, which is a permit allowing visitors to enter the Schengen region, which comprises of twenty-seven European countries. The question of whether or not Belizeans will ever be allowed a waiver this visa was posed to Minister of Foreign affairs, […]
Written on February 8, 2024 | Posted in
Foreign Affairs,
Regional / International |
Comments Off on Belize Still Trying For A Schengen Visa Waiver
Attorney Oscar Selgado was back in court today to hear Justice Nigel Pilgrim’s verdict on a no case submission by his attorney Adolph Lucas. Selgado and his attorney did not receive the news they hoped for, as Justice Pilgrim wasted no time in handing down his ruling. The no case submission was denied by the […]
Written on February 7, 2024 | Posted in
Featured,
Law,
Trials |
Comments Off on No Case Submission Refused in Oscar Selgado Trial
A resident of Orange Walk Town lost his life in a road traffic accident this morning. Reports are that forty-year-old Carlos Vargas lost control of his red Honda Accord while driving on the Blue Creek Road this morning. Vargas sustained multiple injuries to his lower body and head as a result of the collision. His […]
Written on February 7, 2024 | Posted in
Auto Accidents,
Featured |
Comments Off on Orange Walk Father Dies in Wednesday Morning RTA
Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, has pressed charges against his brother, Arthur Williams, for alleged cyber bullying. This morning, Arthur Williams was escorted to the Belize City Magistrates Court in handcuffs. He appeared unbothered as he raised his shackled arms for the camera. Williams was unrepresented in court where he was read three charges, two […]
Written on February 7, 2024 | Posted in
Crime,
Featured,
Law |
Comments Off on ComPol Williams Press Charges against Brother For Alleged Cyber Bullying
In January 2020, thirty-six-year-old Anthony Parks was gunned downed in Independence Village, he succumbed to his injuries eleven days later. But when his suspected killer was convicted of murder in April 2022, Shane Bennett escaped from lawful custody and fled to Punta Gorda where he was recaptured shortly thereafter. Tonight, Bennett is serving a life […]
Written on February 7, 2024 | Posted in
Crime,
Featured,
Trials |
Comments Off on Shane Bennett Gets Life in Prison for Murder
At the end of January a child attending Holy Redeemer Primary School began exhibiting signs and symptoms of meningitis. The Ministry of Education took precautionary steps to protect the remainder of the students at the school. The child remains hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit at the K.H.M.H. and today, the Minister of Health and […]
Written on February 7, 2024 | Posted in
Featured,
Health |
Comments Off on Investigation Still Ongoing on Belize City Meningitis Case
The United States government recently donated four thousand, eight hundred doses of Pfizer-BioNTech Bivalent vaccines to the Government of Belize. However, the Center for Disease Control stated on its website that these vaccines are no longer viable to be used as they target a strain of COVID no longer circulating. We asked Minister of Health […]
Written on February 7, 2024 | Posted in
Health,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Bernard Says Free Vaccines Are Fit For Use
The Sitting of the Senate for Thursday will proceed as scheduled, that is the final decision by the President of the Senate, following a legal opinion issued by the Attorney General earlier today. As we reported last week, the opposition has raised serious concerns regarding the function of the Leader of Government Business in the […]
Written on February 7, 2024 | Posted in
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Legal Opinion on Standing Orders Gives Way to Senate Meeting
Ever since the termination of several members of the Christian Workers Union from the Port of Belize Limited, tensions have run high between the two parties. Since then, the union has rallied for compensation to be paid to the employees that they believe were wrongfully terminated. And in October 2022, the Essential Services Arbitration Tribunal […]
Written on February 7, 2024 | Posted in
Economy,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Forgotten CWU Members Speak Out
Last week, instructors at the Belize City IT-VET called the media to say that their salaries were not being paid by the Ministry of Education since September. The instructors said that it was the institution itself that was meeting their salaries each month. Some of them had issues with that fact, as well as the […]
Written on February 7, 2024 | Posted in
Education,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Minister Fonseca Assures IT-VET Teachers of Timely Payments
Another IT-VET issue that surfaced last week was that thirty students attending the Orange Walk ITVET were reportedly sent home for owing several months of school fees. But the Minister of Education has said that no student should be kept from the classroom because of outstanding fees. Today, he reiterated that position and said that a […]
Written on February 7, 2024 | Posted in
Education,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Minister Fonseca: No Student Should Be Sent Home for Not Paying School Fees
