It’s only three days into the reopening of schools for hybrid learning across the country, but there are already reports that COVID-19 may be spreading at some schools. Reports began circulating on social media that teachers and students from several schools in the Belize District have tested positive for COVID. This, of course, was cause […]
C.E.O. Maheia noted that schools must strictly adhere to their preventative measures in order to prevent an outbreak in school. This will require schools to strongly enforce these regulations at the front gate. C.E.O. Maheia also advised parents to monitor their children, and to keep them away from school if they are displaying flu like […]
According to Total Business Solution Limited’s website, Belize has now reached a record high of COVID-19 cases since the disease was first detected in the country in March of 2020. Data coming from T.B.S.L.’s website shows that there are now six thousand and eighty-eight active recorded cases in the country. Up to last week Friday, […]
Since the announcement on Monday that the Briceño administration has replaced Michel Chebat as Minister of Health and Wellness, we have been fielding various perspectives on the ability of his successor to reorganize the public health system amid the ongoing pandemic. With former two-time Orange Walk Mayor Kevin Bernard at the helm, his cabinet colleagues […]
While on Open Your Eyes Minister Julius Espat was also asked for his thoughts on this week’s Cabinet reshuffle. Here is what he had to say. Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing “I have been a manager for thirty years. Shuffling is a norm. A leader of a country, or of a […]
Prime Minister John Briceño told News Five today that government will send the findings of the Commission of Inquiry to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Attorney General’s Ministry for review. The inquiry, which investigated the sale of public assets, namely vehicles, between October 2019 and November 2020 under the last […]
A public meeting led by the Minister of Home Affairs was held this morning at the Dangriga Town Hall. Present were area representatives for Stann Creek West and Dangriga, and Ministers Rodwell Ferguson and Doctor Louis Zabaneh. Also in attendance was Dangriga Mayor Robert Mariano, himself a former Deputy Commissioner of Police. The discussion centered […]
Also added its expertise to the discussion was the Leadership Intervention Unit. Similar to the work it has been doing in Belize City with at-risk youths, the LIU will be hosting a series of trainings, as well as interventions in Dangriga, in an attempt to curb the crime situation that has gripped that community. […]
An aircraft, suspected to be a drug plane, crash landed in the far-flung reaches of the Toledo District overnight. A team of law enforcement officers made its way to the scene earlier today and at the time that we spoke with Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, was yet to arrive at the location. Nonetheless, ComPol […]
A seafood vendor is out several thousand dollars after being held him up at gunpoint early Tuesday morning. The robber too all the money he had on him for the day’s purchases. Mark Vaccaro was sitting at the Conch Shell Bay Fish Market on Vernon Street shortly after five on Tuesday morning, waiting for his […]
A medical doctor is counting on the police to help find the man she says conned her into depositing a significant amount of money into his account for a vehicle that he never delivered. Doctor Shanna Pott reported to police today that she made an electronic transfer to the man’s account on November nineteenth to […]
In an effort to encourage residents to pay their property taxes, Citco has been giving discounts to those who pay within the months of January to March. But in that same vein, the council has increased property taxes by one percent this year and some say it cancels out the discount. Today, Mayor Bernard Wagner […]
In 2021, garbage woes came to a head, with the City Hall owing Belize Waste Control millions of dollars for garbage collection services. It’s a perennial issue that has been a torn for consecutive administrations. During the last instance there was intervention from Central Government which managed to kick the can down the road, but […]
With tax payers owing the council approximately twenty-one million dollars, Mayor Bernard Wagner says that City Hall needs to collect those monies so that it can carry out its mandate of fixing streets. With an expected increase in revenue flows, Mayor Wagner says that for 2022, residents can expect more infrastructure works along arteries. […]
One of the projects coming on stream this summer is the arrival of four electric buses. The proposed plan is for them to park near Battlefield Park, and programmed to give riders up to the minute updates on arrival times at specific stops. But does this push out city shuttles, which have been operating for […]
Back in early December, Belize City Council received its first set of parking meters as part of a pilot project. But there is a hiccup in its planned installation because it is not sitting well with some Area Reps since parking in Belize City is already hard to find. The delay, says Mayor Bernard Wagner, […]
Earlier this month, we told you about a ticketing quota for traffic wardens disclosed in a memo sent to all Senior Transport Officers attached to the Department of Transport. The circular said a minimum of forty-four traffic violation tickets by each officer every month. Those who failed to comply would be sanctioned for insubordination. Today, […]
Today City Hall was the venue for a laptop handing over ceremony. Over twenty thousand Belize dollars worth of ACER devices were handed over to deserving recipients and it was an exciting moment as the donation was made possible through a sister city partnership established between Belize and Taiwan. News Five’s Duane Moody reports. […]
Today, an open letter was sent to the new Minister of Religious Affairs, Henry Charles Usher on comments he made earlier this week. In an interview to the media about his new portfolio, the Minister Usher spoke of “merging the public service with….Christian fundamental principles.” The statement is not sitting well with the LGBT human […]
The hurricane season just ended, but the National Emergency Management Organization is using this time to begin its annual shelter inspections in the Orange Walk district and around Belize City. According to NEMO, the inspection team is headed by an engineer from the municipal council or the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing, representatives from […]
U.D.P. Chairman Michael Peyrefitte says he is not satisfied with the response given to him by the Prime Minister on the question of the fifteen million dollars approved by Parliament for legal and advisory fees attached to the Blue Bond. In December of 2021, Peyrefitte wrote to the Prime Minister under the Freedom of Information […]
The Prime Minster did respond to Peyrefitte’s request with a three-page document. A list is provided, but Peyrefitte says he asked for specifics. He requested the details pertaining to how much money was paid to each firm. Michael Peyrefitte, Chairman, U.D.P. “You are supposed to be covered, you good now. In October, they bring […]
Also at Tuesday’s U.D.P. press conference, Area Representative for Corozal North Hugo Patt chimed in on the north’s biggest industry – sugar. Speaking on the labor dispute between A.S.R./B.S.I. and B.S.C.F.A., Patt gave his opinion as a sugar cane farmer himself. Patt is a member of the Northern Sugar Cane Growers Association and his association […]
Hugo Patt also commented on the current state of affairs in the Corozal Sugar Cane Growers Association. Here is what he had to say about the challenges faced in trying to hold a general assembly during the pandemic, and why he thinks this dispute will be best resolved before the court of law. Hugo […]
Just before Christmas, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing delivered twenty homes to singles mothers. Today, Minister Julius Espat appeared on Open Your Eyes and spoke about the reaction of the recipients. Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing “I never realized the impact it would have in changing people’s lives. We […]
