Important Note: This Internet version of 7 News is a verbatum
transcript of our evening television news script. Many interviews on our newscast
are conducted in Creole. In the interest of clarity for our foreign readers,
we attempt to paraphrase the Creole quotes in English
Finally government has caved to the demands of Belize's baker's and agreed to raise the controlled price for a 16 ounce loaf of sliced bread.
The retail price - which has been held at 1.75 since about 2008 - has been increased to two dollars and ten cents for a loaf of 16 ounce bread. That's a 35 cent - or 20% increase on the cheapest loaf of bread sold.
And it's because the bakers have been saying for years that due to the increase in the cost of flour, baking supplies, labour and plastic bags, they were losing when they sold the 16 ounce loaf for 1.75.
Sources tell us that government had agreed to do this sometime ago - but wanted to wait until after the municipal elections.
The new price goes into effect on Monday. The bakers are also using the opportunity to increase prices on all bread products by 10 cents across the board. Again, they say this is necessitated by the increased cost of inputs.
Owen Tucker was a Belizean American who had come home to retire and invest the money he had earned in the US. In 2022, the 66 year old bought Crocland - a nature park on the Phillip Goldson highway that he planned to re-open to the public.
But, all his dreams were smashed when he was brutally murdered - allegedly by his former employee and Chief of Security, Jerome Crawford.
Crawford was convicted today by Justice Derick Sylvester. Crawford told the court that he wasn't even in the area when it happened. But, the judge concluded that he was lying - based on the evidence from key witnesses, one of whom saw him shoot Tucker and helped him to clean up the bloody scene. There was also forensic evidence where the murder weapon was found in Crawford's home.
The judge also had to rely on DNA evidence to identify Tucker's charred remains which Crawford burnt after the murder.
All that led to a guilty verdict - the reasons for which were outlined in a 35 page judgement handed down this morning.
Tucker's family - including his 86 year old mother still lives in the US, but his sister came to witness the trial. After the guilty verdict was issued - she spoke to our court reporter:
Marina Tucker, Sister of Murder Victim "First of all, I just want to say thanks to the Belize Police Department, the Office of the DPP for doing an awesome job. The family is at ease knowing that he's been charged for the murder."
Reporter "They found the shells at the scene and they found the gun at Mr. Crawford's home and Mr. Crawford insists that it wasn't him."
Marina Tucker, Sister of Murder Victim "It just showed that what he did, he has no remorse. Our family forgives him. We cannot hold bitterness in our hearts. And his family has no...We don't hold anything against his children, his family. It's him who did the crime."
"Owen is a born Belizean. He left Belize at the age of 17, a bright student with a scholarship. So he went abroad, worked hard in the US, lived his life, came back, I think at the age of 64, to invest in this country and his people."
"He has given a lot to his alma mater, Wesley College."
Sentencing has been set for Monday June 17th.
Notably, at the start of the murder trial a week ago, Crawford indicated to the court that he wanted to plead guilty to the lesser charge and asked for a sentencing indication. But after hearing that he would get between 20-40 years imprisonment, he rejected the sentence and chose to proceed to trial.
He was defended by Ian Gray and Riis cathouse was the prosecutor.
Yesterday you heard the Prime Minister dance around the issue of Doris Grant - who's under investigation for an alleged multi million dollar land fraud involving Mennonites from Shipyard. We stress that she claims it's all made up - but today the Minister of Home Affairs did fill in some details on the ongoing investigation.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "I have been informed that there was an investigation being carried out into an alleged land fraud as you mentioned, I think it was over the course of the last month or so that an investigation has been carried out. I am told that several witnesses from the Mennonite community have provided statements and so that entire file I am told has been turned over the DPP's office."
Courtney Menzies: "Any reason why Ms Grant's home was searched twice and in the second case, it was searched for five hours?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "I am not certain, that is a matter for the investigative team, as you know, that investigation is still ongoing so looking for evidence I'm sure is one of the reasons behind searches of that nature so I would think that is the reason why."
Courtney Menzies: "Do you know if at all the Prime Minister is involved at any level in this investigation?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "Absolutely not, that is being carried out by the Belize Police Department, not by the Prime Minister as I believe someone was trying to suggest, that is not the case."
Reliable reports tell us that the Mennonites who claim they were defrauded took their complaint directly to their area representative Jose Mai - who then took them to the Prime Minister.
And while that land fraud investigation is ongoing - the fact is that in the last few months two men intimately involved with suspect land dealings have been murdered.
Ricardo Borja was killed in August of last year and Darren "Dalla Coin" Taylor was killed in April of this year. No arrests have been made for either murder and the motives remain a mystery.
But, in both cases, they were targeted by gunmen and the victims were not robbed - what would be called executions.
The Commissioner said that more attention has to be paid to this pattern of crime:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "Certainly we have to look at it more meticulously and there needs to be proper coordination with the Ministry of Natural Resources. I don't understand how people could falsify documents. Maybe there needs to be something done to ensure that the documents used at the land registry are not easily forged and again people who are purchasing land need to make sure they're doing their respective due diligence, you can't just go and buy land from any and everybody. you can have an agent go to the land registry and research for you on a piece of land that you have an interest in and they should be able to tell you if that land is available or taken and likewise I think that within the Ministry of Natural Resources, I don't think they would have agents that would normally go out and do certain things so if a person out in the streets tell you that they are an agent of Natural Resources or agent of this or that then you need to make sure you do your proper due diligence before you give them your money because at the end of the day, this becomes the issue so it's a huge problem for us indeed but the issue is that many time, it does not come to the police. We only hear of it out there in the greater public and only a few of them would normally come to the police but again the Ministry of Natural Resources and the police need to coordinate more to see how we can work together to stem this issue."
On Monday we told you that the police made a major crystal meth bust - 45 pounds of it. The drugs were reportedly found in some old vehicles in the Corozalito area of the Cayo District.
And normally, when police make such significant busts, they would provide a report to the media, along with pictures. But this time, we received none of that. And at the usual press briefing on Monday, the OC Eastern Division simply said that the police were conducting an investigation and found the drugs. He mentioned that it was found on the Chaa Creek road but we later learned that it was off the Chial Road.
But still - no photographs were provided, and today we asked the ComPol why they've been so hush hush about it.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "I don't know what you mean, I think that the press office sent it out, Mr Romero in his briefing to you all gave you the information, I don't know what else to say that the police is not sharing information. But it is a huge bust for us, we have been doing a lot of operations along the border areas in the districts that borders different countries like Cayo that borders Guatemala and then Orange Walk and Corozal that borders Mexico and these operations we do regularly yield good results for us, I'm extremely proud and happy about the work done by the anti-narcotics unit in that operation. It's the largest bust we have had of crystal meth and it needs to be celebrated and indeed we need to toot our horn some more because sometimes I think we don't toot our horn as much as we should but if you want photographs of it I will have the press office send out those for you today in the media group and then you can have them."
Courtney Menzies: "They were found in an empty lot?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "They were found in a garage area in a mechanic shop. The team did their investigation and the investigation led to them was what led to the arrest of the persons were charged."
Courtney Menzies: "How many people were arrest?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "Three people were charged."
It happened just before midnight when a fire broke out in one of the oldest living quarters. How old? Well, it was built in the 1970's.
The blaze sent the soldiers scrambling to control it before it could spread to the other buildings.
They did and no one was injured, but the damages are in the thousands of dollars.
Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Velasquez gave us more details today.
Lt Col Anthony Velasquez, Deputy Commander, BDF "It occurred on the base at 11 Pm last night approximately. It took about 45 mins to get the fire under control and out with the assistance of the Ladyville fire service."
"The cause of the fire is under investigation. Today the fire device investigation team came and they are doing their investigation analysis. However the fire occurred in the area of the senior non commissioned officers barracks and specifically it started in the area of the room occupied by the fourth sergeant major who is the senior illicit person in the BDF. No one was injured, no one was present at the time in the building, however this particular building was damaged by a hurricane last year so it has various damages. What we suspect it might be an electrical fire, but however the results of the investigation will determine that."
"The total well the building is like I mentioned was already damaged before. So the total loss would have been like about 30k."
"It compounds the issue that we have at this time, however we were fortunate enough to receive two new brand barrack rooms just a few weeks ago and so we are presently at price barracks the issue of accommodation has been mitigated. However for the particular two persons who were affected by the fire we will find other accommodations for them so it was only two people affected by the fire."
Corozal town is in an uproar tonight after a man accused of trailing and attempting to kidnap an 18 year old girl was released from custody.
Around noon today, the teenager was walking him from summer school on College Road when a company pickup started trailing her. She reported that the driver pulled up and was insisting that she get inside. She told him he lived nearby but he continued to trail her. He persisted and again insisted that she get inside. She stepped away and the vehicle drove off - she snapped a picture of the Fabrigas pickup as it did.
Her family posted the picture and Corozal police detained the driver. But a short while ago, the cops released him saying that they could not charge him because he hadn't touched her. We'll have more on this story on Monday.
And in Belmopan, yesterday we told you about a man who was murdered in front of his brother. It happened early in the morning, and initial reports said that Solomon Coleman was shot by a man on a bicycle. However, today, the ComPol said the shooter was in a vehicle, and that there was a struggle for the firearm. And he added that though the incident was caught on camera, they are unable to identify the suspect.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "In Belmopan that murder is a very complicated one, we're still trying to ascertain exactly what happened. What we know is that the group of persons, family, were drinking in a particular area and they may have left to go and purchase additional alcohol and on the way to do so, they were approached by a vehicle, a lone gunman came out of the vehicle with a shotgun, him and the deceased had a struggle, during the struggle the gun went off, and the deceased was shot fatally. We have viewed several surveillance footage in the area and we are still not able to get a good lead because the gunman had on a mask so at this time we don't know who the gunman is but we're still trying to see what we can get."
Courtney Menzies: "Is the victim, he's not from Belmopan, right?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "He's originally from Punta Gorda."
Courtney Menzies: "And he was visiting?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "I would want to think so yes."
Courtney Menzies: "So is it likely that maybe he wasn't the intended target?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "I don't see why he would not be. The way it occurred, it appeared that the family, or him were the intended target."
And before yesterday's murder, Jamour Gabourel was shot dead in Corozal over the weekend. He was at a bar when an altercation broke out and the killer pulled out a firearm. The Commissioner said that they had tried to get the bar closed down before because they knew it was only a matter of time before someone got hurt.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "The Corozal murder is really unfortunate I must say it is important the the liquor licensing board listen to the police. We had made several attempts to have that car closed down, it was closed down temporarily for a little while and the reason it was closed down is because we foresaw this happening. But again, they were able to get license and continue to operate and now this happened. Nonetheless, the police are on top of it, we know who the suspect is and we are still pursuing that person at this time, we're hoping to find that person very soon and then we'll be able to lay charges against that individual but again, it was a group of persons who had some misunderstanding and that misunderstanding led to the fatal shooting of the victim."
And there was also a fight outside Shisha Lounge in Belize City last Saturday where 2 persons were shot - except they were injured by rubber bullets fired by a police officer.
Generally, rubber bullets are saved for riotous crowds, so the PSB launched an investigation into whether it was justified in this situation. Today the ComPol said that he doesn't fault the officer for firing the rubber bullets, but that he should have fired into the air instead. Here's how Williams explained it.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "As I said to OCED, while I do understand that the police action in discharging the weapon or the firearm in that particular area could be seen as one that was necessary but not necessary, let me put it that way. You might say how could it be necessary but not necessary but again due to what was taking place in terms of the aggression, the fighting between the two different groups, and we do know when we have rivaling groups going at each other, the potential for either one to take out weapons and use is very high so that police took out his shotgun that had rubber bullets and discharged a warning shot. My issue with it is that he fired the warning shots in the ground, you don't fire warning shots in the ground because the potential of ricocheting is extremely high. He could have fired it in the air or whatever but I can't kill the police man because at the end of the day, he saw an issue that could have escalated to the stage where persons got severely injured or killed and he being in the person in that position applied his best judgement and did what he did. A reprimand from me would be good enough for him but I don't want to kill him for what he did."
Yesterday, you heard the PM say that the redivision report must follow the process of the House, and that November 2025 is a tight deadline for the redistricting process. He said that for now, they're stalled until the bill goes through its stages.
Of course, that same report has been languishing in the house for 10 months!
Today the media asked Caribbean Shores area rep, Kareem Musa, about it and he said he'd rather hold his comments until the debate.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "That is a live issue and I would agree that there is an imbalance in terms of some divisions are just extremely large compared to other small divisions so there is definitely a need for a redistricting exercise to take place, whether this proposal coming out from the elections and boundaries team, whether that meets the smell test of satisfying what it is that we are trying to achieve is yet to be seen. We are going to have that matter debated in the House for second reading at the next House meeting next month and so I would like to reserve my comments for that stage but I totally agree with you that we are due a redistricting exercise whether it is that this particular proposal will meet the test is yet to be seen."
Osmond Martinez - he's the political newcomer challenging two other PUP candidates to replace the deceased Mike Espat as the party's Toledo East Standard Bearer.
But tonight his opponents are pointing to the fact that he was born in Honduras and saying that makes him unfit to replace the man called Iron Mike.
Martinez told us that indeed he was born in Honduras because his mother had a pregnancy complication. He added that at the Banana farms of Cowpen where his family lived, the medical care was weak. So they took her to Honduras where she is from.
While his opponents suggest that his Belizean passport is one of convenience, Martinez brushed that off, saying he was made in Belize and is fully Belizean.
We note that in the past we have seen many candidates for both parties who were born in Guatemala. Also, the constitution does not prevent foreign born Belizeans from qualifying for elected office.
Wildfires in the southern and western districts continue to rage and today APAMO has referred to this fire season as unprecedented. In a press release, they say the fires normally affect the MPR Forest Reserve and the open savannahs, but year, they are impacting communities and livelihoods.
The fight against these fires is a combined effort by NEMO and the APAMO member organizations, including Itzamna, Ya'axche Conservation Trust and Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Other NGO's like Belize Audubon Society, FCD, and TIDE have also been a big help.
However, APAMO expressed their concern that while there is the mobilization of resources, and while they accept some of the fires were not preventable, they have learnt that several fires have been deliberately set by farmers. APAMO says that these individuals have ignored the increased risk posed by lighting these fires at this time.
They also reveal that some farmers have exploited this natural disaster for personal gain by intentionally burning large areas to clear land for purposes other than farming.
APAMO then writes, "This reckless behaviour not only endangers our ecosystems but also undermines the collective efforts to safeguard our environment. We call upon the relevant government authorities to thoroughly investigate these incidents and hold those responsible accountable." End quote.
Today is World No Tobacco Day, and for the event, the Ministry of Health and Wellness Teamed up with PAHO to host the National Tobacco Control Forum. This year's theme puts the focus on protecting children from the tobacco industry. Dr Melissa Diaz, the Director of Public Health and Wellness, explained that the forum is to highlight their successes and their challenges and to start gathering statistics.
But how difficult is it to combat tobacco usage when Belize imports over $60 million dollars of Chinese cigarettes annually. Into the Free Zone? We asked her today.
Dr. Melissa Diaz, Director, Health and Wellness, MOHW "Globally, tobacco use is a significant issue. It causes millions of deaths worldwide. It might not be directly related to a cancer of the lung, for instance, but lung diseases like chronic obstructive area diseases, emphysema, lung cancer, mouth cancer."
"It's also strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, and it's also strongly linked to cerebrovascular diseases like stroke, heart attacks. In Belize, for the last five consecutive years, cardiovascular disease has been the number one leading cause of death and of morbidity."
"So we know that all the risk factors need to be addressed. For this reason, we're not only addressing the issues of tobacco smoking, we're addressing, as you all probably know, the Healthy Schools Initiative, looking at what our children are eating and drinking in schools, reducing sugar sweetened drinks, trying to reduce obesity, and other risks that lead to diabetes and hypertension, which smoking is one of the specific risks that lead to these diseases."
"Something very critical with smoking as well is that not only the smoker is affected by smoking, but secondhand smoke has been significant in terms of causing risk to persons living in the household or working closely with a smoker."
Reporter "What are your thoughts on Belize's importation of tobacco? I believe the last report I read was like 60 million goes to importing tobacco. That then gets smuggled across the border into Mexico and Guatemala, but 60 million on tobacco while we're here trying to stop the usage of tobacco. That seems excessive."
Dr. Melissa Diaz, Director, Health and Wellness, MOHW "Well, what we have done to address some of these issues is that we have worked for the last six or eight months on updating our tobacco control bill. And because the tobacco control bill, it has gone through a lot of rigorous, well, the drafting and changes and comments from different agencies."
"It's now at a point where it is waiting for the high level approval from cabinet. So that in the tobacco bill, once it's published, it will address some of what you have asked about."
It is widely believed that if the mass importation of Chinese cigarettes into the free zones is halted, it would be the death knell for the zone.
A recent investigative report in a Guatemalan's magazine noted that those Chinese cigarettes are smuggled from Belize into other Central American countries and fuel crime and corruption wherever they are traded.
Back in April, there was a murder in the Belize River Valley area which was the culmination of a rivalry between Lemonal and Double Head Cabbage. That murder revealed the inadequate policing that had been plaguing those communities. Since then, the police have switched the officers who had grown lax and complicit. And today, the new officers were gifted with a brand new vehicle which will allow them to better patrol the area. At the ceremony today, the Minister explained that this is fulfilling a promise they made a long time ago.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs "A few years ago, we had undertaken a very comprehensive, countrywide review and tour of the rural communities, meeting with the leaders all across the country to identify the key areas in which we can assist these rural communities, whether it's by community policing, whether it's by assigning special constables, additional special constables and one of the main concerns was mobility and so that is part of the reason we are here today to deliver this brand new pickup truck for the Belize River Valley. As you mentioned, there were some flareups about two months ago and so we definitely want to prioritize and focus our efforts here in the River Valley, not just by providing mobility for the police officers but by providing additional officers."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "We have new leadership in the area as well, additional police officers were also pumped into the area, I think we went from somewhere around 11 police officers in this area to currently around 29, so the number increased tremendously. Burrell Boom station is now 24 hours operating, in Bermudian Landing I think it's the 2 shift system, they're there until midnight, so we see more and more that we're doing what we can to help enhance security."
But it wasn't just fresh officers and new transportation that lessened the crime in that area. The ComPol explained that they also had mediation sessions.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police "We had two sessions in Ladyville, the chairpersons were there, and we brought in all the guys who were involved in the feud and since then I can say that they are living up to their promises that they were going to do what they can to resolve the issue and I have also said to them that if they have any issue that they see might result in some sort of retaliation or violence to please feel free to contact the police. I think the response now coming from the leadership in the area, Mr Gaboural and Mr Barrow, is very much important because I'm not getting the complaints again where people were calling me and sending me messages that they make reports to the police and nothing is being done, I am not getting those so that tells me that both leaders in the area, they're getting the results that they want so it doesn't reach me anymore."
6 vehicles were also given to CIB, and the total value of all the vehicles is $650,000.
The MSME community gathered at the Biltmore this morning to partake in BELTRAIDE'S FINTECH forum. The forum is being held under the theme "digital innovation to Boost Economic Development in Belize".
It is designed to foster the effective utilization of digital solutions across diverse sectors of the economy. Here's what the executive director of BELTRAIDE shared with us:
Dr Leroy Almendarez, Executive Director, BELTRAIDE "Let me first of all say that it's really the end, well we are coming towards the end of national competitiveness month and we thought it would be good especially since we have been talking so much about digitalization that we conclude the month with a FINTECH forum. And so for the FINTECH forum there is a project under the IDB that talks about digital inclusion and so we spoke with the central executing unit and together we worked this out. So this project is really an IDB funded project and so today what do we expect? We expect those who are in someway offering some kind of digital service or included or are using digital FINTECH tools so you see people there from Atlantic Bank you see individuals from the Belize Bank and all of those other entities from digi you know they are Apart of it as well and also you see those providers digital service providers because once you create an ecosystem then it simply means as we become more focused on the fact that the world is becoming more cashless there is a need to find an easier way for payments for those to be engaged in digital forum, digital communications. So it's those kinds of things that we are looking at and so this afternoon in our network session all those providers, those of us within the enabling environment from the government side as well as interacting with each other getting their feedback and telling us what are some of those other things that they might see as their challenges."
We also asked Almendarez about how large scale investments are handled by Cabinet now that there is no Cabinet Subcommittee for Investments.
That was a UDP creation designed to screen investments valued at over 10 million dollars and decide which of them are legitimate and worth pursuing.
Famously, that subcommittee never signed off on the Portico investment. The developer still somehow managed to get a definitive agreement signed by a former UDP Minister.
And while Beltraide makes those technical reviews - the issue of the Portico Definitive Agreement is far more complex.
The developer says it's legal and binding even though the Prime Minister tore it up in the house.
We asked Almendarez about that one:
REPORTER "But definitive agreements are still needed for projects like Mr Geggs since one in particular has been said not to have been legally obtained or it is unlawful what is going to happen with that because he is saying that what's happening on the ground work is still occurring."
Dr Leroy Almendarez, Executive Director, BELTRAIDE "Well, that is not for me that is something somewhere in the court and so you know really, when you really think about that I think that has been ventilated. Where That is concerned that is another approach now where that project that he spoke about is concerned. the government has its mechanisms now in place to make sure that you go through a process and when it gets to finalization to the finalization."
And one priority investment area is the energy sector. We asked Almendarez whether serious investments will be made towards addressing the country's current energy crisis. He says soon.
Dr Leroy Almendarez, Executive Director, BELTRAIDE "There are some and they are being reviewed and of course, there will be a request for proposals very soon along with the 60 MW by the governments 60 MW of solar they are talking about."
And from investing in projects to investing in people...
The Building People Movement is hosting a series of workshops over the next ten months on educating the workforce to become advocates for change regarding gender based violence. The first workshop began on Thursday and here's what we gathered from the session:
Dorla Bowman, Founder, Building People Movement "Building people movement has a lot to do with its name the people who are involved as staff and as members. Our mission is to build people because we realized some time ago that not enough resources is spent on building people. As a community locally and world wide we prefer to invest in things that are important but not as important as building people like bridges and big buildings. Many times we need to give people the skills and the appropriate technology that they need for their personal development and we look at personal development issues which many times is not looked at. So it is not only education but it is also what is the content of the education. What skills we are developing what type of education we are imparting to people will help them to build them and to build their families and communities and have a better life."
Jamie Rocke, Moderator & Panelist "So today the panel, the training is about gender based violence and how we can be advocates in our communities in different spaces. So the topics are going to focus on what's gender, what is gender based violence specifically in Belize and the dynamics that foster these kinds of situations and these social ills that plague our society. So we are going to look at how we can build consciousness and of course pick out tools and resources that can help to amplify our voices in certain spaces to advocate against these kind of social ills that are affecting us."
"UNIFEM reported that one in three women are impacted by domestic violence and gender based violence so it's a very close to home issue so it is important that when you educate the workforce the workforce are mothers the work force includes fathers and daughters and everyone so that's the reason why there is such a wide cross section of participants so I think that quite important because it's an everybody issue."
SSB Celebrates 43
Today the Social Security Board celebrated 43 years with an Open Day/Wellness Fair at each of their branches. The booths all had games and prizes, along with health checks, and an opportunity to open our virtual SSB portal. The Communications Manager told us more.
A Halting Hello To Hurricane Season
And, finally tonight, we note with foreboding the commencement of the 2024 hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin, The 2024 forecast predicts 17 to 25 named storms - which is above average. Of those, eight to 13 are expected to become hurricanes, and four to seven are expected to become major hurricanes.
A release from the MET service says, quote, "one or more of the 17 to 25 named storms forecast to develop this season could hit the country, or none at all."
Once More, The Golden Showcase
And that's 7news for this Friday night - thanks for watching, I am Jomarie Lanza…
We leave you again tonight with high lites for the Festival of the Arts Golden Showcase with more highlights of the top high school performance
Enjoy and join us back here on Monday at the same time...
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Finally government has caved to the demands of Belize's baker's and agreed to raise the controlled price for a 16 ounce loaf of sliced bread.
Owen Tucker was a Belizean American who had come home to retire and invest the money he had earned in the US. In 2022, the 66 year old bought Crocland - a nature park on the Phillip Goldson highway that he planned to re-open to the public.
"First of all, I just want to say thanks to the Belize Police Department, the Office of the DPP for doing an awesome job. The family is at ease knowing that he's been charged for the murder."
Yesterday you heard the Prime Minister dance around the issue of Doris Grant - who's under investigation for an alleged multi million dollar land fraud involving Mennonites from Shipyard. We stress that she claims it's all made up - but today the Minister of Home Affairs did fill in some details on the ongoing investigation.
"I am not certain, that is a matter for the investigative team, as you know, that investigation is still ongoing so looking for evidence I'm sure is one of the reasons behind searches of that nature so I would think that is the reason why."
"Certainly we have to look at it more meticulously and there needs to be proper coordination with the Ministry of Natural Resources. I don't understand how people could falsify documents. Maybe there needs to be something done to ensure that the documents used at the land registry are not easily forged and again people who are purchasing land need to make sure they're doing their respective due diligence, you can't just go and buy land from any and everybody. you can have an agent go to the land registry and research for you on a piece of land that you have an interest in and they should be able to tell you if that land is available or taken and likewise I think that within the Ministry of Natural Resources, I don't think they would have agents that would normally go out and do certain things so if a person out in the streets tell you that they are an agent of Natural Resources or agent of this or that then you need to make sure you do your proper due diligence before you give them your money because at the end of the day, this becomes the issue so it's a huge problem for us indeed but the issue is that many time, it does not come to the police. We only hear of it out there in the greater public and only a few of them would normally come to the police but again the Ministry of Natural Resources and the police need to coordinate more to see how we can work together to stem this issue."
On Monday we told you that the police made a major crystal meth bust - 45 pounds of it. The drugs were reportedly found in some old vehicles in the Corozalito area of the Cayo District.
There was a fire last night at Price Barracks.
"The cause of the fire is under investigation. Today the fire device investigation team came and they are doing their investigation analysis. However the fire occurred in the area of the senior non commissioned officers barracks and specifically it started in the area of the room occupied by the fourth sergeant major who is the senior illicit person in the BDF. No one was injured, no one was present at the time in the building, however this particular building was damaged by a hurricane last year so it has various damages. What we suspect it might be an electrical fire, but however the results of the investigation will determine that."
Corozal town is in an uproar tonight after a man accused of trailing and attempting to kidnap an 18 year old girl was released from custody.
And in Belmopan, yesterday we told you about a man who was murdered in front of his brother. It happened early in the morning, and initial reports said that Solomon Coleman was shot by a man on a bicycle. However, today, the ComPol said the shooter was in a vehicle, and that there was a struggle for the firearm. And he added that though the incident was caught on camera, they are unable to identify the suspect.
And before yesterday's murder, Jamour Gabourel was shot dead in Corozal over the weekend. He was at a bar when an altercation broke out and the killer pulled out a firearm. The Commissioner said that they had tried to get the bar closed down before because they knew it was only a matter of time before someone got hurt.
Osmond Martinez - he's the political newcomer challenging two other PUP candidates to replace the deceased Mike Espat as the party's Toledo East Standard Bearer.
Wildfires in the southern and western districts continue to rage and today APAMO has referred to this fire season as unprecedented. In a press release, they say the fires normally affect the MPR Forest Reserve and the open savannahs, but year, they are impacting communities and livelihoods.
Today is World No Tobacco Day, and for the event, the Ministry of Health and Wellness Teamed up with PAHO to host the National Tobacco Control Forum. This year's theme puts the focus on protecting children from the tobacco industry. Dr Melissa Diaz, the Director of Public Health and Wellness, explained that the forum is to highlight their successes and their challenges and to start gathering statistics.
"It's also strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, and it's also strongly linked to cerebrovascular diseases like stroke, heart attacks. In Belize, for the last five consecutive years, cardiovascular disease has been the number one leading cause of death and of morbidity."
Back in April, there was a murder in the Belize River Valley area which was the culmination of a rivalry between Lemonal and Double Head Cabbage. That murder revealed the inadequate policing that had been plaguing those communities. Since then, the police have switched the officers who had grown lax and complicit. And today, the new officers were gifted with a brand new vehicle which will allow them to better patrol the area. At the ceremony today, the Minister explained that this is fulfilling a promise they made a long time ago.
The MSME community gathered at the Biltmore this morning to partake in BELTRAIDE'S FINTECH forum. The forum is being held under the theme "digital innovation to Boost Economic Development in Belize".
"Let me first of all say that it's really the end, well we are coming towards the end of national competitiveness month and we thought it would be good especially since we have been talking so much about digitalization that we conclude the month with a FINTECH forum. And so for the FINTECH forum there is a project under the IDB that talks about digital inclusion and so we spoke with the central executing unit and together we worked this out. So this project is really an IDB funded project and so today what do we expect? We expect those who are in someway offering some kind of digital service or included or are using digital FINTECH tools so you see people there from Atlantic Bank you see individuals from the Belize Bank and all of those other entities from digi you know they are Apart of it as well and also you see those providers digital service providers because once you create an ecosystem then it simply means as we become more focused on the fact that the world is becoming more cashless there is a need to find an easier way for payments for those to be engaged in digital forum, digital communications. So it's those kinds of things that we are looking at and so this afternoon in our network session all those providers, those of us within the enabling environment from the government side as well as interacting with each other getting their feedback and telling us what are some of those other things that they might see as their challenges."
And from investing in projects to investing in people...
"Building people movement has a lot to do with its name the people who are involved as staff and as members. Our mission is to build people because we realized some time ago that not enough resources is spent on building people. As a community locally and world wide we prefer to invest in things that are important but not as important as building people like bridges and big buildings. Many times we need to give people the skills and the appropriate technology that they need for their personal development and we look at personal development issues which many times is not looked at. So it is not only education but it is also what is the content of the education. What skills we are developing what type of education we are imparting to people will help them to build them and to build their families and communities and have a better life."
"So today the panel, the training is about gender based violence and how we can be advocates in our communities in different spaces. So the topics are going to focus on what's gender, what is gender based violence specifically in Belize and the dynamics that foster these kinds of situations and these social ills that plague our society. So we are going to look at how we can build consciousness and of course pick out tools and resources that can help to amplify our voices in certain spaces to advocate against these kind of social ills that are affecting us."
And, finally tonight, we note with foreboding the commencement of the 2024 hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin, The 2024 forecast predicts 17 to 25 named storms - which is above average. Of those, eight to 13 are expected to become hurricanes, and four to seven are expected to become major hurricanes.
