Tensions between the PUP’s Corozal Bay area representative, Elvia Vega-Samos, and the party’s standard bearer, Thea Garcia-Ramirez, remain high.
Garcia-Ramirez defeated Vega-Samos in the recently held convention. This means that Garcia-Ramirez is the party’s standard bearer, with Vega-Samos effectively being a ‘lame-duck’ area representative. Now, there is a battle for the Corozal Bay constituency office. According to Vega-Samos, she is being evicted.
All 31 area representatives, not standard bearers, receive $2,300 monthly for office rent and staff salaries associated with the constituency office.
Vega-Samos says she will not vacate.
On Facebook, she posted, “Olive Branch (?) from major undermining from the very beginning of my term to being the only sitting area rep to be challenged to an unjust convention to now being told that I must leave the office. Total disrespect…. What’s next? I was elected by the people and I will serve my term to the very end.”
Forensic authorities in the Dominican Republic are working to identify the remains of 14 decomposed bodies discovered on an abandoned boat 10 nautical miles off the northern coast. The Dominican Republic Navy reported that the skeletal remains likely belong to individuals from Senegal and Mauritania, based on documentation found alongside the bodies.
The cause and timing of the deaths are under investigation, with authorities also examining 12 packages of an unidentified substance found on the vessel, which allegedly indicate cocaine or heroin. Cell phones and geolocation devices were also recovered from the boat.
The bodies are currently being analysed by the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) in Santiago, while the substance is being tested by the National Directorate of Drug Control, according to officials Nairobi Viloria and Carlos Devers.
The Department of the Environment recently held a meeting with the Mayor of Belmopan and members of the Belmopan City Council to discuss initiatives aimed at beautifying the city and developing natural areas. The primary goals of these efforts are to boost tourism and improve the quality of life for residents. Key topics covered in the discussion included the revitalization of Ten Cents Creek, noise monitoring, effective management of litter and debris, and enhancing community awareness through various activities.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise (MAFSE) and the Taiwan ICDF conducted a Sheep and Goat Parasite Management Workshop aimed at enhancing agricultural practices in Belize. The workshop was held from August 5th to 7th, 2024 at the University of Belize Central Farm Campus. The initiative equipped participants with essential skills in parasite management in sheep and goats.
Led by Daniel Juan, a seasoned sheep and goat expert from the University of Belize, the workshop focused on identifying, preventing, and treating parasitic infections such as haemonchosis and coccidiosis. The training involved 25 participants, including MAFSE extension officers, farmers, students, and technicians. The workshop also covered the economic impacts of parasites and prevention strategies.
It is anticipated that the knowledge gained by all participants will be disseminated.
The Benque Fiesta 2024 incurred a staggering $58,192 in losses. In an official statement, the Council attributed the financial shortfall to Hurricane Beryl, adverse weather, and limited community support. However, criticisms over alleged mismanagement and a lack of transparency regarding the event continue.
Carlos ‘Calo’ Iglesias, a councillor of Benque Town Council, raised critical questions about the handling of municipal funds and the future of community-supported projects. In a Facebook post, Iglesias said, “I am very disappointed with the report published by the municipality. At no point were the councillors called to discuss the income and expenses of the 2024 fair. This report lacks a lot of important information… As an elected representative of the people, it is my duty to ensure that the residents of Benque know what is happening with the municipal funds. I am concerned that there were profits in previous fairs, but this time there were none. Additionally, I notice the absence of the Bowen donation in the report, which is a relevant detail that should be included.”
The Council spent $177,223.65 and made a total income of $119,031.56.
We begin our newscast this evening with the murder of an Orange Walk man on Tuesday night in Orange Walk. Carlos Canelo was shot and killed soon after he arrived at his residence on Monkey River Street where he had been staying for the past few months. He had gone a short distance to get something to eat and returned home, but within minutes, residents heard several gunshots. By the time police arrived, Canelo was already dead. Investigators are trying to solve this latest homicide, as they appeal to the public for information leading to a suspect. Canelo, according to Mayor Ladrick Shepherd, had all the potential of becoming an international football star, but he lost the family support when key relatives passed away and dropped out of the sporting world. News Five’s Marion Ali went to Orange Walk in search of answers for this latest murder. Here’s that report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Twenty-year-old Carlos Canelo kept a close circle of friends but had reportedly become the enemy of someone in the neighbourhood, purportedly over a woman with whom he had established a close friendship. While speculation is rife that this was likely the reason why he was murdered, police are yet to disclose the details and the motive. A resident of Monkey River Street told reporters that she opened her doors to Canelo when he told her some months ago that he had nowhere to stay. On Tuesday night, he had just returned home with food when he was killed.
Voice of: Friend
Voice of: Friend
“Ih tell mi ih gone buy burger, come back, sit down out deh. I nuh know who he mi di sit down with, gone da back deh and shortly after me hear bang, bang, bang. When I look, smoke, I can’t see da who shoot ah or what.”
The friend said she froze after she heard the gunshots, and then called out for Canelo by one of his nicknames. When he didn’t respond, she said she knew the situation was grave.
Voice of: Friend
“I did holler for ah, “Perro, Perro.” He nuh answer me. That da weh meke it worse. I gone put [on] the flash [light] see ih deh eena wa pool ah blood.”
Canelo’s friend advised him to enter her yard from another property on nearby Rio Grande Street, to avoid an encounter with the person he had the dispute. However, that did not save his life because that individual apparently ambushed him as he arrived home.
Canelo was known as a skilled athlete – one that his former coach, Orange Walk Mayor, Ladrick Shepherd believes had the potential to represent Belize internationally. Unfortunately, he did not have the family support he needed to hone his football talent.
Ladrick Shepherd
Ladrick Shepherd, Mayor, Orange Walk
“He grew up really rough. I know his family. I know his mom. I don’t really know who his dad is, but I know he had some couple brothers. One of his brothers passed away due to illness. And I think that in this situation, they were renting in on Cristock Street with his mom and Canelo was probably adopted by some people tried to adopt Canelo, tried to take him out and assist him, but I think he decided to go on his own.”
Shepherd told News Five that Canelo eventually parted ways with the sport. The mayor lamented on what he thought could have been a golden opportunity for a young athlete.
Ladrick Shepherd
“He played in on the 19th selection for us for Orange Walk and represented us. Well, you know, like I said, this young man had a load of talent when it comes to football. He used to play and a 13 and a and a 14 competition and a 15. And, and like I said, he, he has a lot of friends that admire the way he played. If this young man had gotten the right treatment and in the right school, probably going back to school, I think he would have reached the highest level, even playing semi pro level or even playing internationally. So, like I said, these are the things that we want to change, you know. When you see someone going in that direction, you want to bring them back, but it takes the community effort.”
Police have reportedly recovered several expended forty-caliber shells and three slugs from the scene. Marion Ali for News Five.
Fifty-four-year-old Mark Francisco was shot and killed on Monday morning in Belize City. It was a crime that left his family asking questions and the police looking for answers. Francisco was shot and killed as he was getting ready for a fishing trip that morning. In the wake of the tragic incident, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams told reporters that the fisherman was not known to have any kind of gang affiliation, and that investigators have arrested two persons.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“The same team that I had put together following the S.O.E. under the command of Mr. Dawson, they have been extremely busy, not just at the Francisco case, but many of them murder cases, and I am pleased to say that they have made significant progress in the Mark Francisco murder. The two suspects are now in custody. The vehicle used in that murder is also in the custody of the police and I expect that charges will be filed against those two individuals by tomorrow. We don’t believe that he was the intended target. We somewhat believe that those individuals were just lurking in that area for anybody who they believe may have some ties to S.S.G. But, again, I reemphasize the point that Mr. Francisco is not known to be involved in any gang activity.”
On Tuesday, just as employees prepared to leave work for lunch, a man was shot and killed near Cinderella Plaza. The deceased, Leroy Smith, was shot by the same gun he used to hold up a businessman whom he pushed inside the Casa Churro Bakery. Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams told reporters that Smith, who was from the Taylor’s Alley area, was also a person of interest in the murder of Gerald Tillett. The Commissioner also went on to speak of the incident on Tuesday that claimed Smith’s life.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Yes, he was a person of interest. Yes.”
Reporter
“Do we know if the business establishment was under surveillance by these individuals?”
Chester Williams
“We cannot say, no. They can’t blame the businessman for protecting himself and his family. He has a right to do so. As much as the media and sometimes society tends to blame the police for crime, we are not the ones to be blamed. At the end of the day, we are at the end of the funnel in terms of when all odds fail and then the person ends up offending, it’s then the duty of the police to do what needs to be done from a legal standpoint.”
Thirty-six-year-old Mark Stevens, accused of the attempted murder of Juan Carlos Rios Pineda on June eighth, appeared in court today when he was escorted from the Belize Central Prison. His appearance this morning, before a magistrate, took an interesting turn when Stevens refused to have his fingerprint lifted by police experts. While the court granted permission for his fingerprint to be taken, after partial prints were lifted from a knife allegedly used in the Pineda’s stabbing, Stevens put up a fight, refusing to comply with the orders of the magistrate. On Saturday, June eighth, police visited the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where they observed Pineda suffering from multiple stab wounds. Initial investigation revealed that he was walking his dog in the Lord’s Ridge Cemetery when he was approached by an individual he knows as Mark Stevens. Pineda said he made several attempts to evade Stevens by running home, but Stevens ran towards him and stabbed him multiple times with a kitchen knife. Pineda’s landlord attempted to stop Stevens from inflicting the injuries, but he was unsuccessful in doing so. While Stevens refused to cooperate with the taking of his fingerprint earlier today, another attempt will be made to do so at the Belize Central Prison where he remains on remand.
The lifeless body of fifty-eighty-year-old Cecil Lewis was recovered at sea by a team of coast guard officers earlier today. Lewis was on a barge heading to Caye Chapel on Sunday when he went overboard. It wasn’t until other crew members arrived at their destination that they realized Lewis was missing. Despite a search effort, Lewis’ body was not found until this morning. Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, of the Belize Coast Guard, spoke with News Five by phone this afternoon.
On the phone: Rear Admiral Elton Bennett
On the phone: Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard
“This morning, our search team located the body of Mr. Lewis just a few miles northwest of… his body was trapped around the mangroves in that area, the exact area that we calculated as the search area, the most likely location where it would be. So we were searching over the past few days and this morning and we were able to locate his body. We called in the forensics team who went out there to process the scene. Then, they will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.”
Paul Lopez
“Was there a particular piece of information that led you all to that specific area or to the discovery this morning since you have been searching for some time?”
Elton Bennett
“Yes, it is search planning. When a person falls from out of a vessel and he’s in the water, there is a calculation to determine where drift would take the body, hence the reason why we were in that specific area. If he would have drowned, indeed, then he would have been subsurface for the past two days and his body would have come up sometime today. So that was the area that we were focusing on, based on search planning.”
