2024 - Channel 5 Belize

Belize City Resident Takes Home Ten Thousand Dollars in Scratch & Win

A Belize City resident is celebrating tonight after scoring a major win with a Scratch and Win ticket. The lucky winner visited our office to share her plans for the $10,000 prize and revealed just how close she came to missing out on her big day. The winner spoke to us off camera today.

Scratch & Win Winner

“I usually buy, but that day it was raining. So my husband asked me if I want to buy Scratch because he know I like to buy Scratch. So I tell ah ih di rain, man. He said, but if you want to buy, I’m going to buy it for you. Alright. So I tell ah, okay then, go buy it for me. Buy four. So he say, okay then, and he went and buy it.”

Britney Gordon

“Did you have a feeling that it was going to be your lucky day?”

Scratch & Win Winner

“Yes, because around four. I buy the four. I win forty dollars. So I say, I get this one ya, and I wa get a bigger one.”

Britney Gordon

“What was the moment like that you scratched it and saw it?”

Scratch & Win Winner

“Wow! First I scratched it. And when I scratched it, I see lucky. I she cho, man, any time I win lucky I get only four dollars. So I scratch it again, I see one. So I halla and tell bwai it look like I win hundred dollars. And when I scratch it, I see wa comma. I say, well, da mussi thousand. I no say nothing, and when I scratch it I say, ten thousand dollars, well, I make what, ten thousand dance.”

Britney Gordon

“So that’s an amazing amount of money, what do you think you’re going to do with something like that?”

Scratch & Win Winner

“Well, this money is a blessing to me and my family. So I’m going to put something aside, and the rest, we’re going to enjoy it. I bless them too, because it’s a family deal.”

Britney Gordon

“Think you’re going to keep buying scratch?”

Scratch & Win Winner

“Yes, every night or every two nights. And when I no win, I stop and I buy again. The weekend. By the weekend I buy again. But when I win two dollars, it doesn’t matter to me because I seh one of these days, I’m going to catch the big one.”

NEMO Announces ‘Short-Term Closure of J&W Road’

Heavy rains over the weekend have caused significant disruptions in Belize, affecting various regions. On Sunday, the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) reported that several roads in the rural Orange Walk District were impassable due to ongoing flooding, including the J&W road in Belmopan.

Today, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing and NEMO announced a short-term closure of the J&W Road due to rising waters. The affected section runs between Doyle’s Delight Street and the Egoli Estate entrance. The road is expected to remain closed for the rest of today, October 28, and most of Tuesday, October 29. The closure may extend if conditions do not improve.

The ministry advised all motorists to take the Cemetery Road route to John Saldivar Boulevard during this time.

A severe flood warning is in effect for the Río Hondo at Blue Creek North and Freetown Sibun on the Sibun River. Floodwaters are expected to rise, and an Excessive Rainfall Watch has been issued for the next 12-24 hours nationwide. Urban flooding is anticipated in vulnerable areas.

Senate Testimony Delayed Over Dress Code, Contreras Walks Out

Former UDP Minister of Economic Development Erwin Contreras appeared today before the Senate Special Select Committee in Belmopan. He did so in 3/4 pants after he was ‘picked up’ by Special Branch officers on the strength of a warrant.

The hearing was delayed after committee members realised the type of clothing that Contreras was wearing. Committee members deliberated and decided that Contreras would not be allowed to testify in short pants. A staff of the National Assembly was then sent to get long pants, size 48. He couldn’t find that specific size but brought size 44, which wouldn’t fit Contreras. The employee then brought a size 54, and Contreras made it clear that he will not wear anything that makes him look “bad.” After an hour of trying to solve this issue, the committee members decided for him to appear in short pants.

Contreras was escorted by police. He told committee members that the current matter is before the court and therefore restricted from public discussion. He said that his application is awaiting a decision from the high court, and the chair, through an attorney, has agreed not to issue any warrant or summons until the court renders a decision.

Contreras declined to participate in any actions that could contravene the court order, particularly testifying without his attorney present. He noted that he has a perfected order from the Supreme Court saved on his phone as proof. Contreras reiterated that he would not respond to any enquiries unless advised by his attorney.

Has Shyne Been Kicked Out of the UDP HQ?

This morning Tracy Panton and her supporters stormed the United Democratic Party’s headquarters on Youth for the Future Drive in Belize City.

Panton says she is the interim leader of the UDP following a convention where delegates voted to recall Moses “Shyne” Barrow. Meanwhile, Barrow says he remains leader of the UDP.

Images show UDP supporters taking over the headquarters. During a live interview, Panton said that 66% of the delegates voted in favour of a leadership reset, giving the mandate to her team to lead the UDP, a role she says they fully intend to ulfill. When questioned on whose authority they are inside the UDP headquarters, Panton said that formal authority came from the trustee of the property, Philipa Bailey, who signed a document authorising their occupation. According to Panton, the document was authenticated by a justice of the peace.

Panton explained that when her team arrived, there was no need to eject UDP staff, including those aligned with the Secretariat under Moses “Shyne” Barrow. “We are doing everything we can to unite the United Democratic Party,” Panton said, adding that there was no intention to send anyone home.

Heavy police presence remains at the party’s HQ.

News Five has reached out to Moses “Shyne” Barrow for comment.

‘I Want Her to Heal, Not Just Her Scars and Wounds’

Wilmer Cruz is urgently calling for support for his sister, a 23-year-old woman who endured eight days of captivity and abuse by her husband and his parents. Investigators say she was assaulted, deprived of food, and left in unsanitary conditions without access to basic necessities.

Cruz told News 5 this morning, “I would want someone to help her in the sense of psychologically or mentally, like, help her recover back her mind. Not just her scars and wounds, but someone who would be there for her because, you know, she’s pregnant.”

Cruz pleaded for any assistance and a safe environment for her and her children. “We would like somebody or an organisation who we can team up with so that she can recover good,” he added.

On Friday last week, the accused family members, including 45-year-old Luis Alfredo Tiul Sr., a Guatemalan pastor, and 59-year-old Matilda Games, were both charged with Administering Noxious Matter.

Luis Alfredo Tiul Jr., 24, faced charges of Aggravated Assault and Wounding. His father, Tiul Sr., was also charged with Kidnapping, Aggravated Assault, Wounding, and Sexual Assault. Elizabeth Tiul, 43, a Mexican housewife, was charged with Kidnapping, Wounding, and Aggravated Assault.

Will Former UDP Minister Be Forced To Testify?

Senate Special Select Committee public hearing is expected to resume today at 11 a.m. We are told that on the witness list is former UDP Minister of Investment Erwin Contreras. We are also told that moves are being made to have Contreras appear before the committee with one report suggesting that he was ‘picked up’ by officers of the Special Branch Unit and expected to be escorted to the George Price Centre where the hearing will take place.

Attorney William Lindo Jr. is representing Contreras.

Back in May, the committee’s public hearing on the Portico “Definitive Agreement” was postponed after Contreras decided not to participate. The committee later expressed disappointment in Contreras’s refusal, especially since he previously acknowledged signing the “Definitive Agreement.”

In a May 29 press statement, the committee said, “The Committee is most disappointed at this information as Mr. Contreras has already admitted that he signed the “Definative Agreement”, which committed the Government and the people of Belize to grant Portico financial concessions worth hundreds of millions of dollars for 30 years. Mr. Contreras is the only person and former Government Minister who can explain why he signed the Agreement.”

This is a developing story.

Loose Horse Causes Car Accident

Late last night, a lose horse wandering in the middle of the highway was hit by a vehicle. The incident occurred between Belize City and Orange Walk near Mile 41 on the Philip Goldson Highway. According to the driver, “The road was so dark and there was no way to see the horse until we were already hitting it..it was a particular situation because the horse was walking head first toward us on our side of the road…not crossing….it happened so quickly…”

After the accident, the driver shared their gratitude for the strangers who rushed to help, especially a woman who immediately assisted with their children and controlled the traffic until the police arrived. “By time police arrived and I looked for her to thank her she was gone. May the Lord bless you abundantly!”

Minor injuries were reported.

The driver also called for action to improve road safety, highlighting the need for better-lit roads and for property owners to secure their animals near highways. The driver urged fellow motorists to drive cautiously, wear seat belts, and be mindful of others on the road.

Bus Crash in Central Mexico Kills 19

Nineteen people were killed and six others injured in a bus crash on a highway in Zacatecas, central Mexico, on Saturday. The crash occurred in the early morning when the bus collided with the back of a tractor-trailer carrying corn, which had detached from the vehicle.

Zacatecas Governor David Monreal initially reported a death toll of 24, but the state attorney general’s office later revised the figure to 19.

The attorney general’s office is investigating and has launched efforts to apprehend the tractor-trailer driver. Rescue teams were working to recover bodies from a ravine near the crash site.

The bus was en route to Ciudad Juarez, near the US-Mexico border, and authorities confirmed that none of the victims were migrants.

Should Father Be Charged with Child Endangerment?

Police Commissioner Chester Williams told reporters on Friday that he will check with the Southern Regional Commander to verify the details of the case. He added that if the information proves accurate, the individual is not fit to be a licensed gunholder. Commissioner Williams mentioned that he will recommend to the Firearms and Ammunition Control Board that the individual’s license be revoked.

ComPol Williams responded to a question involving a reportedly intoxicated father and his 5-year-old son. The incident occurred in Hopkins Village in mid-May and was reported by the child’s mother earlier this month. According to reports, the father arrived home intoxicated, woke their son, and gave him a firearm. He reportedly took the boy outside to teach him how to handle the gun, during which the terrified child reportedly wet himself.

The father then took the boy to the bathroom while the mother discreetly hid the firearm in their vehicle. We understand that the man is yet to be charged.

Robbers Target Uno Gas Station

On Friday morning, brazen robbers disguised in police-style clothing carried robbed the Uno Gas Station on Central American Boulevard. According to reports, they escaped with thousands of dollars.

When reporters asked Police Commissioner, Chester Williams, about it on Friday, he said, “At this time I don’t have much. I know that police in Belize City were called earlier this morning of that incident, and they responded they were following some leads looking for some persons of interest. I’m not sure if they found those persons, so I would want to think that maybe by this evening Ms. Hortence can provide some update to you all on that matter.”

According to reports, early that morning the station manager, Michael Brown, was preparing to open for business when two masked men arrived on a motorcycle. The suspects, wearing dark blue jackets with “police” written on the back and camouflage pants, approached Brown under the pretence of needing assistance with the air hose.

As Brown went to retrieve the air hose, they pushed him inside, with one of the men pulling out a firearm and demanding money while the other guarded the door.

Brown was forced into the station’s office at gunpoint and ordered to open the safe. The robbers escaped with a significant amount of cash, Brown’s personal .38 pistol, and the gas station’s Hard Disc Recorder used for surveillance footage. They fled on their motorcycle towards Cemetery Road.