Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday. I am Paul Lopez. We begin tonight’s coverage with a look at the Inter-Office Basketball League’s semi-finals that took place on Friday night inside the Belize City Civic Center. The first match saw team Police face off against Belize Port Authority in their best-of-three series. Team Police is in the black and whole jersey. Airport Authority is wearing black and red.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Gilbert Belisle on the inside with the first points for team Police. Airport Authority’s Shakeem Valerio at the free throw line after being fouled during a shot attempt. He banked the first free throw and missed the second. Six minutes in, Police has four points and Airport Authority has one point. Ball to Linton Broaster at the three-point line and those shot counts. Broaster again, this time with the quick release, puts up a second three-point shot. The ball found Broaster once more in the first quarter and he did not disappoint, with a buzzer beater three-point shot to end the first quarter with eighteen points for team police. Airport Authority finished the first quarter with three points. Team Police secured an additional fourteen points in the second quarter, primarily led by Sheldon Williams, while Airport Authority added twelve points to their score. So, the score was thirty-two to fifteen at the end of the first half. Airport Authority really struggled to find their shots in this game. They only scored three three-point shots in this one, compared to seven overall three-point shots made by team Police. In the end, it was a dominant game for team Police. They finished with sixty-seven points to their opponent’s forty-eight points.
The second game of the night saw Tuff E Nuff take on the Belize City Council. Tuff E Nuff was in the black while the Belize City Council wore their blue jerseys. Jamal Kelly find Orland Ferguson open. He goes baseline and puts up the first two points for Tuff E Nuff. Jamal Kelly from the three-point line with a big three, taking his team to nine points and forcing their opponents to call a timeout. The game is at nine points to zero, in third minute.
City Council’s captain, Auburn Rivero finally able to put his team on the score board. Shortly after, Keon Rowland deflated their momentum with this three-point shot off the throw-in. Tuff E Nuff Captain Douglas Valley inflicting further punishment with this made three-point shot. The game is now at sixteen points to two. Earl “Bolo” Johnson finally getting something up for the Belize City Council to give his team four points. The first quarter ended with twenty-nine points for Tuff E Nuff and eleven for the Belize City Council. And, despite their best efforts, the Belize City Council wasn’t able to tighten the gap. Players like Ferguson, Valley and Tyrell Griffith proved too much for the Belize City Council. Leading scorers for that team were Johnson, Kevin Hamilton and Cordell Gonzalez. Ultimately, Tuff E Nuff won game one with eighty points to the Council’s fifty-five points. That’s a twenty-five-point win.
Belize’s Under-Twenty-One Male National Volleyball Team returned from Panama over the weekend with a bronze medal after competing in the Central American Under-Twenty-One Male Volleyball Championship. It is the first medal for the under-twenty-one national team in a regional tournament. Belize also walked away from several individual awards. Eliazar Mejia took the Best Hitter Award. Ingram Kaelen brought home the Best Opposite and the Top Scorer Awards. We say congratulations to the men’s national volleyball team for their stellar performance.
And now back to some basketball action. The Williams Dawson Sprite Basketball Tournament is now heading to the finals after its semi-final’s knockout matches on Sunday at the Yabra Greens basketball court. In the first match of the day, the defending champions Hard Rock Boys faced off against Hattieville Underdogs, with their eyes set on a three-peat. Early points for Hattieville from Devon Defour Zahir Harris putting up an additional two points for Hattieville.Gregory Buckley, Hattieville’s big man, gets it in. Looking for an opportunity to break Hattieville’s momentum, Earl “Bolo” Johnson gets a bucket. Herman Ramos under the rim, caught the defense sleeping, gets the easy layup.Jason Vasquez with the beautiful put back for the defending champions. On the other hand, Brand Rogers responded with a three-point shot over Johnson. The first quarter ended at eleven points apiece. But the Hard Rock Boys broke away in the second quarter, scoring seven points more than their opponents.
They finished the first half with twenty-four points to their opponent’s seventeen. Fatigue began setting in the second half. It ended up being a low-scoring half. Hard Rock Boys put up a total of thirteen additional points. Their opponents scored twelve points in the second half. In the end, Hard Rock Boys won the game with thirty-seven points to Hattieville Underdog’s twenty-nine points. The defending champions have secured another trip to the finals to play for all the marbles. Their opponents in the final match will be the Orange Court Generals led by Jayron Baptist and Francis Arana. They defeated Dan 1 with a final score of forty-three to thirty-four points.
Well folks, that is all we have for you in this coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.
A three-year-old Palestinian boy tragically lost his life in Khan Younis on Saturday when an aid package, dropped from an aircraft, struck the displacement area where his family had sought refuge. His grandfather, Sami Ayyad, recounted the incident, explaining that as the family ate breakfast, pallets of aid plummeted towards them. Despite efforts to take cover inside their makeshift tents, the falling package instantly killed the young boy, Sami. Other family members, including his aunt and cousin, were injured in the ordeal.
Various countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Jordan, and the UAE, have airdropped aid into Gaza in recent months. The UAE reportedly dropped 81 food packages into Khan Younis on Saturday, with over 10,000 packages airdropped in total. However, humanitarian agencies have criticised such airdrops as inefficient, with many urging Israel to lift restrictions on land crossings to allow more direct aid to reach Palestinians.
The aid distribution comes amidst a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with more than 1.84 million Palestinians facing acute food insecurity. Human rights agencies have condemned the restrictions on land-based aid, with some accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war.
Police in Dangriga have launched a murder investigation after a dismembered body was discovered in a barrel near a resort, reportedly dumped into the sea.
The victim has been identified as 32-year-old Manuel Fernandez Jr.
Authorities suspect the dismemberment took place at a local meat shop, which they searched as part of the investigation. A local butcher has been detained in connection with the case. According to reports, an argument between Fernandez and another man over the ownership of the business escalated into a fatal confrontation, during which Fernandez was stabbed.
The incident unfolded on Sunday morning.
It is believed that the suspect tampered with nearby surveillance footage by stealing the memory card from a fruit shop’s camera. When police arrived at the business, they found the suspect behaving suspiciously and cleaning the premises, leading to his detention.
Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow, rejected Sunday’s national convention held by the Alliance for Democracy (AFD) in Belize City.
Barrow condemned the AFD and its leader, Tracy Taegar-Panton, accusing them of “continued fraud and deception.”
Barrow described the AFD’s attempts to mislead the public as “malicious, unscrupulous, and anti-democratic.”
“The ADP is a third party formed by some members of the old guard who left the UDP because they rejected the Party’s anti-corruption and political reform agenda under the leadership of Shyne Barrow, Hugo Patt, Michael Peyrefitte, Alberto August, and the Executive,” said Barrow.
Barrow reiterated its leadership team, stateing that it remains resolute “until the next UDP National Convention to be held 90 days after the next General Elections,” he added.
On Sunday, the Alliance for Democracy (AFD), led by Albert Area Representative Tracy Taegar Panton, held what is described as a ‘unity convention’ at Belize City’s Civic Centre.
The event gathered many delegates and supporters of the United Democratic Party (UDP) from across the country.
In an interview with Taegar-Panton at the convention, she stated, “Neither the Party Leader nor the Chairman nor the Executive Leadership Team has greater power than the delegates. The National Convention, which we are having today, is the highest decision-making body of the party.” She said that the convention was convened in accordance with the party’s constitution: “This movement is following the Constitution of the Party in its entirety.”
Taegar-Panton noted that delegates overwhelmingly support the AFD’s call for a leadership change within the UDP, despite Moses “Shyne” Barrow’s claims that AFD leaders and other senior members have been expelled.
Today, Panton took to Facebook to announce the results of yesterday’s convention. In the statement, which branded the official UDP’s press release header, it said, “The United Democratic Party (UDP) is proud to announce that Hon. Tracy Panton has been elected as the Interim Leader of the UDP, making history as the first female to lead a mass political party in Belize.”
The announcement detailed, “A total of 347 out of 528 delegates participated in a critical vote to determine the future leadership of the UDP. The question posed was clear: “Do you support the recall of Moses Shyne Barrow as Party Leader of the UDP?” The results were resounding: 334 delegates voted YES, while 13 delegates voted NO.”
According to the statement, the AFD executive, which claims to replace the UDP leadership, includes Hugo Patt as First Deputy Leader and Beverley Williams as Second Deputy Leader. Sheena Pitts and Lee Mark Chang were announced as Interim Chairperson and Vice-Chairman respectively at the convention.
Former area representatives, including Anthony “Boots” Martinez, Manuel Heredia Jr., and Edmund “Clear the Land” Castro, were also in attendance, along with former CEO in the Office of the Prime Minister, Audrey Wallace. Notably absent was Hugo Patt.
“There is no confusion—there is only one great UDP, and today’s convention solidified that we are both great and democratic,” the statement wrote.
Disney has unveiled the trailer for the upcoming documentary The Honorable Shyne, which chronicles the extraordinary life of Moses “Shyne” Barrow, a Grammy Award-winning musician who transitioned into politics. Barrow rose to fame in the late 1990s as a rising rap star, but his career was abruptly halted after being charged in connection with a high-profile New York nightclub shooting involving rap mogul Sean “Puffy” Combs. In 2001, Barrow was convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison, while Combs was acquitted.
Following his release, Barrow returned to his homeland of Belize, where he shifted his focus from music to politics, eventually becoming the Leader the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Representatives.
“This documentary provides an intimate look at Shyne’s personal evolution as he navigates fame, incarceration, and a return home to Belize, where he finds new purpose and strives to lead his country to a brighter future.”
The Honorable Shyne is set to premiere on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ in the U.S. on November 18, 2024. International release details have yet to be announced.
The body of a middle-aged man was found floating in the Mopan River near the Belize western border over the weekend. The body was reportedly in an advanced state of decomposition.
The remains retrieved from the river on Saturday were transferred to a morgue. A post-mortem examination is pending. The body is believed to be that of 53-year-old Nery Antonio Cardona Sagatume.
According to the brother of the deceased, Fredy Cardona, Sagatume left home on October 16 wearing clothing that matched the description of what was found on the body.
Initial investigation indicated no visible injuries and no foul play is suspected. This is an ongoing investigation.
A shooting incident over the weekend has left a 39-year-old construction worker hospitalised. Reports indicate that Lenny Bengeuche sustained two gunshot wounds and was taken to Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) for treatment.
According to Bengeuche, two men dressed in dark clothing shot fire at him before fleeing the scene on foot.
When officers from the Ladyville Criminal Investigations Branch (CIV) arrived at Egbert Quilter Street, the officers discovered an abandoned black 24-inch male-frame beach cruiser bicycle at the location. However, no bullet shells were found.
No arrests have been made. The police continue to investigate.
Police in Dangriga have initiated a murder investigation following the discovery of a dismembered body found in a barrel near a resort. The barrel containing the body parts was reportedly discarded in the sea.
Police conducted a search at a local meat shop as part of the investigation. Initial evidence suggests that the gruesome dismemberment may have occurred at this location. A local butcher has been taken into custody in connection with the case.
As of 6:00 PM on Saturday, October 19, 2024, Tropical Storm Nadine has weakened to a tropical depression, prompting the discontinuation of all coastal warnings. At 6:00 PM, Nadine was located near latitude 17.3N, longitude 90.0W, about 120 miles west of Belize City, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. The storm is moving westward at 13 mph and is expected to continue weakening as it moves further inland and away from Belize.
On the advice of the Chief Meteorologist and the National Emergency Management Coordinator, Prime Minister John Briceno has issued the “All Clear” for the entire country, signaling that Belize is no longer under threat from tropical storm conditions. However, residents are advised to remain cautious as additional rainfall of 1 to 2 inches is expected overnight, accompanied by gusty winds. A small craft caution remains in effect, and operators are urged to exercise care.
Flood warnings are still in place for certain areas, particularly the Iguana Creek low-lying bridge and the Coastal Highway from La Democracia to Hope Creek junction, which may become impassable. Rivers, including the Rio Hondo, New River, Booth’s River, Rio Bravo, Mopan, Macal, and Belize Rivers, along with those originating from the eastern slopes of the Maya Mountains, remain at risk of flooding. There is also a risk of landslides in the northern and central highland regions. The San Ignacio Low Lying Bridge remains closed, and the Mollejon Spillway is active.
The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) and the Ministry of Health and Wellness are urging the public to avoid contact with floodwaters, which can pose significant health risks, including infectious diseases, chemical hazards, and injuries. Exposure to contaminated water may lead to illnesses such as skin infections, stomach illness, and waterborne diseases like typhoid fever, cholera, leptospirosis, and hepatitis A.
Despite the “All Clear,” residents are encouraged to stay alert and continue following official updates from NEMO and the National Meteorological Service. NEMO’s hotline is available at 936, and the National Emergency Operations Centre, along with all District Emergency Operations centres, remains on alert.
