Earlier the Commissioner of Police explained why the security apparatus could not include civil society stakeholders in the planning process for the northern border security operations. That was a suggestion that came from the Leader of the Opposition, Moses Shyne Barrow. Today the commissioner blasted Barrow not only for that suggestion, but also for referring to Belize as a narco state.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“He had certainly made several baseless and irresponsible comments even going as far as painting believes as a narco state. I don’t know where he get that from or if he knows what is the definition of a narco state, and also speaking about the issue of the northern operations that we should bring other stakeholders from the NGOs and so forth to the table. We cannot have persons who are not of the security apparatus in such an operation. So again, like I said, he continued to make some very reckless comments that I think that he needs to be properly advised and maybe sometime he needs to shut his mouth before spewing nonsense.”
Last year, for the first time in many years, Belize recorded fewer than a hundred murders. But 2024 is not looking as if it is going to be a repeat of 2023 in that category. Today, the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams was in a Compstat Meeting before meeting with the media in Belmopan. He said that the police have been making arrests for several murders and this week, someone will be arrested for the murder of Darren “Dalla Coin” Taylor in Dangriga. We asked Williams to share the figures with us. He said that while major crimes are down, murders are up.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Right now, in terms of our overall, national crime outlook, we are down in major crime overall, but where murders are concerned, we’re up by seven compared to last year. We continue to do our best to be able to address the murders. One murder is one too much, but we do understand that we can’t stop all from happening. But we certainly will continue to do what we can to stop as much as we can. And again, we continue to appeal to the Belizean people to, assist us in whatever way possible to be able to prevent and solve murders when they do occur. Once we solve these murders, we get the alleged murderer off the street. That also serves as a way of prevention because that person will be incarcerated and will not be able to commit another murder unless he is released from prison.”
The Belize Prize for Investigative Journalism held its annual award night on Saturday at the House of Culture. The prize, organized by Holly Edgell, is a first of its kind in Belize. The winner takes home ten thousand dollars while two finalists walk away with five thousand dollars each. On Saturday night, Edgell signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Belize that will see the Belize Prize for Investigate Journalism hosted by the university in the future. But perhaps the greatest benefit coming out of the prize is the quality of investigation that goes into the diverse stories that are submitted. For a second time, Channel Seven’s Jules Vasquez snagged the coveted prize. News Five’s Hipolito Novelo was one of the three finalists in this year’s award. We spoke with him.
Hipolito Novelo
Hipolito Novelo, Journalist, News Five
“First of all I want to thank the camera man that went to me to the Chiquibul, Dreams Kenroy Michael and Editor Shayanne, along with my mentor from BVI Freeman Rogers. That trip took an entire day to get to Chiquibul and it took about three months to produce that investigative piece. I think the Belize Prize for Investigative Journalism is crucial to what we do. I think this is what we wanted for so many years and the recognition for MIC, for CIJN, it motivates other reporters like myself to do more investigative pieces and I think that i9s what the Belizean public wants us to do on a weekly basis to get down deep into those data, those files and those documents, to create positive change , not only for us and what we do, but for the public as well.”
The K.H.M.H. has commenced its annual celebration of nurse’s week, a time meant to honor the one hundred and seventy nurses staffed at the hospital. From May sixth to the twelfth, nurses will be recognized and rewarded for their commitment to ensuring the health of Belizeans, despite the hardships that come with the field. When the hospital is short of staff, nurses often work sixteen-hour shifts, making burnout one of the major challenges to overcome. This nurse’s week, we highlighted nurse Kalifa Gray, who told us what being a nurse means to her. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with that story.
Kalifa Gray
Kalifa Gray, Nurse & Midwife, K.H.M.H.
“It’s the passion. It’s only the passion that keeps you here. The love that for what you do and caring for your patients and seeing the outcome at the end, that’s what keeps me going.”
Britney Gordon, Reporting
For Kalifa Gray, a twenty-seven-year-old nurse and midwife at the KHMH, her job is never done. From the moment she wakes up until the moment she goes to sleep, she is thinking of ways to provide the best care to her patients. This dedication came from her passion for the field. A desire, she has had from a very young age.
Kalifa Gray
“I had the dream of becoming a nurse from around the age of five years old, around probably career day. That was just a childhood dream that transpired over to being a reality for me in my professional life. And it was a journey of just going straight from being in high school doing my sciences and going over to UB at the age of sixteen and completing my program in four years and then joining here at Karl Heusner in my professional life.”
Gray has served as a nurse at the KHMH for six and a half years and most recently became a midwife for the labor and delivery ward.
Kalifa Gray
“We work on both the maternity ward and the labor and delivery ward. So that includes assisting mothers giving birth and delivering babies, receiving babies from cesarean sections and just providing care and education for mothers to be able to take care of their newborns when they go back into the real world.”
According to Gray, the hours for nurses are intense, as the hospital struggles to meet the demands of patients with low staff. She said that overcoming burnout is a daily struggle for some nurses.
Kalifa Gray
“So nurses work twenty-four seven, three hundred sixty-five days of the year. So we work eight-hour shifts. And so that’s probably a shift from seven a.m. to three p.m., three p.m. to eleven p.m. And then fortnight nurses are clocked in at eleven p.m. to seven in the morning. And most times we do have nurses who work sixteen hours straight to cover shifts because of the short staff that we experience here within Karl Heusner.”
Despite the grueling hours, Gray said that it all becomes worth it when she sees her patients return home to their families in good health.
Kalifa Gray
“I think one of the best parts of being a nurse is seeing how our patients get to go home healthy and happy with their newborn. And that’s quite rewarding for us because there are so much that could go wrong in a delivery. And so just beingable to see our patients going home healthy and satisfied is rewarding for me.”
Gray often works in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which specializes in the care of ill or premature babies. She recalls becoming overwhelmed with emotion as she witnessed the recovery of one of her particularly premature patients. She pinpoints this moment as one of the highlights of her career.
Kalifa Gray
“I think one of the moments that standout the most to me was when I was moved over to the NICU department and learning how to care for newborns at a tender age of twenty-seven, twenty-eight weeks. I watched the transition of newborns and neonates being nurtured, being cared for being resuscitated day after day within the NICU and three months later going home as a healthy bouncing baby. I think that was one of the points in my career where I said, this is the time. This is love. This is what I enjoy doing. This is a miracle and I get to see it every day.”
Nurses’ Week celebrations at the KHMH began with a staff breakfast leading into an award ceremony. Gray explained that the staff is grateful for the reminder that they are appreciated and that their hard work is recognized.
Kalifa Gray
“Nurses Week this week is significant to us as nurses and specifically to me because we get to celebrate ourselves. We get to encourage each other. We get to be recognized. There is awareness within the community that If you have a nurse who is a friend, who is a sister, who is a brother, to be able to show gratitude to them and let them know that they are doing a good job.”
Roxxane Marin, an employee at the Women’s Department, who also serves the Disability Desk under that department is tonight asking for your help. Marin has a hidden disability and has been living with fibroids for the last twenty years. The medical condition has become aggressive, and she is in dire need of surgery. Unable to cover the cost of the medical procedure, Marin is requesting financial assistance from anyone willing to assist. Here is what she told us today.
Roxxane Marin
Roxxane Marin, Fibroid Patient
“Financial assistance is what I am asking. I have fibroids. I have had it for the last twenty-years. Since November 2022 it has become aggressive. Life has definitely changed, not for the best. Lot of anxiety, a lot of time off the up and down to the doctor, a lot of medication since January of this year. Nothing has been successful and so I had to come to the realization that there is no way around it. I have to do the surgery. It is very expensive. I cant afford it and that is why I am coming to the media to ask for assistance, from everybody, Belizeans at home and abroad, every body in the public service, private sector, friend, family, nonfamily, people nuh realize dah Belize if yon uh have it, ih nuh wah work for you. Dah Belize you the live from paycheck to paycheck and ih important now to realize that savings dah something weh nuh matter how small you do it try do it. But in this instance I am coming to the public to ask for help fih get the surgery done. I am giving myself until the end of may to come up with the money. It is over nine thousand dollars. I have a flier I am asking everybody to circulate on social media and as much as what I could get help with that is what I am coming to people to ask for help.”
Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday, I am Paul Lopez. How do you stop a category five hurricane from blowing you away? The Belize City Defenders found a way on Friday night inside the Belize City Civic Center. The Defenders took on the Hurricanes in a season rematch that brought out fans. The Belize City Defenders took down the Benny’s Belize Hurricanes, sixty to fifty-six points. Yes, it was a low-scoring game. The top scorers for the Defenders were Nigel Jones and John Kelly. Jones scored fourteen points, got ten rebounds, all ten of them were defensive rebounds. He also had six assists, though he made six turnovers as well. Kelly finished with twelve points and nine rebounds. He also shot with seventy-five percent accuracy from the field. But it really was a close game. It was tied at thirty points at the half.
The Defenders got away in the third quarter and went on a run that gave them an eight-point lead at the end of the third. The game came down to the last minute in the fourth quarter. Hurricanes down by three points with twenty seconds left on the clock, Victor “Vito” Evans is at the line shooting two free throws. He makes the first one and brings the score to fifty-five, fifty-seven. He makes the second shot and brings it to a one-point game. Defender’s Everald Tablada is fouled on the throw in. He misses his first free throw and counts the second one, stretching the lead to two points. Defended by Jones, Evans goes up for the jumper and it is no good. Jones gets the ball and finds Kelly all alone on the other side. And, that basket sealed the Defender’s win against the Hurricanes.
Nigel Jones
Nigel Jones, Belize City Defenders
“Well I feel like we needed this win. You know we played them the first time and they came out. We looked bad. We looked banged up the first time. But we just wanted to come back and show that when we have our full team we can compete with anybody in the league.”
John Kelly
John Kelly, Belize City Defenders
“We been the work hard for this whole ah this week, put in a good workout because this team mih hungry whole week. So, we know we mih wah come out fih fight.”
Paul Lopez
“What does do for your hopes of winning the championship this year?”
John Kelly
“This dah just motivation . We wah work harder and we wah play harder. Thisdah playoffs.”
The Benny’s Belize Hurricanes had several of its players out on Friday night, including Clency “Coope” Lopez and Jamal Harris. There is not much information on why Lopez sat out, but we understand that Harris is facing some internal disciplinary action. According to police reports, the Pro-American basketball player got into a physical altercation with his partner last week. Allegations are that he physically assaulted her. We understand that the matter is no longer with the police, as both individuals have agreed to resolve the conflict out of court. But Hurricane fans may likely see Harris sit out the next few games.
Let’s move into some football action. The Anthony Mahler Under Thirteen Mundialito Tournament is in full swing. It all goes down inside the Berger Field on Saturdays. Ebony Lake played Berger United in a match that ended eight goals to zero in favor of Berger United. The first goal of the match was scored by Zaylen Jones off a penalty kick at the fifteenth minute. Two minutes later a second penalty was awarded from a handball inside the box. Goalkeeper Rojaun Mahler scored that one. And again, two minutes later, Jones scored another goal. Three goals were scored in six minutes. Jones scored four of the eight goals his team entered.
In the female category, Alvian Strikers played against Phoenix F.C. After two ten-minute halves, both teams were unable to score a goal. And, in a third match of the day, Tutbay Yabra faced off against defending champions Belize United. Tutbay was able to hold off Belize United up until the eleventh minute when Shae Gordon found himself in front of the goalpost with the ball. Gordon did not hesitate to kick the ball and give his team the lead. A beautiful team effort that led to a one nil ball game at the end of the first period. Twenty-three minutes in and Tutbay’s number six made a grave error at the goalpost by stopping the ball with his hand from going into the goal. Perhaps it was simply a reflex, but it cost a penalty shot. Christopher Gilharry took the shot and made it. Belize United won that match, two goals to zero.
Well folks, that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.
Hamas has approved a proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza war put forward by mediators Qatar and Egypt, the Palestinian group says, although Israel has yet to comment on the proposal.
The announcement follows a mass exodus from eastern Rafah as Israel instructs tens of thousands to evacuate. Specifics of the proposal remain unclear.
The statement was issued as residents of southern Gaza’s Rafah began fleeing in response to Israel’s evacuation orders amid escalating fears of a significant military operation. Over 1.4 million displaced Palestinians seek refuge in the region.
Israel and Hamas have engaged in indirect negotiations facilitated by Qatar and Egypt regarding a potential Gaza war ceasefire and the exchange of captives. Egyptian and Hamas officials have suggested a multi-stage ceasefire involving the release of Israeli captives by Hamas in exchange for Israeli troop withdrawals from Gaza.
It remained uncertain whether the agreement would meet Hamas’ main demands, including a permanent ceasefire, complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the return of displaced families to their homes.
Belize’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expressing “its concern over the mass floods in the southern region of Brazil and offers its condolences to the families who have lost loved ones.”
The death toll from severe floods in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state has reached at least 83, with authorities investigating four additional deaths possibly linked to the storms. Over 276 people are injured and 111 remain missing, while more than 121,000 individuals have been displaced, according to the Civil Defense of Rio Grande do Sul.
This disaster has impacted over 850,000 people across 345 municipalities, causing widespread destruction of homes, roads, and bridges. Local residents and evacuees have reported seeing bodies in floodwaters, potentially not yet included in the official death count.
Around 1,000 firefighters are engaged in rescue missions. Operations have intensified as weather conditions allow, with rescue teams using inflatable rafts to evacuate people and pets.
The region has experienced a surge in extreme weather events, with at least 54 fatalities in September following a sub-tropical cyclone. The escalating climate crisis, driven primarily by human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, is exacerbating these extreme weather phenomena worldwide, intensifying their frequency and impact.
Belizean Ronelli Requena is competing in the #Made_In_TheCaribbean: UNESCO Transcultura Fashion Design competition. The UNESCO Transcultura Programme, supported by the European Union, highlights the creative brilliance of young talent across the Caribbean.
The Transcultura Fashion Design Competition marks the debut in a series of themed calls for the Transcultura Awards, celebrating and acknowledging the imaginative flair of emerging fashion professionals in the Caribbean.
Requena’s collection is called MEst-HIZO. She was challenged to craft an avant-garde mini-collection (consisting of 3 to 5 pieces) that embodies the essence of the Caribbean—its cultural diversity, artistic expressions, mutual exchanges and influences, or shared cultural traits.
You can vote for Requena by visiting unescohabana‘s Instagram page and commenting ‘MEst-HIZO’ under the post.
Two people were fatally shot on Sunday night in Roaring Creek Village, Cayo District. The victims, Marcel Neal and his spouse, were inside their house with their fifteen-year-old son when they were attacked. The couple died on the scene. The teenage son was rushed to the Western Regional Hospital after being shot in the leg.
Roaring Creek Village falls under the state of emergency, which expired last week. Police Commissioner Chester Williams told reporters last week that he requested an extension of the state of emergency. That request was rejected by cabinet.
Williams is expected to brief the media about the double murder and other incidents that occurred over the weekend.
