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Caye Caulker Welcomes Weather Station

As Belize moves further into the hurricane season, the need for timely and accurate weather updates remains a priority for the National Meteorological Service. Throughout the country, the Met Service is working to install weather stations for more detailed data and today Caye Caulker welcomed its very own. News Five’s Britney Gordon attended the opening ceremony earlier and learned what this means for residents of the island.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Earlier this year, Central America and the Caribbean waited with bated breath to see where Hurricane Beryl would make landfall. As a precaution, over two thousand residents evacuated the islands of Caye Caulker and San Pedro in anticipation of the category two storm. While Belizeans on the mainland braced for the potential impact, many islanders were not willing to take the risk.

Kristian Puerto, San Pedro Resident

“The last one that hit was just a tropical storm. And this is the first major hurricane that I’m going to have to be evacuating from the island. And yes, I’ve noticed a lot of people, especially a lot of people from the, from mainland Belize. They’re kind of evacuate the islands.”

With the latter half of the hurricane season fast approaching, the need for accurate and timely weather updates is important for every Belizean. That is why, today residents of Caye Caulker celebrate the newly installed weather station.

Andre Perez, Minister of Blue Economy

“This weather station is being inaugurated here in Caye Caulker, is actually very important, but at the same time symbolic because it is representing all the different weather stations that are being installed. All across the country. And of course we choose a beautiful Caye Caulker to highlight it and that the amount of money is being invested and hundreds of thousand dollars US dollars for this project. And that culminates here today. And as was given up at the description of the where station, the vital data that it shares across this country and across the world and in real time. It’s really important puts us at the cutting edge and especially when it comes to being informed in terms of when weather patterns are coming towards our country.”

There are approximately seven other weather stations placed strategically throughout the country, with an average cost of three hundred thousand dollars each. The project is financed through the Green Environment Fund from the World Bank with the intention of assisting countries in collecting data for climate resilience initiatives.

Ronald Gordon, Chief Met Officer

“People always want precise information. Even with the forecast, they’re always asking us to give us the forecast specifically for this area. So having a weather station on the ground will assist us in that area. To be able to more precisely see what’s happening in Caye Caulker and what is likely to happen in the future.”

The station has capabilities to record standard weather conditions such as wind speed, and rainfall but it is also equipped to detect solar radiation levels. This data is available for all to access through the Belize Weather app that is available for download to Android users and coming to IOS soon.

Andre Perez

“You will actually see the real information coming in because of here and that information is actually coming from that weather station. So as it relates to the village in terms of weather patterns, what is going to come fishing or snorkeling, diving or for an event, especially now, Caye Caulker is always very busy on weekends. And when the summer comes at all events, it is important to make their plans according to what the weather.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

Belize Nominated as ‘Most Desirable Country’ in 2024 Wanderlust Awards

The 2024 Wanderlust Travel Awards are just around the corner and this year, Belize is nominated in the ‘Most Desirable Country’ category. The awards allow travelers to vote for their favourite destinations and promote them to potential visitors. The Belize Tourism Board is encouraging Belizeans to visit WanderlustMagazine’s Website and vote before it closes on October eighteenth. We spoke with B.T.B. marketing manager, Gale Malik-Ozaeta, for more details on the award.

Gale Malik-Ozaeta, Marketing Manager, B.T.B.

“The Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards is the UK’s longest running and largest travel magazine by circulation. And we normally do campaigns with different publications around the world. And so it means a lot for us to be nominated. First of all they exist to inform and inspire travelers globally to take the road less travelled. And Belize first being known as the mother nature’s best kept secret, there are still a lot of paths less traveled in Belize. And so this year, they’re celebrating their twenty-three years and we have been nominated for the category most desirable country to the rest of the world. Voting is open right now, and it closes October eighteenth, 2024. Now, this is not the first time we’ve been nominated for a Wanderlust Reader Travel Award. We have actually won in the past. In 2023, we won silver for best emerging destination, and in 2022, we won silver for most desirable emerging destination. So we are encouraging everybody to go out and vote. We are pushing it on our social channels and through all our partners to vote for Belize so that this year we may be able to walk away with the gold. UK is one of our emerging markets. It’s, we do have visitors that travel to Belize from the UK, but not as much as the other destinations. When we compare our visitor numbers to the U. S. and to Canada, it’s a lot. Far less for UK and Europe on a whole. And so, the publicity or that this opportunity brings to the destination, it’s very welcoming because there are, Wanderlust has a lot of readers, a lot of readers who may have never heard of them, about Belize, readers who are thinking about Belize, but don’t know exactly where to go or what to do.”

Wilson Grinage Wins Annual National Song Competition

Over the weekend, the annual, National Song Competition was held here in Belize City and one winner walked away with a grand prize of twenty thousand dollars. That Belizean musician is Wilson Grinage. He competed against several other artists who performed their compositions before a live audience at the Bliss. Here’s a glimpse of those performances.

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The annual National Song Competition is organized by NICH, the Institute of Creative Arts, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology.

Tennis Tournament Raising Standard of Discipline in Belize

The Belize Tennis Association hosted tennis players from across Central America this weekend for the Belize Open Men’s Singles Tennis Tournament. It all went down at the Pickwick Tennis Club’s home court. The tournament saw twenty athletes compete for the coveted cash prize and bragging rights. It is not one of the sporting disciplines we see often covered in the media, partially because tennis in Belize is not as popular as team sports like basketball and football. But tennis has a faithful following in Belize and young athletes who take it very seriously. News Five’s Paul Lopez tells us more.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Tennis has been played in Belize for more than seven decades. At the height of its popularity in the nineteen fifties, Edward “Billy” Musa Senior was involved.

Edward Musa Sr., Tournament Sponsor

“In the fifties and sixties we had three tennis clubs vying against each other for the Martinez Shield. It was a prestigious shield that each club wanted to win. The Belize Club, where we are right now, were mainly expatriates under the colonial rule there were a lot of expatriates in Belize. At the New Town Club, where the old two tennis courts are, there was a big building there and they were involved in tennis too. They were civil servants working for the government. The Pickwick Club on North Front Street were mainly businessmen.”

In 2024, the discipline remains alive in Belize. Admittedly, it is not as popular as it once was back in the fifties.

Edward Musa Sr.

“A lot of people think that tennis is only for the well to do elites and this is not the case. What we find, the problem with tennis is that it is an individual sport and players, our population prefer team sports like basketball and volleyball.”

Even though the popularity of the discipline has somewhat dwindled over the years, Musa remains at the helm of the efforts to keep tennis alive in Belize. He sponsored a regional Open Men’s Singles Tennis Tournament over the weekend in Belize City. Samron Pott, the Tournament Director, says it has been running since 2017.

Samron Pott, Tournament Director

“This year’s event has twenty players. Belize is represented, Guatemala is represented, Mexico is represented, and Nicaragua is represented. So, we have some talent out there at the pickwick club this year. Two, three gentlemen have already proceeded to the semi-finals, one Belizean, one Nicaraguan, one Mexican the last quarter finals are on display on the court over there nuh. And that one is between our top ranked Belizean, Stephan Sosa and the Guatemalan who represented Guatemala internationally.”

Stephan Sosa, a resident of Belmopan, plays for the Belmopan Tennis Club. We witnessed him win his match after competing against his Guatemalan opponent in a match that ran for approximately two hours under the sweltering heat of the day.

Stephan Sosa, Tennis Player, Belmopan Tennis Club

“The majority of the toll comes from the heat. I find that to be the most difficult element for me to combat and just the fact that the format is so condensed, it being done over one weekend, it is a bit hard to recover, it is a bit hard to recover between matches considering that little resting time. Beforehand I prepare by buying supplements and ensuring I have the fuel my body needs to play optimally. I purchase a lot of electrolytes drinks like Gatorade. I also have energy gels among other various other supplements I wouldn’t like to disclose to be honest. They are not illegal supplements for the record. I am just making that clear.”

Pott was born into tennis and intends to utilize his youthfulness to keep the discipline alive in Belize.

Samron Pott, Tournament Director

“So I was born into tennis, so the passion existed from birth, and it is a beautiful game. I know what tennis can do for an individual in terms of values that you learn through tennis, but fitness as well, it is a great way to stay fit. So, it is something I intend to do for quite a while, keep this sport going.”

At the end of the weekend tournament, Mexico’s Braulio Bautista emerged as the champion for the third time. Nicaragua’s Orland Suarez won the silver medal, while Belize’s Stephan Sosa secured the bronze medal. A successful end to a tournament that sees tennis played at its highest level, raising the standard of the discipline in Belize. As for Edward Musa Senior, he shows no signs of slowing down.

Edward Musa Sr.

“We participate in regional tournaments, like Guatemala and Mexico invites us, but internationally we have to qualify, and we have not reached that standard yet.”

Paul Lopez

“How long do you plan to keep this up. You have been in it since the fifties?”

Edward Musa Sr.

“Until I die.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

Men’s Softball National Returns After a Decade

Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday, I am Paul Lopez. After a ten-year hiatus, the Men’s National Softball Tournament is back. The games were played over the weekend in Sandhill Village. Spectators from across the country filled the stadium to cheer on their favorite teams. Tonight, we bring you highlights from the gold-medal matchup between Belize City’s Wolfpack and the Hattieville Cubs.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Here we are at the bottom of the second inning. Neither of the teams have been able to score a run up to this point in the game. Shareef Humes up to bat for Wolfpack with runners on first and second. He connects and sends the ball flying into right field. That hit brought Bryan Grant home for the first run of the game. Christian Hernandez came from behind with a massive hit into left field. Keron Tillett and Shareef Humes made it home on that play, bringing Wolfpack’s score to three runs.

Wolfpack made a fourth run at the bottom of the second inning, following an error by the catcher. Christian Hernandez with the slide to home base. This is the top of the third. The Hattieville Cubs are up to bat with their minds set on closing that gap. Bases are loaded. Brandon Rogers Junior hit a ground ball past the shortstop and into center field. Milton Flores makes it home. But watch as Brandon Rogers Senior slides into home plate. It is a very close one and the umpire calls it an out. One run for Hattieville.

Malique James swings at the high pitch. The pitcher is unable to stop the ball. A bad throw to first base sends number eight and Rogers Junior home. That’s now three runs for Hattieville Cubs. Malique James there on second base catching his breath. With James on third after stealing a base, Jayson Garcia sends a ground ball to the shortstop. James makes the run and ties that brings it to an even score at four apiece.

Both teams were unable to make any runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Brandon Rogers Junior for Hattieville Cubs got the closest to gaining a lead at the top of the fifth inning. Garcia is tagged on his way to first base. Rogers gets caught between two fielders on his way to home base. Unaware that the ball fell, he sprints back to home base, but Wolfpack still gets the out. Here at the top of the sixth inning, Flores did what needed to be done to give his team the lead and put this Men’s Softball National in the books. Yes folks, the match ended in favor of the Hattieville Cubs with five runs to the Wolfpack’s four runs.

Jason Garcia secured three individual awards, including Most Run Batted In, Best Earned Run Average, Best Pitcher and the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament award. So, the silver medal went to Wolfpack. Camalote’s men’s softball team secured the bronze medal in the tournament. This is a team that was put together last minute to compete. Quite exceptional performances there from the top three teams.

And, as Hattieville Cubs celebrate, the 2024 BEBL Champions, the Benny’s Belize Hurricanes held their victory parade on Saturday afternoon through the streets of Belize City. A player’s truck and a fan truck were featured in the parade, along with several other vehicles sounding victory horns. Paul Flowers, the General Manager of the Benny’s Belize Hurricanes, appeared to be extremely excited and pleased as he held that championship trophy, even waving it to onlookers. We spoke with Gilbert Gordon, the Chief Executive Officer of the organization, ahead of the parade.

Gilbert Gordon, Chief Executive Officer, Hurricanes

“When you look at it and talk about playing in the BEBL, winning a championship is always challenging. The entire season was me with a lot of issues and challenges. So, whenever you win that championship, it makes the win so much sweeter. So, we did a lot of activities this week. We met with the ministers, we also had our awards ceremony and of course today we are having our fourth motorcade. This championship is for the Belize district. Hurricanes represent the entire district, over a hundred and add thousand people when you talk about professional basketball. So, the motorcade is going to go through the principal streets of Belize. We will be making a lot of noise. We have about five hundred, forty add cars.”

Paul Lopez

“Perhaps you are not thinking about it as yet, but how do we go back to the drawing board in the off season and try to retain some of these same players and go to a back-to-back-to-back championship?”

Gilbert Gordon

“The reason why Hurricanes win championships is because we are forward thinkers. We don’t wait for the appropriate times in regard to be able to try to get players. We are very proactive. So, we have signed some key players already. We have already spoken to our players we have right now to resign them. So, we are all the way up the road in rebuilding and ensuring we have another championship in 2025.”

And finally, for tonight, the National Futsal League of Belize hosted an international futsal tournament over the weekend in Orange Walk. The tournament saw teams from across the region, including Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador and two teams from Belize. At the end of the weekend-long tournament, Honduras secured the gold medal. El Salvador won silver, while the Belmopan Futsal Club won the bronze medal.

Well folks, that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.

Another Arrest Made for Murder of Stanley Moore

After seven weeks on the run as one of Belize’s most wanted criminals, another man has been arrested for the murder of thirty-two-year-old Stanley Moore and the attempted murder of twenty-seven-year-old Joshua Gillett. He is twenty-six-year-old Ulide Allen, who appeared unrepresented in court today. He was formally arrested and charged with the crimes of murder, attempted murder, use of deadly means of harm and dangerous harm. The incident occurred on June twenty-third, 2024, when Moore and Gillett were travelling in a B.M.W. in the Lake Independence neighborhood in Belize City. They were heading in the direction of Central American Boulevard when a motorcycle carrying two men pursued them. One man opened fire on the vehicle, critically injuring both men. A wounded Gillett drove to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he was taken to emergency care, while Moore was pronounced dead on arrival. Two days after the shooting, police arrested and charged twenty-four- year-old Marquis Conorquie. Due to the nature of the offenses, no plea was taken, and bail was not offered. Allen was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until October seventeenth, 2024.

Police Investing Case of Sexual Assault

Police are investigating an alleged case of sexual assault in northern Belize that was reported earlier this week. On Wednesday night, a woman reportedly awoke to a disturbance in her home and was quickly met with an unknown man wielding a knife. She claims that he proceeded to hold the knife to her throat, threatening to kill her if she made a sound. The woman told police that she pleaded for the man to not rape her as she was menstruating, but he allegedly proceeded to remove her tampon and sexually assaulted her. We await an official police report for further details.

Cop Walks Free After Allegedly Pulling Gun on Wife

A police officer who was charged for pointing a gun at his wife during a domestic dispute is tonight, a free man, after all charges were dropped against him earlier today. He is thirty-nine-year-old Myron Williams who was arraigned on criminal charges of aggravated assault with a firearm and harm in mid-July. However, this morning his wife, Wendy Williams took the stand and informed the court that she does not wish to proceed with the matter against him. Before the charges could be withdrawn, she was asked if she was forced, promised anything or threatened to do so. But according to his wife, she was doing the withdrawal on her own free will. With the request for no court action against the Police Corporal and no evidence in the case, he was told that the charges were dismissed. Corporal Williams was arraigned on Monday, July fifteenth, after his wife reported that upon arriving home the night before, her husband pulled out his gun and pointed it in her direction from about two feet away, while accusing her of infidelity, prompting her to call the police and file the report.

Home Affairs Recognizes Long-serving Police Officers

While disgraced officer Myron Williams walked away from court earlier today a free man, his colleagues in the Belize Police Department were being recognized for their outstanding achievements and dedication to law enforcement. This morning, the Minister of Home Affairs and the brass of the police department acknowledged a cohort of men and women who have served in uniform for the past ten, fifteen and twenty years, respectively. It’s the kind of morale boost that is necessary to encourage officers to continue protecting and serving. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has the following story.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

Recognizing the men and women of the Belize Police Department for their years of service is essential because it serves as a powerful motivator. It also reinforces positive behavior and encourages officers to continue doing well. When officers feel appreciated, their morale improves, leading to increased job satisfaction and commitment to their duties.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“We are here today to mark an important milestone for police officers who have given decades of service to the Belizean people, tireless nights and long, fulfilling days. Today is a celebration of all the days, those that start at six a.m. and end at six p.m. of selfless service. People like Kyle Serano have given a decade of service and so has Felicia Davis. Officers like Juan Choc and Leticia Moguel have given fifteen years of service. Stretching beyond that, persons like Lazaro Catch and Shirlette O’Brien have given two decades, that’s twenty years of service. And then you have those like Tedford Garbutt and Hilberto Romero, the media’s favorite police officer, who has given thirty years of their lives to us.”

Acknowledging exceptional performance reinforces organizational values and expectations. When leaders recognize officers who go above and beyond, it sets a standard for greatness and encourages others to follow suit.

Bart Jones, Deputy Commissioner of Police

“It is indeed a pleasure for me to represent the commissioner at this event, one that recognizes the hard work and dedication of the rank and file officers of the department. These ten years, fifteen years, twenty years do not come easily, we know that it comes with tremendous personal and family sacrifice. Along the way, some of us would have lost loved ones, broken families and some of us, as well, because of the work and lifestyle we fall to illness on account of this job. Many of what we do goes unrecognized. We often hear that the police are in the news for the wrong reasons, but for a majority of the times, majority of us are doing the thing for the right reasons and I want to commend you all and give yourselves a round of applause.”

Oftentimes, recognition outranks salary as a motivator, especially when pay rates within the police department are already competitive. Acknowledgment taps into intrinsic motivation, which is more sustainable and meaningful than other rewards such as money. Appreciating exceptional performance also reinforces organizational values and expectations.

Kareem Musa

“This is no small milestone, ladies and gentlemen, the gift of service to one’s nation, to one’s government, to one’s people, is one of the greatest contributions that can be made as a citizen. You’ve sacrificed and dedicated yourselves to personal and professional development. You’ve done us proud. We hope that we have made and we will continue to make your time worthwhile, more impactful and more resonant with the ever changing needs of government administration, but also in your more direct roles as those who serve and protect.”

Recognizing years of service fosters loyalty, it also encourages officers to remain in law enforcement, contributing to community safety over the long term.

Bart Jones

“I want to also thank the minister and the ministry for having these ceremonies across the country to recognize officers for their years of service. And so I thank you on behalf of the Commissioner and the High Command, thank you and congratulate you and wish you all the best.”

Isani Cayetano for News Five.

Five Letters Later, Still No Response from U.D.P. Chairman

The United Democratic Party remains an organization in shambles and despite numerous attempts to convene an urgent meeting to get the house in order, those repeated calls have all gone unanswered. Earlier today, a group calling itself Alliance for Democracy issued a press release in which it stated that a reminder has been sent to Chairman Mike Peyrefitte regarding an N.P.C. that was petitioned for last Monday. This afternoon, we sat down with Albert Area Representative Tracy Panton who provided an update on the latest developments within the embattled U.D.P.

Tracy Panton, Area Representative, Albert

“I think the one we sent earlier today would have been just about five letters. We’re trying to follow and adhere to the constitution of the party. We have been champions of following the constitution, it is the most important institution that the United Democratic Party has to its disposal. And so we have written to him yet again asking for an urgent meeting of the National Party Council. We have attached the requisite signatures that are required by the constitution for this meeting to be convened and we are hoping that he will respond. We had called for one earlier in June and it took us seven weeks for a meeting to convene and then that fell apart. So we are trying again. We feel it’s important that there be a discussion on what’s going on internally and trying to find a way how we can move forward in the interest of the party and more importantly in the interest of having a robust opposition for the country.”

Isani Cayetano

“Following the failed N.P.C., you have written to the chairman on several other occasions and we’re not certain whether those letters were responded to. I think of the letter that had been written in respect of the Andrew Bradley removal from Caribbean Shores. Speak to us in that context, if you don’t mind.”

Tracy Panton

“There has been no response to that letter. I have been removed arbitrarily and unilaterally from all the communication mechanisms of the party, so I don’t know if they’ve had any discussions in those mechanisms since I’ve been removed, so I can’t speak to that. But there has been no formal response to my letter to the chairman on Andrew Bradley. I understand that the post has been declared vacant and an ad is out. A deadline for August sixteenth [has been set] for applications to be sent into the party to fill that post. Our concern is that these decisions are not being done in alignment or in accordance with the constitution of the party.”