It is déjà vu for fans of the Belize Elite Basketball League. The semi-pro basketball league has once again found itself in the throes of another controversy. The Orange Walk Running Rebels have withdrawn from the 2024 B.E.B.L. season. The organization wrote to the league commissioner on Wednesday announcing its withdrawal. The Running Rebels, a team that is currently standing in sixth place for this season, provided a list of seven reasons for its withdrawal. Their letter took shots at team owners, officials and the league commissioner Glenn Gill. The team’s ownership contends that there are major deficiencies in the league and called on Commissioner Gill to resign from his post. With the Running Rebels now out of the 2024 season, only six teams remain. And Gill says he has nowhere to go, because he is backed by the confidence of all remaining team owners. We spoke with him today.
Glenn Gill
Glenn Gill, Commissioner, B.E.B.L.
“The first unfortunate situation occurred when there was supposed to be a deal between a company and the league, and the owners voted against it. I think that is where everything started to go downhill, and then the signing of this player, the nonattendance of meetings, the expression to the other owners that they are out.
Like in any organization there will be some turmoil whether it is self-imposed or not. You would imagine that as the owners of a company you would sit with your teammates, you would sit with your other members and discuss whatever problem there is and come to a solution that would satisfy everybody.”
Paul Lopez
“Is it your view that the Orange Walk Rebel’s management was reluctant to sit down and have a rational discussion over the issues they raised?”
Glenn Gill
“Definitely so?”
Paul Lopez
“How does the league recover from this and do you see this affecting the remainder of the season.”
Glenn Gill
“As I said, when this whole thing start explode, I was taken a back thinking I was helping a situation and it turned into something I didn’t expect it to turn into any at all. But yes, this is a black eye for the league, and we didn’t expect it. But the only thing we can do from here is pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and try.”
Among the seven reasons that the Orange Walk Running Rebels gave for its withdrawal, the most contentious surrounds the signing of Jeremiah Toney, an American basketball athlete. Toney was initially the Belmopan Trojans’ roster. According to the Running Rebels, they were notified that Toney wanted out of the Trojans, claiming a breach of contract. Their release notes that the Running Rebels had their sight set on signing Toney after confirming with Commissioner Gill that he was not in possession of a contract between the player and the Belmopan Trojans as per the league’s rules. The release goes on to say that Commissioner Gill committed to securing a release from the Trojans for Toney and advised the Running Rebels that they could proceed with signing him and submitting the contract. The Rebels says Commissioner Gill made the matter worse when he later suspended Toney for a year for signing two contracts. This came after the Running Rebels placed Toney on their roster for a game on March nineth.
Glenn Gill
Glenn Gill, Commissioner, B.E.B.L.
“I asked Mr. Manzanero if I can have a copy of the contract with this young man and he sent it to me. The following day I went to Belmopan I went to Belmopan and I picked up Mr. Toney by his apartment and asked him if we could go have a discussion. We did, we were there for two and a half hours. He spoke for the first half hour to forty-five minutes. I asked him, are there any other team owners talking to you about going to his team. His immediate answer was no. I asked him if he had a contract signed with the Trojans. He said yes, I have one. I said, can I see it. He said I can’t produce it right now because it was lost in my phone, it feels at the split in Caye Caulker and so I can’t. He said, unless I get on the phone and call the U.S. and I can get it off my cloud. So, I pulled out my phone and asked him, do you recognize this document. I said, is that your signature, he said yes. I said, do you recognize the person who signed as a witness, he said yes that is my agent. I said ok, I know Mr. Manzanero’s signature. He said, but that is not the contract I ended up with. So, I said could you kindly let me have that as quickly as possible. So I was very shocked, even before the game happened on Friday, I called Mr. Aldo and Troy Gabb Junior and said please don’t play this player, remember this guy hasn’t been released as yet. When Mr. Gabb called me and told me he would send in a document, he asked him if a contract was lodged with the league, I told him I have a contract in my possession that I spoke to the player about. I said I am not a lawyer so I can’t say if it was lodged or not. He knew all of this. If the team didn’t want to keep the young man and he wanted to play with them, of course that would have been a good deal as far as I am concerned.”
The Belize Postal Service has modernized its system and is catching up with delivery services like Amazon. Customers now have more control over their packages. They can see when their items are on their way from the post office and when it has been picked up by the receiver. There is also an option for all queries to be answered through an AI chatbot called “Edith”. It’s an update that has been long in the making. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
The Belize Postal Services has gone digital. Customers can now track their items and receive real-time updates and notifications on the status of their packages.
Employee
Employee, Belize Postal Service
“What will happen is when the item comes into the post office the item is given a barcode. The individual then comes to the app, where it is, then entered into, whereby the sender’s name, address and phone number which is very important. The phone number is very important. it is an imported into the system. Once that is completed, both the sender and the receiver are going to get a text with a link telling them exactly everything about their package cost the destination the expected time of arrival all that information is there.”
Your items will then be handed over to the drivers that are tasked with transporting these packages across the country. At every step of the process, the package is scanned to provide updates to customers on the status of their deliveries.
Employee
“So they know when the package leaves for example San Ignacio to Belize city. They brought the package at nine a.m. and at one p.m. that package is moving so they know the package left at one p.m.. by four o’clock in the afternoon the packages in Belize city they know that it is ready to be picked up so they have enough information so they can schedule when stopping at the post office because they now know when it is there.”
The Belize Postal Services is also able to deliver packages directly to the homes of their customers with the address provided at the office. Marsha Price, the Postmaster General, says the digitization of their services has been long in the making. She explained that the delay in rolling out the upgrades was due to a lack of the necessary financial resources.
Marsha Price
Marsha Price, Postmaster General, Belize Postal Service
“It allows us to provide what the customers were asking for. People have been asking to see where their packages are, so that allows us to at least bridge some gap in this digital divide, like I mentioned earlier. Financing was the aspect and now we have the support of our ministry that is allowing us or financing us to have these sort of applications that the customers have been requesting for years so that is something that is though it is now available now all our process have been manual so this is one of them we can track internationally but nothing domestically so this helps out customers and it will pull more customers so it is something that we so desire.”
Price says the Belize Postal Services anticipates an increase in its revenue with the new level of visibility it is providing to customers.
Marsha Price
“We have the most affordable prices and er provide same day delivery, so we are doing more for our customers, we provide that culture of excellence, giving our customers the best end-to-end experience. So, affordable pricing, being able to track your packages.”
Xeina Schnarr, the Postal Supervisor at the post office’s express department, explained that customers will no longer be required to spend time in long lines at the post office during drop-offs.
Xeina Schnarr
Xeina Schnarr, Postal Supervisor, Belize Postal Service
“Let’s say you have twenty packages and stand in a line and wait for a receipt you can just drop off those packages because now with this system you will automatically get a text as the sender and the receiver will also receive a message and with real time tracking telling you that you posted it in Belize City and let’s say you are sending it to San Pedro. You will get a message saying that you posted it the time we process it and the time it leaves office when San Pedro receives it and when it is ready for delivery or pickup.”
Paul Lopez
“What information do they have to provide when they drop off the package?”
Xeina Schnarr
“Just like as you address a regular letter the sender’s information which includes the name and address whatever district and the phone number it is the same thing for the receiver’s information it is the same thing just like how you address aregular letter.”
The Belize Gospel Expo is back in town for 2024. The annual two-day event is held in Roaring Creek, to foster a safe environment for wholesome socialization in the community. We spoke with founder Richard Smith, who told us what the event entailed. News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.
Richard Smith
Richard Smith, Founder, Belize Gospel Expo
“Gospel Expo is a multipurpose one. We were looking for opportunity to do something on the Agriculture and Trade Show Ground. To change the culture and the atmosphere that was going on there to Gasper Expo have been served as a means for you local artists to have a perf year where they could perform and showcase their talents and gifting Gasper Expo have also been a place where churches from our district can come together and to have a General day of just praising God in a clean, healthy atmosphere.”
The concert will be held on Saturday and will be followed by a United Church service on Sunday. This year, three international artists will be featured in the event, Pregoneros del Reino, and Jason Mighty from Guatemala, Lionell Taepe from Jamaica, as well as local Belizean Band, Principes Del Rey.
Lionell Taepe
Lionell Taepe, Performer
“So last year for Gospel Expo, we were introduced Mister Richard’s by another artist. He was a guest artist last year, Emron Henry. And so that was our first event when we came last year. I was so blessed. It was my first time in Belize. So I experienced the culture, the fry Jack and all of that. And we were treated well. I mean, I had loved the young people being around them and you know, people that were crazy about worshiping God and everything. I love the vision. And so, you know, the team just fell in love with sir Richard and his family and everything. So we were at their disposal. They invited us later on in the year and we’re here this year again.”
The event kicks off on March sixteenth at ten a.m. with a softball game and will be followed by several workshops in the afternoon for aspiring artists and church leaders and a barbeque. The concert will begin at six p.m. and other performers such as dancers and actors will be featured as well. Smith is encouraging everyone to come learn and worship as a community. And although it is free of cost, donations are encouraged.
Richard Smith
“There’s some display of boots there is at one o’clock. Behind the scene with the artists where we’re encouraging Belizean artists to come and ask some questions. These guys will be sharing their story. What bring them from ground zero to where they are and what are some of the pros and can in being a career musician because our Belizean just do it as a side piece. But it could be a career if you, if your heart is in the right place. And so there’s going to be a workshop for that. There’s going to be a workshop for pastors and leaders, along with a barbecue.”
The event seeks to bring the community together for wholesome socializing and inspire young people to get involved in their church and community.
Lionell Taepe
“I love any activity that is going to be blessing young people. And what I saw last year was a plethora of young people just filling the groans, that were excited about what was going on, looking for something to do. And I saw the vision that mister Richard had, and I saw that it was taking place, and I wanted to be a part of something that is going good.”
A charity to save the Garifuna language, sponsor a track for the youth in Stann Creek and uplift commendable elders in the community have all been planned for the next ten days. The Yurumein project is hosting a concert, ball and walkathon all in the name of community. News Five’s Britney Gordon spoke with the organizers of these events to learn all about it. Here’s that story.
Jeremy Cayetano
Jeremy Cayetano, Managing Director, Belize Yurumein Project
“The Yurumein project was formed in order for us to lift the Garifuna language. What we would like to see is for the Garifuna language to become prevalent in all Garifuna communities again. And so we do things like teaching Garifuna. We encourage speaking of the language within and among ourselves. And it’s something that we’re really pushing this year. As a matter of fact, we’re launching a campaign to get folks to practice to speak and so that we could we could lift our language. That’s the main thrust of the year.”
Britney Gordon, Reporting
International Director of the Belize Yurumein Project, James Cordes hails from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. He explained the significance of the Garifuna language to his country and why he wishes to help preserve it.
James Cordes
James Cordes, International Director, Yurumein project
“This project is important to me because first thing we have a Garifuna components here. Our people’s exile. You might have heard it many times. 1797 there was exiled to British Andrews wrote on. And so that’s half of our family. Over two thousand persons made it here. And so I’ve always known that I have brothers and sisters here. And when we excel in track and feel in terms of bringing Saint Vincent on the forefront of track and field, I felt like we shouldn’t leave Belize behind. So we came in search of young stars with talent, and then we’ve exposed them to the Penn Relays as well from 2018 to now.”
Cayetano explained that several events will be hosted over the next ten days.
Jeremy Cayetano
“Our first concert symposium is going to be at the Civic Center on Tuesday the 19th of March, and then we’ll be at Stann Creek Ecumenical College on Wednesday the twenty-eighth, Independence High School Thursday the twenty-first, and Toledo Community College on Friday. We also have our run for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which is another fundraiser on Saturday morning in Dangriga, starting at the Ecumenical College. And then on Sunday night, we have our ball. Our ball, for the first hour of our ball, we’ll be honoring ten elders from the Dangriga community. That is something that we do that we do every year and then following that we have a ceremony and then we have the Melisizwe brothers will perform”
Special guest performers are the Melisizwe brothers, Seth, Marc, and Zacaray, who earned the title of most talented family in America a few years back. Their parents are also from Saint Vincent and inspired a desire to contribute to the preservation of the language in them.
Marc Melisizwe
Marc Melisizwe
“I’m most looking forward to, you know, interacting with, you know, the youth of Belize and just coming to do the symposium most importantly. And also get to interact with our culture, which is the Garifuna culture, which is here in Belize because our parents are, our parents are actually from Saint Vincent and the Garifuna culture. And Saint Vincent is related. The Garifuna are actually originally from Saint Vincent. So, being here again, getting to interact with the culture and the language again, is really a treat for me.”
Cordes is a primary sponsor of the Penn Relay Program in Belize and noted a need for a track and field facility in Stann Creek.
James Cordes
“We have guys like Usain Bolt, all these guys attended it. Right now we have a female from St. Vincent, her name is Shafiqa Maloney, who came to my program as well since she was 13 years old. She is now the fastest, the second fastest, second, second. She’ll be the fastest soon. She’s the second fastest female in the 800 meter track category. And we also have a young man handle robe and he holds the, the records all time, 800 meter high school record at the Penn release. So this program actually bring children to their perfection when it comes to track and field. And it also provide them with a path, an educational path. We’re using sports as an academic and an economic vehicle. And so we have a number of students, over 15 students since 2011, that has graduated with either a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree. And we have seven students currently in college in the United States through the program.”
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been highlighting schools nationwide that exemplify the ethos of the Ministry of Education’s More Campaign. This week took us on a trip to Belize River Valley, where King’s College has captured our attention. We discovered a testament to creativity and innovation. Students set out to demonstrate a solution that the world has been discussing, a doomsday event. An out-of-this-world alternative where civilization can exist. Is Mars habitable? Would we be able to produce food on this planet? These are just some of the questions for which we are still gathering scientific evidence to support the future likelihood of life beyond Earth. It takes in-depth research, and we never expected to get some answers from a class of students at King’s College. Illustrating their ingenuity and forward-thinking mindset, lets just say… their presentation was “out of this world’. Sabreena Daly tells us more.
Voice of: Martian King
Voice of: Martian King, Student Narrator “In the not so distant future, humanity had set its sights on the ultimate frontier– Mars. As Earth’s resources dwindled and the need for a backup plan became more urgent, a remarkable plan was set in motion to make the red planet habitable.”
Amid global discussions on the fate of our planet, there emerges a visionary solution—an otherworldly alternative where humanity could potentially thrive: Mars. Is Mars truly habitable? Can we sustainably produce food on its surface? These are just a few inquiries driving our quest for scientific understanding, as we explore the prospect of life beyond Earth. Such endeavors demand extensive research, yet unexpectedly, enlightening insights have emerged from an unlikely source, a group of students at King’s College.
Gwendolin Correa
Gwendolin Correa, Teacher, King’s College “Basically, the prompt was, how would we grow food on Mars? How can we make that a reality? And some research they did do, and it was very extensive because they had to learn about the food, food products, the energy source that they were going to do. How are they going to construct their greenhouse? In the end, they decided to do a film, a film to really engage other students and I would say viewers, because they didn’t want to do a regular PowerPoint presentation. They really wanted to make something entertaining, and this is where the film was born.”
This initiative stemmed from Pathlight International. Recognizing it as a valuable opportunity for exposure, Pedro Reyes, principal of King’s College, enthusiastically encouraged the students to take on the challenge.
Pedro Reyes
Pedro Reyes, Principal, King’s College “I introduced it to the teachers and asked, can we do this? They said definitely, let’s give it a try. It would be a wonderful experience and exposure for our students to learn. So, the teachers pulled a team of students, and the process of the project was really time consuming. Dedication, you know, the students spent a lot of time putting effort and interest into this project.”
Their sci-fi short film vividly portrays the futuristic tale of a scientist awakening from a comatose state in outer space. Upon regaining consciousness, he is greeted by his colleagues who share the many advancements made during his prolonged unconsciousness. The most profound revelation, they are now inhabitants of Mars. Ediel Reyes told us more.
Ediel Reyes
Ediel Reyes, Student, King’s College “It all came to the research. Each one of us had a certain part on my part about the structure of the greenhouse. You know, um, Making it good so that no, um, any contaminated oxygen or thing could affect us. And there were other parts that we’re talking about like. We talked about how long it would take to reach from Earth to Mars.That was basically a lot of information. Every evening we had to research a lot.”
Ithiel Reyes awakens from deep unconsciousness and learns of the developments.
Ithiel Reyes
Ithiel Reyes, Student, King’s College
“I was having a hard time understanding what my colleagues were talking about. Um, this information, the technology and all this stuff there, once you’re waking up from a coma, you’re lost, right? And you don’t have, um, understanding your loss, and it was a very hard time. Processing all of this.”
Johana Pineda
Johana Pineda, Student, King’s College “So my role comes after the doctor. The doctor takes the coma boy to me and my role is to show him where we have our vegetables, the lettuce, the corn and we also had crickets.”
Yet, the question persists: can humanity adapt to inhabiting a world so markedly different from Earth, as we know it? The glaring differences in environmental conditions raise doubts about the human body’s resilience to such extremes. Nevertheless, it appears that the students have discovered an alternative.
Hayyim Torres
Hayyim Torres, Teacher, King’s College
“The main film is just about a group of astronauts that went to Mars and they are going to be the first group to colonize Mars. They built an entire structure underground, not on the surface on Mars, but it is using lava tubes underground. With the research that we did, we actually found that there are gigantic lava tubes and all these structures, these greenhouses were built underground.”
Jenny Perez
Jenny Perez, Student, King’s College “I introduced the The nuclear energy source and how it is the main function and for what we will use it for, which will use it for the electricity and to use thewater from Mars to get water from there and also for oxygen.”
Abigail Pollard
Abigail Pollard, Student, King’s College “Well, my research is that Mars is kind of challenging to grow food on the planet because the soil is very toxic and it’s about 4 percent of the soil that is very toxic to humans. So basically we had to like put a greenhouse on the ground and Since the planet, it has a very thin atmosphere. So in the night, it gets really cold for plants.”
According to King’s College, they did not imagine that the final product would have turned out so well. The students took full advantage of tech support by teaming up with a video production agency. And after eight weeks of grueling research and practicing their lines, these young researchers turned actors, have a final product to be proud of. According to Gwendolin Correa, all they could want is that the students learn while working together.
Gwendolin Correa “I have to say I’m immensely proud of them and their work because they showed that they could apply several skills, not only the research skills, which is very important, but they were also able to collaborate with each other and communicate effectively. Because, you know, when communication doesn’t exist, then some Students might not be willing to do their part, but everyone in our group was able to have a week to be a leader. And all of them showed that theycould be leaders and they could lead.”
News Five has confirmed that Stake Bank Enterprise Limited is in receivership. Atlantic Bank Limited has taken possession of the company’s assets as of Thursday, March 14th. Marlowe Neal of Neal & Associates Advisory Services Ltd. is the receiver.
Ground being broken at Stake Bank n 2019
In February 2019, ground was broken for Stake Bank Enterprise Limited with the intention of embarking on a tourism development project on its twenty-five-acre island.
Back then, Chairman of the Feinstein Group, Michael Feinstein, told the press that “The bankers for this project is being led by the Atlantic Bank group. The Atlantic Bank is the lead organizer for the money for this project which is sixty-seven million dollars on the island and a total of about eighty-two million dollars before this project is done.”
Michael Feinstein, Chairman of the Feinstein Group
However, fast forward five years, and the once-barren island off the coast of Belize City has transformed into a partially developed construction site yet remains unfinished despite significant efforts and investments. The project, also known as Port Coral, aimed to create a state-of-the-art cruise ship docking facility and tourism hub.
Stake Bank Enterprise Ltd., led by Michael Feinstein, secured a definitive agreement with the Government of Belize in August 2017. This agreement granted the company permission to build and operate the Stake Bank project for a fixed 25-year term. It preceded the enactment of the Stake Bank Cruise Docking Facility Development Act in January 2018.
Aerial View of the unfinished construction
The Claim
The project faced challenges, including legal disputes and controversies surrounding the approval of competing cruise ship docking facilities in Belize District, notably the Port of Magical Belize. Feinstein and Stake Bank initiated legal proceedings against the government and Portico Enterprises Limited, seeking damages for alleged breaches of the definitive agreement and hindrances to project progress.
Feinstein claims that news of Portico’s memorandum hindered negotiations and halted the construction of the Stake Bank Project.
Lawsuit filed by Michael Feinstein & Stake Bank Ltd. against G.O.B.
The Government of Belize further exacerbated the situation by entering into a definitive agreement with Portico in October 2020, granting a thirty-year term for the Port of Magical Belize along with extensive approving rights, tax benefits, and duty concessions unprecedented for any other investor or developer. Stake Bank contends that these breaches have caused significant loss and damage, resulting in a six-year stall of the project.
They claim projected net revenue losses of one hundred forty-eight million, four hundred thirty-four thousand, and four hundred four Belize dollars, along with an additional thirty million Belize dollars in interest incurred during this period.
What is a Receivership?
Receivership serves as a debt restructuring mechanism aimed at steering a company away from bankruptcy or liquidation while legal proceedings unfold. During this interim period, a neutral and legally appointed professional, known as a receiver, assumes control over the company’s operations, finances, and assets. The primary objective of the receiver is to evaluate the company’s sustainability, creditor interests, and outstanding debts, subsequently devising a repayment strategy that mitigates the need for total liquidation.
The latest murder victim is a forty-year-old father from Saint Margaret’s Village. Luis Seapas was socializing at a restaurant and bar in the village when he was hacked to death by three men. His attackers are also from the community and known to the deceased. The incident occurred sometime after midnight inside the bar. There is currently no information to suggest that Seapas and his attackers had any prior altercation, in fact they have been seen socializing together in the village. The horrific ordeal unfolded in front of the establishment’s employees, much to their dismay. So, what could have led to the deadly altercation? New’s Five’s Paul Lopez travelled to Saint Margaret’s Village today where we spoke with the family of the deceased and the owner of the establishment. Here is that report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
A night out at La Rumba Restaurant and Bar in Saint Margaret’s Village ended tragically for one man. Forty-year-old Luis Seapas was socializing at the establishment after midnight on Thursday, when a group of men, armed with a machete, attacked him. We spoke off camera with the owner of the establishment who says that the entire ordeal played out in front of her employees. They ran from the restaurant and bar to her home nearby to seek refuge.
Voice of: Owner of La Rumba Bar
“I start to receive information around two-thirty when they came here to my house running. The girls were frightened and the one that saw the chopping fainted when she came here. The other girls told me that this was happening, three guys came in and chopped the other one and I asked them if he is dead or just injured. They said they chopped him a lot, on his face, but I didn’t want to believe.”
Julissa Najaro, Seapas’ common-law wife, says he arrived home from work on Wednesday evening, ran some errands and thereafter informed her that he was on his way to purchase gas. But Seapas never returned home. He instead went to La Rumba Restaurant and Bar.
Julissa Najaro
Julissa Najaro, Common-Law-Wife
“Well, he came from work like at around five o’clock in the evening. And he was not very calm. He was happy. No, we never thought that that would have happened. And then went to run an errand with my child, he is fifteen-year-old and then he came back. He came off from the motorcycle and said he would buy gasoline. And then, well, it seems like he bought the gasoline and then it seems like he went to the bar in the restaurant upstairs. And well, I found out how at about one-thirty. And then a neighbor came to tell us and my eldest son, his son who is eighteen-years-old, went to go to the bar with the neighbor. His dad had not died yet. It seems that he, I don’t know if it was at around twelve or twelve thirty, I don’t know, but around one thirty he was still alive.”
Seapas reportedly expressed concern when his attackers entered the bar. But they assured him that they were not there to harm him, according to the owner of the establishment.
Voice of: Owner of La Rumba Bar
“These three guys, Mayans come inside and stand in front of the man they chopped and told him don’t be afraid we are your friends, and the other one was standing, and the other one was beside him and the other one was a little bit far and he told him, don’t be afraid of my son, we are your friends, and he hug the man. And when he hugged the man, the other guy takes out his machete and chopped him. And the guy that was chopped ran, but the next guy came behind him and chopped him on his back. And because he couldn’t open the door, they gave him another one, but this time on the neck and that is when the guy fall.”
Seapas leaves behind four children. His common-law wife says he never once informed her that his life was in danger.
Julissa Najaro
“Well, I don’t know, I don’t know because he never told me anything like that. He was always calm. I never imagined what that would happen to him. You hear things about them but never something like what happened. They lived there. Their mother lives there. She lives. Yes, she is her sister, but nothing different like that has ever been seen.”
Fifty-nine-year-old Haitian American Robert Joseph was today arrested and charged with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. Jospeh is accused of killing forty-year-old Laura Fiorito and eight-year-old Megan Klessan with a firearm, while injuring two other minors and firing at a Fiorito’s common-law-husband. Joseph was arraigned today at the Belmopan Magistrates Court unrepresented. He was denied bail, due to the nature of the offense, and remanded to the Belize Central Prison. As we have reported, Joseph and his son visited Paradise Café in the Belmopan Market where they met Fiorito and her common-law wife. He engaged in a brief conversation with them before pulling out a firearm and opening fire. Three primary school children were also with the couple. Joseph turned his focus on the children and fatally injured one. Fiorito’s common-law-husband was the only one who escaped the attack without any physical injuries.
As we reported in last night’s newscast, a man lost his life in a motorcycle accident on Wednesday as he was driving up the Philip Goldson highway near mile one. The police department has not yet released any information on the accident, but we understand that Clarke was driving up the highway when a van that tried to overtake him knocked him down sometime around two in the afternoon. News Five’s Marion Ali has the story in this report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
An auditor lost his life in a motorcycle accident in Belize City on Wednesday afternoon. It happened at the entrance of the Philip Goldson Highway, almost in front of A and R Store, and claimed the life of Ishmarley Clarke. News Five met his brother, Fisean Clarke at the scene of the accident. He told us that he had just spoken to Ishmarley a couple days prior to the unfortunate accident and then tried again to reach him about an hour before he died.
Fisean Clarke
Fisean Clarke, Brother of deceased
“I spoke to him on the phone about 2,3 days before this incident, asking him if I could stay at his house. Because I wanted to move from Orange Walk back to Belize [City]. I never did get an answer. I can’t do it again. I can’t do it again. I just, I will try my best to be for my brother and mi niece and nephew them. I got one more brother and niece and nephew right deh soh, so I have to try my best you know. I have to try my best. I neva know this mi wa happen and I di try call ah from one o’clock yesterday afternoon, yeah and he never answer his phone. I suppose to ketch the bus and come to Belize [City] yesterday. I didn’t know all this was going to take place, mein.”
Clarke did not die at the scene. A security guard who works near the location where the accident happened told us off-camera that immediately after the accident, Clarke appeared to be motionless, but then he sat up before the ambulance took him to the hospital.
Voice of: Witness
Voice of: Witness
“I mi deh right ya da work, so I mi just gone tek a lee patrol and I just hear something gone Bang! I never conscious da wa accident. I mi see lotta students right deh and I see a student and I ask what happened and they say it’s an accident. I come and I see the bally motionless on the ground. A lee bit afterwards, like before when the ambulance reached the individual get up, he get up and he sit down and watch his foot.”
Marion Ali
“As in stand up?”
Voice of Witness:
“No, he only sit down right there. He sit down and then when he see ih foot, it’s really bad injury. And then they told him not to move, but then he was touching his foot that bruk, he was touching it. And they told him, don’t move ’cause the ambulance is coming right ahead. And then how it’s a lot of traffic, the ambulance couldn’t get a break to pass. Then finally the ambulance came and then they managed to assist him.”
Marion Ali
“So he was still sitting up when they took him?”
Voice of: Witness
“Yeah, the ambulance, when the ambulance reach he was sitting down and he lay down back again.”
Clarke suffered a badly broken right leg and a gash on his head. His death is a lesson, his brother told us, and a reminder of how fragile life is. Ishmarley, he said, had plans to help his siblings.
Fisean Clarke
“His plan was to get a – get some more land for the family that we don’t need to go through a whole heap of problems in the future, assist the family with land and stuff like the properties and things that we need to achieve. Fi this happen to he and my family, I hope everybody could see that ih nuh impossible, ih nuh impossible, ih nuh impossible.”
