2024-04-30 - Channel 5 Belize

Tutbay FC is 2024 William Dawson Peace Cup Champion

Over twelve weeks of highly competitive football in the William Dawson Peace Cup came to an end on Sunday. Twelve teams, comprised of more than two hundred and fifty players and staff, started the tournament on January sixth. But there can only be one. After playing in six different venues over the course of the season, the final match was played inside the MCC Grounds. Tutbay Football Club took on Ceasar Ridge FC to see who will be crowned champions. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

The William Dawson Peace Cup ended on Sunday with a match that was worthy of a championship game. Ceasar Ridge FC took on Tutbay FC in a match that ended in a penalty shootout. The game was played inside the MCC Grounds. The sounds of cultural drumming and singing filled the air to start the afternoon. Richard Mendoza secured the first goal of the game for Tutbay off a shot on target from outside the penalty box. Mendoza was in front of the goal to take advantage of the goalkeeper’s fumble. Seven minutes later, Tyrone Guy returned the favor for Ceasar Ridge from a fast break that led to a soft touch into the net directly in front the goal.

The game was tied at one apiece going into the second half. No goals were scored in the second half of the game, so the match went into extra time. In the second half of extra time, Tutbay once again finds the back of the net, this time with a great deal of skills and finesse on display. Determined to stay in the game, Ceasar Ridge came from behind with a bombshell drop kick from behind the penalty box that flew over the goalkeeper’s head and into the net. That goal took the game into penalty. Ceasar Ridge first penalty shot was good. Tut Bay also scored their first shot.

Both teams kept exchanging goals and they were tied at three goals each, when Tutbay’s goalkeeper stopped a penalty shot from Ceasar Ridge. With the championship on the line, Tutbay had the last penalty shot of the match. The ball went past the goalkeeper and into the net. Tutbay FC is your 2024 Williams Dawson Peace Cup Champions. A short ceremony was held after the match to recognize all the teams that participated in the tournament’s inaugural season.

Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Sports

“Today is a testament to show that as young people we can play in unity and harmony, and everybody cannot win. I want to congratulate Tutbay for being the champion and Ceasar Ridge for coming in second and all those who participate in the competition. As I was walking around the field most people come to me and say, look at the condition of the MCC field and I can assure you that by next year this time, MCC will be back to its glory days, we are going to make sure. I was able to convince Cabinet to set aside two million dollars to fix up facilities in the country. And, Belize City will be first and foremost.”

Douglas Hyde, Coordinator, William Dawson Peace Cup

“We had limited incidents and accidents but we lost one and so we must take that time to recognize, CJ, Charles James who was one of us. Big up CJ. This tournament was based on its purpose which is create peace, we did it. We create peace among players who now socialize better among each other. Every week, every month, we saw this tournament developing and growing better. Receiving an official letter from the FFB stating that twe are now recognize and sanctioned through the Belize District Football Association. This letter also commended the organizing committee for its hard work and dedication to this tournament and very importantly as stated, we will also allow the two representatives, your champions and sub-champions to be part of our National Amateur League Championship in 2024.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

200 agents of the Army, Air Force, and National Guard arrive in Chetumal

An operation was deployed in Chetumal after several violent incidents were recorded in the last few hours.

Given the growing insecurity in several areas of Quintana Roo, 200 members of the Army, Air Force, and National Guard arrived in the capital municipality of Othón Pompeyo Blanco in artillery vehicles, as well as an EC225 helicopter, to carry out operations with local authorities.

Among the most recent cases of violence are the execution of businessman Jonathan “N”, the murder of a minor, the execution of the head of the Secretariat of Citizen Security and former director of the Cancún Prison,Fermín Cortés Burgos, and the kidnapping of a captain of the Mexican Army, who was released hours later.

Cortés had previously received threats, allegedly for being linked to criminal groups. Cortés was shot as he drove on his motorcycle on Chetumal Avenue. He crashed into a vehicle. The gunmen alighted their car and shot Cortés more than twenty times.

Law enforcement officers are tasked with reinforcing law and order in the state.

Published by The Yucatan Times

Power Outage Affects Court Proceedings

According to Belize Electricity Limited, a “burnt crossarm on a transmission structure in a remote area of the Corozal District” was identified as the fault that led to an unplanned power outage that affected certain parts of the country. B.E.L. teams conducted temporary repairs to restore power supply. The company said that “an emergency outage will be required after 4:00pm today to complete repairs.”

On Monday night, B.E.L. issued a press release apologizing to customers.

It said, “We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the extended load shedding, which we were forced to carry out due to a shortage of in-country generation capacity after supply from CFE (Mexico) was abruptly curtailed. As we had earlier informed customers, our gas turbine at Westlake on the George Price Highway, which is one of our major backup power sources, is being upgraded and is currently out of service. This generating unit is scheduled to be brought back online early next week. We are also installing a gas turbine in San Pedro, and this should be completed before the end of May. Together, these additional generation sources will put us in a much better position to meet demand if supply from CFE is curtailed, especially during the high demand months of May through July.”

This morning, attorney Arthur Saldivar was asked about the release. He said it should be a matter of great concern to all Belizeans. “During the day here at court, we are seeing where it is inconveniencing the judiciary and the administration of justice.”

Saldivar went on to say, “Sad to say, but we no longer live in a peaceful country as we once did. It is a very violent place, and the blackout at night is very concerning, especially in the city.”

B.E.L. assures customers that it is making “every effort to maintain safe, reliable, and sustainable energy supply to all service areas countrywide.”

San Pedro Mayor Wally Nunez Challenges Sitting Area Rep. Andre Perez

Belize Rural South Area Representative Andre Perez was recently welcomed back to Cabinet following a lengthy suspension. Perez returned as the Minister of Blue Economy and Disaster Risk Management. He was sidelined from the government following accusations of sexual misconduct by attorney Wendy Auxillou. Prime Minister John Briceño told reporters on April 16 that “the investigation was that no laws were broken.”

The Prime Minister reinforced his decision to welcome back Perez by saying, “I think the point that you all are missing is that Minister Perez went into his constituency and he worked hard, and for this municipal election, he… For this election, he, along with the mayor, Wally Nunez, they won by the largest margin ever in the history of San Pedro.”

Mayor Nunez’s recent win in San Pedro Town has him seeking higher office. He wants to be the next area representative for Belize Rural South. He wants to replace Perez. Does he stand a chance? How will the leaders of the People’s United Party react to Nunez’s ambitions? Is Andre Perez’s political career in trouble?

Nunez posted on Facebook: “The people of San Pedro and Caye Caulker have been asking for quite some time now if I will represent them in the general elections. Well, this is [a] testament that I will be sending in my application to represent you all! Let democracy prevail!”

Let’s compare both men’s performance in their most recent elections. Municipal elections for Nunez and general elections for Perez.

According to the Elections and Boundaries Department, for the 2020 general elections, Perez obtained 4336, or 62.96%, of the votes. His opponent, Manuel Heredia Jr., received 2419, or 35.12%. The BPF’s candidate, Thomas Henry Greenwood Jr., received 37, or 0.54%, of the votes. 95 ballots were rejected. There were 5,410 registered voters in that division. 4475, or 82.75%, cast their vote.

According to the Elections and Boundaries Department, for the 2024 municipal elections, Nunez received 3651. His UDP opponent, Wilfredo Alamilla, received 1319 votes. There are 8704 registered voters in the municipality. 5397, or 62.01%, cast their votes. Nunez increased his margin of victory by 189 votes compared to the March 3, 2021 municipal elections.

On Facebook, Nunez has received a wave of support. Perez told News Five he would not comment at this time.