Police are investigating the death of a twenty-three-year-old teacher in Hope Creek Village. On Monday night, they found Simon Arana Junior’s lifeless body at his home. Initial reports suggest he was socializing when gunshots rang out, leading to his tragic death. News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Today, the home of twenty-three-year-old Simon Arana is empty and silent. Just yesterday, he was relaxing here after work. Tragically, it was his last evening at home. Just before 8:30 p.m., police responded to gunshots and found Arana’s lifeless body. He lived alone in a small house in Hope Creek. Neighbors describe him as reserved but friendly and easy-going. The Stann Creek Technical and Vocational Institution, where Arana taught carpentry, was also unusually quiet today. Classes were dismissed early out of respect for him, and a small ceremony was held to recognize his contributions. At the entrance of the campus sits a chair he built, a testament to his hard work and dedication. Police are still investigating and have not yet made any arrests.
This afternoon, employees of the Belize City Magistrate’s Court staged a mass walkout from the Coney Drive building. They’ve repeatedly complained to the Chief Magistrate about their poor working conditions. The building is mold-infested, and staff members are falling ill. Here’s News Five’s Isani Cayetano with the story.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
This afternoon, administrative work at the Belize City Magistrate’s Court came to a standstill as staff members walked out of the building, leaving their posts. For weeks, staff have been voicing their concerns about the poor working conditions. The building is infested with mold, and the lack of proper ventilation has been making people sick.
Voice of: Employee
Voice of: Employee, Belize Magistrate’s Court
“We currently have a mold problem and our staff, everybody di complain bout the same issue: headache, migraine, chest pain. We just decided that we just wah walk out and mek dehn decide weh dehn need fi do because people di get sick and when we noh cohn da work, we short ah staff, everybody haffi di tek up each other work and stuff. Soh dehn need fi figure it out.”
The ground floor of this concrete building hosts several courtrooms, including the Chief Magistrate’s bench. When we arrived, many staff members were outside under a tent, and the lower courts’ work had been suspended. The ceiling throughout the building is covered in fungus.
Isani Cayetano
“Has this been something that has been brought to the attention of those responsible for the building?”
Voice of: Employee
“It has. They have said that they’re trying to work on it but nothing so far. So we just decide as a staff dat we need fi do actions fi mek dehn decide weh dehn wah do now and noh wait til no further action and noh di give us no small solutions.”
To address the issue, the property owner has patched parts of the ceiling with sheetrock, but the fungus keeps growing and spreading indoors. The recurring problem is likely due to condensation.
Voice of: Employee, Belize Magistrate’s Court
“Everybody di get sick and nothing noh di get done. If you know that you di get sick too and you noh di do nothing fi stop it then what? We cyant do no temporary solution. We need wah big solution now because da everybody di complain now. When di little people dehn mi di complain bout it, nothing neva really mi di get now soh everybody di complain now. So we need fi tek action.
Isani Cayetano
“How does this affect the work of the magistracy, though, the lower courts? I know that on a day-to-day basis you have people who come through this building on criminal matters. Now that you’re all outside of work, how does this create a bottleneck or how does this stop the workflow?”
Voice of: Employee
Voice of: Employee
“Well, we da di head. We open through corona. We service the public as best as possible. People cohn pay and we collect government funds and the court haffi open up to criminal matters, civil, traffic. So if we noh di work then how di people and di public dehn wahn get assisted? How di government wahn collect dehn funds?”
Mold in damp buildings can cause nasal congestion, sneezing, coughing, wheezing, respiratory infections, and can worsen asthma and allergies. Isani Cayetano for News Five.
Magistrate Sashawna Jody-Ann Thompson, originally from Jamaica and now the Resident Magistrate for the Toledo District, was called to the Belize Bar of Attorneys for the High Court on February 7, 2025. She earned her Bachelor of Law from the University of the West Indies (Mona) in 2018 and her Legal Education Certificate from the Norman Manley Law School in 2020. Thompson has been an accomplished Defense Attorney in Jamaica since 2021 and has worked with the Magistracy for three years. Now, she’s qualified as an attorney in two jurisdictions, all before turning 30. She was called to the bar by Honorable Madam Justice Martha Alexander, with Senior Counsel Philip Zuniga assisting. In her five years of legal practice, Magistrate Thompson has dedicated herself to the legal community. She’s trained in court-annexed criminal mediation, first responder protocols, and digital forensics on criminology from UNODC Spain, among other achievements. Thompson gives back to the Toledo District through philanthropic work, including motivational speeches at schools, lectures for teachers and students, and sensitization programs on constitutional rights with non-profits. Beyond her legal work, Thompson is deeply involved in the creative arts, including acting, performative poetry, writing, and directing. Her poetry often explores the human condition, social issues, and women’s empowerment. She continues to work with citizens and stakeholders to inform, protect, and promote justice in Belize.
In October 2022, a 17-year-old high school student claimed she was raped after a night out at Eruption Night Club. She reported to the police that she was found partially clothed in an abandoned vehicle near the club. Michael Flowers, 27, was charged with the crime. However, after spending a night in lockup for being late to court, Flowers was freed this morning. The case against him was dropped because the main witness, the victim, did not want to testify. Flowers had been dealing with this serious charge for over two years. He was initially granted $10,000 bail and was set to stand trial on February 10, 2025. But when he showed up late, he was remanded overnight. Today, he was relieved to hear the case was discontinued. Police investigations revealed that the victim had attended a wake and then went to the club, where she lost consciousness. She woke up in a vehicle, wearing only her underwear. A neighbor had seen a man and a woman walking on the highway and recognized the man as Michael Flowers. A medical exam confirmed the assault, leading to Flowers’ charge. Conviction for rape can result in a minimum of 8 years to life imprisonment. Flowers was represented by attorney Ronell Gonzalez.
Cable TV has had a huge impact on Belizean culture. From the early days of North American shows and ads shaping our choices, to today’s diverse programming, thanks to tech advancements. But it wasn’t always this way. In tonight’s episode of Kolcha Tuesday, News Five’s Paul Lopez explores how TV has influenced Belizean culture and the growing demand for more local content. Here’s the report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Have you ever thought about how much cable TV, and before that, on-air TV, have shaped Belizean culture? Just four decades ago, TV was a brand-new phenomenon in Belize.
Kathleen Flowers
Kathleen Flowers, Belize City Resident
“That would be in the big back version, around 1981to the later part of 1981. Because I remember going to high school and we already had black and white TV. But we never had cable as such. We had to stick up the antenna of the TV and put foil paper round it.”
Kathleen Flowers shared her memories of the early days of cable TV in Belize. Before cable, there were just two channels: Channel 9 and Tropical Vision. Channel 9 brought WGNTV, a Chicago station, right into Belizean homes.
Kathleen Flowers
“For us it was Channel 9. Everybody only spoke Channel 9 in the city, because there was not many options and Channel 9 was straight out of Chicago, Illinois, straight die-hard Cubs, anything Chicago, Wrigley Field, the little Bozo show was what children grew up in the 1980 and early nineties. I could remember one Andy Griffith, and another comedy one was the old man, what is his name? The one my father use to enjoy watching. He use to have a little toe dance and would always have heart attacks. Sanford and Sons.”
Chicago-based entertainment, especially sports, became so popular in Belize through WGN that Cubs star Gary Mathews visited in 1985. He was greeted with a parade and celebrations fitting for a king. Evan Tench, President of the Belize Cable Television Operators Association, fondly remembers those days and reflects on how the industry has evolved.
Evan Tench
Evan Tench, President, BCTVOA
“So you had individuals, entrepreneurs started to run cables over the telephone lines, electric lines to people homes. So, you have the signals picked up by satellite and then you would create a multi-head channel and push that to your home through your cable.”
Paul Lopez
How was this a game changer?
Evan Tench
“Well, it was a game changer, because more channels came into play. You were getting first a few dozen and then it increased to where we are now with a couple hundred channels.”
Belize City led the way in this TV evolution. As the country’s population hub, the demand for more channels was high, sparking competition among providers. More cable connections meant TV’s influence in Belize expanded beyond just WGN.
Evan Tench
“The thing is it was easier for us to pick up, because the Americans were launching hundreds of satellites for their customer base, but these signals were reaching us. It was easier for us to put up these big mesh dishes, ten feet, twelve, feet, twenty feet, and we could pick up the signal here to send to the customers.”
Kathleen Flowers
“Back then it was, you can’t get home fast enough to watch the soap operas. Those were the things we use to watch and they affected our homes and many of pots didn’t cook early enough because of soap operas. The mothers were home watching those and they either cook early or hurry finish up before the childe come home. I would watch days of our lives and I know my mother had about four or five of them and the thing is when they done watch she would get on the verandah and she and the neighbor would discuss and anticipate what the next episode will be like.”
In just four decades, technology has leaped forward. Industry leaders have shifted from cable to fiber-to-home transmission. As costs have risen, tech advancements have driven companies to create mobile apps and streaming platforms. While there’s still a craving for North American content, there’s a growing demand for programming that reflects Belizean identity, from sports broadcasts to local shows.
Evan Tench
“Because of the advent of technology there is fast internet and better satellite technology we can get more content from the Caribbean. This has made the product that we are offering much more diverse, cultural, local, regional, that we can offer to the consumer that when the satellite was only picking up spill over content from the U.S.”
The political scene is heating up now that the Prime Minister has officially set March 12th as the date for the general election. Over the weekend, we followed all eight candidates as they campaigned in their constituencies. This weekend, News Five took its cameras to the Corozal District to catch up with all eight candidates running there. They shared their plans and the feedback they’re getting from voters on the campaign trail. Here’s News Five’s Marion Ali with the report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
We caught up with the UDP’s candidate for Corozal Southeast, Antonio “Tony” Herrera, in Sarteneja Village, one of the northernmost communities in Belize. If elected, Tony plans to leverage the recent infrastructure improvements and the village’s charm to boost tourism and create jobs. He also aims to tackle the high cost of fuel and living.
Tony Herrera
Tony Herrera, U.D.P Standard Bearer, Corozal Southeast
“We, as a government in waiting, our purpose is to try and bring down the cost of fuel because that’s where we had it before, and also we will try our best to lower the cost of living. We will encourage tourism – eco-tourism, flyfishing, stuff like that in the area of Sarteneja. Look at Sarteneja, the beautiful sea it has. We can exploit that. That will increase the betterment of the livelihood of this area. Look at Chunox. It has a beautiful lagoon; Progresso Lagoon, Copperbank Lagoon. So all this area will be accessible by you and I, not only by tourists.”
Herrera is also advocating for improved policing in the area. His political rival in Corozal Southeast, the incumbent Florencio Marin Junior, emphasizes that he doesn’t take his constituents for granted. For Marin, infrastructure and education are top priorities as he heads into this election.
Florencio Marin
Florencio Marin, P.U.P Standard Bearer, Corozal Southeast
“I now need to focus on expanding on lights in the streets. I now need to focus on expanding the school here. We’re going to complete the Caledonia – Buena Vista Road. We’re working on that right now. We’re going to complete from Progresso to San Estevan. We’re also going to connect Progresso to the Sarteneja Road. We’re also going to connect Chunox to the Sarteneja Road and Chunox to the Progresso – San Estevan Junction, so that we can be able to get the whole area paved as much as possible. We also need to support the growing community in Cerro Sands, so we have already started paving some parts towards the Cerros Maya ruins.”
In May 2022, Martin Rivera was selected as the U.D.P. candidate for Corozal Southwest. He believes that voters’ frustration with the government’s handling of inflation in Belize will lead to a shift at the polls.
Martin Rivera
Martin Rivera, U.D.P Standard Bearer, Corozal Southwest
“The prices of all goods, of merchandise, of textiles, of technology, everything has gone so high, especially the cost of living, the food, the basic food has been so expensive. And I do believe that they are going to look out, they’re going to target, they’re going to penalize this system, this government that has been jeopardizing every citizen’s growth.”
Ramiro Ramirez is running for the P.U.P again in Corozal Southwest. His campaign began the moment he won the last election, and his work in the community show his dedication. Every Sunday, you can find him leading a garbage collection drive.
Ramiro Ramirez
Ramiro Ramirez, P.U.P Standard Bearer, Corozal Southwest
“We bought a truck. And that truck is giving service to my community. Now it’s easier and faster. We don’t have to wake up 5 o’clock in the morning. Now it’s 7 o’clock, by 10, 11, we’re done. Before, sometimes, it was all day with the trucks. So, I think that’s a plus for all of us and there’s no charge. Nobody charge to pick up garbage. On the left you can see a complex, and it’s not the only one that we have here. We have one in Libertad, we have one in Louisville, we have another one in St. Victor and, we have another one that is going to start soon, soon after election. What I want for San Francisco. We need a police station, and we need the market, and we need a school.”
The U.D.P. has been rocked by a fierce leadership battle, but Martin Rivera and Tony Herrera are confident it won’t hurt their chances at the polls.
Martin Rivera
“Shyne and Miss Tracy Panton – they are keeping democracy alive. One of the things that I don’t like is that they have gone to the extreme, but democracy in our U.D.P. is alive. Most of the U.D.P. supporters in the Corozal Southwest have pledged to me that they will work with whosoever is the leader and I am one hundred percent willing to work with anybody who becomes the leader.”
Tony Herrera
“The Honorable Shyne, the Honorable Tracy will not campaign for me, I have to do that myself. For me, politics is local. I have nothing to do in that fight and my people understand that. That it’s what I bring to the table, what I can do for them.”
This Wednesday, we’ll introduce you to the other PUP and UDP candidates running in the four remaining constituencies in the Corozal District. Marion Ali for News 5
Today, Tracy Taegar-Panton told News Five that all her candidates have been duly elected or endorsed in a U.D.P. convention, except for businessman Lee Mark Chang. She explained why she chose Chang to run against Barrow in the Mesopotamia Division. According to Taegar-Panton, U.D.P. supporters in the area have expressed the need for a strong standard bearer.
Tracy Taegar-Panton, Area Representative, Albert
“There are 31 candidates for the United Democratic Party. Some of those candidates support Tracy’s Panton’s leadership, and some of them prefer to remain with the status quo because the institution and the color red they believe is going to be a determining factor in the next election. That’s their prerogative. We are not foisting any candidates in any of the constituencies with the exception of Mesop and we feel very strongly that it has become necessary for us to field a candidate in MESOP because one, Shyne is the problem and two, the delegates, the executive committee in Mesop came to us and says the situation with our current standard bearer is untenable and we need a new standard bearer.”
Barrow told us the U.D.P. has thirty-one candidates ready to run in various constituencies. When asked if the U.D.P. leadership can select standard bearers without an endorsement or election convention, he explained that the proper procedure was followed to replace Taegar-Panton and others who violated the U.D.P. Constitution, making them non-members.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“The process is where there’s a vacancy, then you have an endorsement convention. So we follow the procedures as required by the U.D.P. Constitution. All of those people that abandoned the U.D.P. Constitution, they forfeited their positions in the party, so they created the vacancies and we filled them by giving notification, going through the vetting process, going to the nominations chair, to the zone coordinators, regional leaders, different members of the central – pertinent members of the central executive, and then followed suit as to the procedure.”
A few years back, Jose Uc Espat started a third party because he was tired of the two-party system running the country. Now, he’s running for the U.D.P in the Albert constituency. We asked him if joining the same two-party system, he once criticized is backpedaling. He explained why this move is different from what it seems.
Jose Uc Espat
Jose Uc Espat, U.D.P Standard Bearer, Albert
“I did not backpedal. Today, and I spoke with openly because he’s a straightforward person. I’ve got respect for him as a person and as what he’s trying to do. Many people are hating him for the same reasons I was hated for a long time and still am today, because we stand firm, we are not a pushover, and we stand for what we believe in. To your question: if I knew today that the Belizean public would accept the ideology of a brand new fresh full 31 viable candidates in a third party, I would have, and I spoke about this with Mr. Barrow, this was my objective for either this election or the coming elections – to form a party of 31 viable qualified and candidates with a history of integrity, honesty, to bring and offer this to the country.”
Another hot topic right now is the use of the color red for the U.D.P. While Taegar-Panton and Barrow claim there are thirty-one candidates for the U.D.P., Barrow insists that Taegar-Panton and the group that violated the U.D.P. Constitution are no longer part of the party and shouldn’t use the color red for their campaign or on election day. However, Taegar-Panton strongly disagrees with this view.
Tracy Taegar-Panton
Tracy Taegar-Panton, Area Representative, Albert
“No, we’re using red. We are members of the United Democratic Party. I’m a duly elected member of this party. I sit as a U.D.P. representative in the National Assembly until it was dissolved this morning for two terms. I have not been constructively resigned. I have not been expelled. I have not been “relieved” of my membership of the United Democratic Party. I do not accept that. That was unconstitutional and illegally done unilaterally done by one individual. And that is not what the constitution of the party says we treat with persons who need to be purportedly expelled from the United Democratic Party. I am a member of the United Democratic Party and Shyne Barrow or his attorney cannot declare me not a member of the United Democratic Party. We have requested to run on a red banner and our information is that the Election on Boundaries provided two proposals and we voted on one. The one we voted for was for two of us to get the red.”
