New Year's Honors 2011 (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire)

Press Release - Belmopan - 31st December 2010 - In a News Release from Belize House in Belmopan, the Office of the Governor-General Announces that Her Majesty the Queen has been graciously pleased to make the following appointments to the MOST EXCELLENT ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE on the occasion of NEW YEAR HONOURS 2011:

Order of the British Empire - CBE

To be Ordinary Commander of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire:
Rene R. Villanueva, Senior Justice of the Peace, MBE, for services to the Community and Media

OBE

To be Ordinary Officers of the Civil Division of the Said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire:
Ralph Gregory Feinstein, for services to Business and Economic Development
Norman Gilbert Simplis, for service to the Belize Police Force

MBE

To be Ordinary Members of the Civil Division of the Said Most Excellent Order of the British Empire:
Donald Gilbert Hernandez, for services to Sport and Athletics
Raymond A. Gongora, for services to Cultural Development
Timothy Glegge Thompson, for services to Trade Unionism and Social Development
The Hon. Arthur W. Roches, for Public Services, and Sport
Ms Linda Lewis-Brown, for service to Sport and Medicine

The date for the presentation of the awards will be announced later...

SPRCS Fence gets painted!

Once again, students have been getting into the paints, helping to put on a beautiful mural on the cement fence of the San Pedro Roman Catholic School (SPRCS). With the help of Liza Mills, who is back to give children a chance to color their school beautifully, everyone has been pitching in to add much-needed life to the mural, which, unfortunately didn't quite survive the paintings of the Carnaval season...more

$1000. Chicken Drop Tonight at Wahoo's Lounge

Lynch Man releases “Life Ain’t Easy”

Clarence Flowers (aka Lynch Man) has been performing for the past 15 years. As lead vocalist for the Cool J’s Band, you may have heard him on the microphone while at a local bar enjoying a lazy Sunday - or weeknight - local artists perform any night of the week. You’ve heard his deep, mellow voice, and you’ve heard the reggae beats of his band, but now, it’s time to listen to something different.
With his new album, titled “Life Ain’t Easy”, Lynch Man branches out on his own. Taking the skills he learned as a young man, under the tutelage of his dear departed music teacher Ms. Heidy Matthews, he has now found his voice. A mix of love songs and funky beats make the six tracks on the album worth taking some time out to chill, listen and enjoy what was inspired by Lynch Man’s life and personal experiences.

Lynch Man was born in Belize City, and has lived off and on the island of Ambergris Caye for the past 15 years, alternating his off time in Bomba. Produced by Lynch Man himself, but recorded at Hammands Tree Studios under the direction of Barrington Castillo and Crispin Jeffries Jr., Life Ain’t Easy is now available for purchase from Clarence himself, or anywhere Cool J’s is performing. He hopes to be able to sell a few in stores soon, so keep an eye out for those wherever you’re shopping. It’s a great support to the local music scene and CD’s make great gifts any time of year!

Cuban Boat lands on shore

At around 2am Wednesday morning, the San Pedro Police Department received information that a Cuban boat had landed on the beach in the Boca Del Rio area.Officers were dispatched to the area where they saw 7 male Cuban nationals alighting the boat.
The boat passengers were taken to the Police station where a doctor was summoned to administer medical attention to them.
All 7 men were declared to be in good health, and they are currently being housed at the station awaiting immigration processing.

Mentally Challenged child claims sodomy

Reports reached us that there was a brutal crime allegedly committed against a minor of San Pedro. The victim, a mentally challenged child, whose identity will be withheld, informed his foster mother that he was sodomized by a taxi driver. The incident allegedly occurred on Christmas Day in the DFC Area of San Pedro Town.

In his report, the 14 year old boy, a resident of the San Mateo Area, stated that sometime around 6:00 pm on December 25th, he was offered a ride by a taxi driver. The taxi driver reportedly took the young man to a home in the DFC area located on the southern end of San Pedro Town, where, with the use of a condom, he was sodomized.

A source within the San Pedro Police Department informed us that the incident was reported on December 26th. Due to the child’s mental condition, he was unable to clearly identify the house in which the crime occurred, but has managed to take officials in the general area of the incident. Sources further confirmed that since the report, an arrest was made; however the man has been released while the investigation continues.

The child had three large hickeys to the neck area and a laceration on his buttocks. The child was taken to a medical practitioner on the island who conducted a physical examination. According to the results of the physical examination, the doctor was unable to verify whether the child was indeed sodomized.

According to sources from within the police department; while they are working hard on the report, they are faced with several issues. Due to the mental wellbeing of the child, he has been inconsistent with key information that is essential in their investigation of the case. While the police continue their investigation, they are asking anyone who may have seen anything that could assist in this investigation to please come forward and offer your assistance. The San Pedro Police Department may be reached at 226-2022.

Progress made on wages due to public transport employees

Press Release – Belize Press Office – December 24th, 2010 – On the December 17th, 2010, National Transport Ltd and Bell Bus Limited went into receivership and as a consequence a number of workers visited the Labour Department to seek advice regarding their employment status.

The Ministry of Labour has, to date, been unable to access the official records of both companies and to confirm the total number of employees, their respective period of service and employment status. To date, the names of eighty three (83) persons, who are believed to be employees, have been obtained from a number of documents.

On Wednesday December 22nd, 2010, the Labour Commissioner and his Deputy met with Mr. Kevin Castillo the Receiver and made a request for a part payment to all workers of the companies under receivership on the understanding that the payment will be included in any future benefit(s) to which a worker may become entitled.

On Thursday December 23rd, 2010, agreement was reached for two weeks wages to be paid to each worker as an interim measure, while the Labour Department seeks to obtain the official employment records and a clearer understanding of the employment status of each worker affected.

Notice is hereby given to all employees of National Transport and Bell Bus Limited to visit the Labour Department at No 5 Albert Street West in Belize City effective today, Friday December 24th, 2010, to either collect the part payment or to assist in the determination of their employment status.

Christmas Raffles make many people happy!!

Shopping during the Christmas rush generally means a chance to enter a special raffle at the various establishments one patronizes. This year was no exception as a variety of items were raffled off close to the Christmas holiday...below are the results of two more raffles that were held recently...

Castillo's Hardware Raffle:

1st Prize - 1 Heavy Duty Washing Machine - Amin Carillo

2nd Prize - 1 Leisure Patio Set - Clarissa Nuñez

3rd Prize - 1 DeWalt Heavy Duty Worksite Radio/Charger - Allan Paz

4th Prize - 1 Microwave - Robert Bailey

Her Worship Mayor Elsa Paz was asked to say a few words on air while at Castillo's during the raffle.

Atlantic Insurance - 19" TV raffle

Winner: Mr. Pete Graniel

Fire at Judy's Bar & Fast Food

Shortly after 4:30pm, a call came in to The San Pedro Sun stating that a fire was underway in the San Juan Area. Upon arriving at the scene, thick smoke and large flames were seen consuming the structure between Richie's Supermarket and Los Cocos Restaurant.The business on fire was Judy's Bar & Fast Food. The wood/cement structure was quickly consumed by the flames, which it seems originated from the kitchen.

>While details are still unknown, what can be said is that the firefighters put in all efforts to control the fire, containing the area and ensuring that the surrounding areas were saved.

Coral Cable Vision holds raffle

Coral Cable Vision held its annual Christmas raffle today at 2pm (at the CCV grounds) with the help of two lovely ladies: Miss San Pedro Natasha Stuart and Miss Lions Ivy Alamilla. The lucky winners drawn were:

1st Prize (42" Flat Screen TV) - Jose Alfredo Hernandez

2nd Prize (Home Theater System) - Emir Marin

3rd Prize (1 Ham, 1 Turkey, Christmas Basket) - Nancy Allen

4th Prize (3 Months Free Cable) - Pamela Zetina

5th Prize (3 Months Free Cable) - Les Crane

Congratulations to all!!

Heritage Bank enjoys their Xmas Party at BC's

The crew at Heritage Bank of Belize Ltd enjoyed each other's company on Wednesday night at their annual staff Christmas gathering. They had delicious food and drinks catered by BC's Bar & Grill, after which they exchanged Secret Santa gifts.

Merry Christmas from everyone at Heritage Bank!

Kind Kids Write 2010 - Essay Writing Contest - Winners Announced

Press Release – Be Kind Belize – December 20th, 2010 – Be Kind Belize, in cooperation with The San Pedro Sun and AmbergrisCaye.com is delighted to announce the winners of the Kind Kids Write 2010 Essay writing contest.

The theme of the essay writing contest was ‘Kindness’ and it was open to all students in Standards 4, 5 & 6 at schools in San Pedro.

All essays were judged blind by our three independent judges, Mary Gonzalez – writer, Chris Emmanuel – writer and Katia Marin – pet expert. None of the judges knew the identity of the writers or the school they represented. The judges were unanimous in saying that the essays were very impressive and even brought some of them to tears. It was a hard decision but here are the winners:
1st Prize Girls – Kendice Armstrong, Holy Cross Anglican School
1st Prize Boys – Ruben Francois, Island Academy
1st Prize for most enthusiastic participation from a school – Holy Cross Anglican School

Runners Up: Allessandra Gutierrez, R. C. School, Jamie Valentin, R. C. School, Deschana Lewis, H. C. School, Aliyah Elliott, H. C. School, Ada Cordova, H. C. School, Joseline Vasquez, H. C. School.
Many thanks to S.P. Hardware for giving us a great discount on the two 1st Prize Awards. Kendice Armstrong and Ruben Francois will both be receiving a bicycle as their first prize. All of the Runners Up will receive prize packs containing scholastic items and other goodies all donated by generous Be Kind Belize supporters. The winning essays will be published in The San Pedro Sun and online with AmbergrisCaye.com. Prize winners may arrange to collect their winner’s certificates and prizes by calling Be Kind Belize at 226-4366 or 624-8251.

Be Kind Belize is a free programme, designed to complement the Belize National Curriculum. It is available to any school that would like to introduce the concept of kindness to their pupils. Volunteers are always welcome. If you would like more information about how you or your school could participate in Be Kind Belize or if you would like to volunteer, please contact Be Kind Belize at 226-4366 or 624-8251.

Planned Power Outage - San Pedro Town - Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Belize Electricity Limited advises its customers in San Pedro Town that the supply of electricity will be temporarily interrupted from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 22, 2010.

Areas to be affected: All that area North of Boca Del Rio.

BEL apologizes for the inconvenience caused but this outage is necessary for the company to facilitate system improvement work on the distribution system in the area.

For customer inquiries and services call us toll free at: 0-800-BEL-CARE OR 0-800-235-2273. To view scheduled outages via our website visit: http://www.bel.com.bz/services_outages.asp

This notice is for public information purposes only. For more information, contact Belize Electricity Limited, Corporate Communications Department at 227-0954, extension 2502.

Long time resident passes

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing away of long time resident, Mr. D. Michael (Mike) Fox. A memorial will be held at The Purple Parrot Bar on Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010 at 3pm.

Click on the link below to read an Our Community article on Mr. Fox.

http://sanpedrosun.net/old/99-74.html

Baby Daniel Comes Home

In an emotional scene at the Tropic Air terminal in San Pedro, family and friends of Ilda, Daniel and Baby Daniel gathered to welcome home a smiling, healthier Baby Daniel Estell Jr. The family was scheduled to arrive Saturday December 18, 2010, but a delay in flight left them stranded overnight in El Salvador. They made it in at 11:00am on Sunday instead, and the welcoming committee was most ecstatic.

After several months of waiting (in the USA) and finally getting a chance at survival in Colombia, SA, Baby Daniel has been through the worst, and can now be closer to everyone at home.

Baby Daniel was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia - a rare liver disorder - that required major surgery and transplants. With his parents by his side, and father Daniel Sr. a match for the liver he needed, both Daniels underwent a successful surgery and the byproduct is a smiling, bouncing and happy baby boy who underwent a most miraculous transformation.

Welcome home Baby Daniel!!

SP Lions Host Annual Christmas Party for Senior Citizens

The San Pedro Lions Club held their annual Senior Citizen party last night. Island residents over the age of 60 were invited to an evening of turkey dinner with all the trimmings, drinks, gifts, raffle prizes and dancing to the music of Rompe Raja. The festive night was a huge success and enjoyed by all who attended.

Lion Rigoberto Kumul with family.

Belize Bank volunteers served the turkey dinner meal.

Lioness Mel Spain joined the fun and sang a tune with Rompe Raja.

Miss San Pedro Natasha Stuart and Lions Queen Ivy Alamilla.

Lioness Vianie Perez helps attend to the guests.

San Pedro Lion Club President Melanie Paz posses with the group of Belize Bank employees who volunteered to help with the evening and distribute special gifts donated by the bank.

A raffle was also held, Lioness Enes Anderson distributed the tickets.

Winners!

The night ended with lots of dancing to the irresistible jams of Rompe Raja.

Ms. Shelly with her Daddy.