Costa Maya update! Miss El Salvador confirmed...

Probably one of the most awaited events year round is the Reina de la Costa Maya Pageant. This year is no exception and already the Costa Maya Committee is getting confirmation on the beauties that will vie for the international title.

This week, The San Pedro Sun presents to you Miss El Salvador, twenty-year-old Raquel Guadalupe Fuentes Bonilla. The Communication Major student loves to sing, dance, act and model. Excited to visit, Raquel states that Belize would be the perfect place to live. “I would love to live in Belize, the only region in the Mundo Maya that has a mixture of cultures and race, impressive natural beauty, San Pedro – La Isla Bonita, and I could get to know the marine life that abounds in the second largest barrier reef.”

Glamorous and poised, Raquel states that her dad has always been her hero because he has always fought for what he wants, is a public figure, singer, photographer, engineer and dedicated to his family. Having garnered third place at Nuestra Belleza Mundo, Raquel comes eager and willing to fight for the title. The best lesson she has learned so far is the in and outs of the mysterious modeling world; a world that has opened up her mind to other cultures and customs found elsewhere in the world

Miss El Salvador Raquel Guadalupe Fuentes Bonilla will be joined by representatives from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica and Belize. La Reina de la Costa Maya pageant will be held on August 6th, 2009.

As well, the Costa Maya Committee has confirmed that Supa G will be performing on Friday night, Noche Cutural.

Supa G put on an excellent show last year, and is expected to be even better this year!

The Grand Sponsor for the International Festival is Bowen & Bowen group of companies (Belikin, Coca Cola and Crystal). More updates will be published as they become available.

BEL Restores Power to the National Grid Following National Power Outage

Fire causes alarm in the neighborhood

A bush fire in the San Pedrito Area caused alarm as neighbors rushed to the scene. At first it seemed like a fire someone had lit to burn some grass. However, the fire kept increasing in intensity and continued to grow. Fearing for his home's safety, the gentleman above, grabbed a bucket and began throwing water at the fire. Soon other neighbors joined in and the fire was extinguished.

The Fire and Police Departments were called and police officers began investigating the incident. No one could account how the fire began.

Belize celebrates World Ocean Day

Today, Belize joins the world in celebrating World Ocean Day under the theme "One Ocean, One Climate, One Future". As part of the activities, The Healthy Reef Initiative, with the assistance of Coastal Zone Management and the Belize Coast Guard, organized a Swim For The Reef Race. The Sunday June 7th activity saw 15 participants swim 1.2 miles to Goff Caye.
Armeid Thompson is the Social Scientist and Outreach Coordinator at Healthy Reef and he told the media that the activity was geared to allow all the participants to personally connect with the sea. Thompson stated that in Belize, the ocean is facing a lot of problems including coastal developmental issues, overfishing, and coastal mangrove clearance and of recent, grounding on the reef. Thompson stated that it should be everyone business to reduce the pressure on the ocean especially since the ocean plays an important role in the shaping of the climate.

Safety was the number one thing organizers ensured was in place.

The first person to reach Goff Caye was Claire Pfeiffer, a Masters Student from Duke University in US doing a Research Project in Belize. Pfeiffer stated that not only did she want to be a part of the swimming initiative, but it was an opportunity to show others that the ocean is important. Pfeiffer stated that in many instances, people do not realize the human impact on the ocean and reiterated that it is important that people know that environmental degradation has a great impact on the ocean. The swim to Goff Caye started.

Some swimmers took thier time.

According to Fernando Oliva, who represented the Belize National Scouts Association, Belize is fortunate to have a beautiful reef and sea and Belizeans, like visitors, should take pride in ensuring that the ocean is healthy for the future generation.

Some had to use life jackets to finish.

Others tried but couldn't make it.

Some of the swimmers including the Belize National Scouts Association and the Belize National Coast Guard.

The first person who reached Goff Caye received $250 dollars courtesy of Sea Sports Belize. This year, World Ocean Day seeks to emphasize that we live on a blue planet where 70 percent of the surface is covered by ocean waters, and to raise public awareness of the key connections among a healthy ocean, a healthy climate, and our future. In addition, World Ocean Day's initiative seeks to show that regardless of where we live, everyone is dependent on the state of health of our shared bodies of water.

SP celebrates Salvador victory over Mexico

Celebrating a 2-1 victory over Mexico, Salvador supporters took to the streets last night. The soccer match had bars packed with spectators eager to see who would score the winning goals.After the win, Salvador supports flocked the streets chanting "Salvador, Salvador, Salvador!" Honking their horns, screaming at the top of their lungs, they eagerly await for the next match.