e- star edition #125 dated sunday, september 2, 2007 -...

Sunday, 2nd September 2007 STAR Tel: 667-7827 Email: [email protected]

FREE DANCE

SAN IGNACIO TOWN, CayoDistrict, Friday, 31st August 2007: Two young men from San IgnacioTown, accused of committing theindictable crime of aggravatedburglary, are today on remand at theHattieville prison. San Ignacio police reports that itwas shortly after 12 noon onMonday, 27th August 2007 whenVeronica Bautista, 36, domestic ofa Santiago Juan Layout area of SanIgnacio Town reported that whilstcaretaking the mini shop of herGuatemalan friend RosalindaGabriel, a young man known to her

as Cecilio Cho entered the store andasked to credit some items from the

mini shop on his mother’s account.Bautista reportedly told him that shehad no authority to grant the requestand that he would have to wait untilthe shop owner returned from a shorttrip to Melchor, Guatemala. Cho reportedly walked down thesteps and as Bautista turned aroundto re-enter the house she came faceto face with another male person inthe kitchen, whom she knew asMangar. He had a crowbar held byboth hands which he used to hit herin the head. Bautista reportedly fell to the floorin an unconscious state and when she

regained consciousness she walkedoutside the house. She was bleedingfrom a large cut wound to the headand was immediately assisted by aneighbor who transported her to theSan Ignacio hospital. She was issuedwith a pair of Medico Legal forms onwhich the medical officer on duty,Dr. Gonzalez, certified the injury aswounding. The incident led to the detention ofCecilio Cho and Emmanuel“Mangar” Willoughby both 17 yearold Belizean students residing inSantiago Juan Layout They weresubsequently arrested and jointlycharged for the indictable crime ofacting together with a commonpurpose of committing aggravatedburglary. Both the accused appeared in SanIgnacio’s Magistrate Court onThursday, 30th August 2007 wherethe charge was read against them.Magistrate Kathlene Lewisinformed them that the matter will beheard on indictment in the Supreme.They were subsequently denied bailand were remanded to the Hattievilleprison for the next court hearing onTuesday, 25th September 2007.

Emmanuel “Mangar” Willoughby, 17Cecilio Cho, 17

NOVELOS CONVENTIONCENTER, Santa Elena Town,Cayo District, Friday, 24th August2007: As the nation prepares tocommemorate the 209th anniversaryof the Battle of St. Georges Caye Dayon September 10th and the 26th

Anniversary of Independence onSeptember 21st under the unifiedteam “Independent, Strong andFree, Belize Fi All Ah We”, thefestive mood is expected to moveinto high gear in the days and weeksahead. In the Cayo area, the celebrationbegan this past Friday evening withthe Annual Miss Queen of the WestBeauty Pageant at the NovelosConvention Center in Santa ElenaTown with a large gathering inattendance. There were six lovely young ladiesvying for the coveted title of MissQueen of the West 2007-08. Theevening’s program began at 7:30p.m., with the singing of the National

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Anthem by formerbeauty queen, ConchitaMoreno. Mistress and Masterof Ceremony forthe occasion werethe talented AiditaArguelles and thearticulate Gonzalo“ O m b u d s m a n ”Rosado. Their first actfor the evening was theintroduction of the panelof judges which includedMrs. Isaura Chuc-Williams, teacher atBishop Martin RC,Primary School; Mrs.Dorita Avella-Marin,Proprietor of CayoInstitute of Cosmetologyand Mr. David Morey. The all important task of tabulatingthe scores fell into the able hands ofNyana Harrison and Emil Pinelo. The icebreaker then followed withthe grand entrance and introduction

of the six lovely contestants asfollows: Miss Camalote Village,

Queen of the West Ms. Janine Lopez

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No. 125 Sunday, 2nd September 2007 Price $1.00

STAR Tel: 667-7827 Email: [email protected] Sunday, 2nd September 2007

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

SAN IGNACIO TOWN, CayoDistrict, Wednesday, 29th August2007: The body of a 16 year old girl istoday inside the morgue at the SanIgnacio Town hospital as it awaitstransportation to Belize City for thelegally required post mortemexamination scheduled to be held onThursday, 30th August 2007. San Ignacio Police reports that itwas shortly after 3:30 p.m. onTuesday, 28th August when a reportwas received of an apparently deadbody of a woman on a farm locatedon the outskirts of Esperanza Villagein the Cayo District. A team of local Crime InvestigationBranch officers accompanied by aScenes of Crime technician rushed to

the area where they were directedto a farm house located about a mileoff the Western Highway on G.ARoe’s San Miguel Citrus Farm. Upon arrival, police were directedto a back kitchen where theyencountered a woman lying faceupwards on the ground foaming fromthe mouth and nose. The motionless body was rushed tothe San Ignacio Town hospital whereit was officially pronounced dead bythe medical officer on duty Dra.Helen Loaces. The deceased was identified as 16year old Reina Madely VilledaBarrientos, Guatemalan domesticresiding on the farm. At the scene,police also encountered WilliamTzalam Bah, 21, Guatemalan

laborer who claimed to be thecommon law husband of thedeceased. Tzalam Bah informed the police thatat around 1:00 p.m. that day he wasat the company’s Western Highwayroadside office when his common lawwife rode up on a bicycle with hislunch. He reportedly told her that shewas late and since the lunchtime hadpassed he was no longer hungry. Hereportedly told her to return to thehouse with the lunch. She jumped onthe bicycle and reportedly rode backhome. It was shortly after 3:00 p.m.when Tzalam left work and returnedto the farm house where hereportedly encountered his commonlaw wife in the exact position in whichshe was found by the police. Police reportedly found a whiteplastic gallon containing Round Upherbicide in the kitchen leading themto initially suspect that the deceased

might have taken a dose of thepoison. An inspection of the bodyrevealed no visible sign of violencetherefore leading investigators tosuspect that the deceased might havecommitted suicide which they say canonly be ascertained by way of the postmortem examination.

We AMS To Please


Dear Editor; We take this opportunity throughthe medium you provide to informthe Government of Belize; TheMinistry of Education in general andthe Minister of Education inparticular that there is a wholelot of angry teachers out here. One of the worse forms of abusesthat can be perpetuated against anyindividual is to work that individualand after that individual has worked,that person does not receivepromised compensation. We were told to take a week fromour vacation to enter the classroomfor a week to train teachers in the useof the new text books. For this workwe were promised a $300.00stipend. It is now over three weeks and weare still waiting to get paid. In Cayo,we visited Mr. Chan, he sent us toMr. Cano, then Cano turned aroundand sent us back to Chan and theturn around continues.

Dear Editor; As housewives we areoften forced to stretch our dollars andso we shop at those places where weget more value for the money wespend. We therefore keep a close watchon the price of those items that weregularly buy and so we automaticallynote those little increases here andthere. Whenever we find that theprice of an item has been increasedat one store we look elsewhere to seeif we can get that item cheaper. We have become accustomed to theregular 10 and 20 cents increases inthe shelf prices of consumer goods.However I was totally unprepared forwhat confronted me this pastMonday morning. I was almost knocked off my feetwhen I saw the MASSIVE increasein the price of soap powder. The price was $6.75 for a 2 kgsbag of Roma Soap Powder andwhen I went to get one off the shelfat my neighborhood grocery storethe price was up to a whopping$8.25. I did further checks and found outthat the price for smaller bags of allsoap powder has proportionatelygone up.

With school opening up very soon,some of us had already budgeted thislittle extra change to get ready for thenew school year. We are now hearing that with theemergency situation in the north, themoney that was promised to us isbeing diverted to the relief effort in thenorth. While we sympathize with ourfellow citizens up north and we wanttheir lives to be restored to normal, itis the government that must shoulderthe responsibility and not shift the loadonto the backs of other equallystruggling citizens. We sincerely trust that theGovernment of Belize, the Ministry ofEducation and the Minister himselfwill make good on the promise tocompensate us as we have alreadylabored for the small promisedstipend. While we continue to wait for thepromised compensation we ask forour names not to be published.

It is no wonder that our shoppingbags are getting smaller and smalleras time goes by. We often hear eachother saying that $20.00 is not whatit used to be. While I am on this topic, I want toencourage all shoppers to carefullycheck the expiry dates on the goodswe buy as I have noticed that someshopkeepers have become innovativeand are now mixing expired goodswith non-expired ones both on theirshelves and in their freezers in anattempt to get one over theunsuspecting customer. I also want to encourage PublicHealth Officials to continuemonitoring this situation as they havebeen doing in the past.s/ Carmen AldanaSan Ignacio, Cayo

“Independent, Strong and Free,Belize Fi All Ah We” that’s thewinning theme that will echo acrossthe nation, in the days and weeksahead, as we commemorate the209th Anniversary of the Battle ofSt. Georges Caye and the 26th

Anniversary of our politicalindependence. We congratulate 14 year oldBelizean student Esther Humes fromEdward P. Yorke High School forsubmitting the winning theme for thisyear’s September activities. We hopethat she uses the 1,000 dollar cashprize wisely. We would be remiss if we did notacknowledge those responsible forselecting the winning theme especiallysince they did not, as in previousyears, select a theme with the word“celebrate” in it because quitefrankly, apart from being recentlyspared the ravages of a category 5hurricane, for which we must givethanks and praises to the Almighty,there is hardly anything for us as anation to “celebrate”. We are a nation of less than threehundred thousand people strainingunder the burden of a THREEBILLION DOLLAR foreign debtwhile we have a government thatkeeps telling us that we must bethankful to them for “successfullyrenegotiating the debt”. A“successful renegotiation” whichnow finds us saddled with thatinfamous “Supa Bond” for which, inthe last few days, a singledisbursement of almost 50 milliondollars in interest payment alone leftour shores never to be seen again. There is hardly anything to celebrateas all our national assets have beensold with Belizeans now paying thehighest rates in the region forelectricity, water and telephoneservices. More recently we have beenhearing about serious discussionsgeared towards privatizing NationalSecurity in the region as outlined andpresented by a senior official from theGovernment of Belize during the midJune 2007 Caricom Heads of Statemeeting with outgoing US PresidentGeorge W. Bush Jr. We thank little Esther Humes forgiving us this year’s theme as a sourceof true reflection. The time istherefore opportune for us to trulyexamine ourselves and ask thepertinent questions: Are we truly independent? Did wenot just recently see two of our mostSenior Government/Political Officialsin the persons of Prime Minister Rt.Hon. Said Musa and the nation’smost powerful government minister,Hon. Ralph Fonseca, believed bymany to be the principal architect ofthe nation’s devastated economiccondition, as they traveled, hat inhand, to Venezuela to beg for

assistance in time to meet the first50 million dollar interest payment onthat infamous “Supa Bond” Can we in all honesty say that weare truly independent while we stoodalmost motionless as a third partydowngraded our established borderswith a neighboring nation state thathas been claiming our country forcenturies? Can we in all sincerity, lay claim toindependence when we see our newfound oil resources leaving our shoresby land and by sea under un-meteredquestionable circumstances andwith only a pittance of the revenuefinding its way into our nationaltreasury? On the matter of strength, how canwe honestly say that we are strongwhen our reserves stand at less thana month of imports while thethreshold for disaster is pegged atthree months of imports? With over 40% of our people livingin poverty and the vast majority of usliving just one pay cheque away fromstarvation, can we honestly say thatwe are strong? Then on the matter of being free,how can we ever be free when crimeand violence is out of control as weare jacked, robbed, raped and killedon an increasing basis? How can we consider ourselves tobe free when our once peacefulstreets have become a graveyard forour young black brothers? How can we consider ourselves tobe free when our once bustling townand city streets have now beentransformed into deserted areas as wescramble to lock ourselves up behindour burglar barred windows andmulti-locked doors? How can we be Independent,Strong and Free when some elderleaders in our community, with acertain inclination towards the rulingparty, were only this week asking usto editorialize on the fact that as thenation is preparing for a full month ofextravagant celebrations, manyBelizeans in the northern districts, inthe wake of the recent hurricane, areliving in dire conditions while a fewhours of rain almost sunk the oldcapital city without pity. These elders are asking to seriouslystart the discussion about postponingthe celebrations until we can truly getour house in order and proudlyproclaim that we are trulyIndependent, Strong and Free. As we enter the 27th Anniversary ofthat day when the British Union Jackwas lowered for the last time andthe new Belizean National Flagwas hoisted for the very fist time,let us put our shoulders to the wheelas we seek to regain our dwindlingINDEPENDENCE, STRENGTHand FREEDOM as in doingotherwise, Belize might not be Fi AllAh We fu much longer.

Monday thru Friday5 to 7 P.M

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“The Newspaper that cares anddares to bring out the truth”

[email protected]: Alberto August

Editor: Nyani Azueta-AugustCirculation: Errol Gonzalez

STAR Newspaper,42A Western Highway Santa Elena Town,

Cayo District, Belize,Central America

Tel: 667-7827(667-STAR)

STAR

NEWSPAPER

HAPPY HOUR


SANTA ELENA, Cayo, Monday27th August 2007: Twenty four teachers from Alberta,Canada were recently in Belize toinitiate the first phase of a majorRotary project called “TeacherProfessional Development inBelize”. The project is to instruct primaryschool teachers from Belize in newteaching methods and strategies andis slated to span a period of at least 3years. It is a joint project betweenthe Rotary Clubs of Belize, theMinistry of Education of Belize and60 Rotary Clubs from Canada. The 24 Canadian teachers wereassigned to 8 centres across Belizefor 2 weeks. Each centre had aspecialist teacher in Language Arts;Mathematics; and Science. 45Belizean teachers receivedinstructions at each of the 8 centresfor a total of 360 “master” teachersall of whom will, in turn, train otherteachers in Belize. This joint education project is, inthe words of Ross Tyson, DistrictGovernor (elect) of Rotary District5370, Canada, “A first for RotaryInternational - no other RotaryDistrict in the world hasconducted a major project in anentire country before.”

Another phase of this projectentails the providing of a desktopcomputer to each of the 360 Belizean“master” teachers to allow on-lineaccess to computer educationalresources in Canada. This gift, whichcomes courtesy of the Department ofEducation of Alberta, Canada isworth many thousands of dollars. In addition, Canadian Rotarians willbe exploring the possibility ofestablishing a wireless system forBelizean schools to access the internetacross the country.

(L-R)Four of the key Rotarian players of the project.Stephen Lathrop (Canada); Christopher Aird &

Andre Lopez (San Ignacio) and Ross Tyson (Canada).

Based on BTL’s commitment toprovide free internet access toschools, Belize’s Minister ofEducation, Hon. Francis Fonseca,has pledged his support to facilitatediscussions with BTL to begin thiscomponent of the project. Finally, these outstanding Rotariansfrom Canada are also working withBelize’s Ministry of Education toacquire additional computers by wayof MIT’s professor NicholasNegroponte’s “One Laptop PerChild” programme. This aspect of

the project is being organized by thecurrent Governor of 5370 District,Dave Taylor, and he hopes toprovide 2,000 laptops for students inBelize in the first year. The future benefits to Belizeanteachers and students from thegenerosity of the Rotarians andgovernment officials in Alberta,Canada is immense and the RotaryClub of San Ignacio, which is hostingthe project with the involvement of allRotary Clubs in Belize, offers thankson behalf of all Belizeans to these finepeople who come here, some yearafter year, at their own expense, toassist in the development of ourcountry.Contributed by John Acott,Member of the Rotary Club of SanIgnacio & Chairman of the CayoCrimes Committee.


BELIZE CITY, Tuesday,28th August 2007: In the wake of Monday night’sfatal shooting of George “JunieBalls” McKenzie, the former bossof Northside’s Majestic Alley Crips,Belize City Police has been on highalert on the southside of the city asthey fear the area could become thebattleground for retaliation. This high state of police alert paidoff on Tuesday night when it led tothe apprehension of a man as he waschased by the echoes of the shots hefired at another man on MahoganyStreet on the Southside of Belize City. Police reports that it was shortlyafter 8:00 p.m., on Tuesday, 28th

August, when a mobile patrol in thearea of Mahogany Street respondedto the sound of gunshots in the area. Upon reaching Mopan Street, theysaw a man fleeing on a bicycle. Theindividual was intercepted and asearch of his person led to thediscovery of a chrome point 38revolver with five expended shells. Police also found a black ski maskand a black stocking in hispossession. He was immediatelytaken into custody and transported tothe scene of the crime where theycame upon a man suffering from asingle gunshot wound to the leftbuttock. The injured man was identified as

BELMOPAN CITY, Belize,Monday, 27th August 2007: The U.S. Embassy in Belmopaninformed that Chargé d’AffairesLeonard Hill today officially handedover emergency supplies to BelizeRed Cross President Karen Diaz inresponse to the damage caused byHurricane Dean. The Office of Foreign DisasterAssistance (OFDA) coordinated anddelivered this shipment of reliefsupplies (including plastic sheeting,chainsaws, hygiene kits and blankets)by chartered aircraft on August 24. These supplies were turned overto the Belize Red Cross anddelivered to people in the affectedareas. The U.S. government will alsomake a cash contribution ofBZ$100,000 to NEMO for reliefsupply purchases in response to theForeign Ministry's appeal todiplomatic missions in Belize. The government and people ofthe United States have beenfollowing with concern the effects ofHurricane Dean in the Caribbean."Our thoughts and prayers arewith he people of Belize affectedby the hurricane, especiallyin the northern districts,"said Ambassador Robert Dieter."We are thankful that therewas no loss of life or seriousinjury." Disaster Risk ManagementSpecialist Beryl Armbrister fromthe U.S. Agency for International

U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, Leonard Hill handing overemergency supplies to Belize Red Cross President, Karen Diaz

flanked by USAID Office of Foreign Disaster AssistanceRepresentatives Beryl Armbrister (L) and Eduardo Gutierrez (R)

Development, OFDA arrived inBelize the day before the hurricanehit and began working at NEMOheadquarters to help coordinatethe U.S. response to HurricaneDean. She worked with Belizeanand international experts includingfrom the Untied Nations to helpprovide effective relief as soon aspossible after the hurricane. In addition, three U.S. militaryhelicopters based at Soto Cano,Honduras, were dispatched a fewhours after Hurricane Dean passed tohelp with damage assessment andto transport military and civilianpersonnel of the Government of

Belize to the affected areas. Theybrought with them medical andengineering personnel to help withdamage assessment. The United States prepares forevery hurricane season by stocking awarehouse in Miami with emergencysupplies that can be sent on shortnotice to neighboring countries in theregion hit by natural disaster. In recent years the U.S. military'sHumanitarian Assistance Program hasfunded construction of warehousesfor NEMO emergency supplies instrategic locations in Belize, helpingto prepare for hurricane disasterassistance.

There was a midget down in Texaswhose testicles hurt and ached almostall the time. The midget went to the doctor andtold him about his problem. The doctor told him to drop hispants and he would have a look. Themidget dropped his pants. Thedoctor stood him up onto theexamining table, and started toexamine him. “I see your problem Sir” saidthe doctor. “Please pass me thosebig scissors nurse” said thedoctor. The midget started to tremble whenhe saw the size of the scissors. Hewas just getting ready to spring off thetable when the doctor saw the fear inhis eyes and told him to calm down. The doctor took the scissors and

went snip-snip-snip-snip on the rightside, then snip-snip-snip-snip on theleft side. The midget was so scared he wasafraid to look, but noted withamazement that the snipping didnot hurt. The doctor then lifted him off thetable, placed him on the floor andtold him to walk around theexamining room to see if it still hurt. “How does it feel now?” askedthe doctor said, The midget was absolutelydelighted as he walked around anddiscovered that the aching was gone. “It feels perfect Doc, what didyou do?” asked the midget. The doctor replied, “I cut twoinches off the top of your cowboyboots.”

Mark Flowers, 20, of a BelamaPhase 1 address in Belize City. Flowers told the police that he wasstanding on Mahogany Street whenhe was approached by a man fittingthe description of the detainee. Hesaid that the individual, who waswearing a mask, pulled out ahandgun, he attempted the run awayas the individual fired several shots athim resulting in one of the shotshitting him in the left buttock. Flowers was transported to thenearby Karl Heusner MemorialHospital where he was treated andadmitted to ward in a stablecondition. The suspect was escorted to thePolice Station where he wasidentified as Lucius Myers, 28, ofan Iguana Street address on theSouthside of the city. Being a southside resident, itsomewhat scales down theprobability that Myers was acting inretaliation of the execution stylemurder of former Northside’sMajestic Alley Crips Boss Junie BallsMcKenzie, which occurred less than24 hours earlier. Myers has since been charged forthe crimes of (1) Attempted murder,(2) Use of deadly means of harm, (3)Grievous harm. The police informed that morecharges are being formulated inrelation to the unlicensed firearmfound in his possession.

The Accused: Lucius Myers, 28.Photograph also from police files

taken over two years ago, inApril 2005, when he was charged

for possession of drugs

The Victim: Mark Flowers 20.Photograph from police files

taken 9 month ago, inNovember 2006, when he wascharged for disorderly conduct

#85 Benque Viejo Road, San Ignacio, CayoTel.#:824-2959 Cell#: 610-4391

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Mr. Ronald Hulse, General Manager,St. Martin’s Credit Union Ltd.

SAN IGNACIO TOWN, CayoDistrict, Thursday, 30th August2007: Fitting squarely into the role of agood corporate citizen, San Ignacio’sSt. Martin’s Credit Union Ltd. is, thisyear, entering into its 7th consecutiveyear of providing financial assistanceto deserving children of selectedCredit Union members as theyventure into higher education at thehigh school level. Today we stopped by ZimmermanHouse, on Eve Street in SanIgnacio Town, which is the officialheadquarters of St. Martin’s CreditUnion, where we had a briefinterview with the Credit Union’sGeneral Manager, Mr. RonaldHulse. Mr. Hulse informed that the CreditUnion endeavors to assist deservingstudents throughout their 4 year highschool program provided always thatthey maintain a grade point averageof at least 2.5. “We insist at all times that thesestudents do well in school. Theiroverall performance is underconstant review by the CreditUnion because we are alwaysmindful that it is our members’money that is being expended toprovide this assistance. Our general membership hasbeen very supportive of thiseducational program and so wemust ensure that our membersget value for the money they

generously spend each year tokeep the program alive. Eachstudent is made to fullyunderstand that we maintainrigorous standards and wedemand much from them becausewe do not want to give them theimpression that the financialassistance is to be taken lightly. I also want to take thisopportunity to congratulateOzzelle Chavez and OsminMorales both of whom made us

proud by successfully graduatingthis year from Sacred Heart HighSchool. On behalf of the Board ofDirectors and the generalmembership of St. Martin’s CreditUnion we wish Ozzelle and Osminevery success in their futureendeavors,” said GM Hulse. The three new recipients of thisyear’s assistance are Henry Galvezand Kreslynne Banner bothentering 1st form at Sacred Heart High

School and Mylin Lopez entering 2nd

form at Mopan Technical High Schoolin Benque Viejo Town. St. Martin’s Credit Union has beenserving the Cayo District since 1949.The Credit Union held its 58th AnnualGeneral Meeting at the Macal RiverPark in San Ignacio Town on May25, 2007. It currently boasts a totalmembership of 4,562 with totalassets of $9,885.00. The Credit Union’s latest financialreport informs that of 3,024 loanapplications received during fiscalyear April 1st, 2006 to March31st 2007, some 2,730 applicationswere approved for a totalof $4,971,356.00 of which$4,634,311.00 or 93% wasdisbursed. While General Manager RonaldHulse is charged with the institution’sday-to-day operations, the generaldirection of the St. Martin’s CreditUnion Ltd. rests on the shoulders ofits five-member board of directorswhich includes President, Dr. JohnMorris; Vice President, Mrs. IrmaSanchez; Treasurer, Mr. RaymondTzul; Secretary, Mr. Rene Torresand Education Director Mr. IanSegura.


#6 Hudson Street, San Ignacio, CayoTelephone: 824-2101

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The most recent spate of murderson the streets of Belize City started ataround 2:45 a.m. last Friday, 24thAugust when Mark EmmanuelFlowers, 25, of a Periwinkle Streetaddress in Belize City, was stabbedto death in the Newtown Barracksarea on north side Belize City. Flowers was standing outside ofCeasar's Palace when he wasapproached by three male personswho arrived in a red Camry car. Twoof them, armed with knives beganfiring stabs at Flowers. He attemptedto flee but was chased down andfatally stabbed.

*************** The second incident took place lessthan 25 hours later at around 3:30a.m. on Saturday 25th August whenGerald Willlard Duhaney, 18, of anAntelope Street address was shot inthe lower abdomen as he wasstanding at the corner of Gibnut and

Curassow Streets on the south sideof Belize City. He was rushed to theBelize City Hospital but died shortlyafter.

*************** The third incident of the week tookplace less than 26 hours later when ataround 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, 26thAugust, Kareem Wright, 24, wasshot in the neck on Sarstoon Street inthe Lake Independence area on thesouth side of Belize City. He was transported to the BelizeCity Hospital where he wasadmitted to ward in a criticalcondition.

*************** The fourth incident of the weektook place 14 hours later at around7:30 p.m. on Sunday 26th August inwhich three persons were hospitalizedwith varying degrees of injuries afterbeing shot as they stood near WestCanal and Rocky Road. Those

injured were Jerry Graham, 38,Bernard Bradley, 60 and JermaineCattouse, 20. They were hanging outin the area when two male persons ofdark complexion appeared and beganfiring indiscriminately at them. *************** The fifth reported incident of theweek occurred less than 27 hours laterat around 10:15 p.m on MondayAugust 27th, when shots were fired inthe area near the junction of North FrontStreet and Majestic Alley. The incidentled to the instant death of former Cripboss George “Junie Balls”Mckenzie, 33, of a Majestic Alleyaddress.

*************** The sixth fatal shooting took placeat around 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday29th August it resulted in the death ofJerry Smart , 27, of a Fuller’s Alleyaddress. Smart was approached by twomale persons on bicycles both of whomproduced firearms and fired several

shots seven of which found itstarget on Smart. He waspronounced dead on arrival at theBelize City Hospital.

*************** The seventh incident took place24 hours later at around 7:45 p.m.on Thursday, August 30th, onRegent Street West near WestCanal resulting in the shooting deathof Jerry Devon Jones, 33, ofNeal's Penn Road, Belize City.

*************** Less than 3 hours later, at around10:30 p.m, the eighth incidentclaimed the life of Tyrone DiegoCastillo, 28, of a CentralAmerican Boulevard address. Castillo was shot as he stood onMayflower Street in Belize City. Hewas rushed to the hospital withmultiple gunshot wounds to variousparts of the body. Castillo diedshortly after arrival at the Belize CityHospital.


Tarren Belisle, sponsored by CoxSolid Waste Management. MissUnitedville Village, Tricia Coyesponsored by Sol Belize Ltd.; MissSan Ignacio, Shamira Frutos,sponsored by Elvin Penner and thenew Cost Less Mart; Miss BenqueViejo Town, Melanie Gonzalez,sponsored by Ka’ana Resort & Spa;Miss Esperanza Village, JanineLopez, sponsored by the InsuranceCorporation of Belize Ltd. and AlexiTrucking Company Ltd. and MissSanta Elena Town, KimberlyStephens sponsored by Cahal PechVillage and Rene Montero. After the formal introduction all sixcontestants left the stage to reappearmodeling their swimsuits asthey marched across the stage.Intermittent entertainment wasprovided by the Exile Dance Group,Habanero Dancers and Zone 10Neighborhood Watch Group whilethe contestants changed into theirdifferent wears for the pageant. Upon returning to the stage,contestants then performed theirvarious acts of talent which waspromptly followed by the entranceof Reigning Queen of the West2006- 2007, Ms. Audrey Augustine. Accompanied by a beautifulrendition of the Queen of the Baysong, contestants returned to the stageelegantly dressed in their eveningwear. They were then serenaded byDJ Maskal.

Both MC’s made small talk with thecandidates just before the questionand answer segment of the pageant. While awaiting the official results,DJ Maskal provided additionalentertainment and when the scoreswere tabulated the winner and newQueen of the West was announcedas Miss Janine Lopez, hailing fromEsperanza Village. Second place and the 1st RunnerUp position went to Miss UnitedvilleVillage, Tricia Coye. Rounding off thefirst top three winners was Miss SanIgnacio, Shamira Frutos The new Ms. Queen of theWest, Miss Janine Lopez, won a2 year scholarship courtesy SacredHeart Junior College, an eveninggown courtesy Lisa’s Boutique, agold earring courtesy CouncilorBernadette Fernandez, a gift

basket courtesy Cayo’s Institute ofCosmetology and dinner for two fromthe popular Hannah’s Restaurant onBurns Avenue. First runner up, Ms. Tricia Coye,received a cellular telephone courtesyMax Headquarters, a DVD playerfrom Three Flags Superstore, a giftbasket courtesy San Cas Ltd. and apair of gold earrings from Cano’sJewelry. The third place winner, Ms. ShamiraFrutos, who received a gift basketfrom Delia’s Store, an overnight stayfor two at Five Sisters Lodge, a washand hairstyle courtesy Shar’s BeautySalon and Beauty Soap fromRub-A-Dub. The fourth place winner was Ms.Kimberly Stephens. She received adinner for two at the Saddle BackGrill, a pair of shoes from Reshma’sStore and a $50.00 cash prize. Ms. Tarren Belisle came in fifth.Her prizes included a lamp from Mr.Luigi Salazar, a perfume set fromRoyal Choice Store and a $50.00cash prize. Sixth place went to MelanieGonzalez who received a lampcourtesy Beto’s Shopping Center, aperfume from Royal Choice Storeand a $50.00 cash prize. Capturing the title of Ms. Amitywas Tarren Belisle who was awardedwith a $100.00 gift certificate fromIdelmar Store. Ms. Photogenic went to MelanieGonzalez; she received a dinner fortwo courtesy Sanny’s Grill. The award for the Most TalentedContestant went to Shamira Frutoswho received a gold earring courtesyCano’s Jewelry. The Mayor and Members of the SanIgnacio/Santa Elena Town Councilextends congratulations to the newQueen of the West Miss Janine Lopezand to all the contestants for the greatperformance and team spirit theyeach displayed during the weeksleading up to the pageant andespecially on the night of the pageant. The council also extends specialthank you to the many sponsors ofthe pageant and individual contestantsas well as to all those businessplaces and individuals who donatedprizes and gave generously to makethis year’s pageant the success itwas. Special thank you also goes outfrom the council to the judges and

D r. & Mrs. Bob Roberts

Continued From Front Page

tabulators and to all those manypersons who took time out to attendthe pageant and the dance thatfollowed at Ka’ana Resort in honorof the new Queen of the West andthe other lovely and courageouscontestants. Lastly but by no means the least,Mayor John August and Councilorsextend a heartfelt thank you to Mrs.Karen Fernandez, James Mooreand Jaime Garcia as well as toformer Queens of the West AudreyAugustine and Conchita Moreno,who along with Councilors IllianaMoreno and Vanessa Neal workedtirelessly over the weeks to preparethe contestants and organize theentire impressive program. Let us all continue to keep thisannual tradition very much alive inCayo District. Congratulations onceagain goes out to Ms. Janine Lopez– Ms. Queen of the West 2007-08as she goes on to represent the Westin this Saturday’s Queen of the BayPageant to be held at the City Centerin Belize City. We wish Miss Lopezall the very best as she takes to thestage to proudly represent the Westin this prestigious pageant.

First Runner UpMs. Tricia Coye

Second Runner UpMs. Shamira Frutos

Western Highway,Santa Elena Town, Cayo

824-2061 or 610-4391


SAN IGNACIO TOWN, CayoDistrict, Friday, 31st August 2007: San Ignacio police have sent outan All Points Bulletin (APB) and areseeking the public’s assistance inlocating Santa Elena resident FrancisAugust who has reportedly gonemissing for a week, since last Friday,24th August. Police reports that on Monday 27thAugust, Mirna August, visited theSan Ignacio police station andreported that her brother Francis, 33,Belizean laborer of #32 George PriceAvenue in Santa Elena left home threedays earlier and that up to the time ofmaking the report had not returned. Mirna described her youngerbother as being of medium built,standing 5 feet 8 inches in height andweighing approximately 180 lbs withlow cut black hair. She told the police that he was lastseen wearing an orange T-shirt withlong blue jeans pants and a pair ofbrown leather shoes.

Francis is the son of Modesto“Muddy” August and his wifeHipolita ”Miss Poli” Salazar-August both long time residents ofGeorge Price Avenue, Santa Elena. Anyone with information that couldlead to locating this missing person, isasked to kindly call the nearestpolice station.

Missing person -Francis August, 33

BELIZE CITY, Saturday, 1stSeptember 2007: For the second time this week,Police were able to capture a shooterand probably saved a life on thetroubled streets of the old capital. On this occasion, the culprit, a 16year old minor, was caught stillwearing the mask and armed with a9mm pistol loaded with seven liverounds of ammunition. Police reports that it was sometimearound 10:45 on the night of Friday

August 31st. when an alert team onmobile patrol in the area of St. IgnatiusSchool on Euphrates Avenue heard asingle gunshot and saw a maleperson attempting to flee on a bicycle. The individual who was later foundout to be only 16 years of age, wasimmediately intercepted while stillwearing a black ski mask andholding on to a 9mm pistol. After taking the minor intocustody, Police rushed over to theadjacent Amara Amara Avenue

where they found 19 year old JamalJoseph suffering from a singlegunshot wound to the left buttocks. The injured man told the police thathe was standing in front of his houseat the corner of Amara Avenue andBasra Street when a lone gunmanrode up on a bicycle and opened fire. Police are of the opinion that theirquick response might have obstructed

the gunman from getting off moreshots at the target. The injured person was place in-side the police vehicle and transportedto the Belize City hospital. The detainee was taken to thepolice station and is expected to becharged for the serious crimes ofattempted murder, dangerous harmand use of deadly means of harm.


This past weekend was the finalshere in Belize for the Green SynergyHeineken DJ Competition. The main reason for this email isto express the sentiments of manyattendants the night of Saturday, 25thAugust. It is clear that either thiscompetition was 'staged' or it was notclear as to what the Judges werelooking for. Heineken had a video crewrecording the entire competitiontherefore a view of the tape couldconfirm my concern.DJ Bush, the reigning champion, wononce again. I must say that when theresults were announced, even he was'surprised'. His amazement on be-ing announced as the winner is basedon the fact that DJ Richie, one of thecompetitors, brought real game to thetable, mixing in various formats. The question remains, what werethe Judges looking for? Were they looking for mixing skills?Were they looking for the ability toplease the audience or was theirdecision made on the basis of thecompetition being staged on the hometurf of the reigning DJ?

I was of the firm opinion that theconcept behind this competition wasto highlight the “BEST” that eachcountry has to offer. Unfortunately wemust now just lean back and watchas the 'real winner' of the BelizeFinals 07 returns home puzzled as towhat actually transpired that Saturdaynight. Thumbs up to all the DJ's thatmade it to the finals and congrats tothe winner. All Thumbs down to thevoting system.

BELIZE CITY, Monday, 27th August2007: Belize Electricity Limited (BEL)reports that it is near completionof service restoration works inNorthern Belize. The Company hassuccessfully energized all main powerlines in Corozal Town and mostvillages in the district.BEL expects to energize the nineremaining villages in the CorozalDistrict by the end of today. Althoughthe main lines have been energized,some customers remain withoutpower, due to damages to the

secondary power lines and service en-trances. The Company continues to workon repairs to these secondarylines and is working with theNational Emergency ManagementOrganization to ensure that electricalrepairs are carried out to homes inorder for the premises to receivepower. BEL has also successfully energizedall main lines in the Orange WalkDistrict and continues to work onrepairs to the secondary power lines.San Pedro Town has been fullyenergized.

BEL is asking persons in theaffected areas to immediately contactthe Company at 0-800- BEL-CARE(0-800-235-2273) if power has beenrestored to their neighborhood andthey do not have power at theirpremises.

e- star edition #125 dated sunday, september 2, 2007 -...

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