June, 2025 - Greater Belize Media

Drip by Drip: Years of Neglect Surface at Racoon Street Station

The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a formal response following viral videos of the deteriorating conditions at the Racoon Street Police Station during recent rainfall.

The Ministry said, “the well-being of our officers and the integrity of our law enforcement infrastructure remain matters of the highest priority.”

The Ministry confirmed that it is working to secure temporary accommodations for critical units currently operating out of the Racoon Street station to ensure officers have safe and functional workspaces.

It added that over the past year,it has undertaken renovation and rehabilitation efforts at more than a dozen police stations and substations across Belize.

The Ministry said it is collaborating with international partners to design and construct modern, climate-resilient police buildings.

Trump and Elon Musk Break Up

Seven months after Elon Musk threw his support behind Donald Trump, their once-powerful alliance has turned into a bitter and very public feud on social media.

Musk, the billionaire Tesla CEO, accused the president of dishonesty over his so-called “big, beautiful bill,” which is Trump’s latest tax and spending proposal.

Musk called the bill “a disgusting abomination.”

After days of Musk criticising his tax bill on his social media platform ‘X’, Trump broke his silence today to the media, saying he was “very disappointed in Musk,” the Associated Press reported.

Musk responded on social media in real time, calling out Trump for ingratitude and claiming he played a decisive role in Trump’s 2024 re-election. “Without me, Trump would have lost,” Musk wrote on X. “Such ingratitude.”

In response, Trump turned to his social media platform, Truth Social, and threatened to cancel Musk’s government contracts, including those with Tesla, SpaceX, and Starlink.

Trump said, “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump wrote on his social media network. “I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”

The feud shook markets, with Tesla shares plunging nearly 12% by midday.

FinSec Warns: “Hopefully we don’t have to raise taxes, but you never know.”

When News 5 asked Financial Secretary Joseph Waight if the government can afford the salary increase that teachers are demanding, he said, “We can barely afford what we are doing right now.”

According to Waight, the government is already struggling to manage its current expenditure levels. “And it continues. Every point increase is seven million dollars for one percentage point. Do the math,” he said.

Waight noted that his office constantly analyzes the figures. “We do it every day to determine how much it would cost. But the bigger question is how will you pay for it?” he asked.

He added, “But we have to look at it, see where things can come. Hopefully we don’t have to raise taxes, but you never know.”

The government has previously said it is open to gradual reinstatement but has warned that a full, immediate reversal could place the national budget under unsustainable pressure.

Joint Unions Dispute Government’s Claims on Salary Negotiations

The Joint Union Negotiating Team (JUNT) has pushed back against recent public statements by government officials, describing them as misleading and inaccurate.

In a press release issued a few minutes ago, JUNT expressed “tremendous concern” over remarks made by two members of the Government Negotiating Team, Ministers Francis Fonseca and Henry Charles Usher, regarding the status of ongoing salary adjustment negotiations.

According to the unions, after receiving the Government’s official offer on May 21, they conducted nationwide consultations with their membership. Following those discussions, JUNT formally rejected Points #4 and #5 of the government’s proposal—specifically those related to the preferred method for salary adjustment and the restoration of increments. The rejection was submitted in writing on Saturday, May 31, 2025.

Despite claims made in the media by Ministers Fonseca and Usher, the unions state that “up to today’s date, Thursday, June 5th, 2025, there has been no response or counter offer received by any member of our joint union team.”

JUNT said that they are still awaiting a formal reply from the Government on what they describe as “this most pressing matter” for their members.

When Will Neo the River Otter Get a Friend?

Two years after the debut of his specially designed habitat, Neo the Neotropical river otter has become one of the most popular residents at the Belize Zoo & Tropical Education Centre.

Neo was rescued as a three-week-old orphan in 2022 and was hand-raised by zookeepers and made his public debut during the zoo’s 40th anniversary celebration in 2023.

While he remains a crowd favourite, the zoo says it’s very often asked the question, “When will Neo get a friend?” Zookeepers explained in a social media statement that Neotropical river otters (Lontra longicaudis) are naturally solitary, typically living alone or in small family groups.

“While he may not have an otter companion, Neo receives daily care, and attention from our team and of course lots of love from visitors,” the Zoo added.

Neotropical river otters are semi-aquatic mammals known for their muscular tails, webbed feet, and water-repellent coats. They are skilled swimmers, capable of staying underwater for over five minutes.

River otters are native to Belize’s freshwater habitats and are threatened by illegal hunting and habitat loss.

As part of its conservation mission, the zoo houses almost 20 native mammal species, including jaguars, tapirs, spider monkeys, and much more.

Teachers Summoned to Court Following Blockade

Several teachers who participated in a protest that blocked roads in Dangriga on June 4, 2025, are expecting to be summoned to appear in court and face charges related to an alleged unlawful assembly.

One of those teachers is Eli Villalta, who said on Facebook, “My summons have arrived, two charges which I have to show up to court for next week.”

Villalta is one of eleven teachers whose names appear on court summonses. The list includes Rosalyn Cornelius, Denise Henry, Derrick Martinez, Ifasina Efunyemi, Loretta Montero, Phidalia Castillo, Victor Williams, Clifton Lorenzo, Francis Williams, and Derrick Walton.

They are expected to appear before the Dangriga Court of Summary Jurisdiction on Wednesday, June 11 at 9:00 a.m. The documents state that the group “unlawfully assembled with the purpose of committing a riot,” an offense under Section 229 of the Criminal Code, Chapter 101 of the Laws of Belize.

Villalta has also been separately summoned for “causing obstruction to a police officer whilst in the execution of his duties,” under Section 38(1)(a) of Chapter 138 of Belize’s criminal laws.

The protest formed part of an ongoing salary dispute between the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) and the government. Teachers used their vehicles to block critical road junctions in Dangriga and Bella Vista, severely disrupting traffic flow and restricting movement for residents and emergency services.

Assistant Superintendent Stacy Smith noted that while “teachers have the right to express their grievances,” the police are obligated to act when a protest infringes on the rights of others. Smith said authorities gave protestors up to two hours to clear the roadways before taking what she described as “measured action.”

The summonses warn that failure to appear in court may result in ex-parte proceedings or arrest warrants being issued.

South Africa Is Rising And Scientists Now Know Why

South Africa is slowly rising out of the ocean, by up to two millimetres a year, and scientists now believe there’s a good chance that climate change is behind it.

A new study has found that this uplift is strongly linked to severe droughts and the loss of water from reservoirs, soil and groundwater, rather than the previously suspected underground mantle activity.

“We started to think there should be a link between this pattern and water loss,” Dr Makan Karegar, one of the study’s co-authors, told Live Science. “We believe that it [is] also possible that a loss of groundwater and surface water is responsible for the land uplift.”

Using a network of static GPS receivers across South Africa, researchers from the University of Bonn recorded an average land rise of 6mm between 2012 and 2020. The largest uplift was observed between 2015 and 2019, during one of the country’s worst droughts, when Cape Town nearly reached “Day Zero,” which is the point at which municipal water supplies would be shut off.

Christian Mielke, also of the University of Bonn, added that “The total mass of surface water, soil moisture, and groundwater is so large that it deforms the Earth’s crust, like putting pressure on an elastic ball.”

Researchers say the uplift may not be permanent but could be a valuable new tool for drought monitoring.

Caribbean Women Leaders Lead Regional Dialogue on Gender-Based Violence

Six senior female leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean, including Belize’s Minister Thea Garcia-Ramirez, came together this week for a high-level regional dialogue confronting the escalating crisis of violence against women.

The panel that was discussed was titled ‘Challenges in Addressing Violence Against Women in Latin America and the Caribbean’.

The dialogue was hosted virtually by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and brought together other ministers and officials from the Bahamas, Brazil, Haiti, Jamaica, and Paraguay.

Garcia-Ramiez, the Minister of Human Development, Families and Gender Affairs, spoke on the alarming connection between domestic violence and organised crime in Belize.

According to Garcia-Ramirez, the rise in domestic violence in Belize can no longer be seen in isolation, as it is now closely linked to organised crime. She warned that violence against women has expanded beyond the home and is deeply connected to wider issues of national security and development.

“Tackling this crisis requires a whole-of-society response that centres the needs and voices of women and girls,” she said.

The panel addressed shared regional challenges, including underreporting, limited access to justice, and under-resourced protective services. Belize’s participation underscored its continued commitment to regional cooperation and safeguarding the rights of women and girls.

Opposition Demands Transparency on BTL Merger Discussions

Leader of the Opposition Tracy Taegar Panton has issued a strong statement in response to Belize Telemedia Limited’s (BTL) recent public disclosure regarding potential consolidation within the telecommunications sector, warning against secrecy and urging full transparency.

Panton said that any move toward consolidation must be subject to rigorous public scrutiny, transparent processes, and proper regulatory oversight.

“Access to affordable, high-quality internet and communication services is no longer a luxury, it is a fundamental necessity,” she said.

She warned against any consolidation that could lead to monopolistic control or increased service costs, especially given the Government of Belize’s majority stake in BTL. She also raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the lack of clarity on who stands to benefit from such deals.

Panton called on the Government to immediately inform the National Assembly and the Belizean people of any proposed mergers or structural changes at BTL, insisting that no agreement should move forward without stakeholder consultations and Parliamentary approval.

She also urged the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to actively engage in safeguarding consumer interests and maintaining service standards throughout the process.

“This is not a time for secrecy,” she said. “If BTL is to merge ‘for Belize,’ as its statement implies, then the Belizean people must be the first to know, the first to understand, and the first to benefit.”

‘We Want Our Pension’: KHMHA Workers Union Meets with Government

The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority Workers Union (KHMHAWU) met with representatives of the Briceño Administration to press for pension benefits on par with other public sector groups. This highly requested meeting comes after union members took to the streets to demonstrate a ‘lack of communication’ from the government, according to the KHMHAWU Vice President Dr Alain Gonzalez.

“It seems like every time we want a meeting with the government, we have to go to a demonstration… We have communicated with the government three times, and they have lacked to communicate back to us; they haven’t returned our emails, and they haven’t come back to us. And so we are like, ‘these people are not taking us serious,’ and so this is why we get to the point of demonstrating and doing the plan of action because we have to make sure we are being heard,” Gonzalez said on Tuesday during a morning episode of Open Your Eyes.

Union President Andrew Baird met with members outside the hospital before the closed-door meeting to reinforce the union’s position. He made it clear that pensions remain the union’s top priority.

“We are focused, and as you heard just now, our focus is that we want our pension,” Baird told News 5. “They have added the coast guard to their pension; they have added the grant-aided teachers to receive full pension from the government, and we deserve the same treatment. We are equal among animals.”

The union is calling for immediate progress on their pension demands to match benefits offered to other public service entities. The talks will involve Minister of Health Kevin Bernard, Director of Public Health Dr. Melissa Diaz Musa, and Financial Secretary Joseph Waight.

When asked about his expectations heading into the meeting, Baird said he anticipates a possibly rough start to the talks. “First of all, I think it will start with a blame game,” he stated.