Raccoon Street Police Station is now dealing with a rat infestation, just days after a severe leakage flooded the building. While authorities say that the flooding captured in a video was caused by a hatch that had been left open, “the issue of rodents is one that is common in the city,” Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Stacy Smith said during this afternoon’s police briefing.
She confirmed that efforts are underway to deal with the rodent problem. “The department has taken the necessary steps to address the issue, and we are confident a resolution will be brought about shortly. We have contacted the relevant authorities and relevant experts in the field to assist,” she said.
Smith reiterated initial comments by the Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa, that there are plans to relocate the officers as these issues are addressed. Minister Musa had told News 5 that building a new police station is a long-term plan that will require a significant investment.
“In the interim, the police officers are taking the necessary steps to protect themselves, as their health is certainly of paramount interest, and we certainly need them to be in the best of conditions to provide the service the Belizean people deserve,” Smith added.
The Public Service Union (PSU) of Belize has declared a trade dispute with the Government of Belize (GOB) following an overwhelming rejection of the government’s latest wage and pension proposals by union members.
In a circular issued today, PSU President Dean Flowers expressed strong disappointment over GOB’s response to the Joint Unions Negotiating Team (JUNT), accusing the government of showing “blatant disregard for our essential workers.” The government rejected the union’s request for a $6 minimum wage for nearly 900 essential workers, including school wardens, cleaners, and security officers. It also denied an 8.5% salary increase for public officers during the current fiscal year, instead offering two incremental raises phased over three years and linking them to a 5% pension contribution for new public service entrants starting October 1, 2025.
The PSU announced it would formally notify the Minister of Labour by invoking Section 11 of the Settlement of Disputes in Essential Services Act. Union members in Belmopan and neighboring towns are being called to peacefully walk with union leadership to the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour, and Local Government to personally deliver the declaration.
The PSU also reminded public officers that, under Regulation 173 91.94% supported declaring a trade dispute effective June 10, 2025. of the Public Service Regulations, department heads are expected to grant time-off with full pay for union-sanctioned activities “where feasible.” The union will formally request releases for members participating in this critical demonstration.
As concerns continue to swirl around U.S. immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, one Belizean living in Los Angeles says fear among immigrants is largely driven by misinformation.
Faron Smith Jr., a Belizean resident of Palmdale, California, has lived in the L.A. area since 1998. Though he holds a U.S. green card, he has chosen not to pursue American citizenship. “I didn’t want to become a citizen of the U.S., you know, so I just stay with my green card,” Smith told News Five in an interview.
When asked about recent reports of ICE enforcement operations, Smith admitted he was skeptical at first. “At first I didn’t even believe it. I thought it was just people overreacting and just spreading misinformation. But then I end up seeing it, man, and I was like, whoa, just unbelievable.”
Despite the reports, Smith said he doesn’t live in fear of being deported. “Unlike what you see on Facebook, it’s not like they’re just targeting anybody and everybody,” he explained. “They deport a lot of people because… when they open up the border, you get good people coming in, but then you also get bad people… Any people that love their country, they don’t want that. So I completely understand what they’re saying.”
While Smith hasn’t altered his daily routine, he recognizes that others are fearful though he believes much of that fear is unnecessary. “I haven’t changed anything… I’m a veteran out of the United States Navy. I don’t live in fear none whatsoever. But I know, I see other people that are afraid.”
He believes much of the fear stems from a lack of accurate information. “If you have the information, you have no reason to be afraid. They can’t do you anything if you have your stuff together, if you’re not a criminal.”
Smith said he hasn’t personally heard of any Belizeans being picked up by immigration authorities in L.A. “I asked the owner of a Belizean store if she knew anyone it happened to. She said no. And I said, ‘Okay, I haven’t heard of one either.’ I know a lot of illegals here, a lot of Belizeans that are illegal. And guess what? If we don’t have even one person… what is that saying to you?”
Smith also criticised the violent actions during recent protests in downtown LA. “You could go out and protest something and you don’t have to vandalize, rob, hurt people, burn stuff. You can’t expect that you’ll be breaking the law and the police won’t come.”
Despite the challenges, Smith says the U.S. still offers opportunity, if approached legally and responsibly. “If you feel like you need more opportunity and you’re not getting it at home, there’s a lot more opportunity in America. But… if that’s their law, just go with it, man. Because that’s where you are.”
Downtown Los Angeles erupted in large-scale unrest this weekend as thousands of demonstrators protest recent ICE raids and the deployment of federal forces.
The buzz was still strong, but the numbers were down. The 2025 National Agriculture and Trade Show (NATS), held from May 30 to June 1, pulled in 34,042 visitors, down more than 7,000 from last year’s crowd of over 41,000.
Hosted under the theme “Integrating Sustainable Food Systems: Mitigating Climate Change, Strengthening Agricultural Resilience,” the event still saw solid regional participation and enthusiastic public turnout, despite blazing heat over the weekend.
However, one major highlight, the Ford Ranger raffle draw, was postponed after falling short of the minimum ticket sales. “We assure the public that this is a legitimate undertaking for which there will be a winner,” the Ministry said, adding that all purchased tickets remain valid. The new draw date is set for July 11, 2025, with ticket sales now back underway.
The government is warning the public about several online gaming websites falsely claiming to hold gaming licences from Belize or spreading misinformation about the country’s gaming regulations.
The government said that all online gaming activities in Belize are regulated and require proper licensing from the Gaming Control Board under the Gaming Control Act.
However, Belize currently maintains a moratorium on issuing online gaming licences, meaning no online gaming companies are currently authorised to operate from the country. The government confirmed that no new licences will be issued until further notice.
“All entities claiming to possess an online gaming licence from Belize must immediately cease and desist, as their operations are unauthorised and illegal,” the government stated.
The Ministry of Investment is urging internet users to avoid conducting business with companies making false licensing claims, as these operations pose potential risks to consumers.
Colombian presidential candidate Miguel Uribe remains in critical condition after being shot in the head at close range during a public rally in Bogotá’s Modelia neighbourhood on Saturday. The 39-year-old conservative senator underwent emergency brain surgery and has shown minimal response to medical interventions, according to ABC News.
Reports are that the attack was carried out by a 15-year-old suspect now in custody. Videos circulated on social media show the gunman firing at Uribe from just metres away. The Associated Press reported that the teenager was injured during the arrest and is being treated in a separate clinic.
“It feels like we’re going back to the 1990s,” said Walter Jimenez, a lawyer who joined hundreds outside the hospital on Sunday. He was referring to a violent era when drug cartels and rebel groups carried out killings of judges, journalists, and presidential candidates without consequence.
President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack, warning against political exploitation, but has also come under fire for his heated rhetoric.
In a message on X on Monday, Petro revealed Uribe’s security team was “strangely” reduced from seven to three bodyguards on the day of the attack.
Belizean-American actress Kara Young made Broadway history Sunday night, becoming the first Black performer to win Tony Awards in back-to-back years after earning Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in “Purpose.” Born to Belizean parents in Harlem, the first-generation American actress has shattered multiple records on Broadway’s biggest stage.
Young has already made history as the first Black actress to be nominated for a Tony in four consecutive years (2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025), breaking her own record for most consecutive nominations for a Black actress. Her previous nominations were for “Clyde’s” in 2022 and “Cost of Living” in 2023.
Last season, Young won her first Tony Award for “Purlie Victorious,” making this her second consecutive win in the same category. She became the first Black performer to win back-to-back Tony Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
“In this world, we are so divided,” she said while accepting her award. “Theater is a sacred space. It’s a sacred space that we have to honor and treasure.”
Minister of Public Service Henry Charles Usher says the government is still waiting on a formal response from public sector unions, despite Friday’s preliminary strong rejection of the proposed 4% salary increase.
“I would prefer to see what their formal response is to us,” Usher stated. The Joint Union Negotiating Team (JUNT), representing the BNTU, PSU, and APSSM, called the offer “insulting” and “a step backwards.”
Usher explained that the government’s proposal included an adjustment that would begin with a 4% increase on 1 October 2025, with an additional 4.5% to be considered over the following two fiscal years. “Government has never said that it was a situation that they would not get the 8.5%. It’s just that we want to know how it can be properly implemented,” Usher said.
He supports the unions’ right to express dissatisfaction but urged continued dialogue. “What is critical is that we find that mutual ground; we have that discussion… to find that ability to agree,” he said.
The goal, Usher says, is to find a formula that allows the government to fairly pay public servants and teachers while balancing the administration’s goals.
“If we can find that formula, looking at cost of living adjustment, looking at the CPI, at the inflation, but also on the opposite side, looking at the productivity, looking at performance targets and goals that we want to achieve in the public service, educational goals and targets that we want to achieve in our education system, that to me is more important, to find that ability to agree on that,” he said.
La policía está investigando un accidente de tráfico fatal que cobró las vidas de dos hermanos y dejó a un hombre hospitalizado el domingo por la noche cerca de Bladden Village, Distrito de Toledo.
El incidente ocurrió alrededor de las 5:30 p.m. entre las Millas 62 y 63 en la Carretera Thomas Vincent Ramos. La policía reportó haber llegado a la escena para encontrar una camioneta pickup Wingle marrón volcada en una zanja al costado del camino. Los reportes iniciales indican que el vehículo se dirigía de Medina Bank a Bella Vista cuando el conductor perdió el control, causando que el vehículo se volcara.
Sidney Montenegro Ruiz, de 21 años, y su hermano David Luis Montenegro, de 20 años, fueron encontrados sin respuesta en la escena y posteriormente fueron declarados muertos en el Hospital Regional del Sur. Los reportes indican que Sidney fue encontrada inmóvil cerca del accidente, indicando que había sido expulsada del vehículo durante el incidente.
Viajando con ellos estaba Asucion Tush, maestro de 42 años de Independence Village. Él sufrió heridas graves y actualmente está recibiendo tratamiento médico.
Los hermanos Montenegro habían pasado el día nadando en el Río Bladen y regresaban a casa a Bella Vista Village. Eran originarios de Costa Rica y se habían establecido en Belize. Sidney Montenegro era conocida por ser una futbolista destacada después de unirse a Rumberas y luego a Sagitun Girlz en 2023. El equipo ganó el campeonato de la Liga Premier Femenil de Belize el 31 de mayo. La victoria los calificó para representar a Belize en el próximo torneo UNCAF en julio.
Las imágenes del sitio del accidente muestran el vehículo con el techo aplastado y daños extensos en la carrocería.
Protests over immigration enforcement escalated across Los Angeles, USA, over the weekend, erupting into fiery demonstrations and mass arrests that worsened after President Trump’s controversial deployment of National Guard troops without state approval.
At least 56 protesters were arrested, according to NBC News, as demonstrators torched self-driving Waymo vehicles, looted businesses, and shut down sections of the 101 Freeway. LA police responded with rubber bullets, tear gas, and flash-bangs, declaring multiple unlawful assemblies.
CBS News Los Angeles reported several fires were set in dumpsters and trash bins, and at least one store sustained damage from alleged looters. Graffiti covered dozens of buildings, including the LAPD Headquarters, the U.S. Courthouse, and the old Los Angeles Times building. Helicopter footage showed multiple shattered windows at police headquarters.
Protests began Friday after ICE raids in L.A.’s Fashion District and other locations and intensified when troops began guarding federal buildings.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the federal response, stating, “What we’re seeing in Los Angeles is chaos that is provoked by the [Trump] administration.”
President Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles, with 300 already deployed by Sunday. The move also drew criticism from California Governor Gavin Newsom.
“Trump is trying to manufacture a crisis… hoping for chaos so he can justify more crackdowns, more fear, more control,” Newsom said.
The deployment was made without the governor’s approval, which prompted Newsom to threaten legal action. “We’re suing him,” he posted, calling the deployment “illegal and immoral.”
According to CBS News, Trump responded in brief remarks to reporters Monday, saying that California Gov. Gavin Newsom should be arrested and added, “I like Gavin Newsom … he’s a nice guy, but he’s grossly incompetent.”
An estimated 300,000 Belizeans live abroad, with most residing in the United States, where Los Angeles hosts the largest Belizean community.
With more than 55,000 Belizeans living in the Greater Los Angeles area, scattered primarily within the South Central, Inglewood, and Compton areas, it remains unconfirmed whether any Belizean nationals were among those arrested.
A second flight of deportees landed in Belize last week. Belizeans residing illegally in the U.S. are urged to take advantage of voluntary departure programmes, which offer a US$1,000 exit bonus for those who choose to self-deport.
According to California news, protests are expected to continue throughout the week.
