Belize Electricity Limited wants the mean electricity rate to remain fixed at forty cents per kilowatt-hour throughout the 2024–2028 tariff cycle. B.E.L. officially made the request to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on March twenty-second. B.E.L. says this aligns with its overarching mission to provide safe, reliable, and sustainable energy solutions that bolster quality of life, productivity, and national development. B.E.L.’s proposal is backed by four reasons, including the introduction of new tariffs and pricing structures for electric vehicle charging, the retrieval of outstanding balances from prior periods, and the allocation of over five hundred million dollars towards capital projects over the ensuing five years. The PUC says that a public hearing will be held on Thursday, April eleventh at six p.m. at the Belize Biltmore Plaza.
No sugar, no water, just pure, healthy juice. That is what Marjeli Alvarado, owner of Juiced by Mar told us when we asked about the contents of her cold-pressed juices, which are currently making waves across the country. Alvarado is hoping that she can get her juices to even more children by making them available in schools. News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Belize City resident Marjeli Alvarado has been making juices for over six years, and in August 2023, she decided to launch Juiced By Mar, her very own company, to provide Belizeans with cleaner, healthier juices. In alignment with that goal, she launched Juiced for Kids.
Marjeli Alvarado
Marjeli Alvarado, Owner, Juiced By Mar
“I have I have a dream, a dream and a vision that I want to see make an impact in Belize.”
Britney Gordon
“So what is that dream?”
Marjeli Alvarado
“So last year in July, the Ministry of Education started a healthy school. Healthy Belize campaign. And mainly, that is to eliminate sugary drinks from our primary school kids diet. And since I’ve been doing cold fresh juices for the past six years, I was like, wow, this can be the perfect opportunity. How can it be a coincidence? My dream and the vision that I have is to see my juices in all schools in Belize City. Not only in Belize City, but countrywide. It’s not something that I want to keep for myself, but I want everybody to benefit from it, especially our kids. It’s hard for us as adults to get out of our habitual ways that we’re stuck in, but it’s easier to work with our primary school children, right?”
Alvarado stated that her products are made from locally sourced produce.
Britney Gordon
“So you said that this is cold pressed juices. What is a cold pressed juice exactly and what makes your juice stand out from all the other natural juices that we see for sale in the market?”
Marjeli Alvarado
“First of all, we don’t have any heat added to the process. Secondly, cold pressed is a process of blending fruits and veggies. So you’re actually extracting the juices. from a fruit and a vegetable and you have to have a ratio of sixty to forty. It all depends on what you want to select, right? So there’s no water or sugar added to the process and when I say no water, zero percent water, zero percent added sugars and zero percent preservatives. So it’s all just the way as nature intended it to be.”
The Juiced for Kids brand offers three flavours, all themed around superheroes. Each bottle includes a fun fact about the ingredient’s benefits. Alvarado says that her goal is to prevent diabetes in children in Belize and hopes that these juices will make it into schools with the help of the government.
Marjeli Alvarado
“So for now the brand only has three different flavors. I have a Captain Carrot’s Plant. That is carrots with orange juice. And I also have a Mister Cocopina. On each of my bottles, there’s a superhero in a vegetable form. Like a cartoon character to appeal to the children. And the third brand is actually a Misses Apple. Which is green apples, cucumber, and pineapple which I’m going to make on set today. And I came up with these brands. We were simply in where I was in, in San Pedro, those three juices were our top sellers. And so from ten, why not just narrow it down to three, which is the average juice that, consumers would purchase on a daily basis.”
Alvarado offers a variety of flavours, including activated charcoal, which is made from locally sourced coconut husk. She also offers custom juices.
A Belize City man was arraigned today for harm after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend because she refused to have intercourse with him. The incident happened on March first and the accused is twenty-three-year-old Kenyon Flores. The woman says when she refused Flores’ advances, he got angry and accused her of cheating. That is when Flores allegedly choked her and slammed her head on a table while hitting her several times in the face. She told police that she got a knife and cut Flores in the knee to defend herself. Flores was brought before the Magistrates Court this afternoon to answer to a single charge of harm. He pleaded not guilty. There was no objection to bail, but the prosecutor did ask the court to set bail conditions to protect the complainant. That is when Flores flipped the story and told the court that his girlfriend stabbed him because he got a text on his phone. We briefly heard from Flores outside the courtroom.
Reporter
“Sure you don’t want to talk to me, you don’t want to tell me your side.”
Kenyon Flores, Accused of Assaulting Girlfriend
“Deh done do what deh do mein. Deh done please deh self.”
Reporter
“Why the gial stab yo? Just give me your side.”
Kenyon Flores
“She get vex because deh mih the call me and she seh me disrespectful, so she stab me.”
Reporter
Dah wah girlfriend relationship?
Kenyon Flores
“Yah.”
Flores was granted bail in the sum of one thousand dollars plus one surety of the same amount which he met. Flores next court date is set for May sixteenth.
On Tuesday, the National Meteorological Service issued a heat alert, warning the public that temperatures were expected to exceed ninety-seven degrees Fahrenheit. Since then, Belize has experienced extreme levels of heat, with some areas rising to one hundred-and three degrees Fahrenheit. Fortunately, temperatures are expected to fall as a cold front is predicted to pass over the country on Thursday. As conditions continue to change, the National Meteorological Service of Belize is advising all to remain mindful and vigilant of the weather. We spoke with the Chief Meteorologist, Ronald Gordon, for an update.
Ronald Gordon
Ronald Gordon, Chief Meteorologist “We issued a heat alert starting yesterday. And it continues today. We issued those heat alerts whenever temperatures inland are expected to exceed ninety-seven degrees Fahrenheit. Currently, or what we observed yesterday was that temperatures varied from about ninety along coastal areas to the lower one hundreds inland. For example, in Central Farm, we recorded one hundred two degrees Fahrenheit, and the highest was in Chaa Creek, which was one hundred three degrees Fahrenheit. These are from our network of automatic weather stations. They are not quality checked as such as it is, so they are preliminary data, but certainly they give us an indication of how hot it was. And that is the reason why we issued those heat alerts. Actually, we are expecting a cold front to come over our area later tonight. And so we will see temperatures decrease a bit. I, therefore today’s actually the last day for this particular heat wave. Tomorrow should be a bit cooler. It’s not going to be cold. It’s not a cool front like in December, but certainly it’s going to be a relief from the extremely hot conditions that we are currently experiencing. One of the measures that we advise our residents to do, of course, is to remain hydrated, you drink a lot of water, fresh juices. Avoid going into the direct sunlight, if possible. I know that’s not possible for everyone, but if you can avoid it, try to avoid it as much as possible. If you’re able to get some sort of shading, try to take that. And of course, the clothes that you wear as well. Try to wear clothes that will be a bit cooler and that type of thing. And then we advise, of course, for persons to look out for each other, especially our elderly, vulnerable population, people with disability and young Children and even our pets. So certainly we need to be very caring of others at this time. Heat, exhaustion and heat stress is real. It can have devastating impact and it can be even fatal. So certainly we advise residents to take these precautions and take them seriously.”
More intense heatwaves are one of the effects of climate change, and as Belize continues to bolster efforts towards climate resilience, extreme weather conditions worsen. Belize and other Small Island Developing States emit the least amount of carbon into the atmosphere but still experience the most impacts. Last year, the world observed one of the hottest days in recorded history, and according to the World Meteorological Organization, there is a high probability that this year will break the record. We spoke with Chief Meteorologist Ronald Gordon to hear what the trends are looking like moving forward.
Ronald Gordon, Chief Meteorologist “When you look at the longer-term climate trend, it is very clear that we are in an era where our temperatures are warming up. There is no denying that. So certainly, in the long term, we are seeing an increase in temperatures due to climate change. Climate change due to human induced climate change to be specific. However, there’s a thing called climate variability. So there will be exceptional years where it’s going to be extremely hot other than other years, you will have other years where the temperatures will dip a bit. So it’s the natural variables within the climate system. Last year in particular was extremely hot for two reasons. Of course, I mentioned we have human induced climate change, which is causing temperatures to increase, but on top of that, we’ve had a linear year, which means that conditions are actually hotter and warmer, and drier, in our area, so certainly those factors combined resulted in a very hot year last year, and what we are seeing right now, based on the current trend, is that we’re also heading for a very hot year I must mention that, on the short term, I’m talking about doing two things here. So on the short term, which is the water scale, we are going to see things changing a bit over the next few hours. Indeed looking at what we have done already to the climate system. It is very difficult to see that we can reverse the impacts. Certainly, we can alleviate and that what has that is what is being done, I believe, but the regional and the international level to try to mitigate the impacts now by reducing, of course, our carbon footprint. However, there are, there is already a lot of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and those take some time to actually come out of the atmosphere. They have a long life as such. Therefore, even if we cut emissions at this point. There will be some continuing heating and warming up of the atmosphere. So to answer your second point, I believe you mentioned that we need to adapt and that’s certainly one of the measures that we take in our region, because as most of us know. We are not a major emitter. So countries like ours, we are not the culprit, so to speak, of for what is occurring. So one of the things that we are encouraged to do is to adapt to the effects of climate change.”
Residents of Bullet Tree Village in the Cayo District say they have been having water issues for quite some time. They say that they have no idea what to do as they have had limited to no access to potable water for over a month. One resident, Dale Holder, told News Five that the village might be facing this problem due to development and population expansion. He says that the village is supplied with water through a pump that is connected to a reserve. Holder says he has been without water for the past two weeks.
Dale Holder
Dale Holder, Resident, Bullet Tree Village “We’ve had water issues ever since I’ve moved here. That’s just normal. I found in Belize. And, you know, the whole area has water issues. But they have developed a new area here next to the village, the government has, and they expanded. So before they did the expansion, they put new system up on the hill, put new tanks and everything. And since they’re developing the other areas around here, the people here have lost some of the water supply. And I hear different things about they don’t have a pump big enough to pump now. And I tried to catch up with the local chairman. And I finally called, caught up with him later this afternoon, just around noon and he said he would meet with me. Because I’m trying to find out from him and secondhand, I’ve never been able to catch up on him and return my calls for some reason, but the new area, there’s quite a few people. I don’t know how many is over in that area now, five hundred to one thousand people. And the very first part of the new area is getting water from what I understand. And other than that, they aren’t getting any water. We lucked out the first night, must have been Saturday night. We got about fifty gallons of water. But I stayed up all night to get that and to haul it up. But, you know, we are getting some. There’s other people that aren’t getting any. We are getting some now. I’ve been able to pump up a few times to the storage tank. The other people in the village don’t have access to an additional pump or anything, and they don’t have no water. It’s dry right now, a lot of them collect water, and they have water for a haul, but the area person here does a lot of the hauling water. He’s broke solid, he couldn’t even get to me because I needed water and we were out. And so it’s becoming a problem for the local people that we can’t get water. Unless they can go to, you know, the river and get it themselves and bring it back.”
A San Pedro man is claiming that he is being denied access to his land on the island. Fifty-eight-year-old Victor Gotay and his wife separated in 2020 but still live at the same address. He claims that he is being denied access to enter their shared business, Gotay Fruits Shop, or receive any profits from it. According to Gotay, the land is his, and all efforts to get authorities involved have failed. This is why he turned to the media to seek assistance.
Victor Gotay, San Pedro Resident “My issue is I’m concerned about my piece of land in San Pedro. I have an issue with my ex wife. We have a problem with the front of the land. The business that the two of us own. But the thing is that she seemed like she want to be the one who I want to have more rights over the land than me. And that’s why I told her I tell her the problem is here. I own the land and the way she talked the way how she won, but the way I say always she want to Like she just want to kick me out of the place and not make me have no rights for the piece of place And got me that back and only she have rights over the business.”
Britney Gordon
“And are you two officially separated yet?”
Victor Gotay
“Well, I dih go through the process right now. It’s not really official like that, but then the problem is that this problem here, she continue doing things inside the place without my concern. And they make, nice in the place and so the last time I come for work, I hear a lot of nice and so I tell them where are the problem there and the first thing they got a police there, they mind the business, and the police tell me the boss lady come and tell, tell me to come out of my own place. I don’t have nothing against the police, he’s doing his job, but he don’t know where they going there. That’s why he didn’t ask me where I was going. He asked me where I was going and take me out of my place. That really made me upset. Because I said, I’m the one who built this place. How can someone just come and take me out and, you know, and tell me to just come out and come out of it?”
Britney Gordon
“So, are you still having any involvement in the business at all? Are you still receiving any income from that? No kind of income.”
Victor Gatoy
“I have nothing to do with it. That’s how they treat me. They tell nobody. And that’s the way it really concerned me too. And the next thing when she do, she want put maintenance for me. And make me maintain the kids. I don’t have nothing wrong with maintaining the kids. But how is she, the way I see it, if she want make me maintain the kids and she must have the business. So I don’t understand what she want try do with me.”
Thousands of amnesty applications are still being reviewed. The government says that applications for twelve thousand, seven hundred and sixty-five migrants from thirty-two countries are still being vetted in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries. The new expected date of completion is the end of September 2024. Stakeholders are reminded that the valid “white” Amnesty Program receipt is a legal document entitling migrants to remain and work in the country until a final decision is made on their application. The Amnesty Program is being implemented for the purposes of national security, managing migration, economic development, and humanitarian assistance.
Two friends lost their lives in a drowning incident on Easter Sunday. Esau Castillo and Eduardo Martinez were reportedly socialising at the riverbank near the Iguana Creek Bridge. Sometime during their visit there, they decided to go for a swim in the river. But the two men never made it out of the water alive. News Five’s Marion Ali has the story.
Marion Ali, Reporting
Two friends, Esau Castillo from La Gracia Village and Eduardo Martinez from Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala died while swimming together on Easter Sunday. The men were reportedly swimming in a race against each other when their outing quickly turned into a nightmare in the river near the Iguana Creek Bridge, Cayo. Despite efforts by the Spanish Lookout Fire Rescue team, it was too late to save them on Easter Sunday evening. Peter Friessen lives near the area where the incident happened.
Peter Friessen
Peter Friessen, Resident, Iguana Creek “I live close to the bridge and I noticed the ambulance and the fire truck went to the river, so with my own interest I went there to see what happened. Apparently, friends were at the river and two guys decided to do a little race with the swimming. They never made it to their destination where racing to.”
According to Friessen, it didn’t take very long to recover the first victim’s body, but the search for the other one took a bit longer.
Peter Friessen
“As I reached there they had found one body already and took him out and they were searching for the second and within an hour they found the second one and Spanish to go with rescue team were out there to look at it and they had used a drone To look into the water and that’s where they find the second body In the river, so they were taken out as well before dark.”
Elisandro Paz knew both men who died. Castillo was his employee and the other, came by once a week. But the day they died, he saw them minutes earlier.
Voice of: Elisandro Paz
Voice of: Elisandro Paz, Employer of Esau Castillo
“I saw maybe 15, 20 minutes before that happened when I was in the river I do my barbecue there and, after that I was playing with my kids in the water. A few minutes I was in the water, they – somebody called me that the guys come down there and they come down in the river. I walked down there and we didn’t see nobody. Yeah.”
Marion Ali
“You had him working on your house, which means now that that work has stopped.”
Voice of: Elisandro Paz
“Yeah. Right now everything stop soh yeah, we feel so bad that happened, noh.”
Friessen and Paz lament that, from time to time lives are lost at the location. They hope that this tragedy serves as a sombre reminder of the dangers that can lurk beneath the surface.
Voice of: Elisandro Paz
“Especially how it’s hot I think most of the people want to swim a little bit, noh but yeah, I say they nuh take care because that was deep there. 02:16
Peter Friessen
“Every once in a while it happens, but people go a lot to the river to take a swim when it’s hot. I think it’s always good to take advice if people advise them not to swim. And watch the water and – but it’s a good thing to learn to swim from young.”
While all accounts are that Esau Castillo and Eduardo Martinez drowned after they went under on Easter Sunday, postmortem examinations will still have to be conducted on the bodies to certify their cause of death. Today, the Regional Commander, Eastern Division, A.C.P. Hilberto Romero, told reporters that the bodies of the two friends are awaiting autopsies now.
“On Sunday, the 31st of March, 2024, around 4:33 p.m., police responded to reports of a drowning at Iguana Creek Bridge in the Cayo District. Upon their arrival, they found – somebody reported that two persons were swimming and they went under and did not resurface. Searches were done, where the lifeless bodies of Eduardo Martinez and Esau Castillo were found. Information is that they were both swimming in the area when they went under, they did not resurface. Both bodies were retrieved and were taken to the morgue and now await a post mortem examination. No injuries were observed on the bodies.”
