Food Festival Postponed Due to Rain!

Due to the inclement weather, the Savor San Pedro Food Festival was unfortunately postponed until next week Saturday, February 7, 2009. We will keep you posted on any further changes and updates.

Slip 'N Slide

With the constant change in weather the tide has been exceptionally low lately, exposing the grass beds by the sea shore. We caught these two boys having much fun slipping and sliding on the muddy grass beds.

Sign Here

We are assuming that whoever placed this sign next to a garbage bin did not intend to imply that whoever throws garbage in the bin will be “Prosecuted and Fined”. We guess that it was a sign to discourage people from throwing their garbage on the side of the road like some are used to practicing. We give Kudos to the San Pedro Town Council and the South End Neighborhood Watch for putting up these signs and placing bins in different areas south of town. (It is just too funny that the sign was placed right behind the trash bin).

This pictures were submitted by one of our readers. If you have any funny pics or news to report send them over to ambergristoday@yahoo.com

Port Authority Says Westerhaven was Negligent

Reef coral broken up by cargo ship

The cargo vessel, Westerhaven, which ran aground on the reef two weeks ago has finally gotten its verdict. According to 7NEWS, the ports navigational investigation on the grounding of Westerhaven is complete and finds that the ship and its captain Fritz Schroeder were negligent. That determination activates section 29 of the Environmental Act which would allow the department of environment to charge the ship’s owner – 3 times the damage ($26.9USMil), which amounts to about $90 million. The ship left Belize on Tuesday night, January 13 en route to Guatemala but on its way out it crashed into the reef in an area known as Caye Glory. The captain Fritz Schroeder says the ship was on autopilot when it ran aground and caused great damage to our Great Barrier Reef. And although the law states that that is what is supposed to be paid more than likely a settlement with the ship’s owner will be worked out.

Equipment Donated to Police Dept.

Josie Nunez, Vice President of the South AC Neighborhood Watch, delivered a second donation to the San Pedro Police Department on behalf of the Colmar Foundation and the SACNW. OIC Dennis Arnold was on hand to accept the donation of ten Mag-Lite flashlights, 72 ‘D’ cell batteries, six pairs of Kevlar gloves and four 16GB memory sticks. These items were recently on the Police Department’s wish list. The South AC Neighborhood Watch would like to express its sincerest gratitude to the Colmar Foundation for making these purchases possible and helping to fight crime on Ambergris Caye. To find out how you can contribute to the South AC Neighborhood Watch please email: southacnw@yahoo.com.

Luis "Wicho" Uribio Will Be Missed

One of San Pedro's loved citizen and member of the San Pedro Dolphin's Football Club passes away in Guatemala today, January 28, 2009. Wicho was involved in a tragic traffic mishap on Saturday, December 13, 2008; where he suffered head injuries after he fell off a pickup truck. Before passing away he was in a state of coma. His mother is doing her best to bring Wicho back to Belize as soon as possible.

Controlled Price of Butane

Press Release, Belmopan, January 27,2009. It has come to the attention of the Belize Bureau of Standards, in the Ministry of Economic Development, Commerce, Industry & Consumer Protection that the price of Butane sold by some distributors may exceed the current controlled price. In this regard the General Public is hereby informs that the current prices are as follows:

Belize City - $ 86.00

Belmopan City – $88.00

San Ignacio - $ 88.00

Benque Viejo del Carmen - $ 89.00

Orange Walk - $ 87.00

Corozal - $86.00

Dangriga - $ 90.00

Punta Gorda - $ 91.00

In San Pedro the price of a 100lb cylinder is $107. Consumers are advised to note the current price and to alert the Ministry of infractions at 0-800-283-5587. Where there is failure to comply, consumers are reminded that the receipt is proof of purchase and this is important in seeking redress.

It must also be noted that selling above the controlled price is a serious offence under the Supplies Control act Chapter 293 Section four (4) OF THE Laws of Belize. Any person found in violation faces imprisonment not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars or both such imprisonment and such fine.

Belikin Calendar 2009 is Out!

The annual Belikin Calendar is out for the new year featuring twelve Belizean beauties in twelve exotic locations around the country. Click Here to view the entire calendar.

Food Festival Musical Lineup

Melody Man Escobar

- Press Release - Lucky Mango Productions, Belize's newest entertainment group, is pleased to present a full line up of live music for the second annual San Pedro Food Fest on Saturday, January 31. There will be three bands performing from 6p.m. till 11p.m. at Central Park.

The first band to perform will be 'The Steel Drum Duo' from 6p.m.-7pm. This group features local artist/musician Tanya Samoila on the steel drum and Drummer Jim on hand percussion. This popular group has gigged all over San Pedro throughout the past year performing at weddings, resorts, and bars. Their soothing musical vibes are sure to set the mood for a fun night of eating and drinking.

The second group to perform will be 'Mangrove Riddums' from 7p.m. - 8p.m. These two brothers from Trinidad have performed music all across the world over the past 30 years. They have backed up and played with some of the biggest acts in Caribbean music during that time. They specialize in a wide variety Latin American music, playing Latin jazz, salsa, reggae, and much, much, more. This talented duo is not to be missed, so make sure you check them out!

The third group which will be headlining the event is San Pedro's newest musical sensation 'Small World Band' featuring Melody Man Escobar from 8p.m - 11p.m. The Small World Band puts on a hype performance that aims to get people up and dancing. By playing a wide variety of music, including styles such as reggae, dancehall, soca, and rock, there is something for everyone to enjoy. They will also be performing original tracks from Melody Man Escobar, including his newest hit 'Belizean Artist' which is currently being played all over the radio waves of Belize. The video for 'Belizean Artist' can also be seen on TV stations around the country. For more info on Melody Man, check out his website myspace.com/melodymanescobar. So be sure to come out and hear one of Belize's best known original solo artist Melody Man Escobar perform with San Pedro's newest group 'Small World Band'.

UDP Holds Rally

The United Democratic Party held a rally on Saturday, January 24, at Central Park where the seven UDP candidates running for Town Council elections took to the stage to push forward their "Keep Progress Alive" campaign. All seven UDP candidates are currently members of the Town Council and are all running for re-election this coming March. Guest speakers of the event were Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez, Hon. John Zaldivar and Prime Minister Dean Barrow. More on this week's edition of Ambergris Today.

Traffic Accident

The San Pedro Police Department informed our office at 5p.m. today that Mr. Carlos Castillo was the driver of the motorcycle that was involved in a traffic accident that occurred at the corner of Island Supermarket today at around 12:30p.m. Up to now, investigations reveal that it was Mr. Castillo who ran into a golf cart heading in the opposite direction that he was. He received injuries to the head and was tended to at the San Pedro Poly Clinic. Investigations reveal that apparently Mr. Castillo was driving under the influence of alcohol. The driver of the golf cart did not sustain any injuries but he was charged for driving with an expired driver's license and driving a vehicle with expired license and insurance. More on this story on next week's edition of Ambergris Today Newspaper.

Honduras Defeats Belize 2-1 (UNCAF)

On Thursday January 22, Honduras won 2-1 to Belize in the first day of the Cup of Nations of the UNCAF, after a much anticipated game in the National stadium of Tegucigalpa.
The captain of Honduras, Beloved Guevara, resulted expelled of the game at the 90 minutes by accumulating two yellow cards. He scored at the 32nd minute by means of a penalty previously missing one minutes before. Walter Martínez converted the 2-0 at the 62nd minute. Lisbey Castillo of Belize converted at 86th minute for the 2-1 loss.

The Lion Fish and its Threat to our Coral Reef

Ambergris Today was the first media to break the story about the dangerous Lionfish and its trek from the United States to the Caribbean back in September of last year. And a couple weeks ago we published the reports of the first sighting of the “Reef Killer” in Belizean waters, particularly at the Turneffe Atoll.

Today we have another reported sighting at the Glover’s Reef Atoll. “We are sorry to be the bearers of bad news, but we just received a confirmed report of a lionfish sighting at Glovers,” stated the email we received here at Ambergris Today.

The Lionfish was sighted by Kitty Luk from Isla Marisol at a dive site called Midway, half way between Southwest Caye and Middle Caye on the east side of Glovers. The fish was 5-6 inches long and was sighted just at the drop off at about 50 feet. According to Kitty her efforts to capture the Lion Fish were unsuccessful and it is still somewhere out there.
This is the third reported sighting of Lionfish in Belize. In late December the Sun Dancer liveaboard sighted and photographed a Lionfish at Turneffe Atoll. Read more about the dangerous Lionfish and its threat to our coral reef at www.ambergristoday.com

Lionfish AP Report

Lion Fish Hunting

Coral Fish Attack Lionfish