Important Note: This Internet version of 7 News is a verbatum
transcript of our evening television news script. Many interviews on our newscast
are conducted in Creole. In the interest of clarity for our foreign readers,
we attempt to paraphrase the Creole quotes in English
Police are preparing for possible retaliation following an early morning double murder in Cotton Tree Village. The victims were at a wake when a gunman pounced on them. While only one of them was the intended target, in the chaos, another bullet was fired, killing the second victim. Now, while one family was already grieving, two more join them.
Jomarie Lanza visited the scene today, and police gave us more details. Here is that story.
While guests were visiting this family home to pay their respects on the loss of a loved one, a lone gunman was in the crowd with a different motive. Last night at a wake in Cotton Tree village, 2 young men were shot and killed while they were socializing. According to a family member, they heard shots and when they looked towards the roadside they saw one person on the ground. Upon running out to assist him, they saw another person bleeding out further up the road.
During a virtual press briefing, ASP Stacy Smith gave us the details that police have uncovered so far.
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer "27 year old Fernando Jones and 21 year old Esau Perez both of Cotton tree village Cayo district, the investigation commenced at around 3:47 Am on Friday 16th of October when officers who were on patrol in the village were alerted to the sounds of shots being fired. Upon their arrival at the scene they observed the bodies of both individuals which exhibited apparent gunshot wounds. What the investigators have been able to establish so far in the course of this ongoing investigation which has resulted in the detention of 2 persons is that both Perez and Jones were at a wake in that village and when jones was laving that location an armed male person emerged and fired several shots at Mr Jones injuring him and while making his escape he also fired in the direction of Mr Perez which resulted in him being wounded. The information so far as it relates to motive suggest that it is an ongoing dispute between factions that operate in that area and it started at the wake."
"Mr Jones, who is known to police is believed to have been the intended target."
At a time when a family is grieving and at their most vulnerable, it's hard to believe that a gunman would attempt to target one of the attendees of a wake. And because of the nature of this murder and how it happened, police fear that possible retaliation may be bubbling beneath the surface already.
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer "We are not dismissive of the possibility of retaliation and certainly we have adjusted our operational efforts in that regard."
"Police were on the ground last night I will also say that the commissioner in his review of the patrol operation last night observed something that he was not satisfied with. And certainly we are making adjustments in that regard and we will be holding those persons accountable but to answer to your question there is a patrol that is stationed in that village for that very reason because we had noted of recent earlier in the year whereby incidents of such nature have the propensity to occur and that is why operational efforts were placed there however there was a a laps and we noted that and as I stated actions will be taken and we believe that the operations in that area will continue."
As police mentioned, two persons are currently detained.
In the Belmopan magistrate's court today, Alexis Rosado returned with a new addition to his legal team. Rosado has sought counsel from Jamaican attorney, Deborah Martin. When the media made an attempt to speak with him upon leaving court today his responses were brief but it is the first time he has spoken to us. He referred us to speak with his other attorney, and here's what Leeroy Banner told us about today's proceedings.
Reporter- "Can you comment ambassador?"
Alexis Rosado, Charged for Rape "Talk to my attorney I cant speak on this your know that right?"
Reporter- "How about..."
Alexis Rosado, Charged for Rape "I can't speak any of this boy sorry."
Reporter- "But you are still assisting with the case?"
Alexis Rosado, Charged for Rape "That is part of my job yeah."
Leeroy banner, Attorney "What happened on the last occasion the trial judge gave us up until today to indicate to the court whether or not Mr Rosado will retain new lead counsel. We are happy to report that he has secured the services of an attorney from Jamaica Ms Debora Martin. We had indicated that today to the court so she is on the record to represent ambassador rosado as the lead attorney."
Reporter- "And that's all that took place?"
Leeroy banner, Attorney "That is all that took place, the judge set dates for CMC on November 20th we come back to that date and then trial dates were set as well."
Jo- "What is expected to happen when you come back on November 20th?"
Leeroy banner, Attorney "Well just to indicate to the court whether or not we will amend our CMC forms and to indicate to the court what witnesses we would like to have testify and so on. So CMC is just to indicate to the court what our positions are, in terms of setting witnesses?"
Jo- "Do you know or press or have an estimate how many witnesses this case may have just throw a number out there."
Leeroy banner, Attorney "I would say probably like 5, 5 to 8 witnesses but in these cases the main witnesses are the virtual complainant and the doctors and so on but I would say about 8 witnesses in total."
The trial was adjourned until November 20th, when they will do case management.
Police have intercepted a vehicle that was stolen in a home invasion that occurred in Burrell Boom village. Several items of value were stolen and the owner of the home was restrained during the incident. They have detained suspects in connection with the incident and today ASP Smith told us via Zoom how they managed to intercept the vehicle.
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer "Police have discovered a vehicle and have detained two peons of interest In relation to an aggravated burglary which occurred at 3:30Am on Wednesday 13th October 2026. A resident of Burrell Boom village visited the Burrell boom substation and reported that whilst he was sleeping inside his residence he was awaken by some noise. Upon getting up to inquire he was accosted by a male person who assaulted him and he was restrained. He observed that there were three additional male persons inside his premises who proceeded to ransack the residence before making off with an undisclosed amount of money, jewelry, cell phone as well as a Toyota SUV. This information was communicated and just before Thursday 16th of October 2026, officers on patrol in Santa family observed the vehicle which was earlier communicated to them and a pursuit was initiated. During the course of the pursuit the male persons stopped and abandoned the vehicle however that vehicle has since been processed with view to lifting prints in the hope of identifying who were those occupants. As I said persons are in detention and one other person is being sought."
Yesterday we brought you the leaked CABEI report on the state of the KHMH. Dated only two years ago, it found that Belize's national referral hospital was in critical condition. When we asked the Minister of Health about it, he said it was the first time he was hearing about some of the issues, even though he admitted the report came out over a year ago.
Today, we spoke with Andrew Baird who was the KHMH's union president at the time the report came out. He said that he was concerned when he first saw it and while there have been some improvements made, he doesn't feel like the urgency to build a new hospital - like the report recommends - is there.
Andrew Baird "In my capacity as the union representative at the time, the score was well concerning. Even before then, based on the infrastructure, the physical infrastructure of Karl Heusner and what we have been witnessing during the rainy season, the roof leaking overwhelmingly in different, in various areas of the institution have brought great concern to the staff and the union at the time."
"The minister knew. I think in 2024, an interview was done with him and at the time he acknowledged the report and he himself stated that a new hospital cabinet have supported, approved a paper for a new tertiary hospital to be built in Belize to replace Karl Heusner."
"At the time, I believe CABEI have made recommendation to the then available old Belize city nursing school, but I don't, I'm not so sure if that is still available to do any hospitality because if you notice, I believe either have least purchased or they are occupying a section of the old nursing school land. So if a new hospital had to be built, I believe it will be built somewhere else in the city."
"I believe there have been some infrastructural repairs to some of the leaking of the roof, but nothing overwhelming to make a difference. As a matter of fact, when you look at what CABEI have stated to, actually they said that the hospital is beyond this repair and it would have cost more to do repairs to this hospital rather than to build a new hospital. So the recommendation was to build a new hospital as urgent as possible considering the many infrastructural concerns that the report had alluded to at the time."
Reporter "But do you feel like on the government side that urgency is there to build a new hospital?"
Andrew Baird "Well, as the nation can see, there is no discussion, no further discussion since then. The structure continues to have leakage. Nevertheless, as the minister said, we do continue service. We have to continue service. We are the only national referral center for the country of Belize. So service cannot be interrupted in that manner, but there must be some urgency from the government to ensure that a new hospital is being built, because of the safety concerns that have been identified in the CABEI report."
And tonight we continue our coverage of the leaked CABEI report on the condition of the KHMH. The analysis was done in March of 2024 and at that time the Minister of Health spoke with candor about its findings.
But in 2026, it seems he's just turned into one of those acrobats who's flipped his position and gotten amnesia. Jules Vasquez reports:
August 08, 2024
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness "A study was done by CABEI. And so when that study was done and complete, it was either two options: either we demolish where we are and build - that would disrupt service; or build a new KHMH, basically. Build a new tertiary hospital."
"We have to think different we have to think different, we have to think big."
That was August of 2024, but fast forward to 2026, and not only had the good minister stopped thinking big - he seems to have caught a bout of amnesia. Yesterday, he said he hadn't even seen the report:
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health "It's the first I'm hearing about that but I know I think the report from CABEI was done over a year or so, I'm not too sure if that's recent."
"But like I said I haven't seen that report and so I would have to read the report to really know exactly what challenge."
And instead of the new tertiary hospital he mooned about in 2024, on Tuesday he talked about upgrading the existing KHMH:
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health "I'm not too sure in terms of the issue you raised there but I'm pretty sure that while these defects may be identified, I know that KHMH continues to provide a very excellent service to the Belizean people despite the challenges."
Very enormous challenges indeed. The experts concluded grimly: "In short, it is an unfit facility, as it does not present protections for both the patient and the staff."
Which is why in 2024 - months after the report was submitted, Bernard said:
August 08, 2024
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness "KHMH has served its time; it has outlived its capacity, there is need for us to build a better facility for the Belize District."
And while the Bernard of 2024 seemed to be on the same page with that, in 2026, he's not too sure:
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health "I can you and you can just look at the recent surgery that was done on our Foreign Minister, by professionals within the KHMH hospital and so I think that despite these infrastructural issues we need to look bigger than that, we need to look at the bigger picture in terms of what has been done, many services, how many support has been given, how many people lives have been saved at the KHMH and so we know that many of our old health infrastructure they need to be changed and at some point Karl Heusner hospital will need to be renovated and maybe a new facility built like I said I haven't seen that report and so I would have to read the report to really know exactly what challenge. KHMH of course is managed by a board it's a statutory body and so those report would have gone to them and not myself."
But he has read the report and he knows that it concluded Recent enough, in 2024, an Argentinian Architectural Firm doing an analysis the Central American Bank of Economic Integration found, quote, "After making an analysis of its infrastructure, we can point out that all systems are collapsed, that is to say, starting from the building itself, it can be marked as a synthesis that al floors should be replaced, coverings and ceilings, given their terrible conditions, besides the interior and exterior carpentry."
After he read that in 2024 - Bernard said Cabei had made a decision - but in 2026, he's not so sure:
August 08, 2024
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness "And we're hoping now that CABEI has made a decision it goes back to CABEI who will then come back to us and say alright this is what we believe the bank can afford to do for Belize."
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health "So we have to look at KHMH, we have to look at how we can repurpose but at the same time building a new hospital will take some time but we have to have the long term vision."
It's been 2 months since Tyrel Robinson was killed in front of the Michael Finnegan Market. Since then, a family on Armadillo Street claims that they have been excessively harassed by the police. They explained that 3 of the men who live there have been repeatedly detained by police but never charged. And now, they say it's escalating since officers are reportedly damaging their property. We spoke with them yesterday.
Belize is looking at the establishment of a US Department of Agriculture certified beef processing facility in the Fireburn area of Orange Walk. A high level stakeholder consultation was held yesterday where the participants examined the preliminary investment proposal and the requirements for its potential implementation.
The Minister of Agriculture, Roswell Ferguson, explained more.
Rodwell Ferguson, Minister of Agriculture "And so in July of this year, I met Ms. Glenys Williams, and I told her, I need to find a solution to the problem in cattle. I said the only solution is to do a processing plant."
"I said, let me look around to see if I can find some investors. And lo and behold, maybe one week after, she called me. I said, I might find somebody who might be interested."
"I was taking it very lightly until one day she called me. I said, the people are coming into Belize, so and so. So I said, sounds very good. And they are here today."
"And we have been meeting since yesterday. And initially, I'm from Stann Creek. Ms. Williams is originally from Stann Creek. And then Richard Keynes and his wife, Susie Sue, are from Stone Creek."
"And so they were saying then, let's figure out what we can do in Stann Creek for the cattle. When I assumed the ministry, I got a whole breakdown of which district has the most cattle."
"And Orange Walk by far had the most cattle. And they want to make sure that they utilize their investment properly. And so the first person who came to my mind was Mr. Johan Wall, because he has a very big operation. I was fortunate to visit his farm about two or three months ago. He gave me a thorough visit and an amount of acreage and his investment."
"So he said to mitigate the cost, it is best that they come and talk with John Wall and chart a way forward. So they talked with John Wall for the last two days. At the end of today, they come to a conclusion. And then now they have decided that they are going to build a beef processing plant in the country of Belize. That's a welcome initiative."
"So farmers across the country will now be able to plant, to rear cattle. And there is a market for it. There's a processing plant to reach the market."
"And when I told them I wanted to come in, I said we have several small operators doing beef cuts. So I don't want you to interfere with the local market."
"Unless the tourism industry and government decide to say, okay, we want some special cuts for the tourism industry, then they will provide the local market. But they are Americans. Some of them are Americans and Belizeans. They have a dual nationality. They feel that they can get this plant up to USDA standard."
A delegation of four tour operators and members of the BTB will be traveling back to Belize after a 4 day conference in Puerto Rico. The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association's annual cruise conference brings together tourism stakeholders across the region. For our Belizean tour operators, it's a chance for them to enhance the cruise experience when a ship docks here in the country. Courtney Menzies spoke to one of the participants via Zoom yesterday. Here is that story.
A delegation of four Belizean tour operators is currently in Puerto Rico attending the 32nd Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association Conference. Led by the BTB, they're currently joining 700 other cruise tourism stakeholders around the region and have the opportunity to network with them as well as pick up tips on improving guest experience.
One of the participants, Tanisha Vernon, the owner of Tuk Tuk Belize Tours, explained what the conference has been like for her.
Tanisha Vernon, Owner/Founder, Tuk Tuk Belize Tours "We came here with the main purpose and one purpose is to get the opportunity to meet cruise industry representatives and to share our package, our tour and to promote Belize as a destination and to see how we can introduce a whole new package, share ideas, and how we can develop the tourism within Belize City."
"I would say it gives me the opportunity to network as a new company and also to enhance and expand on the knowledge of the cruise tourism industry as well as workshops to enhance and modernize the way we explore Belize through transportation and so it has been an amazing experience."
And Tuk Tuk Tours is only a little over a year old but Vernon says it's the only company of its kind in the region and that's been a huge talking point for her.
Tanisha Vernon, Owner/Founder, Tuk Tuk Belize Tours "For my company I boast here and anyone that comes in contact with us that we are the only solar and EV operating company and transportation company in the entire region. Not only in Belize. So to have that as a selling pitch, it's so attractive to not only the locals but to the other cruise industry people and so for us to have a product that is wanted and needed and most of the industry stakeholders, they're going into that go green direction and we are the true representation of free mobility in Belize and globally."
"For us to have that here first in Belize in the region in the Caribbean and to have Tuk Tuk out there to expand that to a wider audience, we're so proud to be here."
"One thing that I consistently hear from each one of the meetings is about authenticity and I feel that here in Belize we have so many avenues that we can boast about being authentic creating packages by just our location, having the sea and jungle experience, we are a rare product here in Belize and to have BTB pushing these things and putting our other tour operators ahead of the game and introducing, we're so extremely grateful for that."
And aside from innovation, Vernon says based on what she's learnt so far, authenticity is just as important.
Tanisha Vernon, Owner/Founder, Tuk Tuk Belize Tours "But authenticity is the key and I believe that's what BTB has been pushing and promoting locally so to come here and to hear that same information of what they're looking for compared to any other country is just stay true yourself and your product and see how you can capitalize on what you already have."
"My goal is to change the Belize City as a destination not just a port stop or an overnight or a pass through city and so also how to include AI into our operations and make the tour operations and the entire country the travel agency system seamless. How we communicate, how we make the tours and information accessible using AI that's another way that I plan to adapt and enhance the experience and reduce on time, time is important in this industry so whatever digital information and for us as a company we already have tracking apps and dash cams on our vehicle so we are already meeting a lot of the standards that they're looking for and expectations and now it's just to enhance on that and see how we can make it even bigger."
The conference began on Monday and ended yesterday.
It's been 15 years since you saw the Diego family. But next month, Noh Matta Wat will be back on television with brand new characters and storylines, but the same family that you loved.
But if you don't want to wait that long, tomorrow you can get a sneak peek of the first episode at the premiere happening at the Bliss Center.
Producer of the show, Denvor Fairweather, explained why he decided on a fifth season.
Denvor Fairweather, Producer, Noh Matta Wat Well, the new season of Noh Matta Wat, season five, has been 15 years in the making or in the requesting because, I mean, over the years people have asked, um, when we were gonna bring the season, the, the show back again, 'cause our last season was 2011."
"And last year, because of the request of the director, Steve Berry, he asked us to do something, something to commemorate our 20th year since our first season, which was in 2005."
"So we had a launch event at the Bliss last November 15th. And coming out of that, um, the cast, the general public, everybody loved even seeing stuff that were done 15 years ago. And 20 years ago. It was still, you know, entertaining. It was still captivating. And so that gave us the impetus to work on a brand-new season five."
"And so this season five we started off with casting in, um, February, and now we are about to launch the first five episodes on air the week of November 16th, running to the week of December 27th."
"Uh, but to kick that off, and for those, um, fans of the show who want to get that sneak peek and see what's going, what's new in, um, season five before everybody else, um, that's gonna happen tomorrow at the Bliss."
"We're gonna have a red carpet launch event. We're gonna have a red carpet rolled out, and the actors and the, and the, um, and the public are welcome to come in and get their, their photo op."
"And then we'll have our photographers there, and we'll put... we'll post the pictures on our Facebook page, and we'll have some behind-the-scenes video."
"Well, the show is still based on, or stems off of the core Diego family, which was initially Granata Martha, Margaret, Randy, and Lasana."
"And then you have Randy's friends, um, Lasana's friends, and, and, and coworkers and stuff that other storylines, um, dealt with. Mm-hmm. In this season we're still coming off that family."
"We have Lasana, who is the main character now. Mm-hmm. She was a teenager, teenager then. Now she's a mother with teenage kids."
"And her teenage daughter is gonna be one of the main, um, focus of this season, and her friends and associates."
Reporter "And so for all fans of, of Noh Matta Wat, can they expect the same level of, of tension, and drama, and excitement that kept them coming back every week?"
Denvor Fairweather, Producer, Noh Matta Wat "Yes, yes, yes. They, they, they, they can expect that and more. Um, basically, as I said, it's been 15 years, and technology has improved, and, um, of course, we have more experience. And, and I'm we're focusing on being more creative and, um, more polished with this season to be able to also distribute in the wider Caribbean and worldwide through streaming to generate the additional revenue necessary to do these, um, shows more consistently."
"The aim is to be successful with the, um, season five this year, and then late next year or the following year going to season six, of course, with the success based on sponsorship and the, and of course the fans and viewers watching the show and spreading the word about the show."
And one of the actors told us a little of what you can expect from his character.
Theodore Mark Martinez, Actor, Noh Matta Wat "Oh, my character have so many different colors of the rainbow. I mean, he's a, a judge, and also you deal with a whole bunch of stuff every day of the week."
"But when he go home, you come to a whole different terrible man, as you may say, physically abusive. Mm-hmm."
"And, and, um, you see all that going on, domestic violence and things are going on with... Kids are witnessing what's going on. Mm-hmm. And, um, that's my character."
"He, he bring a little fire to the whole No Matter What fifth season. And, um, you know, tune in, you'll see what's going on."
Reporter "What made you want to audition for this show and be a part of it?"
Theodore Mark Martinez, Actor, Noh Matta Wat "Well, uh, every time I come to Belize, I try to get involved with theater or acting, but I, I reach out to s- to, um, a mutual friend, you know?"
"Deborah Sewell introduced me, introduced Steve and myself, and, and I mean Denver more than Steve. And, um, I auditioned for another movie for him, Clutches won the role with a good friend of mine, Kareem Ferguson, helped me work out on the character."
"And then when I came here, I reached out to him, and he called me to play this role because, you know, it demand, uh, a lot and, um, bravery and, uh, you know, it's a very physically, physical and emotional role."
The red carpet premiere event starts at 7:00 tomorrow night. You can get your tickets at the Bliss Center, on Kwikpass, or at phone number 610-1313.
Last Friday, a newly unveiled commemorative plaque was installed at Portchester Castle in England. This plaque was to honor the 2,500 African Caribbean and Garifuna prisoners of war brought to Britain in 1796. It was the arrival of the largest group of African Caribbean people to the UK and 2026 was the 230th anniversary of the event. Caribbean communities across the UK - including Belize's High Commissioner Cherie Nisbet - were at the unveiling.
However, less than a week later, the plaque was stolen and the monument was graffitied.
Emilio Thomas from the Garifuna Collective traveled from Belize as part of the Yurumein Royal Delegation to participate in the unveiling ceremony. Today, he told us more about the desecration of the plaque.
Emilio Thomas, Cultural Practitioner, Professional Musician "I was a part of the ceremony that happened when it came to installing the plaque and all the different high commissioners that were there from the Caribbean states as well as those who were descendants of those people from the different islands."
"During the time of the enslaved Africans in the Caribbean, you had a situation where there were on the island of St Vincent and other islands. They wanted to round up everyone and enslave them, those who were free. At a certain point, knowing their rights because they were warriors and all of that, they negotiated their surrender. If we surrender, we are not going to be sold into slavery, we're going to be known as prisoners of war. So they were under different circumstances arriving to Portsmouth at the Portchester Castle Prison in England and thereafter, these are warriors, men, woman, and children that I'm speaking about, between 2,000 to 2,500. So in that situation you have, they were treated very cruelly not in the sense of torture or anything like that but the conditions and also from the Caribbean to England, to the UK, the conditions of how they had to travel with the cold and the climate and all of that, many died on the way so the event was to honor the memory or the memories of all those people and it was also an opportunity for those who were descendants of, an opportunity to learn because many of the descendants don't know this history, myself included."
"We found out about the plaque being stolen one day and then the other day there was graffiti regarding those who were undermining or those who don't like what's happening, probably there's a misunderstanding or they don't agree with how the world is running now."
"I would say that some people don't like the idea that African people or people of African descent in the African diaspora are free because most people who are of the colonizers, they also look at our story that started at slavery, they don't think about what happened before."
Thomas said the authorities are investigating but so far there are no leads.
And finally, earlier this week you heard from the Minister of Transport about important updates regarding the National Bus Company - including the expectations that by December of next year, they will have a fully electric fleet. However, for now they're still stuck using some of the old buses.
The CEO of the ministry told us via a Zoom interview during the week some of the mitigations they have put in place in the event of a bus break down.
Chester Williams, CEO - Ministry of Transport "I must say that the National Numbers Company is privileged to have, among its staff. Mr. Wayne Bardalez if you know, was I think James was line operations manager and Mr. Bardalez is the southern regional officer for the national bus company. And so he is the one who oversee the operations of national bus company and and so and I can I can tell you with certainty that he has been extremely vigilant, making sure that whatever run that comes out of the South, that those round things are done, I know of instances where there have been breakdowns on the highway and very quickly another bus was there to pick up the passengers and take them to their destination."
"And so I can I can tell you with certainty that that level of vigilance is there. And there is also the logistics in place to ensure that whenever there are a breakdown, that, busses are available to respond and get passengers from point A to point B, and if you look at the fleet of busses in the south, you'll see that, they have injected a number of, not new as in brand new busses, but, fairly good busses. The NBC with the bucket seats and SC have not become a part of the fleet of the busses in the south again, to improve the the ridership, on the right experience of the of the commuters coming from the south. So, I, I can I can tell you that, there's a lot being done by the company to ensure that, they enhance the quality of services that is offered to the commuters. It is what the minister has been saying. It has been his mantra that we need to ensure that we provide the best quality service to our people. And the National Bus company is doing just that. Yes. We're not where we want it to be because there's a lot more that needs to be done. In getting, getting of getting in equipment and so forth. And again, that is something that the Minister is working on through cabinet to ensure that we get the the resources needed for the bus company to be able to provide the services that the people expect expected to provide."
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Police are preparing for possible retaliation following an early morning double murder in Cotton Tree Village. The victims were at a wake when a gunman pounced on them. While only one of them was the intended target, in the chaos, another bullet was fired, killing the second victim. Now, while one family was already grieving, two more join them.
ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
In the Belmopan magistrate's court today, Alexis Rosado returned with a new addition to his legal team. Rosado has sought counsel from Jamaican attorney, Deborah Martin. When the media made an attempt to speak with him upon leaving court today his responses were brief but it is the first time he has spoken to us. He referred us to speak with his other attorney, and here's what Leeroy Banner told us about today's proceedings.
Leeroy banner, Attorney 
Yesterday we brought you the leaked CABEI report on the state of the KHMH. Dated only two years ago, it found that Belize's national referral hospital was in critical condition. When we asked the Minister of Health about it, he said it was the first time he was hearing about some of the issues, even though he admitted the report came out over a year ago.
"At the time, I believe CABEI have made recommendation to the then available old Belize city nursing school, but I don't, I'm not so sure if that is still available to do any hospitality because if you notice, I believe either have least purchased or they are occupying a section of the old nursing school land. So if a new hospital had to be built, I believe it will be built somewhere else in the city."
And tonight we continue our coverage of the leaked CABEI report on the condition of the KHMH. The analysis was done in March of 2024 and at that time the Minister of Health spoke with candor about its findings.
"A study was done by CABEI. And so when that study was done and complete, it was either two options: either we demolish where we are and build - that would disrupt service; or build a new KHMH, basically. Build a new tertiary hospital."
"I'm not too sure in terms of the issue you raised there but I'm pretty sure that while these defects may be identified, I know that KHMH continues to provide a very excellent service to the Belizean people despite the challenges."
In agriculture news...
"I was taking it very lightly until one day she called me. I said, the people are coming into Belize, so and so. So I said, sounds very good. And they are here today."
A delegation of four tour operators and members of the BTB will be traveling back to Belize after a 4 day conference in Puerto Rico. The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association's annual cruise conference brings together tourism stakeholders across the region. For our Belizean tour operators, it's a chance for them to enhance the cruise experience when a ship docks here in the country. Courtney Menzies spoke to one of the participants via Zoom yesterday. Here is that story.
"We came here with the main purpose and one purpose is to get the opportunity to meet cruise industry representatives and to share our package, our tour and to promote Belize as a destination and to see how we can introduce a whole new package, share ideas, and how we can develop the tourism within Belize City."
It's been 15 years since you saw the Diego family. But next month, Noh Matta Wat will be back on television with brand new characters and storylines, but the same family that you loved.
Well, the new season of Noh Matta Wat, season five, has been 15 years in the making or in the requesting because, I mean, over the years people have asked, um, when we were gonna bring the season, the, the show back again, 'cause our last season was 2011."
"Oh, my character have so many different colors of the rainbow. I mean, he's a, a judge, and also you deal with a whole bunch of stuff every day of the week."
Last Friday, a newly unveiled commemorative plaque was installed at Portchester Castle in England. This plaque was to honor the 2,500 African Caribbean and Garifuna prisoners of war brought to Britain in 1796. It was the arrival of the largest group of African Caribbean people to the UK and 2026 was the 230th anniversary of the event. Caribbean communities across the UK - including Belize's High Commissioner Cherie Nisbet - were at the unveiling.
"During the time of the enslaved Africans in the Caribbean, you had a situation where there were on the island of St Vincent and other islands. They wanted to round up everyone and enslave them, those who were free. At a certain point, knowing their rights because they were warriors and all of that, they negotiated their surrender. If we surrender, we are not going to be sold into slavery, we're going to be known as prisoners of war. So they were under different circumstances arriving to Portsmouth at the Portchester Castle Prison in England and thereafter, these are warriors, men, woman, and children that I'm speaking about, between 2,000 to 2,500. So in that situation you have, they were treated very cruelly not in the sense of torture or anything like that but the conditions and also from the Caribbean to England, to the UK, the conditions of how they had to travel with the cold and the climate and all of that, many died on the way so the event was to honor the memory or the memories of all those people and it was also an opportunity for those who were descendants of, an opportunity to learn because many of the descendants don't know this history, myself included."
Chester Williams, CEO - Ministry of Transport 