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
Tonight, the public service and teachers unions are incensed and threatening industrial action. And it's because of an internal government memo which was leaked last night. It's dated 28th March and is from the Cabinet Secretary to the Financial Secretary announces salary adjustments.
None fell swoop, the annual salary for Cab Sec goes up 18.5% from $81,000 annually to $98,000 annually - and that's effective March 13th - the day after election. And for CEO's it goes up 15% from $76,300 annually to $88,000 annually - effective March 18th.
This is in addition to the transport, phone and entertainment allowances they get annually which amount to $3,100 dollars.
All told it's quite a hefty package which has gotten nicely bumped up at the very start of the PUP's second term.
Today, the PSU issued a release calling it "shameless self enrichment". The president told the media in a Zoom meeting that they were caught totally off guard:
Dean Flowers, President - PSU "Totally off guard, Jules. This came at us like a thief in the night. At no point in time did we envision this shameless act once again by the cabinet secretary, on behalf of the CEO caucus and himself. What is even more damning, It doesn't even says that cabinet approved it. It just says we're adjusting our salary pretty much. And, I'm adjusting my salary also. He kindly adjusted the CEO's salary. There was no indication that this matter was tabled before cabinet, that it came as a result of approval by the Prime Minister."
"It's a disrespect to the entire collective bargaining process. It's a disrespect to the government negotiating team, in my view, because in essence, they're saying we don't care what you're doing on the larger scale, we're looking after ourselves. And, and this is what we want and this is what we get."
"In essence, only one small group continues to win. But instead of you look at compensating those who are grossly underpaid, who are making basically poverty wages, you continue to compensate those at the top of the pyramid who don't pretty much pay for anything. They get free telephone for their and their family, because the amount of money they could get one package for the whole family with the with the package that we give them for telephone, with the amount of allowance that we give them for vehicles, If we're not giving them a government vehicle with free fuel."
"And it's really shameful. It's really and but again when you have to deal with political cronies you don't expect them to have any shame."
And while shame is subjective - the issue of legality is more cut and dry. The Cab Sec's increase is retroactively dated to take effect the day after the election - when the Cabinet was not named until 3 days after.
Flowers questioned the legality and the authority:
Dean Flowers, President - PSU "Man, it was one day after the election, there was really and truly no cabinet in place, there was no approval for this matter on March the 13th. So how do you retroact it to March 13th? But similar to the former prime minister of this country who went to the House and said, well, we just will backdate or retroact a bill to correct all the wrongs and all the unauthorized spending that we did. Again, it speaks to the hypocrisy of the red and blue, and this is what the Belizean people need to understand. We're all being taken for fools by the PUDP. The same thing that this administration accused the administration of is the very same thing that they do."
"They come with this type of retroactive payments, for which there has been absolutely no budget approval. How are you going to pay yourself effective this payday presumably as of March 13th, when you haven't even presented a budget for the new fiscal year?"
And Flowers challenges the government's 21 CEO's to prove that they can make a comparable salary in the private sector where they are not politically favoured:
Jules Vasquez "One of your criticisms is that, okay, you have to make sacrifices. You can't try and bring your salary in line with what you feel is suitable for someone in the private sector or at a multi-million dollar utility or statutory board."
Dean Flowers, President - PSU "And, and that's exactly the reason why we would have included it just because, we heard nonsense from the cabinet secretary with the utmost of respect, I say that, but we heard that nonsense from him before."
"75% of them would have never been enjoying the compensation package that they're currently enjoying in the public sector, in the private sector. And so for a lot of them, they're on cloud nine because they would have never, the private sector would never offer some of them, because some of them are simply not qualified, to hold such prestigious positions."
"And I dare 75% of them to step forward and say, this is my payslip that I was making in the private sector to silence me."
"And this is the, and this is what really hurts because they're exploiting the situation, they're exploiting the public. They're exploiting the fact that Belizeans are keyboard warriors, that Belizeans are, we we we sit, we gripe, we drink a beer, we smoke a weed, we complain and we do absolutely nothing because we continue to believe in this peaceful, constructive revolution that was that, that was imposed or imposed on us in 1981."
"And so in essence, what our press release aims to do is to inform our general membership that, look, we can continue having the watercooler conversations, we can continue, sending 1,000,001 text messages to the branch chairs and the president about what we're going to do, or we can step up, step forward and say, president it's time for you to served notice on the government of Belize. Because this kind of abuse, we will not continue to tolerate."
But for all the condemnation that he heaps on those 21 CEO's, Flowers, in his union's press release does not call on the government to rescind the increment. Nope. In fact his union release demands an increase of 7.5% for the members of his union. We asked where's the moral high ground in that?:
Dean Flowers, President - PSU "We're asking for a salary adjustment of 7.5%. And we're not asking in the sense of begging for consideration. We're saying to the government of Belize, whether it was under the UDP, what it was, what it is under the PUP, you have withheld seven, a minimum of 7.5%, salary from public officers. So we're demanding that 7.5% now. We're not about to enter into negotiation for our 7.5%."
"We're saying if you can give, the your CEO caucus and your cabinet secretary and by extension yourself, because there is no way any minister will continue to sit and watch the CEOs earn more than them. That's foolish for any one of us to think that the ministers will not get an equivalent salary adjustment. That's foolish."
"And so we're saying, look, give us what we deserve and what you've withheld from us, our 7.5%, and that's non negotiable."
Jules Vasquez "The criticism that you have vacated the moral high ground by saying, basically, cut me in or cut it out. What you all are saying, it's not that you all are asking in your release that it be reversed."
"You all are saying that we want, since the pie is so grand, we, the public officers want the slice of it. How do you answer that criticism?"
Dean Flowers, President - PSU "No, I don't think that that's a fair criticism, Jules. I think that we have continuously shown to the Belizean public that we are prepared to continue, to serve for, for a salary that is, that is less than, than the coming to, to, to, to the kind of work that we do."
"We have our specialists, in several of our, our technical persons, I'm referring to when I speak to specialists who are still entering this service with, with master's degree and being, being proposed, 31 and $34,000. So we're grossly underpaid."
"We're saying, in fairness, we. are the heavy lifters. We are out there to make it happen. No CEO is out there doing the hard work. Jules. They are just showing up for the most part and sign. Decide who gets the contract, decide who and get victimize. Decide who won't get promoted, decide who and get hired and decide for who they will break the rules after who they will uphold the rules and that is in essence what they do."
"We have no problem if this is this, if this will be the new, the new, the new approach by successive governments whereby they believe that those at the helm, are supposed to be compensated, handsomely. We have no problem with that. But for us at the bottom, who do the heavy lifting man cut we een and treat us fairly."
And, if not? Well, Flowers raised the prospect of industrial action from a union not known for activism:
Dean Flowers, President - PSU "It is never our intention to engage in industrial action. But when we see these kind of injustices, economic injustices at the expense of public officers, we have no other choice but to call our members and to rally the troops to get ready to take industrial action against the government of Belize, until such time that we're treated with respect and the fairness that we deserve."
And at around the same time that Flowers was talking to us, his sister union, the BNTU issued a press release referring to the increases as "obscene."
And just like the PSU - they say they are overworked and underpaid. President Nadia Caliz recorded a brief message to her her members:
Nadia Caliz, President, BNTU "The BNTU has seen a number of persons who are normally paid from a public purse receiving increases as they pertain to their salaries. We have been asking for our frozen increments. We've been asking for outstanding increments. We've been asking for salary upgrades. There are a number of things pertaining to salaries that the BNTU has been asking for. The BNTU must say that in certain areas we recognize the strides that we have made and we're happy about it. But the cost of living today is not one that we can sit idly by and ignore. So every time we see certain persons being paid and our educators are suffering we are now saying to you, the governmental Belize, that the BNTU will be meeting with its affiliates and caucusing with its membership because we're getting ready to take action."
We'll keep following to see what - if anything - happens next.
Belize City police are on high alert at this hour - after a robbery in the King's Park area and the appearance of a man with a gunshot wound at the KHMH.
It was an attempted robbery of a Bowen and Bowen truck on St Peter's street. Police have also responded to an area nearby where they found a mask and a bloodstain. This led them to the KHMH where a man with a gunshot injury was admitted. It is not confirmed if he was shot after the robbery attempt.
Police are also responding to a report of a shooting on Mayflower street - but that is not confirmed…
Last night, San Pedranos banded together in a bucket brigade trying to extinguish a roaring fire in their town. According to police reports, it was around 8:30 when a waitress at Brunolito's Ice Cream Shop noticed fire coming from the bodega area of the building. When she opened the door, she saw a wooden table and a wall fan above it engulfed in flames. She and another man who was inside the restaurant attempted to use two fire extinguishers, but they both malfunctioned.
They fire then spiraled out of control and the fire department was called. But that wasn't the end of the blaze. Courtney Menzies has this story.
The estimated damage to Brunolito's is $400,000 USD. An apartment room was also damaged, but no one was inside at the time of the fire. No cause has been determined yet.
A team of medical professionals who have been studying in Cuba recently returned to Belize - and back to the KHMH.
And in that team is Dr Magdalena Garcia - the hospital's newest general surgeon. But before she became a doctor, she was a nurse, fresh out of UB, and starting her career at the KHMH. Over two decades later, she's grown in her field and in the hospital she calls home. Courtney Menzies stopped by the KHMH today and heard about her journey from nurse to surgeon. Here is that story.
At age 21, Dr Magdalena Garcia started her career as a nurse at the KHMH. 21 years later, she is still employed at the hospital, except now she has been trained as a general surgeon.
Dr Garcia's story started in sixth form when her father got sick, which made her switch career paths from a teacher to a medical professional. She graduated from UB's nursing program in 2002 and never looked back.
Dr Magdalena Garcia, Trained As General Surgeon, KHMH "After I graduated, I went to work here in KHMH under, at that time, it was Matron Hemmans. That was a director here of the nurses in KHMH, and she brought me under her wing and along with the nurses here in this institution. So I worked for a year and I decided that I wanted to give back more. So I pursued a career in medicine. So I went to study. I got the scholarship from Belize, and I got that scholarship to go to Cuba, and I did, general medicine. So I graduated there in 2006, I graduated, I came here, did an intern internship for a whole year, which is a program that has been instituted for all the doctors that graduate all over the countries, Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, they come here. So I did my one year internship in KHMH and then I worked here as a medical officer for eight years. Then under the directive of Doctor Lisa Johnson, who is now the dean of University of Belize. She gave me an opportunity, along with the other doctors that graduated here and went to pursue further studies in the different departments here in KHMH. So the opportunity I was one of the persons that got the opportunity. So I went to pursue general surgery."
And that was in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Still, she continues her studies with one goal in mind: to return to serve Belize. It's been 3 weeks since she's been back and she says it was all worth it.
Dr Magdalena Garcia, Trained As General Surgeon, KHMH "Well, the gratitude and the sincerity of seeing patients smile with you even though they are sick in their bed, they give back by telling you thank you. And that goes a long way for me. From being a nurse. I have never stopped being a nurse. I have never stopped being a medical officer. And now as a specialist, soon to be acting and working here at KHMH, most of the people are proud of me here because they have seen me rise from the nurses, being a doctor and now a specialist, that I can change people's lives."
And her passion project is treating patients with advanced diabetes and hopefully lessening that number of amputations the hospital records.
Dr Magdalena Garcia, Trained As A General Surgeon, KHMH "Most people here are affected and what brought me to become a surgeon as well was the amputations. That happened every year because of diabetic patients. And, we need to have more prevention protocols instituted in the polyclinics so that the patients are well taken care of, preventative measures are taken so that when they come to a tertiary level, which is KHMH, we don't come here only to facilitate amputations, but to also give them more care so that they can stay, not only give them more years to work, because it's mostly younger population that are being affected, and it also affects everyone on a whole, Social Security, because you know, these young people cannot work. They are incapable. And, years of time, the work. It affects on every level socially, economically, financially. So that's the reason why I want to make a change, not only for them, but for also other types of patients that we treat here in KHMH."
And Dr Garcia now passes on her knowledge to the other nurses, encouraging them to to pursue their passions.
She's an important building block in KHMH's surgery team, which is now more advanced than ever.
Dr Magdalena Garcia, Trained As A General Surgeon, KHMH "Well, from when I was a nurse and from I know myself, I always encourage anyone that wants to continue studying. I do promote and if there's any way I can help, if there's a suggestion, if there is a way where they can go and ask for help or get scholarships, I always advise them to go. I always advise anyone if there's any way I can help or point them towards someone that can make their dream a reality, I am that person. So, for myself, I want to thank the board members of KHMH who actually made an impact on myself and not only for us, but for other doctors that were here around that time, which was they gave an opportunity for a specialist in gynecology, for a specialist in anesthesiology, for a specialist in radiology, for a specialist in pediatrics, two specialists in pediatrics and myself in general surgery. So KHMH has its own specialists here in for us to treat as a team."
While she has completed her education, Dr Garcia is awaiting the completion of some paperwork to be officially recognized as a general surgeon.
We told you already about an attempted robbery and shooting in the city a short while ago. Well, this afternoon in Independence village Nan Fang Store was robbed. Two masked men held the store owner up at gunpoint and stole an undisclosed amount of money. Police are investigating.
And - also in Independence this past Saturday, around 3 in the afternoon, Quality Poultry in Independence Village was robbed of an undisclosed amount of money. The supervisor told police that while he was in the store with the cashier, two men ran in. One of them was armed with a gun and stole the money from the cash register. They also stole a cellphone from a customer in the store, who was actually a police officer.
After reviewing surveillance footage, police are searching for two known suspects.
The mounting concerns about the erosion on the Placencia peninsula have led the Ministries of Sustainable Development, Infrastructure Development, and Natural Resources pledging to take urgent action to tackle it. The Government acknowledged both climate change and human activity as contributing factors, including the construction of structures that block natural sediment flow, sand extraction, and inadequate regulation enforcement.
A meeting was held where several short-term and long-term measures were discussed. Immediate steps include closer engagement with community leaders, improved coordination among regulatory agencies, stricter enforcement of environmental regulations, and more frequent compliance inspections.
The ministries highlighted the value of ongoing research by the University of South Florida and stated that collaboration with the coastal communities will be vital to restoring the Peninsula's coastline and resilience.
Last night we showed you the 2021 letter that CEO in the Prime Minister's Office, Narda Garcia sent to the developer of Cayo Rosario. It liberally gave Daniel Kalenov support and approval for all the developer could desire: from 40 overwater structures, to a 600 foot dock and pier, to a mangrove clearing permit, to the extraction of 25,000 cubic yards of sand by dredging, a submarine cable, and a wastewater treatment plant.
Well, today the Prime Minister called our newsroom about to explain that Garcia did not give those approvals directly - but that they were based on what was allowed din the environmental compliance plan. He said there was a meeting with the developer, Blue economy, his trade ambassadors, and the Ministry of Investment. He says that blanket letter was based on the discussion had at that meeting- and that it was intended to be a letter of comfort for the developers from the new government.
The PM says the letter signalled that the new government supports the project. The PM said that the project is being developed by the Six Senses resort brand which will improve Belize's image with high end travellers.
It's only Wednesday, and there's still time to get those last minute Easter Baskets together. And if you're unsure of where to start or if you can afford it, then we may have the basket blueprint for you. Jomarie Lanza managed to put one together with only $50 this week and here's how that went:
How to make an easter basket on a budget of $50? That's what we attempted to do at Simon Quan Store yesterday, where we were able to collect most of the essentials. When we walked through the aisles and compared prices we realised it would be cheaper to purchase a bucket and shovel rather than a basket, and once we found our base we then moved onto the eggs and other treats within the store. Of course no basket, or Easter bucket, that is, can be complete without these gold chocolate easter eggs, and while we had hoped there would be more easter candy for sale, we settled for a pack of gummy bears.
So once we got through with the Easter novelties, we then went to shop for snacks to add to the basket - because it just wouldn't be easter without chocolate.
We also noticed while in other stores that people were already selling ready made baskets.
But what isn't said about a basket on a budget is that you have to provide the labor and - that's what I set out to do assembling this tightly budgeted basket.
Here's how I did it.
Jo Marie Lanza "So roughly everything on this table we spent around like 49 dollars in total. So you have this section here that is all the items that are going to go into the bucket and then we have like goodies and other stuff going in the bucket as well so like a very healthy separation and distribution of both things."
"Most people only buy eggs because they are gong to hide them later on if you are going to have an Easter Egg hunt at your house if you have small children."
"I also don't know if this is for a girl or a boy so I'm assuming its gender neutral right so this is going to be OG's Easter bucket list he is the youngest person here at work."
"So this is a cute little bunny that I saw, and I think we only paid $4 for it as well I already took off the price tag so we are going to put him here right, and this was another cheap item I found in Simon Quan I think this was like $2 and these don't last very long its only for like temporary entertainment obviously."
"A slinky so cute, $2 perfect entertainment, okay, these are swimming goggles I also found, $2 super cheap, right so you can see the basket is already starting to get full, now if you're going to be outside it's important you have a small fun activity you can keep children entertained with. So I found this colouring book for $2 and then I don't think it really made sense to get crayons because you'll ge outside so we got this paint kit for like $4 I think it was, so I am just going to fold this so it fits nicely in there right and then this, put it in here, cool. Alright you see how this already comes together so quickly like quick thing right."
"I'm just going to keep eating the gummy bears because I can, and now we are going to add our goodies, so we got this Pringles I think it was like $2.50 for one, inflation, Pringles never used to be so expensive, and then we bought one little cute juice box I think this was like $2 as well like $1.95."
"Oreos, $2 as well, and other chips, you know I realise these are so unhealthy, but it's kind of like the only thing that kids eat so it will make you want to buy it even more. Cheetos, and then this little ring pop that I think was like $2, so much sugar and sweet im so sorry."
"And now, where is the ribbon?"
"For some reason they did not have Easter pattern wrapping paper, or clear wrapping paper so we just had to like work with what we had because again we are on budget so year, I am going to make a confession and let everybody know I don't know how to wrap gifts I only act like I know I don't really know, I just kind of wing it every year."
"It doesn't matter if your wrapping is ugly, as long as you try, okay this is a lot of ribbon, I underestimated that but it doesn't matter, doesn't matter, we got enough."
"And we are just going to tie it, at the top. But this is stressing me out so iIm going to cut it one time."
"Okay there, okay that actually doesn't look bad. Tada, curled."
"Trying to make it look neat since I did a crazy job earlier, Im so sorry."
"You see how the bow stays at the front so it looks presentable right okay, nice and that is how you make an easter bucket on a budget. Right."
And we ended up with something that looked legit - and like it would cost you somewhere in between $65-$70 dollars.
But there are cheaper options, and of course there is something for everyone. These ladies here on Mex Avenue surely took advantage of that and curated a variety of easter baskets that contained both local and American goods.
Lorna, Anne Flowers Easter Baskets "This is something we do every year, we make Easter Baskets every year and have a couple of kids around the area and at the market where we sell where we usually give a couple baskets here and there."
"Well we start at $25 for baskets, actually I think we only have 2 $25 baskets, we start at 25, 45, 55 and $150. So the $25 baskets are for babies that are 1-12 months 1,2 year old and for $45, you know they have kids that are 5 and up to 9-10, 11 we have for $45. And then for $55 we have teens baskets, teen boys and girls it comes with their minis bath and body set along with activity books to keep them active still yet because you know although they are teens you know they want to keep their mind active and occupied so we made teen baskets as well, and the adults basket well It comes with an adult sized bath and body set and the different adult toys."
"Like I said we do for the teens you know you say they might be too old to have a toy, but you are never too old to come and see what suits them, their age or budget for those kids."
But whether you make it at home or you buy it from basket makers like these, the basic elements will cost you, especially if you want to create that special easter magic for your kids or loved ones.
Jomarie's budget basket will be given away on Sunup next week Tuesday.
And, changing gears now the Unions piped up today upon hearing the allegations last night from a KHMH employee who spoke out against her alleged rapist. She identified that person as someone involved with the hospital union. The National trade Union of Belize issued a release on the matter stating that they maintain a, quote, "Zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual violence, abuse, or misconduct." A release continues, "These accusations are grave and warrant the utmost seriousness, empathy for the alleged victim and the accused, and a steadfast commitment to justice......We will continue to monitor this matter closely and support the affiliate union in its rightful authority to advocate for fair and equitable justice." End quote,.
The Commissioner of Police told us "Due to the timeline of the alleged incident and when she made the report We have put that file together and sent it to the DPP's office for advice."
After the NTCUB made its position known on the case, PSU president Dean Flowers went on to further express that he is in support of a thorough investigation of the victim's allegations, and strongly condemns any such acts or behavior occurring within the workplace.
Dean Flowers, PSU President "The allegations are currently being looked into by immigration pretty quit sure by the Union in question as well as by the wider umbrella organisation but considering your question on the matter I want to make it abundantly clear that the union movement and I believe I speak on behalf of every true trade unionist we do not condone any such acts or behaviour. I think that where the PSU is concerned we would be the first to condemn any act of violence in any shape or form against women. We don't tolerate that. However it is also important however that we recognise that the just system presumes all individuals innocent and they must be proven guilty and you cannot pronounce somebody to be guilty simply based on the allegations of another person if that was the case then I believe women would be lining up accusing several men of such acts and behaviour so the matter has to be investigated and the evidence has to be considered and ultimately if it reaches a trial an informed Jury or judge will have to make an informed decision but no person, absolutely no one should be condemned because of allegations."
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Tonight, the public service and teachers unions are incensed and threatening industrial action. And it's because of an internal government memo which was leaked last night. It's dated 28th March and is from the Cabinet Secretary to the Financial Secretary announces salary adjustments.
"Totally off guard, Jules. This came at us like a thief in the night. At no point in time did we envision this shameless act once again by the cabinet secretary, on behalf of the CEO caucus and himself. What is even more damning, It doesn't even says that cabinet approved it. It just says we're adjusting our salary pretty much. And, I'm adjusting my salary also. He kindly adjusted the CEO's salary. There was no indication that this matter was tabled before cabinet, that it came as a result of approval by the Prime Minister."
But for all the condemnation that he heaps on those 21 CEO's, Flowers, in his union's press release does not call on the government to rescind the increment. Nope. In fact his union release demands an increase of 7.5% for the members of his union. We asked where's the moral high ground in that?:
And at around the same time that Flowers was talking to us, his sister union, the BNTU issued a press release referring to the increases as "obscene."
"The BNTU has seen a number of persons who are normally paid from a public purse receiving increases as they pertain to their salaries. We have been asking for our frozen increments. We've been asking for outstanding increments. We've been asking for salary upgrades. There are a number of things pertaining to salaries that the BNTU has been asking for. The BNTU must say that in certain areas we recognize the strides that we have made and we're happy about it. But the cost of living today is not one that we can sit idly by and ignore. So every time we see certain persons being paid and our educators are suffering we are now saying to you, the governmental Belize, that the BNTU will be meeting with its affiliates and caucusing with its membership because we're getting ready to take action."
Belize City police are on high alert at this hour - after a robbery in the King's Park area and the appearance of a man with a gunshot wound at the KHMH.
A team of medical professionals who have been studying in Cuba recently returned to Belize - and back to the KHMH.
"After I graduated, I went to work here in KHMH under, at that time, it was Matron Hemmans. That was a director here of the nurses in KHMH, and she brought me under her wing and along with the nurses here in this institution. So I worked for a year and I decided that I wanted to give back more. So I pursued a career in medicine. So I went to study. I got the scholarship from Belize, and I got that scholarship to go to Cuba, and I did, general medicine. So I graduated there in 2006, I graduated, I came here, did an intern internship for a whole year, which is a program that has been instituted for all the doctors that graduate all over the countries, Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, they come here. So I did my one year internship in KHMH and then I worked here as a medical officer for eight years. Then under the directive of Doctor Lisa Johnson, who is now the dean of University of Belize. She gave me an opportunity, along with the other doctors that graduated here and went to pursue further studies in the different departments here in KHMH. So the opportunity I was one of the persons that got the opportunity. So I went to pursue general surgery."
The mounting concerns about the erosion on the Placencia peninsula have led the Ministries of Sustainable Development, Infrastructure Development, and Natural Resources pledging to take urgent action to tackle it. The Government acknowledged both climate change and human activity as contributing factors, including the construction of structures that block natural sediment flow, sand extraction, and inadequate regulation enforcement.
Last night we showed you the 2021 letter that CEO in the Prime Minister's Office, Narda Garcia sent to the developer of Cayo Rosario. It liberally gave Daniel Kalenov support and approval for all the developer could desire: from 40 overwater structures, to a 600 foot dock and pier, to a mangrove clearing permit, to the extraction of 25,000 cubic yards of sand by dredging, a submarine cable, and a wastewater treatment plant.
It's only Wednesday, and there's still time to get those last minute Easter Baskets together. And if you're unsure of where to start or if you can afford it, then we may have the basket blueprint for you. Jomarie Lanza managed to put one together with only $50 this week and here's how that went:
Jo Marie Lanza
Lorna, Anne Flowers Easter Baskets 
And, changing gears now the Unions piped up today upon hearing the allegations last night from a KHMH employee who spoke out against her alleged rapist. She identified that person as someone involved with the hospital union. The National trade Union of Belize issued a release on the matter stating that they maintain a, quote, "Zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual violence, abuse, or misconduct." A release continues, "These accusations are grave and warrant the utmost seriousness, empathy for the alleged victim and the accused, and a steadfast commitment to justice......We will continue to monitor this matter closely and support the affiliate union in its rightful authority to advocate for fair and equitable justice." End quote,.