7 News Belize

Choto's Cleaned Up with Station Prizes
posted (April 11, 2012)
Last night, we told you all about Giovanni Choto's historic cross country ride, his fifteen thousand dollar first place cash prize and what he plans to do with the money.

But, what we didn't mention is that the 23 year old also won 78 Station Prizes - which is a record. The previous record was 41 held by Guatemalan cyclist Luis Macu in his cross-country ride about ten years ago.

Of course, Choto also had more to win: this year's race featured a record 101 Station prizes.

64 of those 78 prizes are in cash or gift certificates totaling $9,225.00. The largest were three five hundred dollar prizes.

The other 14 non-cash prizes run the gamut from the pricey - a cow donated by Cuello's Distillery at La Democracia, to the priceless, a carrot cake given by Cakes by Karla at the Belmopan cutoff.

As first place finisher, Choto also got two return tickets to San Pedro on Tropic Air, three return tickets to Caye Caulker on san Pedro Belize Express, an overnight stay at the Blue Tang Inn in San Pedro, and lunch for two at Fido's in San Pedro.

For his second place finish, Brandon Cattouse got three thousand dollars, and third place finisher Darnell Barrow won two thousand one hundred dollars.


Crimes In Cayo

Three men robbed Belize Water Services Limited in Belmopan yesterday evening at closing time. At around 5:15 in the evening, Gabriela Pinto, a 46 year old cashier was working at BWS located in the Garden City Plaza in Belmopan, when three dark skinned men entered the building. One of the men then took out a gun resembling a 9mm pistol and aimed it at her, demanding money. Pinto, fearing for her life surrendered a grey colored Bank deposit bag containing $17,558.85 in Belizean currency along with $270 US. The total loss came up to $18,098.85.

And yesterday morning in Santa Elena town, Santos Simeon Gonzalez, a 30 year old Belizean Park Manager for N.I.C.H. was walking down La Loma Luz Boulevard in Santa Elena Town when a masked man emerged from the vehicle and ran towards him, holding a chrome 9mm pistol in his right hand.

The man aimed the gun at Gonzalez and demanded his bag. Gonzalez did as he was instructed and handed over his bag valued at $25 which contained a wedding ring valued at $400, $1,510 belonging to NICH, $1,100 personal cash, a phone charger valued at $20 and a black wallet with documents valued at $25. It all totaled to a $3050 loss. The men escaped with the cash and items.


Youths Feed Homeless

A youth organization is completing its second annual Easter project - and this year it is feeding the homeless. Youths Creating Talent is an organization created and run entirely by youths, and instead of spending the Easter relaxing under the sun, they have been serving food to homeless people in Battlefield Park.

Today they served 130 plates of food, and Justin Gill, the founder of the organization, told us what made them take the initiative.



Justin Gill - Founder, Youths Creating Talent
"This is our second annual Easter project, where we have assisted 60 homeless of Belize City, giving them the privilege to have a nice breakfast, lunch and supper for the Easter season. Many times, I walk on the street, and they see me; they look at me. They ask me for something to eat; they don't have anything, and I know what it's like not eating. For the whole Easter, we know that everybody usually go out to try to enjoy themselves, and nobody is here. We know that Easter is very hot, and you could get dehydrated, so that is when we try to come out and give them food. We give them something to drink, to cool them down, so that they themself could have a very nice Easter too. So far, we have given out more than 200 plates of food from the past days that we have been assisting these homeless. This morning, we assisted 70 people with breakfast, and for this afternoon, we have assisted 60 people with dinner."

Tomorrow is the last day of the project, and by then, they will have given away about 300 plates of food.


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