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
Former City Council Financial Controller Dwain Davis is in a critical condition
tonight – after experiencing a stroke this morning. Reports say it happened
this morning after Davis appeared in the Magistrate’s court. He appeared
along with Mayor Zenaida Moya to answer to the 24 criminal charges that they
were assessed with on the first October.
Nothing substantial was heard; the case was adjourned until January 12 and
Davis left the court. Reports are that when he got into his vehicle he got a
stroke. He was rushed to the KHMH where a team of specialists worked on him
but without much success. According to our sources, he experienced bleeding
in his brainstem and his prognosis is grim. The KHMH would only say that he
is in critical condition at the intensive care unit.
We note that apart from facing criminal charges, Davis was fired from City
Hall about two weeks ago. His termination was the result of a council resolution.
It was a resolution that did not have the support of Mayor Zenaida Moya. The
decision was based on Davis’s admission to the council that he had failed
to follow regulations about the disbursement of cash payments over fifty dollars.
But right now, all that matters very little as Davis is fighting for his life
in the KHMH intensive care unit. We’ll have an update tomorrow.
Ida made landfall as a Hurricane near Bluefields, Nicaragua this morning
– but tonight she has been downgraded to a Tropical Storm. Ida is expected
to continue to weaken and is currently moving very slowly over Nicaragua –
which means heavy rainfall for the mudslide prone areas of Nicaragua and Honduras.
And while those countries are sure to experience some kind of extreme weather
event, Belize has its own concerns: specifically will Ida make it out into the
Gulf of Honduras and when she does, will she pose a threat to Belize? And if
so, what do you need to be prepared for and when? Jacqueline Godwin went looking
for answers today.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting
Hurricanes are sometimes very difficult to predict. In the case of Hurricane
Ida, this storm is expected to re-emerge in the north-western Caribbean. If
it does, it will be either be a depression or something weaker. Whatever the
case, rain is expected to affect the south and the coast of Belize. Because
Belize City is situated along the coastline, today the City Emergency Management
Organization met to prepare for whatever may blow our way.
And according to Meteorologist Derrick Rudon while it remains uncertain if
the system which was downgraded to Tropical Storm Ida earlier today will survive
her travel across north eastern Nicaragua and Honduras, if it does, it will
be a rainmaker.
Derrick Rudon, Meteorologist “Here in Belize we can expect about 2 to 4 inches of rainfall per
day.”
And with that volume of rainfall in twenty four hours, flooding is expected so families living in low lying areas in the south and along the coast especially
in vulnerable areas in Belize City are asked to monitor the system and remain
on the alert.
Jacqueline Godwin,
“Presently we notice that the system is over land. When do you expect
to re-emerge in the north western Caribbean?”
Derrick Rudon, “The system will spend about 2 days or so over land and re-emerge
in the northwestern Caribbean around Saturday morning.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“What does that mean for us?”
Derrick Rudon, “That means that our weather will continue cloudy and showery over
the next couple days. Over the next two to three days we can expect cloudy and
showery weather. Especially, most of the rainfall will be over the sea, the
coast, and the south.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“Well we know that the ground is already saturated because it has been
raining for the past few days. So when should we expect to see conditions worsen?”
Derrick Rudon, “We can expect over the next 24 hours to see an increase in showers.”
And while upper level conditions are not favourable for the storm to intensify,
if it does enter the northwestern Caribbean Sea where the water temperature
is eighty five degrees there is that possibility Ida can strengthen. Its track
also remains uncertain and that is why the City Emergency Management Organization
has been making the necessary steps in the case of an event.
Philip Willoughby, CEMO Rep. “All of our committees and agencies and support committees will be
in a state of alert going into the weekend. Everybody will be in a state of alert and be ready to activate if needs be based on the information and the
guidance that would come from the Ministry.”
If the storm does make it out into the north western Caribbean only one of
the modules predict a projected track over northern Belize. Most modules show
a north westerly track that will greatly minimize the effects of the storm on
the country. But because of its projected close proximity to the country the
National Meteorological Centre has been keeping a close watch on its progress.
Derrick Rudon, “If the system re-emerges and is a fairly strong system then the steering
currents will continue the way it is shown there, it will continue to move it
to the north northwest. If it is a weaker system then the low level flow will
carry it more than the mid to upper level floor and as a weaker system then
it would move more to the west which isn’t good for us…more water
for us.”
Equally concerning is that for most of the day Tropical Storm Ida remained
stationary which makes it even more difficult to forecast.
Derrick Rudon, “Yes there are concerns. It is close to us, it is in our warning area
but because of the motions there are no warnings at this time but if it re-emerges,
they might be warnings when it re-emerges. We might have to put up the flags
and so on. It depends on how strong it is and what direction it decides to go.
Stay in tune to the radio or the television and keep abreast as to what’s
happening, any developments with the storm. Keep up to date on the situation.”
Philip Willoughby, “Anything can happen, any number can play but I want to assure the
residents of the city and the surrounding areas on behalf of us that we are
paying attention to the system, we are monitoring everything and we are listening
and will take guidance from the Ministry as with regards to how we proceed forward.”
And while tropical storm Ida formed in our area late in the hurricane season
it is not the first. On November twentieth, 1971 tropical storm Laura formed
and did affect the country. Reporting for 7News, Jacqueline Godwin.
According to the National Meteorological Service in our history of
hurricanes which dates back to 1889, there have only been three that have formed
in the month of November and affected the country. The first was an unnamed
tropical storm on November third, 1898, a category two hurricane on November
ninth, 1942 and on November twentieth, 1971, Tropical Storm Laura. Let’s
hope that Tropical Storm Ida does not become number four.
80 year old American Gordon Stout is in lockdown at the Queen’s
Street Police Station tonight after he knocked down and killed a man this morning
on the Northern Highway. The victim is 28 year old Dorian Herrera – a
deaf mute who was working alongside the highway when tragedy struck between
miles 24 and 25. Our team was on the scene.
Keith Swift Reporting,
Dorian Herrera was knocked down and killed at mile 24 on Northern Highway in
Biscayne Village. He had just finished cutting grass in the area and in a tragic
irony – he was hit while crossing the highway to place this sign on the
roadside to warn drivers that more grass cutters would be working in the area.
Paul Bradley, Boss and Friend of Deceased “It is a sad thing happened to one of my worker. We stopped here with
the bush hog on the roadside and I asked him to go and put the sign across the
road and when he was taking the sign a vehicle came and knocked him over and
the man dead. Actually my back was turned to the pickup and I just told him
to take the sign across. When I heard the commotion and I swung around I saw
him in the air.”
Dorian Herrera had been hit by this Toyota Matrix with Mexican license plates.
It was driven by 80 year old American national Gordon Stout – seen here on the scene this morning with police. The force of the impact from the car
launched Dorian in the air. He landed on the hood, smashing the windshield and
crushing front right area of the Toyota Matrix.
Stout continued driving an additional 150 feet with Dorian Herrera’s
body on the bonnet. He eventually braked and that’s when Dorian was flung
to the side of the highway. He died on the spot.
Paul Bradley, “That boy been around me about six years.”
Keith Swift,
“I understand he was a hard worker.”
Paul Bradley, “Oh yes…I lost a good man.”
Paul Bradley who employed Dorian says that while he was on the scene, his back
was turned and he didn’t see the accident so he refused to assign blame.
Paul Bradley, “All I could say is an accident always the look for a place to happen,
that’s all I could say. I am a driver myself so like I said we weren’t
cautious enough nuh.”
But in Double Head Cabbage, Dorian Herrera’s family is pointing fingers.
His sister Tricia Diaz says that her brother, who was mute, probably didn’t hear the car coming but she is sure that the driver saw Dorian.
Tricia Diaz, Sister of Deceased “I would just want justice served for that person because if you are
driving you have to drive with due care and attention. If you see somebody in
the road at least slow down, at least slow down to try and not knock that person
or try to make that person get out your way. You have to drive for you and for
a next person coming behind you and front of you. You can’t just the drive
like crazy.”
Keith Swift,
“He was mute and so could he hear?”
Tricia Diaz, “He mostly goes by lips. He would read your lips and know what you
are saying. But he doesn’t hear good. He doesn’t hear good.”
Keith Swift,
“So he didn’t hear the vehicle coming?”
Tricia Diaz, “No I don’t think he heard that vehicle, he didn’t hear
it because he wasn’t hearing good.”
Keith Swift,
“But you still blame the driver?”
Tricia Diaz, “Well he is seeing front of him. Maybe he (Dorian) nuh the hear but the driver saw him because he is driving. So I blame him to a certain extent
because Dorian wasn’t hearing. If he was hearing he wouldn’t have
been in that street to get knock down.”
And that may be the ultimate tragedy of this morning’s incident because
throughout his life, Dorian Herrera defied his disability.
Tricia Diaz, “He always the work. He is always working. As you miss him, he is
telling you, ‘me work, me work,’ he is always working and he is
a friendly person. The amount of people who Dorian know, you wouldn’t
believe to say he is dumb and thing. But the amount of people who he knows,
a lot of people know him. But this morning a real tragedy happened to him.”
A tragedy his family and those who treated him like family will now need to
come to terms with.
We note that 80 year old Gordon Stout was driving towards Belize City.
He was charged in court this afternoon for manslaughter by negligence, causing
death by careless conduct and driving without due care and attention. He was
offered bail of 5 thousand dollars but he needed a Belizean surety. He couldn’t
find one by the close of business at the Magistrate’s Court today and
so he will be held overnight at the Queen’s Street Police Station. Although
he is an American national, Stout resides in Consejo Shores in Corozal.
A woman is at the Hattieville Prison tonight after she was charged for burglarizing
the home of a very senior citizen. 44 year old Gwendolyn Young is accused of
breaking into the home of 83 year old Edel Mejia. She was charged with one count
of burglary and pleaded not guilty. She was offered bail of five thousand dollars
but was unable to meet it and was remanded to prison.
The incident occurred on Tuesday October 27th, when Mehia a resident of 192
East Canal Street reported that he was asleep in his house when he was awakened
by a noise. When he got up, he saw a woman stealing his money and toaster. Young
was not detained by police until yesterday. The money and the toaster have not
been recovered.
7News has confirmed reports that Shyne Barrow, now known as Moses Leviy is
finalizing negotiations to live in the poshest penthouse in Belize. That’s
the deluxe apartment in the sky at the top floor of Luke Espat’s Renaissance
Towers in the Newtown Barracks area of Belize City.
Espat refused to discuss details but did tell us that, “offers have
been made” and that he and Shyne share a, “mutual relationship
of the highest esteem.” If that sounds too cozy for landlord and
tenant, Espat who also owns the Port of Belize says that their relationship
extends beyond that, and they have been discussing what he calls, “synergies.”
Now, the interesting part is that Espat currently lives in that Penthouse
but he indicated to us that on specific terms he would be willing to rent it
to Shyne. He refused to discuss the price.
Reports are that Shyne intends to move in almost immediately and will take
up the accommodation complete with all the existing furniture and artwork –
artwork which includes a larger than life Stephen Okeke bust of George Price.
Last week the Belize National Teacher’s Union and Minister of
Education Patrick Faber made peace when government agreed to provide clarifications
about the proposed Teaching Services Commission and even pushed back it’s
date to be tabled in the House to next year. But that’s not enough for
the Orange Walk Branch of the BNTU. They held a press conference this evening
to announce that they outrightly reject the proposed Teaching Services Commission.
Before the press event, Branch President Susana Vega told us why via telephone.
Susana Vega, BNTU Orange Walk Branch President “Our position in the Orange Walk Branch is that we reject it for the
following reasons: the composition, the power, and the role and function. In
terms of the composition, we have that five of the members who can vote are
government affiliated and the five other members are other members who can also
vote.
Out of the 12 members, two cannot vote. So that means 50% of the voting
members of the Teaching Services Commission are GOB affiliated. Any decision
that can be done by the government of the day only needs one vote to carry a
ruling. The Chairman has a casting vote in order to break a tie. The members
of the TSC can serve for more than one term, they can be there for up to 6 years.
So that is what our query is with the composition.
We are happy if our voices are heard. If our voices are heard, at the least,
as far as we are concerned, Belize is a free country and we can have the rights
to have our voices heard and we are happy with that. We are satisfied with that.
Even if the law passes and we are told we can’t do anything about it,
but at least we have stated why we are not in favour of this commission and
our voices will be loud and clear.”
Vega had much more to say including their opposition to the power of
the commission to terminate any teacher. Vega wouldn’t disclose what their
plan of action will be. Education Minister Faber has maintained there has been
a year of consultations and that stressed that if it is tabled in the House,
it will be thoroughly ventilated.
The National Executive of the BNTU which has taken a more moderate
stance than its Orange Walk Branch still had some disapproval to place upon
the Education Minister today. A release urged him, “in the interest
of good working relations, to desist from unnecessary and disparaging words
which is only counter-productive to strengthening the working relationship and
on addressing the many challenges in Education.”
They’re talking about the statement Faber made last week at the
Prime Minister’s press conference when he stated plainly that the decision
to install a Teaching Services’ Commission is the government’s decision
not the BNTU’s.
In March of 2008 Corporal Samuel Bonilla was implicated in an alleged police
shakedown of a homeowner in the King’s Park Area. Bonilla and a team of
police officers conducted a search of the home and claim to have found 127 rounds
of ammunition and a quantity of cocaine. The homeowner claims the policemen
planted the cocaine and demanded that he pay them one thousand dollars to make
the case go away; he also claimed that the police stole 500 dollars. The homeowner,
Alex Chang was never charged.
But the officers who conducted the search, Corporals Clifford Alvarez and Sam
Bonilla and PC Emerson Castillo were all brought up on disciplinary charges
and placed on interdiction with half pay. Since then, Corporal Bonilla has been
working to restore his good name. First, in April of 2008 a police Tribunal
cleared him of wrongdoing but arbitrarily ordered him to pay Alex Chang compensation
of one thousand dollars.
He appealed to the Security Services Commission and in July of this year, they
cleared Bonilla of all charges and ruled that all salary withheld and fines
and compensation paid should be reimbursed. But the Corporal still wasn’t
satisfied and so he got an attorney to file a civil suit against Alex Chang
for defamation.
That case has now been settled. Bonilla’s attorney Kareem Musa told us
that his client received a settlement payment of ten-thousand dollars from Chang.
And while he paid, Musa stressed that Chang gave no admission of liability.
Chang’s attorney Darrell Bradley has confirmed to us that his client agreed
to settle without accepting responsibility for any wrongdoing basically because
he doesn’t want the harassment of litigation. He said his client maintains
that the events transpired just as he told police they did.
Whatever the case, Bonilla has now been fully exonerated. He remains in the
Police Department on full active duty.
Thirty year old librarian Bernard Timmons along with his 27 year old common
law wife Keisha Reneau were today charged for one count of keeping a firearm
without a license and two counts of keeping unlicensed ammunition. Timmons pleaded
guilty, presumably so that the charges against his wife can be withdrawn. And
he will pay dearly for that decision as he was sentenced to two years for each
count. That’s a total of four years, but the sentences are to run concurrently,
so he will only serve two years.
Reneau who pleaded not guilty will be remanded until tomorrow so that the DPP
can decide whether to withdraw the charges against her.
The unlicensed gun and ammunition were found in a raid around 7:25 this morning
when the police searched the couple’s home at #180 Neal’s Pen Road.
A 38 revolver with four live rounds and 15 rounds of .25 ammunition were found
in a chest in the washroom area. Keisha Reneau was not at home at the time of
the search. Timmons has been a librarian for 11 years.
A young couple’s newborn son is dead and they believe the KHMH
may have been negligent. On Saturday Judith Moody gave birth to a baby boy.
She and her common-law husband Rudy Faber planned to name their newborn baby
boy Alexander Russell Faber but they never got the chance because early this
morning their baby boy died. The doctor says it was from a blood infection but
the couple is sceptical. Keith Swift has more.
Keith Swift Reporting,
Judith Moody and Rudy Faber took home their newborn baby boy on Sunday.
Rudy Faber, Father of Dead Newborn “This child was a healthy child and when they let this child out of
the hospital he seemed healthy to me, he was breathing good and everything but
after a couple, we took him home Sunday and we noticed that Tuesday he started
to breathe hard.”
Judith Moody, Mother of Dead Newborn “He stayed the blow hard, trying to catch his breath every minute.
I took him to the doctor. When I reached at the emergency area, the first thing they sent me to do was an x-ray on his chest. When I finished with the x-ray,
they read it and everything was fine. So they decided to put him on a nebulizer
so he could catch his breath to see if he would be alright. No changes were
made. He still was breathing hard and fighting for his breath.”
Rudy Faber, “First they told me that it was bronchial pneumonia and then the next
thing they said the child had diabetes, he had high sugar, and then the next
thing they said was that the child had a heavy blood infection. But this is
my thing: from they released the child from the hospital they couldn’t
check all of these things. When we reached the emergency section, they took
samples from this child, from this baby, when we reached up they took more blood
samples. All these testing they did and they couldn’t see that this child
had a blood infection all along and try to flush him out and do what they had
to do to save his life.”
The newborn baby boy died this morning. The young couple who has previously
lost a child says they want answers.
Rudy Faber, “The doctors they said, after the child now, that is when they told
us the child had a blood infection. All along all of this was going and nobody
said nothing to us. They were treating it like the child had asthma or bronchial
pneumonia and all they gave the child were antibiotics and drips and the nebulizer.
That is basically what they give the child and from we reached I am explaining
to them that this child needs urgent medical attention.
I just wish that we get a post mortem and we find out what wrong. If the
child died from natural causes then we accept it but I would want to know if
it was an overdose or anything.”
Rudy Faber told us that he has requested all of his son’s medical records
and plans to get a second opinion on what was wrong with his son and what if
anything the doctors at the KHMH did wrong. The KHMH’s Public Relations
Officer Gary Ayuso told us this evening that he has received the complaint and
it will be investigated from all angles. Three years ago the couple’s
first child died at 25 weeks after the umbilical cord got tied around his neck.
Santana, Corozalito and St. Ann’s – they are 70 to 80 year
old villages along the Old Northern Highway with a combined population of about
300 people. Old communities on an old and disused road, but they will be sharing
a new water system. For those of us who live in larger communities, running
water in the house is something we take for granted, but for these villagers
who have to gather their water from ante-diluvian hand pumps – it is a
genuine luxury. That’s why there was genuine excitement in these villages
yesterday when ground was broken for the water system. Here are reviews from
a few residents.
Theresa Godoy, Chairlady – Corazlito “Back there where we live from we small we used to get water from
a hole named Blue Hole, from I the grow up as a lil gial. So this which we are
getting here makes me happy. We does wash, drink out of it. Where we used to
go to wash, after we finished doing clothes, we used to bring a bucket to take
home about three miles.”
Erminda Reid, Chairlady – Santana “I have to travel like quarter of a mile to get water. In this village
we only have like four water pumps working, four hand pumps. The others are
deteriorating, they are rotten and then the parts are hard to get, you can’t
buy the parts. You have to go and beg from other villages to see if they have
one. I don’t think anybody feel more happy than myself. I have waiting
for this from Lucky Strike and Rockstone Pond got their water connected, we
were promised to be connected from then. I was disappointed when we were not
but I didn’t give up. I didn’t give up and I waited for SIF because
they promised me faithfully as soon as funds were available they would consider
us and reality is here today and I don’t think anybody else is happier
than myself.”
Richard Swift, Chairman – St. Ann’s “Like how this water the come now, it will be much easier because
maybe I could use it to even drink it.”
Hon. Edmund Castro, Area Rep. “It was really sad to see some of the older guys such as Mr. Cunningham
who, Mr. Cunningham is about ninety something years old and he has to walk to
the pump which is maybe 100 yards away from his house to pump water and go back
to his house. So a system like this will be, the villagers in this area are
very very happy to see that hopefully by April-May of next year they will be
able to stay in their homes and just turn on a faucet.”
The villages will get a 20,000 gallon water tank with a pump-house,
chlorinator and a network of pipes that will fan out into the villages. The
cost will be $920,000 with contribution of $120,000 in labour from the communities.
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so families living in low lying areas in the south and along the coast especially
in vulnerable areas in Belize City are asked to monitor the system and remain
on the alert. 
alert and be ready to activate if needs be based on the information and the
guidance that would come from the Ministry.”
on the scene this morning with police. The force of the impact from the car
launched Dorian in the air. He landed on the hood, smashing the windshield and
crushing front right area of the Toyota Matrix.
hear the car coming but she is sure that the driver saw Dorian.
the driver saw him because he is driving. So I blame him to a certain extent
because Dorian wasn’t hearing. If he was hearing he wouldn’t have
been in that street to get knock down.” 
they sent me to do was an x-ray on his chest. When I finished with the x-ray,
they read it and everything was fine. So they decided to put him on a nebulizer
so he could catch his breath to see if he would be alright. No changes were
made. He still was breathing hard and fighting for his breath.”
