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  • Third Culture Fund Cycle Brings Belizean Visions to Life

    Third Culture Fund Cycle Brings Belizean Visions to Life

    On October 14, 2026, a landmark grant celebration was held at Belize’s Government House, where 24 local cultural projects officially received funding from the third cycle of the Belize Culture Fund, turning creative and heritage-focused visions into actionable, on-the-ground work.

    Originally, the fund launched with a total pool of 30,000 Belize dollars, allocated from the Ministry of Culture and the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), with plans to support just 9 projects. However, the initiative received more than 50 high-quality applications from communities across the country – a response that institute leaders called a clear signal of the abundant creativity, ambition, and unmet demand for cultural support across Belize.

    Following approval from NICH’s president and the Minister of Culture, the fund was restructured to expand support, tripling the number of funded projects from the original plan to 24. Rolando Cocom, director of the Institute of Social & Cultural Research, one of NICH’s four core divisions, emphasized the institute’s long-standing commitment to advancing and protecting Belize’s rich, diverse cultural heritage.

    The funded projects align with NICH’s four core program areas, each overseen by a different institute branch: digital archaeology (led by the Institute of Archaeology), digital creative arts (led by the Institute of Creative Arts), conservation of vulnerable living heritage (led by the Institute of Social and Cultural Research), and revitalization of museum and cultural center programming (led by the Museum of Belize and Houses of Culture). Each of the four large institutional projects aligned with these core areas will receive 5,000 Belize dollars. An additional 20 smaller community-led dynamic projects will each receive 2,000 Belize dollars, expanding the fund’s reach to grassroots initiatives across the country.

    With grants distributed at the Government House ceremony, work is now set to begin. Recipients will develop their projects with the goal of creating long-lasting cultural impact, protecting Belize’s living traditions, lifting up emerging creative talent, and sharing Belizean stories with global audiences.

  • St Peter woman remanded on murder charge

    St Peter woman remanded on murder charge

    A fatal weekend incident in Barbados has led to a young woman being placed behind bars ahead of her upcoming trial, according to official court proceedings. Kaena Luenda O’Garro, a 22-year-old resident of the Rose Hill neighborhood of St Peter, made her first court appearance on Wednesday in connection with the death of 31-year-old Mesha Pierre, who previously resided in Sugar Hill, St Joseph. O’Garro faces a serious indictable charge of first-degree murder in connection with the killing that took place on Saturday, October 10.

    The arraignment was held at the Holetown Magistrates’ Court, where legal protocol does not require the accused to enter a formal plea at this early stage of the indictable offense process. O’Garro is represented by experienced legal counsel Angella Mitchell-Gittens, who holds the rank of Senior Counsel. Following the brief hearing, Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant ruled that the defendant would be held in on-remand detention at a state prison facility. She is scheduled to next appear in court for a procedural hearing on November 9, as the legal process around the homicide case moves forward.

  • Island Appetite Overwhelms Chon Saan Kitchen

    Island Appetite Overwhelms Chon Saan Kitchen

    For decades, diehard fans of Chon Saan Palace on the island of San Pedro, Belize, have gone to extraordinary lengths to get their hands on the restaurant’s signature fusion cuisine. Many would coordinate with friends or family in Belize City to place large orders, then ship the prepared meals via commercial flight across the Caribbean Sea to the island, where hungry families would wait to dig into their favorite dishes. That all changed in October 2026, when the beloved half-century-old restaurant opened its first permanent San Pedro location — and the island’s appetite immediately overwhelmed the new kitchen.

    Founded in 1974 by Armando Chang, a Chinese immigrant who moved to Belize in 1961, Chon Saan Palace has grown from a single Freetown Road location in Belize City into a regional institution. Over five decades, the family-run business has refined a unique blend of traditional Chinese cooking techniques and local Belizean flavors and ingredients, earning a loyal customer base that stretches across the entire country. Long before the restaurant opened a San Pedro outpost, fans on the island had already cemented Chon Saan Palace as their go-to favorite, going to great lengths to bring the restaurant’s food to their dinner tables.

    Jorge Aldana, a long-time customer who has relied on air-shipped orders for years, says the opening of a local location eliminates the hassle of coordinating cross-water deliveries. “I’ve always liked dining at Chon Saan when I’m in Belize City,” Aldana explained. “Before this, what we used to do is have a contact in the city order for us, then put the order on a plane when we wanted to eat. That’s how we did it for years.”

    When a retail space became available on San Pedro, owner Lee Mark Chang — the founder’s successor — jumped at the chance to serve the restaurant’s already established island customer base directly. The team planned a low-key soft opening to work out operational kinks before a full public launch, but word of the new location spread quickly, and customers flooded in from opening day.

    The overwhelming turnout left the kitchen scrambling to keep up with demand. Lines stretched out the door, orders piled up faster than the kitchen could prepare them, and even extra staff flown in from the Belize City location couldn’t eliminate extended wait times. Despite the delays, many customers viewed the wait as a minor tradeoff after years of jumping through logistical hoops to get Chon Saan’s food.

    Melani Paz, a long-time customer of the original Belize City location who brought her family to the opening day, noted that the overwhelming demand was a good sign for the new restaurant. “The food did take a little longer than expected, but I can understand that,” Paz said. “It was supposed to be a soft opening, and I don’t think Lee Mark expected this many people on the first day.”

    Chang acknowledged that the extended waits left some customers frustrated, and offered a public apology while noting that the opening-day rush was ultimately a positive problem to have. “I wanted a soft opening, but I got bomb-rushed,” Chang shared. “Good bomb-rush, it’s a good thing. But like every new business, there’s some tweaking we need to do. We’re adjusting our operations right now, and we’ll get better. This is just the first couple of days as we work out the kinks.”

    For San Pedro residents, the opening marks the end of a years-long wait for local access to one of Belize’s most beloved restaurants. No longer do island customers need to coordinate cross-sea deliveries, board planes to Belize City, or beg visiting friends to bring back their favorite dishes. The overwhelmingly positive response to the new opening confirms what Chon Saan’s leadership already suspected: San Pedro’s love for this iconic Belizean brand is more than strong enough to support its own permanent location. After decades of waiting, San Pedro can finally enjoy Chon Saan Palace’s famous fusion cuisine without the extra logistics and long wait for a meal that once had to travel by air to reach the island.

  • Boat captain operated with expired licence, inquiry hears

    Boat captain operated with expired licence, inquiry hears

    The opening day of a public inquiry into a deadly boat collision that left four people dead and multiple others injured in Anse Cochon has seen the captain of the vessel Cazorla Jr admit he operated the boat while knowing his official boatmaster’s license had expired years prior.

    Tuesday marked the first session of public hearings for the incident that occurred on July 18, with captain Tyson Hippolyte taking the stand to deliver testimony under questioning from the inquiry commission. Hippolyte walked the commission through his timeline that day, explaining he had departed from Soufrière for Gros Islet at roughly 3 p.m., before beginning the return trip to Soufrière just after 10 p.m.

    When Hippolyte confirmed he held a boatmaster license, Commission Chairman — retired Justice Mario Michel — began asking about the document’s validity. Before Michel could finish his question, Hippolyte interjected, conceding he had not checked the expiration date of his license in a very long time. When Michel directly asked if the license had expired on July 18, 2015 — years before the fatal collision — Hippolyte claimed he did not know. Commission members then presented Hippolyte with an official copy of the license, proving it had indeed expired long before he took the helm of Cazorla Jr.

    Hippolyte told the commission he had not paid attention to the expiration date because he did not operate vessels regularly. He added that he had only captained Cazorla Jr three or four times before the deadly collision.

    In further damaging testimony, Hippolyte also openly admitted that he had consumed three to four beers before he left Gros Islet to begin the return voyage. When asked why he felt confident operating the boat that night despite the unfavorable sea conditions and his unlicensed status, Hippolyte responded in Kwéyòl that his years of experience made him comfortable to sail.

  • Herinrichting Domineestraat medio november afgerond

    Herinrichting Domineestraat medio november afgerond

    A major infrastructure redevelopment project on Suriname’s Domineestraat, stretching between Neumanpad and Steenbakkerijstraat, is progressing according to schedule and is set to wrap up by mid-November, local public works officials have confirmed.

    Launched on August 3, the overhaul project has now entered its final phase of construction. Work on the northern section of the street’s sidewalk has already been fully completed, while the southern sidewalk is between 60 and 70 percent finished, according to project updates. Vikash Moenna, deputy director of Dry Civil Engineering at Suriname’s Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning (OWRO), shared that sidewalk paving works are on track to be finished by the end of October, at the latest by the first week of November. The first preliminary layer of asphalt was laid down as early as the third week of August, months ahead of the final completion timeline. Once all sidewalk paving is finalized, crews will apply the permanent top layer of asphalt, followed by installation of new road markings and traffic signage to wrap up the project.

    Monna emphasized that the full redevelopment was a critical necessity for the area. The old road surface had deteriorated severely over time, causing worsening damage to both the roadway and adjacent sidewalks, while also creating persistent failures in the existing sewage drainage network. As part of the overhaul, construction teams have fully removed the old asphalt layer and outdated sewage system, replaced it with a brand-new drainage network, rebuilt the road’s foundational base, laid the preliminary asphalt layer, and carried out new sidewalk paving work.

    Like all active road construction projects, the Domineestraat overhaul has caused some temporary disruption to local businesses operating along the route. However, Moenna noted that local entrepreneurs have been understanding of the work, recognizing that the finished upgrade will ultimately improve access to the area and boost the overall local environment, which will benefit their operations long-term. To minimize disruption and keep traffic moving safely throughout construction, the ministry has placed temporary traffic signage along the route, and implemented dedicated accommodations to keep pedestrian access to sidewalks open for local residents and visitors.

    Following the completion of sidewalk paving, the project team will lay the second and final asphalt top layer, then add new road markings and all remaining traffic infrastructure. “After we finish the top asphalt layer, we will move forward with installing traffic infrastructure, road markings, and signage, after which we will carry out the first handover of the project,” Moenna explained. If construction continues to stay on its current schedule, the fully upgraded stretch of Domineestraat will be ready for its first official handover to the government by mid-November.

  • Consultants to review union concerns over public service job evaluation

    Consultants to review union concerns over public service job evaluation

    A long-awaited public sector job evaluation in Barbados is getting a second look after the country’s largest public service advocacy group raised formal red flags over inconsistencies in the process. Barbados TODAY has confirmed that independent advisors contracted by the government have agreed to revisit disputed sections of the final Jobs Evaluation Report, following a proactive meeting between leaders of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) and senior officials from the Ministry of the Public Service held earlier this week.

    NUPW General Secretary Richard Green told reporters that the union initiated the meeting after compiling feedback from its 20,000-plus members across government departments and state-owned enterprises, who reported irregularities in how their positions were scored and categorized. “Based on the firsthand accounts from our members and our own observations of how the evaluation exercise played out, we identified a number of pressing issues that needed to be raised to authorities,” Green explained in an interview after the meeting.

    Among the core concerns the union presented were widespread inconsistencies in the application of scoring criteria, as well as multiple cases where positions were incorrectly categorized as red-circled rather than green-circled, a classification that can impact compensation and career progression for public workers. Green emphasized that the union has called for targeted adjustments to correct these misclassifications and scoring errors.

    Following productive talks, both sides have agreed to next steps: government-hired consultants will conduct a full re-examination of the disputed positions, while the union will complete its own internal review of the contested roles to refine its concerns. Green declined to share details on the specific roles under review, noting that the union is committed to giving independent consultants adequate time and space to address the issues before making further disclosures.

    Green stressed that the entire process remains active and ongoing, and the NUPW moved quickly to flag concerns in the earliest stages to protect the interests of its membership. “We proactively called for this meeting because our priority is getting this right for the workers we represent,” he said. “We are moving as swiftly as possible through every step, and we stand ready to move forward as soon as the consultants complete their review.”

    The next major milestone for the union will be a general meeting with its wider membership, where leaders will walk through the union’s initial findings, answer questions for workers, and collect additional on-the-ground feedback about how the evaluation has impacted their roles. While Green declined to set a rigid deadline for completion of the full review, he confirmed the union is targeting a final resolution before the end of the calendar year.

    This marks the first comprehensive public sector job evaluation conducted in Barbados in two decades, a process designed to update compensation and role classifications to reflect changes in the labor market. Green noted that the core goal of the evaluation is to align public sector pay with current market rates, account for evolving skill requirements for modern public service roles, and improve overall efficiency of government operations while ensuring workers receive fair compensation for their contributions. The NUPW’s intervention comes as it works to ensure this decades-overdue reform delivers on that promise for all public workers.

  • Belize Culture Fund Invests $60,000 in 24 Cultural Projects

    Belize Culture Fund Invests $60,000 in 24 Cultural Projects

    In a significant boost to Belize’s cultural and creative ecosystem, the Belize Culture Fund has announced a $60,000 investment for its third funding cycle, expanding support to 24 community-focused cultural projects that center on heritage preservation, creative talent development, and national storytelling. What began as a $30,000 initiative planned to support just nine projects has grown dramatically after an outpouring of public interest, with more than 50 applications submitted from creators and organizations across the country.

    At the official grant award ceremony, Minister of Culture Francis Fonseca confirmed the decision to double the initial funding pool, allowing the program to triple the number of projects it can support. Rolando Cocom, director of the Institute of Social and Cultural Research at Belize’s National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), emphasized that the expanded budget will bring critical resources to more marginalized and remote communities across the nation. “We are now able to award 24 grants, tripling the number of projects supported and extending our reach into the communities across Belize,” Cocom explained.

    The grant structure is designed to support both independent creators and established cultural institutions: 20 individual and small community projects will each receive $2,000, while four larger institutional initiatives will get $5,000 each. The selected projects reflect the full diversity of Belize’s multicultural identity, spanning a youth Maya musical ensemble based in Corozal, a short comedy film produced in the Creole language, a searchable digital archive preserving the work of Belizean women artists, an interactive augmented-reality experience that brings Belize City’s iconic street murals to life, and a youth theatre program for Garifuna communities in Dangriga.

    Fonseca noted that in the fund’s first two years of operation, it awarded 20 total grants to projects spanning language preservation, original artistic creation, and public cultural festivals. He added that the program is rooted in cross-sector partnership, with a core mission to remove barriers to funding for underrepresented groups. “This fund is built on partnership and a clear intention to lower obstacles to entry and support targeted, vulnerable, emerging and still developing artistic and cultural projects,” Fonseca said. The expanded investment marks a major step forward in protecting Belize’s diverse cultural legacy and nurturing the next generation of creative talent.

  • DPSU General Secretary says doctors’ protest has produced positive outcomes

    DPSU General Secretary says doctors’ protest has produced positive outcomes

    A peaceful demonstration held by medical practitioners in Dominica this week has already delivered meaningful early outcomes, according to the top leader of the country’s largest public service labor organization.

    Thomas Letang, General Secretary of the Dominica Public Service Union (DPSU), announced the breakthrough during an official press briefing hosted at the Prime Minister’s Office on October 14, 2026. He emphasized that the protest created a critical opportunity for practicing doctors to sit down directly with Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit to lay out their unaddressed workplace and systemic challenges, a step he called a promising shift in how labor concerns are handled in the country.

    For Letang, this open, direct dialogue between frontline medical workers and the country’s highest executive office marks a tangible positive development after months of unresolved friction. Beyond the direct meeting, he also praised the decision to form a dedicated cross-stakeholder committee tasked with examining the full scope of challenges facing doctors across the public health system and drafting evidence-based recommendations to resolve them.

    If the committee’s proposals are moved forward without unnecessary delay, Letang argued, the country can avoid additional work stoppages or protest actions that would disrupt access to care for Dominican residents. Even with this early progress, however, the union leader did not shy away from highlighting the core structural issue fueling current tensions: the fractured working dynamic between the Ministry of Health and the Dominica China Friendship Hospital (DCFH), the island’s major public health facility.

    Years ago, the DCFH transitioned from direct administrative control by the Ministry of Health to operation under an independent governing authority. Letang noted that five years after this major structural shift, the change has left lasting administrative and operational frictions that continue to create challenges for practicing doctors at the facility. He acknowledged that untangling these long-standing systemic issues will not happen overnight, but stressed that intentional improvement of collaboration and communication between the two entities is non-negotiable to resolving doctors’ outstanding concerns and improving working conditions across the hospital.

    Closing his remarks, Letang struck an optimistic tone. He maintained that with timely follow-through on commitments made this week and sustained effort to build a more functional working relationship between health sector stakeholders, all outstanding issues can be resolved without the need for further industrial action from the island’s medical workforce.

  • PHOTO: Senator O’Neil and Youth Ambassador Jarvis donate supplies to Fiennes Institute

    PHOTO: Senator O’Neil and Youth Ambassador Jarvis donate supplies to Fiennes Institute

    A meaningful effort to uplift vulnerable residents at one of the region’s long-term care institutions has kicked off, thanks to a joint donation from government Senator Shaquan O’Neil and CARICOM Youth Ambassador Chrysean Jarvis. The pair delivered a range of essential daily supplies to the Fiennes Institute, a facility focused on supporting the well-being of its residents and maintaining consistent, high-quality care operations.

    In comments following the handover, Senator O’Neil explained that this contribution is just the opening step of a broader, multi-phase community project. The overarching goal of the initiative is twofold: to upgrade the overall standard of living for people residing at the Fiennes Institute, and to build a framework of ongoing, sustained support that will benefit the institution for months to come. Organizers behind the project note that targeted donations of core supplies address immediate operational gaps, while the planned long-term engagement will help the facility tackle persistent challenges in resident care. This collaboration between a sitting government representative and a regional youth ambassador also highlights a cross-generational approach to addressing public welfare needs in the Caribbean community.

  • Survivor credits ‘guardian angel’ for decision to wear life jacket before boat crash

    Survivor credits ‘guardian angel’ for decision to wear life jacket before boat crash

    Public inquiry hearings into the deadly July 18 boat collision off Anse Cochon that left four people dead entered their second day Wednesday, as a new round of witnesses took the stand to share their firsthand accounts of the tragic night of the incident.

    Among those testifying was Romean Williams, one of the lucky survivors of the crash, who told investigators he had only strapped on a life jacket mere minutes before the two vessels collided. He credited a spiritual prompting for what turned out to be a life-saving choice to ask for the safety equipment.

    Williams’ testimony came on the heels of a contentious first day of hearings, which already saw damning admissions of overlooked safety protocols, raised serious questions about the operational compliance of both vessels involved, and exposed conflicting narratives about the chaotic moments leading up to the impact.

    As a passenger on board the vessel Cazorla Jr, Williams faced questions from inquiry commissioners about why he chose to request a life jacket for the return leg of the trip, after opting to go without one for the earlier outbound journey.

    The survivor explained that he cannot swim, has a long-standing fear of the open ocean, and that the trip to Pigeon Island marked his first time ever traveling by boat. He boarded the vessel at the Soufrière waterfront at approximately 4:30 p.m., choosing the boat outing to enjoy an evening out without having to drive himself.

    Per Williams’ account, crew members never offered him a life jacket, nor did they provide any mandatory pre-departure safety briefing to passengers. When commissioners asked why he did not request a safety vest before the trip began, he said he placed his trust in the experience of the boat’s operators.

    “The guys are not new to this, so I trusted them,” he told the panel.

    The return trip to Soufrière got underway around 11 p.m., and Williams recalled that sea conditions had grown noticeably choppier by that time. He told investigators the captain initially traveled at “a really good speed” before another person on board, identified as Pascal, instructed the captain to slow down.

    Roughly five minutes after that exchange, Williams made the decision to ask for a life jacket.

    When commissioners pressed whether any specific event or visual cue had prompted that last-minute request, Williams responded simply: “I’m a child of God. He spoke to me.”

    Fellow passenger Taylor submitted the request for the life jacket on Williams’ behalf. The boat paused its journey while he put on the vest, then resumed its course toward the mainland.

    By Williams’ estimation, just two to five minutes after he finished putting on the jacket, the collision occurred and he found himself thrown into the dark ocean.

    He had not spotted the other approaching vessel, he said, because his head was bowed in prayer at the time of impact. The collision, he recalled, sounded no different to him at first than a large wave hitting the hull.

    “I realised my legs aren’t touching anything,” he told the hearing, describing the disorienting moment he realized he had been thrown overboard.

    Williams said he quickly fell into a panic before he heard Taylor call out, alerting him that her leg had been broken in the crash.

    “I called out for help,” he said.

    Another survivor, Hippolyte, swam to the pair and helped them reach a large piece of floating wreckage from one of the boats, where other survivors had already gathered. Williams told commissioners that in the immediate chaos after the crash, he did not even realize the incident had been a collision between two separate vessels.

    A rescue craft eventually picked up the stranded survivors and brought them to Canaries, where they waited for local emergency medical personnel to arrive. Williams confirmed to the inquiry that he walked away from the incident without any physical injuries.