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  • Retired Prison Superintendent passes

    Retired Prison Superintendent passes

    A close-knit prison fraternity based on the Caribbean island of Dominica is in mourning this week following the passing of retired top prison official Algernon Charter.

    Charter built his decades-long career at the Dominica State Prison, stepping into the key role of Superintendent and leading the facility for many years before his retirement. During his tenure, he became a well-known and respected figure among colleagues and the broader prison community, leaving a lasting imprint on the institution.

    Local media outlet Dominica News Online (DNO) has formally issued its condolences to Charter’s family, friends, and all those who were close to him following the announcement of his death. DNO has also confirmed that it will release additional details surrounding his passing and legacy in an upcoming follow-up publication as more information becomes available.

  • NUPW signals further action as wage dispute drags on

    NUPW signals further action as wage dispute drags on

    On Tuesday, frontline workers at Grantley Adams International Airport Inc. (GAIA Inc.) took to the picket line, turning a months-long simmering wage dispute into open public demonstration. The action, organized by the workers’ representative body the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), comes after nearly five months of unreturned communications from airport management over a proposed 20% wage increase for the 2025–2027 period.

    Under the quiet observation of local law enforcement, a group of airport employees walked off their posts to voice their long-held frustration, calling on management to immediately address their compensation demands. Union leadership has emphasized that the protest is not a spontaneous, unplanned outburst, but a direct response to GAIA management’s persistent refusal to return to collective bargaining.

    NUPW President Kimberly Agard told reporters that the union has been seeking formal negotiations with GAIA’s leadership since December of last year. Despite repeated outreach to schedule a bargaining session and discuss the union’s formal compensation proposal, Agard said the union has not received a single formal reply or counteroffer from management.

    “Since last December, the NUPW has shared its formal position with GAIA management, and to this day, we have not gotten any kind of response,” Agard stated. “This delay is not on our end—we have continuously reached out to lock in a date to return to the bargaining table, but every proposed date gets pushed back. Our members are fed up. They show up and work hard every day, they deserve better compensation, and this protest is just their way of making that frustration heard.”

    Union officials clarified that the decision to stage a public protest was not made lightly. Industrial Relations Officer Lisa Allicock explained that the NUPW intentionally narrowed its bargaining priorities to speed progress on the issue that matters most to workers: immediate wage relief. The union set aside non-wage contractual disagreements to focus exclusively on reaching a resolution for the 20% salary increase proposal covering 2025 to 2027, and has only been waiting for management to engage in good faith.

    “There were a range of outstanding items on the table, but we recognized that wages are the most pressing concern for our members right now, so we decided to pause discussions on everything else,” Allicock said. “We’ve narrowed our focus to bring salary negotiations to a close as quickly as possible, and we’re just waiting for GAIA management to respond to our position.”

    Agard pushed back against any claims that the demonstration was premature or uncoordinated, noting that the NUPW operates on a core principle of “responsible representation”—but that responsibility must extend to both sides of the bargaining table. She pointed out that airport workers are facing the same widespread cost of living pressures that are impacting households across Barbados, and their anxiety over stagnant wages is entirely justified.

    “This isn’t a random, unplanned action,” Agard stressed. “We’ve given management more than enough time to review our proposal and come back to the table. Our members aren’t against working—they just want fair pay for the work they do, and this protest shows how fed up they are with how management has treated their request and their representatives.”

    As of Tuesday, union leaders have not disclosed details of their next steps if management continues to refuse to negotiate. While the NUPW has not yet called for a full, formal work stoppage that would disrupt airport operations, representatives confirmed that all possible actions remain on the table, depending on GAIA management’s response in the coming days.

    “We remain committed to responsible representation, and labor organizing follows strategic planning—we’re not going to announce our next moves publicly right now,” Agard said. “We will hold further consultations with our members, and whatever direction they want us to go is what we will follow.”

    Barbados TODAY has reached out to GAIA communications specialist Sharleen Brown to request a comment from management on the protest and ongoing wage dispute, and is awaiting a response as of the publication of this report.

  • PinderHope Enterprises’ directors donate TVs to former school, encourage alumni support

    PinderHope Enterprises’ directors donate TVs to former school, encourage alumni support

    As The St. Michael School nears its 98th year of operation, a generous donation from two successful former students is shining a light on the critical gap in classroom technology and the power of alumni giving to transform educational experiences for current learners.

    Entrepreneurs Ashley Hope and Damien Pinder, co-directors of the multi-media enterprise PinderHope Enterprises Ltd., have gifted three state-of-the-art high-definition 4K televisions to the Barbados-based secondary school, where they first studied more than two decades ago. The pair stepped forward to fill a pressing need after learning about the institution’s ongoing technology shortages while working on a separate alumni-led campus project.

    Pinder explained that the pair were struck by how little progress had been made on integrating educational technology into classrooms since their own time as students. “Two decades ago, EduTech was already a major buzzword, framed as the future of classroom learning,” he noted. “When we found out that core teaching spaces still lacked even basic connected 4K displays, we knew we had to act.”

    School leadership says the donation has already resolved a long-standing logistical and pedagogical challenge the institution has faced for years. Before the new televisions were installed, the school only had a limited number of portable projectors available for classroom use, meaning teachers had to reserve equipment weeks in advance and only those who booked first got access. Now, with fixed 4K screens placed in key specialist rooms, educators no longer have to plan around equipment shortages, and can integrate digital visual learning into their daily lessons seamlessly.

    Tanya Harding, the school’s principal who actually taught Hope and Pinder integrated science 20 years ago, emphasized that the upgrade has benefited both instructors and students. “Having a permanently placed screen in these rooms removes all the uncertainty around accessing technology for lessons,” Harding said. “This directly addresses a gap we’ve been working to close for a long time.”

    Susan Alleyne-Forde, head of the school’s Fine Arts Department, echoed that praise, noting the new televisions have already reshaped teaching in her department. “We can now stream live demonstrations, play educational videos, and display high-resolution reference materials directly in the classroom, so every single student has a clear view of what we’re covering,” she explained. “It feels like we finally have the modern classroom technology we’ve been wanting for decades – it’s a game-changer.”

    Beyond the immediate impact on teaching at The St. Michael School, Hope and Pinder say their donation is meant to serve as a call to action for other alumni of the institution to give back in whatever way they can. Hope emphasized that contributing to one’s alma mater doesn’t require large financial gifts to make a difference. “The school has so many needs, and we’re hoping this example encourages other graduates who are in a position to help to step forward,” he said.

    Pinder expanded on that message, noting that any form of contribution counts. “Giving back doesn’t always have to be monetary,” he said. “Whether you can share your time, your professional skills, or material resources, every contribution adds up to make a real difference for current students.”

    As the school prepares to mark its 98th anniversary, the donation is being held up as a model of how graduate engagement can strengthen the institution and open new opportunities for the next generation of learners.

  • Dredging in Placencia Lagoon Triggers Questions and Concerns

    Dredging in Placencia Lagoon Triggers Questions and Concerns

    In southern Belize, new unapproved dredging work in the ecologically vital Placencia Lagoon has triggered widespread concern among local communities and environmental conservation organizations, who warn that the activity puts one of the region’s most biologically diverse aquatic ecosystems at severe risk.

    User-shared footage of a working dredge vessel circulating across social media platforms has brought the activity into public view, with local residents reporting they have observed the machinery operating in the lagoon for multiple weeks. Rapid public pushback quickly prompted environmental advocacy groups to launch a formal response, with the Crocodile Research Coalition (CRC), a regional marine conservation group, leading efforts to highlight the potential irreversible harm the dredging could inflict on the lagoon’s native wildlife.

    CRC Executive Director Marissa Tellez called the unregulated activity deeply alarming, emphasizing that Placencia Lagoon serves as an irreplaceable habitat for a wide range of protected and endangered species, including West Indian manatees, bull sharks, bottlenose dolphins, and the critically endangered American crocodile. What makes this dredging work particularly troubling, Tellez explained, is that it is taking place directly in a mapped, peer-reviewed documented feeding hotspot for manatees, a vulnerable species already facing population decline across the Caribbean.

    In the wake of public outcry, online speculation has linked the ongoing dredging to local developer Emilio Zabaneh and the nearby Balam Golf Course development. Both parties have issued formal statements rejecting any connection to or involvement with the dredging operations. News outlet News 5 has contacted Anthony Mai, Chief Executive Officer of Belize’s Department of Environment, as well as other relevant government agencies to request comment and clarification on the legality of the work and the government’s next steps, but has not yet received an official response as of publication.

  • Ifill nets five to power St Bernard’s Primary to big win

    Ifill nets five to power St Bernard’s Primary to big win

    The opening matchday of the National Sports Council Bico Primary Schools Football competition delivered a string of lopsided results and standout individual performances, headlined by a record-breaking five-goal display from Trazahri Ifill of St Bernard’s Primary. Ifill’s sensational attacking masterclass propelled his side to a dominant 7-0 shutout victory over St Margaret’s Primary at the Conrad Hunte Playing Field, host of the tournament’s Dennis Leacock Zone. Ifill was not the only goalscorer for the dominant St Bernard’s side, with Shemari Gittens and Aakash Jones each adding one goal late in the contest to cement the lopsided final score.

    The Dennis Leacock Zone saw blowout outcomes across all opening fixtures. Grantley Prescod Primary delivered an equally impressive 7-1 thrashing of St Joseph Primary, while Providence Primary secured a comfortable 4-1 win against Hillaby Turner’s Hall Primary to kick off their tournament campaign on a high note.

    Across the competition’s other three zones, results ranged from tense narrow wins to scoreless stalemates and default victories. In the Edward Smith/Frank Holder Zone, Elliot Belgrave Primary and St Lucy Primary played out a defensive battle that ended in a goalless draw, with neither side able to find the back of the net despite sustained attacking pressure in the second half. Gordon Greenidge Primary claimed a tight 1-0 win over Selah Primary, and Roland Edwards Primary picked up a 3-0 default victory after Half Moon Fort Primary was unable to field a full squad for their opening fixture.

    In the Kenville Cab Layne Zone, two sides shared points after a 1-1 draw between Eagles Academy and St Judes Primary. St George Primary notched a 4-0 clean sheet win against Mount Tabor Primary, while Hits 106.7 Bay Primary defeated Cuthbert Moore Primary 3-0 to start their tournament with three points. St Luke’s Brighton Primary also claimed a 3-0 default win, as Workmans Primary forfeited their opening matchup.

    Finally, in the Ricardo Mickey Gibson Zone, Milton Lynch Primary cruised to a 4-0 shutout victory over Wills Primary, Arthur Smith Primary earned a 3-0 win against St Bartholomew Primary, and St Gabriels Primary held off a late comeback push to edge People’s Cathedral Primary by a narrow 3-2 final score, wrapping up an action-packed first matchday across all four zones of the annual youth football competition.

  • Hilda Skeene records back-to-back wins

    Hilda Skeene records back-to-back wins

    Day two of the Pedialyte Sport National Sports Council Primary School Netball competition delivered a string of tense matches across two host venues in Barbados on Tuesday, with Hilda Skeene Primary School emerging as an early standout after clinching back-to-back wins in their zone. Competing in the Marva Sealy/Angela Gibbs Zone at King George V Memorial Park in St Philip, Hilda Skeene got off to a solid start with a narrow 2-1 win over Reynold Weekes Primary, before following up that victory with a dominant 3-0 shutout against Mount Tabor Primary.

    After her team’s second win of the day, Hilda Skeene captain Dakiyah Dottin-Clarke shared her team’s perspective in an interview with Barbados TODAY, expressing relief at securing the two crucial results. “It was a good tournament run today, but I faced tough resistance from Mount Tabor’s defence,” she noted. “We are really happy with how we performed today, and our goal is to keep this momentum going all the way to the final.”

    Other results from the Marva Sealy/Angela Gibbs Zone kept the competition standings tight. St Bartholomew Primary notched two wins of their own: they edged out Reynold Weekes Primary by a single goal at 4-3, before holding St Mark’s Primary scoreless to take a 3-0 win. In the final zone match of the day, St Mark’s and Mount Tabor played to a hard-fought 1-1 draw.

    Over at the Speightstown competition courts, a full slate of matches also saw multiple teams pick up valuable points to advance their tournament campaigns. All Saints Primary extended their unbeaten streak with a convincing 6-0 shutout victory against Selah Primary. Gordon Greenidge Primary claimed a clear 4-0 win over St Albans Primary, while St Lucy Primary pulled off a narrow 3-2 win against Elliot Belgrave Primary.

    In additional matches at the Speightstown venue, St Albans and Elliot Belgrave tied 2-2, Elliot Belgrave dominated Selah with a 6-0 blank win, and St Lucy Primary picked up their second win of the day with a 3-1 result over St Silas Primary. Photo credit for action shots from the Hilda Skeene versus Reynold Weekes match goes to Kurtis Hinds of Barbados TODAY.

  • De Peperpot Innovatie in Natuureducatie

    De Peperpot Innovatie in Natuureducatie

    Suriname has long integrated nature education into both primary and secondary school curricula, and a new off-campus initiative at Pepperpot Nature Park is bringing this core learning objective to life through immersive, hands-on experiences for young learners. Off-campus nature education has been widely recognized as a uniquely valuable learning framework that lets students explore natural ecosystems first-hand, turning the outdoors into a dynamic, interactive classroom that delivers a wide range of developmental and educational benefits.

    Located in Suriname’s Commewijne district, Pepperpot Nature Park spans 24 hectares and sits within an 820-hectare protected forest area. The site has a layered history: from the 17th century through its closure in 1994, it operated as a colonial plantation, and in the decades following, it gradually reverted to its original state as a pristine wild forest. The Pepperpot Nature Forest Foundation was established in 2009 to steward the rich natural ecosystem that regrew on the former coffee and cocoa plantation, which now hosts a unique biodiversity hotspot just 5 kilometers from the capital city of Paramaribo.

    The foundation’s dual mission is to protect the area’s native biodiversity and preserve remnants of the old plantation as cultural heritage. It manages the full 820-hectare landscape, which is divided into three zones: a 706-hectare forest corridor, a 32-hectare buffer zone surrounding the corridor, and an 80.89-hectare visitor park, 26.89 hectares of which are currently open to the public.

    For casual visitors, the park offers a range of recreational activities including hiking, birdwatching, and kayaking, with resting benches placed throughout to encourage visitors to slow down and connect with their surroundings. A diverse array of wildlife calls the park home, with a full photo gallery of native species hosted on the park’s official website, peperpotnaturepark.com. Guided tours led by professional naturalists are also available in morning, early evening, and night-time formats to suit different visitor preferences.

    As a form of experience-based learning, off-campus nature education encourages active exploration in natural, challenging outdoor environments, and research consistently shows that time in nature delivers profound benefits for children’s development. Hands-on interaction with the natural world boosts physical health, sharpens critical thinking skills, fosters creativity, reduces stress, and gives children greater sense of personal freedom that is critical to healthy emotional growth.

    Off-campus nature education encompasses a broad range of accessible activities designed to engage all children, from building shelters and ropes courses to campfire cooking, cooperative games, scavenger hunts, tree climbing, and native plant and wildlife identification. While these activities can take place anywhere from schoolyards to public parks, undisturbed natural areas like Pepperpot’s forests offer the richest learning environments. Through these experiences, students develop inquiry-based, discovery-driven thinking that deepens their connection to the natural world.

    Currently, the program serves fifth-grade primary school students from three Surinamese districts: Commewijne, Para, and Marowijne, and participating students have consistently shown high levels of enthusiasm for the hands-on learning opportunities. In September 2025, the foundation secured two years of funding from the ALCOA Foundation to launch the scaled off-campus nature education program at the park, which is uniquely suited to host the initiative. Each Saturday throughout the school year, classes of students take turns visiting the park, where they are guided by both professional naturalists and their own classroom teachers.

    According to project manager Maureen Silos of Pepperpot Nature Park, a core goal of the program is to help children understand that humans are an intrinsic part of the natural world. By giving school groups the chance to learn and play actively in a wild natural setting, the program helps young learners develop a deeper understanding of the world around them, cultivate a lasting love of nature, and build a lifelong commitment to conservation.

  • U.S. Embassy Issues Security Alert Following SOE in Belize

    U.S. Embassy Issues Security Alert Following SOE in Belize

    In response to a sharp uptick in violent criminal activity across key areas of Belize, the U.S. Embassy in Belize has issued an official security alert for all U.S. citizens residing in or traveling through the Central American nation. The alert comes days after Belizean authorities declared a 30-day State of Emergency (SOE) on May 8, covering high-crime zones that include both the Northside and Southside of Belize City, plus multiple communities across the broader Belize District: Ladyville, Burrell Boom, Fresh Pond, Buttercup Estates, Bermudian Landing, Lemonal, Isabella Bank, Rancho Dolores, and Double Head Cabbage.

    By the first weekend after the SOE declaration, residents across affected areas awoke to a transformed security landscape, marked by heightened patrols from both the Belize Police Department and the Belize Defence Force (BDF), mandatory checkpoints at major transit points, strict curfews, and a suite of enhanced public safety measures. Local officials confirmed the drastic action was triggered by weeks of steadily escalating violence, most of which has been linked to ongoing gang-related retaliatory attacks.

    The wave of bloodshed that pushed authorities to implement the SOE began on May 5, when two high-profile local figures, Hubert Baptist and Eric Frazer, were ambushed in a targeted shooting along the Philip Goldson Highway. Remarkably, both men survived the attack. Just days later, 29-year-old Jamal Samuels was gunned down in a killing investigators have classified as a direct retaliatory murder. In an incident that sent further shockwaves through local communities, police report a 16-year-old gunman entered a local bar and fatally shot a 34-year-old mother of three. These high-profile attacks are just four of the multiple shootings and homicides that have destabilized Belize District communities in recent weeks.

    Under Statutory Instrument 50 of 2026, the legal framework backing the SOE, Belizean law enforcement and security officials have been granted significantly expanded authority to crack down on crime and reestablish public order. The emergency regulations prohibit a range of activities within the designated SOE zones, including loitering, public alcohol consumption, and any gathering of three or more people. Minors in the affected areas are also required to stay indoors between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. local time.

    Notably, both police and BDF personnel are now authorized to conduct warrantless searches of private residences, vehicles, watercraft, and individual persons if they have reasonable suspicion of criminal activity or a threat to public safety. Officers can also detain individuals for questioning, seize items classified as dangerous, and make warrantless arrests if they suspect a person has committed, plans to commit, or may facilitate criminal activity. The regulations also allow authorities to hold detained individuals for up to 30 days during the SOE, and permit the closure of any business or location deemed a threat to public safety.

    The SOE framework also grants broad new powers to Belize’s Minister of Home Affairs, including the authority to order individuals placed under home confinement, restrict personal movement and social association, and require mandatory regular check-ins with local police.

    In its published security advisory, the U.S. Embassy urged all U.S. citizens in Belize to fully comply with directives from local law enforcement, closely monitor official updates from the Government of Belize, and maintain a high level of situational awareness at all times. The embassy also encouraged both U.S. residents and travelers in the country to review the most recent official Belize Travel Advisory and enroll in the U.S. Department of State’s Smart Traveller Enrolment Program (STEP), a free service that provides automatic emergency alerts and updates to U.S. citizens abroad.

    As of current official updates, the State of Emergency is scheduled to remain active for a maximum of 30 days. However, senior Belizean officials have not ruled out extending the emergency order or implementing additional strict security measures if violent crime does not subside across the affected zones during the initial 30-day period.

  • Catholic Church Says No to HPV Vaccines on its School Grounds

    Catholic Church Says No to HPV Vaccines on its School Grounds

    In a formal public announcement dated May 12, 2026, the Catholic Diocese of Belize has reaffirmed its longstanding ban on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination initiatives across all of its school properties, drawing a firm line that blocks public health officials and medical teams from carrying out on-campus immunization drives. The policy was communicated via an official letter released last Tuesday, with diocesan leaders noting the restriction traces back to the tenure of former Bishop Dorick Wright and remains the binding guidance for all Catholic educational institutions in the country today. Notably, the Church’s statement did not provide a clear public explanation for its continued opposition to on-campus HPV vaccination programs.

    Public records show that the global Vatican leadership and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have never issued a formal official ban or specific negative stance on HPV vaccination. In fact, the Vatican has taken a broadly pro-immunization position since 2020, when it formally issued a statement of moral acceptance for COVID-19 vaccines. A 2021 Vatican document from its Archives Office clarified that any vaccine clinically verified as safe and effective may be used in good conscience, and that receiving such vaccines does not amount to formal complicity with abortion, a common unsubstantiated concern linked to early cell lines used in some vaccine research. Contrary to lingering misinformation, all HPV vaccines currently in global circulation do not rely on cell lines derived from aborted fetal tissue; they are manufactured using modern recombinant DNA technology, a distinct, ethically uncontroversial production process.

    The public policy clash has prompted a response from Belize’s Office of the Special Envoy for the Development of Families and Children, which emphasized in an official statement that while the government respects the right of individual and institutional groups to hold personal concerns about immunization, safeguarding children from a preventable life-threatening cancer must be treated as a top national priority.

    National HPV immunization campaigns in Belize have operated for several years, targeting primarily Standard Four elementary students, with additional catch-up dosing offered to older students in Standards Five and Six who missed their initial scheduled doses. Global and U.S. public health agencies uniformly stress the life-saving importance of timely HPV vaccination. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that roughly 13 million people, including adolescents, contract HPV annually worldwide. The virus is the leading preventable cause of multiple aggressive cancers, including cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers in women, as well as penile cancer in men. The CDC notes that administering the vaccine during preadolescence provides maximum protection, long before young people may be exposed to the virus through sexual activity.

    The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) echoes this guidance, confirming that HPV vaccination administered between the ages of 9 and 14 delivers the highest level of protection for girls before they become sexually active and face potential exposure to the virus. PAHO also adds that high vaccination coverage among girls delivers a secondary public health benefit, significantly reducing HPV infection rates among unvaccinated boys through herd immunity. The diocese’s ban has placed thousands of elementary students at increased risk of preventable cancer, public health experts warn, as on-campus vaccination programs are one of the most effective avenues to reach high immunization coverage among school-aged children, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like Belize.

  • Notice: Single-Lane Traffic on All Saints Road

    Notice: Single-Lane Traffic on All Saints Road

    Drivers and commuters traveling along All Saints Road in Antigua and Barbuda are being alerted to upcoming major construction works that will reshape traffic flow through a key stretch of the corridor. The national Ministry of Works has issued a public advisory outlining the changes, which are tied to the government’s broader All Saints Road infrastructure improvement project. The works will be concentrated between two well-known local landmarks: the FADI Building Supplies outlet and the Fresh and Eazy Supermarket.

    Starting at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, after the previously scheduled single-lane traffic arrangement ends, a full detour will go into effect through 7:00 a.m. the following morning. The detour follows a clear route depending on travelers’ direction of travel. For motorists heading out of town, the route requires a right turn at Flex Hardware Store, then connecting back to All Saints Road via the access road passing Heritage Preschool. For those traveling into the capital St. John’s, drivers will turn left at D’Cravinz and rejoin the route toward St. John’s through the Herberts area.

    To keep traffic moving safely through the temporary arrangement, trained flag persons will be posted at key points along the detour route. Project officials have noted that specific segments of the detour are designated as one-way traffic zones, with these restrictions clearly marked on official project maps and posted along the roadway. Directional signage has also been installed across the entire detour to guide commuters in both directions, eliminating confusion for unfamiliar travelers.

    Notably, local residents living adjacent to the construction site will retain full access to their properties throughout the overnight work period, and all businesses along the affected stretch of All Saints Road will remain open to customers during the works. Project organizers are reminding drivers that heavy-duty construction equipment will be operating in close proximity to the work zone, so all motorists are urged to strictly follow posted signage and instructions from on-site flag personnel to avoid accidents and ensure safe passage.

    As the overnight works are expected to cause minor travel delays in the area, the Ministry of Works is asking all stakeholders including daily commuters, local businesses, and visitor groups to adjust their travel plans accordingly in advance. For any questions or additional clarifications about the upcoming traffic changes or the broader project, members of the public can contact the Project Implementation Management Unit directly by phone at 562-9173 during operating hours.