Week of January 6, 2005                               Volume 7, #1 1. Person of The Year Award 2. American Tourist Suffers Fatality 3. New Year’s Eve Fire Claims Victim 4. New Year’s Bash 5. Community New Year’s Eve Clean Up 6. Prime Minister's New Year's Address

Person of The Year Award They have hotly debated, discussed and covered the genres of controversial issues on the island as well as talked about many positive themes touching the lives of island residents, and for their outstanding efforts and resonance with the community, Ambergris Today presents the “People of the Year” award to Reef Radio’s “Good Morning San Pedro” Talk Show. Since their inception in the live TV/radio talk show market on March 11, 2004, Reef Radio’s Eiden Salazar Jr., David Marin, and Domingo Perez have taken the island’s early morning pulse by storm. At first, they had to come up with the topics for discussion during the week, but soon afterwards, the island community started reacting to this new outlet for venting their frustrations… or gratefulness, and the morning show’s hosts were swamped with countless of hot topics. Some of the most polemic topics talked about in the morning show during the year included the Town Council’s increase of Trade License fees, the sale and transport of sand off the island, the question and answer session with Mayor Elsa Paz and Area Rep Manuel Heredia Jr., the school children curfew, and the recent shop closing hours law. The show’s biggest rating so far is shared between the live coverage of the Reina de la Costa Maya beauty contestants at Fido’s and the re-broadcasting of the Township Declaration celebrations in 1984. “We cannot tell which one was better, but they both had tremendous support and approval from our viewing and listening audience,” commented Reef Radio’s Owner, Eiden Salazar Jr. “The show has come a long way since our first program went into the air, with the Ambergris Caye Traffic Control Chairman, Milo Paz Jr., as our first guest.” Coincidentally, Milo Paz was Ambergris Today’s first recipient of the “Person of the Year” award for 2003. Just nine months ago, Reef Radio and Coral Cable Vision (CCV) combined their talents to launch the first-ever live morning talk show on the island, bringing together the dynamic broadcasting genre of TV and radio in San Pedro. “Good Morning San Pedro” got underway officially on Thursday, March 11, 2004, with the participation, assistance, and support of Eiden Salazar Jr., David Marin, Domingo Perez, Pete Salazar Jr., and Dean Contreras. The live TV/radio talk show’s first special invited guest was ACTCC’s chairman, Mr. Milo Paz Jr. “We were very much satisfied with the first show because the response from the people was awesome,” commented Reef Radio’s Eiden Salazar Jr. “The amount of phone calls received on our first day on the job was excellent. Over fifteen callers tuned in to voice their opinions, concerns and ideas on several issues of concern to the community. For our first show, it was truly excellent because we did not expect that much.” Now, they have an average of over 20 callers per show which is welcome as long as calls are constructive and of public concern and not personal and vindictive.” “Many topics concerning the island have been expounded and at times debated, and we have had the participation of many of our island’s officials and leaders, including the Mayor, Area Representative, chairmen of statutory bodies and committees, people dealing with culture, economy, politics, education, law and order, environmental organizations, and best of all persons dealing with social issues. On many occasions, it has brought our crew great satisfaction to see the positive results materialize as a result of our talk show input.” The same team of radio celebrities is often called to host radiothons to raise funds for needy people involved in catastrophes and natural disasters. The live broadcasts run every week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and at least once a week, there is the participation of a special invited guest (s), such as ACP Maureen Leslie, the Costa Maya performing stars and beauty contestants, and other government officials. The show is aired live at the Reef Radio studio compounds, and everyone is invited to provide their valuable input or “two cents” on the different issues that are presented for discussion or comment during the early morning hours. “Our goals for the near future include the involvement of children through a variety of programs that will be specialized for their participation,” said Eiden Salazar Jr. “We plan to make the show as diverse as possible in terms of the programs we will offer, instead of only polemic or controversial issues being talked about in the studio each week.” For their valuable contribution to the community of Ambergris Caye, it is an honor to present the Reef Radio “Good Morning San Pedro” Talk Show hosts with Ambergris Today’s “Person of the Year” 2004 Award. Congratulations! Photo Caption: Ambergris Today honors Domingo Perez, Eiden Salazar and David Marin, People of the Year 2004. American Tourist Suffers Fatality Police do not suspect foul play, but are awaiting the results of a post-mortem examination after a US National was pronounced dead on arrival at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) last week Thursday, December 30, 2004. Sometime around 9 am last Thursday, San Pedro Police were called to the Mata Rocks Resort located in southern Ambergris Caye, where they observed the body of 55-year-old Donna Lea Howard lying on the floor of their hotel room. Howard was vacationing in San Pedro, Belize along with her husband Gary Deon Howland. According to Dr. Teresa Damera of the Los Pinos Medical Clinic in San Pedro, she received a call from Gary Howland just before eight in the morning last Thursday, informing her that Gary’s wife, Donna Howard, was having trouble breathing. Dr. Damera was accompanied to Mata Rocks by Dr. Miguel Allison of the Lions Clinic, and just before arriving at the scene, they received another call by Gary informing them that his wife had stopped breathing. “I told him to start CPR on her and that we would be arriving shortly,” Dr. Teresa Damera told Ambergris Today. “This occurred around fifteen minutes to eight o’clock in the morning and we arrived at the room where the patient was just before 8:00 am.” Dr. Damera and Dr. Miguel Allison immediately started CPR on Donna, but to no avail. After administering CPR for almost ten minutes, both doctors pronounced Donna Howard dead, and her body was then transported to the Lions Clinic and subsequently taken to KHMH in Belize City. According to Gary Howland, his wife had a history of medical problems and had been taking a number of different medications at the room when she started experiencing problems with her breathing last Thursday morning. Police reports say that when Donna stopped breathing that morning, Gary summoned a medical officer who administered CPR but to no avail, as attempts to revive the ailing tourist proved futile. No obvious signs of violence were visible on the body of Donna Howard, and the Police do not suspect foul play. A post-mortem examination was scheduled for last week Friday. Photo Caption: BATSUB helicopter used for emergency medial evacuation off the island.   New Year’s Eve Fire Claims Victim 24-Year-Old Perishes in Suspicious Blaze Twenty-four year old Mauricio Adalberto Rodriguez lost his life last Friday on New Year’s Eve during a suspicious fire mishap that consumed more than half of the small dwelling place where he was resting. The blaze, which occurred around 9:30 pm on December 31, was quickly put out by the San Pedro Fire Department, police officers, and volunteers, but their swift action was still not enough to save the life of Mauricio Rodriguez. According to San Pedro Fire Department’s Officer in Charge Jerome Garcia, he was notified about the fire incident around 9:45 pm last Friday. Garcia quickly responded to the call for help with the Fire 5 truck, and was at the scene in less than a minute as the blaze took place only about a block away from the Fire Station, at the corner of Seagull and Sandpiper Street in San Pedro. “When I arrived at the scene, about half of the wooden building was ablaze,” recalled OIC SP Fire Department, Jerome Garcia. “I was assisted by a couple of volunteers and proceeded to douse out the flames. It only took us about two minutes to extinguish the fire, which had consumed about half of the small twenty by ten foot building.” Garcia told Ambergris Today that he and his assistants had to perform a ‘forced entry’ into the smoldering structure to gain access into the building, and it was then that the team discovered the body of Mauricio Rodriguez lying in a crouched position in the plywood floor. Rodriguez’s body was subsequently transported to the Lions Clinic, where he was pronounced dead on arrival by the resident doctor. The body was later on transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) in Belize City where a post mortem examination was to be conducted. “Our preliminary investigations uncovered an overturned table top stove amongst the debris inside the building,” said OIC Jerome Garcia. “But the stove was not the cause of the fire as it was not in use at the time the blaze started. The fire seems to have started at the southeast corner of the wooden structure, near the bed. It appears that the fire smoldered for a period of time before it burst into flames.” According to Garcia, the victim probably died from smoke inhalation before being burnt by the raging flames. “He was probably trying to make it out of the house before he fell down unconscious to the floor,” said Garcia. “When the fire department arrived at the scene, we did not hear any sounds coming from inside the small building; no cries for help.” Initial police investigations reveal that Rodriguez had been drinking heavily during the evening just before the fire, and told his companions that he was going home to rest. As of press time, police did not suspect foul play in the fire incident, but according to the victim’s brother, this might not be the case. “Just a few weeks before, we were told that there had been a similar attempt at Mauricio’s life,” Joaquin Rodriguez told the newspaper. “Someone tried to burn down the same house he died in, but a neighbor saw the flames and he got saved that time. My brother told us he had some enemies who were trying to kill him.” So far, investigations reveal that the fire started inside the building, and not from the outside. But if there was any foul play involved, it would not have been difficult for someone to access the wooden window on the eastern face of the building and do their evil handiwork. “All the windows and door were locked,” said Jerome Garcia. “We had to force our entry inside the house.” But Joaquin suspects that his brother might have been a victim of foul play. “The wooden windows are easy to open from outside, and the house is just about one foot from the concrete fence facing an open yard to the beachfront,” Joaquin told Ambergris Today. “I ask anyone who might have seen anything suspicious that night to please call the police with the information or contact me. The call will be kept confidential.” An updated Police Report released on Tuesday, January 4, stated that the fire was “ruled suspicious” after the post mortem was conducted on Mauricio Rodriguez’s body. The report stated that a post mortem was conducted “where a medical officer certified cause of death as asphyxia due to smoke inhalation.” According to the doctor however, the body also contained signs of bruises not consistent with the fire.” As a result, Police have reopened their investigations and are now looking at the possibility of foul play. Police are also interviewing several persons and are asking anyone with information to please contact the San Pedro Police or to call Crime Stoppers at 922. Mauricio’s death on New Year’s Eve was the result of a raging fire, one in a spate of many that have affected the town of San Pedro almost every year (as far back as 1999), during the busy Christmas holiday season. Photo Caption:1. Mauricio’s brother at the fire site. 2. Mauricio Rodriguez. New Year’s Bash Thousands of tourists, local residents, and inland visitors crowded Barrier Reef drive during the early evening hours on New Year’s Eve, Friday, despite a couple of downpours that fell on San Pedro Town like a blessing just hours before the arrival of January 1, 2005. Revelers walked up and down the length of the main streets in town, enjoying a great meal at their favorite restaurant before the party started, as the town’s main attractions geared up to welcome hundreds of clients to their New Year’s celebrations. Jaguar’s Temple Night Club, Holiday Hotel, Pier Lounge, and Fido’s Bar all started their countdown festivities early, with patrons arriving at their doors around 10 pm to dance or enjoy their favorite drinks while they listened to live music or their favorite DJs. Fido’s Jam Session had tourists and locals alike dancing with Rock, Reggae, Jazz, and Blues, while Jaguar’s, Holiday Hotel, and the Pier Lounge had the DJs blasting out the best in contemporary music, including Techno, Rave, Pop, and Reggaeton. As midnight approached, residents of the island watched on TV as millions around the world counted down to New Year’s 2005, including the popular New York Times Square celebrations. But many island residents also took time to devote silent prayers to the millions of victims affected by the Tsunamis that devastated 11 countries, and watched as countries like Hong Kong, Thailand, and Sri Lanka held candlelight vigils for the tens of thousands of souls who died during the underwater earthquake catastrophe. Half an hour to midnight last Friday, New Year’s Eve, DJ Carlos of Jaguar’s Temple started prepping up the lively crowd at the popular nightclub, decked out with many party favors, including neon lighted champagne glasses, hats, horns, party poppers, and silver headdresses. The dance floor started filling in fast at about fifteen minutes to midnight at Jaguar’s as Carlos energized the atmosphere with a mixture of Techno/Rave boom beats. As the dance floor throbbed with the bass, a jammed packed Jaguar’s rocked with great anticipation as the countdown to 2005 arrived. “Here we go San Pedro…3 more minutes…2 more minutes…get ready for a wild party!” shouted DJ Carlos over the speakers. “3…2…1…Happy New Year San Pedro, Belize!” As the revelers hugged and greeted each other with New Year’s excitement amidst the loud boom of the confetti blast and dry ice smoke of the night club, DJ Carlos kicked in a lively techno version of “Auld Lang Syne” and for a brief moment in time, everybody seemed to forget their problems and the world’s problems and were instead filled with happiness and goodwill. While the party was going on at Jaguar’s, DJ Tracks was bringing down the house at the Pier Lounge, with Jan Brown counting down to 2005. Crowds of tourists enjoyed the midnight beach party scene at Pier Lounge, listening to retro 80s and a mixture of techno, Reggaeton and Cumbia. Just a couple hundred yards down the beach, DJ Habo was rocking the house at Holiday Hotel, where many locals and tourists gathered around to party at the Hangover Sports Bar. And the fun continued up and down the stretch of beautiful beach, including at Fido’s and Big Daddy’s Nightclub, where hundreds more celebrated the arrival of 2005. A New Year had arrived. With great anticipation and range of emotions, folks celebrated the arrival of 2005, with hopes of peace, prosperity, goodwill, and the brotherhood of man. Photo Caption: New Year's party at Jaguar's Temple Night Club. Community New Year’s Eve Clean Up Even though it was the last day of the year, more than 30 volunteers took the time to do something good for San Pedro and the environment this New Year’s Eve. From 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon, a group of volunteers cleaned the mangroves from the San Juan Area to Boca del Rio. Members of the Guardians of the Reef Environmental Club, Peace Corps Volunteers, community members, and even a tourist worked to give San Pedro a cleaner environment for the New Year and helped make this clean up a success. Participants filled many garbage bags, which were left at designated stops along the way. Everyone put in a lot of effort and got deep into the mangroves to try to get as much garbage as they could. This clean up would not have been possible without the support of the San Pedro Town Council and the Ambergris Caye Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce provided funding for the trash bags and gloves. The Town Council generously provided a delicious rice and beans lunch for all the participants as a treat after a lot of work. The Town Council also made sure all of the trash collected was properly disposed. Do not let the efforts of these volunteers be a waste! If you have trash, throw it in one of the many trash barrels around town. If you see trash on the road, in the mangroves, or on the reef, pick it up! We all need to do our part to protect the environment. Let’s make this year cleaner than the last. - Press Release, Kristen Stelljes, Green Reef, January 3, 2005 – Prime Minister's New Year's Address In his New Year’s message, Prime Minister, Said Musa said that in spite of adverse global economic conditions, the Belizean economy performed well in the past year with increased agricultural production, larger marine exports, and significant tourism growth. This growth must be complemented, he said, by sound management of public sector financing and public debt in order for Belize to achieve long-term economic stability: “We must maintain that hard one economic growth in the face of item competition in a market driven global economy, while concentrating on two things – reducing the cost of government by living within our means and ensuring that those who have not yet benefited from the economic growth are afforded greater opportunities to lift themselves out of poverty,” stated Musa in his address. “In this context I have downsized the cabinet and will ask members of the national assembly to agree to a reduction in our salaries. At the same time I am sure that those of you who have benefited from the economic growth will agree to share the burden so that any further adjustments that may become necessary should not fall disproportionately on the shoulders of the poor. I know that we still have a way to go but I am clear about how to get there.” The Prime Minister also said that recent measures have served to enhance transparency and accountability in public administration. “We are seeing the spending of our Parliamentary democracy – openly gotten. Freedom of speech and Custodian, the broad based governance improvement commission, a national economic council and an independent judiciary among other national institutions are all becoming the norm in our country,” he stated. “This robust exercise in democracy allows citizens to truly express themselves and to advocate legitimate parties. At the same time we must exercise these rights in a responsible manner. It is unfortunate that some exploit these democratic rights to show disrespect, show scenes of discord and attack the dignity of others. My administration will continue to pursue policies to expand human rights, strengthening programs to stop violence against women, and safeguarding the rights of children and adolescents especially those most at risk.” Meanwhile, 2005 promises to offer much more improvements in the health care system, education, sports, and the arts, according to Prime Minister Musa. At the opening of his speech, Prime Minister Musa reflected on the earthquake and tsunami that killed around 100 thousand people in Asia last week. In his words, it is a shocking reminder, he said, of our fragile existence and it impels us to be mindful of the need for harmony and balance in our daily lives and in the protection of our environment. AMBERGRIS TODAY Dorian Nuńez 501-226-3462 San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye Belize, Central America ambertoday@btl.net