Headlines for Thursday, February 16, 2006
Good Evening! With your news I am Dalila Ical
Viewers please note: This Internet newscast is a verbatim transcript of our evening television newscast. Some speakers use Creole and Spanish, however, we attempt to paraphrase the quotes in English.
One US national is dead tonight after jumping out of a plane and his parachute failed to open. Shortly about midday, 45-year-old US National of California, Chad Zielinski was amongst a group of 14 skydivers, who were practicing the dangerous sport, that of sky diving.
According to the organizer of the Boogie in Belize, Rich Grimm, who works at the US Embassy, told our source at San Pedro Suns Newspaper, Zielinski was a very experienced skydiver and was here with his girlfriend. Both the victim and his girlfriend were wearing the “winged” clothing that allows skydivers to stay aloft longer. They both jumped off the plane from a height of about 30-thousand feet of water level. When it was time to deploy the chute, the girlfriend deployed hers, once stable, she looked for her companion but he was no where in sight.
Others that were on the jump saw the victim fall all the way to the water. He landed a few feet away outside the reef. Immediately boats that were on standby found the body with the help of the parachute plane spotting from above. As a result of the impact, he died almost instantly.
The equipment and body were immediately examined, but according to Rich, there is no indication that there was an attempt to deploy neither the primary, nor secondary chute. It appears the equipment was in working conditions, but he did not want to speculate how this tragedy occurred.
According to reports, the victim did not have a safety device that many skydivers use that will automatically deploy the chute once a certain elevation is reached. Zielinski's body was retrieved from the waters off San Pedro Town where he was transported from the airstrip to the KHMH were his body awaits a post mortem examination.
Rich went on to say that this is tragic and these accidents are very rare. However, with most extreme sports, there are inherent risks. He stressed that, quote “This sport especially allows little room for error.” The rest of the jumps were canceled for rest of the day, but will resume tomorrow, likely with a memorial skydive to start the day.
The victim and his girlfriend who form part of a skydiver's team arrived in Belize last Thursday and were expected to leave the country on Sunday. Police say that they are continuing their investigations to find out what possibly went wrong with the parachute.
A twenty-eight year old resident of San Roman Village is currently facing a series of charges after hitting a man on Sunday morning, and who died early today at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City. We visited the victim’s home today in San Pedro Village, Corozal District. Here’s the story. Dalila Ical - Reporting
Sixty-nine year old Juan Perez, Honduran National, was rushed to the Corozal Hospital on Sunday morning suffering serious head injuries after he was hit by a vehicle.
According to his next door neighbor in San Pedro Village, Corozal, Mauricia Chan, Perez has only just left his house about eight Sunday morning for Cristo Rey Village, after they had exchanged a few words. Less than five minutes and three hundred yards away from his home, Perez was hit by a blue Mazda
Mauricia Chan – Resident
“Yo estaba platicando con ese senor en su casa. Llegue temprano aya. Com oyo ando vendiendo yo Sali y le dije asi, que el me compre, estaba yo rifando un reloj. Le digo comprame una rifa Don Juan y el me dice a ver el reloj me dice. Es de mujer le dije. Ah! Es de mujer, no es pa hombre. Pues si usted tiene su mujer le dice la otra vencina. Pues me compro un numero. Me pago y le di su buelto. Y el salio con su bicicleta. No nos dijo donde va. El va a comprar su numero y yo le quieria encargar un numero pa mi y nada nos dijo. Solo vimos cuando salio. No sabemos que dirrecion tomo. Aya yo estaba todavia cuando vino Fernando a decirle a su esposa que ya chocaron a su marido. Pues ellos salieron y vinieron a verlo. Yo no vine. Ahi me quede como perdida porque me asusate. Con su bicicleta salio. La bicicleta nada tiene. Nada le paso ahi esta todavia, nada le paso a la bicicleta.”According to police investigations, Perez was hit by a blue Mazda while riding his bicycle along this road. CTV-3 News understands that the driver of the Mazda, twenty-eight year old Emore Ewan of San Roman Village, took Perez to the Corozal Hospital suffering severe head and body injuries. He was later transferred to the KHMH in Belize City, where he was admitted to ward in a critical condition. Today, however, Perez succumbed to his injuries.
Police are currently preparing charges against Emore Ewan. Juan Perez leaves behind his wife and four month old child, his only immediate kin in Belize.
The Election and Boundaries Department met with members of the Peoples United Party, United Democratic Party, officers working for the municipal election and the local media houses of Orange Walk Town. The over fifty participants were sensitized on what type of behavior is expected by all those who are working in one way or another, in the election process.
According to the officials, there are slight changes in a few of the voting processes that needed to be past on to all participating agencies. In addition, for the fist time, video cameras will be allowed in the voting areas on specific times. The meeting also severed to clarify certain uncertainties. Similar meetings took place countrywide to educate similar groups.
Members of the Student Government Association at Muffles College High School today hosted seven exchange students from the Mercy High School in San Francisco, California, who arrived on Sunday February 12th. We spoke to Lorelei Zermani who is leading the group of seven female students and tells us more about the purpose of their trip to Belize.
Lorelei Zermani Group Leader
“We have a week program at Mercy High School every other year in which the students are able to do alternative learning and we have about 530 students who chose different courses. These courses are identified by the moderators or the teachers in staff and what the teachers do is they choose these courses so that it’s an alternative learning experience for them. These particular girls behind me, all seven of these girls were nominated by teachers to be chosen for this particular group. We have forty students in Costa Rica right now, we have another thirty students in Kobec, we have various groups, I think we have about fifteen courses right now. This one is a little bit different in that we chose it during this time of the year, this was an arrangement that our principal made with the principal at Saint Catherine’s Academy in Belize City.”Reporter
“What type of course are we talking about?”Lorelei Zermani Group Leader
“The Courses rage from all the way from going to Costa Rica and immersing into that culture, doing various activities and so on. Going to Kopek. We teach French in our school and mostly our French speaking, or students taking French, have signed up for that particular course. Again it is an emerging course. We have other courses that are like the Los Angeles. We have one course where the girls went there to look at the various schools in Southern California in the United States. We have another course in which girls went down there to do some missionary type of work to help homeless people and other people. we have a group that went up to Northern California that are on a working form. They are actually working the land and milking cows and that sort of thing, so really it’s an alternative learning in the sense of it’s a hands-on type of experience.”According to Zermani, the students were selected based on a certain criteria. While some students get a hands experience on the job, they also get the opportunity to have fun. We spoke to one of the students, who explains that she is enjoying her stay in Belize.
Lucia Digrande- Student
“Beautiful, beautiful city, and I’m really enjoying myself here and it is a really different environment from where I have been before, so it’s just amazing.”Reporter
“So what are you hoping to gain from you experiences and stay her?”Lucia Digrande- Student
“To realize that in America we all have it so good and that it really takes a lot to go to other country and realize that there are other people out there that need help ad that are really doing great on their own in another country.”The delegation from San Francisco is staying with host families from the Saint Catherine Academy. According to Angela Fetcher, she has observed that the people are very loving and are happy despite the limited resources.
Angela Fetcher- Student
“The most beautiful place ever. I just find it beautiful that there are like the language that everyone speaks is Creole. And it’s just great, like in America we all speak English and each different ethnicity speak their own has their own language but here everyone is a different color, Spanish, Creole, Black White and they all come together and it’s really beautiful. And I know that there are a lot of poor people here but its so wonderful to see how happy they are and how they all come together and fun. We are in America we’re filthy rich and we’re still unhappy, so I think it’s beautiful.”After the stop at the Muffles, the students took a lunch break at the Lamani Lodge. They are scheduled to head back home in San Francisco on Sunday February 19th.
The Corozal PUP 7 Team was on Channel three last night on the Meet Your Candidates Program. The following are highlights of what occurred during the show. Dalila Ical - Reporting
Corozal PUP Mayoral Candidate, Mario Narvaez, and his six other councilor candidates appeared on Channel Three, Know Your Candidate Show last night. During the show, Mayor Narvaez and his team was asked to explain about the walkway that is in the 2006-2009 Manfiesto.
Mario Narvaez – PUP Mayoral Candidate CZL
“In the year 2000, for the first time ever we had general and municipal elections and then we did a joint manifesto along with our area representative, Honorable Vildo Marin. So, we had a manifesto, a number of projects under the Town Council, along with Honorable Vildo Marin, Central Government. That was part of that time period up to 2008 to accomplish all of this. Nevertheless, for the same reason we brought it up again, we didn’t put it under the table. We brought up the issue of the sidewalk. Let me tell you that 75% of the work has been done pertaining to that. This project is going to be financed with the blessing of the Social Investment Fund by the Caribbean Development Bank. Already it’s on the desk. At anytime we will be getting the go ahead and accomplish this project.”The show, which covered the main issues that are in question in Corozal, set the ground for some of the major concerns, which according to the opposition have been overseen by the present Town Board Administration. Corozal Town is located in an ideal location, with rich culture, excellent infrastructure and beautiful beach that is highly regarded as good choice for tourists’ destination. The PUP 7 team boldly answered why is it that not much seems to be happening in the tourism section with the healthy environment.
Mario Narvaez – PUP Mayoral Candidate CZL
“To be successful you have to include all the stakeholders. We are promoting Corozal as a tourist destination. So, definitely we have to work in partnership with the owners of the hotels, the tour guides, Central Government as well as business people in general. What happened is, as we said, our first three years we invested in infrastructure. Now we have all of that there in place and now we have to start working for what we have in our Manifest. How to get investors again. Today I’m proud to say that Corozalenos have invested wisely in hotels. This is what we need to do. Work in partnership with everyone and definitely Central Government wills support whatever we have in plan, because this is for the Belizean people. This is for everyone to make some money.”Popular morning show co-host of the Wake Up Belize Morning Show on Fiesta FM, Jorge Aldana, asked Mario and his team, why the Corozal people should vote for the People’s United Party on March first.
Celia Ysaguirre – PUP Town Council Candidate – CZL
“All I could say, why change something that is good, because PUP & Corozal is there for our so why should they change us?”The one hour talk show covered questions brought up based on the Corozal PUP7 Manifesto. For those who mist the talk show, a replay will show at 10 on Sunday morning on channel three.
Sixteen Christian Belizean artists will be traveling to Flores Peten Guatemala on Saturday to participate in a talent search. The musical talent search will feature participants from both Belize and Guatemala. According to the organizers, the main purpose is to showcase the high level of Belizean Christian music to music producers from different companies in Guatemala. We spoke to one of the Belizean organizer, who is heading the Belizean group and an employee of Radio Kiaros, Seleni Sosa, who explains about the concert.
Seleni Sosa- Belizean Talent Search Organizer
“Vamos a hacer un concierto en Peten Guatemala donde estaremos exponiendo nuestros talentos Belicenos porque no solamente los que ganaron sino los que participaron. Porque? Porque fijate que tristemente estamos viviendo una situacion aqui en Belice que salimos a apoyar a gente del extranjero, salimos a apoyar a la gente de otro pais, peo no creemos en nustros Belicenos. El program soy Beliceno trata de eso, de que los Belicenos si podemos. Tneemos mucho talento y eso vamos a demonstrar en Guatemala, de que en Bleice si hay mucho talento.”In addition to the participants, they are taking about 60 supporters who will represent the Belizean delegation in Flores. Even though three Christian Talent Searches have been organized in Belize, Sosa says that there is still much to be done so as to appreciate the rich Christian Belizean Talents that we are taking for granted. She said that by performing and gaining international recognition, it might be a good move to better appreciate our own Belizean artist.
Seleni Sosa- Belizean Talent Search Organizer
“Queremos probar de que nosotros si temeos talento y aqui en Belice lo vamos a hacer mas adelante. PorqueGuatemala? Porque Guatemala es un pais que apoya mucha a su gente. Cuando yo estuve en las intervistas aya la gente dijo si, les vamos a apoyar a los Belicenos para que salgan adelante en esto. Y eso es uno de los propositos. Yo creo que Belice tiende mucho que dar. El nobre de dios puede ser bien decido tambien de los Beicenos y no solamente de hobres extranjeros.”Amongst the many Belizean participants are Marveli Moralez, Vasti Penelo, Marco Guerro and Grupo Omenaje. Sosa says that while she is asking her delegation to take Belizean T-shit and flags to cheer their Belizean Artist, anyone wishing to travel with them can call her at 601-1935. The delegation will leave on Saturday and will return on Sunday and round trip tickets to Flores are only 50 dollars. Sosa also told about their concert with Puerto Rican artist, Funki.
Seleni Sosa- Belizean Talent Search Organizer
“El proximo sabado que es este sabado temenos un concierto de Funki. Es un cantante interncional de Puerto Rico. Funki va estar con nosotros para promocion y me gustaria mencionar esto del concierto para que los chavos vayan a ver music Hip Hop, reggeaton, disco en fin todo lo que se te ocurra.”Ticket for the concert is, adult 25 dollars and children between ages 8 to 11 is fifteen dollars. Children below 8 years will enter free.
