| San Pedro Daily |  |
Tuesday, October 6,
2009 Belize's Only Daily- 7 Days a Week |
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ISLAND
SUPERMARKET "Best Prices - Best Quality - Best Service" Phone: 501-226-2972 or 501-226-2973 FREE DELIVERY IN TOWN |
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Water Taxi Association
confusion in San Pedro 
And at La Isla Bonita, police were called to
cool heads between two
rival water taxis operating next to each other. Tensions flared over
the weekend when Giovanni Marin, the owner of the Tackle Box Pier,
reportedly had a misunderstanding with the San Pedro Belize Express
Water Taxi, which was using Marin’s dock. Marin reportedly kicked them
off his pier and welcomed back old time partner, Caye Caulker Water
Taxi Association, to do business from the location. Almost a year ago,
things were in the reverse, when Marin parted ways with the Caye
Caulker Water Taxi group and helped form the San Pedro Belize Express.
The new agreement between Marin and Caye Caulker Water Taxi Association
apparently got in the ears of a few members of the San Pedro Belize
Express group and overnight the group removed themselves and worked out
a deal with Ambergris Divers. So when they set up shop next-door this
morning, the situation became volatile and police were assigned all day
to the location to keep the peace. Meanwhile, San Pedro Town Board is
said to be reviewing the trade licenses of both water taxi companies. CH5
Caye Caulker
Residents
Want All Policemen Replaced 
No arrest has been made yet in the Thursday
evening murder of
Lurlene Young on Caye Caulker. Young’s throat was cut during a home
invasion robbery on Thursday around 5 pm inside her home on the island.
Evidence suggests Young’s killer followed her home from her job as manager at the Tropic Air Office and seized at the opportunity to enter her home when she went to the bathroom. She was then attacked in bathroom and was stabbed in the throat twice. Her husband Charles Young Sr. found her still barely alive a few minutes after but she later died. A post mortem certified her cause of death as asphyxia due to partial decapitation of the neck. Robbery appears to have been the motive. It was Caye Caulker’s first murder in more than a decade and the most vicious killing in recent memory. And that is why villagers are taking matters into their own hands. You heard their complaints Friday about the lack of police presence and action on the island. The Neighbourhood Watch Committee has planned a “March Against Crime” protest for Thursday afternoon. But it isn’t just walking. In a press release today, the Neighbourhood Watch Committee restated its demand to the Commissioner of Police Crispin Jeffries and Area Representative Manuel Heredia Jr. to replace all the police officers assigned to Caye Caulker. CH7 BEL SAYS MEXICAN SUPPLIER WILL NOT
BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FIRM
ENERGY
The
public is being encouraged to continue to practice energy conservation.
Belize
Electricity Limited says Comision Federal de Electricidad, C-F-E has
advised them that it is extending its suspension of firm power to
Belize. Earlier this year C-F-E said it would suspend supply of firm
energy supply through to September. At the time it cited damage to
major generating equipment in Central Campeche as the cause of the
action. B-E-L says in a correspondence dated September 30 C-F-E
informed that while the generating unit at Central Campeche has been
brought back on line, they are unable to produce to full capacity as a
result of problems with gas availability. The company says maintenance
works on another major generating unit in Merida recently began and the
unit will be out of service for 20 days. CFE has informed BEL it will
not be able to offer BEL firm capacity and energy until the generation
capacity is restored. BEL says since CFE’s notice back in April it has
been able to maintain power to the country by relying on local
generation sources including the hydroelectric facilities at BECOL and
Hydro Maya Limited, the heavy fuel plant at Belize Aquaculture and
BEL’s gas turbine unit. BEL says it
remains
committed to meeting this challenge and will continue to manage local
generation sources to minimize power outages and cost of power.Love
FM
Belize Water Services
apply for 25% rate increase 
Sanitation services remain unpaid, but
the Belize Water Services
Limited is asking the Public Utilities Commission to approve an
increase in water rates. The P.U.C. says a determination will be made
after following a full tariff review. News Five Jose Sanchez reports
from a P.U.C. press conference which had its own side show.
DRUG TRAFFICKINGJose Sanchez, Reporting The Public Utilities Commission has received an application from Belize Water Services Limited to review its rate structure. B.W.S. says it intends to invest in its infrastructure, but the business plan calls for increases in water rates, which could increase consumer bills by as much as twenty-five percent. Leroy Almendarez, Director of Administration and Tariffs, P.U.C. “The plan submitted by B.W.S. provides for some ninety-two point five million in investments for the provision of water services over the full tariff period and for some eight point six million in investments for the provision of sewer services in its authorized area of supply and some fourteen point nine million in other investments for a total of one hundred and sixteen point one million. B.W.S. expects some twenty point eight million of this total to be funded by developers and some forty-four point three million to be funded by debt. The business plan also projects operational expenditures and other costs related to the provision of services, ranging from thirty-three point six million for the first tariff period of the full tariff period to thirty-eight point three million for the last annual tariff period. The schedules and tariffs approved by the P.U.C. shall become effective on April first, 2010 irregardless of the date on which the P.U.C.’s final decision is issued.” Alvan Haynes, Chief Executive Officer of Belize Water Services Limited, was present at the P.U.C.’s briefing. Alvan Haynes, C.E.O., Belize Water Services “We need money in order to operate, in order to deliver water to each one of you and to each consumer out there. We need to have funds which allow us to operate efficiently and to continue to provide the level of service that we’ve been providing.” Jose Sanchez “But what has changed for the increase?” Alvan Haynes “What has changed? Simply put the company has not had increase since 2005. The last significant increase was in 2004. Inflation alone since 2004, accumulates to seventeen percent plus. So that alone says there is a seventeen percent increase in cost over the period and that excludes the bumps from fuel prices, which plays a significant role to some of our costs.” The question and answer session with the Water Services C.E.O. had to be continued outside because the P.U.C.’s Almendarez signaled to his Public Relations Officer to end the media session with Haynes. Voice of Anne Wade: Pr., P.U.C. “Mr. Haynes we are very happy with your presence—unexpected presence—to provide an opportunity for the press to chat with you on the submission by B.W.S. Our press conference is finished.” Jose Sanchez “Mr. Haynes do you think the P.U.C. was surprised by your appearance at today’s press briefing?” Alvan Haynes “It’s hard to tell, I think they sent us a notification so obviously, the application concerns us and it is in our interest to be present.” Jose Sanchez “But we’re standing outside doing this interview. They wanted you to be seen but not to be heard.” Alvan Haynes “No, I think they basically allotted a certain time for their people and their facilities so the time is up.” Jose Sanchez “So you don’t see it as a potential bone of contention in the way things might pan out in the future regarding this rate increase?” Alvan Haynes “No, we have the right to call our own press conference if we so desire. So our view is that we wanted to make sure what was covered at this press conference and then decide if it was worth just calling a press conference or just simply putting out our press release that we have prepared.” Jose Sanchez “When it comes to the classification, how would you decide who would be charged what when it comes to the different rates?” Alvan Haynes “Okay, the classifications we are proposing are simple; residential, commercial and others. Commercial would be customers who use in excess of ten thousand gallons per month for water and obviously are using water for commercial purpose. Residentials are obvious. The none-residential would include government, it would include normal business, retail stores, doctors, lawyers, churches, NGO’s etcetera.” The rate increase is not final and is subject to public discussions. If approved, it will come on line in April 2010. CH5 POLICE REPORT
Roland Usher,
Belizean wood carver of Caye Caulker Village has been arrested and
charged with Drug Trafficking after Police conducted a search on him,
which led to the discovery of a plastic bag containing 28.6 grams of
crack-cocaine. Police
LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Dear J.P.’s
The Association of Justices of the Peace & Commissioners of the Supreme Court would like to visit San Pedro on the 24th October, 2009 to conduct a training seminar and re-establish the chapter. Cost of training is $20.00 per person. We would like to commence at 6:00 p.m. The training should take approximately 2 hours and the meeting to re-establish the chapter should last approximately 45 minutes. Once we start on time we should be finished by 9:00 p.m. I would like to ask you all to please contact all J.P.’s on the island so that we can make another effort to re-establish this chapter. We need to elect a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Public Relations officer, Legal advisor and two Councilors. If you know other J.P.’s who have email addresses, please send to us so we can contact them, or feel free to forward this email to them. I am hoping for a positive response as we are willing to continue this association, and San Pedro has been out of our official chapters for some two years or more. I await your response. Hon. Adrian (Danny) Madrid, J.P.(S), C.S.C. National President
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© SAN PEDRO DAILY, PO Box 45, San Pedro Town, Belize. Inquiries to editor@sanpedrodaily.com |
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