Monthly Archives: October, 2023

The biggest Halloween extravaganza on the island and perhaps the country brought many characters to life at the anticipated annual celebration at the Holiday Hotel. Held in partnership with their restaurant La San Pedrana, the festivity took place on Saturday, October 28th, without disappointing and awarding the most outstanding costumes with fabulous prizes. The event included an orange carpet, contrary to the usual purple, rolled out at the entrance of the hotel’s restaurant.

After being closed for over three years, the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) office branch in San Pedro Town re-opened on Monday, October 30th, during an official ceremony at the Sunset Boardwalk. The anticipated BTB satellite office on the island is now located at the international water taxi terminal at the Sunset Boardwalk. It will be essential for tour operators, tour guides, and other tourism stakeholders, who will now be assisted with their tourism queries and processes on the island without the need to travel to the mainland.

Hicatees live in freshwaters such as rivers, creeks, and lagoons, and build their nests on the banks. They are large aquatic animals that eat plants, overhanging vegetation, fruits, and flowers. They uniquely show sexual dimorphism where adult males express visibly express a yellow to orange head coloration.

The San Pedro community and other generous donors came together on Friday, October 27th, to support a fundraiser for the reconstruction of parts of the main building of the San Pedro High School (SPHS). The school administration stated they need $350,000 to complete all necessary repairs in their main building. A telethon held throughout Friday saw donations toward this worthy cause from individuals and stakeholders. One of those stakeholders was Caye International Bank (CIB), who not only made a monetary donation but has created a GoFundMe page to raise funds on behalf of SPHS at https://gofund.me/bbc1c852. At the end of the day, a total of $210,346 was raised in the telethon, a satisfactory amount that will aid in the ongoing works at the school.

On Friday, October 27th, three American nationals, bartender Elexa Chism, 26, bar owner Karim Osman, 29, and proclaimed lawyer David Blake Pendergrast, 45, were arraigned at the Belize City Magistrate Court after being arrested and charged in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye for immigration offenses. The trio was detained by police for shoplifting and later linked to the theft of a 58-foot $1.5 million catamaran from a Fort Lauderdale marina in Florida, USA, in September.

The deadly mass shooting in the San Pedrito subdivision in the early hours of Monday, October 23rd, left three dead, including a three-year-old baby girl. Four bystanders were injured: Jose Hernandez, 31, Leonel Cornejo, 27, Ivan Guerra, 22, and Randy Guerra, 19. They are recovering at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City. This essential medical care comes at an expense, and in the case of the Guerras, their relatives have held fundraisers and are asking the public for help.

On October 20, 2023, the Government of Belize convened a high-level meeting in Miami, Florida, engaging with top executives from leading member cruise lines of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA).

Several residents in the San Juan subdivision have voiced their discontent about the conditions of some of their streets. Some areas show flooded roadways, making driving or walking difficult. Those affected said they have contacted the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) for assistance to cope with the situation. They say they have not received any help while it continues to be a daily challenge for students and residents commuting.