Crop Duster Pilot Killed In Freakish Crash

This morning after 9:00, a fatal plane crash shocked the community of Spanish Lookout. Well-known crop duster pilot Henry Plett was in the air when his aircraft flipped freakishly forward and fell to the ground.
Plett did not survive the crash, leaving the entire community to grieve. He worked with many farmers across Spanish Lookout and was a well-loved member of the community.

Courtney Menzies went there to find out more and has this story.

Henry Plett manned this crop duster and others like it for decades, working to fertilize and care for many farms in Spanish Lookout. But though he was a skilled and experienced pilot, this morning, his aircraft crashed, killing him instantly.

This is the dramatic video of the plane freakishly pitching forward in mid turn and falling to the ground.

It's not the type of accident that frequently occurs and as such has left the community in shock. As it is, he was supposed to fertilize Heartland Acres' rice fields. The owner, Jerry Friessen explained that they've been working closely for over ten years.

Jerry Friessen, Owner, Heartland Acres
"That was very shocking, we work with him on a daily basis, we grow a lot of rice, if you've ever eaten Granny's Rice, that comes from this farm, and Mr Henry did all of our fertilization and all the nutrition and stuff like that with the plane so we worked with him on a daily basis and it's very sad, he was a close brother."

"He was honest, loyal, I mean if we set a time when we would meet at the airport to fly, he was never a minute late, very loyal to us and our farm and always went out of his way to make sure we were okay."

Friessen added that Plett was not just a good worker, but also a good friend.

Jerry Friessen, Owner, Heartland Acres
"He was always interested in what we were doing, if he would fly for other farmers he would take pictures of our field and just if there's anything he saw that concerned him he would let us know and if I ever needed a ride in a Cessna plane on a Sunday, give my kids a ride or something, he wouldn't hesitate and minute, he would always be there, he was just a very good hearted man."

And with Plett gone, many farmers will now have to find someone else to tend to their farms.

Jerry Friessen, Owner, Heartland Acres
"There's two arial applicator businesses here but he worked with a lot of farmers like for example us, we depended on him and so are many more farmers so he was very well known to the farming community because of the flying services and there's only two companies that do that and so one of them is currently down."

"It's a huge loss, it's a big shock because like I said, most farmers know him and it's not a job that everybody does and not everybody can replace in a heartbeat, it takes a lot of training, a lot of years of practice, and so for the farmers it's a really sad day. We're just kind of chilling out and enjoying the people that are still around and try to grapple with the fact that he's gone."

Plett did not have any children.

Civil Aviation Director Says Plane Recently Checked

And the Department of Civil Aviation is currently investigating the cause of the crash. While little is known so far, Director Nigel Carter explained that the aircraft had recently been checked and was receiving annual reviews. He spoke with us via Zoom about what they know so far.

Nigel Carter, Director, Civil Aviation
"I've only seen the same videos that you've seen and we can't really speculate, but it does seem like there is some aerodynamic situation that might have occurred there."

"We know of the nature of the operation; the aircraft was most recently checked, I believe in January of this year. The aircraft was checked and was found to be airworthy. The pilot as well last renewed his license, I think earlier this year as well. And so everything seemed to have been fine on those fronts."

"After the preliminary investigation, the onsite investigation is done, we make a determination into what, if any, safety measures need to be put in place, and then we go about effecting those safety measures. I won't say it will affect the company as a whole. If it was obviously an isolated situation, then there's not much we can do. If it is something that is systemic, if it is something that affects other aircraft, and so then maybe we would have to go about making certain changes, we would have to give certain directions for certain changes in operations and so forth."

"In my last 20-plus years, I believe this is only my second fatal accident, so I will say that accidents on a whole have become pretty rare, and more so fatal accidents as well. But looking at it, it would be hard to think anybody would survive such an accident."

We'll keep following the story.

Cop Garbutt Back In Court; DPP Reinstates Harm Charge; His Attorney Calls It Double Jeopardy

Police Officer Phillip Garbutt was back in Belize City Magistrate's Court today. Two and a half months after a charge of harm against his common-law wife's son was dismissed, the DPP reinstated the charge against him today. His attorney Alifah Elrington pleaded that he's already been acquitted of that offence; reinstating the charge would constitute double jeopardy - which is not allowed under the constitution.
DPP Cheryl-Lynn Vidal argued in court that in April the sitting Magistrate dismissed the case without merit and that the charge should be brought back in the interest of justice for the child.
This afternoon in court, Chief Magistrate Deborah Rogers agreed and found that the magistrate in April had no authority to drop the charge for harm to the child and her decision was a complete nullity.
At that point his attorney Alifah Elrington told the court that she wants what is called a case stated which will go to the High Court for a determination on the issue of double jeopardy.
So now the trial is suspended until the Magistrate's Court receives the higher court's decision.

The DPP indicated that based on the strong video evidence, she is prepared to take the case all the way to the CCJ.

Man Remanded After Being Caught With Murder Victim's Cycle

Just a few days after Shane Vargas was murdered in Ladyville, his sister filed a report that her brother's motorcycle had been stolen from inside his home. According to a report, the family received a tip from a neighbor who saw someone riding around on Vargas's motorcycle after it was secured in his home following his murder. This led police to detain 29-year-old Frank Young, who was arraigned today on a charge of handling stolen goods. Young pleaded guilty to the charge of handling stolen goods and the magistrate told him she would not impose a fine and he would be remanded, so he changed his plea to not guilty. Young was remanded to the Belize Central Prison, and is expected to appear back in court on October 6th, 2026.

Opposition Leader Says Desperate PM Defamed Her

Tracy Taegar-Panton has condemned what she describes as a "cowardly act" by the Prime Minister, accusing him of launching a defamatory and politically motivated attack over the weekend in a speech he made at the NPC meeting.

She says she intends to pursue a defamation suit over the statements:

Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition
"My reaction was to the irresponsible, libelous, defamatory statements that the Prime Minister made at his National Party Council meeting on Sunday in Dangriga. You are the head of state. You are the Prime Minister of a free and sovereign nation who is clearly cracking under the pressure of an executive that has gone rogue, cracking under the pressure of rampant and blatant corruption in your administration. And the way you react to that, as the prime minister believes, is to launch a baseless against a member of parliament. Worse, a baseless attack against the leader of the opposition who has given 40 years of unblemished service to this country. I would prefer if we can address the issues at hand. And the issue at hand is that there is blatant corruption within the BriceÃ±o-led administration. But when you can't address the issues, and when you are compromised yourself, the fallback plan is to launch these attacks. I am grossly disappointed. Perhaps I had a different view of the Prime Minister, but he is unable to manage the pressure he obviously feels. But he does not and will not get away with make any attempt to tarnish my reputation or my stellar record as a public servant and a servant of the people."

"Since you are saying that he crossed a legal line, do you plan to press any charges?"

"The matter is under review by my attorney, for sure. He has to be held to account. You don't get on a platform and not held to account."

Opposition Leader Says Briceño Administration In Shambles

But Panton believes that he needs to make those statements because of the recent predicament the PUP faces, having put two ministers on Cabinet leave in two weeks. Panton is also calling for a transparent audit:

Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition
"The rally is to bring visibility to the very issues that we are talking about to ensure that there is a space and there is a platform for the voices of our ordinary citizens to be heard on these issues. So yes, it is being led by the United Democratic Party and we have a political prerogative which we make no excuses for. But it's not strictly a political ploy. It is an opportunity and we invite all Belizeans. We invite all our partners to join us, to come and be in that space with us, to send a message to the Prime Minister and his cabinet and his government that it has gone way too far and we need to be sure that the voices of the everyday person can be heard as part of this process."

Reporter
"We know that when it came to the Smart Acquisition, the UDP was able to mobilize persons to come out from across the country with our representation from various areas. Can we expect that the same showing will be out on Friday?"

Tracy Panton
"Well, let me say that we have extended an invitation to anyone who shares these concerns with us and who would like to be counted, who would like their voices to be heard, who would like to bring greater visibility and awareness to the issues that are crippling this nation."

Reporter
"When it comes to the unions, we know that the president of the NTUCB said that they try to refrain from these political rallies. What's your comment to that?"

Tracy Panton
"This is not a political rally. I think the, In fact, I have extended a formal invitation to both the President of the Public Service Union and the President of the NTUCB to join us, if not for the march, the protest march, certainly for the rally at the Battlefield Park. Because I think these issues affect everyone. And we all have a particular bias, We all see these issues through a different pair of lenses, but they are all issues that are affecting our nation in a way that we have never been affected before."

UDP Party Leader Welcomes Charges Dropped Against August

When Alberto August was first charged with a cybercrime on May 30, Panton did not outright defend him in a statement, nor did she even show up in San Ignacio to support him.

But today, she was more conciliatory, saying that the DPP made the right decision to drop the charges:

Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition
"When you go after a citizen that does not have those concerns of any kind of impropriety like Mr. Alberto August, I think it reinforced for the Belizean people that the government is acting way outside of its legal authority and cannot be allowed to infringe on the constitutional rights of our citizens"

"You have to follow the systems and processes and institutions that are given a clear mandate. It is not for a minister to determine what a charge may be or if that charge should be. It is for the Office of the DPP. And so the new minister acted as far as I can tell in accordance with what the law provides. And he had no other choice. If he wanted to preserve his own integrity, but to send the file to the DPP"

Reporter
"And so are you all now having somewhat a sigh of relief that, okay, the charges have been withdrawn from Alberto, one win, plus the Miras are being exposed, two wins. Is it somewhat a sigh of relief or is this just the beginning of what you guys hope is going to unfold?"

Tracy Panton
"Sigh of relief? Do you think that's the way the opposition looks at these issues? These are critical issues facing our nation, coupled with the high cost of fuel, the high cost of living, the high cost of utilities, the escalating crime, the blatant corruption in public office, these are not wins. These are areas of serious concern every citizen needs to be engaged in."

UDP Says Friday's Protest Is Not Political, Calls On Citizens To Join

And right now the UDP is looking ahead. With a protest scheduled for Friday, Panton is calling on every citizen to support the rally as a fight for democracy.

Panton says it has nothing to do with politics, but everything to do with the issues Belize is facing:

Reporter
"When it comes to the unions, we know that the president of the NTUCB said that they try to refrain from these political rallies. What's your comment to that?"

Is NBC Pushing Transport Dept Out Of Terminals?

The CEO at the Ministry of Transport Chester Williams today squashed all rumours that the Transport Department is being kicked out of terminals by the National Bus Company.

Williams says they are moving but not under duress; they decided to move for the sake of office space:

Chester Williams, CEO - Ministry Of Transport
"I can categorically state that such information is not true. NBC is not evicting the Department of Transport from either terminals. It is a part of our plan as we expand the Department of Transport to relocate the transport offices from the various terminals across the country for the simple fact that there is severe congestion in terms of office space. Currently with the limited staff that works at the Department of Transport in the districts, as well as in Mango Creek, the office space is not sufficient to accommodate those staff. And we are tripling our staff. So if it is that they cannot accommodate dual the limited staff now, then certainly as we triple the staff across the country, it is going to be even more chaotic in terms of having adequate space for our officers to be able to perform their duties and more so for the public to be comfortable when they come to do business at the various offices across the country."

When It Rains, The Terminal Floods

With the recent rains, the decades-old Novelo's bus terminal has again started to flood. Here's what Williams had to say about that:

Chester Williams, CEO - Ministry Of Transport
"Instead of spending the two million dollars on retrofitting that building, we are now taking that money and we will be using it towards the construction of the new terminal in the Chetumal Independence Boulevard area. So we're still going to do some cosmetic works on that current terminal because we want to make sure that we have it in a state that is going to be suitable to the public while the other one is being constructed. Like, for example, we will put out soon for tender a bathroom facility or a bathroom stall for that terminal running in the city because we do believe that good hygiene dictates that we stop having people using that whatever they have there that is being used as a bathroom. And so we are going to build a new bathroom stall at that location to be able to make sure that our people use bathrooms with some semblance of decency as opposed to what is the current situation there."

BEEP Program Produces 22 MSMEs

Beltraide has disbursed another round of grant funding to 22 small business owners, 15 of whom are women. A Seed Capital Award ceremony was held today for its second cohort under the program and Jomarie Lanza was there to meet a few of the grant recipients. Here's her report.

It's a major opportunity for local entrepreneurs to expand their small and medium enterprises, thanks to the second cohort of BELTRAIDE's Belize Enterprise Empowerment Project. Today, these grant recipients received five thousand dollars each in funding to scale up their businesses. The Executive Director told us more about the journey to today's handout.

Ishmael Quiroz, Executive Director, Beltraide
"So under this cohort we had 127 applicants, and then of course a big part of it is that your application had to actually be completed. It had to be completed and in good quality, and out of that 30 persons were shortlisted. 30 businesses were shortlisted, and they went through the training program. A big part of it is that you had to complete at least 80% of the training in order to be able to move onto the next stage. So ultimately out of that 30, 22 were successful in completing the program and successfully pitching and convincing the evolution panel that their business was viable, innovative, and stood a good chance of success."

"So I think we have to be thinking of how we can position ourselves as unique in the market, identifying what sets us apart. And another thing is also finding new ways of doing things, that is innovation. You know, it does not only mean digital; innovation means doing things differently, and that could mean partnering with another provider to help you produce an even better product-so something that is completely unique. So those are some of the main ingredients: finding what sets you apart and being innovative, partnering, and really being determined to see through your business to success."

And 2 of those promising entrepreneurs have attained success in beauty and hair care, and also sound and production. We asked them how they have benefited from the program and how they plan to expand their business.

"Jo-
"Tell us a bit about your business. When did it start, and what made you want to start producing hair oils?"

Dawn Humes, Dawn's Essentials
"What made me want to start is walking into the stores and spending $100-hundreds of dollars-to buy hair products. And I started to do my own thing at home, trial and error. And then when I got the oil perfect, I was asked to sell it, and that is how it happened. It happened out of nowhere, people requested it, and so I did it."

"Well, the business started maybe a year and a half ago or so, and I used this BEEP program as a catapult into the next level of this business. So I am excited, and I can't wait. And for us ladies, I can't wait, wait for you all to see the products we will provide."

"It will be all natural. I use all natural products, so Rosemary, Cloves, Fenugreek, olive oil. So, yeah."

Darlon Usher, Chief Engineer, Mosaic Productions
"If you remember, I was the winner of KTV last year, and directly after that was the founding of my business. And since then, I have been able to provide sound reinforcement services for events such as weddings, birthdays, concerts, and other conferences of the sort."

"This is definitely a major step for me and my business in that it provides and allows me to provide better quality service for my clients. I am able to expand my equipment, and in doing so, I am able to provide more services for the clients."

"In the next three to five years, I definitely want to be able to provide better services for customers, not only in my surrounding area but also the rest of the country, and maybe even outside of the country. One of the things I am passionate about is providing excellent services at every level, so that is something I am trying to achieve even now."

But the work of the program doesn't end here. Quiroz says that only the first half of the grant will be disbursed as they continue to provide guidance and regular check-ins on the progress of these grantees and their businesses.

Ishmael Quiroz, Executive Director, Beltraide
"So the grant recipients don't receive their full grant right away. They have to-they would have had to develop business plans for their business idea, and what we do is provide half the grant amount. And then at the midpoint of their implementation period, where that would have been defined at the beginning, we would assess to what extent they have invested in what they said they would invest, and only when that is confirmed would they receive the second half of their gran. Apart from that, there is constant engagement with the entrepreneurs, with the recipients, by the business advisors-either through the Small Business Development Center or the Export Belize unit of Beltraide-to continuously support and to guide them, to answer questions, and to help them succeed. And so there is continuous interaction, and the idea is really for us to keep in touch to assess to what extent they have been successful."

New MOD Procurement Leaks Expose Invoicing Avalanche Tied To Meat Master Company, Owned By CEO's Relative

Tonight, more screenshots are coming out of the Ministry of Defence - they provide a compelling snapshot of a flurry of transactions in April and May of this year, all under the ten thousand dollar threshold.
These transactions are made more interesting by the fact that the company involved, Meat Masters - formally registered in 2025 - is owned by a cousin of CEO Francis Usher's wife.
We have five screenshots showing 54 payments, capturing transactions between April 13 and May 11, 2026, all under ten thousand dollars and totaling close to half a million dollars.
But what jumps out is the 35 invoices posted on a single day: May 11th for a total of over three hundred thousand dollars. All under $10,000.
We reached out to the CEO Francis Usher who confirmed that the owner of Meat Masters is his wife's cousin. He added that he applied to tender this year and won two lots to provide some of the meat items as well as fish. And even though it is a relative, he said the owner quote, "went through the entire open tendering process and I can ensure I intervened at no point."
When we asked about the same pattern of invoice splitting or structuring he said, quote, "They are paid how they are submitted, and the BDF/BCG submits them for payment in batches."
When we asked about the 35 invoices processed on a single day, he said that represents 2 months' worth of fish and meat for the BDF and BCG, and it just happens that they were batched together for processing. He added that the pattern of batch payments is common with most companies which provide rations. However, we note that payments can also be batched above $10,000, creating a single invoice for the total amount of meat provided that month.

When we spoke to Usher a few hours ago he said that they will be embarking on a new system of batching payments:

Francis Usher, CEO - DEFENCE
"What we're doing now is that multiple invoices or multiple purchase orders, when they become invoices, with the way the bills are submitted, we compile them into one big invoice for one payment by suppliers so that when you look at that invoice, the details will say reference invoice, this, this, this, this, and then you, it will have, the accompanying documents and by doing it like that, we are sending it over to the Ministry of Finance. We're sending it over to the Contractor General, just in an attempt to show that, hey, there is the audit will revealâ€¦ We currently are not doing anything outside the realm of what is legal, what is possible. We're getting value for money. Items are being delivered and we are sending all of the documents for further scrutiny just to give the ease of mind that things have been and continue to be done the right way."

We'll keep following this story.

Turning $13.50 Per Soldier Per Day Into A Proposal For Privatized BDF Mess Halls And Boost Accountability

Usher is also heading new proposals that he says will streamline meal delivery to Belizean soldiers and make the food delivery system more transparent, cost-effective, and efficient.

We first mentioned it on the Beef on Monday where we learned that in November of this year, there will no longer be kitchen staff at the mess. The catering will be outsourced and civilian staff will cook for the soldiers. The soldiers would then pay for each meal from an allowance given to them. Usher says mentioning it on the Beef caused panic in the ranks and he offered to explain this new system today:

Francis Usher, CEO - DEFENCE
"What you glanced over on the Beef on Monday was a proposal that, one of many proposals to make it simpler and more transparent and increase the level not that there is not accountability but to increase the level of accountability when it comes to feeding soldiers. So there are three different conditions in which soldiers are to be fed. The first is they are on camp, that can be any of the various camps, whether it be Price Barracks, Camp Belizario, Fairweather Camp, Isles Camp or some of the smaller camps like Williamson or Isles Camp or Dangriga Drill Hall or whether it be a volunteer or regular force element. So all of these are important distinctions. So when they are on camp there is a daily food entitlement for the BDF which is $13.50. I will be the first to admit that, that number has not been adjusted in some time and does not account for inflation and we know that inflation with the various wars and with the cost of living was gone up however that is a separate thing that needs to be looked at and that will be looked at, a adjustment of the figure but the current figure is $13.50 per day, per soldier. If you are to pay each soldier their daily entitlement it would come up to roughly in the ballpark of 8 million dollars there will still be about 4 million dollars remaining"

Reporter
"8 million annually?"

Francis Usher, CEO - DEFENCE
"Yes, 8 million dollars correct. If you were to pay $13.50 a day times the amount of soldiers times 365 days per year that would add up to approximately 8 million dollars annually for regular force soldiers."

"Then you will have about 4 million dollars in the approved budget remaining annually. What you then do is you buy US grade-now there are various different brands but US grade MREs which are meals ready to eat which have a five-year shelf life. The reason we do that is because of the flexibility of the shelf life and also the fact that they are compressed they come with a built-in stove, they have various different menus or flavors and they are actually a favorite of the soldiers, we have some that we have been using for deployed soldiers when you are walking in or walking out and they have proven to be very convenient in the jungle you don't have to worry about things getting spoiled and stuff like that that so you buy enough MREs for all the deployed soldiers, 365 days a year. Now I did my own analysis using, and I met with some of the BDF staff using the amount of observation posts we have, the amount of special patrols we have and the amount of soldiers we assign to each other location 365 days a year plus the special patrols and I came up with a number of MREs needed and so if you are deployed operationally you will receive MREs to feed you in addition to you will still be getting your $13.50 across the board everyone will get that. It is just those deployed operationally will be fed as well. So that number for me based on the current market price of MREs came up to about 2.5 million dollars and the remaining is for the various not events, but the various activities that happen throughout the year. Whether it be the BDF Day, Sports Day, the recruits passing out, the regimental dinners in either the officers' mess or the sergeant's mess those various events there is enough to be able to host those events left over."

"Now you might be saying okay well $13.50 can't buy you three meals a day, agreed. So what you do with the remaining amount after all of that? And it would be more than $1 million, based on my calculation, is that you put out to open tender to run the kitchen like a catering service or not a restaurant, but you know, a professional catering service to run the kitchen, subsidize that service with the remaining amount and set caps on what they can charge per meal. So just based on my estimation, if you charge $3, you say the maximum you can charge to provide a quality meal being subsidized is $3 for breakfast, $5 for lunch, and $4 for dinner, for example. That comes up to $12, you would still have $1.50 remaining. Not a lot, but I'm just saying that by subsidizing it, what is allocated per day, it would be possible. Now with this proposal and I have to stress it is just a proposal needs to be fleshed out a little bit more. But it's not a novel idea. It's being done around the world in various militaries, and it actually lends toward better service, better meals and increased transparency, which is why, I will admit, I was the one that proposed it. Not approved as yet. If you're asking me if it should be, if we can lock down all the details, I believe it should be approved. I believe that it's a step in the right direction. But it's it's just a proposal on the table currently, and we're working with the smarter heads, the more intelligent minds on the subject matter experts in the BDF, to be able to figure this out. And of course, if we're able to lock it down in the BDF, we're going to roll it out in the Coast Guard as well."

CARICOM Heads Agree To Send Barnett Case To CCJ

Dr. Carla Barnett's term as CARICOM Secretary General is up for renewal next month, and she has the support of most of the heads of government. But certainly not all.
And today the Heads took a decision to send the matter to the CCJ.
A statement notes, "During the Retreat of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community held on 06 July 2026, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago maintained its objection to the process used in the reappointment of the Secretary General of the Caribbean Community.
CARICOM acknowledged that the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago desires to have the issue of the reappointment of the SG referred to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to render an Advisory Opinionâ€¦ To facilitate this request, the Community agrees to commence proceedings to secure such advisory opinionâ€¦The Community further agreed that the status quo with respect to the re-appointment of the Secretary General shall remain unless and until the Community considers the said Advisory Opinion from the CCJ.
The Community agreed that this way forward allows for this matter to be resolved in an amicable manner, without prejudice to the ability of the Community to conduct its affairs." End quote.

So, Barnett stays on and, we are told, continues to enjoy the support of the majority of the heads of government.

Commercial Design Artists Fighting To Stand Out From AI

Artificial intelligence has made it easier for businesses to produce graphic content, create flyers and content promoting their businesses. And while most of it might be free, it comes at a cost. A cost that graphic designers countrywide are now feeling the effects of. Commercial design artists are feeling the bite from AI creations. Jaleeza Roberts spoke with three of them today and they expressed what designing in the age of AI is like:

Robotics Students Were In The Great Outdoors Fishing

Today, students from the Belize High School's Robotics program were out fishing as part of preparation to participate in a robotics competition in South Korea.
Now you might ask: What does fishing have to do with robotics? And what are young people - whom you would probably identify as nerds - doing in the great outdoors fishing?

They told us it's about showing other countries what life is like in Belize as part of a social media challenge:

Evamarie Shakron, Participant
"There is a series of challenges that we need to complete in order to go on to the next levels and it makes our team look really good since we're representing our country and nationality because we're a smaller country so you know, people would love to see what we do but one of the challenges was to show what our country is good at or best at, one of our skills and we decided to do fishing because we believe is really good at fishing"

"We hope that other Belizeans can partake in robotics later on and see that it's like really fun, really good because it's not that known in this country but it is a really good sport to get into"

Khloe Longsworth, Participant
"With robotics and this challenge you learn a lot about other countries and it's a great opportunity for other countries to learn about Belize so once we post about this or once we post our skills other countries can know a little more about Belize"