Please note that under the new regulations established by the Minister of Health and Wellness, Hon. Michel Chebat, effective Monday, December 21, 2020 lottery draws will be played as follows:

Boledo, Pick 3 – 6:30 p.m.

Fantasy-5 – 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays

The Sunday lottery will be played at 10:00 a.m. as normal.

Players can call +501-223-1219 with all queries regarding the lottery draws and we encourage you to continue utilizing MyBelize.Net for updates.

Boledo | Pick 3 | Fantasy 5 | Lottery

Thank you for your support and wish you best of luck in the games!

Written by Holly Edgell for Holly World

My mother passed away this morning before the sun rose. I was asleep in the room next door. Her overnight caregiver woke me around 5 a.m. As many will tell you of loved ones who died quietly in their own beds, my mother looked like she was simply asleep when I saw her.

Zee Edgell, 80, did not die of COVID-19. We as a family worked hard to keep that scourge at bay as my mother battled a fairly acute form of leukemia — and her immune system was pretty much shot. Chemo was not ultimately not effective. My heart started to break nearly a year ago, when we learned of her diagnosis and prognosis.

For the past month or so, my mother was comfortable at home with family and hired caregivers. She ate what she wanted, drank as much coffee as she wanted, enjoyed Italian ices as much as she wanted and watched (a lot) of news on her favorite cable networks. She also kept up with the Belize news through Facebook. She read magazines and books.

COVID-19 meant that the Edgells of St. Louis spent a lot more time than usual together. My mother’s grandchildren were able to be around a lot more often, starting in the late spring. Just a few days ago the three took turns reading to their “Grandma Zee” one afternoon. She had several visits from her siblings in 2020 and a beloved niece came to stay as well. There was lots of love and laughter, in spite of everything — including the loss of my father, Al Edgell, in May.

I will write more about my mother as my beloved mom soon, but I did also want to acknowledge all the love and good wishes pouring out for my mother as beloved Belizean author and patriot. Facebook is great for this! All the messages make me feel as if the world has its arms around our family.

Here are some facts even many Belizeans may not know about my amazing mother, who loved her family and her country. You’ll see below the names of her siblings, who have lost their amazing big sister:

Zee Edgell — nee Zelma Inez Tucker

• Born Oct. 21, 1940 on Cleghorn Street, Belize City, British Honduras
  • Died December 20, 2020 | St. Louis, Missouri, USA 
• Parents: Veronica O. Tucker (nee Walker) and Clive A. Tucker, both deceased
• Siblings: Chauncey Barrington “Barry” Tucker; Laura Tucker-Longsworth; Martha Tucker- Eiley, Monica Tucker, Ava Tucker; Alexander “Zandy” Tucker (deceased); Clive A. Tucker, Jr. (deceased); Lenton Tucker (deceased) 
• Attended Holy Redeemer Primary School and St. Catherine Academy (SCA)
• Higher education:
  • Honorary doctorate in literature, the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill, Barbados, 2009 
  • Master of Liberal Studies degree, Kent State University, 2005
  • Diploma in journalism from Regent Street Polytechnic (now the University of Westminster), 1965 
• Taught at SCA twice, 1966-68 and 1980-81
• Worked as a trainee reporter at “The Daily Gleaner” in Kingston, Jamaica in the late 1950s starting at age 18
• Founded “The Reporter” newspaper, Belize City, 1967
• Served as director of the Belize Womens’ Bureau (Women’s Dept.), 1981-82 and 1986-87 
• Made a Member of the British Empire (MBE), 2007
• Author:
  • Beka Lamb (1982)
  • In Times Like These (1991) 
  • The Festival of San Joaquin (1997)
  • Time and the River (2007)
• Lecturer, University College of Belize (now the University of Belize), 1988-89
• Professor of English (tenured), Kent State University (1992-2009)
• Married to Alvin G. Edgell, 1968-2020 (deceased May 2020, see obituary)
• Mother of Holly Edgell, 51, and Randall Edgell, 45
• Grandmother of three: Isaac Edgell, 17; Sophia Edgell, 16; Simon Edgell, 12

Additional resources: 

Zee Edgell’s website

Scholarly works about Zee Edgell 

Zee Edgell reading from her work

Zee Edgell Wikipedia entry

Effective Monday, December 14, 2020, until December 31, 2020, Pick-3 will have a second draw for straight tickets only. Winners will receive $60.00 for every winning ticket.

Effective Tuesday, December 15, 2020, until December 31, 2020, Fantasy-5 will have a second draw immediately following the regular draws. Winners of the second draw matching all five numbers will win $10,000.

Players can call +501-223-1219 with all queries regarding the lottery draws and we encourage you to continue utilizing MyBelize.Net for updates.

Did you know…

the Garifuna Settlement Day holiday was created by Thomas Vincent Ramos in 1941?

Thomas Vincent Ramos lived from September 17, 1887 to November 14, 1955 where he passed away in his Stann Creek home at the age of 68. Ramos was born in Puerto Cortes, Honduras but later moved and spent most of his life living in Belize. He worked as a school teacher and was known for being a Civil Rights Activist with primary concern being the lack of health and financial facilities to aid the Garinagu living in Dangriga. He formed the Carib Development Society as a way to help the sick and render financial aid to bury their dead. Ramos also fought against the discrimination of the Garifuna people. His most well-known effort was when he lobbied the Governor to establish a Public and Bank Holiday to commemorate the arrival of the Garifuna in Belize. His request was granted and Garifuna Settlement Day, which was first known as Carib Disembarkation Day, was first celebrated on November 19, 1941 only in Stann Creek District, then later in Punta Gorda and Toledo in 1943 then country-wide in 1977.

Happy Garifuna Settlement Day!

LOCATION…13.8N 74.3W

ABOUT 335 MI…540 KM SSE OF KINGSTON JAMAICA

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…40 MPH…65 KM/H

PRESENT MOVEMENT…WSW OR 255 DEGREES AT 3 MPH…6 KM/H

MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…1006 MB…29.71 INCHES

WATCHES AND WARNINGS

There are no coastal watches or warning in effect.

Interests in Nicaragua and Honduras should monitor the progress of this system.  A hurricane Watch may be required for a portion of that area tonight or early Saturday.

DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK

At 400 PM EST (2100 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Iota was located near latitude 13.8 North, longitude 74.3 West. Iota is moving toward the west-southwest near 3 mph (6km/h), and this motion is expected to continue through early Saturday.  A westward to west-northwestward motion at a slightly faster forward speed is expected to begin by late Saturday and continue through Monday. On the forecast track, Iota will move across the central Caribbean Sea during the next day or so, and approach the coasts of Nicaragua and northeastern Honduras late Sunday and Monday.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts. Steady to rapid strengthening is likely over the weekend, and the system is forecast to be a major hurricane when it approaches Central America.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles (165 km) from the center. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1006 mb (29.71 inches).

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND

Rainfall:   Through Wednesday morning, Iota is expected to produce 4 to 8 inches of rain, with local 12 inch totals, across portions of northern Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica. Across Jamaica and southern Haiti, 2 to 4 inches are expected, with local amounts up to 6 inches. Across remaining sections of Central America, the system has the potential to produce 20 to 30 inches of rain with a focus across northern Nicaragua and Honduras. This rainfall would lead to significant, life-threatening flash flooding and river flooding, along with landslides in areas of higher terrain.

SURF:  Swells generated by Iota will begin affecting portions of the coast of Colombia, and the southern coasts of Hispaniola and Jamaica during the next day or so.  These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.  Please consult products from your local weather office.

As Eta moves on from Central America and heads toward the U.S. Golf Coast, the people of Belize are still reeling from the flood waters that continue to rise in various parts of the country.

Though it’s been four days since Eta cleared the country, many Belizeans are forced to seek shelter in higher areas as the flood waters spread throughout the low-lying areas. This is the case today in the ever-growing area of Belama in Belize City as the flood waters now begin to rise in the canals flowing through the residential community.

Here’s a bird’s-eye view of the flooding in the Belama Phase 3 & 4 community after Eta passes in Belize City.