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| A.M. Costa Rica Second newspage |
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Police prepare their forces for kids' midyear vacation By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Traffic police will be out in force from Friday through July 20 as school children and others enjoy their mid-year vacation. About 670 traffic officers will be inspecting major roads to popular coastal vacation areas as well as taking precautions to increase pedestrian safety and buckling down on driving violations during a period in the year when there will be more children out and about during the day, according to a Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes release. Speeding and seat-belt violations will be more strictly enforced, and surprise alcohol checkpoints and increased police presence along major highways were also promised in the release. The release also encourages vacationers and travelers to report unsafe driving and overpriced fees for bus and taxi drivers to the transportation ministry. The transit police will be paying special attention to motorists duing the weekends, they said. Lots of families go on vacations at this time of year, and some government offices, including the Poder Judicial, will be closed or with short staffs. Five bandits rob casino By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Five men are on the loose after robbing Lucky's casino in Barrio Tournón Monday at around 9 a.m. The robbers threatened employees with firearms and made off with approximately 25 million colons, according to Fuerza Pública spokesman Carlos Hidalgo. Lucky's is part of the Hotel Villas Tournón next door. The barrio is in Goicoechea north of San José.
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| A.M. Costa Rica third newspage |
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 A.M. Costa Rica/Jeremy Arias
Bookstore damage is extensive as men work to close in the roof |
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| San
Pedro merchants are working to put Monday's destructive fire behind them |
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By Jeremy Arias
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff It's a new chapter for the Policromía bookstore as workers and employees began repairing the damage from a fire that devastated several stores along the Calle de la Amargura in San Pedro early Monday. The smell of burnt wood hung thick in the air under the partially collapsed roof. Charred walls and piles of charred, blackened metal collect on the sidewalk. Shiny patches of oil swirl along with the rainwater running through the gutters. Workers unload bags of concrete and wooden planks from a truck as Maria Vega surveys what is left of the store she has worked in for almost two years. “Right now, they think it was a problem with the ballasts.” She said, pointing to the fluorescent light fixtures overhead where authorities believe the fire started. Ballasts are the metal fixtures on the ends of long fluorescent lights. Failing ballasts can overheat and become fire hazards due to any number of causes, including faulty |
wiring, over use and failure to
replace old lights. “We believe it started here,” Ms. Vega said, “But there are other buildings in this block that were burned, too.” The bookstore is one of the largest businesses on the short block. Pepito's Nachos, Rococo S.A. and a KX copy shop were also burned, but the damage was hard to evaluate from the street. Vega estimates that about six buildings were damaged, some more seriously than others. “The workers are repairing the roof and cleaning the trash from the fire,” Ms. Vega said, but could not say when the store would open again. “It will be closed for some time.” She said. The fire began at around 2 a.m. on Monday, so no one was injured, but extensive damage was done to the block before authorities could arrive and put out the blaze, according to Vega. The location is close to the Universidad de Costa Rica campus and the street is well-known for its many college-age nightspots. |
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Costa Montaña says
that work has been allowed to resume
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Costa Montaña, the Pacific condo development that was frozen by environmental officials, has been authorized to continue some work, according to a press release from the firm. The developer also is working on a $500,000 environmental mitigation plan, it said. Costa Montaña is in Tárcoles in the Cantón de Garabito. The firm said that the Tribunal Ambiental has permitted work to continue on five homes and ordered that some 900 meters of road be hard-surfaced to avoid erosion. Karen Dondi, a spokesperson for the firm, said that the mitigation plan will last for a year. She said the company has some 250 employees in the area. |
Costa Montaña ran into
trouble because some of the structures were
placed in areas where the grade was too steep. The freeze in mid-March
included other unrelated properties. At Costa Montaña the
construction
of a dwelling on an 80-degree slope in the middle of a forest was one
of the principal reasons the project was closed down, said the
Ministerio de Ambiente y Energía at the time. The tribunal said that the Costa Montaña project is developing 98 hectares (242 acres), but construction had only begun on 18 terraces for homes when the project was frozen, The tribunal estimated the environmental damage at $1.3 million. A number of persons who have contracted for homes in the project have called news people seeking additional information. The project seems to be popular with North Americans. |
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Transport officials seek new
traffic lights and bike paths
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By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes has announced plans to encourage the public use of bicycles among commuters and students, likely stemming from concerns over increased gas prices. A ministry release outlined the proposed construction of up to 167 kilometers (more than 100 miles) of bike paths to increase biker safety and encourage the health habit, which also happens to have taken prominence at a time when gas prices are reaching new heights. The project envisions 43 kms between Liberia and Cañas |
and 30 kms between Guácimo
and Siquirres. The ministry also has proposed plans to increase traffic flow in and around the capital with new traffic lights for up to 80 intersections. The area would include Zapote, San Francisco de Dos Ríos, San Sebastián and Alajuelita among others, according to a release. The new traffic lights would cost about $2,360,000. The proposed bike path initiative could amount to $100,000 per kilometer, according to the release. Officials are seeking a $1 million grant from the Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo and $1 million more from the World Bank, although initial money will come from the local budget. |
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Mercosur
participants rip EU immigration policies By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
South American leaders attending a summit of the regional trade bloc, Mercosur, have strongly criticized a new immigration policy adopted by the European Union last month. The presidents voiced their opposition to the EU policy Tuesday, the last day of their two-day summit in Tucuman, Argentina. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva described the EU measures as "xenophobic" while his Ecuadorean counterpart, Rafael Correa, called them "shameful." The EU adopted the new immigration rules June 18, and they are to take effect by 2010. The policy allows governments to detain illegal immigrants for up to 18 months and imposes a re-entry ban of up to five years. Thousands of Latin Americans migrate to Europe in search of job opportunities. The EU estimates eight to 12 million illegal immigrants live in Europe. Mercosur members also discussed the global food crisis at their talks. Mercosur was created in 1991 and includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay as full members. Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are associate members. Venezuela expects to join as a full member. Another volcano in Chile erupts and emits lava flow By the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The Llaima volcano in southern Chile has erupted for the first time in months, forcing the evacuation of about a dozen people from nearby areas. Authorities, however, say populated areas are not immediately threatened. The volcano, which is one of Chile's most active, began erupting Tuesday. The eruption sent a stream of lava creeping down the flanks of the 3,120-meter (10,236-foot) mountain. Llaima is located about 700 kilometers (about 435 miles) south of the capital, Santiago. It last erupted in January, spewing ash and molten lava. Two months ago, another volcano, the Chaiten, erupted after being dormant for thousands of years. The eruption forced the evacuation of more than 4,000 people from the nearby town of the same name. Winds also blew the volcanic ash into Argentina, grounding airline flights and forcing some schools to close. |
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