After demanding more visas
U.S. Embassy is jammed


Getting a visa for the United States always has been a sore point for Costa Ricans. And then the U.S. government said that travelers needed a visa even if they were just changing planes in the United States. This was an anti-terrorism change.

Now the U.S. Embassy in Pavas says that visa approvals are running about five weeks. The embassy issued a press release Tuesday encouraging Costa Ricans to get their visa early, particularly those for December and January.

The embassy said that the delays were the result of a temporary shortage of staff. The press release said that the consular staff hopes to cut into this backlog by getting more people for more U.S. citizens to arrive into the country. The vice consuls are all U.S. citizens. They decide after a brief interview if the applicant will get a visa.

To get the appointment for the visa, Costa Ricans have to pay $14. They also have to bring a slip showing a $100 deposit to the visa interview. If they are rejected, the U.S. government still keeps the money. Non-U.S. citizens can find visa information at the embassy Web site.

Guilty verdict in Burgos trial,
but ex-girlfriend gets no time


The nation's version of court TV has ended with convictions of both a public defender and a former prosecutor.

This is the Mauren Hidalgo Mora murder case. She was an employee of the courts who vanished July 11, 2006. Her body later was found near Atenas, and the next day investigators arrested her husband.

He is Luis Fernando Burgos. A three-judge panel gave him 35 years Tuesday after a two-month trial.

Zulay Rojas Sánchez, the fired prosecutor, was convicted of failing to tell authorities after Burgos confessed the murder to her. She is an ex-girlfriend, and the trial shed light on the romantic activities of the workers in the court system.

Although she got two years, she does not go to prison. She faces what amounts to a suspended sentence for five years.

There was no clear evidence of the guilt of Burgos, but the three-judge panel spoke at length of the supposed domestic violence to which Burgos subjected his wife of a year.

The judges also accepted the testimony of other persons who said Burgos asked them to help him get rid of the body.

In a dramatic moment last week, Ms. Rojas stood and confronted Burgos and told him that she knew he killed his wife. Evidence showed that the pair were in contact by telephone and e-mails after the death of the wife.

Ms. Rojas had gone to a hospital during part of the trial and told judges that she was afraid of her ex-boyfriend.

Burgos had reported his wife as missing and said she had gone out with a large amount of money to purchase a car. He blamed a gang of car thieves.

The judges, Ana Patricia Araya, Linda Casas and María de los Ángeles Arana, said that Ms. Hidalgo died a cruel death as Burgos strangled her. The body was believed to have remained in the couple's apartment for two days.

Still unknown is how the body was moved to where it was dumped near a road in Atenas.

Burgos also was sentenced to pay his wife's family $136 million colons (about $261,500) as compensation for the death in the parallel civil action. An appeal by Burgos is likely.

The judges also publicly chastised Ms. Rojas for bringing shame on the Ministerio Público, the nation's prosecutorial arm.

The murder case had almost daily coverage on the San José television stations and the reading of the sentence at 4 p.m. Tuesday was covered live and dominated the later news shows.

Man presumed drunk kills
former companion in Cóbano


A man who appeared to be intoxicated broke into a Cóbano home early Tuesday, shot and killed his former female companion, shot three other persons and then commited suicide.

The shootings took place in full view of the woman's  4-year-old boy and 6-year-old girl. Dead is Wendy Godoy García, 23, who was living with relatives in the Los Mangos section of the town on the Nicoya Peninsula.

The presumed agressor was Francisco Burgos Moraga, 28, according to the Judicial Investigating Organization.

Also shot was the mother of the dead woman, Rosa García Brenes; her stepfather, José Alex González Jiménez, and her sister, Jennifer.

Gap bridged in tourist route


The public works ministry says it has bridged a gap in the highway between Tilarán and Nuevo Arenal with a temporary span. For nearly a month the road has been cut due to runoff damage. There was no adequate detour. Bus passengers had to walk alongside the empty space to continue their trip.

The route is along the northeast shore of Lake Arenal and is a major tourism route.

Cartago institute to host kids


Sunday is sports day at the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica in Cartago.  A group of sporting organizations plans competitions for kids from 2 to 14 years, and organizers say that no training or special skills are necessary.

The purpose of the activity is to introduce youngsters to the dicipline of sports. Sponsors include the Asociación Deportiva Row, the Comité Cantonal de Deportes y Recreación de Cartago and the Asociación de Deportes.