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A.M. Costa Rica
Your daily English-language news source Monday through Friday |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Second news page | |||||||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Nov. 12, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 225 | |||||||||
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Caldera highway couple
executed as they traveled By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Gunmen cut down two persons Friday night as the victims traveled in a car on the Caldera highway near Juan Santamaría airport. The shooting clearly was planned. Dead was a Guatemalan man with the last name of Fernández who had just entered the country. Also killed was the driver, a woman identified as a model. She was Pamela Céspedes, 24, of Carmen de Goicoechea, said the Judicial Investigating Organization. Investigators said that the shooting took place in San Rafael de Alajuela just three kilometers west of the toll plaza. The killer or killers were in a second car that pulled alongside. Then the assailant opened up and fired into the front seat. This was the most dramatic crime at the start of a weekend that saw two taxi driver murders. One taxi driver was lucky. The taxi driver identified by judicial police by the last name of Rojas picked up two persons in San Jerónimo en Desamparados Saturday. He drove them to Torremolinos when other individuals appeared as he stopped and announced that they would rob him. Rojas had a weapon and shot one of the robbers three times, said investigators. At the same time one of the robbers managed to stab the driver with a knife. They stole his wallet, the taxi meter and a cell phone, agents reported. The taxi driver went to Hospital San Juan de Dios. Agents said the dead assailant was between 15 and 17 years old. Another taxi driver, 21, was parked Saturday morning in Tirrases de Curridabat. There were two women, 15 and 19 in the vehicle. Another car arrived and someone shot multiple times into the taxi. The driver, identified by the last name of Cisneros, died and both of the other occupants suffered wounds, said the Judicial Investigating Organization. In San Miguel de Naranjo Sunday morning someone found the body of a 55-year-old taxi driver, identified by the last name of Masís. He was found alongside the road near his taxi dead from a stab wound, agents said. Early morning earthquake rattles much of country By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A moderate 4.4-magnitude earthquake took place at 2:46 a.m. today in the hills above Jacó. The Laboratorio de Ingeniería Sísmica at the Universidad de Costa Rica said the quake was at Sabanillas de Acosta and about 12.7 kilometers south southeast of Puriscal. The Red Sismológica Nacional solicited reports on its Facebook page, and three respondents said the quake was strong in Heredia. However a report from Puriscal said that the quake was not too strong there. Another said that the quake was felt strongly in Alajuela. One poster said the quake was accompanied by a noise in Pavas but that the shockwave was not too stong. The Laboratorio's initial report said the quake was felt in much of the country. Small businesses to show their wares at Aduana fair By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Some 150 small business operators will gather Tuesday and Wednesday to show their products at the Gran Feria Nacional Empresarial/IMAS in the Antique Aduana on Calle 23 in east San José. As the title suggests, the fair is sponsored by the Instituto Mixto de Ayuda Social. The fair will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The institute said that the free event will feature all types of creations by the small businesses. The idea is to promote the work of the thousands of small operations that are growing in Costa Rica, said the institute. Some receive aid from the institute. Fernando Marín Rojas, institute president, said that 8,822 families have benefited from programs set up by his agency. These include opportunities for financing, training and aid with access to conventional banking. Blustery day is possible with some overcast skies By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Hold on to your hats! The weather institute said Sunday that the weather today will be similar to that of the weekend with partly cloudy or overcast skies and weak to moderate winds in the mountains. Some rain is anticipated in the northern zone and in the Caribbean, said the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional. Despite the characterization of weak to moderate winds, Saturday and Sunday saw some strong gusts, although there were not reports of serious damage. There is a chance of rain in the central and south Pacific as well as in the Central Valley, the forecast said. The transition to the dry season continues in the northern Pacific.
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa Rica Third News Page | |
| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Nov. 12, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 225 |
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| Resurfacing planned for today at
Autopista Cañas bottleneck |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
There are traffic jams expected today on the Autopista General Cañas, but the situation is expected to improve Tuesday. The twin bailey bridges have been removed from the eastbound lanes where an 84-ton crane caused a collapse last week. Workmen have backfilled the eastbound construction site to highway level. A new road surface is expected to be put down today. In the meantime, eastbound and westbound traffic is reduced to one lane each at the site. Eastbound traffic is being routed through twin bridges on the westbound lanes. Traffic was flowing normally Sunday, but the big crush is at the peak hours this morning and this evening. Work at the site has been advanced by little rain for three days. |
Crews are compacting the dirt
with large roller vehicles. This is the site above a new concrete spillway. The old spillway washed out in a storm, and the westbound lanes were damaged. Highway officials decided to replace the entire section and erected four bailey bridges, one for each traffic lane. Soon crews will have to remove the bridges on the westbound lanes creating another series of tie ups until that section can be backfilled and resurfaced. The Consejo Nacional de Vialidad said that the project was hampered by heavy rains last week. Officials said they still were closing the road from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in order to complete the project. There are a number of detours. |
| Rip tide, fumbled call claim the life of
another tourist at Jacó |
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By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
A tourist drowned Wednesday afternoon in Playa Jacó after being pulled out into a riptide, officials reported. A witness said that quicker emergency response might have saved the man. Police have very little information on the man, but a spokesperson at the Judicial Investigating Organization confirmed that the man is 28-year-old Garapaty Sthitha Prajna and that he is a citizen of India. An eyewitness to the event said that the man came on a motorcycle bearing Georgia license plates. The spokesperson also confirmed that the man's mother lives in the United States, but he could not specify exactly where. The eyewitness, an expat who preferred to not be identified, blamed an inefficient 911 system for Prajna’s death. He said that not many people were on the beach that day. He reported that the man pulled up on his motorcycle with Georgia license plates and got into the water. He had not been swimming long when the witness and a few other people on the beach saw him struggling against the current that was pulling him out. The witness said that a group of people tried to coach him on |
how to get out of the rip current,
and one local tried to swim out to him. Eventually, another current pulled the stranded man close enough for the local to get him out of the water, but he was not breathing, the witness said. The witness called 911 and said that he was somehow disconnected. He said that an emergency operator called him back after about five minutes, but first asked for his name and cédula number before asking where to send an emergency response team. The witness said that a Cruz Roja ambulance was on the scene 45 seconds after the second conversation with the emergency operator. The witness commended the efforts of this team to revive Prajna, even though they were unsuccessful. The witness said that the chances of reviving the victim would have been higher if the emergency operator would have sent the ambulance earlier. He also said that hotels need to warn swimmers about the riptide and that especially during the slow season for tourism there are no lifeguards to help people when they are caught in rip tides. Officials at the local Fuerza Pública and Cruz Roja offices confirmed that the death took place, but were not able to confirm details. |
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| You need to see Costa Rican tourism information HERE! |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
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| A.M. Costa Rica's Fourth News page | |||||
| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Nov. 12, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 225 | |||||
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| Canadian
tourists happy to provide the tourist tax By
Connie Foss
and the A.M. Costa Rica staff A Canadian couple who became burglary victims just two hours after traveling to Playa Cocles on the Caribbean coast have a philosophical response: “We see this as a sort of tourist tax,” said Grace McCracken. The 24-year-old and companion Tim Gormley, 31, checked into a rental home for a week's vacation. Then they went outside around 7 p.m. to take photos of the beach just south of Puerto Viejo. During their brief absence, a crook or crooks managed to get away with everything: passports, camera, two phones, Gormley’s brand new electronic tablet, credit cards and $300 in cash, the couple said. Fortunately, a family playing with a baby in another part of the home was not disturbed, they said. Gormley and Ms. McCracken, both of Calgary, said they were shocked and frightened by the Nov. 2 theft of all their possessions right at the beginning of the vacation. At first they were afraid to leave the house, said Gormley, but by the end of their stay they felt relaxed and happy and actually relieved not to have to worry about being theft victims again. “The people here are so poor, especially during low tourist season," said Ms. McCracken. "Tourism brings high prices to this area, so the local people steal from tourists in order to have money to pay these inflated prices.” The tourists blamed themselves for the crime and admitted they did not need to bring so many valuable things with them. They did not know about the culture: “Costa Rica is not Hawaii,” where it would not be necessary to lock things up while they were inside the house, they said. On the day of their departure from Puerto Viejo, Gormley, Ms. McCracken and friends were relaxed and happy and said they would probably return to the Puerto Viejo area in spite of what happened. They said the experience of being burglarized and spending the vacation with nothing helped them to live life more simply and to appreciate what they have. “What the thieves robbed was essentially a day’s work for us,” said Ms. McCracken. “We can go home and within a few days make the money to replace what was stolen. But these people here have to live in a tourist economy where it is difficult to survive.” Gormley and Ms. McCracken offered advice to other tourists who plan to visit Puerto Viejo area beaches. “First, know the culture. It is different from the United States. Lock things up when you are not using them. And, consider how much you really need to bring with you. Leave the extras at home.” Victim of arson attempt identified by investigators By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Investigators have identified the U.S. citizen who was kidnapped in his own car, stabbed numerous times and locked in the truck as the vehicle was torched early Wednesday. A spokesperson for the Judicial Investigating Organization said that the man is 41-year-old Mark Lester Metz. The spokesperson said that some of Metz’ relatives are now in Costa Rica. Metz was treated for several days at Hospital San Juan De Dios without his doctors knowing his name or medical history. Metz was abducted in his own car by several people early Wednesday morning in the parking lot of a casino near Juan Santamaría airport in Alajuela. Eventually the crooks had him pull over, at which point they stabbed him at least three times in the chest, locked him in the trunk of his car and set the vehicle on fire. Firefighters were called to the scene quickly enough to rescue Metz, but he still went to the hospital with 48 percent of his body burned, attendants said. Medical staffers confirmed for several days that he was in very delicate condition, but did not know anything about him. Obligatory insurance fee increasing for next year By
the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The agency that regulates insurance fees has approved increases in the obligatory premium that is collected with the road tax. The Superintendencia General de Seguros authorized the increases for the Instituto Nacional de Seguros, the former government monopoly that still is the only issuer of road tax stickers. The tax is called the marchamo. The requirements of the new traffic law were cited as one reason for the increases. The maximum benefit for injury this year will be 6 million colons. That is why most expats purchase additional insurance. The bulk of the marchamo payment is based on the value of the vehicle. However, passenger car owners will pay 17,374 colons this year, a 1,471 increase from 2012. That is about $35. Owners of motorcycles have the option of paying 78,147 colons (about $156) for 6 million colon coverage or 60,713 (about $121) for 3.5 million coverage. The option resulted from protests by motorcycle operators last year. Infant malaria shot results called unacceptably low By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The world's first experimental malaria vaccine produced disappointing results in a large-scale test among African infants, raising questions about its potential for fighting the disease. The vaccine, promoted as a new weapon in the malaria fight, reduced the risk of malaria by only 30 percent. The study involved more than 6,500 babies aged 6 to 12 weeks. The results, released Friday, showed the vaccine providing less than half the protection it did in a previous smaller trial involving infants. The report said the modest protection the vaccine, which is also known as RTS,S or Mosquirix, has been provided in this latest trial was also lower than the 50 percent reported last year among older children. Dr. Jennifer Cohn, a doctor with Doctors Without Borders, said that the vaccine’s effectiveness was unacceptably low. Vaccinating babies is seen as a more cost effective way of battling the disease since it could be added to the regimen of other infant vaccinations. Billionaire Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, whose foundation is helping fund the vaccine, said the effectiveness rate came back lower than hoped. But the top British drug manufacturer developing the vaccine, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), will continue its efforts. Chief executive Andrew Witty said the drugmaker remains convinced the vaccine has a role to play in tackling malaria. |
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Jo
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa
Rica's Fifth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Nov. 12, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 225 | |||||||||
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| Puerto
Rican statehood advanced by ballot vote By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
For the first time, voters in Puerto Rico have advanced a non-binding referendum calling for statehood, a provision that could only be granted by the U.S. Congress. A majority of voters voiced support for the measure Tuesday which calls for consideration of what would be the 51st U.S. state. Three previous ballot initiatives failed to get a majority of support. Article IV of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the authority to decide on state admissions. The last states admitted were Alaska and Hawaii in 1959. Although Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, they cannot vote for presidents. They also have no representation in the Senate and limited representation in the House of Representatives. Justin O'Brien, the head of the U.S. Council for Puerto Rico Statehood, says these are the key reasons the island's status needs to change. "The ability to participate in the government that passes laws and makes decisions that affect the livelihoods of all citizens, for 114 years, Puerto Ricans have not had that representation," said O'Brien. U.S. President Barack Obama has said he would support the will of the Puerto Rican people on statehood. O'Brien says statehood is long overdue. "Puerto Ricans have been citizens since 1917 but the quality of their citizenship has been one that has been dis-equal, or unequal rather," O'Brien added. "I think Puerto Ricans are clearly tired of that." O'Brien says he believes the territory will continue to push for statehood although pro-statehood Gov. Luis Fortuno lost his re-election bid Tuesday to Alejandro Garcia Padilla, a pro-commonwealth lawmaker. In Tuesday's balloting, voters considered a two-question referendum that first asked if they favored the territory's current status. The second question allowed them to choose from three options, including one on statehood. The U.S. seized the island from Spain in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. Disruptive climate change called security problem By
the A.M. Costa Rica wire services
The U.S. National Research Council released a report Friday on the link between global climate change and national security. The scientific study details how global warming is putting new social and political stresses on societies around the world and how the United States and other countries can anticipate and respond to these climate-driven security risks. The report by the congressionally-chartered research group begins with an assertion that global warming is real, and that the mainstream scientific community believes that heat-trapping gases such as carbon dioxide and methane are being added to the atmosphere faster today than they were before the rise of human societies. And it says the consequences of climate change -- including rising sea levels, more frequent and severe floods, droughts, forest fires, and insect infestations — present security threats similar to and in many cases greater than those posed by terrorist attacks. John Steinbruner, the chairman of the committee that wrote the report, says the U.S. intelligence community in particular needs to make climate change-related security threats a greater priority. “We are not as prepared as we need to be, I think the better statement. It’s not that they are completely ill-prepared. It is not as if they are not monitoring in some sense, but it is not as organized or as developed as it needs to be,” he said. Steinbruner says extreme weather events, for example, need to be anticipated where they can be and assessed in terms of their potential to destabilize countries and regions around the world. And he believes that a better understanding of how floods and droughts can trigger migration and civil conflict in parts of Africa and South Asia — regions with weak governments and high levels of poverty — will help developed countries better plan to prevent or respond to humanitarian disasters. The study urges greater international cooperation in gathering information on climate trends. Steinbruner notes that Pakistan and India currently refuse to share data on precipitation rates with the United States, information that could predict floods and droughts in South Asia. |
Your place to stay here As high season approaches, we like to feature our advertisers who offer long- and short-term rentals for expats and tourists.
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
| A.M. Costa
Rica's sixth news page |
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| San José, Costa Rica, Monday, Nov. 12, 2012, Vol. 12, No. 225 | |||||||||
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Latin America news |
 Photo by James Petretti
Interior view of the new schoolSouthern zone
celebrates
new Liceo Pacifico Sur By
Radio Pacifico Sur
Special to A.M. Costa Rica The new 1 billion-colon Liceo Pacifico Sur received the blessings of the local mayor and the president at an inauguration ceremony Friday. The new colegio or high school took six years of planning. Construction started Jan 11 and was completed at the end of August. There are 27 rooms which include 24 academic classrooms, two computer labs, and an industrial arts shop. The site also includes a cafeteria, two administration rooms, and an equipment storage room. This new school was built with the project cooperation, administration and monies provided by the Junta de Desarrollo Regional de la Zona Sur, the regionl development agency. Plans are to build a gymnasium, and a soccer /athletic field. The location is in Ojo de Agua de Ciudad Cortés. In addition to President Laura Chilchilla and Jose Alberto Cole de León, mayor of the Osa canton, there were representatives of the education ministry and lawmakers. The school will have a capacity of over 800 students both day and night. This coming school year, starting in February the registered number of students to date is estimated at 725. A new format will be used at the new colegio. Instead of the teachers being mobile with their classes, the teachers will now have their own classroom and the students will commute between periods to their various classrooms. This new change is highly favored by the staff. A classroom can have a personal touch to enhance the students experiences, teachers noted. Erick Molina Villarreal, the Pacifico Sur director since 2002 has instituted a progressive athletic program with such sports as beach volleyball and beach soccer. A YouTube video of the Friday ceremonies can be seen at, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG29VzR4qRs |
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| What we published this week: | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Earlier |
| The contents of this page and this Web site are copyrighted by Consultantes Río Colorado 2012 and may not be reproduced anywhere without permission. Abstracts and fair use are permitted. Check HERE for details | ||||||
