The $70 Million Promised for Pavement of Route 160 Doesn’t Exist
Photo by Pinar Istek

Luis Antonio Aiza, legislator of PLN (National Liberation Party) for Guanacaste, said that the $70,000,000 pertaining to the loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (BID) made in 2008 supposedly to be invested in route 160 “were false promises since this amount never existed.” Read full story here

No Dry Law, No Problem: Police Report Holy Week Calmer Than Normal
Photo by Arianna McKinney

The Municipality of Nicoya decided not to enforce the traditional prohibition on the sale of alcohol, an option given under the new liquor law passed in 2012. Nicoya was one of six cantons to decide not to go dry, and the result was… less drunkenness. Read full story here

Clown Kidnapper Spotted in Santa Marta
Foto por Pinar Istek

A man inside the van dressed as a clown reached his arm through the window and grabbed a 12 years old’s t-shirt but letting the kid go. The boy, from Santa Marta, was on his way home. Nicoya Police Chief Omar Chavarria said that rumors of clown sightings have circulated for about six months. Read full story here

Every Two Days a Home is Robbed in the Nicoya Canton

During the course of today and into tomorrow thieves will enter a Nicoyan property to steal its belongings. Said property will probably be located in the coastal zone or close to it, and it is possible that the victim will be a foreign tourist and that the incident will take place during the evening. Moreover, it is almost certain that once the crime has been committed, the victim will not report the crime. This scenario is an interpretation from the complaints. Read full story here.

Rebuilding Lives Has Started Since the Earthquake

Photo by Pinar Istek

With government help and donations from the community, Jeniffer Ramirez and her husband, Freddy Brenes Chaves started to rebuild their home. During the month of April, the family hopes to fix the principal walls, sides, two inside walls and the front wall that were heavily damaged during the 7. 6 earthquake on September 5. Read full story here

What El Tope Means to A Seasoned Horseman

Still on his horse, Aguila, ordering beer at the bar that was set up for the second round of Nosara Fair, 67-year- old horseman Bolivar Avila said “it went very well,” when asked about el tope he just finished in Saturday afternoon, April 13. Being one of the 45 participants of the ride, he has been participating in el tope since the beginning of it in Nosara 25 years ago. Read full story here

Samara Delighted by Local Youth Orquestra

On Friday, 14th of April, the Catholic Church of Samara became a concert hall for the Orquesta Sinfonica de Nicoya 25 de Julio.  This event, sponsored by Alfaro and the Municipality of Nicoya, gathered about 200 spectators who were delighted listening to well known classical from masters like Tchaikovsky, Handel, and Gioachino Rossini, as well as to all time favorite Guanacastecan pieces. Read full story here

Dengue Epidemic Continues in Nicoya Due to Negligence

Photo from elpais.com

Communities have dropped their guard and now the aedes aegypti mosquitos that transmit dengue “are having a party”, according to Maria Eugenia Villalta, medical director of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund, who reported a 300% increase in cases of dengue in the country compared to this same period in 2012. Read full story here

Medical Transport Helicopter Denied Landing in San Jose

So far this year, Dr. Alejandro Gutierrez said he has transported about 10 patients to hospitals by air. But on April 12, the helicopter that was coming to pick up a patient with an irregular heart problem was denied landing to fuel up at Juan Santamaria Airport in San Jose. Read full story here

More Regional News CAIS Assures that Arsenic in Water Is Not the Main Cause of Death in Patients Dehydration, prolonged exposure to sunlight, low income and hereditary diseases are all factors contributing to why the number of deaths from kidney failure has risen to eight people in the last 15 days in Cañas. Eight dead in fifteen days in Cañas – could arsenic-contaminated water be to blame? A 20-year-old woman who lost her two-year battle to live on Friday is the most recent victim of kidney failure in Cañas. Costa Rica is Out to Conquer the Chinese Tourist As a source of tourists that has grown exponentially during the past few years, the Chinese market has become an enticing option for Costa Rica, whose government is aiming for a fivefold increase in the number of visitors from the Asian giant in the next three years. Construction Noise Could be Bad for Business In Costa Rica, the work day begins earlier than in many countries. Instead of 8 or 9 a.m., workers often get going as early as 6 a.m. Construction of Multipurpose Hall Approved in Nosara The Nosarans dream of having a multipurpose room for organizing various community activities is becoming a reality as they finally received approval from the National Directorate of Community Development (DINADECO). Survey Indicates that More Tourists Seek Luxury In a recent survey conducted by VON including19 local hotels, results show that tourists arriving are willing to pay more money for nicer hotel rooms. A study conducted by the Costa Rican Chamber of Hotels (CCH- Cámara Costarricense de Hoteles) confirms VON’s survey by indicating that 4 and 5 stars hotels reported the highest levels of occupancy. Confronting School Bullies "I hate school," recalls Carla with pain (not her real name), who was willing to tell us her story but requested that we protect her identity. "I was 13 years old, in seventh grade in high school and all of my classmates made fun of me because of my nationality," she related. License Holders Pay Muni Up to Three Times More Than Before Discord and controversy… This is what the new Liquor Law that is still being implemented has brought for the majority of local governments in the country, including the Municipality of Nicoya.  Legislators Approve Coastal Territories Law By a majority of 45 against one vote, the Legislative Assembly approved the Coastal Territories Law Project 18.148, known as Tecocos, during the first debate on Tuesday, April 30. The law is designed to regulate land tenure, including in the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge.