●
Mar
4
San Jose – Limon Roadwork Through Sunday
Posted by Editor | March 4, 2011 | Tags: Transport | Comments Off
The road will be closed to repaint lines.
Conavi has advised that Highway 32, which is the most direct route between San Jose and Limon, will be closed today through Sunday from 9am to 3pm daily for maintenance.
Buses and cars will therefore need to take the longer route via Turrialba.
This information is subject to change so drivers are advised to call the road update hotline at 800-TRANSITO, option #1, option #4 (in Spanish only and from within Costa Rica only).
Feb
28
Three Men Sentenced to 30 Years Each in Teacher’s Murder
Posted by Editor | February 28, 2011 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | Comments Off
Three men have been convicted in the murder of Alexander Obando Campos, a professor who taught English for the University of Costa Rica at several locations on the Caribbean Coast.
The convicted men’s last names are Chinchilla Aguilar, Lanzas Matarrita and Obregón Rodríguez.
The victim, 31 year old university professor, disappeared the morning of December 15, 2009 and was found three days later buried in Penshurt, Limón.
The teacher was believed to have given a ride to the three men on the day of his death. Agents later discovered the victim’s automobile near the same river, and it appeared someone had been tryng to push the vehicle into the water. The victim was en route to Amubri, Bribri, Talamanca, from Limón.
More: Diario Extra: 90 Años de Cárce por Ejecución de Professor
Feb
8
Is there too much protected land in Talamanca?
Posted by Editor | February 8, 2011 | Tags: Economic Development | 3 Comments
The delegation outside the OAS offices in Washington
Some Talamanca leaders think so and have traveled to Washington, DC to take their complaint to the Organization of American States (OAS).
The delegation has made a presentation at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights asking for land to be removed from protected status and given to indigenous groups to use for development so they can make a decent living.
According to Dennis Clark, president of the Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de Manzanillo de Talamanca, 88 percent of the canton is currently protected, in either public or private reserves or parks. This makes it difficult for development to take place to improve the living conditions of the indigenous peoples living there, who have been there before Costa Rica even existed.
Talamanca also ranks last of Costa Rica’s 81 cantons in terms of poverty and extreme poverty.
More: El Pregón.org: Dirigentes de Talamanca exigen en Washington que Estado de Costa Rica les respete sus derechos
Jan
13
Surf Tournament at Cocles
Posted by Editor | January 13, 2011 | Tags: Community Calendar, Sports | Comments Off
| February 5, 2011 |
 Jordan Hernandez, Winner of the 2009 Puerto Viejo Open & Airshow, Photo by Beto courtesy of www.CRSurf.com |
Puerto Viejo Open Pro has announced another surf tournament at Cocles Beach.
The competition will be held on Feb 5, 2011.
There will be $3000 US in cash and prizes available.
More details will be posted soon at www.PuertoViejoOpenPro.com/ or contact Beto at telephone (506)8885-9688 or email betolocks@hotmail.com.
Dec
30
Jungle Run Marathon from Puerto Viejo to Punta Mona
Posted by Editor | December 30, 2010 | Tags: Community Calendar, Sports | Comments Off
| January 15, 2011 |
On Jan 15, a unique event will be happening. Starting in Puerto Viejo runners can choose from 10km, 21km and 42km courses.
The Jungle Run will take participants on a route through nature from its starting point in Puerto Viejo to Punta Cocles (turnaround point for the 10km route), Punta Uva (turnaround for the half marathon) or Punta Mona (turnaround for the full marathon).
The course is at sea level with mostly flat sections. The difficulties runners will face are soft sand, roots, muddy trails, and tropical conditions of sun and/or rain depending on the weather that particular day. Not an easy run, but exotic and demanding.
There are aid stations along the way where runners can get cold water, electrolyte drinks and carbohydrates. The aid stations will be located at 5km, 11km, 21km, 31km, and 36km. Parts of the run are in protected rain forest. Racers must carry CamelBaks or water bottles, we will leave no trace, except footsteps!
More information and registration is available on their website www.jungleruncr.com
Dec
19
Education in Puerto Viejo and Cahuita
Posted by Editor | December 19, 2010 | Tags: Education, Site news | 2 Comments
Kindergarten class at the Colegio & Escuela Complementaria CahuitaPuerto Viejo Satellite has received many questions over the years inquiring about the schools and the educational choices in the area but the information available online has been very sparse. So we are very happy to announce a new page on the site, Education Options in and around Puerto Viejo and Cahuita.
Zöe Courtier has researched and spoken to parents, teachers and school administrators in the area to provide what will be a very valuable resource for parents who are considering moving to the area or spending a season or year here and want to know what the options for their kids will be.
Most parents moving to the area from foreign countries will choose one of the two main private schools in the area so that article includes lots of background and info for both the Colegio & Escuela Complementaria Cahuita (offering education for all grade levels) and the Centro Educativo Playa Chiquita – Punta Uva (offering primary education).
Comments can be left on the article and we do hope to keep the article current and accurate so please direct any corrections or omissions to info@puertoviejosatellite.com.
Dec
6
Convincing Victory for Cordero in Talamanca Mayoral Election
Posted by Editor | December 6, 2010 | Tags: Government and Politics | 3 Comments
Melvin Gerardo Cordero Cordero of the Liberacion Nacional party has pulled off a convincing win in the race for mayor of Talamanca, capturing 63% of the votes according to the results published on La Nacion.
There were 5 candidates for the race. With 89% of the vote counted, the results were as follows:
Melvin Gerardo Cordero Cordero, Liberacion Nacional, Teacher, 53 years old 62.99%
Heriberto Hernández Ceciliano, Unidad Social Cristiana, 44 years old 27.23%
Levi Sucre Romero, Accion Ciudadana, 44 years old, Business Manager 5.41%
Eduardo Montes Centeno, Talamanca Unida, 49 years old, Teacher 2.82%
Luis Enrique Bermúdez Bermúdez, Movimiento Libertario, 43 years old, Taxi Driver 1.54%
Cordero’s Bio indicates he was a promoter of community development for DINADECO, supervisor of social development programs and family allowances, a municipal executive for the municipality of Talamanca and the Director of the Olivia School (1991-2010).
Cordero’s PLN party won 58 of the 80 mayoral races contested yesterday.
Dec
5
Christmas Concerts
Posted by Editor | December 5, 2010 | Tags: Community Calendar, Entertainment | Comments Off
| December 10, 2010 | ||
| 4:00 pm | to | 6:00 pm |
| December 12, 2010 | ||
| 11:00 am | to | 12:30 pm |
Several Christmas Concerts have been announced, each with distinct programs:
On Friday from 4pm – 6pm, Director Silvia Cabrelles and the soloists and chorus of “Puerto Viejo Canta”
will perform at the Tree House Lodge in Playa Chiquita. Cost is 500 colones.
On Sunday morning the 12th of December at 11:00am, There will be a performance of Händel’s Messiah at the Catholic Church by Martiza’s in downtown Puerto Viejo. The performance will be by the soloists and chorus of the Iglesia Adventista de Limón under director Malvern Ordain P. along with a chorus from Puerto Viejo. Donations welcome.
Nov
22
Landslide closes route 32 again
Posted by Editor | November 22, 2010 | Tags: Accidents and Natural Disasters, Transport | Comments Off
The slide debris completely blocks the road. Photo courtesy of La Nación.
Heavy rains have caused a landslide on route 32 which is the main highway connecting San José with Limon and the road remains closed. The slide happened at km 31, 10 km east of the Zurquí tunnel on Saturday at 3:30pm.
Witnesses at first thought they thought a car may have trapped in the slide. But searchers from the fire department and red cross have not found any sign that anyone was trapped.
Until the slide is cleared, motorists and buses will have to take route 10 via Turrialba. However that route is very narrow and very windy so extra time and caution is required. It typically adds at least 1 1/2 hours to the bus journey to the Caribbean.
Transportation officials from the MOPT said they are hoping to have an estimate on the reopening soon but that continued rain and fog is hampering the effort of clearing the slide.
More: La Nación: Derrumbe impide paso hacia Guápiles
Nov
11
Rapist Sentenced to 56 Years
Posted by Editor | November 11, 2010 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | 5 Comments
The rapist who terrorized women in the community in fear last year was sentenced today to a 56 year prison sentence.
He targeted tourists as his victims would often have left the country before they could identify him. But one victim who was raped and beaten by Brown bravely stayed to make sure he was put away.
Rolando Brown was convicted in the rapes of several women after a string of rapes of foreign tourists, at least one of whom testified at his trial via teleconference from the USA.
Brown was given the maximum sentence and will almost certainly spend the rest of his life in prison as sources indicate he will not be eligible for early release.
In another crime story follow-up, the prosecutor has confirmed they are investigating William “Big Bill” Holbert for the murder of Jeffrey Arlan Kline, a Chicago lawyer who’s remains were discovered in 2006 but were only recently identified as reported here.
More: La Nacion: Fiscalía investiga a ‘Salvaje Bill’ por homicidio en Limón
Oct
17
Rare Dwarf Sperm Whale Spotted off Punta Mona
Posted by Editor | October 17, 2010 | Tags: Environment | 7 Comments
Biologist José David Palacios made the discovery in 2006 while on a project monitoring cetaceans in coastal waters off the Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge in 2006. But the discovery has only now come to light with a recent publication in the journal Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals.
The discovery is significant because this species has never before been sighted in Costa Rica and is rarely sighted at sea. With this discovery there are now 29 species of cetaceans reported in Costa Rica.
The Dwarf Sperm Whale is the smallest species commonly known as a whale. It grows up to 2.7 meters (9 ft) in length and 250 kilograms (551 lb) in weight— making it smaller than the bigger dolphins. The species makes slow, deliberate movements with little splash or blow and usually lies motionless when at the sea’s surface. Consequently it can be observed only in very calm seas.
More:
La Nacion: Costa Rica reporta presencia de un cachalote enano en el Caribe
Wikipedia: Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia sima)
Oct
11
Route 32 Closures Today through Wednesday
Posted by Editor | October 11, 2010 | Tags: Transport | Comments Off
Ruta 32, the main San José-Limón route, will be closed today, Tuesday and Wednesday from 6 a.m. to noon. The Consejo Nacional de Vialidad has contracted with a team of geologists and engineers to create a three-dimensional image of the highway where it passes through Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo.
The goal is to find a definitive solution to the landslides that have plagued the stretch.
The firm Stereocarto is involved as well as specialists from a number of government agencies. Officials suggest that those who must travel to the Caribbean use the alternate
route through Turrialba.
Oct
7
Dolphin Species Gather in Manzanillo to Communicate
Posted by Editor | October 7, 2010 | Tags: Environment | Comments Off
Bottlenose dolphin (rear) and Guyana dolphin (front)
A researcher from the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan, Dr Laura May-Collado, has published a paper in the journal Ethology about what could be two different species of dolphins attempting to find a common language to communicate.
The researcher made the discovery studying dolphins swimming in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge where both larger Bottlenose dolphins and smaller Guyana dolphins come together.
Both species make unique sounds, but when they gather, they change the way they communicate, and begin using an intermediate language. That raises the possibility the two species are communicating in some way.
“I wouldn’t be surprised that they can modify their signals to mimic, and even possibly communicate with other species” says May-Collado.
It is not yet clear exactly what is taking place between the two dolphin species, but it is the first evidence that the animals modify their communications in the presence of other species, not just other dolphins of their own kind.
More: BBC News: Dolphin species attempt ‘common language’
Sep
27
La Niña Will Bring Extra Rain to Costa Rica Except to Caribbean Coast
Posted by Editor | September 27, 2010 | Tags: Environment | 6 Comments
The national meteorological institute (INM) is predicting that the La Niña weather pattern will increase rains to Costa Rica in the final three months of the year by an average of 70% over normal rainfall.
But different parts of Costa Rica as expected to be affected very differently with the Caribbean expected to receive a fairly normal amount of rain while Guanacaste will be the most affected zone.
INM predicts that Guanacaste will receive 875 mm of rain (34.5″) during the months of October, November and December. The normal there is 514 mm.
The Central Pacific will receive 1,790 mm of rain, 672 mm more than normal. And the Central Valley area 880 mm, 330 mm more than normal.
But Limon province which includes Puerto Viejo is expected to about a normal amount of rainfall, perhaps 10% more than usual.
More: La Nación: La Niña’ casi duplicará lluvia en el último trimestre del año
Sep
14
Still no suspects in murder of tourist at Playa Chiquita
Posted by Editor | September 14, 2010 | Tags: Crime & Punishment | 17 Comments
Residents and tourists alike continue to worry about crime and their safety after the senseless murder of Steven Edelson last week at Playa Chiquita.
Edelson, a retired psychiatric counselor who lived in Novato, California, and his life partner Marsha Wachs, had visited Puerto Viejo several times before and enjoyed the laid back atmosphere, never feeling unsafe before. “We would take cabs, rent bicycles, hitch-hike, walk,” Wachs said. “We never ever felt there was a danger there.”
With the crime still under investigation as a presumed robbery, Edelson’s companions said they were struggling to make sense of the act. Edelson was apparently robbed of a backpack containing sunscreen, a water bottle and a beer, they said, while a watch, ring and other items were left behind.
Anyone with any information on this crime should contact the investigators at the judicial police (OIJ) at 2751-0252 or on their confidential tip line at 800-8000-645.
More: Contra Costa Times: Novato man shot dead on vacation in Costa Rica
|
|
| |
