Anti-crime project get big boost, Santa Isabel celebrates, Traffic light synchronization is underway, Christmas bonus is due to workers

Miércoles, 18/12/2019

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –
Del cuerpo del periodico –

Santa Isabel – Santa Isabel will celebrate its 77 years as a canton this weekend. The festivities start el sábado with a proclamation a las 16:00, and a dance and light show with the Mambo Diablo orchestra a las 17:00 in the Parque Central. There will be a festival of comida tipica el domingo a las 8:00, also in the Parque Central. Santa Isabel produces onion, tomato, peppers, bananas and guabas. (I think that might be those green pod things where you eat the white webbing around the seeds.)

Otras cosas –

Santa Isabel celebrates its 77th year of cantonization.

Titular – Recrudece la violencia (Reoccurance of violence) – El jueves marks the 5th month of the Asamblea Ciudadana de Seguridad de Cuenca (Citizen Security Assembly of Cuenca) without effective results. The budget for the Security Assembly has increased from $1,845,173 in 2014 to $3,100,000 in 2020. Insecurity and violence are still taking their toll on the otrora (once – our word for the day) quiet city. Assaults and home and vehicle accessory robberies are part of daily life. <I hope not your daily life, though.>

El domingo, an American was killed in her home and este martes the body of 76 year old Juan Yanza was found in his garage on Carlos Arízaga Vega in the Cristo del Consuelo sector, handcuffed with plastic ties. Both victims were strangled with robbery the motive for the second killing. The first floor of Yanza’s house is used as a gym, and witnesses said that 2 men and a woman armed with a gun entered the gym and tied up the gym owner and a client with packing tape. The gym owner was robbed of $200 and it is guessed that $11,000 was taken from Mr. Yanza. The murders bring the city count to 14 for the year, a relatively low number considering the population of 625,000.

Traffic lights – The repowering of Cuenca’s stoplight system has advanced some 50%. The changes include traffic controllers and regulators, ductwork, and poles which will allow the equipment to be reprogrammed according to the traffic flow at each intersection. The goal of the project is to renovate about 400 semáforos (stop lights – another word for the day which may be of some use to direct taxistas.) So far, work has been completed in 30 out of the planned 65 intersections, and should be finished en junio, 2020.

Christmas bonus – Employers have until 24/12 to pay the décima tercera (thirteenth) month payment to their employees. The amount should be 1/12 of the salaries paid from 1/12 to 30/11 of the previous year. <I think if you have a cleaning lady, she’s due that bonus.>

Christmas shipping – Azogueños are sending treats to their families in the US through shipping companies that charge $3.50 per pound for 2 day delivery. Common items are foods destined for the Noche Buena table and include roast cuy, humitas, tamales, Easter bread <Now that’s a waste of space unless panettone isn’t sold in the US at Christmas.>, cheese, and buñuelos.

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne