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Cuenca police chief José Valdivieso credits a multi-year drop in crime to the addition of more police officers, community training and the installation of security cameras and emergency buttons in schools, homes and businesses. Overall, according to Valdivieso, crime...
As Cuenca celebrates the 15th anniversary of the designation of its historic district as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, officials worry that there are not enough architects trained in historic restorations to handle increasing demand. Gustavo Lloret, professor of...
Acknowledging that it still looking for money to fund studies for a new freeway system, the administration of Mayor Marcelo Cabrera says the 2015 city budget will emphasize sidewalk reconstruction, park maintenance and road repairs. He said the new budget does not...
When he first requested the visit, Cuenca Mayor Marcelo Cabrera believed recommendations by a team of UNESCO experts might result in a rerouting of Cuenca’s new light rail system. Instead, the report received from the team two weeks ago will have almost no impact on...
Several hundred protesters of proposed changes to the country’s labor laws marched up Calle Simon Bolivar Wednesday afternoon to join a rally in Parque Calderon. The march also attracted supporters of several other causes, including the ones opposed Cuenca’s light...
Retired physician Alejandro Martinez stood outside his house on Av. Loja two weeks ago, watching police work a roadblock checking for drunk drivers. According to Martinez, one of those arrested, a 20-something man driving a late model BMW, yelled at police officers....
Only months after new city taxi fares were established, officials are considering raising municipal bus fares. The current fare of 25 cents was established 11 years ago and bus companies say it allows little margin for maintenance, purchase of new buses and...
One of the world’s largest orchid growers says Ecuador needs to do a better job promoting the industry and a Japanese orchid expert agrees. “All we lack is the government support to make Ecuador the top destination for orchids,” says José “Pepe” Portilla, manager...
Although a report by a UNESCO team assessing Cuenca’s historic district does not recommend major changes to the city's light rail system -- officially, Tranvía de los Cuatros Rios-- it has plenty to say about how the city should manage traffic in the historic...
Cuenca’s fourth annual Festival de Cine La Orquídea kicks off tomorrow morning at 11 with opening ceremonies at the Mall del Rio convention center. Guest of honor is award-winning Spanish director David Trueba and the Spanish actresses Carmen Maura, Victoria Abril and...
Monday's delivery of a report that may contain recommendations for the construction of Cuenca’s light rail system appeared to draw only limited interest from city officials. The 66-page report from a UNESCO team of experts was once considered a tool that would allow...
Interpol has issued an international alert for nine Ecuadorian police officers convicted of extrajudicial killings in 2003. According to Interior Minister José Serrano, some of the suspects are living in the U.S. The case stems from a police assault on a Fybeca...
National police have begun 24-hour surveillance of the La Merced neighborhood in the historic district. According to Azuay Province Governor Leonardo Berrezueta, the step is necessary to combat drug sales and thefts. The area of greatest concern, police say, is along...
Thousands of spectators will be treated to a fast-paced variety show of law enforcement skills and talents in Alejandro Serrano stadium beginning at 10 this morning. Event sponsors expect a crowd of 18,000 to attend demonstrations of crime fighting techniques as well...
Do you find yourself spending more time waiting for a taxi? Cuenca’s transportation office says it is receiving complaints from passengers about slow taxi response time, some claiming that a new Internet-based program called Easy Taxi is to blame. Easy Taxi allows...
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere Roberta Jacobson says that the U.S. may soon send Roberto and William Isaias back to Ecuador to face eight-year prison sentences. Jacobson was in Quito earlier this week to discuss a number of issues with...
A delegation calling itself the Cuenca Civic Collective is asking the country’s comptroller general to investigate the financial arrangements of the city’s light rail system, Tranvía de los Cuatro Rios. Collective members are demanding that the investigation begin...
Ordoñez Lasso construction to begin in early 2015 Ecuador’s Ministry of Transport and Public Works (MTOP) says it has almost completed right-of-way purchases for the expansion and reconstruction of Av. Ordoñez Lasso and work should begin in February or March 2015....
Although the date of Cuenca’s independence from Spain doesn’t arrive officially until Monday, holiday activities are already in full swing. Vendors of crafts, housed in white tents along Av. Doce de Abril, have been busy making sales since Tuesday. Doce de Abril...
There will changes to the renovation plans for Cuenca’s San Francisco Square, the city says. The original design, developed during the administration of former Mayor Paúl Granda, had been criticized by vendors who work on the plaza and by some architects. Vendors in...
