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AG denies favoritism in Coopera case Ecuador Attorney General Galo Chiriboga says that judicial delays in the case against officials of the failed financial cooperative Coopera are not the result of government interference. Chiriboga was in Cuenca last week to meet...
Cuenca Mayor Marcelo Cabrera says work will continue on the Tranvia de los Cuatro Rios, Cuenca’s light rail system, but says he still needs more budget and construction schedule information. In a Friday press conference, he also said that he is concerned about the...
Although the use of taxi meters became mandatory on Sunday, many drivers were refusing to turn them on and arguments between Cuenca drivers and riders were common in the city. Some taxistas maintain that they are not required to use the meters until Monday, June 9,...
Following four hours of deliberation, the Second Criminal Trial Court in Cuenca found seven managers and officers of Coopera guilty of embezzlement. Prosecutors have asked the court to impose the maximum 12-year prison sentence on the group. Among those found guilty...
Although there could be short delays to deal with traffic problems caused by construction, Cuenca’s new light rail project will continue as originally planned. Gerardo Fernández, appointed by new Cuenca Mayor Mercelo Cabrera, said his staff has reviewed technical...
Following the rejection of the Alianza País choice for Cuenca vice mayor, President Rafael Correa says he has lost confidence in Mayor Marcelo Cabrera. On Friday, the city council chose Ruth Caldas for the position over Pais’s Leonardo Berrezueta when Caldas voted for...
The day before he takes office, Cuenca Mayor-elect Marcelo Cabrera continues to complain that he did not receive the information he had requested from the administration of out-going mayor Paúl Granda. “Frankly, the transition period was a waste of time,” Cabrera...
Most of Ecuador’s furniture is made in Cuenca According to the Municipal Public Enterprise for Economic Development (ESDP), 60% of the furniture manufactured in Ecuador is made in Cuenca. ESDP says that the industry employees 6,000 and adds more than $70 million...
By Nate Singham When Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa visited the United States in April, meeting with faculty and students from universities including Harvard, Yale and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he and René Ramírez, Ecuador's minister of higher...
The French engineering firm Alstom has been told by the French government to stop negotiations with U.S.-based General Electric to buy part of its operations. Alstom, which has the contract to manage construction of Cuenca’s Tranvia de los Cuatros Rios light rail...
Diego Aguilar, appointed by the Ecuadorian government to liquidate Coopera, says that most large investors in the failed Cuenca financial cooperative have “little chance” of recovering their money. Aguilar says that there are only a few properties, including the...
Renovation work on seminary is welcomed Despite efforts to keep it under wraps, the renovation of San Luis Seminary, next to the cathedral, is probably Cuenca’s worst kept secret. The section of the seminary currently being renovated is best known as home to the...
By Sheryle Verkley, Co-founder and Board Member and Stephanie Slavin, Board Member Growth is a part of life, with organizations as well as with people. Starting in 2011, with a single volunteer, Melinda Gordon, Hearts of Gold began to respond to requests from...
Residents of an historic district neighborhood prevented workers for the city’s new light rail system from erecting fences in preparation for construction Tuesday morning. The residents claim that they have not been adequately informed about plans and the effect they...
Ecuador’s National Assembly has agreed to look into the legal management of the Coopera money laundering and embezzlement case. Coopera, a Cuenca-based financial cooperative, was closed by the government a year ago and its top officials were arrested. Larriva Oswaldo...
According to calculations made by the World Health Organization (WHO), Cuenca ranks at the lower end of the acceptable level of “green space” for its residents. WHO recommends nine to 15 square meters per capita as a minimum standard. According to Sebastian Izquierdo,...
Heavy rain Friday night and early Saturday morning caused extenstive flooding damage in the Bellavista and Sayausí neighborhoods of Cuenca. In Bellavista, several retaining walls collapsed causing flooding in at least 20 homes. In Sayausí there was flooding of a...
A new study shows that 69% of homes in Cuenca are owned by their occupants. It is the highest rate of home ownership in Ecuador, according to the Ministry of Social Inclusion. The study, which is intended to provide information to government planners, also showed that...
A new study shows that 69% of homes in Cuenca are owned by the occupants. It is the highest rate of home ownership in Ecuador. The study, which is intended to provide information to government planners, also showed that 86% of residential dwellings are houses; that...
The number of tourists visiting Cuenca has risen 276% since 2008, the highest rate of growth in Ecuador. Patricio Miller, president of the Azuay Chamber of Tourism, says the increase is due in large part to strong promotional campaigns by several government agencies....
