New city hospital ready to open; Extortionists busted in Cuenca; Monay overpass opens in Sept.; Crafts, food fairs in Ricaurte, Chordeleg; Free medical check-ups

Bored? –
(De El Mercurio del lunes, 3/8) Exposición artesanal (Craft exhibition) – The Casa de la Cultura opened the “Ricaurte te espera” (Ricaurte is waiting for you) exhibition with products and handicrafts work from women entrepreneurs in the parish. The exhibit seeks to raise awareness of the work of these women, promote elements related to cultural identity, and will run until the end of septiembre.

(De El Mercurio del martes, 4/8) Festival en Chordeleg <If you can’t translate that for yourselves……I’m not going to say anything about your IQ challenges.> The City of Chordeleg is organizing the “Gastro Chorde Fest” for this sábado, 8/8 a las 10:00 in the plaza José María Vargas. There will be food including roast meats, typical dishes, and artisan beer. There will also be a motorcycle show with a motorcycle route from the old Chaquilcay toll booth to the cantón. The festival will end with performances in which Los Mosqueteros and Fumarolas will play.

The new municipal hospital in Baños is ready to open while construction of the municipal hospital in Ricaurte is 80% complete.

Hungry? –
(De El Mercurio del lunes, 3/8) El poder del sabor nacional (The power of national flavor) – The premise of La Ilustre on Rafael Torres y Víctor León is to laugh while you eat. Owner Elisa Molina Amoroso said the year old restaurant combines coastal cuisine with popular culture. The decorations are masks of politicians, and humorous phrases. Since its opening, city council members, assembly members, and authorities from the public sector have visited, some saying they hope they will appear in future versions of the menu. The menu includes ceviches, corviches, colonche, rice, ripe plantains, chops, cazuelas, bandejas and appetizers such as the ‘Pelucona’ which includes white fish and breaded shrimp with patacones, tartar and criolla sauce. Some of the dishes most representative of the restaurant are the ‘Chop de cangrejo’, the ‘Bandera Costeña’, and the ‘Cazuela Ilustre’.

Curious? –
(De El Mercurio del domingo, 2/8) Operativo deja 4 detenidos por presunta extorsión (Raid leads to 4 arrests for alleged extortion) – The Unidad Nacional Antisecuestro y Extorsión (UNASE) and the Policía Nacional arrested 4 people during an operation carried out in Cuenca and Playas simultaneously. Those arrested are being investigated for their alleged participation in extortions of businesses in Playa. They demanded $3,000 plus monthly “vaccines” of $400 and threatened the owners, employees, and premises if their demands were not met. Of the 4, 3 were college students ranging in age from 20 to 36. <I wonder what their majors were – law or business?> None had criminal records. During the operation, police seized a deposit receipt and 5 mobile terminals.

(De El Mercurio del lunes, 3/8) Hospital de Baños espera permiso (Baños Hospital awaits approval) – The Hospital Municipal de Baños is closed in spite of the completion of the infrastructure and equipment and the completion of staff selection. Fabián Zamora, director of the Hospital de la Mujer y el Niño said that the only paperwork left is the operating permit from the Agencia de Aseguramiento de la Calidad de los Servicios de Salud y Medicina Prepagada (ACESS – Agency for Quality Assurance in Health Services and Prepaid Medical Care). The $6 million project has been finished for about one month. On el 15/4, the City submitted the documentation needed to open which included an inspection by ACESS. <Same in the US – always waiting for the building inspector.>

Zamora said that the project is in a line and has to wait. While the process is being completed, medical equipment is being stored in closed areas to avoid exposure to dust and conserve their condition. He also said that the Hospital Municipal del Valle advanced faster and is serving 3,000-4.000 each month. He hopes this can be duplicated in Baños.

(De El Mercurio del lunes, 3/8) La apertura de primer paso elevado cada vez más cerca (Opening of first overpass is getting closer) – Opening the first of two Azogues-Cuenca autopista overpasses at the Monay interchange project is about a month away. The $43 million project started about a year ago and is about 40-42% complete. This first overpass, which carries the westbound lanes toward Cuenca, will receive a 3″ layer of asphalt in the next few days. During agosto, final work on horizontal and vertical signage, road security systems, and other finishes to complete the infrastructure will be completed. Once the overpass is completed sometime between the 2nd & 3d week of septiembre, it will carry traffic toward Cuenca. Mario Vintimilla, zone 6 sub secretary for the Ministerio de Infraestructura y Tecnología (MIT), said that the circulation plan for av. 24 de Mayo will remain unchanged during the new phase of constructing the 2nd overpass. Due to installation and relocation of utility piping in the area of the interchange, some sectors in the El Valle and Paccha parishes were without water over the weekend.

(De El Mercurio del martes, 4/8) Hasta el 15 es el plazo para el pago de décimo (Deadline for paying the “décimo” is the 15th) – The 14th paycheck, also known as the school bonus, is due on el 15/8. The full payment in 2026 is $482 – the amount of the Salario Básico, but the actual amount depends on the number of hours worked and the workday, and needs to be prorated for part-time workers or those who didn’t work the whole year. The 14th paycheck also applies to child support payments with added interest on late payments.

(De El Mercurio del martes, 4/8) Chequeos gratuitos (Free check-ups) – The Unidad Médica Móvil (Mobile Medical Unit) of the City of Cuenca is offering free medical attention from 9:00 – 16:00. It started today at the Circo Social and Parque Inclusivo in Yanuncay Parish; will be in the Turi Parish el jueves, 6/8; at the Centro Terapéutico in El Batán Parish el viernes, 7/8; and in the Tutupali Chico community in the Tarqui Parish el sábado, 8/8.

(De El Mercurio del martes, 4/8) Circulación restringida (Restricted foot traffic) – Foot traffic on the sidewalks around the old Colegio Febres Cordero will be restricted due to the restoration work being done by the City. The streets affected are Presidente Borrero, Gran Colombia, and Hermano Miguel. People are asked to respect the signs.
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Information in this column, including dates, times and locations, is courtesy of the El Mercurio newspaper. Comments between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), are the personal opinions of the author and not part of the news translation.