D
Dolores
Guest
DR1 Daily News breaks for Easter Week
President Medina meets President-elect of El Salvador
Intrant contracts Kapsch TrafficCom for new urban mobility system
Pet therapy for children available at CAID
TAMIU of Texas to help manage Dominican border with Haiti
PRD tries to arrange convention
Drive safely!
Check which bathing spots will be closed during Easter Week
Activities in the National District over Easter
Church-trekking in the Colonial City
Sacred Music Concert at the Cathedral
Family sets up fund to help pay to return body of Orlando Moore
Illegal boat captain sent to jail for three months preventive custody
Lawsuit filed against plastics factory
Alvaro Arvelo sentenced for defaming Rafael Solano
The Caveman continues at Escenario 360
El Alfa in Puerto Plata
Bonche Las Terrenas in Samaná
Ibiza Pool Party in Cap Cana
Ozuna at the Altos de Chavón Amphitheater
DR1 Daily News breaks for Easter Week
The next DR1 Daily News update is scheduled for Monday, 22 April 2019. Headline news over the holiday (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) will be compiled for the edition. Breaking news and comments can be posted 24/7 on the DR1 Forums at https://dr1.com
President Medina meets President-elect of El Salvador
The President-elect of El Salvador, 37-year old Nayib Bukele and his wife, Gabriela Rodríguez were in Santo Domingo this week and met with President Danilo Medina at the Presidential Palace. President Danilo Medina received the President-elect accompanied by Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado, Administrative Minister of the Presidency José Ramón Peralta, and legal advisor to the President, Flavio Darío Espinal.
Afterward, the President-elect visited the mayor of Santo Domingo, 43-year old David Collado, who many are encouraging to seek the presidency.
Bukele is due to be sworn into the Presidency on 1 June 2019. He was elected on 3 February 2019. Prior to his appointment, Bukele was major of the capital city of El Salvador, San Salvador.
Bukele is the first candidate since 1984 to have been elected President in El Salvador who is not a member of one of the two majority political parties. He stood in the elections representing the Grand Alliance for National Unity (Gran Alianza por la Unidad Nacional - GANA) and received 1,434,856 votes (53.10%).
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...cional-presidente-electo-de-el-salvador-nayib
http://hoy.com.do/presidente-del-salvador-realiza-visita-al-alcalde-david-collado/
Intrant contracts Kapsch TrafficCom for new urban mobility system
Austria’s Kapsch TrafficCom won the contract to install their intelligent transportation system in Greater Santo Domingo for more efficient and safer mobility in the future. Following a public tender, Kapsch and its local partner Evocon were selected by the National Institute for Ground Transit and Transport (Intrant) to provide the comprehensive urban mobility management system for Santo Domingo, the largest city in the Caribbean. Kapsch is 60% and Evocon 40% of the contract-winning consortium.
The contract includes a 17-month period for the design and construction of new infrastructure, as well as four years of technical operation. The total contract value is approximately US$20.3 million.
The first part of the tender covers engineering, delivery, installation, testing, commissioning and the deployment of Kapsch’s EcoTrafiX. This will include 100 new intersection systems, 2,200 new traffic lights, 40 CCTV cameras, 400 CVD-standard vehicle detector video cameras, variable message signs (VMS) and control center equipment.
Maintenance will cover 260 existing intersections that are already equipped with Kapsch systems, including traffic lights and CCTV, as well as all the newly installed systems and equipment.
https://www.kapsch.net/ktc/press/ktc_190409_pr
Pet therapy for children available at CAID
The Center for Comprehensive Care of those with Disabilities (CAID) is offering pet therapy for children with special needs. The CAID is assisted by the Dominican Association of Pet Therapy and Service Animals (ADATS) in the therapies for children with autism and cerebral palsy. The therapy helps with muscle tone and balance, mobility, pain reduction and other physical issues.
The program is coordinated by psychologist Mariel Duran. This is the first time that pet therapy is offered on a large scale, explained ADATS president Karen Gonzalez in a press release from the Presidency.
Six dogs are part of the pet therapy program at CAID. The dogs are three Golden Retrievers – Lucas, Owen and Simba – two Labradors – Sol and Ela – and a Boston Terrier, Lego.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...asistidas-con-perros-entrenados-para-ninos-en
TAMIU of Texas to help manage Dominican border with Haiti
Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado announced the signing of two cooperation agreements with the Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) located in Laredo, Texas. The university is part of the Texas A&M University System. The agreements were signed by Vargas and Pablo Arenaz, president of TAMIU at the Ministry of Foreign Relations in Santo Domingo. Maria Eugenia Calderón-Porter, assistant vice president for global initiatives of the university, signed as a witness.
TAMIU will be backing the local Institute of Higher Education in Diplomatic and Consular Training (Instituto de Educación Superior en Formación Diplomática y Consular - Inesdyc), the higher learning center at the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
As per the other agreement, TAMIU will consult with the Dominican Republic on the organization and development of maritime and land borders, seeking to foster a greater exchange of goods. Vargas explained the background of the agreement. He recalled that TAMIU was entrusted with the technical coordination of the Laredo Initiative he had signed with the representatives of the government of Haiti on 6 December 2016 to implement a version of the successful model implemented at the border pass of Laredo, Texas, between Mexico and the United States. Vargas said that the initiative had lead Laredo, Texas to become an example for world trade, with more than US$215 billion going through the border in 2018.
Vargas highlighted the importance of trade with Haiti, recalling that in 2018 trade was more than RD$800 million. He highlighted that a well-managed border creates jobs and the environmental conditions for sustainable development. “At the Ministry of Foreign Relations we are firmly convinced that the successful model of the Laredo Initiative will contribute to improving the current border crossings, increasing bilateral trade, supporting industrial development and attracting more binational companies, as well as stimulating improvements in the infrastructure in the area.”
http://www.mirex.gob.do/medios/noti...interes-en-cooperar-con-desarrollo-haiti-y-rd
PRD tries to arrange convention
The followers of Guido Gómez Mazara, of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), have asked the Central Electoral Board (JCE) for a 45-day time frame for the party factions to meet and hold an ordinary party convention to elect the new party leader and senior positions for the party. The present party leader is Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado, but a recent decision of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) called for new elections.
PRD spokesman Tonty Rutinel Domínguez explained that the JCE should organize an ordinary meeting as laid down in the law and the party statutes. He said that they are looking for unification and for the PRD to present its own presidential candidate in the 2020 general election. He said that he had sent a communication to the other two factions of the party so that the convention could be held with no major difficulties.
https://eldia.com.do/rescate-prd-so...-convencion-ordinaria-en-un-plazo-de-45-dias/
Drive safely!
The director of the road maintenance division of the Ministry of Public Works, Douglas Borrell, called for safe driving especially on the Coral Highway that links La Romana to Punta Cana. The highway is practically straight all the time and is conducive to high speeds.
Thousands of Dominicans are heading east to the Punta Cana resorts for the Easter holidays. Borrell urges drivers to stay within the speed limits. He said that the principal reason traffic accidents occur on the highway is imprudent speeding by drivers that do not respect the speed limits.
He said the speed limit on the highway is 100 kph, but it is not uncommon for a driver to speed by at 200kph, putting his life and that of others at risk.
Borrell said that the Ministry of Public Works call center with free road assistance can be reached by calling 829 688-1000.
Meanwhile, the National Institute for Ground Transit and Transport (Intrant) announced the usual ban on cargo vehicular circulation from Easter Thursday to Easter Sunday (18-21 April 2019) is in place. Only vehicles transporting fuel, water, milk, poultry and hogs, and short cycle food products, and those transporting objects for the organization of events are authorized, but require special transport permits. Cargo vehicles are limited to 70kph speeds.
http://z101digital.com/borrell-viol...-es-causa-de-accidentes-en-autovia-del-coral/
Check which bathing spots will be closed during Easter Week
During Easter Week, the authorities have announced the closure of 225 bathing spots around the country. The full list is available in Hoy newspaper in the link below.
http://hoy.com.do/estos-son-los-225-balnearios-clausurados-a-nivel-nacional-por-la-semana-santa/
Activities in the National District over Easter
National District Mayor David Collado has announced a series of activities that will be held on the promenade (Malecon) in Santo Domingo and in different parks during Easter Week so that those people who decide to stay in the city have areas where they can go to enjoy time with their families. The areas include Plaza Güibia, La Canquiña park on Padre Castellanos Avenue along with Cristo Rey Park.
The Mayor also announced that on Friday, Saturday and Sunday they will take advantage of a lower amount of traffic to collect garbage, with 1,000 people participating in the collection along with more than 150 garbage trucks. This will ensure that those who go away for the holiday period will return to a clean city.
He said that for the third year running there will be no temporary swimming pools set up, but there would be a domino tournament taking place (which used to be held in Boca Chica), a basketball tournament, dancing competition, and clowns and face painting for the children.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...s-en-el-malecon-y-en-parques-por-semana-santa
Church-trekking in the Colonial City
If you are in Santo Domingo the evening of Easter Thursday, 18 April 2019, head to the Colonial City at around 8pm. Start at the Iglesia de Regina Angelorum and follow the crowds as they visit around 10 churches in the Colonial City.
Each altar is decorated for the occasion.
The pilgrimages begin at 8pm, with the churches open until after midnight. While this is a religious-inspired occasion, it is more so a cultural event and a great opportunity to see the Colonial City churches all open through midnight.
Colonial City churches on the visitation route are:
Iglesia Regina Angelorum (Calle Padre Billini)
Iglesia Convento de Dominicos (Calle Padre Billini)
Catedral de Santo Domingo (Calle Arzobispo Meriño)
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia (Calle Hostos/ Mercedes)
Iglesia de Santa Bárbara (Calle Isabel la Católica/Av. España)
Iglesia de Las Mercedes (Calle Las Mercedes/Jose Reyes)
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen (Calle Arzobispo Nouel/Sánchez)
Iglesia de San Miguel Arcángel (Calle José Reyes / Juan Isidro Pérez).
https://www.guiazonacolonialrd.com/ig/
http://arquidiocesisd.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Programa_SemanaSanta_ARZ_SD_2019.pdf
Sacred Music Concert at the Cathedral
On occasion of Easter Friday, the Choir of the Santo Domingo Cathedral presents its traditional Good Friday Sacred Music Concert. The concert is set for 8pm at the Colonial City cathedral.
http://arquidiocesisd.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Programa_SemanaSanta_ARZ_SD_2019.pdf
Family sets up fund to help pay to return body of Orlando Moore
The family of 41-year old Orlando Moore, who died when his car plunged into the Caribbean Sea, has set up a GoFundMe account for collections to help pay to return the remains of Moore to the United States.
The Daily Voice of New York says the effort is coordinated through the Jamaican Consulate, since Moore had entered the Dominican Republic on a Jamaican passport. The family explains that they are responsible for all costs associated with the returning of the body to the United States, funeral services, investigation and children.
As of Monday, the director of the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif), Gerdo Rosales said the body of 52-year old US citizen Portia Ravenelle had not been repatriated because her relatives have not traveled to the Dominican Republic to complete the formality of identifying the body. The body has already been identified by the Dominican authorities. He also said the authorities are awaiting DNA proof to complete the identification of Orlando Moore. The intention is to ship both corpses back to the United States together.
The couple had vacationed in Samaná from 23 to 27 March 2019, when they went missing late in the evening. An investigation would reveal they were last seen crossing the Marbella tollbooth on the highway at 1:41am, when they had a scheduled flight at 1:30am from the Las Americas International Airport, about 6 km further to the east. The vehicle would be recovered from the sea on the airport drive. The Police investigators say the late hour, darkness, speeding to catch the flight, as explanations to the plunge into the sea. Ravenelle would die on 2 April at the Dario Contreras Trauma Hospital where she was taken by 911 on the day of the accident, but the remains of Moore would drift west and be recovered several days later near Sans Souci. He was identified by tattoos.
https://dailyvoice.com/new-york/arm...ple-found-dead-in-caribbean-recovered/766138/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...-en-accidente-para-trasladar-cuerpo-a-su-pais
Illegal boat captain sent to jail for three months preventive custody
A judge in Samaná has handed down three months in preventive custody to a man accused of trying to take nine Dominicans to Puerto Rico on a boat that capsized on 12 December 2018 off the coast of Samaná, leading to the death of one woman and the disappearance of others.
Daniel Agueda is accused of illegal human trafficking leading to the death of 29-year old Yafreisy Alexandra Mora, who drowned. Several people also disappeared, including a supposed other Captain, José Olea.
Agueda will complete his coercive measures in Samaná jail. It was established that he was the person seen taking the illegal migrants on the boat and they had paid around RD$10,000 each for the journey. The boat sank in an area called Boca del Diablo, off Las Galeras.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...ana-que-dejo-un-muerto-y-varios-desaparecidos
Lawsuit filed against plastics factory
A lawsuit has been filed in a National District court against the company Polyplas Dominicana by Altagracia Ureña Almonte, due to the death of her husband, who was in the factory when there was an explosion resulting in the deaths of another seven people as well as dozens injured. The lawsuit was filed by Ureña Almonte, via her lawyers, Francisco Javier Benzán, Dalcy Mora Vásquez, José Arístides Mora and Edwin Vargas, and it asks for RD$30 million as compensation.
The lawsuit states that on 5 December 2018, when the explosion happened, engineer Rafael Contreras Báez was trying to control the escape of fuel together with other members of his team, of whom one died and another survived.
He was admitted to the Ney Arias Lora Trauma Hospital, where he died five days later.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...erpone-demanda-de-30-millones-contra-polyplas
Alvaro Arvelo sentenced for defaming Rafael Solano
Santo Domingo 8th Penal Chamber judge Diana Moreno Rodríguez sentenced morning talk show commentator, Alvaro Arvelo to pay RD$1.5 million to repair damages in addition to the legal costs for remarks he had made on the Gobierno de la Mañana morning show that Rafael Solano was not the rightful author of the “Por Amor” song.
The court discharged Willy Rodríguez, director of the radio station Z-101, and its owner, Bienvenido Rodríguez and company GTB Radiodifusores for insufficiency of proof.
Lawyers Laura Acosta and Nassef Perdomo presented proofs, including a certificate signed by composer Manuel Troncoso. Arvelo had stated the song’s rightful author was the late lawyer.
https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2019/04/17/561739/tres-meses-de-prision-suspendida-a-alvarito
http://hoy.com.do/condenan-a-alvarito-a-tres-meses-de-prision/
The Caveman continues at Escenario 360
Comedian Carlos Sánchez has been staging since February the Dominican version of the monologue "Defending the Caveman" that holds the record as the longest running solo play in Broadway history. The play has been seen in 45 countries and translated into 18 different languages.
Defending the Caveman is described as a hilariously insightful play about the ways men and women relate. The play is said to make men and women laugh at themselves, and the ways men and women fight, laugh and love. The play was written by Rob Becker and originally opened in San Francisco in 1991. Sánchez enacts the Dominican version of the comedy, with dialogues related to Dominican men and women.
The Dominican version, El Cavernicola, is directed by Manuel Chapuseaux and continues with Thursday showings on 18 and 25 April 2019 at the Escenario 360 hall of the Galeria 360 mall. Tickets are for sale online at Uepa Tickets and Tickets Express or by calling 829 953-0360. Tickets are RD$975 online, but can also be purchased at the Escenario 360. The shows fill up, so if you don’t have your ticket, go early.
El Alfa in Puerto Plata
The top event for the Easter holidays in Puerto Plata is the presentation of El Alfa, the Dominican Dembow singer, booked for Saturday, 20 April 2019 at the Puerto Plata Amphitheater at 8:30. At the recent Soberano Awards that honor the best artistic talent in the country, El Alfa won the Best Urban Artist Award. In November 2018, he released the single “Mi Mami” featuring Cardi B.
General admission is RD$560, special guests from RD$1,085 to RD$3,250. Tickets for sale online at Uepa Tickets.
Listen to his music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuZV-OPz0xA
Bonche Las Terrenas in Samaná
Those vacationing in Las Terrenas, Samaná for the Easter Week holiday, are invited to be part of the “Bonche Las Terrenas,” a mega production featuring El Alfa, Zion y Lenox, Arcangel, Ozuna, La Insuperable, Omega and Ala Jaza on the northeastern beach. Friday, 19 April and Saturday, 20 April 2019. Tickets are for sale online at Uepa Tickets. For more information, call 829 873-5622
Ibiza Pool Party in Cap Cana
For those spending Easter Week in Cap Cana, Punta Cana, the main artistic event is the Hi Music, Hi Flow Ibiza Pool Party set for Marina Bay in Cap Cana. Saturday, 20 April starting at noon. Tickets for sale at Uepa Tickets.
Ozuna at the Altos de Chavón Amphitheater
Casa de Campo presents Ozuna, the Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap singer at the Altos de Chavón Amphitheater in La Romana. Tickets can be purchased from Santo Domingo, including transportation and admission at Uepa Tickets for tickets only. Tickets are for sale online at Uepa Tickets.
Listen to his music at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAb13TXc6mQ
President Medina meets President-elect of El Salvador
Intrant contracts Kapsch TrafficCom for new urban mobility system
Pet therapy for children available at CAID
TAMIU of Texas to help manage Dominican border with Haiti
PRD tries to arrange convention
Drive safely!
Check which bathing spots will be closed during Easter Week
Activities in the National District over Easter
Church-trekking in the Colonial City
Sacred Music Concert at the Cathedral
Family sets up fund to help pay to return body of Orlando Moore
Illegal boat captain sent to jail for three months preventive custody
Lawsuit filed against plastics factory
Alvaro Arvelo sentenced for defaming Rafael Solano
The Caveman continues at Escenario 360
El Alfa in Puerto Plata
Bonche Las Terrenas in Samaná
Ibiza Pool Party in Cap Cana
Ozuna at the Altos de Chavón Amphitheater
DR1 Daily News breaks for Easter Week
The next DR1 Daily News update is scheduled for Monday, 22 April 2019. Headline news over the holiday (Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) will be compiled for the edition. Breaking news and comments can be posted 24/7 on the DR1 Forums at https://dr1.com
President Medina meets President-elect of El Salvador
The President-elect of El Salvador, 37-year old Nayib Bukele and his wife, Gabriela Rodríguez were in Santo Domingo this week and met with President Danilo Medina at the Presidential Palace. President Danilo Medina received the President-elect accompanied by Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado, Administrative Minister of the Presidency José Ramón Peralta, and legal advisor to the President, Flavio Darío Espinal.
Afterward, the President-elect visited the mayor of Santo Domingo, 43-year old David Collado, who many are encouraging to seek the presidency.
Bukele is due to be sworn into the Presidency on 1 June 2019. He was elected on 3 February 2019. Prior to his appointment, Bukele was major of the capital city of El Salvador, San Salvador.
Bukele is the first candidate since 1984 to have been elected President in El Salvador who is not a member of one of the two majority political parties. He stood in the elections representing the Grand Alliance for National Unity (Gran Alianza por la Unidad Nacional - GANA) and received 1,434,856 votes (53.10%).
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...cional-presidente-electo-de-el-salvador-nayib
http://hoy.com.do/presidente-del-salvador-realiza-visita-al-alcalde-david-collado/
Intrant contracts Kapsch TrafficCom for new urban mobility system
Austria’s Kapsch TrafficCom won the contract to install their intelligent transportation system in Greater Santo Domingo for more efficient and safer mobility in the future. Following a public tender, Kapsch and its local partner Evocon were selected by the National Institute for Ground Transit and Transport (Intrant) to provide the comprehensive urban mobility management system for Santo Domingo, the largest city in the Caribbean. Kapsch is 60% and Evocon 40% of the contract-winning consortium.
The contract includes a 17-month period for the design and construction of new infrastructure, as well as four years of technical operation. The total contract value is approximately US$20.3 million.
The first part of the tender covers engineering, delivery, installation, testing, commissioning and the deployment of Kapsch’s EcoTrafiX. This will include 100 new intersection systems, 2,200 new traffic lights, 40 CCTV cameras, 400 CVD-standard vehicle detector video cameras, variable message signs (VMS) and control center equipment.
Maintenance will cover 260 existing intersections that are already equipped with Kapsch systems, including traffic lights and CCTV, as well as all the newly installed systems and equipment.
https://www.kapsch.net/ktc/press/ktc_190409_pr
Pet therapy for children available at CAID
The Center for Comprehensive Care of those with Disabilities (CAID) is offering pet therapy for children with special needs. The CAID is assisted by the Dominican Association of Pet Therapy and Service Animals (ADATS) in the therapies for children with autism and cerebral palsy. The therapy helps with muscle tone and balance, mobility, pain reduction and other physical issues.
The program is coordinated by psychologist Mariel Duran. This is the first time that pet therapy is offered on a large scale, explained ADATS president Karen Gonzalez in a press release from the Presidency.
Six dogs are part of the pet therapy program at CAID. The dogs are three Golden Retrievers – Lucas, Owen and Simba – two Labradors – Sol and Ela – and a Boston Terrier, Lego.
https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias...asistidas-con-perros-entrenados-para-ninos-en
TAMIU of Texas to help manage Dominican border with Haiti
Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado announced the signing of two cooperation agreements with the Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) located in Laredo, Texas. The university is part of the Texas A&M University System. The agreements were signed by Vargas and Pablo Arenaz, president of TAMIU at the Ministry of Foreign Relations in Santo Domingo. Maria Eugenia Calderón-Porter, assistant vice president for global initiatives of the university, signed as a witness.
TAMIU will be backing the local Institute of Higher Education in Diplomatic and Consular Training (Instituto de Educación Superior en Formación Diplomática y Consular - Inesdyc), the higher learning center at the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
As per the other agreement, TAMIU will consult with the Dominican Republic on the organization and development of maritime and land borders, seeking to foster a greater exchange of goods. Vargas explained the background of the agreement. He recalled that TAMIU was entrusted with the technical coordination of the Laredo Initiative he had signed with the representatives of the government of Haiti on 6 December 2016 to implement a version of the successful model implemented at the border pass of Laredo, Texas, between Mexico and the United States. Vargas said that the initiative had lead Laredo, Texas to become an example for world trade, with more than US$215 billion going through the border in 2018.
Vargas highlighted the importance of trade with Haiti, recalling that in 2018 trade was more than RD$800 million. He highlighted that a well-managed border creates jobs and the environmental conditions for sustainable development. “At the Ministry of Foreign Relations we are firmly convinced that the successful model of the Laredo Initiative will contribute to improving the current border crossings, increasing bilateral trade, supporting industrial development and attracting more binational companies, as well as stimulating improvements in the infrastructure in the area.”
http://www.mirex.gob.do/medios/noti...interes-en-cooperar-con-desarrollo-haiti-y-rd
PRD tries to arrange convention
The followers of Guido Gómez Mazara, of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), have asked the Central Electoral Board (JCE) for a 45-day time frame for the party factions to meet and hold an ordinary party convention to elect the new party leader and senior positions for the party. The present party leader is Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado, but a recent decision of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) called for new elections.
PRD spokesman Tonty Rutinel Domínguez explained that the JCE should organize an ordinary meeting as laid down in the law and the party statutes. He said that they are looking for unification and for the PRD to present its own presidential candidate in the 2020 general election. He said that he had sent a communication to the other two factions of the party so that the convention could be held with no major difficulties.
https://eldia.com.do/rescate-prd-so...-convencion-ordinaria-en-un-plazo-de-45-dias/
Drive safely!
The director of the road maintenance division of the Ministry of Public Works, Douglas Borrell, called for safe driving especially on the Coral Highway that links La Romana to Punta Cana. The highway is practically straight all the time and is conducive to high speeds.
Thousands of Dominicans are heading east to the Punta Cana resorts for the Easter holidays. Borrell urges drivers to stay within the speed limits. He said that the principal reason traffic accidents occur on the highway is imprudent speeding by drivers that do not respect the speed limits.
He said the speed limit on the highway is 100 kph, but it is not uncommon for a driver to speed by at 200kph, putting his life and that of others at risk.
Borrell said that the Ministry of Public Works call center with free road assistance can be reached by calling 829 688-1000.
Meanwhile, the National Institute for Ground Transit and Transport (Intrant) announced the usual ban on cargo vehicular circulation from Easter Thursday to Easter Sunday (18-21 April 2019) is in place. Only vehicles transporting fuel, water, milk, poultry and hogs, and short cycle food products, and those transporting objects for the organization of events are authorized, but require special transport permits. Cargo vehicles are limited to 70kph speeds.
http://z101digital.com/borrell-viol...-es-causa-de-accidentes-en-autovia-del-coral/
Check which bathing spots will be closed during Easter Week
During Easter Week, the authorities have announced the closure of 225 bathing spots around the country. The full list is available in Hoy newspaper in the link below.
http://hoy.com.do/estos-son-los-225-balnearios-clausurados-a-nivel-nacional-por-la-semana-santa/
Activities in the National District over Easter
National District Mayor David Collado has announced a series of activities that will be held on the promenade (Malecon) in Santo Domingo and in different parks during Easter Week so that those people who decide to stay in the city have areas where they can go to enjoy time with their families. The areas include Plaza Güibia, La Canquiña park on Padre Castellanos Avenue along with Cristo Rey Park.
The Mayor also announced that on Friday, Saturday and Sunday they will take advantage of a lower amount of traffic to collect garbage, with 1,000 people participating in the collection along with more than 150 garbage trucks. This will ensure that those who go away for the holiday period will return to a clean city.
He said that for the third year running there will be no temporary swimming pools set up, but there would be a domino tournament taking place (which used to be held in Boca Chica), a basketball tournament, dancing competition, and clowns and face painting for the children.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...s-en-el-malecon-y-en-parques-por-semana-santa
Church-trekking in the Colonial City
If you are in Santo Domingo the evening of Easter Thursday, 18 April 2019, head to the Colonial City at around 8pm. Start at the Iglesia de Regina Angelorum and follow the crowds as they visit around 10 churches in the Colonial City.
Each altar is decorated for the occasion.
The pilgrimages begin at 8pm, with the churches open until after midnight. While this is a religious-inspired occasion, it is more so a cultural event and a great opportunity to see the Colonial City churches all open through midnight.
Colonial City churches on the visitation route are:
Iglesia Regina Angelorum (Calle Padre Billini)
Iglesia Convento de Dominicos (Calle Padre Billini)
Catedral de Santo Domingo (Calle Arzobispo Meriño)
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia (Calle Hostos/ Mercedes)
Iglesia de Santa Bárbara (Calle Isabel la Católica/Av. España)
Iglesia de Las Mercedes (Calle Las Mercedes/Jose Reyes)
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen (Calle Arzobispo Nouel/Sánchez)
Iglesia de San Miguel Arcángel (Calle José Reyes / Juan Isidro Pérez).
https://www.guiazonacolonialrd.com/ig/
http://arquidiocesisd.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Programa_SemanaSanta_ARZ_SD_2019.pdf
Sacred Music Concert at the Cathedral
On occasion of Easter Friday, the Choir of the Santo Domingo Cathedral presents its traditional Good Friday Sacred Music Concert. The concert is set for 8pm at the Colonial City cathedral.
http://arquidiocesisd.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Programa_SemanaSanta_ARZ_SD_2019.pdf
Family sets up fund to help pay to return body of Orlando Moore
The family of 41-year old Orlando Moore, who died when his car plunged into the Caribbean Sea, has set up a GoFundMe account for collections to help pay to return the remains of Moore to the United States.
The Daily Voice of New York says the effort is coordinated through the Jamaican Consulate, since Moore had entered the Dominican Republic on a Jamaican passport. The family explains that they are responsible for all costs associated with the returning of the body to the United States, funeral services, investigation and children.
As of Monday, the director of the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif), Gerdo Rosales said the body of 52-year old US citizen Portia Ravenelle had not been repatriated because her relatives have not traveled to the Dominican Republic to complete the formality of identifying the body. The body has already been identified by the Dominican authorities. He also said the authorities are awaiting DNA proof to complete the identification of Orlando Moore. The intention is to ship both corpses back to the United States together.
The couple had vacationed in Samaná from 23 to 27 March 2019, when they went missing late in the evening. An investigation would reveal they were last seen crossing the Marbella tollbooth on the highway at 1:41am, when they had a scheduled flight at 1:30am from the Las Americas International Airport, about 6 km further to the east. The vehicle would be recovered from the sea on the airport drive. The Police investigators say the late hour, darkness, speeding to catch the flight, as explanations to the plunge into the sea. Ravenelle would die on 2 April at the Dario Contreras Trauma Hospital where she was taken by 911 on the day of the accident, but the remains of Moore would drift west and be recovered several days later near Sans Souci. He was identified by tattoos.
https://dailyvoice.com/new-york/arm...ple-found-dead-in-caribbean-recovered/766138/
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...-en-accidente-para-trasladar-cuerpo-a-su-pais
Illegal boat captain sent to jail for three months preventive custody
A judge in Samaná has handed down three months in preventive custody to a man accused of trying to take nine Dominicans to Puerto Rico on a boat that capsized on 12 December 2018 off the coast of Samaná, leading to the death of one woman and the disappearance of others.
Daniel Agueda is accused of illegal human trafficking leading to the death of 29-year old Yafreisy Alexandra Mora, who drowned. Several people also disappeared, including a supposed other Captain, José Olea.
Agueda will complete his coercive measures in Samaná jail. It was established that he was the person seen taking the illegal migrants on the boat and they had paid around RD$10,000 each for the journey. The boat sank in an area called Boca del Diablo, off Las Galeras.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...ana-que-dejo-un-muerto-y-varios-desaparecidos
Lawsuit filed against plastics factory
A lawsuit has been filed in a National District court against the company Polyplas Dominicana by Altagracia Ureña Almonte, due to the death of her husband, who was in the factory when there was an explosion resulting in the deaths of another seven people as well as dozens injured. The lawsuit was filed by Ureña Almonte, via her lawyers, Francisco Javier Benzán, Dalcy Mora Vásquez, José Arístides Mora and Edwin Vargas, and it asks for RD$30 million as compensation.
The lawsuit states that on 5 December 2018, when the explosion happened, engineer Rafael Contreras Báez was trying to control the escape of fuel together with other members of his team, of whom one died and another survived.
He was admitted to the Ney Arias Lora Trauma Hospital, where he died five days later.
https://listindiario.com/la-republi...erpone-demanda-de-30-millones-contra-polyplas
Alvaro Arvelo sentenced for defaming Rafael Solano
Santo Domingo 8th Penal Chamber judge Diana Moreno Rodríguez sentenced morning talk show commentator, Alvaro Arvelo to pay RD$1.5 million to repair damages in addition to the legal costs for remarks he had made on the Gobierno de la Mañana morning show that Rafael Solano was not the rightful author of the “Por Amor” song.
The court discharged Willy Rodríguez, director of the radio station Z-101, and its owner, Bienvenido Rodríguez and company GTB Radiodifusores for insufficiency of proof.
Lawyers Laura Acosta and Nassef Perdomo presented proofs, including a certificate signed by composer Manuel Troncoso. Arvelo had stated the song’s rightful author was the late lawyer.
https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2019/04/17/561739/tres-meses-de-prision-suspendida-a-alvarito
http://hoy.com.do/condenan-a-alvarito-a-tres-meses-de-prision/
The Caveman continues at Escenario 360
Comedian Carlos Sánchez has been staging since February the Dominican version of the monologue "Defending the Caveman" that holds the record as the longest running solo play in Broadway history. The play has been seen in 45 countries and translated into 18 different languages.
Defending the Caveman is described as a hilariously insightful play about the ways men and women relate. The play is said to make men and women laugh at themselves, and the ways men and women fight, laugh and love. The play was written by Rob Becker and originally opened in San Francisco in 1991. Sánchez enacts the Dominican version of the comedy, with dialogues related to Dominican men and women.
The Dominican version, El Cavernicola, is directed by Manuel Chapuseaux and continues with Thursday showings on 18 and 25 April 2019 at the Escenario 360 hall of the Galeria 360 mall. Tickets are for sale online at Uepa Tickets and Tickets Express or by calling 829 953-0360. Tickets are RD$975 online, but can also be purchased at the Escenario 360. The shows fill up, so if you don’t have your ticket, go early.
El Alfa in Puerto Plata
The top event for the Easter holidays in Puerto Plata is the presentation of El Alfa, the Dominican Dembow singer, booked for Saturday, 20 April 2019 at the Puerto Plata Amphitheater at 8:30. At the recent Soberano Awards that honor the best artistic talent in the country, El Alfa won the Best Urban Artist Award. In November 2018, he released the single “Mi Mami” featuring Cardi B.
General admission is RD$560, special guests from RD$1,085 to RD$3,250. Tickets for sale online at Uepa Tickets.
Listen to his music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuZV-OPz0xA
Bonche Las Terrenas in Samaná
Those vacationing in Las Terrenas, Samaná for the Easter Week holiday, are invited to be part of the “Bonche Las Terrenas,” a mega production featuring El Alfa, Zion y Lenox, Arcangel, Ozuna, La Insuperable, Omega and Ala Jaza on the northeastern beach. Friday, 19 April and Saturday, 20 April 2019. Tickets are for sale online at Uepa Tickets. For more information, call 829 873-5622
Ibiza Pool Party in Cap Cana
For those spending Easter Week in Cap Cana, Punta Cana, the main artistic event is the Hi Music, Hi Flow Ibiza Pool Party set for Marina Bay in Cap Cana. Saturday, 20 April starting at noon. Tickets for sale at Uepa Tickets.
Ozuna at the Altos de Chavón Amphitheater
Casa de Campo presents Ozuna, the Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap singer at the Altos de Chavón Amphitheater in La Romana. Tickets can be purchased from Santo Domingo, including transportation and admission at Uepa Tickets for tickets only. Tickets are for sale online at Uepa Tickets.
Listen to his music at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAb13TXc6mQ
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