I. Many counterfeit bills are reported to be circulating in Santiago, mainly in denominations of 100?s and 500?s, but also in 2,000-peso bills. The Association of Retailers in Santiago says that dozens of its members had been tricked over the past few days into accepting the false bills. Ramon Martinez, spokesman for the ACDS, said that last weekend, six of the small retailers at the Los Hospedajes produce-mart had received illegal tender in the form of RD$2,000-, RD$500- and RD$100-peso denominations.
II. The Ministry of the Environment has halted the mining of sand and gravel from the bed of the Las Lavas River in the town of Villa Gonzalez, after environmental groups from the community denounced the damage that was occurring to the forests and the local fauna. The miners will have until 6 March to present an environmental impact study.
III. Violence against women is on the rise in Santiago, according to the Department for the Protection of Women, where 400 to 500 complaints of such incidents are being received every month. The director of the office, Raysa Burgos, told reporters from the Listin Diario that 80 percent of the calls are to report events of male violence towards women. Second on the list of complaints are charges of fathers unlawfully removing children from their mothers? care.