2008 – Page 235

Hell hasn’t frozen over, but sightings of flying pigs were reported over the city of Atlanta late last night after the Atlanta Hawks beat the once mighty Boston Celtics for the second straight game, tying their best of seven series, 2-2. The series started off shaky for the Hawks as they went down two games …

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La Sirena is advertising rice for RD$149.50/$14.95lb, red and black beans for RD$24.95/1lb, eggs for RD$39.95/30, and Milano pasta for RD$15.95/400g. Plaza Lama is selling lettuce for RD$4.95/lb, plantains for RD$7.95ea, red onions for RD$7.95lb, eggplants for RD$6.95lb, salad tomatoes for RD$6.95lb, cantaloupe for RD$28.95ea, pineapples for RD$21.95ea, rice for RD$14.95lb, mangos for RD$8.95ea, broccoli …

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The Dominican national debt has reached record heights, according to documents from the National Congress. Listin Diario has published a breakdown of the debt that lists US$7.56 billion as foreign debt and US$6.48 as internal debt, and both figures are all-time highs. Of course the internal debt includes US$5.48 billion worth of quasi-fiscal debt run …

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The head of the Administrative Chamber of the Central Electoral Board (JCE), Roberto Rosario, told reporters that the president of CODETEL (formerly Verizon, formerly Codetel), Oscar Pena, together with some of his senior managers, guaranteed that the transmission of the election results would be safe and accurate. During a meeting at CODETEL’s Operations Center, Pena …

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The Transport Reorganization Office (OPRET), the fiefdom of Diandino Pena, has announced that it will be extending the trial period of the Metro from 10 to 20 days. In addition, there will be increased use of the trains and tours are being organized from all over the country so that schoolchildren can ride the most …

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The subsidy that the government has decided to grant the nation’s bakers in order to keep bread prices down has risen three-fold over the past two months. At first, in February, the subsidy was for RD$350 per 125 pound bag of wheat flour, which has now risen to RD$1,100 per bag. This represents a monthly …

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The National Traders and Business Federation (Fenacer), together with the Wholesalers’ Association, are accusing the rice mill owners of breaking the pact that opens the way for the sale of low-cost rice to the public. Augustin Penalo and Ricardo Rosario, spokesmen for Fenacer, told Hoy reporters that the agreement was for the rice mill owners …

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Once more fuel prices rose over the weekend, and now the hackneyed phrase of “historic highs” is no longer useful. Prices rose by between RD$1.40 and RD$0.70 on most fuels, from premium gasoline to kerosene. Regular diesel is now selling at RD$156.10 a gallon and regular gasoline is at RD$175.70. However, in these pre-election months …

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Today’s page two editorial in Diario Libre looks at post-election government policy. In the eyes and pen of Diario Libre editor Adrian Miguel Tejada, no matter who wins the May elections there are some painful decisions ahead that will affect our way of life. Mr. Tejada says that everyone knows that too many people are …

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In the Taino language, “Bani” means ‘abundance of water’ but these days the town is suffering from a severe water shortage. Much of the problem is due to the after-effects of Tropical Storm Noel, which destroyed most of the city’s water supply system. The treatment plant, the water mains and the pumping station were all …

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