SCOUT SAVED FROM DROWNINGBy David Eade – Costa del Sol News
An eleven-year-old boy scout who was on the point of drowning whilst camping at Jimera de Líbar was rescued by a monitor with the group. The mayor of the Serranía de Ronda village, Maite Domínguez, said his prompt intervention giving the boy mouth to mouth saved the scout’s life.
The accident happened at the Llana damned section of the Guadiaro river very close to the railway station. The small damn normally has its gates closed but at the time they were open and the lad was sucked under water by the current.
The scouts have been camping in the area for a couple of days in a zone that is very popular with such groups. The Guardia Civil are investigating the incident.
The boy was found at around 13.40 on Sunday and whilst the monitor moved quickly to save his life a 061 helicopter, the ambulance from Benaoján and fire crews raced to the scene. The medical teams acted to stabilise the boy’s life before he was taken to the Materno Hospital in Málaga.
Medical staff reported that the scout was in a serious condition and was taken to the intensive care unit. However at the time of going to press he is said to be stable and his life is not in danger.
ECONOMY BOOST
Ronda is to receive 850,000 euros from the regional government in its second Plan Proteja to boost the local economies in Andalucía. The town hall had yet to announce how the money would be allocated but the schemes had to be agreed before July 1. Likely beneficiaries are the work on the chapel of the former Santo Domingo convent and a youth hostel.
WAGE CUTS
Ronda’s council has voted to impose the government’s five per cent salary cut for municipal employees although the PP and IU opposition voted against the proposal. The mayor’s salary comes down by 7 per cent and councillors by six with cuts to advisors pay too. The town hall estimates this will result in a 500,000 euros saving over a 12 month period.
DATA PROTECTION
The Spanish agency that oversees data protection is to investigate the case in Ronda where a publication – Gaceta del Lunes - edited by the mayor revealed the personal details about the president of the local Partido Popular – the main opposition in the town. It is alleged that this information was obtained from the local police. Proceedings under the data protection law could follow.
CLASS WAR
Parents at the Cuevas del Becerro infants’ school are holding protests because of the decision to merge the 3 rd and 4 th year classes for 2010 -2011. They are angry because they say this will lessen the quality of their children’s education. The Málaga delegation for education took the decision because of the small number of children enrolled for each class.
NO WATER
The Indiana area of Ronda was the victim of some of the winter’s worst flooding and now as summer approaches the residents of Hoyo Tabares have no water. There are 27 homes in this zone of La Indiana and 90,000 euros has been spent on laying a pipeline with town water but the taps are dry a month after the work was completed.
FROM OZ
An Australian married couple, Chris and Carol Bloomfield, have abandoned their jobs as a road engineer and a senior executive and travelled 17,000 kilometres to Montejaque to run a small rural hotel in the Serranía de Ronda. They made the dramatic move after holidaying in the area last year. Their new home has five apartments, a swimming pool, bbq area and splendid mountain views.
