DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2011

RONDA WANTS TO BUY THE CORNISAS


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The land of the Cornisas del Tajo make up one of the most embolic sights in Ronda yet they are under constant threat from developers. One such project that has had to be approved after court rulings are for 16 hectares known as Casa Rúa where a luxury hotel and 22 houses are scheduled to be built.

This case involving the Sánchez Robles family goes back to 1980 and after modifications were made a revised construction plan was approved as it had been backed by the courts on the basis of the local development plan (PGOU) that was in force at that time.

However the scheme has met with stiff opposition from ecologists who are angry at the negative visual impact it will have on one of the most famous scenic areas in Ronda. The Partido Popular –Partido Andalucista administration agrees and is now hoping to purchase the lands from the Sánchez Robles family.

The development project for the Cornisas was always opposed by Izquierda Unida and Silvema – Ecologistas en Acción and support has now also come from the Plataforma en Defensa del Tajo. They all argue the construction of the hotel and houses will have a major negative impact on a rich natural zone much of which is meant to be protected.

This has led the Ronda administration to open negotiations with the Sánchez Robles family to see what can be agreed. Mayor María Paz Fernández says purchase will be difficult because the town hall is deeply in debt. However it is hoped the Spanish or Andalucía governments may step in or indeed the EU to protect one of the most valued historic landscape scenes in Spain.

In past years the town hall had sought to purchase the lands to prevent the development going ahead and nine million euros had then been mentioned. Negotiations are now proceeding between the mayor’s team and the family which are said to be carried out on good terms with the preserving of Ronda’s natural beauty as the objective.

WON’T PAY
A shock for companies who’ve provided services for the former administration in Ronda and are waiting for their bills to be settled. Many have received letters from the town hall saying they’re not paying the invoices which were not authorized by the PP. The companies have carried out the work or supplied the goods and are now taking the town hall to court.
BIKER DEATH
A 34-year-old motorcyclist was killed last Sunday on the A-397 San Pedro de Alcántara to Ronda road. The tragedy happened at km 19.5 in Igualeja around 11.00. The Málaga 112 emergency centre reports the Guardia Civil and ambulance service attended the scene but could do nothing to saver the biker’s life. The road is the major black spot in the province for motorcyclists.
TOUT ARRESTS
Police arrested an employee of one of Ronda’s leading hotels for re-selling tickets for the Pedro Romero Corrida Goyesca on the black market. Three different guests at the hotel reported his activities to the police. When detained by officers he had 14 tickets he was trying to sell. The popular bullfight is sold out every year but it is illegal to re-sell tickets.
MAYOR ACCUSED
More controversy in Cortes de la Frontera where PA mayor Antonio Granero recently sacked his deputy and another councillor. Now Granero has been denounced before Málaga court by a PA supplementary candidate accusing him of cheating and fraud. Manuel Gallego says he has a signed letter in which the mayor promises him the post of delegate for security but he was never appointed.
PACT BROKEN
Málaga’s Izquierda Unida has broken the pact with the Partido Andalucista under which both governed Cortes de la Frontera. This follows the sacking of an IU councillor by the mayor after he accused his PA deputy of signing contracts in his name, one of which favoured his son. The IU councillor protested his innocence and the PA could face a no confidence motion.
DOCTOR’S DEATH
Recently the researcher and scientist Dr José Manuel Rodríguez Delgado died at the age of 96 in San Diego, Texas. The Ronda-born doctor moved to the USA accepting a scholarship at Yale in 1946. He dedicated his life to the study of the human brain and has an institute named after him. Ronda is now to honour him posthumously as a favoured son.
ON FOOT
Following on from its famous Pedro Romero feria Ronda has been celebrating another major tradition its annual cattle market held on the same fair ground. Around 500 mules, horses and donkeys were at the event which attracted 5,000 people from throughout Andalucía and Badajoz. This year 100 animals came from Pruna in Sevilla province accompanied by the local mayor all travelling on foot.
SEED EXCHANGE

Genalguacil in the Serranía de Ronda celebrated last weekend a special event in which plant seeds were exchanged between residents of the rural municipality. Under the banner ‘Enzemillate Canijo’ the objective is to preserve the traditions of the Serranía and the rural culture by swapping plant seeds plus holding a series of events including workshops, a craft market and activities for the children.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY MARCH 31, 2011

FRAY LEOPOLDO NEEDS A NEW MIRACLE


By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

Fray Leopoldo de Alpandeíre, named after his birthplace in the Serranía de Ronda village, was beatified last September 12 in Granada. The Capuchin friar served the poor of the city for many years - he is widely followed by Catholics in Andalucía and beyond.

The friar is now on the road to being declared a saint but one of the miracles that propelled him to be beatified has been discounted by the Vatican from the process. This is because it predates his being beatified and miracles for his sainthood have to have occurred after last September.

Fray Alfonso Ramírez Peralbo, who heads the cause towards sainthood, visited the Holy Office in the Vatican on February 9, the 55 th anniversary of the friar’s death. It was then he was given the news which he admits left him shocked.

The previously admitted miracle happened to Ileana Martínez who interceded to Fray Leopoldo and was cured of an aneurism in her aorta. Patrizio Polisca, the medical consultant to the Congregation for the Cause of the Saints and the pope’s personal doctor, had ruled her cure out because of the timing.

Fray Alfonso is not deterred. He says the process to have Fray Leopoldo made a saint continues and adds that many letters have been received from people who credit the friar with being responsible for miraculous cures. These will now be studied closely to see if any meet the strict requirements demanded by the Vatican.

PP LOSS

José Herrera has resigned from the Partido Popular in Ronda after 24 years on the council. He is angry that he is not on the PPs list for the elections saying the decision was personally motivated. Herrera has twice been mayor of Ronda and had his own party before linking with the PP. He is expected to stand as an independent in May.

NO APPEAL

A Málaga court has ruled that an appeal by the Asociación Silvema Serranía de Ronda against an earlier court decision not to proceeded with a case against the mayor of Ronda over the Merinos golf development would not be allowed. The Málaga Prosecutor had recommended the case be dropped as although the mayor had acted unethically he had not broken the law.

DIGITAL POLICE

Out go the walkie talkies. Local police in Ronda are now using a digital system pioneered in Andalucía which means the control knows the exact location of all its officers and can respond to emergency calls within minutes. The 70 officers will have what looks like a mobile phone which sends a signal that shows up on a screen in the command centre.

WELCOME SIGNS

Ronda’s delegate for commerce, British PSOE councillor Charlotte Wilmot, recently presented the 45 elements of the new specially created sign system for the town’s open commercial centre which is one of those officially recognised by the Andalucía government. Around 132,000 euros has been invested on signs including welcome notices, commercial directories, publicity hoardings for the 100 businesses that make up the CCA.

MILLION STEPS

Málaga’s health authority and Montejaque town hall have launched a scheme to improve the health of those living in the municipality. It’s part of the Andalucía health service’s “Por un millón de pasos” campaign aimed to getting the elderly and chronically ill to walk at least a million steps every month ideally in a group so it becomes an obligation and social activity.

BETTER ACCESS

The Ronda Norte health centre which serves 17,000 people in the town and Serranía has seen a number of recent improvements. These include better access including the installation of a lift plus the opening of a special unit for pregnant women. The 127,000 euros lift is specially adapted for the handicapped allowing easy use by those in wheelchairs or using other walking aids.

WIFI PARK

This summer sees the opening of the Edificio Neotechnológica in Ronda. Over 500,000 euros has been spent on the building which on its top floor will have 60 computers all with high speed internet connection. This is part of a campaign to ensure everybody has access to the internet - outside will be a park with Wi Fi installed permitting free access to users.

TO GAUCÍN

The name of Bernardino Gaona is well known in Arriate as he became deputy mayor in 1995 then mayor in 1999 to the coming elections. The Izquierda Unida politician is not standing in May – well at least not in Arriate –instead he pops up in Gaucín where he is one of the reserve candidates as the party looks to freshen up it appeal.

TAJO DEFENDERS

The project to have a raptor spectacular at the auditorium over the Tajo by Ronda’s famous bullring now has some serious opposition. A dozen associations and political groups have combined to preserve the gorge which they want declared a national monument and stop the demonstration of these hunters as they say they will threaten birds nesting below. They want the spectacular moved elsewhere.

ILLEGAL ROAD

Ecologists in the Serranía de Ronda have reported works to create an illegal road by the arroyo del Algarrobo in Genalguacil to the Andalucía environment ministry. They say its invaded the public domain on the river bank. They are also angry over the extraction of filling material from a nearby site – an action which they say has not been licensed by the authorities.

PIG KILLINGS

Residents of the rural areas of Puerto Saúco and Ronda la Vieja are alarmed after for the third time in a year seven farms were raided on one night. Seven Iberian pigs were killed at a farm and in all farm equipment worth over 20,000 euros was stolen. One raid was prevented when the dogs alerted the owner who turned on security lights.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY JANUARY 20, 2011

ANTONIO MARÍN TO BE PSOE CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR


It comes as no surprise but a meeting of PSOE members in Ronda has confirmed Antonio Marín as its candidate for mayor at this May’s local polls. Marín heads the socialist list and so is almost certain to be elected to the council. However it remains to be seen whether PSOE commands enough councillors for him to be mayor again.

Marín is a controversial character who is a two term mayor but was previously elected for the Partido Andalucista. He abandoned the party along with his fellow PA councillors who have all joined PSOE but sit as non-aligned. Their actions have been condemned by the commission that adjudicates on political turncoats. The PA was the largest party after the last election but Marin’s and his councillors switch left the voters who voted for them with no representatives at the town hall.

HOSPITAL PATIENTS TO BE TAGGED

Ronda hospital, which serves the Serranía and also parts of the Sierra de Cádiz, has installed a new system to improve the identification of the patients in its care. They will be given an individual wrist identification tag which officials say will make the patients more easily identifiable to staff and hence eliminate the risk of the wrong care or medication being given.

The implementation of this identification system is part of the Strategic Security Plan for patients that has been drawn up with the Andalucía Ministry of Health. As soon as a patient is taken in to the hospital a bracelet will be issued and it will bear all the administrative data so eliminating confusion.

Every time a patient registers with admissions as the identification tag is issued his or her identity will be verified. Again before they receive any treatment, surgery or medication a double check will be carried out to ensure it is for the correct person.

The introduction of the system is across the board from patients who enter via casualty, who go in to hospital on a booking basis as well as those who receive treatment on a day basis. Every person will be identified with a tag.

The identification bracelets are made from non-allergic materials, are strong and resistant to heat and humidity. They are also comfortable and will not cut in to or mark the user. The patient information is in coded form printed indelibly and resistant to abrasions and water.

TOBACCO RAID

Guardia Civil from Gaucín have arrested a man on the suspicion he broke in to a tobacconist in the neighbouring village of Genalguacil. Officers were alerted when the owner of the establishment reported that the rear door had been forced and 200 euros in cash plus 2,800 euros worth of cigarettes had been stolen. Enquiries led to the arrest of a Genalguacil resident.

ROAD DAMAGE

Over 100 residents of the calle Antonio Ordóñez – known locally as the calle Larga - in Ronda are up in arms. The road surface has recently been renewed which should have brought a smile to their faces. Instead they have protested to the town hall as they say it has damaged their doors, left gullies and has caused water to enter their houses.

PLANNING OFFICE

The town planning office in Ronda has a new home. It has been located on the third floor of the town hall. Now it’s moving to round the corner and from January 27 will be located in what was the former court house. The building has been extensively restored at the cost of 900,000 euros and has 1,200 square metres of office space.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY NOVEMBER 18, 2010

PSOE LEADERSHIP BACKS MARÍN FOR MAYOR

By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The secretary general of PSOE in Ronda, Francisco Cañestro has told a news conference that the directorate of the local party backs the current mayor, Antonio Marín, as its candidate for the post at next year’s municipal elections.

Marín was elected mayor for the Partido Andalucista at the last election but has caused controversy by abandoning the party with his fellow PA councillors and joining PSOE instead. This led to the Comisión de Expertos Independientes del Pacto Antitransfuguismo accusing all eight of being political turncoats in a ruling last December.

There is no doubt that the merger of Marín and his seven fellow former PA councillors has caused disquiet in the ranks of Ronda’s PSOE. The big test will come this Saturday when the 330 party members will vote to endorse or reject the directorate’s decision. Many socialists feel they have been pushed aside by the incomers.

Marín stated on Monday: “Now is the time for political stability in Ronda with an absolute PSOE majority. The town cannot make experiments, it would be catastrophic.

The Partido Andalucista had been in coalition with the Partido Popular after the last local elections. Then Marín surprised everybody by breaking the pact then forming a coalition with PSOE before he and his fellow PA councillors left the party, sit as unattached members of the council but they are all now PSOE members. This left the PA which had been the majority party with no representation at the town hall hence the condemnation of the political turncoat commission.

A few weeks ago an opinion poll showed PSOE destined to form the next administration in Ronda with mayor Antonio Marín the most popular politician. Now a rival poll says the Partido Popular will take eight seats with the Partido Andalucista on four with both forming a coalition. The most popular leader is the PP’s Maripaz Fernández and Antonio Marín trails fourth. If this poll holds true for the 2011 elections then the PA might yet exact political revenge on Marín and leave PSOE with a bloody nose.

DEATH CRASH
A lorry driver died on Monday morning after his vehicle was involved in a head on collision with another lorry on the A-367 as it passes through Cañete la Real. The tragedy happened at 7.25 at km 20 on the busy but narrow road that connects Ronda with Ardales. Traffic was diverted as the road had to be closed till the wreckage was removed.

IN OUT
Ronda has honoured Rafael Díaz with the title of honoured son. The Efe news agency photographer has recorded the town over many years and the images have been seen all over the world. In the same week the honoured son 81-year-old Francisco Garrido passed away. He had also been a journalist and had produced a series of histories of Ronda and the Serranía.

PLANNING EXPLAINED
The Diputación de Málaga is undertaking the drawing up of the new local development plans (PGOUs) for many of the smaller municipalities in the province. Recently the deputy for planning, Cristóbal Guerrero, visited Jubrique, Genalguacil, Algatocín and Júzcar to explain the plans for their municipalities. There will be 70 social housing units in Jubrique, 40 in Genalguacil and 18 in Algatocín and Júzcar.

BACK MOTORWAY
PSOE secretary general in Ronda, Francisco Cañestro, has called on all political parties in the town to back the toll motorway project with the coast. The PP had blasted the announcement as an election ploy but Cañestro insists it will happen, cut travel times from 50 to 22 minutes and create over 5,200 jobs. The 350 million euros project will be privately funded.

PLAIN CLOTHES
Local police in Ronda are to form a plain clothes unit. The six officers will patrol town centre streets with the main objectives being to catch pick pockets and bag snatchers as well as looking out for drugs traffickers. This follows on from the recent announcement of the forming of a dog unit and the town hall says others will also be formed.

TREE ZONE
An arboretum has been created in El Colmenar in Cortes de la Frontera. Almost 143,000 euros has been spent on the zone that will have recreational, educative and sporting uses. The parkland has 71 eucalyptus trees first planted in the middle of the last century with six walking routes. Visitors will be able to consult a series of informative posters on the species.

NATURE GUIDES
A new brochure on the flora and fauna of the Serranía de Ronda has been produced by the town hall showing the biodiversity of the area and including 24 photographs. Also the Andalucía ministry of the environment has produced a guide to the Sierra de Grazalema. This is the third guide in the series which includes Estrecho (Cádiz) and Cabo de Gata (Málaga).

AFRICAN VIEW
Benarrabá in the Serranía de Ronda now has a bird viewing station. It is so high that on a clear day visitors can see the coast of Africa and Gibraltar. Over 40,000 euros has been spent on the centre with view to developing tourism in the area. There are large charts to show visitors what birds can be seen and in what zones.

GOAT WOE
Protests by goat milk producers in Serranía de Ronda and Antequera were halted after talks with Forlactaria and García Baquero – the largest cheese producers were announced. However the angry producers say they’re restarting protests as no progress has been made. They say the cost of producing the milk has risen by 12 per cent whilst their income has dropped by 18 per cent.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY NOVEMBER 4, 2010

AVE BUDGET BOOST FOR 2011

By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

Last week the socialist MP Daniel Pérez steamed in to Ronda’s railway station like an express train in a hurry. His urgent message was that in the government’s budget for 2011 675,000 euros has been assigned to the AVE link between Bobadilla and the town of the Tajo.

Pérez hoped to signal the claim by the Partido Popular MP, Begoña Chacón, that only 100,000 euros had been set aside was nothing more than an engine blowing hot air. The former leader of the PP in Ronda said this called in to question the government’s commitment to the project.

Not so said Pérez. He promised the green flag had been waved but couldn’t say when the train would leave the station. That, he said, was a matter for Adif, the railway infrastructure company.

On hand was Francisco Cañestro, PSOE’s secretary general in Ronda. “The AVE will be a reality in Ronda and it will arrive within the timetable set by the socialist government,” he assured the media. Cañestro went further and insisted that the AVE would arrive in Ronda in 2012 as had been promised by the then minister of public works, Magdalena Alvarez, when she visited Ronda to launch the scheme.

In addition to the AVE funding Pérez said the government would spend 11.6 million euros in 2011 on upgrading the line between Ronda and Cortes de la Frontera. This is part of the massive spending the line is receiving between Ronda and Algeciras spread over several years.

Meanwhile the other major infrastructure project promised for Ronda – a new toll motorway to the Costa del Sol will have its study published shortly. The Andalucía public works and housing ministry says the documents will be sent in the coming month to the town halls along the route and to the Málaga provincial authority.

The proposed road would stretch for 32.8 kms running directly from Ronda to San Pedro. It would replace the existing road, one of the major accident black spots in the province. It would also slash travel times from 55 minutes to little over 20 minutes on a two lane highway.

However the PP has questioned the socialists’ commitment to this project too as it was announced before the last national and Andalucía elections and is still at the report stage.

PSOE WIN
A recent opinion poll has shown that the PSOE party in Ronda which has taken in PA mayor Antonio Marín and his fellow councillors would win between 10 and 11 seats at the local elections. The Partido Popular would take 7 – 8, with the IU and PA taking between 1 and 2. PSOE would have a massive 62.8 per cent of the vote.

STEP NEARER
The outlying districts of Ronda – Montecorto and Serrato – have moved a step near to becoming independent municipalities. Currently they have local autonomy but they are so far from the town centre that the town hall has backed their separation. Last week the council passed a motion to set the segregation in motion. The regional government has already approved the two zones becoming municipalities.

GENERAL USE
A new sports centre at La Dehesa in Ronda is underway. It will cost over one million euros and take nine months to complete. It’s being constructed within the grounds of the Virgen de la Cabeza school and will be used by pupils and the public. Over two floors it’ll have two sports pitches, one covered and will be used by 2,000 people.

GETTING THERE
The massive building project around Ronda to create a series of road accesses to the town is now 70 per cent complete. The work is costing over 13 million euros and is being funded by the Andalucía government. The three key access roads with flyovers are due to be finished by next spring. The scheme’s created 202 jobs of which 107 are direct.

BARRACK PARKING
The space occupied by the former Concepción barracks in the centre of Ronda was used for parking during the fair then closed. In the interim the area has been resurfaced, walls built and lighting installed and has now been opened again and can accept over 200 cars on 5,000 square metres. The demolition of the barracks cost 600,000 euros from State aid funds.

FRUIT ROBBERY
National Police in Ronda arrested a 43-year-old man accused of holding up a fruit shop at gun point. He struck at 14.30 on October 25 when the shop had closed and the staff were counting the takings. Some witnesses say there was a second man armed with a knife. When detained the accused had 130 euros still in a bag from the shop.

THIRD MAYOR
The new mayor of Gaucín is the Partido Andalucista’s Francisco Macías - deputy to the outgoing PP mayor Francisco Ruíz who resigned for personal reasons. He was elected with the support of the PA councillors and Ruiz. New PP councillor Pedro Godino put himself forward but received only his own vote. Since the last election Gaucín has had a PSOE, PP and PA mayor.

NUT CASE
Ten people have been arrested in Igualeja for stealing 300 kilos of chestnuts that had been stolen from various growers’ stores overnight. Local police stopped vehicles on local and Ronda roads with the nuts on board. They were an organised gang who were taking the chestnuts worth1,800 euros to market. In their cars were tools to break in to the growers’ premises.

CHESTNUT COOKING
International chef Dani García visited Genalguacil last Monday to hold a master class on how chestnuts can be used in cooking recipes. Genalguacil is the highest village in the Valle de Genal and of the 8,900 hectares in Andalucía given over to the growing of chestnuts 3,000 are in the valley. Amongst the dishes was a grill of pork with mushrooms and chestnut puree.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY OCTOBER 28, 2010

MAYORAL D-DAYS AND WOOING

By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

November will be the month PSOE in Ronda chooses its candidate for mayor at next year’s municipal elections. The current mayor, Antonio Marín, who defected from the Partido Andalucista to head a PSOE administration, is probably favourite. However it will be up to party members to decide and there is some disquiet that Marín and his fellow PA councillors have been shoe-horned in to the party.

Today (Thursday) Gaucín will probably elect its third mayor since the last election after the PP’s Francisco Ruíz finally stood down. It’s expected that the Partido Andalucista’s Francisco Macías will take over although he is one of three PA councillors accused of town planning offences and awaiting trial. The PA has four councillors, PSOE three and the PP holds the balance of power.

Finally Arriate is famous for being a communist municipality with Izquierda Unida firmly in control at the town hall but there are tensions. Now the socialists are suggesting that mayor Bernardino Gaona might stand for PSOE next May instead of the IU. The IU says Gaona has rejected the approach and PSOE in Arriate denies being involved putting the blame on the Ronda party.

NEW STADIUM
Ronda’s new Ciudad Deportiva will be inaugurated in November. It will have a new stand, changing rooms and floodlights. It can hold 1,500 spectators which is needed as the soccer team in Division 3 currently attracts attendances of over 1,000. The town hall has also signed an agreement with the regional government that will fund the construction of a new swimming pool.

ILLEGAL DRIVING
The local police in Ronda won’t name the driving school but it has been fined for having three cars on the road without insurance. Another vehicle has not passed its ITV road worthiness test. The discrepancies were discovered during a routine check and one car was towed away to the pound. Further checks discovered 14 had no insurance and nine no ITV.

SYMBOLIC SPEND
Partido Popular MP and Ronda councillor, Begonia Chacón, criticised the government for only allocating a symbolic amount, 100,000 euros, for the project to bring the AVE from Antequera to Ronda. It had been promised the work would start next year. PP has warned voters to beware of PSOE pre-election promises of major projects that like the Costa del Sol motorway are never built.

OWN LABEL
The bodegas of Ronda and the Serranía want their own denomination of origin, the wines are currently part of the Málaga province vineyards. This year’s grape harvest has reached 500,000 kilos which will produce 450,000 bottles, the majority of them red. There are 19 bodegas in the area - this year’s vintage is said to be of high quality at 14 degrees of alcohol.

GIANT EGGS
A mystery in Genalguacil where Juan Ramírez’s chicken has produced eggs so big they could be from an ostrich. Chicken eggs are normally 60 to 70 grams but these weigh 165 grams each. Vets have explained the giant eggs are due to the hen keeping them in its ovary duct for longer than usual. The eggs are now on display in Juan’s fridge.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY JULY 29, 2010

ON YOUR BIKE

By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

In a 110,000 euros project funded by the regional government, the Andalucía agency for energy and the town hall Ronda now has a new public transport system – the bike.

Seventy bikes in all have been installed in ten special points throughout the town of the Tajo. Apart from the bus and train stations the ranks can be found in the plaza de la Merced, the plaza Duquesa de Parcent, the paseo de Blas Infante by the bullring and the plaza de San Francisco.

The idea is that members of the public rather than use their car will take up a bike and cycle to their destination or around the town. It has been estimated that this will save 39,000 litres of fuel hence reducing CO2 emissions by 112 tonnes.

To use the bikes would-be riders have to register at the municipal covered swimming pool near the rear of the railway station by the Mercadona supermarket or at the municipal tourism office or the ‘atencion al Ciudadano’ office in the calle Molino.

Once the paperwork has been done to establish the user’s identity an annual fee of 30 euros is payable to use the bikes and a pin number allocated to the rider.

However this system would seem to preclude the riding of the bikes by visitors to Ronda who would benefit from being able to cycle around the old town and other important sites for just an hour or two. It remains to be seen whether a more tourist friendly system is introduced in the coming months.

BEST PRESERVED ARAB BATHS IN SPAIN

The Baños Arabes in Ronda have seen a further area restored at a cost of 280,000 euros to the regional government’s tourism ministry. The minister, Luciano Alonso, was on hand last week to open them to the public. The complex forms the best preserved Arab baths in Spain and arguably in wider Europe.

The baths date from the 14 th century and it is the rear of the complex that has seen the investment. Historically this area was the public access and has increased the size of the area that can be visited increased by a third.

Also restored is the wheel that transported water to the baths, the treatment area for the skin, the toilets all of which have been included in a garden that originally dates back to the 16 th century.

The work was carried out under the supervision of the archaeologist Pilar Delgado. She has ensured all the work observed the original design and materials of the baths complex and included the restoration of a religious patio used for prayers.

An agreement was signed back in 2004 which allocated 1.5 million euros to improvements at the Baños Arabes. Alonso stated that over 50,000 people a year visited the complex and it was a major part of Ronda’s tourism offering. He also stressed that the baths were now accessible to all as ramps had been installed for the use of the handicapped or old people.

Still to be carried out is the recovery of part of the changing rooms of the baths which date back to the 13 th and 15 th century. A wall has also been uncovered which is believed could have been part of a building constructed during Roman times.

MAYOR SCORES
Ronda’s mayor Antonio Marín has welcome news for the sporting sector when he announced that the 1.1 million euros second phase of the Ciudad Deportiva will be completed by September. The stadium hosts the town’s soccer team and will have a stand that can accommodate around 1,000 spectators plus changing rooms. The third phase will see a swimming pool and bike track installed.

VILLAGE BOOST
Genalguacil is a small village in the Serranía de Ronda well off the beaten path. It’s received a major boost with the news that Detectys – the largest detective agency in Europe with 40 offices and 200 operatives is to locate its data centre there. It will be relocated from Barcelona creating up to 20 jobs – a major high-tech boost for the community.

NOT TURNCOATS
The commission that rules on acts of political turncoats in Spain has absolved the Partido Andalucista councillors in the Serranía de Ronda municipality of Genalguacil. The councillors left the party and entered a coalition arrangement with the ruling socialists. However the commission has decided that as the balance of power was not altered in the village by their actions they are not turncoats.

PUJERRA GOLD
The village streets of Pujerra may not be paved with gold but they will be improved thanks to 200,000 euros from Málaga province. The president of the provincial authority, Salvador Pendón, said the delegation of local development would make the funding available to Nueva and Alameda streets with the creation of pavements to allow better pedestrian access - a demand of residents and tourists alike.

CLOTHING AID
Cuevas del Becerro received a visit from volunteers of the NGO Madre Coraje last week. The councillor for social welfare, Antonia González, was on hand to hand over clothing and toys that local people had donated for distribution amongst those in need. A delegate from the NGO will shortly visit Cuevas to brief people on its various projects in Spain and Africa.

STREET ART
From Saturday July 31 for two weeks the streets of the village of Genalguacil will be converted in to an open air art gallery. It is the tenth Encuentros del Arte that attracts top artists from all over the world. The winning pieces remain in the village – some on the streets in stunning displays whilst others can be seen in a special gallery.

DAMAS GOYESCAS
The damas Goyescas have been presented in Ronda. The 15 young women dressed in Goya style dresses will hold court through the town’s famous Pedro Romero fair and escort the celebrated matadors to the bullring. They take their public bows on August 6 at 21.00 in the Alameda park by the statue of Pedro Romero when the fair poster and programme are presented.

DATELINE RONDA THURSDAY JUNE 17, 2010

NO PAY FOR GAUCÍN WORKERS

By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

The workers employed by Gaucín town hall are starting a series of protests as they have not been paid for April or May. The municipality is ruled by a Partido Andalucista – Partido Popular coalition and the 20 staff say they have no idea when the situation will be regularised.

As a first step they have written a letter to the mayor, the PP’s Francisco Ruiz who has indicated that he is about to step down. They informed the mayor they have families that need to be housed and fed and without being paid they can’t fulfil their obligations. They have not ruled out further protests unless they receive a prompt reply to their letter.

A spokesperson for the workers say the situation at the town hall is dire with a mayor who says he is going to resign but hasn’t and a deputy mayor waiting in the wings who has no authority to take action.

The spokesperson for PSOE and former mayor, Teodoro de Molina, said Gaucín has no government. He added the situation was chaotic and the workers lament that the good name of Gaucín has been dragged through the mud after the media highlighted the political scandal surrounding the barred PA mayor Francisco Corbacho and Ruiz’s previous pronouncements that the municipality was bankrupt.

The mayor says the financial plight of the town hall has been largely caused by the loss of income from town planning licences. He is also hopeful that the municipality will receive a good income from the pending sale of this year’s court harvest although it should be noted that the market is very difficult at the present.

Ruiz wants the workers to know that he has not taken any salary for the past three months – although that does little to ease their plight. He insists he intends to step down this month once the cork has been sold and there is money in the town hall account.

RONDA’S FUTURE FLAG COULD BE RED OF CASTILLA

The project is underway to create a new official flag for Ronda based on the historic records held in archives throughout the country.

At a recent meeting of the commission designated to come up with the design it was suggested that the background colour could be the red of ancient Castilla.

The commission is presided over by the mayor, Antonio Marín, but includes the official chronicler, the delegate for culture, the director of the historical archive plus four historians.

Advice is also being taken from the religious brotherhoods that take part in the Semana Santa processions, the Real Maestranza de Caballería – whose own library has documents dating back to the years of the Reyes Católicas, and the Arunda historic association.

At the first meeting the commission looked through old documents to determine what the ancient flag of the town would have been. Apart from national documents they include the Chancillería de Granada and Archivo de Indias but nothing helpful was found.

The members also laid out what the legal requirements were for designing the flag and having it approved by the regional government and the council. The official chronicler, Manuel Garrido, said there was agreement that the elements on the flag should be based on the historical records and documentation.

MATADORS HONOURED
Ronda is to have “un paseo de los Toreros” a walkway similar to that in Hollywood dedicated to film stars. The hand prints of famous bullfighters will be placed into the pavement of the Blas Infante gardens by the town’s celebrated bull ring. A commission will be set up to determine which matadors should be honoured each year at the traditional Goyesca bullfight.

ABANDONED DOGS
Local police in Ronda have reported a rise in the number of abandoned dogs on the streets due to the economic crisis. Many of the animals are large or potentially dangerous breeds. In less than a month officers have recovered around 40 of these dogs who when abandoned often attack livestock. Officers have asked people to approach them rather than dump their dogs.

ROUNDABOUT WORK
Fifty unemployed people in Ronda will have work for the coming weeks as they are given temporary jobs constructing three roundabouts in the town. The first will be on the busy avenida de Málaga which has long been a demand of residents. The second will be in a traffic black spot on El Fuerte industrial estate with the third on the avenida Andalucía.

ROBBER CAUGHT
Guardia Civil in Benaoján arrested a knife wielding 20-year-old who on June 4 broke in to the home of an 85-year-old woman, put a plastic bag over her head whilst he stole her jewellery. The woman had to be treated at the health centre for cuts and shock. Officers were given a description and they soon detained the youth and recovered two bracelets.

EROSKI DOUBT
The Partido Popular in Ronda is questioning whether Eroski intends to proceed with its major commercial centre in the town because of the economic crisis. The company has acquired the former football ground a year ago but the PP says Eroski has not paid over the 2.8 million euros for the land or started any work and demands the situation should be clarified.

DANGEROUS DRIVING
The road that links Ronda with Setenil was badly damaged by the rains in January and there are still 50 landslides on the three roads in the area. This means tourists cannot visit the ancient Roman ruins at Acinipo and the local residents have to take their lives in to their hands by driving on closed roads in order to go to and fro.

PGOU AID
The Diputación de Málaga has drawn up new local development plans for Benamargosa, El Borge, Genalguacil, Alpandeire, Cañete la Real, Faraján, Iznate and Júzcar – all municipalities of under 5,000 residents who do not have the resources to produce the documents themselves. Diputación president, Salvador Pendón, says the PGOUs allow for sensible development with 1643 new homes of which 727 are social housing units.

HOSPITAL WASTE
Seprona and Ronda’s Green Patrol are investigating sewage contamination in the arroyo de la Toma by the hospital and fair ground. Ecologists have accused the hospital of the leaks but this allegation has been denied by the management. The hospital has its own water treatment plant - officials say it’s working normally but environmentalists say it’s obsolete and water pours into the stream.

DATELINE RONDA TUESDAY APRIL 29, 2010

FIVE-STAR HOTEL FOR RONDA
By David Eade – Costa del Sol News

Ronda has many fine hotels including a Parador but it has yet to have a five-star establishment. Some years ago plans for such a hotel in the historic Casa del Rey Moro were announced but they crumbled along with the current ruin of this fine Moorish building.

The latest plans are for the former El Castillo Silesian school set in the heart of the historic town. It occupies one side of the Plaza de la Duquesa de Parcent which is home to the town hall and the Santa María la Mayor church.

In charge of the project will be the prestigious Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza. He has been praised for his past buildings set in sensitive locations. Indeed García Gutiérrez who is behind the consortium that will create the hotel says that getting to laying to the first stone will take some time because of the protracted planning process that has to be gone through.

The hotel project has been made possible after an agreement was reached by the owners of the site – the Fundación Moctezuma – and the developers. It will ensure the archaeological remains on the land will be preserved as will the school’s chapel, the sanctuary of the María Auxiliadora.
It is yet to be seen what will happen with the old school building itself. None-the-less it is known that the hotel will have a minimum of 200 rooms, a large parking zone, a Spa plus meeting rooms that can hold up to 3,000 people aimed at the company conference market.

RONDA TRAINS BACK ON TRACK

As of April 23 the trains are running again on the Algeciras to Bobadilla line. Renfe started accepting bookings last week for its services that were halted in October so that round-the-clock improvements could be carried out on the track.

The works are part of a 176 million euros improvement plan to improve the line and to allow an increase in passenger and freight traffic. This included lowering the floor of various tunnels, installing state of the art signal systems and preparing the line for future electrification. In addition future provision has been made for a third track to international gauges and the proposed AVE service. Although trains are now running the works on the line will not be completed to the end of the year.

Trains will again leave Algeciras at 8.24 and 15.08 for Madrid with the return services leaving the nation’s capital at 8.40 and 15.05.

Trains depart from Algeciras for Granada at 7.00, 12.15 and 15.45 and for Ronda at 18.50. In the other direction trains leave Ronda for Algeciras at 7.42 and from Granada at 7.15, 13.50 and 17.25.

The Madrid trains stop at Algeciras and Ronda. However the local trains from Algeciras to Granada and Ronda stop at the various stations along the route.

The container traffic which since October has gone via Sevilla La Negrilla or road returned to operate from Algeciras port and San Roque from last weekend.

GENALGUACIL ART CONTEST ATTRACTS NEW YORK ENTRY

The village of Genalguacil in the Valle del Genal is a rather special place. Yes it is one of the beautiful Serranía de Ronda white villages but it is also an open air art museum.

Wander around its streets and you’ll come across 70 statues that were exhibits in the nine past international art competitions. There are 112 sculptures on display in all –the other 42 are in its contemporary museum.

Now the mayor, Beatriz Álvarez, has announced the tenth ‘Encuentros de Arte del Valle del Genal’ will be celebrated between August 1 and 15. Artists wishing to enter their work can do so from June 1 to 15 – they are asked, amongst other things, to describe their project or to give a detailed plan.

Beatriz Álvarez said although the entries would be accepted in June four artists have already announced their intention to participate with one piece coming from New York. Over the years artists have been attracted from home and abroad with exhibits from Mexico, France, German and Italy.

The Genalguacil councillor for culture, Fernando Centeno, acknowledged that the competition was “international” but added that places were reserved for artists from both Málaga province and the local area.

At the launch of the art competition was the president of the Málaga provincial authority, Salvador Pendón. He stated that the Encuentros de Arte del Valle del Genal are “absolutely unique” and an “authentic reference point” not only for the development of artistic activity in the province but throughout the world.

He added that those artists taking part not only had the opportunity to present their projects but also in to create in Genalguacil “an extraordinary museum” of contemporary art.

FAIR RETURNS
Ronda’s Real Feria de Mayo is the oldest agricultural fair in Andalucía but was cancelled last year because of the economic crisis - this year it goes ahead on May 20 to 23. There will be 96 stalls dedicated to food stuffs, farming and machinery. Although Ronda is home to a world famous bullring for the fair a ring is built on the fairground.

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY
A 27-year-old has been arrested in Ronda after an attempted early morning break-in at a branch of Unicaja in the avenida de Ronda. Just before 2.00 he broke a window to enter the bank. This activated a silent alarm and security cameras and national and local police patrols were soon on the scene. The thief fled but was soon caught by pursuing officers.

HEALTH PLEA
The Partido Popular has raised health cover in the Serranía de Ronda in the Andalucía Parliament. The area is home to 50,000 people and the PP wants the emergency service reorganised. Its suggesting a special 061 service, more ambulances made available insisting nobody should wait more than 30 minutes for attention. An Algatocín woman who suffered a heart attack recently waited 90 minutes.

POOR PARKING
Ronda’s local police last year issued 6,175 tickets of which 3,673 were for parking. Over 38 per cent were for illegal parking, 21 per cent for using loading and unloading bays, 10 per cent for kerb parking and nearly 9 per cent for illegal use of disabled spaces. Other offences included speeding, drunk driving, wearing no crash helmet or not wearing seat belts.

CHURCH MONUMENT
The Andalucía government has listed the church in El Burgo as a historic monument. The Nuestra Señora de la Encarnacion church was constructed in the 15 th century on the site of a former mosque in a fortified area and its tower was retained. Experts say the religious building is a perfect combination of Gothic and ‘Mudéjar’ styles and also incorporates Baroque features.

PGOUS PRESENTED
Six municipalities in the Serranía de Ronda have presented their new local development plans (PGOUs). The draft documents of Benalauría, Benarrabá, Cartajima, Igualeja, Jubrique and Pujerra were handed over by the president of the Málaga provincial authority, Salvador Pendón. The province has assisted in the preparation of the plans as the municipalities do not have the financial resources to create their own.

POWER ROW
Power to street lighting and Jimera de Líbar’s municipal buildings could be cut off. The town hall has not paid its bills since July but mayor, Maite Domínguez, insists this is because they are filled with errors and do not relate to the electricity used. Endesa is having none of it threatening to pull the plug saying the complaints have not been substantiated.

DATELINE RONDA TUESDAY MARCH 23, 2010

FOUR AFFECTED BY SMOKE INHILATION

The Ronda fire brigade raced to a house in Montejaque last Wednesday after a blaze was reported at 9.45. The bedroom on the first floor of the property on the avenida de Europa was alight and four people suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation were rescued then taken to Ronda hospital for treatment.

Fire fighters brought the blaze under control and then aired the property. However whilst the bedroom area is a mess the dwelling did not suffer any structural damage and the family will be able to shortly return.

ODD CHOICE
Ronda has announced Begoña Chacón is to deliver the “pregon” speech to open this year’s Pedro Romero feria. The choice has caused surprise as she’s the Partido Popular MP for Málaga, was mayor of Benalauría, an Andalucía MP and then deputy mayor of Ronda when the PP was in coalition with then PA now socialist mayor Antonio Marín - her bitter political enemy.

THIEVES ARRESTED
The Guardia Civil in Ronda have arrested two local residents for allegedly stealing construction materials from the Puerta de Ronda housing development in Arriate. On the same night, close by, officers also detained three Rumanians who broke in to El Pino car scrap yard were they took vehicle parts including lights and radiators. The Guardia Civil do not believe the gangs are linked.

LOCAL DEBT
The Partido Popular in Ronda has been doing its sums and said the town hall currently owes six million euros to small and medium sized local businesses. The figures were released by the party’s candidate for mayor, María Paz Fernández at a press conference. She said currently February 2009 invoices were being paid leaving suppliers in extreme difficulty especially during the economic crisis.

EROSKI MOVE
The PGOU in Ronda has been amended to allow the former sports complex that is zoned for recreational use to now be allocated for commercial development. This step has been taken to allow the Eroski shopping centre to be built on the land. The change is open for public comment and if there are no hold ups the construction licence will be issued.

KEY HOLDERS
The local police in Ronda are now to be given the house keys of those old or infirm people living alone who in an emergency have nobody to come to their aid. This is an extension of the Sergesa Televida service that offers a tele assistance service to 296 people and it is expected that 60 of them will benefit from police support.

MAY’S FAIR
The Real Feria de Mayo in Ronda is the oldest in Andalucía but was cancelled last year after the town hall used its 300,000 euros backing to invest in job creation projects. The event is back on this year but the municipality has reduced its funding by 50 per cent. The fair is largely an agricultural celebration including livestock and exhibitions of machinery.

SERRANIA INVESTMENT
The delegate of local development and the road network in Málaga province, Cristóbal Guerrero, has visited various municipalities in the Serranía de Ronda where nearly 630,000 euros is being invested. The funding will be divided between Jubrique, Genalguacil, Algatocín and Benarrabá. Much of the sum will be allocated to infrastructure projects including road works plus new water, drainage, street lighting and telephone installations.

DIGITAL AID
Málaga’s delegate for innovation, science and business, Pilar Serrano, recently visited the village of Serrato to hand out TDT digital television receivers to elderly residents. The digital transmissions are now replacing the former terrestrial service and those aged 65 or over on low incomes, those aged 80 living alone or with another 80 plus person or those with audio visual impairments can benefit.

DATELINE RONDA TUESDAY DECEMBER 15, 2009

SWITCH OFF OF ANALOGUE TV HAS STARTED


Since today (Tuesday) the process of turning off the analogue TV transmissions has started. The switch to digital is now underway and 20 municipalities in Málaga province are abandoning the traditional form of receiving their television programmes for the new TDT service.


The process has started in the Serranía de Ronda and the western Costa del Sol with Algotocín, Atajate. Benadalid, Benahavís, Benalauría, Casares, Cortes de la Frontera, Estepona, Faraján, Gaucín, Genalgaucil, Igualeja, Jimera de Libar, Jubrique, Júzcar, Montejaque and Parauta leading the way.


According to information issued by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce around 80,000 people will be affected by the switch. As the transmission and relay stations carrying the old signal are switched off the TV screens in those homes will go blank and owners will have to purchase new sets or the adapters required by the digital system.


However it would appear that some residents of these zones will be without TV whilst the engineers catch up on the installation programme. A number of people in the Serranía villages are complaining that whilst they have acquired the digital decoders nobody has yet turned up to install them.


RONDA’S PA MAYOR AND COUNCILLORS DECLARED TURNCOATS


The mayor of Ronda, Antonio Marín, and his eight fellow Partido Andalucista councillors have been declared political turncoats by the Comisión de Expertos Independientes del Pacto Antitransfuguismo.


In June they abandoned the party and joined PSOE although they now sit as non-aligned councillors. Previously Marín had entered in to a coalition with PSOE so that party now rules the town.


After studying the situation in detail the commission was unanimous in its verdict that PSOE had won control of the town hall without the councillors resigning and seeking re-election. Indeed although many people voted for Partido Andalucista councillors at the last election their voices and views are now totally unrepresented at the town hall.


On December 17 the Mesa Antitransfuguismo will decide whether to ratify the commission’s decision or to reject it. Mayor Marín says he is not over worried by the decision as it has to be ratified and declared that anyway he had Ronda’s interests at heart.


Such sentiments cut little ice with the opposition groups. The secretary general of the Partido Andalucista, Pilar González, called for the resignation of Marín and his fellow former PA councillors adding that Ronda should not have a mayor who is a turncoat.


The two opposition parties on the council, the Partido Popular and Izquierda Unida, claimed that the mayor and his councillors had cheated the people of the town and had assaulted democracy.

The local secretary of PSOE, Francisco Cañestro, remained silent on the commission’s findings and its verdict that its party had benefitted by the actions of the mayor and his PA team. Depending how the Mesa rules it could have a significant effect on the future of government in the town of the Tajo.

PEACE KEEPERS
The Tercio Alejandro Farnesio 4 of the Spanish Legion based in Ronda are preparing to go to Afghanistan in March. The force will consist of 600 Legionnaires backed by armoured units. It is not the first time that these crack troops have been to Afghanistan and they have also been sent to the Lebanon, Kosovo and Bosnia under the banner of the UN.

SERRANÍA BOOST
The Director General of rural development, a department of the Andalucía ministry of agriculture, visited Ronda to announce that 47 million euros will be assigned between now and 2014 for projects in the Serranía. This amount marks a seven fold increase over the previous budget. Some 192 projects will benefit creating 290 jobs, 88 will be for women and 40 for young people.

PUBLIC PARKING
The former military installations by Ronda’s sports complex close to the Renfe station will be demolished and resurfaced. The land covers some14,000 square metres and has been used for the parking of lorries. Now it will be converted into a parking area for cars with 60 spaces. The funding for the project will come from the Plan Zapatero and cost four million euros.

FULL HOUSE
The effects of the economic crisis seem to have passed Ronda by during the recent long holiday weekend. The tourist office reports that hotels were 90 per cent full and that 43.6 per cent of the visitors stayed two nights in the town. The tourist office received 2,410 enquiries, 2.5 per cent more than last year, 78.4 per cent of visitors being Spanish.

WOMEN SUFFER
Jobless figures for Ronda showed a 20 person increase in November over October but it is women who are the worst hit in the town of the Tajo. Not only were 18 of that increase female but of the 4,101 rondeños out of work 2,158 are women. The town hall is enacting various short-term work creation programmes but they only offer 166 jobs.

DATELINE RONDA TUESDAY MAY 19, 2009

JUNE START FOR EROSKI COMMERCIAL CENTRE
By David Eade

The Eroski supermarket group will start on its long awaited commercial centre in Ronda in June. When completed it will be its largest in Andalucía.

Mayor Antonio Marín Lara has confirmed that work will begin at 10.00 on Monday June 8. The first action will be to demolish the municipal sports complex that currently sits on the site. This and the subsequent construction works are expected to take two years to complete. Marín Lara added that the construction company – Grupo Ruiz Jurado – had also promised to remove the former fair ground pavilions which are in a poor state and are located on adjacent ground.

The old soccer stadium that forms part of the sports complex will be given a formal farewell. It has been in operation for 40 years and a game between Ronda and a Malaga representative side will be staged between June 1 and 7. Ronda’s soccer team and the other sporting activities that in the past have been held at the old stadium will now move to the new Ciudad Deportiva.

The arrival of Eroski in the town of the Tajo has been a tortuous affair. It was 10 years ago that the supermarket group first announced that it intended to create a commercial centre in Ronda put its bid has been plagued by planning issues. The company’s decision to purchase the sports complex finally opened the door for the scheme to proceed. However the small and medium sized traders in Ronda’s traditional shopping centre are far from happy fearing the new Eroski complex will ruin their livelihoods.

OLD COURT HOUSE TO BE SEMANA SANTA MUSEUM

The former court house that has recently been employed as the office for the new local development plan (PGOU) will become the future Semana Santa museum.

Deputy mayor Francisco Cañestro along with the councillor for Fiestas, Antonio Palma, announced the move. Cañestro stated that the building in the calle Armiñán – in the heart of the historic quarter – would be an ideal museum space and given its location would be assured of many visitors.

The museum will occupy over 400 square metres on the lower floor and above will be the town planning office. The 750,000 euros required to convert the building will come from State funds as part of the Zapatero economic crisis scheme. The project has been under discussion for 15 years and the museum will finally have a permanent home.


CHAMBER MUSIC
The prestigious Camerata de Madrid will give a concert at the Convento Santo Domingo in Ronda at 20.00 on Saturday May 23. The event is sponsored by Unicaja and the chamber orchestra is making a tour of the province which ends on Sunday. Also on Thursday May 21 at 21.00 at the same venue the chamber orchestra of the Hamburg Symphony are performing a concert of the works of Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Paganini and Strauss.

CHEERS SCHU
On May 13 and 14 the seven times Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher was at the Ascari race track in Ronda. He visited the circuit at the invitation of the drinks company Bacardi along with 50 guests as part of its “Beber Responsablemente – Drink responsibly” campaign. Schumacher was impressed by the facilities at Ascari which he described at “very special” and “unique”.

7,000 PARTICIPANTS
This year’s 101 km race in Ronda attracted over 7,000 entrants – 2,431 runners, 3,376 mountain bikers and 575 dual competitors. It was the 13 th edition of the now famous event which is organised by Spanish Legion as part of its anti-drugs campaign. Over 40,000 oranges, 35,000 bananas, 20,200 litres of water and 13,500 litres of special drinks were laid on for the contestants. In addition 25,000 people are said to have visited Ronda to watch the event.

ROAD INVESTMENT
Over the year 2008 - 2009 the municipalities of Benaoján and Genalguacil will have received 2.6 million euros in investment for road and infrastructure projects. The Málaga deputy for local development and rural roads has visited the two areas to see for herself what was needed and to supervise the works programme. The monies are virtually equally split between the two zones.

PICASSO VISIT
Unicaja is staging its Arco ’09 exhibition in Ronda till June 13. On display will be works of art that the bank acquired at February’s international contemporary art fair in Madrid. Amongst the exhibits will be a piece by Picasso (see above) and others by Andalucía artists. The exhibition is open from 12.00 -14.00 & 18.00 - 20.00 Monday to Friday plus 12.00 – 14.00 on Saturday at the Sala deExposiciones de la Fundación Unicaja in the Calle Pedro Romero, 2.

HAM FEST
El Circulo de Artistas in Ronda will host on Sunday May 24 at noon the VII Concurso de Cortadores de Jámon. The event will be in the hands of the Corbacho family who have won many national prizes for their ham cutting skills. The purpose of the competition is to encourage, develop and recognise the professional methods of cutting the celebrated jámon Serrano.

COUNCILLOR GONE
Ronda’s PSOE councillor for finance and tourism – and a former mayor – Isabel Aguilera has resigned. She is taking over a post with the regional government at the ministry of agriculture where Aguilera will be in charge of sustainable development in rural areas. This is the fourth resignation from the council and will require another reorganisation of the ruling Partido Andalucista – PSOE coalition.