Weekender Alicante South Issue 106

14 FRIDAY 30TH AUGUST 2019
www.weekender.news
Local&WhatsOn
Dino discovery
A new species of dinosaur
has been officially identified
from remains found in
the Valencian Community
and named after the town
where they were discovered.
This was at Vallibona in
the Castellon province about
20 years ago while palaeontologists
have now declared
it a new species. They have
named it Vallibonavenatrix
Cani, the first word meaning
“hunter of Vallibona” and
FAKING IT
by Simon Russell
A man brandishing a pistol
robbed a bank in the Transits
area of Valencia City,
then threatened police
with the gun after they
caught up with him.
Earlier a bank teller had
handed the money over in
by Simon Russell
the second after the man who
made the initial discovery.
It is a sub-species of the
spinosaurus, a very large lizard
like creature that roamed
the earth about 125 million
years ago.
They were voracious predators
and this specimen would
have been about 9 metres
tall. It is also the first spinosaurus
of any type found on
the Iberian Peninsula.
fear of their life. The man
then fled the bank but the
National Police were quickly
on the scene. Despite threats
they over powered the thief
and discovered that the
“weapon” was a fake pistol.
The money, said to be
€40,000, has been recovered
and the suspect arrested.
AMATA, the regional craft organisation
that promotes artesenal crafts-people
and their wares, are organising the Feria
de Oficios in Aspe over the weekend of
7th and 8th September.
This is a biannual Craft Fair and at this
year’s event there will be crafting demonstrations,
kid’s workshops, entertainment,
jugglers and much more, so plenty for all the
family.
The venue is outdoors in the wonderful
setting of Plaza Mayor and there should be
around 20 stalls set up for the two days.
Of course there will be a wide range of
unique products that you can buy such as
lace, pottery, jewellery, macrame, toys and
even items made from recycled products.
The event starts at 11am on the Saturday
and runs until 2pm, then from 5 until at
least 10pm in the evening.
For more information go to www.amata.
es/Aspe_17 or call 639 979 678 (in English).
Back to school!
PARENTS across Spain by Simon Russell
will doubtless be breathing
a sigh of relief as 23 December.
their little angels go Many will be starting
back to school on Monday
9 September, which
will be about 14 weeks
since they broke up for
the summer way back in
June.
However in the Valencian
Community it isn’t that
long to wait until the next
day off, 9 October, while 1
November and 6 December
for the first time this year
while an increasing amount
of schools now have classroom
for two year old preschoolers,
or children born
in 2017. This means that
if their birthday falls in
the last quarter of the year
many kids will actually be
one year old when they start
“big school”.
young as possible, education
is not obligatory until
the September of the year
that the youngsters are six
years old.
your child to go to a Spanish
state school, your starting
point should be the Education
Department at the
local town hall, although
are also holidays and the Although most parents If you have recently individual schools may be
Christmas break starts on start their children as moved to Spain and want able to help as well.
Plague of parrots
by Simon Russell
A growing wild parrot population
is causing real problems
in part of Valencia and
authorities have said they
are strongly considering a
cull of the exotic birds - although
not everyone agrees
with this action.
There are an estimated
1,100 of the South American
natives spread over at least 20
municipalities in the Valencian
province close to or in the
city, mainly a mix of released
or escaped pets dating back to
the 1980s.
The climate is ideal for
them and they have no natural
enemies but their nests,
which weigh up to 40 kilos,
are killing the pine and palm
trees they choose to live in.
They also tend to dwell in
packs and are very noisy, calling
at a pitch that is particularly
annoying to the human
ear according to locals.
Craft fair in for
the weekend
by Simon Russell
The birds live for an average
of 20 years and the government
has said something
needs to be done before the
population spirals out of control,
further harming local
flora and fauna.
However a local animal
association have suggested
building large birdhouses in
areas where they are most
populous to avoid the culling.
Zaragoza had a similar plague
which it resolved by shooting
by Simon Russell
AN investigation has been
opened after an Elche policeman
apparently committed
suicide while at
work on Tuesday.
The man, aged 42, was
on duty in the City of Justice
when he left his post at
about 10.15am. He then went
downstairs to the cells and
shot himself in the head, according
to the press release.
the parrots which had a mixed
reception, despite it success.
Other towns have tried the
more humane method of removing
the nests but found
that the creatures merely rebuilt
them elsewhere.
Police suicide investigation
He killed himself with his
regulation police weapon,
said the statement. Apparently
the victim had no history
of depression or mental
illness, at least that anyone
was aware of.