On The Streets

New Metro Bus Fares Announced

August 6, 2010
By in.di.
New Metro Bus Fares Announced

With the arrival of the new Metro Buses reportedly just months away, the government announced the new fares for the new system. Regular routes will cost 45 cents, 20 cents more than the actual fare.  Corridor routes will cost $1.25, 25 cents more than the actual fare. These rates grant users the right to...
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Mother Delivers Sons For Dance Garden Murder

August 3, 2010
By st.di.
Mother Delivers Sons For Dance Garden Murder

A mother turned her two sons in to the police when they allegedly told her they stabbed someone to death early Monday morning. The crime in question is the stabbing of a 17-year-old boy nicknamed “Menor” near the Zoilita dance garden in Chepo.  Menor was stabbed three times in the back and taken to...
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License Plate Stickers Released This Month

August 2, 2010
By st.di.

Although license plates will not be issued this year in Panama because of order delays, the 2010 decals are ready to be distributed over the next month. On August 9, the municipality will begin issuing decals for January license plates.  It will then continue to distribute decals for plates registered in subsequent months progressively...
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Ministers Face Legal Woes in Bocas del Toro Conflict

July 28, 2010
By pa.di.
Ministers Face Legal Woes in Bocas del Toro Conflict

Defenders of Bocas del Toro’s banana worker human rights filed a new criminal complaint against government ministers related to the violent July 8 to 11 protests, which they say resulted in “brutal police repression.” The legal action called for the investigation of Public Security Minister Jose Raul Mulino, Minister of Labor Alma Cortes, National...
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Panama Meeting Narco Threat with More Technology

July 28, 2010
By pa.di.
Panama Meeting Narco Threat with More Technology

At a graduate ceremony for 168 new frontier police  yesterday, President Martinelli announced the $150 million purchase of six helicopters and radars to fight narcotrafficking and the acquisition of six new motorboats donated by the Berlusconi government. At the ceremony, Martinelli bestowed honorary medals on two National Frontier Service agents who lost limbs in...
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No More Yellow Cars in Panama

July 27, 2010
By st.di.
No More Yellow Cars in Panama

As of January 2011, yellow will be a color reserved just for taxis in Panama. The Transit and Ground Transportation Authority believes the measure will serve to regulate the country’s taxi business. “We are worried about the unfair competition from drivers who use their yellow cars as pirate taxis, risking the safety of passengers,”...
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Posted in Hard to Swallow, On The Streets | 1 Comment »

Bridge of the Americas Road Work Starts Today

July 26, 2010
By in.di.
Bridge of the Americas Road Work Starts Today

The Ministry of Public Works begins road repairs on the Bridge of the Americas today. Eliecer Broce, the Ministry’s Director of Inspection, said that scraping the asphalt and patching the road will take at least a month and a half. Drivers can expect heavier traffic although workers will break from 4 a.m. to 9:30...
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Expat Residence Robbed in Tonosi

July 24, 2010
By pa.di.
Expat Residence Robbed in Tonosi

Robbers hit a United States citizen’s home in Tonosi, making this the third robbery in less than three months in the quiet rural area of the Los Santos province. A police report confirmed that the thieves took off with around $6,000 worth of fishing equipment while the home owner was out. In the previous...
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Trash is Back After Executive Row

July 24, 2010
By st.di.

Now that the Mayor’s office is back on trash duty, garbage overflow into Panama City streets is an issue again. Facing a health crisis back in April, the central government took over the responsibility of collecting the city’s garbage. Since then, the streets have been relatively clean.  Yesterday, angered by the mayor’s office, the...
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Fisherman Killed by Pirates

July 19, 2010
By st.di.

Divers recovered the body of Rodolfo Smith Hurtado, age 30,  at the mouth of the Bayano River not far from where he was attacked by pirates Sunday afternoon. Arturo Alvarado, General Director of the National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC), said that Smith Hurtado was fishing with two companions when they were assaulted by the...
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