AND HERE IS THE NEWS…

….a quick glance at the latest local news with Caroline Manson

And here is the news – a light look at the latest local news

P-O Producers win 95 medals at the Paris Agriculture Show

This year at the Salon de l’Agriculture in Paris, 33 producers from the Pyrénées-Oriéntales were rewarded, winning 95 medals – 9 more than in 2024.  For the first time the department had invested in a 150 square metre stand dedicated to the Catalan country, and it paid dividends with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals being awarded in a wide range of categories including charcuterie, meat, beer, dairy products and (of course) wine.

Little girl raped in Font-Romeu

A man has been arrested and placed in pre-trial detention, charged with the rape of a 3 year old girl.  The little girl was on holiday with her father in Font Romeu and was sleeping alone in a room on the third floor of a hotel while her father was at the hotel bar.  When that bar closed the father continued his evening in another bar and when he returned to the hotel room at around 3am he found his daughter in a state of shock.  The 52 year old bartender was arrested and taken into immediate custody, but claims he is innocent and is in fact homosexual and has no attraction for women, let alone children.  He has been working the season in Font Romeu at the same hotel for many years.

Increase in council tax on second homes hits hard in P-O

While Taxe d’habitation has been abolished on principal residences, this tax has not disappeared for second homes, and especially in the P-O.  One couple who have owned a holiday home in Saint-Cyprien for 38 years were shocked to see an increase of 56% on their tax.  These increases are not applied to every municipality and is at the discretion of the local council who have the power to make increases between 5% up to 60%.  The municipality of Torreilles, for example, have decided not to enforce it but Argelès-sur-Mer and Le Barcarès have decided to apply the maximum increase.  Several second home owners have launched a petition to try to change things and are also encouraging owners to register on the local electoral lists in order to participate in the next municipal elections in 2026.  According to INSEE the municipality of Le Barcarès, for example, has more than 60% of second homes so the owners of these homes will have a certain weight for the next elections and may be able to make a difference.  Naturally owners from outside the EU cannot register to vote in local elections…

Surprise security checks at Perpignan Station

In the late afternoon of February 25th around 30 law enforcement officers carried out a surprise security check at Perpignan station.  During the operation the passengers from two trains from Spain, one from Madrid and the other from Barcelona, had their documents checked.  A little more than 1200 people were checked and apparently a dozen ‘situations’ were treated.  The goal of the operation was to fight irregular immigration, terrorism, drug trafficking and generally tackle all forms of crime.  The prefecture have announced that this type of control is likely to recur regularly.

Dolphin found dead on Argelès beach

The body of a dolphin was found on Thursday afternoon, between the port and the north beach. Gendarmes from the nautical brigade and specialists from the marine world went to the site to inspect the remains of the blue and white dolphin before it was removed from the beach.  The animal is now being analysed to determine the cause of its death. There is also another body en-route for the beaches of the P-O – for several days a drifting whale corpse has been observed off the coast.

And finally…

Following the story of the lady who was scammed out of a large sum of money by somebody pretending to be Brad Pitt, it now turns out that the real one is in Perpignan.  A tradesman has  named his company B.R.A.D.P.I.T.T – a name which works better in French than English as it is an acronym for  Bricolage, Renovation, Aménagement, Decoration, Plomberie, Intervention Tous Travaux.  Apparently this marketing idea is so successful that he has a very busy schedule and if you want BRADPITT to do any work in your house you will have to wait several months.