AND HERE IS THE NEWS…. a weekly update of the local news
WITH CAROLINE HILL
Neighbour from Hell – A 45 year old man from Vernet-les-Bains, forced his way into his 30 year old neighbours apartment and proceeded to beat him around the head with his fists. While the victim was running for help, the aggressor smashed his car windows and slashed his tyres. As the victim was at the Gendarmerie filing a formal complaint, a call came in to say that the neighbour had set fire to his apartment. The man has been jailed for 18 months.
New Refuge for young homosexuals in Perpignan – The parents of a young man called Brice who killed himself because of taunts over his homosexuality are among several charitable helpers who have opened a refuge in Perpignan. Having kept his facebook page open after his death, they were astonished to find that while they had accepted their son’s sexuality, many young people had been thrown out of the family home by parents who could not cope and they are now helping them with lodging and help looking for employment.
Argeles Lifeguards – It has been a very quiet start to the season for the local lifeguards – mainly due to the weather in June. Up to the traditional ‘quatorze-juillet’ holiday weekend they had very few call-outs, but are asking the public to stay vigilante as the Tramontane is still causing problems – on a positive note it means that the storms are driven away and the skies are sunny but it means increased waves. Don’t forget the flag system – Green means no danger, yellow means swimming is permitted but be alert, and a red flag means it is too dangerous to swim.
Feria de Ceret – The final countdown has taken place and the figures speak for themselves – during the three days of ‘festivities’ 101 people needed medical treatment (mainly for alchohol problems or light wounds), 39 people failed the breathalyser and had their licences taken away, there were 4 car thefts, 6 general thefts and 6 violent attacks.
Motocross trail in Vives? – Hunters are protesting against plans by the private owner of a local forest to turn it into a motocross trail for bikers. The hunters say that it will destroy the region and that there are fire risks, the owner says that it will be infrequently used and that several hunters he has spoken with think it is a good idea. We await the outcome.
Ultimate internet scam – a 30 year old single father from the region fell madly in love with a woman he saw on an internet porn site. He proposed to her and she asked him to come to Amiens with sufficient funds for the marriage to take place. Shortly after his arrival, the lady’s husband (who she had not mentioned before) attacked him with an iron bar and he was stuffed into a car boot and abandoned, penniless at the roadside several kilometres later.
Drug find at Le Boulou – A bus travelling between Murcia and Marseille was stopped for a routine border inspection last weekend. After a baggage search 1354g of Cocaine was discovered and a Moroccan man in possession of false Italian identity documents was arrested.
And finally,
Beautiful blond lifeguards at Elne – If you get into difficulties at Le Bocal du Tech at Elne, don’t be surprised if you are saved by a 4-legged lifeguard. Golden Retrievers have joined La Croix Blanche team of lifeguards and have been specially trained to rescue swimmers in distress – not by dragging them out by an arm or a leg but by swimming towards them and allowing the person to hold onto their harness and be taken to safety.
| Follow Caroline on www.perpignan-post.blogspot.fr |
