Happy Easter Monday! Here’s your community news update for Monday, 21 April. Reminder: Today is a public holiday. Most supermarkets and stores are closed. Regular hours resume on Tuesday.
Easter Celebrations
Semana Santa Marinera wrapped up with flower petals falling from balconies during the Easter Sunday procession, featuring participants dressed as Biblical figures. On Good Friday, the atmosphere was more solemn.
Tragedy near Buñol: A man was gored to death during a bullfight.
Politics in Valencia
Valencia’s local police chief has been forced into retirement after the mayor declined to extend his term— part of a broader shakeup amid ongoing corruption investigations.
A new analysis by emergency services experts pinpointed systemic failures by local councils as well as a lack of leadership and coordination by the Generalitat Valencia as reasons for the high death toll in the disaster.
Another mass demonstration is planned for 28 April to protest the regional government’s handling of last October’s floods.
Flood Recovery
Last year’s flood disaster left behind nearly 800,000 tons of garbage and sludge, which cleanup crews are still working to remove.
Villarreal CF has donated more funds to help restore flood-damaged football fields, bringing its total donation to €2.3 million.
Housing Shortage
A new study estimates that tourist apartments have prevented hundreds of new homes from entering the market since 2018.
Meanwhile, the regional government has only built only a fraction of the public housing units it had promised—despite receiving state funding.
New proposed regulations would limit tourist rentals in areas where more than 8% of housing is already for tourists. The rules also propose capping tourist use of commercial properties to 15%.
Changing City
Several homeless migrants in Valencia say they were sent from Barcelona with city-paid bus tickets. Some are also seasonal workers priced out of the housing market.
The Church of San Juan de la Cruz on Poeta Querol is nearing the final stages of its restoration.
For language learners: Las Provincias has a podcast on the transformation of a former prison into an administrative building.
Crime and Corruption
The Guardia Civil arrested a group of heavily-armed British gangsters targeting cannabis clubs along the Costa Blanca.
A drug trafficking ring in Burjassot was dismantled by the Policia Nacional, confiscating cocaine and other illegal drugs.
In Picassent prison, inmates have used drones and creative methods to smuggle in mobile phones.
Climate and Environment
The Mediterranean region is expected to be one of the hardest-hit by climate change, with two-thirds of flood-related deaths projected to occur here, a new study finds.
The Valencian government is promoting hiking as a tool against rural depopulation, with plans to improve the GR7 trail.
Valencia is leading a national pilot project to study how biodiversity affects agriculture and fruit production.
Food News
A bakery in Mislata has been named the best panquemao baker in Valencia, thanks to its commitment to traditional methods.
In a surprise statement, celebrity chef Ferran Adrià declared that the best paellas are not in Valencia—but in nearby Alicante ?
