For REAL NEWS ... GET INFORMED! TODAY at San Javier Murcia Airport, Spain LOW Cost Ads! --- THE Newspaper for the COSTA CALIDA --- FREE Ad. Design Service! Home Contact Local News Worldwide Amusing Stories Classifieds Clubs/Societies Emergency & Useful Numbers Horoscope Pharmacy Rotas To the EDITOR Advertising Rates, etc. Newspaper Subscription Mail Direct to the Editor LOCAL HEADLINES    Car Tax Payable Now!    Life Gets A Little Easier    New Activities In Los Urrutias    Ventures New For Campoverde    Let There Be Light    Roadworks Continue ... More Headlines Car Tax Payable Now!: The voluntary payment period for car tax is open until 30th March. In the municipality of Cartagena the council is hoping to collect approximately €12.7 million in car tax alone. Whilst this might seem a large figure it is 1.3% less than was collected last year because people have bought fewer cars. The amount of car tax payable depends on the type and size of car, 4 x 4 vehicles being some of the most heavily taxed. Owners of vehicles that are 25 years or older do not have to pay any car tax this year. However, in order to avoid it the owners of old vehicles must register with the council. The voluntary period to pay your car tax commenced at the beginning of February and many people have still not yet received their bill from the council. According to the council even if you do not receive your demand this doesn’t mean that the tax is not due. It is up to the individual to pay their taxes whether or not they actually receive a demand. If you haven't received a bill you can print it out via the website www.oagrc.com. On that website you just have to click on Oficina Virtual and then click on impuesto de vehiculos. You will then be asked to enter the licence plate number, vehicle identification number and the ID of the person registered as the legal owner. From that point you will be able to print out the bill. You can then choose to pay the bill online using a credit card or bank card or take it to a Cajamurcia, CAM Bank, La Caixa or Cajamar. Bills can also be paid through an automatic teller using the references that appear on the bill. Via the website, www.oagrc.com, all types of council taxes and bills can be printed out and paid for online, something that can be extremely handy if residents are expected to pay their bills whether or not they receive them! Council tax bills will become available this way from June when the voluntary period for payment begins. Back to Top  or   NEXT STORY Life Gets A Little Easier: Residents in Torre Pacheco will soon benefit from a new social security office, which will be built in this inland municipality. This will save residents from Torre Pacheco having to go into Cartagena in order to sort out their issues with social security albeit for work contracts, pensions or disability allowances. The new social security office, which has been incorporated in the town council building, will be open for the public within a month. Back to Top  or   NEXT STORY New Activities In Los Urrutias: A group of neighbours is organizing new activities in this town. Recently aerobic classes (Monday and Wednesday 10am to 11am) and fitness classes (Tuesday and Thursday 3:45pm to 4:45pm) have begun in the Social Centre (all ages and levels of fitness are welcome). Now we need your ideas for other activities in this area (games, entertainment, workshops, courses,...). Ideas for inside or outside activities will be considered. Suggestions and more info: 654 332 214 Back to Top  or   NEXT STORY Ventures New For Campoverde: In the village of El Pinar de Campoverde, already blessed with an abundance of talent, including the Campoverde Theatre Group, Raquel Peña’s Flamenco Dancers and of course the choir, Coro Pilar, there are new cultural events planned locally for the spring. Starting on the evening of Wednesday April 14th, a concert series entitled “Music in Quiet Places” will take place in the parish church. As the title suggests, the calm and peaceful surroundings of the church will suit many listeners and performers alike. On Wednesday March 3rd at 5pm there will be a USPG Lent Course in conjunction with our church at La Manga. This will be for five consecutive weeks leading up to Holy Week, led by Lay Reader, Irene King. All denominations are invited for discussions and fellowship. More details from Revd. Christopher Scargill on 966 925 205 or our Congregational Warden, Mrs. Jill Dorsett on 966 762 715 Back to Top  or   NEXT STORY Stash of Fags Seized: The Public Works Department has finally decided to install streetlights along the motorway that connects Cartagena to La Manga. The majority of the lights will be installed from Los Belones on the motorway to La Manga. Jose Guijarro, a spokesperson from the Public Works Department, stated, "This is going to reduce the number of accidents that occur on this motorway, which is used very frequently throughout the entire year but even more so throughout the summer months. During the months of June, July and August up to 65,000 vehicles use that road daily to get to the beaches of La Manga, Cabo de Palos and surrounding areas. Putting 100 or so new lights in and around the exit to Los Belones towards La Manga will undoubtedly reduce the number of accidents." A total of €365,998 is being spent on purchasing and installing 98 new 12 metre road lights. According to Guijarro, "All the work to install the lights will be finished before the summer and we should see a direct effect on the number of accidents that occur once the lights are installed because even though there can be 5 times less traffic using the road during the hours of darkness, the majority of accidents occur in those darker hours." Back to Top Roadworks Continue: Roadworks to improve the safety of one of the busiest coastal roads on the Costa Calida will continue until at least October of this year. According to the Traffic Department, 9 million cars will use the main motorway that runs into La Manga and Cabo de Palos this year and every summer there are huge tailbacks and traffic jams for people waiting to get to the beach resorts. To improve the entrance and exits from Cabo de Palos, the regional government is spending €2 million. The first stage of these roadworks is already underway at the entrance to La Manga and Cabo de Palos and the rest, which will improve other exits on the motorway, will follow shortly. A total of nine exits and on ramps to the motorway will be improved. The council has been criticised by local residents’ associations that cannot understand why work did not begin last September, thus making it possible for the roadworks to be finished in time for this summer. As the roadworks didn't begin until December of 2009 they will not be finished until October, which will undoubtedly cause even more traffic jams and tailbacks during the Easter and summer periods. More Headlines. . . For the FULL INFORMER Experience, take out a Newspaper Subscription ... you'll be amazed!