SANTANYI
THE Minister for Presidency, Rosa Puig, yesterday laid the first stone of the new retirement home that the Balearic Government is building in Santanyi. This new retirement home will have 120 residential beds, 100 of them will be single beds , 10 will be doubles and 30 day beds. This new home is being built near to the town centre and the land has been granted by the Santanyi town council. Next to the home there are farming plots, which will mean that those at the home will be living in a relaxing and peaceful environment. In total the home will cover 6'619 square metres over three floors. On the ground floor, there will be a day centre, management offices, administration offices and rest and relaxation areas. On the first floor there will be 44 single rooms and 10 double rooms, as well as nurses rooms and again rest and relaxation areas. The final floor will have 58 single rooms. The total cost of the retirement home will be approximately 6.2 million euros and is estimated to be complete in September 2006.

Maths fiesta

INCA
THE final stage of the Balearic Mathematics Competition will be held in Inca today and tomorrow. This event is open to all secondary schools on the islands and is being run in parallel with similar events in the rest of Spain. They two winners of this event will go on to represent the Balearic Islands in Madrid for the national Maths Olympics, which will be held this June. The first phase of the competition was held at the many schools which signed up to the event. In total 1'065 pupils took part in the first stage in 39 schools.

Rubbish tip

SENCELLES
THE country estate that is next to the “talaiot” archeological site, has been turned into a rubbish tip during the last few weeks. The Sencelles town council has complained about this terrible situation to the Guardia Civil's Nature Division (SEPRONA), the Ministry for the Environment and the Patrimony Department in the Council of Majorca. They are asking for immediate action. Two years ago the owner of the country estate destroyed the public path that leads to the archaological site and the Mayor of sencelles, Antoni Ferrer, said that it is a great shame that the owner has not been forced to repair the path. “The local police in Sencelles have sent a report to the Government and the Council of Majorca that proves that it is illegal to use this area as a rubbish tip. We hope that the institutions act as soon as possible, because during the last few days lorries keep on coming to dispose of their construction materials”, said Ferrer.

Pay homage

BINISSALEM
THE Casa Llorenc Villalonga Foundation in Binissalem will be holding an exhibition to pay homage to deceased Majorcan poet and singer, Guillem d'Efak, and the deceased Valencian singer and actor, Ovidi Montllor. This exhibition will be held in the tenth anniversary of their deaths. A conference talk about the person and work of both artists will open the exhibition. To remember the two artists the Council of Majorca and the Balearic Island Univeristy are organising a series of activities that will happen during the next few weeks alongside the exhibition.

Republican day

POLLENSA, SANTA MARIA, SENCELLES
THE Republican prisoners were remembered yesterday when three commemoratice plaques were placed. The proceedings started off yesterday in Pollensa to pay homage to the Republican proclamation on 14 April 1931. This was held at 5pm on the Talaia d'Albercuix road, where 60 people attended. Many former Republicans were present at the event, as well as family members and representatives from all the political parties in Pollensa. The 74th anniversary of the Republican constitution was also celebrated in the cemetries in Santa Maria and Sencelles, where the commemorative plaques were unveiled.