Chester himes was a black American writer who lived for many years in the Moraira/Teulada /Benitaxell area.His 100th birthday is approaching and also the anniversary of his death.

An exhibition has been arranged in the Teulada-Moraira town hall and has been organised in collaboration with Universidad Permanente de la Universidad de Alicante,along with Sede Universitaria in Benissa.

The exhibition will take place on November 12/13 and 14.There will be presentations by various lecturers from the universityplus writers.They will be aimed at literary students and those who are interested in the writings of Chester Himes.

At 6pm on November 12 the Mayor ,together with Lesley Himes and other dignitaries will open the first conference.The conferences will be held in Spanish,English and French.The English conferences will take place on November 13 at 11.45 and  at 12.15.

Entry to the conferences is free the organisers are requesting that those who attend do subscribe to the cost of the materials.Himes led an extremely interesting life and many compare his writings to those of Raymond Chandler.

A light aircraft plunged into the sea near Campello last week ,killing the 40 year old pilot.The French citizen had taken off from the airport in Castellon and was flying to Almeria .He sent an emergency call to El Altet in Alicante when he detected a fault with his aircraft.

Those who witnessed the crash from the shore have said that the plane just fell from the sky and broke up into pieces on impact with the sea.The victim was flying alongside friends in a microlight aircraft and they also viewed the crash.

The emergency services rushed to the spot ,together with divers and although they were able to recover the body there was nothing that could be done to save his life.An investigation has now been launched and the initial reaction is that this was a mechanical fault because of the way the plane dropped from the sky.

This is the fourth such accident in Alicante Province over the last two months and now there are calls for much tighter controls and inspections of light aircraft.After the accident the wreckage was collected from the sea ahead of the accident investigation.

If you own a property in the Jalon Valley between Lliber and Senija then you might be subject to a compulsory purchase on your property or part of your property .This is to enable the Provincial government in Alicante to carry out roadworks between these two villages on the CV-745.

Hundreds of properties have been listed as being affected.The list appeared in the Spanish press last weekwith details of the adresses and their registered owners ,many of whom are expats.It also gave details of the provincial government meetings which will be taking place for those affected by the project..

The meetings begin on November 11 in Senija town hall,between 9.30 and 14.00.Later in the day there will be a meeting in Benissa town hall at 16.00 to 18.00.

On November 12 the team will be in Lliber town hall at the same times and on November 13 they will be in Daya Nueva.All of those affected have to attend the relevant meetings to sign the necessary documentation to enable the process and the project to get started.

The organised crime squad from the National Police made raids on properties in Calpe last week and found 160,000 fake Viagra tablets .This is the largest cache of this fake pill to be made in Spain.They also discovered 15kilos of a new psychotropic drug called Benzilpiperazina(BZP).This drug is known to cause paralysis and brain damage.Five people were arrested during the operation.The drugs had been imported from India and China without any form of health control.

The drugs were advertised on the internet and were then distributed by post .It was prior to the raids that the police had intercepted two packages with large quantities of the pills.The gang had two deliveries of drugs each week and then sold them on at four times the market price.The five people,two Spaniards,one Italian,one Venezuelan and an Iranian will face long sentences if they are found guilty.

The medical centre in Altea la Vella is having a refurbishment and last week the mayor visited the centre to see how work was progressing.He was not alone and was accompanied by the health councillor and other councillors.

The premises are being extended and also modified and modernised to enable a full health care service for the community.The building will retain many of its old features,especially externally.

Improvements to the inside will mean that there will be a doctor’s consulting room, a nurse’s room,a treatment room,a waiting room and toilets on the first floor,which can be accessed by a lift.

The second floor will be used for municipal services ,while the third floor will house a multi -purpose room.