Word: cruz
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...highland voters. But like Bolivia's recall vote last August, in which Morales won 67% national approval, Sunday showed that Bolivia's east/west regional divide that brought the country to the brink of civil war last September remains. The constitution was heavily rejected in the eastern lowlands of Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando and Tarija where wealthy land and business owners dominate local politics. Criticism ranged from the constitution's elimination of Catholicism's privileged position as official religion to worry about "extreme indigenous power...
...ending presidential term limits, Morales agreed to keep Bolivia's re-election laws as is. He is therefore able to compete in this December's Presidential elections for one more five-year term - but no more. That doesn't mean he wont try "to pull a Chavez," noted Santa Cruz resident Alberto Montero last week, referring to the Venezuelan's attempt to pass a separate referendum on indefinite re-election after Venezuela's new constitution was approved...
That's because Santa Cruz's financial woes aren't going away soon, even if the national economy swings back. After shedding the museums, centers and pool, the city still needs to cut another $3 million by Feb. 1, according to Dannettee Shoemaker, the city's director of parks and recreation. "It's worse now than I ever remember it," says Shoemaker, who's been with the city since 1968, "and I don't think anyone would argue with me on that...
Oddly enough, what the surf museum represents - the desire to remain a charming surf town - might be part of what's causing the city's financial wipeout. "In Santa Cruz, we're built out. Our community enjoys the luxury of being a quaint little seaside town," Shoemaker explains, but that means there's "not much opportunity to generate revenue." Tourism is the biggest industry, but that's not paying the bills, she says, especially with sales-tax dollars sliding during the recession. Projects that would have brought in more revenue, such as big-box stores, conference centers and hotels, have...
...knows for sure whether Santa Cruz will be able to remain a quaint surf town and still pay the bills. But there is hope, thanks to its population of hearty and headstrong surfers like Young. "When it gets bigger," he explained, "we just paddle harder...