Representatives of the Petaquilla Gold Mine rejected the arguments made by farmers and environmentalists about alleged pollution in the Coclesito river, and to prove it they bathed in the river, and they even drank the water directly from the river. Carlos Salazar, in the presence of the media, bathed in the river together with his son and public relations representative Fernando Rodriguez. "They accuse Petaquilla of having polluted the rivers, mainly the Coclesito, without scientific evidence - they alarm the people and then later interview them," said Salazar. He said the mining company has not used seven tons of cyanide, nor are they destroying water sources in the region, as the environmentalists accuse. He explained that in the operational phase they have taken advantage of the high levels of rainfall, which have increased the water levels in the holding tanks, and to say that the water was spilled is not true.

He also argued that theoretically they consume 1,080 cubic meters of water per day because the holding tanks have a pumping capacity of 45 cubic meters per hour, but because the rainwater has filled the holding tanks, they do not need to use the full 45 cubic meters per hour, or the 1,080 per day.

Of every 100 applications for exploration, practice shows that only two actually come mines, so in Panama at best will have just six or seven mines, occupying an area of about 3,500 to 4,000 hectares, equal to 40 square kilometers, said Salazar.

It was a challenge without justification. Environmentalist Raisa Bainfield said there is no evidence Salazar was drinking water from the affected rivers. "Bathing and drinking water is a challenge that has no legal basis. What will determine whether the river is contaminated or not will be a commission of national experts who are investigating the mine, as well as international experts because the government is biased on this issue," said Banfield, while supporting the theory that the mine is detrimental to the community. (El Siglo)   

The National Police have requested a budget of at least $260 million dollars to combat crime. The Director of the National Police, Gustavo Perez, justified the request by saying the budget seeks to expand the program of the handheld electronic verifier equipment known as the "Pele Police." Perez said that thanks to the "Pele Police" their officers used the equipment to check the backgrounds of 600,000 people, and 4,600 fugitives were captured. (TVN Noticias)

Editor's Comment: OK, 4,600 fugitives caught for 600,000 checks equals a .76% hit rate. And of course there's going to be a rate of diminishing returns as eventually most of those people who have outstanding wants and warrants with the legal and justice system are caught and hauled in. So, over time this percentage will probably decrease.   

Uncertainty continues for tomorrow. The companies who own the Northern and Southern Corridors are in negotiations to prevent workers from walking out on strike tomorrow. Oscar Delgado, the Director of Business Development for PYCSA Panama, reported that over the weekend they are holding meetings with workers representatives, in order to keep the strike from happening. At the time of this writing the meetings are still being held, and according to Delgado they are "going well" although no agreement has yet been reached between the parties.

Delgado declined to say what they would do in case they are unable to reach an agreement before 6:00 am Monday morning, and they say they will do whatever is necessary to prevent an abnormal situation tomorrow on both Corridors. The workers are asking to have their situation defined in case the two highways are purchased by the government. They are afraid they will lose their jobs, or that their pay or working conditions will worsen. (Panama America)   

Two young men were killed early Saturday morning by a man, who has net yet been either identified or captured, who opened fire inside a nightclub on Calle Uruguay in Bella Vista in the capital city. Preliminary investigations indicate the murderer entered the nightclub and, without a word, open fire on a group of people. Alberto Edwin Griffin, age 25, died instantly when he was shot 13 times. Meanwhile, Juan Manuel Navarro, 18 years old, who was shot in the back, died after being transferred to St. Thomas hospital. The two victims didn't know one another.

The shooting caused the rest of the people who were at the club to flee in terror. The murderer walked out of the club and climbed into a black pickup truck that was parked near the site, and escaped without problems. Sources said yesterday that prosecutors are reviewing video tapes from security cameras outside the place to try to identify the murderer. The First Superior Prosecutor, Geomar Jones, is conducting the investigation, while Criminology experts found 20 shell casings inside and outside of the room. It is believed this was a case of revenge against Griffin. (La Prensa)   

Just like a ball that bounces and extends, are the suspicions surrounding confessed murderer William Dathan Holbert, aka "Wild Bill" about his responsibility for other crimes. Coupled with the judicial process following him in Panama, now the first formal criminal complaint has been filed against "Wild Bill" in Costa Rica, a country whose authorities had never before confirmed the presence of the murderer. The complaint was filed before the Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime, according to a report published on the Panama Guide website. A possible sixth victim of 'Wild Bill' could be American attorney Jeffrey A. Kline, who transferred $107,040 dollars from the United States to a bank in Costa Rica. Kline, a native of Wisconsin, was a fugitive from justice in the United States for evading child support payments, and distribution of marital property.

US legal authorities and Kline's siblings themselves thought Kline was hiding in Costa Rica as a fugitive. Now, with many indications, authorities await DNA comparisons of one of Kline's brothers with the remains of a previously unidentified body discovered in November 2007 under a slab of cement below a house occupied by 'Wild Bill' with Laura Michelle Reese in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. According to Panama Guide, there are documents that suggest a friendly relationship between Kline, 'Wild Bill' and his wife, Laura Michelle Reese.

Kline practiced law in Illinois and Wisconsin. The courts of both states disbarred him for 'fiscal misconduct.' In August 2007, a researcher, in conjunction with the U.S. Embassy in San José, Costa Rica, confirmed suspicions: Kline lived in this country, but he was never found. (La Estrella)

Editor's Comment: Thanks to Luis Batista and Alexis Charris P., reporters from La Estrella, for picking this up. Hopefully some day the press in Costa Rica might wake up to what's happening in their backyard. Literally...   

By Laura Paskus for the Santa Fe Reporter - (Editor's Comment: This article appeared on 19 August 2009, and it contains references and information about the "East-West Trading Company" in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which was owned by Bo Icelar. Bo Icelar declared Chapter 7 Bankruptcy on 7 February 2005, which wiped out more than $55,000 in personal debts. Then, he moved to Panama with a large collection of rare artifacts. He also moved his money overseas, which he used to purchase property in Panama through his company Iguana Limited. Panama's Deputy Attorney General Angel Calderon told me they are currently investigating the cache of artifacts and antiquities discovered in Bo Icelar's house to determine their true value, and to see if Icelar properly declared and imported those artifacts when he moved to Panama. Finally, I'm looking into all of this in response to comments made to me by Terri O'hare, a longtime friend of Bo Icelar. Comments end, article from 2009 begins)

The haul included everything from arrowheads to pots and pendants. There were woven sandals and ceramic figures. There was even a rare turkey-feather blanket and a female loin cloth. All told, undercover investigators purchased 256 artifacts worth more than $335,000. All were illegal. Using an undercover source, agents from the FBI and the US Bureau of Land Management had spent since November 2006 infiltrating a tight-knit community of looters in the Four Corners area who dig up graves and pillage archaeological sites on public lands, then sell the items they find to dealers and collectors. (more)    Click Here To Read The Full Article (3,443 words)

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - The New York Yankees have 26 regular season games left on this years schedule. Right now Mariano Rivera has 29 saves on the season, and 555 in his career. If he keeps going at the same pace then Mariano should pick up five or six more saves and end the regular season with about 35 or so. Trevor Hoffman has been slowly working back into the closer role, and today he's sitting at 599 for his career. I really hope (and expect) Hoffman will get at least one more to become the first man in history to record 600 career saves. While no one will ever be able to take that away from him, I think Hoffman might be about done. If Mariano Rivera can get to over 560 total saves between the regular and post season this year, then that would put him within striking distance to take the all time title away from Hoffman next season. Mariano Rivera has logged more than 40 saves about half the time - seven out of his fourteen seasons working primarily as a closer.

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama and Costa Rica drew 2-2 in a friendly match between two Central American neighbors on Friday. Michael Barrantes gave Costa Rica a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute. But Panama took a 2-1 lead through goals in the 28th and 39th minutes by Luis Tejada. Alvaro Saborio equalized for the visitors in the 52nd before a crowd of 32,000 at newly remodeled Rommel Fernandez stadium in Panama City. The two teams will be rivals in next year's Copa Centroamericana, the regional championship.

Editor's Comment: If Panama ever wants to find out what it's like to participate in a World Cup, they need to be able to beat teams from countries like Costa Rica on a regular and routine basis. Panama has never qualified for the big event, because they can't get past, like, Trinidad & Tobago...   

By Bill O’Reilly - ONE of the most underreported ongoing stories is the war in Mexico between the government and the drug cartels. More than 28,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since 1996. Mexican drug merchants are even more deadly than al-Qaida. They have more firepower and more money and are just as willing to kill civilians. Yet, Americans know little about the chaotic situation south of the border. The reason: The drug cartels don’t seem to threaten us directly. But, they do. Illegal narcotics from Mexico wind up in almost every community in the United States. The FBI estimates that about 70 percent of crimes from coast to coast are drug-fueled.

The latest atrocity in the Mexican drug war was the discovery of 72 bodies on a ranch, 100 miles from Texas. The dead — 58 men and 14 women — were migrants from South and Central America. The lone survivor says cartel gunmen shot the unarmed folks because they resisted an extortion attempt. The reliably anti-American New York Times partially blamed the mass killings on the Americans, saying, “Mexico’s drug cartels are nourished from outside, by American cash, heavy weapons and addiction; the northward pull of immigrants is fueled by our demand for low-wage labor.”

I had to read that editorial three times to believe it. Hey, you pinheads, if the United States would send 10,000 members of the National Guard to help the Border Patrol, drugs and guns would not be able to cross the border so easily. This grisly charade is infuriating. This country has the power to stop the smuggling of human beings and drugs. We could do that. For political reasons, we don’t. Meanwhile, the drug cartels kill at will and create terror on a scale not seen anywhere else at this time.

Mexico is at fault because it won’t ask for American help. Apparently, it thinks 28,000 dead is acceptable. It’s not. U.S. law enforcement and troops should be assisting Mexican authorities in the destruction of the cartels. The fact they have been able to operate their murderous industry so openly for so long is beyond shameful.

Manuel Noriega turned his country, Panama, into a “narco-state” and, in 1989, President George H.W. Bush sent U.S. forces in to remove him. President Barack Obama might study that campaign. Something needs to be done in Mexico.

Bill O’Reilly is host of the Fox News Channel show “The O’Reilly Factor.” His column is distributed by Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90045.   

Panama's president, Ricardo Martinelli, called for an investigation to its ultimate consequences and no matter who is involved in a corruption scandal that occurred in the National Assembly eight years ago, in which former president Martin Torrijos has been called to testify. "I urge the Judiciary (the Supreme Court of Justice) to deepen the research and come to the ultimate consequences and justice, regardless of who is involved" Martinelli told reporters at a rally inside the country. "Let justice do its work and let all of the Panamanian people know what really happened" in the case, known by the name CEMIS, said Martinelli. Martinelli said the "bad thing" about these cases is that when you open an investigation against some political leaders, they say "instead of telling the truth about the facts in the case, they begin to claim it to be a political persecution."

Torrijos, who was the president from 2004-2009, was summoned on 23 August by the Supreme Court to give a sworn statement in this notorious case, but he was out of the country and a new summons is pending. The former president went to the Supreme Court on Tuesday accompanied by his lawyers to review the records of this case, after stating that they are looking to make a media spectacle with a former president and member of the opposition, "what could be considered as an act of political persecution. "

On 30 December 2009 the full session of the Supreme Court of Panama reopened the CEMIS case, a multi million dollar project to build a multimodal industrial and services center, for which several members of the then minority PRD political party were allegedly bribed to vote in favor. The Vice President and Foreign Minister of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela, said last week Torrijos enjoys immunity as a Member of the Central American Parliament and that his summons to testify in this case must be processed through that agency. (Telemetro)   

The president, Ricardo Martinelli, yesterday gave the order for the rehabilitation and widening of the road from La Villa to Las Tablas. He also inspected from the intersection in Divisa and the city of Chitre, which includes construction of a bypass in the community of Santa Maria and the enlargement of the road to Chitre. The work will be approximately 44 kilometers long and is projected to take 30 months to complete, starting from the bridge crossing in Divisa until the intersection where the Fire Station is currency located in the community of Santa Maria, where two new lanes will be built on the left side of the existing roadway. Referring to the delivery of the order for the design, construction, rehabilitation, and widening of the road from Las Tablas to La Villa, the president explained that its length is approximately 26 kilometers, which will provide better communication between communities on the route from Divisa to Las Tablas, and in addition this project will ease traffic congestion which occurs at certain times of the year in the Azuero region. It is projected this project will take about two and a half years to complete. (La Estrella)   

On Monday, workers for the Northern and Southern Corridors will go on strike, given the uncertainty they face regarding the purchase of both roadways by the Government. Abdiel Meneses, a member of the Corridor Workers' Union, said their strike will start at 6:00 am Monday morning, 5 September 2010, and it will continue indefinitely until the companies PYCSA and ICA Panama explain what the future holds for the workers. He added they would ask for workers to be compensated once the negotiations to buy the roadways are concluded. The government will buy the two roadways for $1.07 billion dollars, of which $970 million will be raised by issuing bonds. The form of payment will be $100 million dollars paid by the State through the National Highway Company (ENA); $200 million dollars will be raised through a bond offering to investors; $350 million will be acquired by PYCSA that will provide input as part of the Government of the transaction; $170 million will come from the Trust Fund of Panama (from the Panama Canal); and the government is proposing that the Social Security Fund buy $250 million in bonds to be placed on the Panama Stock Exchange, said De La Guardia. (Panama America)   

Department managers in technical areas of the National Environmental Authority (ANAM) were dismissed yesterday, confirmed a source of the entity. Among those dismissed are Mixila Muñoz, Director of Assessment and Environmental Management; Yessenia del Carmen González, Director of Protected Areas and Wildlife; Silvano Vergara Vásquez, Director of Integrated Watershed and Clever González, Director of Public Relations. In addition, the General Secretary, Patrick Fahy, has been transferred and now works as an adviser in the Climate Change Unit. According to a source who declined to be named, these changes are due to differences between the officials and ANAM Director Javier Arias, over the way he performs in his post. This newspaper attempted without success to get Arias' version of events. However, a source in the Palace of the Herons confirmed the dismissals. He said there would be more details available on Monday because many have not yet been notified. (La Prensa)   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Thank God. Finally... I spoke to Russ Bowen, the Anchor/Reporter for WLOS (ABC) in Asheville, North Carolina at length yesterday afternoon. Russ is the reporter who interviewed Holbert on the telephone from prison. Last night they produced and broadcast this piece for their evening news - Holbert Linked To Death in Costa Rica. Please click on the link and watch the video the see their report. For me, it's a tremendous relief to see that someone else (besides me) has finally picked up on the whole 2006 to 2007 Costa Rica connection in this case, and the murder of Jeffery A. Kline at the hands of William Dathan Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese. I've been sort of "out there on my own" for about a month. I first reported that William Dathan Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese rented the vacation property in Playa Negra, Costa Rica, where Kline's body was found, on Saturday 7 August 2010. So, it's nice to finally have some company. I am also in contact with Jeff's brother Steve Nelson on the phone and via email. All of Jeff's friends and family members are still dealing with the news. And of course, official confirmation and identification of the "John Doe" body found under that house in November of 2007 through DNA testing is still pending. My heartfelt condolences to all of the friends and family members of the victims of Holbert and Reese. These animals have destroyed many lives - and personally I think there might be as many as six or more additional victims in Costa Rica who have yet to be unearthed - at least one more in Puerto Viejo (behind the house in Playa Cocles) and several more in Jaco, Costa Rica. We can only hope that now the authorities there will do their jobs. Let's see...

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Panama has always been attractive to the scumbags of the world as a place to hide from the authorities in the United States and elsewhere. If you remember awhile ago there was a guy named "Butch Ballow" running around, and he was arrested in Mexico in July. This morning I received an email from a journalist who is researching the case, and he's looking to contact anyone who might know something - "I am a journalist who has written extensively in Texas about Harris Dempsey "Butch" Ballow, a stock-fraud perpetrator who was a fugitive in Panama and other countries from about November 2003 until his arrest in Mexico in late July, 2010. Ballow has used the aliases John Gilthorp, John Gill, Joe David Gibbons and David C. Wood since he disappeared. I would appreciate anyone who has any informaton at all about Ballow while he was a fugitive or who has ever had contact with Ballow contacting me at morankevin@sbcglobal.net or by calling U.S. Cell # 713-851-4594."

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

Panama's Deputy Attorney General, Angel Calderón, will be in charge of the official investigation into a vehicle that was being used by the Public Ministry, which was found to have 16 kilos of cocaine. The information was confirmed by Panama's Attorney General, Giuseppe Bonissi. According to statements Bonissi gave to RPC Radio, they received information that there were drugs hidden in the vehicle, so they conducted an inspection to verify the information, and it was then that they found the 16 kilos of cocaine. Bonissi added that "drug traffickers are very resourceful and every day they are looking for ways to evade justice." The investigation into the discovery of these drugs will be both in the administrative and criminal fields. (Telemetro Reporta)

Editor's Comment: Last year a vehicle was seized as part of a drug bust with cocaine aboard. After it was seized, the Public Ministry started using the vehicle as part of their fleet. Later, they received a tip that there was still 16 kilos of cocaine hidden in the vehicle in a "false double bottom." The information turned out to be correct. Now, they have started an official investigation into the whole matter. This story has been all over the Panamanian news today.   

As part of the investigations being conducted into the alleged wiretapping of phones in the Office of Administration, former President Martin Torrijos and Eric Espinosa, who was part of the Security Council, will be summoned to give statements under oath. The Assistant to the Attorney General, Neftali Jaén, said they are two people who were mentioned by the Prosecutor of Administration, Oscar Ceville, who exposed an alleged extortion on the part of Jorge Abrego, who apparently made the wiretaps. Jaen said the summons will be effective once they have had a chance to transcribe the notes from the visual inspection made at the Office of Management and the former Panamanian Center for Public Administration (CIMAP). (La Estrella)   

As of today, the work on the to expand the Panama Canal has been underway for three years, and thus far 13% of the project has been completed. The expansion of the waterway adds one more lane to the existing two. The main component of the expansion is the construction of new locks in the Pacific and Atlantic sectors. During the past three years work has been concentrated in the removal of dirt and dredged materials, and preparing for the construction of the third set of locks by GUPC. The new locks, the size of four football fields, will allow the transit of so-called post Panamax ships, with a capacity to carry 12,000 containers, three times more than the ships that currently fit through the Panama Canal. The ACP has established 21 October 2014 for the completion of the work for the main contract, the consortium United for Panama Canal (GUPC), which will be paid $215,000 for each additional day of early completion. (Panama America)   

A supervisor and an inspector of the National Immigration Service (SNM) were arrested yesterday morning by officers of the Judicial Investigation Department at the Tocumen International Airport. The officials trying to bring four Chinese citizens into the country illegally, according to the Director of Immigration, María Cristina González. In another operation, in Parque Lefevre, a Colombian citizen was arrested who had in his possession a jacket, a cap, and receipts from the National Immigration Service. (La Prensa)

Editor's Comment: The illegal trafficking of humans is big business in Panama. People from all over the world use the nations of Central America as a "springboard" to get to the United States.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Believe it or not, a couple of days after I posted the article about "Wild Bill" Holbert having telephone cards and being able to make telephone calls from prison, the serial killer actually called WLOS ABC Channel 13 news which covers the area of this hometown. He talked to them for 20 minutes. During the conversation he complained how supposedly Deputy Attorney General Angel Calderon has portrayed him as a combination of Hannibal Lector and Tarzan. He says he's guilty but that Laura Michelle Reese is innocent, and that he "cannot stand by and allow her to be punished for another's actions." Wrong, dude. She's going to be punished for her actions. He said there were others involved who have yet to be investigated. He says he wants the facts in the case to be investigated. OK, well, he's getting that. He claims he only signed a confession because authorities promised to release his wife if he did so. He said "they're not interested in the truth." Wrong again. He complained about the treatment, the food, and the fact that he can't see his woman, saying "it's hard, man..." (sniff, sniff.) Click on this link to hear it for yourself. Try not to puke...

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Google finally got around to running another scan of this website and they now say "Malware - Google has not detected any malware on this site." That's nice. Of course I've been working all day to reinstall the program that got hacked, replace the banners, mess with this, mess with that, etc. Anyway, the problem should be fixed. Please let me know if you get that warning again. You might want to hit "refresh" just to make sure you're not actually looking at something from the cache on your machine. So, that was a nice way to waste an entire day...

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - On 20 July 2010 at 7:25 pm I published the very first story (anywhere, ever) about a pair of suspected serial killers - who we now know to be William Dathan Holbert and Laura Michelle Reese - in this article "Panama Guide Flash - Wanted As Primary Suspects - Multiple Murders - William "Wild Bill" Adolfo Cortez Reese and Wife". Within a couple of days the story about the murders in Bocas del Toro and the international manhunt for the killers was all over the news in Panama, Costa Rica, and in the United States. Accordingly, traffic to the website shot up as well and it will be a very long time before these records are broken. I should mention that until 20 July 2010 the traffic for the month of July was in the "normal" range, and I was expecting a total of about 110,000 unique visitors for the month - nice and steady growth - normal. The blast of traffic spiked in the end of July and then held for the first couple of weeks in August, and the story has since played itself out naturally. There might be a "Chapter 2" once the Costa Rica angle of the story picks up eventually, and there are a couple of television news programs in the works that might also spike interest again in the United States. Anyway, for me "traffic = food" ... It's too bad much of the traffic was generated due to the tragic murders of innocent victims. Hopefully this website provides news and information that would otherwise be unavailable - and I just don't want to be seen as tooting my own horn or anything on this one. I think the family members of the victims know exactly what I'm trying to say...

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - While I was away some Russian hackers were able to get into the software I use to run banner ads on this website. They implanted some malicious script (Malware) yesterday afternoon while I was on a plane flying back from San Jose, Costa Rica. Basically, the script was tagged on to the end of the banner ads that were running, so if a user clicked on a banner, another page was opened for a gambling site. All of this was done, of course, without my knowledge or consent. Google immediately picked up on the existence of the Malware script and put www.panama-guide.com in the Internet dog-house. Anyone who visited the site received a warning that the website might contain Malware – and it did. They were right.

Yesterday afternoon I started getting calls and emails from many people, asking “what’s going on.” This morning I identified the problem. I found and deleted the Malware script. To be sure, I deleted the entire program that manages the banner ads on the website. Once that was done, I requested Google to scan the website and to remove the warning. It will probably take Google at least a few minutes (or maybe longer) to rescan www.panama-guide.com, confirm the Malware has been removed, and to let www.panama-guide.com out of the Internet doghouse. As I said, in order to be absolutely sure that the problem has been resolved, I deleted the entire program that was causing the problem. As it usually happens, these kinds of problems end up resulting in a better website in the end. I have now downloaded the most recent version of that software and I will be installing the new upgrade later today. Once I’m absolutely sure it’s properly installed and configured, safe, secure, and running correctly (with no security loopholes) I’ll let it go live. In short, “the system worked” to a certain degree. Sure, the hackers were able to penetrate and exploit a security flaw, but Google picked up on the script almost immediately.

And of course, that friggin’ whack job Jerry Ray Hall, using his normal alias of “Texas Downer” took advantage of the situation to blast out an email, trying to say that I did this intentionally. Jerry Ray Hall is a scumbag of the worst order, and only a dirt bag like him would try to exploit something like this for his own personal gain. Whatever – he’s still pissed off because he will never be elected to congress. And in short, if that nutcase is mad at me, then I must be doing something right… (grin).

Anyway, problem solved. And my apologies for – well – what those Russian hackers did. To be perfectly clear - there was a problem and it has since been fixed. Hopefully Google will run their scan again and remove the warning, which is no longer either valid or required. I'm glad Google caught the problem, but now I wish they could be just a little faster or more nimble in removing the warning...

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I just got back from my road trip to Costa Rica. I'll be back in the office tomorrow morning, and will post the details. FYI...

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - Confessed serial killer William Dathan Holbert apparently killed at least two people while he was living in the area of Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica, along the Caribbean coast. At first the dates being provided by my sources of information were not lining up and the details were not making sense. Now I've got it figured out. It appears William Dathan Holbert did in fact kill Jeffery Arlen Kline and bury him under the cement slab in the house he rented in Playa Negra. However, a year later he was renting another house in the area or Playa Cocles known as the "Monkey House." This is where Stacie Duckworth went with Bill Holbert - when she saw the pile of fresh earth and said "Damn, Bill, that looks like a grave." Holbert - using the alias "William Julius Caesar" and a fake driver's licence from the Cayman Islands - number 10085698 - rented that house on 28 March 2007. He was supposed to stay there for three months, but then he took off after only a month or so. And that's when he left the area of Puerto Viejo with Allan and Stacie Duckworth, headed for Jaco, Costa Rica. Stacie Duckworth confirmed Holbert told her that "William Julius Caesar" was one of the aliases he was using. Anyway, now the dates are lining up again. I keep digging, and the information keeps getting clearer. I'll be up there in Costa Rica looking at these areas myself tomorrow. I suspect that we will find Holbert used the cement from the Duckworth's construction project to cover up this body below the "Monkey House." If so, that makes two in Puerto Viejo...

Copyright 2010 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.   

(Editor's Comment: This article was first published in New Mexico over a month ago, but I didn't see it when it came out. I found it when I was looking for additional information about Bo Icelar's collection that was discovered under his house in Big Creek on Isla Colon in Bocas del Toro, and thought it would be worth republishing.) By Staci Matlock | The New Mexican - 27 July 2010 - Bo Icelar, former longtime owner of East West Trading on Canyon Road in Santa Fe, talked frequently to his good friend Sharon McConnell. Icelar had moved to Bocas del Toro, a city on Panama's Caribbean coast in 2004 and opened another business, Iguana Limited. "We talked for more than an hour," on Nov. 29 said McConnell, a former Santa Fe artist, now living in Mississippi. It was the last time she heard from him. Two weeks ago, Panama authorities and investigators found bones they think are Icelar's in a shallow grave on a Bocas del Toro property near the body of another American missing since March, Cheryl Lynn "Cher" Hughes. Hughes' husband identified her body. (more)

Bo Icelar and Sharon McConnell   Click Here To Read The Full Article (970 words)

(AFP) PANAMA CITY — Eighteen nations on Friday wrapped up nearly two weeks of military exercises to defend the Panama Canal from mock terrorist attacks and other threats, the US Southern Command chief said. Sponsored by the United States, Panama and Chile -- the three top users of the canal -- the exercises began annually in 2002 and are key in safeguarding global and regional shipping lanes, General Douglas Fraser told a press conference. In Panamax 2010 the host country sought UN Security Council authorization for a US-led international military expedition to counter an attack on the canal by an international terrorist group bent on regional destabilization. Military and police forces from 18 countries took part in the exercises, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay. They involved ground and sea operations, humanitarian aid distribution, response to natural catastrophes and fighting drug traffickers. Built in 1914, the Panama Canal was under US control until 1979, when it came under US-Panamanian administration. In 1999, Panama assumed total authority over the waterway that handles five percent of world shipping trade. Since its opening, nearly one million ships have passed through the canal's locks, providing Panama with 700-800 million dollars in revenue each year.   

The Chief of the Health Office of the Metropolitan Region (Panama City) has applied a $5,000 fine against the "Los Faros" real estate project located in Punta Paitilla, in the area of San Francisco. The project, which remains under construction, has become a breeding ground for the Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes, vectors of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever. Health officials took samples of the larvae found in the collected rainwater and sprayed around the structure. (La Prensa)

Editor's Comment: Normally in Panama when you see someone digging in the ground and pouring cement foundations and footings, that means relatively nothing as an indicator if the project will actually be built, eventually. Once they "come out of the ground", install working cranes, and start to pour structure such as beams, columns, and floors - then that's a much stronger indicator that the building will actually be completed. I have seen many projects, such as this "Los Faros" project, that get frozen at the "hole in the ground" phase. This was going to be a massive project - literally huge - and apparently progress has come to a screeching halt. It was going to dominate the skyline in the area, and now it's little more than a mosquito breeding pit. Big projects are often more likely to fail than small projects, just as a general rule of thumb. Let's see if this once comes back to life. It happens this way sometimes...   

On Thursday the Supreme Court of Panama authorized the Attorney General to listen to tape recordings in order to verify the documentation submitted by Jorge Abrego, the former Chief of Security for the office of the Prosecutor of Administration, Oscar Ceville, in the illegal wiretap case. The advisor to Attorney General Giuseppe Bonissi, Neftali Jaen, said the order was issued through an opinion signed by Supreme Court Magistrates José Abel Almengor and Gabriel Fernández, the deputy for the presiding judge Aníbal Salas. Judge Jerónimo Mejía did not vote, arguing that the Attorney General is authorized to conduct an inspection at the premises of the offices of the Prosecutor for Administration located in Curundú. But Mejia said that in order to listen to the tapes of the recordings that were supposedly made illegally of the conversations of employees who worked at that office, Bonissi should have the judicial authorization of the full Supreme Court.

Jaen said that soon they would conduct inspections of the two sub offices of the Prosecutor of Administration, where Abrego says he had the listening equipment installed. Jaen said the Public Ministry requested the authorization of the Supreme Court (to listen to the tapes) in order to not make the same mistakes that have occurred in the past in cases of alleged wiretaps. (Panama America)

Editor's Comment: This is an ongoing corruption case. The Prosecutor of Administration, Oscar Ceville, supposedly ordered his Chief of Security, Jorge Abrego, to buy and install wiretapping equipment to record and monitor the telephone conversations of employees working in his offices. Ceville has filed counter-charges against Abrego, alleging that he tried to blackmail him for money with threats of going public with the information he had on the wiretaps. The Supreme Court and prosecutors are trying to figure out who did what, and why. Now the Public Ministry can listen to the taped conversations. This one will drag on for a long time. And, there's also the political angle - Oscar Ceville was appointed by the PRD.