Xàbia visual Week kicks off 26th, 27th, 28th August
An independent group of artists and musicians are launching a "a participatory and experiential encounter fusing visual arts and cultural development in which the fine arts, graphic design, photography, sculpture, architecture, computer graphics, fashion , music, and theatre will come together. There will be simultaneous events in all three urban centres (Old Town, Arenal and Port) of the weekend of 26th, 27th, 28th August. For more see: http://www.xabiavisualweek.com (From press release). Details to follow.

Binge Drinking hijaks La Plana
19 August
Last weekend, hundreds of young people gathered on La Plana to have a "botellón", a binge drinking party. Cars were parked all over the place and the local police had to cut off access to the road and organise the removal of badly parked cars, causing great inconvenience to local residents. These party-goers were nothing to do with the "Hacienda" night club in the area, but had their open air all night party in the protected conservation area. The local police will be carrying out a repeat control operation this weekend. From Las Provincias: El botellón toma el Montgó ...

Remedial Works for the Port Landslip to start "soon"
18 August
Owners of the properties teetering on the edge of the landslip behind the Club Nautico have expressed their heightened concern following renewed landslips after the recent unseasonal rain. They were treated to a visit by two technicians from the Department of Infrastructure, who recommeended that they leave their homes as soon as possible and that the road to the Club Nautico should be closed because of the landslide risk. The Town Hall later announced that the remedial works would begin "soon". According to other sources, the start date is November... after the rainy season. From XAD: Las Obras para... and Las Provincias: Xàbia aconsejar desalojar...

Early rains hit Xabia
Friday 13th August
From 1.30 pm the weather forecast orange alert was confirmed with heavy rain that lasted just over half an hour. Meteoxabia recorded 35 litres in the Old Town, 33.2 in the Port, while up to 50 litres were recorded in the IES 1 Secondary school area . The storm , traveling from north to south, had already downloaded 69 and 55 litres in Cullera and Gandía. Although the storm was brief, it was intense , attaining 250.4 l / h in the Port and 177 l / h in the Old Town. More is still to come. Temperatures also fell, being as low as 19 degrees during the storm. From XAD. This August is the wettest on record.

Two fires leave Arenal without electricity
August 12th
Coincident with the thunderstorm on Tuesday, two fires in electrical boxes left 20 premises on the Arenal without electricity until the following day. Hiberdrola declined to accept any responsibility stating that the boxes in question were very old and not designed to handle the load of all the air conditioners currently installed. There were also two fires in the Retoria area and some wind damage. From XAD:

Autistic child wins fight to go to summer school
August 12
The father of the autistic child "Sol" who was denied a place at summer school (see July story) has been told that a suitably qualified carer is now working at the school, and that Sol can now join the other children. The father, Fabian Reig is not sure who is responsible for this change of heart; the Town Hall or the company running the school, but he hopes this incident will act as an inspiration to other parents to not be passive, but fight for the rights of their children. From XAD:La nina autista..

17 companies tender to build new Port library
August 12th
The Town Hall has received 17 tenders for the construction of a new municipal library in the Port. The building, funded by the Valencian Government's "Plan de Confianza" is budgeted at €1,032,982 and will be located on the car park area next to the Port Health Centre. From XAD: 17 empresas...

Javea ... playground of the rich and famous (???)
August 8th
In a slightly surreal article, Las Provincias paints Javea / Xabia as a hotspot for celebrity spotting, using the glowing terms normally reserved for Hello Magazine pieces on San Trop and Monte Carlo. Rich and (in)famous from screen, sport and business apparently frolick in the waves. See: Veraneo entre famosos....

Nueva a Javea posts General Plan documentation on the Web
August 7th
Nueva Javea have posted all the documentation relating to the "Consultative Document" of Xabia's new general town plan on their website. There are around 200 files. See link on http://www.nuevajavea.com/

Works to channel the Tosalet barranco to begin on Monday
August 7th
The works to channel the Tosalet barranco, which caused such erosion and flooding in the October 2007 floods are finally to begin on Monday August 9th, and will be carried out in 5 phases. Completion must be by December 31st 2010 in order to obtain financial aid from the Regional Government. The cost of these works will be €535,000 and the contractor is Xabia company, Santacreu. Apparently the delay has been due to negotiations for obtaining funding and the tendering process. The total cost of all post 2007 floods repair works is €1,541,561 with 50% being paid by Central Government, 25% by the Valencia Government and 25% from the Town Hall. from XAD: El lunes comienza....

Whales sighted off the Arenal beach
August 5th
Three, 20 metre Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) have been sighted off the Arenal beach on their annual migration to the Atlantic. Each year dozens of these whales make this migration, but they are not normally so easily seen, or close to shore. This year they are early, perhaps because of the warming of the Mediterranean. from Las Provincias: Ballenas en la costa...