The 2009 Liberia Civic Festival will offer a wide array of activities, beginning on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 5 a.m. with the traditional bombas, or improvised popular poems. Events will go on until Sunday, Feb. 22.
The first day of the festivities, at 7 p.m., the festival’s queen will be crowned, with the coronation ball following at 8 p.m. at the Mario Cañas Ruiz Park featuring the Cédula 5 Band in a show called “A Big Party Night.”
Other cultural activities include presentations by the Sergio Garrido Musical Group and Pastel de Gente, in addition to a traditional parade, horsemen parade (with a special parade for young riders). (more…)
The Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) assures that it has scrapped its plans for blackouts this summer. The statement came after ICE’s president, Pedro Pablo Quirós, met with the ministro de la Presidencia, Rodrigo Arias.
“(Blackouts) are only a remote possibility”, said Quirós.
The question of blackouts this summer came after the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep) – regulating authority – rejected ICE’s high rate increase, prompting ICE officials to make public their blackout contingency plans.
ICE was seeking a 40% rate hike, while the Aresep approved only a 15% increase, which ICE is appealing. (more…)
Professional freestyle motocross rider Jeremy Lusk died Monday night after receiving a brain injury in a Feb. 7 crash at the X Knights event in San Jose, Costa Rica.Video of the crash shows Lusk completing the initial trick of his run in San Jose’s Saprissa Stadium, but after his launch from a second, smaller ramp, his bike pitched forward while he attempted a landing after a back flip.
His full-face helmet sheared apart on impact with the landing surface and stopped the forward movement of his head as his body flipped over. He had a similar crash in the 2007 X Games but escaped serious injury.
Lusk, 24, was coming off his best season ever: He won a 2008 X Games gold medal in Freestyle and was third in the Freestyle World Championships.
Lusk was rushed to the Calderon Hospital intensive care unit in San Jose, where he was treated for major brain trauma. Doctors there induced a coma to allow swelling of his brain to subside.
His family and friends immediately rushed to Costa Rica on Saturday in hopes of returning Lusk to the U.S. for treatment, but his injuries were too severe. He was pronounced dead at 11:03 p.m. PT Monday.
Freestyle motocross is a spinoff from traditional motocross racing in which riders race around an undulating dirt track.
Freestyle is a judged event in which riders perform tricks on a dirt course with several large launch ramps.
Although injuries are frequent in freestyle, there has never been a fatality in either the X Games or Dew Tour.
“When a professional athlete takes the field of play, whether they’re a bull rider, motocross rider or equestrian, they understand that (death) can happen on any given day to any athlete,” X Games senior vice president Rick Alessandri said.
Alessandri said he was not familiar with the X Knights event but noted that, “Whenever we create an event, the athlete comes first. We look at the quality of the course, the equipment they use and make sure they can do what they intend to do. We always have the best medical help on hand.”
According to the Prayforjeremylusk.blogspot.com website created by his supporters, Lusk died in the presence of his parents, Chuck and Gina Lusk, his wife, Lauren, and her parents.
Mulisha teammates Brian Deegan, Ryan Hagy, Cameron Steele and Erik Apple also were there.
“We know he is performing sick tricks for all those in heaven to crowds greater than we have ever seen,” the website said in a post. “We will miss you Pitbull!”
Funeral arrangements are pending. The Jeremy Lusk Trust Fund has been created through the Athlete Recovery Fund (athleterecoveryfund.com).
Members of the freestyle community are gathering at Oakley headquarters in Foothill Ranch, Calif., tonight for the premier of an action sports film starring Lusk. The event will now be a benefit for the Lusk family.
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