March 16, 2010

At a press conference last Thursday, Basel's treasurer, Eva Herzog, announced that the city ended the 2009 fiscal year with a budget surplus of 226 million francs. While the surplus was down from 2008, the figure was much better than expected given the economic crisis.

Herzog said no single factor was responsible. The city had held down expenses, and revenues were slightly higher than expected. However, the outlook for this year is still negative because of increasing unemployment and welfare payments.

Source: bazonline
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Clean up of the chemical dump in Le Letten in France begins this spring. The site is just 300 meters from the Swiss border near Schönenbuch: The chemical waste dump was opened in the nineteen fifties and used by Swiss companies including Novartis, Ciba and Syngenta.

Clean-up efforts began after years of conflict during which the town of Allschwil refused to buy drinking water from Schönenbuch. No toxic leaching into drinking water has been documented.

Source: bazonline
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Resistance to Basel’s new anti-smoking law continues to mount. The smoking ban in restaurants takes effect on April 1st. About sixty restaurants, cafes and bars have declared themselves smoking clubs to avoid the ban.

The pro-smoking lobby is organized by the association Fümoar. Smokers pay ten francs for a membership card to gain entry to all participating clubs. The club’s president claims that several thousand membership cards have already been sold.

Source: 20 minuten
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A 40 year old man eluded police for most of last Wednesday after assaulting his father-in-law and threatening several others with a revolver. After a heated argument in Pratteln with his father-in-law the agitated man returned to Basel openly carrying his gun.

Police tracked him to an apartment using his cell phone; but he managed to escape by fleeing across nearby rooftops. The man's brother was eventually able to talk him into turning himself in late that night.

Source: bazonline
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A new facebook group to loosen fasnacht drumming laws already has four hundred members. Drums are only permitted four weeks before Fasnacht, during the event itself, and then on the three marching Sundays afterward. Outside of this period, drummers must practice on quieter instruments.

The rules stem from a law dating back to 1852 that aimed to protect the ill, workers and horses from loud percussion. Now lawmakers and fasnacht organizers are working to overturn the outdated law.

Source: bazonline
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Bars and restaurants in Baselland will be able to stay open late during the football world championship this summer. Extended hours for special events such as the championship are permitted by law, especially when the Swiss national team is also participating.

From June 11th to July 11th, restaurants and bars can stay open until 2am and perhaps later. Baselstadt has already been granted similar hours to bars and restaurants in the city.

Source: bazonline
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Basel’s government has agreed to tolerate the recreational use of nitrous oxide gas. It is known as "laughing gas" due to the euphoric effects of inhaling it. Balloons filled with nitrous oxide are reportedly sold and consumed at local parties.

Lawmakers will not prosecute the sale or consumption of laughing gas as this would require additional restrictions for the sniffing of other glues and solvents. Laws in Zürich are more stringent, where the sale of nitrous oxide at parties is prosecuted.

Source: 20 minuten
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Early Sunday morning, a man walking his dog noticed someone climbing on a crane near the train station and called the police. Anticipating a possible suicide attempt, both the police and fire department responded.

Fortunately, it turned out to be three teenagers who had climbed up the crane to enjoy the view. Fire fighters accompanied the three down. The 19 year-olds were charged with disorderly conduct and will be fined for the cost of the fire department's deployment.

Source: bazonline
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