Banner Year for HerbstMesse; Snow Comes Early - Skiiers Celebrate; Burglary At Basel Area Wellness Spa; Happy Ending for Wayward Donkey; Concert Cancelled by Censors

The 544th Annual Baseler HerbstMesse is drawing to a close and its proven to be one for the record books.  Helping with the turnout of over one million visitors this year was of course the unusually sunny and warm weather.  Of the over 500 vendors the ones that saw the most business this year were the ones with outdoor stands where patrons could enjoy the final balmy days of autumn.  Hans Peter MAier, an operator of some of the most popular rides at the messehalle and kaserne said 2014 was one of the very best years for weather and business he's seen in his 30 years of working at the herbstmesse.  Of course, the great weather wasn't good news for everyone: the stalls operated inside the messehalle saw reduced traffic, and only saw moderate increases in business in the evenings of weekends.   ******************************************************************************************   Mountain enthusiasts will be waxing their skis this week with the news that several high-altitude Swiss resorts have commenced operations. Among the early openers to open their gates on Saturday were Verbier, Andermatt and Laax. But it’s not all good news for skiers. Switzerland’s snow and avalanche institute has warned of a high avalanche risk in many areas – a threat brought about by fragile slow accumulations and warm air arriving from the south. Mother Nature continues to be generous with the snow though, with resorts above 1800 meters expecting up to 250 mm of precipitation in the first half of this week.   *************************************************************************************

 

In the early hours of Monday morning burglars broke into the Rheinfelden wellness center Sole Uno.  the criminals, Having tripped an alarm while forcing their entrance into the facility, the local police were alerted who arrived on the scene of the crime along with officers of the regional and border police.  Unfortunately, the perpetrators had escaped by the time law enforcement arrived.  It appears the target of the break-in was an on-site ATM machine, which despite tampering was not successfully opened.  In all, it appears those breaking in spent about an hour rummaging through the spa and managed to steal only 100 francs while causing property damage in excess of 10000 francs.  Police are canvassing for witnesses and are asking for anyone with information to contact them.

 

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Basel rescue workers got an emergency call with a difference this week, when a wandering donkey managed to get stuck in a manhole. Nilo, a curious 13 year old ass somehow managed to fall into the uncovered manhole in the village of Pratteln, with just his rather worried head protruding to the surface. Nilo was spotted by a passer by who raised the alarm, and a team of firefighters was quickly on the scene. The delicate operation of extracting the donkey was a great success, and Nilo walked away with just a few minor cuts and abrasions. He has since returned to less dangerous activities, resuming work at a petting zoo for children. 

 

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the Bremen, Germany based musical band Category C had to cancel its planned concert in Basel last Saturday night when they were sent a restraining order by the cantonal police against playing.  Apparently, the band known for its extreme right-wing views and lyrics was deemed to be a threat to public safety according to Basel Police Spokesperson Andreas Knuchel.  The band is now in the uncomfortable situation of having to reimburse their patrons who were only notified last minute of the cancellation.  The band is no stranger to controversy, having experienced bans and cancelled shows in their hometown where they were deemed to be afoul of laws against incitement and racist speech,  They remain undeterred however, their management promising a live show in Switzerland after christmas.