The Flemish municipality of Hoeilaart is looking for people to grow their own grapes in the municipality's authentic greenhouses All grape growers have to do is pay a little rent ‘Grape-growing is such a beautiful tradition in Hoeilaart that should not be allowed to be lost,’ says alderman Stefanie Van Dooren fruit intended for consumption as fresh fruit and not for wine-making They are traditionally grown in greenhouses but growers have become rare in recent years there were hundreds of grape growers and Hoeilaart was even called the ‘Glass Village’ The municipality of Hoeilaart is now looking for people eager to rent greenhouse space and tend a grapevine in the authentic greenhouses of Kelleveld Alderman Stefanie Van Dooren wants to breathe fresh life into the practice ‘It is such a beautiful tradition in Hoeilaart that should not be lost People receive training and get to harvest the produce Renting and working a grapevine in Hoeilaart only costs 75 euros a year Support is available to steer you in the right direction By September and early October you will be able to enjoy your own harvest a similar initiative has existed for a long while The ‘Become a Greenhouse Grape-grower’ course and renting and tending a grapevine have become tremendously popular On the International Day against Trafficking in Persons Halle-Vilvoorde prosecutors and the prosecutor for offences against labour legislation are asking for vigilance against human trafficking ‘There are still too many cases of human trafficking as could be seen from the case involving a carwash in Hoeilaart that recently came to light,’ the prosecutor says During recent checks social inspectors discovered four victims of human trafficking who had been set to work in a carwash in Hoeilaart (Flemish Brabant) ‘Those involved worked 5 to 6 days a week in appalling conditions,’ says Natasha De Vylder of Halle-Vilvoorde labour legislation prosecutors People had to go to the toilet in a bucket the place was dangerous for the people working there as there were exposed live electricity cables.’ The four victims worked an average of 11 hours per day and received a meagre daily wage of 55 to 60 euros In May the carwash’s business manager was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment and a fine of 32,000 euros He also lost his civil and political rights for a period of five years International Day against Trafficking in Persons an estimated 23,000 people become victims of human trafficking in Belgium Susan Glaza Gordon Cedar Rapids 10/17/1954 – 10/27/2022 On Oct Susan Glaza Gordon died peacefully in her sleep … The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication Susan Glaza Gordon died peacefully in her sleep at Mercy hospital following a brief battle with cancer Her infectious laughter and bright sparkle will be missed here in Eastern Iowa Colo.; and many other loving family members and friends For more information please check Cedar Memorial website The Gazette has been informing Iowans with in-depth local news coverage and insightful analysis for over 140 years independent journalism with a subscription today © 2025 The Gazette | All Rights Reserved There were horrific scenes last weekend in the Jan van Ruusbroec Park in the sleepy Flemish Brabant village of Hoeilaart A male swan known as “Petoetje” killed a female swan called “Petatje that had been brought to Hoeilaart from Bruges (West Flanders) to keep him company just two weeks earlier Petoetje had spent the past two years without the company of other swans on the park’s pond What should have been a great romance ended in tragedy on Sunday when Petoetje drown Petatje on the pond Eyewitness Beatrice Danau saw it all happen “I was doing something at home when I heard animals making a noise on the pond” Ms Danau and her husband both live in a flat that overlooks the pond She watched on in horror as the tragedy unfolded "I saw Petoetje sitting on top of Petatje in the middle of the pond With his beak he kept pushing her head under the water until she had drowned "During the past two weeks Petoetje and Petatje never quarrelled The Alderman responsible for animal welfare in Hoeilaart Joris Pijpen (liberal) told the VRT that he has no reason to believe that Petatje’s death was the result of foul play on the part of humans He added that Petoetje had never been aggressive towards humans Hoeilaart Council has no plans to get a new swan to replace Patatje Rail passengers that wish to travel between Brussels Namur and Luxembourg this weekend will face longer journey times due to track maintenance work The rail infrastructure company Infrabel will be carrying out work between Brussels Luxembourg station and Ottignies station in Walloon Brabant on the line between Brussels and Leuven (Flemish Brabant) and the section of the Brussels to Luxembourg line between Rochefort-Jemelle and Libramont (both Luxembourg Province) will cause further delays for passengers heading for the Ardennes or Luxembourg From early on Saturday morning until late on Sunday evening trains from Brussels to Arlon (Luxembourg Province) and Luxembourg will be diverted via Leuven (Flemish Brabant) where passengers will have to change trains A replacement bus service will be in operation for passengers wishing to travel from Brussels Luxembourg to stations in the southeast of Brussels Groenendaal and Hoeilaart in Flemish Brabant and stations between La Hulpe and Ottignies in Walloon Brabant The Belgian rail company NMBS advises passengers to check it website or app before leaving home