Good evening. Here is the Monday, March 31 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in a few minutes a man with devastating injuries was found dead in a forest near the town of Detva According to the State Nature Protection (ŠOP) preliminary findings indicate that he succumbed to an attack by a brown bear This is the fourth death resulting from such incidents in Slovakia's modern history, with the first one in 2021 and two last year The attack took place about a kilometre from an urban area Monitoring devices as well as warnings have been deployed Preservationists urge people going on hikes to be careful as the warmer weather now increases the chance of meeting the animal Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba (SNS nominee) said that Slovakia has a "positive population growth among bears" and that there is a need to embrace an across-the-board regulation of the population According to the Sme daily a record number of bears were killed last year in Slovakia Taraba added that on Monday the ŠOP submitted a proposal to cull 350 bears as part of bear population management and that a motion to declare a state of emergency in locations affected by the presence of bears will be submitted to the Wednesday government session with the aim of facilitating a cull Progressive Slovakia's environment expert and legislator Tamara Stohlová criticised Taraba for the proposal saying the tragedy is a testament to the ministry's failure and that despite the record number of bears culled She also criticises the ministry for ignoring preventive measures Tips: How to stay safe around bears. An overview of answers to practical questions that are good to know before you find yourself in front of a brown bear LAST WEEK: As foot-and-mouth disease spreads, Fico no longer insists on a "different opinion". The benefits of EU membership suddenly become apparent ANIMALS: The foot-and-mouth outbreak hits a major Danish-owned cattle farm in Slovakia near the Austrian and Czech borders FOREIGN RELATIONS: Like General Milan Rastislav Štefánik, a national hero of both Slovakia and France, whose personal motto was "To Believe, To Love, To Work", we will continue to believe, love, and work together to deepen ties between France and Slovakia, writes Nicolas Suran, French Ambassador to Slovakia WAR IN UKRAINE: Dutch, a 26-year-old Slovak-Dutch raised in the UK, traded McDonald’s shifts for Ukraine’s front lines after prophetic dreams convinced him he was destined to fight.  ICE-HOCKEY: HKM Zvolen have reached the semi-finals of the Tipos Extraliga after clobbering regular-season winners HK Spišská Nová Ves in Game 6 HOUSING: Municipalities in the Bratislava hinterland have been growing for many years, with Hviezdoslavov being the record breaker among them SLOVAK ROOTS: In the newest installment of the newsletter, you will find several personal stories about how people found their connection to Slovakia, in addition to the usual travel guide or history piece If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription with no ads and a print copy of The Slovak Spectator sent to your home in Slovakia Originally from Mexico, Tanya Benito moved to Slovakia for a job with her American company. Little did she know that within just a few days of her arrival, she would meet her future husband. In what sounds like a true romance story, Tanya not only won her husband’s heart but also took over his job you can always join the crowds cheering for runners If you would like to train a bit ahead, here are a few tips on popular running routes in Bratislava shared by foreigners Slovak figure skater Adam Hagara finished 16th at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Boston. This is so far his best standing at a world championship event. He has already secured a spot in the upcoming winter Olympics next year. (Sportnet) Slovakia has received €101 million from the European Union for energy projects to rebuild Ukraine According to Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár (Smer) these projects are good for Slovakia in terms of supporting entrepreneurs who will be involved in the reconstruction of Ukraine As many as 63 percent of Slovaks (EU average 66 percent) think that the European Union should play a more important role in protecting its citizens against global crises and security risks in the future according to a winter Eurobarometer survey 80 percent of Slovaks (EU average 74 percent) believe that their country benefits from the membership with 51 percent of those agreeing that job opportunities are the biggest benefit; 35 percent of respondents from across the EU view the union's contribution to preserving peace and strengthening security as the biggest benefit of their country's membership 88 percent of Slovaks (EU average 89 percent) agree that EU-member states should be more united so that they can face current global challenges 76 percent of EU citizens and 63 percent of Slovaks think that the EU needs more money to face current global challenges The European Union is currently positively viewed by 50 percent of the EU population and 41 percent of Slovak citizens Due to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease the government agreed to deploy soldiers to help the police with securing borders and guarding buildings as the resources and forces of the police are insufficient  They will be deployed to all former border crossings with Hungary selected border crossings with Austria and some structures until May 31 The Defence Ministry also banned the general public from entering forests in the Záhorie Military Area which is close to the village of Plavecký Štvrtok where a new outbreak was confirmed on Sunday The culling of more than 3,500 cattle will probably start on Wednesday WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: Cloudy, occasionally showers especially in the north. Daily temperatures will rise to between 12 °C to 18 °C. Level 1 wind warning in several north-western, central and south-eastern districts, see the map here. (SHMÚ) If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram(@slovakspectator). Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. 25 Jul 2012 00:47:29 GMT — Many Northern Michigan communities got their start by turning to the surrounding trees with a booming timber industry; but only one got its start by being completely underwater Ask amateur historian Neil Nugent what the strangest thing that ever happened in the Benzie County community of Beulah is "I guess draining the lake is the most unusual thing that anyone has done." The lake in question is none other than Crystal Lake the land that the town of Beulah sits on now might still be under water Nugent explains "he (Case) got a bright idea that he could connect the outlet of Crystal Lake to a waterway and go all the way down to the Betsie River then we would have commerce from this part of Crystal Lake all the way to the Great Lakes which would have been a great idea except that apparently nobody used a transit to discover that the lake level was considerably higher than the Betsie River it started gushing and ran for a number of weeks and drained the lake down like a big bath tub." Some estimates say the lake level dropped by up to 30 feet The waterway and commerce never really took hold but the exposed land proved to be the most valuable payout of the botched project Nugent says "About 6 or 8 years later they started putting down houses and 1888 the railroad came through utilizing the exposed shoreline that was because it had no trees on it The railroad was really the impetus of a commercial area that became a town People saw the three and half miles of shoreline along the railroad here and so they started buying up land along the railroad line and then more and more people started coming." But that railroad did more than just bring people here The first residents who staked their claim did it in a town named Crystal City but when the railroad built the station that name became something entirely different Nugent says "when they hung the shingle out at the rail road depot it just said Beulah and just got the relatively mundane name of Beulah." While many neighboring towns saw lumber booms drive their first industries Beulah staked its claim on a smaller scale in the form of celery and onions They produce grew well in the newly exposed Beulah's main street began to take shape Nugent describes the narrow corridor of commerce and a grist mill and all the things that go with a little town." But even back then Beulah's industry was based on the nearby water Nugent says "there were a number of resorts and resort hotels guests at the hotels and resorts would arrive by rail but in the 1920's that too would change Nugent says "when they ran US 31 the roadway up through here that was instrumental in bringing a lot more visitors By that time people were starting to drive cars and that brought a lot of people here because the highway ran right through town." But the new road wasn't the only thing that ran through town back then The tiny fish stocked to feed the landlocked salmon in Crystal Lake would run into Cold Creek and thousand of smelters looking to fill their nets would like the creek at midnight at the start of the season Beulah has always had a close relationship with its neighboring community Benzonia Nugent says "it wasn't until 1932 that Beulah became an independent town with its own post office." A post office and a park suitable for a prizefight Nugent says "in the center of that park was a boxing ring and this was a popular place on summer weekends they would have boxing tournaments." Beulah still capitalizes on its biggest draw Crystal Lake; even if it's a little smaller because of a mistake The European Olympic Youth Festival 2022 Banská Bystrica will bring improvements to the sports infrastructure in the region Badín and Detva will host competitions as well a reconstruction of the city sports hall will take place The venue will become the scene of a handball tournament The preparatory work in the city has been already started reconstruction will be carried out from September to February next year The cost of modernization will amount to 650,000 EUR entrances for visitors and athletes as well as access paths will be repaired new parking spaces and VIP areas will be added “We want to completely repair also second building where we will build eight changing rooms for players with complete social and hygienic facilities new toilets for spectators and visitors and a new buffet with view of the court,” Detva Mayor Ján Šufliarský told TASR The European Youth Olympic Festival in Banská Bystrica brought during its seven days (24 – 30 July 2022) an innumerable amount of great sports battles and experiences for future stars of ten sports sectors in which young people competed under the Urpín and the surrounding area – mostly from 14 to […] Renáta Jamrichová won two gold medals at the EYOF 2022 on Friday “It was a difficult match against quality opponents Sixteenth summer European Youth Olympic Festival EYOF 2022  in Banská Bystrica and its surroundings is  coming to an end Seven days of unforgettable moments and sports joy performed by young athletes in ten sports and sporting experiences for a large number of spectators or […] Pope Francis has also a painted wooden cross old side-road crosses and wooden painted tomb crosses typical for Detva were enlisted in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List Woodcarver Milan Malček has brought this symbol of the Podpoliansky region in a miniature version into homes for 15 years now Malček started to carve wooden crosses when he was about 50 years old Malček used to work as an artist for the marketing department of Podpolianske strojárne in Detva “I got the impulse to create miniatures from the owner of a local folk-art shop when she gave me a small wooden cross and asked me to decorate it,” Malček explained for the TASR newswire He added that he immediately thought about Detva road-side cross motifs “I painted some of them and gave them back to her shop They were sold within a few days,” he said for TASR Miniature crosses are made from linden tree wood and painted with acrylic paint Malček creates one of the most wanted souvenirs from the Podpoliansky region in the kitchen of his small flat in Detva when Christmas markets are open all over Slovakia His crosses decorate not only Slovak houses but also houses of compatriots in Europe and even further abroad he got it during an audience,” Malček commented for TASR THE REGULAR Detva folk festival devotees expertly nodded their heads: this is the largest number of visitors in years and the programme is better than ever In the midst of the 41st Under the Poľana Festivities Saturday evening most astonished the organisers More than 6,000 people wedged into the amphitheatre to see the famed Vrchársky Orchestra play and SĽUK ensemble dance while thousands of others had fun with groups of musicians scattered around the food booths "Such interest pleasantly surprised us but at the same time caught us short," organiser Anna Ostrihoňová told The Slovak Spectator Detva lacked sufficient parking space and traffic was jammed on the way The first two July weekends have always belonged to Slovakia's two largest folk dance and music festivals the Východná festival did not happen The postponement of the construction of a new amphitheatre broke the festival's 50-year tradition and its absence left a mark on Detva "Východná might be one of the two reasons that so many people came Another was the attractive evening programme," Ostrihoňová said the festival hosted around 1,500 performers It opened on Friday with local ensembles from around the Poľana region Costume-clad ladies party with young visitors entered the stage in typical Detva costume with a bare belly and wide belt He played the traditional fujara instrument which he then traded Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga for a Latvian cithara The Latvian president joined him on the stage in her national costume The presidents' spouses also wore traditional national dress the two Slovak and Czech traditions added to the UNESCO list last year richly carved pipe-like instrument and the second is a male Saturday evening saw a record number of visitors improvised "jumping" dance preserved in the Czech region of Slovácko Along with the amphitheatre area situated at Detva's outer edge the rest of the town also lived with the festival Several courtyards invited passers-by to get to know the traditions of shepherds while tasting cheese products prepared on the spot or to closely observe the carving of the typical Detva wooden crosses "We would like to spread the idea of these courtyards which offer visitors an informal opportunity to learn about traditions and carry them into the future," said their organizer Roman Malatinec President Gašparovič (right) plays for his Latvian counterpart (centre) The Detva festival did not forget about Východná The local Kriváň ensemble mentioned it at the closing Sunday programme "We hope everything goes well and Východná takes place next year," Ostrihoňová said revealing that Detva also plans to reconstruct and enlarge the Detva amphitheatre area with the support of the European Union fund as the private owners refuse to sell the land it is easy to see that interest in traditional culture endures The regional festivals also attract foreigners Visitors learn about traditions at U Fujerášov (Fujara Artists) courtyard Detva annually hosts foreign Slovaks who perform in the programme This year it saw 240 such performers arriving from the Czech Republic "We were the place where foreign Slovaks officially met also during communism," Ostrihoňová said "and we want to remain the place where they get in contact with the traditions of their ancestors." talks about being a busy bee with a poor memory “Call me at four,” the ice hockey player Ján Sýkora replied to a text asking for an interview In order to concentrate on the conversation athletes usually choose an hour for an interview when they are relaxed this does not apply to HC 07 Detva player Sýkora go down to the cellar to fetch a jar of blueberries play with his children and then later go for a massage 30-year-old Sýkora has represented Slovakia in the past and now he plays for a team that is considered to be the biggest surprise in a top ice hockey league in the country he is not a typical athlete living in a bubble He said fashion brands mean nothing to him and alongside his career he manages to do the things that normal people do which he proved substantially during this unconventional interview The rest of this article is premium content at Spectator.skSubscribe now for full access Immediate access to all locked articles (premium content) on Spectator.sk Special weekly news summary + an audio recording with a weekly news summary to listen to at your convenience (received on a weekly basis directly to your e-mail) PDF version of the latest issue of our newspaper Access to all premium content on Sme.sk and Korzar.sk The steps were taken following a blog post by security analyst Radovan Bránik The inspectorate of the Interior Ministry will deal with suspicions on mafia practices involving police officers from the National Criminal Agency (NAKA) published in a blog post of security analyst Radovan Bránik The inspectorate should now check whether police officers from Banská Bystrica do not have any hired killers among their ranks Since Bránik already submitted the criminal complaint concerning the case the police have been scrutinising the suspicions as their spokesperson Andrea Dobiášová confirmed for Sme The case concerns Detva-based businessman active in IT After he started talking about mafia practices in this town in the Banská Bystrica Region while his property was repeatedly damaged and someone threw a grenade at his company twice The grenade once contained shrapnel in order to intensify its lethal effect Bránik published a recording from 2014 which allegedly describes how Detva-based internet provider Martin Cibulka discusses how to get rid of Ďurkove with former police officer Vladimír Krnáč Krnáč is allegedly a mediator who was to order the murder with the group known as Vlci (Wolves) this word is used to describe elite police officers from NAKA Cibulka has rejected any accusations of ordering a murder and claims he has already met Bránik to explain him the case “He did not take any arguments and facts I gave him seriously and as I read on his blog The regional media had reported about the dispute between Ďurkove and Cibulka concerning the clients of their IT services in 2012 when the first bomb went off near the company the recording published by Bránik was allegedly made It captures how Cibulka tells Krnáč that he did not order a grenade and that it harms his reputation He only said he would file a criminal complaint against Bránik and if Sme tries to contact him again he would file another complaint against the reporter The investigation of both explosions was carried out by the police in Banská Bystrica which later stopped them; the former due to its inability to identify a culprit and the latter due to the lack of evidence Bránik is ready for a hearing and says he will continue in publishing stories about links between influential people and mafia He allegedly has more recordings at his disposal Bránik has not asked for police protection and the police have not proposed it either THE APPROXIMATELY 10-kilometre section of the R2 expressway section between Pstruša and Kriváň (Banská Bystrica Region) was ceremonially opened for the driving public on November 10 The new road will shorten the journey by about six minutes when compared to the respective first-class route through Detva The road was built by a consortium of Strabag Doprastav and Váhostav-SK within two years The costs were set at €177.96 million The project was co-financed from the European Regional Development Fund via Operational Programme Transport The expressway should unburden traffic on the current I/50 first-class route that goes via Pstruša and Detva This road section is considered to be dangerous the intensity of traffic on the road was 15,000 vehicles per day it is expected that 80-90 percent of the traffic will move onto the expressway It is also thought that the high number of accidents between Zvolen and Detva will be reduced “It’s good mainly for our pensioners and children,” said Kriváň Mayor Imrich Palko “Now they can walk the road safely.” The new road also provides opportunities for new investors Another section being constructed at the moment is the eight-kilometre Pstruša-Zvolen stretch with the longest one over the Slatina River spanning 460 metres The section should be completed in mid-2016 said Transport Minister Ján Počiatek A tender for a new feasibility study was announced recently as the construction work was halted due to possible issues with underground mineral water at the town of Sliač accompanied also by a minor incident when some people threw eggs at the speakers at the grand opening of the R2 section Počiatek described this as the chosen tactics of certain political parties in the run up to the general election due in the spring of next year Engineering companies Punch and ZF head to the industrial park in Detva develops and sells flexible packaging focusing on the handling and transportation of particularly bulky and liquid materials officially opened its new plant in Trebišov (Košice Region) on October 3 Conrop already stared its production in Trebišov in the summer and currently employs 50 people it is planning to create a total of 220 jobs by the end of 2019 Company managing director Radek Horák specified that this investment will mean expansion of its currently insufficient production capacities in the Czech Republic as well as its plant in Brezno in central Slovakia When choosing a locality for the new plant Conrop took into consideration the jobless rate and availability of the local job office it found an available labour force and a job office with which it clinched an agreement on gradual re-qualifications of jobseekers Half of the people currently employed in the Trebišov plant were registered as jobseekers with the office Economy Minister Peter Žiga pointed out that the Czech company decided to open its plant in Trebišov without any state aid would like to give a helping hand to the investor “We’ll surely discuss the possibilities and conditions for the state to support its production and help them in the plant’s expansion,” said Žiga A new investment is also heading to Detva in central Slovakia the Belgian company Punch tapped the foundation stone of its plant for production of components for the automotive industry in the local industrial park in Detva Punch is scheduled to launch production in its new premises in late 2019 which will rent part of the production plant from Punch will create more than 200 work places here The new investment will include industrial development of products and production tools within which 30 designers with technical university education will find jobs here where the president of the first Czechoslovak Republic Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and his daughters spent their summers Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and his daughters spent their summers Lying in the Pstruš borough of the municipality of Vígľaš (in the district of Detva) the Masarykov dvor complex is being repaired by the Agrosev Detva company which will go toward the reconstruction of two farm buildings where a boarding house will be established together with a restaurant and a congress hall the renovation of the whole sports and recreational complex will require about €7 million.The complex was built at the start of the 20th century The photograph below shows one of the most architecturally significant buildings in Pstruš "JAPANESE tourists visiting Bratislava are the most regular purchasers of the traditional costumes," Alena Šumšalová of the Centre for Folk Art Production (ÚĽUV) in Bratislava "The dances they learn at workshops make them want to buy the costumes Folk dance group Lúčnica and SĽUK [the Slovak Folk Art Ensemble] have held such workshops in Japan through which the locals got to see the costumes." photo: Drawings of Detva costumes by Viera Škrabalová "JAPANESE tourists visiting Bratislava are the most regular purchasers of the traditional costumes," Alena Šumšalová of the Centre for Folk Art Production (ÚĽUV) in Bratislava Folk dance group Lúčnica and SĽUK [the Slovak Folk Art Ensemble] have held such workshops in Japan Folk costumes are no longer ordinary clothing in Slovakia Keepers-of-tradition preserve and restore original costumes for display purposes; tailors run them up for folk dancing performances These costumes also inspire contemporary designers to pull the muse from tried and trusted traditions Slovak Folk Costumes: Tradition and Inspiration it offers a broad picture of the country's rich and diverse clothing history The exhibition displays complete folk costumes from the Slovak National Museum in Martin and accessories and sketches from the ÚĽUV collection There are ceremonial clothes that date back to the 19th and early 20th Modern clothes inspired by traditional costumes are a special part of the exhibition Visitors can see female folk costumes from Chorvátsky Grob and Hrušov They can also admire the most fascinating male Detva costume with a typically short shirt stopping about half way down the chest one can get a quick idea of the diversity of Slovakia's folk costume heritage thanks to a virtual map on ÚĽUV's website (www.uluv.sk) all had an effect on the variety of folk clothing in Slovakia," Šumšalová said mountainous regions differed from those worn by people in the fertile lowlands The rural inhabitants made theirs from linen better accessibility of fabrics and population migration "There were over 60 design regions at the turn of the 20th century," says Alžbeta Gazdíková from the Slovak National Museum in Martin THE FASHIONS of the past are at Obchodná 64 until October 29 Ornamental richness and a large variety of techniques could be found especially in western and also central Slovakia It is the decoration that gets most of the attention today bobbin lace patterns and shapes can now be found in the works of many Slovak fashion designers Janka Menkynová and Klára Brunovská collectors of Slovak costumes can be found in the USA as well The major ones will come to Bratislava on September 20 when they will take part in the world genealogical conference and on that occasion visit ÚĽUV's exhibition The ÚĽUV Gallery is located at Obchodná 64 It is open Tuesday to Friday 12:00 to 18:00 The Slovak government has approved the culling of 350 bears this year in response to a rising number of attacks by brown bears whose population has grown significantly in recent years serves as a key refuge for the species in its mountainous regions a 59-year-old man was killed by a bear while walking near the central town of Detva marking the latest incident in a series of bear attacks on humans in recent years “We cannot live in a country where people are afraid to go into the forest where humans become prey for bears,” Fico stated The Slovak Ministry of Environment plans to follow Romania’s model, which introduced culling quotas and more than doubled the number of bears allowed to be killed last year to 481 a sharp increase compared to single-digit numbers in previous years The government reported 13 bear attacks on humans last year Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr