Infrastructure

One Year After Landslide, ‘Pacifico 1’ Highway Reopens 24 Hours Daily

Medellin Herald June 17, 2020

Colombia’s national infrastructure agency (Agencia Nacional de Infraestructura, ANI) announced June 17 that the crucial “Pacifico 1” highway connecting Medellin’s southern suburbs to the Cauca River town of Bolombolo is now open 24 hours/day. A 300-meters-long section of the existing two-lane

Events

Update: Medellin’s 2020 ‘Silleteros’ Flower Parade Postponed to November 8

Medellin Herald June 15, 2020

Because of the Covid-19 crisis, the Medellin Mayor’s Office announced July 18 that it has decided to postpone the 63rd annual ‘Desfile de los Silleteros” flower parade to November 8, rather than in August. What’s more, all the usual “Feria de las Flores” events leading up to the parade — and the parade itself — […]

General News

Medellin’s Short- and Long-Term Municipal Bonds Win ‘Stable’ Ranking from Wall Street

Medellin Herald June 13, 2020

Wall Street bond rater Fitch Ratings announced June 12 that it affirmed the city of Medellin’s long-and short-term debt at relatively favorable “AAA (col)” and “F1 + (col)” ratings. “The outlook for the long-term rating is ‘stable,’” according to Fitch. “The affirmation of the ratings took into account the situation of economic stress as a […]

Health & Insurance.

350 Health Professionals Get Training on Medellin’s Low-Cost Covid-19 Respirator Technologies

Medellin Herald June 12, 2020

The Medellin Mayor’s Office announced June 11 that 350 health professionals are now being trained on how to use new, relatively low-cost respirators developed by the ‘InnspiraMED” initiative for Covid-19 victims. “This training takes place prior to the delivery of low-cost mechanical respirators developed by the InnspiraMED initiative, which is articulated by [Medellin

Real Estate

Colombia to Debut Reverse-Mortgage Regulations in 2nd-Half 2020

Medellin Herald June 12, 2020

Colombia President Ivan Duque and Colombia Housing Minister Jonathan Malagón jointly announced June 12 in a nationally televised address that reverse mortgages will become legal here following regulations scheduled for publication in second-half 2020. While reverse mortgages are common in North America and elsewhere – mainly enabling retired persons to generate an

Companies

Coronavirus Outbreak to Delay Hidroituango Start-up to 2022: EPM

Medellin Herald June 12, 2020

Medellin-based electric power giant EPM revealed June 11 in a filing with Colombia’s Superfinanciera oversight agency that its US$5 billion, 2.4-gigawatt “Hidroituango” hydroelectric plant in Antioquia won’t start-up until 2022. The company had been planning for a December 2021 start-up of the first four turbine units. But the Covid-19 outbreak that is idling hundreds of

Infrastructure

EPM Outlines COP$4 Trillion Electric-Power Distribution Investments for 2020 to 2024

Medellin Herald June 11, 2020

Medellin-based electric power giant EPM on June 11 unveiled a COP$4 trillion (US$1.06 billion) capital investment program for its power distribution subsidiaries in six Colombian departments (states). The investments “seek to contribute to the improvement of service quality, minimizing the number of interruptions and their duration,” according to EPM. “For this,

Ecotourism

Proposed Eco-Park in Southwest Antioquia Dropped over Quebradona Mining Concerns

Medellin Herald June 9, 2020

Medellin-based family-welfare organization Comfama announced June 8 that it has decided to suspend its proposed ecotourism park in southwest Antioquia because of feared potential contamination from the proposed Quebradona copper-gold mine near Jericó. According to the Comfama press bulletin, the suspension of the proposed eco-park near the La Guamo gorge means that the

General News

EPM Putting 1,000 Workers at Hidroituango Site in Voluntary Isolation over Covid-19 Fears

Medellin Herald June 9, 2020

Medellin-based electric power giant EPM announced June 8 that more than 1,000 construction workers at its US$5 billion, 2.4-gigawatt “Hidroituango” hydroelectric project in Antioquia will undergo staggered, voluntary isolation in June and July to avoid possible Covid-19 outbreaks. To date, EPM reports that it has detected 283 cases of Covid-19 infections among Hidroituango

General News

Deposed Antioquia Governor Gaviria: ‘I’m Innocent, Attorney General is Legally Mistaken’

Medellin Herald June 8, 2020

Deposed Antioquia Governor Aníbal Gaviria announced in a June 8 press conference that Colombia Attorney General Francisco Barbosa Delgado committed a grievous legal error in charging Gaviria with corruption over a 2005 highway contract — and likewise went way overboard in removing him from office and putting him under house arrest. Gaviria also revealed that […]