The intense rains that have fallen on Tarragona this winter have filled the streams that flow into the sea and have once again dirtied the beaches with pellets. The water that falls on the facilities of companies that handle these small plastics leads them through the drains to the streams, and then they end up on the beaches and in the sea. The last serious incident occurred due to rainfall between January 16 and 18, as was verified by the municipal beach inspector of La Pineda (Vila-seca), who photographed and documented the thousands of pellets that appeared on the beach.

Data on industrial pollution in the Camp de Tarragona region improves every year, although during 2025, due to the general blackout of AprilEmissions of one of the monitored toxic components spiked. The power outage that plunged Catalonia, Spain, and Portugal into darkness disrupted the normal operation of the chemical plants in Tarragona and triggered a surge in emissions of 1,3-butadiene, one of the volatile compounds generated by the industrial process. In Catalonia, emissions of this element are not regulated by any legislation, but the Ontario (Canada) standard is used as a reference, which sets the annual average for these emissions at 2 µg/m³. During last year's nationwide blackout, levels of this compound reached as high as 150 µg/m³, according to measurements from the petrochemical plant's own sensors in El Morell. Despite this incident, average emissions throughout the Camp de Tarragona region last year did not exceed 2 µg/m³.

The popular Tarragona neighborhood of Bonavista experienced an attempted provocation by Vox this afternoon, which ended in pushing and insults. The far-right party had called for a protest under the sloganNo to Islamization, no to mass immigration", which only gathered about sixty people. The demonstration aimed to reach the site where the neighborhood's Islamic community wants to relocate the mosque. There, however, in addition to a police cordon, some 250 anti-fascists were waiting for them.

"Excuse me for not looking at the camera, it's quite difficult to look away from this." This was how journalist Lídia Heredia, TV3's correspondent in Washington, D.C., apologized to the audience during her live broadcast of the solar eclipse in April 2024 from Erie, Pennsylvania. Wearing paper eclipse glasses, her mouth agape, and a face beaming with emotion, the journalist insisted: "Many people feel like we're living through an experience they'll remember for a lifetime." Many residents of southern Catalonia, and thousands of tourists, will have a similar feeling this August 12th, when the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, plunging the sky into darkness. For a minute and a half, as if someone had flipped a switch, it will suddenly go dark, and even the stars will be visible. All of this will occur between 7:30 and 9:00 p.m., depending on the observer's location.

On Tuesday, the Tarragona region saw protests from teachers who were not satisfied with the salary increase agreed upon by the CCOO and UGT unions with the government. The improvement included, among other things, an increase of around 3,000 euros per year. Not bad, but three unions (USTEC, Intersindical, and CGT) were not entirely convinced and organized a consultation.95% of voters rejected the agreement. It should be noted that 40,000 teachers participated, more than half of the total. The strikes that began this week and end on Friday with a demonstration in Barcelona therefore have very broad support among professionals.

This March 13th marks exactly two years since, after losing the budget vote, the then President of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, decided to call elections. The accounts for that fiscal year had an insurmountable obstacle: Hard Rock. On one hand, the PSC demanded that he unblock the project if he wanted their votes, but on the other hand, Comuns assured him that if the macro-casino went ahead, they would oppose it. An insurmountable dilemma. Aragonès maintained his commitment to the socialists, and Comuns kept their word and voted against the budget. President Aragonès called early elections and lost them in favor of Salvador Illa. Months later, Illa also needed the support of other parties to be invested as president, and once again, Hard Rock was the bargaining chip: one of the conditions set by Comuns and Republicans was that he eliminate the tax reductions that Artur Mas's government approved in 2014 to lure investors from the Seminole tribe of Florida, owners of Hard Rock. Instead of paying 55% of the taxes levied on gambling, they would only pay 10%.

In terms of size, with its 39,800 hectares, the Prades, Poblet and Serra de la Llena Mountains Natural Park will be the second largest natural park in Catalonia, second only to the Alt Pirineu Natural Park. But if we consider the level of complexity, the future natural park wins hands down. It was already considered a priority during the Second Republic, and once the dictatorship ended, there were various attempts to make it a reality, but these proved impossible. After many broken promises and constant changes to the schedule, there is a date that, now, seems likely to be met: Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia The Official Gazette of Catalonia (DOGC) will publish the draft for the creation of the new natural park this March. A period for submitting objections will then open, and according to the Catalan Government's calculations, it could be definitively approved this summer. The main difficulty in defining what the future park should be like lies precisely in its vast size: it includes 22 municipalities across five different counties and two provinces, Tarragona and Lleida. "Tell me what the reality of Cornudella (Priorat) could possibly have in common with that of Alcover (Alt Camp)," says the mayor of Cornudella, Meritxell Cardona. Converting this entire area into a natural park will allow for the preservation of a large expanse, but this protection entails restrictions. And this has been one of the main obstacles. The participatory process promoted by the Department of Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition has gathered 851 contributions, with an additional 150 following specific territorial sessions organized by the Government. "The creation of the park has incorporated a lengthy participatory process, which has allowed us to collect a wide diversity of perspectives, knowledge, and expectations regarding the future space," explained Marc Vilahur, Director General of Environmental Policies and the Natural Environment, this afternoon during an event in Alcover.

Emigrating is always a difficult experience, but it becomes even more complicated if you don't know anyone in the country you're going to, if the language and customs are different, and if you're only fifteen years old, the journey is in a small boat, and you can't swim. But that's not all: when you arrive at your destination, you discover that nothing was as easy as it seemed and that paying back the money you borrowed for the journey will be nearly impossible.

The announcement had already been made, but it wasn't yet entirely official, and negotiations to relocate the State Public Library to Tarragona's former tobacco factory had dragged on for so long that no one dared to commit to it. Finally, the confirmation was made public this Monday: the Tarragona City Council, the Catalan Government, and the Ministry of Culture have agreed to move the facility, currently located in the city center, to the main building of the former tobacco factory. The new library will have three floors and occupy 10,000 square meters, as Tarragona Mayor Rubén Viñuales pointed out: "This figure represents a fourfold increase in the space of the current library (1,800 m²), which will make it the second largest public library in Catalonia, after the future one." The investment to carry out this major project is estimated at 20 million euros and will be financed by the Spanish government. Once filled with books and open, the Ministry of Culture will transfer it to the Generalitat (Catalan government). The Tarragona City Council, for its part, must transfer the land to the State so that construction can begin, after the project has been drawn up.

Crim is a punk-rock band formed in Tarragona 15 years ago. That's how it works out for them, but in the end, they've managed to make a living from music, which is quite an achievement. Especially since they play the music they love, and it's not exactly the kind of music the industry promotes. They've played in various countries, and in this interview, they share their future plans. They're currently touring Spain to present their latest album. Medieval future. They are Adri Bertran, Quim Mas, Marc Anguela and Javi Dorado.

It was one of the region's long-standing demands, and after many meetings and negotiations, it has become a reality: the Catalan Government agreed this Tuesday to create the Roman Heritage Consortium of Tarraco. The new institution will be comprised of the Tarragona City Council, the Department of Culture of the Generalitat of Catalonia, and the Catalan Agency for Cultural Heritage. The Tarragona Provincial Council, the Ministry of Culture, the Archdiocese of Tarragona, and the municipalities of Altafulla, Constantí, and Roda de Berà will also participate at a different level. The consortium's main function will be to provide it with sufficient funding to guarantee the maintenance and promotion of the Roman remains. Until now, the Tarragona City Council had to request annual funding from other levels of government to help finance the maintenance of the city's heritage. This situation condemned the City Council to never having a guaranteed, sustained investment over time and also to having to settle for insufficient funding. The city's mayor, Rubén Viñuales, criticized the situation in December 2024, stating that it forced the City Council to "beg" to guarantee the maintenance of the heritage, which is as valuable as it is expensive. The Consortium's budget will be 8 million euros annually between 2026 and 2029, with contributions of approximately 3.6 million euros per year from the Generalitat (Catalan Government), 2.5 million euros per year from the Tarragona City Council, and 100,000 euros per year from the Tarragona Provincial Council. In addition, current income generated by the monuments themselves, projected at between 1.7 and 2 million euros, will be included. The Consortium will also manage the investments planned by the Ministry of Culture. It's important to remember that the archaeological site of Tarraco has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, and this designation mandates its proper maintenance. In fact, the need to create this consortium, which already exists in other cities with Roman remains such as Mérida, was included in the Tarragona Heritage Management Plan, drawn up in 2015 and revised in 2017 and 2021, and already submitted to the UNESCO Centre in Paris.

Closed gates and out-of-service trains. Tuesday's double accident on the Catalan rail network, shortly after the serious collision between two trains in Adamuz, Córdoba, has raised serious concerns about the state of the infrastructure in Catalonia. For this reason, authorities decided in the early hours of the morning to suspend all commuter rail service until the safety of the entire network could be confirmed. Transport Minister Óscar Puente confirmed this afternoon that the service would not operate for the entire day. This morning, stations were filled with people who were unaware of the service suspension, and information points were set up to assist them.

On paper, it's just a type of spring onion, rather mild and without much mystery. As the calçot grows, the farmer piles more soil on top of it (that is, he mulches it), tricking it into stretching and stretching until it reaches the right size. Finally, he harvests it, and it's ready for the fire. But these unspoiled vegetables have given rise to calçotadas, almost unique gastronomic and social celebrations that continue to grow in popularity. Throughout Catalonia, and especially in the Camp de Tarragona region, between the calçotadas organized by families, the ones at the local barn, the football team, coworkers, and lifelong friends, two can easily happen in a single weekend. From January until well into April, there's no respite.

The work to dismantle the Castor storage facility, located off the coast of Vinaròs, has already passed its first two phases and entered its final stretch this January, according to information obtained by ARA. The work to seal the wells and remove the pipelines began in April 2015 and will be completed during the first half of this year, according to forecasts by Enegás, the company in charge.

The penis of James I the Conqueror has not disintegrated. The king's member has been preserved for over 750 years by being mummified. And most importantly of all: it still contains some sperm. Lídia Obiols is a true Catalan, with an accent from the Girona region, and has become president of Catalonia. Assuming a great responsibility, she feels called to allow herself to be penetrated by the Conqueror's great penis in order to recover the purity of the nation and beget a new line of Catalan kings who will do what "the spineless presidents of the process" have failed to do. Obiols will try to save "a country where there are no longer any white people" and put an end to the barbarity. woke, led by immigrants, feminists, homosexuals, and leftists.

The members of the historic Colla La Bota de Tarragona, a group that participates annually in the Carnival parade, have made an unprecedented decision and opted to reverse course and modify the theme they had planned for their performance through the city streets during the upcoming Carnival, as reported by the newspaper ARA. Under the name "Death Adventure," Colla La Bota—along with the comparsa Divax—intended to denounce what they perceive as the "decline" of PortAventura and highlight the labor issues they have raised against the park's workers. Throughout 2025, the unions organized several days of strikes to demand a new collective bargaining agreement, which garnered such significant support that they led to the suspension of ticket sales at the park. Ultimately, however, the theme for the two satirical groups during Carnival will be different.

Iberboard began removing the approximately 15,000 tons of waste that had accumulated at its Alcover plant in the Alt Camp region on Monday, as confirmed to ARA by company sources. This paper mill suspended operations in August 2014, leaving around one hundred workers in the area without jobs. In addition to accumulating tons of waste over the years, Iberboard also had numerous files for various environmental violations, such as dumping waste into the Francolí River and storing toxic waste for longer than legally permitted. The company made significant investments in machinery and also allocated resources to correct some of the identified deficiencies, such as noise pollution that disturbed residents, but ultimately filed for bankruptcy a year and a half ago. Since then, representatives from different departments of the Catalan government, such as the Catalan Waste Agency and the Catalan Water Agency, and the mayor of Alcover have met with company representatives and their lawyers to find a solution that would allow for the removal of the 15,000 tons of waste. The risk this poses in the event of a rise in the river level is a concern. Initially, the company was reluctant to take responsibility, but in October of last year, it finally committed to removing all the waste once it received authorization from the bankruptcy administrator. Approval was granted, and the company finally began waste collection in December. But on the first day, the engine of the excavator they had rented broke down, thwarting the anticipated start of the collection, which resumed today.

The drought that has plagued Catalonia for over three years has severely impacted agriculture. In the Camp de Tarragona region, farmers have watched as the lack of water and high temperatures reduced production, with each harvest yielding less than the last. The drought lasted so long that it depleted the trees of water reserves, and some simply died. "Last year's rains revived the olive, almond, and vineyards, but the hazelnut trees suffered greatly," explains Santi Vives Balcells of Unió de Pagesos (Farmers' Union). Even though these crops are dryland, the recent extreme weather conditions have wreaked havoc. Some farmers, after this ordeal, have decided to uproot their hazelnut trees and are now wondering whether it's worthwhile to switch to another crop or if it's time to abandon farming altogether. "Some are opting for olive trees, others for carob trees, and those who want to continue with hazelnut trees will wait a year or two," explains Martí Macías, water manager for the Unió de Pagesos farmers' union in Tarragonès. This waiting period should allow them to see how the trees develop, the weather patterns, and, above all, how the construction of a water regeneration station at the Reus wastewater treatment plant progresses. This project, being carried out by the Catalan Water Agency, should improve the treatment of the water used by the residents of Reus and, instead of releasing it back into the sea, allow it to be reused for irrigation. This process, long advocated by environmentalists, would allow the reuse of up to 7 cubic hectometers of water each year and would be a significant guarantee for farmers in the Baix Camp region and a portion of Tarragonès.

Large cities, in addition to managing day-to-day affairs, always have major projects on the table that are difficult to get off the ground, whether due to budget constraints or the need to involve other levels of government, such as the Catalan or Spanish national governments. Tarragona is no exception. Over the last ten years, the mayors who have managed the city have had to think and rethink solutions for the old tobacco factory, the Savinosa neighborhood, the lack of funding for the maintenance of the Roman ruins, the city's urban growth, and the new train station. Some projects still need to be unblocked, but the reality is that, after ten years, the most important ones at least have a clear path forward.

Less than a week ago, we at the ARA newspaper celebrated our first 15 years, and this Tuesday we celebrate the first ten of the supplement Tarragona countrysideThroughout this time, in the pages of this supplement, we have tried to explain the reality of Tarragona to the people of Tarragona and also to the rest of the country. Quite a challenge, but exciting and necessary.