The Tàrrega-born Jaume Ponsarnau has just turned 55 and is doing so at one of the best moments of his sporting career. He has surpassed 500 official matches as a coach in the elite of Spanish basketball, has just renewed with Bilbao Basket until 2029, was chosen best coach of January in the Endesa league, and this Wednesday evening he plays with his team the decisive match of the FIBA Europe Cup final against PAOK Thessaloniki with only a six-point disadvantage.

The school canteen service in public schools is always a cause for debate. The high cost of its management, menu policy, food origin, supervision... The fronts are multiple. The debate has been a constant for years everywhere and with a very clear trend: public administration, represented by the county councils, is progressively taking over the control and management of this service, despite the reluctance of some town councils and, above all, of students' families. Families criticize the commodification of an activity that they consider essential for the development of their children and demand more participation in its decisions. “It is a space that takes more than two hours and requires it to be well constructed, well accompanied, that it becomes a well-structured learning time to avoid conflicts,” argues the director of the Federated Associations of Students' Families of Catalonia (AFFAC), Lidón Gasull, who laments the prevalence of a “completely privatized and outsourced canteen system, which is not directly linked to the school”. A large part of the reasons for this reality is that the service, previously always managed by families or the schools themselves, is now mostly managed by school councils, which entrust it to private companies through public tenders.

—If we buy the prepared calçots, the essence is lost”, I said to the group chat of the gang a few days before our traditional annual calçotada.

The school canteen service in public schools is always a cause for debate. The high cost of its management, menu policy, food origin, supervision... The fronts are multiple. The debate has been a constant for years everywhere and with a very clear trend: public administration, represented by the county councils, is progressively taking over the control and management of this service, despite the reluctance of some town councils and, above all, of students' families. Families criticize the commodification of an activity that they consider essential for the development of their children and demand more participation in its decisions. “It is a space that takes more than two hours and requires it to be well constructed, well accompanied, that it becomes a well-structured learning time to avoid conflicts,” argues the director of the Federated Associations of Students' Families of Catalonia (AFFAC), Lidón Gasull, who laments the prevalence of a “completely privatized and outsourced canteen system, which is not directly linked to the school”. A large part of the reasons for this reality is that the service, previously always managed by families or the schools themselves, is now mostly managed by school councils, which entrust it to private companies through public tenders.

The next May 1st marks fifty years since one of the most daring actions of agrarian unionism in the still tender post-Franco era. It happened in Les Borges Blanques in 1976. Three young farmers from the area, members of the still illegal Unió de Pagesos, prepared a banner and hundreds of leaflets denouncing the policies of UTECO (the Francoist union of cooperatives) and the ruinous prices of oil. They prepared everything to be displayed on Passeig del Terrall, precisely at the time of the inauguration of the Oil Fair in the capital of Les Garrigues, where regime authorities and police agents were to be present. It was a success, but unfortunately the three young men were identified: Josep Pau Pernau from Arbeca, Josep Duch Sesplugues from Espluga Calba, and Modest Panadés Vives from Belianes were captured by the Civil Guard and detained for two nights in the town hall cells, where they suffered some beatings.

Placing the child as the main protagonist of their learning, providing them with autonomy to foster curiosity and ability, claiming the natural environment and parental collaboration, and turning educators into simple guides of the process. These are some of the postulates of the educational model of the Reggio Emilia schools, in northern Italy, considered the best and most innovative in the world (even though they were founded after World War II).

There are women who still carry the label of “the first” or “the only one”. Conxita Villar Mir is the first dean of the Official College of Agricultural Engineers of Catalonia (COEAC) from outside Barcelona. At 29 years old, she had been the first female representative. Today she is the only female dean in the sector in the entire State, the first recipient of an award from the Institute of Engineering of Spain for her contribution to equality, and the only one from outside Madrid. Singularity as both a merit and a symptom.

Ciutadilla, Castellserà, Agramunt, Palacio de Anglesola, Bell-lloc, Bellvís, Alamús, Juneda, Bovera, Torregrossa, Torrefeta, and Florejacs… Bread ovens, especially small ones, have been proliferating in rural areas in recent years. Although still tentative, the opening of new businesses is counteracting a trend that seemed dramatic. "What was in decline until now seems to be a trend," says Toni Frias, the current president of the Bakers' Guild of the Lleida region. But this is no coincidence. At least, not in the eyes of the industry. "It was the result of time and a lot of dedication," Frias states. In recent years, the Guild has dedicated significant effort to promoting and organizing courses and training for new bakers and shopkeepers who have converted to traditional bakeries. "Now we are reaping the rewards," concludes the president of the organization.

Antoni Gorgues was still living at home with his parents when he decided to make a radical change in his life. He was 24 years old and had been working as an accountant for a company in Lleida for some time when, in 1996, he decided to leave it all behind to dedicate himself to his great passion: music. Exactly thirty years ago, from his teenage bedroom, he founded Guerssen, an exclusive label now known for reissuing psychedelic rarities. "It all started with few resources, simply with a lot of enthusiasm and little knowledge," recalls Gorgues himself, who is now immersed in the commemorative events, which have kicked off with the release of a collection of fifteen limited and numbered singles, featuring garage, psychedelic, and other sounds and bands. freakbeat and hard rock, mainly from the sixties, with some surprises from the eighties such as the two singles featuring the earliest demos by Los Negativos, never before released on vinyl. On March 28th, the Morera Museum in Lleida will host a talk about the history of Guerssen, featuring Antoni Gorgues himself along with some of his collaborators: Álex Carretero, Marc Argenter (the label's designer), and journalist Àlex Oró. Following the talk, the documentary will be screened. The Negatives: Graduated from Underground (Víctor Carrey, 2024) on the history of the group. Also at the Museu Morera, a small exhibition on the history of Guerssen will be on display, featuring records and memorabilia. Finally, the Café del Teatro will host a performance by Los Negativos with a lineup that includes two founding members of the band, Carles Estrada and Robert Grima, along with a string section, performing the entire album. Kaleidoscopic Piknik as never before.

Deep, guttural vocalizations. Loud, thunderous screams. Lamentable sounds in the purest Cro-Magnon style. Facial expressions of extreme torment. A whole testosterone-fueled menagerie that the free weight rooms and machine rooms shelter day in and day out. It's also true that this type of user isn't the only one found in gyms. The diverse range of people who share these spaces fosters a biodiversity that, at the very least, is healthy.

After a long professional career almost always linked with Televisió de Catalunya, the communicator Mari Pau Huguet (Estopanyà, 1963) has been Recognized this March as an Emblematic Woman by the Hera association of LleidaShe has been working in the Audience Services Office for over fifteen years, but continues to participate in audiovisual projects and host many events.

Trini Porta, a 52-year-old resident of Montoliu de Segarra, lives alone with a dog and two cats. Last January, she suddenly lost Cupi, a powerful dog she adopted from the Cervera pound ten years ago. An irreversible liver disease forced her to have him euthanized to prevent further suffering. The void he left is still raw. She doesn't hesitate to compare this loss to the loss of a person. "I've lost a member of my family, and many people don't understand that," Porta admits.

The story of the Urgell Canal, one of the most crucial hydraulic infrastructures for the development of contemporary Catalonia, will once again be brought to life through music and theater with the return ofOpera in the veinsA stage and musical production will arrive next April at two emblematic venues. The show will premiere again on April 19 at the Teatre de la Lonja in Lleida, and the following day, April 20, it will move to the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, ​​in a double performance that will conclude the tour begun last year.

Cervera will once again become one of the epicenters of Catalan classical music this Easter. From March 26 to April 4, the capital of the Segarra region will host the 16th edition of the Easter Festival, a unique event within the country's musical landscape because it is the only one dedicated entirely to this repertoire. The program will include 14 concerts held in various venues throughout the city, featuring a combination of symphonic, choral, chamber, and contemporary music. Among the invited ensembles and performers are the Julià Carbonell Symphony Orchestra of Lleida, the Chamber Choir of the Palau de la Música Catalana, Polifemo Consorte, the Cobla Sant Jordi, and the Prysma Quartet, as well as soloists such as Marta Mathéu, Miquel Villalba, and Joel Bardolet.

The 7lletres literary prize is entering a new phase with a name change intended to reinforce its identity and cultural ambition. The 21st edition, presented at Concabella Castle, officially adopts the name 7letres. Manuel de Pedrolo Short Story Prize, a decision that explicitly links the award to the writer from Aranyó and strengthens its position within the Catalan literary scene. The presentation on Monday brought together representatives from the Segarra County Council, the Cervera City Council, the Els Plans de Sió Town Council, and the Tàrrega Town Council—the four institutions that promote the project and have renewed their collaboration agreement. This image of institutional unity reinforces a model of cultural cooperation that, from a local perspective, has successfully consolidated an initiative launched in 2006 with the aim of honoring Pedrolo and, at the same time, stimulating contemporary creative writing.

At the end of a sweltering May in 2025, a group of us were invited to one of the open rehearsals of the new show for all audiences at the Lleida-based company La Baldufa's venue. "It's a production that revolves around the Spanish Civil War," they told us. A soaring thermometer advised us to come prepared with fans. We were right! However, some of us thought we knew what to expect. Nothing could have been further from the truth!

When spring filters like a secret through the mist and the light timidly lengthens, the MUD rises once more as a refuge for restless ears. Nineteen editions later, the Festival Músicas Dispersas exudes maturity and consolidates a singular perspective: understanding roots music not as a museum piece, but as living, permeable matter, capable of mutating by engaging with the present without losing the essence that anchors it. In times of algorithms and predictable programming, the festival persists in its purpose with theopen minded folkOpening up daring spaces for discovery, and connecting tradition and contemporary art without abandoning the commitment that nourishes it. From March 12 to 15, venues such as the Café del Teatro, the Enric Granados Auditorium, and the Teatro de la Lonja will host an eclectic program that will take us from the dub from South Asian influences, passing through the folk American influences leading back to the roots of Ebro tradition.

Catalonia's oldest university – founded in 1300 as the Estudi General – now has a woman's face. The woman from Lleida. Maria Àngels Balsells Bailón is the first rector of the University of Lleida And one of only three in the entire Catalan university system. She shies away from individual triumphs and attributes it to "a collective advance." "I hope that one day this won't be news and people will simply talk about merit," she says.

A total of 443 children and young people from the Segarra region are participating this year in a new edition of The Enchanted MirrorA cultural and educational project that, since 2019, has linked education, culture, and the local community through a collaborative process. The initiative connects schools, teachers, students, institutions, and cultural professionals in a program that combines artistic training, stage creation, and community participation. The project unfolds in two main phases throughout the school year. During the first term, participating students discover the string, wind, and percussion instruments that are part of the performance through instrumental discovery sessions, vocal technique training, and physical education. In the second phase, corresponding to the second term, the project focuses on musical and stage rehearsals with the aim of refining the songs and the dramatic action of the show. The Enchanted Mirror It is based on Jaume Ferran's work, *Cuaderno de música* (Music Notebook), with an adaptation of a text by Montse Pont and music by Jordi Castellà. The show combines a children's choir, soloists, narration, and an instrumental ensemble, and is created by an artistic and pedagogical team made up of professionals from the fields of music, theater, and dance who work together with the participating teachers and students. The project, organized by the Regional Council, is based on a shared creative process that understands artistic learning as a demanding and collective experience. Children and young people actively participate in all dimensions of the work and are part of a collective effort that fosters cooperation, perseverance, and commitment to the creative process. This process will culminate in five performances of The Enchanted Mirror at the Municipal Theatre Ateneo of Guissona, scheduled for March 19 and 20, 2026. In each performance, approximately one hundred students will participate on stage, with the simultaneous presence of several educational centers, in a format that combines educational vocation and public projection.

Traditional Catalan is most evident in Lleida. It has almost never rained so much. The region has experienced an unusual winter. According to Aemet, the accumulated rainfall in Lleida since December 1st reached almost 200 mm, an amount four times the historical average. Almost the entire ground in Ponent is saturated with water, and all the reservoirs in the Ebro basin are technically full. The Ebro River Basin Authority (CHE) has estimated a total of 280 hm³ for this year.³ More water will come from snowmelt, an absolutely enormous amount compared to the amount recorded in 2023, which, due to high temperatures and evaporation, was reduced to only 20 hm³.³The water situation is not only good, but even exceeds what is desirable. Many recently planted cereal fields have been damaged by excessive moisture, and most farmers in the Pla de Lleida region do not plan to irrigate in the short term, despite the need to release water from the reservoirs for safety reasons. The water flows downstream, benefiting the sediments of the Ebro Delta. On March 8, the Urgell Canal irrigation community will hold a meeting to plan the next season and establish initial irrigation schedules, although the exact start date remains uncertain. "We are always dependent on the weather, whether it rains or not," admit technical sources from the community.