Second and final session of the trial of the Montcada cement plant at the Barcelona Court. Former Generalitat official Emili Dragone, accused of granting irregular environmental authorizations to the Lafarge cement plant, based in Vallès Occidental, has denied giving preferential treatment to the company: he asserted that he never issued favorable environmental reports, because it was not his job.

The case of the Lafarge cement plant in Montcada i Reixac reached trial this Wednesday. In the first session of the hearing against the former head of Environmental Quality and Climate Change of the Generalitat, Emili Dragone, the Mossos d'Esquadra officer in charge of the investigation stated that it was "reckless" to grant the environmental authorization to the cement plant. A decision for which he held the former high-ranking official of the Catalan executive directly responsible.

First they said they would be ready in 2025. Then, in the summer of 2026 and later, at the beginning of 2027. Now, however, the schedule is delayed until the spring. The new trains that Alstom is manufacturing for Rodalies are taking a while to arrive. This was admitted this Thursday by the Secretary of State for Transport and Mobility, José Antonio Santano, in a talk at the Cercle d'Economia in Barcelona.

It has been more than four years since the death of Munir and Jéssica in the shantytown of Montcada i Reixac. In this time, however, the situation of the settlement has not changed at all and its inhabitants continue to live in poverty between the Besòs river and the BV-5001 road, invisible to the administrations despite the tragedy. That day in January 2022 it was cold, the couple lit a fire to warm themselves and died of asphyxiation inside their makeshift home, leaving three children orphaned. The arrival of a new summer does not improve the neighbors' outlook, as with the rising temperatures they have to seek refuge outside the shack—built with sheet metal or materials not very resistant—when the sun beats down the hardest and makes the air inside unbreathable. This is the case of a man resting in the shade without a shirt. He does not want to give his name, nor have his photograph taken and be interviewed, he is tired of reporting the situation and angry about the lack of help they have received: "They died right next door and everything remains the same; I don't want to talk to you because it will be useless".

As October 31st approaches, two camps emerge: those who are dying to pull their costumes out of the closet to celebrate Halloween, and those who prefer to stay home eating panellets, chestnuts, and sweet potatoes. In Montcada i Reixac, there are all sorts of people, but it seems the scales tip towards the spooky celebrations: when Halloween arrives, an entire neighborhood transforms into a movie set worthy of... Nightmare on Elm StreetThe houses in the Terra Nostra neighborhood are filled with pumpkins, haunted tunnels, door-to-door screams and sugared almonds, and above all, a chilling atmosphere.

First year of bittersweet balance in Montcada i Reixac compared to the already Historic underground railway tracks. After decades of waiting for the start of these works, the local council reported at the end of January the appearance of significant cracks in some floors of up to three different buildings in the Can Sant Joan neighbourhood, which is located within the area affected by the R2 underground works. These are gaps in the ceiling, floor and walls that in some cases even allow a glimpse of the street or adjacent neighbours.