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.

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.

International Paper, a packaging company, announced to its workforce on Wednesday the closure of its production plants in Valls (Alt Camp) and Montblanc (Conca de Barberà). This measure will entail implementing a workforce reduction plan (ERE) and the dismissal of approximately 200 workers, according to a statement issued by the CCOO union. The company has communicated the decision to the works councils and the town halls of both municipalities. The union expressed its "absolute rejection" of the ERE and criticized the closure as a "completely arbitrary" decision: "It does not respond to any logic of real economic viability." According to the organization, the packaging sector is currently in "a phase of expansion and sustained growth, which refutes the company's arguments about an alleged production crisis." CCOO believes that this move "responds exclusively to a strategy of corporate speculation and covert offshoring" by the American multinational. In fact, the union asserts that in recent years they have observed a "deliberate diversion of orders" to other plants within the group, with the aim of reducing the workload at the Camp de Tarragona factories and justifying their closure. The president of the Montblanc plant's works council, Antonio Muriana, has requested the involvement of the Council of Mayors, the Tarragona Provincial Council, and the Catalan Government to prevent the closure of these industrial facilities. The Montblanc City Council unanimously approved a motion demanding that the company not be closed, and the Valls City Council requested a meeting with International Paper's management. "Strategic review process"

In the letter sent to the city councils, which ACN has obtained, the company states that the closure is part of a "strategic review process" of its operations in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. International Paper justifies the closure by stating that the objective is "to improve efficiency and ensure that the company's operational structure responds to the changing needs of customers and the current challenging market conditions." According to company sources, the company has significantly expanded its industrial presence in Spain in recent years. The company asserts that this growth has been largely driven by strategic acquisitions. "Now, with the aim of improving the efficiency of our operations and ensuring that the operational structure responds to the changing needs of customers and the market, we have carried out a strategic review of our business in the newly created South West EMEA region, which includes Spain, Portugal, and Morocco," they argued.

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Once again, the Three Kings will arrive in Tarragona by boat on January 5th. Their Majesties will disembark in the Serrallo maritime district, and their arrival will not go unnoticed. To welcome Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar, the sirens of Tarragona's boats and ships will sound. A 21-gun salute will also be fired to celebrate the arrival of the Three Kings in the city, scheduled for 6:15 p.m. To ensure the safety of the Three Kings and the thousands of children who will accompany them during the parade, the Tarragona City Police will close the streets along the procession route. The first disruptions will be in the Serrallo district, shortly before the arrival of the Three Kings. After delivering a short speech from the balcony of the Teatret del Serrallo to greet the children and begin throwing the first sweets, Their Majesties will be taken to Plaça de la Font in a parade that will pass through the city center streets and involve road closures. The Guardia Urbana (local police) will close and reopen streets as the royal procession advances.

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Every purchase is a decision that goes beyond what we put in our basket. We decide what kind of food system we want, and also what kind of territory and future we want for our farmers. In a time marked by global uncertainty and climate challenges, choosing local products and supporting agricultural cooperatives is a clear and tangible way to shop with purpose.

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The supplement Tarragona countryside The ARA newspaper celebrates its tenth anniversary this December and commemorated the occasion this Tuesday by hosting a gathering with subscribers, readers, and Tarragona authorities in the auditorium of the Tarragona Bar Association. The event began with a brief presentation of the supplement by Jordi Mumbrú, the newspaper's correspondent in the Camp de Tarragona region, and Jordi Salvat, who has been in charge of the supplement since its inception. Following this, the newspaper's director, Esther Vera, interviewed the head of the International section, Francesc Millán, who discussed the situation in Ukraine, a country he has visited as a journalist on several occasions throughout the conflict. "The feeling is that we are on the cusp of something worse, something bigger," said Millán, referring to the increasing militarization of Europe. Following this, a discussion took place between Mumbrú, Empar Moliner – a journalist specializing in wine – and Sara Pérez, one of the country's leading winemakers. During the discussion, Pérez explained that the major challenge is to continue producing high-quality wine despite the climate crisis and drought. Among the authorities attending the event were the president of the Tarragona Provincial Council, Noemí Llauradó; the president of the Port of Tarragona, Santiago J. Castellano; the rector of the Rovira i Virgili University, Josep Pallarès; the spokesperson for the Tarragona City Council, Sandra Ramos; and the regional director of Local Administration for Tarragona, Josep Rofes. The Camp de Tarragona supplement has been published monthly for the past ten years – usually on the second Wednesday of each month – and includes news from the Tarragona region. The newspaper also has regular supplements for the Girona and Lleida regions.

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You can't imagine, dear readers, how much we want to celebrate here. Celebrating ten years of a newspaper in Catalonia is already an achievement; doing so in the Camp de Tarragona region, even more so. And if we add the opportunity to write about heritage—both tangible and intangible—from here and for this territory… well, that's definitely worth popping the champagne and cracking open the cookie jar!

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The environmental organization Cel Net has analyzed data collected in recent years by sensors belonging to the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and the Catalan government (Generalitat) in the Camp de Tarragona region, near the petrochemical industry, and has reached a conclusion. "In Camp de Tarragona, we breathe carcinogenic compounds. This has been scientifically proven," said Adrià Pallejà, spokesperson for Cel Net. The activist appeared at a press conference this Wednesday, along with researchers from the UPC, the Rovira i Virgili University (URV), and the University of Barcelona (UB), to present their proposals for improving air quality around the chemical plants. The organization denounces that "the problem is no longer one of ignorance, but of inaction," and points directly to the Department of Territory, formerly Acció Climàtica. The concentrations that most concern the organization are benzene and 1,3-butadiene. "These are two carcinogenic compounds, and the only levels that should be protective for human health are 0.0," said Joaquim Rovira, a researcher at the URV's Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health. "Exposure to one of these concentrations can cause cancer at some point in one's life," warned the doctor, who holds degrees in chemistry and biochemistry.

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Bodegas Yzaguirre opens its doors to anyone interested in visiting its new facilities. The building, designed by Carbonell Figueras, is located in Morell (Tarragonès) and is a large, Gaudi-inspired structure with wooden materials, seeking the best possible balance between tradition and modernity. The building is tall and generous, but visitors' gaze (and nose) are drawn to the ground floor, to the 4,000 square meters of the ground floor, where dozens of barrels (some 100 years old) mature the vermouth that will soon be sold.

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Catalan industry was beginning to get back on track this Tuesday, following Monday's unprecedented power outage, when a large portion of industries, especially those in the electro-intensive sector, saw their production halted. This is the case, for example, at Seat, Catalonia's largest company, or at the petrochemical plant in Tarragona, where torches were lit as a safety measure when production was halted.

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The Tarragona coast enjoys international fame for its beaches and its cuisine, but underwater it holds almost unknown treasures that must be protected. Right in front of Coma-ruga lies, in fact, the only Marine Reserve in all of Catalonia (there are 12 in the entire country). This is the Masía Blanca, a very important refuge for some endangered species that occupies an area of 457 hectares. This small oasis, protected since 1999, "is full of life," explains Laura Sánchez Vila, a marine biologist with the Oceánicos association, which has state accreditation to organize tours with snorkel in this area.

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The machines are now ready to be reinstalled at the Tarragona Tobacco Factory and give a second life to this 68,000-square-meter industrial complex, which stopped producing tobacco in 2007. "When we have the building permit, we will move in as quickly as possible," Ferran Thomas, manager of the Universo Vira y Virgilio School (URV), told the newspaper ARA. Their intention is to begin teaching the Bachelor's Degree in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences in September 2026 in module 5 of the Tobacco Factory, and they are ready to begin construction. Tarragona City Council already approved in its last plenary session the awarding of the 40-year concession to EUSES for this module, in exchange for an annual fee of €212,300, which will be required after the 20th year. The university school has already submitted the basic project and is awaiting the City Council's approval of the building permit to begin the initial renovation and demolition work. At the same time, EUSES will also have to present the executive project for authorization of the entire planned transformation, but the works will have already begun. The mayor of Tarragona, Rubén Viñuales, is optimistic and assures that "the works will begin in March or, at the latest, in April."

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The Tarragona bus station has been much busier since the start of the bus season on October 1st. Adif's works in the Roda de Berà tunnelAlthough the bulk of the construction work has already been completed, or even though the train is free, many commuters don't even consider taking it. "We have to be on time," explains Marta López. She and her colleague, Àngels Herrero, are teachers at the San Pedro y San Pablo Institute in Tarragona, and this Tuesday they are to travel with eighteen third-year ESO students to Vila-seca, where the competition registration process takes place. Picaletras, which broadcasts TAC12, the public television station of Camp de Tarragona. "The truth is, we haven't even considered taking the train," adds Marta.

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Tensions between Tarragona's basketball clubs have skyrocketed in recent weeks and some clubs admit to being terrified of facing a team that almost every game it plays ends up like the rosario de la Aurora. This is FarLaw Sports, a team from La Canonja led by the lawyer David Peña. In just four weeks, this Tarragona coach of lower categories has accumulated one incident after another: he has been sent off the field at least twice; he has been reported for assaulting a boy from the public who had insulted him; he has thrown a chair in the middle of the field according to the referee's report, and he has been sanctioned for making a player who did not have a registration play.

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Two splendid tables occupy half of the dining room. Sali and Nadia, who are sisters, have taken care of every detail. Today is the first day of Ramadan And, in addition, two journalists come to the house. Avocado and banana smoothie, tea, harira (which is a soup that has everything except pork, obviously), sweets, empanadas and dates, as is the Muslim tradition. Sali's children, Yassin, eight years old, and Rodayna, ten, look at the table as if they had also gone all day without food, but they are too young to fast. "I tried to do Ramadan, but I turned on the television and on all the channels they were eating... and I got hungry," says the frustrated little boy while the family laughs.

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