Collapsed beam injures two in Ramat Aviv Two 17-year-olds were injured Thursday when a 15-meter support beam collapsed at the Scouts Center in the Ramat Aviv neighborhood of Tel Aviv. One of the teenagers was in serious condition, while the other sustained light injuries.Magen David Adom paramedics treated the two teens on the scene and subsequently took them to the Ichilov Hospital at Sourasky Medical Center in the city.
Six arrested in connection with Ramle shooting death A 51-year-old Ramle man was shot to death early Monday morning in the city by a group of youngsters that fought with him. Magen David Adom paramedics took the man to Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Tzrifin, where doctors pronounced him dead.Later Monday morning, police arrested six 15- year-olds and held them for questioning.Ramat Hasharon celebrates 90 years The Ramat Hasharon Municipality brought several truckloads of snow from Mount Hermon last week to give residents a taste of winter on Purim. Starting early last Thursday morning, hundreds of children and adults descended upon the municipal parking lot on the city’s Bialik Street to build snowmen and sling balls of the powdery white stuff at one another. The annual winter festival came one day before the city’s Purim parade.On Friday, the city welcomed the Join the Parade circus troop to celebrate 90 years since the establishment of Ramat Hasharon. The city’s mayor and the head of the local council dressed up for the occasion and handed out gifts to residents.Seven youths suspected of robbing taxi driverPolice arrested seven youths from Rehovot who are suspected of attacking and robbing a taxi driver in the city last week. Police launched a search after the taxi driver reported the robbery. The seven were questioned and released to house arrest.
Ra’anana opens its doors to southerners In response to the rocket threat on residents of southern Israel, the central city of Ra’anana offered to open its doors to southerners this week. Ra’anana Mayor Nahum Hofree, on behalf of city residents, offered accommodation in private homes to those wanting to escape the rocket threat.The city of Ra’anana will coordinate between Ra’anana residents and southerners, the mayor said. He called residents of the South and Ra’anana to call a special municipal hot line if they are interested in participating in the initiative. Those interested can call 107 (within Ra’anana) or (09) 762-2100.SOUTH Entertainers sent to bomb shelters for children After several days during which children were forced to sit in bomb shelters and protected spaces due to the rocket threat in the South, the Culture and Sports Ministry began sending artists, actors, magicians, clowns and puppeteers to entertain affected children. Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat directed the ministry to expand its operations in the area in coordination with the Israeli Culture organization and the World Zionist Organization. The activities took place in affected communities within 40 kilometers of the Gaza Strip, including the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council and Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council.Livnat said she wanted “to strengthen residents in their stand against the onslaught of missiles and rockets from Gaza. The resilience of the residents and local authority heads in the South is the strength of the IDF’s and the State of Israel’s courage.” She added that it is the entire nation’s duty to pitch in and help them however possible.Eilat celebrates 63 years since liberation Hundreds of Eilat residents and local officials were joined by government ministers for a celebration marking 63 years since the liberation of the city last week. Singer Rita was joined by Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz and Eilat Mayor Meir Yitzhak Halevy at the ceremony, which was organized by the city’s events department and the Government Information Center.Halevy presented mementos to the national politicians in attendance, thanking them for their support of the city. The mayor presented Rivlin with a certificate of appreciation for his work to restore the tax benefits in Israel’s southernmost city and to promote its development and marketing as a tourist destination. He also handed Katz a key to the city, the inscription on which read, “On behalf of the residents of Eilat, you are presented with a key to the city, which you have helped fulfill the vision of [former prime minister] David Ben-Gurion by improving transportation routes to the city, the southern gate to the State of Israel, which you have helped to develop and advance.”Recalling his own military service in the city, Rivlin noted that in the early days, many questioned the wisdom of investing so much in the southern city. Today, he said, Eilat “is not only fascinating but also is a strategic asset to Israel, and we must commit ourselves to nurturing its prosperity.”
Ramat Hanegev wants sanitation solution for detention facility The Ramat Hanegev Regional Council raised objections to the construction of a planned detention facility for illegal infiltrators and asylum seekers in the area unless the government adds a wastewater treatment facility to the building plans.Slamming the Defense Ministry’s planning of the project, the council head said: “The days of the British Mandate are over, and we are no longer in the Middle Ages.” Local residents and the council, he added, will not allow the ministry to build a facility to house thousands of people without first building a proper sewage and sanitation system.In response, the ministry noted that the problem of infiltrators is an immediate one and therefore will move forward, while a sanitation solution will take a number of years to build, the Local website reported. The ministry, however, noted that the prison is an entirely civilian project but that it fully supports the establishment of a wastewater treatment facility for the benefit of all area residents.