Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  Hidden among hundreds of political stories, liberal and conservative commentaries, newspaper editorials and voter polls on the Real Clear Politics website is this buried headline, “Trump is on track to win reelection,” originally published on the op-ed p...

The United States government expresses their solidarity with Costa Ricans affected by the passage of Tropical Storm Nate and donated US$150,000 to support helicopter flights to distribute humanitarian supplies and inspect affected areas and communities, said the U.S, Embassy in San José, Costa Rica in a press statement. The US government's aid comes at the request for assistance presented by th...

Four students from the Costa Rican Technological Institute were selected to participate in the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) organized by the United States Department of State for creating Atomik Monsters, a digital platform for teaching chemistry. Jean Carlo Gómez, student of industrial design; Kenneth Fernandez and Rodrigo López, from the computer engineering department, and...

Costa Rica’s Male National Soccer Team earned its ticket to the Russia World Cup 2018 last Saturday when it played Honduras to a tie; today’s match against Panama was a mandatory game that would, along with the matches between the US vs. Trinidad & Tobago and Mexico (already classified) vs. Honduras, define the third team to classify to the World Cup and the one that would get a shot at repechage....

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  Today’s late-night TV comedians are no longer funny – none of them. If you laugh along with the likes of Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Chelsea Handler, Seth Myers, Jon Stewart, Kathy Griffin or Stephen Colbert you are not one of us. Every weekd...

Having left 11 confirmed deaths in Costa Rica, many still disappeared and cut off from aid, thousands in shelters, and dozens of roads and schools destroyed, Nate, now a Category 1 Hurricane, touched down last night on the Mississippi-Louisiana border in the southern U.S. At least 32 are reported dead throughout Central America in what is now the 9th hurricane of the relentless 2017 Atlantic hu...

Monday, October 9, the Embassy and Consular Section of the United States will be closed in honor of Columbus Day which is celebrated in the United States that day. In 1937 the President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, proclaimed October 12 as a day of homage to the first European explorer in the Americas, Christopher Columbus. It was President Richard Nixon who declared the day a n...

The estimated 65 Costa Ricans who will be repatriated from Puerto Rico Saturday, Oct. 7 will be leaving behind destruction caused by Hurricane Maria, and entering into a Costa Rica battling the aftermath of Tropical Storm Nate. Such is life in the hurricane-hounded Caribbean basin. This is the Costa Rican government's first ever humanitarian repatriation flight held for its citizens, said th...

The new U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica Sharon Day presented her credentials to President Solis this week on Wednesday, October 4, 2017, and thus began her official duties as the highest ranking representative of the U.S. Government in Costa Rica. In her meeting with President Solis, Ambassador Day reiterated the United States’ commitment to a strong and enduring partnership with Costa Rica. A...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  Fifty-nine dead with 527 wounded in Las Vegas in the worst mass shooting in the modern history of the United States of America. Some 24 guns – including 12 converted fully-automatic assault rifles -- were recovered by police in the hotel room of Steph...

Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) released an update of its annual child labor report, 2016 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor, which includes research on child labor in 135 countries, and is accompanied by the release of the updated Sweat & Toil mobile app. Costa Rica is listed in the report as one of 23 countries that made "sign...

Starting TODAY, Tuesday, October 3, at 10 a.m., the electronic form to participate in the Diversity Visa Lottery program, also known comply as the U.S. Visa Lottery, will be available. The program, organized by the United States Department of State, will be accepting applications from Costa Rica until Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at 10 a.m. Those interested should log-on to the website <www....

The United States Embassy in Costa Rica posted the following message yesterday on their Facebook page as the embassy prepares for the new ambassador, Sharon Day, to assume her post: "It is a real pleasure to introduce you to Ambassador Sharon Day "Ambassador Day was sworn in as United States Ambassador to Costa Rica on September 25 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. "She has worked for more ...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  Puerto Rico is down and out. Hurricane Maria came ashore last week with 155-mph winds, heavy rains, and a storm surge that wiped out this Caribbean island of 3.4 million U.S. citizens, leaving them in the dark, homeless and without access to food, water, gas, ...

The brother of Stephen Paddock, the suspected gunman in the shooting deaths of at least 50 people at a Las Vegas concert - which also left at least 400 injured, said he cannot understand his brother's motive. Eric Paddock of Orlando gave a statement Monday to local police regarding his brother Stephen who shot himself to death as police entered his Las Vegas hotel room. Stephen Paddock, 64, ...

Update at 10:30 a.m., Monday Oct. 2: The death toll in the shooting has risen to 58, according to national U.S. media. Las Vegas, Nevada was the scene last night of the deadliest mass killing in modern U.S. history. More than 50 concertgoers were killed and hundreds were injured late Sunday at a music festival on the Las Vegas Strip. The gunfire began around 10 p.m. on the south end of La...

Global Entry is a US Customs and Border Protection program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. This is the program that the Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) is trying to implement for Costa Rican tourists when they travel to the United States. Costa Rican tourists experience first-hand the long lines in migrat...

The Criminal Court of Quepos and Parrita in Costa Rica's Central Pacific region sentenced Freddy Cortés Peña, yesterday, Thursday, September 28, to 25 years in prison for assaulting and raping a U.S. tourist, according to the public prosecutor's office. The crimes date to April 20, 2006 when the American tourist and her boyfriend were on the beach at Manuel Antonio National Park adjacent to the...

For the estimated 70,000 American citizens living in Costa Rica, what will President Donald Trump’s new proposed federal tax cuts for the middle class and corporations mean to them? Will U.S. tax cuts make any difference to the average retiree living on Social Security and perhaps a pension as a Costa Rican resident or perpetual tourist? For these expat retirees, these new proposed tax cuts ...

Update; Sunday, October 1: The suspect in this case, Andrew Roy Willis, will be kept in detention for 4-months while the case is investigated, report the courts. Andrew Roy Willis, a U.S. citizen, was charged with homicide yesterday, Thursday, September 28, in the southern Costa Rican town of Pérez Zeledón after his sentimental partner, Melania Calvo Víquez (33), was discovered buried near thei...

The man who reinvented popular media in the U.S. to include nudity and sexuality, Hugh Hefner, who launched Playboy Magazine in 1953, died at his home in Los Angeles, California today at age 91. His passing was announced by Playboy Enterprises at 8:13 Pacific Time via Twitter, saying he died of natural causes at home surrounded by family. The magazine, and later Hefner's Playboy Clubs, which...

A United States citizen was taken into police custody late this afternoon, Wednesday, September 27, near the southern mountain town of Pérez Zeledón. The detention occurred shortly after police at around 4 p.m unearthed the body of a woman who is preliminarily presumed to be the man's wife. The body was found partially buried about 500 meters from their rural home, according to a press conferen...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  Rarely do protest boycotts take hold, but this political season they are in style and gaining steam. Politics has its place, but this year anti-Trump, anti-police, anti-flag and anti-USA politics may drive your business out of business -- just ask main s...

The Municipal Band of Acosta will represent Costa Rica in the 2019 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. According to the band’s director José Manuel Mora, the band sent the application to participate since February, and a video was sent (included below) where the strengths of the band were highlighted. The Acosta band was founded in 2008 and has participated in national and international fe...

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the President of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solís in a bilateral meeting in New York, in the frame of the United Nations’ General Assembly Through a video posted on social media, the President of Costa Rica informed of the topics that were discussed with Trudeau, among which were human rights, environment and the economic empowerment of women. ...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  President Donald Trump’s first address to the United Nations hit close to home in Costa Rica. Only two countries away -- past Panama and Columbia -- neighboring Venezuela was singled out as a “rogue” nation right alongside North Korea and Iran. The presi...

You can now carry out face-to-face interactions with Spirit Airlines representatives in downtown San José, Costa Rica, thanks to an alliance with a Costa Rican travel agency. The office is located near the city's main thoroughfare, Paseo Colón, north of the Centro Colón building. The budget airline said that because Costa Rica is one of their main points of operation in Central America, the ...

A documentary by Costa Rican filmmaker and producer, Miguel Gómez, aims to highlight the perils of irregular migration by focusing on the Mesoamerican corridor. From January - July of this year, the United Nations Migration Agency (IOM) registered 230 deaths of such migrants attempting to cross from Mexico into the United States. By recounting the true story of members of a Costa Rican regga...

A 65-year-old man from outside Rochester, New York, United States, died Saturday, September 16 while rappelling down from a restaurant at a Costa Rican rainforest ecolodge. John Anderson, a respected member of the northwestern New York real estate and banking community, was reported as having traveled to Costa Rica to celebrate his 65th birthday. His visit to the Pacuare Lodge, an upscale ad...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  Slowly but surely Texas, Louisiana and Florida are returning to normal following two hurricanes -- Harvey and Irma – that together caused an estimated over $200 billion in damages to homes, businesses and public infrastructure. Mother nature doled out a ...

The United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sent a message on the occasion of September 15, Costa Rican Independence Day, announced the U.S. Embassy in San José, Costa Rica. The statement reads as follows: "On behalf of the United States Government, we congratulate Costa Ricans on the 196th anniversary of independent living. The deep and strong relationship of our countries is eviden...

The U.S.-based Geothermal Resources Council (GRC), a global leader in the field, honored the late Costa Rican scientist Alfredo Mainieri Protti during its awards ceremony that honors the best and brightest of the global geothermal energy community, said the non-profit group this week. Earlier this year, Costa Rica's Electricity Institute (ICE) bestowed another honor on the country's geothermal pi...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  Hillary Rodham Clinton’s new book entitled “What Happened” is stirring up a lot of controversy plus it shows an underlying seething anger about losing the 2016 presidential election to New York real estate tycoon Donald Trump -- who had never held an ele...

Debt-for-nature swaps are financial transactions in which a portion of a developing nation's foreign debt is forgiven in exchange for local investments in environmental conservation measures. Monday, the debt-for-nature swap between the United States and Costa Rica invited non-profit organizations to submit proposals for forest conservation projects in the 7th round of funding under the program...

The second beach volleyball open tournament will take place in Tamarindo, Guanacaste on Saturday, September 16. The Costa Rican national team will face off against competitors from the United States, Colombia, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The format is two-on-two, and promises to be a thrilling event with very strong athletes competing, according to Ivannia Ramirez, event organizer. Also on S...

While air service through Florida has already started resuming after Hurricane Irma unleashed its destruction over the southeastern U.S. state this past weekend, American Airlines announced they were extending a suspension of flights between San José and Florida until this Friday, September 15. The airline's remaining eight flights scheduled for the remainder of the week have been canceled. ...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  The federal emergency management response to both Hurricanes Harvey in Texas/Louisiana and Irma in Florida will seal the fate of President Donald Trump and his team at FEMA. They will be judged on how well they coordinate with state officials on all leve...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  From Costa Rica to Washington, governments continue to wrestle with issues of undocumented immigrants as people young and old flee situations of despair with dreams of reaching the United States of America. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announce...

Scientists in Tennessee identified something curious in Costa Rica’s crocodiles that has sent them on a global journey to understand the potential role of a synthetic hormone in changing the reptiles’ sex. A recent report in Science Magazine discussed the muddy crocodile sex-tracking forays of Chris Murray, physiological ecologist at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, and his res...

Costa Rican high school students can apply for a full 4-year scholarship for study at a U.S. university through the Walton Program (WISP), an initiative of the founders of Walmart to benefit youth in Mexico and Central America, said the company this week. "Walmart of Mexico and Central America invites Costa Ricans who have excellent qualifications to compete for this benefit that will allow them ...