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 ...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  Hot-shot political commentator Tomi Lahren has entered the national media arena. So has White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. These two women are making waves in similar ways. Fox News announced Sept. 30 the 25-year-old Lahren will join ...

U.S. Embassy officials traveled to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica this week with a delivery of equipment and resources to bolster opportunities for students in Limón to learn about robotics and computer skills, said the U.S. Embassy press office. The American Corner at Limón's Thomas Lynch Public Library was the recipient this week of US$12,000 in new equipment for students to develop their ...

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 arrived in Corpus Christi, Texas Tuesday morning to see firsthand the devastation inflicted upon southeast Texas when Hurricane Harvey slammed the Gulf Coast Friday night – leveling the popular beach town of Rockport and leaving ...

The United States' diplomatic seat in Costa Rica announced that Monday, September 4 its installations will be closed. The U.S. Embassy and Consulate will be closed in commemoration of the celebration of Labor Day, observed each year in the U.S. on the first Monday of September. The diplomatic press office said the date is "dedicated to celebrating the social and economic achievements of Amer...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  Whens all eyes focused on Category 4 Hurricane Harvey slamming the Texas Gulf Coast late Friday, wham, President Donald Trump issues his first full presidential pardon. It went to former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio to absolve him of his misdemeanor contem...

With tropical storm Harvey now a raging hurricane passing over parts of the southern United States, four United Airlines flights to Costa Rica out of Houston, Texas were canceled this weekend. So far, these are the only flights affected by the hurricane after it struck the Texas coast this weekend, said Aeris, administrator of San José's Juan Santamaría international airport. Aeris advised p...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  If you loved President Donald Trump before Phoenix, after Phoenix you love him even more. The president’s last campaign-style rally held at the Phoenix Convention Center Tuesday night before 15,000 adoring fans produced a vintage Trump rally complete ...

In the mid-1990s, 1,000 truckloads of orange peels and orange pulp were purposefully unloaded onto a barren pasture in a Costa Rican national park. Today, that area is covered in lush, vine-laden forest. A team led by Princeton University researchers surveyed the land 16 years after the orange peels were deposited. They found a 176 percent increase in aboveground biomass -- or the wood in t...

The U.S. government announced a contribution of more than US$38,500 for the preservation of the pre-Colombian spheres in Costa Rica's southern Delta del Diquis in the region of the Osa Peninsula. The funds will support a hydrological study to analyze the behavior of soils and layers of the earth's crust at the Finca 6 archaeological site where the surrounding rivers have covered evidence of the...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  Monday’s total-solar eclipse has taken over the media’s airwaves. The hearts and minds of Americans weary of toxic politics welcomed the chance to concentrate on the Moon and Sun instead of terrorism, President Donald Trump, North Korea and racial divisi...

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) today announced Global Projects For All, a university-wide initiative that will provide all students with access to an off-campus project experience. To serve the growing demand for off-campus projects, the Global Projects Program has added 18 new project centers since 2009. This year WPI will add programs in Massachusetts, Costa Rica, Japan, and Switzerlan...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  The impromptu take down of a Confederate monument Monday night in downtown Durham, North Carolina, without any police stepping in to stop the destruction shows just how scared local law enforcement is of racial confrontations. What happened Saturday i...

When U.S. citizens Luda and Rome Gimelfarb's son David disappeared after heading on a hike in northern Costa Rica, they never thought they would still be searching for him eight years later. The couple continues to hold out hope they will locate their son whom they say they feel is still alive. On August 11, 2009 David Gimelfarb set out for a hike in Rincón de la Vieja National Park, never t...

Accenture, named this year by Fortune Magazine as the world's most admired information technology services company, will be establishing a new delivery center in Costa Rica for the 70+ Search Technologies big data engineers based in the country, said a company press release. The Fortune 500 company announced earlier this month their acquisition of Search Technologies, a Herndon, Virginia-...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  North Korea! For 70-plus years the situation involving Korea – North and South – has been festering along with plenty of ‘saber-rattling’ as tensions rise and fall like the winds of time. All the past presidents from Truman to Obama had their dealing...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  The establishment republicans, democrats and mainstream media sure seem to be involved in a conspiracy against President Donald Trump and his agenda for America. There is a lot of good going on in the United States these days, but you won’t hear much about it ...

Yesterday, some 80 migrants entered Costa Rica through Paso Canoas on the southern border with Panama, reported the Public Security Ministry. The men, women, and some children, who are in transit to the United States by foot, are from a number of African and Asian countries, said officials. According to immigration authorities, the migrants are from Nepal (43), Eritrea (21), Congo (8), Angola (...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  In a suspense-filled announcement, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared war Friday against the leaking of classified government information to the mainstream media. “These leaks hurt our government … We are taking a stand. This culture of leak...

At least two men's college basketball teams will be in Costa Rica next week for a tournament. Lamar University's (LU) Cardinals from Beaumont, Texas, and the University of Texas at El Paso's (UTEP) Miners will face off against Costa Rica's national team as well as teams from McGill University and the University of British Columbia. This early preseason tournament has emotions among the Texan...

Southwest Airlines announced yesterday a sale on nonstop flights to and from San José, Costa Rica during their winter season which starts November 5. Grab a low fare to the Miami area (via Ft. Lauderdale), to Houston (Hobby), and/or Baltimore/Washington, DC (BWI), with some new nonstop routes being offered, and some great advance fares. Current daily nonstop Southwest service between both Liberi...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  There’s a new JFK in the White House. President Trump has appointed retired U.S. Marine General John F. Kelly to be his new White House chief-of-staff replacing Reince Priebus, who resigned after six months. Previously Kelly had been in the president’s c...

In the small town of Madison, New Jersey, a 50-year-old Costa Rican man last week was turned over to U.S. federal authorities after he was found to be on the run from justice in Costa Rica for the rape of a minor, according to reports on July 28 in the Daily Record of Rockaway, NJ Eugenio Castillo Muñoz, a resident of Waverly Place in Madison - a borough of some 16,000 inhabitants in Morris Cou...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  Another tweeted bombshell came last week when President Donald Trump advised everyone at the same time – his press staff, the public, the media and the military -- that he is banning transgender individuals from serving in any capacity in all branches of...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  Finally the Democrats are talking about something that will get a lot of attention besides Russia Fever – single-payer universal healthcare – just like most of the civilized world already has. “Single-payer is on the table,” said U.S. Sen. Chuck Schum...

The Wisconsin-based Natural Resources Foundation announced a new offering for adventurous travelers. In March 2018 the non-profit educational group will run a "Bird Conservation Boot Camp" in Monteverde, Costa Rica. The week-long educational course will be led by conservation biologist, Craig Thompson, and will be held at University of Georgia at Athens field station in the San Luis Valley a...

According to a special report by Reuters yesterday, Australia will be going ahead with a proposal they put forth last year about receiving Central American refugees in exchange for some help from the United States. The transfer of the refugees down under will occur over the next few months, starting with an estimated 30 El Salvadoran refugees currently being held in Costa Rica. The Australian go...

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.  At six months plus one day into the Trump administration, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer called it quits July 21. Spicer has said he will leave at the end of August to allow for a smooth transition for new Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and n...