Mitzi Mace
Washington Hispanic

John Catoe, general manager of METER.

To face to the renewal of an infrastructure that has 32 years of antiquity, that includes the acquisition of new trains and buses, progress in the services and to answer to the needs for a considerable increase in the number of passengers in the next 10 years, METER pointed out that he needs a whole for 11 trillion dollars.

The announcement realized it days before the House of Representatives it will approve a legislation that authorizes 1.5 trillion dollars for METER in federal funds for the next 10 years. Later, on Monday, the 29th of September the Senate also approved the legislation for 69 affirmative votes and 17 in against which it turned into law after the signature of the president, George W. Bush.

The funds otorgación for METER died anteriomente in the Congress in two opportunities, but this time included inside a length regulations bundles with regard to the safety in an ambience where special attention was paid at the disposals, after experiencing the accident of February 12 in the system of trains of Califormia where 25 persons died.

METER is the second biggest system of transit of the country, but it is the only one that does not have an exclusive source of income. The money that enters for the payment of tariffs of the users only contributes with a part of the expenses of operation, but he does not contribute with the whole of the costs.

“ We are very grateful to the Congressmen and to our congressional delegation, who have understood the importance of protecting the big investment that there has done the federal government and the region of the national capital in the system of METER. Our agency serves to a great extent to federal personnel and many of our stations are part of the federal buildings, therefore a sure and renewed system is critical to guarantee the federal operations during an emergency”, expressed the general manager of METER, John Catoe after the legislation was approved in the House of Representatives.

More than 40 per cent of the users of METER work for the federal government.

According to the legislation recently approved, so much Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia must commit themselves in collaborating with the same quantity of federal money that they will receive to improve the system of transport of METER. Three jurisdictions have committed themselves with the fulfillment of the disposition, which money quantity amounts to 50 million dollars.

In Virginia la Corte Suprema it invalidated the funds designation for transport while in Washington, DC approved the council last week to designate the half per cent of the tax to the sales.

Needs
For the first time the authorities of METER specified the needs for the agency between 2010 and 2020, which amount to 11.3 trillion dollars. The inventory did not include money to expand the trains lines. More than half of the needs is centred in renewing the obsolete infrastructure and suitable maintenance of the system to guarantee his operation capacity. 30 per cent of the dear expense are concentrated on the growth in the number of users and six per cent in progress to face and to inform the users.

The needs include tunnels repair with leaks, to arrange stairs, to replace about 100 buses a year, to restore ancient garages and to update systems computarizados necessary and critical to guarantee the operations of the system safely.

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Mitzi Mace
Washington Hispanic

Carmen Tobar, business manager of the embassy of El Salvador.

Only two days later that the American government will approve the extension of the Status of Temporary Protection (TPS, for his initials in English) for the Salvadorans; the Service of Immigration and Citizenship announced the extension of the same benefit for the Honduran and Nicaraguans. The new measurement will allow those who are already registered under the migratory cover, remain in the United States for 18 more months. It is believed that at least 70.000 Honduran and 3.500 Nicaraguans are eligible to register for the new period of cover of the TPS.

In a press release, the embassy of Honduras in Washington, DC pointed out that the announcement realized then that the president José Manuel Zelaya Rosales was meeting the president of the United States, George W. Bush in the frame of the meeting of heads of state who support a free trade agreement with this country that was realized in the city of New York.

After the official announcement the president, Zelaya, declared his satisfaction for the decision of the government of the United States. Also it pointed out that there will develop a wide and intense campaign of dissemination of information for the reinscription in the TPS and invited the benefited Honduran to be attentive to the details that will be announced by the American migratory authorities and the government of Honduras.

Of equal way the Salvadoran government threw on Thursday, the 02nd of October the program of dissemination of information of TPS and exhorted his compatriots who do not wait last moment to initiate the process. It is necessary to clarify that the Salvadorans have a period of 90 for reinscribirse in contrast to the Honduran and Nicaraguans that his term of reinscription wins on December 1.

There are not eligible the Honduran and Nicaraguans who entered to the country after December 30, 1998. The extension of the TPS for Honduran and Nicaraguans is a cash from January 6, 2009 until July 5, 2010.

The process
So much Honduran, Nicaraguans and Salvadorans who want to register again the TPS will have to present the request I-821 without annexing the payment and the request to renew the green card. In the cases that want to renew the green card they must present the form I-765, more the cost of the process (340 dollars, more 80 dollars for biometric information). If the petitioner only thinks about how to register the TPS but not renew his green card it must present the form I-765 only for intentions of registering the information and does not need to pay the cost of the step for renewal of the authorization of employment. The payments for the service of registration of biometric information it must be done by all the persons who register the biggest TPS of 14 years. The petitioners have the option to present a pardon to be excluded from the payment under certain regulations.

It is recommended to all the persons benefited by the TPS not to allow to spend the opportunity to be protected in the United States to be able to keep on working and residing without worry. The authorities also express that the beneficiaries should not wait last moment to present the requests and that expire with all the regulations because the fact of not presenting on time the requests or of not sending any payment can cause that the registration request is useless.

As part of the campaign directed to the Salvadorans has assigned a free line of consular information to 1-888-30-111-30.

For more information about the TPS it is possible to call to the free line 1-800-375-5283. Also the forms are available calling to 1-800-870-3676 ó visit www.uscis.gov.

Writing
Washington Hispanic

They inaugurated officially the Binational Week of Health Germán Valbuena, general coordinator of the Program Window of Health, Héctor Palacios, Consul of Guatemala; Ann Margarita Chávez, Consul of El Salvador; José Guillermo Masa, the Minister of Health of El Salvador; Janina Smith, Consul of Ecuador and Julius Caesar Aldana, Consul of Colombia.

With a press conference in the Consulate of El Salvador, there was announced a new version of the Binational Week of Health, which begins on October 5 and concludes 15 of the same month.

This initiative thinks about how to facilitate the access to medical and social services to a wide section of the immigrant community that resides in the metropolitan area.

The event was counted with the presence of the minister of Health of El Salvador, José Guillermo Maza, Consul general of this country in Washington, by the general consuls of El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala and Colombia, Ann Margarita Chávez, Janina Smith, Héctor Palacios and Julius Caesar Aldana, respectively.

This is the eighth version of the event that has been constituted in one of the mobilizations of community, consular organizations and of bigger health of the country, which in the last years has attended to more than 300 thousand persons in the United States.

This year, more than one about thirty of agencies will provide health services and information without cost to those who approach one of the numerous events that have been programmed in the area, as for example inaugural, that will be realized on October 5 in the church of the Sacred Heart of DC, organized by the Office of Latin Matters of the Mayor "WAVE" and the consulate of Mexico.

In the opportunity there will be offered examinations of the diabetes, cholesterol, glucose, vision, VIH, tests of asthma and lead, in addition to commission, on nutrition and cancer, consular information and cultural activities.

The topic of the Binational Week of Health this year is the obesity, although every region adapts it to its own needs. For example, on the border with Mexico the most excellent problems of health are the obesity and the tuberculosis, while in the metropolitan DC area it is the obesity along with the VIH. In California, as, the principal topics are the diabetes and the pain of bones, the last one for the immigrants' quantity that they are employed at the construction.

If he wants to know more about the big events quantity that they have been programmed in the area to celebrate the Binational Week of Health, Health Guides of Washington Hispanic this week publishes a finished list of events. Also it can find information in the web site: binationahealthweek.org.

From Washington
Dead-end streets
This Saturday, the 4th of October the Annual Walk is realized Against the AIDS (AIDS) in Washington DC. Therefore he announces the closing of the following streets to himself: Pennsylvania Avenue South, between 14th and 13th Streets, NW, from 2:00 a.m, until 3:00 p.m. Also, the following streets will close, in accordance with the presence of the public, between 8:30 and 12:30 p.m.: Pennsylvania Avenue between 13th and 3rd Streets, NW.; her 3rd Street between Pennsylvania Avenue, NW and E Street, SW.; Washington Avenue, SW, between Independence Avenue and 2nd Street, SW. Also 2nd Street, SW, between Washington Avenue and E Street, SW. And Independence Avenue between 4th and 3rd Streets, SW. For information Lewis communicates with Chip to: 202-797-3514

Literacy
The Office of the Mayor for Latin Matters (WAVE) sponsors the first seminar of literacy and GED in Spanish in Washington DC. For teachers, volunteers and interested parties who speak Spanish and want to obtain the basic knowledge to teach literacy for adults and GED in Spanish. East will offer itself on Friday, the 3rd of October and Saturday, the 4th of October of 9:00 am - 2:00pm in Carlos Rosario Internacional Career Center and Public Charter School 1100 Harvard St. NW Washington, DC 20009.

From Maryland
Donate Blood
The relatives of the Firemen's Departments do called the community that has the good will to approach to donate blood on behalf of Carlos Alfaro, Jr. This activity will be carried out on Saturday, the 18th of October of 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Firemen's Station of 16111 University Blvd. And. Silver Spring, MD. “Donate blood, save a life”. To do an appointment call Steve Mann to 301-440-9294

Wheaton celebrates Month of the Heredity
Lulu Delacre, rewarded bilingual writer and illustrator of children's books and young people will lead a program in Spanish for the family owing to the celebration of the Month of the Hispanic Heredity in the Library of Wheaton, on Sunday, the 12th of October beginning at 12 p.m. The library is located in 11701 of the Agreed Georgia. The program is free and stories reading consists of songs for the children for the big ones. Also there will be morsels and a piñata for the children. For major information to call to the library 240-777-0678, 301-929-5524

From Virginia
Congress of Praise and Sanación
Be present at the international praise congress and sanación 2008 "Big is your Compassion". With the special guests Rev. Father Fernando Orejuela from Colombia; Saulo Barrera of Dominican Republic and Ivan Rios of Bolivia. On Saturday, the 4th of October, the 2008th. It will be carried out in Margarette Hall of the Parish San Antonio of Padua located in 3305 Glen Carlyn Spring, Falls Church. And on Sunday, the 5th of October, the 2008th in the Auditorium Kenmore Middle School located in 200 S Carlyn Springs Rd, Arlington. For information call 703.824.3582 or 703.220.6630.

Legal housing clinic
The Center for Responsible Loans, along with the Organization of Legal Services of the North of Virginia and the Episcopal Church Saint Margaret's they realize the Legal Clinic: "My House is My House: Avoid the mortgage judgment” that takes as a target to give advice of housing and free juridical assistance to the proprietors of house who are in risk of losing housing in mortgage judgments. In this event Saint Margaret's will realize on Saturday, the 18th of October of 8:30 am to 4:00 p.m. in the Episcopal Church located in 2610 Omisol Road, Woodbridge, VA.Para information to communicate with Aracely Panameño, to 202-413-6510 Office: 703-368-5711

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