GA English on Sunday News in Brief from Bonn and the region
High sick leave numbers in council offices, the most beautiful spots for the fireworks on Monday night, elevator not suitable for all wheelchairs at social welfare office, post-Christmas shopping numbers high due to trend of vouchers being very popular, and the relief canal for Mehlemer Bach to be completed soon – here is the GA English news in brief on Sunday.
Civil servants often ill: More than seven percent on sick leave at city council
As in the previous year, the sickness rate in Bonn's city administration remains high. The council staff is therefore calling for the hiring freeze to be lifted. Accordingly, 142,581 working days were not provided in 2017 in the city administration for reasons of illness. This corresponds to a sick leave rate of 7.54 percent, which has again risen slightly and is also above the average for members of the German Association of Cities and Towns (6.96 percent). The reason for the work intensification is the ban on reappointments anchored in the budget statutes and the hiring freeze, which the staff council is calling for to be removed.
Original text: Rüdiger Franz
**********************************************************
Fireworks in Bonn and the region: These are the most beautiful places for New Year's Eve photos
BONN/REGION. The year is coming to an end and like every year an impressive fireworks display crowns the end of the year. But where in Bonn and the region can you take the most beautiful New Year's Eve photo? We suggest you pick a good spot at one of these locations:
- Drachenfels
- Kennedybrücke
- Kreuzberg
- Meßdorfer Feld
- Rheinufer
- Tomburg
Also, even if the weather prospects for the coming days are changeable(:), During the fireworks it is expected to remain dry.
Original text: GA Bonn
**********************************************************
Social welfare office with barriers: Elevator not suitable for all wheelchairs
BAD GODESBERG. The city council's Department for Disabled Affairs should be particularly handicapped-friendly. But even the elevator at the entrance cannot be used by everyone.
This was pointed out by a wheelchair user who could not use the elevator at the entrance and would not have been able to get his official papers into the authorities without outside help. The Municipal Building Management said it gladly accepts suggestions from customers of the Social Welfare Office and implements them - provided they are possible according to the owner of the building. According to the administration, the social welfare officers have often received complaints about the location of the building within the city area and the long distances within the building.
Original text: Richard Bongartz
**********************************************************
Shopping trends in the city: Vouchers very popular
BONN. Even after Christmas the shops in Bonn are full. This is also due to a trend in Christmas gifts. Jannis Vassiliou knows that more and more people want to make their loved ones happy with a voucher. The chairman of the retail association Bonn/Rhein-Sieg/Euskirchen has asked his colleagues and learnt that the trend is increasingly towards gift vouchers. "Vouchers for perfumery articles are at the top of the list," says Vassiliou, who himself is a jeweller based in Sternstrasse. Of course, many exchanged their gifts again: "But development in that matter is constant," Vassiliou experienced.
Original text: Lisa Inhoffen
**********************************************************
Flood protection in Bad Godesberg: Relief canal for Mehlemer Bach to be completed soon
MEHLEM. Work on the "bypass" Bachemer Straße is entering its final phase. The construction is intended to protect Mehlem from flooding during heavy rain by leading the water masses through an underground canal into the Rhine. The work should be completed by the beginning of the heavy rain season, which lasts from April to October and is usually „wettest“ in June.
Original text: Richard Bongartz
**********************************************************
Translation: Mareike Graepel
