BONN. At her first official press conference as Bonn's new mayor on Friday, Katja Dörner stated that the planned extension to the so-called Tausendfüßler bridge is not appropriate and demanded a revision. Together with Helmut Wiesner, head of the municipal planning and building control office, she presented an official statement from the city of Bonn for the ongoing planning approval procedure for the A565 motorway, stating that the section of the Tausendfüßler between Endenich and Bonn-Nord should only be renovated and then categorised as an urban rather than long-distance motorway.

The opinion is now to be submitted for consultation by the Bonn district authorities on 24^th November and for decision by the Council on 10^th December. The matter is urgent as the opinion needs to reach the Cologne district authorities within the time limit. Dörner recalled that, although the city council had approved the previous plans last year for a six-lane expansion, the Green Party was also involved. "But the general conditions have changed. A revision is absolutely necessary." Dörner cited three points: climate protection with a reduction in private transport to meet CO₂ targets, the urban climate and mobility - the significant increase in remote working, more flexible working hours and the replacement of business trips by video conferencing tends to lead to lower traffic loads at peak times.

Wiesner also criticised the plans for not including a cycle route running parallel to the motorway from the Endenicher Ei to Beuel. In addition, classifying the Tausendfüßler as an urban motorway would mean a speed limit of 80 km/h which would have an impact on noise protection measures. Wiesner also announced that the city wants to start planning a pedestrian and cyclist bridge over the A565 between Immenburgstraße and the Endenich campus. The NRW State Roads Authority would have to take this into account in all further planning for the Tausendfüßler. And what chance does the city of Bonn see of its objections still being considered? Bonn is not master of the process, admit Dörner and Wiesner. "But we assume that our objections will be taken seriously."

(Original text: Lisa Inhoffen)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BONN. On Saturday afternoon about 30 people took part in a demonstration entitled “Für den Erhalt des Grundgesetzes” (for the preservation of the constitution). The demonstrators gathered on the Kaiserplatz in Bonn at 3pm, as announced by the organisers. This was not a rally by the "Lateral Thinkers" movement, which has recently called for many demonstrations throughout Germany, including Bonn, to protest against the current Corona measures. According to police reports, the registered demonstration ended on Saturday afternoon at about 5pm without incident or police intervention.

(Original text: Dierk Himstedt)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BAD GODESBERG. Jürgen Bruder, Chairman of the Bad Godesberg Stadtmarketing Association, has announced that, following a survey, Bad Godesberg retailers have agreed to hold two Sunday trading days during Advent. The first will be on 29^th November. Bruder stated that the corona regulations will of course be strictly adhered to and, whilst the restaurants will remain closed, “takeaway” food and drinks will be on offer and even mulled wine will be available at one of the club members on Theaterplatz. The Stadtmarketing Association deliberately chose this date to counteract the online Black Friday offers on 27^th November. The second Sunday trading day will be held on 20^th December (4th Sunday in Advent) to allow for the last or even first purchases for Christmas. According to Bruder, these two dates should also help to even out the flow of shoppers a little.

(Original text: Jürgen Pohlmann)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BONN/KÖNIGSWINTER/SANKT AUGUSTIN. As part of a wide-ranging investigation, officials from the Criminal Investigation Department 21 tracked down two men aged 27 and 28 who are on suspicion of drug trafficking. According to the police, the suspects had run a cannabis plantation on several floors of an old building in Königswinter. The investigators obtained extensive evidence during search operations - in addition to the high-quality equipment needed to run a cannabis plantation, this included around 600 cannabis plants in various stages of growth. The officers also seized a large quantity of plants that had already been harvested.

Police officers arrested the suspects at their home addresses. A special task force was involved, as the police had concrete evidence that the suspects might be armed. The 27-year-old man, who was known to the police, was presented to a magistrate on the same day, and ordered to be remanded in custody. The 28-year-old was released after the first criminal investigation measures due to lack of grounds for detention.

(Original text: Jill Mylonas)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BONN. Astronomy on Tap in Bonn organises a monthly event with public astronomy talks at the Fiddlers pub in Bonn-Endenich. Due to corona restrictions, the group is going virtual and will be holding its next event live on YouTube on Tuesday 24th November at 7pm. This month’s speakers are Konstantinos Migkas on "Is the Universe the same towards everywhere?" and Dr. Robert Reischke on "Into the wild dark yonder". The event includes a live quiz, and one lucky winner will receive a super astro prize via email. More information can be found on Facebook and YouTube (Astronomy on Tap Bonn), Instagram and Twitter (@aotbonn), or send email to AoTBonn@gmail.com. Join the event at:

www.youtube.com/channel/UCbgE4FNKT3Ax_OoMw2dcCAA

(Translations: Caroline Kusch)