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“Nexus”
Dance show, July 1-4, 8 p.m., Melico Salazar Theater.

Auditions
For Little Theatre Group staged reading of “Tuesdays with Morrie,” five men ages 20-75 needed, show goes on in August, call 8858-1446, or e-mail Noel at crknm@yahoo.com, www.littletheatregroup.org.

“Oliver” Auditions
Musical with new Spanish translation, by Far Corners Community Musical Theatre, open auditions for ages 10-18, June 28-July 2 (show set for first week of August), Monteverde. Info: 2645-6114, www.farcornersmusicals.org.

Adventure Kids Day Camp
Ages 5-12, nature activities, sports, crafts, swimming, field trip, bilingual, July 5-9, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Escazú and Ciudad Colón. Info: 2289-0404, advkids@gmail.com.

The administration of Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla says an agreement reached on Wednesday will eventually eliminate Costa Rica's informal taxi service.

The agreement ends an eight-year standoff between the government and the country's porteadores, or informal taxi drivers, by making each person who intends to transport people register with the Transport Ministry.

The rift between the two parties has caused many headaches over the years, as failed negotiations often led to road blocks or tortugismo, a method of protest in which demonstrators drive slowly to stall traffic.

Germán Lobo, head of the Porteadores Chamber, said such practices will end only if the agreement goes through as negotiated. The proposal has one more road block: It must be approved by the Legislative Assembly before it can take effect.

President Laura Chinchilla called on both Ottón Solís and Otto Guevara, her two closest rivals in the February elections – and the heads of the Citizen Action Party and the Libertarian Movement Party, respectively – to seek the support of their followers for the bill.

She said despite achieving an agreement with the porteadores, “It's very probable that not everyone will vote in favor.”

Members of the media were skeptical about the claim that the agreement would eliminate taxistas piratas, as the informal drivers are popularly known. They pointed to the situation in communities outside of San José where no official taxi service exists, and questioned how the government could regulate pirate taxis drivers in these areas, or any of the other for-pay transportation services that may surface.

The negotiating team called the process “complex” and “a marathon,” adding that each party involved had to make sacrifices. Edwin Barboza, president of the Taxi Federation, said, “I want to emphasize that in this process, there were no winners or losers.”

Guatemalan social groups welcomed the news today of the appointment of Costa Rican Chief Prosecutor Francisco Dall'Anese as the new head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).

The coordinator of the International Center for Human Rights Research (CIIDH), Jorge Santos, told EFE that Dall'Anese has all of the necessary experience to take the place of Spanish judge Carlos Castresana.

The judge resigned June 7, saying there was not enough support from the Guatemalan executive branch in the fight against impunity.

Social groups, related Santos, discussed the need for the new commissioner to continue with the agenda set out by Castresana.

The Costa Rican prosecutor "has solid experience in criminal investigations and high-profile cases, and for this reason he has been chosen for the position,” explained Santos.

"It is now critical that the new commissioner arrives in Guatemala to quickly take up the work of the CICIG,” Santos continued.

The appointment of Dall'Anese, a strong opponent of narco-trafficking and organized crime, was announced Monday at the United Nations in New York City.

Castresana's successor has excellent credentials in the fight against corruption and against criminal groups that have increased insecurity levels in Central America, according to a statement issued by the UN.

CICIG is the outcome of a December 2006 agreement signed by the Guatemalan government and the U.N. and ratified by the Guatemalan Parliament the following year, despite opposition by some political groups who felt the commission was an invasion of national sovereignty.

The commission's goal is to uncover the existence of criminal organizations, collaborate with the state to dismantle the groups and to research, punish and sanction the crimes committed by these groups.

The National Symphony will team up with New York City-based jazz group Combo Nuvo for special concerts Friday evening and Sunday morning at the National Theater in San José.

Led by composer and jack-of-all-wind-instruments Dave Schroeder (saxophone, clarinet, flute, harmonica and pennywhistle), the combo will offer up its unique blend of jazz, orchestral, groove and world music, accompanied by the National Symphony's talents under guest conductor Marvin Araya.

Performances will be Friday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. For tickets, which range in price from ₡ 1,500 to ₡ 10,000 ($2.90 to $19), call 2221-5341 or visit www.teatronacional.go.cr.

Luis Vindas finally joined his sister up on the winner's podium as Costa Rica's national surfing champion.

Luis and Lisbeth Vindas, from the central Pacific beach town of Jacó, won Costa Rica's surfing national championships on accumulated points after the season's final contest at La Curva in nearby Playa Hermosa this weekend. Luis earned his first-ever national surf championship, while his sister picked up her eighth title.

After not scoring high enough to qualify for Sunday's final, Luis watched from shore as his closets challengers Carlos Muñoz and Gilbreth Brown stumbled – allowing Luis Vindas to stay atop the rankings and earn the crown. In his fifth year on the circuit, Luis collected his first national title. He was runner-up in 2008. His sister also faltered in the event's final rounds. However, so did her closest competitor Nataly Bernard, resulting in Lisbeth picking up another title.

"The truth is that today was the most nerve-wracking day of my life, because this morning I thought maybe the title I dreamed of for many years had gone away,” Luis Vindas said in a release. “Now I am very happy that I am able to say that I am national champion of Costa Rica.”

Naturally, Luis dedicated the award to his family. Defending champion Muñoz finished second overall in the men's championship, while also winning the junior national championship. Jason Torres finished third with 2008 champ Brown landing in fourth in the final standings.

Waves were around one to two meters high Sunday. The competition started at 1 p.m. with about 1,500 fans on hand, according to the Costa Rica Surf Federation. Lisbeth beat out Bernold and U.S. competitor Jordan Hundley for her win. Hundley won the junior championship. Bernold was initially announced as champion before a recount corrected the scores.

Lisbeth Vindas said she was thrilled to score one more title this year. But she said after the win that although she will continue surfing, she also plans to spend more time with her husband and family.