Emergency Responders Get Bikes; Asparagus Price Gouging; Basel Tennis Tournament Gets Reprieve

News For 16 May 2023

Basel Stadt Emergency Response teams have joined the trend of public service departments adding non-polluting vehicles to their fleets.  Earlier today, the E-Cargo Bike with high visibility yellow paint was unveiled on the department's social media page.  The rescue team also released a statement reassuring the public that the bike will only be used to transport medical equipment between primary care locations, not to transport emergency care-givers to primary-response locations or to move people experiencing medical emergencies.

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The height of the asparagus season is fast approaching our region, having started at the end of April when the earliest harvests start arriving at your market stands.  However, something of a stir is now afoot, as locals have taken notice that the asparagus on offer in Basel's Marktplatz is often almost twice the price as the same asparagus, sourced in Germany or France, costs half the price if you make the short trip across the border.  Adding insult to injury, the farmers who import their asparagus from border regions into Basel do so duty free, further fattening their profits.

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The Canton of Basel Stadt has agreed to double its annual contribution to the coffers of the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament in return for continued marketing and branding rights.  Furthermore, organizers will be granted "rent concessions" at the St. Jakobshalle, the historic home of the global tournament.  The event, which draws from the best global tennis talent, was rumored to be dissatisfied with its economic arrangement with its hometown last year, and rumors were flying of moving to Zürich. The latest deal puts the scuttlebut to rest until 2026 when the deal expires.