The year of the great fires which particularly consumed Zamora and Leonof the death of six miners who had left the Community to continue working in the pits while in Castile and León there had been no more for seven years, of … end of the iconic factory Sugar… We are in 2025, the year of no agreement which led to a fall in budgets, an example of political confrontation. But there was also good news: for posterity, there were images of the return of the Iberian lynx or the celebration of the millions won in the “Gordo”. Before the clock strikes twelve chimes, we take a look back at the moments that define 2025.
January: The boy we kept waiting
For Chelsey, the year began at 00:37, when, from Salamanca, the first baby of Castilla y León, born in 2025, came into the world. Nearly an hour later, Mariam d’Avila followed in his footsteps and at 3:09 a.m., Julen followed in his footsteps. And Nuno and Inés arrived. The only thing missing was Soria, where we had to wait to meet Ander, already at 2:33 am on January 4th. These births contribute to increasing the birth rate in the Community, which according to statistics has increased, but in a context of vegetative balance.
February: the return of the Iberian lynx
After half a century, the Iberian lynx returned to Castile and León. The first two specimens, a male and a female, Vuelvepiedras and Virgo, arrived in Astudillo (Palencia) on February 17. However, they died a few months later, a fate suffered by four of the nine felines received. Despite this, the Council reaffirmed its commitment to the reintroduction program of this animal, aimed at achieving a viable and breeding population. To try to minimize the risks, actions are being carried out such as the installation of a perimeter fence on the P-405 highway, one of the black spots.
One of the specimens of Iberian lynx released in Astudillo (Palencia)
March: sugar crisis
The multinational Associated British Foods (AB Foods), owner of the Azucarera brand, has announced its desire to apply an ERE (Employment Regulatory File) to its staff, which would result in the departure of more than 251 workers in all its production centers and offices in Spain. A decision which marks the end of the milling activity of La Bañeza (León), which did not receive any beets to transform into sugar this winter. Miranda de Ebre was left only for the refining of cane and only in Taurus (Zamora) takes root, while the company continues without giving in and does not accept any industrial alternative to the Bañeza factory where, in July, an agreement was signed that led to the departure of 193 workers.
April: five miners from León die in Asturias
David, Jorge, Rubén, Amadeo and Ibán. This is the name of the five Leonese who lost their lives in the Cerredo mine, in Degaña (Asturias). Young miners and experienced professionals who were prevented from retiring by the closure of the León basins in 2018 because they did not meet the age requirements. Four of them were the inhabitants of the municipality of Villablino, This tragedy struck again in November, when Anilson died in the Asturian farm of Vega de Resgos, in the municipality of Cangas del Narcea, where a landslide buried him with his Asturian companion Óscar. November also recalled the 2013 deaths of the six well workers. Emilio del Valle de la Hullera Basque Leonese, in the municipality of La Pola de Gordón, after learning of the acquittal of the 16 people accused of homicide, including the managers of the company.
Funeral of the Leonese miners who died in April in the Cerredo mine, in Degaña (Asturias)
May: opening of the tomb of Saint Thérèse
It had been fifteen days since the incorrupt body of Saint Teresa could be contemplated in the town of Alba de Tormes, in Salamanca. In figures of the Order of Carmel, from May 11 to 26, more than 90,000 pilgrims They came to venerate the remains of the wanderer in an open tomb for the third time in history and the second time since 1914.
June: Removal of AVE stops in Sanabria
Supervised in the reorganization of services in the high speed line Madrid-Galicia, on June 9, the controversial removal of AVE stops at the Otero de Sanabria (Zamora) station came into force. The decision mobilized Zamora’s society, which participated in multiple demonstrations, even going so far as to demonstrate in Madrid. In addition, through the AVE user associations, the inhabitants of Zamora asked the Ministry of Transport, copy of the administrative file which led to the deletion. Request that the ministry refused to grant, because the dissemination of the information “could harm Renfe”, a public company which justified the measure by profitability criteria. This same Saturday, the general secretary of the PSOE of Castilla y León, announced that in “a few weeks” the trains that connect Sanabria to Zamora and Madrid could be “restored”
July: death of footballer Diogo Jota
Liverpool footballer Diego Jota and his brother André Silva died in a road accident on Thursday July 3. In the early morning, as they arrived from Portugal, they were victims of a road accident at kilometer 65 of the A-52 motorway. passing through Cerdanilla (Zamora) The cause of the accident was a tire burst when the Lamborghini they were traveling in overtook another vehicle, but the possibility that Jota was driving excessively was also highlighted.
August: On fire
Weather conditions contributed to the problems since, after the sixth wettest spring since 1961, heat waves had dried out lush summer vegetation. On Saturday 9, the Council alerted for the first time about the simultaneity of fires, a situation that will continue throughout the month of August, where around thirty forest fires will burn at the same time, with up to fifteen days at the maximum severity index.
The disaster pushed the operation to its limits, resulting in more than 140,000 hectares and left three dead -Abel Ramos and Jaime Aparicio, surprised by two tongues of fire in Castrocalbón, and Nacho Rumbao, a firefighter who overturned his fire truck in Espinoso de Compludo-, several injured, some seriously, and thousands of residents evacuated from dozens of villages. Zamora and León suffered the greatest attacks of flames during uncontrollable days, with almost two thirds of the total fires in the Community. The flames invaded natural spaces such as the Sierra de la Culebra, Las Médulas and the Picos de Europa. The end of the inferno came on August 30, when there were no more extremely dangerous fires in Castile and León.
September: Buscyl is definitively established
The President of the Council, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, presented the Buscyl road transport card on May 26, but the implementation of the initiative to travel for free throughout the Community peaked at the end of September. Until December 15, the system – not without some problems, especially at the beginning – had recorded more than 3.5 million trips and a total of 571,395 users of the card.
October: macrofocus on avian flu
After two and a half years without infection in production poultry, avian flu entered farms. Control measures began in September and only ended in December, during which seven outbreaks were declared in the south of Valladolid and more than two million birds slaughteredin a complicated year for breeding, to which is added the threat of African swine fever.
November: no budget
The amendments of the entire opposition to the Cortes overturned, for the first time in history, Community budgets prepared by the Council, with a view to the next regional elections scheduled for March. The PSOE will present itself with a new leader and candidate, the current mayor of Soria, Carlos Martínez, who replaced Luis Tudanca in February when he was elected regional secretary. November also left images of the former nuns of Belorado, whose abbess was arrested by the Civil Guard, as well as another schismatic, accused of trying to sell works of art from the Burgos monastery.
December: León wins El Gordo
León ended the year the way he started it: winning the lottery. The residents of Villablino, La Pola de Gordón and La Bañeza were blessed by El Gordo. A 79432 which in Villamanín, where it arrived from the hands of the Festivals Commission, triggered tensions since 50 tickets were sold without having the corresponding tenths.
The players of the La Bañeza soccer team were responsible for selling tickets for the El Gordo Christmas lottery in the municipality.
About The Author
