Thursday, July 30, 2026

Former government official Julissa Villanueva denied Monday that she ever received a formal summons from the Special Prosecutor's Office, contradicting the public ministry's claim that she failed to appear for questioning, and said she is ready to testify once properly served.

Also reported by: Radio América, Radio América Honduras

Congress approved a motion calling on the state power utility, ENEE, to open talks with Lake Yojoa tourism operators over sustainable use of a 630-meter stretch of canal, after a prior agreement expired and left hundreds of families who depend on the trade at risk.

Honduras's basic food basket has climbed to 16,700 lempiras (about $670), far above the 12,000-to-14,000-lempira minimum wage, prompting economist Wilfredo Girón to warn that eroding purchasing power will drive more Hondurans to emigrate as poverty deepens.

Lawmakers approved 18 infrastructure projects for Tegucigalpa, Comayagüela, and nearby municipalities, including roads, water systems, markets, housing, and flood-control works, under contracts dating from 2023 to 2026.

ENEE announced planned maintenance cutoffs on July 30 across Copán, Francisco Morazán, Valle, and Olancho, with specific neighborhoods in the capital and municipalities in each region facing interruptions of five to seven hours starting in the morning.

Also reported by: Radio Cadena Voces (RCV), Once Noticias, Radio HRN

Tegucigalpa's municipal water authority released a five-day distribution schedule from July 29 to August 2, assigning neighborhoods rotating hours based on reservoir and treatment-plant capacity, and urged residents to store water during their assigned periods.

The engineering firm ACI, which designed and oversees the Pope Francis Bridge on Tegucigalpa's ring road, also designed and oversaw the Juan Manuel Gálvez overpass that collapsed in April 2025, raising questions about its track record on major infrastructure projects.

The capital's city government plans to relaunch the abandoned Trans 450 rapid-transit project as an electric-bus system by April 2028, but transport operators oppose the plan and threaten strikes, citing their exclusion and concerns about a proposed $21 million debt for new vehicles.

Hospitals under construction in Choluteca, Colón, and the Bay Islands, funded by international development banks, are on track to open in 2027, with Choluteca's regional facility 58% complete and set to offer 159 beds in oncology and intensive care.

Also reported by: Radio América Honduras

Honduras has contained an avian influenza outbreak at a commercial farm and is preparing technical documentation to resume poultry and egg exports to regional trading partners.

Honduras recorded 17 whooping-cough deaths through July 2026, more than double the eight reported in all of 2025, with infants and young children hardest hit by the highly contagious bacterial infection.

Teachers in Santa Bárbara protested at the provincial education office, demanding overdue salaries and a timeline from authorities for clearing the arrears affecting the region's schools.

Fundación Terra, the Education Ministry, and UNESCO have launched a four-month program to train 100 teachers and community leaders across 30 schools in the Central District, equipping the schools with gardens, rainwater systems, and waste-management tools to benefit roughly 10,500 children.

A 39-year-old fisherman rescued after 20 hours adrift off Corozal was treated for hypothermia and sun exposure, but his 16-year-old crewmate, Joseth David Vuelto García, has been missing since their boat capsized in rough seas Friday.

Also reported by: Infobae – Honduras, SEDENA Honduras

Mayak Chocolate, a Roatán chocolatier that works with Honduran cacao, won a Gourmet Medal at an international competition in Paris for its 70% dark bar with cashew, its 16th international award since 2015.

Honduras rose to 14th place with five medals—two silver and three bronze—after tennis players Natalie Espinal and Alejandra Obando took silver in women's doubles at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo.

A study by Plan Internacional found that hundreds of Honduran children have given up on reaching the United States and now live in Mexican camps, where fear of authorities, discrimination, and exposure to violence have left them trapped in prolonged displacement.

A fare collector and her assistant were shot dead when gunmen opened fire on an intercity bus between Trujillo and La Ceiba in Colón; the driver pressed on for more than 25 kilometers to seek help before the victims were identified as Leda Hernández and Geovanny.

Lenin Marel Jaco García, a teacher at the José Trinidad Reyes Institute in San Pedro Sula, is set for his initial court hearing on July 31 on charges of sexually assaulting a minor and remains in pretrial detention at El Progreso prison.

Also reported by: Radio HRN, Infobae – Honduras, Radio América Honduras

Honduras's road-transport authority warned the public of a scam in which criminals send text messages posing as the DNVT, with bogus traffic fines and links designed to steal personal information.

A 36-year-old security supervisor in San Pedro Sula was found unharmed after police determined he had staged his own abduction and sent WhatsApp messages demanding one million lempiras (about $40,000) from his wife; he was taken to a police station and will be referred to prosecutors for simulating a nonexistent offense.

Also reported by: TuNota (Canal 5 / TSI), Policía Nacional de Honduras, Radio América Honduras

National Police arrested two men, known as "El Yal" and "El Diablo," in the death of a homeless woman in El Progreso, Yoro, who was killed with a concrete block.