More than 600,000 Ticos, 14 percent of the population, smoke cigarettes. An anti-tobacco bill designed to ban smoking in specific public places has been stuck in Congress since 2008.
The alleged mastermind of the May 11 botched prison break died in his jail cell on May 22, several days after complaining he was being beaten repeatedly by guards.
Popular San José restaurant News Café closed after a tipping law was reinterpreted by the courts in a way many restaurant owners feel will be harmful to business.
