Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - There's always so much going on in Puerto Vallarta and around Banderas Bay, it can be difficult to keep up with it all. So we've put together a brief overview of several of this week's news headlines from local Spanish language publications, a few breaking news stories, and some upcoming events you won't want to miss.

5 Influenza Cases Reported in Jalisco

Although little has transpired in the news about the progress of seasonal influenza in the various states of the republic, in Jalisco, State Health Secretariat (SJS) confirmed that from April 21-27th, five new cases of influenza were reported, one Type AH3N2, one Type A, and another case of Type B. With these figures, there have been a total of 132 cases of influenza reported in the State of Jalisco to date this year. The SSJ announced that a record of 662 cases of the disease in its various forms were reported last year, and that the number of deaths due to this disease was 22 cases. Therefore, he added, they are paying close attention, applying vaccines and making necessary revisions to prevent any widespread outbreak.

Free Thursday Night Movies at La Cuiza

Filma13, the company that offers free Wednesday night movie screenings on the Marina Vallarta Malecón, will begin showing free movies at 8:30 pm on Thursday evenings at La Cuiza on the Isla Río Cuale. According to Filma13's Yang Leal, the films screened at La Cuiza are going to be more edgy than the movies shown at Marina Vallarta, which are more family oriented. During the screenings, which begin with Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan on May 9th, La Cuiza will have popcorn, snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages available for purchase. La Cuiza is located near Oscar’s Restaurant on the Río Cuale Island, and is accessible from the oceanfront pedestrian bridge. Visit VirtualVallarta.com for a list of the films (and links to their Internet Movie Database records) that will be screened during the months of May and June.

FunJetVacations to Offer New Flights to PVR

Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit entrepreneurs and authorities recently met with executives of FunJetVacations at the Hotel Friendly Puerto Vallarta to discuss strategies for jointly promoting the Banderas Bay region through the American Union of travel wholesalers. Among the objectives set by FunJetVacations is an increase in the destinations' publicity as well as in the frequency of flights to the Puerto Vallarta International Airport in 2014, which includes not only flights from existing destinations (Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Minneapolis, Minnesota), but also the addition of flights from Chicago, Denver, and St. Louis. The proposed plans are expected to be set into motion before the airline's new flight from Dallas, Texas to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico begins operations next month (June 2013.)

Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra Part of Vallarta's Festival Cultural de Mayo

Vallarta Cultural Institute Director, Sergio Zepeda, recently confirmed that the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra will perform in Puerto Vallarta on May 30th, as part of the city's anniversary celebrations. This year, Puerto Vallarta celebrates its 95th anniversary as a municipality and 45th year as an official city, and this concert is just one of the many events the tourism and culture departments have planned for the Festival Cultural de Mayo. An annual tradition, the city's May Fest is held from May 15-31st, and includes nightly concerts in the main plaza, singing and dancing performances at Los Arcos amphitheater, art exhibits, film screenings, parades and fireworks.

Upcoming Events in Puerto Vallarta and Around the Bay
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• La Santa Cruz Festivities Through May 3rd

• 9th Altruism Festival for Vallarta Charities

• Jorge Acosta Cinco de Mayo Concert at PCC

• Vallarta Bugambilia Festival, May 17-25th

Don't forget to vote for your favorite Puerto Vallarta restaurants in our 2013 Best of Banderas Bay Awards, right HERE on BanderasNews.com. We'll be collecting your votes in categories ranging from 'Best Breakfast' to 'Best Margarita' through December 31st, and the Puerto Vallarta restaurant with the most votes in each category will be named 'The Best of Banderas Bay' at an awards ceremony in early 2014. Click HERE to vote NOW!