A tiny French mountain village with a long name, L'Hospitalet-pres-l'Andorre, has lost half its population over three decades. Its name in English would be "The Hospital Near Andorra." (Andorra is a small principality shoehorned between France and Spain.)
The village can tick off the losses. First the customs office closed, causing the five families whom it supported to leave. (The village's economy mainly depended on the town's location on the road to Andorra and some tourism in the Pyrenees
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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