Amersfoort

Last year more Dutch were dissatisfied with the homes they live in than the years before, Statistics Netherlands said on Friday. Especially tenants were less happy with their homes, but homeowners were also more dissatisfied. Though the vast majority of Dutch are happy with the home they live in. 

A 46-year-old man from Amsterdam was arrested after allegedly leading police on a chase across the A1, A27, A12, and A2 highways. The man was suspected of a burglary in Amersfoort, when he ignored officers' orders to stop.

It started at about 12:30 a.m. on Saturday, when police were called to the Hanzeboulevard to investigate a burglary of a business location. A witness at the scene gave police a description of the car, police said in a statement.

The diary describing the last months of the life of statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, who was executed in 1619, resurfaced after being lost for nearly two centuries. The handwritten book was discovered a few months ago by an antique bookshop in the estate of a deceased person. From today, the 400th anniversary of Van Oldenbarnevelt's death, the diary will be exhibited in the Flehite museum in his birthplace Amersfoort, NOS reports.

King Willem-Alexander and his family are visiting Amersfoort today to celebrate the King's 52nd birthday. The Royal family will walk a route of just over a kilometer through the city center, encountering various performances and exhibitions.

The Royals are expected to arrive on Kleine Haag at Marienhof at 11:00 a.m., where they will be welcomed by the mayor. The King and Queen will then take a photo with the day's storytellers, who will share the tale of Amersfoort and the region around it throughout the day. 

The municipality of Amersfoort is scrapping a fine of up to 25 thousand euros for those who reveal information about the King's Day celebrations in the city later this month, mayor Lucas Bolsuis said to RTV Utrecht on Sunday.

The Dutch provinces, transport regions and municipalities are pushing 245 million euros into getting more people to use their bicycles to get to work. In June State Secretary Stientje van Veldhoven of Infrastructure announced that the government is investing 100 million euros into measures to promote cycling, RTL Nieuws reports.

The government aims to convince 200 thousand extra people to use their bicycle for their daily commute. To achieve this, the government is investing into making cycling more attractive.

Train traffic from Schiphol to Amersfoort was halted for a short time on Wednesday after an explosive was found near the tracks in Laren. Defense's explosives disposal team cleared it away, Het Parool reports.

The explosive experts believe it is an old explosive, likely dating from World War II. According to the police, there is no danger for local residents or the environment. 

The explosive was found near Doctor Albert Schweitzerweg by people working on the railway.

Train traffic restarted around 2:30 p.m., about an hour after it was halted. 

The body of Marloes Idzerda was found in a wooded area in Soest on Wednesday after two days of searching. The 44-year-old woman from Amersfoort disappeared on Sunday. 

Idzerda was last seen on Sunday. She was reported missing during the early hours of Tuesday morning. Her car was found on Oude Leusderweg in Soest on Sunday.

Rents in the Netherlands free sector continue to rise, especially outside the four large cities. The average rental price in the Netherlands increased by nearly 6 percent compared to a year ago, according to figures rental housing site Pararius released on Tuesday, NOS reports.

A 19-year-old man died in hospital after falling from the third floor of an apartment building on Ringweg Randenbroek in Amersfoort on Sunday morning, De Gelderlander reports.

Eyewitnesses saw the young man walking over the gallery of the apartment building on Sunday morning. They told the newspaper that he was acting strangely, coming dangerously close to the balustrade. Local residents were considering calling the police, when he fell and landed on top of a parked car.

A 35-year-old man was arrested in Amersfoort on Sunday night after he threw his bicycle at a passing ambulance and then assaulted the driver, ANP reports.

The incident happened on Utrechtseweg. The man threw a bicycle at a passing ambulance, hitting it. The paramedics stopped, thinking that they hit someone. When the driver opened his door, the man again threw the bicycle at the ambulance. When the driver approached him, he punched the driver in the face.