English-speaking, pet-loving residents of the Guadalajara and Lake Chapala areas are frequently more than familiar with the veterinarian brothers Antonio and Arturo Ladron de Guevara, who, along with their father, a sister and the younger Hector, have for decades operated large, well-equipped clinics in both locales and speak excellent English to boot.

A Guadalajara-born nun who dedicated her life to helping the poor was among 802 new saints named by Pope Francis in the Vatican on Sunday.

It was a typical balmy evening just over a year ago when Abel Paz Enciso wrapped up a class in his dance studio and headed off from San Antonio Tlayacapan to meet up with pals at the Ajijic Malecon.

Before taking over the reins as governor of Jalisco on March 1, Aristotoles Sandoval began spouting fresh ideas for restructuring the state government. Innovations in public administration that include the creation, elimination and fusion of various agencies are now well under way, with the deepest changes noted in branches related to law and order.

Jalisco law enforcement agencies are facing criticism for not taking the disappearance of women seriously and for acting too slowly when reports of missing persons are filed.

“It’s a theme that no one seems to be talking about,” said Guadalupe Ramos Ponce, coordinator of the state branch of the Latin American Committee for the Defense of Women’s Rights.

More than 1,180 women are currently reported as missing in the state of Jalisco.

Ramos told the Informador newspaper that evidence suggests that many cases of women going missing in Jalisco are not linked to their domestic and social situations but to crime.

“We don’t know if the disappearances have to do with human trafficking, prostitution or sexual violence.  So it’s up to authorities to investigate.”

After Quebec last year, the Gallic flavor of the annual Festival Cultural de Mayo (May Festival) will continue as a host of talented performers are trucked in by invited guest country France.