Under the title Manos para cuidar el Lago (Hands to care for the Lake), a loose-knit group of local activists is putting out the call for volunteers to conduct a massive one-day clean-up of Lake Chapala’s shoreline, slated for Saturday, June 1, from 9 to 11 a.m.

The Jalisco Attorney General’s office (FGE) has revealed that two former policemen are among the six suspects put behind bars as prime suspects in a series of high profile crimes of violence committed earlier this year in the lakeside area.

“Water is a symbol of life. The water in this fountain represents the lives of four beloved women.” With these simple words, Chapala Mayor Joaquin Huerta led the May 10 dedication of the towering cantera stone fountain installed at the east end of Ajijic’s waterfront park.

Marble plaques embedded around the foot of the fountain bear the names Julia Ramos, Zara Alexeyewa, Neill James and Juanita Reed engraved in gold letters.

“Today we want to express gratitude for their contributions to our community, and take this opportunity to salute all mothers, present and absent,” Huerta remarked during the ceremony held on Mexico’s Dia de las Madres. 

Chapala resident Edgar Alonso Hernandez Rojas, 22, died in the early hours of Sunday, May 12, from injuries sustained when he accidentally tumbled headfirst from the second-story balcony of a popular downtown Chapala watering hole.

The Ajijic branch of Mexico’s postal service, Correos de Mexico, was relocated to a new address at Carretera Oriente 29 as of May 6.

Lakeside area environmental activists and organic food proponents will be joining the worldwide March on Monsanto campaign slated for Saturday, May 25.

A rally scheduled for 10 a.m. at the outdoor amphitheater on Ajijic’s Malecon will focus on critical global issues related to the production, availability and safety of food.