Manuel Real Barragan heaves a faint sigh of despair, furrowing his sun-baked brow as he glances out beyond the far end of the Chapala pier. As head of the vigilance council for the local tour boat operators association, he is up against the challenge of literally keeping business afloat.

The six Chapala policemen who were detained last month on suspicion of colluding with the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) crime syndicate have been put behind bars to face formal charges of attempted homicide, illegal deprivation of liberty and association in organized crime.

Reporter reader Cathie Simon took this dramatic photograph from her  home in Chula Vista looking south across Lake Chapala on the evening of Thursday, April 18. 

Chapala Civil Protection and Fire Department chief Arturo Rivera revealed that his staff have faced major challenges in contending with a recent rash of brush fires that have plagued the municipality.

Chapala Mayor Joaquin Huerta has confirmed the installation of a military guard post near the municipality’s western boundary with Jocotepec.

After patching up more than 500 ugly potholes, Ajijic town manager Hector España is forging ahead with a campaign to spruce up the village.