General News

Truck drivers who have been hauling away rubble from the new Guadalajara Tren Ligero (subway) construction site parked their rigs in the city center to demand payment from the state government dating back from the start of the work seven months ago.  According to the owners of some 150 trucks, drivers have made some 10,000 trips to the Picachos dump for which they have not received a single peso.

Members of  the animal advocacy group Igualdad Animal staged a silent protest in Guadalajara’s Plaza de Armas on Saturday, April 4 to highlight what they say is the mistreatment of horses that pull the traditional carriages (calandrias) through the streets of the city center.  The protestors also handed out more than 1,000 leaflets detailing  the “inhumane abuse” the horses suffer as they take tourists through the traffic-filled historic downtown area.  Calandria owners– and many city officials – dispute the activists’ claims, pointing out that the horses are in good health and subject to regular veterinary examinations.

It’s not just citizens in the United States who are using their cell phones to document abuses by law-enforcement officials.

A Guadalajara traffic cop is behind bars after he allegedly assaulted a 20-year-old student who was filming him soliciting a bribe from the driver of a city bus.

The huge inflatable water slides installed in Guadalajara’s Plaza de Liberacion and Plaza Universidad over the Easter holiday were not only criticized by many Tapatiosas an “eyesore” but failed to attract the large numbers of participants as in previous years. Only 60,000 people used the slides, way below the sponsor’s target of 800,000. The installations also consumed a huge amount of water: 200,000 liters. The exercise cost the sponsor around three million pesos.

When Josefina M. was cold-called by the Green Party of Mexico (PVEM), she politely responded to their telephone survey, answering questions on crime, education, jobs and other issues. 

The construction of the new Corona Market in downtown Guadalajara may be causing sinkholes and fractures to appear in properties surrounding the site. One expert this week warned of an “imminent danger” of collapse of the new structure – around 50 percent complete – and adjoining properties. The developers of the new covered market and officials at Guadalajara city hall reject the claim, and say the area is completely safe.

The private lives of public figures rarely make the front pages of Mexico’s “established” journals. An unwritten rule for many newspaper editors is to leave dirty laundry well hidden away from the public glare.

In late April, Zapopan residents will get their first taste of the bike sharing system, Mi Bici, as 300 bicycles start appearing at 30 stations.  

The city government has installed a booth in Plaza Juan Pablo II, the giant square facing the Basilica, where those interested in the program can obtain further  information in person.  The system for renting bicycles will be the same as in Guadalajara. The annual cost, using a credit card, is 365 pesos a year. Registration can be made through the online system on mibici.net.

At first, the bike stations will all be in Zapopan Centro, and later spread out across the municipality.