The Guadalajara Reporter
Guadalajara's Largest English Newspaper
Tuesday, June 13, some 30 residents from the Poncitlan villages of Agua Caliente, San Pedro Itzicán, Santa María, Chalpicote and la Zapotera demonstrated outside the Governor’s offices in Guadalajara, demanding a new artesian well be drilled so they could stop using contaminated water, which is being blamed for a host of diseases plaguing their communities.
If all the laws currently on the books in Mexico were effectively enforced, the nation would resemble something akin to a utopia. But too often, the enforcement capacity of federal, state and municipal governments is ham-strung by powerful forces, often of an economic and/or cultural nature.
More airport woes
Farmers seeking compensation for the decades-old expropriation of their lands to build the Guadalajara International Airport will picket the facility as of Monday, June 12. Talks with federal authorities over fair compensation broke down again this week, with representatives of the Zapote farmers’ community (ejido) promising to reestablish the non-violent protests that have plagued the city airport over the past 18 months.
If you’re involved in a car accident while using your cell phone, you could end up serving jail time. Sentences could be between 3-10 years if the accident resulted in death or serious injury.
Quebec International Relations Minister Christine St-Pierre and Jalisco Governor Aristoteles Sandoval exchange gifts during a press call at the Government Palace Tuesday. During her visit to the city, St-Pierre announced plans to open a Quebec representational office in Guadalajara. The aim will be to “strengthen ties” in education and the creative and technological industries, Sandoval said.
Introduced in Jalisco last year, Mexico’s new justice system, modeled on the United States and other western nations, was supposed to bring a breath of fresh air to an outdated – and often corrupt – judicial process, offering increased transparency and more legal guarantees for defendants.
Last year, Jalisco acquired a dubious distinction: first place in fires among Mexico’s 32 states. This year, it finds itself protecting its title with room to spare.
The metro-area municipality of Tlajomulco has launched a new garbage collection program, putting down an environmental marker ahead of wealthier neighbors Guadalajara and Zapopan, both of which still dump all kinds of waste into the same trucks.
The first Costco gas station in Mexico has opened in San Luis Potosi, under the brand Kirkland Signature. Members of the warehouse club obtain a lower price than the rest of the public. Payments can only be made by debit or credit card, or Costco certificates. The U.S. company has invested 58 million pesos in this venture, which it says will be the first of several throughout Mexico.
Since reforms to the nation’s energy sector opened the door to foreign competition, various oil giants – including Shell, Exxon and BP – have announced plans to enter the gas station market.
