Posts

Fireworks blast in México state kills 10, injures dozens more

Image
At least 10 people were killed and 82 wounded after an unknown quantity of fireworks detonated during a celebration for a patron saint in the town of Santa María Canchesdá, in the municipality of Temascalcingo, México state.   Local authorities said the explosion occurred at around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night in the vicinity of the Nuestra Señora de la Luz (Our Lady of Light) church. Temascalcingo, a municipality of 66,000 residents, is located around 160 kilometers northwest of Mexico City. The state Attorney General’s Office is investigating whether the effigy or another flaming projectile ignited the additional fireworks. (Crisanta Espinosa Aguilar/Cuartoscuro) Videos shared online show festival attendees carrying a straw bull, with fireworks shooting from the effigy. Shortly after, additional fireworks being stored next to the church ignited, which caused a roof and a nearby wall to collapse, burying several people in the rubble. “It is with profound sorrow that I receive...

School suspended in La Paz, Los Cabos and Comondú as Baja California Sur rains continue

Image
The Baja California Sur State Civil Protection Council suspended school activities on Monday in the municipalities of La Paz, Los Cabos and Comondú due to forecasts of intense rain and wind, as well as potential impacts from rising streams and flooding.   Meanwhile, school activities in Loreto and Mulegé will continue with no disruptions.    The decision applies to all levels of education — both public and private — as well as to morning and afternoon schedules. State authorities indicated that the move is preventive and aims to reduce risks during the commutes of students, teachers, school staff and families. According to the National Meteorological Service (SMN) of the National Water Commission (Conagua), the continued rainfall in central and southern Baja California Sur following the passage of Hurricane Marie is caused by the Mexican monsoon, which is bringing heavy to very heavy rains through Tuesday.   As part of its preventative measures, the Los Cabos City Council has open...

Mexico’s week in review: Sheinbaum delivers her second-year report as trade tensions simmer

Image
The week of Aug. 31, President Claudia Sheinbaum delivered her second annual government report, reflecting on the state of the nation as her second year in office draws to a close. She touted falling homicides and a stable economy, only to face a pointed rebuttal from opposition leaders who accused her administration of manipulating crime statistics and shielding officials tied to drug trafficking. Mexico continues to grapple with security challenges on a variety of fronts, a fact underscored by a car bomb in Zacatecas Sunday night — the state’s third such attack in four days. But Mexico’s security forces remain active and on Monday claimed a high-profile target: Soldiers and marines killed Luis Enrique Barragán , alias “R5,” the accused leader of extortion against Michoacán’s avocado growers, in a shootout in Tocumbo. Trade friction with Washington ran through much of the week. A dispute over cheese naming rights is complicating already-strained talks...

135 doctors sickened by salmonella outbreak at Mexico City’s General Hospital

Image
A salmonella outbreak at Mexico City’s General Hospital has sickened 135 doctors, leaving  41 hospitalized, including 15 who find themselves in the intensive care unit. The doctors began showing symptoms last week, but the authorities initially ignored them, according to a source cited by the newspaper Reforma. However, as more and more physicians reported abdominal pain, diarrhea, low-grade fever and vomiting, an investigation was carried out. The source of the infection was traced to a restaurant within the hospital, run by the outside contractor Restaurantes Grogi, a commercial food service and catering company. Most of the hospital’s resident doctors ate there, though it has now been shuttered. (Facebook) The hospital’s dining room was finally shut down on Monday after bacterial infection and E. coli coinfection were confirmed, but administrators are receiving criticism after disregarding the initial complaints. Reforma reported that as a result of the delayed care t...

Marie, now a Category 2 hurricane, brings rain and flooding to Baja California Sur and the Pacific coast

Image
Rapidly intensifying Hurricane Marie reached Category 2 status off the coast of Baja California Sur on Friday, closing ports and suspensding classes across the state. A 10 a.m. social media post from the National Meteorological Service (SMN) said Marie was located 885 kilometers west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula. “It has maximum sustained winds of 155 km/h, gusts of 195 km/h and is moving west-northwest at 15 km/h,” the National Water Commission (Conagua) reported. A Tropical Cyclone Advisory was issued by the SMN which forecast intense localized rains for the northwestern coast of Mexico, including the states of Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima and Michoacán to the south of BCS. Civil protection authorities urged the public to take extreme precautions and heed the recommendations issued by the authorities of the National Civil Protection System. Navigation is also severely restricted due to the extreme weather conditions. Maritime aut...

MND Local: From Puerto Vallarta to Punta de Mita, 4 stories of a region in transition

Image
Puerto Vallarta and the surrounding region are undergoing rapid change. However, with new investment and infrastructure comes mounting pressure on public services, transportation, housing and the coastline.  In this week’s roundup, we examine questions surrounding the municipality’s growing payroll, the deeper forces behind Vallarta’s worsening traffic, the long-awaited Amado Nervo Bridge, and the continuing debate over development at Punta de Mita.  The Amado Nervo Bridge connecting Jalisco with Nayarit is 70% complete Questions raised over Vallarta’s growing municipal payroll Puerto Vallarta’s municipal government is facing questions over the size and cost of its workforce after independent councilor Melissa Madero presented an analysis of the city’s 2026 payroll.  According to reporting by Urritia Comunica , Madero stated the municipal council originally approved 2,707 positions for 2026. Her review of current records alleged there were 3,375 active positions, 668 more than a...

Mexico’s National Search Commission for Missing Persons has a new canine comrade

Image
Mexico’s National Search Commission for Missing Persons (CNB) has introduced Molly — its first canine member — to help locate missing people in a country where disappearances remain a major national crisis. Molly and her handler form a K9 team the commission said is trained to search on land as well as in and around bodies of water, according to a Monday press release written in the dog’s voice. When Molly’s working, she has her uniform — a tactical harness with a K9 badge and a Mexican flag patch. (CNB) “Starting today, I’m a member of the K9 unit of the CNB, and I have a very important mission: to search for people,” Molly “said” in the release. She said she will contribute her “sense of smell” and other talents. The CNB, a federal body within the Interior Ministry (Segob), coordinates and carries out searches for disappeared and missing people, working with search agencies in Mexico’s 32 federal entities. The commission said Molly will work alongside personnel who...