Frontera NorteSur, August 1999
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Frontera NorteSur, August 1999 |
Friday, August 27, 1999: NGOs From Three States Meet In Cd. Juárez
More than 40 different NGOs from both the U.S. and México will join tomorrow in the University Cultural Center in Cd. Juárez to look at the problems the border faces and exchange ideas. The objectives of the event are to discuss and document possible solutions but also to bring groups together and initiate the development of relationships between them.
The event will involve three states, according to Félix Leonardo Pérez, spokesperson for the International Rio Bravo Ecology Alliance. Participants from New Mexico, Texas and Chihuahua will be present at the "First Border Region Conference for Humanity, Quality of Life and Human Rights." Major focuses for the gathering include migration, pollution, the disposal of toxic waste, the murders of women, and environmental concerns.
Leonard Pérez said that a variety of other problems will also be on the agenda including concerns with labor, human rights, education, art and culture, indigenous people, globalization, neoliberalism and cooperativism.
The different groups will have tables set up from nine in the morning until five tomorrow evening. Following the event there will be a presentation from the participants.
Source: El Diario
Thursday, August 26, 1999: Anti Drug War Stance Under Fire
New Mexico's Governor Gary Johnson has been under fire recently for his latest stand against the U.S. Drug War, which he claims is not working, and for the decriminalization of marijuana, which he says should be considered. Drug experts have condemned his stand saying that he is wrong on both claims.
Drug experts and the El Paso Drug Enforcement Agency Field Division have argued strongly against claims Johnson has made nationally. "(Decriminalization) is a rubber stamp of approval for poison," said Susan Dalterio, drug consultant and researcher. Dalterio also spoke against the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Dalterio, a former consultant for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), spoke yesterday at an El Paso luncheon co-sponsored by the DEA and the Coalition On a Substance Abuse Free Environment (COSAFE). Dalterio adamantly went against Johnson's recent stance saying "I would tell him (Johnson) I think it is not a good choice for children and it sends a bad message about new Mexico. Besides it is a mind-altering toxin."
Source: El Paso Times, Las Cruces Sun New
Wednesday, August 25, 1999: Checkpoints Condemned By Human Rights Association
The Civil Association of Human Rights (ACHAC) officially complained yesterday to the Ministerio Público, the state prosecutor's office, against the authorities that have participated in the random checkpoint program recently implemented in Cd. Juárez by all three levels of government security forces. Complaints were filed not only against the officials who authorized the program but also the officers carrying out the orders.
According to Eustacio Gutiérrez Corona, spokesperson for ACHAC, the checkpoints, "are a well intended crime prevention method, however it is not the way to protect the city." He indicated that if the citizens of Juárez are in agreement, then laws are going to have to be reformed. There has been many inconsistencies in the management of the checkpoints which have evoked negative reactions from different sectors of the community, according to Gutiérrez Corona.
"We work differently then non-governmental organizations," said the spokesperson. "We are not just asserting that these actions are illegal. The authorities know perfectly well that they are illegal. What we want is to successfully suspend these unconstitutional actions."
Checkpoints do not deter crime, according to Gutiérrez, and his office is not working from some "utopian" perspective. However, the authorities, who he realizes are just doing their jobs, need to recognize that the constitutional civil rights of the citizens can not be violated.
Source: El Diario
Tuesday, August 24, 1999: El Paso Brothers Face Stiff Drug Trafficking Sentences
The brothers Daniel Isidro, Raúl and Angel Sotelo López are facing two life sentences and an additional 20 years in prison for federal charges of drug trafficking, conspiracy and money laundering according to U.S. Prosecutor Joe Galenski.
Monday morning the federal proceedings were initiated against the Sotelo brothers and four other members of a drug trafficking network that is based in El Paso, Texas and San Diego, California. The oldest brother, Daniel Isidro, 47, and Angel, 42, both from El Paso, along with Raúl, 37, who resided in Cd. Juárez, and three other members of the drug ring, all opted to delay their pleadings until later this week. Only one of the accused, Raúl Rentería, 39, plead innocent yesterday.
"They'll have their turn on Friday," said the defense attorney Manuel Barraza, for Daniel Isidro Sotel López. He added that his client, along with his brothers and their private attorneys, will plead innocent to the charges brought against them. According to Barraza, the Sotelo López family is having "emotional difficulty with the situation."
The brothers are allegedly members of the Juárez Cartel and the Arrellano Félix brothers Cartel, businesses for which they are said to have bought, transported and distributed illegal drugs and laundered millions of dollars in drug sale money. Current charges are for a seizure made last week where they were allegedly in possession of more than one thousand kilograms of marijuana and five kilograms of cocaine, according to Galenski.
Source: El Diario
Monday, August 23, 1999: Ecology Reserve To Be Developed Into Homes
A total of 254 acres of the ecological reserve Ejido Salbárcar will be developed into residential, industrial and commercial zones according to an agreement signed yesterday by both the municipal government and the reserve officials.
"We are not going to turn trees into pavement," said Mayor Gustavo Elizondo Aguilar and he assured that ten years of preserved growth will be respected. If it is necessary to altar any of the greenery, the mayor promises the area will be reforested. The municipal government is participating through the Municipal Institute of Planning and Zoning that will direct the development of the sector under very specific guidelines.
Eduardo Márquez, commissioner for the Ejido Salbárcar Reserve, has said that the landowners are in agreement with the plan. "We will make every effort in developing this land for tourism, industry, business and residents, to cooperate with both the municipal agency and the land owners.
The mayor also promised that the suburb of Cd. Juárez will proceed with "harmony" and in accordance with the city's growing infrastructure. The land is expected to increase in value and the 1,800 families already living in the area will be the residents of the new subdivision.
Source: El Diario
Sunday, August 22, 1999: Helicopters Scheduled To Patrol Industrial Parks
According to officials from Aerocopter of México, Cd. Juárez, two helicopters will be patrolling the industrial parks in the city starting in October to provide emergency services to the maquilas that employ thousands of area residents
"This services is essential because of the huge number of plants functioning in the city, and the police forces on the ground are just not enough, especially during typical rush hour traffic," said Miguel Angel Vidal, director of Aerocopter of México.
From January to May of this year, Aerocopter of México has engaged in discussions with a number of maquilas, and forty of them have contracted their services. Angel Vidal believes this is because the maquilas want to improve security for their employees.
The helicopters will patrol the industrial parks around the clock and also watch the routes used by buses taking employees home. Aerial patrolling is considered to be up to 15 times more effective than street patrols, according to Vidal.
The cost of this service to a maquila is $450 a month in addition to extra costs for building a landing space. But the costs are tax deductible and the helicopters will be available to the companies for a variety of other services.
Source: El Diario
Saturday, August 21, 1999: Permanent Residents Must Renew "Green Cards"
The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service announced this week that the thousands of immigrants who own "green cards" or permanent residencies with 1999 expiration dates must renew them starting in September for the cost of $100. Approximately 13, 200 people in El Paso have received this legal status which allows them to work and to reside in the U.S. while still maintaining their birth citizenship.
Prior to 1989, green cards did not come with expiration dates, and the only time a renewal was necessary was if the card had been lost or stolen. However, according to Ivone Lozano, spokesperson for INS in El Paso, the expiration dates were initiated for purposes of security and to reduce the instances of falsifying documents.
Lozano also noted that the expiration date does not mean a termination of immigration status. Immigrants "will not lose their residency or be deported." The new cards will include a digital photograph and digital tracks and holograms that will contain biographical information. Processing of new documents will take up to a year, however residents will receive a temporary "green card."
Source: El Diario
Friday, August 20, 1999: Recent Roadblocks Violate Human Rights
The State Commission of Human Rights in Cd. Juárez (CEDH) received its first complaint yesterday regarding the excessive authority police agents are displaying in the recently implemented "anti crime" mobile roadblocks initiated randomly around the border city.
The operation, which began this week to detect drugs, weapons, stolen automobiles or criminals by searching vehicles that travel the streets of the city is an initiative spearheaded by police chiefs at all three levels of government, including the Federal Preventative Police (PFP). A major objective of the effort is not only to decrease auto theft, but gang crime, particularly gang homicide.
However, according to an agency investigator, Jaime Flores Castañeda, within days of beginning the new initiative, the CEDH received a complaint from a woman who believes her constitutional rights were violated. She claims she was victim to abuse and excess by the agents who searched her and acted beyond the limits of their power.
"It is precisely because there are always cases of abuse and excess with these types of security initiatives by the police authorities, that we are always against them," said Flores Castañeda. He added that not only are the mobile roadblocks unconstitutional, but there are many options police authorities would be better off utilizing. "Instead of this type of operation, the authorities at all three levels of the government could coordinate the implementation of preventative crime campaigns directed towards children and youth."
Source: El Diario
Thursday, August 19, 1999: El Paso Brothers Linked To Major Drug Network
Three brothers from El Paso were arrested Tuesday for drug distribution, conspiracy and money laundering and have been linked to a major drug trafficking network. In addition to the arrests, federal agents seized more than $1 million in cash and investigated businesses suspected of being involved.
In an investigation that is continuing and expects to make more arrests, the IRS, FBI, DEA, INS and U.S. Customs collaborated and with nearly 100 arrests have disbanded a network believed to be involved in international trafficking for the Juárez and Tijuana drug cartels.
According to Jim Maxwell, supervisory special agent for the IRS criminal investigation division, two El Paso businesses are suspected of being fronts for drug trafficking. La Herradura, a used-clothing store and Sotelo Transportation Services were both involved, and it is believed that money and drugs were transported in trailers from the Sotelo services while drugs were hidden in used clothing from La Herradura, according to another federal agent, Alice Huereque.
Both Maxwell and Huereque are continuing to assist in this latest investigation called Operation Southwest Express.
Source: El Paso Times
Wednesday, August 18, 1999: Elizondo Promotes Collaboration With Border Cities
"We are in this together," was the theme yesterday at the Mesilla Valley Economic Development summit meeting in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where Cd. Juárez Mayor Gustavo Elizondo Aguilar was the guest speaker. Elizondo used the opportunity to express the importance of region building for the three border cities, Las Cruces, El Paso Texas and Cd. Juárez, México.
"Historically, we have each pursued our economic development individually," Elizondo said. However, he discussed the importance of moving into the future together with the region's increasing growth rate. Although, according to Elizondo, the growth means prosperity, it also means problems "that have kept all of us from fully enjoying the prosperity we have had." He focused on health, economic and environmental problems.
Elizondo announced his commitment to moving railroad lines from downtown Cd. Juárez to the recently opened port of entry at Santa Teresa which is in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. This line will improve traffic conditions between Cd. Juárez and El Paso, and will also invigorate development for southern New Mexico.
Las Cruces Mayor Ruben Smith endorsed the proposal from Elizondo. "Obviously," Smith said, "what happens in Juárez and El Paso affects us here in Las Cruces." He acknowledged the commitment Elizondo and Carlos Ramírez, the mayors of these two cities, have made and that they are not just talking about the issues, but doing something about them.
Source: Las Cruces Sun News
Tuesday, August 17, 1999: Free Texts Given To Juárez Students
Chihuahua State Governor Patricio Martínez delivered free text books yesterday for the more than 40 thousand secondary students in Cd. Juárez. This is the first time the state will provide text books free of charge to students.
Arturo Proal de Islas, secretary of education and culture, said that the books, financed by the state government, will be the property of the school system, and will be returned by the students at the end of the school year to be used by the next class in the following year. This effort has been implemented to help instill the proper use and value of text books.
A total of 587 thousand text books will be distributed to all three levels of schools in Chihuahua, and 336 thousand of those will go to Juárez schools. This investment in the school system came at a cost of approximately $190 thousand. This program has been funded by the Commission of Free Books, through the state government.
Source: El Diario
Monday, August 16, 1999: New PRD Director "Takes Possession"
The Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) celebrated its new leader, Efrén David Gutiérrez Casas, and its new municipal council yesterday that took possession of office before a crowd of 150 PRD members as well as state and municipal leaders. The municipal president of the National Action Party (PAN) Ramón Humberto Aguilar was also present.
Gutiérrez Casas, 32, officially took over the directorship of the local PRD and said that his primary objective is the organization and the transformation of the party. He acknowledged that his party his young and has already experienced difficulties due to the "official" party, the PRI.
"We need an organized PRD, with an improved look, and we need to be open to society and ready to fight for the projects we support." Casas emphasized the importance of being open to the community. "I believe that we have shown our commitments and to a certain point have been successful, but now it is time to get out into the community and establish alliances and political contacts with the organizations, NGOs, business and other parties."
Representatives at the local and state levels of the PAN, PRI and PRD were present at this inauguration celebrating the new local PRD leader.
Source: El Diario
Sunday, August 15, 1999: Chamber Of Commerce Seeks Help For Noble Red Cross
Upon learning that the Red Cross in Cd. Juárez did not meet its fund raising goals this summer and would be eliminating some of its services, the Juárez Chamber of Commerce (Canaco) called for businesses to "rescue" the "noble" emergency health care provider.
Martín Alonso Cisneros, director of Canaco, promised that at the next meeting of the Business Coordination Council, the problem would be presented. The Red Cross said they would be limiting their consulting services and their program for surgeries and childbirths.
According to Jorge Arturo de Valle Cossio, Cd. Juárez Red Cross office director, the recent fund raising efforts brought what was expected from citizens, but the business and industry sectors did not come through.
Alonso Cisneros said that it would be dangerous to reduce the Red Cross services "because it is an organization that effects us all, and at a moment when we least suspect it, we are going to need them."
Alonso Cisneros believes it is a tragedy that an organization as noble as the Red Cross has come up against this difficulty. He promises to persuade businesses to put their money where their hearts are, and help out the Red Cross.
Source: El Diario
Saturday, August 14, 1999: Stash House Busted In Downtown El Paso
The El Paso Anti-Drug Trafficking Police Unit seized nearly a tone of marijuana in a stash house in the center of El Paso late in the afternoon on Friday. The black market value is believed to be $800,566.
After the receipt of an anonymous telephone call leading the special police unit to Jefferson Street in downtown El Paso, agents discovered a home where apparently a family lived and 348 packages of marijuana were stashed. Pedro Mendoza, 75, was arrested and other suspects are being investigated, however, at this time no names would be revealed in an effort to successfully continue the current investigation.
It is believed that this bust is related to earlier events this summer. On June 22, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) seized 223 kilos in Oklahoma City. Then, on July 22, U.S. Customs took in what was believed to be the biggest drug confiscation this year by customs officials when twelve hundred kilograms of marijuana was taken on the Zaragoza International Bridge. The DEA is investigating a route that includes Cd. Juárez, El Paso and Oklahoma City.
The seizure in Oklahoma City was the biggest this year.
Source: El Diario
Friday, August 13, 1999: Air Pollution Alerts Given In Cd. Juárez
For the third time in less than a week, the environmental authorities of Cd. Juárez and El Paso have activated the pollution alert and predict high levels of air pollution again for today.
Both the Clean Air Association and the Department of Air Quality have put out a warning to residents to protect themselves and avoid activities that increase the ozone levels in the air. "Do your part to keep the air clean!" said an official notice from the Air Quality Programs Coalition for Clean Cities in the North Zone.
This group also said that the weather conditions are conducive to high ozone levels. The increased temperatures, intensity of the sunlight, the absence of wind and the pollution from vehicles are the main causes of ozone concentration which make the indexes soar as they did on August 7 and 10. However, the record has not exceeded the norm according to municipal authorities.
During the high ozone level days it is recommended that people take the following precautions:
Additionally, it is advised that people stay inside air conditioned buildings until after noon. "This is especially important for people who suffer respiratory diseases and for children," said the pollution warning notice.
Source: El Diario
Thursday, August 12, 1999: University Students Propose Facelift For Juárez
Students and professors from the department of architecture at the Universidad Autónomo de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ) presented to city officials yesterday a tourism project that consists of renovating Avenida Juárez, a main tourist strip in the border city.
The group proposed restoring the facades of the major buildings to their original styles which would bring a consistent look to the once popular area. They made this proposal before Mayor Gustavo Elizondo Aguilar and the secretary of commercial development and tourism, Leopoldo Mares Delgado.
"It is very important to clean the strip of the all the advertising and create new models that do not interfere with the original architecture," said the students.
Mares Delgado asked the mayor to accept the project as an initial step toward renovating the historic street. He added that they are going to invite business owners from the historic district to review the project next Monday. "We want them to understand the project and motivate each of them to work with the project individually."
The project is inspired in part by the reduction of tourism to the area over the last few months. The state government has offered to assist in advertising on the U.S. side to help lure back the U.S. tourists the city has lost.
Additionally, a motivating factor for the merchants is to increase their sales which have decreased due to the lack of tourism.
Source: El Diario
Wednesday, August 11, 1999: McCaffrey Says Drug Problem Is Binational
Barry McCaffrey, director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy in Washington and known as the "Drug Czar," visited Cd. Juárez and El Paso yesterday, and said that both the U.S. and México have equal responsibility in stopping the demand for illegal drugs, particularly by youth.
McCaffrey said "Drug addiction is no longer a problem where México produces it and the U.S. uses it, but it is a mutual problem and together we must reduce the demand of our young people." He said that 65 percent of violent assaults in Cd. Juárez can be tied to drug use, and although the percentage is smaller in the U.S., the situation is worsening.
Overall he believes the drug problem in the U.S. was its worse in 1969 and has gradually improved over the last 30 years. In México, however, narcotics consumption has tripled in the last five years and 36 percent of Cd. Juárez residents have tried cocaine.
While talking to "Youth For Juárez" (Jovenes Por Juárez), a drug prevention program, with the Cd. Juárez mayor and other municipal authorities present, McCaffrey said, "We must practice collaboration, and not confrontation, because we must support the indispensable service of this type of treatment program in its effort to reduce drug consumption by youth."
Education is the key, said McCaffrey, who was recognized with a "Distinguished Visitor," award by Mayor Gustavo Elizondo.
Source: El Diario
Tuesday, August 10, 1999: Solar Eclipse Stirs Controversy South Of The Border
The solar eclipse expected to occur tomorrow, although not observable from México, has been the subject of some local debate. While many Juarenses believe that this astronomical event will cause the end of the world or three days of total darkness, the Catholic Church and the Juárez Astronomical Society have asked the community to ignore these predictions.
And while the debate continues, herb shops and related businesses have recorded increased sales in their shops, particularly with the purchase of votive candles, crystals, talismans and amulets that customers are purchasing for protection. Sales are up 30 per cent according to Adrían Chávez Altamino, manager of Hiebería San Martín.
Alfredo Abdo Rohana, the rector at the San Lorenzo Sanctuary, said "I believe that the Catholic faith has a positive vision of celebration, testimony and joy, but not alarmism. A person's life is not going to change because of a natural phenomenon but because of the predication of the word of salvation."
He added that life and the world will continue and not because of an eclipse but because of the word of God. Abdo says that certainly an end to the world is predicted in scripture, but there is no date and time attributed to this holy prophecy. "People without scruples that pass as pseudo scientists have manipulated the concepts so that they have caused alarm, and have created no benefit."
The eclipse is not the only astronomical event that people are waiting for. A meteor shower is expected on August 12, and on August 17 the comet Tempel 2 is expected to appear.
Source: El Diario
Monday, August 9, 1999: U.S. Deports Fifty Thousand Legal Residents
According to immigrants rights groups, 50 thousand legal residents of the U.S. have been deported since 1999 as a result of the migration reform laws of 1996.
Immigrants that had obtained legal residency are now sanctioned by reforms that include expulsion for criminal records. According to Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in Los Angeles 1.2 million foreigners who felt confident that their immigration status was assured are now waiting to be deported for a crime they committed in the past.
In April of 1997 the list of crimes that are considered serious, which means a permanent resident can be detained and deported, was increased. Immigrants rights groups believe that the number of legal residents being detained continues to rise.
"It has been a "quiet" law and over the last eight months it has appeared to have given the INS sufficient time to prepare more jail cells and begin the detentions," said Luz María González, member of the Center for Equity of Justice for Immigrant Citizens. González fears that many citizens will lose everything.
Source: El Diario (Notimex/Los Angeles)
Sunday, August 8, 1999: U.S. Drug Czar Sites "Unity" As Cure For Troubled Teens
Prior to his upcoming visit, Barry McCaffrey, director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy in Washington, in a guest column in El Paso Times, said the border countries need to work harder to pull together as "families," to save the "precious resource" of our children.
"The youth of our two great nations have a drug problem," McCaffrey says, although he also claims that the drug war has stopped the increase in adolescent drug use, which has declined slightly for two years. However, there are 14 million drug users in the U.S. and 4.1 million addicts; according to McCaffrey, and 52 thousand deaths a year are drug related. "America is facing a serious epidemic by any standards."
McCaffrey also said that many don't believe that México is doing its share in the drug war, however, according to McCaffrey, México spent more than $750 million in 1998 to fight drug trafficking and will spend $20 million more this year. According to McCaffrey, the Bi-national Drug Strategy is making important moves including the development of a web site for exchanging data and annual conferences for sharing information on drug programs and violence prevention.
"The future looks promising," McCaffrey said as efforts are increasing toward drug abuse prevention and demand reduction. A billion dollar media campaign is under way in both countries.
McCaffrey will be visiting the border on August 10 as part of a Texas tour and plans to visit both El Paso, Texas and Cd. Juárez México.
Source: El Paso Times
Saturday, August 7, 1999: Summer Rainstorm Takes Lives Of Two Children
Late last week heavy rains in Cd. Juárez lead to the death of two children in separate incidents. Additional damage included flooded homes, downed electric lines and destroyed homes.
A seven-year-old boy who had been playing with friends fell into a ditch of treacherous rain water and drowned in the colonia Plutarco Elías Calles. In a separate incident in the colonia Lomas de Poleo, a fourteen year old girl slipped into the water near a damn and it was impossible to save her from the water.
The department of Civil Protecion said that at least 14 houses suffered major damage in the colonia Fray García de San Francisco, where many houses lost their roofs to the wind. Many more were flooded.
Damage was estimated at approximately $4 thousand (U.S.). Both homes and businesses were left without electricity.
Source: El Diario
Friday, August 6, 1999: City Council Demands State's Assistance For Cereso
The Cd. Juárez town council met yesterday and unanimously voted that the state government must be called upon to take charge of the administration and maintenance of the city's prison, the Center for Adult Rehabilitation (Cereso). The council said that it will need more than $2 million to meet the prison's most urgent deficiencies.
Council members representing two of the three major political parties (PAN and PRD) discussed the recent riot at the prison with a call for the initiation of a transition period during which the administration of Cereso will be turned over to the state. Before this matter went to a vote, Mayor Gustavo Elizondo Aguilar announced that at a meeting with the state government's general secretary, Victor Anchondo Paredes, the state spokesperson verified the necessity and obligation of the state to take responsibility for the prison.
"Anchondo has asked that we provide him with all of the necessary information about the recent situation," Elizondo said, and added that the $2 million figure would be on top of his budget at this point. For the municipality to meet this demand of $4 million, it would mean limiting other goals for the year. According to Elizondo, management of the prison is the responsibility of the state and federal government.
The mayor also expressed his concern that time is of the essence, and there is no guarantee that they will be able to control future prison riots.
Source: El Diario
Thursday, August 5, 1999: Mexican Cigarettes Not So Cheap For Texans
Because of the rising cost of tobacco products in the U.S. over recent years, many Texans have opted to buy their cigarettes in Cd. Juárez where prices can be up to 50 percent cheaper. However, as of September 1, Texans will have to pay a new duty, 41 cents per pack or $4.10 per carton, on cigarettes they bring into the U.S. from México.
According to State Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, this tax proposal was one of several that the Legislature passed trying to bring in additional funding. But this particular increase has problems. "Each package will have to be stamped, so they'll have to take time to open a carton and do that. The commission (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission TABC) will be charged with collecting it, so hopefully it won't slow down traffic at the border."
However, El Pasoans coming over one of the three international bridges could avoid the tax by crossing the bridges late in the evening after they have closed bridge operations. Additionally, there are Texas México crossings that are not staffed by the TABC including the crossings in Fabens and Fort Hancock.
Currently, a typical price for cigarettes in El Paso is $2.99 where in Cd. Juárez a pack can sell for as low as $9.25 a carton or $1.15 a pack.
Source: El Paso Times
Wednesday, August 4, 1999: Cd. Juárez Sees Dramatic Drop In Tourism
In a meeting yesterday between local authorities and business owners from the main tourist strip, Juárez Avenue, merchants voiced their complaints about the decrease in business and blamed the municipality for chasing their customers away, particularly from those establishments subject to the Zero Tolerance plan's scheduling restrictions.
According to the proprietors, the municipal government has failed at getting rid of the delinquents who hang out in the area waiting to rob the tourists or the coyotes who hang out waiting for "mojados," people looking for a way across the bridge, although the authorities are stringently enforcing the alcohol restrictions. "The tourists need to be very careful, and not just from the criminals, but from the police that are waiting at the exits of clubs," retailers complained according to El Norte.
In addition, because of the slow pace at which the construction work in the area is being completed, businesses believe they have lost up to 80 per cent of their customers. Authorities explained in detail the importance of the construction work, however, because this is only the first stage of construction, merchants fear the continuing effects on tourism as the renovation project moves into its continued stages.
Unsatisfied, the representatives from the Juárez Avenue Commercial Association and the Chamber of Commerce said they will resort to going directly to Mayor Gustavo Elizondo Aguilar to come up with a plan to assist them during these difficult times.
Source: El Norte
Tuesday, August 3, 1999: Mexican Railroads Build Cargo Station In Cd. Juárez
Mexican Railroads (Ferromex) and a private firm will soon build a central cargo station just outside of Cd. Juárez to ensure greater efficiency and speed to the current railway system. The station will be located beside the Pan American highway, near Kilometer 20.
"The objective is to improve traffic between Chihuahua and Cd. Juárez," said Aurelio Licón Baca, state government representative in the city. "We will decrease the heavy highway traffic and considerably increase the efficiency of railroad traffic." It is predicted that cargo will be able to get to the border city in five hours maximum.
Another aspect of this construction project will be to renovate the antique railway car "El Norteño," retired by the National Railroads of México, because it was obsolete. It will be created as a work space for Border Customs.
Licón is going to continue studying the implications of the project which includes considering the construction of a major highway from Cd. Juárez to Ojinaga, a border city to the southeast of Juárez. "Not a simple road, but a major highway paid for with the help of the federal government.
The station and train car projects are expected to be completed in the next five months.
Source: El Diario
Monday, August 2, 1999: Woman Found Dead In Cd. Juárez
The body of a 41 year old woman, Bertha Briones, was found by a neighbor late yesterday. The body was shot, severely beaten, and badly decomposed according to paramedics.
Authorities said they will proceed with an investigation until the successfully find the persons(s) responsible for this crime. As of last night, there were no suspects.
Briones lived in the colonia Monterrey, which was also where her body was found. No reports have yet alleged whether this murder may be related to the nearly 200 murders of women over the last six years in this border city.
A U.N. monitor, Asma Jahangir, gender crimes specialist from the Commission on human rights, recently visited the city to talk to authorities, NGO's and family members of victims about the series of killings in Juárez. She will be publishing a report at the end of the month.
Source: El Diario