Northern Mexico Casino Torched over 50 dead

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Thursday 8/25/2011 President Felipe Calderon declared three days of mourning on Friday and demanded a crackdown on drugs in the United States after armed men torched a casino in northern Mexico, killing at least 52 people.
Under intense pressure as violence soars, Calderon said he would send more federal security forces to the city of Monterrey, where gunmen set fire to an upmarket casino on Thursday in one of the worst attacks of Mexico's drugs war.
Lashing out at corrupt officials in Mexico and "insatiable" U.S. demand for drugs for fomenting the violence, Calderon urged Congress to stamp out drug consumption and stop illegal trafficking of weapons across the border into Mexico.
"We're neighbors, we're allies, we're friends, but you are also responsible," a somber and angry Calderon said to the United States in a speech after meeting his security advisers.
Pledging to step up the fight on organized crime, Calderon said Mexico was under attack from "true terrorists", and told all Mexicans to come forward and denounce those responsible.
"They aren't and cannot be the ones in charge of our streets, our cities and our future," he said, shortly before departing to Monterrey to take stock of the situation.
President Barack Obama called the attack "barbaric" and said his government stood shoulder to shoulder with Mexico in the battle against the gangs.
"We share with Mexico responsibility for meeting this challenge and we are committed to continuing our unprecedented cooperation in confronting these criminal organizations," Obama said in a statement issued by the White House.
Washington provides money and resources to Mexico in the drugs war, but joint cooperation has been damaged by mistrust, a botched U.S. plan to track down weapons smugglers and the killing by suspected hitmen of a U.S. customs agent in Mexico this year.
Calderon first ordered a crackdown against the cartels when he took office in late 2006 and several senior traffickers have been arrested. However, turf wars between rival cartels have killed about 42,000 people, battering Mexico's reputation.

The president insists his campaign has weakened the cartels but critics say it simply brought a surge in violence and has done little or nothing to slow the flow of cocaine, marijuana and other drugs into the United States.
The carnage has hurt support for Calderon's conservative National Action Party (PAN), which already faces an uphill battle to retain the presidency in elections next July.
BITTER BLOW
The casino attack is particularly bitter for Calderon because the victims were mainly well-to-do civilians with no link to the conflict, in an area that has traditionally been a electoral stronghold for the business-friendly PAN.
Monterrey, which lies about 230 km (140 miles) from the Texas border, is a relatively wealthy city of about 4 million people and is home to some of Mexico's biggest companies. It was for many years seen as a model of economic development but it has been ravaged by the drugs war over the past two years.
The president was unrepentant on Friday and sought to pin blame for the violence on corrupt judges and politicians in "certain parts" of the country. It appeared to be an attack on the main opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which controls the majority of Mexico's states.
With a big lead in opinion polls, the PRI is on track to oust the PAN from power next year and analysts expect the ruling party to intensify efforts to discredit its bitter rival as the presidential vote nears.
Survivors from Thursday afternoon's attack said armed men burst into the Casino Royale and threatened gamblers before dousing gasoline on the carpets and setting it on fire.
"My wife came here for a celebration," a weeping man told Milenio TV. "She was having dinner with her friends."
Media reports said the majority of the dead were women.
Security camera footage showed four vehicles pulling up outside the front of the casino and waiting while the assailants went into the gambling hall.
Within three minutes, black smoke was billowing from the front doors and people could be seen fleeing in panic.

U.S., to halt some deportations

The federal government will halt deportation proceedings against many illegal immigrants and allow them to apply for work permits as it focuses on removing convicted criminals and others considered a public safety threat, the Obama administration announced Thursday.

Officials plan to review some 300,000 cases, setting aside those considered low priority, including students brought to the United States as children.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said the initiative, a response to an overwhelmed immigration courts system, will allow enforcement efforts to focus on “criminal aliens, those who pose a threat to public safety and national security, repeat immigration law violators and other individuals prioritized for removal.”

The plan drew criticism from advocates for stricter immigration control and plaudits from supporters of the stalled legislation know as the DREAM Act, which is intended to give young immigrants who go to college or serve in the military a chance at legal status.

But the White House made clear that the policy is not amnesty or a path to permanent legal status. “It simply sets their case aside,” said a Department of Homeland Security official who was not authorized to give his name. “Their case is not going to be heard in court.”

However, the plan was short on details. It’s not clear how the new review procedure would allow officials to move through the existing backlog faster. It’s also not clear if anyone not included in the current backlog can apply for work permits.

Despite the lack of clarity, the announcement prompted a variety of opinions.

“It is the right policy for an agency (Homeland Security) that has limited resources and a large number of people who are removable,” said Muzaffar Chishti, director of migration policy at the Migration Policy Institute’s office at the New York University School of Law. “Clearly, the limited resources should be used on people who pose a real threat or have criminal records.”

Chishti said the new policy is a response to an overwhelmed immigration detention system that fell behind as deportations surged after 9/11.

“We just don’t have the resources to hold a dangerous criminal alongside a garden-variety candidate for deportation,” he said.

Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that lobbies for restricted immigration, said there are more productive ways to unburden the immigration court system.

“The message is that as long as you keep your nose clean and do not commit a serious crime, then you don’t have to worry about immigration law enforcement,” she said. “That’s a pretty strong incentive to stick around. … It really is attempting to achieve by executive fiat what the Congress won’t do and the American people don’t want, and that really requires a lot of audacity.”

Some states are rebelling against another administration effort to control illegal immigration known as Secure Communities. The program requires that when state and local law enforcement send criminal suspects’ fingerprints to the FBI, the prints are run through an immigration database to determine the suspects’ immigration status. Some states have argued that the program puts them in the position of policing immigration, which they consider a federal responsibility. Immigrant advocacy groups have complained that people not yet convicted of crimes were being caught up in the system.

Napolitano said an interagency working group would review 300,000 cases of people in deportation proceedings to identify those who might qualify for relief.

Factors to be considered include an individual’s criminal history, U.S. military service, contributions to the community, and whether the person cares for someone with disabilities, a minor, or a seriously ill relative. The young and the elderly would be given consideration.

White House officials said the policy could help illegal immigrants with family members in the United States. The White House is interpreting “family” to include partners of lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

Richard Socarides, a New York lawyer who was an adviser to President Bill Clinton on gay issues, said, “The new policy will end, at least for now, the deportations of gay people legally married to their same-sex American citizen partners, and it may extend to other people in same-sex partnerships.”

For those removed from deportation proceedings and allowed to stay in the United States, “this is not a jump to the front of the line or a pass to get a green card,” said Heather Boxeth, a San Diego-based criminal and immigration attorney. “They’re still sort of stuck in limbo. The only thing that happens is they are able to work lawfully in the United States.”

Christian Ramirez, an immigration specialist with the American Friends Service Committee in San Diego, said the enhanced border enforcement policy under President Barack Obama remains intact.

The Associated Press and New York Times News Service contributed to this report

El Toro Bowl 2011

El Toro Bowl Big Happening in a Little City seen as community wide event
August 17, 2011 7:54 AM BY JOYCE LOBECK - SUN STAFF WRITER
While the El Toro Bowl coming to Yuma no doubt is pretty exciting stuff for football fans, the resurrected event is more than just a game to organizers.
They see it as a premier opportunity to show off Yuma to the many visitors the bowl is expected to attract.
“Early on we wanted to showcase the Yuma community in its entirety,” said Dave McDowell, chairman of the El Toro Bowl, “and not just focus on football.”
That meant getting the entire community involved, he told the Yuma City Council during a Tuesday presentation of the partnerships formed to bring a National Junior College Athletic Association-sanctioned football game to Yuma.
The bowl game will be held on the afternoon of Dec. 3 (note: this may be the same date as Algodones Welcome back Winter Visitors, at the Veterans Memorial Stadium, which Arizona Western College shares with Gila Ridge High School.
El Toro Bowl is being brought to Yuma by AWC, Caballeros de Yuma and the Matador Athletic Association with Time Warner Cable as the title sponsor and the backing of a number of other major corporate sponsors.
It's not exactly a new event for Yuma, but it's been a long time coming back, observed McDowell.
Yuma last hosted a bowl game in 1973 when Mesa took home a national championship by winning the Sunkist El Toro Bowl, which got its start in 1968 as the El Toro Bowl.
The year before, the AWC football team won the National Junior College championship with a 36-8 win over Fort Scott (Kan.) at the El Toro Bowl played at Kofa High School.
As part of this year's bowl festivities, that 1972 national title team and its coach, Ray Butcher, will be among the first inductees into the AWC athletics hall of fame.
“I was at that 1972 game,” observed Yuma City Council Raul Mendoza.
Councilwoman Leslie McClendon noted that her son played football at AWC 14 years ago. “Thank you for bringing this back for my children and grandchildren,” she told representatives of AWC, Caballeros de Yuma and sponsors who were at Tuesday's council work session.
It will be a true community event, McDowell told the council.
In addition to the steering committee comprised of AWC, Matador Athletic Association and Caballeros de Yuma, a Caballeros executive committee is working on the event.
Some key community leaders were brought together to sit on the Business and Industrial Committee to bring fresh new ideas and a community perspective to the table. Serving on that committee are City Administrator Greg Wilkinson; Yuma County Administrator Robert Pickels; Julie Engel, head of Greater Yuma Economic Development Corp.; Susan Sternitzke, executive director of Yuma Visitors Bureau; Ken Rosevear, executive director of the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce; agribusinessman Tim Dunn; Sheriff Ralph Ogden; Pat Walz, chief executive officer of Yuma Regional Medical Center; and representatives for Marine Corps Air Station Yuma and Yuma Proving Ground.
“When we were approached by the college, the city, county and business community all pulled together,” McDowell said. “They're all creating an event that people will be attracted to.”
It's also one that organizers hope will leave a lasting impression of a community those visitors will want to return to, added Jonathan Lines of the Caballeros. It's also expected that the bowl and attendant events will have a big impact on the community and its youth programs. Community service such as athletic presentations to youth groups will be part of the weeklong activities.
Organizers anticipate the bowl will raise considerable money for education and youth programs to be shared by the Caballeros and the Matador Athletic Association, McDowell said. In addition, sponsors can designate up to 10 percent of their cash donations to specific academic areas of AWC.
“There's tremendous support from the community,” McDowell said. “Everywhere we go, there's a buzz about it.”
Joyce Lobeck can be reached at jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.

Mexico checking anglers’ passports

Three sportfishing boats boarded by navy; one ordered to leave waters near Cedros Island

Written by Ed Zieralski 9:36 p.m., July 31, 2011
San Diego-based sportfishing boats, which have been having a tough time because of poor fishing offshore, lately have been encountering problems with the Mexican government over passports.

Last week, three sport boats — the Horizon, a dive boat out of H&M Landing, and the Royal Polaris and the Searcher out of Fisherman’s Landing — were boarded and detained by the Mexican navy off Cedros Island. Passengers were checked for passports. (note: Pass-cards don't work for air or boat travel). One of the boats, the Royal Polaris, was told to leave Cedros by the captain of a Mexican navy boat because one of the anglers did not have a U.S. passport.

Long-range boats are scrambling to make sure all of their anglers have current passports, but there also is confusion for shorter fishing trips into Mexican waters.

Carlos Luken of the San Diego-based CONAPESCA, Mexico’s national aquaculture and fishing commission, said Americans must have a yearly Mexican fishing license ($44.80) to fish in Mexico from a boat. A Mexican sport-fishing license is not required for shore fishing. Luken wasn’t aware of the passport requirement and recommended anglers call the Mexican consulate general to get that information. Calls to the consulate general’s office in San Diego were not returned.

John Yamate, part owner and office manager of Seaforth Sport-fishing, said his landing is telling all anglers who plan to fish in Mexico to bring a passport. But at this point, he said they’re not required for three-quarter-day or one-day trips into Mexican waters.

“I’m telling them if they have a passport to bring it,” Yamate said. “But we are not aware of any change in the regulations or policy at this point.”

Michelle Gandola, a spokeswoman for the Sport-fishing Association of California, said association officials are working on the issue with Mexican officials at CONAPESCA, the fisheries representatives, and the Mexican consulate general.

“We’re trying to get some kind of official statement from the Mexican government,” Gandola said. “But as far as we know, no new Mexican regulation or policy has come out about passport requirements on sport boats. All we know is that a few of our boats were boarded, and passengers were asked to produce passports.”

Gandola said right now there “are no specific answers and nothing in writing to show anything was changed” regarding passports for U.S. anglers.

“We’ve been operating in Mexico for over 50 years and have had great relations with Mexico,” Gandola said of the sport-fishing fleet’s relationship with Mexico. “Our hope is that we can work this out and that it’s just a slight hitch that can be taken care of so we can get back to operating without any additional requirements.”

Local sources said the issue began a few weeks ago when three-quarter-day boats were stopped by a Mexican navy boat around the Coronado Islands. The boat captains were asked if all the anglers had passports and if the captain had a boat permit to be in Mexico. The captains told the Mexican navy captain that passports weren’t required and that boat permits also had been done away with a few years ago. The CONAPESCA website indicates the requirement for boat permits for U.S. sport boats ended in January 2008. There also is nothing stated about anglers needing passports to fish in Mexico from a San Diego-based sport-fishing boat.

Southwest Bark Scorpion

Yuma Regional Medical Center will have scorpion anti-venom soon

Story by Stephanie Sanchez, Reporter KSWT TV

A scorpion's sting has now met it match. FDA approved an anti-venom to treat serious reactions after being stung by a scorpion..

Yuma, AZ-A scorpion's venom may not pack the same punch it once had. Arizona, Northern Mexico and Southern California are hot spots for scorpions and most of us living in the Desert Southwest run the risk of encountering these critters at some point in our lifetime.

If you're ever stung by one, you're in luck as an anti-venom will soon be available at a hospital near you.

The little yellow creatures are prominent in the Grand Canyon State.

The Bark Scorpion's sting can cause a lot of pain, sometimes it can even kill.

But now there's a new anti-venom that can help save lives.

"Although we don't see many bites here we want to be prepared," Bob Goodwillie, assistant pharmacy director at Yuma Regional Medical Center said.

Now for the first time the Federal Drug Administration has approved an antidote for scorpion stings

It's called "Anascorp" and it will be soon available in a hospital near you.

YRMC officials said they're already looking into it.

"We expect to see something in a month, its been used down in Mexico for a number of years and so they've been testing it up here. It had to go through all the FDA approval process," Goodwillie said. "So now we have it."

According to the University of Arizona, about 8,000 scorpion stings are reported every year in Arizona.

Severe symptoms of scorpion stings include: numbness at the sting site, increased heart rate, abnormal eye movements, excessive salivation and breathing problems.

Goodwillie said scorpion's sting could be lethal to small children, and the at risk elderly.

"They also end up having histamine release which can cause fluid build up in the lungs and they can be admitted to the intensive care unit," He said.

A UofA study showed that the new drug quickly relieved a child's symptoms.

"It looks like it could not only achieve that but could also ultimately be cost effective if it avoids hospitalization and we can send them home after four hours," Goodwillie said.

He also said they don't have a price tag on the scorpion antidote yet.