Hard knocks on street led two to boxing careers

NATIONAL CITY – Emmanuel Robles and Adrian Vargas found their future on the streets. They roamed their communities during their adolescent years, terrorizing their neighborhoods, living amid a vortex of disobedience, aggression and crime. There was some jail time and friendships lost during. But their experiences ultimately served as a launch pad their boxing careers. […]

April 13, 2017

Soldiers seize 2.5 tons of pot at tourist beach

TIJUANA – The Mexican army on Wednesday seized nearly 5,000 pounds of marijuana on a beach north of Ensenada used mainly by American campers, pushing to 11.5 tons the total confiscated in Baja California in January. Gilberto Landeros, commander of the Second Military Zone, announced Thursday in a press conference that a portion of the […]

April 13, 2017

Officer in video showing beating already quit

TIJUANA—One of the four municipal police officers who appeared in a video that showed them apparently beating a detained man quit the department already following a complaint of aggressive behavior. City Attorney Yolanda Enríquez announced that her agency had begun investigating the four offices who were videotaped on Jan. 16, 2011, apparently using excessive force […]

April 13, 2017

Cartels turning to teens to sell drugs

TIJUANA – Fourteen-year-old Luis Alberto is blond, thin and has a penetrating gaze. He could well be a rapper given his shaved head and the continuous movement of his hands while he talks. Or he could be an ordinary youngster who spends hours playing videogames or listening to music on his MP3. For three weeks […]

April 13, 2017

Xolos to play against Chivas USA at USD

As part of the MLS preseason, Chivas USA will play a friendly game against the Xoloitzcuintles on Feb. 22 at Torero Stadium. Both teams announced this match through their official sites, though they did not yet list a starting time. It won’t be the first time the Xolos play at USD. Last year the team […]

April 13, 2017

Video shows police officer beating suspect in Tijuana

TIJUANA – A video has surfaced apparently showing a municipal police officer beating a suspect handcuffed in the back of patrol pickup as three others watch. City Attorney Yolanda Enríquez announced Tuesday that the four officers were being investigated for apparent use of excessive force against a detainee. This is the third investigation of abuse […]

April 13, 2017

Mexican actor gets Oscar nomination for role as migrant

LOS ÁNGELES – Mexican leading man Demián Bichir was nominated Tuesday for an Oscar in the Best Actor category for his interpretation of an undocumented immigrant struggling to raise his son in Los Angeles. "I dedicate this nomination to the 11 million or so human beings who make our lives easier and better in the […]

April 13, 2017

Baja gymnast ready to vault to Olympic glory

TIJUANA – A gold medal winner from the border region thanks his mother for starting him down the path that this summer will take him to the Summer Olympics in London. Daniel Corral recalled that she enrolled him in gymnastics classes in his native Ensenada when he was three years old to keep him "out […]

April 13, 2017

Mexico’s leading candidate admits two affairs

MEXICO CITY – Mexico's leading presidential candidate dropped a bombshell, admitting in an interview that he fathered two children with two different women during his marriage to his late wife. Enrique Peña Nieto told a reporter that he faced a crisis in the sixth or seventh year of his marriage to Mónica Pretelini and that […]

April 13, 2017

Baja to spend 12% more on security this year

TIJUANA – Baja California will have $70 million this year to spend on security, a 12 per cent increase from 2011, according to Public Safety Secretary Daniel de la Rosa. The funds will be used to improve law enforcement agencies, the state's justice system and other infrastructure, De la Rosa said in a statement in […]

April 13, 2017

Xolos stun Chivas, climb to top of standings

GUADALAJARA – Mexico’s soccer world was turned on its head as the Xolos beat Chivas 2-0 Saturday night, leaving Tijuana’s team tied for first in the general standings, and Guadalajara’s relegated to the bottom. Tijuana’s record stands at 2 wins 1 tie while Chivas, one of Mexico’s most popular teams, has lost all three games […]

April 13, 2017

Xolos take on Chivas for points and respect

There will be no rescheduling this time. No waiting. No playing favorites. Club Tijuana Xoloitscuintles will play its Week 3 match up as scheduled Saturday at one of the newest, state-of-the-art stadiums against one of Mexico's most popular and wealthiest clubs. The Xolos travel to face Chivas de Guadalajara, the storied franchise with ten league […]

April 13, 2017

Young leaders propose solutions to border woes

TIJUANA – The problems plaguing the U.S.-Mexico border can be solved, with young people from both countries leading the way. That's the message of a two-day conference Tijuana is hosting that's brought together 200 accomplished college students from northern Mexico and California. It's called "Jornadas Fronterizas / Border Workshops," concluding Friday at the Grand Hotel. […]

April 13, 2017

20% using new Ready Lane at San Ysidro

SAN YSIDRO – Travelers at the world's busiest border crossing are embracing a new program to cut wait times. About 20 per cent of them are now using the Ready Lane launched a month ago, U.S. authorities said Wednesday. Since Dec. 20, the lanes used in this program, located on the right side of the […]

April 13, 2017

Hank’s guards released on bail in bird case

TIJUANA – The legal flap involving 23 exotic birds and former mayor Jorge Hank Rhon is winding down. Four of his guards were released on bail Wednesday after being held 48 hours for unauthorized possession of the fowl. Attorney Eduardo Díaz de León issued a statement saying that he had proven the legal status of […]

April 13, 2017

City cop hired by Hank linked to exotic bird case

TIJUANA – One of the four men stopped by federal agents Sunday at the city’s airport with 23 exotic birds has been identified as a municipal police officer working for the company of former mayor Jorge Hank Rhon. Tijuana’s department of public safety identified him Tuesday as Óscar Gómez, and said he had been hired […]

April 13, 2017

Federation picks Corona as Rookie of the Year

Mexico's main soccer organization selected Xolos player Joe Corona as Rookie of the Year. The 21-year-old player, a Sweetwater High alum, received the honor from the Federación Mexicana de Futbol for his performance last season in Mexico's top tier division. The sports director for Club Tijuana, Ignacio Palau, picked up the Balón de Oro in […]

April 13, 2017

Baja police bust sophisticated prostitution ring

TIJUANA – Authorities captured a woman in Mexicali that allegedly directed a prostitution ring since 2005 in the state. Baja California police announced Monday that its agents had detained María Guadalupe Román Valenzuela, nicknamed "La Niurka" and "La Tía," who had a warrant for her arrest since 2007 for prostitution. Román was arrested Sunday afternoon […]

April 13, 2017

Four detained with 20 exotic birds at Tijuana airport

TIJUANA – Federal police detained on Sunday four people at the city’s international airport for allegedly smuggling 20 exotic birds, among them toucans and hawks, announced Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office. The agency, known as the PGR, has not yet identified the suspects. However, sources in the department said they were bodyguards of former mayor Jorge […]

April 13, 2017

Program tries to stop bullying in Baja schools

TIJUANA – Bullying is not just a problem at schools in foreign countries. That's what Baja California authorities are discovering as they begin efforts to educate students and their parents about the potentially devastating effects bullying has on its victims. Twelve families took the unprecedented step of reporting to state authorities that their children were […]

April 13, 2017