Kidnapping ring that preyed on migrants dismantled

TIJUANA – Authorities have dismantled a criminal group dubbed "Los Chilangos" that allegedly kidnapped would-be immigrants walking through the mountains of Tecate and then demanded that family members in the United States pay a $4,000 ransom for each. The action is the latest crackdown on criminals who prey on one of the most vulnerable populations […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:23 AM PDT

Police free three U.S. citizens kidnapped in Baja

TIJUANA – Three U.S. citizens – a 26-year-old woman and her grandparents – were freed from kidnappers by police, authorities announced Tuesday. The municipal public safety department said the incident began on Monday night around 10 at a house in the Mariano Matamoros neighborhood, on the city’s eastside, when the three arrived from the United […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:23 AM PDT

Office opens to apply for passport without appointment

Federal officials have opened a new office to process applications for a U.S. passport on a walk-in basis in time for the holidays. The office is at the San Diego County Administration Building, 1600 Pacific Highway, room 402. No appointment is needed and there's two hours of free parking. Hours of operation are Monday to […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:22 AM PDT

Tijuana mourns their own who died in crash

TIJUANA– Baja California's political, military and business elite paid posthumous tribute to Mexico's Interior Minister Francisco Blake Mora and two of his colleagues at midday Sunday at the Cultural Center. The speakers at the memorial service at the center's theater recalled the professional and political careers of Blake, 45, and of José Alfredo García, 39, […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:22 AM PDT

Mexico makes it easier to shop in the U.S.

TIJUANA.-Just in time for the holiday shopping season, customs authorities are informing residents that they can bring into Mexico up to $300 worth of goods until Jan. 8 without paying taxes on them, up from the regular $75 exemption. The exemption allows Mexican nationals entering from a foreign country by land to avoid paying taxes […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:22 AM PDT

Pope’s relics on tour in Tijuana this weekend

TIJUANA – Despite rain in the forecast, an estimated 75,000 faithful from both sides of the border are expected to turn out to see the relics of Pope John Paul II on tour this weekend at parishes downtown and in the city's east side. Personal items from the pope, who was beloved by Mexicans, have […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:22 AM PDT

Xolos will try to build on solid progress in 2011

There won't be a Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles game this weekend or any other match in the Mexican Apertura Tournament. The playoffs begin Nov. 19 and Tijuana will be watching from home after failing to qualify. The Xolos were not favorites to reach the post season and make an impact in their first season in the […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:22 AM PDT

Mexico’s Interior Secretary dies in helicopter crash

MEXICO CITY – The federal government announced that Interior Secretary Francisco Blake Mora and seven others died when their helicopter crashed en route to a meeting in Cuernavaca. Blake Mora, 45, was reportedly heading there with members of law association and other government officials. The helicopter plummeted to the ground in Xochimilco, south of Mexico […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:22 AM PDT

Campaign warns of ‘pirate’ drivers at border

SAN YSIDRO —The 25,000 or so people who cross the border northbound every day need a way to get to their destination. Many take the trolley or get picked up by friends or family. But many need to travel beyond San Diego, to places like Los Angeles and farther, but are not familiar with the […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:22 AM PDT

Baja police find boy, 3, allegedly abducted in SD

TIJUANA – A three-year-old boy from San Diego County was found in Tijuana on Tuesday after his mother, who allegedly suffers from drug addiction, fled with him during a visit, according to the Baja California Preventive Police. Alfredo Arenas, the international liaison for the state police, said the woman, identified as Lorena Lynn Whitesell, 40, […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:22 AM PDT

SBA accord will support Latino businesses

CHULA VISTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration is to sign an alliance on Wednesday with a new Latino chamber of commerce to support one of the fastest-growing sectors in the economy. The agreement with the Mexican-American Chamber of Commerce provides a framework for the organization's members to obtain information in Spanish about the variety […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:22 AM PDT

Baja police arrest U.S. federal fugitive

TIJUANA – State authorities captured an American citizen who was a federal fugitive in the United States, accused of drug trafficking. The man was identified as José Ignacio Garcia Jr., 30, a Chula Vista native, according to a release issued Tuesday by the Baja California State Preventive Police. It did not say when the arrest […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:22 AM PDT

Cartel lieutenant linked to killings, kidnappings

TIJUANA – State authorities linked the Arellano cartel lieutenant arrested over the weekend to eight cases of kidnapping and four murders. All of the cases linked to Juan Francisco Sillas Rocha occurred last year, according to the Baja California Attorney General's Office. The department's investigations of Silla will continue and will be included in the […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:22 AM PDT

Arrest is nail in coffin of Arellano cartel, expert says

TIJUANA – The capture of the principal lieutenant of the leader of the Arellano Félix cartel could mean the end of that criminal organization and the expansion of the Sinaloa cartel, a leading specialist said. It's a defining moment for Baja California, whose battle against drug trafficking is seen as a model across Mexico, he […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:22 AM PDT

Programs help Latinos confront caregiving crisis

An estimated 600,000 people in San Diego County – and 65 million nationally – care for a relative with a disabling disease such as Alzheimer's, and the majority does not have financial or family support. Starting in 1994, the National Family Caregivers Association designated November as a time to thank and train family caregivers – […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:21 AM PDT

Xolos tame Pumas, win credibility in First Division

Many times had the Xolos failed to find the net in a match in which they took a lead only to lose it and end in a tie. Many times had Tijuana been the underdog that matched up well against the best teams in the league. On Sunday, the Xolos played a different role. Tijuana […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:21 AM PDT

Xolos will try to scratch out win against Pumas

Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles plays its final match of the Apertura tournament Sunday. The team that was promoted to Mexico's top flight league, the Primera División, last spring travels to Mexico City to face defending champion Pumas UNAM in hostile Estadio Universitario. The Xolos first stint in this division will come to an end, as Tijuana […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:21 AM PDT

‘Occupy’ rally to be held at border on Saturday

TIJUANA – Occupy Tijuana activists invited the population to rally on both sides of the border at the same time Saturday at 2 p.m. in a demonstration they are billing "Ocupación Binacional." Organizers announced that their goal was to promote social consciousness through workshops and in schools. Volunteer instructors will teach ways ordinary people can […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:21 AM PDT

Joe Corona leans toward playing on U.S. soccer team

Joe Corona said he's "leaning toward the U.S. now." He's the Xolos midfielder who was named Wednesday to the U.S. Under-23 team roster for an upcoming training camp in Germany. The U-23 team is slated to be the Olympic team for the United States in London next year. And Corona, 21, a Sweetwater High alum, […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:21 AM PDT

Long protest comes to noisy end in Tijuana

TIJUANA – Think the Occupy Wall Street activists have been protesting a long time? A group of Tijuana activists camped out for 20 months in green areas outside of city offices to protest a plan to remove 940 trees from a nearby park as part of a sweeping $100 million civic project envisioned to remake […]

April 13, 2017 at 6:21 AM PDT