Mexico selects South Bay soccer star for U-22 team

He talked about the moment when he kicked balls through the patchy grass as member of the Sweetwater High boys' soccer team in National City. Joe Corona envisioned himself someday playing for a national team – Mexico to be specific. That was three years ago. Now the 21-year-old can say he is a national team […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:57 AM PDT

Why did President Calderón pay a visit to Tijuana?

TIJUANA – Business leaders, politicians and even TV news anchors who turned out to hear President Calderón on Tuesday believed he had come to deliver a gift: The announcement that Baja California would get a special designation to fuel its economy. Instead, the 200 who packed a hall at the Centro Cultural Tijuana heard a […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:57 AM PDT

Military makes Hummer of drug busts in Baja

TIJUANA – The military showed off the fruits of its latest drug operations: $20,000 in currency taped to a man's body and a blue Hummer H2, among other seizures. In what's become a familiar exercise, the commander of Mexico's Second Military Zone, Gilberto Landeros, presented for the news media Tuesday drugs seized in various operations. […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:56 AM PDT

‘Adios’ to summer as classes resume in Baja California

TIJUANA – The warm weather notwithstanding, summer vacation ended for students who returned to schools Monday in Baja California. In Tijuana, 328,568 students of public and private schools from preschool to high school returned to more than 1,000 campuses, according to the State Education System. Some schools were burglarized or vandalized during the two-month summer […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:56 AM PDT

Tijuana singer wins first night of reality show

Local contestant Frank Díaz hit the right notes at the launch Sunday of the Spanish-language reality show "La Academia 2011," winning top marks for the best song interpretation of the night. A total of 35 "students" began their quest to become the next Latin American entertainment star. By the night's end, five had been eliminated […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:56 AM PDT

Expansion of border crossing could be delayed

SAN YSIDRO – A lack of funds could complicate the last two phases of the expansion project at the San Ysidro border crossing, federal authorities said. "Those decisions depend on the Congress. Right now we're waiting for the resources to begin to plan Phases Two and Three," said Damon Yee, the project manager of the […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:55 AM PDT

Local entertainer to compete in reality show

TIJUANA – A young entertainer with roots in the region will be one of the 35 contestants in the Spanish-language musical reality show "La Academia" that begins Sunday on Azteca América. Juan Francisco Díaz, 20, will be representing Los Angeles though he's lived most of his life in Tijuana. That's where he studied a career […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:55 AM PDT

Methodical ‘Machine’ beats Tijuana Xolos

MEXICO CITY – Ismael Iñiguez had it, for a tie, and he let it slip away. Los Xoloitzcuintles de Tijuana could not handle Cruz Azul on Saturday, falling 2-1 to la "Máquina", the Machine, as the team is called. The game was the first time Tijuana faced one of the four giants of Mexican futbol […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:55 AM PDT

Leaders investing in alternative vision for troubled area

TIJUANA – The city's east side, long a home to industrial parks and gritty neighborhoods, should also be home to art and science. That's the goal the private and public sector are advancing on several fronts to improve life in the most troubled area of the city. For years, newly arrived residents settled there in […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:55 AM PDT

Xolos take on toughest foe yet: Cruz Azul

He is regarded as perhaps the top off-season acquisition. Dayro Moreno was advertised as a goal scorer, a spark in the attack before signing with Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles earlier this summer. And he hasn't disappointed, so far. Tijuana is four matches into its first stint in the Mexican Primera División in the Apertura Tournament. Moreno […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:55 AM PDT

Packaged or in the ground, army seizes marijuana

TIJUANA – Mexico’s Defense Department announced Thursday a series of drug operations, including the seizure of nearly 700 pounds of marijuana in Rosarito Beach. Meanwhile, dozens of Rosarito Beach police officers protested the military’s detention of one of their own the previous night who was accused of improperly carrying a firearm. An anonymous crime tip […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:54 AM PDT

2,000 celebrate Baja’s bounty of fine wine, food

ENSENADA – Jorge Rodríguez, a visitor from Spain, knows his wines. And he's amazed by what he has discovered. "The quality has surprised me," he said, singling out the Cetto and Mount Xanic labels. "They stack up very well with the wines from Spain." Rodríguez, who is from the Canary Islands, was one of approximately […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:54 AM PDT

Tijuana turns to familiar strategy to balance budget

TIJUANA – The city government has not suspended trash collection, laid off staff or stopped presenting huge free concerts – for now. But just like countless governments north of the border, the city has amassed debt in the hundreds of millions of dollars that it will have to pay off in the next twenty years. […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:54 AM PDT

Four police agents are suspects in killing of man

TIJUANA – A 22-year-old man was found dead Tuesday in Mexicali five days after he was detained by state police agents, authorities announced. The victim, identified as Óscar Enrique Lucero Jaramillo, had been reported missing by his family after agents entered his home supposedly to search for weapons. His body was found dumped Tuesday in […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:53 AM PDT

City urges kids to take the plunge and drop the soda

CHULA VISTA — This city has a challenge for its young residents: Trade in your soda for a good soaking. It's rewarding children who forgo high-calorie, high-sugar drinks for two weeks with tickets to the Knott's Soak City while supplies last. The goal is to fight childhood obesity, according to a city announcement issued Tuesday. […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:53 AM PDT

Baja assigns new crime fighters as violence drops

TIJUANA – The number of high-profile crimes in this city has dropped considerably this year and groups tied to drug cartels are no longer terrorizing residents, forcing them to stay home, as happened in 2008 to 2010. That’s not to say that killings related to the sale and transportation of drugs have stopped altogether. State […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:52 AM PDT

Gourmet cheeses crafted in Baja’s wine country

ENSENADA – Traveling two hours to taste cheese may seem absurd. But don't tell that to Martín Hernández, who has spent 65 of his 80 years selling cheese in a downtown Tijuana market. "The Ramonetti cheese is not only the best in the region, but also one of the best in all of Mexico," he […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:52 AM PDT

Baja police detain guerrilla in Ensenada

TIJUANA – A guerrilla from southeast Mexico, wanted for kidnapping and homicide, had opened a creamery several months ago in downtown Ensenada, authorities said. On Saturday, Baja California police detained Antonio Díaz Bahena, 49, an alleged member of the Revolutionary Army of the Insurgent People, an armed group that emerged in 1997 in the state […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:51 AM PDT

Frustrated Xolos can only net a tie against Puebla

TIJUANA -Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles did it again. The new team in the Mexican Primera División was the better team Saturday afternoon. It at times dominated possession and the flow of the match. But it wasn't enough as the Xolos played to a 1-1 draw against Puebla at Estadio Caliente. Tijuana appears to be comfortable facing […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:51 AM PDT

Arellano Félix boss arrested in Tecate

TIJUANA – A routine police stop in Tecate led to the detention at dawn Saturday of a high-ranking lieutenant in the Arellano Félix cartel and the dismantling of his drug network, Baja California police announced. He was identified as Juan Carlos Flores, 28, nicknamed "El Argentino," who authorities believe is the second in command in […]

April 13, 2017 at 5:51 AM PDT