Dr. Eva Moya from the University of Texas at El Paso. (Diego Davila/Borderzine.com)

Tuberculosis wanes in the US but remains a threat in Mexico

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EL PASO – Tuberculosis has for a long time been a serious but waning disease in the United States with less severe complications in the large majority of cases, while people in other countries suffer greatly and die from a lack of sanitation, medical resources and information about this illness. Even though this lethal infection is on the decline in the United States, it is still latent in more than one third of the world’s population. Mexico is one of the many other countries affected to a much greater degree. According to Professor Eva Moya, Ph.D., from the University of Texas at El Paso, although most people infected in the United States will recover from primary TB without further evidence of the disease, there are still deaths related to this disease. In 2011 there were more than 500 cases that resulted in deaths in he U.S. Unfortunately the number is much higher in Mexico where on average a Mexican man or woman dies from tuberculosis every six hours.

Military provides path to citizenship

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Pvt. Juan Benjamin Alcantar and his wife were living in Chicago when he decided to join the U.S. military. At the time, he was going to college and working in a warehouse. “It was hard to keep up on school and my duty as a husband,” said Alcantar, 25. “To me it [joining the military] is something that’s a great idea to do.”

It also helped him become a citizen.

Denominaciones_billetes_mexico

Narcolimosnas – la caridad de los carteles de la droga infecta la Iglesia Católica mexicana

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EL PASO – La Marina mexicana mató a Heriberto Lazcano, “El Lazca”, líder de los Zetas, uno de los carteles de la droga más violentos y temidos el 7 de octubre. Lazcano había sido relacionado con 30,000 asesinatos. De acuerdo con las autoridades mexicanas, Lazcano poseía un rancho donde solía deshacerse de sus víctimas usándolas como alimentos para sus leones y tigres. Una placa en una pared de la capilla en la villa de Tezontle, HIdalgo, proclama que el edificio fue donado por Heriberto Lazcano. “Señor, escucha mi plegaria; escucha mi clamor por piedad; en tu fidelidad y justicia ven a mi alivio”, se lee en la placa que hace referencia al Salmo 143 de la biblia.

Retired Navy Seal and GOP State Senator Ryan Zinke. (Nickelina Noel/Borderzine.com)

Retired Navy Seal praises American exceptionalism in foreign policy

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SAN ANTONIO, TX – The world is more stable and successful with American leadership in a forefront position, says retired Navy Seal Ryan Zinke. “I challenge anyone to say different,” adds the State Senator in defense of his stance. These statements reflect Zinke’s belief in a prominent political ideology known as American exceptionalism. According to Kalevi J. Holsti, author of the article, “Exceptionalism in American foreign policy: Is it exceptional,” a country with an exceptionalist foreign policy is comprised of five primary features: a presumed duty to liberate other societies; nonconformity from the standards set in place and followed by non-exceptionalist states; presence in a believed-to-be hostile world; the belief that the exceptionalist country is both a victim and a constant target; and the expectation of enemy states. Zinke spoke about American exceptionalism, America’s role in the world, its foreign policy, and its military during his recent presentation “SEALs at War,” sponsored by the St.

Denominaciones_billetes_mexico

Narcolimosnas – alms from drug cartels infect the Mexican Catholic church

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EL PASO – The Mexican Navy killed Heriberto Lazcano, “El Lazca,” leader of Los Zetas, one of Mexico’s most feared and violent drug cartels on October 7. He had been connected to some 30,000 murders. According to the Mexican authorities, he owned a ranch where he used to get rid of his victims by feeding them to several lions and tigers. A plaque on a wall of the chapel in the village of Tezontle, Hidalgo, proclaims the building was donated by Heriberto Lazcano. “Lord, hear my prayer; listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief,” reads the plaque referring to Psalm 143 in the bible.

‘Religious Visa’ brings ministers to U.S. churches

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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Yolanda Miranda welcomes her Sunday morning congregation with hugs and handshakes. She seemed to know all 20 members at Manantial de Vida United Methodist Church.  Miranda came from Costa Rica to Abingdon, Va., in 1990, later changing her visitor’s visa to a religious worker’s visa as she began missions work. At that time Miranda knew of no Latino community in the area. But as Miranda said, that’s when God sent her angels: Bob and Carol Jones, an Abingdon couple who took her to the immigration offices to help her change her visa.

Spice drug

Spice – The cheap cannabis imitator has dangerous effects

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EL PASO — The cheap synthetic alternative to marijuana popularly known as K2 or Spice can be extremely hazardous to your health. “I thought it was just people exaggerating about the side effects and how strong it was. It was kind of an out-of-body experience. Everything was moving so slow. After about three minutes I started panicking because I could feel my heart beating really fast, and I couldn’t calm myself down,” said Alexandra McGoldrick, the spouse of a member of the military previously stationed at Fort Bliss.

The real assets in Calexico High’s ASSETs program

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CALEXICO, Calif.–Jovan Rojas had a lot of trouble making friends on his high school campus. For a lot of adolescents, painful insecurities can be a repellant to their peers. “I was not very mature and had problems socializing with anyone,” said Rojas, now 18 and a senior at Calexico High School. “After joining the program I have felt improvement in myself and I am told from tutors that I have improved a lot.”

That program, the After School Safety and Enrichment for Teens, or ASSETs, a grant-based project provided under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and administered by California’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, was launched at Calexico High in February 2010 with a five-year $1.5 million grant. ASSETs is aimed at involving latchkey kids, or at-risk teens who have no place to go and nothing to do when that final school bell rings for the day.

Stemming the strays through Imperial Valley’s S.A.N.D.S.

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IMPERIAL VALLEY, Calif.–It is difficult to commute from town to town here without encountering any number of dead animals on or near the roadway on any given day; some motorists swerve around the remains, others seem to deliberately aim at the already-decimated animals—dead pigeons on city streets, rabbits or coyotes on rural roads, and countless other carcasses on the I-8 freeway heading east and west between Arizona and San Diego. But most of the time, the heart-wrenching sight of small furry victims on any local street or major byway are stray dogs or cats whose owners might, or might not be wondering where their pets have gone. “From June to November, 500 dogs were picked up (both alive and dead), 169 cats (both alive and dead),” according to Beatrice Palacio, animal control supervisor for the Imperial County Public Health Department, which is charged with policing a 4,500-square-mile realm outside of the county’s cities’ limits. “Live roosters and chickens, dead raccoons, dead skunks, coyotes, and a live sheep, for a total of 707 animals.” And that’s only what Palacio has been able to log in a five-month period of 2012, unknowing if the animals were abandoned, lost, or feral. Holiday generosity and a bad economy

Usually this time of year animal rights organizations often use statistics like those about stray animals to illustrate to holiday revelers how ill-advised impulsive buys of pets as Christmas gifts can be for recipients who may or may not want a furry or feathered friend; who may or may not know how to care for them, or cannot afford to.

Lethal and tenacious smoking habits puff on past Smokeout Day

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EL PASO — Living with a chain-smoking habit that seems to run in her family, Erika Esparza fears being diagnosed with lung cancer but has failed to quit after many attempts even after seeking help along the way. “I’ve been smoking since I was 13. Both of my parents smoked about a carton a week each and growing up, it wasn’t a big deal to light a cigarette for them if they were busy. I started buying my own cigarettes at the corner store where my mom would send me to buy hers,” Esparza said. Esparza, 36, has cut down to about three cigarettes a day from a pack-a-day habit.

Mujeres víctimas de violencia encuentran refugio en Juárez

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CIUDAD  JUÁREZ – Las  puertas del edificio se abrieron cuando Blanca, una mujer de 31 años, entró nerviosa y desesperada. Una vez más, su esposo la había golpeado. Convencida por una vecina de que debía buscar ayuda, Blanca se acercó al Instituto Chihuahuense de la Mujer en Cuidad Juárez, una institución descentralizada del gobierno del estado de Chihuahua que inició sus operativos en el 2002 en relación a una época que marcó trágicamente a la cuidad con la muerte de cientos de mujeres. “Es un proceso que se lleva a cabo lentamente”, dijo Blanca. “No es fácil, sin embargo, una tiene que luchar por si misma y también por sus hijos; darse cuenta que la vida a veces nos pone en situaciones difíciles, pero que siempre hay un camino de esperanza”.

Local DJ Amer and Co-Founder of Project Freedom. (Meili Bettina Robles/Borderzine.com)

Downtown welcomes glowing Halloween revelers with open streets

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EL PASO — Whether they were dressed as a banana, boxing champion, a huge hand flipping the bird, or just plain decked out in glow sticks, one thing was certain, they celebrated the first Halloween of its kind running through downtown. Thanks to Downtown Glow, the first annual event by Flow Entertainment, El Pasoans had a place to celebrate Halloween in a healthy, fun and bright way. The event took place on October 31 on one mile of closed streets including Oregon and Main. “We had seen this concept in other cities and saw that it was very successful,” said Crystal Bocanegra, co-founder of Downtown Glow. After seeing an event like this in Las Vegas, Crystal and her husband Alby decided to use their experience in event planning to create one where participants could enjoy what their own city had to offer.

El Paso residents are confident that new toll roads will improve traffic in the area. (Anthony Rodriguez)

Toll road promises smoother traffic but unwanted bills may flow back to drivers

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EL PASO – El Paso county’s very first toll road, expected to speed up traffic flow when it opens in 2015, has caused traffic jams and major detouring along a nine-mile stretch on the I-375 loop during its construction phase. Charging tolls is seen as a positive change necessary to accommodate a growing community, so many residents say they are not worried about the problems that the construction process is causing at the moment. “I’m not sure when the streets will be in full effect, but I know we are making some major progress,” said El Paso mayor John Cook when asked if he knew a date of completion. “One side is practically done. As far as the other side, I’m seeing construct going on.”

The two new lanes will be built along the Border Highway between Zaragoza Road and Highway 54.

Abraham Velázquez, el fundador de unos de los sitios web para latinos más importantes de Chicago. (Carolina Sánchez/Borderzine.com)

Qué cool es ser latino

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CHICAGO – Ese es el mensaje de Abrahan Velázquez Tello, creador de gozamos.com. “Ser latino está de moda, es diferente, es cool”. Su objetivo es representarlo en su sitio web, donde ofrece una variedad de informaciones enfocada a latinos de entre 18 y 35 años interesados en la cultura, las artes y en el ocio. “La misión de gozamos.com siempre ha sido crear una mezcla entre cultura, educación y entretenimiento”. Este website es la obra de Abraham, un joven emprendedor de 27 años nacido en México D.F. y criado en Estados Unidos.

Sassil Ayala uses the “match your price” strategy to buy groceries and save money. (Selene Soria/Borderzine.com)

Consumers apply shopping strategies that won’t bust stretched budgets

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EL PASO – Buying the staples we need and the things we want has become a bit of an art in the weak economy following the Great Recession and folks are applying many different strategies to stretch their dollars as far as possible. The effort to acquire the supplies needed to live a decent life has become harder in the last few years. The essentials are more expensive than ever and luxuries are ridiculously expensive. Sometimes, though, there is a very fine line between what people need and what they want. In order to maintain a normal existence in our consumer society, people must be able to buy their basic needs and incomes have not kept up with the cost of goods.

Click on the image to enlarge. (Infographic by Nicole Chavez)

West Nile virus hits-all time record – Infographic

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EL PASO – With less than two months before the year ends, national and local health authorities are still treating cases of people with West Nile virus mosquito bites. A record number of cases has been reported making 2012 the worst year in history since 2003, confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Texas leads outbreak with more than a third of the total cases reported in the country – 1,754 of 5,054, according to CDC. On a media briefing held by U.S. health officials in Houston in early September, David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services declared this year as the worst in the state of Texas for West Nile. In the Southwest, those identified with West Nile virus live in eight different zip code areas of El Paso county.

Sun City Music Festival 2011 at Cohen Stadium. (Iris Lopez/Borderzine.com)

The Sun City’s nightlife rocks with the electronic-dance music that left Juarez

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EL PASO – This city on the U.S.- Mexico border known for the strong Mexican-American culture experienced a dramatic growth spurt in music and entertainment in the past two years as nightlife fizzled in violence-plagued Cd. Juarez. “Many people expected the Juarez violence to spill over the border, but the only thing that spilled over that border was the real electro nightlife,” said Silver IsReal, head of Estylow Junktion clothing design. Juarez’s nightclubs such as Hardpop and Morocos concert halls were host to many shows that attracted well-known DJ’s. When the violence in Juarez began to increase, many El Pasoans stopped crossing the border to see those shows and the nightlife followed them north.

Women who are trafficked into the U.S. are often kept secluded and isolated to avoid suspicion. (Nadia Garcia/Borderzine.com)

Citizen awareness is critical to the prevention of human trafficking

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EL PASO – The car headlights flashed past the windows of a farmer’s house out on a rural road in far west Texas on a sweltering, summer night bringing him outside to find out what the unusual midnight activity is all about. In the distance, he saw the car slowly approach a trailer parked in a desolate area and a man get out and open the trailer. “It has got to be a drug deal going on out there,” the farmer told Border Patrol officials in Hudspeth County, approximately 84 miles east of El Paso, Texas. Days later, Border Patrol officials broke into the trailer and found five Honduran women, dirty and barely clothed, shackled to cots. Between 18,000 and 20,000 persons are trafficked into the U.S. each year with the majority of cases involving sex trafficking of women and children.

Sonya Delgado supervises children at the Reynolds Home during the annual Fall Festival. (Nadia Garcia/Borderzine.com)

The homeless and abused find shelter and support at Reynolds Home

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EL PASO – Children glide playfully down the red, castle-like inflated slide while others giggling dance around a grassy field decorated with yellow, blue, and red balloons. But there is a tragic story behind each innocent smile. The annual Fall Festival held October 6th at the Reynolds Home was a time for the children there to join in fun and games at the start of the fall season. The Reynolds Home shelter opened in 1990 to provide safe shelter for homeless women and children. Some lack economic resources, others are fleeing from domestic violence.

Daniel Centeno lanza un puñado de dardos agudos con sus Retratos Hablados

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EL PASO – Entre risas y anécdotas Daniel Centeno presentó ante aficionados de la literatura su libro Retratos Hablados en la Universidad de Texas en El Paso (UTEP). Retratos Hablados es una recopilación de 50 entrevistas a personajes de la literatura y la música entre las que destacan las de los escritores Elena Poniatowska y Carlos Monsivais y los músicos Gustavo Cerati, Manu Chao y la difunta Chavela Vargas. En 444 páginas Centeno no sólo comparte las respuestas resultado de sus cuestionamientos, sino también revela detalles que solo pueden ser percibidos al conversar frente a frente. “Centeno abandona por momentos el oficio de cazador para volverse un pescador. Si no de almas, al menos de confesiones inconvenientes”, dijo Luis Arturo Ramos, profesor de creación literaria de UTEP, quien junto a Lourdes Cárdenas, editora del portal de noticias Somos Frontera, acompañaron a Centeno en la presentación de su más reciente libro.

Pan dulce and candies to honore the victims on violence in Juarez. (Krystle Holguin/Borderzine.com)

Relatives mourn victims of Juarez violence at Día de los Muertos remembrance

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EL PASO – An altar with pan dulce, candles, and fruit baskets placed next to photos of the dead honored the victims of violence in Juarez on this year’s Día de Los Muertos remembrance. Early Friday afternoon, Nov. 2, a mother wept as she stared at the photo of her 15-year-old son, murdered in Juarez, Mexico, in drug-related violence. She said her son was shot at his own residence. About 30 other photos of persons who were killed or who suddenly disappeared were displayed on the altar

Laughter and sobs were heard as family members remembered their loved ones.

Visitors to the Mirazozo Luminarium compared the experience to walking into a kaleidoscope. (Francis Regalado/Borderzine.com)

Visiting the Mirazozo Luminarium is like floating inside a giant kaleidoscope

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EL PASO – Inside a structure shaped like a spaceship, a world of bright luminous red, green and blue stripes of light form bouncing patterns of color on the walls of five metallic domes like fireworks in outer space. The structure, called a Mirazozo Luminarium, a creation of the British company Architects of Air was brought to El Paso as part of this year’s Chalk the Block event from October 12 to 14 and was displayed on Cleveland Square Park, next to the El Paso Museum of History. “I think it was awesome, “ said Esmeralda Quintana. 29. “I carry a kaleidoscope in my car and being inside the Luminarium was a dream come true.”

Residents approaching the event could see the 158 ft.

Angelica Sanchez and her children enjoy Puerto Rican food at Maracas. (Meili Robles/Borderzine.com)

Maracas plays a savory Cuban beat and a Puerto Rican salsa

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CANUTILLO, TX – At the border, a few yards before the tiny town of Canutillo becomes the busy city of El Paso, cars whiz by a run-down gas station without a second glance at the caution tape wrapped around the gas pumps, missing what many believe to be the best sandwich shop in town. Maracas, located at 911 Talbot, is the home of the Cuban sandwich, the sandwich that made the eatery famous in El Paso. What many don’t know however is that it is also home to a vast variety of Puerto Rican food. “I come Friday’s because he has the comida criolla… That’s the type of food I really like,” said Raymond Valles, a regular customer who was enjoying Pollo en Fricasé. Maracas owner Raymond Ortiz explained that to prepare Pollo en Fricasé, they must let the chicken marinate overnight in a stew-like marinade made with pureed vegetables.

Former White House correspondent, Sam Donaldson, gave the lecture "Road to the White House." (Ernie Chacon/Borderzine.com)

Sam Donaldson says the presidential election is too close to call

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EL PASO – Veteran ABC news reporter Sam Donaldson has covered every national political election since 1964 but he has never seen one as close and as difficult to call as the upcoming contest next week between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney. “I can’t call this election.  Many times at this point, two weeks before a presidential election you kind of know who is going to win. I don’t know this time,” Donaldson told students at the University of Texas at El Paso October 23. “It’s been an interesting year,” the former White House correspondent said. He told students that each candidate has flaws, referring to Obama as an “empty suit” during the first debate for which the President was criticized for not speaking out as forcefully on the issues as Romney did.

Coleen Marquez, a fighter. (Loreli Hassan/Borderzine.com)

Her struggle is a powerful tale of survival during breast cancer awareness month

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EL PASO – A spider bite saved her life. After going for a walk, Coleen Marquez, 51, came home and suddenly felt a pain on her right breast and, saw later that it was a spider bite she had gotten while changing. It began to swell up and she immediately went to the doctor. She, was always meticulous about her breast self-exams and check-ups, but for some unexplained reason she had missed her appointments in February and March of 2004. “The doctor gave me antibiotics for the bite mark and sent me in for a mammogram,” said Marquez.

Niños huérfanos de Cuidad Juárez encuentran santuario, educación y esperanza en Rancho 3M

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CIUDAD JUAREZ – La vida estable del pequeño de 10 años, su hogar modesto, y una rutina que incluía paseos ocasionales con sus padres a Peter Piper Pizza llegaron a su fin cuando la guerra contra el narcotráfico invadió a Ciudad Juárez. Atrapado en medio de una balacera, Juan se dejó caer debajo de una camioneta, cubriéndose los ojos. Todo se nubló a su alrededor. Cuando salió de su escondite, su padre, su madre y su hermana habían muerto. Unas semanas después, Juan, junto con otros 12 niños, abordó un camión rumbo a Rancho 3M, un orfanato privado fundado por misioneros estadounidenses en el pueblo cercano de Guadalupe.

Mormon temple of the El Paso Texas Stake at 1212 Sumac. (Elliot Torres/Borderzine.com)

Mormons see increased exposure by presidential race as potential benefit

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EL PASO —The two candidates running for the presidency in a close election face questions about the fate of the U.S. economy, poverty and discrimination, but aside from these traditional political issues, republican candidate Mitt Romney has to deal with questions about his Mormon faith. We are not only talking about 2012. This happened to John F. Kennedy in 1960 when voters wanted to know if his Catholic faith would make him subject to edicts from the Vatican. Religion has always been a factor in politics, but this year it seems to have a different wrinkle, one that is highlighted by Romney who is a Mormon like some 6 million other Americans. Though the Mormon church has existed for well over a century and half, and was founded in America, it is still misunderstood by many.

New El Paso law curbing ‘aggressive’ solicitation may have too broad a sweep

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EL PASO — On a late Sunday afternoon Eddie Salas Cano, 32, walked from the Opportunity Center on Myrtle Avenue to the busy gateway intersection on Missouri and Cotton wearing worn-out clothes and he stood near the cars holding up a sign that read “Homeless.”

Some drivers quickly rolled up their windows as Salas paced back and forth hoping for someone to drop a dollar. The meager moneys that homeless people like Cano pick up at intersections could be threatened by a new city ordinance that could target them even if they don’t pose a threat. “I have no family and no support, so I usually go to the Opportunity Center for assistance. When I don’t have any money to eat I stand holding my sign hoping for at least two dollars for the day,” Cano said. On October 9, the El Paso City Council passed an ordinance that bans aggressive solicitation in certain parts of the city in front of homes and businesses.

Knight Poverty Journalism Initiative Story Awards – Deadline extended to October 26

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Who: Open to journalists of all kinds—salaried, freelance, semi-pro. What: Three $500 awards for journalists to report, write and publish a print, video, audio or multimedia story about poverty in America. When: Deadline for developed story proposals is October 26, 2012 . Where: Email your story proposal to Joan Millon (millonj@wlu.edu) with “Poverty Story Awards” in the subject line. Proposals should include the following:

• Description of your story up to 500 words
• Story lead or premise and why your story is important NOW
• Data sources, main characters and additional sources
• Main medium (print, broadcast, online)
• If primarily text or broadcast, do you plan to include a multimedia component (video, audio, photo, graphics) and how will that enhance the story?

Newcomer Republican Barbara Carrasco talks to the press. (Francis Regalado/Borderzine.com)

Distinct stands on major political issues mark the El Paso congressional race

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EL PASO – Fresh from winning one of the biggest upsets in local political history last May against eight-term U.S. Rep. Sylvester Reyes, Democrat Beto O’Rourke now faces political newcomer Republican Barbara Carrasco in a run for Reyes’ Congressional District 16, seat. O’Rourke won the Democratic primary election with a margin of less than five percent of the vote and he says he did it with legwork. He explained that what made his team the best was that people of all ages and all walks of life came together with the same idea to better the community and did what it took to make it happen. “We were able to put together one of the best teams in campaign history in El Paso,” O’Rourke said. Democrat O’Rourke and Republican Carrasco have different positions on the following issues important to the El Paso community, such as job creation and the economy, education and healthcare.