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Authorities Ask Not To Trick or Treat This Halloween

Due to the increase of active coronavirus cases and intubated patients in Baja California, Alonso Perez Rico, head of the State Health Office, and Governor Jaime Bonilla, recommended not to take kids trick or treating this coming Halloween.

“Kids are perfect carriers of Covid. They are the persons who more likely will catch the disease asymptomatically but can transmit it perfectly. I would advise any parents to keep doing social distancing,” said Perez Rico.

Although there has only been a slight increase in active cases, a more notorious increase has been seen in suspected cases, which most certainly will become active soon.
“It would be a serious mistake to allow children to go knocking on doors, and it would be an even bigger mistake to open the door to them because you don’t know if you’re really opening the door to COVID that night,” stated Governor Bonilla.

Sempra’s Energy Ensenada Investment Will be Decided Today

The public consultation regarding the acceptance of Sempra’s Energy 2-billion-dollar investment in expanding their current Ensenada plant, is going on today.

The exercise is promoted by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who says that every transcendent decision for the country should have its citizens’ approval.

Anyone with a valid Mexican voting ID, with an Ensenada address, will be allowed to vote on the consultation in any of the booths set up for this.

Critics of the consultation say that Sempra is only missing one permit to go ahead with its expansion, and it has nothing to do with the consultation. The only license they are missing is one from the federal Energy office, and the decision of this office will be completely independent of the output of the consultation.

Several business groups and the government of Ensenada have been very vocal in their approval of the investment; as they say, it will positively improve our state’s economy.

Sempra has committed to investing 21 million dollars in public works that will directly benefit Ensenada’s citizens.

Your Electric Bill Just Got a Little Cheaper

The Mexican Supreme Court announced last Tuesday that it had declared illegal for any of the cities in Baja California to collect public lighting taxes, better known as DAP, in the CFE bill.

Each city defined the DAP tax amount, and the CFE collected the money and passed it on to each government. It ranges from $17 to 55 pesos every two months, depending on the city, and it’s supposed to maintain and pay for public lighting.

The Supreme Court deemed the charge unconstitutional since the cities cannot charge extra for this service, as it’s supposed to be paid for with the money gotten from regular taxes.

Mayor of Ensenada Armando Ayala stated that the new ruling would hit Ensenada hard, which is already known to have severe budget deficits, as they are losing 6.6 million USD every year with the DAP charge cancellation.

Tijuana Mayor Announces Leave of Abscense

Arturo Gonzalez, mayor of Tijuana, surprisingly announced that he had submitted a leave of absence effective next Wednesday because he is interested in participating in the internal process to choose a state coordinator for the Morena party.

He emphatically denied that he was leaving his post because of the many allegations by governor Bonilla criticizing his work in the city.

He stated that the governor has repeatedly tried to discredit him and uses illegal tactics to diminish his odds of winning the governor seat in the coming election.

Both the Governor and Tijuana Mayor come from the Morena party, but they have not been able to get along since May.

 

With information from: El Vigia

Missing American Couple Found Dead

The bodies of Ian Hirschsonhn and Kathy Harvey that were reported missing two weeks ago were found at the bottom of a water well in Ensenada.

According to Ian’s daughter, they couldn’t be lost as the 77-year-old man knew the area very well, as he frequently visited since 1985.

Kathy and Ian were last seen in their truck, which was found abandoned seven days later.

On September 4, San Diego’s Police Department, where the couple was from, confirmed that the bodies were  Hirschsonhn y Kathy Harvey.

Hiram Zamora, a local prosecutor in charge of the case, said to the press that they were both murdered in their house by a drug addict who wanted to steal from them.

The suspect, who has already been identified, moved their bodies from El Socorrito (near San Quintin) to the city of Ensenada, where they were later found.

The couple rented a house near El Socorrito beach, a popular area for American retirees.

Local Wines to be Auctioned by Mortons

Mortons Auctions, the most important auction house in Mexico, announced an upcoming auction of wines and liquors this past week. The virtual event will include variety of Mexican wines, from popular labels to collectibles, with a unique selection of wines from Baja California thanks to a partnership with Provino.

The auction will be online and is scheduled for this coming Thursday, September 10 at 4:00PM (local time), 6:00PM (Mexico City time).

Casa de Piedra, Vena Cava, Cava Maciel, Las Nubes, Emeve, Corona del Valle Alximia, Madera 5 and Monte Xanic are some of the wineries that you will be able to find in the catalogue.

The auction is already online on the bidsquare platform, click here to check it out and place a bid.

Sorry US residents; these wines can only be shipped to Mexico addresses.

Tijuana-Tecate Passenger Train Announced

Mario Escobedo, head of the state economy and tourism office, said that the Tijuana-Tecate passenger train is already on the works with an initial investment of 136 million USD for a 17 miles section.

He stated that the train would be a secure, sustainable option to connect with Tijuana and Tecate, with seven stations and two terminals. A minimum of 30,000 passengers are expected to use the train every day.

This project should not be confused with the already present tourism train that goes from Tijuana to Tecate (pictured above).

Initially, the project considered a route to Ensenada. And although the plan hasn’t been cancelled, Escobedo stated that “it’s not a priority right now”, mainly because the current state government administration will only last two years and will not be able to finish a project of such magnitude.

Mexican Army Seizes Drug Load Valued at 16 million USD

Soldiers from the Mexican Army seized a massive load of a variety of drugs in the La Rumorosa area in Tecate.

The illicit drugs were found in an inhabited area about 6 miles south from the La Rumorosa town.

The army reported that 1 ton of crystal meth was found, along with 6 kilos of powdered fentanyl and 5,000 pills of that same drug. About 5.3 kilos of heroin and 4 gallons of marihuana (THC) oil were also found.

The army stated that the bust would considerably affect the financial structure of local crime organizations since the total street value of the drugs was about 16 million USD.

The drugs were found abandoned on a dirt road when the military was doing a surveillance drive through the area. No arrests were made in connection with the drugs.

993 positive cases of COVID-19 in Mexico

Federal Health Secretariat (SSA) officials report in a press conference informed that the number of suspected cases stood at 2,564, and the cases confirmed by COVID-19 increased to 993 in Mexico. At the same time, another 4,955 suspected cases have been found to be negative for COVID-19.

Of the total number of confirmed cases, only 117 people were hospitalized, 65 percent of which are reported as stable, 30 percent as severe, and 5 percent as intubated.

There is also a confirmation of 20 deaths, giving a total of 8,512 people studied.  Overall, 27 states report between one and fifty cases, and three states between 51 and 100 cases.

Also, in the epidemic curve of cases by date of signs and symptoms of the 993 confirmed cases, 60 percent are imported, 27 percent are directly associated with importation, and 13 percent have no relation with importation.

The government is reminding everyone to maintain a healthy distance with other people, as well as to remember that it is essential to stay home as much as you can.

 

SOURCE: Periodico Excelsior

AMLO Will Approve Constellation Brands Brewery in Mexicali if it Doesn’t Affect Water Supply

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that the water supply must be guaranteed to the population of Baja California before allowing the Constellation Brands brewery to be built; otherwise, the brewery would be canceled.

He explained that the Secretariat of the Environment is reviewing the case and will be responsible for resolving the viability of the project that will have a total investment of 1.6 billion dollars and will generate about 30,000 jobs in the area.

“We have to reconcile, first the health of the people, we cannot leave the people without water. If there are other options with water for the people and water for the company, go ahead; if not, it can’t be done. That is the criterion, but you can do both when you are looking for options,” he said in a morning conference.

López Obrador recalled that the operating permit for the brewery was granted in the last six years, and now it will be up to his administration to resolve it, “of course protecting the people.

Earlier this year, Victor Toledo, head of the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), and Blanca Jimenez Cisneros, director of the National Water Commission (Conagua), agreed that the project does not represent any risk of water shortage for the population of Baja California.

The head of Semarnat explained that the installation of the brewery will not have a negative impact on the water supply in this border valley, taking into account that the plant will require 5.8 million cubic meters, which represents a minimum percentage of its annual consumption.

 

With information from: Milenio