Fronteras: A Changing America

Two Border Villages Reunite For One Day

Lorne Matalon — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:05:00 +0000

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RIO GRANDE — In the rural border areas of Texas, seven so-called ‘informal crossings’ were shut down following Sept. 11. These were border villages and rural economies that thrived on their interdependence. The actual border was invisible. But the shutdown destroyed that connection. Recently, two border villages were reunited briefly for a single day celebration.

For one glorious moment, real world geopolitics was forgotten. Paso Lajitas, Mexico and Lajitas, Texas were again united — not cut off from one another as they’ve been in a post-Sept.

San Diego-Tijuana To Have Binational Youth Orchestra

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:29:00 +0000

SAN DIEGO — San Diego will soon have a youth orchestra linking musicians from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Select musicians from the Centro de Artes Musicales in Tijuana and the San Diego Young Artists Symphony (soon to be the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra) are coming together to form a binational orchestra.

Organizers say it’s the first such effort between the U.S.

Latinos Hardest Hit By Community College Class Shortages

editor — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:02:00 +0000

Limited community college capacity could keep 2.5 million Californians out of the system over the next 10 years.

Best Of The Border (5/12-5/19)

John Rosman — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Mexico Now A Latin American Leader In Tech Services

In the last decade Mexico’s tech industry has flourished, growing three times faster than the global average.

DACA License Ban Stands For Now In Arizona

Jude Joffe-Block — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:49:00 +0000

PHOENIX — An Arizona policy that prevents certain young immigrants from getting state driver's licenses will stay in effect for now.

Visiting Where Others Cannot

Jude Joffe-Block — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:02:00 +0000

PHOENIX — As reporters, it's not unusual to find ourselves in places where other members of the public usually aren't: waiting at the scene of a crime to talk to police, inside a press conference with a high-ranking official, or taking notes in a courtroom during a trial.

Earlier this month, I had the strange feeling of being some place fairly ordinary, yet not accessible to the person who very much wanted to be in my place.

I was at a simple restaurant in Mexico City.

Dairy Farmers, Workers Help Each Other Survive

Laurel Morales — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:02:00 +0000

COCHRANE, Wis. — John Rosenow is a fifth-generation dairy farmer, but times have changed since his Norwegian ancestors began farming in Cochrane, Wis. And Rosenow has changed with the times. Much of his workforce is now from Mexico, and Rosenow travels regularly to their village in southern Mexico to meet their families.

Rosenow wakes up every morning at 3:30.

McCain, Levin Say ICE Released 32 Felons Ahead Of Budget Cuts

Nick Blumberg — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:37:00 +0000

PHOENIX — In February, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released more than 2,000 immigrants from detention facilities in anticipation of automatic federal budget cuts.

ICE Director John Morton told Congress in March several people with serious criminal offenses were released, and some were taken back into custody.

Teen Cooking Show Teaches Culture, Cameras And Chopping Skills

editor — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:04:00 +0000

SAN DIEGO — “So directors, in order to get something going, you say ‘quiet on the set,’” Kristine Diekman shouts across the room to the two high school girls poring over a script. Diekman is a professor of video and new media at Cal State San Marcos.

Mics and cameras are in place; mixing bowls and perfectly-measured ingredients neatly laid out.

Mescalero Apache Explore Rare Earth Element Mining

Tristan Ahtone — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

The Mescalero Apache tribe of New Mexico says it is looking to expand it's economy by mining rare earth elements.

West Nile Virus Cases Up Across Southwest

Tristan Ahtone — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — West Nile virus cases in the Southwest are up from previous years, according to new 2012 statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control.

First discovered in New York around 1999, the West Nile virus traveled west, carried by birds and mosquitoes, eventually hitting the Southwest.

"2003 was the first time we actually had human cases, and we had 209 human cases that year with four of those cases being fatal," said Dr.

Tejano Matriarch Immortalized by U.S. Postal Service

Joey Palacios — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Lydia Mendoza has been called the first lady of Tejano and Conjunto Music. On Wednesday the U.S.

New Mexico Health Insurance Exchange Still In Question

Tristan Ahtone — Wed, 15 May 2013 23:18:00 +0000

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — States aiming to run their own health insurance exchanges will be in need of federal grants to get those exchanges launched, and are facing a deadline. New Mexico's application is in, but there's still a question of whether or not the exchange will be run by the state, the federal government, or both.

New Mexico's federal grant request totals about $20 million, and will be used for marketing, public relations, and outreach.

Hazard Crossing: Researchers Assess Health Impacts of Long Border Waits

editor — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:42:00 +0000

SAN DIEGO — People who regularly cross the United States-Mexico border know waiting for hours on foot can be hot, uncomfortable, even exhausting.

Penelope Quintana, a researcher at San Diego State University, says it's made worse by "not being able to sit down, not having restrooms, not having water available."

But she says beyond inconvenience, waiting to cross the border is also bad for your health.

Mexico Now A Latin American Leader In Tech Services

Mónica Ortiz Uribe — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:51:00 +0000

MONTERREY, Mex. — In the last decade Mexico’s tech industry has flourished, growing three times faster than the global average. Most of that growth is fueled by demand from the United States. But without certain reforms Mexico’s progress can only go so far.

On the cover of April's edition of Forbes Magazine in Mexico is Blanca Treviño.