A Mexican woman has been sent to prison for her role in the kidnapping of two U.S. citizens in Texas who were then taken to Mexico for ransom. Five cartel gunmen ambushed their victims outside of a restaurant in Laredo, Texas, during the kidnapping. The woman had been providing information on the victims. The woman, identified in court documents as 31-year-old Sarahi Lopez Espinoza from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, will spend close to 13 years in prison for her role in the international ransom kidnapping. Lopez Espinoza pleaded guilty to federal hostage-taking charges last year and has been in custody since Mexican authorities arrested her in March 2015 and extradited her in June 2016, the U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed. The charges against Lopez Espinoza stem from the July 16, 2006, kidnapping of two U.S. citizens attending a wedding reception at a restaurant in Laredo, Texas. Court documents revealed that as the men left the gathering, five cartel gunmen answering to a … [Read more...] about Mexican Woman Gets Jail for Helping Kidnap Two U.S. Citizens and Hiding Them in Mexico
Mexico
Former Mexico President Vincente Fox to debate nationalism vs. globalism at UCCS
0 View Gallery View Comments The former president of Mexico and the architect of Brexit will speak in a moderated debate “Nationalism vs. Globalism” April 3 on the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs campus on Austin Bluffs Parkway. Vicente Fox and Nigel Farage are being featured at the invitation of the UCCS Center for the Study of Government and Individual. Tom Rogan, a columnist for the Washington Examiner, will moderate the debate, which begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Shockley-Zalabak Theater at the Ent Center for the Arts.Admission is free for UCCS students. Faculty and staff can purchase tickets for $20; general admission tickets will be $40. All tickets can be reserved or purchased through UCCS Presents. Related: Former Colorado Springs city councilor, state senator Keith King to be honored with Lifetime Achievement Award “This is an extraordinary opportunity to bring two international leaders to Colorado Springs for a spirited debate on … [Read more...] about Former Mexico President Vincente Fox to debate nationalism vs. globalism at UCCS
‘Dusk Till Dawn’ shooting in New Mexico, not Texas
From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, for El Rey Network and Miramax. L to R; Briana Evigan as Sonja Lam and D.J. Cotrona as Seth Gecko. Central Texas recently got some good news that AMC will start filming the new series based on Philipp Meyer’s “The Son” here this summer. But there’s one troubling development regarding another longtime project that started in Austin. Robert Rodriguez, who has been shooting his El Rey Network series “From Dusk Till Dawn” at his local Troublemaker Studios, has decided to begin filming season three of the popular show in Albuquerque, N.M. The new season will have 10 hour-long episodes with a returning cast of D.J. Cotrona, Zane Holtz, Jesse Garcia and Jake Busey.The new season will follow the travails of the Gecko brothers who have to fight their way through vampire empires in Texas and New Mexico. Rodriguez has long been a proponent of shooting in Texas, and most of his films have been shot here. But the Texas Legislature … [Read more...] about ‘Dusk Till Dawn’ shooting in New Mexico, not Texas
‘It’s so hard right now’: For a mother who self-deported to Mexico, days of feeling lost
Maria Barrancas stood in the backyard of her mother-in-law’s home, alone but for a pig and some hens. It had been about a week since she packed up her life in Gardena and left for Mexico with her partner and their two children.There, in the small, dusty Sinaloa town of El Aguaje, the isolation hit her. Her three older children were still in California. She was in a country she hardly remembered, having left for the U.S. 32 years ago at age 15.She broke down in tears but wiped them away before walking inside to her family. She didn’t want them to see that she was afraid. Left, Ricardo Madrigal stands in the barred doorway of his family's new home in Tlaquepaque. Left, Alejandro Madrigal, 3, runs around while his mother, Maria Barrancas, cleans up after dinner in a small porch off the kitchen of their rented home in Mexico. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Back in their two-bedroom apartment in Gardena, Barrancas and Ricardo Madrigal had dreamed of one day … [Read more...] about ‘It’s so hard right now’: For a mother who self-deported to Mexico, days of feeling lost
Pac-10 football ratings: On Burfict’s penalty, the New Mexico Bowl, faking injuries and the Hot Seat
First off, the Pac-10 has issued a statement confirming what everyone already knew — that the facemask penalty on Vontaze Burfict on Stanford’s game-winning drive was dead wrong. From the league office: “… an error was made on the face mask call, and the error has been addressed … Video replay clearly shows Burfict grabbed the top of the opposing player’s jersey, and not his face mask.” Now, to other issues … *** On the agreement with the New Mexico Bowl for 2012-13. It’s good for the Pac-12. But bowl officials ought to start scouting their at-large options now, because there’s a pretty good chance the conference won’t be able to fill the slot. Yes, I know there will be 12 teams instead of 10 when the agreement kicks in. But how often does the league even have six eligible teams? (Answer: Every other year, on average.) Partner with the Pac at your peril. *** On opponents faking injuries to slow down the Quack … [Read more...] about Pac-10 football ratings: On Burfict’s penalty, the New Mexico Bowl, faking injuries and the Hot Seat