06.17.08
Posted in News at 9:51 pm by Paloma Cruz
Mexico adopts U.S.-style trials, presumption of innocence
– Houston Chronicle2
Mexico threw open the doors to its judicial system today, allowing U.S.-style public trials and creating a presumption of innocence.
Under the long-awaited constitutional amendment signed by President Felipe Calderon, guilt or innocence will no longer be decided behind closed doors by a judge relying on written evidence.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers will now argue their cases in court, and judges must explain their decisions to defendants.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks.
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06.15.08
Posted in News at 12:40 am by Paloma Cruz
I’m shocked to find out that Ramiro Burr quit. Though initially I became aware of him because he wrote about Tejano music, amongst others, lately I’ve been able to read his work via blogging, etc.
From the Houston Press’ blog, Houstoned:
Music writer Ramiro Burr, who for years has written columns and stories for the San Antonio Express-News and the Houston Chronicle, has resigned.
Express-News editor Robert Rivard says Burr “caused [the paper] to unknowingly publish work under his name that was not, in fact, his own work.”
A writer Burr used has hired a lawyer seeking byline credit for stories he worked on.
On his blog, Burr says he resigned as a way of “taking things to the next level,” which apparently means the Web. He says he had “editorial differences” with the Express-News over crediting other writers who worked for him.
[snip]
From an article in the Houston Chronicle:
[snip]
“It was the work of at least one other writer who did not receive credit and who we did not know about. Ramiro decided on his own to resign just as our investigation was concluding and we were preparing to take appropriate action. We have a zero tolerance policy whenever someone on our staff presents work as their own that is not their own.”
In a brief statement, Burr said, “I sincerely apologize for breaking any rules.”
[snip]
Whatever is going on, it’s sad to acknowledge that he’s no longer going to be writing for the Houston Chronicle.
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06.13.08
Posted in News at 9:43 am by Paloma Cruz
It’s gettin’ harder to keep truckin’
Taco sellers are caught between food, diesel costs
– Houston Chronicle2
As Josue Ortiz parked his taco truck in front of a trio of two-story homes under construction alongside Lake Houston, workers quickly swarmed.
Most of the sweat-drenched builders bought chips, soft drinks, and fresh juices of orange, tamarind and jamaica.
Fewer ordered tacos, tortas and plate lunches from El Taco del Gordo, the diesel-guzzling taco truck Ortiz spends his days wheeling around north of Houston.
[snip]
Slammed by a slowdown in construction, high fuel prices and escalating food costs — which hurts owners and their customers alike — many taco trucks are losing money and sales.
Fewer construction sites means less business for the drivers, and Houston’s housing starts dropped 33 percent in the first quarter of the year to 7,049 compared with the same period last year, according to the latest survey by Metrostudy, a national consulting company that tracks housing.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks.
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06.05.08
Posted in News at 12:06 am by Paloma Cruz
‘Sanctuary city’ issue surfaces in race for League City mayor
Candidate wants to address how illegal immigrants are handled by police
– Houston Chronicle2
With less than two weeks remaining until League City’s mayoral runoff, the focus of the race has shifted to the city’s stance on illegal immigration.
When an illegal immigrant is arrested in League City for a Class B misdemeanor or above, the police department contacts U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the person is then transported to the Galveston County jail, assistant police chief Gary Ratliff said. The city also contacts immigration officials for illegal immigrants arrested on a Class C misdemeanor, but if they don’t have an outstanding warrant, they are released after the charge has been resolved, he said.
The practice is standard procedure, but is not a written policy, Ratliff said.
If elected, Chris Mallios said he would push for an ordinance that establishes that League City is not a “sanctuary city.” He would like it to address how the city’s police department should handle the arrests of illegal immigrants.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks.
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05.24.08
Posted in News at 11:57 pm by Paloma Cruz
Report: Houston should prepare for Hispanic growth
– Houston Business Journal
Business and political leaders in Harris County should be prepared for unprecedented change during the next 20 years as Hispanics become the dominant demographic group in the region.
That was the message delivered at a Houston conference Thursday morning presented by the Greater Houston Partnership and Hispanic business groups.
The focal point of the conference was a report issued by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute titled “Increasing Wealth in the Latin Community.”
Harry Pachon, the institute’s president and CEO, said an affluent Latino middle class is growing at a rapid pace. Nationwide, 37 percent of Hispanic households have incomes of more than $50,000 and 10 percent are above $100,000, he noted.
[snip]
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Posted in General at 11:52 pm by Paloma Cruz
Price put at $1.8 trillion
Study: That’s what U.S. would lose if undocumented immigrants vanished
– Houston Chronicle2
If the 8.1 million undocumented immigrants who cut lawns, bus tables and perform other jobs disappeared overnight, the nation’s economy would lose nearly $1.8 trillion in annual spending.
Texas, the second-hardest-hit state after California, would lose 1.2 million undocumented workers and $220.7 billion in expenditures.
These are just some of the findings from a study done by the Perryman Group, a Waco-based economic analysis firm, whose work was commissioned by Americans for Immigration Reform, a group spearheaded by the Greater Houston Partnership.
[snip]
More on this story:
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks.
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05.15.08
Posted in News at 12:22 am by Paloma Cruz
From HispanicAd.com:
Last week the U.S. Census Bureau released the latest Hispanic population estimates. What stood out is Hispanic population growth was overwhelmingly (62%) driven by natural increase and not net immigration in contrast with 2000 when natural increase and immigration were nearly equal.
The 2007 report showed that Hispanic births have steadily increased year-over-year, while at the same time Non-Hispanic births have shown significant declines. Hispanic childbirths are up 3% since 2000, while Non-Hispanic childbirths are down 20%. Also, Hispanic babies are now 24% of the nation’s total vs. 20% in 2000.
[snip]
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05.06.08
Posted in News at 10:53 am by Paloma Cruz
El Paso commissioners pass anti-border wall resolution
– Houston Chronicle2
County commissioners are opposing construction of a wall along the nation’s southern border with a resolution.
The El Paso County Commissioners Court voted 3-1 Monday in favor of a resolution that calls for stopping the building of the border wall and says local law enforcement officials should not enforce federal immigration laws.
The resolution also emphasizes placing a moratorium on immigration raids, ensuring the enforcement of labor laws and civil protection regardless of a worker’s immigration status and stopping programs that criminalize immigrants.
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks.
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05.05.08
Posted in General at 10:13 am by Paloma Cruz
What is Cinco de Mayo? It’s the anniversary of a revolutionary battle between Mexico and… France, I think. It’s a holiday that isn’t really celebrated in Mexico, so I’m always amused at the amount of attention it garners in the US.
How did you celebrate?
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05.01.08
Posted in News at 10:59 pm by Paloma Cruz
Rally calls for immigration reform, end to raids
– Houston Chronicle2
More than 200 supporters of immigrant rights rallied in downtown Houston on Thursday, calling for an overhaul of immigration laws and an end to a recent spate of workplace raids.
The afternoon march and rally at downtown’s Antioch Park coincided with national protests in major cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami. The Houston protest also drew a few dozen counter-protestors, who gathered across the street from the rally, yelling through bull horns and carrying signs that read “Stop the Invasion.”
[snip]
Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks.
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