en inglés

 This is what the colorful umbrellas look like in the restaurant zone of Chapala’s boardwalk. Photo: Jazmín Stengel.

Jazmín Stengel.- The City Hall delivered umbrellas of different colors and sizes to the merchants. This despite the fact that the Urban Image project that is being implemented in the Chapala Malecon, specifically requires «metal umbrellas painted in brown, with a cement casting base and high-density green canvas with the logo of the Chapala City Hall printed on it.”

At the moment there are some brown, red, green and blue umbrellas, made of fabric and canvas, with metal structure and others made of wood or plastic, some with bases and some without. This is due to the fact that the Government of Chapala ordered only 100 uniform umbrellas to be made, but the merchants needed many more to cover their shade.

In order to comply with the umbrella issue, City Hall itself was forced to purchase other colors and sizes due to the lack of a supplier to meet the demand. City Hall personnel continue to look for the material with the same characteristics. However, the delivery date is now uncertain.

Translated by Sydney Metrick

A committee of five people elected by the people in a previous meeting listed the points to be discussed. Photo: Jazmín Stengel.

Jazmín Stengel(Chapala).- Following demonstrations by neighbors in San Nicolás de Ibarra, Chapala authorities promised to investigate the veracity of the Hydraulic Services Feasibility Report approved in 2019, so that the “San Nicolás” subdivision could be connected to the public drinking water network.

The contractor for  the developer Obras Civiles de Occidente arrived at the water intake last April 12, ready to connect the subdivision to the network of the only drinking water well that supplies the San Nicolás de Ibarra community. The subdivision plans 30  new homes, which provoked a demonstration by residents.

This action resulted in the removal of the hydraulic pipe that had previously been installed to connect to the public drinking water network without authorization from the Drinking Water and Sewerage System (SIMAPA), and also led to a subsequent dialogue between the community and the municipal government.

More than 100 people met with the authorities to prevent the San Nicolás subdivision from connecting to the public water supply. Photo: Jazmín Stengel.

During the meeting on April 20, Comptroller Absalón García Ochoa, SIMAPA Director Fernando Antonio Monreal Mendoza, and chief of staff Joaquín Huerta Barrios were present. They arrived almost two hours late because they explained meeting was not scheduled in advance.

«Our priority is to supply the people» emphasized García Ochoa, who also explained that only SIMAPA personnel are authorized to intervene in publicly owned pipelines. 

A review of the Hydraulic Services Feasibility Opinion, approved by the last administration (2018 – 2021) was also promised and if it is not  correct, it will be revoked, SIMAPA said.

«In a hypothetical case, if we would have surplus (water) it is within our  authority to  allow  individuals to connect to a regulated public network with meters» , detailed Absalón. In other words, the municipality can, but is not obliged to, provide water services to private developments.

The  residents are adamant and prefer that the water be only for the town, because  the system were connected to the development; they would only have water for two hours a day,  they claimed.

Mayor’s Comptroller Absalón García Ochoa front, Fernando Antonio Monreal Mendoza, head of the Municipal System of Potable Water and Sewage, SIMAPA, center, and Joaquín Huerta Barrios, chief of staff, on the right, during the meeting with neighbors of San Nicolás de Ibarra. Photo: Jazmín Stengel.

At present, for those who live in the center of the town, water flows constantly from 7:00 in the morning to 10:00 at night. However, in the upper part of the northeastern part of the town water is only pumped for a couple of hours in the morning.

This is why the inhabitants demand  that the water reaches the middle and high schools as well as the neighbors located in the upper part of the town, and asked that these needs be solved before connecting water to the subdivisions.  That may be difficult because  the second well that was opened near the school during the 2015 – 2018 administration is dry and cannot be expanded and used,  according to the director of SIMAPA.

The only well that serves  water to San Nicolás de Ibarra lifts 22 liters per second and is about one hundred meters from the subdivision. Meanwhile, there is another well at the opposite end whose drinking water line is only five meters away and has water outlets of 4 to 8 inches, according to local residents.

The water well located at the end of Juarez Street in  San Nicolas de Ibarra was built approximately 40 years ago  by the people themselves and was administered by  the town residents  for more than 20 years, until SIMAPA Chapala took charge of it.

Translated  by Patrick O’Heffernan

The unit only received a slight hit. 

A motorist driving a Hyundai did not correctly observe the lane dividing line on the Chapala-Jocotepec highway and ended up giving a slight blow to one of the new Chapala police cars, a Dodge Charger valued at more than 800,000 pesos (about US$40,000). 

Unit CH-012 of the Chapala police received a slight impact from a private vehicle that invaded the oncoming lane at around 2:15 pm on Wednesday, April 13, in the delegation of Ajijic. 

The incident created a blockage on the highway while the car insurance companies took care of the situation. The cost of the damage is unknown.

Translated by Sandy Britton

Crossing Ajijic by car during Easter Week was fast and smooth.

Staff.-  An operation to speed up traffic during the Holy Week holidays was successful in reducing problems with the intense vehicular traffic on the Chapala-Jocotepec highway near Ajijic. Traffic agents were stationed at every traffic light to control the passage of vehicles and thus avoid traffic congestion, resulting in a successful strategy as there were few «traffic jams» in this area, that have in the past been a major problem. 

Motorist assisted by officers of the Secretariat of Security.

Fourteen traffic officers were deployed in the Chapala and Ajijic area, when regularly there are six. Traffic lights were not deactivated but the officers were, at their discretion, in charge of giving right-of-way to pedestrians and cars that were looking to join the highway or enter the Magic Town. 

The operation had good results, since during rush hour and holidays, traffic in the area flowed well and pedestrians did not have to wait so long under the sun to cross the street. 

Although no date was specified for Ajijic to implement this road strategy again, the Municipal Government said that they are in the process of increasing the number of traffic officers in order to improve the weekend traffic that suffers from severe saturation due to the tourists.

A car had a breakdown and was assisted by municipal officers.

Officers of the Jalisco Public Safety Secretariat also deserve recognition for their efforts. During the holiday operation they helped a motorist who had been stranded on the curves of Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos. Municipal police officers also helped another motorist who suffered a breakdown in his vehicle on the Chapala-Ajijic highway.

Translated by Sandy Britton

Ricardo Covarrubias, who was recently accused of dispossessing a property in Ajijic from its owners, is also linked to a megaproject that committed a fraud on the ejido community in Santa Cruz de la Soledad. Photo: Facebook. 

Staff. – A man involved in the recent case of attempted land dispossession in Ajijic was also identified as one of those involved in the failed mega development project that seeks to build in Santa Cruz de la Soledad in the municipality of Chapala. 

An affected person, who asked not to be named, stated that the man who appears in the video of the Ajijic complaint is the same one who has been involved in the appropriation of the ejido land (communally-owned land), a problem that the community’s ejido association has been dealing with since 2014. This person asserted that the construction of this project has not begun because there is an ongoing lawsuit.

Ricardo Covarrubias claimed to be the owner of the Ajijic property «Los Tepetates,» which he tried to appropriate. He is also one of the owners of the company Santa Cruz Inmobiliaria de Chapala S.A. de C.V., a company that planned a 164 hectares (about 400 acres) mega development of 3,066 single-family houses, 812 duplexes, 400 houses for senior citizens, a hotel, club house, golf course, area for horseback riding activities and a hospital. The company was created solely for this project.

The development, which would include the Junco, El Cántaro and San Francisco hills, as well as the dam, was criticized for its size and lack of sustainability. In addition, both the construction company and the Pension Institute of the State of Jalisco (IPEJAL) are involved in a controversy because they have committed a fraud against the ejido community of Santa Cruz, awarding the ejido land for common use, along with several parcels of land totaling the 164 hectares, acquired with 19 neighbors, all of them former employees, attorneys-in-fact or “loan sharks” of the companies of the Covarrubias Valenzuela family.

Likewise, the complainant alleged that there are people from the current administration of Chapala involved in some way in the development.

A group of affected people will meet to try to stop what they call a «real estate mafia.»

Translated by Sandy Britton

Young people during the rescue of children tangled in nets. This happened in March, next to the Ajijic pier. Photo: Facebook

Sofía Medeles (Ajijic).- Due to the danger that abandoned fishing nets pose near the shores of the lake, the acting Ajijic delegate, Maximiano Macías Arceo, said that he is seeking to have them removed, and is looking for the means and people who can help with the removal.

Within the last eighteen months, there have been instances reported in which the abandoned nets cause problems for tourists and people swimming near them, as well as for the fauna of the lake. In March, two children were trapped in the nets and had to be rescued by municipal authorities.

Macías Arceo said that he has been concerned about the situation for some time and recently met with the president of the Lake Chapala Fishermen’s Union, José Luis Morales Gutiérrez, to seek a solution to the problem. He pointed out that those responsible for removal are the fishermen’s cooperatives together with the Rural Development Department and the National Commission of Agriculture and Fisheries (CONAPESCA).

Caption 2: Crabs stuck in an abandoned net in Ajijic. Photo: Facebook

«We met with them to ask if we could remove the abandoned nets that cause problems, for example, the one near Crucita beach. We need their permission as we only have the authority to report problems, not to remove the nets which would in fact be against the law. As it stands, those authorized to take action are already aware of the problem and have met with the Government of Chapala to discuss how to deal with abandoned or prohibited nets in the water,» said the official.

Macias Arceo added that during the meeting, he was told that most of the abandoned nets belong to people who come from outside the area and forget the nets they leave anchored near the coast. 

In spite of not having an exact number, he said that he knew of several nets that were located in prohibited areas: the law states that nets must not be within 100 meters of the shore in tourist zones, and not within 50 meters in non-tourist zones. Yet authorities have identified some nets within 30 meters from the shore.

The Chapala port captain, Rafael Narez Armenta, said that they have received many complaints regarding nets. However, monitoring fishing nets does not fall under their authority as they are in charge of the surveillance of water vessels. Even so, he encouraged Chapala and lakeside residents to file complaints about problems involving nets.

To file a complaint with CONAPESCA, which is based in Sinaloa, call 01 669-915-6913 and provide as much detailed information as possible on the town and location of the problem. According to the operator, these reports are always followed up on, although there is no specific timeline followed from the date the complaint is made. 

Translated by Rebecca Zittle

The truck was left on the retaining wall.

Editor. An accident involving a personnel transport truck left eight people injuredin Poncitlán,. The accident occurred at kilometer 38 of the Santa Rosa La Barca highway, within the municipality of Poncitlán, during the early morning of April 16.

Unit involved in an accident on the highway.

 The accident occurred after the driver of the truck lost control and impacted the retaining wall,  launching the truck onto the retaining wall

Of those injured, seven suffered minor injuries while one person was reported to be in fair condition and was taken to receive medical attention.  The slightly injured people reported that they were very scared.

Translated  by Patrick O’Heffernan

Truck with a report of robbery with violence

Staff. A person driving a stolen truck and triggering a police chase was arrested in Jocotepec. The incident was reported on April 16, on the Jocotepec-Chapala highway. 

After the authorities received a complaint from a citizen alerting them of a pickup truck driving in an unusual manner, the municipal officers stopped a late model sand-colored Ford Explorer, but the driver chose to try to escape from the uniformed officers, unleashing a chase. 

Subject secured by authorities.

The driver entered the town of Chantepec, in order to elude the police who followed him, but his attempt was futile, and he was captured in that town. Upon reviewing the documents, the authorities realized that a report of robbery with violence had been filed on the vehicle.

Translated by Sydney Metrick

 A motorist captured the incident while driving on the road. 

Two people died after being shot several times on the Morelia-Guadalajara highway, near the Jocotepec beltway. The events occurred during the afternoon of Sunday, April 17.

Minutes before 5:00 p.m., the State Police received a report of a confrontation between civilians just before the highway junction with Potrerillos, Jocotepec. Upon arriving at the scene, the officers found a man inside a Nissan Urvan, but he was unconscious and had been shot, while another man lay lifeless on the asphalt of the road.

The white pick-up truck in which the deceased were apparently being transported had several bullet holes, but the assailants are unaccounted for. The authorities have not mentioned how the crime occurred or whether the deceased were armed. It is only known that the assailants fled in a gray Mazda and a white pick-up truck. The incident occurred near the National Guard base.

Translated by Rebecca Zittle

Héctor Ruiz Mejía (Jocotepec).- With a sweeping victory, the Tuxcueca soccer team defeated the Jocotepec team by a final score of three to one. The match was played last Sunday, April 16, on day two of the Jalisco Cup 2022.

Translated by Sydney Metrick