» Their leader “El Chapo,” or “Shorty,” is still at large. Officials admit that it took them a long time to bust this particular ring, which also sent tens of thousands of pounds of cocaine and heroin into the United States. The drug ring, linked to the Sinaloa cartel, reportedly operated right under the noses of authorities by staying on rugged terrain. There are still plenty of holes in the U.S./Mexican border, but this is a very big win in the Drug War, regardless.
The gunman in the Gabrielle Giffords shooting has been diagnosed as a schizophrenic. Loughner’s mental health issues, which manifested themselves in a disturbing way back in January, could prevent him from going to trial on 49 charges relating to the shooting which nearly killed a congresswoman. Did his time in a federal prison hospital help improve his condition enough to eventually stand trial? Does he need more time (as prosecutors are arguing), or is he not improving at all, as his defense attorneys claim? A judge will parse through these issues today. source
» Update: Reports now suggest that there are unconfirmed reports of a gunman on the premises, not reports of a shooting.
Restoring power in the aftermath of the loss of the entire local grid serving San Diego and southern Orange counties was a monumental task. The restoration process, however, has left our local power grid very fragile and we are asking our customers to conserve electricity throughout the day Friday.SDG&E vice president of electric operations David Geier • Discussing last night’s blackout, which affected nearly five million people in Mexico, Arizona and California. The blackout led to some great photos, but fortunately, it looks like it ended relatively painlessly. We’ll keep an eye on this today. source (via • follow)
bsig asks: What is there to this rumor I hear of the southern half of California trying to become the 51st state. I'm guessing that would mean out of state fees for all So. Cal residents at Nor. Cal schools. And UCLA would become USCLA?
» SFB says: Basically, the idea would involve splitting 13 more-conservative counties from the mothership. It’s a long shot, but one that’s being explored. Also see our coverage of Baja Arizona, a similar idea floating around the Tucson area. EDIT: Seth points out to me that L.A. will not be part of South California; the biggest city in the proposed state would be San Diego. — Ernie @ SFB
Whoever would do something like that needs to have a better grounding in gun safety before ever laying a hand on a firearm.Rob Mermelstein, range master of the Phoenix Rod and Gun Club • Speaking on Arizona state senator Lori Klein, who during a conversation about carrying her gun in her purse while on the floor of the legislature, drew said gun and pointed it at a reporter’s chest to show off the laser sight. Her disclaimer? “I just didn’t have my hand on the trigger.” Mermelstein is absolutely right, and what he’s saying is the moral baseline for responsible gun ownership. We’ll take the advice of a former military man we knew — you never, ever aim a gun at somebody who you’re not prepared to kill. This is unsafe and reprehensible behavior, for which Klein will richly deserve any scrutiny she receives. The article also reports that her gun has no safety, which seems crazy — you’re going to carry a loaded, readied gun in your purse? Has Plaxico taught us nothing? source (via • follow)
Adventures in time-lapse: Here we have some videos (credit to Mike Olbinski and Blaine Coury) of the colossal dust storms that touched down in Phoenix, Arizona on July 5th. As always, safety is crucial during extreme natural events. We’ll admit, though, it’s hard to watch this footage without feeling wonderment and stark awe towards the natural world. source
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If Jared Lee Loughner takes psychotropic drugs, he could become competent enough to stand trial. A while back, a judge ruled that Loughner can take any medicine he wants voluntarily, but his lawyers must be notified if he’s forced to take any medication to restore him to competency. However, those lawyers say that they weren’t in the room during a June 13th hearing which allowed a mental hospital to force him to take drugs to improve his mental condition — against the wishes of Loughner. Now they’re having a judge decide on the matter for a third time. So, the question is: If his lawyers are trying to prevent him from taking the medicine he needs to get better, how is he supposed to stand trial? Answer: If the decision favors Loughner, he probably won’t. source
LulzSec goes after Arizona law enforcement: They said they did so because of SB1070, a.k.a. last year’s controversial immigration law. This release, which certainly has shades of Wikileaks, seems like the motherlode compared to some of their other releases — training materials, confidential e-mails, intelligence bulletins and so on — you know, pretty much a primer on how law enforcement conducts itself in the state. Damn. And you thought the CIA hack was a big deal. Compared to this, it’s small potatoes.
There is substantial evidence that some of these fires have been caused by people who have crossed our border illegally. The answer to that part of the problem is to get a secure border.Arizona Sen. John McCain • Pointing the finger at an unlikely target for the wildfires currently causing significant problems in the state. Now, we’re not experts here, but this seems like a fairly questionable leap of judgment — and the claim met significant criticism from Latino groups — especially since the “substantial evidence” McCain claims hasn’t actually been substantiated. Whether or not the border needs securing, bringing xenophobia into the mix of an unrelated disaster seems like a terrible idea. source (via • follow)
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