Latino Daily News: Bringing You the Latest Hispanic Current Events and News Stories 24/7

As students across the country return to their various education institutions, a group of university professors in Georgia are offering undocumented students an education now denied them by state officials who have decided that undocumented immigrants are no longer allowed to attend any of the states top five state universities.

Last fall the university systems’ Board of Regents adopted a new policy stating that any state colleges and universities that admitted undocumented students and rejected academically qualified ‘legal resident’ applicants to in the last two years are no longer allowed to admit undocumented students.

In response to this new policy, five professors from the University of Georgia have started what they call Freedom University.

According to the Associated Press the professors are “offering to teach a rigorous seminar course once a week meant to mirror courses taught at the most competitive schools and aimed at students who have graduated from high school but can’t go to one of those top schools because of the new policy or because of cuts to state scholarship programs.”

However, the professors have said Freedom U is not a substitute for a formal education at a college or university and is designed to give some kind of an education for those that cannot attend one of the schools unable to admit them.

Among the schools that can no longer admit undocumented students are: the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, Georgia Health Sciences University and Georgia College & State University.

Read more at The Associated Press (Arizona Daily Star) →

Puerto Rican Senator Roberto Arango was caught sending dirty pictures from a gay hook-up site. Arango claims he’d been taking pics to document his recent weight loss.

Last Friday, Puerto Rican TV Show “Dando Candela” broke the story:

Puerto Rican Senator Roberto Arango took some nasty pictures of himself, and uploaded them to the gay hook-up site “Grindr.”

How did they leak out, is anybody’s guess, but take a look at what the Republican Senator had to say when confronted about his naughty cell-phone–photo shoot.

“You know I’ve been losing weight . As I shed that weight, I’ve been taking pictures. I don’t remember taking this particular picture but I’m not gonna say I didn’t take it. I’d tell you if I remembered taking the picture but I don’t.”

How eloquent, no? I guess the picture below was meant to compare the before work out/after work out size of his nalguitas, right?

Read more by HS News Staff →

This story is so convoluted and crazy that it has to be true and it is for sure going to be a TruTV special.  The Hayempour Family of Long Island, the proud parents of 11 kids, never thought that firing their mild manner summer nanny would result in a kidnapping situation.

Clearly Gloria Suarez took the news so bad that she not only kidnapped one of the Hayempour children she snapped and convinced herself the child should be hers since they have “so many children that they just don’t have time for the baby.”

The 55-year Latina nanny got fired on Monday but was allowed to stay in the Long Island family house until Wednesday, claiming she couldn’t get back into her home until then.  While at the family home she concocted her plan and brought supplies to take the two-year old baby girl out of the country and into Uruguay.

On her last day at the home Suarez changed the baby girl into boys clothes and was walking down the street with her when her dad, a rabbi, spotted her and inquired where they were going.  Suarez noted they were running errands but instead got on a train with the child. 

The parents quickly realized Suarez left the home without the mother’s permission, and authorities were called instantly.  Suarez was located at the train station and put up a fight when asked to hand over the child.

She faces kidnapping, resisting arrest and child endangerment charges. 

Read more by HS News Staff →

Barcelona Fútbol club is celebrating yet another title—the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) Super Cup, after defeating FC Porto 2-0.  Leon Messi scored the first and served the second to Cesc Fábregas, who has now won two titles, in 10 days!

Check out the goals and highlights in the video below, and join us in out forums section where we will be talking about this fantastic match!

Read more by HS News Staff →

As the investigation continues into the firebombing at Monterrey, Mexico’s Casino Royale the audacity of the crime has prompted a response from the U.S. and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  This is one of the few times that the U.S. has issued a response to a specific act of violence in Mexico.  Nonetheless, the U.S. felt it was necessary to reassert its’ solidarity to Mexico and commitment as a crime-fighting partner.

The released statement from the State Department is as follows: 

I was shocked and saddened to learn of yesterday’s firebombing of a casino in Monterrey, Mexico. The United States strongly condemns this brutal attack and all acts of criminal violence. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of all those who were killed and injured.

President Calderon, the Mexican government and the Mexican people have shown great courage and determination in facing the challenges and threats posed by transnational criminal organizations. The United States will continue to assist Mexico’s efforts to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations in strict accordance with Mexican law and respect for Mexican sovereignty. We stand by Mexico now and always as a committed partner and friend.

Read more by HS News Staff →

A scientific expedition to the Colombian Amazon has revealed a new species of titi monkey (Callicebus caquetensis), Conservation International announced today. However, the exciting news is tinged with concern as researchers from the National University of Colombia who discovered the new primate consider it to be critically endangered due to rapid loss of the forest where it lives and its small population.

The discovery, described in the journal Primate Conservation, was made by the professors Thomas Defler, Marta Bueno and student Javier García, after an expedition to the Department of Caquetá, close to the border with Ecuador and Peru, in 2008 – more than three decades after the renowned animal behavior expert Martin Moynihan visited the area and mentioned his observations of the species.

For many years, it was impossible to travel to Caquetá due to the presence of insurgent groups. When violence subsided about three years ago, García, a native of Caquetá, was able to travel to the upper Caquetá River, and using GPS, searching on foot and listening for calls, he found 13 groups of the new species. Titi monkeys (or zogui zogui as they are called in Spanish) have one of the most complex calls in the animal kingdom and use it every morning to mark their territory.

“This discovery is extremely exciting because we had heard about this animal, but for a long time we could not confirm if it was different from other titis. We now know that this is a unique species, and it shows the rich diversity of life that is still to be discovered in the Amazon,” said Dr. Defler.

The Callicebus caquetensis is the size of a cat. It has grayish-brown hair, but does not have a white bar on its forehead as many other species of Callicebus most closely related to it. Its long tail is stippled with grey, and it has a bushy red beard around its cheeks. Unlike most primates, Caquetá titi monkeys (and probably all titi monkeys) are monogamous – they form life-long relationships, and pairs are often seen sitting on a branch with their tails entwined. They usually have one baby per year. As a new baby arrives, the parents force the oldest baby to leave to allow them to focus on the newborn (this is based on information collected from closely related species). The families of this species stick together in groups of about 4 individuals and can be seen in the trees close to some of the main rivers of Caquetá.

But this newly discovered species is struggling to survive. It is estimated that less than 250 Caquetá titi monkeys exist – a healthy population should be in the thousands. The main reason for this small number is the degradation of the forests in the area, which have been felled for agricultural land. It is very dangerous, and sometimes impossible, for these animals to move to other patches of forest as they have to cross grassy savannah or barbed wire fences to reach them.

Both the very small population size and the fragmented habitat should demand a classification of the Callicebus caquetensis as a Critically Endangered (CR) species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria, which means that it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future.

“This discovery is particularly important because it reminds us that we should celebrate the diversity of earth but also we must take action now to preserve it,” said José Vicente Rodríguez, head of science at Conservation International in Colombia and president of the Colombia Association of Zoology. “When world leaders meet later this year in Japan for the Convention on Biological Diversity, they must commit to the creation of many more protected areas if we want to ensure the survival of threatened creatures like this in the Amazon and around the world.”

The research led by Dr. Defler was funded by Conservation International’s Primate Action Fund and the Iniciativa de Especies Amenazadas of Conservation International Colombia established to honor the memory of the well-known Colombian biologist and conservationist Jorge Hernández Camacho and the Fondo para la Acción Ambiental y la Niñez and Fundación Omacha.

Read more at Conservation International →

A vial of blood of the former Pope, a wax figure to his likeness and several personal objects will be in display in different Mexican cities until December.

After the beatification of Pope John Paul II, Mexico,  who is the second nation with the largest number of Catholics in the world, petitioned the Vatican for the opportunity to bring the relics closer to the thousands of Mexicans who loved the former Pope.

The journey started Thursday, when the relics were moved from the mission of the Papal Nuncio in Mexico to the Basilica of Guadalupe.  They were received with a Mass, attended by the auxiliary Bishops of Mexico.

A vial of blood of the former pope, a wax figure to his likeness and several personal objects will be in display in Churches and other Catholic buildings as they travel several Mexican cities until December.

Read more by HS News Staff →

Gabriel Iglesias, known by his fans as be “the fluffy guy,” has just joined the cast of Steven Soderbergh’s “Magic Mike,” a film based on actor Channing Tatum’s (also in the movie) experience as a male stripper when he was 19.

Iglesias will be the movie’s music man, playing the friend and DJ at the strip club.

The comedian known for his lack of vulgarity as well as his size, is currently the top comedy touring act, having sold more than 122,000 tickets in 70 cities for his Fluffy Shop Tour.

Iglesias is just the latest added to the ever growing “Magic Mike” cast, joining Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Cody Horn (daughter of Warner Bros.’s COO) and Joe Manganiello.

Soderbergh’s movie follows the cast throughout a summer at the strip club. Tatum’s character is tasked with teaching the new guy (Pettyfer) the ways of the groove.

Read more at The Hollywood Reporter →

Weighing at 1,433 lbs. and measuring 165 feet, this epic Torta contained over 70 ingredients! Take a look at the largest sandwich ever made in Latin América!

Read more by HS News Staff →

Elena Tonton Simon has the most drug arrests on record in the Dominican Republic yet she has not seen a lot of prison time thanks to her pregnancies and breastfeeding practices.

It is the Dominican Penal Code, Clause 234 that has enabled Simon, to stay out of jail despite having been arrested multiple times for trafficking drugs.  Her August 22nd arrest for having 48 viles of crack cocaine and 23 parcels of marijuana was her 17th arrest.

This time she was released on the grounds she was breastfeeding her six-month old baby.  Records indicate she has been set free four or more other times for either being pregnant or breastfeeding.  In spite of pleas by prosecutors that Simon never returns to court dates after giving birth, the judge said his hands were tied due to Clause 234 that does not allow for a pregnant or lactating women to be imprisoned in the Dominican Republic. 

The judge did demand that Simon’s claims she was breastfeeding be medically proven and they were.  Another victory for Simon until next time. 

Read more by HS News Staff →

Undocumented students in California received great news today, as the Senate Appropriations Committee approved measure that could potentially allow the students to receive financial aid.

The panel approved the second part of a pair of bills known as the California DREAM Act.

For advocates of the bills, being approved by the panel was a big hurdle now overcome.

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed previous versions of the California DREAM Act, but Gov. Jerry Brown has said he will back it and signed the first half of the act already.

“The governor has articulated his commitment to the ideas and values in the Dream Act, and we have done everything that’s been asked to put a bill in front of the governor he can sign,” bill author Assemblyman Gil Cedillo told the Los Angeles Times.

While those opposed to the bill say the state cannot afford financial aid for those not legally in the country, supporters say it is beneficial to have as many college-educated people as possible as a large portion of baby boomers are set to retire in the next ten years.

Read more at Los Angeles Times →

Take a look at “New Brighter Day” the new English language song of “La Tigreasa del Oriente”

Read more by HS News Staff →

Keep up with the current news and position of hurricane Irene, soon to hit the eastern United States coast. Click on the balloons in the map for instant updates, news, photos and more!

View Hurricane Irene in a larger map

Read more by HS News Staff →

UPDATE:  Mexico’s Felipe Calderon has just declared a national day period of mourning for the victims of the casino massacre.  There will be three days of mourning starting today. 

ORIGINAL:  Monterrey, Mexico was the scene of a fiery massacre when armed men burst into the Casino Royale and set it ablaze, killing at least 53 and injuring scores of others.

The attack happened yesterday at approximately 3:00 p.m. at the popular, local Casino Royale and is considered one of the worse massacres in the city’s history.  According to officials six men burst into the casino and quickly spread a flammable liquid then lit it.  Other reports say that the gunmen ordered everyone to get out but a lot of the senior citizens that go to gamble at the Casino weren’t able to exit quickly enough as they were engulfed by the flames.

President Felipe Calderon called this attack “an aberrant act of terror and savagery.”  Other officials have already laid blame on a drug cartel without identifying which one.  It is not known if the casino was being blackmailed and was firebombed because they refused to pay.

Monterrey is located in the state of Nuevo Leon and has become a killing zone as a result of two major narco cartel’s vying for power.  It has been a common sight to seeing tortured bodies hanging from the cities overpasses.  The Casino was the site of a pre-dawn ambush in January of this year.  In that incident an two armed commando entered the casino, opened fire and locked the doors not allowing anyone to enter or leave.

Read more by HS News Staff →

YMCA meets the Vatican. Watch and learn the steps to “Benedicto Equis, U Vé, Palito!

Fans enjoying the festivities of World Youth Day, decided to honor the pope with their own version of YMCA in the streets of Madrid.

During the closing ceremonies of this year’s World Youth Day, the pope announced next year’s will be hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Read more by HS News Staff →

In California all students are required to take exit exams starting in their sophomore year through their senior year of high school to gauge their progress in key areas of academic study, English and math.  And for the first time 90% of Latino and black senior year students passed those exams.

Virtually all demographics of California seniors saw an increase in the number of students passing this critical exam – without passing a student will not be given a high school diploma. 

Specifically, Latino students who passed the exam by May of their senior year rose from 85.5 percent in the class of 2006 to 92.3 percent for the class of 2011. African-Americans rose from 83.7 percent in 2006 to 90.9 this year.  Latinos now make up a majority of California’s public school students, surpassing the 50 percent benchmark in 2010.

Educators feel that these improving test scores shows the achievement gap between the different races is narrowing. 

Read more by HS News Staff →

Don’t be fooled by his petite size, this party animal is the heart and soul of the rumba.

Read more by HS News Staff →

Monday evening, graduate student Kathryn Benoit was shot and killed by University of Idaho college professor Ernesto Bustamante, who later took his own life.

Benoit and Bustamante, originally from Merida, Venezuela, had engaged in a sexual relationship prior to the shooting, but since ending the relationship, Benoit a complaint against Bustamante after he allegedly threatened her by pointing “a handgun at her on multiple occasions and put the gun in her mouth at one point,” one of her roommates said.

On Monday, Benoit and her roommates were baking when Benoit stepped outside to have a cigarette. Her roommates say they heard gun shots just minutes after she’d gone out, and opened the door to find her on the ground, having been shot a number of times.

Authorities say she had bullet wounds in her chest and throat, the injuries caused by a .45 caliber gun.

A friend of Bustamante says he had multiple personality disorder and had personalities Bustamante himself called a “psychopathic killer” and “the beast”.

Though Benoit’s friends did not see they gun, when they called 911, they mentioned Bustamante and said he had caused problems for Benoit in the past.

Police began a search for Bustamante, and found that he had been staying at the University Inn Best Western in Moscow, Idaho near the school. After an hours-long stand-off with police, Bustamante shot himself and died from his injuries.

The Friday prior to the murder-suicide, Bustamante resigned as assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Communication, a position he had held since 2007. Those he worked with did not know why he had resigned.

After the events on Monday, police discovered Bustamante had a number of guns, including, a Smith and Wesson .45 caliber semi-automatic and a 1911 .45 caliber handgun.

When asked about the complaint Benoit filed against Bustamante, U of I said, “After receiving threats and intimidation from Bustamante, we believed Katy had obtained a restraining order, changed addresses and filed a complaint with the University of Idaho.”

Police say no such restraining order was ever requested.

Kathryn was 22 and looking forward to continuing her graduate studies her family said.

Read more at NY Daily News →

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is issuing guidance for residents in states who have livestock and pets that might be affected by Hurricane Irene. USDA is offering these tips to help residents protect the health of these animals in the event of power outages, flooding and other problems that could be associated with the storm.

Follow state or local officials for emergency information, such as your local Emergency Alert System television or radio stations, and fire, police and other local emergency response organizations.

Livestock Safety

Make sure barns and structures where livestock can be sheltered are in good repair. If more space is needed for your stock, make arrangements for the use of other sheltering facilities in close proximity to your facilities.

Calculate the feed and water requirements to maintain livestock and poultry during an emergency.

Make preparations for protecting feed and water supplies and providing emergency electrical power if necessary.

If possible, cover feed and forage stored outdoors with a tarp or plastic sheeting. Routinely cover open water supplies, such as troughs and stock tanks.

Pet Safety

If you have not been ordered to evacuate, make sure you have enough pet food and water on hand to feed your pets during an emergency.

If you have been ordered to evacuate by state or local authorities, take your pets with you when you go. If you need assistance, such as persons relying on public transportation or with medical special needs, contact your emergency management agency for instructions.

To keep your pets safe during the evacuation, secure them with a collar/harness and leash, or in a pet carrier, to safely transport them. For everyone’s safety, you may also wish to bring a muzzle if your pet doesn’t react well in stressful situations.

An emergency pet shelter might be available near the human emergency shelter, check with your local emergency management agency to find the nearest emergency pet shelter to you. Do not stay behind with your pet if state or local officials order you to evacuate.

If a pet shelter is located near a human shelter, pet owners could be allowed to visit and care for their pets during designated times.

At nearby shelters, pet owners may be allowed to care for and walk their pets during designated times.

Pet owners should be prepared to provide the following information to pet shelter workers if possible: name; species and breed; sex; color; distinctive markings; age; microchip identification number; vaccination records; health conditions and required medication.

Other useful items to bring to a shelter are:

  * a clear and current photo of you with your pet
  * an extra collar, leash, and/or harness that fits
  * favorite toys
  * any medications and special diets for their pets
  * information on feeding schedules, medical conditions, behavior problems, and the name and number of your veterinarian in case you have to foster or board your pets
  * a pet carrier/kennel large enough for your pet to sleep in comfortably

Read more by HS News Staff →

The Archdiocese of Mexico through its Archbishop, Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, condemned the cowardly attack which took place in the city of Monterrey in Nuevo Leon, which caused the death of over 50 people.

“We are talking about innocent people of civil society in addition to the large number of victims of cruelty and viciousness of organized crime, which like a whip punishes our poor country”, this is what is read in the statement regarding the tragedy, of which a copy was sent to Fides. According to the local press, at least 53 people were killed in the fire lit by armed men in a casino in Monterrey, in northern Mexico.

The Church has several times raised her voice against the violence that affects Mexico and the continuing threats of armed groups. A few days ago, the Archdiocese had already denounced in an editorial in the weekly “Desde La Fe”, the situation of many priests across the country: “There are many priests in Mexico who live under the constant threat of drug dealing, because of their work within organizations that defend human rights or for denouncing abuses and crimes of drug dealers. Particular outrage, in June 2009, was provoked by the murder of a Catholic priest and two seminarians while they were leaving a church in southern Mexico. They had dared to denounce violence against the faithful on behalf of a group of drug dealers. The clergy is more exposed in rural areas, where dealers rage and the state does not succeed in enforcing the law. According to Manuel Corral, secretary for public relations for the Mexican Episcopal Conference, at least a thousand of the fifteen thousand priests in Mexico have been threatened indirectly, and at least three hundred directly”.

The statement, which was published yesterday, also condemns the murder of the journalist Humberto Millán Salazar, in the city of Culiacan, in Sinaloa, and asks all the faithful to pray for those who have died because of violence. At the same time it underlines the importance to live in justice and peace, so much desired by the country.

Read more at Agenzia Fides →