And In Other News

The weather has been capturing the headlines around the state, but even with the cold and sleet some things continue unabated - unfortunately...

Nuevo Laredo police chief gunned down

The director of public security in the border city of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, was gunned down Wednesday night, officials said, though details of the incident remained scarce.

Of course they remain scarce. People are scared to death to say anything.

The poor guy had only been in office for one month.

Rumors of how many others were killed along with the police chief swirled in Nuevo Laredo Thursday, but city officials declined to go on the record with details surrounding the incident.

More intimidation, more fear.

The investigation is an ongoing process, though early reports ... were that five of Farfan's security team were killed in the shooting.

Five more widows, who knows how many fatherless kids.

The Laredo Police Department received several reports of sporadic gunfire on the Mexican side of the border, possibly related to the fallout of the killing.

"There's reported instability on the Mexican side"

That's a candidate for Understatement of the Year.

Nuevo Laredo is one of the battlegrounds that is being contested by rival drug cartels. The Gulf cartel and its former enforcers, Los Zetas, have been fighting over the territory and its lucrative smuggling routes. The Sinaloa cartel also has been fighting for years to get a foothold in the area.

This is where I work - at least, for now...

In weather-related news, the main highway from Nuevo Laredo into the U.S. (Interstate 35) has been closed since early last night, from the border through mile marker 13. Sleet and sub-freezing temperatures resulted in accumulated ice on the roadway. Drivers down here are bad enough during normal conditions. Throw a little water or ice onto the streets and it's like drunken moose on roller skates. They don't have a clue (or insurance, or tires with tread, or windshields without cracks, or...).