JALISCO - The Jalisco government has again rejected calls to ask for Mexican Army backup in Puerto Vallarta in the wake of the 16th shootout between police and gangsters in the port since mid May.

CHAPALA - While missing their close-knit families, familiar foods and the laid-back lifestyle they left behind, the group of Jalisco natives who entered a Canadian job program promoted by the Chapala municipal government say they are otherwise faring well as strangers in a far-off environment.

Jalisco Governor Emilio Gonzalez has promised financial and material support to victims of severe flooding in the rich farming region of Los Altos region in northeastern Jalisco.

A new federal law banning smoking in all public spaces in Mexico came into effect Thursday but transgressors won’t face sanctions – at least for a couple of months.