April 2nd

MAKING EVERYONE COUNT. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, along with the US Census Bureau and other Latino serving organizations, launched a national campaign promoting the 2000 Census. This week, Silvia Parra, reports on the campaign and the importance of Latino participation in the count.

REMEMBERING A HERO. Six years after his death, the memory of labor leader Cesar Chavez continues to be a strong force in the Latino community. This week, Guadalupe Carrasco reports on what is being done to celebrate Chavez' birthday and spoke with his son, Paul Chavez as well as his colleague and UFW co-founder, Dolores Huerta.

THE FUSION OF TRADITIONS. This week, millions of faithfuls around the world celebrate the Christian Holy Week. And, no were is this celebration more present than in Mexico. The indigenous people of the Tarahumara Mountains have blended the Catholic rituals of the resurrection, with ancient native traditions of spring. This week, we have a report on these celebrations from our sister station XETAR in Chihuahua, Mexico.

April 9th

THE BATTLE OF THE US CENSUS. The dispute over the which methods should be used by the US Census Bureau for the year 2000 count continues to rage in Washington. This, despite a Supreme Court ruling that limits the Bureau's use of statistical sampling. This week, in the second of an occasional series on the 2000 Census, Silvia Parra reports on efforts in Congress to count invisible populations using statistical sampling.

MEXICAN ARMY OFFICER WINS ASYLUM. Former Mexican Army Lt. Jesus Valles became the first Mexican soldier to win political asylum in the U.S., on the basis of being a conscientious objector. In an exclusive interview with Noticiero Latino, Valle says he felt his life in danger after he disagreed with orders from superiors to execute Zapatista rebels made prisoners in Chiapas, Mexico. He fled to the U.S., where defense attorney Carlos Spector Calderon and political scientist Samuel Schmidt helped him win his caset.

On ocassion of the 80th anniversary of the death of Mexican Revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, correspondent Raul Silva gathered interviews from veteran agrarian leaders in Morelos, the home state of Zapata's Indian guerrilla army. The feature report also includes interviews with Zapatista rebels from Chiapas, reflecting on the ideals of agrarian reform.

April 16th

FATAL DENIAL. According to her parents, when 13 year-old Griselda Zamora walked into Mesa Lutheran Hospital in Phoenix complaining of appendicitis she was turned away for lack of medical insurance. The death of Griselda has angered local neighbors, who are publicly demonstrating for justice. Correspondent Silvia Parra reports from Phoenix on this and other developments in the case.

THE MISSION BARRIO CHANGES. San Francisco's Mission district, traditional home for Latinos and working-class Asians, is attracting a growing flux of young professional homeowners. As a result, real state prices are going up, pushing lower-income residential and commercial tenants away. Some welcome the fight against crime brought with these changes. Others feel the cultural heart of the Barrio threatened.

DUAL NATIONALITY. One year after dual nationality for Mexicans became law, few residents and citizens in the U.S. have benefited from the program. Ruben Tapia reports from Los Angeles, the city with the largest Mexican population outside of Mexico, where only 4,000 people have applied for and received dual nationality.

April 23rd

PROP. 187: MEDIATION OR REJECTION. California Gov. Gray Davis last week requested federal mediation to settle the pending court battle over Prop. 187, the voter-approved initiative that would end all state public services to undocumented immigrants. The measure has been ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge and is on appeal. This week, Citlali Saenz reports on the reactions from different sides of the issue.

NEW YORK POLICE PROTESTS. After fifteen days of protests and arrests of more than a thousand people in New York City, the case of the slain African immigrant Amadou Diallo goes national amid calls from civil rights leaders to put an end to racism and abuse in the police force. Noticiero Latino brings the voices of civil-rights leaders.

UPROAR OVER STUDENT FEES. Student protestors at Mexico's National Autonomous University have practically shut down the university demanding a revocation of last month's fee increase. While administrators say the raise was inevitable, many argue that the increase will make higher education prohibitive to working-class students. This week Lenica Avila reports from Mexico City on the ongoing strike.

April 30th

CALIFORNIA'S UNDERFUNDED SCHOOLS. California's legislature passed an education reform package pushed by newly elected Gov. Gray Davis. Yet, according to San Francisco school district superintendent, Bill Rojas, students of color need much more. Citlali Saenz covered a Latino parents gathering where state funding was a top issue.

PHONE SERVICES FOR EVERYONE. A telephone line, a service many take for granted, has yet to reach many of the U.S. population. To change this, The Universal Service Taskforce, a community committee assembled by telephone corporation Pacific Bell, has set a goal of increasing phone service in California, from 85 percent to 98 percent, within the next 7 years. This week, Guadalupe Carrasco features a farmworker in California's Central Valley, who is being helped by this campaign.

MEXICO'S EMIGRES VOTE: THE LAST CALL. Mexico's Congress prepares to vote on an electoral reform package which includes a bill allowing some Mexican emigres to vote in presidential elections. Correspondent Ruben Tapia reports from Los Angeles, California, on a group of Mexican nationals lobbying the Mexican government to pass this law.

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