Mexican jockey aiming for the Triple Crown, Ozzie tweets goodbye, and more

Weekend News for the Monday Blues

Photo: Jessenia Martinez

Last week, Judge Petra Jimenez Maes became the first Latina appointed to the New Mexico Supreme Court. Political observers familiar with Maes’ career as a jurist predict a drastic rise in the number of people sentenced to chancletazos.

I’ll Have Another, ridden by Mexican jockey Mario Gutiérrez, won the Preakness Stakes after winning the Kentucky Derby a few weeks earlier. If he wins the Belmont Stakes on June 9, he’ll be the first Triple Crown winner since 1978. Gutiérrez agreed to ride I’ll Have Another only after the horse’s owner changed his name from Get Off Me You Job-Stealing Mexican.

On Sunday, May 20, voters in the Dominican Republic lined up outside voting centers to elect a successor to President Leonel Fernández, and thanks to a 1997 law, Dominicans living off the island were also allowed to vote in the elections. It’s not known when the results will be declared the D.R.’s electoral board explaining, “Rigging elections takes time.”

Gov. Robert Bentley of Alabama just signed a controversial bill that would place further pressure on undocumented immigrants living in the state, such as requiring schools to ask about the legal statuses of parents. Reporters couldn’t help but notice how filthy the governor’s office and suit were, both of which are likely due to the fact that the maintenance staff hasn’t shown up for work in weeks.

On Thursday, May 17, Marlins manager Ozzie Guillén tweeted his last message to his more than 231,000 Twitter followers, later explaining that he thought Twitter was a “dumb thing” and that he sees it as a waste of time. Then Guillén watched his team lose 1-0 after nine long innings.

According to new Census estimates, racial and ethnic minorities now make up the majority of all babies born in the United States. After hearing this, the GOP has given up its plan to build a fence along the Rio Grande and has instead begun looking into building a wall around Latina birth canals.

In a meeting with U.S. Catholic bishops last week, Pope Benedict XVI said he supports the Catholic commitment to immigration reform. One Latino news site opted to title the story “Millions guilted into attending Mass.”