A Final Message From Mexico Gulf Reporter

It is with very great sadness that I would like to inform you of the following:

Edward Vincent Byrne passed away on March 24, 2015. Ed was diagnosed with Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma in June 2014. After 6 months of aggressive chemotherapy, he was declared 100% in remission. Over Christmas 2014, Ed received a stem cell transplant from his brother, Bill Byrne, who was a perfect match. It is believed that a stem cell transplant is the only way to ensure that this rare form of lymphoma will not return. Ed's transplant was successful for several weeks - his blood counts were moving in a positive direction. However, his weakness and overall change in mood were apparent. As the weeks went on, Ed continually declined. He was able to attend his only child's wedding - Sarah Lillian - in Las Vegas, NV on February 28, 2015. This was Ed's last "good day". The following week, he was admitted to the hospital with stomach pains. During this final hospital stay, his blood counts began to decline and never recovered. Ultimately his cause of death was angiopathy, followed by kidney failure - eventually resulting in respiratory failure at 7:00 am on the morning of March 24. Ed's daughter Sarah and her husband Marc were by his side at the moment of death. Ed passed away surrounded by much love and many prayers.

I apologize that it has taken me so long to post this update. I continue to receive emails with questions from his readers - thank you all, so much. My dad was such a dear friend to many, and it saddens me that after today, this blog will have no further posts. I take comfort in knowing that his writing and stories will remain on this blog permanently.

If you so wish, please do consider a memorial donation in Ed's name to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, or DeleteBloodCancer.org.

Thank you for your readership, your dedication, and your patience. My dad appreciated each and every one of you.

Until we all meet in a far more beautiful place,

Sarah Penner
sarahpenner23@gmail.com
Wichita, KS

Update from Ed Byrne's Daughter

Good day all,

My name is Sarah Penner and I am Ed Byrne's daughter. As you have noticed, Ed's posts on MGR have drastically decreased in recent months. This is because my dad has been experiencing significant medical issues. He is currently hospitalized.

My family appreciates your prayers and positive thoughts at this time. We are hoping for a positive outcome.

Sarah Penner
sarahpenner23@gmail.com

Iguala student remains unlikely ever to be identified

Guadalajara -
The office of Mexico's federal attorney general (PGR) reported today that human remains found last fall in a trash dump near Cocula in Guerrero state are unlikely ever to be identified.

Mexican teachers flunk The Test by a large margin

Guadalajara -
Planned reforms to Mexico's decrepit primary and secondary educational systems were among the very first announced by the Institutional Revolutionary Party administration of president Enrique Peña Nieto after he took office on Dec. 1, 2012. They passed the lower legislative chamber, the Cámara de Diputados, by a vote of 390-69 on Sept. 2, 2013 and they cleared the Senate 24 hours later on a vote of 102-22. The constitutionally based reforms prohibit the buying, selling and bequeathing of teaching positions, and will require all new hires to pass a preparedness and competency evaluation beginning in the 2015-2016 school year. Even vested teachers will be subject to periodic retesting. Those who are unable to meet education standards after two attempts will be transferred to administrative positions, or dismissed.

Prime suspect in Iguala student massacre moves one step closer to trial

*Updated Jan. 6*
Guadalajara -
Two months after she was taken into custody in a dilapidated house in Mexico City, María de los Ángeles Pineda Villa, wife of former Iguala, Guerrero mayor José Luis Abarca Velázquez, was transported today to a women's penal facility at Tepic, in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit.

A federal judge issued a formal warrant for her arrest on charges of organized crime participation, money laundering and exerting control over illegally acquired funds.

In surprise move, Vatican names archbishop from Morelia, Michoacán, as one of 20 new cardinals

Guadalajara -
Alberto Suárez Inda, archbishop of Morelia in Michoacán state, was today named a cardinal by Pope Francis during a ceremony in Rome.

Suárez, who along with 19 others will be elevated to the Roman Catholic Church's second highest post on Feb. 14, is the first cardinal ever to be selected from Michoacán.

Suárez was born Jan. 30, 1939. Almost a year ago he submitted his mandatory resignation to Rome on turning 75, in accordance with canon law. But the Vatican never acted on it. Now he will join the Church's ultra prestigious 200 member College of Cardinals, a body which directly advises the Pope on a wide array of theological and liturgical matters, and which runs the Vatican ship of state.

While oil prices fall, Mexico's tourist economy surges

Record levels reached in 2014

Guadalajara -
Mexico's Dept. of Tourism (Sectur) reported today that more than 28 million people visited this country in 2014, leaving behind an estimated windfall of $16 billion U.S. dollars.

In a year otherwise filled with gloomy economic news, tourism emerged unscathed, and is helping to sustain Mexico's challenged national economy.