USA

Mexico/USA Border: Rare Bacteria Causes Severe Illness

Date: August 1st, 2011 |

A rare illness that can lead to nerve damage and paralysis has been identified in a small group of cases along the U.S.-Mexico border in Yuma County, Arizona and Sonora, Mexico. Guillian-Barré Syndrome—the identified illness—generally infects only about 1 in 100,000 people, making the 24 identified cases in such close proximity a cause for concern. [read more]

Mexico: New Border Security Measures May Cause Delays

Date: December 3rd, 2009 |

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Driving into Mexico will involve longer delays come January when the Mexican government implements new border security measures designed to disrupt the flow of weapons and cash to Mexican criminal groups. The new measures, which include gates, cameras and vehicle weighing scales, are being tested in Tijuana and have lengthened the border crossing process from [read more]

United States: Amtrak to Begin Random Baggage Screening

Date: February 20th, 2008 |

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Using procedures similar to those applied on the New York City subway system, Amtrak began randomly screening passengers’ carry-on bags this week in its first significant visible increase in security in years. The new measures will be applied in the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington before being expanded to the rest of the country. [read more]

United States: New Airline Restrictions on Lithium Batteries

Date: December 26th, 2007 |

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Beginning Jan. 1, lithium batteries will be prohibited from checked baggage on all flights. The U.S. Department of Transportation requires that spare lithium batteries be packed in carry-on bags with their terminals covered as a precaution against short-circuiting that could spark a fire. Loose batteries should be isolated from each other and should not be [read more]

New York: NYC Taxis to Strike Oct. 22

Date: October 18th, 2007 |

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An alliance of New York City taxi drivers plans to hold a 24-hour strike beginning at 5 a.m. Oct. 22 to protest a new requirement that all taxis have GPS and credit card systems installed by Jan. 31, 2008. The taxi alliance says it represents one-fifth of the city’s 44,000 taxis and in a similar [read more]

Canada: Carry-On Items Restricted for All U.S.-Bound Flights

Date: December 30th, 2009 |

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Canadian officials banned most carry-on luggage for flights to the U.S. in an effort to reduce backlogs at security checkpoints. Since the Christmas Day attempt to explode a smuggled bomb on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, tightened security at Canadian airports has thrown air service into chaos, with dozens of flights canceled or delayed. [read more]

Mexico: Cabo Transit Dispute Riles Tourists; Longer Waits at San Diego-Tijuana Border Crossing

Date: July 23rd, 2008 |

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A long-simmering dispute between taxi drivers and tour operators in Los Cabos caught tourists in the middle July 16 when the taxis blocked buses from leaving hotels and forced the passengers to take taxis to the airport. Most of the tourists had paid for the bus transfers as part of their tour packages, and some [read more]

United States: West Coast Rail Service Suspended by Landslide

Date: January 30th, 2008 |

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Amtrak’s Coast Starlight service between Seattle and Los Angeles was suspended Jan. 24 because a major landslide buried the tracks near Oakridge, Oregon. The slide occurred Jan. 19 and Amtrak provided alternate bus service around the closure but found that demand did not justify the expense, so service along the entire route was suspended. Amtrak [read more]

Hawaii: Superferry Gets OK to Sail

Date: November 20th, 2007 |

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The inter-island Superferry, shut down by protesters and the courts in August shortly after it began operating, has now been cleared to resume sailing between Oahu and Maui beginning Dec. 1. The governor signed a new state law to allow the ferry to operate while an environmental study is under way, and a court followed [read more]

Hawaii: National Park Service Suspends Bicycle Tours on Haleakala

Date: October 11th, 2007 |

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The National Park Service suspended commercial bicycle tours in Haleakala National Park following the third death on the long downhill run in a year. The bike trips are one of the most popular activities on Maui. Tour operators drive participants to Haleakala’s 10,000-foot summit and tourists then descend 38 miles on bicycles along a winding [read more]

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