Generalissimo Franco is seriously ill; Prince Juan Carlos takes office

July 22, 1974

THE AIRPORT WILL BE BUILT. Public Works launched the call for registration of contractors for the construction of the Valle del Fuerte airport, where a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development will be applied. The call in question includes the registration of participants for eight similar projects in the same number of entities in the country; the cost of said constructions is estimated at 660 million pesos. With the launch of the call, the definitive step is taken for the construction of the much-needed airport.

GENERALISIMO FRANCO IS SERIOUS. Madrid. Generalissimo Francisco Franco, 81, suddenly suffered a worsening of his ailments and internal bleeding, ending more than 35 years of authoritarian rule and handing over the reins of power to his designated successor, Prince Juan Carlos. The 36-year-old prince soon afterward, looking somber, carried out his first act as interim head of state, signing a joint agreement for cooperation between Spain and the United States. Medical reports indicate that the leader, hospitalized 10 days ago, suffered a relapse of a circulatory disease and his condition caused concern, as he has expelled blood from his mouth on several occasions and looks very ill. His wife, Carmen Polo, 73, who has been at his side throughout, and Franco were married in 1923, after the latter finished his military service in North Africa, with the last king of Spain, Alfonso XIII, serving as godfather by proxy. His daughter Carmen, who has seven children, told reporters during a hospital visit that her father is not demanding and lets everyone do what they want. “Sometimes it seems like he’s not paying much attention, but if you ask him, you soon realise that he doesn’t miss a thing,” she said.

BAPTISM OF CLARIBEL LUGO. Under the name of Claribel, the young heiress of José Ernesto Lugo and his young wife Minerva Nafarrate de Lugo was admitted into the Catholic community. They established a spiritual relationship with Dr. José Ernesto Lugo and Esthela Córdova de Lugo, Claribel’s proud paternal grandparents. The baptism ceremony was held on the 21st in the Guadalupe church in the town of San Miguel Zapotitlán, with the priest Miguel Méndez as godfather.

July 22, 1999

CRIME RATES WILL GO DOWNIn a new strategy to confront crime, the director of the Judicial Police, Héctor López, announced that he will establish 16 checkpoints in Culiacán, where 60 percent of crimes are committed, in order to reduce them. With the restructuring of the high commands of the police corporations, it is expected that the organized bands of robbers, kidnappers and criminals that have the people of Sinaloa in fear will be attacked in a more decisive manner and with more intelligent operations.

I’M GOING AHEAD: FOX. Mexico City As a PAN candidate, Vicente Fox said that his party is riding high and has a clear advantage over the other parties. He said that the PRI will have problems nominating Francisco Labastida from Sinaloa, with or without fraud, while the PRD has not yet resolved its national presidency. “Now, I will dedicate myself to being consistent so as not to lose first place in the voting preference,” said Fox. He said that in the last survey, his candidacy has 45 percent of the voting intention.

More from the same author:

Sylva Monica Ruffo Kelly, who completed her elementary and high school studies in Los Mochis, spent two years in El Centro, California, where she perfected her English. She joined El Debate in September 1994 as a translator and then, in 2000, became an assistant editor at El Debate de Los Mochis, tasks that led her to take charge of the entertainment page for more than 10 years and the newspaper’s newspaper archives. Upon the death of the City Chronicler, Don Evaristo Fregoso, in September 2003, who wrote the column Los Mochis 50 and 25 years ago, Ruffo Kelly took charge of the history column, which she later changed to My City 50 and 25 years ago, in which she narrates what happened in those years on the same day of publication of the newspaper EL DEBATE de Los Mochis.

see more