Michoacan in the UK news

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2534496/Mexican-vigilante-gunmen-disarm-local-POLICE-rid-town-feared-Knights-Templar-drug-cartel.html

That particular area of the Tierra Caliente has been "hot" for a number of years and an area we have avoided during all of our recent trips to Michoacan. Plenty of other calmer and more pleasant areas of Michoacan to visit and enjoy yourselves!

According to today's edition of INFORMADOR, the situation around Apatzingan remains very heated:

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dinformador%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DR3M%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=es&u=http://www.informador.com.mx/mexico/2014/506927/6/apatzingan-y-paracuaro-viven-jornada-violenta.htm&usg=ALkJrhiUxMNA1cXDXWgSsSxLLyehhxBtdw

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dinformador%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DR3M%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=es&u=http://www.informador.com.mx/mexico/2014/506900/6/incendian-oficinas-de-alcaldia-de-apatzingan.htm&usg=ALkJrhghtiLZps7Q52d4ks6_Aup8AJ-HBA

Also an article on a new travel alert by the US which makes an interesting statement which comes as a surprise to me:
""Nearly 90 Americans were kidnapped in Mexico between April and November 2013, while 81 people were killed last year and 71 in 2012, "says the Department of State alerts U.S"

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dinformador%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DR3M%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=es&u=http://www.informador.com.mx/mexico/2014/506905/6/eu-actualiza-alerta-de-viaje-a-mexico-por-violencia.htm&usg=ALkJrhjK6lbK2TdWI78ZCEQ3WcF_q19Qow

Posted Sunday Jan. 12th on the Michoacan Message Board:
"About an hour ago, after the grupos de autodefensa took Nueva Italia this morning, the Policía Federal decided to close the toll road between Nueva Italia and the coast. To prevent narco bloqueos, etc.

You can't currently get from Morelia or Pátzcuaro down to the coast or back to these locations from the coast."