I was captivated this week by the escape of drug billionaire Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman from a maximum-security prison in Mexico. He walked out through a mile-long tunnel that led from his shower to a building beyond prison walls. You can see the inside of the tunnel here. The DEA is saying all the right things but must be just a little miffed about the whole thing, since (1) this is Guzman’s second escape from a Mexican prison, and (2) Mexico denied the United States’ request to extradite Guzman to face charges in the United States, claiming that it was able to ensure his continued confinement. By coincidence, I recently finished The Cartel, a novel by Don Winslow about Mexico’s war on drugs. It starts with a Sinaloan kingpin’s escape from a maximum security prison in Mexico, so it’s timely and topical. It’s also bloody and riveting. In other news: Old Forsyth County courthouse transformed into quirky apartment building. The Winston-Salem Journal has a story here about the historic preservation/transformation project that turned the old county courthouse into upscale apartments. One interesting feature is that “[t]he large courtroom has been transformed into amenity space for tenants, with a kitchen, gym and lounge room. But the judicial bench and flags remain, as well as the original wood paneling, acoustical tile and crown molding.” The bench area seems serve as sort of a community living room, which is neat and simultaneously rather odd. President Obama focuses on criminal justice reform. Criminal justice hasn’t [...]
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