LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Men die by suicide about four times more often than women, according to Mental Health America.

June is recognized as Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month to address specific challenges and barriers men might face when it comes to the issue.

Officials with Positive Affirmations at Work -- or PAW -- say it’s important to remind men it’s okay to acknowledge their feelings.

PAW is a program within Pillar that offers a safe space for men to speak about their feelings.

Counselors with the program share that Hispanic men might be more likely to fall victim to a mentality that does not ask or allow them to share their feelings.

PAW Director Alexa Huerta says, “We’ve been raised in a Hispanic culture that shows us that what makes us believe that showing feelings is vulnerable and to be a man, that means not to be vulnerable. And so having that belief drilled in your brain since you were little, it just shows that when you get older, you just don’t feel as comfortable, you believe that to be a man that means not to ask for help.”

Those interested in reaching out to officials with the PAW program can call 956-723-7457.

When millionaire Steve Fossett’s plane went missing over the Nevada range in 2007, the swashbuckling adventurer had already been the subject of two prior emergency rescue operations thousands of miles apart.

And that prompted a prickly question: After a sweeping search for the wealthy risktaker ended, who should foot the bill?

In recent days, the massive hunt for a submersible vehicle lost during a north Atlantic descent to explore the wreckage of the Titanic has refocused attention on that conundrum. And with rescuers and the public fixated first on saving and then on mourning those aboard, it has again made for uneasy conversation.

“Five people have just lost their lives and to start talking about insurance, all the rescue efforts and the cost can seem pretty heartless — but the thing is, at the end of the day, there are costs,” said Arun Upneja, dean of Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration and a researcher on tourism.

“There are many people who are going to say, ‘Why should the society spend money on the rescue effort if (these people) are wealthy enough to be able to ... engage in these risky activities?’”

That question is gaining attention as very wealthy travelers in search of singular adventures spend big to scale peaks, sail across oceans and blast off for space.

The U.S. Coast Guard declined Friday to provide a cost estimate for its efforts to locate the Titan, the submersible investigators say imploded not far from the world’s most famous shipwreck. The five people lost included a billionaire British businessman and a father and son from one of Pakistan’s most prominent families. The operator charged passengers $250,000 each to participate in the voyage.

“We cannot attribute a monetary value to Search and Rescue cases, as the Coast Guard does not associate cost with saving a life,” the agency said.

While the Coast Guard’s cost for the mission is likely to run into the millions of dollars, it is generally prohibited by federal law from collecting reimbursement related to any search or rescue service, said Stephen Koerting, a U.S. attorney in Maine who specializes in maritime law.

But that does not resolve the larger issue of whether wealthy travelers or companies should bear responsibility to the public and governments for exposing themselves to such risk.

“This is one of the most difficult questions to attempt to find an answer for,” said Pete Sepp, president of the National Taxpayers Union, noting scrutiny of government-funded rescues dating back to British billionaire Richard Branson’s hot air balloon exploits in the 1990s.

“This should never be solely about government spending, or perhaps not even primarily about government spending, but you can’t help thinking about how the limited resources of rescuers can be utilized,” Sepp said.

The demand for those resources was spotlighted in 1998 when Fossett’s attempt to circle the globe in a hot air balloon ended with a plunge into the ocean 500 miles off Australia. The Royal Australian Air Force dispatched a Hercules C-130 transport aircraft to find him. A French military plane dropped a 15-man life raft to Fossett before he was picked up by a passing yacht.

Critics suggested Fossett should pay the bill. He rejected the idea.

Late that same year the US Coast Guard spent more than $130,000 to rescue Fossett and Branson after their hot air balloon dropped into the ocean off Hawaii. Branson said he would pay if the Coast Guard requested it, but the agency didn’t ask.

Nine years later, after Fossett’s plane vanished over Nevada during what should have been a short flight, the state National Guard launched a months-long search that turned up the wreckage of several other decades-old crashes without finding the millionaire.

The state said the mission had cost taxpayers $685,998, with $200,000 covered by a private contribution. But when the administration of Gov. Jim Gibbons announced that it would seek reimbursement for the rest, Fossett’s widow balked, noting she had spent $1 million on her own private search.

“We believe the search conducted by the state of Nevada is an expense of government in performance of government action,” a lawyer wrote on behalf of the Fossett estate.

Risky adventurism is hardly unique to wealthy people.

The pandemic drove a surge in visits to places like national parks, adding to the popularity of climbing, hiking and other outdoor activities. Meanwhile, the spread of cellphones and service has left many feeling that if things go wrong, help is a call away.

Some places have laws commonly referred to as “stupid motorist laws,” in which drivers are forced to foot the emergency response bill when they ignore barricades on submerged roads. Arizona has such a law, and Volusia County in Florida, home to Daytona, enacted similar legislation this week. The idea of a similar “stupid hiker law” is a regularly debated item in Arizona as well, with so many unprepared people needing to be rescued in stifling triple-digit heat.

Most officials and volunteers who run search efforts are opposed to charging for help, said Butch Farabee, a former ranger who participated in hundreds of rescue operations at the Grand Canyon and other national parks and has written several books on the subject.

Searchers are concerned that if they did charge to rescue people “they won’t call for help as soon as they should and by the time they do it’s too late,” Farabee said.

The tradeoff is that some might take that vital aid for granted. Farabee recounts a call in the 1980s from a lawyer who underestimated the effort needed to hike out of the Grand Canyon. The man asked for a helicopter rescue, mentioning that he had an important meeting the following day. The ranger rejected that request.

But that is not an option when the lives of adventurers, some of them quite wealthy, are at extreme risk.

At Mount Everest, it can cost tens of thousands of dollars in permit and expedition fees to climb. A handful of people die or go missing while hiking the mountain every year — prompting emergency response from local officials.

While the government of Nepal requires that climbers have rescue insurance, the scope of rescue efforts can vary widely, with Upneja estimating that some could cost “multiple dozens of thousands of dollars.”

Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a message seeking comment.

On the high seas, wealthy yachtsmen seeking speed and distance records have also repeatedly required rescue when their voyages run astray.

When the yacht of Tony Bullimore, a British millionaire on a round-the-world journey, capsized 1,400 miles off the Australia Coast in 1997 it seemed he might be done for. Clinging to the inside of the hull, he ran out of fresh water and was almost out of air.

When a rescue ship arrived, he swam desperately toward the surface.

’I was starting to look back over my life and was thinking, ’Well, I’ve had a good life, I’ve done most of the things I had wanted to,” Bullimore said afterward. “If I was picking words to describe it, it would be a miracle, an absolute miracle.′

Australian officials, whose forces rescued a French yachtsman the same week, were more measured in their assessment.

“We have an international legal obligation,” Ian McLachlan, the defense minister said. “We have a moral obligation obviously to go and rescue people, whether in bushfires, cyclones or at sea.”

Less was said, however, about the Australian government’s request to restrict the routes of yacht races — in hopes of keeping sailors to areas where they might require less rescuing.

SAN JUAN, Texas (Border Report) — A Catholic nun who tended to the family of a Panamanian girl who died in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody last month told Border Report they were “devastated” by her loss.

“It was so devastating for the whole family,” said Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, where the family of 8-year-old Anadith Reyes Alvarez briefly stayed after her death.

Her comments came as The Washington Post reports that CBP has shut down medical isolation care at the facility where the girl died in Harlingen, Texas. The Department of Homeland Security also wants a complete overhaul of the agency’s medical care system for asylum-seekers, according to the Post.

A medical team investigating the May 17 death has found the Harlingen CBP facility “lacked sufficient medical engagement and accountability to ensure safe, effective, humane and well-documented medical care,” according to a memo obtained by the Post.

The memo cited poor medical record keeping and poor communication among staff and with local physicians in the Rio Grande Valley who were contracted to help in medical emergencies. The facility had a list of on-call doctors and pediatricians that was out of date, the June 8 memo from DHS Acting Chief Medical Officer Herbert Wolfe to CBP Acting Commissioner Troy Miller said.

Dallas, Texas. – A federal grand jury today indicted a Dallas, Tx., man with drug trafficking and unlawful possession of a machine gun following a police pursuit of a stolen car in the backyard of an Independence, Mo., residence.

Martin Perez, 28, was charged in a six-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Dallas, Texas.

The federal indictment charges Perez with one count of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, one count of possession of fire, including a handgun, in furtherance of a drug offense, one count of unlawful possession of a machine gun, and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Dallas, Tx., police officers attempted to stop a white Honda Pilot,  The officers pursued the vehicle when it didn’t stop after they activated the lights and siren on their marked patrol car. The Honda, driving at a high rate of speed, drove into 6370 Lyndon B Johnson Fwy parking Lot. The vehicle pulled into the east side parking lot and continued driving toward the rear of the building before going into a small yard in the back of the parking lot. Officers got out of their vehicle and ran toward the Honda.

One of the officers pursued Perez. The officer chased Perez on foot across Crim Dr. and. During the pursuit, the affidavit says, the officer saw Perez throw a gun down on the ground. Perez slipped in the paviment  and fell to the ground as the officer caught up to him. Perez resisted, pulling his hands away and attempting to stand up. The officer was able to put handcuffs on him, but when the officer stood him up, Perez began running again. The officer chased him and was able to push him to the ground and hold him down until another officer could help take him into custody.

The officer then went back into the parking lot  area and found the firearm Perez had thrown on the ground, the affidavit says. it was a loaded Glock 9mm pistol with a 33-round extended magazine, which had been modified to be fully automatic.

Officers searched the Honda Pilot and found the 2.3 lbs of fentanyl and cocaine inside his jacket pocket. Perez had $6,720 in the same jacket pocket, $140 in his front pants pocket, and $961 was found on the ground nearby.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. 

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

All but one of the 30 of the Major League Baseball teams are hosting Pride Nights this season, most during Pride Month, which celebrates and supports LGBTQ+ culture and rights.

The Texas Rangers are the only team without a Pride Night. They say they are committed to making everyone feel welcome at all games.

HAVE THE RANGERS EVER HOSTED A PRIDE NIGHT?

No. In September 2003, two years after the Chicago Cubs hosted what is considered the first Pride game, the Rangers invited local LGBTQ+ groups to a game as part of a fundraising event, similar to what they do for all kinds of groups throughout each season. There were some Rangers fans who expressed opposition through a website beforehand and, while not widespread, there were some protests outside the stadium before that game.

WHAT DO THE RANGERS SAY ABOUT NOT HOSTING A PRIDE NIGHT?

The team has been consistent with its response when asked: “Our commitment is to make everyone feel welcome and included in Rangers baseball. That means in our ballpark, at every game, and in all we do — for both our fans and our employees. We deliver on that promise across our many programs to have a positive impact across our entire community.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has for the first time charged China-based companies and employees with supplying chemicals needed to make fentanyl, a primary driver of an overdose crisis gripping the United States, top officials said Friday.

The companies openly advertised the chemicals on social media platforms and shipped them surreptitiously to buyers, even adding molecules to evade testing, said Attorney General Merrick Garland.

“We are targeting every step of the movement and manufacturing sale of fentanyl, from start to finish,” Garland said.

Two of the eight people charged have been arrested in the Drug Enforcement Administration investigation into four companies, which also seized more than 200 kilograms of precursor chemicals needed to make fentanyl. The synthetic opioid is considered exponentially more addictive than heroin and is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49.

They gave customers blueprints for making fentanyl and targeted advertising to Mexico, where the cartels that make most of the fentanyl that ends up in the U.S. are based, said DEA administrator Anne Milgram.

The charges include fentanyl trafficking, precursor chemical importation and money laundering.

One company, Amarvel Biotech, posted on its website about shipping to Culiacan, Mexico, the home city of the Sinaloa Cartel, which was the subject of a sweeping prosecution filed two months ago, authorities said. The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco called on the Chinese government to hold accountable companies there that sell the chemicals needed to make fentanyl.

“This is a global problem that demands a global solution,” she said.

JUAREZ, Mexico (Border Report) – A school for Indigenous children in south Juarez just got a $60,000 facelift that city officials hope will protect students from the sun and reassure parents that their sons and daughters are safe.

The improvements to Primaria Indigena Adelina Romero Fontes include a new chain-link fence, night lighting, wall repairs and a paint job, as well as a safety check of a metal shade structure over the paved courtyard.

Teachers at the elementary in the foothills of the Sierra de Juarez mountains hold classes in Spanish and Choguita Raramuri, the language of the Tarahumara Indians of Northern Mexico. City and state officials said the aid is part of an ongoing effort to ensure the survival and improve the quality of life at the 35-year-old Indigenous settlement in Juarez.

“It is a vulnerable area, with few resources, social and economic difficulties,” said Misael Bustillos, the school principal. “This assistance is very important because every year families with children from different parts of the state continue to arrive.”

The city’s Social Development Department periodically delivers food baskets to the neighborhood, and a community kitchen and community center have been installed.

“Some (adults) have jobs in the maquiladoras, but not all, the others receive aid – donations – from some (government) agencies,” Bustillos said.

Teresa, a resident of the neighborhood, said the Tarahumaras struggle to pay for basic needs. “I spent a lot buying potatoes, water and the (bottled) gas sometimes runs out,” she said.  

Teresa said her oldest daughter has just graduated from a Juarez high school and wants to go to college, but thinks it is too expensive. She wants to be a teacher.

The elementary school is still recovering from a major setback a few years ago. It lost track of many of its 158 students during the pandemic due to difficulties in setting up homes for online learning.

Bustillos said now only 60 of the students are Tarahumaras, with the rest of the classrooms accommodating non-Indigenous children from nearby neighborhoods. One of the required subjects is the learning of Raramuri, as school officials don’t want the children who will surely grow up and work in Juarez to lose their native language.

As if to illustrate the point, when the mayor of Juarez toured the school on Wednesday to inspect the improvements, principal Bustillos welcomed him in Spanish and in Raramuri.

More than 100 Indigenous families live in the neighborhood, according to city officials. The 2020 Mexican census shows a total of 86,033 Tarahumaras living in the state of Chihuahua, most in the mountain areas in the south and the west of the state