Q: What happened to the 20-year-old Mexican police chief who fled to the U.S. after being threatened by drug cartels in her area of jurisdiction?
—William McKee Jr., Flowery Branch
A: Marisol Valles Garcia, the former police chief of Praxedis G. Guerrero, Mexico, is hiding in the U.S. while awaiting a ruling in her asylum case, CNN reported in late May. Her attorney, Carlos Spector in El Paso, Texas, told CNN that the asylum process could take up to three years and there's no guarantee her request will be granted. Valles Garcia told CNN: "My whole life was in Mexico. I hope Mexico becomes what it once was, a safe, fun place with life."
Q: In a recent article on Piedmont Hospital layoffs, a state hospital bed tax was mentioned. What was the logic of passing this tax?
—Carol Murphy, Woodstock
A: The Georgia Legislature approved the new fee on hospital revenues in 2010, which officials said would raise more than $175 million to pay for Medicaid services. The fee – 1.45 percent on hospital revenues – cannot be passed onto patients. The fee was former Gov. Sonny Perdue's plan to help fund a $608 million shortfall in Medicaid. Perdue had proposed a 1.6 percent fee, the AJC previously reported.
Lori Johnston wrote this column; Aaron Gould Sheinin contributed. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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