By LUIS ALBERTO CRUZ and FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ

PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Mexico (AP) — Powerful Hurricane Erick made landfall in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

The hurricane’s center was located about 20 miles (30 kilometers) east of Punta Maldonado. Its maximum sustained winds were clocked at 125 mph (205 kph). It was moving northwest at 9 mph (15 kph), the hurricane center said.

The storm was downgraded slightly before making landfall, from a powerful Category 4 to a Category 3. While slightly reduced in power, Erick is still considered a major hurricane as a Category 3, which can carry winds of up to 129 mph (210 kph).

The storm threaded the needle between the resorts of Acapulco and Puerto Escondido, tearing into a sparsely populated stretch of coastline near the border of Oaxaca and Guerrero states. Agricultural fields blanket the low-lying coastal area between small fishing villages.

Erick is expected to rapidly weaken as it crashes into the coastal mountains of southern Mexico, and the system is likely to dissipate late Thursday or early Friday, the hurricane center said.

The storm threatened to unleash destructive winds near where the eye crashes ashore, flash floods and a dangerous storm surge, forecasters said.

Storm moves south on approach

At first light Thursday, Acapulco awoke under ominous dark clouds, but without a drop of rain and small waves lapping at its central beach.

However, the storm was forecast to move northwest just inland up the coast through midday, bringing heavy rain to the resort and the mountains that tower dramatically above it.

Still, it appeared Acapulco had dodged the worst at least in terms of Erick’s strong winds.

Late Wednesday, Erick’s projected path had crept south, closer to the resort city of Puerto Escondido in Oaxaca state with Acapulco up the coast to the northwest.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a video message Wednesday night that all activities in the region were suspended and she urged people to stay in their homes or to move to shelters if they lived in low-lying areas.

Waves were crashing onto the esplanade in Puerto Escondido by nightfall, swamping wooden fishing boats that had been pulled up there for safety. The beach disappeared under pounding waves and the rising tide had already reached the interiors of some waterfront restaurants.

Last-minute purchases ended at nightfall as stores closed and the streets emptied.

Earlier in the day, fishermen in Puerto Escondido pulled their boats out of the water ahead of the storm’s arrival. Some surfers continued to ride waves at the Zicatela beach, even with red flags up to warn people to stay out of the water.

Acapulco still scarred by Otis

Acapulco residents had braced for Erick’s arrival with more preparation and trepidation because of the memory of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Otis two years earlier.

The city of nearly 1 million was devastated in October 2023 by Hurricane Otis, a Category 5 hurricane that rapidly intensified and caught many unprepared. At least 52 people died in Otis and the storm severely damaged almost all of the resort’s hotels.

Guerrero state Gov. Evelyn Salgado said via X that all movement in Acapulco and other beach communities was to be suspended at 8 p.m. Wednesday. Schools across the state were to remain closed for a second day Thursday.

Related Articles

Today in History: June 19, Union troops arrive in Galveston on ‘Juneteenth’

US starts evacuating some diplomats from its embassy in Israel as Iran conflict intensifies

As Israel strikes Iran, many wonder if the US will deepen its involvement

Fear stalks Tehran as Israel bombards, shelters fill up and communicating grows harder

Trump says he’s ‘not looking for a fight’ with Iran but stands ready to act if necessary

Carlos Ozuna Romero, 51, lost his restaurant at the edge of an Acapulco beach when Otis slammed the resort with devastating winds. On Wednesday, he directed workers storing tables and chairs.

“Authorities’ warnings fill us with fear and obviously make us remember everything we’ve already been through,” Ozuna Romero said in reference to Otis.

Elsewhere, workers nailed sheets of plywood over shop windows and stacked sandbags outside doorways. Cars lined up to fill their tanks and shoppers made last-minute purchases before rushing home.

Verónica Gómez struggled through the streets of Acapulco with a large jug of water. “We’re all afraid because we think the same thing could happen,” said the 40-year-old employee of a shipping company.

But she said she and others learned a lot from Otis. “Now it’s not going to catch us by surprise,” she said, holding out a bag of canned food as evidence.

In Acapulco on Wednesday, there was a strong presence of National Guard and police in the streets, but most visible were trucks from the national power company. Crews worked to clear drainage canals and brush.

Rain could be Erick’s legacy

Forecasters expected Erick to lash Mexico’s Pacific coast with heavy rain, strong winds and a fierce storm surge. Rains of up to 16 inches (40 centimeters) could fall across the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero, with lesser totals in Chiapas, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco states, the center’s advisory said. The rainfall threatened flooding and mudslides, especially in areas with steep terrain.

Laura Velázquez, Mexico’s national civil defense coordinator, said Erick was forecast to bring “torrential” rains to Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas in southern Mexico. The mountainous region along the coast is especially prone to mudslides with numerous rivers at risk of flooding.

Acapulco’s port closed Tuesday evening. Salgado said 582 shelters were set to receive people who might evacuate their homes across Guerrero.

Erick quickly doubled in strength

Having doubled in strength in less than a day, Erick churned through an ideal environment for quick intensification. Last year, there were 34 incidents of rapid intensification — when a storm gains at least 35 mph in 24 hours — which is about twice as many as average and causes problems with forecasting, according to the hurricane center.

Sánchez reported from Acapulco, Mexico.

For six years, the building that once housed The Coffee Cup, a beloved neighborhood diner in St. Paul’s North End, sat empty.

A devastating fire nearly took the building out, and eventually the owners reopened with the same menu on Randolph Avenue in the Macaclester-Groveland neighborhood. But neighbors had lost their hangout and place for a morning coffee and generous and inexpensive breakfasts.

Juan Lopez, whose family owns a Mexican grocery store and the taqueria Tromperia el Zac nearby, said his crew saw the void and hoped to fill it. And after three long years of renovations and raising money, The Perfect Coffee has opened its doors, serving breakfast and lunch staples and a few Latin dishes as a nod to their own Mexican heritage.

“We took out the Greek dishes, because we don’t want to appropriate anyone’s culture, but added some of our own Latin spin,” Lopez said.

Staff at The Perfect Coffee, from left, Jennifer Vasquez, Melecio Galaviz, Jose Patiño, and Juan Lopez pose behind the counter. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

Dishes like huevos rancheros, chilaquiles and a breakfast torta are being served alongside classics like the Denver omelette and turkey club.

Lopez said part of the delay in opening was because the family financed the restaurant out of their own pockets.

“Interest rates for restaurant financing are sky high,” Lopez said. “Unless you’re in Shoreview, Eagan, Edina, those kinds of places — you can get a lower rate.”

Huevos rancheros at The Perfect Coffee on St. Paul’s East Side. (Jess Fleming / Pioneer Press)

But Lopez and his family believed in the North End and wanted neighbors to regain their gathering spot. So they took things slowly and opened the restaurant they wanted to see.

“We saw the opportunity of bringing this place back to life,” he said. “It wasn’t cheap. It wasn’t easy. But we wanted to make sure it was a staple of the community. We hear on a daily basis that people have been coming here since they were kids, and that means something.”

The space looks a bit different — the large, U-shaped counter has been taken out and replaced with a simple counter with a few seats. Behind it are several cornerstones of the new restaurant — an orange juicer, which pumps out fresh-squeezed orange juice to go with your eggs, and an espresso machine for fancy coffee drinks. The staff is also making fresh lemonade and house-made Arnie Palmers, and the drip coffee comes from local purveyor Peace Coffee.

Lopez said using as many local producers as possible was important to the family. In addition to Peace Coffee, they work with Main Street Bakery in Edina; Swanson Meats, which provides them with hormone- and antibiotic-free meat from Minnesota; and Hope Bakery in St. Cloud.

“We’re trying to keep it as local as we can,” he said.

While the restaurant is not affiliated with The Coffee Cup in any way, the family is trying to stay true to what it used to be. So much so that they hired Jose Patiño, formerly a sous chef at The Coffee Cup, to be head chef at The Perfect Coffee.

The restaurant is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m., for now. Lopez said they’re considering opening a few nights a week for dinner, adding American diner staples like fish fry, turkey dinner and meatloaf.

“There’s so much tradition here,” Lopez said. “We didn’t want this place to be torn down and rebuilt by some corporate person who doesn’t know the neighborhood.”

The Perfect Coffee: 1446 Rice St., St. Paul; 651-348-2971; theperfectcoffeemn.com

Related Articles

Citing safety concerns, Lowertown’s Big River Pizza is closing June 29

Recipe: Want something different for breakfast? Try making fried rice

Fragrant Nigerian-inspired fried rice is easy enough for a weeknight

Kraft Heinz pulling artificial dyes from its US products in 2027

In first for St. Paul, Myriel’s Karyn Tomlinson named best Midwest chef at James Beard Awards

Today is Thursday, June 19, the 170th day of 2025. There are 195 days left in the year. This is Juneteenth.

Today in history:

On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over and that all remaining enslaved people in Texas were free — an event now celebrated nationwide as Juneteenth.

Also on this date:

In 1910, the first-ever Father’s Day in the United States was celebrated in Spokane, Washington. (President Richard Nixon would make Father’s Day a federally recognized annual observation through a proclamation in 1972.)

Related Articles

In rural Alaska, a village turns to solar and biomass energies to cut diesel and save money

New York Daily News and other outlets ask judge to reject OpenAI effort to keep deleting data

Daily News and other outlets ask judge to reject OpenAI effort to keep deleting data

Scientists warn that greenhouse gas accumulation is accelerating and more extreme weather will come

The US plans to open a fly factory in Texas to fight a flesh-eating parasite

In 1953, Julius Rosenberg, 35, and his wife, Ethel, 37, convicted of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, were executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York; they were the first American civilians to be executed for espionage.

In 1963, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova completed her historic flight as the first woman in space, landing safely by parachute to conclude the Vostok 6 mission.

In 1964, the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 was approved by the U.S. Senate, 73-27, after surviving a lengthy filibuster.

In 1975, former Chicago organized crime boss Sam Giancana was shot to death in the basement of his home in Oak Park, Illinois; the killing has never been solved.

In 1986, University of Maryland basketball star Len Bias, the first draft pick of the Boston Celtics two days earlier, suffered a fatal cocaine-induced seizure.

In 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case Edwards v. Aguillard, struck down a Louisiana law requiring any public school teaching the theory of evolution to teach creation science as well.

Today’s Birthdays:

Hall of Fame auto racer Shirley Muldowney is 85.
Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is 80.
Author Tobias Wolff is 80.
Author Salman Rushdie is 78.
Actor Phylicia Rashad is 77.
Rock singer Ann Wilson (Heart) is 75.
Actor Kathleen Turner is 71.
Singer-choreographer-TV personality Paula Abdul is 63.
TV host Lara Spencer is 56.
Actor Jean Dujardin is 53.
Actor Robin Tunney is 53.
Basketball Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki is 47.
Actor Zoe Saldaña is 47.
Rapper Macklemore is 42.
Actor Paul Dano is 41.

The Association for Black Economic Power will launch Arise Community Credit Union, the state’s first Black-led credit union, on Thursday, the national Juneteenth holiday.

The North Minneapolis-based credit union is committed to offering accessible banking services and “pivotal resources” to all residents of the state of Minnesota, including clients who have been underserved by traditional banking systems, according to a written statement from the association. Its headquarters are on Colfax Avenue.

Francis Odhiambo, CEO of Arise CCU, called the launch of the credit union a “meaningful occasion.”

“Juneteenth embodies principles of freedom and opportunity, and we take pride in offering a financial institution that empowers our community members to achieve their aspirations,” Odhiambo said in a statement.

According to a 2025 WalletHub report, Minnesota has the fifth largest racial wealth gap in the country. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis reported in 2024 that Black Minnesotans, on average, earn 60% of what white Minnesotans earn. Arise CCU was founded to help bridge the wealth gap.

The credit union intentionally chose Juneteenth as the day of their opening. According to the credit union, Arise CCU is “proud to open our doors on a day that symbolizes liberation and opportunity for Black communities.”

The credit union “stands as a testament to our dedication to advancing economic equity,” said Juneau Robbins, board chair of the Association for Black Economic Power.

To celebrate the opening, Arise CCU will participate in the Juneteenth Family Celebration from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Minnesota State Capitol. Attendees can stop by Arise’s booth to learn more about the credit union and how to become a member.

Related Articles

Daily News and other outlets ask judge to reject OpenAI effort to keep deleting data

Citing safety concerns, Lowertown’s Big River Pizza is closing June 29

Smaller amusement parks hope for a strong summer under the shadow of tariffs

Practical ways to tackle overspending

Amazon hopes to deliver 10,000 robotaxis annually with new factory, challenging Waymo