Hurricane Simon pounds resorts and vulnerable towns along Mexico’s Pacific coast

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Simon pounded Mexico’s Pacific coast as a Category 4 storm on Sunday, its eye remaining just offshore as its most powerful winds and rain slammed people living between the Sierra Madre and the ocean.The hurricane's center swirled parallel to the coast, closing in on the Puerto Vallarta area, where its most damaging winds and rain were expected to hit around midnight and continue through Monday morning. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said it’s not clear if it will make landfall, which could enable it to maintain its dangerous strength, sustaining winds of 140 mph (220 kph).That’s not good news for people in and around Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist destination in the state of Jalisco. Just inland and uphill from the resort areas, many Mexicans live in communities where housing might not stand up to the storm.By midday Sunday, Simon's eye was moving within about 65 miles (100 kilometers) of Cabo Corrientes at about 7 mph (11 kph). A senior