Patriots edge
Raiders
OCTOBER 6, 2015
Non-District Clash
Donna ISD:
Sin City vs. Budget?
SEE PAGE 8
SEE PAGE 7
SEE PAGES 24-25
Vol. 37
Issue 38
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Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Printed in the USA
SERVING HIDALGO COUNTY
Observations
By G. Romero Wendorf
IN GOD WE TRUST?
SAN JUAN PD’S NEW REAR STICKERS
By G. Romero Wendorf
UT-RGV ALCOHOL
BAIL BONDSMEN,
SAN JUAN – This city’s
LAWYERS REJOICE police department is taking a
unique approach to policing:
it’s letting its police officers
mix God with street patrol.
Right there, on the rear hatch
of the San Juan police unit, a
bumper sticker that reads in big,
bold print: IN GOD WE TRUST.
In more liberal cities perhaps
Good news for Valley lawyers
and bail bondsmen -- alcohol
will now be sold at UT-RGV
sporting events. A lot more
business coming your way.
Hopefully there won’t be any
fatal traffic accidents related to
drunk driving after fans leave
the games, but I guess that’s
a risk the university is willing
to accept. Probably to offset
the added liability, university
Regents can simply jack up the
tuition rate a notch or two. It’s
already so high, who’s going to
notice?
By the way, the Regents
didn’t even have to approve
the alcohol sales, which began
at UT-Austin last year and
then filtered down to UTRGV this year. Former UTAustin Athletic Director Steve
Patterson had floated the idea
several years ago, probably over
a martini or two during happy
hour. But in 2014, the sale of
beer and wine was limited to
smaller Austin sporting venues:
college basketball and baseball
games.
Patterson wanted to include
Longhorn football games as
well, but former Chancellor
Francisco Cigarroa (AKA,
the physician with a brain and
some common sense) said no to
the sale of booze at the pigskin
fests, where approximately
100,000 potential customers
See OBSERVATIONS, pg. 22
-- Austin, San Francisco, Portland,
Boston -- this might not fly. The
ACLU might already be asking a
judge for a temporary restraining
order on behalf of an atheist
upset over seeing God’s name
on a taxpayer-funded vehicle.
But in San Juan, police officers
were given the go-ahead recently
by Police Chief Juan Gonzalez
to affix the bumper sticker to
their assigned unit if they felt so
inclined. As long as they used
their own money to pay for it.
“A while ago, I had the police
chaplain, a sergeant, come up
to me,” says Gonzalez, “who
brought to my attention that
some of the officers were getting
together fairly often and praying
for different things – public safety,
their own safety, the safety of the
community. We already have (an
imprint) of the Basilica (San Juan
Catholic Shrine and the city’s
most famous tourist attraction)
on our patches and our badges.
And the sergeant mentioned the
idea about the bumper sticker.”
Gonzalez says he took some
time to think about the request.
A cop for approximately 27
years, he’s seen the good and
bad in people, and he’s seen
the rise in violent crime along
the border, even though crime
in Hidalgo County still ranks
lower than Corpus, San Antonio
and Houston, according to FBI
crime stats. So all of these things
are running through his mind,
he says, while he’s considering
the police chaplain’s request.
Last summer, Gonzalez was the
task-force commander involved
in the La Joya shootout after
area law enforcement agencies
cornered a known member of
See SAN JUAN, page 23
CITY’S HISTORY: BIGGEST TAX RATE REDUCTION?
PHARR LOWERS PROPERTY TAX RATE
By G. Romero Wendorf
PHARR -- Good news for
Pharr property owners – you’re
now going to get to keep more
of your money, thanks to the
city commission’s decision
to lower property taxes this
coming new fiscal year, which
begins Oct. 1.
“I think this is huge,” said
City Manager Juan Guerra.
“It’s the first major tax-rate
reduction in the past 14 years.”
It may well be the biggest
tax-rate reduction in the city’s
history, but tax rates prior to
1993 weren’t readily available
while this story is being
written.
But here’s the breakdown:
in 1993, the Pharr property
tax rate (per $100 property
valuation) was 57 cents. By
2002, that rate had shot up to
69 cents. Over the course of the
next 12 years, 2014, the city
commission had managed to
drop it by a penny to its current
rate: 68 cents per $100.
Now, it’s going down 2.6
cents: from 68 to 65.4.
In
today’s
challenging
economic times, every penny
counts, so while a drop from
68 cents per $100 property
valuation down to 65.4 cents
may not seem huge, for anyone
counting their money these
days (which accounts for most
of us), any drop in taxes can
See PHARR, page 10
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
2
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Area News
LIFE'S LIGHTER SIDE
Husbands & Wives
Paxton goes to church,
extols Christian voices in politics
A FRIGHTENING
STATISTIC
Twenty five percent of
the men in this country
are on medication for
mental illness.
That's scary. It means
75 percent are running
around untreated.
A wife asks her husband,
"Could you please go
HE MUST PAY...
shopping for me and buy one
carton of milk and if they have
Husband and wife had a tiff.
avocados, get 6."
Wife called up her mom and
A short time later the husband said, "He fought with me
again. I am coming to live
comes back with 6 cartons
with you."
of milk. The wife asks him,
"Why did you buy 6 cartons
Mom said, “No, darling, he
of milk?"
must pay for his mistake."
He replied, "They had
“What do you mean?” asked
avocados."
the daughter, reaching for a
Kleenex.
WATER IN THE CARB
WIFE: "There is trouble with
the car. It has water in the
carburetor."
Mom: "I am coming to live
with you."
HUSBAND: "Water in the
carburetor? That's ridiculous "
SHORT BIBLE READING
WIFE: "I tell you, the car has
water in the carburetor.”
From Genesis: "And God
promised men that obedient
wives would be found in all
corners of the earth."
HUSBAND: "You don't even
know what a carburetor is.
I'll check it out. Where's the
car? "
Then he made the earth
round...and He laughed and
laughed and laughed!
WIFE: "In the pool"
TX Attorney General Ken Paxton, speaks at event hosted
by the Texas Public Policy Foundation regarding impact of
the EPA's Clean Power Plan on June 22, 2015.
--Photo by Marjorie Kamys Cotera
GRAPEVINE — In a
rare public appearance since
his indictment in late July,
Texas Attorney General Ken
Paxton made an appeal for
more Christian involvement
in politics as he addressed the
congregation at First Baptist
Grapevine
on
Sunday.
“It takes a lot of courage
for believers to step into
this
political
process,”
he said. “We are in the
position as the church, and
as believers, we have to
stand up and speak out.”
Paxton, who was asked
to speak at the church by a
local tea party group, made
his remarks during about
20 minutes of conversation
with Pastor Doug Page.
Sunday's
speech
marked his second public
appearance since a Collin
County grand jury indicted
him this summer on three
felonies related to claims
that he misled investors in
business dealings while he
served as a state legislator.
Paxton, who has pleaded
not guilty to the charges,
has said the case against
him is politically motivated.
Until now, Paxton had
stayed away from public
events
amid
regular
headlines over his case.
But he began making the
rounds with conservative
groups earlier this month,
speaking at an event held
Sept. 3 by the Houston-area
Kingwood Tea Party. He is
set to address a Williamson
County
Republican
Leaders meeting in Round
Rock Monday evening.
The attorney gen=eral
faces two first-degree and
one third-degree felony
charges
for
possible
violations of state securities
law. According to court
filings, Paxton allegedly
persuaded two investors to
buy large amounts of stock
in technology firm Servergy
without disclosing that he
would
be
compensated
for it. In additional court
documents made public
Thursday, Servergy’s former
CEO states that Paxton
accepted $100,000 worth
of shares in the company
in exchange for political
advice and information
about how the company
might market its servers to
government data centers.
The
McKinney-based
company is also the focus
of a separate U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission
investigation into whether
it defrauded investors with
false claims about the sales
of its data servers and their
technological capabilities.
On Sunday, Paxton did not
directly refer to the charges
against him. He instead
emphasized the importance
of faith and the support of
fellow Christians in his life —
and listed among his biblical
heroes Daniel, Paul, Joseph,
and Moses who he said had
stood up to unjust laws and
government as Christians
though they faced the risk
of imprisonment and death.
“I feel like it would be
hopeless if I were out there
alone and I didn’t feel the
presence and knowing that
there are believers praying
for me. I don’t know that
it would be possible for
me to move forward,” he
said. “It makes more of a
difference than you think.”
As an example of what
Christians could do if
they made their voices
heard, the attorney general
described efforts to help
pass legislation known
as the Pastor Protection
Bill, which affirmed the
rights of clergy to refuse
to
conduct
marriages
that violate their beliefs.
“That bill was dead. Then
200 pastors all started calling
their state representatives
and it kicked into gear and
passed. That’s the power of
the Christian community
if they’ll get involved
in the process,” he said.
The former lawmaker also
credited his victory in his
first race for the Legislature
— where he served as a state
representative then as a state
senator from 2003 until 2013
— to the engagement of the
Christian faithful in politics.
“One of my opponents
was my senator’s chief
of staff, so he had all
the endorsements of the
community leaders, he had
all the money,” Paxton said.
“What I felt God was telling
me was ‘get the Christian
community out to vote.’”
Paxton was invited to
speak at the church by Julie
McCarty, the president of
the NE Tarrant Tea Party,
an influential group in the
state's Republican politics.
McCarty has been among
Paxton’s chief defenders
since
his
indictment.
by Morgan Smith
Texas Tribune
www.texastribune.org
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
3
Area News
Weekly Tip for Seniors
New San Juan CM at work this Monday
Cancer symptoms –
What are the signs?
Note from VDP Health Care – A major part of our healthcare mission is to provide exceptional, quality home health
care to the local community, our clients and to their respective
families. In addition, however, we strive to disseminate healthcare-related information to the general public.
This week, a discussion about one of the things in life that
scares us the most: Cancer.
What are some general cancer
signs and symptoms?
You should know some of the general signs and symptoms
of cancer. Forewarned is forearmed. But remember, having
any of these does not mean that you have cancer -- many
other things cause these signs and symptoms, too. If you do,
however, have any of these symptoms, and they last for a long
time or get worse, please seek out a competent physician as
soon as possible to find out what the cause of these symptoms
may be.
Unexplained weight loss
Fever
Fatigue
Pain
Recent change in a wart or mole or any new skin change
Change in bowel habits or bladder function
Sores that don’t heal
Unusual bleeding or discharge
Thickening or lump in the breast or other parts of the body
Indigestion or trouble swallowing
Nagging cough or hoarseness
Final note:
The signs and symptoms listed above are the ones more
commonly seen with cancer, but there are many others that
are less common and are not listed here. If you notice any
major changes in the way your body works or the way you
feel -- especially if it lasts for a long time or gets worse -- let
a doctor know.
If it has nothing to do with cancer (hopefully not), the
doctor can find out more about what's going on and, if needed,
treat it. If it is cancer, you'll give yourself the chance to have it
treated early, when treatment works best.
And if it is cancer, the good news is, survival rates among
patients are at an all-time high, thanks to the marvels of modern
medicine and the good and caring compassionate oncologists
who administer them.
Water levels
As of Sept. 18, 2015
The two major water reserves that feed the RGV:
Amistad: 54 percent full (up 1 percent from six months ago)
Falcon: 50 percent full (up 9 percent from six months ago)
Mexico's major reservoirs
that feed both Amistad and Falcon:
Boquilla: 67 percent full
(down 16 percent from six months ago)
F.I. Madero: 57 percent full
(down 40 percent from six months ago)
Luis L. Leon: 97 percent full
(up 3 percent from six months ago)
Venustiano Carranza: 65 percent full
(up 2 percent from six months ago)
Source: International Boundary and Water Commission
ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL, (USPS 433-950) is published weekly for $18.00
per year in Hidalgo County; $25.00 per year outside-of-county and out-of-state
by The Advance Publishing Co., 217 W. Park, Pharr, TX 78577. Second-Class
Postage paid at San Juan and additional mailing office. POSTMASTER: Send
address changes to Advance News Journal, 217 W. Park, Pharr, TX 78577. Gregg
B. Wendorf, Editor/Publisher.
BENJAMIN ARJONA
By G. Romero Wendorf
SAN JUAN – Fingers
crossed, the new guy’s going
to work out. Namely, San
Juan’s new city manager,
Benjamin Arjona, who started
his new job this Monday after
the city commission approved
his contract during a special
called meeting last week.
I say fingers crossed,
because over a span of 30
years covering cities in
Hidalgo County, I’ve seen
city managers start work
and a week or two later,
they’re gone. For a variety of
reasons. I’ve seen the same
thing with city secretaries
and
EDC
directors.
But San Juan had a good
run with J.J. Rodriguez at
the helm until he resigned for
quieter pastures in Mission
last year, saying that after so
many years of stress as top
dog, so to speak, the idea of
a deputy CM slot in Mission,
with less stress, had some
appeal. So hopefully, Arjona
will follow in his footsteps –
a relatively long tenure in The
Friendly City, AKA, San Juan.
Rodriguez had been with
San Juan since 2010 when he
resigned in ’14, after being
ousted by the Edinburg City
Commission in 2009, after
a 22-year career spent there,
rising through the ranks from
planning and zoning to the
CM slot in ’06. To say he’d
seen it all would probably
be
an
understatement.
Before Rodriguez, San
Juan native Jorge Arcaute
also enjoyed a relatively long
tenure – 12 years -- with the
city, having moved into the
top slot after years spent
as the city’s police chief.
After Rodriguez left in
2014, into his slot moved
San Juan Police Chief Juan
Gonzalez who navigated San
Juan politics for 17 months
as its interim city manager,
miraculously surviving the
political turmoil that more
or less came to an end with
the city election this past
May, which re-elected the
mayor, San Juanita Sanchez,
and brought in two new
city commissioners, Shay
Cantu and Raudel “Raudy”
Maldonado. Since then, the
commission has laid new
ground, finding it possible, or
so it seems, to work together in
relatively agreeable fashion,
agreeing to disagree, without
letting personalities get in the
way of calm demeanor during
city commission meetings.
The media misses the
political
fireworks,
but
perhaps not the city staff.
Even the split over who
to hire as the city’s new
CM brought no fireworks
to bear, even though it was
clear that Cantu, Maldonado
and Ramirez favored former
San Juan Parks Director
Roel Garza for the job.
Happy to be back at his
police desk Monday, Gonzalez
showed no signs of being the
worse for wear. And in a story
published in The Advance
News last week, he thanked
the city commission for the
opportunity to serve the
community as interim CM.
So, even though this isn’t
a straight news story – call
it a news story coupled
with commentary – it’s
with heartfelt wishes that
The Advance News Journal
wishes San Juan’s new city
manager, Benjamin Arjona,
all the luck in the world at his
See ARJONA, page 22
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
4
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Area News
TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF JUAN ZUNIGA
FORMER PUBLIC OFFICIAL
IN TROUBLE AGAIN
JUAN F. ZUNIGA
By G. Romero Wendorf
Juan F. Zuniga is either one
unlucky guy or the victim
of his own demons. Last
Friday he was stopped by
McAllen police for a minor
traffic violation. No big deal.
But when the officer ran
his license, an outstanding
warrant out of Elsa popped
up,
and
Zuniga
was
promptly taken into custody.
The charge: theft of
approximately
$1,700
while he served a brief
(approximate) one-year stint
as Elsa city manager. After
he left Elsa (the details of
his departure from the job
remain sketchy), the city’s
finance office, according to
a city source, discovered
that the training session
in Austin for which he
charged the city to attend,
actually turned out to be a
no-show on Zuniga’s part.
Zuniga’s name has been
in the public spotlight for
approximately the last 20
years. When The Advance
News first got to know him,
he was planning director
in San Juan from about
1994 to 1999. Smart (he
has an MBA), well liked,
with a pleasing personality,
Zuniga was promoted to
assistant city manager in
1999. But then he was fired
in approximately 2005 for
alleged misappropriation of
city funds. He appealed his
firing to the city commission,
was brought back to work
but demoted and put to
work at the public works
department. Shortly after
that, he left San Juan when
he landed the city manager’s
gig in Rio Grande City.
Confidential sources this
newspaper spoke to say
he won acclaim in River
City. Well liked, he was
credited with kicking off
some good things in RGC,
including
much-needed
economic growth. He built
himself a new home and
gained new friends around
town. Then his world, so to
speak came crashing down.
First, in 2011, a Rio
Grande
City
employee
charged
Zuniga
with
making numerous sexual
advances toward her, which
culminated in a lawsuit
she filed against him in
federal court that same year.
The River City police
chief, B. A. Piper, was
also named in the lawsuit.
According to the alleged
victim, both men were
“hitting on her,” and when
she declined their respective
offer, they cooked up a
phony theft charge against
her, had her arrested and
fired from her job with
the city’s planning and
zoning department in 2009.
As a result, the Rio Grande
City
city
commission
suspended both Zuniga
and
Piper
with
pay.
Two months later, both
men
were
reinstated.
For his part, however,
Zuniga
claimed
that
he had terminated the
woman’s
employment
due to allegations of theft,
and after an investigation,
the police chief backed
See ZUNIGA, page 16
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A Pilot’s Logbook
Thick cloud cover:
Descending; Ascending
By G. Romero Wendorf
Taking off and landing in thick cloud cover, say from
200 feet off the ground to 10,000 feet AGL (above ground
level). It’s a trip.
If the solid cloud cover contains no thunderstorms, then
climbing out and descending through the thick soup can
be a nice experience. If it does contain thunderstorms, and
they’re embedded in a wide range of precip (rain), then the
anxiety in the cockpit begins to climb.
Winter’s the best time to fly the airways in south Texas.
Occasionally, you’ll find the rare thunderstorm, but for the
most part, the skies are either filled with clear air, thanks to
an area of high pressure, or they’re filled with solid cloud
cover with or without some precip, thanks to a cold front/
low pressure system. No matter, the ride through the clouds
is usually smooth, thanks to the stable air. And icing aloft is
not that common this far south. West Texas and North Texas
are different stories.
For the professional pilot, or the non-professional with
instrument expertise, the pleasure of flying through the
thick soup is a very satisfying encounter with weather and
the demands it places on the pilot.
Consider five days of miserable, rain-soaked weather in
the Rio Grande Valley in January. You’re sick of it. Haven’t
seen the sun in, well, five days, but then somebody books
a charter. You check the weather. Cloud tops at 10,000,
moderate precip, no thunderstorms to worry about, so you
file a flight plan, do a pre-flight, board the passengers, yell
“clear prop” out the side window, and crank up the engines.
The gages check out, the engines are running smooth, life’s
a breeze. Beats sitting in an office.
You listen to McAllen ATIS (Automatic Terminal
Information Service), 128.5, set the altimeter, and contact
ground control, 121.8. Taxi to the active, do the run-up,
check the mags, go through the preflight, and then contact
the tower. Cleared for takeoff, taxi onto the active, check
the DG heading, and full throttles forward, with a mental
plan already in place in case of engine failure (obviously
different for a twin vs. a single).
Now comes the fun part. Two hundred feet off the
ground, the world disappears and you’re flying solely by
instruments. You can’t trust anything but them. Your inner
ear is your enemy as the solid cloud deck envelops the
plane. Your ear’s physiology (the Vestibular System) will
tell the pilot they’re turning when they’re not, and it will tell
them their wings are level when they’re in a turn, and before
they know it, special disorientation sets in, and, they end up
with the same sad fate as JFK Jr.
The flight instruments are the pilot’s life’s blood and that
of their passengers. The instruments never lie. And even if
one of the flight instruments does lie, there’s redundancy
built into the system, which is why a good pilot is always
cross-checking them to make sure they’re all in sync with
one another. No anomalies.
In the cockpit, covered in clouds, it’s almost a surreal
feeling. Nothing to see outside the cockpit but white stuff.
Can’t see past the nose as you watch the altimeter climb
while switching the radio to departure control. You know
the tops of the clouds are about 10,000, and after seeing
nothing but dreary weather for about a week, you can’t wait
to see the sun. But if you’re climbing at a thousand feet a
minute in a piston twin vs. 3,500 feet per minute in a Lear
35, time goes by slower.
The fighter jocks, of course, have it the best. Climb speed
in an F-15 when you’ve really got the rockets lit: 30,000
feet in 60 seconds.
But for the rest of us mere mortal charter pilots who
mainly fly piston twins, there comes that magical moment.
You break through the top of the overcast, and there’s the
See PILOT, page 6
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
5
Area News
Lawsuit against city of McAllen
Former auditor – questions left hanging
McAllen City Hall
By G. Romero Wendorf
McALLEN -- Did the city
of McAllen do the right thing
when it fired its longtime City
Auditor Cathy Jones a year
ago because she had allegedly
done the unthinkable – dip
into her own personnel file so
she could remove two written
reprimands that painted her
in a bad light? Or did the
city fire her for simply doing
her job, stepping on some
administrative toes in the
process as she cited alleged
job discrimination inside city
hall?
That’s the question a jury
will most likely have to sort
out, now that Jones has filed
a lawsuit against the city
last month in federal court
claiming City Manager Roel
“Roy” Rodriguez told her
to “keep her mouth shut
and ignore evidence that
employees were suffering
clear cut job discrimination.”
To make sure his demands
were carried out, he “quickly
limited the scope of her job in
an effort to accomplish this,”
according to the lawsuit,
“even though his changes
violated the City’s Internal
Audit Charter.”
Jones’ attorney, Houstonbased Katherine L. Butler,
ends her opening salvo on the
Plaintiff’s Original (lawsuit)
Complaint with these words:
“The price of honesty in
City government should not
be dismissal, but it was for
Cathy Jones. It put a target
on her back and the City
Manager and City Attorney
(Kevin Pagan) moved quickly
to usher her out the door.”
Since the lawsuit has
been filed, Rodriguez and
Pagan will no doubt follow
proper protocol and sidestep
interview requests from the
media concerning this story.
So to help get at the heart
of the matter, with a copy of
Jones’ lawsuit already in hand,
The Advance News Journal
filed an open records request
recently with the city for a
copy of an independent report
McAllen Mayor Jim Darling
commissioned in August
of 2014 after allegations of
Jones’ wrongdoing came to
light, and she was placed on
paid administrative leave.
What wrongdoing?
Claims that the city’s
former
auditor,
Cathy
Jones, dipped into her own
personnel file and removed
two damning disciplinary
forms from it. Forms that
allegedly showed that she had
stepped outside her role as
city auditor to poke her nose
into city business that didn’t
concern her, based on the
city charter. A charge that she
denied at the time.
When the story first broke
late last summer, Jones, then
58, had worked for the city
for 22 years and had been
tasked with improving the
effectiveness of McAllen’s
city government.
When
allegations
of
wrongdoing on her part
came to light in August
2014, she was placed on
paid administrative leave
while Mayor Jim Darling
See LAWSUIT, page 16
6
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Area News
PILOT...
Continued from page 4
beauty of it all: a solid cloud
deck below with clear blue
skies above it; the sun bright
and cheerful and smooth air
all the way to the destination
airport. Life can’t be any
better, and now it’s time to
pour a cup of coffee after you
level off at the assigned cruise
altitude, cut the power back
to cruise, and enjoy life as
it’s meant to be lived: beauty
from aloft.
Descending through the
10,000 foot cloud deck
is almost as much fun
as climbing through it,
provided there are still no
thunderstorms mucking up
the ride. It’s a challenge, and
most pilots love a challenge.
Weather at the destination
airport is 200-and-a-half
(cloud ceiling and visibility),
and it’s time to shoot the
ILS. You have the approach
plate out, you’ve already run
through the missed approach
mentally, listened to ATIS
on the way in, cranked in the
altimeter setting, talked to
approach control, hit the outer
marker, and you’ve started
the descent.
The horizontal and vertical
lines are pegged in the center
of the VORTAC frequency,
the power is set to control the
speed, while the nose is set to
control the pitch, and again,
the clouds envelop the plane,
but at least the ride’s smooth,
even if you can’t see past the
nose. Flaps set, gear’s down,
three green lights, passengers
strapped in, it’s all good.
A thousand feet, six
hundred,
four
hundred
(the destination airport’s
at sea level so the 200-foot
minimum is the same as what
the altimeter will read when
the time comes to either land
or call missed approach), three
hundred, now you’re sitting
up on the edge of your seat,
looking outside the window,
while cross-checking the
flight instruments, 275, 250,
220, come on, baby, where are
you, 200, and there she is, the
runway rabbit strobe lights
flashing hello to Runway 31,
full flaps, and you tell the
tower you got the runway in
sight, cut back on the power,
and set her down smooth as
can be.
For
a
feeling
of
satisfaction, for a pilot,
shooting a nice approach to
minimums, doesn’t get much
better than that. Especially
at night, when those strobe
lights come into view, there’s
nothing sweeter. Having to
call missed approach and
enter a holding pattern after a
long flight can be a grind.
So, come on strobes; maybe
drop a hundred feet below the
200-foot minimums (not that
I’m recommending it), but
some pilots have known to
do it, just hoping to see the
runway lights come into view.
But, goodbye, sun, you
say to yourself as you park
the plane if it’s still daylight,
and you don’t have a charter
booked for the next day,
knowing the local weather
forecast is calling for three
more days of rain. Back at
home base, the rest of the
locals haven’t seen the sun for
the past five days, but thanks
to today’s flight, you got to sit
up there among the blue skies
and soak in the warmth, while
you cruised above that grey
cloud deck, monitoring the
gauges, the plane on autopilot,
listening to Steppenwolf on
the cockpit stereo with front
man John Kay singing Magic
Carpet Ride.
Local sales tax revenue on the upswing
(AUSTIN)
— Along
with his monthly sales tax
allocation
announcement,
Texas Comptroller Glenn
Hegar last week released
totals for overall state
revenues, as well as some of
the state’s most significant
revenue sources.
•All Funds revenue for
the year finished at $109.5
billion, 0.2 percent less than
the $109.7 billion projected
in the Biennial Revenue
Estimate (BRE).
•General Revenue-related
revenue was $52.6 billion,
0.1 percent ahead of the BRE
projection of $52.58 billion.
•Sales tax revenue for the
year was 0.6 percent below
estimate, at $28.9 billion.
The BRE forecast was $29.07
billion.
•Oil
production
and
regulation tax revenue came
in 4.2 percent above the BRE
forecast, while natural gas
tax revenue was 20.6 percent
below estimate.
“State revenues for fiscal
2015 came in very close to
the amounts we projected in
January before the legislative
session,” Hegar said. “As we
predicted, the Texas economy
has seen moderate growth
despite weakness in the energy
sector. The accuracy of our
fiscal 2015 estimate provides
a firm foundation as we begin
to prepare the Certification
Revenue Estimate.”
Hegar also announced he
will send cities, counties,
transit systems and special
purpose
taxing
districts
$638.1 million in local sales
tax allocations for September,
which represents an increase
of 1.7 percent compared to
September 2014.
Hegar also said Sept. 10
that state sales tax revenue
in August was $2.6 billion,
down 0.4 percent compared
to August 2014.
“The slight decline in
sales tax revenue was due
to reduced receipts from
oil and gas-related sectors,
offset by growth from other
sectors,” Hegar said. “Higher
collections from retail trade,
restaurants and services
indicated continued growth
in consumer spending, while
receipts from construction
also grew.”
And in case you're
interested in how other Texas
cities compared for the same
reporting period, September
2015 vs. September 2014,
Austin was up 6.92 percent,
Brownsville
down
4.25
percent, Dallas up 1.21
percent, El Paso up 4.49
percent, Houston down 0.82
percent, Laredo up 1.07
percent, and San Antonio up
6.3 percent.
The sales tax figures
represent monthly sales made
in July by businesses that
report tax quarterly.
For details of September
sales tax allocations to
individual cities, counties,
transit systems and specialpurpose districts, visit the
Monthly Sales Tax Allocation
Comparison
Summary
Reports on the Comptroller’s
website.
City
Net Payment This Period Comparable Prior Year Payment
%Change
Alamo
Donna
Edcouch
Edinburg
Elsa
Hidalgo
La Joya
McAllen
Mercedes
Mission
Palmview
Pharr
San Juan
Weslaco
$248,673.35
$214,815.75
$15,992.88
$1,549,113.91
$99,680.27
$216,329.28
$33,596.98
$4,819,747.27
$650,109.44
$1,182,498.41
$61,795.77
$1,356,248.66
$289,034.01
$876,868.59
253,175.30
163,511.29
16,289.89
1,489,519.36
78,701.89
187,283.47
33,222.79
4,715,748.68
690,974.14
1,174,329.21
49,526.13
1,183,373.39
269,844.39
904,402.81
-1.77%
31.37%
-1.82%
4.00%
26.65%
15.50%
1.12%
2.20%
-5.91%
0.69%
24.77%
14.60%
7.11%
-3.04%
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
7
Area News
Valley Nature
The Powder Puff Bush
By G. Romero Wendorf
If we were all powder puffs, imagine how much nicer the
world would be.
Wendorf, what are you smoking?
Nothing. But seriously, people make fun of others by calling
them powder puffs.
“You big powder puff, wussy boy.”
Yeah, but it’s not the powder puffs that start the wars. It’s
the dangerous people, just like the dangerous insects -- a
scorpion, a Black Widow, etc. -- that are the problem.
I was thinking about this the other day as I walked by the
Powder Puff Bush right outside our front door. It sits right
outside our big cast iron welded front gate we had put up to
stop possible home invasions (and Jehovah Witnesses ringing
the doorbell on Sundays). Such a docile-looking bush. Not
a thorn or sticker on it to prick the skin or tear the clothes.
But look to my left and there are the big two yuccas we have
growing in our front yard. Fall head first into one of them, and
goodbye eye. Maybe a nice gash across the left cheek that will
require at least five stitches at the local ER. If I get to the ER
by noon, maybe I’ll be out by midnight.
But I could fall into the Powder Puff Bush and the worst
See NATURE, page 18
Donna ISD travels to Sin City
Fate of superintendent still in limbo
Board member Lugo left hanging
By G. Romero Wendorf
DONNA – The fate of
Donna Superintendent Jesus
Rene Reyna is still in limbo
after the Donna ISD Board
Majority voted last Thursday
night to allow more time for
the school attorney to check
into allegations into whether
or not the beleaguered
superintendent is the man
responsible for what’s been
described as a $6 million
budget deficit, which mainly
seems to center around
insurance.
The meeting last Thursday
night lasted approximately
3.5 hours, which based on
the school attorney’s hourly
rate of $225, should have
netted him a cool $787.50.
Add to that the fact
that Reyna’s been on paid
administrative leave since
last May, and it’s easy to
see why some social media
pundits are saying the board
majority is running through
taxpayer cash quicker than a
gambling junkie down on his
luck in Vegas.
Speaking
of
which,
one social media critic of
Donna ISD recently posted
travel expenses tied to the
board majority, along with
the school attorney, Robert
Salinas, and his wife, all of
whom took a plane trip to
Sin City this past July, where
they attended the National
Association
of
Latino
Elected
and
Appointed
Officials. Hillary Clinton
was the featured speaker.
As an aside, Board Trustee
Sandoval
“Tammy” Ramos tied the
knot there with Donna ISD
employee, Michael Flores
-- retired U.S. Army, nononsense -- who works with
See DONNA ISD, page 16
Lugo
Reyna
ADVANCE FOOTBALL CONTEST
Week 3 Winners
First-place: Katy Chavarria
Pharr, Tx.
Second-place: Alberto De La Rosa
Pharr, Tx.
There were a total of four contestants who picked 11 out of
12 games and three tie-breakers correctly. Katy Chavarria
came closest to the tie-breakers to win first place. Alberto
De La Rosa came in second. There was one contestant who
picked 11 out of 12 games and two tie-breakers correctly.
There were a total of nine contestants who picked 10 out
of 12 games correctly.
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
8
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
The World of Sports
Mustangs’ Speights breaks Valley rushing record
Lot of NFL backs are under 6 feet tall?
By G. Romero Wendorf
Congratulations
to
McAllen Memorial’s senior
tailback, Trevor Speights,
for his big accomplishment:
breaking the RGV’s all-time
rushing record Thursday
night. You’re talking a lot of
years, a lot of great rushing
backs, a lot of hard hits.
Where he’ll play college
ball is still uncertain. He
had committed (a nonbinding agreement) early
to the Arizona Wildcats his
freshman year, said this past
March that he was going to
stay true to that commitment,
but his quotes now posted at
www.scout.com, seem to now
suggest that he’s had second
thoughts:
“The schools that (now)
stick out to me are Tennessee,
Stanford and Texas A&M.
Those are the schools that are
in the lead. I’m trying to find
a place that fulfills my need
for academics and athletics.
If you look at all those places,
they have young coaches who
have had some immediate
success at their programs and
have put guys into the NFL.”
Speights also isn’t shy
about his talent: “I’m a
dynamic player,” he told
scout.com.
When he was up in
Dallas earlier this year at a
sort of combine for Texas
standout high school football
players, he told interviewer
Annabel Stephan: “I’m a big
playmaker, and a balanced
running
back,
strength,
speed…I got it all. So
wherever I go to, I’m gonna
take that.”
Speights stands 5’ 10” and
weighs 200 pounds.
The Valley’s former alltime rushing record holder,
Bradley Stephens, also a
Memorial grad, also 5’ 10”,
went on to Texas A&M where
he played for three years as
a backup runner, racking up
328 yards over three seasons.
He graduated in 3.5 years,
bowed out of football his
senior year and returned
to the Valley to work for a
manufacturing company. He
was in the stands Thursday
to watch Speights break his
rushing record.
The two shook hands
after the game in which the
Mustangs beat Edinburg
North 55-20 at McAllen
Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Speights ended the game and
overturned Stephens’ record
by rushing for 336 yards,
which pushed his high school
career total to 7,856, handing
him the RGV’s all-time
rushing record.
Now,
the
question
becomes, has Trevor Speights
reached his full height, and if
so, how is that going to play
if he has hopes, which he
obviously does, of playing in
the NFL?
Turns out, 5’10” and 200
pounds seems like the perfect
height and weight for an NFL
running back today, based on
a story posted two years ago
at www.bleacherreport.com.
In 2013, only two of the top
10 running backs in the NFL
stood over 6’0” tall: Adrian
Peterson and Arian Foster.
In the bleacherreport.com
story written by BJ Kissel,
he makes the point that the
big league isn’t looking for
tall players in the backfield
because it makes it easier
for defensive players to
“find them.” Shorter players
can “hide” behind the taller
offensive linemen, and their
center of gravity is lower,
making it easier to avoid
taller tacklers.
According to Kissel’s
analysis: if one were to design
the perfect height for an NFL
running back, it would be
5’10”, which is the height
Speights now stands.
Weight-wise, 200 pounds,
which is what the Mustangs
tailback currently carries,
is a little on the light side
apparently, considering the
pounding NFL defenders
deliver.
Best
weight,
according to Kissel’s story:
between 215 and 225 pounds.
The Seahawks Marshawn
Lynch, for example, stands
5’11” and weighs 215. But a
lot of that is muscle mass, and
Speights can work on that.
Pump that iron. A player can
become stronger, but he can’t
grow taller.
DeMarco Murray, by the
way, the guy Dallas should
have kept in its backfield,
stands 6’0” and weighs 217.
Tony Dorsett, 5’11”, just
shy of 200 pounds in his
prime.
Walter Payton, RIP, 5’10”,
The Mustangs’ Trevor Speights being interviewed by Fox
Sports/Scout Media Annabel Stephan last March at the
“football combine” for high school players in Dallas.
202.
Da Boys’ great, Emmitt
Smith, 5’9”, 210.
With the great running
backs, it’s the drive and
determination that seem to
matter, more than the height
and weight. Speed also helps.
Then, there are the true
wrecking machines in cleats
with that perfect combo of
strength and speed: Earl
Campbell – 5’11”, 245
pounds of solid muscle, guts,
drive and determination, with
Bum Phillips on the sidelines,
dressed in black, wearing that
cowboy hat of his, egging
him on toward the end zone.
So, with his God-given
abilities, it will be interesting
to see how far the Memorial
Mustangs’ Trevor Speights
can make it playing college
ball, and then when the NFL
draft arrives at some point
down the road, will his name
be called?
Last but not least, when
this high school season ends,
what will be his final rushing
yardage? Speights has already
got the record, 7,856 yards,
and the season’s just begun.
Mission Patriots edge Raiders: 48-41
By Kenneth Roberts
Freelance Writer
The Mission Veterans
Memorial Patriots used the
pinpoint, big-play passing of
quarterback Diego Hernandez
to gain a big lead and hold
off an explosive PSJA North
offense as they edged the
Raiders 48-41 in a non-district
battle at Pharr Stadium Friday
night.
The Raiders drew first
blood with a defensive
touchdown, but Hernandez
connected with a long scoring
pass to draw the Patriots to
within 7-6 by the end of the
first quarter. The Patriots
exploded for 23 secondquarter points to take a 29-17
advantage into intermission,
and continued to shred the
Raider defense to build their
margin to 48-27 by the end of
the third quarter. The Raider
offense scored two fourth
quarter touchdowns to narrow
the margin to seven points, but
a last ditch North drive ended
with an interception with only
six seconds remaining.
Hernandez bombed the
Raiders with 422 yards
passing and six scoring
tosses, including strikes of
43, 98, 26 and 29 yards.
Adam Solis caught three
scoring passes and Bobby
Tovar added two touchdown
receptions. Solis also ran for
a touchdown while lined up at
the quarterback position.
The Raiders unleashed
a potent offense, doing the
bulk of their damage through
the air. Quarterback George
Olivarez threw two scoring
passes in the second half to
keep North in contention, but
a drive to the Veterans 1 early
in the fourth quarter came to
an untimely end with a lost
fumble.
The Patriots had specialteams problems throughout
the game as they had a blocked
extra point try returned for
two points, had another extra
point attempt blocked, and
missed still another extra
point kick outright.
The Patriots executed a
promising drive early in the
game, but fumbled, and then
Raider defender Michael
Garza picked up the loose
ball and raced down the right
side of the field for a 56-yard
touchdown return with 7:03
left in the first quarter to give
the Raiders a 7-0 lead.
On their next possession,
the Raiders reached the Raider
32 but fumbled the ball away,
and the Patriots recovered at
their 37. Four plays later,
See ROBERTS, page 18
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
9
Oklahoma St. (
) at Texas Longhorns (
)
Houston Texans (
) at Tampa Bay (
)
Atlanta Falcons (
) at Dallas (
)
1. Weslaco at PSJA North
2. Bro. Porter
at Donna North
3. McAllen Rowe at LJ Juarez-Lincoln
5. Roma at RGC
7. Edinburg North at Weslaco East
8. Sharyland at Edinburg Vela
11. Tennessee at Florida (college)
12. Texas A&M at Arkansas (college)
10. PSJA High at Edcouch-Elsa
Political ad Pd for by candidate.
Leo "Polo" Palacios, treasurer
9. Sharyland Pioneer at Valley View
4. La Joya at McAllen Memorial
6. Hidalgo at Santa Rosa
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
10
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Area News
PHARR...
Continued from page 1
be described as good news.
For a home valued at
$100,000, the decrease
will amount to an annual
savings
of
$26,
not
counting
exemptions.
For a commercial property
valued at $500,000, the ad
valorem decrease will drop
the property owner’s tax
bill from $3,400 to $3,270.
Like they say, every
penny counts these days.
This story is being
written Tuesday (9/22). The
Pharr City Commission is
expected to approve the
tax rate Wednesday during
a special called meeting,
according
to
Guerra.
During this past spring’s
city election, the proposed
tax-rate reduction was part
of Pharr Forward’s slate.
Three of its four members,
including the new mayor,
beat out the opposing slate,
Pharr First, whose members
VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ROUND-UP
THURSDAY, SEPT. 24
Non-District
Rio Hondo at Grulla, 7 p.m.
District 30-6A
Mission at McHi, 7 p.m.
District 31-6A
PSJA Memorial at E. Economedes, 7 p.m.
District 32-5A
Donna at PSJA Southwest, 7:30 p.m.
Mercedes at Bro. Pace, 7 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 25
Non-District
Hidalgo at Santa Rosa, 7:30 p.m.
District 30-6A
La Joya at McAllen Memorial, 7:30 p.m.
McAllen Rowe at LJ Juarez-Lincoln, 7:30 p.m.
Bro. Porter at Donna North, 7:30 p.m.
District 31-6A
Edinburg North at Weslaco East, 7:30 p.m.
Weslaco at PSJA North, 7:30 p.m.
District 31-5A
Sharyland at Edinburg Vela, 7:30 p.m.
Sharyland Pioneer at Valley View, 7:30 p.m.
Roma at RGC, 7:30 p.m.
District 32-5A
PSJA High at Edcouch-Elsa, 7:30 p.m.
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:
Mission Veterans 48,
PSJA North 41
Edinburg Vela 55,
PSJA Memorial 14
McAllen Memorial 55,
Edinburg North 20
CC Carroll 47,
McHi 14
Laredo United 64,
McAllen Rowe 48
Weslaco East 52,
La Joya 0
Harlingen 21,
Weslaco 14
Sharyland Pioneer 27,
La Feria 10
Rio Hondo 30,
Hidalgo 0
E. Economedes 20,
LJ Juarez-Lincoln 10
Port Isabel 14,
Valley View 7
Mathis 46,
Lyford 13
Mission 49,
Edinburg 6
CC King 42,
RGC 17
Bro. St. Joe 62,
Pharr Oratory 8
Roma 44,
LJ Palmview 27
Progreso 40,
Hebbronville 13
La Villa 43,
Santa Rosa 25
Sharyland 16,
Laredo Alexander 14
Grulla 20,
Lytle 14
CC Vets Memorial 47,
Monte Alto 8
included three incumbents.
The new mayor, Dr.
Ambrosio
“Amos”
Hernandez, said the taxrate reduction is welcome
news for city residents.
“During this past election,
it was said by some that this
(tax rate reduction) couldn’t
be done. But we did it. And
we did it thanks to a united
board of commissioners.”
The city’s water-and-sewer
rate has also seen a reduction.
“We’ve already reduced
it by three percent,” said
City Manager Guerra. “That
was a symbolic gesture
on the part of the city to
show that we’re serious
about
rate
reduction.”
Currently, the city is
analyzing water and sewer
rates and matching it
up with an engineering
master
plan
analysis.
“The utility master plan
will tell us if we can lower
the water and sewer rates
more than the three percent,”
said Guerra, “and still do it
in a responsible fashion.
The city has hired an
outside third party to audit
our utility fund and couple
that with a rate study, to
ultimately determine what
rate (amount) will work best
for the city and its residents.”
The current water/sewer
rate is $1.25 per 1,000
gallons of usage (not
including the base rate).
Hernandez said that all
of these rate reductions –
property taxes, utility fees –
show that his slate’s campaign
promises weren’t hollow.
“We
followed
through with what we
promised to do,” he said.
In an odd paradox,
the welcome rains this
past
spring
and
this
month,
however,
isn’t
necessarily good for cities.
“It means less usage on
the part of the public,”
said
Guerra.
“Which
amounts to less revenues.”
Meaning, it’s a matter
of supply and demand.
The more demand, the
more revenue. The more
revenue, the more means
by which cities have to
reduce overall water rates.
The
property
tax
reduction, which will result
in reduced revenues to the
city, will be offset by bridge
revenues,
said
Guerra.
Even
with
nearby
McAllen’s
Anzalduas
Bridge expected to soon
begin crossing commercial
traffic southbound, which
is expected to siphon some
trucks from the Pharr/
Reynosa Bridge, Guerra said
the city’s analysis shows that
sufficient funds will still be
collected at the city’s bridge
toll booths moving forward.
“The future with regard
to city finances looks
very bright,” he said.
“I know the mayor and
city commission are excited,
and so am I. For us, and for
the city’s entire staff, touting
what may well be the biggest
property tax-rate reduction
in the city’s history is big,
big news in our opinion.”
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
11
Area News
New Pharr CM changes dress code
But jeans on Fridays still okay
For a price, that is
By G. Romero Wendorf
If you take a look around
Pharr city hall these days,
you’ll notice a change in the
dress code.
“We’re trying to bring
up our dress code to fall in
line with other professional
organizations,” said City
Manager Juan Guerra.
Pharr City Clerk Hilda
Pedraza decked out in jeans
last Friday, more than
happy to kick in her $5 for
a good cause, as are many
more city employees willing
to participate toward a
worthy cause.
The men and women at
P.A.L. (Police Athletic League)
and Parks and Rec and the
guys working out in the field
with Public Works and Public
Utilities, logic, says Guerra,
suggests they’re not going to be
asked to show up to work in a
coat and tie.
“But for the men and women
who work inside city hall and
other city departments, there
has already been a dress-code
change implemented,” he says.
For men, especially the
department heads, the change
has already begun, says the
city manager. They’re to lead
by example and wear a jacket
(sports coat) to work.
“I’m waiting until December
or January to phase in a tie,”
says Guerra. “Give them some
time to adjust, and the cooler
weather will help acclimate
them to the tie.”
From there, it will filter down
to all city employees who work
indoors.
For women, dresses or
skirts aren’t mandated, but if
they wear pants, they’re asked
to wear professional looking
slacks along with a professionallooking blouse. Or a nicelooking pantsuit is suitable as
well, says Guerra.
But for those who still prefer
jeans, the city has come up with
a fun way to still work them in
to the mix,” says City Secretary
Hilda Pedraza.
“We wanted to have some
fun, so we came up with this
idea: we can wear jeans on
Fridays if we’re willing to kick
some money into the pool.”
No, not the aquatic center,
but rather a money pool.
“We call Fridays jean day,”
says Pedraza. “If they want to
wear jeans to work, employees
donate $2, and department heads
(directors), $5. All the monies
collected will be donated to
the city’s Thanksgiving event
for our citizens and to our toy
giveaway this Christmas.”
4th Annual Community
Health Fair
Saturday 26, 2015
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Location:
Omni Event Center
106 N. 9th Street Alamo, TX
Come join us! Last year
we got over 800 kids!
There will be free school
supplies, free hair cuts,
and free food. and will be
free for Alamo students.
We hope to see you there!
Sponsor tables are available
for $100, a check and money
should be made out to Alamo
Lions Club. We have 10
tables left so please call
me for a reservation and to
get money to Lions Club.
Contact City Commisioner
Trino Medina (956) 460-4978
Commissioner Whitacre joins
First Lady at the White House
McAllen LMCTC initiative participant
McAllen – Commissioner
Veronica Whitacre joined
First Lady Michelle Obama
and representatives from the
National League of Cities
(NLC) at the White House
September 16 for an event
honoring communities for
participating in the Let's
Move! Cities, Towns and
Counties (LMCTC) initiative.
The First Lady announced
that 500 cities, towns and
counties, including McAllen,
have committed to the five
goals in the LMCTC initiative
since July 2012. LMCTC is a
key part of the First Lady’s
Let’s Move! initiative and
helps local officials, their
staff and communities ensure
all children grow up healthy
and have the ability to reach
their full potential.
McAllen is part of a
growing national movement
to build healthier communities
and ensure that the health and
well being of young people
today and that of future
generations is a priority. The
City of McAllen has joined
the USDA in partnership for
the MyPlate program with
goals of promoting healthy
dietary guidelines within our
community.
“We are seeing more
runners, more cyclists, so
many more people embracing
a new lifestyle of living
because the City of McAllen
went full force in promoting
the Let’s Move! Initiative,”
said Whitacre.
At Wednesday’s event, the
First Lady also recognized
the
52
communities,
including McAllen, that have
achieved gold medals in each
of the five goal areas, which
include providing healthy
school meals, opportunities
for physical activity during
and outside of school, and
healthier early care and
education programs.
The 500 cities, towns
and counties honored come
from all 50 states, the
District of Columbia and
the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands.
To
date,
approximately
80 million Americans live
in a city, town or county
participating in LMCTC.
For more information on the achievements by LMCTC
communities, visit www.healthycommunitieshealthyfuture.
org/spotlights/.
12
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Area News
PSJA ISD's College3 initiative announced
as Bright Spot in Hispanic Education
PHARR – The White
House
Initiative
on
Educational Excellence for
Hispanics announced the
launch of the “Bright Spots in
Hispanic Education National
Online Catalog”, including
Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD’s
College3 initiative, which
gives students the opportunity
to graduate College Ready,
College Connected and
College Complete. PSJA ISD was part of over
230 Bright Spots featured in
the catalog. PSJA's selection
focused on K-12, College
Access and Postsecondary
Completion. The selected
programs
are
helping
improve the educational
attainment for the country’s
Hispanic community by
investing in key education
priorities for Hispanics. The
announcement was made by
Alejandra Ceja, Executive
Director of the Initiative at the
launch of Hispanic Heritage
Month in honor of the
Initiative’s 25thanniversary
in Washington, DC. PSJA ISD, a 98 percent
Hispanic school district, has
been a model for dropout
prevention strategies and
connecting all students to
college. With a high school
completion rate of almost
97 percent, the district is a
regional, state and national
leader in the percent of
students graduating from
high school. To date, hundreds of
students have graduated from
PSJA ISD high schools with
up to two years of college
hours, a college certificate
or even an Associate’s
CINDERELLA PET RESCUE
Here's Ozzie!!!
PSJA Memorial Early College High School graduate Abigail
Avila receives her Associate Degree in Interdisciplinary
Studies from South Texas College, May 2015.
Degree from partner South
Texas College. This early
advancement is helping them
complete a four-year degree
faster, saving time and money. “We thank the White
House
Initiative
on
Educational Excellence for
this honor,” Dr. Daniel King,
PSJA Superintendent of
Schools said. “Our goal is to
provide the best educational
opportunities for our students
and by increasing their level
of educational attainment
they are more likely to have
a prosperous and successful
future.” Through these Bright
Spots, the White House seeks
to encourage collaboration
between stakeholders focused
on similar issues in sharing
data-driven
approaches,
promising
practices,
peer advice and effective
partnerships. Ultimately, the
main focus is to increase
support for the educational
attainment of Hispanics. “There has been notable
progress
in
Hispanic
educational achievement, and
it is due to the efforts of these
Bright Spots in Hispanic
Education, programs and
organizations
working
throughout the country to
help Hispanic students reach
their full potential,” Ceja said
during the announcement
earlier last week.
According to the Initiative,
one in four students in our
nation’s public schools is a
Hispanic youth. In just the
next few decades, Hispanics
will represent nearly one in
three American workers. To learn more about the
Bright Spots, visit the US
Department of Education’s
webpage: www.ed.gov/
HispanicInitiative.
Feds grant DHR its
request to double
hospital beds
EDINBURG -- Doctors is a need
Hospital at Renaissance for additional patient beds.
During the interim, the
Health System announced
last week that the federal public had an opportunity to
Centers for Medicare and weigh in on DHR’s request
Medicaid Services (CMS) for expansion. Most of the
has approved its request for opposition came from the
expansion, granting DHR managing area directors
permission to increase the of competing hospitals in
number of total licensed Hidalgo County, as well as
hospital beds, operating one in Cameron County,
rooms
and
procedure Valley Baptist, most of
rooms from 551 to 1,102. whom said that the fact they
Due to changes made are currently operating at
by the Affordable Care approximately 50-percent
Act of 2010, in order to capacity, it makes no sense
add new beds, physician- to grant DHR permission
double
its
size.
owned hospitals like DHR to
DHR
officials
countered
are required to obtain
permission
from
CMS that their sights are set on
to expand bed capacity. the future, and such shortDHR submitted a final sightedness on the part
application in January and of the competition, so to
had to demonstrate the need speak, isn’t beneficial to the
for additional patient beds area’s overall health care. If
in Hidalgo County. CMS’s Hidalgo County continues
approval was based on to expand at its current rate,
DHR’s demonstrating that as expected, at some point
the rapid population growth down the road, hospital beds
in the county is outpacing in this county are bound to
the
state’s
population be in short supply. So the
increase, the high number of time to expand the number
inpatient admissions at DHR of available hospital beds is
under the Medicaid program now, as opposed to waiting
compared to other hospitals until the future need arises.
What follows is a press
in the county, and that there
release sent to area media
outlets late last week:
Through its expansion,
Doctors
Hospital
at
Renaissance aims to grow
in order to bring specialized
patient care services to the
Rio Grande Valley that are
not currently available here,
as well as increase healthcare
access for the growing local
population. Hidalgo County
is one of the fastest growing
areas in the nation. From
2007-2012, the growth rate
of Hidalgo County was
14.92%, which is more than
150% of the growth rate of
the population of the State
of Texas for the same time
period (U.S. Census Bureau).
By applying for its bed
expansion, DHR is planning
for the monumental growth
the area has experienced—
and the growth it is
expected to continue to see. Dr. Carlos Cardenas,
DHR Chairman of the
Board, asserts, “Our growth
is as much a story of the Rio
Grande Valley as it is the
story of our hospital. We are
growing with the community
and DHR’s vision goes
beyond healthcare—it’s in
economic
development,
expanding
educational
OZZIE
This week Cinderella Pet
Rescue is featuring Ozzie, a
beautiful neutered male who
will turn six in early October.
Ozzie has lovely markings,
similar to those of an ocelot,
which is how he got his name.
Ozzie came to CPR as
a terrified tiny kitten, and
although he is docile and
gets along well with the
other cats, he is still terrified
of humans. The volunteers
have been trying their best
to show Ozzie that he has
nothing to fear from a closer
relationship with humans; but
though he will rush to greet
volunteers and allow some
surreptitious petting while
he’s eating, that’s the extent
of his interaction.
The most unusual thing
about Ozzie is that he is
NOT available for adoption.
Since Cinderella is a no-kill
shelter, cats (and dogs) that
are unadoptable - or who
are adoptable but don’t get
adopted for one reason or the
other - stay at Cinderella for
the term of their natural lives.
The reason Ozzie is being
featured is to illustrate one of
the other facets of Cinderella’s
service to animals in need
of refuge. Cinderella has an
ongoing need for monetary
donations as well as supplies
for the “lifers” in their care.
Be sure to visit their website
at www.cinderlla-pet-rescue.
org for more information on
how you can help.
Cinderella still has some
great adult cats available
for adoption and each, as
mentioned in last week’s
article, comes with a $50
Petsmart gift certificate.
Tangerine, Nellie, and Hope,
to name a few, would love
to find a home with you.
This is a limited time offer,
so be sure to call Debbie at
598-6143 or 240-0325 for
more information on these
great adult cats waiting for
adoption.
Call 956-391-4399 if
you are looking for a dog
to adopt, since Cinderella
has plenty to choose from.
Leave a message with your
name, number and the type
of dog you're looking for, and
someone will get back to you
soon.
A no-kill shelter, located
west of Mission, Cinderella
Pet Rescue (CPR) is a 501(c)3
non-profit
organization
dedicated to cat and dog
rescue and placement. For
more information, you can
find CPR on Facebook and
Petfinder.
opportunities for our youth.
Our vision entails each
aspect of every major pillar
it takes to build a great
community. We're trying
to grow so we can bring
services to a community
that is deserving of them.”
DHR’s
growth
and
expansion plans include
a new multilevel medical
tower that will house
intensive care units dedicated
to surgical, cardiovascular,
neurosurgical,
and
orthopedic patients. The
tower will also include a
step-down telemetry unit,
medical-surgical unit, and
pediatric and adult burn
units. DHR also plans to add
more than 18 new operating
rooms and expand its
emergency room to 80 beds
to include a heliport to grow
into a Level I Trauma Center.
“Since its inception,
Doctors
Hospital
at
Renaissance
has
been
committed
to
bringing
the highest quality, stateof-the-art health medical
care to the people of the
Rio Grande Valley,” states
DHR
Chief
Executive
Officer Israel Rocha. “Our
community deserves to
have every medical need
met right here, close to
home. This expansion will
allow us to provide new
specialty services, more
treatment space, and a
robust education program
to train the healthcare
providers of the future.”
Rocha continues, “I want to
thank everyone who helped
us with this application. This approval is another
major milestone in DHR’s
commitment to provide
world-class health care for
the people of South Texas.”
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
13
14
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
15
16
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Area News
DONNA ISD...
Continued from page 7
at-risk kids, trying to teach
them to respect authority and
always act in an appropriate
manner.
When Donna taxpayers
complained about the trip
on social media, accusing
Flores of using taxpayer
dollars to pay for his trip
(which turned out not to be
true; he paid his own way, he
says), he told them to eff off
and quit spreading malicious
lies.
That June Vegas trip,
by the way, cost Donna
taxpayers
approximately
$20,000, according to school
records.
Budget woes
For his part, Board
Trustee
Ernesto
Lugo,
who constitutes a 5-2
board minority (along with
“Coach” Efren Ceniceros),
laid out for the entire board
during a school board
meeting last month the
reasons why the alleged $6
million budget shortfall is
really, in his opinion, a game
of smoke and mirrors.
“We are now expecting a
fund balance of $39 million
vs. a projected fund balance
of $40 million.”
Meaning, according to
Lugo, the shortage equals a
million, not 6.
And if the district really
is $6 million in the red,
he asked, then why are
“insurance costs for next
year budgeted to increase by
almost $4 million?”
Lugo blames the $1
million budget shortfall on
excessive hiring of new
employees on the part of
the school board majority,
and the fact that “certain
departments, contracts, and
vendors have exceeded
(their respective) budgets.”
And keep in mind, said
Lugo, “The (school) board
now controls all hirings and
firings.”
In other words, instead of
looking for a scapegoat, said
Lugo, namely in the form of
Superintendent Jesus Reyna,
if the district really is in the
red to the tune of $6 million
(a number he discounts), then
blame the board majority,
not the superintendent.
Lugo and Reyna
exonerated
As reported in an earlier
news story published in The
Advance News last month,
the charges of bribery
against Ernesto Lugo and
Reyna were no-billed by an
Hidalgo County grand jury
in August.
Both men faced bribery
and obstruction charges.
ZUNIGA...
Continued from page 4
him up. Apparently there
was sufficient evidence
to suggest that Zuniga’s
claim, as well as that of
the police chief, against
the alleged victim was
true: city monies had gone
missing under her watch
The district’s school chief,
Roy Padilla, had claimed
that Lugo had tried to bribe
him on the superintendent’s
behalf to make a case
against Reyna “disappear.”
Allegedly, Reyna had some
scheme going that allowed
the school district to pay
the full health insurance for
his family members as well
as himself. A charge he had
denied. Both men denied the
bribery allegations.
In early August, a grand
jury exonerated both men.
But what’s got Ernesto Lugo
still steamed is that interim
Donna
Superintendent
Fernando Castillo still hasn’t
dismissed the charges that
are pending against both he
and Reyna.
“Call him up,” Lugo asked
of this newspaper. “Call up
Mr. Castillo and say, ‘Hey,
the grand jury has no-billed
these guys, so when is the
district going to formally
drop all the charges pending
against us?’”
What’s next?
Question is, where does
Donna ISD go from here?
Board President Albert
Sandoval has said in previous
interviews that the district
is being run well, the board
majority is doing its due
diligence in all matters, and
some things simply take time
to sort out.
Meanwhile, on social
media, the school attorney,
Robert Salinas, continues to
get blasted for what some
perceive as the alleged
excessive legal fees he
charges Donna taxpayers.
If he doesn’t even get out
of bed in the morning for the
entire month of September,
he still gets $25k as his
retainer. If he does get out of
bed and takes a phone call or
answers an email, the clock
starts ticking, and his $225
per hour legal fee kicks in.
Meaning, there are many
months that his charges to
Donna ISD, a district not
necessarily known for its
wealth, pays Salinas in the
neighborhood of $30,000+
for his services.
Lugo said that retainers
are
really
considered
unnecessary by some and
instead, advocates a straight
pay-for-fee services.
Sandoval said that when
you add up everything, even
though the former law firm
representing Donna was
only charging it an $8,000
monthly retainer, the overall
legal fees were more than
they currently are with
Salinas in the lawyer’s seat.
Lugo
counters,
that
was because so much
construction was going on
prior to approximately 2014.
Now, about the only thing
See DONNA ISD, page 18
handling city permit money:
approximately
$13,000.
But by then, some damage
had already been done to the
reputation of both Zuniga and
Piper, and some RGC tongues
were wagging, as community
hacks are prone to do.
Two years later, the federal
lawsuit was dismissed. That
was the good news for Zuniga.
The dismissal didn’t make
LAWSUIT...
Continued from page 5
hired an outside attorney,
Houston-based Lynne M.
Gomez, to conduct an internal
investigation into Jones’
alleged wrongdoing.
Once the independent
investigation was completed,
approximately seven weeks
after Jones had been placed
on leave, the city’s threemember Audit Committee,
comprised of two city
commissioners, Trey Pebley
and the late Scott Crane,
as well as Public Utility
Member Tony Aguirre, voted
unanimously to terminate
Jones’ employment with the
city (9/29/2014).
Approximately a year
later, Jones filed her lawsuit
in federal court. Allegations
against the city include:
• The city manager and city
attorney worked in concert
together to ensure that no one
should learn of or tell the truth
that the city discriminates
(against women).
• In April 2014, Jones
claims that a long-term
qualified
employee
in
the registrar’s office, a
woman, was passed over for
promotion in favor of a lessqualified male who had never
worked in said office. Jones
claims that her boss told her
it was because there needed
to be a “male presence” in the
department.
• Jones claims that the
female employee then came
to her and said that the new
male employee was being
“cruel to her.” She claims
that she tried to report those
concerns to the city’s Human
Resources Department, but
they basically blew her off.
• According to the lawsuit,
the female employee was
later given the promotion
“she deserved.” But as an
afterthought, City Manager
“Roy” Rodriguez ordered
Jones to “stay out” of the
matter.
• Jones claims that after
that encounter, the city then
limited her access to resumes
of department heads and key
staff in her audits, something
which had never before been
done during her 22-year
tenure with the city.
• Jones claims that the
city manager and city
attorney then “poisoned the
Audit Committee against
her,” spoke to it outside her
presence, and she was then
called in for a job evaluation
during which the Audit
Committee told her that they
had “lost confidence in her,”
the same media splash as did
the filing of the lawsuit, but it
made the news just the same.
The bad news, however,
was that between 2011, when
the lawsuit was filed, and
2013, when it was dismissed,
Juan Zuniga got popped for
DWI in Mission. It hurt his
reputation in Rio Grande
City, and it hurt his rep in the
Mission area, where he was
serving as board trustee at
the time with Sharyland ISD.
More than that, the DWI
arrest cost Zuniga his
job in Rio Grande City.
and “maybe it was time for
her to move on.”
• According to Jones’
lawsuit, when she later
asked for a copy of her (job)
evaluation, which the Audit
Committee had conducted,
she was refused a copy. When
one of her assistants asked for
a copy, he was “angrily told
that if (Jones) didn’t like her
job, she should find another
one.”
• Jones claims that after
she couldn’t be bullied into
resigning, the city manager
suspended her from her job
and told her that she was
guilty of removing negative
write-ups from her own
personnel file that dated back
approximately 10 years.
• Jones claims that the
city’s independent review of
her job performance was a
one-sided affair, meant solely
to “find dirt on her.”
As a result of these alleged
wrongdoings on the part of
the city, former city auditor
Cathy Jones now wants to
recoup lost wages and benefits
as well as compensatory
damages (past and future) for
“injuries suffered,” including,
but not limited to, “mental
anguish.” She also wants to be
reinstated or awarded “front
pay,” as well as attorneys’
fees.
City’s response
According
to
the
independent
investigation
conducted
by
outside
Attorney Lynne M. Gomez,
Cathy Jones had a lengthy
history of involving herself
in city matters that didn’t
concern her and were outside
her pervue as city auditor.
Examples of such alleged
malfeasance as documented
in Gomez’s report include:
• During an Audit
Committee meeting July 9,
2014, Jones was told that her
sole objective as city auditor
was to look at accounting
systems and controls and
make
recommendations
for improvements to same.
Opining about individuals’
qualifications or capabilities
was out of her scope of
responsibilities, and that
her tendency to tell (city)
management what to do was
inappropriate.
• Cathy Jones had a lengthy
history of injecting herself
into management roles (that
didn’t involve her), which
included personnel decisions.
The Audit Committee had
frequently counseled her
about this misconduct, at least
three or four times a year. She
would apologize, say she
had “overreacted,” promise
He was officially fired
in January 2013. And
he lost his board trustee
re-election bid at Shary.
Since then, he’s stayed
out of the public spotlight
until his arrest last week
when he was charged
with the Elsa city theft.
Zuniga’s public facebook
page shows a guy who seems
devoted to family and pets.
Whatever demons seem to
be driving him, if indeed the
Elsa theft allegations prove
true (innocent until proven
guilty), friends of his who
never to do it again, and then
do it again, despite the Audit
Committee’s demands that
she stay focused on her job
as city auditor and not get
involved in city management
issues that didn’t concern her.
• Jones wrote emails
to both the fire chief and
city manager questioning
employees’
reassignments
and promotions. One of those
employees she described as
“a friend.” She claimed that
the fire chief later apologized
to her. The chief denied that
he had met with Jones during
the time frame she cited, nor
had he ever apologized to her.
• Concerning one city
promotion she felt wrong,
Jones emailed City Manager
“Roy” Rodriguez and told
him: “I’m not going to get
involved but want you to
know these employees take
up a lot of my time.” This,
despite the fact that the
Audit Committee, tasked
with overseeing her work
as city auditor, had already
repeatedly warned her to
stay out of city personnel
issues and not question city
management decisions.
• City Manager “Roy”
Rodriguez described Cathy
Jones as “reckless.” In the
independent report written
up by Attorney Lynne
Gomez, for example, he
said
that
approximately
eight years ago (2006),
Jones had recommended to
him that details concerning
the suspension of a city
employee, who had recently
broken up with her assistant,
be posted on the city’s web
page.
• Former Mayor Richard
Cortez (now a current city
commissioner), who is a
forensic accountant and who
had a lengthy experience
dealing with Cathy Jones on
the Audit Committee, said
that she generally does good
work but has a tendency to
report “fraud” even though
she has no proof to back up
her allegations.
• What happened to the
two missing documents
from Cathy Jones’ personnel
file? The two documented
“written reprimands” against
her, as it were? In her report,
Attorney Gomez wrote that
even though there is no direct
evidence that Jones removed
them herself, the credible
evidence suggests that they
disappeared while the former
auditor’s personnel file was
indeed in her possession.
Now, Cathy Jones’ attorney
is requesting a jury trial in
federal court be convened to
sort out the whole affair.
spoke to this newspaper say
they hope he can find a way
to get his life back on course.
“It’s just a sad deal,” said
one. “He’s a likeable guy
with so much promise.”
Advance
News Journal
Ph 783-0036
Fax 787-8824
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
17
Area News
PalmFest to celebrate 10th anniversary
Help us celebrate a decade of heritage, food, fun and games
at the 10th Annual PalmFest International Folklife Celebration.
The event is coming to you on Saturday and Sunday October 3
and 4 at the McAllen Convention Center.
PalmFest will feature six entertainment stages, Heritage
Village, an artisan market, family-friendly entertainment
including Kids’ Celebration & “Game Show”, a carnival,
cooking demonstrations, a variety of mouth-watering festival
food as well as a food truck court. Over 40,000 people are
expected to attend the event.
The McAllen Heritage Center will be featured as one of the
many cultural exhibitors celebrating the colorful history and
bright future of South Texas in the “Heritage Village” within
the Convention Center. Also located within the building will be
the “Hecho en Mexico” Mexican artisan market as well as the
Palenque stage featuring Pancho Villa, the amazing dancing
horses, the Gunfighter’s Comedy Show and much more.
To celebrate PalmFest’s 10th Anniversary, PalmFest has
planned a musical line-up sure to please everyone. Six stages
featuring Tejano, country, rock & acoustic music will keep
you celebrating all weekend long. Saturday night’s Palenque
stage will feature Carmen Jara “La Nueva Reina del Jaripeo”
and outside the popular Sunset Live concert series will take
place in Oval Park. Sunday’s line-up promises to deliver just
as much entertainment with Costello, Mat and the Heardsmen,
with the American Texas Country artist Pat Green.
More outdoor attractions include the Home Baker’s and
Farmer’s Market, local artisans, a classic car show, pig races,
paddle boat rides and more.
For more PalmFest information contact the McAllen
Convention Center at (956) 681-3800.
PSJA ISD librarians receive grants
from the Laura Bush Foundation
PHARR
–
Two
librarians from Pharr-San
Juan-Alamo ISD received
$7,000 grants each from
the Laura Bush Foundation
for America’s Libraries.
With the goal of
encouraging
students
to develop a passion
for
reading
and
learning, The Laura Bush
Foundation for America’s
Libraries provides
schools in need with
grants to extend, update
and diversify their book
collections. Championed
by Laura Bush since 2002,
former First Lady of the
United States and librarian,
the foundation has awarded
more than $12.5 million
to almost 2,500 schools
across the country.
As a result, Amy Marquez
and Laura Quiroz-Torrez
will be using the grant to
update their school library
collections and promote
literacy at Marcia R. Garza
Elementary in Alamo and
Carmen Anaya Elementary
located in Pharr.
“The Anaya Elementary
Library plans to build a
collection of early reader
bilingual books, increase
bilingual chapter books
and enhance our science
and biographies section for
research purposes,” said
Laura
Quiroz-Torrez,
the school’s librarian. “A
portion of the funds have
also been allocated to
create a new section for
braille, sign language and
board books for students
with learning disabilities.”
According to the Laura
Bush Foundation, studies
have shown that the
quality of a school library
significantly
impacts
reading test scores and
children’s
academic
success.
Additionally,
adequate
staffing,
technology and quality
of print collections are
elements needed in a
library to positively affect
academic achievement.
With that in mind,
the librarians said there
was a need to diversify
their collections due to a
large number of Spanish
speaking students at their
schools and the district’s
Dual Language Enrichment
Program, which helps
students learn how to read,
write and speak academic
English
and
Spanish
fluently.
“Although
a
large
number of students at
our campus are Spanish
speakers, only 23 percent
of our library book
collection is in Spanish,”
said Amy Marquez, who
is the librarian at Garza
Elementary. “With the help
of the grant, my goal is to
increase it from 32 to 150
pre-kinder to first grade
level Spanish books.”
The PSJA ISD librarians
said they are thankful for
the award and recognition
from the Laura Bush
Foundation. “I’m extremely grateful
to have received the $7,000
grant for our students, staff
and community,” said
Quiroz-Torres. “Not only
is this a monetary award
for our school, but it is an
honor to have been selected
and recognized by this
distinguished organization
to promote the love of
reading.”
Fall Recreation
Program Registration
(from left) Anaya Elementary Librarian Laura Quiroz-Torres, PSJA ISD Library
Coordinator Nora Galvan and Garza Elementary Librarian Amy Marquez pose
with the two $7,000 check received from the Laura Bush Foundation. They plan
to use the funds to update their library’s book collections and promote literacy.
PHARR (September 22, 2015) --- The City of Pharr Parks
and Recreation Department wishes to encourage the public to
take advantage of the 2015 fall recreation programs. Youth
fall recreation programs will include karate, guitar, dance,
cheerleading, ballet, folklorico, tumbling, and youth and adult
CrossFit as well.
All the recreation programs will be held at the Pharr Parks
and Recreation Department located at the Jose “Pepe” Salinas
Memorial Civic Center on 1011 W. Kelly. For a free fall brochure,
please contact the Pharr Parks and Recreation Department
at 402-4550.
Students at Marcia R. Garza Elementary will soon have hundreds more books to read in their library
thanks to the $7,000 grant from the Laura Bush Foundation.
18
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Local Living
NATURE...
Continued from page 7
thing that could happen is
maybe I’d get a little bit of
pink powder on my shirt.
I don’t know where it is,
but I’ve been looking for that
old Lone Star State quote that
was written by some old Texas
settler back in the mid-1800s:
“Everything in Texas either
bites, pokes or stings you.”
It was supposedly written
down for posterity, as it
turned out, by some settler up
in the Hill Country. And this
was before Fire Ants, Killer
Bees and Texas Politicians
owned by lobbyists and
special interests had even
arrived on the scene. I was
trying to discover through
a little historical research
who actually said it, or wrote
it, but can’t find its actual
attribution.
Texas is like that though. A
terror when it came to taming
it during the old frontier
days. There were the natural
dangers – plant, insect -- and
then there were the fearsome
Comanche Indians, who
could give the ferocious
Apache a run for their money
when it came to a fight. My
wife, Jan, says she would
rather the Comanches were
ruling the state legislature,
which has totally screwed her
over by helping push through
medical malpractice reform,
with its punitive cap of
$250,000, which has totally
screwed her over (more on
that in a separate column
devoted to quality Valley
orthodontic care, or the lack
thereof). Not sure if she’s
serious, but she now tells me
she wishes the Indians had
won.
(Note to the politically
correct crowd: Before you get
started on me for mentioning
the Comanches and the
Apaches, I do get it when
it comes to the American
Indians. I know we stole the
land from them. But they, too,
were fearsome as they staked
out the white man on the
plains and let the Red Ants
lead them to a slow, painful
death. But first we had to steal
the land from the Mexicans;
before we could move on to
the Indians. Of course, before
we started killing off the
Red Man (Go, Washington
Redskins), the Indians were
killing each other, not to
mention the Mexicans; and
before that, the Aztecs were
DONNA ISD...
Continued from page 16
going on are lawsuits.
For
example,
this
newspaper has lost count of
how many alleged sexual
incidents between Donna
students and Donna staff
have been reported over the
course of the past 12 months.
All of which cost money.
Keeping
Reyna
on
suspension
has
proven
expensive as well. Taxpayers
are paying him to sit at home
while paying an interim supe
to do his work.
And if the board majority
decides to pay him the
killing the Indians and other
native populations in Mexico
who looked like they’d make
a good cardiac sacrifice to the
Sun God. So, let’s just say, all
humans are guilty of killing
one another at some level.
Some just do it better than
others.)
What’s all of that have
to do with nature? Nothing
really, other than I’m waiting
for the day prophesied by
Isaiah (11:6) when: “The wolf
also shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down
with the kid; and the calf and
the young lion and the fatted
calf together; and a little child
shall lead them.”
But back to the early part of
settling Texas: just the nature
of this state made it hard on
the settlers who first came
here. If the scorpions weren’t
harassing the settlers, the
rattlesnakes were waiting just
around the next bend. Or the
Copperheads, Cottonmouths,
and/or Coral Snakes were in
the brush, waiting for them
to camp for the night, so they
could sink their fangs into
their hide. Or crawl under the
blanket and say hello to the
scorpion.
Since there was no antivenom back then, grab a
knife, make an x cut over the
snake bite and suck out the
poison. Any volunteers?
Sure, where’s the drunk
guy?
Injuns got him about a mile
back. Heard him screaming.
In this Valley Nature
column, last week I wrote
about the Hummingbird, and
I’ve written about some other
nice natural things down
here in the RGV: doves,
palm trees and the Sausage
Tree. But I’ve also written
about the things that go bite
or sting without compassion:
scorpions, spiders, fire ants,
rats, stingrays, sharks.
But the Powder Puff
Bush. So pretty and mild and
harmless.
Which leads me back to my
original premise: if humanity
were full of more Powder
Puff Bush-type people and
fewer things that either bite,
poke or sting, or screw things
up (like bad orthodontists),
what a nicer world this would
be.
Side note: Separate and
apart from Valley Nature, my
wife, Jan, says she has a series
of upcoming articles detailing
her nightmare world, courtesy
of some Valley orthodontists.
Stay tuned.
approximate $400,000 he has
remaining on his contract, the
state is going to penalize the
district for any amount over
one year’s salary and simply
deduct it from the money it
pays it for its student daily
attendance.
Some
years
back,
superintendents were walking
away with huge settlements.
So a new law was passed
by the state, ostensibly
to protect taxpayers from
irresponsible board trustees.
Henceforth, if a district paid
off a superintendent for more
than one year’s salary, the
balance was coming out of
the district’s pocket.
These new allegations
against Reyna, according
ROBERTS...
Continued from page 8
Diego Hernandez threw a
deep pass across the middle
that a wide open Adam Solis
caught inside the 15 and raced
into the end zone for a 43yard scoring pass with 1:43
left in the opening stanza. The
Raiders held on to a 7-6 lead
when the extra point attempt
was blocked.
On the first play of the
second quarter, a high snap
sailed over the Raider punter's
head and out of the end zone
for a safety that gave the
Veterans an 8-7 edge with
11:54 left until halftime.
Hernandez
got
the
Patriots rolling on their next
possession when he threw
a 28-yard strike to Roman
DeLeon to advance the ball
to the Raider 47. On fourth
and one at the 28, Gilbert
Rosales pounded out a twoyard gain through right tackle
to give Veterans a first down
at the 26. On the next play,
Hernandez threw a deep pass
that Bobby Tovar caught near
the right sideline just across
the goal line for a 26-yard
scoring catch with 7:57 left
until halftime to increase the
Patriot advantage to 15-7.
The Raiders answered
quickly
as
quarterback
Darren Fuentes found an
opening at right tackle and
motored down the sideline
for a 42-yard scoring run with
6:28 left until intermission to
narrow the margin to 15-14.
Hernandez
completed
passes of 28 and 12 yards to
Landry Gilpin to advance the
ball to the Raider 23, with a
roughing-the-passer penalty
on the latter play giving the
Patriots a first down at the 11.
On the next play, Hernandez
connected
with
Jacob
Guerrero in the left corner of
the end zone for an 11-yard
touchdown pass with 5:19 left
in the second quarter to boost
the Patriots to a 22-14 lead.
Brandon Villarreal romped
for gains of 11 and 26 yards
to move the Raiders to the
Patriot 14. On third and four,
Darren Fuentes was tackled
in the backfield for a twoyard loss at the 10. Raul
Jerez then booted a 32-yard
field goal with 1:54 left until
intermission to narrow the
margin to 22-17.
Hernandez then completed
a 29-yard pass across the
middle and a roughing-thepasser penalty on the play
advanced the ball to the
North 14. Four plays later,
Hernandez rolled to his left
and arched a pass into the
left corner of the end zone
that Bobby Tovar caught for
to public comments made
by Board President Albert
Sandoval,
stem
from
an outside audit of the
district’s business office
that seem to have revealed
a
multi-million-dollar
(approximately $6 million)
deficit related to the Donna
ISD insurance department.
If the district can prove
just cause for termination,
Reyna’s $400,000 comes off
the table.
a three-yard scoring pass
with 33.8 seconds left until
intermission to give the
Patriots a 29-17 margin.
Raudel Alvarez returned
the ensuing kickoff more than
70 yards, breaking numerous
tackles to get the Raiders to
the Patriot 18. On secondand-10, however, Patriot
defender Erick Gandaria
intercepted a pass in the left
corner of the end zone to end
the threat and enable Veterans
to go into halftime still
holding a 29-17 lead.
Second half a wild ride
The Raiders were unable to
move on the first possession
of the second half, but the
ensuing punt rolled dead at
the Patriot 2 after covering
61 yards. On the first play,
Hernandez threw a deep pass
down the middle that Adam
Solis caught just short of the
40 and the receiver raced
down the right sideline into
the end zone for a 98-yard
scoring pass with 9:25 left in
the third quarter. The extra
point try was blocked, and
Raudel Alvarez scooped up
the ball and galloped down
the left sideline for a twopoint conversion that slashed
the Patriots' margin to 35-19.
Rene Ramirez started
a Raider drive with a 14yard drive to the Veterans
47. Moments later, George
Olivarez threw a deep pass
down the middle that Brandon
Villarreal caught for a 33yard touchdown catch with
7:20 left in the third period.
Olivarez ran for a two-point
conversion to cut the Patriots'
lead to 35-27.
The Patriots again reached
the end zone less than a
minute later when Hernandez
arched a deep pass down the
right sideline that Solis caught
inside the 5 and stepped into
the end zone for a 29-yard
scoring reception with 6:26
remaining in the third quarter.
The score remained 41-27
when the extra point attempt
was wide.
On fourth-and-three at the
North 44, the Raiders tried
to convert a first down, but
a running play was stopped
for no gain, turning the ball
over on downs to the Patriots.
Buda Gonzalez then broke
loose down the right sideline
for a 40-yard gain to the
Raider 4. Two plays later,
Adam Solis took the snap and
raced through right tackle into
the end zone for a four-yard
scoring run with 1:56 left in
the third quarter to boost the
Patriots to a 48-27 advantage.
Olivarez
got
the
Raiders moving on their
next possession when he
completed passes of 11 and
14 yards to Darren Fuentes
and
Brandon Villarreal.
Moments later, Olivarez
connected with Fuentes down
the right sideline for a 27-yard
completion to the Patriot 1.
On second and goal, however,
the Raiders fumbled in the
backfield, and the Patriots
recovered at their 10.
Moments later, the Raiders
gained another opportunity
when a Hernandez pass was
intercepted at the Veterans
27. On the first play, Olivarez
arched a pass down the
middle that Bo Adams hauled
in for a 27-yard scoring catch
with 8:05 left in the contest
to move the Raiders to within
48-34.
When North got the ball
back, Olivarez connected
on a deep pass for a 42-yard
completion to the Patriot 33.
On fourth-and-five, however,
an incomplete pass enabled
the Patriots to take over on
downs at their 28.
On the next Raider drive,
Olivarez converted a fourthand-nine play with a 14-yard
completion to the Patriot
21. Two plays later, Rene
Ramirez galloped through a
huge hole in the middle for
a 13-yard scoring run with
1:47 remaining in the game to
slice the Patriot advantage to
48-41.
The Raiders tried an onside
kick, but the ball rolled out of
bounds at midfield, allowing
the Patriots to take over at
that point. The Raiders got the
ball back at their 16 with less
than 40 seconds remaining,
but could get no further
than their 32. A deep pass
was intercepted by Veterans
defender Kevin Liebano with
six seconds left, enabling the
Patriots to walk off the field
with a hard-earned 48-41
triumph.
The Patriots collected 568
total yards, 422 yards passing
and 146 yards rushing. Diego
Hernandez completed 23 of
32 passes for 422 yards and
six touchdowns. Adam Solis
caught seven aerials for 202
yards and three touchdowns,
including scores of 98 and 43
yards. Bobby Tovar chipped
in with seven catches for 84
yards and two scores.
No Raider individual or
team statistics were available
as of early Sunday afternoon.
With the victory, the
Patriots improved their season
record to 3-1. They will enjoy
an off week before launching
District 31-5A play on the
road against the Sharyland
Rattlers on Friday, Oct. 2.
The Raiders fell to 1-3
for the season and will
open District 31-6A play by
hosting the Weslaco Panthers
on Friday night, Sept. 25.
Toastmasters Club weekly
meetings in Pharr
HUB City Toastmasters Club meets each Wednesday from 12
p.m. to 1 p.m. at the Pharr Memorial Library (121 E. Cherokee)
on the second floor. Meetings are also held the first and third
Saturday, 12 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. at 1210 W. Interstate 2, Ste. 10,
in Pharr. For information, contact Club President Phyllis Allen
at (956) 373-1646, (phyllisallen52149@gmail.com) or Luisa
Montalvo at (512) 965-0025, (montalvo.luisa@yahoo.com).
See facebook.com/HubCityToastmasters1297787.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
19
Local Living
Palm Valley Animal Center
Considerations
Almost Persuaded
(Part I of II)
He was and is one of my very best friends and he
could not believe how much I had changed. It was
1989, the year I became a committed Christian and
my friend wanted to talk with me privately about my
new way of living.
We talked for about three hours and as I was
leaving his home my friend enthusiastically said he
By Chris Voss
would seriously consider the Christian way of life.
Unfortunately, he decided he could live his life just fine without Jesus
and has done just that since that night so long ago in 1989 when the
Spirit came knocking on the door of my friend’s heart.
God does not force His love upon us. God has given each of us the
freedom to live our lives as we see fit to live them. There is no Godly
compulsion to love and obey Godly truths. Each of us may ignore and
reject the appeal of God’s love and disregard the warning of His voice
within our souls. But if such persistent rejection of things spiritual
continues in one’s heart, there will come a time when the soul’s last
opportunity to know God has passed and the light within is darkened
forever.
I Thessalonians 5:19, Quench not the spirit.
“Just as fire may be smothered by an element such as earth or water,
so the spirit of God may be quenched in hearts by things which the
Spirit cannot accept. The cares, riches and pleasures of life choke out
God’s Word from any meaningful consideration and the sacred Spirit
within is extinguished forever from lack of Godly nourishment and
development. The blessed fire from within can be put out by the cold
drizzle of worldliness, by the heavy blanket of selfishness, or by the
companionship of evil people.” (James Burton Coffman).
People come to church, they listen to the Gospel, they hear the voice
of God, but they walk away from it all. Countless opportunities for
salvation and eternal life are offered by God’s Holy Spirit every day, but
are continually rejected every day.
One day the last spiritual opportunity will come. The last opportunity
for eternal life in heaven will pass by and only the damnation of the soul
will remain.
On the outside, all will appear proper and normal, but on the inside
will be a wasteland, ready for Satan to lay claim. And Satan does not
care if you let the last spiritual opportunity slip by.
Next week: A king, a Roman governor and their response to the
Gospel, considered, in the conclusion to “Almost Persuaded.”
Chris Voss is a pastor at Central Christian Church, 1320 Nolana, McAllen;
and First Christian Church, 317 S. Main, Donna
Wild Horse & Burro Adoption
Heading to Laredo, TX
Sept. 25-26, 2015
Pets of the Week - Adopt Today!
Editor’s note: Hidalgo County currently euthanizes approximately 35,000
dogs and cats per year. Out of approximately 38,000 animals sent to the county
shelter every 12 months, only about 3,000 cats and dogs get adopted. If you
can help improve these numbers by adopting, please consider doing so, and be
responsible for your pets: spay or neuter them.
Dez
Hello there! My name is Dez and I’m a 3 year old,
male, Australian Shepherd Blend. I may be deaf and
have some trouble seeing, but I am leash trained and
will LOVE hanging out with you. If you’re looking
for a pet who will be by your side and truly love you
unconditionally, I am the pet for you. Most of the other
pets here don’t need to depend on someone as much
as I do, but that’s what makes me special. I know there
are people they call caregivers who need to be able to
take care of someone. Who better than me?
Hello! How are you? I am a 7 months old, male, Chihuahua/
Dachshund Blend. My face looks like a Chihuahua, but my
body is longer than a Chihuahua’s so they believe I may
have a little Dachshund. I was here a short while back and
adopted by a nice gentleman, but for some reason I'm back
and the staff cannot seem to get a hold of him. So here again
for a another chance! I am leashed trained and love playing
with other dogs. I am happy go lucky, and abouesultely
love pettings and belly rubs. Stop on by and check me out.
I know I will find my second chance at my forever home
with you.
Duke
My name’s Carol and I’m a 2 month old, female, Terrier
Blend. Oops! I forgot to say hello. I’m just so excited they
picked me to be a Pet of the Week. I was brought here
Carol with my 3 siblings who, I'm so happy to say, found their
forever homes already. I’m also a big Facebook star. I was
caught playing around in my kennel while at Petsmart in
Edinburg and I got videotaped and put on to the Palm
Valley group page. I do get a little vocal when I want to
be held, but once you pick me up, I will snuggle in your
arm and quiet down. I guess you could say I’m almost
like a baby in that aspect. If you decide to swing by and don’t find me, please
don’t just assume I had gotten adopted, ask about me. My offsite counselor loves
to take me with her to all the Petco’s and Petsmart because I’m like totally such a
joy. Hopefully I will see you sooner than later. Because if it’s later I may just have
found my forever home by then.
Hey there everyone! I am a 1 year old, female,
Domestic Shorthair Blend. When you come and
visit with me, you will see, I am more like a dog
than a cat. I will scratch up against the glass just like
a dog does trying to get out of the house. The only
difference is I’m just trying to get to you. I’m not an
outside cat and neither are any of my friends here.
So please, if you adopt me or any of our friends,
make us strictly indoor cats. Who would want to go
outside anyways? I like to play indoors. Give me a little ball to play with, or one
of those sticks with the rope and toy tied to it., and game on! If there are no toys
around, that’s fine too. Just crumble up a piece of paper and I will play with that
too. I am super easy to please and I will make you the happiest adopter when you
take me home with you today.
Gala
Last week was Candy, so today we follow the sweetness withCupcake! I am a
3 month old, female, Domestic Shorthair Blend. I’m a super playful girl who
loves to jump around and be my silly self. Imagine all
the fun we could have together! We could play with
toys and maybe a game of catch-the-laserlight. We
can entertain each other all day long. Should you need
to go to work or to school, what better than a kitty.
We practically take care of ourselves so you wouldn’t
have to worry about me. So, swing on by and pick up
your cupcake today!
Cupcake
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will hold a wild horse and burro
adoption in Laredo, Texas, Sept. 25-26, 2015. The two-day event at the Laredo
International Fair and Expo will feature dozens of spectacular animals. These are
adult and yearling horses and burros that once roamed free on public lands in the
West. The BLM periodically removes excess animals from the range in order to
maintain healthy herds and to protect other rangeland resources. The adoption
program is essential for achieving these important management goals.
Adoption Schedule
Friday, Sept. 25
Saturday, Sept. 26 Noon – 6 p.m.
8 – 10 a.m.
Adoption Qualifications
Application approval is required and can be done on site. To qualify to adopt,
one must be at least 18, with no record of animal abuse. Adopters must have a
minimum of 400 square feet of corral space per animal, with free access to food,
water and shelter. A six-foot corral fence is required for adult horses, five feet for
yearlings, and four-and-a-half feet for burros. For more information, call tollfree 866-468-7826 or visit www.blm.gov/nm/whb.
They've saved the best for last! My name is Harley
Quinn and I’m a British Shorthair Blend. You may
be asking yourself what the difference between a
British and Domestic Shorthair. Well it’s all in the
face. I have pudgy cheeks that everyone wants to
squeeze and my eyes are a little rounder than most.
I was shy at first, but now, I love coming up to be
held. I’m super curious and really like knowing
what going on around me. Honestly, if it’s not my
personality that grabs at you heart strings, it will be
sure to be my adorable face.
Harley Quinn
Adoption fees include first series of shots; spay/neuter operation, microchip,
and a month of pet insurance. For more information on adopting Dez, Duke,
Carol, Gala, Cupcake, Harley Quinn or any of our other adoptable pets, visit
the Palm Valley Animal Center at 2501 W. Trenton in Edinburg or call 956686-1141 today. You can also see a list of all of our adoptable animals 24
hours a day at www.pvaconline.com.
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
20
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Point of View
Truth Matters
Republican Diversity
Patterson murder investigation
Rangers kill a toothless dog?
How to conduct a Search Warrant 101
By Tom Haughey
By G. Romero Wendorf
The Republican Party currently
has fifteen presidential
candidates. Of those, one
is black, two are Hispanic,
one is Indian American, and
one is a woman. A full third
of the candidates, therefore,
have minority status. A sixth
candidate (Bush) is married to
an Hispanic. The Democrats, on the
other hand have one white woman and two white men as
declared candidates. A fourth potential candidate (Biden)
is also white. Elizabeth Warren, who is standing in the
wings, claims to be part American Indian, but that claim
appears to arise from her vivid imagination and a desire to
gain an advantage when applying for university jobs. She
is a Caucasian posing as something else in order to ace
out any minority candidate applying for a job she wants.
Insofar as background is concerned, two of the
Republican candidates are past or present CEOs of major
American corporations. One is a retired neurosurgeon
who also sits on the board of various businesses and
charities. One (Rand Paul) is a medical doctor currently
serving as a U. S. Senator. Another (Huckabee) is a
former governor of Arkansas and amateur musician who
just finished a second career as a national television talk
show host. Another (Kasich) is currently a successful
reform governor of Ohio who served many years
in Congress where he led the fight for our country's
last balanced budget. Walker and Christie are also
governors and have both turned around states that had
been languishing in debt. Jeb Bush is a former governor
of Florida. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are young,
reform-minded senators. Participating in the "happy
hour" debate, Rick Santorum and Lindsey Graham are
experienced multi-term senators. George Pataki served as
governor of New York, and Bobby Jindal is doing a good
As an
animal lover,
the Texas
Rangers
are not in
my good
graces at the
moment.
One of them just shot to
death a toothless Boxer
while executing a search
warrant at the Harlingen
home of murder suspect
Monica Melissa Patterson,
and one has to ask: how does
something like this even
happen?
KRGV-TV, Channel 5,
broke the story late last week.
Apparently, the Rangers
were executing a search
warrant at the Harlingen
home of Patterson when
the Boxer allegedly made
an aggressive move toward
one of Texas’ elite law
enforcement officers, and so
he drew his weapon and shot
the dog to death – bang.
Later it was learned,
according to Patterson’s
Criminal Defense Attorney
Ricardo Salinas, the dog,
which had been a family pet
for approximately 10 years,
was toothless. Meaning, the
only thing the Boxer could
apparently do to protect
the home if he managed to
get to the Ranger before he
pulled his semi-auto was gum
him, which in all likelihood,
wouldn’t have even broken
the lawman’s clothes, no
doubt comprised of boots and
jeans.
To me, this points to
sloppy investigation and/or
lack of care for the family. No
matter what one may think
of Patterson at this moment,
she had a kid who in all
probability loved the dog, as
did, again, in all probability,
her husband. Not to mention
the suspect and her family.
The odd thing about the
Harlingen home is, why
did it look so disheveled
in the video of it posted by
KRGV-TV? It looked semiabandoned, but obviously,
someone was visiting there
regularly, considering the
dog had to be fed. But on her
Facebook page, Patterson
lists Weslaco as her residence.
But if I were with the
Hidalgo County DA’s office,
which will be tasked, in all
probability with prosecuting
the case, unless a change
of venue is granted to try
the case in another county
for whatever reason, I’d be
wondering, what else might
the Rangers have messed up
during their efforts to build
a capital murder case against
Patterson?
I know that’s a stretch,
based on the criminal
complaint against Melissa
Patterson, whose elements
seem damning if you couple
it with the story I wrote last
week, in which the victim’s
son lays out the events that
led to his dad’s murder, which
includes Patterson gaining
See HAUGHEY, page 21
Liberal Reasoning:
Idiotic or Dishonest?
By Walter E. Williams
Many people argue
that liberals, socialists and
progressives do not understand
basic economics. I am not totally
convinced about that.
Take the law of demand, for
example, one of the fundamental
principles of economics. It
holds that the lower the cost of
something the more people will
take or do of it. Conversely, the higher the cost the less
people will take or do something. By their actions, liberals
fully understand the law of demand. Let's look at some
proof.
The Seattle City Council voted unanimously to
establish a tax on gun and ammunition sales. Hillary
Clinton has called for a 25 percent tax on gun sales. In
Chicago, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle
proposed "violence taxes" on bullets to discourage
criminals from buying guns. Let's ignore the merit of these
measures. They do show that gun grabbers acknowledge
the law of demand. They want fewer gun sales and thus
propose raising the cost of guns.
NBCBLK contributor Danielle Moodie-Mills said, "We
need to stop misgendering people in the media, and there
needs to be some type of fine that's put into place for ...
media outlets ... that decide that they're just not going to
call people by their name." What Moodie-Mills wants
is for us to be obliged, if a man says he's a woman, to
address him as her and, if a woman says she's a man, to
address her as him. The basic point here is that MoodieMills acknowledges the fundamental law of demand when
she calls for FCC fines for media people who "misgender"
folks. By the way, if I claimed to be the king of Siam, I
wonder whether she would support my demand that I be
addressed as "your majesty."
In the Ohio Legislature, Rep. Bill Patmon, a Democrat
from Cleveland, introduced a bill to make it illegal to
manufacture, sell or display toy guns. The ban would
See WILLIAMS, page 21
control of the victim’s
valuable estate. But she’s still
innocent until proven guilty,
and over the years, there have
been many a solid murder
case overthrown due to a
technicality, which centers
around poor investigation
techniques and lack of proper
protocol.
By the way, the case against
Patterson hasn’t even made
it yet to the Hidalgo County
DA’s office. I spoke with DA
Ricardo Rodriguez, asking
when a grand jury might
hear the case, and he said, his
place where the search is to be
executed. Once at the scene,
call a family member of the
accused and say, “We’re here
at (your home) with a search
warrant in hand. But we need
to know, Are there any animals
on the property?”
If the husband says yes,
ask him to please drive over
to the property and secure the
dog. Given the circumstances,
no doubt his boss, if indeed he
works for someone and is not
self-employed, will acquiesce.
Obviously, he would know
about the turmoil now
The Boxer breed makes for a good guard dog. But did the
Patterson dog really warrant killing?
office hasn’t received it yet.
“It’s
still
under
investigation,” he said.
For how much longer, who
knows.
Where was her real home?
The thing I can’t quite
get straight is where exactly
did Patterson live? On her
Facebook page, she lists
Weslaco as her residence. But
then she’s apparently got this
Harlingen residence as well
that has a toothless Boxer
roaming the grounds? Who fed
it? And how often?
Why did it take so long for
the Texas Rangers to execute a
search warrant of its premises?
From the get-go, Patterson’s
been listed as a resident of
Harlingen, so they had to know
about the house. It would seem
that in a murder investigation,
the first thing an investigator
would do would be to search
the suspect’s home. Even if
she did live in Weslaco, and the
Harlingen home was some sort
of weekend place, or a home
under renovation, would you
not want to search that as well,
if you were the investigator?
They searched her place of
employment shortly after her
arrest: The Comfort House.
So why not the Harlingen
residence?
I have a suggestion for the
Texas Rangers, however. Call
it Search Warrant 101. It will
avoid bad PR – shooting of
toothless Boxer – and it will
save ammo – not sure how
many rounds were fired into the
aging dog sans canines before
he finally collapsed. Here’s my
suggestion:
Next time, with search
warrant in hand, drive to the
underway.
In the KRGV-TV story,
a DPS spokesman said that
the Rangers and some animal
wardens
“made
several
attempts to locate and secure
any dogs at the location. They
didn’t find any.”
So what did they do? Stand
outside the gate and yell, “Here,
boy, here, boy?”
No dog showed up, so they
walked on to the property?
In the same KRGV-TV
story, Patterson’s attorney,
Ricardo Salinas, said that
the killing of the pet Boxer is
something that never should
have happened.
I totally agree.
The Rangers should hang
their heads on this one. And
learn from it.
Salinas also told KRGV-TV
that he has to ask himself the
question: are the Rangers upset
that Patterson is out on bail so
they took out their frustrations
on the toothless Boxer?
Makes you wonder.
On the other hand, to be fair,
the Texas Rangers should get
credit for working this murder
investigation
in
focused
fashion, and, so far, coming
up with what looks like a solid
case against the two suspects
involved: Melissa Patterson,
48, and her alleged accomplice
in the murder of Martin Knell:
Angel Garza.
But come on, guys. Stay
sharp. The killing of the poor
toothless Boxer, 10, seems
like either sloppy investigatory
work, or as if there is a lack
of care and/or compassion
on your part for an innocent
animal who was only doing
his job: protecting the family
property.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
21
Point of View
TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
HIGHLIGHTS
By Ed Sterling
AUSTIN — Texas’ poverty
rate improved to 17.2 percent
in 2014, according to U.S.
Census Bureau’s American
Community Survey released
Sept. 17.
Embedded in that statistic
is this: more than 4.5 million
Texans — 1.7 million of whom
are children — still live in
poverty. In 2014, the poverty
line for a family of three was
about $19,000 per year.
Austin-based Center for
Public Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research and advocacy
organization, said the poverty
rate for Texas children of 24.6
percent remained unchanged
from the previous year.
“Although the state is
growing, too many Texans
struggle every day to make
ends meet,” Jennifer Lee of
the Center for Public Policy
Priorities said. “High levels
of child poverty continue to
undermine our state economy
and affect the future prosperity
of our state,” she added.
Other points made by the
Center, based on the Census
Bureau data:
- Rapid economic growth
in Texas cities and reflected
in population growth, new
construction, and increasing
home values, has outpaced
growth in Texans’ paychecks.
Median
household
income rose only slightly to
$53,035. Income inequality is
persistent in Texas. If Texas
were made up of five people
collectively earning $100, the
highest-earning person would
earn more than $51 while the
lowest-earner would make
$3.14 and the Texan in the
middle earns $14.
Education
levels
and poverty are closely
connected, underscoring the
importance of educating the
next generation of Texans for
the state’s future prosperity.
Some 28.5 percent of Texans
without a high school diploma
lived in poverty, compared to
10 percent of those with some
college education and only
4.5 percent for those with a
bachelor’s degree.
WILLIAMS...
professor of economics, wrote
that raising the minimum
wage "would reduce income
inequality and poverty while
boosting growth, without
increasing
unemployment."
The leftist Center for Economic
and Policy Research has
written a paper whose title tells
it all: "Why Does the Minimum
Wage Have No Discernible
Effect on Employment?" The
U.S. Department of Labor has
a page on its website titled
"Minimum Wage Mythbusters"
(http://tinyurl.com/lt47co9),
which relays a message from
liberal economists: "Increases
in the minimum wage have had
little or no negative effect on
the employment of minimumwage workers."
What the liberals believe —
and want us to believe — is that
though an increase in the cost
of anything will cause people
to use less of it, labor is exempt
from the law of demand. That's
like accepting the idea that the
law of gravity influences the
falling behavior of everything
except nice people. One would
have to be a lunatic to believe
either proposition.
-----------------Walter E. Williams is a
professor of economics at
George Mason University. To
find out more about Walter E.
Williams and read features
by other Creators Syndicate
writers and cartoonists, visit
the Creators Syndicate Web
page at www.creators.com.
Continued from page 20
apply to any toy gun that a
"reasonable person" could
confuse with a real one. A
$1,000 fine and up to 180 days
in jail would be imposed for
failure to obey the law. That's
more evidence that liberals
understand the law of demand.
You want less of something?
Just raise its cost.
Even
San
Francisco
liberals and environmentalists
understand the law of demand.
They've proposed a ban that
over the next four years would
phase out the sale of plastic
water bottles that hold 21
ounces or less in public places.
Violators could face fines of up
to $1,000.
Former U.S. Secretary of
Energy Steven Chu once said,
"We have to figure out how
to boost the price of gasoline
to the levels in Europe" in
order to make Americans give
up their "love affair with the
automobile." If gas prices rise
high enough, Chu knows that
Americans will drive less.
There you have it —
abundant evidence that liberals,
socialists and progressives
understand the law of demand.
But wait a minute. What
about raising the cost of hiring
workers through increases in
the minimum wage?
Aaron Pacitti, Siena College
No one need go hungry
Texas Department of
Agriculture is encouraging
Texans in need to apply for
assistance through the U.S.
Department of Agriculture-
American Community Survey
updates poverty statistics
funded Child and Adult Care
Food Program.
About 13,000 adult and
child care centers and homebased day cares in Texas are
serving free or reduced-price
meals through the program.
Helpful information can be
found at www.squaremeals.
org.
Unemployment rate drops
Texas
Workforce
Commission on Sept. 18
announced Texas’ seasonally
adjusted
unemployment
rate fell to 4.1 percent in
August, the lowest rate of
unemployment for Texas
since January of 2001. The
national unemployment rate
was at 5.1 percent in August,
according to the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics.
Leisure and Hospitality
led all major industries in
Texas with an expansion of
5,900 jobs in August. The
Professional and Business
Services industry added 4,000
positions over the month, and
Construction gained 3,200
jobs in August. Other Services,
which includes religious
and civic organizations,
personal services and repair
businesses, added 600 jobs in
August.
Texas
Workforce
Commission Chair Andres
Alcantar said the state’s
low unemployment rate
“demonstrates the resilience
and strength of the Texas
economy.”
Texas earns top rating
A 2015 Global Location
Trends Facts & Figures report
by IBM ranks Texas the No.
1 state in the U.S. for foreign
and domestic investment,
based on number of jobs.
Released last week, the
report examines what drives
companies to relocate or
locate new operations and
facilities around the world.
Gov. Greg Abbott on
Sept. 15 commented on the
report, saying: “Texas is a
state best characterized by
its competitive advantage in
diversity of talent, market
and economic resources and
it's no surprise we’ve again
been named a top state for
investment.”
Child seats emphasized
Texas Department of
Transportation last week
reported that in 2014, crashes
on Texas roads killed 81
children younger than 8 years
of age. In 2013 the death toll
for children in the same age
bracket was 67.
Texas law requires all
children under 8 years old,
unless they are taller than 4
feet 9 inches, to be in a child
safety seat whenever they
ride in a passenger vehicle.
Failure to properly restrain a
child can result in a ticket up
to $250.
TxDOT conducted free
child safety seat checks at the
agency’s 25 statewide district
offices as part of national
Child Passenger Safety Week,
Sept. 13-19.
Houston is added to list
U.S.
Department
of
Homeland Security on Sept.
15 announced the adding of
Houston and Chicago to the
federal agency’s Domestic
Nuclear Detection Office’s
Securing the Cities program.
The program reportedly
is designed to help detect
radiological and nuclear
threats and protect major
metropolitan areas against
terrorist attacks.
According to Census
Bureau
2014
estimates,
Houston, at 2.24 million
people, is the nation’s fourthlargest city. Chicago, rated
third largest, had a population
of 2.72 million in 2014.
On Sept. 15 Texas
Department of Public Safety
Director Steven McCraw said
the program “offers state and
local agencies vital resources
to help prepare in protecting
against radiological or nuclear
terrorist attacks.”
Asian American. We are an Technologies. She then
upwardly mobile society. served as CEO of HewlettMany of the Republican Packard from 1999 to 2005
Continued from page 20
candidates
had
humble and oversaw the largest
beginnings. Ben Carson's technology merger of the day
job as Louisiana's governor mother didn't even know when HP acquired Compaq. turning around his state's how to read but faked it and She was the first woman to lead
economy.
graded the book reports she a Fortune 500 company. She
On the Democrat side required her children write. is a graduate of Stanford, the
Hillary Clinton is a former She noticed that the people University of Maryland, and
senator and secretary of state whose houses she cleaned the Massachusetts Institute
who was until recently on the didn't watch much television, of Technology. Because
board of her own foundation so she severely limited her of her accomplishments
which paid for her travel children's viewing time and and international reach she
expenses. She was also for substituted books. Marco was selected to the CIA's
many years on the board Rubio and Ted Cruz's parents External Advisory Board. of WalMart but resigned were both poor. Cruz's father As Chairman of Opportunity
when that became a political left Cuba as a refugee after International, a respected
liability. Her handling of initially supporting Castro global financial services
classified e-mails is under and being jailed by Batista. organization for the poor she
investigation by the FBI. Rubio was born in Miami has overseen the distribution
Socialist Bernie Sanders and also to Cuban refugees who of over $8 billion to the
Elizabeth Warren are U. had left Cuba before Castro poor in average amounts of
S. Senators. Joe Biden is a took over. His father was $150 and has literally helped
former senator and current a bartender. His uncle read millions out of poverty
vice president noted for books and newspapers to worldwide through providing
frequent verbal gaffs. Martin Marco and the other children, them business opportunities. O'Malley was the State of which got Marco interested 99.7% of all contributions to
Maryland's worst governor in politics. He ultimately Opportunity International go
of recent memory (who even graduated from college, ran directly to those in need. taxed rain and septic system successfully for the West
Minorities have wonderful
flushes). Mr. O'Malley also Miami City Commission, was choices before them as they
was part of a band which then elected to the Florida review the field of Republican
played at Baltimore area bars. House of Representatives. candidates. The more
He blames global warming Four years later he became interesting choices are people
for ISIS and wants the United Majority Leader and three dedicated to helping the poor,
States to bring 65,000 Syrian years after that Speaker of creating jobs, and defending
refugees
(and
potential the House. He then went the country. One man may
terrorists) into this country.
around the state holding town be receiving the lion's share
I may be revealing my halls collecting suggestions of publicity at the moment,
bias, but it seems to me for improving the state. He but when the race narrows
that this year's crop of ultimately submitted the 100 in coming months one of
Republicans demonstrates a best suggestions and 99 of the minority candidates may
diversity sadly lacking in the them became law.
well take the lead. This is a
democratic candidates We
Carly Fiorina began work field that those dedicated to
are a country of minorities, as a secretary at a small real diversity should love.
and are comprised of blacks, estate company and worked
------------- --whites, Hispanics, and Asian her way up the executive
Tom Haughey is Senior
Americans. The Republican ladder at AT&T and its Advisor of the Texas Republican
presidential candidates are equipment spin-off Lucent County Chairmen's Association.
black, white, Hispanic, and
HAUGHEY...
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
22
Local Living
Leo Najo Day celebration Oct. 3
Obituaries
MARTHA LUNA
SAN JUAN – Martha Luna, 70, died
Tuesday, September 15, 2015, at her residence
in San Juan.
She is preceded in death by her husband,
Ricardo Luna; her father, Leopoldo Robledo;
and a granddaughter, Marissa Nicole.
Mrs. Luna is survived by her four children,
Jorge, Guillermo, Martha Raquel, Mirna, all
of San Juan; eight grandchildren, Michelle,
Jorge Jr., Ricardo, Jacob, Joey, Justin,
Marco, Alexis; two great-grandchildren, Jace
Christian, Abigail Brooke.
Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a 2 p.m.
chapel service Thursday, September 17, 2015, at Memorial
Funeral Home in San Juan. Interment will follow at San Juan
Cemetery.
Funeral services are under the direction of Memorial Funeral
Home in San Juan.
ALFREDO “FREDDY” CASTILLO
SAN JUAN — Alfredo “Freddy” Castillo,
62, passed away Wednesday, September 16,
2015.
Freddy lived life to the fullest, every day
was an adventure. He enjoyed watching
sports, game shows, and comedy. He will be
greatly missed by family and friends.
Alfredo is preceded in death by his parents,
Alfonso and Virginia Castillo.
He is survived by a daughter, Marnee Elaine
Smith of St. Petersburg, FL; two brothers,
Adrian Castillo of San Juan, Arnaldo Castillo of Michigan; a
sister, Aida (Ramon) Torres of Pasadena; five nephews, Alex
Torres, Esteban Torres, Cesar Torres, all of Pasadena, David
Castillo, Eduardo Castillo, both of Michigan; and numerous
cousins from San Juan.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 9 p.m., with a 7 p.m. rosary
Monday, September 21, 2015, at Memorial Funeral Home in
San Juan. Funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. Tuesday,
September 22, 2015, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish in San
Juan. Interment will follow at San Juan Cemetery.
Funeral services are under the direction of Memorial Funeral
Home in San Juan.
MARIO ALANIZ
SAN JUAN - Mario Alaniz passed away
Thursday, September 17, 2015, at the age of
81.
He is preceded in death by his parents,
Felipe Alaniz and Manuela Trevino Alaniz;
a sister Raquel Calderon; and three brothers,
Adalberto Alaniz, Advento Alaniz and Ruben
Alaniz.
Mario is survived by his loving wife of
47 years, Oralia Alaniz, his daughter, Sandra
Yvette, his sons, Mark and Mario, and his
beloved grandchildren, Courtnee Joanne and Mark II. His brother,
Johnny Alaniz, and numerous nieces and nephews also survive
him. Finally, he is survived by his loyal dog of 12 years, Sassy.
Born in 1934, he became a star baseball athlete, playing in
semi-pro baseball in South Texas, later being inducted into the
Leo Najo Hall of Fame. Mario proudly served in the US Military
during the Korean War era in both the 11th airborne and the
legendary 82nd airborne division of the US Army as a Staff
Sergeant.
After his time in the military, Mario became a career civil
servant with the United States Department of Agriculture, notably
playing a key role in the screwworm eradication program of the
1960’s and 1970’s, and the mounted patrol fever tick eradication
program of the 1980’s through the present. Later, he and his wife
opened San Mar Department Store and Mark’s 5 & 10 located in
downtown San Juan, helping the original downtown grow into
a strong community through the 1980’s. Upon retiring, Mario
continued serving his community by helping his wife, Oralia,
with the St. Vincent De Paul Soup Kitchen located at St. John the
Baptist Catholic Parish.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 9 p.m., with a 7 p.m. rosary
today, September 18, 2015, at Memorial Funeral Home in San
Juan. Funeral mass will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, September
19, 2015, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish in San Juan.
Private interment will take place at a later date at Rio Grande
Valley State Veterans Cemetery in Mission.
Funeral services are under the direction of Memorial Funeral
Home in San Juan.
ARJONA...
Continued from page 3
new job. As Spock would say:
may you live long and prosper.
With regard to the city
of San Juan, the town will
always hold a special place
in the heart of this newspaper.
It’s where it first began
publication in March of
1978. And without the good
people there who supported
this newspaper from the
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
get-go, many of them now
long gone, we wouldn’t
be where we are today.
If I started thanking the
“old timers,” (I can say that
now, since at the age of 60,
I qualify) who supported
this paper in the old days,
I’d most certainly leave
someone out. So I won’t do
that. But on behalf of my wife
(she’s the real owner; I’m the
janitor) and myself, we wish
San Juan continued good
success, as we do its new city
manager, Benjamin Arjona.
Vicente Estevis, President
of the Leo Najo Day
Organization, stated that the
2015 celebration will be held
on Oct. 3, 2015 at the Mission
Community Center.
This, the 44th annual event,
honors the memory of one of
the greatest baseball players
in the history of baseball in
the Rio Grande Valley, the
USA, and Mexico. It is also
a memorable event for old
time baseball players who are
inducted into the “Leo Najo
Hall of Fame.”
The 2015 Hall of Fame
honorees are the following:
Cesar
De
La
Garza,
Brownsville; Juan “Johnny”
Guzman, San Antonio; Jose
Benito Hernandez Sr., Abram;
OBSERVATIONS...
Continued from page 1
are known to collect on game
days.
But with Dr. Cigarroa
since retired, his replacement,
Chancellor Bill McRaven,
sided
with
UT-Austin
President Gregory Fenves,
and said yes to the sale of
beer and wine in all private
and public areas at Darrell
K Royal-Texas Memorial
Stadium this season, which
began Sept. 12. My wife
asks: Do they own stock in
breweries and wineries?
The UT mantra has since
become: the sale of booze at
sporting events “enhances the
fans’ experience.”
Begging the question:
Are they using “magic
mushrooms” for inspiration?
Meaning,
one
might
suppose,
watching
the
Longhorns play football and
getting plastered makes for a
more meaningful experience.
Especially when they lose.
Or win. Drinking enhances
the win and drowns out the
loss. Meanwhile, the alcohol
vendors rejoice either way,
covering the point spread,
win or lose.
UT-Austin became the
fourth UT System school
to serve adult beverages at
sporting events. The three
other schools that beat Austin
to the punch: UT at El Paso,
UT at San Antonio, and UT at
Arlington.
Now, UT-RGV joins the
beer-and-wine tasting crowd.
The announcement came
last month: the university’s
licensed
concessionaire,
Sodexo Campus Dining
Services (AKA, Sodexo
Sports and Leisure), will now
sell beer and wine to patrons
at men’s and women’s soccer
games, as well as at men’s
basketball and baseball home
games.
For away games, you have
to pick up your own 12-pack
or wine cooler before the
drive.
Apparently, beer and wine
sales have already worked out
quite well at some of the UTRGV games. According to the
university’s website, during
a pilot alcohol program this
past spring, attendance at
baseball games increased
approximately 67 percent,
and an approximate 96
percent increase in concession
Cesar Perez, Rio Grande City;
Rene Ramirez, Hebbronville;
and Luis Valdez, Brownsville.
Special
recognition
to: Jose Garza Carreon,
Edinburg; Arturo Estrada,
Monterrey; Roy Garcia,
Los
Fresnos;
Ponciano
Garza, Hebbronville; Felipe
Montemayor, Monterrey; Joe
Rodriguez, Brownsville; and
Francois Romney, Monterrey.
Estevis added that each
year “we have old timers at
our celebration from various
parts of the USA and Mexico.”
The community center
will open at 9 a.m. And the
ceremonies will start at 11
a.m. Everyone is invited at
no charge. Brisket plates are
$7 and beverages will be
sales were reported. If one
correlates the relationship, the
conclusion seems to suggest
that there are a lot of boozers
out there who simply show up
at the games to down suds as
opposed to watching athletes
compete.
According to UT-RGV,
there were “no reported
incidents on campus or in the
community relating to the sale
of alcohol at those games.”
But, according to the
university, fan surveys, those
fans who could still fill out the
survey, said that the sale of
beer and wine had increased
their experience at the bames.
I mean, games.
University
personnel,
however, weren’t on hand to
follow sporting fans home
to see how many spouses
they beat up because dinner
wasn’t ready upon their
return. Nor was any study
done, apparently, to show any
correlation between DWIs
linked to “fans” who had just
left the UT-RGV sporting
events on their drive home.
More good news for the
purveyors of alcohol (AKA,
the legalized drug): when
so many students graduate
and can’t find work because
more American companies
have offshored jobs to cheap
labor markets (HP to Cut
33,300 Jobs over the Next
Three Years; Reuters; Sept.
16, 2005), some of them just
may graduate with an alcohol
addiction already intact to
ease the pain of having no
job and no money with which
to pay back their student
loan. Paying to get plastered,
however, may present a
problem since the Lone Star
Card (AKA, food stamps)
won’t allow for the purchase
of alcoholic beverages.
Aside from the lack of
purchasing power, however,
they still won’t leave college
completely empty handed.
They’ll have a monkey on
their back. Courtesy of Bud
Light, Miller Light, Tecate,
wine coolers, it’s all good.
If things get really tough
financially, there’s always
Mad Dog 20/20 and Boone’s
Farm.
UT-RGV has promised
to take some of that income
and donate it to Mujeres
Unidas, the home for battered
women and children, most
of whom come from homes
occupied by men with a
drinking problem. No, wait,
the university’s website made
no mention of that charitable
Leonardo "Leo Najo"
Alanis in San Antonio Bears
team uniform, circa 1925.
--Wikipedia
available.
Mrs. Leo Najo and other
family members will be in
attendance to participate in
the celebration.
For more information you
may contact Vicente Estevis
at (956) 381-4844.
contribution. Maybe it will
be forthcoming, who knows.
Or maybe UT-RGV can
donate some of the money it
rakes in on alcohol sales to
local police departments who
will use up scarce resources,
no doubt, to handle some of
the increased DWI arrests
following college games. It
seems doubtful, but perhaps
some of the money can also
be granted to the ambulance
companies
tasked
with
scraping bodies from the
hard asphalt following fatal
DWI-related auto wrecks.
The
man
initially
responsible for the change
– alcohol sold at UT-Austin
sporting events for the first
time in the university’s
stellar history – is former
UT Athletic Director Steve
Patterson, who was fired from
his job last week. (Thank
you). The legacy he leaves
behind: booze now available
at college sporting events.
And now UT-RGV has
signed on to the boozeguzzling fest, making the
local beer distributors happy,
no doubt. At least college
kids aren’t known for getting
rowdy and drinking to
excess, so no worry there.
And they’ll have to be carded
if they want a drink. So the
kids who are still freshmen
after three years at UT-RGV
will have to prove they are of
legal drinking age, 21, so no
problems in that regard.
Good news for local
attorneys and bail bondsmen,
however. What’s the price
of a DWI these days?
Approximately 8, 9 grand?
The parents will be happy
when they hear the news.
And it’s not as if there’s any
poverty in the RGV, so that
$8,000 or $9,000 shouldn’t
serve as any sort of hardship
for anyone.
Don’t feel bad for former
AD Steve Patterson, by the
way. The Longhorns, with
the help of some wealthy
alum, paid off Steve-o’s fouryear contract to the tune of at
least $5.6 million. Meaning,
the former Longhorn alum,
who used to serve as GM for
the Houston Rockets in the
early 1990s, doesn’t even
have to get out of bed in the
morning for the next four
years to pocket his monthly
paycheck of approximately
$116,666.
(People
probably
shouldn’t read too much into
the 666 figure.)
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
23
Public Notices/Classifieds
SAN JUAN...
Continued from page 1
the Texas Syndicate who had just
shot two Edinburg cops earlier
that same day while they were
trying to serve an arrest warrant
on him for capital murder charges.
Both cops survived, but the gang
member went down in a hail of
bullets after an approximate threehour stand-off, during which he
traded approximately 400 rounds
of high-velocity ammo with cops
that turned the relatively quiet La
Joya community into something
that resembled a scene straight
out of the movie “Scarface.”
So it’s not as if he hasn’t
seen the bullets fly. In the old
days, a cop rarely fired his gun
throughout his entire career. But
the times they have a changed.
“Plus, you look at what’s
going on around the country,”
says Gonzalez, “and it seems
like the risk to police officers is
higher than I’ve ever seen it.”
Just last month, a Harris
County deputy in the Houston
metroplex who was pumping
gas into his patrol unit, just
about to go off duty, was shot in
the back of the head 15 times.
A clear motive to his murder
still hasn’t been established.
A suspect remains in custody.
“But you think about these
things,” says Gonzalez, “and I
thought, you know, if an officer
wants to put a bumper sticker
on the back of their patrol unit
that says, ‘In God We Trust,’ and
they believe it makes them safer,
then I’m not going to say no.”
In San Juan, each officer is
assigned his or her own patrol unit.
Out of 45 units, approximately
15 officers have the God stickers
attached to their vehicle’s rear.
“The main thing I looked at,”
says Gonzalez, “was whether or
not it was a reasonable request
and whether or not it would
hinder our services to the public.”
Since the rear stickers were put
on, Gonzalez says that some area
churches have actually responded
in a positive way that actually
benefits the city of San Juan.
“We’ve had several local
churches donate some funds
(to
Crimestoppers)
already
because they’ve seen these
stickers affixed to the back
of some of our patrol units.”
And in fact, says Gonzalez,
some members of the local
law enforcement community
have praised the ‘In God
We Trust’ bumper stickers.
“They see it as a crimeprevention approach (of sorts)
for protecting both the public and
the police force,” says the chief.
Some people may consider
this a stretch, but Gonzalez says
one never knows what’s going
through the mind of a criminal.
“So who can say that someone
thinking about committing a
crime won’t see that message on
the back of a police unit and think
twice about what he’s fixing to do.
You just never know. And if that
message were to deter criminals
from hurting one of our officers
or a member of the general public,
then I support them 110 percent.”
LEGAL NOTICE
CITY OF ALAMO
Request for Sealed Bids
The City of Alamo hereby requests sealed bids for the following:
Sprinkler System
Sealed bids addressed to Melissa Rodriguez, Purchasing Agent, will be
accepted at the Alamo City Hall Purchasing Department, 420 N. Tower Rd,
Alamo, Texas 78516, until 3:00 p.m. on October 07, 2015, at which time
they will be opened and read aloud. Please mark envelope, “Sealed Bid –
Sprinkler System.”
Potential Bidders/Respondents are advised that the bidding documents
can be downloaded from the City of Alamo web page address: www.
alamotexas.org , and may also be secured at the Alamo City Hall Purchasing
Department, 420 N. Tower Rd., Alamo, Texas, or by calling 956/787-0006,
ext. 141. Be advised that if your company is contemplating on bidding this
project you must contact the Purchasing Department, so that any changes/
additions via addendum form can be forwarded to your company. (Please
include your company name, address, telephone, fax, and email as well as
contact person).
All bids shall be accompanied by a cashier’s check or certified check upon
a national or state bank in the amount of five (5%) percent of the total
maximum bid price, payable without recourse to the City of Alamo or a bid
bond in the same amount from a reliable surety company as a guarantee that
the Contractor will enter into a contract.
The City of Alamo reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids
and to accept the bid to be the best and most advantageous to the City and
to hold bids for a period of forty-five (45) days without taking action. Bids
submitted past the aforementioned date and time will not be accepted.
City of Alamo
Melissa Rodriguez,
Purchasing Agent
(Published in the Advance News Journal on Sept. 23 & Sept. 30, 2015)
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
CITY OF PHARR
You are hereby notified that the Pharr Board of Commissioners of the
City of Pharr, Texas, Hidalgo County, at a regular-special meeting held on
September 15, 2015 read, approved and passed the following ordinance (s):
ORDINANCE NO. O-2015-43
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. O-2012-44 ADDING
A NEW CHAPTER 11 UNDER THE CITY OF PHARR PERSONNEL
POLICY MANUAL RELATING TO RESTRICTIONS ON NONPROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIPS.
ORDINANCE NO. O-2015-44
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCES O-2015-38, O-2015-11,
O-2014- 48, O-2013-41, O-2013-22, O-2012-41; O-2011-50, O-2011-23,
O-2009-25, O-97-14, CITY CODE, CHAPTER 30, SECTION 30-26, 3027, 30-38, 30-40, AND 30-41; ESTABLISHING PROCEDURES AND
RATES FOR RENTAL OF CITY FACILITIES; AND ESTABLISHING AN
EFFECTIVE DATE.
ORDINANCE NO. O-2015-45
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE ZONING ORDINANCE OF
THE CITY OF PHARR, TEXAS, AS ENACTED ON THE 30TH DAY
OF MARCH, 1982, BY PROVIDING THAT A .75 ACRE TRACT OF
LAND BEING THE WEST 124.50 FEET OF THE SOUTH 264.00
FEET OF LOT 325, KELLY-PHARR SUBDIVISION, PHARR,
HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS SHALL BE CHANGED FROM A
SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT (R-1) TO A GENERAL
BUSINESS DISTRICT (C). THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED AT
322 WEST DICKER ROAD AMENDING THE ZONING MAP TO
CONFORM TO THESE CHANGES.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, WITNESS MY HAND AND SEAL OF
OFFICE THIS 15th DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 2015.
______________________________
CITY OF PHARR
HILDA PEDRAZA, TRMC
CITY CLERK
(Published in the Advance News Journal on September 23, 2015)
LEGAL NOTICE
Request for Qualifications
The City of Pharr is seeking sealed proposals addressed to Juan G. Guerra,
City Manager, at the Municipal Building, 4th Floor, 118 S. Cage Boulevard,
Pharr, Texas 78577, for the following:
Consulting Services for Health Insurance Analysis
Sealed proposals will be accepted until Tuesday, October 6, 2015 at 2:00
pm. at which time proposals will be opened publicly and read aloud by
Mr. Juan G. Guerra, City Manager, on the 2nd floor in the Pharr Board of
Commissioners Room.
Copies of the qualification package documents consisting of detailed
specifications, general requirements, or other information may be obtained
by at:
http://www.pharr-tx.gov/category/bid-postings.
Questions regarding this project should be directed to Anali Cantu, Human
Resources Director via email to anali.cantu@pharr-tx.gov or call 956-4024150, Ext. 1101.
The City of Pharr reserves the right to refuse and reject any or all formalities
or technicalities or to accept the proposal it considers to be the best and most
advantageous to the City of Pharr, and hold the proposals for a period of 30
days without taking action. Proposals submitted past the aforementioned
date and time will not be accepted.
Proposals must be clearly marked on the envelope:
RFQ: Consulting Services for Health Insurance Analysis
No. 1415-01-511-0036
Witness my hand and seal the 23rd day of September 2015.
City of Pharr
Hilda Pedraza, City Clerk
(Published in the Advance News Journal on Sept. 23 & Sept. 30, 2015)
Advance News Journal Classifieds
Get Results! Call 783-0036 Today.
24
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
NOTICE OF TAX FORECLOSURE SALE
OCTOBER 6, 2015
THE STATE OF TEXAS
COUNTY OF HIDALGO
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
JUAREZ A/K/A SAN JUAN RODRIGUEZ A/K/A
SAN JUANA R. JUAREZ
ACCT. NO. M7030-00-000-0037-00; LOT 37, MUNIZ SUBDIVISION IN
HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT
THEREOF, RECORDED IN VOLUME 24, PAGE 17, MAP RECORDS OF
HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS.
By virtue of Orders of Sale issued out of the Courts of Hidalgo County in the
HIDALGO COUNTY, HIDALGO COUNTY DRAINAGE
following cases on the 4th day of September, 2015, and to me, as Sheriff, directed and Cause No: T-1371-13-G
DISTRICT #1 AND MCALLEN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
delivered, I will proceed to sell at 10:12 AM on the 6th DAY OF October, 2015 , which is the DISTRICT VS. MAGDALENA GARAY, ET AL
first Tuesday of said month, south side under the covered space of the County Clerk Records Description: TRACT 1: LOT 6, BLOCK 5, D. GUERRA’S ADDITION TO THE
Management Facility (previously known as Robert’s Chevrolet building) with a physical
CITY OF MCALLEN, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE
address of 317 North Closner, Edinburg, Texas, the following described property, to wit
MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN VOLUME 3, PAGE 51, MAP
RECORDS, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS. (ACCT. NO. G940000005000600)
Cause No: T-1709-08-G
DONNA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND
SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE, ET AL vs.
HIDALGO COUNTY, HIDALGO COUNTY DRAINAGE
Cause No: T-1371-13-G
BANUELO RAMON
DISTRICT #1 AND MCALLEN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
ACCT. NO. P6960-00-000-0062-00; LOT 62, PIQUITO DE ORO, AN
DISTRICT VS. MAGDALENA GARAY, ET AL
ADDITION IN HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP
Description: TRACT 2: LOT 5, BLOCK 5, D. GUERRA’S ADDITION TO THE
OR PLAT THEREOF, RECORDED IN VOLUME 22, PAGE 124, MAP
CITY OF MCALLEN, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE
RECORDS OF HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS.
MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN VOLUME 3, PAGE 51, MAP
RECORDS, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS. (ACCT. NO. G940000005000500)
Cause No: T-1454-09-A
EDINBURG CONSOLIDATED INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
DISTRICT, DELTA LAKE IRRIGATION DISTRICT AND
Cause No: T-2554-13-A
HIDALGO COUNTY, HIDALGO COUNTY DRAINAGE
SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE, ET AL vs. FELIPE
DISTRICT #1 AND MCALLEN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
BARRIENTES A/K/A FELIPE S. BARRIENTES, JR.
DISTRICT vs. BENJAMIN TREVINO JR. A/K/A
ACCT. NO. D3800-02-000-0155-10 ( DL01000015500300); LOT 155, DELTA
BENJAMIN TREVINO, ET AL
ORCHARDS SUBDIVISION #2, AND ADDITION TO HIDALGO COUNTY, Description: TRACT 1: ALL OF LOT 22-A, BLOCK 30, BALBOA ACRES
TEXAS, AS DESCRIBED IN VOLUME 1189, PAGE 426, DEED RECORDS
SUBDIVISION, AN ADDITION TO THE CITY OF MCALLEN, HIDALGO
OF HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS; SAVE & EXCEPT HOWEVER, THAT
COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF
CERTAIN 2.00 ACRE TRACT DESCRIBED IN VOLUME 1942, PAGE 566,
RECORDED IN VOLUME 28, PAGE 79-B, MAP RECORDS, HIDALGO
DEED RECORDS OF HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS.
COUNTY, TEXAS. (ACCT. NO. B030000030022A00)
Cause No: T-2643-09-C
DONNA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND
Cause No: T-0131-14-I
HIDALGO COUNTY, HIDALGO COUNTY DRAINAGE
SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE, ET AL vs.
DISTRICT #1, HIDALGO COUNTY EMERGENCY
REFUGIO RODRIGUEZ
SERVICE DISTRICT #4 AND DONNA INDEPENDENT
ACCT. NO. L0450-00-148-0000-06; 1.666 ACRE, MORE OR LESS,
SCHOOL DISTRICT VS. CRISTOBAL CORTEZ, ET AL
SITUATED IN BLOCK 148, LA BLANCA AGRICULTURAL COMPANY
TRACT 1: ALL OF LOT 33, BLOCK 6, SCHROEDER SUBDIVISION, BEING
SUBDIVISION ‘B’, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS, AS DESCRIBED IN
A RESUBDIVISION OF 60 ACRES OF LOTS 1, 2, 3 AND 4, IN BLOCK 18
DEED DATED NOVEMBER 17, 1978, FROM ISIDRO RODRIGUEZ
OF LA DONNA TRACT, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO
ETUX TO REFUGIO RODRIGUEZ, IN VOLUME 1601, PAGE 770, DEED
THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN BOOK 13, PAGE 39, MAP
RECORDS OF HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS.
RECORDS, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS. GEO: S215000006003300
Cause No: T-250-10-H
EDCOUCH-ELSA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT,
Cause No: T-0176-14-J
HIDALGO COUNTY, HIDALGO COUNTY DRAINAGE
CITY OF EDCOUCH AND SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE,
DISTRICT #1 AND DONNA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
ET AL vs. JOSE ANGEL TREVINO, ET AL
DISTRICT vs. RICK SHAFRANEK, ET AL
ACCT. NO. C7300-00-010-0021-00; LOT 21, BLOCK 10, COLONIA JUAREZ Description: TRACT 1 : ALL OF LOTS 76 AND 77, CEDAR PARK, AN
ADDITION, AN ADDITION TO THE CITY OF EDCOUCH, HIDALGO
ADDITION TO THE CITY OF DONNA, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS,
COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF,
ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN VOLUME
RECORDED IN VOULUME 6, PAGE21, MAP RECORDS OF HIDALGO
23, PAGE 41, MAP RECORDS, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS, AND A 16 X 60
COUNTY, TEXAS.
OAK CREEK HOMES LP MOBILE HOME, LABEL NUMBER PFS0726216,
SERIAL NUMBER OC050214932. (ACCT. NO. C257000000007600)
Cause No: T-106-11-G
WESLACO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT,
CITY OF WESLACO AND SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE,
Cause No: T-0299-14-B
HIDALGO COUNTY, HIDALGO COUNTY DRAINAGE
ET AL vs. RUBEN GARZA, JR., ET AL
DISTRICT #1, HIDALGO COUNTY EMERGENCY
ACCT. NO. G9100-00-008-0008-00; LOT 8, BLOCK 8, COLONIA
SERVICE DISTRICT #3 AND DELTA LAKE IRRIGATION
GUADALUPE, AN ADDITION TO THE CITY OF WESLACO, HIDALGO
DISTRICT vs. ROSENDO SAN MIGUEL, ET AL
COUNTY, TEXAS, AS DESCRIBED IN CLERK’S FILE #520698, OFFICIAL Description: TRACT 1: LOT THIRTY-FOUR (34), EVERGREEN
RECORDS OF HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS.
DEVELOPMENT COMPANY SUBDIVISION, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS,
AS PER MAP OF PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN VOLUME 31, PAGE 9,
Cause No: T-074-11-C
EDCOUCH-ELSA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
MAP RECORDS, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS.
AND SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE, ET AL vs.
(ACCT. NO. E810300000003400 & DL02500103400000)
ESTANISLADO TAMEZ, ET AL
ACCT. NO. N3400-00-000-2042-01; 0.87 ACRE, MORE OR LESS, OUT
Cause No: T-0796-14-D
HIDALGO COUNTY, HIDALGO COUNTY DRAINAGE
OF THE WEST 10.0 ACRES OF FARM TRACT 2042, BLOCK 85, NORTH
DISTRICT #1 AND MCALLEN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
CAPISALLO DISTRICT SUBDIVISION, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS,
DISTRICT vs. ROGELIO BARREIRO, ET AL
AS DESCRIBED IN DEED DATED NOVEMBER 7, 1985 FROM MARIA
Description: TRACT 1: LOT 15, BLOCK 44, OF HAMMOND ADDITION,
AGAPITA CANTU TAMEZ TO ESTANISLADO TAMEZ ETAL, IN VOLUME
CITY OF MCALLEN, A SUBDIVISION IN HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS
2215, PAGE 956, OFFICIAL RECORDS OF HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS.
AS SHOWN ON THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN THE MAP
RECORDS OF HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS.
Cause No: T-078-11-F
EDCOUCH-ELSA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT,
(ACCT. NO. H090000044001500)
CITY OF ELSA AND SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE, ET AL
vs. JUAN MANUEL RIOJAS, SR., A/K/A JUAN M. RIOJAS
Cause No: T-0874-14-D
HIDALGO COUNTY, HIDALGO COUNTY DRAINAGE
ACCT. NO. E5400-00-002-00001-00; LOTS 1 AND 2, BLOCK 2, THE
DISTRICT #1 AND DONNA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
ORIGINAL TOWNSITE TO THE CITY OF ELSA, HIDALGO COUNTY,
DISTRICT vs. VIRGINIA H. PEDROZA
TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF, RECORDED
Description: TRACT 1: LOT 29 OF TIERRA VICTORIA, A SUBDIVISION
IN CLERK’S FILE #2008- 1871223, OFFICAL RECORDS OF HIDALGO,
IN HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS AS SHOWN ON THE MAP OR PLAT
TEXAS.
THEREOF RECORDED IN VOLUME 23 PAGE 18 OF THE MAP RECORDS
OF HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS. (ACCT. NO. T544000000002900)
Cause No: T-0435-12-J
HIDALGO COUNTY AND HIDALGO COUNTY
DRAINAGE DISTRICT #1 vs. JUAN A. PUENTE, ET AL
Cause No: T-1093-14-I
HIDALGO COUNTY, HIDALGO COUNTY DRAINAGE
A 0.47 ACRE TRACT OF LAND, MORE OR LESS, OUT OF LOT 7, C.H.
DISTRICT #1 AND HIDALGO COUNTY EMERGENCY
AND G. LAND COMPANY’S SUBDIVISION, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS, SERVICE DISTRICT #1 vs. PEDRO SALINAS
ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN THE
AKA PEDRO J. SALINAS, ET AL
OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK OF HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS,
Description: TRACT 1: A 2.00 ACRE TRACT OF LAND, MORE OR LESS,
AND BEING MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED BY THE METES
OUT OF FARM TRACT 1114, BLOCK 129, ADAMS TRACT SUBDIVISION,
AND BOUNDS IN THAT WARRANTY DEED RECORDED ON JULY 28,
HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT
2005, DOCUMENT NUMBER 1502432, OFFICIAL RECORDS, HIDALGO
THEREOF RECORDED IN VOLUME 2, PAGE 34, MAP RECORDS,
COUNTY, TEXAS, AND CARRIED ON THE TAX ROLLS AS C & H LAND
HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS, AND BEING MORE PARTICULARLY
E167.89’-S122.85’-N791.27’ LOT 7 0.47AC NET.
DESCRIBED BY METES AND BOUNDS IN THAT WARRANTY DEED
(ACCT. NO. C005000000000705)
RECORDED ON MAY 12, 2004, DOCUMENT NUMBER 1333855, OFFICIAL
RECORDS, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS, AND CARRIED ON THE TAX
Cause No: T-1018-12-E
DONNA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND
ROLLS AS ADAMS TRACT-N126.01’-S377.09’-W690.7’ FT 1114 2.0AC GR
SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE, ET AL VS.
1.93AC NET. (ACCT. NO. A080000000111424)
REYNALDO IBARRA, ET AL
Description: TRACT 1: THE SOUTH 125.00 FEET OF LOT 10, BLOCK
Cause No: T-3221-14-D
HIDALGO COUNTY, HIDALGO COUNTY DRAINAGE
2, THIRTY-SIX PALMS TERRACE SUBDIVISION, A SUBDIVISION IN
DISTRICT #1 AND EDCOUCH-ELSA INDEPENDENT
HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT
SCHOOL DISTRICT vs. JORGE V. MATA, ET AL.
THEREOF, RECORDED IN VOLUME 21, PAGE 182, MAP RECORDS OF
Description code: TRACT 1: LOT TWENTY-SIX (26), MERCEDES ACRES
HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS. (ACCT. NO.T409000002001001)
SUBDIVISION, AN ADDITION TO THE CITY OF MERCEDES, HIDALGO
COUNTY. TEXAS, ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF
Cause No: T-1813-12-J
WESLACO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND
RECORDED IN VOLUME 311 PAGE 15, MAP RECORDS, HIDALGO
SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE, ET AL VS. JOSE R.
COUNTY, TEXAS. (ACCT.NO. M352800000002600)
SANCHEZ, A/K/A JOSE SANCHEZ, ET AL
ACCT. NO. A-0800-00-000-1077-01; 1.91 ACRES, MORE OR LESS, OUT
Cause No: T-3366-14-C
HIDALGO COUNTY, HIDALGO COUNTY DRAINAGE
OF FARM TRACT 1077 OF THE ADAMS TRACT SUBDIVISON IN THE
DISTRICT #1 AND MCALLEN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
LLANO GRANDE GRANT HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS, AS DESRIBED
DISTRICT VS. VELIA M. ZARATE A/K/A VELIA ZARATE
IN DEED DATED FEBRUARY 26, 1976 FROM ROQUE GARCIA AND
A/K/A ZARATE MEDINA, ET AL
WIFE MARTHA E. GARCIA TO JOSE RAMIREZ SANCHEZ AND WIFE
Description: TRACT 1: LOT 145, LOS ENCINOS SUBDIVISION, AN
EPIFANIA H. SANCHEZ, RECORDED IN VOLUME 1477, PAGE 502, DEED
ADDITION TO THE CITY OF MCALLEN, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS,
RECORDS OF HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS.
ACCORDING TO THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORED IN VOLUME
29, PAGE 90, MAP RECORDS, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS.
Cause No: T-2814-12-C
DONNA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND (ACCT. NO L611500000014500)
SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE, ET AL vs. SAN JUANA
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
Cause No: T-0685-15-H
EDCOUCH ELSA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
VS. MARTHA CERVANTES
Description: TRACT 1: ALL OF LOT 13, GEORGE LOOKINGBILL
SUBDIVISION NO. 2, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS, ACCORDING TO
THE MAP OR PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN VOLUME 26, PAGE 7-B,
MAP RECORDS, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS.
(ACCT. NO. L546002000001300)
ALL BIDDERS MUST COMPLY WITH SECTION 34.015
OF THE TEXAS PROPERTY TAX CODE.
THIS SALE IS BEING CONDUCTED PURSUANT TO
STATUTORY OR JUDICIAL REQUIREMENTS. BIDDERS
WILL BID ON THE RIGHTS, TITLE, AND INTERESTS, IF
ANY, IN THE REAL PROPERTY OFFERED.
THE PROPERTY IS SOLD AS IS, WHERE IS, AND
WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, EITHER EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED. NEITHER THE COUNTY NOR THE
SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT WARRANTS OR MAKES ANY
REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE PROPERTY’S TITLE,
CONDITION, HABITABILITY, MERCHANTABILITY,
OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. BUYERS
ASSUME ALL RISKS.
IN SOME SITUATIONS, A LOT OF FIVE ACRES OR LESS
IS PRESUMED TO BE INTENDED FOR RESIDENTIAL
USE. HOWEVER, IF THE PROPERTY LACKS WATER
OR WASTEWATER SERVICE, THE PROPERTY MAY NOT
QUALIFY FOR RESIDENTIAL USE. A POTENTIAL BUYER
WHO WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION SHOULD
MAKE ADDITIONAL INQUIRIES OR CONSULT WITH
PRIVATE COUNSEL.
ESTA VENTA SE LLEVARÁ A CABO DE CONFORMIDAD
CON LOS REQUISITOS LEGALES O JUDICIALES. LOS
POSTORES HARÁN UNA OFERTA POR EL TÍTULO,
LOS DERECHOS E INTERESES, SI ALGUNO, EN LA
PROPIEDAD OFRECIDA.
LA PROPIEDAD SE VENDE COMO ESTÁ, EN EL LUGAR
DONDE SE ENCUENTRA, Y SIN NINGUNA GARANTÍA,
YA SEA EXPRESA O IMPLÍCITA. NI EL CONDADO, NI
LA OFICINA DEL ALGUACIL GARANTIZAN O HACEN
NINGUNA REPRESENTACIÓN SOBRE EL TÍTULO
DE LA PROPIEDAD, CONDICIÓN, HABITABILIDAD,
COMERCIABILIDAD, O IDONEIDAD PARA UN
PROPÓSITO PARTICULAR. LOS COMPRADORES
ASUMEN TODOS LOS RIESGOS.
EN ALGUNAS SITUACIONES, UN LOTE DE CINCO
HECTÁREAS O MENOS SE PRESUME QUE ES APTO PARA
USO RESIDENCIAL. SIN EMBARGO, SI LA PROPIEDAD
NO TIENE SERVICIOS DE AGUA POTABLE O AGUAS
RESIDUALES, LA PROPIEDAD NO PUEDE CALIFICAR
PARA EL USO RESIDENCIAL. UN COMPRADOR
POTENCIAL QUE DESEE MÁS INFORMACIÓN, DEBERÁ
HACER ESTUDIOS ADICIONALES O CONSULTAR CON
UN ABOGADO PRIVADO.
Levied on the 24th day of July, 2015. as the property of said Defendants to satisfy the
judgements rendered in the above styled and numbered causes, plus all taxes, penalties,
interest, and attorney fees accrued to the date of sale and all costs recoverable by law in favor
of each jurisdiction.
For additional information:
25
LEGAL NOTICE
CITY OF McALLEN
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Sealed bids addressed to Mr. Mark Vega, P.E., General Manager, McAllen
Public Utilities, will be received on October 01, 2015 until 3:00 p.m., at
which time they will be taken to Conference Room 2A on the second floor
of McAllen City Hall, and publicly opened and read aloud. Bids must be
filed in the City of McAllen’s possession on or before the aforementioned
date and time (no late bids will be accepted).
NORTHGATE SEWER LINE PROJECT
Description of Work: The project consists of the installation of approximately
5,600 LF of 12” diameter gravity sewer and related appurtenances along
Northgate Avenue between the limits of 23rd Street and 2nd Street.
A Bidder’s Bond from a reliable surety company licensed to operate in the
State of Texas or certified Cashier’s Check, payable without recourse to the
City of McAllen, for the amount of not less than five (5) percent (%) of the
total bid shall accompany the bid as a guaranty that, if awarded the contract,
the bidder will enter into a contract with the City of McAllen. Payment
and Performance Bonds shall be executed except in the event that the total
amount bid is $50,000 or less, the successful contractor has the option to
enter into a single payment contract with the City of McAllen in lieu of
a Performance Bond. In the event that the total amount bid is $25,000 or
less, the successful contractor has the option to enter into a single payment
contract with the City of McAllen in lieu of a Payment and Performance
Bond.
Plans and Specifications may be obtained from the office of Gerardo Noriega,
Director of Purchasing and Contracting, 1300 Houston Avenue, McAllen,
Texas 78501, for the amount of $150.00. General and/or Prime Contractors
submitting bids and/or proposals to the City of McAllen shall be refunded
their deposits upon return of plans and specifications in good condition.
All other recipients of plans and specifications shall be reimbursed their
deposit only if they return plans and specifications in good condition to
the Purchasing and Contracting Department no later than the fifth (5th)
working day after bid opening. Additionally Plans and Specifications may
be ordered electronically via our Bidding Portal at www.ebidexchange.com/
mcallen. We are asking that vendors/contractors register online and order
plans & specs electronically. Once on the portal, after you have logged in
you can click on the button “Order complete set of Prints” to order your
documents, just indicate in the number of set(s), your Carrier Account # (for
billing purposes), under the special instructions you may enter the Carrier
Name associated with your account number. Plans and specifications may
be reviewed at Valley branches of the AGC, Dodge Data & Analytics, and
other plan rooms.
Potential bidders are asked to post their questions on our bidding portal
under the tab labeled “Questions” under the relative project number.
Bids are to be submitted electronically, as well as, in hard copy format.
(Written Formal Sealed Bid Submittal shall govern, in case of discrepancies).
The City of McAllen reserves the right to refuse and reject any or all Bids
and to waive any or all formalities or technicalities, or to accept the Bid
considered the best and most advantageous to the City and to hold the bids
for a period of sixty (60) days without taking action thereon.
Hand-deliver Bids: 1300 Houston Avenue,
Purchasing & Contracting
Department (3rd Floor)
If using Land Courier (i.e., FedEx, UPS): 1300 Houston Avenue,
Purchasing & Contracting
Department (3rd Floor),
McAllen, Texas 78501
Mail Bids: P.O. Box 220, McAllen, TX
78505-0220
A Pre-Bid Conference will be held September 24, 2015, at 9:00 a.m. in
Conference Room 2A (2nd floor) McAllen City Hall, City of McAllen. All
prospective bidders are encouraged to be in attendance.
Bid proposals must be clearly marked on the envelope:
Project No. 10-15-C01-212
NORTHGATE SEWER LINE PROJECT
(Published in the Advance News Journal on Sept. 16 & Sept. 23, 2015)
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
26
Public Notices/Classifieds
PUBLIC AUCTION
Best Little Warehouse in Texas Self Storage
Facilities shall conduct a Public Auction for
cash on October 5, 2015 starting at 9.00 A.M.
in the order presented on contents stored
to satisfy a Landlords Lien
BLWT-Mission
2207 N. Conway
Casarez, Alberto-Misc
Rivera, Ricardo-H/H
Cantu, Severo-H/H
Pena, Nalani L. H/H
BLWT-McAllen (Ware Road)
200 S. Ware Road
Rivera, Celia Karina- H/H
Garcia, Mary-Misc
Rose, Donna-H/H
BLWT-McAllen 5
3110 N. 23rd Street
Rocha, Martha R.- Misc
Garza, Julian-H/H
Cabrera, Mercedes-H/H
Bernal, Rocio-H/H
Flores, Manuela-Misc
Galvan, Victor-H/H
Flores, Manuela-H/H
McAllen 1
2409 Quamasia
Jamon, Lourdes-Misc
Edinburg
1815 W. University
Hutchinson, Tonya C.-H/H
Limas, Priscilla L.-Misc
Gonzales, Edgar-H/H
Pena, Patty-H/H
McAllen 2
2305 N. McColl
Halbach, Donald-Misc
Pharr 1
111 S. Palm Dr.
Martinez, Rosalinda-H/H
Barajal, Crystal-H/H
Bochas, Sergio Antonio-H/H
Cantu, Vanessa Ann-H/H
Maldonado, Maria Alberto Magallanes-H/H
Yado, Carlin-Misc
Trevino, Jose-H/H
Weslaco 1
500 East Expressway 83
Garcia, Rosangelica- H/H
Garcia, Daniel-H/H
Cano, Cesar Agusto-H/H
Zuniga, Amanda Marie-Misc
Castilla, Ramiro-H/H
Gonzales-Manuel-H/H
Rivera, Juan-Misc
Moreno, Daniella Marie-H/H
R&R
706 N. Airport Dr.
Garza, Eugenio-H/H
Martinez, Joanne A,-H/H
Weslaco 2
1700 East 6th Street
Echavarria, Victor-Misc
Mendoza, Carlota-H/H
Moreno, Leticia C.-Misc
De Los Santos, Lilia-H/H
De Los Santos, Lila-H/H
Zavala, Graciela W.-H/H
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE
Application has been
made with the Texas
Alcoholic Beverage
Commission
for
a Wine and Beer
Retailer's
OffPremise Permit by
Obedt Cruz dba 4x4
Drive-Thru to be
located at 6911 S.
Jackson Road, Pharr,
Hidalgo
County,
Texas.
(Published in the Advance
News Journal on Sept. 23
& Sept. 30, 2015)
HELP WANTED
Barbers and Beauty
Operators
needed.
Julie’s Beauty Shop,
1019 W. Hwy. 83,
10/14
Alamo.
Call 787-6513
FOR SALE
3 Cemetery plots
for sale
Valley
Memorial
Gardens 3 Cemetery
Plots.
Section H Lot 331 and
332 - 3 consecutive
spaces. $1,600 each or
$4,500 all three.
Email: Oswald2787@aol.com
956-607-8581
Serious Inquiries
Classified
Ads Get
Results!
Call Advance
News Journal
Today.
Ph (956) 783-0036
F (956) 787-8824
e-mail: advancenews
@aol.com
Website:
www.anjournal.com
LEGAL NOTICE
Public Notice
City of Pharr
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Grant Application
For a Proposed Nature Park
The City of Pharr will be holding a public forum to hear input from the
citizens on a grant application to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
for a proposed new Nature Park located on 1025 South Birch Street. You
are invited to attend this Public Forum on Tuesday, September 29, 2015
at 6:00 pm at City Hall, Commissioners’ Room, 118 S. Cage Blvd., 2nd
Floor, Pharr, Texas.
The city encourages residents to participate in the development of the grant
application and make their views known at this public forum. For further
information residents can call the City of Pharr Parks and Recreation
Department at (956) 402-4550. We look forward to your participation.
(Published in the Advance News Journal on September 23, 2015)
THE CITY OF WESLACO
Ordinance No. 2015-24
An ordinance establishing a capital improvement program fund;
promulgating rules and regulations concerning the building and maintaining
of such fund, and the permitted withdrawals and prohibitions; repealing all
ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict; providing a savings clause;
providing an effective date.
Ordinance No. 2015-25
An ordinance amending ordinance number 2014-11, approving and adopting
a budget for the City of Weslaco, Texas for the fiscal year beginning October
1, 2014 and ending September 30, 2015, finding need to amend the 20142015 municipal budget; providing a severability clause; providing an
effective date, and ordaining other matters with respect to the subject matter
hereof.
Ordinance No. 2015-26
An ordinance establishing an equipment replacement fund; promulgating
rules and regulations concerning the building and maintaining of such fund,
and the permitted withdrawals and prohibitions; repealing all ordinances
or parts of ordinances in conflict; providing a savings clause; providing an
effective date.
Ordinance No. 2015-27
An ordinance making appropriations for the support of the City of Weslaco
for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2015 and ending September 30,
2016; appropriating money to a sinking fund to pay interest and principal
on the city’s indebtedness; and adopting the annual budget for the City of
Weslaco, Texas, for the 2015-2016 fiscal year.
Ordinance No. 2015-28
An ordinance levying an ad valorem tax on all taxable property within the
City of Weslaco, Texas for the tax year 2015, fixing the tax rate for the use
and support of the general government and for the interest and sinking fund
for the redemption of bonds and other indebtedness of the City of Weslaco,
Texas, and fixing a lien on all taxable property.
Ordinance No. 2015-29
An ordinance repealing Ordinance 2012-17 “candidate filing fee,” providing
for severability clause; providing for effective date, proper notice of meeting,
and ordaining other matters related to the foregoing.
PASSED AND APPROVED on first reading at a regular meeting of the City
Commission this 1st day of September, 2015.
PASSED AND APPROVED on second reading at a regular meeting of the
City Commission this 15th day of September, 2015.
CITY OF WESLACO
/s/ David Suarez, MAYOR
ATTEST:
/s/ Elizabeth M. Walker, CITY SECRETARY
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
/s/ Frank Garza, CITY ATTORNEY
(Published in the Advance News Journal on Sept. 23 & Sept. 30, 2015)
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE PUBLIC HEARING
The Planning & Zoning Commission of the City of Pharr will hold a Public
Hearing in the City Commissioners’ Room located at 118 S. Cage Blvd., 2nd
Floor, Pharr, TX. The meeting will be on Monday, October 12, 2015, at 6:00
p.m. in reference to the following case(s):
PUBLIC HEARING:
1. Blanca Estella Meza, d/b/a Hukah Lounge, has filed with the Planning
and Zoning Commission a request for a Conditional Use Permit
and Late Hours Permit to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages for on
premise consumption in a General Business District (C). The property
is legally described as being all of Lots 9 & 10, Block 1, Amended
Plat of Mayfair Subdivision, Pharr, Hidalgo County, Texas. The
property’s physical address is 3914 North Jackson Road.
CUP#150957
2. Ronal O Urquia, d/b/a Lily’s Bar & Grill, has filed a request for
renewal of the Conditional Use Permit and Late Night Permit to
allow the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premise consumption in
a Business District (C-2). The property is legally described as
a portion of Lot 12, and all of Lots 13-16, Block 32, Pharr Original
Townsite Subdivision, Pharr, Hidalgo County, Texas. The property's
physical address is 410 West State, Suite D. CUP#150958
3. Rosie Ibarra, has filed with the Planning and Zoning Commission
a request for a Conditional Use Permit to allow a home occupation
(Beauty Salon) in a Single-Family Residential District (R-1). The
property is legally described as All of Lot 3, Casa Ingles Subdivision,
Pharr, Hidalgo County, Texas. The property’s physical address is
7108 South Habitat Circle West. CUP#150959
(Published in the Advance News Journal on September 23, 2015)
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
27
Public Notices/ Classifieds
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
CITY OF WESLACO
JOB OPPORTUNITY
Accountant II
NOTICE TO BID
The Accountant II is responsible for the reconciliation of City deposits,
project management and accounting, and assists in the preparation/
maintenance of financial statements. Also, assists other departments by
maintaining the accounts that run their operations and providing financial
information on grant applications. Employee is required to perform all
similar or related duties.
REPORTING RELATIONSHIP:
Reports to Assistant Finance Director
Qualifications:Graduate of a four (4) year college with a Bachelor’s degree
in Accounting with one to three (1-3) years related work experience; or
any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which
provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential
functions of the job. Prior experience in governmental accounting preferred.
Work Environment: Employee may be required to work beyond normal
business hours to attend evening meetings.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
Health Insurance; Basic Life Insurance; Texas Municipal Retirement
System (TMRS); Optional Insurance: Vision/ Group Term Life; Dental; ST/
LT Disability; Hospital Indemnity: Critical Illness/Cancer; Universal Life/
Accident; Workers’ Compensation; Vacation/Sick Leave; 12 Paid Holidays;
1 Personal Leave Day.
Download employment application at www.weslacotx.gov and fax or mail
with resume to Human Resources Department, 255 S. Kansas Ave., Weslaco,
TX 78596. Fax 956) 968-9164, Office 956) 968-3181 Ext. 1422. The City
of Weslaco is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and
does not discriminate against applicants or employees on the basis of
race, color, religion, national origin, political affiliation or belief, sex,
age or handicap.
(Published in the Advance News Journal on September 23, 2015)
LEGAL NOTICE
CITY OF ALAMO
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
BUILDING STANDARDS COMMISSION
Notice is hereby given that the following described properties are in
violation of The City of Alamo Ordinance No. 15-07-14 (Substandard
Building Ordinance)
The purpose of this hearing is to determine whether the properties below
constitute a public nuisance in need of abatement. The properties below
contain structures that are dilapidated, substandard, and unfit for human
habitation or are a hazard to the health, safety and welfare of the citizens.
As the owners, lienholders, or mortgagees of record of these properties, you
are hereby notified that pursuant to Ordinance No 15-07-14, of the City
of Alamo, Texas, a public hearing will be held before the City of Alamo
Building Standards Commission on:
OCTOBER 08, 2015
AT 6:00 p.m.
City of Alamo City Hall
420 N. Tower Rd.
Alamo TX 78516
PROPERTIES IN VIOLATION OF ORDINANCE NO. 15-07-14
Martin Rivera
639 E Citrus Ave
Alamo, TX 78516-5513
Blk 10 Lot 2 Alamo Original Townsite (A2100-00-010-0002-00)
(Single- Story Home located at 639 E Citrus Ave)
Jeanette Calderon
PO Box 693
San Juan TX 78589-0693
S60’-N390’-W240’-Lot 9 Blk 36 Alamo Land & Sugar Co.
(A1800-00-036-0009-02)
(Single-Story Home located at 504 N Cesar Chavez)
Josefa Taylor
Gilberto Villarreal
627 E Duranta St
Alamo TX 78516
Blk 7 Lot 5 Alamo Original Townsite (A2100-00-007-0005-00)
(Two-Story Wood Frame Home located at 627 E Duranta St)
For more information, please contact Dalia Zuniga with the Community
Planning & Development Department at (956) 787-0006 ext. 128.
(Published in the Advance News Journal on September 23, 2015)
The Pharr–San Juan-Alamo Independent School District invites you to
submit bid / proposal for:
REMOVAL OF OLD GENERATOR & INSTALLATION OF
NEW GENERATOR AT PSJA NORTH ECHS BID # 15-16-006
BID OPENING: OCTOBER 5, 2015 @ 3:00P.M.
GASOLINE AND DIESEL FUEL BID # 15-16-007
BID OPENING: OCTOBER 5, 2015 @ 2:30P.M.
MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT EQUIPMENT, INSTALLATION,
REPAIR, SERVICES AND SUPPLIES
CATALOG BID # 14-15-049 “A”
BID OPENING: OCTOBER 19, 2015 @ 2:30P.M.
The bid/proposal is available online at the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo I.S.D.
website (www.psjaisd.us.) Please place your cursor over the “About Us”
tab (via grey toolbar) and select “PSJA BID ORDER SYSTEM” from
the drop-down list to access the District’s Purchasing Website in order to
download bids and proposals.
Sealed bid / proposal will be received until, DATES AND TIME PROVIDED
ABOVE, at which time they will be publicly opened.
NO FAXED OR EMAILED BIDS/PROPOSALS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
LATE OR INCOMPLETE BID/PROPOSAL WILL BE CONSIDERED
NON-RESPONSIVE/NON-CONFORMING. BID/PROPOSAL MUST
BE SUBMITTED IN A SEALED ENVELOPE AND MARKED
PROPERLY WITH THE BID/PROPOSAL INVITATION NUMBER,
PRODUCT CATEGORY, OPENING DATE AND TIME.
Specifications are on file at the P.SJ.A Business Office/Purchasing
Department, 601 East Kelly, Room
# 249, Pharr, TX 78577. Bid/
Proposal specifications may be obtained by calling (956) 354-2000 extension
1124.
Sincerely,
Larry Doeppenschmidt, CTSBS
Director of Purchasing
LD/gd
(Published in the Advance News Journal on September 23, 2015.)
LEGAL NOTICE
NOTICE OF EXAMINATION FOR
ENTRY-LEVEL FIREFIGHTER
A Civil Service Examination will be administered for Entry Level
Firefighter for the City of McAllen on November 20, 2015. The exam will
be administered at 9:00 a.m. at the McAllen Convention Center located at
701 Convention Center Blvd, Room 103, McAllen, TX 78501.
Applicants must:
*Meet the minimum requirements and submit a completed application with
all required documentation of the application;
*Between the age of 18 and 35 at the time of hire;
*Must be a U.S. Citizen or Legal Permanent Resident;
* Must have a high school diploma or G.E.D;
* Must be able to read and write English.
To receive a copy of the minimum requirements, application and benefits;
applications can be obtained from the Office of the Civil Service Department
at 1300 Houston Ave. McAllen, Texas 78501 or the City’s Website: www.
mcallen.net. You may contact our office at (956) 681-1407 for more
information. The deadline to submit completed applications is Friday,
November 6, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. All positions require a drug screen prior
to employment.
(Published in the Advance News Journal on Sept. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Oct. 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2015.)
The ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
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or subscription renewal -- up to 20 words.
Name ______________________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________________
City & Zip___________________________________________________
Mail this form with your check or money order to: 217 W. Park Ave., Pharr TX 78577.
THE ADVANCE NEWS JOURNAL
28
Public Notices/Classifieds
LEGAL NOTICE
CITY OF McALLEN
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
LEGAL NOTICE
CITY OF McALLEN
LEGAL NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the following have filed a request for renewal of a
Conditional Use Permit, for one year. The permit, if granted, will be subject
to conditions as stated in the City of McAllen Zoning Ordinance, and may
be revoked at any time for violation of those conditions. This permit would
automatically expire one year from date of approval and may be renewed
after due notice.
1. Ana Vely Cavazos, for a home occupation (beauty salon) at Lot 1,
Block 5, Westway Heights #2 Subdivision, Hidalgo County, Texas; 2225
Westway Avenue. (CUP2015-0140)
2. Carlos R. Ervine, for a home occupation (office/mobile pet grooming
van) at Lot 19, Block 1, Retirement Townhouses Subdivision, Hidalgo
County, Texas; 4001 Beech Avenue, Unit #5. (CUP2015-0143)
3. Antonio O. Marquez, for a portable food concession stand at Lot 7,
Block 4, Orange Terrace #3 Subdivision, Hidalgo County, Texas; 1109
Pecan Boulevard (CUP2015-0146)
All persons may comment or object to the granting or denying of these
requests, in writing, original of which must be received at City Hall (1300
Houston Avenue) within 10 days from the date of publication of this notice.
Address mail to City of McAllen, Planning Department, P.O. Box 220,
McAllen, TX 78505-0220. Inquiries may be made to (956) 681-1250.
WITNESS MY HAND this 23rd day of September, 2015.
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
Patricia M. Rendon, Planner I
(Published in the Advance News Journal on September 23, 2015)
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
You are hereby notified that there will be a public hearing before the Zoning
Board of Adjustment and Appeals, to be held at McAllen City Hall, City
Commission Chambers, 3rd Floor, 1300 Houston Avenue, McAllen, Texas
on Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at 5:30 p.m. to consider the following:
Request of Carlos Luna for a variance request to the City of McAllen Zoning
Ordinance to allow: a front yard setback of 8 feet instead of 20 feet for a
carport measuring 22 feet by 23.33 feet for Lot 20, Block 9, Colonia Hermosa
Subdivision No. 2, Hidalgo County, Texas; 2124 El Rancho Avenue.
(ZBA2015-0042)
Request of Ramiro Hinojosa for a variance to the City of McAllen Zoning
Ordinance to allow: a front yard setback of 3 feet instead of 20 feet for a
carport measuring 18 feet by 21 feet for Lot 18, Block 9, Colonia Hermosa
Subdivision No. 2, Hidalgo County, Texas; 2116 El Rancho Avenue.
(ZBA2015-0043)
Request of Ramiro Hinojosa for a variance to the City of McAllen Zoning
Ordinance to allow: a front yard setback of 2.41 feet instead of 20 feet
for a carport measuring 17 feet by 22 feet for Lot 19, Block 9, Colonia
Hermosa Subdivision No. 2, Hidalgo County, Texas; 2120 El rancho Avenue.
(ZBA2015-0044)
Request of Elida Reyes for a special exception to the City of McAllen Zoning
Ordinance to provide 44 parking spaces instead of 60 required spaces for
Lot 1, Alonzo Barrera Subdivision, Hidalgo County, Texas; 2711 South 23rd
Street. (ZBA2015-0045)
Request of Dynasty Custom Homes, LLC c/o Ivan Guajardo to allow the
following variance: A rear yard setback of 10 feet instead of 25 feet for an
irregularly shaped swimming pool measuring 14.83 feet by 30 feet for Lot 62,
Frontera Village Subdivision, Hidalgo County, Texas; 1825 Harvard Avenue.
(ZBA2015-0046)
Request of El Pistalon, LLP c/o Ramon Garcia to allow the following variance
requests: to not provide 50 percent of the 10% landscaping rule in the front
or “visible” for 2.410 acre out of Lot 1A, Lot 1A & 1B, Plaza Las Fuentes
Subdivision, Hidalgo County, Texas; 5800 North 10th Street. (ZBA20150048)
All interested citizens are invited to appear and be heard. If any accommodations
for a disability are required or any questions regarding this notice, please
notify the Planning Department at (956) 681-1250 prior to the date of the
meeting.
WITNESS MY HAND this 23rd day of September, 2015.
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
Rod Sanchez
Planner II
(Published in the Advance News Journal on September 23, 2015)
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Sealed bids addressed to Mr. Roel (Roy) Rodriguez, P.E., City Manager, City
of McAllen, will be received on October 8, 2015 until 3:00 p.m., at which
time they will be taken to Conference Room 1A, 1st floor McAllen City Hall,
and publicly opened and read aloud. Bids must be in the City of McAllen’s
possession on or before the aforementioned date and time (no late bids will
be accepted).
GYM FLOOR RENOVATION FOR PALVIEW (PROJECT “A”) AND
LARK (PROJECT “B”) COMMUNITY CENTER(S)
Description of Work: Demolition of existing sheet vinyl and installation of
new gym flooring.
A Bidder’s Bond from a reliable surety company licensed to operate in the
State of Texas or certified Cashier’s Check, payable without recourse to the
City of McAllen, for the amount of not less than five (5) percent (%) of the
total bid shall accompany the bid as a guaranty that, if awarded the contract,
the bidder will enter into a contract with the City of McAllen. Payment and
Performance Bonds shall be executed except in the event that the total amount
bid is $50,000 or less, the successful contractor has the option to enter into
a single payment contract with the City of McAllen in lieu of a Performance
Bond. In the event that the total amount bid is $25,000 or less, the successful
contractor has the option to enter into a single payment contract with the City
of McAllen in lieu of a Payment and Performance Bond.
Plans and Specifications may be obtained by visiting our bidding portal at
www.ebidexchange.com/mcallen. We are asking that vendors/contractors
register online. Plans & specs may be viewed electronically. Once on the
portal, after you have logged in you can click on the button titled “Documents”
for details.
Potential bidders are asked to post their questions of a contractual nature and/
or questions of a technical nature on our bidding portal under the tab labeled
“Questions” under the relative project number.
Bids are to be submitted electronically, as well as, in hard copy format.
(Written Formal Sealed Bid Submittal shall govern, in case of discrepancies).
The City of McAllen reserves the right to refuse and reject any or all Bids and
to waive any or all formalities or technicalities, or to accept the Bid considered
the best and most advantageous to the City and to hold the bids for a period of
sixty (60) days without taking action thereon.
Hand-deliver Bids: 1300 Houston Avenue,
Purchasing & Contracting
Department (3rd Floor)
If using Land Courier (i.e., FedEx, UPS): 1300 Houston Avenue,
Purchasing & Contracting
Department (3rd Floor),
McAllen, Texas 78501
Mail Bids: P.O. Box 220, McAllen, TX
78505-0220
A Pre-Bid Conference will be held September 30, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. in the
Conference Room 1A, 1st Floor, McAllen City Hall. All prospective bidders
are encouraged to be in attendance.
Bid proposals must be clearly marked on the envelope:
BIDS: Project No. 10-15-C02-306
GYM FLOOR RENOVATIONS
(Published in the Advance News Journal on Sept. 23 & Sept. 30, 2015)
LEGAL NOTICE
LEGAL NOTICE
You are hereby notified that two (2) public hearings will be held to consider the
following:
Rezone from C-2 (neighborhood commercial) District to C-3 (general business)
District: Lot A, Sal- Eli Subdivision, Hidalgo County, Texas; 900 East Hackberry
Avenue. (REZ2015-0173)
Rezone from A-O (agricultural- open space) District to C-3 (general business):
30.54 acre tract of land out of Lots 71 and 73, R.E. Horn Addition and Lot 162,
La Lomita Irrigation and Construction Company Subdivision, Hidalgo County,
Texas; 4100 Expressway 83 and 1101 South Bentsen Road. (REZ2015-0174)
The first public hearing will be held before the Planning and Zoning Commission
of the City of McAllen on October 20, 2015, at 4:00 pm, at McAllen City Hall
Commission Chambers, 1300 Houston Avenue, McAllen Texas. The second
public hearing will be held before the Board of Commissioners of the City of
McAllen on November 9, 2015, at 5:00 pm, at McAllen City Hall Commission
Chambers, 1300 Houston Avenue, McAllen, Texas.
All interested citizens are invited to appear and be heard. If any accommodations
for a disability are required or if there are any questions regarding this notice,
please notify the Planning Department at (956) 681-1250 prior to the date of the
meetings.
WITNESS MY HAND this 23rd day of September, 2015.
PLANNING DEPARTMENT CITY SECRETARY’S OFFICE
Rodrigo Sanchez, Planner II
Perla Lara, TRMC/CMC, CPM
Deputy City Secretary
(Published in the Advance News Journal on September 23, 2015)