The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 13, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 24, 1985 Page: 1 of 10
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I •
Annual Chamber
Banquet Saturday,
Page 3
THE RIO GRANDE HERALD
Serving Starr County For Five Decades
Valley Mart
Bargains,
Page 4-5
VOL. XXXIX
Published In Rio Grande City, Texas, Every Thursday, By The Rio Grande Publishing Co
No. 13 Thursday January 24,1985
FIFTEEN CENTS
ATRIAL PARK
(•UNO DRIVE
OUR GOAl
I
Juan Mills Warned
New ibounty C !erk
j -r-wr * . "
STUDENTS AID INDUSTRIAL PARK- The eighth grade Ringgold Jr. High class of
Mrs. Elia Ramos has raised $200 to aid the Industrial Foundation in its drive to
create a industrial park for the yarn manufacturing company eager to locate here.
The Starr County Commissioners
selected Juan Mills to replace
Arturo Clarke as County Clerk,
effective Tuesday, at a special
meeting Monday afternoon.
The commissioners first moved
to accept Clarke's resignation.
Margil Sanchez said that Clarke
had told him that he had changed
his mind about resigning. But
Judge Bias Chapa said that the last
word he had received was that
Clarke was still intent on resigning.
Commissioner "Chema" Alvarez
said that he was ready to ask
Clarke in court if he still intended
to resign, but the departing official
was not available anywhere in the
courthouse. Sanchez noted that the
U.S. Magistrate in Brownsville had
struck down the plea bargain deal
that prohibited Clarke from holding
office during the duration of his
probation.
Infant
Survives
Mother's
Death
The two year-cid son of i K'O
Grande City woman managed to
surviv tor two or three days after
his mother was found dead inside
her apartment.
Maria Estela Ybarra, 31, was
found dead Thursday by the
Sheriff's Department inside her
apartment in the Ringgold
Apartment complex located at
Ringgold and Washington Streets
Ybarra's two-year old son was
found at the scene He apparently
had taken in enough food and
nourishment to survive over sever-
al days, and is currently in good
condition. The infant is being cared
for bv a relative at this time He
was hospitalized initially because
of fear he had consumed medicine
lying about
Ybarra's body was found at 3:45
p n Thursday Justice of the
Peace Arnoldo Gonzalez pro-
nounced her dead The autopsy was
performed by Dr Ruben Santos of
McAtU and it indicated her death
was due to natural causes
An investigation conducted by
the .Sheriff's Department indicated
that Ybarra had been dead for 50 to
GO hours
Man Found Dead
Near Falcon Dam
A man was found dead Monday
afternoon in his trailer near Falcon
Dam. an apparent victim of
hypothermia, or exposure to
extreme cold
John L Silvey. Sr . 69. was found
dead in his trailer shortly after 3
p.m Monday He was last seen
alive on Friday Justice of the
Peace Arnoldo Gonzalez pro-
nounced him dead, and said
Silvey's death was due to natural
cause- probably hypothermia
Drafting Class
Registration
Monday
Jr. High Students Aid
Industrial Park Drive
Eighth grade students at Ring-
gold Jr. High are pitching in to
help develop an industrial park to
guarantee that a yarn
manufacturing plant is located
here.
Mrs. Elia Ramos, the students'
teacher, said, "We had 100 plus
percent response from our class,"
in the effort that began Friday. She
noted that each of her 35 students
has given one dollar, with some
giving as much as four or five
ioilars She said that $200 had been
i ised bv the students among the
Ringgold students and faculty as of
Monday.
Ramos said, "I see this as a once
in a lifetime opportunity... I want
this to serve as an example for
clubs and civic organizations
here." She said that her students
"are looking at the long term at the
potential for 200 jobs; some of
these kids are thinking of their
parents," who need jobs
Ringgold Jr High principal R.C.
Salinas, Jr., said, "You are living
examples of how beautiful young
people can be; you're living
examples of the American dream."
He advised the students to "look at
the big picture; don't judge any-
thing emotionally The important
thing is that you young people
believe it can be done."
Foundation president Sam Vale
said the students' efforts are a real
short in the arm in the campaign to
develop the park Concerning the
campaign. Treasurer Milton
Menking said that Haunschild
Distributing Co. has donated S1000
in the past week
Many students in the class
expressed their convictions {tbout
the issue. Abigail Gonzalez said,
"I'd like to see this come because
more jobs will be available," and
also because perceptions of Starr
County will be improved.''
Leonard Garcia said, "It's a lot
of jobs and we'll need jobs when we
get out of high school. The
unemployment rate is too high.''
Luis Arredondo said. "This will be
good for us when we need to go to
college." Marilu Salinas said
"We'll never have another chance
like this one If this company
comes over here, people won't be
cutting down Starr County so
much."
Sofia Hernandez said she favored
developing the industrial park
because "we won't have to depend
on McAllen and the Valley Other
companies will come once Western
High School Expansion
Bid Approved
B> KENNETH ROBERTS
Managing fctiitoi
The Rio Grande City CISD Board
o( Trustees okayed the bid of a
McAllen firm to construct 27 high
school classrooms and two science
labs at their regular meeting
Thursday night
Six firms submitted bids for the
construction, and there was a
difference of only $900 between the
low bidder, D Wilson Construction
Co of McAllen, whose base bid was
$1 244.000, and the next lowest
bidder, Rio Valley Construction
Inc . a McAllen firm whose bid was
$1,244,900. Drennan Co of
Brownsville and Pan Tex Corpora
tion of Edinburg both submitted
bids of $1,250,000.
Superintendent A E Garcia
opened the meeting by noting,
"The bids came out very, very
close." The board then went into
executive session for just under an
hour to consult with board attorney
Glen Ramey on the legal implica-
tions of the close bids.
After the executive session,
board members questioned D
Wilson, the owner of the low bidder
contractor He said, "Just about
everything is subbed out We can
insist that our subcontractors hire
as many local people as possi-
ble Wilson Construction will have
very few people here " There w ill
be a number o! skilled personnel
here, but he said he would be
willing to utilize any skilled local
help
Trustee Tony Falcon said, "I
would like to see a commitment
verbally," to hire local workers.
Wilson said he would send a letter
to the subcontractors encouraging
the hiring of locai labor. Wilson
added that much of the sub-
contracting is already under con-
tract.
Board President Rafael Carrera
suggested that the base bid be
accepted, without the alternatives
of deleting the Commons area and
remodeling of the library. Abel
Gonzalez moved, seconded by
"Bobby" Gutierrez, that Wilson's
low bid be accepted
Wilson said. "We're going to
need all the time we have i until
Aug 15) and probably a little bit
more." He expressed eagerness to
get construction underway in the
next couple of weeks. Paying the
ltl IK Pttfgf 9)
Roma Superintendent
Gets Contract Extension
The Rio Grande City CISD
Community Education Program
announces registration for a course
titled "Drafting-Architecture" at
the Multipurpose Center Monday at
« p.m.
This course is recommended to
all carpenters, masons and other
people who are interested in the
construction field The minimum
enrollment for these classes is ten
students and the fee is $20 for a
20-hour course, plus books and
other supplies.
For more information, call
Narciso Guerra at 487-5591.
e<- ,Sion 46
Bn BETTO RAMIREZ
Roina Correspondent
Roma Independent School Dis-
trict Superintendent Eleuterio
Garza Jr had his contract
extended one year by the Roma
I S.D school board at their regular
monthly meeting on Jan 16
Board President Cesar Salinas
entertained a motion from the
board to "adopt the superin
tendent's evaluation as made by
the board in executive session and
extend his contract by one more
year."
R.I.S.D. board members Salinas,
Mrs F.C. Gonzalez, Baldemar
Chapa, Israel Rodriguez, Gilberto
Resendez, Jose Maria Garza, and
Lucidio Garza unanimously
approved the motion prior to the
meeting's adjournment
Superintendent Garza earlier led
a report on Texas Education
Agency's recent monitoring visit
"T E A. came in last week and
monitored our vocational pro
gram," said Garza, "and I'm
happy to announce that everything
came out all right."
"We came out on top on
everything," stated Garza, "with
the only concerns being some
discrepancies in the Work-Study
program, but these items have
already been taken care of "
Garza commended High School
Principal Humberto Vasquez for
having worked hard at preparing
Yarns comes Some parents could
raise money for their children to go
to college " She added, "we
shouldn't depend on rich people for
this."
Sandra Verastiqui said, "If we
bring the yarn company here, other
companies will locate." Mario
Villarreal stressed the importance
of a countywide effort, saying, "If
Roma sees what we're doing,
maybe this will encourage them
and others to pitch in." Oscar
Garcia said, "We need this plant
because there are too .hanv people
unemployed, arid programs like
food stamps "
Ramos called her students
campaign "a challenge for others
to begin working for our county."
She said the campaign would
continue as long as needed One of
her students, Irasema Hinojosa,
said that. jobs are sorely needed
here and "we're going to fight for
them "
Salinas told them that Rio
Grande City has missed a number
of opportunities to attract large
job-creating enterprises He added
that Rio has a rich historical
tradition, and that everyone needs
to become aware of that.
Juan Mills
Clarke entered a misdemeanor
guilty plea Thursday, and was
sentenced to two years un-
supervised probation and a $1000
fine. That decision apparently ends
an seven-month legal battle over
charges that Clarke falsified birth
records to grant two Mexican
nationals U.S. citizenship
Commissioner Amando Pena
moved that Juan Mills be selected
as the new County Clerk Sanchez
suggested that Deputy Clerk In-
diana Corona be named to the post,
calling her "a good character and
a hard worker." Chapa agreed, but
said the final decision rested with
the commissioners Pena's motion,
seconded by Alvarez, passed
without dissent
Chapa said that Clarke had
served the county well as a justice
of the peace and as county clerk.
Commissioner Reynaldo Alaniz
said, "We're really going to miss a
good man...He's done a tremendous
job." He suggested that "we all
pitch in" and make a fi'aqif*"1 "of
■■apgWSfiYUon for CWb*
Cnoywi said of Mills "He will do
a tremendous job For his part.
Mills said, ' I'm nervous but
excited and looking forward to it I
believe ! can serve the county
well."
After input by County Attorney
Alex Gabert and Auditor Jose
Guadalupe Villarreal, it was de-
cided that Mills be sworn in the
following day
Mills, 28, served on the Rio
Grande City CISD board of trustees
from 1980-1983, losing his re-
election bid He has served as
Judge Chapa's administrative
assistant He is a 1975 graduate of
Rio Grande City High School ana
attended Pan American University
He and his wife, the former Alma
Liza Lopez, have two sons, Eric
and Clint.
Pena complained about the
court's approval Friday of salary
increases for employees in the
county clerk's office He warned,
"We must look into it because
something drastic will come before
this court There's an order by this
court not to lay off employees and
use the money to raise the salary
of other employees."
Villarreal said that Clarke had
full authority to recommend the
increases before his i esignation,
and that the adjustments were
completely acceptable Chapa
suggested that Mills be given time
"to study his office," before a
decision is made at the next
meeting on Jan. 31.
In other business, Villarreal
received authorization to pay
Daniel Villarreal for leasing land
as a dump site. The auditor asked
that Gabert be consulied to check if
the fact that he and Villarreal are
brothers indicates any legal hint of
conflict of interest. Gabert said
that poses no problem, since the
auditor was in no way involved in
executing the contract The motion
called for the lease to be paid from
miscellaneous in November and
December, and in January from
revenue sharing
u- beri ,1.! C" tne lease
agreement with Alvarez that was
signed Jan 10 He suggested that a
new one-year lease agreement be
signed to provide for the storage of
county equipment. Gabert sup-
ported Alvarez's opinion about
improvements saying that "If you
want to build improvements on
your property with your money,
thev remain with vou "
Prosecutor Conditions Rejected
Clarke Sentenced
Before his resignation Monday,
County Clerk Arturo Clarke
pleaded guilt} to a misdemeanor
charge before a U.S Magistrate in
Brownsville and received a lighter
sentence than federal prosecutors
had sought.
U.S. Magistrate Fidencio Garza.
Jr , sentenced Clarke Thursday
afternoon to two years un-
supervised probation and fined him
$1000. He pleaded guilty to a
misdemeanor count of fraud and
related activities in connection with
the alleged altering of birth certifi-
cates for two Mexican nationals
Garza refused to accept the
conditions demanded by the U.S.
Attorney's Office: that Clarke be
prohibited from holding elected or
appointive office during the dura-
tion of his probation An earlier
plea-bargain arrangement worked
out with Clarke had called for the
official to be sentenced to one year
in jail probated for iour years
The magistrate rejected the
plea bargain arrangement in De-
cember because he said federal
jurisdiction would be in
; Thursday, he said that
. resigned of his own
:i that the prosecutors
force him to take that
and state
conflict O
Clarke ha
volition ;>■
could not
step.
After his sentencing, Clarke said,
"I resigned because I wanted to
resign I'm glad that it's over,"
saying the seven-month ordeal has
caused him and his family great
stress and also been a t. emendous
financial drain.
Assistant U S Attorney Harry
Hall said he was under orders to
recommend that felony charges
against Clarke be dropped only if
the probation or office-holding
provisions were accepted. After the
sentencing, Hall said he thought
the government could probably
proceed with the felony charges,
but later said that probably
wouldn't happen.
Clarke's resignation as County
Clerk, effective Monday, was an-
nounced in a letter read" by County
Judge Bias Chapa in a Commis-
sioners Court meeting late on the
afternoon of Jan 14
his Vocational Department for
T E.A.'s visit "Thanks to Mr
Vasquez's having everything
ready, T E A came in at 9 a.m.
and left prior to noon "
A resolution to purchase life
insurance for Roma I.S.D.
paraprofessionals also passed
unanimously; previously only the
auxiliary staff teacher aides) had
been covered by the district
"It's only fair," stated President
Salinas, "that we give our
busdrivers, custodians, mechanics,
and cafeteria personnel the same
benefits extended our teacher
aides "
Life insurance for the teacher
aides totals $4,333.20 per year,
(Vf HOW (. IV •>>
Senior offensive tackle Ubaldo Perez, left, and junior
running back Homero Gutierrez were named to the
Associated Press Honorable Mention All-State team
They were the only 4-A players from the Valley honored
in this way. (See story on Page 6).
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Roberts, Kenneth. The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 13, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 24, 1985, newspaper, January 24, 1985; Edinburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth194960/m1/1/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.