The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 23, 1989 Page: 1 of 12
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t
Mata's
Specials,
Page 2
THE RIO GRANDE HERALD
Published weekly in Rio Grande City, Texas, every Thursday by The Rio Grande Publishing Co.
H.E.B.
Inserts
Inside
USPS 466-200
Vol. 79, No. 15, Thursday, February 23, 1989
FIFTEEN CENTS
i
5P
The Knights of Columbus in Rio Grande City have been named a winner of the
international organization's 1988 "Share the Spirit" membership contest. Presenting
the award to Grand Knight Jose A. "Coche" Garcia, second from left, is District
Deputy No. 50 Ricardo E. Recio, far left. Carlos Lara, Jr., Retention Chairman, is
second from right and Abel Porras, Membership Director, is standing on the far
right.
Rose Contest New Feature
Of County Fair
J
This year's Starr County Youth
Fair, scheduled to reach its peak on
March 3-4, promises to be one of
the biggest yet, with a rose contest
being one of several additional
activities geared to the general
public.
According to Fair Association
President Dr. koberto S. Margo,
the idea of adding more
entertainment is to broaden the base
^ of support by appealing to people
of different backgrounds and ages.
One of the new activities includes
a Rose Contest, which is to be
handled by local nurseryman David
Porras. Amateur gardeners from all
over the Valley interested in
participating are encouraged to
contact David at 487-2507.
^ The entry fee for the Rose
™ Contest will be SI per rose bloom
and the contest is open to all ages.
Participants must enter no less
than two blooms and no more than
five. Each bloom must be at least
10 inches in lengih, with no less
than two leaves per stem. Judging
will be based on color, size,
foliage, shape and fragrance.
£ Porras indicates that commercial
rose growers will not bo allowed to
participate in the contest.
Porras said, "Any kind of rose
can be entered, as long as it has at
least two leaves and at least a
10-inch stem. This contest may be
the first of its kind in the Valley."
Porras stressed that a substantial
prize will be awarded to the
£ contestant with the grand champion
rose.
Porras indicated that the criteria
for awards will be as follows:
The scoring on color will be
based on the quality of the color.
The foliage scoring will be based
on the chlorophyll amount in the
leaves, and size will be scored
according to the dimension of the
£ bloom. The shape will be scored
based on the form and appcarancc.
The fragrance will be scored based
on the smell of the rose.
Porras commented, "This contest
should make rose-growing even
more popular down here. For the
past few years, I've been selling
around 1500 roses per year. The
peak times have N e winter,
£ spring, and fall. g is the
growing season for roses."
Porras is the operator of West
Point Nursery in Rio Grande City.
Porras said, "This is one of the
best regions in Texas for growing
roses, due to the face that roses do
not go dormant here, except in the
extreme heat of summer. Roses
bloom just about all year long,
^ except in July and August."
Also, Winter Texans arc expected
to take an active part in this year's
Fair activities.
Winter Texan activities will
include dancers, a horseshoe toss
contest, a group of singers, and
possibly a kitchcn band.
Included in this year's
entertainment will be the well
1st Rabies Case Of
1989 Confirmed
Near Garceno
The first case of rabies in 1989 in
Starr County was reported this
week as a coyote was killed just
north of Garceno.
This confirmed case of rabies
ends a two-month break since the
last rabies cases were confirmed just
before the end of 1988. In the last
four months of 1988, rabie~ was
confirmed in six coyotes, two dogs
and one skunk.
Rio Grande City veterinarian Dr.
Roberto S. Margo said that
residents of a subdivision about 1/2
mile north of U.S. 83 in the
Garceno area killed a strange-acting
coyote sitting in their back yard.
Margo said that he sent the
coyote's head to Austin Saturday
evening, and received word Monday
afternoon that the animal was rabid.
Margo said that as far as anyone
knows now, the coyote did not bite
any animals or humans.
Margo said that he plans to hold
a vaccination clinic at the Silver
Mine store at Garceno from 5 to 6
p.m. this Friday afternoon.
Margo said that this case of
rabies is worrisome because
previously, no cases of rabies had
been confirmed west of Los Garcias
near Rio Grande City.
He stressed, "People should not
lei down their guard. Pets should
continue to be vaccinated. People
should call the dogcatcher to pick
up stray animals."
RGCCISD Trustees Okay
Cafeteria Remodeling Plan
known coyotes from La Joya made
up of a mariachi band and a group
of folkloric dancers.
There will also be country and
western music as well as
entertainment provided by students
from throughout the county.
At their special meeting Monday
night, the Rio Grande City CISD
board of trustees voted to approve a
prioritized plan for remodeling of
cafeterias and dining areas.
Superintendent Dr. A.E. Garcia
indicated that the district had
received a letter from a Mr. Cole of
the Texas Education Agency
authorizing the use of cafeteria
funds for remodeling of cafeterias
within the district.
Trustee Leonel "Nene" Lopez of
the Building Committee said, "We
went over repairs and renovations
that need to be done with monies
available in the cafeteria fund."
Lopez said that $28 per square
foot would be required to renovate
the central cafeteria, with S30 per
square foot required to renovate the
pre-kinder building to make dining
space available. Both the La Union
and Roque Guerra Elementary
cafeterias can be renovated at $25
per square foot, indicated Lopez.
Lopez stressed, "These are rough
estimates concerning remodeling.
We're looking at around $520,000
to do all this."
Trustee Jaime Ramirez stressed,
"We have the monies to do this."
Lopez commented, "With this,
we'll have every cafeteria in the
district in good shape."
Lopez moved that the plans be
approved, with the pre-kinder
building being set as the top
priority. The central cafeteria and
the two elementary school cafeterias
would be renovated after that. His
motion passed unanimously.
The plan would remodel the
pre-kinder building to make room
for dining space. The superintendent
noted that this new dining area will
be serviced by the central cafetcria.
Architect Luis Figueroa told the
trustees about the planned new
elementary school, "Architectural
work should be finished by the end
of this week. We should be able to
open bids on March 30. Site work
should be finished in a couple of
weeks."
In a status report on the Special
Drug Task Force Committee,
Lopez said, "We met on Friday.
Mr. Sam Gilbert from the Border
Patrol, Chief Deputy J.C. Gomez,
Raymond Munsell of DPS, and
myself and (trustee) Dickie
Gonzalez were at the meeting. We
exchanged some ideas as to how we
could improve the schools' drug
situation."
Lopez said, "Mr. Gilbert has a
program in effect in Edinburg. They
have an educational video that
stresses saying no to drugs." He
urged that the media be contacted to
photograph searches of lockers. He
added, "Every time the sniffer dogs
came in in the past, the kids knew
in advance."
Lopez added, "We discussed
stopping every vehicle that goes
into or out of the school grounds. If
they (the motorists) have no
business in the school grounds,
they should turn back."
Lopez indicated, 'Restructuring
the whole security setup is the
backbone of this operation." He
added that Chief Gomez had
suggested training of security
personnel to deal with drug-related
situations.
Lopez added, "We're working on a
security plan for the campus. We'll
need to meet every other week or
so." Board President Dr. Antonio
Falcon commented, "We hope to
implement some of these things
soon, and everything by the end of
the summer."
Lopez said, "Mr. Gilbert is a
former school board member, so he
knows what we're dealing with.
They (the committee) suggested
that we appoint a housewife or
parent outside of the school
district" The superintendent said, "I
suggest appointing a junior high or
high school student's parent."
Trustee Francisco "Paco" Zarate
said, "Victory Outreach (an
evangelistic group that helps carry
out drug rehabilitation) is doing a
lot of work already." Falcon said,
"We can ask them to be an advisory
member of this committee."
Falcon told the trustees, "The
Sheriffs Department is presently
using a gasoline tank at the airport.
They think this (having to travel to
the airport to obtain gasoline) is
costing the taxpayers an inordinate
amount of money."
He noted the Department's
suggestion to use an old gasoline
tank on school property, and doing
their own pumping of their own
gas. Business Manager Romeo
Lopez said, "The tank has
deteriorated badly."
A motion offered by Ramirez
authorized the placement of
gasoline tanks in the Fort Ringgold
complex for use by the Sheriffs
Department. The motion passed
without dissent.
Falcon said, "They enter or exit
the campus 140 to 170 times each
month. They say it (the plan)
would provide extra security for the
campus."
Youth Fair Pageant
Sunday Night
Nydia Sepulveda, the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Napoleon Sepulveda
of Rio Grande City, will relinquish
her title as County Fair Queen on
Sunday night, Feb. 26.
The Youth Fair Pageant will
begin at 6 p.m. this Sunday at the
Rio Grande City High School
Auditorium. The admission price is
$2 for adults, and $1 for children
under 12.
Contestants will compete, and
winners will be crowned in four
categories: County Fair Queen,
high school; Teen Princess, sixth
through eighth grade; Pretecn
Princess, third through fifth grade;
and Petite Fair Princess, kinder
through second grade.
The winners in the 1988 Pageant
were as follows: Nydia Sepulveda,
County Fair Queen; Melanie Garza,
Teen Princess; Karen Gail Ramos,
Prctcen Princess; and Audra Yolcnc
Gonzalez, Petite Fair Princess.
The winners of the four
divisions, as well as many of the
other contestants, will be featured
in the County Fair Parade on
Saturday, March 4.
Hospital Directors Extend
Emergency Room Coverage
Rosie Raz.an of Rio Grande City is being presented a
$25 check for winning first place in The Rio Grande
Herald's Valentine's Ladies Kissing Contest. Her lip
imprints on paper were judged the best of all the
contestants. Presenting the check to her is Herald
Managing Kditor Kenneth Roberts.
At their regular monthly meeting
Thursday, the Starr County
Hospital District Board of Directors
voted to contract with an outside
firm for extended coverage of the
emergency room by out-of-county
physicians during the week.
Hospital Administrator Thalia
Munoz told the directors, "At the
end of fiscal year 1978, we had seen
1956 patients in the emergency
room during that year. At the end of
fiscal year 1988, we had seen 5657
patients."
She added, "The number of
physicians has been the same for
four or five years. We average 5000
persons per physician." Munoz
called that ratio too high.
After some discussion, the
directors approved a motion to
contract with Southwest Medical
Associates of Rockport, Texas for
emergency room services the entire
week except for 24 hours.
The 24 hours excluded from the
contract with Southwest Medical
Associates arc from 6 a.m. to 6
p.m. on both Tuesday and
Wednesday.
At the present time, local
physicians handle emergency room
cases from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Monday through Friday.
Munoz told the directors, "We
have ordered the ambulance we
discussed at the last meeting." The
new ambulance, which costs
approximately $63,000, is being
acquired from Collins Ambulance
Service of Dallas.
^.She noted that the new
ambulance is diesel-powercd, and
pointed out that this is a growing
trend with ambulances. She said,
"We have a gasoline tank. We need
a diesel tank for the dicscl
ambulance."
Munoz commented, "This
ambulance company referral me to
financing companies for lease
purchase possibilities. McDonnell
Douglas seems to be the best
possibility. They finance equipment
at very low interest rates."
The directors passed a motion
authorizing Munoz to wr rk out the
financing of the new ambulance
through a lease purchase
arrangement with McDonnell
Douglas. Munoz said that the most
likely arrangement would be yearly
payments of $13,000 each.
About the issue of whether to
renew the contract with Allied
Pharmacy of Abilene. Texas to
manage and operate the pharmacy,
Munoz said, "We've been
negotiating back and forth We
wondered about signing a three-year
contract with the cost and
uncertainties of health care today."
She said, "They have agreed for
us to sign a one-year contract. This
year would go into the three-year
period"
Munoz continued, "They've added
a $6200 a month salary and
management fee. They had it at
$7600 a month in their first
contract proposal two months ago."
Munoz noted, "They will bill us
at a .54 factor. Patients arc usually
billed at average wholesale cost
times two. The markup to us under
this arrangement would be 54
percent instead of 100 percenL"
Board member Ramiro Narro
commented, "I think this $6200 fee
is a bit high.' Munoz said, "If we're
going to pay them $6200 a month,
I want someone there in the
pharmacy on weekends, on Saturday
and Sunday."
The administrator added, "Overall,
I think we'll be paying the same
amount (as before). If we don't
renew, we have to let them know at
least 90 days in advance. The
deadline is July 1."
Board member Ross LaGrange
said, "I don't see any reason to not
renew under the circumstances." He
urged tentative approval of a
one-year contract. Narro questioned
the $6200 cost of the fee, but added,
"I understand that they do their
work very well."
The board then voted to
tentatively approve a new one-year
contract with Allied Pharmacy.
Concerning the recent disabled
(See HOSPITAL, PaRe 4)
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Roberts, Kenneth. The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 79, No. 15, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 23, 1989, newspaper, February 23, 1989; Edinburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth195173/m1/1/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.