Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 11, 1996 Page: 1 of 8
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Published weekly in Rio Grande City, Texas every Thursday by The Rio Grande Publishing Co.
USPS 466-20C
VOL. 83, NO. 02 THURSDAY, JANUARY 11,1996
25 cents
W
A Child Identification Project in Rio Grande City was recently conducted by the
Starr County Extension Program Council in conjunction with the Sheriff's
Department and the newly organized Sheriff's Department Explorers unit.
Approximately 80 local youngsters were fingerprinted during the recent endeavor.
RGC aldermen hear reports
on plat, status of grants
By KENNETH ROBERTS
At their regular monthly meeting
Thursday night, the Rio Grande
City Board of Aldermen received a
detailed update from an official of
the South Texas Development
Council (STDC) on the status of
3 two grants.
City Administrator Jose
Escamilla also reported to the
aldermen on the status of the high
school plat just northwest of Rio
Grande City.
Escamilia indicaied," i he school
district has begun construction. I
understood they were working under
£ a Highway Department permit (for
a sewer line). We will work with
the engineers tomorrow. I'm still of
the opinion that they should
subdivide."
Escamilla added, "By letter, we
told them they had not gone
through any permit process and that
construction should stop for the
time being. We will continue to
^ work with them."
' Mayor Basilio Villarreal
commented, "We don't aim to stop
anybody, but we just want things
to be done right"
Escamilla told The Rio Grande
Herald on Monday, "When anyone
works on a state road, they get a
permit from the state. They had
already installed a water line. They
• showed a permit for a sewer line
(10 inches) from the Highway
Department. My only concern is
that the project be done as a
coordinated project, with city
procedures followed."
Escamilla emphasized, "We're
working with them as best we can
and will continue to do so...We've
had a meeting with their engineers.
They have answered most of our
list of concerns." These matters, he
indicated, include drainage, water,
and transportation. He noted,
"We've written the state asking that
the road (FM 3167) be expanded."
The Administrator concluded, "I
think we're pretty much on the
same page. I think things are going
fairly well." Concerning die matter
of subdividing, Escamilla stressed,
"I don't care what we call it as long
as basic minimum things get done.
They've complied with most of
them already."
RGCCISD Superintendent
Ramon Hinojosa told The Herald
on Tuesday, "The (public facilities)
corporation board had a meeting
yesterday and decided to draft a letter
to the City Administrator. Basically
we advise that the project will
continue until they give a specific
reason in writing explaining where
we have not complied based on city
ordinance."
Hinojosa commented, "I think
everything is going along
positively and the two entities are
on the verge of ironing things out
in a positive way."
On another matter, Police Chief
Guadalupe Marquez indicated, "The
city has been awarded die (federal)
COPS Fast grant. Everything is on
hold due to the budget crisis (in
Washington, D.C.)."
Dr. Richard Irizarry, Assistant
Superintendent for Curriculum for
the Rio Grande City CISD,
expressed fervent thanks to the Rio
Grande City Police Department and
the Fire Department for their
"quality and professional work" in
dealing with a bomb threat in late
November.
Andy Smith, a community
development planner for the South
Texas Development Council, spoke
to die aldermen concerning the
status of two grants. He first
discus -a grant no. 714-194, a
planning and building capacity
grant.
Smith said, "This was intended
for a study of drainage, streets,
subdivision regulations and many
other matters. This will serve as a
blueprint for future planning."
Smith noted, "We have received
an exemption for environmental
assessment. We have received six
responses from planning
consultants in such places as
McAllen, San Antonio and Austin.
Proposals are due at our office Jan.
8."
He continued, "The purpose of
the committee is to rate proposals.
Based on the rating, we'll have to
come up with the best
recommendation. 1 would appear at
the next meeting and make a
recommendation. The STDC would
then engage a consultant"
Mayor Villarreal said, "We'd like
to have this expedited as soon as
possible." Escamilla declared, "The
state received complaints that this
(See ALDKRMEN, Page 5)
County officials evaluate
* Tamaulipas Understanding
By KENNETH ROBERTS
At their regular monthly meeting
Monday, the County
Commissioners heard reports on the
status of various programs and had
£ a spirited discussion about the
Tamaulipas Understanding
involving international crossings in
Hidalgo and Cameron Counties.
County Judge J.M. Martinez, Jr.,
declared, "There is concern that the
area from Brownsville to McAllen
is free from trucking regulations.
We feel that widi three ports, we
should receive the same
exemptions."
# Crisanto Salinas, Industrial
Foundation Executive Director,
said, "This understanding extends
some routes. We're asking that the
route be extended from McAllen to
Falcon. If they're not exempt,
they'll have to pay a registration fee
every time they cross. We're just
asking that they be exempt from
a registration fees. They have to have
insurance."
Precinct One Commissioner Jose
Maria "Chema" Alvarez expressed
concern, insisting that "we're
favoring Mexico truckers and
giving our truckers no guarantee at
all. I don't think diis is fair."
Salinas replied, "They have to
.abide by every regulation of the
Texas and federal governments.
Local truckers don't cross the
border."
Alvarez responded, "There were a
lot of protests from truckers in the
Valley. Farming and trucking are
the main livelihoods of Starr
County." Martinez stated, "If there's
no motion, I'll let diat topic die."
On another subject, Martinez told
the court, "The Juvenile Probation
Office has received funding for three
additional officers, two for Roma
and Rio Grande City High Schools
and one for die office. Their work is
increasing by leaps and bounds."
Martinez added, "They didn't get
fringe benefits for one of the three.
This involves $4000 to $5000."
The commissioners then approval a
motion authorizing a budget
amendment to provide for fringe
benefits for one of the three new
officers.
At anodier time in the meeting,
Martinez said, "We have come to
the conclusion that through the
empowerment zone, we're trying to
refurbish the basement for a
juvenile detention facility. A
juvenile court would be on the
second floor."
Concerning a budget amendment
to adequately finance the new 381st
District Court, Martinez said, "We
have $40,000 in an escrow from a
condemnation suit. I suggest we
make that available for the District
Court. I diink that gives him about
a minimum working budget"
In an update on Texas
Department of Transportation
projects, Martinez said, "Things arc
supposed to start moving real fast
now. They're supposed to start on
the leg from Alto Bonito to La
Pucrta. They completed die project
to expand the shoulders on the road
(See TAMAULIPAS, Page 5)
Extent of crop damage
from freeze unknown
The most frigid Arctic outbreak
in several years in Starr County
dropped temperatures into the mid
to low 20's Monday morning and
caused serious damage to tender
vegetable plants and pasture land.
District Conservationist Arturo
Ibarra declared that Monday
morning's freeze "wiped out most
of the rangeland grass. Grass is
normally dormant at this time, but
there was still some green grass due
to the rains in the fall. We won't
know the extent of damage untd the
spring. Fortunately, there was an
established root system due to the
rains."
Mr. and Mrs. Elder Neie and Mr.
Frank Anderson both recorded low
temperatures of 23 Monday
morning. The Neies indicated that
the temperature dropped to 23 at 4
a.m. Monday and rose slighdy to
25 by 7:30 a.m.
The Neies recorded a low
temperature of 30 on Sunday
morning and a high temperature of
52 later that day. Anderson indicated
that Sunday morning's low at his
residence was 31.
The Arctic cold front first blew
into Starr County before dawn on
Saturday. High temperatures on
Friday reached the upper 70's, but
by sundown on Saturday,
temperatures had fallen into the low
to mid 40's.
The temperatures were the lowest
in Starr County since the December
1989 freeze that dropped
temperatures into the teens and
devastated vegetable crops.
Ibarra said, "Bell peppers were
probably wiped out. I think 75
percent of the crop had been
harvested. Some of the crop was
harvested over the weekend."
Most observers indicated by late
Monday that the citrus industry in
Hidalgo and Cameron Counties had
fared well, with little if any damage
to fruit.
Ibarra indicated it is his
understanding that the temperature
dropped to 22 degrees in La Grulla,
with up to eight hours below the
freezing level. Robert Peterson of
Starr Produce stated, "I understand it
was 23 in Rio Grande City and 22
in Garciasville.'"
Ibarra said, "With onions, it's too
early to tell. We'll get some
indications in the next couple of
days. Onions are a cold-tolerant
plant but the younger plants could
have been set back, if not killed
altogether. The older, more mature
plants were more capable of
handling the cold."
On the positive side, said Ibarra,
"these freezes can eliminate a lot of
pest problems."
County Agricultural Extension
Agent Enrique Perez said Tuesday,
"It wasn't quite as bad as people
thought it might be. A reading of
24 was reported in the northern area
of the county around 1 a.m. It came
up to 27 around 7 a.m This was a
radiational freeze, not as severe as
the hard freeze of 1989."
Perez declared, "The freeze did
affect forage for livestock. It set it
back, but it didn't kill the plants.
There's enough moisture in the
ground so that if there are mild
temperatures and additional
moisture, there should be regrowth.
Cattle are in good to fair
condition...The brush didn't seem to
be affected."
The oudook is fairly good, said
Perez, because "between September
and the end of December, up to 15
to 16 inches of rain fell in some
areas of the county. If conditions
had been what they were in the fall
of 1994, things would have been far
(See FREEZE, Page 5)
Starr County experiences
historic year during 1995
By KENNETH ROBERTS
The recendy-completed year of
1995 proved to be an eventful and
historic one for Starr County.
Numerous events affected the
lives of Starr County citizens in
1995 but seven events stand out as
most important. Among these
stories was a time of transition in
the Rio Grande City CISD that
featured the naming of a new
superintendent and the decision to
build a new high school, the state's
creation of a new district court
stricUy for Starr County and the
naming of longtime local attorney
John A. Pope III to serve as judge
of that court, a misdemeanor assault
indictment against the sheriff that
was dismissed later at the
complainant's request, heavy rains
in September that spawned flooding
along Los Olmos Creek, the
selecron of a Rio Grande City
Police Chief and Municipal Judge,
significant improvement in the
rabies problem as only one
confirmed case was reported for the
entire year, and intense debate
among county officials concerning
the budget early in the year.
The year's leading story was the
transition in the Rio Grande City
CISD in 1995. The year began with
Joel Salinas serving as Interim
Superintendent after the retirement
of Superintendent Ruben Saenz
became effective on Dec. 31, 1994.
The board of trustees had named
Salinas as Interim Superintendent
in December 1994.
The trustees began the
superintendent search process in
earnest in May and narrowed the
process down to six candidates in
late July. On Aug. 15, the trustees
announced that the three finalists
were Ramon Hinojosa, Director of
Bilingual Education for Brownsville
ISD, Jack Shanks, Superintendent
for Sweeny ISD, and Noris Garcia,
Assistant Superintendent for Eagle
Pass ISD.
A week later, the three finalists
went through the interview process
and met informally with a
committee of citizens selected from
different categories of community
life.
On Aug. 29, the trustees voted
5-0 with two abscntions to name
Hinojosa as Superintendent.
Hinojosa had previously served as
West Oso ISD Superintendent for
11 years and had held several
teaching and principal positions in
the Brownsville ISD.
Hinojosa officially took the helm
as Superintendent on Sept. 15. He
emphasized that he did not bring a
"magic formula" and that success
would come about with all district
personnel and community parents
and citizens working together with
dedication and persistence.
Among H;nojosa's actions was
the formation of an informal
committee of local ministers and
community leaders to discuss youth
unrest, gang problems and
possibilities for improving student
performance.
In April, the trustees first
publicly mentioned that the
construction of a new high school
was being seriously considered.
Interim Superintendent Salinas
stated then that the district was
utilizing Senate Bill 826, which
allows school districts to seek to
use lease purchase agreements as
mechanisms for building facilities.
A public facilities corporation
was set up to direct the building of
the facilities and the leasing of the
facilities to the district In J une, the
corporation gave general approval
for preliminary plans for
constructing a new high school
west of Rio Grande City.
At separate meetings in July, the
board of trustees and public
facilities corporation okayed
resolutions authorizing final
execution of agreements for
construction of the school. At that
time, it was indicated that 70 acres
had been donated to the district
adjacent to FM 3167 just northwest
of die RGC city limits.
Some members of the
community questioned the project,
contending that the new facility as
drawn up conceptually would not be
adequate to meet the needs of the
growing student body for even the
near future. They also insisted that
the community had basically been
kept in the dark about the planning
for the new school.
RGCCISD officials contended
that the new facility would be more
than adequate, especially since a
separate building being planned for
the vocational program should
translate into 20 to 25 additional
rooms. They declared that the
(See HISTORIC, Page 8)
Molina announces
re-election candidacy
Starr County Attorney Romero
Molina has announced his candidacy
for re-election in the 1996
Democratic Primary.
Molina declared, "I have served as
County Attorney since 1988, and I
ask the people of StarT County to
afford me the opportunity to
continue my work on their behalf.
In the seven years which I have
served as your County Attorney, I
have attempted to fulfill all of the
statutory responsibilities of my
office."
Molina stated, "Those
responsibilities have included
advising the Starr County
Commissioners Court, representing
the Texas Department of Human
Services, prosecuting all
misdemeanor offenses, collecting
hot checks, prosecuting minors,
securing protective orders for
victims of family violence, and the
enforcement of the subdivision
regulations of the county and state."
Romero Molina
Molina emphasized, "As a rapidly
growing area, I believe that we
must come to grips with our
growing crime problems and I am
(See MOLINA, Page 5)
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Roberts, Kenneth. Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 83, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 11, 1996, newspaper, January 11, 1996; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth195530/m1/1/: accessed May 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.