The Valley Times – November 15, 2017

VOL. I, NO. 16

LOW-COST INTERNET IS AVAILABLE IN MCALLEN FOR THOSE FAMILIES WHO QUALIFY With a crowd of elementary students quietly listening, McAllen Independent School District Superintendent J. A. Gonzalez and McAllen Mayor Jim Darling announced a new program developed by the two entities to provide low-cost internet service for McAllen ISD families.

According to Gonzalez, after the school district issued iPads and Chrome books to its students several years ago, this allowed students to expand their education. However, it also posed a challenge. Once students leave campus, they may not have access to internet service.

A video presented at the announcement event featured a McAllen ISD student who has to walk two miles to access a wifi location because the family cannot afford internet service at home.

“We’re excited to open up wonderful new learning opportunities for our students and their families,” McAllen ISD Superintendent J.A. Gonzalez, Ed.D., said. “The McAllen Independent School District is one of the first and largest school districts in the nation to issue electronic learning devices to students in pre-kinder through 12th grade on a oneto-one basis. This new joint venture between McAllen ISD and the City of McAllen is destined to offer new platforms of discovery and learning that will greatly benefit our students. Providing a cost-effective method for families will decrease the digital divide and increase learning.”

“Texas’ Rio Grande Valley and the city of McAllen specifically is a community where poverty and other socio-econom-

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P.6 STORIES

INSIDE

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Paradise Resort Linus Project Donates 250+ Quilts to PSJA Students

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PSJA Director Receives State Recognition At Texas Assessment Conference

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OPINION

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REPEAL AND REPLACE THE TAX CODE

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- The Republicans’ tax bill would somewhat improve the existing revenue system that once caused Mitch Daniels (former head of the Office of Management and Budget, former Indiana governor) to say: Wouldn’t it be nice to have a tax

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code that looked as though it had been designed on purpose? Today’s bill, which is 429 pages and is apt to grow, is an implausible instrument of simplification. And it would worsen the tax code’s already substantial contribution to “moral hazard.”

Economists use that phrase to denote circumstances in which incentives are for perverse behavior. Today’s tax code is such a circumstance, and the Republican bill would exacerbate this by expanding the $1,000 child credit to $1,600 with an additional $300 “family credit” for each parent and non-child dependent, and by doubling the standard deduction to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for married couples. These measures would increase the number of persons not paying income taxes and would further decrease the percentage of income tax revenues paid by low-income earners.

Already 62 percent of American households pay more in payroll taxes than in income taxes. The bottom 50 percent of earners supply less than 3 percent of income tax revenues. Forty-five percent of American households pay no income tax, either because they earn too little or because they qualify for enough exemptions and credits to erase their liability. Sixty percent pay nothing or less than 5 percent of their income. Forty percent of earners are net recipients from the income tax because they qualify for refundable tax credits. All this means that an already large -- and, if the Republican bill passes, soon to be larger -- American majority has a vanishingly small incentive to restrain the growth of a government that they are not paying for through its largest revenue source.

These facts might be the results of defensible tax and social policies.

They should, however, be discomfiting to those remaining conservatives -- they are on the endangered spe-

cies list -- who dispute Dick Cheney’s notion that “Reagan proved deficits don’t matter.” Deficits matter for their political as well as -- actually, even more than -- their economic effects: Deficits make big government cheap, enabling the political class to charge taxpayers rather less than $1 for every $1 of government benefits dispensed. When the Bush-Cheney administration managed the last large tax cut, the publicly held national debt was 33 percent of GDP. Today it is 75 percent.

Today’s Republican bill, drafted in the aftermath of the failure to repeal and replace Obamacare, is supposed to demonstrate to the party’s Trumpian base that congressional majorities matter and must be extended. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, has said (to USA Today): “If we had a whole bunch of wins on major items up to this point, would we perhaps be a little bit more deliberate in our negotiations? I think the answer is yes.” But the facts about participation in the income tax mean that the bill is unlikely to assuage the injured feelings of core Trump supporters, understood as downscale white working-class voters who supposedly are seething because they are not benefiting enough from burdensome government. They might have valid grievances, but not ones that can be addressed by income tax rate reductions for individuals. Payroll tax re-

ductions would be another matter.

And all individual earners will benefit to some extent from cutting the corporate rate from 35 percent to 20 percent. The incidence of corporate taxation -- who actually pays it -- is fiercely debated by economists, a remarkably cocksure cohort with strikingly divergent views about the degree to which corporate taxation depresses the wages of the corporations’ workers, curtails shareholders’ dividends, and is passed on to consumers in the costs of corporations’ products. Suffice it to say that corporations do not pay taxes, they collect taxes. Uncertainty about the incidence of corporate taxation is one reason the Republican bill’s corporate tax rate is 20 points too high.

This year’s best tax bill, which Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., has introduced six times since 2006, is four pages long and contains fewer words (411) than the new Republican bill has pages. It could be titled “The ‘What You Wished For, Mitch Daniels’ Act.” It is titled, with almost unprecedented accuracy, the “Tax Code Termination Act.” It would nullify the existing 4 million-word code as of Dec. 31, 2021, and require that by July 4 of that year it must be replaced by a new one, which would necessarily be one designed on purpose.

George Will’s email address is georgewill@washpost.com. (c) 2017, Washington Post Writers Group

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“Ganamos! (We Won!)”

By Arnoldo Mata “Ganamos! (We Won!)” That’s what the city workers were saying as they walked into city hall after the election. This happened more than 30 years ago when I first worked for one of the smaller cities here in South Texas. The election had been held the Saturday before, as most city elections are.

I had been hired as the city secretary a few months before the election.

As city secretary, I was responsible for running the election, so I had a frontrow seat to all the action. That meant that I heard about dirty campaign tactics, rumors about pay-to-vote schemes, threats of firings, destroyed campaign signs, the occasional shoving match, and so on. It was both silly and frightening at times.

Just in case you don’t know, elections can be a full-contact sport in South Texas, not just for those on the ballot but also for those who work for local government agencies.

Thirty years ago, it would not be unheard of for a new administration to sweep out not just the top administrators and managers but even down to front line workers so that they could install their own allies, friends and even – yes! – family members.

Back then, only a top administrator might have had a contract that offered some protection or severance pay requirements in the case where they might get fired. All other county, city and school district employees had little protection from arbitrary firings.

Remember, Texas is an “at-will employment” state. Employers can fire/ dismiss any employee for virtually any reason or even for no reason at all. They don’t have to defend, explain or give “just cause” for a firing.

Thankfully, many counties, cities and school districts have implemented personnel policies and procedures that give elected officials less direct control over the hiring and firing of staff beyond the top administrator.

They also implemented grievance procedures to protect staff from arbitrary retaliation.

At the time, city employees were under a lot of pressure. In a small city where an election could be decided by less than 20 votes, the 100 or so employees in a city could make the difference in who wins an election.

They would be under constant barrage about who they were going to vote for. Not being a resident of that city, I was spared that unending harassment.

If you announced your support for one side and the other won, your job was at risk. If you didn’t announce your allegiance either way, you were suspect and could be fired regardless of who won. It was a no-win situation. Some would say whatever the politicians wanted to hear. By and large, the workers didn’t really care who was elected into office. They just wanted a job.

But, this was politics. It wasn’t personal, just politics. At the voting stations, each side carefully counted who went in an would pointedly ask, “Did you vote for me?”

The workers knew that there would be a reckoning after the election. So, come Monday morning, the workers came into the office, pumped their fists and proclaimed, “Ganamos! (We Won!)” They may not have even voted, but they were now voicing their apparently long-standing support for the winning side. They were on the winning side now.

So, with last week’s elections – and looking forward to next year’s elections – I hope you can say, “Ganamos!”

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Unique Counseling Service Helps LGBTQ, Others

For Jessica Murph, counseling seemed a natural fit for her personality. That is what led her to start her own counseling service, Beyond Boundaries Counseling RGV. The Trinity, Texas native grew up with a mother who worked as a sergeant in one of the Hunstville prisons.

It was a strict household, but as she grew up, Murph was able to explore different areas of interest. Her interest in helping people eventually led to her pursuing a master’s degree in counseling.

“It was a wonderful experience,” Murph said of her graduate training.

“We were trained on multicultural diversity, including special courses on negotiating polyamorous relationships. It was a very diverse, progressive program.”

After her training period, Murph will be licensed as a family and marriage therapist (LMFT) next year.

Beyond Boundaries Counseling RGV (BBCRGV) specializes in marriage and family therapy, along with individual and couple’s therapy.

One thing that makes BBCRGV different is that it works with the LGBTQ community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer). During her graduate studies, Murph took several courses that dealt with counseling services for this segment of the population.

“I came out in high school, so I’ve been part of this community myself. I noticed that there is just such a huge need to serve this community because of society and the culture here. Work-

ing with the LBGTQ community is very close to my heart,” Murph said.

“Counseling a gay person, for example, is not significantly different than any other person. They’re dealing with the same types of stresses and pressures that everyone else does. There’s not a “gay way” for me to counsel them,” she explained. “But it helps that my personal experiences and training have given me a better understanding of their perspectives, which really helps in any situation where I can empathize with the person I’m counseling.”

Murph said for many LGBTQ, especially adolescents, teenagers and young adults, knowing that someone has similar experiences or has a welcoming experience can help them deal with other personal issues. “We offer them a ‘safe place’ where they can discuss those types of issues if they come up. We don’t push it on them, and it is never our intention to push them to ‘come out.’ We can help them deal with that pressure if they want to, and we’ll help them work toward happy, fulfilling lives if they don’t want to ‘come out,’” Murph added.

“I’m very person centered. If you tell me what your goal is, I will help you reach that goal. I don’t pull my own views and goals in therapy,” Murph explained Beyond Boundaries Counseling RGV has been in operation less than a year, but the practice has already started drawing the attention of local school districts. Murph has been invited to make presentations to area

STORIES Jessica Murph, center, made presentations to a number of groups about her counseling services, including the U.S. Border Patrol.

schools about their unique counseling services.

“Some of the students are having a really difficult time. I other schools, they developed gay-straight alliances that help out those that are being bullied and tormented on a daily basis.

I haven’t seen these here, but I think they could help,” Murp said. She explained that the development of community and support group networks have helped along the way.

Anna Cecilia Ortiz is the other counselor at BBCRGV. Ortiz started

her practice in Mexico and specializes in mixed families, including divorced families and blending of two families.

As Murph explained, first marriages are hard, and second and third marriages are even harder.

Murph does not work exclusively with LGBTQ clients. She works with anyone who needs help in reclaiming their lives from the pressures of daily life and special circumstances.

She can be contacted at www.bbcrgv.com.

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South Texas Health System To Build New Freestanding Emergency Room in Alamo

Paradise Resort Linus Project Donates 250+ Quilts To PSJA Students

Members of the Paradise Resort Linus Project donated 284 quilts to students in three Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (PSJA) schools.

Each year, Winter Texans volunteer through the Paradise Resort Linus Project in Pharr to make more than 700 quilts for students and community members in need out of donated materials. This year, the project selected Palacios Elementary, Longoria Elementary and Guerra Elementary as the recipient schools for their donations.

“We wanted to stick close to home and give back to students at PSJA,” said Barton Roth an organizer with the Paradise Resort Linus Project. “It’s a great heartwarming feeling to know that our quilts will help warm a child.”

For Michelle Cardoza, Principal at Palacios Elementary, the quilts are a very much needed donation.

“We are very lucky to have been selected for these quilts,” said Cardoza. “We’re happy that they will be able to take them home.”

12th Annual Turkey Trot Set For November 18

The Kinesiology Department at South Texas College will host its 12th annual Turkey Trot Run/Walk on Saturday, November 18th. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. at STC’s Cooper Center located at 3200 W. Pecan in McAllen. Admission fee is only eight

cans of food in lieu of an admission fee.

“The Turkey Trot has the dual purpose of serving the community by becoming aware of different ways to live an active lifestyle and at the same time helping others by contributing to the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley,” said Janice Lee Perez, Coordinator of Kinesiology Instructional Facilities at STC. “A small entry fee of 8 canned goods will greatly benefit many needy families around the RGV during this holiday season.”

The race begins promptly at 7:30 a.m. and consists of a 2.2 mile run/ walk that will begin at the Cooper Center, and wind through the adjacent neighborhoods surrounding the college. Prizes will be awarded to top finishers in men’s and women’s divisions. Free t-shirts and goodie bags will be given to the first 100 participants.

For more information call (956) 872-3839 or visit www.lass.southtexascollege.edu/kinesiology

South Texas Health System (STHS) officially signed a new contract agreement with the City of Alamo and the Alamo Economic Development Corporation to build its sixth freestanding emergency room, known as STHS ER at Alamo. Construction on the new emergency room is slated to start construction in early 2018. The freestanding emergency room will bring the total number of ERs at all STHS facilities to nineteen.

STHS ER at Alamo will feature nine treatment spaces, including six examination rooms, three triage bays, an internal waiting area, advanced imaging services such as computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, X-ray, and digital radiography, and an on-site laboratory. The 10,000 square foot facility will be capable of treating general emergency cases on an outpatient basis, as well as trauma and observation care up to 24 hours. Patients requiring surgical intervention, a higher level of care, or an overnight hospital stay will be stabilized and transferred to an STHS hospital.

“We are pleased to meet the need of

mid-Valley residents by offering high quality, efficient medical care,” said Douglas Matney, Vice President of Ambulatory Emergency Services. “The number of patients seeking care in the Weslaco and Mission locations is beyond what we originally projected, indicating to us that there is greater need for accessible emergency care than there are resources currently available. Patients prefer South Texas Health System for our convenience, level of service, and speed of care.”

South Texas Health System leadership, alongside City of Alamo and Alamo Economic Development officials signed on the 4-acre property located on the north side of Interstate 2 (Expressway 83) between Tower Road and Border Road.

“We are very excited about having emergency healthcare services in Alamo,” said Alamo Mayor Diana Martinez. “I want to sincerely thank (STHS) for investing in our city,” she said.

The mayor sited the 34 high paying positions expected with the creation of STHS ER at Alamo.

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PSJA Director Receives State Recognition At Texas Assessment Conference

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD Director of Assessment Frances Palacios was recently awarded the Texas State Network of Assessment Professionals Regional Recognition Award at the 2017 Texas Assessment Conference held Nov. 7 in Austin Texas.

Now in its 32nd year, the Texas Assessment Conference remains the only statewide conference dedicated to providing the latest information on assessment,

testing, and accountability in education — elementary, secondary, and post-secondary. During the conference, attendees receive the most current information from state agencies and policymakers, as well as benefit from sharing the best implementation practices in schools, districts, colleges, and universities.

Palacios was nominated by the Region One district testing coordinators for her service and dedication.

TWC Offers Skills Training For Area Small Businesses If your business manpower headcount is less than 100 employees, and is in good standing with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), your employees may qualify for the Skills for Small Business TWC grant through South Texas College (STC).

STC in conjunction with TWC wants to inform small businesses in the Rio Grande Valley that there are a variety of different courses to improve the performance and profitability of their business operation.

The college offers courses that can be tailored to workforce, time availability, and skill levels to maximize results.

“Here at STC, we are dedicated to helping companies grow, become more efficient and productive. Ultimately, we help the economy here by doing so,” said Carlos Margo, STC Dean of Industry Training. “The more we invest in local companies, the better the local economy does.”

Application process for the grant takes no more than two weeks from submission. Capacity is limited to 20 students per class, and will take place at STC’s Technology Campus located at3900 W. Military Hwy in McAllen.

For more information contact: Jose Raul Ruiz at (956) 872-6141 or Leonel Garcia at (956) 872–6223.

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McAllen Receives $418K Rebates On Electricity

McAllen Families Can Enjoy Low-Cost Internet

The City of McAllen and McAllen ISD announced a new partnership to provide internet access to low income families in McAllen ISD. Pictured, from left, are: PatKarr, Director for Network Services and Support for McAllen ISD; Robert Acosta, Director of Information Technology, City of McAllen; Kate Horan, City Public Library Director; Eduardo Cantu, County Commissioner Precinct 2; Todd Miller, McAllen ISD Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources; Sonia Casas, Thigpen-Zavala Principal; Aaron Fernandez, City of McAllen; Jim Darling, Mayor of McAllen; J.A. Gonzalez, Superintendent of McAllen ISD; Ann Vega, Director for Instructional Technology and Library Services for McAllen ISD; Julie Wilkins, Boys & Girls Club of McAllen Board President; and Dalinda Alcantar, Boys & Girls of McAllen Club CEO.

good for the population but might prove difficult in the rural areas where the infrastrucic factors prohibit every home from having ture is not available. internet service,” City of McAllen Mayor Jim Once this project is implemented, the city Darling said. “For school children today, im- and the school district will look at other ways mediate access to the internet is not just a to provide internet access to those families luxury, it is a necessity. While students now that either do not qualify for the low-cost serreceive smart tablets from their school to vice program or do not live in an area where help them with assignments, without home infrastructure is available. internet service, the devices aren’t much Families may qualify at a discounted rate help after school lets out. This affordable, of $5-$10 per month. The low-cost home low-cost home internet service will ensure internet service is available to SNAP (Supthat McAllen ISD school children can con- plemental Nutritional Assistance Program) tinue their learning, even at home.” participants. These are families which would According to Gonzalez, while students normally qualify for free meals; however, are on campus, they have access to the in- McAllen ISD provides free meals to all stuternet, and they can do their assignments. dents.

But, for many students, they cannot do that Currently, nearly 72 percent of McAllen ISD because they do not have access to the inter- families are considered low socio-economic. net at home. That is why the school district McAllen ISD families can apply online at and the city worked to be able to bring inter- att.com/access or with assistance at these fanet access to students in their homes. cilities: According to McAllen Mayor Jim Darling, • McAllen Public Library (4001 N. 23rd St.) the city had been working on the project for • Boys & Girls Club of McAllen (4501 N. a number of years before settling on this ar- 34th St.) rangement with AT&T. The infrastructure is • Lark Community Center (2601 Lark Ave.) already in place in many areas around the • Las Palmas Community Center (1921 N. city. This should provide access to approx- 25th St.) imately 8,000 homes and about 12,000 • Palm View Community Center (3401 JorMISD students. dan Road) The city had explored the possibility of To qualify: setting up store-front locations as well as • Verify you are a SNAP participant wifi at city facilities. However, security con• Check service availability at att.com/accerns made some of the options difficult to cess implement.

• Have SNAP card and Government ID Additionally, Darling explained that the ready city explored a city-wide wifi system. The McAllen city and MISD staff will be on $18 million cost proved prohibitive. He also hand at the sites listed above to help families added that a regional approach would be apply for the program.

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More than $418,000 — that’s how much has been delivered back to the City of McAllen thanks to its membership in the state’s leading municipal electricity buying group, the Texas Coalition for Affordable Power.

“The City of McAllen has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in rebates, thanks to its participation in this non-profit organization,” said McAllen City Manager Roy Rodriguez, who also has served as a coalition board member. “We expect to save even more money in the future, thanks to the low prices in TCAP’s new power contract. This money really adds up.”

TCAP is a non-profit coalition of 179 cities and other political subdivisions that have joined together to purchase power in bulk for their own governmental use.

Through the power of its numbers, TCAP negotiates competitively-priced energy contracts that also include important member protections.

The coalition is overseen solely by its political subdivision members and operates exclusively for their benefit. It regularly returns surplus revenue — including a total of $418,771 back to McAllen since

2010. That includes a check for nearly $21,000 at the end of the most recent fiscal year. This is money that retail electric providers typically keep as profit.

TCAP has disbursed nearly $11.4 million back to members overall since its formation seven years ago, and more than $1.7 million this year alone. Funding for the most recent end-of-the-fiscal-year dispersals comes thanks to TCAP’s unique members-first energy contract that delivers cash back whenever certain technical and surplus requirements are met. Most members were eligible this year for the checks, which varied in size based on electric usage and other factors.

“With TCAP, these rebates benefit cities and by extension, their taxpayers,” said TCAP Executive Director Jay Doegey.

“TCAP also recently negotiated a rock-bottom electricity contract for its members.

This should result in even more savings for our city members for years to come.”

TCAP members also have access to professional energy and billing consultants.

The coalition’s 15-member board is comprised entirely of city officials. McAllen has been a member of TCAP and a predecessor organization since 2002.

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The Underground Railroad Also Ran Through South Texas To Mexico UTRGV Professor To Discuss Mixed Race Colonies Along The Rio Grande Prior to the end of the American Civil War in 1965, an escaped slave faced a host of bounty hunters, slave catchers, and sheriffs determined to recapture and return them to their slave masters, suffering from hunger, thirst and beatings or even outright death if caught. Their only hope was often The Underground Railroad, a secret network of abolitionists and others who helped hide and transport slaves to Northern states where they might be safe. However, few people know that the Underground Railroad sometimes ran through South Texas.

South Texas is known to be a predominantly Hispanic region, but there was a time in American history when that culture became a place of refuge for mixed race families from the Southern American states. The Museum of South Texas History welcomes Roseann Bacha-Garza, the CHAPS coordinator and a University of Texas Rio Grande Valley lecturer, to present “The Underground Railroad through South Texas to Mexico: Emancipated Slaves and Mixed Race Colonies Along the Rio Grande” on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 2 p.m.

Prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War, families of mixed races felt a crescendo of animosity building throughout the southern states. While they were still free to escape, several of these families packed their belongings and made their way to a place where they could settle in peace. The unique characters within these mixed race families sought a new beginning as frontier pioneers along the natural border known as the Rio Grande. They

merged with Anglo businessmen and Mexican-Texan families and were also known to have assisted escaped and/or fugitive slaves safely across the newly formed international border in search of sanctuary in Mexico.

Most of the pathways of the Underground Railroad lead north into Canada. However, there was also movement through South Texas and into Mexico.

Lured by the fact that slavery was abolished in Mexico in 1829, slaves were able to achieve freedom by slipping over the Rio Grande and settling in colonies throughout northern Mexico. By crossing the treacherous “Nueces Strip” and then avoiding slave catchers and bounty hunters, several slaves successfully slipped away into freedom in Mexico where they settled in small colonies, learned to speak Spanish and made a modest living.

Bacha-Garza is the Program Manager of the Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools (CHAPS) Program at UTRGV. Outlined in her thesis, “San Juan (Texas) and its Role in the Transformation of the Rio Grande Valley” is the succession of Spanish land grantees, displaced Civil War families, Anglo entrepreneurs and Mexican Revolution refugees and their migration to San Juan at various stages of municipal development.

Bacha-Garza co-edited several books including “War and Peace on the Rio Grande, 1846-1876,” with Russell Skow-

ronek and Christopher Miller (2018), “The Native American Peoples of South Texas” and “From Porciones to Colonias: The Power of Place and Community-Based Learning in K-12 Education.” She and the San Juan Economic Development Corporation authored the book “Images of America: San Juan” (Arcadia, 2010) which won Preservation Texas’s Heritage Education Award. All of these publications can be purchased at the Museum Store.

Sunday Speakers Series is included in the fee for regular museum admission.

FRIENDS of the Museum are admitted free as a benefit of FRIENDship.

This program is made possible with generous support from the Carmen C. Guerra Endowment. Mrs. Guerra was deeply committed to supporting educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley.

Mrs. Guerra’s family created this named endowment at the museum to honor her memory and to continue her commitment to providing opportunities for education in the community.

The Museum of South Texas History

is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is located in downtown Edinburg at 200 North Closner Boulevard on the Hidalgo County Courthouse square.

Hours of operation are from 1 p.m.–5 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday.

Founded in 1967 as the Hidalgo County Historical Museum in the 1910 Hidalgo County Jail, the museum has grown over the decades through a series of expansions to occupy a full city block. In 2003 following the completion of a 22,500 square foot expansion, the museum was renamed the Museum of South Texas History to better reflect its regional scope. Today, the museum preserves and presents the borderland heritage of South Texas and Northeastern Mexico through its permanent collection and the Margaret H. McAllen Memorial Archives and exhibits spanning prehistory through the 20th century. For more information about MOSTHistory, including becoming a FRIEND, visit MOSTHistory.org, like us on Facebook, follow on Twitter, find on Google+ or call (956) 383-6911.

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5th Annual Public Safety Expo Coming November 28 The Law Enforcement and Fire Science programs at South Texas College will host the 5th Annual Public Safety and First Responders Expo on Tuesday Nov. 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will take place at STC’s Business and Technology Campus located at 3700 W. Military Highway in McAllen. The expo is free and open to the public.

The expo provides students and the general public with valuable information about the college’s public safety programs including fire science, law enforcement program, emergency medical technician (EMT) and criminal justice.

“The purpose of the expo is to showcase to the community the public safety programs offered by South Texas College,” said Victor Valdez, Public Safety Instructor at South Texas College. “We will have representatives from the police and fire academies, as well as the EMT and Criminal Justice Programs. It also allows the local law enforcement, fire department, and first responders

to showcase their agencies in hopes of recruiting future candidates. This is the perfect opportunity to learn about the programs STC has to offer as well as meet your local police and fire departments, and EMS providers.”

The expo will be comprised of informational booths sponsored by numerous federal, state, and local agencies including McAllen PD, Hidalgo Co. Constable’s Office Precinct 4, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife.

“We are going to have police departments here doing some recruiting and showing what they have, and some of the things they do, as well as how it is to become a police officer,” Valdez said. “Then, we are going to showcase the fact that STC has a law enforcement program that can help students get into a particular police agency. So it brings to the forefront the public service side of what we have here in this area as well as what the college has to offer to help people go into those particular fields.”

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