The Valley Times – September 13, 2017

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School Sign Agreement P.4

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Elementary Designated TEA “High-performance School”

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New Mandarin Chinese Program

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

Road Improvement Project

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Hidalgo Co. Homes Sales Outpace State Volume

McAllen attorney and Texas State Senator Juan Hinojosa speaks to the Hidalgo County Commissioners Court on the County’s vote to explore litigation against drug manufacturers in reference to opioid issues.

County Jumps Into Opioid Litigation Case Without giving any public reasoning for why the County of Hidalgo should join a lawsuit “related to possible causes of action against drug manufacturers and/ or distributors of opioids,” the Hidalgo County Commissioners Court approved contracting with a bevy of local, out-of-area and out-of-state law firms to enter the legal fray.

With Commissioner David Fuentes abstaining on the vote, the court approved hiring five different law firms to handle the legal matter. The firms include the Gallagher Law Firm, LLP from Houston; the Watts Guerra LLP from San Antonio; the Fibich, Leebron, Copeland, & Briggs Law Firm from Houston; The Law Office

of Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa from McAllen; and the Simmons Hanly Conroy Law Firm from Chicago. The issue had been on the Court’s agenda several times before they took action.

“We look forward to working with you in representing the county on this opioid litigation,” County Judge Ramon Garcia said after the vote.

“Thank you Judge and Commissioners for your confidence and faith in our experience and skills to litigate this type of issue,” said Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa. “As you know opioids is now a huge crisis that we face, not only here in our state but nationwide; we have 150 people die every day because of these opioids, we will

represent the county well.” Hinojosa also represents part of Hidalgo County in the Texas Senate, District 20.

During the 2017 Texas legislative session, Hinojosa authored legislation that went into effect Sept. 1. It requires pharmacists to enter data in the Texas Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) of any controlled substances they dispense within one business day. It also requires mandatory PMP checks on a patient’s prescription history before prescribing or dispensing any controlled substances.

The Texas Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) is a database that collects

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McAllen-Edinburg-Mission home sales increased 12.1 percent in the first half of 2017 to 1,517 single-family home sales, while median price increased 5.4 percent to $137,000 during the same time frame.

Statewide, Texas home sales volume increased 5.5 percent to 166,256 home sales, while median price increased 7.7 percent from the year prior to $221,800.

Texas home sales volume, home prices and listings activity experienced strong gains in the first half of the year, according to the 2017 Texas Real Estate Midyear Review Report released today by the Texas Association of Realtors.

“The devastation brought on by Hurricane Harvey will affect real estate activity in many areas of the state for the remainder of this year,” said Vicki Fullerton, chairman of the Texas Association of Realtors. “Sales activity through the first half of the year had surpassed economic projections, with strong growth in sales activity and the number of homes on the market.”

Jim Gaines, Ph.D., chief economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University, also cautioned that Hurricane Harvey will likely negatively impact housing market statistics for the remainder of 2017. “Houston’s housing market accounts for roughly 25 percent of the Texas housing market,” said Gaines, “and it could take months before the Houston area begins to enter the recovery phase and a few years before the impacted communities fully recover.”

The number of homes on the market

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Wednesday, September 13, 2017

By EUGENE ROBINSON WASHINGTON -- Chuck and Nancy and Donald and Ivanka seemed to thoroughly enjoy their meeting at the White House the other day. Mitch and Paul, not so much.

Does it really surprise anyone that President Trump betrayed the Republican leaders who have been trying

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OPINION

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What Chuck and Nancy Need to Learn From Mitch and Paul

their best to carry water for him on Capitol Hill -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan -- and is playing footsie with their Democratic rivals? It shouldn’t.

One thing that should be blindingly obvious by now is that political loyalty, for the president, is a oneway street. Yes, McConnell and Ryan embarrassed themselves and squandered precious political capital in a long, fruitless attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Yes, the Republican leaders have held their tongues time and again when Trump has manifested his unfitness for office.

Yes, they have pretended not to notice the glaring conflicts of interest between Trump’s private business affairs and his public responsibilities.

Still, there was something brazen about the way events unfolded Wednesday. First, Ryan tells reporters that a short-term, three-month extension on the debt ceiling, tied to relief funds for Hurricane Harvey -- an idea supported by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi -- was “ridiculous and disgraceful.” Then, in the Oval Office meeting, Trump stuns everyone by endorsing the Schumer-Pelosi plan -- and agrees to work with the Democrats on repealing the debt ceiling altogether, according to The Washington Post. Later, on Air Force One, Trump goes on about what a productive meeting he had with “Chuck and Nancy,” not bothering to mention the GOP congressional leaders by name.

Ouch.

Some shell-shocked attendees said they believed the meeting went off the rails when the president’s daughter Ivanka, who has an office in the West Wing, cheerily dropped in and disrupted the conversation’s focus.

But this sounds to me like nothing more than a search for a scapegoat.

Ryan and McConnell have no one to blame but themselves.

Trump is many things but he is not,

nor has he ever been, a committed Republican. He seized control of the party in a hostile takeover. His campaign positions on trade, health care, entitlements and other issues bore no resemblance to GOP orthodoxy. He has instincts -- some of them odious, from what we can intuit about his views on race and culture -- but his worldview is transactional and situational, not ideological.

McConnell, Ryan and many of their Republican colleagues in Congress convinced themselves that Trump could be a useful instrument -- that he would sign whatever legislation they sent him, and therefore they would be able to enact a conventional GOP agenda of tax and entitlement cuts.

Trump might have gone along with this scenario, at least for a while. But Ryan and McConnell utterly failed to hold up their end of the bargain.

Look at the health care fiasco from Trump’s point of view. His campaign position was that Obamacare had to be repealed, but that the replacement should be a system offering health care for “everyone.” What Ryan and the House delivered, however, was a plan that would make 23 million people lose health insurance and cut nearly $800 billion from Medicaid.

Trump called that legislation “mean” but was so desperate for a big win that he backed it anyway. In the Senate, however, McConnell wasn’t able to deliver anything at all -- not even a stripped-down measure to repeal the

ACA now and replace it later. Trump was humiliated and angry. “Mitch M” and “Paul R” became frequent targets of his barbed tweets.

So on Wednesday, Trump dished out a little humiliation of his own. At the White House meeting, the president reportedly cut off Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin -- who supported the Ryan-McConnell approach to raising the debt ceiling -- in mid-sentence to announce that he was siding with Schumer and Pelosi.

The stunning slapdown almost overshadowed another surprise that Trump had delivered Tuesday evening: After sending Attorney General Jeff Sessions out to announce the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Trump tweeted that if Congress did not act within six months, he would “revisit” the question.

What Trump clearly has already revisited is his belief in the ability of the conservative GOP congressional majorities to get anything meaningful done. He seems to be at least flirting with the idea of working instead with Democrats and GOP moderates -- working not with but around the House and Senate leadership.

I just hope Schumer and Pelosi know not to trust him the way McConnell and Ryan did.

Eugene Robinson’s email address is eugenerobinson@washpost.com. (c) 2017, Washington Post Writers Group

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

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Diversity, Access, Inclusion Are Our Core University Values As the national conversation on immigration and DACA continues to evolve, I want to reaf- UTRGV President firm that each Dr. Guy Bailey student, staff and faculty member who makes up our UTRGV community is an important part of our university family. Regardless of place of birth or citizenship, each one of us contributes an important voice to our diverse campus. Please remember that Diversity, Access and Inclusion is one of our core university values; we should all live and express that value every day in our interactions with each other.

For those of members of our campus community who continue to struggle with the uncertainty of our current immigration situation, a number of resources are available to help support you as national policy continues to develop.

• For students, the Student Life and Dean of Students offices

are there for you. They are continuously updating their website Supporting Students Who are Undocumented, and are available to meet with students. Confidential support for personal issues or concerns is available through the Counseling Center.

• For staff, confidential support for personal issues or concerns is available through the UT Employee Assistance Program.

• For all of our UTRGV members, please remember that we have an unwavering commitment to treat each other with respect. If you encounter behaviors that make you feel unwelcome, please use any of the resources mentioned above to report that behavior, or contact our Office of Institutional Equity or the University Police Department. All of these are there to support you.

• Keep in mind that UTRGV does not and will not share student educational records – including citizenship and immigration records – with outside

authorities without student consent, unless compelled to by law. (See additional details about FERPA at the UCentral website.) Also, the primary focus of UTRGV police remains to keep our campus community safe. They do not and will not ask students, faculty and staff about immigration status.

• The statement from Chancellor McRaven lays out the position of The UT System, and UTRGV, on DACA. Please refer to that statement for more information.

Last week, I had the pleasure of hosting 2,000 of our students for lunch at the Picnic with the President. Each one of those students has dreams and aspirations, and it is an honor and a privilege to help them on that journey. Each one of our faculty and staff who have been working thanks to DACA have been important supporters for those students. We continue to stand firmly with them through the ups and downs of our national conversations.

Ending DACA Cruel, Morally Unacceptable Ending DACA is cruel and in state and local taxes each morally unacceptable. This is year. not who we are as a country.

Texas has always supported We are not about hate or people our DREAMers and was one of ready to kick out young adults the first states to allow these who were brought to this coun- high school graduates to pay try as innocent children. in-state tuition. And the Young adults who conresult has been tremensider themselves Ameridous -- these DREAMcans and who are proud ers have excelled. They of their country. study hard, work hard, To end DACA is also and contribute signifishortsighted and works cantly to our society.

Senator against America’s fu- Juan Hinojosa Thousands have purture growth and sucsued their academic cess. DREAMers make us more dreams and have entered our competitive as a nation and as Texas workforce bolstering our a state by fostering economic economy. Without DREAMers growth, developing new ideas, our country would lose about and bettering our society. They $280 billion over a ten year peare not eligible for welfare or riod. any government benefits, yet DREAMers live in our comDREAMers pay over $2 billion munities, they work with us in

the Texas Legislature, they teach our children in classrooms, they provide healthcare in our hospitals, and most importantly, they are our family and friends.

We have made a significant educational investment in these students and they have not let us down. We cannot now let them down. Congress must act to provide a pathway for them to stay in our country. Legislators must put people over politics and craft a compassionate solution. I stand with these DREAMers and their families and offer support in this time of uncertainty.”

Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa represents the counties of Nueces, Jim Wells, Brooks, and Hidalgo (part).

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MISD Super: Helping Hurricane Victims Provides Life Lessons

As Hurricane Harvey approached McAllen ISD Superintendent Texas late Jose A. Gonzalez last month, I called my Emergency Operations Team together and discussed two plans.

One was, if it hit us, how were we going to react to it to keep people safe? The second plan was what are we going to do to support our neighbors if it hits them?

As you know, the hurricane struck north of us so now we are utilizing our resources to provide help.

One of the great things I love about McAllen ISD is we are so quick to help people in a crisis.

Right now, all our schools are collecting donated materials to take to our neighbors up the road who were impacted by the hurricane.

In addition, our Police Department sent a two-man Drone Unit to work with a FEMA team and help with damage assessments. These officers became certified in the use of drones last spring so we were glad to be able to provide the help.

We embraced Aransas County ISD as a “sister district.” They have been hit hard. Located just north of Corpus Christi, the district announced that its schools will be closed “indefinitely” following a damage assessment. They face a long road to recovery.

You always want to help someone who is in crisis because, as a district, we never know when we’re going to find ourselves in that position. Moments like this afford opportunities for students to pick up life lessons.

The big lesson is that life is unpredictable. In life, you often find yourself about to face a crisis, being in a crisis or coming out of a crisis. It’s cyclical so you have to have resiliency. Also, when you find someone else in a crisis, you pause and help. Helping others means helping yourself. We want to make sure our students are aware of that. Young people will grow up and when they do, you want them to have learned to be empathetic.

That is why community service is a big part of what our kids do in

this district.

It’s nice to see the entire district, the entire community, and other surrounding communities reaching out. It’s good to know, from a human kindness standpoint, that there are people out there who still care. It says a lot about our great state of Texas.

One of the things I’ve always loved about McAllen is that we genuinely have great people in our community. We have great parents and students. The same is true for our entire Rio Grande Valley. People here genuinely care about one another. It makes it a great place to raise a family, a great place to live and to work.

To donate, just drop off items at one of our schools. Each McAllen ISD Vertical Team will focus on collecting different items of need.

•James “Nikki” Rowe Vertical Team: canned goods •Memorial & McAllen High Vertical Teams: toiletries •Achieve Early College High, Lamar Academy, I&G Center and District Administration: bottled water Donations should be dropped off at a campus by Friday, September 15.

The Rowe Vertical Team includes: De Leon Middle School, Fossum Middle School, Lincoln Middle School, Alvarez Elementary, Castaneda Elementary, Garza Elementary, Hendricks Elementary, McAuliffe Elementary, Seguin Elementary and Thigpen-Zavala Elementary.

Schools in the McAllen High and Memorial High Vertical Teams include Brown Middle School, Cathey Middle School, Morris Middle School, Travis Middle School, Bonham Elementary, Escandon Elementary, Fields Elementary, Gonzalez Elementary, Houston Elementary, Jackson Elementary, Milam Elementary, Navarro Elementary, Perez Elementary, Rayburn Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary, Sanchez Elementary and Wilson Elementary.

Jose.A. Gonzalez, Ed.D., is the Superintendent of Schools for McAllen ISD.

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Wednesday, September 13, 2017

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New Mandarin Chinese program piloting at PSJA schools As part of the school district’s efforts to expose students to a variety of cultures and languages, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD has hired three new teachers from China to incorporate Mandarin Chinese at various district campuses.

The teachers are part of the Chinese Guest Teacher Program, which is designed to help U.S. schools develop Chinese language and culture study programs and to promote international exchange between the United States and China. The program is made possible through a collaboration between the College Board and Hanban/Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban).

Dai Xiaomei, Wang Wei and Jia Li, who currently teach at Palacios Elementary, Garcia Elementary, Liberty Middle School, Escalante Middle School, Kennedy Middle School and PSJA Southwest Early College High School, are looking forward to sharing their knowledge and love of the language with students.

“This is my first time teaching abroad,”

“

I feel that I am learning from the students as much as they are learning from me

Teacher Jia Li works with students at Berta Palacios Elementary who are learning Mandarin Chinese.

said Wang Wei who will be starting his 11th year of teaching. “Everything is new here. I am so excited to teach students at PSJA ISD.” For Jia Li teaching at Berta Palacios Elementary in Pharr has been great so far. She thanks her principal and oth-

RGVDA’s Dancing With The Stars Back For 11th Year The Rio Grande Valley Diabetes As- Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporasociation will present the 11th Annual tion. The Masters of Ceremony will be “Dancing with the Stars of HidalLinda Tovar, H.E.B, and Jorge go County” at 6 p.m. Saturday Zubizar, Go with Jo Travel.

October 14, at Mario’s Banquet The RGVDA would like to Hall in Mission. thank its title sponsors Lack’s The event promises to be an Fine Furniture and H.E. B., as exciting gala full of music and well as other sponsors to date, friendly competition. In addiincluding Lone Star National tion, there will also be a cocktail Bank, Boggus Ford Lincoln, Monhour, gourmet dining, live/silent Edinburg Mayor zer Yazi and Assoc. and Buena auction and dancing to the music Richard Garcia Vista Optical. A special thanks of ‘Clueless.’ Two of this year’s Celebrity goes to Rhythm Room Dance Studio and Dancers will be Edinburg Mayor Rich- Paloma Limas & Company for providing ard Garcia and Hidalgo County District the professional dancers.

Attorney Ricardo Rodriquez.

The RGVDA is a local and indepenThe RGVDA is excited to also an- dent not-for-profit diabetes association nounce the other dancers: Dr. Audrey for Hidalgo County. This allows proJones, Family Urgent Care; Felicia Vil- grams and services to be tailored speciflarreal, Texas Regional Bank; Loically for the area, and guaranrenzo Garza, Texas Citrus Corp.; tees that all funds generated are Marla Cuellar, Attorney at Law; used for the residents of Hidalgo Carlos Sanchez, The Monitor; County.

Judge Arnoldo Cantu; Kris Karr, The RGVDA’s mission is dediLack’s; Jerry Sanchez, Image cated to the prevention of diabeHouse Media; Jennifer Garza, tes and its complications through Edinburg Regional Hospital; and educational services, early detecRudy Garcia, H.E.B. tion and awareness.

Hidalgo Co. This year’s celebrity judges in- District Attorney For information or to become a Ricardo Rodriguez clude: Edna De Saro, Lone Star sponsorship or donating an aucNational Bank; Richard Salinas, Attor- tion item, please call your RGVDA office ney at Law; and Sally Fraustro Guerra, at (956)782-1900.

er teachers for welcoming her into the PSJA family.

“I feel that I am learning from the students as much as they are learning from me,” said Li. “My goal is to make learning fun and interesting to them by also teaching them about the culture, tradi-

”

tions, drawing and even showing them Kung Fu.” According to Olivia Martinez, PSJA English Language Development & Biliteracy Director, the district is excited to offer a new language to students.

“PSJA has been a leader in bi-literacy for over 20 years,” said Martinez. “Offering a third language will give our dual language students a unique opportunity and a greater advantage to compete in the global economy.”

The program will pilot this year with the possibility of expanding it to more campuses next year.

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Grindstone Coworking Announce Second Class For Hive Effect

The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, in collaboration with Grindstone Coworking, announced the second cohort of the Hive Effect, an innovative entrepreneur development initiative designed to help local businesses, particularly small firms and sole proprietors, succeed and prosper.

Hive Effect uses a threepronged approach to cultivate the entrepreneurial ecosystem and promote regional collaboration. It utilizes coworking, education, and mentorship to help both startups and existing businesses. Hive Effect conducts a six-month education program called the Hive Effect Learning Program (HELP).

Applications for HELP are reviewed for acceptance twice each year to select cohort participants. Hive Effect partners with local and regional entrepreneurial organizations and businesses with programs and events that aim to grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem across the Rio Grande Valley.

Grindstone Coworking, located at 506 West University

McAllen Public Library Launches 3D Printing Services to the Public

The McAllen Public Library is offering an exciting new service at the main library. The library’s 3D printers are now available to print designs submitted by library patrons. The printers, which use plastic filament to build objects layer by layer, can print just about any object that can be designed.

Patrons can design objects using 3D modeling websites, such as Tinkercad or Thingiverse, which also provide design-ready objects for printing. Patrons can then save the design on a flash drive in .STL format, bring it to the Computer Lab at the Main Library and talk to a staff member to submit the design for

Pictured at the new announcement for a new cohort at Hive Effect are, from left, front row,: José Chávez; Gerardo González; Donica Landa; Renee Sánchez; and Dani Marrero.

From left, back row: Cooper Thompson; Steven De Los Santos; Agustín García, Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Daniel Rivera, Founder, Grindstone Coworking and Director of Hive Effect in Edinburg; Elizabeth Martínez; Marco Barrios-Espinoza; Mark Laguñez; Pete Díaz; and Cirano Lagunas. Not shown in this image are Noé Ramos, Mark Harris, and Mauricio Atilano.

The 15 new members are: Mauricio Atilano; José Chávez; Pete Díaz; Marco Barrios-Espinoza; Gerardo González; Mark Harris; Cirano Lagunas; Mark Laguñez; Donica Landa; Dani Marrero; Elizabeth Martínez; Noé Ramos; Renee Sánchez; Steven De Los Santos; and Cooper Thompson.

Drive, is a membership-based office in Edinburg. Designed for mobile workers, freelancers, and startups, the office provides workspace, phone booths, private suites, conference rooms, training rooms, a copy center, mailboxes and other amenities for today’s modern businesses.

“The EDC is excited to again partner up with Grindstone

Coworking to promote this second, six-month initiative,” said Agustín García, Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation. “Hive Effect has become a valuable resource for some of our city’s most exciting new businesses.”

Daniel Rivera, founder of Grindstone Coworking and Director of Hive Effect, added, “We’re proud of what we’ve

printing. The cost of 3D printing is .10 per gram and staff will give the patron an estimate on the time it will take for the print to be ready.

“Libraries are truly at the forefront of technology,” said Kate Horan, Library Director. “This service is the next step we are taking after the launch of our MPLab space to provide access to new and exciting technology.”

In addition to the service, the library has classes available for all ages that serve as an introduction to 3D printing. Patrons that register for the classes learn about the basics of 3D printing and get hands on experience with Thingiverse.

For more information about 3D printing and 3D printing classes, please visit http://www. mcallenlibrary.net/services/ mplab or call the library at 956681-3000.

Elementary Designated TEA ‘High-Performance School’

accomplished with Hive Effect since its launch in September 2016. Our coursework, mentorship and implementation of the coworking concept last year helped 10 entrepreneurs achieve great things for their respective businesses, and we’re happy to announce our second cohort (new set of members) of 15 individuals to our growing community.”

Marcia R. Garza Elementary in the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo School District was designated as a “Texas Reward School” for both its high performance and high progress in reading and math by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). High-performance schools are Title I schools with distinctions based on students’ reading and math performance. A high progress school is identified as a Title I school in the top 25 percent in annual improvement or a school in the top 25 percent of those demonstrating ability to close performance gaps based on system safeguards. Pictured: Marcia R. Garza Elementary Principal Claudia Gonzalez receiving this recognition from Texas Education Agency representatives.

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County Jumps Into Opioid Litigation Case From pg. 1

PSJA, STC and Mexican Consulate officials sign the agreement on financial classes for parents.

PSJA ISD, STC, Mexican Consulate Sign Agreement to Support Finance Class for Parents

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD (PSJA), South Texas College (STC) and the Mexican Consulate in McAllen signed an official Memorandum of Understanding in support of a new Finance and Banking class to be offered through the PSJA Parent & Family Engagement Program.

The signing took place at the Mexican Consulate in McAllen on Thursday, Aug. 31.

As part of the agreement, the Mexican Consulate presented a $10,000 check to STC, so they in turn provide instruction to 200 PSJA ISD parents who will be taking the 20-hour course at PSJA Parent Community Centers.

According to Olivia Benford, Director of Parent & Family Engagement at PSJA ISD, these classes are aimed to help parents currently participating in entrepreneurship classes expand their knowledge in business management.

“We selected parents who are involved in our Entrepreneurship classes because this will be an added component that will help them be more equipped, gain employability skills and be knowledgeable in running their own business,” said Benford.

Each year, more than 5,000 PSJA parents are able to participate in numerous free classes and even obtain certifications thanks to partnerships with STC and the Region One Education Service Center.

In addition to officials from the three mentioned organizations, dozens of PSJA ISD parents attended the signing ceremony and were excited to learn of the new program.

“I am grateful to see PSJA working with these organization to support parents,” said PSJA parent Rubinia Cavazos in Spanish. “This is a great opportunity for us to learn about finances and continue our education.”

According to PSJA Superintendent Dr. Daniel King, partnering with STC and the Mexican Consulate for this initiative will improve the lives of thousands of students and their families.

“Our district works hard to not only help students succeed, but also their families,” said Dr. King. “Working together with our community partners, our parents can be even more knowledgeable when opening businesses and managing their finances.”

statewide information on controlled substances dispensed in Texas. The PMP allows prescribers (doctors, dentists, nurses, etc,) and dispensers (pharmacists) to check on a patient’s controlled substance prescription history to ensure responsible prescribing and dispensing patterns. Regulatory agencies can also use the database to investigate potentially improper practices.

Hidalgo County joins a number of other Texas counties and cities, along with cities and counties across the country, filing litigation against manufacturers, distributors and large drugstore chains, alleging they helped cause the opioid crisis severely impacting some areas of the country.

In June of this year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton joined a group of state attorneys general who are investigating the marketing and sales of prescription painkillers, as they work to determine whether drugmakers have broken any laws amid a nationwide epidemic of opioid addiction.

Prescription and illegal opioids account for more than 60 percent of overdose deaths in the United States, a toll that has quadrupled over the past two de-

cades, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Opioids are a family of drugs including prescription painkillers like hydrocodone, as well as illicit drugs like heroin. According to the CDC, drug overdosing is the top cause of death in America for those under 50 years of age.

Texas saw 1,186 opioid-related deaths in 2015, while the nation as a whole had 33,000 such deaths that year. Researchers have flagged opioids as a factor in Texas’ staggering rise in women’s deaths during and shortly after pregnancy.

According to Mark Kinzly, co-founder of the Texas Overdose Naloxone Initiative, “Every indication shows that the epidemic that has hit mostly the Midwest in other parts of the south southeast and northeast is certainly here in Texas. We’ve seen a pretty large increase in synthetic opioid seizures over the last 18 months about a 250 percent increase according to the DEA, and we’re also seeing a large increase in opioid fatalities being reported.

We currently are number two in the United States for health care costs associated with opioid abuse. And we have for the top 25 cities in the country for prescription opioid abuse so there’s a large problem in the state of Texas.”

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Futuro RGV Hosts Healthcare Symposium WWW.RGVTIMES.COM

The health care industry represents approximately one-fourth of the Rio Grande Valley’s economy, and health care issues are among the most critical to South Texas residents. With that in mind, Futuro RGV will host its first “Solutions Symposium” to address some of those issues.

Slated for Tuesday, September 19, 2017, 6 to 9 pm, at the McAllen Convention Center, the Solutions Symposium will feature short addresses from key participants in health care system, as well as expert panel discussions.

Nedra Kinerk, president of Futuro RGV, said, “Healthcare is really important to all Valley families. We want to bring these issues to the forefront because they are critical to the quality of life in the

Valley.”

“Health care is being discussed at the local, state and national level. Those decisions are going to impact us locally, so we want to bring South Texas residents into that conversation. It’s important that local people know the issues and have an opportunity to add their ideas,” Kinerk added.

The keynote speaker is Charles Smith, Executive Commissioner for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Panelists include Dr. Carlos Cardenas, President of the TX Medical Association (TMA), a McAllen gastroenterologist, and a founder of and currently Chairman of the Board and Chief Administrative Officer at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance (DHR); Ann Cass, Executive Direc-

tor, Proyecto Azteca; Anne Dunkelberg, Assoc. Dir., Center Public Policy Priorities, Austin; Eddie Olivarez, Chief Administrative Officer, Hidalgo Co. Health Dept.; and Brenda Ivory, CEO, Harlingen Medical Center.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz has been invited to address the forum, as have Vicente Gonzalez, U.S. Congressman, 15th District of Texas, and Michael Burgess, MD, U.S. Congressman 26th District of Texas.

Futuro RGV is an extension of Futuro McAllen, a citizen activist group that has spent almost 20 years advocating for “smart growth” and quality of life issues in McAllen. They have now grown to address regional issues through Futuro RGV. The regional group is committed to

Working to expand its economic development tool box, Hidalgo County Commissioners last week moved forward on joining a coalition of four cities in creating a regional foreign trade zone.

“Earlier this year we came before the court for a status update on discussions regarding the newly proposed foreign trade zone,” said Hidalgo County’s Director of Economic Development Michael Leo. “Hidalgo County, in collaboration with the cities of Pharr, Edinburg, Donna, and Weslaco, are establishing their own trade zone by expanding on the Weslaco Foreign Trade Zone. The idea is to have

another zone that they can use as another economic development tool,” said Leo. The formation documents, which allows the new entity to be created, were approved during last week’s Commissioners Court meeting. Once the entity is created, Weslaco will be able to petition the federal government to officially transfer its designation to the newly created entity. This will allow

for representation of all the entities involved.

The group will work closely with state delegates to ensure that this new entity is listed in the business and commerce code for Texas, which is a legal requirement.

“There will be equal representation from each city and the county,” said Leo. “Since we’re using Weslaco’s designation, they will have two seats on the board of directors”.

Hidalgo County Sets Up Regional Foreign Trade Zone

Charles Smith Keynote Speaker

bringing information on quality-of-life issues affecting the area, including quality economic growth, educational opportunities, healthy families, safe neighborhoods, green space, culture and the arts.

For more information on the Symposium, contact Dr. Joseph Caporusso at 956971-9107 or jcaporusso@ aol.com.

Dr. Carlos Cardenas Panelist

Ann Cass Panelist

Anne Dunkelberg Panelist

Eddie Olivarez Panelist

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Wednesday, September 13, 2017

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Hidalgo, Cameron County Unite on Road Improvement Project For years a stretch of road on Mile 3 East had been a divisive issue for two counties but today a road improvement project has united Hidalgo County and Cameron County.

Hidalgo County Precinct 1 Commissioner David L. Fuentes and Cameron County Precinct 4 Commissioner Gus Ruiz hosted a Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Mile 3 East Road Project, just north of Exp. 83 in Mercedes.

Mile 3 East Road is the dividing line between Hidalgo and Cameron counties. Fuentes and Ruiz had been working for more than six months to form a solution for their respective precinct constituents that would address the road problems. By joining forces, the two managed to address the problem, including jurisdictions issues, to provide the necessary infrastructure for future generations.

“We can come together, not just on road project but on drainage projects,” said Fuentes. “We will work for our constituents to bring better services

Hidalgo and Cameron County elected officials, along with residents impacted by the road improvements for Mile 3 East, took part in in a ground breaking ceremony for the work being done jointly by the two counties.

and more responsiveness to the people we serve.”

The collaborative, reconstruction project between the two counties will

improve roadside ditch drains and will re-pave the road, thus improving access from the Frontage Road to Mile 8.

The cost of this project is $103,268 and

UTRGV School of Nursing Celebrates 50 Years of Caring

UTRGV’s School of Nursing is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. In this vintage photo from the 1967-1968 school year, Margaret Collins, an instructor for the new nursing program at then-Pan American College, lectures students in a nursing education class. (UTRGV Archive Photo)

The technology might have changed, but the dedication to and passion for treating patients have remained the focus of training nurses at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and its legacy institutions for the past 50 years.

“We didn’t have laptop computers or phones when I was studying. We really didn’t have a lot of resources on hand, like students have now,” said Dr. Juani-

ta “Janie” Cortez Acebedo, assistant professor of Nursing and an alumna of the nursing programs at both Pan American University and UT Brownsville/Texas Southmost College (UTB/TSC). “The resources the students have now is incredible.”

Acebedo, who earned an associate degree in nursing from Pan American University and her bachelor and master’s

degrees in nursing from UTB/TSC, said her training from the legacy institutions prepared her well to serve the Valley and beyond.

“I found that the faculty were very nurturing and the programs were very thorough in preparing me to continue and serve the community,” she said.

“That’s what I liked about these institutions – they give an opportunity for the students who are here. We’re taking care of the community, so we need to continue to offer these programs. We’re teaching the students how to take care of their own people here.”

To honor that growth and dedication, the UTRGV School Nursing celebrated its golden anniversary with a 50 Years of Caring Reunion on Saturday, Sept. 2, at the McAllen Convention Center.

The event included entertainment from UTRGV’s Ballet Folklórico and Mariachi Mariposa, and a keynote address from Dr. Nilda Peragallo Montano, dean of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Nursing and past president of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.

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will be shared by both counties.

Ruiz said the key to fixing the road was to form an interlocal agreement between the Cameron County Precinct 4 office and Hidalgo County Precinct 1, bridging both counties as one for the betterment of the community.

“When two powerhouse counties come together, it is a win-win situation for both counties and our constituents,” said Ruiz. Hidalgo County Precinct 4 Commissioner Joseph Palacios, who also serves as Vice Chair of the Hidalgo County Metropolitan Planning Organization, said this regional approach to project sets the example for future projects.

Sen. Eddie Lucio applauded each precinct’s commitment to improving the quality of life, of not just their constituents but of those of a neighboring county. “The Rio Grande Valley is one family,” said Lucio. “When something is needed we come together to make sure it gets done.”

Hidalgo Co. Homes Sales Outpace State Volume From pg. 1

also grew significantly statewide in the first half of the year, with active listings increasing 5.9 percent year-over-year to 99,398 active listings. This uptick in housing stock has helped lead to a much-needed increase in housing inventory, which ended at 4.1 months in June 2017.

This is only the second time in three years that Texas housing inventory levels have surpassed 4.0 months, although this is still well below the 6 to 6.5 months of inventory the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University estimates as a balanced housing market. Texas homes spent approximately the same length of time on the market in the first half of 2017: an average of 58 days.

Chairman Fullerton concluded, “Realtors across Texas are stepping up and coming together with other community leaders to drive cleanup efforts and bring relief where it is needed most. The Texas Association of Realtors has already distributed more than $1 million through the Realtors Disaster Relief Fund to Texans impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

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Nancy Nadeau, UTRGV clinical assistant professor of Nursing, addresses UTRGV nursing students during orientation on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, at Health Affairs Building West on the Edinburg Campus. (UTRGV Photo by Paul Chouy)

UTRGV School of Nursing Celebrates 50 Years of Caring

elor’s degrees and were teaching. But From pg. 9 then we got into the BSN program and The anniversary event also honored no longer would that be acceptable,” alumni and faculty who have played in- she said. “So the faculty all started gotegral roles in advancing its ever-chal- ing to school to get a master’s degree.

UT Health Science Center at Houston lenging nursing programs. came down and brought their faculty, A DISTINGUISHED HISTORY In addition to their high-tech training, and they taught here through a coopernursing students also must take a com- ative program we had with UT Houston munity nursing course, in which stu- and UT Health Science Center at San dents are paired with families through- Antonio. All the classes were in the eveout the Valley for whom they provide nings, late 1970s and ’80s.”

The nursing program not only trained care and participate in community thousands of nurses to health fairs.

“We’re taking care for the people of the The nursing program beRio Grande Valley, but care of the gan in 1967, at what was also provided a way for then known as Pan Amercommunity, students to improve the ican College, and offered so we need to socioeconomic situation of associate degrees. It began offering an RN (registered continue to offer their families and advance nurse) to BSN (Bachelor these programs. in their careers, said Nanof Science in nursing) in We’re teaching cy Nadeau, clinic associate professor of nursing.

1983; a bachelor’s degree the students “We answered the call program in 1992; and a master’s degree program how to take care for a healthier community,” she said. in 1994. More than 4,800 of their own Acebedo said she has students have graduated people here.” seen first-hand how the from the university’s nursnursing program has improved the lives ing program in the past 50 years.

As the program grew and evolved, of the community.

“I come from a migrant worker famithe university made sure its faculty received the training needed to educate ly,” she said. “When I was growing up, students to be highly skilled nurses and we had very little resources and very comply with ever-changing state licens- limited access to healthcare. There are ing requirements, said Sylvia Ybarra, still some gaps, but the nursing prowho worked as an administrator for grams we have are benefitting our comthe nursing program for more than 36 munity. Our clinics are run by our nurse practitioners serving people with limityears.

“Most of the faculty just had bach- ed funds.”

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

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ALEJANDRO GUERRA ATTORNEY AT LAW

FEDERAL CRIMINAL DEFENSE

IMMIGRATION

1510 N. 10th. Street, Suite ¨A¨, McAllen, Texas 78501