The Valley Times - December 27, 2017

VOL. I, NO. 22

Edinburg Economy Produced $20.9+M In Local Sales

During the last 12 months, Edinburg’s retail economy continued its strong performance, generating more than $20.9 million in local sales taxes from November 2016 through October 2017. This compares with the $21,171,250.82 collected during the previous 12 month period, a decrease of 1.11 percent.

The amount of local sales taxes collected helps reflect the strength of an economy, along with construction activities, per capita income, education, historical performances, and related trends.

The sales tax, formally known as the State Sales and Use Tax, is imposed on all retail sales, leases and rentals of most goods, as well as taxable services. The local sales tax is also used in Edinburg to help pay for many city services, while the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation uses its one-half cent local sales tax to help generate economic development in the city.

In terms of local sales tax revenue for the month of October 2017, McAllen led all major Valley cities with$4,390,341.47, while Brownsville was second, ($2,765,731.12), Harlingen was third ($1,950,730.56), and Edinburg was fourth ($1,624,490.61).

All figures are based on sales made in October 2017 by businesses that report tax monthly, according to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

The local sales tax data is among the latest economic barometers featured in a detailed summary provided by the state comptroller’s office.

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Performance Center Renamed In Honor Of Founding Director

Gilberto Zepeda Jr., center with scissors, gets ready to cut the ribbon for the grand opening of the Gilberto Zepeda Jr. Performing Arts Center at PSJA North High School.

When Gilbert Zepeda Jr. started work at PSJA High School as a theater teacher, he began an almost four-decade journey that would transfer the theater arts program in the school, the district and even the state.

The PSJA community honored Zepeda in the most fitting way possible, by naming the building where he taught students after him.

During a June school board meeting earlier this year, the PSJA Board of Trustees surprised Zepeda with the unanimous decision of naming the PSJA North Early College High School Theatre the Gilberto Zepeda, Jr. Performing Arts Center as a testament to the thousands of PSJA Theatre Legends, whose talent and passion for

the arts were molded by his legacy.

As part of this celebration, a special showing of this year’s show The Lion King, Jr. will also be held Saturday, Dec. 23 at 7:00 pm. All proceeds of that last show will go to fund the new Gilberto Zepeda, Jr. Scholarship Fund.

“He’s taken drama and everything that goes with it to the next level that everyone tries to copy around the state,” said PSJA ISD Board of Trustees member Ronnie Cantu. “It’s been amazing watching these children’s plays. It’s amazing what these kids can do and the directors and their assistants can do with these kids. It is really something special.”

PSJA Superintendent Dr. Daniel King

said Zepeda has retired but remains committed to continue helping the district by working with the middle schools to strengthen their theater arts programs.

“He has left a great legacy in the countless number of individuals who have gone through his programs and have gone on to work in Hollywood and New York as actors, directors and other careers in the theater industry,” King said. He added that the Texas UIL last year approved an overall Theater Arts Championship, which PSJA North won in the first year of competition.

“I don’t’ know what to say,” Zepeda said at the ribbon cutting ceremony. “This is

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OPINION

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The survival of the shrillest

By GEORGE F. WILL WASHINGTON -- Eric Hoffer (19021983) meant that intellectuals in his day tended not to be temperate. In our day, this defect -- moral overheating -- has been democratized: Anyone can have it. Now, everybody can be happily furious, delirious with hysteria and intoxicated with intimations

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of apocalypse, all day every day.

Hoffer was a longshoreman and an autodidact who wrote slender books hefty with wisdom. His first, “The True Believer” (1951), put him on a path from San Francisco’s docks to a 1983 Presidential Medal of Freedom, conferred by a fellow Californian. In Hoffer’s time, intellectuals often were feverish because this was the best way to be noticed, and to say, about this and that: Listen to our intelligent selves or the end is nigh.

In 2017, many others emulated this act. Were Hoffer still with us, he would marvel at today’s vast, deep reservoirs of extravagant rhetoric. For example: During two decades, the Internet was barely regulated as it delighted its users. In 2015, a regulatory policy (“net neutrality”), one without a constituency sufficient to move Congress, was imposed by bureaucratic fiat.

Thirty-three months later, net neutrality was ended. And the rending of garments and gnashing of teeth commenced: “This is the end of the internet as we know it.” (Sen. Bernie Sanders); “A brazen betrayal ... disastrous ... I am disgusted” (Sen. Richard Blumenthal); “Outrageous” (Sen. Cory Booker); “Horrible” (Sen. Tim Kaine); “Shameful” (Sen. Sherrod Brown).

Another example: Most of the nonstop noise emanating from the White House is white noise -- audible wallpaper, there but unnoticed. Some is, however, interestingly symptomatic, as when a presidential assistant calls this year’s tax legislation “the most significant tax reform we’ve had since 1986.” Which is like bragging about the tallest building in Boise. The 1986 tax reform radically simplified the tax code. Since then, the code has acquired more than 15,000 new wrinkles. The 2017 tax legislation might -- this is difficult to measure -- have managed the minor miracle of making the 70,000-page code more complicated. On a scale of importance from 1 (negligible) to 10 (stupendous), the legislation might be a 3. Never mind. Cue the Cassandras. This tax cut of less than 1 percent of the next

decade’s projected GDP is “the worst bill in the history of the United States Congress.” (House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi). It “will result in 10,000 extra deaths per year” and “our country will be living on a shoestring for decades.” (Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers) The many Americans who are happiest when unhappy seem as addicted to indignation as the fewer Americans are to cocaine. Brain imaging might show the same pleasure points lighting up in both cohorts. Furthermore, because today’s technologies have eliminated barriers to entry into public conversations, ignorance and intemperateness are not barriers. Because modern technologies allow the instant, costless dissemination of fulminations, and because the more vituperative the fulminations the more apt they are to be noticed in the digital clutter, public conversations often quickly degenerate into something less.

The intellectual cannot operate at room temperature.

Christopher DeMuth, president emeritus of the American Enterprise Institute, notes the interaction of high affluence and modern technologies.

“Americans have attained levels of material comfort, leisure time, and education unknown until the recent past.” And as Americans have become “entangled by networks of communication,” they have entered “a world

of empowered mass intimacy” that encourages the better but also “the darker angels of human nature.” New modes of communication enable us “to organize ourselves into highly defined networks of affinity and endeavor.” These enable splendid cooperative endeavors; but they also are “fracturing our politics.”

Institutions that hitherto organized and stabilized politics -- parties, Congress, federalism, civic organizations -- have been, DeMuth says, “deconstructed by a thousand networks of ideology, interest and identity.” Such “private networks have commandeered central institutions of government.” Congress, especially, has buckled beneath the weight of “many more numerous political causes than a representative legislature can manage.” Congress has responded by offloading onto the administrative state’s executive agencies activities that are essentially legislative. So, its members are free to “strut and fret on the national stage” on behalf of causes that are made conspicuous, articulate and potent by the new technology-created networks.

The result is an ever-more-clamorous politics, and the survival of the shrillest. Hence 2017, the year of living splenetically, has been replete with confirmations of Eric Hoffer’s aphorisms: “Rudeness is the weak man’s imitation of strength.” And: “We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.”

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

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Hidalgo County Commissioners Appoint Interim Pct. 5 JP, Constable

The Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church, where 26 churchgoers were killed in a mass shooting on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017. (Photo by Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune)

Paxton: Texans Can Bring Guns To Church Unless Church Says Otherwise

By The Texas Tribune Attorney General Ken Paxton has clarified that licensed handgun owners can bring their weapons to church as long as the church does not say otherwise — a question raised after the deadly church shooting last month in Sutherland Springs.

“Unless a church provides effective oral or written notice prohibiting the carrying of handguns on its property, a license holder may carry a handgun on church property as the law otherwise allows,” Paxton wrote in an opinion issued Thursday.

Earlier this month, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had asked Paxton to clear up the issue, as well as whether churches are exempt from state fees for creating volunteer security teams. The attorney general said Thursday that churches do not have to pay the fees under Senate Bill 2065, which went into effect in September.

Patrick and other state leaders have put a spotlight on church security after the Sutherland Springs massacre, which left 26 people dead. It was the worst mass shooting in modern Texas history.

The shooter, 26-year-old Devin Kelley, shouldn’t have been able to purchase a gun under federal law, according to a statement by the U.S. Air Force. But Kelley was able to buy three firearms because his domestic violence record was not entered into the National Criminal Information Center database.

According to the Air Force news release, Kelley, who lived in Comal County, was convicted by a general court-martial on two charges of domestic assault against his wife and stepson. He then served 12 months in confinement before being released with a bad conduct discharge in 2014.

“Federal law prohibited him from buying or possessing firearms after this conviction,” the Air Force statement said.

The statement didn’t elaborate on why the conviction wasn’t entered into the national database, which is used for criminal background checks when people try to buy firearms.

The Air Force statement said Secretary Heather Wilson and Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein have “directed a complete review of the Kelley case by the Air Force Office of the Inspector General.

The Service will also conduct a comprehensive review of Air Force databases to ensure records in other cases have been reported correctly. The Air Force has also requested that the Department of Defense Inspector General review records and procedures across the Department of Defense.”

The shooter also tried to get a license to carry a gun in Texas but was denied by the state, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn last month announced the release of bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening the federal background check database following the recent mass shooting in Sutherland Springs.

After reviewing several applicants for since the offices were closed.

In August of this year, the Court voted to the newly created Precinct 5 Justice of the Peace and Constable positions, the Hidal- recreate the Constable’s and Justice of the go County Commissioners Court last week Peace offices after receiving requests from voted to appoint Jason Peña as Precinct 5 numerous residents in the area. Precinct One County Commissioner David Justice of the Peace, Place 1, and DanFuentes, whose precinct currentiel Marichalar Jr. as Constable, ly encompasses the Delta area, respectively, during last week’s said residents and officials meeting. The two were sworn have been visiting his office to into office last week. ask for help. “They have had The Precinct 5 offices serve to organize themselves and what is commonly referred come to my office to ask for asto as the Delta area, which insistance,” Fuentes said. “They decludes the cities of Edcouch, Elsa, and La Villa, among other rural Daniel Marichalar, Jr. serve to be represented as well as others in our county.” portions of northeastern HidalThe cost for the new Constable’s office go County. There are 16,267 registered voters in the new Precinct 5 area, which is will be about $476,000; however, about located between FM 493 on the west and $200,000 of that expense will come from the Precinct 1 Constable’s office. In addiMile 12 North to the south, Ramon said. tion to the Constable, the area will Peña, a local businessman, curbe served by three deputies. rently serves as president of the Two of the deputies will be Hidalgo County Emergency transferred from Precinct 1.

Services District #2, trustee The cost for the Justice of the of the Edcouch-Elsa IndepenPeace office with three emdent School District board, ployees will be $335,000. and is president of the Elsa The two new county offices Parks and Recreation Board. will be placed on the March 2018 On his application for the interim Jason Pena Democratic and Republican PriJustice of the Peace position, Peña said he has a vested interest in the safety mary Election ballots, and then on the and prosperity of the community. “It is vi- November 2018 General Election ballot. tal to note that the Delta Area has always Pena and Marichalar wills serve as interim been prominent enough to necessitate its office holder until January 1 2017 when the newly elected officials will take office. own representation,” Peña said.

Gutierrez, a former county and district Marichalar, who served as the Pct. 5 Constable in 2008 and 2011, is a longtime court bailiff, was the only other applicant peace officer. He is a commissioner for the for Constable.

Others who applied for the Justice of City of Elsa, and a veteran of Operation Desert Storm. Marichalar is currently serv- the Peace post were Espiridion “Speedy” Jackson, Erik Gonzalez, Javier Lopez and ing as a deputy constable in Precinct 1.

On his application, Marichalar stated his Marisela Estimbo. Jackson had been the objective is to “serve and protect all of the Precinct 5 Justice of the Peace for 24 years. citizens of Hidalgo County Precinct 5 and He serves as a municipal court judge for Elsa and Edcouch. Estimbo currently help maintain peace.”

The two offices were abolished six serves as Elsa municipal court judge and years ago in response to a legal quandary previously served as Edcouch municipal faced by the county when then-Constable court judge. Gonzalez listed his occupation Eduardo “Walo” Bazan was convicted in as a general manager at a Stripes convea case involving his person use of a care nience store. Lopez is a retired police serimpounded by his deputies. Despite the geant.

Peña and Jackson Marichalar have alconviction, Bazan won re-election. After his appeal was denied, the county moved ready filed for the Justice of Peace position to remove him from office and eliminate in the March 2018 Democratic Primary Election. Marichalar filed for the Constable the position.

Constable and justice of the peace ser- position in the Democratic Primary. Gutiervices in the Delta Area had been provid- rez also filed for Constable position, also in ed by the Precinct One offices in Weslaco the Democratic primary.

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Pharr PEDC, High School High School Send Christmas Care Packages To Troops In Afghanistan

Edinburg Economy Produced $20.9+M In Local Sales From -- PG. 1

PSJA High School students worked with the Pharr Economic Development Corporation to develop care packages for American troops in Afghanistan.

American troops in Afghanistan will be getting special packages from some high school students in South Texas.

This holiday season, students at PSJA Early College High School put together more than 80 Christmas care packages to mail out to US troops.

The care packages, donated by the Pharr Economic Development Corporation (PEDC), were decorated and filled with items such as snacks, games, hygiene products, and personalized letters written by the students.

The students spent last week working on the packages at the PEDC offices.

PSJA Social Studies teachers David Eanes and Rey Perez helped organize the event, while also reaching out to others who were eager to get involved and bring it to life. Many of the students donated items themselves.

The packages were mailed out thanks to funding provided by Congressman Filemon Vela Jr. and Congressman Vicente Gonzalez.

“These items may seem like small things to us, but they are tremendously valuable and important to our troops. These are some of the things that make their time away from fam-

The care packages included snacks, personal hygiene items, and cards.

ily more tolerable,” Vela said. “It also shows them that they still matter to the people back at home. Being far away, sometimes they feel like they’ve been forgotten. When strangers take the time to think of them and just send them these kinds of items, it makes a real difference to them.”

Gonzalez added that the project showed that the community still cares for the troops serving our country.

“These troops sacrifice a lot to keep us safe at home. They go out across the world while their families stay behind.

But even these small gestures are very meaningful for them,” Gonzalez said.

Based on the amount of sales taxes generated, according to the state comptroller’s office, the Valley’s major cities ranked accordingly in the following local sales tax figures: October 2017 compared with October 2016 • McAllen: $4,390,341.47, up 3.18 percent compared with October 2016 ($4,254,734.05); • Brownsville: $2,765,731.12, up 1.73 percent compared with October 2016 ($2,718,614.17); • Harlingen: $1,950,730.56, up 14.57 percent compared with October 2016 ($1,702,513.47); • Edinburg: $1,624,490.61, down 1.22 percent compared with October 2016 ($1,644,571.30); • Pharr: $1,363,639.30, down 1.17 percent compared with October 2016 ($1,379,834.21); • Mission: $1,111,735.70, down 5.45 percent compared with October 2016 ($1,175,858.75); and • Weslaco: $886,379.30, up 0.51 percent compared with October 2016 ($881,823.37).

From November 2016 through October 2017, based on the amount of sales taxes generated, compared with November 2015 through October 2016, the Valley’s major cities ranked accordingly in the following local sales tax figures: • McAllen: $58,616,964.88, from November 2016 through October 2017, down 2.48 percent compared

with November 2015 through October 2016 ($60,112,579.67); • Brownsville: $36,383,169.53, from November 2016 through October 2017, down 1.49 percent compared with November 2015 through October 2016 ($36,934,743.53); • Harlingen: $24,007,367.90, from November 2016 through October 2017, up 6.42 percent compared with November 2015 through October 2016 ($22,558,061.64); • Edinburg: $20,934,767.43, from November 2016 through October 2017, down 1.11 percent compared with November 2015 through October 2016 ($21,171,250.82); • Pharr: $17,065,314.64, from November 2016 through October 2017, up 1.25 percent compared with November 2015 through October 2016 ($16,853,720.68); • Mission: $14,693,032.70, from November 2016 through October 2017, down 2.88 percent compared with November 2015 through October 2016 ($15,128,819.81); and • Weslaco: $11,950,056.95, from November 2016 through October 2017, up 2.31 percent compared with November 2015 through October 2016 ($11,679,765.20).

The Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised of City Councilmember Gilbert Enríquez as President, Edinburg School Board Trustee Miguel “Mike” Farías as Vice-President, Isael Posadas, P.E., as Secretary/Treasurer, and Julio César Carranza and Noé Sauceda, Ph.D. as Members.

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Performance Center Renamed In Honor Of Founding Director

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Silguero Appointed Hidalgo County Human Resources Director Gilberto Cepeda Jr., center, stand with the cast and crew of the PSJA North High School’s Children’s Show production of “The Lion King.” The school’s performing arts center was named for Zepeda, who was the founding director for the school’s theater arts program.

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such an honor. Being a teacher, you come to work every day and you work hard and do your job but you never, evern imagine that they will name a building in your honor. I will always be proud of this and will be able to bring my grandchildren here, and say, ‘Look, this is where your family started.’”

Gilberto Zepeda, Jr. grew up in San Benito, Texas. He graduated from high school in 1975 and continued his education at the then Texas A&I University in Kingsville, where he completed a Bachelor’s of Science in Speech & Theatre. He was inspired to teach by his mother Clara Zepeda, a special education teacher, who instilled in him passion and commitment to change and affect the lives of all children.

In 1979, he embarked on a journey that lasted close to four decades. Taking the helm of PSJA High School’s Theatre Department, he started the first Children’s Show that same year. An annual endeavor, which he calls his greatest accomplishment.

He continued at PSJA High until 1990 and then at PSJA North

High School until his retirement in 2016.

During his 37 years in education, Mr. Zepeda or “Z” as his students lovingly call him, became the wizard that made magic happen each and every year through the plays he directed that captivated audiences young and old.

His success to bring the love for theatre to a predominantly Hispanic and low-income area, made him a state and national sensation. In 1994, then Texas Governor Ann Richards appointed Zepeda to serve on the Texas Commission for the Arts, where he served until 2000 under both Governor Richards and Governor George W. Bush. During that time, he also served as a Board of Director for the Texas Educational Theatre Association.

In 1999, he was the national winner of the “Arts of Disney American Teacher Award” and two years later in 2001, he received the Governor’s Texas Medal of the Arts alongside artists Willie Nelson and Tommy Lee Jones. The tradition he started every December with his Children’s Shows has grown to become one of the largest high

school productions in Texas, with more than 300 students auditioning each year and thousands of community members enjoying their work through productions such as “Aladdin Dual Language Edition”, “The Little Mermaid”, “The Wizard of Oz” and “Peter Pan”, to name a few. A strong commitment to quality theatre has placed PSJA Thespians on the map with many of them moving to successful careers in theatre, television and film.

The Disney Company acknowledged Zepeda’s work through the years, and with “Aladdin Dual Language Edition”, which he adapted and produced with his team in both English and Spanish, PSJA North received production rights and licensing. Disney also allowed Zepeda to pilot the musical, “The Little Mermaid”, making PSJA the first in the country to work on the production after its release off Broadway.

Through his tenure in education and his visionary work, Zepeda has helped enact several state policies such as one that requires all applications for state funded grants in the arts to have an educational component. He also

measured success through competition, winning the UIL One-Act Play Zone and District contests 30 out of 35 years and advancing to the UIL One-Act Play State Finals five times in 1982, 1991, 2004, 2013 and 2016.

His involvement in script writing and film also earned PSJA North three national Scenarios USA awards. These films written and produced at PSJA North by his students have been distributed nationwide. At the international level, in 1996, one of the school’s bilingual plays was selected to perform at the International Thespian Conference in Nebraska, putting it among the top ten high school plays internationally, which included Canada, Australia and Japan.

Although he appreciates the acknowledgements and recognitions through the years, to Zepeda, making his community proud of his students is his greatest reward. “When my students become real in the eyes of the people in the audience, and I hear them ‘cheer’ for the heroes and ‘boo’ for the villains, I know we have achieved our dreams,” he said.

Hidalgo County Commissioners appointed longtime county administrator Raul Silguero Jr. as Human Resources Director.

Silguero has served as the interim Human Resources Director, since the death of longtime director Esther Cortez.

“I want to bring policies and procedures that will make Hidalgo County the premier employer in county,” said Silguero.

Silguero began his career with the county in 2002 as an Executive Assistant to former Pct. 2 Commissioner Hector “Tito” Palacios. He also has served as director of the Budget and Management department.

The Human Resources Department provides County of Hidalgo employees with human resources services and support. The department’s goal is to promote a positive work experience that will reflect the highest values and build relationships based on trust, dignity, and diversity.

Under Silguero, the Human Resources Department serves three divisions: Personnel Administration Division, Program and Policy Development Division and the Classification and Compensation Division.

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IMAGINE

TYING YOUR SHOES

Pauline Núñez, partnership coordinator, 2020 Census with the U.S. Census Bureau-Denver Region, met with city, county and higher education leaders to prepare for the upcoming 2020 Census. (Courtesy Photo)

Local city, county, higher education leaders convene to plan for coming 2020 U.S. Census County commissioners, judges and other local leaders participated in dialogues about the importance of planning how to implement an effective census count for the region. Pauline Núñez, partnership coordinator-2020 Census, U.S. Census Bureau-Denver Region, was on hand to lead the conversations.

The meetings consisted of city and county officials charged with bringing awareness to Valley communities about the coming 2020 Census.

“This is such a great opportunity for the U.S. Census to begin laying the groundwork for the upcoming census,” Núñez said. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to get the word out and accurately inform the public.

It is imperative that the correct information is disseminated and that we all work together to be counted. We are always excited to work with our UTRGV partners in the Office of Community Engagement and Economic Development.”

The Community Engagement and Economic Development team at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley hosted a series of meetings Dec. 4-7 with representatives of the U.S. Census Bureau-Denver Region.

More than 25 local city and county

officials attended the Dec. 5 meeting, held at the UTRGV Resaca Plaza facilities in Brownsville where the UTRGV Economic Development Center is located.

On Dec. 6, seven leaders representing three institutions of higher learning attended a meeting at the UTRGV Edinburg location; the focus was on higher education and bringing awareness about the 2020 Census to the 18to 24-year-old population.

About 30 leaders attended a Dec. 7 meeting hosted for Hidalgo County at the Hidalgo County Court House in Edinburg.

The U.S. Census counts every resident in the United States. It is mandated by Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution and takes place every 10 years. For more information, visit https://www.census.gov/en.html

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PSJA ISD’s Anaya Elementary Received Eight PSJA Education Foundation Mini Grants Totaling Close to $7,000 for Innovative Classroom Projects PSJA ISD educators were surprised by members of the PSJA Education Foundation as recipients of their 2017 Teacher Mini Grants. The Foundation distributed $41,890 to 20 PSJA campuses to fund innovative classroom projects during their annual prize patrol Dec. 14-15.

Founded in 2013, the PSJA Education Foundation is an independent non-profit organization operating exclusively for the benefit of PSJA ISD faculty and students. Each year, the Foundation awards competitive teacher grants, as well as, scholarships to district students to help fund their college tuition, and library grants to support literacy initiatives district wide.

Over 140 applications were received this year and 46 grants, ranging from $500 to $1,000 were awarded to teachers.

These opportunities are possible thanks to sponsorships, donations and payroll deduction from members of the community, local businesses and district staff.

According to Joel Gonzalez, PSJA Education Foundation President, close to $225,000 were raised during the Foundation’s annual fundraiser earlier

this year, helping increase the number of Mini Grants awarded by $12,000.

“We are very proud to give this money to our teachers,” Gonzalez said. “We want to thank our teachers and everybody else in our community who donates because we would not be able to do it without you.”

For Minette Dueñas, teacher at PSJA T. Jefferson T-STEM Early College High School, having the support of this organization lifts her spirits. Her campus received a $1,000 grant to fund an Egyptian-themed camp to provide students with hands-on activities that give insight into the everyday life of this an-

cient civilization.

“The fact that we have an organization strictly devoted to PSJA, and to giving back to our students and teachers is magnificent,” Dueñas said.

To learn more about the PSJA Education Foundation, please visit www. psjaisd.us/foundation.

The Internal Revenue Service this week warned taxpayers and tax professionals of a new email scam targeting Hotmail users that is being used to steal personal and financial information.

The phishing email subject line reads: “Internal Revenue Service Email No. XXXX | We’re processing your request soon | TXXXXXX-XXXXXXXX”.

The email leads taxpayers to sign in to a fake Microsoft page and then asks for personal and financial information.

The IRS has received more than 900 complaints about this new phishing scheme that seems to exclusively target Hotmail users. The suspect websites associated with this scam have been shut down, but taxpayers should be on the

lookout for similar schemes.

Individuals who receive unsolicited emails claiming to be from the IRS should forward it to phishing@irs.gov and then delete it. It is important to keep in mind the IRS generally does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. For more information, visit the “Tax Scams and Consumer Alerts” page on IRS.gov.

The IRS reminds tax professionals to be aware of phishing emails, free offers and other common tricks by scammers. Tax professionals who have data breaches should contact the IRS immediately through their Stakeholder Liaison.

James Anthony Tamayo, D. D., Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Laredo was on hand at the Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church’s (McAllen TX) to help celebrate the feast of Our Lady of

Loreto on December 10th. The Rev. Father Felix Cazares led the procession on behalf of the congregation to honor and venerate the Christ Child. At left is Bishop Tamayo and Rev. Cazares is at left.

PSJA ISD’s Anaya Elementary received eight PSJA Education Foundation Mini Grants totaling close to $7,000 for innovative classroom projects.

IRS Warns Taxpayers, Tax Pros Of New LAREDO BISHOP ATTENDS Email Scam Targeting Hotmail Users McALLEN CELEBRATION

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Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Mission EDC Hosts Girls In Unique Internship The Mission EDC’s Career Readiness and Empowerment of Women (CREW) provides a multidisciplinary, year-long internship program. The program is designed to advance the careers of high school girls in Mission.

The participants were selected based upon their demonstrated academic performance, commitment to the improvement of their community, and a keen interest in pursuing a career in the entrepreneurship and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) fields.

More than a dozen girls from the Mission High School T-STEM Academy and Mission Collegiate High School are participating in a new internship program through the Mission Economic Development Corporation (EDC).

The participants from Mission High School T-STEM Academy are: Brianna Garcia, Kysela Garcia, Ana Gonzalez, Brijida Luna. The participants from Mission Collegiate High School are: Angelica Aguilar, Angelina Ayala, Chelsea Barrientos, Carina Martinez, Wendy Moncivais, Daisy Powers, Yatzziri Ruiz, Xitlaly Villanueva, Odalis Villarreal, Laura Zavala.

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More than a dozen female students took part in a unique year-long internship at the Mission EDC CREW program in entrepreneurship and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math fields.

The CREW provides interns with the technical skills and soft skills needed to succeed in the entrepreneurship and STEAM fields through four core areas: Career Lab, Mentorship, Social Innovation, and Coding.

Interns will go through intensive career readiness training, and also create professional networks with successful women across the globe. During the second semester, CREW interns will focus on developing solutions to problems affecting their community by embarking in social

Road To Recycling Program Collects 42,000 Tires

The Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council’s (LRGVDC) “Road To Recycling” successfully ended the year, having collected more than 42,000 used tires. The LRGVDC partnered with Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy counties this year to implement the program.

In Hidalgo County, the LRGVDC worked with the county’s Budget and Management division for the Road to Recycling program. The program launched in June with a kickoff event that spanned 25 cities in Cameron, Willacy and Hidalgo counties.

LRGVDC Executive Director Ron Garza attended last week’s Hidalgo County Commissioners Court meeting to recognize the county’s work in implementing the program. Garza presented a plaque to the County in appreciation for their work and support for the program. Rey Salazar, director of Hidalgo County’s Strategic Planning in the Budget and Management Department, accepted the plaque on behalf of the county.

“We would like to thank the LRGVDC for coordinating this program,” said Pct. 1 Commissioner David L. Fuentes. “Especially since it was during hurricane season, we were able to go out there in the trenches and assess more accurately.”

Through the strategic efforts of the re-

gional program, a total of 42,000 tires were collected and will be recycled.

The tire collection program was organized into three rounds. The third round of the “Road to Recycling Regional Tire Collection Project” occurred on Saturday, October 7, 2017. The events featured various tire drop-off locations throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Residents were able to drop off up to four tires per person.

Illegally dumped tires decrease the quality of life in our communities, impacting economic development and posing significant environmental and health risks to local residents. This issue has become a severe epidemic causing hazards in area waterways, effecting flood-prone drainages areas and serving as breeding grounds for rodents and mosquitoes that carry harmful viruses. Scrap tire piles can also be vulnerable to catching fire causing serious air quality issues from dense smoke and dangerous toxins.

Several entities across the Valley, both city-administered and private businesses, are available for residents of the region that accept tires for proper disposal.

According to Garza, regional leaders will continue to implement strategies and resources to create sustainable, efficient tire disposal practices.

innovation projects. After completing a coding course, they will create the website for their respective social ventures.

The multifaceted approach takes a deep look at what is needed to succeed as a woman, resulting in a one-of-a-kind program that addresses the invisible barriers that keep young women in the Rio Grande Valley from entering careers in the STEAM fields.

“Success does not simply rely on having access to computer science or engineering classes. For women in underrepresented

fields, success is tied to not being isolated, having role models, a strong support system, and the professional skills to manage difficult situations,” said Cristina Garza, program director. “In other words, they interns will gain the soft and hard skills to navigate a career in which they are expected to be the minority.”

This internship program is the first time that a high school program is based out of the Mission EDC. “Through this innovative internship program, the Mission EDC continues to redefine how economic development is done at a local level, once again prioritizing the professional skills we provide our future Mission leaders,” said Alex Meade, Mission EDC CEO. “Studies have shown that prioritizing financial opportunities and career development for women and girls is one of the single most effective actions a city can take to advance its local economy.”

Mission EDC officials said they plan to extend the CREW program to other schools in the area in the future. This first internship cycle is expected to end in June 2018.

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State Issues Alert As Flea-borne Typhus Activity In Texas Increases

An increase this year in the number of cases of flea-borne typhus across multiple areas of the state prompted the Texas Department of State Health Services to issue a health alert, asking doctors and other health care providers to consider whether a diagnosis of flea-borne typhus for people with fever and at least one other symptom of the disease might be appropriate.

The alert also served to remind people to take precautions to prevent contracting the disease. Typhus cases normally peak in Texas between May and July and again in December and January.

Flea-borne typhus, also known as murine typhus, is a bacterial infection that most commonly occurs when infected flea feces are scratched into the site of a flea bite or another break in the skin. Inhalation or mucous membrane contact with contaminated, dried flea feces are less common ways to contract the disease. Fleas are infected when they bite animals, such as rodents, opossums and cats, which can maintain and transmit the bacteria.

The reason the cases peak during the cold weather is that rodents and other creatures look for warmth and food, bringing them in closer contact with household pets and humans. Rats, opossums, and cats are thought to be the primary reservoirs for the disease in Texas. Dogs are not identified as sources for typhus-infected fleas.

Early symptoms of flea-borne typhus develop within 14 days of contact with infected fleas and include headache, fever, nausea and body aches. Five or six days after the initial symptoms, a rash that starts on the trunk of the body and spreads to the arms and legs may occur.

People should consult with a health care provider as soon as possible to be appropriately tested and treated if they have symptoms of the disease.

Flea-borne typhus is easily treated with certain antibiotics, and people will not get it again after they recover.

The best precautions to guard against contracting flea-borne typhus are: • Treat for fleas with a commercial flea control product before beginning

rodent control in houses or yards.

Fleas will search for new hosts when rodents die.

• Keep yards clean so that rodents, opossums and stray cats cannot live there by removing any brush or trash, keeping the grass mowed and keeping firewood off the ground.

• Do not leave pet food out at night as this attracts other animals.

• Prevent rodents from living in houses.

• Control the fleas on pets regularly.

Ask a veterinarian about flea control products that are safe to use on pets.

• Wear gloves and insect repellent when handling sick or dead animals.

• Use insect repellant when hunting, camping or engaging in any other outdoor activities.

People with typhus report non-specific symptoms including fever, headache, chills, malaise, anorexia, myalgia, rash, nausea, and vomiting.

Although flea-borne typhus is often a mild, self-limited illness, more than 60% of reported cases are hospitalized. Since 2003, eight deaths have been attributed to flea-borne typhus infection in Texas. When left untreated, severe illness can cause damage to one or more organs, including the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain.

As with other rickettsial infections, prompt antibiotic treatment is recommended; treatment should not be delayed pending diagnostic tests.

Typhus can occur in any age group, but over 25% of cases are reported among those between 6-15 years of age.

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