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IBC BANK-ZAPATA
LAREDO, TX
Students learn life skills Financial literacy taught with Minitropolis program S P ECIAL T O T HE T I ME S
Students at Villarrealville, a small city inside Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary, celebrated the grand opening of their Minitropolis program with a ribbon-cutting event on Friday. IBC BankZapata Chairman of the Board Renato Ramirez, and IBC Bank-Zapata CEO and President Ricardo Ramirez conducted the official ribbon cutting. The Minitropolis program allowed students to see how a community works together for
the good of its citizens. Through the program, the children at all grade levels held a variety of real world positions, depending on their individual interests and passions. They also performed various adult responsibilities, such as writing checks, making deposits and withdrawing money. Villarrealville had a fictitious bank, where citizens had a chance to earn “Hawk Bucks” for good behavior during school, and learned how to manage it. “Financial literacy and real-
world job experience are essential to the growth of schoolaged children seeking lessons in personal and professional responsibility,” Ricardo said. “We’re proud to join forces with Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary as our first Minitropolis launch. The goal is to build up our financial literacy initiatives so that we can provide a Minitropolis to every elementary in Zapata and around Brush Country. Financial literacy lessons to school-aged children lay the foundation for a bright future.”
IBC Bank, Zapata County Sheriff’s Department, Zapata County Independent School District administrators, Zapata County Chamber of Commerce, along with the U.S. Postal Service and RSL Recycling Center, were also present to commemorate the occasion. About IBC Bank IBC Bank–Zapata is a member of International Bancshares Corporation (NASDAQ: IBOC), a $12.2 billion multi-bank financial holding company headStudents continues on A5
SAN YGNACIO, TEXAS
SMALL TOWN CELEBRATES HIGHWAY EXPANSION
BP agent saves life Performed CPR in urgent case SPECIAL TO THE TIME S
LAREDO — On Thursday, a Border Patrol agent from the Zapata Station rendered aid to a Zapata resident who was in need of immediate medical attention. The agent, a certified Emergency Medical Technician, responded to assist the Zapata County Fire Department and provided Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation chest compression efforts on the local resident. The critical CPR efforts Agent continues on A5
STATE
Texas jobless rate improves Number drops to historic low ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Julia Wallace / Laredo Morning Times
State Rep. Tracy King addresses an audience Thursday in San Ygnacio, Texas during a news conference to announcer the expansion of U.S. Highway 83
County officials mark expansion of major artery By Julia Wallace LA R ED O MORNI NG T IME S
S
AN YGNACIO — On Thursday morning heavy trucks groaned by the justice of the peace office in San Ygnacio, masking for a few seconds the voice of a young woman wearing an Astros shirt, who was singing the national anthem into a microphone. But this traffic was the occasion for the celebration. Residents of this small town, current and former Zapata County commissioners, a few Laredoans and Houstonians, TxDOT officials and Texas Rep. Tracy King all coalesced in rows of metal folding chairs to mark the exHighway continues on A5
Julia Wallace / Laredo Morning Times
Officials and residents of San Ygnacio, Texas held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly expanded U.S. Highway 83 on Thursday morning.
AUSTIN — The Texas unemployment rate fell for the sixth straight month with an October jobless figure of 3.9 percent, the Texas Workforce Commission reported Friday. A TWC statement said it’s the lowest unemployment rate in four decades. September unemployment for Texas was 4 percent. The nationwide jobless rate in October was 4.1 percent, the lowest in nearly 17 years. Amarillo and Midland had the lowest unemployment rates in Texas last month at 2.4 percent. The Beaumont-Port Arthur area had the state’s highest jobless rate in October at 6. 3 percent, TWC officials said. Hurricane Harvey slammed Texas on Aug. 25, leading to storms and heavy rain that swamped parts of Houston, Beaumont and Port Arthur. The Texas economy added 71,500 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs in October. Annual employment growth for Texas was 2.6 percent in October, marking 90 consecutive months of annual growth, according to the TWC. “By adding an impressive 71,500 jobs over the past month and 316,100 jobs over the year, Texas employers have once again demonstrated their unmatched innovation and ability to achieve success in our country’s premier place to do business,” said Andres Alcantar, TWC chairman. Leisure and hospitality employment rebounded by adding 34,700 jobs in October, after declines in September due to Harvey-affected business closures, the agency said.