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BRIDGES
Officials sign CBP pact By ALDO AMATO THE ZAPATA TIMES
Federal and city officials signed an agreement Monday for a pilot program that would allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection to provide expanded services during peak periods of the year. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar joined City Manager Carlos Villarreal and Eugenio Garza Jr., director of Field Operations for the Laredo office of CBP, at City
Hall for the signage of the Section 560 reimbursement agreement. The public-private partnership is expected to allow those in the private sector to use CBP services, increase travel flow at different points of entry and save the economy billions of dollars. “(CBP) is now able to accept funds from the private sector for overtime and infrastructure improvements at the ports,” Garza said. “So it’s very important because when CBP does
not have enough funds, the bridge owner can now request money from the agreement. It’s a win-win partnership for everyone involved.” The program will be evaluated for five years beginning in January to monitor how funds are withdrawn to deal with heavy amounts of traffic on both sides of the border. CBP recently opened all lanes at the international bridges to handle the more than 100,000 vehicles that are expected to pass
through this holiday season. “These partnerships are an example of how stakeholders can come together and find creative solutions to complex problems along the border,” Cuellar said. “Public-private partnerships allow bridges across the U.S.-Mexico border to find innovative ways to use resources in a way that creates jobs and fosters economic development.” Although he is unsure of how much money will be invested in the pilot program, Villarreal
said the ability to use federal money to speed up travel is something the city will only benefit from. “I don’t want to be using local resources when there are federal resources available,” Villarreal said. “With this agreement, the private sector and the City of Laredo are going to be able to extend hours and lanes using federal money. This is something that is going to be good for the public and the local taxpayer.”
CHRISTMAS
TRAFFIC
A CLAUS OF COLOR
1 dead in wreck By ALDO AMATO THE ZAPATA TIMES
A multi-car accident in Frio County claimed the life of a Laredo resident Monday afternoon. Martha Rangel, 48, died of severe neck and head trauma after a vehicle she was riding in collided with an 18-wheeler on Interstate 35.
… the lane change caused Rangel’s (vehicle) to lose control.
Photo by Eric Gay | AP
In this Friday, Dec. 20, 2013, photo, Pancho Claus, Rudy Martinez, right, visits with students at Knowlton Elementary School, in San Antonio. Pancho Claus, a Tex-Mex Santa borne from the Chicano civil rights movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s, is now an adored Christmas fixture in many Texas cities.
‘Pancho Claus,’ the Tex-Mex Santa, dates back to 1970s By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI ASSOCIATED PRESS
He usually has black hair and a black beard, sometimes just a mustache. Like Santa, he wears a hat — though often it’s a sombrero. He dons a serape or a poncho and, in one case, a red and black zoot suit. And he makes his grand entrance on lowriders or Harleys or led by a pack of burros instead of eight reindeer.
Meet Pancho Claus, the TexMex Santa. Amid all the talk about Santa Claus’ race, spawned by a Fox News commentator’s remarks that both Santa and Jesus were white, there is, in the Lone Star State, a Hispanic version of Santa in cities from the border to the plains — handing out gifts for low-income and at-risk children. Born from the Chicano civil
rights movement, Pancho Claus is a mostly Texas thing, historians say, though there may be one somewhere in California. Lorenzo Cano, a Mexican-American studies scholar at the University of Houston, says Pancho was apparently conceived north of the border as Mexican-Americans looked to “build a place and a space for themselves” in the 1970s. His rise coincided with a growing interest in Mexican art,
Cinco de Mayo, Mexican Independence Day and other cultural events. Now, Pancho is an adored Christmas fixture in many Texas cities. “We have kids that we ask, ‘Did Santa Claus come to see you?’ and they say, ‘No he didn’t. But Pancho Claus did,’” says Robert Narvaiz, vice commander
See PANCHO PAGE 5A
A spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety in San Antonio said Rangel was traveling northbound as a passenger at around 1 p.m. near Pearsall, near mile marker 103, when two vehicles traveling in the right lane of I-35 changed lanes at the same time. Authorities said the lane change caused Rangel’s 2006 Nissan Sentra to lose control. Both DPS and the Bexar County Sheriff ’s Office said Rangel was the only fatality, while Jose Rangel, also of Laredo, was injured. The extent of his injuries was not immediately clear. The relationship between the two was also unknown as of Tuesday afternoon. (Aldo Amato may be reached at 728-2538 or aamato@lmtonline.com)
INVESTIGATION
Authorities search Rio Bravo mayor’s market By MATTHEW NELSON THE ZAPATA TIMES
A search warrant on Rio Bravo Mayor Manuel Vela’s meat market was executed by the Webb County Sheriff ’s Office on Monday morning. Details on why the property was searched were not disclosed.
The warrant was executed at about 7 a.m. by the Sheriff ’s Office Financial Special Investigations Group Task Force with assistance from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. “We executed a search warrant and it’s an ongoing investigation,” task force Commander Rolando Elizalde said. “There are
no charges at this time. Nobody was arrested.” ICE’s role was to support and assist in the execution of the warrant, agency spokeswoman Nina Pruneda said. While Vela confirmed that his market was searched, he said he does not know and was not told why the store is under investiga-
tion. “I don’t know exactly because they don’t tell me why,” he said. Vela said he asked the Sheriff ’s Office about the search, but law enforcement told him that it was part of an ongoing investigation. “It’s nothing to worry about. Everything is fine,” Vela said.
Neither the Sheriff ’s Office nor ICE has contacted Vela, but he has attempted to contact his lawyer. “I called my attorney just to be sure. I’m waiting for him to call me,” he said. (Matthew Nelson may be reached at 728-2567 or mnelson@lmtonline.com)