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LAW ENFORCEMENT
HEALTH CARE
Clinic continues to operate Sheriff to get 24-hour clinic is left operating with skeleton crew $1.4 million By JULIE DAFFERN THE ZAPATA TIMES
With the release of $36,000 from county, the Zapata Medical Clinic continues to operate on a skeleton crew. The money will be used to pay employees, including several who walked out at the end of July when they heard they would not be getting a paycheck scheduled for July 31, leaving
only a couple of employees to run the 24-hour clinic. “That clinic is open 24/7. Service has not been interrupted,” said Manuel Pelaez, attorney for Zapata Medical Group, which operates the clinic. “It’s important that quality of care was not impacted.” Eight employees who walked out were at Commissioners Court on Monday even after they found out checks, with funding provided by Zap-
ata Medical Group partner Dr. Ernest Cabrera, were mailed out the Saturday before. The group told the court it wasn’t fair that Cabrera was forced to pay the salaries out of his own pocket because the clinic lacked funding. Pelaez said earlier that group partner Dr. Larry Sands would reimburse Cabrera for half, but when an item for additional funding for the clinic was approved
by the court Monday, Pelaez said it would cover the shortfall for payroll and pay Cabrera back. County Judge Rosalva Guerra told the employees that because the county contracts the Zapata Medical Group, the Commissioners Court had no control over what happens internally at the clinic.
See CLINIC | PAGE 12A
STATE OFTHE ART
By ZACH LINDSEY LAREDO MORNING TIMES
The Zapata County Sheriff ’s Department will receive $1.4 million under the Department of Homeland Security’s Operation Stonegarden, a program designed to make border communities safer. The money will go to equipment related to surveillance, border security and disruption of drug trafficking, according to Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo “Sigi” Gonzalez. Two types of technology the department is excited about are drug sniffers and handheld thermal imagers. The drug sniffers are “small vacuum-cleanertype” devices that analyze the air to detect money, narcotics or explosives in a vehicle quickly, according to Gonzalez. The handheld thermal imagers will allow officers working at night to detect humans or weapons with heat coming off them. Gonzalez said he is also considering establishing a “very small” mobile command center. “I don’t believe in luxuries,” Gonzalez said. Gonzalez hopes to use some of the money to move personnel from reserve to full-time status, and hire part-time deputies to perform border security roles. He said that the definition of border security is broader than simply stopping drugs or illegal immi-
grants as they cross the United States-Mexico border itself. “ B o rd e r security is GONZALEZ a n y t h i n g having to do with a nexus of border-related crime,” Gonzalez said. He cited a call he received on August 14. A rancher that lives about 23 miles from the border told him that he is seeing an increase of trespassers on his property. “They’re not the usual illegal aliens he’s used to seeing,” Gonzalez said. “They’re more of a criminal element.” He said that he has noticed an increase of complaints of trespassers on ranches that looked more like smugglers than illegal immigrants. “It’s widespread, and it’s not just confined to the border area,” Gonzalez said. “It’s miles away from the border.” More than $30 million was appropriated for Operation Stonegarden. U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar said it was the largest amount the border region has received under the program. “We’ve got to think regionally,” Cuellar said. The Texas border region’s law enforcement agencies received $12.8 million under the latest addition to the Operation Stonegarden grant.
FOOD BANK
Photos by Ricardo Segovia | Laredo Morning Times
ABOVE: The $2 million Zapata County Museum of History is taking shape, as seen in this photo taken Friday. It is scheduled to open in April 2010. BELOW: Workers are seen on the roof of the Zapata County Museum of History.
Museum hopes to present world-class exhibits By DIANA R. FUENTES THE ZAPATA TIMES
T
he new $2 million Zapata County Museum of History is taking shape on U.S. 83, and is on schedule to open in early April 2010. “We’re so excited about this,” said Hildegardo Flores, Ph.D., chair of the museum’s Board of Directors. “We want to define ourselves to the world. We’re writing our own history from our own archives. “We don’t want the likes of J. Frank Dobie or T.R. Fehrenbach to do it,” Flores said. “We’ll tell the world who we are. We’ve been fighting toe to toe with people on that. They bring us the same regurgitation, about violence in the past. “What violence? We made it through hard work. I’m sure there were some violent ones, but these were hard-working people who put their shoulders to the wheel and turned this place from a wild area into a civilized home.” As construction continues, the board is working with consultants to develop a plan for proposed exhibits at the state-of-the-art facility. “We’ll be forwarding a recommendation to Commissioners Court later this month so they can include it in their budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year,” Flores said. “If the exhibits are approved as the board recommends, I think we will have a tremendous museum. “We hope the Commissioners Court will make a good investment in this.” Manuel and Guadalupe Medrano of Falcon said they’re looking forward to the new museum.
“It could bring more people into Zapata, more tourists,” Manuel Medrano said. “I think it’s a very good idea.” His wife, Guadalupe, agreed. “It’s something good for everybody,” she said. “I’ve been to other museums and they attract interest.” Flores said the museum will house old and new exhibits, and board members hope to add interactive exhibits for young visitors. “We’re taking inventory of the existing exhibits from the old museum and we plan to integrate them with the new ones,” he said. “We’ve been in touch with area historic organizations, including the Webb County Heritage Foundation, to give us technical assistance,” Flores added. “They’ve been very, very kind and most helpful.”
Groundbreaking for the project was April 8. Construction is scheduled to end in October, and then work will began on building elements necessary for exhibits with an eye toward a grand opening in early April. The new building replaces the previous museum that was housed in an old fire station, where it was moved when the entire city had to relocate with the creation of Falcon Lake. Peggy U. Moffett, president of the Zapata County Economic Development Center, said the project is an important part of the community’s master development plan. “It’s part of the infrastructure,” she said. “It will help promote tourism. The board plans for unique
See MUSEUM | PAGE 12A
Empty Bowls nears $100K By NICK GEORGIOU THE ZAPATA TIMES
Though the totals aren’t official yet, the South Texas Food Bank is expected to have met its goal of raising between $90,000 and $100,000 at its third annual Empty Bowls event Thursday night. That’s double the amount the food bank raised at the event last year. “We just want to thank Laredo for supporting us again in our mission for feeding the hungry,” said Salo Otero, the food bank’s director of Development. “It was a very uplifting event.” Between 3,000 and 3,500 people attended the Laredo Entertainment CenterSouth Texas Food Bank Empty Bowls fundraiser. “I do want to mention that the LEC was so, so cooperative with us,” Otero said. “They need a big round of applause for the cooperation they gave us.” Romeo Salinas, Zapata County treasurer and food bank board member, said he was impressed with the turnout. He added there were few empty seats. The event’s main feature was America, a folk rock band that became a sensation in the 1970s. Otero said the group’s two original members were in the lobby past midnight signing autographs even though they were not under contractual
We just want to thank Laredo for supporting us again in our mission for feeding the hungry.” FOOD BANK DIRECTOR, SALO OTERO
obligations to do so. “There was a long line of people,” Otero said. “Some came with old albums hoping this would happen. That was amazing to me.” The money raised at the event is essential for helping the food bank feed its ever-increasing number of clientele, Otero said. For example, the food bank has been serving about 18,000 families per month for the past several years. But for the past four months or so, the food bank has been serving more than 20,000 families a month. In July, about 20,900 families were served. And it’s thanks to generous donations and supporters who help the food bank meet its needs. One of those supporters,
See EMPTY | PAGE 12A