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ZCISD eyes new ball field By TARYN WHITE LAREDO MORNING TIMES
ODIE ARAMBULA
Memorial honors Jose de Escandon istory knows him by the name of Jose de Escandon, but his birthright name was lifted from the Archivo de la Nacion (national archives) as Jose de Escandon y de la Helguera. In the book, “Notable Men and Women of Spanish Texas” (Donald E. Chipman and Harriett Denise Joseph, 1999), he is identified as Jose de Escandon y Elguera. Without exception, historians in Texas and the United States chose to stick to Jose de Escandon and that is how Texas history knows him best. In these parts of South Texas, he went down as Jose de Escandon. He was the Spanish King’s authority who hired Tomas Sanchez to lead the first families to settle Laredo in 1755, about seven years after Escandon took the lead expedition to the Rio Grande frontier to settle what became known as Santander. And he’s the one who approved a settlement of 40 families, numbering about 200 men, women and children, in Villa del Señor San Ignacio de Loyola de Revilla (Old Guerrero) on both sides of the river in 1750. History tells us Jose de Escandon distinguished himself as a military leader and one of the leading explorers assigned to Nueva España by Madrid. Escandon left his marks on the lands and stones of modern day northern Mexico and South Texas as attested by the 23 settlements he was credited with on both sides of the Rio Grande frontier. Of the 23, two were on territory that in time became part of the new Republic of Texas and later the state of Texas. One was Dolores and the other, Laredo (Villa de San Agustin de Laredo). Whenever we travel with others north out of Laredo on Interstate 35, driving past the stretch of small towns and rural land, someone thinks out loud, “Can you imagine? All this open land once was part of Mexico and was first explored by the Spaniards who probably were ancestors of some of us.” The conversations are not complete without someone’s story of ancestors who were among the inhabitants or squatters of a land grant. In the mix of the stories, as history or legend turned history, the bits and pieces would always originate with the life of Jose de Escandon. Historian Luciano Guajardo used to tell visitors to the public library, “He was the authority that designated the men who led the families to the settlements. He hand-picked Tomas Sanchez.” During the decades of the 1960s and 1970s, this writer traveled numerous times down U.S. 83 to San Ygnacio, Zapata and the string of Starr Country communities. A regional council of governments often conducted COG board business in Rio Grande City when it did not convene in Laredo. It provided opportunity for occasional side trips to Guerrero, Mier, Aleman and Camargo on the Mexican side. This was Escandon country where he petitioned for a land grant that was
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See LAKE VIEW | PAGE 13A
The Zapata County Independent School District is seeking bids on construction of a new high school baseball field and renovations on the high school softball field. “The current baseball field is around 25 years old,” said Zapata CISD Superintendent Romeo Rodriguez. “We have outlived the current field, and so the upgrade
is needed.” The district’s school board gave the go-ahead at its Nov. 12 meeting to start the bidding RODRIGUEZ process. Rodriguez said it’s not known how much the new field and upgrade will cost because the school district is still accepting bids from con-
struction companies to find the best deal. The renovations and construction of the fields will be paid for by allocations from the renovations and construction budget. “We won’t need to pass a bond or anything like that,” said Rodriguez. “It will be paid for from money we already have set aside.” The softball field, which was constructed in 2001, will be upgraded with covered seating for
the spectators and a press box. The new baseball field also will be constructed with covered seating and a press box, with the added benefit of being built next to the high school. “The current field is about a mile away from the high school, parallel to the football field,” Rodriguez said. “The students have to commute every time they practice or play in a game.” The district will keep the current field as a backup for prac-
tices and community use. According to Rodriguez, construction of the new field will not only be more convenient for the players, but also save the district money in the long run. “We will save money on transportation since we won’t have to transport the kids back and forth,” Rodriguez said. “And we won’t have to renovate the baseball field’s current parking lot
See ZCISD | PAGE 13A
FISHING FOR TOURNAMENT BASS Winner to be crowned later today By JULIAN AGUILAR THE ZAPATA TIMES
hursday morning at Falcon Lake, dozens of professional sportsmen were checking their gear and boats, ready to embark on the first day of fishing during the four-day tournament FLW Outdoors Fish-Off Bass Tournament. The tournament ends today, with the final weigh-in set at 3 p.m. at the Zapata County public boat ramp. New and old boats alike set sail on the serene waters, carrying fishermen who donned gear with so many sponsors’ logos that they resembled NASCAR drivers.
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The scene The scene is one that Zapata residents should get used to, as Falcon Lake, always known as such to locals, has spread through the country as a hot spot for professional sportsmen. “Those first tournaments that we had here put Zapata on the map and put Falcon Lake on the map,” said Paco Mendoza, the executive director of the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce. “They (the fishermen) broke world records here on Falcon Lake, and that news got to these professional anglers.” Mendoza agreed tapping the lake as major tourist draw and tournament venue could
Photo by Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times
A team of fishermen cast their lines near brush Thursday morning as they compete in the four-day FLW Outdoors Fish-Off Bass Tournament at Falcon Lake, scheduled to wrap-up today. have been thought of long ago, but the chamber, he said, isn’t taking a “better-late-than-never” approach. “We basically get funded through the hotel-motel tax, so the more people that come into town and rent rooms, put heads in beds, the more revenue it brings in for us,” he said. “So what it does for us is it gets all these people to come down from all over the world and come down and see Zapata and see how wonderful Falcon Lake is. When they go down home,
they spread the word.”
Hosting major events Mendoza said the lake has already been booked to host at least two more major events in addition to this tournament, a 60-boat affair. FLW Outdoors will return in January for its annual Stren Series tournament, he said, and the Bassmasters Elite Series, which made a stop in Zapata earlier this year, will return in April. That tournament, he said,
Man welcomes MHMR’s help (Editor’s note: United Way is funding 25 agencies in Laredo and Zapata with its 2008-09 campaign. This is one in a series about the agencies and the people they help.)
all week and that there are reservations through the weekend. The hotel, he said, charges an average of $117 per night.
Going national “They come from all over the country, including Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma and California,” he said. “Most of the talk is about the lake and how beautiful it is. I would say that
LAREDO MORNING TIMES
Photo by Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times
Sara Zamora, professional social service worker at Border Region MHMR, talks with Cesar Javier Salinas. “This problem isn’t gone. It doesn’t go away just like that, but, with the help of this clinic, I’m a lot better,” he said in Spanish. Salinas injured his back at work in 1993. He had to leave his job and live on workers’ compensation, which led to financial problems
That, on top of an aggressive and abusive relationship with his wife, were events that might have led to being diagnosed with major depression. Anger and restless behavior caused Salinas to throw things
See MHMR | PAGE 12A
See TOURNAMENT | PAGE 12A
Senator prefiles 45 pieces of legislation SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
By CHRISTINA ROSALES There was a time when Javier Salinas couldn’t perform the simplest tasks. Doing yard work was a great feat, which he paid somebody to do, he said. His thoughts were clouded with ideas of suicide and other violent ideas. After getting treated at Border Region MHMR Community Center, he is able to function well enough for daily life and his energy level is high enough to do his yard work. “Before I would pay people to cut the grass,” Salinas said. “Now I do it myself. It’s slow, but, little by little, it gets done.” That’s how treating depression was for Salinas, a slow process.
will bring to the lake more than 230 professional anglers. Mendoza said that aside from the opportunity for professional sportsmen to take advantage of one of Texas’ bestkept fishing spots, Zapata’s small-town feel and friendliness keep the out-of-towners coming back. And local businesses also are thriving. Daniel Mateo is general manager of county’s Holiday Inn Express, on U.S. 83. He said Thursday more than 50 of his 70 rooms have been occupied
State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, was the first to prefile bills for the 81st Texas Legislature’s consideration, entering a record 45 bills for the session that will convene Tuesday, Jan. 13. “My bills focus on the priorities of the families of District 21, balanced with those of the families of our great state,” Zaffirini said. “Each is simply a starting point and will evolve through constructive negotiation that is the hallmark of the legislative process. “Accordingly, I urge anyone interested in any of my bills to contact me or my staff immediately so that we can consider any suggestions for improvement.” Of the 45 bills filed by Zaffirini, 11 are in higher education; five, public education; 13,
health and human services; and six, juvenile and criminal justice. Others are in areas ranging from agriculture and transportation to the judiciary and technology. Her bills include the following: SB 21, which would allow districts voluntarily to expand their half-day pre-kindergarten programs to a full day for currently eligible 4-year-old children, while implementing certain quality enhancements. What’s more, the bill would promote collaboration among districts and high-quality private child care and Head Start providers by requiring districts to use a portion of the state formula funding to partner for prekindergarten services. SB 22, which would provide much-needed financial relief
See SENATOR | PAGE 13A