SATURDAY
HAWKS PLAY LBJ
SEPTEMBER 6,2008
GAME STORY INSIDE SPORTS 1B
FREE
The Zapata Times DELIVERED EVERY SATURDAY
TO 4,000 HOMES
A HEARST PUBLICATION
A LAKE VIEW
Vela has roots in alcalde service T
he name of Vela is marked for the historic records of Zapata and Guerrero Nuevo as part of the early story of the Rio Grande frontier downriver from Laredo and Nuevo Laredo. While the name stands out among Spanish and Mexico land and deARAMBULA grants, velopments on both sides of the Rio Grande, the early Vela families of the region, however, were part of early governance. In a book by a former Laredo Morning Times lifestyle editor Lori McVey, we find the names of Vela individuals who served as mayor (alcalde) from 1821 to 1954. McVey cited the alcaldes from a 1952 publication, “La Antigua Revilla en la Leyenda de Los Tiempos,” by Lorenzo de la Garza. De la Garza was identified in a Guerrero government directory as the town’s historian. His book became part of the Old Guerrero archives. It listed the names of men who served as municipal president in a mayor-council government. The first Vela name on the list was of Santiago Vela, whose first term as alcalde was 1831. Santiago also served on two other occasions, 1836 and 1846, both highly significant years in Texas history. Students of history should underscore the year 1836 — the year Texas won independence from Mexico at San Jacinto (on April 21, 1836, to be specific). That’s the time in Texas history when Sam Houston’s ragged army of Texans caught Mexican General Santa Anna taking a siesta on the banks of the San Jacinto River and overran the enemy in less than 30 minutes. Santiago Vela served for a third term in 1846, the year the Republic of Texas was negotiating with Washington for statehood. It was also a period of time when Texans were dealing with insurgency from Mexican-Texans and rebels on the Mexican side wanting to recover Texas from the embrace of U. S. statehood. The dispute centered on the boundary between the Republic of Texas and the Mexican government. Texans insisted that the boundary was the Rio Grande River while Mexico argued it was the Nueces River. The dispute raged for years in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in the border area of Brownsville and Matamoros, giving rise to a Mexican-Texan rebellion fired by Juan Cortinas (The Cortinas Wars). The events led to the Mexican-American War, clearing the path for Texas to join the Union in 1848. Upriver from Zapata and Guerrero, some Laredo families chose to cross the river to resettle in what is Nuevo Laredo. Lori McVey’s photographic essay of Old Guerrero included several of McVey’s photos as well as pictures from contributors. One of the photos is of a couple, Luis Vela and his wife, Ygnacia Saenz de Vela. The picture was taken in 1888. Luis Vela, a great grandfather of East Chicago, Ind., native, Joe Espitia de Vela, was the owner of the Clareño Ranch in Zapata County. Some of these details on Revilla (Guerrero) are also described in other published works, including “Dolores, Revilla and
See LAKE VIEW | PAGE 11A
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Master Plan nears No tax By PAUL S. MARTINEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Zapata County is on the brink of implementing a master plan, and officials are seeking extensive input from local residents to ensure the plan meets the needs — and vision — of the community. “(Zapata County) can be shaped by choice or chance,” said Peggy Umphres Moffett, president of the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Center. “This master plan is a way for us to create the kind of community we want,” she added. The master plan outlines the policies and collaborative efforts needed to develop Zapata County’s infrastructure and
economy while preserving its history and environment after taking into account local and region demographic changes and economic development opportunities. The master plan serves as a sort of “position paper” that the Zapata County Commissioners Court will have the option to adopt as policy, Umphres Moffett said. “We start by asking how can our community get less of what we don’t want and more of what we do,” she said. Umphres-Moffett said the cornerstones of the master plan are seven statements “that people generally agree on.”
The statements are:
Development decisions should be open and transparent. Plentiful choices among safe, convenient and attractive neighborhoods and affordable housing. Ready access to jobs, daily necessities and fun, with less time in traffic. A strong local economy. Preserving what’s best about the place we live in. Lower personal costs and efficient use of tax money. A shot at the American dream of opportunity for access to good schools/education centers, a safe environment and opportunities for advancement.
See PLAN | PAGE 11A
LA RANCHERITA
BEAT
hike in budget By PAUL S.MARTINEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
The Zapata County Commissioners Court is expected to approve its 2008-09 budget and keep its tax rate the same at Monday’s meeting. The meeting starts at 9:15 a.m. at the Zapata County Courthouse. Zapata County Judge Rosalva Guerra has proposed a budget of $27,366,170 for fiscal year 2008-2009. The sum is nearly $4 million more than Zapata County’s estimated revenue of $23,382,371. GUERRA The proposed Zapata County tax rate is 73.6 cents per $100 valuation, as it has been for five years, but because of higher appraisal values the same rate will bring in about 7.6 percent more in tax revenue. While the budget can be balanced by dipping into county’s general fund of more than $15.3 million, two of the four county commissioners say they’d rather stay within the bounds of the estimated revenue. Pct. 2 Commissioner Gabriel Villarreal said he is doesn’t have a problem with going into the general fund to balance the
See BUDGET | PAGE 11A
Photos by Ulysses S. Romero | Laredo Morning Times
La Rancherita morning radio show announcer Lupita Barrientos discusses how KJJS-FM has ingrained itself with Zapata County residents.
Zapata residents now have their own FM radio station By PAUL S. MARTINEZ
By PAUL S. MARTINEZ
THE ZAPATA TIMES
apata has a new voz. KJJS 103.9 La Rancherita, Zapata County’s first FM station, began broadcasting on July, 16, said Francisco San Millan, the station’s owner. The station is the first in a new chain of Spanish-language stations started by San Millan’s company, Target Hispanic Media, Inc., he said. San Millan’s Yuma, Ariz.-based company has plans to open stations in George West, Refugio, Dexter, New Mexico and Wellton, Ariz. San Millan said he chose Zapata for his first station because of its great location. “Zapata is strategically positioned to cover markets like Laredo, Roma, Rio Grande City and in Mexico,” San Millan said in Spanish in a telephone interview from Mexico City. San Millan said his La Rancherita station is not in any way related to La Rancherita del Aire or La Rancherita Contenta, two powerful and wellknown Mexican AM stations. “We might change the name of the station to avoid confusion,” he said. San Millan said his 6,500-watt station started off playing mostly the music of the Mexican states of Durango, Sinaloa and Sonora. The station, which is housed in a converted mobile home, is tailoring itself to the community by incorporating what listeners request the most, he added. People in Zapata request a lot of norteño and corridos, said Lupita Barrientos, the La Rancherita DJ from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Barrientos said the community’s response to the new station was been overwhelming. “Everywhere I go (in Zapata) people are listening to La Rancherita,”
$200K in tech funds returned THE ZAPATA TIMES
Zapata County ISD returned about $200,000 to Zapata County this week as the Zapata County Higher Education Advanced Technology Center project continues to move forward. Zapata County became the fiscal administrator of about $3.1 million in funds to build the center, replacing the school district. Hence, ZCISD took the funds it had earmarked for the project and turning them over to the county.
Z
Plans change
A fade from the microphone to music is performed by KJJS-103.9 morning radio announcer Lupita Barrientos during a recent show. she said. “In restaurants, stores, the car wash … everywhere.” Barrientos has never worked in radio before, but she’s always been a fan, she said. And the people of Zapata County have accepted her quickly. A DJ wasn’t scheduled to be on the air during The Zapata Times’ recent visit, but Barrientos donned the earphones and took to the air to demonstrate the station’s popularity. Within a minute of going live, the phone started ringing and it kept ringing, non-stop, with song and greeting requests. In the morning, Barrientos hosts favorite-song contests, which also are very popular, she said. The station has live DJs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and pre-programmed music the rest of time; the station is a 24hour, 365 days a year operation. San Millan said the station is planning to add a news program and to of-
fer community announcements once it becomes more established. The station also features a recording bay for commercials and other types of recordings. Peggy Umphres Moffett, president of Zapata County Chamber of Commerce, said the station is great for the county. “(La Rancherita) fills a gap as a source for communication and entertainment,” she said. San Millan said his goal for the station is to provide a social service for Zapata County, at the same, prompting economic growth for local businesses, including his own. “We feel honored to be the first radio station in Zapata,” San Millan said. “We want to start a dialogue with the community so the station can belong to all of us.” (Paul S. Martinez may be reached at (956) 728-2566 or paul@lmtonline.com)
The original plan for the higher education center was to renovate a vacated Zapata County ISD elementary school. Originally, the Zapata Economic Development Center secured about $1.6 million for the project through federal grants, with the help of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, and matching fund contributions. But then the project received another $1.5 million in state funds, with the help of state Rep. Ryan Guillen and state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, and the decision was made to build a new facility, said Peggy Umphres Moffett, the center’s president.
New campus A plan was made and approved to build the new eight-building campus across from the county courthouse. Since that land belongs to the county, the county became the fiscal administrator of the fund. ZCISD still will administer the facility when it opens, said ZCISD Superintendent Romeo Rodriguez. Construction on the new campus should begin next spring, Umphres Moffett said. It should take about 12 to 18 months to complete the project, she added. A few higher education opportunities already exist in Zapata County, Rodriguez said. Zapata High School students can take
See ZCISD | PAGE 11A