February 9, 2018 - PT ISSUE by Progress Times

EARLY VOTING Feb. 20th - Mar. 3rd

TEAM L1BERTY

Armando Marroquin

Norma Ramirez

Richard Cortez

Ricardo Rodriguez

Patty Ocaña Olivarez

JJ Peña

Joanne Garcia

Friday, February 9, 2018

ELECTION DAY March 6th

Arturo Guajardo

When she was selected as Queen Citrianna 82 last month, Alexandria Canchola had one person on her mind. “A few weeks ago, I told my mom ‘I wish I could talk to my grandmother,” Canchola, a McAllen resident, recalled as she spoke of her grandmother who passed away Christmas Eve 2004, after a then six-year-old Alexandria was selected as Princess Anna. “She made the dress for Princess Anna back then and my dress when I competed for Queen Citrianna this year was made with tools and materials my mother inherited from my grandma,” she said. “I honestly felt my grandmother’s presence making this dress with my mother, and I felt her presence on that stage. I know she’d be proud of me” Canchola, the Duchess of Wildflowers, was named Queen Citrianna for 2019 meaning she won’t begin her reign until next year’s Texas Citrus Fiesta coronation,

Ray Thomas

www.ptrgv.com | 50 Cents

Vol. 46 No. 26 By Jose De Leon III

Eloy Avila

2019 Queen Citrianna celebrates

her new title

Alexandria Canchola (right) celebrates with her royal court after being named Queen Citrianna for the 2019 Texas Citrus Fiesta Thursday, Jan. 25. Progress times photo by Luciano Guerra

scheduled for the last week in January. This annual event is hosted in the city of Mission to celebrate the Valley’s citrus industry. Canchola, a junior at The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, is already attempting to figure out how to balance her schoolwork with her duties as incoming queen. Canchola is a division 1 student-athlete for the school’s Cross Country and Track and Field team and is a representative of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee with the NCAA, according to her biography. Canchola is majoring in exercise science and minoring in biology with aspirations to be a physical therapist. Because of her workload as a student athlete, Canchola recalled how frantic it felt balancing those duties and getting ready for this year’s fiesta pageant. “It’ll be insane balancing my reign with school,” she admitted. “Between going back and forth between school and track and doing

See NEW TITLE Pg. 11

‘A new vision for Mission’

Armando O’Caña announces mayoral candidacy By Jose De Leon III After running unsuccessfully for mayor for the city of Mission one decade ago, Mission City Council member Armando O’Caña announced his candidacy for mayor in the upcoming May 5 elections. “It’s time for a new voice in the city,” O’Caña said, referring to current Mission mayor Norberto “Beto” Salinas, who has been in office for 20 years. “My slogan is ‘Mission is my vision’ and I plan to be your voice. That’s the bottom line.” O’Caña made this announcement Wednesday

during a dinner held at Danny’s Mexican Restaurant in Mission to a group of people he called his “personal circle” of friends and family. At that announcement, he also said he would retire as public safety director for the La Joya Independent School District at the end of June 2019. According to O’Caña, he is the only candidate to have filed to run against Salinas. Because of his candidacy for mayor, O’Caña said he would have to vacate his seat on the city council within 120 days. “The next election is in 90 days but my term ends after that,” he said. “I went

to the city manager and city attorney to see if there’s any way I can relinquish my seat before then so the city does not spend more money on an election for one seat and the city can hold an election for it with their next general election.” After the announcement, Mayor Salinas said in a phone interview he looks forward to the election. “We’ll have a friendly race and the people of Mission will win,” he said. “They’re the ones who will decide the winner.” The last time O’Caña ran for mayor was in 2010

Vince Young stands before La Joya ISD student athletes. by Jamie Treviño.

See NEW VISION Pg. 12

Vince Young Speaks to La Joya Students

By Jamie Treviño

Armando O’Caña (left) during the Wednesday announcement of his mayoral run. Progress Times photo by Jose De Leon III.

Heading for Playoffs

The Lady Lobos, Lady Patriots, and Lady Huskies are heading for 5A and 6A State Playoffs, hoping to make history in the RGV. Bryan Ramos speaks to coaches and players about their journey.

See Pg. 6

INDEX

Entertainment | pg.2

Progress Times photo

Former NFL player and Rose Bowl champion Vince Young visited La Joya High School Tuesday, Feb. 6 and spoke to varsity athletes from all three high schools in the district. Young was brought down to the Rio Grande Valley by State Representative Oscar Longoria, D-mission, with the help of Patrick Patterson from the University of Texas’ community outreach program, in an effort to promote pursuing a higher education. The event was kicked off by La Joya’s athletic director, Alejandro Guajardo, who

spoke briefly before Young. “Today’s a special day, because we get to have our varsity Coyotes, varsity Lobos and our varsity Huskies together for this,” Guajardo said. “We also have our drill teams, our cheerleaders and our bands. I don’t think we’ve ever done this before, so I’m extremely happy that they are here today.” As the band played “Texas Fight,” the University of Texas’ fight song, the gymnasium full of students erupted in applause as the football player entered with his hand in the Hook ‘em Horns signal. The professional athlete began his speech by praising

the students in the district. He grew up in a predominately black and Hispanic community in Houston, and his graduating class in high school was about 500 students. Because the student population in La Joya is larger than that, Young congratulated the students on continuing their pursuit of an education and said that so many students making the effort to go to school was a great thing. “I’ve been told some great things about y’all,” Young said. “So give yourselves a round of applause.” Young used his childhood

See VINCE YOUNG Pg. 11

INSIDE

CORRECTION

Hidalgo County Businessman Arrested

The article “La Joya ISD super gets 5 percent pay raise, contract extension” in the February 2, 2018 issue of the Progress Times incorrectly stated the salary for La joya ISD superintendent Alda T. Benavides. According to a report from the Texas Education Agency, Benavides’ salary for the 2016-2017 school year was $314,911. With the pay increase, her salary now stands at $330,656.

Lifestyle | pg.3

Sports | pg. 6

Investigators arrest Mission resident Jose Manuel Salazar, who owned several illegal eight-liner establishments in the Valley. Dave Hendricks brings us the story, inside.

See Pg. 8

Obituaries | pg. 9

Classifieds | pg. 11

entertainment

Coming Attractions February 9 • Brielle Frost (flute) performs at 7 p.m. for the UTRGV Faculty Artist Series at the TSC Arts Center in Brownsville. Admission is free and open to the public. Frost will be joined by Juan Pablo Andrade (piano), Krista Jobson (flute) and Natalie Haugeberg (cello) to perform a variety of works by Telemann, Tann, Naudot, Demersseman, Karg-Elert, and Skoumal. For information, call 956882-7025. February 10-March 17 • The Mission Historical Museum 12th Annual Quilt Show opens Feb. 10 and runs through March 17. An awards reception and “Turning of the Quilts” program will take place on Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. The museum is located at 900 Doherty in Mission. Admission is free. For information, call 956-580-8646. February 11 • The next Chamber Music Concert Nights performance by Viol Consort begins with a pre-concert talk on at 6:30 p.m., followed by the performance at 7 p.m. at the McAllen Public Library auditorium. The performance features a selection of baroque music for string orchestra, starting with Telemann Overture Suite “Les Nations” followed by two of the most representative baroque concertos for strings by the Italian composers Antonio Vivaldi and Francesco Geminiani. For more information, call 956-616 9668. • The UTRGV Patron of the Arts hosts a performance by pianist Dr. Kenneth Saxon featuring the neglected and favorite works of Chopin, Beethoven, and Bach. The concert will be held at 3 p.m. at the TSC Arts Center in Brownsville and is free and open to the public. For questions, call 956-882-7025. February 11, 16-18 & March 8 • The Ballet Folklórico UTRGV presents Alegría 2018 in eight shows. Performances are Feb. 2, 3, 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m., with matinees on Feb. 4, 11 and 18 at 2 p.m. at the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex on the Edinburg campus and, finally, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Brownsville TSC Arts Center. Tickets are $15 for adults; $10 for se-

niors and students; and $5 for children. For advance ticket information, visit utrgv.link/ alegria or call the Dance Program office at 956-665-2230. Tickets will be available at the PAC Box Office one hour prior to the event. February 12-14 • The Hidalgo Watercolor Society is hosting Susie Short teaching “Creative Composition and Design Simplified.” Classes run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each. The fee is $155 per person. To register, contact Joyce Capen at 231-629-2914 or email capen1jl@cmich. edu. It will be held at the UVAL annex in the Kika de la Garza Fine Arts Center, 912 E. 12th St. in Mission. For more information, call 956-583-2787. February 15 • The next Valley Symphony Orchestra chamber concert, Couture Ravel, Chamber Concert II, features VSO concertmaster Geoffrey Wong – violin, Benjamin Ponder – cello, and Daniel Steenken – piano, performing a trio piece by Maurice Ravel. Itwill be at the Sky Tower Club at the Chase Bank Tower with a reception at 6:30 p.m. and musical program at 7 p.m. Chamber concert tickets are $50. For tickets, visit valleyorchestra.org or stop by the McAllen Performing Arts Center box office weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. February 17 • In a “Wine and Masterpiece” workshop, Joyce Capen will guide class members through the process of creating a Monarch butterfly watercolor using plastic food wrap and salt in the Upper Valley Art League annex from 2 to 5 p.m. Cost is $20 for members and $25 for nonmembers. Class size is limited to 15. Art supplies will be furnished, but students should bring their own beverage and snack. Classes must be paid at the time of registration. Register at the UVAL gallery at 921 E. 12th St. in Mission. Call 956-5832787 for information. (For more Coming Attractions, go to ptrgv.com)

February 9, 2018

page 2

www.ptrgv.com | www.strgv.com

NEWS | SPORTS | ENTERTAINMENT | PHOTOS

Palmview Los Lobos and Ozomatli present ‘Herencia Hispaña’

LA JOYA – La Joya Palmview High School’s Mariachi “Los Lobos” and Grupo Folklorico Ozomatli will present its Spring 2018 concert “Herencia Hispana” at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18. All performances will be held at the Alejando H. Saenz Performing Arts Center (Saenz PAC), located at 604 Coyote Blvd. in La Joya. “Herencia Hispana” translates to “Hispanic Legacy.” The show is filled with mariachi music, folkolorico dancing, vivid colors and costumes, and paints a culture filled with strong bonds and deep roots. The performance also carries a theme

to honor veterans and those fallen in their service to the nation. The award winning Palmview High School Mariachi “Los Lobos” perform cultural songs from Mexico, along with a special section for our Winter Texans. The Ballet Folklorico “Ozomatli” will feature dynamic dances from Spain, Argentina, Chile and Mexico. “It is with great pride to be able to represent our community, school, heritage and the great state of Texas and honor the fallen that have served to protect our nation,” said Rolando Rodriguez, director Both Palmview High School Mariachi “Los Lo-

bos” and Grupo Folklorico “Ozomatli” were chosen as the official representatives of the State of Texas in the 2018 National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C. in May. The show will help the students to raise funds for scholarships and the upcoming trip. It is a repeat experience when they were selected to represent Texas in 2013 for President Barack Obama’s inauguration parade. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased at the Saenz PAC box office from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, or at the door before each performance. For more information, call 956-323-2898.

MHM presents annual Artesano Market Days

The Mission Historical Museum presents the Fourth Annual Artesano Market Days today, Feb. 9, from 12 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 10, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the City of Mission’s Parks and Recreation Center, 721 N. Bryan, Mission. Admis-

sion is free and open to the public. Highlighting a rich cultural awareness for handcrafted artesano work inspired by history and tradition, both domestic and foreign, visitors can shop from local and international artesanos from

The Mission Historical Museum Fourth Annual Artesano Market Days runs today and tomorrow at the Mission’s Parks and Recreation Center.

various states across Mexico – including Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Tamaulipas, Distrito Federal, Veracruz and Guanajuato. The artisans’ unique products will highlight handcrafted textiles, artwork, jewelry, decorative candles, candies and specialty gifts. There will be an array of food vendors cooking up treats, including funnel cakes, kettle corn, ceviche, empanadas, tortas, tacos and more. On Saturday morning, from 10 to 11 a.m., guests can start their morning off delicious breakfast tacos and coffee, available through one of the exclusive local food vendors. Across the street, the Mega Winter Texan Fiesta festivities will be presented by the Mission Chamber of Commerce at the Mission CEED building. For information on this event contact the museum office at 956-580-8646.

La Gravere brothers coming to Santa Maria

LA GLORIA – The Santa Maria Bullring presents a special bloodless bullfight with the famous La Gravere brothers performing together with the big bulls of El Colminar Viejo. Michelito La Gravere and Andre La Gravere will face off in a duel of matadors at the Santa Maria Bullring in La Gloria on Saturday, Feb. 10. “This is the La Gravere brothers debut – their first bullfight in the United States,” said Fred Renk, owner of the bullring. Both matadors have performed in Spain, France and Portugal during the 2017 season, receiving numerous awards from the European fans, Renk said. Their father is Mechel La Gravere, is a Frenchborn matador de toros of the highest class, expressed his enthusiasm about their upcoming performance at Santa Maria. “They have made me very proud, both young men were trained and groomed by me, and to have this great success, and be able to come to the United States is an honor I will never forget “ Renk said. “The bullring is in its 18th year, and this group of top level matadors and bulls is truly something the public will never forget,” he continued. “The mere size of the animals is the same weight and size of bulls that Mexico presents in its bullrings using picadors, but these animals are not hurt in any way and will go on to their future of appearing in major rodeos chasing the clowns around for the rest of their life.” The gates open at 1 p.m. with food and beverage, music and entertainment until the bullfight starts at 4 p.m. Pre-bullfight performances include Mario Ordaz, “The Singing Horseman,” with his horse El Guapo, and singing by La Bella Alexa Posas. Tickets are $30 sunny side, $35 shady side and $40 for ringside covered seats. All tickets are by reservation or walk up. Call the bullring at 956-481-3300 to make your reservation, and pay on arrival by check or cash. For more information go online to the website fredrenk.com or email the Santa Maria Bullring at sunflwr@granderiver.net

lifestyle

February 9, 2018

www.ptrgv.com | www.strgv.com

NEWS | SPORTS | ENTERTAINMENT | PHOTOS

Granjeno plans Friendship Festival

EVENTS

CALENDAR

Opening reception for UVAL photography show “San Diego Panorama” by Fernando Torres won the Upper Valley Art League People’s Choice Award at the League’s 2017 “Photographic Art Show.” Visitors will have an opportunity to select the 2018 winner at the annual event during the opening reception this Saturday, Feb. 10, from 7 to 9 p.m. It will be held in the gallery at the Kika de la Garza Fine Arts Center, 921 E. 12th St. in Mission. The exhibition will include artwork by members of UVAL’s photography group and the general membership. Admission is free to the public, and the exhibition will be on display through March 3. UVAL gallery hours are Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For information, go to uppervalleyartleague.org or call 956-583-2787.

Looking at Rio Grande Valley history through architecture

EDINBURG – The Museum of South Texas History looks at life 100 years ago through historic buildings as host to Deval “Pino” Shah and Eileen Mattei presenting “Lower Rio Grande Valley History Through Architecture” on Sunday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m. Shah is a world heritage photographer based out of McAllen and Ahmedabad, India. The presentation will focus on his comprehensive effort to create a photographic database on the architecture of the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Shah will share his approach to photographing 570 buildings for the project, display images, outline progress to date and discuss the planned application of the efforts. He will also present three of his books based on the Valley’s history through architecture, “Architecture of

The Lower Rio Grande Valley: An Introduction” with narratives by architectural historian, Stephen Fox, and “Quinta Mazatlan: A Visual Journey” and “Brownsville Architecture: A Visual History” with narratives by Mattei. A freelance writer based in the Rio Grande Valley, Mattei writes travel, nature and history articles for Texas Coop Power, Texas Highways and other magazines. She is the author of “At the Crossroads: Harlingen’s First 100 Years,” “Leading the Way: McAllen’s First 100 Years,” and “For the Good of My Patients: The History of Medicine in the Rio Grande Valley.” The program is included in regular museum admission. MOSTHistory is located at 200 N. Closner Blvd. in Edinburg. Call 956-3836911 for information.

page 3

February 10 – The Second Annual Resaca City Bike Tour in San Benito will be held at Heavin Trail Park with 20, 40.4 and 62.2 mile rides and medals for all who participate. For details and to register, go to chamberofsanbenito.com. February 10 – Friends of Estero Llano Grande State Park will hold their annual meeting from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Ibis classroom. In addition to ongoing and regular business, presentations will be given by Luciano Guerra on “Birding, Texas Style,” and by Rick Snider, on native trees. The park is located at 154A Lakeview Dr. in Weslaco. Call 956-565-3919 for information. February 10 – From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Gladys Porter Zoo presents “Wild Tales,” where visitors can take their kids to storytelling stations, face painting and crafts set up around zoo grounds. Free children’s books will be available while supplies last. Wild Tales will feature author and storyteller, Rickey E. Pittman and “The Librarian,” Melanie Smith. Admission is $4.50 for elementary and middle school students, $5 for high school and college students and $6 for adults. For more information, call the zoo at 956-5467187. The zoo is located at 500 Ringgold in Brownsville. February 10 & 17 – Workshops on “Gardening in South Texas” will be hosted by the Deep South Texas Master Gardeners, in conjunction with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Both sessions will be held at the Hidalgo County Multipurpose Center for Precinct 2, 509 E. Earling Rd. Registration fee is $65 per person, or $90 per couple, for both sessions. To attend only one session, registration is $35 per person. Each registration includes lunch (for single or joint registration) and one handbook and flash drive per registration. Additional books are $20, and the flash drive is $10. To register, or, for more information, call 956-383-1026 or 800-638-8239. February 11 – The next enrichment Animal Play Day at Gladys Porter Zoo, 500 Ringgold in Brownsville, has a “Valentine’s Day” theme as zookeepers provide novel food and play items to stimulate and entertain the zoo inhabitants. It begins at 11 a.m. at Gorilla Island and extends to the surrounding exhibits throughout the day. This event is free with the purchase of general admission. For additional information, call 956-546-7187. February 16 – The Mission Historical Museum (MHM) “Turning of the Quilts” program and awards ceremony for the 12th Annual Mission Quilt Show will be held at 2 p.m. Admission is free MHM is located at 900 Doherty and and open to the public. 200 E. Tom Landry in Mission. For more information, call 956580-8646. February 17 – The Museum of South Texas History celebrates Pioneer & Ranching Crafts Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a day of entertainment and demonstrations that illustrate the crafts and traditions of early farming and ranching in South Texas and northeastern Mexico. This year’s theme celebrates the multitude of bootmakers in the Rio Grande Valley – some for multiple generations. For the latest updates visit mosthistory.org/events or call 956-383-6911. The event is included in regular museum admission. MOSTHistory is located at 200 N. Closner Blvd. in Edinburg. February 17 – Take the family on a photography scavenger hunt at 9:30 a.m. through the gardens of the Edinburg World Birding Center, 714 S. Raul Longoria Rd., with Texas Master Naturalist and adventure guide Neil Cassady. Cameras will be provided, but families are encouraged to bring their own. Participation is included in the regular admission. For more information, call 956381-9922. Feburary 17 – The next Gladys Porter Zoo Saturday Safari, “Incredible Hawk,” runs from 1 to 3 p.m. Children and their parents can meet some of the zoo’s birds of prey up close and personal. A zoo tour, arts and crafts, animal encounter and snacks are included in each class. Cost is $15 per child or adult. Pre-registration is required. The zoo is located at 500 Ringgold in Brownsville. For additional information, call 956-546-7187. (For more Events, go to ptrgv.com.)

GRANJENO – The City of Granjeno invites the public to their 12th Annual Friendship Festival on Saturday, Feb. 10. Head south on Shary Road past Military Highway, straight into Granjeno for all activities. It opens with a parade at 10 a.m., and the festival grounds are open from 10

a.m. to 12 p.m. Festival activities include a Show and Shine car show, arts and crafts, food vendors, Kiddie rides, live music and more. Admission to the family-friendly event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 956-227-7127 or 956519-0032.

For years Rich Clark has been singing in a quartet back home in Vancouver, British Columbia. Among the many different performances they have, there’s one that’s a little more personal than the rest – it’s the singing Valentine. Now, the Valley’s Men of A-Chord barbershop quartet is doing the same thing this year. “People buy flowers and candy and go out to dinner and want to do something different and special on Valentine’s Day,” Clark said. “So there should be a demand.” The Singing Valentine will be delivered to a home, a workplace or a restaurant – or anywhere else throughout Mission and McAllen. Not

only will they serenade the lucky person, but they will also deliver a red rose. “We have three songs prepared – Valentine, Let Me Call You Sweetheart and Heart of My Heart,” Clark said. “It’s really fun having it done at a business because people gather around and it becomes sort of a rallying point. You can serenade a parent, a child, a care provider, your staff, customers – whoever you want.” The Men of A-Chord will be singing from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 14. To reserve a spot, call Clark at 626-8070597 or via email at 43richclark@gmail.com. Proceeds are used to either fund or increase annual student scholarships.

Send a Singing Valentine

To discuss unique bird species

McALLEN – On Thursday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m., Quinta Mazatlan, 600 Sunset in McAllen, hosts David Sarkozi presenting “One of a Kind - Monotypic Families of Birds.” Monotypic families of birds are those represented by only a single species. By definition the 33 monotypic families of birds are some of the most unique and exotic species in the world and evolutionarily distinct. Sarkozi has been birding for more than 30 years and has served as chairman of the Houston Outdoor Nature Club – Ornithology Group, president of the Friends of Anahauc Refuge, and pres-

ident of the Texas Ornithological Society (TOS).

David Sarkozi

ranching crafts day

february 17, 2018 | 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 200 n. closner blvd.

edinburg, texas 78541



956.383.6911

mosthistory.org

page 4

February 9, 2018

www.ptrgv.com | www.strgv.com By Ed Sterling Texas Press Association

STATE CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS

Straus: Audit reveals need for stronger oversight at state agency hild Benefits Stopped at 18

AUSTIN — House Speaker Joe Straus on Jan. 31 said a new state audit raises questions about the management of the state Health and Human Services Commission and illustrates the need for legislative hearings. A report released last week by the State Auditor’s Office found that HHSC allowed Superior Health Plan Inc. to report approximately $29.6 million in bonus and incentive payments paid to affiliates’ employees, even though those payments were not allowed under the state’s contract with Superior. The state agency also approved Superior’s request to report affiliate profits as costs without following the approval process contained in the state’s contract with Superior. “This audit highlights serious weaknesses in HHSC’s oversight of its own contracts. Taxpayers have a right to expect that the Commission will hold providers to contract requirements. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first example of HHSC failing to properly enforce requirements in taxpayer-funded contracts. This audit shows that there is a lot of room for improvement at HHSC,” Straus said. Some $80 billion of the state’s $217 billion budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal biennium is funding the Health and Human Services Commission and the agencies it oversees. Revenue total increases Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar on Feb. 2 announced that state sales tax revenue totaled $2.67 billion in January, an amount 9.1 percent more than the total recorded for January 2017. Sales tax revenue is the largest source of funding for the state budget, accounting for 58 percent of all tax collections. Growth in sales tax revenue occurred across all

major economic sectors in January, led by collections from the mining, construction and wholesale trade sectors. Manufacturing, retail trade and restaurant sectors also saw strong gains. Hegar reported total sales tax revenue for the three months ending in January was up 10.8 percent compared to the same period in 2017. Revenue from other major taxes on motor vehicle sales and rentals, motor fuels and oil and natural gas production also rose in January. Notably, oil and natural gas production taxes, which totaled an estimated $407 million for the month, were up 63.9 percent from January 2017. Get ready to vote, Texans Feb. 5 was the voter registration deadline. On Jan. 31, Secretary of State Rolando Pablos reminded Texans to be ready to cast their vote in the March 6 Primary Election. Pablos encouraged eligible voters to ensure that they (1) are registered to vote in their county of residence; (2) are aware of what they need to bring to the polls in order to cast a ballot; and (3) contact their county elections office to (a) become familiar with their ballot; (b) locate their appropriate polling location; and (c) plan their trip to the polls. “I commend all Texans who take responsibility for their civic duty by exercising their right to vote,” Pablos said, adding: “Most importantly, I encourage all Texans to work together to ensure that our youngest generation is instilled with a tradition of voting and encouraged to make their voices heard at the ballot box.” Paxton hails court ruling Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton praised a Lubbock federal court’s Feb. 1 ruling in his lawsuit seeking

relief from obeying 2012 guidelines issued under President Obama by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The guidelines limit the ability of employers, including the state and its agencies, from categorically excluding convicted felons from certain employment positions. In part of his multipronged order, Senior U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings ruled in partial agreement with the state’s position, saying, “There are certainly many categories of employment for which specific criminal history profiles of applicants would be a poor fit and pose far too great a risk to the state of Texas and its citizens.” However, Cummings added that “a categorical denial of employment opportunities to all job applicants convicted of a prior felony paints too broad a brush and denies meaningful opportunities of employment to many who could benefit greatly from such employment in certain positions.” Cummings ordered the EEOC to promulgate an enforceable, substantive rule. Abbott comments on arrests Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement following the announcement by the Texas Department of Public Safety that the Texas Rangers on Feb. 1 had arrested four suspects on charges of misconduct at the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. “Misconduct on the part of employees entrusted with the responsibility of protecting our youth will not be tolerated,” Abbott said. The arrests came after Abbott directed the Texas Rangers to investigate reports of sexual misconduct and inappropriate relationships at state youth detention facilities.

WIN FREE TICKETS

Palmview City Council discusses Agua SUD, pushes back talks regarding Sales Tax By Jamie Treviño Palmview City Council met Tues., Feb. 6, and discussed several plans for the city in the upcoming months. Starting off with commendations for Leonardo Sanchez from the police department and Municipal and Chamber employees for their work on the city’s prize-winning float for the Texas Citrus Parade, the council worked its way into the conversation about actions regarding Agua Special Utility District (SUD). In regards to the city’s ordinance to establish Wastewater Connection Fees, the council and city finance department moved to carry the motion to cover the cost of residential and commercial lots. At the time of development, residential lots will cost $3,157, and commercial lots will cost $4,157. The matter was presented by Finance Director Rachel Chapa. “This is to recover the cost of connecting the empty lots to the wastewater system currently underway by Agua SUD,” Chapa said. “We have established two rates to recuperate the cost. These costs lie in the fact that when Agua SUD installs the sewer system, they are going to tear up the streets.” C h a p a said the original agreement with Agua SUD was that the company would just do the patchwork for where they were going to connect the lots, then come back and connect empty lots, but the city is trying to avoid Agua SUD from breaking up the street in the future. “The city has made the decision for the whole street to be repaved and to connect the empty lots to the sewer system and repave the whole street,” Chapa said. “This is so in the future when those lots get developed, they don’t have to go back in and tear the street up to connect

to the sewer system.” The council also passed a motion having to do with two Interlocal Agreements involving Agua SUD for paving costs and wastewater connections. There are 331 vacant lots in the city, and according to Interim City Manager Leonardo Olivares, Agua SUD has the authority to make the connections, but they did not put them down as part of that project. It will cost $950,000 to connect those empty lots. “Agua SUD has reviewed it, and they’re ready to approve it,” Olivares said. “We’ve had this reviewed by at least three, four attorneys.” Council Member Linda Sarabia brought up a few questions regarding these agreements, the foremost being the assurance that the funds allocated will go into this project and there will be monitoring of the project on the city’s behalf. “I mean, what if we give them the $950,000, and they don’t connect?” Sarabia said. “We need to be good stewards, and we don’t want to give them this money if it doesn’t get complete.” Olivares said that part of the agreement stipulates that the city’s engineer will be present and make inspections to ensure Agua SUD is making the installments at the proper addresses. The motions were carried. Another item of note was the discussion of an election to re-dedicate sales tax from Crime Prevention and Economic development. Olivares said that Crime Prevention covers the police department and public safety and cutting funds would lead to cutting the department 25 percent. “Right now our staff levels are at 31, 32 peace officers, which is where we need to be for public safety based on our population: two peace officers per thousand

residents,” Olivares said. “If the council wanted to re-dedicate it, we’d have to look at making some cuts.” Earlier in the meeting, the council commended Police Chief Chris Barrera for the crime rate in Palmview recently going down. According to Barrera, this is because the public is aware that more officers are patrolling the city. This election was brought up by Sarabia, who asked if the tax was going directly to employment, or to equipment that the department does not need at the moment. Olivares said that the funds go into the revenue side of crime prevention. The law recently changed to where funds do not need to be split directly in half, and Sarabia proposes that more sales tax be pumped into economic development. Because of the confusion that came from the conversation, the city moved to hold a special meeting on the matter separately. The deadline for this decision is Feb. 16. Palmview City Council also approved to support an affordable housing project by Brownstone Affordable Housing for proposed Palmview Village Apartments. “This is to allow Brownstone to submit the application to the state,” Olivares said. With the city growing, the council carried the motion. The council also moved to establish a Youth Advisory Council that would involve local students. The Parks and Recreation department brought up the idea to include students from La Joya High School, Palmview High School, and Juarez-Lincoln High School, and involve 15 students, but the board moved to keep the council at a maximum of seven students, all of whom must be citizens of the city of Palmview.

ProgressTimes Like Us on Facebook

scan this code with your smartphone

Income Tax Masters, LLC

FEB. 23-25

HOME GAME:

Fri., Feb. 9 - 7pm vs.

IOWA WOLVES

sat., Feb. 10 - 7pm vs.

AUSTIN SPURS

How To Enter:

www.ptrgv.com

 Follow Progress Times on Facebook  Subscribe to Progress Times free E-mail newsletter at www.ptrgv.com

 Subscribe to PT Print Edition Subscribers automatically entered in PT Rewards Contests.

To SubScribe call 585-4893 Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. No purchase necessary.

1217 N. Conway • Mission, TX (956) 585-4893 MEMBER 2018

TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION

The Progress Times (USPS 971-420; ISSN 0890-2666) is published each Friday by Savy Publishing, LLC, 1217 N. Conway, Mission, Texas 78572, (956) 585-4893. Subscriptions $20 annual in Hidalgo County; $30 outside of Hidalgo County. Second class postage paid in Mission, Texas 78572. ©2018 Savy Publishing, LLC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the PROGRESS TIMES, P.O. Box 399, Mission Texas 78573.

LETTER GUIDELINES

Letters to the Editor are welcome but must conform to certain guidelines. All letters must be original, dated, signed and bear the complete name, address and phone number of the writer/signer. No photo copied letters will be printed. No letters addressed to others will be printed. Letter content must be relevant to concerns and interests of Mission and the surrounding area. Relevance is determined by the editor. Anonymous cards or letters are neither read nor printed. Letters may be submitted by e-mail to letters@progresstimes.net, but must include the author’s name and daytime phone number.

Juarez Lincoln Lady Huskies

Danielle Salazar -1, Valerie Vargas -2, Jessyca Alvarez - 3, Michelle Garcia -4 Elizabeth Partida -5, Jackie Hinojosa -10, Megan Bell -11, Arely Rodriguez -12, Arlene Rodriguez -13, Diana Bustos -21, Lupita Briseno -30, Yolanda Hernandez -32, Isela Gaona -33, Sidnney Munoz -34

Denisse Hernandez-2, Brittany Cano-3, Tifannee Gonzalez-4, Jazmine PeÃ±a-5, Britney Guerra-10, Renee Flores-12, Krystal Bocanegra-20 Judith Bocanegra-22, Cyndat Magallon-23, Lon Esqueda-32

Palmview Lady Lobos

Juarez Lincoln Huskies

Mission Veterans Lady Patriots

Juan Martinez-1, Albert Martinez-2, Fernie Gonzalez-3, Eduardo Torres-4 Efren Martinez-10, JR Galvan-11, Israel Olivarez-12, Cruz Mendoza-13 Andre Suarez-21, Angel Ramos-23, Franky Lopez-33, Luis Garza-35

Jackie Howell-3, Jocelyn Canizalez-4, Selinda Cortez-5, Ronnie Cantu-11, Alexi Loya-12, Stephanie Hernandez-14, Kaylee Flores-23, Priscilla Duran-31, Valerie Alvarado-32, Lily Gonzalez-33, Gaby Gallardo-35, Rebecca Tello-44, Zoraya Burnett-45

s m a e T l l a BGOaODsLUkCKetINbTHE PLAYOFFS!!

Congratulations to all of our

CONTINUE TO MAKE LJISD PROUD!!

La Joya ISD congratulates Palmview Lady Lobos & Juarez Lincoln Huskies on a successful season.

PLAYOFF BOUND!

VETERANS MEMORAL HIGH SCHOOL

Congratulations

MISSION CONSOLIDATED INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

NOTHING BUT NET! February 9, 2018 www.ptrgv.com | www.strgv.com page 5

THE

February 9, 2018

Sports week

BIG7 SCHOOLS

page 6

www.ptrgv.com/sports

Covering Mission, Veterans Memorial, Sharyland, Pioneer, La Joya, Palmview & Juarez-Lincoln Sports

UIL realignments shake up Valley districts

By Luciano Guerra If it seems to you like it was just yesterday that the University Interscholastic League (UIL) unveiled its reclassification and realignment for the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 school years, you are not alone. However, it was actually two years ago when this took place and that means that the time has come once again for the UIL to do what it does biennially; reclassify schools and realign districts across the state of Texas for the next two school years. In this case, it’s for the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 school years. With Texas’ high schools being classified by the UIL according to their enrollment numbers, and with classifications ranging from 1A for the schools with the smallest enrollment, to 6A for the schools with the largest enrollment, the seven high schools from the Mission, Sharyland and La Joya school districts, whose teams we have dubbed as the Big 7, are all classified as either 5A or 6A. These are the teams that we will focus on here. Two years ago, the UIL threw the three Big 7 5A schools a curve ball when it included three Laredo teams in District 31-5A. This required the Mission Veterans, the Sharyland High and the Sharyland Pioneer sports teams to travel much further to some of their road games than they ever had to travel before. It took some adjusting, and some additional transportation funding, but the coaches and the players made the best of the situation. In its most recent realignment of football districts, the

UIL has once again shaken things up here in the Valley significantly more in 5A than it has in 6A. It has taken what was traditionally an upper Valley 5A district (31-5A) and a mid/lower Valley 5A district (32-5A) and morphed them into two Valley-wide districts named 16-5A Division I and 16-5A Division II. Here are the 10 football teams that make up the new District 16-5A Division I: Brownsville Lopez, Brownsville Pace, Brownsville Porter, Brownsville Veterans Memorial, Donna, La Joya Palmview, Mission Veterans Memorial, PSJA Memorial, PSJA Southwest and Rio Grande City. And here are the seven football teams that make up the new District 165A Division II: Edcouch-Elsa, Laredo Cigarroa, Mercedes, Sharyland High, Pharr Valley View, Roma and Sharyland Pioneer. Sharyland Rattlers’ head football coach Ron Adame, who has led his team to the playoffs in all six of his seasons as head coach, was not at all surprised by what the UIL did to the 5A districts. “There was no surprise by how our 16-5A ended up,” Adame said. “It’s all the teams we anticipated. We’re in a smaller district now but it’s a tough district to be in and to be one of those top four teams that make it into the playoffs. What kind of surprised us was that in the other sports other than football, we lost the Laredo schools. Laredo Cigarroa is still in our football district, but the Laredo schools either moved up to 6A or were moved to the Corpus Christi district in all the other sports.” Adame then offered some

clarification on the naming of the newly aligned districts when he said, “In football, the two Valley 5A districts are now called 16-5A Division I and II. However, in the other sports they remain District 31-5A and 32-5A.” What Adame is referring to is the fact that in the non-football sports, the UIL placed La Joya Palmview, Sharyland High, Mission Veterans, Sharyland Pioneer, PSJA Memorial, PSJA Southwest, Rio Grande City and Roma in District 31-5A and the four Brownsville schools as well as Donna, Edcouch-Elsa, Mercedes and Valley View in District 325A. The fact that there are 10 teams in District 16-5A Division I means that the football teams that make up that district will only have one non-district game in each of the next two seasons. On the other hand, the football teams that make up Division II will have four non-district games per season. That fact created quite a scramble by the coaches of the Division II football teams to line up their non-district opponents immediately after the UIL announced its new alignment. That included Coach Adame who was able to line up Brownsville Pace at home, McAllen Memorial on the road, La Joya High at home and Brownsville Hanna on the road as the Rattlers’ non-district games next school year. While he is satisfied with his team’s non-district schedule, there is one team that Adame was planning on going up against but won’t be able to after all. “We’re disappointed by the fact that we had to drop

NOTHING BUT NET!

VETERANS MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL

Mission Veterans as our non-district opponent in week three,” Adame said. “I know that game would’ve gotten us ready for our district play. It’s always a good battle when we play the Patriots and they bring out the best in our players. But we had to drop them in week three because they only have one non-district game and that will be the Battle of

Conway against the Eagles.” As for how the realignment has affected District 30-6A, other than Palmview being moved out as a result of their reclassification to a 5A school beginning in 2018/2019, the addition of Pharr-San Juan-Alamo and PSJA North is the only difference from the current make-up of this district which includes Mission

High, La Joya High and Juarez-Lincoln. Unlike Districts 165A Divisions I and II, the schools that make up the new District 30-6A are the same for non-football sports as they are for football. That is another way that the realignment is not as drastic for the Big 7 6A teams as it is for the 5A teams.

Playoff Bound

Lady Lobos, Lady Patriots, Lady Huskies move on to postseason play By Bryan Ramos The regular season has come to an end and three Big 7 programs have punched their tickets to the big dance as the start of the postseason is upon us. The Palmview High Lady Lobos, Mission Veterans Memorial Lady Patriots and Juarez-Lincoln Lady Huskies each earned a top four finish in their respective districts to advance to the 5A and 6A State Playoffs with a shot to make history. Palmview Lady Lobos The Lady Lobos (22-13, 9-3) are no stranger to the postseason as Head Coach Anisa Reyna’s team has now qualified for the playoffs in four straight seasons. Reyna credited seniors who have spent four years on varsity like post Cyndar Magallon and point guard Brittany Cano for helping build the program into a playoff

See PLAYOFF BOUND Pg. 7

Mission Veterans’ junior Jackie Howell prepares to takes a jump shot as two Valley View players defend, during the first half of the Lady Patriots’ 52-21 win over the Lady Tigers Tuesday evening. Progress Times photo by Luciano Guerra

MISSION HIGH SCHOOL EAGLES

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL 2017-2018 SEASON

MVP 10

F THE WEEK

# Jackie Arlene Cruz # 23 Garcia #13 Rodriguez 13 Mendoza 3 Howell

Alyssa

Solis

Elijah 5 De la Garza

Jose

THE

Tifanee 4 Gonzalez

Paco 34 De La O

BIG7 SCHOOLS

21 Sanchez 34 Garcia

Ashley

Louie

COME OUT & SUPPORT THE PACK ATHLETICS

THE LA

Ania 3 Pelayo

JOYA PACK

Educational Excellence - The Right of Every Student

LATEST PACK NEWS: LJCOYOTES.COM • JLHUSKIES.COM • LJPALMVIEW.COM

Mauro 30 Fernandez

Victoria

Mossman

Aaron 12 Cuevas

Jesus Saenz, R.Ph.

saenzpharmacy.com

Visit us at our Mission • (956) 519-6500 Peñitas • (956) 585-2704 many convenient McAllen • (956) 630-6465 McAllen • (956) 928-0911 McAllen • (956) 630-2500 McAllen • (956) 687-2500 locations !

February 9, 2018

page 7

www.ptrgv.com | www.strgv.com Veterans Memorial High School (VMHS) student, Aylin Salinas has been selected to perform with the Texas All-State Choir in San Antonio on Feb. 17 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center as part of the 2018 Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Clinic/Convention. She was chosen after competing at the district, region and area levels. This will be the second time she has earned a spot in a TMEA All-State choir.

PLAYOFF BOUND contender year-in and yearout. She said while the Lady Lobos are proud to make the playoffs, they’re hungry for more after three first-round exits. “We have a lot of pride in that, but we want to get that first bi-district win; that’s always been on our checklist,” Reyna said. “It’s very difficult to earn that win but we’ve made a lot of strides and progression. We want to win every single year. We want to do more than the previous year. We want to leave our mark and leave some type of a legacy here this is a special bunch of kids that we have.” Palmview is riding a three-game winning streak entering the playoffs and brought home a 29-point win over Mission High in their season finale. Magallon hopes to combine their momentum with experience to lead to a first-round victory, which would be the first in program history. “This is my senior year, I want to try to get one win and make it past the first round and make some school history,” the Palmview post said. “I think we’ve been doing good but we need to start improving more. We need to start pushing the ball more because once the playoffs come, it’s more intense, it’s quicker, stronger, faster. We’ve been doing well and I think we can do well in the playoffs also, but we need to keep pushing harder to get better.” Cano, who won’t hesitate to hit the ground for a loose ball, push the ball or make an extra pass, said she’s ready for the uptick in competition. “My mentality does change because it’s a different atmosphere playing ball,” Cano said. “You need to push harder, if you’re down the court and you get the ball, you need to make those shots. No turnovers, none of that stuff because in playoffs it’s two teams that are good so we have to compete.” The Palmview Lady Lobos are set to face off against Laredo United in the bi-district round of the playoffs

from pg 6 set for 7:30 p.m. Monday Feb. 12 with the game to be played at Veterans Memorial High School in Corpus Christi. Mission Veterans Memorial Lady Patriots A season ago, the Lady Patriots finished tied for the final playoff spot in 31-5A but fell short in a play-in game. This year, Mission Veterans left no questions asked, racking up 13 district-wins on their way to a 24-13 record overall. Head Coach Rafael Cantu Jr. said the biggest key to the team’s success has been his team buying in and believing. “Teamwork, plain and simple,” Cantu Jr. said. “Team hustle, moving the ball, high assist ratio, a lot of girls that are touching it and a lot of girls are scoring, that’s the secret to our success. When we’re moving the ball and getting the defense to move.” Junior post Jackie Howell scored 15 points in the Lady Patriots 52-21 win over Valley View on Parent’s Night, but it was the defensive end where the team was truly impressive. The Lady Patriots shut out the Lady Tigers in the first quarter, outscoring them 12-0, and 29-4 in the first half. Howell admitted she didn’t know how the team was going to look at the start of the season but is happy with the success the Lady Patriots have had so far as they head into the playoffs. “We’re off to a good start and it gives us more confidence going into the playoffs,” she said. “We want to go farther than we have. We have a lot of seniors graduating this year and with a win like this, it gives you more confidence knowing just how good you can be going into playoffs.” Cantu Jr. said the Lady Patriots must turn their intensity up a notch as each playoff game could be the team’s last. “Your intensity level has to pick up, it’s the playoffs, it’s one-and-done,” he said. “It’s preparing for the game, it’s not the game. It’s preparation that’s key, everyday

coming out, really focusing in practice, committing it to memory and practicing it so it’s second nature come the game.” The Mission Veterans Memorial Lady Patriots have a bi-district playoff matchup against Donna High set for 7 p.m. Monday Feb. 12 with the game to be played at Nikki Rowe High School in McAllen. Juarez-Lincoln Lady Huskies Juarez-Lincoln entered the final night of district play tied for the fourth and final playoff spot in 30-6A with Nikki Rowe at 5-6. Facing a must-win situation, the Lady Huskies emerged victorious by knocking off sister school and inner-city rival La Joya High 56-54 in a game that came down to the wire. Fourth year Head Coach Adrian Trevino praised his team for setting a goal and working hard throughout the season to meet it, even if at times the road got a little bumpy. “If you stick with it and you do all the right things, you get to your goal,” Trevino said. “Afterwards, it was pure joy. We reached our goal, this is what we wanted. This is why you come to 6A practice, this is why you watch film, to achieve our goal. Trevino said the turning point in the Lady Huskies’ season was a 48-43 win over McAllen High on January 9. The Lady Huskies are led by the senior leadership of Diana Bustos, who is the quiet type who lets her play do the talking, Elizabeth Partida, who plays the mother role, making sure everybody’s good and taken care of, while Valerie “Shorty” Vargas is the voice who says things that need to be said. On varsity for three years, they have grown together and successfully put the Lady Huskies back in the postseason. The Juarez-Lincoln Lady Huskies will take on Laredo United South Monday Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. at Carroll High School in Corpus Christi in the bi-district round of the playoffs.

VMHS Toros de Plata advance to state Veterans Memorial High School Mariachi Toros de Plata recently competed at the Regional Texas Association of Mariachi Educators (TAME) contest and received a Superior (Division 1) rating by all judges, which earned them a spot in the TAME State Finals. The TAME State Finals will be held at the University of Texas – RGV on Feb. 10. Toros de Plata members are Araaly Aguilar, Olivia Flores, Melanie Peña, Dulce Garcia, Selina Barrientos, Victoria Cantu, Aylin Salinas, Brandon Salinas, Alberto Aguilar, Ramiro Flores, Jaime Perez, Adam Barrera, Sergio Rosette, Samantha Perez (MCHS) and Leslie Hernandez (MCHS).

WINTER SPECIAL 9 Hole Green Fee & 1/2 Cart: $15

Everyday starting at 2pm

• 27 Exciting Golf Holes • Lighted Driving Range • Golf Lessons • 19th Hole Snack Bar • Full Stocked Pro Shop

Annual Green Fees: $750 Seniors 60+: $625 3 Months Membership: $500 Daily Green Fee - 9 Holes: $15 18 Holes: $20 Rental Carts - 9 Hole: $1200 18 Hole $22 per cart BRING THIS COUPON IN FOR FREE BUCKET OF RANGE BALLS WITH A PURCHASE OF ANY 18 HOLE GREEN FEE

page 8

A movie vault

Local movie rental store still standing By Jose De Leon III Last month, movie-lovers in the Valley visited the sole remaining Blockbuster in Texas for the last time. The Edinburg Blockbuster, located at 1510 S Sugar Road, closed its doors last month. Only eight locations around the country remain open, a far cry from the more than 9,000 stores the corporation had in the U.S. at its peak, before beginning to close them down after filing for bankruptcy in 2011. However, those same movie lovers can still experience the joy of visiting a video store right here in Mission thanks to Movie Night. Located at 2718 N. Conway, Movie Night is an independent movie video store and, as far owner Homer Garza knows, the last of its kind in Texas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This store has been here eight years, it all started because of my passion for movies,â&#x20AC;? Garza said of Movie Night, which houses 20,000 movies, many of which are from his personal collection. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We actually have an additional 20,000 movies in

February 9, 2018

www.ptrgv.com | www.strgv.com

stock stored in three different storage units in the city,â&#x20AC;? Garza said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My business partner and I are actually thinking of opening up a second location in McAllen or Edinburg filled with those additional titles.â&#x20AC;? Movie Night is decorated with vintage toys, nostalgic dĂŠcor and memorabilia to add some fun touches to the store, Garza said. Movie Night even has its own room devoted to horror movies decorated in Halloween props that Garza said is the storeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most popular attraction. Besides movies, the store even features concessions for customers looking to make a fun movie night at home and a restaurant with to go plates selling items such as nachos, burgers and fried pickles. To make browsing for movies fun, the categories the movies are stored in include â&#x20AC;&#x153;SNL Alums,â&#x20AC;? and the LGBT section titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bromance, â&#x20AC;? among others. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bromance is right next to the musical section,â&#x20AC;? Garza said with a laugh. THE OPENING When Garza first got the

idea to open Movie Night, he recalled a lot of people expressing a lack of faith in his idea, including his business partner George Lara. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He actually told me, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Why would you want to open a video store when that business was dying?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Garza recalled. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was true, at the time several Blockbuster locations around the country were closing and all the Hollywood Video stores in the Valley closed. It seemed crazy.â&#x20AC;? Despite the lack of support and the rise of popularity in services such as Netflix and Redbox closing down Blockbusters, Garza opened the store anyway. Two weeks after the opening, the Mission Blockbuster location down the street from Movie Night closed its doors. Because of that closure, Garza said, Movie Night became the sole rental store in the area which he credits to keeping his business afloat. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard in the age of streaming and downloading and piracy to be in this business,â&#x20AC;? Garza said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a very profitable business as whatever money we make

Movie night owner Homer Garza adjusts the movies in the storeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Horror Movie section. Progress Time photo by Jose De Leon III

we put back into the store to purchase more titles, but we do it because we like it. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re avid movie fans.â&#x20AC;? Among the many regular customers in the store is Jesse and Sylvia Cantu, a married couple who say they come to the store every Friday since it opened to rent at least three movies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s convenient coming here,â&#x20AC;? Jesse said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have Netflix because we know weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d miss coming here and at Redbox, you can only rent movies for one night at $2.50. Here, you can rent a movie for two night with the same price.â&#x20AC;? Sylvia, who was browsing the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New Release section, said she and her husband support the store because they are firm believers in â&#x20AC;&#x153;mom and pop shops.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so many options here and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great seeing a local business prosper like this,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be a real

shame if this store disappeared like Blockbuster.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;FROZEN IN TIMEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; For Garza, Movie Night is a chance for local residents to experience the same joy he felt when he went to his first video store. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My first video store visit was Heaven on Earth,â&#x20AC;? he recalled. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was always fascinated with going to the movies, so going to a video store and realizing I could finally take those movies I love home with me was pure happiness. The joy of seeing â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grease,â&#x20AC;? my favorite movie of all time, on my TV was unlike anything Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d ever experienced. For customers here hoping to recreate that feeling, this place is frozen in time.â&#x20AC;? Even though the store isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t very profitable, Garza said the joy Movie Night brings to customers makes it worth it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rewarding when

a family comes here and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re so excited. Parents will come in with their kids and get nostalgic and say â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;When I was the same age as my kids, my mom and dad would take me to a store just like this,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Garza said. With Movie Night, Garza said he and Lara are trying to keep the 20th century alive for as long as they can. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Home entertainment and home video was such a big thing, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve evolved into a more modern tech-based world and this experience is being forgotten,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a luxury people may not realize theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re losing. Without a place like this, people would lose access to over 20,000 film titles they wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be able to find anywhere else. Everything is going digital now, but with a physical store, people can watch any movie they want when they want, not when Netflix makes it available.â&#x20AC;?

By Dave Hendricks

to array, according to court records. She identified Jose Manuel Salazar, 67, of Mission. On Jan. 3, the Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office shut down another eight-liner near the intersection of East Goodwin Road and Farm-to-Market Road 495. Investigators questioned a man who worked at the eight-liner establishment. The man said someone named â&#x20AC;&#x153;Manuel Salazarâ&#x20AC;? offered him a job working the gate, according to court records. Manuel paid him $420

cash every Sunday. When they showed the man a photo array, the man identified Jose Manuel Salazar, 67, of Mission. The Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office identified Salazar as the owner of Salazar Concrete and another business called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;cache assesorios,â&#x20AC;? according to court records. Armed with search warrants, the Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office conducted simultaneous raids on Salazarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home and business on Jan. 18. Investigators found 50 slot machines at Salazarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home and another 66 machines at Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;cache assesorios, according to court records. They also seized $89,000 cash. Salazar is charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, a state jail felony; gambling promotion, a Class A misdemeanor; and keeping a gambling place, a Class A misdemeanor. Court records donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t list an attorney for Salazar, who couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be reached for comment.

Investigators arrest western Hidalgo County businessman on gambling charges

Investigators arrested a western Hidalgo County businessman last month on gambling charges. The case started last year, when tipsters told the Hidalgo County Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office about a man named â&#x20AC;&#x153;Manuelâ&#x20AC;? who owned several eight-liner establishments, according to court records. Commonly called maquinitas or game rooms, eight-liner establishments allow patrons to play slot machines and win cash prizes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a violation of Texas gambling laws. Investigators questioned employees about â&#x20AC;&#x153;Manuelâ&#x20AC;? when they raided eight-liners in December and January. On Dec. 19, the Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office shut down an eight-liner near the intersection of North Trosper Road and 3 Mile Line. Investigators questioned a woman who worked at the eight-liner establishment. After the woman identified her boss as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Manuel Salazar,â&#x20AC;? they showed her a pho-

Welcome to the the Welcome to 22nd Annual 21stto the Annual Welcome 22nd Annual Courtesy of Hidalgo County Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office

SPI MARKET DAYS

Palmview Parks & Recreation

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND CONVENTION CENTER

406 W. Vetarans Blvd. Palmview, TX 78572 Robert Lugo: 956-907-0105

2018 Pony Baseball /Softball League Registration 406 W. Veterans Blvd., Palmview, TX 78572 Registration: January 22 - February 28, 2018

SHOW Dates: DATES Show Jan 5, 14 6, & Jan 13, &715

Feb. 23, 24 & TREASURES Feb 23, 24, & 25 25 Feb 24, 25 & 26 Friday and Saturday Fri & Sat 9am 5pm FROM ALL OVER 9am to 5 pm Sunday 10am-4pm Sun 10am - 4pm THE WORLD!!! Premiere Gifts:

SHOP

Baseball: 3Âˇ4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11Âˇ 12, 13-14 Age as of August 31, 2018

* " $ ' ") * # $ * # $ # " " $ # * " $ !% "$ " $# * %" $ " $# $ " % $# * ( %# & " $ # * % "

Softball: 4-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14 Age as of January 1, 2018

Treasures from all over the world!!!

League Games: March 26 - May 19, 2018

12 | Coastal Current | December 30, 2016

Method Of Payment - Cash, Check, Money Orders, Credit Cards - Fee: $50.00 Copy Of Birth Certificate Must Be Presented At Time Of Registration Those interested in coaching a team, or for more information contact Robert Lugo (956) 907-0105 - (956) 432-0311- (956) 432-0310

2018

www.cityofpalmview.com (956) 432-0300 /cityofpalmview

February 9, 2018

obituaries Benita Cardoza MISSION – Benita Cardoza, 86, passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018, at her home in Mission. Survivors include her children, Juanita Zarate of Mission, Rosario Vela of Edinburg, Ricardo Cardoza of Mission, Eduardo Cardoza of South Carolina, Elena Ybarra of Mission, Julia De Colon of Mission, Celso Cardoza Jr. of Mission, Juan Julio Lopez of McAllen, Carolina Gonzalez of Palmview and Corina Cardoza of Mission; siblings, Juanita Lopez, Inez Lopez and Rosa Gomez, all of McAllen, Luciano Lopez of Mission, Luis Lopez of Illinois and Chema Lopez of Wisc.; and 23 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Celso Cardoza; parents, Felipa and Nicholas Lopez; and siblings, Ernestina Lopez and Anselmo Lopez. A funeral mass was held on Feb. 3 at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Mission. Burial followed at Valley Memorial Gardens Cemetery in McAllen. Minnie Hausbeck MISSION – Minnie Dell Adams Hausbeck, 91, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018 in Mission. Mrs. Hausbeck was born Jan. 3, 1927, to Earl and Ethel Adams in Cordell, Okla. She graduated from Burns Flat High School in 1944 and married Irvin Lee King of Cordell, Okla., in 1945. In 1969 the family moved to Midland where they started their own business “King’s

Plaster Gallery.” After a divorce, she began working at the Midland Reporter Telegram and laer worked with Cities Service Oil and Gas Company as a computer operator where she retired in 1981. She married Paul James Hausbeck Sr. from Michigan in 1982. They owned a P&D Enterprised in Cordell, Okla., and, after 10 years, settled in Mission. Survivors include her husband of 36 years, Paul Hausbeck; children, Rick King of Midland and Renee Rogers of Houston; sister, Wanita Hendrix of Burns Flat, Okla.; stepsons, Mark Seige, P.J. Hausbeck and Gregory Hausbeck, all of Saginaw, Mchi.; and three granddaughters and numerous other grandchildren in Michigan. A viewing was held on Feb. 3 at Ric Brown Family Funeral Home in Mission. The family has requested that memorial donations be made to Comfort House, 617 Dallas Ave., McAllen. Esteban Salinas Sr. ALTON – Esteban Salinas Sr., 84, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, at Doctors Hospital in Edinburg. He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years Cecilia R. Salinas of Alton, TX, daughters, Yolanda (Ricardo) Gonzalez of Mission, TX, Cynthia Hernandez of Alton, TX; his sister Lilia (Leo) Morales of McAllen; a brother Antonio (Juanita) Salinas of Alton, TX; 6 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews.

ProgressTimes

Notices

Rosa Armendariz MISSION – Rosa Armendariz, 67, passed away on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018, at her home. James Borders MISSION – James E. Borders, 93, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, at Waterford Gardens in Mission. Leon Chiaia MISSION – Leon Joseph Chiaia, 81, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, at his home in Mission.

Like Us on Facebook scan this code with your smartphone

Diana De La Torre MISSION – Diana De La Torre, 53, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018, at Rio Grande Regional Hospital in McAllen. Dennis Everson MISSION – Dennis Everson, 74, passed away on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018, at Mission Regional Medical Center. Ramiro Galvan MISSION – Ramiro Galvan, 62, passed away on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018, at Solara Hospital in McAllen. David Garza MISSION – David Garza, 86, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, at Mission Regional Medical Center. Miguel Gonzalez ALTON – Miguel Angel Gonzalez, 52, passed away on Monday, Jan. 29, 2018, at Mission Regional Medical Center. Timotea Gonzalez ALTON – Timotea A. Gonzalez, 80, passed away on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018, at her home in Alton. Diego Lopez MISSION - Diego Lopez, 60, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, at Mission Regional Medical Center. Rene Madrigal MISSION – Rene Madrigal, 64, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, at his home in Mission. Maria Navejar MISSION – Maria Isabel Navejar, 42, passed away on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018, at Mission Regional Medical Center. Victor Perosko MISSION – Victor M. Perosko, 88, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, at Doctors Hospital in Edinburg. Maria Regalado MISSION – Maria D. Regalado, 83, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, at Mission Regional Medical Center. Emigidio Salinas MISSION – Emigidio Salinas, 80, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, at his home in Mission. Juan Ynosencio ALTON – Juan Angel Ynosencio, 18, passed away on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018, at his home in Alton.

ChurCh DireCtory BREAD OF LIFE CHURCH 2820 N. Conway Ave. • 581-1411 CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD 2322 N. McColl. - McAllen 682-2092 CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS 5609 S 29th St. - McAllen 682-4881 CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS 2Mile & Bryan Rd Mission. CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS Missonaries • 580-2570 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH 911 N. Main - McAllen 686-4241 CONWAY AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH 2215 N. Conway • 585-2413 EL FARO BIBLE CHURCH 15 miles W. of Mission on Exp. 83 Sullivan City, TX • 585-5617 EL MESIAS UNITED METHODIST 209 E. 6th • 585-2334 FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH 3 miles N. Shary Rd. • 581-1465 FAITH FELLOWSHIP BIBLE CHURCH 1 mile N. Exp. 83 on Tom Gill Rd. 519-6311 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 1302 Doherty • 585-1442 FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH 12th and Miller - Mission 585-7281 FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 1102 Ash St. • 585-4829 for worship schedule.

page 9

www.ptrgv.com | www.strgv.com

He was preceded in death by his parents, Julio and Santos Salinas Sr.; son, Esteban Salinas Jr.; and siblings, Margarita Mohr, Julio Salinas Jr., Humberto Salinas Sr. A funeral mass was held on Feb. 2 at San Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Alton. Burial followed at Valley Memorial Gardens Cemetery in McAllen. Concepcion Solis MISSION – Concepcion M. Solis, 89, passed away on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018. Mrs. Solis was born in Mission on Jan. 10, 1929, to Braulio and Refugia Martinez. She was an active member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Mission and Asociacion Guadalupana. Survivors include her children, Irma Solis of Mission, Jorge Solis of Edinburg and Mari Morin of Edinburg; and a grandson. She was preceded in death by her husband, Manuel B. Solis; children, Manuel Solis Jr. and Rosario Solis; her parents; sister, Dora Rosales; and two grandchildren. A funeral mass was held on Feb. 6 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Mission. Burial followed at Catholic Cemetery in Mission.

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 1101 Doherty • 585-1665 FREEDOM LIFE CHURCH 2214 W. Griffin Pkwy. • 519-7000 Mission GRACIA DIVINA MINISTRY 11809 N. Shary Rd. • 584-3112 GREAT OAKS COMMUNITY CHURCH 2722 N. Conway • 451-5500 Mission HERITAGE BAPTIST MCALLEN 2549 Lindbergh Ave. McAllen • 451-6358 IGLESIA ADVENTISTA DEL SEPTIMO DIA 1725 W. Griffin Parkway 581-9008 IGLESIA BAUTISTA BETANIA 851 S. Breyfogle Rd. • 585-5688 IGLESIA BAUTISTA CRISTO EL REY 1600 E. Bus. 83 - Mission IGLESIA BAUTISTA COLONIAL 3713 N. La Homa Rd. • 585-5332 IGLESIA BAUTISTA DEL VALLE 217 W. Mile 3 Rd. • 424-1602 Palmhurst IGLESIA DEL PUEBLO 7500 West Expressway 83 581-1900 IGLESIA DEL DIVINO REDENTOR 1020 North Los Ebanos Rd 585-5898

IGLESIA PENTECOSTES NUEVA VIDA A/G 211 W. Mile 3 Road Palmhurst • 956-342-9711 Rev. Candelario Banda

LA RESPUESTA CHURCH 405 W. 12th Street • 585-0787 MISSION CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE 1 mi. E. 495 • 585-6683 NEW HOPE AT THE BORDER 905 N. Conway • 369-3603 NORTH MISSION CHURCH OF CHRIST 1410 E. Mile 3 Rd. • 585-0146 Palmhurst NORTH PALMVIEW APOSTOLIC CHURCH 7612 W. 6 Mile Ln. ONLY THRU JESUS 1511 E. Mile 2 Rd. Mission • 918-760-1625 OUR LADY QUEEN OF ANGELS One-half mile South Leo Avenue La Joya • 585-5223 OUR LADY OF FATIMA CHURCH 6634 El Camino Real • Granjeno OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHURCH 2.5 miles S. Conway (FM 1016) Mission OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CATHOLIC CHURCH 620 Dunlap • 585-2623 OUR LADY OF THE HOLY ROSARY CHURCH 923 Matamoros St. • 581-2193 PALM VALLEY CHURCH 1720 E. Griffin Pkwy. 585-3203 PEÑITAS BAPTIST CHURCH 1/3 Mile S. of Exp.83 on FM 1427 583-6236 PRIMERA BAPTIST CHURCH Corner of 6th & Oblate 585-4711

PROMISE LAND CHURCH 2300 E. Palm Circle (Corner of 495) Mission, TX 78572 • 624-9307 RIVER OF LIFE CHURCH 901 S. Shary Rd. (Located in the Holiday Inn Express Conference Room) 451-4838 SAN CRISTOBAL MAGALLANES & COMPANIONS PARISH

3805 Plantation Grove Blvd., Ste. 5

Mission • 580-4551

SAN MARTIN DE PORRES 5 mi. N. Conway, 1/2 Mile West Alton • 585-8001 & 585-8002 SPIRIT OF PEACE EV. LUTHERAN CHUCH 3104 Los Milagros Mission • 581-1822 ST. JOHN OF THE FIELDS CATHOLIC CHURCH 1052 Washington Ave. • 585-2325 ST. PAUL'S CATHOLIC CHURCH 1119 Francisco • 585-2701 ST. PETER & ST. PAUL EPISCOPAL CHURCH 2310 N. Stewart Rd. 585-5005 SHINING LIGHT BAPTIST CHURCH 6 1/8 N. Doffing Rd. (FM 492) 580-4078 TEMPLO BIBLICO 5 Mile/Conway 581-4981or 585-3831 TEMPLO EVANGELICO, M.B. CHURCH La Joya TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH 3905 W. 3 Mile Line • 585-3261 VALLEY FELLOWSHIP 1708 E. Griffin Parkway Mission • 424-7200

PRIMERA IGLESIA DEL VALLE APOSTOLIC ASSEMBLY 210 N. St. Marie. • 585-8651

KING, GUERRA, DAVIS & GARCIA ATTORNEYS AT LAW

DAVID H. GUERRA

DARRELL DAVIS

301 E. Tom Landry • Mission • 585-1622

MISSION AUTO ELECTRIC, INC. DBA

ER MAE EPQOU IW PMENT

Commercial Lawn Equipment “Since 1954”

915 West Bus. 83 • Mission, tX 78572 • (956) 581-7433

Complaint: State District Judge Rudy Delgado accepted $6,000 in bribes By Dave Hendricks After days of speculation, a federal magistrate unsealed the criminal complaint against state District Judge Rudy Delgado on Monday — detailing a decade-long bribery scheme. The five-page criminal complaint accuses Delgado of accepting bribes from an attorney who wanted court favors. Apparently unbeknownst to Delgado, the attorney had become a federal informant. “The investigation revealed that Delgado would accept bribes in exchange for favorable judicial consideration on cases pending in his courtroom,” according to the criminal complaint. A loquacious jurist from a large and politically influential family, 64-year-old Rodolfo “Rudy” Delgado presides over the 93rd state district court in Edinburg. He’s also running as a Democrat for the 13th Court of Appeals. During an interview with FBI agents, an attorney who had known Delgado for nearly 20 years confessed to bribing him several times since 2008. The FBI started investigating. While agents watched, the attorney arranged meetings with Delgado and bribed him with cash provided by the FBI. Delgado initially accepted two bribes worth $520, according to the criminal complaint. After accepting the money, Delgado placed the attorney’s client on bond. The attorney bribed Delgado again on Jan. 17, handing the judge a white envelope with $5,500 cash. “Delgado acknowledged and accepted the bribe,” according to the criminal com-

plaint. “Delgado then asked for the name of the client and the case number.” On Jan. 29, though, Delgado texted the attorney. “Good evening, please call me. The campaign contribution needs to be by check,” Delgado wrote, according to the criminal complaint. “I need to return that to you so you can write a check. Sorry about the confusion, I though (sic) you knew and I did not open the envelope till today.” Fearing that Delgado knew about the sting operation, FBI agents arrested him on Friday. The FBI also searched Delgado’s home and courtroom, causing a stir at the Hidalgo County Courthouse. Many attorneys spent the weekend speculating about what, exactly, Delgado did — and whether the FBI had informants among them. The U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a motion to unseal the criminal complaint Monday morning, when Delgado appeared in court. Delgado is charged with one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker set bond at $100,000 with a $2,500 deposit required. Delgado left the courthouse Monday after his brother, Dr. Luis Delgado Jr., posted the $2,500 deposit, according to federal court records. Accompanied by his attorney, Al Alvarez, the judge made a brief statement before leaving the parking lot. “I intend to let the judicial process take its course,” Delgado said.

page 10

www.ptrgv.com | www.strgv.com

Sullivan City settles annexation lawsuit with Starr County, will pay $105,000

Peñitas City Council waits for potential water plant By Jamie Treviño Peñitas City Council met Wed., Feb. 7, and discussed the potential to apply for a loan or grant program in order to create a water plant, as well as an Interlocal Cooperation Agreement with the City of La Joya. The council had a conversation about the potential of working with Agua Special Utility District (SUD) in building a water plant for the city, and what steps need to be taken to make that happen. According to City Manager Omar Romero, the city is still in discussion with Agua SUD on the matter. “We’re still having negotiations with them on moving forward,” Romero said. “It might be a little bit premature. Plus, I know that our anticipation is to buy all of our water in bulk for the first several years before we actually commit ourselves.” Romero said that the decision rested with the council if they wanted to go down the route of checking with the Water Development Board and try to apply for the loan or grant at this time, or finish negotiating with Agua SUD before taking any action. “I think at this time, I think we need authorization by Agua,” Mayor Rodrigo Lopez said. “I don’t think we want to be in the same boat that Palmview is in right now and try to jump the gun on something that’s not there yet. We haven’t gotten full approval from Agua SUD

yet.” The council carried the motion to table the discussion until more information was made available. The first Interlocal Cooperation Agreement discussed in the meeting had to do with automatic fire department aid, as sometimes when a fire is called in the La Joya Fire Department is dispatched, despite being within the city of Peñitas. This agreement would allow La Joya to go to the scene, extinguish the flame and perform a live rescue until the Peñitas department can arrive at the scene. The jurisdiction would still be with the city of Peñitas, so they would prepare the fire report and file it with the state and federal government. The objective of this agreement is to cut down on response time and ensure public safety. Because the city attorney Armando Marroquin was not present at the meeting, and according to substitute attorney Richard Gonzalez, had not fully gone over the agreement, the discussion was tabled until further notice. The council also approved a new work plan through the Urban County Program, which would allocate $3,000 for general administration, and $252,000 for Parks and Recreation. “The plan is to utilize the funds to develop a park behind the proposed city hall property,” Romero said. “We’re also in negotiation

February 9, 2018

for another piece of property at the moment, but with $250,000, we feel confident that between parking facilities and park facilities for athletics, we could construct a good park with that money.” At the beginning of the meeting, council member Ramiro Quintanilla brought up that the citations being given in the city per month changed from officer to officer and asked why certain officers had drastically higher numbers than others. Some officers issued 163 to 191 citations, while others issued 53 to 58. “It depends on the shift,” said Police Chief Roel Bermea. “Some people work later, and there’s not too much traffic, so they’re concentrating on residential areas to prevent burglaries and what not.” The last matter brought up before the council went into executive session was an Interlocal Cooperative Agreement in regards to the operation of a Regional Animal Shelter. Currently, the city of Peñitas has an agreement with Palm Valley Animal Shelter, so when animals are picked up, they can be taken to Palm Valley. Before, every time Palm Valley came in, there was a fee per animal. This new agreement would create a set fee of $1900 per month that would cover all animals, rather than a per-animal fee.

By Dave Hendricks Sullivan City settled a lawsuit with Starr County last year, promising to pay $105,000 and abandon a 300-acre annexation. The dispute started during October 2014, when Sullivan City attempted to annex 300 acres across the Hidalgo County-Starr County line — extending the city west toward La Grulla. Starr County slapped Sullivan City with a lawsuit. State District Judge Ana Lisa Garza blocked the annexation with a temporary injunction. And three years went by. “We weren’t getting anywhere,” said Sullivan City Mayor Leo Garcia. “It was just costing the city a lot of money. Thousands of dollars.” Sullivan City couldn’t afford the cost of protracted litigation, Garcia said, adding that he considered the lawsuit a waste of taxpayer money. Concerned about the cost, the City Commission authorized Garcia to negotiate a settlement agreement with Starr County. Garcia and City Attorney Armando “Mando” Marroquin met with Starr County Judge Eloy Vera and attorney Julian C. Gomez, who represented Starr County, during November. They struck a deal: Sullivan City would pay $105,000 and abandon the annexation. Sullivan City cut a

$60,000 check in December and must pay the remaining $45,000 by June 15, according to city records. Sullivan City also agreed to abandon the 300-acre annexation and promised not to annex any property in Starr County for at least five years. The settlement is a huge sum for Sullivan City, which collects roughly $400,000 in property taxes every year. “They wanted a lot more money,” Garcia said, adding that he negotiated the amount down to $105,000. “We tried our best on that one.” Starr County Judge Eloy Vera didn’t respond to requests for comment about the settlement agreement. While Sullivan City settled the lawsuit, questions about the city’s ability to annex property remain. In Texas, a city with more than 5,000 residents may adopt what’s called a “home rule charter,” which comes with new annexation authority. Sullivan City adopted a home rule charter in November 2008, declaring the city had more than 5,000 residents. The U.S. Census, though, counted just 4,002 people in 2010. The attorney for Starr County argued that Sullivan City didn’t meet the population threshold, limiting the city’s annexation powers, according to court transcripts. “Initially, they claimed the city needed permission to annex property in Starr County. And that wasn’t so.

Then they claimed that notices hadn’t been sent out to the utilities in that area. And that really is not a valid argument,” said attorney Ric Gonzalez, who represented Sullivan City in court. “Ultimately what they did is: they claimed when the city adopted the charter it had not met the 5,000 in population. That’s what they threw at the city.” The argument could pose future problems for Sullivan City. After the court blocked Sullivan City’s attempt to annex property in Starr County, the city went east along U.S. 83 toward Havana — annexing 308 acres in December 2015. Cities don’t always rely on the census when determining whether or not they meet the threshold, said Javier Villalobos, a McAllen-based attorney who represents cities and school boards. Utility connections, satellite photos and other data may provide alternative estimates. “They don’t have to go by the census. As a matter of fact, the census is probably incorrect,” Villalobos said. “For example, a lot of the undocumented individuals will not respond to the census, even if they’re residents.” Retroactively challenging an annexation solely on the basis of population would present major hurdles for a property owner. “I think, after the fact, it’d be a little difficult to attack it,” Villalobos said.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you.

Move in Special! No Deposit Required!

Convenient Access

Low Monthly Rates Fully Fenced, Key Entry Gates Open 7 Day a Week Boat & Trailer Storage Available

ARK STORAGE 1210 U.S. 83 Business, Palmview, TX (956) 584-5788

www.arkstorage.net

Walk-In Interviews Dates & Times, Please plan accordingly:

Saturday, Feb 10th, 2018 (12pm – 3pm) Monday, Feb 12, 2018 (5pm – 8pm)

Opening Night Tickets Start at $15! Restrictions, exclusions and additional charges may apply. Subject to availability.

Location: 1314 W Palma Vista Dr, Palmview TX, 78572

MonsterJam.com

Sandwich Artist Positions at: Palmview, Penitas, La Joya & Sullivan City

Join Our Team!

February 9, 2018

NEW TITLE

my duties with the fiesta, I was very flustered, we didn’t even get the dress done until two and a half weeks before the pageant.” Despite the hectic schedule, Canchola said she never felt overwhelmed because her family was guiding her. “Whenever I felt flustered, I’d take a step back and look at the bigger picture,” she said. “I took a part of this for my grandmother. I took a part of this for my family and with that in mind, it’s special being named Princess Anna and then Queen Citrianna 14 years later.” For her reign, Canchola already knows what she wants to do in the months leading up to it. Her ideas, she said, will help inspire a new generation of people to get excited for the Texas Citrus Fiesta.

She said she got the idea for it after noticing that her friends aren’t aware of TCF and only refer to it as “That parade in Mission.” “It’s a little disappointing how people don’t know much about Fiesta or at least show an appreciation for it,” she said. “I want to change that.” Canchola said that during the summer or the fall semester, she hopes to visit elementary schools in the area, particularly Midkiff Elementary School which hosts the Fiesta’s shoebox float and product costume show competition, to give presentations of fiesta’s legacy. “The Fiesta isn’t marketed to other cities but it should, it means something,” she said. “I’ve worked with kids before so I can go to the elementary school, when

www.ptrgv.com | www.strgv.com from pg. 1 VINCE YOUNG

kids are at that age when they ask questions because they’re curious, and show them why the fiesta is a big deal not just for the city, but the Valley. They’re our future and they’re the ones who will grow up and share this with this generation and others.” Overall, Canchola said she still feels overwhelmed with her new title. “It’s not something you experience every day, “she said. “My mom and I have volunteered at Fiesta for years and to be rewarded like this is amazing. I would’ve been fine if I hadn’t won, it would’ve been a great learning experience just to compete. But now, it’s special, my name will forever be a part of Fiesta.”

theclassifieds buy • sell • trade • rent • hire

this page is your oyster opening up to a world of opportunity Autos

For Sale

Garage Sale

2008 CHEVROLET UPLANDER Mini Van, 182K miles, clean title, $3,200, call 956-803-6924. 2007 JEEP COMMANDER 4WD, 108K miles, salvaged title, $5,500, call 956-803-6924. 2012 JETTA, LEATHER interior, automatic, 81K miles, salvaged title, $6,750, call 956803-6924.

USE HAPPY JACK Flexenhance Plus to relieve arthritic joint & muscle pain in older dogs..Border Enterprises (956-487 -2570), (kennelvax. com). 1982 FRANKLIN TRAVEL trailer 34ft., real good condition with awning and shed, set up as permanent trailer, can be moved, call 616-638-0641, $4,500. PRIDE GO-GO SCOOTER,3 wheels with charger, very good condition, $600, lift/ carrier for scooter, silver spring, universal, electric powered, $600, both scooter and carrier together $1,150, call 417299-1617.

RUMMAGE SALE AT Tropical Valley Acres, 1240 E. Bus 83 in Mission, with breakfast and lunch, bake sale and raffle, Friday, February 17, 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

For Rent 3002 N. CONWAY1bedroom, A/C, unfurnished, quiet area, washer/ dryer hook up, water/ gas, furnished$525 a month plus $500 deposit, for more information call 956-580-0377.

and family life as an example for the student athletes and said that his hardships motivated him to work hard for his education and athletic career. “My mom was a single parent, so it was just me and her, my grandmother, and my two older sisters,” Young said. “I had to grow up pretty fast, I had to make sure the doors were locked, make sure the trash was out, make sure the grass was cut. I had to protect the women in my household.” He also spoke about his mother’s struggle with addiction, and how it resulted in him and his siblings having to buckle down and focus. He was proud and grateful to say that she has been clean for 28 years. “My dad was never around, and in my neighborhood, we were seeing gang fights and a lot of distrac-

Classified Rate:

1 Week = $7.00 2 Weeks = $10.00 4 Weeks = $14.00

BIG SALE LOT 379 Green Gate Grove, Palmview, 8am- 1pm, February 9,10, household, clothing, furniture, freezer, fifth wheel hitch, citrus, truck wheels.

Services APPLIANCE REPAIR & HANDYMAN SERVICES for most brands, call Don, 60 years experience, call 956-584-7817.

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Mission City Council will hold a Regular Meeting on February 26, 2018 at 4:30 p.m. at the City Hall Council Chambers, 1201 East 8th Street, Mission, Texas in order to consider the following: Replat of Lots 5A & 11A, Expressway Business Park Phase VIII Subdivision Being a replat of 5.067 acres being all of Lots 5A & 11A, Expressway Business Park Phase VIII Replat of Lot 13, Expressway Business Park Phase VIII Subdivision Being a replat of the West 7.225 acres of Lot 13, Expressway Business Park Phase VIII If a zoning is amended during the public hearing, it shall be pursuant to the City of Mission’s Amendatory Zone Policy Statement. Anyone interested is invited to attend. Anna Carrillo, City Secretary

tions I’m sure you guys see every day,” Young said. “But I wanted to get my life better and get my family out of that situation.” He praised his teachers and counselors in school, as well as his principal and all the coaches in his life, for putting the pressure on him to succeed. “They said, ‘Vince, you can change the statistic of what you see every day, gangs, kids getting shot at and joining gangs and going to jail, and what you see going on in your community, you can change that,’” Young said. “My parents and my coaches put that pressure on me and I took it, I told myself that I need to focus on my books, I need to be the best student, not just the best athlete.” Young said he stayed busy by studying and spent his summers working at var-

page 11 from pg. 1

ious places in order to maintain that discipline and drive to accomplish his goals as well as keep him out of trouble. He encouraged students to be that example for other students in the community. “You can also lead your peers and your friends that are doing not so good things out of those situations,” Young said. “We all make mistakes, but I learned from my mistakes and kept my focus to be the best and change the lifestyle of my family. I didn’t want to see them struggle anymore.” Young told students to focus on the books and study and play hard. He said it isn’t easy for anyone because of the distractions in the world. “I’m the first generation to graduate from my household, and everyone told me I couldn’t do it,” Young said.

See VINCE YOUNG Pg. 12

Make it happen, we’re located at 1217 N. Conway in Mission, TX Come on in! Our hours of operation are Mon. - Fri. 8 - 5 p.m. If you can’t drop by, mail it! P.O. Box 399, Mission, TX 78573 Submit by email or pay by phone 585-4893.The deadline to get your classified in is Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Mission First United Methodist Church 1101 Doherty Ave.

Mission TX 78572 (956) 585-1665

Sunday Services: 8:00 a.m. Informal 9:00 a.m. Contemporary 10:00 a.m. Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Traditional 11:00 a.m. Childrens Church 5:00 p.m. Spanish Worship

Dinner with Friends every Friday @ 5:30pm

Everyone is Welcome! Join us for communion the First Sunday of every month.

www.missionfumc.com

page 12

February 9, 2018

www.ptrgv.com | www.strgv.com

VINCE YOUNG

“Yes, I’ve won the Rose Bowl, yes, I played in the NFL, but the main thing I’m proud of is that I graduated from the University of Texas. No one can take that from me.” Young used Longoria as an example at one point during the speech and said that athletes can learn just as much from his example as Young’s.

NEW VISION

where, according to election results, he received less than 29 percent of the vote. For this year’s race, O’Caña said he will run as an independent. “I think it’ll be a close race this year, I’ll honor what the city decides,” he said. As part of his announcement, O’Caña introduced Jessica Ortega Ochoa, a candidate for the Mission city council and Mission school board candidates Xavier Longoria and Lucia Leo-Diaz to the crowd. O’Caña said his endorsement of

from pg 11

“Once you graduate from college with that degree, the future is going to be wide open,” Young said. “Get an education somewhere. Like my man Oscar [Longoria] right here, he’s from here, so if [he and I] can do it, I know you guys can do it.” He also urged students to be positive and said that while

from pg 1

those three candidates signifies the kind of partnership he wants between the city and the school district. “Part of my four-year plan is to meet with the board of the three school districts and figure out how we as a city can promote education,” O’Caña said. “We as a city can enhance it and connect our children to a higher education. I want to be able to do that.” If elected, O’Caña said he plans to continue working on projects Salinas has been work-

there are bad things going on in the world, they should spread more love and keep the motivation for their goals in mind. “Working hard is going to make you successful in life,” Young said. “Focus on being the best young man and young lady you can be. Once you start, the trend is set.” ing on, such as the incoming Madero International Bridge Project Salinas has been touting for the last few years. “Collaboration will be the focus of my four years,” O’Caña said. “I know if we work together we can make it work. We need to be the gateway of the world by building bridges, not walls, and being neighbors to Mexico and south America. We cannot be isolated, we need to think globally. There are world events that are happening, we want to be a part of that. That’s how we’ll get economic growth here.”

VALENTINE’S DINNER BUFFET

Early Bird Special WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 14TH, 2018 Reservations between 5pm-6pm

Includes: Glass of Champagne or Wine per guest and a red rose $80 + tax & gratuity per couple

Double Tree Suites mcallen

Please Call For Reservations

956-686-3000