Friday, March 1, 2019_PT ISSUE

INSIDE

City of Mission Updates

An expansion of the Boys & Girls Club’s Bannworth Gym was recently approved. Snowball Express, a local raspa stand that has been having issues with the city’s alloted hours of operation, filed a temporary restraining order against the city.

Senators against Water Park

Seven state senators have filed a bill that would block Texas school districts from owning water parks and golf courses, targeting the La Joya ISD Sports and Learning Complex. Dave Hendricks has the latest details on the story, inside.

See Pg. 5

INDEX Entertainment....pg. 2 Lifestyle...................pg. 3 Sports.......................pg. 6 Obituaries..............pg. 9 Classifieds............pg.11

See Pg. 8

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Progress times Vol. 47 - #27

Friday, March 1, 2019

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Connor Williams speaks to student athletes during trip to RGV

Progress Times photo by Jamie Treviño.

Connor Williams poses with several students after signing autographs and talking to them about facing adversity head-on. old spoke to student athletes in the La Joya Independent School District and the Mission Consolidated Independent School District.

Self-described as extremely close with his family, Williams was raised in Coppell, Texas, just outside of Dallas. He attended the

By Jamie Treviño Connor Williams has come a long way in a short amount of time.

Williams, an offensive guard for the Dallas Cowboys (no. 52), visited the Rio Grande Valley this weekend.

During his stay, the 21-year-

University of Texas in Austin on a football scholarship, and was accepted into the McCombs School of Business before leaving in his senior year for the 2018 National Football League Draft.

Williams was picked by the Cowboys in the second round of the draft, and

Randy Perez named City Manager for Mission

By Jamie Treviño After serving the city of Mission for 18 years, Randy Perez has been named the new city manager.

Perez, who was working as the interim city manager, was promoted to the position following executive session of this week’s city council meeting. He has served the city under several titles over the years.

Starting in the finance department, Perez moved from a part-time capacity to fulltime after getting his bachelor’s degree in accounting and his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Texas Pan-American.

In 2014, Perez returned to school, earned his master’s and became a certified public manager. He said he did so in order to better provide for the Mission community and eventually be prepared

Randy Perez City Manager for the position of city manager.

“It’s always been something I’ve been working towards,” Perez said. “It’s been one of my major goals, to get to this position.”

Perez worked mostly in the finance department, and was the finance director before being named a deputy

city manager (where he was for three years). Born and raised in Mission, Perez said he knows the area very well.

“I’ve had about ten different titles with the city in those 18 years in different levels and different capacities,” Perez said. “ The council awarded several bids for different ongoing projects this week, signaling the continued growth Mission has been aiming to achieve. Perez intends to keep the city moving forward.

“It’s a humbling experience, and an honor to serve in this position for this great community,” Perez said. “I thank the mayor and council for giving me this opportunity and having the vote of confidence to allow me to serve this community in this capacity. It really means a lot to me to have their support.”

Progress Times photo by Jamie Treviño.

Connor Williams getting a workout in with student athletes in the fieldhouse at Mission High School last Friday afternoon. named the starting left guard.

His mother has family in the area, who Williams was visiting.

“It’s an amazing opportunity,” Williams said. “Being able to come back as a Dallas Cowboy and being able to speak to kids is great.”

Williams’ brother encour-

aged him to speak to local students, believing that his message would resonate with those aiming to find success despite growing up with adversity.

For the professional football player, his height and size were not always celebrated by others his age.

Williams said that as a child, kids would bully him for his size and the speech impediment he used to have.

“When I was younger, I was overweight, so I got made fun of a lot,” Williams

See CONNOR WILLIAMS Pg. 10

Mayor appoints felon to La Joya Housing Authority board

By Dave Hendricks Mayor Jose A. “Fito” Salinas appointed a felon to the La Joya Housing Authority board on Tuesday.

Mayor Salinas nominated Jose Armando Salinas, 54, of La Joya — who said he served five years in federal prison for attempting to smuggle cocaine through a Border Patrol checkpoint — to represent housing authority tenants. They aren’t related.

The La Joya City Commission unanimously approved the nomination Tuesday afternoon during a meeting that lasted less than 10 minutes.

“Very good applicants,” Mayor Salinas said. “But like I told them, it’s only one person that’s going to be appointed. And I wish all of

Jose Armando Salinas (Photo via Facebook)

them could be on the board.”

Mayor Salinas said he selected Jose Armando Salinas because he had graduated from high school, had lived at the housing authority longer than other applicants and had strong connections to La Joya.

The mayor didn’t mention the felony conviction.

Jose Armando Salinas graduated from La Joya High School in 1985 and studied accounting but didn’t earn a degree.

In November 1993, a federal grand jury indicted him on the charge of possession with intent to distribute about 45 kilograms of cocaine, according to court records. Documents from the 25-year-old case aren’t available through PACER, the computerized system for federal court records.

Jose Armando Salinas said he attempted to smuggle drugs through a Border Patrol checkpoint. He pleaded guilty and received an 87-month sentence.

See LA JOYA HOUSING Pg. 10

La Joya ISD superintendent abruptly ‘retires’ after reaching agreement with school board

By Dave Hendricks Superintendent Alda T. Benavides abruptly “announced her retirement” Monday after three decades with the La Joya Independent School District.

Without any public discussion, the school board approved an agreement with Benavides on Monday night and announced her retirement.

Board President Claudia Ochoa refused to answer questions about the agreement or why Benavides

See BENAVIDES RETIRES Pg. 11

Progress Times photo by Dave Hendricks.

The La Joya ISD school board of trustees during this week’s special called meeting.

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March 1, 2019

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‘Sensoria’ exhibition opens March 6 MCALLEN – Known for a style of art that is conceptual yet highly formal, South Texas College’s Library Art

Gallery presents the work of San Antonio artist Jesse Amado beginning Wednesday, March 6, which will be

Jesse Amado’s “Sensoria” exhibition begins on March 6 at the Pecan Campus Library Art Gallery.

on display through May 10.

Amado will open his exhibit “Sensoria” by holding an artist talk at 1 p.m. on March 6, followed by a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. at the gallery located at 3201 W. Pecan Blvd. in McAllen.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Amado’s work combines seminal pieces from the past, tracing the artist’s investigation of text, repetition and communication, while occupying the minimal space that hovers between life and art.

For more information, contact Gina Otvos at 956872-3488 or gotvos@southtexascollege.edu or visit library.southtexascollege.edu/ libraryart.

UVAL hosts oil painting workshops

“Oil Painting with Betty” workshops will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. for three weeks on Thursday on March 14, 21 and 28. Hosted by the Upper Valley Art League, all sessions will be held at the

Kika de la Garza Fine Arts Center, 921 E. 12th St., Mission.

Cost is $60 for UVAL members and $70 for nonmembers. Pre-registration is required by March 12 at the

UVAL gallery.

For information, contact Betty at 402-921-0428 or at artistontheroad64@gmail. com.

Head out to the festivities of the 49th Annual DAK’ EE SI American Indian Pow Wow on Saturday, March 9, where Native Americans will be dressed in full regalia as they present their traditional dances and music.

49th Pow Wow set for March 9

McALLEN – McAllen Grace Brethren Church, Son Tree Native Path, Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, invites the public to their 49th Annual DAK’ EE SI American Indian Pow Wow on Saturday, March 9.

It will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Lark Library and Community Center, 2601 Lark Ave., McAllen.

Admission is free and

open to the public to experience American Indian culture, history, drumming, singing and dancing from tiny tots to seniors. Some dances are open to audience participation.

Vendors will be selling Native food, arts, crafts and beads, supplies, American Indian jewelry, dream catchers, and more. There will be drawings and cake walks. No

Coming Attractions

Mission Food Pantry reaps benefits

The Mission High School (MHS) FFA Chapter organized a district-wide food drive, an annual effort, and this year’s effort resulted in a total of 27,474 non-perishable food items being donated in support of the Mission Food Pantry. Pictured are the donated non-perishable foods as they were being loaded up to deliver to the Mission Food Pantry. Campuses/buildings that brought in the most in donations are treated to a staff luncheon during Teacher Appreciation Week in May, and winning classrooms are treated to a bowling party at Incredibowl, provided by the MHS FFA. This year’s winning campuses were Waitz Elementary School, Mission Jr. High School, Mission High School and the Central Office. This year’s winning teachers were Clara Saenz at Leal Elementary School, Jackie Perez at Mission Jr. High School, and Maribel Silva at Mission High School.

March 1 • The Valley Symphony Orchestra presents Concert IV – “Hooray for Hollywood” at the McAllen Performing Arts Center, 801 Convention Center Blvd. from 8 to 10 p.m.

Tickets are $40, $50 and $60 per person and may be purchased at the McAllen Convention Center Box Office, online at valleyorchestra.org or at ticketmaster.com. For questions, call the VSO Box Office to 956661-1615.

March 1-3 • The Harlingen Community Theatre will stage the popular Broadway stage musical Annie at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday at the Harlingen Performing Arts Theatre, 1209 Fair Park Blvd., Harlingen. Admission is $20 and $10 for students under age 18. Go to harlingencommunitytheatre.org for box office info to purchase tickets. Email playhousefairpark97@ gmail.com for questions.

March 2 • The 2019 FESTIBA Mariachi Competition, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex, 1201 W. University Dr. in Edinburg. General admission is $5 to see all the competition groups perform throughout the day. Tickets are available at patron.utrgv.edu. Competition starts at 9 a.m. and ends approximately at 4 p.m. Tickets are not valid for the Mariachi Festival Concert later that night.

• The 2019 FESTIBA Mariachi Festival Concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex, 1201 W. University Dr. in Edinburg. The concert features the first place vocal competition winners, the group winners in the Middle School level, and the first place winners of the 4A, 5A and 6A high school varsity levels. The concert will also feature our guest artists Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, the first all-female mariachi in the United States; operatic baritone, Octavio Moreno; and UTRGV Mariachi Aztlán. General admission is $20 and tickets are available at patron.utrgv.edu.

March 3 • The Dance Adjudication Festival (DAF) begins at 3 p.m. at the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex in Edinburg. General admission is $10 and $5 for seniors and students.

Go to patron.utrgv.edu for tickets. For special accommodations or questions, call 956665-3881.

drugs or alcohol are allowed.

The schedule has gourd dancing at 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Sayani at 12:30 and 6:30 p.m. with special guest singers Jorie and Christie West; and Grand Entry is at 1 and 7 p.m.

For more information, contact Robert Soto at 956648-9336.

March 5 • The UTRGV Symphonic Winds Student Ensemble will perform at 7 p.m. in the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex, 1201 W. University Dr. in Edinburg. All tickets are $5 for general admission and can be purchased at patron.utrgv.edu.

March 6-7 • The UTRGV Symphony Orchestra presents their spring concert on March 6 at 7 p.m. at the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex, 1201 W. University Drive in Edinburg and at 7 p.m. on March 7 at the TSC Performing Arts Center in Brownsville. Admission is $5. The performance features the winner of the 2018 UTRGV Concerto Aria Competition and the orchestra will perform the works of Beethoven, Kennedy, Musella, Rossini. Go to patron.utrgv.edu for tickets.

For special accommodations or questions, call 956-665-3881.

March 6-10 • The UTRGV Theatre for Young Audiences 2019 presents The Witches from the book by Roald Dahl, adapted by David Woods, and directed by Brian Warren. Performances are Wednesday to Saturday at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Albert L. Jeffers Theatre, 1201 W. University Dr. in Edinburg. All tickets are $5 and available at patron.utrgv.edu. For more information or special accommodations, call 956-665-3581 or visit UTRGV.edu/theatre.

March 9 • The Upper Valley Art League All Members Show will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Kika de la Garza Fine Arts Center, 921 E. 12th St. in Mission. The event is open to the public.

• The Upper Valley Art League will host a Creative Wellness workshop led by Racheal Brown from 10 a.m. to noon. It is a holistic approach to address life challenges.

Techniques utilize artistic media, such as, collage, paint and three- dimensional media.

Cost is $20 for members and $30 for nonmembers. Sign up and pay at UVAL desk in the Kika de la Garza Fine Arts Center, 921 E. 12th St. in Mission.

March 10 • The UTRGV final performance of Ballet Folklorico – Alegria 2019 will be held at 7:30 p.m., at the TSC Performing Arts Center, 90 Taylor Ave. in Brownsville. Tickets are $15 general admission, $10 for seniors and $5 for children. For information, go to utrgv.edu/balletfolklorico. For tickets or special accommodations, call 956-6652230.

(For more Coming Attractions, go to ptrgv.com)

FREE TIRE RECYCLING Alton Public Works will take and recycle your Tires!!

Dates and times available for drop off:

March 4-8, 2019 8 am to 5 pm (excluding weekends) Public Works Building

401 W. Dawes Ave. (Next to Baseball Fields)

Restrictions: • City of Alton RESIDENTS ONLY (please bring your current water bill to verify you are a garbage service customer).

• Limit 4 tires per household.

• Passenger and light truck tires only.

• Tires on rims will not be accepted.

March 1, 2019

MJH Science Bowl team qualifies for nationals

Public invited to take the challenge McALLEN – The McAllen Mayor’s Wellness Council will host free, low-impact outdoor exercise event as part of the 2019 “It’s Time Texas!” challenge. Pilates and Re-Fit instructors will lead Pilates in the Park today, March 1, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Oval Park in front of the McAllen Convention Center, 700 Convention Center Blvd.

The session will be held outdoors, weather permit-

ting, and no special equipment or supplies will be required. Movements will focus on moves that can be done without getting down on the ground or needing mats. Comfortable clothes are best, but the idea is that if people must return to work, they can do so easily.

For more information, go to ittcommunitychallenge. com/user/register or call 956-681-1900.

Orchids go from trash to treasure WESLACO – The Tip of Texas Orchid Society announces their upcoming monthly meeting being held on Sunday, March 3, at 2 p.m. at the Valley Nature Center, 301 S. Border in Weslaco.

This month’s speaker is Tomas Bajza. Originally from the Czech Republic and now living in Miami, Fla., Bajza developed his interest in orchids during his teens.

Through trial and error he unexpectedly found the perfect formula for growing orchids when his mother threw out his dying, never-blooming orchids into their oleander bushes. A few months later he found the plant full of blooms. He will share his experience in growing or-

La Joya chess champs heading to state The La Joya High School Chess Team took 2nd place at the Regional Chess Tournament held at Robert Vela High School in Edinburg and qualified to advance to the 2019 Texas Scholastic State Chess Championships in Houston on March 8 to 10. Individual awards went to Gabriel Rosales, 2nd place, and Jonathan Sanchez, 3rd place. Since its inception four years ago, the LJHS Chess team has qualified for state and national competition each year. Team members shown in back, left to right, are Jonathan Sanchez and Grabiel Rosales, and front, same order, Aleyssa Villagran, Jonathan Davila, Rachel Henning (sponsor), Jason Garza and Juan Hernandez.

EVENTS

CALENDAR Tomas Bajza chids.

Admission to the program is $5 for non-members and free for members.

Tip of Texas Orchid Society is currently part of the Texas Orchid Circuit and meets every first Sunday of the month at the Valley Nature

Moving on to state math competition EDINBURG – Eighty-four middle school students from across the Rio Grande Valley competed in MathCounts on Saturday, Feb. 9, at the UTRGV Edinburg Campus.

Local students advancing to the state competition on March 30 in Austin include the Sharyland North Junior High team and Ricardo Ochoa from Kenneth White Middle School in Mission.

They will have the opportunity to advance to the national competition Designed to challenge middle school students, the MATHCOUNTS program offers four levels of competi-

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tion featuring both a rigorous written competition and a fast-paced oral competition.

“It was really nerve-wracking, seeing all the schools come in, not knowing who would do well, who would win. It’s a lot of anxiety, but it gets you pumped up to do better,” said Hailey Aul, a member of the Sharyland North Junior High team that won first place at the competition.

MathCounts is geared toward STEM – science, technology engineering and mathematics – education and career awareness.

March 2 – Keep McAllen Beautiful will celebrate its eighth annual Arbor Day Celebration, 7 a.m. through 12 p.m., at McAllen Municipal Park, 1921 North Bicentennial Boulevard.

The family-friendly event celebrates treest and offers timed 5K or 10K runs, a 25- or 62.5-mile bike tour, and a Kid’s 1 Mile Run. Entrance to the park is free; cost to participate in the timed runs or bike tours are either $25 or $35, while the Kids 1 Mile Run is free. There will be a vendor area, educational activities for kids, free trees given away, music, food vendors and more. All running events will be closed off to traffic and bike tours will feature Support and Gear and law enforcement support. To register for the events, go to keepmcallenbeautiful. org or call 956-681-4562 for more information.

March 3 – Ocelet Conservation Day runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Gladys Porter Zoo, 500 E. Ringgold St. in Brownsville.

There will be live ocelot presentations throughout the day, included in the regular admission price.

March 5 – Speer Memorial Library will host a discussion of “Crazy Rich Asians” in the library’s Community Room at 5:30 p.m. in Spanish, and at 6:30 p.m. in English. Stop by the library to obtain a copy of the book. It is also available as an eBook and eAudiobook at hidalgocotx.oneclickdigital. com. For more information, call William Renner at 580-8754 or 580-8750. Speer Memorial is located at 12th and Kika De La Garza in Mission.

March 7 – Dr. Bill Grant will present “Hierba de Zizotes Milkweed” at 6 p.m. at Quinta Mazatlán, 600 Sunset in McAllen. Dr. Grant’s discussion will cover the native Texas milkweed, where it can be found, how seeds can be obtained and how to grow them. Dr. Grant is an officer of the Rio Grande Valley Garden Club, former volunteer at the National Butterfly Center in Mission, a volunteer and founder of Oleander Acres Butterfly Garden in Mission and a contributor to the McAllen Nature Center. For information, call 956-681-3370. .

(For more Events, go to ptrgv.com.)

A Science Bowl team from Mission Jr. High School (MJH) will be making a trip to Washington, D.C. in late April to compete at the national level. The team of five students recently earned the right to represent the region at the 2019 U.S. Department of Department of Energy National Science Bowl, based on their performance at a regional competition hosted by The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV).

Student teams from 13 counties in South Texas participated in the regional event.

This will be the second time MJH has sent a team to the National Science Bowl.

MJH team members include Citlali Arizpe and Marcos Garcia, seventh grade; and Jaime Ceja, Micah Sanchez and Brandon Molina, eighth grade. David Land is the team coach.

A second MJH team placed third at the regional competition. That team consists of Loryn Sanchez, Autumn Gonzalez, Lesley Barrera, Quentin Rodriguez and Cristian Arguijo.

This will be the fourth team the Mission school district has had qualify for the National Science Bowl. This will be the second MJH team to qualify; the first qualified in 2015. Alton Memorial Jr. High School has also sent two teams in 2014 and 2015.

The Science Bowl is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The National Science Bowl is a nationwide academic competition that tests students’ knowledge in all areas of science and math.

The teams are comprised of four students, one alternate, and a teacher who serves as their coach. The competition is an intense, fast-paced, game-show style competition testing the knowledge of the students in biology, chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, energy and math.

A featured event at the National Science Bowl for middle school students is an engineering challenge/competition. Teams are waiting for notification of what that

Pictured at an awards ceremony at The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley is the Mission Junior High Science Bowl team that recently qualified for national competition. They are, from left to right, Dr. Ala Qubbaj, UTRGV dean of engineering; Citlali Arizpe, seventh grade; Jaime Ceja, eighth grade; Micah Sanchez, eighth grade; Brandon Molina, eighth grade; Marcos Garcia, seventh grade; and David Land, team coach.

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Hidalgo County EMS will station ambulance in Sullivan City to improve response times

By Dave Hendricks

Cancellation and election

Election day for city and school positions may be the first Saturday in May but the election was declared over Monday night for three lucky candidates who now don’t have to campaign any more.

McAllen city commissioners passed an “Order of Cancellation” for District 6 Commissioner Veronica Vela Whitacre and for McAllen Public Utility Board Trustees Tony Aguirre, Jr. and Albert Cardenas. None of the three drew opponents for the May 4 election and state law allows governing bod-

ies to cancel an election in that case or, as the Order of Cancellation reads, “The following candidates have been certified as unopposed and are hereby elected...“ District 4 Commissioner Aida Ramirez is retiring and two people filed for the seat, and incumbent District 5 Commissioner John Ingram has drawn two opponents.

Commissioners voted to amend zoning ordinances to no longer require ”Retail Home Improvement stores and buildings over 5,000 square feet” to submit to the

city a separate parking plan.

It is now discretionary.

Mayor Jim Darling remarked that McAllen has an ordinance review committee made up of some city commissioners and city staffers to look over existing ordinances to see which can be thrown out or updated. “We want to make accommodations that make sense in regulating businesses in the city and this is one of those times.”

Citing family emergency, McAllen candidate withdraws from the ballot

By Dave Hendricks A candidate for McAllen City Commission District 4 withdrew from the ballot last week after a family emergency.

Mario De Leon, 41, an Apple solutions consultant, submitted a formal certificate of withdrawal on Feb. 20. He explained the decision on Facebook.

“A few days ago my wife and I received some alarming news from our doctor regarding her six-month pregnancy; which will require some changes and sacrifices from our family these next three critical months,” Mario De Leon posted on Feb. 21.

“I love our community and it deserves someone that will fully commit to campaigning and following through, and right now I need to be with my wife, focus on my family, and provide them all the support I can.”

Two candidates for District 4 remain on the ballot: Tania Ramirez, 30, a lawyer who previously worked for the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office; and Joe Califa, 61, who worked for McAllen, Pharr, Edinburg and Mission before retiring.

The winner will replace City Commissioner Aida Ramirez, who isn’t running for re-election, and become just the second person to represent southwest McAllen since the city switched from at-large representation to single-member districts.

After he decided to withdraw from the ballot, Mario De Leon endorsed Califa.

“Our part of the City has been ignored and neglected on many fronts for almost

two decades. Now more than ever, our community needs to come together and support the change we want to see in District 4,” Mario De Leon said in a statement. “We need to rally behind an honest and transparent candidate that truly represents our best interests, as opposed to those of the outgoing commissioner, and whose connection to our community is unquestionable. And that is Mr. Joe Califa.”

An endorsement from the De Leon family, which is well-known in District 4, may bolster Califa’s nascent campaign.

“I’ve known Mr. De Leon’s mom for a long time,” Califa said. “And she’s always been an advocate for South McAllen.”

If elected, Califa said he would consider appointing Mario De Leon to a city advisory board or another role that would allow him to remain involved.

“He’s very passionate about the district,” Califa said. “And it’s very unfortunate that he wasn’t able to continue his campaign.”

Mario De Leon and his brother, Victor, also asked McAllen to remove Tania Ramirez — who isn’t related to City Commissioner Aida Ramirez — from the ballot.

When she submitted a ballot application, Tania Ramirez stated that she had lived in McAllen for the past 22 months. Hidalgo County Elections Department records, though, show Ramirez voted from a Mission address last year.

Victor De Leon filed a complaint with the City Secretary’s Office.

“While casting a ballot outside the city and district may create a presumption that the person was not a resident of the city at that time, Texas courts have held that it ‘does not ‘conclusively establish’ residency,’” according to a letter from City Secretary Perla Lara to Victor De Leon.

Victor De Leon responded by email, urging McAllen to conduct a thorough investigation.

“Because the city secretary (1) is not permitted to conduct an independent investigation or to make fact-findings, (2) is limited to considering the face of the application and other public documents that conclusively establish ineligibility, and (3) Texas courts have expressly held that merely voting outside the jurisdiction does not conclusively establish non-residency, I do not believe she was permitted to find that the documents presented to her conclusively established ineligibility,” according to a letter from City Attorney Kevin Pagan to Victor De Leon.

How the controversy will affect the campaign remains unclear.

Tania Ramirez held a campaign kick-off on Feb. 7, when she posed for photos with City Commissioner Aida Ramirez, City Commissioner Javier Villalobos, City Commissioner Joaquin “J.J.” Zamora and Hidalgo Mayor Sergio Coronado.

Califa’s campaign started more slowly. He plans to hold a kick-off Tuesday.

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Hidalgo County EMS agreed Wednesday to station an ambulance in Sullivan City, which will dramatically reduce emergency response times.

The Sullivan City Commission agreed to pay Hidalgo County EMS a $5,000 annual subsidy. In exchange, Hidalgo County EMS will station an ambulance in Sullivan City from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.

Hidalgo County EMS had responded to Sullivan City calls from Peñitas, which took 15 to 30 minutes depending on traffic and construction on U.S. 83.

“I’ve been keeping track of our police records. Dispatch. And asking, as far as the ambulances,” said Mayor Leo Garcia. “Their response times were not too good.

Anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes. That’s something that raises a big red flag.”

Two privately owned ambulance providers, Hidalgo County EMS and Med-Care EMS, serve the majority of Hidalgo County residents.

The city of Palmview and the city of Weslaco handle ambulance service in-house.

In western Hidalgo County, the city of Mission and the city of La Joya contract with Med-Care EMS. Hidalgo County EMS serves Sullivan City and Peñitas.

Sullivan City became concerned about response times when La Joya switched from Hidalgo County EMS to Med-Care EMS. Hidalgo County EMS, which had stationed an ambulance at the La Joya Volunteer Fire Department, started dispatching ambulances from Peñitas.

City Commissioner Sylvia Castillo said she had problems with the ambulance service when a client suffered a heart attack. They called 911, but the ambulance didn’t arrive for 26 minutes.

“It was the longest 26 minutes of my life,” Castillo said.

Under the agreement approved Wednesday, the Sullivan City Volunteer Fire Department will host a Hidalgo County EMS ambulance from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Stationing an ambulance in Sullivan City all day would cost about $40,000 per month, said Hidalgo County EMS Chief Admin-

istrative Officer Kenneth Ponce. With about 4,100 residents, Sullivan City doesn’t generate enough calls to justify the cost.

The Sullivan City Police Department had 29 medical calls from Oct. 1 to Feb. 27, according to data provided by police Chief Richard Ozuna. That number doesn’t include calls that don’t pass through police dispatch.

Providing service to poor, rural areas with a large number of uninsured people is difficult without government support, Ponce said, adding that Hidalgo County EMS is discussing subsidies with local governments.

The $5,000 subsidy from Sullivan City will help Hidalgo County EMS cover costs, said Paul Vazaldua, who handles business development for the company.

“If they’re Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance eligible, that gets taken care of through them,” Vazaldua said. “But we know we see a lot of indigent, undocumented, uninsurable people. And that’s the purpose of the request for the subsidy.”

By Ed Sterling Texas Press Association

STATE CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS Caucus names legislative priorities for public education AUSTIN — The Texas House Democratic Caucus on Feb. 21 announced its “Texas Kids First” education-funding package that would include all-day pre-kindergarten, teacher raises and retirement and property tax reform.

“We hope to work with our colleagues to incorporate some of these ideas into their bills,” said Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, caucus chair.

Caucus member Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, a former Austin Independent School District board president, said Texas rates 42nd in the nation in per-student funding. She said Texas public school students are funded $2,300 per year below the national average.

The proposed funding package is embodied in several bills that caucus members have filed or are in the process of filing, and would add some $14.5 billion more in baseline budget estimates.

Items to be covered include: - Teacher pay and benefits increases; - Incentives for educating low-income students, children speaking little or no English, and special-needs pupils; - Funding for the hiring of more counselors; - Using money from the Rainy Day Fund for retired teachers; - A monthly state contribution of $100 toward teachers’ health care premiums; and - A one-time $500 teacher reimbursement for out-ofpocket school supply purchases.

The caucus also proposes to achieve property tax relief by doubling homeowners’ exemptions from $25,000 to $50,000, an amount they suggest would give most homeowners a break of up to $325.

Defendants settle with state Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Feb. 19 announced that Xerox Corporation and several of its former subsidiaries, including

Conduent Inc., agreed to a $235.9 million settlement with the State of Texas.

The settlement resolves a lawsuit brought by Paxton’s office under the Texas Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act and other grounds regarding the processing of prior-authorization requests by dentists to deliver orthodontic services to Medicaid patients. Xerox and its companies, Paxton said, were responsible for reviewing and approving or denying requests by Medicaid providers to deliver orthodontic services between January 2004 and March 2012.

Paxton’s office determined that employees of Xerox, Conduent and related companies rubber-stamped orthodontic prior-authorization requests without assuring the required review of each request by qualified clinical personnel. As a result, expensive, taxpayer-funded orthodontic work was performed on thousands of children who either didn’t meet the Medicaid standard for braces or didn’t require treatment. The Medicaid program does not pay for braces for cosmetic purposes. Under Texas law, only those requests that meet strict Medicaid program requirements are allowable.

Oil & gas boom to continue Commissioners Ryan Sitton, Christi Craddick and Wayne Christian of the Texas Railroad Commission on Feb. 20 told the state Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Economic Development that discoveries of massive energy reserves in West Texas would enhance the state’s booming energy industry.

Christian said the reserve found in the Wolfcamp Shale and Bone Spring Formation in West Texas is estimated to contain more than 46 billion barrels of oil and 281 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, enough to support decades of production at current levels.

Craddick told the panel that in 2017, the Legislature set a target for the Railroad

Commission to plug 1,900 “orphan” wells in the 20182019 biennium. She estimated that the commission would cap more than 3,000 such wells by the end of 2019.

Sitton said the demand for the Railroad Commission to plug non-producing wells is also going to increase as the industry grows, and for that, the agency is requesting $39.1 million in 2020-2021 to support the well-plugging program.

Governor nominates justice Gov. Abbott on Feb. 21 nominated Houston attorney Justin B. “Brett” Busby to be Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, Place 8, for a term to expire Dec. 31,2020.

Busby, if confirmed by the Texas Senate, would succeed Justice Philip W. “Phil” Johnson of Amarillo, who retired from office effective Dec. 31, 2018.

Busby served as a justice on the Texas 14th Court of Appeals from 2012 to 2018.

House honors former speaker Former Texas House Speaker James A. “Jimmy” Turman died Feb. 13. He was 91. His body lay in honor in the hall of the Texas House of Representatives on Feb. 22.

Turman represented Fannin County from 1955 through 1963 and served as speaker during the 57th Texas Legislature in 1961-63.

Abbott extends declaration Gov. Greg Abbott on Feb. 14 extended the State Disaster Declaration for Texas counties affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Because of catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Harvey, a state of disaster continues to exist in some 60 counties.

The declaration, originally issued in August 2017, authorizes the use of all available resources of state government and of political subdivisions that are reasonably necessary to cope with the disaster.

March 1, 2019

page 5

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Mission awards bid for expansion of Bannworth Gym

By Jamie Treviño Aiming to provide more accessibility to the Mission Boys & Girls Club, the city is expanding the gym at Bannworth Park.

At this week’s city council meeting, a bid to expand the Bannworth Gym was approved. Mission received nine bid responses for this project, and it was awarded to RG Enterprises, doing business as G&G Contractors.

The expansion will include four classrooms, an office, a computer lab for students who wish to utilize the after-school programs offered and restrooms. Currently, the after school program is available at the Mission Boys & Girls Club

location off of Conway, and the Bannworth Gym only houses indoor courts.

This project will cost $409,000. $125,000 to $150,000 is being paid for from fundraising efforts from the Boys & Girls Club, and the remaining cost is coming from a bond issuance from last year, according to City Manager Randy Perez.

“We’re here to provide these services to the community,” Perez said. “Our children are important, this is one of the projects that we’ve been wanting to do.”

The city’s engineering office designed the expansion in-house. Mayor Armando O’caña and Mission Boys & Girls Club President Albert Peña said this project has been in the works for a “long

time.”

“During the summer program, when we have kids in that unit, I was told that they had no classrooms or tables or chairs to use,” Peña said.

“I was told that they were being put in corners and sitting on the floor. Myself and my fellow board members felt that this was something that we could bring and try and improve that site.”

Currently, the Boys & Girls Club of Mission serves 6,000 children in the year.

This expansion will mean the city will have two full-service units for the club.

During the council meeting, Mayor Pro-Tem Norie Gonzalez Garza asked at one point for the item to be put on hold in order to have more questions answered.

“I think we need to move forward with the project,” O’caña said. “I think it’s been at least three years since we started with this project already, and to delay it based on if we need to discuss it a bit more… I would like to see it go forward and be awarded tonight.”

O’caña said the project came to the city’s attention because a 5th grade student from the Sharyland Independent School District came forward with a concern as to why he was sent from the Sharyland area to the classrooms in the Conway location.

“We deserve to move forward with it,” O’caña said.

“Staff has done diligence, and we used in-house people to save money, the Boys &

Girls Club is pitching in their share.”

When the item was put up for a vote, the council unanimously voted to award the bid and start on the expansion. Perez said it would take approximately four to six months to be completed, and students would be taken to the other location if construction barrs people from entering the Bannworth Gym when the project is underway.

“It’s a benefit for the community and our children,” Perez said. “Children from the area closer to that location will benefit. It’s accessibility for a different part of our city.”

Perez, who was an attendee of the Boys & Girls Club growing up, said he sees the

benefits of afterschool activities for Mission children.

“It teaches you the fundamentals of not only sports, but your daily life skills,” Perez said. “After school programs that prepare you for school are an extra resource for children.”

“You go into the sports, you go into the after school program and you develop friendships there,” Perez added. “It’s an extra benefit for our children.”

Currently, the after school program runs from 3 to 7 p.m.

Monday through Thursday and 3 to 6 p.m. on Fridays.

After school recreational use is open from 5 to 9 p.m., and during the summer and holidays they are open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Local raspa stand takes legal action against city of Mission

By Jose De Leon III An embattled raspa stand filed a temporary restraining order against the city last week, accusing the city of forcing it to lose business.

Snowball Express LLC, which has two locations in Mission, filed the restraining order Feb. 15, the latest in the nearly year-long battle between both entities as the raspa stand tries to stay open past its approved 10 p.m. closing time.

“The city is discriminating us because first they told us that we only have a permit till 10 p.m. and then we reapplied and they denied us telling the neighbors were complaining,” owner Elgin Xavier said in a statement.

“They made decisions to close our drive thru, apart from that that they were sending cops to the business and forcefully wanted to close us. Employees always got scared and they made a scene out of it.”

With the restraining order, signed by 139th District Judge Roberto “Bobby” Flores, neither parties can take any action until a hearing set for Monday, March 4.

A request for comment from the city’s legal department was directed to City Manager Randy Perez, who

declined to comment due to the pending litigation.

Mission Planning and Zoning Director Jaime Acevedo simply said he disagreed with the TRO and wouldn’t comment further.

The restraining order comes after the city granted a conditional use permit for the raspa stands last May to close at 10 p.m. March 2018.

As previously reported, city police and the city planning department came to both locations within one weekend in late March at around 10:30 p.m. and forced the stand to close for the night with a line of customers waiting for their orders.

According to Acevedo, the closures occurred because the raspa stand was in violation of its permit signed

by Xavier that stated both locations wouldn’t extend their hours past 10 p.m.

“Whenever they’ve reapplied for permits, they’ve kept the time the same and we went over to their locations over the weekend because they were staying open until at least 1:30 a.m. and we were receiving noise complaints from neighbors,” Acevedo said.

The city’s planning department allowed Snowball Express to remain open past

10 p.m. temporarily until the city council voted on whether or not to extend the business’ hours. Citing several complaints from neighbors, they ultimately denied the

singled out.

“We have equal rights as any other business like Whataburger or McDonalds to be able to work our hours and get fair treatment from

the city to operate our drive thru,” Xavier stated. “The city should not close a business if one neighbor complains that she can’t sleep.”

File photo of Snowball Express’ location on Mayberry. Courtesy image

PT

progresstimes

2nd Year Anniversary

progresstimes

progresstimes

extension last May. Xavier said that due to the lack of support from the city, and the police presence in his businesses, he feels as if Snowball Express is being

Alexandria R. Olivarez “Alex ” December 5, 1994 †February 27, 2017

progresstimes

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March 1, 2019

Sports week

BIG7 SCHOOLS

page 6

www.ptrgv.com/sports

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

Diamondbacks historic season comes to an end Sharyland Pioneer falls in area round of basketball playoffs 11-straight and 12 games overall before falling to Rio Grande City. The co-district championship didn’t come easy as Sharyland Pioneer battled adversity in losing two key players in sophomores Eddie Lee Marburger (8.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.5 apg) and Miguelangel Gonzalez (6.1 ppg).

In the playoffs for the third time, the Diamondbacks won a bi-district title after powering through Brownsville Pace 61-53 in the first round, making the program a perfect 3-for-3 in bi-district postseason games.

Lavar Lindo came through in clutch moments for his team as the big man finished with 18 points and nine boards, while senior Aaron Cuevas posted 17 and 17 highlighted by throwing down four dunks which sent the Sharyland Pioneer faithful into a frenzy.

The Diamondbacks trav-

By Bryan Ramos Sharyland Pioneer’s season on the hardwood may have come to an end on Saturday in the area round of the state playoffs, but the 20182019 Diamondbacks will go down in school history as one of the best teams to ever take the court at SPHS. The Diamondbacks earned the first district championship in program history after a 13-1 record in 315A action, and in advancing to the second round, added Sharyland Pioneer’s third bi-district championship to the trophy case.

A Look Back The Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks and Head Coach Rene Gonzalez just wrapped up the winningest season in the school’s five years after a 27-9 campaign.

The Diamondbacks cruised through district play, at one point winning

eled to Santa Rosa to take on the Corpus Christi Miller Buccaneers in the area round, a game that featured two athletic teams looking to run.

Sharyland Pioneer struggled out of the gate as Miller’s press presented a problem to Diamondback ball handlers early. They would score just three first quarter points and faced a 12-3 deficit heading into the second and in desperate search of a response.

The answer came in the form of a Taggart Chandler bucket, a Darik Briseno free throw and five points from Lindo as Sharyland Pioneer fought their way back into the game to send it into the locker room down 18-15.

The Diamondbacks came out swinging to start the third quarter with a three from Luke Padilla and two baskets inside by Lindo to pull the score as close to 24-22, but

that’s as close as they would get as Miller pulled away for a 53-35 win. Lindo finished the game with 12 points, Padilla with eight and Cuevas with seven as Sharyland Pioneer’s season came to an end.

Looking Forward The Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks will lose three seniors to graduation

but return eight players next season, all whom have experienced a taste of playoff glory and the heartbreak that comes with missing out.

Lindo (12.7 ppg, 9.9 rpg) and Padilla (10.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg), one of the Valley’s top inside-out combos, will be back to lead a re-energized Sharyland Pioneer team eager to earn its first

area championship and third round playoff appearance.

With Marburger, Gonzalez and the likes of guards Briseno, Ethan Lee, Marco Trevino and forward Miguel Ramos, the Diamondbacks will be must watch basketball come the start of the 2019-2020 season.

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page 7

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Progress Times photo by Luciano Guerra.

Progress Times photo by Luciano Guerra.

Pioneer second baseman Jacob Rosales turns a double play as a Flour Bluff base runner slides in during the Diamondbacks’ 8-0 McAllen Tournament semi-final game win against the Hornets Saturday afternoon.

Pioneer outfielder Johnny Lugo makes solid contact with the ball during the first inning of the Diamondbacks’ 8-0 McAllen Tournament semi-final game win against Flour Bluff Saturday afternoon.

Rattlers, Diamondbacks off to strong start in tourney play

Sharyland earns tourney title, Sharyland Pioneer nearly takes another crown

By Bryan Ramos The snakes of Sharyland are off to strong starts on the diamond in 2019 as both the Rattlers and Diamondbacks flexed a bit of early season muscle this past weekend in tournament play. With non-district and tourney action in full-swing, Sharyland and Sharyland Pioneer are set to host the second annual Sharyland ISD Hardball Classic this weekend at both high schools.

Sharyland Rattlers go back-to-back at Port Isabel-Los Fresnos Tournament The 19th annual Port Isabel-Los Fresnos Tournament experienced some deja vu over the weekend as the Sharyland Rattlers were crowned tourney champions for the second year in a row.

The Rattlers cruised through their first tourney ac-

tion of 2019 as the Sharyland offense scored double-digit runs in all four of their outings. Sharyland ran through their first two opponents with a 12-0 win over Brownsville Rivera and a 10-1 win against Corpus Christi London.

Sharyland didn’t take their foot off the gas in the semifinals as they knocked off Donna North by a score of 11-3 to set the stage for the tourney championship against the Los Fresnos Falcons, hosts of the tourney.

With the championship trophy up for grabs between two solid baseball schools, the Sharyland Rattlers emerged as the superior team as they capped off the tournament with a 12-2 win in five innings to take home the title for a second consecutive season.

Junior Martin Vasquez sent two balls over the wall as

his home runs kept the Rattler offense hot, with junior Abraham Alvarez also going yard in the game. Pitcher Andy Lozano earned the win on the mound for Sharyland as the junior struck out five and allowed no walks.

With one tourney championship under their belt, the Sharyland Rattlers will now be hunting their first Sharyland ISD Hardball Classic title this weekend.

The Rattlers will face Edinburg High and McAllen Memorial on day one of the tournament, with games against Brownsville Veterans Memorial and Brownsville Rivera set for 11:45 a.m. and 6:45 p.m on Friday, March 1.

Sharyland Pioneer posts second place finish in McAllen ISD Tournament The turnaround of Sharyland Pioneer baseball began last year when Head Coach

Sharyland ISD, City of Alton cancel elections

By Jose De Leon III

Due to a lack of opposing candidates, the Sharyland school district and city of Alton cancelled their upcoming May 4 election.

The Sharyland school board of trustees cancelled their election during their Monday meeting. As previously reported, Trustee Noel O. Garza declined to file to run for re-election after 12 years on the school board.

“I thought it was a good time to get off while the district was at its peak,” Garza said. “This board has had multiple successes throughout the years and I am confident the board and superintendent will continue to do great things.”

Hector Rivera, a Mission businessman, filed to replace Garza. He joins incumbents Noel Edward Oliveira and Keith Padilla.

“We are very pleased to have Mr. Rivera join us,” school board President Melissa Smith said Monday.

“He’s a wonderful gentleman, accountant and a Sharyland parent who will be here for the next round.”

The following day, the city of Alton also cancelled their election during their city council meeting.

No one filed to run against city Mayor Salvador Vela and Mayor Pro-Tem Arturo Galvan Jr.. Previously, Vela said this would’ve been the first time in his 30 years as mayor that he didn’t have an opponent.

“I think people just think we’re doing a good job, it’s why we haven’t had an election since 2015,” Vela said of the lack of candidates.

This leaves Sullivan City and Penitas as the only entities in western Hidalgo County that will hold elections May 4.

The Progress Times’ deadline to accept candidate announcements for the upcoming election is Friday, March 8. Announcements received after this date must be run as paid advertising.

Candidates may submit their announcements by email to news@progresstimes.net or deliver them to the Progress Times office at 1217 N. Conway Ave., Mis-

sion. Attach a jpeg portrait photo of the candidate. The jpeg must be at least 2MB in size, or 5 x 7 inches at 300 dpi. Political announcements must not exceed 600 words for individual candidates.

Slate announcements must not exceed 850 words. All announcements are subject to editing for length and uniform style.

Campaign announce-

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ments may be published at the discretion of the publisher and should reference only the candidate’s qualifications, platform and campaign issues. No attacks on political opponents are permitted. Announcements will be published as space is available.

Early voting starts April 22. Election day is May 4.

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Casey Smith took over the program. Proof of their 180 came in the form of the team’s first title as winners of the inaugural Sharyland ISD Hardball Classic a season ago.

The Diamondbacks have continued their rise in year two under Smith as they played their way into the McAllen ISD Tournament championship game this past weekend and are looking for a repeat performance in the Hardball Classic.

Sharyland Pioneer opened up pool play of the McAllen ISD tourney with a perfect 4-0 record with wins over Brownsville Rivera (5-3), San Antonio Holmes (11-2), Valley View (5-1) and Orange Grove (13-0), earning their way to the semifinals.

Junior Trey Gonzalez pitched a complete game shutout and surrendered just

four hits in the semifinals against the Flour Bluff Hornets and received plenty of run support with four RBIs coming off his own bat. Five different Diamondbacks crossed the plate as Sharyland Pioneer picked up a 8-0 win to advance to the championship game.

Awaiting the Diamondbacks in the final was the Calallen Wildcats, a team Sharyland Pioneer lost to just days earlier by a score of 6-5.

The Diamondbacks jumped out to a 7-1 lead on the Wildcats midway through the fifth inning with their dominance highlighted by a laser throw from right fielder Johnny Lugo to double up a runner sliding into third. The seven runs, however, would not be enough as Calallen’s bats woke up in the bottom of the fifth to score eight runs, some of

which were helped by five Diamondback errors.

In their first tournament action of the 2019 campaign, the Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks finished second place at the McAllen ISD Tournament and fell in the championship game to a top 25 ranked team in the state.

Now, the Diamondbacks attention shifts as they hope to repeat as champions of the Sharyland ISD Hardball Classic.

Sharyland Pioneer will face Valley View and Port Isabel on the opening day of the tournament and is set to play Edinburg North and San Antonio Alamo Heights at 11:45 a.m. and 6:45 p.m. on Friday, March 1.

page 8

March 1, 2019

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State senators target La Joya ISD with ‘water park’ bill

By Dave Hendricks Concerned the La Joya school district is wasting taxpayer money, seven state senators filed a bill Tuesday to block Texas school districts from owning water parks and golf courses.

Senate Bill 1133 — which is backed by state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, and state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville — would prohibit school districts from owning water parks and golf courses.

While the bill would apply to all school districts, senators made clear they’re concerned about La Joya, which owns both a 27-hole golf course and an approximately $2 million water park.

“There is no fact or supposition of fact that the core operations of a Texas School District should involve owning and operating a water park,” state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said in a statement. “Recently published press reports also indicate that the complex is operating at a loss and costing Texas taxpayers even more money!”

The bill caught the school board by surprise.

Lawmakers from wealthy school districts, which send property tax revenue to poor school districts as part of a system designed to equalize education funding, wanted to know why La Joya spent the money on a water park.

“The water park is used for the community as a

whole, which I think is a very laudable use of the water park,” Hinojosa said.

“But it is not the point of a public school.”

When lawmakers started asking questions about the water park, they discovered La Joya also spent $4.9 million on a golf course.

“We don’t mean to micromanage. And we don’t want to micromanage,” Hinojosa said, but lawmakers want school districts to spend money on education.

Both the golf course and water park, which is part of a $20 million project called the Sports and Learning Complex, lost money last year.

The Howling Trails Golf Course cost the school district nearly $302,000 during

the 2017-2018 fiscal year, according to the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report approved by the board in January. The Sports and Learning Complex lost nearly $250,000.

When the school board met on Jan. 14, Assistant Superintendent Alfredo Vela defended the Sports and Learning Complex.

“As you all have heard, we get accused in the media that we have a $20 million water park. Well, we do want to set, pretty much, the record straight,” Vela said.

“It is not a $20 million water park. We have a $20 million investment in our kids.

Which consists of $2 million for what we’re calling the water park.”

The water park also at-

tracted scrutiny from Gov. Greg Abbott.

“A Texas school district opened a water park and you paid for it,” Abbott tweeted on Sept. 6, when he shared a news story about the Sports and Learning Complex.

“Now you know why it’s hard to get the Legislature to pony up more money for our schools.”

If the bill becomes law, school districts and charter schools would be prohibited from owning golf courses, water parks and hotels, according to the statement released by Bettencourt.

The bill puts that prohibition in legalese.

“A school district or open-enrollment charter school may not, directly or indirectly through an affil-

iate, including an affiliated nonprofit corporation, have a business interest in an entity or own real property associated with an entity described by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) in any of the following sector codes: (1) Sector 53: Real Estate and Rental and Leasing; (2) Sector 71: Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation; or (3) Sector 72: Accommodation and Food Services,” according to the bill.

Districts that already own golf courses and water parks would be required to sell, shut down or somehow relinquish ownership by Sept.

1, 2024.

After 12 years, Alton city manager retires

By Jose De Leon III After more than a decade of helping the city grow, Alton City Manager Jorge Arcaute announced his retirement earlier this week.

His retirement was announced at the Tuesday city council meeting and was made effective Thursday,

Feb. 28.

“This was something I’ve been looking into for a couple of years and I can say the growth in the city has been very dramatic,” Arcaute said. “I’m getting a little less energy as the years go by and I think someone with a little bit more energy could do more with leading the city.”

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Assistant City Manager Jeff Underwood, who also serves as the city’s planning and zoning director, was announced as the interim city manager Tuesday.

“He’s been here 5 years, the city would do well to lock him up for the long term,” Arcaute said of his successor.

As city manager, Arcaute was instrumental in bringing in new businesses to the city such as the Carl’s supermarket, McDonald’s and Stars restaurants and the city regional training center, all located alongside Alton Boulevard.

With this retirement, Arcaute will step away from his $100,000 salary. Before coming to Alton in 2007, he worked at the San Juan Police Department as a dispatcher in 1977 before working his way up to police chief and then was named city manager in 1995, he said.

“After 12 years there, I was thinking of retiring,” Arcaute, 61, said. “Then this offer from Alton came up. It was an interim position for six months that was made permanent. I fell in love with the city and I saw so much potential and the folks

here treated me very well.

It’s been a lot of good stuff here.”

Among the achievements Arcaute said he is most proud of include overseeing several departments in the city and staffing them with people Arcaute said he is proud to have worked with.

“We can point to things like road and sewer improvements but I think we’ve done a good job of developing the human infrastructure in the city,” Arcaute said. “We have a crew that can hang with anyone, are very diligent and hard working. If I’ve been responsible for anything here it’s changing the culture. The folks outside of town are now expecting more from the city and I’m glad.”

Both Arcaute and city Mayor Salvador Vela said Arcaute will likely continue serving the city as a consultant for Alton and make himself available for other cities.

“I kind of want to hang around and see what happens,” Arcaute said.

Underwood, whose role as interim city manager starts today, said the promotion will serve him well as he is already familiar with all of

Progress Times photo by Jose De Leon III

Incoming interim Alton City Manager Jeff Underwood (left) with outgoing City Manager Jorge Arcaute (right) Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019. the city’s upcoming projects such as the expansion of the Josefa Garcia Memorial Park and the widening of Mile 5. However, the loss of Arcuate is bittersweet for

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To view more animals in the Mission Pawsible Program, visit missiontexas.us.

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“A good friend of mine and a great leader is leaving, but I’m excited,” Underwood said. “I’ve been here five years and have seen the city grow. Mr. Arcaute started a great thing with the commission and I want to keep that going.”

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page 9

March 1, 2019

www.ptrgv.com | www.strgv.com

obituaries Melida Arriola MISSION – Melida “Meli” Rivera Arriola, 82, passed away on Feb. 19, 2019.

Mrs. Arriola was born on Feb. 26, 1936 in Valadeces, Mexico to Daniel and Carmen Rivera. She married Juan Blas Arriola on Nov. 9, 1958. She was a member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Mission.

Survivors include her children, Maggie Mustard of McAllen, Sandra Vecchio of Mission, Cynthia Garza of Granjeno, May Arriola of Mission, John Arriola of McAllen and Arlene Blas of California; and sisters and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband.

A funeral mass was held on Feb. 26 at St. Paul’s. Burial followed at Valley Memorial Gardens Cemetery in McAllen.

Eva Flores LOS EBANOS – Eva Flores, 92, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, at Mission Regional Medical Center.

Ms. Flores was born on Sept. 12, 1926, in Los Ebanos to Sabino and Romana (Flores) Flores and was a lifelong Sullivan City resident.

She was preceded in death by her parents and six siblings.

A funeral mass was held on Feb. 25 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Los Ebanos. Burial followed at Los Ebanos Cemetery. Ar-

rangements were under the care of Rivera Funeral Home in Mission.

Guadalupe Garza MISSION – Guadalupe E. “Lupe” Garza, 103, of Mission, passed away on Friday, Feb. 15, 2019.

Mrs. Garza was born on the King Ranch on Feb. 10, 1916, to Luis and Francisca Esparza.

Survivors include her children, Guillermo Garza, Alberto Garza, Manuel Garza, Santos Roth, William Garza, Emma Hankins and Helen Garza; and 12 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband. Guillermo G. Garza, and a grandson, Richard Garza.

A funeral mass was held on Feb. 22 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Mission

Jose Lopez MISSION – Jose Cruz Lopez, 58, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, in Mission.

Mr. Lopez was born on Sept. 14, 1960, in Reynosa, Tamps., Mexico, to Otilio and Juliana (Salazar) Lopez.

Formerly from Mission, for the past 24 years he was a resident of Florida.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Survivors include his children, Jose Lopez Jr., Alex Lopez and Julie Lopez; stepmother, Hortencia Lopez; siblings, Jesus Lopez, Casimiro Lopez, Antonio

Lopez, Otilio Lopez Jr., Maria Lopez and Isabel Lopez; and two grandchildren.

A service was held Feb. 23 at Rivera Funeral Home in Mission. Cremation followed.

Anita Loya PEÑITAS – Anita Loya, 85, passed away on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, at Doctor’s Hospital in Edinburg.

Mrs. Loya was born in Kansas City, Kan., on Nov. 12, 1933 to Eduardo and Severiana Vega.

Survivors include her children, Eduardo Loya, David Loya, Javier Loya and Ana M. Loya; siblings. Julian Vega, Pablo Vega and Ester Gonzalez; and a grandson.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Vidal G. Loya, and son. Vidal Loya Jr. A funeral mass was held on Feb. 26 at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Peñitas. Burial followed at Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery in Mission.

Ervin Mantle MISSION – John Ervin Mantle, 76, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019, at his Mission home after a battle with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Mr. Mantle was born on Nov. 5, 1942, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Matilda Sirena Knudson Mantle and John William Mantle. After high school, he joined the United States Army Reserve. He then served in the Texas Mission, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1962 to 1964.

He went on to receive his bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah and then his master’s degree in speech pathology and audiology in 1969 and to become a teach-

er of the deaf (oral method) in the Salt Lake Extension Division of the Utah State School for the Deaf for 10 years.

On Aug. 19, 1966, he married April Moss, and they moved to the Rio Grande Valley on Jan. 1, 1982, where he was employed as a special education consultant with Region One Education Service Center. He later became a special education supervisor for Weslaco Independent School District, then a special education teacher with Valley View I.S.D., and then as a special education teacher with La Joya I.S.D. until his retirement.

Mr. Mantle was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where he served in numerous capacities during his lifetime: bishop, bishop’s counselor, McAllen Stake president’s counselor, scoutmaster (numerous times) and troop committee chairman.

He and his wife served together in the Texas McAllen Mission office of The Church.

Survivors include his wife; children, Christopher Mantle of St. Peters, Mo., Daniel Mantle of Frisco, Timothy Mantle of McAllen, Andrew Mantle of McAllen and Rebecca Mantle of McAllen; sibling, George Mantle of Salt Lake City; and 14 grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Janet Ericson.

Viewing will be held on Friday, March 1, from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel at 3107 N. Bryan Rd. in Mission. Another viewing will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 2, at the chapel, prior to the 11 a.m. funeral service. Burial follows at Valley Memorial Gardens in Mission.

Alfredo Martinez MISSION – Alfredo Martinez, 79, passed away on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, at his home in Mission.

Survivors include his wife, Rosa Linda Martinez; children Melissa Garcia, Angie Ruiz, Lisa Garcia and

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.

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

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Commercial Lawn Equipment “Since 1954”

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

Christina Lopez; sisters, Eva Rojas and Janie Rojas; and nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

He was preceded in death by his brother, David S. Martinez III. A funeral service was held on Feb. 25 at Funeraria Del Angel in Mission. Burial followed at Valley Memorial Gardens Cemetery.

Eloy Morin MISSION – Eloy G. Morin, 67, passed away on Monday, Feb. 18, 2019, at his home in Mission.

Mr. Morin was born on Oct. 22, 1951, in Valadeces, Tamps., Mexico, to Jeronimo and Elva (Garza) Morin and lived in Mission for most of his life.

Survivors include his children, Eloy Morin Jr., George Morin, Eric Morin and Jackie Lynn Morin; siblings, Severiano Morin; Jeronimo Morin and Adrian Morin; and seven grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Belinda C. Morin, and his parents.

A funeral mass was held on Feb. 22 at St. John of the Fields Catholic Church in Mission. Burial followed at Santa Fe Celestial Garden Cemetery in Mission. Arrangements were under the care of Rivera Funeral Home in Mission.

Leopoldo Ramirez Jr. MISSION – Leopoldo “Papo” Ramirez Jr., 93, passed away at his home in Mission.

He served in WWII as a paratrooper with the 11th Airborne Division. He was sent in the first squad to Japan under the direction of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

Survivors include his children, Irma Gomez, Dr. Mona Parras, Mellie Becho, Libby

Peña, Leopoldo Ramirez III and Melba Ayala; siblings, Rosa Ortega, Alicia Perez, Ramiro Ramirez, Reymundo Ramirez and Humberto Lozano; and 16 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Lupita; parents, Leopoldo and Cecilia Ramirez; and siblings, Reynaldo Ramirez, Ruben Ramirez, Rogelio Ramirez and Olivia Trevino.

A funeral mass was held on Feb. 25 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Mission. Burial followed at the Rio Grande Valley Veterans State Cemetery in Mission.

Pallbearers were Jose Gomez Jr., Marco Gomez, Mike Vasquez, Petie Ayala Jr., Mikey Ayala and Beto Cantu III.

Notices

Alfredo Anzaldua GRANJEÑO – Alfredo Anzaldua, 83, passed away on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, at Comfort House in McAllen.

Melida Arriola MISSION – Melida R Arriola, 82, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019, at her home in Mission.

Wayne Benner PALMVIEW – Wayne Eugene Benner, 79, passed away on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, at The Bridges in Mission.

Armando Chapa Jr. MISSION – Armando Chapa Jr., 44, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019, in Mexico.

Frances Clendenin MISSION – Frances Clendenin, 94, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019, at The Gardens at Brook Ridge.

Ramon De La Mora MISSION – Ramon De La Mora, 69, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2019, at Mission Regional Medical Center.

Shemuel Dominguez MISSION – Shemuel Dominguez, 3, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019, at Doctors Hospital in Edinburg.

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March 1, 2019

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CONNOR WILLIAMS

said, “I got made fun of when I spoke.”

Williams ended up in inschool suspension after defending himself from a few of his bullies, and realized that his niche was really with his family.

“I stuck with my family,” Williams said.

When he visited LJISD last Thursday student athletes from all three high schools, as well as a visiting group of athletes from the Flour Bluff Independent School District, gathered at the Alejandro H. Saenz Performing Arts Center to listen to Williams.

During his speech, Williams gave examples on how he overcame his hardships growing up.

“I went to my dad and said ‘Dad, I want to change, I want to be better, I don’t want to be made fun of any more,’” Williams said. “I wanted to take control.”

They set up some goals for Williams like working out daily, which eventually led him to his current position in the NFL. “Whether the adversity be school, your sport, whatever it may be, it’s going to hap-

pen in your life,” Williams said. “It’s about how you respond to that adversity.”

Williams said that he and his father were awake at 6 a.m. every day and usually did P90X workouts.

“It’s about how you handle the adversity and how you respond to it in the end,” Williams said. “At the beginning of the day you have to set your goal, and you’ve got to pursue that goal.”

Before and after the talk, Williams signed several things for the school and students and posed for pictures. He also took several student questions from the crowd, which ranged from what the maximum weight he bench pressed in college was (505 pounds) to what he has learned from his teammates (making sure they are 100 percent on top of their game when it comes to fitness, health, diet and taking care of their body).

“Find your path, stay true to it,” Williams said.

“There’s mornings where you don’t want to wake up, when you just want to stay in bed and sleep in.”

“There’s mornings where you have no energy to do

a set or excel in class; it’s about reminding yourself what your goal is,” Williams added. “It can’t just be a thought, it’s got to be a constant reminder day in and day out. Every challenge you hit has to be because of the goal that you’ve set. Is it making you better, or is it making you worse?”

The next day, Williams got a quick private workout in the fieldhouse by Tom Landry Stadium at Mission High School. While students were not in school that day, a track meet was hosted at MHS, so a small group of athletes got to watch part of Williams’ workout and hear what he had to say about pushing through difficult times.

“It takes a special type of person to be a student athlete,” Williams said. “I know what it’s like going to sleep sore at night and having to wake up in the morning and get out of bed still sore.”

Half Mexican and half Caucasian, Williams has found that embracing both heritages has given him the support to prosper.

“I love to embrace my Mexican heritage,” Wil-

liams said. “Growing up in Coppell, my big family was around me and supported me all through [my journey]. I know that’s kind of the backbone of my Mexican heritage, so being able to come down and reach kids and re-

late with them is great.”

Because of his relation to the area, Williams felt the need to speak to high school students on how success can come from anywhere with hard work and determination.

“I was in their shoes four years ago,” Williams said.

“I know the things they’re going through and I hope to serve as an inspiration to them, to talk to them, to give back.”

Prosecutors, though, later filed a motion to reduce the sentence. Jose Armando Salinas said he served five years.

“I paid my dues,” Jose Armando Salinas said, adding that he made a bad decision and learned his lesson.

Public records don’t show any subsequent arrests.

As a member of the housing authority board, Jose Armando Salinas said he wants to advocate for tenants.

“This is new to me. And I just hope to make a difference, especially to the mothers and the disabled people and the elderly that live in housing, like I do right now.”

The housing authority is governed by a five-member board of commissioners, which supervises the executive director and makes policy decisions.

With two commissioners aligned with Mayor Salinas and two relatively indepen-

dent commissioners, Jose Armando Salinas may cement the mayor’s majority — or become the swing vote.

State law requires the mayor to appoint at least one tenant to represent housing authority residents.

The housing authority board, though, hasn’t actually had a tenant representative for years.

Mayor Salinas appointed Jose Luis “Puma” Rodriguez in October 2018, but he never scheduled a swearing-in ceremony or attended board meetings.

When a housing authority with fewer than 150 units can’t find a tenant willing to serve on the board, state law allows the mayor to appoint a non-tenant.

Before appointing a nontenant, however, state law requires the mayor to provide “timely notice of a vacancy in the position to all eligible tenants” and wait 60 days.

Mayor Salinas, apparently unable to find a tenant willing to serve on the board, appointed former La Joya school board President Arnold Ochoa on Nov. 20.

After the mayor appointed

Ochoa, the housing authority filed a lawsuit.

The lawsuit claimed that Mayor Salinas attempted to stack the board with supporters after the board fired his daughter, Interim Executive Director Frances A. Salinas.

Attorneys for the housing authority also questioned whether or not Rodriguez and Ochoa had been properly appointed.

Mayor Salinas and the housing authority settled the lawsuit on Feb. 14.

As part of the agreement, both Rodriguez and Ochoa left the board. That forced Mayor Salinas to appoint a new tenant commissioner.

Mayor Salinas said he interviewed five people for the position before selecting Jose Armando Salinas.

“Like I told them, you know, it’s going to be one out of five,” Mayor Salinas said, adding that he had a difficult time choosing among the candidates. “So don’t get discouraged, because you might want to run for mayor one of these days.”

from pg. 1

LA JOYA HOUSING

March 1, 2019 from pg. 1

BENAVIDES RETIRES

abruptly retired. She referred The Progress Times to a news release, which attorneys for the district described as a joint statement by Benavides and the board.

“Dr. Alda Benavides has announced her retirement as Superintendent of Schools for the La Joya Independent School District. An Agreement has been reached which allows Dr. Benavides the ability to retire and to pursue other interests and permits the Board to pursue hiring another Superintendent,” according to the statement.

“The Board and Dr. Benavides have entered into the Agreement believing it is in their respective best interests

page 11

www.ptrgv.com | www.strgv.com and in the best interests of the District.”

The statement didn’t explain why she abruptly retired or specify when, exactly, her retirement took effect.

The statement also didn’t explain why Benavides apparently walked away from her $319,000 salary and an employment contract that expired in August 2021.

Ochoa, who became the board president Monday night, said she considered the issue a personnel matter — and that, as a rule, she doesn’t comment on personnel matters.

Benavides didn’t attend the meeting and didn’t respond to requests for com-

ment.

“We’re not at liberty to speak in regards to Dr. B at this moment,” said Trustee Armin Garza, who added that attorneys had advised the board not to make any comments beyond the prepared statement.

After approving the agreement with Benavides, the board announced that Assistant Superintendent Gisela Saenz would serve as interim superintendent. Trustees also authorized attorney Jaime “Jerry” Muñoz to start searching for a permanent replacement.

With guidance from the school board, Benavides steered the district through a

period of steady growth.

The district opened 10 new campuses, including six new elementary schools, maintained an “A” financial rating and earned numerous academic distinctions during her tenure, according to the statement released Monday night.

“As a whole we just want to extend our gratitude to Ms. Benavides for everything that she’s done,” Garza said.

Trustee Oscar “Coach” Salinas, who made the motion to approve the agreement with Benavides, said she served the district well.

“I want to thank her from the bottom of my heart,” Salinas said.

Benavides graduated

from La Joya High School in 1971 and earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Pan American University.

After seven years with the McAllen Independent School District and a stint at the Region One Education Service Center, she returned to La Joya as a counselor.

Benavides earned several promotions before taking the top job in September 2006.

“The Board extends its best wishes to Dr. Benavides in her future endeavors,” according to the statement released Monday night. “On its part, the Board will soon begin its search for a new Superintendent as not to disrupt the District’s operations.”

Benavides wasn’t the

only high-ranking administrator to depart in February.

Assistant Superintendent Alfredo Vela started taking personal days on Feb. 5. Asked whether or not he would return to work before June, when he plans to retire, Vela said he didn’t know.

“I doubt it,” Vela said.

“But we’ll see what the future holds.”

Vela spent 17 years with the school district, where he supervised administration and finance.

“I enjoyed my time at La Joya ISD. They treated me well,” Vela said. “They accepted me as one of their own and I always got full support from the board, Dr. B and the staff.”

BUY • SELL • TRADE • RENT • HIRE

THE CLASSIFIEDS Make it happen, we’re located at 1217 N. Conway in Mission, TX Come on in! Our hours of operation are Mon. - Fri.

CLASSIFIED RATE: 8 - 5 p.m. If you can’t drop by, mail it! P.O. Box 399, Mission, TX 78573. Submit by email 1 Week = $7/ 2 Weeks = $10 4 Weeks = $14 or pay by phone 585-4893. The deadline to get your classified in is Tuesday at 5 p.m.

ORDINANCE NO. 4775

ORDINANCE NO. 4770

For Sale

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MISSION, TEXAS ABANDONING AND VACATING A .034 ACRE TRACT OF LAND OUT OF THAT SOUTHEASTERLY PORTION OF BLOCK 4, ERDAHL SUBDIVISION READ, CONSIDERED, AND PASSED THIS THE 25th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2019.

Dr. Armando O’caña, Mayor Attest: Anna Carrillo, City Secretary

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MISSION, TEXAS AMENDING ORDINANCE NO.780 DESIGNATING PLACES WHERE BEER AND OTHER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES MAY BE SOLD WITHIN THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF MISSION TO INCLUDE THE PREMISES LOCATED AT 1509 INDUSTRIAL WAY, LOT 5, MISSION BUSINESS PARK SUBDIVISION READ, CONSIDERED, AND PASSED THIS THE 25th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2019.

Dr. Armando O’caña, Mayor Attest: Anna Carrillo, City Secretary

1 PLOT WITH 2 rights at Valley Memorial Garden in the Guardian Angel section, $3,500 OBO, if interested please call 956-4008297, leave text or message if there is no answer.

USE FLEXENHANCE TO treat arthritic symp-

ORDINANCE NO. 4771 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MISSION, TEXAS GRANTING A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR THE SALE & ON-SITE CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES – BEEF OUTLAWS BAR & GRILL, 2714 N. CONWAY AVENUE, LOT 9, NORTHTOWN #1 SUBDIVISION READ, CONSIDERED, AND PASSED THIS THE 25th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2019.

Dr. Armando O’caña, Mayor Attest: Anna Carrillo, City Secretary

ORDINANCE NO. 4767 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MISSION, TEXAS GRANTING A REZONING BEING THE NORTH 5 ACRES OF LOT 42, BELL-WOODS COMPANY’S SUBDIVISION “C”, FROM AO-I (AGRICULTURAL OPEN INTERIM) TO R-1T (TOWNHOUSE RESIDENTIAL) READ, CONSIDERED, AND PASSED THIS THE 25th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2019.

Dr. Armando O’caña, Mayor Attest: Anna Carrillo, City Secretary

ORDINANCE NO. 4768 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MISSION, TEXAS GRANTING A REZONING BEING 21.632 ACRES OUT OF LOT 204, JOHN H. SHARY SUBDIVISION, FROM AO-I (AGRICULTURAL OPEN INTERIM) & C-4 (HEAVY COMMERCIAL) TO R-1 (SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL) READ, CONSIDERED, AND PASSED THIS THE 25th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2019.

Dr. Armando O’caña, Mayor Attest: Anna Carrillo, City Secretary

ORDINANCE NO. 4772 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MISSION, TEXAS AMENDING ORDINANCE NO.780 DESIGNATING PLACES WHERE BEER AND OTHER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES MAY BE SOLD WITHIN THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF MISSION TO INCLUDE THE PREMISES LOCATED AT 2714 N. CONWAY AVENUE, LOT 9, NORTHTOWN #1 SUBDIVISION READ, CONSIDERED, AND PASSED THIS THE 25th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2019.

Dr. Armando O’caña, Mayor Attest: Anna Carrillo, City Secretary

ORDINANCE NO. 4776 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MISSION, TEXAS GRANTING A REZONING A TRACT OF LAND CONTAINING 0.94 OF AN ACRE, MORE OR LESS AND BEING 0.19 OF AN ACRE, MORE OR LESS OUT OF LOT 21-9, WEST ADDITION TO SHARYLAND SUBDIVISION AND 0.75 OF AN ACRE BEING 1.0 ACRE OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST ¼ OF SECTION 19, LA LOMITA SUBDIVISION NOW LOT 21-9, WEST ADDITION TO SHARYLAND SUBDIVISION OF PORCIONES 5357, LESS AND EXCEPT 0.25 OF AN ACRE, FROM (R-2) DUPLEXFOURPLEX RESIDENTIAL TO (R-3) MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL READ, CONSIDERED, AND PASSED THIS THE 25th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2019.

Dr. Armando O’caña, Mayor Attest: Anna Carrillo, City Secretary

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SE SOLICITA JOYERO/A, hiring bench jeweler, 304 N. Conway Ave. Ste.B, Mission,TX 78572, 956-584-6622.

ORDINANCE NO. 4769 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MISSION, TEXAS GRANTING A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR THE SALE & ON-SITE CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES – BALLI’S TERRACE EVENT CENTER, 1509 INDUSTRIAL WAY, LOT 5, MISSION BUSINESS PARK SUBDIVISION READ, CONSIDERED, AND PASSED THIS THE 25th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2019.

Dr. Armando O’caña, Mayor Attest: Anna Carrillo, City Secretary

ORDINANCE NO. 4773

ORDINANCE NO. 4774

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MISSION, TEXAS GRANTING A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR A DRIVE-THRU SERVICE WINDOW - PROPOSED RESTAURANT, 2211 E. GRIFFIN PARKWAY, SUITE 240, 2.444 ACRES OF OUT LOT 254, JOHN H. SHARY SUBDIVISION READ, CONSIDERED, AND PASSED THIS THE 25th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2019.

Dr. Armando O’caña, Mayor Attest: Anna Carrillo, City Secretary

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF MISSION, TEXAS GRANTING A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR A DRIVE-THRU CONVENIENCE STORE - EL KORTIA DRIVE THRU, 3300 N. INSPIRATION ROAD, LOT 1, GOMEZ ESTATES SUBDIVISION READ, CONSIDERED, AND PASSED THIS THE 25th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2019.

Dr. Armando O’caña, Mayor Attest: Anna Carrillo, City Secretary

Attention

Auction of Vehicles

According to the provision in the Transportation Code 683, Sub-section B, 683.012, Texas Department of Transportation informs you that the below mentioned cars have been taken into custody by the Sullivan City Police Department and will be sold at auction. For information on vehicles you can communicate with the Sullivan City Police Department at (956) 485-9208. The auction will be held at 500 South Cenizo Dr. Sullivan City, TX (The Police Department) on Saturday March 09, 2019. Auction will be starting at 10:00 AM, and will be held according to the law.

Payment will be in cash (US currency) or certified checks. Sullivan City reserves the right to accept the best and the most advantageous offers. The vehicles are auctioned under their conditions which there are no guarantees and/or refunds.

Atención

Subasta de Vehículos

De acuerdo a la disposición en el Código de Transportación 683, Sub sección B, 683.012, del Departamento de Transporte de Texas, informamos que los autos abajo mencionados han sido tomados en custodia por el Departamento de Policía de La Ciudad de Sullivan City y serán vendidos en subasta. Para información de los vehículos puede comunicarse al Departamento de Policía de Sullivan al (956) 485-9208. La subasta será en 500 South Cenizo Dr., Sullivan City, TX (El Departamento de Policía) el Sabado 09 de Marzo del 2019. Inicio de subasta será a las 10:00 AM, y que será llevada de acuerdo a la ley. El pago será en efectivo (moneda americana) o cheques certificados. La Ciudad de Sullivan se reserva el derecho de aceptar la mejor y la más ventajosa de las ofertas. Los vehículos se subastaran en las condiciones que se encuentran no hay garantías ni devoluciones.

1. 2001 (WHITE) CHEVY TAHOE 2. 1999 (GREEN) CHEVY VENTURE 3. 2004 (BROWN) NISSAN ALTIMA 4. 2003 (BLUE) CHEVY TRAILBLAZER 5. 2003 (SILVER) FORD ESCAPE 6. 2003 (WHITE) FORD FUSION 7. 2001 (SILVER) ACURA 32T ** 8. 2007 (WHITE) CHRYSLER SEBRING 9. 2010 (GREY) FORD FUSION 10. 2006 (BLACK) MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE 11. 2003 (WHITE) MAZDA TRIBUTE** 12. 2006 (BLACK) CHRYSLER 300** 13. 2005 (BLACK) PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 14. 1998 (BLACK) DODGE RAM 15. 1990 (WHITE) FORD PK FLATBED

1GNEC13T91R139296 1GNDX03E2XD281863 1N4AL11E14C177548 1GNDS13S932129014 1FMYU03193KD76468 2FAFP73W63X191997 **19UUA56671A000257** 1C3LC46K87N550617 3FAHP0HG3AR367563 4A3AK34T46E004176 **4F2CZ06173KM08488** **2C3KA43R37H704193** 2G2WP522551320822 1B7HC13Z2WJ145957 1FDKF37G4LNA15387

** SALVAGE TITLE** $ 30.00 DOLLAR PROCESSING FEE

ATTENTION: Investigator J. Pruneda

page 12

March 1, 2019

www.ptrgv.com | www.strgv.com

Peñitas unveils historical marker

By Jose De Leon III The city of Peñitas is celebrating centuries worth of history within its own cemetery.

At a ceremony last week, the city unveiled a historical marker from the Texas Historical Commission for the St. Anthony Cemetery, a cemetery that has been with the city since 1836.

“Established in 1836, the Peñitas cemetery served the settlers of Peñitas,” the marker states. Marked burials include pioneer families who arrived in the area in the 1800s as well as veterans of foreign and domestic wars. Maintained by residents, the Peñitas cemetery is a tangible reminder of the area’s heritage.

The marker is the first of its kind for the city, according to Adalia De Luna, secretary for the Peñitas Historical Society. The cemetery, which is 1 1/2 acres, holds 500 marked burials and an additional 120 unmarked burials due to the headstones having rotted and erased the names of the deceased, De Luna said.

“The Texas Historical Commission has recognized the Peñitas cemetery as a significant part of Texas history by awarding it this marker,” De Luna said. “This holy

place is vital to the new generation so they will not forget our past ancestors and provide awareness in the history of the community of Peñitas.”

According to oral history, Peñitas was established in the 1520s by a priest named Father Fray Zamora and five Spaniard explorers who have descendants buried in the cemetery.

Among the other people laid to rest at the cemetery include Sinforosa Perez Mandujano, the town midwife who delivered newborns to the city and passed away in 1962 at the age of 79. She was known as the mother of Peñitas.

The cemetery also has the final resting place of Jose Maria Loya and Ignacio Zamora, who were veterans of the Civil War. City Mayor Rigo Lopez agreed with De Luna that the historical marker will help Peñitas keep its history alive.

“Peñitas has been established since 1520 and it’s our job to keep it going,” Lopez said. “With this marker, people will keep telling those stories alive.”

During the ceremony, State Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa spoke on the importance of the history of the city, which is believed to be among the oldest in the state.

“We have soldiers from the Civil War, WWI and WWII here, this place has a lot of history and its possible new generations will forget our past, who built all of this and everything that came before them,” Hinojosa said. “It’s important that our stories recognize this cemetery. The cemetery is us.”

Progress Times photo by Jose De Leon III.

Officials with the city of Peñitas at the unveiling of the historical marker at Peñitas’s St. Anthony Cemetery Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019.

Sharyland Pioneer High School holds Courts in Schools program

By Jose De Leon III

Progress Times photo by Jose De Leon III.

398th District Court Judge Keno Vasquez talks to Sharyland Pioneer High School students Friday, Feb. 22, 2019.

Desirae Lynn Vasquez had no idea that spending the night at a friend’s place would result in her arrest.

Vasquez, 18, was at a party with classmates last April and decided to spend the night there, she said. However, police arrived to the party in response to a noise complaint leading to the arrest of Vasquez and other individuals after police found cocaine at the scene.

“It was terrible, I went to bed thinking I’d wake up in that bed but instead I spent three days in jail,” Vasquez said. “I was the only person my age there, and I was terri-

fied I’d be in jail for years.”

Vasquez recounted this story during her hearing in front of 398th District Court Judge Keno Vasquez last week. She was one of seven defendants the judge presides over during their hearings in front of the Sharyland Pioneer High School Student Body as part of the Courts in School program.

The event included actual court proceedings that involved Vasquez, defendants, defense counsel, prosecutors, law enforcement, a court reporter and a probation officer.

Students from Pioneer witnessed the decisions Vasquez made firsthand to

familiarize students with the judicial process and to illustrate the consequences of illegal activity.

The defendants had charges that included driving while intoxicated and possession of marijuana, both of which are 3rd degree felonies.

Vasquez, who was facing a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance- a second degree felony punishable with two to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, had the most serious crime. She was a high school senior when she was arrested, she told the crowd.

“She looks like she could be a classmate of yours,” Keno told the students.

“Like her, you could be at the wrong place at the wrong time or driving around with someone who has drugs on them that you don’t know about, but guess what? You can still get arrested for that.

We’re all going to make mistakes. Today is about waking you up so you can learn from your own mistakes and those of these people.”

Keno, whose court handles civil and criminal matters, decided to dismiss the charges against Vasquez following recommendation from the defense counsel.

The decision caused Vasquez to erupt in tears.

Before her dismissal, Vasquez explained to Vasquez that following her arrest she was working to get her life back in order. She started working for the department store Ross and was studying business at South Texas College. Vasquez was planning on being an FBI agent but after her arrest, she admitted that she was terrified of pursuing her dream.

“I’m dismissing these charges against you, you can still do it,” Vasquez told her.

District Superintendent Maria Vidaurri praised Keno’s program, which has visited La Joya and McAllen school districts earlier this school year.

“We’ve got kids who want to be attorneys and judges and they get to see this in action,” Vidaurri said.

“We also have an opportunity for all of us to look at our life choices, especially for our students who can see in person that in life, there’s consequences to every action we take.”

Vasquez said while the Courts in School program can work as a deterrent for unlawful student behavior, he had advice to offer students.

“If you ever see any classmates who have their heads down or are noticeably depressed, talk to them,” Vasquez said. “They may be going through something difficult and need someone to talk to. Sometimes just talking to someone is what prevents a student from doing something wrong that they can’t change.”