What didJimmyCarterdofor Latinos? Is there

BY CARLOS NOGUERAS Aldianews.com

Theworld stood still brieflyonSaturday, Feb. 18, when the Carter Center,founded by former U.S. President JimmyCarter and his wife, Rosalynn,announced thatthe 39th president “decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospicecare instead of additional medical intervention.”

“Hehas the full support of his family and his medical team. TheCarter family asks for privacyduringthis time and is grateful for the concern shown by his manyadmirers,” the statement read in closing.

Ex-presidentCarter,a Democrat,served for one term before amiserable defeatby Republican PresidentRonald Reagan,but in his shortstint, he managed to advance Latino contributions in government narrowly

Carter isn’t remembered well. He entered his firstand lastterm for American voters who grewdistrustful of government and viewed Carter —virtually unknown at the time —asasafe choice.

Though not outwardly,Carter helped further Latino presence in at leasttwo branches of government by supporting the legislative agenda thatwas beginning to emergeinthe post-Nixon years.

Latinos in government

Thefirst, and at the behestofanewly-created Congressional Hispanic Caucus in 1976, the former president tasked his administration to appoint more Latinos to government positions in agreement with members of the Caucus, according to historical archives.

Carter,atthe tail-end of his term, established the Office of Hispanic Affairs “to increase Hispanic representation in the federal government and its programs; provide information about the government to Hispanics,” read records at the JimmyCarter Library,

In doing so, he appointed the late Esteban Torres as Special Assistant to the President for Hispanic Affairs,becoming the highest-ranking Mexican-American within the administration before winning aU.S. House of Representatives race in 1982.

Under Torres, several Latinos served in high-profile roles —including GilbertColón, an armyveteran who supervised the Social Services Department of Puerto Rico in New York City; Raúl RobertTapia, alawyer who clerked for the Supreme CourtofAlaska; MiriamCruz, agovernment staffer under Richard Daley; Hilda Solis, the firstLatina elected to the CaliforniaState Senate —all of whom worked as DeputyAssistant to the President forHispanic Affairs.

Carter,under the guidanceofthe Congressional Hispanic Caucus, proposeda separateDepartmentofEducation to oversee a 1974Supreme Courtdecision thatrequired special assistance be given to students whose English was limited or nonexistent.

At the time, Congress debated amendmentsfor bilingual programs while the Department of Educationdesigned programs to enable non-Englishspeaking students further to become proficient via a $135 million fund for 565 school districts across the country.

These debates setmuch of the tone for discussions around the 1984 BilingualEducationAct and its provisions, including challenges in court,and raised questions about government overreach in schools.

Judicial appointees

Although President JoeBiden has seta major record in the number of diverse appointmentstothe judiciarybench, Carter laid the groundwork to embed Latinos in the nation’s courts.

In 1979, the Honorable ReynaldoGuerra Garzawas tapped to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals, making him the firstLatino man to serve on the federal judiciarysome years after being the firstMexican-Americanto serve in adistrictcourt.

This, after Hon. Garza turned down Carter’s offer to serveinthe AttorneyGeneral’s office,which wouldhaveestablished the first Hispanic to helm one of the most potent legal offices, pending Senate confirmation.

Following the rhythm of his predecessors, Carter also proclaimed Hispanic Heritage Week before it was expanded to amonthlong period of observance by ex-President Ronald Reagan.

REUTERS

Archaeologists have revealed agroupof structures discoveredatthe famedMayan Chichen Itza archaeological site in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula,believed to have been part of ahousing complexinhabited by the eliteof the sacred cityfounded in the 5thCentury AD

ArchaeologistFrancisco Perez Ruiz said there were no known residential groupsin Chichen Itza, meaning the housingcomplex would represent “the firstresidential group where arulerlived with his entire family.”

Thearea,known as Chichen Viejo,isexpected to be integrated in the near future into thevisitor area of the Chichen Itza archaeological site, aUNESCO World HeritageSite.

Thenewly discovered complexincludes the entrance arch, the House of the Snails, the Houseofthe Moon, and the so-called Palace of the Phalluses.

Researchers from the National Institute of Anthropologyand History(INAH) hope that this areaand those yettobeuncovered can provide informationonwhatlife was likefor the people whoinhabited thecity.

“There mustbemore residential groups thathavenot been explored yet. Thestudy of these peripheral groups,around the central part, could tell us about other families, other groups thatmade up this greatcity,”said archaeologistJose Osorio Leon.

Thearea has been underexploration since 1998. In 2018, asecond pyramid was discoveredhidden deep within the famous Kukulkan pyramid.

Around 2million people visit Chichen Itza siteinsoutheastMexico each year,according to officialdata.

It was founded as aMayan pilgrimage center by the Itza, or “water sorcerers. ”

Aviso Alos Licitantes

El Distrito de Parques de Waukegan,CondadodeLake,Illinois (“Propietario” o“Distrito de Parques”), lesinvita ahacer su oferta paraelsiguiente Proyecto:

1. RENOVACIÓNDEL PARQUE BEVIER 2023

Losdocumentosdelicitación, incluidaslas instrucciones para los licitadores,los dibujos, las especificaciones técnicas, las condiciones generalesyespeciales ylos formulariosdelicitación, incluidas las certificaciones requeridas del contratista,ladeterminación de salario vigente yel aviso de reemplazo,están disponibles electrónicamente en https://www.waukeganparks org/business/ ocomunicándose conelDepartamentodeParquesdel DistritodeParques de Waukeganal847-360-4725 opor correo electrónicoalsalinas@waukeganparks.org. Se llevaráacabouna reunión previa alalicitaciónenel 2255 Yorkhouse Road, Waukegan, Illinois, alas 10:00 a.m.elMartes28deFebrerode2023. Esta reunión se utilizará para revisarlas Especificacionesybrindar alos Licitantes la oportunidad para discutir cualquier inquietud conelpropietario.Serecomienda encarecidamentelaasistencia a esta reunion de todas las personas que deseen presenter una oferta para este Proyecto. Cadaoferta debe ser colocadaenunsobresellado ysemarcará claramente “Waukegan Park District, “2023BEVIER PARK RENOVATION”. El sobre deberáser enviado yrecibido por el DistritodeParquesenlasiguiente ubicación: WaukeganParkDistrictParks

Maintenance Facility, 2211 Ernie Krueger Circle,Waukegan, Illinois 60087. No se imputará responsabilidadaninguna personapor la apertura prematura de una oferta no identificadacorrectamente.

Lasofertas se recibirán hasta las10:00 AM del MARTES 7DEMARZODE2023. Inmediatamentedespués, las ofertas se abriránpúblicamente yseleerán en vozalta. Las ofertas recibidas después de esa hora oenuna ubicación diferente serán rechazadas El DistritodeParques de Waukegansereservaelderecho de renunciar atecnicismos, aceptar orechazarcualquiera otodaslas ofertas, aceptarsolo partesdeuna ofertayrechazar el resto El Propietario adjudicará el Contrato al Licitante másresponsable,receptivo,y conelprecio de contratomás bajo, según lo determineelPropietario.Alconsiderarlaresponsabilidaddel Licitante,elPropietariopuedeevaluar,entre otros factores,lacapacidad del Licitante para proporcionarmano de obra experimentada en cantidad suficientepara completar oportunay adecuadamente los servicios, la capacidad financieradel Licitanteyeldesempeño del Licitante en otros proyectos.

Las ofertasnoincluiránelimpuesto federalalconsumooelimpuesto estatal sobre las ventas para losmateriales que se incorporarán oconsumirán totalmenteenlatramitación de la Obra El Distrito de Parques proporcionará un certificado de exencióndeimpuestos asolicituddel Licitante.Elnúmero de exención de impuestosdel Distrito solo seráutilizado por el Licitante seleccionadopara el Trabajodeeste Proyecto.

No se podrá retirar ningunaoferta ytodaslas ofertas permanecerán firmes durantesesenta (60) días después de la apertura de la oferta.

El trabajo de este proyecto está sujetoalaLey de salario prevaleciente de Illinois, 820ILCS 130 /0.01 et seq.ElDistritodeParques ha hecho una determinacióndesalario prevaleciente, que es la misma que determina el DepartamentodeTrabajodeIllinois para proyectos de obraspúblicas en el Condado de Lake. El Contrato celebrado paraelTrabajo se redactará de conformidad con dichaley ylas propuestas deben prepararse en consecuencia yestipular el pago de todoslos trabajadores,obreros ymecánicosnecesarios para realizar el Trabajo auna tasa de salario que no seamenor alavigente (o la tarifa vigenteparaferiadoslegales yhoras extraordinarias) paracada oficio,tipodetrabajador omecánico

Los contratistasseleccionadostambiéndeberán cumplir con todas lasleyes,reglas, regulaciones yórdenes ejecutivas federales,estatales ylocalesaplicables,incluidas, entre otras, lasrelativas alaigualdad de oportunidades de empleo. La ley estatalexigeunproceso de licitación abiertoycompetitivo yrequiere que los contratos adquiridos públicamentese adjudiquen al postor responsable, receptivo ycon el precio de contrato más bajo. Además, no debe haber preferencia demostrada en funcióndelaubicación, la raza yelgénero del postor.Por lo tanto,elDistrito de Parques no puede darpreferencia aproyectosdelicitación competitiva, pero alienta la presentación de licitadores locales, mujeres yminorías

Todas lasofertas debeniracompañadas de un cheque de banco ouna garantía provisional de licitaciónpagaderos alaorden del Distrito de ParquesdeWaukeganpor el diez por ciento (10%) del monto de la oferta según lo dispuesto en lasInstruccionesparalos Licitantes. No se considerarán propuestas ni licitacionesamenosque esténacompañadas de dicha garantía provisionaldelicitación ocheque.

PorordendelaJunta de Comisionados de Parques del Distrito de Parques de Waukegan

Jay Lerner,Director Ejecutivo

Distrito de Parques de Waukegan (847) 360-4725

FECHA DE PUBLICACIÓN: 24 DE FEBRERO DE 2023