The Valley Times – May 2, 2018

The Door Fellowship Holds Groundbreaking For New Sanctuary

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VOL. I, NO. 41

McAllen Memorial Student Council Earns National Recognition

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 2018

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Annual Women In Technology Event Promotes Limitless Career Possibilities

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Wednesday, May 2, 2018

By MARC A. THIESSEN WASHINGTON -- Emmanuel Macron and President Trump don’t agree on much.

Macron is a globalist; Trump is a nationalist. Macron is a free-trader; Trump just imposed protectionist tariffs on steel and aluminum. Macron wants the United States to remain in Syria; Trump wants to get out.

Macron wants to preserve the Iran nuclear deal; Trump wants to scrap it. Macron wants the United States to rejoin the Paris climate deal; Trump withdrew from the accord.

And yet there they were, the French and American presidents air-kissing on the White House portico, clasping hands at the podium of a joint news conference, clutching arms as they walked down the colonnade and clinked glasses at the first state dinner of the Trump presidency. “He is perfect,” Trump declared of Macron (after brushing what he said was dandruff off of the French leader’s suit). The displays of amity have left Washington and Paris agog at le bromance.

How can two men so diametrically opposed get along so well? Simple. Macron holds his ground on issues that matter to

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What Democrats Can Learn From Emmanuel Macron him, but he treats the president of the United States with respect -- and has found his respect reciprocated.

Democrats in Washington should try it.

In a toast at the state dinner, Macron explained his approach this way: “We both know that none of us easily changes our minds, but we will work together, and we have this ability to listen to one another.”

Wouldn’t it be refreshing to hear Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., or House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., say the same? At the end of his visit, Macron was asked how he could have such a warm relationship with Trump while disagreeing with him on so many issues.

“It’s the same thing in all families,” he said.

“Let’s share the disagreements ... To just say ‘I disagree and I don’t want to speak with you’ [is] ridiculous.”

Yes, it is.

After Macron delivered an address to Congress in which he warned against the dangers of “isolationism, withdrawal and nationalism,” many suggested that his speech was a “rebuke” to Trump. No, it wasn’t. Macron didn’t rebuke the president; he expressed respectful disagreement on a host of issues. Too many in Washington can no longer tell the difference.

Instead of simply applauding Macron’s words, perhaps Democrats ought to emulate Macron’s actions. Today, the Democratic Party is no longer the opposition; it is the self-proclaimed “resistance” that considers its job to stop Trump from doing or accomplishing anything. Even in areas where both parties traditionally cooperate, such as the approval of qualified nominees,

Trump’s candidates face near unified Democratic opposition. While cooperation on difficult issues such as tax cuts or Obamacare may be a bridge too far, Democrats are so blinded by their contempt for Trump that they cannot bring themselves to work with him on issues where they profess to agree, such as infrastructure or extending protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. These failures hurt the millions of ordinary people who depend on leaders in Washington to work together for the good of the country.

Macron’s visit has shown that it does not have to be this way; people can vigorously disagree and still find ways to work together. We have no way of knowing what, deep down, Macron really thinks of Trump.

Perhaps the warmth between them is genuine -- modeled, as Macron suggested in his address to Congress, on how Lafayette and Washington “forged a tight relationship fu-

eled by respect and affection.” Or perhaps Macron has chosen to behave with respect and decency for the good of France and the world, because he knows the stakes are too high to do otherwise.

Democrats might want to do the same.

Here at home, there is no shortage of critical challenges Republicans and Democrats need to address -- and the stakes are also too high to indulge feelings of contempt.

Perhaps it’s too much to expect a Trump-Schumer bromance, or Trump-Pelosi air kisses. But Macron’s visit should provide a lesson for Democrats: It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you treat the president of the United States with the respect and dignity his office deserves. To which I can only say: Vive la France!

Follow Marc A. Thiessen on Twitter, @ marcthiessen. (c) 2018, The Washington Post Writers Group

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South Texas College Opens New Facilities At Mid Valley Campus

Former student and alumna Anali Alanis looks back fondly on her experiences at South Texas College, and how the institution changed the trajectory of her life.

Addressing a packed event at the opening of new facilities at STC’s Mid Valley Campus on Thursday morning, Alanis told attendees of her life before and after college.

Born in China, Nuevo Leon in Mexico, Alanis said she came to the United States as a 12 year old. Growing up, she said she often slept on the floor, and her family home lacked many basic amenities including air conditioning, heat in the winter, and hot water.

Despite her parents’ highest level of education being sixth grade, Anali said she was able to graduate with an Associate of Arts in Business Administration and then a Bachelor’s in Applied Technology (BAT) from STC in 2015.

She then received her Master in Public Affairs at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley.

After obtaining her degree, Anali said she was able to move up in her career.

She received a promotion at work and became the first female human resources director for the City of Pharr.

She also serves as the Civil Service Director for Pharr and the president of the Human Resources Consortium in the Valley comprised of all human resources directors in neighboring cities.

“I remember studying in the portable buildings here on campus. That’s where I started,” Anali said. “This morning when I came here and I saw the new buildings, it’s just mind-blowing. It is beautiful here. I think STC is leading the way, and it is amazing to see all the great changes they are doing. I had the opportunity to take online classes and night classes here. This was my place.

This is where I would drive from home and I loved it. All the professors here were extremely friendly, and this place is dear to my heart.”

South Texas College’s Mid-Valley Campus celebrated the opening of a newly constructed Health Professions and Sciences Building, library renovations and additional building expansions with a ribbon cutting ceremony, April 26.

Guests in attendance at the ribbon

cutting included Weslaco Mayor Pro Tem Gerardo Tafolla, Weslaco City Manager Mike Perez, Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council (LRGVDC) Executive Director Ron Garza, and Weslaco EDC Executive Director Marie McDermott.

The new construction includes the Health Professions and Sciences Building that spans over 77,000 square feet.

The Mid-Valley Campus Library was also renovated and expanded. The Student Services Building was expanded to include a new enrollment center that will assist the more than 3,500 students that register for classes at the campus.

The new center is also intended to be a one-stop service center for all services related to the admissions, enrollment, and financial services process.

“Students will now have opportunities that will carry them into the future.

We can’t provide for all the life and world experiences they might encounter, but we can give them a good, solid education they can use no matter where they choose to go,” said STC President Dr. Shirley A. Reed. “If we prepare these students well, they are going to do very well out in the world. If they graduate from South Texas College, we know in the future that their children will go to college and everyone will have a better life.”

South Texas College is currently seeing its campus construction projects come to light made possible by the voter-approved $159 million bond passed in 2013. Among its five campuses, South Texas College welcomes the expansion and creation of new facilities designed to serve students for generations to come.

New facilities in Weslaco will enable the college to accommodate its growing student enrollment by providing a “little of everything”, according to campus administrators.

“I have taught at this campus for 18 years, and in the past when I first started, we were teaching in portable buildings. At that time, we had one main building, now we have several facilities that are state-of-the-art,” said Mid-Valley Campus Administrator Daniel Montez. “We always tell people that we have a little bit of everything here at the Mid-Valley campus, and it’s here that

South Texas College President Dr. Shirley Reed and STC board member Paul R. Rodriguez walk through the new Mid-Valley Campus facilities.

we can study nursing and allied health, education, and technical careers.

“We want to show off what we have here because we think it’s something

very special not just for the campus but for the whole community of South Texas,” Montez said.

Edinburg Claims Valley’s Lowest Unemployment Rate 4.7% in March 2018 and increase of 1,056 jobs compared with March 2017 figure

By DAVID A. DÍAZ For the second consecutive month, Edinburg posted the lowest unemployment rate in the Rio Grande Valley, coming in at 4.7 percent for March 2018, and also saw an increase of almost 1,100 jobs compared with the same month last year, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation announced.

Edinburg also was the only Rio Grande Valley city for March 2018 which had an unemployment rate of less than five percent. McAllen was second with a 5 percent unemployment rate.

For March 2018, there were 39,216 individuals employed in the city, compared with 38,160 persons working in March 2017 – representing an addition of 1,056 jobs, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

Also, Edinburg saw a growth of 252 jobs when comparing the monthly total for March 2018 (39,216) and February 2018 (38,964), the Texas Workforce Commission reported.

The unemployment rate for Edinburg during February 2018 was 4.9 percent.

In addition, the March 2018 unemployment rate of 4.7 percent represents the fourth time during that the city’s unemployment rate has been below five percent since 2005, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

The unemployment rate is the number of persons unemployed, expressed as a percentage of the civilian labor force, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. The civilian labor force is that portion of the population age 16 and older employed or unemployed. To be considered unemployed, a person has to be not working but willing and able to work and actively seeking work.

For the past several years, Edinburg has registered the lowest or second-lowest monthly unemployment rate among all Valley cities.

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Wednesday, May 2, 2018

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The Door Christian Fellowship Holds Groundbreaking For New Sanctuary Like the tribes of Israel wandering through the desert, The Door has spent the last 28 years holding services in seven different rented spaces before they finally found a permanent home. That promise was finally fulfilled last week when The Door Christian Fellowship of McAllen held the groundbreaking for their permanent sanctuary.

“There are so many people to thank for this. They worked so hard to fulfill this promise,” Pastor Roman Gutierrez said.

“We came together as a congregation and worked so hard to make this finally happen. With God’s grace and blessing, this dream has finally become a reality.”

Now with more than 400 members, the church started with less than 20 people in attendance. The church was planted in November 1990. The church was pioneered

by Joe and Mary Helen Moreno, who came from San Antonio. It was later taken over

by Gabriela and Lisa Alonzo.

“In 2012, me, my wife, Nora, and our daughter, Amanda, arrived here,” Gutierrez explained. “In 2012, we started the process of building a home for the congregation.”

For the last seven years, the church has been meeting at a location on Business 83 in McAllen. The church finally was able to buy land on North McColl in McAllen for the new facility. Construction on the 54,000 square foot campus will begin before the end of April and take 10 to 14 months. The church will celebrate its 28th anniversary this November.

Born in the Westside area of San Antonio, Roman Gutierrez’s father died from a heroin overdose. Roman resolved, in his anger and his pain, that someday God would take him the same way. Gutierrez started shooting heroin when he was 11 years old and became an addict. A year later he went to juvenile detention for stealing, and attempted suicide the year after that.

“I shot heroin from the age of 11 to the age of 25,” Gutierrez recounted to Faith magazine. “I died twice on record.

Once when I was 15. I punched someone through a window and I cut my arm severely with the glass. I ended up bleeding to death. I died a second time when I was 19. I was stabbed twice by a friend of mine, and they left me for dead. I ended up bleeding to death a second time. I was pronounced dead for five minutes.”

By the age of 25, he was living under a bridge in San Antonio. He had been living

Members of The Door Christian Fellowship Church celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony for their new sanctuary on North McColl Rd in McAllen.

under that bridge for 3 months. He shot up all the heroin he had so his torment would end; however, he realized he didn’t want to die. That’s when a miracle occurred.

“On June 13, 1995, I walked inside of a church service. And after many rehabs and programs and psychiatrists, I walked into one church service, and I accepted Jesus Christ in my heart as my Lord and Savior,” Gutierrez said. “I walked out of that service never again till this day, almost 23 years later, to ever touch drugs, alcohol or go back to my gang life again.”

What brought him into that church service on that fateful day?

“My mother! She’d been praying for me for two weeks. She invited me to come to church. She’d invited me for four years, but I’d always say no. That day I was just desperate. I was tired of my life. She took me to that church service in San Antonio on the East Side. And I got gloriously saved. I walked out and I didn’t need rehab or toher drgus to get me off of drugs. It was just a miraculous, power encounter with Jesus Christ,” the Pastor said.

“I started attending The Door Christian Fellowship in San Antonio. My pastor is Richard Ruby. I was discipled under him.

He’s been my pastor now for 22 years.

There’s more been more than 100 couples that have been launched out of that congregation, here and all over the world.

We are a branch from that church, so now we’ve launched 27 couples out of this congregation.”

The McAllen church pioneered churches in Bolivia and Mexico. On Easter Sunday of this year they sent a couple to Cuba.

“They were able to go in there (Cuba),” Gutierrez said. “Preaching is illegal, witnessing is illegal unless someone invites you and opens a house for you. They were able to find someone to do that, and they held their first Bible study on Friday, April 6. We’re going to see what happens from there.”

Gutierrez has pastored 18 years, having pastored in Victoria, TX. “I’ve evangelized in more than 72 coun-

tries, shared my testimony with our missionaries in La Paz, Bolivia. We pastored a church in San Marcos, TX, and we’ve been here now seven years,” he said.

The Door Christian Fellowship of McAllen also has two ministries we will future future editions of Faith magazine. These include the “Choose to Change” Foundation prison ministry and Game Changers, which ministers to veterans.

For information on Door Christian Fellowship of McAllen, visit their website at: www.thedoormcallen.com or email at info@thedoormcallen.com. Their offices and worship services are currently housed at 900 E. Bus. 83 in McAllen.

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ANNUAL ® Members of the McAllen Memorial Student Council include, top row from left: Andrew Samaniego, Daniella Ashburn, Nathan Sanchez, Selma Regalado, and Johnathan Larson. Middle row: Jayden Olson, Alejandra Cueva, Patricia Rocha (President), Katy Slusher (Vice-President), Sydney Ramon, and Andrea Tamez. Bottom row: Jocelyn Gomez, Nayeli Posadas, Elise Lizka, and Leslie Hernandez.

McAllen Memorial Student Council Earns National Recognition For its exemplary record of leadership, service, and activities that serve to improve the school and community, the McAllen Memorial Student Council has been recognized as a 2018 National Gold Council of Excellence by the National Association of Student Council (NatStuCo).

McAllen Memorial is one of 28 schools in Texas and one in 240 in the Nation receiving this award. They have also been named a National Council of Excellence for 10 years and a Gold Council of Excellence for the 5th year in a row.

“We feel very proud, we set some goals at the beginning of the year and I am extremely honored to say that we worked very hard to achieve them all,” said Patricia Rocha, Student Council President.

“Receiving a National Gold Council of Excellence Award reflects the highest dedication on the part of the school to providing a strong, well-rounded student council program,” said Ann Postlewaite, National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) student programs Director. “NatStuCo applauds

the work of the National Gold Councils of Excellence and challenges them to continue their leadership and service to their schools and communities.”

To meet the requirements for the National Council of Excellence Award, a student council must meet a variety of criteria. In addition to basic requirements such as a written constitution, regular meetings, a democratic election process, the councils have demonstrated successful sponsorship and participation in activities such as leadership development and service to the school and community. Councils awarded the gold level of the award have successfully demonstrated the highest levels of leadership.

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Wednesday, May 2, 2018

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Annual Women In Technology Event Promotes Limitless Career Possibilities The Business, Public Safety and Technology Division at South Texas College held its Women in Technology event dedicated to promoting careers non-traditionally held by females.

Hundreds of community members, along with current and prospective students attended the annual event, which included information booths, hands-on displays, equipment, demonstrations, and a fashion show highlighting today’s trends from various career fields.

“It’s important because it provides more information about the various opportunities we would never even think that exist out there for women,” said Angelita Teniente, Information Technology Instructor and Coordinator of the annual event. “In our division, we have a lot of different programs that are very non-traditional in terms of women enrollment, but there are so many possibilities for women. That’s why we made it our mission to inform them about those opportunities.”

This year’s event included guest speaker, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge LJ Gioeni, who used a background in criminal justice and degree

in biology to obtain a career in forensics. A former unit chief for the FBI’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Sciences Unit (CBRNSU), Gioeni was also among the first female agents to join the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, is a former Officer of the Year, and received the FBI Director’s Award for Scientific Achievement.

“I decided to do something very differently when I moved my family from Quantico, Virginia where I was a forensic DNA examiner for many years,” Gioeni told attendees at the event. “This is a great opportunity for you to participate in different types of investigations using your skillset, and using your science and technology degrees.”

The Business & Technology Division at STC offers a wide range of programs and degree options including Welding, Automotive and Diesel Technology, Heating, Ventilation, A/C and Refrigeration (HVAC&R).

“This event is really important because we want to expose our students to the possibilities out there,” said Sara Lozano, Assistant Professor and Program Chair for

South Texas College held its Women in Technology event on April 18.

Hundreds from the community, along with current and prospective students attended the annual event, which included information booths, hands-on displays, equipment, demonstrations, and a fashion show highlighting today’s trends from various career fields.

STC’s Architectural & Engineering Design Technology Program.

“Many times, people may have misconceptions of what a man and a woman should have a career in, and this is our opportunity to expose them to the different career paths they can take right here at

STC,” Lozano said. “They can receive their certificate or associate degree, and those will be their stepping stones to continue their education or into the workforce. It is really an opportunity to expose our students and break down these misconceptions they may have.”

VOL. I, NO. 17

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 2018

Heart Health and Smoking

When it comes to understanding the health risks of smoking, most people think first about its impact on the lungs. The truth is that smoking can hurt almost any part of your body—including your heart.

Available research proves that smoking hurts not only your heart, but also your entire cardiovascular system.

Did you know: • Smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and heart-related chest pain. CVD is the leading cause of all deaths in the United States, and 1 in 5 deaths from CVD are caused by smoking.

• Cigarette smokers are 2–4 times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than nonsmokers.

• Smoking during adolescence and young adulthood can cause early damage to the abdominal

aorta, the large artery that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart through the abdomen to major organs. Even young adults who have only been smoking for a few years can show signs of narrowing of this large artery and can develop early heart disease.

• Smoking causes immediate damage to blood vessels throughout the body.

• Any amount of smoking, even smoking a few cigarettes now and then, can damage the heart and blood vessels.

The impact isn’t limited to smokers themselves, either.

• Breathing tobacco smoke can damage the hearts and blood vessels of nonsmokers.

• Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke are 25-30% more likely to get heart disease.

• More than 30,000 nonsmoking adults in the U.S. die every year from coronary heart disease caused by secondhand smoke.

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Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Radiation Risk From Medical Imaging

There’s been a lot in the media about radiation exposure from medical imaging, and many of my patients are asking about it. They want to know if radiation from mammograms, bone density tests, computed tomography (CT) scans, and so forth will increase their risk of developing cancer. For most women, there’s very little risk from routine x-ray imaging such as mammography or dental x-rays. But many experts are concerned about an explosion in the use of higher radiation–dose tests, such as CT and nuclear imaging.

Over 80 million CT scans are performed in the United States each year, compared with just three million in 1980. There are good reasons for this trend. CT scanning and nuclear imaging have revolutionized diagnosis and treatment, almost eliminating the need for once-common exploratory surgeries and many other invasive and potentially risky procedures. The benefits of these tests, when they’re appropriate, far outweigh any radiation-associated cancer risks, and the risk from a single CT scan or nuclear imaging test is quite small.

But are we courting future public health problems?

Exposure to ionizing radiation on the rise The radiation you get from x-ray, CT, and nuclear imaging is ionizing radiation — high-energy wavelengths or particles that penetrate tissue to reveal the body’s internal organs and structures.

Ionizing radiation can damage DNA, and although your cells repair most of the damage, they sometimes do the job imperfectly, leaving small areas of “misrepair.” The result is DNA mutations that may contribute to cancer years down the road.

We’re exposed to small doses of ionizing radiation from natural sources all the time — in particular, cosmic radiation, mainly from the sun, and radon, a radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, water, and building materials.

How much of this so-called background radiation you are exposed to depends on many factors, including altitude and home ventilation. But the average is 3 millisieverts (mSv) per year. (A millisievert is a measure of radiation exposure; see “Measuring radiation.”)

Exposure to ionizing radiation from natural or background sources hasn’t changed since about 1980, but Americans’ total per capita radiation exposure has nearly doubled, and experts believe the main reason is increased use of medical imaging. The proportion of total radiation exposure that comes from medical sources has grown from 15% in the early 1980s to 50% today. CT alone accounts for 24% of all radiation exposure in the United States, according to a report issued in March 2009 by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements.

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Type 2 Diabetes: Five Warning Signs You Have High Blood Sugar TYPE 2 diabetes symptoms may include thirst, hunger and a dry mouth. The condition occurs when your body cannot absorb the sugar in your bloodstream, causing its levels to rise. These are five signs that you are suffering from high blood sugar levels.

Type 2 diabetes is caused by problems with the hormone insulin, which mean the body has difficulties absorbing sugar from its blood stream.

You are more likely to develop the condition if you are overweight, have a relative who has had type 2 diabetes or have high blood pressure, among other factors.

An inability to absorb blood sugar will lead to high levels in the blood stream, called hyperglycemia.

This is defined by the World Health Organization as a blood sugar level exceeding seven mmol/L when fasting or a level of 11.0 mmol/L two hours after a meal.

These are five warning signs that you have the high blood sugar levels, according to experts.

Regular/above-average urination

This happens because more sugar is passing into the kidneys, which filter urine from the blood, causing more water to also be moved from the blood to the kidneys, making you pee more often.

The National Health Service (NHS) says that you will observe this during the day and night, by needing to pee regularly.

Weakness or feeling tired Many sufferers of the condition will feel tired, lethargic or fatigued at times, according to experts. This will most likely follow meals, they advise.

The symptom occurs because sugar cannot get into our cells, due to problems with insulin, meaning they do not receive the energy they need.

But, tiredness may also be caused by “stress, hard work or a lack of a decent night’s sleep.”

Weight loss “Type 2 diabetes is very closely associated with weight, with over 90 per cent of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics above their ideal weight.”

The dropping weight happens because your body is not absorbing enough blood sugar, so is having to

burn its stored energy.

Increased thirst This happens as more water is pulled out of your blood stream than usual, causing you to also need to drink more.

Six to eight glasses of water should be drunk a day to “replace” normal water loss, according to the NHS. Vision blurring It can affect one eye, or both, and refers to the loss of sharpness of vision.

High blood sugar levels resulting from diabetes can affect your vision by causing the lens inside the eye to swell, which causes this blurring.

If you think you have type 2 diabetes you should see your doctor immediately. They will arrange a urine and blood test for you to check blood sugar levels, which will show whether you have the condition.

The NHS says that, “many people have type two diabetes symptoms without realizing.

“This is because symptoms don’t necessarily make you feel unwell.”

They may then recommend a lifestyle and diet change, as well as offering medication.