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2018
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Friday, September 14, 2018 Mission author promotes health
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Your Hometown Newspaper, Bringing Communities Together.
Vol. 47 - #4 50¢ cents H 91 L77
INSIDE
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La Lomita Chapel Mission, Texas
MCISD superintendent Excessive rain and drainage issues creates hardship for Mission citizens makes plans for school year By Jamie Treviño
David Ceron, a local author, has recently penned a children’s book in hopes of educating people about healthy living and lowering the risk of diabetes. Jose De Leon III has the latest.
See Pg. 3
Food capers in the RGV
A couple of food-related crimes have recently occured in Sullivan City and McAllen. While it seems hard to believe, information about an attempted ice cream heist and tortilla stabbing are inside.
See Pg. 4
SPORTS Coyotes vs. Rattlers
GAME WEEK The game of the week is Sharyland Rattlers vs. La Joya Coyotes, two of the Valley’s most storied programs. For the first time in over ten years, the teams will meet on the field. Bryan Ramos brings the details.
See Pg. 7
WEATHER 5 DAYS FORESCAST Sept. 15 H 92 L77
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INDEX Entertainment...... pg. 2 Sports....................... pg. 6 Lifestyle................... pg. 8 Obituaries.............. pg. 9 Classifieds..............pg.10
Stagnant water left from the severe rainfall in June berry Rd. in Mission, Texas. Photo by Dee Rendon. help since rain began falling By Jamie Treviño again Sunday evening. ResFollowing the flooding idents all lived along Stewart that occurred in the city June Rd., between Business 83 20, a repeat of heavy rains and Mile 2. Leopoldo Garza spoke this week has many Mission about the flooding on Stewresidents upset and worried about what the city is doing art Rd. “I know when situations to assess drainage and prelike this happen, the city is vent future damages. During the citizens par- spread thin with employticipation of this week’s city ees, police and firefighters,” council meeting, 13 Mis- Leopoldo Garza said. “What sionites took the podium to we want to do in our neightell their stories and ask for borhood is supplement the officers or firemen or city
off of TX-495 and Mayworkers that respond to our area by helping put out the barriers.” Leopoldo Garza said the people in his neighborhood want to help the city in any way they can in order to minimize any damages in result of heavy rainfall. He added they wanted to “be part of the solution.” Several Mission residents blame the drainage issues in city infrastructure for the
See MISSION RAIN Pg. 10
State forces local prison guards to work in Karnes County by Dave Hendricks Faced with a shortage of correctional officers, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice is requiring officers from Hidalgo County to work in Karnes County — about 200 miles away. More than 20 officers concerned about the mandatory, weeklong rotations in Karnes County met with state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, and state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, on Sept. 6. They were joined by an advocate for the officers: conservative activist Arminda Garza, who’s running for justice of the peace as a Republican. “It’s actually very sad seeing that our officers, our public servants, are being treated this way,” Garza said. The controversy started when Warden Rodger Bowers, who supervises the Manuel A. Segovia Unit and Reynoldo V. Lopez State Jail in Hidalgo County, asked for volunteers to work at the John B. Connally Unit in Karnes County. Employing enough officers to properly staff the Connally Unit, which is located near the city of Kenedy, is a persistent problem for the department. “They can’t recruit people fast enough,” Hinojosa
THE BIG 7
said, adding that oilfield jobs come with better pay and working conditions. “Rather than work at a jail that’s not air-conditioned.” About 32 percent of the officer positions at the Connally Unit remain vacant. To support the Connally Unit, the department asked for volunteers. Officers from Beeville, Hondo and San Diego rotated through, but the Connally Unit remained understaffed. The warden made rotations at the Connally Unit mandatory. According to the officers, mandatory rotations started on Sept. 7 and immediately sparked complaints. Officers who met with the state senators said they were concerned about coworkers who couldn’t spend a week away from home. “One female officer who has breast cancer (was not present at the meeting) expressed her concerns about not being able to make it to her chemo treatments,” according to a memo prepared by Roxanne De La Garza, the legislative director for Hinojosa. “And she was told that it wasn’t their problem. According to the officers, management also dismissed concerns about a father who couldn’t leave his daughters
See PRISON GUARDS Pg. 5
Although she did not attend any schools in the Mission CISD, Dr. Carolina Perez says that the root of her educational upbringing at home came from the school district she has recently been named superintendent of. Dr. Perez said her parents instilled a love and importance of education in her and her four sisters from a very young age. She recalled that her father, who attended the Mission Consolidated Independent School District, would teach the songs and nursery rhymes one of his teachers taught him to his children. “Part of the curriculum at the time was that the teacher had a piano,” Perez said. “That’s how she would teach them, so we grew up learning all of those songs that my dad taught us.” She said that because her father had such fond memories of his education growing up, he passed it on to them. Perez lived in La Joya, but spent a lot of time in Mission because it was the place to shop when she was
MCISD Superintendent Dr. Carolina G. Perez (Photo courtesy of MCISD)
growing up. Her first job was at a grocery store in the city. Making the move to Mission, according to Perez, is like she is coming home. “I have a lot of friends, a lot of family and colleagues here in Mission,” Perez said. “It’s about coming home and making a contribution to the community that has, I feel, really helped in my and my sisters formative years.” Perez officially began as MCISD Superintendent on July 30 this year. Soon after her employment, the district
See SUPERINTENDENT Pg. 5
The La Joya City Council and City Administration during Tuesday’s city council meeting. Progress Times photo by Jose De Leon III.
La Joya City Council prohibits recording at meeting By Jose De Leon III The La Joya City Council held their first official meeting at their new city hall, and may have violated the Texas Open Meetings Act. At the beginning of Tuesday’s city council meeting, Mayor Jose A. “Fito” Salinas addressed the public in attendance by prohibiting them from recording or taking photos of the meeting. “This is the first official meeting at this new city hall so at this point in time, if anyone would like to keep something of history for your record, I will grant you these two minutes to take
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pictures,” Salinas told the crowd. “After that, I don’t want any pictures taken here.” Salinas then motioned to the five police officers at the meeting, including city Police Chief Adolfo Arriaga, and said that anyone caught taking photos or recording the meeting would be escorted from the building. However, according to the Texas Open Meetings Act, any member of the public in attendance of an open meeting may record the meeting “by means of a recorder, video camera, or other means of aural or visual reproduction.” A governmental body “may not prevent or unrea-
sonably impair a person from exercising [this] right.” According to a spokesperson with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, a governmental body found in violation of this act can have any action that took place during their meeting voided. Ultimately, it is up to the district courts to determine if a violation was made. Actions the city took during the meeting included approving the hiring of two new police officers-Noralee Camacho and Michael Garza-and three budget amendments to the city’s general
See LA JOYA COUNCIL Pg. 9