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Friday, November 16, 2018
INSIDE
City of Palmview Updates
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Vol. 47 - #13 H 76 L56
Your Hometown Newspaper, Bringing Communities Together.
LJISD honors veterans with choir of children from all 23 elementary schools By Jamie Treviño
Dave Hendricks has details about a Palmview K-9 who escaped and killed another dog, as well as updates on the ongoing trial where a former police dispatcher from the city is accused of murder.
See Pg. 5A
City of Mission Updates
After only rehearsing all together for one day, a choir comprised of students from all elementary schools in the La Joya school district put on a celebratory performance in honor of veterans across the United States. The La Joya Independent School District held a special Veterans Day event at the Alejandro “Alex” H. Saenz Performing Arts Center this Monday. The public was invited to attend, filling the auditorium with supportive parents, grandparents and
See LJISD VETERANS DAY Pg. 8A
LJISD swears in new board members
By Jamie Treviño
La Joya ISD has three new board members who
Mission has undergone some recent changes, including the city approving raises for the fire department and the Greater Mission Chamber of Commerce naming their new President and CEO, Brenda Enriquez. Jamie Treviño has the latest, inside.
See Pg. 10A
Children from all 23 LJISD elementary schools sing “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless the U.S.A.” at a Veterans Day event held at Alejandro “Alex” H. Saenz Performing Arts Center on Monday. Progress Times photo by Jamie Treviño.
hope to make a positive impact on the district, teachers, students and staff. During this week’s board
of trustees meeting, Nereyda Cantu (Place 1), Esperanza “Espie” Ochoa (Place 2) and Mary Hernandez (Place
(from left) Board President Armin Garza, Secretary Alex Cantu, board member Espie Ochoa, board member Nereyda Cantu, Vice President Claudia Ochoa, board member Mary Hernandez and board member Oscar Salinas of the LJISD Board of Trustees. Photo courtesy of LJISD.
3) were sworn in after being elected to serve the community. After waiting for the official vote count from Hidalgo County, family, friends and coworkers were present for the ceremony celebrating the three women. The votes were canvassed before the swearing-in officially began. Board President Armin Garza read the count. For Place 1, Cantu ran unopposed, winning 9,600 votes. She thanked God, her family, coworkers and edu-
See LJISD SCHOOL BOARD Pg. 8A
SPORTS
Football Playoffs
With football playoffs kicking off this week, we have an entire section dedicated to sports this week. Bryan Ramos describes how both Sharyland teams are preparing for the bi-district games this weekend.
See Pg. 1B
INDEX Entertainment...pg. 2A Lifestyle................pg. 3A Sports.................... pg. 1B Obituaries........pg. 11A Classifieds..........pg.12A
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Sheriff’s Office raids game room in La Joya, arrests 3 people The city’s second ambulance.
Progress Times photo
by Jose De Leon III.
Peñitas launches second EMS ambulance Deputies raided a game room near the intersection of Second Street and Leo Avenue in La Joya on Nov. 8, 2018. Photo by Dave Hendricks. The family of Alex D. Gonzalez at the unveiling of a street dedication for the fallen veteran Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. Courtesy Photo.
Honoring a local hero By Jose De Leon III Even though he has been gone for a decade, U.S. Army Specialist Alex Daniel Gonzalez has not been forgotten by the city. On Friday, Nov. 9, the city of Mission held a street dedication ceremony for Gonzalez where they renamed the street he grew up on after him. “He used to play here, on this street. You can get a good view of the street from the house,” Gonzalez’s father, Alfredo, said at the ceremony. “Alex is watching us from above, watching this unfold...this is now sacred ground for the family.” In honor of Gonzalez, his family and officials with the city of Mission gathered outside Gonzalez’s childhood home-located on the 2200 block of Barbara Street-to witness the unveiling of the new street sign. The sign reads “SPC. Alex D. Gonzalez” and can be seen from his family’s house, serving as a reminder of how the city has honored Gonzalez. Gonzalez was 21 when he was killed in Mosul, Iraq, on May 2008 from wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered small arms fire and a rocket-propelled gre-
nade attack. Gonzalez was a 2005 Mission High School graduate and played football and baseball for the school. Determined to join in his father’s footsteps, he joined the U.S. Army right after graduating from high school and planned to be a police officer after completing his four years of service in the army. “He told me he wanted to be just like me, or even better,” his father said. “He just wanted to wear the uniform, join the Army, ever since he was small. That’s what he was.” Gonzalez was assigned to Fort Hood in the 43rd Combat Engineer Company, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. He frequently volunteered for dangerous missions, saying that if he did not, one of his fellows would have to. He was laid to rest in the Rio Grande Valley State Veterans Cemetery in Mission. Shortly after his death, Gonzalez became an honorary police officer, his family said. “Today is a great moment in Mission,” city Mayor Armando O'caña said at the ceremony. “We are honoring an individual that did the
See LOCAL HERO Pg. 4 A
By Dave Hendricks The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office raided a game room last week in La Joya. At about 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 8, investigators executed a search warrant at 100 Second Street in La Joya — a commercial plaza near the intersection with Leo Avenue. With support from the Hidalgo County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Texas Comptroller’s Office, investigators shut down the business, seized slot machines and confiscated cash. Deputies arrested Javier Ortiz Puga, 54, of Mission, who worked the door; Omar Aguilar, 36, of Rio Grande City, who provided food and beverages; and Iris Luera Aguirre, 36, of Garciasville, who handled the patrons.
“Omar was read his rights and implicated himself and his wife Iris Aguirre as the employees who worked at the illegal eight liner operation,” according to the criminal complaint against him. Deputies also temporarily
See GAME ROOM RAID Pg.10A
Iris Luera Aguirre (Courtesy of the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office)
Javier Ortiz Puga
Omar Aguilar
(Courtesy of the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office)
(Courtesy of the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office)
By Jose De Leon III In response to a need to improve their response time to residents on the city’s south side, the city of Peñitas announced they now have a second 24-hour EMS ambulance. Housed in the city’s volunteer fire station, the vehicle is a sign of growth in the city’s relationship with Hidalgo County EMS, the Pharr-based company that provides services to the city. “It’s a big plus for the community,” Peñitas Fire Chief Leroy Salinas said. “It definitely helps us when it comes to serving our people in the area and in the neighboring cities, especially with the holidays coming up, a time of year when there’s always something going on.” The decision to have a second EMS ambulance came as the city began their reconstruction project on Tom Gill Road, one of the city’s busiest streets according to Salinas. The project, which began last month, calls for drainage improvements and repaving the street and is scheduled to last 60 days, officials said. The project raised some concern as the city’s ambulance is housed in the fire substation located on 3 Mile and Tom Gill Road, Salinas said. “We worried that with all the construction, the ambulance would not be able to reach people on the city’s south side in time due to traffic from the construction and other hassles,” Salinas said. “It’s why we decided that a second ambulance would be necessary.” The new ambulance, which comes at no cost to the city, is being housed in the
substation located on Main Street across from city hall. According to Salinas, all the city has to do for the ambulance is provide housing for the Emergency Medical Technicians. This brings the total of EMTs in the city to eight, joining the 24 volunteer firefighters and the four part-time and full time firefighters in the city. The second EMS vehicle is among the many changes implemented in the city under Salinas, who resigned as La Joya’s fire chief last September to accept the position in Peñitas. Under Salinas, the city’s firefighters and EMTs have communicated with city dispatchers through the Active 911 app. With the app, first responders can communicate with dispatchers through their phone and even receive a map with clear directions to any scene they must respond to. Salinas said he received the idea to use the free Active 911 app from the city of Pharr, which began providing dispatch services to Peñitas last month. Salinas also said he is working to meet with the EMTs and other officials to host town halls for the public to receive CPR and other basic first aid training. “It’s not to get them certified, but it’s for the community to be prepared for emergencies,” Salinas explained. “That way whenever there’s an emergency and it involves someone either bleeding or choking, they can get started on treating the person as they wait for us to arrive. Ultimately it’s relationships like this that will help us all down the road.”