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Progress times Vol. 47 - #30
Friday, March 22, 2019
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“Job well done” Mission bids farewell to canine officer Cezar
By Jamie Treviño The memorial service was closed with several active K9s and their handlers walking up to Cezar’s ashes, eager to salute him for his service to the city one last time. Police officers, family, friends and canines from Mission and all over the RGV gathered at city hall on Wednesday morning to honor Cezar, a retired K9 officer who spent eight years with the Mission Police Department. This is the first time the city has organized a memorial service for a K9 officer. Cezar passed away March 5 due to ongoing health issues. He retired from service in 2017, and was subsequently adopted by his handler Officer Alexandria Leal. Cezar, a long-coat German Shepherd, was described as an aggressive dog when he came to the Mission PD and was about to be put
Progress Times photo by Jamie Treviño.
Officer Alexandria Leal (left) looks on at Cezar’s ashes during the memorial service held in honor of the K9. down. He had served with three other officers before Leal, who worked with him for six years before his re-
Underwhelmed by city attorney candidates, Mission city councilman submits application By Dave Hendricks Underwhelmed by the candidates for city attorney, Mission City Councilman Gus Martinez made an unconventional decision: He applied. “I didn’t know how it would be looked upon if I applied,” Martinez said. “But then, after a while, I realized ‘You know what, I’ll just give it a shot. If I get it, I get it. Great. If I don’t, I’m still on the council.” The application made waves in Mission, where Martinez is considered the swing vote on the City Council. If hired, he would be required to resign. Along with political considerations, the application also prompted legal and ethical questions. “We checked with legal to see if he was an eligible applicant to be interviewed,” said Mayor Armando “Doc” O’caña, referring to conversations with attorney Robert “Bob” Galligan of Weslaco-based law firm Jones, Galligan, Key & Lozano, which is temporarily representing the city. “And legal responded that yes, he was a legal applicant.” Whether or not it’s ethical for a member of the City Council to apply for a city job is another matter. “I will not comment on
tirement. “Cezar was a special dog, he was aggressive,” Lieutenant Javier Ramon, Canine
Supervisor for Mission PD, said. “Leal, when she came on to the unit, was just like Cezar - two peas in a pod.”
Ramon said Cezar and Leal were both “hard-headed” when they started training together.
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“As time and training progressed, you could see both of them make that transformation,” Ramon said. “You could see Cezar’s temperament come down a lot. It was a match made in heaven.” The memorial service included the presentation of colors, a presentation of Cezar’s ashes, an invocation and benediction by Father Roy Snipes and a final salute from K9 officers from Mission, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Department and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The Mission PD Canine Unit has been in existence since the late 1980’s. It was started, originally, in order to help with several burglaries that were taking place in a few Winter Texan parks in the city. “We had five to ten burglaries at the trailer parks every other day,” Ramon said.
See K9 CEZAR Pg. 7
Mission loses ‘giant of a man’
By Kathy Olivarez When 2016 Mr. Mission Don Reinhardt died March 7, Mission lost “a giant of a man,” according to his neighbors at Aladdin Villas. Don dedicated his life to the service of others, starting to live by that motto while a member of the Boy Scouts while growing up in Kansas. Don did nothing without doing it well and he stayed in scouting long enough to earn his Eagle Scout badge. In addition to scouting, he loved music and was a mem-
Don Reinhardt ber of the band and choir of his high school growing up. Don was also an accom-
plished gymnast. Immediately after finishing high school in 1944 he joined the Navy and served as an aerial gunner on a torpedo bomber during World War II. He was honorably discharged in 1946 after the war ended and returned home to attend Kansas State University. He earned a degree in biological science and took pre-dental requirements. He graduated from dental school in Kansas City, Missouri in 1954. He married his college sweetheart Bonna Maxfield,
and set up a dental practice in Great Bend, Kansas. He and Bonna had five children, who remember him as a loving father, who was a bit of prankster but who was dedicated to serving others. According to his daughter Cindy, he was a Scout master for 15 years and received the Silver Beaver Award, the highest honor given to a scout master. She said he regularly took the family to Philmont, a scout camp in New Mexico as a part of his
See DON REINHARDT Pg. 8
Social workers organization honors local figures Gus Martinez the ethics behind it,” O’caña said, adding that, ultimately, Martinez must answer that question. Mission solicited applications after City Attorney Abiel Flores — who earned $160,000 per year, making him the second-highest-paid city employee — resigned in December. Applicants included former Donna City Councilwoman Cathy Alvarado, who works for the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office; Guillermo “Will” Trevino, a municipal attorney from Dallas; and Daniel Jones, an attorney from Mississippi. After interviewing the candidates, Martinez decided to apply. He submitted an
See CITY ATTORNEY Pg. 10
McAllen City Commission
By Jose De Leon III An elected official, a nun and a teacher walk into a bar and end up receiving awards recognizing them for their
six individuals Wednesday. Among those recognized was Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, who earned
the distinction of public citizen of the year. Joe Flores, Precinct 3 commissioner, was recognized as elected
See SOCIAL WORKERS Pg. 7
Progress Times photo by Jose De Leon III.
The recipients of the 2018 NASW awards (from left) Joe Flores, Sister Norma Pimentel, Jack White, Bonnie Solis, Estela Soza Garza, Monica Hernandez Sanchez and chapter President Celina Garza.
INSIDE
La Joya ISD Severance The LJISD board of trustees approved a six-figure severance package for Superintendent Alda Benavides last month. Dave Hendricks has the details on the agreement, inside.
An attorney filed a complaint against McAllen City Commission candidate Tania Ramirez with the Mission PD. An investigator determined that it “held merit.” See the story for more on the complaint and what it means.
See Pg. 4
achievements in the Rio Grande Valley. As part of social work month, the local branch of the National Association of Social Workers recognized
City of McAllen
See Pg. 9
INDEX Entertainment....pg. 2 Lifestyle...................pg. 3 Sports.......................pg. 6 Obituaries..............pg. 8 Classifieds...............pg.9