INDEX
GAME OF THE WEEK
MISSION NEWS UPDATE
The Sharyland High School Rattlers will be facing off against the Roma High School Gladiators in the game of the week! See our sports section for the latest in Big 7 sports and more.
The city of Mission held a workshop this week discussing a proposed bond election in 2020, which would be for $84 million worth of projects. Jamie Treviño has the details, inside.
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Entertainment....pg. 2 Lifestyle...................pg. 3 Sports.......................pg. 6 Death Notices......pg. 9 Classifieds...........pg. 11
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Progress times www.ptrgv.com
Vol. 48 - #7
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Friday, October 4, 2019
• SOUTH TEXAS
• PALMVIEW
• McALLEN
Texas, Tamaulipas officials announce new targets for ‘Se Busca’ program
Making a splash
Palmview finance director abruptly resigns By Dave Hendricks
in RGV rehabilitation
By Dave Hendricks The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the governor of Tamaulipas announced 10 new targets on Tuesday for the Se Busca Informacion program. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Tamaulipas Gov. Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca joined law enforcement officers at the Hidalgo-Reynosa bridge Tuesday morning to make the announcement. “The message that we’re sending right now is that the criminals are not going to be able to hide, even though they cross the border,” Cabeza de Vaca said. DHS Joint Task Force-West Director Manuel Padilla Jr. created the Se Busca Informacion program in 2016, when he served as chief patrol agent for the U.S. Border Patrol Rio Grande Valley Sector. The program started with photos of local smugglers, which Border Patrol displayed on billboards throughout South Texas. Border Patrol slowly expanded the program to individual stations and other sectors. It also partnered with Tamaulipas, creating a cross-border version of the program that targeted drug kingpins and other criminals. “We had a situation where the public in Reynosa was not comfortable with calling the local authorities. There was some distrust there,” Padilla said. “So we said: ‘Hey, how can we get that information and provide that information to the right authorities to go after these criminals that are impacting both sides of the border?’” The program accepts tips through a hotline and a WhatsApp number. Border Patrol analyzes the tips and provides the information to law enforcement. Agents received 310 calls and text messages through the program, which resulted in seven arrests last year, said Austin Skero, deputy chief patrol agent for the Rio Grande Valley Sector.
See SE BUSCA Pg. 9
Progress Times photo by Dave Hendricks.
Officials unveiled the new Se Busca Informacion billboard Tuesday at the Hidalgo-Reynosa bridge.
Photo courtesy of DHR Health.
The staff at the DHR Health Aquatic Therapy Institute at the facility’s grand opening last Thurs. Sept. 26, 2019.
DHR unveils new Aquatic Therapy Institute By Jamie Treviño DHR Health is aiming to expand the range of people who can benefit from physical therapy. Last Thursday, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance held an official opening of their new Aquatic Therapy Institute, located at 2001 S. Cynthia St. in McAllen. According to the institute's director, Dr. Amir Esmaeili, the community will be “witness to a new wave of rehabilitation in the Rio Grande Valley.” DHR Health noted that the advantage of rehabilitation in water will meet the needs of clients suffering from musculoskeletal disorders, and aquatic therapy “utilizes the warmth, buoyancy and resistive properties of water to manage pain, reduce stiffness, increase joint mobility and optimize strength.” Chief Physician Executive Dr. Robert Martinez, who was recently reappointed to the Texas Medical Board by Governor Greg Abbott, spoke on the benefits of aquatic physical therapy. The hospital had begun to notice a higher number of younger people in the Valley with issues like back pain, knee pain, degenerative joint disease and obesity. “All of those things kind of contributed to finding a solution that better worked for the population here in South Texas,” Martinez said. “It’s just providing a better alternative to those folks.” Martinez said that incorporating aquatic therapy into DHR Health will allow for a broader scope of people to access physical therapy and rehabilitation without hurting
themselves in the process. “It allows your weight to not be a barrier to getting good, appropriate physical therapy,” Martinez said. “It allows you more rigorous exercise - in the same amount of time - that you would get on land, with less pain.” Land-based physical therapy operates under the force of gravity, which means a person has to bear the weight of their body while rehabilitating. Aquatic-based physical therapy means a person in the water is lighter, and joints are less affected. “You’re able to manage a lot more resistance in the water, with less weight bearing,” Martinez said. “So patients that are in chronic pain don’t have that chronic pain [during aquatic physical therapy] because they’re not having to bear their weight that they usually are on land.”
See GRAND OPENING Pg. 10
Photo courtesy of DHR Health.
Dr. Robert Martinez and Dr. Ted E. Bear
• LA JOYA
La Joya Housing Authority opens food pantry By Jose De Leon III With one in every other child going to bed hungry in rural areas, the La Joya Housing Authority is partnering up with the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley to address this need. On Wednesday, the La Joya Housing Authority held a ribbon cutting ceremony to open the doors to its food pantry; the first for the housing authority and the largest for the city. “We’re cutting a ribbon for the families and the nutrition and the opportunities people don’t have,” housing authority Executive Director Ruben Villarreal said. “When you feed families, you feed their soul. This is a sample
See FOOD PANTRY Pg. 4
Progress Times photo by Jose De Leon III.
Members of the La Joya Housing Authority and the city of La Joya at the red ribbon cutting ceremony for the La Joya Housing Authority Food Pantry Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019.
Palmview Finance Director Rachel Chapa abruptly resigned last month. The City Council accepted her resignation Monday, when the meeting agenda included “Discussion and Possible Action in regard to the Finance Director position.” Basic details about her resignation — including the date and reason — remain unclear. “She was a good person,” said Mayor Rick Villarreal. “She always tried to do what was good and in the best interest of the city. At least as far as I could see.” Asked why she resigned, Chapa declined to comment. The Progress Times submitted a public information request for Chapa’s resignation letter and other personnel records on Sept. 25. Texas law requires Palmview to release the documents “as soon as possible under the circumstances” but allows the city a maximum of 10 business days to respond. By Wednesday, the Progress Times print deadline, the city hadn’t released any records. Chapa accepted the job after the November 2016 election, when Joel Garcia, Linda Sarabia and Javier Ramirez joined the City Council. They asked Chapa and then-Interim City Manager Leo Olivares to investigate the prior administration. “When I came onboard, it was a whirlwind of things that needed to be done,” Chapa said during an April 2018 interview. Chapa determined the police department improperly spent federal asset forfeiture money. Palmview self-reported the problem, which prompted the U.S. Department of Justice to suspend the city from the program.
See DIRECTOR RESIGNS Pg. 9
• MISSION
Mission non-profit hosting pet fair By Jose De Leon III Pet lovers across the Valley are invited to a local event to celebrate their furry best friends. Tomorrow, the Mission Pawsible program will host their first ever Barktober Community Pet Fair, an event to bring the community and their pets together. “It’s so we can all have a little fun and educate the public about the importance of spaying and neutering their pets to help control the local population,” Mission Pawsible board member Homer Garza said. The event, being held Saturday, October 5 at the Leo Peña Placita Park from 6 p.m. through 10 p.m., will have vendors selling pet related products, local food vendors, live music and rides for people. Pets meanwhile can enjoy the luxuries from a grooming station, vaccine clinic and a pet parade. Animals from the city of Mission’s Animal Shelter will also be available for adoption, Garza added. “We’ve seen how the city has a lot of events, but nothing catered to pets so the Mission Pawsible board thought this would be a great way to be innovative and educate the community,” Garza said. The pet fair will include a screening of the movie “Susie’s Hope,” based on the true story of Donna Smith Lawrence, a North Carolina woman who adopts an abused pit bull after being attacked by one. Lawrence’s story led to the creation of “Susie’s Law,” a North Carolina law that punishes animal abusers with jail time. Lawrence recorded a video message for residents of the city of Mission that will be played prior to the movie, Gaza said. The Mission Pawsible program was created two years ago to help stray dogs and cats in the Mission and Alton areas find a
See PET FAIR Pg. 9
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