Veterans Middle School 3rd Place and General Ricardo Sanchez Elementary 2nd Place at the Odyssey of the Mind State Competition
Congratulations
and the board of trustees, we
express our sincere gratitude to the coaches, students and their parents for their continued commitment and dedication to placing the district on the map once again. The district is extremely proud of their accomplishments. This is only the beginning! RGCGISD continuing to make history and offering experiences of a lifetime!! Good
Mighty Gladiator Tennis Team Members Won Big at the Roma Invitational Tournament
Mariachi Juvenil De America 3rd Place at the 2024 Festiba Mariachi Group Competition
crisis are prevalent health concerns that affect America’s parents and caregivers. Preventing underage alcohol and substance use is critical for the following reasons:
(1) Approximately 88,000
Americans die from alcoholattributed causes each year, making alcohol the third leading preventable cause of death in the United States.
(2) An estimated 2.1 million people ages 12 or older had an opioid use disorder, and nearly
30% of those who use marijuana may have some degree of marijuana use disorder. Parents have a considerable influence in their children’s decision to experiment with alcohol and other drugs. Although it may not seem like it, when parents talk about underage drinking and substance use, their children do hear them. Having honest, frequent, and organic conversations with children allows parents and caregivers to set clear rules about what is expected from them when it
Volunteers of all ages rolled up their sleeves and joined forces to clean up downtown Rio Grande City. Armed with gloves, trash bags, and determination, participants scoured streets, sidewalks, and public spaces, collecting litter and debris to restore the city’s urban landscape to its pristine condition.
“The Spring Trash Bash is a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and make a tangible difference in the cleanliness and appeal of our downtown area,” stated
Rio Grande City Main Street Program Coordinator Yandery
De La Cruz. “We are grateful for the dedication and enthusiasm of our volunteers who demonstrate their commitment to our city’s vitality.”
The event, organized by Rio Grande City Main Street, garnered significant support from local businesses, organizations, and residents who recognize the importance of maintaining a clean and vibrant downtown environment. By investing time and effort in the cleanup initiative, participants demonstrated their collective pride in Rio Grande
City and their commitment to preserving its aesthetic appeal.
The success of the Rio Grande City Main Street Spring Trash Bash underscores the power of community collaboration and the impact that collective action can have on enhancing quality of life and fostering civic pride.
As participants returned home with a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie, the streets of downtown Rio Grande City shone brightly, reflecting the spirit of unity and cooperation that defines the community.
World Down Syndrome Day at Grulla Elementary
ICYMI: Rep. Cuellar Stops New Money for Border Wall in Government Funding Bill
In case you missed it, U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. (TX-28), Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, voted on Friday to pass the remaining six government funding bills to keep the government open.
In this bipartisan package, supported by the National Border Patrol Council, Ranking Member Cuellar successfully fought to
prohibit new funding for border wall construction in FY24. “A border wall is a fourteenthcentury solution to a twentyfirst-century problem that does nothing to stop people from crossing the border,” said Ranking Member Cuellar. “In my first year as the top Democrat overseeing the Department of Homeland Security’s budget, I am proud to have successfully fought against wasteful border
wall construction. In South Texas, we know border walls do not work. Instead, we are making meaningful investments back into our hardworking DHS workforce, including frontline Border Patrol Agents and CBP Officers. I will continue to support smart border security solutions that will strengthen our federal border law enforcement while cracking down on fentanyl trafficking.”
Congressman Henry Cuellar hosting Neighborhood Office Hours
The Starr County Office of U.S House of Representative Congressman Henry Cuellar will be hosting Neighborhood Office Hours at the Rio Grande City Public Library on the first Tuesday of every month from 1pm to 2pm. For more information, you can contact the Starr County Office at (956) 487-5603.
This is a great opportunity for his staff to meet with constituents and offer assistance to federal agencies. Feel free to stop by the library on the first Tuesday of every month. While you are here allow library staff to update you on Library events and programs.
See below the following dates, times, and locations where you can meet with a member of Congressman Henry Cuellar Office.
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2024
9:30 A.M. - 10:30 A.M.
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 6 Office, 6165 F.M. 1430, RGC 10:45 A.M. - 11:45 A.M.
La Grulla City Hall, 194 F.M. 2360, La Grulla
1:00 P.M. - 2:00 P.M.
Rio Grande City Public Library
591 E. 3rd Street, RGC
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2024
9:30 A.M. - 10:30 A.M.
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 5 Office, 8938 N. F.M. 755,
Santa Elena, TX
THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2024
9:45 A.M. - 10:45 A.M.
Roma Public Library
1705 N. Athens Street, Roma
11:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
Escobares Community Center
4829 Old Highway 83, Escobares
1:00 P.M. - 2:00 P.M.
La Rosita Public Library
4192 U.S. Highway 83, La Rosita
If you need assistance with a federal agency or would like to share your thoughts with my staff, please stop by! My office is here to serve you. For more information, please contact my Rio Grande City district office at (956) 487-5603.
Governor Abbott Proclaims April 2024
As Sexual Assault Awareness Month
On April 1, 2024, Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation recognizing April 2024 as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month in Texas. This month is a time for all Texans to help raise awareness of sexual assault, collaborate on efforts to prevent sexual violence, and recognize the courage of survivors across the state.
“This month and every month, Texas stands with survivors of sexual assault and will work to bring justice and support for victims of this heinous crime,” said Governor Abbott. “Survivors who share their experiences deserve our gratitude, as do law enforcement officials, the judicial system, and advocacy organizations such as the Governor’s Sexual Assault Survivors’ Task Force—all of which work to protect the lives and dignity of their fellow Texans. I encourage all Texans this month
to join us in our ongoing fight to prevent sexual assault in our state. By continuing to advocate for survivors and increase public awareness about sexual assault, we are fostering a society in which these atrocities have no place to build a better Texas for all.”
“We commend the bravery and resilience of survivors, whose strength shines through every day, and applaud the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Task Force for their unwavering commitment to centering survivor voices,” said Texas Association Against Sexual Assault CEO Rose Luna. “As we mark Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, we shine a spotlight on the impactful initiatives underway across our state to confront sexual violence and provide support to survivors of assault.”
The Governor’s Sexual Assault Survivors’ Task Force (SASTF)
was established in 2019 to ensure a survivor-centered, traumainformed, collaborative, and coordinated response to sexual violence experienced by adults and children across Texas. The SASTF brings together various professionals and survivors who are singularly focused on delivering critical system improvements on behalf of all Texas sexual assault survivors.
Texans are encouraged to honor survivors as the State of Texas continues its mission to encourage healing and empowerment for survivors of sexual violence. Texans can use the hashtag #TXSexualAssault AwarenessMonth to share their support on social media throughout the month of April.
Resources for survivors published by the SASTF can be found at gov.texas.gov/ organization/cjd/sastf-resources
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Notice is hereby given that the Zoning Board of Adjustments for the City of Roma will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at 5:30 P.M. at the Roma City Council Chambers, located at 201 W. Convent Ave, Roma, Texas to consider the following case(s):
1) Francisco Solis is requesting a variance to the City of Roma’s Zoning Ordinance to allow a five-foot (5 ft.) side yard corner setback, as opposed to the required ten-foot (10 ft.) side yard corner setback, in a Suburban Residential District (SF) for a proposed new residential construction. The property is physically located at 309 Dr. Mario E Ramirez Avenue and is legally described as Lot 8, Block C, Mirador Addition. (BOA#2401)
2) Edgar Gonzalez is requesting a variance to the City of Roma’s Zoning Ordinance to allow a 3-foot (3 ft.) rear setback, as opposed to the required ten-foot (10 ft.) rear setback, in a Suburban Residential District (SF) for an addition to an existing house. The property is physically located at 401 East Garfield Avenue and is legally described as Lot 1, Unit 2, Nicanor Subdivision. (BOA#2402)
Adolescence can be a trying time for teenagers and their parents
Adolescence can be a trying time for teenagers and their parents. According to the American Psychological Association, parents and caregivers face an entirely new set of tasks to deal with the changing needs of children as they reach adolescence.
The changes that accompany adolescence include physical, cognitive and social changes, and parents may need to adopt an entirely new approach to parenting as they deal with the changing needs of their children during their period in their lives.
The APA notes that adolescents
often crave greater independence and autonomy, and this desire is a natural part of their development process. It’s important that parents of adolescents find a way to maintain the familial bonds they and their children have developed up to this point, while also allowing increasingly mature teens a level of autonomy that can benefit them throughout their lives.
According to clinical psychologist William Stixrud, Ph.D., decades of psychological research has shown that a lack of perceived control leads people to feel overwhelmed, helpless,
hopeless, passive, and resigned.
So adolescents who feel that they have control over the direction of their lives, feelings which can be strengthened when they are given some level of autonomy as teenagers, are less likely to feel overwhelmed, helpless, hopeless, passive, or resigned as adults.
