Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 34, No. 23, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 25, 1976 Page: 1 of 16
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TPA Award Winning Newspaper
RIO GRANDE
i i
THE LARGEST PAID CIRCULATION GOING IN STARR COUNTY"
Vol. XXXIV
Ho. 23
Thursday, March 25, 1976
Ten Cents
Rio Grande City, Texas
Cm
— ~,U"MIL
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County Employees At Work?
STARR COUNTY employees were photographed Tuesday putting up a sign designating
the Starr County Democratic Party campaign headquarters on South Britton Avenue. The
time was 2:30 p.m., well before the 5 o'clock quitting time for county employees.
Employees Campaign ing
On County Time?
By RENE RODRIGUEZ
Several reports of state and
county employees campaigning
on state and county time have
circulated around Rio Grande
City since early March.
Three men who said they
were county employees and
who added they had been or-
dered to place a sign at the
Starr County Democratic Party
headquarters by another county
employee were seen Tuesday
afternoon doing just that at the
South Britton Avenue address.
Asked if they were county
employees on county time, they
answered, "yes."
Residents began calling The
Herald two weeks ago to
complain of a county employee
who was going around and
announcing political meetings.
Wishing to remain unidentified,
the callers said that the an-
nouncer was county employed
and was announcing the recent
Starr County Democratic Party
pachanga held March 13 at the
Starr Plaza Shopping Center.
The employee announcer was
identified as a court house
plumber-electrician.
Other government workers
are also allegedly using their
administrative positions to
influence workers in their
voting choices. Administrators
from the Migrant Health
Program and the Manpower
Program are those which have
allegedly been hassling their
employees.
One other peculiarity which
has arisen during the pre-
election day campaigns is one
in which the names of six
members of a Mexican family
living in Cd. Mier, Mexico, but
who work in Roma, turned up
on a jury list last week. The
incident, which happened in
District Judge Joe B. Evins'
court, turned up the six
members who were listed as
receiving their mail at a Roma
post office box. Closer scrutiny
of the list, which is taken from a
voter registration list, turned
up several more names (the
last names were different)
which listed their mailing
address as Box 741, Roma,
Texas.
County Judge Mario Ramirez
said he frowned on county
employees who campaigned
during duty hours but that what
they did on their own time was
their business. When told of the
incident in which the men were
putting up the party sign, he
said, "It is probably all right if
it is being done for one party
and not for an individual." He
also said that it would be okay
also if the same was done for
the other party if they asked for
it.
Other reports have come
Starr Plaza
Plans Expansion
from the Rio Grande City
Consolidated Independent
School District where teacher
aides have allegedly been or-
dered to attend political rallies
by people in high positions.
Reports also indicate that
professionals have been
threatened that they will not be
hired next year if they do not
vote or campaign as ordered.
According to veterans of past
elections, all of these
irregularities are nothing new.
Said one old timer, "But at least
the dead don't get to vote now,
or do they?"
Politicians should remember
what happened a few years ago
when federal investigators
came in to the scene and partly
cleaned up the Starr County
mess.
Rabies Clinic Slated
A rabies clinic for the Rio
Grande City area will be held at
the San Juan Plaza on Wed-
nesday, March 31 from 6 to 7
p.m., according to Raul
Rodriguez, sanitary inspector.
An additional clinic will be
held on April 6 in front of the
First State Bank and Trust
Company in Rio Grande City
and on April 7 at West Gram-
mar School from 6 to 7 p.m.,
Rodriguez added.
Pete Diaz of Diaz Enterprises
announced Monday night to the
Starr Plaza Merchants
Association that the Starr Plaza
Shopping Center will be ex-
panded soon to allow all the
present businesses more space
and possibly to house new
stores which may be coming to
Rio in the near future.
Owners and managers from
Boitique Juvenile, Aaronson's
Brothers, Valley Mart, Winns,
Anthony's, Plaza Fabrics, Leo-
Fels, Ramirex Gift Shop,
LeBaron's, The Family Shoe
Store, and The Rattler's Den
were on hand to discuss the
advertising budget for the
coming Easter and May 1 and 5
sales.
New officers were elected for
the coming year.
Diaz, in announcing the
expansion of the shopping
center, said he welcomed the
new H.E.B. Food Store, which
is now in the process of building
next to Valley Federal and
across the Street from the
shopping center, because "it
(See Plaza, P. 16)
Industrial Foundation Is
Trying To Attract Industry
Industrial activity in a large
scale is missing in Starr
County, but a few businessmen
and interested citizens are
putting forth their best efforts
to attract large corporations
which may bolster the work
force and decrease unem-
ployment.
The Starr County Industrial
Foundation was organized in an
effort to attract whatever in-
dustry that will better the
community's labor situation.
Headed by F. L. Neiderjohn,
foundation president, and
I^auro L. Lopez, vice-president,
the Industrial Foundation hired
Rolando Flores, an Eagle Pass
native, to work full-time in
preparing literature and con-
tacting corporations which
showed interest in moving to
this South Texas area.
Flores, hired on November
17, 1975, said the primary ob-
jectives of the Starr County
Industrial Foundation, Inc.
were "to facilitate the
acquisition by Starr County of
additional industrial activity,
providing jobs for the com-
munity's unemployed and
underemployed, to operate a
clearing house for information,
which may pertain to the
acquisition of industrial ac-
tivity, to cooperate with all
interested public and private
agencies in Starr County and to
provide assistance to existing
(See Industrial, P. 16)
rmr i n i
t "A.VVJ-, v]
FEMALE FIELDER - Twelve-year-old Maricela Leal made Rio
Grande City Uttle League history recently when she was selected
in the first round to play for the Rio Pharmacy Longhorns, an
expansion team Jose Maria Alvarez Jr., team coach pictured
above, said she had been picked before her male counterparts
because of her "real good athletic ability." She will fill the cen-
terfielder slot and will also do some pitching. Alvarez also picked
two other girl athletes to play for his team. They are Veronica
Guerrero and Jo Nell Sanchez. Maricela is the daughter of Mr and
Mrs. Procopio Leal of 406 Hidalgo. Bobby Gutierrez is the team's
sponsor. The I>onghorns are scheduled to play their first game on
April 12.
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Rodriguez, Rene. Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 34, No. 23, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 25, 1976, newspaper, March 25, 1976; Rio Grande City, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth194555/m1/1/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.