Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 35, No. 10, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 22, 1977 Page: 1 of 12
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RIO GRANDE
44The Largest Paid
Circulation Going
In Starr County"
vol. xxxv;
NO. 10
DECEMBER 22, 1977
Ten Cents
i i
t i
★★★★★★★★
Starr
Trek
BY MARCELO SILVA
EDITOR
Here's wishing all our readers a Merry Christmas.
And before time catches up with us and leaves us
behind we must make some announcements and
commentaries.
As we all know, the price of every commodity has
been going up, almost on a daily basis. Due to those
increases in our inflated economy, the Rio Grande
Herald finds it necessary, regretfully, to increase the
price per street copy to 15 cents beginning with the first
issue of 1978.
And for the comments, let us begin.
There are few people whom this editor admires more
than politicians. They are brave people who take on the
challenge of being receptacles for the good and the bad
which the public inevitably, lays on them.
If they ask for advice, they are incompetent; if they
don't, they know it all. If they express an opinion, they
want to run the show; if they don't, they lack guts.
If they go to meetings, they are nosy; if they don't,
they are not interested. If they say something, they will
undoubtedly take sides and be prejudiced; if they don't
say anything, they are cowards. And so on.
Many politicians work for no monetary benefits at
all, but for the public good and for the love of serving
the public. Others are politicians for pay. And they are
all admired.
On the other hand there is nothing more loathful
and lowly than a crooked politician who uses the public
trust and funds for their own gain.
The Rio Grande Herald, like any other community
newspaper, is a reflection of the community. What
comes out ir the newspaper is what the community is.
It is our h jpe that all news will be positive. However,
any politician or other public servant who usurps his
trust, will undoubtedly find a place in our pages, to the
detriment of our community.
I.et us say, for example, that local elected school
hoard member John Doe, Super School District, finds
it expedient and profitable to charge to the school
district a trip up to a northern city to buy a truck,
claiming that it was a school business.
It is the nf "•••.' press '.o inform the nijb'«o of such
actions.
Speaking of poli' "ians, naturally the thought goes to
elections. Coming up next May are twelve county
posts. They are for County Judge, County Treasurer,
District Judge, all five Justices of the Peace, District
Clerk, county surveyer, and the County Com-
missioners of precincts two and four.
The present occupants of those posts are: County
Judge, Dr,. Mario Ramirez; County Treasurer, Jose
Villarreal; District Judge, Richard Garcia; County
Clerk, Jose Hinojosa; Justices of the Peace, precinct
one, Arnoldo Gonzalez Jr., precinct two, Roy Pena,
(appointed to fill the post vacated by the death of his
mother, Minerva R. Pena), precinct three, Jose
Venecia, precinct four, Arturo Clarke, and precinct
five, John W. Fisher.
The District Clerk is Juan Erasmo Saenz; the County
Surveyer is Eulalio Aguilar; County Commissioner
precinct two is Amando Pena and precinct four is
Reynaldo Alaniz.
Filing deadline is the first week in February.
Mu rder Arrest
A local man was arrested
last Friday on a charge of
murder in Harlingen.
Simon Escamilla of Rio
Grande City was arraigned
before Justice of the Peace
Tommy Thompson on the
charge and placed on a
$50,000 bond by Thompson.
Lt. Ed Moody of the
Cameron County Sheriff's
Department made the arrest
Friday after Escamilla
surrendered in the company
of his attorney.
Escamilla is charged with
the murder of Ernesto
Arizmendi. The incident is
alleged to have occured last
November in San Benito.
A warrant for Escamilla's
arrest was issued by
Thompson Dec. 8.
%
7
i
Sketch By Local Artist Alberto Barrera
Food Vouchers To Be Issued
The Specials Programs
Office of the Community
Action Council of South
Texas will start issuing food
vouchers to qualified
migrant and seasonal farm-
workers beginning January
4.
Eli Ramirez, Specials
Programs director, said 51
per cent or more of the
family income must be from
farm labor.
Also, other requirements
must be met before a family
may be issued food
vouchers, Ramirez said. In
order to establish eligibility,
the family must produce
proof of employment and
income; all members must
be living under one
household; income must be
broken by months
throughout the whole year
1977.
Also, families should bring
names of employers, ad-
dresses, phone numbers,
type of work done in the
fields, and have their social
security numbers, Ramirez
said.
All members of the family
shall be identified by names,
dates of birth, grades in
Roma Tax Rebate
Totals $6,363.96
The City of Roma-Los
Saenz has received a fairly
nice Christmas gift, which,
however, could have been
better.
Roma-Los Saenz received
$6,363.96 from the state
comptroller of public ac-
counts in city sales tax
rebate. The 1976 check for
the same period was slightly
better, $6,520.77
To date in 1976 Roma-Los
Saenz had received
$58,961.65. This year the sum
is $46,369.57, minus 21 per
cent, according to figures
from the state comptroller.
Bob Bullock, state comp-
troller, announced that some
Grulla Man Named
'Teacher Of Year'
Rio's David Sanchez
(S«t Story Page 8)
Jose Rene Venecia, a
native of ta Grulla, has been
■elected "Teacher of the
Year" by the Ladies
Auxiliary of Veterans of
Foreign Wars Post 10464 of
Weslaco.
Venecia, 28, is a fourth
grade social studies teacher.
He was presented with the
award last Thursday at a
coffee in the Sam Houston
Elementary School Library.
The Grulla man is the son
of Mr. and Mrs. Cesario
Venecia, who now reside in
Mission. He has been
teaching fourth graders at
Sun Houston for the last six
years. He taught one year at
Sacred Heart School in
Edinburg.
Graduating from Rio
Grande City High School in
1968, Venecia than attended
Pan American University on
a scholarship, receiving a
B.A. degree in 1971 and a
master's degree in 1973.
Venecia was one of 13
nominated for the title He
will be competing as the
Weslaco winner in statewide
competition.
An honor student, Venecia
has earned membership in
Kappa Delta Pi, honor
society in education at Pan
American University. He
has also served as president
of the Weslaco Classroom
Teachers Association.
His plans for the future
include doing missionary
work in Mexico or South
America and working on
his Ph. D. in education.
890 Texas cities recieved
some Christmas cheer in the
form of the city sales tax
rebates checks, which
totaled $53.8 million.
The checks represent the
cities' December share of
the local option, one percent
sales tax. They were mailed
last Thursday.
The December checks
totaled $3.2 million more
than those for the same
month last year, and bring
the rebate total for the year
to $361.6 million. This is up
$58.9 million—19.4 per cent—
from calendar year 1976.
"These figures indicate
that 1977 was a banner year
for merchants and other
sales tax permit holders in
Texas and we expect the
coming year to be as good or
better," Bullock said.
Eight of the cities received
checks totaling $1 million or
more. Of those eight cities,
Austin registered the biggest
percentage increase in city
sales tax rebates for the
year. City sales tax rebates
for the city were up a
whopping 31 percent, ac-
cording to state comptroller
figures.
The local option sales tax
is collected by local mer-
chants and other sales tax
permit holders and returned
to the cities monthly by the
Comptroller's office.
school, schools they attend,
in order to be considered for
eligibility, the director said.
The program is set up to
screen a maximum of 12
families per day, twice a
week, beginning January 4.
Applicants should call 487-
2585, ext. 22, for appointment
with Raul Silva, food
vouchers program coor-
dinator.
Silva will be interviewing
the first floor of the old C. R.
Anthony's building, where
the Senior Citizens Center is
located.
Silva emphasized that
families on welfare,
presently employed, or
under any other kind of
monetary help, should not
apply, as this program is
strictly for those without any
income at all at the present
time.
Highway Construction Plans
Made For Starr County
The Commission for the
State Department of High-
ways and Public Trans-
portation has approved a
plan for future highway
projects for the next 20
years.
Included in this planning
is an estimated $8.9 million
worth of highway con-
struction in Starr County.
Approved for construction
and right of-way
procurement within five
years is improvement of
U.S. Highway 83 between
Roma and Rio Grande City.
The plan is to construct a
four lane highway with
paved shoulders at an
estimated cost of $2.4
million.
Approved -for advanced
planning study only with
additonal approval needed
foright-of-way or planning
stages between five and ten
years are the following two
projects.
Construction of four lanes
with curb and gutter 1.2
miles of the existing curb
and gutter of U.S. Highway
83 at an extimated cost of
$380,000.
Also for the next five and
ten years is the con-
struction of a frur lare high-
way with shoulders
starting from 1.5 miles east
of FM 755 to 2.4 miles west of
F.M. 1430. Estimated cost is
$1.1 million.
Approved for feasability
studies only is the com-
pletion of a four lane U.S.
Highway 83 from 2.4 miles
west of F.M. 1430 to the
Hidalgo County line. This is
to be a divided section four
lane highway. The estimated
cost is $5.1 million and the
goal is to complete a con-
nected statewide highway
system in the next 20 years.
According to information
from the office of G. G.
Garcia, District 21
Engineer, Pharr, Texas, this
plan does not include future
sections of Farm To Market
roads, safety type projects
and maintenance type
projects of rehabilitation
and surfacing since these
highway projects are subject
to a wide variety of needs
which are difficult to
predict.
The plan will be reviewed
and evaluated on a regular
basis during the 20 year
period to reflect altered
economic and or trans-
portation needs.
Accidental Shooting
Near San Isidro
An accidental hunting
shooting last week sent a
Santa Elena man to the
hospital. According to Starr
County Sheriff Reymundo
Alvarez, Rumaldo Pantoja,
20, received several
schrapnel wounds^as a result
of the accident.
The incident occurred at
around 10:15 a.m. December
13 at El Perdido Ranch near
San Isidro. Pablo Flores, 35,
of San Isidro was tracking
game when he spotted
movement in a brush
cluster. He thought it was
javelina, so he fired, ac-
cording to information he
gave to the Sheriff's
Department
officer.
investigating
The bullet apparently
struck a brush limb and
broke into small shrapnel
pieces. Two of the bigger
pieces penetrated Pantojas
on the right rear waist.
Other smaller pieces hit him
elsewhere not causing too
much harm, the Sheriff said.
Pantojas was brought to
Starr County Memorial
Hospital and ther transfered
to McAUen General
Hospital. Sheriff Alvarez
said that at last report
Pantojas was in good con-
dition.
* * Criminal Cases * *
Last week's district court
criminal case activity
resulted in two dismissals,
one not guilty and thre
guilty. Four cases were set
for Jan. 3; five for Jan. 23;
five for Feb. 1; and six for
Mar. 6.
Edelmiro Sosa Varela,
represented by Dan Alfaro
and Alberto Huerta, was
found not guilty of
possession of marijuana.
A charge of burglary
against Luis Trevino was
dismissed. He was
represented by G. Jaime
Garza. Also, a charge of
burglary against Jorge
Martinez, represented by
David Guerrero, was
dismissed.
Receiving a guilty verdict
was Luis Trevino on another
charge of burglary. He was
assessed a two years
probated sentence.
Also found guilty was Juan
Everardo Rodriguez. He was
assessed a three years
probated sentence plus a
$200 fine on a charge of
possession of marijuana. He
was represented by Margil
Sanchez Jr.
Ruben Raul Cruz plead
guilty to a charge of
possession of marijuana
and was assessed a two
years probated sentence
plus a $200 fine. He was
represented by Aaron Pena.
The following cases were
set for Jan. 3: Petra R.
Ramos, theft by check,
arraignment; Lauro Garcia,
possession of marijuana,
represented by Arnulfo
Guerra; Richard B. Lund,
possess: • t ol„ ,..?:iju<inav
represented by Randall
Nye; George Luis Salinas,
possession of marijuana,
represented by Glenn H.
Ramey, according to in-
formation from the Starr
County District Attorney's
office.
Set for Jan. 23 were:
Federico Cruz, assault with
intent to murder,
represented by Johnny Pope
and Dan Alfaro; Federico
Cruz Jr., aggravated
assault, represented by Dan
Alfaro; Anselmo Gonzalez,
unauthorized use of a motor
vehicle, represented
Margil Sanchez; Juan
Cortez Jr., possession of
marijuana, represented by
Dan Alfaro and Alberto
Huerta; and R. Michael
Wells, possession of
marijuana, arraignment.
Cases set for Feb. 13 are:
Pedro Perez Valles,
aggravated assault,
represented by Randall
Nye; Francisco Chapa,
aggravated assault,
represented by Dan Alfaro;
Amado Molina, delivery of
marijuana, represented by
Alfaro; Manuel Rodriguez
Jr., forgery, represented by
Glenn H. Ramey; and
Guadalupe Elizalde Jr.,
possession of marijuana,
represented by Robert
Yzaguirre.
The six cases set for Mar. 6
JP Report
A Salineno family-
domestic quarrel resulted in
a stabbing and a charge of
aggravated assault, ac-
cording to Justice of the
Peace, precinct one Arnoldo
Gonzalez Jr.
Baldomero Garcia is
accused of causing serious
bodily injury to his brother,
Hector Garcia, by the use of
a deadly weapon. Judge
Gonzalez said Garcia is said
to have used a knife to stab
his brother several times,
inflicting one serious injury
close to the heart.
Gonzalez said that ap-
parently one of the brothers
was having words with their
father and then both
brothers started exchanging
words which led to the
stabbing.
The complaint was filed at
about 3 a.m. Sunday before
Judge Gonsalez. In-
vestigating the incident were
Starr County Deputies Jorge
L. Gonzalez, Guadalupe
Marquez, Hector Perez and
Guillermo (Willie) Pena.
Garcia was arrested the
same day by the Sheriff's
Department.
Arraignment was Monday
morning at which time
Judge Gonzalez set bond at
$5,000 which Garcia was
unable to post and was
placed in the Starr County-
Jail.
A Houston man is in the
Starr County jail after
failing to post a $500,000 bond
set by Judge Gonzalez
Raul Rodriguez was
arrested at the Roma in-
ternational bridge after a
check by officials proved he
was wanted in the State of
Michigan for delivery of
heroin.
The arresting officers
were United States Custom
Patrol Officers, Roma City-
Police Chief Max Habecker
and assisting in the arrest
was Roma City Policeman
Gilberto Ramirez Jr.
Rodriguez was detained
after the officers ran two
checks on him with the
National Crime Information
Center. The information
received from the Cen-
ter was that there was a
warrant of arrest for
Rodriguez for delivery of
heroin in the state of
Michigan, according to
Judge Gonzalez.
Rodriguez was brought
before Judge Gonzalez by
Roma Policeman Ramirez
for arraignment and bond
setting.
are: CiriloOrta Jr., criminal
mischief, represented by R.
Yzaguirre; Celestino
.Qiiipter,? $"eli\iery of
marijuana, represented by
R. Yzaguirre; Isidroro
Garza Florez, unlawfully-
carrying a weapon,
represented by Yzaguirre;
Isidoro Garza Flores,
delivery of marijuana,
represented by Yzaguirre;
Pilar Barrera Garcia,
delivery of marijuana,
represented by Yzaguirre;
and Ramrio Lopez Reyes
Jr., delivery of marijuana,
represented by Yzaguirre.
The charge of delivery of
marijuana against Juan
Solis Gomez was barred
from prosecution. He was
tried on the same charge in
93rd District Court in
Hidalgo County. He was
represented by Matias
Morin Jr. He was assessed a
five year probated sentence
on the charge.
Francisco Adame Mendez
went before the court on a
revocation of probation
hearing. He was represented
by Glenn H. Ramey. He was
ordered a continuance of
probation and was assessed
a $750 fine to be paid within
one year
Last week's Grand Jury
indictments were against
Juan Jose Garza, Hector
Rodriguez, and Gloria R.
Zuniga all three for
possession of marijuana
Nov. 30 Grand Jury in-
dictments were: Russell
Wayne Gilley and Robert
Leon Hoffman, possession of
marijuana; Domingo
Alvarez, aggravated
assault; Juan Angel
Morales, burglary; and
Alfredo Alvarez, theft of
cattle
SUICIDE
Santiago Clarke, 77, of El
Garceno ended his life
Saturday at about 3:10 p.m.
with a bullet to the right side
of his head, according to
Starr County Sheriff
Reymundo Alvarez
Investigation by the
Sheriff's Department
yielded only that tholderly
Clarke had been feeling ill
and did not want to go to the
hospital
Alvarez said that Clarke
used a handgun to committ
the suicide
Garke was buried Monday
at 3 p.m. at the Rio Grande
City Cementary under the
Direction of Ceballos
Funeral Home.
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Silva, Marcelo. Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 35, No. 10, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 22, 1977, newspaper, December 22, 1977; Rio Grande City, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth194642/m1/1/?rotate=270: accessed April 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.