The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 2, 1985 Page: 1 of 10
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FloatWins In
San Antonio,
Page 2
THE RIO GRANDE HERALD
Serving Starr County For Five Decades
H. E. B.
Bargains
Page 8
VOL. XXXIX
Published in Rio Grande City, Texas, Every Thursday, By The Rio Grande Publishing Co.
No. 27 Thursday May 2,1985
FIFTEEN CENTS
Hoy
ai X
Manana
Public Hearing
Planned
On Funds
The Rio Grande City C.I.S.D will
hold a public hearing Monday to
explain the use of Chapter II funds.
These funds are allocated to the
district to be used for low income
and limited English Proficiency
students. These funds will be used
in the Areas of Curriculum devel-
opment to implement the provision
of H.B. 246 at the Elementary and
Secondary levels. These funds will
also be used to supplement materi-
als and equipment to address Basic
Skills at the Elementary Level:
audio-visual equipment for the
libraries, library books to enrich
the Basic Skills and computers.
The meeting will be held at 4:15
p.m. Monday May 6, 1985 at the
Multi purpose Center.
Mr. and Mrs.
Club Meets
The Mr. and Mrs. Club met
Friday at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. Mario Guillen Jr The meet-
ing was called to order by
President Armando Oliviera.
Election of Officers was held.
Officers for this year are: Presi-
dent-Mario Guillen Sr.; Vice Presi-
dent-Julio Larralde; Secretary
Treasurer-Minnie Guillen; Report-
er-Chacha Salinas.
A dinner was served to twelve
Club members and guests by Mr.
and Mrs. Jose Villarreal
Private Trash
Q
Sheriffs
Report
Local law enforcement officers
arrested 21 persons for various
infractions in the week that ended
Sunday at midnight.
The Sheriff's Department made
15 arrests. Oscar Ramos was
charged with assault by contact.
Aide Becerra and Antonio Ensinia
were charged with assault Juan
Manuel Garza was charged with
disorderly conduct and arrested on
warrants. Richard Gonzalez was
charged with indecent exposure
Laura Guerra was charged with
criminal mischief and resisting
arrest.
Roberto Torres was charged with
consuming alcoholic beverages
during prohibited hours. Brad
Gordon Garritson was charged
with DWI and unlawfully carrying
a weapon Jose Adan Pena was
charged with public intoxication
and lacking a driver's license.
Arrested and charged with public
intoxication were Jorge Duran,
Juvencio Olivarez, Jr., Alejandro
Mendiola, Pedro Martin Estrada,
Bruno Garcia, and Eliazar Cantu.
Local DPS troopers made six
arrests. Eligio Bazan was charged
with lacking a driver's license and
motor vehicle liability insurance
Federico Villa Gomez was charged
with DWI, lacking a driver's
license, arid failure to drive in a
single lane.
Margarito Pena Castillo was
charged with public intoxication.
Guadalupe Guerrero was charged
with DWI and speeding John
Edward Shoka was charged with
DWI. Eduardo David Rosa was
charged with DWI, driving with
license suspended, and on DPS
warrants.
Pena Probe
Continues
The investigation of charges that
Commissioner Amando Pena used
a county employee to do private
work is still continuing, according
to the District Attorney 's office.
The case was presented to the
grand jury Thursday, according to
Criminal Investigator Bernardo
Garcia Pena and County Auditor
Jose Guadalupe Villarreal both
testified before the grand jury, said
Garcia. Garcia said the grand jury
may rcach a decision on the case in
the next two weeks.
Villarreal charges that Pena
used employee Jose Rufino San-
doval for two weeks in late March
for work on a shopping center
being constructed in Zapata. He
said the original time report said
that Sandoval was working for the
county front March 16-28. Pena
Insists that Sandoval' was on
vacation, and that a mistake was
made on the original report.
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U.S. Representative Kika de la Garza hugs Kristen
Ellis, 1985 March of Dimes Foster Child, outside the
Capitol in Washington, D.C. Several communities,
including Edinburg, are participating in fundraising
activities this month for the non-profit organization.
Ha
A hailstorm, rare in South Texas,
struck the Rio Grande City area
late Saturday evening, causing
some damage to vehicles, but crops
apparently were not hurt
Soil Conservation Service District
Conservationist Sih'estre Gonzalez
said, "We didn't have any damage
to crops." County Agricultural
Extension Agent Enrique Perez
said that watermelon, cantaloupe,
and tomato crops that he observed
on several farms did not appear to
have sustained damage
Robert Peterson, general
manager of Starr Produce Co.,
said, "I don't think we got any
damage. We didn't even get any
rain at all on two of our farms,
Starrco and La Puerta."
Most of the damage from the
hailstorm seemed to be to vehicles.
Gonzalez said that hail close to golf
ball size fell on eastern areas of
Rio Grande City. The conserva-
tionist said that marble size hail
fell in most places. He added, "We
didn't get high winds per se. I don't
think winds exceeded 25 miles per
hour."
Large areas of Starr County
received substantial rains on both
Thursday and Saturday evenings
as severe thunderstorms rolled
through the area. The Elder P.
Neie residence west of Rio Grande
City reported no rainfall Thursday
evening, but .64 of an inch wa
recorded in the 24-hour period
ending at 7 a.m. Sunday. Gonzalez
said that some reports indicated
rainfall amounts as high as 1.5
inches in some parts of Rio
Saturday evening.
The severe thunderstorm first
struck Rio just after 9:30 Saturday
evening, and dropped heavy rain
for about 15 minutes. After a brief
interlude, hail and heavy rain
struck at 10:30 p.m., lasting up to a
half hour.
On Thursday night, northern and
western areas of Starr County
received up to 1'^ inches of rain
from storms that rolled in around 9
p.m., but no rain fell in the
immediate Rio Grande City area.
Gonzalez said that rainfall Satur-
day ranged from over 2 inches near
Fronton to a trace in the im-
mediate La Gloria area. He said
that the El Sauz area received 2
inches from both Thursday and
Saturday's rains. Rainfall amounts
steadily decreased from El Sauz
eastward
Gonzalez termed Saturday's
rains "very spotty" in the La
Grulla and Garciasville areas, with
all amounts under half an inch.
The conservationist said, "Farm
ponds that were about 3/4 gone
filled up. Farm ponds are in good
shape ..Grasses are in good shape
The ground was so dry that there
was little runoff "
By KENNETH ROBERTS
A private firm is continuing to
handle garbage collection in the
Rio Grande City area in the midst
of transition to another dumpsite.
Grande Garbage Collection was
awarded a contract by the Starr
County Commissioners on July 17,
1981 to undertake garbage collec-
tion on a private basis for five
years. Last September, the com-
missioners voted to extend the
contract with Grande Garbage to
July 1991.
Precinct One Commissioner Jose
Ma. "Chema" Alvarez said of
Grande Garbage, "I think Mr
(Patricio) Hernandez is doing a
great job. I understand he's on
Official
Attends
Reception
An economic development
specialist from the Texas Econom-
ic Development Commission was
the most prominent visitor at a
reception held Tuesday afternoon
by the Starr County Industrial
Foundation at the Fort Ringgold
Motor Inn.
Eduardo Nunez, who has worked
for the Commission for four weeks,
will be charged with promoting all
kinds of economic development
along the U.S.-Mexico border from
El Paso to Brownsville. He said,
"I'm trying to meet the people with
whom I'll work, and learn more
about specific projects...What we
try to promote is any type of
economic activity. We feel we can
use the border as an asset."
Nunez was formerly director for
six years of the Durango Economic
Development Commission for the
state of Durango, the fourth largest
state in Mexico. He has served as
an economic development consul-
tant in Central and South America
for the European Corporation.
Of the Mexican economy, Nunez
said, "We hope the economy will
improve." He blamed the current
poor conditions on the decline in
tourism and the oil boom going
bust due to falling prices on the
world market.
Nunez was accompanied by
Bruce W. Miller and E. Ray Covey,
two officials of Central Power and
Light in Corpus Christi. Miller
serves as the company's manager
of economic development, and
Covey serves as manager of
industrial development. Industrial
Foundation president Sam Vale
praised their efforts in the field of
economic development
Miller said of Nunez, "He's very
knowledgeable about Mexico. He
may be able to bring Mexican
industry here. Everybody working
together for economic development
is what's needed."
Covey said, "We need to get
industry interested in the Valley,"
saying that "twin-piant programs,"
may be one of the strongest selling
point in attracting manufacturing.
Most leaders of the Foundation
attended the reception. Also atten-
ding were officials from Miguel
Aleman and Camargo, including
Miguel Aleman's mayor, Oscar
Fabian Canales.
After a little more than an hour
of conversation and mingling,
Nunez, Miller, and Covey said they
had to travel to Zapata for a
similar function. Vale said that the
Foundation and the Economic
Development Commission would
have to work very closely together
in the future. Nunez replied. "I
assure you, we will be back "
Rio Native Shows
Academic Greatness
By NORA LOPEZ
Edinburg Daily Review Staff
On a scale of one to four, Belinda
Gonzalez has a near perfect grade
point average, but the former Rio
Grande City High School student
turned Truman Scholar says she is
not a genius.
"Some people think I'm really
smart some kind of genius," said
Gonzalez, "I don't even think I'm
above normal. I don't feel being a
Truman Scholar is something any-
body who applied themselves
couldn't do."
Even so, Gonzalez was just one
of four Texas students to receive
the Harry S Truman Scholarship,
considered to be one of the most
prestigious scholarships in the
nation. This is also the second year
in a row that a PAU student itas
been awarded the scholarship
Established by Congress as the
..• . j.- i-M
schedule. I think he should have
more customers. More customers
would allow Mr. Hernandez to buy
updated equipment."
Hernandez said that the clientele
level lias stayed around 700 the
past year. He said, "I haven't been
able to figure that out, because it's
a needed service...Things are a
little better, not much, but I can't
complain. We've never been in any
real danger of not making ends
meet."
Hernandez says that about 2/3 of
the people in the area are dumping
their own trash. He complained
strongly about people dumping
trash in alleys and along roads. He
said, "A lot of people feel the
streets outside of town, and even
some alleys, are dumping grounds.
If they're not going to pay for the
service, that's fine, but they should
dump the trash where it belongs."
Hernandez said he knows plenty of
citizens who are also upset about
the dumping.
Commissioner Alvarez also
expressed annoyance about the
dumping of trash in several areas,
calling the worst area by Old El
Sauz and Charco Blanco Roads. In
this and several other areas,
Alvarez said a grader and loader
need to be sent in every 30 days to
do a time-consuming cleanup
In earlier years, garbage collec-
tion was undertaken by the county
at an annual cost of $160,000. In
June 1980, the Community Action
Council of South Texas undertook
that responsibility. During their
management of this undertaking,
Hernandez said, a $32,000 deficit
was incurred.
Any deficit was to have been
picked up by the county, but the
$32,000 was not reimbursed the
council. Hernandez, who worked
for the CACST at that time, said,
"Paco (Zarate) decided to discon-
tinue it and return the whole thing
to the county." That set the stage
for Grande Garbage Collection to
take over the collection.
Hernandez said, "It all started as
a partnership (among three men),
but we decided it was in the best
interest of the company to have a
sole proprietor. So I bought the
other two partners out." He said
Grande Garbage has three col-
lectors and a secretary. The firm
is "using county equipment under
lease contract."
Hernandez added, "We are still
using the same truck that the
county had, but the vital parts
(including the motor) have been
replaced It does the job. We're
negotiating with a McAllen firm fcr
the purchase of a truck. We hope to
have a rebuilt truck in the next two
to three weeks. We're working on
$10,500 cost."
Hernandez added, "We should
buy commercial containers and
other things," but said that will be
done once a stronger financial base
(See GARBAGE, Page 6)
Commissioners Oppose
Receivership
The Starr County Commissioners
went on record Tuesday as oppos-
ing the appointment of a receiver
in the partitioning of three por-
ciones of land between Roma and
Falcon Heights.
Precinct Two Commissioner
Amando Pena presided over the
meeting in the absence of Judge
Bias Chapa. Right after the meet-
ing opened, he suggested that the
commissioners go into executive
session, where they stayed for
about 30 minutes
Upon returning, Pena said,
"Facts surrounding the litigation
(in state courts) have changed
drastically." After a brief dis-
cussion, the commissioners passed
the following resolution:
"ORDERED, that Mr. Juan
Rocha of the law firm of
Yzaguirre, Chapa and Rocha, who
is representing Starr County in the
above titled and numbered cause
(No. 3059-Starr County vs Fran-
cisco Trevino) be and is hereby-
directed and ordered to withdraw
all support directed toward the
appointment of a receiver in the
case and to actively and vigorously
oppose any such appointment.
"In this regard, Mr. Rocha is
authorized to consult and retain
other attorneys to work with him, if
he feels if is necessary, to assist in
this endeavor, provided that the
fees for the other attorneys must
first be approved by the Commis-
sioners Court if the fees are to be
paid by Starr County."
Pena said of Lino Perez, Jr., the
receiver, "Mr. Perez is a fine man
We're not doing this to him
personally." He then recommended
that "an injunction be placed on
the money going to the receiver."
Attorney Arnulfo Guerra said,
"Instruct your attorney to
approach the district court, and tie
up the money until it's determined
who the money belongs to. An
injunction would preserve money
from the receiver's lease until the
rightful owner is determined "
Commissioner Jose Ma.
"Chema" Alvarez moved on both
occasions, seconded by Reynaldo
Alaniz.
The case has been the subject of
litigation for many years in state
courts. In a March 15 meeting,
Guerra expressed concern that
Century Productions, a Los
Angeles oil company, was using the
receivership to serve its own
interests rather than the partition-
ing of the land, to the detriment of
those currently residing on the
land.
At this time, there are hundreds
of persons, many from outside
Starr County, claiming title to
Porciones 63 , 64, and 65 After
originally supporting the ap-
pointment of a receiver, the Texas
Court of Civil. Appeals in San
Antonio ruled on Oct. 5, 1983 that
the appointment of a receiver was
improper
The Texas Supreme Court has
(See RECEIVER. Page 7)
nation's official memorial to the
late President, the scholarship
provides the recipients a $5000
stipend for each of their junior and
senior years and two years of
graduate study. Scholarship recipi-
ents must be excellent students and
interested in careers in govern-
ment or public service and plann
ing to do career work
Gonzalez, who is majoring in
(See GREATNESS, Page 7)
Belinda Gonzalez, a native of Rio Grande City and a
student at Pan American University, is one of only four
Texans to be awarded the prestigious Trumatf
Scholarship. Belinda has a long record of outstanding
academic achievements.
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Roberts, Kenneth. The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 2, 1985, newspaper, May 2, 1985; Edinburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth194974/m1/1/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.