The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 32, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 13, 1985 Page: 1 of 10
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Celebration
Planned,
Page 3
THE RIO GRANDE HERALD
Serving Starr County For Five Decades
Burton
Auto Supply,
Page 5
VOL XXXIX
Published in Rio Grande City, Texas, Every Thursday, By The Rio Grande Publishing Co.
No. 32, Thursday June 13,1985
r IFTEEN CENTS
O
|
I
Possible Bond Issue,
J *
f x * ■ ;■ <' &• *4
By KENNETH ROBERTS
Managing Editor
Pictured above are some of the contestants competing for Little Miss Fourth of
July. The pageant is scheduled for the night of July 3. From left to right are Betty
Aguero, Roxanne Acevedo, Issis Vela, I>ilia Garza, and Neva Nell Saenz. There is
stili time of contestants to register for any of the three contests.
(See Page 2 for a picture of some Junior Miss contestants.)
A possible bond issue to help pay
for two important projects, and
implementation of the new county
court-at law were the subjects
foremost on the minds of the
County Commissioners at their
regular meeting Monday.
Precinct Four Commissioner
Reynaldo "Moreno" Alaniz noted
that the county has to pay a large
share of two projects: The widen-
ing of U.S. 83 east of Rio Grande
City to the Hidalgo County line;
and the federally-funded Los Olmos
flood control project near E! Sauz.
Alaniz said, "It's time we started
doing something on Los Olmos."
He and Judge Bias Chapa said that
the county would have to come up
with around $1 million for the Los
Olmos project, $400,000 for
drainage of U.S. 83 in the eastern
section of Rio Grande City, and
$137,000 for right of ways to the
Hidalgo County line.
Alaniz said that a quick decision
I Commissioners Okay Air port Bid
Bv KENNETH ROBERTS
The Starr County Commissioners
voted to approve the low bid of a
Mission firm Valky Paving, to
resurface and repair the runway at
the Starr County Airport.
The bids of Valley Paving and
Mission Paving were opened at a
special court meeting on June 3.
Valiey Paving submitted a bid of
$70,044.30, while Mission Paving's
bid totaled $71,333.90.
Engineer Pablo Pena, Jr said
. Airport k IV side:1'
Jarnes Van Nest, occupied with
other business, sent Airport Board
member Raul Gomez to accompa
ny Pena to look at samples of
Valley Paving's work record. Both
pronounced themselves satisfied
with what they had learned. Van
Nest said, "1 see no reason to turn
down the low bid; they've checked
out satisfactorily."
Pera said that Valley Paving
owner Oscar Cordova has sub-
mitted a bid bond, and suggested
i.he firm be given 10 days to come
up with a 100 percent performance
and payment bond.
The Commissioners then
approved the low bio of Valley
Paving, pending the presentation of
the performance and payment bond
within Precinct /tree
Commissioner Eloy Garza said, "If
Valley Paving can't come up with
the payment bond within 10 days,
we should immediately award the
bid to Mission Paving."
Federal Program Coordinator
"Jake" Margo said that after the
bond is obtained, a pre-construction
conference will take place and the
bond will be officially presented
then
At the start of the meeting, an
argument boiled over about when
Ballenger Construction Co. should
be paid a $17,000 judgment levied
by the state district court against
Starr County.
Precinct Two Commissioner
Amando Pena adamantly insisted
that payment be made immediate-
ly. He v«.id, "We must not be in
contempt of court." Auditor Jose
Guadalupe Villarreal said. "The
court ordered that payment be
made when money is available."
County Clerk Juan Mills, who
looked over the court minutes, said
Thre Start County men remain
incarcerated in McAllen after be-
ing arrested Thursday near El
Sauz for their alleged roles in a
cocaine smuggling effort that was
Droken up by the seizure of over
800 pounds near hebbronville
earlier on Thursday
The five men arrested due to the
seizure were arraigned before U.S.
Magistrate Susan Rees Williams in
Mr Allen Tuesday afternoon. Jesus
Bazan, Jr. of Rio Grande City and
Manuel Mendez Aleman of New
Braunfeis are being held without
bond.
Bond was sei at $30,000 for
Roman Bazan of Rty Grande City,
with Bazan entitled to put up 10
percent of the 130,000 The bond for
Ralph Alar.iz of Rio Grande City
was also set at $30,000 and 10
percent. Gracieln Flores, of
Robstown, t.ad her bond set at
$50,000 and 10 percent As of
Wednesday morning, none of the
bonds had been pasted.
A tanker truck was stopped by
the U S Border Patrol sou'.Rah of
Hebbronville on Texas Highway 16
at about 6 a.m. Driver Manuel
Mendez Alemar, 35, of New
Brauntels was arrested, and 846
pounds of cocaine conservatively
valued at $43 million was seized.
Dntg Enforcement Administra-
tion special agent Jack Wagner
said this was the biggest cocaine
seizure ever in South Texas. A total
of 127 pounds of marijuana valued
at $30,000 was also seized.
In the early afternoon Thursday,
a group of eight men from the
Starr County Sheriff's Department,
U.S. Customs, and DEA executed
search warrants and raided a
ranch near El Sauz
Arrested were Jesus Bazan, Jr.,
40; Roman Bazan, 23; and Ralph
Alaniz, 24, all of Rio Grande City;
and Graciela Flores Torres, 24, of
Robstown Sheriff Gene Falcon
said that none of the men resisted
arrest.
Aleman has been charged with
possession of cocaine and mari-
juana, while the other four have
been charged with conspiracy to
distribute cocaine and marijuana.
An agent of the DEA told The Rio
Grande Herald Tuesday that the
case is still under investigation,
and that it is possible that other
persons will be implicated He said.
the handwriting found on some of
the 315 packages of cocaine is
currently being analyzed by the
DEA office In Washington, D C.
The agent added that "it's a
possibility," but not n certainty
that the drug shipment, crossed the
border at Falcon Heights.
The 55-foot tanker truck was
stopped by the Border Patrol just
south of Hebbronville after U S
Customs warned them to watch for
a tanker truck. The Border Patrol
Agent in charge of the Hebbronville
unit said the truck was halted
because it had false license plates.
The Border Patrol Agents said
they smelled marijuana coming
from vent pipes used to eliminate
gasoline fumes. They said they
could see plenty of marijuana lying
randomly inside the pipes. They
then proceeded to open a trap door
underneath the fifth wheel of the
truck, and this led to the discovery
of 315 packages of cocaine,
believed to be over nine-tenths
pure.
After the truck was seized and
searched, it was taken to DEA
headquarters in McAllen to be
unloaded, and investigated for
further evidence. DEA Agent Jack
Wagner said Thursday that the
drugs were probably smuggled by
automobile and airplane in
numeroi^ increments over the past
few months. He added that the
narvctics, when seized, were
divided into lots of four, probably
to allow for trafficking to other
owners.
San lsidro Graduates
Awarded Scholarships
The recent graduation exercises
at San lsidro High School were
highlighted by the awarding of
scholarships to deserving students
San lsidro High Principal Carlos
Lopez said that the scholarships
were based on academic achieve-
ment, financial needs, selected
fields of study, and leadership
qualities as determined by or-
ganizations
The scholarships awarded, the
students receiving scholarships,
and the persons presenting the
scholarships are listed below
ALPHA OMKC.A RHO-
Veronica Saenz Awarded by Gloria
Saenz
BAPTIST CHURCH- Larry
Nyquist and Lisa Lopez. Awarded
by Herman Parsons
C A M P SCHOLARSHIP—
Aleida Saenz and Sandra Vela
Awarded by Jimmy Silva.
GARZA PENA SC1IOLARSHIP-
Martina Martinez. Awarded by
Ramiro Hinojosa
CATHOLIC CHURCH-LAY
MINISTRY- Martina Martinez
Awarded by Hortencia Saenz
CATHOLIC CHURCH-DAMAS
CATOLICAS Ma Eugenia Silva
Awarded bv Honencia Saenz.
CATHOLIC CHURCH CHOIR-
Velisa Lopez Awarded by Carmen
Lopez.
CATHOLIC CHURCH YOUTH-
Jaime Pena. Awarded by'Carmen
L*0|m?Z
CATHOLIC CHURCH CATHOLIC
CLUB— Aleida Saenz Awarded by
VidalSaldana.
CATHOLIC CHURCH
PAROCHIAL BOARD- Diana
Rivas and Noel Beitran Awarded
by Vida! Saldana
.JGK REOH RANCH- Lisa
(See SCHOLARSHIPS, Page 6)
that the court had not passed an
order for the county to pay.
Pena moved that the Ballenger
judgment be paid without delay,
and Judge Bias Chapa hesitantly
(See AIRPOK T, Page 6)
was needed on whether to use
bonds or certificates of obligation.
He added, "We have to get ready
for an election." Precinct One
Commissioner "Chema" Alvarez
said, "All this should go in a bond
issue. If the people want the
improvements, fine. If they don't
want the improvements, fine."
Alaniz said that a bond issue
could also be utilized to improve
the drainage situation around La
Rosita and also the creek flowing
through Roma
Precinct Two Commissioner
Amando Pena, concerned about the
cost, wondered if a levee could be
dropped from the Los Olmos
project. Chapa said that it had
taken over two decades to get the
project through Congress, and
insisted that cutting out a levee
would require the authorization of
Congress. Pena insisted, as he has
several times before, that the Soil
Conservation Service has been to
blame for the delays.
Alaniz said, "The money's there
Now that we have it, we should
hold on to it." The issue of
ownership of the land around the
planned reservoir then became a
bone of contention
When it was noted that the
landowners would continue to own
the property around the 1100-acre
lake that will be created, Precinct
Three Commissioner Eloy Garza
said, "If the county is going to put
in $1 million, we should be the
owners. If we pay for this, the
taxpayers should have access."
Alvarez stressed that the purpose
of the project "is to prevent
flooding."
Alaniz said, "Ar.y bonds passed
will be utilized for the purposes
designated." Chapa said,
"Whatever bonds we don't need,
we don't liave to issue...An order of
intention to issue bonds is needed.
We should look into this and have
someone approach a bond attorney,
so the necessary papers can be
prepared.''
Pena then made the successful
motion that the county look into the
possibility of calling a bond elec-
tion, and make any necessary
preparation.
Alaniz suggested quick im-
plementation of the County-Court
at Law okayed by the Texas
legislature and recently signed into
law by Gov. Mark White He said it
might be feasible to appoint a
judge, effective at a later date.
Alvarez said, "How can you do
this? We need somebody to bring a
budget for us to work with " Pena
said, "The court needs to know
where this money will come from."
Alaniz said that by the end of
June. $40,000 in fine collections will
be available to get the new court
started He said, "The Starr
County I r Association has worked
out a budget." Alvarez said the
guidance of the Bar is indispens-
able because "we're not lawyers;
(Sep liOSD, Page 7)
Administrators Express
Concern On Supplements
By KENNETH ROBERTS
School administrators in the Rio
Grande City CISD used Wednesday
night's regular meeting of the
board of trustees to express con-
cern that many of them would lose
under the district's recent change
in supplement policies.
Under a plan approved by the
board of trustees on May 27,
teachers with less experience will
be paid supplements of $3000 above
the state minimum, while teachers
with more experience will be paid
$3250. Previously, the district's
policy was to pay 12 percent
supplements. All teachers and
administrators, said Superin-
tendent Dr. A.E. Garcia, were
getting the 12 percent supplements
in addition to base pay.
Ringgold Jr. High principal R.C.
Salinas, Jr., said, "We complement
you for what you did for our
teachers last year...We feel our
proposal is fair and just." Grulla
Jr. High principal J.M. Longoria,
Jr., said, "This plan is based on
equity and job responsibility of
position."
The plan presented by Salinas
and Longoria calls for 18 counsel-
ors and supervisors to be paid
supplements of $1500 each for a
total of $27,000; for assistant
principals to be paid $2000 each;
and for 12 principals to be paid
$2500 each in addition to the
supplements approved recently.
The administrators said that
under the recently approved
supplements, some administrators
could receive less money than last
year Longoria expressed the con-
cern that "some teachers will
make more than assi: tant prin-
cipals and principals."
Salinas said that the school board
had authorized a study some time
ago concerning this type of system.
He added, "We were assured by
the Business Manager that this was
affordable."
Trustee Tony Falcon replied,
"The figures you're presenting are
out of line. We're talking about
another $65,000 for these people,
apart from everything else The
best teachers in our district are
with us right now, our ad-
ministrators You were the cream
of the crop " Julio Saenz, Jr , said,
"Would you like to see the worst
teachers as administrators?"
Falcon added, "We considered
this time and time again We had X
number of dollars >o spend for our
educators, we felt the highest
priority was at the classroom
level Our intent was to reward
our classroom teachers as much as
possible."
Salinas said, "This is a sugges
tion; we want you to study this "
Longoria expressed the same idea,
saying, "We come here as
friends." The board members said
they would look at this proposal,
and the superintendent said, "We
have a good district because we
have good teachers, good ad-
ministrators, and a good board "
Darrell Wilson, the owner of
Wilson Construction Company,
made an appearance before the
board. His firm is the general
contractor for the $1.2 million plus
high school addition currently
under construction. Wilson said,
"The job is going real good It's
going to be nip and tuck to get out
by our deadline (Aug 15). We think
the building will be usable by
then."
Wilson said that bad weather had
stalled progress some in recent
weeks, but added that work has
recently been carried out on
Saturdays.
The issue of hiring local workers
has been of concern to the trustees
in recent months. Wilson told them,
"We still don't have a lot of local
people working, but there are
some. I've made calls to subcon-
tractors asking them to hire local
people." Board president Rafael
Carrera told Wilson, ' I was glad
you used a local man for con-
crete."
The curriculum staff presented
results of the Texas Assessment of
Basic Skills Test since 1980 Assis-
tant Superintendent Efrain H.
Garcia sard that the test has been
revised in the past year, and is now
called the Texas Educational Anal-
ysis of Minimum Skills test. He
said that many objectives will
remain the same, but that others
will bo aided.
Garc:a said third, fifth, and ninth
graders are the ones that currently
take the test, but added that
sevenlh graders will start taking
(See SI PPLEMEMTS, Page 7)
Starr Officially
Awarded Grant
Gov. Mark White officially said
Tuesday tha! eight Texas commu-
nities would share $2,763,708 in
Community Development Block
Grant funds for economic devel-
opment projects.
The grants went to Spur, $165,000,
300 jobs; Starr County, $500,000, 200
jobs; Donna, $499,515, 70 jobs,
Mercedes, $350,000, 80 jobs
Brownwood, $500,000, 198 jobs;
Eden, $297,279 , 33 jobs, Zapata
County, $183,914, )9 jobs, and
Waelder, $2-58,000, 55 jobs
Burton Auto Supply, who operates 16 stores to service
automotive and industrial needs Irom Rio -ide City to
Brownsville, has acquired a store in Rio Grande City.
Pictured above from left to right are parts salesman
David Pena, sales clerk Polo Trevino, and manager
Dario Trevino. Not pictured are assistant manager Odon
Cavazos and Fernando Ver;i, who is in charge of the
muffler shop.
The same management operated the Rio Auto Parts
store for a number of \ears. Dario Trevino said. "We
want to service the Starr Count} area the best way we
can."
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Roberts, Kenneth. The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 32, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 13, 1985, newspaper, June 13, 1985; Edinburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth194980/m1/1/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.