Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 18, 1993 Page: 1 of 10

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The Rio Grande Herald
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I. 81, No. 07, Thursday , February 18,1993
25 cents
Cow proven rabid
near county midpoint
FACULTY WINS BASKETBALL SHOWDOWN—The Rio Grande City IfiKh School
faculty team won the game against Starr County law enforcement officers held
recently at the RGCHS gym. "Refs" for the game were Ricky Saenz, standing at
left, and Oscar Garcia, not pictured. Proceeds from the game went to help with
medical expenses of RGCHS student Victor II. Pulido who was hurt in an
automobile accident. Efforts to help the family are ongoing, and any person or
group wishing to make a donation may contact the RGCHS Student Council Sponsor
Rosbel Barrera. (RGCCLSI) Photo)
Court considers possibilities
for personnel office
The continuing rabies epidemic
in Starr County took an ominous
turn early this week as a cow from
a ranch in the central area of the
county was confirmed to have been
a carrier of the lethal virus.
Veterinarian Dr. Roberto S.
Margo indicated that the cow lived
on a ranch in the virtual center of
Starr County about 20 miles north
of Rio Grande City and several
miles east of El Sauz..
Margo said, "The cow was taken
to veterinarian Dr. Alberto Garza in
Edinburg. The cow was kept
isolated under observation for two
or three days. On Friday, they
suspected rabies, so they sent the
head in to Austin (for analysis)."
State authorities provided official
confirmation on Monday that the
cow had been infected with rabies.
Margo added, "The cow was
acting abnormally, was frothing and
salivating and was very aggressive."
Veterinarian Dr. Lucas Hinojosa
of Edinburg said the most obvious
rabies symptom was that "the cow
was straining to defecate and
nothing happened."
Margo warned, "Ranchers dealing
with livestock and any
warm-blooded animal need to be
especially careful." He commented
that the cow was probably exposed
to the virus by a coyote.
Margo indicated that "the
veterinarian and his workers that
handled the animal are taking
precautionary measures. People that
handled the animal (at the ranch)
will check with their family
doctor." Hinojosa said, "As far as
we can tell, no humans were
dangerously exposed."
There have been 97 confirmed
cases of rabies in Starr County
since the outbreak began in
September 1988. An El Sauz
woman died in August 1991 after
exposure to the virus, apparently
through the saliva of a family pet.
There have been five confirmed
cases of rabies in Starr County in
1993 alone. There were 13
confirmed cases in 1993, 11 in
1991 and 37 cases in 1990.
The rabies problem continues to
be serious throughout South Texas
as confirmed cases have been
reported as far north as Victoria. In
1992 alone, there were more than
100 confirmed cases of rabies in the
South Texas area.
Margo, noting that the rabies
problem continues to worsen,
stressed that Starr County citizens
must be more vigilant than ever
before in keeping their pets'
vaccinations up to date on an
annual basis. He added that people
need to humanely dispose of
unwanted animals and completely
avoid strange animals, especially
from the wild.
By KENNETH ROBERTS
At their continued regular
meeting Friday, the County
Commissioners heard a detailed
presentation about the advantages of
increasing the capabilities of the
newly-established County
Personnel Office.
Jim Elliott of Employee Benefits
Inc. of Edinburg told the court,
"The formation of this (the
•Personnel Office) was brought
about bccause of our auditing of the
existing group health plan."
The audit, said Elliott, revealed
such deficiencies as a "lack of
attention to claims, lack of control
on existing systems, and lack of
control in the accounting area."
Elliott strongly advocated "better
coordination among departments to
• inform of employments and/or
terminations." He added, "As a
Fair Assn. dinner
Saturday night
The Starr County Fair
Association will be holding a wild
game fundraising dinner this
i Saturday evening to benefit the
Youth Fair Building Fund.
The dinner will take place at 7
p.m. this Saturday at the Starr
County Fairgrounds in Rio Grande
City. Donations will be accepted at
the door.
Various groups from throughout
Starr County will be featured as
they prepare wild game dishes such
I as deer chili, quail, fried fish,
rabbit, cowboy bread and eland
eudad sheep.
The Youth Fair Board encourages
all interested persons to attend this
function. All interested persons arc
also urged to become members of
the l air Association.
consultant, I can only go into
certain areas with the court's
authorization."
Elliott contended that "the
purpose of the Personnel Office is
to provide one central department to
deal with all issues concerning
benefits and information. We were
trying to incorporate what was
happening in three or four different
offices into one office. Basically, a
personnel office is underway."
About the health plan's current
status, Elliott said, "Funding is
currently up to date. The
relationship with the new carrier,
First Benefits, is good."
He noted, "Scrutiny of claims is
tighter, and there are also
enrollment checks."
Elliott pointed out that "workers
compensation is not yet
administered through the Personnel
Office. Court authorization is
needed for this action."
He insisted it is important for
workers compensation matters to be
handled by one central office. He
contended, "Additional personnel
will be needed in this department
for workers compensation. 1 think
they can be shifted from other
departments."
County Judge J.M. Martinez, Jr.,
suggested, "I think a stop loss
committee should be established,"
to minimize workers' compensation
claims to the greatest extent
possible.
Elliott contended, "Without your
full support, this department cannot
function. Employees need to know
that this office will be out of the
system of politics. This system
will allow full professional
development of employees."
Elliott urged that
pre-employment physicals be
required, adding that "we can work
with health providers on this."
He declared, "Forms need to be
designed for release from or return
to work after any period of
disability." Elliott also said that
development of general job
descriptions should be carried out in
the Personnel Office-
Elliott advocated that the
Personnel Office "develop a job
evaluation form. Some county
departments do this now and others
don't. Such evaluations will be
permanently recorded in the
Personnel Officc."
In response to questions, Elliott
emphasized that temporary
employment of any person would
have to be cleared through the
Personnel Office.
Judge Martinez stated, "I would
like Elisa (Barrcra, the Personnel
(See PERSONNEL, Page 6)
Little Miss Roma
pageant Saturday
The fourth annual Little Miss
Roma Pageant will take place
Saturday evening, Feb. 20 at 7
p.m. at the Roma Jr. High Gym.
The pageant is being sponsored
by Xi Alpha Beta Chi of Roma, a
cultural, social and service
organization. The purpose of the
pageant is to increase the
self-esteem, confidence and social
skills of >oung people.
A total of 19 young girls ages
7-9 will be participating in the
pageant. The public is encouraged
to attend. A small fee of S3 per
person will be charged for
admission.
Roma police continue probe
into slaying
The Roma Police Department is
continuing its investigation into
the Feb. 5 slaying of a 24-year-old
Roma man during a brief exchange
of gunfire at a gas station in the
Rancho Nuevo area.
An officer ol the Police
Department told The Rio Grande
Herald on Feb. 11, "Two other
individuals were involved in the
shooting. The identity of the
individuals is pending further
investigation."
The slaying of Gregorio Castillo,
Jr., 24, took place at approximately
Little League
registration
planned
The Rio Grande City Little
League will soon start registration
for the upcoming season.
Registration will be held at the
Starr County Courthouse Lobby.
Registration will include Boys
Baseball, Minors (ages 9-10) and
Majors (11-12), and Girls Softball
(9-12).
A Senior Girls Softball League
(13-15) will also be offered this
season, if enough girls register.
A $10 fee will be required to
register, along with birth certificate.
Registration will be held on the
following days: Feb. 22-26, 5 to 8
p.m.; Feb. 27, 8 to 12 a.m.; March
2-3, 5 to 8 p.m.
Anyone with questions about this
event should call Luis C. Barrcra,
Player Agent, at 487-5521.
11 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5 at a gas
station on U.S. Highway 83 in the
Rancho Nuevo Area.
The officer said, "Castillo was at
the station and two men pulled in.
The victim and the passenger with
him were driving a beige 1984
four-door Mercury Marquis. The
other vehicle involved was a 1987
black Ford pickup.
The officer indicated that Castillo
was struck in the right cheek by
one bullet that exited through his
back. The officer added, "The driver
of the black pickup was hit once in
the left arm. He was hospitalized,
but quickly released."
The officer declared, "Both men
were outside the vehicles. They
were approximately 12 to 17 feet
apart." He indicated that the
passenger riding with Castillo was
uninjured in the flurry of gunfire.
Castillo was pronounced dead at
the scene by Justice of the Peace
Jose Adan "Coche" Garcia
The officcr stated, "About 16
empty casings were found; only one
struck Castillo." He declared that
evidence indicates that .9 millimeter
handguns were used by both parties.
The officer emphasized, "We
don't have a clear motive at this
point." He indicated that the case is
likely to be presented to the Starr
County grand jury for investigation
in the near future.
3 declare candidacy
for Roma trustees
Starr Banking Center
welcomes Klein
Parental involvement
conference planned
ROMA- Three well known local
businessmen, voicing a concern
about continuing low academic
scores arid a high dropout rate, have
announced their candidacy for
trustees of the Roma Independent
School District.
Johnny Garcia, Eloy Vera and
Arnoldo Guerra expressed their
commitment to achieving academic
excellence in the local school
system.
Three positions on the school
board of trustees will be decided in
an election to be held on May 1,
1993.
"There is a call in our
community for new leadership in
our schools. We have some of the
best teachers, teacher-aides and other
quality personnel in our school
system, yet there is no line of
communication between them, the
lop administration and the school
board," Vera said.
Garcia expressed confidence that
when elected, "we will work closely
with everyone involved in the
education process to change the
attitude toward a 'WE WILL BE
THE BEST' attitude."
"Our community will no longer
tolerate academic results which are
satisfactory because they are
(See CANDIDACY, Page 5)
The Board of Directors of Elsa
State Bank arc pleased to announce
the recent appointment of Aristco
Klein, Jr., as Vice-President,
Lending, at Starr Banking Center
Branch of Elsa State Bank.
Mr. Klein is a native of Rio
Grande City and brings 12 years of
banking experience. He is a
graduate of Rio Grande City High
School and attended Pan American
University.
Mr. Klein has completed several
banking schools sponsored by the
American Institution of Banking.
Mr. Klein is married to Ruby
Klein, who is a member of the Rio
Grande City CISD teacher staff.
They have two sons- Donny, 13;
and Robert Lee, 7,
A r is too Klein
By ELVA YOLANDA
MORADO
County Home Economist
The entire Rio Grande City CISD
is buzzing with excitement as they
gear up for their first Parental
Involvement Conference to be held
on Saturday, Feb. 20.
Registration for the conference
will be at the Auditorium located
on the Fort Ringgold campus
starling at 8 a.m.
Parents will be treated to a
continental breakfast and a
mid-morning snack provided by the
di>: rid and McDonald's.
Every parent or person who
works with ihe children is faced
with many situations in which he
wants it) get cooperation from
children and teach and provide them
with the very best of support. This
conference will be addressing the
very issues we all arc looking tor as
parents to strengthen one's child
rearing skills.
Presenters for the conference will
be addressing the following topics:
Dr. Ida Patrick, County
Extension Agent, Home
Economist- Plight of the Young
Child-Youth at-Risk; Dr. Sara
Anderson, Family Life Spccialist-
Disciplinc; Mrs. Edna Ramon,
Licensed Dietician- Nutrition Needs
of School Age Children; Dr.
Margret Lopez, R.D., Child
Nutrition Specialist; Adclita
Munoz, County Extension"
Agent-Home Economist- Expanded
Nutrition Program Director - Value
of Parental Involvement.
The business community has
been very responsive to the
conference and has taken a very
active role in supporting this
activity developed by parents lor
parents.
carried
Ihe Parental Involvement Conference
out Saturday under the auspices of the Rio Grande
CISD. Pictured above from left to righi
Superintendent Ruben Saen/, I ountv Extension Home
Economist Yolanda Morado, Carolyn Lopez and I stela
Hernandez.