Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 88, No. 5, Ed. 1 Thursday, February 1, 2001 Page: 1 of 6

THURSDAY
WEEKLY EDITION
February 01 , 2001
88th Year, No. 05
Rio
Herald
! 15
A Newspaper Serving the People of South Texas
• Suspect charged with murder in ex-girlfriend's slaying
% L\ LL
GMS Band students win All-Valley honors
Six Grulla Middle School Band students were selected to the Junior High All-Valley Concert Band on
Saturday, Jan. 27. They were honored for their performances at the Region XV All-Valley Band Clinic at
UT-Pan American. Pictured left to right are Raul Ortiz III, Christopher Lucra, Alvaro Vcnccia, Jr, Dina
Hernandez, Lucio Diaz and Jose Villarreal, Jr.
Roma PD officer succumbs
in rollover auto mishap
A one-car rollover mishap
northwest of Roma late Wednesday
night, Jan. 24 claimed the life of a
Roma police officer who also
served with a multi-agency
narcotics task force.
£ Lino Cavazos, 30, who had
served with the Roma Police
Department for almost four years,
was killed instantly as a result of
the mishap, which occurred at
11:09 p m. Wednesday about 10
miles northwest of Roma on U.S.
Highway 83 and 1 1/2 miles south
of the intersection of FM 2098 and
U.S. 83. The fatal mishap occurred
in the very small community of La
^ Minita.
Cavazos was pronounced dead at
the scene by Justice of the Peace
Abel Cantu.
The DPS office in Rio Grande
City indicated that the truck that
Cavazos was driving was traveling
southbound on U.S. 83 and "veered
off to the west side of the roadway.
£ The driver of the vehicle
overcorrected while attempting to
return to the roadway."
The DPS added, "The vehicle
skidded to the right and struck a
culvert with its right side. The
vehicle thin rolled over
approximately three times on iis
right side. The driver was ejected
from the vehicle."
Roma Police Department
Lieutenant Francisco Garcia
indicated, "He'd been with us for
approximately four years. In March
of this year, he would have
completed four years...He was an
excellent officer."
Garcia continued, "He was a
Roma Police Department officer
who was assigned to the Task
Force. He was working with the
Combined (Governmental)
Narcotics Task Force...He began
working with the Task Force when
it began being based out of
McAllen (in the summer of 2000)."
"We don't know whether he was
on duty with the Task Force (at the
lime of the mishap)," said Garcia.
"He was driving an unmarked truck
belonging to the Task
Force...Officers in such task forces
don't (typically) work regular
hours."
Garcia stressed, "I've known him
all his life. He was a native of
Roma. He was close friends with
many officers in the department.
The department as a whole is taking
it very hard...Our deepest
condolences go out to his family."
The lieutenant emphasized that
Cavazos "was very well known and
well liked by the community as a
whole."
Cavazos was one of 23 officers
(including the police chief and
investigators) serving in the Roma
Police Department.
Cavazos is survived by his wife,
Erica G. Cavazos; three sons, Luis
Antonio Cavazos, Lino Cavazos
Jr., and Eric Cavazos; one daughter,
Bianca Lamar Cavazos; his parents,
Luis and Amalia Cavazos; one
brother, Lauro Cavazos; one sister,
Maricela C. Flores; and his
maternal grandmother, Ramona
Conde, all of Roma.
Funeral services were held on
Saturday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. at the
Sanchez Funeral Home Chapel in
Rio Grande City. Burial followed at
the Havana Cemetery near La Joya.
RGC aldermen consider
several engineering issues
Ity KENNETH ROBERTS
At their regular monthly meeting
on Monday night, Jan. 22, the Rio
Grande City Board of Aldermen
discussed several matters pertaining
to the city engineer, with Mayor
Baldemar Garza indicating that the
issue of several large invoices paid
during the summer had been
clarified to a large extent in his
mind.
For his part, Alderman Rirardo
GMS students
named to All-Valley
Concert Hand
(RGCCISD Press Release)
Region XV All-Valley Band Clinic
was held at the University of Texas
Pan American on January 27, 2(X)I
Six ot Grulla Middle School band
students were selected for the Junior
High All-Valley Concert Band. As pe-
dal thank you goes to the Band Di-
rectors for their guidance: Mr. Tony
Flores, Mr. Hector Corona, and Mr.
Rudy Martinez, Jr. The GMS Band
would also like to thank the Admin-
istration for their support.
Gutierrez insisted that he was
disappointed and dissatisfied with
the work of engineer Robert Kyle.
He argued that Kyle has failed to
represent the city to the best of his
ability. In recent months, other
aldermen have defended Kyle's
performance, insisting that much
work is underway that will bring
millions of dollars to the
community for badly-needed water
and wastewater improvements.
Concerning the matter of
invoices and/or payments made to
Kyle Engineering, Mayor Garza
said, "This is the third or fourth
time this has been discussed. At
one meeting, Mr. Klein (the Public
Utility Department manager) was
absent, Mr. Kyle was absent at
another, and Mr. Olivarcs (the City
Administrator) was absent at
another."
Garza told Kyle, "After I
questioned the amount, you did send
some (invoices) to City Hall. I
recall you saying Mr. Klein told
you to send them directly to the
water department." Kyle responded
"yes" when asked if Public Utility
Director Ruben Klein had asked for
invoices to be sent to the water
department.
City Administrator Leonardo
Olivares stated, "TNRCC this past
summer cited the city for lacking
capacity for water output. We
entered into an agreed order with
TNRCC. Kyle Engineering
recommended a $3 million upgrade
of the existing water plant. An
application for $2.2 million has
been made to USDA Rural
Development. We have a fairly firm
5800,000 commitment from the
suite."
"The fees were 10 percent of the
project," added the administrator.
"Of $300,000, $100,000 has been
approved. We would later get
reimbursed from our funding
agencies. If the amounts do not
come in in the right amount, you
c;tn reduce the reimbursement to the
engineer."
Olivares added, "I did approve the
work order u> proceed I was aware
we couldn't pay those large of
amounts, so we needed to do them
incrementally."
Olivarcs stated, "The invoices
(See Al.DERMEN, I'age 6)
A 27-year-old Escobares resident
has been charged with murder in the
mid-January slaying of his former
girlfriend, with two others charged
with indirect involvement in the
crime after continuing
investigation.
The body of Yessica Martinez,
17, of Roma was found at
approximately 12 noon on
Wednesday, Jan. 24 in a shallow
grave in a vacant lot north of U.S.
83 in Escobares. She was last seen
on the afternoon of Monday, Jan.
15, with a missing persons report
being filed on Jan. 17.
Jose Angel Rivera of Escobares
was arrested by Starr County
sheriff's deputies at a Mission
residence at 5 a.m. on Wednesday,
Jan. 2 • The arrest was carried out
with the assistance of the Mission
Policc Department and the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Sheriff Rcymundo Guerra stated
thai Rivera was arrested on
outstanding warrants for failure to
appear on two unrelated counts of
attempted capital murder.
Rivera was arraigned Friday
afternoon before County Court-At
Law Judge J.M. "Chuy" Alvarez
and charged with one count of
murder. Bond was set at $500,000.
Chief Deputy Rene Fuentes
indicated Monday that Rivera may
also be charged with murder in the
Nov. 15, 2000 Roma-area slaying
of Francisco Cardenas, a 23-year-old
Mexican national who resided in
1: ;cobarcs.
Oil Tuesday morning. Sheriff
Guerra indicated that two others had
been charged with murder due to
their alleged involvement in
helping bury the vicum's body. On
Monday, Keith Adams, 19, a Roma
resident originally from Pasadena,
Texas, was arrested. He was
arraigned before Justice of the Peace
Homero Garcia and charged with
murder. His bond was set at
$100,000.
Guerra explained, "We believe
this young man (Adams) twice
helped assist Rivera in burying the
body. He is being charged according
to the law of parties."
On Tuesday morning Ciro
Rivera, Jr., 19, of Escobares was
arrested and was expected to be
formally arraigned on a murder
charge later in the day. Guerra stated
that a murder warrant had been filed
against another individual living in
the Escobares area. Both Ciro
Rivera, Jr. and the other individual
are alleged to have assisted in
burying the body.
Fuentes stated on Monday that
Yessica Martinez died of one
gunshot wound to the head area.
Sheriff Guerra declared on
Thursday, "We received a missing
persons report from the girl's
mother on Wednesday, Jan. 17. She
said that her daughter had been
missing since Jan. 15 (the previous
Monday). We interviewed friends
and acquaintances of her the first
two days."
Guerra noted that Martinez "was
last seen on Monday afternoon, Jan
(See SLAYING, Page 6)
RGC to restore historic
building for City Hall
One of the most historic
communities in South Texas will
soon conduct its official business
from a new home. The City of Rio
Grande City is set to begin
restoration of the recently acquired
Tijcrina House for use as its City
Hall.
"Tijerina House was here belore
the Civil War began," said City
Administrator Leonardo Olivares.
"It has ;crved as a backdrop to the
great .attic drives down the
Chisholm Trail and itnes d
steamboat tralfi
Grande
The properly
umately
and mhcri
u/ f ijcrina
wo-stoiy
on the Rio
■ was built in
approximately i860 by Lazaro
Lope/ and inherited by hi.- son-in-
law ( ru/ ! iicruia, a local merchant.
iic two-story building boast
masoru'. wall that are two feet
thick, a French Quarter-style
balcony and an ample central patio.
Tijerina House is located in the
city's Historic District near the
renowned LaBorde House Hotel.
(See RESTORE, Page 6)
C (} m i n issionersap p r o v e
1998-1999 Audit Report
By KENNETH ROBERTS
At their special meeting Monday
morning, the County
Commissioners approved the 1998-
99 Audit Report, thereby giving
Starr County current status for
completion of countywide audits.
CPA Carlos Cascos of
Brownsville indicated towards the
end of his presentation, "Basically,
you're current at this point. The
2000 audit is the only thing
pending and we'll get to that as
soon as possible." Cascos serves
with the firm of Pattillo, Brown &
Hill, L.L.P.
Cascos indicated, "The General
Fund Balance is $1.2 million (on
Sept. 30, 1999). which will sustain
the county for 56 days. There is an
$812,000 surplus in Road and
Bridge."
Cascos reported that there was a
favorable variance of $274,642 in
1998-99 Road and Bridge Revenues,
which means that actual revenues
exceeded predicted revenues by that
amount. There was an unfavorable
variance of $166,058 in Road and
Bridge Expenses, meaning that
actual expenses were higher than
projected expenses. Road and Bridge
showed an overall favorable
variance of more than $108,000.
Cascos told the commissioners,
"You did a good job putting the
budget together without final 1997
and 1998 numbers."
Concerning particulars of the
report, Cascos suggested, "The
Nutrition Program is best suited to
be in the General Fund." County
Judge Eloy Vera later indicated that
Legal Expenses and Appraisal Fees
were the two categories thai showed
by far the highest level of
overexpenditures, with roughly
$80,000 in higher than projected
expenses for the two categories
combined.
Cascos stated that the fund
balance in the General Fund was
$965,000 on Sept. 30, 1998, the
final day of the 1997-98 fiscal year.
The General Fund's fund balance
thus showed an increase of
$265,000 in the 1998-1999 fiscal
year.
The Road and Bridge fund balance
increased by $109,(XX) during Fiscai
1998-99, rising from roughly
$703,000 on Sept. 30, 1998 to
approximately $812,000 on Sept.
30, 1999.
County Treasurei David Porras
(See AUDIT, Page 6>
t
Starr County Fair Plans Set
Plans arc underway for the 36th annual Starr County Fair, set for March 1-4, v. ;th *veral event preceding
that weekend. The annual Wild Game Dinner, sponsored by the Rio GranJe C Rotary Club, will kick
things off on Saturday, February 24. Melissa Flores, 2000 Queen, will crov> -i hoi success • at the 2001
Queen's Pageant sponsored by the Starr County 4-H Council on Sunday. February i lit pa,a , set for
Friday, March 2. will center on the theme', "Building Bridges to a Bright I uturi Melissa Flores and
runncrs-up Ida Lou Reyes and Judy Alvarez arc pictured at the 2000 parade The public is encouraged to
make plans to attend the Starr County Fair.