Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 88, No. 18, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 3, 2001 Page: 1 of 8
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THURSDAY
WEEKLY EDITION
May 03, 2001
#215
IIOACi B()()K HINDI KV
127 RAIL ROAD
SI'RINGI'OR I. Ml 49204
/ONi : 6
Herald
A Newspaper Serving the People of South Texas
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HOSTS founder visits Grulla Middle School
The founder ol the HOSTS Program visited Grulla Middle School on April 18. Pictured left to right are
HOSTS Representative Ana Castillo, Natalie Garza (HOSTS Support Specialist), Lucas Hinojosa (HOSTS
Executive Director of Human Affairs), Rosario Gonzalez, Bill Gibbons, Yolanda Saenz and Melly Lopez.
(RGCCISD photo).
Aldermen remove Gutierrez
from EDC board; fall short in
attempt to oust City Secretary
By KENNETH ROBERTS
At their regular monthly meeting
on Tuesday night, April 24, the
Rio Grande City Board of Aldermen
voted to exclude the Economic
Development Corporation's
president from any position on that
entity's new board, and also
engaged in fierce debate about the
City Secretary's status as an effort
to terminate her failed L-y only one
vote-
Tempers were short throughout
the meeting, which lasted almost
six hours, with Mayor Baldemar
Garza and Alderman Manuel
Canales engaging in several
contentious exchanges.
As the discussion about the
composition of the EDC board
began, City Administrator Leonardo
Olivares indicated, "We need to
reappoint the rest of the board
members besides Mr. Hiles and Mr.
Porras. Th ere's supposed to be a
six-year term. Mr. Lopez and Mr.
Canales stepped down earlier."
Alderman Juan DeLuna said, "I
suggest Mr. (Ruben D.) Saenz,
myself and Mr. Rudy Montalvo."
Mayor Garza countered, "Your
motion is to exclude Mr. Gutierrez.
Why?" Alderman Ricardo Gutierrez
insisted, "1 haven't resigned; I can
still serve."
DeLuna retorted, "Mr. Gutierrez
has been president for four years.
We have yet to see anything that
the EDC has brought. They've
brought nothing."
Garza responded, "What about the
contacts that were made (concerning
the hotel and other prospects)?*
DeLuna countered, "Mr. Gutierrez
can provide the information to the
new president." Gutierrez contended,
"1 have not resigned. They (Canales
and Lopez) named their
replacements; if anything 1 should
National Hospital Week
proclaimed in county
County Judge Eloy Vera has
proclaimed May 6-12 as "Hospital
Week" in Starr County.
The proclamation reads as
follows:
"WHEREAS, the American
Hospital Association has
proclaimed May 6-12, 2001, as
National Hospital Week with the
theme 'Caring People, People
Caring.'
"AND WHEREAS individuals all
across the country will be
celebrating this time-honored event;
"AND WHEREAS the hard
working people that compose our
hospitals deserve universal regard
and appreciation for keeping our
community healthy;
"Be it known that on this 6th day
of May, I, Eloy Vera, COUNTY
JUDGE OF STARR <DUNTY,
TEXAS, do hereby declare Hospital
Week in Starr County, Texas, and
urge every member of our
community to put forth their
expressions of gratitude and applaud
the health care workers in our
community."
HOSTS founder visits
Grulla Middle School
(RGCCISD News Release)
Mr. Bill Gibbons, founder of the
Helping One Student to Succeed
(HOSTS) Corporation, visited with
Mrs Yolanda Saenz HOSTS Coor-
dinator from Grulla Middle School.
"I have been asking Mr Gibbons to
come and visit our school and take a
look at our program. I'm so happy
he finally got the opportunity to do
so," stated Mrs. Saenz.
Bill Gibbons founded HOSTS Cor-
poration in 1971 in Vancouver, Wash-
ington. It began in a "reading lab"
w ith volunteer mentors and one read-
ing instructor. HOSTS later expanded
and became and independent orga-
nization in 1977.
This program has structured a plan
that has linked trained community
volunteers, business partners, and
student mentors with at-risk students
who need additional help in learning
Reading, Language Arts, and Math.
This program has been extrememly
sucessful due to the unique learning
style that allows students to experi-
ence success on a daily basis
HOSTS has served over 1,000.t MK)
students in more than 40 states in
eluding the District Columbia. Puerto
Rico, and El Salvador The program
also trains over 100,000 mentors an-
nually.
If you would like more information
on the HOSTS program contact Mrs
Yolanda Saenz at 487-5558 or log on
to (www.hosts.com).
be able to do that."
DeLuna then moved, seconded by
Alderman Lauro Lopez, that Saenz
and DeLuna remain on the board,
with Rudy Montalvo of Lone Star
National Bank named to replace
Gutierrez.
"I think this is a big mistake,"
insisted Mayor Garza. "They (EDC)
are responsible for Burger King,
Peter Piper Pizza, and together with
the Foundation, for Best Western
and Denny's. When you say
nothing has been accomplished,
that's completely wrong. This is an
injustice to this community.
Nobody knows more about the
contacts that have been made than
Rkhaid Gutierrez."
The mayor added, "Mr. Canales
a;id Mr. Lopez shouldn't vote for
this motion. You know how hard
he's worked, how many contacts
he's made."
Lopez responded, "Mr. Gutierrez
is also vice president of the-
Industrial Foundation. I think
there's a conflict there. He can do
exactly what he's doing right now.
We're all working for the city, or
should be."
"There's no conflict; this is
politics," contended Gutierrez.
"Politics continues to hurt the
city." Alderman Manuel Canales
shot back, "It takes two to tango.
It's a matter of changing the board.
If that's a change for the better,
then so be it."
At that point, the motion was
approved 4-1 with Gutierrez voting
no. Olivares indicated, "Mr.
Montalvo currently serves on the
Parks Commission. He will
probably have to resign that. I
would like to screen applications.
There arc certain procedural
requirements."
At the beginning of the meeting,
Alderman DeLuna sought to table
two items concerning the engineer.
Garza questioned why and said, "We
can wait till later to consider."
DeLuna responded, "I'd like to
appeal to my fellow aldermen. Mr.
Kyle (the engineer) passed away."
Garza again stated, "I'm not
recognizing your motion."
The aldermen turned to the
business of electing a Mayor Pro
Tem. Olivares stated, "A Mayor
Pro Tem should be elected after
each election." Garza said, "The
Mayor Pro Tem serves for one
year."
Alderman Ruben D. Saenz
moved, seconded by Gutierrez, that
Canales be elcctcd Mayor Pro Tem.
The motion was unanimously
approved.
More than an hour into the
(See ALDERMEN, Page 8)
Capital charge filed in slaying near Garceno
Two suspects arrested in
two separate murders
Two men face charges in
connection with two separate
murders in western Starr County
over the weekend, with one of the
episodes involving a woman found
dead due to strangulation in her
residence near Garceno.
Petra Guerrero was found dead
inside her residence at Las Ojas
Ranch north of Garceno shortly
after 8 p.m Sunday. Sheriff
Reymundo Guerra indicated that
when deputies arrived, they found
the victim lying face up and dead on
the floor of her bedroom.
Paramedics soon arrived and
Guerrero was pronounced dead by
Justice of the Peace Gabriel Recio.
Guerra noted that the victim's age
was somewhere in the seventies.
The sheriff indicated, "An
autopsy (later on Monday) will
determine how the victim died. The
victim had no visible wounds other
than some bruises to the neck area."
He stated late Monday that the
autopsy had determined that
strangulation was the cause of
death.
Sheriff Guerra noted, "At roughly
8 p.in Sunday, the Sheriff's
Department received a call about a
possible homicide at Las Ojas
Ranch north of Garceno."
Hilario Hernandez, 29, who listed
a Rio Grande City address, was
, pn. nded . pp. oximately two
miles from the residence at
approximately 3 a.m. Monday.
Guerra added, "Possibly in the past,
he had lived in Sari Luis Potosi,
Mexico."
Guerra declared Monday morning
that a burglary charge would be
filed initially. On Tuesday
afternoon, the.sheriff indicated that
Hernandez would be arraigned later
that afternoon on a capital murder
charge. He also noted that
Hernandez had already been
arraigned (on Monday) before
Justice of the Peace Abel Cantu on
a burglary of habitation charge,
with bond being set at $500,(XX).
"One of her granddaughters did
see an unknown Hispanic male
inside the house when the victim
was found dead," indicated the
sheriff. "The suspect left the
residence and fled into a wooded
area...Apparently, the suspect was
surprised by a granddaughter of the
victim."
Guerra added, "With the
assistance of U.S. Border Patrol
agents, the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department Game Warden,
and constables who assisted the
Sheriff's Department in tracking the
suspect, the suspect was
apprehended about 3 a.m. Monday
about two miles from the crime
scene."
The sheriff staled, "We have not
determined the means with which
he gained cntraricc. We don't know
for sure what the time of death was.
It could have been around 8 p.m."
Guerra continued, "We'll conduct
an inventory of the house to see it
any items were taken Investigators
are continuing to process i/;" crime
scene."
He noted, "Wner m<s p-ocessed
him (the suspect), he gave the name
Hiiario Hernandez.''
In another episode, a Roma
resident was fatally shot early
Saturday mornmg at a residence
about two miles north of Fronton.
Eric Verastegui, a 17-year-old
Fronton resident, was arrested arid
charged with murder. The suspect
was arraigned before Justice of the
Peace Abel Cantu, who set bond at
5250,000.
Jorge Luis Barrera, 33, of Roma
died as the result of a gunshot
wound that entered his right side
and exiled through his left side
Guerra declared, "On Saturday at
about 3 a.m., the Roma Police
Department notified the Sheriffs
Department that they had stopped a
vehicle for speeding and that a
passenger in the car probably was
dead. They indicated that the driver
of the car was wounded wiUi a
gunshot to the leg."
"The stop was made within the
Roma city limits," stated the
sheriff. "The driver indicated they
were in route to the hospital." The
driver, Julian Cisneros, Jr.,
sustained a relatively minor .
and had been released from the
(See MURDERS, Page 8)
Hospital moves forward
with several projects
By KENNETH ROBERTS
As National Hospital Week
approaches, Starr County Memorial
Hospital has launched several
construction projects that should
significantly contribute to the
upgrading of medical services in the
next few years.
National Hospital Week will be
celebrated in Starr County and
throughout the nation from May 6-
12.
Hospital Board President Romeo
Lopez emphasized, "Services have
been significantly upgraded in the
last year or two. Several major
building projects are in progress or
planned. On behalf of the entire
board, we congratulate the
administration and staff for their
accomplishments."
Lopez stressed, "The hospital is
of high quality because of the work
of the staff."
He concluded, "A needs
assessment of community needs is
likely to be done in the next year or
two. Based on the outcome of this
undertaking, the hospital will
continue to service the medical
needs of the county."
Hospital Administrator Thalia
Munoz commented Tuesday that the
San Juan Plaza "one-stop" medical
facility "is progressing very well.
We will be leasing space to such
entities as MH-MR, the Texas
Department of Health and the
Community Action Council. Ali
these entities will be providing
services (at that location)." The
building, when completed, will
feature roughly 25,000 square feet
of space. Starr County Memorial
Hospital will also provide services
at that location.
"We have a major expansion
project at the hospital," noted the
administrator. "It will be an
obstetrical wing addition. We're
going to renovate some of the
existing facility to do more
outpatient services and surgeries.
These (additional) services are in
such fields as gastrointestinal
exams. We've started doing eye
(See HOSPITAL. Page 5)
Nf
RMS Science Fair considered great success
Ringgold Middle School's annual Science Fair on April 7 was considered to be a great success o<. e again,
All the students worked numerous hours to come up with the best projects possible, and everyone was
impressed with the outcome. Each project showed great creativity, and RMS is definitely very proud of
every student that participated. School administrators wish to thank the Science Department for organizing
everything and also offer special thanks to all parents for the support they offered the students Their help
was essential for students to excel. The following are the 2001 Science Fair winners Grand Champion
Gloeli Calderon. "A Pill Bugs Life"; Reserve Champion- Monique Olivarez, "How Does Cigarc) e Snu-kc
Affect a Tomato Plant's Life?"; and Reserve Grand Champion- Cecilia Alvarez, 'Gasoline ■
Champion Gloeli Calderon is pictured above with her project. (RGCCISD photo).
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Roberts, Kenneth. Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 88, No. 18, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 3, 2001, newspaper, May 3, 2001; Edinburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth195860/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.