Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 4, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 26, 2006 Page: 1 of 6
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THURSDAY
WEEKLY
EDITION
January 26, 2006
93rd YEAR No. 4
i/215
HOAG BOOK BINDERY
127 RAILROAD
SPRINGPORT.MI 49204
ZONE 6
Rio Grande
HEKALD
A Newspaper Serving the People of South Texas
Trustees okay bond election for proposed new high school
\
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•SSme
0 Patino named GT Teacher of Year
The Rio Grande City CISD Gifted & Talented Teacher of the Year was announced during the annual
GT Parents Program held on Dec. 1, 2(305. Mr Patino is a seventh grade Writing teacher at Ringgold
Middle School. The program is a gicat opportunity for GT students to display their talents and get
other students interested in the program. Pictured left to right are Mr. Adolto Pena (Ringgold Middle
School Principal), Mr. Patino and Mrs. Edna Gonzalez (Director of Gifted & Talented). Mr Patino is
^ congratulated for his achievement! (RGCCISD photo).
RGCCISD names Patino Gifted
& Talented Teacher of Year
RGCCISD News Release
The Rio Grande City CISD
Gifted and Talented Teacher of
the Year. Hilario Patino, was
recently named at the annual
Gifted and Talented Parents
Night held on December I,
2006.
Patino was born and reared in
the Philippines. His father made
"sure to instill the value of
education in him. He would tell
him, "Hilario, you have to finish
college. You've got to have an
education." He continued to tell
him that material wealth could
^be taken away from him but no
one would take his education.
Mr Patino's father established
a business in grains trading and
Officials warn
against gambling
devices, activities
Sheriff Reymundo Guerra and
County Attorney Victor
Canales, Jr have issued a
statement warning Starr County
residents against engaging in
gambling activities with such
devices as slot machines and
height-liners.
The statement reads as
follows:
"To the citizens of Starr
County:
. "Please take notice that a bill
"which proposed to allow
widespread gambling in the state
of Texas was not approved
during the 79th Legislative
Session. As such, the law
remains that ANY gambling
devices in Starr County,
including hut not limited to --
slot machines, eight-liners or
otherwise -- arc considered
illegal gambling devices.
"Anyone operating any
establishment and/or found
(See GAMBLING, Page 6)
owned farmland to provide for
his eleven children. It wasn't
until President Ferdinand
Marcos took over government
and declared martial law that
land was confiscated from all
the wealthy landowners through
the Land Reform Program
Patino and his siblings were sent
to college with earnings from his
father's business. This is when
the words his father said to him
rang true that no one could ever
take his education away from
him.
Patino studied in a seminary
for eight years and later obtained
his degree at a university. He
learned some of the best lessons
while at the seminary and
practices them today. He
remembers while at seminary
Monsignor Jaime L. Sin once
told them, "my boys, it is not
how much you know that will
count with your Maker in the
end. It is how much you love.
Remember St. Paul's words- If I
could speak in any language in
heaven or on earth but didn't
have love, I would be making
meaningless noise like a loud
gong or clanging cymbal....
Love is patient and kind."
During summer vacations
seminarians would travel to
different parishes to teach
catechism to young children and
one of those locations was Rio
Grande City. This is when Mr.
Patino discovered he loved
teaching children and realized
that this was his true calling.
Today, he teaches writing to 7th
grade students at Ringgold
Middle School where he has
been an educator the last twelve
years. He continues to teach and
mold students in order to help
(See TALENTED, Page 6)
Judge talks possible
ORCA funding reduction
County Judge Eloy Vera
indicates that he is working hard
to attempt to keep an expected
reduction in state funding from
the Office of Rural Community
Affairs (ORCA) as minimal as
possible.
At the Jan. 17 special meeting
of the County Commissioners,
the judge declared, "The rest of
the state again wants to change
the funding formula (for
ORCA). They're asking to
reduce funding to STDC (South
Texas Development Council).
They're asking to reduce our
allocation by $1.1 million.
There's little doubt they will
reduce our funding; the question
is by how much."
Vera added on Jan. 17,
"They're asking that it be based
on population. I (and others
from the border area) suggest
that it be based on need,
especially the poverty rate...The
worst case scenario for STDC
would be losing $1.1 million.
Under the best scenario, we
would lose $200,000."
On Monday, Jan. 23, Vera
told The Rio Grande Herald,
"The border area has received
more money in the past few
years, but we've been playing
catch-up. The need is so much
greater in the border area than in
other areas of the state. Our
poverty and unemployment rates
are much higher than in other
areas."
"A loss of $200,000 to STDC
is something that Starr County
and other entities can live with,"
emphasized the judge. "We
cannot cope with a $1.1 million
funding cut."
(See FUNDING, Page 6)
At their regular monthly
meeting on Tuesday evening,
Jan. 17, the Rio Grande City
CISD board of trustees voted to
approve an order calling for an
election authorizing the issuance
of bonds for new construction,
which would mostly go toward
building a new high school near
La Grulla.
Board President Basilio D.
Villarreal, Jr. later explained to
The Rio Grande Herald, "We are
going to ask the voters for
approval of bonds. These bonds
quality for IFA monies. IFA
monies are made available by
the state in order to promote the
construction of instructional
facilities in poorer school
districts."
Villarreal stated, "The state
will pay for 80 to 83 percent of
the bond issue. The district will
only pay 17 to 20 percent."
The board president noted that
this bond issue will be similar
to previous bond issues
approved by RGCCISD voters
in December 1999, May 2002
and June 2004.
"Our main focus is to build a
new high school in the La
Grulla, Alto Bonito and La
Victoria area, or on the east side
of our school district,"
emphasized Villarreal. "Our
district has grown by leaps and
bounds in the past decade. Our
high school presently has close
to 2600 students. Two to three
years from now, it is projected
that the high school will have
between 2800 to 3000 students."
He continued, "In an effort to
promote a better environment,
quality o( education, and more
student participation, we believe
that two high schools is the
most effective way of
accomplishing this task."
Villarreal stressed,
"Hopefully, the children from
the east side will no longer have
to get up extremely early to get
to the high school and no longer
get home extra late when they
participate in extracurricular
events."
The board president predicted,
"Two high schools will provide
smaller classrooms, smaller
class sizes, more participation
by students, and more athletic
and academic teams to represent
the district. This will bring
more youngsters into higher
education."
"We envision an enrollment
of 1000 students to start out
with," commented Villarreal.
"We envision the new school
being ready in two and one-half
to four years."
Villarreal indi' it< that the
bond issue will dei ided by
RGCCISD voters on May 13,
2006.
In other action, the trustees
approved an order calling for this
year's school board election to
be held on May 13, 2006.
The trustees voted to accept
(See ELECTION, Page 6)
Mario A. Lopez to receive
Diocesan Spirit Award Jan. 29
Mario Alonzo Lopez has
been selected as the 2006
honoree to receive the Spirit
Award by the Diocese of
Brownsville. The awards
banquet is set for Friday,
January 27.
Father Amador Garza stated.
"Mr. Lopez has been a long time
member of our Parent Teacher
Organization and served as its
treasurer from 1996 through
1999. He has worked for over
ten years continuously in our
Jamaica set-up and take-down
teams, often being there from
early in the morning and
remaining as the last to leave
late at night. He exemplifies
what a true alumnus is really
like in his service to his alma
mater. He and his wife,
Esmeralda, along with their two
sons, Matthew and Mark,
faithfully attend mass every
Sunday."
Mario A. Lopez was born to
Alonzo and Gloria Gutierrez
Lopez in Rio Grande City on
June 30, 1955. He attended
Immaculate Conception School
through the eighth grade,
graduating in May, 1969 After
graduating from Rio Grande
City High school in 1973, he
attended Texas A&I University
in Kingsville before transferring
to Pan American University and
graduating in December, 1979,
with a BBA in Accounting.
The honoree is married to
Esmeralda Canales Lopez, and
they have two sons, Matthew
Alonzo, a sophomore at Rio
Grande City High School, and
Mark Aaron, an eighth grader at
Immaculate Conception School.
Mario comes from a family of
many alumni of Immaculate
Conception School in Rio
Grande City. His grandmother,
Maria Pifia de Lopez, attended
Immaculate Conception in the
early 1900's, when it was a
boarding school run by the
Sisters of the Blessed
Sacrament. His mother, Gloria,
is a 1941 graduate of
Immaculate Conception School.
His brothers, Daniel Saul and
Roel Raui. graduated from
I.C.S. in the early 1970's. His
son, Matthew, is a 7004
graduate, and Mark will be
graduating from I.C.S. at the end
of this school year. Numerous
aunts, uncles, and cousins have
either graduated from or
attended Immaculate
Conception School, as well.
Mario has served his
community through the many
organizations that he has been
associated with. He has been a
member of the Knights of
Columbus DeSaules Council
No. 2597 since 1980, where he
has held the office of treasurer,
District Deputy, and State Youth
Committeeman. He served the
(See SPIRIT, Page 6)
Lopez chosen to receive Diocese Spirit Award
Mario A. Lopez of Rio Grande City, pictured above, has been selected to receive the Spirit Award for
2(X)6 by the Diocese of Brownsville. He will receive his award at the Awards Banquet on Friday, Jan
27. Lopez has been a longtime member of the ICS Parent Teacher Organization, serving as treasurer
from 1996-1999. He has been an active member of such organizations as the Knights of Columbus
DeSaules Council No. 2597 and the Rio Grande City Rotary Club.
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Roberts, Kenneth. Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 4, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 26, 2006, newspaper, January 26, 2006; Edinburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth195997/m1/1/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.