Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 14, 2010 Page: 1 of 6

THURSDAY
WEEKLY
EDITION
January 14, 2010
97th YEAR No. 2
1
%
■
m
m
*>■
• rr
H
fc- —*
Rio Grande
A Newspaper Serving the People of South Texas
Arctic cold front drops temperatures into low 20's
a -
i IB.
it
4
W
RGCCISD works to ensure student safety
The Rio Grande City CISD Maintenance Department Staff worked diligently through the
Christmas holidays cleaning all classrooms to ensure that all surfaces were disinfected and
ready for students returning to school in January. District administration is very pleased
with the cleanup efforts undertaken by the custodial staff and want to inform the parents
that all measures have been taken to protect the students. (RGCCISD ohoto).
New year means new
regulations for Texas cattle
Thinking aeout selling,
leasing, bartering or even
giving away a breeding bul!7
On January 1. Texas bulls
that undergo a change of
ownership (except to
slaughter) must be either
certified as a virgin bull or
be tested first for cattle
trichomoniasis, a protozoal
disease that can cause cows
to abort very early in
pregnancy, infected bulls
carry the microscopic "bug"
that causes' trichomoniasis
without any signs and can
transmit the single-celled
protozoa to cows during
breeding.
"There is no effective
treatment for bulls, and once
infected, they can continue
to spread trichomoniasis
when they breed," said Dr.
Dee Ellis, who, on January
I, will be Texas' new state
veterinarian and head of the
Texas Animal Health
Commission (TAHC), the
state's livestock and poultry
health regulatory agency.
"Infected cows may clear the
infection, but only if they are
given rest from breeding for
120-150 days— an expensive
option, as a calf crop will be
missed. A vaccine also is
available to help in the
management of infected
cows, but it will not prevent
infection."
The country's western
states have long-standing
cattle trichomoniasis
regulations. About two years
ago, the Texas ranching,
January is School Board
Recognition Month
Governor Rick Perry has
proclaimed January 2010 as
School Board Recognition
Month to help build
awareness of the crucial role
an elected board of trustees
plays in our communities
and schools. Plan now to
show your school board
members you appreciate
their dedication and hard
work. They are
extraordinary people who
voluntarily tackle the
enormous job of governing
school districts. Their
actions and decisions affect
the present and future lives
of our children.
Recognizing board
members f o r this
commitment and sacrifice
takes a combined effort on
the part of all they serve:
administrators, school staff,
students. and the
community. Even though
showing appreciation should
be a year-round process,
taking advantage of the
designated School Board
Recognition Month in
January assures that these
important people receive
some of the thanks they
deserve.
Such recognition can
rencourage veteran trustees to
continue to make the
commitment board service
requires; other citizens might
be encouraged to get
involved in the schools and
make positive change. A full
month of activities allows
local districts. P I As, booster
clubs, community leaders,
and individual campuses to
organize activities
convenient and appropriate
for them.
fake this opportunity to
help acknowledge thousands
of public servants who make
the time to share their vision
and voice about the future of
Texas children Our best
wishes for a productive
month of building awareness
and support in your
community.
The most severe Arctic-
cold liont in se- eral years,
perhaps in over a decade,
dropped temperatures in Starr
County into the low 20's on
Saturday morning and the
middle 20's on Sunday
morning.
KRGV-Channel 5 reported
that a low temperature of 21
degrees for Rio Grande City
was reported on Saturday
morning. Channel 5 also
indicated that Rio Grande
iCity reported a low
temperature of 25 degrees on
Sunday morning.
The Arctic blast first blew
into Starr County during the
mid-morning hours on
Thursday, Jan. 7, dropping
temperatures from the 60's
into the low 40's by the late
evening hours. After Friday's
low fell into the middle 30's,
high temperatures that day
did not climb out of the high
30's. Gusty northerly winds
early Friday morning caused
the chill factor to be
significantly lower than the
actual temperature.
The Rio Grande City Fire
Department recorded the
following high and low
temperatures: Thursday,
Jan. 7- high 55, low 34;
Friday, Jan. 8- high 55,
low 21; Saturday, Jan. 9-
high 52, low 21; Sunday,
Jan. 10- high 58, low 24.
NRCS District
Conservationist Arturo Ibarra
told The Rio Grande Herald
on Monday afternoon, 'The
first freeze we had in
December had alreadv frozen
the grass. The grass bat was
coming back was sei back
(by last week's hard freeze),
but most of it was still in a
dormant stage. I don't see it
being anywhere close to the
1983 or 1989 freezes."
Ibarra added, "It's too soon
to tell about the citrus. I
don't think the trees
sustained any damage."
A Rio Grande City Fire
Department official indicated
that there were no serious
disruptions such as power
outages or utility line
breakages in the immediate
Rio Grande City area during
the Arctic outbreak.
It is possible that Saturday
morning's low temperatures
(See ARCTIC, Page A)
SURF the Web with
the Rio Grande Herald
Get online and check out exciting
NEW features on our web-sire
including video and searchable
archives.
www.geocities.com/riogrande._herald
industry requested similar
regulations, to protect
against the introduction and
the spread of cattle
trichomoniasis, or "trich."
For months, representatives
from the state's ranching,
marketing and veterinary
industries worked with the
TAHC to develop effective
regulations to control the
disease, which affects herd
productivity and an
operation's bottom line. In
April 2009, the TAHC
enacted requirements for
bulls entering Texas. In-
state regulations were
delayed until January 1,
2010.
"For months, we have
worked with the Texas cattle
industry to inform producers
and have participated in
many meetings about cattle
trichomoniasis and the
regulations. More than 600
accred ited private
veterinarians in Texas have
been certified to collect
samples for trichomoniasis
testing, and we are ready to
implement the intrastate
regulations for bulls
undergoing a change of
ownership in Texaj," said
Dr. Ellis.
Dr. Ellis said the
regulations will apply to
bulls being sold, traded,
leased or undergoing any
change of ow nership (except
for slaughter). The
regulations include three
basic steps:
I. Identify the bull.
Identification is essential for
matching animals with
virgin bull certificates or test
documents. One form of
identification is needed, and
it may be an official USDA
ear tag, breed registry brand
or tattoo, an 840 flap, bangle
or an 840 radio frequency
identification device. If the
bull originated from another
state, it may have that state's
official state of origin
(See CATTLE, Page 6)
Suspect in April 1987
murder arrested in Roma
A suspect in a April 1987
murder in the Escobares area
was arrested on Wednesday
evening, Jan 6 in a joint
operation by the Starr
County Sheriff's Department
and the U.S. Marshals
Service.
Juan Francisco Martinez-
Bautista, 53, was arrested at
S I C Pecan
Campus open
late Jan. 15, 18
South Texas College's
Pecan Campus located at
3201 West Pecan Blvd. in
McAllen is open from 8 a.m.
to midnight on Friday, Jan.
15 and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
on Martin Luther King Jr.
Day on Monday, Jan. 18 to
help students prepare for the
spring 2010 semester.
Students can register for
classes, receive counseling
and advising and take
needed placement tests.
Additionally students can
receive assistance with
financial aid, including
applying for installment
plans and emergency loans.
For more information call
956-872-8311.
a uumd residence at
approximately 9 p.m. on
Wednesday, Jan. 6. He was
apprehended after trying to
flee through the back door of
his residence.
Bautista was arraigned
before 229th District Court
Judge Alex W. Gabert and
charged with murder in the
April 19, 1987 slaying of
Margarito Alaniz, Jr. near
San Julian Road north of
Escobares. Bautista's bond
was set at $1 million.
Sheriff's Department Chief
Deputy Guillermo Pena
declared Monday. "He (the
suspect) was apprehended in
a joint operation between the
Sheriff's Department and
U.S. Marshals Service. We
had been following tips
concerning the suspect for
several years. We learned
recently that he was living at
a residence in Roma."
Pena added, "When he was
arrested, he tried to flee
ihrough the back door of his
residence. He was unarmed at
the time of his arrest."
"He was believed to have
crossed between Mexico and
the U.S. a number of times
in recent years," stated the
Chief Deputy. "At one time,
he was believed to have lived
in the Houston area."
Aiauiz was 30 at the time
of his shooting death during
the evening hours of April
19. 1987. Pena indicated,
"He was shot several times
in different parts of the
body."
Pena declared, "The
slaying was believed to have
occurred after an argument
about a horse.. The homicide
was committed on April 19.
1987 at a ranch at San Julian
Road in the Garceno area "
The April 23. 1987 edition
of The Rio Grande Herald
reported that Alaniz "was
shot at least four times at
approximately 8:30 p.m.
Sunday (April 19) at a
private residence in the San
Julian area three miles north
of Escobares."
The sheriff at the time.
Gene rai in. indicated in
April 1987 ihat an autopsy
revealed tnat Alaniz was shot
twice in the stomach, once
in the head and once in the
leg.
The April 23, 1987 Rio
Grande Herald stated. "Falcon
said that Alaniz was shot
alter a very brief discussion
with the alleged slayer. The
sheriff indicated that the
gunman drew a weapon,
apparently a 9-millimeter
(See SUSPECT, Page 6)
Lrenerai Sanchez staff celebrates Christmas
General Ricardo Sanchez Elementary administration hosted a breakfast to celebrate the
Christmas season on Thursday, December 17, 2009. Mrs. Cindy Bazan. Principal, was
elated to be joined by all her staff. Central Office administration and Board Members for
this occasion (RGCCISD Photo).
Weekly Money Saving tip #2
Turn off the television. One big way to
save money is to watch less television
There are a lot of financial benefits
to this less exposure to guilt-inducing ads
more time to focus on other things in life,
less electrical use, and so on It's great
to unwind in the eveniga but seek another
hobby tp.#|.that
... , Spactftl to PO H#r KJ
The Rio Grande Herald Presents
MOVig PRE*