The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), No. 47, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 29, 1988 Page: 1 of 8
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THE RIO GRANDE HERALD
Serving Starr County For Five Decades
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Published in Rio Grande City, Texas, Every Thursday By The Rio Grande Publishing Co.
NO. 47 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29,1988
FIFTEEN CENTS
• • •.."•a- tr*. .szy.*.
. •* - -1
8b Inmates Escape
rom detention Center
The Rio Grande River is pictured above Tuesday afternoon as it continues its
decline from the peak flow of Wednesday, Sept. 21.
Swollen River Oar
Six inmates, three local and
three federal, remain the focus of
an intensive manhunt after escap-
ing from the Starr County Deten-
tion Center before Tuesday.
Sheriff Gene Falcon said Tues-
day morning, "I'm optimistic that
we will find most of these people."
He indicated that the local De-
partment of Public Safety, the local
Border Patrol, and the U.S.
Marshal's Office in the manhunt.
The sheriff said that the escape
occurred before dawn Tuesday
morning, mostly likely around 3
a.m.
Falcon said, "We found them
missing this morning after roll call.
They had gone out through a side
window in the dormitory. They
broke two small windows 12 inches
in diameter. This was on the east
side of the building."
tages
Some Crops; RecedHfl
j
The swollen Rio Grande River,
which rose rapidly to near flood
stage because of rains spawned in
Mexico by Hurricane Gilbert, re-
ceded significantly last week after
causing some damage to lowland
area crops, but no damage to
physical property.
Sheriff Gene Falcon said Friday,
"We monitored the river (earlier in
the week); we were most worried
about the river near El Refugio.
Quite a bit of farmland was
covered with water In places
where it's low, the river was up to
one-quarter of a mile out of its
banks "
Chief Deputy J.C. Gomez said
Monday, "We did not have to
evacuate anyone. It (the swollen
river) didn't do any real damage to
physical property. I imagine it did
some damage to cropland."
Due to an overflow from Lake
Marta Gomez inside Mexico, the
flow of the Rio Grande River near
Rio Grande City reached a peak of
50,000 cubic feet per second early
Wednesday morning, Sept. 21.
On Thursday morning, Bill Ruth
of the International Boundary and
Water Commission in Mercedes
told The Rio Grande Herald,
"Right now, the flow past Rio
Grande City is 39,000 cfs. The flow
out of Marte Gomez at 9 a m was
25,000 cfs." The peak flow out of
Marte Gomez was 45,600 cfs for
eight hours early Tuesday
Ruth said Thursday, "The river
is receding; things are going
down."
According to the McAllen
Monitor, the IBWC inai cater!
Tuesday that the river flow past
Rio Grande City had declined to
11,000 cfs.
Soil Conservation Service District
Conservationist Silvestre Gonzalez
said, "There was a little bit cf
Voter
Registration
Deadline Oct. 7
All voters who are not currently
registered have until Oct. 7 to
register if they wish to vote in the
Nov. 8 general election
Anyone who is not currently
registered, and desires to vote Nov.
8, should come by the Tax
Assessor-Collector's office All in-
coming mail must be postmarked
by Oct. 7. All applications received
after the said deadline will cause
the applicants to be ineligible to
vote in the Nov. 8 general election.
Tax Assessor-Collector Maria
Ofelia Saenz indicates that anyone
with questions about voting should
call that office at 487-2376 or
487-7370.
erosion. The damage is to some of
the crops, mainly bell peppers In
the Grulla area, they lost a lot of
low-lying crops in very low river
bottom areas. There is no apparent
soil damage. When the river
overflows, it meanders back
through its old streams."
Rio Grande City farmer John
Shuford, whose farm is located in
the southwest section of Ri>
Grande City, said Tuesday, "I lost
15 acres of peppers and 20 acres of
lettuce that the water went up
over. We will be able to replant the
lettuce, but not the peppers. I have
15 other acres of peppers."
Shuford stressed, "I did not have
any soil washout. It could give the
soil more submoisture."
Shuford said, "About 110 out of
400 acres of my farm was under
water It (the river) went back into
its normal channel completely by
Monday morning. The river is back
in its banks; we're pumping
again." The pumps, he said, had
been moved away from the river
when it was rising.
A.V. Peterson of Starr Produce
said, "In one place, we lost about
20 acres of corn. We lost a pump
site, but not the pump and the
motor. The only damage we had to
the soil was where the pump was.
That's all we lost; many people lost
a lot more."
Efrain Duran, manager of the
Starr County Water District,
stressed Tuesday morning that the
(See RIVER, Page 5)
Falcon added, "The mash wire in
front of the window was torn from
the actual concrete; two pieces of
concrete from the thick window
were torn out."
The sheriff suggested, "Possibly,
they used some small hand tool,
such as a knife or a small piece of
(SEE PICTURES OF
ESCAPEES, PAGE 6|
steel, to tear the blocks apart.
Someone was hurt in the attempt
We found one inmate's shirt about
six or seven blocks away to the
east; it had bloodstains."
Falcon indicated that all evi-
dence indicates that each inmate
left the Detention Center unarmed
Falcon said that the jailers on
duty at the time have been
temporarily suspended, pending a
full investigation of the incident.
He added, "We have a good bunch
of people working at the jail We
will work to correct the problem,
particularly with the windows.''
Reports about the incident have
indicated that the inmates covered
up the gap by inserting clothing
into the opening
The three local inmates who
escaped, and their physical de-
scriptions, are as follows:
• Jose Molina, 26, of Laredo,
detained for burglary of habitation
and theft of vehicle, incarcerated
in the Starr County Detention
Center one month; physical
description- 5 feet, 6 inches tall. 155
pounds, dark hair and brown eyes.
• Luis Carlos Acevedo, 23, of Rio
Grande City, detained for failure to
appear for revocation of probation
hearing, jailed in Detention Center
for two days; physical description-
5 feet, 4 inches, 130 pounds, brown
hair and brown eyes.
• Jesus Lopez Ramirez, 30, of
Miguel Aleman, Tamps, Mexico,
detained for burglary of habitation,
held in Detention Center for a
month; physical description- 5 feet,
8 inches, 160 pounds, black hair and
brown eyes
• The three federal inmates who
escaped, and their physical de-
scriptions, are indicated as follows
• Saloman Zamarripa, 32, of
Houston, held for U.S Marshals on
alleged immigration violation, held
in Detention Center since Sept. 19,
physical description- 5 feet, 7
inches, 145 pounds, brown hair and
brown eyes.
• Samuel Ponce Hernandez, 35, of
Mission, charged with possession of
heroin, jailed in Detention Center
for over two months; physical
description- 5 feet, 7 inches, 155
pounds, black hair arid brown eyes.
• Jose Guadalupe Ibarra, 26, of
McAllen charged with possession
of heroin, detained for U.S.
Marshal's office for over two
months; physical description- 5
feet, 5 inches, 145 pounds, black
hair and brown eyes.
Falcon said that all six inmates
escaped in their white prison
uniforms.
Anyone with information con-
cerning the escapees should con-
tact the Sheriffs Department at
487-5571.
Workshop Held To Discuss
1989 County Budget
Kv KENNETH ROBERTS
A workshop was held Tuesday
morning to allow preliminary and
informal discussion of the direction
the !989 county budget might take.
The hearing for possible adoption
of the 1989 budget by the County
Commissioners is scheduled for 2
p m Friday.
Judge J.M. Martinez, Jr.,
stressed during the workshop, "I
will recommend that we have a flat
$500 increase for all unelected
officials, including deputy sheriffs.
Democratic Caravan
Stops In RGC
A caravan of leading South Texas
Democratic Party elected officials
stopped in Rio Grande City
Thursday, and urged that an all-out
effort be made to maximize the
South Texas vote to bring about
National 4-H Week
To Be Observed
B n T1SS A PETERSON
This Saturday October 1, will be
the kickoff date in Starr County for
activities celebrating National 4-H
Week
Starr County Judge J M
Martinez signed a proclamation
making the first week in October
4-H Week in Starr County
A Bike-a-Thon will be held on
Saturday from 9 to 12 in the
morning, and anyone may
participate One does not have to
be a 4-H member The event, which
is being sponsored by Starr County
4 H Clubs, will benefit the Chil-
dren's Research Hospital. St.
Jude's
Anyone wishing to participate
may come to the Fort Ringgold this
Saturday morning at 9:00 a m If
you have a pledge sheet, bring it,
signed If you don't have one. you
can get one there If you don't have
a bicycle or tricycle, you may walk
the course. The important thing is
that everyone participate to help
the children from all over our
nation who are helped by St.
Jude's
On Tuesday evening, at 7:00 p.m.
both Rio 4-H Club members and
Starr Grande 4-H Club members
will have called meetings for the
purpose of electing officers for this
club year. They will meet at the
Fairgrounds.
On Wednesday, all 4-H'ers are
being encouraged to wear green to
show off the 4-H colors If one has a
4-H t-shirt, jacket, or scarf, this
would be an appropriate time to
wear them. If not, just wear a
skirt, shirt, or whatever you have
in kelly green
On Thursday, those who have
already signed up for 4-H are
encouraged to bring their friends
who have not yet signed up for the
1988-89 club year by the Extension
Office to register during National
4 H Week
On Friday, 4 H Club members
will assist with flag-raising
ceremonies at the Rio Grande City
High School Rattler football game,
and a special announcement about
4-H in Starr County and nationwide
will be made
The three clubs in Starr County
are the Rio 4-H Club, the San Isidro
4 H Club, and the Starr-Grande 4-H
Club, with a total enrollment of
almost 200 youth and about 50 adult
leaders.
Michael Dukakis' election as Pres-
ident
State Rep. Henry Cuellar of
Laredo was the first speaker He
said, "If you look at the full
picture, making the choice is easy.
We have a fighting team "
He attacked Republican nominee
George Bush's choice of Indiana
Sen. Dan Quayle as his vice-
presidential candidate He asked.
"Who will put out the money and
effort for quality education9 The
Democratic Party has the spirit to
build a foundation on rock ''
Cuellar recalled that Zavala
County Judge Ron Carr "won his
last election by one vote.
LaSalle County Commissioner
Leodoro Martinez said, "This year,
we need numbers. We need to get
150,000 to 170,000 votes out of South
Texas to win the election Two-
thirds of President Carter's winn-
ing margin in Texas in 1976 came
from South Texas."
Starr County Commissioner
Reynaldo "Moreno" Alaniz said,
"I'm tired of seeing ranchers
having to sell their cattle to save
their land I'm tired of seeing
scores of businesses throughout the
Rio Grande Valley close down I'm
tired of seeing banks closing
throughout the state."
Alaniz added, "I'm tired of
seeing us helping every nation on
earth except our neighbors to the
south " He contended that if
Dukakis is elected President, the
government policies instituted will
be more favorable to both South
Texas and Mexico
Zavala County Judge Ron Carr,
the Democratic nominee for
Justice of the Fourth Court of
Appeals, stressed the importance
of voter registration He added.
"You don't have to have a reason
to vote absentee any more."
Carr said, "Your county chair-
man helped met to gain the
nomination to this position."
Earlier in the summer, Justice
Rudy Esquivel resigned his posi-
tion, but Gov. Bill Clements ref-
used to accept his resignation. The
Texas Supreme Court ruled on
Aug. 24 that Carr's name must be
placed on the November ballot.
I would like them to put a ceiling of
$14,000 for those persons under that
figure (to even out salary dis-
crepancies in some areas)."
Martinez later told The Rio
Grande Herald, "The non-officials
have not had ari increase for a long
time." He said that the non-
officials are deserving of an
increase, and praised them for
weathering the stringent cuts of
1987 so well.
Martinez led off the discussion by
noting the request of Auditor Jose
Guadalupe Villarreal, who said, "I
want the staff as it is, but with
salaries as they were three years
ago. The increases are in payroll,
health insurance, and $2000 solely
for outside travel."
Treasurer Aurelio Sanchez, in
talking about his office's needs
said that he would like the clerk
currently working part-time to be
hired on a full-time basis
Assistant Auditor Joaquin
Gutierrez said that the Precinct
Three Justice of the Peace (Jose
Venecia) has requested the hiring
of a secretary for his office, at a
cost of $8500, and a salary increase
for the JP (him) from $11,300 to
$12,500.
Martinez indicated that the Pre-
cinct Four J.P. (Hector "Ivo"
Perez) has requested a salary
increase from $16,500 to $19,000, an
increase from $11,400 to $13,500 for
his secretary, an increase from
$425 to $1000 for the telephone
allocation, an increase from $700 to
$1800 in supplies, and a rise from
$32,000 to $40,000 in the overall
budget.
Martinez noted that the Volun-
teer Fire Department has re-
quested an increase from $62,000 to
$95,000 in its overall budget. The
request calls for salaries to in
crease from $38,000 to $56,000. and
a $7000 increase for equipment
Fire Marshal David Villarreal
said, "They're asking for two
additional persons, so they can be
able to handle the load that they
have there." He said that the Fire
Department is in a bind when one
or more firemen are out of the
office on a call.
Villarreal also requested a
budget allocation for travel for
both the Fire Chief and the Fire
Marshal Assistant Auditor
Gutierrez said, "The late Chief
Guffey once had a travel allowance
of $600 per month; it was later
allocated at 20 cents per mile "
(See WORKSHOP. Page 3|
A caravan of leading Democratic Party officials in South Texas passed through Rio
Grande City on Thursday to promote the Dukakis -Bentsen presidential ticket.
Standing on the far left of the front row is State Representative Henry Cuellar of
Laredo. To his immediate right is Zavala County Judge Ron Carr, a candidate for the
Fourth Court of Appeals.
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Roberts, Kenneth. The Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), No. 47, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 29, 1988, newspaper, September 29, 1988; Edinburg, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth195152/m1/1/?q=%22Rio+Grande+Herald+Publishing+Company%2C+Inc.%22: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.