A WEEK OF DISMAL, SAD AND DEPRESSING NUMBERS

October 28, 2018, 11:54 am

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In  U.S. Society

Number of Jewish victims killed by anti-Semitic Robert Bowers in Pittsburgh: 11

Number injured, six, including four police officers

Number of weapons in possession of Bowers: 1 assault rifle and three handguns

Number of pipe bombs mailed by Trump-lover Cesar Altieri Sayoc. Jr to his hero's critics: 14

Number of targets: 12, including one addressed to Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat; another was sent to James R. Clapper Jr., a former director of national intelligence; and a third was intercepted before it reached Senator Kamala Harris, a California Democrat.

Other packages have been addressed to former President Barack Obama; former Secretary of State Clinton; former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.; Representative Maxine Waters, a California Democrat; former Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.; John O. Brennan, a former C.I.A. director, the actor Robert De Niro; and George Soros, the billionaire Democratic donor.

Number of statements blaming Democrats of trying to score points against him because of pipe bombs by his worshiper: 1, Donald Trump

“These terrorizing acts are despicable and have no place in our country,” he said.
But in a Friday night rally in Charlotte, N.C., the president accused the news media of trying to use Mr. Sayoc’s political leanings to “score political points against me and the Republican Party.”

Number of police and SWAT members shot and injured in Pittsburgh: 4

On the Sports Scene: 

Number of games won by Boston Red Sox against LA Dodgers as of Saturday night: 3-2

Longest game in World Series history: Friday night/Saturday morning's third game lasted 18 innings
and lasted 7 hours, 20 minutes. According to Stats by Stats that is longer than the entire 1939 World Series. That year, the Yankees swept the Reds in four games that took a combined 7 hours, 5 minutes.

It didn’t end until 2:30 a.m CST.
There were 118 players at the plate.

Three games had gone 14 innings: Game 1 of the 2015 World Series (Royals’ 5-4 win over Mets), Game 2 of the 1916 Series (a 2-1 Red Sox win over Brooklyn) and Game 3 in 2005 (White Sox 7-5 win over Astros).

The teams each used nine pitchers, and both equaled the single-team record for any playoff game. The 18 combined pitchers set a new postseason record. ESPN reports that both teams set a playoff record by using 23 players in the game.

The 13th inning was the first World Series extra inning in which both teams committed an error since the 10th inning of Game 4 in 1969 (Orioles-Mets).

Is it incongruous that we mention domestic terrorism and violence against Anti-Semitic and blacks in the same post about the World Series?

Yes it is, and it gives you an insight into the tumultuous point we have reached in the national psyche where we have developed a tolerance for violence while also paying attention to professional sports.

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BROWNSVILLE MAN KILLED FRIDAY IN NORTHWEST INDIANA

October 28, 2018, 11:57 am

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CHESTERTON — The man killed early Friday when his car struck a large boulder at the entrance to the Indiana Dunes State Park has been identified.

Porter County Coroner Chuck Harris identified the man as Carlo Garza, 32, of Brownsville, Texas.

The Porter County coroner's office responded to the state park at 12:33 a.m. Friday, according to a coroner's news release.

The 2013 Nissan Altima had been traveling at a high rate of speed when it veered off the road and struck the boulder. Garza, who was driving the car, was pronounced dead on the scene from blunt force injuries.

Toxicology results are pending, the coroner's release said.

Porter County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the crash.

KING RANCH MATRIARCH FIRST CAME TO BROWNSVILLE

October 28, 2018, 12:11 pm

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From Handbook of Texas

Henrietta Maria Morse Chamberlain King, rancher and philanthropist, the only child of Maria (Morse) and Hiram Chamberlain, was born on July 21, 1832, in Boonville, Missouri. Her mother's death in 1835 and her father's Presbyterian missionary work in Missouri and Tennessee often made her childhood lonely; as a result she became strongly self-reliant and introspective, and she maintained close attachments to her family.

She attended Female Institute of Holly Springs, Mississippi, for two years, beginning when she was fourteen. She moved to Brownsville, Texas, probably in 1849, for she was living there when her father organized the first Presbyterian mission in South Texas at Brownsville, on February 23, 1850. 

In 1854 she taught briefly at the Rio Grande Female Institute before her marriage to Richard King on December 10, 1854; they had five children.

In 1854 Henrietta and Richard King established their home on the Santa Gertrudis Ranch. Their original dwelling was a mud and stick jacal, but this was eventually replaced with a house overlooking Santa Gertrudis Creek. Not only was Henrietta King wife and mother, but she also was supervisor of housing and education for the families of Mexican-American ranch hands.

During the Civil War the ranch was an official receiving station for cotton that was ferried first to Mexican ports and then on to England. When King left the ranch to escape capture by Union forces in 1863, a pregnant Henrietta remained. After the house was plundered she moved the family to San Antonio until they could safely return home. Upon her husband's death in 1885 Mrs. King assumed full ownership of his estate, consisting chiefly of 500,000 acres of ranch land between Corpus Christi and Brownsville and $500,000 in debts.

Under Henrietta King's skillful and personal supervision, and with the assistance of her son-in-law, Robert Justus Kleberg, the King Ranch was freed of debt and increased in size. By 1895 the 650,000-acre ranch was engaged in experiments in cattle and horse breeding, in range grasses, and in dry and irrigated farming. 

That year King gave Kleberg her power of attorney and increased his ranch responsibilities. The ranch continued to grow, reaching a size of 1,173,000 acres by 1925. One of the horses bred at the ranch won the Triple Crown in 1946. The Santa Gertrudis cattle developed there were a boon to the Texas cattle industry because of their resistance to disease and heat.

King was also interested in the settlement of the region between Corpus Christi and Brownsville. About 1903 she offered 75,000 acres of right-of-way to Uriah Lott and Benjamin Franklin Yoakum, who planned to construct the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway.

In 1904 she furnished townsites for Kingsville and Raymondville, located on the railway. She founded the Kleberg Town and Improvement Company and the Kingsville Lumber Company to sell land and materials to settlers in Kingsville.

As the town grew she invested in the Kingsville Ice and Milling Company, Kingsville Publishing Company, Kingsville Power Company, Gulf Coast Gin Company, and Kingsville Cotton Oil Mill Company. 

She constructed the First Presbyterian Church building there and also donated land for Baptist, Methodist, Episcopal, and Catholic churches; she constructed a public high school and presented it to the town. 

Among her many charities were donations of land for the Texas-Mexican Industrial Institute and for the Spohn Sanitarium. In her last years she provided land and encouragement for the establishment of South Texas State Teachers College (now Texas A&M University–Kingsville).

Henrietta King died on March 31, 1925, on the King Ranch and was buried in Kingsville. At her funeral an honor guard of 200 vaqueros, riding quarter horses branded with the ranch's Running W, flanked the hearse. Each rider cantered once around the open grave.

THE LITTLE-KNOWN STORY TO BRING FIDEL TO BROWNTOWN

October 29, 2018, 10:03 am

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(Ed.'s Note: After we posted a picture of the Cohiba hand-rolled cigar that a friend brought us from his recent visit to Havana, Cuba, we received electronic correspondence reminding us that even the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce had attempted to bring the Cuban revolutionary to Brownsville during his visit the the United States in April 1959. The Chamber planned to have Castro and his entourage spend the day in Brownsville and even planned a banquet for him. Alas, that never materialized due to issues beyond their control and Castro went on to Montreal, New York, and then to Houston and then on to Argentina).

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

In April, 1959, some four months after leading a successful revolution in  Cuba, Fidel Castro began an 11-day visit to the United States.

Hoping that they would somehow work their way into the Cuban leader's itinerary, members of the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce, the Jr. Chamber of Commerce, the City of Brownsville, the Lions Club, the Brownsville Herald and a local radio station, gathered to plan the envisioned ceremony on April 25.

In a long letter detailing the plans, then-Chamber General Manager and Executive Secretary O.M. Longnecker Jr. wrote members of the failed attempt to get Castro to come here. As it was, Castro neither requested nor accepted an official government invitation for his trip to Washington and New York. Rather, he came at the invitation of what was then called the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

They found out that the Castro visit to Houston that they had planned to piggyback the Brownsville event had been reduced to a three-hour refueling layover on the way from Montreal to Argentina. Additionally, their plans to use the Civic Center to hold a banquet was stymied because of a previous scheduling for a large convention there.

News reports of the day indicate that during his stay, Castro placed a wreath on George Washington’s grave, toured the Bronx Zoo, ate hot dogs and hamburgers at Yankee Stadium and generally made a big media splash. Wherever he went, the 33-year-old bearded Cuban leader invariably wore his trademark rumpled green fatigues.

He did not meet with President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who snubbed him, although the Cuban leader did meet with Vice President Richard Nixon.

Nixon later said he came away from the meeting with the conclusion that Castro was “either incredibly naive about communism or under communist discipline – my guess is the former.” On the other hand, after meeting with Castro, former Secretary of State Dean Acheson called him “the first democrat of Latin America.”

In a speech in New York to the Council on Foreign Relations, Castro said he would not beg the United States for economic assistance. He finally stormed out of the session, professing his anger at some of the questions raised by his audience.

Relations between the United States and Castro deteriorated rapidly after the April visit.

Two years to the day after Castro’s U.S. visit, President John F. Kennedy put into motion Operation Zapata, also known as the Bay of Pigs operation, a CIA-sponsored plan to oust Castro.

The coup attempt proved to be a political and military disaster, precipitating a shakeup of the U.S. spy agency. Political tensions between Washington and Havana continue to this day.

In retrospect, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that the plans by the Chamber of Commerce fell through. Imagine if they had succeeded and Brownsville had been considered a hotbed of radicalism. 

EL BARRIL GOES UP IN FLAMES: GAVITO SUSPECTS ARSON

October 29, 2018, 10:21 am

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Special to El Rrun-Rrun

A piece of history went up in flames this morning when the Brownsville Fire Dept. responded to a call of a fire that gutted the popular blue-collar bar named El Barril.

Proprietor George Gavito – a former Cameron County Sheriff and D.A. investigator – said he suspected that the fire had been the work of an arsonist.

"Some people have told us that a guy had been kicked out of the bar for rowdy behavior and that he vowed to get even," he said. "We have a pretty good idea who it was."

Gavito and firefighters say that the arsonist(s) had worked loose  aboard covering a window on the alley and had thrown and accelerant and ignited the fire through there.

Photos posted on his Facebook site show the extensive damage done to the establishment by the flames.

The building at one time housed the original Feldman's Liquor Store and some people remember driving through the alley to a drive-through window. Later, the original Barril nightclub extended past the current bar area in the graphic and to an adjoining area up to the wall separating it and the downtown Oyster Bar.

For those who remember El Barril, it was one of the downtown fixtures for dancing to local conjuntos and musica regional. The babes would get all charoleadas and the guys would put on their Sunday best to sweep them across the dance floor.

They might be laboring in manual jobs during the week, but come the weekend, the Stetsons and George Strait western shirts would come out of the closet and the couples would make their way to the Barril on 417 E. 11th Street behind the downtown Oyster Bar.

Gavito has not said whether he is considering rebuilding.

DID SOMEONE DASH OFF WITH THE BURNS BUNNY RUN FUNDS?

October 29, 2018, 10:56 am

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By Juan Montoya

By all accounts, Marylin Burns Elementary's Second Annual Bandit Bunny Run and Egg Hunt held April 7 was a huge success.

Many local businesses participated and the school figured to rake in somewhere around $4,000 for student services and teacher support.

But soon, stories that something shady had occurred on the way to deposit the cash in a local bank started to spread in the school and across the Brownsville Independent School District. Fueled by these leads, we filed an information request October 10 to get at the bottom of the story.                                                                                                                                                    In our request we asked for all reports by the BISD administration and its police department or any campus or district correspondence concerning the alleged theft of the funds.                                                                                                                                                               We also asked for any referrals on the matter made to the Brownsville Police Dept., the Cameron County District Attorney's Office, or any other law enforcement agency concerning the alleged theft. The request also included any disciplinary actions generated in the case. 

They wrote the AG that "The District believes that information in documents responsive to this request may be excepted from disclosure under the TPIA section §551.108 Exception: Certain Law Enforcement, Corrections and prosecutorial Information. Accordingly, pursuant to Texas Government Code §552.301 (3), within 15 business days of its receipt of the request, the District will submit to your office written comments providing reasons why the stated exceptions apply that would allow the information to be withheld, and copies of the documents about which the District is seeking an opinion."

Well, as you can see from the letter sent to us by the BISD lawyers, this amounts to a back-door confirmation that something amiss did happen.

For those who contributed to the fundraiser, it is only appropriate and proper that they know what became of the efforts to help the school, and not to protect any potential wrongdoers.

Will the BISD, Burns Principal Alma S. Garza, and her assistant Leticia Bohn have the courtesy to let the parents, students, staff, and sponsors know the real story?                                                   

TWO BROWNSVILLE MUNICIPAL JUDGES TO BE SWORN IN TODAY

October 29, 2018, 11:45 am

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Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Two local attorneys will be sworn in today at 2 p.m. at City Plaza as City of Brownsville municipal judges.

They are Jaime Diez and Rigoberto Flores.

Diez will be sworn in by U.S. Magistrate Ignacio Torteya and Flores will be sworn in by federal judge Rolando Olvera.

There were many applicants for the municipal judge positions. We have learned that among those considered were local attorneys Ed Cyganiewicz, Erin Gamez, Ruben Herrera and other well-known local lawyers.

Judges to the municipal court have traditionally been made by the city manager in consultation with the chief municipal judge. However, the notice of the appointments were signed by assistant city manager Pete Gonzalez.

The selections are also an indicator that  the new majority on the city commission is exerting its muscle on the city administration. That majority - Jessica Tetreau, Cesar de Leon, Ricardo Longoria and Joel Munguia - have now become the guiding force on the commission. It is unlikely that Gonzalez would have taken the decision to appoint these two judges on his own.

Both men are well-qualified for the municipal judge positions. Diez specializes in immigration law and Flores was a Cameron County District Asst. District Attorney.

"COACH" JOE, ELIZONDO CONTINUE SKIRTING THE RULES

October 30, 2018, 9:26 am

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(Ed.'s Note: This morning those Brownsville Independent School District staffers and administrative personnel who work at the Brownsville Academic Center (BAC) were treated to donuts and coffee by BISD trustees Joe Rodriguez and Carlos Elizondo.

Some questioned the propriety of two incumbents of the board giving donuts and coffee to district employees who make up part of the electorate in this year's board elections. Since both are still on the board, their generosity is suspect. There are three days left for early voting which ends Friday. The election is next Tuesday. What do you think they are hoping to get in return for their generosity?                                                                                                                                                                                    This is not the first time that Rodriguez has skirted the law. Just last week he was seen soliciting "support" from people entering the back door of the Central Library well within the restricted area where candidates cannot campaign. With his trusty walker in hand, he greeted voters with a smile.                                                                                                                                          When the election judge was notified he was electioneering, she sent a election worker and shooed him away, but not before Rodriguez had buttonholed a few people entering the voting area. Rodriguez is facing challenges from Prisci Roca-Tipton, Randy Gonzales, and Jorge Valdez

We won't even enumerate Elizondo's troubles with the law. We just don't have the space here. He faces Erasmo Castro and former BISD trustee Otis Powers.

The pushing of once's candidacy would seem to fall under the prohibition of local school board policy (GKB Local: Title: Community relations, Subtitle: Advertising and fundraising) against political advertising. 

BISD local policy prohibits any activity if "the advertisement is political, including advertising for or against political candidates, or for or against political propositions and/or referendums."

According to the district's website, the BAC is "an alternative education school serving middle school and high school students in the Brownsville Independent School District...At BAC, we are dedicated to providing a positive learning environment which incorporates the BAC Respect Model as a daily guide to help reinforce the values of respect and self-discipline. 

The BAC's primary goal is to serve students' academic needs in an environment which stresses the importance of self-discipline and respect. Students who are referred to BAC for either a 30 or 45-day placement. It is left up to principal Hector Hernandez and the BISD administration to follow the policy at his school campus.

But maybe Rodriguez and Elizondo need a refresher course on ethics and local district policy. Should they be referred to the BAC for 30 or 45 days?)

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"DIRTY DEEDS" OF DPS, D.A.'S OFFICE, TRIGGERS COMPLAINT

October 30, 2018, 3:36 pm

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(Ed.'s Note: The dismissal and the acquittal of Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector Tony Yzaguirre and five other tax office staffers on combined criminal counts of bribery, abuse of official capacity, official oppression, engaging in organized criminal activity, tampering with government records, and breach of computer security, has triggered a complaint against two Texas Department of Public Safety investigators. A Nueces County jury acquitted Yzaguirre 15 charges, and eight others were dismissed during trial. The charges against the five defendants were dismissed after Yzaguirre's acquittal. In subsequent posts We will publish each of the victims' stories that form the basis of the complaint with the DPS Inspector General.)

By Juan Montoya

Six Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector employees – including elected official Tony Yzaguirre – have filed complaints with the DPS Office of Inspector General against agents Rene Olivarez and Ryan G. Maza asking that they be criminally investigated for Abuse of Official Capacity and Official Oppression.


The complaints were dated October 19, 2018, and the DPS Office of Inspector General acknowledged receipt of the complaints October 25. IG Captain Bonnie Casey-Moore sent the tax employees' attorney – Brownsville attorney Eddie Lucio who defended Yzaguirre in Nueces County – a letter of receipt and indicated that a copy of the complaints had been forwarded to the DPS Criminal Investigation Division for investigation.


Operating under the name "Operation Dirty Deeds." the case was tried at the direction of Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz and prosecuted by Asst. D.A. Peter Gilman who was assisted by Asst. D.A. Edward Sandoval.

Following the acquittal of Yzaguirre, D.A. Saenz dismissed the other 17 charges against the five other defendants.  In their complaints, the six defendants ask that both Olivarez and Maza be investigated and that charges be filed on them for official misconduct and oppression. They also ask that they be dismissed from their employment with the DPS.

YZAGUIRRE'S COMPLAINT WITH THE DPS INSPECTOR GENERAL

October 31, 2018, 8:58 am

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(Ed.'s Note: The dismissal and the acquittal of Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector Tony Yzaguirre and five other tax office staffers on combined criminal counts of bribery, abuse of official capacity, official oppression, engaging in organized criminal activity, tampering with government records, and breach of computer security, has triggered a complaint against two Texas Department of Public Safety investigators. A Nueces County jury acquitted Yzaguirre 15 charges, and eight others were dismissed during trial. The charges against the five defendants were dismissed after Yzaguirre's acquittal. In subsequent posts We will publish each of the victims' stories that form the basis of the complaint with the DPS Inspector General.)

By Tony Yzaguirre

 COMPLAINT:

"On Jan. 5, 2016, officer Rene Olivarez submitted a complaint to Judge Elia Cornejo of the 404th Judicial Court of Cameron County, Texas. In said complaint (he) swore under oath that he had "good reason to believe" that on or about Dec. 15, 2015, (I) had committed the offense of Bribery, alleging that I did then and there accept $200 in cash from his informant Mr. Melquiades Sosa as consideration for not verifying the identity of the applicant seeking said transfer.

Ignorance of Applicable Law

"Though Agent Olivarez knew that the crux of this his investigation and his numerous allegations were based on automobile title transfers, he eventually testified under oath that he was unaware of the law pertaining to (those) transfers...

"Mr. Sosa had been previously arrested by Olivarez and charged with nine felonies. (He) was caught illegally tampering with government records and forging documents...Olivarez along with the Cameron County District's Office, agreed to dismiss all the criminal charges (against him) if he would help build a case against me. In other words, I became the target...

"Olivarez contended that I was waiving the requirements of proof of insurance and ID in exchange for bribes...However, unbeknownst to Olivarez, there is a "motor vehicle dealer" exception to the above verification requirements. In other words, if title transfers are being sought by an automobile dealer or a runner for said dealer or if the titles themselves are dealer titles then the identity and insurance requirements are waived..."

"...Olivarez knew that (Sosa) was an automobile dealer and as such was in the business of buying and selling cars...

"And because he (Olivarez) was ignorant of the law, he manufactured dealer titles with valid dealer numbers which he then provided to his informant as part of the sting operation. Because he was ignorant of the dealer exception, he incorrectly assumed that I was getting paid not to check the informant's ID and insurance."

(Trial transcript of Olivarez testimony P. 83, Line 6-18)

Q: "And then your office, (he comes back and tells you that they've been rejected, correct?...And he explains to you this issue with the dealer numbers, correct?...
A: Yes, sir.

Q: Okay. So your office does some research, finds some legitimate dealer numbers, and puts them into this title, correct?...Now, once you did that, the titles made it through, correct?
A: "Yes, sir." 
Q: Okay. But since you didn't know, you went ahead and arrested Mr. Yzaguirre anyway, right?
A: Yes, sir."

  Disregarded Exculpatory Evidence

(Trial transcript of Olivarez testimony P.13, Line 20-25, P. 140, Line 1-11)

Q: So now we have the (application for title) rejection of June 23, rejection of June 25th, rejection on September 17, and now we have another rejection Dec. 10th, correct?
A: Correct, sir. 

(Trial transcript of Olivarez testimony P. 61, Line 20, P. 62, Line 4,)

Q: (By Lucio): Now here, agent Olivarez, again your own informant is telling you that when he goes in there, Mr. Yzaguirre tells his staff to check it, check it good, and to make sure that everything is fine, correct?
A: He's telling them to check the papaerwork, sir, only.
Q: Okay. And, again, this doesn't cause you to doubt your belief that bribery is going on, correct?
A: No sir."

"Mr. Sosa put agent Olivarez on notice that he would help campaign for me and collect campaign funds in that regard. In other words, it would not be unusual for him rto have dropped off money for campaign bbq tickets.

(Trial Transcript of Olivarez P. 122, L. 5-14.)

Q. Now, in there, Mr. Sosa never told you one time that he's bribing, so that nobody checks him for driver's license or insurance, correct? 
A. That's correct, sir,
Q So, in fact, when you asked him, basically what he says, that mon- if he's given any money, or any money is given, it's basically for campaign contributions.
A. Correct, sir. It was given for campaign contributions. 

Knowing this, agent Olivarez set up a video sting wherein informant drops off money...agent Olivarez twisted the dropping off of campaign money into a bribery allegation."

(Trial Transcript of Olivarez P. 78, L. 10-14.)

Q. Out of all the contacts that he had with Mr. Yzaguirre, isn't it true that the only times that he's seen dropping off money on any video is after a barbecue takes place? Yes or no?
A. Yes, sir.

                                         Ignores Doubts of Fellow Investigators(Trial Transcript of Olivarez P. 102, L. 15 - P. 103, L. 2

Q. Okay. She's saying, "I'm not seeing any money -- handing any money directly"?
A. Correct, sir,
Q. Now, you had already heard, even though you're saying "1 wasn't present in that car, " before arresting Mr. Yzaguirre, you said you had already heard Janie Alvarado express that sentiment to you. 

A. Yes, sir. 

Q. So now you have another agent from another completely separate different agency telling you that he in his opinion, Mr. Yzaguirre is not accepting it, correct? 

A. You'd have to ask him exactly what he meant by that, sir. 

Q. Okay. But you just heard him say that, right? 

A. Yes, sir.
                                                       

  Conclusion

"The damage to my reputation is irreparable. Any reasonably prudent law enforcement officer would agree, Agent Olivarez was beyond reckless and clearly abused his power at numerous points of his investigation. I respectfully request that he be criminally investigated as a result of his
malfeasance. 

If Agent Maza was aware of Mr. Olivarez's actions, then he too shares the blame and must be sanctioned as well. If Agent Maza was ignorant of Agent Olivarez's actions as he claims, then he nonetheless is to blame for his reckless disregard.

I ask that you take this complaint seriously as Agent Olivarez should not be allowed to continue applying the tactics he employed in this matter."

Next: Sgt. Pedro Garza Complaint 

GARZA: SHAM ARREST BY DPS HUMILIATED ME AND MY FAMILY

October 31, 2018, 9:26 am

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(Ed.'s Note: The dismissal and the acquittal of Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector Tony Yzaguirre and five other tax office staffers on combined criminal counts of bribery, abuse of official capacity, official oppression, engaging in organized criminal activity, tampering with government records, and breach of computer security, has triggered a complaint against two Texas Department of Public Safety investigators. We will publish each of the victims' stories that form the basis of the complaint with the DPS Inspector General. This is by Pedro Garza, Sgt. of the Automobile Theft Task Force.)

By Pedro Garza

COMPLAINT

This written affidavit is made pursuant §614.021 of the Texas Government Code, complaining of the wrongful and unlawful conduct engaged in by Rene Aaron Olivarez (hereinafter "Agent Olivarez"), a Texas Peace Officer employed as Special Agent by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) ID No. 1 1884.

I further request that Agent Olivarez be criminally investigated for violations of the Texas Penal Code, specifically §39.02 Abuse of Official Capacity and §39.03 Official Oppression.

1 am a licensed master peace officer of this State and have been in law enforcement for over 30 years. I have been employed with the Cameron County Tax Assessor Collector's Office since 2001.

Prior to my arrest, I served as a Sgt. with the Automobile Theft Task Force within that office, my duties were to supervise the vehicle registration department of the tax office, detect and prevent automobile crimes in Cameron County.

Prior to agent Olivarez getting involved in my life, I had never been arrested.

1 am a dedicated father and have been married for over 28 years. Because of Olivarez's wrongful actions and questionable investigative techniques, on January 6, 2016, I was arrested at my place of employment and indicted for felony Bribery, Official Oppression, and Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity.

The charges stem from actions alleged by Agent Olivarez to have taken place on On August 19, 2016, after realizing that Olivarez's investigation was without merit, the Cameron County District Attorney's Office had no alternative but to dismiss all charges against me September 14, 2015.

By this time, I had already been publicly humiliated in the news media, my family and I had endured many months of emotional distress, I lost my job, I lost my only source of income, and I was forced to spend thousands of dollars in bonds and attorney's fees.

Agent Olivarez also had my Texas Peace officer's license revoked. His actions led to considerable amount of economic and personal hardship.

Shortly prior to my arrest, my wife had recently been diagnosed with cancer. As a result of being arrested, I was fired and lost the health insurance for my wife at the point we needed most. She struggled tremendously and almost died. (Friends say that because o the arrest, his son was bullied at school.)

Because of the pending criminal charges and negative publicity, I could not find employment. We had to take on massive debt in order to pay medical bills and to keep our home from foreclosure. In my case, Olivarez's actions had serious and life threatening repercussions. Please do not take this complaint lightly....

             

   Olivarez Falsely Swore I Accepted Bribes With No Evidence

"...Olivarez under oath, accused me of engaging in organized criminal activity, official oppression and participating in an alleged bribery scheme within the Cameron County Tax Office....

"No witness ever told him that I accepted a bribe. No video ever showed I accepted a bribe. No audio showed I accepted a bribe. His investigation yielded no evidence whatsoever that I ever accepted a bribe. 
             
"His sworn statements make no reference to any facts that show I accepted any money because there were none. He basically pulled this allegation out of thin air so that he could arrest me and then coerce me. The same applies to his engaging in organized criminal activity and official oppression allegations...

Ignorance

"Because he did not know the law, he based his entire investigation around a false premise. I was allegedly splitting a $100 bribe with at least 2 other people so that the tax office would waive proof of ID and insurance requirements...Aside from not knowing the law at the heart of his case, his allegation absurdly assumes that I would jeopardize my career for a grand total of $33.33.

"In essence, he developed a conspiracy theory about the Cameron County Tax Office being corrupt and then set out to arrest people in hopes that he could coerce them into supporting his conspiracy theory. His actions reflect badly on the Texas Department of Public Safety which continues to employ him.

Conclusion

"As law enforcement officers we have a duty to protect the public and not abuse the great power bestowed upon us. Agent Olivarez should not be allowed to continue as a peace officer. He lacks the judgment and character necessary for this position."

Next: Claudia Elisa Sanchez

VOTING IN BISD ELECTIONS AMOUNTS TO A SHOT IN THE DARK

November 1, 2018, 7:00 am

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By Dr. G.F. McHale-Scully

http://themchalereport.blogspot.com/

Who would be the worst possible candidates that an uninformed and ignorant Brownsville electorate could elect? They would be Mark Cortez in Position I, Carlos Elizondo (and Erasmo Castro) in Position II and Joe Rodriguez in Position IV.

This trio would doom the BISD to an endless and relentless gloom.

Cortez, who advertises himself as LEADERSHIP THAT INSPIRES, is a joke. If he is elected, however, nobody will be laughing. He is the son of Linda Salazar, the justice of the peace who has turned her office into a matrimony maquiladora banking thousands condemning young couples to certain divorce with her hypocritical words.

She is the politiquera who became a politician, but she may be serving the last two years of her career. Cindy Hinojosa, the wife of Democratic kingpin Gilberto Hinojosa, has indicated that she will challenge Salazar in 2020.

Cortez is also the brother of Ruben Cortez. Cortez's story is ignominious. He would tell auditoriums filled with educators that he had made life hell for them as a student and laugh as if he were burying their faces in mud because the traditionally uninformed and ignorant BISD electorate had elected him a school district trustee. 

He is the classic border politician whom the Cameron County Democratic Cartel has bestowed upon us. From his mother he inherited her insatiable thirst for sucking the public tit dry. And now little brother wants to join the frenzied feeding and swallow his share of the taxpayers' milk. They are like piglets burying their snouts into the sow that is their mother.

Leadership that inspires!?!? He has never been a leader in his life. It is well-known that his wife wears the pants in the family. 

Cortez is leadership that conspires, starts fires, doles out hires, associates with liars, wallows in the mire, will turn the BISD into a funeral pyre, run the district like a car with four flat tires and struts around town these days as if he has this election wired.

Cortez is a crab, he's not one you would find at the bottom of the barrel. He is more at home among pubic hairs.

Juan Montoya, the publisher of El Rrun Rrun, has published on several occasions that Cortez is constantly appearing in his mother's court for various infractions. His mother gives him a tap on the fanny, tells him to be a good boy and sends him home. In his defense, however, he is a rank amateur compared to his ally Elizondo.

It's a litany we have repeated ad nauseum, but sometimes memorization is the path to comprehension. First and foremost, Elizondo is a bully. Unfortunately, his intimidating tactics have undermined him both professionally and politically. The municipality was so disgusted with his shenanigans that he was demoted from fire chief and finally terminated as a firefighter.

At the BISD he briefly ascended to the presidency of the board despite the well-covered fact in The Brownsville Herald and the blogs that he was facing eleven felony counts. Aware that Elizondo was hardly a shining role model for the BISD's 45,000 students as well as its 7,000 employees, the trustees quickly huddled and once again Elizondo found himself demoted.

Full of intimidating threats learned on the streets of Matamoros, Elizondo barges into a bar blustering, "Yo sigo siendo el rey!" Maclovio O'Malley, la Voz de los Vatos, says it best when describing the irascible backstabber: "Pinche Carlos sigue siendo el buey!"

Is it possible that the illiterate masses could select a con artist who will shortly appear in court and defend himself against eleven felony counts? In the Third World Capital of the United States where Ernie Hernandez, Pat Ahumada, Jessica Tetreau-Kalifa, Abel Limas, Armando Villalobos, Conrado Cantu and countless others have had their fifteen minutes of infamy, anything is possible. After Trump, all bets are off.

And then there's "Big" Joe Rodriguez or "Coach" as he likes to think of himself. As we mentioned earlier, we helped convince Joe to run four years ago and supported him lustily. As an athletic director, he was as iconic as he was as a coach.

At The McHale Report we are soccer aficionados. We know firsthand the struggles the soccer coaches experienced dealing with football tyrants, but once Joe took the reigns, those days came to an abrupt end. A gambler by nature, Joe loves winners and soccer gave him a pride he could exhibit throughout the entire state. He put his money where Hanna's legendary coach Juan de Dios Garcia's mouth was and spent thousands on the program's infrastructure.

As a trustee, sadly, he has been whistled for numerous penalties. Our comrade-in-arms Montoya has penned in painful detail the thousands and thousands that Joe has banked via his insider status for the financial benefit of his sports company. Though he very theatrically and publicly abstains on issues that enrich him, he already has the votes.

And he doesn't spread the riches. Instead of making sure that BISD employees retain their low insurance premiums, he chooses the opposite option, raising their rates and lowering their coverage in order to build a $1.4 million scoreboard at Sams.

Cortez doesn't deserve a chance and Elizondo and Rodriguez have had their chances and blown it. For this trio public service is their vehicle for placating their self-interests. Why has Brownsville been cursed? It is a city filled with many good citizens but sentenced since its inception to bad leadership.

BISD COVERS UP BURNS ELEMENTARY BUNNY-RUN HEIST

November 1, 2018, 9:41 am

≫ Next: LET'S GO SEE BETO AT RINGGOLD PARK PAVILION AT 2 P.M.

≪ Previous: VOTING IN BISD ELECTIONS AMOUNTS TO A SHOT IN THE DARK

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By Juan Montoya

If everything goes according to plan, the continued cover up by the Brownsville Independent School District of an alleged theft estimated at close to $4,000 from a Bandit Bunny Run Fundraiser at Marilyn Burns elementary School will continue for another two months or more if Texas Attorney General grants it the exemption from disclosure.

In response to an information request on the alleged theft by El Rrun-Rrun, the BISD attorneys responded with a letter stating that they had petitioned the AG to allow them to withhold evidence of any criminal wrongdoing at the school.

The  Second Annual Bandit Bunny Run and Egg Hunt held April 7 was a huge success.

But until today, neither Burns Elementary Principal Alma S. Garza or her assistant Leticia Bohn have had the courtesy to inform the parents, students, staff, or sponsors on the issue.

Instead, they have run to the BISD lawyers to fend off the public's right to know.                            

In its response, the district lawyer wrote us that our request for "(1) all reports by the BISD administration its police department or any campus or district correspondence concerning the alleged theft of funds from the Burns Elementary Bunny Run Fundraiser; (2) any referrals made to the Brownsville P.D., the Cameron County District Attorney or any other law enforcement agency concerning this alleged theft; (3) copies of any disciplinary actions generated in the case" would be left up to the AG.

But why do we say cover up? Because the district claims that "there is no information responsive to Item #2 and #3," indicating that they have kept everything having to do withe the alleged theft to themselves for nearly seven months and have not concluded the investigation.

"The requested information is part of an investigation by Brownsville Independent School District Police Department," they wrote. "The law enforcement agency is investigating potential criminal activity."

And they cite the Texas Government Code Section 552.108 dealing with exceptions dealing with "Prosecutorial Information, Certain Law Enforcement, Corrections, and

(a) Information held by a law enforcement agency or prosecutor that deals with the detection, investigation, or prosecution of crime is excepted from the requirements of Section 552.021 if:

(1) Release of the information would interfere with the detection, investigation or prosecution of crime; and

(b) An internal record or notation of a law enforcement agency or prosecutor that is maintained for internal use in matters relating to law enforcement or prosecution is excepted from the requirements of Section 552.021 if:

(1) Release of the internal record or notation would interfere with law enforcement or prosecution.

"As stated previously, the District's Police Force are investigating suspected criminal activity. The requested information pertaining to Item #1 is part of the criminal investigation. At this time, the investigation remains active by the BISD Police Department. The information made the subject of this request is part of the investigation and we believe are privileged and excepted from disclosure under the section of the Act.

"The District provides an affidavit of the lead investigator in this case who swears the matter continues under investigation by the department and "that release of information regarding this case at this time would hinder the investigation and prosecution of this case" (Exhibit E; Affidavit of Sgt. Patrick V. Gabbert)."

We have not been made privy to Gabbert's affidavit and probably never will unless there is a leak at the BISD. However, where there's smoke there's fire and the smoke billowing from Burns and the main office are casting a pall over the entire district.

LET'S GO SEE BETO AT RINGGOLD PARK PAVILION AT 2 P.M.

November 1, 2018, 10:38 am

≫ Next: BETO IN BROWNTOWN! O'ROURKE STUMPS ON CRUZ'S HEELS

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From Brownsville Herald:

U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s visit to Brownsville today will now take place at the Ringgold Civic Pavilion at Dean Porter Park, located at 501 E Ringgold St.

O’Rourke was originally scheduled to appear from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the TSC Performing Arts Center, but will now be at the new location during the same times.

The public is invited but attendees are being asked to register for the event.

BETO IN BROWNTOWN! O'ROURKE STUMPS ON CRUZ'S HEELS

November 1, 2018, 1:27 pm

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(Ed.'s Note: Anybody who was anybody was at the Beto O'Rourke campaign rally at the Ringgold Park Pavilion. The facility filled to standing room only for the El Paso Congressman challenging Republican senator Ted Cruz.

There was Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, County Clerk Sylvia Garza Perez-Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilbert Hinojosa, JP 1-1 Linda Salazar, and, incongruously, Brownsville Independent School District trustee who is under indictment and the man who had him indicted Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz, Cameron County Treasurer David Betancourt, District Judge Gloria Rincones, Texas Southmost College trustee Trey Mendez, State Board of Education District 2 incumbent Ruben Cortez, City Commissioner Jessica Tetreau, of course, and even Brownsville Mayor Tony Martinez made a cameo.

With election day a week from today, the latest polls show O'Rourke closing in on incumbent  Cruz with a 3 percentage point difference, well within the margin of error. 

Cruz leads O'Rourke 50 percent to 47 percent among likely voters surveyed in the Emerson College poll released Thursday, with 2 percent of those surveyed still undecided.

The poll of 781 likely voters in Texas was conducted Oct. 28-30 and has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.)

---

BREAKING NEWS: BURNS PRINCIPAL, SECRETARY, REMOVED

November 1, 2018, 2:50 pm

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Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Heretofore reliable sources are reporting that Marilyn Burns Elementary Principal Alma S. Garza and her secretary Jasmine Leal have been removed (suspended?) pending an investigation into alleged theft of about $4,000 in cash collected during the April Bandit Bunny Run Fundraiser.


And as the investigation into that heist continues, a second incident involving another alleged theft of about $1,000 from a fundraiser in September dubbed the Chicken Run has been revealed. This time, the sources say that the signature of a teacher was forged on a bank deposit slip.

Assistant Principal Leticia Bohn is reported to have been placed as an interim principal.

Area superintendent Dolores Emerson is said to be overseeing the day-to-day operations at the school.

Sources say the district sent in workers to change locks to the principal's office and were seen hauling off computers from the principal's office.

There is no indication who is suspected of allegedly stealing the money and requests to the district have been met with refusal to release anything dealing with the investigation. The first incident is said to have been in April and the second one in September.

The funds gathered during the September fundraiser were to be used to purchase Christmas giftsand decorations for students, sources say.

In response to an information request on the alleged theft by El Rrun-Rrun, the BISD attorneys responded with a letter stating that they had petitioned the AG to allow them to withhold evidence of any criminal wrongdoing at the school.                         

In its response, the district lawyer wrote us that our request for "(1) all reports by the BISD administration its police department or any campus or district correspondence concerning the alleged theft of funds from the Burns Elementary Bunny Run Fundraiser; (2) any referrals made to the Brownsville P.D., the Cameron County District Attorney or any other law enforcement agency concerning this alleged theft; (3) copies of any disciplinary actions generated in the case" would be left up to the AG.

But why do we say cover up? Because the district claims that "there is no information responsive to Item #2 and #3," indicating that they have kept everything having to do withe the alleged theft to themselves for nearly seven months and have not concluded the investigation.

"The requested information is part of an investigation by Brownsville Independent School District Police Department," they wrote. "The law enforcement agency is investigating potential criminal activity."

And they cite the Texas Government Code Section 552.108 dealing with exceptions dealing with "Prosecutorial Information, Certain Law Enforcement, Corrections, and

(a) Information held by a law enforcement agency or prosecutor that deals with the detection, investigation, or prosecution of crime is excepted from the requirements of Section 552.021 if:

(1) Release of the information would interfere with the detection, investigation or prosecution of crime; and

(b) An internal record or notation of a law enforcement agency or prosecutor that is maintained for internal use in matters relating to law enforcement or prosecution is excepted from the requirements of Section 552.021 if:

(1) Release of the internal record or notation would interfere with law enforcement or prosecution.

"As stated previously, the District's Police Force are investigating suspected criminal activity. The requested information pertaining to Item #1 is part of the criminal investigation. At this time, the investigation remains active by the BISD Police Department. The information made the subject of this request is part of the investigation and we believe are privileged and excepted from disclosure under the section of the Act.

"The District provides an affidavit of the lead investigator in this case who swears the matter continues under investigation by the department and "that release of information regarding this case at this time would hinder the investigation and prosecution of this case" (Exhibit E; Affidavit of Sgt. Patrick V. Gabbert)."

DPS, DA'S DIRTY DEEDS TURNED WOMAN'S LIFE UPSIDE DOWN

November 2, 2018, 12:42 am

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By Claudia Elisa Sanchez

1 am 43 years of age and I have never been arrested for anything in my entire life.

I have been married for 23 years. Prior to (Texas Department of Public Safety Agent Rene) Olivarez becoming involved in my life, I had never been involved in any kind of legal problems. The evidence at hand as well as the manner in which he handled the baseless allegations he made against me clearly demonstrate that he solely arrested me in order to coerce me and as a means of oppression.

On or about October of 2014, my husband began his car sales business where I would help him in processing the title registrations for his customers as well as perform Used Motor Vehicle Dealer Appraisals. Throughout this time, I conducted all my appraisals legally and honestly.

On March 23, 2006, I was indicted for Felony Tampering with Government Records.

The Search

On January 6, 2016, agent Olivarez submitted search warrant affidavits to Judge Elia Cornejo Lopez of the 404th Judicial District Court of Cameron County, Texas. In said affidavit Olivarez, under oath, accused me of Tampering with Government Documents alleging that I signed a Used Motor Vehicle Certified Appraisal Form for a vehicle that did not exist.

Once agent Olivarez secured the signature on this search warrant, he then orchestrated the search of my home and my husband's car lot. This was an extremely serious invasion of my family's privacy. Numerous police vehicles showed up at my house and armed agents rummaged through all my personal and private belongings. This search was a farce and clearly meant to intimidate me and my family and to embarrass me in front of friends and neighbors.

1 would later find out Olivarez willfully omitted from his search warrant the affidavit he submitted to the court that he had previously arrested his "cooperating individual", Mr. Melquiades Sosa, and had charged him with several counts of Tampering with the exact same documents that he accused me of tampering with. In other words, he had already arrested Mr. Sosa for creating these documents and then proceeded to arrest me for creating the exact same documents. He thus knew that Mr. Sosa was the one responsible for these documents, but he arrested me anyway.

The Arrest as a Means to Coerce

On March 30, 2016, agent Olivarez appeared at my place of employment and arrested me. He handcuffed me and then paraded me in front of all my fellow employees and customers. I was extremely distraught and crying, as I could not bare the humiliation. 

He placed me in his car and immediately threatened that if I didn't cooperate with him he would file more criminal charges against me. He tells me that he can make everything go away, but only if I agree to help him. 

I told him that I have not done anything wrong. 

He insists that I am lying. It would be more than 8 months of constant worrying about the felony charges he initiated against me, before all charges would eventually be dropped for lack of evidence. Agent Olivarez knew that Mr. Sosa created these fictitious documents then falsely arrested me for same.

1 later found out that Agent Olivarez and the District Attorney's office cut a deal to dismiss all charges against Mr. Sosa if he could help build a case against the Tax Office. In other words, agent Olivarez knew Sosa had committed the crime and rather than seek punishment against Sosa, he rewarded him and punished me instead. 

Agent Olivarez knew there was no evidence of wrongdoing on my part, yet he arrested me in order to coerce and threaten me. This behavior by agent Olivarez must be punished. This ordeal was a nightmare for me and my whole family. This agent cannot continue to strong arm people by falsely charging and threatening them to cooperate or else. This is how innocent people wind up in prison.

A quick comparison between my signature on my driver's license and any of the documents seized from my home, with the signatures of the Used Motor Vehicle Certified Appraisal Forms filled out and signed by his informant, clearly reveal that these are not the same, nor do they have any similarities. (Seized document is on top.)

Below is the signature as it appears on my driver's license.

Thus, Agent Olivarez knew that the signatures in these Used Motor Vehicle Appraisal Form as submitted by his informant were not mine, nor did they resemble my signature.

The Agent Knew I Did Not Complete the Forms

GILMAN Q. This document shows that it was appraised at Luxury Auto -- Autoplex.
SOSA       A. That's correct.
GILMAN Q. Who owns who owns Luxury Autoplex?
SOSA       A. I believe it's Mr. Rolando Sanchez.
GILMAN Q. And it says here the appraiser was Claudia Sanchez,
SOSA        A. That's his wife.
GILMAN  Q. Whose signature is that?
SOSA         A. I don't know.
GILMAN   Q. Did you make this document? Did you fill out all the forms?
SOSA          A. Yes,...

Olivarez was aware that Sosa was completing these Motor Vehicle Appraisal Forms himself and not me, Olivarez also knew that the reason Sosa was cooperating was because he had caught Sosa tampering with these same government documents.

Falsely Swore That Vehicles Did Not Exist

From warrant affidavit:
"This was a false entry in a government document as the vehicle did not exist."

However, the custodian of records for the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles revealed through various title history reports that said vehicles utilized by agent Olivarez, including the cars mentioned in these Motor Vehicle Appraisal Forms, did in fact exist and had vehicle registration records predating his investigation. 

In other words, Agent Olivarez lied on his affidavit in order to secure a search warrant. If anyone committed a crime of falsifying records, it was Agent Olivarez when he submitted this false document to the Court.

Conclusion: 

In sum, agent Olivarez knew that (1) Mr. Sosa was the one that tampered and forged the documents in the title packets containing the Used Motor Vehicle Appraisal Forms in question; (2) the signatures in these are not remotely similar to mine; (3) the vehicles which he swore didn't exist, did in fact exist (4) anyone from the general public, specially a used car salesman, could have access to my husband's dealer license information.

Because of(his) reckless disregard for the truth, questionable investigative tactics, and illegal enforcement of the law, I was arrested, booked into the Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center and subsequently indicted by the Cameron County District Attorney's Office. On February 9, 2017 these frivolous charges were subsequently dismissed.

In order to maintain the public's trust in Texas law enforcement and its judicial system, the Texas Department of Public Safety must take decisive action. It must immediately investigate and must take corrective action in order to preclude reckless and coercive agents such as Olivarez from harming the public. 

Therefore, I hereby submit my official complaint against agent Olivarez and respectfully request that the matters as herein stated be adequately investigated and that criminal charges be taken should they be deemed necessary.

O'BELL: FORGET THE PHOTO OP. WHEN DO WE MUNCH OUT?

November 2, 2018, 9:22 am

≫ Next: LOBBYISTS BEARING GIFTS: SAN BENE ISD $40 MILLION BOND

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(Ed.'s Note: That's what seems to be etched in State Rep. Eddie Lucio III's chief of staff Ruben O'Bell as he keeps a close eye on the vittles that visitors to the grand opening of his boss's Orangetheory business enterprise will munch on after the luminaries' remarks to the audience.

By the look of things, O'Bell hasn't missed too many meals himself and has narrowed his wandering eye upon the big cake in the middle of the munchie table. Will he set the example and desist from partaking of the goodies in the name of physical fitness?

Don't hold your breath. If he was placed there to keep an eye on the eats, it was like placing the fox in the hen house. Thanks to one of our sharp-eyed seven readers for the photo. It's to kill for!)   

LOBBYISTS BEARING GIFTS: SAN BENE ISD $40 MILLION BOND

November 2, 2018, 9:42 am

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By Joe F. Rodriguez
Special to El Rrun-Rrun


I was quite intrigued with the amount of advertising on the Valley Morning Star in regards to the San Benito Bond 2018 Bond Authorization Proposition on the ballot for the November 6, 2018 election.

I was not quite sure if the San Benito School District would spend such enormous amount of money when they have a quite impressive web site where I can gather my information.

I do know that not many people in San Benito have the disposable income to be promoting this Bond 2018 so aggressively. I was alerted by a citizen that the SB School Board president, Mr. Michael Anthony Vargas, was aggressively promoting the Bond 2018 on a Facebook page called www.facebook.com/eisonhower .

He posted some School District brochures and some videos promoting the Bond 2018 produced and paid by an SPAC (Specific-Purpose Action Committee) named “Investing in Our Children’s Education SPAC”.

As the old mantra goes “Follow the Money!”. I did some online research and this is what I discovered. The SPAC collected $10,922.75 in “Total Political Contributions”, spent $6,259.05 in “Total Political Expenditures”, and had $1,740.95 in “Total Political Contributions remaining unspent as of the last day of the reporting period, October 27, 2018.

Monetary political contributions were as follows: Alfredo Garcia $1,500 (San Benito), GOERO International, LLC $2,000 (McAllen), Leonardo Munoz $1,000 (Weslaco), Rene Ramirez $500 (McAllen), Rudy Gomez $500 (McAllen),

The total of unitemized in-kind political contributions (signs) of $2,922.75 was by Brand Boosters (McAllen).

Monetary contributions from corporations or labor organization are as follows: Ambiotec Civil Engineering Group, Inc.$1,000 (Brownsville), Hellas Construction, Inc. (Austin), and Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams, Inc. $500 (Carrolton, Tx located just north of Dallas).

Expenditures total for the reporting period was $6,259.05 to the Valley Morning Star for advertising. So much for the spirit of “spending tax dollars locally”. We do have a local newspaper, the San Benito News.

Total political monetary contributions (personal, corporations, businesses) broken down by city and percentage of total contributions ($10,922.75): San Benito $1,500 14%, McAllen $5,422.75 50%, Brownsville $1,500 14%, Weslaco $1,000 9%, Austin $1,000 9%, and Carrolton $500 5%.

For those who accuse me of making accusations without facts, here are the links to the Texas Ethics Commission for the SPAC Committee filing report for Filer ID 00083130 or cut-an-paste https://tinyurl.com/yckmtkd7

There is NOTHING illegal about contributing to a PAC or SPAC. In a Democracy, we are all have the freedom to contribute to our preferred candidate (Beto) with as much as we can afford.



MONETARY POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS:
Date               Name             Address                  Amount
10/17/2018 Alfredo Garcia San Benito              $1,500
10/17/2018 GOERO International, LLC McAllen $2,000
10/17/2018 Leonardo Munoz Weslaco                $1,000
10/17/2018 Rene Ramirez McAllen                    $500
10/18/2018 Rudy Gomez Brownsville                $500.00

MONETARY CONTRIBUTIONS FROM CORPORATIONS or LABOR ORGANIZATION:
Date               Name                                  Address                        Amount
10/17/2018 Ambiotec Civil Engineering Group, Inc. Brownsville $1,000
10/17/2018 Hellas Construction, Inc. Austin $1,000
10/17/2018 Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Wiliams, Inc. Carrolton $500


NON-MONETARY (IN-KIND) POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS:
Date                   Name                   Address             Amount
10/19/2018 Brand Boosters           McAllen          $2,922.75


POLITICAL EXPENDITURES FROM POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS:
Date                      Name                       Address          Amount
10/19/2018 The Valley Morning Star Harlingen        $6,259.05



I do find it ironic that 86 percent, or $9,422.75 of the total contributions to this “Investing in Our Children’s Education SPAC,” is from contributors investors outside of San Benito.

As I stated before, San Benito is a low poverty city with people who don’t have much disposable income but they are the ones who will be left to pay for the incremental debt being proposed without real justification like a “Feasibility Study”.

Again, here is the link to a “Feasibility Study” or cut-and-paste https://tinyurl.com/y7v7zzdt

I recommend Voting NO and then start from scratch with a “Feasibility Study” and improved justifications and “more specific details and not just “pretty pictures” for each individual project.

Just because we can afford it doesn’t mean we have to spend tax dollars because it makes us “feel good”! San Benito will grow but we have to “spend wisely” and not just spend to “Keep up with Harlingen or Brownsville, etc.! We don’t have the tax base or disposable income like other cities.

Whether you are “for” or “against” the Bond 2018 Authorization Proposition, I encourage everyone to go out and VOTE. Voter apathy in our City of San Benito is really atrocious.

Remember, if you “Don’t Vote”, “Don’t Complain”. It’s that simple!

THE KORTEZ KLAN RUNS ROUGHSHOD OVER ELECTION RULES

November 2, 2018, 10:24 am

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By Juan Montoya

If you pick up a copy of the Brownsville Herald at the Stripes today, you will see an ad for Mark Anthony Cortez for Position 1 on the board of the Brownsville Independent School District.

He says he's "committed" to the students of the district with "leadership that inspires."

Cortez is fortunate we don't have any debtor prisons here, or else he might truly be "committed" to a jail cell until he pays off his debtors and the very BISD where he is trying to get elected.

The district knows him so well that its lawyers were "inspired" to file a lawsuit against him for delinquent taxes that in the aggregate between the BISD, the City of Brownsville and Cameron County total more than $10,000.

In past posts we have listed two other lawsuits against Cortez for welshing on a credit card from Walmart for more than $2,300 (which was negotiated after our post appeared) and a judgment against him from a bank of more than $12,000. We don't know how that poor lender fared on that one.

This is the guy who want the voters of the district who want them to entrust to him the $550 million annual BISD budget, the education of 40,000 students, and the the livelihood of 7,000 BISD employees.

He is running in a field of five that include Caty Presas-Garcia, Jose Valdez, Due Ellen Brown, and Tim Ramirez. Incumbent Cesar Lopez withdrew and did not seek the position.

He is counting on the fact that his mother is JP 2-1 Linda Salazar (the babe above), who has turned her office into a marriage ceremony maquila, raking in more than $120,000 yearly on the 600 marriages she performs during the year and is probably bankrolling his campaign twisting arms of vendors to get him cash.

He is also counting on the coat tails of his brother Ruben Cortez, the GED certified member on the Texas School Board Of Education. The are both running in tandem as can be evidenced by the illegal-sized signs mounted on trailers across the city bearing the red tag stamped by city code enforcement inspectors. (In the graphic above, the red tag is clearly seen pasted on Ruben Cortez's forehead)

Not only have the brothers been cited repeatedly for the violations by the city's citations, but, – unlike Carlos Cascos and Eddie Treviño – they have not heeded the enforcement. There are at least three or four signs with the red tags prominently displayed on their surface.

This thumbing of their collective noses at the city indicates a disdain for the rules that everyone lives by. Clearly, they are counting on Mommy Dearest to stop the $500 daily fine for disregarding the size restrictions on their political signs.

After all, Mark Anthony Cortez's traffic violations and small claims lawsuits somehow ended in his mother's court where she dismissed them or passed them on to friendly judges for dismissal.

It's much like Trump when he tells reporters "I'm the president and you're not."

They are Linda Salazar's sons and we're not, so who give a rat's ass what anyone thinks or does?