Quantcast
Channel: EL RRUN RRUN
Viewing all 8037 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

SPACEX LAUNCHES MUSK'S ROADSTER AROUND SUN TODAY

February 6, 2018, 6:45 am
$
0
0
By SpaceX

SpaceX is targeting launch of the Falcon Heavy demonstration mission on Tuesday, February 6 from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The primary launch window opens at 1:30 p.m. EST, or 18:30 UTC, and closes at 4:00 p.m. EST, or 21:00 UTC.

A backup launch window opens on Wednesday, February 7 at 1:30 p.m. EST, or 18:30 UTC, and closes at 4:00 p.m. EST, or 21:00 UTC. 

When Falcon Heavy lifts off, it will be the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two, with the ability to lift more than twice the payload of the next vehicle, at one-third the cost. Only the Saturn V moon rocket, last flown in 1973, delivered more payload to orbit.

Three cores make up the first stage of Falcon Heavy. The side cores, or boosters, are connected to the center core at its base and at the vehicle’s interstage. With a total of 27 Merlin engines, Falcon Heavy’s three cores are capable of generating more than 5 million pounds of thrust.

For this test flight, Falcon Heavy’s two side cores are both flight-proven. One launched the Thaicom 8 satellite in May 2016 and the other supported the CRS-9 mission in July 2016. SpaceX will attempt to land all three of Falcon Heavy’s first stage cores during this test. 

Following booster separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side cores will attempt to land at SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 (LZ-1 and LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Falcon Heavy’s center core will attempt to land on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
[Watch SpaceX Launch Falcon Heavy at 1:30 pm ET]

The payload for Falcon Heavy’s demonstration mission is SpaceX CEO and Lead Designer Elon Musk’s midnight-cherry Tesla Roadster. Demonstration missions like this one typically carry steel or concrete blocks as mass simulators, but SpaceX decided it would be more worthwhile to launch something fun and without irreplaceable sentimental value: a red Roadster for the red planet. 

( Prices for the Roadster start at $200,000, with a required deposit of $50,000. A limited edition Founders Series  of the car, like Musk's,costs upward of $250,000.

It was quickly determined the car needed to
be stripped. After all, the only launch it was designed for was a stoplight drag. All the glass had to go, as did the battery. 

With the battery out, there was no need to keep the drivetrain in, either, so that went, too. Musk himself has been very open about prototype rockets tending to explode, and no one wants to scatter 1,000 pounds of lithium across the upper atmosphere. Other than the obvious weak points like glass, SpaceX engineers were impressed with the rigidity and durability of the Lotus-based Roadster in their tests.)

Following launch, Falcon Heavy’s second stage will attempt to place the Roadster into a precessing Earth-Mars elliptical orbit around the sun. It’s important to remember that this mission is a test flight. Even if we do not complete all of the experimental milestones that are being attempted during this test, we will still be gathering critical data throughout the mission.

Ultimately, a successful demonstration mission will be measured by the quality of information we can gather to improve the launch vehicle for our existing and future customers.

(Ed.'s Note: The SpaceX press release did not contain information on the additional $5 million Musk is requesting as incentives for the long-delayed Boca Chica vertical launch site. It also does not contain a timetable for the start of commercial satellite launches there originally scheduled to begin in 2013.)
↧
Search

STENCH OF VALCO'S BAD BISD BARBACOA WAFTS INTO COURT

February 6, 2018, 9:22 am
$
0
0
By Juan Montoya
The lingering stench of rotten barbacoa sold to the Brownsville Independent School District's Food and Nutrition Service Department has now made its way to the state district courts.

In a case filed last September against McAllen-based Valco , the company that sold the meat through its Region One Cooperative Agreement, BISD says it wants to recover at least $396,000 of the more than $500,000 it paid the company for meat that was considered spoiled and detected on November 2016.

Valco Foods was approved to provide Region 1 member school districts with 20,000 pounds per month of shredded beef, barbacoa style, from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017 with 1 two‐year extension option.

 It is unknown how many pounds that Valco Foods delivered under the Region 1 contract have been bought by the BISD. If fulfilled, the company stood to make $3,019,200 over the 24 month period of deliveries to Region 1 member school districts.

And even though Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas said at the time that "the product was raised and purchased in the United States from a USDA approved vendor but was processed in Mexico according to USDA guidelines and under the supervision of a USDA inspector," the lawsuit hints otherwise.

"Defendants had knowledge that the meats did not meet the required state and federal mandate under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Buy American Provisions" as required under the contract. The BISD relied on the defendant's representations that the meat me the "Buy American Provisions" and paid off the meats in full."

According to the BISD petition, the district returned the meats to Valco after it found them to be of poor quality. It alleges that Valco agreed to pick up the bad meat and reimburse the BISD for monies paid for the bad-smelling meat, but to date, have not reimbursed the BISD for the amount paid by the (district) even after it demanded its return.

There has been much speculation about how the BISD got involved with Valco, and some reports indicate that some district officials – including trustees Cesar Lopez and Carlos Elizondo – were personally involved and traveled to the plant in Mexico to iron out the deal. Reports also indicate that there were several "investors" invited to go along.

FNS director Silverio Capistran was to be interviewed by USDA agents on a Friday, but was found with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot to the head in his vehicle in the parking space of this apartment the night before. His death was ruled a suicide.

In their answer to the petition filed January 29, Valco Foods and its representative Francisco D. Orozco Leal Isla deny all the district's allegations and have asked for a jury trial. They are represented by Pena Garcia Guerrero, PLLC, of McAllen.

The BISD board's general counsel Baltazar Salazar is representing the school district.
 
↧
↧

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL FOR PERSON MISSING SINCE 5/ 2017

February 6, 2018, 9:47 am
$
0
0
(Ed.'s Note: Ramiro/Kimberly Avila went missing Friday, May 12, 2017 and his whereabouts are still unknown. His family has been posting fliers all over the downtown area where he was last seen. Some reports indicate that Avila was arguing with a man who walked with him through a downtown alley and was pulled into a car.

The Brownsville Police Dept. is asking anyone with any information to contact them at the numbers listed above.)
↧

TITO SWEARS IT'S JUST A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY

February 6, 2018, 10:01 am
$
0
0
(Ed.'s Note: Facebook an Cyber Pranksters like those at La Southmost Blog are known for having a sharp, if not biting, sense of humor. In the post above, they asked their readers to tag a friend who went to the local HEB stores dressed in that risque fashion.

It didn't take long for the pack to chip in their two-cents worth. The majority said tongue in cheek that it was local weigh builder Tito Mata, who regularly exercises and jogs in shorts and skimpy T-shirts. 

Well, without seeing the face we might have believed them, but we have been told that it was not Tito at the HEB after all. For one, he didn't have his dogs with him. But that didn't stop the pundits from having a field day with the post. Estos Batos!)

↧

WILL ROSE GOWEN RIDE A CAR OR BICYCLE ON CHARRO DAYS?

February 6, 2018, 2:38 pm
$
0
0
(Ed.'s Note: Everyone's wondering whether City of Brownsville Commissioner Rose Gowen will ride on a carbon-monoxide spewing automobile or ride a health-conscious bicycle this year on Charro Days. Gowen, who has single-handedly funneled millions of local resources toward the construction of hike and bike trails and has had the city fund her Farmers' Market, rode this car last year. Will she put her money (we don't think so, not her own) where her, ahem, ample seat is, or will she remain true to her convictions and pedal her bike as a show of healthy living? We'll soon see.)
↧
↧

OLIVEIRA, NORMA HERNANDEZ TEAM UP TO FOOL VOTERS

February 7, 2018, 9:31 am
$
0
0
By Juan Montoya
The robocall starts off with the deceptive script that informs you that it is a "state-funded" survey to gauge political engagement in the community.

Then the interviewer asks you how you stand in various political races.
"Do you support Ted Cruz or Beto O'Rourke for United States Senator?," is the first question.

Then they work themselves to the 197th District Court primary race, and then the Cameron County Judge's race in the primary and then the November election.

But it is the Texas State Representative District 37 race that gives away the deception.

"In the race for District 37 State Representative, do you support 34-year veteran State Rep. Rene Oliveira or county commissioner Alex Dominguez?"

When a Dominguez supporter got the call, he questioned the interviewer to ask whether the framing of the question was appropriate, and whether the way it was asked was implying that Oliveira was a military veteran.

The interviewer hem and hawed and allowed that inserting the word "veteran" did seem to imply Oliviera had some sort of military service.

"I told them that but they told me to just stick to the script," she told the respondent.

After she hung up, the respondent – who had taken a screen shot of the telephone number (956) 435-4098 – dialed the number and got a recorded answer. The taped message said that the caller – Norma Hernandez – could not come to the phone and could he call back later.

When he again tried to call back, he got the taped message that "the subscriber number you dialed is not in service..."

We had thought that "Hernandez" referred to politiquera Norma Hernandez of vote-harvester fame, but now are told it refers to one of Oliveira's secretaries. (She and her husband Ernie Hernandez, both Oliviera adherents, have endorsed Oliveira for reelection and are pictured with the candidate above). Nonetheless, Oliveira seems to be a magnet for Norma Hernandezes in Brownsville.

In fact, in his June 1, 207 to December 31, 2007 Ethics Commission campaign contributions and expenditures report, Oliveira listed two payments to Hernandez totaling $3,050, one for $300 and another for $2,750. The robocalls will probably not included in  the current report.

Come to think of it, it may have been a "state-funded" survey after all because a state representative paid for it out of his campaign contributions, but even when it's weasel-worded, the intent to deceive is obvious. Are things getting to the point where the incumbent feels the footsteps and has to stoop so low to get reelected?
↧

THREE KINDS OF BISD LIES: LIES, DAMN LIES, AND STATISTICS

February 7, 2018, 10:38 am
$
0
0
By Juan Montoya
And so the Climate Survey conducted by the Region One on the Brownsville Independent School District came to the conclusion that "everyone is happy to have a job at BISD," in the words of a trustee at Tuesday's meeting.

Of the BISD's total 7,658 employees employees (a number released by the district's Public Information Office), 57 percent participated in the survey. The other 3,293 declined to take the survey for a number of reasons, including some that said they did not because they felt threatened by retaliation by the administration if they gave unsatisfactory answers.

So with some 4,365 employees responding, the percentages of "agree" and "strongly agree" answers to whether they were happy on the job or would recommend to others that they work at BISD or their campus, in those categories hovered over 70 percent, or just above.

To the Region 1 Climate Survey and the BISD administrators, that number was acceptable and, as one said, "outstanding."

"I want to congratulate the staff for the overall wellness of the district," said trustee Joe Rodriguez, better known for coaching than for cheerleading in his heyday oh, so long ago. "People enjoy working with us."

But do they?

*If 70 percent of the respondents (4,365) agreed or agreed strongly, that only amounts to 3,055, less than 3,829, half of the total 7,658 BISD employees.

*If 80 percent of those taking the survey (4,365) agree that things are peachy at the BISD or that they felt warm and fuzzy toward the administration, that amounts to 3,492, fewer than half of the total BISD workforce (3,829).

*Even in 90 percent of the 4,365 taking the survey answered positively, that is only 3,928, just a bit over 50 percent of the BISD workforce of 3,829.

The fact of the matter is, such high results (80 to 90 percent) were only attained in administrators' responses to the survey. That means that those at the top are happy while the ones below – whose responses were much lower in the agree strongly agree categories – are not happy campers.

In other words, the BISD is extremely polarized between those who are receiving the goodies while the majority is not.

Trustee Phil Cowen, always the master of the understatement, greeted the skewered results with his usual plaudits.

"I am very pleased," he said. "It is rather incredible."

Well, Phil, for once you are right. It is rather incredible that sitting trustees who should know a bit more about statistics and skewered survey results would take the administration's bait and make themselves blind to the fact that there is a huge level of discontent among the BISD ranks.
↧

DESPITE QUESTIONS, P-3 "OPTION" APPROVED BY BISD BOARD

February 7, 2018, 10:58 am
$
0
0
By Juan Montoya

By a 4-2 majority (trustee Carlos Elizondo was absent), the board of the Brownsville Independent School District gave the administration approval to seek another "option" to augment district finances outside the accepted method of issuing bonds.

The did so by allowing Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas and CFO Lorenzo Sanchez to explore partnering with private investors to participate in future facilities construction.

The forming of a public-private partnership is related to the proposed $120 million BISD facilities construction plan by using a vehicle called the P-3 under the Texas Facilities Commission. Zendejas was careful to point out that no "projects" had been chosen for that kind of financing, but that it was just another option for financing.

Under those guidelines, according to the Commission, "There are inadequate resources to develop new education facilities, technology and other public infrastructure, and government facilities for the benefit of the citizens of this state, and there is demonstrated evidence that partnerships between public entities and private entities or other persons can meet these needs by improving the schedule for delivery, lowering the cost, and providing other benefits to the public."

The Commission was passed through legislation dating back to 2015. There have been P-3 partnerships established across the country to finance affordable housing, roads, and other infrastructure, including educational facilities, though none of those dealing with public education have been in the Rio Grande Valley.

A public-private partnership is a contractual agreement between a public agency (federal, state or local) and a private sector person or entity organized for the purpose of delivering services or facilities that might not otherwise be possible using traditional sources of public financing.

Through this contractual agreement, the assets of each sector (public and private) are shared to deliver a service or facility for the use of the general public, e.g., planning, designing, financing, constructing, operating, maintaining, and owning, and each sector shares in the potential risks of the  delivery of the service or facility.

It all sounded good, until trustee Dr. Sylvia Atkinson started questioning P-3 architect Ramiro Garza on specifics dealing with school districts.

Garza admitted that he had no experience on projects dealing with school districts, and that the only P-3-funded project in the Rio Grande Valley was with the City of Edinburg. When questioned further, Garza said that the project was the construction of the Bert Ogden Arena that will seat about 9,000. That project had grown, he said, and the cost had risen with the changes.

"We have not worked with any school districts," Garza said.

How much has the Edinburg project gone above the original estimates, he was asked.

"It started out at $30 to $40 million and has grown to some $70 million," Garza said. "It will be the largest facility south of San Antonio."

When Zendejas was asked whether the new financing method had been run by Estrada Hinojosa, the BISD's financial advisers for their opinion, she hedged and said that they were aware the district was "exploring" alternative financing.

"Is Estrada Hinojosa recommending that we follow this direction...?," Atkinson persisted.

"I haven't asked them directly for their recommendation," Zendejas said. "When we have a project, we can ask them to come on board then with a recommendation."

The district chose to bypass asking the voters whether it could issue $120 million for facilities construction through a bond election, choosing instead to approve a 11.25-cent increase in the ad valorem taxes on properties in the district.

As a result, The Instructional Facilities Allotment (IFA) established in 1997 that guarantees a specific revenue yield per student per penny of local tax effort for new instructional facilities are unavailable to the BISD because districts must receive voter approval to sell bonds for instructional facilities to apply for assistance through the IFA program.
↧
Search

WHO'S BEHIND THE P-3 "PARTNERSHIP" PASSED BY THE BISD?

February 7, 2018, 4:39 pm
$
0
0
By Juan Montoya
On Tuesday, when Ramiro Garza, of RG Economic Advisors, addressed the board of the Brownsville Independent School District to urge them to approve seeking financing for district construction through the Texas Facilities Commission P-3 private-public partnerships program, he left many things unsaid.

He neglected to tell them that he was a former member of the Edinburg Economic Development Council and a former city manager of that city.

He also neglected to tell the board that he was a partner of Noble Texas Builders, a building contractor who has Eddie Lucio III as its legal counsel. (That's Garza second from the left on the photo above and NTB President Rene Capistran on the far right.)

Lucio III is a state representative and also the son of Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., who supported the legislation to establish the P-3 program in 2015.
Garza has since moved into the private sector as a consultant and economic development advisor. His company is RG Economic Advisors.

Among Garza's partners on the board of NTB Capistran, its president, who landed the multi-million renovation of the old Wells Fargo Bank bought by Cameron County on Levee Street. NTB was also awarded the multi-million contract to upgrade the county's Isla Blanca Park, amphitheater, and pavilions and RV Park there.

Capistran is also a member of the Lone Star Bank Advisory Board, which is interested in participating in the $120-million facilities construction plans of the BISD.

Capistran, by the way, is the brother-in-law of Cameron County Treasurer David Betancourt who is married to Blanca (nee Capsitran), who just happens to be the executive secretary to Pete Sepulveda, the former Cameron County Judge and now full-time executive director of the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority.

Blanca is Rene Capistran's sister. Her and the county treasurer's son, David Adolfo Betancourt, works for his uncle Rene Capsitran at NTB as a "Project Expeditor."

The participation of these well-connected individuals and the BISD majority's approval of allowing BISD Esperanza Zendejas to seek other "options" leaves many unanswered questions. Those voting for BISD to see "optional" funding from the private sector are longtime Lucio Jr. supporters Joe Rodriguez, Cesar Lopez, and Phil Cowen who were joined by Laura Perez-Reyes. Cowen's brother Paul used to be Sen Lucio's administrative assistant.

Capistran, president of NTB, said he and his partners wanted to pool their knowledge to create what Capistran refers to as a “cradle to grave” process. He also was a mjor sponsor of a recognition banquet given in honor of Zendejas.

“It is the sum of all our parts that makes us unique,” Capistran, who previously was president of the SpawGlass South Texas Division, told RGVision Magazine. “We build and maintain for the long term. We will be there for anything from changing light bulbs to building an addition.”

Other partners at NTB are Pat Williams, former president of the SpawGlass Austin Division; Alfredo Garcia, former SpawGlass; and Garza.  Williams is vice president and Garcia serves as Director of Operations. Garza has come on board as president.

NTB is the contractor, Capistran has said, while NTB Development handles the up-front economic studies and development process. “The game-changer in what we’re doing is we identify people and we help them with the whole process,” Capistran said. “If someone is contemplating a project, we want to help walk him through the process, help him decide when to do what.”

Under Garza’s leadership, NTB Development identifies projects and developers and works with them to solidify the concept, conduct economic impact studies and research financing options, including tax abatements and other financial incentives that may be available.

“Ramiro comes in and does the economic impact,” Capistran said, noting Garza’s experience as Edinburg city manager where he worked on economic development and negotiated with private companies to locate in that community.

“We have assessed needs around the Valley,” Garza said. “We’re always looking for performance under the umbrella of what we do, advising on the best use of property, financing, building and maintenance.”

Once the groundwork is complete and the project gets a green light, Capistran told the magazine, NTB Development steps in to handle the actual design and building phases, as well as provide maintenance for the facility once construction is complete.

As the project is ready to break ground, the other Noble Texas partners will build on Garza’s expertise to shepherd the project through the construction and maintenance stages. “We offer a good foundation because of everyone’s experience,” Garza said. “A lot of years in multiple disciplines, that’s what we bring to the table.”

Garza told the magazine that NTB group is exploring many other aspects of the Valley economy for opportunities, including the medical and educational fields.

Now that the board majority has give Zendejas and BISD CEO Lorenzo Sanchez carte blanche to enter into construction and financial agreements with Garza and Capsitran, is it so far-fetched to think that Noble Texas Builders and Lone Star National Bank will not have a role in the $120 million in construction and financing of the facilities construction made possible by 11.25-cent increase in property taxes by the BISD board?
↧
↧

DOMINGUEZ INVITES ALL TO WEEK OF CAMPAIGN EVENTS

February 7, 2018, 8:47 pm
↧

MUSK CHANGING BOCA CHICA PLANS? TO MARS, AND BEYOND...

February 8, 2018, 9:13 am
$
0
0

By Juan Montoya
Elated over the success of his Falcon Heavy rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, billionaire Elon Musk says that the development of an even bigger rocket – the Big Falcon Rocket – to send humans to Mars, may take place in the mud flats off Boca Chica Beach.

Oh, yeah.

And Cameron County officials, who take Musk at his word despite not seeing one satellite launch from the mounds of dirt where a commercial vertial launch pad was supposed to start in 2013, have already granted him tax abatements and made $15 to $20 milion in incentives available to him.

Ditto for the state and federal governments.

Now the Rocket Man is saying the Big Show at Boca Chica will start in, say, 2020. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Furthermore, county officials – in anticipation of Musk's Big Bang – have broken ground on a new $6.2 million amphitheater that will seat 4,000 so they can watch Elon's rockets send commercial satellites into orbit around the earth. But before that, Musk is asking Texas for another $5 million rom the state to adddress what SpaceX mouthpiece Rep. Rene Oliveira calls SpaceX's intentions for Boca Chica to go "well beyond the original plan."

Well, what the "34-year veteran" lawmaker who is running for reelection doesn't say is that Musk wants more money despite the fact that he hasn't delivered one job to Brownsville or Cameron County after spending more than $3 million.

Musk is a smart cookie. He began pouring money into the campaigns of key state lawmakers. On November 7, 2012, he donated 1,000 to Oliveira and two weeks later, he gave state senator Eddie Lucio Jr. (D) $2,000.

The next month, the Associated Press reported that Lucio and Oliveira were working to secure state backing for a potential SpaceX launch pad in Brownsville.

Oliveira said he was "sensitive to the fact that these are taxpayer dollars that we should still be reasonable with how much we offer." But he worried that other states were offering more generous packages of incentives.

He and Lucio looked to replenish the coffers of the spaceport fund in order to lure Musk’s company to the state. "I think that we'll be able to convince our colleagues that this will be a good thing for all of Texas," Lucio told the AP. Lucio and Oliveira eventually secured a $15 million budget rider authorizing funds specifically designated for use by SpaceX.
http://freebeacon.com/politics/political-clout-pays-off-big-for-elon-musks-spacex/

The newest wrinkle to the Musk siren song for the Boca Chica site is that he plans to use it – or in the alternative, ship to ship –  to practice short hopper flights with the spaceship part of the BFR followed by controlled landings back on the launchpad.

"We'll either do that at our South Texas launch site, or do it ship to ship," Musk is quoted telling the news media in a press conference. "We're not sure yet whether ship to ship or Brownsville, but most likely ist's going to happen at our Brownsville location, because we've got a lot of land with nobody around, and so if it blows up, it's cool."

Sure, if it blows up it will be five miles where the thousands of tourists who are expected to fill the new amphitheater will be craning their necks to see the cohete take off, where LNG terminals will be condensing natural gas, and where redfish and shrimp larvae are breeding in the pristine wetlands and the hypersaline laguna. Never mind the endangered local species and migrating fowl feed and nest there. Tha's not cool.

But the testing of this as-of-yet unbuilt new rocket here is something new.

When Musk came around to sell the local yokels on the idea of launching humans to Mars from Boca Chica, his application to the FFA mentioned nothing of the sort. The applications merely started that SpaceX planned to launch a rocket a month carrying commercial satellites fro private customers and foreign countries.

It also stated – despite claims by the Brownsville Economic Development Council and Brownsville mayor Tony Martinez – that Spavex expected to create no more than 200 to 300 permanent jobs over the next 10 years.

That was supposed to start in 2013. To date, no rockets have been launched and there is nothing resembling a vertical launch pad out at Boca Chica.

EIS SpaceX submitted to the FAA:
Approximately 30 full-time SpaceX employees/contractors would be present at the vertical launch area and/or control center area in 2013 (2015? now?)... During a launch campaign, an additional 100 local or transient workers would be working at the vertical launch area and/or control center area. During launch campaigns, the additional workers could work extended hours; however, 2 days prior to launch, full-time SpaceX employees/contractors and the local or transient workers would need to be on-site for up to 24 hours per day. Staffing on-site would return to normal levels (approximately 30 full-time SpaceX employees/contractors) within a day or two after the actual launch. 

Table 2.1-2 shows the number of full-time SpaceX employees/contractors working on site plus the local/transient workers necessary during launch campaigns that would be present between 2013 and 2022.
Table 2.1-2. Personnel for Proposed SpaceX Texas Launch Site Operations

Year                      Full-time SpaceX                                   Full-time SpaceX
                            Employees/Contractors                           Employees/Contractors plus
                               Working On-Site                           Additional Local/Transient Workers
                                                                                         during Launch Campaigns

2013                                          30                                                       130
2014                                          75                                                       175
2015                                         100                                                      200
2016                                         100                                                      200
2017                                         110                                                      210
2018                                         130                                                      230
2019                                         150                                                      250
2020                                         150                                                      250
2021                                         150                                                      250
2022                                         150                                                      250


Now the talk is about launching manned spaceflights to Mars from the mud flats out there?

Perhaps it's about time that our star-struck local elected officials get their noses out of the constellations and got their feet back on the ground instead of being led by the nose by this Space Siren and his songs of space travel.

↧

IT'S GETTING DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHO IS WHO, WHO IS WHAT

February 8, 2018, 9:28 am
$
0
0



























"It's a turn around world where things are all too quickly turned around
It was turned around so that right looked wrong
It was turned around so that up looked down...

It became so you couldn't call a spade a motherfucking spade..."
You just might be wrong
↧

AT PORT, CANDIDATE FOR COMMISSION SAME-OLD, SAME-OLD

February 8, 2018, 10:10 am
$
0
0
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
It's getting a bit depressing to see that the board of commissioners of the Brownsville Navigation District – if voters don't make their voice heard in the May elections – will remain the clubby, insulated governmental entity that has served a select group of interest s in Brownsville.

That has been the complaint against this potentially energetic component of the local economy. Yet, despite all the hype surrounding its progress, it remains in the hands of a small group of people who have staked their personal interest in keeping it moving in a direction that they can control and from which they can profit.

The port has respondd not so much to the dynamic leadership on the board or its adminsitration, but to the vagaries of the border and Mexican economy. The port has so far only gone along for the ride where th tide takes it.

Leaving all personalities aside, one can only look at the members of the board and see that the majority have a huge personal interest in keeping it the way it is instead of opening the throttle to bring economic prosperity to all just as a tide lifts all boats.

That's why when we learned that Roser & J Cowen Logistical Services, Ltd. CFO Javier Vera had thrown his hat into the ring to replace Carlos Masso as commissioner on the BND board, we thought: Here we go again!

The so-called Cowen Group is headed by John Cowen Jr. lists US and Mexican Customs brokerage and commercial real estate among its main interests. They have been a barnacle on the USS Port of Brownsville since the senior John Cowen set up shop in 1978.

Cowen is also a director of the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation (GBIC), a trustee of the Saint Joseph Academy Endowment, and vice chair at the Housing Authority of the City of Brownsville.

Do you think Vera would do anything to disrupt the entrenched Cowen interests at the port? He can't because one of the trustees there is Ralph Cowen, a family member of his boss. He will make sure that as CFO of the Cowen Group, their interests will not be harmed.

So far, the only other candidate who has filed for Masso's old position is Steve Guerra, a local businessman with extensive ties to businesses on both sides of the Rio Grande. As far as we know, he does not do business with the port and could prove an independent voice. There have been rumors that former Pct. 2 commissioner Ernie Hernandez might throw his hat in the ring, but his baggage would probably prevent his election.

We have also heard that former city commissioner Ernesto de Leon Sr. is thinking about filing for that office. We'll keep you posted.
↧
↧

RENDER TO OSCAR CASARES THINGS THAT ARE TO CASARES

February 8, 2018, 2:40 pm
$
0
0
Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Oscar Casares, the great writer born and raised in the southernmost point of Texas has been acclaimed for his writing and for the stories he tells based on his hometown: Brownsville.

But, what Casares writes are just that – stories. 

He was recently published in the New York Times for writing about “what is it is like to visit destinations long the border.”

Image result for VENDORS AT GATEWAY BRIDGE, BROWNSVILLE, MATAMOROSVisiting Matamoros and Brownsville is anything but a destination. The land itself cries for help and it is people like Casares who step on the land and continue to perpetuate the problems existing in the Rio Grande Valley.

Casares writes about meeting an ever-so-perfect nameless woman who he takes across the border. 

Let’s ponder on the reality of that statement. How is Casares, who is part of the Brownsville elite with an education and with money, ever going to come across, in his circle of acquaintances, a woman asking for a ride to the bridge? 

Image result for OSCAR CASARESHow perfect: Casares comes to Brownsville for a week and finds a perfect, nameless woman in a desperate situation that he can save. Casares has not saved Brownsville.

Casares has not used any of his influence, education, and power to help change or benefit Brownsville. But why would he? Why would an award-winning writer come back to Brownsville? It’s one of the “safest” cities according to Casares? 

Why aren’t you living in Brownsville, Oscar? Why aren’t you teaching at UTRGV? 

Why aren’t you encouraging other scholars to come to the valley at teach at our schools? Why aren’t you calling the Times to come write a piece about poverty and corruption in Brownsville and Matamoros? You’re so committed to change, but what are you doing to cultivate that change? You’re teaching in Austin and you only come to Brownsville when it is convenient for you to feed off the people and our stories.

I am done with people like you, Oscar. You come and your sit in your high horse and tell a story you heard second-hand from another and claim it as your own. 

You sell your hometown for 30 pieces of silver and the New York Times. You are not part of us. You are not part of the people who live daily in Brownsville and see the struggles of the people. We remain nameless in your stories and we will remain nameless to the rest of the country until you and people like you advocate for those who don’t have a voice. Advocate for the woman you claim to have taken to the bridge.

Even when you came to our land you went to go eat at Garcias, the three story building overseeing the bridge that is only for well-dressed and well-off people. Why didn’t you turn to your right and go eat at the taco stand—because there is only one now. Why didn’t you report about all the shops that have closed near the border due to the increase in drug-related violence?

You sit at the three story high building and oversee us and act like you experienced the life amongst the people. Come down to the ground level, Oscar. Come taste the corruption, the tears, the poverty, and all the blood that has been shed trying to survive by the border. I promise you it won’t taste as sweet as the “margaritas, a las rocas” that you had. 
Image result for STREET VENDORS MATAMOROS
I promise you someone won’t be ordering steak. Because at the ground level we are still eating tortillas y nopales. Had you actually turned to your right you would have seen the 75-year-old woman who sits on the curb next to white wall that divides the Meixcan customs office and the streets of Matamors selling nopales. 

She has been sitting there for 15 years trying to make a living for her and her husband. I would know, I bought nopales from her in January. By the way, her husband is sick, so it’s mostly her selling the nopales.


You wrote about how those who “come from wealthy Mexican families with means to relocate” to the Northside of Brownsville. But what about those who risk their lives crossing the river who don’t live on the northside of Brownsville? There’s a reason why they call us “wetbacks.” 

Image result for mexican marines in matamoros Believe it or not Oscar, Brownsville is more than the VICC, Country Club, and the restaurants along the highway. There’s Southmost, Las Preitas, El Jardin, El Ramireño, La Lomita, La Galaxia, El Puerto, and Cameron Park. There’s the governmental housing that people live in. There are rooms that people rent. There are shelters. 

Not everyone has a visa and “relocates” to Brownsville. There are those who risk their lives to live a life in Brownsville. Maybe your friends “relocated” to Brownsville. But how dare you call leaving your country due to corruption, drug-related violence and killings a “relocation.” It is not a change of scenery. It is immigration of fear for survival.

You did get one thing right, when you’re in downtown Brownsville, you may think you have already crossed over. But it’s not the cumbias that make you wonder where you are, it’s the killings of the women in the trans community; its trans women that are being raped beat, and kidnapped in the streets of downtown while the police turns to the side; it’s the homophobia and the transphobia that exists in the downtown community that truly make you wonder where you are.

 By the way,Oscar, have you seen Kimberly? She’s been missing for a while. Maybe if you had actually walked the streets of downtown you would have seen the missing signs.

Nameless we remain in your stories and nameless we remain the eyes of those politicians in the Rio Grande Valley. 

You do not need God’s blessing because God has already blessed you. You have an education, you are distinguished, you are influential, and what have you done with it? 

All you do is ride your academic high horse in Austin and come to Brownsville whenever you need your face in the newspaper. Next time you come back to my city, Oscar, come back and make a difference. But for now, leave those 30 pieces of silver in your mouth and keep Brownsville out of it.
↧

IT'S BIZ AS USUAL AT BROWNSVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT

February 10, 2018, 10:23 am
$
0
0

Image result for city of brownsville fire department
Special to El Rrun-Rrun

And we thought things would get better at the Brownsville Fire Department after disgraced fire chief Carlos Elizondo was jettisoned by the city administration.

Well, guess again.
Those of us who are still here are looking at some of the hiring practices of the "new" chief Jarrett Sheldon and detect a faintly similar pattern as under the Elizondo regime.

For example, the son of 30-year firefighter veteran Juan Raul Martinez got passed over the eligibility list when he came in 24th and was replaced by another applicant who scored #27. Could it be that Juan Raul Martinez Jr got passed over by Kenneth Breaux Jr, who just happens to be a relative of one of the administrative brass there. It wouldn't be because he's a relative of Acting Training Chief Edward Guerrero, would it? Nahhh.

Then why was Martinez served with a certified letter only after the eligibility list had expired Jan. 21 even though the letter was dated Jan. 11 and it wasn't until Jan. 23rd that Martinez received it? Previously, Martinez had been told by interim chief Sheldon that he was disqualified because he was tardy to an orientation meeting set for the candidates who had passed the physical agility exam. Yet, we know he had been told by the administrative secretary to show up at 11 a.m. He showed up early and to his surprise, he was late when he arrived at 10:07 a.m. He tried to explain to no avail and was sent on his way.

Then, in the certified letter, he was told that he was disqualified as a result of some negative results of his background check without any further explanation. He filed for a civil service commission hearing but that hasn't been scheduled. Yet the new entry level test has already been posted for March. Funny how things work. In the posting, Martinez is already disqualified because of a two-year requirement if he applied and was disqualified previously. This despite the fact that the administration is required to give a sufficient reason for him being passed over.

Not only has Martinez fallen victim to Sheldon's compadrismo, but 10 other candidates were skipped over to accommodate #18 Jose Cisneros, the son of a City of Brownsville employee who works at the Brownsville South padre Island International Airport who happens to be a longtime friend of former deputy chief David Hinojosa. Hinojosa, by the way, just happens to be the good buddy of Sheldon's father. Draw your own conclusions from that.

Seems like it's business as usual at the old Fire Department.
   


↧
Search

FINAL RAIL TRANSFERS SIGNED BY PORT AND UNION PACIFIC

February 10, 2018, 10:31 am
$
0
0

By Port of Brownsville
On Dec. 28, 2017, Brownsville Navigation District finalized paperwork with Union Pacific Railroad to officially culminate a 44-year project to improve the region’s economic vitality, environment and social benefits by relocating two outdated railroad switch yards from downtown Brownsville to areas closer to the Port of Brownsville.

The benefit to regional residents is fewer railroad crossings.

The advantage to the port is greater efficiencies for its growing number of railroad customers with increased volumes and speed of service. Now rail customers of the port and Union Pacific routinely partner with the Rio Grande International Railway to move tens of thousands of rail cars annually throughout the United States and into Mexico.

The Brownsville/Matamoros Railroad Relocation Demonstration Project began as part of the Federal Highway Act of 1973 with the goal of reducing urban conflicts with train and vehicular traffic within the city limits of Brownsville. 

As a result, the downtown Southern Pacific switch yard between 6th and 7th streets was relocated to the port and the railroad tracks in front of both the new Federal Courthouse and the Cameron County Courthouse were removed, eliminating the associated train noise, exhaust emissions and sometimes frustrating traffic congestion.

“The project, while sometimes confused with the West Rail Bridge project, was actually a stand-alone effort intended to benefit Brownsville and Cameron County by separating people, cars and railroad operations,” according to BND Chairman John Wood. “The final documents equitably transfer land and rail assets from Union Pacific and the Port of Brownsville to each party, with the port assuming ownership of the former UP Palo Alto Rail Yard.”

Although the official paperwork ending the project has just been signed, the community has benefited from numerous improvements associated with the effort for years. 

In addition to the relocated switchyard and railroad tracks, the project included the construction of several grade separated overpasses segregating vehicular traffic from rail operations on SH 48 and FM 511; with an additional bridge at FM 1847 and FM 511 over the port lead rail line. The project also includes the construction of the railroad mainline from the UP Olmito Rail Yard with associated bridges at US 77/83 Expressway and a new UP railyard.
↧

IS BISD LOWERING THE BAR WITH PRINCIPAL FOR A DAY PICKS?

February 10, 2018, 11:44 am
$
0
0

By Juan Montoya
We could understand an HEB manager, a state senator, a city commissioners, a business guy of a successful company, even a lawyer and a cop or two and we could even stomach the likes of former Port of Brownsville Chief George Gavito being picked as Brownsville Independent School District Principal For A Day.

Dr. Ruben Gallegos, Texas Southmost College trustee and Ruben Herrera, his colleague on the board, were also picked as was TSC President Dr. Jesus Roberto Rodriguez. Gavito was picked by Lincoln School administrators as a result of the social work and assistance he continues to provide that school. The last we heard he had donated a popcorn machine for the students, many of them unwed mothers trying to stay in school.

But look closely at the photo.

Yes, that's John Shergold and the Head Cheez himself Erasmo Castro in the post-principal-of-the-day banquet. One of the honorees pointed out that Castro had been convicted of a felony years ago, but apparently has cleaned up his act sufficiently to be let back into the decent-people fold. He fit right in with Jammin' Jay Z.

Castro has not only run for mayor, city commissioner and the BISD board, but we wouldn't be surprised to see him throw in his hat for some other position in the near future.

Some have hinted that he would go after City of Brownsville Commissioner Jessica Tetreau.
The pick of Shergold, a mercurial attorney who has found his niche in representing BISD staffers in grievance hearings and even taking the BISD to court is somewhat perplexing.

After all, Shergold just rubbed the BISD administration's snout in the mud with his successful defense of BISD Records Manager Martin Arambula, another candidate with political aspirations. Arambula threw his hat into the ring for Cameron County Judge this last go-round, albeit unsuccessfully.

And we're told that BISD trustee Laura Perez-Reyes bugged the administration to no end to be one of the principal-for-a-day picks until the super finally relented and gave in and picked her. What Laurita wants...

Is the BISD saying that bygones are bygones and welcomed back Shergold into the fold as well, litigation notwithstanding? But perhaps even more perplexing is the pick of Adolfo Cordoba, an attorney who lives in Willacy County and is a candidate for the 197th District Court. What would his opponents in that race have to say about that? Go figure,

"Some of us were sitting at the banquet and were surprised to see Castro and Shergold in the bunch," said one of the honorees. "We were feeling good about being picked principals for a day and then we saw who else was there. So we have district where one of the principals for the day is a felon, and at the same time a BISD trustee is under indictment for theft, well, you get the picture. What on earth are we dong?"

↧
↧

IS THERE A "CULTURE" OF CORRUPTION IN THE RG VALLEY?

February 11, 2018, 6:38 am
$
0
0
By Adolfo Vargas
Channel 5, KRGV.com

EDINBURG – Power, position and politics play a role in Rio Grande Valley corruption. Corrupt officials can abuse the system.

A University of Texas Rio Grande Valley professor is researching corruption. She wants to know why political corruption happens here and why so often.

CHANNEL 5 NEWS learned it’s often fear that keeps those helped by political wrongdoing from coming forward. Objective Watchers of the Legal System member Fern McClaugherty says sometimes those who commit dirty deeds have a conscience.

"I get letters in the mail that has no name but they tell us please this is happening can you help,” she said.

McClaugherty said the anonymous who speak out have participated in Valley corruption.

"We've been told by people what they've done. Of course, they won't come out of the shadows because they benefited from it and its crime so. They are not going to speak. We do know that it happens we just can't prove it,” said McClaugherty.

McClaugherty was once accused of political corruption when she was running in the Edinburg Councilmember Place 1 race.

"I was accused of having contracts stealing taxpayers’ money,” said McClaugherty.

She said it was a false accusation. She's still looking for answers about what led to the accusations.

UTRGV Assistant Political Science Professor Sylvia Gonzalez-Gorman is also looking for answers. She started a study on Valley corruption last year.

"I got a big study going on with the Rio Grande Valley. In what we're trying to figure out is what causes that person to take that turn,” said Gonzalez-Gorman.

The number of those in power, including law enforcement, judges and others, is great.

"I think without putting an actual number to it, we could be well over a hundred just in the last five years,” said Gonzalez-Gorman.


↧

WILL LINDA'S MARRIAGE SCAM BE TEMPERED WITH REYNA WIN?

February 11, 2018, 6:39 am
$
0
0
By Juan Montoya
Someone pointed out to us that the only Brownsville justice of the peace who has approached the numbers of wedding ceremonies (at $200 to $350 a pop) by marrying JP 2-1 Linda "Cupid" Salazar had been JP 2-2 Erin H. Garcia back in 2014.

Image result for linda salazar in action soliciting weddings at c. clerkIn that year, Garcia racked up 262 weddings and put a dent on Salazar's business. In that year, Salazar posted 571. After Garcia was defeated and didn't make the runoff between eventual winner Johnathan Gracia and Yolanda Begum, he started off slow with 64 in 2015, jumped to 196 in 2016, and is on a pace now at about 250.

By comparison, PP 2-3 Mary Esther Sorola racked up 95 in 2015, 82 in 2016, and came in under 100 in 2017.

Someone said that despite Gracia's showing, Salazar continues to clean up on the second floor of the remodeled Wells Fargo Bank with 682 in 2015, 676 in 2016, and was on her way to another 600 in 2017.

Now, just suppose that Gracia and candidate Javier Reyna get into a runoff for JP 2-2. AND suppose even further that somehow Reyna gets the nod from the voters. Would Salazar relent in her pursuit of the wedding ceremony dollars and allow Reyna to get a cut of the lucrative weeding biz?

Why would she?, we asked.

Reyna, as is often the case in political circles in Cameron County, is the cousin of Ruben Cortez, the member of the Texas State Board of Education, and happens to be the son of Linda Salazar. As they say, blood's thicker than mud, and we're sure that aunty Linda would let Javier in on some of the business. Will she accommodate Reyna and try to keep it all in the family?

She has also been caught soliciting couples on the third-floor offices of Cameron County Clerk Sylvia Garza-Perez, although in all fairness, Garza-Perez – also facing reelection – has protested that she had prohibited her clerks from favoring one JP over another. We wonder what the county clerk thought of the surveillance tapes that show Salazar plainly trying to steer couples to her second-floor office. Did she know she was being allowed to do that by her staff?

We have seen how Salazar has not set aside her rapacious ways and share the loot with the other JPs. At the civil service hearing for a clerk she fired after she was caught on surveillance tapes flipping a sign pointing to Salazar's office set up in front of the elevators so couples could not miss it when they got off on the second floor, the fired staffer told the civil service commissioners Linda would order them to herd couples her way so she could perform the lucrative ceremonies.

Also, the fired clerk said she was ordered to tutor Salazar's granddaughter during county time and even was made to attend her late husband's funeral and burial and even serve her guests at a post burial dinner held at the VFW off Price Road.

An what if Lali Betancourt just happens to beat Garza-Perez for county clerk? Would that upset Linda's apple cart? Would a leopard change her spots if it was blood? Stranger things have happened. 
↧

DOMINGUEZ: "NO ONE SHOULD STAY IN OFFICE FOREVER."

February 12, 2018, 7:47 am
$
0
0
(Ed.'s Note: It's not secret that Cameron County Pct. 2 Commissioner is facing an uphill fight to dislodge District 37 Texas State Representative Rene Oliveira who – with $100,000s in PAC and lobbyists dollars – has held on to the office for the past 34 years. Dominguez is counting on the voters to want an improvement in their lives and those of their neighbors to blacken the oval next to his name. 

Longevity in office by itself guarantees nothing,as the statistics on poverty and income for District 37 so eloquently demonstrate  (Click on graphic to enlarge). Do the voters want a change for the better? Come the Democratic Party primary, we will soon see.) 

↧
Viewing all 8037 articles
Browse latest View live
Search
<script src="https://jsc.adskeeper.com/r/s/rssing.com.1596347.js" async> </script>