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D.A.'S INVESTIGATORS NAB 404TH COURT COORDINATOR

March 26, 2018, 6:36 pm
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Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Cameron County Courthouse employees and visitors were startled late this afternoon when Cameron County District Attorney investigators (who some thought were U.S.  Marshals) arrived at the to the third floor of the Judicial Building at 974 E. Harrison St., and arrested up 404th District Court Coordinator Frankie Olivo.

Reports indicate that Olivo was led out of the building in handcuffs. Later today, he was booked into the Cameron County Rucker-Carrizales Correction facility in Olmito and charged with one charge of stalking and one of harassment.


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JULIETA'S SPECIAL PLACE IN THE HEARTS OF BROWNTOWN

March 27, 2018, 6:30 am
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(Ed.'s Note: This past weekend some friends from outside Brownsville wanted to relive the old days and decided to go to Alex Perez's Toddle Inn on Central Blvd. They dutifully waited their turn in line and finally got a table in the breakfast joint of the former Cameron County Sheriff. Then they looked over and, behold, there was a reserved table against the wall. Much to their surprise, in walks former UTB-TSC President Julieta Garcia. Obviously, Queen Julieta still holds a special place in the hearts of some Brownsville residents.)
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SUGGESTION: NAME WASH. PARK FOUNTAIN AFTER MARIO

March 27, 2018, 8:46 am
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By Juan Montoya
Next time you pass by Washington Park, either by day or night, you will see the fountain in the middle.

During the day, it stands like an oasis in the middle of town. At night, it is a fount of many colors drawing neighborhood residents to the park to while away the time.

But for a long time it was a dry hole, emitting neither water nor its colored lights and the dank, stagnant pool of water was breeding mosquitoes. The piping had corroded and the original lights were no longer available to replace the ones that had burned out. Committees had been set up by the city administration, but no one seemed to be able to do anything to restore it to its original state.

It took years, and if not for the persistence of a local businessman, it would have remained an eyesore. That man was Mario Villarreal, former Port of Brownsville commissioner, whose dogged efforts forced the city administration to repair the Brownsville iconic fixture.

Villarreal, president and owner of Pesa Enterprises and a former Public Utilities Board administrator and elected official, had tried for years to have the city restore the water fountain.

When it was built in 1929, the fountain was heralded all over the area for its synchronized water geysers and multi-colored lights that drew visitors from throughout South Texas.
After decades of operating, the fountain was allowed to fall into disrepair, and was restored in time in December 1975 just in time to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the park. Some of those who helped to restore it were Frank and Fausto Yturria and Pansy Yturria.

In a petition circulated back in May 2005,  local luminaries like developer Bill Hudson, Villarreal, former city commissioner Ernesto De Leon, Rudy Falcon, the late Port of Brownsville commissioner Dan Reyna, among others, urged the city to "repair the fountain to its original condition."

When Mario Villarreal's father Faustino and A.S. Garcia, an employee at Putegnat Hardware joined Mary Yturria and other City of Brownsville administrators way back in the 1960s to work on the Washington Park fountain, it was already a city landmark known throughout the Valley.
"My dad helped Miss Yturria and the other people at PUB to get the fountain to shoot out water and synchronize the different colors so that it looked like the water was changing colors," remembered Villarreal.

Mary Yturria, who spoke before the city commissioners years later, said that repairing the fountain to its former greatness was her personal dream. She recalled the children of the city and nearby towns gathering around the cement pool to collect water in bottles to take home with them.
"They thought the water would remain colored when they got home," she said with a smile.

It seemed that Yturria's dream would never became reality as hard times fell on the old fountain. The old tubing that made the water shoot geysers as tall as 65 feet in the air and then diminish in size as the colored lights alternated eroded over time and had to be replaced. Until the recent restoration, the geysers were mere spouts of varying sizes that were colored by lights so dim they seem to be but of a single hue.

Workmen trying to get the water to shoot higher found that when the level of the water in the pool got too low, air seeped into the system and diminished the flow.
"When it gets to a certain level, air goes in the pipes and we have to purge it," said a worker. "The lights work, too, but they are not as bright as they used to be so they seem to be of only one color."

Villarreal worked with the city to repair the fountain that was a source of pride for his late father. As a businessman who does extensive business in Mexico, he took it on his own to find the original replacement parts in the interior and passed along the information to the city.
"They already had a committee working on the fountain and they didn't pay much attention to what we told them," he said. "Instead they went out to other parts dealers in the United States and that's what we ended up with. It's was nothing like what it used to be."

"I have a personal relationship with that fountain because my dad worked on it," he said. "It's good to see it color up again like it used to when it was first built."

Lately, time has caught up with Mario just as it did with his beloved fountain. After a series of surgeries, he shows the signs of age and time on his now-stooped shoulders. But like the old warhorse he is – he was a captain in the Army when Hispanic officers were counted on one hand – he insists on showing up for work in his office at 700 E. Levee every morning.

"Pos que le vamos a hacer, Montoya," he says wistfully. "Hay que trabajar."
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EL HUESO DEL FRAILE, COMPONTE O PONTE HASTA EL TRONCO

March 27, 2018, 10:45 am
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(Ed.'s Note: This one is too rich to pass up. Seems one of our eight readers (we're growing) was walking along Elizabeth Street in downtown Browntown when he noticed a large tree trunk adorning the entrance to our friends' Laura and Adrian Foncerrada's El Hueso del Fraile coffeeshop and eatery. Te trunk was a new addition to the outdoor shrubbery decorating the exterior of the club.

We remember when the Foncerradas and their kids opened their club called La Mansion on Southmost Road. The Southmost crowd was not always amenable to the Nueva Musica, Latin American folk music, or classical European compositions so the family sought a better venue.

Nonetheless, a core of fans to this new music had been formed and they followed the family. They finally hit upon their present location at 837 E Elizabeth St.

We had asked them what El Hueso del Fraile referred to and we were told it was a medicinal plant which bore yellow flowers and pods of seeds. Later we found out that it is the common name for Yellow Oleander, "yoyote,""ayoyote (rattle,) or Almendra quema grasa (literally grease burner).

Image result for HUESO DEL FRAILE, rattle, BOTANYMost of the plant is considered toxic, but is used in traditional Mexican medicine for a variety of ills, including its seed pods as protection against the "evil eye" and fallen fontanel (moyera) in babies. The seed pods are also used as rattles by matichin dancers to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Lately, several cases of poisoning have occurred with its use in some products taken to lose weight. We, of course, have since ossified our moyeras and don't have to worry about our weight (thank God), but one in a while we do congregate at El Hueso to take in the superb live music offered there to sooth the savage breast and to imbibe of their imported brews. The open mike also allows budding musicians with aspirations to greatness to offer their talents to the appreciative crowd.

Once our maladies are assuaged, we will perhaps join those in the outside area para ponernos hasta el tronco.)
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IES - S-WEST KEY SALARIES SIMILAR, BUT S-WEST KEY LARGER

March 27, 2018, 11:39 am
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By Juan Montoya
After we published the salary schedules for now-defunct International Educational Services Inc. operated by Dr. Ruben Gallegos to provide board and education services to unaccompanied minors apprehended by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, we were asked whether Dr. Juan Sanchez's Southwest Key was any different.                                                                                                                                          Fair enough, we said, so we looked up their latest IRS report for the non-profit (2016). Of course, Southwest Key is a larger organization with facilities in seven states and gets more income from federal grants and contributions. Compared to IES's $72,030,413, Southwest Key lists assets of nearly 10 times as much at $721,806,851.

We previously listed IES highest paid salaries, http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/742/742478708/742478708_201509_990.pdf and now turn to Southwest Key schedules.


Sanchez and one other officer, CFO Melody Chung, draw more than $500,000 annually to operate Southwest Key programs (Sanchez $786,622, and Chung $545,316). With IES withdrawing from the provision of these services by March 31, Southwest Key will probably grow even more as a result.

Both IES and Southwest Key are paid by the by the U.S. Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement to shelter unaccompanied children from Mexico and Central America who cross into the United States at the Texas border are evaluated by the U.S. Border Patrol and placed temporarily at detention centers. 

If possible, the children are reunited with families already in the United States. If a relative cannot be found, the child is transported from the border to an emergency shelter managed by a private company or nonprofit organization like IES and Southwest Key. Federal Judge Andrew Hanen once likened the federal government's resettlement program to what coyotes do illegally. Obviously, coyotes don;t get paid like this.

Southwest Key was founded by Sanchez – a former migrant worker from Brownsville – in 1987 from a basement in San Antonio. It now operates 87 different programs in seven states (Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, New York, Texas and Wisconsin). I.E.S., on the other hand, has eight shelters all located in the Rio Grande Valley.

Sanchez's Southwest Key also moved to address youth justice alternatives, immigrant children's shelters, and education. Southwest Key also offers programming in adult education, community building and workforce development.

It was recently ranked #4 among the Top 25 Hispanic Nonprofits in America by Hispanic Business Magazine.
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ZIWA'S ASCENT DUE TO POLITICAL INFLUENCE AND INTRIGUE?

March 28, 2018, 10:03 am
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Anonymous said...

Look into the $3.5 million remodelling contract the port gave Ziwa Construction, to redo a perfectly fine office building. U know Ziwa, Sergio Arguelles' company. MARCH 27, 2018 AT 7:50 PM

By Juan Montoya

Little by little, city and county residents have been hearing of Ziwa Corporation, the construction company that started to snag costly construction projects in the private sector and has by has now – if the above commenter is to be believed – through its political influence, has become a contender for publicly-funded construction .

According to its website, ZIWA Corporation was started in 1996 by Jorge de la Garza with the intent of "creating a company tailored to customers needs through a well trained group of professionals, focused on each project's unique needs"

It claimed that it has "a complete understanding of the construction industry in both the US and Mexico" and to "have developed a team approach through innovative management and partnering that focuses on schedule, safety, technology and quality."

But what the website doesn't say is what other construction companies in the city are saying now: that the company really was funded with the capital provided by Sergio Arguelles, the so-called King of Maquilas in Matamoros, a person closely allied with Tomas Yarrington, the former governor of Tamaulipas now under house arrest in Italy.

In fact, the word on the street is that Arguelles bought a controlling interest in the Rancho Viejo Golf Resort as a "prestnombres" for Yarrington.

Lately, Ziwa has garnered lucrative contracts with the City of Brownsville, the Port of Brownsville, and the Brownsville Independent School District.

In it's portfolio, its work for Arguelles' FINSA Development's Maquila Association office in 2010 at a cost of $1.6 million heads the list. This is followed by the $2.3 million project to refurbish the railroad facilities at the Port of Brownsville in 2011, and then by the work on John Cowen Warehouse in 2014 at $1.7 million. John Cowen is the brother of Brownsville Navigation District commissioner Ralph Cowen. They, in turn, are the brothers of Brownsville Independent School District trustee Phil Cowen. 

Other projects included the maquila-based Precision Tools, Magnetek, Delphi, Panasonic, and a dozen others on the U.S. side including QC ONICS, Polytech, Corporate Express, Lockheed Martin, Highland, Penske, ITD Precision, Workforce Solutions, HEWL Development, and Milwaukee Tool, etc.

When it comes to private, commercial and industrial projects, it is up to the customer to decide without going through the bidding process. How Ziwa has traversed through that requirement is what has piqued the interest and raised some eyebrows as Ziwa competes against other contractors.

Take the bidding on the Port's Administrative Complex Rehabilitation and Building additions considered by the commissioners on Dec. 12, 2016. In it's evaluation, the staff recommended that low bidder Gonzalez-De la Garza and Associates with the lowest bidder at $6,600,000 and a total bid including the alternates of $6,830,500 be awarded the contract.

But someone pointed out that GDG had failed to submit the unit cost form required by the bid proposal and – after executive session – the port, on a 3-2 vote, awarded the contract to Ziwa, whose base bid of 6,775,000 and $7,106,000 including the alternates was $275,000 higher than the lowest bidder. The board decided to table the awarding of the contract until after they discused it in executive session.

Once out of the closed meeting, commissioner John Reed made the motion to award the contract to Ziwa seconded by Ralph Cowen and joined in voting "aye" by chairman John Wood. Commissioner Tito Lopez and Carlos Masso voted "nay."

Something similar happened recently during a meeting of the BISD. In this case, it was an item giving Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas authority to negotiate a $4.04 million building contract with Ziwa to build the Porter Early College High School Fine Arts Building.

Although the trustees were given the rankings of the nine companies who bid, they were given no dollar amounts. 

If the backup to the item would have contained dollar numbers, they would have known that the BISD administration was recommending that the trustees award the lucrative contract to ZIWA,  whose bid was fourth from the lowest and would cost BISD taxpayers $72,000 more that the lowest bidder (see graphic at right).

The board ended up approving the motion by trustee Joe Rodriguez 3-1 – again, after emerging from executive session – to authorize Zendejas to negotiate with Ziwa to build the Porter Fine Arts Building.

How the three trustees ( Lopez, Rodriguez and Laura Perez Reyes) could have voted to give away $72,000 of the district taxpayer dollars on suspect evaluations by the administration is a question that still lingers in people's minds. Only trustee Minerva Peña voted against the item.

Trustee Philip Cowen stormed out of the meeting when board president Cesar Lopez – despite Zendejas' recommendation that the item be tabled for further study – called for a vote. Trustee Dr. Sylvia Atkinson, believing that the vote would not be held, left immediately after the closed session and before Lopez called for the vote.

This is the convoluted reasoning by the evaluators:

The price category carried a maximum score of 60, construction experience 15, construction team and subcontractors 10, company's professionalism and subcontractors 10, construction performance 25, and financial strength 20 for a maximum possible score of 140.

As far as price category, "or best value," D. Wilson Construction scored the maximum 60, Wil-Con LLC followed with 59.66, E-Con Group scored 59.46 and Ziwa came in fourth with a 58.56.

Overall, Ziwa scored 133.96 of a possible 140, D.Wilson Construction 120.8, Wil-Con LLC 115.68, and E-Con Group 123.46.

Although Ziwa came in fourth in the price ranking, the final scores including the other five categories placed them over the others. Ziwa, for example, got a 14.8 of a possible 15 for company experience from the evaluators. How the evaluators gave Ziwa, founded in 1996, a higher score than D. Wilson (13), which has been in business since 1957 and has offices in the Rio Grande Valley and in San Antonio and was named one of the top 100 construction companies in Texas, is anyone's guess.

That ranking alone placed it over D. Wilson, the lowest bidder.

And let's not forget the use of change orders by Ziwa to inflate the cost to the City of Brownsville at the renovation of the old Mother of Perpetual Help building project at the corner of Madison and Sixth streets.

Robert Luna, Director of the city's Purchasing Dept. and City Engineer Carlos Lastra recommended calling for the sixth change order on the project that sent the cost soaring to close to $1 million.

The original contract to renovate the building the co-called Brownsville Community Resource Center was for $880,000. Contained within that contract was $53,475 for a "contingency" fund. That fund – except for $12,639 – was been gobbled up by four change orders by Ziwa that totaled $40,835.

Then the contractor said he needed an additional $82,919 that depleted the contingency fund and would require $70,279 to do the job right.

That will make the cost of rehabilitating the old Mother of Perpetual Help building a staggering $953,754, almost $1 million. Now, some would say, wouldn't it have just been better to get a brand new building with that $1 million?

Of course, if you have the right connections in local government like Ziwa appears to have, these change orders and quick fixes of the bidding process seem to be just par for the course. 
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TRUMP HITS UPON NAZI WAY TO IDENTIFY HIS VICTIMS

March 28, 2018, 11:38 am
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"The US Census Bureau announced on Monday night that the 2020 census will ask every American household to record which members of their family are US citizens." 

Image result for jews required by nazis c to fill up for censusIn 1939, the German government conducted a census of all persons living in Germany. Census takers recorded each person's age, sex, residence, profession, religion, and marital status, and for the first time, they also listed the person's race as traced through his or her grandparents. This information was later punched into coded cards by thousands of clerks.

The cards were sorted and counted by the Hollerith machine, an early version of the modern computer. The Hollerith was invented in 1884 by a German-American engineer, Herman Hollerith. The machine was used in the United States and by most European governments for processing census data in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Holleriths used by the Germans were developed by a German branch of the American company later known as International Business Machines (IBM).

The information from the 1939 census helped Nazi official Adolf Eichmann to create the Jewish Registry, containing detailed information on all Jews living in Germany.

The Registry also recorded the names of Jews in Austria and the Sudetenland of western Czechoslovakia, which were occupied by German troops in 1938 and 1939 and made part of the Reich (German empire). Nazi racial ideology and policies did not stop at Germany's borders.
Technology and information that were under other circumstances helpful tools became, under the Nazi regime, a means of locating victims. https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007703

Continued from VOX...

Only a few hours later, it was facing a lawuit over the decision. A group of 14 states, led by California, are trying to force the government to back down and leave the citizenship question off the census when it goes out to American households two years from now.

The government’s justification for the question sounds simple enough: Asking about citizenship will provide more information about who is in the United States, and more information is always good. It claims it’s simply reinstating a question that’s been part of every census except 2010’s.
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SCHLITTERBAHN CO-OWNER WAIVES EXTRADITION TO KANSAS

March 28, 2018, 12:17 pm
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By Juan Montoya

Jeffrey Henry, the 62-year-old co-owner of Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts who was being held in the Rucker-Carrizales jail on murder and 17 other charges in connection to a Kansas criminal case in the death of a 10-year-old boy waived extradition today and will soon be headed to Kansas.

Henry waived any rights to fight extradition  in the 107th state District Court Wednesday afternoon before Magistrate Judge Luis Sorola. 

Henry was arrested by U.S. by U.S. Marshals in South Padre Island and booked Monday at Cameron County Rucker-Carrizales corrections facility on three charges: murder, 12 counts aggravated battery and five counts of aggravated child endangerment. He is currently being held without bond.

The extradition hearing was originally scheduled for Thursday, but the man's attorneys petitioned the court to expedite the matter so Henry would not remain behind bars in a culturally strange environment.

Sorrola said he will hear  a writ of habeas corpus next Tuesday if Kansas authorities have not picked Henry up.

"This is a Kansas case and we're not going to have the taxpayers of Cameron County footing the bill for Mr. Henry if Kansas is the one who wants him," Sorrola said.

According to the Herald, Henry's lawyer's complained that the Schlitterbahn co-owner wears a colostomy bag that hasn't been changed in three days, which could cause a serious infection. They said Henry has not eaten or had a drink for three days as a precaution. The newspaper reported that Sorrola ordered the Cameron County District Attorney's Office to take him to the doctor and get checked out immediately after the hearing.

By Henry waiving extradition, Kansas has 10 days to come and get him and he will remain in custody until they take custody.

"He has never been in jail before and he speaks no Spanish," said an attorney close to the local defense. "His family would rather that he be close to home where they could be assured of his safety."

The attorney said that upon arriving in the county facility, corrections guards ask inmates for their gang affiliation. That is done, he said, to prevent placing gang members in cells controlled by rival gangs and could result in potentially fatal confrontations.

"This guy is a millionaire," he said. "He doesn't know what's going on in there. We know he doesn't like being in there"

Henry's arrest  followed a Kansas grand jury's indictment last week of the Schlitterbahn park in Kansas City, Kansas, and its former operations director, Tyler Austin Miles, on 20 felony charges. The charges include a single count of involuntary manslaughter over the death of Caleb Schwab in 2016. He has been released on a $50,000 bond, according to the AP.

The charge of murder had local attorneys scratching their heads since some elements of the crime such as proximate cause seemed to be missing in the state charges. However, they say that even after the boy's family reached settlements of nearly $20 million with Schlitterbahn and various companies associated with the design and construction of the waterslide, the fact that the boy's father is a Kansas state legislator may have played a role in the filing of the criminal charges by the state's attorney general.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt once served in the state legislature as a member of the Kansas Senate in the 15th district with Scott Schwab, the boy's father, who represents the 49th State Rep. District from Overland Park, a suburb in Kansas City.

"While we as a family continue to mourn and heal from Caleb's passing, we wanted to again thank the community of Kansas City for its continued prayers and support," Schwab, said in a statement Tuesday. "Clearly the issues with Schlitterbahn go far beyond Caleb's incident, and we know the attorney general will take appropriate steps in the interest of public safety."

Schlitterbahn spokeswoman Winter Prosapio was quoted in the Kansas Star promised to aggressively fight the criminal charges against Miles and the park, and respond to the allegations in the 47-page indictment "point by point."

"We as a company and as a family will fight these allegations and have confidence that once the facts are presented it will be clear that what happened on the ride was an unforeseeable accident," she said in an emailed statement.

The indictment against Miles and the park alleges that Verruckt ride met few, if any, industry standards and that Miles delayed or avoided necessary repairs, even after the ride's brake system failed.

The indictment also said Henry helped design the giant waterslide even though he had "no technical or engineering credentials" and that he set a "rushed timeline" for its construction.
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AND THE WINNER IS...PHARMACY STAFF AT BHC CITY CLINIC

March 28, 2018, 2:10 pm
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By Juan Montoya
No, the prize doesn't go to the parking meter inspectors withe the traffic department, the building inspectors, or even the motorcycle cops.

It goes, hands down, to the staff of the pharmacy of the Brownsville Community Health Center (DBA New Horizon Medical Center) at 191 E Price Rd.

The center is a federal government qualified health center and offers immunizations, physicals, prescription medications, eye exams, and many more medical care programs are offered by doctors, nurses, and medical professionals.

Up to the point where the clients reached the pharmacy, everything flowed smoothly. The receptionists were polite, and the medical staff was professional and empathetic in their treatment of the clients.

All that changed when they get to the crackerjack pharmacy staff. Since the center treats patients based on their incomes, many are poor and can't afford private care.

We heard that on Wednesday clients went around the corner of the medical department prescriptions in hand and walked into a darkened office. That was about 1:25 and the sign on the door said the pharmacy opened at 1:30. A woman walked in, saw that the pharmacists and aides were chatting it up in the area behind the counter that was still dark and sat down to wait.

Although the workers could see her sitting there, no one acknowledged her and the lights in their area were kept off.

As the time passed, the woman grew impatient and at about 1: 45 she walked over to the window and asked them if the pharmacy was open. One of the women behind the glass told her it wasn't and it wasn't until 1:50 that the staff turned on the lights and opened for business.

No one had told the woman – who had been the only one sitting and waiting to be helped until other patients started to arrive – that she needed to take a number.
So she had to wait still further until her number was called and she handed it to the haughty woman behind the counter.                                                                                                                    As she waited for the prescription to be noted, an elderly woman asked one of the women who was placing the prescriptions in a file, whether she could help her.

"Can't you see I'm busy?," hissed the woman. "Go find someone else to help you."

The BCHC Pharmacy states in its website that "We pride ourselves in giving the best service possible to our patients."

Judging by the experience of some of your clients this Wednesday, we can't see why.
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YEAH, BUT WHAT IF THE SUSPECTS HAD TRIED TO RUN...

March 29, 2018, 9:56 am
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(Ed.'s Note: One of our faithful seven readers sent us this sequence of photographs from Isabella's, a popular breakfast diner on Central Boulevard this morning depicting the resolution of a dispute (misunderstanding) over a bill this morning. Apparently, the restaurant manager (at left), had come to blows with the customer (in dark shirt at right) and the local gendarmes had to be called in to calm down the passions.

No, svelte would not describe our finest in blue. Neither would lithe, for that matter. But after the hefty representative of law and order waddled in between the two, they seem to have been content to let bygones be bygones. In the bottom picture, after they had shook hands and made up under the watchful of of Mr. Cop, the "victim" even gave a business card to the aggressive owner.

Our reader asks a pertinent (or it it impertinent?) question: What if either one of them had tried to run?)
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PORT, TSC ELECTION DAY SITES SMELL OF VOTER SUPPRESSION

March 29, 2018, 10:24 am
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By Juan Montoya
If ever there has been an election-day polling place list designed to cause confusion and inconvenience to where it could discourage low-income voters from voting, the election day polling place list by the Brownsville Navigation District and the Texas Southmost College is it.

It is, some critics say, a quintessential example of voter suppression.

And although port and TSC supporters say that the list is the same that was used in past elections with minor modifications, Cameron County Elections Administrator Remi Garza says he merely lumped the polling precincts the way the board of the two entities approved it in past meetings.

"We looked at past voting patterns and participation and the polling places were approved by the port and the college," he said.

TSC board president Adela Garza said that the board placed their confidence in Remi because "it's his job. We trust he wants people to vote."

Still, questions abound.

For example, if you live in the 13th Street barrio and vote in Precinct 5 and are accustomed to vote at Victoria Elementary at 280` E. 13th Street, you will have to travel across town and cast your ballot at Gonzalez Elementary at 4350 Jaime Zapata Road (Coffeeport Road), three miles away as the urraca flies, longer on the streets.

That despite the fact that Canales Elementary (Pct. 37)is also a polling place less than nine blocks away. And Cromack Elementary (Pct.), is also closer, less than a mile and one-quarter away. Why Gonzalez 3 miles away?

Likewise, the voters of the neighborhoods around Perez Elementary (Pct. 96) will also have to go to Gonazalez (2 miles away as the urraca flies) when Martin Elementary is one-third the distance (one mile) and Stell Middle School is only one and one-quarter miles away. Why?

Gonzalez Elementary: 4350 Jaime Zapata Road (Coffeeport Road)

PRECINCT 5: Victoria Elementary, 2801 E. 13th St., Brownsville
PRECINCT 46: Gonzalez Elementary, 4350 Coffeeport Road, Brownsville
PRECINCT 63: Oliveira Middle School, 444 Land O’ Lakes Dr., Brownsville
PRECINCT 96: Perez Elementary, 2514 Shidler Dr., Brownsville

The same applies to the voters of Skinner Elementary (Pct. 11) who will have to travel across town from south-central Brownsville barrio to cast their vote at Russel, about a one and a quarter-miles away. Why not Putegnat Elementary downtown, less than half a mile away? The same goes for Pct. 13, the First Presbyterian Church just down the street from Sharp. Instead of going there, they will also have to go more than a quarter mile further to Russel.

Russel Elementary: 800 Lakeside Blvd., Brownsville

PRECINCT 11: Skinner Elementary, 411 W. St. Charles St., Brownsville
PRECINCT 12: Russell Elementary, 800 Lakeside, Brownsville
PRECINCT 13: First Presbyterian Church, 424 Palm Blvd., Brownsville

Now, take a look at the list below. Notice the Perkins Middle School (Pct. 71) is closer to Gonzalez Elementary (3/4 of a mile) than it is to Rivera high School (about 2 miles), yet that's where TSC and Port voters will have to go to vote on election Day. Why?

Morningside Elementary is about a mile away from Cromack and in the same barrio, but voters there will have to travel about 3 miles to vote in Rivera H.S. Why?
Rivera High School: 6955 FM 802, Brownsville

PRECINCT 14: Social Service Center, 9901 California Road, Brownsville
PRECINCT 60: Morningside Elementary, 1025 Morningside Road, Brownsville
PRECINCT 68: Rivera High School, 6955 FM 802, Brownsville
PRECINCT 71: Perkins Middle School, 4750 Austin Road, Brownsville
PRECINCT 82: El Jardin Elementary, 6911 Boca Chica Blvd., Brownsville
PRECINCT 86: Juliet Garcia Middle School, 5701 FM 802, Brownsville
PRECINCT 102: Raquel Pena Elementary, 4975 Salida de la Luna, Brownsville
PRECINCT 108: Hudson Elementary

The grouping below is even more egregious. If you vote in Pct. 17 in San Benito, you will have to drive all the way into Brownsville to cast you vote on election day. And if you live in Villa Nueva, you will also have to drive there to vote.


Yturria Elementary: 295 West Tandy Road, Brownsville

PRECINCT 16: Villa Nueva Elementary, 7455 Military Highway, Brownsville
PRECINCT 17 (part) : La Encantada Elementary, 35001 FM 1577, San Benito
PRECINCT 48: Yturria Elementary, 2955 Tandy Road, Brownsville
PRECINCT 98: Benavidez Elementary, 3101 McAllen Road, Brownsville
PRECINCT 107: (GET LOCATION)

What about these? Precinct 61 (Hudson) is a lot closer to Gonzalez than it is to Stell, yet that's where they will have to go vote. Hanna (Pct. 76) is on the same side of town as Gonzalez, but they, too will have to go to traverse the expressway to the other side of town to vote at Stell. Confused yet?

Stell Middle School: 1105 Los Ebanos, Brownsville

PRECINCT 47: Stell Middle School, 1105 Los Ebanos St., Brownsville
PRECINCT 49: VICC Rec Center, 300 McFadden Road, Brownsville
PRECINCTS 61: Hudson Elementary, 2980 FM 802, Brownsville
PRECINCT 76: Hanna High School, 2615 Price Blvd., Brownsville

Burns Elementary: 1974 Alton Gloor, Brownsville

PRECINCT 54: Burns Elementary, 1974 Alton Gloor Road, Brownsville
PRECINCT 73: Brownsville Country Club Golf Center, 1800 W. San Marcelo Blvd., Brownsville
PRECINCT 74: Cameron Park Community Center, 2100 Gregory Ave., Brownsville
PRECINCT 100: Olmito Elementary, 2500 Arroyo Blvd,. Brownsville

Perkins Middle School is about 3/4 of a mile from Gonzalez Elementary, but they will have to go to Hudson more than 2 miles away to vote at Hudson. Why?

Hudson Elementary: 2980 FM 802, Brownsville

PRECINCT 71: Perkins Middle School, 4750 Austin Road, Brownsville
PRECINCT 100: Olmito Elementary, 2500 Arroyo Blvd,. Brownsville
PRECINCT 106: Hudson Elementary

It is obvious that it will be the rural and inner-city voters who will have to make the longest treks to cast their vote. Is this by design and carried by inertia? These are nonpartisan races, so the blame can't be cast at Republicans or Democrats. Is it a situation created by these entities to maintain the status quo (socioeconomic class) instead?

We will leave the groupings here because it might take these voters a few days (or months) to realize that their election days polling places have been placed so distant from their homes. Is this why voter turnout on election day is so low?

And is this a deliberate way to suppress voting in these elections for these entities that are so important for the economic development of our area?
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DONE DEAL ON HENRY? HEARING IN KANSAS ON THURSDAY

March 29, 2018, 11:48 am
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(Ed.'s Note: We still don't know whether Kansas authorities will pick up Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry by Tuesday when 107th District Magistrate Luis Sorola is set to hear motion for habeas corpus from his attorneys in district court. However, a story in the Kansas City Star asserts that he will appear in court there next Thursday to face arraignment on charges stemming from the death of a 10-year-old child and other injured victims of the Verruckt water slide he helped to design and build.)   

By Steve Vockrodt
Kansas City Star
The Kansas Attorney General's Office on Thursday announced that Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry will make his first court appearance in Wyandotte County on April 5.

A grand jury indictment unsealed on Tuesday accused Henry of second-degree murder, aggravated battery and aggravated child endangerment in the 2016 death of a 10-year-old child on the 17-story Verruckt water slide in Kansas City, Kan.

Caleb Schwab was killed when he rode the thrill ride on Aug. 7, 2016. His raft went airborne and he hit a metal brace that supported a netting system atop the ride.First appearances take place in front of a judge. The hearing will discuss the charges against a defendant, and both prosecutors and defense counsel will discuss if and how much bond should be set.

The Kansas Attorney General's Office has previously requested a $500,000 bond for Henry.

Henry was arrested Monday by U.S. Marshals and has since been held in a jail in Brownsville, Texas, without bond. Henry waived extradition at a hearing on Wednesday, but remains in custody.

Also facing charges is business partner and lead Verruckt designer John Schooley. Schooley was out of the country working on a project when the indictment was unsealed, and his current whereabouts are not clear.

The indictment accuses both of men of creating the idea for Verruckt on a whim to get publicity from a television show and sidestepping warnings and industry safety norms in rushing the slide to completion.

To read rest of article, click on link: http://www.kansascity.com/news/article207279659.html
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AS EASTER SUNDAY APPROACHES, ALTAR, SAINTS SHROUDED

March 30, 2018, 5:26 am
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(Ed.'s Note: Those of us who were born and raised Catholic during our young year but who have not been practicing the faith and perhaps dallied with evangelism, are probably not up to snuff on some of the religious customs practiced in the local churches.

Just yesterday, at about 6 p.m., we were drawn to the mass at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, itself a testament to the faith of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Peter Yves Keralum who designed it, and the local believers who donated their labor to construct it way back then in the 1850s. 

We were struck that the saints and the altar of the cathedral were covered with dark cloth. In asking, we were told that the custom of covering the religious images during the height of Lent was done so as to draw all attention to be centered on the Passion and death of Christ and not to distract from the real meaning of the celebration of the passion and resurrection.

Even the receptacles where the faithful dip their hands to bless themselves with holy water have been covered at the entrance of the cathedral and there in only one available inside. On Thursday, they celebrated the Last Supper before the Crucifixion.

We have a many great number of religions in this city, and historically have always had. Whether Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Evangelical, etc., all practice their faith as they believe it. Or not at all. This weekend culminates in the Ascension of the Christ for Christians and we respect their faith. We wish all our readers a Happy Easter and may peace be with you and everyone.)


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OP 10.33 MIKE HERNANDEZ STARTING TO MAKE LOCAL IMPACT (CLICK ON GRAPHIC TO ENLARGE)

March 30, 2018, 5:43 am
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TARIFFS AND TRADE AGREEMENTS IMPACT U.S. ENERGY

March 30, 2018, 6:50 am
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By Todd Staples
President of Texas Oil & Gas Association
AUSTIN – American energy dominance isn’t just a catchy slogan. It is here and has distinctly been made possible by Texans. Texas leads the nation in oil and natural gas production, pipeline miles and refining capacity, all of which bolster our nation’s energy security. America’s position as a global energy leader – and Texas’ contribution to maintaining that position – are directly impacted by federal policies like trade agreements and tariffs.

Federal initiatives like tax reform and a renewed commitment to science-based regulations encourage expanded oil and natural gas investments and create good jobs for Texans. However, a recent decision to impose federal tariffs on imported steel and aluminum is a step in the wrong direction as we work to cement our energy security and economic growth. Tariffs on imported steel and aluminum will increase costs and threaten jobs across the entire oil and natural gas sector.

Increasing line pipe costs by 25 percent, for example, would add $76 million to a typical pipeline project, according to the Association of Oil Pipe Lines. Bigger pipeline projects could cost as much as $300 million more. If we are to continue to meet our energy demands, we need more pipelines and public policies that make it economical to build them. Expanding energy infrastructure is the best way to increase energy reliability and security and to protect our fuel supply in the event of a natural disaster like Hurricane Harvey.

Beyond price, the decision to tax imported steel does not seem to consider the issue of availability. Oil and natural gas operators in Texas and across the nation use specialty steel that is not widely available from U.S. steel mills. Only a handful of domestic mills manufacture pipe that is the size and thickness needed for many U.S. pipeline projects.

While tariffs present an obstacle to growth, current negotiations related to the North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) present a tremendous opportunity. As the nation’s top producer of oil and natural gas and the largest border state with Mexico, we have a lot at stake as we work to provide energy resources to our neighbors. NAFTA has served as the essential framework that has allowed all sectors of the Texas oil and natural gas industry to grow and prosper.

As part of the negotiation process, we are hopeful that NAFTA will be made permanent and that provisions are included to keep Mexico’s energy market open to the U.S. It is also imperative to maintain the current strong provisions that enforce fair trade practices that keep our industry competitive. As American oil and natural gas operators make massive investments to get products to market, certainty, fairness and permanence will encourage even more investment and job growth that will benefit both of our nations.

Tariffs and trade agreements matter in Texas because when our state’s oil and natural gas industry does well, all Texans do well. As the industry’s remarkable recovery continued, oil and natural gas companies paid more than $11 billion in state and local states and state royalties in fiscal year 2017 – a $1.6 billion increase from the previous year. Those funds directly support our schools, roads and first responders.

The benefits of a healthy Texas oil and natural gas industry extend beyond local treasuries. Texas’ surging oil and natural gas production, growing pipeline infrastructure, and expanding export and refining capacity were central to several recent energy-related milestones in America.

When the U.S. crossed the threshold of producing 10 million barrels of crude oil a day, 40 percent of that production came from Texas. America’s crude oil imports are down 20 percent from 2006 and in January, our crude oil exports were more than double the average from the previous year. 

The U.S. became a net exporter of natural gas in 2017 and those exports are expected to increase more than 10-fold in 2019 – thanks in part to the seven LNG facilities planned or under construction in Texas. Meanwhile, soaring production is driving massive investment in pipelines, refining capacity, and petrochemical manufacturing along the Texas Gulf Coast.

These energy outcomes were unthinkable a decade ago and they are a direct result of Texans’ strong workforce, dedication to innovation, and consistent regulations and policies. We have to work to preserve this progress and we need smart public policy – at all levels of government – to encourage continued energy prosperity for America
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AT SAENZ'S DA'S OFFICE, A VERY POLITICIZED ARREST POLICY

March 30, 2018, 7:30 am
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Image result for luis v. saenz
Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Remember when Joey Garza, the son of former Cameron District Clerk Aurora Garza was brought in for arraignment after he was arrested for stealing more than $100,000 from the dying at the Sunshine Haven Hospice in Olmito?

Joey was allowed to have a private arraignment and was never arrested by the sheriff or the "strike force" of the Cameron County District Attorney's Office. Instead, on  a Friday afternoon, he was brought in to court and given the chance to pay restitution. Somehow, Aurorita was able to twist a few arms and gather the bucks to keep her Joey from spending one day in jail.

How about the arrest of Melinda Gilman Gonzalez, the child-support collection clerk and stepdaughter of Asst. DA Pete Gilman who got arrested and charged with taking between $8,000 and $10,000 in payments by parents under court order?

The scheme involved taking payments after 4:30 p.m. when the computerized system was closed and then giving out handwritten receipts that were never entered in the system.

 De la Garza attempted to keep the matter quiet and handle it in her own special way. She allowed the woman to resign, then allowed Gilman to walk her into the Cameron County Sheriff's Department and had her booked and released on her dad's signature. She, too, was allowed to pay restitution and maintain her freedom.

To make matters worse, De la Garza is alleged to have been mentioned in a statement by a county employee who implicated her in attempting to prevent investigators from discovering the evidence (the receipt books) by urging them to make the books disappear.

And Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz appointed a special prosecutor to try the cases of his niece and nephew who were charged with running over a pedestrian, leaving the scene of the accident, and driving while intoxicated. Police charged siblings Kacie and Victor Garcia with leaving the site of the accident after striking 21-year-old Gilbert Perez and fleeing the scene of the accident leaving him critically injured on the side of the road.

In Kacie's case, the DWI and the Intoxication Assault With a Motor Vehicle were dismissed as part of the plea bargain agreement. She pleaded guilty to the felony charge of Accident Involving Injury or Death. The DA's office agreed to the dismissal of the two charges and to have a visiting judge sentence her to five years probation and to apply deferred adjudication after that so that the offense would not show up on her record.

In her brother Victor's case, the crackerjack defense also garnered him a dismissal on the Accident Involving Injury or Death felony charge and his nolo contendre guilty plea on the Failure to Report Felony Where Severe Bodily Injury or Death Results resulted in the judge going along the agreement between the DA's Office and defense attorney Ed Stapleton and assessed him 12 months probation and 24 hours of community service. The court also went along with placing Victor with deferred adjudication so that after he served his probation, the record of the offense would be erased.

There were no "strike force" arrests or shows of force. Everything was kept hush-hush.

When Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector Tony Yzaguirre and three other tax office employees were arrested and charged with more than a dozen offenses, the show was on. There were Rangers, FBI, DEA, DA's Office, and local police involved in the made-for-TV arrests. Ultimately, Yzaguirre was exonerated by a jury in Nueces County and the charges against the others were dropped and some reinstated. But that wasn't on TV.

And take the case of Frankie Joe Olivo who was charged with two misdemeanor charges of stalking and harassment. In his case, the DA sent in what looked like SWAT assault and dragged Olivo out of his 404th District Court coordinator office and escorted him out in handcuffs.

Is it just us, or is there a decidedly separate and unequal treatment by Saenz's office of particular cases?
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HERNANDEZ'S OP 10.33: BY YOUR ACTS, YE SHALL BE KNOWN (CLICK ON GRAPHIC TO ENLARGE)

March 31, 2018, 7:44 am
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BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THERE IS RESISTANCE IN BROWNTOWN

April 1, 2018, 9:17 am
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HAS IT REALLY BEEN 50 YEARS SINCE THE REV. WAS KILLED?

April 4, 2018, 8:29 am
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Has anybody here seen my old friend Abraham,
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He freed a lotta people, but it seems the good die young
But I just looked around and he's gone.

Has anybody here seen my old friend John,
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He freed a lotta people, but it seems the good die young
But I just looked around and he's gone.

Has anybody here seen my old friend Martin,
Can you tell me where he's gone?
He freed a lotta people, but it seems the good die young
But I just looked around and he's gone.

Didn't you love the things they stood for?
Didn't they try to do the best
For you and me
And we'll be free, someday soon 
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ON THE SOUTHERN MEXICAN BORDER: LAS PATRONAS

April 4, 2018, 11:36 am
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Several times a day, long freight trains known as La Bestia pass through the small Mexican town of La Patrona, heading north to the United States. Perched atop these trains are hundreds of men, women and children from Central America and Mexico, who hitch a ride to the border hoping to start a new life in the United States. Along the way, they risk kidnapping, injury, rape, extortion and murder.

It’s not an uncommon sight – particularly as the number of Central Americans fleeing violence in their home countries has led to a full-fledged refugee crisis. 

And La Patrona would be no more remarkable than any of the other small towns that the trains rumble through every day, if it weren’t for a group of women whose compassionate act of kindness turned into a movement that has garnered international attention. Las Patronas, as they’ve come to be known, are a group of women who have dedicated themselves to giving out food and water to hundreds of migrants riding the train every day. 

An initiative begun by Norma Romero twenty years ago, they are now a group of 15 who prepare large portions of rice, beans, bread, and water to toss to the US-bound migrants. For those riding the train, passing through La Patrona is one of the few bright spots in what is an otherwise arduous and life-threatening journey.


In 2013, Norma Romero was given the Human Rights Award by Mexico’s National Commission of Human Rights for her work with Las Patronas. 

The group has also been the subject of a documentary called Llévate mis amores. Below, get an intimate glimpse at their important work, in this photo essay from our contributor Hans-Maximo Musielik. – Andrea Gompf
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