Former publisher remembered

Sales Tax Holiday

New Traffic laws

Marijuan found in ctirus load

Changes coming to bus stops

Former publisher remembered for her love of community

By Edwina Garza

MISSION – June Brann, through her columns in the Progress Times to her regular meetings with city or hospital officials, was – as city attorney named her – “the conscience of Mission.”

“She always did what was right,” said friend and Mission Attorney Darrell Davis.

Brann, a distinguished journalist with a career spanning over 50 years, died Aug. 14. She was 82.

Born into a home quarantined by the health department after her parents were both diagnosed with small pox, Brann called herself a survivor.

Davis, who delivered the eulogy at Brann’s funeral on Tuesday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in McAllen, said Brann worked “tenaciously” as a member of the media and as a board member of over 20 years for Mission Hospital, where she assisted in the hospital’s evolution to become Mission Regional Medical Center and to ensure Mission thrived.

“She was feared by some and disliked by others because, I guess, the truth hurts,” Davis said. But others revered her for her forthright boldness in telling it like she saw it.

“No one had to wonder about what she thought about a particular matter.If you missed seeing it in her eye, or hearing it face-to-face, you’d read it in print,” Davis said.

Brann began working at 14 years old for the local variety store and movie theater before working as a link instructor at the Moore Air Base. Over the years, the Donna native worked for the Associated Press, the MissionTimes, the HoustonChronicle, WeslacoNews, KRIO and KURV radio and KRGV TV. She later became owner, publisher and editor of the ProgressTimes and the TexasAgri-News, and co-publisher of the WinterTexanTimes before her retirement in 2003.

In her position as a member of the media, Brann was known for her hard stance on community issues and even became named one of the 10 most influential people in Hidalgo County – the only woman on that list, which included prominent figures such as Congressman Kika de la Garza and Glen Roney, chairman of the board of Texas State Bank.

Mission Economic Development Authority President and former Mission mayor Pat Townsend Jr. said Brann’s watchful eye on City Hall kept everyone in line. It was good to have someone fulfill that role, he said.

“She always offered a short Coke – a small glass bottle,” Townsend said of his frequent visits to her office on Conway Avenue. “There was never any alternative, it was just a regular Coke. But I swear, I think she had truth serum stuck away in it.”

If Brann heard of a rumor, she was always accurate, Townsend said.

“You couldn’t dispute the accuracy,” he said. “I enjoyed that time of my life…You don’t find that quality in everyone you run into.”

Mission Mayor Norberto “Beto” Salinas had worked with Brann since the 1970s, on the campaign for Mayor Arnaldo Ramirez, and said she was a good voice for Mission, but especially for all of western Hidalgo County.

“She did so many things for people,” Salinas said. “She was a great friend of the whole city.”

In her mid-20s, Brann became a divorced mother of four children, which family and friends said pushed Brann to succeed.

She bristled when anyone tried to associate her name with the rise of feminism.

She once wrote, “Opportunity for women has always existed, if the individual woman will only reach out and pursue it…. I am living proof that women have that opportunity. I was pushed into success, mostly by men. Any success I have is due to the solid foundation given to me by my parents, God-given talent to write and the opening of doors of opportunity which I fell through.”

City Secretary Anna Carrillo, who previously worked with Brann for 23 years at the Progress Times, said Brann’s accomplishments were important for Rio Grande Valley women.

“For all women she was a pillar of example that we’re capable of success,” Carrillo said. “She took on the men with no problem.”

Carrillo, who got her job working for Brann when she was only 15, said she was deeply affected by their relationship.

“She was hard, but it was always because you were learning something,” Carrillo said, explaining that she had been wearing a heart necklace Brann had given her when she left the paper. “To me, she was kind of like a second mother. I confided and trusted in her.”

Police Chief Leo Longoria, who had known Brann for about 20 years, said he saw Brann as a mentor.

“I had a great admiration for her,” Longoria said. “She was very astute to what was going on in our organization and in the community.”

Her approach to dealing with him and community issues was matronly, he explained.

“I’ve never had a relationship like that,” Longoria said. “She was always a go-to person.”

Like Carrillo and Longoria, Townsend said his relationship with Brann closely resembled his relationship with his mother. At Tuesday’s Mayor Prayer Luncheon, Townsend told the audience he never knew what to expect when he was summoned to Brann’s office.

“I had no idea if she’d treat me like my mother treated me or worse,” Townsend joked.

Brann didn’t just make a habit of dropping in on city officials to discuss the progression of the city, City Manager Julio Cerda said. She also stopped by to ensure everyone was doing well.

“She would come in maybe once a week to say ‘hello,’” Cerda said. “She always was very interested in making sure the city was providing the best possible service.”

Along with keeping elected officials in check, Brann also served as a member of the board of Mission Hospital, now Mission Regional Medical Center.

Javier Iruegas, chief executive officer of MRMC, said Brann’s need to get to know a person on a one-to-one basis helped her be successful.

“She always had very thoughtful questions and direct questions,” Iruegas said. “I always respected that of her.”

When he interviewed for his position with the board nearly four years ago, Brann took him aside and said she wanted to meet with him privately before making her decision on her choice for the hospital.

“She wanted to get to know who the individual was,” Iruegas said.

Brann was a strong influence on the hospital and community, and was concerned with getting more traffic into the center with the construction of a nearby bridge.

“She was concerned with making sure the community was taken care of and that we were meeting the needs,” he said. “Over the years, I could really count on her; I admired and respected her opinions.”

In the days following her death, as family and friends gathered to remember her life and legacy, Davis said it was Brann’s ability to pick up and move forward that made her successful.

Sales tax holiday offers best savings ever for budget conscious families

AUSTIN — Texas families will save an estimated $65.7 million in state and local sales taxes during the annual sales tax holiday, Texas Comptroller Susan Combs said recently.

Shoppers will save more than ever before during the annual sales tax holiday, which now includes more than two-dozen school supply items in addition to clothing and backpacks.   

The annual sales tax holiday weekend starts today and ends on Sunday. State law designates the weekend of the third Friday in August for the sales tax holiday.

“Most families are on tight budgets and it can be a real challenge to buy kids the clothes and supplies they need for a new school year,” Combs said. “To help out, the legislature has added many school supplies to the list of tax-free items during the sales tax holiday. The tax break on school supplies alone will save families nearly $9 million in state and local sales taxes this year.”

The sales tax holiday covers school supplies, school backpacks and most children’s and adults’ clothing and shoes priced less than $100. Lists of tax-free clothing and school supplies can be found at www.txtaxholiday.org

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New traffic, criminal laws set to go into effect Sept. 1

AUSTIN — A number of new laws will affect hundreds of Texas drivers come Sept. 1, when they go into effect, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced this week.

All passengers must now be restrained by a safety belt, no matter their age or where they are seated in a vehicle, House Bill 537 states.

Under this law, a motorcycle operator is prohibited from carrying a passenger under five years old, unless the child is seated in a sidecar attached to the bike.

Another seatbelt law, Senate Bill 61, requires all children under eight years old, or under four feet, nine inches in height to be restrained by an approved child passenger safety seat belt. The law goes into effect on Sept. 1, like all other new laws, but tickets cannot be issued until June 1, 2010. Until then, officers are only allowed to issue warnings. The fine for the first offense is no more than $25. The second offense could cost a motorist $250, DPS officials said.

The law, HB 55, states a cell phone can only be used in a school zone if the vehicle is stopped or a hands-free device is used.

“Cities or counties wanting to enforce this law must post a sign at the beginning of each school zone to inform drivers that using a wireless communications device is prohibited and the operator is subject to a fine,” a DPS news release states.

It was unclear at press time whether nearby cities would place signs in school zones.

In other new laws, a driver accused of driving while intoxicated with a child passenger will have their license suspended automatically. The period increases for repeat offenders. The re-instatement fee for finishing an education program will increase from $50 to $100.

Teenagers trying to get a driver’s license must now take a driving skills exam and also extends the Phase II restrictions for holders of a graduated driver’s license from six months to one year. Those restrictions include limited night driving, prohibited use of wireless communication devices and a limited number of passengers, DPS officials said of HB 2037. In HB 339, the total hours of behind-the-wheel driving instruction teenagers receives from 14 to 34.

Minors are also affected by HB 558, which allows the state to charge them with public intoxication.

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More than three tons of marijuana in citrus load

FALFURRIAS— U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Falfurrias Border Patrol station discovered 6,563 pounds of marijuana hidden within a load of citrus on Sunday, officials said in a news release.

The marijuana has an estimated street value of more than $5 million.

A tractor-trailer rig pulled into the Border Patrol checkpoint for inspection. A Border Patrol canine team was working at the checkpoint when the canine alerted agents to the presence of narcotics or other contraband coming from the tractor-trailer. The vehicle was referred to secondary inspection where agents discovered an estimated $5,250,800 worth of marijuana concealed within the load of citrus the trailer was carrying, the news release stated.

The Drug Enforcement Administration assumed custody of one adult male, the contraband and the tractor-trailer.

To report suspicious activity, contact the Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sectors’ toll free telephone number at 1-800-863-9382.

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Changes coming to school bus stops

The place where many Mission elementary students catch their ride to school on Monday may be different than previous years. Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, Mission CISD (Consolidated Independent School District) will implement changes in some bus stops.

Basically, the district is centralizing the pick-up/drop-off points for students. Some bus stops will be relocated to the entrances of subdivisions, along main roads and two small routes are being eliminated.

Officials say this will save the district tens of thousands of dollars in fuel costs and make the bus transportation system more efficient overall. “Not only will this save the district money, but it will enable our buses to complete their routes in a more timely manner,” explained Carlos Lerma, transportation coordinator. “By eliminating the need to enter so many subdivisions and make those additional stops it will also save precious time needed to complete some routes. This becomes a challenge because as our buses finish their routes for elementary schools, they immediately begin routes for the junior high and high schools.” Lerma indicated there would be up to 15 minutes shaved off of some routes which would result in secondary students getting home as much as 20 minutes earlier in the afternoons. Lerma also said there would be less wear and tear on the buses which should translate into repair cost savings over time.

Officials say this is very similar to what many schools districts have been doing for years. The proposal was approved by the board of trustees.

State regulations indicate that students should not have to walk more than seven tenths of a mile to reach a bus stop. The changes to the Mission CISD bus stops will result in walks well within state rules and guidelines.

District officials say they will have bus stops marked with signs and/or curb painting. Letters and maps marking new bus stops were sent home with students in the affected areas in late May.

Letters were also mailed to parents for the small number of students impacted by the elimination of two routes. Bus route information has also been shared with parents as they have been registering students at the various school campuses. Updated maps of district bus stops are available online through the district Website, www.mcisd.net/trans.

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