Mission CISD names District Teachers of Year

Mission CISD (Consolidated Independent School District) has announced the names of its Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year. The announcement was made during a special luncheon Tuesday, honoring the Teacher of the Year for each of the district’s campuses. The event was timed to fall on National Teacher Day during National Teacher Appreciation Week.

The Elementary Teacher of the Year is Dolores G. Reyna from Alton Elementary School. She has a total of 28 years of experience in education, and is currently teaching second grade. Reyna started her education career as a kindergarten teacher at Marcell Elementary School in Mission CISD in 1981.

The Secondary Teacher of the Year is Norma Carrera from K. White Jr. High School. Carrera also has a total of 28 years of experience in education. She has been a part of the district since 1989 when she started at K. White Jr. High School.

These two teachers were selected by a panel of judges consisting of a cross-section of the Mission community. Reyna and Carrera will now represent Mission CISD as Teachers of the Year during the next school year. They will also be entered into the Region One Teacher of the Year contest, which is affiliated with the state and national programs. The applications used by Mission CISD are the same ones used in those programs. They include information on the teachers; professional background, educational history, community involvement, philosophy of teaching and ideas on educational issues and trends.

The other teachers honored for being selected as their campus Teachers of the Year were: Sonia Salinas, Bryan Elementary School; Fernando Perez, Cantu Elementary School; Roxann Martinez, Castro Elementary School; Yvonne Perez, Cavazos Elementary School; Gracie Rodriguez, Escobar/Rios Elementary School; Elizabeth Adkins, Leal Elementary School; Eduardo Martinez, Marcell Elementary School; Sandra Rios, Midkiff Elementary School; Sara McCormick, Mims Elementary School; Norma Garcia, Newcomers Academy; Antonio Urrabazo, O’Grady Elementary School; Lauro Flores, Pearson Elementary School; Nancy Cardenas, Salinas Elementary School; Nora (Terry) Gomez, Waitz Elementary School; Mary Solis, Alton Memorial Jr. High School; Val Rossi, Mission Jr. High School; Belinda Hinojosa, R. Cantu Jr. High School; Josefina (Josie) Flores, Mission High School; Liz Montes, Veterans Memorial High School; Miguel Fraire, Roosevelt Alternative School.

Area elections take place Saturday, May 8

MISSION — Voters will have one last chance to cast their vote for local city and school board elections.

On Saturday, polling places across the Rio Grande Valley will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. However, unlike with early voting, citizens must vote in their designated precincts on Election Day.

In Mission the highly contested election for mayor here, incumbent Norberto “Beto” Salinas is running against Baldemar Flores and Dr. Armando O’Caña. In Place 1, voters will choose between incumbent Maria Elena Ramirez, Jessica Ochoa-Ortega and Edwardo Gutierrez. Place 3 incumbent Norie Gonzalez Garza is running unopposed.

The city’s special election for the collective bargaining for the firefighters will also be held Saturday.

Voting for precincts 9 and 103 will be done at Bryan Elementary’s cafeteria, 1110 Bryan Rd. Precincts 10, 12 and 102 will be done at Castro Elementary’s cafeteria, 420 Citriana Rd. Precincts 28, 78, 98, 99 and 100 will vote at the Mission High School’s old gym, 1802 W. 18th St. Precincts 29, 94 and 128 will be voting at Pearson Elementary’s cafeteria at 315 Holland Rd. and Precincts 38, 48, 63, 83, 95 and 101 will be held at Fire Station No. 3 at 1804 N. Shary Road.

Mission CISD

The Mission Consolidated Independent School District board elections have two contested races. In Place 1, incumbent Raymond R. Longoria will face Hilda Ruby Flores. In Place 6, incumbent James E. Olivarez is running against Dr. Augustin Pruneda. Oscar Martinez, in Place 7, is running unopposed.

Precincts 9 and 103 will vote at Bryan Elementary’s cafeteria, 1110 Bryan Rd. Voters in Precincts 10, 63 and 102 will make their selections at Castro Elementary’s cafeteria, 420 Citriana Rd. Precincts 28 and 98 will vote at the Mission High School’s old gym, 1802 W. 18th St. In the Southwest Precincts of 29 and 94, voting will be done at Pearson Elementary’s cafeteria at 315 Holland Rd. The Alton Precincts 75, 88, 89, 99, 101 and 125 will be done at the Alton City Hall, 509 S. Alton Blvd.

Sharyland ISD

Also in Mission, the Sharyland Independent School District is holding a bond election along with electing school board members for at-large positions on the board.

SISD’s bond issue of $9.985 million would be used for a major renovation at Sharyland High School. District officials said there would be a tax increase of $0.0196. A home valued at $75,000 with a homestead exemption of $15,000 will see an annual tax increase of $11.76. A home valued at $150,000 will see an annual tax increase of $26.46, if the bond issue is approved.

Elsewhere, six people are vying for at-large positions on the school board. Incumbents Rolando Peña and Dr. Noel Garza, who currently serves as the board’s vice president, are seeking re-election. Other candidates include former board member Dr. Noel Oliveira, Ricky Mata Jr., CJ Cavazos and Chico Myers.

Voting locations for the school district is at the Fire Station No. 3, 1804 N. Shary Rd. for Precincts 38, 47, 63, 83, and 95 and O. Garza Elementary, along Mile 5 and Taylor roads for Precincts 74, 88, 101, 105, 125 and 129. Residents for Precinct 84 north of Mile 2 Road will vote at O. Garza Elementary. Those south of Mile 2 Road will vote at the Fire Station.

City of Palmhurst

In Palmhurst, Mayor Ramiro J. Rodriguez Jr. will face Mayor Pro Tem Juana Cantu-Cabrera in the election for mayor. David Guzman Jr. and Robert A. Salinas are seeking the City Council Place 3 seat, while Israel Silva and Ofelia Peña Perez are running against one another for City Council Place 4.

Voting will take place at the Faith Baptist Church, 2301 N. Shary Rd.

City of Alton

Alton voters will be making selections for mayor, with incumbent Salvador Vela running against Jose C. Picasso. The only other seat up for election is Commissioner Place 1, currently held by Arturo R. Galvan Jr., who is seeking re-election. His challenger is Vidal Farias.

All voters will make their selections at Alton City Hall, 509 S. Alton Blvd.

Agua SUD

Residents of Palmview, Peñitas and Sullivan City will also be electing a new board to the Agua Special Utility District. Voters in these cities will be selecting a candidate to represent their city, as well as three directors from the remaining unincorporated territory of the Agua SUD located outside of municipalities.

In Peñitas, candidates are Alma E. Ramirez and Mario Chapa. Palmview candidates are Oscar Garza and Ramon Segovia, a write-in candidate. In Sullivan City, candidates are Rita Yadira Flores and Arturo Enriquez, a write-in candidate. Place 1 director candidates are Irma Villalon and write-in candidate Oscar Gonzalez. Place 2 candidates are Ricardo Ochoa and Gerardo “Jerry” Manuel Alaniz, a write-in candidate. Place 3 candidates are Mike Alaniz and Everardo Chapa, a write-in candidate.

Residents in Precincts 11, 50, 131, 132 and 133 will vote at the Peñitas Public Library, 1111 S. Main St. Precincts 29, 64, 75, 78, 99 and 100 will vote at the Palmview Recreation Center, 406 W. Veterans Rd. Those who live in Precinct 51 and Starr County residents in Precinct 9, will vote at the Sullivan Fire Station, 500 Cenizo Dr.

City of Palmview

In Palmview, the general election will be for the positions of mayor, and councilmembers for Place 2 and 4. Mayor Jorge G. Garcia is seeking re-election against current Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Antonio Uresti and Carlos Noe Villarreal. Council member Place 2 Noe R. Muñoz is seeking re-election against Elia Ochoa. In Place 4, Jose Angel Villarreal Jr. is running against Ricardo “Ricky” Villarreal.

Voting will be held at Palmview City Hall, 400 W. Veterans Blvd.

City of La Joya

La Joya is holding a special election to fill a vacancy on the board of alderman. Candidates Gicela Salinas, Victorio Salinas and Michael “Mike” Salinas are seeking to gain the seat.

Voting will be done at La Joya City Hall, 101 N. Leo Ave.

Sullivan City

Finally, Sullivan City residents are voting on referendum election for the crime control and prevention district. Voters will decide if the district should continue for 20 years with the sales tax of one-half cent.

Voting will be at the Fire Station, 500 Cenizo Dr.

Thousands turnout for early voting city elections

MISSION — Voters here took advantage of the two early voting locations to cast their ballots for the city’s general and special elections.

According to figures on the city’s website, a total of 4,097 people cast their ballots.

In the city’s general election, voters are deciding on mayor with incumbent Norberto “Beto” Salinas running against Baldemar Flores and Dr. Armando O’Caña.

In Place 1, voters will choose between incumbent Maria Elena Ramirez, Jessica Ochoa-Ortega and Edwardo Gutierrez. Place 3 incumbent Norie Gonzalez Garza is running unopposed.

Voters here are also voting on a special election on collective bargaining for the firefighters.

Early voting got off to a big start with 607 people visiting City Hall and Fire Station No. 3 to vote. On Tuesday, the final day, 609 people voted. Voting was highest at City Hall, with residents taking advantage of the final days of early voting this week. On Monday, 482 people voted, the highest number for early voting in the city.

In Palmhurst, 251 people participated in early voting. Here, Mayor Ramiro J. Rodriguez Jr. will face Mayor Pro Tem Juana Cantu-Cabrera in the election for mayor. David Guzman Jr. and Robert A. Salinas are seeking the City Council Place 3 seat, while Israel Silva and Ofelia Peña Perez are running against one another for City Council Place 4.

The highest voter turnout day was on April 30 where 57 people voted, according to figures posted on the Hidalgo County Elections Department website.

On Saturday, residents have from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to vote.

Recent rains encourage all crops, wildflowers

By Robert Burns

COLLEGE STATION — Most of Texas got exactly what it needed in the last week, either rain or a drying spell, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel.

In most cases, what was needed was rain, and agricultural producers got from light drizzle to as much as 10 inches in a few areas.
"Lubbock County received four (inches) to five-plus inches during several rainfall events last week," said Mark Brown, AgriLife Extension agent. "Although low-lying areas received some temporary flooding, these rains came at a very beneficial time for wheat producers and cotton producers alike."

"Rain, good ole rain," said Kevin Brendle, AgriLife Extension agent for Dickens County, east of Lubbock. "Most of the county has had 1.5 to three inches of it. Land has been prepared and cotton planting will soon begin. Wheat and oat fields will really grow with this recent moisture."

"Pecos County received a much-needed rain over the entire county this past week," said Norman Fryar, AgriLife Extension agent for Pecos County, south of Odessa. "Measured amounts varied greatly. The moisture came slowly for the first several hours allowing the soil to open up for the heavier rains that followed on the second day."

In the North, what was needed was warmer temperatures and sunshine to dry fields out, and that's what they got, AgriLife Extension agents said.

"This week has thus far brought the best weather we have had this year with the warm temperatures and sun," said Rick Maxwell, AgriLife Extension agent for Collin County. "A few more corn farmers have decided to go ahead and plant late, but we are still probably at only 20 percent of our total planted acreage for corn."

Though rain halted some harvests in South Texas, it was good news for most crops. The exceptions were sugarcane and onions, reported Brad Cowan, AgriLife Extension agent for Hidalgo County, south of Corpus Christi.

"Many field operations have been slowed or stopped due to rainfall received all week," Cowan said. "Rain was not good news for most onion growers as harvest nears. Some sugarcane was still not harvested and rainfall was not welcome for harvest crews."

MCISD board discusses construction projects, field house locations

MISSION — Members of the Mission Consolidated Independent School District board of trustees heard about the progress of a number of bond projects across the district at this week’s committee meetings.

At the district’s facilities meeting, the board was updated on 2006 and 2008 bond projects including mechanical, plumbing and inspections. Officials also discussed ongoing negotiations on a few projects.

Drainage projects at Castro, Marcell, Pearson, Cantu, Cavazos, Waitz, Bryan, Midkiff, Mims and Salinas elementaries are near completion, officials said. Likewise, the drainage project at Alton Memorial Jr. High is at approximately 98 percent completion.

Board members also discussed the Veterans Memorial High School field house construction. Eli Alvarado with PBK Architects presented the board with two possible locations for the 16,000-square-foot facility. Under option one, the building would be across the existing gym and the second option would have the field house north of the tract and football field.

School administrators said they preferred the first option because of its convenience. Under this option, the school would need to relocate portable buildings and ensure there are no drainage issues with this spot.

In discussing the design of the building, which PBK designed to have completely equal for girls and boys, board members asked if a completely equal share of the building was equitable for the sports programs. Based on numbers, there are more boys that would use the facility, members said. Coaches also said they were concerned about having “wasted space” left unused in the girls’ portion of the field house.

Ricardo Rivera, the district’s director of facilities, said the district had to ensure it followed Title IX regulations that state the district must provide equal opportunities for both genders.

In order to accommodate the higher number of boys in the sports program, Alvarado said the district could be priced out of its $2 million budget.

The board directed staff to continue looking at Title IX regulations to accommodate all athletes comfortably.

Board President James Olivarez said the board wants to give the district’s coaches what they need without violating any laws.

Mission High School’s field house was also discussed with a presentation of its locations. One location proposed by EGV Architects is at Tom Landry Stadium, on the west side of the end zone. The second proposed location is the south side of the existing field house. School administrators and coaches said they preferred the location at the stadium. Under this plan, the district would have to relocate ROTC portable buildings and storage portable buildings. Track equipment would also have to be relocated.

In the MCISD’s finance committee meeting, board members discussed the second reading of the district’s facility fee schedule. Next week, the board will vote on increasing the cost to use district facilities by for-profit groups.

The district’s regularly scheduled meeting will be held May 12.

MCISD board discusses construction projects, field house locations

MISSION — Thousands of residents visited the polls this weekend to cast their ballots for a number of elections. Residents voted on city council seats, school board trustees, and bond and special elections.

In most elections, the incumbents earned enough votes to reclaim their seats.

The following is a breakdown of the numbers for elections in the western parts of Hidalgo County.

Mission City Council
• Mayor
Norberto “Beto” Salinas (I) 3,524
Baldemar Flores 776
Armando O’Caña Sr. 1,732

• Place 1
Maria Elena Ramirez (I) 2,901
Edwardo Gutierrez 422
Jessica Ochoa-Ortega 2,328

• Proposition 1
For 2,114
Against 3,444

Mission Consolidated Independent School District
• Place 1
Raymond R. Longoria (I) 1,786
Hilda Ruby Flores 1,749

• Place 6
James Olivarez (I) 2,385
A.C. Pruneda, Write-in candidate 845

• Place 7
Oscar Martinez (I) 2,619

Sharyland Independent School District
•Board of Trustees
C.J. Cavazos 1,214
Noel O. Garza 1,893
Ricardo “Ricky” Mata 1,261
Rolando Peña 1,359
Noe Oliveira 1,474

• Proposition for the issuance of $9,985,000 in bonds and the levying of the tax payment thereof?
For 1,224
Against 1,007

Alton City Commission
• Mayor
Salvador Vela (I) 647
Jose C. Picasso 442

• Place 1
Arturo R. Galvan Jr. (I) 666
Vidal Farias 411

Palmhurst City Council
• Mayor
Ramiro J. Rodriguez Jr. (I) 297
Juana Cantu-Cabrera 234

• Place 3
David Guzman Jr. 256
Robert Salinas 272

• Place 4
Ofelia Peña Perez 252
Israel Silva 273

La Joya City Council
• Alderman
Gicela Salinas 470
Michael “Mike” Salinas 50
Victorio Salinas 431

Palmview City Council
•Mayor
Jorge G. Garcia (I) 545
Antonio Uresti 262
Carlos N. Villarreal 15

• Place 2
Noe R. Muñoz (I) 555
Elia Ochoa 256

• Place 4
Ricardo “Ricky” Villarreal 244
Jose Angel Villarreal Jr. 570

Agua Special Utility District
• Director Place 1
Oscar Gonzalez 296
Irma G. Villalon 285

•Director Place 2
Gerardo Manuel “Jerry” Alaniz 294
Ricardo Ochoa 303

• Director Place 3
Mike Alaniz 293
Everardo Chapa 293

• Palmview Director
Oscar S. Garza 159
Ramon Segovia 382

• Sullivan City Director
Rita Yadira Flores 245
Arturo Enriquez 33

• Peñitas Director
Mario Chapa 133
Alma Ramirez 86

South Texas College
• District No. 3
Mike Allen 1,408
Gerardo “Jerry” Cruz 766

• District No. 4
Gary Gurwitz 2,079
Rosalinda Hernandez 1,398
Rogelio “Roy” Martinez 609

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