Unpaid fines at JP-level runs over $44 million

EDINBURG — Still looking for new and effective ways to collect money owed to Hidalgo County, elected officials met last week to identify ways to successfully recover the over $44 million owed in outstanding fines in one department.

Hidalgo County Judge Ramon Garcia said the county has different categories of owed money – over $70 million – but the Justices of the Peace are owed the biggest chunk of cash.

“(There’s a) fiduciary responsibility we as elected officials should have to make sure the county collect all the revenue its entitled to collect. That’s part of our job,” Garcia said. “The money is badly needed by the county. We’re about to begin our budget and we’re looking at all these cuts, and at the same time, we’ve got this revenue source.”

Read more: OUTSTANDING DUES

MISSION — The Mission Fire Department is moving in a new direction. Mission Fire Chief Ricardo Saldaña secured approval from the city council Monday for the department to become a registered first responder with the Texas Department of State Health Services.

According to Saldaña, although the fire department is already responding to about half the medical emergency calls coming in to the city 9-1-1 call center, they will now respond to almost every medical emergency call. The fire department will not be replacing the ambulance services presently being provided by Med-Care, the city’s EMS provider. The department’s role will be to respond to the emergency calls and provide treatment to the patient until the EMS provider arrives.

Read more: Mission approves fire department first responder status

Willacy Co. leaders say they will reinstate support

EDINBURG —Leaders from Hidalgo and Willacy counties met this week to discuss the Raymondville Drain Project, a development that some officials say has been stalled by about a month after Willacy County voted to rescind its support on the effort.

At a workshop held on Monday, Willacy County Judge John F. Gonzales Jr. said the new administration had questions about previous actions on the project that weren’t answered and ultimately decided to withdraw their support to avoid hurting the county in future funding.

“The old information could not be found,” he said of letters from 2001 and a resolution in 2008 between both counties and the U.S. Corps of Engineers, who have been charged with helping in the development. “Not knowing what was in that letter…we had to rescind the 2008 agreement so we know what we’re agreeing to.”

Read more: Hidalgo, Willacy discuss Raymondville Drain

MISSION — Members of the Mission Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) met Tuesday where they voted to join the city’s lawsuit against the Mission Economic Development Authority (MEDA).

MEDA leaders said the group would join the suit as a plaintiff. They hired R. Gaines Griffin of Davidson and Troilo of San Antonio as counsel for the action.

City attorney David Guerra said the MEDC has claims against MEDA just as the city does. No further elaboration on what the complaints were was given.

At their meeting this week, MEDC members also discussed next year’s budget and funding projects under the 2011-12 fiscal budget.

Read more: MEDC to join city on suit against MEDA

LA JOYA — The La Joya Independent School District’s Jimmy Carter College Transition Academy received a provisional approval by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to be an Early College High School (ECHS).

Last year, the district had 105 freshmen begin their dual enrollment classes at Jimmy Carter. This coming school year, Jimmy Carter ECHS will enroll 120 ninth-graders; administrators said over 200 students applied.

The program is similar to dual enrollment, where a student can earn high school and college credit at the same time, but it will be a four-year program instead of two. Upon graduation, those attending the ECHS will have earned their high school diploma and an associate’s degree or up to two years of credit toward a bachelor’s degree.

Read more: LJISD gets approval for early college HS

Wilma Langhamer exhibit at Brownsville Museum

McALLEN — By just looking at Wilma Langhamer’s paintings, one might not know the emotions or stories that go with the artwork. What you see is the bright colors, doves, castles, trees, hearts, keys and much more. But in a guided tour with the artist, you get to experience her art in a whole new light, as she opens your eyes to the world that surrounds her art – peace, love, joy, freedom, growth, and her vision for humanity.

Langhamer’s life experiences have been put onto canvas. As her life changes, so does her art.

At 15, while living in south Germany, she bought her first set of oil colors. She expressed her love of art with her mother, who, after living through two wars and an economic depression, did not want her daughter to be a “starving artist.”

Not wanting to upset her mother, Langhamer pursued a degree in nursing and worked in that capacity for about two years. It was 1974 when she decided to make painting her career.

Read more: ‘The Bond Between Us’

MISSION — It was standing room only Monday as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made a second attempt to get city council’s permission to build a church on the southwest corner of Bryan and Mile 2 Road. A petition for a conditional use permit (CUP) to build a church at that location failed to pass a city council vote last December when Councilwomen Norie Garza and Maria Elena Ramirez were the only two council members voting against the church’s request.

Since nine of the 12 neighbors living within 200 feet of the proposed site signed a petition opposing the church building, a four-fifths vote was required for the council to approve the CUP, instead of the usual three-fifths majority.

Read more: City denies CUP for Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Officers use hundreds of rounds to fight drug runners

When drug runners hauling a small load of marijuana near Chimney Park & RV Resort shot at law enforcement officers patrolling the river, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said officers responded with heavy fire to show drug cartel workers that Texas doesn’t stand for any attack on law enforcement.

Read more: Zero Tolerance - Sneak Preview of Friday’s Paper