Gilbert Gracia

We knew it was coming, we just didn't know it would be this soon.

Pete Gallego, the Alpine-based Democrat whose sprawling congressional district extends from San Antonio to El Paso, didn't make it out of the supposed honeymoon phase of his freshman congressional term before drawing a 2014 challenger.

Dr. Robert Lowry, a Fair Oaks Ranch physician, filed a “statement of candidacy” with the Federal Election Commission on March 7 for Gallego's District 23 seat.

A gangly, slow-talking acolyte of Ron and Rand Paul, Lowry, 52, has fancied the District 23 seat for several years. In 2010, he ran a surprisingly strong race in the District 23 Republican primary, drawing more than 22 percent of the vote and finishing a solid third in a five-candidate field.

When the two top finishers — former CIA agent Will Hurd and local attorney Francisco “Quico” Canseco (the eventual winner) — made it to a runoff, Lowry's endorsement was much-coveted, and he threw his support behind Hurd.

Lowry also flirted with an intraparty challenge to Canseco last year, announcing his candidacy in January 2012, and changing his mind two months later.

While the prospect of a Lowry candidacy surely won't make Gallego cower in fear, the doctor's filing looks like the first salvo in what should be a lively, high-stakes battle for the District 23 Republican nomination.

How do we know it will be lively? Because District 23 is perpetually up for grabs. Neither party can claim more than a temporary hold on it, and neither party will ever go down without a nasty, well-funded fight.

Simply put, San Antonio has two types of congressional representatives. Joaquín Castro and Lamar Smith have their seats for as long as they want them; Gallego, on the other hand, lives on the hot seat.

Representing District 23 means an acceptance that the fickle finger of political fate can turn on you at any moment. It means that you best avoid signing a long-term lease in the Beltway.

With that in mind, Gallego seems to be relishing Lowry's challenge and using it as a fundraising tool. On Saturday, Gallego broke the news in an email to his supporters (subject line: “I already have an opponent”), casting Lowry's entry into the race as a sign that “extremists are already threatened by the example we are setting.” Gallego urged supporters to “make a donation of $3, $15, $25 or more so that we can continue our work.”

Lowry is a strict constitutional conservative who showed in 2010 that he appeals to tea party activists and the libertarian wing of the GOP, although he's probably too innately independent to attach himself completely to any movement.

In 2010, then-U.S. Rep. (and libertarian darling) Ron Paul embraced Lowry's candidacy, with a from-one-doctor-to-another endorsement. Paul vouched for Lowry's small-government bona fides by calling him a “Ron Paul guy all the way” and dismissed Canseco (who served one congressional term before Gallego ousted him last November) as a “party parrot” and a “useful idiot.”

Well, at least he gave him credit for being useful.

A.D. Ibarra

-Eagle Pass

County Commissioner Daniela Aleman made significant strides to insure that the second cell which needs to be completed at the Maverick County Solid Waste Authority to come yet closer to fruition as she and Maverick County Judge David Saucedo, and Landfill Board Chairman Rolando Jasso had a quality meeting on Friday at the judge's chambers.

In an effort to avoid any type of closure of the landfill should cell 2 not be in place by June, the estimated date of capacity for cell 1, then the city and the county would find themselves in dire straits without an option for trash pickup.

The project which at the onset was estimated to be at $3.3 million has now been determined to only cost $2.2 million with the aid of the landfill budget and its machinery and manpower.

Flores acted as the mediator for the financial aspect of the gathering and they three were in a teleconference with financial advisor Robert Rodriguez who has found an as of yet unnamed group willing to take the burden of the second cell project.

According to Flores, finding someone to help the county financially was not difficult as due to the payments which have been forwarded consistently for the landfill have been on time which has put the county in good financial standing.

"We want to make sure that it stays open because it generates much needed revenue for the county," stated Aleman.

The money that is generated by the landfill goes primarily for debt reduction for the county which still finds itself in need of working its way out of a multi-million dollar deficit.

"The proposal is in the negotiation phase, but everyone's on the same page and it's looking very positive," Aleman concluded.

A.D. Ibarra

-Eagle Pass

A juvenile who had only recently arrived to the new Border Hope Juvenile Residential Center at the Radar Base made an attempt to escape using a metal bar to get past the officer in charge of supervising the boys who are housed there.

According to Bruce Ballou, Director of Probation for the Tri-County area, the youth who is not from Eagle Pass used the metal object to attack the officer, striking him at least three times, twice to the top of the head and once to the side of his head, causing significant injury, however the officer still tried to subdue the individual and the two struggled for a while, but the youth was able to escape into the cold Saturday night as the incident occurred at approximately 9:30 P.M.

The youth was on the run all night, but was apprehended on Highway 277 the next morning with the aid of US Border Patrol and Texas Department of Public Safety officers.

The unidentified youth has been charged with Aggravated Assault on a Correctional Officer and taken to a more traditional detention center where he awaits his date before the district judge.

Ballou added that he has already spoken with District Judge Cynthia Muñiz and County Judge Saucedo in regards to the incident.  What is next is a report to District Judge Abascal and one to the Juvenile Board which is standard procedure in an incident of this nature.

When asked which precautions had been taken in retrospect of this highly volatile situation, Ballou mentioned the fact that the entire facility has been cleared of any objects which can be used as a weapon and strict guidelines as to how the youths move around the facility have also been implemented.

What may come of this is that two officers may have to be stationed at the facility as opposed to the one officer to eight residents ratio which by law is the official ratio which was adhered to in this instance.

The Border Hope facility is not a jail, it is a facility which is the last alternative before these youths are actually sent to a juvenile detention center, and/or prison for violation of probation guidelines set forth by their P.O.'s and District Court.  

In this setting, the youths are guided by licensed substance abuse counselors and YSO's (Youth Supervision Officers) who are there to help rehabilitate these wayward youths, giving the hope for their futures away from the perils of organized crime and the drug trade.