HIDALGO, TEXAS—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers at the Hidalgo International Bridge arrested a male and female who were wanted from the McAllen Police Department in connection with an alleged armed robbery.

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, February 20, 2013, CBP-OFO officers at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge encountered Nieves Marie Mireles, age 24, a U.S. citizen from Donna, Texas driving a blue 2008 GMC Sierra pickup truck. Officers immediately secured her and the vehicle as preliminary queries indicated that the vehicle was stolen. Further queries in secondary confirmed that the vehicle had been stolen the night before and that Ms. Mireles is alleged to have been involved in the incident where it was taken at gunpoint from a McAllen woman at the Rio Grande Regional Hospital parking lot.

Approximately two hours later, a gray 2006 Dodge Charger driven by Gerardo Valente Fuentes, age 28, a U.S. citizen from Pharr, Texas arrived at the same border crossing and he too was immediately secured after a preliminary query by CBP officers at primary indicated that he was a possible wanted fugitive. In secondary, officers confirmed that Mr. Fuentes is alleged to have been involved in the armed carjacking incident along with Ms. Mireles.

CBP-OFO officers arrested both individuals and subsequently released them to the custody of McAllen P.D. officers who also took both vehicles.

“We were able to apprehend these two armed robbery suspects due to our ability to query everyone seeking entry into the United States,” said Efrain Solis Jr., Port Director, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas. “They will now face the consequences of their alleged actions through the judicial system.”

AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry has appointed three members to The University of Texas System Board of Regents for terms to expire Feb. 1, 2019.

“I deeply appreciate the dedication of each member of The University of Texas System Board of Regents, who are charged with overseeing the universities within the system. These volunteers sacrifice time away from their families and their careers on behalf of past, current and future students, enhancing the mission of the system and ensuring academic excellence and accountability to taxpayers,” said Gov. Perry. “The efficiencies and reforms taking place at The University of Texas System and on each individual campus, such as offering a four-year tuition freeze as an option to students, are a testament to regents’ commitment to the students and taxpayers of our state.”

Ernest Aliseda of McAllen is managing attorney of Loya Insurance Group, a municipal judge for the City of McAllen, and a Major in the U.S. Army Reserves Judge Advocate General Corps. He is a former state district judge for both the 139th and 398th State District Courts in Hidalgo County, a past member of the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors, and past president of the Hidalgo County Bar Association. Aliseda is a member of the Texas Military Preparedness Commission, a board member of the College of the State Bar of Texas and Council for South Texas Economic Progress, vice president of the McAllen Citizen’s League, and a volunteer judge for the McAllen Teen Court Program. Aliseda received a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University, a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center, and is board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in personal injury trial law.

Jeff Hildebrand of Houston is chairman and CEO of Hilcorp Energy Company. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, National Petroleum Council, Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists, Houston Geological Society, All American Wildcatters, and The University of Texas System’s Task Force on Engineering Education for Texas. Hildebrand is a board member of the Greater Houston Community Foundation, Central Houston Inc., Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and UT Engineering Advisory Board. He is also past chairman of the Houston Young Presidents Organization, and became a distinguished engineering graduate of the UT Cockrell School of Engineering. Hildebrand received a bachelor of science in geology and a master of science in petroleum engineering from The University of Texas.

Paul Foster of El Paso is executive chairman of Western Refining Company. He currently serves as vice chairman of The University of Texas System Board of Regents and has served as a regent since October 2007. He is a member of the Western Petroleum Marketers Association, Western States Petroleum Association, National Petroleum Council, and National Petroleum Refiners Association. He is chairman of The University of Texas Investment Management Company, an executive committee member of the Paso del Norte Group, and a board member of the Texas Economic Development Corporation, WestStar Bank Board of Directors, and the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the World Presidents Organization, Texas Business Leadership Council, the Baylor University Hankamer School of Business Advisory Board, and the UT at El Paso Business Advisory Council. He is also a past member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and past chairman of the El Paso Regional Economic Development Corporation and American Red Cross El Paso Area Chapter. Foster received a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University.

These appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.

Smithsonian.com recently named Lubbock Lake National Historic Landmark as one of the top five destinations to see evidence of first Americans.

The story covers different locations across the U.S. where visitors can see the cultural remnants and animal remains left by the original settlers of this continent. It mentions the exhibits at Lubbock Lake Landmark, such as the hiking trails and the interpretive center that displays the evolution of the site from a fast-moving streambed to a marsh and documents the peoples who lived at the site.

“National recognition of our public programs at the landmark in a publication that is global in extent greatly serves to build on the international research reputation of the Landmark,” said Eileen Johnson, executive director for the Museum of Texas Tech University and director of the landmark. “The designation acknowledges that we are doing good things at the landmark to engage the public in the early cultural heritage of the region that is significant on the national level. Increase in public awareness is always a good thing and generally leads to greater numbers of visitors and more outreach opportunities.”

Other sites listed included Meadowcroft Rock Shelter in Avella, Penn.; Blackwater Draw National Historic Landmark in New Mexico, Mastadon State Historic Site in Imperial, Mo.,  and Murray Spring Paleo-Indian Site in Sierra Vista, Ariz.

A unit of the Museum of Texas Tech University, the Lubbock Lake Landmark is an archaeological and natural history preserve at the northern edge of the city of Lubbock. The Landmark contains evidence of almost 12,000 years of occupation by ancient people on the Southern High Plains.

The first explorations of the site were conducted in 1939 by the West Texas Museum (now the Museum of Texas Tech University). By the late 1940s, several Folsom Period (10,800-10,300 years ago) bison kills were discovered. In a location of an ancient bison kill from a then-unidentified Paleoindian group, charred bison bones produced the first-ever radiocarbon date (currently the most accurate form of dating) for Paleoindian material (9,800 years old).

The Lubbock Lake Landmark serves as a field laboratory for geology, soils and radiocarbon dating studies, as well as being an active archaeological and natural history preserve.

See the story at www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/Five-Great-Places-to-See-Evidence-of-First-Americans-188045831.html?c=y&page=1&navigation=previous#IMAGES.

For more on the Lubbock Lake Landmark, visit http://today.ttu.edu/2011/02/discovering-12000-years-of-history-at-lubbock-lake-landmark/.

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