A.D. Ibarra

-Pete Gallego Elem. & Eagle Pass HS

US Congressman Pete Gallego accompanied by several members of President Barack Obama's White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics descended on Eagle Pass during a whirlwind tour of South Texas on Thursday making two key stops in our fair city one of which is near and dear to our representative's heart, Pete Gallego Elementary. A group of students made a human tunnel for the legislator which veritably seemed to hit an emotional nerve as they welcomed him to the school which carries his name. Gallego, Executive Director Alejandra Ceja, Deputy Director Marco Davis, Chief of Staff Maribel Duran, Hispanic Communications and Outreach Director Jacqueline Cortez-Wang and Program Analyst Michelle Guzman were all on hand to speak to parents, students, staff and faculty at both schools and exemplify the fact that any and all students who aspire to greatness can achieve their life's goals much as they have in the grand scheme of things as they work to further President Obama's vision that the future of our nation is inextricably linked to the future of the Hispanic community as Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing minority group and will represent 60 percent of our nation's population growth between 2005 and 2050.

A.D. Ibarra

-Crystal City, TX

A large gathering of businessmen from the hugely lucrative endeavor that is the Eagle Ford Shale Project welcomed US Senator John Cornyn to Crystal City's beautiful Double C Resort on Thursday where a highly informative roundtable was held in order for local citizens to come and give the senator a brief rundown of the progress and concerns of the region. Owner Jeff Myers of the Double C Resort opened the festivities stating that there are plans to create a training facility by which recent high school graduates can receive the necessary training in order to flow right into six figure jobs in the project as there is a huge demand for skilled labor in and around the South Texas area. Jimmy Lopez, Charman of the Carrizo Springs Chamber of Commerce was highly enthusiastic about the comings and goings of the project as they very well should be in direct reaction to the economic development they have seen in the last two years saying that they are presently in a reactionary phase in terms of housing and water. "If you look at the numbers, this project will be around for a while, just look around. There are challenges," stated Carrizo's highest ranking elected official, "Decisions TxDoT is making are affecting everything we do. We need to know how much water is available, health issues, hospitals, housing... if we keep that vision, that will affect longevity."

A.D. Ibarra

-Crystal City, TX

A large gathering of businessmen from the hugely lucrative endeavor that is the Eagle Ford Shale Project welcomed US Senator John Cornyn to Crystal City's beautiful Double C Resort on Thursday where a highly informative roundtable was held in order for local citizens to come and give the senator a brief rundown of the progress and concerns of the region. Owner Jeff Myers of the Double C Resort opened the festivities stating that there are plans to create a training facility by which recent high school graduates can receive the necessary training in order to flow right into six figure jobs in the project as there is a huge demand for skilled labor in and around the South Texas area. Jimmy Lopez, Charman of the Carrizo Springs Chamber of Commerce was highly enthusiastic about the comings and goings of the project as they very well should be in direct reaction to the economic development they have seen in the last two years saying that they are presently in a reactionary phase in terms of housing and water. "If you look at the numbers, this project will be around for a while, just look around. There are challenges," stated Carrizo's highest ranking elected official, "Decisions TxDoT is making are affecting everything we do. We need to know how much water is available, health issues, hospitals, housing... if we keep that vision, that will affect longevity."