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Staff -Eagle Pass
En City Hall, la mañana de este miércoles, se realizó una ceremonia especial donde 8 elementos de Bomberos recibieron el nombramiento para ser Capitanes y Tenientes y recibieron la confianza para ser los encargados de los diferentes turnos. Los 8 elementos que recibieron el nuevo rango son: Rogelio Barrientos, José Felix Carrazco, Luis Gonzalez, Eleazar Cuevas, Cesar Garza, Max Hernandez, Juan Olivares, Alvaro Rodriguez y Manuel Roman. Ellos acudieron acompañados de sus esposas y familias en este día especial donde recibieron una nueva categoría en sus trabajos. A cada uno de ellos le puso la placa su respectiva esposa. Presentes estuvieron por parte de la ciuidad, el Mayor Ramsey English Cantu, los Concejales Billy Davis y Rudy Villalpando, la gerente Gloria Barrientos; así como también el jefe de Bomberos Jesus Rodriguez, y gran parte del personal de bomberos. Por parte de las autoridades de la ciudad se reconoció el trabajo y la importancia de los bomberos que son parte fundamental para la seguridad de la población. El maestro de ceremonias fue el Sr. Mike Garcia, representante de una Agencia Aseguradora en Eagle Pass. Luego de la ceremonia se ofreció un convivio en el lobby de City Hall para todos los asistentes. Estos elementos del departamento de bomberos, que recibieron la nueva categoría, tienen años de experiencia trabajando para el departamento de Bomberos en Eagle Pass. Jesus Rodriguez, jefe del departamento, dijo que estos elementos han recibido entrenamiento y tienen años de experiencia de tal manera que hay confianza en que realizarán un buen trabajo en la protección de la comunidad. Cada uno de ellos sabe como actuar y que hacer en las diferentes emergencias que se pueden presentar.
A.D. Ibarra -
Eagle Pass
Ventriloquist Nacho Estrada was on hand to headline the 22nd Annual EPISD Partners in Education Parent Conference on Saturday, February 2nd at CC Winn High School and his speech to parents in terms of the meaning of parenthood was received with a standing ovation as Estrada did his best to motivate and inspire his audience with a combination of advice and rapid fire humor. "I worked in Uvalde and they gave me an office job," said Estrada, "But I wanted to work with kids so I left Uvalde." When he left, he realized that he knew the way to really get to kids, even those on the verge of quitting school. "As teachers, we should never be mad at our students," as he made the comparison of anger being the wind that blows away the light of intelligence, "When you act out of anger, you're not thinking intelligently and when you do so, you will probably do something you'll regret later." He recalled the days of his youth, where his father would pull out the belt, "Like Zorro," he added before he would run to the second floor of his condominium complex (The projects) where he would hide from his dad in a box of clothes inside a closet in the restroom until his father's anger would pass. "I would wait ten minutes and then walk right in front of my father who was now watching TV and had forgotten all about it because he was not angry anymore." He said that the 'D' in the word <Padres> stands for discipline and by discipline it does not mean to hit your children. He mentioned the time he saw a young girl throwing a temper tantrum. Most parents would take the child out of a crowded room and proceed to scold the child to try to get them to calm down. He said he took her outside, sat her on a bench, still furious, he sat on another and watched as she let out all of her anger. He asked her if she was done to which she replied 'Yes' then he gave her a hug and told her he loved her. "I didn't get mad at her because it would've compounded the situation, and believe me, kid's don't forget." "We need to respect our kids in order to get their respect in return," he said "Kids can see if you're fake from miles away, they're smart." He used his mannequin Mijo to show the effects that bullying can have on the self esteem of a child. He mentioned the history of bullying that goes back to Biblical times. He closed by bringing out his famous mannequin, Maclovio, to end his presentation. "Do you know who Mr. Gonzalez (Superintendent of Schools) is," asked Maclovio, "He's the Super Nintendo. And those guys he's with, 'Tan aburridos." when asked why, he said, "Because they said they're Bored Members!" All in all it was a highly successful affair, and we will have more of Estrada's speech in a later edition of The News Gram.
Staff -
Eagle Pass
Eagle Pass City Council has agreed to appeal against the ruling last week that gave the Railroad Commission of Texas, with a vote of 2-1, permission for the Dos Republicas company to operate coal mines in the northern sector of Maverick County on Thompson Road. The honorable Ramsey English Cantu, Mayor of Eagle Pass said he filed an appeal to state authorities asking that the case be reheard in order to provide the commission further proof and dialogue in reference to the renewal, extension and expansion of the Eagle Pass Mine. According to authorities, the city had 30 days to make the appeal and ask the Railroad Commission to reconsider their previous verdict which came back as a 2-1 split with David Porter of the Railroad Commission casting the lone vote against the expansion of what will be known as the Eagle Pass Mine. A point of concern for the commission was the adequate use of water needed for operation of the coal mine. Mayor Cantu reiterates that the major concern that the city has is possible environmental damage, such as the adequate disposal and usage of water, a dwindling commodity in the Texas region. The shortfall of water within our state has been a hot topic in Austin as politicians from both sides of the aisle understand the shortages of water within our state and have put this along with transportation infrastucure at the top of their lists of priorities. According to the project details, the company plans to extract the coal north of Eagle Pass and then transport it via railroad to a thermal power plant in Nava Coahuila, Mexico. A highly debated topic within our community as well as in Austin, with both sides making a good case for themselves. On one hand the local business community sees this as yet another opportunity for Eagle Pass to add jobs and economic growth and on the other side local officials and environmentalists have argued that the opening of the Dos Republicas coal mine has negative and long lasting effects on our environment and ultimately the health of our local residents.
A.D. Ibarra
-Eagle Pass
In an unprecedented decision impacting the make-up of the present Commissioner's Court which has been decimated by allegations handed down by the FBI and The Department of Justice US Attorney's Office Western District of Texas, County Commissioner of Precinct 4, Cesar Flores announced in a prepared statement that he is indeed stepping down from his position as County Commissioner effective March 15th in order to focus on his defense stemming from charges being brought before him in the ongoing investigations by the FBI in Maverick County.
Flores stated in his statement that in order to keep the best interests of his constituents in mind during this investigation, he will be stepping down prior to any further proceedings in District Court, something neither Rudy Heredia or Eliaz Maldonado who both face charges alleging they participated willingly in a kickback and bribery scheme as well as misappropriation of public funds.
Maldonado is presently free on bond and continues to perform his duties as an elected official, however Heredia is being held in a federal detention facility and is unable to fulfill his duties until he is cleared or is convicted for his alleged crimes which also include bribery and bid rigging, but was arrested for participating in a scheme to illegally introduce an amount greater than $10,000.00 undeclared into the US.
After much scrutiny and attacks from concerned citizens calling for the resignation of those commissioners who have been indicted and who face federal charges to step down, only Flores has taken the initiative of doing so which has gained the silent respect of the public for his decision to do just that while he deals with the legal situation facing him.
County Attorney Ricardo Ramos presently has filed two petitions calling for a District Judge to make the call which will give the power to the County Judge to replace any public official who may need to be replaced while the legal process takes its course which may take several months.
In the meantime, Commissioner Flores who has been in his elected office for almost ten years now, has taken it upon himself to relinquish his position willingly, responsibly and voluntarily and allow Judge David Saucedo to appoint an interim commissioner as of March 15th.
A.D. Ibarra
-Eagle Pass
As permission has been granted to the Dos Republicas Coal Partnership to begin operations in what has been projected as early as November of 2013, contrasting viewpoints continue to come forward from both sides of the controversial issue. The News Gram spoke to Rudy Rodriguez, official spokesman for the Dos Republicas Coal Partnership in an exclusive interview on Friday and he informed us that it was indeed a lengthy process. "When you have that much information to decipher, especially from the oil and gas companies that come to the commission almost daily, they've been very busy," said Rodriguez, "In our case, there were three weeks of testimony.
Currently under investigation by the Texas Rangers is the discovery of the body of a dead man in the waters of the Rio Grande, which was found floating north of Eagle Pass at the height of Eagle Point Ranch, near the Hopedale sector. Border Patrol discovered the body on Thursday afternoon, and Eagle Pass Fire Department pulled the body out of the water. Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber stated that the body had an apparent gunshot wound in the area of the right temple, appearing to have been shot by a bullet, as a result of the initial findings the Texas Ranger were called in assuming that there is criminal activity associated with this particular case.
Staff -
Eagle Pass
Texas Department of Health authorities will be in Eagle Pass today in order to offer the flu vaccine to whoever may want to receive it outside the Chamber of Commerce on Garrison Street. Sandra Martinez, Directress of the CoC, informed The News Gram that the TDoH requested office space in order to offer the vaccine to all citizens who wish to take advantage of the free service in a proactive measure to address the dreaded virus as flu epidemics have arisen across the country causing hundreds of deaths. During the winter months many cases of the virus have been reported in Texas, many more than last flu season, which has prompted for the department to take extreme measures in disseminating the vaccine. Most of these come at no cost if you have health insurance. If you do not have insurance, a voluntary $20 fee will be charged for the vaccine. The flu season in Texas runs from May through October, however it is still possible to contract the virus and fall victim to its horrible side effects such as headaches, chills, body aches, fever coughing and sneezing. Officials are asking for the general population to wash their hands frequently, and to cover their mouths and nose when sneezing and/or coughing to avoid spreading the virus. The vaccine is the best way for the human body to begin to create antibodies to help to fight the onset of the condition.
Staff -
Eagle Pass
The Eagle Pass Police Department has obtained a computer program which will assist them in identifying and tracking down stolen items which have been pawned and or passed along from thieves. Lieutenant Aldo Escamilla informed The News Gram that they are working with the program in order to make the final decision on whether to purchase and use it against criminals who would take something that is not theirs and seek to gain financially by selling or pawning stolen items and to be able to return these items back to their owners. The program has already assisted in the solving of a case involving $6,000.00 worth of stolen jewelry. The department will utilize this program to track valuable items which have been stolen and can identify them down to the make, serial number, and other identifiable clues which can lead law enforcement officials directly to these items. They will tell police whether they have been pawned or sold and what the location of the item is, all this information will assist in ultimately arresting those suspects responsible for stealing the items. Police ask that citizens take pictures of all item of valor such as computers, laptops, electronic games, jewelry among other items. Many stolen items usually end up in these types of establishments and with the aid of this program, the EPPD can begin to curtail these types of illicit crimes in our community.
Staff -
Eagle Pass
The Eagle Pass Police Department and the Maverick County Sheriff's Department met on Thursday morning in order to coordinate a plan of action to work together going forward. The meeting was conducted by EPPD Chief Antonio Castañeda and Sheriff Tom Schmerber who is in his first month on the job as Maverick County Sheriff. Chief of Police Antonio Castañeda informed The News Gram that these types of conferences are integral to establish collaboration agreements in civil and criminal cases which may arise or in the case of accidents or arrests of fugitives, to provide a protocol for each entity to help the other. The meeting was held at the offices of the Maverick County Sheriff. There are cases where both agencies work together such as accidents and incidents where both arrive on the scene. In the month of January, there have been two fatal accidents which have occurred on January 2nd attended by EPPD and on Hwy. 277 N. which was handled by the Maverick County Sheriff's Department. These types of reunions will help facilitate the efficient utilization of federal grant monies in order to maximize the efforts of both entities in this respect.
Staff -
Eagle Pass
Yet another accident on Highway 277 has left two injured near the community of Normandy, north of Eagle Pass. The two victims were taken to the emergency room at Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center. According to preliminary information, one of the victims hails from Eagle Pass, the other from Del Rio. The victim from Del Rio was identified as Humberto Flores, 70. The victim from Eagle Pass was identified as Humberto Mondragon, 40, who resides in Quemado. The accident occurred at approximately 5:00 P.M. and the two vehicles involved were a Jeep Liberty and a GMC Yukon, both of which were completely destroyed. Authorities informed The News Gram that the accident forced the closure of the highway and motorists were asked to take alternate routes until approximately 8:00 A.M. the next morning. Sheriff deputies and emergency medical personnel arrived on the scene to aid the victims and an ambulance transported them to the hospital. The accident and its causes remain under investigation.
