MAYOR TREY MENDEZ' $200,000 REQUEST REMOVED FROM BCIC AGENDA

Coca Cola Building, 1018 East Washington Street

For those following the story of Mayor Trey Mendez' attempt to use $200,000 of taxpayer-funded 4B money to fix up his newly purchased building, item 6d on the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation agenda containing that request was removed.

The item concerned an application request by Urban 8 L.L.C. for $200,000 to make "exterior facade, interior capital and vertical activation improvements" to the Coca Cola Building at 1018 East Washington Street.

While Mayor Trey Mendez and former City Official Ramiro Gonzalez are the principals of Urban 8 L.L.C., Cameron County records show the building currently has a Superior Vendor's Lien in the amount of $382,555, held by Joe Quiroga, the president of Texas National Bank.

The BCIC did approve three other projects:

1. Rolando Garza's application for $80,000 for improvements to a food truck park at 850 East Adams Street.  The total projected cost of the park is $340,000 to include a juice & cocktail bar, boutique convenience store, six spaces, a courtyard, stage and doggie park.

2.  Blanka Perez' request for $160,000 of a $565,000 project on the two story building at 1112 East Washington.  The improvements include a brick patio, elevator and a stairway upgrade.  The first level will be a restaurant/bar, the second level a jazz/comedy venue.

3.  Maria Cisneros Solis Johnson's request of $130,000 on a $309,000 project at 1105 East Washington Street.  

To date in 2021 the BCIC has spent $912,000 on improvement projects in the city, still maintaining a balance of $728,000 in their operating fund.

1848 Barbecue Uses Grant for Outdoor Eating Area and Roof Overhang

At the last meeting the BCIC approved two $15,000 grants to former Mayor Tony Martinez to make facade and capital improvements to the 1848 Barbecue on Palm Boulevard.

We stopped at the business to observe the progress of the work.

An item of note:  Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz was at today's meeting, but left immediately after the board considered monies for downtown improvement projects.

MYSTERIOUS "URBAN 8 PROPERTIES, L.L.C." (MAYOR TREY MENDEZ & RAMIRO GONZALEZ?) TO ASK THE BBIC FOR $200,000 TO UPGRADE THEIR NEWLY-ACQUIRED BUILDING

Thursday's special meeting of the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation will not be held at the normal time or place for the 4B entity, entrusted with carefully dispersing monies from Brownsville's hardworking taxpayers for "Quality of Life" projects judged to be of great benefit to the community.

The meeting will be held at the meeting room of United Way of Southern Cameron County, 634 East Levee Street Thursday, September 30, at 12:00 PM.

Interestingly, the whole point of separating 4A "economic development" and 4B "quality of life" projects from the general fund, controlled by the City Commission, was to delineate and separate those ventures from politics.

Yet, politics rears its ugly head.

Coca Cola Building

One of the largest awards ever issued by the BCIC, $200,000, is said to be earmarked, reserved for Brownsville's top politician, Mayor Trey Mendez, to help the lad upgrade the historic Coca Cola Building, a magnificent Spanish-tiled structure standing directly behind the City Commission Building at 1018 East Washington Street.

The details are still being uncovered, but the 200 grand will be given to Urban 8 Properties, L.L.C., registered with the State of Texas this past June with two principals, Mayor Trey Mendez and recently resigned city official, Ramiro Gonzalez.

The monies will help Trey and Ramiro with the "exterior facade, interior capital and vertical activation improvements" on the newly acquired building.

It appears that a surrogate, Joe Quiroga, the president of Texas National Bank, may have been used to purchase the building from Carmen Peralta of San Antonio, for a price of $382,500 after satisfying a tax lien of $12,396.02.

Thursday's BCIC meeting will not take place at its usual location, the Young House at 500 East Saint Charles Street, but, instead, at the meeting room of the United Way of Southern Cameron County at 634 East Levee Street, ironic, because for many years, Fred Rusteberg, IBC Bank President, would walk across the street from his office at the IBC Bank to the United Way meeting room to chair meetings of United Brownsville, an unelected shadow government that, for many years, tried to control the industrial development of Brownsville and Cameron County.

This meeting of the BCIC, normally held the third Monday of each month, now takes place on the fifth Thursday, September 30.

Ramiro Gonzalez

Ramiro Gonzalez, Mayor Trey's apparent partner in the newly formed Urban 8 Properties, L.L.C., is said to have resigned from his job in the City Manager's office on Wednesday.  We confirmed that resignation with at least one City Commissioner.

Gonzalez spent nine years in the city's planning department, where he seems to have also been occupied in locating potential bargain purchases to enhance his own nest egg.

In 2014 Gonzalez approached the City Commission to request he be allowed to purchase a triangular-shaped tract along the city's heavily commercialed Central Boulevard.

The City Commission, under then Mayor Tony Martinez, allowed the purchase for an incredibly small pittance of $7,145, but, then, viewing Ramiro Gonzalez as a good soldier, added two additional tracts for free.  

That good fortune may have been the impetus for Ramiro to consider a future in real estate, now joining forces with Mayor Trey Mendez to profiteer and utilize their knowledge of the city and its money-allocating entities to enhance their property portfolio.

CITY OFFICIAL RAMIRO GONZALEZ RESIGNS

Ramiro Gonzalez

Ramiro Gonzalez, the City of Brownsville's Director of Government and Community Affairs under the auspices of the City Manager's office, has resigned.

Gonzalez, who spent several years working with planning and zoning issues in the city, was a pliable, useful tool, ramrodding through pet projects of former Mayor Tony Martinez and City Commissioner Rose Gowen.

It was while working as a City Planner that Gonzalez discovered a plot of land adjacent to the city's commercially viable Central Boulevard and sought City Commission approval to purchase the triangular-shaped plot for the mere pittance of $7,145.

Not only did the City Commission approve that insider sale, they added two adjacent city lots free of charge proving beyond doubt it pays to work for the City of Brownsville.

In recent days we've heard rumors that Gonzalez and Mayor Trey Mendez have joined forces as a dynamic real estate duo to purchase an historic downtown building at a price well below its actual or appraised value.

Mayor Trey Mendez

If the pair of city officials are using their city connections for personal enrichment by making lucrative real estate deals, their conduct smacks of the appearance of impropriety.

We've not heard the actual reason for Ramiro Gonzalez' resignation and we may never know that reason, but, if it has to do with the discovery and reporting of inside real estate deals, than whatever taints the Director of Government and Community Affairs also taints the Mayor of the City of Brownsville.

CHASING DOWN A RUMOR THAT TREY AND RAMIRO BOUGHT THE DOWNTOWN COCA-COLA BUILDING

Coca Cola Building 2021

Running into one of Brownsville's most vociferous conveyors of information at Walmart last night, we had to try to chase down the tidbit he left us with; that Mayor Trey Mendez and former City Planner and Searcher for real estate on city time, Ramiro Gonzalez, had just purchased the Coca Cola Building downtown.

We could not confirm such a purchase at the Cameron County website, but it only covers real estate transactions up to 9/23/2021.

The Coca Cola Bottling Plant at 1018 E. Washington Street, directly behind the City Commission Building, was built in 1927 and contains 11,231 square feet of space on two floors.

The legal description is: Lots 5&6, Block 65, Brownsville Original Townsite, Volume 5, Page 13, MRCC.

The most recent transactions, August 10, 2021 include the satisfying of a $12,396.02 tax lien owed by Carmen Peralta of San Antonio followed by a payment of $382,500 to Carmen Peralta by Joe Quiroga, 4906 S. Jackson Street, Edinburg, Texas.

Remember the City Commission's giveaway to Ramiro Gonzalez, allowing him to buy a single lot on Central Boulevard for a mere pittance, then gifting him two additional lots free.

Stay tuned.

Coca Cola Bottling Plant 1927

BROWNSVILLE'S HISTORY OF UNFORTUNATE MURAL CHOICES

 

Former UTB President Juliet Garcia

A reader reminds us that the lame "BTX" mural on the historic Capitol Theatre's exterior wall is not Brownsville's first mural controversy.

Juliet V. Garcia, the former President of UTB and our city's queen of heavy-handedness, drug our community through at least two such maelstroms, attempting to force one super-expensive piece of art on the rate and tax payers of Cameron County and another with an offensively-graphic display of enlarged male genitalia.

In 2009, Garcia's first proposed mural, a $5,000 work by Mexican artist Sergio Higareda, would actually cost $640,000 to place on the wall of the UTB-TSC library because Garcia had her heart set on a complex process of  casting tile so the art would last for "hundreds of years."

Garcia's plan was to divert $400,000 from a $68,000,000 bond issue for "construction projects," then pay the balance from the school's general fund.

TSC Board Trustee Rene Torres objected, saying at the time:  "This is not the time to spend.  That money could be used to add another room to the library or to buy computers."

Actually, that new UTB-TSC Library embarrassingly could only store about 1/3 of the school's books illustrating poor planning on the university's part.

Facing an enormous public outcry against the expensive mural, Juliet Garcia shelved the proposed transfer of funds and tried to secure private donations for the mural.  That effort also failed.

Based largely on the mural fiasco, but also on a 2008 cheating scandal, the UTB-TSC's History Department gave President Juliet Garcia a vote of "no confidence," a decision that created an uproar in the community but did not oust Garcia.

Garcia was not even done with controversial murals.

In 2012 President Garcia arranged for a $13,000 mural by Miguel Vela to be placed inside the UTB-TSC gymnasium.

The mural drew immediate criticism as it depicted runners with "decidedly out-of-proportion scrotum and buttocks."

When Garcia ran to see what the fuss was about, she ordered the glued mural removed, a process that damaged the wall, costing taxpayers an additional $4,000 for repairs.

So, "BTX," you're not the first mural in Brownsville history to draw a negative response, and, likely, not the last.

TWO DAYS TOURING CORPUS CHRISTI

Thanks to the power of advertising and Ana's desire to "go somewhere" before her one year gig starts Monday at Valley Baptist Hospital, we made a pleasant two day run through Corpus Christi.

"I want to go to Corpus Christi to buy seafood," Ana had been telling me.

A place called Paul's Seafood Market had been advertising online "blue crabs and fresh shrimp $4.99 lb."

In no more than 30 seconds, Ana bought 5 lbs of blue crabs, 5 lbs of shrimp and some frog legs.  "Paul's" threw the ice in for free.

Our next stop was the South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center where we cavorted with butterflies in a screen enclosed nursery and hummingbirds in another.

A tour of the USS Lexington, walking down tiny metal steps several floors down to the engine room, reminded me that anyone joining the U.S. Navy need not be claustrophobic.

Ana's big takeaway, though, was seeing a map on the the wall inside the huge ship, depicting the "Battle of the Philippine Sea," one of the fiercest battles of WWII, fought June 19, 20, 1944.

"That happened even before my father was born," exclaimed Ana.

Filipinos, particularly the older generation, hold Americans in high regard.

In the center of Manila, the capital, is a cemetery considered sacred ground with 10,000 graves of American soldiers.

Former Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos requested burial privileges there, but was denied by the Philippine Senate because he "did not qualify."

For lunch we drove to the outskirts of the city to sample Filipino cuisine at the Lumpia House.

Corpus Christi, a disjointed city of over 300,000, with several highway construction detours, would be almost impossible to navigate without GPS.

Fortunately, the tourist spots, museums, the aquarium and the USS Lexington are clustered downtown adjacent the sea.   

FREE JOB TRAINING AT PORT OF BROWNSVILLE FOR 10,000 YOUNG PEOPLE

Mike Hernandez III

Steve Clark, Brownsville Herald

Sep. 23—BROWNSVILLE — Efforts to attract advanced manufacturing companies to the Rio Grande Valley, along with the high-paying jobs they generate, have long run up against the lack of an adequately trained workforce.

A major initiative to solve that problem was announced Thursday at the Port of Brownsville during an event that attracted state, county and municipal elected officials as well as leaders from the Brownsville Navigation District, the port and higher education, namely the Texas A&M University System. That initiative, the RGV Advanced Manufacturing/Training Innovation Now (TRAIN) program, aims to train 10,000 young men and women to fill advanced manufacturing positions at the port and elsewhere around Brownsville and the Valley over the next two years, with an eye toward becoming a multi-year program.

It's the brainchild of Mike Hernandez III, a Brownsville native, Texas A&M graduate and member of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. The university system and two of its state engineering agencies, the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), will run the program with help from other educational partners including Texas State Technical College. Training toward certification will be provided offered in English and Spanish online and in person.

Taking his turn at the podium for the announcement, Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp said Cameron County has no shortage of the 18-to-21 year olds advanced-manufacturing companies seek, though they need to be trained before those businesses will come here.

"We are going to make that happen in Brownsville and it is going to be a magnet, I promise you, to get industries from all over the country and all over Texas to come here," he said. "We'll come back in two years and we'll go to the Legislature and say, 'Look what happened,' and hopefully be able to continue for several years. But we're going to make 10,000 young men and women very qualified for really very good jobs in the Brownsville area and it is going to be absolutely fantastic."

Sharp praised Hernandez for coming up with the idea and carrying it forward, and thanked port and local political leaders for working together to make the program a reality. Hernandez thanked everyone he's worked with over the last few years to get to the point of getting the program funded by the Legislature.

"That's kind of where the rubber meets the road, is when we can get the funding," he said. "Advanced manufacturing is kind of the gift that keeps on giving. Once we get started the jobs just keep going, and ... when you have manufacturing going, it brings ancillary businesses. It just creates economic development."

Hernandez credited State Rep. Eddie Lucio III "for seeing that and understanding that vision and helping me from the start, from zero, to make this thing happen," and Lucio's father, State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., vice chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, for working tirelessly to secure the $10 million in funding for the program. Hernandez predicted TRAIN will fill the workforce gap and "usher in a new generation of manufacturing capability in the Rio Grande Valley."

BND board Vice Chairman Ralph Cowen noted that the port had recently acquired the former Mr. G's fireworks store near the port on S.H. 48 and that Texas A&M was refurbishing it for use as a training center, though Hernandez said the 5,000-square-foot building is "just the beginning" and that a much larger facility would eventually be needed.

Rob Gorham, TEES executive director of manufacturing initiatives, who is spearheading the program's implementation, said a timeline is being developed on which parts of TRAIN will roll out and when.

"Things have already started, and then there will be other elements of the program that will come along as we go forward in the coming months," he said. "There are a lot of things to bring together here but the beauty of it is, that by bringing together all of the different institutions and the programming that they can bring to bear and actually go for a grander solution, you bring them all together and there's a lot of acceleration that can happen."

Gorham also stressed that the first two years is "just the start."

"Two years is the beginning to get our initial foundation built up, but the program itself and the vision itself is much more beyond the two years. ... There are a lot of reasons why it makes sense now," he said. "There are a lot of really good things happening in the Valley now."

Eduardo Campirano, port director and CEO, said TRAIN will be good for the port — especially if it's extended in two years — and that the two key words to describe it are "funded and free."

"Other service providers will provide training but it's not free," he said.

LOCAL RESEARCHER CONTINUES TO ACHIEVE NATIONAL RECOGNITION

Laura Miniel

Local science researcher and anatomical artist, Laura Miniel, has been on a tear recently, entering and winning national contests in various fields of study.

Earlier this year Miniel won first place in the USDA/Agricultural Research Service's challenge to find solutions for dealing with cyanobacteria, oxygen depletion and algae growth in commercial catfish farms.

That award was $20,000.

Miniel also won the Jack Brook's Foundation award of $7,500 for the best suggestions to improve voter turnout.

Miniel is hopeful for her entry in the Deep Space Food Program's contest to find new nutrition and energy sources for those who travel into deep outer space, an award that will pay the winner $25,000.

In recent days Miniel has learned that she's a finalist in yet another nationwide contest, NASA's Lunar Heliostat Competition.

Miniel states on Facebook:

  

"Found out today I've been selected as a finalist in NASA's Lunar heliostat competition

Super psyched about it! They were looking for proposed designs for solar collectors at the Moon's southern pole, which has an almost entirely 0 degree horizontal, horizon-level sun path. I guess they liked the idea I sent them, which was a mostly passive geometric collector."

We wish Laura continued success in her research.

BROWNSVILLE PD NARCOTICS UNIT ARRESTS THREE AT GRANT STREET LOCATION

 

The Brownsville Police Department Narcotics Unit located and arrested Justin Phillip Alexander while conducting surveillance on the 1700 block of Grant Street. Brownsville Police Narcotics Unit had been working around the clock on a possible location where narcotics was being sold from.

Agents then noticed a vehicle leaving the location with several subjects and conducted a traffic stop on said vehicle. Upon investigation Mr. Alexander was taken into custody for several warrants (Credit Card Abuse x 3 and Burglary of Motor Vehicle) out of Brownsville.

Kevin Robert Broussard and Joshua Isaiah Ramirez were in the vehicle and were arrested. Mr. Broussard was in possession of a handgun by a felon, Cocaine, Meth and Marijuana. Mr. Ramirez was charged with possession of Marijuana, Crack Cocaine and Meth.

Agents then went back to the residence the subjects left and located more narcotics at the residence.

Brownsville Police Narcotics Unit worked up this case daily for several weeks. The recovery of a handgun and narcotics is a major accomplishment to its mission.

All three subjects were arraigned, and bonds were set as follows:

Justin P. Alexander:

Credit Card Abuse x 3 (State Jail Felony): $5,000.00 each

Burglary of Motor Vehicle (Misdemeanor A): $5,000.00

Kevin R. Broussard:

Poss. Marijuana >4oz. < 5 lbs (State Jail Felony): $8,000.00

Poss CS (Cocaine)(Felony 3rd Degree): $15,000.00

Poss CS (Meth)(Felony 2nd Degree): $25,000.00

Unlawful Poss of a Firearm by a Felon (Felony 3rd Degree): $15,000.00

Joshua I. Ramirez:

Poss CS (Meth)(State Jail Felony): $8,000.00

Poss CS (Crack Cocaine)(State Jail Felony): $8,000.00

Poss Marijuana (Misdemeanor A): $2,000.00

#brownsvillepolicedepartment #brownsvilletx #SayNoToDrug #CrimeStoppers #keepbrownsvillesafe

RACISM REARS ITS UGLY HEAD IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY

 

Border Patrol Mount Horses to Deal with Haitians

The Biden administration is showing overt racism in treating Black immigrants from Haiti very differently from Hispanic immigrants seeking asylum from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, etc.

Biden is using so-called Title 42, a Trump policy put in place at the start of the pandemic to protect the country from infectious disease to turn away and expel Black Haitian immigrants before they can establish an asylum claim.

Even the welcome mat extended by Rio Grande Valley anglos and Hispanics toward Mexican and Central American asylum seekers has been nonexistent for the Black Haitians.

No food or love extended from the RGV for Black Haitians!

Racism?  Absolutely!

My friend, Bill Perkins, a Black man from Little Rock taught me a lot about racism, introducing me to the following line from comedian Big Bill Broonzy:

if you is white, you's alright

if you's brown, stick around

but if you's black, hmm, hmm, brother

get back, get back, get back

   

GETTING THE CORE OF MY BELIEFS CHALLENGED, TESTED BY AN OLD BOOK

 

Christian Snake Handlers

In a letter to a group in Corinth, Greece, one of the middle managers of Christianity in the first century told his fellow believers to "keep testing to see in they were in the faith."

That's not bad advice for agnostics, atheists or even true believers who handle poisonous snakes.

Anyone locked into a belief system or point of view should welcome having his position at least challenged, if not disproven.

After all, we could be on a direct course to  eternal punishment in a fiery Hell or we could be wasting our lives sucking up to a God who doesn't exist, so he will fly us at death to a nonexistent Heaven or make-believe Paradise.

Isn't it true that many folks don't do much real living in their present life because of being totally consumed with what might come afterwards?

Every few years I let my beliefs or lack of beliefs be jolted by rereading Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason, written in 1793-95, a book for which he earned no money, but did a year's worth of hard labor in England and was found worthy of the guillotine in France.(That punishment was never executed because of a clerical error.)

First of all, Paine claims that there is no such thing as Revelation, that is, God communicating with mankind through a spokesperson.

States Paine:  

"No one will deny the power of the Almighty to make such a communication if he pleases.  But, admitting for the sake of a case, that something has been revealed to a certain person, it is revelation to that person only.  When he tells it to a second person, a second to a third, a third to a forth, and so on, it ceases to be revelation to all those persons.  It is revelation to the first person only and hearsay to every other, and, consequently, they are not obliged to believe it."

Paine applies "reason" to the so-called Immaculate Conception:

"When also I'm told that a woman, called the Virgin Mary, said, or gave out, that she was with child without any cohabitation with a man, and said that her betrothed husband Joseph said that an angel told him so, I have a right to believe them or not: such a circumstance required a much stronger evidence than their bare word for it: but we have not even this; for neither Joseph nor Mary wrote any such matter themselves.  It is only reported by others that they said so.  It is hearsay upon hearsay and I do not choose to rest my belief on such evidence."

Paine easily dismantles the Bible using its own internal evidence.

While he applauds the morality and teachings associated with Jesus, he's less than sure of the entire story around him:

"Jesus Christ wrote no account of himself, of his birth, parentage, or anything else.  Not a line of what is called the New Testament is of his writing.  The history of him is altogether the work of other people."

While you might think Paine didn't believe in God, he did, just not the God written about in any religious book.

Paine believed man could learn about God by looking at what he called his Creation:

"Do you want to contemplate his power?  We see it in the immensity of the creation.  Do you want to contemplate his wisdom?  We see it in the Unchangeable Order by which the incomprehensible Whole is governed?  Do we want to contemplate his munificence (generosity)?  We see it in the abundance with which he fills the earth.  Do we want to contemplate his mercy?  We see it in his not withholding that abundance even from the unthankful.  Search not the book called the scripture, which any human hand could make, but the scripture called the Creation."

Having someone challenge your beliefs is not a negative thing.

It could simply reinforce what you believe to be true or it could move you to continue searching for truth.

RENE TORRES INDUCTED INTO UTRGV HALL OF FAME

 

by Clair Cruz

Brownsville Herald

Torres' Lecture on History of Baseball in Brownsville (2014 Photo by Nena Barton, Brownsville Observer)

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
announced its 2022 Athletics Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor class Tuesday, and Brownsville native Rene Torres was selected as an inductee.

Torres is the sole honoree that "earned induction" into the UTRGV Hall of Honor.  He played baseball for Pan American College in 1966-1969 receiving a scholarship after serving as the starting shortstop for the legendary Brownsville High state semifinalist team.

“It is a great privilege to join such a list of prestigious Hall of Honor inductees. I have always dreamt of reaching this point, but I never envisioned that this would become a reality,” Torres said in a press release.

Torres was the starting center fielder for Pan American College for three years. He committed just one error in his career and set a program record for most consecutive games without an error, playing perfect defense in 46 straight games. Torres helped the team reach the NCAA district playoffs in 1968 and the NAIA playoffs in 1966. Additionally, he was on the freshman basketball team in 1966.

After his playing days, Torres worked as a sports historian and was a professor at The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College. He was inducted into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and is a member of the Leo Najo Baseball Hall of Fame in Mission, and the Laredo Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame. Torres has been honored and recognized in Brownsville and Valleywide for his impact in spreading the history of RGV baseball with presentations and written work.

The 2022 UTRGV Athletics Hall of Fame inductees are the 1987-90 women’s cross country team, former men’s basketball player Jim Board, former women’s tennis player Barbara (Barrera) Gonzales and former baseball player Joe Hernandez.

The class was initially selected in the summer of 2020, but the induction ceremony was delayed due to COVID-19. The induction luncheon is scheduled for 11 a.m. Feb. 19 at the UTRGV Ballroom.

BROWNSVILLIANS UPSET WITH MEDIOCRE DOWNTOWN MURAL BY OUT-OF-STATE ARTIST

 "A prophet is not without honor except in his home town and among his own relatives and in his own household."  Matthew 6:4

Brownsville's Much Criticized New Mural, the Work of an Out-of-Town Artist

Substitute "artist" for prophet in the above quote and you might get a sense of how local artists, muralists, feel being passed over by Mayor Trey Mendez and City of Brownsville Swiss Army Knife Ramiro Gonzalez to create murals downtown. 

In a city veritably teeming with artists, muralists like Gabriel Trevino and others, Mayor Trey Mendez and his art-choosing designate Ramiro Gonzalez bypassed local talent for a Los Angeles muralist.

The snub might have been tolerable had the new mural been creative, reflective of Brownsville culture, but, to many observers, the final result looks like a minimal effort by someone who has little understanding or identification with our city.

Ramiro Gonzalez

Going out of Brownsville for art to accentuate Brownsville is like going to New York to buy salsa.

It makes zero sense.

Facebook lit up with complaints.  We publish a small sampling below:

Dianne Maurice: "Why not local artists? Our ppl need jobs.  Plus, that mural doesn't even look that good.  Waste of bloody money!!!"

Dorian Abrego Moreno: "Que pinche mural is that? La Cagaron!"

Marti Etheridge:  "The 80's called and said they want their t-shirt print back.  WTF is that?"

Xandra Trevino:  "Super embarrassing.  Our city officials are out of touch."

Gabriel Mendoza: "The artist said in an interview that he was going to paint something that, when you see it, it'll bring happiness and you'll be proud of Brownsville.  They already have the artist selected to do the remaining murals, but nobody local yet."

Erica Stacey Garcia:  "Somebody had tagged the mayor about the mural not too long ago and he said the remaining two walls were to be done by local artists.  I guess he lied pffft."

Gabriel Mendoza:  "Yes he did."

John E. Lopes:  "Seriously, like for real y'all?  What in the living shit is this?  And in a place that's so full of real talent.  Was the muralist drunk?"

Erica Stacey Garcia:  "No shoot dood.  A fucking 5th grader could have done a better job and it would have only cost us the paint."

Rich Cherry:  "This is lame!  I could have done better than that."

Adrienne Tovar:  "It's hideous."

ANTI-VAX, ANTI-MASK QANON SUPPORTER DIES OF COVID-19 AFTER HOSPITAL REFUSES TO TREAT HER WITH DEWORMER

Veronica Wolski

Veronica  Wolski, who got into a tussle at Staples because the workers were wearing masks, has died of COVID-19.

64 year old Wolski  died of pneumonia brought on by her COVID-19 infection, and hypothyroidism was said to also be a contributing factor.

Wolski was taken to the Amita Health Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago where she was placed in the Intensive Care Unit.

Wolski demanded treatment with ivermectin, a dewormer used on humans and livestock, depending on the formula, but the hospital refused to authorize that type of treatment.

BROWNSVILLE DOCTORS LORENZO PELLY AND CARLOS BARBA DISCIPLINED FOR INAPPROPRIATE TOUCHING, SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AND OTHER ISSUES BY TEXAS MEDICAL BOARD

 

Dr. Lorenzo Pelly M.D., Lic. No. G2453, Brownsville On August 20, 2021. 

The Board and Lorenzo Pelly, M.D., 2012 Valley Baptist Physician of the Year, entered into an Agreed Order requiring him to within one year and three attempts pass the Medical Jurisprudence Exam. 

Dr. Pelly must have his practice monitored by another physician for eight consecutive monitoring cycles; and within one year complete at least 28 hours of CME, divided as follows: eight hours in medical recordkeeping, four hours in professional communication, eight hours in risk management and eight hours in addressing complications in complex patients. 

The Board found Dr. Pelly failed to adequately and timely evaluate and treat a patient’s acute kidney injury; failed to timely assess, order treatment and a gastroenterologist consultation for a second patient; failed to timely assess a third patient after they were admitted to intensive care in critical condition; failed to maintain adequate and complete medical records. 

In June 2018 Dr. Pelly was required by his employer to take a course after inappropriately touching a nurse.

Dr. Carlos Alberto Barba

Dr. Carlos Alberto Barba M.D., Lic. No. P7385, Brownsville. 

On August 20, 2021, the Board and Carlos Alberto Barba, M.D., entered into an Agreed Order publicly reprimanding Dr. Barba.

The order requires Dr. Barba to have a chaperone present anytime he performs any examination on a female patient.

Within one year and no more than three attempts Dr. Barba must pass the Medical Jurisprudence Exam; within one year complete the professional boundaries course offered by the University of California San Diego Physician Assessment and Clinical Education (PACE) program.

Dr. Barbra has one year to complete at least 16 hours of CME, divided as follows: eight hours in ethics and eight hours in risk management. 

Within 90 days Dr. Barba must pay an administrative penalty of $10,000 and shall not be permitted to supervise or delegate prescriptive authority to a physician assistant or advanced practice nurse or supervise a surgical assistant. 

The Board found Dr. Barba engaged in sexual contact with a patient and made false and misleading statements to the Board and Peer Review Committee regarding the encounter. 

The order resolves a formal complaint filed at the State Office of Administrative Hearings. 

TELEVANGELIST KENNETH COPELAND EXECUTES JUDGEMENT ON COVID-19, ENDS PANDEMIC! HALLELUJAH!

 

CAMERON COUNTY SHERIFF ERIC GARZA ISSUES PRESS RELEASE ABOUT DISQUALIFICATION OF OPPOSING COUNSEL

 I'm posting part of a press release from Cameron County Eric Garza's office.  Formatting issues in converting the document from PDF to JPEG and then to Google Blogger forced me to simply type it out.

Please don't consider this posting as taking sides in the Cameron County Commissioner Court's lawsuit against Sheriff Garza.  I simply don't know enough.

I've read what Juan Montoya has written in his El Rrun Rrun blog, but understand that he's likely paid to write from a certain point of view.

Simply consider that I'm putting something into the blogosphere that Sheriff Eric Garza wants out there.  

Make a personal decision as to why he wants this in the public domain:

CAMERON COUNTY SHERIFF ERIC GARZA

PRESS RELEASE

SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

CAMERON COUNTY CHIEF COUNSEL DISQUALIFIED FROM PARTICIPATION IN LITIGATION

On Friday, September 10, 2021 the 445th Cameroon County District Court disqualified Juan A. Gonzalez, Chief Legal Counsel for the Cameron County Commissioner Court's Legal Division, from continuing to serve as attorney for Cameron County in its lawsuit.

The ruling validates our position that Mr. Juan A. Gonzalez was conflicted from participating in the litigation as he is a material witness.

The Cameron County Sheriff's Office will continue to defend itself against frivolous claims and will defend the laws of the Great State of Texas.

WHY DID THE CAMERON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPUTY ASSOCIATION DEPART FROM NORMAL POLICY AND APPOINT BOARD OFFICERS, NOT ELECT THEM?

 

An active, dues-paying member of the Cameron County Sheriffs Deputy Association informs us of an abrupt departure of the association's longstanding policy of ELECTING officers. 

We were sent the above Facebook announcement of  "newly appointed" officers.

The announcement above was made with no direct email communication to association members.

A request had been made for members to send their email addresses to Victor Alvarado for the purpose of receiving ballots, but, reportedly, some members never received ballots.

There is a distinct odor emanating from the CCSDA with an obvious conflict of interest with a former and current public official. 

Newly appointed CCSDA President, for is Rick Gomez, the brother of long-time Constable Abel Gomez.

When Eric Garza defeated Omar Lucio in the last election, Constable Abel Gomez decided to employ former Sheriff Lucio and his former right hand man, Gus Reyna, in his office.

Now, Abel's brother Rick is the new President of the CCSDA. 

BTW, the other Reyna brother, who used to work for Omar Lucio, Javier Reyna, is now running for Justice of the Peace, 2-2. 

But, back to our original questions: 

Who appointed Rick Gomez and the other officers?  

Why were these officers not elected as it has been done in the past?

We left a message with Victor Alvarado, asking these questions and requesting a return call.

THE ARKIE

 

Petit Jean River Bridge, Danville, AR

Comments  directed to our Texas-Arkansas football stories contained words like "hillbilly," "inbreeding" and "moonshine" to describe people from Arkansas.

Only one of those words is offensive, the two others being associated with skill, craft and survival.

Having spent forty years in Arkansas and Northern Texas with several visits to relatives in Oklahoma, it's difficult to distinguish a cultural difference between the three areas divided only by arbitrary state lines and regional pride.

We moved to Danville, Arkansas in rural Yell County in 1970.  Danville, the county seat, was situated in the beautiful Petit Jean River Valley between Mount Nebo and Petit Jean Mountain, the two highest points in the state.

Winthrop Rockefeller, then Governor of Arkansas, had a big ranch on top of Petit Jean Mountain where he raised Santa Gertrudis cattle for fun and recognition while viewed as a philanthropist.

Next to his ranch on Petit Jean Mountain, Rockefeller had an automobile museum, open to the public, displaying his massive collection of Stutz Bearcats, Pierce Arrows, Packards and other vehicles.

His brother, Nelson Rockefeller, was Governor of New York and later Vice President, both men being sons of John D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil fame and money.

"You're a Yankee, ain't ya?" were the first words spoken to me in Danville.

Being from Seattle, I'd never identified with either side in the Civil War.  To me, it was like being asked if I was Iroquois or Sioux. 

Others assumed I was from New York, the home of all city slickers, people who would never survive in rural Arkansas.

Leroy Dennis was the first "Arkie" I got to know, a tall man, WWII war hero, coming back from the war with his right hand shot off, replaced by a hook.

He was known by everyone in Danville, everyone in Yell County, by his first name.

Leroy had a thirty acre spread on the outskirts of Danville, but, also, a nice house downtown.  He slept nights in the downtown house, but spent all day at the "farm."

He did everything with his left hand and only support from his right hook; fixing his tractor, building another house on the farm, repairing his fences, tending his cattle, even frying okra or yellow squash from his garden.

Leroy had two grown daughters he'd always protected, but was not too fond of either of his sons-in-law.

His wife Bernice, a super efficient waitress at the Danville Grill, came home each evening raving about the important people who'd come in to "the grill" that day.

Leroy was humble to a fault.  Although he knew he could do most anything, he always prefaced his confidence with "might could."

Your most ridiculous suggestion as to how to do something would be met with "might work."

One night in the early 70's our van's engine died returning from an out of town trip.

We were on the outskirts of town at 3AM and called Leroy who met us a few minutes later in his old Ford pickup.

"I think I've thrown a rod," I told him, repeating the most serious engine trouble I'd heard about.

"That's possible," said Leroy, opening the hood and removing the distributor cap.

"Jim, can you turn the key to "on," not "start," but "on?'

Leroy, using his left hand, spun a dime inside the distributor, noting where it sparked.

Next, he turned his attention to the spark plug wires, pushing two of them down more securely.

"Now, try to start it."

"VROOM!" went my engine.

"I think that'll get you goin'," offered our friend.

That, friends, is an Arkie.

IF CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR NEWSOM SURVIVES RECALL, HE CAN THANK TRUMPER LARRY ELDER

California Governor Gavin Newsom

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a spoiled rich kid with movie star looks, faces removal from office today by California voters.

The multimillionaire Newsom, who made his money with a chain of fancy wine stores, restaurants, night clubs and hotels, has put his state in a virtual lockdown during the pandemic, with strict protocols, closed public schools and stay-at-home orders.

Actually, polls showed Californians basically supported the safety protocols, understanding the dire need to suppress and control COVID-19.

What Californians didn't like was a circulated video of their governor at an unmasked party at a hoity toity French restaurant in wine country exposing the governor as a total hypocrite.

In not so short order, 1.7 million California voters signed the petition authorizing the recall and late today, Pacific Time, the world will know the results.

Radio Talk Show Host Larry Elder

But, Governor Newsom, who preaches COVID safety, but doesn't practice it, may be saved from recall by the unlikeliest of sources, a conservative talk show host and Trump supporter, Larry Elder, who has emerged as the runaway leader among 30 candidates to take Newsom's job, should he be recalled.

Now, Californians must be not only concerned about recalling Newsom, but be aware of the views of the overwhelming favorite to replace him, should the recall succeed.

Elder is on record as claiming that Democrats benefit from the heavy support of women, "who know less than men about political issues, economics and current events."

Elder also opposes any minimum wages, stating that "the ideal minimum wage is $0."

The talk show host has backed several debunked conspiracy theories and holds controversial views about climate change, abortion and COVID-19.

This election development, with Larry Elder being the obvious favorite to succeed Newsom, has allowed Democrats to frame the election as between Newsom and a Donald Trump clone.

That narrative has energized the Newsom campaign, giving some hope that he can survive the recall.