A Donna man died after being hit by a Weslaco ISD school bus on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Courtesy: Texas Department of Public Safety/DPS)
A Donna man died after being hit by a Weslaco ISD school bus on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Courtesy: Texas Department of Public Safety/DPS)
A 72-year-old Donna man was killed Wednesday morning after being hit by a Weslaco ISD school bus.
In a news release, the Texas Department of Public Safety said the fatal crash happened at approximately 6:50 a.m. on Hernandez Road west of FM 493 north of Mile 11 in Donna.
“A preliminary investigation revealed a male pedestrian was walking eastbound on Hernandez Rod on the south side of the road when he was struck by a Weslaco ISD School Bus (sic) traveling eastbound on Hernandez Road.”
The school bus driver stopped to render aid.
DPS identified the deceased man as Feliberto Romero Ramirez.
The Weslaco school district said in a news release that there were no children on the bus at the time of the crash.
In this Sept. 13, 2023 file photo, Fred Uribe, at left, and Ricardo Silva prepare for the city of Harlingen’s inaugural Fiesta De Piñatas celebration. The inaugural event was set to take off last year, running across downtown’s western streets, before a fast-moving thunderstorm forced its last-minute cancellation. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)
HARLINGEN — La Placita’s streets are ready to burst into bright colors for Fiesta de Piñatas, Harlingen’s first festival commemorating Mexico’s independence from Spain.
The inaugural event was set to take off last year, running across downtown’s western streets, before a fast-moving thunderstorm forced its last-minute cancellation.
“So this is the first one,” Alexis Riojas, the Downtown Improvement District’s director, said of Saturday’s festival. “We’re more than ready. We’re ready to fiesta.”
After months of planning, the festival will commemorate Mexico’s independence from Spain, marking the Mexican holiday El Diez y Seis de Septiembre, while celebrating the culturally iconic piñata, whose artistry has become symbolic of Mexican-American culture.
Last year, Fred Uribe, co-owner of Don Gollito’s Restaurant, presented city officials with his concept of a piñata festival.
“It’s a celebration of the Hispanic Latino culture,” Uribe said in an interview. “Down here in Harlingen, we don’t celebrate the Hispanic culture. I think we lost the Hispanic culture in Harlingen.”
So he pitched his idea to Mayor Norma Sepulveda and city commissioners.
“I knew Fiesta de Piñatas was perfect the moment it was presented,” Sepulveda said in a statement. “It’s important to me that we create opportunities to celebrate our culture, and this event honors traditions while bringing families together to celebrate 16 de Septiembre with joy and a sense of community.”
While artists and chefs showcase their music and art along with salsas and dulces along West Van Buren Avenue from E Street to West Street, the festival’s Comida Market will feature fajita tacos, espiropapas, fruit cups, nachos and aguas frescas.
At Mercado Market, artists will display their hand-crafted ceramics and sterling silver jewelry along with leather handbags, shoes and hats.
Across West Van Buren Avenue from E Street to West Street, the festival will stage the music of Mariachis Estrelas del Valle, the Revo Live Band and headliner Amanda Solis and her Ultimate Selena Experience.
“We’re creating an event celebrating our culture,” Riojos said in an interview. “It’s an event for the family to come out and enjoy. A lot of people don’t know La Placita is part of downtown.”
For families, children will get their chances to burst piñatas filled with candies.
Then at 4 p.m., Fiesta de Piñatas comes alive at Gutierrez Park.
An hour later, the Mexican Consulate’s office will perform the traditional Grito, commemorating Father Miguel Hidalgo’s call, leading to the start of Mexico’s fight for Independence from Spain in 1810.
Running to 9 p.m., the festival turns the piñata into the life of the party, giving children chances to burst the brightly painted paper mache casks.
“Piñatas are very rich in the Hispanic culture — colorful, vibrant, fun, festive,” Riojas said. “They’re all uniquely different in their own way, with purples, blues, yellows, oranges — neon type colors.”
Since he was a child, piñatas captured Uribe’s fancy, leading him to delve into their historical, cultural and religious significance.
By some accounts, the piñata evolved in 14th Century Europe before the Spanish brought the tradition to Mexico and Latin America, where it merged with Aztec and Mayan traditions.
In Mexico, the Catholic tradition was associated with Lent, the piñata’s seven points symbolizing the seven deadly sins, while its candy represented temptation.
“The piñata brings the family together, the children together,” Uribe said. “It’s a figure that brings the family together. They dress up in festive colors — women in floral dresses with red flowers and men in their attire with charro hats. I wanted to see that in Harlingen.”
Students look over notes given to them as they enter the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley McAllen ISD Collegiate Academy during the first day of school on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in McAllen. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])
McALLEN — During a school board meeting here Tuesday night, the department of Strategic Partnerships & Student Outreach presented an enrollment report that showed lower first day of school figures and an overall decrease from last year.
Lisa Cavazos, the director of the department, started the report by listing the current enrollment progress for this year compared to figures from last school year.
Tracking how many students were enrolled on the last day of school in May 2023, the figure stood at 19,879 students.
For the new school year, the report stated that the district had about 18,581 students the first day of school, a decrease of about 868 students from the previous year. The 2023-2024 school year had 19,449 students on the first day of school.
“Over the summer though we were very optimistic and very excited to have 20,601 students we’re calling engaged,” Cavazos said. “What that means is that … students had completed a re-registration, a new registration, an application as a new student, a transfer … This is the number of students that we were really anticipating had connected and would be with us on the first day of school. August 19th hit and that number on the first day in seats was 18,581.”
Fast forward to Sept. 3, the director reported an increase of enrollment to 19,817 and added that as 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, the enrollment was 19,857.
“Enrollment has been tough for some time now and not just at MISD but across the state,” Board President Sofia Peña said. “I am proud of our efforts to increase enrollment and am just as hopeful that we will keep moving forward through programs like Universal 4K … and other collaborative projects.”
Showing the year-over-year comparison enrollment for the first 11 school days, it shows the district is still below the enrollment for the time period of last year.
The eleventh day had an enrollment of 19,817. Compared to the 2023-24 school year which had 20,006 students, the district had about 189 fewer students.
Since the first day of school to Sept. 3 , the district had a 1,315 increase of students with 79 students withdrawing for an actual change of 1,236 students.
“The net change is still positive,” she said. “We have slowed down significantly the rate of increase but we’re still definitely increasing on a daily basis.”
Students practice at the tennis courts at Nikki Rowe High School on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, in McAllen. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])
From the new students since the first day of school at the district, about 45% of students are attributed to the three comprehensive high schools.
Cavazos said the district had about 1,800 transfer students.
Listing where the transfer students are coming from and the amount, the chart listed McAllen ISD with 836 transfer students which means the students were zoned to a district campus but requested to attend a campus that they are not geographically zoned for.
The chart listed that 375 student transfers came from Edinburg CISD, 256 from Sharyland ISD, 192 from PSJA ISD, 51 from Mission CISD and 37 from La Joya ISD to round off the top five school districts with transfers.
“I affectionately call them (the top three school districts in chart) my favorite partners because we have a lot of their students but that is where the biggest bulk (of transfer students) and that makes sense geographically since those are the districts that surround McAllen ISD,” she said.
The report also highlighted that 948 students were not with the district last year, with about 48 coming from IDEA Public schools, 37 from South Texas ISD, 31 from Vanguard Academy Charter Schools and 61 from other private schools.
With the department established in 2019, Cavazos said her team’s strategy has remained unchanged focusing on the three R’s: recruit, retain and recapture.
“Our fall calendar is filling up quickly, this is the time when we’re really out in the community participating in as many events as we possibly can, making sure that the district and our team is visible,” she said.
Joe Rodriguez stands for a portrait on the turf at Sams Memorial Stadium on Thursday, June 29, 2017, in Brownsville. (Jason Hoekema/The Brownsville Herald)
Joe Rodriguez
The Brownsville Independent School District will dedicate the playing field at Sams Memorial Stadium as Joe Rodriguez Memorial Field in an unveiling ceremony at 7 p.m. Thursday at the stadium.
A plaque celebrating Rodriguez’s life and legacy will be unveiled at the ceremony, the district said Wednesday afternoon.
Rodriguez left a legacy of lifting up the young people of Brownsville through athletics and educational endeavors of all kinds, people who knew and worked with him over a career that spanned more than 50 years said at the time of his passing at age 85 in April 2021.
Coach Tom Chavez, who Rodriguez brought to Brownsville at the beginning of his coaching career in 1969 and who regarded Rodriguez as his best friend, credited Rodriguez with inspiring many of the new athletic facilities that had come on line in the years after 2015, including an indoor football practice facility at Rivera Early College High School, the new gymnasium at Hanna, turf soccer fields at all BISD high schools and other projects.
“All the facilities we have here now we wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for him,” Chavez said in April 2021.
Rodriguez served as BISD Athletic Director in the early 2000s. His offices were under the home bleachers at Sams Memorial Stadium.
Rodriguez coached baseball and football. His baseball Eagles went 125-72 with two state Final Four appearances. Brownsville High reached the state finals in 1965 and state semifinals in 1966.
Rodriguez’s football teams won 89 games, including the talented 1969 team that won a district championship and reached the second round of the playoffs. The 1969 team had gone 0-9 in Rodriguez’ first year in 1967, but the seniors enjoyed a banner season two years later, according to the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame, into which Rodriguez was inducted in 1991.
His brother, Eduardo, a Brownsville attorney, said coach Rodriguez “believed in giving young people the opportunity to spread their wings and see how far they could go. He believed in kids … The most important thing he did was instill in young people a desire to participate and do your best in whatever you do. … He loved sports, he loved his coaches and he loved his players. He always kept an interest in the school system.”
Joe Rodriguez stands for a portrait on the turf at Sams Memorial Stadium on Thursday, June 29, 2017, in Brownsville. (Jason Hoekema/The Brownsville Herald)
Even late in life “he wanted to go in and help the kids of Brownsville,” he said, adding that Coach Joe this past year attended basketball games at Veterans Memorial ECHS to see his grandson Campy Rodriguez play. He also attended all home football games at St. Joseph’s High School to see another grandson, Jackson Seguin Rodriguez, play.
Rodriguez was a member of the BISD Board of Trustees that in 1992 hired Esperanza Zendejas as superintendent.
She said many of the projects that came to fruition in recent years can trace their lineage to ideas first proposed during that time.
“When you spoke with Joe you felt better about what you were doing. He lifted you up,” she said. “As a board member, Joe was a force. He questioned. As a person, he was the type you wanted to hang around with.”
Zendejas served three years in the early ‘90s before going on to another position.
In 2014, Rodriguez again got elected to the BISD board. Zendejas said he and a few other board members called to ask if she would be willing to help out “for a few months.” It turned out to be four years.
“Joe Rodriguez has left a legacy that will not be forgotten,” she said. “Joe has helped so many young adults in so many ways. He raised up everyone he met.”
The McAllen City Commission stands for a photo with City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodríguez, fourth from right, on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. Rodriguez is retiring this week after nearly two decades of service with the city. (Dina Arévalo | [email protected])
McAllen City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodriguez, center, receives a hug from District 5 McAllen Commissioner Víctor “Seby” Haddad while Mayor Javier Villalobos looks on during a commission meeting on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. The commission took a moment to honor Rodriguez on his pending retirement. (Dina Arévalo | [email protected])
McALLEN — Nearly 40 years total in public service.
Decades with the city of McAllen, including nearly 3,000 hours spent at over 600 McAllen City Commission and more than 200 public utility meetings.
Working with hundreds of employees and department heads, as well as scores of local and foreign dignitaries.
How does one distill the monumental work of one’s career into a few short sentences?
For McAllen city leaders and Roel “Roy” Rodriguez, the longtime city manager who, on Friday, will begin a well-deserved retirement, those numbers helped quantify things during a farewell celebration at McAllen City Hall on Monday.
But Rodriguez — known far and wide for his stern, blunt demeanor — added a bit of emotion that may have come as a surprise to the public, but not for those who have spent some of those years working closely with him.
“Thank you so much, mayor and city commissioners, my staff, assistant city managers, 35 department heads and 2,500 employees,” Rodriguez said with his characteristic straightforwardness while standing at a lectern to face the audience that had gathered for the farewell.
But that facade broke just the tiniest bit as emotion briefly, quietly, flowed across the longtime leader’s face.
Rodriguez tapped the palm an open hand over his chest — over his heart — as he added, “Thank you. I love you.”
Rodriguez thanked the McAllen community “that has treated me better, certainly, than I deserve,” he said, adding that he hopes the public’s memories of him are that of equitable treatment.
“I hope that when you look back, you just feel that I treated you, as a citizen, fairly and that I provided the best possible service that I could,” Rodriguez said as the entirety of the city commission stood behind him.
Retiring McAllen City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodríguez shows off his custom cowboy boots emblazoned with the city of McAllen logo as the McAllen City Commission honors his years of service at McAllen City Hall on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (Dina Arévalo | [email protected])
Moments earlier, the commissioners had read from a proclamation declaring Monday to be “Roy Rodriguez Day.”
They recited his long history of service, not only to the city of McAllen, but also to Weslaco, Harlingen, Jefferson County and other places where he spent his career lending his expertise in civil engineering or public administration.
“There isn’t much more for me to say. It is certainly very, very bittersweet for this day to come,” Rodriguez said, adding that he nonetheless had had his retirement date marked on a calendar.
“I couldn’t be more grateful for the time that I’ve been able to spend in this amazing city, (this) really, really amazing city that has adopted me — (though) not everybody, right?” Rodriguez said, quipping about reactions his tough demeanor has elicited.
“I’ve got some ‘other-than-friends’ out there, but I love them anyway, because this community is really amazing,” he said.
Reflecting on Rodriguez’s tenure with the city, members of the commission also made a point of emphasizing that public facade, saying it belies Rodriguez’s big heart.
“Roy’s really a Care Bear,” District 5 Commissioner Victor “Seby” Haddad said.
McAllen City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodríguez, center right, enjoys a slice of cake while speaking with residents during a celebration of his pending retirement at McAllen City Hall on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (Dina Arévalo | [email protected])
“He cares deeply about the city of McAllen, and most of all, he cares most about the people. He’s got a tough exterior — and I think he needs to have it, that sort of very poised, stern demeanor has served us well — but, once you get to know Roy, you’ll realize he cares more than anyone else,” Haddad said.
And that tough exterior, in turn, is evidence of the high standards the city manager has not only held himself to, but those he works with, Haddad said.
“He’s demanded a lot and created excellent leaders from the various city departments, but he also demands a lot from the city commission and from the mayor,” Haddad said.
That demand for excellence is part of what has made McAllen so successful for so long, what Haddad described as the city being at its “pinnacle.”
For McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos — whose day job has involved serving as a city attorney for various municipalities across South Texas — Rodriguez’s drive for excellence has created something even more unique — a leader whom Villalobos can truly call a friend.
“I’ve been doing governmental work for so many years, and it’s very few people that I can say that they’ve become my friends — either commissioners, city managers or anything. I’m very glad that I can call Roy my friend,” Villalobos said.
McAllen City Manager Roel “Roy” Rodríguez, in a moment of emotion, thumps his chest with his hand as he reflects on his long years of service to the city. Rodriguez is retiring on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Dina Arévalo | [email protected])
For the mayor, Rodriguez has become a brother. For Haddad, the city manager’s steadfast leadership has set an example where nothing is impossible.
“The beauty about talking with Roy is that … we don’t start with talking about constraints, we talk about the idea,” Haddad said.
And that makes Rodriguez’s departure all the more “bittersweet.”
Nonetheless, though the commissioners expressed their sadness in seeing Rodriguez retire, the atmosphere at city hall Monday remained one filled with hope and excitement about the future.
Rodriguez leaves behind a team of public servants who won’t skip a beat, Villalobos said. And they’ll have the benefit of his protege, Isaac Tawil, taking over the reins.
The quesatorta at El Ultimo Taco in Brownsville has cheese, avocado, onion, cilantro and el pastor. (Travis M. Whitehead | Valley Morning Star)
The quesatorta at El Ultimo Taco in Brownsville has cheese, avocado, onion, cilantro and el pastor. (Travis M. Whitehead | Valley Morning Star)
BROWNSVILLE — Midafternoon has arrived, and the lunch rush hour has passed but several tables continue to serve customers.
There is an energy and a smoothness in the dining room of El Ultimo Taco Taqueria that is unmistakably Mexican.
I do not know how to explain the contradiction of energy and smoothness. The curious pairing of those opposite qualities throughout Mexico always provides a calming and a soothing and a rejuvenating. When I am in Mexico, in Saltillo or Morelia or Guanajuato, the energy is intense but playful. It is not the intimidating energy of pressure and conformity. Rather, it is the spontaneous and refreshing energy of colors and clowns and dancers and wandering musicians.
There are no clowns or dancers or musicians here in El Ultimo Taco Taqueria at 938 N. Expressway 77, but I feel still the presence of Mexican energy and vitality. A sign asks that I wait to be seated, but an employee gestures for me to choose my table.
I at first aim for a table in a corner, but then I think I do not want to sit beneath a big screen TV so I take a table in the middle of the dining area next to a column. My server immediately tends to me, and I ask for a glass of ice water.
Two copies of the same menu lie before me. The server removes one, and I run my eyes over the menu. That is when I first feel I’m back in Mexico. The taco pirata and the taco gringo are popular items at my favorite taco stand in Saltillo in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. The flautas remind me of my favorite place to eat in Patzcuaro in the Mexican state of Michoacan.
The Patzcuaro restaurant is now closed. But there’s no slowing down or closing El Ultimo Taco Taqueria next to the busy expressway.
Some people might say that El Ultimo Taco Taqueria draws on the energy of the expressway and the cars whoosh-whoosh-whooshing on the expressway not many yards away.
That perhaps might play a role in El Ultimo’s success. Someone definitely picked the right spot to open a restaurant. But I think the greater portion of its success lies in the food and the music and the Spanish stations and the staff quickly moving to serve the constant flow of customers.
Yes, a constant flow. Because as I sit here, I see what could be conjectured as a “second lunch rush hour” as new customers fill the tables again, at 2:30 p.m.
The quesatorta at El Ultimo Taco in Brownsville has cheese, avocado, onion, cilantro and el pastor. (Travis M. Whitehead | Valley Morning Star)
And the menu reveals why. The torta listings quickly catch my eye. Tortas always grab my attention because they are so closely related to my Mexico travels. To me, a torta means the long bus rides throughout Mexico and stopping at bus terminals and grabbing a torta at a stand. It means vendors with basketfuls of tortas moving down the aisles of the bus. It means Tortas El Mago in Morelia where I order a giant Torta Hawaiiana with a glass of cold licuado fresa con canela.
It’s the many visits I paid to Super Tortas Homero in Morelia and enjoyed hot tortas with a tall glass of Jamaica. I have been unable to find Super Tortas Homero in Morelia recently. It used to be on a corner of the plaza and the moved to a location along a nearby street, but I can’t find it anywhere now. I am sure it moved to another location; businesses in Morelia open and close and move quite frequently.
However, that’s not an issue at El Ultimo Taco Taqueria on the busy expressway in Brownsville. I can find that restaurant quickly and I don’t believe it will go anywhere anytime soon.
Now I see something I have not seen before, an item called quesatortas. The quesatorta, says the menu, is served with melted cheese, avocado, onion and cilantro. I have a choice of beef, birria, bistec, pastor, barbacoa, shredded beef or pressed pork.
Now that I’m going to be enjoying something new, I pair it with something familiar: pastor meat. I also order a consommé de birria.
I don’t have to wait long for my food to arrive. I notice how servers immediately tend to customers regardless of how quickly they arrive. Everyone in the restaurant moves quickly and I am impressed by their focus.
The consommé de birria at El Ultimo Taco is packed with flavor. (Travis M. Whitehead | Valley Morning Star)
The consommé de birria is packed with flavor. I eat slowly, enjoying the beef and the broth and the vegetables. Not too many minutes later my quesatorta arrives with meat and avocado slices and cheese and everything is packed with flavor not too mild or intense but at a level easily enjoyed.
I do not want to leave, but I am glad I can come back soon instead of waiting until my next trip south of the border. It’s all right here on the busy expressway in Brownsville.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Mission Veterans Memorial's Delilah Cantu, right, hits above Mission High’s Vanessa Espinosa, left, during a match Monday Sept.09, 2024 at Mission High School Neuhaus gymnasium. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])
Mission Veterans Memorial’s Sophia Pacheco, right, spikes a ball past Mission High’s Madison Garcia, left, during a match Monday Sept.09, 2024 at Mission High School Neuhaus gymnasium. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])Mission Veterans Memorial ’s Caylie Montalvo, right, hits a ball past Mission High’s Kayla Alaniz, left, during a match Monday Sept.09, 2024 at Mission High School Neuhaus gymnasium. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])Mission High’s Joslyn Rodriguez at the net hits a ball over Mission Veterans Memorial’s Caylie Montalvo, left, and Delilah Cantu, right, during a match Monday Sept.09, 2024 at Mission High School Neuhaus gymnasium. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])Mission Veterans Memorial’s Sophia Pacheco, right, swats a ball past Mission High’s Kayla Alaniz, left, during a match Monday Sept.09, 2024 at Mission High School Neuhaus gymnasium. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])Mission High’s Joslyn Rodriguez, left, plays defense at the net against Mission Veterans Memorial’s Delilah Cantu, right, during a match Monday Sept.09, 2024 at Mission High School Neuhaus gymnasium. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])Mission High’s Kayla Alaniz, left, spikes a ball past Mission Veterans Memorial’s Caylie Montalvo, right, during a match Monday Sept.09, 2024 at Mission High School Neuhaus gymnasium. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])Mission Veterans Memorial’s Sophia Pacheco, left, hits against Mission High’s Breanna Longoria, left, and Jaydelyn Gonzalez, right, during a match Monday Sept.09, 2024 at Mission High School Neuhaus gymnasium. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])Mission Veterans Memorial’s Heather Flores, right, hits a ball against Mission High’s Vanessa Espinosa, left, during a match Monday Sept.09, 2024 at Mission High School Neuhaus gymnasium. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])Mission Veterans Memorial’s Caylie Montalvo at the net against Mission High during a match Monday Sept.09, 2024 at Mission High School Neuhaus gymnasium. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])Mission High’s Vanessa Espinosa, right, bumps a ball against Mission Veterans Memorial during a match Monday Sept.09, 2024 at Mission High School Neuhaus gymnasium. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])Mission Veterans Memorial’s Mady Perez, right, hits a ball against Mission High’s Victoria Guzman, left, during a match Monday Sept.09, 2024 at Mission High School Neuhaus gymnasium. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])Mission Veterans Memorial’s Delilah Cantu, right, hits above Mission High’s Vanessa Espinosa, left, during a match Monday Sept.09, 2024 at Mission High School Neuhaus gymnasium. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])
In this image provided by the USDA Agricultural Research Service, a mosquito stands upon human skin. (USDA Agricultural Research Service via AP, File)
There are potentially four new cases of the West Nile virus being investigated locally, Hidalgo County Health and Human Services officials confirmed Wednesday.
County officials along with the help of the Texas Department of State Health Services are investigating the central and western part of the county and hope to determine the source of the infection.
As of right now cases of the virus have been reported in Travis, Bextar, Harris, Dallas, Denton and Montgomery counties.
This graphic shows the counties in Texas with West Nile virus cases in 2024. (Courtesy: Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) via Hidalgo County)
Officials along with local municipalities are continuing to monitor and conduct mosquito surveillance. As of right now mosquito samples that have been sent to the Texas DSHS laboratory in Austin have been tested and returned negative, according to a county news release.
County health officials want residents to take precautions like wearing long-sleeved clothing and using EPA-approved mosquito repellent. Officials are encouraging residents to apply these precautions at all times whether traveling locally, statewide or abroad.
In order to help limit mosquito breeding, officials are asking residents to remove standing water from buckets, unused pools and tires after recent rains. They recommend placing mosquito dunks to prevent mosquito larvae from maturing in water sources that cannot be drained.
County officials are also encouraging healthcare providers to order an arboviral panel for patients who are exhibiting symptoms associated with arboviral illness. They recommend an arboviral panel include screening for West Nile virus, Saint Louis encephalitis and Dengue virus.
Judge Bobby Flores during a hearing with Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley and the Texas Attorney General’s Office Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Edinburg. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])
The Texas Attorney General’s Office is continuing its efforts to depose Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, in its quest to uncover alleged criminal wrongdoing by the religious nonprofit.
The latest court action follows a months-long effort by the state to investigate several religious nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations that provide humanitarian aid and temporary shelter to asylum seekers who have crossed the U.S.–Mexico border.
In July, a state district judge stymied those efforts when he denied the AG’s request to take a sworn deposition from Pimentel, the Catholic nun who oversees operations at the nonprofit’s migrant respite center in downtown McAllen.
But just one month later, the state has gone for another bite at the apple — this time, by filing a petition for a writ of mandamus that would overrule state District Judge J.R. “Bobby” Flores’ July 24 ruling.
On Aug. 23, the state filed the 20-page petition, which argues that the judge overstepped his judicial authority in denying the deposition in violation of the state’s constitutional authority to do so.
“The trial court clearly abused its discretion in denying OAG’s (Office of the Attorney General) Rule 202 Petition because when OAG is investigating a corporation authorized to conduct business in Texas, it is always entitled to conduct presuit depositions,” the petition reads, in part.
But the petition goes further than that.
The document also sheds new light on the allegations the attorney general’s office is pursuing — allegations of criminal wrongdoing that could prompt the state to shut the nonprofit down.
“The evidence showed that OAG sought to depose a representative of CCRGV as part of an investigation into whether CCRGV’s provision of services to aliens is unlawful in a way that would cause forfeiture of CCRGV’s corporate charter,” the petition states.
FROM INQUIRIES TO ALLEGATIONS
The AG’s investigation began earlier this spring, when the AG’s office sent Catholic Charities a letter demanding that it designate a representative who could answer questions from state attorneys in April.
The state cited its authority under the Texas Business Organizations Code — a statute that governs corporations and nonprofits who have a license to operate within the state — to investigate how the nonprofit operates.
Initially, the correspondence from the state sought to allay the nonprofit’s concerns about the motives behind the investigation.
“At this time, the Attorney General’s office is not accusing Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley … of any substantive legal wrongdoing,” Levi Fuller, an assistant attorney general, wrote in an April 5 letter addressed to David C. Garza, the Brownsville attorney representing Catholic Charities.
But by the time the two sides met in court in July, the tone had decidedly shifted, with the state’s attorney’s making thinly veiled accusations that Catholic Charities is engaging in human smuggling.
“We’re looking into, specifically, several criminal … possible criminal violations — smuggling persons and bringing in and harboring certain aliens,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Kennedy said at the July hearing.
Matthew Kennedy, an attorney with the Texas Attorney General’s Office, presents a folder to Judge Bobby Flores during a hearing in its lawsuit against RGV Catholic Charities Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Edinburg. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])
In its petition for a writ of mandamus, the state’s allegations go even further, walking the line between inflammatory and conciliatory.
In almost the same breath, the state lobs criminal accusations, but then states those allegations are not quite so sure-fire.
“(Catholic Charities) engages in conduct that at least raises a question whether it is systemically violating these provisions. For example, CCRGV operates a ‘Respite Center’ that appears to indiscriminately provide shelter to aliens who have just recently crossed the border,” the petition states.
The “provisions” the state refers to are crimes outlined in the Texas Penal Code regarding transporting migrants “with the intent to conceal the individual from a peace officer,” and encouraging migrants to remain in the U.S. without authorization “by concealing, harboring, or shielding that person from detection.”
But just as soon as it implies the nonprofit is participating in such unlawful activity, the state says it can’t be sure of that until it has an opportunity to depose someone.
“To be clear, OAG has not made a determination that CCRGV is violating the law — that is what the deposition is necessary to determine,” the petition reads, with emphasis on the word “is.”
The petition makes a lot of “if/then” statements regarding Catholic Charities’ alleged conduct.
“If” the nonprofit is “transporting aliens who have not been processed by Border Patrol,” or “if” CCRGV engages in conduct to conceal aliens from law enforcement, then the AG will know for sure if it needs to sue Catholic Charities, or potentially yank its corporate charter, which would effectively shut the organization down.
But the only way for the state to determine its next course of action is by deposing Catholic Charities, whom it accuses of being opaque, “non-responsive and evasive.”
“And given the way CCRGV operates, a deposition is the most practical way to shed light on the topics OAG is investigating, like CCRGV’s practices for admitting aliens into its facility,” the petition states.
Attorneys for Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley David Garza, Seth Wayne and William Powell at the 139th District Court Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Edinburg. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])
‘FISHING’ FOR EVIDENCE
For the attorneys representing Catholic Charities, however, the AG’s pointed allegations and subsequent attempts at launching an investigation amount to nothing more than a “fishing expedition” based entirely on years-old specious allegations made by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and a single U.S. congressman.
It was a December 2022 letter from Abbott to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that ultimately sparked the probes into not only Catholic Charities, but also El Paso’s Annunciation House and Cameron County’s Team Brownsville.
“There have been recent reports that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) may have assisted with illegal border crossings near El Paso,” the governor’s letter reads.
“We further understand NGOs may be engaged in unlawfully orchestrating other border crossings through activities on both sides of the border, including sectors other than El Paso,” it further states.
U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden, a Republican representing a portion of East Texas, echoed those concerns in a September 2023 letter addressed to Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
In the letter, Gooden claims that NGOs are “complicit” in trafficking more than 8 million migrants.
However, during July’s court hearing, attorneys representing Catholic Charities argued that Abbott’s and Gooden’s assertions are far from credible.
Sister Norma Pimentel at the Catholic Charities Humanitarian Respite Center on Monday, June 20, 2022, in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])
They pointed to documentation the nonprofit provided to the AG in the months leading up to the July hearing.
Those documents show Catholic Charities receives migrants directly from the custody of federal law enforcement officers who have determined the migrants have the legal authority to remain in the country as they await the outcome of their asylum cases.
Furthermore, the nonprofit sends some of the migrants on their way aboard the very buses that Abbott conscripted to provide transportation to so-called “sanctuary cities” such as New York City and Chicago.
But in its petition for mandamus, the state argues that the truth of their allegations is irrelevant when it comes to their right to investigate Catholic Charities.
“That argument misses the point. Such a ‘merits-based defense to the potential lawsuit is not a valid objection to a petition seeking presuit depositions,’” the petition states.
UNCERTAIN VENUE
A week after the attorney general’s office filed its mandamus petition, the Supreme Court of Texas ordered the case transferred from the 13th Court of Appeals in Edinburg to a newly created statewide appellate court.
State lawmakers created that court, the Austin-based 15th Court of Appeals, during the 2023 session. Its mandate is to preside over business litigation and cases involving state agencies.
In June, Gov. Abbott appointed three conservative justices to serve on the court, which continues its efforts to get off the ground.
But already, Catholic Charities is fighting back against the venue change.
On Sept. 5, attorneys for the nonprofit filed motions in both the 13th and 15th Courts of Appeals seeking to transfer the state’s mandamus petition back to Edinburg.
Motorists travel through standing water on Boca Chica Boulevard on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, as Tropical Storm Francine impacted South Texas with torrential rainfall early Tuesday morning. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)
A view of standing water from an overflowing resaca at a Brownsville apartment complex parking lot due to torrential rainfall Tuesday, Sep. 10, 2024, from Tropical Storm Francine. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)
A Tropical Storm Warning, Tropical Storm Watch and Coastal Flood Advisory related to Tropical Storm Francine were discontinued Tuesday afternoon, with a High Rip Current Risk/High Surf Advisory in effect through Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service Brownsville-Rio Grande Valley station.
As of 4 a.m. Tuesday, the storm was approximately 120 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Rio Grande moving north-northwest at 5 mph, and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane and accelerate in a northeasterly direction Tuesday evening, according to National Hurricane Center forecasters.
A Tropical Storm Warning had been in effect for coastal Cameron and Willacy counties. A Tropical Storm Watch was also in effect for inland Cameron and Willacy counties, and coastal Kenedy County.
“On the forecast track, we expect Francine to move just offshore of the northern Gulf Coast of Mexico today and make landfall in Louisiana on Wednesday,” forecasters said. “Rain bands associated with TS Francine have already begun to move over the lower Texas coastal waters and immediate coast. Periods of heavy rainfall will be possible today, leading to localized flash flooding concerns.”
The NWS advised that “long-period swells” associated with the storm would cause minor coastal flooding along beaches and low-lying areas along the bays, with up to three feet of inundation expected. Forecasters likewise warned of a high risk of rip currents and High Surf Advisory in effect.
Potential impacts on Padre Island and South Padre Island included localized inundation with storm surge flooding, mainly along immediate shorelines and in low-lying areas, or in areas farther inland where higher surges move ashore.
“Surge water could cover sections of near-shore roads and exposed parking lots, making driving dangerous,” the NWS advised.
Forecasters predicted moderate beach erosion, with heavy surf breaching dunes in normally vulnerable locations, and minor damage to marinas, docks, boardwalks and piers. Small watercraft could break away from moorings, they said.
As for heavy rainfall, the NWS warned that potential significant impacts across coastal counties could include moderate flooding.
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Motorists travel through standing water on Boca Chica Boulevard on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, as Tropical Storm Francine impacted South Texas with torrential rainfall early Tuesday morning. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)
Rain water enters a drain at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Brownsville campus Tuesday, Sep. 10, 2024, from Tropical Storm Francine. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)
A view of the Celestin Jagou bridge built in the late 19th Century in the Southmost area of Brownsville as rain water flows underneath the historic bridge Tuesday, Sep. 10, 2024, from Tropical Storm Francine. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)
Motorists travel through standing water on Boca Chica Boulevard on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, as Tropical Storm Francine impacted South Texas with torrential rainfall early Tuesday morning. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)
A view of standing water from an overflowing resaca at a Brownsville apartment complex parking lot due to torrential rainfall Tuesday, Sep. 10, 2024, from Tropical Storm Francine. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)
