PHARR — A woman who said she was raped by her captors was rescued along with 45 other migrants believed to be in the country illegally Sunday inside a home in Pharr.

Police received a 9-1-1 call from a man saying he and several other people were being held against their will inside a residence on Robin Avenue, according to a news release.

Officers located the home and found 47 people inside. A Salvadoran woman said she was raped by two smugglers who recorded the assault on an iPad tablet, the release states.

One of the smugglers, a Mexican citizen, was arrested. Border Patrol agents assisted in the raid and apprehended 46 migrants from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras. They were all transported to the McAllen Border Patrol station for processing, the release states.

It was the second stash house raided in less than two days. Monday, 71 migrants were found inside a home in the 1200 block of Coyote Street near Donna. The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office assisted Border Patrol with the raid.

Officials encourage the public to report possible stash houses or any other suspicious activity.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has a designated hotline to report stash houses, and tips can result in a reward of up to $2,500. The hotline is (800) 252-8477. Border Patrol can be reached directly on its tip line (800) 863-9382.

The Hidalgo County Sherriff’s Office Crime Stoppers can be reached at (956) 668-8477, and its smartphone application is called P3 Tips.

SAN BENITO — The skate pad is open for business and already being utilized by the local skating community.

Its small but it’s a skate pad complete with equipment. Currently what sits on the cement slab is minimal but it’s just the beginning.

It has four pieces of equipment on it, a grind box or skate edge, two rails and a skate bench.

Parks and Recreation Director Art Garza said in May about $24,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds had been allocated to pay for new equipment and to repair existing equipment as needed.

“The work that could be done was done in-house,” Garza said. “We will also continue to find funding for the future skate park.”

Workers also installed a fence protecting skaters from nearby parking lot traffic and installed a fence between the pool and the restrooms.

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HARLINGEN — J.J. Garza rents moving trucks and sees people firsthand preparing to move in or out of town.

Memorial Day weekend marked the unofficial start of U-Haul’s moving season, with roughly 45 percent of all moves occurring now through Labor Day as families switch addresses in droves.

U-Haul says Texas is a top destination for people who are relocating. And the Valley sees a fair share of that.

“We get a lot of people coming in from out of town and moving their kids back into town,” said Garza, office manager at Cantu Auto and U-Haul in Harlingen.

Garza said Winter Texans also use the service a lot. Families also use the service to move their children out into the big cities.

“We rent trailers and trucks to help them move out of town,” Garza said. “We do 10-foot trucks, 15-foot trucks and 26-foot trucks based on what size of home our customers are moving into.”

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SAN BENITO — When it comes to experiencing training reps with a college football coaching staff, the opportunity is rare.

For more than a dozen football players from the San Benito community, they had that opportunity Tuesday morning’s David Bailiff satellite football camphosted by the Rice football staff at San Benito’s Bobby Morrow Stadium.

The camp is for athletes grade 9-12 and focuses on drills, fundamentals and technique training at specific positions.

Campers are broken up into offensive and defensive positions and are motivated to play at a higher level while polishing their game.

“It requires a lot of reps whether you’re catching the ball, throwing the ball or blocking or tackling,” said Rice head football coach David Bailiff. “Whatever reps these young men take are important for them to become better players.

“It also shows they love the game of football because they’re out here in the hot morning when there are a lot of other things they could be doing.”

Tuesday’s campwas overseen by Bailiff, but was under the direction of tight ends coach David Sloan and the rest of the Rice coaching staff.

“We threw a few different things throughout the day and the kids have hit it seamlessly and we’re excited about that,” Sloan said. “We’re giving the campers a chance to work on offense during the first part of the camp and defense during the second part of the camp — they’re picking up skills on both sides of the ball.”

With the Rice staff taking a look at different players in different regions, the thing that sticks out most in the Valley is the speed.

“You don’t get the size that you see up north, but the speed and athleticism at the skill position here is on par with anywhere else in the state,” Sloan said.

Bailiff also went on to stress the importance of having a presence and building relationships with the Rio GrandeValley.

That is apparent with these satellite camps

Tuesday’s camp was the second by Bailiff and his staff in the Rio GrandeValley in as many days.

They also hosted a campMonday in Weslaco.

“The Valley plays a good brand of football and it’s what we need to have a bigger presence here,” Bailiff said. “We signed (McAllen Memorial quarterback) Jonathan Sanchez last year. We have to come here and try to increase our presence and build stronger relationships so hopefully we can recruit down here.”

Satellite camps, however, have been a subject of national controversy in the last couple of months.

Back on April 8, the NCAA banned the camps after Division I councils ruled that such clinics be held at school facilities or a facility regularly used for practice or competition.

The controversy stemmed from programs using such clinics to sign recruits outside of a schools typical recruiting area.

Later in the month, however, the ban was rescinded as the NCAA board wanted the Division I council to review the entire FBS process.

Rice and Conference USA were in favor of the camps from the start and believe they help players who don’t have the means of travel to get in front of Division I coaches.

“It should always be about the kids and I’m in favor of the satellite camps,” Bailiff said. “We hold two camps in the Valley, two in Dallas and in Austin and San Antonio.

“I think there are a lot of good a men who cannot drive to Houston and get exposed to college coaches and that is why we choose to come to them.”

SANTA ROSA — The school district here recently hosted a site visit to a group of social work students of the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL) located in Monterrey, Mexico.

The visit occurred at the request of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Social Work Department.

The prestigious University of Nuevo Leon toured three different social work sites in South Texas.

Santa Rosa ISD’s School Social Work Internship program was selected as one of the sites to visit due to its innovative and effective social work intervention program.

SRISD has accepted and trained more than 50 graduate and undergraduate social work interns and is considered as one of the best internship placements, according to UTRGV Social Work professors.

During the visit, UANL students met with a team of recent SRISD interns and school administrators and social workers.

Jaime Garcia, Jo Nelson Middle School Principal, welcomed the UANL students and shared how social work interns have helped him in his campus by working with students who are having socio-emotional issues.

He pointed out that unless these students deal with these issues in a constructive and therapeutic way, they will not be emotionally prepared to focus on their academic work.

Therefore, as he stated, social workers in schools help teachers by teaming up with them and providing support for students and their families.

Stephania Becerra, social worker and teen pregnancy prevention educator, shared with the guests about the new Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program that was offered this spring semester to students.

She explained that through the curriculum called “Cuidate” (Take Care of Yourself) factual information was given to students to help increase their knowledge of risky behaviors.

This progressive program has been well received by students and the community.

Alberto Trevino, Afterschool Project Director/Intern Field Instructor, shared how the school district has developed holistic innovative programs designed to help each campus reach its mission of educating all students.

He explained the school social work program utilizes non-traditional creative approaches that are focused on teaching youth leadership skills to students.

He summarized this approach in the phrase “Capture their HEARTS and their MINDS will Follow.”

Building trusting relationships with students is key to helping students reach their goals.

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — Hotels here are under the microscope.

This week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour division is investigating hotels here to make sure they comply with labor laws, said Judith Gonzalez, the agency’s assistant district director in McAllen.

Gonzalez said officials will investigate a “sample” of five to 10 hotels compiled by District Director Nathan Barrow.

The Island’s “high number of hotels” led the agency to select the area for the investigation, Gonzalez said.

“The hotel industry has some of the most vulnerable workers in the sense they are paid close to or at minimum wage,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said the investigation does not stem from complaints but is part of the department’s routine duties.

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Sweet summer corn and lobster are the stars in this creamy, oh-so-easy New England chowder.

Ingredients

1 or 2 lobsters (2 1/2 pounds total), boiled, drained and cooled (I used two large lobster tails)

2 ears fresh corn, husked

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large or 2 small leeks, trimmed, rinsed, dried and chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped

2 tablespoons unbleached flour

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove lobster meat from shells, pick over, cut into chunks and set aside.

2. Scrape kernels from corn cobs with a small knife. Reserve with their juices.

3. Melt butter in large soup pot over medium-high heat.

4. Saute leek for 3 minutes. Add bell pepper to pot and saute for another 3 minutes.

5. Add flour; stir well and add chicken broth. Lower heat to medium, add milk and cream, and stir until soup simmers and thickens slightly. Add lobster and corn. Add black pepper to taste and simmer for another 3 minutes, stirring often. Serve at once, garnished with herbs.

Serves 6.

Nothing says “vacation” better than shrimp in a bucket. This recipe takes less than five minutes, and can be eaten warm or cold the next day. Serve with plenty of cold beer and napkins.

Ingredients

2 pounds shrimp, unpeeled

For cocktail sauce

1 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For shrimp

12-ounce bottle beer

1 cup water

1 medium onion, sliced

1 lemon or lime, sliced

4 garlic cloves, slivered

1 bunch parsley, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon whole black or mixed peppercorns

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse shrimp and set aside to drain.

2. For cocktail sauce, in a small bowl, mix all ingredients thoroughly. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

3. In large pot, mix beer and all shrimp ingredients. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, and allow to bubble for 2 minutes, reducing heat if necessary to keep from boiling over. Make sure beer mixture is at a raucous boil, and then add shrimp. Cook, stirring often, just until mixture returns to a boil and shrimp turn pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain.

4. Serve in a large bowl, with a small bowl of cocktail sauce and an extra bowl for discarded shrimp shells.

Clams have long been a mainstay of New Jersey’s coastal communities. Here, littleneck clams in a flavorful white wine sauce dress up linguine. Red pepper flakes give it a little bite. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

Ingredients

8 to 12 ounces linguine

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for tasting

2 tablespoons butter

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Pinch crushed red pepper

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

Splash white wine

1/2 cup clam juice or stock

About 24 Jersey littleneck clams (more if they are small)

2 slices lemon

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook pasta 3/4 of the way, according to package directions. Rinse with cool water to stop cooking and toss with a little olive oil. Set aside. (The pasta will finish cooking in sauce.)

2. In large saute pan, add 2 tablespoons oil and butter over medium heat. Add garlic, pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, thyme and oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally so the garlic doesn’t burn, for 1 minute.

3. Add wine, stock and clams; cook, covered, until clams open. Add lemon slices and linguine and cook for about 2 minutes, tossing to mix. Top with parsley and serve, discarding any unopened clams.

Serves 2.

HARLINGEN – Advanced Call Center Technologies continues its growth spurt in Harlingen.

Already one of the larger employers in the city, ACT will ramp up hiring this month by adding 330 new employees, said Lyle Garza, commercial recruitment/retention manager and director of marketing for the Harlingen Economic Development Corp.

Garza told HEDC board members last week ACT, which already employs 756 workers, also has raised its starting wage from the minimum of $7.25 in Texas to $8 an hour.

Calls to the company for comment were not returned.

To apply for openings at ACT, go online to www.acttoday.com/careers/

Garza also told board members call center Qualfon is nearly finished building out its second floor to add office space that will enable it to expand from about 250 workers it has now.

The call center is located at 2200 Haine Dr.

To check on job availability at Qualfon, go online to www.qualfon.com/careers/

At the HEDC meeting, the board denied incentive proposals for Project Stack in which a retailer requested up to $750,000 of infrastructure and other onsite improvements.

Also, the board declined to meet a request by Project Forest, in which a developer for several restaurants requested $83,000 of infrastructure and improvements.

Both decisions were reached in executive session. The HEDC uses code names for projects to ensure confidentiality in dealing with prospective businesses seeking to locate in the city.