SAN BENITO — Summer may bring a break from school but for some it may also mean a break from nutritious meals.

That’s the reason why this summer, the school district is partnering with the state to provide free meals to hungry kids.

San Benito school district is participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Seamless Summer Food Service Program.

Any child under 18 can receive a meal free of charge. Breakfast and lunch will be provided at various locations around San Benito.

“It’s a great opportunity for parents and family to make sure their children receive nutritious meals during the summer months,” said child nutrition program director Jana Landrum.

Officials with the district’s child nutrition program encourage learning through the whole year.

“Learning does not end when school lets out. Neither does the need for good nutrition,” program officials stated.

“Good nutrition is essential for learning in school. Continuing healthy eating habits is also important during the long hot summer months.”

The SFSP, which Landrum said the district has participated in for years, is a federally-funded, state-administered program.

The program reimburses providers who serve free healthy meals to children and teens in low-income areas during the summer months when school is not in session.

“For many of these children, summer vacation can bring the temptation of eating empty calorie snacks and foods that are high in sugar, fats and sodium,” program officials stated.

“For many others, summer exposes students to an increased risk of hunger and developmental decline.”

Schools, local government agencies, camps, faith-based and other non-profit community organizations that have the ability to manage a food service program may be SFSP sponsors. Sponsors get reimbursed by the program and may manage multiple sites.

Sites are places in the community where children receive meals in a safe and supervised environment. Those include schools, parks, community centers, health clinics, hospitals, apartment complexes, churches and migrant centers.

Sites work directly with sponsors.

“Eating nutritious foods helps ensure students retain their hard-learned knowledge and to help them to keep right on learning throughout the summer,” program officials stated.

Landrum encourages everyone in San Benito and the surrounding areas to participate. She assures the public there are no restrictions on location.

If you are from San Benito, Harlingen or even Rio Hondo, you will be given a meal.

IF YOU GO

Meal Sites

Where to go for breakfast and lunch

For more information contact the Child Nutrition Program at 956-361-6400.

Site/School Dates Breakfast Lunch

San Benito High School June 6 to July 14 8-9 11-12

450 S. Williams Rd. (Monday – Thursday)

S.B. Veterans Memorial Academy June 6 to July 14 7:30-8:30 11-12

2115 N. Williams Rd. (Monday – Thursday)

Miller Jordan M.S. June 6 to June 30 7:30-8:30 11-12

700 N. McCullough (Monday – Thursday)

Riverside M.S. June 20 to July 14 7:30-8:30 11-12

35428 Padilla St. (Monday – Thursday)

Fred Booth Elementary June 6 to June 30 7:30-8:30 11-12

705 Zaragosa (Monday – Thursday)

Dr. Cash Elementary June 6 to July 14 7:30-8:30 11-12

400 Poinciana (Monday – Thursday)

Frank Roberts Elementary June 6 to June 30 7:30-8:30 11-12

451 Biddle St. (Monday – Thursday)

O. De La Fuente Elementary June 6 to June 30 7:30-8:30 11-12

2700 S. Sam Houston. (Monday – Thursday)

San Benito Boys & Girls Club June 6 to August 12 8-8:30 12:00-12:30

410 N. Stookey Rd. (Monday – Friday)

St. Benedict Catholic Church June 6 to June 9 None 11:15-11:45

351 S. Bowie (Monday – Thursday)

St. Ignatius Catholic Church June 6 to June 9 None 11:30-12

24380 U.S. Hwy. 281 (Monday – Thursday)

First Presbyterian Church June 6 to June 9 8-8:30 11-11:30

566 N. Reagan (Monday – Thursday)

HARLINGEN — Shampoo made from vegetables? Really?

Natalie Martinez, a fourth grader at Travis Elementary School, discovered this curious little piece of history while reading a graphic novel called “Cosmetics.”

The graphic novel was filled with colorful cartoon-like illustrations and told the story of an African-American woman named Madam C.J. Walker. She was an activist and philanthropist who developed specialized products for African-American hair.

“I like reading graphic novels because they have a lot of pictures,” Natalie, 10, said as she sat in the school’s Information Literacy Center.

Although graphic novels are becoming an important tool for encouraging reluctant readers, only 15 graphic novels are on the shelves at Travis. However, this summer a huge influx of new books, including graphic novels, will arrive at the school. Linda Peña, library media specialist, learned earlier this week the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries had approved Travis Elementary for a library grant of $6,800.

Principal Beulah Rangel said she was elated by the large grant which will pay for about 450 books.

“We are going to be replacing some of the old books,” Rangel said. “We want the kids to have an opportunity to read more books. This grant will allow us to provide plenty of books for our students to develop a love for learning and a love for reading. I could not be more proud that Travis Elementary is a recipient of this grant.”

Peña, who is finishing her first year at Travis, was delighted by the news.

“My goal is to extend the selection of graphic novels,” said Peña, who applied for the grant.

“Reluctant readers gravitate to these books,” she said. “They just need the pictures.”

Once the children have those images in mind, they often transition into non-fiction books about history and other subjects.

Natalie and her classmates have been reading a lot of history without even thinking of it as a history book. The book “Cosmetics” told her the story of a very important woman, Madam C.J. Walker, whom most people know nothing about. She was one of the first American women to become a self-made millionaire.

Natalie has also acquired considerable knowledge about Henry Ford developing the Model T, thanks to a colorful graphic novel filled with pictures of red cars, brown horses and people in bright colorful clothing.

In the application, Peña described in detail how children feel when they become captivated by a series and then hit a dead-end because they can’t locate the next book.

That’s why she also wants to fill book series which are missing some books, such as “Absolutely Lucy,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” and “Artemis Fowl.” Children become enthused about a series and read book after book after book after … Wait a minute. Where’s the next one?

“Kids get frustrated trying to complete the series,” she said.

Johnathan Gonzalez, 10, is hungrily seeking the next book in the Wild Rescue series. He talked enthusiastically about number 8 in the series in which a cougar cub falls down a well. The book lay on the table and Johnathan kept glancing at the cover which featured a cougar. The story, he said, featured a boy and a girl trying desperately to save the cub. And then …

He doesn’t know … yet.

“He can’t see how it goes,” Peña said.

She’s often had to borrow books from other schools. Johnathan read the first two books in the Wild Rescue series and went looking for the third. He couldn’t find it and Peña quickly found a copy. It was the same with No. 7. However, once he’d finished reading No. 8, Peña couldn’t find No. 9 anywhere.

“That’s one of our series,” Peña said with a smile, indicating Johnathan will soon be able to finish the series.

As for Johnathan, he finds a way to read no matter what. One of his favorite series of books is “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.”

“I like it because when we read it it’s like a journey,” Johnathan said. “It’s funny, it’s serious.”

On a grander scale, he just likes reading, period.

“I like a lot of books,” he said. “I like chapter books. They keep you busy.”

The “Model T” book kept him busy, too.

“When I had it, I didn’t want to turn it back in because it was so interesting,” he said.

That one word “interesting” indicated the graphic novel had done its job. Reading wasn’t just about colorful pictures, it was about stories, about liberation, about learning.

Often, once the seed is planted, once the door is opened, the child dives into books and allows them to take him or her to fascinating places of the imagination. In the midst of this, literacy increases and the readers deepen their knowledge base.

SAN BENITO — Johnny Montemayor remembers chopping through the jungles of Vietnam about 40 years ago.

These days, cutting through the American heartland on his Harley with fellow Vietnam War veterans is much better.

A U.S. Army Vietnam War veteran, Montemayor and his hometown friend Tony Mendoza, also a U.S. Army Vietnam veteran, trekked around the United States together to participate in the “Run for the Wall” annual bike ride to the U.S. Capital.

“It was a great trip, but it was to honor the soldiers that never came back,” Montemayor said. “It was very rewarding to us to pay homage to those soldiers.”

The two revved up their Harleys and rode from San Benito to California together to rendezvous with more than 300 riders to take the 10-day trip to Washington, D.C. — all in an effort to honor Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery.

During the journey across the U.S., they made stops at memorials, veterans hospitals and schools. They participated in parades and “Welcome Home” receptions provided by host cities.

“People all across the country were so beautiful and friendly,” Montemyor said. “Complete strangers came up to me and thanked me for my service.”

Montemayor served 12 months in Vietnam as an engineer cutting jungle and turning the areas into base camps and landing zones during the war.

“We got hit many of times,” Montemyor said. “It was scary, but thank God we made it back.”

Montemayor said he realized quickly the Vietnam War wasn’t a game when rocket blasts lit up the sky and he felt the aftershock of earth shaking.

He experienced a flashback of Vietnam in West Virginia when a Huey helicopter was flying low with the motorcycle group to escort them to their next stop. It was just like the ones in the war covering soldiers from being attacked.

Montemayor said communities between California and Washington, D.C., were waiting for them to pass through their towns to thank them for their service.

He said every community provided them food, gifts and gas along the way.

They rode about 400 miles a day, sometimes stretching the route to 600 miles.

The ride totaled more than 5,000 miles round trip for the San Benito veterans.

Run for the Wall was started in 1989 by James Gregory and Bill Evans. They are Vietnam veterans who traveled across America on motorcycles to raise awareness about the thousands of men and women who are still unaccounted for from all wars.

It was a first Run for the Wall for Montemayor as he participated in the 28th annual ride across America making stops along the way.

He said he never would have done it had it not been for his friend, Mendoza, who had made the ride across America twice before.

“We went through rain, cold and there were accidents along the way,” Montemayor said. “It was a long ride but it was a healing ride.”

BY ROD SANTA ANA III

WESLACO — Due to soggy fields, the Grain Sorghum/Cotton: Come and Go Field Day has been rescheduled for 8-11 a.m. June 10, according to field day organizers.

The field day, sponsored by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas A&M AgriLife Research, will be held at Hiler Farm, located north of Mercedes on Mile 2 West, three miles north of U.S. Expressway 83, about a quarter mile north of Mile 10 North.

One Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education unit will be available in the general category for licensed pesticide applicators.

Danielle Sekula-Ortiz, an AgriLife Extension integrated pest management agent in Weslaco, said heavy rains overnight May 31 forced organizers to move the field day from its original June 3 date.

“Rainfall was fairly heavy throughout the Valley Tuesday night, with most areas getting anywhere between 2 and 6 inches of rain, depending on locations” she said. “The Weslaco area got about 2 inches, so that’s just too wet for a field day.”

Sekula-Ortiz said while rainfall is generally a good thing for Valley agriculture, the timing of it was not necessarily ideal for some growers.

“Some grain sorghum growers are anxious to get into their fields to harvest this week and next, so depending on future rainfall, those who are ready to harvest may be delayed, which can be very frustrating,” she said. “Cotton growers welcomed the rain, but those who had irrigated and didn’t have a chance to apply growth regulators may get more plant growth than they’d like.”

Ideally, cotton plants should be compact with lots of cotton bolls, she said.

“Until now, we were seeing lots of excellent cotton fields — short plants with heavy fruit set,” Sekula-Ortiz said. “Hopefully, those field conditions will hold up until harvest begins in July.”

With all the expected activity by growers, Sekula-Ortiz said she opted for a Come and Go field day, as opposed to a half- or full-day event.

“We’re hoping that growers can take 15 or 20 minutes to stop by and take a quick look at our demonstration trials,” she said. “They can scan our sorghum variety trial of 11 tolerant varieties, our efficacy trials of 8 different spray treatments for control of sugarcane aphid, our cotton variety trial and the sunflower efficacy trial.”

Sekula-Ortiz said growers will likely be highly interested in evaluating the results of different insecticide treatment for control of sugarcane aphids, an insect which has quickly become grain sorghum’s No. 1 pest.

“Populations of sugarcane aphid were low early in the season, peaked in late April and May, then crashed dramatically last week,” she said. “That’s due most likely to their life cycle, which also means we can expect another peak in populations the last week of June and early July in late-planted sorghum. That’s why we recommend growers try to plant early in the season to avoid this second, late-season outbreak that can severely affect harvest yields.”

For more information, contact Sekula-Ortiz at 956-968-5581.

Rod Santa Ana III is a Texas A&M AgriLife communications specialist.

May Budget Summary

LAGUNA VISTA — Town officials are making it a point to keep their leaders informed on the town’s finances.

City Manager Rolando Vela said he provides town leaders with a small weekly report on the budget.

The report updates the leaders on the revenues and expenditures of the month.

As of May 27, four weeks into the third quarter of the current fiscal year, the town had generated $1.44 million in revenues.

The previous year, on the same date, the town had generated $1.2 million in revenues, Vela said.

The town had 70 percent or $1.08 million in expenditures.

The previous year, on the same date, the Town had $1.2 million in expenditures, Vela said.

At the end of every quarter, Vela said he provides the town council a quarterly financial performance report that provides them a “snapshot” of the revenue and expenditure activity that took place the prior three months.

The 3rd Quarter Financial Performance Report will be presented to the council at the July 12 regular meeting.

Independence Day Parade: Celebration a go

LAGUNA VISTA — Town staff is busy working on the upcoming Independence Day Parade and Celebration scheduled for Saturday, July 2, from 2 to 10 p.m. at Roloff Park.

The parade will start at 5: 30 p.m.

“We are encouraging the public to participate in this parade,” City Manager Rolando Vela said. “Decorate your golf carts, vehicles, boat/trailers, bikes, etc. with red, white and blue. Dress up also in these patriotic colors. Please be at the Fire Station no later than 5 p.m.”

Following the parade, the celebration at the park will start at 6 p.m.

Hector Guzman and the Allnighters will be performing.

There will be activities for children and vendors with various types of foods.

“If you are interested in selling food, you will need to secure a health permit from the county office in San Benito. The temporary health permit fee is $25. If you are a nonprofit organization, the county will waive this fee,” Vela said.

Laguna Vista does not issue health permits.

If vendors bring their own setup, the town will not charge a fee. If the town, however, needs to rent the vendor a 10 by 10 booth, it will charge the vendor the amount the rental company charges the town.

Town officials encourage local school groups and community organizations that are interested in participating or performing during this music event to contact Vela at 956-943-1793 or at [email protected].

“We are encouraging the Laguna Vista residents to attend this event. We are also inviting people in the surrounding communities to attend this celebration and to see first-hand how beautiful, indeed, the community is and what it offers year-round,” Vela said.

Health Screenings

LAGUNA VISTA — Laguna Vista is reaching out to the community and asking for their help.

“We are committed to transforming our community to a healthier one,” Vela said. “You can be part of this effort.”

As part of the health grant Laguna Vista has secured, town officials need to take blood pressure readings and weight of local residents.

This information will be kept confidential and will be used by health workers to follow up with each citizen, Vela said.

Town officials are reaching out to the apartment complexes, condo associations, neighborhood associations, homeowner associations and other groups.

“We are prepared to set up a table and/or go door-to-door,” Vela said. “Please contact us so we can schedule your blood pressure and weight readings.”

To contact the town, call 956-943-1793

Photos of Laguna Vista

LAGUNA VISTA — Town officials are looking for photos to include on banners they are presently working on to promote the community.

These banners will be set up on FM 510 and at the intersection of Highway 100 and FM 510.

“We want these banners to tell the story of Laguna Vista in two or three photos,” said City Manager Rolando Vela. “Towards that end, we are looking for photos that depict the true beauty of Laguna Vista from its fishing, golfing, family-oriented community, and nature.”

PORT ISABEL — Storm clouds hovered over Port Isabel as the last runners crossed the finish line yesterday morning.

Although some runners were concerned, the Chamber of Commerce did its best to monitor the weather up until the day of the second annual summer causeway walk/run, said Betty Wells, president of the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce.

Kelsey Garcia and Tina Buford, runners from Harlingen, would have welcomed some rain, though, on the fourth mile running up the causeway.

“The causeway was more challenging than I anticipated because we didn’t do any hill drills and it was a shock to the system,” Garcia said. “Watching the water made it a little better.”

The two friends like to participate in runs together. They have worked out a system for themselves that keeps them running at the same pace up until the finish line.

To prepare for a 10K, they recommend speed drills to increase endurance.

“Really, this is a great run for first-timers. It’s one of the prettiest runs in the Valley,” Buford said.

The only time they stopped their run was for the 10 to 15 steps they used at the water stations, Garcia said.

Juan Zapata, a Los Fresnos resident, almost burned out at the start of the race but was able to make a recovery.

“I wanted to keep up and I realized I wasn’t running my race, I was running someone else’s race. I looked down, slowed my breathing and played a couple of songs in my head to recover,” Zapata said.

It was a tough run, but Zapata pushes himself to stay healthy.

“I would like to live long,” he said.

More than 1,600 people registered for the run, topping last year’s participation by about 500 runners, Wells said.

Each participant received a medal for completion of the run, and the top three runners in each age division received an additional medal.

Now that the run is over, the chamber can begin planning for next year’s two causeway runs. This one was a great success, said Gayle Hood, chairman of the board of the Chamber of Commerce.

“I talked to some of the runners that came in, and they were excited about the run and thought it went well. They loved going over the causeway in the morning because it was cooler and the beach was beautiful,” Hood said.

The next runs are planned for Jan. 14, 2017 and June 3, 2017.

BROWNSVILLE — With only a little gray under his chin, Luke might not have the appearance of being almost 13 years old.

However, Luke, a K-9 unit from the Troup Police Department, has been an officer even longer than his handler, Kyle Stowers, who has served nine years.

The two placed 11th in last year’s National Narcotic Detector Dog Association Annual Police K-9 Conference, and Stowers was optimistic about this year’s competition Friday morning at St. Joseph Academy in Brownsville.

“I felt comfortable. I trust my dog. He (told) me where it (was), and he was confident in what he found,” Stowers said. “He’s kind of the old man of the group. He’s almost 13 years old. He’s the pro, the veteran here.”

Stowers and Luke competed against 77 other teams from all over Texas on Friday in Brownsville.

Edward Delgado and his companion, Uma, from Socorro Independent School District in El Paso, are entering their first year of working together. They came to the conference to become certified, and they succeeded.

“We did it with flying colors. All I see the competition as is another training opportunity,” he said, holding an excited Uma.

Delgado has found each trainer at the conference to be helpful. Working at an independent school district, there are only a few categories he and Uma are exposed to.

“The conference was a wealth of knowledge. … Getting opportunities to run these different trainings and meet the trainers exposes the dogs to more narcotics scenarios, and it is interesting to see how they react,” Delgado said.

The conference would not have been possible without the teamwork of the Brownsville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation and everyone at the Brownsville Police Department, said Brownsville police officer Marco Huerta, event coordinator.

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HARLINGEN — It was almost a washout.

As Harlingen High School South prepared to graduate yesterday, rainy weather threatened to send them off the field at Boggus Stadium and into the gym. The school district had even posted a contingency plan on its website.

However, as the hour of graduation approached, the weather cleared away, almost as if on cue, leaving cloudless skies and a few puddles. The ceremony was on. The 450 seniors at Harlingen High School South graduated on the field of Boggus Stadium at 198 N. 13th St.

In the stands, family members whistled and called out the names of students as they stepped forward to receive their diplomas. They spoke excitedly and proudly about their children, brothers and sisters who were graduating.

Adrian Cumpian in the fluttering green gown of the South Hawks, walked to the podium in the steady stream of fellow graduates. He accepted his diploma, then shook hands with School Board Member George McShan and Superintendent Art Cavazos.

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SAN BENITO — After a stormy day, the skies cleared and the San Benito High School Class of 2016 held its graduation ceremony at Bobby Morrow Stadium last night.

This year’s class was the largest graduating class in school history with 692 graduates. Of those, 678 were in attendance for the ceremony.

The combined total in scholarships awarded to this year’s senior class amounted to $15 million.

HARLINGEN — The restaurant which defines “fast-casual” dining is coming to Harlingen.

Chipotle’s Mexican Restaurants Inc. confirmed this week the company is renovating the old Discount Tire building on Dixieland Road near West Tyler Avenue to put in a Chipotle’s.

The restaurant should open this fall, said Danielle Moore, public relations and communications manager for the company. Like all Chipotle restaurants, the new Harlingen location will not be a franchise but will be corporate-owned.

The arrival of Chipotle’s is the latest news in the rapidly developing restaurant and retail world for Harlingen.

Last month, it was reported a Cheddar’s restaurant would locate in a development on Stuart Place Road. In the same development, locally owned Texas Regional Bank is planning to build a new headquarters.

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