In case of inclement weather, the Harlingen School District is preparing for the possibility of an indoor graduation ceremony for Harlingen High School South’s Class of 2016.

The outdoor ceremony would be moved to the South Gymnasium and start at 7:30 p.m., just as the outside ceremony was set for. The district is monitoring the weather forecast and will make a decision at 5 p.m. Once made, it will not be reverted. Notification of the change will go out via communication channels including phone, email, social media and HCISD.org.

If moved inside, there is limited space available. Graduates will receive four tickets that will grant access to the gym where the event will be held and two tickets to allow entry into the cafeteria to view a live video stream of the ceremony.

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Family and friends unable to attend can watch the live stream of the ceremony at www.hcisd.org/graduation2016.

SAN BENITO

The San Benito school district has a Plan B in case rain halts tonight’s graduation ceremony.

The ceremony is still planned for 7:30 p.m. tonight at Bobby Morrow Stadium.

San Benito High School Principal Henry Sanchez said if the weather worsens the graduation ceremony will move to Saturday morning at 9 a.m. at the stadium.

If by chance it is raining Saturday morning, the district is working on yet another alternative for holding the ceremony.

At this time, school officials say they are continuing to monitor the weather.

A live stream of the ceremony is available online beginning at 7:15 p.m. at http://www.sbcisd.net/2016/06/2016-sbhs-commencement-ceremony/

RIO HONDO

The Rio Hondo High School graduation ceremony is scheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m. at the football stadium.

In case of bad weather the ceremony will be moved to the high school gym. Each graduating senior has been given four tickets in case the ceremony is moved.

The district will decide by noon Saturday where the commencement will take place.

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.

In addition, a new Five Below discount store and an America’s Best Contacts and Eyeglasses will locate at Harlingen Corners. A Hooters restaurant also is in the beginning construction phase at the corner of Dixieland Road and West Harrison Avenue.

In the Valley, Chipotle’s currently has restaurants in Weslaco, Edinburgh and McAllen. Fast-casual dining is a relatively new restaurant category, which Chipotle has helped pioneer.

The sudden surge of new retail businesses in the city is a happy spinoff from increasingly available jobs from larger businesses that have located or expanded here, said Chris Gonzales, chief executive officer for the Harlingen Chamber of Commerce.

Gonzales cited large employers such as the call centers in Harlingen, as well as the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and the medical school as having created the kind of jobs base in the Valley which retailers are seeking to serve.

“The Harlingen Economic Development Corporation and the city are doing a good job laying the foundation,” Gonzales said this week.

“We all receive the benefits from this because we all get more places to shop,” said Gonzales, who added the flood of new restaurants and retail businesses is only just beginning.

“A lot of times, you want things to happen overnight,” he said. “But that’s just not the way things develop.”

I fully agree with Mr. George Maurer’s recent letter in the community forum. For over 15 years, I was a HOSTS – Help One Student to Succeed – volunteering each Monday morning in a Harlingen School.

I saw firsthand how out of control these testings are.

First, during my time in the school, the teachers spent weeks and maybe months preparing the students for these tests. For some reason they were more important than everyday work. And this was not the teacher’s fault. They were forced to complete preparations for these uncalled-for tests.

One little boy in particular had good, passing grades each day and each report card. The tests started in the morning and continued until the student finished the test pages.

By afternoon, his teacher called mother and that she would stay with him until 5 p.m. then bring him home. He had to finish the test.

When the test results came in, this little boy had failed it. He had to take the test again.

What a waste for all concerned. I have often wondered how this little boy did in the years to come as each year there is that dreaded, stupid test.

Sallie Lou Nelson San Benito

HARLINGEN — Two police academies in the Valley have been suspended by Texas law enforcement officials while allegations of excess brutality during training are investigated.

The Lower Rio Grande Valley Academy in Harlingen and the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office Training Academy are being investigated by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement for separate incidents.

The Lower Rio Grande academy incident involved an Instagram video which was posted showing a certified academy instructor violently slapping down several class participants.

The self-defense course in which the slapping occurred was held May 17.

The second, involving the Hidalgo County academy, occurred in April, and involved a pellet gun reportedly being fired at jailer cadets when they made mistakes in training.

The pellet-gun wounds caused bruising and bleeding.

In one case, it sent a cadet to the hospital for treatment when instructors couldn’t determine if a pellet shot at the cadet was still under the skin.

“I can tell you that we did get some information about some practices that are not quite up to what our standards are,” Gretchen Grigsby, a spokesperson for TCOLE, said late yesterday afternoon.

Both academies have been suspended from performing any training while the investigations continue, she said.

Texas has several dozen such police training academies, which offer training for current officers who must complete 40 hours of professional development every two years.

The academies also serve to provide required instructional training for candidates seeking to become law enforcement officers in Texas.

It is believed both incidents under investigation were of the latter category of trainee.

The Lower Rio Grande academy in Harlingen is run by the Lower Rio Grande Development Council, an economic development organization, and holds classes at Texas State Technical College.

“During a defensive tactic training session, a video recording was conducted for the purposes of cadet instruction and feedback,” said Ron Garza, deputy executive director of the development council. “Video feedback had not been previously utilized by LRGVDC Police Academy and we have determined that video photography will not be used in the future.

“Although we understand the inherent risks associated with hands-on courses such as defensive tactics, our goal is to minimize those risks, making the training environment as safe as possible for cadet participants,” Garza added.

Garza said the Harlingen academy has been commended for its curriculum and training in the past, and that the council was in the process of incorporating measures to ensure “no future recurrence” of the incidents now being investigated.

But the violent self-defense incidents in the video are not the only things being investigated. Instructors allegedly told cadets to strike each other at “80 or 100 percent” full blows, and that if they didn’t, instructors would deliver the blows instead.

Also, investigators said, instructors allegedly threatened cadets that they would be Tasered if their grades in the class weren’t high enough.

In Hidalgo County, the police academy in question is run by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.

In this second incident, cadets were allegedly shot with pellet guns for making mistakes while taking shotgun orientation classes. EMT-certified cadets at the training session reportedly were unable to determine if one cadet hit by a pellet still had the pellet under his skin, so he was transported to a hospital.

Sheriff J.E. Eddie Guerra said in a statement he was informed of the “training protocol violation” on April 29.

“The training was outside the parameters of the class curriculum, and was not conducive to a safe environment,” the sheriff said.

The two instructors involved, Guerra said, were currently under an administrative review and the sheriff’s office is investigating.

“I am absolutely committed to restoring and preserving the public’s confidence and trust in the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office,” the sheriff said.

“We will review and evaluate all of our training protocols, to ensure high levels of proficiency and safety, while continuing law enforcement education within our training academy.”

PORT MANSFIELD — Willacy County’s oldest public fishing pier is getting a facelift.

County commissioners have approved $6,500 to repair the pier damaged in an April storm.

Contractor Chris Lund said he plans to repair about 40 feet of the pier whose frame was broken amid high winds and rough waters.

Meanwhile, frayed planks will be replaced along the nearly 500-foot pier, said Lund, of L&M Homes in Port Mansfield.

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“There are a lot of wear-and-tear boards,” he said.

Lund said repairs will take about a week.

“The longer it takes to fix, the worse it’s going to be,” he said.

Amos Prado, the county’s code enforcement officer, said he closed the pier after the storm.

But that hasn’t kept anglers from fishing one of the best spots for redfish, flounder and trout on the Texas coast.

“It’s pretty hard to drive them off,” said Lund, who has fished in the area for much of his life. “Fish drive them crazy.”

County officials have bigger plans for one of the county’s most popular parks.

For years, the park’s pier and restrooms have fallen into disrepair.

So in April, county commissioners applied for a $686,610 grant under the Restore Act to try to revive the park.

The Restore Act was funded through penalties paid by oil companies found responsible for the April 2010 wellhead explosion off the Louisiana coast that led to the biggest oil spill in U.S. history.

The county plans to build a 630-foot fishing pier, restrooms and a parking lot at the park on the northern edge of this fishing village.

Plans call for non-degradable material to build the park’s proposed pier, said Oralia Cardenas, a grant writer with GrantWorks in Austin.

The improvements would draw more anglers to the park that has long been a favorite family picnic spot, said John Sterling, vice president of the Port Mansfield Chamber of Commerce.

Cardenas said officials will announce whether the county won the grant late this year or early next year.

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — Just about everyone would like to “hang 10,” at least once in their lives.

Later this month, children five and up will get a chance to learn how at a free surfing clinic on International Surfing Day.

The Surfrider Foundation South Texas Chapter announced that International Surfing Day is Monday, June 20 this year.

“Our whole point is to expose kids to surfing and how awesome surfing can be when you’re out there in the water,” said Rob Nixon, executive director for Surfrider Foundation South Texas Chapter.

The event was founded 12 years ago by the Surfrider Foundation and Surfing Magazine.

It unites surfers from around the world in celebration of the sport of surfing and the oceans, waves and beaches.

“It will be a really good time,” Nixon said. “Most kids have never surfed before.”

This year marks the 10th annual children’s surf clinic.

“We will be holding our Children’s Surf Clinic in memory of Avery McKenna,” Nixon said. “This year’s event has special meaning for us and the surfing clinic.”

McKenna had been a regular participant at the surf clinic since 2011 when she caught her first wave at the age of five.

“She was hooked from that point on,” Nixon said. “Unfortunately, we lost Avery last year to an unfortunate accident and have decided to memorialize her with this event.”

Nixon said On the Beach Surfsports and Island Native have donated two soft-top surfboards that will be raffled off at the event.

All of the funds raised will go into a fund for a Surfrider Foundation In Memory of Avery Scholarship to keep her in everyone’s thoughts.

Tickets will be $20 and available soon.

Nixon said everything has happened, from playing with crabs, inkfish, and sargassum in the water to having dolphins swim through the lineup during the clinic.

“The children and parents will become very aware that surfing places you out in the beauty and awe that is the ocean,” Nixon said.

Valedictorian – La Feria High School

Parents: John and Stephanie Gray

Where are you going to college and why

I will be attending Texas Christian University in Forth Worth next fall as part of the university’s Honors program and I will be majoring in biochemistry. I have chosen this university because it has an incredible academically enriching environment with friendly, students, caring professors, supportive community and a beautiful campus. I am confident that this school will afford me many opportunities in the future.

Favorite class/subject and why

It’s too hard to pick just one subject to name as my favorite, but if I had to, it would be a tie between English and chemistry. I have always been a huge bookworm and being that a majority of the women in my family are English teachers, it’s natural for me to be a huge fan of the subject. I love chemistry because it is heavily math-based and I appreciate that there is only a right and wrong answer, nothing in between.

Most influential person

in your life and why

The most influenctial person, or rather people, in my life, are my parents. They have always given me the upmost support in everything I have tried to do and it is because of this support that I am where I am today. They have always encouraged me to work my hardest and for that I will be forever grateful.

Activities involved in

I am president of my school’s Student Council and Bible Club, a member of Business Professionals of America and National Honors Society, a participant in UIL Poetry and Literary Criticism, the captain of our Masterminds team for the last two years, a member in the band, and Editor of the Yearbook my senior year and Co-Editor my junior year. I was also my school’s sophomore class representative at the Rotary Youth Leadership Association (RYLA) camp.

Favorite famous quote?

My favorite quote is by J.K. Rowling which reads, “We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better.”

Salutatorian

Parents: Yosef and Thelma Mughrabi

Where are you going to college and why?

I will be attending Texas A&M University in College Station this coming fall. Texas A&M University is one of the universities that I have always wanted to attend since I was younger. The sense of tradition and culture the university has is some of the best in the nation. The fact that I am from a small town and will be attending a college town will make the transition from high school to college that much easier.

Favorite class/subject and why?

My favorite class subject would have to be either Chemistry or Calculus. Both are subjects that have challenged me the most in high school and have made an impact in my life. Ever since taking both of these courses I have decided that my major would be chemical engineering because of the amount of math and science that this field requires.

Most influential person in your life and why?

My father Yosef Mughrabi. He has gone through so much during his lifetime and he hasn’t given up once. To do this and become a successful man is more than enough to inspire me. As I grow up and learn from others, I hope that I can obtain the charismatic trait that my father has been blessed with. Becoming half the man my father is would make me more than happy because he is a leader that I would like to become, and a person that anyone would look up to.

Activites involved in?

Some activities that I was involved in include being part of the varsity track team for 3 years and part of the varsity football team for 2 years. I have been in NHS for two years, one of them being vice-president of the club. I have competed in UIL math, science and number sense for four of my high school years and have also been part of the marching band all throughout high school. I have competed in BPA for three years, one of them being vice-president of the club. I have been a RGV Lead Student Ambassador and FCA member for two years and was a treasurer for FCA one of those years. Finally, I have been a Student Council member for two years and was a Boy’s State Member the summer of my junior year.

Favorite famous quote?

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” This quote by Martin Luther King conveys a message of perseverance in life to achieve one’s goals. This is critical in life today because many people give up, but this quote explains that you should do everything in your power to achieve your goal, no matter how difficult things or tough the circumstance may become.

HARLINGEN — Little Neo Martinez was all smiles this morning.

The 11-year-old ran one of Harlingen’s biggest departments — the police department — for a day.

Martinez, who suffers from Osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, has been out of school since his diagnosis in March.

But, yesterday morning everyone came together to create a special day.

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His classmates, school and city officials, and officers from the Harlingen Police Department all cheered him on as he was sworn in as chief of police for the day.

If you didn’t know he was a fifth grader, you’d think Neo was an actual police officer, complete with a kid-sized authentic HPD uniform.

A few weeks ago in “Make A Wish” fashion, the school contacted the police department and asked if there was anything that they could do for Neo who has had a dream of being a police officer.

After some major discussions at the department, “Chief for a day” was born.

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HARLINGEN — Well, we’re going to try it again.

Once more, voters will head to the polls to elect a new school board member.

Eladio Jaimez, 39, and Rosalinda Mercado-Garza, 43, are running for Place 7. Early voting is currently under way. Election Day will be June 11 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

This is the second election for the two candidates. The May 7 election resulted in a near tie when Jaimez received 1,422 votes and Mercado-Garza received 1,421.

The following Saturday, the Early Voting Election Board added on a provisional ballot to the school board election returns.

For the rest of this story and many other EXTRAS, go to our premium site, www.MyValleyStar.com.

Subscribe to it for only $6.99 per month or purchase a print subscription and receive the online version free, which includes an electronic version of the full newspaper and extra photo galleries, links and other information you can’t find anywhere else.