HARLINGEN — He came from humble beginnings and he’s now shooting for the stars.

Israel Gonzalez, 18, has spent some long hours of study toward becoming a physician. In the process he managed to earn the top spot as this year’s valedictorian of Harlingen High School.

“I’m honored and humbled and I’d like to thank God for giving me the opportunity to be at such a prestigious place in high school,” said Israel. He and his brother are the first in their family to attend college.

“It feels great, but it’s only the beginning,” he said.

Coming in a close second is Salutatorian Kennedy Daniel, 18, who plans to study international relations. She spent some long hours of study herself.

“It’s been a long process, a constant effort the last four years,” said Kennedy, who was the captain of the cheerleaders this year.

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LA FERIA — Olga H. Maldonado said when she found out no one was running for mayor she knew it was time for her to take the lead.

“It’s one of those things you’d figure a lot of people would be interested in and nobody signed up,” Maldonado said. “So somebody had to step up to the plate.”

Maldonado didn’t grow up aspiring to be the first female mayor of La Feria, but it happened when she was elected in May.

“It’s a very big honor to be the first female mayor of the city of La Feria,” Maldonado said.

She knows a lot about leadership as she has been the police chief for the city of Mercedes for more than 10 years.

Now Maldonado is leading two neighboring towns, one as the protector of the peace, and in her hometown as the leader of the people.

“While I serve two cities in high capacity, I feel I can work a little bit more,” Maldonado said. “I realize I won’t have many days off, but I want to give back.”

Maldonado knows what it takes to succeed and work with people.

She worked her way up the ladder at the Mercedes Police Department.

In 1987, she started as a file clerk in municipal court. Then she became the first female officer in Mercedes and she is one of the highest ranking female officers in the state.

But, she will tell you it takes a lot of family support to do what she does.

“In order for me to be mayor and chief in another city, I do need the backing of my family,” Maldonado said.

La Feria Mayor Pro-tem Ezmeralda Lozano said she couldn’t be happier to serve the city along side Maldonado.

“She (Maldonado) is a native of La Feria, she was born in the city and not too many people can say that,” Lozano said. “She is helping promote policies and projects to lift our economy and community,” Lozano said.

HARLINGEN — Discount optical provider America’s Best Contacts and Eyeglasses has its sights set on Harlingen Corners.

Construction at the store, located next to Supercuts across the parking lots from Bed, Bath and Beyond, will be finished by the middle of the month, workers at the store said yesterday.

They said they expected the store to open before the month’s end.

The construction project is called an interior fit-out, because the shell of the building already existed. The project is estimated to cost $150,000, according to documents filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Workers at the site yesterday were completing the installation of interior partitions, a new ceiling, lighting, plumbing and installing electrical wiring in the building.

The new optical store is the latest business to locate at Harlingen Corners. A Five Below discount store is expected to open at the shopping complex in late summer.

America’s Best provides eye exams, glasses and contacts and has 450 stores nationwide.

Among its 53 Texas locations are stores located in Brownsville and Mission.

Its parent company, National Vision Inc., headquartered in the Atlanta area, is the nation’s fourth-largest optical retailer. Its other subsidiary companies include The Vision Center, Eyeglass World, Vista Optical and Optical Center.

In 2013, National Vision had gross sales of $718 million.

The private equity firm KKR and Co. L.P. acquired National Vision from Berkshire Partners in 2014 for a reported price of $1 billion.

Calls seeking comment from a National Vision spokesperson were not returned.

HARLINGEN — Downtown Harlingen will hold a workshop for businesses interested in upping their game on social media.

This month’s “Good Morning Downtown” coffee, set for tomorrow, will be a special workshop on “Social Media Basics for Small Businesses.”

The workshop will be from 8:30-10 a.m. at the Jackson Square Events Center, 301 E. Jackson, in Downtown Harlingen. Doors open at 8 a.m. Admission is free.

Both beginners and those with some social media experience will benefit from this special workshop presented by the UTRGV Small Business Development Center.

Attendees will learn basic and advanced strategies for using social media in a business, including 11 social media tools for small businesses.

Plus, they will get tips on how to make social media part of their small business marketing strategy.

The workshop also will cover why many entrepreneurs swear by social media and allocate resources to manage it.

There will be complimentary coffee and pastries, as well as door prizes.

Small business owners and advocates for entrepreneurship are encouraged to attend and learn how to realize success through digital marketing.

For more information, contact the Downtown Harlingen office at (956) 216-4910.

HARLINGEN — For two local track and field athletes, Tuesday was a day they will remember for a very long time.

Both Nicole Gonzalez and Mikaela Flores of Harlingen South signed their letters of intent, committing their future athletic endeavors to two respectable universities.

Gonzalez, one of the Valley’s most prolific sprinters this year, signed to run track at TexasA&M University-Kingsville.

Despite having other offers on the table, Gonzalez felt TAMUK was the right fit for her.

“I had other D-I and D-II offers, but the University of Texas A&M-Kingsville was able to work with the events I wanted to run and offered me the most, and it’s also somewhere I see myself being the most successful,” she said.

This year Gonzalez was on top of the Valley’s Best rankings in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dash, setting school records in both the 100 and 200.

To add to Gonzalez’ accolades, the senior captured the District 32-6A championship in all three events, along with the 4×100-meter relay.

Unfortunately for Gonzalez, the injury bug snuck up at the most inopportune time and forced Gonzalez to sit out the regional meet this year.

“Niclole was the rock of the team and a four-year letterman, and when she got on the track everyone knew who she was,” said South track coach Ralph De La Rosa. “When you’re a coach and you have an athlete like that, it helps the younger athletes know how to be and how to work.

“She’s a positive role model not only on the track, but in the classroom as well. She’s a very well-rounded student.”

Meanwhile, Flores’ destination takes her a bit further away from home as she’ll head to the University of the Southwest in Hobbs, New Mexico.

Flores, a multi-sport athlete, was recognized for her pole vaulting abilities and decided to take her athletic talents to USW.

“I feel really good that I was able to continue on the next level,” said Flores. “I really liked how they (USW) told me that I would be able to graduate in four years with a master’s degree and they tried to push that for me.

“Also, they have a really good (track) program and it’s going to become a big program pretty soon, and I wanted to be part of it.”

This season, Flores finished in the top three all season and peaked at the perfect time to take first place at both the District 32-6A and area meets.

“What’s really neat about Mikaela is that she kind of got into pole vaulting more last year and then all of a sudden she started blossoming as a vaulter this year,” said De La Rosa. “Coach Robert Euvino has done a great job working with our vaulters and Mikaela, and I think this year she put all her technique with her ability.

“She was able to put it all together in her head and then physically go out and do it.”

Flores will focus her studies on kinesiology.

McALLEN — State Rep. Terry Canales wants to take Texas driver’s licenses from your wallet to your phone.

The Edinburg lawmaker introduced legislation that directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to take a closer look at the technology needed to create digital driver’s licenses.

Canales’ legislation ultimately passed as an amendment to Senate Bill 1934 and became law in September 2015. It directed the DPS to submit a report to the legislature that includes details of their findings and recommendations by Sept. 1.

“When you consider the fact that DPS already allows you to present your insurance with your smartphone — and the majority of people with smartphones use their smart phone for banking — this is not a far-fetched idea,” Canales said. “For the most part, what my legislation does, it spurs DPS to get on the ball — so to speak — with the implementation on technology which is actually already taking place in other places.”

Iowa and Delaware were the first two states to look into digital licenses, Canales said in a prepared statement. Arizona, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Kentucky, New Jersey, North Dakota and Tennessee are also looking at similar measures.

“The objective was that we stay abreast and at the forefront of technology,” the state representative said. “We don’t want to be last.”

DPS conducted a request for information and five vendors responded, DPS spokesman Tom Vinger said. Those vendors are Hypori, Global Enterprise Technologies Corporation, Morpho Trust Technology, Marp Technology and Oberthur Technologies Technology.

Canales spoke to the vendors about potential ways to secure digital licenses.

“Some use biometrics, which means the use of fingerprints, to access it,” Canales said. “Also, it allows for 3-D imaging. So law enforcement, when they actually look at it, get a 3-D picture of your face — which is pretty advanced and a pretty secure feature knowing it is who it is.”

There are also features that prevent police officers from accessing anything other than your license on your phone.

“So he can’t look through your messages or your, you know, pictures or anything like that,” Canales said. “It’s basically locked into the driver’s license until you physically, biometrically, unlock it. It protects both the law enforcement and the person with the phone.”

DPS will submit a report that will address the feasibility of altering state requirements, potential risks to personal information, a survey of similar legislation in other states, staff findings and recommendations, Vinger said.

Canales said it may take years for the digital licenses to be implemented — if at all — and did not foresee them as a requirement.

“It will be an option because there’s a lot of people that obviously can’t afford a smartphone,” he said. “I think that as a matter of practice, DPS will always issue you a physical card because if your phone is dead or something happens, there’s a lot of pitfalls that can occur with a digital driver’s license that a physical one in your possession would obviously remedy.”

If anything, it will help ensure Texans always carry their licenses.

“My driver’s license is usually the last thing I think about,” Canales joked. “But I never forget my phone.”

RAYMONDVILLE — Tax attorneys are busy trying to round up thousands of dollars in unpaid property taxes.

Willacy County’s property tax collection is about $37,000 behind as county commissioners prepare to review finances as they plan next year’s general fund budget.

So far, officials have collected about $4 million in property taxes, or 93 percent of the county’s total, Tax Assessor-Collector Elizabeth Barnhart said yesterday.

“Every year is different,” Barnhart said. “Some years it’s a little bit more, some years it’s a little bit less. This year, it’s a little bit less.”

Barnhart said taxpayers who owe outstanding taxes will become delinquent July 1.

The county’s tax collection picked up since February, when collection was behind 7.4 percent, or about $275,000.

At the time, Barnhart was counting on many residents receiving their income tax refunds to pay their property taxes.

Now, Barnhart said, the law firm of Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson is tracking down delinquent taxpayers.

Taxpayers began facing penalties when they did not file their taxes by Feb. 1, she said.

The county needs the money as commissioners prepare to plan next year’s budget.

Last October, commissioners entered the current fiscal year after eliminating 25 positions, forcing 16 layoffs.

The Willacy County Correctional Center’s closure slashed a third of the local budget, plunging the county into a financial crisis as commissioners tried to offset a $220,000 monthly shortfall.

HARLINGEN — They’ve been friends for years and have helped each other along the way.

They are Valedictorian Dylan McNutt and Salutatorian Danielle Del Bosque at Early College High School.

Danielle could do well in public relations.

She writes well, has good communication skills and conveys a friendly presence.

Danielle has a love for PR and working with people in general. However, she recently had one of her out-of-the-blue aha moments and decided to pursue biochemistry.

“For me, the interest is wanting to understand things at a basic molecular level,” said Danielle, 17.

She and Dylan, 18, spoke at length about their years at ECHS.

“We have always been as supportive of each other as we could,” said Danielle, who plans to study public relations and biochemistry.

“I think we both know we will be friends after high school,” said Dylan, who is getting ready to earn a degree in biomedical engineering.

Danielle, who was born and raised in Harlingen, described herself as sort of a “spur of the moment” person. A perfect example of this quality is her decision to attend ECHS after having been at IDEA Academy-San Benito for three years.

“I’d heard about it,” she said. “It just popped into my head.”

Another “spur-of-the-moment” decision, which can more easily be described as a sharp intuition, was the change in her career plans. She’d been on the fast track to study communications and pursue a career in that field.

“Something just said, ‘Nope, that’s not where I want to go,’” she said.

What she wanted was the opportunity for analytical problem solving, activities available in the world of biochemistry.

“It’s interesting for me to see how things work at that level,” she said. “I guess I have always been that way, problem solving.”

During her tenure there, she and Dylan earned college credit from Texas State Technical College while working for their high school diploma.

They did more than earn a few college credits though. They recently joined 53 other classmates in a ceremony in which they graduated with a two-year college degree before even finishing high school. They were in the same graduation ceremony as their older TSTC classmates at Yeckel Auditorium on the Marine Military Academy campus.

While Danielle sometimes acts on “intuition,” Dylan is more specific and calculating. He becomes absorbed in his studies and takes few breaks.

“I tend to sometimes overexert myself with academics,” he said. “It can be very overwhelming. With friends you have support.”

“Dylan gets very stressed and he’s by the book,” said Danielle. “We are like a cohesive pair.”

They put their experience here to use by mentoring new arrivals to ECHS as senior mentors.

“We tutor students to provide guidance,” said Dylan, president of Senior Mentors. “It helps them adapt to the rigor of the academics.”

“Temperament adjustments,” said Danielle, a slight edge in her voice now.

She is currently the secretary in Senior Mentors, still using her communication skills to assist others. She may want to continue helping others with her education and proceed to medical school.

Yield: 4 wraps

Ingredients

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cubed into bite-size pieces

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press

Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch or two black pepper

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon coriander

¼ teaspoon paprika

4 middle eastern-style flatbreads (you can use pita bread, as well)

Arugula greens

Sliced tomatoes

Spicy Garlic Sauce (recipe below)

Instructions

1. Place the cubed chicken into a medium-size bowl, and drizzle in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil; add in the garlic, plus the remainder of the ingredients up to and including the paprika, and using your hands, toss all of the seasonings/spices very well to coat the chicken.

2. Using 4 bamboo skewers, skewer the chicken so that there is equal portions of meat on each skewer, and allow the chicken to marinate for about 20 minutes, or even overnight, if making ahead.

3. When ready to grill, place a grill pan over medium-high heat (you can certainly use your outdoor grill, as well), and drizzle in a little oil; once the oil gets hot, place the chicken skewers into the pan, and cook them for about 6-8 minutes, turning them occasionally so that they get a bit charred on all sides, or until cooked through; allow them to rest, lightly covered with foil, for about 5-10 minutes; then, remove the chicken cubes from the skewers and set aside.

4. To assemble, add a little drizzle of the Spicy Garlic Sauce onto the flatbread, followed by the greens; then, add a couple of slices of tomato, and about one skewer-worth of the lemon chicken; drizzle over a generous amount of the Spicy Garlic Sauce, and fold the sides towards the middle to form a “wrap” (you can even use some parchment paper or foil to hold it all together, if you’d like).

Spicy Garlic Sauce Ingredients

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream or full-fat, plain Greek yogurt

3 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press

1 tablespoon tahini

2-3 teaspoons sriracha (I used a lot more since I like mine spicy, so use your own judgement!)

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch black pepper

Pinch cayenne pepper (again, you can use more, if you like it spicier)

½ teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to a medium-size bowl, and whisk together until completely smooth and creamy; use immediately, or keep in the fridge, covered. (I like to put mine in a plastic squeeze bottle, and keep any leftovers in the fridge to use for other sandwiches, or as a tasty condiment.)

Ingredients

Greek Lemon Chicken Skewers

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut into approximately 1 inch cubes

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon coriander

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Tzatziki Sauce

1 cup peeled and diced English cucumber, about 1/2 of a cucumber

1 1/2 cups plain non-fat Greek yogurt

Juice of half a lemon

1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon grated garlic

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Black pepper to taste

Instructions

Greek Lemon Chicken Skewers

1. In a large bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients then add in the cubed chicken and toss to coat.

2. Cover and refrigerate the chicken for 45 minutes to 3 hours.

3. Heat the grill to medium high heat.

4. Thread the chicken onto metal or wooden skewers, be sure to soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes.

5. Oil the grates of the grill and place the skewers on them.

6. Grill the chicken for 3-4 minutes then flip it over and grill for another 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Tzatziki Sauce

7. Peel and dice the cucumber.

8. In a medium sized bowl combine the remaining ingredients and whisk together.

9. Fold in the cucumber and refrigerate until ready to serve.