LOS FRESNOS — For the third time this season, the Los Fresnos Lady Falcons defeated the Harlingen South Lady Hawks on the soccer field.

This time, however, it came at the most inopportune time as the Lady Falcons beat the Lady Hawks 1-0 to end South’s postseason run.

An early goal by Los Fresnos’ Monica Mesa was enough to end Harlingen South’s season and book the Lady Falcons’ fourth trip in five years to the Region IV-6A tournament, being held in Brownsville this weekend.

“We knew coming into this game that Harlingen South wanted to take the opportunity of going to the regional tournament away from us and that they were going to come out aggressive,” said Los Fresnos head coach Patricia Hernandez. “So it was no surprise the way they came out very aggressive defensively, so we counter attacked with a very strong offense.

“In Los Fresnos we have a great tradition of winning and we’re just representing our school.”

See more at RGVSports.com

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — It was their last night on the Island.

The Iowa State football players had just finished dinner at Daddy’s Seafood and were relaxing on their hotel balcony.

That’s when Josh Jahlas said he saw a car drive into the water just feet from their hotel room.

Luisa Maria Castro, 22 was in the car as it was sinking into the bay.

Jack Spreen, 19, and his teammates Anthony Lazard, 23 and Joe Doran, 23 saw the taillights peaking out of the water from their third floor balcony, so they ran out of their room fast to check it out.

Spreen said it took them about 30 seconds to get to the car.

“We just went in,” Spreen said. “By the time we got her out, the car had sunk.”

The football players had worked together to punch a whole in the windshield big enough to pull Castro out of her car before it sunk into a small canal on the bay side.

“We were getting after it,” Spreen said. “I took off my shoes and jumped in and Andrew and Joe followed me.”

Spreen said initially, upon arrival at the vehicle, they tried to break the driver’s side window, without success.

“It was all very fast,” Spreen said. “It took about three of four minutes and we got her out of there.”

They had to tread water while attempting to rescue Castro.

Spreen said Castro was inside the car, kicking the windshield in an effort to escape as water filled up the passenger area.

“She was very frantic,” Spreen said. “She had made a small hole in the windshield and we made it bigger.”

The car went down quickly.

“That car completely sank in less than a minute and if not for them jumping into the water and pulling the driver out, she would most certainly have drowned,” said Michael Schiltz, witnessing SPI officer.

Further investigation revealed Castro to be operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, and she was placed under arrest.

Castro’s breathalyzer testing confirmed her BAC to be above the legal limit and therefore she was charged with driving while intoxicated, a class A violation.

The incident happened on March 16, around 8 p.m.

South Padre Island Police received a 911 call reporting a car had driven into the Laguna Madre, near the 1700 block of Laguna Blvd.

Today the football players are back on campus hitting the books and practicing spring football.

They visited the Island to have some fun and they left heroes for saving a Castro from drowning in her car in the Laguna Madre.

Spreen said he and his friends couldn’t believe they had saved a woman.

HARLINGEN — They say things no one understands, or they don’t speak at all.

They rock back and forth, have furious temper tantrums, and avoid eye contact. They ache for friendship, or they have no desire for friendship at all. The symptoms vary widely, but they’re all considered part of the Autism Spectrum Disorder.

April is National Autism Awareness Month, and Saturday the Harlingen Area Autism Awareness Day will reach out to families with messages of support and information to create more understanding about Autism. World Autism Awareness Day was a separate observance and took place April 2.

“The purpose is to provide opportunities for families who have a family member with Autism to have fun at the park,” said Dr. Stephanie A. Sokolosky, interim chair of the Texas Council for Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders.

Sokolosky said the event at Lon C. Hill Park also was being held for people to learn about services which are available in the community. Members of first responder’s organizations such as the Harlingen Police Department will have an especially visible presence.

Families with a relative who has autism should understand certain procedures in the event of an emergency. If police or other responders are being called, those responders should be made aware of the presence of a person with autism.

“This advance notification in the database helps prepare first responders to best manage the circumstances and avoid confusion,” she said.

Harlingen Police Chief Jeff Adickes said the police want to send the message to the community in general and people with Autism specifically that they are a valued member of the community.

“They have a place in our community,” Adickes said. “The main thing in our community for first responders, it’s important that people understand the symptoms of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). When people in the community have that awareness, it can cause people to be more patient.”

The Autism Society launched National Autism Awareness Day almost 25 years ago, says its website. The purpose was to promote autism awareness, inclusion and self-determination for everyone. The effort also was intended to ensure that everyone with ASD had opportunities to have quality of life.

“This year we want to go beyond simply promoting autism awareness to encouraging friends and collaborators to become partners in movement toward acceptance and appreciation,” says the website.

There will be plenty of fun activities.

“There will be opportunities to sit in a police car and talk to police, fire and ambulance personnel,” Sokolosky said. “Many local service providers will be available to answer questions and provide information.”

HARLINGEN — As far back as Beto Conde can remember, he identified himself as a Chicano growing up in San Benito.

“Before the politics was involved, we called ourselves Chicanos,” Conde said.

Now 68, Conde, was a presenter at TSTC’s The Strength and Pride of Chicanos Humanities Symposium at the Artist’s Forum yesterday.

Conde recited stories from his book, “America Down by the River.”

Growing up in San Benito, Conde explained to the audience about living in a dual culture speaking Spanish at home and English at school where it was prohibited to speak in his native tongue.

“Not everybody can speak two languages,” Conde said. “It’s important and something to be proud of.”

The other presenters at the Artist’s Forum were Ramiro Rodriguez, Rene Garza and Jose Alvarez.

The symposium continues through today and tomorrow. It hosts a diverse set of events and movie screenings.

The week-long celebration began on April 4 highlighting contributions Latino Americans have made to music, art, and literature.

A screening of episode 5 of the Latino Americans series entitled, Prejudice and Pride, produced by PBS was held last night with a panel discussion following the screening.

Today, Dr. Manuel Medrano is presenting on the life and work of educator and author, Americo Parades, who wrote the story of Gregorio Cortez who was chased by the Texas Rangers on false accusations of murder.

TSTC student Jessie Bibitin, Spanish major, said the symposium was a good event that highlighted the heritage of the Latino culture.

Bibitin attended the Artists Forum yesterday to hear the authors read their work.

“I like to come to these types of events so I can have a feeling of what it used to be,” Bibitin said.

TSTC was one of 203 grant recipients from across the country to receive the Americans: 500 Years of History Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The grant proposal was written by sociology and psychology professor Dr. Richard Kirk, who has taught at TSTC for more than 20 years.

“Latino Americans are the country’s largest minority group, with more than 50 million people, and still many people are unaware of their rich and varied history and culture,” Kirk said. “The awarding of this grant provides TSTC the opportunity to explore this topic in our community.”

If you go

Today

TSTC: The Strength and Pride of Chicanos Humanities Symposium

Manuel Medrano presentation on Americo Padedes

In room W-135A

9:05-10 a.m. and 10:10 a.m. to 11:05 a.m

Insight poetry reading

LRC Orientation Room

12 to 1 p.m.

Evening Movie:

Cesar Chavez

LRC Orientation Room

5:30 p.m. to 7: 30 p.m.

Thursday

TSTC Talks – Student/Faculty presentation of Chicano Influences

LRC Orientation Room

Digital Stories on Religion and Culture

8 to 9:25 a.m

Chicano Leaders

9:35 to 11 a.m.

Stencil Workshop

11:10 to 12:35 p.m.

SAN BENITO — A baby’s death has led police to turn over findings of an investigation to the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office.

The baby boy died after being taken off life-support Monday at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, interim Police Chief Michael Galvan said yesterday.

Galvan said the baby showed no brain activity after being taken off life-support.

The baby had been hospitalized after nearly drowning last Thursday.

Paramedics and police arrived at the Vista Park Apartments on Cornejo Drive Thursday afternoon in response to a call about a possible drowning.

Officials found the baby — described as 8 to 10 months old — unresponsive.

The baby’s mother said she left him alone in the bathtub for about a minute, Galvan said.

When she returned, the boy was floating face-up in the tub and was not breathing.

Galvan said the baby drowned but was revived.

The district attorney’s office will determine whether charges will be filed in the case, Galvan said.

“They’ll review it and decide what the charge will be,” Galvan said.

HARLINGEN — Whether it’s on bike or on foot, metro planners in Cameron County want to know how we get from Point A to Point B when we’re not driving.

The Harlingen-San Benito Metropolitan Planning Organization will hold an open house to solicit public input to help determine the direction of its Bicycle and Pedestrian master plan.

Tonight’s meeting is at the Harlingen Cultural Arts Center from 6 to 8 p.m.

A preliminary study using this public input by Halff Associates, the consultants used in the past by the City of Harlingen and others in the Valley, is expected to be finished by June 8, said J. Joel Garza Jr., director of the metro planning organization.

“We’re hoping we can get input from the public about whether they bike or whether they walk,” Garza said yesterday. “Is it recreational, or are you walking to work? And what are their destinations?”

The scope of the job is big, because the Harlingen-San Benito MPO covers 354 square miles, or approximately one-half of Cameron County.

“Their goal is to compile all these comments – there’s also a survey out there – and hopefully from there they can use those recommendations in the plan for future projects,” Garza said.

The overall bike-ped plan, as they’re called, is still in the development stage. Public comments in the two public hearings this week will be incorporated into the master plan.

Garza said his organization is seeking guidance on both near-term and long-term projects.

“We told them we wanted projects that are short-term, the first three years, and then long-term, five to 10 years,” Garza said.

HARLINGEN — A transportation hub.

A vibrant retail district.

A thriving medical complex.

This is the way a proposed 10-year plan envisions the future of the city.

Today, Harlingen city commissioners are expected to approve that plan, called One Vision, One Harlingen Comprehensive Plan, to guide them toward 2030.

“This is the roadmap for the Harlingen of the future,” consultants Halff & Associates wrote in the plan released yesterday.

The consultants used community workshops and surveys to develop the 150-page plan over a one-year period.

The city paid $175,000 for the plan and a complementary 79-page parks master plan, City Manager Dan Serna said.

“It envisions a city with many economic opportunities, excellent schools, great opportunities for entertainment and quality of life and a strong a vibrant downtown and surrounding core areas,” the consultants wrote.

“This plan envisions a city linked together by an excellent roadway system, a city-wide trails network and the east-to-west ribbon of green that is the Arroyo Colorado.”

The plan sets goals during the next 10 years, including attracting businesses paying good salaries, an expanded warehousing market tying into Mexico’s highway system and expanded trails and nature centers along the Arroyo Colorado area.

The Interstate 2 and Interstate 69 corridor “is poised to become a regional retail and entertainment hub,” the consultants wrote.

The consultants recommend officials consider building a convention center.

Now, city officials are planning to build a $14 million, 43,000-square-foot convention center while a developer would build an adjacent 150-room upscale hotel in the Harlingen Heights business district.

The consultants also urge officials to consider building a “one-stop” City Hall.

The plan envisions the city as the Rio Grande Valley’s transportation hub while recommending expanding operations at Valley International Airport, the Free Trade Bridge and the Port of Harlingen.

The consultants recommend the revitalization of the city’s core neighborhoods while promoting and developing “unique housing types.”

During the next 10 years, the city should continue to improve its parks, expanding them into the growing west side while building indoor recreational facilities.

The plan includes sections titled Visions & Goals; the Future; Implementation Strategy & Action Plan; Appendix A: Overview; Appendix B: Community Profile; Appendix C: Public Engagement; Appendix D: Land Use; and Appendix E: Tools & Strategies.

The plan also features maps, graphs, photographs and illustrations.

SAN BENITO — It’s going to be a skate pad instead of a skatepark for now.

Last night, city commissioners approved the building of skate pad to be part of phase one of an new skatepark.

The idea of a new skateboard park has been a topic in the community and among city officials for several years.

Mayor Celeste Sanchez has said from the very start she had hoped it could be built by summer. However, city officials failed to reach any type of decision last month, prolonging that hope.

Now, they are finally moving forward. Even if it is slowly.

The skate pad will be located at Stookey Park adjacent to the old, troubled pool.

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

“The skating community needs a place where they can go and use their skateboards,” he said.

The skate pad measuring 80-feet by 30-feet will hopefully be installed by May.

“The work that can be done will be done in house,” Garza said. “We will also continue to find funding for the future skatepark.”

Meanwhile, Garza said they will still be looking into building a skatepark in that location.

City commissioners were pleased with the decision, but did assure the public this was only phase one of a bigger and better skatepark.

Commissioners also discussed the pool, briefly.

In a previous meeting, after a long discussion, commissioners collectively agreed that a skate park could be built on the existing pool site and a new pool could be built on the adjacent property using the old pool’s facilities.

After last night, City Manager Manuel De La Rosa said a skate park could not be built on the old pool and a newer pool would have to be constructed.

Based on the core samples from engineers, De La Rosa said the pool is officially un-usable for the skatepark.

“The old pool cannot be used as a skate park or a new pool in its present condition,” he said.

Commissioners will discuss further plans on the pool at a later meeting.

HARLINGEN – Lisa Anderson was more concerned about snakes.

So as she clambered down the bank of the Arroyo Colorado at Hugh Ramsey Nature Park Monday, her eyes were clearly focused on the ground.

When she looked up, a cat 30 to 40 feet away caught her eye. It was bigger than her 75-pound German shepherd.

“It was walking toward me on the rocks, and I go ‘Whoaaa. What is that?’” she recalled yesterday. “I could see the tail whisking back and forth, and I thought, that’s a long tail, that’s a big cat.”

So Anderson snapped a photo with her cell phone and decided to make a tactical retreat.

“I wish I had gotten a better picture, but my first instinct was to go back up the hill,” she said. “I didn’t want it to feel threatened.”

Anderson’s description of the cat would seem to be that of a mountain lion, and not a bobcat, a species more common in Hugh Ramsey Nature Park and the Harlingen Thicket.

But Dr. Michael Tewes, regents professor and research scientist at Texas A&M-Kingsville, said yesterday he believes the photograph is that of a bobcat.

“After 35 years, I have perhaps a rare perspective on cat observations and biology,” Tewes said via email.

“The white on the back of the ears are diagnostic for separating those two felids. Also, the 6- to 8-inch tail of a bobcat can flick, and appear long,” he said. “More than once, folks have even interpreted house cats as cougars.”

Dr. Hilary Swarts, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who also is an expert on wildcats, said she believes it probably was a bobcat as well.

“It’s not at all impossible that it’s a mountain lion in that they’ve been seen in this area,” she said. “But I would say the tufts of the ears and the size scaled to the rest of it really makes me think it’s a bobcat.”

Mountain lions in the United States generally weigh from 70 to 160 pounds. They’ve been recorded previously in the Harlingen area.

In March 2011, a young male mountain lion tripped a game camera in Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge and left an image of himself. It is believed that lion came down the Arroyo Colorado through Harlingen on its way east to the refuge.

Young male mountain lions, just like young male ocelots, are often driven out of the territories where they’re born by older, larger males. That leads them to try to find a place of their own to roam, and the search often brings them into contact with humans.

In Texas over the past decade, mountain lions appear to be expanding their range, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials say. They’re found throughout the Trans-Pecos, as well as the brushlands of South Texas and portions of the Hill Country.

“In the off-chance it is a mountain lion,” Swarts said of the Ramsey Park sighting, “people don’t need to be worried because there’s so much food for mountain lions down here, such as deer and small prey.

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Yield: 2

INGREDIENTS

1 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets and stem removed

1 large egg

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 tsp Italian herb seasoning

2 thick slices of white cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Place cauliflower into food processor and pulse until crumbs about half the size of a grain of rice.

2. Place cauliflower into large microwave safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Your cauliflower should be soft and tender (and hot!).

3. Stir cauliflower to mix up the bottom and top cauliflower. Place back into the microwave and cook for another 3 minutes. (If you don’t want to use the microwave to dry out the cauliflower and prefer to steam and wring with a cloth to dry, check out my wringing instructions here.) Remove and stir again so that all the cauliflower cooks evenly. Place back into microwave and cook for 5 minutes. At this point, you should see the cauliflower is starting to become more dry. Microwave for another 5 minutes. Cauliflower should still be slightly moist to the touch, but should look dry and clumped up (like photo above; similar to as if someone had chewed it up and spit it back out.) If you’ve made cauliflower pizza or breadsticks with the cloth wringing dry method, it should look the same.

4. Add in egg, parmesan and seasoning. Stir to combine until smooth paste forms. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Place onto large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat mat. Using your knuckles and fingers, shape into square bread slices about 1/2 inch thick. Bake cauliflower bread for about 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes.

5. Using a good spatula, carefully slide cauliflower bread off of parchment paper. Now you are ready to assemble your sandwiches. Normally I make grilled cheese sandwiches on a pan, but since the cauliflower crust is more delicate, I didn’t want to risk it breaking with too many flips on the stove. Instead, make 2 cauliflower sandwiches by adding a slice of cheese in between each pair of bread slices. Place sandwiches into toaster oven and broil for several minutes (5-10) until cheese is completely melted and bread is toasty. If you don’t own a toaster oven, you can also do this in the oven.