Ingredients

2 slices of bread

3 slices of pineapple, fresh or canned

3 slices canadian bacon

shredded Monterey Jack cheese

butter

oregano and parsley

Instructions

1. Butter one side of each slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley and oregano to taste

2. On non buttered side of bread place the shredded cheese, then the canadian bacon, pineapple, and top with the other slice of bread, buttered side facing up.

3. Cook sandwich on stove top on a griddle or frying pan. Once bread is toasted on one side flip the sandwich to toast the other side. Cook on a low heat to allow the cheese to melt while the bread is toasting.

Prep Time: 20 MIN

Total Time: 25 MIN

Servings: 2

Ingredients

6 slices hickory-smoked bacon

4 slices rustic white bread

2 slices provolone cheese (3/4 oz each)

2 slices Cheddar cheese (3/4 oz each)

1 egg

¾ cup pale ale beer

¼ cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder

1 tablespoon butter

Directions

1. 1 In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook bacon until crisp; drain on paper towel.

2. 2 On 2 of the bread slices, place 1 slice provolone cheese, 3 slices bacon and 1 slice Cheddar cheese on each. Top with remaining bread slices.

3. 3 Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat or to 375°F. In shallow bowl, beat egg, beer, flour and chili powder with fork until smooth. Dip each sandwich into batter, giving it a few seconds on each side to absorb the batter; drain excess batter back into bowl.

4. 4 Melt butter on hot griddle. Place sandwiches on griddle. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes Servings: 1

ingredients

2 slices bacon

2 slices sour dough bread

1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

1/2 cup jack and cheddar cheese, shredded

2 tablespoons guacamole, room temperature

1 tablespoon tortilla chips, crumbled (optional)

directions

1. Cook the bacon until crispy and set aside on paper towels to drain.

2. Butter one side of each slice of bread, sprinkle half of the cheese onto the unbuttered side of one slice of bread followed by the guacamole, bacon, tortilla chips, the remaining cheese and finally top with the remaining slice of bread with the buttered side up.

3. Grill over medium heat until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Recently Port of Brownsville commission chairman, Ralph Cowen, was crowing about the astute business acumen the Port was displaying by kicking out the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) decades old lease of about $3,500 a year for the 2,280 acres which now is option leased to the three LNG companies, which are planning to desecrate and contaminate the Laguna Madre ecosystems, for the princely sum of $4.4 million, as of the end of 2015.

The Port expects to collect another $1.3 million in 2016.

Refusing to renew the USFWS lease cuts the bottom one-third of the ecosystems off from the northern two-thirds of the LANWR.

Then leasing to three proposed LNG plants is a travesty for our children and grandchildren who might one day want to know what a special environment we currently enjoy and market to visitors from all over the RGV and Texas, with our green ecotourism and vacation destination jobs.

This is the Green Gem of the Texas coast!

Make no mistake, LNG plants process natural gas, which is a fossil fuel, and emit enormous amounts of greenhouse gases and other pollutants which are dangerous to the health of the nearby residents and all of the ecosystems of the Laguna Madre.

Even if only one LNG plant is built, it will be the single worst polluter in all of Cameron county, emitting more greenhouse gases than all of the cars, trucks, and tractors in Cameron county combined.

The only win-win scenario I can envision is for the LNGs to be stopped from building their plants, and the Port can pocket the dollars it received from the lease-options.

Then the lease with the USFWS should be renewed for the Living Legacy to our future generations.

Rick Teter Laguna Vista

HARLINGEN — Carlos Obregon was already wearing the Cesar Chavez blood donor’s T shirt, which was being given to participants in the National Cesar Chavez blood drive challenge at Texas State Technical College yesterday.

After all, Obregon, 20, helped organize the event with the South Texas Migrant Association student group, and he was scheduled to donate at 3 p.m.

“I’m a migrant and we’re trying to raise awareness about Cesar Chavez,” Obregon said. “We are giving back by donating blood.”

The blood drive is happing today and tomorrow in the student services parking lot at TSTC from 9 to 3:30 p.m.

Many TSTC students were waiting in line to donate, or were setting up appointments between class for a chance to participate in the blood drive.

“It’s awesome that the migrant club is helping out,” said Rosie Esparza, donor relations organizer for United Blood Services.

Every 20 minutes, two people went into the United Blood Services traveling bus equipped to draw blood from six donors at a time.

The South Texas Migrant Association student group wanted to raise awareness and commemorate the life and legacy of the labor leader who fought for the rights of farm workers, and one way of doing that was to organize the campus blood drive.

Obregon, a computer management technology student, organized the event with his classmates in the STMA. The campus organization has been active for more than two years.

The students are commemorating Chavez’s life work and his March 31 birthday with the event.

The founding members of the STMA group teamed up with United Blood Services to collect blood for the Rio Grande Valley.

“We’re looking for 38 units of blood and so far we’ve had a great turnout,” Esparza said. “As long as we reach our goal, we’re on the right track.”

Esparza said the Valley needs 178 units of blood a day to maintain the daily supply needs of the Valley.

“A lot of times we don’t have a great turnout,” Esparza said. “But because they are helping us we are having a great turnout.”

Obregon said the event was to thank Chavez for standing up for migrant farm worker rights.

“As migrant students we raise awareness to other students to let them know what we do and about our experiences as migrants,” Obregon said. “We know what it’s like to work in the fields as little kids.”

Obregon said he started working with his father picking vegetables in Harlingen when he was 13 years old. Now the Obregon family works in the meat packing sheds in San Antonio.

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 two open houses to solicit public input to help determine the direction of its Bicycle and Pedestrian master plan.

Tonight’s meeting is in La Feria at Bailey H. Dunlap Memorial Library, 400 S. Main St. It begins at 6 p.m. and will last until 8.

Wednesday’s meeting is at the Harlingen Cultural Arts Center, and also will be from 6 to 8 p.m.

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A preliminary study 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, J. Joel Garza Jr., director of the metro planning organization, said today.

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

The scope of the job is big, since 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.

SAN BENITO — In tonight’s regular City Commission meeting, the city leaders will have much to discuss and possibly take action on.

First in line for some serious debate is the topic of the city swimming pool, splash pad and skate park. These are items that have been on previous agendas.

However, commissioners failed to take action numerous times.

But that should change tonight.

City commissioners will take action on authorizing City Manager Manuel De La Rosa to freeze reserve funds at the recommended 90 days and assign funds to the building of a swimming pool, splash pad and skate park.

There is no word on how much money that would be. But considering past discussions on pricing, it could be hundreds of thousands of dollars.

They also will consider taking action on the construction of the skate park at Stookey Park.

The idea of a new skateboard park and a pool 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 both could be built by summer. However, city officials failed to reach any type of decision last month, prolonging that hope.

At the recommendation of Del La Rosa, commissioners did decide to move forward with sampling the land that the old pool sits on.

Parks and Recreation Director Art Garza said he is still waiting on the engineers to finish their assessment of the old pool structure to see if they can rebuild the old pool or if they need to build a completely new pool.

At one point 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.

In addition, commissioners will consider action on the proposed Cultural Heritage Museum being designed by Megamorphosis, Inc. and discuss the San Benito Economic Development Corporation’s Resaca Walk Project proposal and presentation by Gignac Architects.

Both of these projects have been in the works for a couple years.

HARLINGEN — Officials appear close to entering into agreements with a new business.

But they remain mum about the project named for the hammer-wielding Norse god associated with thunder, lighting, power and fertility.

City commissioners tomorrow are expected to meet behind closed doors before considering agreements with the business prospect code-named Project Thor.

Raudel Garza, chief executive officer of the Harlingen Economic Development Corporation, said a confidentiality agreement prevented him from disclosing details until commissioners take action.

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After the closed-door meeting, commissioners are expected to consider entering into what is known as a Chapter 380 agreement that could provide the business with incentives.

Chapter 380 of the Local Government Code authorizes municipalities to offer incentives designed to promote economic development such as commercial and retail projects.

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BROWNSVILLE — Court records reveal new details about the latest arrest of a Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector’s employee in the undercover operation dubbed “Operation Dirty Deeds,” in which several employees have been accused of taking bribes and other charges.

Claudia Elisa Sanchez, who works at the assessor-collector’s office in San Benito, faces two charges of tampering with government records, court records show.

A two-count indictment dated March 23 against Sanchez alleges two separate incidents of misconduct by falsifying information on government records.

Court records indicate on May 6, 2015, Sanchez allegedly filled out a used motor vehicle certified appraisal form for a 2001 Chevrolet with false information and then on July 28, 2015, filled out another used motor vehicle certified appraisal form for a 2001 Mitsubishi Galant, again with false information.

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SAN BENITO — The reports are still coming in with more expected in the next few days.

That’s what police Detective David Rodriguez said yesterday about the vandalization of vehicles over the weekend.

So far, more than 60 cars have been reported as damaged. A preliminary estimate puts the dollar amount at more than $50,000 in damage.

The city took a hit when six teens rode around town in a pickup truck Saturday night randomly spray painting cars and breaking car windows in multiple neighborhoods, police said.

Derick Bujanos, 18, Abraham Cano, 18, Kristian Guzman, 19, and Jonathon Aranda, 18, all from San Benito, were arrested early Sunday morning. Two juveniles also were arrested.

All four adults were charged yesterday with third-degree felony criminal mischief. Guzman and Aranda also face a state jail felony charge of criminal mischief.

The two juveniles were cited and released to their parents. Their names are not being released because they are under 17 years old. Their cases will proceed through the juvenile court.

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