PORT MANSFIELD — After about five years of planning, WillacyCounty officials will try to lower costs on a project to build a $503,000 nature center.

The project’s lowest-bidding contractor’s proposal came in about $14,000 over budget, engineer Craig Thompson said yesterday.

But Thompson said he will try to bring project costs within his $350,000 construction budget.

“We’ll negotiate with the low bidder to bring it at budget,” Thompson, an engineer with Corpus Christi-based Naismith Engineering, told WillacyCounty commissioners at a meeting Thursday.

Thompson said Edinburg-based G&G Construction proposed the lowest bid out of eight contractors who responded to the county’s request for construction bids in January.

After five years, the clock is ticking on a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s grant.

The county must complete construction by Dec. 31 to keep the grant, Thompson said.

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MERCEDES — Rihanna Contreras and her brothers and sisters have attended the annual Easter egg hunt all their lives and they don’t intend to miss today’s.

“The kids enjoy it and they look forward to the Easter egg hunt every year,” said their mother, Roxanne Contreras, a Mercedes resident. “They have lots of fun and look forward to it every year.”

Rihanna, 6, and her brothers and sisters have their Easter baskets ready and can’t wait to hunt for eggs and have a chance to win one of the many bikes that will be raffled off.

“They are going to be there early, my daughter (Rihanna) wants to win a bike,” Contreras said.

For 15 years the Mercedes Police Department has been organizing their Easter egg hunt at the MercedesCivicCenter.

“It’s very exciting because not everybody’s going to have an Easter egg hunt,” Police Chief Olga Maldonado said. “It’s really exciting to bring theses kids together and see them hunt for eggs.”

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The “believers” of the “religion of peace” have struck again. This time in the refugee welcoming city of Brussels.

How can that be?

Didn’t the Pope compare Middle East refugees to Jesus in his Palm Sunday address.

“People who ignore plight of refugees are like those who washed their hands of Jesus’ suffering.”

Being that it’s Holy Week, shouldn’t the Pope invite some of the Muslim refugees for a sleepover. Being fastidious, but isn’t it always, “Do as I say, not as I do.”

Jesus willingly suffered and gave His life for the remission of sin for all who believe in Him. I’ve missed the Bible verses where Jesus killed anyone who didn’t believe in His teachings.

I have to take that back, in a way He did because according to Scripture anyone who denies Him has no hope, zero, nada of eternal life. (Matt. 10:32- 33, John 3:16, 3:18, 3:36, 11:25-26, 14:6 etc.) I’d like for the Pope or Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders or any news media outlet or anyone to please publicly ask why some of the wealthiest countries in the world like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, etc have taken few if any refugees from their part of the world?

In his Dec. 12, 2015 response to Saudi Prince Alwaleed tweet telling him that he should drop out of the Republican presidential primary as he would never win, Mr Trump replied, “Has your country Saudi Arabia taken ANY of the Syrian refugees? If not, why not?”

The prince’s tweet was all over the news and the internet, Mr. Trump’s reply was conveniently ignored.

By the way, the answer as to why the above countries don’t want any refugees.

Sunni Muslims have no use for Shiite Muslim and vise versa. It’s been that way since their Prophet Mohammed died in 632 AD.

Happy Easter (resurrection of our Lord) to all. And thank You my Father that You came that we might have life, John 10:10.

N. Rodriguez Harlingen

The Republicans are holding their presidential convention this summer in Cleveland. A Republican presidential nominee needs 1,237 delegates to gain the nomination to run against Hillary Clinton, the apparent Democratic nominee in the November general election.

As of mid-March, the front-runner, Donald Trump, had 661 delegates, Ted Cruz 406, Marco Rubio 169 and John Kasich 142. However, Rubio recently dropped out of the presidential race a few days ago.

Some people might be wondering which remaining candidate will get Rubio’s delegates at the convention. It varies from state to state but most of these delegates may choose which candidate to endorse.

This is because in most states, delegates become “unbound” or free to choose and support other contenders as their candidates withdraw from the presidential race.

These “unbound” delegates don’t have the support of the front-runner in a contested convention. Rubio can choose who to endorse if he wishes. However, in most states, these delegates are “bound” on the first ballot. After this, they can vote for any candidate of their choice.

During the 1976 Republican convention, the “unbound delegates” helped Gerald Ford get the nomination instead of Ronald Reagan. However, Ford lost that election to Jimmy Carter.

Later, Reagan won the 1980 and 1984 elections and became a twoterm president.

Most of the time in heavily contested races, “unbound delegates” may decide who will become the Republican presidential nominee. It might happen this summer again.

Silvestre Moreno Jr. Mercedes

Area communities will host their annual Easter Egg hunts this weekend.

The city of Mercedes, La Feria and Laguna Vista are scheduled to have their Easter Egg hunts and activites begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The festivities will include events for children.

• La Feria – La Feria Nature Center located at 1800 S. Rabb Road
• Laguna Vista – Roloff Park in Port Isabel located at Santa Isabel Boulevard
• Mercedes – Mercedes Methodist Church on South Ohio Street
• Livingway Church – Marine Military Academy, Harlingen, 5 pm
• Livingway Church – 350 W. Ruben Torres Blvd., Brownsville, 10 am, Sunday

RAYMONDVILLE — Willacy County’s cutting it close.

For about five years, two county administrations have planned to build a proposed federally-funded storm shelter near Raymondville High School, where it would double as the county’s first Boys and Girls Club.

But yesterday, with time running out on a $750,000 federal grant, commissioners voted to change the site of the 8,000-square-foot shelter to the Willacy County Housing Authority, outside the city limits.

County Judge Aurelio Guerra said he will ask the housing authority to pitch in $200,000 to help fund the project.

Guerra said officials turned to the housing authority to help “salvage” the grant.

But the change in plans will cost the county an additional $137,500, engineer Joe Muñoz told commissioners.

And based on the grant’s requirements, the county would be responsible for any cost overruns after March 31.

“That is obviously one thing you need to understand and consider,” Muñoz told commissioners.

Muñoz said the county has until Aug. 31 to launch construction — or lose the grant.

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Heads bowed Thursday evening as Catholic churches across Brownsville held masses in celebration of Holy Thursday.

Bishop Daniel E. Flores officiated the ceremony at Immaculate Conception Cathedral and said the mass marked the occasion of the Last Supper, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.

Statues at the cathedral were draped in purple cloth, a solemn sign the church was preparing for Passion Week.

“Traditionally, we begin to cover the statues two weeks before Easter Sunday as a sign that we are getting close to the Passion Week, which is this week,“ Flores said. “The statues will be uncovered Saturday night at the Easter vigil in celebration of the Joy of the Resurrection.“

Flores, like many priests across Brownsville, washed the feet of 12 parishioners selected to represent the disciples of Jesus during the mass.

“Jesus washed the feet of his disciples before the Last Supper,“ Flores said. “It’s a sign of his self-emptying and coming as a humble servant to wash the feet of the world.“

After the mass, there was a procession to take the holy Eucharist to a side altar, and the whole sentry was stripped as a sign that the Lord has gone into his Passion, according to the bishop.

Longtime friends Gloria Butcher Gonzalez and Aurora Smith attended the mass.

“We begin our liturgical walk with the Lord through his last days as our savior and our king. We stand with him, not just in word or by mouth, but actually by action to become part of the celebration and part of the liturgy and part of the love that was poured out for us,“ Butcher Gonzalez said.

Although Butcher Gonzalez said she attends another church, she wanted to attend the mass at Immaculate Conception because it holds special ties to her family.

“I was baptized here,” she said. “My parents were married here, and in coming back to the cathedral there is such richness in being here during this special time.“

Flores said ceremonies would be held today, Good Friday, in honor of Passion Week.

“Most churches will have a station of the cross during the day and a solemn evening ceremony with the veneration of the cross, where the cross is exposed and people have a chance to participate in the veneration of the cross by kissing the cross,” Flores said.

SAN BENITO — After the abrupt dismissal of Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Salomon Torres, City Manager Manuel De La Rosa has assumed the duties as head of the EDC.

Following an executive session earlier this week, the City Commission voted for De La Rosa to assume the duties of EDC director and authorize him to hire an assistant to provide support, as needed.

Torres was dismissed from his position last Thursday.

The Cameron County District Attorney’s office confirmed this week that Torres is currently under investigation.

Neither Assistant City Manager Art Rodriguez or De la Rosa would comment on Torres’ dismissal citing it as a “personnel matter.”

Since Torres was a city employee, the city is in charge of finding a more permanent replacement.

However, De La Rosa said they have yet to make any moves regarding the hiring of a new EDC Director.

For now, De La Rosa will assume all duties and assignments of the position.

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HARLINGEN — Call center Qualfon has completed the renovation of the second floor at its Haines Drive offices, adding 363 new work stations as the company continues to expand its employment presence in the city.

The Qualfon site opened in May 2015 with around 150 employees and presently has about twice that many.

With the office workspace addition, they are in the process of hiring another 200 employees, Harlingen officials said.

“Qualfon is on track this week getting a temporary permit to move in,” Lyle Garza, commercial recruitment/retention manager and marketing director for the Harlingen Economic Development Corp., said earlier this week.

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