Cameron County Republican sheriff candidate John Chambers’ name will not appear on the upcoming runoff ballot for the position.

An email sent out Thursday from Cameron County Republican Party Chair Morgan Graham to Chambers, she stated she had been presented with “a conclusive public document establishing” his “ineligibility to hold office of Cameron County Sheriff.”

Chambers, a candidate for Cameron County sheriff and former Indian Lake police chief, was found guilty of 14 counts of tampering with government records. Investigators said Chambers created false entries in government records concerning firearms qualification for some of his deputies on or about Jan. 13, 2015.

Now he is running for sheriff and is in a runoff election with Victor Cortez. Both were the top vote-getters in the March 1 election, beating out two others with the hopes to face off with incumbent Omar Lucio.

But, now it doesn’t look so good for Chambers.

Graham wrote in the email that because of the convictions, Chambers will be ineligible for licensing as a peace officer and thus cannot hold the office he is seeking.

“The Occupations Code prohibits your licensure even if your conviction is overturned on appeal,” she wrote. “Therefore, I am administratively declaring you ineligible to appear on the Republican runoff ballot for Cameron County Sheriff.”

Graham included in the email a document from Keith Ingram, the Elections Division Director of the Office of the Secretary of State.

Ingram’s letter appears to respond to a question regarding Chambers that was sent to the Secretary of State’s office.

“The conviction is currently on appeal and is therefor not final,” he wrote. “The question is whether or not this candidate can be declared ineligible to run for the office of sheriff by the county party chair.”

The letter states, Texas Local Government Code requires a person who wants to be sheriff be licensable as a peace officer. It also states that a person who has been “convicted” by a court of a felony is not eligible for a peace officer license regardless of whether the conviction is later dismissed.

“It is our opinion that a person who has a felony conviction is ineligible to serve as sheriff regardless of whether or not that conviction is final,” Ingram stated in the letter. “Therefore, under Texas Election Code 145.003, the candidate may be declared administratively ineligible based on court documents demonstrating the felony conviction.”

See more on this story in the VMS print edition and online later as it develops and more information is obtained.

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SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — Some would call Spring Break a college student’s rite of passage in joining their classmates on the beach for a week of freedom and fun.

“We’re very excited for Spring Break and we’re expecting more people than we’ve had over the last few years,” said Dennis Stahl, SPI city councilman.

The Island is ready to offer the experience to the thousands they are expecting this month.

College students from around the country will make their way to the Island and trade their books for swimsuits and a refreshment.

It appears the weather is going to be great for the many visitors expected to invade the Island.

One of many things that sets South Padre Island apart from other beach destinations is that drinking is allowed on the beach day and night.

And now that college football tailgate parties are a blur and finals are out of the way, students are ready to let loose.

Other popular beach destinations in Texas and Florida have banned or tightened up on alcohol consumption.

And now the Island is expecting to draw more people who would have typically traveled to Panama City Beach and Port Aransas for the break before those areas apparently banned beer or drinking on the beach at night.

“Kids are going to come down here, so we’re expecting a much bigger crowd then we’ve had in the last couple of years,” Stahl said.

According to city rental owners, hotels and rentals available are almost to capacity.

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HARLINGEN – The children gazed wide-eyed at the hog trudging past them just feet away.

“You see that thickness?” asked Joshua Garcia, 17, as a fellow Harlingen South FFA member led the hog past the third graders from Ben Milam Elementary School.

“That’s muscle,” Joshua said. “You know what muscle is? That’s meat.”

Joshua was one of 13 Harlingen South FFA students who were at the Harlingen Ag Farm yesterday teaching the children about FFA and livestock. They talked about feeding, grooming, bathing, clipping and showing. The information is especially relevant now with the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo opening today and continuing until March 20.

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Joshua pointed out the different breeds of hog, such as cross breeds, pink Durocs and black Hampshires with a band of white about the shoulders. Joshua gestured to one hog asleep in its pen and said, “This is a York. Yorks are completely white.”

Nearby, Isaiah Garza, a senior at Harlingen High School South, spoke to another group of third graders.

“We shave them right before the show,” said Isaiah, 17. “They have to be smooth for the judges to touch.”

The children watched in awe as an FFA member ran clippers across a hog’s back, while another gave his hog a good bath.

Throughout the presentation, the children were invited to step forward and pet the hogs. A jittery thrill swept through them as they waited their turns or went forward in groups.

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HARLINGEN – A muscular low-pressure system hurtled northward from Mexico, dropping a record 1.13 inches of rain on the city Wednesday and early Thursday morning.

That was the first significant rainfall here since the turn of the year.

The 1.13 inches of rain recorded at Valley International Airport tops the mark of 1.11 inches set exactly a year ago.

That was the official mark, although it seemed other areas of the city received more rain.

The last measurable rainfall in Harlingen was Jan. 2-3 when 1.18 inches of rain fell.

All of this wet-weather action was the result of an unusual pattern that drew heavy moisture out of the Gulf of Mexico and into South Texas, says Geoff Bogorad, senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Brownsville.

“This one just kind of broke away from the west-to-east flow that dominates, the westerlies as we call them … and drove that low farther south,” Bogorad said.

“It kind of broke away from the westerlies, and was very slow-moving, and that’s why we call it a ‘cutoff-low.’

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HARLINGEN — Not every college student coming through Valley International Airport this week is shuttling off to South Padre Island.

But most of them are.

Those who aren’t, are using the Harlingen airport as a transit point to Cancun. Puerto Vallarta is another popular destination this year, too.

No matter where they’re going, Tony Hinojos, station manager for Southwest Airlines, said bookings were up.

“We’ve been pretty busy, pretty busy. And of course you’ve got Holy Week coming up,” Hinojos said yesterday.

“We’ve experienced some oversells as well,” Hinojos added. “Not enough seats.”

Southwest at Harlingen is averaging almost 40 more passengers a day this year, which is 12.7 percent above this time last year, Hinojos said. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines also offer flights to and from Harlingen.

There’s nothing quite like a Valley airport on a pleasant spring day. The serious and determined business traveler has been replaced by the happy-go-lucky traveler who is going on vacation.

A few college students heading for Spring Break were at the airport yesterday, but the real Spring Break crush will start today with early weekend travelers arriving to use Valley International Airport as their springboard to either South Padre or Mexico.

Those who were passing through yesterday didn’t have time to chat.

The start of spring break, what with rushing to make flights and get to a hotel, is not the place where time can be wasted. That, no doubt, will come later.

“It’s going to be like almost a four-week thing,” said Jose Mulet, director of marketing for VIA, what with spring break and Holy Week overlapping this year.

The airport has prepared for the Spring Break rush this year, Mulet said, pointing out the new airport shuttles that will move travelers between Harlingen and South Padre Island.

In past years, visitors to South Padre Island during spring break have numbered more than 85,000 just in March. Those tourists have an economic impact on the Island and the Rio Grande Valley that’s in excess of $200 million annually, studies have shown.

Brownsville — Cameron County has created a new economic development and community affairs division in response to heightened economic activity that has not been seen in a long time, according to county officials.

The new division will be in charge of creating tax incentives, coordinating with other cities, marketing, promoting at different events, and organizing forums and seminars.

However, the commissioner’s court will still have the final say on what gets approved.

“We just want to make sure we have a presence, more than we have now, in that area,” County Administrator David A. Garcia said.

Cameron County officials looked at other county models to determine the best practices. Bexar County has an economic development director and a staff that works strictly for the division.

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RIO HONDO — The local nonprofit water supplier for Cameron and Willacy nabbed some funds to help better supply water service.

U.S. Representative Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded a Rural Development grant of $484,000 to the East Rio Hondo Water Supply Corporation.

“These USDA resources will allow East Rio Hondo Water Supply Corporation to continue enhancing water systems in South Texas,” said U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela. “I commend ERHWSC for their efforts to provide quality water to rural areas in the Rio Grande Valley.”

The grant funds will support improvements to the water system to help the utility meet standards set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

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Am I upset? Sure I am.

Recently, I went to a fundraiser for a young mother with a rare illness. She has her hardworking husband and three school children.

She needs to travel to Houston for treatment. Her wheelchair is in limbo at this time. If she does not get it, she will have to pay for it. Her insurance does not want to pay more. There are all kinds of reasons why she does not qualify for assistance, like they are homeowners, they have insurance and have to wait, etc.

The doctors should put her on disability, while a few blocks away, a big building has been remodeled for illegals and undocumented people that will have free shelter, free food, free clothing, free education, free transportation and above all, free medical assistance.

Is this fair?

While this young mother here in the U.S. does not receive any of those.

There are already two facilities for the illegals, one on Highway 77 and the other on the frontage road on Highway 83. They also have recreational areas for basketball, soccer and more.

Our Boys and Girls Club can hardly afford that for our children here in the U.S.

Am I upset? Sure I am.

Rosie Olivarez San Benito

On Tuesday, March 1, my wife and I went to the advertised voting place for precinct 20. They had both party’s ballots available and people were voting for both parties at that location.

I voted for my party. When my wife tried to vote for her party, which was different than mine, she was told she would have to go to another voting location. We never made it to the other voting location, so the party at that location lost her vote.

Whose bright idea was it to not allow both parties to vote at the same location for precinct 20? Don’t they know it costs them votes and voter goodwill?

Jack Clancy Rio Hondo

MERCEDES — The grounds at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show are buzzing with excitement in anticipation of the 77th annual event.

Beginning this weekend and running through Sunday, March 20, the stock show will once again bring professional rodeos to Mercedes, children’s events, cattle judging and showmanship at the event center arena as well as interesting new additions — such as greased pig scrambles to be held throughout the week — and a star-studded concert extravaganza.

Until then, Greg Bean, media coordinator for the stock show, said organizers are following the weather after early forecasts had thunderstorms potentially drenching much of the Valley this week. However, Bean said organizers are optimistic that any potential rain events will subside before the kick-off.

“The soft opening on Thursday looks iffy, but we’ll be fine for Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” Bean said.

Gates open at 4 p.m. Thursday and festivities officially begin Friday with judging events for the Junior Santa Gertrudis at 7:30 a.m.; Beefmaster at noon, Charolais at 2 p.m., Chianina at 3 p.m. and commercial heifers at 5 p.m.

Country music singer Granger Smith is scheduled to hit the rodeo arena stage at 7:30 p.m. that evening along with Earl Dribbles Jr. and special guests Matt and the Herdsmen.

“Granger Smith has the number one record in the country right now,” Bean said of Smith’s “Backroad Song” currently sitting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. “Then Saturday we’ve got Kyle Park and Justin Moore, so it’s more than we’ve had in the past.”

The Beefmaster open show begins at 8 a.m. Saturday along with area 4-H and FFA clubs presenting at the shop exhibits in the youth center. Judging events will continue that morning and throughout the day.

Serving as the official kick-off to the week’s events will be the annual livestock show parade, which is slated for 10 a.m. downtown Mercedes. The parade route will move north down Texas Avenue and into the show grounds.

Leading up to the big concert that night at the rodeo arena, which — as Bean mentioned — will feature Kyle Park and “You Look Like I Need a Drink” singer Justin Moore around 7:30 p.m., are all the events the nearly 300,000 people who attend the annual stock show have come to expect.

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