HARLINGEN — A festival for dogs and their owners is set for Saturday at the Harlingen Rotary Bark Park.

On Saturday, from 2 to 8:30 p.m. the Harlingen Rotary Club and the city of Harlingen will host its first Dog-On Festival for dog owners to come check out the Harlingen dog park.

There will be music, entertainment, and food vendor trucks at the afternoon event.

“The fest is open to the public and it’s to give awareness that we have a dog park,” said Tre Peacock, Rotary Club member. “It’s a relaxed event for families to bring their dog.“

The park is located at Victor Park at 1601 South M street.

The Bark Park in Harlingen is a place dog owners can unleash their pets and let them run.

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SAN BENITO – After more than six months of reconstruction, Shafer Road is now open to traffic.

Foremost Paving Co. completed the reconstruction of the San Benito road this week.

Finishing touches are being made, but motorists can now enter at either Williams Road or Paso Real. Some barricades are up due to the workers doing the final touches, but traffic should resume at a normal flow.

The $688,100 Shafer Road project required all drivers to use the Paso Real (also known as FM 509) entrance to get to Berta Cabaza Middle School and the Alameda Subdivision.

Now that it is completed the road will be a two-lane street that is 28-feet wide with curbs, gutters and a sidewalk.

BY Gail Fagan

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s fall 2015 enrollment of 28,584 students makes it the ninth-largest four-year public university in Texas, and the fourth-largest within The University of Texas System.

The enrollment figures, made available from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Fall 2015 Online Accountability System, also shows that UTRGV ranks No. 1 in total Hispanic enrollment among all four-year, public higher education institutions in Texas.

“These numbers are a good indication that the creation of UTRGV was good for the region,” said Susan Brown, assistant vice president for UTRGV Office of Strategic Analysis and Institutional Reporting and the former assistant commissioner for Strategic Planning and Funding for the THECB. “We are hoping that these numbers will continue to increase as we expand opportunities and more students understand that they can get a first-rate education in the Valley.”

Texas A&M University ranked No. 1 in total enrollment among Texas’ four-year public universities, with 58,515 students. Table 1 (below) lists other schools in the top 10 for fall 2015.

Within the UT System, UTRGV’s enrollment was behind only three other academic institutions – The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Arlington, and The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Table 2 lists the rankings of the fall 2015 total headcount enrollment within the UT System.

Of the 28,584 students enrolled at UTRGV in fall 2015, 25,382 (89 percent) were Hispanic, topping second-ranked UT-El Paso, where 18,624 of its 23,308 students enrolled in fall 2015 were Hispanic.

Statewide, the total enrollment of students for all four-year institutions of higher education in Texas was 619,284 – with 192,712 (31 percent) of them identified as Hispanic.

UTRGV Founding President Guy Bailey said the new university’s enrollment growth is a reflection of the value the Rio Grande Valley community places on learning and on higher education.

“We have so many talented students here, and as UTRGV provides increasing opportunities through additional academic programs and disciplines, we are confident our already substantial enrollment numbers will continue to grow. We are committed to developing a region-wide plan that will drive our success.”

UTRGV’s founding Strategic Plan will focus on four core priorities: student success, educational opportunity, research on issues important to the Rio Grande Valley, and medical education.

More than $80,000 was raised and distributed to 21 Valley nonprofits on Thursday, said an official with AIM Media Charities, which spearheaded the effort.

“In its second year, AIM Charities has established itself as a middle man — bringing together donors and local charitable agencies as both strive to make a difference in the lives of the people in our community,” said Stephan Wingert, publisher of The Monitor.

AIM Media Texas, which began the charitable arm, owns The Monitor, the Valley Morning Star, the Brownsville Herald and the Mid-Valley Town Crier — all of which ran a campaign in December and January featuring the charitable organizations and soliciting donations on their behalf.

AIM Charities absorbed all administrative costs related to the fundraising efforts so that 100 percent of the donations made went to a beneficiary agency, Wingert said at a check-distribution ceremony held at the McAllen Chamber of Commerce building.

In two years, Wingerts said, AIM Charities has facilitated the raising of more than $190,000 that was then distributed to dozens of nonprofits throughout the Rio Grande Valley.

Among the businesses that contributed to the latest fundraising efforts were:

• Plains Capital Bank
• Vantage Bank
• Edwards Abstract Title Co.
• Charles Clark Chevrolet
• Clark Knapp Honda
• IBC Bank Brownsville
• IBC Bank McAllen
• Doctors Hospital at Renaissance
• Lone Star National Bank
• Valley Baptist Health Systems
• Wells Fargo Bank
• South Texas College

HARLINGEN — Living healthier. For some, taking that path begins with losing weight. It may not be easy, but, it can be done. And, for a certain group of individuals, surgical weight loss can be a launching pad for the new, healthier you!

The Surgical Weight Loss Program at Harlingen Medical Center will host a Spring Surgical Weight Loss Information Seminar to help educate the community on what surgical weight loss is, what it can do for your health, and how it can positively impact your life in the future! Dr. Carlos Barba, General Surgeon and Partner-In-Care to Harlingen Medical Center, will lead the Information Seminar scheduled for Monday, March 7, 2016 at 5:30 p.m., in the hospital’s Medical Office Building (MOB) Conference Room, located at 5505 S. Expressway 77 in Harlingen.

“Weight loss is something many people are looking to accomplish for themselves,” said Manny Chacon, Director of The Surgical Weight Loss Program at Harlingen Medical Center. “Many are looking to lose weight, with the assistance of surgical weight loss, simply because they want to be healthier, more physically active, and they want to improve their overall quality of life.”

The Surgical Weight Loss Program Information Seminar will feature an in-depth PowerPoint presentation featuring:

1 of 2

– General overview of program

– Surgical procedures offered

– Available management/guidance through the program

– Available nutritional management/guidance through the program

– Nutritional management/guidance after the surgery

– Financing options available for the procedure

– Exercise regimen after the surgery

– Available support group after the surgery

Those who attend the information seminar will also be given the opportunity to ask questions and receive immediate feedback regarding the program, procedure, nutritional guidelines, exercise regimen, financial assistance and more.

The Surgical Weight Loss Program at Harlingen Medical Center offers the laparoscopic adjustable band, the laparoscopic gastric sleeve, and the roux-en-y gastric bypass, which are available to men, women, and young adults.

“The ideal candidate for surgical weight loss is someone who is a minimum of 100-pounds over their ideal weight; suffers from comorbidities, such as: Type II Diabetes, hypertension, and/or osteoarthritis,” said Chacon.

“There are a number of qualifying factors that someone looking to have surgical weight loss should meet before they consider this path. This is a serious procedure, which gives people a tool to begin their weight loss journey, but, there are serious matters to consider before one chooses surgical weight loss.”

According to bariatric experts, surgical weight loss is ideally for someone who has a need to resolve medical problems related to obesity. That is because surgical weight loss has shown that it can improve the health status of a patient. In some instances it has shown to dissolve diabetes altogether. It has also shown to dissolve hypertension.

And, if the patient follows specific dietary, exercise and vitamin instruction, it can have great benefit to the patient’s overall health.Surgical weight loss is designed to alter the anatomy of a patient’s stomach, limiting their ability to in-take food.

With the laparoscopic adjustable band a ring, also known as a band, is placed around a portion of the stomach in order to restrict the in-take of food.

This creates a smaller stomach pouch — allowing for lesser food in-take; helping the patient reduce their weight.

With the laparoscopic gastric sleeve, 80% of the stomach is removed surgically — creating a smaller stomach pouch that is then stapled.

The newly created smaller stomach pouch will allow for lesser food in-take, helping the patient reduce their weight.

With the roux-en-y gastric bypass, a portion of the stomach is removed and the remaining small pouch is connected to a portion of the small intestine, where most of the calories and nutrients are absorbed, causing the patient to lose weight.

“The goal of our surgical weight loss program is to improve the patient’s health, quality of life and life span, by inducing weight loss,” said Chacon. “Through our program, the patient will also be able to improve self-image and cosmetic appearance, while moving forward with a new healthier life.”

The Surgical Weight Loss Program at Harlingen Medical Center features multidisciplinary support before, during, and after surgery.

Comprehensive pre-surgical evaluation and physical, sophisticated surgery and post-operative follow-ups, help transform the health and life of the patient.

The program and resources combined with the highly experienced staff at Harlingen Medical Center will give patients the best opportunity for successful long term weight loss and improved health.

If you would like to attend The Surgical Weight Loss Program Information Seminar, please RSVP to (956) 365-1140 or at [email protected].

To learn more about surgical weight loss, or Harlingen Medical Center, log on to www.HarlingenMedicalCenter.com.

The race for county judge will continue.

Cameron County residents in May must decide between Pct. 4 Commissioner Dan Sanchez or former Brownsville mayor Eddie Treviño Jr.

Treviño was the frontrunner Tuesday night, according to unofficial numbers, having secured 12,935 votes. Sanchez followed behind with 10,705 votes.

Treviño said he was pleased with the support his campaign had received from the county and he is ready for the runoff election.

“We’ll work even harder. If there’s something we can do, we’ll do it. If there’s anyone we haven’t talked to, we’ll talk to them. We’re not leaving any stone unturned,” he said.

Treviño said he feels confident about his campaign but he does not see it as a reason to slack off.

“I feel very confident about where we are at and where we are headed but we are going to have to start all over again and make sure our supporters get out to vote ,” he said.

Treviño said he feels one of the biggest issues that needs addressing is the lack of communication between the county and the city of Brownsville . He cited the West Morrison Road dispute as an example of that.

“The city has been waiting to build on that land for 20 years and the county is sending cease-and-desist letters? It’s an indication that county leadership is severely lacking. The court is not working for its constituents,” said Treviño, a former Brownsville mayor.

Sanchez could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon. Tuesday night he said he was not surprised about the results.

“It’s kind of what I expected. With the vote split among three of us, I didn’t think anyone would have a majority. I thought we’d be a little closer, but hey, we’re in there,” Sanchez said.

At a forum hosted by the Brownsville/South Padre Island Board of Realtors on Feb. 18, Sanchez advocated for regionalism with a single Rio Grande Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization and more infrastructure and transportation projects, such as a light rail system that could connect the Valley.

Whoever takes office will only serve for two years before he must campaign for re-election.

HARLINGEN — Most people watch television daily, and candidates were betting on it to send voters their message to give them an edge in the primary.

Cameron County judge and district attorney races were neck-and-neck, and some of those candidates bought television advertisements and others didn’t.

“Television is very expensive unless you have an unlimited budget,” said Carlos Masso. “It’s important to have a marketing plan for the campaign and it includes television to reach the audience who don’t read the newspaper.”

Masso lost his bid for Cameron County district attorney to incumbent Luis Saenz.

“We put a few ads in each channel,” Masso said. “Some people like to watch Channel 4, some people like to watch Channel 5.”

Masso’s opponent did not buy any television from the top news channels.

“What I spent on TV ads is based on the contributions that I received,” Masso said. “I think the expense is justified.”

Masso spent $14,598 for 43 spots.

He called the spending in the Cameron County races peanuts compared the Hidalgo County political races.

The top race in Hidalgo was the congressional district 15 seat left open by Ruben Hinojosa.

Of the five candidates in the race to be Hinojosa’s successor only two candidates bought television advertisements.

Vicente Gonzalez won that race. The seat has only been filled by seven men since 1903.

It cost Gonzalez, as he spent $103,058 between all three Valley English channels for a total of 404 spots.

Advertising on TV takes big bucks and when political season comes around it can work wonders to get a message to voters.

For some candidates it’s a must and for others, well, it can be too expensive.

Of the three Valley channels, KRGV 5, KGBT 4 and KVEO 23, each sold spots to candidates at all levels.

Some candidates focused their advertising dollars with one channel and others with all three.

Television adversements mattered to Dan Sanchez. In his bid for Cameron County judge he spent $23,670 for 69 spots of advertising. His opponents didn’t get any TV ads on KVEO, KGBT, or KRGV.

Hillary Clinton bought spots on all three Valley stations.

Hillary for 2016 got a bang for her buck. Her campaign took out $110,735 worth of ads in the Valley on all three stations for 333 spots from the time early voting started and into the primary election.

Her opponents in the Democratic Party focused on other media markets.

Donald Trump spent a substantial amount in the Valley between the three stations with $56,770 for 156 spots. The only otherRepublican presidential candidate to advertise in the Valley was Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. He spent $21,300 with KVEO 23.

Cruz won Texas and Trump didn’t, so television isn’t always the answer to winning a political race.

SAN BENITO —Police Chief Martin Morales has announced his plans to step down.

And now city commissioners have made the necessary moves to accommodate that request.

At a regular city commission meeting Tuesday night, commissioners moved through the first reading of an ordinance that, if approved, would provide changes in the number of budgeted and authorized positions at the rank of lieutenant in the police department.

The change would ultimately create a new position for Morales, which is what he desires.

A second reading is required for adoption and approval.

No one has replaced Morales, yet. He will continue in his chief’s position until he officially steps down.

Morales announced last week that he would be stepping down from his position as head of the department with hopes to take on a new role within the department.

Morales said he looks forward to his role as an officer with the department.

“I love the city and want to continue being productive as a police officer, but it is time for me to slow down a bit. I am happy that the city will allow me to continue serving as a police officer, however I wish to continue pursuing my educational goals and look forward to completing my degree in December,” he said.

The changes come as Morales completes 28 years of service in the city’s police department and five years as chief.

“This comes at Mr. Morales’ request,” said City Manager Manuel De La Rosa in a recent press release.

“We met to discuss the proposal and he said he wished to step down, but continue to serve the department and city in other capacities.”

“The city commission is expected to consider adoption of a resolution that creates a lieutenant position for Morales. Until that time, he will continue serving as police chief of operations,” De La Rosa said.

The San Benito Police Department currently employs 43 sworn officers, along with eight civilian staff members.

City officials will not pick a replacement until Morales officially steps down.

HARLINGEN — He did it.

Brandon Salas, 16, delivered a powerful original oratory last week at the Harvard Invitational Meet.

The oratory, which he wrote himself, addressed the issue of people working increasingly faster. His performance so moved the judges it placed him in the top 60 out of 266 competitors from across the United States. The “Top 60” was referred to as the “octofinals.”

Brandon, a junior, was one of six students in the Harlingen High School’s Speech Drama and Debate Team who competed in the event last week in Boston. Four of them placed: Brandon Salas, James Montelongo, Irene Tyler and Grant Burbach. James, 17, and Irene, 16, also placed in the octofinals. Students further competed for placement in the top 30, the top 15 and the top 7.

Brandon was something of a comeback kid. He hadn’t placed in the previous event, and yet he’d returned from Harvard a success.

“I shot forward,” he said, to the chuckles and words of congratulations from his teammates.

Tasha Kneis, their sponsor and coach, was pleased with the students’ success.

“It’s the best year ever,” said Kneis, who also teaches speech, drama and debate.

“This is my third year, and every year they’ve just progressively gotten better,” she said.

Grant, 16, placed in the quarterfinals for his performance in “congressional speaking,” qualifying him to compete in the Tournament of Champions in Kentucky April 30 to May 2.

The humorous interpretation event presented quite a challenge to James Montelongo, a junior. He was sent a humorous interpretation skit called, “Drop Dead Gorgeous” which he had to perform before the judges.

“There were mostly women in it,” said James, 17, adding the story was about four women going to a pageant.

He had to create caricatures of stereotypes, and he suddenly, as if on cue took on the persona of one of his characters.

“I want to be like Diane Sawyer,” he said, changing the tone and even the personality of his voice.

His actual performance seemed even more comical by him wearing a black suit. He broke into a rapid succession of wacky facial expressions. His eyes tripled in size as he threw his arms into the air, then he frowned angrily as he pointed his hands toward the audience. Then he was all smiles as his arms went out to his sides.

“I was competing against six to eight people in a room,” he said. “There were no props.”

Irene and Grant, both sophomores, took on the challenges of defending political issues against heated disagreement. Irene competed in the “Junior Varsity Lincoln-Douglas” event. Her resolution was, “In the United States, private ownership of handguns ought to be banned.”

She also enjoyed the challenge of debating her resolution.

“We were debating with different people in each round on both sides of the resolution,” she said. “We were arguing on both sides.”

Grant, who competed in the “Congressional Debate” event, delivered a speech on a related matter about banning the purchase of automatic weapons.

He fielded a barrage of questions during a two-minute period.

“Even if banning automatic weapons wouldn’t solve the problem, is doing something better than doing nothing?” someone asked.

“How will taking no action be different?” he answered. In other words, the same result. No result.

The questions came in rapid-fire, allowing not even a millisecond to prepare for the next question. He said one of the reasons he made it through the session was because he had thoroughly researched the topic and was ready with a response to any question.

“I give a lot of speeches,” said the sophomore. “I keep up with all that. I know my speech.”

He, like the others, feels proud. They all have more confidence for the Texas Forensics Association State 2016 in Austin.

So it is that a significant amount of both intellectual and artistic talent continues to spill out of the classroom at HHS which is beginning to look like a crucible of creativity, with the depth and substance necessary to produce something real.

OLMITO — Victor Cuellar had two choices.

The junior at the South Texas Academy for Medical Professions could sit in class and study. Or, he could join his classmates for some real life experience tending patients at a local medical facility.

Victor, 17, chose the latter.

“I just wanted more experience in the field,” he said. “I wanted to go off site and spend more time with people.”

This is the first year juniors at the Medical Academy have worked with health care professionals to gain real life experience. They all seemed pretty psyched about the experience — they’ll be doing it once a week — and it all started with a phone call.

“Sunshine Haven approached us to see if we could have our students go out there and help them for volunteer hours,” said Hanani Vasquez, health science instructor. Among her other responsibilities, she works closely with the juniors going out in the field.

Sunshine Haven, Inc., is an end of life care facility which relies heavily on volunteers.

The Medical Academy is part of the South Texas Independent School District, a system of six magnet schools which serve Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties.

Vasquez thought volunteering at Sunshine Haven would provide a good opportunity for juniors in the “Practicum in Health Science” class. She said 108 students are participating in the off-site clinicals. The school plans to continue the program for juniors each year, laying the groundwork for more specialized clinicals when they become seniors.

“They learn how to interact with patients,” Vasquez said. “They learn how to talk to them, how to answer them.”

When students become seniors, they shadow medical professionals in hospitals, labs and other health care facilities. Vasquez said experience in their junior years will help them overcome any apprehension about touching the patients.

Helping patients with so many needs can seem a little daunting.

“I was nervous,” said Magnolia Cruz, 17. “The patients, you could obviously tell they were very frail.”

The experience made her more devoted to caring for patients.

Amanda Figueroa, 16, also seemed endeared by the experience.

“I went there in the morning and I got to feed them,” she said. “One was too weak. I got to help bathe one of them.”

As Vasquez said, talking to patients in a specific manner is a crucial part of medical care. The students had plenty of opportunities to practice those skills.

“We had fun talking to the patients,” said Dante De Leon, 17. “We got to know them. We gave them comfort.”

The young students seemed remarkably composed about the patients being near death.

“I tried to put my emotions aside and give the patient the best care possible,” Amanda said.

All the students felt the patients were happy to see them.

“They seemed happy,” Magnolia said. “One patient sat up when I was feeding her. She had all her food.”

Simple pleasures can make all the difference in the world for the sick and dying. The young juniors with their joyous health and energy seem to have become moments of light and laughter.