HARLINGEN – More than a half-dozen police agencies in Cameron and Willacy counties have failed to file 2015 racial profiling traffic stop reports by this week’s deadline.

The mandatory reports are filed with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, better known as TCOLE. The reports indicate whether a police agency may have been targeting certain racial or ethnic groups.

The largest police department not to file by Wednesday’s deadline was Raymondville. Police Chief Uvaldo Zamora did not return a call seeking comment.

Other police departments which did not have their annual report posted on the TCOLE website were Cameron County Constable, Precinct 4; Cameron County Park Ranger Division, Indian Lake Police Department, Laguna Vista Police Department, Rio Hondo Police Department and Los Indios Police Department.

For the rest of this story and many other EXTRAS, go to our premium site, www.MyValleyStar.com.

Subscribe to it for only $6.99 per month or purchase a print subscription and receive the online version free, which includes an electronic version of the full newspaper and extra photo galleries, links and other information you can’t find anywhere else.

BY Vicky Brito

BROWNSVILLE – Four groups from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Associated Professional, Relevant, Integrated Medical Education (A-PRIME) Transformation in Medical Education (TIME) students presented posters recently at the Innovations in Medical Education Conference, sponsored annually by the UT System’s six health science campuses.

The Innovations conference, held Feb 18-19 at the Common’s Learning Center on the J.J. Pickle Research Campus in Austin, includes nationally recognized speakers and local participants in the medical field.

Presenting from UTRGV were:

· Maria Abraham, Chelsey Abraham and Delilah Wahid – “Relationship between Academic Performance and Student Classroom Setting.”

· Carlos Flores and Jose Mario Rodriguez – “A student perspective on TIME curricula: A-PRIME vs. FAME (Facilitated Acceptance to Medical Education).”

· Imran Murtuza, Gonzalo Cedillo, Hector Filizola, Arvind Manojkumar and Albert Vasquez – “Selective Attention and Test Taking Approaches on the MCAT.”

· Florentino Saenz, Samantha Rocha, Alexis Villafranca and Deeksha Posani – “The Relationship between Stress Relief and Academic Performance.”

THE GROUPS

Maria Abraham serves as leader of her team, and their “Relationship between Academic Performance and Student Classroom Setting” poster addressed the differences in academic performance between students who had a technology-based education rather than those who had a “traditional” in-classroom education.

Dr. Maria Theresa Castañeda, lecturer in Health and Biomedical Sciences, had the idea for the research. The team tested two different groups of biomed students – traditional and tech-based. The groups were given the same final exam, and the results were compared.

Abraham said she was excited to be able to participate in the Innovations Conference.

“It was our first time going to something like that. We met many physicians and we were able to network with them,” she said.

The next step in their research will be to follow up with the tech-based students to see how they have improved and assimilated with their program.

Carlos Flores, serves as team leader and with his group did a comparison of UTRGV’s A-PRIME TIME and UT San Antonio’s Facilitated Acceptance into Medical Education (FAME) program. Both of these programs are part of the TIME initiative.

The group analyzed how the coordinating cohorts are developing their academic routines and evaluating the different curriculums.

Flores, who was presenting at an Innovations in Medical Education Conference for the second time, said he had always been curious about the differences in the two TIME initiatives.

“Attending the Innovations Conference was a really good opportunity to get my feet wet, in terms of knowing how medical education works and seeing it from a different perspective,” Flores said.

He will be graduating in May; his team partner, Jose Mario Rodriguez, graduated in December. Their research now will be continued by students who are part of the second biomed cohort.

Imram Murtuza serves as leader of the group that worked on “Selective Attention and Test Taking Approaches on the Medical College Admissions Test.” Known as the MCAT, the test is a critical part of the selection process for medical school.

“This poster is just to see different test-taking strategies toward the MCAT,” said Murtuza, whose group is part of the second cohort of biomed. “We’re going to be taking the MCAT pretty soon, and we got to thinking of strategies for taking the MCAT.”

Their different approaches to the test taking process included reading all passages, then doing the questions, reading the questions first the passages or taking it straight from beginning to end.

The biomedical students in Brownsville took the sample MCAT, which contained three passages with three questions for each passage.

“MCAT has been on everyone’s mind, we spent a semester brainstorming and coming up with a proposal,” Murtuza said.

This group was among the youngest of groups to attend the Innovations Conference.

“We got to learn a lot from the conference from all the various medical school and graduate schools that were present there,” Murtuza said.

The group got ideas from other conference participants on how to further expand their research to expand their sample to more participants.

The poster for Florentino Saenz’s group is titled “The relationship between stress relief and academic performance.” They conducted a stress survey using an online quiz, then they distributed SAT questions to their sample group of biomed students, and scored performance based on their results in both tests.

“We are still trying to conduct the actual experiment itself,” Saenz said. “After, we will give them a yoga module, the same stress test and a slightly altered version of the SAT questions.”

The next step for this group will be to gauge the amount of improvement and whether the yoga helped stress relief and, if it didn’t, why not.

“I didn’t want to do something that has been overdone,” Saenz said. “I feel the topic of looking into exercise and academic performance has been done, just not in the sense of a college environment.”

Saenz said this project provided valuable experience on the research process.

“Going to the Innovations Conference is an experience I would recommend to anyone who is interested in going to medical school,” he said, “not only because it provides amazing opportunities, but also because it allows students the opportunity to explore and learn about much more than the conference itself.”

The Flores-Rodriguez team was selected as a finalist at the conference; their poster was ranked in the Top 5 of more than 50 posters presented.

Will our area soon be taxed by the Port Isabel San Benito Navigation District (PISBND)? Currently those of us who live in this district pay no taxes, but this may soon end.

Presently, a request for an opinion by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is pending on a number of issues raised by the PISBND General Manager. The questions posed for opinion pertain to financing of dredging in and near the district, upgrading docks and roads, maintenance and operation of the Port, and possibly constructing different buildings or facilities at the Port.

The tax estimate could be as high as $.20/$100 valuation or as low as $.06/$100 valuation. This amount would be small for the average homeowner, but where and what would our tax money fund? In the opinion request, numerous times dredging is mentioned. It is stated that the tax funds could be used for “new” (virgin land) dredging of a Port Channel and providing for “maintenance” dredging for existing waterways in PISBND.

Does this mean that PISBND has plans for more dredging? If so, for what industrial purposes? What is the prime motivation at this time? LNG? Other fossil fuel exports?

With the dredging occurring for beach nourishment, the BND (Brownsville Navigation District) deep water port, and the proposed dredging for the 3 LNG Export Terminals now being reviewed for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), dredging may become a way of life to our area. Extensive and continuous dredging in our area to support heavy industry may eventually diminish the clarity of the water in the Laguna Madre leading to ecosystem collapse due to sea grass destruction.

Remember that up to 70 percent of the coastal sea grasses are found in our area. With the destruction of the sea grasses, the destruction of the ecosystem follows, and so goes the destruction of our local refuges and wildlife areas. Our area has limited natural resources and is a unique fragile ecosystem which should be preserved.

Diane Teter Laguna Vista

The VMS’s article on the Pope’s visit to Cuidad Juarez, “Open your hearts” had a paragraph about a sign put up by the Border Network for Human Rights that read, “#ImmigrantLivesMatter.”

All lives matter, not just Black lives or immigrant lives. What about all those killed by illegals that had been previously deported such as Houston police officers, Rodney Johnson, Henry Canales, Kevin Will, and Gary Gryder?

That’s from only one sanctuary city and does not include HPD officers that were wounded or seriously injured by illegals. To say nothing of the ordinary citizens that have died or been seriously injured by illegals all across the US.

Here in the Valley the accused killers of off duty Border Patrol Agent Javier Vega are also illegals that had been previously deported. The cost for the incarceration, prosecution and defense lawyers for just this one case?

The numbers I’ve been able to find are that on any given day there are anywhere from 150,000 to 200,000 illegals in US federal, state, county and local jails. The cost to tax payers is in the billions.

Not to mention the number of people that die every single day from heroin and cocaine overdoses or the number of lives ruined by drug addiction. I pray that it will not be a member of your family or mine.

I noticed that the Pope did not mention the insatiable appetite for illegal drugs in the US that keeps the cartels in business.

But I did notice that the Pope’s statement aimed at Donald Trump, “A person who thinks only of building walls … is not a Christian.”

Found that a little odd coming from a man that lives in Vatican City, surrounded by 39-foot walls and who is protected by an army of armed mercenaries, the Swiss Guard.

Also found it odd that he bashed a country that has very liberal “legal” immigration policies and that gives away billions to over 90 percent of the nations of the world in foreign aid.

I also found it very odd that the Pope made no mention of the 56 million aborted babies in the US alone. Do these totally innocent lives matter?

N. Rodriguez Harlingen

BY Carol Lutsinger is a NASA/JPL Solar System educator and ambassador Texas Space Grant Consortium collaborator and American Astronomical Society resource agent [email protected] Newspaper in Education

Although spring is officially a few weeks away, it is already in our Rio Grande Valley with trees budding out everywhere, wildflowers spreading color across the dry fields, and green row crops marching along dark Valley earth. So that means Leo the Lion is strolling up from the eastern horizon by 8:00 PM. This handsome member of the feline family is easy to find in a dark sky. The head is a large backward question mark or sickle like the one on the old Soviet flag. At the base of the head there is a large blue-white star known as Regulus. The star is bright, although not nearly as bright as Sirius in Canis Major, and marks Leo’s heart.

Jupiter is also within this constellation for a while; one of those ancient “guest stars” that puzzled ancient cultures. One can use the planet and constellation to locate the Leo Trio of galaxies near the small triangle that marks the haunch and tail region of Leo. The Astronomy Picture of the Day shows the area in beautiful color. The site is http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120615.html and if you look it up online you will be treated to quite a spectacle.

Using Regulus and Jupiter may also enable you to locate the Beehive Cluster in Cancer the Crab. Draw an imaginary line from Jupiter to Regulus and keep heading toward southwest aiming toward the zenith. The stars are faint and you will need dark skies and most likely decent binoculars. Our sky has become so light-polluted that many objects are becoming impossible to locate. Some recent structures are installing full cut-off fixtures but the glare off concrete just reflects up into the sky which defeats the purpose.

This time of year is ideal for observing Jupiter and its four Galilean moons. The nightly dance of the moons is intriguing and easy to accomplish with binoculars although a telescope is more effective. If you are a teacher and interested in a classroom activity replicating Galileo’s observation of Jupiter, contact me via the Solar System Ambassador website. There is a mission on its way to Jupiter, due to arrive in July this year. It has been traveling since 2011. The plan is for Juno to make 20 orbits of Jupiter, measure a variety of things, including the amount of water there. Follow the water is one of the mantras of robotic space exploration.

http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ will give you a specific time and location to see the ISS flyover any place on Earth. This week we have opportunities almost every day. With Scott Kelly coming home March 1 this might be a significant activity for your family. Use the clock on your phone to be absolutely sure to be out because times are exact to the second. The longest flyover will be Thursday, March 3, at 6:21 AM. The ISS looks like a moving star or airplane headlights moving a bit erratically across the sky. It will appear in the southwest, rise 61 degrees in the sky as it crosses towards the northeast and disappears. The following day it will appear 23 degrees above the horizon in the SSW, rise 48 degrees, and disappear in the ENE at 16 degrees. There are more but these are the longest; for more please do log in to the Spot the Station website. It is quite awe-inspiring to think there are fellow humans falling around the planet in microgravity performing experiments and completing tasks that will make our lives better on our home planet. You can explore via the NASA websites and learn for yourselves how amazing the endeavor is.

Until next week, KLU; you never know what you might see.

BROWNSVILLE — In a tight race for the Democratic Cameron County district attorney nomination, incumbent District Attorney Luis V. Saenz was able to garner enough votes in yesterday’s primary to survive a close challenge.

Saenz faced off against attorney and Brownsville Navigation District Commissioner Carlos Masso for the second time in recent years.

Saenz took the race, receiving 14,648 votes to Masso’s 13,856 votes. Saenz will face Republican candidate Jeremy SoRelle, who ran unopposed in the GOP primary.

Unofficial early voting results revealed almost level voting numbers for the two Democrats, with Saenz receiving 7,889 votes to Masso’s 7,703.

Saenz said he was pleased with the win and credited the victory to his strict stance on corruption, which he said cost him support.

“This is a great day for Cameron County; I’m glad the voters rejected the dirty campaign from my opponent,” Saenz said.

BROWNSVILLE — Cameron County residents will have to wait for the runoff election in May to learn who their next county judge will be.

The race boiled down to two candidates: Pct. 4 Commissioner Dan Sanchez and former Brownsville mayor Eddie Treviño Jr.

Unofficial numbers from all 102 precincts placed Treviño on top with 12,935 votes.

Sanchez earned 10,705 votes.

Whoever wins the runoff election will take over for only two years, since there is no Republican opponent, before needing to seek re-election.

Each candidate was in Brownsville last night waiting for the results at their respective campaign celebrations.

Sanchez said he felt great about his campaign and was blessed to receive the support he did. He expected a runoff.

“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.

Treviño said he was prompted to throw his hat into the ring after encouragement from the community. He said he was prepared for any outcome.

“We’re ready to hit the ground running tomorrow. We had a late start and didn’t have the funds to compete, but we had the energy and the drive to get to this point,” Treviño said.

Elizabeth “Liz” Garza, a political newcomer, said she ran because she felt Brownsville needed a new candidate, not someone who had served before.

Garza garnered 5,769 votes.

“The reality was that you had two candidates who either already hold office or have held it previously,” Garza said. “I believed the county was due for a change.”

Garza said she was excited to run and she learned a lot from the campaign.

Although she did not win the election now, she intends to run again when the term expires.

“Overall, I think we held our own. I wish we had more time to campaign, but being that this was our first county race, we didn’t realize how much time it takes away from work or family,” Garza said. “It was a good learning experience.”

RAYMONDVILLE — Willacy County District Attorney Bernard Ammerman and Raymondville attorney Annette Hinojosa appear headed for a May 24 runoff election.

Unofficial results show former longtime District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra failed to make the runoff.

Unofficial results showed Ammerman won 1,278 votes while Hinojosa picked up 1,031 votes.

Guerra fell short with 1,007 votes.

Ammerman, running for his third term in office, could not be reached for comment.

Hinojosa said voters are calling for a change.

“It appears about two-thirds of voters didn’t vote for Mr. Ammerman,” Hinojosa said.

“That tells you people want a change. They’re not satisfied with things as they are. I’ve got to reach out to more people.”

Hinojosa said she planned to focus her campaign on the Raymondville area to pull more votes for the runoff.

She said her strongest support came from her hometown of Lyford and the Sebastian and Santa Monica areas.

A longtime Raymondville attorney, Hinojosa served as a public defender in state District court, where she has represented defendants prosecuted by Ammerman and Guerra.

Ammerman, who was elected president of the Texas District and County Attorneys Association this year, has said he is running on his record as a prosecutor who helped bring down the county’s crime rate to a 10-year low, slashing violence crime by 43 percent.

Ammerman won election in 2008, going on to win a second term in 2012.

Guerra, who was first appointed to office in the early 1990s, served as district attorney from 1997 to 2008, when he lost a primary election.

CAMERON COUNTY — Incumbent Arturo Cisneros Nelson has won the race for Cameron County District Judge 138 in the Democratic primary.

With 14,819 votes, Nelson defeated Harlingen Attorney Sonia Herrera, who took 11,391 votes.

He does not face a Republican challenger in the general election in November.

Now that Nelson has been re-elected, he plans to continue working on creating systems that will bring about a more efficient administration of justice at the lowest cost to the county, according to his responses to a Valley Morning Star questionnaire.

“In Cameron County we have an exceptional group of judges that work together and I will continue to work with them to try and bring about changes that will make for a more efficient administration of justice,” he said.

Recently, Nelson has worked to bring direct filing to the county and save money. He hopes to finish that project in his new term.

HARLINGEN — Local attorney Gus Ruiz won the race for Cameron County commissioner Pct. 4 in yesterday’s Democratic primary.

He faces no Republican opponent in November’s general election.

Ruiz took 4,192 votes to Basilio Sanchez’s 2,049 votes.

“We see our voters come out and they give us thumbs up,” Ruiz said. “I’m very excited and humbled at the same time to see the amount of support I got.”

Ruiz said his first priority will be to review the precinct budget when he enters office and work to put up street lights in his precinct colonias on Military Highway.

“My goals are to work on our infrastructure in Precinct 4,” Ruiz said. “I’m going to focus on roads, maintenance on exiting roads and our drainage issues.”

The race opened up after Pct. 4 Commissioner Dan Sanchez declared his candidacy for Cameron County Judge.

“I will be an aggressive commissioner and work to unite the commission,” Ruiz said.

According to the Cameron County Commissioners Court budget for 2015 the Precinct 4 salary is $48,173.

Sanchez, 68, a Harlingen resident, said, “The people made their choice and I respect that.”

Sanchez said he has no plans of running for public office in the future.

Ruiz attributed part of his success to working hard in order to be successful from the training he received from the Marines.

Ruiz’s campaign volunteer, Tony Martinez, served with Ruiz in the Marines and said, “He will bring new ideas and a different type of energy to the precinct.”

Martinez said historically candidates who win the early vote win the race.

“We worked really hard every day and that’s what it takes to win,” Ruiz said. “We started the race in November. We attended a substantial amount of events, we knocked on a substantial amount of doors and we made a substantial amount of phone calls.”