Regarding “Economic Benefits of undocumented workforce …” The first thing l noticed is that the author, Mr. Perryman has a long list of titles.

I can imagine people as himself looking at all types of data to try and justify what is now an effort by the wealthy and elitist to have “open borders” worldwide.

With technology swollening up jobs and corporations also moving south or overseas, how do Mr. Perryman and the Monitor editorial board see jobs being available for a quickly expanding population.

The poor, the uneducated, the sick, are much easier for the ruling class and elitist to manipulate. That seems to be the underlying goal.

Like Harlingen city leaders being more concerned about building a convention center instead of setting those monies aside for infrastructure improvements and repairs, such as somehow alleviating the downtown traffic problems caused by slow-moving trains.

Mr. Perryman along with most elitist, are more concerned about taking care of foreigners than US citizens.

Next topic of discussion for Mr. Perryman needs to be a defense for illegals and crime.

Illegals are zero financial benefit to the average American working class taxpayer, but they are a huge benefit to business and local governments.

N. Rodriguez Harlingen

HARLINGEN — In the end, “Sesame Street” was no match for “Baywatch.”

Harlingen-based KMBH-TV has replaced its PBS channel at 38 on the dial with a new channel called COZY-TV. The station will still broadcast PBS on Channel 38.1, and its RTV Musica channel at 38.2

The new channels are available on some cable and satellite providers. Whether the local PBS channel will be picked up by your provider is another story.

COZY-TV is affiliated with NBCUniversal, and its programming is going to be “80s and 90s programming, like ‘Baywatch,’” Carlos Rodriguez, CEO of station owner R Communications, said yesterday.

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As for PBS?

“We will continue to transmit PBS because we continue to be committed to the community,” Rodriguez said, “even though we are not receiving any funding from the Public Broadcasting Corp.”

The changes at the station are the latest in its transition following its purchase by R Communications, a San Antonio-based radio station chain, from RGV Educational Broadcasting for $8.5 million. RGV Educational Broadcasting is owned by the Catholic Diocese of Brownsville. That sale occurred in 2014 and was finalized in January 2015.

Allowing a PBS station to broadcast a commercial station on its primary channel is believed to be a first in the United States.

“Since the license for KMBH was sold by RGV Educational Broadcasting to R Communications in 2014, PBS has been working with all interested parties to guarantee that viewers in the community of Harlingen receive PBS over-the-air, and are made aware of the lineup changes,” Jan McNamara, senior director and senior strategist with PBS corporate communications, said yesterday.

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HARLINGEN — Dead-beat water customers drove them to it.

Harlingen WaterWorks System officials said yesterday that financial losses they were incurring due to final bills not being covered by initial deposits forced them to triple the cost of deposits from $50 to $150.

Those losses have been significant. Since 1997, officials said, the city-owned utility has lost $1.17 million due to customers quitting without fully paying their final bill. In 2015, losses totaled $83,433.32.

“The last deposit increase was in 1987, almost 30 years ago,” Nilda Sanchez, administrative assistant at Harlingen Water-Works, said yesterday.

“Since then, bills have increased, and the out-dated security deposits have not been sufficient to cover the final bill. If people owe $100 and the deposit was $50, we were having to write that off as a loss at the end of the year.”

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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

First of all let us take a moment to recognize the discovery of gravitational waves recently made public. The personnel at the UTB (now UTRGV) Physics and Astronomy department played an important role in the work. Hats off to all those who have dedicated years to searching for evidence of these elusive phenomena; well done!

Gravitational waves may be invisible but the stars are not. So, turn off the cell phone. Stop texting and do something unique this week. Go outside tonight after dinner and take a stroll down the street and look up a while. If you begin your walk facing the direction of sunrise, (more or less ESE at this time of the year), then look over your right shoulder and upwards to locate massive Orion standing almost due south. Although the stars that delineate him resemble a butterfly, don’t call him a butterfly. He is sort of like Muhammed Ali…he fights like a butterfly and stings like a bee. The red star in his right shoulder is Betelgeuse, a star so massive that if it were our Sun we could not exist. We would be inside it, along with Mercury, Venus, Mars, and the asteroid belt.

Once you have located this constellation let your eyes travel to the right of his right shoulder to find the pentagon of stars that is known as Auriga, the Charioteer. The golden brighter star of this constellation is named Capella, which means She-goat, and it represents a goat being carried by Auriga. A closer look may reveal a faint isosceles triangle to the right that represents twin kid goats; time for cabrito on the hunting trail?

There is a menagerie of animals in the night sky including bears, a giraffe, gazelles, lions, a swan, an eagle, a crab, a scorpion, dragons and sea monsters, dolphins, horses with and without wings, spiders and crows, and even a scorpion.

Then there are the people, royalty in the form of the Queen of Ethiopia, Cassiopeia who will probably be circling low in the WNW, while the Big Dipper asterism that is located in the hindquarters of Ursa Major will be swinging upwards from the ENE. These constellations always move in a circle about the North Star, Polaris, and so are known as circumpolar constellations. The Queen has a consort, King Cepheus whose star pattern resembles a crooked little house. It is located between Polaris and the W of Cassiopeia. As the world turns other star patterns emerge from the eastern horizon along with the five planets we have mentioned during the past few weeks. It is all there for your viewing pleasure. Perseus, Hercules, Andromeda, Ophiuchus, Boötes, the Gemini Twins, and then there is Luna/Diana to enjoy as well.

If all these names leave you confused, then you may want to visit the Resaca de las Palmas state park and World Birding Center on Friday February 26 for their night hike. Often there are astronomy students from UTRGV on hand to share telescope views of nebulae and the Milky Way.

Until next week, do let some stars get in your eyes.

HARLINGEN — As Harlingen South head coach Julian Robles put it: “It was a game of checkers.”

In the second of two games Robles and the Hawks made all the right moves and adjustments in the second half, as Harlingen South pulled out a 3-0 victory over crosstown rival Harlingen at Boggus Stadium Tuesday night.

“I was very glad to see that the boys can adjust to a number of game situations,” said Robles. “It was a very emotional game especially being the Bird Bowl because it’s always emotional. I think its going to help us out in the long run especially since some of our lettermen stepped up and did what they had to do.

“In this district these points mean a lot. It’s a tough district and right now we’re in a great position, and that’s what you have to do in this district, claw and scratch for points.”

Full story on RGVSports.com

HARLINGEN — After a scoreless full-time game and two extra time periods, Harlingen South found a way to win.

Down to the six kicker in a penalty shootout, Adia Hurtado was able to put some power behind her kick and give the Lady Hawks a crucial 0 (3)-0(2) win and a much-needed two points in a tough District 32-6A contest Tuesday night at Boggus Stadium.

But perhaps the biggest player on the night was goalkeeper Alicia Rodriguez, who came up save after save.

“Alicia is a super goalie,” said Harlingen South head coach Omar Pedroza. “Against Brownsville Lopez earlier in the year, she made some big saves and tonight she did the same.

“We practice penalty kicks, but again tonight it came down to the sixth person.”

Full story on RGVSports.com

HARLINGEN — People are finally paying attention to an old Exxon station.

The gas station has sat dormant and ignored for many years at Harrison Avenue and 77 Sunshine Strip.

But no more.

Not since the Harlingen school district purchased the property several months ago for $220,000.

Heavy equipment has arrived and piles of concrete reveal the locations of holes being dug to remove old gas tanks from the station.

School district administrators currently are discussing whether to create parking space, office space or to find some other use for the property.

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HARLINGEN — Lower interest rates could save the city “significant” amounts of money on bond payments.

In a meeting today, city commissioners will consider refinancing $3.27 million in bonds issued in 2006.

The bonds came with interest rates ranging from 4 percent to 4.25 percent.

But new interest rates under 4 percent would save “significant” money, Finance Director Elvia Treviño said yesterday.

Treviño said the city’s financial consultant will not have information on potential savings until she meets with commissioners.

Mayor Chris Boswell said officials would consider refinancing the bonds if it means substantial savings for the city.

“We’re not going to do it unless we can achieve savings that make it worthwhile,” Boswell said.

“If the interest rate is low enough to save money for the city, we’ll do it.”

In 2006, the city issued $3.27 million in general obligation bonds to fund street, drainage and sidewalk improvements, the relocation of a railroad right-of-way and fire department upgrades, city spokeswoman Melissa Landin said.

The bonds’ maturity dates range from 2018 to 2026.

PALM VALLEY — It appears residents of this small city would prefer to see a small piece of open land remain green space, rather than the creation of a fancy park.

But, there’s a donation waiting to build a park on the city-owned lot adjacent to Jack Nicklaus Drive on the southwest side of the city.

Longtime resident Rollins Koppel wants to fund a park in his city. It would be Palm Valley’s first and only official park.

However, a recent survey sent to 677 local residents and returned by 158, appears to show residents of the city and immediate area near the proposed park would rather it remain what it is — green belt or a bird and butterfly area.

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City Parks and Recreation Committee chair John Topp reported findings of the survey to the City Council last night prior to the vote.

“The purpose of the survey was to find out what they wanted to do with the property,” Topp said of the residents.

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