HARLINGEN — The Battlebots are ready to launch!

And they’re getting an extra boost from a grant awarded to Travis Elementary School where their launch pad is located.

The Battlebots, six young second and third graders at Travis, have been meeting regularly to design their first robot. A $2,000 grant from United Launch Alliance is giving them some extra juice to move forward.

“I’m excited,” said Alayna Lopez, 8. She struggled a moment for another word to more adequately explain how she felt. Then, shrugging lightly, she said, “There’s no other way to say that.”

ULA has been offering grants to support the district’s STEM programs for quite some time. A grant was offered to the elementary schools, and the district decided which schools would receive the funding. Travis and Zavala elementary schools made the cut, said Alicia Noyola, chief academic officer. Zavala Elementary also will be getting $2,000.

“It was the depth of their programs, how they would use the funding to promote STEM education,” Noyola said.

Because the Battlebots are in the Junior FLL, this year they are simply learning how to build simple structures, said their coach, Alessandra Perez. FLL stands for FIRST Lego League. FIRST stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.”

FLL Junior is for children ages 6 to 9 years old. FLL is for students up to high school. There are other versions of FLL, such as the FIRST Tech Challenge.

The Junior FLL’s challenge this year is “Waste Wise,” which asks children how the problem of trash, such as paper, discarded batteries and plastic bottles, can be addressed.

As part of their preparation for the challenge, the students are learning the basics of robotics and researching the problem of waste disposal.

“We’re teaching them about simple machines and how they work,” Perez said.

Alayna likes the challenge.

“It’s good because we are focusing on helping the environment,” said Alayna, president of the Battlebots. “Cities use a lot of trash. We’re going to make a trash helper. We haven’t built anything yet.”

She and fellow club member Jeremiah Montemayor, a second grader, are already thinking about how the robotics program can impact their future.

“We’re in the Junior FLL from first to third grade,” said Jeremiah, 8. “From fourth to high school it’s FLL.”

“And it goes up to high school,” Alayna added. “Sometimes you can get scholarships.”

Perez and Diana Garcia are both coaching the team.

Perez said the children will use Legos to construct a model of a city to show what happens when people don’t dispose of trash properly.

At this stage of the game, they aren’t competing. They are gaining experience showing their work.

Those students who become part of the FLL next year will have the chance to build a robot.

So it appears that this year is the launch pad for greater discoveries in the coming years. That pad is being constructed through club activities in which the students are learning about robots and presentation. The following year they’ll begin building bigger and better robots, and from there…who knows?

EDINBURG — The man suspected of killing a McAllen woman more than 50 years ago was arrested yesterday.

John Feit, a former priest with Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, was arrested by the Texas Rangers, Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office investigators and McAllen police in Arizona. He was never charged with killing 25-year-old beauty queen Irene Garza in 1960, but was widely accused of the crime.

District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez con-firmed his office presented the case to the grand jury last Thursday, and it came back with an indictment.

“We had kept it quiet as much as we could — we sealed the indictment,” he said.

Rodriguez said the next step is to see whether or not Feit will contest his extradition to Texas or waive it.

“We would have to get a governor’s warrant. It usually happens even if it’s contested,” Rodriguez said.

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HARLINGEN — Officials have selected the $14 million convention center as the city’s only project to be funded through property tax revenue generated within three tax zones.

The proposed 43,000-square-foot center, to be built alongside an upscale 150-room hotel, has be-come the latest project to be funded through three tax increment financing reinvestment zones. The project likely puts millions of dollars of street and utility projects on the back burner.

Last month, officials added the convention center project to a list of 94 street and utility projects to be funded through property tax revenues generated within the three incremental zones.

Now, the construction project has become the “priority” among the other projects with total costs listed at about $63 million.

As such, the convention center project would reduce funding from the street and utility projects within the tax increment zones that include work along Rio Hondo Road, Whalen Road, Brazil Road and an Arroyo Colorado bridge project.

Tax law allows the city to fund the construction project through the three tax increment financing reinvestment zones because the convention center would benefit the city’s overall economy, according to city-contracted tax attorney Pete Smith.

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HARLINGEN — The Valley’s transportation infrastructure was on display last week during an intensive, four-day visit by the chair of one of the Texas Legislature’s most powerful committees.

Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, heads up the Transportation Committee.

“He dedicated an entire day to Cameron County,” County Judge Pete Sepulveda Jr. said yesterday. “We went over road projects, rail projects, bridge projects and future projects. It was very well-invested time.”

Nichols came to the Valley fresh off a major political success in getting voters to pass Proposition 7 in November. That measure, which passed with 83 percent support, will supply funding to the State Highway Fund from two tax revenue sources: the sales and use tax and the state motor vehicle sales and rental tax.

That new funding could pay off eventually for Valley projects.

The Valley’s transportation infrastructure is unique enough to take four days to see it all, said Sepulveda and Julian Alvarez, president and CEO of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership.

“We talked to him about how we’re going to have six modes of transportation in Cameron County,” Sepulveda said, “highway, rail, airport, seaport, gas transmission lines and we’re going to have space.”

And Nichols, Sepulveda noted, was an engineer before entering politics, and that made him more knowledgeable and appreciative of not just the Valley’s past and current projects, but its future economic development plans.

Among the projects he was introduced to was the West Rail Project.

“He looked at the rail going into Mexico, the West Rail Project — that’s huge,” Alvarez said. “It’s been over 103 years since we had rail there.”

In addition to the West Rail Bridge located about 15 miles upriver from the B&M International Bridge in Brownsville, Valley officials took the senator to the Port of Brownsville, the desalination plant in Brownsville, and gave detailed briefings on SpaceX, the second causeway to South Padre Island and the local status of the I-69 project linking the Valley with Texarkana and ultimately Port Huron, Mich.

“We want that I-69 corridor done,” Alvarez said.

Sepulveda, for one, felt the Valley presented itself well during the tour by Nichols.

“Hopefully, when we go before his committee or the state Legislature, we can get funding for our projects now that they’ve seen first-hand what we’re working on,” Sepulveda said.

Both Sepulveda and Alvarez stressed the tour given to Nichols was a concerted effort by officials from all cities and counties.

“We’re starting to work together in the region,” Sepulveda said. “The Valley’s one big metro area, whether we like it or not. You’re going to see us start regionalizing our efforts in transportation, education and economic development.

“As long as we continue to work together, we’re going to have unlimited growth potential here in the Valley.”

EDINBURG — Facebook will look a little different for Mid-Valley residents accustomed to seeing local political activity on their newsfeed.

At least now that a settlement reached on Monday in Precinct 1 Hidalgo County Commissioner A.C. Cuellar Jr.’s defamation lawsuit will prohibit one of his most vocal critics from making any comments about the elected official on the social media website.

According to the terms of the agreement, Laguna Vista resident Mike Jones cannot post any comments about Cuellar on Facebook until May 2. Also, Jones was given until 8 a.m. Tuesday to delete previous remarks that allegedly hurt the commissioner’s business and reputation.

The comments in question allegedly accused Cuellar of fraud, bribery and for being under FBI investigation as well as repaying campaign contributions by “diverting” $4.5 million to Pharr.

If the terms are satisfied, Cuellar will drop his lawsuit, which seeks anywhere from $200,000 to $1 million in damages, but will not waive future defamation claims.

“I’m okay with it,” Jones, a Donna native and longtime Weslaco resident, said of the terms before referencing the upcoming March Primary, in which Cuellar is being challenged by David Fuentes. “I’ve been after it for three years, and I think the better man will win the election on March 1.”

Jones took to Facebook shortly after the hearing to contend that he stands by “every post, comment and like I have ever made.” Jones’ comment went on to explain that he agreed to delete the posts associated with the lawsuit “not because they weren’t true but simply because this fight has taken a toll on my family who I love dearly…”

And before calling the settlement a “victory” for his family, Jones added, “My voice has not been silenced…”

Attorney Ruben Peña, who took over for Jones, Galligan, Key & Lozano LLP as Jones’ representation in the case, said his client has also agreed to refrain from posting about the office of Pct. 1 and Cuellar’s campaign.

“One of the main things is the attorneys for Commissioner Cuellar recognized that if we couldn’t settle it today, this was going to be a long-drawn-out process, and we were prepared to go to the Court of Appeals and take this up with them,” Peña said following Monday’s proceedings. “But for my client, I think this has really put to bed what I would call a very exhausting and trying situation.”

Prior to the settlement agreement, Jones had filed a subpoena requesting Cuellar’s personal and business-related financial statements dating back to 2010; as well as contracts between the commissioner’s business, J-III Concrete, and the cities of Weslaco, Mercedes, La Villa, Edcouch, Elsa, Donna, San Juan, Progreso and Hidalgo County.

The agreement, however, did not require Cuellar to produce the documents.

When asked how Jones benefits from the agreement, Peña said, “We get the whole lawsuit dismissed.”

Peña began representing Jones on Monday following the recent withdrawal of the latter’s previous legal counsel — Jones, Galligan, Key & Lozano LLP. This came after Cuellar’s attorney, Armando M. Guerra of Armando M. Guerra & Associates, filed a motion to disqualify Jones, Galligan, Key & Lozano LLP for either currently representing or “in the very recent past” had represented the commissioner.

“In fact, we believe Jones, Galligan, Key & Lozano LLP has represented A.C. Cuellar Jr. in various capacities for approximately 20 years,” a statement from Guerra read. “We believe that this (Jones, Galligan, Key & Lozano LLP’s representation of Cuellar) causes a conflict of interest with their continued representation of Michael Jones in the suit involving A.C. Cuellar Jr.”

Monitor staff writer Kristian Hernandez contributed to this report.

On Wednesday, the city of Harlingen approved several changes to current animal ordinances. There has been mass confusion regarding the new ordinances. Please allow me to clarify the changes.

Effective on Jan. 1, 2017 all dogs and cats are required to be microchipped. No one will be going door to door checking your pets.

The fines are only for “Animals Running At Large.” If your pet is caught running at large and is not spayed or neutered, the fines will be much higher for those animals. The fine for the first offense will be $266 with the option to be reduced by $200 if you chose to spay or neuter your pet.

If you choose not to spay or neuter your pet on that first offense and your pet is caught running at large again the fine will be $316 and goes up for each additional time the pet is caught, going as high as $2,000. These are the animals roaming the streets breeding at will – a major source of all animal shelters problems.

The Humane Society of Harlingen did not ask for mandatory spay/neuter, as we would rather educate than mandate. We feel the mandatory micro-chipping is in the animals’ best interest. The faster we can locate the pet’s owner will help cut down on euthanizing, as when we take in a new animal one must either must be adopted or put down.

Another is the number of animals residents in city limits are allowed to have has been raised from three to five. This includes indoor and outdoor pets. However TNR cats or Community Cats that are ear-tipped (indicating they have been spayed/ neutered) are no longer required to have id tags and do not count as owned cats.

If you have any questions regarding any of these new ordinances please give us a call at 956-425-7297 and we will be happy to answer any questions.

Thank you,

Pat Turman-White

President, Humane Society of Harlingen

956-245-6523

HARLINGEN — When Gerardo Casillas opens his door at night, he might see as many as 30 javelina grazing near his front yard.

“You come out and it smells like javelina — there’s so many of them,” Casillas said yesterday outside his home at Parkview Terrace.

Since about November, javelina have climbed from the banks of the Arroyo Colorado to graze off fallen acorns in this neighborhood off Ed Carey Drive.

“A lot of javelina come through here,” said Casillas, a businessman who lives at the neighborhood’s entrance. “They get hungry and they come here.”

First, neighbors built a 6-foot-high wooden fence to keep them out.

But then the herd entered through the neighborhood’s entrance across the road from Hugh Ramsey Nature Park.

“We’re overrun by javelina,” neighbor Susan Mann told city commissioners in a meeting last week.

Now, city officials are working with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to keep the wild boar out of the neighborhood.

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HARLINGEN — The Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce will host a “Meet the Candidates” Mixer for all those vying for Cameron County judge.

The mixer will take place on Thursday from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Chamber, 311 E. Tyler Ave.

All candidates for Cameron Country judge have been invited to participate. Candidates who have been invited include: Dan Sanchez, Eddie Treviño Jr. and Elizabeth “Liz” Garza.

The Chamber believes in a well-informed and politically engaged business community. This is an opportunity for the voters of Harlingen to learn more about the candidates and their views.

The Harlingen Chamber does not advocate for or support any particular candidate. The goal is to keep the entire business community informed on issues. Information regarding the “Meet the Candidate” Mixer is being distributed to Chamber members via the Chamber Connect weekly e-newsletter and subsequent e-blasts.

The event is free and open to Chamber members. For more information contact the Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce at 956-423-5440.

RIO HONDO — Driving blindfolded in a golf cart isn’t easy, but it was a lot of fun for some Winter Texans at their annual Mardi Gras fundraiser yesterday.

With his hands on the wheel and foot on the pedal, Jerry Braner was behind the wheel of his cart blindfolded.

His goal, to navigate through a short course of arranged roadway cones. He couldn’t see where he was going; all he was using for direction were Herb Bohnhardt’s vocal signals telling him when to turn right or left.

They made it giggling all the way through, managing to stay on course and not bump a cone.

“It’s challenging, and it’s a lot of fun,” Braner said. “You couldn’t tell if you were moving or not.”

Braner said his sense of controlling the cart went right out the window during the challenge. The number one rule was drivers could not take their foot off the gas.

The golf cart challenge yesterday was the first of many activities set for this week during the annual Mardi Gras events at the River Ranch Resort in Rio Hondo.

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