HARLINGEN — Will you hurry up.

That’s one scenario possibly being played out by high school students trying to connect to the Internet with their digital devices. They have work to do and they need to access websites, but it’s taking way too long.

Who’s being difficult? The iPhone? The iPad?

None of the above, as it turns out.

The use of digital devices in class has become so popular there just aren’t enough access points to meet the demand. Harlingen High School and Harlingen High School South are BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) schools, so digital devices are gaining popularity as viable research tools. Students download Google Apps, online book apps, and online library resources, and they’re able to collaborate with experts throughout the world.

However, they’re only viable if they can access the Internet, and that has become a problem lately.

That’s about to change. James Pearcy, director of technology for the Harlingen school district, is installing more access points in both high schools so students can more easily log-on. He began the $620,000 project in December and expects to finish in February. It’s being paid for by the extra tax dollars collected through the recent tax ratification election.

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By TRAViS M. WHITEHEAD

Staff Writer

HARLINGEN — Will you hurry up.

That’s one scenario possibly being played out by high school students trying to connect to the Internet with their digital devices. They have work to do and they need to access websites, but it’s taking way too long.

Who’s being difficult? The iPhone? The iPad?

None of the above, as it turns out.

The use of digital devices in class has become so popular there just aren’t enough access points to meet the demand. Harlingen High School and Harlingen High School South are BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) schools, so digital devices are gaining popularity as viable research tools. Students download Google Apps, online book apps, and online library resources, and they’re able to collaborate with experts throughout the world.

However, they’re only viable if they can access the Internet, and that has become a problem lately.

That’s about to change. James Pearcy, director of technology for the Harlingen school district, is installing more access points in both high schools so students can more easily log-on. He began the $620,000 project in December and expects to finish in February. It’s being paid for by the extra tax dollars collected through the recent tax ratification election.

Pearcy said students, teachers and administrators have experienced difficulty because there has been only one access point for every four classrooms. As a result, there are times when up to 100 students are trying to connect to the Internet through one access point. With that kind of load, each student receives a diminished amount of power. Videos take longer to download, and some apps may not download fast enough.

Pearcy is addressing the problem with new cabling and access points.

“The project is actually adding one Wi-Fi access point to every single classroom on both the South campus and the Harlingen High School campus,” he said.

Internet access has become increasingly important in classrooms throughout the district, said Veronica Kortan, administrator for organizational development.

“We use it a lot to make sure that we’re going to stay connected to current events, and we use a lot of apps to enhance what we’re doing with the learning,” she said.

She appreciated Pearcy’s work with the upgrades.

“Sometimes the system will get a little sluggish when so many classrooms are participating in BYOD,” she said. “The infrastructure will make the ease of accessing those tools a lot easier and a lot quicker.”

Pearcy said the issue isn’t about power. In 2012 he talked about plans to upgrade the district’s infrastructure in preparation for what? Mobile devices that would eventually arrive in the classroom.

Fast forward to 2016. Pearcy has upgraded the infrastructure from six megabytes per second to 100 megabytes per second. Digital devices have poured into the classrooms as part of the district’s digital learning initiative. Students – and teachers – are using them in a broad range of activities.

Students use them for collaboration through cloud-based applications like document storage and sharing, Pearcy said. They’re also valuable for research through online textbook and subject resources, and they enhance project-based learning activities.

There’s plenty of power for these activities. The problem is accessing it.

“The power in the background is still big,” Pearcy said. “The power and everything, the connectivity, the bigger band width is there but it’s not being fully utilized because we’ve got a link in the chain that’s a bottleneck, which are the access points.”

Yesterday afternoon he was on-site at the Harlingen High School library where workers were installing access points. One stood on a ladder where he mounted a grid bracket into the ceiling. He would then install the access point onto the bracket.

Wait a minute. The libraries are getting them too? Apparently so.

“We are putting them in different places, four or five in large public areas,” he said.

Outside the library, a shiny new pipe ran along the eaves, carrying new fiber optic cables to the access points.

“They are going to the different wings, to the hallways, so the students can have digital access,” he said.

Soon, the new cabling and access points will bring students closer to the global community as they connect to numerous sources throughout the world. Their world will become at once smaller and then bigger, as far away places are at their fingertips.

MERCEDES — It appeared to be business as usual at Mercedes High School yesterday.

Kids were in class, others walking the halls, or chatting with cell phones in hand.

But 24 hours earlier, things were far from normal at the school.

A pair of 17-year-old seniors were pulled out of class and taken to Hidalgo County Jail where they are now sitting behind bars.

Roen Lerma, and Jose Cano, were both taken out of class Wednesday morning after authorities discovered what they believe were terroristic threats made against Mercedes High School.

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MERCEDES — It appeared to be business as usual at Mercedes High School yesterday.

Kids were in class, others walking the halls, or chatting with cell phones in hand.

But 24 hours earlier, things were far from normal at the school.

A pair of 17-year-old seniors were pulled out of class and taken to Hidalgo County Jail where they are now sitting behind bars.

Roen Lerma, and Jose Cano, were both taken out of class Wednesday morning after authorities discovered what they believe were terroristic threats made against Mercedes High School.

Lerma who goes by the name Decimatings on Twitter is holding machine guns on his profile picture and also has a demonic looking Taylor Swift photo on his account.

Lerma responded to Cano’s 7:16 a.m. Twitter message wishing for another 9/11 attack.

Lerma proceeded in saying on Twitter at 7:24 a.m. that Cano should come by the school and shoot it up.

Cano did not respond to Lerma’s message but did hit the like button.

A female student also liked the tweet, and responded at 7:25 a.m. saying to tell her when they were planning it, so she wouldn’t go to school that day.

The students were pulled out of class quickly Wednesday morning around 9:30 a.m. after Google representatives contacted the school with concern about the Tweets.

Cano attended the Mercedes Early College Academy with Lerma until he transferred back to the Mercedes High School earlier this school year.

Cano is said to be a normal-looking student, but very quiet, who sits in the back of the class and does not appear to talk to anyone.

One of his classmates in seventh period forensic science said students at school were stating the comments on Twitter were weird, unexpected and not right because it’s not a laughing matter to a lot of people.

The two students were arraigned and charged with Felony Three Terroristic Threats Wednesday afternoon by Municipal Judge Juan Ramon Alvarez and we’re given a $250,000 cash surety bond each.

“I hope that these youngsters understand and those parents understand that our authorities are not going to take this lightly,” said Dr. Daniel Trevino, Mercedes superintendent of schools.

Trevino said the students interacted together on their own personal time and with their own hardware devices.

Trevino said yesterday more security was put in place, but all-in-all it’s new business as usual at Mercedes school district again.

However, both schools will continue to have heightened security until further notice.

Trevino said the school district is in cordination with authorities both the Mercedes police as well as federal authorities because the allegations are being considered a Federal offense.

“We were fortunate that the threat was discovered and we were fortunate that we found the sources,” Trevino said. “It’s extremely serious whether the threat was going to be implemented or not.”

Yesterday, an automated voice recording was sent to all parents in the district notifying them about the incident at the school.

Trevino said the lives of the students and staff is a serious matter and knowing a threat exists in the district risks the lives of the 1,200 students, 100 staff and visitors at the school.

“We continue focusing on prevention and continue taking safety as a major priority for everyone,” Trevino said. “We follow the philosophy of prevention.”

Mercedes Police Chief Olga Maldonado said the Mercedes police resource officer sprang into action and immediately apprehended both individuals Wednesday without any incident.

Mercedes police are continuing the investigation and the case will eventually be sent to the district attorny’s office, which will decide on a court date.

“We take all threats seriously especially when they involve our children,” Maldonado said.

SANTA ROSA — Three men are listed in critical condition after the truck they were passengers in rolled over.

Another four of the 10 who were in the pickup are still on the loose.

Texas Department of Public Safety said the one vehicle accident occurred yesterday around 6:23 a.m. on F.M. 1425 south of S.H. 107 east of Santa Rosa.

The preliminary investigation revealed a 2002 brown Chevrolet Silverado pick-up occupied by 10 people including the driver was traveling southbound on F.M. 1425.

The Chevrolet was traveling at an unsafe speed upon the curve and lost control veering onto the eastside shoulder and into an open field, the DPS said.

Three of the men were taken to Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen first, then two were airlifted to San Antonio Military Medical Center.

The third man will remain at VBMC.

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SANTA ROSA — Three men are listed in critical condition after the truck they were passengers in rolled over.

Another four of the 10 who were in the pickup are still on the loose.

Texas Department of Public Safety said the one vehicle accident occurred yesterday around 6:23 a.m. on F.M. 1425 south of S.H. 107 east of Santa Rosa.

The preliminary investigation revealed a 2002 brown Chevrolet Silverado pick-up occupied by 10 people including the driver was traveling southbound on F.M. 1425.

The Chevrolet was traveling at an unsafe speed upon the curve and lost control veering onto the eastside shoulder and into an open field, the DPS said.

Three of the men were taken to Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen first, then two were airlifted to San Antonio Military Medical Center.

The third man will remain at VBMC.

The seven other occupants of the truck were on the run and had remained at large for most of the morning, according to DPS which is currently investigating the crash.

The United States Border Patrol and a DPS aircraft were used to search for the others.

Later yesterday afternoon, some of the remaining occupants of the car were found.

Three were apprehended nearby the scene.

That leaves a total of six in custody, including the three in area hospitals apprehended, leaving four subjects at large.

DPS said they are no longer searching the area but will continue to investigate.

HARLINGEN — Mayor Chris Boswell will seek another term for the top elected post in the city.

Boswell, who is a 30-year resident of Harlingen born and raised in the Valley, has served as mayor since 2007. Prior to that, he served on numerous boards and committees and served three terms on the Harlingen City Commission.

The attorney is proud of the recent accomplishments of the city, which he cited as the creation of nearly 3,500 new jobs, the reduction in the city’s unemployment rate from 11 percent to 5.5 percent and the expansion of the retail and restaurant sector.

He cites the establishment of facilities such as Bass Pro Shops and Sam’s and nearly $200 million in new capital investment of businesses and expansion.

Public safety also has been a key component to what Boswell calls successes.

Boswell said his record on public safety shows a 5-year trend in the crime rate dropping violent and property crimes by half.

“Public safety has been a number one issue for me and I know how important that is to our community,” he said. “I’ve also made it a priority to target run-down buildings and structures which have been havens for gang activity, drugs and graffiti.”

Manufacturing has also been front and center according to Boswell.

He worked to secure a new 5-year lease agreement with United Launch Alliance to continue to build components of the Atlas V Rocket here in Harlingen. Boswell sees more on the horizon.

“We’ve really reached a point where we’re going to continue to see positive growth, new retail and more commercial expansion,” he said.

He has some priorities if re-elected to another term.

“Making sure the RAHC campus is a key component of UT-RGV, public safety, increased manufacturing jobs, more retail and continued attention downtown and beautification of the city are all the ingredients to continued momentum for growth and prosperity,” he said. “I love my city and I truly enjoy serving the citizens of Harlingen. I’m asking for their vote so we can continue the growth.”

After graduating from San Benito High School, he obtained his Finance degree from the University of Texas at Austin and his law degree from Southern Methodist University.

He is partner in Curtis and Boswell, L.L.P. in Harlingen and is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

He is a past President of the Cameron County Bar Association, Past President of the Rio Grande Council Boy Scouts of America, Past President of the Lower Rio Grande Development Council and past Chairman of the Harlingen Industrial Foundation.

Boswell is married to Anita Boswell and they have three children Megan, Thomas and Carrie.

HARLINGEN — Mayor Chris Boswell will seek another term for the top elected post in the city.

Boswell, who is a 30-year resident of Harlingen born and raised in the Valley, has served as mayor since 2007. Prior to that, he served on numerous boards and committees and served three terms on the Harlingen City Commission.

The attorney is proud of the recent accomplishments of the city, which he cited as the creation of nearly 3,500 new jobs, the reduction in the city’s unemployment rate from 11 percent to 5.5 percent and the expansion of the retail and restaurant sector.

He cites the establishment of facilities such as Bass Pro Shops and Sam’s and nearly $200 million in new capital investment of businesses and expansion.

Public safety also has been a key component to what Boswell calls successes.

Boswell said his record on public safety shows a 5-year trend in the crime rate dropping violent and property crimes by half.

“Public safety has been a number one issue for me and I know how important that is to our community,” he said. “I’ve also made it a priority to target run-down buildings and structures which have been havens for gang activity, drugs and graffiti.”

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RAYMONDVILLE — Authorities have identified the body of a Georgetown man found in the beach’s surf about 12 miles south of Port Mansfield’s jetties.

Gregory Lowe, 58, had been reported missing before his body was recovered Wednesday on South Padre Island after a two-day search, Willacy County Sheriff Larry Spence said yesterday.

Spence said the man’s body was found in beach surf near the 20-mile marker near Access No. 6.

Cameron County Sheriff’s Office alerted authorities at about 2 p.m. Tuesday after residents believed they spotted the body, Spence said.

But Spence said a high tide, choppy waters and high winds stopped Willacy County deputies from continuing the search late Tuesday.