UPDATE 2:45 p.m. – The entire operations of the Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office in Brownsville has been closed until further notice.

The closure was ordered sometime before noon today, County Judge Pete Sepulveda Jr. said.

The area pertaining to property taxes had been open a few hours this morning because this was not the focus of the investigation by federal and state authorities, Sepulveda said.

However, before noon it was ordered that the entire office be closed.

The Tax Office was shutdown on Wednesday following a raid by federal and state authorities. Tax Assessor Tony Yzaguirre Jr., and three others were arrested on charges of bribery, engaging in organized criminal activity and official oppression. All are out on a personal recognizance bond.

Officials said the area of the Tax office authorities are investigating pertains to the department of motor vehicles.

Sepulveda said the public can pay their property taxes at other Cameron County tax offices in the county.

People who have issues dealing with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles will have to visit the H-E-B stores in Cameron County or the A.V. Lopez Supermarket on International Boulevard in Brownsville or AMEX Check Cashing on Price Road, also in Brownsville.

Sepulveda anticipates that the office could be back in operation sometime next week.

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8:45 a.m.

The Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office is open for business this morning one day after it was shutdown by authorities after they raided the office.

The office is only accepting payments for property taxes for now, County Judge Pete Sepulveda Jr. said. People who have issues dealing with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles will have to visit the H-E-B stores in Cameron County or the A.V. Lopez Supermarket on International Boulevard in Brownsville or AMEX Check Cashing on Price Road, also in Brownsville.

The Tax Office was shutdown on Wednesday following a raid by federal and state authorities. Tax Assessor Tony Yzaguirre Jr., and three others were arrested on charges of bribery, engaging in organized criminal activity and official oppression. All are out on a personal recognizance bond.

HARLINGEN — Harlingen police are looking for a man who stole a beer from a Stripes on Loop 499.

Police say on the night of Dec. 30 a man picked up two 25 ounce Hurricane Beers from the cooler at the Stripes located at 2305 N. Loop 499. They say when he got to the counter he paid for one beer, but walked out of the convenience store without paying for the second beer valued at $1.79.

The suspect’s picture was captured on a store security camera. He’s described as a Hispanic man in his 30’s who is 5’8″ and weighs about 240 pounds. He left the store in a small gray four-door passenger vehicle.

Anyone with information is asked to call Harlingen Police at (956) 216-5401 or Harlingen Area Crime Stoppers at (956) 425-TIPS (8477).

The Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office is open for business this morning one day after it was shutdown by authorities after they raided the office.

The office is only accepting payments for property taxes for now, County Judge Pete Sepulveda Jr. said. People who have issues dealing with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles will have to visit the H-E-B stores in Cameron County or the A.V. Lopez Supermarket on International Boulevard in Brownsville or AMEX Check Cashing on Price Road, also in Brownsville.

The Tax Office was shutdown on Wednesday following a raid by federal and state authorities. Tax Assessor Tony Yzaguirre Jr., and three others were arrested on charges of bribery, engaging in organized criminal activity and official oppression. All are out on a personal recognizance bond.

HARLINGEN – If you, or someone you know, experience pain when you walk, cannot bend your knee or hip, experience knee or hip pain while you rest, you are not alone.

More than one million Americans are expected to undergo a joint replacement in 2016. Thanks to newer techniques, joint replacement is now less painful and requires less time for recovery; relieving pain and restoring activity to your life.

Harlingen Medical Center’s top Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Jose Cobos, will discuss the topic when he presents the first HMC Doc Talk Lecture of the New Year on Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 6 p.m., at the hospital’s Medical Office Building (MOB) Conference Room.

The HMC Doc Talk Lecture, titled “Total Knee & Hip Replacement: Less Pain, Easier Recovery,“ will feature an in depth PowerPoint on the topic and will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

In his lecture, Dr. Cobos will cover the following topics:

– What is total knee replacement / What is hip replacement

– Newer treatments for pain management

– Who should consider knee / hip replacement

– Newer surgical techniques to address joint replacement, and

– Ensure less pain

– Ensure less blood loss during surgery

– Ensure expedited release from hospital

– Ensure expedited recovery with less stressful physical therapy

– Latest surgical techniques that are

– Less invasive

– Easier to recover from

– Benefits of joint replacement

“Patients who have severe pain, due to the destruction of the knee or hip joint, and suffer from physical function impairment are a likely candidate for joint replacement,“ said Dr. Cobos.

“These individuals may experience excruciating pain while attempting some form of movement. But, joint replacement surgery will relieve pain the individual may be experiencing. The surgery will allow us to remove the damaged portion of the joint and replace it with plastic and metal parts. This will restore normal physical activity to the patient.”

Total knee replacement surgery is performed to remove the end of the femur, also known as the thighbone, and replace it with a metal shell.

The end of the lower leg bone, also known as the tibia, is also removed and replaced with a channeled plastic piece with a metal stem. In some cases, a plastic button may also be added under the kneecap surface – depending on the condition of the kneecap portion of the knee joint.

The artificial components of a total knee replacement are called the prosthesis.

Hip replacement surgery is performed to remove a painful hip joint with arthritis. It is replaced with an artificial joint often made from metal and plastic components.

It usually is done when all other treatment options have failed to provide adequate pain relief for the patient.

“Before a patient undergoes joint replacement surgery, it is imperative that the joints closest to the diseased knee, or hip, are thoroughly evaluated. This must be done to ensure an optimal outcome for the patient and an effective recovery from the surgery,“ said Dr. Cobos.

The Harlingen Medical Center Doc Talk Lectures are open to the public and there is no fee to attend.

If you would like to attend this lecture, you are kindly asked to RSVP with the Business Development and Marketing Department at (956) 365-1848 or at [email protected].

The HMC Doc Talk Lecture Series is hosted by the Harlingen Medical Center Community Relations Program between the months of October and May.

The lectures are hosted to offer the public free health and wellness education, as well as an opportunity to ask questions of the lecturing physician and obtain immediate responses.

HARLINGEN – Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen will hold a free event to help Valley residents enroll in health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act this Saturday, January 9, and next Saturday, Jan. 16, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day in the East Tower of the hospital off Treasure Hills Boulevard (in the Outpatient Registration area, on the first floor of the hospital).

During the event, “certified application counselors“ will be available to answer questions and help residents enroll for health insurance, using on-site computers. In addition, representatives of the “Enroll America“ organization will be available to answer questions.

Those interested in en-rolling on Saturday should bring their ID’s (self and family members, if applicable), social security number, proof of income, and proof of residence. Those enrolling will also need to be able to provide the names and mailing addresses for each member of the household applying for insurance, names of employers, and policy numbers of current insurance plans if applicable.

Residents are welcome to come for information and/or for enrollment. Residents will also be able to make appointments for help with enrollment with certified application counselors for other days and times, should they prefer.

Deadline for enrollment in a health insurance plan is January 31, 2016. With federal law now requiring health insurance, those who qualify but choose not to enroll may face pay a tax penalty of $695 or more.

“We believe that for most families, the best option is to learn about the financial assistance that is available and to enroll in a plan that meets their needs rather than choosing to get by without insurance and risk having to pay a fee,“ said Teri Retana, Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Communications for Valley Baptist. “Those who cannot afford health insurance coverage may qualify for an exemption to have the fee waived. Our certified application counselors can help you get the answers you need.“

The “Enroll Rio Grande Valley“ event is part of Valley Baptist Health System’s “Path to Health“ initiative, a community education and outreach program to raise awareness and understanding of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and to help educate uninsured residents on steps they can take to secure affordable health-care coverage.

To make an individual appointment, please call toll-free 1-866-893-8446. For more information, please visit www.PathToHealth.com or www.healthcare.gov.

SAN BENITO — The work on Shafer Road is much closer to being done.

More than half the road project is completed. Where it is finished, a smooth, newly-resurfaced road resides.

With a portion still left to be completed, the work on the rest of the road will continue until the end of the month.

Adan Gonzalez, the Streets Public Works Director said the recent rainy weather had hindered work on Shafer but this week work crews started back up again.

They’re working on the drainage, curb and gutter, Gonzalez said.

The second and final phase of the Shafer Road project began last month.

But the very first phase started in the summer.

The first phase of the work has been completed from Williams Road to the Berta Cabaza Middle School campus.

The first phase rebuilt Shafer from Paso Real — FM 509 — to the drainage ditch near Berta Cabaza.

The second phase will run from the east side of the ditch on Shafer to Williams Road.

Because of this ongoing project, all vehicles are required to use the Paso Real/FM 509 entrance.

This change has affected traffic to and from Berta Cabaza and residents in the Alameda Subdivision.

“The Williams Road entrance to Shafer Road will be closed to all traffic,” Interim City Manager Art Rodriguez said. “All motorists wishing to travel on Shafer Road will be required to use the FM 509 entrance.”

When it is finally finished, the newly-reconstructed road promises to be better than before.

Upon completion, the $668,100 Shafer Road construction project will feature a new 28-foot-wide, two-lane street from FM 509 to Williams Road with curbs and gutters, as well as a concrete sidewalk, to facilitate the safe flow of student pedestrian traffic along the road.

Not only are crews working on Shafer Road but they also are working on a long list of city streets.

Just recently, Gonzalez said crews have started on the 1 ½ blocks of Palo Rosa.

Yesterday, the small area of Palo Rosa looked like its surfaced had been scraped clean.

Like many streets in San Benito, Palo Rosa is getting some much needed tender loving care and a facelift.

Crews have begun stripping away the cracked surface to make way for a smoother, cleaner, and newer road.

“They’re reclaiming the subgrade,” he said. “They got about 30 to 50 feet of concrete curb to repair.”

They will also continue fixing potholes.

Gonzalez said he already has one crew working on potholes around the city but wants to add a second crew.

Mayor Celeste Sanchez encourages the public to log on to the city website to see a list of streets currently under construction.

There, they can see which streets are being worked on and what streets will be up next for repairs.

According to the city and the list, Centro Street, Franklin Street, and Alamo Street are the next in line to be worked on.

Despite objections by some residents, Sanchez said the city is doing all they can to work on the streets. The aim of the list is to show residents of the city’s progress.

If not for the list, residents might think streets are not being worked on, Sanchez said.

BROWNSVILLE — A member of a citizen group known as “Rusty’s Rangers” or “Rusty’s Regulators” has been ordered to federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm on two separate occasions.

Kevin Lyndel Massey, 49, of Quinlan, was found guilty Sept. 30, 2015, following a bench trial before the U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen.

Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen, handed Massey a 41-month sentence to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.

According to court records, “Rusty’s Rangers” or “Rusty’s Regulators” consisted of citizens who mounted armed patrols in the Rio Grande area allegedly in search of and to possibly apprehend aliens attempting to enter the U.S. illegally.

On Aug. 29, 2014, law enforcement agents were pursuing suspected illegal aliens in heavy brush when they encountered an individual of the group.

A Border Patrol agent allegedly perceived him as a threat and discharged his weapon, but did not strike the armed citizen.

Massey, following the shooting, arrived in the area armed with a .45 caliber pistol and a rifle.

According to court records, Massey was identified by law enforcement who learned of his prior criminal history which included burglary.

Because of this criminal history, Massey is prohibited from possessing a firearm.

The court heard that Massey was later arrested Oct. 20, 2014, outside a motel in Brownsville.

At the time, according to trial testimony, he was armed with a .45 caliber pistol, while another .45 caliber pistol was thereafter located in his motel room. At that time, more than 2,600 rounds of ammunition were seized in connection with the search of his truck and motel room.

Massey will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The charges are the result of an investigation conducted by FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Hagen and Jason Corley prosecuted the case.

HARLINGEN — Officials will consider cutting project costs after a construction company withdrew its bid to build the city’s newest fire station.

Last night, City Manager Dan Serna said Harlingen-based Pietra Construction withdrew its low bid of $1.2 million to build the proposed 5,277-square-foot, two-story fire station that will serve the city’s fast-growing west side.

The company did not state the reason it withdrew its bid, Serna said.

Serna said officials will review Harlingen-based Couric Enterprises’ second-lowest bid of $1.5 million to determine if costs could be cut to about $1.1 million.

“We’re going to see if we can bring it below budget,” Serna said. “You cut things out or change design features.”

Serna said officials will reject bids and request new proposals if they cannot cut costs to about $1.1 million.

That likely would delay the project for at least a couple of months.

Officials plan to build the city’s eighth fire station at the corner of Stuart Place and Brennaman roads.

For years, Harlingen leaders have planned the project to bring fire service to the west side, where the city has annexed land as far west as Bass Boulevard.

However, no fire station has been built in the area to service the region.

In 2003, voters approved a bond issue to build the fire station on five acres purchased for about $240,000.

Fire Chief Rogelio Rubio said the new station will cut response time to about four to five minutes.

Currently, the city’s Dixieland Road fire station often handles emergency calls to the west side.

From Dixieland Road, fire trucks often take six to eight minutes to reach the west side, Rubio said.

Rubio plans to shift firefighters’ schedules to be able to staff the new station without hiring new firefighters, officials said.

The project has faced some opposition.

In July, some area residents and neighbors opposed plans to build the new station, arguing the proposed facility would bring noise, devalue their homes and help lead to the area’s commercialization.

Despite the opposition, commissioners approved staff’s request for a permit to allow the fire station to be built in the residential and agricultural area.