Zoo holds 'Kid Appreciation Day'-07.27.07

Brownsville, Texas— In honor of National Kids Day, Gladys Porter Zoo will celebrate “Kids Appreciation Day” this Sunday.
From noon to 4 p.m., children can create passports to fun, which will take them through several activity stations around the zoo. Last year, 3,000 children attended the event and officials hope for a similar turnout this year.
Some stations include face painting, a bike rodeo and a children’s touch pool with marine animals made by senior aquarist Patricia Scanlan.
“The pool is something new this year and should be very exciting for the kids,” said the zoo’s marketing director, Cynthia Garza Galvan.
Other activities include a bike safety station by State Farm Insurance and a health and wellness station provided by Valley Regional Medical Center. KVEO NBC 23 and the Brownsville Police Department are also sponsoring the event. Burger King locations are giving coupons to admit one child free with paid adult admission. Goodie bags are available for the first 1,000 children. For more details call the zoo at 546-7187.

The Brownsville Herald

Youth football league kicks off this fall-07.26.07

Brownsville, Texas—After almost a decade’s absence of gridiron glory, young Brownsville footballers will play between the hashmarks.

The city, police and school district have teamed up to tackle what organizers feel is a lack of athletic opportunities for children in the city.

“I’ve been getting a lot of complaints from parents who have to drive to San Benito for their kids to play football,” City Commissioner Charlie Atkinson said.

The City of Brownsville Youth Football League (COB-YFL), a boys and girls league, kicks off its nine-week season in mid-September with games every Monday night.

Using Paredes Line Road as a divider between the city’s east- and west-side conferences, 10 initial teams will be formed. The winners of each respective conference will play for the city’s first championship title at Sams Stadium.

The first 300 children ages 11 and 12 that are not yet enrolled in the seventh grade can register with proof of residency (utility bill or birth certificate), Atkinson said.

Ten-year-olds weighing more than 100 pounds are also eligible, he added.

“We anticipate a lot of children coming out for this,” said Robert Tyler, a Brownsville Police investigator and league organizer.

“We’re going all out with this,” Atkinson said. “The coaches will wear wireless headsets (donated by Motorola) and statistics of every team will be kept (and posted online).”

Registration is $65 per child, which covers insurance, equipment and a team uniform.

“Everything but a jock (strap) and tennis shoes,“ said City Commissioner Carlos Cisneros.

Cisneros and Tyler, who coached for the original Boys & Girls Club youth football league that ended in 1999, want to make sure this one stays in tact.

“The success of this program depends on donations,” Tyler said.

Tyler and Cisneros both blame the old league’s dispersion on insufficient funds and disorganization.

“First we need coaches,“ said Tyler. “Then, they will draw for teams.”

Coaches will then swap teams through draws every two years.

The 10 teams are the Bears, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Falcons, Jaguars, Patriots, Raiders, Ravens, Seahawks, and Steelers.

“We want it to be about football, teaching kids the fundamentals,” said Cisneros. “Not about the coaches. Too often, people go by who is coaching.”

The coaches will also have a draft for players. The child can only choose what side of town to represent.

“In the old system, people would know who was going to win at the start of the season,” Tyler said. “We don’t want that to happen.”

All of the organizers stressed “passing,” both academically and on the field, although the state’s “no pass, no play” rule will not be enforced.

“We’re relying on parents for this,” Cisneros said.

City Manager Charlie Cabler, who Atkinson recognized as the “key” for this project, said the Boys & Girls Club league may have fizzled because it lacked support.

Cabler said that will not be an issue this time. “We’re all working together to make sure this happens.”

Organizers said all team members would get play time. “As a parent, you’ll know you’re going to see your child play,” Tyler said.

The league is only the first of many new programs by the new city department for youth recreation, said Tony Saavedra, head of the department.

“We’re working on starting fast-pitch baseball and volleyball soon,” Saavedra said.

For more information contact Robert Tyler at 956-466-2330 or Tony Saavedra at 956-455-2351. You can also visit the Web site at www.hometeamonline.com keyword Brownsville. All coaching candidates will be subject to a background check.

If your child is interested in playing, registration will be held at the Brownsville Youth Recreation Center.

The Brownsville Herald

Reel Experience-07.25.07

Brownsville, Texas—Belize native Michael Gallaty rarely visits Brownsville, but when his uncle told him of a film camp being held here, he was first in line to sign up.
“I came to visit my uncle, but I just really wanted to come to the camp,” the 15-year-old said.
The first ever film camp is being held on the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College’s ITEC campus and provides 10 children, ages 10 to 15, the skills to film, edit and write scripts.
The two-week camp is sponsored by the Brownsville Society for Performing Arts and UTB-TSC.
Top: Iris Rivera, 13, edits "One Chance, One Planet," a conservation film on global warming she is making during a filmmaking class at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College’s ITEC campus. The 10-member class, calling themselves Fort Brown Productions, is sponsored by UTB-TSC and the Brownsville Society for the Performing Arts. Right: Bobby Robles wants to be a producer and director like his heroes Clink Eastwood, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg. He his getting his start in the filmmaking class at the UTB-TSC ITEC campus.

“The program is to build awareness of the filmmaking industry. It’s something we’ve seen growing little by little already in South Texas,” said Cledia Hernandez, interim program coordinator for business and industry at the university.
The camp started on July 16 and ends Friday with the premier of a 5-minute video created entirely by the students.
Their video, “One Chance, One Planet,” will emphasize local concerns over global warming.
“We wanted to capitalize on the bad weather last week,” said camp instructor Luis Martinez, referring to the video’s topic.
Martinez was surprised at how fast they adapted to the new Apple software, Final Cut Pro.
“They’re like sponges at this age in terms of learning,” he said.
Martinez, normally a media-technology teacher at Los Fresnos High School, described this camp as “trying to compact into two weeks what you learn in your entire career.”
The camp served as a pilot program with most equipment being donated by the father of a participant. The cost for the program was $400 per child.
“(Local cardiologist) Dr. (Robert) Robles wanted to send his son Bobby to a film camp in New York, but when he looked around he saw the potential to have one here,” Martinez said. “It’s all sky-rocketed from there.”
Scheduling for a month-long filmmaking camp for teenagers in the fall is already in the works.

The Brownsville Herald

pictures by Daniel Lopez

video by Diana Maldonado

Porter brings home medals from tech competition-07.25.07

Brownsville, Texas—Porter High School boasts a national officer and twelve top 10 winners after a technology competition, the school’s best results ever.
“We have never done this well,” said Porter architecture teacher Gus Solis. He is also a school sponsor for the school’s Technology Student Association, which promotes careers in technological fields.
The TSA national conference was held in Nashville, Tenn. from June 24 to 28. Having already advanced from regional and state competitions, the 4,900 students present competed in over 60 events, which ranged from animatronics to radio-controlled transportation.
Senior Alyssa Gomez was elected as national vice president for next year and will travel extensively for the position. She also owes the technology association for her career path.
“I’m going to do environmental engineering. That’s not something a lot of people know of, but TSA is the reason I do,” she said.
At the Nashville event, Gomez competed in the chapter team event. The team won ninth place out of 60 teams.
One of Gomez’s partners, recent Porter graduate Jose Pesina, won first place in the parliamentary procedures exam, the written portion of the event.
“When they called (Pesina) to the stage at the awards ceremony, one of the judges told me he had judged for 29 years and never seen a higher score,” Solis said. “He missed one out of 55.”
Collectively, Porter had three first-place, one thirdplace, three fifth-place, two eighth-place and six ninth-place winners.

The Brownsville Herald

UTB-TSC stresses higher education-07.25.07

Brownsville, Texas—Starting Thursday, the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College will offer informational sessions in Brownsville, Harlingen and Matamoros to stress the importance of higher education.

UTB-TSC will host “Return to Learn” and “College Mondays” in all three cities for those interested in completing their degree or returning to acquire one.

“We will provide assistance with the admissions process and financial aid, as well as academic advising,” said Carlo Tamayo, director of new student relations at UTB-TSC.

The event is open to all.

“It’s just a wonderful event,” he said. “We’ve been doing it for a while and have had a good turn out.”

The Brownsville Herald

State cuts $8 million from student aid-07.24.07

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Austin, Texas—When she goes back to St. Edward’s University this fall, Haydee Escalante may find some classmates missing from the Austin campus.
This month, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board revealed an $8 million draw back for the “B-On-Time” loan program, which offers students interest-free, forgivable loans if they graduate on time with a B average or better.
Private colleges and universities won’t receive any B-On-Time program money, prompting some to seek enrollment at cheaper, public schools.
Escalante, a 2005 St. Joseph Academy graduate and summer intern at The Brownsville Herald, paid for housing with the extra money that she’ll have to budget out for the 2007-08 school year.
“At St. Ed’s there’s only enough dorms for freshmen. So most live off campus and it’s usually cheaper,” Escalante, a junior said.
The cuts will be deep for all university students that planned to “B on Time” and benefit from the free loans.
The programs $49 million budget was distributed among 12,800 students last year. The reduced $41 million budget will only stretch for 9,900 Texas students.
“On July 12, we received a Texas Legislature memorandum stating ‘most, but not all, renewal students’ will get loans and no new students would be eligible,” said Mari Chapa, financial aid director at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.
Chapa wasn’t sure exactly how many would be affected but had a “good feeling” the school would receive enough money.
“At bigger universities this may be a problem, but not here,” Chapa explained. “We only have 27 asking for renewals.”“The loan mostly helped me with hidden costs that came with college,” said Valerie Garcia, a UTB-TSC sophomore that received the loan last spring and is applying for again for the fall semester.
“It’s just sad they kept us in the dark about this until now.”

The Brownsville Herald

Resaca Elementary Hero-07.23.07

Brownsville, Texas—As a young boy, Ramon Garcia, used to tell his seven brothers and sisters that he would some day fly a plane.
“We didn’t think he would do it, but he did,” said Dr. Lino Garcia, Ramon Garcia’s older brother.
For this reason and others, Ramon Garica was a “hero” to his sister Frances Muñiz.
Now, Ramon Garcia, who is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., will be a “hero” for students at Resaca Elementary, which he attended for third and fourth grade.
On May 22, Dr. Garcia and Muñiz presented the school with a plaque and a picture of Ramon Garica in his Navy Captain uniform.
Ramon Garcia died of a heart attack on July 22, 1997, while visiting his mother in Brownsville.
At the time, he was taking care of Central American refugees’ needs through the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
But, Ramon Garcia, who received a master’s degree from Harvard University and founded the Hispanic Naval Officers Association, always remembered his time at Resaca fondly, Dr. Garcia said.
Dr. Garcia said he still recalls walking with his siblings to school every day — skipping puddles when it rained — before the streets were paved.
With the exception of the eldest brother, Lupe, all eight Garcia children attended Resaca.
“He always said I was the more intelligent one — he was right — but he was more dedicated,” Dr. Garcia said.
“With my brother as an example, students at Resaca, and other Brownsville schools, will understand that no matter where you come from or what your name is, you can do whatever you set out to do,” Dr. Garcia said.

The Brownsville Herald

Online tool compares local hospitals-07.23.07

THIS ARTICLE WAS PICKED UP BY The Island Breeze of South Padre Island, Here is the corresponding link

Brownsville,Texas—Brownsville and Harlingen hospitals repeatedly rank above national and state averages for treatment of heart conditions, according to a newly updated government Web site that allows patients to compare hospitals.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Hospital Compare is an online tool that compares the quality of medical care for four conditions at hospitals throughout the nation: heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care.

It measures various procedures for each condition, for example the number of heart failure patients who receive discharge instructions. These instructions are important since the information helps patients manage their symptoms when they get home, according to the Web site.

Statewide, only six in 10 of these patients were given discharge instructions. However, locally more than nine in 10 patients received this vital information.

But for certain conditions, some local hospitals reported widely different statistics. While Harlingen Medical Center reported giving beta blockers to 100 percent of its heart attack patients when they arrived at the hospital, only 79 percent received the same medicine at Valley Regional Medical Center. Beta blockers are used to “lower blood pressure, treat chest pain … and heart failure, and to help prevent a heart attack,” according to the HHS Web site.

Robin Brechot, community health director at VRMC, says changes are under way at the hospital to bring raise that figure.

“We’ve made significant changes with education of our staff. We are now giving these at arrival instead of at discharge as we did before,” she said.

All data on the Web site is shown in percentages calculated by the hospitals’ inpatient records. All records were given voluntarily and provide information from October 2005 to September 2006.

In pneumonia cases, all major area facilities rank below the national average in regards to the percentage of patients given vaccinations during hospitalization. While seven in 10 pneumonia patients receive a flu vaccine at hospitals nationally, only about two in 10 do at VRMC, and three in 10 do at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville.

“Our second quarter results (April-June 2007) show us at 100 percent as far as giving flu shots,” Brechot said. “Once patients come in, we’re assessing them and giving them the required vaccinations.”

To compare how local hospitals stack up to one another, and to state and national averages, visit the HHS Web site, www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov

The Brownsville Herald

Zoo set to expand-07.22.07

THIS ARTICLE WAS PICKED UP BY The Monitor and The Island Breeze

Brownsville, Texas—The question of expanding Gladys Porter Zoo was more of a formality than a discussion item at the last City Commissioner meeting.
Mayor Pat Ahumada claimed “we’ll do it” at the July 3 meeting, before even hearing future plans for the land — the building of a new educational facility.
Zoo Director Patrick Burchfield and Assistant City Manager Carlos Ayala showed the area to be an abandoned Southern Pacific railroad track that ran in back of the zoo.
“It’s not a huge amount, but it would be valuable to them,” said City Manager Charlie Cabler.
The zoo asked for authorization to use the land and for the city to close off the E. 6th Street and S. Old Alice ends of the track.
“We’re working on doing an appraisal on the land soon,” Cabler said. After that, city officials will decide whether to donate the land or sell it to the zoo.
Closing off that area will allow the zoo to link it’s main grounds with a triangle-shaped area housing maintanance and breeding facilities, said Cynthia Garza Galvan, the zoo’s director of marketing.
The storage facility would then be relocated to make room for the South Texas Discovery Center, a place to learn about local wildlife, Burchfield said.
“It’s all a bit premature right now…just ideas and talking,” Galvan said about the project.
The center will share the are with El Torrito No.1 restaurant, currently at the lowest end of the triangle.
“We have no problem with the change, as long as it’s for the betterment of Brownsville,” said owner Karl Oakley.
Alfonso Cadriel, 47, has lived in front of the railroad track and next to the zoo his entire life.
He said he only has one problem with the change — an alley running between zoo grounds and his home.
“If they’re going to continue using it like a street, they better pave it,” he said.
“I’m afraid my boys might get hurt,” Cadriel said, referring to the 15-20 zoo employee vehicles that drive through there daily.

The Brownsville Herald

Finger lickin' good-07.21.07

Brownsville, Texas—Chick-Fil-A is known for its signature cow mascot, but it fell short to a major league mascot featured on Friday. Ted Giannoulas, also known as “the Famous Chicken,” gave out autographs and performed for Chick-Fil-A customers at the N. Expressway 77/83 location Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“He may have felt like he was in danger (at a chicken restaurant), but it just added to the fun,” said Chick-Fil-A owner Joe Magdaleno.
The Chicken serves as the mascot for Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres.
Two nights ago, Giannoulaus gave a half-time performance during the Rio Grance Valley WhiteWings baseball game in Harlingen.
“We wanted to promote baseball in Brownsville because of the new minor league team we are getting next season,” Magdaleno said.
The Chicken is heading to Edinburg today for the Edinburg Coyotes game against the Laredo Broncos.
Those interested in attending today’s Edinburg Coyotes game against the Laredo Broncos in Edinburg can get four free tickets for the family if they bring this article from The Brownsville Herald. The Stadium is located at 920 N. Sugar Rd. in Edinburg.

The Brownsville Herald