Homeless man allegedly chops down city palm trees-08.03.07

Brownsville, Texas—Using a machete and pocketknife, an unidentified homeless man chopped down five city-owned palm trees on Central Boulevard and FM 802 last Friday.
According to City Forester Edward Kuprel, a resident alerted greens worker Raul Llamas to what was happening.
Kuprel said Llamas and Brownsville police officers reached the location to find the man “acting as if he was about to die” and “in bad shape with actual maggots living on him.” The officers did not arrest or cite the man, according to Kuprel. The man had fled the scene by the time Kuprel arrived.
“Depending on the price of the trees, the penalty class would be between a Class A misdemeanor or a state jail felony,” Brownsville Police Lt. James Paschall said.
Willie Gonzalez, a supervisor at the city health department, told Kuprel the man had already caused “some trouble” before.
The palms, planted in 1992, were the first project overseen by the Brownsville Beautification Committee.
Guy Huddleston, committee chairman at the time, said the project was funded by the city and the Texas Department of Transportation.
“The project was very important to us — too important for somebody to just come in and destroy all of it,” Huddleston said.
“The trees are a public asset and very valuable. The man should be held responsible for what he did.”
Kuprel said the police “didn’t even want to touch (the man)” when they got to the site.
But, Assistant City Manager Carlos Ayala said police are following up on the event and if they find the man again, he will be held accountable.

The Brownsville Herald

County official review evacuation plan-08.03.07

Brownsville, Texas—Cameron County Emergency Management Director Johnny Cavazos outlined the county’s plan of evacuation in the event of a hurricane Thursday evening at a meeting called by Precinct 1 Commissioner Sofia Benavides. Addressing about 20 residents, Cavazos said the county plans to issue a mandatory evacuation once a hurricane is 30 to 60 hours from making landfall and there is convincing evidence of a direct hit.
Cavazos showed footage of the effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and computerized images of what South Padre Island and Brownsville would look like if a Category 5 hurricane hit the area.
One key step in the evacuation plan is getting those without means of transportation to safety. The county will bus residents who have registered with the 211 system out of the area.
Several pick-up locations will be set up allowing pre-registered people to get roundtrip passes and board designated buses.
The buses, after being inspected and provided with proper tracking systems, would then take residents to a state reception area, possibly in San Antonio.
Also, the county and American Red Cross would no longer open emergency shelters, in order to discourage people from staying in the area.
According to Cavazos, no one will be forced to evacuate if they remain in their home, but will be asked to leave if they venture outdoors.
The evacuation buses will transport pre-registered citizens as well as their pets, as long as owners can show proper immunization records.
People interested in registering for the transportation service can call 211.
The director of the area 211 call center, Thelma Longoria, said people cannot register after a hurricane is sighted 72 hours from the county.

The Brownwsville Herald

BISD celebrates improved state ratings-08.02.07

Brownsville, Texas—Good news for Brownsville schools came with the release of accountability ratings by the Texas Education Agency Wednesday.
“This is the best year we have had since the state introduced the new TAKS,” said Raul Vasquez, administrator for assessment, research and evaluation for the district.
Four elementary schools were given “exemplary” status, the highest rating possible, and 23 other schools retained “recognized” status from last year’s ratings.
The district also had the first high school to reach “recognized” status since the new test was unveiled.
“We worked to improve all objectives we did poorly on last year,” said Resaca Elementary Principal Carlos Paredes. Resaca, Egly, Paredes and Putegnat elementary schools were the only four named “exemplary.”
No schools were deemed academically unacceptable — an improvement from last year, which had Lopez High School as one of two unacceptable schools in Cameron County.
Lopez Principal Dawn Hall said before- and after-school tutorials and extra benchmark testing boosted the school’s performance this year.
The TEA ratings are based on TAKS and state developed alternative assessment scores and annual dropout and completion rates.
Schools must score 90 percent or higher on the TAKS for “exemplary,” above 75 percent for “recognized” and above 50 percent for “academically acceptable.” Scoring below 50 percent deems a school “academically unacceptable.”
Although overall ratings have improved, most district schools still lack in the areas of math and science on the test.
Statewide, 27 school districts received “exemplary” status, up from 19 in 2006.
But more than 100 of the 1,222 school districts slipped from “recognized” to “academically acceptable,” most because they couldn’t handle tougher tests in math and science.
Math and science haunted the academically unacceptable campuses as well. Most of the 301 campuses and 59 districts that got the lowest ranking possible can point to failure in those two subjects as the reason, according to TEA.
“It is most likely that it was math or science scores that caused a district rating to change,” said Robert Scott, acting Commissioner of Education.
All four “exemplary” Brownsville Independent School District schools fell short of that status last year because of the science portion of the test.
“Science has been a challenge for all of us,” admitted Putegnant Principal Esmentina Treviño.
“The kids are good, they just need more practice,” said Lopez Principal Dawn Hall, referring to the renewed focus on math and science at the school. Lopez missed the “acceptable” mark by five points on the science portion of the TAKS last year.
Even Hanna High School, the only high school to be “recognized” this year, showed math and science scores in the 70th percentiles, as opposed to social studies and English language arts, where scores ranked in the 90 th and 80 th percentiles, respectively.

The Brownsville Herald

Paying Homage-08.01.07

San Benito, Texas—Like planets orbiting the sun, the colorfully dressed dancers move in circles around a center drum, all for respect, faith and heritage.
On Sunday, the Aztec-Chichimenca style dance group, which goes by Grupo Coatlicue, named after the Aztec Earth goddess, performed one of five obligatory dances for the year to St. James, also known as Señor Santiago. Other obligatory dances are for la Virgen de los Remedios, Señor Sacramentos, the Easter holiday and the Virgen de Guadalupe.
The group, one of two since 2001 to gain permission from Mexican tribes to dance in Texas, performed at its meeting center in San Benito. The center, Capulli Tlacalpalli, translates to “house of colors” in Nahuatl.
“My wife and I have been dancing for 25 years,” said Jose Garza, dance group captain.
The dancers are sometimes called concheros because they play a conch prior to each dance. But, their music comes from drum.
“There was something in the drum that called to us, like it has to others,” Garza said. “When we moved here, we continued dancing and a group grew from there.”

Most group members are proud to uphold traditions dating back to pre-Columbian times.
“The dances aren’t guided to the artistic side, but to tradition,” said eight-year member Fernando Elizalde.
He said he views the group’s roots as a “perfect blend” of Mexico’s Catholic influence and indigenous traditions.
“Every dance is like an offering to God,” he said. “It’s like our own form of prayer that represents the synergy, which formed the mestizo race.”
The group adds to the rhythm with hand-held rattles and ayayotes, which are special noisemakers attached to their ankles.
“I’m just learning, but it’s fun,” said 13-year-old Sevin Mendoza.
Mendoza is what the group calls a “principe,” or beginner, but a history of this dance is in his family.
His mother, Melissa, has been with the group on and off since 1993.
“The group’s size has varied from as small as five to 30,” she said. Currently, it has 15 members.
But, she knows the reason behind why she keeps dancing.
“We look for a balance that is universal,” Melissa said, referring to how dancers are like the planets revolving around the sun, or center drum.
“It’s nice to know that there is something here in the Valley that came right from our raices,” she added.

The Brownsville Herald

Father, Son open store-07.31.07

Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico—Two years ago, 19-year-old Eric Connor discovered the “adrenaline rush” that came with paintball. Once his father saw him play, all he wanted was to join his son.
“At first, our team use to split us up, but now they know we go out there as a father-son team,” said Joe Connor, Eric’s father.
The Connors are part of a team called Recondo, which meets every other Sunday to play on a paintball field on the outskirts of Matamoros.
The Connors are a team on and off the field.
In May, Joe Connor opened Connor’s Paintball Store in the Southmost area. His son helps run the store
“The store is like a hidden jewel,” Eric said. “Then again, so is paintball. It’s not as mainstream as other sports.”
They opened the store after noticing a growing demand in paintball supplies.
“At first, our customers were from Matamoros because they knew us from playing,” Joe said, “but now we’re getting more Brownsville customers.”
The store has a few supplies in stock, but mostly works as an ordering service.
Clients come in, the Connors place their orders online and pay for shipping and handling fees. Less than a week later, the merchandise is ready to pick up.
The store caters to woodball, speedball and scenario players. The three games are the mostplayed in the area.
Woodball is “capture the flag” in the woods, while speedball is a faster version with inflatable bunkers as hiding spots, Joe explained.
The Connors play all three but enjoy scenario the most. In that game the main goal is to rescue a hostage.
“You have to really strategize and work as a team,” Joe said.
“It’s intense. At times, you do stuff you never knew you could do,” Eric added.
Competitions, like those televised on ESPN2, are usually based on speedball, Eric said.
“I don’t really like them — I do this for fun — but I’ll play to spend more time with my dad,” he said.
Paintball may have brought the father and son closer together, but Eric said there was one key reason behind the store.
“People needed more options,” Eric said, “and that’s exactly what we’re giving them.”

The Brownsville Herald

UBS holding blood drives throughout Valley-07.31.07

Brownsville, Texas—United Blood Services of Brownsville will be having several community blood drives this week, and this year the organization is adding Starbucks to its list of locations.
“We’re going to give (Starbucks) a shot. They’re doing great here,” said Angel Sandoval, donor recruitment manager at UBS.
Both Brownsville locations will give out a free beverage, T-shirt, movie pass and cholesterol test to volunteer donors.
“We do whatever we can to get the community to come out and help,” Sandoval said about the giveaways.
According to UBS, all donors must be 17 or older, weigh at least 110 pounds, not have donated blood in the past eight weeks, and not be on antibiotics.
You may not donate if you have ever used a needle to take drugs, if you had hepatitis after age 11 or if you tested positive for AIDS or HIV.

The Brownsville Herald

Health advisers say Avandia should stay on market-07.31.07

BY ANDREW BRIDGES THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — The widely used diabetes drug Avandia should remain on the market, government health advisers recommended Monday, saying evidence of an increased risk of heart attack doesn’t merit removal.
The nonbinding recommendation to the Food and Drug Administration came on a majority vote by the panel. The tally wasn’t immediately available.
“We’re being asked today to take a very draconian action based on studies that have very significant weaknesses and are inadequate for us to make that kind of decision,” said Rebecca Killion, a Bowie, Md., diabetic and the panel’s patient representative.
However, in an earlier 20-3 vote, the panelists said that available data show the drug does increase heart risks. Panelists said the drug’s warning label should be updated and there should be additional study.
Earlier, FDA scientist Dr. David Graham told the joint panel of experts that the drug’s heart risks, combined with its lack of unique shortterm benefits in helping diabetics control blood sugar, meant continued sales were not justified.
Brownsville pharmacies have seen a decrease in Avandia prescriptions since the FDA’s security alert was announced March 12.
“I haven’t seen it prescribed a lot anymore,” said pharmacist Diana Sanchez from Central Medical Pharmacy on Central Boulevard.
“I noticed the change about two weeks after (the FDA alert), when people were coming in for refills,” she added.
A teacher at the Center for Diabetes Management at Valley Baptist Medical Center, Leo Vasquez said the decrease is prompted by private doctors and not specialists.
“Physicians took a lot of questions after the uproar and some may have been persuaded to stop prescribing it,” Vasquez explained.
“If Avandia is taken off the market, it won’t be because of product defect. It will be because of (low) product sales,” he said.
Local family physician David Champion said he hardly prescribes the medication, but a few of his patients did express concern when they saw the alert.
“If they told me they wanted to be taken off of it, I prescribed something else,” he said. “Liability wise, if something happens, whether it was due to the drug or not, the patient may come back and blame it on that prescription.”

Brownsville Herald reporter Christian
Martell contributed to this story.

Cancer survivor graduating in December-07.30.07

Brownsville, Texas—Micaela San Miguel, 53, may not be a typical college student, but nonetheless is undeniably happy to be graduating this December.
“Only one thing can keep you from getting an education and that is death,” she said.
San Miguel’s own road to graduation has been shaky.
On Christmas Eve 2002, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since then, she has undergone chemotherapy, radiation and a mastectomy, the surgical removal of the breasts.
“It’s especially hard finding out during the holidays, but I blocked it all out for four weeks and let reality set in again in January,” she said.
San Miguel said three principal factors — family, studies and God — helped her overcome the “monster” that is cancer.
“You can’t survive something like this without the support of your family,” she said. “I owe a lot to my daughters and son.”
As for her studies, she never thought she would get a degree at her age, but her sociology professor Luis Rodriguez-Abad pushed her to continue.
“There aren’t a lot of professors that will do that for a student, but he has a great heart and encouraged me to take independent courses,” she explained.
Those courses and other credits, will earn her a degree in sociology and psychology this December from the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College.
“I wanted my daughter (Michelle, 23) to walk the stage with me,” she admitted. Michelle will graduate in the spring.
San Miguel may be walking the stage alone, but that is something she says no cancer patient should feel.
“There are so many of us in the Valley,” she exclaimed. “We have great medical services here, but no counseling, no healing of the soul.”
As a survivor, she volunteers for the American Cancer Society in its “Road to Recovery” program, which provides current victims with hospital or home visits by survivors.
“Most of them feel so good when they talk to me, because they know they can fight it,” she said. “Most people want someone they can talk to and has gone through it already.”
A constant hardship some of the victims she visits share is a negative body image. San Miguel, herself, lost most of her hair during chemotherapy.
“I just tell them it’s all temporary. You can loose your hair, just don’t loose your mind over it,” she said jokingly.
“Be happy to be alive.”

The Brownsville Herald

Newshound, alley and zoo-07.30.07

Brownsville, Texas—The Brownsville Herald’s Newshound is on neighborhood watch — sniffing out answers to your questions and complaints. From potholes to poor drainage and issues in between, he’ll make the problem known, find out who’s responsible and try to get an answer.
If you have an issue in your neighborhood and need help getting it resolved or want to make a complaint, call on The Newshound.
Include your full name, address and description of the problem in an e-mail to Newshound@brownsvilleherald.com or post mail to Brownsville Herald c/o The Newshound, 1135 E. Van Buren, Brownsville, Texas 78520. Submissions must be 250 words or less, please.
Issue:
Alfonso Cadriel is scared that his two young boys will some day get hurt by the 10-15 cars that zoom by an alley next to his house. The cars belong to Gladys Porter Zoo employees that work in a storage unit behind his house, located adjacent to a back corner of the zoo on 120 King St. “If they’re going to continue using it like a street … pave it,” he said
Who to call:
Gladys Porter Zoo officials at 546-7187.
What they said:
Zoo officials are discouraging employees from using the caliche alley as a short-cut. Employees are being reminded of proper places of entry to their “behindthe-scenes” areas, which include through the back of the zoo or through paved entryways on South Old Alice Road.
“We don’t want to make it more attractive to use by paving it,” marketing director Cynthia Garza Galvan said.

The Brownsville Herald