NEWS HEADLINES
PERRY WANTS TROOPS ON THE BORDERGovernor Rick Perry is urging the Obama Administration to take action on border security after another stray bullet from a Juarez gun battle struck a building in El Paso over the weekend. The bullet struck a window at the University of Texas-El Paso campus, coming to rest in an office door frame. Perry said late Monday that for the second time in two months, bullets from a gun battle in the escalating drug war in Juarez hit an El Paso building. He commended the swift action taken by local and state law enforcement in the area but said quote, "it is unconscionable that the Obama Administration is gambling with American lives, betting that escalating violence from these cartels won't eventually shed the blood of innocent people on U.S. soil.
REMEMBER SCHOOL ZONES!With Valley students back in class, motorists are reminded to be cautious when driving through school zones. Drivers should drive posted speed limits and refrain from using a cell phone within a school zone. Motorists should also keep an eye out for kids on the roadways walking and bicycling to and from school, and entering and exiting buses. Vehicles must stop for a school bus with flashing red lights, or you could face a fine. Fines also double in school zones.
TRAFFIC FATALITIES DOWN ON TEXAS HIGHWAYS?State officials will meet Tuesday to discuss recent statistics that show a significant drop in traffic fatalities and crashes across Texas. Texas Department of Transportation officials say motorists around the state are safer on highways for many reasons including the fact that more people are wearing seat belts, and public campaigns discourage drinking and driving. Officials say safer highways have also contributed to the significant decline in fatalities across Texas. Tex-DOT has dedicated one-point-two-billion-dollars over the past five years toward highway projects that have the greatest potential for reducing traffic crashes. Officials will meet in Austin Tuesday to discuss 2009 statistics showing lower fatalities and crashes in Texas
PI TAX RATE ON AGENDABy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
The City of Port Isabel property tax rate headlines the agenda for the regular meeting of the Port Isabel City Commission when they gather at City Hall Tuesday evening, August 10, at 7 p.m. Commissioners are expected to discuss the tax rate and to schedule a public hearing on that proposed rate for later this month.
The Commission will hear a trio of special reports and a special presentation from Laguna Madre Water District general manager Gavino D. Sotelo on capital needs and information on the upcoming District’s Bond Election.
San Benito Navigation District Port Director Robert Cornelison will report to the Commission about the abandoned shrimp boats and dismantling of shrimp boats project at the Shrimp Boat Basin; architect Chris Gonzalez will report on the status on the proposed new Port Isabel Visitor and Events Center, and City Finance Director Alonzo Echavarria-Garza will offer up a report on City revenue and expenditures.
Port Isabel Marketing Director Valerie Bates will make a formal request for assistance from the City of Port Isabel’s Hotel/Motel tax occupancy revenues for the fiscal year of 2010-2011 in the amount of $25,000.00 to be used for marketing, promotion, development and expansion of special events, and Commissioners will consider action on eight city ordinances to include:
• Discussion and potential action to approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 2010-7: An Ordinance by the City Commission of City of Port Isabel adopting the amendment of the 2009-2010 annual budget by appropriating $8000.00 of the Police Forfeiture fund balance for purchasing of computer software and equipment.
• Discussion and potential action to approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 2010-8: An Ordinance by the City Commission of City of Port Isabel adopting the amendment of the 2009-2010 annual budget by appropriating $5,547.89 of the Capital Improvement fund balance for purchasing equipment for the City Commission Chambers Meeting Room.
• Discussion and potential action to approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 2010-9: An Ordinance by the City Commission of City of Port Isabel adopting the amendment of the 2009-2010 annual budget by appropriating $25,000.00 of the Hotel/Motel fund budget for professional marketing services.
• Discussion and potential action to approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 2010-10: An Ordinance by the City Commission of City of Port Isabel adopting the amendment of the 2009-2010 annual budget by appropriating $2,199.00 of the Capital Improvement fund balance to replace the outdoor air condition at the library.
• Discussion and potential action to approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 2010-11: An Ordinance by the City Commission of City of Port Isabel adopting the amendment of the 2009-2010 annual budget by appropriating $17,379.40 of the Capital Improvement fund balance for the improvements at Washington Park.
• Discussion and potential action to approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 2010-12: An Ordinance by the City Commission of City of Port Isabel adopting the amendment of the 2009-2010 annual budget by appropriating $2,198.20 of the Capital Improvement fund balance to replace the air condition unit at the Community Center.
Two resolutions are on the agenda for consideration:
• The first reading of Resolution No. 08-10-10-01: A Resolution by the City Commission of the City of Port Isabel authorizing the expenditures of project funds by the Port Isabel Economic Development Corporation for funds to be committed to the Fingers/Modern Venice Development Project; Project Management Services to be provided by Raybec Investment Co., LTD in Port Isabel, Texas for the 2009-2010 Fiscal Year.
• Discussion and potential action to approve Resolution No. 08-10-10-02: A Resolution by the City Commission of Port Isabel to appoint or re-appoint one (1) member to the Planning & Zoning Commission.
Commissioners are also expected authorize the city staff to seek out proposals for city employee health and life insurance benefits.
29th ANNUAL LADIES KINGFISH TOURNAMENT The 29th Annual South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce Ladies Kingfish Tournament held on August 6-8, 2010 was a huge success.
The South Padre Island Convention Centre welcomed anglers, captains and their families on Friday night for registration. Early Saturday morning, 261 anglers and 106 boats hit the waterways, returning to the docks before 7:00 p.m. to weigh in over 3,000 pounds of fish. This year’s tournament brought 139 bay anglers and 122 offshore. The offshore division was awesome this year with 107 of the 122 anglers coming back in to weigh in fish.
The Awards Ceremony on Sunday brought a record number of anglers and their families together to recognize those who took top prizes. 28 anglers received framed original artwork by Dinah Bowman specific to the species they won. Trophies done by Bowman were also awarded for Grand Champion Bay Division and Grand Champion Offshore Division.
Bay Division Grand Champion was Lisa Helle from Mission, Texas. Lisa was fishing with Joe Lindemann on the “Friends that Fish” boat when she brought in a total weight of 13.15 pounds. Another angler from Mission, Texas, Dendea Balli walked away with the Offshore Championship when you brought in a total weight of 59 pounds. Dendea was fishing with Bryan Ray on “The Producer”. Congratulations to these anglers and all the winners of this year’s tournament
Gold Sponsors for this year’s event are Glazer’s, NBC KVEO Channel 23, Sea Ranch II at SouthPoint, Shamrock Builders and South Padre Island Convention & Visitors Bureau; Bronze Sponsors Coastal Current Weekly, First National Bank – SPI, L & F Distributors, Louie’s Backyard, and Palms Resort & Café on the Beach Friend; and Friend Sponsors Ben’s Liquor, Fine Wine & Tobacco, Blackbeard’s Restaurant, Blue Marlin Supermarket, Central Texas Concealed, LLC, Coleman Hall & Heinze Insurance, Islands, Pirate’s Cove Subdivision LTD, RE/MAX 1st Choice, Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark, Sea Ranch Restaurant, Tequila Sunset and Tom & Jerry’s Beach Club Bar & Grill. Our Awards Brunch Sponsor this year was Island Services.
Trophy Sponsors for this year’s event are Airtech, Amberjack’s Bayside Bar & Grill, American Diving, Coastal Current Weekly, Coastal Décor by Canvas Creations, Coleman Hall & Heinze, Coral Reef Lounge, Furcron Realtors, Gary and Roxanne Guenzel, Gladiator II Offshore Adventures, Isla Grand Beach Resort, Island Cinema, Islands, Jesse’s Cantina and Restaurant, Jim Harvill – Sysco Food Service, Louie’s Backyard, Marcello’s Italian Restaurant and Lighthouse Pub, Padre Island Brewing Co., Inc., Pier 19 Restaurant & Bar, Scampi’s Restaurant & Bar, Sea Ranch Restaurant, Shallow Water Marine, Ship Shape, South Padre Bank, N.A., South Padre Island Golf Club, Tequila Sunset, Wahoo Saloon, Wells Real Estate, White Lumber and Windchasers.
Mark you calendar and plan to join us next year for the 29th Annual Ladies Kingfish Tournament scheduled for August 6-8, 20109 - See you next year!
29th Annual Ladies Kingfish Tournament Results
ANGLER NAME / BOAT NAME HOME TOWN TROPHY WEIGHT LENGTH
BAY DIVISION
Patricia Buchen - Skinny Water Adventures Port Mansfield, TX 1st Place Redfish 7.9 27 7/8
Stacy MacMillen - Nice Tails I Laguna Vista, TX 2nd Place Redfish 7.7 27 3/4
Tammi Pearson - Jack Hammer Houston, TX 3rd Place Redfish 7.6 27 3/4
Victoria Mock - Victoria Mae South Padre Island, TX 4th Place Redfish 7.35 27 3/4
Faith Anderson - Blue Goose Port Mansfield, TX 1st Place Trout 6.7 28 3/8
Vicki Lambert - Popp N Rodd Bellville, TX 2nd Place Trout 6.4 27 7/8
Sandy Broadway - Isla Slammers South Padre Island, TX 3rd Place Trout 6.25 27 1/8
Lisa Helle - Friends that Fish Mission, TX 4th Place Trout 6 26 1/8
Norma Trevino - Triple Trouble South Padre Island, TX 1st Place Flounder 1.55 15 1/8
Lisa Helle - Friends that Fish Mission, TX Grand Champion Bay 13.15 N/A
OFFSHORE DIVISION
Bev Johnson - Wishbone Port Mansfield, TX 1st Place Kingfish 42.95 50 3/4
Becky Magdalena - Reveille Harlingen, TX 2nd Place Kingfish 31.95 51 1/2
Vickie Lott - Reveille San Antonio, TX 3rd Place Kingfish 30.05 48 3/8
Sandra Acevedo - Joint Discussion Edinburg, TX 4th Place Kingfish 29.9 47 1/8
Tammi Greer - Dock Holiday Harlingen, TX 1st Place Blackfin Tuna 31.1 34
Mary Ray - The Producer Laguna Vista, Texas 2nd Place Blackfin Tuna 26.6 33 1/2
Anne Lofton - Dock Holiday Harlingen, TX 3rd Place Blackfin Tuna 25.35 32 1/4
Amanda Kolberg - Harrshipp Edinburg, TX 4th Place Blackfin Tuna 22.65 31 3/8
Kim Groff - Havin' Fun San Antonio, Texas 1st Place Bonito 16.6 31 1/4
Leslie Zohrer - Knot Tellin Port Isabel, TX 2nd Place Bonito 14.4 28 3/4
Lizzy De La Garza - Endorfin Rancho Viejo, TX 3rd Place Bonito 13.85 28 3/4
Mary Vaughn - Queens Hooking Kings Weslaco, TX 4th Place Bonito 13.4 26 7/8
Carolyn Faires - Fishers of Men Edinburg, TX 1st Place Dolphin 28.1 50 1/2
Elizabeth Shamlian - Cookie Monster Harlingen, TX 2nd Place Dolphin 14.65 36
Patty Johnson - Reel Madness Port Isabel, TX 3rd Place Dolphin 14.25 33 1/2
Veronica Lawrence - Knot at Work South Padre Island, TX 4th Place Dolphin 11.05 31 3/4
Dendea Balli - The Producer Mission, TX Grand Champ Offshore 59 N/A
FLEEING NATIONALS TO BOOST ECONOMYBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PARADE
While Northern Mexico continues to struggle with drug violence and widespread corruption in the ranks of law enforcement and local officials, the Laguna Madre real estate market – and the Valley housing market at large - may be getting an unexpected boost as many affluent Mexican families flee their violence-riddled home cities to seek refuge on this side of the border.
Tim Shaunty is a former president of the Texas Council on Economic Education and director of the Center for Economic Education at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. At a gathering of Federal Reserve officials in San Antonio last month, he predicted a sharp increase in cross-border spending in the months ahead by affluent Mexican Nationals, especially from the Monterrey area, that could significantly impact the South Texas economy, especially in the housing sector.
McAllen Chamber of Commerce Director of Sales Victor Castillo agrees. Castillo says there has been a steady influx of Mexican families buying and building homes in the Upper Valley. He estimates as many as 400 new homes sales to Mexican nationals were recorded over the last six months. And while numbers are not available for Brownsville or the Laguna Madre area, local officials acknowledge they have seen a spike in interest in real estate by visiting Nationals.
The same can be said about the housing rental market. Officials at Coldwell Banker in McAllen say condo and housing rentals are already a premium, especially around Sharyland and Mission, because of the influx of Nationals fleeing violence, and as rental units become harder to find, the demand for housing will spread across the Valley.
The added impact of Nationals traveling to and seeking housing on South Padre Island in recent months is difficult to gauge say local real estate officials. Visitors from Monterrey have long made the Island a second home and families buying, building or renting local property here is an ongoing and vital part of the Laguna Madre real estate market. But officials say they have noted increased interest and traffic by Nationals who are spending more time in the area in recent weeks.
For some, apparently, it’s not just the violence in Mexico but the damage to infrastructure caused by serious flooding related to Hurricane Alex.
The PRESS caught up with one Mexican family from Monterrey that only recently purchased a condo and relocated to South Padre Island. Concerned over repercussions over making official statements, the senior member of the family says we can simply call him “Zorro” – the fox – because he was wise and stealthy getting his family out of Monterrey.
“It’s not just the violence, it’s the damaged roads,” says Zorro. “We have been coming to the Island for many years and have often talked about (buying) a second home here. Now the time is right.”
Zorro says he wouldn’t call Monterrey a war zone as newspapers in Mexico have labeled it in recent weeks. But he says violence is growing and spreading into more affluent neighborhoods, once safe havens from street crime. And he says there is definitely a risk traveling around the city, especially for the children.
“There are many instances of kidnappings and violent crimes against innocents. And the military seems unable to control the violence and in some cases add to it,” he adds.
Zorro says he knows of other families that have relocated to the U.S. side of the border, most of them to the Valley. He says as violence escalates, he agrees more and more will seek safety and refuge on this side of the border.
“It is very sad that we must leave our homes for fear of the dangers. It is sad for all of Mexico. Many changes must take place for the problem to go away. And that won’t be any time soon,” he said. “But we’re not giving up our home in Monterrey. We will go back. But now we have another home (on the Island) and at least here we feel very safe.”
FISHING ON THE BRAINBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
The peak of summer in South Texas conjures up thoughts of many great things, from sunny, relaxing days on the beach to weekends full of hustling, bustling vacationing travelers to movies that are played on the side of the Port Isabel Lighthouse. But when July starts to wane and August looms on the near horizon, our thoughts turn to what is probably mans first true passion and profession – fishing.
Starting this past weekend the first tournament of the “South Texas Big Three” fishing tournaments kicked off in Port Mansfield and early reports have it large crowds were experienced and happy anglers were reporting “good catches” at the 36th Annual Port Mansfield Fishing Tourney.
On the heels of this popular event comes the other two tourneys of the ‘big three’, the Annual Texas International Fishing Tournament (TIFT) this coming weekend, July 28-August 1, followed the week after, August 6-8, by the prestigious Annual Ladies Kingfish Tournament (LKT), both events being staged on South Padre Island and in Port Isabel. And you can bet emotions are running high this week – both by participants and by the communities that will benefit from the influx of thousands of visitors who have come to fish, to watch and to party.
In the Port Mansfield event, tournament director Terry Neal says fishing has been good this year there, especially offshore, and he says the local chamber has been getting a lot of calls from anglers from as far away as the Upper Texas Coast and even Florida making inquiry about fishing conditions. Such high interest sparked participation in last weekend’s tournament. Though all the final numbers and winners weren’t available as of press time, Neal says the tournament was “as good as it gets,” a positive indication that sport fishing is big this year.
Port Isabel Chamber President Betty Wells seems to agree. She is projecting possible record numbers of participants and visitors this year to the TIFT tourney, and South Padre Island Chamber officials say inquiries are running high for LKT as well.
Enthusiasm and expectations are running high perhaps because of the two past ‘mediocre’ years of sport fishing on the lower coast. Last year the economic slow down may have discouraged some anglers from making the trip south, and in 2008 Hurricane Dolly created chaos for tournament organizers. But with the economy slowly improving and the weather forecast holding firm this week, officials believe this could be the year that anglers will exercise their option to fish “like never before”.
That’s good news for area business and retail shop owners who have suffered the consequences of the economy and 2008’s stormy summer season. As of late Friday, a random survey of several hotels and condo rental agencies on the Island indicate reservations for this week are running exceptionally high. And retailers on both the Island and in Port Isabel are reporting that elevated crowds so far this summer is a positive indication that the next two weekends could be “very good” for business.
With the Port Mansfield Tournament now one for the record books and the LKT almost two weeks away, all eyes are focused on TIFT this week when as many as 1,500 anglers and over 500 boats are expected to begin arriving Tuesday and Wednesday and are expected to stay through the weekend, a positive boost for the local economy.
Registration for TIFT is scheduled for Wednesday, July 28, at the SPI Convention Centre, with Thursday reserved as a family play day. Fishing starts on Friday and continues on Saturday with the awards ceremony scheduled for Sunday.
Happy fishing anglers!
WILL FLOODING AFFECT TIFTBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
As the Rio Grande and the Valley floodway system continue to pour millions of gallons of flood waters into the Gulf every hour, the threat of heavy rains this week are adding to the worries that Gulf and bay waters could become murky and possibly even pose a health risk to anglers preparing for the 71st Annual Texas International Fishing Tournament.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say fishing in the Laguna Madre or offshore poses a major risk at this point,” reports Dr. Brian Smith, regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Harlingen. “Heavy flood runoff contains many particulates that are not healthy to come into contact with, such as fecal matter from overflowing septic and sewer systems. But this is more of a problem for the river and the floodway system and for standing water in low lying areas.”
While Smith says unsafe levels of bacteria have been recorded at Boca Chica beach since last weekend, he says the moving currents in the Gulf and bay system will help to disperse the pollutants. But he warns that fishermen should wash their hands regularly and avoid unnecessary contact with back waters of the bay and along the Boca Chica shoreline as well as areas where creeks and rivers empty into the bay. He says if the Valley can escape additional heavy rains in the week ahead, the pollution problems will slowly decline over the next several days.
Smith warns that fishing along the floodway system should be avoided however, but Valley anglers are turning out in large numbers there to take advantage of the water volume.
“This is the best time to catch a lot of fish. Many of the larger fish are coming into the canals and creeks because of so much water and they are easy to catch,” said Ramon Ayala of Brownsville, who was busy casting his bait off the public boat dock on Highway 48 on Wednesday. The rain showers were not slowing him down either.
Ayala says he has head the warnings about high bacterial counts and foreign material floating in flood waters, but says the channel on Highway 48 is fed from the Brownsville ship channel, and he didn’t think a lot of flood water had gotten into the channel. But he says he may try his luck in the floodway in the days ahead because he has heard the fishing is good there too.
“The water level is elevated a lot, but that’s a combination of more water coming down the river and from high tides. We don’t smell anything in the water, though it is a little murky,” he agreed.
State fish and game wardens agree that pollutants from floodwaters shouldn’t be a major issue for anglers headed to the coast to participate in T.I.F.T. They say state biologists and researchers from the Texas Coastal Studies Laboratory on the Island are keeping tabs on bacteria levels and say fish caught even in mildly polluted waters are safe to eat when cooked.
“There are bacteria in the water all the time, especially where large rivers flow into the Gulf, like the Rio Grande and the Mississippi rivers. This is a natural occurrence,” says Dr. Roger Leary, a water quality scientist at Texas A&M University in College Station. “When heavy flood waters flow down these rivers, concentrations can become much greater. But that’s not to say that fishing in the open water or even the bay is a harmful endeavor. It would require continued flooding over an extended period of time before most waters on the coast would be considered unsafe to fish. That hasn’t happened yet, and we hope it doesn’t. It would be unusual.”
Anglers in the Laguna Madre this week say they haven’t noticed any problems associated with recent flood waters, but admit at the end of last week the water was brown and murky, especially near Santiago Pass. But they say those conditions have improved and it appears they are only getting better.
With less than a week remaining before T.I.F.T. officially gets underway, everyone is hoping for a lot of sunshine and a lot less rain in the days ahead.
REMEMBERING JULY 23, 2008: HURRICANE DOLLY By LOGAN HAWKESPort Isabel-South Padre PRESS
(Compiled from various news reports)
Hurricane Dolly made landfall near South Padre Island on July 23, 2008. The storm came ashore as a Category Two hurricane pounding parts of South Texas with sustained winds of up to 100 miles per hour. The storm weakened over land, and was downgraded to Tropical Storm Dolly on the evening of July 23, 2008, but not until it had caused widespread wind and flood damage on the Laguna Madre area.
By the evening of July 23, 2008, Hurricane Dolly had weakened into Tropical Storm Dolly. As the system slowly moved inland, forecasters said Dolly could dump eight to 12 inches of rain on parts of south Texas and northeastern Mexico. Officials at the National Hurricane Center said some isolated areas could get up to 20 inches of rain in the days following Dolly's landfall. Widespread flooding was expected.National Hurricane Center: Tropical Storm Dolly Public Advisory (July 23, 2008).
 Dolly was the fourth named storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. It formed in the Caribbean Sea on July 20, weakened as it crossed the Yucatan Peninsula, and re-emerged in the Gulf of Mexico on July 21. The storm was predicted to continue inland on Wednesday afternoon and evening. According to the 2:00 p.m. NHC advisory, “Dolly is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 8 to 12 inches… with isolated amounts of 20 inches… over portions of South Texas and northeastern Mexico over the next few days. These rains will likely cause widespread flooding…. Coastal storm surge flooding of 6 to 8 feet above normal tide levels… along with large and dangerous battering waves… can be expected near and to the north of where the center makes landfall.”Despite producing strong convection and tropical storm-force sustained winds, it failed to develop a low-level circulation until July 20. That morning, reconnaissance aircraft found a low-level circulation and the system was declared Tropical Storm Dolly. This marked the fastest start of a hurricane season since 2005. It made landfall early on July 21 as a weak and disorganized tropical storm near Cancun, and emerged over the Gulf of Mexico later that morning. More » 17 deaths were reported in Guatemala from landslides caused by heavy rain on the fringes of Dolly. On July 22 at 4 p.m. CDT, it strengthened into the second hurricane of the season. It steadily strengthened that night into the morning of July 23 and reached Category 2 intensity. It made landfall at 1 p.m. CDT (1800 UTC) on South Padre Island as a 100 mph category 2 hurricane. Dolly caused no deaths in Texas but it became the most damaging hurricane in Texas since 2005's Hurricane Rita, with US$1.2 billion dollars in damage, and was the third costliest Texas hurricane in history, behind Hurricane Alicia and Rita. The remnant low caused flash flooding and two deaths in New Mexico before dissipating late on July 27.
BACTERIA LEVELS ELEVATED AT AREA BEACHESBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Cameron County Health and Human Services officials have issued a warning about swimming on the beaches of Boca Chica Beach because of elevated bacteria levels, a development confirmed by the Texas General Land Office (GLO). Beaches at Isla Blanca County Park and on the beach near the Sheraton Hotel have also tested positive for elevated bacteria counts of a less severe degree.
According to the GLO’s “Beach Watch” Web site, as of Sunday, all of Boca Chica beaches were rated as having high bacterial content. The waters around Isla Blanca Park have been rated as low bacterial counts and the beach near the Sheraton were rated as having medium bacterial counts.
Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos says it was his understanding that state warning signs had been posted on Boca Chica beaches to warn of the elevated risks of coming into contact with the water. But as of early Sunday, heavy crowds that filtered on to the beach say they haven’t seen any warning signs.
State officials say water testing at the three beach locations was conducted by the UTPA Coastal Studies Lab on South Padre Island. State guidelines provide for testing of Enterococcus bacteria, normally associated with human fecal matter deposited by overflowing sewer systems. With heavy runoffs from recent rains and the current flooding of the Rio Grande river, officials say it’s no surprise bacterial counts are elevated.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended single sample maximum criterion for Enterococcus bacteria is 104 colony forming units (CFU) per 100 ml. When the counts are above this level, swimming is not recommended. Bacteria counts rate the beach advisory levels as follows:
Low
Bacteria counts are less than 35 cfu/100 ml.
Medium
Bacteria counts are between 35 and 104 cfu/100 ml.
High
Bacteria counts are greater than 104 cfu/100 ml. An advisory for this beach is recommended.
Over the weekend officials were warning beach goers at Boca Chica to avoid contact with the water and advised the public to consult the GLO Web site before heading to the beach of their choice. Depending on which bacterium is present in the water, the public may experience gastrointestinal complications such as diarrhea, vomiting and other symptoms if they come in contact with the water.
Beaches on South Padre Island were packed over the weekend and the Laguna Madre was crowded with boats and anglers preparing for next weekend’s Texas International Fishing Tournament. But as of noon on Sunday, no warning signs could be found on any public beach.
KEEPING TABS ON BACTERIA LEVELSIndicator Organisms
Indicator organisms are a fundamental monitoring tool used to measure both changes in environmental (water) quality or conditions and the potential presence of hard-to-detect target pathogenic organisms. An indicator organism provides evidence of the presence or absence of a pathogenic organism that survives under similar physical, chemical, and nutrient conditions. Indicator organisms have the following characteristics:
• Are easily detected using simple laboratory tests.
• Generally not be present in unpolluted waters.
• Appear in concentrations that can be correlated with the extent of contamination.
• Have a die-off rate that is not faster than the die-off rate of the pathogens of concern.
Because it is difficult to directly detect the many different pathogens or parasites that may be present in surface waters, the presence of fecal bacteria has long been used as an indicator of the possible presence of disease-causing organisms. The bacterium used for the Texas Beach Watch Program and other coastal states is Enterococcus.
Pathogen Groups
Pathogens are defined as disease-causing microorganisms. Microorganisms are ever present in all terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Many types are beneficial, functioning as agents for chemical decomposition, food sources for larger animals, and essential components of the nitrogen cycle and other biogeochemical cycles. Some microorganisms reside in the bodies of animals and aid in the digestion of food; others are used for medical purposes such as providing antibiotics. The small subset of microorganisms that cause human diseases are known as human pathogens. If taken into the body, such pathogens can cause gastrointestinal illness or even death. The source of these microorganisms is usually the feces of humans and other warm-blooded animals. The pathogens most commonly identified and associated with waterborne diseases can be grouped into three general categories: bacteria, protozoans, and viruses.
Bacteria are unicellular organisms that lack an organized nucleus and contain no chlorophyll. They contain a single chromosome and typically reproduce by binary fission, during which a single cell divides to form two new cells. A primary source of concern to EPA is feces from warm-blooded animals, including fecal waste associated with farming and the discharge of domestic sewage. Feces can contain many types of bacteria found in waterbodies, including the coliform group, streptococcus, lactobacillus, staphylococcus, and clostridia. It is important to note, however, that most bacteria are not pathogenic.
Protozoans are unicellular organisms that reproduce by fission and occur primarily in the aquatic environment. Pathogenic protozoans, which constitute almost 30 percent of the 35,000 known species of protozoans, originate in the feces of warm-blooded animals. They can exist in the environment as cysts that hatch, grow, and multiply after ingestion, causing associated illness. Encystation of protozoans facilitates their survival by protecting them from harsh conditions like high temperature and salinity. Two protozoan species of major concern as waterborne pathogens are Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum.
Viruses are a group of infectious agents that require a host in which to live. They are composed of a sequence of nucleic acids-either DNA or RNA, depending on the virus-that is covered by a protein shell for protection. The most significant virus group affecting water quality and human health grows and reproduces in cells of the gastrointestinal tract of infected animals. These enteric viruses are excreted in feces and include hepatitis A, rotaviruses, caliciviruses (Norwalklike viruses), adenoviruses, enteroviruses, and reoviruses.
Health Concerns
The main route of exposure to disease-causing organisms in recreation waters is contact with polluted water while swimming, including accidental ingestion of contaminated water. In waters that contain fecal contamination, potentially all the waterborne diseases spread by the fecal-oral route could be contracted by bathers. These illnesses include diseases resulting from the following:
• Bacterial infection (such as cholera, salmonellosis, shigellosis, and gastroenteritis).
• Viral infection (such as infectious hepatitis, gastroenteritis, and intestinal diseases caused by enteroviruses).
• Protozoan infections (such as amoebic dysentery and giardiasis).
•
Swimming in contaminated water most frequently causes gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis is the inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, usually caused by a microorganism. Symptoms include chills, nausea, diarrhea, and fever.
Although bathing in contaminated water most often results in contracting diseases that affect the gastrointestinal tract, diseases affecting the eye, ear, skin, and upper respiratory tract can be contracted as well. Infection often results when pathogenic microorganisms come into contact with small breaks and tears in the skin or ruptures in delicate membranes in the ear or nose resulting from the trauma associated with diving into the water. The attached table provides a list of diseases that can result from contact with water contaminated with anthropogenically introduced or naturally occurring bacterial, viral, and protozoan pathogens.
SOFTWARE AND COASTAL GRANT TOP PI AGENDABy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Port Isabel City Commissioners take up the issue of updating cemetery and Human Resources Department software and will consider a grant application when they gather Tuesday, July 13, 6 p.m. at City Hall for a regularly scheduled session.
City Manager Ed Meza is expected to present information about the potential for a grant from the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) for a hydrology study and preliminary engineering for an alternative analysis to control the siltation of the channel and Modern Venice area. After discussion, it is possible the commission will take formal action.
Commissioners will also discuss a resolution amending section 606 Overtime of the City’s personnel policy manual to allow overtime and compensation to employees who otherwise would be exempt from receiving earned pay during a city disaster. In affect, overtime exempt employees, usually employees on a standard salary, would be eligible under the amendment to receive compensation for long and often continuous hours of service during emergency events, like hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Also on the agenda is a report on the status of the existing community center renovations.
A NEEDED LESSON IN PREPAREDNESSBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Come on down the weather is fine - at least so far this week.
But with a hurricane and a tropical storm under our belts all within a week and a half, many of us are left wondering what’s up next.
Yet most area residents and a few tourists we caught up with over the weekend say they feel that in spite of two early tropical systems shaking their fists at the lower Texas coast, all-in-all the Laguna Madre has come out of it with little more than a scratch or two, an assessment shared by Cameron County Emergency Operations Director Johnny Cavazos.
Immediately following the fizzling of last week’s tropical depression that rolled over the Valley, Cavazos told reporters that getting ready for another storm on the heels of the previous week’s hurricane was “a good lesson and exercise to test the county’s preparedness”.
Officials on the Island and in Port Isabel agree. In just a matter of a few hours of clearing the seaweed and removing a few of the berms constructed to hold back Hurricane Alex’s tidal surge, Island public works crews were back on the beach picking up garbage barrels again and scraping up piles of sand in preparation for the Tropical Depression # 2.
In Port Isabel, the back-to-back storms caused emergency workers, city work crews and administrative staff to work extended hours for up to 13 continuous days in order to prepare for and monitor emergency operations and preparedness. Emergency work crews and administrators have spent so much time working the two recent storms that Port Isabel commissioners this week are considering amending the personnel manual to allow for compensation of normally-exempt overtime employees during times of emergencies and disaster. Another lesson learned?
Even visitors to the Island chimed in on the unusually stormy weather so early in the summer season.
“We were one of the lucky ones,” says Amanda Sorely of Austin, who along with her husband and two teenage kids has been enjoying her stay on the Island over the weekend, just a few days after the two storms assailed the coast. “We were afraid we might have to change our (vacation) plans after the hurricane and the tropical storm slammed the Island. But the weather had been good since we’ve been here and we can’t see any signs of damage. It looks the way it always has.”
It was a busy July weekend and few store owners and operators had the time to talk. But the few comments received seem to indicate that in spite of the stormy weather of late, visitors have been arriving steadily to the area. One clerk at a local beach shop said during the peak days of the two storms, business had dropped off considerably, but the “crowds are back, even if in slightly fewer numbers.”
No official word yet from area officials about just how busy the weekend may have been, but most who participated in our impromptu beach and sidewalk survey over the weekend seemed to agree that things are looking “normal” again. No one, however, seemed to want to talk about the forecast for the remainder of the tropical season.
TROPICAL STORM BONNIE! (UPDATED 2 a.m., THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2010) By LOGAN HAWKESPort Isabel-South Padre PRESS
With heavy rains and gusty winds of Hurricane Alex still fresh on our minds, a new and quick developing tropical depression has formed about 260 miles off the coast of Brownsville and appears headed on a collision course with southern Cameron County and expected to make landfall Thursday evening as a weak Tropical Storm Bonnie – at least that’s was the forecast at PRESS time Thursday.
Forecasters say the greatest danger associated with this system are heavy rains which began early Thursday and are expected to continue Friday. Gusty, tropical storm force winds are also expected by late Thursday afternoon.
A tropical storm warning is in effect from Baffin Bay south to the Rio Grande Valley including Eastern Cameron County. The latest NOAA storm track has TS Bonnie making landfall on the Texas-Mexico border - just about the mouth of the Rio Grande – sometime early Thursday evening. Locally heavy rains of 4-8 inches across the area with isolated downpours of up to 10 inches are expected as this storm passes over a rain-saturated Valley. Residents along the coast and near rivers and streams and in low lying areas should take immediate action in anticipation of heavy rains and possible flooding through Thursday night and into Friday.
Tropical Depression Two was packing mild winds of about 35 miles per hour as of 6 a.m. Thursday, but is expected to gain rapid strength in the hours ahead. The system is moving north-northwest at 14 miles per hour and is expected to pick up speed before landfall.
Forecasters say the fast moving system should prevent the storm from reaching hurricane status before landfall. Of primary concern are swollen rivers and streams, including the Rio Grande River, which is near flood stage already near San Benito because of torrential rains and runoffs associated with Hurricane Alex. A Flash Flood Watch has been reissued for much of the Valley and surrounding areas.
Coastal residents are urged to monitor the latest developments with the storm. Portisabelsouthpadre.com will provide the latest important updates as this system moves on shore Thursday.
WAR OF THE MOSQUITOS By LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Even before the rains returned this week, tiny vampire insects were swarming in brackish waters left over from Hurricane Alex. By the end of the weekend they were making their presence known all across the Valley, and perhaps nowhere worse that around the Laguna Madre.
With heavy rains today and Friday and additional ponding expected in coastal flats and across the Valley the current mosquito infestation is expected to intensify in the days ahead bringing serious challenges to local and county government to step up the fight against the invading insects that pose many serious public health hazards.
Texas Department of Health officials are warning residents to take precautions to avoid further infestations around the home and to protect children from potentially dangerous mosquito bites. Along with the pesky blood suckers comes the risk of mosquito born diseases like dengue fever, West Nile Virus and other public.
“We do not know the extent to which West Nile infections or the other mosquito-borne illnesses will affect Texans this year,” says Jim Schuermann, staff epidemiologist for vectorborne and zoonotic diseases with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). “But we do know that mosquitoes are a problem in every part of the state every year. And there are steps people can take to protect themselves.”
Preventing mosquitoes from breeding is the first step local residents should take in protecting themselves from mosquito-born diseases says Schuermann.
"You want to inspect your home and yard and make certain there is no standing water where mosquitoes can breed. Old tires and other objects that can catch rainwater need to be drained and removed if possible," he advises.
The epidemiologist says it only takes about a week to ten days for mosquitoes to breed in stagnant water and once the process starts, it can spread rapidly.
"Drain standing water from around your home. Empty cans, buckets, tires, rain gutters, tree holes and saucers under potted plants regularly. Change the water in pet bowls, bird baths and wading pools several times a week. It only takes a thimble of water for mosquitoes to breed," he warns. "And the effort could save your health."
WEST NILE VIRUS
West Nile virus (WNV) is an infectious disease that first appeared in the United States in the late 1990s. Infected mosquitoes spread the virus and people who contract WNV usually have no symptoms or mild symptoms. Those with symptoms may have a fever, headache, body aches, skin rash or swollen lymph glands.
If West Nile virus enters the brain, however, it can be deadly. It may cause inflammation of the brain, called encephalitis, or inflammation of the tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called meningitis.
Older people are most at risk. There are no specific vaccines or treatments for human WNV disease. The easiest and best way to avoid WNV is to prevent mosquito bites.
DENGUE FEVER
Dengue [DEN-ghee] is a flu-like viral disease also spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a severe, often fatal, complication of dengue.
Dengue occurs in most tropical areas of the world but most U.S. cases occur in persons living along the Texas-Mexico border and in other parts of the southern United States.
Dengue fever usually starts suddenly with a high fever, rash, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, and muscle and joint pain. The severity of the joint pain has given dengue the name "breakbone fever." Nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite are common. A rash usually appears 3 to 4 days after the start of the fever. The illness can last up to 10 days, but complete recovery can take as long as a month. Older children and adults are usually sicker than young children.
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION...
While the risk of mosquito-borne disease ranges from minor to life threatening, health officials say the best way to avoid the problem is well planned prevention techniques.
In addition to draining sources of standing water around the home, local residents should avoiding walking outdoors in mosquito-infested areas in the early morning and evening hours. You are also advised to apply an approved insect-repellent before venturing outdoors.
According to the Center For Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, the only repellents recommended for mosquito control is a product containing either DEET or permethrin. Studies show that permethrin sprayed on clothing lasts through several washings.
An alternative to DEET, according to the CDC, is Oil of lemon eucalyptus [active ingredient: p-menthane 3,8-diol (PMD)], a plant- based repellent, which is also registered with EPA. In two recent scientific publications, when oil of lemon eucalyptus was tested against mosquitoes found in the US it provided protection similar to repellents with low concentrations of DEET.
WARNING
Recent research indicates that parents should use extreme caution when administering products that use DEET in large quantities to young children. Never over apply DEET to any member of your family, especially children.
In addition, you are advised to dress appropriately when outside in mosquito-infested areas. Cover as much skin as possible to reduce exposure to mosquito bites and use a recommended repellent on exposed skin. Mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing, so spray clothes with repellent.
WINDOWS AND DOORS
Keep mosquitoes out of the house by making certain well-fitting screens on both windows and doors are in good repair. Screens have a tendency to develop small holes or can come loose around the edges inviting a mosquito invasion. Residents are also warned to open and close doors quickly during mosquito season and, if necessary, to spray the home if mosquitoes are detected inside. The Cameron County health department advises the county will respond to mosquito problems in areas that pose a threat to public health. If you live near an open lot of standing water or have noticed unsupervised breeding grounds in your neighborhood, you should contact the county health department at (956) 427-8088.
NOT ANOTHER ALEX PLEASE!By LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
June has come and gone and most all of us on the lower coast are thankful that Hurricane Alex was a “near miss” storm that left little in the way of serious damage across the Laguna Madre. But lest we forget, the 2010 storm season has just gotten underway, and by Monday morning the National Hurricane Prediction Center in Miami was tracking a new system developing very near the same place where Alex started some ten days ago.
As of press time, the want-to-be system was not yet listed as a tropical depression, but an area of potential threat has been termed a “vigorous tropical disturbance” in the Northwestern Caribbean and conditions for development appear to be in place.
Here we go again.
On Sunday, when many were enjoying a backyard barbecue or getting ready for a parade or fireworks show, Cameron County Emergency Management Coordinator Johnny Cavazos was checking email and keeping an eye on weather reports and satellite images.
“We knew Alex was an early season storm and we are aware the tropical forecast calls for an active year. We would like to think we’re out of the woods after Alex missed us last week, but the peak of the season is yet to come,” he says.
Cavazos and County Judge Carlos Cascos agree, it’s far too early in the season to let our guard down.
“We’re taking this season seriously because we all know how dangerous developing storms can be. Alex was an exercise of our readiness and our emergency personnel handled the situation very well. If nothing else, it has helped us to be better prepared for what may come,” Cascos said last week after Alex veered westward into north central Mexico.
The current disturbance was located just east of Belize and northeast of the Columbian coast line moving north-northwest at 15 miles per hour. Observations on Sunday indicated a brief period of tropical force winds associated with the center of the disturbance. The National Weather Service gives the disturbance a 50-percent chance of development over the next 36 hours.
And this is not the only disturbance on the map. A small but well organized low pressure system continues to turn in the Gulf just off the Alabama coast line. Forecasters say they do not expect this system to develop rapidly and say it is expected to move northward with little development and eventually into the U.S. coastline on its current track.
Also of note is a disturbance about 150 miles northwest of the Bahamas and moving eastward toward the U.S. Atlantic coast. But forecasters say they expect this trough will stall and there is a chance for gradual development in the days ahead.
Finally, another area of disturbed weather is approaching the Lower Antilles bringing heavy rainfall and gusty winds to the Leeward Islands and Northern Windward Island, the Virgin Island and Puerto Rico. The system is moving west-northwest and could slowly develop in the days ahead.
Coastal residents are reminded to remain informed and well prepared for additional tropical weather in the days and weeks ahead.
FEWER NATIONALS THIS FOURTH HOLIDAYBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
As the Fourth of July holiday rolled around on the heels of Hurricane Alex, many visitors who normally make the trip to South Texas each year for the big weekend were notably absent.
What Hurricane Alex didn't do to the Lower Texas Coast, it did do to large areas of Mexico, a devastating storm that has claimed as many as 28 lives, forced thousands to evacuate and has left cities in Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon scampering to recover from some of the worst flooding ever recorded. As a result, there may have been fewer visitors from across the border this year than normal.
Remnants of Alex raked northern Mexico beginning Thursday evening with damaging winds and heavy rains that lasted through Friday, knocking out power to thousands of homes and causing floods that killed at least two people in Monterrey.
More than a year's worth of rain fell in three days, swelling dry river beds and destroying chunks of highway in the city. One woman was reportedly crushed to death by a mudslide as huge rocks from the surrounding mountains crashed down on roads. The floods swept away furniture from mansions in the San Pedro Garza Garcia suburb, Mexico's wealthiest municipality, and even buffalo were washed out of the city zoo.
Alex, which roared in from the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane, weakened to a tropical storm as it crossed Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon into Mexico's northern interior. But high winds and torrential rain left much of the region without electricity or telephone service, forced schools to close and sent rivers over their banks in Monterrey, the capital of Nuevo Leon and Mexico's most important industrial city.
Monterrey authorities said two men died after being swept away by floodwaters, though some news reports put the toll at five in that city.
Nuevo Leon Gov. Rodrigo Medina said more than 4,000 people were evacuated around Monterrey, where drenching rains filled the Santa Catarina River and other channels that normally carry little water. The governor said the capital had gotten about 10 inches of rain by midday, with some areas getting even more.
Television images showed a car being tossed by swirling, coffee-brown water, which threatened to swamp highway bridges near downtown. The state's civil protection director, Jorge Camacho, said that some communities in the highlands around Monterrey were cut off when authorities ordered the closure of two highways.
Officials in Nuevo Leon said they were seeking to have the state declared a disaster area. Classes at area schools and universities were suspended until Monday.
In the Gulf state of Tamaulipas, where Hurricane Alex powered ashore late Wednesday, high winds thrashed coastal zones as far north as the U.S. border and toppled utility poles inland in the state capital, Ciudad Victoria. News reports said tens of thousands of in that city were left in the dark and without water and telephone service. Winds knocked down trees and signs and smashed windows in a number of banks and car dealerships.
Flooding was reported in dozens of neighborhoods in Matamoros and Reynosa as well, both along the Texas border, but no fatalities were reported in Tamaulipas.
CAUSEWAY REOPENS ON SPINow that tropical winds have calmed, TXDot officials have reopened the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway connecting South Padre Island to the Texas Main. The decision was reached this morning with the advice and cooperation of Island officials who are anxious to provide the opportunity for those stranded on the Island to leave and, more importantly perhaps, to allow delivery trucks to head back on to the Island to replenish supplies at gas stations, restaurants and Island retail stores. The Island is anxious to "put their house back in order" in time for the influx of what they hope will be healthy Fourth of July holiday weekend crowds.
REMNANTS OF ALEX PLAGUE MEXICOWhat's left of Hurricane Alex continues to dump rain across Mexico and parts of the Rio Grande Valley, promising to bring big trouble to Cities like Monterrey that must deal with heavy rain runoffs from the mountains. As for the Valley, many are saying we "dodged the bullet" when it comes to the lack of serious wind damage associated with the Category Two storm, though damages are still being assessed and so far no word on how bad Valley agriculture crops will do after heavy and widespread rains and flooding. By 10 p.m. Wednesday night Alex was still a powerfl Cat2 hurricane in spite of being over land, and forecasters are wondering if the storm isn't one for the record books. For one, the intense central pressure of Alex, at one point as low as 947 millibars, was as intense as many larger, major mid-season storm systems. Beginning Sunday, the storm began to baffle forecast models and forecasters who admitted Alex wasn't your ordinary storm. All in all, in spite of widespread flooding from torrential rains and at least one funnel cloud that touched down near Brownsville, Alex was kind to the Valley with few major wind events and much less damaged than caused by Hurricane Dolly.
ALEX MAKES LANDFALL AGAINHurricane Alex and its 85-mile-per-hour winds is losing strength as it moves inland over northeastern Mexico at this hour. The National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida says the Category One storm is located about 135 miles to the south-southwest of Brownsville, Texas. Alex is making its way westward near ten miles per hour. This, after Alex -- the first hurricane of this year's Atlantic hurricane season -- made landfall Wednesday in northeastern Mexico as a Category Two storm.
ONE DEATH BLAMED ON ALEXHurricane Alex has been blamed for at least one death in Mexico after making landfall on Wednesday. CNN cites Carlos Eduardo Aguilar of Nuevo Leon's Civil Protection agency in Mexico as saying a contractor working in Monterrey was killed when a wall fell on him as a result of heavy rain. In addition, officials say the outer bands of Alex appeared to impact Brownsville with as many as six tornadoes reported in the area. Alex has begun losing some of its strength as it moves inland over northeastern Mexico.
ISLAND IS READY TO GO FOR FOURTHIf it were up to Island Convention and Visitor Executive Director Dan Quandt, Fourth of July on the Island would go on as if Alex had never existed. Quandt says the Island, and the Valley, are very lucky that they weren't in the direct path of Alex and says that in spite of some sporadic wind damage and power outages across the Island, the weekend should bring "business as usual" for the big summer holiday and says he hopes that those with travel plans to the Island for the weekend will keep to those plans. Quandt says work crews will be out today cleaning up beaches as possible and believes most damages done by the storm can be corrected before Friday afternoon when he says he hopes the crowds will begin filtering on to the Island. Traditionally, the Fourth holiday is the busiest weekend of the year for Island merchants and an important event for the Island's economy. Quandt says he needs to get the word out that the Island is ready for the multitudes and the damages have been repaired. It's time, he says, to celebrate.
SANBAGS AVAILABLE ON ISLAND AT PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTIsland officials have announced loal residents can obtain empty sandbags now at the SPI Public Works Department. A maximum of five bags will be provided to each resident.
Meanwhile, Island Mayor Bob Pinkerton has issued a vouluntary evacuation order for residents. Pinkerton suggests those with high profile vehicles should lave before Wednesday's expected landfall.
County Judge Carlos Cascos has also issued an evacuation order for high profile vehicles and warns residents and visitors to stay informed on the latest storm developments.
Pinkerton says residents should begin removing outdoor objects from their yards and patios. Hanging plants, he says, can becoming projectiles in high wind conditions.
Coast Guard officials on the Island are warning of high surf conditions and high tides beginning as early as Tuesday. Swimmers and surfers are reminded to stay out high surf and be mindful of rip currents caused by advanced waves of Alex.
MIXED EMOTIONS ABOUT ALEXBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
As of press time Monday, Alex continued to churn the warm waters of the Bay of Campeche in the southern Gulf, destined to make a second landfall in the hours or days ahead. By noon on Monday, it was still not certain where that eventual second landfall will occur.
Alex had been downgraded to a tropical depression hours after assailing the Belize-Mexico shore on Saturday. But it didn't take long for Alex to become a Tropical Storm once again. Less than three hours after reaching the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters upgraded Alex from a tropical depression to official storm status again, leading some forecasters to fear the system could become a CAT 3 hurricane by the time it makes its second landfall, somewhere on the Mexico or Texas coast line. The latest NOAA tracking map indicates there is a chance the storm could assault the lower Texas coast line and residents around the Laguna Madre and the Valley are being advised to remain alert to the latest developments.
There seems to be some disagreement over forecast models because of the changing characteristics of Alex. Most models still indicate an Eastern Mexican coast landfall event this week while at least three models indicate a weakening of the ridge that has kept the storm on a more westerly track. Under the conditions of these models, the storm could slow significantly and take a more north-northwestward track in the days ahead, thereby eventually threatening the Texas coast.
The storm has already forced the closure of two major Mexican oil ports but is not an imminent threat to oil spill recovery efforts in the Gulf of Mexico. While BP is continuing the oil-siphoning effort, Shell Oil has closed subsea production on two Gulf platforms due to the storm threat.
The Mexican government has closed the ports of Dos Bocas and Cayo Arcas, which handle 80-percent of that nation's Gulf export shipping due to poor weather and strong surf conditions.
The first named storm of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season was producing sustained winds of 50 miles an hour Monday and was centered roughly 85 miles south-southwest of Campeche, Mexico, Monday afternoon. Forecasters are expecting Alex to gain strength again Monday and Tuesday.
But despite where Alex may land, coastal residents around the Laguna Madre were reacting in different ways over the weekend to the news and the potential threat of the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
“It bothers me that it’s so early in the season and we’re already talking about a hurricane landfall in the Valley,” says Ernesto Gilbert of Laguna Vista. “I’m not ready for this yet.”
A check around the Island and Port Isabel Sunday indicated a few residents were making early preparations. Bottled water sales at both H-E-B Food Store in Port Isabel and Walmart were reported brisk over the weekend. But in contrast, little evidence was to be found Sunday that residents have started boarding up and securing their property. According to most we talked to Sunday, they were not being complacent, but “watchful”.
WHAT IS THE CHANCE FOR A FOURTH OF JULY HURRICANE?By LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Regardless where Tropical Storm Alex may track, it is unusually early in the season for tropical activity on the lower Texas coast. At least it has been so far.
Research indicates, in fact, that no recorded major storm has hit the Rio Grande Valley over the July Fourth weekend. Most major storms arrive later in the year, with August and September the most likely months for elevated storm activity.
We became curious about local storm history and did our homework. According to our research, a late June or early July storm would be extremely rare for the local area. Here are the results of what we discovered.
Valley Storm History
While the Rio Grande Valley and Deep South Texas have rarely seen a storm the magnitude of the Great Galveston Hurricane, a number of significant events have affected the region since the late 19th century. The following is a summary of the most notable storms:
September 1886
Nearly 26 inches of rain inundated the city of Brownsville from a storm that inched northward along the coast, later swamping Indianola with storm surge for the second time that year.
September 4-5, 1933
A 13 foot storm surge inundated coastal Cameron County. All dunes on south padre island were leveled, and over 40 separate cuts were produced by the battering surf. It was told that developed areas along the coast were abandoned until after World War II.
September 20-22, 1967, Hurricane Beulah
This storm remains the significant storm of record for longtime residents of the Rio Grande Valley and Deep South Texas. One or more impacts from wind, flooding, and storm surge affected people from Cameron to Zapata County. A ship in the Port of Brownsville observed winds of 136 m.p.h.. Gusts to 109 m.p.h. were recorded at the Brownsville Airport before the device was bent and inoperable, and gusts to 100 m.p.h. were noted as far inland as Pharr and Edinburg. A storm surge of 5 to 8 feet swept across South Padre Island into Port Isabel. The systen slowed across Willacy and Brooks county, then moved briefly into Duval and Webb county before returning southwest and dissipating in northern Mexico. Beulah's slow movement and relatively large size dropped tremendous rains across Starr, Hidalgo, and Brooks County. Overflowing creeks inundated Falfurrias, and excessive water flowing down the Rio Grande and into adjacent floodways flooded homes up to their rooftops in Harlingen.
August 10, 1980: Hurricane Allen
This was a formidable Category 5 storm on the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale just prior to entering the Gulf, but weakened to a Category 3 just prior to landfall near Port Mansfield as dry air infiltrated the cyclone as it slowly edged onshore. A brief wind gust of 138 mph was reported at Port Mansfield where significant damage occurred. Other reports had buildings in Brownsville inundated with 4 feet of water, most likely from rainfall. Uninhabited Padre Island had 68 new cuts from the impressive Storm Surge, which reached 12 feet at Port Mansfield and likely much higher to the north. The landfall of the most intense portion of the eyewall north of the Lower Rio Grande Valley spared the region from what would have been one of the worst storms on record.
August 23, 1999, Hurricane Bret
Bret will be remembered as the storm that split the population centers of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and the Corpus Christi area. A dangerous Category 4 storm just prior to landfall, Bret weakened slowly while approaching the coast, and decayed more rapidly soon after making landfall on uninhabited Padre Island in northern Kenedy County. While Bret's worst impacts largely affected cattle and mesquite, effects were felt from Sarita to Falfurrias, where hurricane force winds and more than a foot of rain caused significant damage. A peak gust of 98 mph was recorded at the Brooks County Airport near Falfurrias, and sustained winds of 73 m.p.h. were recorded at the Rincon Del San Jose Buoy along the Laguna Madre in southern Kenedy County within the eyewall, before the equipment failed.
July 23, 2008, Hurricane Dolly
Dolly served as a reminder to the residents of the Lower Texas coastline for the need to remain vigilant during each and every hurricane season. Dolly's wind and torrential rains caused damage and flooding across the Rio Grande Valley to the tune of over $1 billion, making it the fourth most destructive Texas hurricane on record in raw value not adjusted for inflation.
Sustained winds for most were below hurricane force, but an area extending from the Town of South Padre Island through Laguna Vista and Port Isabel, Rio Hondo, Harlingen, and San Benito experienced frequent gusts to hurricane force, along with widespread minor to moderate wind damage to roofs, poorly designed buildings, trees, and power lines and poles. Rainfall of 12 to 18 inches or more produced widespread flooding in Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, and even Starr County.
September 12th and 13th 2008 Hurricane Ike: Texans and the nation will remember Ike as the storm that swallowed the Bolivar Peninsula northeast of Galveston, leaving nothing more than a few buildings standing after a storm surge of at least 17 feet scraped the area clean. Ike's large wingspan drove high water across the entire Gulf of Mexico. It was Ike which caused severe erosion on the South Padre Island beaches, which have finally recovered in time for the 2009 summer season.
The effects of a tropical storm or hurricane can go well inland past the Texas coast. Heavy rainfall, flooding, and even tornadoes can occur several hundred miles into the interior parts of the state. This week is a perfect time for emergency planners, city and county officials, the media, and the public to prepare for the tropical threats. Schools, hospitals, and nursing homes should test, review, and exercise their plans, making certain their employees are ready. Finally, everyone living or visiting the Texas coast must be prepared to move to safety in an organized and timely fashion if necessary.
TS ALEX FORMS, SLAMS MEXICO, HEADS FOR GULFBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
As of 10 p.m. Saturday evening, a strengthening Tropical Storm Alex assailed the Belizian coastline just north of Belize City, some 90 miles south of the Belize-Mexico border and the Yucatan seaport at Chetumal. Though the central pressure of the storm rose slightly just before landfall, intense thunderstorm blasts developed near the center of pressure, promising 50 MPH winds and as much as 15 inches of rain across parts of the Yucatan, Belize and northern Guatemala. Serious flooding is expected in the lowlands of Mexico and northern Belize.
Now that the storm center has land fallen, weakening of the system is expected tonight and Sunday as the storm continues its north-northwest trek across the Yucatan, where it is expected to emerge in warm Gulf waters near Campeche.
While forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say the forecast track was adjusted slightly to the right, or north, of the original track Saturday evening, they say they still believe a subtropical ridge persisting over the northern Gulf will steer the system more to the west in the days ahead.
Advisories have been issued for all areas of the Yucatan's Eastern coastline and stretching across to communities on the opposing Gulf side of the peninsula. Coastal residents in South Texas are advised to stay up to date with tracking forecasts and take time now to review emergency plans in the event the storm should reach local waters.
Evacuations of nonessential personnel from platforms and drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico are underway by Shell Oil ahead of the storm. The efforts to clean up the massive oil spill in the Gulf are currently not threatened by Alex. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen says officials "understand it's moving westerly at this time and does not threaten the site."
Forecasters say Alex could well become a hurricane before making a second landfall in Eastern Mexico from Veracruz to as far north as the Rio Grande Valley.
TROPICAL WAVE FORMS IN CARIBBEANA strong tropical wave over the central Caribbean is producing large areas of disorganized showers and thunderstorms over portions of the central Caribbean and the adjacent land ares. Upper level winds seem to be conducive for gradual development and a tropical depression could form during the next couple of days. Regardless of development, locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds are possible over portions of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica during the next day or so as it moves west-northwestwar at about 10 MPH. There is a medium chance -- 40 percent -- of this system becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours.
ROARING START TO THE SUMMER SEASONBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
You might have thought it was the Fourth of July weekend if you dared to cross the Queen Isabel Memorial Causeway this weekend as elevated traffic kept the bridge busy all throughout the weekend.
“There’s definitely a lot of people in the area,” says Romona Murphy of Murphy Fishing Charters. “The start to the red snapper season in federal waters has added to the crowd, but there were just a lot of visitors on the coast this last weekend, and many of them were vacationers.”
Area stores and merchants were reporting good crowds on Saturday and a trip to the beach indicated the surf and the sand were still popular attractions for visitors.
And it’s wasn’t just the Island that was slammed. On Saturday night parking spaces around Lighthouse Square were at a premium and tour boats were reporting heavy crowds for fishing charters and recreational cruises.
The South Padre Island Convention and Visitor’s Bureau correctly predicted an increase in the number of summer visitors over the Memorial Day weekend following strong spring and winter visitor traffic experienced so far this year. But there does seem be some surprise that crowds failed to trickle off after the holiday weekend ended.
The optimistic forecast for a good summer, however, is being fueled by new projections from the American Automobile Association (AAA) which indicates more Americans will be traveling this summer compared to 2009.
The SPI-CVB reports that the number of visitors to the island in the last six months has definitely increased over the previous year. In the first quarter of 2010, taxable lodging sales on South Padre Island were up 29.5 percent, an encouraging increase considering the sluggish economy.
“Strong numbers throughout the winter and spring point to a very good summer season for us this year,” says Dan Quandt, executive director of the South Padre Island CVB. “Although the economy still has some challenges, it’s much better than it was a year ago.”
With Father’s Day a little more than a week away and the Fourth of July holiday looming, it looks like June could be one for the record books, or so hopes area businesses that have been hard hit the last two years because of the economy and the ravages of Hurricane Dolly in 2008.
Other big summer events, including the Texas International Fishing Tournament (TIFT), scheduled this year July 28-August 1, and the Ladies Kingfish Tournament scheduled August 6-8, give hope that the summer season will indeed be a good one this year.
FEELING SAFE VERSUS PRIVACY INVASIONBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
According to unofficial statistics, Laguna Madre area residents fly more per capita than any other city in the Valley.
That shouldn’t be surprising considering the average income level of area residents, especially on South Padre Island, is higher than most places in the three county area of Deep South Texas.
Regardless what else that might mean, it will certainly result in more local residents being subjected to new full body scanners at area airports in the near future, more than anyone else in the Valley on average – a good thing or a bad thing depending on how you look at it.
Before the end of June, Valley International Airport in Harlingen will be the first in the Valley to deploy full body x-ray scanners at security checkpoints, meaning flyers will soon be run through the latest technological breakthrough for airport security, a machine that will x-ray your full body and take “shadow” images of what’s beneath your clothes.
U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, defends the use of the new deep scanning technology at airports across the nation saying it’s nothing more than a “sign of the times”.
“It has become necessary to be more prudent in our airport security procedures for the sake and general safety of the public,” Hinojosa says. “This new technology will assist the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to better do the job we all hope they can do in preventing avoidable security risks on U.S. flights.”
Not everyone is pleased about the new x-ray devices, including consumer advocate Ralph Nader and the Electronic Privacy Information enter (EPIC). Nader and ten privacy organizations have urged leaders in the House and Senate to cease deployment of full-body scanning devices in U.S. airports until an independent review of the devices' health effects, effectiveness and privacy safeguards is completed.
In letters addressed to Congressman Bennie Thompson and Senator Joe Lieberman, the organizations cited the increasing presence of the full-body scanner machines and the health risks posed by them. This message echoes previous requests made by EPIC in a letter to President Obama and in testimony before the House Committee on Homeland Security.
As a result of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, EPIC has obtained hundreds of pages of documents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about the plan to deploy full body scanners in U.S. airports. A letter to EPIC reveals that the government agency possesses about 2,000 body scanner photos from devices that the DHS said earlier "could not store or record images." EPIC has also obtained the most recent device procurement specifications, and several hundred new pages of traveler complaints.
But Carrie Harmon, a spokeswoman for TSA in Harlingen, says the level of x-ray dose each passenger will receive is about equivalent to the normal dose of radiation received in two minutes of flight on an airplane from naturally occurring background radiation. And she says the x-ray image of each passenger scanned is deleted immediately after the screening process when the passenger is passed through the checkpoint.
“The passenger’s image will not be viewed by the security agent at the gate. A different agent will view the scanned image and won’t know from which passenger the image was taken,” she says.
That is, if the scan uncovers nothing that could be considered a security risk.
Harmon admits the x-ray image is capable of showing everything beneath the clothing level, but she defends the technology as being the only way security technicians can effectively scan passengers to prevent them from concealing a weapon or explosive device beneath their clothing.
But she says passengers will have a choice. Those that object to the full body imaging scanners can submit themselves to a physical pat down by security agents instead.
“We don’t anticipate a great number of people choosing to do that, but the service will be available to those that request it,” she adds.
Valley International reports the full body scanners will be up and running before the end of the month. Miller Airport in McAllen and Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport in Brownsville are also expected to begin utilizing the scanners before the end of summer.
FIRE DEPARTMENT TO THE RESCUEBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
When 16 year old Jack Sloane of Georgetown was accidently shot in the head last year, parents Bart and Shari Sloane wondered if the family would ever recover from the tragedy.
But with a strong will to live and the work of an outstanding medical team, half of Jack’s brain functions were saved, and the family is thrilled to be spending a summer vacation on the beaches of South Padre Island in spite of believing they would be limited in where they could go and what they could do.
Limited to a wheelchair, young Jack is able to talk and smile and look back on his touch with death and has shown remarkable character and an ability to slowly recover some of what he lost. In time, says Shari Sloane, they hope Jack’s recovery and rehabilitation might be as much as 99-percent of what he lost through the terrible accident. A vacation, they thought, might help speed that recovery.
“We love South Padre Island and have been coming here for about ten years, so Jack has found memories of playing on the beach and enjoying the coast,” Shari Sloane says. “But we didn’t expect Jack to be able to enjoy the beach, and certainly not the water.”
But Shari says they heard about a device known as a Mobi-Chair, a specially designed three-legged invention that allows the disabled to sit in comfort while venturing out into the water. Then they discovered the South Padre Island Fire Department recently received a number of Mobi-Chairs, and made the call to inquire about the availability of one of the devices.
“It was entirely too easy. The fire department said yes, they have what we need. When we arrived, we drove by the fire station and they instructed us on how to use the chair and then simply loaned it to us so Jack could enjoy the beach. They were so helpful. It has made a special vacation that we will always remember,” Shari adds.
The Sloanes have been on the coast for nearly a week now. The PRESS caught up with the family at Beach Access #6 on Wednesday and talked to family about Jack, his recovery and the Mobi-Chair that has turned their vacation into a lasting memory.
“This is simply beyond what we had hoped for. We think Texas is all about Texans helping Texans, but when the boys at the fire department helped us strap the chair to our vehicle and simply told us to bring it back before we left, we felt humbled and thankful that there are such good people still doing such good things to help their neighbors,” reflected Bart Sloane.
While Jack has limited motor functions because of his accident, he has made vast improvements. Shari says the doctors say eventually the right side of his brain – the good side – will learn to perform the functions of the left side of the brain.
“Jack is an A/B student in high school and the top in his math class. We have great hope and expectations for his recovery,” she said.
South Padre Island Fire Chief Burney Baskett says the acquisition of the six Mobi-Chairs last summer has gone a long way to help the disabled who visit the Island. The chairs were acquired through a grant and with the help of the Texas General Land Office, and they fulfill the objective of making the sand and the surf accessible to those that would not otherwise be able to enjoy the water.
“We get a lot of folks who need just such a device and it’s a great thing to see them be able to enjoy everything the Island has to offer. All anyone needs to do is call ahead and let us know their need and we’ll save them a chair and have it waiting when they arrived. One of the reason’s the program is administered by the fire department is that we’re open seven day a week and 24 hours a day,” says the Chief.
In addition, Baskett says they will help users to become familiar with the chairs and how to use them properly, and will even deliver them to beach if needed.
“The South Padre Island Fire Department rocks,” said Shari with a smile as big as Texas, a sentiment shared by Jack, Bart and sister Hattie.
TRANSFORM PADRE LOOKS TO THE FUTUREBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
President Calvin Coolidge may have best summed community and personal growth when he said “All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.” Another American President, John Kennedy, said it this way, “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”
Neither President was speaking about the growth of South Padre Island when they uttered those timeless words of wisdom, but both parables apply when it comes to a community – any community – laying aside the past to embrace the future. As someone else once said, “Change can be either good or bad, but it’s rarely easy.”
In the weeks ahead, thanks to a new redevelopment initiative, Island residents and interested visitors will get the opportunity to stand up and be heard. The topic involves redevelopment of the Island’s entertainment district using the principles of form-based code, a new and somewhat non-traditional method of controlling urban development designed to be sensitive to the needs of residents and visitors.
To better understand the principle of form-base code, it’s important to define exactly what that means to the average person. According to the New World Encyclopedia, form-based codes are a new response to the modern challenges of urban sprawl, deterioration of historic neighborhoods, and neglect of pedestrian safety in new development. Tradition has declined as a guide to development patterns, and the widespread adoption by cities of single-use zoning regulations has discouraged compact, walkable urbanism. Form-based codes are a tool to address these deficiencies, and to provide local governments the regulatory means to achieve positive development objectives with greater certainty.
It may sound rather academic, but in essence, form-base code represents the “new” initiative when deciding what types of zoning and development are best for those that live, work and play in a community. And ideally, form-base codes and redevelopment involves the input of all those that will be affected by the coming changes.
Island residents and interested individuals will get that chance June 9-16 when a series of open forums and planning sessions will be staged to help mold future development of the community’s entertainment district.
Jayashree Narayana plays the lead consulting role and is key to the design team on the project for Fort Worth’s Gateway Planning Group, the firm contracted to organize the Island’s redevelopment initiative. According to Narayana, this new initiative has nothing to do with the recent bond elections for improvements to Padre Boulevard, a common misconception.
“It’s unfortunate we could not stage this initiative prior to that election. While this initiative does call for many beautification standards, it is much broader and enlists the partnership from the private sector, a way to realize major growth and improvements without overtaxing and burdening the community’s ability to do the project alone,” she says.
As far as what the initiative may include in terms of Island development and changes to the entertainment district depends largely on the community’s input, she adds, saying that the upcoming planning sessions provide the perfect opportunity for residents to not only understand the project but to help “mold” it to fit the community’s needs.
According to a Gateway Web site dedicated to the project, the Town of South Padre Island is currently undertaking a redevelopment initiative to transform Padre Boulevard and the Entertainment District to better represent the needs of the community. Earlier this year, the Gateway Planning Team was engaged to create a master plan and form-based code to encourage redevelopment of both areas. The goal of the initiative is to establish a vibrant vision for the corridor and the Island’s entertainment district as destinations in the community and the region.
In addition to encouraging sustainable economic development, this initiative will lead to streamlining development standards to implement the vision. Over the next days, the Design Team will engage the community in creating a vision plan and recommend implementation tools.
“The first step in creating this vision is the Community Design Workshop that has been scheduled from June 9 - 16,” says Narayana. “Getting people involved is the key to success. This project has the support and involvement of the Texas Department of Transportation and there is ample interest on the part of the private sector. This, hopefully, is a formula for success.”
The Gateway Planning Team has been on the ground since March and has presented its preliminary findings to a joint worksession of the Form-Based Code Commission and the Padre Boulevard Implementation Committee. The open workshops and community meetings represent the next step in the process.
The opening session for the redevelopment initiative is set for June 9, 5:30-8;30 p.m. On Monday, June 14, a public open house will be held beginning at 5 p.m. The closing session is scheduled for Wednesday, June 16, 5:30-7:30 p.m. In addition, the public is invited to the open design sessions scheduled June 10, 11, 14 and 15. These sessions will run from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. All meetings will be held at City Council Chambers at City Hall, 4601 Padre Blvd.
For more information about the project, visit the Web site at www.padreboulevard.com.
STORM SEASON HAS ARRIVEDBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Living on the Texas coast has its many benefits, including enjoying the pristine environment we love and respect so greatly. But the threat of tropical weather systems each summer season is a reminder that we need to constantly have our house in order. Being prepared for a major disaster is the first step in surviving a disaster. And understanding the dangers can lead to better preparation and increases the chance of survival for people and their property.
As a public service, the Port Isabel PRESS has prepared a special section on our newspaper Web site that will help you prepare for storm disaster. In addition to outlining the dangers of tropical systems, it also provides insight into preparing a family plan.
The section is further enhanced by a series of six audio programs that offer detailed information for those with sight disabilities or who prefer a digital delivery. By clicking on the audio links, users can listen to each of the steps outlined in the guide.
Preparing for disaster is the most important step you can take in avoiding loss and tragedy. Click here and start the process of understanding the dangers and preparing a family plan.
AS SNAPPER SEASON OPENS, NO WORRIES ABOUT OIL SPILLBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Red snapper season in federal waters of the Gulf opens Tuesday and in spite of the peril of Louisiana sport fishing charters crippled by the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, commercial boat operators around the Laguna Madre say they are expecting a record year for snapper fishing in Gulf waters just offshore.
Anticipation of the snapper season is running high, especially considering a federal ban on snapper fishing in federal waters since August last year. Federal snapper season opens June 1 and runs for 50 days, ending July 20 this year.
“We’re looking for a bumper snapper season, and because federal waters have been closed to snapper fishing since last year, we expect this year’s catches will be much larger than usual,” says Romona Murphy of Captain Murphy’s Charter Service on the Island. “There’s a two snapper limit in federal waters but we believe the size of the snapper anglers will be bringing in will beat the four-fish limit allowed in state waters.”
As far as complications from the Deepwater oil spill, Murphy says so far that has been no adverse effect on offshore fishing in South Texas.
“We don’t expect to be disrupted by the oil spill anytime soon if at all. The spill is drifting east and far from the South Texas shore. But we do get several calls everyday about that very thing. My only concern is that fishermen may assume we are having troubles down here when we aren’t. It’s business as usual for us,” she says.
Murphy reports in spite of June 1, opening day for snapper fishing in federal waters, falling on a weekday, her boats are almost full, and she says she expects the weekend to be “much busier”.
“Anglers have been waiting for federal waters to open up again and there’s a lot of excitement and anticipation this year,” she adds.
Murphy says already fishing has picked up in South Texas waters. She reports they have been seeing and catching dorado, ling, kingfish and grouper offshore, and bay fishing has been good as well.
“This has the potential of being a really great year for fishing in the waters around the Island. There is some concern about the busy tropical season being forecast. Right now that more of a concern than the oil spill for South Texas (boat) operators,” she says.
Murphy points to the 2008 season when Hurricane Dolly roared onshore July 23 that year, and says a major hurricane could be devastating to local operators who are just now hoping for recovery after Dolly and the economic meltdown of last year.
“But I have been seeing a lot of family travelers this Memorial Day weekend who are telling me they are here for at least a week. These are vacations from outside the Valley and this is encouraging for the summer season. We just hope that continues,” she adds. “We think it’s going to be fantastic season for fishing.”
DIGITAL EXHIBIT TO OPEN AT TREASURES OF THE GULFBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
A rare and special exhibit opens at the Treasures of the Gulf Museum in Port Isabel this week, "MEXICO VISTO POR SUS NIÑOS", or "Mexico Through the Eyes of its Children". This special exhibit shows the works of children from impoverished areas of Mexico who were instructed on the use of digital cameras and given the opportunity to take those cameras into their communities and film life "as they see it".
Mayor Joe E. Vega and City Manager Edward Meza will welcome the new Mexican Consulate members to the City of Port Isabel and officially inaugurate the opening of the photo exhibit during a reception thisn Wednesday June 2, at 6:30 p.m. The reception will also be staged in the Treasures of the Gulf Museum. The exhibit will be on display from June 2 - August 15.
Museum officials say the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports the cause by allowing this exhibit to travel to different U.S. cities through the Consulate de México and their partners. The exhibit was arranged through the Mexican Consulate's Office.
The images were taken from a very peculiar source with a very peculiar point of view. The participants are children between the ages of eight years and 17, from the Mexican states of Michoacan, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Puebla, and Mexico. They used digital cameras to photograph their families, friends and even local festivities.
The children attended the Fund for the Children of Mexico's Community Centers to become proficient in the use of the new digital technology. This organization has promoted over 33 years of development for children and teenagers of poverty conditions. The Fund supports more than 45,000 kids in 206 rural communities in Mexico.
For a full week the children had the opportunity to become photographers and document their own reality. They attended workshops and were encouraged to take care of their digital cameras. The children learned how to take pictures, and along the way, they discovered who they truly are. This exhibition is the result of those emotions and discoveries of a world never seen. You are encouraged to tour the Museum and view this traveling exhibit.
For more information contact Gabriel at (956)-943-7602 or visit www.portisabelmuseums.com
THIS WEEK IS NATIONAL HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS WEEKBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Batteries and flashlights, check. Emergency food supplies, check. Evacuation plans in order, check.
National Hurricane Preparedness Week kicked off Sunday, May 23 and runs through May 29, and coastal residents are being reminded again to get their storm plans in order before the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane season begins next week.
History teaches that a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters. By knowing your vulnerability and what actions you should take, you can reduce the effects of a hurricane disaster.
From high winds and storm surges to tornadoes and flooding, the hazards of hurricanes can destroy communities and devastate lives. This means it is important for your family to have a plan that includes all of these hazards. Look carefully at the safety actions associated with each type of hurricane hazard and prepare your family disaster plan accordingly.
“I urge individuals, families, communities, and businesses to take time to plan for the storm season before it begins. While hurricane forecasting has improved, storms may still develop with little warning. For Americans in hurricane threatened areas, knowledge and preparation are pivotal to ensure emergency readiness and responsiveness,” said President Barrack Obama in a special hurricane preparedness proclamation signed last week at the White House.
PI CITY COMMISSION TO DISCUSS VENICE DREDGINGBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Consideration of a proposal for pre-dredging bottom survey of the main channel entrance of Modern Venice will highlight the Port Isabel City Commissioner’s meeting when they gather Tuesday, May 25, at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
Following the approval of the minutes from the last Commission meeting, the board will hear a proclamation from Mayor Joe Vega designating the week of May 20-26, 2010,
as Emergency Medical Services Week and will hear a presentation on the Minerals Management Service Grant Award for Derry Waterfront Park.
In other business, the Commission will hear an update report on cash investments from Finance Director, V. Alonzo Echavarria-Garza and will discuss for potential action a measure that would transfer the maintenance and operation of Cameron County Laguna Heights Bejerano/McFarland Park to the City Of Port Isabel. City Manager, Edward Meza and Cameron County Parks Director Javier Mendez will talk about the transfer prior to any action.
The Commission is also expected to discuss and take potential action to request for EMS Medical Billing proposals and will adjourn to a closed executive session to provide advice and legal counsel concerning pending or contemplated litigation in the case of Lamar Signs versus the City of Port Isabel.
LARGE CROWDS EXPECTED ON ISLAND THIS WEEKENDBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
The South Padre Island Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is predicting an increase in the number of summer visitors over the Memorial Day weekend following strong spring and winter visitor traffic experienced so far this year.
The optimistic forecast is fueled by new projections from the American Automobile Association (AAA) which indicates more Americans will be traveling over the holiday weekend this year compared to 2009.
The SPI-CVB reports that the number of visitors to the island in the last six months has definitely increased over the previous year. In the first quarter of 2010, taxable lodging sales on South Padre Island were up 29.5 percent, an encouraging increase considering the sluggish economy.
“Strong numbers throughout the winter and spring point to a very good summer season for us this year,” says Dan Quandt, executive director of the South Padre Island CVB. “Although the economy still has some challenges, it’s much better than it was a year ago.”
Quandt says that with new developments and expanded offerings, the island is poised for a busy summer. New lodging options on the island have expanded the room inventory, accommodating more overnight visitors. Also, a new shuttle service is providing affordable, door-to-door transportation between Valley International Airport in Harlingen and South Padre Island accommodations, which could add to the overall numbers of visitors traveling from great distances.
In addition, new attractions, including the new South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center, which opened in September 2009, are giving visitors more options for activities on the island.
AAA predicts a 5.4 increase in the number of Americans vacationing this Memorial Day weekend. The travel organization estimates that the average distance traveled by Americans over the holiday weekend will be 626 miles, putting South Padre Island well within reach of several major metropolitan areas in Texas.
PORT ISABEL WOMAN GETS PRISON TERMBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
On Friday afternoon, 404th Judicial District Court Judge Elia Cornejo Lopez sentenced Maria Alondra Rodriguez, 27, of Port Isabel, to five years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Institutional Division for possession of a controlled substance stemming from a July 3, 2009, arrest at a local motel.
Rodriguez was placed on deferred adjudication for four years after she pled guilty to the charges of possession of controlled substance in 2006. After being on probation for four years, prosecutors argued she committed new offenses of possession of controlled substance with the intent to deliver.
According to police, Rodriguez was in possession of cocaine on July 3, 2009, at a local motel in Port Isabel and intended to deliver the substance.
After the State delivered its closing arguments in today's hearing to a motion to adjudicate, the judge sentenced her to five years in prison.
WASHINGTON PARK PROJECT UNVEILEDBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Port Isabel Mayor Joe E. Vega and City Commissioners gathered Friday morning for the unveiling of the Community Development Block Grant Fund Project at Washington Park. The City received funding from the CDBG for the new 25X32-foot pavilion to be used for family gatherings and events at the park.
As part of the unveiling, raising of the flag was be presented by Port Isabel Veterans Committee and members of the American Legion Post 498 and VFW Post 8791. Also part of the special ceremony was Commissioner Maria de Jesus Garza’s kindergarten class from Garriga Elementary , who presented the Pledge of Allegiance and presented a special “Thanks” presentation.
“The addition of the pavilion will make the park even more enjoyable for residents to have parties and events. This project is one of many that will enhance the quality of life in Port Isabel,” Mayor Vega told the crowd.
Following the ceremony, refreshments were served.
TURTLE DAYS ARE COMINGBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Turtles are special on South Padre Island, as evidenced by the large number of volunteers and local organizations that dedicate time and effort to protect our shell-covered friends. Beginning this Thursday, “Turtle Days” are returning to South Padre Island and the public is invited to join in on the fun and for the good cause.
Beginning on Thursday, Turtle Days kick off with a special Turtle Tea and Plant Swap at Paragraphs, 5505 Padre Blvd. Tickets for the swap are $5. The event honors turtle patrol members and interns.
On Friday, the is invited to join the flotilla of kayakers as they paddle down the bay lighting tiki torches on the way in the Annual Lighting of the Tiki Torches Event. Kayakers will gather at Parrot Eyes, 5801 Padre, at 5:30 p.m. to kick off the event. A special Turtle Celebration with the Kings and Queens of Sargassum will follow at Mooncussers, 205 W. Palm St., where Hula Dancers, Island Drummers and the Saturn Street Strummers will perform beginning at 6:30 p.m. A special fire twirling event will follow at dusk.
On Saturday, a “Fanciful Masked Ball” will be staged where sea creatures meet Sanderella at the Steve Gomez Building, 112 W. Corral, from 7:00 to Midnight. Tickets are $20.00 in advance and $25.00 at the door. The event will include an hors d'oeuvre buffet and wine and beer. Proceeds benefit the Sea Turtle Nesting Program.
TELLING OUR STORIES TO TRIBUTE TURTLE LADYBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
The Grandmother of turtle rescue on South Padre Island will be remembered Thursday evening at the Treasures of the Gulf Museum, 317 E. Railroad Ave. at 6:00 p.m., when the Museum presents May’s “Telling Our Stories” program.
Mary Ann Tous, niece of famed Ila Fox Loetcher, aka “The Turtle Lady”, who began her work on sea turtle conservation in 1965 and was a pioneer in her field by playing a vital role in protecting the Kemp Ridley Sea Turtles, will give a presentation on the history of the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles and the efforts that go towards their protection.
Ila was a major inspiration to her niece, Mary, and in 2005, Mary Ann Tous founded a
non profit organization called “The Turtle Lady Legacy”. Their goals are to educate and continue the safety and conservation of majestic sea turtles by following in Ila Fox Loetscher’s footsteps.
Recent events causing a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are threatening these marine animals and their nesting habitats.
All locals and visitors are welcomed to attend this free presentation. Drinks and Refreshments will be served.
The Museums of Port Isabel and the Laguna Madre Museum Foundation’s goals are to educate and preserve local history. With the help from supporters and the public, museum officials hope to continue to preserve the community’s past for future generations.
For more information contact Gabriel Godines at (956) 943-7602 or visit www.portisabelmuseums.com.
SUMMER SCHOOL, SENIOR TRIP ON PIISD AGENDABy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel PRESS
The 2010 summer school program and a senior trip to Houston headline the Point Isabel Independent School District agenda for Tuesday, May 18. The Board will meet in regular session at Derry Elementary School Library at 6 p.m.
Approval for the Port Isabel High School senior class to attend an event at Rice University and to visit the Johnson Space Center will be considered by trustees during the opening business agenda section of the meeting. The Board is also expected to approve the personnel report for May and to consider approval for tax refunds for the month of April.
The Board will also take up the issue of the 2010 summer school program and will discuss teacher staffing for the summer program. The Board will also discuss an electronic equipment upgrade proposal for new equipment at the central business office.
In other action, school district superintendent Estella R. Pineda will brief the Board on Project Puente and STEP and TSTC Programs and will brief trustees on special graduation and awards ceremonies at district school campuses.
The President of the Board will call an executive/closed session as authorized by the Texas Open Meetings Act to discuss personnel matters.
LOCAL ELECTIONS RESULTS ACROSS THE LAGUNA MADREBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Island voters dampened a proposal for renovations to Padre and Gulf Boulevards Saturday, sending city planners back to the drawing board before any improvements will be made. Residents shot down all four bond propositions on the town's ballot int he May 8 election -- two of which would have made 11-million dollars in improvements to the two primary roadways. WHen the final votes were counted, sixty two percent opposed the Padre Boulevard project, while only 52 percent said "no" to the Gulf Boulevard project. The other two failed ballot measures would have sold bonds for building a new fire station and a new community center.
In other local elections, Jose "J.J." Zamora is headed back for another term as city commissioner in Port Isabel; Tom Rodino fought off a challenge from Roberta E. Dahl to serve as alderman in Bayview, and Bill Schnier recieved 24 percent of the vote, Rita "Nina" Garcia 20 percent, and Leti Martinez Keplinger won 19 percent of the vote in the Laguna Vista town elections to each win a spot as aldermen while Paul Villas, incumbent Richard Hinojosa and Hap Fairhart failed to garner enough votes for election.
In the contestd Point Isabel ISD elections, incumbent Ray Valdez fought off a bid by Cedric Boyd to serve another term, Mickey Furcron defeated Raul Loera to retake his seat, and challenger Merced (Boy) Cantu, III beat out incumbent Diana G. Castillo. In the Texas Southmost College election, Place 3 candidate Robert A. Lozano narrowly beat Robert Lopez, 3,028 votes to 2,977, in Place 4 Trey Mendez was elected over opponent Eduardo Roberto Rodriguez, and in Place 5 Rosemary Breedlove was declared the winner over opponents Francisco "Kiko" Rendon and Rene Coronado.
The complete run down of local election results include:
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND CITY Prop. 1
Against 363 (63%)
For 217 (37%)
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND CITY Prop. 2
Against 377 (65%)
For 200 (35%)
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND CITY Prop. 3
gainst 358 (62%)
For 218 (38%)
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND CITY Prop. 4
Against 303 (52%)
For 280 (48%)
BAYVIEW TOWN Alderman Place 5
Tom Rodino 54 (68%)
Roberta E. Dahl 26 (32%)
LAGUNA VISTA TOWN Alderman (vote for 3)
"Bill" Schnier 385 (24%)
Rita "Nina" Garcia 314 (20%)
Leti Martinez Keplinger 301 (19%)
Paul Villas 273 (17%)
Richard Hinojosa 252 (16%)
Hap Fairhart 68 (4%)
POINT ISABEL ISD Trustee Place 2
Rene A. Valdez 983 (55%)
Cedric "Coach" Boyd 809 (45%)
POINT ISABEL ISD Trustee Place 3
Mickey Furcron 1,113 (61%)
Raul Loera Jr. 701 (39%)
POINT ISABEL ISD Trustee Place 5
Merced (Boy) Cantu, III 1,053 (56%)
Diana G. Castillo 828 (44%)
PORT ISABEL CITY Commissioner Place 1
Juan Jose "JJ" Zamora 352 (59%)
Michelle Ann Barreiro 242 (41%)
TEXAS SOUTHMOST COLLEGE Place 3
Robert A. Lozano 3,028 (50%)
Robert Lopez 2,977 (50%)
TEXAS SOUTHMOST COLLEGE Place 4
Trey Mendez 3,569 (58%)
Eduardo Roberto Rodriguez 2,604 (42%)
TEXAS SOUTHMOST COLLEGE Place 5
Rosemary Breedlove 2,684 (43%)
Francisco "Kiko" Rendon 2,566 (41%)
Rene Coronado 1,013 (16%)
SMOKE CLOUDS LOCAL AIR QUALITYBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Smoke from agricultural fires in Mexico have created more than just a haze since Thursday last week, it also prompted the Texas Commission on Enviornmental Quality (TCEQ) to label Valley air quality "moderate", indicating individuals with respiratory conditions could be adversely affected by smoke levels in the lower atmosphere.
Val Stewart with the Air Modeling and Data Analysis Division of TCEQ says the smoke that has been plaguing the Valley since late last week is the result of mostly agricultural fires in central and southern Mexico. The process is part of Mexico's traditional preparation for crop planting season each year and has long been a threat to air quality across parts of the U.S.
"This is the way the Mexican agricultural community has prepared their fields for planting for centuries, and the practise won't be ending any time soon. But prevailing low surface winds can make for high concentrations of pollutants across the Southwest U.S., and that's what we have been seeing in South Texas in recent days" Stewart explained. "While healthy indivuals won't be bothered a great deal by the current moderate air quality forecast, individuals subject to smoke sensitivity or who have respiratory problems could experience some distress."
A low pressure system in eastern Colorado continues to move southward bringing a change in prevailing winds. Forecasters say the smoke could be cleared from the area by late Monday.
SMALL BUSINESS EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESSBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Disaster can strike at any time and any place, and while it adversely affects every individual, family, business and government, there are specific hardships to successful recovery for the small business owner.
“Developing and Implementing An Emergency Preparedness Plan” is part of a comprehensive project and preparedness guide created by the U.S. Small Business Administration and designed to help small business owners and their employees prepare for the worst before disaster strikes. Laguna Madre area small business will get the opportunity to attend a special workshop based upon the SBA project May 13 when the South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce offers a half-day planning event to members and non-members - just two weeks ahead of the start of the 2010 hurricane season.
According to the SBA, for small businesses, getting back to business after a disaster depends on advance preparedness planning. The SBA says “small business owners invest a tremendous amount of time, money and resources to make their ventures successful” and yet, while the importance of emergency planning may seem self-evident, it often gets put on the back-burner in the face of more immediate concerns. The SBA says for small business owners, being prepared can mean staying in business following a disaster. An estimated 25 percent of businesses do not reopen following a major disaster, according to the Institute for Business and Home Safety. So advance planning is not only a good idea for the small business, it may represent the only hope of weathering a storm.
The SBA Preparedness Guide is designed to help business owners and employees prepare for a disaster and put the business in a position to survive a disruption. Though each situation is unique, any business can be better prepared if it plans carefully, puts emergency procedures in place, and practices for emergencies of all kinds.
Workshop participants will be introduced to the guide which provides a pre-disaster check list of procedures that should be implemented right away.
Heavy Arms Seized In Camargo ShootoutThree rockets and three rocket launchers were among the weapons seized following a deadly firefight between Mexican Army soldiers and suspected drug cartel gunmen south of Camargo, across from Rio Grande City Saturday night.
Soldiers came across a mini-arsenal which also included two dozen grenades, a grenade launcher, more than a dozen assault rifles, and a handgun with a handmade jeweled grip. The weekend clash left 4 of the gunmen dead. It occurred in the town of Comales, on the south shore of the Marte Gomez Reservoir.
Tamaulupas State Police say they are continuing the investigation and report no federal officers were wounded in the gun battle.
Gunshot Panics Crowd, Many Fatalities ReportedIn more news from violence-torn Mexico, a gunshot fired during a music concert near Monterrey sent a panic-stricken crowd rushing for the exits over the weekend, causing five people to be trampled to death. Up to 17 others were injured in the stampede early Sunday morning.
At least 12 people were detained for questioning. Nuevo Leon state police also found a bullet casing believed to have come from the gunshot that caused the deadly panic. The concert was part of a fair that was going on in the town of Guadalupe, northwest of Monterrey.
GULF CLEANUP AND PARADEBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
 The 4th Annual Bahia Grande Limpienato Parade and Coastal Cleanup was held Saturday, an annual Earth Day event sponsored by the Gulf of Mexico Foundation and supported by the City of Port Isabel Economic Development Commission.Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos was this year’s King Limpio and assisted by Port Isabel Mayor Joe Vega, lead a parade down Hwy 100 Saturday morning kicking off the event which is dedicated to preserving the coastal environment.
Officials and supporters gathered at Pirates Landing to rally volunteer teams who were assigned specific areas for the annual clean up.
“Earth Day is April 22 and many communities around the Gulf of Mexico have Earth Day festivals and outdoor projects, but Port Isabel and South Padre Island are the only Gulf Coast communities to suddenly have an Earth Day parade,” said Richard Gonzales, parade and cleanup organizer for the Gulf of Mexico Foundation (GMF). ”We started the Bahia Grande Limpienato parade as a way for local youth to take a lead role in keeping this critical habitat in the public eye.”
Science & Spanish Clubs from Port Isabel, Garcia Middle School in Brownsville and Colegio Juvenal Rendon de Matamoros joined this year’s parade and coastal cleanup. Other area organizations, including Keep South Padre Island Beautiful, Los Fresnos NJRTOC, Cameron County Parks & Recreation, Port of Brownsville and the Boys & Girls Clubs also participated.
Parade volunteers handed out hundreds of maps, fish rulers, Adopt-A-Beach balls and gift certificates to Pirate’s Landing, Pier 19 and Sea Ranch Restaurant along the parade route. Participants then gathered to honor Valley Proud founder and conservationist, James Matz, who recently passed away. Participants were assigned to various cleanup sites in Port Isabel, South Padre Island and along Highway 48 in the Bahia Grande shoreline area. In addition, volunteers were sent to the World Birding Center on South Padre Island to help with a planting project and a marshland cleanup.
DALLAS COWBOYS WIN IN BROWNSVILLE
By LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Dallas Cowboy fans don’t often get the chance to see their favorite team play live, especially not a game in the Valley. But Friday night a sold out crowded gathered in Brownsville’s Hanna High School gym to watch the Cowboys play a benefit basketball game against a special Valley Crime Stoppers team.
“It was packed to the rafters,” says Cowboy basketball coach Shane Land of Dallas, who along with several of the Cowboy players stayed on the Island and around the Valley over the weekend. Land’s father lives in Port Isabel and the game was “convenient to include a visit to the beach”.
“It was all about raising awareness for the Crime Stoppers program and to give the Cowboy players a chance to get out across the state to meet their many fans,” Land said.
Five current players and a former Dallas great were on hand to represent the Cowboys including Cowboy backup quarterback Steve McGee, tight end Martellus Bennett, running back Felix Jones, defensive end Marcus Dixon and wide receiver Kevin Ogletree. Also on the sideline was former Cowboy receiver Tony Hill, son of Cowboy legendary running back Calvin Hill.
Bennett, who played more than a backup role last year to Cowboy tight end Jason Whitten, says he loves the opportunity to travel around Texas to meet with fans.
“We don’t get down to Deep South Texas very much so it’s a great chance to meet so many Cowboy fans here. Brownsville is a greater distance from Dallas than Kansas City, so the trip is like flying across the country,” Bennett said. “While in Brownsville we met with members of the Crime Stoppers organization and visited a local hospital. It was a good experience for all us.”
Brownsville Crime Stoppers hosted a special Valley-style dinner for the team players before the game where they signed autographs and posed for photos with local dignitaries.
“Programs like this give the players a chance to give back to their fans, to interact on a community level and to promote the Cowboys team who are very involved with programs like this. These guys enjoyed themselves and will take back with them as much as they left behind,” Land added.
PHOTO CAPTIONS: Shane Land (top) coached the Cowboy basketball team to victory Friday night in Brownsville (90-48). Land’s father lives in Port Isabel. Martellus Bennett and Steve McGee (bottom) were among the members of the Cowboy game that played Valley Crime Stoppers in a benefit basketball game.
PI COMMISSIONERS TO MEET TUESDAYBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Port Isabel City Commissioners will be presented with a check from Jose Sandoval, Martha Sandoval and Robert Vela when they meet Tuesday at the P.I. City Hall, money collected during a special fundraiser and to be used in support of the Port Isabel Veteran’s Walls of Honor.
Commissioners are also expected to vote on three proclamations, hear reports on a number of on-going projects including a Cruise Ship Feasibility Study from Economic Development Corporation director Carolyn Bogardus, a report on the hotel & motel feasibility study and a report on the 2009-2010 sales taxes received summary from Finance Director Don Moore.
In other business, Commissioners will consider an ordinance including discussion and potential action to approve the second and final reading of Ordinance No. 2010-6, an ordinance adopting the amendments to the 2009-2010 Annual Budget.
The commission will also discuss and may take action on approval of a request for permission to access property joint agreement between the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority (CCRMA), Port Isabel-San Benito Navigation District and
the City of Port Isabel to access from Port Road to Highway 48. This land is owned by members of the Garcia and Dougherty families.
The meeting will be staged at the Port Isabel City Hall Tuesday, April 13, 7 p.m.
PINK WALK HELD AT SPI GOLFBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
A “healthy” number of volunteers participated in the “Walk Rally For A Cure” Saturday at the South Padre Island Golf Course, a planned rally in support of breast cancer awareness.
Though exact numbers of participants were unknown early Saturday afternoon, organizers say they were pleased with the turn out. Walkers from across the Laguna Madre and the Valley participated and walked a specially laid out course around the golf facility. Following the walk, participates enjoyed a buffet lunch and fellowship in the golf course meeting room.
Officials of the walk say the causes of breast cancer are not fully understood. Although it is clear that age, gender and lifetime exposure to estrogen and other factors play an important role. Because no one knows exactly what causes breast cancer, there are no sure ways to prevent it. However, there are steps that you can take that may reduce your risk. These include maintaining a healthy weight, adding exercise into your routine and limiting alcohol intake. For women at higher risk, tamoxifen or raloxifene may be taken to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Who gets breast cancer?
Anyone can get breast cancer. For example, did you know:
• the older a woman, the more likely she is to get
breast cancer?
• white women are more likely to get breast cancer
than women of any other racial or ethnic group?
• African American women are more likely to die
from breast cancer than white women?
• men can get breast cancer? Out of every one hundred
cases of breast cancer, one will occur in a man.
Am you at risk for breast cancer?
All women are at risk for breast cancer. Known risk factors like having a family history of breast cancer, starting menopause after age 55 or never having children account for only a small number of new breast cancer cases every year.
MARKET DAYS STAGED ON SATURDAYBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
It was a good day for an outdoor market Saturday and hundreds who flocked to Lighthouse Square in Port Isabel enjoyed the gentle breeze of the day in leisure and warmed to the April sun as they strolled by sidewalk art exhibits, vendor and food booths, and stopped to enjoy the music wafting across the plaza making the weekend day festive and bright.
Market Days is a program sponsored by the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce and provides family-friendly events around the Lighthouse several times each year.
Music Saturday was provided by MEZA, a family trio of musicians from the Coastal Bend area. The group was formed when brothers David and Edward started the group as a side project of the Woodsboro High School Band. Father David Meza, Sr., plays the drums for the group. They have played assorted venues across Corpus Christi and at benefit functions all across the Coastal Bend.
“We are just happy to extend our reach into the Valley,” said David senior. “We met a lot of great people and look forward to returning to Port Isabel. This is a beautiful area.”
The band played a mix of country, rock, blues and regional music.
Crowds started to thin by late Saturday afternoon but a steady stream of visitors stopped by the square to participate in Market Days. Lonnie Treacher and husband Bill are late winter visitors who arrived in the Valley just last month.
“We usually come down for the dead of winter back in North Dakota, but family business kept us from making the trip this year,” said Lonnie. “But a couple of weeks back we finished up our project and thought why not head down to South Texas anyway. The late trip enabled us to enjoy this festival that we would have otherwise missed. We’re looking for antiques.”
And antiques they found, she says, just one of the many diverse items offered at Market Days.
TRASH-OFF MAJOR SUCCESSBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
It’s the largest single day clean up event of the year and this year’s Texas Trash-Off was expected to collect record tonnage of roadside liter and trash from highways and byways across Texas, and Laguna Madre area volunteers did their part Saturday to help “Keep Texas Beautiful” by scouring roadsides in and around the bay to get the message across that you shouldn’t “Mess With Texas”.
Volunteers from the bay area divided into teams to police large areas of roadsides, a spring spruce up to improve the natural beauty of the highways and roads that lead into Port Isabel and Laguna Vista. All in all, 57 bags of trash, tires, mattresses and assorted other items were collected.
Volunteers included 19 Port Isabel Rotarians and four Port Isabel High School Interact students as well as Port Isabel High School principal William Roach who joined in the statewide Trash Off on Saturday. The Interact students and principal were assigned to Laguna Heights and the Rotarians took on a 2.5 mile stretch of Highway 100 passing through Laguna Vista for a total of 3.5 miles.
The group of Rotarians included Dan Quandt, Director of the SPI Convention Center, Roxanne Guenzel, Director of the SPI Chamber of Commerce, Darrell Mangham, owner of Airtech Air Conditioning; Bob White, Traci Tousey, Jerry Adams, Carolyn Hauschildt, Pam Dean, Diana Delgado, and Beckie Johnson. Other Rotarians that joined in were Port Isabel Rotary President, Tom Plumb, Jeff Hughes, Paul Cardile, Doyle Clark, Captain Mike Kreider, DeeOnda Ahadi, Duane Rasmussen, Ginny Riley, and Sammy Reyes.
A surprising development occurred during the Trash-Off when Tom Plumb encountered his first rattlesnake since relocating to the Texas coast. Plumb says he was warned by the rattlesnake's “gracious warning hiss”. The encounter should serve as a reminder to coastal residents and visitors that the warming season brings snakes out of their winter cover.
Concerning the stretch of highways Rotarians cleaned on Saturday, Plumb says the Port Isabel Rotary will collect trash along this same stretch four times this year.
In 2009, more than 25,200 bags of trash were collected across the state, totaling more than 158 tons of waste.
The Don't Mess with Texas Trash-Off is part of the partnership between Keep Texas Beautiful and the Texas Department of Transportation.
HOUSING WORKSHOP TO BE HELD THIS WEEKBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
For many, owning instead of renting a home is a dream, especially for young and low income families. In addition to lofty `start up' costs, there's a world of information that needs to be considered before potential buyers can even know whether they qualify for home loans or not.
The City of Port Isabel, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are staging a Rural Development Housing Fair this Wednesday, Apr. 7, in the Port Isabel City Hall meeting room, where hopeful home owners can acquire information about government loans and programs designed to help those looking to get into the housing market.
If you are interested in either buying or repairing a home, you're invited to attend and meet one-on-one with USDA Rural Development personnel to discuss a variety of home
ownership and repair programs opportunities available through special government programs.
The meeting begins at 1 p.m. and will run through 4 p.m. No appointments are required and there is no charge for attendance.
LOCAL LEADERS MEET WITH CENSUS BUREAU WORKERSLocal elected and community leaders are meeting with regional Census officials today, to take them to task over the confusion over how the Valley's colonias will be counted. They're urging the Bureau to continue mailing the questionnaire to colonia residents, rather than going door-to-door to count them.
Hidalgo County Judge Rene Remirez fears there won't be enough Census workers to do that, and the county will end up severely under-counted. Local leaders are also ramping up their own efforts persuading everyone to participate. Ramirez reminds folks who haven't yet mailed back the questionnaire, or haven't yet received one, that starting next month, a Census worker will be knocking on your door to hand you a Census form, and help you fill it out, if need be.
WHO WANTS TO THINK ABOUT HURRICANE SEASONBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Sixty three days and counting before the 2010 hurricane season officially opens. And though it may be the last thing you want to think about as the beautiful spring season blossoms on the lower coast, it's the first thing on the minds of Philip Klotzbach and William Gray, noted Colorado State University storm forecasters. For more than 20 years, CSU's storm prediction center has amassed a formidable record of accuracy for long range predictions.
And as government officials, emergency management specialists and community leaders await the new forecast, the forecast team is preparing their first storm update for release later this week.
“I won't say yet exactly what the update will do the change what we predicted in December, but I can tell you it looks like it's going to be a very active year,” Klotzback said in a telephone interview last Friday.
Their December forecast, the first out for the 2010 season, called for 11 to 16 named storms this season, with three to five becoming major hurricanes. That rivals the 2008 hurricane season, the year Dolly paid a visit to the South Texas coastline.
Another noted forecaster, Joe Bastardi of AccuWeather in State College, Pa., published his respected annual hurricane forecast last week. Bastardi is known for his accurate prediction of the unseasonably slow tropical storm season last year and correctly forecast a heavy snow winter season this year for the Northeast. In his pre-season synopsis he predicts 2010 could be “a potentially extreme” hurricane season.
“I would say we're looking at a 2008 storm season scenario for this year's probable developments in the tropics, primarily because of the changing La Nina outlook,” Bastardi says.
The National Weather Service's Hurricane Prediction Center in Miami is not scheduled to release their official 2010 forecast until near the end of May, but NWS forecasters have already confirmed what Bastardi, Klotzach and Gray are saying: Don't expect a slow tropical season like we had last year.
Cameron County Emergency Management Coordinator Johnny Cavasos says the county is not waiting to hear the upcoming forecast. He says “last year was gift” because of the few number of storms that developed, but this year he says the county is preparing for a “busy season”.
“Even if the forecasters are wrong and it turns out to be another slow season, we need to be ready for the worst case scenario, and that means preparing for a high intensity storm making a landfall in South Padre Island,” Cavasos says. “We learned a lot with Hurricane Dolly and we want to be ready for whatever may develop.”
Valley Emergency Operation Centers (EOCs) have already been coordinating their efforts ahead of the storm season and Cavasos says a number of drills and mock alerts will be held in the weeks ahead. He says state officials are working with local government agencies in preparation of the upcoming season.
But he warns Valley residents not be complacent because of last year's mild storm season. He says putting a family and business operations plan in place now is the best thing that can be done before the season arrives.
Meanwhile, Cavasos and his counterparts all along the StateTexas coast will wait to see what Colorado State is predicting. But he says regardless the forecast, emergency officials are already laying plans for a busy year.
SUSPECTS ARRAIGNED FOR AGGRAVATED ASSUALT ON SPIOn Sunday March 21, 2010 South Padre Island Police performed a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling south on Padre Boulevard. Officers learned that the vehicle contained an injured subject, identified as Jose Rolando Lopez Jr., 22, of Mission, Texas.
An investigation revealed that Lopez had received two stab wounds to the abdomen which occurred at 8407 Breakers Blvd. Paramedics were notified of the injuries and transported Lopez to Valley Baptist in Harlingen. A description of the assailant's vehicle was given to police.
Officers located a vehicle matching the given description and detained four males, identified as Horacio Jesus Chavarria, 26, of San Antonio, Texas; Carlos Davilla, 20, of Mission, Texas; Rodolfo Nauricio Davilla, 19, of Mission, Texas and Jesus Abram Rios, 18, of Mission, Texas. The four suspects were charged with two counts each of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
Monday afternoon at approximately 4:45 p.m. the four suspects were arraigned. Davilla, Davilla and Rios were given $15 thousand bond on each count, totaling $30 thousand each. Chavarria was given $20 thousand on each count, totaling $40 thousand. The four suspects are currently in the South Padre Island jail.
BORDER VIOLENCE TO SLOW SEMANA SANTA CROWDSBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
As spring break slowly winds down across the Laguna Madre, local retail shops, restaurants and lodging establishments are looking to an influx of Semana Santa visitors starting this weekend to help make the month of March end on the same positive note set by the thousands of college students who spent their time, and money, during their spring vacations on the Island.
But Valley economists and businessmen are expressing concern that the elevated incidents of violence just across the border may serve to slow the usually-busy Holy Week and keep many Mexican Nationals at home for the holiday, a development that would adversely affect the Valley’s seasonal economy.
Already Upper Valley officials are saying border violence has taken a toll on the economy of McAllen. While there are no clear-cut numbers available yet, McAllen Economic Development Corporation President Keith Patridge says bridge traffic is down, retail sales are off and many hotels are reporting a rash of reservation cancellations from mostly Mexican Nationals.
“We’re not sure at this point what the eventual impact may be, but we are seeing a trend that indicates the violence in Mexico, especially along the highways that connect Monterrey to the Valley, are having a negative impact on commerce generated by cross-border visitors,” Patridge said.
McAllen, like the Laguna Madre, is a popular destination for mostly Monterrey travelers. And like on the Island, many Mexican Nationals own second homes in the Upper Valley.
Debra Bustos with Governor Rick Perry’s Office of Economic Development & Tourism says stepped up violence in the Mexican states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon is “certainly having a negative impact” on Mexican travelers and their plans to visit the Valley. She insists Mexico’s war on drug crime is a positive step to eventually stabilizing the region, but admits Monterrey travelers who prefer to drive to the Valley rather than fly are feeling “a degree of intimidation” as they finalize their plans to load up the luggage and family to hit the highway for the Texas border.
“There’s little question that this is a developing issue and we simply don’t know what tomorrow will bring,” she told the PRESS. “But there has been a negative impact on highway travel across all of northern Mexico and we expect as violence continues to break out, that impact could worsen.”
Bustos couldn’t be reached after a rash of cartel roadblocks Friday bottled up toll road and freeway traffic for hours and affected many of the major highway routes in and out of Monterrey.
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office posted on the Web site Saturday that traffic on at least 30 roads leading into and out of Monterrey were “temporarily blocked” as a result of “armed attempts to use burning cars and large trucks” to destabilize the military’s effort to conduct patrols in and around the city.
Also on Friday, gunmen opened fire on an army patrol outside the gates of a prestigious private university in Monterrey, Mexico's third-largest city and a major industrial hub, the army said in a statement. In addition, a convoy of six vehicles opened fire on a Mexican Marine helicopter. The military returned fire killing two men in the convoy.
On Thursday, military officials say they detained more than half of the policemen in the city of Villaldama for suspected involvement in kidnappings and murder. Marines arrested eight of the 12 officers on the force in the town of about 4,000 people near Falcon Reservoir on the Texas border and say the have reason to believe the officer’s were associated with the cartel. The day before marines arrested the entire 90 member police force in the coastal town of Tierra Blanca near Tampico. In a related issue, the military announced Friday that at least 70 soldiers are under investigation for corruption and involvement in cartel operations as well.
Port Isabel Mayor Joe Vega says he realizes violence in Northern Mexico is taking its toll on the Valley economy but says he hopes the thousands who normally travel to Port Isabel and the Island will come down next week in spite of the problems.
“I think we will still see the majority of them making the trip again this year,” he says. “Admittedly it is not the safest time for traveling the roads and highways in Northern Mexico, but I have heard that the opposite side of that story is that a few Mexican Nationals have recently purchased property on both the Island and in Port Isabel so they would have a place to go to get away from it all.”
Patridge agrees with that assessment.
“We have seen a small spike in property sales, mostly home sales, as a result of the problems in and around Monterrey and the border cities, a trend we think will continue even after the violence slows down,” he said Friday.
It’s too early to know how home sales to Mexican Nationals are going so far in March for the Laguna Madre area, but Vega says one negative indication to the overall impact on the local economy is that sales tax revenues have been down slightly in recent months.
“Our relationship with Mexico is a two way street when it comes to the economy. While we depend on Mexican travelers to visit our area and to maintain second homes in the region, it’s also true that Mexico depends on U.S. tourism to survive. With violence in the spotlight, there’s the added negative impact of fewer Americans traveling to Mexico. This hurts them as well as it hurts our local economy,” Vega adds.
In spite of the violence and concerns of fewer travelers this Holy Week, Vega says he remains optimistic that Semana Santa will once again be a successful economic boost for the Laguna Madre region.
“There may be some who defer travel because of the problems across the border, but I believe we will still see a lot of our regular Mexican visitors for the Easter holiday anyway. People sometimes just need to step away from serious problems like that, and they may decide a trip to the Texas coast is just what the doctor ordered,” Vega concluded.
MAN ARRESTED AFTER STEALING BEER FROM STRIPESBy KATHERINE MURPHY
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
A night of thievery ended in four charges of burglary of a vehicle in addition to theft of a vehicle and public intoxication for Daniel Salvador Perez, age 20.
The Harlingen resident was visiting a relative in Port Isabel on March 10 when he allegedly took two 24 ounce cans of Budweiser beer without paying for them from the Stripes gas station at 1685 Highway 100 before 11:00 p.m.
Port Isabel police officers came to the store, reviewed the surveillance tape, but were unable to locate him.
At 2:00 a.m. on March 11, a store employee reported seeing Perez in front of Stripes, where he was arrested for public intoxication.
At 3:30 a.m., officers spotted an unattended vehicle left running in the middle of 2nd Street near Whataburger.
The vehicle was impounded for safekeeping and throughout the morning, five citizens reported break-ins in their vehicles at Oyster Cove Condominiums on Island Avenue.
Perez was considered a “person of interest” in the thefts, due to the fact that he reported staying at the location where the thefts occurred and after interrogation he confessed to committing the crimes.
Most of the items stolen from the vehicles were electronics which were recovered and returned to their owners.
Perez was arraigned by Municipal Court Judge Roland H. Harmon on March 12, who set bond at $12,500.
He posted bond later that day.
“Be cautious, if you see anybody out of place in an area where they shouldn't be, call the police...at any given time, someone can break in to a car or a house and within a few minutes take a large amount of items,” warned Port Isabel Police Chief Gualberto Gonzalez.
TENNISON RESIGNS FROM WATER BOARDBy KATHERINE MURPHY
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Kevin Tenison resigned from Place 2 on the Laguna Madre Water District Board of Directors on March 10, due to a recent move to Maui, Hawaii.
Tenison served for four years on the board and recommended Humberto Hinojosa to replace him, but Hinojosa did not contact the water district at the time of the meeting.
“I've known (Hinojosa) for many years and I trust him,” Tenison said later.
In addition, he said he was following his dreams by moving to Hawaii; “I love it there.”
“Mr. Tenison was an exemplary board member, he was always very positive and only had the best interest of the district in mind,” said Secretary Rudy H. Garcia.
“It was a pleasure to serve with Mr. Tension, he did a good job,” concurred Chairman Scott D. Friedman
“We wish him well. He moved to Maui, but we wish him well,” said Director Jeff Keplinger jokingly.
Currently, four directors sit on the board, but only three are required for quorum.
Robert Fudge was the only individual who filed to fill the empty seat on the board and will be appointed on Wednesday.
The May election was cancelled, because the seats were not contested.
SIDE STREET PARKING WORKSHOPBy KATHERINE MURPHY
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Approximately 45 South Padre Island residents came to a workshop held by city council to discuss the new ordinance that restricts parking on side streets.
Five spoke in support of the ordinance, while seven spoke in opposition of the change.
At their February 3 regular meeting, City Council voted to establish restricted parking the residential streets located east of Padre Boulevard and to the West of Gulf Boulevard between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. from March 1 to Sept. 15.
Island residents are required to obtain a hurricane sticker from the Fire Station, visitors staying 30 days or longer must obtain a parking permit from the police department record clerks office and marked service vehicles may park on the streets up to two hours without acquiring a permit.
“We’re cutting our own throats,” said Roxanne Guenzel.
“We spend thousands of dollars promoting tourism and business development and then we do something like this. We really need to decide when and where to compromise…We’re a tourist community, not a gated community. That doesn’t mean we should ignore the needs of the residents or the safety needs of the community,” she added.
Guenzel suggested alternative safety measures for city streets like sidewalks, gutters, drainage or time-limited parking.
“We are the best beach in Texas, but we need to make it easier for visitors to get to the beach, not more difficult,” she said in conclusion.
South Padre Island Councilwoman Courtney Hayden responded by saying that as a businesswoman she was vitally interested in many visitors to the Island, but “we did not invent this idea in a tourist town.”
Mayor Pro Tem Jo Ann Evans echoed Hayden’s sentiment, saying that the intent of the ordinance was not to alienate visitors, but to ensure a quality experience for everyone and reduce congestion on the streets.
Jay Carlsen spoke in opposition to the law and reported being concerned that the length of stay required for a visitor’s permit was 30 days.
Mayor Pinkerton, Councilman Sam Listi and Councilwoman Hayden said they would be open to issuing permits to short-term renters or hotel owners to distribute to their guests.
City council members also said they were continuing to work with the General Land Office on constructing a parking lot south of the Travelodge Hotel.
Mayor Pinkerton said concerns about safety trump economic interests.
“I don’t understand why someone can’t see the side streets as a dangerous safety issue. You see it right now on Gulf Boulevard with parking only on the west side; people opening doors, people running around all over the place in moving traffic. It’s a safety issue,” he said.
Doyle Wells also spoke in opposition of the ordinance and noted that drivers may mistakenly park illegally on the side streets after seeing many cars with permits parked there.
Alta Monroe concurred with Wells and told the council that the current ordinance was not a solution to the problem, because it does not offer alternative parking for motorists.
She says, instead, they will park their cars in commercial parking lots and not leave space for customers.
Alternatively, John Gieseking opined that the ordinance is reasonable and can offer a solution to his earlier difficulties finding parking at work.
Bryan Pinkerton said that while there will be no easy solution to the problem at hand, the ordinance is a step in the right direction.
“We’re not turning away business,” he added.
Rental companies can take responsibility for controlling parking at their properties, “we all need to work together so everybody has a say and everybody has a voice,” he said in conclusion.
Darrell Mangham applauded the effort to find a mutually beneficial solution, but reminded the council that according to the Open Beaches Act, one parking space is required for every 15 linear feet of beach.
Listi said that action on parking will not please everybody; “it’s going to offend a few and some will be happy.”
City Manager Joni Clarke discussed other options to reduce congestion like instituting a paid kiosk system and a parking lot south of the Travelodge Hotel.
“If nothing else, this ordinance woke everybody up, because we didn’t get this dialog since we started discussing this a year ago,” Pinkerton said.
Further, Pinkerton seriously doubted that the ordinance would be rescinded, but said it may be tweaked after council reviews comments from the workshop.
“We do have a lot of parking issues on the Island,” Bagley said in an earlier interview.
“In the summer months a lot of people that come to the beach during the day are parking on the side streets in residential areas. To provide for the safety of our neighborhoods and for our residents, we’ve restricted parking in those areas during the heavy months of the year. We do have parking on Gulf Boulevard, and we have 23 beach accesses. For overflow parking during the day, we have Isla Blanca Park and Andy Bowie Park. It’s going to take people awhile to get used to this new ordinance,” she added.
“There have been a lot of problems in the past with lack of respect for people’s property by parking there, they leave it trashed…I don’t believe it’s going to affect business, and I speak to that issue as a rental agent. People that want to come to the beach are going to find a place to park. They’re going to want to get to the beach, and they’re still going to drive through the community to get to the beach, and we’re still going to get whatever business they would bring,” Pinkerton said in advance of the workshop.
Pinkerton reported receiving comments from residents, but said that “for every negative one that we get, there are eight or nine that favor it”.
“I’m concerned about people having the right information I think everything else will fall into place,” he added.
COUNTY STAGES BOWIE PARK WORKSHOPBy KATHERINE MURPHY
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
The Cameron County Commissioner's Court held a workshop on March 4 to solicit public input and confer with the Andy Bowie Park Land Use Committee on the use and management of Andy Bowie Park.
Committee Chairman Ruben Peña and committee member Mary Helen Flores presented public recommendations from the first public hearing in South Padre Island on January 30.
Rob Nixon and Glen McKinlay, also committee members, were absent from the meeting due to work schedule conflicts.
Peña expected few to attend the workshop after it was rescheduled for 4 p.m. instead 5:30 p.m. to accommodate County Judge Carlos Cascos' schedule.
The change “excluded most people from coming and the point of the public hearing was to get people to attend so that part of it was very discouraging, but I'm glad the Commissioners did include the public hearing for them to be present, because they need to hear what the public has to say,” Flores said following the meeting.
The committee recommended a nature trail for walkers and birders constructed of walkovers and boardwalks, a for-profit camping area, a dedicated launch site in the south flats for kiteboards and sailboats, for-profit fishing pier and possibly a restaurant and small vending kiosks.
Flores read two emails from individuals who could not be present at the meeting who requested that the park not be developed and asked that a nature trail be installed instead commercial development.
Flores also presented spoken and written input received at the January public hearing regarding the park.
The vast majority of the 22 members of the public said they preferred that Andy Bowie Park remain relatively pristine with a few environmentally-friendly enhancements to encourage use, Peña said.
At the meeting, Property Owners Who Care, a civic organization, suggested a nature trail; a for-profit tent camping area and fishing pier; a launch and landing area in the south flats and future expansion of the Convention Center provided that such does not encroach into or limit the existing recreation areas of the South Flats, or the Gulf of Mexico beach use by the public.
Delton Lee, a member of Friends of Isla Blanca, was satisfied with most of the suggestions submitted, but expressed concern over long-term leases being issued in a public park.
“We can't use that property ever again except for that venture, like that 28 acres on the east side of Schlitterbahn, a 99 year lease. That's too long. None of us will be around, in fact none of our kids will be around to use that property for anything else,” he said.
If developers want to create a project that requires a 99 year lease, then they need to buy that property instead of leasing it in a “sweetheart deal,” he added.
Lee opposes long-term leases in public parks, but recommended hiring real estate consultants to negotiate leases in the future to prevent contested leases.
Cameron County Commissioner Precinct 3 David Garza mentioned that the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center is an example of a long-term lease in the park that the county negotiated that invests in nature.
“The reason we put this committee together is to prevent the fiasco that happened at Isla Blanca Park. I think if we had public input back then things would have worked out different. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, publicly, that whatever this committee recommends in improvements to Andy Bowie that's what I'm going to support,” Cascos said in response
“It is a very valuable piece of property. It's very hard to value in terms of lease agreements…If it's worth $3,000,000 then you need to be getting $300,000 a year plus or minus $200,000 in terms of net revenue. The length of a lease has got to be commensurate with the return on investment,” Cascos said.
Recommended infrastructure improvements have costs associated with them and Cascos suggested looking into other forms of revenue like revenue bonds, investors to pay for enhancements.
“This is the public's park,” he added.
A third public hearing will be scheduled in San Benito in the near future.
CENSUS FORMS ARE IN THE MAILBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PARADE
Amid a degree of controversy, U.S. Census forms should begin arriving in mail boxes across the Laguna Madre this week regardless whether the homeowner or resident is a placecountry-regionU.S. citizen or not. That would include both individuals illegally in the country and winter visitors who maintain a primary address outside placeStateTexas borders.
U.S. Census officials say participating in the census is “critical” in helping federal and state officials determine representative districts and is also important to help determine where country-regionplaceU.S. federal grant funds will be allocated.
Regional Census spokeswoman Efren Salinas in McAllen says the Census Bureau is charged with registering every household in the U.S. regardless of the legal status of the residents, an issue some advocacy groups oppose. And she says illegal immigrants need not worry about census information being passed to U.S. immigration officials. She says that would be against federal law. Federal law does not allow the Census to disclose names, addresses, social security numbers or telephone numbers of anyone surveyed, according to Census officials.
But Salinas admits she anticipates many residents or extended visitors from Mexico will opt not to complete the forms out of fear of deportation.
“We have been visiting colonias across the Valley to inform these people they have nothing to fear,” Salinas says. “We're not out to pursue an immigration agenda. Our job is to count everyone residing on U.S. soil and that's what we're going to do.”
Indeed, critics are claiming that not only are illegal residents, either part time or full time, targeted for counting, but Census procedures calls for counting each and every inmate in Willacy County and Port Isabel Detention Centers, almost all of which are illegal immigrants.
In addition, Salinas says the census bureau is encouraging Winter Texans to fill out the census forms before departing, especially Canadians who generally stay in the Valley longer than their U.D. Midwest counterparts.
“It's all about following the letter of our Census mandate. We don't make the laws, we just try to live by them and encourage every resident in the country-regionU.S. to do the same,” Salinas said.
The census contains a list of ten questions. Residents are encouraged to fill out the form and drop them in the mail in the postage free envelope provided by April 1.
DREDGING COMES TO AN ENDBy KATHERINE MURPHY
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District, will complete a dredging and beach renourishment project on placeSouth Padre Island Friday, engineers said.
Approximately 250,000 cubic yards were deposited to prevent erosion on the beach during the project that began in mid-February, said Chip Worley, Brownsville Office Resident Engineer with placeCityGalveston District, country-regionU.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Engineers laid five miles of pipe in 700 foot sections and 30 inches in diameter, from the jetties to La Quinta on the north end of the placeIsland.
Almost a mile long section 100 feet wide of sand at La Quinta was added to shoreline and a quarter mile long section 150 feet wide of sand was added to the shore at Isla Blanca Park.
Prior to beach renourishment, high tide at the pavilion in the park was approximately five feet from the water's edge.
Work needed to be completed by March 12 to avoid disrupting sea turtle nesting season and Spring Break on placeSouth Padre Island.
Workers used a cutterhead dredge, a boat anchored in the jetty channel; the cutterhead and a suction pipe were lowered into the water to gather the material.
Pulleys move the cutterhead from side to side to loosen sand under the water, which is suctioned into a pipe behind the cutterhead.
Finally, the pipe curves at a 90 degree upward at a angle shooting sand and water 12 feet into the air; the sand falls onto the beach as the water flows back into the ocean.
As the sand comes out of the pipe, a backhoe pushes the material into berms to allow the sand to seep out of the water slowly rather than being immediately washed into the surf, Worley said.
The next dredging project is the Brownsville Shipping Channel.
After the dredging in the inside jetty channel from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is finished, the equipment will moved into the main channel that will be dredged starting this weekend and is expected to be completed in June.
The project proceeded smoothly, even though work started later than expected.
“We got a little bit later start than we like, there was no room for error. I'm very happy with our progress so far. We're done dredging this jetty channel (Tuesday) so we'll be able to break down this pipe, we've got 90 percent of this pipe off of the north end of the beach and we're starting to grade and shape those areas now. Our goal is to done Friday so that Saturday everyone can enjoy their spring break,” Worley said.
Engineers will dredge 14 miles of the channel and anticipate collecting 2,100,000 cubic yards of material.
The jetty channel is dredged annually whereas the Brownsville Shipping Channel is dredged every three to five years.
“Part of this dredging work is a beneficial use project. We seek to employ economically and environmentally-friendly ways of placing the dredged material onto the beaches and in this case we're able to benefit the local residents, Spring Break goers and businesses,” said Isidro Reyna, public affairs officer, CityplaceGalveston District, country-regionU.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
By placing the sand onto the beach, it helps prevent erosion, he added.
“We keep navigation open so that ships can get to the PlaceTypePort of PlaceNameBrownsville, that increases the revenue for the county and for CityplaceBrownsville. placePlaceNameCameron PlaceNameCounty is one of the poorest counties in the nation and this is a big industry for them. There are a number of the shipping companies in the placePlaceTypePort of PlaceNameBrownsville, AMFELS is one of those. In addition, we get to use the material that's in the jetty channel, which is a sandy material to renourish the beach which is eroding and threatening property foundations on the north end of the beach,” Worley said.
John and Pat Eaton visiting from Port Stanley in placeCityOntario, country-regionCanada stopped at Isla Blanca Park to watch the sand being expelled from a pipe onto the beach Tuesday.
“I'm amazed at what they do and people still go on with their lives. It doesn't scare people away. They're still surfing, still fishing,” Worley said
Weeks Marine Inc. was awarded a $16,134,750 contract for the two projects in December 2009.
FORECAST CALLS FOR "ROUGH" HURRICANE SEASON
Joe Bastardi, the first private weather forecaster to look this year at the 2010 hurricane season, thinks it will be a rough one.
“This year has the chance to be an extreme season,” says Mr. Bastardi, AccuWeather.com’s chief long-range meteorologist in State College, Pa. “There will be a major bounce back of activity.”
IN PICTURES: Notable hurricanes in the past two decades
Last year was a light hurricane season, with the fewest storms since 1997. Last March, Bastardi correctly predicted that it would be a below-normal storm year. But this season, he says, seven storms will reach land, and five of those will be hurricanes. Of those, two or three will be major events along the coastal United States.
“This hurricane season is going to be a lot more like 2008 than 2009,” he says. Two years ago was a very active hurricane season, with five major storms that included hurricane Gustav, which produced $6.6 billion in damage.
In early December, William Gray and Philip Klotzbach of Colorado State University issued an early assessment of the 2010 season that called for three to five major hurricanes. “We estimate that activity will return to levels more typical of years during an active era, such as what we have experienced since 1995,” wrote the forecasters. They will issue an updated forecast April 1.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will issue its hurricane forecast in late May and will then update it in early August.
Bastardi says he would not be surprised if the first hurricane of the season is spotted in June – something that could affect Florida or the Southern coast. However, the bulk of hurricane activity is usually in August and early September. The hurricane season officially runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
Last year, the water temperatures in the South Atlantic were cooler than normal, which inhibited hurricane development. But that has changed, he says, and water temperatures in the storm breeding grounds of the Atlantic are already warm. “It looks like a bathtub out there,” he says.
Unlike last year, when dry air off Africa disrupted storm formation, humidity is returning to the Atlantic basin, Bastardi says. Higher humidity levels provide additional upward motion in the air and contribute to tropical storm development, he says.
At the same time, the El Niño event, a strong current that forms in the Pacific but affects weather in North America, is rapidly dissipating. The years when an El Niño has reversed have been strong hurricane seasons.
Bastardi says that the atmospheric conditions remind him of 1964, 1995, and 1998. All were active hurricane seasons. In 1964, hurricane Cleo clobbered Florida, brushing Miami. In 1995, hurricane Opal pounded Pensacola, Fla., resulting in $3 billion in damage. And in 1998, hurricane Bonnie caused extensive damage around Wilmington, N.C.
AIR FIESTA TO REENACT WORLD WAR II BATLES
 By LOGAN HAWKESPort Isabel-South Padre PRESS
The skies around Brownsville and South Padre Island may well be full of war planes this weekend, but don’t be confused about the purpose. It’s not an invasion, but part of the Air Fiesta happening at the Brownsville-South Padre International Airport.
AIR FIESTA returns to the Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport this weekend, March 13th and 14th, for another popular exhibition of America’s aviation history.
The RGV Wing of the Commemorative Air Force presents this newest edition of the Valley’s only flying air show. You’ll see sky divers, fighters and bombers plus awesome pyrotechnical explosions. This is a gathering of some of the world’s most skilled pilots who come together to put on a spectacular show of America’s air power on both Saturday and Sunday.
AIR FIESTA 2010 rolls back the clock to the early days of aviation and the stunt pilots and fly-boys known as barnstormers. The Aeroshell Aerobatic team flying four North American AT-6’s will demonstrate precision flying with breathtaking accuracy. The U.S. Air Force A-10 Warthog jet will show why it got the name Tankbuster. The air show’s reenactment of famous World War II air battles unleashes dramatic moments of exploding bombs, flames and smoke.
AIR FIESTA 2010’s Heritage Flight showcases a vintage warbird flying in close formation with the Navy’s F-18 Super Hornet. This is a camera lover’s must-take photo. These two aircraft honor more than 90 years of military aircraft, their flight crews and ground crews. Other flying acts scheduled include aerial applicators, also known as crop dusters. An aerobatic must-see is Paul Fiala’s astounding aerobatics in his bright yellow Great Lakes biplane. Other entertainers include Mike Gallaway in his Wolf Pitts, Ray Kinney in the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, the Tora Tora Tora warbirds and the North American B-25 Mitchell. There is much more. Go to www.airfiesta.org for more details.
In addition to all the eye-catching activities in the sky, AIR FIESTA 2010 offers great ground entertainment. Parked next to the displays of the CAF’s vintage warbirds are their aerial descendants. Air Fiesta hosts modern military aircraft and their crews who have flown to Brownsville just for this show.
TEXAS WEEK SET TO GET UNDERWAYOfficials across the Laguna Madre are gearing up for another busy week of Spring Break as Texas Week quickly approaches, so called because most Texas colleges and universities release their students for a week of spring vacation this Friday. Texas week officially runs Mar. 15-19, but college kids are expected to start arriving Friday night throughout the weekend for 5-7 days of fun in the sun. Law Enforcement officials are warning students to observe local laws and not to drink and drive. Extra officers will be on duty this month.
BORDER WARNING FOR STUDENT TRAVELERSBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
With the start of the spring season this week on South Padre Island, U.S. State Department and U.S. Consulate officials are warning students to avoid excursions into drug war plagued border cities in country-regionMexico including Reynosa and Matamoros.
The U.S. Consulate office in Reynosa was closed last week and personnel recalled from the border city after a rash of violent outbreaks between rival cartel gangs and with the Mexican military left at least 24 dead in just under a week. A special travel advisory was issued Wednesday warning of sporadic outbreaks of violence and advising U.S. citizens to exercise extreme caution when crossing into Mexico from Valley land ports.
Tour companies and other businesses that rely on spring break crowds in South Texas are concerned that the travel advisory may deter some students from traveling to Texas this year. Yet others are saying the widespread violence all across Mexico may cause students to shy away from favorite and popular Mexican destinations and opt to spend time on the lower Texas coast instead. Most agree, however, that heightened violence in cities like Reynosa and Matamoros is cause for alarm and advice spring breakers planning a border excursion to exercise extreme caution.
In the month of January alone, over 1,000 live have been lost to the growing violence, many of them innocent bystanders including women and children. Last week, 24 violent deaths were confirmed in four border cities across the river from the Rio Grande Valley and tension continues to mount as the drug war escalates to historic proportions. On Thursday a grenade attack on a Reynosa police station was reported and more automatic gunfire erupted in "hot spots" throughout the city.
In January, during a special community wide tourist reception for winter visitors in the small and quaint town of Progreso, drug violence between the Mexican military and drug gangs erupted about a block away from where thousands of U.S. seniors were gathered to enjoy a “Welcome Back Party” being staged in their honor. While no U.S. citizen was injured in the incident, it serves as wake-up call to the potential of death or injury to visiting tourists. Last week two teenagers were shot in Matamoros neighborhood after the military opened fire at a SUV believed to contain drug gang members on a crowded street. And such violence is not limited to certain neighborhoods or areas but is spread far and wide across most of the border towns.
If venturing across the border remains a priority for students this year, border officials advise not to travel across the border on your own or in small groups. A better plan would be to contact an experienced tour company and travel across only as a large organized group - and avoid getting 'senseless' and subject to `accidents' that can easily happen.
In addition to the threat of violence, experts warn to keep in mind that a valid passport is now required to get back into the U.S., and it is possible that Texas officials will be on the look out for public intoxication violations once you reenter the placecountry-regionU.S.
There are so many great destinations and so many things to do on this side of the border, officials are advising it would be wise to avoid border crossing this year.
LOCAL AUTHOR WANTS DREAMWORKS PROJECT By LOGAN HAWKESPort Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Not everyone can live the life of high adventure traveling and working abroad. Not everyone has a story to tell so real and so dazzling and filled with intrigue that others would enjoy reading it. But for author Mike Hancock, now a resident of South Padre Island, living a life of adventure was simply a normal way of life, and the experiences he accumulated and the life treasures he collected are woven within the words of his new book, “Experiences Abroad in Developing and Sometimes Troubling Countries”, the true-life story of his years living in Central America and other parts of the Third World.
So adventuresome and so intriguing is Hancock's story that the book has been submitted bu the pubisher to DreamWorks Studio for film script and development consideration. Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks has produced stars such as Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, and the Shrek cast. Their films have won numerous Oscars.
The book centers around an Englishman's experiences, including marriage and starting a family, in the former colony of British Honduras, and also time spent in Guatemala, still at odds with Britain over the colony's sovereignty. Leaving roots there and moving to the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua and introduced to flying a tail dragger, the adventures intensify. After six eventful in Nicaragua and an assignment in El Salvador during an uprising, the reader will geta feel for life in a real Third World environment. While living there, Hancock commuted weekly for two years to the mountainous region of Nicaragua where the Sandinistas were beginning an insurgency to overthrow Somoza. After twenty-four years in Central America, Hancock established his family in Texas and later relocated to the Island where he still maintains contact with the now independent Belize. His life adventures abroad have also taken him to different environments in Asia with experiences in Burma, Vietnam and India.
You can find out more about Hancock's book at http://www.amazon.com/Experiences-Developing-Sometimes-Troubled-Countries/dp/1605638498.
PI COMMISSIONERS DISCUSS BAG BANNINGBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Port Isabel City Commissioners listened to a report from City Manager Ed Meza Tuesday evening during their regular meeting about the perils and environmental hazards of plastic shopping bags and how to best proceed in a way to effectively reduced liter and damages caused by discarded bags.
“Educating the public about the environmental concerns of plastic bags seems to be the priority to any plan the city may adopt regarding restrictive use,” Meza said. “Any campaign designed to reduce the negative effects should start with education.”
Meza said he met with marketing representatives from H-E-B and other local retailers recently to discuss the problem and that there is a consensus on the best way to proceed with measures to limit environmental concerns.
“I spoke with one of the largest manufacturers of plastic shopping bags recently and this company employees about a thousand people in their StateplaceTexas facility alone. Banning the use of plastic bags would have a far reaching impact on such things as jobs and the economy, and this has to be a consideration as we look for solutions to plastic bag problems,” Meza added. “If the end user were to understand and be sensitive to littering the environment with these bags, the problem wouldn't be as bad as it is now.”
Meza says he discussed signage on shopping carts with retailers and a comprehensive campaign to make safe disposal a priority for store customers. If the store's customers would understand the importance of the issue, he says, the problem wouldn't be as bad as it is right now.
The Commission agreed that their research into the problem and possible solutions is not far enough along for the city to simply pass an ordinance banning the use of plastic bags. Like the `Don't Mess With StateplaceTexas' Litter campaign, educating the public is paramount to finding a lasting solution.
In other business Tuesday night, the Commission approved on second and final reading an ordinance that establishes a Municipal Court Building Security Fund. The commission also approved a resolution supporting ARDC Port Isabel on an application for Housing Tax Credits to be filed with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Commissioners also adopted salary amendments in the amount of $15,995.00 to the 2009-2010 Library Department annual budget for the raises given for the Library
taking over EDC Administration responsibilities.
MY THOUGHTS ON A QUIET SUNDAY EVENINGBy TINA POUCHER
Special to the PRESS
I really should be painting today…the Laguna Madre Art Show is next weekend, but today I'm in a thoughtful, writing mood. Winter will soon be gone, and I'm already looking forward to our grandchildren calling to say “Mimi, I'm flying in on Southwest Airlines at 5:30, can you or Papaw pick me up?” The answer is always…. “Of course we can pick you up!” The next statement is usually….and can we go straight back to Port Isabel and eat at Pirate's Landing….I'm hungry for fried shrimp?”
After filling up on fried shrimp, we head back to our house where they drag their luggage, up the stairs…. where they are greeted by one very large, happy, Doberman Pinscher, named Skye, who delights in their presence…actually she thinks they are her presents!
When they were babies, I taught them to swim and enjoy the pleasures of water in our pool. Since we retired here, my husband, Ralph, has taught them how to fish. He shared with them the lesson of catch and release…keep only what you will eat. Ralph teaches them about; wearing a good sunscreen, the magic of Polarized sunglasses for fishing, the danger of sharp hooks and the importance of not removing their life jackets until safely back on the dock. Ralph's own father taught him, `the fishing trip is not over `til the gear is cleaned and stashed away neatly“ and he also adds….wash the salt spray out of the boat.
For years, we owned a `46 foot Bertram called “The Blue`s Chaser.” It was aptly named, for it did indeed chase away the blues of a hard working couple of guys from Dallas. Ralph and his partner, Don ,loved tournament fishing…and they sure caught their share of Blue Marlin.
One year, as newcomer's to TIFT, the Texas International Fishing Tournament held locally, The Blue's Chaser Fishing Team, won honors with a “Grand Slam.” For those who don't know the lingo, a Grand Slam is when you catch one, of each variety of saltwater billfish during a tournament.
On that occasion, a young, green-but-lucky angler, Michael Ewing was sitting in the fishing chair and made the first catch of the day. The team wouldn't let him out of the fighting chair, because, if one angler catches all the fish, the points are higher for the boat . That was a lucky year all around, as our daughter Christie, was asked to be the TIFT Sweetheart, adding more good memories to our photo albums.
We have since sold the Blue's Chaser. Now, when Ralph wants to take the family Offshore fishing, he hires someone like Bryan Ray. He knows they will almost always return with fish and big grins all around. He loves sharing in that moment when a new angler is waiting for a possible catch. The reel starts screaming and then the captain yells….“FISH ON!” He delighted, watching our grandaughter Ashlea, as the mate strapped her into a pink, lady angler's fish-fighting belt. She stood her ground, solidly like the pro, Marsha Bierman, as she cranked in her catch.
The next year while our grandson, Corbin and Ralph were bay fishing, I received a call from Corbin, asking me to grab my camera and come outside on the dock to take photos. There he stood, sweat running down his face as he held up that 21 lb. Kingfish like it was a precious bar of gold. Since then he has experienced a lot of other firsts while visiting us in Port Isabel. He learned how to ride a surf board at Schlitterbahn without losing his swim trunks, going on a trail ride on horseback down the beach. He also won a GO-Cart race, racing his Papaw by Louie's Backyard. On another day, I borrowed a metal detector for him to try his hand at that….he was almost to China when he gave up…..we left the beach with only sand in our pockets.
The youngest of the 3 G-Kids is 11 year old Lindsey. She always wants to paint with me while she's here. At the age of 4, she wanted her own easel and a canvas. I put a kid sized apron over her clothes, laid out the paints for her she was on her way to making her first painting, on her own. She always signs them and hangs them for all to see. Who knows, maybe one day, she will turn out to be a great artist? I always wanted to be an artist when I grew up. It's fun to share this interest with her.
So why am I sharing all of this with people I don't even know? I have no clue, except to simply say….Enjoy those little ones while you may! For soon enough, they will have boyfriends, girlfriends, colleges to attend…and weddings to plan and their lives will be so busy, you (we) may not see them as often as we would like.
There is a quote I like very much, by Stephen R. Covey…. so I will leave you with that.
El Niño Ends Drought, Will Bring Summer StormsBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Following in the footsteps of the Valley, the last two years of severe drought in the remainder of Texas are finally over thanks to an El Niño event that has pumped volumes of tropical moisture into the state over recent months, ending an agriculture disaster and averting severe water resource shortages in a growing state that is demanding more water volume each year.
But what the appearance of the current if not faltering El Niño event has brought in the way of weather relief could be shadowed by more intense and frequent tropical weather as El Niño retreats and normal weather patterns return to the tropics.
For those of us over 40, trying to get a handle on all this El Niño and La Niña science and how it affects the complex and ever-changing climatology of the Gulf region is challenging at best and confusing at worst.
From a technical and scientific standpoint, El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), is a climate pattern that occurs across the tropical Pacific Ocean on average every five years, but over a period which varies from three to seven years. ENSO is best-known for its association with floods, droughts and other weather disturbances in many regions of the world, which vary with each event.
ENSO is composed of an oceanic component, called El Niño (or La Niña), which is characterized by warming or cooling of surface waters in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean, and an atmospheric component, the Southern Oscillation, which is characterized by changes in surface pressure in the tropical western Pacific. The two components are coupled: when the warm oceanic phase (known as El Niño) is in effect, surface pressures in the western Pacific are high, and when the cold phase is in effect (La Niña), surface pressures in the western Pacific are low.
From a practical standpoint, this means that our weather in Texas, a small part of a broader global region that is affected by ENSO, an go from very dry to very wet and from very hot to very cold over the course of a few years time, depending on the current ENSO climate influence - either El Niño (or La Niña.
If you got lost in that explanation, here's the bottom line: the El Niño event we have been experiencing since last summer has brought abundant rainfall to the placePlaceNameRio Grande PlaceTypeValley. As the El Niño grew more influential, more tropical moisture pumped into not only the Valley, but much of placeStateTexas. That, say scholars at PlaceNameTexas PlaceNameA&M PlaceTypeUniversity, is why StateplaceTexas, including the Valley, has resurfaced from the drought and now enjoys ample ground and surface water to supply the demand.
An added benefit for coastal residents is the current El Niño event also helped to slow down last summer's tropical storm development, which was predicted to be more active than normal. The downside to this is that when El Niño loses its hold over tropical climatology and wanes in strength and influence, tropical weather development will most likely return to normal cyclic levels. And that can even be complicated by a building La Niña pattern which could make storms more frequent and severe.
“The Atlantic Basin has been under a more active and favorable time for tropical development for the last 3-4 years,” says Philip Klotzbach with the Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State University, an expert at tropical weather forecasting and modeling. “We can point to Hurricanes Ike and Dolly on the placeStateTexas coast as examples of what can happen during these broader periods of cyclic-prediction. We may have had an even busier tropical season last year if it wasn't for the development of El Niño in the late spring.”
In a telephone interview Friday, Klotzbach confirmed current models are indicating a busy tropical season will return this summer in the placePlaceNameAtlantic PlaceTypeBasin region. He says forecasters are currently working on the latest prediction models and how a fading El Niño might affect how many and how severe storms may become in the Gulf region this year.
Until then, he advises, coastal residents should plan early for the approaching tropical season and get their storms plans in order. Regardless whether this year proves to be a `good' or `bad' year for storms, he says residents should be prepared for the worst.
TELLING OUR STORIESBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
It doesn't take a historian to realize that Port Isabel's proximity to the U.S.-Mexican border and her rich and colorful past has made for a rich and diverse history. But chances are good there's a lot about local history in placeSouth Texas that you haven't heard or read, and losing that history is akin to forgetting your own identity.
Times were tough along the lower coast during many periods of our past history, but perhaps a bit more challenging during both the placeStateTexas revolution and the ensuing years of the Mexican-American War that would follow.
The Museums of Port Isabel and the Laguna Madre Museum Foundation offer a special "Telling Our Stories" historical program each month to further local awareness of our history, and this week's “Telling Our Stories” Series focuses on those dark and daring years between 1835 and 1848. It happens Thursday evening, Feb. 25, at the Treasures of the placePlaceTypeGulf PlaceTypeMuseum, addressStreet317 E. Railroad Ave. at 7 p.m.
Rod Bates, a historian and owner of Antiques on Tarnava, will present “The War for Independence & Mexican Revolution.” His presentation will show how both events influenced Port Isabel and the Laguna Madre area. There will be an exhibition on display in the placePlaceNameHistorical PlaceTypeMuseum of “The War for Independence & Mexican Revolution” documents and artifacts. Both Museums will be open for guests to tour on the evening of the presentation.
Drinks and Refreshments will be served. No Admission fee.
The Museums of Port Isabel and the Laguna Madre Museum Foundation's goals are to educate and preserve our local history. With the help from supporters and the public, we can continue to preserve our past for future generations.
For more information call (956) 943-7602 or email jrivera@copitx.com - ggodines@copitx.com. Museums of Port Isabel is located at addressStreet317 E. Railroad Ave. in Port Isabel.
NEW SIGN GREETS LAGUNA MADRE VISITORSBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
First impressions are lasting impressions they say, and that may be the reasoning behind the Town of Laguna Vista's unveiling of a new entrance sign to greet visitors to the Laguna Madre area as they travel down Hwy. 100 enroute to the surf and the sand.
As big as life and as colorful as the bayside village itself, the new sign can be seen now by any and all who pass near its location on the corner of Hwy. 100 and FM 510. But a special Ribbon Cutting Ceremony scheduled for Thursday, Febraury 18 at 5:30 p.m. will mark the official dedication.
Laguna Vista Mayor Susie Houston and the Board of Aldermen will participate in the ceremony to celebrate the completion of the new sign. The public is invited to attend.
'This new entrance sign represents the beginning of many exciting initiatives for our
community," says CityplaceHouston. "We're currently working to finalize new commercial development for Highway 100, and also the construction of a helipad that will facilitate improved emergency medical access for our residents. In addition, we will soon have a comprehensive master plan for Laguna Vista, which will assure we are fully prepared to take advantage of the growth that will take place when the proposed second access causeway to placeSouth Padre Island is constructed, including increased traffic flow on Hwy. 510."
The new entrance sign was constructed in a partnership between the Town of placeCityLaguna Vista, the Community Development Corporation (CDC), and the South Padre Island Golf Club. The Board of Aldermen approved the recommendation of the CDC to partially use sales taxes proceeds to replace the existing sign that had been in place for over 40 years. The Town staff, led by City Manager Rolando Vela, worked closely with the SPI Golf Club on the planning, layout, construction and lighting of the new sign.
Elected officials from the surrounding communities will be participating in the ceremony. U.S. Representative Solomon Ortiz, State Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr., County Judge Carlos Cascos, and County Commissioner David Garza have already confirmed their attendance.
PI COMMISSIONERS HEAR WIND TURBINE PRESENTATIONBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Could a day be coming soon when Port Isabel and placeSouth Padre Island's need for electricity could be greatly satisfied or reduced by a series of small, individual wind turbines that silently and diligently perform their jobs while we sleep and work and play?
At the regular Port Isabel City Commission meeting Tuesday night commissioner's listened to a presentation by City Manager Ed Meza that may prove to be the first step in a long series of steps to help the city become more energy independent in the years ahead.
In the presentation, Commissioners were told local businessman Jay Carlson has proposed a pilot project involving the use of a Windspire wind turbine at the Port Isabel Library to help the city save on energy usage and to possibly pave the way for additional turbines that could eventually lead to less electrical power consumption for both the city government and eventually for local businesses and residents.
“It's all about `going green' in the years ahead and figuring out a better way to utilize clean energy while saving money in the long run,” said Port Isabel Mayor Joe Vega about the Windspire project. “While installing one small wind turbine is not going to solve all our energy requirements, this project represents a chance for the city to determine just how effective the system would be and how that might relate in energy savings for the years ahead.”
The Windspire system utilizes a small vertical wind turbine unlike the larger, propeller-driven wind turbines you might see in a commercial wind farm. The slender Windshire measures about 30-feet tall and uses a silent vertical axis wind power appliance that looks as much like a yard ornament as it does an energy generator.
“The unit is relatively small and can be installed just about anywhere the wind blows,” says Vega. “This is not like those tall, powerful windmills with multiple propellers. These turbines were designed by use in business and residential applications and can easily be installed in crowded neighborhoods or business districts.”
Carlson, who is the local dealer for the Windspire System, approached the City with the idea “to demonstrate the system's efficiency and value”. The cost of the pilot project would be covered by Carlson. The idea is if the system proves effective and trouble free, it may well be adapted for use at other city facilities like City Hall.
“We (the city) have been looking at green projects over the last couple of years,” says Vega, pointing to the Port Isabel recycling center as an example. “The idea is to be more environmentally responsible and at the same time more energy efficient in the years ahead.”
At only 30 feet tall and 4 feet wide, the Windspire 1.2 kW wind turbine is distinguished by its propeller-free design and nearly soundless operation. Designed for use where you live and work, the Windspire is currently powering homes, small businesses, schools, museums, and parks all across the country.
The 1.2 kW (1200 watt) Windspire will produce approximately 2000 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year in 12 mph average winds. In Port Isabel and on the placeIsland, that could be even more.
“One turbine unit isn't going to power the entire library, for example, but it will help the facility to use less energy off the grid. This would represent a savings to the city,” Vega added.
TIGERS, FLEUR-DE-LYS AND CHOCOLATES PLEASE - and President's Day!By LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
For the love of Saint Valentine, this week and next South Texans will be celebrating three specialty holidays - Valentine's Day (Sunday), Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras (Tuesday), and the start to the Chinese New Year (Sunday) - the Year of the Tiger. Depending on whom you are and where you're from, it's a time for love, for lent and for good luck in the New Year.
Confusing isn't it?
Dr. Stella Begar at the UTPA College of Arts and Humanities says it may not be rare but “it is unusual” that all three cultural observances fall in the same calendar week. While Feb. 14 is always the traditional day for Valentine's Day celebrations in placeNorth America, Fat Tuesday falls on the day before Ash Wednesday, which varies from year to year depending on when the Easter holidays fall. The same is true for the Chinese New Year which begins ever year at the first New Moon of February.
“In this respect, all three of the observances falling in the same week is a bit unusual,” she says.
So what are South Texans to do? Is it a time for sweethearts and chocolates, fortune cookies and egg rolls, or Bourbon and beads?
“It depends a lot on your heritage and your preferences,” says the cultures expert. “If you're French or from Louisiana or French Canadian regions, then Mardi Gras is a must-do event. Those with ties to the Chinese culture will be celebrating the New Year for two weeks beginning on Feb. 14. But most Americans will be passing out greeting cards, flowers and chocolates this weekend in observance of Valentine's Day.”
By the way, Valentine's Day, according to some, got its start in either country-regionFrance or country-regionItaly during the days of the placeRoman Empire. As the story goes, St. Valentine, a Jesuit Priest, disregarded Emperor Cladius II's decree that young men were not to be married because it might interfere with their military careers and conducted marriage ceremonies for young lovers in private. When placeCityRome discovered what the priest was doing, he was arrested and eventually put to death. Legend has it that flowers and candies were given each year on the anniversary of his death to remember the “Saint of Love” for his dedication to love and marriage.
As far as Mardi Gras is concerned - known as Shrove Tuesday - it, too, had origins in France and was a day that the faithful could indulge in the pleasures of this life before having to sacrifice some of them in honor of the Lenten season. Parades were staged, wine was poured like water and the French would engage in “irresponsible civil interaction” before turning from their (wicked) ways and becoming devout for the 40 days leading up to Easter.
As confusing as it all may seem, Begar says a more modern interpretation of the holidays falling in the same week might be to indulge in chocolates this week, which we could then give up for the Lenten season. Add to that a healthy and traditional Chinese meal in honor of the New Year, and South Texans can celebrate all three without ever leaving home.
SHINDIG RAISES FUNDS FOR BEACH ENVIRONMENTBy LOGNAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PARADE
The weather couldn't have been any more perfect Saturday when members and friends of the Surfrider Foundation's South Texas Chapter converged at Louie's Backyard for their annual fundraiser “Shindig”, a multifaceted event that involved art, music, environment and fun for the family.
It started early afternoon when noted artists John Olvey, Lisa Porter, Zach Richardson and Tommy Shilts pulled out their paint and began creating art on canvas made of surfboards, lawn chairs and flower pots. The unique art was part of raising funds for the many environmental and conservation programs supported by the group.
Nearby, kids of all ages were doing their part to beautify the coast by painting county trash barrels that will find their home back on the beach this week. Artist and sand sculptor Sandy Feet provided assistance and direction to kids who turned out to help “keep the beaches beautiful”.
For twelve-year old Mabry Spencer from placeCitySan Antonio, it was a chance to see local kids in action working for the environment.
“It's exciting to see something like this going on down here. As a tourist, my family and I am come down and enjoy the clean beaches and admire the perfect coastal environment, but we don't think about how much effort it takes to maintain the beaches and to fight things like beach erosion,” she said.
The local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has been very active in preserving the beauty of the environment and ecology of the area by hosting and supporting a number of beach clean ups, dune restoration projects, and beach vegetation and erosion control projects. Surfrider is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the planet's ocean and beaches and is active around the world.
Another event Saturday was the creation of a special fundraiser Totem pole by local sculptor Andy Hancock. At the time the program started Saturday, Hancock wasn't sure what he was creating but promised it would be finished on time to celebrate Saturday night.
By the time the evening arrived, dozens of supporters grew to hundreds to enjoy an evening of live music by the Bongo Dogs, Junbug and placeCityBrownsville country singer Bree Stevens. As of late Saturday it was unknown how much the Chapter raised in funds to support local programs, but one official casually commented that the night was a success.
ART IN THE SAND FEATURED THIS WEEKBy placeCityLOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Local art is in the spotlight this week as the Laguna Madre Art League presents their Fine Arts Show & Sale at the South Padre Island Convention Centre Monday through Wednesday, Feb. 8-10, part of South Padre Island Market Days. Admission to Market Days is $1 and includes access to the Art Show, being staged in meeting rooms just off the foyer of the main exhibits.
Artists from across the Laguna Madre and the Valley will be exhibiting fine art in a number of mediums. The annual show and sale is expected to be well attended as it represents the best chance of the year to appreciate and acquire local art, often depicting the environment, flavor and colors of the coast.
Award-winning artists like Marne Law will be on hand to assist in selecting the right art. Law is a recipient of the Octavia Arneson Award from the Brownsville Museum of Art's International Show. Also on display will be the works of other noted local artists like Michael Kreider and Carol Plumb.
The free art show & placeCitySale is sponsored by the El Paseo Arts Foundation.
In the Market Days area, more art, handcrafted jewelry, and crafts will be offered in the trade show. The event is particularly popular among Winter Texans this time of year and a large crowd is expected for the three day event.
For more information, log on to www.sopadre.com.
RODEO WEEK ON THE THIRD COASTBy placeCityLOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
It's time to “Cowboy Up”! in placeSouth Texas as the annual PRCA Rodeo in Los Fresnos kicks off Friday along with the Cameron County Fair & Livestock Show. And organizers say this year's show and rodeo may well be the biggest ever.
Mark Milum, Chairman of the Los Fresnos Rodeo Association, says competition on the rodeo circuit this year is already fierce among the professional competitors who depend on rodeo events like the one in Los Fresnos to build their points toward a national and world championship season. And with cash purses getting bigger each year and more and more cowboys joining the ranks of professional, it makes for an exciting contest this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
"Some of the top PRCA cowboys and cowgirls from all over the world will be here to compete for the pay off prize this weekend," says Milum. "For the 6th consecutive year the PRCA has awarded Stace Smith Pro Rodeo Company, Stock Contractor of the year. When you watch those bulls and horses buck or those calves sprint down the arena remember they are the best of the best!"
Also a highlight of the rodeo are the brown (or crazy) rodeo clowns that protect the competitors from raging bulls. Rockin' Robbie Hodges will be the rodeo clown "in the can" to keep you entertained and the competitors safe. Also keeping the cowboys and cowgirls safe is longtime friend of the Los Fresnos Rodeo, Allen Nelson, and back again working along side Allen is Wacey Munsell. All three are widely known in the rodeo circuit and have garnered many achievements as 'bullfighters' through the years.
In addition to the rodeo, visitors are encouraged to visit the Los Fresnos Arts and Crafts Fair, which runs concurrent with the Cameron County Fair & Livestock Show. At the livestock show you can walk through rows of tents and view the various animals and projects area students have worked on diligently all year long. After visiting the Livestock Show visit the Fair grounds and take ride on the Ferris Wheel at the Carnival at the Fair or play a game to win that perfect prize for your sweetheart. There are many rides and games for the young at heart.
The Rodeo and Livestock Show kick off this Friday at the Los Fresnos Rodeo Grounds. Tickets are available at Zarsky Lumber-Los Fresnos - 956-233-4456; Boots N Jeans in Weslaco; Bullrider in Harlingen; Julias Restaurant in Los Fresnos; Gavels Western Wear in Brownsville; Boot Jack in Brownsville; Boot Jack in North 10th in McAllen; Boot Jack in South Main McAllen, and Harvey's LP in Los Fresnos.
Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the gate. Rodeo performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday.
WILL THE GROUND HOG SEE ITS SHADOW TUESDAYBy placeCityLOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Tuesday marks the day we find out if winter is going away early and making way for spring or if Old Man Freeze will hang around for another six weeks or not.
Ground Hog Day is Tuesday and an Old German myth has it that the hibernating ground hog each year ventures from its warm and cozy hole each February to determine if spring will spring or winter will continue, depending on whether or not the animal is frightened back into his hole by his own shadow. To set the record straight - in order to see his shadow the sun must be shinning. If the sun is shining, legend has it the ground hog will see his shadow and scurry back into his hole for six more weeks of winter hibernation.
Now that we're clear on that, here's some good news. The local forecast for Tuesday is calling for clouds and possible rain showers, meaning the ground hog can't see his shadow and, subsequently, spring will arrive early.
Now the bad news: We don't have ground hogs in placeSouth Texas (though we have a form of the prairie dog)., and besides, the modern legend of the ground hog originates from around Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where the biggest ground hog day celebration is staged each Feb. 2. The event has grown so big in modern times that network television crews cover it as thousands wait to see if Punxsutawney Phil immerges from his hole and what he reaction he will have to the current weather at the time.
Now that's clear, what's the Tuesday weather forecast for placeCityPunxsutawney, StatePennsylvania? The National Weather Service official forecast calls for mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow - and that makes the chance of the celebrity groundhog seeing his shadow about 50-percent. So much for being able to predict in advance what the darn groundhog will or will not see when it ventures from its hole Tuesday, and while that may or may not surprise you, you might be surprised to learn that a form of Groundhog Day is celebrated right here in the Valley each year.
Groundhog Day is loosely based on a Catholic Church observance known as Candelmass, or Candlemass. In the PlaceNameRio Grande PlaceTypeValley, and especially in neighboring placecountry-regionMexico, Candlemas is celebrated by the Church as a symbolic tribute to the light of God's glory that was manifested in Christ. It is the final major event of the Christmas season - Día de la Candelaria - marking forty days, more or less, after the birth of Christ, when he would have been presented at the placeCityTemple. It is on this day that the person who received the piece of bread with the Christ child on Three Kings Day holds a celebration offering tamales and atole to the guests.
Many people travel to placecountry-regionMexico this time of year to enjoy these historical and beautiful observances of the late-Christmas season. One of the most spectacular cities in country-regionplaceMexico to enjoy these festivities is San Miguel de Allende where Candlemas is a solemn, colorful and widespread observance.
Groundhogs and/or Church celebrations or not, many coastal residents in South Texas say their best method of gauging the beginning of the spring season is when hotel and condo reservations for spring break start running near capacity - and that, we're told, may not be far off.
RESERVE ACTIVATION GETS MIXED RESULTSBy placeCityLOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PARADE
Reserve and National Guard unit activation is nothing new. Since the Revolutionary War of 1776, citizen soldiers - reservists and National Guardsmen - have been asked to lay down their shovels and hammers and abandon their plows and office desks and work stations to serve a period of active military duty in defense of their country.
The country-regionU.S. military reserve and National Guard have a long and proud history of stepping to the forefront when the call arrives, and that holds true as much today as it did in placecountry-regionAmerica's past. But modern military policies, a smaller active U.S. military in general, and the large number of foreign-soil campaigns in which the nation has been involved in recent years may be changing the way reservists think of their citizen-soldier duties.
Where once not-so-long ago a reserve unit might be called to active duty to serve a stint in an active military campaign, never before have reservists been called so often or for so long as they have since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom - the second Iraq conflict which started in March of 2003. And the modern reliance on these reserve units may be changing the way reserve members are viewing their involvement.
“For some units and a few soldiers, frequent mobilizations and extended federal service have created a hardship in their civilian lives and caused concern for those with young families - or officers with career challenges,” says Command Sergeant Major Juan G. Morales, the Senior Enlisted Advisor for the Texas Military Forces. “But the Texas National Guard is meeting their enlistment requirements and stand ready to serve as called by the governor or the President.”
Yet, undeniably, frequent unit activations and extended foreign service is cause for concern among reservists nationwide. Those deciding whether to remain in the Guard and Reserve must take into account the possibility that they would have to serve longer and more frequently on active duty than they do now. Under current mobilization policies, part-time troops can be called to serve involuntarily on active duty for no more than 24 months during a five-year period. Army officials want the Pentagon to lift those restrictions so that National Guard and Reserve troops can be pressed into service more often; specifics remain to be worked out.
''We're not close to burnout, but we're at an important point and we need to monitor the situation very closely,'' said Christine Wormuth of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who wrote a study on the future of the Guard and Reserves. “There is recognition that you can't keep using the reserve component the way we've used it in the past three years.''
In today's modern reserve and National Guard units you can find soldiers on both sides of the issue. In CityHarlingen, for example, the 100 soldiers in the 812th Quartermaster Company, an Army Reserve unit, are still fresh from a deployment in placecountry-regionIraq. A unit spokesman who asked not to be identified says roughly 25 percent to 35 percent of the soldiers in the unit are considering getting out.
“Some are eager to reclaim civilian jobs, threatened by their long absences. Others want to complete their education; to get their live back on track,” says the reservist.
A twice-deployed member of the unit with a wife and two sons, Staff Sgt. Noel Cortez decided that it was time to ''take a break'' from the Reserves after seeing the hardship his absences imposed on his family.
''I wasn't there for a whole year and I missed a whole lot,'' said Cortez. “I don't want to go through it again and I don't want them to go through it again.''
But not all reserve military soldiers feel the same. When placeSouth Padre Island police officer Juan Hernandez received notice last week that he is to report for duty for Operation Unified Response-Haiti, he didn't blink an eye.
The Army Reserve sergeant and water purification specialist, says he and other soldiers from his unit will be deployed for an unspecified time to country-regionplaceHaiti to support in the relief effort there. Hernandez said leaving his family is difficult, but he recognizes the importance of this humanitarian effort.
Yet for others, another call to active service represents another challenge in their civilian and family lives, a problem that is growing as placecountry-regionAmerica's global presence is expanded.
PI CITY COMMISSION HAS BUSY AGENDABy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
PlaceTypePort PlaceNameIsabel PlaceNameCity Commissioners hope to find solutions Tuesday night to annexation and boundary disputes with Laguna Vista and the City of placeCityBrownsville when they meet in regular session at the City Hall meeting room at 7 p.m.
The ongoing disputes will highlight an agenda that also includes calling a municipal election to elect two city commissioners and the mayor, and a move to appoint an election judge and alternate judge to serve in that election. Resolution 01-26-10-01 would authorize the city election, authorize the City Secretary to arrange the costs for the election; designate election precincts; appoint election officials; establish pay rates for election workers; provide for notice of said election; provide for early voting; provide the use of the ES&S Automark System to comply with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA); provide for the early voting Ballot Board and the establishment of regular business hours of the City Secretary's Office on the final two days of early voting by personal appearance.
In old business, Commissioners will consider the second reading of an ordinance that authorizes an amendment to the 2009-10 Annual Capital Improvement fund budget by
appropriating $27,799.31 for first of four annual lease payments for a new street sweeper.
Following the public meeting, Commissioners will stage a closed meeting foe the purpose of personnel matters to deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, re-assignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee.
PORT ISABEL NATIVE RELEASES SUSPENSE NOVELBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
When Jim Gilliam was growing up in Port Isabel he wasn't thinking about writing a novel. He was far too busy enjoying the placeSouth Texas coastal environment and spending lazy summer days watching the shrimp boats sail in and out of port.
As a youth, Jim worked for the Port Isabel PRESS delivering the then-weekly edition of the newspaper door to door to local residents that he says “were always glad to get the newspaper and read the latest news”. The experience may not have inspired him to become a journalist, but it apparently introduced him to the wide world of reading and writing.
His young life in the placePlaceTypePort PlaceTypeCity and his proximity to the Texas-Mexico border apparently had a lasting influence. Now a civilian mariner/physician assistant for the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Walter S. Diehl (T-AO 193), Gilliam's new novel is set in Port Isabel and surrounding area, an engaging and fast-paced suspense thriller titled “Point Deception”, a riveting page-turner, based on true events. The novel is packed full of criminal activities, military action, and a likeable protagonist with a tortured soul.
The story revolves around Tim Kelly, the main character of the plot, a young man who grew up on the placeStateTexas coast. Kelly lies about his age and joins the Coast Guard at age 14.
Almost a decade later, his military career takes him to placeCityGalveston where he is reunited with his estranged father, James, a union organizer for a seafarers union. Tortured for years from the troubled relationship with his father, Tim is eager to make amends and form a lasting bond with James. Before the two can make up for lost time though, James is beaten to death by a union-busting criminal.
Devastated by his loss, Tim transfers to placeCitySan Francisco where he butts heads with his commanding officer. Consumed by anger and facing a court martial, Tim elects to go to placecountry-regionVietnam for combat duty. At war with himself and now with the enemy, he finds some solace when he meets three friends from his past. But death follows Tim and his buddies are killed by friendly fire. Returning home to nothing but bad memories and with a less than honorable discharge, Tim begins a new life as an undercover DEA agent.
Earning the trust of one of the most infamous kingpins in the drug cartel, Tim is privy to some of the most dangerous criminals in the world. More tragedy awaits him when his cover is blown and he is tortured by experts. There seems to be no way out. Tim waits for the rescue that may come too late!
Point Deception is full of references to Port Isabel, CityBrownsville and CityMatamoros, and offers the reader a look into the myriad and complicated world of high crime on the placeStateTexas border. The story moves quickly and offers many spell-binding moments of high suspense.
If you like Point Deception, Gilliam says you won't have long to wait for the sequel. He is currently working on the second novel in what could become a series.
The first novel is available online at his publisher's Web site: http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/PointDeception.html
When not onboard the USS Walter S. Diehl, Jim lives with his wife in placeStateNew York.
TELLING OUR CAUSEWAY STORYBy placeCityLOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
It was a tragic time for country-regionAmerica following the unexpected Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in CityNew York City and placeCityWashington, StateD.C. The last thing Laguna Madre area residents were thinking about was tragedy in their own backyard.
But that's exactly what happened four days later on the night of Sept. 15 when a fully loaded barge crashed into the pylons supporting the bridge sending the causeway's highest section plummeting into the bay.
It was horrible night of great local tragedy that will never be forgotten.
This Thursday night, Jan. 28, the public is invited to the Museum's of Port Isabel's laol “Telling Our Stories” series to learn more about the causeway collapse and how it changed local history.
The Museums of Port Isabel and the Laguna Madre Museum Foundation presents another “Telling Our Stories” Series (of 2010) on Thursday, January 28, at the Treasures of the placePlaceTypeGulf PlaceTypeMuseum, addressStreet317 E. Railroad Ave. at 7:00 p.m.
Valerie Bates, Marketing Director for the City of placeCityPort Isabel, will present the tragic story of the Causeway Collapse which occurred on September 15, 2001.
There will be an Exhibition of fourteen photographs by Valerie Bates which will be displayed at the Treasures of the placePlaceTypeGulf PlaceNameArt PlaceNameGallery. Her photographs present a rare view of the causeway and the aftermath that left thousands trying to find a way to cross South Padre to Port Isabel. Two years after the reopening of the causeway, Queen Isabella Causeway was renamed placePlaceNameQueen PlaceNameIsabella PlaceNameMemorial PlaceTypeBridge in honor of the victims of the tragedy.
“Telling Our Stories” is be sponsored by Port Isabel/South Padre Island's Subway Shoppes. Sandwiches and refreshments will be served following the presentation. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend and participate.
For more information, contact Gabriel Godines at (956) 943-7602.
The Museums of Port Isabel are located at addressStreet317 E. Railroad Ave., Port Isabel.
EL CIELO ROAD TRIPBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
It has been called a naturalist's placeCityMecca, a world to itself often hidden high in the clouds, a United Nations recognized Biosphere featuring several unique ecological zones, each teeming with wildlife and natural wonder; a combination of cloud and rain forest, high desert beauty and lower altitude environments that slowly make their way down to the Gulf plains.
And all this mystery and natural attraction stands waiting for the adventurer just a couple of hundred miles south of CityBrownsville in the placePlaceNameMexican PlaceTypeState of Tamaulipas. And now, thanks to the placePlaceNameWorld PlaceNameBirding PlaceTypeCenter, Winter Texans and other adventure travelers can experience this mystical wonderland in a special winter road trip planned to bring the remarkable into the spotlight.
This year the PlaceNameWorld PlaceNameBirding PlaceTypeCenter is offering twin opportunities to visit this magical and remarkable region and a chance to see some of the largest varieties of native and migratory biords in the placecountry-regionAmericas. The first trip is scheduled for Jan 28-Feb. 21 and the second adventure is scheduled for March 16-20.
Professional guides from the U.S. and Mexico will lead participants on a five day adventure to this seldom traveled bird and butterfly oasis where you may be lucky enough to spot Blue Morpho butterflies and birds such as Blue Motmots, Masked Tityras, and Yellow-winged Tanagers that await your discovery.
placeSouthern Tamaulipas' economy is based largely on tourism, especially ecotourism, the rising star of an influx of new visitors from around the world. The little PlaceTypevillage of PlaceNameLa Pesca, in the PlaceTypemunicipality of PlaceNameSoto La Marina, about midway between CityBrownsville, StateTexas and CityTampico, is a rapidly growing tourist area with lovely beaches and excellent fishing both in the placeGulf of Mexico and the Rio Soto La Marina. The central zone contains the capital, placeCityCiudad Victoria, and is home to much foresting and farming.
El Cielo is one of the last bastions of primitive Tamaulipas. Once forestry was a profitable industry in what is now the El Cielo Biosphere. But the harmful effect on the environment and the need to help local communities find other means of economic stability, El Cielo and its ecotourism potential has opened the door to alternative industry and locals in and around the park are beginning to benefit from its success.
The placePlaceNameWorld PlaceNameBirding PlaceTypeCenter's El Cielo excursion costs $650 for members and $700 for non-members (all-inclusive) and departs Feb. 21. For full details, call (956) 381-9922 or visit the official Web site at: www.edinburgwbc.org.
CAUSEWAY RUN WINNERSBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
It was a crisp cold morning Saturday - the coldest day in several years - as runners formed just outside the Port Isabel Library for the beginning of the 26th Annual World's Longest Causeway Run & Fitness Walk.
One breath of chilly air and the sharp and frigid wind chill outside was enough to make this reporter wonder if the turnout for the coveted event would be small this year. But about 2,500 participants made it to the start line by the 10 a.m. gun, a number that may have set a new record, and the cold weather seemed only to motivate those who braved the chill to participate in this unique and popular outdoor event.
The Marines were there. So were a number of high school athletes from schools all across the Valley. There were professional runners from country-regionMexico and StateOklahoma and placeStateTexas, and housewives and construction workers, the retired and the inspired. National Guardsmen made the trip South to the coast as did assorted runners and walkers from all walks of life.
As the clock struck ten, Port Isabel Chamber President Betty Wells directed runners to the electronic starting gate and the beginning of the 25th running of the Valley's most popular foot care and fitness event.
By the time the first in the field of runners reached the Causeway - closed to traffic to accommodate the race - it was apparent the cold weather had little effect on those who had come to compete. In just under a half hour, the fastest of the group, Westley Keating of Edinburg, crossed the finish line in the street in front of Louie's Backyard, three seconds faster than last year's winner, Alfred Cherop of Zapata.
Winners of this year's Causeway run include:
TOP MALE
Westley Keating - 29:42.0
Alfred Cherop - :30.05.1
Shadrack Soncook - :31. 54.3
TOP FEMALE
Hyvon Hgetich - 35. 6.4
Janet Rono - :35.44.4
Debbie Arzola - :37.15
For a complete list of winners in each age category, visit portisabel.org/causeway_run/01_09_2010.htm
PORT ISABEL COMMISSION MEETINGBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Port Isabel city commissioners start off the New Year with an executive session Tuesday night to consult with the city attorney about possible litigation between the city and Lamar Sign Company and matters pertaining to rules and procedures related to Economic Development Board appointments and responsibilities.
Immediately following the closed meeting at 7 p.m., commissioners will open the doors to the public to entertain the regular meeting agenda.
Headlining the agenda are a pair of proclamations, one recognizing Port Isabel Fire Chief Gualberto Bennett and the other proclaiming the book “Martin Luther King”- by Faith Ringgold- as the Children's Book for the month of January.
City Manager Ed Meza is scheduled to make a number of special reports to the Commission. Up first will be a report on the City of CityPort Isabel Visitor and placePlaceNameEvents PlaceTypeCenter project, followed by a special report on the City's side walk project. Reports will also be offered on a revenues and expenditures statement and on the 2009-2010 sales tax received Summary.
Under old business, commissioners will review a proposed lease agreement for a city street sweeper. Under new business, the Commission will consider appointments to the Port Isabel Housing Authority and appointments to the Economic Development Corporation and the city's Planning and Zoning Commission.
The meeting will he held at the placePlaceTypePort PlaceNameIsabel PlaceNameCity Hall meeting room.
ARCTIC BLAST EXPECTED IN VALLEY BY THURSDAYBy Logan hawkes
Port Isabel-SouthPadre PRESS
National Weather forecasters in Brownsville are warning Valley residents there is a good chance that temperatures could drop to their lowest in 20-plus years by the weekend as a cold front ushers in frigid weather by sometime Thursday and dropping temps on Friday and Saturday to seasonal lows.
This is what Winter Texas came here to get away from, but they're going to get a taste of home by the weekend as an arctic blast blows into Deep South Texas plunging the mercury into the 30's during the day, and in some rural areasof the Valley into the mid-20's at night both Friday and Saturday.
Forecasters say there is a slight chance of freezing drizzle or rain/sleet that could mixed in with the colder nights possibly causing bridges to become iced over.
Forecasters say Valley citrus and sugar cane growers are keeping a close eye on the forecast but that most of the Valley's crops should be far enough south to avoid major damage. On the lower Texas coast, the weatherman says to dress in layers and wear a stocking cap and gloves when outside.
As for your home, don't use a gas heater inside, and keep an electric heater away from anything that could catch fire. Also, let your indoor water faucets drip to prevent pipes from freezing.
RARE BIRD SPOTTED IN VALLEYBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
A rare sighting of a tiger heron has caused a considerable stir in the birding world, not because the bird is overly rare but the elusive tiger heron has never been spotted in North America - until last week.
Rick Snider and Rick Nirschl caught the rare heron on film last Monday while on a birding adventure at Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park. Snider says they had been birding and were taking a break and looking for butterflies when the heron was flushed into the path in front of them.
“At first look we knew it was different,” Said Snider. But it wasn't until they reached the park headquarters and consulted their field guide that they realized what they had seen.
The population estimate for bare-throated tiger heron ranges from 50,000 to 499,999. But what makes this sighting so significant is that the species has never been spotted farther north than Central Mexico. The northern-most range of the tiger heron extends to within about 200 miles of the Texas border, but wildlife specialists say it is indeed rare for one to venture this far north.
The Bare-throated Tiger Heron, Tigrisoma mexicanum, is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, found from Mexico to northwestern Colombia. It is generally 28-32" in length and weighs about 1200 grams. This large species is found in more open habitats than other Tigrisoma herons, such as river and lake banks. It waits often motionless for suitable prey such as fish, frogs or crabs to come within reach of its long bill.
The tiger heron is a solitary breeder, not normally found in heron colonies. The nest is a small flattish stick platform in a tree into which 2-3 green-tinged white eggs are laid.
State park officials say they expect a rush of birders of in the days and weeks ahead as a result of the rare sighting. Already Valley birders have flocked to the park in hopes of catching a glimpse of the rare bird. But biologists warn the wetlands heron may be hard to spot.
The sighting of the tiger heron raises the total number of bird species that frequent the South Texas coastal wetlands and the Rio Grande River's natural Bosque. A total of nearly 500 bird species are spotted every year in the Valley making the region one of the most productive for rare sightings in the United States.
RAREST CAT IN AMERICA GETS A BREAKBy Logan Hawkes
Port Isabel-South Padre
Highly endangered in the United States and rarely seen in the wild, the Texas ocelot is a magnificent creature by any standard. Once abundant and healthy, these creatures are now hanging onto the thread of continued existence, in danger of extinction as civilization crowds further into the backwoods of Nature's realm.
The Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), also known as the Painted Leopard, McKenney's Wildcat or Manigordo (in Costa Rica), is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico, but is also native to deep South Texas, the only place in North America where the small wildcat can be found in its natural habitat.
Even so, less than one-percent of wildlife habitat in South Texas is considered suitable for ocelot habitation, making the future of the South Texas native uncertain.
That may be changing a little thanks to the recent purchase of a wildlife easement purchased by The Nature Conservancy from South Texas rancher Frank Yturria on his Willacy County-Kenedy County San Francisco Ranch.
Yturria, 86, says the easement is adjacent to three additional easements he has already set aside for the ocelot. With the additional corridor of scrub and low thicket, Texas wildlife biologists say the wildcat will have room to grow and prosper. The new easements are one of only two documented ocelot breeding grounds in the country. The other is at the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. Nature Conservancy officials say they hope to open up the easement corridors with the Refuge breeding grounds some 20 miles to the south to promote cross breeding between populations.
The Ocelot's appearance is similar to that of the domestic cat. Its fur resembles that of a Jaguar and was once regarded as particularly valuable. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Ocelots have been killed for their fur. The feline was been classified as a "vulnerable" endangered species.
The Ocelot is mostly nocturnal and very territorial. It will fight fiercely, sometimes to the death, in territorial disputes. Like most felines, it is solitary, usually meeting only to mate. However, during the day it rests in trees or other dense foliage, and will occasionally share its spot with another Ocelot of the same sex. When mating, the female will find a den in a cave in a rocky bluff, a hollow tree, or a dense (preferably thorny) thicket. The gestation period is estimated to be 70 days. Generally the female will have 2-4 kittens, born in the autumn with their eyes closed and a thin covering of hair.
While the Ocelot is well equipped for an arboreal lifestyle and will sometimes take to the trees, it is mostly terrestrial. Prey includes almost any small animal: monkeys, snakes, rodents, fish, amphibians and birds are common prey, as are small domestic animals such as baby pigs and poultry. Almost all of the prey that the Ocelot hunts is far smaller than itself. Studies suggest that it follows and finds prey via odor trails, but the Ocelot also has very keen vision, including night vision.
HOLIDAY SPIRIT IN THE TROPICSBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
It may not have been the biggest holiday parade. It may not have been the most well attended. But Friday night's Island Holiday Parade on South Padre had plenty of holiday spirit, enough to drive away the seasonal chill in the air.
Delayed because of bad weather a week before, the parade kicked off a little behind schedule Friday night, but that didn't seem to damper the enthusiasm of kids and parents of all ages as they anxiously awaited curbside, in the parking lots of businesses and shops along the parade route, and anywhere else they could find room to launch their lawn chairs or stand in the crowd.
And they weren't disappointed as 40-plus entries into the annual lighted gala streamed down the boulevard to the blaring sounds of holiday tunes and marching bands.
Santa and Mrs. Claus made an appearance. So did local dignitaries like SPI Mayor Bob Pinkerton and Justice of the Peace Bennie Ochoa. No sooner had a string of fancy cars carrying their royal payloads passed by at the opening of the parade, brightly colored floats arrived to the cheers of the crowd.
There were gymnasts and cheerleaders, dancing troupes and school bands. The Color Guard was the first to pass and an entourage of Island fire trucks and police patrol cars brought up the rear. In between were floats and drill teams and even a parade of holiday canines.
“This is an annual tradition for us,” said 16 year old Cody Gonzales of Laguna Vista. His younger brother, Colton, added that to complete the tradition, a stop for ice cream after the parade was in order.
The chilly night turned out to be perfect for a holiday parade. With temps in the upper 50s, Mother Nature spared the rain and the crowd cheered their approval throughout the 70-minute affair.
For those that seemed a bit chilled from the brisk evening air, South Padre Island Executive Director Dan Quandt reminded people over a microphone at the judge's table at Padre Island Brew Pub that parts of the Midwest were covered in a foot of snow,
“Be glad you're in the tropics of Texas,” he beamed.
PI ANNOUNCES CHRISTMAS LIGHTING WINNERSSpecial to the PRESS
As the fog was rolling across the bay, the Santa Mobile was rolling through
the streets of Port Isabel looking for the most decorated houses and
businesses!
On board were City Manager, Edward Meza; Library Director and Interim
Economic Development Corporation Administrator, Carolyn Bogardus;
Commissioner M J Garza; Commissioner Memo Torres and Hanna Torres. Goodie
bags were given to ten decorated houses and businesses and candy given to
neighborhood children. (more photos at:
Winners include:
Ms. Rosa Montes and Family (110 E. Railroad Ave.), Mr. & Mrs. Traya
(101 Hickman St.), Calvin & Sandra Byrd (Adams St.), Manuel & Maria Hinojosa
(110 Adams St.), Terry & Mimi Coen (121 Madison St.), Grambaile Bar (205
South Shore Drive), Omar Perea (1706 North Shore Drive), Doubleday Sports
Bar (Highway 100) and the Port Isabel Police Station (Hickman St.).
SPI MAKES TRIP ADVISOR BEST LISTBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
While many Americans think of ski slopes and mountain resorts when they think of winter getaways, South Padre Island has made it into TripAdvisor's Top Five Value “Sun” Winter Vacation Rental Getaways list as the best place to land this season.
TripAdvisor, one of the Internet's leading travel reservation sites, announced ten of North America's best value winter vacation rental getaways last week, according to TripAdvisor listing data and editors.
The Internet travel gurus made a list of both “sun” and “snow” destinations of the season based upon a survey conducted among site users. The criteria included whether a value-oriented vacation rental would be a better getaway choice than a hotel or resort. According to the editors, vacation rentals provide an appealing accommodation option for those searching for better value and more living space.
TripAdvisor surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. travelers and found that 83 percent of respondents said they would stay at a vacation rental rather than a hotel or B&B for a winter leisure trip if they could get a better deal. In addition, when asked what factor would make them the most likely to stay at a vacation rental this winter, 37 percent cited low prices, 27 percent said a good location and 16 percent said more amenities.
TripAdvisor's best vacation rental destinations include:
“Sun” Destinations
Located off the Gulf Coast of Florida near Naples, Marco Island is the largest of Florida's Ten Thousand Islands. This vacation spot is surrounded by miles of beaches, marine wildlife including dolphins and manatees, and is within driving distance of Everglades National Park.
A group of four could save up to $3,730 by staying at a vacation rental on Marco Island versus a hotel for a weeklong stay, according to TripAdvisor's Vacation Rentals Calculator.
2. Bequia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
The second largest in a string of islands called the Grenadines, Bequia has the charm of the old Caribbean and beautiful beaches to boot. Whether you're looking to swim, sail, snorkel, or relax on the beach, Bequia is a fantastic place to get away from it all and unwind.
A group of four could save up to $2,110 by staying at a vacation rental on Bequia versus a hotel for a weeklong stay, according to TripAdvisor's Vacation Rentals Calculator.
3. Kihei, Hawaii
Whether you want to sun yourself on its pristine, white sand beaches, like nearby Makena Beach, or tour the coastline and nearby volcanoes, Kihei is a beautiful destination for snowbirds. Situated on Maui's western shore, it is also a renowned spot for snorkeling and scuba diving.
A group of four could save up to $1,970 by staying at a vacation rental in Kihei versus a hotel for a weeklong stay, according to TripAdvisor's Vacation Rentals Calculator.
4. South Padre Island, Texas
A scenic tropical paradise with beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters, South Padre Island has plenty to offer those who want to sunbathe or find some adventure. In addition to its pristine beaches, the island features excellent parasailing, hiking, bird watching, deep-sea fishing, golfing, and scuba diving.
A group of four could save up to $1,060 by staying at a vacation rental on South Padre Island versus a hotel for a weeklong stay, according to TripAdvisor's Vacation Rentals Calculator.
5. Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers offers an ideal combination of activities for both sea and land lovers. White sand beaches and prime deep-sea fishing draws travelers year round to this gulf coast destination. For those who don't crave the salt water, there are also plenty of shopping, restaurant, and golfing options nearby.
A group of four could save up to $960 by staying at a vacation rental in Fort Myers versus a hotel for a weeklong stay, according to TripAdvisor's Vacation Rentals Calculator.
“Snow” Destinations
A veritable winter wonderland, Mammoth Lakes in the Eastern Sierra region of California has it all for travelers who love the snow. Mammoth Mountain Ski Area draws skiers and snowboarders from around the world, but the surrounding region also offers plenty of options for snowmobiling, ice-skating, and snowshoeing.
A group of four could save up to $2,700 by staying at a vacation rental in Mammoth Lakes versus a hotel for a weeklong stay, according to TripAdvisor's Vacation Rentals Calculator.
2. Jackson, Wyoming
Home of the longest and steepest vertical slope in the United States, Jackson is a haven for serious skiers and snowboarders. It also has activities off the slopes with plenty of shops and restaurants, as well as the nearby Yellowstone National Park for nature lovers.
A group of four could save up to $2,020 by staying at a vacation rental in Jackson versus a hotel for a weeklong stay, according to TripAdvisor's Vacation Rentals Calculator.
3. Lincoln, New Hampshire
Situated in the heart of New Hampshire's famous White Mountains region, Lincoln is close to many of the area's top attractions and ski areas. Travelers are just a short drive away from top ski resorts in the state, including Loon, Cannon, and Bretton Woods and can enjoy local winter tours on horseback, snowmobile, or snowshoes.
A group of four could save up to $1,190 by staying at a vacation rental in Lincoln versus a hotel for a weeklong stay, according to TripAdvisor's Vacation Rentals Calculator.
4. Rangeley, Maine
A beautiful New England destination year round, Rangeley truly shines for travelers looking for some outdoor winter adventures. Skiers can hit the slopes at Saddleback Mountain or ski cross-country in the scenic lakes region, and for something a little out of the ordinary, vacationers can even drive or ride a dog sled with a local pro.
A group of four could save up to $950 by staying at a vacation rental in Rangeley versus a hotel for a weeklong stay, according to TripAdvisor's Vacation Rentals Calculator.
5. Estes Park, Colorado
Estes Park, surrounded by Rocky Mountain National Park and Roosevelt National Park, is a great place to re-connect with nature and catch a glimpse of winter wildlife. It's also a terrific area for snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and ice-skating, and nearby Eldora Mountain Resort can even satisfy the alpine skiers in the family.
A group of four could save up to $930 by staying at a vacation rental in Estes Park versus a hotel for a weeklong stay, according to TripAdvisor's Vacation Rentals Calculator.
"Whether they're looking for fun in the sun or a day out on the ski slopes, there are plenty of winter travel destinations where travelers can save big by staying at a vacation rental," said Bryan Saltzburg, general manager of new initiatives at TripAdvisor.
PI LIGHTS UP THE HOLIDAYSBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
It started with Christmas caroling at Lighthouse Square. It ended with Santa and Mrs. Claus visiting with children. Somewhere between the two, church and children's choirs performed, cheerleaders cheered, and a special contingent of the Port Isabel High School band played while Port Isabel Mayor Joe Vega welcomed dignitaries and guests to the community's third annual tree lighting ceremony, the “perfect start” to the holiday season.
It happened last Thursday night when an estimated 500 locals and visitors crowded around Port Isabel's community Christmas tree on Railroad street across from the Museums of Port Isabel, a night of seasonal fun as kids played games, parents enjoyed assorted refreshments from vendors and Mayor Vega welcomed seasonal celebrants to an event Vega says “brings the community together.”
“This is absolutely wonderful…so many people, such a warm holiday feeling. It's exciting, and this event is growing each year,” Vega said.
Vega addressed the crowd and expressed his gratitude for all the many “blessings” the city has experienced throughout the year, and seized the moment to direct attention to the many new Christmas lights and decorations scattered across the community.
“I want to personally thank our public works department for their initiative and enthusiasm in decorating the community. You may have noticed a number of new lighting displays across the city, and these lights were designed and constructed by Baldemar Alaniz and the public works department. Many of these light displays cost up to $700 to purchase, but our guys came up with their own designs and constructed various lighted figures on their own, adding to the beauty and festive spirit of our community,” Vega told the crowd.
City Manager Edward Meza agrees.
“This is an amazing development for our city employees to go the extra mile to help decorate and beautify the community for us all. They deserve a great deal of credit for not only making these amazing lighted displays, but for saving the city a great deal of money in the process. We hope to build upon this each year,” he said.
“One day perhaps we'll get to the point where people will come far and wide to see our lights - like they do at Hidalgo's annual Festival of Lights,” added Vega.
In addition to the many seasonal activities around the tree, the Museums were open to the public and waived entrance fees for the evening.
“This is a good event to help bring the community together, said Raul Loera of Port Isabel. “The kids are enjoying it and so are the parents. I would like to see more community events like this.”
THE WALLS CAME TUMBIN' DOWN! (story below)  THE WALLS CAME TUMBIN' DOWN!
It was an historic moment on South Padre Island Sunday morning when the 31-story Ocean Tower High Rise Condominium project was imploded, an event that attracted thousands of spectators and hundreds of law enforcement and safety officials to make certain the project went off without incident. "Twelve seconds of glory" - it was called by one of the engineers associated with the demolition project, a near perfect explosion that required weeks of preparations and over 2,500 pounds of nitro-based dynamite to perform. The event is one for the world record books - the tallest reinforced concrete structure to ever be imploded. When the dust settled, concrete and steel debris was neatly piled about 40 feet in the air, and already work crews have started the clean up process, a project expected to take at least two months to complete. The high rise was imploded after construction was halted earlier this year when it was discpovered the structure had settled about 14-inches into the sand. The building was constructed just north of the South Padre Island Convention Centre in the sand dunes.
HIGH RISE TO FALL SUNDAYIt'll be the tallest structure ever imploded and it will happen on South Padre Island Sunday morning - if weather cooperates. The 31-story Ocean Tower condominium building is scheduled to be imploded at 9 a.m. Sunday. But officials say that could be delayed if winds are not favorable of in the event of heavy fog.
The luxury condo project has been standing empty for more than a year after it's foundation began sinking into the sand. The decision to implode the building came in October, and explosive crews have been working since then preparing the high rise for implosion.
Access to the northern end of the Island will be restricted for several hours Sunday morning as officials will have a wide area of land and water around the tower blocked off. Law enforcement officials say parking anywhere on Hwy 100 will not be allowed, and Island police are warning tailgaters that in the State of Texas there are alcoholic beverage laws prohibiting consumption before noon. Those laws, they say, will be enforced.
This event is being called a film bonanza as thousands of video cameras are expected to be rolling, plus National Geographic is filming the event for a one hour TV special to be aired next year.
ISLAND HOLIDAY PARADE RESCHEDULEDWeather once again has caused the delay of a Laguna Madre area holiday event. This time the annual SPI Holiday Parade falls victim to cold drizzle. Orginally schedyled for Friday night, DEc. 11, the parade will now be staged the following Friday, Dec. 18.
RED TIDE ADVISORY FOR DOG OWNERSBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
Officials say it remains unclear whether the Cameron County parks department will ban dogs from beaches across South Padre Island after an alarming report from the National Park Service (NPS) this week that an unusually large number of coyotes and domestic pets turned up dead in what is believed to be related to consuming fish that died from red tide and washed up on the beach.
The National Park Service in Corpus Christi issued the ban Monday after park rangers discovered a number of dead coyotes and reports began filtering in about domestic pets that either died on the beach or shortly after visiting the beach. All of the incidents happened on National Seashore property between Port Mansfield north to Corpus Christi. So far, no reports of dead coyotes or affected pets have been reported on South Padre Island, but county park officials say they are monitoring the development closely and are prepared to issue a warning if toxicology reports confirm dead fish was the cause.
“We spent some time in a conference call with state health officials on Tuesday about this situation. So far, no such reports of wild or domestic animal deaths have been reported on South Padre Island beaches, but the plan at the moment is for the Cameron County Health Department to issue an advisory warning pet owners of the potential danger,' reports Javier Mendez, Cameron County Parks Director.
That advisory was expected to be distributed early Wednesday morning.
Mendez says the beach is a popular spot for winter visitors who often bring their dogs with them for “fun in the surf”. But he reminds pet owners that leash laws are in effect on all county beaches and suggests that pet owners monitor their pets carefully to avoid contact with any dead fish on the beach.
The National Park Service and the Texas Department of Health have confirmed that animals that recently died on the National Seashore tested positive for brevotoxin, acquired from the consumption of fish killed by the recent red tide. Officials say there is no known antidote for the toxin.
“Brevetoxin is a toxin produced by dinoflagellates, such as Karenia brevia, the dinoflagellate responsible for the recent red tide event,” according to a press release from the NPS.
WINTER TEXAN INCIDENT RATTLES LOCAL VISITORBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
It was supposed to be a festive day of celebration Saturday when Nuevo Progreso hosted their annual "Welcome Back" party for winter visitors to the Valley and the region. But unexpected gunfire sent hundreds of Winter Texans scrambling from cover as drug violence broke out on the crowded streets about a block away, a rattling experience for many winter visitors who had just recently arrived in the Valley for their annual stay.
It all happened about 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon in Nuevo Progreso, normally a quite Mexican border town noted for it's lack of drug violence and a popular spot for winter visitors in search of bargain and inexpensive legal pharmaceuticals. After hundreds, perhaps thousands of visitors walked across the Nuevo Progreso bridge and joined the festivities on a blocked off street where the festival is held, a truck crashed into a building about a block away and gunfire erupted sending Winter Texans and locals alike looking for cover.
Mexican military soldiers began exchanging fire with what were described as Zeta drug cartel members moments after the car crashed through the door of a local bar. When the smoke cleared and the gunfire stopped, a mass exodus of winter visitors streamed back across the bridge, many to find the bridge had been closed to all traffic in both directions. Many visitors had to wait an hour or more before the bridge was reopened.
The Mexican military is still being vague about the incident, saying only it involved drug troops and cartel members. There has been no word on the extent of injuries suffered by those involved in the shooting. Mexican officials say the incident is still under investigation. Meanwhile, the streets in Nuevo Progreso were ghostly quiet for the remainder of the day and evening, a ghost town-looking scene in Progreso's tourist district that stretched through Sunday afternoon. Mexican business owners say they fear the visitor's may not come back, and a few Winter Texans commented after the incident they were uncertain whether they would return this season.
Edgar Marshall and wife Donna of Iowa Falls, Iowa, were in Port Isabel Saturday to watch the lighted boat parade and say they were planning on visiting Progreso Sunday until they heard about the news.
“We almost went to Progreso today,” said Edgar Marshall pointing to the boats lining up at White Sands Marina. “But the wife didn't want to miss this parade. We usually take in the parade every year, but we cross over (to Progreso) at least a couple of times during our stay to pick up medicines. I'm not sure if we're going over this now after what happened.”
QUICK TIPS FOR HURRICANE PREPBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
No one wants to think about it, but after Hurricane Dolly made landfall on the lower Texas coast last year, residents are more aware of the dangers of another storm season. And while plenty has been written and said about being properly prepared, there is no such thing as “too much information” when it comes to getting ready in the event another major storm should assail the Rio Grande Valley.
The Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS has prepared a short list of information that every coastal resident should review. It includes a comparative list of this year's predictions from several forecasting sources and important information you should consider as you prepare for the hurricane season - which gets underway today. The annual tropical season runs from June 1 - Nov. 30.
2009 Hurricane Predictions
# Named # Hurricanes # Major Hurricanes
Colorado State/Bill Gray 14 7 3
Weather Research Center 7 4 0
Weather Services Inc. 13 7 3
Accuweather 13 8 2
Force Intrusion Areas of the Home
· There are four key “Force Intrusions Areas” of the home that are most affected by hurricanes … roof, windows, entry doors and garage doors.
· Severe winds can compromise any of these areas with tragic results.
Creating a Secure Home
1. Windows - The biggest cause of devastation during a hurricane is the ability of wind to enter a structure through a broken door or window. This causes a build-up of pressure inside the structure that can literally blow out the roof and walls. Code-approved impact-resistant windows are designed to withstand flying debris during brutal storms. They help provide maximum protection without the need for unattractive shuttering systems, or boarded up windows and doors.
2. Roofing - When having a new roof installed or an old roof replaced, select impact-resistant roofing tiles and those that can withstand high wind speeds. Make sure the installer follows the roofing manufacturer's warranty guidelines for installation. Proper nailing will help your roof make it through severe weather.
3. Entry Doors - Install door that swings out instead of in. These doors have welded hinge pins, so security is not a problem and the wind actually helps to keep the door secured properly.
4. Garage Doors - When building or remodeling, make sure to use the latest weather-resistant building materials available, such as hurricane strapping, clips, corner bracing and tie-down systems. Make sure to select garage doors that are reinforced on the inside and have extra bracing capabilities.
Quick Facts About Wind Strength
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a 1-5 rating on a hurricane's intensity.
- Category 1 Hurricane - winds 74-95 mph
- Category 2 Hurricane - winds 96-110 mph
- Category 3 Hurricane - winds 111-130 mph
- Category 4 Hurricane - winds 121-155 mph
- Category 5 Hurricane - winds 156 and greater
Before the Storm - Preparing Your Family
· Develop and practice a family emergency plan.
· Create a disaster supply kit for the home and a separate one to take in case you must evacuate.
- For your “stay at home” emergency kit include flashlights, batteries, tarps, duct tape, non-perishable foods and water for the entire family and pets. Don't forget a battery operated radio, disposable camera, medicines and critical paperwork.
- For your “evacuation” emergency kit, include the following in a watertight container: prescription and over-the-counter medicines, important papers (i.e. passports, birth certificates, copies of insurance papers and wills, health insurance paperwork, pictures of furnishings, listing of medications, policies, deeds, stocks and bonds, titles to cars), checkbooks, record of all bank numbers, inventory of valuable household goods, address book with contact information for doctors, insurance agents and relatives, safety deposit box keys, evacuation map of area.
· Make sure your homeowner policy is updated and includes flood insurance.
Safeguarding Your Home
· Secure all loose objects (such as lawn furniture, garbage cans and planters) that can become flying missiles when hurricane winds intensify.
· Turn off your gas, water and electricity before evacuating.
Unless you have impact-resistant glass in your windows, make sure to shutter up or board up windows and doors.
Tape over and seal all soffit vents and roof vents to prevent wind-driven rain from splashing into the vents and flooding the attic.
Add bracing to the interior of garage doors to reinforce them against wind damage.
For “after storm” cleanup, have the following items available: tarps, duct tape, heavy work gloves, gas cans, batteries, chain saws, shovels, rakes, water filters, cleaning supplies, first aid kits and extra strength large garbage bags.
Trim tree limbs near or touching the home.
When a Storm is Forecast for Your Area
Fuel your car.
Fill bathtubs and sinks with water.
Review your evacuation route.
Get cash in case you must evacuate.
Have a battery-powered NOAA weather radio available.
Use your family's evacuation and family emergency plans.
Make sure all family members wear closed-toe shoes or sneakers.
Make arrangements to board or evacuate pets. Take shot records, rabies certificates and tags and vet information.
Have supplies and basic foods available.
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SWINE FLU UPDATESIn an effort to track the potentially dangerous Swine Flu outbreak, we offer a series of brief reports collected from various local and national news sources to keep you informed on the latest developments. Watch these pages in the days and weeks ahead for viable information designed to help you and your family cope with this new health crisis.
SIX MORE VALLEY RESIDENTS DIE FROM SWINE FLUSix more deaths in the Valley caused by the H-1-N-1 flu virus have been reported. State health officials report on the agency's web site that last month, a woman from Cameron County, and three women, a man, and a boy from Hidalgo County, died after contracting the swine flu virus. They bring to 7 the number of H-1-N-1 deaths in the Valley. A Harlingen woman was the first to succumb to the virus back in May. Statewide, 21 people have now died from H-1-N-1. The state health department website also says Hidalgo County has, by far, the most reported cases of H-1-N-1 in the state -- 1-thousand-115. Cameron County reports 335 cases, Starr County has 36, and Willacy County 16.
TWO MORE SWINE FLU DEATHS IN VALLEYTwo more Valley residents have died after contracting the H1N1 flu. The state health department is confirming the two patients from Hidalgo County had contracted the H-1-N-1 virus. The patients were a woman in her 30's and a boy in his teens. Officials are still waiting, though, for test results to determine if underlying health conditions may have played a role in their deaths. They are the first swine flu deaths in Hidalgo County, and bring the Valley's swine flu death toll to three. State health officials, though, say that number is consistent with expectations, and with the number of deaths which occur during a seasonal flu outbreak. Experts say, however, the swine flu appears to be hitting younger people the hardest -- people who may have not yet gotten the flu and have not built up some immunity to the virus
SWINE FLU REACHES PANDEMIC LEVELBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
For the first time since the 1960s, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global flu pandemic effective immediately. Worldwide, there are now nearly 30,000 cases of swine flu and 141 people have died from it.
With WHO's declaration this week that the virus has reached global pandemic levels, Texas health officials say the rest of the world finally is catching up with what the Lone Star State has been doing for more than a month.
Being the first state to have confirmed cases helped launch Texas into preparation mode amid the outbreak of H1N1 "swine" flu in April, says Emily Palmer of the Texas Department of State Health Services.
"The fact that they raised the pandemic level to six came as no surprise to anyone," she said. "Probably since early May we've been in response to pandemic mode. It (swine flu) occurred here first in this country and Texas had some of the early cases. We were on the early end of that and they're (WHO) catching up with what we've been doing for a month or more
Since the state has been dealing with the disease for more than six weeks, there has been time to plan staffing, equipment and funding to fight it she says.
There have been 1,883 cases and six deaths in Texas, making it the second-most active state in the country for the disease. Hidalgo and Cameron counties lead the swine flu count in Texas. Hidalgo County has confirmed 406 H1N1 cases while Cameron County is reporting 261 confirmed cases.
“On the basis of available evidence and these expert assessments of the evidence, the scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met. I have therefore decided to raise the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6,” reported World Health Organization director-general, Margaret Chan during a press conference Thursday.
Dr. Thomas Frieden, the new head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in Atlanta that he does not expect widespread public anxiety in the United States as a result of the declaration, noting it came nearly two months after the virus was identified.
For many weeks, U.S. health officials have been treating it as a pandemic, increasing the availability of anti-viral flu medicines and pouring money into a possible vaccination program. And scientists have grown to understand that the virus is generally not much more severe than the seasonal flu.
"That helps to tamp down any fears that may be excessive," Frieden said at a news conference - his first as CDC director.
But the virus can still be deadly and may change into a more frightening form in the near future, and so people should not be complacent, he added.
CAMERON COUNTY NOW HAS NEAR 200 SWINE FLU CASESThe number of H1N1 flu cases in Cameron County has risen 135 confirmed cases, with nearly 200 cases reported including suspected cases. The new numbers were released by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The totals for Hidalgo County as of last Friday number 134 confirmed and 55 probablecases for a total of 189. Starr County's total has increased to 23 cases, including seven probable and 16 confirmed. In Willacy County, the total of three cases remains the same. Statewide there are now 1,364 cases, including 326 probable and 1,046 confirmed cases.
Husband Of Flu Victim Denies "Underlying Health Conditions"The husband of the Harlingen woman who died after contracting swine flu, is denying she had pre-existing medical conditions. Steven Trunnell telling C-N-N's "Larry King Live" last night his wife was "a healthy pregnant woman" who'd never been diagnosed with major medical complications. Judy Trunnell was hospitalized April 19th, slipped into a coma, and died a little more than two weeks later. State health department officials said after her death the 33-year-old school teacher had "chronic underlying health conditions", including asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. But in last night's interview with Larry King, Steven Trunnell called that "absolutely false."
Willacy County Records First Flu Swine VictimsYou can now add Willacy County on the list of those with confirmed cases of swine flu. The Texas Department of Health Services reporting three Willacy County residents have come down with the H-1-N-1 virus. That brings the total number of swine flu cases in the four-county Rio Grande Valley to 112. That number includes 7 more cases confirmed in Hidalgo County, bringing that county's total to 37. 61 cases have been reported in Cameron County. 11 in Starr County. One Valley resident has died as a result of the virus -- 33-year-old Judy Trunnell of Harlingen.
Corpus Christi Man Becomes 5th Swine Flu Death
The Nueces County Medical Examiner ruled Friday that a 33-year-old man died on May 6 in part from the H1N1 flu virus. Carlos Garnica, 33, died at a local hospital's emergency room May 6 of viral pneumonia, according to Nueces County Medical Examiner's Office officials. Garnica's death is one of five swine flu related deaths in the United States.
MORE SWINE FLU CONFIRMED IN CAMERON COUNTYBy LOGAN HAWKES
A third case of swine flu has shown up in Cameron County. The Texas Department of Health Services confirmed the case over the weekend, but there is no information yet as to the gender or age of the patient who tested positive for the H-1-N-1 virus.
Of the other two patients who've contracted swine flu, a 23-month-old boy is still being treated in a San Antonio hospital, three weeks after becoming ill. And a 33-year-old Harlingen woman died last Tuesday.
Doctors say Judy Trunnell had asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, which were exacerbated by the virus. There have been three other confirmed cases of swine flu in the Valley -- one in Hidalgo County and two in Starr County.
Meanwhile, swine flu fears continue to brew in Brownsville. State health officials have notified Brownsville school officials of nine more students who've tested probable for having the swine flu virus.
The students attend seven different elementary, middle, and high school campuses. However, the notifications are not expected to postpone the scheduled re-opening of the schools Tuesday. Officials shut the district down last week after getting word of the first two suspected swine flu cases.
DESPITE COVERAGE, SWINE FLU MAJOR PROBLEMBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
In spite of fewer swine flu stories in the news in recent days, state health officials are warning the outbreak of H1N1 flu continues to be problematic all across the nation, especially in the Rio Grande Valley.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services' web site, Cameron County now has 193 cases of the H1N1 flu virus. Hidalgo County is reporting 259 cases. Starr County has 16 cases, and there are seven confirmed cases in Willacy County.
Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner Dr. David Lakey urged students out of school and their parents to continue to take precautions to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
"The virus continues to circulate," Lakey said. "We need to continue to take those personal steps to keep from getting or spreading H1N1 flu."
Lakey said everyone should:
Stay home if you have influenza-like symptoms or other symptoms of respiratory illness.
Cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow or into a tissue and properly dispose of the tissue.
Wash hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and warm water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth to reduce the risk that germs on your fingers enter your body.
Symptoms of H1N1 flu usually include high fever with a cough, sore throat or both. Some with H1N1 flu also have reported extreme tiredness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
FLU DEATH NUMBERS UP, NOBODY'S TALKING?http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/word/2003/wordml013fBy LOGAN HAWKES
Port Isabel-South Padre PRESS
An alarming statistic has emerged from the Texas Department of Health Services (DSHS) that may have gone unnoticed by all but Internet news activists. Deep inside the DSHS Web site is an updated list of H1N1 (commonly called swine flu) cases in Texas. In the July 8-dated report, the Rio Grande Valley now has 1,460 confirmed cases of H1N1 this year, including six new deaths.
DSHS is reporting 4,464 cases of H1N1 flu in Texas, including 4,463 in Texas residents from 120 of the state's 254 counties. That means the Rio Grande Valley has reported nearly 31-percent of all H1N1 cases within the state. Overall, the Valley has recorded 7 of the 21 deaths from swine flu in Texas this year. The six newly reported deaths apparently all occurred during June.
Since the nation's first H1N1 case was reported earlier this year (in Texas), public health officials have downplayed the threat of the flu. Officials in both the Austin office and the Harlingen regional office of DSHS have warned that the current outbreak of swine flu appears no more dangerous to the public than the average yearly run of seasonal flu. And in spite of a `pandemic warning' from the World Health Organization, Texas officials appear unconcerned over what some have termed a serious threat to public health as a result of this new flu strain.
Of further concern perhaps is the lack of communication from DSHS about the latest H1N1 flu information. When questioned why the state department of health did not publically announce the most recent deaths and cases of flu in the Valley, officials say they not routinely track flu information, and suggest they do not release information about individual medical cases.
Earlier this year a number of school districts across the state closed as a result of swine flu fears and DSHS is suggesting those closings may have been unnecessary if not premature. In addition, DSHS officials are quick to point out that all H1N1 deaths in Texas have been underscored by “pre-existing health conditions” of the people who died from the flu, a statement that has been publically disputed by family members of some of the victims.
When calls were made to the Harlingen regional office of DSHS, the PRESS was referred to DSHS officials in Austin. Several phone calls to that office remain unanswered.
Officials at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, while cautious about raising an alarm over H1N1, have expressed concern over the growing numbers of cases reported “at a time when seasonal flu cases should be subsiding”. Both state and national health officials are expressing concern that when cooler weather returns, H1N1 may intensify.
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