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By Kathy Olivarez
MISSION — The sixth annual Mission Quilt Show, sponsored by the Winter Texan Times and held each year at the Mission Historical Museum (MHM), will be making a few changes this year.
New competition categories will be added and local residents are being encouraged to participate with either a quilt they have made or with an antique family quilt for a special program.
Under the direction of a new chairwoman with an extensive background in quilt-making, the show will be held in the Mission museum annex building. Quilters from across the Rio Grande Valley are invited to participate. This year’s show begins Jan. 4 and runs through Feb. 4.

Kino Flores Pre-Sentencing Scheduled for Nov. 22

AUSTIN — State Rep. Ismael “Kino” Flores, D-Palmview, is scheduled to return to an Austin courtroom for pre-sentencing on Nov. 22 after he was found guilty of 11 counts of tampering with government records and perjury.
He will face state District Judge Bob Perkins after electing to not be sentenced by a jury, reports state. In total, he was found guilty of nine counts of tampering with a government record and two ........... continued on Page 1.
Western Hidalgo County cities see sales tax revenue increase

By Jim Brunson
The 2010 Winter Texan Survey, published bi-annually by the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA), reports that an overwhelming majority of Winter Texans plan to return to the Rio Grande Valley this season. The study also reveals that Winter Texans spent more money in the Valley last year and stayed longer than two years ago.
Some 96.9 percent of study participants said they would return next year. Those who might not return cited “poor health (72.2 percent) or family concerns (40.5 percent) would be the most likely reasons to prevent them from returning.”

By Edwina P. Garza
MISSION — A teenager died Tuesday night in a McAllen hospital after he and another man were dropped off with gunshot wounds, police said.
Mission Police Chief Leo Longoria said Efrain Reyna, 17, of Mission was killed in the shooting at Glasscock and Trinity roads in The Cimarron neighborhood. Reyna was a student at Sharyland High School.
Jose Alfredo Cano, 23, was in stable condition Wednesday afternoon, Longoria said. He was brought to McAllen Medical Center in a white Toyota Tundra along with Reyna.
Tuesday night around 8:20 p.m., Longoria said police responded to a call about people fighting on the road with rounds being fired. Police later received calls that a truck and silver Mercedes SUV had fled the scene.

Edwina P. Garza
ALMHURST — A family’s request to revamp a defunct dancehall along 3 Mile Line Road was denied this week, prompting family members to say they had no other options in paying $5,000 for their taxes.
Norma Perez said she wanted to re-establish her husband’s dancehall on a property the couple had owned for over 15 years. Before his death she said he had wanted to reopen the business and expand on the already existing building of their property that sits in between Trosper and Los Ebanos roads.
In 2005, when the City of Palmhurst annexed county property from its extraterritorial jurisdiction, or ETJ, into the city, officials said the Perez’s property switched from a business zone to residential after the business was inactive. Had the business still been in operation at the time of the annexation, the property would have continued being a business zone. But because of a lull in the business, its zoning was changed, City Attorney Darrell Davis said.

WESLACO — Two new members were welcomed to the Hidalgo County Regional Mobility Authority board last week in a workshop meeting to acquaint their members with new projects, including vital funding issues.
McAllen residents Alonzo Cantú and Forrest Runnels were given the oath of office by Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, at a Nov. 10 meeting. Cantú, a real estate developer, was appointed by former Interim Hidalgo County Judge Rene A. Ramirez while Runnels was appointed by Precinct 4 Commissioner Oscar Garza Jr. and Commissioner-Elect Joseph Palacios.

Carina A. Brunson
MISSION — Cesar Villegas, 17, accused of pointing a gun at teenagers demanding money and cell phones was dumbfounded to hear from Mission Municipal Judge Jonathan Wehrmeister that he could face up to life in prison during his arraignment on five charges of armed burglary on Nov. 12.
Villegas and the other three suspects have confessed to other crimes in the Mission, McAllen, Pharr and San Juan areas, police said. Other items were found in the suspect’s vehicle that might lead to other crimes committed within the past two weeks. Villegas was arrested in connection with burglaries that occurred on Nov. 11.

County VSO earns achievement award

EDINBURG — Last week officials announced that Hidalgo County Veterans Service Office Director Emilio de los Santos was recognized with the 2010 Dan Garcia Memorial Achievement Award from the Veterans County Service Officers Association of Texas for going beyond the call of duty to serve South Texas veterans and their families.
Only one such award is merited each year to a VSO who exhibits sustained superior performance, is actively involved in community affairs and patriotic activities and who is constantly educating themselves to improve the quality of life for veterans. De Los Santos was also recently appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the Selective Service System Local Board, meaning in the case of any future military draft, he would sit on a committee that determines whether a prospect would receive a deferment, postponement or exemption from service.

EDINBURG — Judge Ramon Garcia returned to his old job Tuesday, weeks ahead of schedule after Interim Hidalgo County Judge Rene A. Ramirez resigned.
At Tuesday’s Commissioners’ Court, Garcia was selected to serve as the new interim judge for the remainder of former Judge J.D. Salinas III’s term, which ends Dec. 31.
Childhood friend and Justice of the Peace Bobby Contreras administered the oath of office to Garcia who was surrounded by family and supporters.
Following the oath, Garcia took to his old seat on the court and told the audience he was elected to be fiscally responsible, with mindful spending to not raise taxes.

EDINBURG — Nearly a year after accepting what he called a managerial role as the interim judge of Hidalgo County, Rene A. Ramirez announced he would step down from his position effective today at 5 p.m.
“There’s nothing you can accomplish in two months,” Ramirez said in an interview of the time remaining in his position as interim judge. “And to sit not working and collecting a check is just not me.”
Ramirez was selected by former Judge J.D. Salinas III last year to fill his spot when he accepted a federal position with the U.S. General Services Administration where he now serves as a regional administrator.

Jury finds State Rep guilty on all 11 counts
AUSTIN — On Wednesday afternoon, jurors convicted State Rep. Ismael “Kino” Flores (D-36) of all 11 counts of perjury and tampering with government records, the Associated Press reported.
Flores was convicted of failing to disclose his sources of income, real estate holdings and gifts received as required by a state elected official. According to the indictments handed down by the Travis County’s grand jury in July 2009, Flores withheld financial information from the Texas Ethics Commission starting in 2004 through 2009 to the tune of $847,000.
A 13-year political veteran, Flores, 52, represented parts or all of the cities of Granjeno, Hidalgo, McAllen, Mission, Palmview, Peñitas, and Pharr. He did not seek re-election for his position which ends in January; voters elected attorney Sergio Muñoz Jr. to fill his spot.

By Carina A. Brunson
LA JOYA — La Joya Independent School District dedicated one of their newest schools, Domingo Treviño Middle School, on Oct. 21 honoring a former prisoner of war who dedicated his life to his country and community.
During the dedication, a lone chair symbolizing Treviño sat on the stage draped with a POW flag and a single red rose while Treviño’s granddaughter, Dr. Sandra Guerra, shared his history.
Treviño, the eldest of three children, was born to Teofilo and Ester Garza Treviño on July 4, 1915 in Las Nuevas, now Bentsen State Park. He attended Tabasco Consolidated Independent School District, now LJISD, through the fifth-grade; he left school to help his father work on the family farm.
In 1938, Treviño married Elena Villarreal and moved to Ojo de Agua, now known as Abram, farming and raising livestock. Treviño also took on jobs clearing brush and planting citrus.

Who is right? Should the city be allowed to decide the best use for the land it owns?

What do you think? Should the Shary-Shivers mansion be converted to a bed and breakfast and event center?