Commissioners accept grants, spend money and set tax rates at Monday meeting



Monday’s County meeting had a little bit of everything. To start things off two visiting dignitaries were introduced. The mayor of Houston, Bill White, and his sidekick, Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia. Mayor White is running for United States Senate as a Democrat and hopes to replace Republican Kaye Bailey Hutchison, who is stepping down to run for governor against […]

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TIRE COMPANY TO BLAME

Jury awards $12 million to survivors and family members of 6 who died in vehicle crash near Matamoros

A jury in 197th State District Court ruled late last week that the Michelin Tire Company of North America was 100 percent to blame for the Dec. 31, 2006 collision near Matamoros, Tamps., Mexico that killed six people and injured five more. The jury of 10 women and 2 men awarded $12 million to the relatives of the deceased and […]

Citizen complains of city tax hike to pay for workers salary increases



Rick and Virginia Shuey were the only local taxpayers to attend a special hearing on the city budget at last night’s city meeting. The city has announced plans to increase the tax rate from .6914 cents per hundred dollars valuation to .7219 cents, an increase of just over 3 cents. The reason for the increase is to pay city workers […]

Kenedy County pauses burn ban & increases commissioners’ salaries



Last week’s heavy rains brought greener grass and enough damp conditions to convince Kenedy County Commissioners to temporarily lift their burn ban – implemented in July – during a regular meeting held at the Memorial Foundation Carriage House this past Monday. Fire Department Chief Arnoldo M. de la Rosa said Sarita was doused in certain areas last week. “We received […]

4 file for Municipal Judge



Four candidates have announced for Municipal Judge in the Nov. 3 special election to fill the unexpired term of Judge Hector “Tiger” Huerta who died recently. First to file was former candidate Pete Rosales. Others filing for the $25,776 office include Armino Martinez, a city police officer, Vina Saldana and former fire chief Freddy Ramirez. Deadline for filing is Oct. […]

Rodriguez gets 14 years in prison for drug possession and assault



The Willacy County and District Attorney’s Office announced today that Domingo Rodriguez, 27, of Raymondville, TX, pled guilty on September 10, 2009 in the 197th District Court and was sentenced to 7 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division for possession of a controlled substance and another 7 years in prison for aggravated assault. The defendant was […]

Judge rules Houston police’s beard ban is OK



HOUSTON (AP) – A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Houston Police Department’s ban on beards. The department says gas masks can’t properly be worn with beards. But four officers filed a lawsuit saying the policy discriminates against those with a skin condition that primarily affects black men and gets worse with shaving. U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal […]

Court: Employer must pay for weight-loss surgery



INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled that a pizza shop must pay for weight-loss surgery for an obese employee to ensure the success of another operation for a back injury he suffered at work. The decision is raising concern among businesses bracing for more such claims. Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza cook Adam Childers of Schererville weighed […]

Border district to turn back students from Mexico



DEL RIO, Texas (AP) – Mexican children have crossed the border in Del Rio for years to attend public school, using U.S. addresses to enroll illegally. But this year, school officials plan to kick them out. Officials from the San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District stood at the border port that separates Del Rio from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, […]