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`death sentence hospital cuts leave indigent dialysis patients many of whom are illegal immigrants in limbo budget couture revolution proves you don t have to break the bank to look good valley life 1d sign on the boutique athletesline across the valley sign letters of intent sports day 1c health 3a thursday february 4 2010 www.themonitor.com 75 cents daily man convicted of draggingpup heriberto zamora jr could face jail time for pulling his injured puppy down the street by jeremy roebuck jroebuck@themonitor.com looking forward mayor richard garcia highlights edinburg s past and ongoing projects that have helped the city grow despite the economic climate in his state-of-the-city address valley state 1b edinburg prosecutors are expected to seek jail time today for a man convicted of dragging his 4-month-old puppy from the back of an allterrain vehicle an hidalgo county jury took less than an hour wednesday to convict heriberto zamora jr on animal cruelty charges after hearing testimony from several witnesses who said the 26-yearold laughed as he pulled the injured golden retriever through the streets the panel is expected to take up his sentencing this morning marian swanberg an hidalgo county assistant district attorney said the callousness of zamora s actions warrants time the fact that his neighbors called police was very courageous and speaks to the severity of his actions marian swanberg assistant district attorney behind bars the majority of people in the back of their heads would have been thinking `don t get involved it s none of my business she said the fact that his neighbors called police was very courageous and speaks to the severity of his actions zamora who took the stand in his own defense tuesday described the incident as an unfortunate accident he often walked his dogs including ken the injured puppy on a leash while he drove his fourwheeler through his south weslaco neighborhood see puppy 5a tips for cash bribery investigation court-at-law no 5 austin to alaska mission resident andrea austin doesn t know how to ride a real mountain bike but the 20-year-old jumped at the chance to ride from austin to anchorage alaska to raise money for cancer research with the university of texas texas 4000 around town 4d more records released in probe the documents detail an exchange between two court officials and an fbi informant by jeremy roebuck jroebuck@themonitor.com toyota s troubles americans should park their recalled toyotas unless driving to dealers for accelerator repairs transportation secretary ray lahood warned then quickly took it back as the government s probe expanded to other models including the prius beyond the valley 3a how crime stoppers works 1 a tipster calls their local crime stoppers hotline and provides an officer with information related to a crime the officer asks for no identifying information and assigns a random code or number to the tip passing the information on to investigators 2 if the tip leads to an arrest in the case the information is reviewed by police and presented to the crime stoppers board members who decide whether and how much of a reward should be given if the tipster wants to collect it a maximum reward of $1,000 is given 3 if a reward is granted the tipster can go to a bank where the crime stoppers organization has an account present their code and receive the reward no questions asked crime stoppers allows valley residents to anonymously help officers fight crime by jared taylor `leap of faith jenny sanford south carolina s first lady says her wedding was a leap of faith because gov mark sanford who cheated on her with an argentine woman he described as his soul mate did not want to include a vow of fidelity in their marriage ceremony pop 2d jtaylor@themonitor.com inside classifieds comics lottery beyond the valley ide 1e 5d 2a 3a obituaries opinion puzzle tv listing 3b 6b 5d 3d olice sgt jody tittle got the call as he was wrapping up a drug arrest the voice on the other end of the line said tittle should head over to a trailer before it was too late the tipster was saying `can you come and do something he recalled i didn t think it was something but with some spare time before his next case the mission police officer went to p check it out a man answered the door at the trailer he looked like a deer caught in the headlights tittle said he just started smoking profusely he said we could smell the narcotics coming out the door the man said tittle could search the trailer but then locked the front door the back door however was unlocked and police found 3,876 pounds of drugs inside the mobile home see tips 5a edinburg as investigators continue to probe corruption allegations in hidalgo county s court-atlaw no 5 newly released documents suggest court staff may have been accepting bribes to fix cases since at least 2008 a confidential fbi informant reported that in november of that year he witnessed court coordinator daniel vega offer to hire vega an attorney and ensure a sentence of three months probation for a defendant charged with driving while i n t ox icated mireles according to a jan 19 search warrant affidavit the monitor obtained vega was to receive $500 in exchange for the fix see probe 7a a freedom newspaper vol 101 no 190 32 pages 5 sections today s weather 8b cloudy with a shower high 63 low 52

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2a monitor preview the monitor www.themonitor.com thursday february 4 2010 coming in the monitor photo of the day online multimedia friday fun stuff plan your weekend for all you need to know about local events and entertainment we ve got you covered our face check out the monitor on facebook get the latest updates and more www.facebook.com themonitor information festiva info center nathan lambrecht nlambrecht@themonitor.com slip and study david medellin helps south texas college students cross pecan boulevard on their way to class as rain falls wednesday morning in mcallen babysitters tabc reports crime and more themonitor.com sections/infocenter online exclusives this content is available only under the exclusives tab on our web site www.themonitor.com looking for a new friend if you re in the market for a new pet why not consider adoption view our list online and see what kind of furry companion is available for you from valley animal shelters sunday partners in craft former winter texas use knitting to make friends and give back if you missed it other online exclusives released this week on www.themonitor.com information a look at obama s 2011 budget for government agencies president barack obama s multitrillion-dollar budget would boost spending for several government agencies while slashing the account for others check out an agency-by-agency glance stc you the best place to get your south texas college news is on its page at www.themonitor.com get the latest headlines and more valley life tuesday fists of fury battle at borderfest borderfest is chock-full of heavy hitters this year fists of fury boxing battle at borderfest will be the featured event on march 5 the opening night of borderfest at dodge arena in hidalgo there will be eight boxing matches and two title fights outbound passion tradition and artistry are major themes in the spanish city of sevilla www.themonitor .com/stc alejandra guzman coming to convention center alejandra guzman known as the queen of rock throughout latin america will perform saturday feb 27 at the mcallen convention center for more information about this show call 956 681-3800 valley life sign up for alerts getting breaking news weather and more sent to your phone is easier than ever text any of the messages below to 21321 to sign up monbreaking for breaking news monweather for daily weather forecasts moncontests for contest alerts monfestiva for entertainment news monnews for regular news alerts monsevere for severe weather warnings monsports for sports messages it s free to sign up but check your carrier for text messaging rates crime watch we re up at 6 a.m to monitor police activity check for new postings throughout the day video player check out these videos and more of the day s news on our associated press video player www.themonitor.com/apnews information utpa today the monitor and utpa have teamed up to help spread university news www.themonitor com/utpa saints look to defense to slow down colts the new orleans saints offense is capable of putting up a lot of points but it may be the play of their defense that will be the difference against the colts on sunday `precious takes home six oscar nods precious based on the novel `push by sapphire received six oscar nominations including best-picture best supporting actress best director and best actress colts are all right being the bad guys the colts know that the saints are the sentimental favorites peyton manning and reggie wayne grew up in the big easy but they have no problem winning the game forums chat it up talk about a variety of topics on the monitor s message board obama to democrats we must lead president barack obama implored senate democrats to stay aggressive in pushing their agenda saying we still have to lead jeremy renner `exhilarated by oscar nod the star of the hurt locker reacts to his first academy award nomination www.themonitor .com/share/forums online poll the monitor usps 594-160 issn 8750524x founded in 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thursday february 4 2010 the monitor www.themonitor.com 3a the monitor they said it you don t have to be straight to shoot straight mark udall u.s senator d-colo right quoting libertarian icon barry goldwater at a hearing tuesday on the possible lifting of the ban on gays serving openly in the military no one is in charge there s no topdown leadership and since the haitian government took control of our supplies we have to wait for things even though they re stacked up in the warehouse the situation is just madness rob maddox doctor tending to dozens of patients at the general hospital in haiti s capital as bottlenecks at key transportation points and scattered violence slow the distribution of food and medicine from the port airport and a warehouse in the cite-soleil slum beyond the valley by david crary the associated press today s featured interactive www.themonitor.com/apnews between 2007 and 2009 two dozen states loosened gun restrictions report pace of haiti giving slows a bit the flow of private charitable donations from americans is less than after katrina erosity will fade even as dire needs persist it could be that it s just too hard for people to contemplate all the money that s needed for haiti and do all the things needed for the american economy at the same time said stacy palmer editor of the new york in the three weeks since a catastrophic earthquake hit haiti the american public has donated more than $644 million for relief efforts yet already there s concern that the genchronicle of philanthropy in the immediate aftermath were fundraisers even necessary she said now it does seem to be slowing down it s going to be a real test for the charities to make a compelling case to give as of wednesday according to a running tally by the chronicle private donations to major organizations engaged in haiti relief totaled $644 million roughly on pace with some other big disasters of the recent past patrick rooney executive director of indiana university s center on philanthropy said the threeweek total surpassed the pace for the 2004 asian tsunami ran slightly behind the pace after the 9/11 terror attacks and was well behind the flow of donations after hurricane katrina hit new orleans in 2005 indigent care cuts hurting dialysis patients illegal immigrants who defer treatment end up in the e.r by kate brumback the associated press atlanta before she started receiving dialysis treatments at atlanta s grady memorial hospital bineet kaur was so sick from kidney failure she could hardly walk the memories of that pain came flooding back in september when she received a letter saying the clinic was closing the treatment typically costs $40,000 to $50,000 a year and grady is just one of the struggling public hospitals cutting the service to reduce costs many indigent dialysis patients including kaur are illegal immigrants so facilities that give them routine treatments receive no federal money for their care since the clinic closed in october kaur and other former clinic patients have been getting private dialysis treatments funded by grady which is struggling to find new providers for them and has even offered to buy them plane tickets to their home countries new patients who show up in grady s emergency room in need of dialysis will get it only in life-or-death situations and after they improve will be told that they must go elsewhere for regular care see dialysis 4a 6 in seconds the day s biggest newsmakers 1 u.s helicopter crash kills three berlin a u.s military helicopter crashed in western germany on wednesday killing all three people aboard said a spokesman for u.s army europe the aircraft went down in the early evening wednesday in woods near the a67 highway between viernheim and lorsch south of frankfurt hesse state police said the helicopter was a uh-60 black hawk said u.s army europe spokesman bruce anderson the black hawk one of which is shown above is used for air assault and other military operations it is normally designed to carry 11 combat-loaded troops koji sasahara the associated press an employee polishes a toyota prius on display jan 8 at the automaker s showroom in tokyo fashionably late recall the list toyota s recall of eight car and truck models over potentially sticky gas pedals which affects 2.3 million u.s vehicles 2009-10 corolla 2009-10 matrix 2005-10 avalon 2007-10 camry 2010 highlander 2007-10 tundra 2008-10 sequoia 2009-10 rav4 toyota s recall of models due to gaspedal entrapment under floor mats which affects 5.3 million vehicles 2007-10 camry 2005-10 avalon 2004-09 prius 2005-10 tacoma 2007-10 tundra 2008-10 highlander 2009-10 corolla 2009-10 venza 2009-10 matrix 2007-10 lexus es350 2006-10 lexus is250/is350 2009-10 pontiac vibe built by a joint venture between toyota and general motors co the following models encompassing 1.7 million vehicles are affected by both recalls 2005-10 avalon 2007-10 camry 2007-10 tundra source toyota 2 holder defends christmas bomb case washington attorney general eric holder told the senate gop leader wednesday that he made the decision to charge the christmas day terrorism suspect in civilian court rather than the military system he said the fbi heard no objection from its partners in the intelligence community when it told them on christmas and again the next day holder republicans have said the arrest and fbi interrogation of umar farouk abdulmutallab was a mistake that cost a chance to learn key information prius joins toyota s recall probe expands by ken thomas and stephen manning the associated press mericans should park their recalled toyotas unless driving to dealers for accelerator repairs transportation secretary ray lahood warned wednesday then quickly took it back as skepticism of company fixes grew and the government s probe expanded to other models in the united states and japan questions now are being raised about the brakes on toyota s marquee prius hybrid the prius was not part of the most recent recall but japan s transport ministry ordered the company to investigate complaints of brake problems with the hybrid lahood said his department too was looking into brake problems about 100 complaints over prius brakes have been filed in the united states and japan harried dealers began receiving parts to repair defective gas pedals in millions of vehicles and said they d be extending their hours deep into the night to try and catch up toyota said that would solve the problem which it said was extremely rare of cars unaccountably accelerating at a congressional hearing lahood said his advice to an owner of a recalled toyota would be to stop driving it take it to a toyota dealer because they believe they have a fix for it his comments prompted new questions and rattled toyota stockholders causing shares to plunge 8 percent before they recovered declining 6 percent for the day lahood later told reporters what i said in there was obviously a misstatement what i meant to say was if you own one of these cars or if you re in doubt take it to the dealer and they re going to fix it adding to toyota s woes lahood said his department had received new complaints about electronics and would undertake a broad review looking beyond toyota vehicles into whether automobile engines could be disrupted by electromagnetic interference caused by power lines or other sources toyota has said it investigated for electronic problems and failed to find a single case pointing that direction toyota motor corp in a statement said if owners were experiencing problems with the accelerator pedal please contact your dealer without delay if you are not experiencing any issues with your pedal we are confident that your vehicle is safe to drive but the damage was done for many drivers meredyth waterman who bought a 10 toyota corolla in december said the alarming statements from washington confused her and she planned to wait until her dealer told her to come get the fix to bring her car in for repairs if it is largely believed to be a rare instance why would he tell people to stop driving their cars asked waterman of burrillville r.i it was an irresponsible thing to say the confusion came as the world s no 1 automaker dealt with fresh probes in the united states and japan over the prius the best-selling gas-electric hybrid and growing interest from congressional and other government investigators a 3 clinton balks at iran prisoner swap washington secretary of state hillary rodham clinton on wednesday ruled out iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad s suggestion that three detained american hikers in iran be swapped with iranian citizens held in the united states clinton said that the hikers along with other americans jailed in iran should be released immediclinton ately on humanitarian grounds 4 iran animals rocketed into space tehran iran iran said wednesday it launched a menagerie of animals into space on a research rocket a feat president mahmoud ahmadinejad said showed iran could defeat the west in the battle of technology ahmadinejad also unveiled the model of a light booster rockahmadinejad et that is being built touted as the latest achievements in the country s ambitious space program 5 police dead mom hid triplet pregnancy shelton conn a connecticut woman managed to hide from her boyfriend and family members that she was carrying triplets then bled to death while delivering the full-term but stillborn babies in her home officials said wednesday shelton police detective ben trabka said he believes 26-year-old victoria hope denied being pregnant and instead gave medical reasons why she had put on weight 6 sculpture bid sets auction record london a life-size bronze sculpture of a man by alberto giacometti has been sold at a london auction for $104 million sotheby s says the sale set a world record as the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction the auction house said wednesday it took just eight minutes for bidders to reach the hammer price for l homme qui marche i walking man i which opened at 12 million pounds compiled from associated press reports laura rauch the associated press carmelita alejandria of the philippines receives a dialysis treatment jan 27 at university medical center in las vegas because of her immigrant status alejandria receives her dialysis through emergency care rather than going to a dialysis center.

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4a beyond the valley the monitor www.themonitor.com thursday february 4 2010 study vegetative brains show signs of awareness gov t to pay more than by malcolm ritter the associated press new york scientists have detected glimmers of awareness in some vegetative brain-injury patients and have even communicated with one of them findings that push the boundaries of how to assess and care for such people the new research suggests that standard tests may overlook patients who have some consciousness and that someday some kind of communication may be possible in the strongest example a 29-year-old patient was able to answer yes-or-no questions by visualizing specific scenes the doctors asked him to imagine the two visualizations sparked different brain activity viewed through a scanning machine we were stunned when this happened said one study author martin monti of medical research council cognitive and brain sciences unit in cambridge england i find it literally amazing this was a patient who was believed to be vegetative for five years ever since a research paper four years ago showed apparent signs of awareness in a vegetative patient one who was included in the new study families of patients have been clamoring for brain scans said dr james bernat of dartmouth medical school a spokesman for the american academy of neurology half of u.s health costs by ricardo alonso-zaldivar the associated press washington for all the hue and cry over a government takeover of health care it s happening anyway federal and state programs will pay slightly more than half the tab for health care purchased in the united states by 2012 says a report by medicare number crunchers released thursday that s even if president barack obama s healthcare overhaul wastes away in congressional limbo long in coming the shift to a healthcare sector dominated by government is being speeded up by the deep economic recession and the aging of the baby boomers millions of whom will soon start signing up for medicare this does mark a pretty stark jump in the data said christopher truffer of medicare s office of the actuary which prepared the analysis published in the journal health affairs oneday preview day friday 10am -9pm saturday february 6 9am-9pm dialysis from page 3a kaur a bubbly 26-yearold who studied nursing and once did an internship at grady said she doesn t know where she will get the treatment she needs to survive i really hope god helps the native of india said on a recent morning otherwise it s like having a death sentence public hospitals are often the only option for illegal immigrants and others without health insurance because they will treat anyone but many of those hospitals have severe funding problems and several have given up dialysis treatment to control costs grady officials say its clinic was losing $2 million to $4 million a year some argue that illegal immigrants are a burden that the nation s health care system should not have to shoulder when you have longterm health conditions that need continuing care the government needs to send these people back to their countries said ira mehlman spokesman for the federation for american immigration reform which favors tougher immigration enforcement they cannot expect the taxpayer is going to endlessly pick up the tab medicare the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older covers routine dialysis for u.s citizens regardless of their age but illegal immigrants are ineligible changes to the healthcare system being considered in congress are unlikely to improve the situation the current bills specifically exclude illegal immigrants patients who need dialysis can t survive long without it hospitals can get reimbursed by medicaid the state-federal program that helps low-income people when they provide emergency dialysis for illegal immigrants in life-ordeath situations but the reimbursement doesn t come close to covering what hospitals actually spend emergency room dialysis is much more expensive than regular treatment in part because patients are so sick they may need to be hospitalized until their conditions stabilize but giving up routine dialysis still could help public facilities like grady because at least some of their patients could end up in ers at other hospitals the only option i have is to go to the emergency room at grady every time i feel sick she said that s an option but it s not really an option because they can turn me away if they think i m not critical kaur came to the united states on a tourist visa in 2000 and applied for political asylum saying she didn t feel safe in india as a single woman living alone her asylum request was denied making her an illegal immigrant take an extra entire stock red-ticket merchandise for a total savings of 80 plus take an extra 33 off all yellow-ticket merchandise for a total savings of 65 total savings off original prices excludes green-ticket clearance merchandise 10 off all day bonus vip points when you open a new credit card account subject to credit approval exclusions apply 40off alamo 1449 duranta ste 6 alamo tx 78516 store locator call 1-800-743-8730 or log on at www.beallstx.com e-alerts receive advance notice of sales sign up at www.beallstx.com gift cards at www.beallstx.com 1-800-743-8730 and in all stores terms and conditions apply pharr 500 n jackson rd pharr tx 78577 mcallen palms crossing town center 3300 expressway 83 mcallen tx 78503 mission #3 western valley plaza mission tx 78572 trenton 7600 n 10th st mcallen tx 78504 university plaza 511 e university edinburg tx 78539 hidalgo 701 n international blvd hidalgo tx 78557

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thursday february 4 2010 5a ten injured in pharr crash police say seven vehicles were involved in the wreck but no fatalities were reported by ana ley aley@themonitor.com friday february 5 is national wear red day but we re celebrating early now-sunday feb 7 pharr ten people were hospitalized following a multi-vehicle crash near the north i road exit at expressway 83 on wednesday evening police said seven vehicles reportedly crashed along the highway s westbound lane about 6 p.m according to san juan police investigator rolando garcia the wounded were taken to area hospitals with injuries deemed not lifethreatening no fatalities were reported some of the vehicles caught fire garcia said police initially advised travelers to avoid the area but the scene was cleared less than an hour after the incident we re doing anything we can garcia said after the crash it happened at rush hour emergency personnel from pharr and san juan responded to the incident officials with the pharr police department which is investigating the wreck could not say what caused the initial crash the sun had just set and a faint drizzle left roads slick wednesday evening ana ley covers law enforcement and general assignments for the monitor she can be reached at 956 683-4428 wear extra red take an wear red sale president to democrats lead by ben feller the associated press washington in a blunt election prescription for his own skittish party president barack obama on wednesday implored democratic leaders to swing big be honest with an angry public and expose any obstructionism by republicans we still have to lead obama told democratic senators in a pep talk that unfolded on live tv that line alone revealed how much the political dynamic has changed in just two weeks as senate democrats watched their voting numbers slip from 60 to 59 in a special massachusetts election that sent shudders through the party that one vote cost them the muscle to overcome republican stalling tactics forcing the democratic president to adapt in hopes of salvaging this year and his agenda his advice get results and this year s midterm elections will work out fine let policy be our politics obama told the senators and make sure everyone knows about petty acts by the opposition obama s mission is to stiffen the resolve of his own party as he pursues an agenda that is consistent creating jobs overhauling health insurance regulating wall street yet is also cast in more personal real-life terms so obama went into detail in offering tactical guidance to a room full of senators with decades of election experience including a handful who scrapes and bruises during the ordeal and was seized by an area animal shelter it died two months later but animal control specialists were not able to determine whether those injuries caused his death during sentencing testimony wednesday zamora s mother-in-law testified that he was not a violent person despite the fact that he currently faces misdemeanor assault charges in connection face difficult campaigns this year and got most of the camera time with obama the president said lawmakers should do more business in the public eye tell voters honestly that some problems will take a long time to solve stop listening to cable tv shows that obsess about washington s politics make a case for health care reform without getting bogged down by insider minutia and call out republicans when gamesmanship holds up votes obama said he s still confident the american people will re-elect leaders who do the right thing and explain it well the 2010 agenda is be the topic thursday when obama meets with senate majority leader harry reid d-nev and house speaker nancy pelosi d-calif at the white house with an unrelated incident attorneys for both sides in the animal cruelty case are scheduled to make their final sentencing recommendations to jurors this morning zamora could receive probation or anywhere from six months to two years in the county jail jeremy roebuck covers courts and general assignments for the monitor you can reach him at 956 683-4437 select regular sale clearance purchases throughout the store even in the home store or take an extra 10 off all fine fashion jewelry and sale clearance watches exclusions apply see below off 2o show your support save wear red or purchase a red dress pin for $2 at any w register and get the extra 20 or 10 savings reg macy s will donate all red dress pin proceeds to ma aha s go red for women® movement ah puppy from page 1a when he realized the young golden retriever had fallen down during a walk on july 20 2008 he immediately stopped to care for the animal he said it s not what it looks like zamora told jurors tuesday an accident happened i swear to god the pet sustained severe or use your macy s card save even if you re not wearing red you can still receive an extra 15 off select sale clearance home items and apparel for him her kids or extra 10 off all sale clearance fine fashion jewelry watches shoes coats suits dresses intimates men s suit separates sportcoats exclusions apply see below macy s is a proud national sponsor tips from page 1a without the anonymous call to tittle the police spokesman whose cell phone also rings whenever someone calls mission crime stoppers police may never have found the stash it s a good way if you want to stay anonymous to leave a tip and help your community tittle said twelve law enforcement agencies have crime stoppers programs in hidalgo and starr counties the programs offer people a means of passing along information about crimes without giving their identities that anonymity is crucial when tipsters fear retribution from the people they re reporting palmview police lt lenny sanchez said it s important for people to know that calling the crime stoppers line is different from calling the police people are very insecure about crime stoppers and how it works he said we encourage everybody to not give us their information i don t care for your name i just want your information about the suspected criminals or criminal activity when a caller provides a tip he is assigned a random code that code is matched with the reported incident if the tip leads to an arrest the caller could receive a reward of up to $1,000 officers are on call 24 hours a day to receive crime stoppers tips some other departments forward calls to answering services as well depending on the nature of the crime solved officers review the successful leads and present them to the crime stoppers program in hidalgo and starr counties donna crime stoppers hotline 956 464-8477 edinburg crime stoppers hotline 956 383-8477 hidalgo county crime stoppers hotline 956 668-8477 la joya isd crime stoppers hotline 956 580-5425 mcallen crime stoppers inc hotline 956 687-8477 www.mcallencrime stoppers.org mercedes crime stoppers hotline 956 514-8477 mission crime stoppers inc hotline 956 581-8477 email vochoa@mission police.org crime stoppers governing board which is made up of community residents the board decides how much of a reward should be paid and the tipster then takes the randomly generated code to an area bank to collect the cash no questions asked sanchez said tipsters can call crime stoppers back and to see if their information led to an arrest and if they will be paid a reward sanchez said crime stoppers calls either go directly to an officer or to an answering service that passes along the information to police the programs typically operate as nonprofit corporations that rely on donations from the community or through court-ordered donations from criminal court cases besides paying out rewards to tipsters the programs provide scholarships in the community or toy drives during the holidays tittle said above all though crime stoppers programs provide the community a chance to palmview crime stoppers hotline 956 584-8477 email aochoa@palmviewpd.us pharr crime stoppers inc hotline 956 787-8477 800 648-8477 email pcrimestoppers sbcglobal.net rio grande city crime stoppers hotline 956 488-8477 email shaggygirl606 hotmail.com san juan crime stoppers hotline 956 287-8477 www.sanjuanpolice.com weslaco crime stoppers tip line 956 968-8477 email ckwcop@aol.com www.weslacocrime stoppers.com help fight crime across texas crime stoppers calls led to 5,844 suspect arrests 8,256 cases cleared more than $5.7 million worth of property recovered more than $39.7 million of narcotics seized source 2008 texas crime stoppers statistics help police without becoming part of the investigation said david molina the police officer who heads weslaco s crime stoppers program it s a tool where people can get involved without really getting involved he said a lot of people are afraid of getting involved but can get involved by giving us tips jared taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for the monitor you can reach him at 956 683-4439 savings when you wear red take an extra 20 off select regular sale clearance apparel for him her kids plus select home items or take an extra 10 off all fine fashion jewelry sale clearance watches excludes everyday values edv specials super buys furniture mattresses area rugs/floor coverings all regular-priced bridge designer shoes handbags cosmetics fragrances watches impulse oval room 28 shop all electrics electronics espot sterling flatware all-clad emporio armani baccarat tommy bahama coach dooney bourke dyson ghurka henckels juicy lacoste lalique lauren/polo/ralph lauren levi s/dockers michael michael kors/michael kors the north face not your daughter s jeans kate spade tumi ugg® australia louis vuitton wacoal waterford china crystal/silver wüsthof william yeoward selected licensed depts not valid on previous purchases special orders special purchases services jewelry trunk shows macys.com payment on credit accounts bridal salons restaurants gourmet foods wine cannot be combined with any savings pass/coupon extra discount or credit offer except opening a new macy 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6a state world the monitor www.themonitor.com thursday february 4 2010 jury gets case against alleged cartel hit man by michelle roberts the associated press laredo amid a hail of gunfire the gulf cartel and its enforcers moved huge bundles of cocaine marijuana and cash while working their way through a list of men that drug bosses wanted dead a federal prosecutor said during closing arguments at an alleged hit man s trial wednesday what this defendant and his associates did was rain hell down on laredo for nearly a year kidnapping and murdering people assistant u.s attorney jose angel moreno said before jurors began deliberating the charges against gerardo castillo chavez he s so proud of what he did he likes to brag about it castillo indicted in 2008 under the assumed name armando garcia and known as cachetes or cheeks in spanish faces up to life in prison if convicted in u.s district court on conspiracy drug and weapons charges his attorney roberto balli argued that prosecutors failed to show that castillo did anything more than get caught with a few grams of cocaine when he was arrested at a houston house he noted the lack of physical evidence placing castillo in the getaway cars or stash houses confiscated from the cartels assassins los zetas following investigations of drug trafficking kidnapping and murders in 2005 and 2006 if he s gulf cartel zeta why wasn t he with the others said balli during the trial that began last week two convicted cartel assassins took the witness stand to tie castillo to the cartel iraq court lifts ban on hundreds of candidates a blast kills at least 23 pilgrims 120 are injured by brian murphy the associated press baghdad an iraqi appeals court wednesday set aside a ban on hundreds of candidates for suspected ties to saddam hussein s regime allowing them to run in next month s parliamentary election and offering a chance to ease political showdowns that had deeply worried the white house the decision could remove at least temporarily a major trouble spot in the planning for nationwide voting march 7 to pick lawmakers and the political blocs that will shape the next government in baghdad the blacklist with more than 450 names has been widely denounced by sunni political leaders who view it as a way for the shiite-led government to undercut sunni efforts to expand political clout for u.s officials the dispute rattled their main hopes for the election a fresh push toward reconciliation between the majority shiites and the sunnis who were once on top during saddam s rule the concern about the election s credibility grew so acute that vice president joe biden visited baghdad to appeal for ways to cool tensions the appeals court decision presents a path to postpone the wrenching debates over who should be ostracized for perceived ties to saddam s regime but it came during another reminder that iraq s sectarian bloodshed is far from over a blast tore through a crowd of shiite pilgrims just outside the holy city of karbala south of baghdad killing at least 23 people and injuring 120 in the second attack this week on the huge religious processions for annual observances officials said unwanted attention pakistan bombing spotlights u.s presence by sherin zada and chris brummitt the associated press shahi koto pakistan the deaths of three american special operations soldiers in a roadside bombing in northwest pakistan on wednesday drew unwanted attention to a u.s program of training local forces to fight the taliban and al-qaida a little-publicized mission because of opposition here to american boots on pakistani soil the killings were the first known u.s military fatalities in nearly three years in pakistan s afghan border region where militants are being pummeled by u.s missile strikes and struggling to regroup following the loss of a key stronghold in a recent pakistani army offensive the blast also killed three girls at a nearby school and a pakistani paramilitary soldier traveling with the americans two more u.s soldiers were wounded along with about 100 other people mostly students at the school several were left trapped bloodied and screaming in the rubble the u.s special envoy to pakistan richard holbrooke said it did not appear the americans were directly targeted by the blast which he said was caused by roadside bomb local officials said the device was detonated by remote control but at least one police officer said it was a suicide attack witnesses said the vehicle carrying the americans took the brunt of the explosion as their five-car convoy traveled along the road in lower dir indicating it may in fact have been directed at the americans that would raise the specter of a militant informant close to the training mission lower dir is a base for militants belonging to the pakistani taliban the also cleared the insurgents from the nearby swat valley the victims were part of a small group of u.s soldiers training members of the paramilitary frontier corps pakistan s army and the u.s embassy said the mission is trying to strengthen the illequipped and poorly trained outfit to fight militants unlike afghanistan and iraq pakistan does not allow u.s combat troops on its territory while not a secret neither the pakistanis or the americans have talked much about the program because while the government in islamabad is closely allied with washington america is deeply unpopular among many pakistanis even those who recognize that fighting militants is in their country s interest most pakistanis interviewed wednesday had no idea u.s soldiers were stationed in the northwest pakistani army claimed to have retaken the area from the militants last june in a widely praised offensive that savings new price reductions just taken fall winter 70 70 70 70 ladies shoes iran seeking compromise on nuclear tech or is it by george jahn the associated press vienna iran s effort to revive talks on a deal that would inhibit the country s ability to make a nuclear weapon was met with skepticism by world leaders wednesday a reaction to months of waffling by tehran iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad ahmadinejad s suggestion that he would at last agree to export a significant amount of uranium for processing comes as the u.n considers a fourth round of sanctions against the country for failing to rein in their nuclear program the timing raises suspicions that iran is just trying to buy time iran now possesses more than enough enriched uranium for at least one nuclear warhead and the u.n security council has demanded the islamic republic freeze its enrichment program an agreement worked out by the international atomic energy agency would delay tehran s ability to make such a weapon by requiring the country to export 70 percent of its uranium stock and then wait for up to a year for it to be processed and returned as fuel rods for a research reactor ahmadinejad stopped short of accepting the agreement in its entirety offering a shorter turnaround time for return of the fuel rods iranian foreign minister manouchehr mottaki described it as a formula which could build confidence western reaction to the plan was cautious at best french foreign minister bernard kouchner said he was perplexed suggesting iran was stalling for time officials from the united states britain and germany were also skeptical off ladies sportswear off ladies dresses off men s sportswear outerwear off 70 70 70 70 ladies jewelry off ladies handbags off ladies sleepwear robes off juniors sportswear dresses off 70 70 70 70 infants girls 2-16 sportswear off girls boys shoes off ladies men s cold weather accessories off italy s prime minister links gaza war victims to holocaust by dalia nammari the associated press bethlehem west bank italy s prime minister on wednesday called for empathy for all victims whether from the nazi holocaust or israel s war in gaza drawing a link that threatened to tarnish a visit berlusconi that has cemented his already warm ties with israel silvio berlusconi s comments while avoiding direct comparisons to the holocaust nonetheless could touch a raw nerve in israel a country that was founded in the wake of the nazi massacre of 6 million jews and that is home to more than 200,000 holocaust survivors berlusconi has been warmly welcomed throughout this three-day visit to israel and he has repeatedly spoken of his strong affinity for the jewish state and expressed sorrow over the holocaust during a speech to the israeli parliament early wednesday berlusconi called israel s war against gaza militants last year justified self-defense he said a u.n report accusing israel of war crimes tried to incriminate israel for its legitimate response to palestinian militants rocket attacks but during a last-minute meeting with palestinian president mahmoud abbas in the west bank the italian leader acknowledged the gaza offensive which killed some 1,400 people including an estimated 900 civilians had caused great pain to the palestinians home bedding collections off off ladies sportswear from classic american designer nygard chaus ruby road and more 40 off ladies dresses from adrianna papell spence and more 40 off juniors dresses sportswear and denim 40 off children s infants girls 2-16 sportswear and dresses and boys 2-20 sportswear 40 limited time take an extra only 50 off ladies intimate apparel permanently reduced selected styles selection varies by size and by store previous markdowns may have been taken call 1-800-345-5273 to fi nd a dillard s store near you earn rewards on every purchase to get 10 off all-day shopping passes not a dillard s cardmember open a new account today and receive a 10 off all-day welcome shopping pass in your 1st statement when you spend $100 the day you open your account maximum discount $100 see rewards program terms for details subject to credit approval to qualify for this offer you must open a dillard s credit card or dillard s american express® card account and make $100 of net purchases merchandise less tax adjustments and returns with your dillard s credit card or dillard s american express card at dillard s stores or dillards.com the same day you open your account the 10 welcome shopping pass will be sent to you in your first statement and is valid for 10 off all merchandise purchases up to $1,000 maximum discount $100 made in-store or online at dillards.com on the day of your choice shopping pass must be used by the expiration date printed on the pass employees officers and directors of dillard s inc are not eligible for this offer the dillard s american express® card is issued and administered by ge money bank american express is a federally registered service mark of american express and is used by ge money bank pursuant to a license.

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thursday february 4 2010 the monitor www.themonitor.com from the front 7a border fence plagued by glitches long delays by jacques billeaud the associated press phoenix an ambitious $6.7 billion government project to secure nearly the entire mexican border with a virtual fence of cameras ground sensors and radar is in jeopardy after a string of technical glitches and delays having spent $672 million so far with little to show for it washington has ordered a reassessment of the whole idea the outlook became gloomier this week when president barack obama proposed cutting $189 million from the venture ultimately the project could be scaled back dramatically with the government installing virtual fences along a few segments of the nation s 2,000-mile southern boundary but dropping plans for any further expansion officials said the worst that happens is that we have a system which gives us some value but we conclude that it s not worth buying any more of it said mark borkowski the government s director of the project at u.s customs and border protection the first permanent segment of virtual fence a 23-mile stretch near sasabe ariz was supposed to be turned over to the border patrol by the main contractor boeing co for testing in january but the handover has been delayed by problems involving the video u.s customs and border protection via the associated press this undated picture provided by u.s customs and border protection shows a prototype of a tower for a virtual fence along the u.s mexico border at a test facility in playas n.m recording equipment the bush administration launched the project in 2005 to help secure the border against illegal immigrants drug smugglers and other intruders it was conceived as another layer of protection in addition to thousands of border patrol agents and 650 miles of real fences probe from page 1a the informant reported that daniel vega took the defendant into an office and that same day he received 90 days probation the document sates vega offered to help with anything else that came up in the future the release of the affidavit and three others pertaining to vega s case came one day after the monitor obtained copies of charging documents used to arrest him and his assistant jesus javier mireles on bribery charges investigators had previously described these records as sealed by court order but state district judge israel ramón jr who signed off on them said tuesday he had not officially barred anything from public review hidalgo county sheriff lupe treviño agreed to release the search warrants wednesday in light of the judge s statements but insisted that his deputies had asked ramón to seal their affidavits to protect the ongoing bribery investigation the documents themselves although rich with detail reveal few new allegations against vega and mireles and reflect an investigation in its preliminary stages that could take months to complete this thing is far from over the sheriff said we hit the very tip of this iceberg and we have to keep going are there any other individuals involved in this scheme and if so who were they so far deputies have charged vega and mireles in connection with one incident involving an undercover fbi agent posing as a dwi defendant authorities staged the agent s arrest in march after receiving the informant tip described in the jan 19 affidavit and from early on vega allegedly appeared willing to accept another bribe the affidavit describes early conversations between vega and the agent in which the court coordinator allegedly told him to start saving money because he would need anywhere between $1,800 to $2,200 to secure a dismissal a month later vega and mireles raised their price to between $4,000 and $4,500 the affidavit states on june 4 2009 the court employees allegedly met with the undercover agent outside the hidalgo county courthouse in a parked car where the money changed hands you promise it will go away the agent is quoted as saying in the affidavit you re gonna get an order signed by the judge mireles reportedly responded since arresting vega and mireles investigators have maintained they have no evidence to suspect court-atlaw no 5 judge arnoldo cantu had any involvement in the purported bribery scheme but the allegations have called into question every criminal case resolved in his court during its sevenyear history hidalgo county district attorney rene guerra said wednesday that his office had just begun its review of all the courts records including case files seized from the judge s chambers during two separate raids authorized on jan 19 and 22 there s a lot to go through he told the mcallen south rotary club during a re-election campaign event it s like looking for a needle in a stack of needles vega and mireles have yet to be indicted by a grand jury and remain free on bond their attorneys have repeatedly declined to comment on their cases jeremy roebuck covers courts and general assignments for the monitor you can reach him at 956 683-4437 senate close to deal on job-hiring credit by stephen ohlemacher associated press writer washington key democrats and republicans neared agreement wednesday on plans to give businesses a tax break for hiring unemployed workers a rare glimmer of bipartisanship in congress that could hand president barack obama a badly needed political victory the measure is an alternative to obama s proposed tax cut of up to $5,000 for each new worker that employers hire obama s plan ran into opposition from some house democrats skeptical whether employers will hire because of a tax break the senate alternative would exempt companies from paying the employer s share of social security payroll taxes for new workers hired this year as long as those people had been unemployed at least 60 days it could pass the senate as early as next week both measures are aimed at providing private businesses an incentive to hire some of the 7 million americans who have lost their jobs in the recession senate leaders plan to unveil their jobs bill today and vote on it as early as next week even though their plan differs from obama s passage would be a boost to the president as he tries to renew his administration s efforts to reduce unemployment in the run-up to congressional elections in november anniversary buy with lacks memory lane 36 months no interest register for a chance to win a $10,000 shopping spree or 1 of 10 50 lg plasma hdtv faded image of our first lacks logo may still be seen at our old warehouse includes dresser mirror location in queen bed nightstand mcallen queen size drake bedroom chest $19575 limited quantities available in a dark brown finish 1324-950 series queen 575 75 fairmont euro top mattress sets close-out covers twin full king 21997 26997 31997 42997 uantities limited q 1625-050 series pageantry pillow top mattress set g y factory close-outs twin full queen king 1625-100 series 34997 39997 49997 69997 high-density firm foam border 400 coil three-zone bonnel coil unit convoluted foam comfort layer minimum purchase of $999,10 down payment required subject to credit approval 36 $99 month financing available f furniture bedding accessory purchases only offer does not financing for apply to previous purchases finance charges will be shown on contract but will be refunded on any length contract if monthly payments are paid on time as agreed and the balance is paid in full on or before 36 months from date of purchase not all applicants will qualify for these terms other terms and rates may be available interest charges will be assessed from date of purchase at a maximum apr 24 but the apr may vary offer valid tuesday february 2nd thru sunday february 28th 2010 final priced items are not eligible for additional discounts drawing rules 1 no purchase necessary 2 one entry per customer 3 void where prohibited 4 must be 18 years or older employees and relatives of lacks valley stores are not eligible drawing will be held wednesday march 31st 2010 www.lacksvalley.com lacks clearance center 702-5060 expressway 83 sugar rd pharr · mon sat 10am 8pm · sun 1pm 6pm closed wednesday

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8a world the monitor www.themonitor.com thursday february 4 2010 haitian parents willingly gave children to u.s baptists villagers were told their children would be educated in the dominican republic by frank bajak the associated press callebas haiti parents in this struggling village above haiti s capital said wednesday they willingly handed their children to american missionaries who showed up in a bus promising to give them a better life contradicting claims by the baptist group s leader that the children came from orphanages and distant relatives the 10 baptists most from idaho were arrested last week trying to take 33 haitian children across the border into the dominican republic without the required documents according to outraged haitian officials who have called them child traffickers an investigating magistrate was questioning the five men wednesday after interrogating the women a day earlier a district attorney will then determine whether to file charges officials said the haitian parents said they surrendered their children jan 28 two days after a local orphanage worker acting on behalf of the baptists convened nearly the entire village of about 500 people on a dirt soccer pitch to present the americans offer the orphanage worker issac adrien said he told the villagers their children would be educated at a home in the dominican republic so that they might eventually return to take care of their families many parents jumped at the offer the village school had collapsed and their homes were destroyed in haiti s catastrophic jan 12 quake and they had no money to feed the children they said it s only because the bus was full that more children didn t go said melanie augustin a 58-year-old who gave her 10-year-old daughter jovin to the americans ironically augustin had adopted jovin because her birth parents couldn t afford to care for her the missionaries lawyer jorge puello said wednesday they willingly accepted kids they knew were not orphans because the parents said they would starve otherwise ariana cubillos the associated press residents of the mountain village of callebas haiti including melanie augustin left and sorianta leantus second from right are seen wednesday register for a chance to win a $10,000 shopping spree or 1 of 10 50 lg plasma hdtv 18 pc houseful package your choice mocha or chocolate only 1975 75 700-000/100 series 1807-395 5 pc livingroom sofa loveseat 3 pack tables 2157-500/501 5 pc dinette 40 square counter height table 4 counter chairs protect your investment ask about lacks warranties insurance furniture protection plan 1356-700 6 pc bedroom dresser mirror 3 pc queen bed nightstand 2 pc 75th anniversary edition queen pillow top mattress set 1691-175/902 chest sold separately king pkg upgrade add $300 lacks awards a philco tv set to a contest winner during its 30th anniversary in 1965 minimum purchase of $999,10 down payment required subject to credit approval 36 month financing available for furniture bedding or accessory purchases only offer does not apply to previous purchases finance charges will be shown on contract but will be refunded on any length contract if monthly payments are paid on time as agreed and the balance is paid in full on or before 36 months from date of purchase not all applicants will qualify for these terms other terms and rates may be available interest charges will be assessed from date of purchase at a maximum apr 24 but the apr may vary offer valid tuesday february 2nd thru sunday february 28th 2010 final priced items are not eligible for additional discounts drawing rules 1 no purchase necessary 2 one entry per customer 3 void where prohibited 4 must be 18 years or older employees and relatives of lacks valley stores are not eligible drawing will be held wednesday march 31st 2010 must present coupon for discount lacks memory lane mcallen galleria · 971-1900 n 10th st · 682-5266 harlingen 802 dixieland 421-2221 port isabel 215 queen isabella blvd 943-8744 edinburg 2636 s expwy 281 381-3200 rio grande city 2500 e hwy 83 488-6730 mission 925 e 9th st 585-1541 brownsville 1405 fm 802 546-4262

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b metro editor david gragg 956.683.4435 the monitor dgragg@themonitor.com valley state a toast to pharr a group of the city s residents started up its own chapter of toastmasters international valley state 2b thursday february 4 2010 www.themonitor.com/vs they said it we re very excited it is a sponsor most anyone would be pleased to be associated with james bricker general manager of the dodge arena on the facility s new sponsor see story below abuse alleged a dallas man was charged in the rape of a mercedes girl 2b study need for food bank rises a local survey found more valley families than ever are now seeking out hunger relief by jared janes jjanes@themonitor.com lone star monitor quick must-reads from texas austin edinburg more than half of the 162,000 people who receive assistance each year from the food bank of the rio grande valley are children a local hunger study conducted as part of a national survey of food banks found the study s findings released wednesday showed that more valley families than ever are struggling to put food on the table as the country recovers from a deep recession the study relied heavily on individual surveys with patrons of pantries kitchens and shelters that get their supply from the food bank said tracy hughes a member of the board of directors at the food bank who helped conduct the surveys each individual family she interviewed from a retired veteran who couldn t stretch his paycheck to feed his family to a grandmother who was trying to provide for her children and grandchildren had its own defining characteristics but all showed a growing need for emergency food assistance in the valley although none of the parents surveyed by hughes reported going without food themselves to feed their children they said they would have been forced to do so without access to the food bank one thing i found out throughout this whole process they re going to do whatever it takes to feed their family she said it was very humbling to me to listen to the stories the valley s study was released on the heels of a national report by feeding america that noted a 50 percent increase in children served by food banks since 2006 see study 8b group proposes to save ut cactus cafe fans of the famed cactus cafe on the campus of the university of texas in austin want the venue relocated instead of being closed the texas union board of directors last week endorsed shutting the cafe at the end of august in a moneysaving move as the university faces possible budget cuts leaders of texas exes an organization for ut alumni offered tuesday to explore the possibility of incorporating the cafe into a planned expansion of the etter-harbin alumni center ut president william powers jr during the public forum on budget matters said he was open to the idea dallas suspected serial burglar nabbed by police robert davila was arrested after being found in possession of a stolen vehicle by jared taylor jtaylor@themonitor.com feds say baby in bank robber s car federal officials say a woman robbed a dallas bank with her 4-month-old premature baby in the getaway car the u.s attorney s office said wednesday the baby boy who was on oxygen because he was born prematurely was exposed to noxious fumes from the exploding dye packet in the money but was not injured the baby s in the custody of a family member a federal grand jury indicted inequa rushing on bank robbery and conspiracy to commit bank robbery charges tuesday gabe hernandez gabrielh@themonitor.com mayor richard garcia for the city of edinburg gives his state-of-the-city address wednesday evening in edinburg lubbock edinburg police busted a man suspected of carrying out a string of more than two dozen burglaries at several apartment complexes since christmas eve a tip davila monday led officers to robert davila who allegedly burglarized at least 28 different locations near the garcia university of texas-pan american campus the probable cause affidavit in the case states a witness officers redacted her identity from court records told police she saw davila commit at least 14 burglaries last month but investigators said they connected davila to at least twice as many burglaries between dec 24 2009 and saturday see nabbed 8b `job creation by jared janes jjanes@themonitor.com officials mother daughter killed a welfare check at a house in west lubbock county led to the discovery of the bodies of a woman and a girl believed to be her 12-year-old daughter interim sheriff kelly rowe says both had gunshot wounds autopsies were ordered relatives had called deputies who located the bodies about 5:30 p.m monday a news release says deputies looking through a window saw one person on a bed rowe said that his office is conducting a homicide investigation and murdersuicide has not been ruled out associated press reports edinburg mayor stresses employment projects in his state-of-the-city address t he growth that has marked this city since mayor richard garcia s first stint in office has come with its share of challenges went up but garcia said the real proof that the city was resilient enough to withstand the recession was the year-end unemployment rate of 6.7 percent well below the county state and national averages job creation garcia said on numerous occasions wednesday we got it then we get it now speaking in the historic school auditorium housed on the grounds of city hall the mayor touted edinburg s financial stability infrastructure improvements and quality-of-life improvements in his first state-of-the-city address since re-assuming the mayoralty last year he first held you said it let us know what you think about mayor richard garcia s address at www.themonitor.com first and foremost the mayor said wednesday during his stateof-the-city address has been finding jobs for its newest residents with an eye on growth the city established a monterrey office to attract foreign investment traveled to conventions to lure a mall development and offered innovative incentives to interested investors said garcia a board member on the city s economic development corporation since may 2003 while the rest of the nation was hit last year by a deep recession edinburg s sales tax collections grew by 2 percent it saw a large increase in home construction and its credit rating the position from 2003 to 2006 garcia initially highlighted projects that began his first term including a new city hall police and municipal court facilities and a water plant but he moved quickly to the city s ongoing projects most notably its efforts to revitalize its downtown the city hired a consulting firm to develop a master plan that could bring life back into a downtown area that dies after the regular working day garcia said see edinburg 8b gas watch gas prices from around the rio grande valley station wednesday s avg $2.41 $2.71 tuesday s avg $2.42 $2.71 unleaded diesel valero jackson road and nolana pharr $2.39 $2.71 murphy usa 626 n cesar chavez road alamo $2.39 $2.69 valero 3113 s 10th st mcallen $2.36 valero 1813 hooks ave donna $2.45 $2.79 $2.69 dodge arena to be renamed today there is no official word on the new sponsor but speculation points to fred loya insurance by sean gaffney sgaffney@themonitor.com aziz 3700 w expressway 83 palmview $2.48 $2.69 online themonitor.com/sections/gas-prices hidalgo dodge arena s new name will be unveiled today city officials said until now officials have been mum on the name change releasing few details of the hunt for a sponsor after it became apparent last fall the dodge name would no longer grace the 6-year old hidalgo landmark the sponsor will be unveiled at a private party for the arena s sponsors and advertisers thursday night said james bricker general manager of the arena we re very excited it is a sponsor most anyone would be pleased to be associated with he said offering few specifics it s going to be a good relationship they re good folks and good marketers the only details bricker would reveal were that the city had been negotiating with several potential sponsors and that the contract had been signed recently he did add that the amount of the sponsorship is at least on par with what dodge paid for the naming rights we re happy with the deal he said speculation on the sponsor s identity in recent months has largely focused on fred loya insurance but officials have provided no confirmation however the texas municipal facilities corp an entity established specifically to oversee the city of hidalgo s interests in the building registered the domain name fred loyaarena.com on aug 25 last year according to a search on w w w domain to o l s c o m which hosts a database of web domain name registrations see arena 8b what s going on got a news tip the monitor is always ready to listen call 956 683-4444 to point us in the right direction inside obituaries 3b opinion 6b-7b weather 8b around town 4d

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2b valley state the monitor www.themonitor.com thursday february 4 2010 mission chamber offers pharr residents start up a chapter promotion to shoppers of toastmasters international the city seeks to increase its retail business during february and march by martha l hernÁndez mlhernandez@themonitor.com by nick pipitone npipitone@themonitor.com mission for every $100 spent at mission retailers consumers will get a chance to win $500 as a way to get people to shop in mission the chamber of commerce is telling people townsend to save their receipts and turn them in to the chamber office at 202 west tom landry for every $100 worth of receipts the chamber will get a raffle ticket for a $500 prize given away every week during february and march the mission holiday inn express 901 s shary road will also trade receipts for tickets after normal busi ness hours original receipts will be stamped so residents can keep them in case they need to make an exchange or a return in the store in question gas receipts count any retail business in mission participates small or big said cathy garcia the chamber s chairman of the board the promotion is a way to help increase business for mission retailers mission s sales tax revenue went from 13 million in 2008 to 12.5 million in 2009 said pat townsend jr president and ceo of mission economic development authority martha l hernández covers mission western hidalgo county and general assignments for the monitor you can reach her at 956 683-4846 teleperformance adds jobs to edinburg center by sean gaffney sgaffney@themonitor.com edinburg teleperformance s one local call center added 90 jobs earlier this year with a contract unveiled tuesday to provide customer service for cpl retail energy officials with cpl a subsidiary of british energy giant centrica said the contract will boost the number of jobs at the center to more than 120 an increase that will partially offset job cuts at the center in 2009 we are committed to being a longterm partner said jim steffes vice president and general manager for cpl we want to pay back and be a part of the community most of the jobs have already been filled and some employees were already training in the center at 1701 s closner blvd as officials made the announcement tuesday in a conference room at the site carlos zapatero senior vice president of business development for teleperformance mexico said cpl chose the edinburg location for its labor costs the bilingual staff and the proximity to a community where cpl already has customers it s a biculturalism in a way that you cannot get in other areas outside of the state he said we are from the same backyard in recent years call centers locally have shed jobs while others have pulled out of the rio grande valley entirely but labor in the valley is still cheaper than in other areas of the united states and industry insiders and economic development officials have said the setback is temporary customer service employees make an average hourly wage of $15.28 across the united states in the valley the average hourly rate is $9.45 according to the lower rio grande valley workforce development board at teleperformance the average starting wage is more than $7.50 an hour officials said they could have chosen to go to another part of the state but they came to the valley said state rep veronica gonzales d-mcallen it s a great investment sean gaffney covers business the economy and general assignments for the monitor he can be reached at 956 683-4434 pharr brian epps needed to improve his public speaking a business development manager for security service federal credit union in harlingen he thought about taking a $60 seminar on management skills that the harlingen chamber of commerce was offering a supervisor told him instead to look into a local chapter of toastmasters international toastmasters what is toastmasters epps remembers saying he looked into it and on wednesday he recalled that conversation in his speech as president of the newly chartered hub city toastmasters club in pharr toastmasters international is nonprofit organization that offers people an opportunity to hone their public speaking skills often by delivering impromptu speeches and then evaluating themselves there are no instructors groups of about 20 members usually meet once a week for an hour or two to practice a task that many people dread i found out that toastmasters can change your professional life epps told the 21 members of the new club at the pharr gabe hernandez gabrielh@themonitor.com arlene hernandez left accepts a pin to become a member of the hub city toastmasters club from nancy wyant area g91 governor wednesday afternoon at the pharr chamber of commerce chamber of commerce several of the new members offered their own testimonials wednesday after a toastmasters international division governor from victoria texas officially inducted them into the organization the hub city toastmasters takes its name from pharr s branding of itself as the hub city of the rio grande valley the group became the seventh chapter in the rio grande valley joining clubs in brownsville edinburg harlingen and mcallen there are also chapters in laredo matamoros nuevo laredo and reynosa phyllis allen a winter texan from iowa had a hand in the creation of the mcallen club 10 years ago the edinburg club and now the pharr chapter as well the nine-month process to create the pharr club was not easy she told the group what a great day for a toastmaster it s like giving birth it took nine long months to create this and there were many labor pains over the long hot summer she said later tony navarro president of the metro toastmasters club in mcallen launched an example of the table topics session that is common during weekly meetings in it members are given a topic and asked to speak about it impromptu for a couple minutes the theme of navarro s session was the value of toastmasters i would say that i have much more confidence now to talk to a group of people especially a large one like this right now said loel garza who owns a payroll service in mcallen toastmasters gives you the confidence and the comfort that you need to send your message clearly so you can voice your point of view epps said the professional payoff of that confidence is enormous what is toastmasters international toastmasters international is an 86-year-old nonprofit organization with chapters worldwide where members meet to practice and hone their public speaking and communication skills toastmasters began in 1924 out of a ymca in santa ana calif and now boasts more than 12,500 clubs in 106 countries meetings usually consist of about 20 people who practice by giving a prepared speech or an impromptu one which other members sometimes time evaluate or check for grammar there is no instructor instead each meeting and speech is critiqued my members in a positive manner source www.toastmasters.org we have to be able to speak out in public people judge people professionally within probably the first minutes of the conversation he said i suggest it for anybody who wants to better their career nick pipitone covers mcallen psja the mid-valley and general assignments for the monitor he can be reached at 956 683-4446 dallas man charged with raping mercedes child by ana ley aley@themonitor.com mercedes police charged a dallas man wednesday afternoon with raping a young girl victor hugo grimaldo 28 was arrested in dallas for allegedly having sex with a girl under the age of 14 mercedes police chief olga maldonado said he remained incarcerated at the hidalgo county jail on we dnesday evening in lieu of a $100,000 bond grimaldo was charged with aggravated sexual grimaldo assault of a minor during a brief arraignment hearing wednesday afternoon at the mercedes jail the offense is a first-degree felony punishable by up to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 upon conviction the alleged abuse was reported on aug 7 the chief said police declined to specify the girl s age no further details of the abuse were available wednesday afternoon maldonado said ana ley covers law enforcement and general assignments for the monitor she can be reached at 956 683-4428 police man arrested after night with 15-year-old by ildefonso ortiz the brownsville herald brownsville brownsville police arrested a 20-year-old man accused of spending the night with a 15-year-old girl officials said abraham alcala was arrested tuesday morning at a house along alton gloor boulevard and later charged with sexual assault of a child and criminal trespassing said police spokesman sgt jimmy manrrique on wednesday morning alcala went before a municipal judge who set bonds totaling $27,500 and sent him to carrizalez-rucker detention center according to police reports the mother of the teenage girl woke up and when she went to check on the girl she saw that there was a man asleep next to the girl the mother said that she had previously warned alcala not to go into the house after she found him in her daughter s room talking to the girl manrrique said rather than barge into the room the mother called police and showed them through a window where alcala was the report said since he alcala had already been warned not to go into the house he was charged with criminal trespass manrrique said at the police station alcala told investigators that the victim was his girlfriend and despite having only met her four days ago he had spent the night with her and had engaged in sexual intercourse records show she is 15 and thus doesn t have the ability to consent to sexual intercourse manrrique said.

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thursday february 4 2010 the monitor www.themonitor.com valley state 3b obituaries donald peter gayken edinburg donald peter gayken 81 passed away tuesday feb 2 2010 after a lengthy illness he was born in lennox s.d to john gayken and christina poppinga on march 24 1928 he was a longtime resident of edinburg he came to texas in 1948 and was stationed at lackland and kelly air force bases in san antonio texas he served in the usaf during the berlin blockade and later he served in north africa where he received a citation for saving a young boy from drowning in dec 15 1949 he married the girl of his dreams patsy bliss gayken and they recently celebrated 60 years together he was an insurance adjuster for many years and covered the greater south texas area he also served as a volunteer fireman for 25 years for edinburg fire department where he became a captain in later years donald served as the cfo of the bliss-mooregayken real estate firm he you may sign the guestbook for any of the people listed below by visiting www.themonitor.com/obituaries chapel graveside service will be at 2:15 p.m monday feb 8 2010 at fort sam houston national cemetery in san antonio texas with full military honors pallbearers will be rolando gonzalez jerry garza byron lewis terry van burkleo tuffy jackson and charley caporina honorary pallbearers will be rene guerra oscar garza jr dr jerry polinard pat moore and members of the edinburg volunteer fire department in lieu of flowers donations may be made to the children s ministries of first united methodist church 4200 north mccoll road or p o box 2558 mcallen texas 78502 the family wishes to express sincere thanks to donald s caregivers especially the personnel at lifecare hospital north in mcallen funeral services are under the direction of memorial funeral home of edinburg sign the guest book at w w w themonitor c o m obituaries death notices bruno gomez mcallen bruno gomez 92 died wednesday feb 3 2010 at doctors hospital at renaissance in edinburg virgil wilson mortuary of mission is in charge of funeral arrangements served in this capacity until his death don graduated from lennox high school as salutatorian he attended edinburg junior college which is now ut-pan american don loved to hunt and fish and spent a week out of each year hunting deer at a ranch in paint rock texas he also loved texas aggie football mr gayken is survived by his wife patsy gayken of edinburg two daughters cynthia lenore mark stephen deaton of bulverde texas and dr dawn patrice charles caporina gayken of lake conroe texas three grandchildren taryn shawn deaton of alexandria va patrice lenore deaton of kenya and deana marie caporina of lake conroe texas two brothers loren gayken of yakima washington and david gayken of jacksonville florida a sister betty macmiller of sioux falls south dakota two nieces gloria gene moore of austin texas and sharon o toole of new braunfels texas sisterin-law gloria bliss moore of austin texas and numerous gayken nieces and nephews spread around the country visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m today feb 4 2010 at memorial funeral home 208 e canton in edinburg funeral services will be at 10 a.m friday feb 5 2010 at memorial funeral home heron luna yorktown/san antonio heron luna 58 died tuesday feb 2 2010 in san antonio hernandez funeral home of rio grande city is in charge of funeral arrangements ruben rico weslaco ruben rico died wednesday feb 3 2010 at knapp medical center in weslaco funeral arrangements are pending with hawkins funeral home of weslaco today s funerals isaac lee cardona elsa funeral mass for isaac lee cardona will be at 10 a.m today thursday feb 4 2010 at sacred heart catholic church in elsa burial will be at anahuac cemetery in edcouch l&i funeral home of elsa is in charge of funeral arrangements juan flores edinburg visitation for juan flores will be from 5 p.m to 9 p.m with a 7 p.m rosary today feb 4 2010 at memorial funeral home in edinburg memorial funeral home of edinburg is in charge of arrangements juan de la rosa weslaco funeral services for juan de la rosa will be at 1 p.m today feb 4 2009 at templo cristo el salvador in weslaco burial will be at weslaco city cemetery hawkins funeral home of weslaco is in charge of arrangements beatriz b mejia mercedes beatriz b mejia 92 passed away to be with the lord on monday feb 1 2010 at valley grande manor in weslaco she was born june 6 1917 in falfurrias texas to victoriano and nasaria betancourt she is preceded in death by her parents husband monico mejia she is survived by two sons jose enrique mejia of edinburg texas and victor mejia of mercedes texas four daughters evangelina cervantes beatriz garza both of weslaco ella saldivar dora saldaña both of dallas texas one brother modesto gonzalez of kingsville texas also surviving are 18 grand-children and 33 great-grandchildren visitation was from 1 p.m to 9 p.m wednesday feb 3 2010 at guerra funeral home of weslaco chapel of the angels with a 7 p.m prayer service funeral services will be at 10 a.m today thursday feb 4 2010 at guerra funeral natalio garza roma/mission natalio garza 82 entered eternal rest tuesday feb 2 2010 at mission nursing and rehabilitation center he was a disabled korean veteran and a life long resident of starr county he was born in los morenos ranch to german and elena perez garza he was preceded in death by his parents brother guillermo garza nephew javier escobar jr and niece veronica bayardo he is survived by his brothers francisco garza of los morenos genaro rachel garza of austin benigno mary garza of corpus christi rodolfo dora garza of houston roberto herlinda garza and exiquio nidia garza of mission sisters paula naranjo of los escobares and diana escobar of mcallen nunerous nieces and nephews visitations will be from 1 p.m to 9 p.m thursday feb 4 2010 with a rosary being recited at 7 p.m at flores chapel in mission chapel alejandro iruegas pharr funeral services for alejandro iruegas will be at 11 a.m today feb 4 2010 at st anne s catholic church in pharr burial will be at palm valley memorial gardens in pharr memorial funeral home of san juan is in charge of arrangements arnoldo martinez alton funeral mass for arnoldo martinez will be at 10 a.m today feb 4 2010 at san martin de porres catholic church in alton burial will be at l&i cemetery in palmview virgil wilson mortuary of mission is in charge of arrangements home of weslaco chapel of the angels officiating will be pastor juan peralez pallbearers will be roman treviño juan carlos mejia armando cervantes jesus cervantes victor mejia jr jose e mejia ii honorary pallbearers will be javier cervantes jose luis mejia arrangements are under the direction of guerra funeral home of weslaco inc weslaco sign the guest book at w w w themonitor c o m obituaries abel ramirez services will be at noon friday feb 5 2010 at flores chapel in mission interment will follow at rgv state veteran s cemetery in mission funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the care of flores funeral home of mission sign the guest book at w w w themonitor c o m obituaries mcallen visitation for abel ramirez will be from 9 a.m to 2:30 p.m with a 3 p.m chapel service today feb 4 2010 at memorial funeral home in san juan burial will be at san juan cemetery memorial funeral home of san juan is in charge of arrangements francisca roque mission viewing for francisca roque will be from 10 a.m to 9 p.m with a 7 p.m prayer service today feb 4 2010 at virgil wilson mortuary of mission virgil wilson mortuary is in charge of funeral arrangements joseph thompson edcouch joseph thompson died dec 22 2009 of mcallen medical center he was born jan 7 1956 and had lived in edcouch most of his life mr thompson was preceded in death by his parents william a and pearl inez thompson he is survived by his half brother harold griswold from edcouch memorial service will be at 7 p.m today feb 4 2010 at the bridge ave church of christ at 1220 s bridge ave in weslaco sign the guest book at w w w themonitor c o m obituaries juan pablo sanchez edinburg visitation for juan pablo sanchez will be from noon to 2 p.m today feb 4 2010 at memorial funeral home in edinburg with a 2:30 p.m graveside service at val verde memorial gardens in donna memorial funeral home of edinburg is in charge of arrangements victor m blackwelder mcallen victor m blackwelder passed away tuesday feb 2 2010 at lifecare hospital in mcallen he was 82 years of age victor was born in deleon springs fla in 1927 to john and mary blackwelder he served four years in the marine corps in wwii in the pacific arena he married dorothy in 1952 and in 1961 they were transferred from florida to mcallen victor worked for many years as a usda radiation supervisor with the screwworm eradication program and retired in 1983 he is preceded in death by his parents two brothers and two sisters he is survived by his wife dorothy blackwelder his daughter linda jeff klemm of houston two grandsons several nieces and one nephew a memorial service in cele dora a soto la grulla funeral services for dora a soto will be at 11 a.m today feb 4 2010 at holy family church burial will be at soto family cemetery sanchez funeral home of rio grande city is in charge of arrangements maria victoria zamora mcallen funeral mass for maria victoria zamora will be at 10 a.m today feb 4 2010 at holy spirit catholic church in mcallen burial will be at la piedad cemetery in mcallen ceballos funeral home of mcallen is in charge of arrangements bration of his life will be at 4 p.m friday feb 5 2010 at st mark s united methodist church of mcallen w w w kreidlerfuneral home.com sign the guest book at w w w themonitor c o m obituaries viviana garza viviana garza was born in mercedes texas on dec 22 1913 and passed jan 27 2010 at the age of 96 she is preceded in death by her husband abundio garza she is survived by her daughter aurora thompson grandchildren vivian castillo jose richard thompson jr christopher thompson cindy thompson and seven great-grandchildren services graveside burial service will be at 9 a.m friday feb 5 at valley memorial 3605 north taylor road in mission texas sign the guest book at w w w themonitor c o m obituaries visit our web site www.themonitor.com

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4b valley state the monitor www.themonitor.com thursday february 4 2010 more rainfall forecast but not as heavy nws 20 percent chance of showers today and 10 percent tonight by laura b martinez lmartinez@brownsvilleherald.com unofficial rainfall northeast cameron county 2.59 inches southeast hidalgo county 2.44 inches bayview/cameron county airport 2.15 inches los fresnos 1.48 inches northeast hidalgo county 1.45 inches brownsville airport 1.36 inches weslaco 1.33 inches harlingen airport 1.07 inches mission 1.05 inches falcon lake .91 inches source national weather servicebrownsville brownsville although rainfall is predicted across the rio grande valley today it will not be as heavy as the area experienced on wednesday national weather service forecasters said there will be a 20 percent chance of showers today and a 10 percent chance of rain tonight the forecast is in contrast to the 100 percent chance of rain on wednesday rainfall amounts of 1 to 1 1/2 inches were reported throughout the valley on wednesday making roadways slick and forcing some motorists to take their daily drives to work at a slower pace g daniel lopez the brownsville herald rain pours down on brownsville on wednesday morning as a pedestrian talks with a motorist on 13th street in downtown it s just a good soak of rain said gregg flatt a lead meteorologist with the weather service s forecast office in brownsville heavy rainfall wednesday morning caused a few minor auto wrecks and traffic delays around brownsville said police spokesman sgt jimmy manrrique one such crash occurred on the southbound lane of u.s expressway 77/83 between alton gloor boulevard and ruben torres sr boulevard brownsville police blocked off several ramps leading onto the expressway until the crash scene was cleared no serious injuries were reported flatt said the rainfall is the result of an upper-level trough of low pressure that came from northern mexico and that began making its way through south texas on tuesday up to 3 inches of rain was expected to fall wednesday in cameron and parts of hidalgo counties up to 4 inches was forecast to fall in willacy county the weather service reported although there s a chance of rain for tonight the sun should make an appearance in the valley on friday it will be mostly cloudy on friday and expect maybe some sunshine but for the weekend it looks like there will be sunshine flatt said laura b martinez is a reporter for the brownsville herald caseworker went to home a day before slayings federal agents raid by paul j weber the associated press san antonio a child welfare caseworker visited the home of two young brothers the day before police say their mother stabbed them to death officials said wednesday there was no indication that elyse marsyl colon 22 might harm her children when the caseworker visited the home monday said mary walker a texas department of family and protective services spokeswoman authorities say colon calmly surrendered to police officers outside her home tuesday evening and told them i killed my babies the officers found the bodies of 3-year-old jose luis garcia and 1-yearold guillermo garcia lying next to each other in a bed in the home words can t describe the scene san antonio police chief william mcmanus said it was unspeakably sad after colon was placed in the patrol car she allegedly told police their father was in jail i want him to know colon was being held wednesday on two counts of capital murder her bond was set at $2 million and she had no attorney listed in court records she cursed at reporters while being taken to court for arraignment late tuesday caseworkers had visited the family from time to time since 2006 when colon was accused of using drugs while pregnant with jose luis walker said the drug tests were negative the agency had been helping colon search for a job and for housing since the boys father luis alonso garcia-pacheco was jailed last year on domestic abuse charges walker said he has not entered a plea and remains in bexar county jail awaiting trial this month garcia-pacheco s attorney rudy vasquez said his client is innocent vasquez said he is trying to arrange for garcia-pacheco who also has a federal immigration hold against him to attend his children s funeral he s pretty numb and he s kind of devastated vasquez said the associated press houston federal agents raided more than a dozen houston bus companies wednesday that they suspected of transporting dozens of illegal immigrants across the country the raids were part of a three-month investigation of immigrant smugglers alleged use of houston transportation companies to disperse the immigrants they bring into the country immigration and customs enforcement assistant secretary john morton said wedneday in houston that 22 people have been charged with conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants conviction on each count carries a maximum term of 10 years houston bus companies in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 agents targeted 14 businesses one of them where armed guards and pit bulls held immigrants in a stash house until they could be shipped out u.s immigration and customs enforcement agents detained 81 undocumented immigrants houston unfortunately has become a hub for these illegal transportation companies morton said morton said the companies charge up to $650 for a one-way bus ticket and paid $200 to $300 in commissions on each immigrant to smugglers information from houston http www chronicle houstonchronicle.com tom reel the associated press elyse marsyl colon 22 is escorted tuesday night out of the san antonio police department headquarters notice of the availability of an environmental assessment the usda rural utilities service has received an application for financial assistance from the city of hidalgo as required by the national environmental policy act and agency regulations the rural utilities service has prepared an environmental assessment that evaluated the potential environmental effects and consequences of the proposal this notice announces the availability of the environmental assessment for public review and comment the proposal consists of constructing a 1.5 mgd wastewater treatment plant expansion which will increase its total capacity to 2.7 mgd the plant will be an activated sludge plant that is designed to meet the requirements of a new tnrcc discharge permit the proposed plant expansion will be located adjacent and to the east of the existing wastewater treatment plant on the same site the alternatives considered to the proposal include location of a new plant at existing site is the least cost land alternative and least environmental impact or taking no action the city would violate requirements of its current and future discharge permits copies of the environmental assessment are available for review at rural utilities services office 2514 s i rd edinburg tx 78539 and the city of hidalgo 704 e texano hidalgo tx 78557 for further information contact elizabeth garza rural utilities services 956/383-4928 ext 4 any person interested in commenting on this proposal should submit comments to the address above by march 5 2010 a general location map of the proposal is shown below pisharodi clinic will be opening their new office on february 5th 2010 3145 center point drive edinburg texas the office will be open monday thru friday 8-5 for consultation and appointments please call 956-682-6399 we specialize in brain spine and pain management including stroke lower back pain and neck pain www.pisharodiclinic.com

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thursday february 4 2010 the monitor www.themonitor.com 5b an open letter to toyota customers february 2 2010 dear toyota customers for more than 50 years toyota has provided you with safe reliable quality vehicles and first-rate service i am truly sorry for the concern our recalls have caused and want you to know we re doing everything we can ­ as fast as we can ­ to make things right we have launched a comprehensive plan to permanently fix the vehicles we ve recalled because in rare instances accelerator pedals can over time become slow to release or get stuck we know what s causing this and what we have to do to fix it we ve tested our solution rigorously and we are confident that it works we re working day and night with toyota dealers to make our recalls simple and trouble-free here are some of the things we re doing 1 the precision parts we ve engineered to reinforce the pedals are already being shipped and dealers are being trained to make the repair we re writing to all customers affected by the pedal recall as well as the floor mat recall to let them know how to schedule a convenient appointment with their local dealer many of our dealers will be working extended hours ­ some of them 24/7 ­ and adding staff to get through the repairs as quickly as possible we ve temporarily halted production of these models to focus fully on fixing this problem in the vehicles that are on the road our entire organization of 172,000 north american employees and dealership personnel is committed to you 2 3 4 some of the actions we ve taken are unprecedented stopping production is never an easy decision ­ but we re confident it s the right thing to do for our customers ensuring your safety is our highest priority we ll continue to do everything we can to meet ­ and exceed ­ your expectations and justify your continued trust in toyota sincerely jim lentz president and chief operating officer toyota motor sales u.s.a inc to find out if your toyota is affected and to get the latest information on both the pedal and floor mat recalls please visit toyota.com ©2010 toyota motor sales u.s.a inc toyota customer experience center 1-800-331-4331

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6b the monitor www.themonitor.com thursday february 4 2010 the monitor opinion the freedom view publisher general manager editor managing editor valley freedom editorial writer m olaf frandsen benita mendell steve fagan henry miller carlos rodriguez national views silly games it s time to put away costly toys e do love our toys especially when we don t have to pay for them to their credit some government officials are finally starting to tire of pouring taxpayers money into the $6.7 billion virtual fence along the border president barack obama might cut nearly $200 million from the project repeal `don t ask don t tell now don t ask don t tell is not only patently unfair it s also self-defeating since the policy was put into effect in 1993 u.s military forces have discharged some 13,500 gay men and lesbians among those expelled because of their sexual orientation were many muchneeded arabic translators the military bans homosexuals from serving but under don t ask don t tell gay men and women are allowed to serve as long as they keep their sexual orientation secret superiors are prohibited from investigating soldiers sexual orientation as long as they obey the rules however one cruel aspect of this policy is that it allows third parties such as jilted lovers to out someone to military superiors president barack obama put getting rid of this discriminatory policy high on his agenda in his state of the union address it s a welcome call but don t ask don t tell can only be repealed by congress where it is still controversial wisely the president sent defense secretary robert gates and adm mike mullen chairman of the joint chiefs of staff to the senate armed services committee tuesday to unveil the pentagon s proposed plan for ending the policy congress should heed our military experts and repeal don t ask don t tell this year even if it does act the pentagon will move gradually secretary gates is assembling a team of advisors to start reviewing steps needed to fully integrate openly gay troops their review will take all of 2010 gates said this is more than a matter of government discrimination it s also a matter of practicality between two wars and other u.s military obligations around the world including the ongoing relief effort in haiti america s armed forces are stretched perilously thin no less of a military man than admiral mullen was blunt about gays serving speaking for myself and myself only it is my personal and professional belief that allowing homosexuals to serve openly would be the right thing to do he told the senators they know that when it comes to who s next to you in that firefight sexual orientation is the last thing anybody cares about this editorial appeared wednesday in the miami herald w commentary mona charen the bush administration announced the project with a hefty contract for its friends at boeing to cover our southern border with the system that seeks to integrate radar heat and motion sensors and cameras to catch the flood of people encroaching our borders every day unfortunately the system s not catching many people the project was announced in 2005 and was to be finished next year delays and logistical problems pushed the target date back to 2014 and new reports show that the system is still plagued with problems homeland security secretary janet napolitano has asked that the whole project be reviewed americans need border security now not 10 years down the road napolitano said adding that the government needs to start looking for more reliable and costeffective options the plans were ambitious fed with billions of our tax dollars boeing promised all kinds of new gadgets remote-controlled cameras and all kinds of sensors even real-time internet feeds so interested civilians could monitor the system and call border patrol officials if they saw something but the heat sensors couldn t tell the difference between a person and a coyote bushes rustling in the breeze set off the motion sensors the camera controls responded slowly to remote commands and by the time operators turned the lenses to catch something they thought they had seen whatever it was had already moved away thousands of people did log on to the internet sites to help keep vigil on the areas the cameras covered the system recorded alternative options homeland security secretary janet napolitano has asked that the virtual fence project be reviewed americans need border security now not 10 years down the road napolitano said adding that the government needs to start looking for more reliable and costeffective options some 39 million web hits the virtual posse s efforts combined with all the other materials netted about a dozen arrests and a couple of drug captures the original premise was to set up a surveillance system that would lessen the need for human patrols millions of such security systems albeit on a much smaller scale work just fine at homes and businesses across the country those systems however were bought by people on a budget who demanded results and could jump to another vendor if not satisfied with virtually carte blanche to pick taxpayers pockets however federal officials were attracted to shiny new toys toys that just didn t work it s time to put away the toys and invest the money into making our immigration system more efficient better faster processing of applications and elimination of senseless arbitrary quotas will enable an any bells and whistles ever would obama changes pace on nuclear power we need more production more efficiency says the president the perennially optimistic strained to find evidence of a new centrism in president barack obama s state of the union address well the hyde park liberal embraced nuclear power they say and he did seem to to create more clean energy jobs the president intoned we need more production more efficiency more incentives and that means building a new generation of safe clean nuclear power plants in this country it s a nice sentiment the nuclear energy institute pronounced itself delighted but hold the champagne the other nuclear news this week is that the obama administration s new budget will propose to zero out funding for nevada s yucca mountain nuclear repository in effect killing it instead the energy department has announced the formation of a blue ribbon commission to provide recommendation for developing a safe long term solution to managing the nation s used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste it will consist of the usual blue ribbon members lee hamilton brent scowcroft susan eisenhower and produce an interim report in 18 months and a final report in 24 the commission will have 15 members and god knows how many staff and accordingly the costs will run into the millions and why are we forming yet another blue ribbon commission to study a matter that has already been studied to death the commission is empowered to study all options except the one that has already been chosen by the united states government so much for the previous blue ribbon commission that had settled on the yucca mountain site american taxpayers have already invested more than $13 billion over 30 years to build the facility and make it redundantly safe in 1982 the u.s government agreed to begin accepting nuclear waste at the site in 1998 failure to meet that deadline has already cost us $565 million in legal settlements and is estimated to run up to $11 billion over the next decade the yucca mountain repository is 1,000 feet underground in the most lifeless desert of north america its storage tunnels have been engineered to enhance the natural protective effect of thick rock by adding multiple layers of steel titanium drip shields to prevent erosion and other safety features to ensure that the waste which becomes less harmful with the passage of time will not leak how safe is it consider millirems units of radiation a cross-country airplane ride subjects travelers to 2 or 3 millirems from cosmic rays a dental x-ray yields 1 millirem people who live in denver get twice the dose 50 per year as those who live at sea level an earlier energy department study examined whether the yucca containment facility could withstand normal aging plus volcanoes and earthquakes the conclusion was that it would emit no more than 1 millirem per year of radiation for 750,000 years but goodbye to all that it wasn t safe enough for sen harry reid d-nev who has worked to kill the yucca facility reid was not alone among nevada politicians former sen chic hecht had memorably promised to oppose nuclear suppositories in his state and it was not safe enough for barack obama who campaigned energetically in nevada promising to terminate the project in addition to zeroing out funding the administration proposes to suspend the license application for the facility and withdraw it completely within the month why are they wasting our time and money on a new blue ribbon commission to go over plowed ground the administration hopes that the commission will reassure the nuclear industry that provision will be made for the waste but when in another 30 years at the cost of another $13 billion or more there is nothing dishonorable about opposing nuclear energy though the greenies who claim that global warming is their chief worry have some explaining to do if they reject nuclear power but there is something dishonest about claiming to favor nuclear power while simultaneously short-circuiting the most viable solution to the problem of long term waste storage they are wasting their time squandering our money and insulting our intelligence to find out more about mona charen and read features by other creators syndicate columnists and cartoonists visit the creators syndicate web page at www.creators.com contact information u.s president barack h obama the white house 1600 pennsylvania ave nw washington dc 20500 202 456-1414 www.whitehouse.gov u.s senators john cornyn 517 hart senate office bldg washington dc 20510 202 224-2934 cornyn.senate.gov kay bailey hutchison 284 russell senate office bldg washington dc 20510 202 224-5922 hutchison.senate.gov u.s reps district 15 rubén hinojosa 2864 w trenton road edinburg tx 78539 phone 956 682-5545 fax 956 682-0141 www.house.gov/hinojosa district 28 henry cuellar 117 e tom landry street mission tx 78752 956 424-3942 fax 956 424-3936 www.house.gov/cuellar texas governor rick perry office of the governor p.o box 12428 austin tx 78711-2428 512 463-2000 www.governor.state.tx.us state senators district 20 juan chuy hinojosa 612 nolana suite 410 b mcallen tx 78504 956 972-1841 district 21 judith zaffirini p.o box 627 laredo tx 78042 956 722-2293 district 27 eddie lucio 7 north park plaza brownsville tx 78521 956 548-0227 state reps district 31 ryan guillen p.o box 2910 austin tx 78768 800 897-0486 district 36 ismael kino flores 121 e tom landry mission tx 78572 956 584-8999 district 39 mando martinez 800 w railroad st suite g3 weslaco tx 78596 956 447-9473 district 40 aaron peña p.o box 1637 edinburg tx 78540 956 383-7444 district 41 veronica gonzales p.o box 1416 mcallen tx 78504 956 686-5501 the monitor letters to the editor p.o box 3267 mcallen tx 78502-3267 phone 956 683-4400 fax 956 683-4401 letters@themonitor.com www.themonitor.com

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thursday february 4 2010 the monitor www.themonitor.com 7b the monitor letters to the editor policy letters will be edited for accuracy libel grammar and length letters must be 300 words or fewer we will not publish anonymous letters personal attacks or individual consumer complaints writers are limited to one letter per month please include your full name address and a phone number where you can be reached between 8 a.m and 5 p.m for verification comments go to mail p.o box 3267 mcallen tx 78502-3267 e-mail letters@themonitor.com phone 956 683-4400 fax 956 683-4401 opinion u.s is on path to fiscal ruin commentary kevin ferris mcclatchy-tribune last week showed just how hard it will be to dig the country out of its multitrillion-dollar fiscal hole the senate rejected 53-46 the creation of a fiscal future commission designed to bring sanity to the federal budget process and out-of-control spending the good news is that this wasn t a party-line vote though still short of the 60 votes needed for passage the bill sponsored by kent conrad d-n.d and judd gregg r-n.h was backed by democrats and republicans both sides of the aisle see a problem and a need to act the bad news is that some opposition divided along ideological lines liberals worried about cuts in social programs conservatives seeing higher taxes the fears on both sides are justified according to david walker former u.s comptroller general and head of the government accountability office under presidents clinton and george w bush we re going to have to do both of those things and more to put our financial house in order walker said in an interview last week that s one of many messages included in walker s new book comeback america turning the country around and restoring fiscal responsibility the federal government keeps promising more than it can deliver an eyepopping $63 trillion worth and growing that number includes the trillion-plus annual budget deficit more than $12 trillion in federal debt held by investors and trust funds for social security and medicare and well over $43 trillion for benefits promised through entitlement programs what s going on is not only fiscally irresponsible walker says it s morally reprehensible and downright un-american the nation is abandoning its tradition of one generation striving to make life better for the next walker says citing downward trends in average income education level and health status in years past when walker and others delivered this message americans were shocked at the numbers but not inspired to act that has changed people had not woken up yet walker says they are now awake the type of citizen action that walker calls for in his book was on display at this year s tea party rallies and town hall meetings and the fuss wasn t exclusively about health care health care was just the latest and biggest example of government wanting to grow more when it s already made tens of trillions of dollars worth of promises it can t keep walker says congress ignored the message and made matters worse by blatantly buying support from senators like ben nelson d-neb and unions these sweetheart deals walker says confirmed that washington is out of touch and out of control what citizens see plainly but washington ignores is that there is no such thing as too big to fail anymore walker says in the last two years excessive debt and spending crippled giants in the banking insurance and auto industries americans see the federal government on the same road here s where that road leads in comeback america walker estimates that the 31 percent of americans income that now goes to taxes 21 percent for feds 10 for state and local governments will grow to at least 53 percent by 2040 even then he writes all of our federal tax revenues will add up to enough to cover only our two biggest expenses interest on our debt and medicare and medicaid everything else social security defense education road building you name it will fail to be funded our standing abroad will be affected as well here s just one example from the book we can t play hardball with china on human rights or dispute its claims to taiwan at a time when beijing is our biggest lender let s get real china is not going to lend us money to defend taiwan so walker well understands citizen concerns about spending and debt but he also worries about any debate that mimics last week s senate vote no spending cuts vs no new taxes such ideological stalemates will only worsen the country s fiscal problems he says the people on the far right and the far left are out of touch with reality walker says there s something called math that people have to come to grips with if you re a politician or citizen ready to get a grip on budgets spending entitlement and healthcare reform the ideas in comeback america are a good starting point for a discussion kevin ferris is assistant editor of the editorial page of the philadelphia inquirer readers may write to him at philadelphia inquirer p.o box 8263 philadelphia pa 19101 or by e-mail at kf@phillynews.com new set of rules obama s banking proposals a good first step in the last two weeks president barack obama finally proposed tough new restrictions on the big banks and then he underlined them in his state of the union speech it s a start the one thing economists agree on is that incentives matter unless incentives and constraints are changed through regulation it is unlikely that behavior on wall street will change and once again our financial system our economy and the taxpayer will be in jeopardy too big to fail banks have a strong incentive to gamble if they win they walk away with the profits if they lose the taxpayer picks up the tab the bailouts blindly saved big banks while smaller banks went bankrupt 140 in 2009 alone leading to an even more concentrated banking system the new rules the administration is proposing are not intended to punish the big banks but to create a sounder financial system because the big banks are effectively insured by the government they have had a competitive advantage that isn t based on greater efficiency but on implicit subsidies and political connections they are not only too big to fail they are too big to manage they are in fact too big to be two weeks ago obama called for a new tax on the 50 largest u.s financial institutions the idea is to discourage excessive risktaking to re-balance a tilted playing field and to gen commentary joseph e stiglitz |commingling of thursday tion for the mct on was never a good justifica manuel balce ceneta the associated press fbi director robert mueller right testifies jan 20 on capitol hill in washington d.c before the senate judiciary committee at right is undersecretary of state for management patrick kennedy congress should keep pressure on fbi officials a recent report from the justice department s internal watchdog adds new and disturbing detail to its previous criticism of the fbi for cutting legal corners to obtain telephone records of u.s citizens as with past evidence of wrongdoing the bureau insists that it has changed its ways but senators rightly are pressing the obama administration to close a possible loophole that could allow future abuses according to inspector general glenn a fine the relationship between the fbi and the telephone companies was so intimate that company representatives were stationed in fbi communications centers thus firms with access to sensitive personal information were essentially partners with a powerful law enforcement agency in violation of americans privacy rights the fbi insists that errors were unintentional and that improperly obtained information will be sealed or destroyed but that doesn t alter the offensiveness of skirting procedure the inspector general s latest report concludes with specific recommendations including additional training and greater scrutiny of contracts with telecommunications firms to ensure that both the bureau and the companies abide by privacy laws it also recommends the fbi consider disciplinary action for those who ignored or violated the law attorney general eric h holder jr should implement these recommendations finally the report suggests that the justice department may be reserving the right of the fbi to inspect telephone records without legal process or a qualifying emergency several senators have rightly asked holder to share a jan 8 memo that apparently outlines such an exception holder should comply congress needs to make sure for itself that the fbi is not being encouraged to return to its old ways this editorial appeared tuesday in the los angeles times charles dharapak the associated press president barack obama speaks jan 21 about tougher regulations on banks that would limit the size and complexity of large financial institutions at the white house in washington d.c from left are council of economic advisers member austan goolsbee council of economic advisers chair christina romer treasury secretary timothy geithner house financial services committee chairman rep barney frank d-mass obama economic recovery advisory board chair paul volcker and vice president joe biden erate needed revenue yet even if congress goes along it won t be enough the executives who run these institutions are likely to force shareholders to bear the burden of the tax while they just keep on much as before shareholders have already suffered as the executives undertook mergers paid out bonuses and took other actions that have diminished shareholder value indeed a new tax would give the bankers one more excuse not to restart lending obama made a second more direct proposal to use regulations to restrict the way the big commercial banks operate in order to curb their size their risktaking their conflicts of interest and their ability to abuse the privileges afforded by access to government guarantees and funds through the fed under this proposal banks would not be allowed to run hedge funds or to engage in proprietary trading which is to say they would not be able to use funds to trade on their own behalf there these activities reinstating such restrictions won t diminish the ability of the financial system to provide key financial services though without the implicit government subsidy their costs may go up obama s proposals are only a good beginning joseph e stiglitz is the winner of the 2001 nobel prize in economics he served as chairman of the council of economic advisors from 1995 to 1997 and is the author of the just-published book freefall he wrote this for the los angeles times.

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