www.raymondvillechroniclenews.com $1 Starr County USPS-456-040 Cameron County This is our 93rd year, thanks to you! VOL. 93 NO. 39 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2013 Hidalgo County E-mail: [email protected] TWENTY PAGES IN ONE SECTION 192 N. 4TH ST., RAYMONDVILLE, TEXAS 78580 • (956) 689-2421 • FAX: (956) 689-6575 Nov. 5 liquor election sees city residents choosing sides BY ALLEN ESSEX Reporter A proposition on the Nov. 5 ballot for the City of Raymondville's election, if approved, will legalize the sale of all alcoholic beverages including mixed drinks in the city limits. While three local pastors said they oppose the change, owners of two local bars are for it and the operator of two hotels is also hopeful the measure will gain approval from voters. Pastor Devlon Goodman of First United Methodist Church doesn’t see anything good coming from allowing bars and stores to sell hard liquor in Raymondville, he said. “I would not like to see that,” he said. “I would be curious to see what law enforcement people think.” Having people buying liquor locally or driving to cities such as Harlingen or McAllen, and then possibly drinking liquor on the way back, is a tough call, he said. “Especially for teenagers, if they're partying and being able to buy liquor, that’s bad, but if they’re determined they’ll get it anyway,” he said. He lives in Weslaco and works in Raymondville, Goodman said. “I enjoy working in a small town. If I lived here, I wouldn't vote in favor of it.” Willacy County Sheriff Larry Spence predicted there will be problems such as accidents and fights if liquor is sold in Raymondville. If there is more for people to do locally, such as bars and night clubs, local residents might not have as many accidents on the highway or as many arrests for driving while intoxicated as they do now driving to other Rio Grande Valley cities, Spence said. “It will create problems, but nothing that will overwhelm us,” he said. Police Chief Uvaldo Zamora was not available for comment Tuesday. Pastor Mark D. Uzupan of United Pentecostal Church of Raymondville said he does not want to see liquor sales here. “I’m against it, I’m not for it, but it won’t make any difference,” he said. “If people want to get drunk, they will.” But, while having liquor for sale locally is bad and will cause more accidents, having people driving out of town to drink and then returning on the highways after drinking is also bad, he said. “They go down to Harlingen, 20 minutes down the road, or to McAIIen or Port Mansfield,” he said. Larry Martin, pastor of First Baptist Church, strongly opposes liquor sales in Raymondville, he said. “I am against it,” he said of the ballot proposition. “The families here will be sufferng due to parents just throwing money away for alcohol. It would be too accessible.” Local officials have just finished getting rid of eight-liner gambling halls and making liquor sales available will harm the same families who suffered when their limited income was wasted on gambling, Martin said. To have bars in the town is too big a temptation, especially for poor people, especially the very poor and alcoholics, he said. Any economic gain for businesses that could possibly provide more jobs will be offset by the harm liquor sales will do, the pastor said. But Kris Chavarria, manager of The Office Bar said he would welcome the chance to offer mixed drinks in addition to beer and wine available now. He is expanding the bar and offering live entertainment, Chavarria said. Local rappers and other musicians will perform. He and employee Demo Martinez said they are looking forward to taking bartender training so they can sell mixed drinks. His bar offers a quiet, safe place where local people can go for entertainment and fun without having to risk getting a DWI ticket or having an accident driving to Harlingen, McAllen or South Padre Island, Chavarria said. Linda Salazar, owner of Linda’s Lounge, said having a full liquor license would help her business. “I think so, I think it will bring in other businesses if we could sell liquor here,” she said. N e i l Patel. operator of La Quinta and the Texas Inn (formerly Best Western) hotels, said Wlllacy County has “archaic” liquor laws that need to be updated. Some of his hotel guests have complained that Willacy County has nothing to do, he said. “It would help (hotels), even the restaurants,” he said. “They just want light entertainment.” His guests don’t want to risk a DWI ticket to go to another county just to have a few drinks with dinner, Patel said. “I would welcome it. They just want to go out and have a quiet evening, a couple of drinks with dinner,” he said of his guests. Willacy County District Attorney Bernard Ammerman said See Nov. 5 liquor... on Page 5 Loose horses hit by 18-wheeler on I-69 at Lyford MANAGER KRIS CHAVARRIA AND EMPLOYEE DEMO MARTINEZ are making changes at The Office Bar in Raymondville to accomodate live musical acts. They also are hoping city voters will pass a measure in November so that clubs such as theirs can sell mixed drinks. There are presently two bars in Raymondville but they cannot serve mixed drinks. (Photo by Allen Essex) City getting $3.6 million grant/loan for water improvements BY TONY VINDELL Reporter The dire situation the city and its residents went through this summer because of the drought could get a lot better in 2014. The city of Raymondville has received the green light for a grant/loan for $3.6 million from the Texas Water Development Board to improve its water system. That should alleviate the situation with rationing water during a drought. The city implemented the highest level of water restriction earlier this year imposed by the situation brought by Mexico’s refusal to pay a water debt it has with Valley water districts. Delta Lake Irrigation District - the sole provider of water to the city of Raymondville - gets water from the Rio Grande and the agency was forced to began selling push water to the city. Push water is water that rides on municipal water so there is an additonal cost involved in the operation. The drought and Mexico’s water debt impacted Raymondville as it’s farther from the river than other valley cities served by the irrigation district. City Manager Eleazar “Yogi” Garcia Jr. said the board has approved the grant-loan although the money has not been allocated. “The money will be used for a reverse osmosis plant that will process 2 million gallons of water a day,” he said in an interview after Tuesday’s meeting of the commission. “That is going to make us more drought proof.” During the meeting, the commission approved: The Economic Development Corp. of Raymondville budget for 201314. - A first reading of a resolution authorizing the See City getting... on Page 5 BY TONY VINDELL Reporter Two loose horses roaming along I-69 were the cause of a weekend accident, but luckily no one was hurt in the mishap. The accident took place about 11:30 p.m. Saturday just north of the Broadway Street exit in Lyford. Blood stains could still be visible on two different places near a ramp leading to the expressway. Troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety were dispatched to a motor vehicle crash, but in reality it was between a 2005 freightliner and two animals. The eighteen-wheeler was traveling northbound on I-69 when two horses did not yield the right of way and got into the rig’s pathway. As a result, the horses were struck by the truck and were killed at the scene. The driver of the freightliner did not sustain injuries, took control of the vehicle and it caused no other damages. The owner of the horses was located and is to receive a Class C misdemeanor, law enforcement says. The citation is for “Permitting Livestock to Roam.” That falls under Texas Agriculture Code C 143.108. The Class C misdemeanor is for violating the code when a person commits an offense for letting an animal roam at large. Lyford Police Chief Lewis Campbell said an officer with his department assisted with traffic control as DPS were MOSQUITO PATROL - Albert Peña, an employee with the public works department, sprays handling the matter. along an alley between Hidalgo Avenue and Main Street. (Photo by TonyVindell) LOOK FOR Academy Sports inserts inside today’s AMERICAN PROFILE MAGAZINE