OK, BIRD. WHAT PART OF NO DUMPING IN ALLEY DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?

WITH KEN PAXTON'S WIN, THINGS LOOK UP FOR TALARICO

By Jack Herrera

Opinion

New York Times

When James Talarico was born in Round Rock, Texas, in 1989, Democrats controlled both chambers of the Texas statehouse. A reformed frat boy named George W. Bush was still a few years away from becoming governor.

Thirty-seven years later, Texas is solidly red, with Republicans holding both U.S. Senate seats, the governor’s mansion and the State Legislature. But after winning the Democratic Senate primary in March, Mr. Talarico has a chance to become the first Democratic U.S. senator elected in Texas in his lifetime. Not because the state’s Democrats suddenly have their act together but because the party has a perfect candidate to run against: the right-wing warrior Ken Paxton.

Mr. Paxton — who just defeated the incumbent, John Cornyn, in a G.O.P. runoff — is known as a scoundrel. In 2023 he was impeached by the state’s Republican-controlled House on corruption charges (but was acquitted by the State Senate). Last year his wife — a state senator — filed for divorce, accusing him of having an extramarital affair.

Combine that with a midterm election year in which President Trump’s coattails look shorter than they once did, and Mr. Talarico has the best chance a Democratic Senate candidate has had in years.

Over the past decade, the Texas Republican Party deftly navigated the rise of MAGA. It retained the backing of wealthy business interests in the state while expanding its support with middle- and working-class voters. In particular, it has drawn Mexican American voters from the Rio Grande Valley into the Republican coalition. But the party is weaker than it seems.

Because Republican primaries, not general elections, frequently decide who is in power in Texas, politicians like Mr. Paxton often need only the votes of about 3 percent of the population to ultimately win office. That’s made it a lot easier for Republican politicians to drift to the right of Texas’ broader electorate.

Consider, for example, the issue of abortion: The average Texan is conservative when it comes to reproductive health care but not as conservative as Mr. Paxton, the state’s attorney general. According to a 2025 poll, 83 percent of Texans thought abortions should be legal in cases of rape or incest, 82 percent thought abortions should be legal to preserve the mother’s physical health and 84 percent thought abortions should be legal if doctors determined that a fetus would die before or not long after birth. By contrast, in 2023, Mr. Paxton went to great lengths to try to prevent Kate Cox from getting legal approval to terminate her pregnancy after she found out that her fetus had a fatal genetic condition.

This kind of ideological gap exists not only between Mr. Paxton and many Texas voters but also between him and other Republicans. The bitter primary battle between Mr. Paxton and Mr. Cornyn deepened a divide between Texas’ Chamber of Commerce-style Republicans and the harder-right MAGA faithful. Mr. Paxton got Mr. Trump’s endorsement at the 11th hour. Wealthy donors spent tens of millions trying to help Mr. Cornyn, to no avail.

All this leaves an opening for a candidate like Mr. Talarico — a member of the Texas House of Representatives who blends progressive ideas with an overt embrace of his Christian faith. The question now is whether Texas Democrats can take advantage of it.

LOS ESPURS FORCE A GAME SEVEN SATURDAY VS. THE OK THUNDER

NBA

‘The Spurs have pulled it off, and there will be a seventh game’

San Antonio wins 118-91, extending the 2026 Western Conference Finals to a climactic Game 7.

The Spurs led wire-to-wire, taking control with a 32-13 third quarter to earn a dominant victory in front of their home crowd. They held the Thunder to 35-of-95 (36.8 percent shooting on the game.

“Trust in the coaches,” said Victor Wembanyama (28 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk). “Play with effort.” 

28 PTS 

10 REB 

3 BLK 

2 STL 

4 3PM 

Victor Wembanyama is the first player in Spurs franchise history to record 25+ PTS, 10+ REB, 2+ STL, and 2+ BLK in an elimination game!

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (15 pts on 6-of-18 shooting) led Oklahoma City in scoring.

Stephon Castle (17 pts, 5 reb, 9 ast) put up his eighth game of 15/5/5 in the Playoffs. Among rookies and sophomores, only Magic Johnson (10) and Larry Bird (9) had more in a postseason run.

Dylan Harper (18 pts in 22:04) was also crucial for the Spurs in the win.  This series will reconvene Saturday at 8:30 ET on NBC and Peacock.

AND THOSE TEXANS KEEP ROLLING ALONG! DON'T KEEP THEM ROLLING...

HERE'S WHY:

Texas facts: Vote Democratic Party!

 #1 in uninsured residents — 16.7 percent, highest in nation; 1 in 5 working-age Texans uninsured

# 1in uninsured children — 13.6 percent of kids have no health insurance

 #1 in uninsured women — highest rate in the country

 # 1 in rural hospital closures — 26 closed in past 20 years

 # 50(LAST) in overall health system performance — 2025 Commonwealth Fund

🧠 50th in mental health workforce — 1 worker per 760 people

⚕️ 49th in women’s healthcare — only Mississippi is worse

🤰 Soaring maternal mortality — 63 percent increase 2018-2020; 80 percent preventable

👼 Infant deaths spiked 13 percent after Texas’s abortion ban

📖 2nd in book bans — 1,781 banned in 2024-25

🔫 Top state for school shootings in 2024

💀 4,400 gun deaths in 2024 — 8.6 percent above national rate

⚠️ 3rd-least safe state in America — WalletHub 2025

⚰️ 1st in executions — 591 since 1982, 5x the next state

👷 48th-worst state for workers — Oxfam 2024 - Minimum Wage $ 7.25

👵 49th-worst state for retirement — Bankrate 2025

🏭 1st in greenhouse gas emissions — more than 2x California

🌪 1st worst weather state — 190 billion-dollar disasters since 1980

💧 D+ drinking water, D- wastewater — 2025 ASCE report

🥵 Prisons hit 149°F — 271 heat-related inmate deaths 2001-2019

WEST POINT CADETS TO TRUMP: "WE RESEMBLE THAT REMARK!"

CAN'T DRAIN THE STREETS AND WANT TO GO TO MARS?

 

GETTING OVER THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRIMARY HANGOVER...

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Whew!
After valiant, hard-fought – and often acrimonious –  primary and runoff contests, the final slate of candidates for both parties has been decided by the voters.

The people spoke.

It's a decision that, whether our candidate won or lost, we have  to live with. Not only that, but  given the high stakes – especially us as Democrats – whether it's here, in Austin, or in Washington D.C., we have to gird our loins and embrace the winners to make them victorious in November against their Republican opponents. 

Congratulations to the winners, and our respect and admiration to those whose candidates lost. It's a noble endeavor to try to gain the support of your fellow citizens and party and the privilege to represent their interest in whatever level of government you were involved.

Now we should stop seeing each other as rivals and realize that the bigger enemy still confronts us in November. Some wounds take a little longer to heal than others and in the next six months there will be time to mend our fences and unite behind our party's candidates. The vigor with which candidates and their supporters sought to represent the rest of us shows that the desire required to maintain our democratic process is alive and well.

Let's remember that the honor is in the endeavor, and that win or lose, it is a fight worth fighting.

Lincoln – as usual – said it best: "With malice toward none with charity for all with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation's wounds...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

Again, congratulations to the winners and our respect to those who didn't win. We're still your brothers and sisters in the pursuit of democracy and in the struggle to preserve it robust and alive in our nation.  

A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE? REALLY? ON BOTH SIDES?

Trump was President on Jan 6th. The ENTIRE debacle is his fault! (Along with his co-conspirators) Why anyone would pay off Insurrectionists is INSANE.
 

A CHANGING OF THE DEMOCRATIC GUARD, ONWARD THROUGH THE FOG: THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN AND ON TO NOVEMBER

GUERRA BY 1,000 IN EARLY VOTE OVER TREVINO, NOE GARZA WAY AHEAD OVER CHUY, DUEL BETWEEN LUCIO AND JOEY LOPEZ. AT LOS FRESNOS, MENDOZA RULES

 

TRUMP'S GRIFTING IS LAID BARE, AND IT'S PATENTLY ILLEGAL

 

IN THE RUNOFF FOR 107TH DISTRICT JUDGE, NOE GARZA IS YOUR MAN

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

If you want an honest man, Noe Garza is your man..

If you want a hardworking man, Noe is that, too.

If you want courtroom experience, than voting for Noe Garza is a no-brainer.

He has  have been a lawyer for 39 years, and in fact, passed the bar exam on his first attempt at the age of 23. It's not a boast or personal aggrandizement, — and certainly not to put  anyone down, but to show the discipline he has carried since he was young.

Like many of our neighbors along the border, Noe was born in Mexico, the son of a father who could neither read nor write and a mother with a third-grade education. He was not born with a silver spoon, and did not come from privilege. His parents were not teachers. They worked hard with their hands, sacrificed and taught him and his siblings honesty, humility, discipline and faith.

Ask anyone of his fellow attorneys and they will tell you that for most of his career he has worked 70 to 80 hours a week. His wife, a district judge, says he is a burro trabajador because he does not know how to stop working. She is right. He has shown time and time again that he is not afraid of work.

He has shown that  he did not become a lawyer to work less. On the contrary, he became a lawyer to work harder, to serve and to fight for people.

Noe wants to serve as your judge simply because he is the the most qualified candidate and Cameron County needs experienced judges.

At the same time, he has often voiced respect for Justices of the Peace, like his opponent in this runoff. But respecting someone does not mean pretending that a Justice of the Peace Court and a District Court are the same. 

They are not. The 107th District Court requires serious courtroom experience, judgment and preparation from day one.
Noe is the only candidate that can offer what this court needs, and he will not apologize for his experience.

He is an open book and will not run from the truth. And he will not stop working for Cameron County.
Join us and let's put him in office. We humbly ask for your vote.

Today, Tuesday, May 26, is Election Day. Polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

HUNDREDS PARTICIPATE IN BROWNSVILLE'S ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY SILENT MARCH

 

ALONG MILITARY HIGHWAY, MEMORIAL DAY IS ETERNAL

As you get ready for another Memorial Day Weekend pause for a minute or two to dwell on the picture on top. These are Marine dead being brought out of North Korea to be taken to their final resting place...
These men never got another "three day weekend", holiday, chance to be with loved ones, or just another day period...They went and I'm sure – since I was in – that they bitched, but still did their jobs and some didn't come home; this weekend is for them and is the most "expensive" holiday in the US.
All our war dead earned this three day weekend for all of us, enjoy. Go easy bros...
 

By Juan Montoya

Doña Mari is having a pulga, once again

She’s pulled out the folding table and
laid the clean white cloth upon it and neatly,
like an undertaker, lays out her goods

Along the river road that natives trod
And Oblates walked, preaching of God
Where Thornton skirmished and soldiers died

Sits Doña Mari, biding her time

Like clockwork, each Saturday,

the neighbors see Doña Mari, under the shade of the gnarled mesquite tree
A few cars stop and we can overhear the talk

“How much you asking for this cartridge belt?,” asks he

“You mean this green one, by the worn fatigues,” says she
That was my son’s, my Juan's, the one he used to wear
I
 still remember how he taught the neighborhood kids to march
and turn, and do right face

You should have seen them marching through the living room...
You can’t imagine how much pride I felt...
Oh, no, I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t sell that belt.”

“Well, how much for that dress cap with the shiny bill,” she’s asked
“He’s wearing it with his dress blues here,” she cuts him off, and picks the photo up
“You can just see how proud he felt,
trying to look so fierce, so...official, can you see?

But you can tell that he was still so young,
my only one, my Juan...
I’m, I’m sorry, I just can’t see myself selling that one.”

“Pardon me, sir?,” she asks the man with boots in hand
“I asked how much you want for these,” says he
I was in the service once and...”

“Oh, how he used to shine and shine those boots until he saw his face on them,” she said

“‘Spit-shine’ was what he used to say...
Now, why did I bring those out...
No, no, no, they’re...they’re not for sale today.”

Her hands wring the apron as she moves among her wares
The hands that counted rosary beads
Each night he wasn’t there

“And this folded flag with medal pinned?
How much for these?,” she’s asked

“Oh, no, I can’t, that’s all this country left to me,” said she

“A week before I got them, two nice young men knocked on this door
and when I saw them, standing there erect and neat,
they tried to act like they were used to it...

Then they told me that my son was gone...
In distant, hostile sands, they say he died
I screamed at them that they had lied...
That my son Juan, my only one, was coming back...
No me pregunten como, I just know that...

So you see, I cannot possibly sell that flag

Perhaps you’d like a nice backpack instead?”

The cars are gone, the light of day subsides

As Doña Mari wraps up her merchandise 
She neatly folds the greens, and packs the gear
In the green foot locker she keeps near
The belt, the boots, the picture dear

And those old fingers pull the long white table cloth and in it wraps her goods

Doña Mari will have another pulga soon

And out will come the boots and belt, the folding table, to meet the crowds 

And she will lay the long white cloth upon it like a shroud

CHENTE LAUDS TREVINO'S COMMITMENT TO VETERANS

 

By Eddie Treviño
Cameron County Judge

I want to sincerely thank Congressman Vicente Gonzalez for his kind words and for his continued commitment to the veterans of South Texas.

Our veterans deserve our respect, our gratitude, and our support not just with words, but through action. Throughout my time as County Judge, I have always worked to support the men and women who served our country and sacrificed so much for our freedoms.

I am grateful for Congressman Gonzalez’s friendship and for the work he continues to do to ensure our veterans and their families receive the care, services, and recognition they deserve.

Cameron County will always stand with our veterans. 

MEJOR EDDIE TREVINO POR CONOCIDO, QUE GUERRA POR CONOCER

CRITICAL RACE POETRY OF RANGERS HANGING A "GREASER"...

(Ed.'s Note: Few people would find art in such a mundane thing as band of Texas Rangers hanging a Mexican after he supposedly stole the company's bugle and woke them up foolishly blowing it while they slept. A reflection of the times, perhaps, but this is the kind of literature that would probably be banned in classrooms by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his fellow anti-critical race theory legislators in Austin. 

Yet, on April 21, 1875, the Dallas Daily Herald printed the poem in its front page called "Hanging the Chaparral, or the Midnight Bugler." written by someone with the pseudonym of Buckskin Sam. There is much mirth and bravado in the tale of a company of  Rangers busy with one Mexican, a tree, and a noose. Then "a half dozen boys who like that sort of fun" pull on the rope.

The simple plot revolves around a band of rangers looking for Mexicans and routing them from a camp, then catching one in the chaparral accused of stealing the company bugle after he foolishly blows it at night and wakes them up. It goes downhill from there on. They string him up, he refuses to tell them where Cortina is, and they ride on leaving the Mexican hanging " a warning to all Greasers." We thank author/researcher Dr. Marie-Theresa Hernández, a professor in the Languages department at University of Houston, for bringing it to our attention.)

"Remember the Alamo," this
The war-cry shrill and clear
Of our brave band of rangers fell
Upon the bandits' ears
As in the morning, damp and still
We dashed into their camp
And woke them from their slumbers by
The thunder of our tramp..."

Few were our numbers, many they,
But on our side was right;
We shot them down remorselessly
Nor spared them in the fight
They fled in terror – all who escaped
From our avenging hand
For quarter was not given then
Along the Rio Grande

(After the slaughter, they make camp and are awakened by a Mexican blowing the company's bugle and capture the man, allegedly one of Cortina's men. He refuses to give them information on Cortina and they hang him.)

"What's up my boys," says Donaldson

Is this some thievin' Mex

That stole a bugle from Ft. Brown

He'd better pass his cheeks,

Put out a half-dozen scout

And scour the chaparral

And if we take him prisoner, 

We'll ticket him to (hell)

(They capture a Mexican in the chaparral and return him wounded, and he refuses to talk)

They're coming, here they are," says Cap

And got a sneaking cuss

Dog-gone your dirty picture, why

Did you make such a fuss

Why didn't you come up decently

And say yer wanted hanging?

Where's Cortina and his band?

Look here now, none your shamin'

But not a word the bugler spoke

He fiercely looked around

While from his arms and from his cheek

The blood slow trickled down

"Bring me a rope, we'll find his tongue

You bet your bottom dollar

Here, Toby, make a hangsman knot

And fit him to a collar..."

The rope was looped around his neck

Then, o'er the limb was run

And half a dozen of the boys

Who liked that sort of fun

Pulled steadily upon the hemp

And brought him up standing

Till he was black as any nig

On Mississippi landing

"Hold on," says Cap

I'll interview the cuss

He'll give us information

If not, we'll treat him worse.

Now, Greaser, this is your last chance

Too do a  Christian deed

Where's Cortina, tell us quick

Or be hung up for seed."

From mortal fear and loss of blood

The bugler's legs they quiver

But knowing well he ne'er again

Will see his Grande river

He braced himself and gazed around

Like tiger cat at bay

Then yelled, "Viva la Cortina"

Which was his final say...

For e're he finished high he swung...

Then hastily we packed out traps

And take our morning meal

Fall into line, answer the roll

And southward silently steal

Leaving the rigid bugler there

Slow swaying 'neath the tree

A warning to all Greasers, who

May chance that way to be....

BROWNSVILLE AT THE ECONOMIC CROSSROADS: THE NEXT MOVE MATTERS

(Author's Note: I am submitting the attached op-ed for consideration to your fine online publication. The column examines Brownsville’s economic transition driven by SpaceX and LNG development at the Port of Brownsville and argues that workforce alignment will determine whether local residents fully benefit from this transformation. While these projects have been widely reported, this piece takes a broader structural view of how Cameron County’s service-heavy employment base is shifting toward aerospace manufacturing and energy exports, and why technical education and workforce coordination are critical at this moment. Thank you for your time and consideration. I would be glad to provide any revisions or additional information if helpful.)

By Arnoldo Rangel
Opinion

Brownsville is entering the most significant economic transition in generations.

For decades, Cameron County’s economy has leaned heavily on education, healthcare, government, retail, hospitality, and border trade. 

According to Workforce Solutions Cameron, governmental employment like education and health services alone account for more than 42 percent of county employment, with trade and transportation adding another 17 percent. That structure has provided stability — but it has also limited industrial depth and capped wage growth for many families.

Now, two powerful forces are reshaping the economic map of South Texas: SpaceX at Starbase and liquefied natural gas (LNG) development at the Port of Brownsville.

This is not incremental growth. It is structural transformation.

SpaceX has reported more than 3,400 full-time employees and contractors at Starbase, along with over 21,000 indirect jobs in the region, according to Cameron County’s local impact report. Regional reporting and in-house reviews have cited billions of dollars in economic activity tied to the project. 

Meanwhile, Rio Grande LNG’s first phase alone has been reported as an approximately $18 billion investment, with thousands of projected jobs during construction and long-term operations.

These projects do more than add jobs. They diversify the regional economy in three measurable ways.

First, they increase sector diversity. Brownsville is shifting from a predominantly service-based model toward a hybrid economy that includes aerospace manufacturing and energy exports. Tradable industries like these bring external capital into the region rather than simply recycling local spending.

Secondly, they raise the wage ceiling. Aerospace engineering, industrial maintenance, welding, machining, and plant operations create higher-paying career pathways that did not previously exist at scale in Cameron County. Skilled trades and technical roles build a middle-income ladder that strengthens economic mobility. And federal money carries with it the requirement of the payment of prevailing wages across the industries they fund.

Thirdly, they deepen capital investment. Multi-billion-dollar projects anchor long-term infrastructure, expand port capacity, and reduce reliance on government and retail cycles. That strengthens resilience against economic downturns.

Diversification is underway. But diversification alone does not guarantee shared prosperity.

The decisive question is whether local residents will be positioned to fill these higher-wage roles — or whether those jobs will increasingly go to imported labor while Valley families remain concentrated in lower-wage service sectors.

The good news is that the Rio Grande Valley is not starting from scratch.

Texas State Technical College in Harlingen offers programs in welding technology, industrial maintenance, precision machining, electrical power and controls, and advanced manufacturing — all directly aligned with aerospace and LNG industry needs. South Texas College provides short-term certifications and workforce retraining programs that allow working adults to transition into industrial careers without committing to four-year degrees. 

And Texas Sout5hmost College and the Texas A&M University have teamed up with TSTC to establish the RGV Advanced Manufacturing Hub at the Port of Brownsville.

Workforce Solutions Cameron supports apprenticeships, on-the-job training partnerships, and employer coordination that help connect residents directly to new opportunities.

The foundation exists. What is required now is coordination and urgency.

Industrial growth must be matched by expanded technical training capacity, accessible workforce pathways, and infrastructure planning that keeps housing affordable and mobility intact. High school students should see aerospace and energy careers as attainable futures within their own community. 

Working adults should have streamlined pathways to reskill without leaving the region.

If workforce alignment keeps pace with industrial investment, Brownsville can evolve into a diversified industrial-export hub where aerospace and energy coexist with healthcare and trade — and where local families climb the wage ladder alongside economic growth.

If alignment lags, the region risks becoming a two-speed economy: capital investment rising, but opportunity unevenly distributed.

Brownsville stands at an inflection point. The engines are already firing. The decision now is whether we scale education, workforce systems, and infrastructure quickly enough to rise with them.

The next chapter of Cameron County’s economy is being written. Whether it broadens prosperity depends on what we do now.

("I am twice the man of any man half my size.": Ernie Rangel)

AND YOU MAGA SUPER PATRIOTS ARE OK WITH THIS? SHAME

The Reward a Traitor slush fund commission is going to have a tough time with their reward amounts. How much for shitting in the capital (shows creativity) versus constructing a gallows for Mike Pence (are materials reimbursed ?) What about the members of Congress who were involved? Is good planning rewarded for the people who brought zip ties to restrain Congress members? Do spouses of judges get a payout? It’s mind boggling.

DEAR ERNIE, PLEASE KEEP THIS FOR YOUR FILES...

 

THE STAGE IS SET FOR ELECTION DAY NEXT TUESDAY...

JOIN OR OBSERVE BROWNSVILLE'S ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY SILENT MARCH

Join your neighbors and supporters of military veterans for Brownsville’s Annual Memorial Day Silent March on Monday, May 25, at 10:00 a.m. The march begins at the corner of H‑E‑B on Central Blvd. and Boca Chica Blvd. and proceeds to Veterans Park (2600 Central Blvd.), next to the Main Branch Library.

ARE WE SURE WE WANT YET ANOTHER (JOSEPH) LUCIO IN OFFICE?

 

BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE. NICE KNOWING YOU, FIDO.

IF THIS IS DRAINING THE SWAMP, HOLD ON TO YOUR WALLET...

Rep. Ted Lieu called on Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to resign on Wednesday after a CNN interview in which Blanche appeared to leave the door open for Jan. 6 rioters who attacked police to receive taxpayer payouts from the DOJ's new $1.776 billion fund. 

When CNN's Paula Reid asked directly whether people convicted of hurting police should receive government money, Blanche responded, "People that hurt police get money all the time." 

The remark drew immediate and fierce condemnation, with two Capitol Police officers filing a federal lawsuit the same day to block the fund entirely.

NOE GARZA: A 107TH DISTRICT COURT JUDGE WHO'LL BE THERE WHEN IT MATTERS

By El Licenciado de Veras

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Your Family Deserves a Judge Who’s Been There!

Walk into any courtroom in Cameron County and you'll hear it. The 107th District Court race. The skinny. El rrun rrun.

But when you strip away the noise, the question is simple: Who do you trust when it actually matters?

This isn’t traffic court. This is where a mother fights to keep her child, where a man stands accused, hoping someone will listen. Where everything you’ve built can be taken away in a single decision.

And when you’re standing there, none of the politics matters. Only the person on the bench.

Noe Garza didn't grow up with connections. He is the son of immigrants. He attended public schools. There were no shortcuts. While still in school, Noe was already grinding, putting himself through college, learning what it meant to earn every opportunity, not just for himself, but for the people who depended on him.

That matters.

Because when you’ve lived that life, you don’t forget what it feels like to walk into a courtroom and have everything on the line.

For almost 40 years, Noe has stood next to families just like yours. Not in theory. Not in a classroom.
In real courtrooms. With real consequences. More than 300 trials. Real cases. Real consequences.  Moments where the truth had to be sorted from noise. Where someone had to make sense of chaos.
Where someone had to stand up when it mattered most.

You’ll hear people say a judge should be “nice.” And of course, respect matters. But nice is easy.
What's hard is making the right call when the pressure is on. Knowing what matters and what doesn't. Getting it right when someone's life is on the line.

That’s the difference. And that difference comes from experience. When it's your child, and a judge is deciding custody... When it's your freedom, and everything is on the line...

When it's your business, and everything you've worked for is at risk...When it's your future sitting in that courtroom.

What you want is simple. You want someone who’s fair. Someone who listens. Someone who will treat you right. That’s what matters.

Not talk. Not appearances. You need someone who has seen it before. Someone who knows what truly matters. Someone who understands the difference between real evidence and empty claims. That kind of judgment isn’t learned from a book. It’s earned.

Los Fresnos City Commissioner Juan Munoz and family support Noe 

Imagine it’s your family. Your son accused of something he didn’t do. Your mother’s estate being fought over. Your business hanging by a thread. Who do you want making that decision?

Someone who hopes they get it right? Or Someone who has stood in a courtroom more than 300 times and made it count? Noe Garza brings more than experience. He brings understanding. He knows what it means to work. And he knows what it means to stand beside people when everything is on the line.

That’s who he is. Judges are elected to do the hard things when they’re hard, not when they’re easy.
Vote Noe Garza.

Because when your family’s future is at stake, experience isn’t optional. 

Today is the last day for early voting. Election day is Tuesday May 26.

Your voice matters. Use it.

HECK, WE MAY BE DIRT-POOR WHITES, BUT AT LEAST WE AIN'T BLACK...

WELFARE DEMOGRAPHICS: WE BE MIGHTY PO'

LOS FRESNOS MENDOZA: PUBLIC SERVICE ISN'T JUST ABOUT HOLDING OFFICE, IT'S ABOUT UNDERSTANDING OUR PEOPLE

Ancelmo Naranjo, who came in third in the race for JP 4-1, endorses Mendoza

By Juan Mendoza

Justice of the Peace, Pct. 4-1

As Constable for my precinct, I spearheaded the ASAP (Absent Student Assistance Program) to address truancy and better support our youth. 

What began as a pilot initiative in Los Fresnos proved so impactful that it was later adopted in San Benito and other parts of the Rio Grande Valley.

   

But what stayed with me most wasn't just the success of the program – it was the people. 

Knocking on doors, sitting with parents, listening to their stories, and learning about the challenges their families were facing opened my eyes to the true power of community engagement.

It reminded me that public service is not just about enforcement – it's about connection. When we take the time to meet the families where they are, build trust, and work together, we strengthen not only our schools, but the entire community.

Now as Justice of the Peace, the experience allows me to more effectively serve our families and thoughtfully address truancy issues with understanding, accountability and compassion.