AND ALL THAT TIME WE THOUGHT ZORILLOS COULDN'T SWIM...

Corners News

Laredo, Texas - A high speed vehicle pursuit near the U.S. Mexico border ended dramatically Friday afternoon when a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) patrol unit rolled into the Rio Grande due to an electronic malfunction, though no one was injured.

According to a statement from the DPS Public Information Officer, the incident began at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Friday when a DPS trooper assisted U.S. Border Patrol with a traffic stop on a white Ford Fusion traveling on U.S. Highway 83 South near Mangana Hein Road.

The driver refused to stop, prompting a pursuit. The Ford Fusion continued west on Don Camilo Boulevard from U.S. 83, approaching the intersection of Riddle Drive and Wilfrano Drive. The vehicle then veered off road toward the river and became disabled on a dirt hill.

The driver and two passengers fled the vehicle on foot and ran toward the river. As troopers pursued the suspects, the DPS unit experienced a malfunction with its electronic safety park/brake switch, causing the unoccupied patrol vehicle to roll into the river. The trooper was not inside the unit at the time, and no injuries resulted from the fleet accident.

The two passengers were arrested and confirmed to be in the country illegally. The driver successfully swam across the river back into Mexico and was not apprehended. DPS officials stated that the suspects vehicle will be processed for evidence.

The incident highlights the challenges law enforcement faces in border operations, including vehicle pursuits that can quickly escalate in rugged terrain near the Rio Grande. No further details on charges or the identities of those involved were immediately released.

This account is based off official DPS PIO statement.

THE FALLACY OF RACE SUPERIORITY AND MANIFEST DESTINY

BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS, WHO COME TO YOU IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING...

 

Feminist News

Pete Hegseth — Secretary of Defense, self-proclaimed Christian warrior, man who tattooed "Deus Vult" (God wills it, the battle cry of the Crusades) on his body — led a prayer service at the Pentagon and solemnly recited what he called "Ezekiel 25:17."

There's just one problem.

That's not a Bible verse. That's a Quentin Tarantino script.

The "prayer" Hegseth read is Samuel L. Jackson's famous monologue from Pulp Fiction — a speech the character Jules Winnfield delivers right before he executes someone. Jules himself admits in the film that he never actually looked it up. He recited it because, and I quote, "I thought it was just a cold-blooded thing to say to a motherf---er before you popped a cap in his ass."

Hegseth didn't know the difference.

The actual Ezekiel 25:17 is one sentence long. One sentence. The man could have opened any Bible — they're literally free — or Googled it in 4 seconds. 

But he didn't, because this was never about the Bible. It was never about faith. It was about performance. It was about vibes. It was about using the aesthetics of Christianity as a prop, the way his boss holds up a Bible he's never read for a photo-op outside a church he teargassed peaceful protesters to reach.

And this is the perfect metaphor for this entire administration.
They don't read. They don't study. They don't believe — not really. They just make things up that sound authoritative, recite them with confidence, and trust that their base won't check. Whether it's economic policy, immigration law, Constitutional precedent, or apparently Scripture — it's all vibes and fabrication all the way down.

Christianity — a faith centered on caring for the poor, welcoming the stranger, and loving your enemy — has been hijacked and weaponized into a shield for white nationalist imperialism. For mass deportations. For bombing campaigns blessed with fake Bible verses. 

For a "Religious Liberty Commission" that exists to give powerful people the right to discriminate, not to protect the vulnerable.

TRAIL OF QUESTIONABLE JUDGMENT, PERFORMANCE, DOGS LAGUNA VISTA MAYORAL CANDIDATE DARLA JONES

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

At Laguna Vista, rumors of past blunders by mayoral candidate Darla Jones are not jut rumors, they're a documented record.

These stories aren't based on rumors or opinions. They come from official records, internal evaluations, formal public information requests, and a written statement from respected individuals in the community stretching more than a  decade. When you look at everything together, it raises real concerns.

Documentation acquired through public information requests to the City of South Padre Island confirms there is additional information on city files, with certain personal details withheld under state law. Even with those redactions, what was released paints a clear picture.

The information released of incidents during her time serving as Assistant City Manager for the City of South Padre Island, shows Jones received a formal written warning for violating city policy involving alcohol on city property during a work-related event. 

That alone might be written off as a lapse in judgment, but the rest of the record shows similar issues continuing over time. But 

internal evaluations document repeated concerns about transparency and communication. There were multiple instances where significant project issues, budget concerns, and operational problems were known in advance, in some cases months ahead of time, but were not communicated until much later. 

Those delays limited city leadership’s ability to respond, increased risk to the city, and allowed problems to grow before they were addressed.

These weren’t isolated situations. The record speak for itself and shows she was coached more than once on the same types of issues, including the need to clearly communicate major changes, costs, and risks. Yet, a careful reading indicates that despite that guidance, similar concerns continued to appear.

One of the most serious issues documented relates to how required public processes were handled. Evaluations note that proper public participation procedures were not consistently followed. This cannot be considered minor technical issues. These processes exist to protect the city, ensure transparency, and avoid legal challenges.

According to the evaluations, failures in these required processes were linked to two lawsuits in that same year.

If you're a Laguna Vista resident and care about the city, that matters.
It means the breakdown didn’t stay internal. It escalated into legal action. It exposed the city to risk. It required time, resources, and public funds to address. And ultimately, those consequences fall on the community.

This is not  a hypothetical risk. This is documented impact.

Her evaluations also raise concerns about judgment and leadership. Notes reflect situations where recommendations were not aligned with the city’s best interests, along with ongoing communication challenges and difficulty working effectively with others. There are also comments about being overly critical in day-to-day operations and how that impacted staff and collaboration.

And these concerns aren’t limited to internal documents.

Local resident Tara Rios submitted a written statement describing an interaction she experienced that she says was aggressive, inappropriate, and intimidating, and it happened in front of her children. 

According to her account, what should have been a routine situation escalated unnecessarily. She raised concerns about how authority was used and formally requested that the situation be reviewed, noting that it may reflect a broader pattern of behavior.

When you step back and look at all of this together, the disciplinary action, the repeated coaching, the delayed communication of known issues, and the fact that documented process failures were linked to two lawsuits in a single year, along with a real experience from someone in the community, it becomes harder to dismiss these as isolated incidents.

The same concerns show up again and again.

At some point, it stops being coincidence and starts being a pattern.
Voters should step back and ask themselves: Is this who you want leading the town? 

VFW FETES VETERANS' SPOUSES THIS COMING MAY 8

FOR TRUMP, THE IRAN MESS IS NOW THE ARTLESSNESS OF A DEAL

The Other 98%

The man who literally wrote "The Art of the Deal" is now reportedly offering to unfreeze $20 billion in Iranian assets to reopen a strait that was wide open before he started his war of choice, and the greatest business mind in human history is scrambling to buy his way out of a crisis he created. 

This is the same man who recently referred to the Strait of Hormuz as the "Strait of Iran," which tracks, because at this point he basically handed it to them.

The staggering irony here is impossible to ignore. Under the Obama nuclear deal, the U.S. lifted sanctions on frozen Iranian funds and sent $1.7 billion to settle decades-old failed contracts, the very arrangement trump and Republicans spent years calling a national disgrace and a handout to terrorists. 

That deal came with real, verified nuclear limits and rigorous international inspections. Now the world's greatest negotiator is looking at paying $20 billion for a deal that offers weaker protections and still has gaping holes, including on the Strait itself.

And as of today, even the definition of "open" is up for debate. Iran declared the strait open for commercial vessels while simultaneously requiring ships to follow a state-controlled route near Iranian coastline. trump hailed it as a win while keeping the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports fully in place. 

So the man who turned Atlantic City casinos into spectacular financial rubble is running the same playbook on American foreign policy: walk in with swagger, blow up what was working, and then pay more than you would have originally to dig out of the hole. 

The only difference is this time the rest of the world is holding the debt.

ANOTHER MONUMENTAL MASSAGE TO HIS HUGE EGO: THE ARC D'TRUMP

President Donald J. Trump’s 250-foot “triumphal arch” has been preliminarily approved by a federal commission. The monument, whose cost has not been released, carries the feel of a Trump design: It is simply massive.

MICHIGAMA NATIVES GET A TASTE OF BARBACOA DE CABEZA DE VENDADO

 By Juan Montoya

Just recently, actually, a few days ago, as I surfed idly through the Spectrum channels, I came across a segment of MeatEater, hosted by Steven Rinella, and saw an episode where he was demonstrating the cooking of a venison head attempting to duplicate a story he had read of early Mountain Men doing it.

His skeptical hunter friends turned up their noses at the thought of eating the meat, but watched as he wrapped it in aluminum foil and then in a wet burlap bag and tossed it under the coals of a fire. After a few hours, the head was unwrapped and the hunters were surprised at how good the barbacoa de cabeza de venison was. 

Now, I'd be lying if I was to say that I'm a big fan of barbacoa de cabeza.

Each Sunday you can see the lines forming at the well-known places all over town that specialize in this typical Sunday fare (like Vera's and Marcelo's on Southmost). Entire families crowd around the doors of these establishments to purchase a few pounds of the steamed beef-head meat. They either drive through the places or emerge from the stores and restaurants with brown paper bags spotted dark with the grease from this delicacy.

Add in a few dozen corn tortillas, salsa, cilantro and diced onions, and presto! you have the traditional South Texas Sunday barbacoa.

As I said, I'm no fan. Oh, yeah, I will partake of a taquito or two, but just looking at the grease coagulating on the wax paper makes my heart hurt.

However, as the saying goes, distance makes the heart grow fonder.

I was in the middle of the Michigan peninsula (the Middle of the Mitten) in the mid-1980s working for a Saginaw newspaper and living near Mt. Pleasant, about an hour and a half away. 

In those days the Mexican food craze hadn't reached out into the Michigama hinterlands. If you wanted fresh menudo or even barbacoa, you just about had to cook it yourself. That opportunity presented itself one night when my late father-in-law and my cuñados – all of them Chippewa Tribal members – went out hunting for a deer on their 80 allotted acres. Unlike many Natives, they hadn't clear-cut all their property so the Bureau of Indian Affairs could not rent them to local farmers for a song and instead kept them in their natural state of tall pine and thick underbrush. It was an ideal habitat for animals, not few of which were entire herds  of white-tail deer.

Natives are allowed to hunt on their allotted property without restrictions year-round, a throwback to the old treaties that allowed them to hunt for subsistence any time of the year.

About an hour or so after they left they returned with a large doe. Those deer are not the pygmies we know in South Texas. They stand shoulder high or taller than man.  They set about to skin it and hung it from its hind legs to a nearby tree as they butchered it. I was watching them as they did it and after they cut off the head, I asked them what they were going to do with it.

"We'll give it to the dogs," they answered and were about to heave it nearby when I asked them if I could have it.
"What for?," they asked.
"I'm going to make barbacoa out of it," I said to their startled looks.

Since it was the dead of winter the ground was frozen hard and there was no way that I could even get a spade into the ground, I skinned the head of hide and hair and wrapped it in thick aluminum foil. I made a small hole at the top and prepared some spices which I mixed in water and poured it into the opening. I then set the oven at 350 degrees and forgot about it for the rest of the night.

My late mother-in-law had heard about me asking for the doe's head and had wandered over to see what her crazy Mexican son-in-law was going to do with the doe's head. When she came in the door, she was met by the glazed-eye gaze of the doe head resting on the oven's open door, it's tongue hanging out of one side of its mouth.

"Geez, Faithy," she asked her daughter genuinely frightened. "What is that?"

In the morning the household woke up to the fragrance of freshly-made barbacoa. The wafer-thin bones of the doe's head literally slid off the tender, succulent flesh. Since the doe was a woodland animal and ate the foliage of the Michigan forest, there was little, if any, fat at all on the carcass.

The smell wafted through the nearby homes and it wasn't long before my in-laws and cuñados were crowding in the door to investigate. My ex had learned how to make flour tortillas by hand under the tutelage on my mom in Brownsville and a fresh batch was coming off the griddle. I had cooked up a green salsa and the plates were ready.

When my mother-in-law entered the door attracted by the smell, I pulled up the chair of honor and placed a fresh flour tortilla with barbacoa before her.

"In honor of your place and out of of respect for our elders we saved the eyes for you," I told her.

It was a while before we could convince her that I had only been kidding.

NEXT, SHE WILL BE DRESSED UP AS AN IRANIAN NEGOTIATOR...

Pilot downed in Iran visits the White House. Looks familiar, can’t quite place her though. Wow, the Door Dash grandma is a pilot too? That's amazing.

WHEN HE DIES, WAIT FOR THREE DAYS JUST TO MAKE SURE...

 

Below: Famed Chicago hot dog stand "The Wiener’s Circle" is making its voice heard amid the Trump–Pope Leo feud

EX SBEDC CEO RIOS DEPO REVEALS SERIOUS PROCEDURAL QUESTIONS

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

San Benito, Texas – As questions continue to grow surrounding a $3.4 million lien that appears to have never been formally approved, sworn testimony has revealed a deeper issue inside the San Benito Economic Development Corporation, one centered not on a a single decision, but on the flawed process followed to make those decisions in the first place.  

In deposition testimony, former EDC board president Julia Rios acknowledged that despite clear requirements for city-level approval on contracts and amendments, actions were often taken without internal administrative direction rather than the strict compliance with governance rules.

Rios admitted that, during his time in leadership, he relied on guidance provided by Jose Morales, husband of commissioner Deborah Morales when executing official actions. That reliance, even in situations where governing documents required formal approval beyond the board, in now raising serious concerns about whether proper procedures were consistently followed.

The structure of the EDC exists to ensure accountability. The board is expected to act collectively, major decisions are to be documented, and oversight mechanisms are in place to protect public assets. But testimony now suggests that those safeguards safeguards may not have been applied ass intended.

Of particular concern, Rios confirmed that amendments to major agreements were executed without documented city approval, despite language requiring it. When questioned, he described those actions as part of of what he understood to be normal operational practice at the time, pointing to internal direction rather than formal authorization.

That distinction is critical because when formal procedures are replaced with informal practices, the system designed to protect public funds tends to break down.

The result is what is now unfolding: A multimillion dollar financial obligation tied to public property, with no clear record of board approval and no documented vote reflecting authorization.

Rios further testified that he di not recall consulting legal counsel on key decisions and repeatedly pointed back to SBEDC meeting minutes rather than confirming whether proper approvals were ever formally obtained. In multiple instances, he was unable to verify that significant actions were taken in accordance with required procedures.

Taken together, the testimony presents a picture of an organization operating with blurred lines of authority, where decisions were influenced by internal direction rather than consistently anchored in formal governance  requirements. Rios testimony shows indicated that this was not simply about one document. 

Rather, it was about the system that allowed it to exist. In this case, his testimony shows that  governance is not defined by intent, but rather by process. And when that process was not followed, accountability became unavoidable. What is now coming into focus is not just a financial question, but a structural one. 

The question emerges: How dis a system designed to require oversight allow a decision of this magnitude to move forward without clear city commission approval? And how many other decisions followed the same path? 

BACK TO THE FUTURE: THINGS ARE DIFFERENT, YET REMAIN THE SAME...

GARZA RUNNING ON LEGACY OF PERSERVERANCE, HARD WORK TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY TO GAIN 107TH DISTRICT COURT

By Noe Garza Jr.

Runoff Candidate, 107th District Court

This past Saturday, I was presented with something I will never forget.

It is a book about my life—written, designed, and published by three of my strongest supporters: Nereida Arredondo, Aracely Rodríguez, and Napoleón Rodríguez.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. This is a gift I never expected, and one I will always value.
The book is titled Un Corazón Sin Fronteras — A Heart Without Borders… El Legado-The Legacy.

The cover is powerful. It shows a young boy looking toward the man he would become—and a man looking back at the child he once was. Both are me.

That child came from humble beginnings in El Tahuachal, Matamoros. Born without medical care, nearly lost at birth, and a survivor of Hurricane Beulah. 

Through faith, perseverance, and opportunity, that journey led to a career of 39 years as a lawyer—and now, a candidate for the 107th District Court.

This gift is more than a book. It is a reminder of the trust and belief others have placed in me.

I am grateful to be the leading candidate—but this election comes down to turnout. I need your vote.

Early voting: May 18–22

Election Day: May 26

ON THE ROAD NORTH, FREDDY HIGH AGAIN ON HIS H20 PIPA

(After months of scraping and preparation, workers have finally repainted the San Benito water tower along the expressway with the portrait of Freddy Fender (AKA Baldemar Huerta) that had been removed during the repairs. This was sent from one of our seven readers who drove by on the way to the VA Clinic in Harlingen.) 

 

REMEMBERING RUDY ACUNA AND HIS OCCUPIED AMERICA: J.T. CANALES; "CORTINA WAS OUR PREDECESSOR IN FIGHTING FOR OUR PEOPLE AND AGAINST RACE DISCRIMINATION."

Original El Rrun-Rrun Graphic

(The first time I heard of Juan N. Cortina taking over Brownsville was during an American Culture class at the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor in 1975. I wasn't taught of him in elementary, middle school or high school at the Brownsville Independent School District or Texas Southmost college before I transferred there. The book was "Occupied America" and I had the chance to talk some of it over with Acuña when he attended UM on a research-teaching fellowship. Soft-spoken and unassuming, Acuña echoed Brownsville's J.T. Canales in his letter to a fellow Chicano activist, Alonso Perales. Research into this aspect of Texas history is now underway and perhaps local Mexicano kids will be able to learn of these ancestors who fought for the respect of their civil rights. Acuña passed this past March 23. RIP.)

By Juan Montoya

Despite the demonization of Juan Nepomuceno "Cheno" Cortina – who took over Brownsville in September 1859 to protest Anglo abuses of Mexicans – the leading Hispanic voices of Texas saw him as the first man to challenge the new established order's mistreatment of their fellow American citizens in South Texas and the denial of their civil rights.

Canales, who served  in the Texas House of Representatives from 1905 to 1910 and from 1917 to 1920  in the Texas House of Representatives, also worked in irrigation law, education, and judicial and tax reform.

He also led the fight in the legislature to reform the Texas Rangers and called attention to their abuse of the rights of Mexican-Americans in the state.

From 1912 to 1914 Canales served as county superintendent of public schools in Cameron County where he stressed the use of the English language, United States patriotism, and rural education. In fact, Canales, a graduate of the University of Michigan, had an elementary school named after him by the Brownsville Independent School District. 

(At the opening of the school in 1949 he talked to students. Notice the barrio children's bare feet.) 

In 1914 he was elected Cameron County judge before returning to Austin as state representative. He, along with San Antonio-based attorney Alonso Perales – who was also  author of "En Defensa de La Raza" and U.S. diplomat –  were among a group of Hispanic leaders in Texas who founded the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). Canales wrote most of its constitution and its members elected him president from 1932 to 1933.

So it was surprising when Dr. Marie Theresa Hernandez, professor at the University of Houston and an author and professor in UH's World Cultures and Literatures Department discovered correspondence between Canales and Perales who viewed Cortina not as Anglo authors painted him as a thief or bandit and the "Rogue of the Rio Grande," but rather as a "predecessor" of Hispanics who defended  Mexican-American civil rights.

In a letter uncovered by Dr. Hernandez dated February 18, 1950 written by Canales to Perales, Canales tells Perales that he had sent copies of a thesis written by his son-in-law Charles W.  Goldfinch for his Master's degree at the University of Chicago in 1949. The only difference between Cortina and them, he said, was in method rather than in purpose 

"I was happy to receive your letter February 14 and also note the high opinion you have of (Goldfinch's thesis) on General Cortina," Canales wrote. "You are right. Cortina was our predecessor in fighting for our people and against race discrimination. He used a different method to accomplish this from the one you and I have been using...

"He used force because that was the only means he had at the time," Canales wrote Perales. "We have used education and an appeal to reason, but it is the same fight and we are merely carrying on what he began in 1859."

Canales then goes on to suggest that Goldfinch's thesis be translated into Spanish, but defends its publication in English saying that:

"Since the fight we have is against the prejudice of the Anglo-American, who speak only their own language, it was more important to write it in English."

Canales then tells Perales that he had sent copies of Goldfinch's thesis to "Texas" historians and that their response to it had been "splendid."

J. Frank Dobie, an American folklorist, writer, and newspaper columnist best known for his many books depicting the richness and traditions of life in rural Texas during the days of the open range who had written "A Vaquero of the Brush Country," among other books, responded to the thesis that Cortina had been maligned by Texas historians based on deep-seated prejudices and bias by writing Canales that: 

 "Dear Don Jose, mi amigo estimado: The older I grow the more difficult the comprehension of truth appears to me. I am sure that if I was rewriting the (book) I should revise some things said about (Cortina)."

Likewise, Dr. W.P. Webb, who wrote what is considered the authoritative book "The Texas Rangers," considered the bible on the subject, said he would have reconsidered Cortina's treatment in it if he had had access to Goldfinch's sources.

"It is too bad that I did not also have access to the other side of the story (meaning when he wrote The Texas Rangers). I think it is very fortunate that this has been done by one who has access to Cortina's side of the tale."

Canales said Webb was not considering a revision of his book, but "If it is, I shall take into account the new evidence on Cortina." Canales said that he had run into Webb who told him there was a new book on Texas history being considered, and "if he has anything to do, he would revise the chapter on Cortina."

He then lists other recipients of the Goldfinch thesis ranging from college presidents and historical scholars to justices of the Texas Supreme Court who all sent complimentary letters after reading it.

"The only way to destroy falsehood is with the true facts presented in a logical manner and documented by historians. This is why I believe that (this thesis) will have the effect to change public opinion among our Anglo-Saxon fellow citizens."

In closing, Canales tells Perales that: "I was very happy to receive your letter and as you have been my loyal collaborator in my effort to clean Texas history from its lies and in vindicating the rights of our Latin American fellow citizens in Texas.

"I am writing you this long letter to you showing what results have been received thus far from (the thesis)."

COUNTY TAX OFFICE HELPING APPLY FOR HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS

CONGRATS TO TEXAS BEST CONJUNTO ORGANIZERS FOR A GREAT SHOW!!

EVEN GALILEO RECANTED IN THE FACE OF STUPIDITY...

 

WE BROUGHT TSC BACK FROM THE BRINK. ANOTHER 100 YEARS, AND BEYOND...

 

TOMORROW, TOMORROW, NOS WACHAMOS, TOMORROW

 

HERE WE GO AGAIN...USING PORT LOGO IS A NO-NO, MARTHA

 

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Good afternoon BND Candidates,

It has come to our attention that certain campaign materials may be utilizing the District’s official Port logo.

Please be reminded that the District does not allow or encourage the use of its official logo in any campaign-related or political advertising materials. We respectfully ask that all candidates review their current and future campaign materials to ensure compliance with this guidance.

For additional information regarding political advertising requirements, please refer to the Texas Ethics Commission’s resources at the link below:

Political Advertising

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Thanks, Regards,
Margie S. Recio /Director of Administrative Service.

P.S. For the uninitiated, being a candidate means that the scrutiny is higher, not lower. In the photo above, Martha Davila – one of three candidates for the Brownsville Navigation District's Place 4 – is using the port's logo to advance her candidacy. Not good, Martha. She has also filmed herself inside the Port of Brownsville's executive building facing the port's main gate. Another no-no.

In the case of the race that Davila is in, the other two candidates – Luis Villarreal and Prisci Roca-Tipton – are also prohibited from using public property and assets for political campaigning. Or the use of the port's logo. They have so far avoided filming in the port's buildings or using the logo fpr their promotions. 

Some folks, apparently, take a bit longer to get it.

PRISCI SLAMS ANTI- MUSLIM SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST GONNELLA, A CATHOLIC

RAISING THE STANDARD FOR OUR COMMUNITY

By Prisci Roca Tipton

What we are seeing in this race is disappointing, but unfortunately not surprising.

The smear campaign against Mr. Shariff Gonnella is reprehensible. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Shariff, and while we are running in different races, I respect his experience, his professionalism, and the way he engages with voters. He has been open, direct, and willing to answer tough questions, and that is what leadership should look like.

Campaigns should be about ideas, experience, and who is best prepared to serve our community. 

They should not be tied to anonymous pages pushing misleading claims or benefiting from the spread of false information. No candidate claiming to stand on high moral ground should be associated with or advertising on pages like this.

I want to be clear. I do not support smear tactics, and I believe our community deserves better than campaigns that rely on them.

Voters deserve facts, not confusion. They deserve transparency, not misinformation.

We all have a responsibility to elevate the level of conversation in this community, and I will continue to stand for that.

I invite you to take a moment to visit Shariff Gonnella for Brownsville Port Commissioner Place 2 @ shariffgonnella.com.

At your service.

FOOL ME ONCE, SHAME ON YOU. FOOL ME TWICE, SHAME ON ME...

WE WON! WE WON! WE WON!

VILLARREAL MAILER ELIMINATING PORT TAXES CAUSING WAVES

"Back in 1936, the Port of Brownsville was built with a promise to the people – that once it became self-sufficient the tax would go away.

Here we are nearly 90 years later. The port is thriving, growing, and succeeding. But families are still paying that tax. 

I believe that a promise made should be kept. This isn't about politics. It's about fairness, accountability and keeping our word to the people. Let's honor that promise – together." 

CHAVEZ SUSPENDED; LA JOYA'S ALDA BENAVIDES APPOINTED NEW BISD SUPERINTENDENT EARLY TODAY

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

 In a marathon meeting lasting until the we hours of the morning today, a majority (5-2) of the board of the Brownsville Independent School District voted to replace Dr. Jesus Chavez with Dr. Alda Benavides, formerly of La Joya, Texas.

The board had previously approved Chavez's retirement effective June 30, but an agenda item titled XII.E.1. Discussion and consideration regarding the Superintendent’s contract, including placing the Superintendent on administrative leave, suspension, or termination of contract was placed on Tuesday's agenda. Discussion and consideration on naming an Interim Superintendent. (Board Agenda Request Carlos Elizondo/Board Support Minerva Pena.

Those voting to suspend Chavez were Elizondo, Peña, Denise Garza, Frank Ortiz, and Neida Ruth Grantland. Those voting against were Daniel Lopez Valdez, and Jessica Gonzalez. 

Benavides graduated from La Joya High School in 1971 and earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Pan American University.

After seven years with the McAllen Independent School District and a stint at the Region One Education Service Center, she returned to La Joya as a counselor. Benavides earned several promotions before taking the top job in September 2006. She abruptly "retired" from the top job with the La Joya BISD in February 2019. 

THEY DON'T WANT TO BE REMINDED OF THIS (CRITICAL RACE THEORY)

"THE PROBLEM WE ALL LIVE WITH": NORMAN ROCKWELL

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

In November 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges became one of the first Black children to integrate an all-white public school in the American South, attending William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

Her enrollment came after federal court orders to desegregate schools following the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Each day, Bridges was escorted to school by U.S. federal marshals as large crowds of white segregationists gathered outside, shouting threats and insults.

Some protesters carried disturbing props, including a small coffin with a Black doll inside, meant to intimidate and terrorize the child. 

Despite this, Bridges continued attending school, often as the only student in her class, taught by teacher Barbara Henry, who agreed to instruct her when others refused.

Her experience became a defining image of the Civil Rights Movement and later inspired works like Norman Rockwell’s 1964 painting “The Problem We All Live With,” which depicted her walk into school under federal protection.

WHAT ABOUT YOU SHOULDN'T DO IT DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? DAVILA FILMED CAMPAIGN AD INSIDE PORT'S EXECUTIVE BLDG.

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Under Texas Election Code § 255.003, a person (including a candidate or officeholder) may not use public funds or public resources for political advertising. All candidates are absolutely covered by this law.

For the uninitiated, being a candidate means that the content of the ad is clearly political advertising. If so, then that scrutiny is higher, not lower. In the ad above, Martha Davila – one of three candidates for the Brownsville Navigation District's Place 4 – is filmed inside the Port of Brownsville's executive building facing the port's main gate. 

So if any candidate films inside a public building, in most cases it is not allowed. This includes filming a campaign ad in city hall, county buildings, port buildings, district buildings, government offices, lobbies, or meeting rooms even if the candidate is not currently an officeholder, no money is exchanged, it's “just a background shot.”  It can still be considered use of a public resource for political advertising.

In the case of the race that Davila is in, the other two candidates – Luis Villarreal and Prisci Roca-Tipton – are also prohibited from using public property and assets for political campaigning. They have so far avoided filming in the port's buildings in their ads.

The key legal logic applies since the issue is not who you are (candidate vs. private citizen), but rather: "Did you use government property or resources to support a campaign? To state it more simply: A public building = government resource; a campaign video = political advertising. That combination is what creates the violation.

Walking through a public building while being filmed incidentally may be a gray area, but  staging or intentionally filming a campaign ad inside is a problem. You simply cannot use it as a campaign asset, even if  they got permission and a public official says: “You can film here.”
They cannot authorize use of public resources for political ads.

The bottom line is that a candidate filming a political ad inside a public building is still likely a violation of Texas law, because it constitutes using public resources for political advertising – regardless of their status as a candidate

Got it?

ONLY 3 MORE DAYS TO TEXAS BEST CONJUNTO IN HARLINGEN

 

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS CANCELS APRIL 12 LAGUNA VISTA CANDIDATES' FORUM AFTER BIAS CONCERNS ARE RAISED

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

Breaking News: League of Woman Voters  cancels candidate forum in Laguna Vista.

They haven't said why, but at  this point, what's going on in this bay city doesn’t feel like an isolated incident anymore, but part of a pattern of something that has been going on for a while. It may help explain the constant online harassment, the bullying, and the half-truths and narratives meant to stir things up instead of actually being useful to the undecided voter.

And – according to some sources – when you look a little closer, resident Natalie Ruiz seems to be right at the center of it. Her close friend, Jeannie Canter, tried to position herself as just an objective member of the women’s forum, but given their close relationship, that’s hard to take at face value.

Meanwhile, mayoral candidate Darla Jones has stayed in the background, circumspect, almost as if she deliberately tried to keep herself removed from it all, even though it is common knowledge that she clearly was an active party and went along with it.

It honestly comes across like this was all coordinated to make their slate look like stronger, when in reality they appear to be reliant on the online negativity and tactics devoid of substance.

The page in question is built around anonymous posts, constant negativity, and repeated attacks, all targeting certain candidates while presenting itself as some kind of impartial information source. That alone, residents say, should raise eyebrows about how this campaign has been handled from those quarters..

Now that same pattern appeared to be spilling into what was promoted as a “candidate forum.” It was supposed to be neutral, but the people behind it have already made their support for certain candidates pretty clear. That prompted the League of Women Voters to step in to clear any suspicion of non impartiality. 

The League has stepped in and canceled the April 12 "until we can unsure that all league policies and guidelines are fully followed." That’s not something that happens for no reason.

At a certain point, people start connecting the dots. When something is presented as neutral but clearly isn’t, it raises real questions about transparency, fairness, and how this whole campaign is being run. It can only be deduced that some of the candidates have relied on skullduggery behind the scenes because they didn’t have a campaign of substance or an actual platform to run, and now it’s evident.

THE STATE OF BROWNTOWN?: THE UNHEALTHIEST CITY IN AMERICA

By Dina Arevalo
WalletHub

It’s an unbelievable distinction.

The unhealthiest city in America. But it’s a distinction that was recently bestowed upon Brownsville, the largest city in the Rio Grande Valley.

Out of 182 large cities across the United States, the city "on the border by the sea" came in dead last in a new ranking of the Healthiest and Unhealthiest Cities in America by personal finance website WalletHub. 

And it wasn’t the only South Texas city orbiting the bottom. Of the 16 major Texas metropolitan statistical areas that made WalletHub’s list, only four cracked the top half on the "healthiest" side of the ranking. The remaining 12 were ranked firmly on the "unhealthiest" side of the coin, including Corpus Christi and Laredo, which joined Brownsville in the bottom 10.

"Where people live can have a big influence on how successful they are at staying in good health," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. "So, the best cities are the ones that provide the greatest access to high-quality healthcare, green spaces, recreation spaces, and healthy food."

To create the ranking, WalletHub culled data from multiple sources in order to assign weighted scores across four major metrics, which the site refers to as "key dimensions" — Health Care, Food, Fitness and Green Space. The site then compared 150 of the most populated American cities, including at least two of the most populated cities in each of the 50 states in order to take into account states with smaller populations.

"The analysis considers everything from the cost of a medical visit to fruit and vegetable consumption and the percentage of adults who are physically active," WalletHub officials said.

Brownsville ranked the worst of any city in terms of fitness, and second-to-last in terms of health care and food. And at No. 172, the city of nearly 195,000 residents also has among the worst access to green spaces, which may have contributed to its ranking within the bottom five when it comes to the percentage of physically active adults.

But other cities in deep South Texas didn’t fare much better. 

For instance, Laredo ranked last for access to mental health counselors, with nine times fewer per capita than Worcester, Massachusetts; Missoula, Montana; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Richmond, Virginia and Manchester, New Hampshire, which all tied for first for counselor availability. The Webb County border city also ranked second-to-last when it came to the number of healthy restaurants per capita.

Meanwhile, of the four cities that made it to the top half of the overall ranking, Austin came in first in a five-way tie for the city with the best access to dieticians and nutritionists per capita. And Plano — an affluent suburb of Dallas — ranked third-best when it comes to its premature death rate.

Here’s how every Texas city ranked overall: Austin (9), Plano (63), Houston (70), Dallas (83), San Antonio (101), Fort Worth (116), Lubbock (130), Garland (133), El Paso (136), Arlington (145), Irving (147), Grand Prairie (154), Amarillo (162), Corpus Christii (175), Laredo (180) and Brownsville (182).

McAllen, the second-largest city in the Valley, which was named the second-fattest city in the nation, was not listed in WalletHub’s ranking of healthiest and unhealthiest cities.

(Dina Arévalo has been a journalist in the Rio Grande Valley since 2004 and is a graduate from Baylor University. She was previously with The Monitor in McAllen covering Hidalgo County governments and KRGV as a weekend technical director and associate producer.)

IF EVER ANYONE HAS BETRAYED U.S., IT HAS BEEN TRUMP

 

GONNELLA "MUSLIM SLURS, CARTEL TIES AGAINST ME ARE BLATANT LIES. IS THIS THE KIND OF COMMUNITY WE WANT TO BE?"

(Ed.'s Note: With port elections coming up less than a month away (May 2), opponents of Place 2 candidate Shariff Gonnella have started posting false accusations against him calling him a "Venezuelan-born Muslim" and alleging that he exported stolen fuel out of the Port of Brownsville for the past 8 years for the drug cartels. Curiously, they echo statements – although these were documented – made against outgoing chairman Steve Guerra, in a runoff for Cameron County Judge. In his answer below, Gonnella counters the allegations that appeared in the anonymous Brownsville and Valley News – and online publication that appears before elections to slur their political opponents. The two other candidates are Alex Najera and David Garcia. Neither has claimed responsibility nor publicly denounced the scurrilous attacks. Gonnella slams his shadowy accusers below.) 

By Shariff Gonnella

I’ve worked across the world in logistics and infrastructure, in environments where facts matter and integrity matters. I have dealt with complex challenges, high-stakes operations, and real responsibility. But I have never seen anything like this kind of politics.

Blatant lies. Fabricated accusations. A complete disregard for the truth.

So I have to ask, what does that say about the people behind these attacks?

What does it say about the candidates they are trying to promote?

Maybe they are afraid of what I bring. Maybe we are challenging interests that are used to control outcomes. Or maybe they still believe that misleading people is a way to win.

But here is what I know. Attacks like this are not aimed at someone irrelevant. 

They are aimed at someone who is connecting with people, gaining momentum, and offering something different. That tells me we are doing something right.

I am not backing down from this. I am addressing it head-on. Because this moment shows the difference between a campaign built on hard work, experience, and real conversations and one built on misinformation and distraction.

Let me be clear.

I was born in Venezuela, raised in the United States, and I am proud to call this country my home. I am a man of faith, a Catholic, and I believe in living with integrity. 

Most importantly, I have lived my life in a way that my children will never see their father compromise his values or step outside the law.

If you want to know who I really am, do not listen to anonymous pages. Look at my work. Look at my experience leading global operations, building infrastructure, and connecting markets around the world.

Go to ShariffGonnella.com. See it for yourself.

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