CITY COMMISH GUS DE LEON ON DENNET ROAD(L), AND ON HIS PRIVATE ROAD (R)
CITY CREWS "DUMP" ASPHALT MILLINGS ON HIS PRIVATE ROAD(L,C), MAKE "ROAD IMPROVEMENTS" ON DENNET ROAD (R)
Friday, September 18, 2026
TRUE TO HIS MASON-DIXON ORIGINS, MITCH RETURNS TO SENATE IN A JAR
Sen. Mitch McConnell returned to Capitol Hill on Monday for the first time after a three-month absence due to health issues. And although his fellow senators tried to shake his hand, they found themselves stymied by the Mason jar enclosure and the disconcerting stench of formaldehyde.
McConnell arrived at the Capitol for the evening vote series in a wheelchair, his appearance noticeably thinner and his speech slower than before his prolonged absence. The 84-year-old was hospitalized on June 14, but did not initially disclose the reason for the hospitalization, leading to weeks of speculation over his health status. He was last seen in a hospital corridor conversing with Elvis Presley.
The Kentucky Republican briefly spoke to reporters upon his return Monday, saying it’s “time to get back to work,” but he did not answer questions, including whether he should have been more transparent about his health during his absence. From outside the jar, his lips could be seen moving, but the senators could not make out what he was saying. Thick bubbles of air floated through the fluid and then sputtered above his head at the top.
“I must admit, after two years — two decades, actually — dodging your questions, I wasn’t sure how many of you would be here today, but I’m glad to see you,” he said.
“Time to get back to work, finish the job for this Congress,” he said, pointing to passing the annual farm bill and aiding Ukraine in its war against Germany and Russia and said he would work to end the war in Vietnam.
Thursday, September 17, 2026
600 DAYS AFTER BIDEN LEFT, TRUMPS STILL BLAMING HIM FOR WOES
Trump keeps blaming Biden. The numbers disagree:
Gas: $3.12 when Biden left. $4.33 today
Diesel: $3.63 then. Nearly $6.00 now
Inflation: Rose from 2.9 percent to 3.4 percent
Wage growth: Dropped. Real wages went negative
GDP: Slows to 1.5 percent in Q2 2026
America was not at war when Biden left It is now
FACTS DON'T LIE.
When Scott Bessent was being grilled by the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Ritchie Torres asked him what the statute of limitations was on the Joe Biden Blame Game. I thought that was brilliant!
SEARCH FOR ALLIGATOR KILLERS FOCUSED AROUND LOS FRESNOS
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
Texas Game Wardens are investigating the killing of an alligator in Cameron County and offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest regarding the dead alligator found recently in the Los Fresnos area of Cameron County.
In pictures posted by game wardens, the gator's mouth was taped, and had cuts on his body and a hole in the head.
Call: 1-800-792-4263 (1-800-792-GAME)
Text: Text the keyword TXOGT followed by your tip to 847411
Online: Visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department tip portal.
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
25 YEARS AGO, TWO FIREFIGHTERS RISKED IT ALL TO HELP CAUSEWAY VICTIMS
By Juan Montoya
El Rrun-Rrun Files
After the collapse of the Queen Isabella causeway, when plaudits rained down upon the firefighters and EMS personnel who rescued victims and pulled out the bodies from the drink below, then-acting Brownsville Fire Department Chief Lenny Perez proudly received the public recognition from then-U.S. Congressman Solomon Ortiz for his firefighters and those from other entities for the gallant rescue of the victims.
Perez accepted the congressional resolution for the firefighters and EMS personnel but failed to mention to the assembled crowd at city hall that the firefighters who were actually there hadn't been notified of the impending ceremony and that he had decided he would accept it in public on their behalf. One of them was put on duty to keep him from publicly accepting the recognition.
Partly as a result of the media coverage, Perez was elevated from interim chief and selected from among four others to head the BFD by then-city manager Charlie Cabler. Perez – disliked by the rank-and-file – then went on to be fire chief with Pharr Fire Department.
"He justified it by claiming that if they recognized just one or two the rest of the firefighters would be resentful so he decided to receive the recognition himself," said retired BFD firefighter David Lopez, "He claimed that he couldn't locate us, when in fact he had assigned us to ambulance duty at the time."
On that September 15 25 years ago, the firefighters and paramedics arrived to find that a 240-foot section of the causeway had been knocked down by a runaway barge and that several cars were already sunk in the waters below some 80 to 90 feet into the dark waters of the Laguna Madre.
When the BFD firefighters arrived, there were Port Isabel and Los Fresnos units at the scene. The two EMS personnel from Los Fresnos, a former Marine and a former Navy veteran, were peering into the dark.
"You could see that some of the headlights were still on in the cars underwater," said one. "We could tell that there was nothing we could do for the people in those cars because the cars were piled on top of each other."
Although some of the drivers and passengers in the cars were able to be saved, some by swimming away on their own, firefighters were unable to see whether the driver of a two-door gray sedan that was teetering on a concrete abutment below was still alive.
"We couldn't tell," said one. "He looked like he was dead."
The firefighters were only able to tie several ropes to the car, an unacceptable method to stabilize the car in case of a rescue attempt.
"When we were talking about the man being probably dead, he made a movement to let us know he was still al
ive," recalls Lopez. "At that point, neither the ex-Marine nor the Navy veteran volunteered to take the risk of going after the man on the unstable car."
A Brownsville firefighter recalls that one of his company was just getting on the scene when they noticed that J.P. Montoya, then working part-time as a Port Isabel EMS paramedic looked in the car and started making his way to the trapped motorist.
"He didn't think twice about it," the firefighter recalled. "The car wasn't stable with just those ropes but he went in after him anyway."
After the collapse of the Queen Isabella causeway, when plaudits rained down upon the firefighters and EMS personnel who rescued victims and pulled out the bodies from the drink below, then-acting Brownsville Fire Department Chief Lenny Perez proudly received the public recognition from then-U.S. Congressman Solomon Ortiz for his firefighters and those from other entities for the gallant rescue of the victims.
Perez accepted the congressional resolution for the firefighters and EMS personnel but failed to mention to the assembled crowd at city hall that the firefighters who were actually there hadn't been notified of the impending ceremony and that he had decided he would accept it in public on their behalf. One of them was put on duty to keep him from publicly accepting the recognition.
Partly as a result of the media coverage, Perez was elevated from interim chief and selected from among four others to head the BFD by then-city manager Charlie Cabler. Perez – disliked by the rank-and-file – then went on to be fire chief with Pharr Fire Department."He justified it by claiming that if they recognized just one or two the rest of the firefighters would be resentful so he decided to receive the recognition himself," said retired BFD firefighter David Lopez, "He claimed that he couldn't locate us, when in fact he had assigned us to ambulance duty at the time."
On that September 15 25 years ago, the firefighters and paramedics arrived to find that a 240-foot section of the causeway had been knocked down by a runaway barge and that several cars were already sunk in the waters below some 80 to 90 feet into the dark waters of the Laguna Madre.
When the BFD firefighters arrived, there were Port Isabel and Los Fresnos units at the scene. The two EMS personnel from Los Fresnos, a former Marine and a former Navy veteran, were peering into the dark.
"You could see that some of the headlights were still on in the cars underwater," said one. "We could tell that there was nothing we could do for the people in those cars because the cars were piled on top of each other."
Although some of the drivers and passengers in the cars were able to be saved, some by swimming away on their own, firefighters were unable to see whether the driver of a two-door gray sedan that was teetering on a concrete abutment below was still alive.
"We couldn't tell," said one. "He looked like he was dead."
The firefighters were only able to tie several ropes to the car, an unacceptable method to stabilize the car in case of a rescue attempt.
"When we were talking about the man being probably dead, he made a movement to let us know he was still al
ive," recalls Lopez. "At that point, neither the ex-Marine nor the Navy veteran volunteered to take the risk of going after the man on the unstable car."A Brownsville firefighter recalls that one of his company was just getting on the scene when they noticed that J.P. Montoya, then working part-time as a Port Isabel EMS paramedic looked in the car and started making his way to the trapped motorist.
"He didn't think twice about it," the firefighter recalled. "The car wasn't stable with just those ropes but he went in after him anyway."
They didn't know it at the time, but then-Cameron County Judge Gilberto Hinojosa was in a Coast Guard boat watching them crawl toward the victim trapped in the car.
Montoya reached the sedan and spoke to the man, who was badly injured as a result of the of the impact with the remnants of the bridge above and the plunge to the bottom. The impact had been so great that the motor had become detached from the car and was lying on the side on the concrete separated from the car.
He punched out the windshield and climbed in without a life vest or ropes to reach the injured man.
"He was pleading with me not to leave him there to die," Montoya recalled. "He was a big guy and when I went in the car and tried to pull him out his foot was wedged in the wreckage. Try as I might I couldn't get him loose because his foot was smashed and stuck."
With the man pleading with him not to leave him, Montoya opted to take drastic measures.
"I could see his foot was useless and that he was already bleeding profusely and he was going into shock," he said. "So I pulled and pulled and broke his leg until I could pull him free."
Then, using all his strength to pull the dying man out of the car, the firefighter pulled the large victim out and hauled him across his back and then out to a waiting Coast Guard boat which took him to shore and into an ambulance to get him to the hospital. That was Gaspar H. Hinojosa, they later found out.
"Nobody else wanted to go in there and he did," they all agreed.
Hinojosa died on the way to the hospital, but the man's relatives were grateful that the firefighters had rescued him from the murky waters of the Laguna. A few hours later, the concrete base of the causeway where the car had teetered and Montoya had climbed in to retrieve the victim collapsed into the currents below.
At the time Perez was interim chief after Raul Salazar was suspended on suspicions of wrongdoing. Salazar later went to work as an administrative assistant to Cameron County Precinct 2 Commissioner Ernie Hernandez and got in trouble there, too.
When the time finally came around and entities began issuing proclamations in recognition of the first responders' bravery, Montoya – working for the BFD as a firefighter and with Port Isabel as an EMS paramedic – was unceremoniously handed his congressional resolution by his supervisor in a hallway at the firehouse.
Even though the certificate of congressional recognition singled out Montoya and Lopez for their bravery, they were never told of the award.
"We had just finished with a cardiac case and were getting back to the fire house when my supervisor Robert Perez came into the dormitory and handed me the congressional award," Montoya recalled. "He told me that they had had a big ceremony at City Hall but that the chief had told them that they couldn't find us. All that time the presentations were made we were kept away on duty."
(P.S. Ever since then, when Montoya participates in the annual Queen Isabela Causeway Run, he touches the railing where he stood 25 years ago and mutters a prayer for Hinojosa, whose surviving family members send him a message of thanks every year.)
Montoya reached the sedan and spoke to the man, who was badly injured as a result of the of the impact with the remnants of the bridge above and the plunge to the bottom. The impact had been so great that the motor had become detached from the car and was lying on the side on the concrete separated from the car.
He punched out the windshield and climbed in without a life vest or ropes to reach the injured man.
"He was pleading with me not to leave him there to die," Montoya recalled. "He was a big guy and when I went in the car and tried to pull him out his foot was wedged in the wreckage. Try as I might I couldn't get him loose because his foot was smashed and stuck."
With the man pleading with him not to leave him, Montoya opted to take drastic measures.
"I could see his foot was useless and that he was already bleeding profusely and he was going into shock," he said. "So I pulled and pulled and broke his leg until I could pull him free."
Then, using all his strength to pull the dying man out of the car, the firefighter pulled the large victim out and hauled him across his back and then out to a waiting Coast Guard boat which took him to shore and into an ambulance to get him to the hospital. That was Gaspar H. Hinojosa, they later found out.
"Nobody else wanted to go in there and he did," they all agreed.
Hinojosa died on the way to the hospital, but the man's relatives were grateful that the firefighters had rescued him from the murky waters of the Laguna. A few hours later, the concrete base of the causeway where the car had teetered and Montoya had climbed in to retrieve the victim collapsed into the currents below.
At the time Perez was interim chief after Raul Salazar was suspended on suspicions of wrongdoing. Salazar later went to work as an administrative assistant to Cameron County Precinct 2 Commissioner Ernie Hernandez and got in trouble there, too.
When the time finally came around and entities began issuing proclamations in recognition of the first responders' bravery, Montoya – working for the BFD as a firefighter and with Port Isabel as an EMS paramedic – was unceremoniously handed his congressional resolution by his supervisor in a hallway at the firehouse.
Even though the certificate of congressional recognition singled out Montoya and Lopez for their bravery, they were never told of the award.
"We had just finished with a cardiac case and were getting back to the fire house when my supervisor Robert Perez came into the dormitory and handed me the congressional award," Montoya recalled. "He told me that they had had a big ceremony at City Hall but that the chief had told them that they couldn't find us. All that time the presentations were made we were kept away on duty."
WHEN TRUMP CALLS SOMEONE "LOW IQ" IT'S PURE PROJECTION: LA MENTIRA DURA HASTA QUE LA VERDAD LA ALCANZA
Who did he beat? Pete Hegseth and JD Vance?
U.S. ANTI-WAR SENTIMENT OVER IRAN BEGINS: HELL NO, WE WON'T GO!
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
In an incredibly embarrassing moment for Trump, the House just passed a resolution demanding U.S. forces be removed from Iran and the war ended, with seven Republicans crossing the aisle to help make it happen.
The final vote was 220 to 204. Every single Democrat present voted yes. They were joined by seven Republicans willing to break with their own party and their own president over a war that Congress never actually voted to authorize.
It's not legally binding. Trump doesn't have to sign it, and it doesn't automatically bring troops home. But it is, once again, a direct bipartisan rebuke of a war that has already cost American lives and cost families at the pump.
Eighteen U.S. troops have died since fighting broke out in February. Nearly 500 have been injured, with 100 of those injuries coming in just the past two weeks. Meanwhile, gas and diesel prices have hit record highs, with American households paying well over $100 billion more collectively since the war began.
Trump has previously dismissed these war powers votes as "meaningless," accusing Republicans who cross over of having "Trump Derangement Syndrome."
Seven Republicans just told him otherwise, on the record, with their votes, for the third time.
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
ON THE EVE OF HER B'VILLE EVENT, GINA RIDING BLUE WAVE
By Edgar Sandoval
New York Times
Photographs by Christopher Lee
Reporting from San Antonio and Beeville, Texas
When Gina Hinojosa, a Democratic state lawmaker with a progressive record, decided to run for Texas governor last year, many people — including some Hispanic voters she will need to win — were skeptical.
“Pa’ que?” she was asked over and over. “For what?”
Gov. Greg Abbott, a third-term Republican, seemed unbeatable. He sat on a sizable campaign war chest and could rely on a well-tuned campaign infrastructure that has helped keep him in office for more than a decade. He had already faced a better-known, better-funded Democratic challenger four years ago, Beto O’Rourke, and easily defeated him.
“The conventional wisdom is that no one can beat Greg Abbott,” Ms. Hinojosa said in an interview. She said she had entered the race because she saw no other Democrat willing to do so.
“I decided I needed to try,” she said.
Even in year where Democratic optimism in Texas runs high, Ms. Hinojosa, a state representative, faces a daunting challenge. She has little name recognition outside her safely Democratic district in Austin and has struggled to raise the funds needed to compete with Mr. Abbott. He has outspent her by more than 10-to-1 and still had about 20 times as much money in his campaign account at the end of the most recent filing period, in mid-July. That financial disadvantage has hampered her efforts to introduce herself to Texans across a state where it is notably expensive to campaign.
Republican political consultants in Texas are dismissive of her chances.
“It’s wholly unrealistic that Gina Hinojosa has any credible chance at victory,” said Anthony Holm, a Republican strategist.
But the hope that reliably returns for Texas Democrats every four years has found new life in the governor’s race. The reason is a surprising polling trend: Ms. Hinojosa has repeatedly appeared within striking distance of the governor.
Texas Democrats have been here before. In 2010, a few summer polls suggested a competitive race between Bill White, a Democrat, and Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican. By the fall, Mr. Perry was consistently leading in the polls, and he won by nearly 13 points. In 2022, several polls had Beto O’Rourke just five points behind Mr. Abbott. Democrats believed then, too. But Mr. Abbott’s polling lead grew in the fall, and Mr. O’Rourke lost by nearly 11 points.
“Greg Abbott is facing the most challenging election of his career,” said Mark Jones, a political science professor and pollster at Rice University. “Right now you have voters who are unhappy about Abbott and unhappy with Trump, but don’t know much about Hinojosa other than that she’s the Democratic candidate.”
In the past few months Mr. Abbott has avoided mentioning her name, instead choosing instead to attack James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and warning Republicans about the broader threat posed by Democrats. But in recent weeks, the Abbott campaign has begun regularly attacking Ms. Hinojosa and her record, focusing in particular on her support for the rights of transgender and LGBTQ+ children and youth.
“From prosecuting parents who ‘misgender’ their own child to voting in favor of Texas public schools transitioning kids behind parents’ backs, Hinojosa is a rubber stamp for the Socialist Democrats and their gender insanity.” said Eduardo Leal, a press secretary for the governor’s campaign.
Ms. Hinojosa, who has described herself as a progressive in the past, now favors the term “populist,” she said in the interview. “It is no longer progressive versus moderate,” she said of the 2026 election. “It is about: Are we going to have candidates who are going to work for the people?”
A major question facing Democrats across Texas, including Ms. Hinojosa, is whether Latino voters, particularly men who supported President Trump in 2024, will return to the Democratic Party this November.
At a recent event in San Antonio, organized by the Latino Victory Fund and called “Latinas for Gina Hinojosa,” Orlando Ventura, 21, was among a small group of Hispanic men cheering her on.
“I don’t see a lot of Latinos supporting her, but I want to see more,” Mr. Ventura said.
Ms. Hinojosa has received support from fellow Democrats in an effort to raise her profile and introduce her to Democrats across the state. She ate tacos with former President Barack Obama and Mr. Talarico in Austin in May.
But her lack of name recognition was clear at a Democratic event last month in Beeville, near Corpus Christi, where Ms. Hinojosa appeared alongside Mr. Talarico and Bobby Pulido, a Tejano star running for a South Texas congressional seat.
Bea Martinez, 65, a retired educator, said she knew about Mr. Pulido and Mr. Talarico but was unfamiliar with Ms. Hinojosa.
“I don’t know much about her, but I am fed up with Abbott,” Ms. Martinez said. “I voted for him in the past, but I think it’s time for someone new.”
For Ms. Hinojosa, such voters represent both the challenge and the opportunity of her campaign: Texans who know little about her but may be open to someone other than Mr. Abbott. Like other Democrats nationwide, she is trying to harness voter anger over the cost of living and the growth of data centers, which voters blame for rising electricity prices and water use. She has also looked to differentiate herself as a Texas Democrat.
Ms. Hinojosa has made public schools and concerns over affordability centerpieces of her campaign. She has called Mr. Abbott’s $1 billion program to help parents pay for private school a “scam.”
If elected, she said, she would push for legislation to authorize $1,500 checks for every household, paid for out of the state’s rainy-day fund. (The state’s account holds a record balance of about $27 billion.)
She also opposed the growth of data centers in Texas, an issue that has rocketed up the priority list for voters from both parties. She is skeptical of Mr. Abbott’s recent order to pause the approval of such centers until the state conducts an audit to study how much water and energy the centers require to operate.
“If he wanted to protect people from data centers, he would call a special session today until we can pass laws and have real protections in place for people,” she said, adding that that was something she would do as governor.
Her message resonated with Adelfa Reyna, a retired teacher from San Antonio. “We could see the first-ever Latina governor of Texas,” Ms. Reyna said. “Republicans have had control of the state for 30 years, and Abbott has been governor for 12. It’s time for change.”
Photographs by Christopher Lee
Reporting from San Antonio and Beeville, Texas
When Gina Hinojosa, a Democratic state lawmaker with a progressive record, decided to run for Texas governor last year, many people — including some Hispanic voters she will need to win — were skeptical.
“Pa’ que?” she was asked over and over. “For what?”
Gov. Greg Abbott, a third-term Republican, seemed unbeatable. He sat on a sizable campaign war chest and could rely on a well-tuned campaign infrastructure that has helped keep him in office for more than a decade. He had already faced a better-known, better-funded Democratic challenger four years ago, Beto O’Rourke, and easily defeated him.
“The conventional wisdom is that no one can beat Greg Abbott,” Ms. Hinojosa said in an interview. She said she had entered the race because she saw no other Democrat willing to do so.
“I decided I needed to try,” she said.
Even in year where Democratic optimism in Texas runs high, Ms. Hinojosa, a state representative, faces a daunting challenge. She has little name recognition outside her safely Democratic district in Austin and has struggled to raise the funds needed to compete with Mr. Abbott. He has outspent her by more than 10-to-1 and still had about 20 times as much money in his campaign account at the end of the most recent filing period, in mid-July. That financial disadvantage has hampered her efforts to introduce herself to Texans across a state where it is notably expensive to campaign.
Republican political consultants in Texas are dismissive of her chances.
“It’s wholly unrealistic that Gina Hinojosa has any credible chance at victory,” said Anthony Holm, a Republican strategist.
But the hope that reliably returns for Texas Democrats every four years has found new life in the governor’s race. The reason is a surprising polling trend: Ms. Hinojosa has repeatedly appeared within striking distance of the governor.
Texas Democrats have been here before. In 2010, a few summer polls suggested a competitive race between Bill White, a Democrat, and Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican. By the fall, Mr. Perry was consistently leading in the polls, and he won by nearly 13 points. In 2022, several polls had Beto O’Rourke just five points behind Mr. Abbott. Democrats believed then, too. But Mr. Abbott’s polling lead grew in the fall, and Mr. O’Rourke lost by nearly 11 points.
“Greg Abbott is facing the most challenging election of his career,” said Mark Jones, a political science professor and pollster at Rice University. “Right now you have voters who are unhappy about Abbott and unhappy with Trump, but don’t know much about Hinojosa other than that she’s the Democratic candidate.”
In the past few months Mr. Abbott has avoided mentioning her name, instead choosing instead to attack James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and warning Republicans about the broader threat posed by Democrats. But in recent weeks, the Abbott campaign has begun regularly attacking Ms. Hinojosa and her record, focusing in particular on her support for the rights of transgender and LGBTQ+ children and youth.
“From prosecuting parents who ‘misgender’ their own child to voting in favor of Texas public schools transitioning kids behind parents’ backs, Hinojosa is a rubber stamp for the Socialist Democrats and their gender insanity.” said Eduardo Leal, a press secretary for the governor’s campaign.
Ms. Hinojosa, who has described herself as a progressive in the past, now favors the term “populist,” she said in the interview. “It is no longer progressive versus moderate,” she said of the 2026 election. “It is about: Are we going to have candidates who are going to work for the people?”
A major question facing Democrats across Texas, including Ms. Hinojosa, is whether Latino voters, particularly men who supported President Trump in 2024, will return to the Democratic Party this November.
At a recent event in San Antonio, organized by the Latino Victory Fund and called “Latinas for Gina Hinojosa,” Orlando Ventura, 21, was among a small group of Hispanic men cheering her on.
“I don’t see a lot of Latinos supporting her, but I want to see more,” Mr. Ventura said.
Ms. Hinojosa has received support from fellow Democrats in an effort to raise her profile and introduce her to Democrats across the state. She ate tacos with former President Barack Obama and Mr. Talarico in Austin in May.
But her lack of name recognition was clear at a Democratic event last month in Beeville, near Corpus Christi, where Ms. Hinojosa appeared alongside Mr. Talarico and Bobby Pulido, a Tejano star running for a South Texas congressional seat.
Bea Martinez, 65, a retired educator, said she knew about Mr. Pulido and Mr. Talarico but was unfamiliar with Ms. Hinojosa.
“I don’t know much about her, but I am fed up with Abbott,” Ms. Martinez said. “I voted for him in the past, but I think it’s time for someone new.”
For Ms. Hinojosa, such voters represent both the challenge and the opportunity of her campaign: Texans who know little about her but may be open to someone other than Mr. Abbott. Like other Democrats nationwide, she is trying to harness voter anger over the cost of living and the growth of data centers, which voters blame for rising electricity prices and water use. She has also looked to differentiate herself as a Texas Democrat.
Ms. Hinojosa has made public schools and concerns over affordability centerpieces of her campaign. She has called Mr. Abbott’s $1 billion program to help parents pay for private school a “scam.”
If elected, she said, she would push for legislation to authorize $1,500 checks for every household, paid for out of the state’s rainy-day fund. (The state’s account holds a record balance of about $27 billion.)
She also opposed the growth of data centers in Texas, an issue that has rocketed up the priority list for voters from both parties. She is skeptical of Mr. Abbott’s recent order to pause the approval of such centers until the state conducts an audit to study how much water and energy the centers require to operate.
“If he wanted to protect people from data centers, he would call a special session today until we can pass laws and have real protections in place for people,” she said, adding that that was something she would do as governor.
Her message resonated with Adelfa Reyna, a retired teacher from San Antonio. “We could see the first-ever Latina governor of Texas,” Ms. Reyna said. “Republicans have had control of the state for 30 years, and Abbott has been governor for 12. It’s time for change.”
WARNING: IF YOU GET AN EMAIL ASKING YOU TO OPEN A FILE FROM ME PLEASE DELETE
IF YOU GOT THIS, PLEASE DELETE:
(They're at it again. Please disregard and delete if you get an email asking you to open a file with that address. It may expose the content of your private email files to the hackers. Thanks and sorry for the inconvenience. They never stop.)
CURSES, FOILED AGAIN: SCOTUS NIXES TRUMP'S RIGGING MAIL-IN VOTE
By Peter Charalambous
ABC News
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration's attempt to limit mail-in voting for now, keeping in place a lower court decision blocking the U.S. Postal Service from implementing new restrictions.
"The Government is unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge to the District Court's preliminary injunction," the ruling said.
The ruling clears the way for states to continue sending out mail-in ballots as planned ahead of the midterms.
President Donald Trump, who has pushed unfounded claims of widespread mail ballot fraud, wants states to report to USPS basic voter information, such as a voter's name and home address, attached to a unique barcode on every mail-in ballot distributed. Postal workers would then only deliver ballots addressed to voters who appear on the state-provided list.
The Trump administration has insisted the rules would impose only "modest" ballot design and review requirements on states and that a requirement to submit name, address, and barcode information of intended recipients was not onerous or intrusive.
Democratic-led states and voter advocacy groups have argued that the new USPS regulations are an attempt by the Trump administration to federalize elections, which are historically and constitutionally managed by each state, and make it harder to vote by mail for everyday citizens.
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from the majority, saying they would have allowed the Trump administration to carry out its plan to impose new regulations on mail-in voting.
While Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed with the majority, he based his decision largely on the timing of the legal challenge -- less than two months from the midterms – rather than the Trump administration’s argument about the authority of the Postal Service.
“In my view, based on the briefing the Court has received at this interim stage, there is at least a fair prospect that the final rule falls within the Postal Service’s statutory authority,” he wrote. “ But applying the rule in the 2026 elections would be arbitrary and capricious violation of the Administrative Procedure Act because state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the elections.”
Monday's ruling likely ensures that states can continue mailing out ballots for the midterms as planned, though the legal battle over ballot restrictions has effectively been punted to the 2028 election. Based on the decision, at least three justices are open to the Trump administration’s arguments for the next time this case or a similar one returns to the high court.
Monday, September 14, 2026
BUT TRUMP DOESN'T MIND THAT PUTIN CONTINUES HIS WAR AGAINST UKRAINE, TARGETS CIVILIANS, DESTROYS POWER GRID
Special to El Rrun-Rrun
Recent Attacks and Casualties
Latest Strikes: Yesterday Russian bombardments killed at least eight to nine civilians and wounded dozens across multiple regions.
Impacted Areas: Drones and missiles hit residential areas in Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, Kramatorsk, and a grocery store in the Zhytomyr region.
Infrastructure: Attacks frequently target energy networks, water systems, and housing units to disrupt civilian life.
THE 444.5-ACRE SPACEX DISANNEXATION: THE VOTE THAT WON'T GO AWAY, AND TAXES THAT THE CITY WILL LOSE
Special to El Rrun-RrunBrownsville lost Linde from its city taxing jurisdiction. A huge taxable manufacturer in Brownsville Industrial Park
And Linde is only one company.
Brownsville gave up jurisdiction over approximately 444.45 acres of strategically located property near the Port and ship channel, most of it already zoned heavy industrial. SpaceX wanted the property for expansion.
Now look at what industrial development can be worth. A real project proposed nearby shows the scale: Saronic’s planned Port Alpha shipyard was described as a $3.2 billion investment.
Using Brownsville’s roughly 0.60 percent city property-tax rate as a simple illustration, we get this. And this is just from one company (Linde) investing on a $3 billion project, according to the commissioner himself:
$500 million taxable value = about $3 million a year
$1 billion = about $6 million a year
$2 billion = about $12 million a year
$3 billion = about $18 million a year
$4 billion = about $24 million a year
Those figures are examples, not a claim that all 445 acres would reach those values.
In return, Brownsville received an agreement for up to $220 million for water and wastewater infrastructure: $40 million initially, followed by six $30 million quarterly payments.
That’s the comparison.
Brownsville got: up to $220 million.
Brownsville lost: Linde from its city taxing jurisdiction, jurisdiction and zoning control over 444.45 acres, and the ability to collect future city property taxes from taxable development on that land while it remains outside Brownsville.
The $220 million has an end.
The tax base Brownsville surrendered could have produced revenue year after year for decades.
And that’s the part of City Commissioner Tino Villarreal’s explanation doesn’t make disappear.
TRUMP'S MELANIA IS SLOVENIAN, USHA VANCE'S KIN ARE FROM INDIA, AND THEY HATE DIVERSITY?
Special to El Rrn-Rrun
That’s an extraordinary thing to say about a country built on Indigenous land, with the forced labor of enslaved Africans, and transformed by generation after generation of immigrants, including millions of Irish Americans.
You can argue about immigration policy.
You can argue about DEI.
But America’s history isn’t a political talking point. His own mother was an immigrant from Scotland. His father's family was from Germany
You can argue about DEI.
But America’s history isn’t a political talking point. His own mother was an immigrant from Scotland. His father's family was from Germany
Diversity didn’t suddenly arrive in America. It helped create America.
Sunday, September 13, 2026
"WE'RE MOVING ON UP! LIKE THE JEFFERSONS...
Saturday, September 12, 2026
SEEING THE WRITING IN THE POLLS, ICE SENT TO INTIMIDATE VOTERS
By Jeff Helfgott
ICE agents showed up at polling sites in San Antonio and Syracuse—so Democrats just filed the first lawsuit in the country to stop it.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in Washington, D.C., names Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and David Venturella, the acting head of ICE, and it is the first case in the country trying to stop federal agents from being sent to voting sites.
The Civil War-era statute it leans on bars ordering troops or armed men to "any place where a general or special election is held," with a single exception: to repel armed enemies of the United States.
The penalties are fines, imprisonment and disqualification from holding office.
The penalties are fines, imprisonment and disqualification from holding office.
Mullin told reporters that Democrats were fearmongering and that ICE is not patrolling polls.
"The only reason why we would be at polling places is if there is a threat to that polling place," he said, "or we're serving a warrant."
"The only reason why we would be at polling places is if there is a threat to that polling place," he said, "or we're serving a warrant."
He also said this in a statement: "Honestly, if you're not a citizen you shouldn't be voting anyways so technically there shouldn't be illegals at the polling spot."
The complaint lists what has already happened. In May, armed agents "swarmed" the parking lot of an open polling site in San Antonio and detained a person in plain view of voters until the county sheriff ordered them to leave.
In June, ICE agents walked into a polling site in Syracuse, New York, and interrogated an election volunteer about a social media post she had written five months earlier about the fatal ICE shooting of a woman in Minneapolis.
The complaint also notes that ICE has detained more than 170 U.S. citizens.
Denver's election office has already scheduled training for election workers on how to identify federal agents in plain clothes, document their presence and de-escalate.
The complaint says rumors of armed agents at polls have made recruiting election judges harder, and losing large numbers of them mid-cycle would slow the count.
Friday, September 11, 2026
VETS MEMORIAL H.S. LOWERED FLAG FOR DOLLY, BUT NOT FOR 9/11, JUST CORRECTED.
OOPS!
(Less than half an hour after we posted about the flags, Memorial H.S. personnnel were observed lowering them, apparently in response to one of our readers calling the district's attention to the matter. Thanks BISD and God bless America!)
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