DON'T LET BIG $$$ STEAL ANOTHER ELECTION: VOTE FOR ADELA IN RUNOFF

Mario Saenz, FB
Asking people to go out and vote for a particular candidate, I don't believe that is illegal. But asking your friends to do so and to report with your list of harvested votes for what appears to be a monetary compensation. Is that not illegal? Just asking for a friend.

A SHOT ACROSS THE GBEDC BOW: ARE BEDC BAD, OLD DAYS BACK?

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

(With rumors swirling that the Greater Brownsville Economic Development corporation is now leaning on old familiar ways reminiscent of the good old days when current GBEDC CEO Gilbert Salinas was a VP at the old BEDC and he and other organization and other city officials and special guests jetted around the world on the public dime without any visible results, we are seeking to find out if there is any truth to them We have therefore submitted this request for information under the Texas Public Information Act and will report on the response.) 

To: Gilbert Salinas, CEO

CC: (Jerry Briones, VP, Marleen Murillo)
Greater Brownsville Economic Development Corporation (GBEDC)

RE: Request for Public Information Pursuant to Chapter 552, Texas Government Code

Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, Chapter 552 of the Texas Government Code, I request copies of all records related to travel to Japan and all other international travel by GBEDC employees, officers, board members, consultants, contractors, City of Brownsville elected officials, City employees, and any guests during the period of January 1, 2025 through June 11, 2026.

Please provide the following records:

I. INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

A list of every international trip taken during the requested period, including:
• Dates of travel;
• Destination countries and cities;
• Purpose of travel;
• Number of attendees.
The names and titles of all individuals who traveled on each trip, including:
• GBEDC employees;
• Executive staff;
• Board members;
• Consultants and contractors;
• City of Brownsville elected officials;
• City employees;
• Any private-sector representatives whose travel expenses were paid, reimbursed, or subsidized by GBEDC.

II. JAPAN TRAVEL

All records related specifically to travel to Japan, including:
• Travel authorizations;
• Itineraries;
• Calendars;
• Schedules;
• Meeting agendas;
• Trip reports;
• Presentations;
• Briefing materials;
• Post-trip summaries.
Records identifying every company, customer, prospect, investor, manufacturer, supplier, governmental entity, economic development organization, chamber of commerce, trade organization, or other entity met with during each trip to Japan, including:
• Name of organization;
• Meeting date;
• Meeting location;
• Purpose of meeting;
• Attendees.

III. COSTS AND FUNDING

Itemized expenses for each trip, including:
• Airfare;
• Hotel expenses;
• Meals;
• Per diem payments;
• Ground transportation;
• Entertainment expenses;
• Registration fees;
• Conference expenses;
• Any other travel-related expenditures.
Copies of:
• Expense reports;
• Reimbursement requests;
• Receipts;
• Invoices;
• Credit card statements;
• Purchase card records;
• Check registers;
• Payment vouchers;
• Payment approvals.
Records identifying:
• The budget line item from which travel was paid;
• The department or program budget charged;
• Any grant funding used;
• Any sponsorships or cost-sharing arrangements;
• Any third-party funding sources.

IV. APPROVALS

Records showing who approved each trip, including:
• Board resolutions;
• Board meeting minutes;
• Board packets;
• Travel authorization forms;
• Internal memoranda;
• Executive approvals.
Records showing whether any member of the GBEDC Board of Directors traveled internationally and, if so:
• Names of attendees;
• Costs incurred;
• Approval authority;
• Funding source.
Records showing whether any City of Brownsville elected official traveled internationally and, if so:
• Names of attendees;
• Costs incurred;
• Approval authority;
• Funding source.

V. CEO AND EXECUTIVE TRAVEL

All records related to international travel by Gilbert Salinas during the requested period, including:
• Travel authorizations;
• Expense reports;
• Reimbursement requests;
• Itineraries;
• Calendars;
• Meeting schedules;
• Trip reports;
• Presentations.

VI. RESULTS OF TRAVEL

All reports, memoranda, presentations, analyses, summaries, or evaluations discussing:
• Objectives of the trips;
• Economic development benefits;
• Prospective projects;
• Recruitment activities;
• Business leads generated;
• Investments secured;
• Jobs created or anticipated;
• Contracts, agreements, memoranda of understanding, or commitments resulting from the trips.

VII. COMMUNICATIONS

All emails, text messages, letters, memoranda, and other communications related to:
• Planning travel;
• Approval of travel;
• Funding travel;
• Attendance by board members;
• Attendance by elected officials;
• Meetings scheduled in Japan;
• Reports regarding trip outcomes.

I request that all responsive records be provided electronically if available.

If any responsive records are withheld, please identify the specific statutory exception relied upon and release all non-exempt portions of the records as required by law.

Thank you.

Respectfully,
Juan Montoya
rrunrrun@gmail.com

CONFIRMED: FRED SANDOVAL, SAN BENE CITY MANAGER, EDC CEO, RESIGNS

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

BREAKING: Multiple sources from the San Benito City Commission and the SB Economic Development Corporation have confirmed that Fred Sandoval, who holds the dual role of city manager and EDC CEO, has announced that he will resign from both positions effective this coming Friday.

One of our readers in the Resaca City has pointed out that his resignation letter is contained in an agenda item of the June 9 city commission meeting posted Wednesday, June 3.

This is a breaking story and we will seek details for the reason for his resignation.

NEW REVELATIONS SWIRLING AROUND FBI DIRECTOR PATEL FOR BLOW-DRYING HIS HAIR WITH AGENCY JET

La Cebolla

WASHINGTON—Drawing intense scrutiny for what opponents have characterized as misuse of agency resources, FBI director Kash Patel came under fire Tuesday for using an FBI jet to blow-dry his hair. 

“On numerous occasions, Kash Patel has inappropriately utilized a government-funded Gulfstream jet to add shine and smoothness to his hair after a shower,” said Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, adding that Patel’s hair care habits had already cost American taxpayers $250,000 in jet fuel alone. 

“This aircraft is intended for important government business, but Patel has repeatedly used it for his own personal grooming. Just last week, he delayed an FBI forensics team’s response to the scene of a mass shooting by blow-drying his hair for a date with his girlfriend in Nashville. 

"After all of this administration’s feigned outrage over government waste, it’s disgraceful for an FBI director to interrupt federal investigations so he can dry off after partying with the U.S. men’s hockey team in Milan.” 

According to FBI officials, Patel was unavailable for comment on the alleged misuse of government resources because he had mistakenly stood on the wrong side of the jet’s turbine and been sucked into the engine.

SORRY, DORO. NOT TODAY. MAYBE ON THE JUNE 16 MEETING

S.A. SPURS AT HOME VS. KNICKS FOR NBA CHAMPIONSHIP TODAY

IT'S A HABIT. K9S FOR WEMBY!

Game 1: June 3 at Spurs

Game 2: June 5 at Spurs

Game 3: June 8 at Knicks

Game 4: June 10 at Knicks

Game 5*: June 13 at Spurs

Game 6*: June 16 at Knicks

Game 7*: June 19 at Spurs

All games starts at 7:30 p.m.

*If necessary

TEXAS GOES UP 1 GAME TO 0 VS. TEXAS TECH FOR CHAMPIONSHIP

A CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS REMATCH

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Texas Tech softball team trailed 5-1 after the first inning and couldn't climb back as the Red Raiders dropped the opening game of the Women's College World Series finals against Texas 7-3 at Devon Park.  The Series continues with Game 2 today.

Game 2

Thursday, June 4

7 PM 

Game 3 (if nec.)

Friday, June 5

7 PM 

AS J.J. AND ANONYMOUS SOCIAL MEDIA ALLIES BAD MOUTH ADELA GARZA, A RETALIATION LAWSUIT AGAINST DE LEON MOVES FORWARD

 Special to El Rrun-Rrun

A former Brownsville Independent School District employee claims she was fired after more than 22 years of employment with the district as a result of constitutionally-protected comments she made on a on a social media posting (FB) related to the alleged possession of marijuana by BISD Support Programs Director Juan J. DeLeon on April 19, 2024.

The lawsuit, styled Adelida Ruth Vento vs. BISD and Superintendent Dr. Jesus Chavez was filed on March 23, 2026  in United States District Court, Southern District of Texas in Brownsville. 

At the crux of the issue, Vento claims her complaint is the result of  "retaliation in violation of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, specifically, while acting under color of law, Defendants took adverse employment action against Plaintiff's employment motivated by political retaliation based on perceived political association that resulted in Plaintiff’s termination. "

Also, she claims the defendants violated her right to free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

At the time, DeLeon was running for re-election to the position of trustee on the board of the Texas Southmost College against Eduardo Camarillo during the 2024 election. Her immediate supervisor, Luis Troncoso, provided Vento with a verbal written warning, even though she said she had posted the comment on her own time, and on her personal social media. 

The post did not claim that she was acting on behalf of the school district, or that her views represented the school district’s views. In her lawsuit, Vento claims such posting did not involve her or the candidate’s employment with the district Defendant and that the election was a matter of public concern and the posting did not involve improper language.

Nonetheless, Troncoso ordered her to refrain from “Inappropriate posting or use of social media that targets a school district employee or the school district.” She responded to the written verbal warning issued by Troncoso by saying that: “I did nothing inappropriate. I only defended an opponent (Camarillo) of my choice during election. I can’t help what others reply or post.”

Troncoso was himself directly supervised by DeLeon. Vento was provided by Troncoso on a form provided by the Defendant’s Human Resources Department that she was responsible for unauthorized distribution of written or printed material of any kind.

The Facebook Page, authored by someone named Jas Marie Reyes, referred to the choices of the TSC board candidates; Vento replied as "Ve AR."

She was issued an additional written verbal warning by Troncoso the same day, April 24, 2024, that stated: "The employee posted certain content on their personal public electronic platform (Facebook) that does not align with the professional standards expected of district employees. The employee was reminded that, as per our policy, you are solely  responsible for the content present on your page, regardless of its origin, whether added by you, your acquaintances, or members of the public."

Plaintiff replied, “I have 1st Amendment Rights and am being violated by my rights by person in question. I have a right to defend any opponent I support during election.”

Records indicate that way back in 2011, there was a police operation at the (Central Administrative Building) CAB off Palm Boulevard in the parking lot between the CAB and Sam's Stadium.
In a report by an officer,  it stated that a drug-sniffing dog hit upon a car in the parking lot and when the owner was found it turned out to be an employee (DeLeon) of the central office. The school cops turned tight-lipped at confirming the identity of the suspect and cited the ongoing investigation as a justification for their discretion. 

Workers at the CAB said at the time was that the owner of the car worked at the central building in the office of Area Assistant Superintendent Educational Services Rachel Ayala, who was not the object of the probe herself. DeLeon was Ayala's protege and he was allowed to leave the premises without having to undergo a search of his vehicle.

(We have seen Alejandra Aldrete's machinations and preening as a TSC board member. Like De Leon – another mid-level Brownsville Independent School District bureaucrat – they dragged that district into the ground and have personally benefitted from its general decline. Watching them, it is clear that they are not about the institutional goals and mission, but rather, everything is about them. In the six years each served, we can't remember either one them bringing any meaningful educational initiative of substance before the board.)

To see full story, click on link: https://rrunrrun.blogspot.com/2024/06/tsc-runoff-de-leon-has-outworn-his.html

GUESS WHO MAKES NO SECRET HE WANTS TO BE CITY MANAGER?

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

EXECUTIVE SESSION
1) Closed session pursuant to Tex. Gov't. Code Sections 551.071 (Consultation with Attorney) and 551.074 (Personnel Matters) to deliberate the appointment, employment, or duties of a public officer or employee, pertaining to the city manager. (City Commission/Office of the City Attorney/OD&HR Department. Item in today's (June 2) city of Brownsville Commission meeting

The decision had been delayed for two meetings due to indecision and then the absence of the mayor and  two commissioners during the last meeting and was postponed. Even after a marathon executive session, no cigar.

The five candidates narrowed down from an original pool were Interim City Manager Alan Gard, Brownsville Police Chief/Asst. City Manager Felix Sauceda, Assistant City Manager Doroteo Garcia,  Steve Williams, City Manager of Schertz, Texas, Majed Al Ghafy, City Manager, DeSoto, Texas, and Edwina "Edy" Benites-LM, Interim Director of Economic Development, Jefferson County, West Virginia.

Stay tuned!

SLEEPY DON TAKING A POWER NAP DURING CABINET MEETINGS...

THE FINAL PUSH: EARLY VOTING IN TSC RUNOFF BEGINS TODAY, ELECTION DAY JUNE 13

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

A  scant 13 years ago, Texas Southmost College almost ceased to exist. 

The  plans were drawn, the proposals made, and – without local residents becoming aware – a bill was being considered in Austin to  transfer all its real estate,  buildings, bank deposits, and other financial assets  to  the  oil-and-gas wealthy University of Texas System.

That  almost happened when I was first elected to serve on the  college  board in 2008.  A forceful college president working with a pliant board had already forwarded plans to  do away with TSC, and our district would disappear only after local taxpayers finished paying its bond debt. 

After that, the little college that had given so many of our young people, veterans, and  residents the first rung to realize their dreams and uplift their families would be gone.

Our local students were already paying university-level tuition and fees, and only a dismal 16 percent graduated after six years. The rest fell through the cracks, their federal grants depleted with UTB-required "remedial" courses that didn't count toward graduation and they couldn't afford the high tuition and could not  continue their schooling.

We said enough!

We moved to separate our distinctively different missions while our opposition stood by, ready to watch us fail. But a Higher Power smiled upon us and our little college and drove us to work a little harder, and to persevere against the odds. Today, 13 years after we reestablished our independence as a stand-alone institution of higher education we have achieved this:

* We've reduced tuition and fees three (3) times to make TSC the most affordable college in the RGV

* We earned independent national accreditation despite the nay-sayers

* We've grown enrollment by over 130 percent

* We've built a state-of-the art workforce training program

* Today, TSC's graduation rate outpaces the state average  

The best years – our next Century of Progress – is still ahead. With your continued support, we can keep building what we started.

 

LYING ICE AGENT WHO SHOT AT INNOCENT MAN ARRESTED IN S. TEXAS

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

They caught him. 

The ICE agent who shot a Venezuelan man through the front door of a home full of people, then lied about it to cover his tracks, was arrested in Texas on Friday morning.

Christian Castro, 52, had left the state. Minnesota investigators tracked him down anyway. He's charged with four counts of second-degree assault and lying to authorities about what happened on January 14.

Here's what he claimed. That Julio Sosa-Celis attacked him with a broom and a snow shovel, so he fired in self defense.

Here's what the surveillance footage showed. None of that happened. Prosecutors say Castro was never hit, never threatened, and fired into a house knowing children were inside.

Sosa-Celis was here legally. The charges against him were dropped. Even ICE's own acting director admitted his agents made false statements.

Now think about who paid for Castro's lie before today.

*A man named Gabriel Hernandez-Ledezma, who had nothing to do with any of it, was accused of attacking Castro and jailed in Texas for two weeks without charges.

*Two women with no criminal records and no connection to the incident were torn from their young children and held in Texas for two weeks before being released without a single charge filed against them.

That is what happens when the people with the guns and badges get to write the story. Innocent families get caged on the word of a man who was lying the whole time.

Justice means the badge does not get the last word. It means the footage gets watched, the lie gets exposed, and the man who pulled the trigger answers for it in the same courts as everyone else.

A badge is not a license to shoot innocent people and walk away. As the Hennepin County Attorney put it, there is no absolute immunity for federal officers who commit crimes.

This is the second agent her office has charged from the same 70-day immigration blitz in the Twin Cities.

Accountability still exists. Slower than it should be, but it exists.

THINK MAYBE TRUMP GOT THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ CROSSING WRONG?

 

HAUNTING IMAGES BY LOCAL ARTIST DEPICT BORDER ISSUES

(Ed.'s Note: Local artist Kalista Montoya is causing a stir with her oil on canvas paintings depicting border issues such as the the effects of the Border Wall on local residents. Montoya, a Texas Southmost College art student, painted the unnamed picture above for a recent exhibition at the college. The haunting image depicts a mother braiding her daughter's hair separated by the steel bars and symbolic scissors cutting off the blooms from the stems on the ground beside her. Truth in advertising: The artist is the niece of El Rrun-Rrun's publisher. The painting now hangs on her grandmother's living room wall.

 

Another of the artist's paintings is the ghoulish rendition of an SUV crashing into a group of migrants next to the Ozonam Emergency Center on Minnesota Road. Eight migrants were killed and 10 others critically injured on May 7, 2023, when an SUV plowed into a crowd waiting at a bus stop outside the center. Most of the victims were Venezuelan asylum-seekers. In the painting, the victims are linked by a red vein line and hearts.

The driver, George Alvarez, was detained at the scene by witnesses and subsequently arrested. Toxicology reports showed he had drugs in his system, including cocaine, benzodiazepines, and marijuana. He was charged with manslaughter and aggravated assault, and his trial proceeded through mid-2024. He was convicted and his conviction is now under appeal.)

SPURS DEFEAT OKC THUNDER, WILL FACE KNICKS FOR CHAMPIONSHIP

Yahoo Sports

The second-seeded San Antonio Spurs defeated the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals Sunday and will host the East’s third-seeded New York Knicks in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals on Wednesday.

The only teams to win as greater underdogs in NBA history: the 2019 Toronto Raptors, the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2004 Detroit Pistons.

The NBA Finals will for the first time in its history feature a rematch of the NBA Cup final. The Knicks defeated the Spurs in the third annual regular-season tournament, 124-113, when When Victor Wembanyama was still working on a minutes restriction off the bench.

The league must be licking its chops, what with New York, its largest media market, and Wembanyama, a 7-foot-4 self-described “alien,” who has a chance to be one of the most special talents the game has ever seen, headlining its championship series.

THE MAGA IDIOT LEFT, LET'S HOPE HE DOESN'T COME BACK...

 

HARAMBE MARKS 10TH DEATH ANNIVERSARY' AND THE BARRIO'S OWN HUMBLE TRIBUTE

Thursday marked the 10-year anniversary of Harambe, the Brownsville-born gorilla who was killed at the Cincinnati Zoo.

EL CORIDO DE HARAMBE

 

Voy a cantar un corrido

de un gorila de mi tierra

Llamandose Don Harambe

Que fue una hermosa y temible 

fiera

Harambe nació en Browntown Tejas

Y era un bello animal

a casi 200 kilos

Siempre fue un simio 

fenomenal

Los que veían este mono

en el zoológico de Porter

Se quedaban asombrados

De su fuerza y su comporte

Cumpliendo 16 años

Harambe se pelo pa' Ohio

a buscarse una changita

Y jugarsela de gallo

Un día Harambe ya chanteado

Dejo sola a su changita

y se encontro un gabachillo

que se había caído en su fosita

Se agüito el antropoide

no sabia quien era el chavo

Lo estiró por el canal

Como una chiquita piernita de pavo

Toda la gente temía

que lastimara al gringito

La jefa del güero lloraba

Y otros clamaban a gritos

El día antes de su cumpleaños

Balacearon al changón

Por salvar al gabachito

Plomearon al pobre e inocente gorilón

Vuela, vuela Piping Plover

Dirigete hacia Brownsville Tejas

Harambe murió en Ohio

Plomeado tras de las rejas 

STEEL BEAM COLLAPSED, KILLED WORKER AT SPACEX

SpaceX’s massive Gigaabay is seen under construction last week at Starbase. A 25-year-old industrial worker died when a beam in an adjoining structure collapsed, throwing him to the death, Cameron County Sheriff’s investigators concluded. (Brandon Lingle/San Antonio Express-News)

By Brandon Lingle

San Antonio Express News

An improperly secured metal beam weighing nearly four tons collapsed and pulled a contract worker to his death at SpaceX’s Starbase complex earlier this month, according to a new report from the Cameron ounty Sherif's Office.

Jose Luis Bautista, 25, was working on a scissor lift at a height of 40 to 50 feet when the beam he was harnessed to collapsed, throwing him to the concrete floor.

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 OKC 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