Posted by Melissa Zamora |  0 Comments |

UH-Downtown is one of only two Texas universities that offer open admission. The other is the University of Texas at Brownsville. Texas Southern University dropped its open admissions policy in 2008. (Source: Nov. 21 Houston Chronicle article)

UH-Downtown may drop open admissions
The goal is to remain accessible while increasing standards, hiking graduation rate

For the article, click here.

Labels: UTB-TSC

Posted by Melissa Zamora |  0 Comments |

Labels: ordinances, plastic bags

Posted by Melissa Zamora |  0 Comments |

Posted by Melissa Zamora |  5 Comments |

Why vote Tuesday November 3, 2009 For a Veterans Hospital?


This Tuesday November 3, 2009 we have a very important election. In fact I would venture to say that this election is more important than, the many boards, commissions, and city, county, state and federal elections of this century. We have the opportunity to GO VOTE FOR Constitutional Amendment 8(H.J.R. 7) to authorize the State to contribute money, property, and other resources for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of veteran’s hospitals in this state.” Our State Legislators are to be commended for proposing this amendment. Now it is up to us to ratify it into the Texas Constitution.

Why do I say this?

Well let me try to explain to you my reasoning. Each time I visit the Viet Nam Memorial Wall I choke up and ask my self “why I am here and their names are inscribed there”? The only answer I can come up with is “That is what we might just call the Grace of God'.

I lost friends and class mates and dear loved ones that served. I still shed pent up tears trying to relieve the shadowed sorrow that mortally wounded my soul by that crazy war.

When our fellow veterans came back they were treated with out the respect and gratitude that our nation clearly owed them.

Now as our Veterans age and a new era of Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans come home. It is up to us to make sure they are welcomed and helped to reassemble into civilian life. They must absolutely have their medical needs and harsh emotional wounds attended to right here in our Rio Grande Valley. The very place where they deployed from the safety and warmth of their home, friends, family and other loved ones when duty called. I must tell you that when they return they are never the same as when they left.

Yes the VA Hospital in the RGV is way past due! How can our country spend billions on a border wall and other such things in the RGV? Our state has spent hundreds of millions rebuilding the Texas State Capitol Buildings. It is presently spending more millions for the Governor's Mansion restoration. How then can we forget that great debt of gratitude we owe our veterans?

Today, November 1, 2009, "all Souls Day", I salute and thank all our veterans for their service in all wars it is your heart and soul that has made and keeps our country great and free.

Our sick and suffering veteran's life and limb deserve restoration and rebuilding too!
When asked to do their duty they snapped to, hand saluted and said "yes sir"!

When asked by these same men and women for the hospital they so desperately need
How else can we respond but to go to the polls on Tuesday “snap to” and vote "Yes Sir” on Amendment 8 for a VA hospital in the Valley? We must now turn “the tide of possibilities” into the reality of a VA hospital in the RGV.

To quote professor Samuel Freeman's article in the RGV Guardian today "The ONLY way we will get a Veterans Hospital in the Valley is for the Veterans Administration, the State, and the University of Texas System to work together in partnership to bring both a Medical School and a Veterans Hospital in the valley. Please vote for this proposition. As a veteran, I thank you. for your support"

Ralph Cowen

Labels: Ralph Cowen, Texas Veterans

Posted by Melissa Zamora |  9 Comments |

Thanks to a grant from the Rotary Club of Brownsville Charitable Foundation, anyone who adopts an animal from the Brownsville Animal and Control Center will get an automatic $20 discount. This means the usual $70 fee for a spay/neuter adoption will drop to $50.

According to Art Rodriguez, director of the city’s health department, there are—as of October 28—159 animals in the kennel inventory: 88 dogs and 71 cats.

Rodriguez points out that the fall adoption promotion special is good so long as the $1,850 grant lasts.

“This is a great opportunity,” says Rodriguez, “to take advantage of our adoption promotion. There are lots of deserving, adoptable animals in our kennel and this is a good chance to give one a good home/”

The Animal Control Center is located at 416 FM511, north of Brownsville near Olmito. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday, 1-5 p.m.

For more information call 544-7351.

Labels: Animal Shelter, Brownsville

Posted by Melissa Zamora |  2 Comments |

Volunteers needed!!!!

Call:
Rose Timmer
Healthy Communities of Brownsville
956.882.5067
www.healthybrownsville.org


Texas Recycles Day- Brownville meeting at the Brownsville Recycle Center on Elizabeth Street. Planning meeting for November 14 event

Public Forum- 6 to 8pm at the ITEC Campus. Banning Plastic Bags will be the to...pic & the public is invited. Need meet/greet volunteers. Need meeting evaluators.

Paint a Can- volunteers needed to help unload cans and give out information about recycling, sign up volunteers for HCB

Texas Recycles-Brownsville Recycling Center on Elizabeth Street-volunteers needed to meet and greet, give out information, cook and give out healthy snacks. Pick up recycles. Groups are welcomed. We anticipate 400 to 700 participants.

Health Literacy Symposium –January 27th at the Brownsville Event Center- volunteers needed for setup, registration, -more information as committee meets.

HCB and Imagine Brownsville- meeting on environmental priorities’ for 2010-volunteers needed to direct people to meeting place. Need someone to take notes of meeting.

Survey- volunteers to make phone calls to participants about Banning Plastic Bags. A short survey over the phone. Week of Dec 14th

Office Help-my filing is piling up. Need someone to help file and put stuff away. Need someone to answer the phone and take messages during the weeks of November 15 through November 30.

Labels: Brownsville

Posted by Melissa Zamora |  1 Comments |

I'm currently at the Texas Municipal League Conference in Fort Worth, Texas.

Here is a link to the conference program: http://www.tml.org/ed_ac_program.asp

The seminars are very informative. At the above link, you will find handouts we are using for many of the seminars. I hope you find this useful. I just completed a seminar on Dealing With Difficult Personalities, and I plan to attend additional seminars on economic development, marketing and federal updates.

~Melissa

Labels: Texas Municipal League

Posted by Melissa Zamora |  0 Comments |

I discovered this locally owned and recently opened establishment at 1254 Military Hwy. Best of luck to this new small business. For more information, call Tom Rhodes at (956) 621-3446.

Labels: Brownsville business

Posted by Melissa Zamora |  1 Comments |

Date of Event: Saturday, October 3, 2009 (8 a.m.-noon)
Contact Information: Lisa Mitchell-Bennett Mitchell-Bennett@uth.tmc.edu, (956) 466-5657 or Kathy Martin (956) 882-5896

****************************************************************

The second season of the Brownsville Farmers' Market opens Saturday at Linear Park located on the corner of 6th and Harrison streets.

Hours are 8 a.m.-noon with welcoming remarks by Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr.at 9 a.m.

The opening market will feature herbs, carrots, squash, eggplant and other veggies as well as farm fresh eggs, local honey, exotic, locally grown fruit, wild gulf shrimp, live music and more!

Healthy Communities and the National Weather Service will have booths with children’s’ activities and Su Clinica Familiar will provide health information. The event will include a raffle for Farmers’ Market items including aprons and gift certificates with the drawing at 10 a.m.

The mission of the Brownsville Farmers’ Market is to create an event where fresh, affordable and Texas grown produce is available to local families which will improve their health and well-being while providing local farmers with an outlet to sell their produce.

For more information, go to www.brownsvillefarmersmarket.com.

Labels: Farmers' Market

Posted by Melissa Zamora |  3 Comments |

The Stillman House, in historic downtown Brownsville, invites the public to An Old-Fashioned Halloween from 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10.

The event is free for Brownsville Historical Association members and is included in the cost of $2 general admission for non-members. BHA members must show membership card in order to receive free admission.

The event includes guided tours of Stillman House. The tours of the decorated Stillman House will focus on the Halloween games, traditions, and legends that were popular in Victorian America. Guests will also enjoy Victorian-era Halloween craft activities, and Victorian-era Halloween refreshments. Guests will also enjoy the talents of Kate Moore, a Tarot Card reader from California, who will delight guests with a Victorian-style Tarot reading.

The Brownsville Heritage Complex is located at 1325 E. Washington Street and is managed by the Brownsville Historical Association. For more information on BHA programs and exhibits please call 956-541-5560.

About Brownsville Historical Association

The Brownsville Historical Association manages the Brownsville Heritage Complex which consists of: Stillman House, Brownsville Heritage Museum, Aiken Education Center, and Preservation Resource Center. The BHA also manages the Old City Cemetery Center, Market Square Research Center and Southmost Heritage Center. The Brownsville Heritage Complex is located at 1325 E. Washington, Brownsville, Texas 78520. The mission of the BHA is to preserve, educate, and promote the history, heritage, and cultural arts of Brownsville, Texas and its environs through exhibitions, educational programs, publications, cultural events, and archival collections.

Labels: Brownsville Historical Association, Downtown Brownsville, Stillman House

Posted by Melissa Zamora |  0 Comments |

A locally driven initiative for workforce training was approved for $250,000 by the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation to support the development and training of 53 area residents.

The Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (VIDA) is a non-profit organization which helps low-income, unemployed and underemployed individuals obtain the necessary training to get a high-skilled and high-wage job. VIDA’s efforts help the city benefit from the promotion, development, and expansion of area business enterprise.

This is the third year VIDA is approved for community job-based funding by the GBIC. The previous two years, VIDA has been awarded $180,000 and $192,000, bringing the three-year total to $622,000.

Labels: GBIC, VIDA

Posted by Melissa Zamora |  1 Comments |