Story By
Bob Corbell
Last month I contributed an article exploring the tax payer cost and maybe future consideration of privatizing, or pay-for-play athletics for high school sports including Del Rio.   In 2012, one Texas high school had no choice but to suspend athletics.  Premont ISD, in Jim Wells County had suffered insurmountable loss in population and in economic development a decade prior.  Enrollment fell.  Attendance did not meet state requirements as well as financial accountability.  As sourced by several news agencies at the time, the district was weeks away from closure.   Before the start of the school year, then recently hired superintendent Ernest Singleton made a choice that gave a reprieve for the existence of Premont.  All sports were eliminated.  By the savings, more teachers were hired and two science labs were built.  Premont managed to recover and today, by information provided through its web site, stability has been achieved and yes, athletics has made it back to the district.
I found another Premont report in a October 2013 issue in the Atlantic written by Amanda Ripley.   In her story and what garnered my attention  is that outcome of the decision appeared to win over the skeptics.  Overall attendance improved.  Eighty percent of the students passed classes, verses only half the student population when a sport was in place.  In Ripley’s report, administrators and teachers saw more students involved in academics, with better attitudes, motivation and even pep rallies on Fridays.  It was reported that about a dozen students enrolled at other districts and two coaches left.
A lot of you might wonder why I bring up the story of Premont ISD.   Well, when a district is on the ropes, certain cuts must be made.   Our schools are no where near the accreditation/financial crisis that Premont faced in 2012; however the board did have to come to the Del Rio voters in 2018 for approval of a TRE.  Some of that money was for the restructure of building improvements and security.  Most of it was for school district employee health benefits.   In other words, taking sports out of the high school can be done with a great benefit towards education and reducing financial burden.
We as tax payers must communicate with our elected board leaders what is important for the future of our schools.  If you want to hire qualified educators, you will need a good benefit package.  If bonds cannot be passed due to the voters feeling that they are not fully explained or appear excessive, the funding must come from somewhere.  If students show more interest in career training curriculum, but can’t make the class because they’re travelling six to 20 times per semester due to sports scheduling; administrators must look at the numbers: what is the overall investments to the student within a lifetime?   
Only three students in the past decade have made it to the professional ranks as an athlete from Del Rio High School.  That’s three in five thousand graduates.
It’s time for parents to pay for their child to participate in sports and take the burden away from the school and taxpayer.   Blow the whistle.  Enough is enough.

VIVAMOS LA CUARESMA 2019 COMO TIEMPO DE GRACIA Y SALVACIÓN

1. ¿CUÁL ES EL SIGNIFICADO DE LA CUARESMA?   
A. Según San León I el grande (en el sermón 42), nos dice: la cuaresma es “un retiro colectivo de cuarenta días, durante los cuales la Iglesia, proponiendo a sus fieles el ejemplo de Cristo en su retiro al desierto, se prepara para la celebración de las solemnidades pascuales con la purificación del corazón y una práctica perfecta de la vida cristiana”.
B. El Catecismo de  Iglesia Católica (No. 540) nos dice: “La Iglesia se une todos los años, durante los cuarenta días de la Gran Cuaresma, al Misterio de Jesús en el desierto”.
C. WIKIPEDIA nos dice: “La Cuaresma (en latín: quadragesima, ‘cuadragésimo día (antes de la
Pascua)’ es el tiempo litúrgico del calendario cristiano destinado a la preparación espiritual de la    fiesta de la Pascua. Se trata de un tiempo de purificación e iluminación, celebrado en las Iglesias católica, copta, ortodoxa, anglicana, y buena parte de las protestantes (incluyendo algunas evangélicas), aunque con inicios y duraciones distintas”.
D. Otras fuentes nos dicen: “Cuaresma es el periodo de 40 días que precede la celebración principal del cristianismo: la Resurrección de Jesucristo, que se festeja el Domingo de Pascua”.
La Cuaresma es un periodo de preparación, purificación, reflexión y conversión espiritual. En este tiempo se llama a los fieles a guardar ayuno y penitencia, tal como lo hizo Jesús en el desierto, antes de su salida a la vida pública.

DURACIÓN, ESTRUCTURA, PRINCIPIO Y FIN DE LA CUARESMA:  En el rito latino, la Cuaresma comienza el miércoles de Ceniza, con la imposición de la ceniza, y termina antes de la Misa vespertina de la Cena del Señor el Jueves Santo.  La Cuaresma consta de seis domingos: cinco llamados comúnmente domingos de cuaresma y el domingo de ramos.
El tiempo de cuarenta días se toma simbólicamente de varias referencias bíblicas y nos recuerda la prueba por la que pasó Jesús al permanecer 40 días en el desierto de Judea. Simbolizan también los 40 días que duró el diluvio universal, al igual que los 40 años de la marcha del pueblo israelita por el desierto y los 400 años de esclavitud de los judíos en Egipto.

FINALIDAD Y OBJETIVO: A través de la Cuaresma, los cristianos son llamados a fortalecer su fe mediante diversos actos de penitencia y reflexión. La Iglesia no nos dice que la cuaresma la estableció Jesucristo, tampoco que aparece en la Biblia. La Iglesia nos invita a vivir la cuaresma como valiosísimo tiempo de gracia y bendición evocando el simbolismo que tiene en la biblia el número 40; nos invita a hacer de la cuaresma un retiro interior donde profundicemos en Oracion, abstinencia y caridad los deberes que tenemos como cristianos.
La Iglesia nos ofrece un elenco de lecturas de la Palabra de Dios que ha escogido con gran cuidado, para este sagrado tiempo  a través de las cuales nos llama a la gracia, la conversión, la penitencia y el perdón. No es un tiempo para la tristeza; es un tiempo para la meditación y el recogimiento. “Es, por excelencia, el tiempo de conversión y penitencia del año litúrgico”. Por ello en este tiempo, dentro de las celebraciones litúrgicas no se dice el Gloria ni el Aleluya.

COLOR LITÚRGICO: El color litúrgico propio de la cuaresma es el morado que significa penitencia y sacrificio. A excepción del cuarto domingo (Laetare) que se usa el color rosa evocando la alegría en cuanto que este tiempo de preparación ya está llegando a su fin y ya se vislumbra la gran fiesta de la Pascua.  También  el domingo de ramos  se usan ornamentos de color rojo con motivo de la Pasión del Señor.
Asumamos este maravilloso tiempo de la cuaresma como una gran oportunidad que nos ofrece nuestra madre la Iglesia para que a través de la oración, la penitencia y la práctica de la caridad volvamos nuestra mirada al Señor de la Vida, fortalezcamos nuestra fe, asumamos un compromiso sincero de amar, respetar y ayudar a nuestro prójimo y al medio en que vivimos y en definitiva escuchemos a Cristo Resucitado y caminemos hacia Él.  Tenemos que prepararnos para dar el paso de la muerte a la vida, del pecado a la gracia, de lo material a lo espiritual.  Vivamos y celebremos en verdad todos los días la vida, la resurrección, el estado de gracia.  Dios los bendiga, Sady Pbro.

Febrero fue un mes lleno de actividades para las familias de esta población iniciando con los festejos del Día de San Valetin, carreras de 5K de beneficio como también talleres de capacitación para el empoderamiento de las mujeres.
Para la celebración del Día de San Valentin se tuvo una actividad especial en esta población que fueron bodas comunitarias en donde un total de siete parejas se casaron de manera oficial en el Palacio de Justicia.
Esta actividad fue organizada como cada año por la Secretaria del Condado de Val Verde Generosa “Janie” Ramón, tuvo el apoyo del Juez Robert Cadena, Juez de Paz Jimm Barrera, el tesorero del Condado Aaron Rodrígue, y la Juez de Paz Pat Cole, quienes donaron su tiempo para asar a estas parejas de enamorados.
Otro de los eventos que se llevo a cabo en este mes del día de los enamorados fue la carrera de 5K denominada “Run for the Crown” que fue para obtener fondos para las concursantes del certamen de belleza de  Miss Val Verde.
Esta carrera se llevo a cabo en el parque de Buena Vista en donde se tuvo a docenas de familias completas participando, para apoyar tanto el certamen como a las jovencitas para que tengan fondos para que puedan costear los gastos de este evento, como peinados, renta de vestidos maquillaje entre otros.
Las familias participantes de divirtieron debido a que el objetivo de esta carrera era pasar la meta, por lo que pudieron hacerlo corriendo, caminando, trotando, o en bicicleta, los primeros cien concursantes que finalizaron el recorrido recibieron una medalla de agradecimiento.
El primer evento de empoderamiento a las mujeres que se llevo a cabo en esta frontera fue presentado por el BCFS Health and Human Services Del Rio, que fue un talleres de defensa personal.
Para este taller de capacitación se tuvo como instructor al Sensei Héctor Cruz, quien estuvo enseñando a las participantes como detectar una situación de peligro, también como evitarlas, como pedir ayuda y finalmente como defenderse de un ataque directo, como utilizar técnicas para derribar o neutralizar a sus agresores.
En este evento se tuvieron mujeres participantes desde los 10 años en adelante, todas participaron en los ejercicio de defensa personal, que fue la primer actividad de empoderamiento a la mujer.

Only one idea is needed to put Alida Helgerman in action, and that’s what happened Saturday, February 16, 2019.
As she was inspired during her participation in the Beach to Bay Corpus Christi Marathon in 2018, she wanted delrioans to experience the same excitement and adrenalin rush as she did back in the Texas coast.
The result was the Red, White & Blue 5K, held on Saturday, February 16, 2019 in Del Rio, Texas. With the support of Amistad Bank’s CEO Tony Hernandez, Mrs. Helgerman embarked herself into a journey to make this dream happen. The Del Rio New Herald came on board along with Sandra Castillo and Xochitl Arteaga. The goal was to raise $10,000.00 for scholarships.
After countless nights of rigorous planning and hard work, the Red, White & Blue 5K was a total success over 280 runners/walkers and over 150 children registered. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd places were awarded according to the different categories for both female and male, starting from 13 to 70 years old and above!
The adult tickets included pizza and a beer, as well as music and entertainment for all the family. Thanks to DJ Audon Barrios, who donated his time, families had a great time dancing to today’s music hits. William Beckham also performed in the event.
This event couldn’t be possible without the efforts and commitment of Amistad Bank and the Del Rio News Herald staff. Angela Prather, Marketing and Public Relations Director, Isidro Valdez, Executive Director of Housing Authority, Jay Gonzalez General Manager of KDLK and Brian Argabright Sports Editor were participants in the celebrity challenge. Gratitude to all of the great sponsors: Jesco, Julio’s Chips, Del Rio Towing and Wreckers, The Khoury Group, VVRMC, Signs Now, Cross Fit Del Rio, Gorzuguis, Money Concepts, Del Rio Title, Holiday Inn, Ramada Inn and Pro Signs. Vendors participating were: Rev Studio, United Medical Center, Border Patrol and Planet Fitness. Silent auction donations by: Alessi Bazaar, Amistad Bank, Del Rio News Herald ,Edna Morales, Frio Distributing Inc, MMM Photography, Ashley Furniture Store, Cross Fit Del Río ,Susan Ridgeway, Julio’s Chips, Wright’s Steak House,
Over $12,500 were raised during the first inaugural Red, White & Blue 5K Scholar Fund. All proceeds to benefit our Del Rio High School graduating seniors. Thanks to Amistad Bank, Del Rio News Herald and Alida Helgerman, Chair Director, Co-Chair Sandra Castillo, Xochitl Arteaga of this event .
A special Thank you to the Community for their Support!

Strange as it may sound, since the beginning of time, Man has been manipulating Man in an effort to keep him from becoming Too successful. Oddly enough the same has happened in Greek mythology and even in the case of our beloved Bible.
Countless numbers in time in history, many things have been edited by the powers that be, even the church in many instances to alter the original writing in an effort to control the masses. Don’t take my word for it but it is proven fact.
Take for instance the story of Icarus.
“Icarus’s father Daedalus, a very talented and remarkable Athenian craftsman, built the Labyrinth for King Minos of Crete near his palace at Knossos to imprison the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull monster born of his wife and the Cretan bull. Minos imprisoned Daedalus himself in the labyrinth because he gave Minos’s daughter, Ariadne, a clew(or ball of string) in order to help Theseus, the enemy of Minos, to survive the Labyrinth and defeat the Minotaur.
Daedalus fashioned two pairs of wings out of wax and feathers for himself and his son. Daedalus tried his wings first, but before trying to escape the island, he warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, nor too close to the sea, but to follow his path of flight. Overcome by the giddiness that flying lent him, Icarus soared into the sky, but in the process he came too close to the sun, which due to the heat melted the wax. Icarus kept flapping his wings but soon realized that he had no feathers left and that he was only flapping his bare arms, and so Icarus fell into the sea and drowned in the area which today bears his name, the Icarian Sea near Icaria, an island southwest of Samos.
This tragic theme of failure at the hands of hubris contains similarities to that of Paethon.”
Even this original writing was changed over the course of history to the point that someone deleted the part about flying to low and just left in the part about flying too high. Trying to make people believe that it didn’t matter how low in life you got but never try to fly too high or you’ll destroy yourself.
As we’ve learned over the span of many years sometimes it is those with the greatest hubris that change the status quo.
Just another Point of View.

Great time to run to the movies with flicks like Glass, The Upside and Aquaman still near the top of the box office.
From Paramount Pictures and “inspired by the Nancy Meyers hit romantic comedy WHAT WOMEN WANT, this film follows the story of a female sports agent (Taraji P. Henson) who has been constantly boxed out by her male colleagues. When she gains the power to hear men’s thoughts, she is able to shift the paradigm to her advantage as she races to sign the NBA’s next superstar“.
Next, from Columbia Pictures, Canana Films, Misher Films comes Miss Bala. “A young woman battles a ruthless drug cartel to save her kidnapped friend in Mexico. Gloria (Gina Rodriguez) finds a power she never knew she had when she is drawn into a dangerous world of cross-border crime. Surviving will require all of her cunning, inventiveness, and strength. Rated: PG13, Run Time: 104 Mins
Many of us have long been awaiting the next film from San Antonio Director Robert Rodriguez. You remember him. He’s the guy who along with local boy Carlos Gallardo rose to fame for their collaboration on “El Mariachi”. Wait no more, the time has come.
From 20th Century Fox, Director “Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY) and visionary filmmaker James Cameron (AVATAR) comes ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment. When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past - she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love.” Rated: PG13, Run Time: 125 Mins.
Truly a must see. So jump into a theater near you soon and check things out as you immerse yourself in to a great adventure on screen At The Movies.

As Always Consult Your Doctor First before making any crucial changes in your lifestyle like what you eat, how you exercise, take medicine and vitamins, etc.
We’ve been talking about the latest craze in weight loss on the trendy Keto Diet for a while now and many folks have decided to give it a try. Could be the be all end all in their Yo Yo Dieting, but is it safe?
First, consider the effects of Keto on your Liver. While on the diet and in Ketosis your liver will be working overtime. After all the liver is responsible for metabolizing the protein you ingest and producing ketones. At least that’s the assessment of Dr David Katz himself and M.D. Who penned the book titled “The Truth About Food”.
Dr Katz and many other experts believe puts a massive extra burden on the liver and could have adverse effect but more research needs to be done before we know that definitively.
What about your Heart? Well, there is good news and not so good news according to Doctor of Public Health Neal Malik who is also Assistant Professor of Nutrition at Bastyr University in San Diego.
Malik says “Short term total cholesterol drops, good cholesterol goes up and bad cholesterol goes down”. He adds, “ Weight loss, regardless of how you achieve it, has heart protective benefits”. But there are no long-term studies on keto and your heart and excess dietary fat may cause the body to produce lipid peroxides, which can damage cells and tissues, including the heart. If you stick with keto long term make sure you, and your doctor, keep and eye on your blood work”.
These are just a few cautionary statements by medical personnel about the Keto Diet and Ketosis. So you decide but first consult with your doctor for advice.
Happy, Healthy Eating.

Weather affects everyone. It has a relationship with all of us. And to have a specialist help you navigate that relationship is more than fortuitous, it’s a blessing.
In Del Rio, that specialist is meteorologist Dan Schreiber of Smalltown Weather.
Established in 2015, the Del Rio-based Smalltown Weather was the brainchild of Schreiber, a former U.S. Air Force meteorologist.
The service, or more specifically, Schreiber, seeks to provide weather expertise and information across a wide spectrum of applications including personal, commercial, legal, educational and public safety.
Most small towns don’t have access to a weather expert so Del Rio having its own is a problem solver.
He has taught meteorology classes for local first responders and school district employees; teaching them to be aware of dangerous weather events moving through Mexico.
“Since the National Weather Service doesn’t provide alerts for storms that are happening in Mexico…I provide that expertise to the community, largely…the emergency folks here so that they do have a little bit of a heads up on what could potentially happen,” he explained.
Similarly, when Schreiber was stationed at Laughlin Air Force Base most of the aircraft were not under cover. Issuing an accurate forecast was critical.
“If there was a hailstorm coming, you’re talking $1 billion plus of aircraft that were just sitting outside…that happened back in 2016…you’re talking a billion dollars in taxpayer money that could be destroyed in a matter of a couple of minutes,” he said.
Extensive damage to aircraft during that weather event didn’t occur he noted.
Schreiber said that Del Rio experiences unique weather patterns in contrast to other regions in the state; Val Verde County is positioned between three climate zones.
“And never has there been two weather forecasts that have been the same,” he revealed. “Weather’s always changing. It’s always a challenge.”
The native Californian became interested in weather while growing up in San Diego near the beach.
“I got really big into surfing…and obviously, weather impacts waves and the ocean quite a bit,” he commented. “I was always checking the forecast to see if the waves were going to be good if they’re going to be big if they’re going to be blown out.”
In high school, he secured an Air Force scholarship that underwrote his education at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona where he received an undergraduate degree in meteorology — he has broken the school’s previously-held forecast accuracy record. Next, came a six-year stint as an Air Force meteorologist.
Schreiber gets much of his data from the airport and the weather service supercomputers, distilling it into a forecast that the layperson can understand.
“I’ll take that information…and I’ll start interpreting it to, ‘Well, we know there’s a cold front coming, it’s going to be a little bit cooler, it’s going to be windier, maybe it’s going to be a bit of some rain.” So I’ll look at all that data and come up with a forecast,” he said.
Interestingly, Schreiber consults with lawyers and ordinary citizens who require what he labels as forensic weather reports for airplane crash investigations, house damage insurance claims, personal injury cases, etc. It’s a part-time gig that he would like to see become full time.
“It’s like one of those things that I just got a passion for it…I’m a weather nerd,” he admitted.

Frankie Lymon was the lead  vocalist for a Doo-Wop group known as the “Teenagers” back in the 1950”s. He was the first black teenage singing idol. Two black students from junior high school in New York City, Jimmy Merchant and Sherman Garnes recruited neighborhood Puerto Ricans Herman Santiago and Joe Negroni for the group they called themselves “The Premiers” and hoped that someday they could make a record. They were working on a song they had written entitled “Why do birds sing so gay” and needed a high tenor, Richard Barrett a member of another group called the “Valentines” lived above the grocery store where Frankie Lymon worked part time. Through him they got together with Lymon who suggested changing the focus of the song and it’s title.
The song would now be known as “Why do fools fall in love”. With the rise of fame comes also the down fall Frankie Lymon experimented with drugs since 1958. On June 21,1966 he was arrested on a heroin charge, he then entered the Army in lieu of a jail sentence but recieved a less than honorable discharge a short time later. Like most young performers of the era, the Teenagers lost rights to all their music. Goldner publishing Company handled the song “Why do fools fall in love” and took fifty percent right off the top. Santiago’s name was dropped off the songs rights in the 1960’s while Lymon and Goldner sold off thier rights to the song, Goldner to pay gambling debts and Lymon to buy drugs. Along battle of who owned the rights to the song “Why do fools fall in love” was finally settled in 1992.
Herman Santiago an Jimmy Merchant also pursued their claim to the song and other song rights in federal court. The two singers and Emira Lymon now recieve complete rigths to the song.Finally in 1993 The Teenagers and Frankie Lymon were inducted into the “Rock ”N” Roll Hall Of Fame”.
Learn more interesting facts and stories about Frankie Lymon as we feature him and the Teenagers on our next Artist Of The Month. And as always all stories and Fun facts are by Wendy Johnson and all shows are produced by Javier Martinez. Be sure and listen to KWMC 1490AM the all new classic hits station and the”Little Red Rooster Show”.