Beaches once thick with birds quiet thanks to Ike Oct 5, 2008
" Bolivar Peninsula is part of what's known as the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, with nearby High Island a prime bird watching spot and traditional rest stop for migrating birds heading north in the spring and south in the fall. High Island, at 32 feet over sea level, is the highest spot on the gulf coastline for 700 miles between Mobile Bay, Ala., and the Rio Grande, and attracts thousands of bird-watchers a year. "Now is when birds would normally be stopping at High Island to top off with... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
All aboard the train! Oct 3, 2008
Strasburg s shop crew is now working on a 109-year-old narrow gauge engine No. 20 from Colorado s legendary and long-defunct Rio Grande Southern, which he says will be an important learning experience. Part of our job is to be sure that we pass on whatever information we have learned, and that s a fairly high priority for all of us older heads who work at Strasburg, Moedinger said. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Travel)
Carlos Fuentes's 'Happy Families' Oct 3, 2008
North of the Rio Grande, these cases might be likely to wind up in divorce court and inheritance litigation ... In the opening story, "A Family Like Any Other," a woman retreats from the gropings and humiliations of her job as a flight attendant and returns to her parents' home, where she spends her days watching reality TV. One program features a race from northern Mexico to the Guatemalan border, during which two gringa contestants are murdered and found in a ditch near the Rio Grande - a... (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
River Drops, So Do Worries About Flooding Sep 24, 2008
(September 23, 2008)--The Rio Grande continues to recede in Presidio after the town faced the threat of massive flooding for more than two weeks. Presidio County attorney Ron Ponton said the level of the river has dropped to about 22 feet, from a high of nearly 29 feet a week ago. (KWTX.com, TX)
Memorial services set for Jake Brisbin Jr. Sep 23, 2008
Brisbin, who was also a former Marfa mayor, was killed Sept. 15 while surveying flood damage along the U.S.-Mexico border near Presidio in his role as executive director of the Rio Grande Council of Governments ... Before Brisbin was named Rio Grande COG director in 1999, he was Presidio County judge from 1994-99 and a member of the COG s board of directors ... (The Rio Grande COG covers an area from Alpine to Las Cruces, N.M.) He also was owner and CEO of the Marfa TV Cable Co. He was preceded... (Alpine Avalanche, TX)
Floodwaters Continue to Recede in the Big Bend Sep 22, 2008
(September, 22 2008) For the second day in a row, floodwaters and the swollen Rio Grande river receded in the West Texas border city of Presidio Sunday. Presidio, a dusty outpost at the edge of Texas' Big Bend region, has been under threat of a massive flood for nearly two weeks as rain has soaked rivers and reservoirs in Mexico, forcing Mexican officials to send water toward the normally shallow Rio Grande. (KWTX.com, TX)
Presidio Braces For More Water Sep 21, 2008
(September 20, 2008)Officials in Presidio were preparing Saturday for another emergency effort to save the weakened levee that protects the rural border community from the Rio Grande ... The Rio Grande in Presidio, a dusty border town of nearly 5,000 about 250 miles southeast of El Paso, has been threatened by the possibility of massive flooding for nearly two weeks ... The river has been rising because of torrential rains in Mexico and the forced release of water from the Luis Leon... (KWTX.com, TX)
Plane wreckage found in Mexico; no survivors Sep 20, 2008
The men had been surveying Rio Grande flood conditions in the Presidio/Ojinaga area and around Luis Leon Dam in Mexico ... Others on the plane with Brisbin who most recently was executive director of the Rio Grande Council of Governments were Carlos Marin of El Paso, the U.S. IBWC commissioner, Mexican Commissioner Arturo Herrera and pilot Matthew P. Juneau of El Paso ... He described the crash site as very remote in Mexico, about 23 miles northwest of Presidio and 13 miles from the Rio Grande. (Alpine Avalanche, TX)
Perry Issues Disaster Declaration For Presidio County Sep 20, 2008
Rick Perry has issued a disaster declaration and is seeking a presidential declaration for Presidio County after the failure of a levee that protects Presidio from the swelling Rio Grande ... Rio Grande levels appeared lower Friday, and residents reported the water is receding ... The Rio Grande has been rising because of heavy rains and the forced release of water from the flood-stricken Luis Leon Reservoir on the Rio Conchos in Mexico. (KWTX.com, TX)
Levee Fails, Presidio Begins To Flood Sep 19, 2008
(September 18, 2008)A levee protecting Presidio from the swelling Rio Grande failed Thursday, officials said, and water is creeping through low-lying portions of the West Texas border town ... Heavy rain and the forced release of water from a Mexican reservoir pushed the Rio Grande to the top of the levee ... Officials hope to turn the trestle into a makeshift dam to help protect the town of about 5,000, located across the Rio Grande from Ojinaga, Mexico. (KWTX.com, TX)
Obama in New Mexico: No Latino voter left behind Sep 19, 2008
About 9,500 people live here, in the heart of Hispanic northern New Mexico; around midday, about 9,500 people were crammed into a historic plaza near the Rio Grande for a rally, according to campaign aides and local officials. And if Obama's strategy to win the White House through the West is going to work, his supporters are going to have to get used to pulling off that kind of turnout. (Salon)
Ex-Marfa mayor aboard missing plane Sep 18, 2008
Flooding on the Rio Grande in the Presidio/Ojinaga area has made the ground search difficult, officials said ... Brisbin, Marin and Herrera planned to inspect the Luis Leon Dam on the Rio Conchos, which flows into the Rio Grande upstream from Presidio, and to check out the flooding ... The IBWC has significant responsibilities along the U.S. side of the Rio Grande in concert with the agency s Mexican counterpart, which Herrera headed. (Alpine Avalanche, TX)
Plane Carrying U.S., Mexican Officials Found In Mexico Sep 18, 2008
(September 17, 2008)--The International Boundary and Water Commission says four people are dead after their plane crashed while they were checking on flooding along the Rio Grande ... The plane had been missing since Monday, when it took off from El Paso to check out flooding on the Rio Grande ... The crash site was about 20 miles northwest of Presidio and 13 miles from the Rio Grande. (KWTX.com, TX)
Raid On Rural Residence Nets 2,100 Marijuana Plants Sep 18, 2008
Just shoot anyone coming across the Rio Grande, the desert, or whatever with Mexico. That should slow them down a bit. (KWTX.com, TX)
Plane carrying 4 people missing in Presidio area Sep 17, 2008
Brisbin, Marin and Herrera planned to inspect the Luis Leon Dam on the Rio Conchos, which flows into the Rio Grande upstream from Presidio, and to check out flooding along the Rio Grande ... Brisbin, one of the passengers, is well-known in the Big Bend region: After serving as Marfa mayor and Presidio County judge, in 199 he was named executive director of the Rio Grande Council of Governments, which serves the region stretching from Alpine to Las Cruces, N.M. He also was owner and CEO of the... (Alpine Avalanche, TX)
Mexican Official Retracts Plane Crash Statement; Search Continues Sep 17, 2008
(September 16, 2008)-- Earlier Tuesday evening, a Mexican governor issued a statement saying searchers discovered the wreckage of a plane carrying U.S. and Mexican officials on an aerial inspection of Rio Grande Flooding had been found, but the statement was later retracted ... The plane, carrying U.S. Water and Boundary Commissioner Carlos Marin; his Mexican counterpart, Arturo Herrera; Jake Brisbin Jr., executive director of the Rio Grande Council of Governments, disappeared Monday during a... (KWTX.com, TX)
Plane Carrying U.S. Official To Texas Disappears Sep 16, 2008
Commissioner Carlos Marin was flying to Presidio to check out flooding along the Rio Grande but the plane did not land as scheduled, the IBWC in El Paso said Monday afternoon ... The commission said Monday that Rio Grande flood control levees in Presidio County could fail or be overtopped as flooding worsens in the region. (KWTX.com, TX)
BREAKING NEWS: Missing Plane's Wreckage Believed Found Sep 16, 2008
The flight originated at the El Paso International Airport, and carried U.S. IBWC Commissioner Carlos Marin and other officials on their way to Presidio to monitor flooding of the Rio Grande in the area. Copyright 2008 by. (KFOXTV.com, TX)
Obituaries appearing Sept. 15 in The Daily Times Sep 15, 2008
She spent her summers at her home in Wildwood, N.J., and spent the past 10 summers working as a manager at the Offshore Golf Adventure in Rio Grande, N.J. Mrs. Elmer was a cancer survivor and volunteered many hours collecting money for the American Cancer Society. For several years, she also volunteered her time at a hospital in Florida. (The Delaware County Times, PA)
Coastal Residents Can Only Watch And Wait Sep 13, 2008
"The storm surge is going to be the single most dangerous element in the near term for public safety and public welfare,' Chertoff said. Actions Taken By The State(Source: Texas Governors Office) Texas Military Forces: Up to 7,500 guardsmen are involved in pre-landfall operations and pre-staging in anticipation of Ikes landfall. Evacuation missions began today using six C-130s transporting medical special needs residents from Corpus Christi to Bryan College Station. UH-60 helicopters... (KWTX.com, TX)
Get Out of Town Or Face Certain Death Sep 12, 2008
Department of Aging and Disability Services: DADS has begun evacuating the Corpus Christi and Rio Grande State Schools, which provides residential services for Texans with profound development disabilities and other health issues. The agency also is working with nursing homes and other licensed long-term care facilities in areas that may be issuing evacuation orders. (KWTX.com, TX)
Texas to begin evacuating medically fragile Sep 10, 2008
Emergency officials also are getting ready to evacuate a million people from the impoverished Rio Grande Valley. They've lined up nearly 1,000 buses in case they're needed to move out the many poor and elderly people who have no cars. (FOX23.com, OK)
Mexican border tightens over drug-hit fear Aug 26, 2008
3 million people across the Rio Grande from El Paso. The cartels, battling one another and the Mexican government for supremacy and control of lucrative drug and human smuggling routes, have become brazen in their attacks. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
More Flooding Expected In South Texas Aug 26, 2008
Jose Garcia, the chief of police and fire in the Rio Grande Valley town of Roma, said Roma received another four inches of rain Sunday, causing new flooding in areas that had begun to dry out and sending nearly 60 residents scurrying back to a shelter. Several people had to be rescued from their homes, he said. (KWTX.com, TX)
Border Security Tightened After Mexican Cartels Give OK To Hit U.S. Targets Aug 26, 2008
3 million people across the Rio Grande from El Paso. . (KWTX.com, TX)
More Than $24 Million In Dolly Disaster Assistance Approved Aug 23, 2008
Dolly hit the Rio Grande Valley last month. The Texas Governor's Division of Emergency Management, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration announced that the money has been approved to help residents of Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy counties. (KWTX.com, TX)
ProElite Postpones September 20 Event in New Mexico Aug 23, 2008
Whitewater raft the Rio Grande River with a company you can trust. www. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Highways Closed, Homes Threatened As Rain Continues To Fall Aug 20, 2008
The flooding came at the opposite end of the state from disastrous flooding in Starr County in the Rio Grande Valley. A spokesman for the Starr County Sheriff's Department says at east 243 people were evacuated to a shelter at Roma, where an estimated 38 people were already seeking refuge. (KWTX.com, TX)
30 dead in worst weekend of northern Mexico violence this year... Aug 19, 2008
Ciudad Juarez -- across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, where local drug gangs are battling the powerful Sinaloa cartel -- has the highest murder toll, with some 800 so far this year, according to an AFP count. Federal authorities have deployed more than 36,000 soldiers across the country since early 2007, including 2,500 in Ciudad Juarez, in an effort to combat drug trafficking and related violence. (The Drudge Report)
Updated: Flooding Rains Possible Across Parts of Central Texas Aug 19, 2008
The Department of Public Safety recommended closure of U.S. 83 near Rosita, about midway between Roma and Rio Grande City, because a creek rose above the guardrails. Starr County Judge Eloy Vera said not even emergency vehicles were permitted to pass. (KWTX.com, TX)
Calif. gets most border agents, has shortest zone Aug 7, 2008
That compares with 11 for most of Arizona and nine for the Rio Grande Valley and West Texas, based on head counts given to the AP in July ... The Rio Grande forms the border in Texas, but in many places it is possible to swim, wade or float across it. (FOX 11, AZ)
Mexico Condemns Medellin Execution Aug 7, 2008
Temp: 60 F (16 C)Humidity: 90Heat Index: NA F. Central Texas Wildfire Danger. (KWTX.com, TX)
USA races to erect controversial steel fence on Mexican border... Aug 6, 2008
Just west of El Paso, near where Spanish conquistador Juan de Onate crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico in 1598, construction crews have completed a steel fence authorities say is a new model for border security ... Dozens of groups have joined the suit, including the Tigua Indian tribe, which for centuries has held religious ceremonies on the banks of the Rio Grande, which marks the border between Texas and Mexico ... According to Garcia, ten years ago some 100 people died annually illegally... (The Drudge Report)
State reaches out to register Spanish-speaking voters Aug 4, 2008
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signed in February 1848, provided for the following:The United States received all of the land originally sought by John Slidell, including present-day New Mexico, Arizona, California, Texas and parts of Colorado, Utah and Nevada; this area is often called the "Mexican Cession" The Mexicans received $15 million for those lands and were relieved of responsibility for claims by American citizens (about $3 million) The border between the two nations was fixed at the Rio... (Longview Daily News, WA)
Border Fence Debate Back In Court Aug 1, 2008
Build a fence a distance from the border on the US side and then let Mexico claim the unused land on our side of the Rio Grande. I can't believe that more stink is raised about where the fence is being placed. (KWTX.com, TX)
States help graying farmers find successors Jul 31, 2008
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) _ While Hurricane Dolly trashed the Lower Rio Grande Valley cotton crop, it failed, for the most part, to alleviate drought conditions in most of Texas ... Because of high pressure areas, the center of the storm tracked just south of the Rio Grande River until it reached New Mexico. (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
Texans Await FEMA Money In Dollys Aftermath Jul 29, 2008
Federal Emergency Management Agency officials fanned out across the Rio Grande Valley this week to begin the process of deciding whether Dolly's damage merits direct assistance. Residents need help paying for temporary housing, home repairs and to replace some of their belongings. (KWTX.com, TX)
Dollys Effects Still Felt Jul 28, 2008
The Rio Grande Valley's main airport closed Wednesday as Dolly roared across the South Texas coast. Valley International serves more than 800,000 passengers a year. (KWTX.com, TX)
FDA finds salmonella strain in jalapeno pepper Jul 28, 2008
The distribution plant where the jalapeno was found belongs to Agricola Zaragoza Inc. and is located in McAllen, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley. The company said the produce in question was shipped to Texas and Georgia, but it wasn't clear whether any of the reported illnesses were related to its peppers. (Yahoo News -- Consumer News)
Power outages widespread in Texas after Dolly... Jul 26, 2008
HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) - Business at reopened restaurants was humming, grocery store parking lots were packed and residents of south Texas were venturing out on the newly dry roads again as the remnants of Hurricane Dolly moved well away from the Rio Grande Valley ... It left behind more than a foot of rain in some areas and broke all-time July rainfall records in the Lower Rio Grande Valley ... An aerial view of the Rio Grande Valley showed fields forming a checkerboard pattern, some inundated... (The Drudge Report)
Tarantulas, fire ants lurk in floodwaters... Jul 26, 2008
"You don't want to wade in this water," state Health Services Commissioner David Lakey said during a visit to the Rio Grande Valley Friday ... The National Weather Service said the remnants of Dolly could still add a few inches of rain to some areas, and the forecast called for isolated showers in the Rio Grande Valley ... The storm brought 100 mph winds and broke all-time July rainfall records in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, dumping a foot of rain in some spots. (The Drudge Report)
McClellan Saw Storm in White House Katrina Strategy Jul 25, 2008
We might one day enjoy Hollywood movies, KFC, McDonalds - I myself am especially found of Caribou Coffee - while the Americans try to cross the Rio Grande into Mexico or trying to get to Canada to make a living. Sadly this day might not be as far fetched as it seems. (Yahoo News -- Tropical Storms and Hurricanes)
Scoop: Brangelina baby watch Jul 24, 2008
Authorities had feared the first hurricane to hit the U.S. since last September could produce up to 20 inches of rain in some areas, possibly breaching levees in the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley. . (MSNBC -- Gossip)
That terrible wall Jul 24, 2008
From Texas comes word that the government is plugging away on a border fence along the Rio Grande ... The government has sent property owners along sections of the Rio Grande letters of condemnation ... To make that point, as we reported Sunday, various groups have organized boating festivals on the lower Rio Grande later this year. (Albany Democrat-Herald, OR)
Full story..... Jul 24, 2008
The existing brewery will be expanded to include Gillary s Hay Maker Saloon, located in the existing Rio Grande Banquet Room ... One, doing the Hay Maker Bar and Grill, which will be where the Rio Grande Room is right now. (Alpine Avalanche, TX)
UPDATE: Flooding Concerns Mount In Dolly's Aftermath Jul 24, 2008
In Mexico, soldiers attempted to rescue people stranded at the mouth of the Rio Grande ... Matamoros is across the Rio Grande from Brownsville ... Public Works Response Team (PWRT): Planning for a Category II Hurricane to hit lower Rio Grande Valley at noon on Wednesday, July 23, 2008, which is expected to produce heavy rainfall resulting in local area flooding: Two representatives of the Public Works Response team are in the SOC and have completed the following coordination activities: 1) Teams... (KWTX.com, TX)
Perry Requests Presidential Disaster Declaration Jul 24, 2008
Department of Aging and Disability Services: DADS has contacted all nursing homes and other licensed residential providers in the Lower Rio Grande Valley ... Community action agencies have been contacted in the lower Rio Grande Valley and advised that they may be called upon to serve additional persons based on transpiring events. (KWTX.com, TX)
Levees hold but waters rise in Dolly's rains Jul 24, 2008
While the rain set records in Brownsville's Cameron County _ ranging from six to 12 inches with another three to seven expected overnight _ they did not appear to pose the threat to the Rio Grande's levees that had been feared ... Earlier in the day, Mexican soldiers made a last-minute attempt to rescue people at the mouth of the Rio Grande, using an inflatable raft to retrieve at least one family trapped in their home. (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
"At The Movies" Gets New Hosts Jul 23, 2008
Franchise Made Famous By Siskel And Ebert To Be Hosted By Lyons And Mankiewicz. LOS ANGELES, July 22, 2008. (CBS News)
Boo hoo hoo for 'The Savage Nation' Jul 23, 2008
Dolly heading for Rio Grande Valley, Officials fear hurricane will cause levees to fail-Urinal/PMS. How about if we just tell the people to evacuate, morons. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Census Bureau: 1.5 Million Are In Dollys Path Jul 23, 2008
Dolly spun into a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday on a path toward the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley. Officials fear heavy rains could cause massive flooding and levee breaks. (KWTX.com, TX)
Hurricane set to hit Texas coast Jul 23, 2008
McALLEN, Texas -- Dolly spun into a hurricane Tuesday, heading toward the U.S.-Mexico border and the heavily populated Rio Grande Valley, where officials feared heavy rains could cause massive flooding and levee breaks ... Texas officials urged residents to move away from the Rio Grande levees because if Dolly continues to follow the same path as 1967's Hurricane Beulah, "the levees are not going to hold that much water," said Cameron County Emergency Management Coordinator Johnny Cavazos ...... (KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8, OR)
Trading Tex not as simple as some think Jul 22, 2008
We took a rowboat cross the Rio Grande. Captain Pablo was our guide. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Texas, Mexico prepare for Tropical Storm Dolly Jul 22, 2008
There are about 2 million people in the Rio Grande Valley, which includes popular summer beach resort South Padre Island ... The federal government was trying to decide whether they could begin construction on a new border fence, which was to be combined with levee improvements along the Rio Grande in Hidalgo County. (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
Feature: The truth about Mandela Jul 20, 2008
On his official Facebook entry he has more than 11000 supporters, but on another just three friends: Frederik Willem de Klerk from Rio Grande Valley, TX, Claudia Jovita Infante of Mexico and Graa Machel. There are also Nelson Mandelas from Montreal, Canada, and Albany, New York, on Facebook. (iAfrica.com)
Texas Supplier Recalls Peppers, Avocados Jul 19, 2008
(July 18, 2008)A produce supplier in the Rio Grande Valley is voluntarily recalling fresh jalapeno peppers, Serrano peppers and avocados after tests found the presence of salmonella in some samples. The Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement Thursday that the salmonella strain found in Serrano peppers and jalapeno peppers distributed by Hildalgo-based GrandeProduce is not the strain responsible for the nationwide salmonella outbreak. (KWTX.com, TX)
Movable" Border Fence Awaits Approval Jul 18, 2008
(July 18, 2008)About 14 miles of border fencing planned for the Lower Rio Grande Valley could be built in the river's floodplain ... Along most of the Rio Grande, the fencing intended to help Border Patrol get a handle on illegal smuggling and immigration will run along the levees ... The sites are Roma and Rio Grande City in Starr County, and Los Ebanos in Hidalgo County. (KWTX.com, TX)
Knowing me, knowing ABBA Jul 18, 2008
I didn't know quite who Fernando was, or what the hell he was doing that "frightful night" he crossed the Rio Grande, but the melody was so intriguing, the girls' harmony so pretty, I felt like crying right there in the supermarket. The group had already had its big breakthrough two years before "Fernando" hit my eardrums, cleaning up at the Eurovision song contest with "Waterloo," a criminally infectious paean of romantic surrender. (Salon)
LETTERS: NCT, June 25, 2008 Jun 26, 2008
It wasn't until he was long gone across the Rio Grande that the van he was driving was discovered to have marijuana in it. In other words, he was not a drug smugglerr at all. (North County Times)
Relative Of Texas Congressman Kidnapped In Mexico Jun 26, 2008
A female relative of Reyes' was kidnapped June 19 in Ciudad Juarez, a crime-ridden city across the Rio Grande from El Paso. The woman is a Mexican citizen and was released after another relative in Mexico paid approximately $30,000 ransom to the kidnapper. (KWTX.com, TX)
22 comments Jun 20, 2008
E-Verify is a Working Solution to Illegal Immigration - HUMAN EVENTS. Two years ago I traveled the country talking with people of all walks of life about the threat of illegal immigration. (Human Events Online)
Meetings/news briefs Jun 19, 2008
Rio Grande Nature Center. Students entering 6th through 9th grade who want to learn about the Rio Grande Bosque are invited to join the Junior Ranger program at Rio Grande Nature Center State Park this summer ... Junior Rangers learn about the three major habitats of the Rio Grande riparian ecosystem river, Bosque and pond and conduct basic biological and chemical monitoring. (Rio Rancho Observer, NM)
Naman Crowe: How many believe we're in a religious war? Jun 18, 2008
As I recall, the movie opened with Jack on Old Speed, hell-bent for the Rio Grande, with a posse on his tail. Old Speed outran the posse and splashed across a shallow crossing of the river. (Catoosa County News, GA)
AFI names top 10 films in 10 genres: Did they get it right? Jun 18, 2008
AFI names top 10 films in 10 genres: Did they get it right. SUNNY Wednesday June 18, 2008. (Seacoast New Hampshire)
Talking Points Jun 14, 2008
Fair-minded people don't object to guest-worker programs, but they do object to people walking across the Rio Grande undocumented and setting up shop on a main street near you. So we together have won an important battle in this campaign. (Fox News)
