En Su Casa Joins Chamber of Commerce

    En Su Casa is now officially a member of the Uvalde Area Chamber of Commerce.  The Primary Home Health Care Facility held ribbon-cutting ceremonies at it’s East Main location yesterday morning. CEO Linda Smith says the business has been in Uvalde and San Antonio since 1999, but changed it’s name to En Su Casa in 2002.  She says the facility provides basic home care services to the frail, elderly and disabled.

    "We do things such as personal care services which include bathing, all aspects of grooming, personal care such as helping them with assistance in the bathroom. doing their washing, their sheets and their linens and their clothes, so they have clean clothes to wear, running errands for them such as getting their groceries, preparing meals, and doing light housekeeping. It is designed to keep people from being institutionalized, " says Smith.

    Smith says the organization works with Medicaid recipients and those who pay out of their pockets.  She says there is a misconception among those who view Medicaid as an entitlement program that Medicare will cover this type of home care when they reach 67 years of age.  She says Medicare's coverage of such a program is very limited, mostly to procedures having to do with those done under a doctor’s supervision and for a limited amount of time.

    "We have unskilled personnel that go inside the home so we don't have nurses or any licensed people that are skilled to provide care like medical care, but still having an unskilled person...you are having somebody there that knows the people," Smith says. 

    Smith says these workers can tell whether or not someone needs to go to the doctor because they know what kind of medical conditions they have.    For more information about the program or if you know of someone who needs its services you can call 591-2313.

EDWARDS AQUIFER AUTHORITY DECLARES STAGE III PUMPING RESTRICTIONS FOR UVALDE POOL

    SAN ANTONIO (May 10, 2012) – Despite recent rains, the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) today, for the first time in its history, declared Stage III mandatory pumping reductions for Edwards Aquifer users within its Uvalde Pool based on the water level at the J27 index well in Uvalde. Stage III of the EAA critical period management plan requires Edwards groundwater permit holders in the Uvalde Pool -- including all of Uvalde County -- to reduce their pumping from the aquifer by 20 percent of their annual authorized amount.

    The Stage III declaration is based on water level readings recorded over the past 10 days at the J27 index well.  On May 9, 2012, the 10-day rolling average water level reading at the well was confirmed to be 1.2 feet below 845 feet above mean sea level (msl), which is the Stage III trigger threshold.  This is the lowest recorded level at the J27 index well since 1958 and the first time the EAA has had to declare Stage III for the Uvalde Pool under its critical period management plan.  Stage III will remain in effect as long as the J27 index well level remains below the Stage III trigger, but above the Stage IV trigger of 842 (msl).  The Uvalde Pool previously had been under Stage II restrictions since June 27,2011.

    The intent behind mandatory pumping reductions is to help stabilize aquifer levels and spring discharge rates until sufficient rain returns to The area to replenish the aquifer.  Stage III reductions apply to all Edwards groundwater permit holders in Uvalde County who are authorized to pump more than three acre-feet annually.  However, irrigators have until June 11, 2012, to file a notice of intent to finish out a crop and receive an exemption from further critical period reductions in order to complete irrigating already planted crops.  Irrigators also may file a notice of intent to plant an additional crop during critical period, but watering of those crops will be subject to pumping reductions.  Just as with Stage II, Stage III requires all affected permit holders to report their pumping totals to the EAA on a monthly basis.

    Residents and businesses who receive their water from a public water system are encouraged to contact their water provider directly to find out how Stage III reductions may affect them.  More information on Stage III requirements is available by calling the EAA critical period team at (866)931-3239 or by visiting the EAA website at www.edwardsaquifer.org.   The Edwards Aquifer Authority manages, enhances, and protects the Edwards Aquifer, one of the major groundwater systems in Texas serving approximately 2 million people.

 "Glory Road" Basketball Star to Highlight Senior Farewell Celebration

    Uvalde High School graduating seniors will be treated to a special guest speaker at a senior farewell program Thursday, May 17, in the high school auditorium. Nevil Shed, a key player on the historic NCAA Championship Texas Western Miners basketball team, will bring his story of determination, commitment and faith to UHS graduates and their families at the farewell assembly. The championship effort by the Miners was depicted in the Hollywood production “Glory Road,” inspiring millions with its story of triumph despite tremendous odds.

    According to Shed, he and his African-American teammates "made their mark in history in 1966" when they beat an all-white University of Kentucky, coached by the legendary Adolph Rupp, and won the NCAA Championship. "The significant moment became a turning point in the civil rights movement and was instrumental in transforming the future of college athletics," he said.

    In 1966, Shed was drafted by the Boston Celtics, but his career was cut short due to a severe knee injury. That didn’t stop him from succeeding in basketball. Shed went on to coach at the University of Texas at San Antonio and is now the Youth Basketball Camp Coordinator for the San Antonio Spurs.

   In 2007, the entire 1966 Texas Western Miners team was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and Shed, personally, has received a City of San Antonio Living Legend Award.

   The 2012 senior farewell assembly will also be an opportunity for the students to be honored by the administration and their own classmates. Seniors will receive graduation cords and will be treated to a video presentation honoring their class and depicting their senior year. Entertainment will be provided by the UHS show choir. One of the Class of 2012’s favorite teachers, James Butler (now Flores Elementary School Assistant Principal), will also address the group.

   Following the assembly, graduates and family members with tickets will move to the Uvalde County Fairplex Event Center for a senior farewell luncheon.  UHS's award-winning Shades of Blue jazz combo will be featured entertainment. After the luncheon, seniors will return to the UHS auditorium for a short meeting and distribution of alternative graduation ceremony tickets.

Junior College Commencement Scheduled for Saturday

    Southwest Texas Junior College will hold its 65th Annual Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Uvalde Honey Bowl. Derek Sandoval, SWTJC kinesiology department chair, will be master of ceremonies at this year's event. SWTJC Uvalde 2012 graduate Rochell Sanchez of Uvalde, a member of the Catholic Club, will deliver the invocation. Graduates Carla Rios of Cotulla and Noe Zarate of Carrizo Springs will lead the singing of The National Anthem. Dr. Ismael Sosa, Jr., SWTJC president, will introduce college trustees and honored guests, and SWTJC Dean of Technology and Institutional Advancement Dr. Blaine Bennett will introduce the keynote speaker. MAP TO GRADUATION SITE Dr. Robert Aguero, vice president for instruction and student services at Texas Southmost College in Brownsville, TX. will deliver the keynote address. A native of the Nueces Canyon, Aguero is an alumnus of SWTJC and was also on the staff at SWTJC from 1982-1991, serving in a variety of positions including instructor, assistant to the president and dean of instruction.

    Dean of Admissions and Student Services Joe Barker will present the graduating class and SWTJC trustee Tony Moreno, along with board president Rodolfo R. Flores, vice president Dr. Harry O. Watkins, secretary Dr. Antonio H. Rivera, and trustees Anita Shackelford, and Maria Elena Lara will award diplomas and certificates.

    SWTJC Dean of Instructional Services Hector E. Gonzales will recognize honor graduates and outstanding students in individual technical programs. Jason Schlichting of Reagan Wells, a student at SWTJC Uvalde, will be organist for the ceremony. Friends and family are not allowed on the field or track until after the ceremony is over. "We will have a photographer on hand taking photos of the graduates as they receive their diplomas," Barker said. "After the ceremony is over everyone is welcome to come on the field and take additional photos." In case of rain, the ceremony will be moved to the La Forge Hall gymnasium on the SWTJC Uvalde campus, located at 2401 Garner Field Road. Following the ceremony, graduates and their guests are invited to a reception in the Matthews Student Center on the SWTJC Uvalde campus. This year's graduation program lists a total of 488 students who will be receiving associate degrees. An additional 259 students will receive certificates in various technical programs.

CBP Officers at Del Rio Port of Entry Nab Cocaine Load

DEL RIO, Texas - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Del Rio Port of Entry Thursday seized nearly $1 million worth of cocaine after finding it hidden in a passenger vehicle. Thursday afternoon a Piedras Negras, Mexico couple arrived at the port in a 1999 Volkswagen Passat. The driver, a 23-year-old Mexican national, and his 24-year-old wife, were referred for an intensive inspection. During inspection, a CBP officer discovered an anomaly in the interior of the vehicle. A CBP drug detection canine alerted officers to the possible presence of contraband, leading to the discovery of 12 packages wrapped in black tape. A test of the packages yielded positive results for cocaine. Officers recovered a total of 29.6 pounds of cocaine, with an estimated value of $947,200.