Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance Program Planned at Veterans War Memorial

The public is invited to attend a Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance program at the Veterans War Memorial of Texas (29th & Galveston) in McAllen on Wed. Dec.7th at 10 A.M.

Speakers for this program will be McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez and Mr. Clyde Eidson, a WWII submariner and Pearl Harbor survivor.

It has been 70 years since this infamous attack which prompted the United States to enter into World War II. 1,178 Americans were wounded and 2,403 were killed in this 2-hour time period.

“As Americans we must never forget this important day in our history and continue to honor and remember those who were lost and those who survived on Dec. 7th, 1941,” said Colonel Frank Plummer (US Army, Ret.), an event organizer.

For further information please contact Frank Plummer at 956-631-2511 or Jan Hartzog at 956-605-3486.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011
10:00 am
Veterans War Memorial
29th and Galveston

Update on Monday, December 5, 2011 at 11:01PM by Carlos Muriel

The event has been cancelled due to cold weather.

150 McAllen Area Families to Receive Free Turkey Dinners Wednesday, Courtesy of McAllen Crime Stoppers & McAllen Police Department

150 McAllen area families will receive free Thanksgiving turkeys with all the trimmings Wednesday at 10 am, courtesy of the McAllen Crime Stoppers Board and the McAllen Police Department.

The giveaway is an annual tradition established by McAllen Crime Stoppers, a crime fighting organization comprised of community volunteers and McAllen police officers.
Monetary and food donations were collected by the Crime Stoppers Board from residents and businesses to provide the turkey dinners. The food will be distributed in front of the McAllen Public Safety Building at 1601 Bicentennial Boulevard.

The families receiving the food baskets were pre-selected based on financial need with the help of school teachers and counselors and the McAllen Police Department’s Office of Community Affairs.

"The McAllen Crime Stoppers board is thankful to our sponsors for their support,” said Crime Stoppers Board President Ernie Rodriguez. “We are also thankful to residents who take a stand against crime and help the McAllen police department keep our community safe.”

“We are happy to partner with Crime Stoppers and host this community project,” said McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez. “The Crime Stoppers Board turns to the community for contributions and information to solve crime throughout the year so this is one way to give back to the community.”

Wednesday, November 23, 2011
10:00 AM
McAllen Public Safety Building
1601 N. Bicentennial Blvd.

McAllen Unemployment Down for Third Straight Month

McALLEN [11.22.11] – Employment was up and unemployment down for the third straight month in the City of McAllen with close to 600 more people employed in October than last month, according to the latest numbers from the Texas Workforce Commission.

McAllen also has the most people employed in its history, 59,346, according to the Workforce Commission’s records. The city had only broken 59,000 once before in March of this year. But with its overall labor force growing, unemployment falling and an economic upward trend in play, the city has been able to grow jobs.

The city’s unemployment rate sunk to 7.7 percent, its lowest in six months employing 573 more than September. The city’s unemployment rate is back down to what it was one year ago, but McAllen has more jobs than October of 2010. TWC recorded 4,939 unemployed in McAllen, the lowest in five months.

Most cities and metro areas in the state recorded lower unemployment rates for October, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. The McAllen figure for October was once again the lowest among Rio Grande Valley cities and the second lowest among all border cities in the state. Only Laredo was lower at 7.3 percent.

McAllen was a bit below the state and national rates and lower than cities such as Houston (7.9), Fort Worth (8.2), Waco (8.4), Tyler (8.4), Dallas (8.7), El Paso (9.4) and Beaumont (10.5). The TWC also reported that in Hidalgo County, Edinburg employed 30,923, Mission 26,529 and Pharr 24,217. Regionally, the cities of Corpus Christi and San Antonio recorded 7.1 percent and 7.3 unemployment rates, respectively. Also, Midland had the lowest rate in Texas among major cities at 4.5 percent. Brownsville recorded the highest at 11.8 percent.

The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission MSA unemployment rate for October was down to 11.6 percent (with about 2,671 more people employed than last month), according to the TWC, and the Brownsville-Harlingen MSA checked in at 11.9 percent. Texas’ statewide jobless rate dropped to 8.0 percent while the nation edged down to 8.5 percent.

Angels of Love Toy Drive

NATIONAL PREMATURITY AWARENESS MONTH IN NOVEMBER

McALLEN -  This month recognizes National Prematurity Awareness Month when the March of Dimes along with other organizations intensify their efforts to raise awareness about the serious problem of premature births in Texas.  In Texas today, 1 in 8 babies is born prematurely and is the leading cause of newborn death in the U.S.  In Hidalgo County, the preterm birth rate was 14% in 2006 and this number continues to escalate.

While most pregnancies last around 40 weeks, premature babies are born before 37 weeks of pregnancy.  Premature birth is a serious health problem since these babies are at increased risk for newborn health complications, such as breathing problems, infections and even death.  Premature babies also face an increased risk of life-long health difficulties, such as intellectual disabilities, learning and behavioral problems, cerebral palsy, autism and vision and hearing loss.

All of the factors that contribute to preterm birth are not yet understood, however, certain medical conditions during pregnancy may increase the likelihood that a woman will have preterm labor.  These include high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity as well as being younger than 18 or older than 35 years of age.  Also, certain lifestyle factors put women at a greater risk to give birth prematurely such as smoking, drinking alcohol, using illegal drugs, experiencing high levels of stress or working long hours with long periods of standing.

"Proper healthcare before and during pregnancy is of vital importance and can help identify conditions that contribute to the serious medical risk of premature births," stated Rep. Veronica Gonzales.  "We need to improve awareness of preterm risk factors and ensure that pregnant women, especially those uninsured, have access to prenatal care to ensure the health of themselves and their babies."

For more information on prematurity and its prevention visit the March of Dimes website.