2009 Year in Review

In the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, Brownsville saw its own fair share of memorable stories and events in 2009.

The Recession Impact

Last year in Cameron County was mixed, economically speaking. While the housing market wasn’t hit as hard as in many other parts of the country, residential real estate did experience slowness. A slump in commercial real estate projects, following a boom period in previous years, didn’t show many signs of easing. The year also saw rough times for car dealers, as well as the extinction of once mighty brands such as Pontiac.

All of it, of course, was tied to the national recession. Although the effects in Brownsville and South Texas were

The federal response to the recession in the form of stimulus dollars, proved to be a win for Brownsville. Included in stimulus dollars under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 is a $46 million grant to fix longstanding problems with the city’s antiquated wastewater system. The grant was announced in October and the work is slated to start in February 2010 and take three years to complete.

County Budget Woes

In 2009 Cameron County found itself struggling to balance its proposed $70 million budget.

Several suggestions were discussed to cope with the effects of the recession and a $5.6 million shortfall — including cutting employee pay.

However, in the end the Commissioners’ Court left wages untouched and found other ways to balance the budget.

H1N1 Pandemic

If going through a recession wasn't scary enough, in May the Rio Grande Valley became the epicenter of the H1N1 pandemic in the United States. The virus, commonly referred to as the swine flu, began in Mexico and quickly migrated north.

The first H1N1 fatality in the U.S. was a boy from Mexico who traveled through the Valley on his way to Houston, where he died. It was not long after that a pregnant woman from Harlingen died from the H1N1 flu — the first U.S. citizen to die as the result of the virus during the pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Protection identified pregnant women, children and the elderly as the most vulnerable to the virus. It was not until several months later that a vaccine was created and distributed across the U.S.

Border Security

In a battle similar to that of David and Goliath, many Cameron County residents took on the federal government in a fight against the border wall.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security was adamant in building a border fence in the name of national security, but its quest was not welcomed by some landowners, who took the government to court.

In the end, DHS was the victor in 2009 and border fence construction began in parts of Cameron County.

The implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, or WHIT, also had a big impact in the Valley. WHIT made it mandatory for U.S. citizens to have passports or crossing cards upon entry into the U.S.

The new passport requirements are part of a travel initiative to secure the nation's border. Although WHIT was implemented in 2008, its actual enforcement began on June 1, 2009.

Border Violence

Brownsville residents were on edge as violence in northern Mexico continued to rise in 2009, as the Mexican government and military took on the drug cartels.

The tension overshadowed the annual Charro Days festivities, which are meant to celebrate the partnership between sister cities Brownsville and Matamoros. The fear of violence boiled over when the BISD Youth Parade turned into chaos, after a fight and fear among parade goers escalated to a human stampede. Panic broke out when some people mistakenly thought that the sounds caused by falling chairs were gunshots.

The incident further escalated when dozens of U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived at the parade carrying assault rifles and tactical gear. The agents were on high alert because of the violence in Mexico and responded to 911 calls of shots fired.

Drug Cartel Violence

In August, a Matamoros shootout prompted The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College to close its campus for the weekend. School officials said bullets from the shootout struck a campus building and a car.

The presence of the Mexican military on the streets of Matamoros led to several gun battles with alleged members of the Gulf Cartel. In September, the Mexican army arrested cartel lieutenant Abel Alfredo Treviño after a brutal gun battle with assault rifles and grenade launchers.

As reports of border violence rose in 2009, Texas Gov. Rick Perry decided it was time to deploy troops. After the federal government failed to answer his call to deploy 1,000 National Guard troops to help secure the nation’s border, the governor took matters into his own hands.

In September, Perry called for the deployment of specially trained Texas Ranger Reconnaissance Teams and about 200 Texas National Guard troops to the Texas-Mexico border.

Mexico Bus Crash

A Spring Break trip to Mexico ended in tragedy when a bus crashed near Satillo, Mexico. BISD employees were killed in the crash.

In March, a tractor-trailer slammed into the bus carrying Canadian and U.S. tourists in northern Mexico, killing 11 and injuring 16.

Cummings Middle School teachers Ana Maria Bujanos, 56, of Brownsville, and Rebecca Pemelton, 68, of Harlingen, were killed, as well as BISD psychologist Roger G. Burns, 64, of Harlingen. Also killed was former BISD staff member Maria Concepcion Sanchez, 54, of Harlingen.

The truck driver, who Mexican authorities said was drunk, apparently lost control and swerved into the bus' lane. The bus driver was killed and the truck driver was among the injured.

Two of the injured, at one time, were also employed with BISD.

New BISD Superintendent

To say 2009 was an eventful year for the Brownsville Independent School District would be accurate — and probably an understatement.

As 2008 ended, BISD was just getting used to the idea of winning the 2008 Broad Prize for Urban Education, the nation’s top educational prize and making it the most-improved school district in the United States.

Then the Board of Trustees began proceedings against former superintendent Hector Gonzales, on Jan. 16 naming Brett Springston, the assistant superintendent for operations, as interim superintendent. The district also launched an investigation of BISD’s Special Services Department.

By year’s end, Gonzales had been fired and Springston, a high-energy former area assistant superintendent for the Pace Cluster of schools, was the new superintendent.

In his first move as superintendent, Springston challenged the district’s principals to "get on the energy bus" and improve upon BISD’s already solid academic results. He cited the Broad Prize and Southmost Elementary being named a Blue Ribbon School, the top award a school can receive from the U.S. Department of Education.

Mayor’s Trial

Mayor Pat M. Ahumada ended 2009 as he did 2008 — with a cloud over him and his integrity questioned.

At the end of 2008, the community heard Brownsville police Chief Carlos Garcia’s recommendation that a grand jury be convened to review evidence regarding a $26,139 check that the city issued to New York vendor Tarsia Technical Industries Inc. However, Ahumada deposited the check in his bank account.

How did the check get from the city finance department to Ahumada’s hands?

That question again rears its head at the start of the new year. The mayor’s second trial on felony charges of theft, abuse of official capacity, and misapplication of fiduciary property is slated for Jan. 19. The first trial ended in a deadlocked jury and a mistrial in October 2009.

July 4 Concert Scandal

City news in 2009 also was dominated by an alleged hoax. Prosecutors say City Manager Charlie Cabler, Parks Director Chris Patterson and developer Richard Hope were duped at the hands of promoter Hiro Jamal Hariram of Houston. He is accused of swindling $9,562 from the city for a failed July 4 concert and $46,000 from the developer for several failed concerts.

Indicted in December by a grand jury on two theft charges and sued by the city, Hariram’s criminal and civil cases continue into the new year.

Barry Horn Murder

In October, the city was rocked by the murder of Barry Horn, executive director of the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art.

Ernesto Ivan Martinez was arrested in Matamoros and charged with the murder. Police said Horn was killed in a crime of passion.

Rubio Trial Continues

In a move that temporarily halted a new trial of accused child killer John Allen Rubio, Cameron County state District Judge Arturo C. Nelson recused himself from presiding in the case.

Although Nelson gave no reason for his recusal, there were allegations of favoritism toward the defense.

In 2007 Rubio won an appeal of his 2003 capital murder conviction. He was granted a new trial, which is scheduled to take place in 2010. Hidalgo County Judge Noe Gonzalez is now presiding over all hearings regarding Rubio.

delayed compared to other parts of the country, the region is also well poised for economic recovery, according to some forecasts.