August 13, 2026
Showing mention at 4:22 — highlighted below
Transcript
27 segmentsThe Refereo Mayor and City Secretary have both been arrested and charged with a first-degree felony. Ice raids in the Rio Grande Valley are hurting local economies. And we look back on the life and legacy of Veterans Band of Corpus Christi Founder Ram Chavez. This is South Texas Midday. I'm Rob Boss Camp. Thank you for joining me on this Thursday, August 13th. In Refereo, Mayor Wanda Dukes and City Secretary Callie Shrek and Ghosts were arrested Wednesday by the Texas Rangers. Both have been charged with a first-degree felony of misapplication of fiduciary property involving $300,000 or more. Both have been released on bail. Earlier this year, Dukes was removed from the Referio Economic Development Corporation by the Town Council. The Rio Grande Valley Business Journal says that over 9,000 immigration arrests across South Texas and a record quarterly drop in Rio Grande Valley construction jobs have placed the region in a debate over economic cost of immigration enforcement. A new report from America's voice points to the Valley as it argues that increased enforcement can have consequences that spread beyond the workers being arrested. It also has an effect on construction, local businesses, and potentially what consumers pay. The report nicknames the effects the ice tax. The Rio Grande Valley Business Journal is in partnership with KEDT. The Port of Corpus Christi is having a historic year, according to CEO Kent Britton. On Wednesday speaking at the Flower Bluff Business Association, he recapped the year so far and highlighted that a possible edition of a rail yard in Robstown, first though the port will have to finalize discussions with a container terminal operator. Those discussions would eventually affect how docks are designed in the inner harbor. Tomorrow night, KEDT honors the life and legacy of local educator, war hero, and veterans band of Corpus Christi founder and longtime director Ram Chavez. Chavez passed away last week at the age of 80 after a battle with cancer. He was late to rest this week at Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery with full military honors. A Vietnam War hero, he was awarded the Silver Star for Gallantry under fire and the Purple Heart. With a lifelong passion for music, Chavez played in the Freddie Martinez Orchestra and formed the band Ram and the Impala's in 1963. He would later go on to establish the Veterans Band of Corpus Christi in 1986. So it really is a tribute. It reminds them. And the intent of the Vietnam Memorial at the time with the names was to remember those that had died in Vietnam. So when we performed... names will flash through my memory of friends that I lost in Vietnam and friends that we lost in Corpus, from Corpus rather. And so it brings that emotion to the band. Once again, we keep that memory going. Navas Chavez during the 1995 KEDT special, the Veterans Band of Corpus Christi, a musical tribute. Also a longtime educator, he was band director for Cullen Junior High and Ray High School and a former assistant principal at Cullen. Among his accolades, he was awarded Advocate of the Year from the Corpus Christi Mayors Committee for Veterans Affairs. What do you hope that folks remember about you and your lessons that maybe you've shared with them over the years? Well, I just hope that they enjoy the things that we did together. I hope that they remember.
that at one time we're here. That was Chavez with Libby Avery at during a 2022 interview that later aired on the program, South Texas Leaders. You can watch the encore of that episode in a tribute to Chavez tomorrow night, beginning at 7.30 p.m. on KEDT TV. Following the South Texas Leaders Encore will be a replay of the 1995 special, the Veterans Band of Corpus Christi, a musical tribute. Protesters gathered in Big Bend National Park yesterday to speak out against the Trump administration's border security plans for the park. Contractors moved heavy machinery into Big Bend last week. They've since started grading roads and clearing land for new patrol roads and vehicle barriers. Parts of the park have been closed off to the public. Billy Bartco, a river outfitter from nearby Tolingua, joined the demonstration. I believe this is really about federal versus local. It's about intimately knowledgeable versus not knowledgeable at all. And so you have an educated local group trying to get the message out that this is ridiculous, defies logic at every turn, fiscally irresponsible. And then you have a group that's never been here, doesn't spend any time here, doesn't know what they're doing. Some lawmakers, like Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn, have raised concerns about the project, but others, including Governor Greg Abbott, have remained quiet on the issue. John Cornyn is urging the head of Homeland Security to meet with concerned West Texans before any additional construction moves forward. The Trump administration wants to overhaul a federal homeless aid program and a move critics say could put more than 5,000 Texans at risk for reentering homelessness. A federal judge has blocked a second attempt by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to do so, but it's not the first time HUD has tried to overhaul the program, and it likely won't be the last. KERA's Emily DeMont has more on what's at stake for communities as the government seeks to depart from a longstanding approach to homeless policy known as Housing First. Tonisha Thomas isn't usually one to ask for help. But when she dialed the number of Texas's resource hotline three and a half years ago, she was at rock bottom. No car, her phone disconnected, and nowhere else to go. Thomas and her one-year-old son arrived at the Center for Transforming Live Shelter in Fort Worth. And I didn't have any resources and I couldn't go stay with family, so I really had no options. The nonprofit helped Thomas and her son move into an apartment, where she received counseling, child care, financial coaching, and 18 months of rental assistance to get back on her feet. Now, that program, and others like it across the country are on the federal chopping block. For the past nine months, the Trump administration has been trying to overhaul what's known as the continuum of care. It's a program that provides housing assistance and support services to families and individuals experiencing homelessness. The change would shift federal funding away from permanent housing assistance and towards services like emergency shelters, street outreach, and mental health treatment.
A U.S. district judge in Rhode Island blocked HUD's latest attempt to restructure funding on procedural grounds. But the agency could still appeal the ruling or try again next funding cycle. And if it's successful, local service providers say the changes could gut crucial programs that keep thousands of Texans out of homelessness annually. It's so much better if families can move out of shelters, off the streets, and into homes. Carol Klossack is the president and CEO of the Center for Transforming Lives. She says access to permanent housing grants stability to families experiencing homelessness, which makes it easier to work towards self-sufficiency. And then they know where their children will go to school, which child care makes sense, what kind of transportation needs they have, what kind of job they can get into, all the things that they need to really be able to start their life. It's a framework known as Housing First. The idea that giving someone a place to live stabilizes them enough to get back on their feet. If the proposed changes take effect, Closick says they could no longer provide housing for clients in need. That... movement towards stability in families is what we all want and need. And not every community would be impacted equally by HUD's overhaul. Sarah Kahn is the president and CEO of Housing Forward, the backbone agency for the homelessness response system in Dallas and Collin counties. She says the changes would actually allow them to access more funding. That's because they already fund interventions like emergency shelter and street outreach at the local level. which are aligned with the White House's new federal funding priorities. That is where Dallas and Collin counties really shines, and that's why we've been able to increase our portfolio of funding every year. We believe that we will remain competitive to increase resources this year as well. To be sure, most service providers aren't against these new interventions that HUD wants to fund, which are still critical parts of the community's holistic response to homelessness. Lauren King is the CEO of Partnership Home, which manages the homelessness response system in Tarrant and Parker counties. The problem is it's not an either-or. It's a both-and, right? So, yes, we need more money for treatment, and also those people have to have some place to live when they finish with treatment. And without additional federal investment, King says communities are doing the best they can with the resources they have. We'll serve people and we'll do a great job, but without significant investment, the community as a whole, I think. it's not going to see this huge decrease. As for Thomas, she's just graduated with honors from Tarrant County Community College with her associate's degree. It's a long way from where she was before. We're just living. We're living. We're out surviving and we're living now. In a few weeks, she'll start at the University of Oklahoma to earn a bachelor's in social work, with the goal of someday helping other women who are going through similar situations. I'm Emily DeMott in Dallas. Nominations are being accepted statewide through September 30th for the 27 HGB Excellence in Education Awards program. Texas Public Radio's Brian Fitzpatrick has a story.
The San Antonio-based grocery giant seeks to award more than $1 million in cash prizes to Texas educators and their schools. Anyone can nominate a favorite teacher, counselor, principal, school district, school board, or early childhood center. Nominations can be made at H.E.B. LovesTeachers. Ten winners, six teachers, two counselors, and two principals, along with an early education facility, public school board, and two school districts will be announced at an award ceremony in Austin in the spring. I'm Brian Fitzpatrick in Senate's audio. And in sports, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi soccer kicked off a new season last night. They hosted Tarleton State and their home opener tying two all with the Texans. And it's a goal, a late goal. What a opportunity for number 13. Dakota Marino. That audio was courtesy of ESPN. Marino scored the Islander's first goal of the season after the Texans took an early 2-0 lead. Katie Porter tied the game in the 61st minute. The Islanders will next face Texas A&M International at home on Sunday night. And that is the latest news and information on South Texas Midday. I'm Rob Bosskamp. Your community arts calendar and more is on the way.