Friday, December 9, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Chuck E. Cheese would have taken away some of the spotlight
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| Photo appears courtesy of Colossal blog BorderTown Blues |
As Mayor Raul Salinas nears the end of his Peter Piper's Pizza occupation, new theories are surfacing about why they Mayor did not choose Mall Del Norte's Chuck E. Cheese to stage his
Well, some calls to the LaredoTejas news desk have hinted at a very plausible reason. It might just be that the Mayor chose to pass up on the high visibility that the Mall would have provided for the simple reason that it would've meant him sharing the spotlight with Mr. Cheese himself.
As overpriced as Chuck E.'s pizza is, the 6ft mouse still manages to draw a lot of attention from younger Laredoans. This fact might have very well translated into kids influencing their parents by insisting that they go to "see that giant rat on the roof", and I'm not referring to the Mayor this time.
All in all, it looks like Mayor Salinas has once again, outsmarted everyone and managed to ham it up for the cameras with no popular sidekick to steal his thunder. The good thing: it's all for a good cause.
"Buck Nation" should maybe be renamed "Buck Hamlet" : attendance woes continue
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| Sell-outs are definitely a thingof the past at "Buck Nation" |
During the first couple of years of the Laredo's Bucks, their attendance numbers were pretty impressive. I recall reading about records being set rather frequently. Back then, it was not unusual to have 8,000 people pack the Laredo Entertainment Center (LEA). Unfortunately, now it's pretty common for attendance at the LEA to hover closer to 2,000 fans.
Interestingly enough, the attendance figures are no longer available on the Bucks web page as they were during the teams' first years in town. Now, one has to go the League website (CHL) in order to get that information.
Of the 14 teams that make up the current CHL lineup, the Laredo Bucks rank 11th in attendance. The teams averaging the bigger crowds nowadays include: Fort Wayne, 7,900 ; Wichita-5,700 and Missouri which averages around 5,500 fans per game. Meanwhile, "Bucks
Now, where have I heard that before? Ah yes, the Safe Fracking Coalition warned us
From The Wall Street Journal's article :Oil's Growing Thirst For Water
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| From Carrizo Springs, Texas |
Under Texas law, an oil company that has the mineral lease on a property has the right to tap aquifers without the consent of landowners.Editor's Note: The City of Laredo, a couple of months ago, ended stage 3 water restriction. The prevailing notion is that they did this because it was the only way to justify their selling water to the fracking industry. So while Fort Worth ends its water sales to the oil and gas companies, Laredo is barely starting theirs. No common sense needed when you're willing to sell-off your town and its resources to the highest bidder.
Dan Waldrop owns 1,200 acres in LaSalle County, about halfway between San Antonio and Laredo, but he doesn't own the mineral rights. The energy company that does has drawn nearly 30 million gallons of water so far from a well it drilled on his property.
He says he is considering trying to make the company pay for it. "In the deed, it says they have the use of the water, and it doesn't say they have free use," he says.
In addition to tapping underground aquifers, oil companies are interested in water from Texas rivers. They have acquired—or are currently seeking to acquire—from local irrigation authorities the rights to nearly 40,000 acre-feet of water a year. That is enough to supply nearly a quarter-million people for a year.
One source has been the Rio Grande. Cities along the river, which are among the fastest growing in the state, draw from it to supply water to residents.
"This is a major concern for us," says Juan Hinojosa, a Democratic state senator from McAllen who represents the area. "The oil companies have a lot more money than we do to buy water rights."
The intense drought over the summer exacerbated the water concerns of cities. More than 964 public water systems, covering 14.7 million Texans, have imposed voluntary or mandatory restrictions, according to the state.
This summer, the city of Grand Prairie, near Fort Worth, stopped selling water to oil companies as part of its drought-contingency measures, which also included lawn-watering restrictions.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Laredo's revenue bond rating includes summary view of Gateway City
| Obviously, your water bills are going to get bigger & bigger |
From The Wall Street Journal
AUSTIN, Texas, Nov 17, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Fitch Ratings assigns an 'AA-' to the following Laredo, Texas (the city) revenue bonds: --$31.7 million waterworks and sewer system (the system) revenue bonds, series 2011
"Wealth levels among lowest in the U.S."
Laredo is located in Webb County, along the U.S.-Mexico border. The city has an estimated population of 236,000. Population growth has averaged a moderate 2.8% over the last five years. Principal economic activities include tourism, oil, manufacturing, international trade, and government. Tourism remains an important sector of the city's economic base, while government employment continues to grow, accounting for a larger portion of the economy. The city's unemployment rate was estimated at 8% in August 2011, below county (8.5%), state (8.4%), and national (9.1%) levels for the month. As is the case in other Texas border communities, wealth levels are among the lowest in the U.S. However, the area's relatively low cost of living somewhat mitigates this as a credit concern.
Based on what some of our city officials make, you would think Laredo's a lot more wealthier than this rating company indicates. Just between the city manager and his (3) assistants, Laredo taxpayers ditch out nearly $700,000 for their combined salaries. As they say, believe it or not!
Laredo getting recycled, Shreveport-Bossier Captains in the form of "New" Laredo Lemurs
| S U C K E R S !! |
For this, we have to thank the wreckless sleight-of-hand of the Laredo seedy council and assorted culprits. Think of it: we've got an $18 Million dollar, brand spanking new baseball field to offer and the best we can get is a used, sold-off, recycled team? Thanks a lot to all those in Laredo politics that made this fleecing of our taxpayers possible.
From KTBS.Com
The Shreveport-Bossier Captains minor league baseball team has been sold and is moving to Laredo, Texas, next season.
The new team is a member of the American Association and will be called the Laredo Lemurs.
"We thank everyone involved with our efforts in Shreveport-Bossier for the last nine years, starting with the fans, along with sponsors, city officials, and our staff," team president Scott Berry said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
The city of Laredo is building an $18 million, 6,000-seat ballpark. The Captains played at Fair Grounds Field in Shreveport.
Also, here's an interesting post in regards to the above KTBS story. This individual seems to have a rather low opinion of the Gateway City as well as of those who make these multi-million dollar deals and in the process, rip off unsuspecting taxpayers from mid-sized towns all across the country.
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| MBRD71 |
If anyone thinks Shreveport is a crappy place, then they've never been to Laredo, TX. All the readers here shouldn't take this personally, these types of teams aren't really successful anywhere. They just move them around, milk the money they can out of the market, and then move them somewhere else once the "new" wears off.
The only one doing really well of this deal is whoever the politically-connected contractor is in Laredo that talked them into building an $18 million ballpark.
LaredoTejas, likewise, has predicted that the Captains Lemurs will come into Laredo, pander to the unsuspecting kids and their parents with their connection to the animated motion picture Madagascar 3, which by then will be nearing release, rake in the big bucks and skip town shortly aftewards.
Oh wait, we should be grateful, I've heard that they might even let Laredo kids run the bases after the games. Now thats worth $18 Million dollars right there!
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