http://newspapertree.com/press_releases Newspaper Tree - Press Releases en-us When Larry Medina led the fight to create an ordinance that would ban smoking in El Paso public places, he was harassed and even physically threatened by smokers and by owners of restaurants and bars who thought the ban would hurt their business. Larry didn’t budge, however. “A good government has to do everything in its power to protect innocent people,” Medina contends. And, that’s Larry Medina – Candidate for Judge of El Paso County. To Larry, it’s all about being a public servant, about serving people, about loving people, and about not expecting anything in return. Although Medina was vilified by friend and foe alike, he stuck to his guns and pushed the ordinance through by a 7 to 1 vote. His main concern was protecting the health and well-being of children, senior citizens, non-smoking customers of bars and restaurants, and even the employees of such businesses who don’t complain about second-hand smoke for fear of being fired. To Larry, pushing the ban was all about being a good citizen. On Nov. 14, 2003, Larry said: “I wanted to be on the right side of the issue, even if it meant not being on the winning side...I learned the government has a duty and responsibility to protect the public’s health.” Medina never minces words. In a meeting in Athens, GA, that city’s commissioner’s court was debating the issue of passing a similar ordinance. What Larry saw and heard didn’t impress him. He said an anti-smoking ban had to have teeth, or it wouldn’t work. He called the ordinance being introduced “Mickey Mouse.” “This is not about a little zoning decision here and there, this is about saving human lives,” he admonished the court. With Larry’s help, the Athens, GA County Commissioner’s Court did pass a strong ordinance, almost the same ordinance that Medina helped pass in El Paso. El Paso County Judge candidate Larry Medina and Ruth Reyes Medina greet U.S. Representative Xavier Becerra of Los Angeles, California. Congressman Becerra was the keynote speaker at the El Paso County Democratic Hall of Fame Banquet. As the highest-ranking Latino in the U.S. House of Representatives, Becerra is frequently mentioned as a possible future candidate for Speaker of the House or even President. Medina points out that as many as 60,000 Americans lose their lives to second-hand smoke each year. Larry Medina has his priorities straight. He says about his candidacy: “Public safety is my Number One Priority. A business owner, whether he or she likes it or not, is morally and legally obligated to protect customers from harm.” And, that’s Larry Medina for County Judge: El Paso’s Health Candidate. Newspaper Tree Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:28:41 -0700 http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/474-larry-medina-the-health-candidate-for-el-paso-county-judge http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/474-larry-medina-the-health-candidate-for-el-paso-county-judge Kick-Off Rally to Shape El Paso’s Future Host Committee Scott Adkins, Sandra Almanzan, Holt Grambling, Aynsley and Gerardo Interiano, TJ Karam, Chris Kleberg, Chrissy Kleberg, Allison Morgades, Pablo Sanders, Doug Schwartz, Hillary Skipworth Jay Kleberg’s campaign for State Representative District 78 is officially underway. We are confident that Jay is the candidate best- equipped to win the general election in November and serve as the next State Representative for District 78. Jay needs our support now to win the Republican primary. The primary election will be decided in early voting February 16-26 and will be won with your support over the next 60 days of campaigning. Please join us this Saturday, December 19th at 2:00 p.m. at Keystone Botanical Garden as we kick-off this movement to shape El Paso’s future. Kids are welcome. Food and refreshments will be provided. Newspaper Tree Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:14:03 -0700 http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/473-jay-kleberg-kick-off-rally-to-shape-el-paso-s-future http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/473-jay-kleberg-kick-off-rally-to-shape-el-paso-s-future Library For Immediate Release Contact: Juliet Lozano @ 541-4010 or 4721-1949 (cell) Libraries are now hot! Two El Paso Public Library facilities now have free wireless Internet access (WiFi). The Main Library located downtown at 501 N. Oregon and the Judge Marquez Branch Library located at 610 N. Yarbrough have been upgraded to provide wireless Internet service to the public free of charge at speeds of up to 54mbps. Patrons who visit those facilities will simply need to select the Digital El Paso wireless network and agree to the terms set forth on the authentication page. Main and Judge Marquez now join Armijo and Memorial Park as EPPL facilities with WiFi access. This is the first phase of a library wireless project that will bring wireless Internet access to all Public Library facilities in the future. “We’re responding to public demand for this service. We often had patrons asking us to provide free WiFi at our facilities so when the funds became available, we made it a top priority” said Library Director Carol Brey-Casiano. As funds become available, more branches will add wireless Internet to their service offerings. For more information call 543-5433 or visit www.elpasolibrary.org. Newspaper Tree Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:18:08 -0700 http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/472-libraries-are-now-hot http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/472-libraries-are-now-hot December 8, 2009 Media Contact: Arleene Barrios Public Information Officer The University of Texas at El Paso 915-747-7503 / 915-539-4677 news@utep.edu Engineering Department at UTEP Changes Name The Department of Industrial Engineering at The University of Texas at El Paso will change its name to the Department of Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering, effective in January 2010. “The new name of the department reflects the augmentation of our manufacturing program with a proposed Ph.D. program in manufacturing and includes the systems engineering graduate programs,” said Ricardo Pineda, Ph.D., chair of the department. “This change allows us to better align our education and research with the services-based economy and ever-evolving multi-disciplinary nature of complex systems of the Enterprises in the 21st Century.” The department offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. Master’s programs are available in industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering and systems engineering. The recently approved Graduate Certificate in Systems Engineering will also be administered by the department. Newspaper Tree Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:38:45 -0700 http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/471-engineering-department-at-utep-changes-name http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/471-engineering-department-at-utep-changes-name Help Support the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras and Purchase your Poinsettias TODAY! This Holiday Season the El Paso Symphony Youth Orchestras is selling 6" Poinsettias to benefit the wonderful programs we offer to the youth of El Paso. Each poinsettia is only $10.00! The last day to order will be Friday December 4th. To place your order simply click on the link here. Thank you for all of your continued support! The EPSYOs Staff. Newspaper Tree Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:09:02 -0700 http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/470-epsyo-selling-poinsettias-to-benefit-wonderful-programs http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/470-epsyo-selling-poinsettias-to-benefit-wonderful-programs Museums & Cultural Affairs Department PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release: November 18, 2009 Contact: Juli Lozano, Public Affairs @ 541-4915 or 474-4773 Museums and Cultural Affairs Department (MCAD) grants out arts stimulus funds to El Paso arts organizations The City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department (MCAD) has redistributed $90,000 in stimulus funds in a competitive process to 12 local arts and culture non-profits for job retention. This funding will directly impact 21 staffed positions. These identified positions play a critical role at their respective organizations and funding will help insure that organizations’ service levels remain consistent despite the current fiscal environment. MCAD’s funding was part of a $100,000 award through the National Endowment for the Arts from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). ARRA’s allocation of funding for arts organizations is in recognition of the $166 billion impact arts organizations have on the American economy. MCAD’s award was the largest in the State of Texas or New Mexico, outside of the allocations to the states’ arts agencies. $10,000 was retained by MCAD for internal job retention and the remainder allocated to the following through a competitive process: Binational Independent Film Festival BorderSenses Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe-Cultural Center Creative Kids, Inc. El Paso Holocaust Museum & Study Center El Paso Opera El Paso Playhouse El Paso Pro-Musica Kids Excel El Paso Kids-N-Co. Project Change Theatre, Inc. ### Newspaper Tree Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:51:32 -0700 http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/469-museums-cultural-affairs-department-grants-out-art-stimulus-funds-to-el-paso-arts-organizations http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/469-museums-cultural-affairs-department-grants-out-art-stimulus-funds-to-el-paso-arts-organizations “Donate a Turkey or Ham to West Texas Food Bank” Donate a turkey or ham to West Texas food Bank and receive a coupon of a free dozen doughnuts from Krispy Kremes Donations are accepted now – Dec. 11, 2009 Monday – Friday from 8:00 am – 12:00pm and 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm At 3727 Shell El Paso, Texas 79925 (915) 595-1060 Newspaper Tree Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:36:35 -0700 http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/468--donate-a-turkey-or-ham-to-west-texas-food-bank http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/468--donate-a-turkey-or-ham-to-west-texas-food-bank FORT BLISS WINS NATIONAL AWARD FORT BLISS, Texas—Fort Bliss was named a Keep America Beautiful 1st Place Award winner for their efforts in reducing waste through its innovative recycling programs. Keep America Beautiful will present the Directorate of Public Works – Environmental Division with its 1st Place Award for Waste Reduction – Government Agency Category at its National Conference in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 4. Fort Bliss received the 1st Place Keep America Beautiful award as a result of on-going and innovative recycling programs that were launched this past year. Some of the new programs that were at the core of the award were Single Stream Recycling, Electronics Waste Collection and Litter Free Events. Fort Bliss is the first U.S. Army installation to implement Single Stream Recycling for its administrative, retail, restaurant, contractor and other partner organizations. Single Stream Recycling is where all recyclables are collected together. Paper, plastics #1 & #2, aluminum, steel, and tins cans are all placed in one of the over 400 blue dumpsters that are located across Fort Bliss. Single Stream Recycling was launched in an effort to raise existing recycling numbers and address the increase in recycling anticipated as a result of the population growth expected at Fort Bliss over the next several years. Within a few short months of implementing Single Stream Recycling, Fort Bliss has realized an 84% increase in materials collected. -more- 2/2/2/2 KABAWARD Another program that contributed to the Keep America Beautiful 1st Place Award, is the Electronics Waste Collection Days. After two successful Electronics Waste Collection events, this program has now become a permanent recycling offering at Fort Bliss. Anyone can bring personal electronics waste items such as computers, radios, stereos, TV’s and more to the Fort Bliss Recycling Center for recycling of the various components. In 2008, Fort Bliss piloted its first ever Litter Free Event at the Amigo Airsho which is held on Biggs Army Airfield. With that first success, the program was expanded to include all events held on the installation. The Amigo Airsho is a two-day, high-flying event with 80,000 people in attendance. In support of this recycling effort, the Amigo Airsho promoters and Fort Bliss Recycling Center staff worked with vendors to provide “recyclable only” beverage containers to reinforce the recycling message and further the program’s goals. The overwhelming participation of attendees to recycle at these events held on Fort Bliss has resulted in permanent Litter Free Event components incorporated into all public events on the installation. Finally, it is the combination of these new programs, the success of existing programs such as the Soldiers’ Unit Fund Recycling Program, HazMart, Pollution Prevention, Curbsiders and the community’s response to recycling that has resulted in this award. -30- Newspaper Tree Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:10:31 -0600 http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/467-fort-bliss-wins-national-award http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/467-fort-bliss-wins-national-award For Immediate Release: Please contact Jutta Ramirez (915) 562-7660 (915) 562-7841 fax jramirez@rgcf.org RIO GRANDE FOUNDATION SEEKS SOUTHWEST AIRLINE RAPID REWARD TICKETS El Paso, Texas, October 19, 2009 - Since 1998, the Rio Grande Cancer Foundation has offered a Patient Airline Transportation Service (PATS) that assists cancer patients when referred outside El Paso county for evaluation, treatment, surgery or diagnostic studies. We are seeking unused Rapid Reward tickets for the benefit of cancer patients who are referred out of El Paso for care. If you have earned a ticket and would like to donate it, please call the Rio Grande Cancer Foundation at 562-7660. Many challenges face a patient and their family when going through the cancer experience. Through this program, many patients will have one less obstacle to face. Please consider making a donation to this important resource. The Rio Grande Cancer is a philanthropic organization dedicated to reducing the human and economic impact of cancer on the citizens of El Paso and surrounding communities through the financial support and development of effective programs for advocacy, education, early detection and other services to cancer patients and their families. ### The Rio Grande Cancer Foundation is seeking unused Rapid Reward tickets for the benefit of cancer patients who are referred out of El Paso for care. If you have earned a ticket and would like to donate it to a cancer patient who needs treatment that is not available in El Paso, please call the Rio Grande Cancer Foundation at 562-7660. Newspaper Tree Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:08:53 -0600 http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/466-rio-grande-foundation-seeks-southwest-airline-rapid-reward-tickets http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/466-rio-grande-foundation-seeks-southwest-airline-rapid-reward-tickets For Immediate Release – September 1, 2009 TxDOT Launches Online Tools Highlighting State’s Top 100 Congested Roadways Posting of information on pavement quality, impact of spending complies with legislative request AUSTIN - The Texas Department of Transportation unveiled new website tools Tuesday, enabling website visitors to interactively examine lists of congested roadways in the state, look up pavement condition ratings and see how the maintenance funds spent in their area will impact their roadways. The tools, which are linked to the department’s project tracker, were created at the direction of the Texas Legislature. The idea of sharing congestion data with the public is not new – the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) at Texas A&M University has long-distributed reports on congestion levels throughout the United States, including those levels in Texas. Sharing the information in such an interactive and state-focused manner is always an appropriate exercise, especially in times of tight funding. TxDOT will work with Metropolitan Planning Organizations across the state to align resources to meet the most pressing needs. TxDOT coordinated with outside research institutions to ensure the accuracy and impartiality of the methodology used in the new tools. While TxDOT tracks pavement quality scores, the Center for Transportation Research, housed at the University of Texas, provided the information to determine the impact of maintenance expenditures based on a formula developed by their researchers. The list of the top 100 most congested roadways was compiled using information from TTI, which creates an annual list of most congested urban areas in the nation based on their calculation of a Traffic Congestion Index. The new website tools and the TxDOT project tracker are available by visiting http://www.txdot.gov/project_information/default.htm. The Texas Department of Transportation The Texas Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining nearly 80,000 miles of road and for supporting aviation, rail and public transportation across the state. TxDOT and its 15,000 employees strive to empower local leaders to solve local transportation problems, and to use new financial tools, including tolling and public-private partnerships, to reduce congestion and pave the way for future economic growth while enhancing safety, improving air quality and increasing the value of the state’s transportation assets. Find out more at www.txdot.gov. ### For more information, call TxDOT’s Government & Public Affairs Division at (512) 463-8588 Newspaper Tree Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:36:27 -0600 http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/465-txdot-launches-online-tools-highlighting-state-s-top-100-congested-roadways http://newspapertree.com/press_releases/465-txdot-launches-online-tools-highlighting-state-s-top-100-congested-roadways