Heffernan deserves kudos for helping homeless

The Heffernan Memorial Healthcare District voted unanimously a week ago to consider providing a monthly shower and meal to the area’s homeless.

The proposed assistance came at the request of the nonprofit Calexico Brown Bag Coalition, which provides meals and other forms of services and resources to the area’s homeless population.

The board approved the monthly assistance in concept, and pending a determination of related costs, is hoping to be able to provide its assistance by October.

Salvation Army provides haircuts

This time of year can be a crowded schedule as families prepare to return to school and the Salvation Army helped relieve tension with free haircuts for students.

For the third year students were invited to the El Centro Corps’ headquarters last week to get their shaggy locks trimmed for the first day of school, although one young man who got a trim already began the fall term at Central Union High School. Collaborating with the Salvation Army were volunteer barbers and stylists from Salon 237, Silva’s Barber & Hair Salon and a cosmetology intern from Mexicali.

Carmen Avina, Salvation Army social services clerk praised volunteers who donated time and talent.

Building more pathways to careers

The path to a fulfilling career can be a rocky road but when reins of authority expedite the public conveyance, government can deliver the goods.

Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia (D-56th) arrived a week ago at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in the new site for SIATech High School, to bring awareness of Assembly Bill 1111. “Breaking Barriers to Employment” lays the groundwork to a competitive grant offering workforce assistance to those facing the most hurdles to employment: veterans, dropouts, formerly incarcerated, single mothers and others.

The goal is to build a more self-sufficient economy.

Binational Colorado River agreement near finishline

With the goal of setting more efficient management of the Colorado River, U.S. water agencies and Mexico are inching closer to finalizing the extension of some of the provisions in the current agreement which expires at the end of the year.

Minute 319, is a five-year interim measure which was amended into the 1944 Mexican Water Treaty which specifies reductions to be taken in water deliveries during a shortage.

The new agreement, Minute 323, has been in the works since last year and will extend some of the provisions under the previous agreement as well as set the trigger points for when Mexico needs to cut back on its water use, however, those parameters have not been agreed to just yet.

Local public safety personnel compete at World Police & Fire Games

Three Imperial County Sheriff’s Office employees are among several local public safety personnel who recently competed in the 2017 World Police & Fire Games (WPFG) in Los Angeles.

Although Deputy Giovanni Castellon said that he and his colleagues were hoping for better results in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu events they had entered, he said he is also hopeful that more local public safety personnel will join in upcoming competitions.

For his part, Castellon was able to bring home a silver medal in submission grappling in his weight class, while ICSO Correctional Officer Christopher Nuñez earned a bronze in his respective weight class.

This year marked the first time that any of the three had entered into the biennial competition, yet they are already making plans to compete in the United States Police & Fire Championships in San Diego next year.