May 2007 Issue

It’s a chain, but a family operation nonetheless. With three locations between Del Rio and Uvalde, Don Marcelino’s restaurants are the most visible targets for locals and travelers hankering for some Tex-Mex fare. Don Marcelino’s #4 anchors the north side of town, and manager Norma Gonzalez keeps the spacious rooms seating a total of 170 diners clean and attractive.

Local doctors and talented staffs are moving toward location consolidation, expanded technologies, and enhanced services to patients, centered around the Del Rio Heart Institute and Diabetes Center.  Dr. Michele Di Blasi, cardiologist, took time from an always-hectic schedule of consultations, hospital rounds and treatment regimens to outline – in an exclusive LIVE! interview – facility plans and new technologies on the region’s medical horizon.

Our LIVE! continuing series on the heroes of what NBC anchor Tom Brokaw has called “The Greatest Generation” spotlights the service of Chester Rutigliano, staff sergeant in the 87th Infantry Division that stormed across France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany chasing the Nazi army to ground under the leadership of Lt. Gen. George S. Patton. The Battle of the Bulge took more American lives than any other in World War II, and Rutigliano details examples of both the hardships and successes that won the war in Europe.

Since 2002, City of Del Rio has launched an uneven, peaks-and-valleys approach to revitalization of the city’s historic downtown district. The area is remembered with great fondness by old timers, and its future is anticipated with relish – tempered with healthy caution – by younger merchants, shoppers and visitors. Here, the city’s mayor, a city councilwoman, the city’s chief engineer, merchants, and civic leaders take a look at the future of the Del Rio Main Street District.

Good cooks abound in Del Rio, and the city’s diverse social mix – natives, pilots, park rangers, Customs, Border Patrol and other government families, talented caterers, homemakers, and determined culinary-motivated business men and –women – offer an astonishing array of skills and products. This month, Oralia “La La” Newton shares her elegantly simple recipe for a roasted chile salsa, the sale of which has helped a much-needed orphanage and, now, a drug and alcohol addiction rehab center thrive in Ciudad Acuña.

The Pecos River is known for its deception. Its beauty from afar doesn’t equate to comfort or ease of navigation, or even taste. Spanish explorer Gaspar Castaño de Sosa called it the Río Salado because of its salty taste. To Mexicans, the river was forever referred to as the Río Puerco ("Dirty River").

Bull riding is more exciting today than ever before. And so is the annual George Paul Memorial Bull Riding (GPMBR) event to be held May 5-6 in Del Rio. Bull riding has eclipsed traditional rodeo events with money and talent, and now you may get to see the next World Champion Bull Rider perform right here in Del Rio. You don’t want to miss it!