The U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission will have a public information meeting on April 17, 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. at the Laredo Public Library, 1120 East Calton Road.  Agenda items include remarks by Commissioner Edward Drusina and discussion of the 2010 Rio Grande flood, Rio Grande water quality, an international watershed initiative, and plans to improve Rio Grande flow measurements and data exchange.  For details, call 956-848-5211.

ARE YOU A CITY OF LAREDO WATER UTILITY
CUSTOMER AND LIVE IN A HOME BUILT IN 1993 OR
PRIOR? THE CITY OF LAREDO WANTS TO START SAVING
YOU SOME MONEY. REPLACE YOUR OLD WATER
WASTING TOILET WITH A NEW HIGH EFFICIENCY
TOILET FROM THE WATERSENSE LIST AND RECEIVE A
$100 CREDIT ON YOUR WATER ACCOUNT. PICK UP AN
APPLICATION PACKAGE ON MONDAY, MARCH 12TH
FROM 7 A.M. TO 7 P.M. AT THE CITY HALL ANNEX
LOCATED AT 1102 BOB BULLOCK LOOP. ALSO, TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF FIX-A-LEAK WEEK ON MONDAY AND
JOIN US AT 11 A.M. FOR A PROCLAMATION AND TO PICK
UP A FREE WATER CONSERVATION KIT. KITS ARE
AVAILABLE TO ANY CITY OF LAREDO WATER
CUSTOMER, BUT QUANTITIES ARE LIMITED. SO HURRY,
BRING YOUR ID AND RECENT WATER BILL AND BE ONE
OF THE FIRST 1,000 CUSTOMERS! FOR MORE, VISIT THE
CITY OF LAREDO WEBSITE AT
WWW.CITYOFLAREDO.COM OR CALL 721-2020.
# # #

Attention Laredo: We need your help.

Donate your formal dresses, suits and ties and

help our students in need go to the prom

United ISD is accepting new or gently used formal dresses, suit and tie donations for students in need.  

Donations can be dropped off Monday thru Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at

201 Lindenwood Drive to the Public Relations Department.

Take time to do your spring cleaning and donate to United ISD students in need.

For more information call (956) 473-6286.

 Due to the Spring Break Holiday, the Laredo Independent School District campuses and administrative offices will be closed beginning Monday, March 12 through Friday, March 16.

However, the LISD Tax Office will remain open Monday, March 12, through Wednesday, March 14. The Tax Office is located at 904 Juarez Ave. and will be open during regular business hours from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They will be closed on Thursday, March 15 and Friday, March 16.

All LISD campuses and administrative offices will re-open Monday, March 19.

For more information please contact the Office of Communication at 273-1732.

Utilities Kicks-Off WaterSense High Efficiency Toilet Rebate Program

And celebrates Fix-A-Leak Week by giving away FREE water conservation kits

The City of Laredo Utilities Department is kicking off a brand new program in Laredo, the WaterSense High Efficiency Toilet (HET) Rebate Program, during EPA’s Fix-A-Leak Week, where qualifying customers can receive up to two $100 rebates for replacing old water wasting toilets with WaterSense high efficiency toilets.  Toilets that are WaterSense labeled are certified by independent laboratory testing to meet rigorous criteria for both performance and efficiency.  Only high efficiency toilets that complete the third-party certification process can earn the WaterSense label.  High efficiency toilets use an average of 1.28 gallons of water per flush (gpf).  Look for the WaterSense label!

This rebate program is available only to residential water customers who have an active water account through the City of Laredo Utilities Department and are current in their water bill.  The home where the toilet will be replaced will need to have been constructed in 1993 or before.  Persons renting a property can also qualify for the rebate.  Interested customers will need to obtain an application package, purchase a high efficiency toilet from the “List of WaterSense Labeled Toilets” provided, replace the old water wasting toilet, submit a complete application with the required information, wait for a verification of installation, and then, a $100 rebate will be posted to the customer’s water account as a credit (maximum 2 rebates per household).

Beginning March 12, 2012, application packages will be made available at:

• City Hall-Tax Office, 1110 Houston St.
• City Hall Annex-Utilities Customer Service Division, 1102 Bob Bullock Loop
• Utilities Department-Main Office, 5816 Daugherty
• www.cityoflaredo.com (click on WaterSense logo)

During the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Fix-A-Leak Week, the Utilities Department will be issuing out application packages for the WaterSense HET Rebate Program on Monday, March, 12, 2012, at the City Hall Annex, located at 1102 Bob Bullock Loop, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.  In celebration of EPA’s Fix-A-Leak Week, the Utilities Department will also be giving away a FREE water conservation kit to the first 1,000 water customers.  The Water Conservation Kit will consist of a 1.5 GPM showerhead, a 1.5 GPM kitchen swivel aerator, two 1.0 GPM bathroom aerators, leak detection tablets & tips, a flow meter bag, a toilet tank bank, a toilet water saver (fill cycle diverter), and a water conservation wheel.  During Fix-A-Leak Week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the City of Laredo Utilities Department encourages you to check, twist, and replace.  Check your toilets for silent leaks using the leak detection tablets from your water conservation kit.  Twist and tighten leaky pipe fittings and replace any broken fixtures with WaterSense labeled models.  (Note: You don’t have to qualify for the HET rebate program to receive your free kit, but you do have to be a City of Laredo water customer. Bring your ID and a current water bill.)

For more information, contact Karla Robles, Water Conservation Planner for the Utilities Department, at (956) 721-2020.

The IBC Youth Parade Under the Stars took place Thursday, February 16th. From pre-school to high school, Laredo’s talented youth partook in this magnificent parade under the stars. The parade boasted over 120 entries consisting of illuminated floats, glittering costumes, dance teams from local area schools and much more.

The winners are: Best Dance Squad, Colonel Santos Benavides Elementary School Danzerettes (Elementary) and George Washington Middle School Sparklers (Middle School); Best Cheerleading Unit, Leon Daiches Elementary School Cheerleaders (Elementary), M.B. Lamar Middle School Band Cheerleaders (Middle School), J.W. Nixon High School Golden Spurs & Wranglerettes (High School); Best Military Unit, United High School JROTC; Best Law Enforcement Unit, U.S. Border Patrol; Best School Band, United South Middle School Band (Middle School); Best School Float, Webb County Head Start Program (Early Childhood), United Day (Elementary), Blessed Sacrament Catholic School (Middle School) and J.W. Nixon High School C.T.E. Department (High School); WBCA Special Merit Award, International Bank of Commerce; Grand Marshal Award, Best Lil’ Schoolhouse N’ Texas; Best Commercial, The All American Dance Studio LLC; President’s Award, M.S. Ryan Elementary School Diamond Dance Team; Sweepstakes Award, Blessed Sacrament Catholic School.

New this year for the IBC Youth Parade Under the Stars was the People’s Choice Award. This was created as a bonus category where spectators and television viewers voted for their favorite entry via the WBCA text Club.  The first time winner was Mary Help of Christians School.

“We had a high energy and fun filled parade with this year’s parade theme ‘Rockin’ in the USA!’” said WBCA president Jose A. Palacios, Jr. “What’s more American than Rock-n-Roll and George Washington? Still, music, in all its forms, is a universal language that everybody can enjoy; after all, we are the Celebration with Something for Everyone.”

The IBC Youth Parade Under the Stars which was led by the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, serves as a prelude to the Anheuser-Busch Washington’s Birthday Parade.

“We are so pleased to have been selected as the IBC Youth Parade Marshals for 2012,” said Sister Marie Gannon, speaking on behalf of the Salesian Sisters.  “The Salesian Sisters have a 75 year history in Laredo educating and serving the youth.  Being a part of this longstanding Laredo tradition, which celebrates our youth, is a wonderful honor for us.”

The Parade started on Garden Street and moved south on San Bernardo Avenue finishing at St. Peter’s Plaza.

“IBC is proud to support the WBCA and be part of their annual festivities by continuing to sponsor the IBC Youth Parade,” said IBC Bank CEO and Chairman Dennis E. Nixon. “The Youth Parade brings the entire community together to celebrate the talents and accomplishments of our young residents who will continue shaping our city.”

The Washington’s Birthday Celebration Association is now only a text away! Stay updated with all of our events and automatically enter to win a variety of great prizes, by joining the WBCA text club.  WBCA followers are going to be the first to know of any last minute changes, ticket promotions and merchandise giveaways. Join the WBCA text club by texting the letters “WBCA” to the number 74455!

You can also stay updated  by visiting our website at www.wbcalaredo.org and by following us on Facebook and Twitter. The Washington’s Birthday Celebration, founded in 1898, is the largest Celebration of its kind in the United States.

Throughout the years, the Celebration has grown to be over a month long and consists of parades, dazzling pageants, fireworks, a carnival, an air show, a sizzling jalapeño festival and much more.  Combined, WBCA events attract nearly 500,000 residents and visitors, and yearly contributes an estimated $14 million to the local economy.  The Washington’s Birthday Celebration was recently ranked as one of the Top 100 Events in North America.

New this year for the IBC Youth Parade Under the Stars is the People’s Choice Award (A bonus category where spectators and television viewers can vote for their favorite entry. TEXT the word IBC to 74455 between the hours of 6 pm to 10 pm and enter the number of your favorite entry form. If your favorite parade entry has a letter you must enter the number and the letter without a space in between (ex. 17B not 17 B) DO NOT send entry names, ONLY entry numbers will be tallied.

  The IBC Youth Parade Under the Stars takes place Thursday, February 16th at 6 p.m. From pre-school to high school, Laredo’s talented youth partake in this magnificent evening under the stars. The parade will boast over 120 entries consisting of illuminated floats, glittering costumes, dance teams from local area schools and much more.

                                For additional information, visit www.wbcalaredo.org, email wbca@wbcalaredo.org, contact the WBCA ^TM office at (956) 722-0589, or visit the office located at 1819 E. Hillside Road.

The City of Laredo Parks & Leisure Services Dept. is registering for the 2012 Spurs Youth Basketball League until FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3^RD.

The League is for Children (Boys & Girls) ages 6-16 years of age as of March 3^rd.

For More information call Marina Garcia at 795-2359 from the hours of 3:00 pm. To 9:00 p.m.