October 2007 Issue

The Expanding Quality Carpet & Tile. New construction and renewed interests in remodeling older homes are keeping crews of Quality Carpet and Tile on the run.

Surely, you've noticed those ambulances cruising around town that don't seem to officially connected to Val Verde Regional Medical Center.  They're not part of the hospital's emergency medical services cadre, but here’s what they are and more of what they are not.  Medical Transports of South Texas was the first company to set up shop in Del Rio, and Supervisor Jorge Vargas believes most Del Rioans will need such service at some point.  Here's what to expect.

Ramona Mahl shares her recipe for one of the world's classic desserts, crème brûlée, with LIVE! Food Editor Debbie Sontag, as well as information about The Philip Mahl Memorial Kitchen developing at The Firehouse in memory of her son who perished in an auto accident in New York. The rich, custardy dessert is a great way to end a meal wherever and whenever it’s available, and now adventurous readers can prepare their own.

Rams Football: Coach Hoffman Is In The House!    There's a new sheriff in town, planning and driving a turnaround for local high school football.  Tough, old school "counseling," educating and mentoring are the expected hallmarks of Steve Hoffman's style and execution.

Dr. Edson Martinez has taken over nearly all of the practice of Dr. Bill Fritsch's dental service at 10th and E Streets in Del Rio, but both men continue to care for patients' needs three or four days a week.  Martinez brings new areas of patient specialization to the business, as well as a family approach with his spouse, Ana, as office manager.  Children are among the new thrusts of dental care at the Martinez/Fritsch practice.

Maj. Gen. Homer I. "Pete" Lewis almost single-handedly revitalized, then held together the unity and integrity of the U.S. Air Force Reserve in the late 1960s, early '70s. With a broad foundation in military education and combat experience in World War II, Lewis was uniquely suited to settle bureaucratic infighting at the highest levels of the Air Force. Now, he lives quietly in an old neighborhood in Eagle Pass when he's not flying around the country to manage ranching operations in Mexico and the United States.

A growing coterie of local physicians, concerned that the region is not keeping up with diagnostic and treatment demands of a growing population, is setting up a virtual shopping mall of medical services on Del Rio’s north end.  Right now, four physicians work long hours to empty a bustling waiting room every day, and, with building expansion, more docs are ready to move in.

A church is a continuous congregation, not a series of building, and one of Del Rio's oldest congregations celebrates its centennial of service and workship in the community. Dinner, music, worship and reminiscing will mark the celebration at First Christian Church.

With an average loss of 472 patient days per year in Val Verde Regional Medical Center’s "census," annual operating expenses of nearly $38 million, $6.2 million in "bad debt" from uncompensated care, shrinking public confidence, and staff unrest, how much longer can Community Hospital Corporation administrators continue to operate "in the black" under their contract to manage this region’s only major health care facility? The issues are complex, and the viewpoints are divergent. What do you think?

Surely, you’ve noticed those ambulances cruising around town that don’t seem to officially connected to Val Verde Regional Medical Center. They're not part of the hospital’s emergency medical services cadre, but here’s what they are and more of what they are not. Medical Transports of South Texas was the first company to set up shop in Del Rio, and Supervisor Jorge Vargas believes most Del Rioans will need such service at some point. Here’s what to expect.