Oct. 24 was National Make a Difference Day and both the Center for Civic Engagement and the Civic Engagement Scholars Club celebrated it by hosting its first annual Halloween Fair at the Buena Vida public housing complex. The Halloween Fair was held from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Buena Vida Compassion Center. It was a great success with around 100 children and parents from the complex in attendance. There were games, arts and crafts, face painting, treats and prizes.

I would like to thank every volunteer who helped out at the fair. I would like to thank the students of [Associate Master Technical Instructor Karon] Jahn’s speech class as well as the following student organizations: Circle K International, Active Minds, Latter Day Saints Student Association, Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship, Sigma Psi Delta and EMS Club. Without each of them, the fair could not have been possible.

I would also like to thank all the Civic Engagement Scholars and the staff at the Center for Civic Engagement who gave of their time before, during and after the fair to help put it all together. The Buena Vida community had a great time and asked if we would be doing this again!

Once again, thank you to everyone who participated in this event and for giving the families at Buena Vida a safe and fun environment to celebrate Halloween!

How sweet, when the federal dollars roll into South Texas! After all, aren’t we all part of the United States? Don’t we pay taxes?

So, Brownsville’s [Public Utilities Board] will have dollars for an improved sewage system. And, there were hints from U.S. Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), a leading member of the House Transportation Committee, that South Texas needs road improvement, funds nearing ...

Now, for several points:

If Brownsville and South Texas are so willing to receive those kinds of federal funds, why the reluctance to strongly get behind a national health care single-payer plan?

And, not all road dollars are wise, and federal money will be involved if the West Loop Toll Road/Parkway ever gets built. No federal money should go for that scheme; instead, the plan should die, and be replaced by a much less costly biking, hiking and nature trail.

Celebrate the arrival of federal funds for sewer systems and some, not all, roads. Advocate federal funds for a national health care single-payer system. Advocate federal funds for that biking, hiking and nature trail.

To repeat, we are "in it together," and we pay taxes, so those federal dollars are ours! Use them for health and necessary transportation enhancement, not pollution, neighborhood ruination, noise and concrete and asphalt.

Eugene "Gene" Novogrodsky