Frumencio and the Chron
Commentary said this on Monday:
Commentary is glad to see these two letters-to-the-editor in today’s Chron hard copy. I too was disappointed the Chron didn’t include my friend Frumencio Reyes, Jr. in the notable H-Town leaders that we lost in 2023 article that ran at the end of the year. There also wasn’t a story on Frume’s passing. Local Chron coverage needs improvement for sure. They need to up their game.
The letters were written by my friend Blanca Blanco and Judith Castillo. The Chron E-Board heard them loud and clear as they devoted today’s E-Board take to Frumencio.
Here is how it starts:
The headline:
The Houston voting rights icon you’ve likely never heard of (Opinion)
The beginning of the take:
He’s been compared with the likes of Cesar Chavez and Barbara Jordan. Yet, you wouldn’t know it from media coverage that Frumencio Reyes Jr., the 84-year-old attorney who pioneered voting rights and redistricting litigation, had died Dec. 6.
For many Houston Hispanics, Reyes’ omission in the Chronicle’s “In Memoriam 2023” article was galling — if unsurprising.
Judith Castillo, a doctoral student at the University of Houston working to preserve Latino history, sent the Chronicle a letter after noting that Frumencio was not honored. “It deeply troubles me to observe the continued absence of Latino representation in your publication,” she wrote, “especially in a city where 45% of the population identifies as Hispanic.”
Blanca Blanco, a former publisher of Viva! Magazine, a ’90s-era insert in the Houston Post, is a close friend of the Reyes family. She, too, noticed his name was missing. “Reyes was considered an icon of the Latino political circles, and a well-respected civil rights attorney. I would be remiss not to point out this legacy to the Chronicle.”
Intrigued by these letters, I Googled his legacy. Turns out, despite having notables such as Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, County Judge Lina Hidalgo and former Mayor Sylvester Turner pay tribute to him after his death, there are few in-depth pieces on him online. Like far too many trailblazers in this city, he’s a luminary whose story you’ve probably never heard.
Here is the entire E-Board take: The Houston voting rights icon you’ve likely never heard of (Opinion) (houstonchronicle.com).
Way to go Blanca and Judith!
Thank you, E-Board.
Well deserved, Frume!
The featured photo is State Sen. Carol Alvarado and Janie and Frumencio Reyes from a few years ago.
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The price of a Saint Arnold at The Yard is going up for sure. See this from the Chron:
The Astros agreed to 2024 salary terms with six of seven arbitration-eligible players before Thursday’s deadline, including starter Framber Valdez and right fielder Kyle Tucker.
Houston also agreed to terms with outfielder Chas McCormick and pitchers Bryan Abreu, Luis Garcia and José Urquidy, avoiding potential arbitration hearings with the six players. Utilityman Mauricio Dubón and the Astros did not reach an agreement and appear headed for an arbitration hearing this spring.
And this:
Tucker and the Astros agreed to a $12 million salary for 2024, according to a person with knowledge of the deal, avoiding going to an arbitration hearing for a second consecutive year. Tucker will more than double the $5 million salary he received in 2023 after losing his hearing to the team.
Tucker finished fifth in American League Most Valuable Player voting last season, leading the league with 112 RBIs and posting a .284/.369/.517 slash line with 29 home runs and 30 stolen bases. He garnered his second All-Star selection and first Silver Slugger award and was named a Gold Glove finalist.
Valdez agreed to a $12.1 million salary, an increase from his $6.8 million salary in 2023. The lefthander compiled a 12-11 record and a 3.45 ERA in 31 starts last season. He threw his first career no-hitter and placed ninth in AL Cy Young voting.
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I will be wearing my Texans gear tomorrow for the NFL Wild Card round game at NRG.
