FEATURED: Beginning in 2024, every March 4 in Texas will be observed as “COVID-19 Heroes and Memorial Day” under a new state law developed by Rep. R.D. “Bobby” Guerra, D-McAllen, seen here on the floor of the House of Representatives in January 2021. His House Bill 2166 establishes a uniform statewide date to honor Texans who put their own health and safety on the line, especially during the worst periods of the coronavirus pandemic, to keep society from falling apart. In addition, “COVID-19 Heroes and Memorial Day” will be a time to memorialize the almost 95,000 people in Texas who have lost their lives to COVID-19 since March 4, 2020 – the date that airborne disease was first diagnosed in Texas.
FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Manny Vela, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Higher Education Center at McAllen, Texas A&M University; and John Sharp, Chancellor, The Texas A&M University System. Vela will be one of the keynote speakers during FuturoRGV: Building a Thriving RGV/The Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force Forum, which is set for Thursday, July 13, 2023, from 8 a.m. to noon at South Texas College in McAllen.
FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Former longtime Edinburg Mayor Joe Ochoa; Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen; and attorney Omar Ochoa, a son of Joe Ochoa, at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance on Wednesday, November 16, 2022. This summer, congressional debate in Washington, D.C. is building over a federal proposal known as the “AM for Every Vehicle Act”, as major automakers plan to eliminate AM radio in vehicles in the coming years, reports attorney Omar Ochoa.
FEATURED: New Texas mothers who are Medicaid recipients would receive better access to primary and preventative care – for up to 12 months instead of the current two months after giving birth – under a measure supported by Valley legislators and DHR Health leaders that was signed into law on Sunday, June 18, 2023 by Gov. Greg Abbott. The governor is shown here on Monday, June 12, 2023 at the Texas Capitol.
FEATURED: Gov. Ann Richards and Rep. Roberto Gutiérrez, D-McAllen, help lead the way for the creation of South Texas Community College, now known as South Texas College, in 1993. In a matter of weeks, on September 1, 2023, South Texas College will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its existence. Gutiérrez and Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., D-Brownsville, carried the legislative measure, known as Senate Bill 251, which authorized the establishment of South Texas Community College, which was later renamed South Texas College. Richards signed Senate Bill 251 into law on Monday, May 31, 1993.
Photograph Courtesy ROBERTO AND CECILIA GUTIÉRREZ FAMILY
Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo/Starr County, on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, is congratulated by Sen. Morgan LaMantia, D-South Padre Island, for Zaffirini achieving a Texas and U.S. record: her 70,000th consecutive vote in the Texas Senate.
