FEATURED: Maricela “Mari” De León, MPA, CPM, whose extensive public service credentials also include more than 20 years of professional experience in the Texas Legislature, higher education, and economic development, on Monday, March 9, 2026 was selected Executive Director, Rio Grande Valley LEAD (Linking Economic and Academic Development). RGV LEAD (pronounced “/li?d/” and rhymes with “feed”) is a nonprofit corporation, headquartered in Weslaco, linking employers to support both opportunities for students and economic development. She is featured here at the Region One Education Service Center in February 2025.
FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Gabriel and Sylvia Espinoza of Edinburg lost an 18-year-old son, Jeremy (featured in the framed portrait), in March 2003, when he was killed as a passenger in a car accident. Incredibly, two weeks before his tragic death – in a pronouncement that showed he was wise beyond his young age – Jeremy had told his family that he always wanted to help people. He convinced them to donate his organs in the event of his passing – and as a result, Jeremy saved five lives. His parents are seen here on Friday, February 27, 2026, at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance for a flag signing event for the upcoming Transplant Games of America that will be held in June in Denver, Colorado.
FEATURED: Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo/Starr County, addresses a reception held at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) in Laredo on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 to announce the 2025 recipients the Senator Judith Zaffirini Teachers’ College Student Loan Debt Grant Program. The program honors Zaffirini and supports Laredo educators, with 2025 honorees including representatives from TAMIU, Laredo College, United Independent School District, and Laredo Independent School District.
Photograph Courtesy TEXAS A&M INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
FEATURED FROM LEFT (BOTTOM IMAGE): Graciela Moreno Chavana on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 was presented a framed House of Representatives Proclamation – along with a Texas State Flag flown over the Texas State Capitol in Austin – both honoring her late husband, David Arnoldo Chavana (TOP IMAGE), from Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, in the Council Chambers at Edinburg City Hall.
Graphic Courtesy EDINBURG CONSOLIDATED INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg; Edinburg Mayor Omar Ochoa; and Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen. The three South Texas leaders on Monday, January 26, 2026, pose in front of a N824TX Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new 31,000-square foot DPS Aircraft Operations Center at the South Texas International Airport in Edinburg. The facility is that law enforcement agency’s largest DPS hangar in the state.
FEATURED: Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, addresses the audience at the McAllen Convention Center during the 49th Annual Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas (CLEAT) Convention and Leadership Academy held from Thursday, September 4, 2025 through Saturday, September 6, 2025. Canales served in a leadership role last spring in the passage of House Bill 2306, a recent new state law that helps ensure that offenders who target children and vulnerable Texans stay behind bars.
