
Sen. Judith Zaffirini and Sen. Juan Hinojosa successfully led efforts to require state and local governments to improve responses to public information requests or face consequences, reports South Texas attorney Omar Ochoa
FEATURED: Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo/Starr County, received legislative approval for House Bill 4219, of which she was the Senate sponsor, that will require government agencies to respond to public information requestors or face consequences – an important...

Seven UTRGV professors release book detailing the history of Valley politics: Politics of the Rio Grande Valley: An Insider’s Perspective to Regional Politics
Scholars from around the world are fascinated with the Rio Grande Valley, a region whose political beliefs often are covered by newscasts and newspapers, but not through published research.

UT System Board of Regents authorizes negotiations to buy The Monitor’s home facility in McAllen as newspaper plans to downsize and relocate, reports South Texas attorney Omar Ochoa
AIM Media Texas recently announced its plan to move its personnel and printing press out of the current home facility for The Monitor, which is located at 1400 East Nolana Avenue in McAllen, and to complete negotiations that could lead to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley(UTRGV)buying that newspaper’s 88,970-square foot office and warehouse/production building and surface parking lot, reports South Texas attorney Omar Ochoa.

Texas Legislature approves measure by Sen. Juan Hinojosa to help create new source of drinking water from potential floods in deep South Texas
Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen, on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, announced the Texas Legislature’s passage of Senate Bill 1967, which will increase the state’s ability to manage flood risks and improve water resource management, including helping finance the Delta Reclamation Project in Hidalgo County.

Open Government Hotline that provides Texans with information about open records laws would be improved under House Bill 4990 by Rep. Canales, says South Texas attorney Omar Ochoa
A legislative measure authored by Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, would require the Office of the Attorney General to establish, maintain, and improve an existing toll-free hotline to provide Texans with information regarding open records, according to South Texas attorney Omar Ochoa.

News media outlets want authority from Texas Legislature to allow journalists to use aerial drones for video and photographs as part of their news gathering, reports South Texas attorney Omar Ochoa
With the 89th Texas Legislature in the final half of its 140-day regular session, the Texas Association of Broadcasters is leading efforts to have state lawmakers restore the ability of Texas newsrooms to use drones for aerial photography in their news gathering mission, reports South Texas attorney Omar Ochoa.