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 Friday, August 1, 2025, was selected Interim Director, Rio Grande Valley LEAD (Linking Economic and Academic Development).

Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, has endorsed Omar Ochoa for Edinburg mayor in ongoing political campaign that also features former Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina and former Edinburg Mayor Pro Tem Johnny García seeking the city’s top elected office.

Dr. Fred Farías III, a lifelong advocate for higher education and a nationally respected leader in optometry and public service, has joined The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in two key leadership roles.

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...

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.