Greg Abbott, Lupe Valdez urged by Rep. Canales to declare health insurance funding for retired teachers an emergency item for Texas Legislature
Featured, from left: Adriana Rendón, Vice President of Operations, Boys & Girls Clubs of Edinburg RGV; Ashley Martínez, Director of Operations, Boys & Girls Club of Weslaco; Mary López, CEO, Boys and Girls Club of Weslaco; Dalinda González-Alcantar, CEO, Boys and Girls Club of McAllen; Alfredo Mata, Jr., CEO, Boys and Girls Club of Pharr; Fay Beard, Director of Development, Southwest Region, Boys and Girls Club of America; Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg; Precinct 2 County Commissioner Eduardo “Eddie” Cantú; and Jesse Vela, Member, Board of Trustees, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District. In 2017, Canales was coauthor of House Bill 13, which created a matching grant program to support community-based mental health programs to help out individuals experiencing mental illness in the region. area. On Thursday, July 19, 2018, these leaders joined the House District 40 lawmaker for the announcement that the Boys & Girls Club in Pharr had secured $1 million from this program to start services this year in Pharr, Edinburg, and Weslaco. “Mental health continues to be an important issue to me and I will continue working with our local judges and District Attorney to ensure we’re doing our part,” Canales said.
Photograph By ALEX RÍOS
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Edinburg EDC on Tuesday, July 24, set to review marketing/real estate consulting contract, proposed new logo, and transit center during board meeting to begin at 6 p.m. at City Hall
Dr. Robert Schweller, UTRGV Associate Professor in Computer Science, talks with Nami Akazawa, Computer Science student from Tokyo, Japan, on Tuesday, July 10, 2018 at the Engineering building in Edinburg, Texas.
UTRGV Photo by Paul Chouy
Featured: The National Science Foundation has awarded the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Department of Computer Science a $495,042 grant for a research project, “Unifying Self-Assembly through Tile Automata,” which introduces and explores the Tile Automata abstract model of self-assembly to better understand how to design systems of particles, such as molecules of DNA, to reliably self-assemble into complex structures based on simple rules and local interactions. Associate Professor Dr. Robert Schweller (shown here) and Assistant Professor Dr. Tim Wylie worked on the grant proposal and are part of the Algorithmic Self-Assembly Research Group (A.S.A.R.G.) at UTRGV. The Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council, along with the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and its Board of Directors, lobby the Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents on matters that benefit and protect UTRGV and its School of Medicine, which have major campuses in the city.
Photograph By PAUL CHOUY
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Edinburg’s retail economy in May 2018 shows more than seven percent improvement over same month in 2017, Texas Comptroller announces
Featured: The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine on Monday, July 9, 2018, welcomed its Class of 2022, whose members are going through a three-week orientation at the UTRGV Medical Education Building on the Edinburg campus. The Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council, along with the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and its Board of Directors, lobby the Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents on matters that benefit and protect UTRGV and its School of Medicine, which have major campuses in the city.
Photograph By PAUL CHOUY
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U.S. Citrus Texas Legislative News Service, which will report on state leaders’ impact on agriculture, including $200 million citrus industry, launched by Mani Skaria, PhD, the Founder, President, and CEO of U.S. Citrus
Featured: Mani Skaria, PhD, the Founder, President, and CEO of U.S. Citrus, LLC, a 550-acre state-of-the-art facility located in Hargill with the potential to produce large quantities of high-quality, disease-free citrus trees of many different varieties for sale.
Photograph Courtesy https://www.facebook.com/am.skaria
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Edinburg EDC Board of Directors schedule special meeting for Tuesday, July 10; updates to budget and employee classification and organization chart to highlight 6 p.m. public session at City Hall
Featured: The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation is looking for a new visual identity, and is inviting Edinburg residents, including Edinburg public school students, and higher education students who are Edinburg residents, to participate. Edinburg residents who can design a creative, innovative and professional logo are being invited by the Board of Directors of the Edinburg EDC to compete in the contest, which has a deadline of 5 p.m. (Central Standard Time) on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 for all entries to be submitted. The winner shall be awarded a $500 (five hundred) prize. The logo created must be submitted by the original owner of the copyright for the logo. Each contestant may submit up to three logos for consideration. The 2018 Logo Contest Entry Form is available online, and may be downloaded by contacting the Edinburg EDC at 956/383-7124 for instructions on where to obtain the entry form.
Graphics Courtesy of THE CITY OF EDINBURG LIBRARY AND CULTURAL ARTS
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More than $53.1 million in construction, led by residential housing, took place in the city from January through May 2018, reports Edinburg EDC
Featured: “Good Books Radio,” which has been airing on 88FM, the Rio Grande Valley’s Public Radio Station, for several years, is hosted by Dr. John Cook, Associate Professor and Chair of the UTRGV Communications Department. Cook partnered with UTRGV communications professor Dr. W. F. Strong on the program, which is produced by the UTRGV video production team in the University Marketing and Communications Department. The Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council, along with the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and its Board of Directors, lobby the Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents on matters that benefit and protect UTRGV and its School of Medicine, which have major campuses in the city.
Photograph By MARÍA ELENA HERNÁNDEZ
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City pledges $126,000 in bid to secure additional $719,000 from Federal Transportation Administration for downtown bus trolleys, Edinburg EDC announces
Featured: $719,000 in federal funding is being requested by the City of Edinburg, through Valley Metro, for two electric (battery-powered) bus trolleys – similar in design to this vehicle operated by Laguna Beach Transit in California – that would serve Edinburg’s downtown area and increase business and commerce for dozens of retail shops, restaurants, and offices around and near the Hidalgo County Courthouse.
Photograph Courtesy https://hometowntrolley.com/trolleys/villager
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In-depth retail marketing analysis, projects for upcoming year, Santana Textiles, L.L.C. set for review and possible action by Edinburg EDC Board of Directors beginning at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 26, at Edinburg City Hall
Featured: Lizette Leal, International Programs specialist in the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Office of Global Engagement, shown here with baby Mia, makes full use of the university’s Mother-Friendly Worksite suites. The program provides nursing mothers with specially designated rooms that allow staff, faculty or student moms a safe, clean, private place to breastfeed or pump breast milk. Leal says being able to pump onsite during a workday eases her stress, helps her bonding process with her 5-month-old daughter, and has substantial benefits for the baby. The Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council, along with the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and its Board of Directors, lobby the Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents on matters that benefit and protect UTRGV and its School of Medicine, which have major campuses in the city.
Photograph by PAUL CHOUY
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Mayor Molina, Rep. Canales, Sen. Hinojosa, successfully call on Gov. Abbott for state disaster declaration in response to flooding in deep South Texas; Edinburg Cable Network providing extensive coverage and updates on city’s Facebook
Featured: Mayor Richard Molina on Thursday morning, June 21, 2018, helped lead the city’s emergency responses to flooding that affected his city and much of deep South Texas, including by issuing a Disaster Declaration for the City of Edinburg, and immediately sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott. Within several hours of Molina’s communication with the governor’s office, Abbott issued a state disaster declaration, which suspends any regulation or law that would prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action in responding to the estimated foot and more of rain which have fallen in Hidalgo County. The governor’s declaration also suspends any laws that would slow up a state agency’s emergency response needed to protect life or property.
Photograph Courtesy https://www.Facebook.com/CityOfEdinburgGovernment
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For fourth consecutive month, Edinburg registers Valley’s lowest unemployment rate – 4.5 percent in May 2018 – an increase of 898 jobs compared with May 2017 figure
Featured: Dr. Dean Kyne of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Department of Sociology and Anthropology is part of team of UTRGV professors researching the Valley’s hurricane preparedness, including studying factors in residents’ evacuation decisions and their ability to prepare for and bounce back from hurricanes. The Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council, along with the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and its Board of Directors, lobby the Texas Legislature and the UT System Board of Regents on matters that benefit and protect UTRGV and its School of Medicine, which have major campuses in the city.
Photograph By MALENA HERNÁNDEZ
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UT System Board of Regents authorize negotiations to buy The Monitor’s home facility in McAllen as newspaper plans to downsize and relocate, 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
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
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
Kendall Scudder, new Chair, Texas Democratic Party, to meet with Valley residents and news media journalists at McAllen Public Library from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, 2025
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley honored at Texas Capitol ahead of its 10-year anniversary
Valley’s three state senators vote for $3 billion Dementia Prevention and Research Fund, which is supported by DHR Health; measure now before the Texas House of Representatives for its action
At least two proposals by Valley State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, would increase government transparency, reports South Texas attorney Omar Ochoa
Sen. Hinojosa credits Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp for influencing University of Texas System to create UT Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine
Proposed purchase of more than 26 acres for future UTRGV campus expansion in Edinburg, which may include more parking for Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium, set for action by the UT System Board of Regents on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, reports attorney Omar Ochoa