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). 

The DHR Health Transplant Institute, opened in Edinburg in 2017, remains a highly-regarded, specialized center in Texas and is the only CMS and UNOS-certified kidney transplant program in the Rio Grande Valley, according to Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen, and Edinburg Mayor Omar Ochoa.

Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo/Starr County, was recently named a 2025 Legislative Champion by the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, which is a state agency led by a 27-member board – appointed by the governor – that includes people with developmental disabilities, family members, and representatives from state agencies, university centers for excellence in developmental disabilities, and other organizations.

Graciela Moreno Chavana on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 was presented a framed House of Representatives Memorial Resolution – along with a Texas State Flag flown over the Texas State Capitol in Austin – both honoring her late husband, David Arnoldo Chavana, from Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, in the Council Chambers at Edinburg City Hall. 

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...

A recent state law, of which Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, help lead through the legislative process, guarantees that convicted human traffickers of children and people with disabilities no longer can get out of prison on parole.