FEATURED: Myra L. Ayala, Edinburg’s recently appointed city manager, is a rarity in more ways than one as the top leaderof the municipal government for one of the most populated (100,000+ residents) cities south of San Antonio. By becoming the city’s top administrator, Ayala is now part ofthe public leadership profession in Texas where women are the minority. Ayala’s appointment as city manager makes her the the second female city manager in the Edinburg community since 2003, when Wendy Smith was selected as city manager.
FEATURED: Prominent media attorney Thomas Williams, who also serves as a member of the Board of Directors, Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, will highlight an open government seminar to be held in Edinburg on Monday afternoon, June 13, 2022, reports attorney Omar Ochoa. The event, to take place from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the County Commissioners Court Chambers, Annex III, 100 E. Cano Street, is free and open to the public.
FEATURED: DHR Health, in partnership with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, is hosting an Active Shooter/Critical Incident training on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance, located at 118 Paseo Del Prad0. The course is free, open to the public, and geared toward adults and older teenagers. Seating is limited to the first 400 people. Call (956) 362-6843 to reserve entrance.
FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Rep. Óscar Longoria, D-Mission; Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg; Rep. Sergio Muñoz, Jr., D-Mission; Rep. R.D. “Bobby” Guerra, D-McAllen; and former McAllen Mayor Jim Darling. The area leaders were participating in the McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s 87th Legislative Session Wrap-up Luncheon, held on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, at The Old Church Performance and Event Venue, 700 Main Street, McAllen. The Rio Grande Valley state lawmakers have a long history of supporting the Texas Open Meetings Act and the Texas Public Information Act.
FEATURED: Sohail Rao, MD, MA, DPhil, President and CEO, DHR Health Institute for Research & Development, was presented with a legislative resolution, authored by Rep. R.D. “Bobby” Guerra, D-McAllen. “Through his vision, leadership, and dedication, Dr. Rao has contributed significantly to the well-being of countless Rio Grande Valley residents during a historic public health crisis, and in so doing, he has earned the deep respect and appreciation of all who are privileged to know him,” said Guerra, who serves as Vice Chair, House Committee on Public Health.
FEATURED: Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, addresses participants during the 25th Annual League of United Latin America Citizens’ (LULAC) Legislative Awards Gala, held at the Hamilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. on Friday, March 17, 2022. The South Texas lawmaker participated in the induction of one of his great-uncles, JoséTomásCanales, into the LULAC Hall of Fame. José TomásCanales, a founder of LULAC, was a prominent civil rights leader who led the 1919 investigation into the Texas Rangers for their actions during the 1910s, in particular the massacre of 15 unarmed ethnic Mexican men and boys.
FEATURED, FROM LEFT: McAllen natives and brothers Dr. Macaulay Ojeaga and Dr. Patrick Ojeaga posed together on Saturday, May 8, 2021, on the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Brownsville Campus, during their graduation from the UTRGV School of Medicine. Patrick is now a resident physician at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, and Macaulay is now at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.
FEATURED: On Friday, May 6, 2021, at his Capitol office in Austin, Rep. Armando “Mando” Martínez, D-Weslaco, points at the slogan on his face covering – “Good Trouble” – made famous by Congressman John Lewis (1940-2020). Lewis said: “Speak up, speak out, get in the way. Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.” In 2019 and 2021, Martínez, supported by the Rio Grande Valley state representative delegation, passed a plan in the House of Representatives to create a public state law school in the Rio Grande Valley. Both times, that plan died in the Texas Senate.
FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Rep. R.D. “Bobby” Guerra, D-McAllen, congratulates Edinburg Assistant Chief of Police Peter De la Garza on his retirement during a ceremony held on Thursday, April 28, 2022 at the Bert Ogden Arena. De la Garza is the longest-serving police officer and assistant chief in the history of the Edinburg Police Department. During his tenure, De la Garza was appointed four times as Interim Police Chief and has proven to be an exemplary leader, supervising hundreds of officers, leading task forces, and investigations. De la Garza and his wife, Alma, live in Guerra’s House District 41.
FEATURED: Alfredo Martínez, Sr., 81, whose one of two sons is Rep. Armando “Mando” Martínez, D-Weslaco, was laid to rest on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at Highland Memorial Park in Weslaco. Alfredo Martínez, Sr. passed away on Thursday, April 28, 2022.
