by Legislative Media | May 14, 2016 | Politics
A football feasibility study committee, chaired by legendary coach Mack Brown, will hold an organizational meeting on Thursday, May 19, 2016 during a time and location to be announced later by officials with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, has announced.
Photograph Courtesy of UTRGV ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT
“College football has a positive economic impact on a region in many ways, such as through the millions of dollars that would be generated from thousands of visitors coming to the Valley for the games and related activities,” said Canales. “It also is a tremendous marketing tool for UTRGV, which is one of the best universities in Texas in terms of its proud reputation in academics and sports. Football generates excitement on and off the field.”
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by Legislative Media | May 12, 2016 | Politics
Featured: An IMAX theater, similar to the one featured in this image by pocket-lint.com, will be coming to Carmike 20 Cinemas in Edinburg and is scheduled to open next year, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The news comes as the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts released statewide data showing the retail economy in Edinburg for the month of March 2016 is more than eight percent better than the same month last year.
Photograph: pocket-lint.com
Edinburg’s retail economy during March 2016 was more than eight percent ahead of the same period last year, much better than the statewide average of all Texas cities for the same period, which came in with a 1.4 percent improvement, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. This latest positive news about the Edinburg’s economy, which was prepared by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and released on Wednesday, May 11, 2016, came as Carmike Cinemas’ corporate headquarters revealed they have begun large-scale renovations at its Carmike Cinemas 20 entertainment complex in Edinburg. The nearest IMAX to the Valley is located in Corpus Christi.
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by Legislative Media | May 9, 2016 | Politics
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Chapter of the American Marketing Association recently earned awards at the AMA shown here with their awards from the AMA annual competition in New Orleans. Featured, from left, are Eric Rodríguez, Saydahli Mejía, Julio Salinas, Óscar Ramos, David Pérez, Fabiola Cortés, Fuad Chagollán, Jolene Arellano, Martín Nievez, Ángela López, Albert Adame and Alexandra García. The AMA Collegiate Case Competition is an annual, international contest open to undergraduate teams at schools that have an affiliated AMA Collegiate Chapter. The purpose of the competition is to provide AMA Collegiate members an opportunity to work together on a problem that illustrates a real marketing situation, and to provide competition sponsors direct contact with marketing students who have possible real-world solutions to a marketing problem.
Photograph By PAUL CHOUY
Where and when concealed handguns may be carried at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, allowing Doctors Hospital at Renaissance to use trademarks of UTRGV’s School of Medicine, and creating a new Ph.D program to take advantage of the coming creation of the SpaceX launch site are among key items that will be taken up on Wednesday, May 11 and Thursday, May 12, 2016, by the UT System Board of Regents, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The EEDC, along with the City of Edinburg, promote the best interests of UTRGV and the UTRGV School of Medicine through its extensive legislative lobbying efforts before the UT System Board of Regents, the Texas Legislature, and Congress.
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by Legislative Media | May 3, 2016 | Politics
Featured, from left: Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, and Leonel Vela, M.D., Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, on Wednesday, April 26, 2016, during a tour of the $54 million Medical Education Building in Edinburg.
Photograph By ALEX RÍOS
A major boost to the area economy in underway as a result of an estimated $172.4 million in direct expenditures from the ongoing construction of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine in Edinburg and the planned establishment of the Doctors Hospital at Renaissance Medical Research Facility in neighboring McAllen, Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, has announced. “The total economic impact of the UTRGV medical school in the Rio Grande Valley is significant, according to an analysis by the university provided at my request, and this is just the beginning,” said the House District 40 lawmaker. Through the multiplier effect, the $172.4 million in direct spending creates 2,578 jobs, generates $75.1 million in labor income and adds $100.6 million in value added, for a total economic impact of $261.8 million, noted an economic analysis prepared by the university. Spending associated with the UTRGV medical school generates $7.3 million in state and local tax and $12.9 million in federal tax.
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by Legislative Media | Apr 30, 2016 | Politics
Featured, from left: Sonia Marroquín, Assistant City Manager, Myra Ayala Garza, City Secretary, and Ascensión Alonzo, Director of Finance, who all work for the City of Edinburg. The City Finance Department reports that Edinburg’s local retail economy in 2015 grew almost eight percent over the previous 12-month period in 2014. Local sales taxes in 2015 were $20,386,379, an increase of 7.65 percent over the 2014 total of $18,937,282.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
Construction and related building activities in Edinburg totaled almost $20 million during March 2016, bringing the total value of construction activities in the city to almost $65.2 million during the first three months of the year, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. Combined, building permits from January through March 2016 were issued for work valued at $65,173,203, compared with $41,367,340 for the same period in 2015. During March 2016, building permits for work valued at $19,710,781 were issued by the city, compared with $11,888,509 in March 2015.
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by Legislative Media | Apr 29, 2016 | Politics
Featured, from left Councilmember J.R. Betancourt and Mayor Pro Tem Richard Molina on Monday, February 18, 2016, during a work session of the Edinburg City Council and the Hidalgo County Commissioners Court, review options for Edinburg in the proposed construction by Hidalgo County for a $150 million courthouse in the city’s downtown.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
Valuable vacant property owned by First National Bank of Edinburg (which was closed in September 2013) is on the way to becoming yet another success story for the city following recent action by the Edinburg City Council, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. When completed, the new residential community will help provide more high-quality housing for Edinburg, and pump an estimated $47 million into the local economy, based on the values of the lots and homes.
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by Legislative Media | Apr 28, 2016 | Politics
Featured: Dr. Shervin Fatehi, left, and Dr. Javier Macossay examine a 3D-printed heart at their research lab in the Science Building on the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley campus in Edinburg. They recently were awarded a grant from startup company New Matter. The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, along with the City of Edinburg, promote the best interests of UTRGV and the UTRGV School of Medicine through its extensive legislative lobbying efforts before the UT System Board of Regents, the Texas Legislature, and Congress.
Photograph By KRISTEN GARZA
Edinburg’s unemployment rate for March 2016 of 4.7 percent marked the third consecutive month that the city posted a monthly figure of less than five percent, with McAllen being the only other Valley city in that category, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. Edinburg’s March 2016 figure of 4.7 percent is the best showing for that month in almost a decade, when the city posted a 4.4 percent unemployment rate in March 2008.
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by Legislative Media | Apr 25, 2016 | Politics
About 300 11th-grade high school students and their fathers and/or mentors from throughout South Texas participated in the Together in Educational Success (TIES) conference at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in early April. The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, along with the City of Edinburg, promote the best interests of UTRGV and the UTRGV School of Medicine though its extensive legislative lobbying efforts before the UT System Board of Regents, the Texas Legislature, and Congress.
Photograph Courtesy MARCI CALTABIANO
Possible action on several current and new job creation strategies being considered by the Board of Directors of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation will take place beginning at noon on Tuesday, April 26, 2016 in the Council Chamber at Edinburg City Hall, the EEDC has announced. The two items scheduled to be deliberated in open session are interlocal agreements with the City of Edinburg regarding Project Domain and the city’s soccer park. In executive session, the following issues will be reviewed: Project Urban; Project Grindstone; the monumentation at the North Industrial Park; Project Square; Project Quest; and a development agreement with VICA Enterprises, L.P.
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by Legislative Media | Apr 20, 2016 | Politics
Featured, from left: Harvey Rodríguez, Jr., Vice-President, Board of Directors, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Ellie M. Torres, Secretary/Treasurer, Board of Directors, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; and Agustín García, Jr., Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation. This image was taken on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 at Edinburg City Hall, following an EEDC Board of Directors meeting.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
Construction and related building activities in Edinburg totaled more than $9.2 million for February 2016, bringing the total value of construction activities in the city to almost $45.5 million during the first two months of the year, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. Combined, building permits in January and February 2016 were issued for work valued at $45,462,422, compared with $29,478,831 for the same two months in 2015.
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by Legislative Media | Apr 6, 2016 | Politics
Featured: Ellie M. Torres, Secretary/Treasurer for the Board of Directors of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, Francisco Cigarroa, M.D., then-Chancellor of the University of Texas System, and Mayor Richard García, on Tuesday, August 26, 2014, during groundbreaking ceremonies for the $54 million University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Medical Academic Building in Edinburg, the first new construction for the UTRGV School of Medicine.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
Edinburg’s unemployment rate for February 2016 of 4.5 percent is the best showing of any month for the city since February 2008, and this latest figure continues to keep pace with McAllen’s Valley-leading monthly unemployment rate, which came in at 4.4 percent for February 2016, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. Also according to the latest data, which was released on Friday, March 25, 2016 by the Texas Workforce Commission, there were 36,204 people employed in Edinburg during the month of February 2016. The data represents an increase of 753 jobs in Edinburg when comparing the employment figures for February 2016 and February 2015. In February 2016, there were 36,204 employed in Edinburg, while 35,451 were employed in Edinburg in February 2015.
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