by Legislative Media | Oct 23, 2015 | Politics
Featured: Edinburg City Councilmember Richard Molina, addressing constituents at the Edinburg City Auditorium on Wednesday, May 27, 2015, also serves on Edinburg’s Planning and Zoning Commission, which reviews and make recommendations to the City Council on rezoning, special use permits, and subdivisions.
Photograph By MARK MONTE MAYOR
Residential subdivisions in Edinburg are experiencing significant growth in 2015, with the construction of 257 new homes leading the way from January through September of this year. In all, construction and related building activities in Edinburg from January through September 2015 total more than $100 million, with building permits for those 257 new single-family residences valued at more than $37.1 million leading the way, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The EEDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mark Iglesias as President, Harvey Rodríguez as Vice President, Ellie M. Torres as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Richard García and Richard Ruppert as Members. Richard García and Agustín García, Jr. are not related. From January through September 2015, building permits valued at $100,045,966 were issued by the city, compared with $103,901,996 for the same period in 2014. For the month of September 2015, building permits valued at $14,230,592 were issued, compared with building permits valued at $9,863,971 for September 2014. The top categories in Edinburg from January through September 2015 were: $37,102,917 – Single-Family Residences New Construction; $23,765.605 – Non-Taxable New/Alterations (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine); $15,875,178 – Commercial New Construction; $13,227,202 – Commercial Alterations; $5,365,356 – Multi-Family Residences New Construction; and $4,709,708 – Residential Alterations. A building permit includes the estimated value of the work, but does not include the costs of the lot, equipment and furnishings. In general, a building permit is legal permission given by the City of Edinburg to erect, construct, renovate, maintain, or conduct any other specified activity on any building or structure, or on any installations or facilities therein. The term “building permit” includes but is not limited to building permits, electrical permits, mechanical permits, and plumbing permits.
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by Legislative Media | Oct 19, 2015 | Politics
Featured, from left: Keith Patridge, President and CEO, McAllen Economic Development Corporation; Sergio Contreras, Executive Director, Pharr Economic Development Corporation; Agustín García, Jr., Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Rose Benavidez, Executive Director, Starr County Industrial Foundation; and Julian Álvarez, President, Rio Grande Valley Partnership, on Friday, September 25, participating in a presentation during the South Texas College Inno’ 2015, held at the STC Technology Campus Atrium, Building B, in south McAllen.
PHOTOGRAPH BY DIEGO REYNA
Edinburg’s unemployment rate for September 2015 was 4.9 percent – the same as McAllen – representing the best performances among the Valley’s major cities for that month, and the lowest figure for that month for Edinburg since September 2007, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. Also according to the latest data, which was released on Friday, October 16, 2015 by the Texas Workforce Commission, there were more than 35,000 people employed in Edinburg during the month of September 2015. The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The EEDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mark Iglesias as President, Harvey Rodríguez as Vice President, Ellie M. Torres as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Richard García and Richard Ruppert as Members. The unemployment rate is a key indicator of the strength of the local economy. Edinburg’s latest showing was better than the U.S. unemployment rate for September 2015, which came in at 5.1 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000). In its mission to help create jobs and help private businesses prosper, the Edinburg City Council and the EEDC Board of Directors place a high priority on the importance of a strong education system, said Mayor Richard García. “All that we are, and all that we want to be, one of the keys to our economic successes and quality-of-life is the classroom, and Edinburg has worked smart and hard to become a center of education in Texas,” the mayor said. “Just recently, top leaders from several of our nation’s largest corporations met with our area school district superintendents, in part because these industries recognize that their future, just like that of our nation, also depends on South Texas.” On Monday, October 5, 2015, a large group of public and charter school superintendents from across the Rio Grande Valley met during HESTEC with national government leaders, corporate partners, and administrators and faculty of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, during the Superintendents Leadership Breakfast. HESTEC stands for Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology Week, an annual weeklong gathering which this year was held from Sunday, October 4, through Saturday, October 10, at the Edinburg campus of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Mark Iglesias, the President of the EEDC Board of Directors, added that the deep pool of talent of Edinburg and South Texas was further emphasized by the attendance of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to HESTEC in Edinburg the following day. “In many ways, HESTEC is part of our homeland security, because HESTEC’s goal to to encourage more South Texas students to become the leaders and professionals in our nation’s STEM fields, from where many of the great scientific breakthroughs come,” said Iglesias. “It is no coincidence that the captains of industry and the titans of politics come to Edinburg and South Texas, because we have what it takes to serve our nation.” Duncan praised HESTEC as a model for the nation in its efforts to expose students to all the opportunities available in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, and for helping prepare students for the workplace. “So many jobs of the future are in STEM fields,” he said. “Our country needs your talents, we need your expertise. We need for you to be the job creators and the entrepreneurs going forward.” As for the Superintendents Leadership Breakfast, it succeeded in its goal to open dialogue and share ideas on how to provide more opportunities for students and ensure their success, said Austin García, Jr., Executive Director for the EEDC. “When one looks at the incredible meetings, presentations, performances, exhibits, and turnout generated by HESTEC, it inspires all of us, not just our students,” said the EEDC Executive Director. “Such major events help let the nation know that South Texas is building on Edinburg’s reputation as ‘The Gateway to the Future.’”
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by Legislative Media | Oct 15, 2015 | Politics
Featured, second from left: Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, on Thursday, July 9, 2015, during the McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s 84th Legislative Session Wrap-Up Luncheon, held at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in McAllen.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
“Revenge porn”, the name given to a vengeful and widespread trend that involves the unauthorized posting on the Internet of sexually-explicit images without an individual’s permission, is now a crime in Texas, and can result in punishment of up to one year in jail and up to a $4,000 fine, Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, has announced. The shameless practice, which is typically taken by vindictive former lovers, amends the Civil Practice and Remedies Code and Penal Code to establish the Class A misdemeanor offense of unlawful disclosure or promotion of intimate visual material and to establish a defendant’s civil liability to a person depicted in intimate visual material for damages arising from the material’s unlawful disclosure or promotion. “The reality is there are some people who simply cannot handle rejection in their personal lives, and when things don’t go their way, they lash out by putting very intimate photographs on the Internet in order to humiliate, shame, or traumatize their current or former spouses or significant others,” said Canales. “So they resort to this despicable tactic, which is known as ‘revenge porn’. But now, the long arm of Texas law is able to protect the innocent and punish the guilty.” This past spring, Canales helped pass the measure, Senate Bill 1135 by Sen. Sylvia García, D-Houston, first through the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, of which he is a member, and then through the House of Representatives. SB 1135, which was signed into law on June 17, 2015, by Gov. Greg Abbott, became law on September 1, 2015. “The moment I read what SB 1135 was about, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to give it my full support, especially as a member of the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, because we had to pass it in order for it to have any chance to become law,” said Canales. “SB 1135 is now the law. I want to help get this message out, especially to victims who may not know that ‘revenge porn’ is a crime, and Texas will not stand for it.” The Houston senator’s SB 1135, which makes Texas one of more than 20 states which have passed laws targeting “revenge porn”, is formally known as the Relationship Privacy Act. In announcing that the law had go into effect on September 1, García explained that “revenge porn” is usually done with the specific intent to gain revenge and harm the depicted person and without the consent of the depicted person. Thus, this practice has been commonly referred to as “revenge pornography.” Victims’ images are commonly posted along with information such as their name, contact information, and links to their social media profiles, she added. To add insult to injury, “revenge porn websites” are further preying on victims by charging fees to remove the sexually explicit images from the Internet, García added. SB 1135 establishes criminal penalties and civil remedies for this reprehensible practice. “Posting a nude or sexually explicit photo of someone on the Internet without their permission is an evil and destructive violation of trust. My hope is that the civil and criminal penalties provided for under the Relationship Privacy Act deter this heinous conduct from ever occurring again in Texas,” García said. “However, should some coward choose to defy all decency in a petty attempt to get revenge, I take some comfort in knowing that the Act gives law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to get justice for the victims.” Both Canales and García saved special praise for victims of “revenge porn” for playing the key role to make the law possible. “I would also like to again thank the brave victims of ‘revenge pornography’ that came forward and shared their stories,” the Houston senator emphasized. “This law could not have passed without their courage.” Canales said the law is the latest victory against family violence. “Family violence also involves emotional and psychological torment, and ‘revenge porn’ most certainly can leave long-lasting, even permanent, injuries just like physical violence,” the Edinburg lawmaker said. “For those who think they can use the Internet to inflict such pain, it is you who should be in fear, because Texas is coming to get you.”
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by Legislative Media | Oct 14, 2015 | Politics
Featured: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott spoke at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg on Tuesday, October 6, 2015, during Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology Week (HESTEC).
Photograph By DAVID PIKE
Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology Week (HESTEC), held October 4 through October 10 at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, drew thousands of visitors to its hometown, and generated positive regional and statewide attention to the city, which helps create more jobs and additional business, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The EEDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mark Iglesias as President, Harvey Rodríguez as Vice President, Ellie M. Torres as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Richard García and Richard Ruppert as Members. “Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Dr. Bernard Harris, the first African American astronaut to walk in space and a medical doctor by trade, journalist Soledad O’Brien, who is a former CNN and NBC anchor, Telemundo anchor José Díaz-Balar, comedian Paul Rodríguez, and Miss Texas USA Ylianna Guerra were among the numerous renowned figures who shared their talents, insights and wisdom with thousands of Valley students, encouraging them to finish their education, attend college or university, and consider the STEM, medical and information technology fields,” said Mayor Richard García. STEM is an acronym (abbreviation) for the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. But the attention generated by such high-profile individuals has both immediate as well as long-term positive economic impact on Edinburg, the mayor noted. “Thousands of people come into Edinburg for HESTEC every year, and we see it in more money being spent by those visitors in our local economy,” said Mayor García. “But as with all major events that are hosted in Edinburg, the eyes of the rest of the state, and throughout the nation are on us. As a result, our residents, visitors, potential residents, business owners, political leaders, and investors are reminded that Edinburg is where the action is, that we are the place to be. That results in more people and businesses wanting to stay here, move here, and invest here.” Mark Iglesias, EEDC Board President – an environmental biologist who is an alumni of The University of Texas-Pan American with a biology degree – said HESTEC this year also drew significant attention to a major new facility which broke ground at the Edinburg campus. “On the first day of HESTEC, university and community leaders celebrated the ceremonial groundbreaking for the $70 million Science Research Building on the Edinburg campus,” said Iglesias. “This is reportedly the largest facility, once it is completed, that will be on the Edinburg campus, spanning 115,000 square feet. But I am confident this is just the tip of the iceberg.” According to UTRGV leaders, the mayor’s and the EEDC board president’s optimism is well-founded and visionary. HESTEC, which was held from October 4 to October 10, 2015, addresses documented concerns that South Texas, Texas, and the country’s scientific and economic stability will face continued challenges without an increase in the number of students entering STEM, medical and information technology fields. From worker shortages, to the loss of high- paying jobs, to the loss of critical research and manufacturing resources, the lack of STEM graduates will have a significant impact on the country. In welcome remarks, Founding UTRGV President Guy Bailey said that, in his long career in higher education, he has never before seen an investment in a university like the one for UTRGV. “Our (UT System) Board of Regents has invested half a billion dollars of PUF money for UTRGV. It speaks to the confidence that the System has in us, and that the State of Texas has in us,” he said. “It is a great time in our history. It is a unique time in our history. And it is up to us to take full advantage of that.” The Permanent University Fund (PUF) is a public endowment that draws its revenues from oil, gas, and land leases to benefit the University of Texas and Texas A&M Systems. Funding for the Science Research Building was approved by the UT System Board of Regents in November 2013. The 115,000-gross-square-foot, four-story structure, designed by the San Antonio architectural firm Muñoz and Company, will be located adjacent to the current three-story science building that was built in 1998, and will complement the existing campus architecture. It will include classrooms, teaching labs, faculty and researcher offices, an instrumentation research and teaching core, and research labs supporting biological and physical sciences, including biology, physics, chemistry, math, pre-med and environmental studies. EEDC Executive Director Gus García, Jr. emphasized that the EEDC and the Edinburg City Council invest in promoting the best interests of UTRGV in Edinburg, both before the Texas Legislature, and in partnership with UTRGV leaders and the UT System Board of Regents. “The EEDC and the Edinburg City Council, through their direct participation, by guiding our state and national legislative consulting firms, and most important, in partnership with our state and legislative delegations, serve as champions for UTRGV in Edinburg in Austin and in Washington, D.C.,” said Gus García, Jr. “A university cannot lot lobby the Texas Legislature, but the Edinburg City Council and the EEDC can, and we do. That is also how we now have a major campus of a UT medical school now under construction in our city.” The planned UTRGV School of Medicine, which is currently constructing a $54 million medical education building, and the existing $20 million Regional Academic Health Center Medical Research Division, which opened in 2006, are both located on a separate 11.6 acre site, formerly administered by the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, all which are now are part of the UTRGV campus and under UTRGV’s governance, the EEDC Executive Director added.
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by Legislative Media | Oct 13, 2015 | Politics
Featured: María González, a Student Assistant with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valle, signs in a student at U Central on Monday, October 12, 2015, at the UTRGV Student Services Building on the Edinburg Campus. U Central is a one-stop shop on both the Edinburg and Brownsville campuses that works with various offices to centralize services via one point of contact.
Photograph By PAUL CHOUY
Gone are the days when students have to wait in multiple long lines to get answers to their questions on financial aid, registration, enrollment and other issues. Students at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley now can receive assistance at its new one-stop shop – called U Central – on both the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses. On Monday, October 12, UTRGV celebrated the official opening of U Central with two ribbon-cutting ceremonies – one in the morning at El Gran Patio on the Brownsville Campus, and one in the afternoon outside the Student Services Building on the Edinburg Campus. U Central has been assisting students since August. UTRGV President Guy Bailey said U Central enables the university to achieve its primary goal of student success. “You need to have processes that help students get registered, get their financial aid, get in the right classes, meet advisers. And they need to be able to do that in as streamlined a fashion as possible,” Bailey said. “U Central provides that with cross-trained staff, technology and technological solutions to things. And it makes our goal really simple.” Bailey, the founding president of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, will be participating in a panel discussion during the Texas Tribune Festival on Saturday, October 17, at The University of Texas at Austin. The panel starts at 4:25 p.m. at the Student Activity Center Auditorium. The topic is “Price vs. Cost vs. Value.” Joining Bailey on the panel are Gregory Fenves, president of The University of Texas at Austin; Brenda Hellyer, chancellor of San Jacinto College; U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, and Renue Khator, chancellor of the University of Houston System and president of the University of Houston. Texas Tribune reporter Matthew Watkins will serve as moderator. Members of UTRGV’s Student Government Association will attend the festival to represent the university: Denisse Molina Castro, Vice President of the Brownsville campus; Alondra Galván, chair of the Senate; Nicholas Hill, senator at-large; and Marc Roque, senator for Liberal Arts.
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by Legislative Media | Oct 10, 2015 | Politics
Featured: Mayor Pro Tem Homer Jasso, Jr., on Wednesday, May 27, 2015, helps set the stage for the State of the City Address by Mayor Richard García, which focused on economic development gains for Edinburg. In the latest showing of the strength of the city’s economy, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts reported on Tuesday, October 7, 2015 that Edinburg’s retail economy, from January through August 2015, is almost seven percent ahead of last year’s pace.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
Edinburg’s retail economy from January through August 2015 is almost seven percent ahead of the same period last year, a figure that is better than the statewide average of all Texas cities, which came in with a 4.3 percent improvement year for the same eight-month period, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The EEDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mark Iglesias as President, Harvey Rodríguez as Vice President, Ellie M. Torres as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Richard García and Richard Ruppert as Members. For the month of August 2015, the city’s retail economy registered a 13.89 percent rate of improvement over the same month last year, the EEDC added, according to data released on Tuesday, October 7, by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. During the first eight months of 2015, Edinburg’s retail economy produced $16,812,351.02 in local sales taxes, compared with $15,753,379.17 for January through August 2014, representing an improvement of 6.72 percent. In August 2015, the city’s retail economy generated $1,671,788.87 in local sales taxes, compared with $1,467,867.49 for August 2014, representing an improvement of 13.89 percent, also according to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. By comparison, the average rate for all cities in Texas dropped .04 percent in August 2015 compared with August 2014. The local sales tax is used in Edinburg to help pay for many city services, while the EEDC uses its one-half cent local sales tax to help generate economic development in the city. The amount of local sales taxes collected also helps reflect the strength of an economy, along with construction activities, per capita income, education, historical performances, and related trends. The sales tax, formally known as the State Sales and Use Tax, is imposed on all retail sales, leases and rentals of most goods, as well as taxable services. Texas cities, counties, transit authorities and special purpose districts have the option of imposing an additional local sales tax for a combined total of state and local taxes of 8 1/4% (.0825).
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by Legislative Media | Sep 30, 2015 | Politics
Featured, Mayor Richard García, who also serves on the Board of Directors for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, on Wednesday, May 13, 2015, signs documents relating to Edinburg municipal business as Myra L. Ayala Garza, City Secretary, reviews his action at the raised platform used for city council, EEDC and Planning and Zoning board meetings. Those public sessions are held in the council chambers at Edinburg City Hall.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
With construction and related building activities in Edinburg from January through August 2015 totaling almost $86 million, area leaders on Thursday, September 17, gathered at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance to celebrate the grand opening of the city’s latest architectural showpiece – Day Surgery at Renaissance. Day Surgery at Renaissance, located at 5520 Leonardo Davinci, immediately east of Women’s Hospital at Renaissance, is a 90,000 square foot, two-story outpatient surgical center that features eight operating rooms, 40 pre-operative beds, 40 recovery beds, and 10 endoscopy suites. Day Surgery at Renaissance, based on the building permit issued more than a year earlier, in August 2014, by Edinburg’s Code Enforcement Department, represents an investment of $14 million for its construction. As a result, the value of Day Surgery at Renaissance is not included in the year-t0-date total construction figures of almost $86 million for January through August 2015. Ellie M. Torres, who serves on the Board of Directors of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, and who also is a member of the Edinburg school board, was on hand for the 2 p.m. standing-room only event. “This outstanding facility will have significant economic and quality-of-life benefits for our hometown and our neighboring cities,” said Torres. “Along with our other excellent hospitals, physicians, health care professionals, and our University of Texas medical school that will open in the Fall of 2016, Edinburg continues to build on its deserved reputation as a preferred city in which to live, raise a family, work or own a business, and succeed.” The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The EEDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mark Iglesias as President, Harvey Rodríguez as Vice President, Ellie M. Torres as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Richard García and Richard Ruppert as Members. Richard García and Agustín García, Jr. are not related. Mayor Richard García noted that Edinburg is blessed with nationally-recognized hospital systems. “In mid-July, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance and South Texas Health Systems, which includes Edinburg Regional Medical Center and Edinburg Children’s Hospital, were ranked among the top 20 hospital complexes in Texas, according to U.S. News and World Report,” Mayor García said. “Across-the-board, from education to health care, from entertainment to construction, these and other economic development advances continue to lead to new jobs and stronger businesses.” EEDC Board President Iglesias said the city’s construction activities so far this year also reflect strong growth in new homes. “From January through August 2015, Edinburg has seen 223 new single-family homes, valued at more than $31 million, authorized to be built – including 41 homes approved for construction during the month of August alone,” Iglesias reported. “During the same eight months in 2014, there were 199 homes, valued at more than $23.8 million, issued building permits. Those statistics and more reflect the overall strength and consumer confidence that speak volumes about our city’s economy.” EEDC Executive Director Agustín García, Jr. added that Edinburg also benefits from another DHR complex, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Family Medical Center, literally located across Owassa Road but in the city limits of McAllen, which was part of the September 17 ribbon-cutting ceremony for Day Surgery at Renaissance. “As a direct result of state legislation passed in 2013, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley was given the authority and resources to build a full-fledged School of Medicine, with a major presence in Edinburg,” said the EEDC executive director. “But in helping shape the creation of the School of Medicine, the Edinburg mayor, Edinburg City Council, and EEDC Board of Directors always took a regional approach in order for the Valley to stay united and strong in order to make the medical school a reality. “That is what the UTRGV Family Medical Center symbolizes, and Edinburg also benefits as a result.” The Family Medicine Center will serve as a physician training center for family medicine medical residents. That newly-constructed facility will serve as a base for integrated programs of health care and education that are built around a team approach to cover a spectrum of health services, including prevention and treatment.
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by Legislative Media | Sep 29, 2015 | Politics
Featured, from left: Edinburg City Councilmember J.R. Betancourt and fellow Councilmember David Torres celebrate the ongoing successes of their hometown’s economy following the State of the City Address delivered by Mayor Richard García at the Edinburg Municipal Auditorium State on Wednesday, May 27.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
In the most recent showing of jobs in the city, Edinburg’s unemployment rate for August 2015 was 5.1 percent, the best performance for that month for the city since August 2007 (five percent), the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced, noting that almost 35,000 people were employed in the city. The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The EEDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mark Iglesias as President, Harvey Rodríguez as Vice President, Ellie M. Torres as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Richard García and Richard Ruppert as Members. The unemployment rate is a key indicator of the strength of the local economy. Edinburg was edged out by McAllen, which posted a five percent unemployment rate, for the top spot in August among the Valley’s major economies. The city’s latest unemployment rate was the same as than the U.S. unemployment rate for August 2015, which also came in at 5.1 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000). Edinburg’s August 2015 figure of 5.1 percent continues a year-long pattern of positive reports: July (5.4 percent); June (5.1 percent); May 2015 (4.8 percent); April 2015 (4.6 percent); March 2015 (4.8 percent); February 2015 (4.8 percent); and January 2015 (5.1 percent). Edinburg’s August 2015 unemployment rate of 5.1 percent remained close to the Texas statewide average, which was 4.4 percent in August, 4.6 percent in July, 4.4 percent in June, 4.1 percent for May 2015, four percent for April 2015, 4.2 percent for March 2015, 4.3 percent for February 2015, and 4.6 percent for January 2015, according to Texas Workforce Commission figures. The data represents an increase of 217 jobs in Edinburg when comparing the employment figures for August 2015 and August 2014. In August 2015, there were 34,908 persons employed in Edinburg, compared with 34,691 in August 2014. The August 2015 unemployment rate of 5.1 percent for Edinburg is also better than the annual unemployment rate in Edinburg for 2014, which was 5.8 percent – and that yearly rate was the best 12-month average from January through December since 2008. The Texas Workforce Commission data on all entities in the state, including cities and counties, is available online at: http://www.tracer2.com/cgi/dataanalysis/AreaSelection.asp?tableName=Labforce. In a related development, individuals interested in a job with the City of Edinburg have several options available in order to submit an electronic job application beginning on Monday, October 5. Effective as of that date, The City of Edinburg Human Resources Department will no longer accept paper job applications. Applicants will now have the convenience of online access and will no longer need to stop by City Hall for an application. This new policy will also minimize paper waste and streamline service for more expedited processing. Find the online link to apply on the City of Edinburg homepage at http://www.cityofedinburg.com. Applicants are also able to use mobile devices to access the online job form. Spanish speakers may select the option to utilize the Google translate function. Applicants without Internet access are advised to use computers available at the Dustin Sekula Memorial Library, 1906 S. Closner, or the Human Resources Department in City Hall at 415 W. University Drive. City Hall is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The library is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Edinburg city government is a significant economic force in the community, with a 700-member staff and a $100 million operational budget. Potential applicants may call the City of Edinburg Human Resources Department at 956/388-1873 with questions or for more information.
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by Legislative Media | Sep 27, 2015 | Politics
Featured, from left: Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, greets constituents at the McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s 84th Legislative Session Wrap-Up Luncheon, held on Thursday, July 9, 2015, at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in McAllen as Alex Ri?os, the District Director for Canales’ legislative office in Edinburg, looks on.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
Efforts to improve the identification process of undocumented immigrants who die while crossing from Mexico into Texas will take center stage in the Rio Grande Valley on Monday, September 28, when the Texas Forensic Science Commission hosts a public meeting at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance, Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, has announced. The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the facility, which is located at 118 Paseo Del Prado, near the intersection of McColl Road and Dove Avenue in southwest Edinburg. The gathering in Edinburg, which is the result of a last- minute amendment on May 26, 2015 by Canales to Senate Bill 1287, will focus on what is known as the Rio Grande Identification Project. The Edinburg lawmaker’s amendment created the Rio Grande Identification Project and requires the Texas Forensic Science Commission – a state agency – “to develop a method for collecting forensic evidence related to the unidentified bodies located less than 120 miles from the Rio Grande River,” Leigh M. Tomlin, with the Texas Forensic Science Commission, stated in an advisory about the Edinburg meeting. “In accordance with its legislative mandate, the commission is working with stakeholders to develop a systematic plan for proper forensic evidence collection of biological material that may help identify human remains found along the border. The goal for the session is to establish best practices in Texas for subsequent publication and dissemination,” Tomlin explained. Canales said an estimated 1,000 immigrants without any identification have died in the Rio Grande Valley during the past 10 years. In the summer of 2014, international attention was focused in deep South Texas with the discovery that mass graves of hundreds of suspected unidentified immigrants were buried haphazardly in a cemetery in Brooks County. In addition, hundreds of immigrants’ bodies have been recovered on the ranches in Brooks County in recent years. Smugglers guide immigrants through the brush trying to circumvent a Border Patrol highway checkpoint an hour’s drive north of the border. There is little water and the walk can take two or three days in punishing temperatures. The House District 4o lawmaker recalled how the Legislature late last spring took action to bring compassion and closure to thousands of families who never know what happened to their love ones who crossed into Texas seeking a better life. “It was spontaneous. I just noticed the subject of the bill and it got me out of my chair,” Canales told reporter Kristian Herna?ndez with the Monitor newspaper in McAllen. “I ran to the front of the House of Representatives and said, ‘I have an amendment to this bill, hold on.’” The passage of his amendment was even more remarkable given the political climate in the Legislature, he noted. “I think it was one of my most exciting moments in the Legislature,” Canales said. “I was a little overjubilant that it passed, especially with the anti-immigrant sentiment that exists in the Texas legislature. I think it’s a great victory.” Canales’ amendment forced the Texas Forensic Science Commission to create a manual for the postmortem examination and identification process of unidentified border crossers, Herna?ndez added. “I think that it’s unquestionable what role immigrants play in our daily lives in our economy,” Canales said. “Not only do we need to respect what they do for our country but we need to respect human life in death.”
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by Legislative Media | Sep 18, 2015 | Politics
From left: Agustín García, Jr., Executive Director, Edinburg Economic Development Corporation; Edinburg City Manager Ramiro Garza, Jr; City Councilmember J.R. Bentancourt; Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg; Councilmember Richard Molina; Víctor G. Guerra, General Counsel, Pathfinder Public Affairs; Rep. R.D. “Bobby” Guerra, D-McAllen; and Jesse Ozuna, Chief Administrator, Precinct 4 County Commissioner Joseph Palacios. These South Texas leaders met in advance of a legislative reception recognizing Tuesday, February 10, 2015 as Rio Grande Valley Day at the Texas Capitol.
Photograph By DIEGO REYNA
The recent announcement by longtime Edinburg city manager Ramiro Garza, Jr. that he will end his public career with the City of Edinburg at the end of December 2015 may have caught area residents by surprise. After all, during what will wind up being an almost 16-year tenure as one of the city’s top appointed leaders, Garza, 41, has been a key and visible figure in the social and economic development of Edinburg. The Port Isabel native, with academic pedigrees that include a Bachelor of Business Administration, Finance and a Master of Business Administration, Business Administration and Management, General, both from the University of Texas at Brownsville, first came to Edinburg in September 2000 to take the reigns as executive director for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation. The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr., is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg City Council. The EEDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mark Iglesias as President, Harvey Rodríguez as Vice President, Ellie M. Torres as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Richard García and Richard Ruppert as Members. Following a successful nine years, three months on the job with the EEDC, Garza, now married with children, was tapped as the city manager for Edinburg in November 2009. With the exception of a six-month leave-of-absence from December 2011 to May 2012 for his first entry into seeking elected office (for Congress, no less), Garza has been the leader of the 700-member city staff, which helps him manage the city’s $100 million annual operational budget. Garza said he was humbled and appreciative for the show of confidence over the years from the mayor and city council. “I am very, very grateful. It has been such an honor and a privilege to serve on the EEDC and then as city manager. When you have that kind of support, it is incomparable. It allows you to go out there and do all you can to help improve the city,” Garza said. “I or any of our staffs would not be able to do what we do without their unwavering support. They set the policies, they have high expectations. Throughout the different administrations, they have been great leaders.” Ever the diplomat, Garza saved high praise for the city and its residents who have helped him succeed. “Edinburg is a very welcoming community. I was made to feel like I was part of the families here, and it allowed me to work with some fine individuals over the course of the past 15 years,” Garza said. “The same open arms that I received, that is how other people are received in Edinburg. You see that with new residents, new businesses, they are made to feel part of the community. Those are some of the reflections I have of Edinburg.” Garza hopes that his successor will enjoy the same blessings that have highlighted Garza’s role as one of the longest-serving city manager’s in Edinburg history. “There is this hunger in Edinburg to bring new opportunities, more shopping, more restaurants, industrial development. It shows in what has happened in the past two years. Over the past 10 years, our assessed values have grown over the last decade. There has been been more than one million square feet of new retail in Edinburg, hundreds of new homes where people can have choices on where to live,” Garzas said. “I was very lucky to have been part of that.” As for offering any advice to his successor, Garza said the best is yet to come. “Edinburg is at the cusp of undergoing another period of important growth, with the new university and the new medical school. There are still challenges of not being able to improve the community in every way we would like to. It’s about building on the strong momentum that we have,” Garza said. “Whoever is going to come in, have an open mind, and roll up their sleeves and work hard with the elected leadership, and anything can be done.”
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