by Legislative Media | Nov 29, 2007 | Politics
Rep. Verónica Gonzáles, D-McAllen, on Tuesday, November 27, addressed several hundred supporters in McAllen during her campaign reelection bid kick-of. Gonzáles, whose House District 41 includes southwest Edinburg, is seeking a third two-year term. She is facing fellow McAllen attorney Javier Villalobos, who is seeking the Republican Party nomination for the legislative post. A complete story, along with a transcript of her speech, will be posted in next week’s edition of http://www.EdinburgPolitics.com
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Dan Ríos, featured left, has added to the honors bestowed upon his Edinburg family with his recent appointment by Gov. Rick Perry as the new judge of the 449th Judicial District Court in Edinburg. Ríos, who will be stepping down as city attorney for Edinburg, is shown here earlier this fall, along his his mother, Mary Ann, and brother, Luis, accepting a legislative proclamation, signed by Perry, from Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen. House Concurrent Resolution 195, authored by Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, and sponsored by Hinojosa, paid tribute to the late patriarch of the local family, Dr. Luis M. Ríos, Sr., a plastic surgeon who passed away last February. Dan Ríos succeeds Judge Maxine Longoria-Nash as judge of a district court that will focus on juvenile cases. Ríos, a Republican, may seek election to the bench in November 2008, otherwise his term will be up on December 31, 2008. If no other Republican files for his spot, he would face either Democrats Longoria-Nash or Jesse Contreras, who are seeking the Democratic Party primary nomination in March. The Rios family is not new to politics; Mary Ann Rios ran a closer-than-expected race in the 1990s as the Republican nominee against incumbent Rep. Eddie de La Garza. Dan Rios is expected to be sworn into office within two weeks. Featured in this portrait, from left, are Dan, Mary Ann, Hinojosa, and Luis Rios, Jr. See story later in this posting.
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South Texas College and area business leaders on Friday, November 16, gathered with community leaders from across the Rio Grande Valley to celebrate its new bachelor’s degree program – a rarity for community colleges nationwide. Featured in this portrait, posing with a framed copy of the state law that authorized the Bachelors of Applied Technology in Computer and Information Technologies are, from left: Irene García, chair of the STC Board of Trustees and mother-in-law to Rep. Ismael “Kino” Flores, D-Palmview; Reed; Robert W. Sheppard, chair of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; Danny King; and Flores. See story later in this posting.
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by Legislative Media | Oct 17, 2007 | Politics |
Robert and Janet Vackar, featured third and fifth from left, are cheered by employees and well-wishers, including Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas, III (next to Mrs. Vackar) on Tuesday, October 9, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony of their car dealership group’s latest addition, Fiesta Chevrolet, located at the intersection of the U.S. North Expressway 281 frontage road and Trenton Road. The new dealership is the latest economic boom in east Edinburg that is being influenced by the Edinburg City Council and its jobs-creation arm, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation. See story later in this posting.
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Edinburg Mayor Joe Ochoa and Mayor Pro Tem Alma Garza on Saturday, October 13, helped welcome Lacks furniture store back into the three-time All-America City during a ribbon-cutting ceremony held in front of the 46,000-square-foot showroom, located in the Fairhaven Subdivision, near the intersection of Canton Road and the U.S. Expressway 281 frontage road. “We have been out of Edinburg since November 2004, and we hated to leave Edinburg – it is a very special city,” said Lee Aaronson, president and chief executive officer of Lacks. “Our business has been in the Valley since 1935, and we had been in Edinburg for most of those years. But at one point, we realized that the store in Edinburg wasn’t as nice as the City of Edinburg, and we had to get another location that would be the kind of store that would befit this beautiful city. We hope that we have brought that to you at this point.” Featured in this photograph are, front row, from left: Garza; Ochoa; Aaronson; Ramón Martínez, store manager; Jackie Moffitt, who designs the layout of the furniture displays; Kris Karr, advertising director; and Cassandra Leal, Miss Edinburg 2008. Second row, from left, are Laura Flores, sales consultant; Michelle Richards, sales consultant; Charles Justis, financial officer; and Al Moffitt, general manager for the 11 Lacks stores and clearance center. See story later in this posting.
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Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, has announced his campaign kick-off, which is free and open to the public, for Thursday, November 8, at the ECHO Hotel, 1903 S. Closner Boulevard in Edinburg. The event will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Peña, chairman of the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, is seeking his fourth two-year term as the representative for House District 40, which includes all but southwest Edinburg, La Joya and Sullivan City in western Hidalgo County, Edcouch, Elsa, La Villa, and San Carlos in eastern Hidalgo County, and northern Hidalgo County. Peña, an Edinburg attorney, is featuring in his campaign his slogan, “The experience to lead, the power to succeed.” He is facing Eddie Sáenz, an Edinburg civil engineer, for the March 4 Democratic Party primary nomination. There are no other announced candidates in that race so far.
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On Thursday, October 25, Winning Mortgage Solutions will host “The ABC’s of Mortgage”, a free home buyers seminar to the general public. Mortgage lending will be explained and experienced loan officers will be on-hand to answer any questions immediately following the presentations. The free seminar will take place at the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce, 602 West University from 5:30-7:00 p.m. Please contact Cynthia Bocanegra, featured here, at 956/341-8538 for additional information.
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South Texas College’s A Night with the Stars event recently celebrated 10 years of academic excellence and honored former Valley Scholars scholarship recipients. From left, front, are Valley Scholar graduates Mario Segura; Christopher O. Park; Shalimar Madrigal; Judith Hernández; Cynthia E. López; Constance A. Salinas; Kyndra Nicole Gatton; and José Tomás Calzadias Jr. Back row, from left, are: Dr. Mike Metke, event presenter; Dr. Ramiro Casso, M.D., event presenter; STC president Dr. Shirley A. Reed; Anahid Petrosian, STC Assistant to the Vice President for Instructional Services; Juan E. Mejia, STC Vice President for Instructional Services; Juan E. Mejia; Marie E. Olivárez, STC Valley Scholars Coordinator; and Dr. Dana Cantú, event presenter. Not featured in this portrait shot are Mary De León, event presenter, and Valley Scholars scholarship recipients Amir Esmaeili and José Luis Caraveo. See story later in this posting.
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by Legislative Media | Oct 3, 2007 | Politics |
Only the appearance in Edinburg of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, the highest ranking elected woman in American history, could take attention away from the grand opening of the latest treasure in the city’s economy – the $67 million Women’s Hospital at Renaissance. Pelosi, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, helped draw hundreds of area residents, hospital leaders, and other political figures to the Thursday, September 27 ribbon-cutting event at the 200,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art medical complex, located in southwest Edinburg at 5502 South McColl. Featured during the ribbon-cutting, from left, were: Rep. Verónica Gonzáles, D-McAllen; Rep. Ismael “Kino” Flores, D-Palmview; Dr. Carlos J. Cárdenas, chairman of the board of Doctors Hospital at Renaissance; Congressman Ruben Hinojosa, D-Mercedes; Pelosi; Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg; Pharr Mayor Leo “Polo” Palacios; and Edinburg Mayor Joe Ochoa. See story later in this posting.
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U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, featured second from right, poses for a portrait taken on Thursday, September 27, with Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, along with Blanca Cárdenas, McAllen Chamber of Commerce, and Marissa Castañeda, Chief Operations Officer for Doctors Hospital at Renaissance. Pelosi, the first woman Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, was in Edinburg that morning to help celebrate the grand opening of the $67 million Women’s Hospital at Renaissance. Pelosi is the first U.S. Speaker of the House in office to visit the three-time All-America City. See story later in this posting.
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Memorial Funeral Home, located at 208 E. Canton Road, has been selected as the Small Feature Business of the Month by the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce. Leon and Velma de León, shown fourth and third from the right, “are small business owners who believe in making a contribution in the communities they serve,” said Elva Jackson Garza, vice-chair of membership for the local chamber. “Not only do they support the various programs and events sponsored by the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce, but they take it to the next level by actively participating personally.” Featured in this portrait, from left, are: Melissa Rodríguez, representing the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce; David Rubio; Paula Ysquierdo; Martín Ortíz; Verónica Moreno, funeral director; Leon De León, owner/funeral director; Velma De León, owner/funeral director; Lee Castro, funeral director and vice-chair of tourism for the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce; and Illiana Aldrete.
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by Legislative Media | Sep 19, 2007 | Politics |
Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, shows off his hat in recognition of the cowboy/vaquero culture that is deeply rooted among many families in his legislative district, which stretches from McAllen/Edinburg/Mission through Corpus Christi. “This is for the people,” Hinojosa told several hundred supporters in McAllen, as he tipped his hat in their honor, during his campaign kick-off, held Thursday, September 13, at the Holidome. See story later in this posting.
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The construction of the first private student housing development to serve the University of Texas-Pan American will give the local economy an estimated $18 million shot in the arm, and send yet another message that both the university and city are growing by leaps and bounds, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The complex, to be called The Veranda Place, is being built on North Sugar Road.
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Steven J. Escobar, a 1987 Edinburg High School graduate, has sparked Bobcat pride for alma mater and for his hometown with his recent Emmy® Award for Outstanding Picture Editing for Reality Programming at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 2006-2007 Creative Arts Primetime Emmys in Los Angeles. See story later in this posting.
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by Legislative Media | Jul 10, 2007 | Politics |
Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas,III, standing, and Pat Townsend Jr., president and CEO of the Mission Economic Development Agency, featured here on Thursday, July 5 in Edinburg, discussed progress on efforts by the Texas Border Coalition to continue rallying opposition against the planned U.S. border wall, set to be built in 2008 and to be located along the U.S.-Mexico border, including in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. On June 30, Democratic presidential candidate and current New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson voiced his strong opposition to the planned wall, a view shared by TBC. Salinas and Townsend are members of TBC, an alliance of elected leaders and economic development officials representing more than two million residents who live in the 11 Texas counties that border Mexico. See story later in this posting.
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Ramiro Garza, Jr., standing, the executive director of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, led a roundtable discussion on Thursday, July 5, during a workforce summit held at the University of Texas-Pan American. The gathering, held in the University Ballroom, served as a preparation for a major conference, to be held August 8 at the McAllen Convention Center. More than 150 area leaders participated in the preliminary summit, entitled “Building Future Talent,” where they developed strategies for helping Hidalgo County residents acquire the education and skills needed to effectively compete in a global economy. See story later in this posting.
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South Texas College and The University of Texas-Pan American are expanding their partnership allowing for seamless transfer opportunities for liberal arts students. Some of the students planning to take advantage of the new agreement include, from left: Marisol Hernández, class of 2007; Michelle Escamilla, class of 2009; and Micah Mullins, class of 2007, study social work at STC, who plan to transfer to UT-Pan American upon graduation. See story later in this posting.
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