Sen. Cornyn hosts roundtable on Valley levees; Homeland Security’s Chertoff soon to tour region
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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