by Legislative Media | Nov 15, 2007 | Politics |
Hidalgo County Treasurer Norma G. García, featured second from left, has been named Texas County Treasurer for 2007 by her colleagues with the County Treasurers Association of Texas – the first time since 1971 that a local county treasurer has earned that prestigious honor. “Once again, Hidalgo County is recognized for outstanding leadership and performance in public service,” said García. “It is especially important for the public to have full confidence that their hard-earned tax funds are being taken care of at the highest standards and principles, which produce the most beneficial consequences to those whom I serve.” Featured with her during the award ceremony held in mid-October were: Kleberg County Treasurer Priscilla A. Cantú; García; Zapata County Treasurer Romeo Salinas; and Taylor County Treasurer Lesa Crosswhite, who also serves as CTAT president. See story later in this posting.
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Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, focused on his legislative efforts on behalf of the youth in his district during his Thursday, November 8 campaign kick-off, held at the ECHO in Edinburg. Peña, who was born in Austin but grew up in Edinburg, reminded voters from the key Delta Area portion of his House District 40 of his deep roots in those communities. “My grandfather would never imagine what has happened to this community,” Peña fondly recalled his paternal grandfather, Baltazar Peña, who migrated from Mexico to the Edcouch-Elsa region. “Who would have imagined that we would move so quickly to have the sort of growth that we have here? That was done because of the dreams that they had, the dreams of a better future, the dreams of educating our kids. So, that has always been my commitment, as it is yours, that we invest in our kids.” Featured with Peña are, from left, back row: his wife, Mónica; daughter-in-law, Clarissa; granddaughter Addison; son Aaron Peña; daughter Adrienne Peña Garza; and in the front row: son Anthony; and granddaughter Chelsea Peña. The Edinburg lawmaker is facing a challenge from Eddie Sáenz, a civil engineer also from Edinburg, in the March 4, 2008 Democratic Party primary. See story later in this posting.
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Rep. Verónica Gonzáles, D-McAllen, whose House District 41 includes southwest Edinburg, on Thursday, November 8, helped welcome dignitaries to the campaign kick-off for her colleague, Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg. Gonzáles, along with Rep. Armando “Mando” Martínez, D-Weslaco, and Rep. Ryan Guillen, D-Rio Grande City, showed up at Peña’s event, even though Peña is facing a challenge from a fellow Democrat – Eddie Sáenz of Edinburg. Gonzáles will be having her own campaign kick-off on Tuesday, November 27, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the International Museum of Arts and Science, located at 1900 Nolana Avenue in McAllen. Gonzáles’ campaign kick-off, which is being underwritten by her law firm, Kittleman, Thomas & Gonzáles, LLP, is free and open to the public. For more information, residents may call her campaign at 212-8950. Gonzáles is facing at least one opponent so far – fellow McAllen lawyer Javier Villalobos, who is seeking the Republican Party nomination. Both parties will hold their primary elections on March 4, 2008.
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by Legislative Media | Oct 23, 2007 | Politics |
District Judge Susan Criss of Galveston, a Democratic Party candidate for Texas Supreme Court, says a series of laws passed by the Texas Legislature in the 1980s help free Texas farm workers from “slavery.” She credited her father, former Rep. Lloyd Criss, D-Galveston, Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, and former Rep. Alex Moreno, Jr., D-Edinburg, among others, for what she says was “landmark civil rights” legislation in Texas. See related story.
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Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, featured with constituents in this file photo, is urging voters to support Proposition 15, a state constitutional amendment that would, with statewide voter approval, authorize a $3 billion, 10-year initiative “to make Texas into one of the nation’s leading center for cutting-edge research.” Hinojosa, a co-sponsor of Proposition 15, said Texans “have a chance to take a giant step toward curing a deadly disease that sooner or later touches every Texan’s life. More than 87,000 of our friends and loved ones will be diagnosed with some form of cancer this year, and 36,000 will succumb to it.” Proposition 15 is on the November 6 election ballot. Early voting is currently ongoing.
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Tejano music superstar Roberto Pulido of Edinburg, a member of the private Tejano Walk of Fame Committee, on Tuesday, October 16, announced to the Edinburg City Council that the Tejano Walk of Fame ceremony, which honors legends of the music genre, will be held once again in the three-time All-America City. The date is Thursday, November 15, beginning at 6 p.m. at The Social Club, a restaurant located at 205 Conquest Boulevard. Sponsorship fees and ticket prices will soon be announced by the group, which also includes Dr.Dahlia Guerra, Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Texas-Pan American, featured here behind Pulido. The event raises scholarships for music majors at the university. Scheduled to be inducted this year are performers Paulino Bernal y Conjunto Bernal of McAllen; Gilberto Pérez y sus Compadres of Mercedes; Emilio Gerardo y Los Aguilares of San Antonio; Gilberto López y su Conjunto of Edinburg; and Freddy Martínez of Corpus Christi. The concert will include performances by Little Joe y La Familia, Roberto Pulido; his son, Bobby Pulido; the Renaissance Rockers; The UTPA Mariachi; and René Sandoval. More information on sponsorships and tickets may be obtained by calling 316-4700. See story later in this posting.
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Gilberto López of Edinburg, surrounded by some of his family, reacts with appreciation on Tuesday, October 16, to a city proclamation honoring the legendary member and renowned accordionist of Los Dos Gilbertos, an Edinburg-based Tejano music group. López is one of five Tejano music professionals who are going to be inducted into Edinburg’s Tejano Walk of Fame on Thursday, November 15 during an elaborate ceremony to hosted by The Social Club in Edinburg. “In 1971, Gilberto López united with Gilberto García, another accordion player, and together they became known as Los Dos Gilbertos,” said Mayor Joe Ochoa. “Los Dos Gilbertos gained popularity with their accordion duets in South Texas, Chicago, Michigan, California, and other parts of the United States and Mexico.” López was honored by the mayor and city council “for his dedication to conjunto music, and his many contributions to the Hispanic culture of the city of Edinburg.”
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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 | Sep 5, 2007 | Politics |
Principal participants with Hidalgo County Road Builders are featured in Edinburg on August 9 after being chosen by the Hidalgo County Regional Mobility Authority as the agent to develop a proposed Southern Loop Project in Hidalgo County. The RMA’s next scheduled session has been announced – the governmental entity will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, September 12, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the City Commissioner’s Room, located on the second floor of Pharr City Hall, 118 S. Cage Boulevard. The agenda for that session will be posted three days before the meeting at http://www.lrgvdc.org/RMA/meetings.html. Included in this portrait shot are (center, first row) Gerry E. Pate, P.E., managing partner of Hidalgo County Road Builders and Pate Transportation Partners, and to his right, Jennie N. Taraborelli, a partner with Pate Transportation Partners.
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Mikal Watts, featured right, a probably Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, was in Edinburg recently, flanked by area mayors, including, from left, Salvador Vela of Alton, Gumaro Flores of Sullivan City, and Jorge Garcia of Palmview. The Labor Day weekend represents the traditional kick-off for major political campaigns, such as Watts’ hopes to unseat incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in November 2008. But first, Watts may face Rep. Rick Noriega, D-Houston, who is also considering a run for the March 2008 Democratic Party nomination to challenge Cornyn. Watts has picked up key endorsements in Edinburg, including support from: Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen; Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas, III; Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg; and Mayor Joe Ochoa. Recently, Noriega announced endorsements from two former Democratic Party icons – Gov. Dolph Briscoe and Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby. See story later in this posting.
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The amount of bank deposits in Edinburg has passed $1 billion, a new record, while new construction activities continued strong, approaching $123 million between January and July 2007, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. “Edinburg’s economy is growing rapidly and the bank deposits reaching the billion dollar mark shows the level of investment interest in Edinburg and strong business activity taking place,” said Ramiro Garza, Jr., executive director of the EEDC. The EEDC, which is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg City Council, is governed by a five-person board of directors, which includes Mayor Joe Ochoa, former mayor Richard García, who is the EEDC board president, and Fred Palacios, Mike Govind, and Dr. Glenn A. Martínez, Ph.D. Included in this photograph that featured local business leaders announcing the milestone is City Councilmember Gene Espinoza, featured right. See story later in this posting.
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by Legislative Media | Aug 28, 2007 | Politics |
Rep. Verónica Gonzáles, D-McAllen, thanks several hundred supporters on Friday, August 24, as she participates as a model for her unique fund raiser, which featured her and other lawmakers in a fashion style show at the Embassy Suites in McAllen. She picked up almost $50,000 for her campaign war chest, along with endorsements from key political figures. She is facing at least one opponent in 2008: Republican Javier Villalobos. Both of them are McAllen-based attorneys. See story later in this posting.
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Estella Treviño, longtime executive director for the Edinburg Housing Authority, beamed with pride on Monday, August 20, as she posed with the Edinburg City Council, which presented her a proclamation chronicling many of her achievements on behalf of the community. Among her accomplishments are helping provide affordable housing to thousands of residents, creating opportunities for property owners to rent homes to qualified families, and fighting the negative image of public housing. “Ms. Treviño and the agency have received a host of awards for her diligent efforts including the Outstanding Services Award in 1975; the Specific Activity Award for outstanding programs offered through the Drug Elimination Program in 1994; the Award for Excellence in Youth Sports in 1995; the Family Self-Sufficiency Program Award in 1996; the Texas NAHRO Member of the Year Award in 1998; and the 2005 Texas NAHRO Hall of Fame Award,” said Mayor Pro Tem Alma Garza. “Widely known as an advocate of public housing and the elderly Ms. Treviño has changed the agency from merely providing assisted housing to helping residents achieve self-sufficiency and marketable skills enabling many of them to move beyond subsidized housing to homeownership.”
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South Texas College’s Valley Scholars Program is celebrating its 10th anniversary at its annual Night with the Stars this October. The special event is designed to celebrate 10 years of academic excellence and pay tribute to ten outstanding Valley Scholar students, who have continued on to successful careers and have made positive changes in their communities. The celebration will take place on Thursday, October 4, 2007 at the Cimarron Country Club and will be an evening of celebration, recognition and entertainment. All proceeds from the event will benefit future South Texas College Valley Scholars Program students. As a result of the 2006 event, more than $40,000 was raised for the program. The coordinating team for the event includes, from left, seated: Sora Yañez, graphic designer; Marie Olivárez, STC Valley Scholars coordinator, Anahid Petrosian STC Assistant to the Vice President for Instructional Services , and Sylvia Bernal, administrative assistant. From left, standing, are: Roberto Gutiérrez, STC Fundraising Development Associate; George McCaleb, STC Director of Operations; and Ginna Gutiérrez, secretary.
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