Rio Grande Guardian's Podcast

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - The most Friday With The City breakfast event, hosted by the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce, featured the new mayor of Brownsville, John Cowen, Jr. Cowen spoke about a range of topics from the podium. He was then interviewed by Brownsville Chamber President Esmy Villarreal. After this, Cowen took questions from the audience. The near sell-out event took place at the Brownsvil...

WESLACO, Texas - The Economic Development Corporation of Weslaco has won a prestigious 2023 Workforce Excellence Award. The award comes from the Texas Economic Development Council. It was presented to Weslaco leaders during TEDC’s 2023 Mid-Year Conference in Allen, Texas. Weslaco won in the population category ranging from 40,001 to 100,000.  Carlton Schwab, president and CEO of TEDC said his grou...

MCALLEN, Texas - New buildings for manufacturing and logistics are in short supply in the upper Rio Grande Valley, local economic development corporation leaders agree. Keith Patridge, president of McAllen EDC, Raudel Garza, executive director of Edinburg EDC, and Teclo Garcia, CEO of Mission EDC discussed the lack of industrial space in their cities during a recent webinar.  The webinar was hoste...

SAN JUAN, Texas - The Rio Grande Valley Partnership’s latest Investment & Commercialization Tour took in the City of San Juan. There, land developers and realtors learned of the commercial, retail, and residential opportunities available in the fast-growing city.  San Juan City Manager Ben Arjona said: “In the last five years our ad valorem property went from $1 billion to $1.3 billion. So we...

WESLACO, Texas - State Rep. Terry Canales recently brought good news to the Rio Grande Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization. At an RGVMPO board meeting, the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation spoke about a large infusion of funds for the eagerly-awaited International Bridge Trade Corridor (IBTC), a project that will ensure a safer route for trucks going to and from the Pharr In...

MCALLEN, Texas - Telecommunications giant Spectrum recently awarded a Digital Education Grant worth $10,000 to Leap for STEM. They also donated 30 new laptops.  Leap for STEM is a small nonprofit based in south McAllen that teaches digital literacy. Among those to attend a news conference to announce the grant were Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez, City of McAllen Assistant City Manager Michell...

MCALLEN, Texas - The director of Leap for STEM, a small nonprofit that helps with digital literacy, says her group stands ready to the help the City of McAllen address the digital divide on the south side of the city. Milly Hernandez gave an interview to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service at a news conference that held to announce a $10,000 Digital Education Grant from Spectrum to...

MISSION, Texas - It was Tesla Time Saturday at the Center for Education and Economic Development in Mission, Texas. Eighteen Tesla cars were on show at a tech expo hosted by Mission Economic Development Corporation. Some of the owners of the Tesla vehicles took some of the car show attendees out for a spin. Teclo Garcia, CEO of Mission EDC explained: “We decided a few months ago that we wanted to...

PHARR, Texas - Unlike Nuevo León, Coahuila and Jalisco, the state of Tamaulipas has seen no benefit from the wave of large manufacturing corporations returning to North America from the Far East. That’s according to a report from Index Nacional, the maquiladora trade association. The Index report has caught the attention of economic development leaders in the Rio Grande Valley, who know their regi...

BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS - Following hot on the heels of the announcement that Avelo Airlines is going to fly nonstop from Brownsville to Las Vegas, the Rio Grande Valley’s largest city has received more good transportation news. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded Brownsville a $4.7 million grant for the replacement of six diesel buses with batt...

WESLACO, Texas - If people thought state Rep. Terry Canales was only going to delivering good news at yesterdays RGV Metropolitan Planning Organization monthly meeting, they were wrong.  Yes, the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation had positive information to share. He said he had helped pass legislation designating Pharr as a metro district. This, he said, will mean more resources a...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Brad Grantz, Republican Staff Director, Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Office of Senator Ted Cruz, spoke recently at a conference at the Wilson Center. The one-day event was titled “Building a Competitive U.S.-Mexico Border Conference.” It was co-sponsored by the Mexico Institute and the Border Trade Alliance.  The focus of Grantz’s remarks was speeding u...

LAREDO, Texas - In this story about growth, growth and more growth, Gene Lindgren, president and CEO of Laredo Economic Development Corporation, rattles off the numbers.  In an exclusive interview, Lindgren talks about increased trade, the impact of near-shoring, workforce development, and the need for another international bridge.  Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news st...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Joaquin Spamer is the Founder and President of CIL Group, whose companies include Commodities Integrated Logistics, SALSA, Bio Safe, CIL Capital, and CIL Fresh, among others.  CIL Group’s expertise encompasses sectors like logistics, international trade, real estate, development, warehousing, commodities, and construction.  Spamer actively contributes to the promotion and develo...

LAREDO, Texas - The 30th Pathways for Trade Symposium takes place at Laredo Country Club on Sept. 20-21. Hosted by Laredo Economic Development Corporation, the symposium’s theme for 2023 is: “Cold Chain: Supply Innovations and Trends.” The symposium will focus on top issues facing 3PLs and cold storage warehousing, including power consumption, labor and productivity, long-term contracts, industry...

MISSION, Texas - Julie Saenz has been a member of Mission Historical Preservation Commission for many years. She said her group was never consulted by Mission City Council over a decision to cut the city’s Historical District in half. In 2015 the Historical District was shrunk to make it easier for the City to grant planning permission to build. But a consequence of this action was the elimination...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Brownsville Mayor John Cowen says Avelo Airlines could make his city its base of operations in Texas. “Hopefully, one day, Brownsville will be a base for them,” Cowen told the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service. Asked what he meant by “base,” Cowen said: “Having their crew operate out of here. Instead of the other cities that we fly to.” Avelo Airlines is headquart...

MCALLEN, Texas - Texas AFT hosted its 31st biennial convention at the Embassy Suites in McAllen on June 24-25.  AFT stands for the American Federation of Teachers.  The host committee comprised McAllen AFT, Edinburg AFT, La Joya AFT, and PSJA AFT.  The convention kicked off with a panel discussion on the history of Texas AFT. The moderator of the panel discussion was Zeph Capo, president of Texas...

MISSION, Texas - Recognizing that the city of Mission is in Hidalgo County not Bell County, Mission city leaders say they are going to amend their Historical Preservation Ordinance. Quite how Bell County snuck into the ordinance is not clear. But, when the document was approved by Mission City Council on June 14, 2021, the wrong county was listed.  It stated: “Upon designation of a historic landma...

MISSION, Texas - Mission residents concerned that their city’s history is being destroyed attended a recent Mission Historical Preservation Commission meeting.  They praised Gabriel Ozuna, vice chair of Hidalgo County Historical Commission and chair of its preservation committee. Ozuna previously worked for the City of Mission as its Historic Preservation Coordinator. It was he, the residents said...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Dalilah Garcia, president of FemCity Brownsville, was recently awarded the Athena Leadership Award from Athena International. According to Athena International, the Athena Leadership Award “celebrates exemplary leadership.” The group says it is also reflective of a quote from Plato: "What is honored in a country will be cultivated there." The award was presented to G...

HARLINGEN, Texas - During her first State of the City Address, Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda struck an optimistic note and revealed some never before released information about new businesses coming to town. In her address, Sepulveda stressed a distinct theme: a community-centered City. “Today I stand before you with an optimistic vision for the future of our great city. It is my distinct honor...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Gloria Chavez, chief of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley sector, was keynote speaker at a recent Women in Leadership Luncheon. The event was hosted jointly by the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce and Athena International, and held at the Brownsville Events Center. Brownsville Chamber CEO Esmy Villarreal said the luncheon was held to “celebrate exemplary leadership and...

MISSION, Texas - Mission community and preservation activists Ester Salinas and Irma Flores Lopez utilized the public comment period of this week’s Mission City Council meeting to once again criticize Mission CISD for demolishing a nationally-listed building. Built in 1929, Roosevelt auditorium was placed on the Department of Interior’s National Register of Historic Places in 2002. That did not st...

WESLACO, TEXAS - Broadband was a top issue at a recent meeting of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council. Manuel ‘Manny’ Cruz, executive director of the LRGVDC, announced the formation of a South Texas working group set up by the Texas Broadband Development Office. Cruz said TBDO is looking for more people from the Valley to be part of the group. The Texas Broadband Development Office is...