Rio Grande Guardian's Podcast

MCALLEN, Texas - For the latest in our Meet the Candidate podcast series, Rio Grande Guardian editor Steve Taylor met up with Hilda Garza DeShazo. A Republican, Garza DeShazo is running for the District 2 slot on the Texas State Board of Education. Garza DeShazo graduated from McAllen High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in English and speech and a master's degree in public school...

MCALLEN, Texas - For the latest in our Meet the Candidate podcast series, Rio Grande Guardian editor Steve Taylor met up with Tania Ramirez. A Democrat, Ramirez is running for Hidalgo County Judge. She currently sits on the McAllen City Commission. In the podcast, Ramirez, an attorney, says Hidalgo County will "continue to fall behind" without new and bold leadership. “We used to be the...

COMBES, Texas - A mixed use development spanning 26 acres adjacent to I-69 East will be unveiled within the next few weeks by the City of Combes, Hanna Development, and Silva Management Solutions, LLC. The project, to be titled Crosswind Landing, will include a wellness center, 90 high-end apartments, a walking trail around a lake, two commercial retail centers, and, later, a hotel. The project is...

RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas - Rio Grande Guardian editor Steve Taylor recently met up with educator, organizer and activist Tannya Benavides from Laredo.  A leader in Laredo’s No Border Wall Coalition, Benavides is running in the Democratic Party primary for Congressional District 28. . She is a graduate of Texas State University and Johns Hopkins University. Taylor wanted to meet up with Benavides aft...

PHARR, Texas - A candidate for State Board of Education in south Texas says he will push for teacher pay raises if elected to office.  Victor Perez acknowledges that funding for pay raises does not ordinarily come from SBOE. Rather, local districts raise money through property taxes and the Legislature provides additional funds based upon student attendance.  However, the former school principal,...

MISSION, Texas - The Rio Grande Valley Partnership recently held and event titled “87th Legislative Session Wrap-Up - Impact to the Business Community.” The event was held at the Mission Event Center and featured presentations from two Valley VIPs and two experts on legislative affairs from Austin.  The two Valley VIPs were state Rep. Terry Canales of Edinburg, and Veronica Gonzales, senior vice p...

MISSION, Texas - The Rio Grande Valley Partnership recently held and event titled “87th Legislative Session Wrap-Up - Impact to the Business Community.” The event was held at the Mission Event Center and featured presentations from two Valley VIPs and two experts on legislative affairs from Austin.  The two Valley VIPs were state Rep. Terry Canales of Edinburg, and Veronica Gonzales, senior vice p...

ALTON, Texas - Michelle Vallejo is a small business owner, community leader, and advocate for women's economic empowerment. She comes from a big family of farm workers, immigrants, and entrepreneurs.  Her parents, Maribel and Daniel, grew up in northern Mexico, from where they would eventually make their way to the Rio Grande Valley in search of their dreams to build a better life for themsel...

MCALLEN, Texas - Colombian-born entrepreneur and industrial engineer Lina Garza has explained why she is running for Hidalgo County Republican Party chairwoman. Garza, currently a precinct chair in north McAllen, says she wants to make the GOP more “visible, inclusive, and welcoming” in Hidalgo County. In an interview with the Rio Grande Guardian she said she recently met voters who did not know t...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Dr. Laura Cisneros, MD, is running for the open Congressional District 34 seat in the Democratic Party primary. The seat is open because U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, the incumbent, is retiring at the next election. Dr. Cisneros, who has a medical practice in Brownsville, has chosen, “It’s Time for Change” as her campaign slogan. Dr. Cisneros sat down with Steve Taylo...

Nereida Lopez Singleterry, a candidate for Hidalgo County District Attorney, recently sat down for an interview with Steve Taylor, editor of the Rio Grande Guardian,  to discuss why she is running. This is the second of a two-part podcast series.  Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos. 

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Brownsville attorney and Justice of the Peace Jonathan Gracia is running for the open Texas House District 38 seat. The seat is open because state Rep. Eddie Lucio, III, has announced he is retiring. Recently, Gracia sat down for an interview with Rio Grande Guardian editor Steve Taylor. Here is the second in a two-part podcast series based on that interview. Go to www.riogran...

MCALLEN, Texas - Jason Arms, executive director of FIRST in Texas, has announced a $50,000 donation from Panasonic Corporation for robotics programs in McAllen. Arms told the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service : “Panasonic’s manufacturing facility, here in McAllen, is offering a $50,000 grant in grant scholarships for McAllen ISD’s schools, to fund their robotics teams at all grade lev...

EDINBURG, Texas - Nereida Lopez-Singleterry says she is the most qualified and experienced candidate running for the open Hidalgo County District Attorney seat. The seat is open because current DA, Ricardo Rodriguez, is retiring at the next election.  “I wasn't born into a life of wealth or privilege. From the age of five thru 16 I traveled with my family to Florida and North Carolina. Growin...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Brownsville attorney and Justice of the Peace Jonathan Gracia is running for the open Texas House District 38 seat.  The seat is open because state Rep. Eddie Lucio, III, has announced he is retiring. The seat was reconfigured by the Texas Legislature during the redistricting process and now is compacted into Brownsville. “I was born, raised, and reside in Brownsville. My expe...

MCALLEN, Texas - Democrat Thomas Garcia says he is the “choice for change” in the race to become the Texas State Board of Education member for District 2. Voters will elect a new member for the District 2 slot because incumbent Ruben Cortez is running in another election in 2022.  In an in-depth interview with the Rio Grande Guardian , Garcia points out he taught in schools throughout the Covid-19...

PHARR, Texas - When he was just 19 and studying at Princeton University, Thomas R. Garcia went back to his alma mater, PSJA ISD and told the then superintendent, Danny King, that he wanted to give back. “I said, I want to give back to students now. I do not want to wait until I graduate from college,” Garcia remembers. “I knew what my friends were going through as high school seniors - the same mi...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Dr. Laura Cisneros, MD, is running for the open Congressional District 34 seat in the Democratic Party primary. The seat is open because U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, the incumbent, is retiring at the next election.  Cisneros, who has a medical practice in Brownsville, has chosen, “It’s Time for Change” as her campaign slogan. She sat down with Steve Taylor, editor of...

HARLINGEN, Texas - A candidate for state Senate District 27 has told Rio Grande Valley healthcare professionals and executives where she stands on key issues in the race. Attorney Morgan LaMantia spoke at a campaign fundraiser hosted by Dr. Victor Gonzalez, MD, the incoming president of the Hidalgo-Starr County Medical Society. The event attracted doctors, nurses and healthcare administrators from...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – State Rep. Alex Dominguez, D-Brownsville, is relinquishing his Texas House District 37 seat in order to run for Texas Senate District 27. SD 27 is open because longtime state Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., is retiring at the next election. In an in-depth interview with the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service , Dominguez spoke about his legislative accomplishments thus far,...

MCALLEN, Texas - The Hispanic Women's Network of Texas-RGV is hosting the latest in its Women in Politics series on Jan. 18. The forum takes place at the Double Tree in McAllen, starting at 5 p.m, and features women candidates on the ballot in the March 2022 primaries. Board member Cynthia Sakulenzki will be the moderator. The statewide HWNT was formed in 1986. The RGV chapter was revived in...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - State Rep. Alex Dominguez, D-Brownsville, is relinquishing his Texas House District 37 seat in order to run for Texas Senate District 27. SD 27 is open because longtime state Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., is retiring at the next election. In an in-depth interview with the Rio Grande Guardian , Dominguez spoke about his legislative accomplishments thus far, his upbringing, and his tim...

SAN BENITO, Texas - San Benito Economic Development Corporation is reflecting on a better than expected 2021. The Rio Grande Guardian met up with some of the group’s leaders at an open house just before the holiday season began. They struck an optimistic note. “This year (2021) has been a very good year,” said Rebeca Castillo, executive director of San Benito EDC. “In 2019 we did $5 million in eco...

SAN BENITO, Texas - At a recent holiday season open house, the Rio Grande Guardian  interviewed San Benito Economic Development Corporation President Julian Rios.  “Our main focus is downtown but we are seeing San Benito is growing outside of the downtown area,” Rios said. “We are a small, family-oriented city but we are ready for that expansion into large, big box retail.” Rios said he is hopeful...

PHARR, Texas - Hidalgo County District Attorney candidate Terry Palacios has spoken about the need to get more help to young drug addicts in the Rio Grande Valley. Palacios gave an in-depth interview to the Rio Grande Guardian about the initiatives he wants to see introduced at the DA’s office. They include the creation of specialized units for major crimes and white collar crimes, and a public co...