Rio Grande Guardian's Podcast

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas - South Padre Island City Council Member Kerry Schwartz wants to see an Eco Center District established to capitalize on the amount of interest there is in ecotourism.

Schwartz made his case at a special workshop meeting the council held to discuss expansion of the island’s convention center.

“Our mission really should be about ecotourism, because ecotourism is huge. I'd like to see us form an SPI Eco Center District. We already have an entertainment district for our beaches and all that,” Schwartz said.

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MISSION, Texas - Hidalgo County Commissioner Ever Villarreal has announced what he says is an “amazing” transportation project that will help transform the western part of the county.

Villarreal said the county, working with the City of Mission, is going to become “project sponsor” for two sections of the proposed county loop between Granjeno and Penitas and turn them into non-toll projects. 

By becoming project sponsor, Villarreal said, the county, working with the City of Mission, can help find funding for the two sections, ensuring they get built much faster. 

“It is an amazing proj...

MCALLEN, Texas - The former editor and publisher of El Periódico USA has launched a new binational Spanish language media project called Debate X Media, LLC.

The plan, says Jose Luis B. Garza, is to highlight the potential and accomplishments of the Hispanic population in the Rio Grande Valley and become a binational news agency.

“We have to project the importance of this region because it's totally different to other regions in the country,” Garza said.

In an in-depth audio interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, Garza spoke about his time at El Pe...

WESLACO, TEXAS - A spokesperson for MHP Salud says no staff member has lost their job because of federal funding cuts to the Affordable Care Act Navigator Program.

Heather Morgan is vice president of communications and business development for MHP Salud. She oversees brand development and management, reputation, communications, and positioning. In an email to the Rio Grande Guardian, she did confirm that the Weslaco-based non-profit has been informed of federal funding cuts to the Navigator program.

“MHP Salud has a long-standing history in the RGV. We provide multiple se...

EDINBURG, Texas - The director of Hidalgo County’s Community Service Agency (CSA) says Rotarians from across South Texas were shocked when he told them the extent of the cuts his agency is facing, should Congress adopt President Trump’s budget proposals.

Jaime R. Longoria met recently with Rotarians from across the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, and the Coastal Bend.

Specifically, Longoria spoke about cuts to the Low-Income Household Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a utility assistance program designed to assist low-income households in meeting their immediate energy needs. 

Longor...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - The director of research for the Bespoke Group says that as the world becomes less unipolar, the United States is going to have to work much more closely with Mexico.

Jacob, L. Shapiro holds a master’s degree with distinction from Oxford University and a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. He was guest speaker via a video link at an international relations forum hosted by the Mexican Consulate’s Office in Brownsville. 

Held at the eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization, the forum was titled, “Brainstorming Dialogue...

WESLACO, Texas - Unidos Contra la Diabetes’ collective impact director, Moises Arjona, Jr., has discussed the Rio Grande Valley’s health clinic concerns after recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.

Arjona gave an update during a recent Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force webinar on Tuesday.

Unidos Contra la Diabetes is a collective impact initiative working to prevent and reduce and type two diabetes in the Valley by 10 percent by 2030. The initiative works with clinic and nonprofit health care centers such as Family Clinic, El Milagro, Proyecto Juan Diego and o...

MISSION, Texas - Mission Economic Development Corporation CEO Teclo Garcia gave the opening remarks at a Commercial & Investment Tour event before moderating a panel discussion.

The event was held at the Center for Education & Economic Development and co-hosted by the Rio Grande Valley Partnership. 

In his opening remarks, Garcia spoke about the growth of his city, both in population terms and industrial, commercial, and residential development. Here are his remarks.

Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch t...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Dr. Mostafa Malki is a professor at UT-Rio Grande Valley and executive director for business development at America’s Additive Foundry Center for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation and Cyber Systems. He is also the founder of Aaron Economic Consulting.

Malki was a panelist for a discussion titled “Additive Manufacturing and Industrial Reshoring in the RGV.” The discussion, held at the eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization, part of RGV StartUp Week.

During his remarks, Malki acknowledged he might offend some people when speaking about the importance of manufacturing over r...

PHARR, TEXAS - Victor Perez, president of Pharr Economic Development Corporation, has welcomed COMCE to the city.

COMCE stands for Consejo Empresarial Mexicano de Comercio Exterior, Inversión y Tecnología (Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology). It is a non-profit organization representing the Mexican private sector in international affairs, particularly focusing on promoting foreign trade, investment, and technology. 

COMCE Nacional has announced a new satellite office in Pharr at the Pharr Global Business Hub. Its leaders did so during a two-day tour of the Pharr are...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - The Rio Grande Valley is becoming no different than some of the bigger metros in Texas, says Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation CEO Gilberto Salinas.

“Austin-San Antonio is really one big area, Houston is just a huge monster when it comes to people, numbers and cities around it, DFW? DFW is kind of like McAllen-Brownsville. It's becoming that one huge region, one super region. And it takes a SpaceX coming in and then telling us, a region is 100 miles,” Salinas said.

Salinas made his remarks in an exclusive interview with R...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr., has made the case for a “yes” vote on the Cameron County Arena project.

In an in-depth audio interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, Treviño points out that property taxes will not be used to fund the project. Rather, he said, much of the money will come from an existing venue tax source.

“Let’s go back. In the November 2016 election, the voters of Cameron County approved what we call the venue tax. But I think it should more aptly...

STEM Nation 2025 is a student conference organized by the Rio Grande Valley Philanthropic Foundation. STEM stands for Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. The conference takes place at the Bert Ogden Arena on Tuesday, May 29, 2025. Diane Milliken Garza, executive director of RGV Philanthropic Foundation says the conference is important because while Hispanics comprise 20 percent of the population across the nation, only two percent of Hispanics work in STEM fields. This podcast features Milliken Garza and her good friend, Kathryn Lueders, general manager of Starbase. Lueders will be one of the keynote speakers at the conference. 

Go to www.r...

AUSTIN, Texas - Dan Diorio is senior director of state policy for the Data Center Coalition. 

Via a zoom, Diorio recently gave an update to the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service on the legislation he is tracking in Austin. He was joined on the zoom by Guillermo Aguilar of Blackstone Consultants.

The Data Center Coalition’s website explains what data centers are.

“Data centers are the foundation of the digital infrastructure on which our modern society and economy are built. Data centers are physi...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - When he appeared as a panelist at RioPlex’s Texas Port to the Stars FDI Summit in Houston, Brownsville Mayor John Cowen, Jr., said this is the best time ever to be the leader of his city. 

Cowen said: “I think we have an extremely strong value proposition. I always tell people it's the greatest time ever to be mayor the city of Brownsville. We have over $40 billion of capital investment projects in our area. And what I'm most proud of is, for example, NextDecade, which is building their $18.4 billion liquefied natur...

Carlos Ealy is assistant secretary of state for Mexican and Border Affairs in the Office of the Texas Secretary of State. 

Ealy spoke at a reception held for the Texas Port to the Stars FDI Summit hosted by RioPlex at the Westin Galleria in Houston. 

Here are his remarks from the stage.

Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.

HOUSTON, Texas - Valerie G. Segovia is vice of president of investor relations for the Texas Economic Development Corporation.

Segovia spoke at a reception held for the Texas Port to the Stars FDI Summit hosted by RioPlex at the Westin Galleria in Houston. 

Here are her remarks from the stage.

Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.

PHARR, Texas - The Pharr EDC Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing scholarship opportunities for graduating students residing in the city of Pharr. 

The foundation supports both college and trade school career paths.  

One of the foundation’s main fundraisers is an annual Casino Night. This year’s event will be held at the Regency Hall in Pharr on April 17.

To learn more about the foundation, the Rio Grande Guardian interviewed one of its founding board members, Veronica Gonzales.  

“The Pharr EDC Fo...

LAREDO, Texas - Legendary workforce development leader Blas Castañeda has been mentoring high school students for 49 years. 

The retired president of CTA Global Solutions will join with Area Health Education Center to hold his Annual Scholarship Awards Ceremony on March 27.

This event recognizes the exceptional academic accomplishments of students participating in CTA’s mentorship career development program.

The ceremony takes place at Falcon Event Center, 7718 McPherson Road in Laredo, starting at 6:00 p.m. on March 27.

“The mentorship career develo...

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas - Veteran broadcaster Ron Whitlock, of Ron Whitlock Reports, recently interviewed U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar about Mexico’s water debt to the U.S.

Whitlock asked Cuellar if the U.S. should withhold water from Mexico in California, in retaliation for Mexico not releasing water into the Rio Grande. He also asked the Laredo congressman if he would support Laguna Madre Water District in its efforts to build a desalination plant that would provide potable water to the residents of South Padre Island.

Under a 1944 water sharing treaty, Mexico is co...

MISSION, Texas - Many of the state lawmakers that participate in next week’s Texas Water Day at the Capitol will likely know about the dire water crisis facing the Rio Grande Valley.

Certainly those that traveled the region as part of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership’s recent 2025 RGV Legislative Tour will be aware.

That is because they heard twice from Dante Galeazzi, president and CEO of the Texas International Produce Association. He spoke once during a panel discussion that focused on water availability challenges. That was held at the Center for Education & Economic Deve...

WESLACO, Texas - Famed businessman Alonzo Cantu has thrown his support behind the work of the Rio Grande Valley Broadband Coalition. 

The RGVBC unveiled its RGV Broadband and Digital Opportunity Plan at the offices of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council. 

The coalition noted that the Valley still lacks reliable internet access, holding the region back in a world that increasingly depends on digital tools. The coalition says its plan is a “bold initiative to ensure every home, business, and community anchor institution in the region has access to affordable, reliable high-speed internet.”

Cant...

MCALLEN, Texas - During his 2025 State of the City Address, McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos said he is often asked why he spends so much time in Mexico.

“Simple,” Villalobos said, answering the question. “Mexico believes in McAllen. Mexico embraces McAllen. Mexico invests in McAllen. Quiero que sepan mis amigos Mexicanos. Que McAllen entra alla a Mexico. And we depend on each other for trade and commerce, and tourism. And many times, we are just family. A todos mis amigos Mexicanos. To all my Mexican friends, please stand and be recognized.”

In his remark...

MCALLEN, TEXAS - The Institute for Leadership in Capital Projects (I-LinCP) is partnering with the Rio Grande Valley Partnership to present its inaugural program in the Rio Grande Valley.

Building the Valley - Uniting for RGV Regional Growth will highlight the significant of organizations like the RGV Partnership and UT-Rio Grande Valley in shaping the region’s future. 

The program will also explore the opportunities in the region for AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) and allied professionals. 

The event takes place Thursday, Feb. 13, between 11:00 and...

AUSTIN, Texas - State Sen. Juan Hinojosa has given a shoutout to retiring Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp for his critically-acclaimed Bordering the Future report.

Sharp published “Bordering the Future: Challenge and Opportunity in the Texas Border Region” in 1998 whilst he was Texas State Comptroller. The report gave an in-depth assessment of the economic, political, and social condition of the Texas border counties. The report showed that if the 43-county region stretching from El Paso to Brownsville were a state unto itself, it would rank first in the nation in poverty, first in u...

WESLACO, Texas - President Trump said he would pause his planned 25 percent tariff duty on imported goods from Mexico due a “very friendly” telephone conversation with his Mexican counterpart, Claudia Sheinbuam.

Trump said the tariffs would be put on hold for month while further discussions with the Mexican president take place. 

Trump’s tariffs were scheduled to take effect Tuesday, with a 25 percent duty on all imports from Mexico and most from Canada. Energy products from Canada would have had a ten percent tariff imposed. He also plans a ten per...

AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Association of Business is launching a new coalition, Texas Leads Trade, to ensure Texas businesses have a strong voice in the upcoming US-Mexico-Canada Agreement renegotiations.

The Rio Grande Guardian International News Service broke the story through an exclusive telephone interview with TAB President Glenn Hamer.

“We’re trading more than ever with Mexico and Canada. The Texas economy is at the strongest point it has ever been and is gaining strength is that we’re far and away the country’s top export leader,” Hamer said...

MCALLEN, Texas - Futuro RGV, a citizenry group dedicated to improving quality of life in the Rio Grande Valley, recently held an in-depth discussion of the region’s water crisis.

The RGV Water Solutions Forum was held at Rio Bank’s corporate headquarters in McAllen.

The panel discussing the water crisis consisted of former McAllen Mayor Jim Darling, former Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 2 Manager Sonny Hinojosa, and Mark Vega, general manager of McAllen Public Utility.

Both Darling and Hinojosa are members of Region M Pl...

EDINBURG, Texas - The agricultural industry of the Rio Grande Valley has great supporters in Congress but needs more help at the state level.

This is the view of Dante Galeazzi, president and CEO of the Texas International Produce Association. In an exclusive interview with Ron Whitlock Reports, Galeazzi said state leaders could help by providing half the money needed to line the Valley’s irrigation canals.

“We mean we have fantastic federal support,” Galeazzi said, referencing the work of U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, along with U...

WESLACO, Texas - Javier Guerra, Channel 5 News morning co-anchor, gave the introductory remarks at the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council’s first ever State of the COG.

COG stands for Council of Government. LRGVDC represents Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy counties.

Guerra pointed out that the gathering represents an evolution of the LRGVDC’s annual report, a meeting traditionally held during the second week of January. 

“Historically, the LRGVDC would convene its board members in this very room to review the outcomes of the current...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Area residents Daniel Garcia and Joel Tijerina have been thinking about doing business with the state government for some time.

In particular, they would to sell their services and/or products to one of the Lone Star State’s biggest buyers of goods and services but don’t know how to go about.

But this week, the two are among a group of 20 people attending a Business in Development Academy hosted by the Prairie View A&M University Cooperative Extension Service, held at the eBridge Center for Business and Commercialization in downtown Brownsville.

T...

MCALLEN, Texas - Kathryn Lueders, general manager of Starbase says the local community means a big deal to SpaceX.

Lueders gave the keynote speech at the Vistas from Texas seminar co-hosted by UT-Rio Grande Valley’s Center for Border Economic Studies and the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Her presentation was titled: “SpaceX’s presence and impact on the RGV economy.” The event was held at Rio Bank’s headquarters in McAllen.

“We're vested, right? We are here to stay, and we will be looking forward to many, many launches off of Boca Chica...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - In our latest episode on how to avoid the next coronavirus, through the lens of Dr. Madhavan A. Pisharodi, we discuss bats and rats.

Pisharodi is a neurosurgeon who has been practicing in Brownsville, Texas for the last 31 years. Although a medical physician, some people might mistake him for an engineer, given the number of patents he has been issued. 

Outside of the medical field, he has been issued four patents for solar panels, nine for designing an energy saving and device-protecting battery charger, and two for a s...

MCALLEN, Texas - Dante Galeazzi, president and CEO of the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA), worries that some of the smaller RGV cities will have their water supply rationed just like it was in Monterrey and Reynosa.

And it will be for the same reason - because water that should be coming to South Texas and Tamaulipas under a 1944 international water sharing treaty is being held back by the state of Chihuahua.

Galeazzi spoke in depth about the Valley’s current water supply crisis when he appeared on panel at UT-Rio Gran...

HARLINGEN, Texas - The Port of Harlingen will try again to expand its overweight corridor route in the 89th Legislature starting in January.

As in the 88th session, the legislation will be carried by state Rep. Janie Lopez, R-San Benito.

The legislation failed to make it into law in 2023, in part because of opposition from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

But, says Port of Harlingen Executive Director Walker Smith, the legislation has merit because it would improve safety on the road. 

In an exclusive interview with Ron Whitlock Reports, Smith e...

RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas – The Rio Grande Valley Partnership held its latest Commercial & Investment Tour in Rio Grande City. It was hosted by the Rio Grande City Economic Development Corporation. 

One of the sponsors was McAllen-based ERO Architects. The CEO of ERO, Brian Godinez spoke about the work of ERO, plus a new company he has co-launched, South Texas Facility Partnership. 

Here is an audio recording of his presentation.

Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.

Dr. Mostafa Malki is a professor at UT-Rio Grande Valley and executive director for business development at America’s Additive Foundry Center for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation and Cyber Systems. He is also the founder of Aaron Economic Consulting.

Dr. Malki recently gave a presentation about business opportunities tied to additive manufacturing at the eBridge Center for Business & Commercialization in downtown Brownsville. During the presentation he said there is a great opportunity for the Rio Grande Valley to forge partnerships with manufacturing and technology companies from Sweden.

The Rio Grande Guardian interviewed Prof...

EDINBURG, Texas - Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez has been named honorary Field Marshal for the War on Poverty in Hidalgo County.

The award was bestowed by Hidalgo County’s Community Service Agency (CSA) at the group’s inaugural Access to Success Program Banquet, held Dec. 12 at Monza Social Event Center in Edinburg.

“We have amongst us someone who walked the walk and said we're going to do this (wage a battle against poverty). And this is an important award because this is our inaugural event,” said CSA Director Jaime R. Longoria.<...

In an exclusive interview with the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service, land developer Michael Fallek said McAllen South Industrial Park is master planned and divided into ten lots. 
 
 “That is the way things are being utilized, sold and marketed,” he said.  

“But there are different conversations going on. We have four or five of the lots that are spoken for. We are going to end up building ourselves about 355,000 square feet. And then there are other parcels that we're selling off. It might be land leases or building suites, but it's really to attract business f...

MCALLEN, Texas - The new 125-acre McAllen South Industrial Park is not yet finished but already the owners have sold lots to companies from abroad.

The park, with a buildable area of about 1.8 million square feet, is being going up off Military Highway between 10th and 23rd streets in south McAllen.

“Already, we've got an Asian firm that is purchasing property. We've got a Mexican firm that's purchasing property,” said Michael Fallek, in an exclusive interview with the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service.

The Guardian interviewed Fallek...