Rio Grande Guardian's Podcast

MCALLEN, Texas - McAllen Economic Development Corporation is being very strategic on the visits it is making to secure new opportunities for the region, the group’s chief operating officer has explained.

Ralph Garcia gave a very brief update on MEDC’s work at their quarterly stakeholders committee meeting on June 18.

“We have some projects on the Mexico side, but the majority are US-side projects,” Garcia said. “We continue to see new leads developing, and then also, as we're doing some of our visits, we're being very strategic on our visits that we're doing with companies that are existing in the market, to identify opportunities, and even particular projects they can be working on internally that we can try and attract to the region. So we're working very aggressively with that.”

This strategy worked well with Valeo. The French high-tech auto parts manufacturer has a plant in Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas. When it developed plans to build a $225 million plant in the United States, MEDC worked hard to ensure they landed the new project.

The two guest speakers at the stakeholders committee meeting were Juan Olaguibel, assistant city manager and superintendent of bridges for the City of McAllen and Jorge Torres, president of Interlink Trade Services. Olaguibel spoke largely about developments at Anzalduas International Bridge and Torres spoke largely about the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Because their presentations went long, with numerous questions asked by stakeholders, Garcia kept his report short.

Here is an audio recording of the report.

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A few months ago, an idea sparked in my heart: to honor Dr. Hector P. Garcia with a street designation in his hometown of Mercedes. 

Tonight, I’m happy to share that the initiative has officially been approved. 

This effort has been a true community project. What began as a proposal grew into meetings, letters of support, public input, a committee process, and ultimately a community conversation about how we honor one of our hometown heroes. 

Dr. Hector P. Garcia was a World War II veteran, physician, civil rights leader, founder of the American GI Forum, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and a proud Mercedes High School graduate. His impact reached far beyond South Texas, but his story will always be connected to Mercedes. 

I am grateful every member of the City Commission, my fellow sub committee members, the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Foundation, the Mercedes Memorial Library, everyone who participated in the public survey, and all those who supported this effort along the way. 

This is a reminder that local government can do meaningful things when communities come together around a common purpose.

Now, we move on to the implementation phase and look forward to the day we officially unveil the designation and celebrate the legacy of Dr. Hector P. Garcia for generations to come.

Editor’s Note: The above guest column was penned by Skyler Howell, a member of the board of the Hector P. Garcia Memorial Foundation. The column first appeared on Howell’s social media pages. 

Editor’s Note: Here, attached, is an audio recording of an interview the Rio Grande Guardian secured with Skyler Howell last month about his initiative:

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WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has responded to news that the New World screwworm has reached Texas.

She said she has sent a strike team to the South Texas border to assist.

The parasitic fly could put Texas’ $15 billion cattle industry in jeopardy.

The USDA tested a sample from La Pryor in Zavala County at the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, lowa. It was at the laboratory that the infestation of a three-week old calf, was confirmed, Rollins said during a press conference about the case. 

No other cases have been confirmed thus far. 

Here is an audio recording of a press call Rollins made to Texas media on the evening of June 3.

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WESLACO, Texas - The city of Rio Bravo in Tamaulipas has more than 250 illegal dumping sites, says an environmentalist with Rotary International.

Dr. Bricia ElAwar, chairwoman of the environmental committee for Rotary District 5330 in Riverside, California, has led efforts to clear the dumps. 

She first visited the city 18 months ago and returned this past weekend with over 100 volunteers to help Mayor Miguel Ángel Almaraz Maldonado with his clean-up efforts.

“Mayor Almaraz has been doing amazing things. He has already cleaned up over 100 illegal dumps."

“The beautiful thing is he is working in the middle of a very dangerous city and he's doing amazing things. He can be example to mayors around the world, in terms of a government dealing with environmental challenges.”

On her first visit to Rio Bravo, ElAwar and her team cleaned up a lagoon so that butterflies, birds, fish could return. But, once the Rotary members left more trash was dumped there. 

“I asked to the Rotarians to set up a meeting with the mayor. He said he would give us 15 minutes of his time but we stayed for one and a half hours. The mayor brought in eight new trucks to collect the trash.”

ElAwar continued: “These lagoons can be beautiful for ecologic biodiversity. It is a great habitat for birds and the Monarch butterfly. If we protect our natural resources, I think mankind can have hope. Right now, I feel like Rotarians believe in what we're doing, and I think some governments are starting to have conscience about protecting their own communities too.”

ElAwar said that for Rotarians, working on environmental issues goes “hand-in-hand” with efforts to secure world peace, having a humane migration policy, and fighting disease. “Everything is connected and working with the government is key,” she said.

Asked how her environmental group came about, ElAwar said: “During the pandemic, COVID 19, I had many sleepless nights. I kept thinking of my family in Mexico that I could not see. I decided to take action. I had previously been in so many countries, helping so many people around the world. I thought, why not help Mexico?

“I wanted to connect with people who are passionate about the river, people who care about their families, and I wanted to have a heart to heart conversation with governments in many (border) cities.”

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WESLACO, Texas - In an effort to educate and inform the public, the county judges from Hidalgo, Starr, Willacy and Cameron counties held a joint press conference about the New World screwworm. 

The press conference took place Monday, May 18 at the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council offices in Weslaco.

The county judges present were Richard Cortez of Hidalgo, Eddie Treviño, Jr., of Cameron, Eloy Vera of Starr, and Aurelio ‘Keter’ Guerra of Willacy.

Joining them were experts and representatives from state agencies and partner organizations that will be on the front lines of the response should a case arise in Texas. Participating agencies included the Texas Animal Health Commission, the Department of State Health Services, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Veterinary Medical Association, and the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.

The New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) is a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, including livestock, pets, wildlife, and, in rare cases, humans. The parasite has recently spread north through Central America into Mexico and continues to move toward the southern United States.

The press conference provided information on how to recognize potential cases, the steps being taken to prepare for its possible arrival, and the coordinated response efforts that will be implemented if a case is detected.

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HARLINGEN, Texas - Doug Allison, a board member and regulatory counsel for US Desalination, has given an in-depth interview about plans for the largest water infrastructure project ever built in South Texas. 

“We’re partnering with communities, agencies, and industry to ensure a reliable water future for generations to come,” Allison told Ron Whitlock Reports, following a news conference at the Hilton Garden Inn in Harlingen. 

Allison said US Desalination has partnered with IDE Assets to form RGV Desal, LLC.

“RGV Desal, LLC. represents the largest water infrastructure project ever built in South Texas. Our advanced desalination plant uses state-of-the-art reverse osmosis and energy recovery systems to efficiently transform seawater into fresh drinking water,” Allison said.

Allison said there would be a regional impact, with a reliable supply for municipalities, industry, and agriculture. He said the plan, to be built on South Padre Island, would use cutting-edge reverse osmosis technology. 

“By turning seawater into clean, reliable water, RGV Desal, LLC, will ensure water independence for families, farmers, and businesses across South Texas,” Allison said.

“RGV Desal, LLC, is a regional initiative (that aims to deliver) a drought-proof water supply for the Rio Grande Valley. Through advanced desalination, we convert seawater into clean, reliable water—supporting families, farms, and businesses across South Texas.”

Allison stressed there would be water independence, with a stable, drought-proof supply of water for decades ahead. He said the project would generate economic growth, thus supporting jobs and regional investment. And he said the project would be sustainable because it would harness renewable energy and advanced desalination technology.

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HARLINGEN, Texas - Rio Grande Valley banker and philanthropist Bobby Farris has recalled an incident earlier this year where he and his wife Robin were referred to by the City of Rio Hondo as “good samaritans.” 

On Valentine’s Day, the couple rescued a six-year old girl and an elderly man from a house that was ablaze. Along with an off duty Sheriff deputy, they were first on the scene. Robin Farris called emergency services.

Bobby Farris, chairman of Texas Regional Bank’s wealth management division, told Ron Whitlock Reports the story:

It was Valentine’s Day. We were driving to a party with some other couples,” Farris said. “As we're going down 106, that's from Rio Hondo to the Island, Robin looked over while I was driving and saw this older house. Most of the houses are pretty old out there, on pier and beams. On would have been the northwest corner of the house, there was a small fire underneath. Robin yelled at me, turn around. She we turned around. She called the fire department. We knew it would be 25 or 30 minutes before it would get there from Rio Hondo. It's a volunteer fire system. So we got out of the car, and went running up to the house.

“The off duty sheriff guy was there. He had a garden hose trying to put this fire out. I thought he was the owner, so I said, is there another hose on the side of the house? And he goes, I don't know. Oh, okay. So I ran around in the other side of the house, and there wasn’t. I went back around to the front of the house, and there was a little girl, about six years old, standing at the front door holding a blanket, scared to death, because by this time, the flames were starting to move across the south side. The wind was howling that day.

“So, I'm telling her, come down, come down. You must get out. And she was petrified. I thought if I went up to get her, she would run back into the house, and then I might have a problem, because she could hide under a bed or something and  couldn't find her. And these flames were coming. The next thing I knew, a person went running by me, ran up, grabbed her and ran down the stairs, and that was Robin. And Robin took her out. She was about six, six or seven. Her name was Charlotte. Robin took here out and sat her on the grass and said, everything is going to be okay.”

Bobby Farris told Whitlock he has always been punctual and never likes being late to events. That day, however, he was going to be late because he got stuck behind a huge tractor going 20 miles an hour on Highway 509.

“We lost 15 minutes and were going to be late for the function. For the first time in my life, I was not bothered. The day before I would have been trying to get around him. I would have been really upset. I was at complete peace. We got our stuff out of the house real quick and took off. That is when, going down 106, between 803 and 1847, that is when Robin saw the fire. It was barely going at that time, Had God not put that tractor in front of me, we would never have seen the fire.”

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MONTE ALTO, Texas - Hidalgo County Commissioner David Fuentes says if federal money sent to the Rio Grande Valley to repair homes after a flooding event is not claimed, it should be made available for flood mitigation work.

“We're not going to minimize that people need assistance when they encounter or endure catastrophic flooding. That's not what we're saying. But what we found was, 70% of that mitigation money (that was supposed to be spent) on rebuilding wasn't used. It was returned back to HUD, it was given back to the federal government as unused grant monies,” Fuentes said.

"And what we were arguing was, don't send it back, repurpose it and award mitigation projects that would help in preventing loss. So we weren’t trying to take money away from people. What we were trying to do is minimize the amount of money that was being sent back to the federal government as unused grant monies and saying, instead of sending it back, allow us to apply for programs that we think will help the affected area so that we don't go through flooding.”

Fuentes made his comments in an interview with Ron Whitlock Reports. He gave the interview at the end of a ribbon cutting ceremony held in Monte Alto to celebrate the Main Floodwater Channel Expansion Project.

The Main Floodwater Channel Expansion Project involves 7.5 miles of improvements costing $20 million. The infrastructure serves 70% of the county and provides a vital foundation for future water management projects as development continues. These improvements ensure the community is better prepared and protected when future rain events occur, Fuentes explained.

Editor's Note: To read the full story, go to the Rio Grande Guardian website. 

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

MCALLEN, TEXAS - Hopefully, a revised USMCA will allow Mexico to avoid being impacted by the new tariffs President Trump is trying to impose - in which case the new tariffs on steel from Mexico would be eliminated.

This is the view of Jorge Torres, president of Rio Grande Valley-based Interlink Trade Services. Torres gave an update on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement negotiations at a recent meeting of the McAllen Economic Development Corporation Stakeholders Committee.

“The USMCA revision is happening right now. Mexico’s Secretary of the Economy, Marcelo Ebrard, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer have had meetings. And the meetings have been somewhat positive,” Torres said.

“Obviously, they're looking at reinforcing the supply chain in the three countries. And that is something that is critical for us. They want to enforce the rules of origin on regional value content. They want to get more regional content, obviously.”

Torres continued: “Mexico is pushing for not being affected by external tariffs, which is Sections 122, 301, 232 and all that. That's an uphill fight, but hopefully they'll get there, somehow. That will be critical to getting rid of the steel tariffs and the Section 301 investigations, all the tariffs that the President wants to impose. If they can isolate Mexico, that would be great. But again, that's an uphill battle, because the U.S. is demanding a lot of Mexico.”

Editor's Note: Go to the Rio Grande Guardian website to read the full story.

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

PORT ISABEL, Texas - Saronic Technologies, the Austin-based defense technology startup that is considering building a shipyard at the Port of Brownsville, places a big emphasis on developing a young workforce. 

So says Chris Johnson, director for the company’s shipyard in Franklin, Louisiana.

“Saronic is really, really good at is bringing on younger talent and training it,” Johnson said, during a presentation he and three of his colleagues made to Point Isabel ISD.

By way of an example, Johnson told the story of the shipyard in Franklin.

“Louisiana has long had a problem with young graduates in STEM, specifically engineering, electrical, and mechanical. Many different types of engineers have to leave Louisiana…  because there aren't good jobs for those professionals. But we're helping reduce what they call the brain drain, where young professionals leave because there's not enough jobs for them. Saronic has done a really good job of addressing that in Franklin. I suspect we'll do it here again in Brownsville, given that chance.”

Johnson said there is a “buzz around Saronic” because “our culture is different.”

Doug Lambert, a co-founder and COO of Saronic, agreed.

“We've up skilled that workforce (in Louisiana). We have welders who are becoming engineers. We have pipe fitters who are growing in their careers. And that's something that's incredibly important to Saronic. We have a robust kind of jobs skill training pipeline that we've been prototyping here in Louisiana, and could potentially bring here to Brownsville, Texas.”

Lambert said the company thinks about manufacturing differently to most. 

“These are not dirty jobs. We think about them in a way that is incredibly, incredibly tech-forward and people-forward and process-forward. So we tend to invest in our employees. We like to up-skill and create new opportunities that folks otherwise wouldn't have gotten in the area. And that really is reflected in how we build out infrastructure,” Lambert said. 

Editor's Note: To read the full story go to the RGG Business Journal website. 

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