The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Wednesday that the women’s soccer team will host Kansas State on August 25 at 7:30 p.m. and TCU on August 28 at 12 p.m. at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex as part of its 20-match 2022 Fall schedule. Courtesy Image
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RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Wednesday that the women’s soccer team will host Kansas State on August 25 at 7:30 p.m. and TCU on August 28 at 12 p.m. at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex as part of its 20-match 2022 Fall schedule.
“The real highlight is we have two power-five schools in TCU, an in-state rival, and Kanas State coming down,” UTRGV head coach Mark Foster said. “That says a lot about our program and our facilities that schools are willing to come here and play. Hopefully we can give those two a run for their money and maybe upset one of them.”
The matches with Kansas State and TCU, which marks the first time UTRGV hosts a power-five opponent since 2019 when they hosted Miami, are two of 12 home matches for UTRGV and two of five straight home matches to start the season.
The regular season will kick off on August 19 when UTRGV hosts Texas A&M International followed by a South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union home matchup with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on August 21.
Following the matches with Kansas State and TCU, the Vaqueros will host Texas Southern on September 2 to wrap up a five-match homestand to start the season before closing out non-conference play at Texas A&M-Corpus on September 4 and at the University of Texas on September 11.
“We are really excited to get started,” Foster said. “We can’t wait for August and get to play the games. We have a great season ahead of us. We have 12 home games, and we are hoping all our supporters can come out and cheer us on to as many wins as possible. I am excited about the WAC. It’s going to be a new league for me, so I am looking to see what it entails. There are new locations and new teams to play so I am excited.”
The Western Athletic Conference slate will feature 13 matches leading up to the WAC Tournament, which will be hosted at California Baptist University from November 2-6 with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Vaqueros opened WAC play at home on September 16 when they host Grand Canyon followed by a home match against California Baptist on September 18. The Vaqueros will also host Stephen F. Austin on September 30, Lamar on October 2, Southern Utah on October 14, Utah Tech on October 16, and close out the regular season with Incarnate Word on October 29.
UTRGV will be on the road to face Utah Valley on September 22, Seattle U on September 24, Tarleton on October 7, Abilene Christian on October 9, Sam Houston on October 21, and New Mexico State on October 23.
The NCAA Tournament will run start on November 18 at regionals sites and wrap up with the College Cup from December 2-4 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
Republican Mayra Flores, left, won a special election against Democrat Dan Sanchez, right, for the South Texas congressional seat left vacant by U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela. Courtesy Images TEXAS TRIBUNE
Republican Mayra Flores prevailed Tuesday in a special election for an open congressional seat in South Texas, marking a major breakthrough for Republicans eager to blaze new inroads in the historically blue region.
She beat Dan Sanchez, the leading Democrat, outright in the closely watched race and will be the first Mexican-born congresswoman. She will get to serve only until January, but Republicans heralded her win as a shot of momentum in their new South Texas offensive.
With all precincts reporting Tuesday night, Flores had 50.98% of the vote and Sanchez had 43.33%. There were two other, lesser-known candidates — Democrat Rene Coronado and Republican Juana “Janie” Cantu-Cabrera — in the race.
Sanchez is a Harlingen lawyer and former Cameron County commissioner, while Flores, a respiratory therapist, is the Republican nominee for the seat in November.
Speaking a little after 9:30 p.m., Flores declared victory and said her campaign “took no one for granted.”
“For over 100 years, we have been taken for granted,” she said at her election night party in San Benito. “I will show you what real representation looks like. I will represent all people.”
Sanchez conceded in a statement that pointed the finger at national Democrats for not doing enough to defend the seat. They had argued the race was not worth the investment.
“Based on the results, we came up short tonight despite being outspent by millions of dollars from out of state interests and the entire Republican machine,” he said. “Too many factors were against us, including little to no support from the National Democratic Party and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.”
The special election was called to finish the term of former U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, who resigned in March to work for the lobbying firm Akin Gump.
The special election was unique in that it was held under the previous lines of the 34th District, which President Joe Biden won by only 4 percentage points. But redistricting made the district more friendly to Democrats in November, when the Democratic nominee is U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen.
Republicans have been eager to flip the seat as part of their new offensive in South Texas after Biden’s underperformance throughout the predominantly Hispanic region in the 2020 election. Flores and her allies spent over $1 million on TV ads in the special election, while national Democrats largely stayed away, arguing it was not worth it to save a seat that will be up again in November — and under new, more favorable boundaries.
The dynamic put Democrats into an unusual underdog position in a region of the state they have long dominated. Vastly outspent by Flores, Sanchez repeatedly compared the special election to a David vs. Goliath fight, with himself playing David.
Despite their downplaying of the stakes, national Democrats ended up spending a little on the race once early voting got underway. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee helped fund a $100,000 digital ad buy with Sanchez’s campaign, and House Majority PAC — the top Democratic super PAC in House races — launched a $115,000 TV ad buy against Flores.
Flores campaigned hard on her story as the wife of a U.S. Border Patrol agent and as a Mexican immigrant whose parents brought her to the United States as a young child. She mostly ignored Sanchez but took a sharp tone against Washington, D.C., Democrats in general. In one of her TV ads, she said the Rio Grande Valley is “under attack” at the border and promised not to let the “compadrismo” — cronyism — “in Washington ruin our communities.”
Sanchez also played up his background, starting with his upbringing on his family farm and later his long career in public service. He also campaigned as a moderate, calling himself a “conservative Democrat” and “pro-life” Catholic.
Sanchez and his allies did not ignore Flores, painting her as an extremist acolyte of former President Donald Trump due to past social media activity that cast doubt on the 2020 election results and included hashtags for the QAnon conspiracy movement.
Flores had the backing of top Texas Republicans including Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, while Sanchez’s biggest supporters among elected officials were Gonzalez and Vela. Both Flores and Sanchez were endorsed by their respective state party chairs and vice chairs.
But Flores had virtually all the advantages throughout the special election, especially when it came to fundraising. On the only major campaign finance report of the special election, she reported $752,000 in contributions, compared to $46,000 for Sanchez.
On Tuesday night, Flores most notably carried Cameron County, the most populous county in the district and a longtime Democratic stronghold along the Mexican border. She defeated Sanchez there by about a percentage point after Biden carried the county by 13 points in 2020.
National GOP groups were jubilant about Flores’ win Tuesday night, especially as they push to retake the House majority in November. The chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, said in a statement that the race was a “referendum on Democrats’ reckless policies that created a border crisis, led to record-high inflation, and sent gas prices soaring.”
But the head of the Texas Democratic Party, Gilberto Hinojosa, downplayed Flores’ victory in a statement, saying the GOP “could barely squeak out a win” given all their financial advantages. Echoing national Democrats, he expressed confidence that Flores would occupy the seat only for a matter of months.
“In January 2023, this seat will rightfully return to Democratic hands,” Hinojosa said.
EL PASO, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the El Paso area ports of entry have encountered individuals attempting to smuggle fentanyl concealed internally within their bodies over the past week.
“Smugglers will utilize any and all methods available to introduce contraband to the United States,” said CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector A. Mancha. “CBP uses multiple layers of enforcement to identify and stop these smugglers. Some of those layers include technology, officer expertise, and canine enforcement teams.”
On June 6, CBP officers working at the Ysleta border crossing, intercepted a 34-year-old-female U.S. citizen who attempted to smuggle 0.23 pounds of fentanyl concealed inside her rectal cavity.
On June 11, CBP officers working the pedestrian lanes at the Paso Del Norte border crossing intercepted a 34-year-old female U.S. citizen who attempted to smuggle 0.14 pounds of fentanyl. The female was referred for a secondary inspection where a CBP canine alerted to the possible presence of drugs on the woman. A pat down search was conducted where CBP officers discovered a drug-filled balloon that had dislodged from her vaginal cavity.
On June 13, CBP officers working the pedestrian lanes at the Paso del Norte border crossing intercepted a 47-year-old female U.S. citizen who attempted to smuggle 0.07 pounds of fentanyl. During a secondary inspection a pat down search was conducted where CBP officers felt a foreign object in her groin area. The female then admitted to carrying drugs and voluntarily removed a bundle from her vaginal cavity.
The subjects arrested by CBP officers were turned over to Homeland Security Investigations and other federal agencies for prosecution.
Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents discovered undocumented individuals using railcars as a dangerous method of traveling further into the United States. This dangerous method of traveling through the United States after illegal entry is strongly discouraged as it often results in serious injury or death. Many times, migrants choose this grueling method of transportation without realizing the consequences of their actions until it is too late. USCBP Image
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LAREDO, Texas – Within days of each other, Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents discovered undocumented individuals using railcars as a dangerous method of traveling further into the United States.
The first incident occurred on June 8, when Hebbronville Border Patrol agents discovered 12 undocumented individuals while conducting train checks near Hebbronville, Texas inside a car-hauler. On June 12, Border Patrol agents from Laredo South Station discovered several individuals trapped in the boxcar with no means of escape. Agents were able to assist two individuals out of one railcar and discovered that an adjacent covered hopper had more individuals trapped inside including one that was unconscious. Using rescue equipment, 13 individuals were rescued from the confined space.
The individuals were from the countries of Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. After two of the individuals were treated for dehydration and evaluated by on-site medical personnel, they were processed accordingly.
Help take a stand against criminal organizations and their potentially dangerous acts by reporting suspicious activity. To report suspicious activity such as human and/or drug smuggling, contact the Laredo Sector Border Patrol toll free at 1-800-343-1994.
At a press conference, the McAllen Convention Center announced an upcoming event “Beyond Van Gogh – The Immersive Experience” coming to McAllen starting on November 18, 2022, for a limited engagement at the McAllen Convention Center. Tickets go on sale starting June 15, 2022.
This immersive experience features more than 300 of Vincent Van Gogh’s iconic artworks and takes the art lover into a three-dimensional world that exhilarates the senses. To sign up for first access to tickets, visit http://www.vangoghmcallen.com/.
Also, THE PALMS- Rio Grande Valley High School Theatre Awards announced $25,000 in scholarships for some of the students who participated in high school productions at The Palms- Rio Grande Valley High School Theater Awards at the McAllen Performing Arts Center this past year.
Packages and a bucket containing $1.1 million in cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine seized by CBP officers at Colombia-Solidarity Bridge. USCBP Image
Texas Border Business
LAREDO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers seized hard narcotics in one enforcement action that totaled over $1,100,000 in street value.
“CBP’s overall mission is to protect American communities from cross-border crime that threatens public safety,” said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. “Laredo cargo facilities have excelled in enhancing border security by preventing the flow of suspected narcotics from seeping into our communities.”
The enforcement action occurred on June 9, at the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge, after CBP officers encountered a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) declaring an informal shipment of statues arriving from Mexico. The 2006 Nissan Pathfinder was referred for a canine and non-intrusive imaging system inspection, resulting in the discovery of 7.18 pounds of alleged cocaine, 22.79 pounds of alleged methamphetamine and 22.97 pounds of heroin within the commodity.
The narcotics have an estimated street value of $1,136,531CBP seized the narcotics and the vehicle. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents took the
Springfield Avenue Extension Project, Courtesy Image
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Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) is announcing that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.5 million federal grant to the city of Laredo to help build a two-mile road as part of the Springfield Avenue Extension.
This grant will help boost business and job growth in the region by providing a new commercial route to serve approximately 170-acres of industrial land. The EDA investment will be matched with $375,000 in local funds.
“The U.S. Department of Commerce is awarding the City of Laredo with $1.5 million to support business development, and job growth, as part of the Springfield Avenue Expansion. Specifically, this funding will be used to extend a road almost 2 miles and support hundreds of temporary jobs,” said Congressman Cuellar.“I will always fight for additional federal funding that brings jobs, and business opportunities, to my hometown. Thank you to Secretary Raimondo, Mr. Lozano, and our local Laredo leaders, for their continued support of South Texas development.”
“President Biden is committed to ensuring that our communities are provided with the resources they need to diversify and grow their economies,”said Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “This EDA project will spur private investment and job creation in Laredo.”
“The Economic Development Administration plays an important role in advancing locally-led economic development strategies that drive critical business expansion efforts to create stronger, more resilient regional economies,”said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “This project will advance Laredo’s Springfield Avenue Extension project to position the region for future economic success.”
This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the South Texas Development Council (STDC). EDA funds STDC to bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment and create jobs.
To learn more about the U.S. Economic Development Administration, visit www.eda.gov.
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.
As children are being released for summer break, Judge Cortez offers the Junior Explorer Initiative, a program designed to encourage the youth of Hidalgo County to embrace the outdoors and visit the many world-renowned parks and destinations located in our backyard. Courtesy Image
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EDINBURG, Texas – As children are being released for summer break, Judge Cortez offers the Junior Explorer Initiative, a program designed to encourage the youth of Hidalgo County to embrace the outdoors and visit the many world-renowned parks and destinations located in our backyard. The Explore Hidalgo County Nature Trail that launched on April 22, 2022, was the first step in highlighting the hidden gems located in Hidalgo County.
“One of my priorities as County Judge has been to bring attention to the parks and outdoor destinations of Hidalgo County,” said County Judge Richard F. Cortez. “I hope to encourage children and parents throughout Hidalgo County to take advantage of the summer months to visit the Hidalgo County Nature Trail parks.”
The objective of the Junior Explorers program is for each participant to attend the 10 nature parks in the Explore Hidalgo County Nature Trail to become an official Hidalgo County Junior Explorer. The participating child can pick up a program packet at the following parks: Quinta Mazatlan (McAllen); Bentsen State Park (Mission); Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge (Alamo); Estero Llano Grande State Park (Weslaco); McAllen Nature Center; Edinburg Scenic Wetlands; Old Hidalgo Pumphouse and Weslaco Valley Nature Center. Each packet includes an Explore Hidalgo County Resource Guide, Junior Explorer Nature Trail Passport and flyers for parents and children with instructions on the program.
Upon arriving at a destination, each participant will receive a sticker to be placed on their Junior Explorer Passport. Upon visiting all of the destinations listed, the Junior Explorer is invited to visit the Hidalgo County Judge’s Office at 100 E Cano St., Edinburg, TX 78539 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. to collect a surprise.
“Through this program, my goal is to instill a passion for the preservation of our natural environment in the young people of Hidalgo County,” said Judge Cortez. “Spending time outdoors isn’t just enjoyable — it’s also necessary. Being outside also helps children feel less stressed.”
Local, state and national park representatives have expressed excitement at the regional approach this initiative takes and look forward to the visits of all future Hidalgo County Junior Explorers.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has cosponsored the Homeowner Flood Insurance Transparency Act, which was introduced by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.). Image for illustration purposes
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has cosponsored the Homeowner Flood Insurance Transparency Act, which was introduced by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.). This legislation permits National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders to retain their existing premium rates until the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) achieves certain transparency and accountability requirements.
The Homeowner Flood Insurance Transparency Act alleviates the burden of increasing premium rates that some flood insurance policyholders are experiencing under FEMA’s newly-implemented NFIP Risk Rating 2.0 (RR2.0).
RR2.0 was rolled out nationwide on Friday, April 1, despite warnings that the new flood insurance rate scheme could increase premium costs for many policyholders across the nation and 86 percent of policyholders in Texas.
About the bill, Sen. Cruz said:
“Many communities in Texas are at risk for and have suffered from flooding, and have turned to FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program for assistance. Many of those Texans now face unwelcome rate hikes that have yet to be satisfactorily explained. This legislation would, at the very least, provide homeowners with transparency about FEMA’s motives for such an increase.”
The legislation is intended to protect policyholders while forcing FEMA to address concerns that it developed RR2.0 without adhering to statutes requiring:
Governor Greg Abbott today issued a statement celebrating Caterpillar Inc.’s (Caterpillar) announcement that the company will be moving its global headquarters from Deerfield, Illinois to their existing office in Irving, Texas. Image for illustration purposes
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AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today issued a statement celebrating Caterpillar Inc.’s (Caterpillar) announcement that the company will be moving its global headquarters from Deerfield, Illinois to their existing office in Irving, Texas. Caterpillar is not currently receiving any incentives from the State of Texas for the relocation. “Caterpillar’s global headquarters relocation is a major win for the people of North Texas and the entire state, now making Texas home to 54 Fortune 500 corporate headquarters.
I am proud to welcome Caterpillar’s headquarters to Texas and am excited for the economic opportunities this will create for Texans. Businesses of all sizes and people from all backgrounds can grow and succeed in the Lone Star State because we champion a world-class economic environment fueled by the lowest business operating costs in the nation, a reasonable regulatory environment, and a lower cost of living coupled with an exceptional quality of life.
Caterpillar’s relocation to Irving is a testament to the boundless opportunity Texas has to offer, and I look forward to working alongside this global leader as we keep the American Dream a reality for every Texan.” With 2021 sales and revenues of $51 billion, Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment.
Caterpillar has had a presence in Texas since the 1960s and will begin transitioning their headquarters to Irving this year. Last month, Governor Abbott announced that Texas now leads the nation as home to the most Fortune 500 companies in the 2022 Fortune 500 list, with 53 Fortune 500 corporate headquarters. With Caterpillar’s announced relocation, Texas will now be home to a total of 54 Fortune 500 corporate headquarters.
Since Governor Abbott took office in 2015, Texas has attracted 250 new corporate headquarters, with more announced last year than any other year.
