The American Legion Alfredo "Freddy" González Post #408 will host the annual “Veterans Day Parade, Medal of Honor Recipients” on Saturday, November 6.  The parade will begin at 10:00am at Cats Stadium then exit on Cano. Set-up time for entries is from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. and is free to those who wish to participate (rules and regulations apply). All area residents are encouraged to support U.S. veterans by either attending or participating in this wonderful memorial parade honoring those who have served, and in many cases, made the highest sacrifice.  More information on the event, including registering, is available by contacting Commander Gus García at 956/457-9681, 1st Vice Commander Manuel Cantú, Jr. at 956/867-5367, or by contacting the American Legion Post 408 between 4 p.m and 10 p.m. at 956/383-1182. Featured, from left: Manuel Cantú, Jr.; Gus García; and American Legion Post 408 Finance Officer Arnoldo Morin.

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The Hidalgo County Commissioners’  Court on Tuesday, October 19, passed a resolution  in conjunction with the Doctors Hospital at Renaissance and the Cancer Center at Renaissance to raise awareness about breast cancer risks and preventative screening tests. Wearing pink ribbons, the court members said they support programs and activities, scientific research and education, and healthy living habits that promote all aspects of public health, including the reduction of breast cancer among women. “We are hopeful that our action today will remind mothers, sisters and daughters to periodically get screened,” said Hidalgo County Judge René A. Ramírez, seen here with his staff members and representatives from Doctors Hospital at Renaissance. Featured, first row, from left: Richard Sánchez, Chief Administrator, County Judge’s Office; Gloria Rodríguez, Administrative Assistant, County Judge’s Office; Sandra De León, Administrative Aide, County Judge’s Office (holding proclamation); Erika Reyna, Economic Development Planner, County Judge’s Office; and Terri García, Administrative Aide, County Judge’s Office. Back row, from left: Hidalgo County Judge René A. Ramírez; Elisa Perez, Community Events Coordinator, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance; Anabel Arellano, Cancer Center Director, Doctors Hospital at Renaissance; Chris Treviño, Assistant Chief Administrator, County Judge’s Office; and Michael Leo, Executive Assistant, County Judge’s Office. See story later in this posting.

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The Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Positive Only Women (P.O.W.)  on Wednesday, October 20, held a successful fundraiser and mixer to help raise awareness of the risks, prevention, and health care related to breast cancer. The event, dubbed Hats Off to Breast Cancer Awareness, was hosted by The Patio, located at 116 South 17th Street in McAllen. Participants donated $10 each, with those proceeds donated to a local organization which helps patients with breast cancer. Those participants who wore a hat also were given the chance to win a door prize during the social mixer, which featured fun, food and refreshments for a good cause. Featured, seated, from left: Rep. Verónica Gonzáles, D-McAllen; Cynthia M. Sakulenzki, RGVHCC president and CEO; Melisa Tejada and Illiana Cabrera with the RGVHCC; Barbara Guerra with The Patio; Giselle Dominique Mascarenhas with P.O.W.; and Becky Guerra with The Patio. Standing, from left: Pedro Ayala, Celina González, Aaron Cabrera, Pepe Cabeza de Vaca, and Stephanie Ramírez with the RGVHCC; and Mariana Aguayo with P.O.W. 

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Attorney General Greg Abbott, featured in his wheelchair, front row, left, joined the Hidalgo County Republican Party at their first annual Skeet Shoot on Saturday, October 23, in Donna. Twenty teams of five shooters, sponsored by various local businesses, battled the high South Texas winds to vie for first place, said Hidalgo County Republican Party Chairman Javier Villalobos, featured standing, right. Abbott joined the shooters and their guests for a lunch break. The winning team was Wild Mesquite, while placing second was the Newkirk & Newkirk team. Abbott is being challenged in the November 2 statewide election by  Barbara Ann Radnofski, the Democratic Party nominee for Texas Attorney General.

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As part of their public service, members of the Leadership Edinburg Class XX recently made a donation to the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce Depot Restoration project.  The Depot Restoration Committee, headed by Elva Jackson Garza, creates fundraising efforts to assist in restoring damage while maintaining the historic integrity of the Depot, which houses the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce and the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation.

Featured, from left: Roy Peña; Lisa Rosales; Angie Luna; Flo Prater; Abraham Pompa; Imelda Rodríguez; Mark Aguirre; Marty Martin; and Elva Jackson Garza. "We are so grateful to everyone who has believed in the historic integrity of our building. We appreciate all of the volunteers who serve on the Depot Restoration Committee and of course everyone who has donated money to keep our building sustainable and looking beautiful throughout the years," said Garza. "We are thankful to Leadership Edinburg Class XX for their amazing fundraising efforts and outstanding leadership. "Their generosity has certainly come full circle in helping restore one of Edinburg’s treasures." More information on the Depot or to make a financial contribution to its restoration is available by calling 956/383-4974. See story later in this posting.

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Coordinators from the 22 high schools participating in the University of Texas-Pan American’s GEAR UP project heard local leaders on Monday, October 18, about their efforts in helping Hispanic students achieve. Representatives from those 22 campuses participated in the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics’ National Education Summit and Call to Action meeting that morning as it was being streamed live from Washington, D.C. on campus monitors. UTPA hosted the viewing party and a lunch where they heard from Congressman Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, talk about the efforts he and other lawmakers made to pass Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 along with other laws that benefit students. Featured, from left: Dr. Martha Cantú, director of UTPA’s GEAR UP project; Congressman Hinojosa; Dr. Magdalena Hinojosa, the university’s associate vice president and dean of admissions and enrollment services; and Dr. John Edwards, UTPA vice president for the Division of Enrollment and Student Services. Eddie Zamora is the Republican Party nominee who is challenging Hinojosa in the November 2 general election. See story on Hinojosa’s congressional update later in this posting.

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Dr. Cynthia Orozco, author of the 2009 book titled, No Mexicans, Women or Dogs Allowed: The Rise of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement, is acknowledged and thanked by Víctor Gómez, Mexican American Studies Program Instructor at South Texas College, for her presentation on Thursday, October 14 at the Pecan campus in McAllen, based on her landmark book, which focuses on the history and impact of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). Orozco, a professor at Eastern New Mexico University at Ruidoso, spoke on issues such as racial segregation against people of Mexican descent, exclusion of Mexican citizens and women from LULAC, and the recasting of that organization – which has been perceived as anti-Mexican and anti-working class – to one that was at the forefront of the civil rights movement in the U.S. after World War I. “The typical American doesn’t know about this particular era of discrimination and segregation,” Orozco said. “We need to not just think black and white; we have to add brown to that color scheme. There are various civil rights movements that took place and one of those is ours. There’s a long history of struggle for people of Mexican descent.” See story later in this posting.

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Doug Martin, a community and business leader who is owner and president of Martin Farm and Ranch Supply, on Saturday, October 16, was honored as Man of the Year 2010 by the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce during the local group’s Annual Installation Banquet held at the Monte Cristo Golf Club. Martin has been married for 31 years to Mary Alice Sánchez, and they have three children: Alyssa, Gregory and Charisse. Also during the ceremony, Maggie Kent received the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce, while Edward Kuprel, Edinburg’s City Forester, was recognized as the City of Edinburg Employee of the Year. Fire Marshal Richard Drewry was selected as Edinburg Firefighter of the Year. See story later in this posting.

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María Noemí  "Mimi" Cárdenas, featured third from left, on Saturday, October 16, was honored as Woman of the Year 2010 by Edinburg Chamber of Commerce at the local group’s Annual Installation Banquet held at the Monte Cristo Golf Club. Among her many professional and community achievements was her work with the Texas Employment Commission, where she helped hundreds find jobs and hundreds more with unemployment claims during the hard economic times of the 1980s. Joining her for her big night, from left: Cynthia Bocanegra, who was honored as outgoing chairwoman of the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce; Mrs. Cárdenas’ son, Don; María Noemí "Mimi" Cárdenas; her daughter, Margaret Lucille "Myssie" Cárdenas-Barajas; and Johnny Rodríguez, incoming chairman of the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce. See story later in this posting.

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McAllen Mayor Richard Cortéz, flanked, from left, by Hidalgo County Democratic Party Chair Dolly Elizondo, Rep. Verónica Gonzáles, D-McAllen, and Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade, on Sunday, October 3, gave a thumbs-up to bipartisan efforts to encourage South Texans to cast their ballots for the Tuesday, November 2 statewide and local elections. Early voting will be held from October 18 through October 29. Andrade, who joined the local leadership for the news conference at the McAllen Convention Center, was in the Valley that day to announce the 2010 VOTETEXAS Road Tour, a 22-stop, statewide initiative to answer questions about the “when, where, and how” of voting. For voting information, Texans may visit www.VOTETEXAS.org or call the Office of the Texas Secretary of State at 1-800-252-VOTE (8683). Many Edinburg and McAllen voters will be casting their ballots in the contested race of House District 41, currently held by Gonzáles, who is being challenged by Rebecca Cervera, the Republican Party nominee for state representative.

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Carolina Desiga-Lozano, principal of Dr. Kay Teer Crawford Elementary, on Saturday, October 2, unveiled the portrait of the school’s namesake, which is the first of three new campuses to be opened by the Edinburg school district for the 2010-2011 school year. Crawford graduated from Edinburg High School and returned to teach there in the mid-1930s, where she organized the EHS Red and Blue Sergeanettes. This first of its kind nonmilitary drill team featured girls performing fancy, high-kicking synchronized movements. Crawford is regarded as the “Mother of the Modern Dance Drill Team”, and is internationally-known. Her dance drill instruction served as the inspiration for more than 15,000 dance drill teams nationwide and during her life time she taught more than 55,000 students. She provided drill teams for 10 Super Bowls, four Rose Bowls and seven Pro Bowls, the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, the Seattle World’s Fair, the Mazatlán Carnival and New York’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She was involved in the rededication of the Statue of Liberty and helped orchestrate a celebration surrounding a mass by Pope John Paul II at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Crawford died August 29, 2001 at the age of 88, leaving a legacy of excellence which continues today through Dr. Kay Teer Crawford Elementary. Featured, from left: Rosie Guerra and Evelyn Milligan, former ECISD teachers who also were members of the Sergeanettes; and Desiga-Lozano. The Crawford campus is located at 1800 East Davis Road in northeast Edinburg. See story later in this posting.

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South Texas College board trustees on Monday, September 27, wound up in a stalemate with 3-3 votes on two competing proposals that sought to replace Mike Allen, who passed away on Wednesday, August 25, on the governing board. Going into the public meeting, held at the Pecan Campus in McAllen, STC trustees deadlocked on appointing a replacement to succeed Allen until an election could be held in May 2012, or allowing the vacancy to remain unfilled until voters in Allen’s District 3 could select their own representative in a May 2011 election. Under both options, Allen’s successor would serve the remaining portion of his term.  In May, Allen was elected by voters in District 3 to a new, six-year term. “By not deciding to appoint someone, then they have to have an election,” STC board attorney Jesús “Chuy” Ramírez said after the board meeting. “I don’t know that we have enough time to do it in November, so that would put the election in May. That will give plenty of time for people to put together a campaign.” Allen passed away from complications of a cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia. See story on the vacancy left by Allen’s death later in this posting.

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Congressman Rubén Hinojosa, featured second from right, on Wednesday, September 29, announced the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) was awarded three grants totaling $3,630,000 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under the Affordable Care Act, and the U.S. Department of Education, for UTPA’s College of Health Sciences & Human Services. “UTPA is making great strides in graduating more and more students with degrees in Science,” said Hinojosa. “These grants, coming at the time when HESTEC is in full gear at UTPA in Edinburg, are great timing to say the least. It is very clear that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the Department of Education know what a great job UTPA is doing for our students and for our community.” HESTEC is an acronym for Hispanic Engineering, Science, and Technology Week, an annual educational and community-oriented sessions hosted by UT-Pan American which are designed to encourage public school students to go to college and major in math, science and technology. This year’s HESTEC was held from September 26 through October 2. Hinojosa was joined in this photograph on Sunday, September 26, by fellow congressional and university leaders at the Social Club in Edinburg to kick off UTPA’s ninth annual HESTEC. Featured, from left: Congressman Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso; Congressman Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo/McAllen; UTPA President Dr. Robert S. Nelsen; Congressman Hinojosa; and Congressman Solomon Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi. See story on the federal grants to the local university later in this posting.

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Hidalgo County Judge  René A. Ramírez has won a top award for his efforts to ensure a full and accurate count of Hidalgo County residents during Census 2010. At an awards ceremony in Waco on Thursday, October 7,  the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas, along with County Progress Magazine, bestowed upon Ramírez the 2010 Excellence in Going the Extra Mile award. The public recognition specifically cited Ramírez’ launching of the Yo Cuento 2010 campaign, which was designed to increase the Census count in Hidalgo County. It is the first time an Hidalgo County official has won the award. “I am deeply honored to win this prestigious award,” Ramírez said. “The Census is taken every 10 years to provide a snapshot on this nation’s population. However, its ramifications are huge. Billions of federal dollars are allocated to states, counties and cities based upon the Census count. The number of congressional and state House and Senate seats we get are also based upon the Census count. So, ensuring a full and accurate count in 2010 was one of my top priorities when I was appointed county judge.” See story later in this posting.

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Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States is celebrated from September 15 through October 15, while Dia de la Raza – which honors the contributions of the Hispanic heritage – is commemorated on October 11. In conjunction with these two landmark events, Wells Fargo Bank, located at 120 W. Nolana in McAllen, on Thursday, October 14, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., will be hosting a social mixer current for current and prospective members of the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Also, winning art work of high school and middle school students  from Brownsville to Laredo who participated in the Mi Cultura (My Culture) Hispanic Heritage Art Contest will be on display. “We encourage the community to come out and join in the celebrations as well as see the fabulous art work of South Texas students,” said Cynthia M. Sakulenzki, RGVHCC president and CEO. “It’s also a great way to meet your fellow business people of the Valley.” Winning art work will also be displayed in Washington, D.C. in the offices of Congressman Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo/McAllen, and Congressman Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes.  More information on the social mixer  is available by calling the RGVHCC at 927-0060. Featured promoting the October 14 mixer are, from left: Alma Ortega Johnson, Wells Fargo Bank’s community banking president in McAllen; Laju M. Alemán, Wells Fargo Bank’s branch manager; and Cynthia M. Sakulenzki, RGVHCC president and CEO.

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Leadership Edinburg, a nine-month program of the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce which features local business and civic leaders, strives to encourage a better community through strong skills focusing on politics, education, and quality of life. Members of the latest group, Class XXII, kicked off their new venture into public service with a one-and-a-half day retreat at South Padre Island in September. “This particular class is a dynamic group of individuals. Everyone has a positive attitude and is excited about getting to know each other, and learning about their community.  Everyone is anxious to get involved and start working on their big community project,” said Letty González, chamber president. “We are happy that the Leadership Edinburg tradition has been going strong for as long as it has been.  Leadership is a wonderful program, and we encourage anyone to become part of it.” More information on the program is available by contacting the chamber at 956/383-4974 or by going online at www.Edinburg.com. Featured in this photograph, but not in any particular order, are the following Leadership Class XXII members: Luis A. Adame; Steven C. Foster; Patricia L. Galindo; Homero Jasso, Jr.; Arminda A. Garza; Valerie Gosalvez; Patricia Y. Juaristi; Andrew M. Leonie; Cynthia Castillo; Granados H. Díaz; Tiffany M. Tamez; Adelita G. Ozuna; Marla Sandoval; and Victoria P. Wu. See story later in this posting.

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The McAllen Chamber of Commerce Health Fair Committee invites everyone to participate in the 27th Annual “Heart of the Valley” Health, Fitness and Wellness Fair scheduled for Sunday, November 21, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the McAllen Convention Center. The chamber sponsors this event to promote health awareness and education to the community and to give medical and wellness businesses professionals the opportunity to give back to the community.  Also, through the fair, the McAllen Chamber of Commerce is able to educate the community about the latest treatments, procedures, services and technology available in the Rio Grande Valley. Featured promoting the event are, seated from left: Nancy Rangel; Trini Lozano; Priscilla Arredondo; and Lisa Garza. Standing, from left: Héctor Madrigal; Joel Davila; Luis Cantú; and Orlando Martínez. See story later in this posting.

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