Rio Grande Guardian's Podcast

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

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

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

MCALLEN, Texas - Durante un seminario web el 4 de marzo, el presidente de Interlink Trade Services, Jorge Torres, explicó que la Corte Suprema de Estados Unidos declaró ilegales los aranceles impuestos bajo la Ley de Poderes Económicos de Emergencia Internacional (IEEPA), lo que abre la puerta a posibles reembolsos estimados en unos $133 millones, aunque aún no se ha establecido un mecanismo claro para su devolución. Torres advirtió que la eliminación de los aranceles de la IEEPA fue seguida por la implementación de la Sección 122, que introduce un recargo inicial del 10 % que podría aumentar al 15 % y que se mantendrá temporal hasta finales de julio, mientras la Casa Blanca evalúa otras herramientas, como las Secciones 232 y 301, para mantener la presión comercial. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.

EDINBURG, Texas - State Sen. Juan Hinojosa has urged Valley irrigation districts to work on plans to line their canals. And he welcomed new funding from NADBank, saying it augments the money the Legislature has committed through the Texas Water Development Board. “We (the Legislature) set aside a billion dollars for grants, not for loans, just straight out grants. And the staff of the Water Development Board recommended that $100 million of their billion dollars be set aside for just the Rio Grande Valley irrigation districts. And the reason for that is that they want the canals to be lined,” Hinojosa said. “About 85% of the water that's used here in the Rio Grande Valley goes through canals and irrigation districts. And of that 85%, we lose probably half of it to seepage and evaporation.” Lining the Valley's canals will save hundreds of millions of dollars, Hinojosa said. “We need to move forward and try and find ways to improve our canal system so that we can conserve water, save water, and not waste it through seepage and evaporation.” Hinojosa continued: “Our biggest challenge is that many of these water districts and irrigation districts on their own cannot afford to pay back some of the loans or some of the interest. And they need to consolidate, or they need to unite, or form some kind of coalition so that they can increase their resources and ability to be able to qualify for some of these grants that are very much needed here in the Valley.” 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.

EDINBURG, TEXAS - U.S. Sen. John Cornyn made his last campaign swing through the Rio Grande Valley in the company of the National Border Patrol Council. “The Border Patrol Council, they have become like brothers and sisters,” Cornyn said, as he acknowledged the council’s endorsement. “It was heartbreaking to see how our professional law enforcement, who dedicate their lives to this nation, were abandoned by the administration during the previous four years, by the Biden administration. “I continue to do everything that I can make sure that our brave men and women in the Border Patrol can actually use their training and their skills to do the job and not be diverted providing shelter, clothing, transportation, while being overrun by a tsunami of humanity and which has overwhelmed many of our border communities.” Cornyn continued: “In Texas, we believe in supporting our men and women in uniform, no matter what color that uniform is, because the alternative is chaos and anarchy. “And it's shocking to me to see in Washington, DC, and other places, where people say, well, we shouldn't enforce our laws, and we shouldn't support our law enforcement officials who are doing nothing more than their duty enforcing laws that Congress has passed, and the President has signed into law. “So, what we've seen depicted on our TV sets in places like Minnesota are tragic, but they're also shameful, and accusing law enforcement of being the problem rather than the solution is just exactly wrong.” Cornyn also spoke about the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty. He gave a shoutout to Bret Erickson of the Texas International Fresh Produce Association, who was there to endorse him. “We worked with (U.S. Rep.) Monica De La Cruz to work on this 1944 Water Treaty with Mexico. I still remember being in Mexico City many years ago, when I was attorney general. We were still talking about that water treaty with Mexico hoarding water, denying it to our farmers and ranchers here in the United States. And we have said enough is enough. “Thank goodness, President Trump and (Agriculture) Secretary (Brooke) Rollins and Congress have come together to make sure that we get regular disbursements of that water so it will not only support our folks in the Ag sector but also provide for the economy and the prosperity the Rio Grande Valley deserves.” 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.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - The top Democrats running for U.S. Senate have made their final campaign swings through the Rio Grande Valley ahead of the Primary Election on March 3. U.S. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett had an event at Brownsville Public Library. Texas state Rep. James Talarico appeared on stage with other Democratic candidates at the Edinburg Municipal Auditorium. Here is an audio recording of part of Crockett’s speech. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - SpaceX will be hiring another 4,000 workers this year at its Starbase rocket launching facility at Boca Chica, says the executive director of South Texas Manufacturers Association. Mike Willis gave an overview of the manufacturing scene in the Rio Grande Valley and northern Tamaulipas in his monthly report for February. After running through a number of plant closures over the past two years he ended on a very positive note. “There's a lot going on. I think we're going to see a lot of announcements in the next year or so, up and down the Valley. So I am really pretty optimistic we'll see a lot more manufacturing job growth here than we've seen in a long time,” Willis said. With regard to SpaceX, Willis stays in close contact with the company’s local leadership. “On the good news front, SpaceX… and this may not be good news if you're a current manufacturer who's trying to hold on your workforce and find more people to hire… but SpaceX has confirmed that they're going to hire 4,000 more people in 2026 for Starbase. According to Wikipedia, SpaceX had 13,000 workers as of September 2023. The company, whose proper name is Space Exploration Technologies, Corp., had an operating income of $8 billion in 2025. Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr., told the RGG Business Journal that he too has heard that SpaceX is hiring an additional 4,000 workers this year. “Four thousand new workers? Yes, that had been in the offing. During our conversations, they're expanding. Plus the movement or transfer of their headquarters, meaning additional employees. So the growth continues. We're very, very excited about it, obviously,” Treviño said. “It means we've got a lot of work to do. From an infrastructure standpoint. we need TxDOT to get cracking on Highway 4 sooner rather than later. There were too many people already on it. We’ve got to get that done. But these are good problems to have. These are great problems they have.” Editor's Note: Go to the RGG Business Journal for more border business stories. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.

MCALLEN, Texas - There was a 30 percent decrease in loans for construction companies in the Rio Grande Valley in January, the executive director of the South Texas Builders Association reports. Mario Guerrero visited Washington, D.C., recently to urge the White House and the Department of Homeland Security to stop ICE from conducting raids at construction sites. Those meetings in D.C. were set up by U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar. “We need to protect our economy. Right now in South Texas, we're being dramatically affected. In January, there was a 30 percent decrease in construction loans. Compared to 2025, there's been a 30 percent decrease in construction loans that have been acquired by contractors in order to go ahead and build homes. It's a big strain on the economy. We have companies that have filed for bankruptcy. It's no secret to the people that are here from the Valley. We’ve also had companies that are seeing 40% losses on revenues, lumber companies, tile companies across the Valley.” Guerrero made those comments on a webinar with Congressman Cuellar and Monica Y. Martinez, executive director of Laredo Chamber of Commerce. Guerrero also participated on a webinar hosted recently by Comite de 100, a group founded buy business leaders who wish to create “an immigration system that reflects the values of fairness, economic prosperity, and respect for all.” Guerrero told the group that he will continue to call out local elected officials until ICE stops its raids of construction sites. “I’m nowhere near a professional when it comes to politics, and maybe my tactics are a little rugged, but one of the things that I did down here in South Texas is I called out every elected official by name, and I also put their picture on a video,” Guerrero said, explaining his tactics in getting attention for STBA’s cause. “I really believe that our elected officials should be our voice. I'm a civilian, and if you're an elected official, you should be our voice in the good and in the bad. So I stated in a video that was released by my team in early November of last year that we needed to hold each elected official accountable. (The meeting) was set up for 200 people, and we had close to 400 people show up. It was extremely packed.” As a result to that meeting, STBA secured national media attention, Guerrero told Comite de 100. “I do have a very strong presence in the media outlets. I also have a podcast that reaches hundreds of thousands of people. I don't believe I'm doing anything special, but I do believe that we need to hold the politicians that we put an office accountable for what they're voting for.” The saddest thing builders are seeing is ICE agents racing 50 and 60 miles an hour in neighborhoods as they try to apprehend their construction workers, Guerrero said. “The saddest part that we're seeing is these ICE agents are going 50, 60, miles per hour down a subdivision. Okay, we understand that you're probably trying to get to a job site that's inside that subdivision. But what are you going to do if you kill the child? What if there's a child riding a bike? And I have videos that I showed at that meeting. When you have these ICE agents going and driving these vehicles between 40 to 60 miles per hour in people's backyards that are not fenced we have a real problem.” Editor's Note: To read the full story go to the Rio Grande Guardian website. The attached audio comes from the Comite de 100 webinar. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - The Rio Grande Valley chapter of the Institute for Leadership in Capital Projects is hosting a mixer in Brownsville on the evening of February 18. It is titled: “Downtown Brownsville - A Master Plan Revitalization Mixer. It is being held at Boqueron Food & Wine Bar on E. Washington Street, starting at 5:30 p.m. To learn more about I-LinCOP and the mixer, the RGG Business Journal met up with Oscar Garcia, regional vice president for Broaddus & Associates, and vice president for I-LinCP-RGV, and Doroteo Garcia, Jr., assistant city manager for the City of Brownsville. I-LinCP is a Texas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that brings together contractors, architects, and engineers to improve the planning, design, and delivery of capital projects. The group started a chapter in the Rio Grande Valley in early 2025. It held two events in the Valley last year, one in McAllen and one in Weslaco. Now it is working to expand in Brownsville. “We felt this would be a great opportunity to focus on some of the big projects that are happening in Brownsville, namely the downtown revitalization effort that's going on right now,” Oscar Garcia said. Editor's Note: Go to the RGG Business Journal to read the full story. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.

MCALLEN, Texas - RioPlex is planning to visit Asia and Europe later this year in order to drum up business for the region. The trade missions will likely take in the United Kingdom, Taiwan and Japan. There will also be a number of visits to Mexico and different parts of the United States. A signature event, much like the group did in Houston last year, will be held in Mexico, most likely in Mexico City. Confirmation that the group was making such arrangements came from Mario Reyna, in an exclusive podcast with the RGG Business Journal, and top strategist Astrid Salazar, on a webinar with the Prosperity Task Force. “One of our main goals, besides confirming projects, (after all) that's what we are here for, is to host international delegations for our region, so everyone knows who we are, what we do, and they understand how the dynamic of our region works, and also to be part of foreign trade missions abroad,” Salazar said. “We're thinking about at least one in Asia, probably Taiwan or Japan, and then some other events in the US, and then one in in the UK.” Salazar also told the task force: “For 2026 we're working on strategic visits, both in US and in Mexico to attract more business. These visits are going to be monthly, mainly in Texas, some other parts of the US, and then on the Mexican side, Monterrey and Mexico City are the biggest ones we're working on.” Asked about RioPlex’s calendar for 2026, Reyna told the Business Journal: “Basically, we will do a signature event, like the one we did in Houston (last year). And right now, more than likely, it might be Mexico City. After that, we do have plans of perhaps going to Taiwan, Japan and the United Kingdom. Why those particular countries? Because those countries have a lot of what we call foreign direct investment (coming) into this particular area, and so that's where they're coming from.” Editor's Note: Attached is an audio recording of Astrid Salazar's remarks at a recent Prosperity Task Force webinar. She was introduced by Mario Reyna, coordinator of the Prosperity Task Force and executive director of RioPlex. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.

Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez today begins a charm offensive as he seeks to bring the larger cities and economic development organizations in the Rio Grande Valley under the RioPlex umbrella. Cortez plans to meet with all the EDCs, both individually and collectively. The first meeting takes place today with an unnamed city. Asked what the feedback has been so far, Cortez said: “The response that we're getting from people we've contacted is very positive. The response that we've gotten from individual cities is they're still unsure.” Smaller cities are coming on board, however. The cities of Mercedes, Alton, Alamo and Elsa have all joined or said they will join RioPlex. Cortez’s argument is that if individual cities or EDCs go after new business on their own, they are not telling the full story. The full story is all the assets in the region, he says. And that region, RioPlex, comprises the Valley and northern Tamaulipas. Cortez likens it to a customer visiting a mall. RioPlex is the mall and each city is a store within the mall. The city is not the mall. In an in-depth interview with the RGG Business Journal, Cortez explained how RioPlex came about and what its goals are. He said to tell the full story he had to start with the Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force. Editor's Note: Go to the RGG Business Journal to read the full story. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.

EDINBURG, Texas - The Valley Alliance of Mentors for Opportunities and Scholarships (VAMOS) is celebrating 30 years of service to first-generation, low-income students across the Rio Grande Valley. In recognition of this year’s anniversary, VAMOS has a goal of raising $1 million in scholarship funds. The organization’s largest fundraiser each year is a golf tournament. The 30th Annual VAMOS Golf Tournament takes place on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at Champion Lakes Golf Course in McAllen, Texas. Proceeds from the tournament will directly support four-year renewable scholarships, with awards of up to $20,000 over four academic years for students from Hidalgo, Cameron, and Starr counties. The attached audio was recorded at a press conference VAMOS held at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance. The event was held to announce the golf tournament. The speakers featured on the broadcast are: Karla Rodriguez, a curriculum coordinator at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD, Sergio Sanchez, board trustee for VAMOS, Dr. Andrew Phillips, MD, who works in DHR's intensive care unit, and Brianna Maldonado, a VAMOS-UTRGV scholar. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Cameron County held its State of the County Luncheon in Harlingen last month and Precinct 2 Commissioner Joey Lopez spoke about La Esperanza Community Park’s all-inclusive renovations. The park reopened in July 2025, with the addition of an inclusive splash pad for children. According to Lopez, the park has been utilized by several children and families that are wheelchair-bound. “The area is well shaded,” Lopez said. “The renovations that have happened within this past year (are worth) about $2.3 million. We added a huge splash pad that was put in, we updated the walking trail and we have a butterfly garden there.” The funding for the project was paid through the American Rescue Plan Act. Lopez said the support from the city’s park’s department helped get the park acknowledged by the state level. “If you haven’t had a chance to come on by and take a look at it, please come on by,” Lopez said. “You’d be very impressed.” Noble Texas Builders won an Eagle Award at the ABC South Texas 2025 Excellence in Construction Awards for the design and construction of La Esperanza Park. Rene Capistran, president of Noble, said the park has been reimagined with accessibility at its core. “Working alongside the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the transformation of this beloved community space includes major upgrades that make it more inclusive and welcoming for all visitors. From ADA-compliant renovations in the Community and Technology Buildings to fully accessible outdoor features, every detail was designed with comfort, safety, and usability in mind,” he said. Editor's Note: The 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.

MISSION, Texas - AltaCair Foundation’s top event of 2025 was its Accelerator Conference. This was the third year in a row AltaCair has held an Accelerator Conference. It was billed as the largest health summit in South Texas. During the conference, the group’s president, Dr. Rashmi Chandran, gave a series of interviews. Here is one of them. Go to the Rio Grande Guardian website for the full story. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.

MCALLEN, Texas - RioPlex plans to hold meetings every month across the region to explain to communities what the group is doing to bring in more investment and better paying jobs. Mario Reyna, RioPlex’s executive director, spoke about the group’s vision, mission statement, core values, and strategic direction at a leadership gathering, held recently at McAllen Country Club. “We're going to have engagements every month throughout the region to tell people what it is that we're trying to do,” Reyna said. “People have to understand, the community has to understand, what it is that we're trying to do, how we're going to do things that are going to make them better.” RioPlex is looking to bring longterm prosperity to the region, Reyna explained. The region consists of the Rio Grande Valley and northern Tamaulipas. “We have to remember why we're doing it. We're doing this because we want to lower the poverty rate in our region, and the only way we know how to do this is by bringing better jobs, bringing more investment. That is going to create better paying jobs.” Regional unity is key, Reyna explained. “We want to bring everybody together, private, public, nonprofit, everybody. Everybody that has anything to do with bringing more investment to our community. That's our mission,” Reyna said. “We cannot move forward if we're not united, and we are going to do everything we can to make sure people understand what it is that we're trying to do. We want to bring more industrial development to this area. So, we're going to be investor-focused. That's what we're trying to do, bring additional investment to the area. We want to promote the region, not internally, but externally.” Reyna continued: “We want to work with everybody, everybody, including the economic development corporations and the Foreign Trade Zone.” Foreign Trade Zone No. 12’s president and CEO, Mark E. Garcia, was in the audience. His group has just joined RioPlex. 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.

Josie Arellano is crime victims liaison for Pharr Police Development. Arellano sat down for an in-depth interview with Rio Grande Guardian anchor Mari Regalado to discuss her work. She said it is important for the victims of crime to come forward and report a crime, no matter what their legal status. She said Pharr Police Department can help. Here is the interview. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.

Josie Arellano es enlace para víctimas de delitos en el Departamento de Desarrollo Policial de Pharr. Arellano conversó a fondo con la presentadora del Rio Grande Guardian, Mari Regalado, para hablar sobre su trabajo. Regalado comentó que es importante que las víctimas de delitos se presenten y denuncien, sin importar su estatus legal. Añadió que el Departamento de Policía de Pharr puede ayudar. Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.