The Monitor

I believe that if you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to succeed here in Texas. To have the opportunity to get ahead, take care of your family and retire with dignity. But Sen. Ted Cruz is leading the fight to make that harder.

Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) produce a storage root that has a generous amount of Beta carotene, which our bodies convert to vitamin A. This root vegetable is very sensitive to cold. It is commonly treated as an annual and fresh transplants, called slips, are planted each year. In the Rio Grande Valley, planting is usually between March 15 and May 1. This plant thrives under warm conditions and will die off in a freeze. Texas is the fifth largest producer of this nutritious root in the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized over 60 pounds of cocaine after a man tried to smuggle the drugs through the Pharr port of entry on Thursday.

The Peñitas Police Department needs your help.

A 23-year-old man is dead and an investigation has been launched into his late-night shooting at the hands of a law enforcement officer in Weslaco on Saturday, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman said via email.

The Edinburg Police Department wants its pup-loving citizens to put them to work.

On Feb. 27, Americans across the nation celebrated National Term Limits Day. Despite being largely unreported, it is an important milestone commemoration. National Term Limits Day celebrates the ratification of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, setting a limit of two four-year terms for American presidents. The history of this important amendment is informative for today's conversation around expanding the concept to include members of Congress.

The presidential election is less than two months away. Ballots are set and election officials already are preparing for the massive endeavor that enables voters across the country to decide who will occupy the White House and both chambers of Congress.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley announced that since its inception in 2015 it has raised $284 million in fundraising.