Alicia Costello of the Texas Historical Commission will speak Aug. 4 at the Museum of South Texas History in Edinburg. (Courtesy photo)
Alicia Costello of the Texas Historical Commission will speak Aug. 4 at the Museum of South Texas History in Edinburg. (Courtesy photo)
EDINBURG — Ever wanted to learn more about your family history but don’t know where to start?
Alicia Costello, a marker historian from the Texas Historical Commission, will conduct a 2-hour workshop on how to utilize resources starting at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4, at the Museum of South Texas History.
Participants will uncover the widely available resources everyday people can use to find out more about the past of their family, land and community. Hands-on and interactive learning will provide tangible skills in deed and public record research, institutional histories and community records. Costello will also share on how to turn these findings into a compelling story people will want to read repeatedly. This workshop has limited seating and pre-registration is required. Please register at www.mosthistory.org/events.
Costello has loved history and writing since she picked up her first “Little House on the Prairie” book at age eight. She graduated with a master’s degree in literature from the University of Houston – Clear Lake. After spending several years as English and Composition teacher, she joined the staff of the Texas Historical Commission in 2021 as a marker historian and moved her husband and two boys from Houston to Austin. In her free time, you can find her with a good book and knitting.
This program is made possible with support from the Carmen C. Guerra Endowment. Guerra was deeply committed to supporting educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley. This named endowment was created at the museum by her family to honor her memory and to continue her commitment to providing opportunities for education to the community.
For more information about MOSTHistory, including becoming a FRIEND, visit MOSTHistory.org, like us on Facebook and Instagram, follow on Twitter, find on YouTube or call (956) 383-6911.
Shaine Casas celebrates after the Men's 200 individual medley finals Friday, June 21, 2024, at the US Swimming Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. (Michael Conroy/AP Photo)
Shaine Casas swims during the Men’s 200 individual medley finals Friday, June 21, 2024, at the US Swimming Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. (Michael Conroy/AP Photo)
McAllen’s Shaine Casas will be in Heat No. 4, lane five on Thursday, competing for his country, state and city during the 200-meter men’s individual medley at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
It’s a phrase the former McAllen High swimmer has been working to hear and/or read since he was in college at Texas A&M, maybe even earlier. His desire only magnified after barely missing out on the 2020 games, finishing in third while needing a top-two finish to advance. Casas is a world-class swimmer. He’s won 14 medals during the world championships while representing the USA, captured three national championship medals and multiple other medals while competing in the NCAA with Texas A&M. He’s also been named SEC, SwimSwam and College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association Division I Swimmer of the Year.
Now, four years later, Casas is stronger both physically and mentally and has worked to remove any distractions. It’s finally time to seek a medal and, Casas is quick to admit, the journey he took to Paris had amazing highs to go along with life-changing lows.
“The obstacles and everything I’ve been through has given me confidence as an athlete and a person,” Casas said prior to his trip to Paris. “I think it has taught me a lot of myself and the sport. It’s great to win, but sometimes losing teaches you more than winning.
Shaine Casas and Carson Foster celebrate after the Men’s 200 individual medley finals Friday, June 21, 2024, at the US Swimming Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. (Michael Conroy/AP Photo)
“There have been hard times and great times and I’ve been able to make the best of things in both situations. That’s how the (swim) meets work out — most of the times it isn’t perfect, you just need to figure out how to maneuver through the hiccups.”
This version of Casas is different than the one four years ago; you can hear it in his voice. While the exuberance and confidence remain, it’s more of a respectful and humble version of four years ago. It makes him look and feel stronger — and the numbers don’t lie.
“It’s all about perspective and I feel like I’m in the best spot mentally, physically and socially. I have more experience on my side. Four years ago I was new to it and naïve to it and how things really go. I’ve definitely grown up and learned.”
The 16 fastest swim times through the four heats, featuring 25 swimmers from around the world, will advance to the semifinals. The event takes place at 4:40 a.m. Central Time, 11:40 a.m. Paris time. The semifinals will be held near the end of the Olympic day, scheduled to start at 2:35 p.m., Central Time, 9:35 p.m. in Paris time.
The medal round is slated for 1:43 p.m., Central Time, Friday (8:43 p.m. Paris time).
Casas entry time to clinch an Olympic berth was 1 minute, 55.83 seconds, which places him third out of the 25 swimmers in the event. Only teammate Carson Foster (1:55.65), China’s Shun Wang (1:54.62) and France’s Leon Marchand (1:54.82) have faster entry times. (Note: The Olympic record is held by the USA’s Michael Phelps at 1:54.23 and the world record is owned by the USA’s Ryan Lochte at 1:54.00).
Shaine Casas and Carson Foster celebrate after the Men’s 200 individual medley finals Friday, June 21, 2024, at the US Swimming Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. (Michael Conroy/AP Photo)
Casas’ reaction when he touched the wall to clinch his spot in Team USA was memorable as he grabbed his forehead to wipe away the pool water, (and maybe a tear or two, immediately leaned over the rope to hug Foster, his new USA teammate) then took a few second, hands clenched in prayer to take it all in, the look of relief, gratefulness and excitement all taking their turns within his expressions.
“I’m going to make that damn team,” he said prior to the qualifying meet in Indianapolis. “I wish I could go back and have a conversation with myself — I might slap myself because I won’t want to hear it. But things happen. There are pivotal moments that teach you a lot and rub off on you and make you who you are.
“I’ve had experiences that have shaped the person I am and the things I’m trying to do. I hold myself in a certain way and do what’s best for myself.”
Water bubbles up from a manhole cover as Tropical Storm Alberto impacts the Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in Weslaco. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])
Parts of the Rio Grande Valley have had a bit of good luck in the past couple of weeks with regard to our ever-worsening water shortage. The region was spared the brunt of Hurricane Beryl, which shifted north and caused widespread flooding and power outages in the Houston area. Our water needs have been so great that some people actually hoped the storm would hit us.
Fortunately, the days since Beryl have brought several rainy days to the Valley. It’s been steady enough to ease our parched region but not hard enough to cause the kind of flooding that plagues the area during many storms.
Unfortunately, the storm’s shift moved the rainfall away from the Amistad and Falcon reservoirs that supply South Texas. Those reservoirs remain at historically low levels.
Valley officials need to keep that in mind; when the rainy days end and our land starts to dry out, our water crisis will pick up right where it left off in early July.
That crisis is only made worse by drought conditions that are even worse in Mexico. A 1944 water-sharing treaty between our two countries requires that each allow a certain amount of water to flow from their tributary rivers into the Rio Grande. For the past several decades Mexico has built dams along those rivers and depended on natural rainfall to help the country meet its water obligations. That rain hasn’t come, and Mexico is years behind in its compliance. That has hurt Valley farmers who depend on the water to irrigation. It’s killed our billion-dollar sugar cane industry and threatened our citrus crop.
Sadly, Valley officials historically have acted much like their Mexican counterparts, panicking when conditions are dire but doing little when we get welcome — but brief rains.
Let’s hope that doesn’t happen this time.
We’ve had a water crisis since the decade-long drought of the 1990s. It’s forced ranchers to burn thorns off of cacti to feed their livestock and farmers to invest in new irrigation systems or switch to dryland crops that didn’t need so much water. The losses have cost the Valley’s economy billions of dollars — losses that could have been mitigated if they had taken some action before now. They could have lined or covered our network of open canals that lose up to one-fourth of their water to seepage and evaporation. Some efforts have been taken, such as a desalination plant in eastern Cameron County, but it started as a small, pilot effort that needs expansion.
Many local officials have said their small communities can’t afford the cost of finding or developing new water sources. However, this is a regional problem and it needs a regional approach. No city can go it alone, but they can combine their efforts and resources to find more reliable sources of water that can serve them all.
Working together won’t just help provide seed funds for groundwater extraction or retention pools that can capture more rainwater. A united front also has a better chance of convincing state and federal policymakers to provide whatever assistance they can.
Surely, officials can find several options to help us address our water needs. But it isn’t going to happen if they don’t start working together.
Trawlers with the Port Isabel shrimp fleet are shown in this photo taken Sept. 7, 2023. (Courtesy: Gaige Davila)
The Gulf shrimp industry is struggling to stay afloat against a flood of cheap imported shrimp, and Brownsville-Port Isabel’s shrimp industry is far from immune.
It’s not a new problem, but this year the Port Isabel Economic Development Corporation opted to take action, in the form of financial assistance to help shrimp boat owners pay for fuel.
Port Isabel City Manager Jared Hockema said the EDC provided six grants of $10,000 each to individual boat owners on a first come, first serve basis. To be eligible, boat owners had to be based in Port Isabel and had to have operated a boat or fleet last year, he said. The city, meanwhile, made sure there was no overlap in ownership among recipient companies, so no one got more than their share, Hockema said.
He said the city is in close communication with its shrimpers, some of whom requested help in advance of this year’s shrimp season, which opened July 15.
“One of the things that came up is that some of the fleets needed a little bit of a jump start to get the season going this year,” Hockema said. “It was capped at $60,000. … Right now with the price of fuel it’s about $12,000 or $13000 to fill a shrimp boat for 30 days. A lot of these operations have more than one shrimp boat.”
The industry is central to the heritage of Port Isabel — dubbed the shrimping capital of the world in the mid-1950s — and the city wants to ensure that industry remains viable, not merely because of the historical and cultural importance but also the economic impact, he said. Each boat has a significant multiplier effect in terms of jobs supported, not only boat crews but also the fuel sellers, equipment suppliers, boat maintenance facilities, provision suppliers, restaurants and so on, Hockema noted.
He said the goal of the grants is to “keep a vital industry alive that’s really intertwined with our identity” while also giving visitors to Port Isabel what they expect: Gulf shrimp.
“If you don’t have the shrimp boats out there then you don’t have shrimp to sell in your restaurants,” Hockema said.
He said the industry has faced multiple challenges for years, including high fuel prices and manpower shortages, especially when it comes to experienced “headers,” the crew members responsible for getting the boat ready for fishing, lowering and retrieving the nets, and sorting and heading the catch.
“A lot of them do come from Mexico, but the problem is of course for them to obtain a visa,” Hockema said. “Those visas are usually given out at the beginning of the year, in January, and by the time the shrimpers … start in the summer those visas are already gone.”
Still, the ever-present glut of farm-raised, foreign shrimp is the main factor making it harder and harder to make a living pulling shrimp from the Gulf, he said.
This is the first time Port Isabel’s EDC has offered direct cash assistance to local shrimpers, though two decades ago some received relief in the form of Trade Adjustment Assistance from the International Trade Commission, stemming from a case brought before the International Trade Commission over illegally subsidized shrimp being dumped in the U.S. market.
Port Isabel’s shrimpers were among those in the domestic shrimp industry receiving $10,000 each in TAA payments.
“There were tariffs that were levied against those (foreign) shrimp producers, and then the money were used then to provide Trade Adjustment Assistance, which basically aids the impacted U.S. industries,” Hockema said. “They did receive that funding about 20 years ago. To be candid, that problem is still going on. We still have shrimp that is being subsidized illegally and dumped in the United States. We still have shrimp that is contaminated with antibiotics that’s being shipped in from overseas and being dumped in the United States.”
In the European Union, such cargoes, when intercepted by authorities, are destroyed on site, he noted, adding that if the United States had a similar policy, Port Isabel’s shrimp fleet might not be in such dire straits.
“You’re allowing shrimp to be imported below the cost of production, and so that’s just destroying the viability of an American industry, and that’s true with a lot of industries,” he said. “If it were steel or cars, the U.S. government would be taking action against them. They would be levying tariffs. They would be imposing other sanctions on that foreign industry. But in this case that action is not taking place.”
The Willacy County Sheriff’s Office and Jail is seen in this undated file photo. (Valley Morning Star Photo)
EDINBURG — More than a year after Hidalgo County officials hired a firm to overhaul the vacant Willacy County jail in an attempt to relieve jail overcrowding here, the extensive repairs are now complete and the first group of inmates have moved in.
Hidalgo County began transferring inmates to the Willacy facility Friday morning, according to a news release.
The county expects to continue transferring inmates there in increments.
“A total of 450 inmates are scheduled to be housed at the Willacy facility once the jail has been fully populated,” the news release states.
The move comes after the Texas Commission on Jail Standards conducted an occupancy inspection on July 25 and after extensive repairs to the 21-year-old facility were completed just last month.
Noble Texas Builders, the La Feria-based construction firm tasked with bringing the abandoned jail up to par, completed the job on June 17, according to documents included as part of Tuesday’s Hidalgo County Commissioners Court agenda packet.
And though the company’s announcement of project completion came months behind schedule, it nonetheless came in tens of thousands of dollars under budget, those documents show.
On May 30, 2023, the county approved nearly $2.3 million for Noble to renovate the jail facility, which had been vacant for about seven months after President Joe Biden issued a change to federal prison policy that called for the reduction of privately-run federal prisons.
But, between the months of disuse, and the differences between federal and state jail standards, the Willacy jail — once known as the Willacy County Regional Detention Center — needed extensive renovations.
For both Hidalgo and Willacy counties, the proposal to house Hidalgo inmates at the facility seemed like a win-win.
Inmates move containers with hot meals for fellow inmates at the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, in Edinburg. (Joel Martinez | [email protected])
Hidalgo County would benefit by staving off noncompliance warnings from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards regarding overcrowding concerns that had forced the county to house a percentage of its jail population in Brooks, Starr and Jim Hogg counties.
And Willacy County would benefit from having a lessee whose annual rent payments would go a long way toward repaying the debt that the rural county is still paying down for the jail’s 2003 construction.
But the proposal has hit more than a few snags along the way.
Things began in the summer of 2022, when leaders from both counties first started discussions for Hidalgo County to potentially purchase the jail. By the fall, however, those discussions had evolved toward a lease agreement.
In November 2022, Hidalgo County approved a 50-year lease at a rate of $3 million per year for the first several years.
Later that month, the county began to look into hiring a firm that would serve as third-party administrators of the facility’s day-to-day operations.
On April 4, 2023, the county hired a firm to do just that, approving Louisiana-based private prison firm, LaSalle Corrections, to run the jail and oversee any inmates housed there.
LaSalle signed on for an eight-year contract that went into effect retroactively on April 1, 2023.
According to county documents, LaSalle was to be paid $13.9 million for the first year of the contract, and another $14.5 million this April. The contract price would then continue to increase by hundreds of thousands of dollars each subsequent year.
But it wasn’t until a month after Hidalgo County hired LaSalle that they also hired Noble Texas Builders to renovate the jail.
The county approved that contract on May 30, 2023.
By the end of last year, county officials said they expected to be able to open the jail by Jan. 15, despite a payment request from Noble dated Nov. 29, 2023 showing the company was still less than 50% complete with repairs.
Jan. 15 came and went. As the months progressed, Noble continued to submit payment requests to the county that showed them inching closer to finishing.
Finally, included as part of Tuesday’s meeting agenda packet, was a final payment request from the company. Repairs were 100% done, and about $291,000 under the original project budget, the document shows.
All that remained was for Hidalgo County to approve a “final payment” of $100,409.85.
The commissioners’ court approved the payment with no fanfare and no discussion at all.
As of December 2023, Hidalgo County was housing more than 350 inmates in other counties, according to figures posted to the jail commission’s website.
However, the commission has recently removed months’ worth of more recent data, citing the state’s inability to “verify the accuracy of the data due to its technological capabilities.”
The jail commission previously posted self-reported data each month from jails around the state. Now, the most recent numbers available are from 2019.
“As the facility begins full operation, we remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of security,” the county further stated.
“The opening of the Willacy County Regional Detention Facility is a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to reduce jail overcrowding and uphold justice in our community.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated with new information from Hidalgo County.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas on Wednesday sent letters to five Rio Grande Valley school districts alleging that their dress code policies violate the Texas CROWN Act.
Gov. Greg Abbott signed the law — which prohibits discrimination in schools, workplaces and housing authorities over hair textures or protective hairstyles — in 2023.
The letters were sent to the superintendents of the Harlingen, Raymondville, La Feria, La Villa and Roma school districts.
The Texas CROWN Act stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair” and “prohibits schools, workplaces, and housing authorities from discriminating against hair textures or protective hairstyles commonly or historically associated with race such as afros, cornrows, braids or locs,” the ACLU of Texas said.
Chloe Kempf, an attorney with the ACLU of Texas, said in a news release that the organization identified more than 50 districts in Texas that they say are in violation of the legislation.
“All Texas school districts — including those that we have identified — must immediately comply with the Texas CROWN Act,” Kempf said in the release. “Not only is it the law — but it’s essential for ensuring that students of color are free to be themselves and to express their racial and cultural identity at school.
“All students, no matter their race, religion, gender, or how they wear their hair, deserve to feel welcome at school, without the threat of discriminatory dress codes.”
All of the Valley school districts targeted by the ACLU of Texas — with the exception of La Feria — responded to requests for comment on the letters.
In its letter to the Harlingen school district, the ACLU of Texas said the district was violating the legislation because its dress code includes language that deems “excessively bushy hair” as an inappropriate hair style.
Harlingen Deputy Superintendent Veronica Kortan confirmed Thursday afternoon that the district received the ACLU of Texas’ letter.
The Harlingen CISD Administration Building is seen in this undated photo. (Maricela Rodriguez/Valley Morning Star)
Kortan said the district will treat the organization’s concern like it does any other concern brought to the district.
She said that HCISD will do a review and if the district realizes it needs to change practices or policies, then the district will do so.
The issue taken by the ACLU of Texas with the Raymondville school district has to do with cornrows.
“The style and color must not (be) extreme to the point of creating a distraction. Some examples, but not all, of such are … cornrows,” Raymondville ISD’s dress code policy reads, according to the ACLU of Texas.
Benjamin Castillo, an attorney representing the district, said in a statement that Raymondville ISD is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and respectful environment for all of its students.
“In response to recent inquiries and in accordance with the Texas CROWN Act, the district is currently reviewing its dress code policy to ensure full compliance with state law and to uphold principles of non-discrimination concerning hair textures and protective hairstyles,” Castillo’s statement reads.
Castillo said Raymondville ISD evaluates all disciplinary actions on a case-by-case basis per Texas Education Code rules.
“Final actions are taken in accordance with state law and local board policies to ensure fairness and equality for all students,” Castillo wrote. “Raymondville ISD stands firmly against any form of discrimination and is committed to maintaining an environment that respects all cultural expressions.”
Deputy Superintendent Benjamin Clinton also said he can confirm that no district student was disciplined last year for having cornrows and that “our student dress code has since been updated.”
Over at the Roma school district, the ACLU of Texas had alleged that the district prohibited: “Boys hair styles worn longer in the back than in the bottom of a traditional shirt collar, or longer on the sides than the ear,” meaning no cornrows.
Roma ISD Superintendent Carlos M. Gonzalez Jr. gives a presentation on the school district’s bond that will go to voters in May. Voters approved the proposal on Saturday, May 6, 2023. (Courtesy: Roma ISD/Facebook)
In a statement, Roma ISD said the language cited by the ACLU of Texas in the letter was an error included in a quick reference guide.
“The person who created the document, which is concerning the high school dress code for a Roma ISD Back to School Information site, used an old file with incorrect language. It was an error and one we have quickly addressed,” the statement read.
Roma ISD thanked the ACLU of Texas for alerting it to the problem so it could address the error.
“The school and district do allow students to wear hair styles their families deem appropriate,” the statement read.
It further reads that the district understands it’s important to keep posted documents with policies accurate and up to date.
“We are committed to working closely with our schools to ensure all their policy information is up to date and correct,” the statement reads. “We apologize for the error and will work to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
La Villa ISD Superintendent Robert Munoz, when reached by email Wednesday evening, said the district will begin reviewing its dress code Thursday and make changes to reflect the new law.
“We had discussed this scenario last year and knew that if parents pursue legal actions we will probably not be successful. Our district has many young men and ladies who fit this criteria and no actions have been taken by (the) administration,” Munoz wrote. “Our goal is we want our kids in the classroom and not lose any instructional time. We will review the dress code tomorrow and make changes that reflect our new laws.”
The ACLU of Texas said La Feria ISD’s dress code policy of prohibiting “dreads, braids/French braids [for boys]” violates the Texas CROWN Act.
An attempt to reach La Feria ISD was not successful. The district does not include emails or phone numbers on its website for the superintendent or for its communications director.
Instead there is a media request jot form. The district did not respond to a request for comment submitted through that form.
Katy Garcia, a medical resident at South Texas Health System McAllen, works with a patient Thursday, July 25, 2024. (Courtesy: South Texas Health System)
There’s no place like home.
South Texas Health System medical residents and a physician spoke this week about why home and heart helped them make the decision to stay in the Rio Grande Valley after their residencies, helping offset an ongoing shortage of healthcare professionals in the region.
While it’s an issue that faces the country both before and since the COVID-19 pandemic, when medical staffs throughout the nation were overwhelmed to the brink of their resources and capabilities, the need in the Valley can be far greater as a location that has historically suffered from illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension.
Meet Bianca Nuñez, 33, of Pharr, who although has considered working in other markets, found that nowhere had the heart of the Valley.
Nuñez explained that while she had already gone to interviews with other programs in cities such as San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Laredo and Chicago, she landed at STHS in McAllen.
STHS calls it the GME (graduate medical education) Consortium’s Family Medicine Residency Program, and here’s why it quickly became her top choice.
“I knew if I wanted to be the best physician I could be, I had to learn from the best,” Nuñez said with pride in her voice. “During my interview I was just so inspired by Dr. Pareja, Dr. Johnson, Dr. Contreras and Dr. Lustenberger and I knew this (STHS) is where I wanted to train.”
Nuñez, who started the program about a month ago, explained that she is excited to continue her residency over the course of three years, the length of the program.
“It’s been amazing. It’s been such an amazing experience,” Nuñez said. “I find myself getting the best training already in my first month. I would recommend this program to anybody … I’m hoping that … we can show other people from the Valley that it’s OK to come back.
“… We have everything to grow here and to learn here.”
Bianca Nunez is a medical resident at South Texas Health System McAllen. (Courtesy: South Texas Health System)
For Nuñez, the Valley is entitled to the same quality and access to health care as larger cities and markets, and she believes its recent growth in the medical field is evidence that others are beginning to believe the same.
This is how community members in need of greater medical support can be better cared for, and in greater quantities, more effectively, she added.
“I always knew I wanted to practice here for my community — this is just where I wanted to learn, where I wanted to grow; this is where I want to, you know, someday raise my own family,” Nuñez said. “I think the reason I wanted to come back is because I’m from here and I know what a unique place the Rio Grande Valley is and it’s honestly one of the best places to live.”
Nuñez hopes to continue working for STHS as a family medicine physician after completing her residency, with the goal of eventually opening her own practice in the Valley.
Dr. Wagner Vaz Guimaraes, a hospitalist at STHS McAllen, made the same decision as Nuñez did and has never looked back.
Although Vaz Guimaraes, 47, is a native of Brazil and explained that he chose to continue working in the Valley after completing his residency at STHS McAllen due to his love for the culture, people and its proximity to the beach.
He was a resident from 2017-2020 and is now also helping the facility train new physicians in the clinical teaching department, where he assists with patient rounds.
Vaz Guimaraes said that teaching the residents is a full circle moment and hopes to contribute as much effort and education as the program did for him.
“It’s grateful but also a challenge at the same time,” Vaz Guimaraes added, noting he feels he has a responsibility to provide the same or greater education opportunities. “It’s a good experience to teach them and take time to give back everything that was done for me.”
The residency program operated under a different name until 2022 — the McAllen Family Residency McAllen before becoming part of STHS’s consortium, which combines family medicine and internal medicine.
Dr. Wagner Vaz Guimaraes of South Texas Health System McAllen’s medical residency. (Courtesy: South Texas Health System)
Vaz Guimaraes wasn’t there for the switchover, but he’s sharing advice for residents now based on his knowledge and expertise.
“Be persistent all the time,” Vaz Guimaraes said, adding that residents should try to stay in a place they love and make their contribution there.
He gets excited whenever his peers and former teachers learn that he stayed and became a physician at the hospital he studied in.
“It feels great that people also can see how you have been moving forward from first year residence to working with the hospital,” Vaz Guimaraes said happily.
Another reason he stayed in the area is because of the supportive and friendly atmosphere at STHS McAllen.
“It’s very great to see everybody still working there, it’s a great hospital to work (in), the environment is good,” Vaz Guimaraes said.
Katy Garcia, 32, of McAllen, concurred.
Currently a medical resident, Garcia explained that working at STHS McAllen isn’t what she thought it would be.
She explained that she was pleasantly surprised to find that there was no division between the departments at the hospital.
Katy Garcia is a medical resident at South Texas Health System McAllen. (Courtesy: South Texas Health System)
“I feel like I’m appreciated,” Garcia said, adding that she’s treated like an equal.
Having staff members who make themselves available for questions and take the time to teach residents helps keep a positive moral for Garcia.
“Here we are treated with a lot of kindness and respect that unfortunately is rare in medicine as we train in residency,” Garcia said.
Hearing from her friends who are doing residencies in other areas across the country makes her appreciate STHS even more.
She explained that having a healthy work environment allows her to focus on her work without added stress from co-workers.
After completing her residency, Garcia hopes to specialize in sports medicine or musculoskeletal health.
“One of the big pros for me is that I feel like I am creating my own,” Garcia said. “I may leave for a little bit to train more, if that’s something that we don’t have here yet.”
She hopes to bring back any knowledge she learns elsewhere to continue to help health care grow in the Valley.
“Because I’m from here I feel like I connect with patients in a way that is unique,” Garcia said, adding that the culture and people is one of the reasons she wants to continue to practice medicine in the Valley.
There’s another connection Garcia has with the hospital. Let’s just say she began her journey there.
“It’s crazy because I was born here (STHS McAllen) and then when I was in high school I was a junior volunteer all four years and then didn’t go back until day one of work,” Garcia said.
Working for a hospital that has been a part of her life since childhood has been fulfilling for her.
“I feel like the administration did a really great job as far as choosing folks with really good hearts, like who really care, like who really want to help,” Garcia said. “I honestly would say that it is the happiest I’ve been since I began my journey in medicine.”
Mission Regional Medical Center celebrates its 70th anniversary at the Mission Event Center Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Mission. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])
Mission Regional Medical Center celebrates its 70th anniversary at the Mission Event Center Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Mission. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])
MISSION — A white canopy with a dazzling chandelier in the center stood at the entrance as guests made their way into the Mission Event Center on Thursday to celebrate Mission Regional Medical Center’s 70th anniversary.
The ceremony began with three words: Beacon of health.
Tables with maroon tablecloths filled the open space with panels timelining the history of the hospital’s expansion and contribution in the Rio Grande Valley over the decades.
Hospital officials gathered at the event center, located at 200 N. Shary Road in Mission, to commemorate seven decades of serving the community.
For Elizabeth Garza, 69, the event is a celebration of the hospital’s history of care that represents how the need for health care has changed through the years.
That history includes the hospital, originally named Mission Municipal Hospital, beginning as a 40-bed facility to now having 200 beds.
“It’s just amazing, you know where the community took the hospital,” Garza, who has been a board member for about 18 years, said Thursday.
A nonprofit community hospital, Mission Regional first opened its doors in July 1954 as a single-story facility, located at 1205 Bryce St., that offered emergency care, maternity, surgery and imaging services.
Prior to its first expansion in the 1970s, the facility had already begun to increase staffing and the equipment available.
In 1977, the hospital expanded to 58 beds at the Bryce Street location.
Guests at the Mission Regional Medical Center’s 70th anniversary celebration at the Mission Event Center Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Mission. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])
The facility later reached a milestone in their healthcare coverage when it opened its doors in January 1987 to its current hospital location on Bryan Road.
The 110-bed hospital at the time, which was accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of HealthCare Organization, was staffed with 125 physicians that represented 27 specialties.
Other milestones for Mission Regional include the addition of the two-story medical office building in 1991, the addition of 28 beds for maternity and in-patient rehabilitation patients, a new emergency department, an ambulatory surgery center as well as a second medical office building.
The hospital system later built a five-story facility in 2004 with 132 beds for inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services.
The new facility also included an intensive care unit, a step-down telemetry unit, a medical/ surgical floor, obstetrics and a neonatal intensive care unit.
As the hospital system continued to increase its presence across the Valley, board officials decided to change the hospital’s name in 2005 to Mission Regional Medical Center to reflect the scope of services available.
As time went on, Mission Regional continued to improve the equipment available such as investing in imaging technology, expanding its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to 20 beds and increasing hospital bedding to 297 beds, opening a dedicated Pediatric Unit.
The facility also continued to expand its services by opening a Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner Unit in 2009 to care for victims of assault, abuse and neglect as well as collect forensic evidence for crime lab analysis.
Guests at the Mission Regional Medical Center’s 70th anniversary celebration at the Mission Event Center Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Mission. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])
By 2013, hospital staffing included 300 physicians with an overall workforce of about 1,000 employees.
In 2017, Mission Regional Medical Center became a member of the Prime Healthcare Foundation which allowed for more improvements to the facility and the services it provided such as the inclusion of robotic surgery.
“We moved with the times,” Garza said.
In 2020 and 2021, the facility was named one of the Fortune/ IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals in the nation. Over the years the institution also received recognition for its services such as the Gold Seal of Approval for hip and knee replacement surgery from the Joint Commission.
The facility, which was ranked among the top 10% in the nation by HealthGrades, also received a five-star rating for services such as cardio-pulmonary, maternity and orthopedics.
“We’re always looking to expand the type of services that we offer,” Garza said. “We’re looking at opening a clinic west of Mission to continue to serve between Mission and Rio Grande.”
Padmini Bhadriraju, regional chief medical officer for Prime Healthcare in the Valley, which owns Mission Regional, Harlingen Medical and Knapp Medical centers, expressed enthusiasm about the work being done today.
“… It’s such a great team of people who work at Mission Regional, everyone is very dedicated and constantly looking for doing better things for patient care, safety and everything,” she said.
The Weslaco ISD Administration Building is seen in an undated photo. (Courtesy Photo)
The Weslaco ISD Administration Building is seen in an undated photo. (Courtesy Photo)
Weslaco ISD is underway with phase one of three of its $160 million bond projects with some being completed this year and early next year.
The propositions for the bond elections were passed last November by district voters totaling $160 million for the construction, acquisition and equipment for district buildings, including new school buses; and rehabilitation, renovations of performing arts and athletic facilities.
Phase one bond projects include restroom and roofing upgrades, vestibules, field replacement, tennis court improvement, running tracks, lighting upgrades, fire alarm system upgrades, HVAC upgrades, a new agriculture building and the demolition of the old Central Middle School gym.
Presenting a status of the construction bond projects at a meeting on June 25, Weslaco ISD Superintendent Richard Rivera gave the public an update on the projects with an estimated completion date for each of them.
The project’s completion dates range from as early as August to December 2026.
“I feel very comfortable that the plan is to get everything, hopefully, everything done for ‘25 or for ‘26,” Rivera said.
The first project to be completed is the installation of turf at the Weslaco East High School stadium in August, followed by the completion of band towers in October.
Some projects are scheduled to be completed in 2025 throughout the year.
In January 2025, the district estimated to have completed the new Weslaco High tennis courts and new baseball/softball fields with synthetic turf and new scoreboards.
Weslaco High and Weslaco East both have their own baseball and softball fields that will get the improvements.
“That’s kind of when the season starts, so that’s the urgency to have those ready … We already have the proposals and we’re ready for the board to select the firm to do all two softball and baseball fields,” Rivera said.
In March 2025, light upgrades for the Susan Peterson Performing Arts Center are expected to be completed and the Central Middle School gym is scheduled for demolition.
“It’s an old gym,” he said. “It’s really not used anymore and it’s in bad shape. The plan is to go ahead and build a new cafeteria in that area.”
Rivera added the proposed new cafeteria at the middle school will be part of remaining phases of the bond election projects.
The rest of 2025 includes fixing roofing at multiple schools, installing vestibules, running tracks for all middle schools and fire alarm upgrades.
District-wide HVAC projects, restroom improvements at various schools and a brand new agriculture building are set for completion in 2026.
“I’m so thankful to the citizens of Weslaco for passing the bond election,” he said. “Because without the bond election, all the projects that are there would not have been done. I appreciate the confidence in the community … it’s a win … for the boys and girls of Weslaco ISD.”
