veronica gonzales

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Leaders in the world of education in the Rio Grande Valley pitched questions to Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar at an event in Brownsville on Dec. 30.

Those leaders included Texas Southmost College President Jesús Roberto Rodríguez, UT-Rio Grande Valley Vice President Veronica Gonzales, and Brownsville ISD interim Superintendent Jesús H. Chavez.

Hegar spoke at a Brownsville Chamber of Commerce luncheon held at Brownsville Events Center. “Texas Talks: A Luncheon with Comptroller Glenn Hegar – Navigating Fiscal Frontiers.”

Responding to Chavez’s question, Hegar said he was a big supporter of public education, having sent his children to public schools. Chavez told the Rio Grande Guardian later that he was pleased with Hegar’s response. 

Hegar also took a question about liquefied natural gas, from veteran broadcaster Ron Whitlock, broadband infrastructure, from Brownsville City Manager Helen Ramirez, and industry innovation, from Andrea Figueroa Benton, head of community relations for NextDecade/Rio Grande LNG.

Here is an audio recording of the Q&A session with Comptroller Hegar.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

WESLACO, TEXAS - Broadband was a top issue at a recent meeting of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council.

Manuel ‘Manny’ Cruz, executive director of the LRGVDC, announced the formation of a South Texas working group set up by the Texas Broadband Development Office. Cruz said TBDO is looking for more people from the Valley to be part of the group.

The Texas Broadband Development Office is administered by the Texas Comptroller's Office.

UT-Rio Grande Valley Vice President Veronica Gonzales also spoke about broadband at the LRGVDC meeting. Gonzales said the TBDO has launched a survey to find out how good or bad broadband service is across the state. Gonzales encouraged LRGVDC members to spread the word about the survey.

Here is an audio recording of everything Cruz and Gonzales said at the LRGVDC meeting.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

EDINBURG, Texas - If Rio Grande Valley parents cannot pay their light bill, how are their children going to be able to access the Internet to do the remote learning expected of them?

This was one of the questions posed by Dr. Rodney H. Rodriguez, senior director for RGV Focus, during a recent webinar hosted by Teach for America-Rio Grande Valley.

The webinar was titled, “How can education and workforce development lead to a strong RGV post-COVID-19?” One of the topics that came up was the digital divide. 

Rodriguez said his nonprofit has applied to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for funds to pay for computer equipment and wifi in underserved areas.

“Can our families pay the light, can they pay the rent, are they able to put food on the table?” Rodriguez said. “It is great and dandy that we are going to have this high-tech equipment but if people cannot pay their light, how are you going to access this equipment? Keep in mind, that is going to be a huge challenge moving forward.

Other speakers on the webinar included Julian Alvarez III, the Texas Workforce Commission’s commissioner for labor, and state Sen. Juan Hinojosa. Veronica Gonzales, vice president for governmental and community relations at UT-Rio Grande Valley, was the moderator. There were also appearances by Jonathan Stevens, managing director of Teach for America-RGV, Ana Gonzalez, the nonprofit’s executive director, and attorney Deborah Cordova, a member of Teach for America-RGV’s advisory panel.

In addition to the digital divide, the topics discussed included the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the world of education, strengthening the pipeline between high schools and colleges, mental health, and the proactive nature of the Valley’s educational institutions. 

“It is so unfortunate the pandemic hit when it did because we were on a very good trajectory with all the opportunities that are here now in the Rio Grande Valley. We cannot allow this to slow us down,” said Gonzales.

Sen. Hinojosa said Valley students can compete against those from other parts of the country, pointing out that the region’s best and brightest are accepted by Harvard, Yale, and Georgetown. 

“This is where the action is and for us, we are switching over from an agriculture-based economy to one of healthcare professions, education, advanced manufacturing,” Hinojosa said, pointing out that the Valley’s average age is younger than other regions in the country. He said this is a big plus.

“You can tell the growth is here. The action is here, the leadership is here. And we have the students that want to learn and be educated. We have to put all that together and we are doing that,” Hinojosa said.

In his closing remarks, Alvarez urged educators to listen to industry. 

“How about training these high school kids, as we are going to be doing at DHR; were are going to be busing high school kids to learn how to repair and maintain equipment at the hospital with COVID relief funding that we received from the federal government. The only condition is after they go through the training, that DHR hire them. That is a win-win,” Alvarez said.

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.

EDINBURG, RGV - U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez says before violence erupted in northern Mexico, Mexican nationals would deposit hundreds of millions of dollars in Rio Grande Valley banks.

Because of the violence, these individuals are now flying over the Valley to places like San Antonio, Houston and Dallas. As a result, investment by Mexican nationals in Valley banks is down and their second homes on South Padre Island are being sold.

Gonzalez says improving security in Tamaulipas is a prerequisite to bringing those Mexican nationals back to the Valley. One of the key requirements, the McAllen Democrat argues, is restoring security along Highway 40, the interstate that runs from Monterrey to Reynosa. Indeed, Gonzalez says his vote on ratifying the are United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement in Congress is tied to improving security on Hwy 40.

Gonzalez made his views known when he spoke at a recent luncheon hosted by the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce. The event was held at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance and the moderator for the conversation was UT-Rio Grande Valley Vice President Veronica Gonzales.

In addition to border security, Gonzalez spoke about tariffs, taxes, gun control, and the 2020 Census.

Click on the link above to hear the congressman’s remarks, which were recorded by Ron Whitlock of Ron Whitlock Reports. 

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.