News

Average retail gasoline prices in Rio Grande Valley have risen 6.0 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.46/g yesterday. This compares with the national average that has increased 4.5 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.51/g, according to gasoline price website RioGrandeValleyGasPrices.com.

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EDINBURG – Edwin I. Padilla of Edinburg has advanced to the state level Youth of the Year competition. He is a member of The Boys & Girls Clubs of Edinburg RGV Teen Supreme Program.

EDINBURG ─ U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Rio Grande Valley Sector confiscated more than $7.6 million worth of marijuana in multiple seizures over the past five days and early Thursday morning.

EDINBURG – The Edinburg City Council has approved a special election to be held on May 12 to fill in the unexpired term of former councilman Noe Garza, who died in January.

• Top Story Weather Alert

McALLEN – The active weather pattern which produced our very welcome 2 to 4-plus inches of rainfall during the first full week of February continues on a varied theme this week and into Saturday; rather than the chilly air from the Great Plains being overrun by moisture, leaving occasional rain and drizzle, we're in a bit more of a spring-like pattern (after all, our "spring" typically starts around Feb. 15) which brings increasing potential for thunderstorms and wind. Here's the latest...for early planning purposes.

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EDINBURG – Join us as we celebrate Black History Month at the Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library. Back in 1976 President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month by calling upon the public to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history."

WASHINGTON, Texas - Historical re-enactors portraying Texas heroes Col. William B. Travis, Gen. Sam Houston and Davy Crockett will help lend an authentic air to the Texas Independence Day celebration March 3-4 at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site.

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio National Bank (SANB) has announced the bank will change its official name on Feb. 17 to Vantage Bank Texas.

EDINBURG – With his family and friends by his side, J.R. Betancourt, Edinburg businessman and CPA, submitted his candidate application on Monday for a place on the municipal election ballot for Edinburg City Council, Place 2. The election will be held on May 12.

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EDINBURG – Dr. René Gutiérrez, Edinburg CISD Superintendent of Schools, checks out the protective barrier wall that is going up around Harwell Middle School and Avila Elementary School.

SAN ANTONIO – The Board of Directors of the North American Development Bank (NADB) and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission (BECC) approved certification and financing for the construction of a 54-megawatt (MW) wind energy farm to be located on communal farmland known as Ejido El Porvenir, just southeast of Reynosa, Tamaulipas.

EAGLE PASS – President Obama's latest budget proposal, which offers tiny help to address the enormous problem of personnel and infrastructure at official U.S.-Mexico border crossings, is being greeted with disapproval by a coalition of Texas border mayors, county judges and economic development associations, including McAllen.

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EDINBURG – David Champion and friends are getting their famous chuck wagon beans ready for Pioneer and Ranching Crafts Day on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Museum of South Texas History.

BROWNSVILLE – Francisco "Pancho" Cisneros, a local bail bondsman charged for his role in former State District Judge Abel Limas' scheme to solicit and accept bribes in exchange for official action, has been sentenced to federal prison, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.

McALLEN – To promote health and fitness for its employees, the City of McAllen asked for participants to compete in a three month health and fitness challenge to see who is the "McAllen's Biggest Loser." The nine participants who chose to take the challenge were weighed in two weeks ago and will have to lose weight to win the title.

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PHARR – Getting closer to the start of operations in a lavish new building in downtown Pharr, the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley invited media on Wednesday morning to get a glimpse of the upcoming facility when it announced a $200,000 donation to the Bank's capital campaign from H-E-B Grocery.

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SAN MARCOS – Texans are used to putting up with the consequences of notoriously hot summers, but if researchers' predictions are correct, then record drought and wildfires won't be the only hazards residents of the Lone Star State will have to contend with in the future.

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Mike Bliss had basically three years to be a kid and be free. By the time he was three and a half he had started his life's work.

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EDINBURG – In a low-key ceremony at the home of Dolia Gonzalez, members of Freddy Gonzalez American Legion Post 408 quietly commemorated Edinburg's hero, who died valiantly 44 years ago in Vietnam.

EDINBURG ─ U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Rio Grande Valley Sector seized more than 12,000 pounds of marijuana, more than 450 vials of animal steroids and arrested a convicted felon over the past four days.

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McALLEN – UPS has begun a new daily cargo flight to McAllen Miller International Airport, connecting shippers in the Rio Grande Valley even faster with customers in the Yangtze River Valley, Rhine River Valley and other valleys around the world.

That's what the winter is all about, having fun and escaping the cold, harsh winters and I can't tell you how blessed I am to be able to enjoy it all with you. If you haven't noticed, the last few columns I've written about this crazy project of mine - Welcome Home, RGV. Many of you have understood the somewhat subliminal messages that I've been sending - and some of you haven't, and that's ok - in time it will sink in. The message is that Welcome Home, RGV is my own business, not a hobby. I don't work for a chamber of commerce, I don't work for the Original Winter Texan or for KVEO News Center 23. They are just great partners, we work together to complement the services that we provide to all of you folks out there.

McALLEN – A ranking of the top 10 metro areas in population growth from 2012 to 2020 released by Woods & Poole Economics Inc. reveals McAllen in the top 10 growth areas for mid-career adults (between 45 and 54 years of age).

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McALLEN – A total of 14 citrus trees infected with citrus greening disease have been destroyed, leaving experts hopeful that the destructive plant disease can be contained.