Area News

39 doctors have graduated, ready to take on their residencies at the next level. On Sat. May 9, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley held a virtual commencement ceremony for the School of Medicine’s first graduating class. The doctors started in the program in 2016, when the school was first opened. Dr. Leonel Vela,…

A series spotlighting locally-owned businesses adjusting to the pandemic Over a plate of their signature chicken parmesan, Aaron Balli, the owner of Balli’s Social Event Center, spoke about the abrupt transition they had to make when the COVID-19 pandemic placed restrictions on the county. Balli’s Social Event Center, located at 1620 E. Griffin Parkway in…

Principal Sandra Rodriguez, along with the school’s team of administrators, spent last Friday May 8 stopping at the home of every Top Ten student in the MHS Class of 2020. The Class of 2020 faced an unexpected shift in their last year at Mission High School – the pandemic brought about by the coronavirus shut…

After tech entrepreneur Elon Musk threatened to move his Tesla operations from California to Texas, Hidalgo County officials suggested Musk to come to south Texas. Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez sent a letter to Musk Monday following Musk’s public threats to California to move Tesla’s headquarters to Texas or Nevada as the auto assembly’s…

Following new guidelines as laid out by the Texas Education Agency, Sharyland ISD, Mission CISD and La Joya ISD announced this past week that they will be holding in person graduation ceremonies for high school seniors. The guidelines were laid out as part Governor Greg Abbott’s Strike Force to Open Texas. Under the guidelines, an…

The total amount of COVID-19 cases in Hidalgo County inched closer to 420 Thursday as eight new cases were reported by the county. This brings the total number of known cases of the virus to 417. The number of those hospitalized with complications from the disease remained steady at 16 with three of those in…

A 15-year-old boy from Starr County tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the 16th case for the county, officials confirmed Thursday. The 15-year-old teen from Rio Grande City is in a private facility and his family has a history of travel, Starr County Health Authority Dr. Jose Vasquez said, adding that officials are waiting to confirm a…

The DHR Health Institute for Research and Development is joining other U.S. healthcare workers in sharing clinical and life experiences on the COVID-19 pandemic frontlines. The DHR Health Institute is joining the Healthcare Worker Exposure Response & Outcomes (HERO) Registry to provide the perspectives and problems faced by those on the COVID-19 pandemic front lines, DHR announced in a…

Two people in Hidalgo County with underlying medical conditions died after testing positive for COVID-19, Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez announced Wednesday. This brings the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in the county to 10. “Having one-person die is tragic enough,” Judge Cortez said in a news release. “Having two people die on the…

A sixth member of a Roma family tested positive for COVID-19 late Monday night, bringing the total amount of cases in the county to 15. The unidentified man is part of the same Roma household where five family members had tested positive for COVID-19 last week. “This is a travel related case, we believe this…