WESLACO, Texas - Hidalgo County Regional Mobility Authority Chairman Robert L. Lozano has made a plea for unity when it comes to transportation projects across the region.

Lozano made his comments at a special meeting of the Rio Grande Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization policy board. He is a board member of the MPO.

HCRMA did not get its proposal for more funding for Segment 4 of the Hidalgo County Loop project passed yet Lozano, in n effort to show unity, still voted for the staff recommendation of RGVMPO.

“My message is the same one that I started with many months ago, it's a message of unity,” Lozano said.

The special meeting of the RGVMPO policy board was called because the group is facing a hard deadline. If it does not spend the money it has accrued soon it runs the risk of losing future funding from the Texas Department of Transportation. The MPO has carried over $102 million in what is known as Category 7 funds. Year after year the MPO carries over the funds because many of the projects on its to do list are not shovel ready.

In his remarks, Lozano pointed out that HCRMA does not normally seek Category 7 funding from the MPO. He said they made a pitch for funding for a particular segment of the County Loop because the MPO found itself in a “use it or lose it” situation.

“If the (RGVMPO) TAC (Technical Advisory Committee has a project and they know, they understand, that there's a unified desire to move this project forward, then I think that should influence the recommendation that the TAC is giving to the policy board, because they understand that in that community, in that area, that is what is being requested. That's what the need is. And the need is bubbling up in a unified fashion,” Lozano said.

Lozano then answered his own question. Why did the RMA bring forward its proposal for Category 7 funding.

“First, use it or lose it. Second, it's my understanding that the RMA historically has not requested Category 7 funds. However, all of y'all were witness to… the strong desire to accelerate Section A, 1 and 2,” Lozano said.

Editor's Note: To read the full story go to the Rio Grande Guardian website.

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MCALLEN, Texas - The minority leader of the Texas House says he is going to ensure Hidalgo County Democratic Party gets the funding it needs to be competitive in the 2026 election.

State Rep. Gene Wu of Houston visited the Valley recently to hear from Young Democrats and grassroots progressives. In a meeting at the Hidalgo County Democratic Party HQ in McAllen, the young activists told him they felt the region had been neglected by the state and national party, thereby allowing Republicans to make significant inroads.

Hidalgo County Democratic Party Chairman Richard Gonzales was at the meeting. He said he has warned every local Democratic Party elected official to expect a Republican challenger at the next election. “The Republicans are well-funded,” Gonzales said.

In an in-depth interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, Wu said:

“In my time as caucus chair, I've talked a lot of communities, and talked a lot of communities that say they've kind of been left behind, kind of been forgotten. And, I thought about this. I thought about South Texas, I thought about the Rio Grande Valley. And I wanted to make sure that they were not forgotten, that there are people who remember who they are and realize that they're important. And I want to make sure that that my actions reflect that.”

Asked what he had learned from both a tour of Hidalgo County and a meeting with Young Democrats, Wu said:

“I learned that this is a beautiful community that wants to move ahead, that wants to do better. But, because we didn't put in the resources, we didn't put in the time and the investments - and we're not just talking about the state, we're not just talking about Democrats, we're talking about everybody - we left this place behind. And that is a shame, because this is such a wonderful place with such wonderful people.”

Editor's Note: To read the full story go to the Rio Grande Guardian website.

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MCALLEN, Texas - Julio Salinas is chairman of Texas Young Democrats.

On Saturday, July 12, 2025, Salinas took state Rep. Gene Wu of Houston on a tour of key locations in Hidalgo County. Wu is minority leader in the Texas House of Representatives.

Following the tour, Hidalgo County Young Democrats met with Wu. They spoke about the “devastating impact” ICE raids were having on Valley communities. And they impressed upon Wu the need for more investment in the Democratic Party in the Rio Grande Valley.

Salinas said he would like to see Texas House members come down to the Valley for an “unvarnished” tour, to see the sights the Rio Grande Valley Partnership does not take state lawmakers to when they do their bi-annual Valley Legislative Tour.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Salinas gave an interview to the Rio Grande Guardian.

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