RGV Life

I've spoken to people who have lived in New York City. I've asked about their experience visiting some of the landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, museums, going up the tall buildings like the Empire State Building, and before they were destroyed, the twin towers. I've also seen this mentioned in movies, television, and print. People who live there don't visit these places. It's an "I'll get around to it, eventually" attitude. I don't know how many others do this, but I have the same attitude towards crossing the border. I don't remember the last time I went to Reynosa. It's been over a year, maybe two. It's not a bad place. I lived there a couple summers as a kid. The border is right there. It's pretty cheap to cross over and come back. I would save money by shopping for some stuff over there. The problem is that it's just so inconvenient to go. It's not on the way anywhere; I'd have to go there to get there. I have no...

According to Arturo Duran of the IBWC , flooding could be a problem if a hurricane were to directly hit us in the Rio Grande Valley. Just a reminder to residents and for anybody looking into moving to the RGV, we live in a valley. Our region is flood prone. We do have levees and drainage canals in place to reduce flooding. Apparently our current system is due for upgrades, which according the the article, can be done incrementally. So, with a little work by the IBWC, the feds, local counties, and municipalities, we can reduce the threat of severe flooding over time. Hidalgo recently realized that their levees have been neglected and have asked to have some work done. The reason that we can take our time on these projects is that once you have a drainage canal dug, you don't have to redig it. You simply need to dredge it once in a while to clear out mud and vegetation. Here is an example of our government looking out for us.

Mercedes, Texas will be the next place to have an outlet mall. They will be the only city in the Rio Grande Valley to boast such an addition. This will be great for shoppers who would otherwise travel to San Marcos to shop. Now, we will only have to travel to Mercedes for great products at even better prices. Mercedes attempts in the past have fallen through, but have now got a firm commitment. No doubt that this is a great coup by Mercedes in capturing the Mexican tourist dollars. The company that will develop the outlet mall owns another outlet mall in Mexico City. Therefore, the Mexican market is already familiar with their premier stores and would already know what to expect. Prior to this, the biggest news was the merger of Foley's into Macy's . That's got to have some attraction for high ticket shoppers. To recap, this deal would keep our dollars in the RGV and would also capture tourist dollars that would have wound up in San Marcos. Great job, Mercedes!

Here is some more good news about the economic growth in the Rio Grande Valley . I've even met a guy who read job growth reports and came to the RGV because we have had strong job growth and economic expansion. Some of the growth in the McAllen area is attributed to an expansion of the retail and medical base. From an economic perspective, retail expansion is only temporary. In a bad economy, retail shrinks. The medical base, on the other hand, has better staying power. People get sick in any economy and those who can afford health insurance will have it in good or bad times. It's been my theory that the Regional Academic Health Center would contribute to economic growth for the RGV. By attracting and retaining high-income talent to the area, we need more support personnel like nurses, medical billers, medical labs, home health care, and so much more. None of these are low wage jobs. This in turn, helps sustain things like recreation and shopping. Prior to the RAHC, the best i...

missiontx , originally uploaded by shainelee . I recently set up MissionTexas.net as a way of combatting bogus websites and one site that provides information on 1 single issue regarding Mission, Tx. In less than 1 week I was able to get hate mail. I agree with helping the people who are suffering the effects of chemical contamination. I just don't think it should be a political cause, using these people as pawns to push an environmental movement. When you get groups such as La Raza Unida, and United Farm Workers involved in things like this, their self glorification drowns out the help they may be giving. The picture shown here has three links to LRU, UFW, and CHEJ. You also see the start of an ad to the Dos Centavos blog. There is also a plug for the Mission-Texas blog, which does NOT allow any comments from visitors. Can't stand dissent. Here is the latest mail I got: I linked your site from our blog. Below is what it says. --ADELITA I heard about another Miss...

In an effort to fight the use of city names to provide useless information, I have bought and set up MissionTexas.net . The site will contain useful information about and from Mission, Texas. Please visit the site to find out more.

I added some RGV links to the blog. I tried to find useful links. Some use the RGV name in vain and only put up affiliate links to websites OUTSIDE of the RGV. How useless is that?

I am taking the kids to the Santa Ana NWA today to see some nature. The real reason is that children need exposure to new germs and other natural things like pollen in order to build a resistance to disease. If you raise your kid entirely indoors and never give him or her an opportunity to get dirty, your kid will face all kinds of allergies and illnesses as an adult. A visit to the outdoors is also fun and they get to run around. I'll bring more information about our trip when we return. How it Went We arrived at the refuge and parked close to the office. There weren't many people there. We sprayed ourselves with insect repellent and got our water bottles. The weather was sunny and a bit humid. You could really feel the heat if you stood in the sun. The temperature in the shade was great. We paid our $3 entrance fee. The charge is $3 per group; what a bargain! So, we headed out on the tour loop because the foot trails right outside the office are closed due to repairs. We took...

Going out in the RGV gives you many options. After a long week of slave work, you need to relax and have a good time. So, where do you go? Luckily, we have many options depending on your tastes. Want to relax, have a few drinks, and chat? Try Pepe's on the River in Mission. You have two choices there. You can go to the New Pepe's on the River, which is an outdoor restaurant and bar that overlooks the Rio Grande River, which, if you're new here, is called Rio Bravo on the Mexican side. On occasion you will see Border Patrol boats travelling up and down the river to protect our country. The New Pepe's on the River has people of all ages. You'll see children, teens, adults, and seniors hanging out there. They have live music and on some weekends hold special events. Right next to the New Pepe's on the River is Pepe's Back Yard. This appeals to younger crowds who like to dance. Pepe's Back Yard also overlooks the Rio Grande. The dance floor is outdoors, the...

During the first special session the eminent domain bill made it out of the house but got stuck in negotiations before approval by the senate. Rep. Aaron Peña has resubmitted the bill in the second special session to ensure that property owners are protected from local government taking their property to give to corporate developers who will increase the tax base. The government is able take your property for public works like roads, civic centers, etc. Now, due to the recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, the government can take your land and give it to somebody else to build a hotel, mall, or plaza on the premise that those owners will provide more tax revenue than you would if you owned it.

The Rio Grande Valley is a rising star as far as population and job growth are concerned. The great outlook of our cities outshines the fact that this region is largely agriculutural in nature. Our region used to be called the Magic Valley because of our area's ability to grow all kinds of crops all year around. The Magic Valley does have some staple crops that will be seen as you drive around. My hometown of Mission, Texas is the home of the Ruby Red grapefruit. This area also produces other citrus, such as oranges, lemons, limes, and even hybrids of those. Other agricultural products you will find are onions, watermelon, tomato, cabbage, and a so much more. Some crops are harvested in the summer and others are harvested in our winter, depending on their heat tolerance. We have had some trouble with agriculture recently due to irrigation. Mainly, our neighbors to the south have been hoarding water reserves that feed into the Rio Grande and provide irrigation to downstream farmers...

Here is a recording prior to the arrival of hurricane Emily. Click Here

At this time, the Rio Grande Valley is preparing for Hurricane Emily. If you need sandbags, you can stop at KRGV.com for information. Our news stations have all the necessary info. You can also check out Team 4 News South Padre Island will be evacuated. For now, they are asking RVs to get off the island. There are no road closings yet. Businesses, I hear, will be closed during the storm or earlier to allow employees to prepare. I was speaking to a driver from AOC (Acetylene Oxygen Company) at work today, he says that they've been stocking up oxygen for hospitals. The normal order is about 8 cylinders of Oxygen. Their typical order this week is 30 cylinders. That's one of the preparations that doesn't typically come to mind to most of us. Plywood is scarce. Earlier today, an older gentleman had plywood stolen off his truck when he stopped to return some movies. The thieves only left him with a couple of sheets of plywood. People are moving plants and lawn furniture indoors....

In business school, you learn that you can keep more money by doing one of two things. You earn more; or, you spend less. The Rio Grande Valley may be able to help you on both counts, maybe. In the earning more front, our region is undergoing rapid growth . There are many reasons for the population growth. My main interest in this case is economic growth. In recent years, our state has begun working on what is called the Regional Academic Health Center, or RAHC. This is supposed to get more physicians to do their residency requirements in the Rio Grande Valley. The theory is that if they learn here they will stay here to practice. After all, the RGV is underserved by medicine. It's nice to attibute economic growth to a growing population. I do, however believe that there is more at play here. Population alone won't cut it insofar as economic expansion goes. China, after all, has a population of over 1 Billion and we still make more money than they do. So, where I am going with ...

If you live in the Rio Grande Valley, you know about what I will write. If you are new or plan on moving to the Rio Grande Valley, you should know. When you drive around, you will see businesses will have signs in either English or Spanish. English dominates as it is the preferred language for business. What you don't see you will hear. Our region has its own language, often called Tex-Mex. It is neither English nor Spanish. Many residents of the RGV are not aware that they do not speak Spanish very well because most of us who live here understand what they mean. If you are interested in learning Tex-Mex, forget it. There is no official course of any sort. Learn Spanish and the Tex-Mex will work itself out in time. It draws from both languages. So, if you have a basic knowledge of both languages, you can derive Tex-Mex. The reason that there is no official Tex-Mex language is because it is mostly invented on the spot. If you are speaking mostly Spanish to somebody and are stuck for...

It looks like Emily has become the strongest July hurricane on record in the Atlantic. She has become a category 4 hurricane with winds of 155 mph. So far, the Rio Grande Valley is in her projected path for Wednesday. Of course, she could always change course and hit to the North or the South of us. If she hits South, we can expect some heavy rain. If she hits to the North, we will have rain but not as much. Of course, if she comes straight for Brownsville, it will be the first hit since the 1960's. From what we hear from people who were around back then, there was waist deep flooding throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Let it serve as a reminder that we live in a valley. On a good note, our drainage has improved considerably since the 1960's. Local stores are already preparing the necessary goods for people to prepare for the storm. Commonly, you can expect to need water, batteries, canned goods or dry goods, and for good measure, fuel up your vehicle. Your vehicle can serve as ...

Tonight, my family and I attended the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. The bookstore was packed with people and there were all kinds of activities. Listen to my reports on location. Arrival at Barnes and Noble Half Hour Before Midnight After Midnight at Barnes and Noble

The Rio Grande Valley does not have a monopoly on corruption of public officials. This sort of thing happens everywhere. We do, however, seem to have it happen more often than other places. Our most recent instance is with former Sherrif Conrado Cantu . This is probably attributable to the proximity of the border and the inherent problems of having it poorly protected. Drug trafficking is a part of our local economy. The first big hurdle is crossing the drugs over the border. There are often instances of people storing tons of pot or cocaine in their homes as staging areas before the next leg of transportation. A lot of money goes through the RGV. A lot of money goes into "greasing the wheels" too. This is not to say that all of our officials are corrupt. We do have some great public servants and many mediocre ones. There are a few corrupt officials out there, which tarnishes the rest of our local government, afer all, the corrupt don't operate in a vacuum. One thing that...

According to Rep. Pena, eminent domain in the Texas Legislature's special session was a alam dunk 132 to 0 vote. This means that Texans need not worry about commercial enterprises buying out private property through eminent domain as allowed by the recent Supreme Court ruling.

In State Rep. Aaron Pena's recent blog entry, he has disclosed that UTPA has made a request for $29.9 million in tuition revenue bonds. These bonds allow the University to raise money to construct buildings and other structures and would be paid by future tuitions. Since Pan American joined the UT system, the university has undergone remarkable growth in attendance and construction. Recently, UTPA has been expanding its footprint and is poised to move into the new acquisitions. The request, according to Rep. Pena, is in HB 6 and has a standalone backup in HB 36.

I have added some news links to the RGV Life blog in order to provide more information resources for those who have moved out or are looking to relocate to the Rio Grande Valley.

The lower Rio Grande Valley is flat. We really don't have any significant hills or elevated areas. The hills don't start until you go towards Rio Grande City. From there, on the Mexican side, you can see the Sierra Madre on a clear day. This can be problematic for some things like mountain biking, rock climbing, and soap box derbies. From the expressway in McAllen, you can triangulate your location relative to the city by using the Bentsen Tower, Neuhaus Tower, and the Texas State Bank building, the 3 tallest buildings for miles and miles. So, to summarize, the RGV is flat.

I don't want to scare off anybody thinking about moving to the RGV. Our region is just as healthy as any other. The only difference is that we have some diseases that are not a problem in other parts of the country. Some are communicable, others are not. Of the non-communicable diseases that are rampant in the RGV, there is diabetes. Many of us here are descended from both European and native people. You'll find many mestizos around. The bodies of native Americans don't handle refined sugars and flours too well and end up getting diabetes. Obesity is pretty common here, and so is diabetes. The next major disease is tuberculosis. Our schools test children for exposure often to keep the disease in check. In addition, our counties have clinics set up to help control TB. Much of the TB that we get is from people visiting from Mexico and from areas of poverty here on this side. Since treatment is provided free by the county, your chances of contracting the disease are small. Eve...

One curious difference in the RGV from the rest in the country has to do with dating. There is a difference in terms and a difference in significance. Let's start with the significance. It is possible for friends to go out together, as in a boy and a girl, without commitment. It is however, rare. Going out mostly means that there is some level of commitment. In fact, going out implies some exclusivity. Whereas in other parts of the country, there is going out, going steady, and engagement. In the RGV, there is going steady and engagement. Going out happens when you go on a date with somebody. You can go out on dates with several people with no serious commitment implied or demanded. Once you go steady, you exclusively date somebody. You keep doing that until you decide to break up or get engaged. Engagement is the final step before marriage. I don't think that further explanation is required for either engagement and marriage. In the RGV the terms are a bit mixed. In the local ...

http://blog.myspace.com/slmtek http://360.yahoo.com/shainelee http://shainemata.blogspot.com Just some that I remember off the top of my head not including this one. These services are all helpful to finding friends. There is also Friendzy.com .

I've been playing around with one of those online networking sites, Myspace.com . It's a great way to find people and hook keep in touch with friends and then find friends of friends. It's cool how you can network. It's a real example of six degrees of separation. You can visit my profile at http://www.myspace.com/slmtek to find my friends and go from there. Best of all is that you can find people from your school or from your class. My co-worker, Krystal, just got on and is enjoying it. She already has more friends than I do. I am sad.