January / February 2021 - RGVision Magazine

JAN UARY/FE B RUARY 2 0 2 1 | VO LUM E 13 ISSUE 1

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HOUSE BILL 3 Texans urged to continue support for education funding.

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CHEER ON

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

H-E-B Park, Bert Odgen Arena put community first in 2020.

Defining boundaries in everyday routine.

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

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• PK children participating gain up to __one year of additional learning;

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• Children will participate in our food __services program to address their __nutritional needs;

• Pre-K 4-year-old Programs are offered __full day at all 34 elementary school __sites for all students;

• Pre-K 3-year-old programs are offered __full day at 18 elementary school sites __and half day programs (A.M. or P.M.) at __14 elementary school sites.

• Established curriculum follows the __state’s Pre-K Guidelines, state __resources, and CIRCLE Progress __Monitoring Assessment which __ensures a solid foundation for literacy;

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• All safety guidelines are followed.

To enroll your Pre-K child and for more informaaon, contact the individual BISD campuses or visit the BISD website at www.bisd.us.

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The opinions and views expressed in the magazine don’t necessarily reflect those of our advertisers or collaborators. RGVision magazine is published bi-monthly and circulates 12,000 copies across the Rio Grande Valley in 450 locations with a direct mail distribution to major hospitals and Superintendents within Region 1. The RGVision office is located at 801 N. Bryan Road, Mission, TX 78572.

Harlingen CISD Ashley Berrones South Texas College Bill Martin Sergio Contreras Mary Tipps Leonardo Chang Dr. Alfonso Mercado

James Hord Jason Garza

WRITERS

CONTENT CONTRIBUTERS

The wonderful thing about tomorrow is that there is hope in what it will bring. Not ignoring, but embracing the present situation is good, as it tests our ability to learn, grow, and overcome. The year 2020 was very challenging, but we know there is hope looking onward to 2021. In this issue, we present what we have learned this year by profiling a few local leaders across multiple industries and getting their perspective on what it means to come in 2021 for their specific industry.

RGVision's hope has always been that you continue to stay educated, inspired, and informed. We thank you for picking up this issue and encourage you to share our stories with your circles by following us on our social media platforms and by signing up for our newsletter.

PHOTOGRAPHERS

VIDEO PRODUCTION

Amy Casebier Rocio Villalobos Danya Perez Nathaniel Mata Jose De Leon III Karla Arredondo Ashley Berrones Valerie Jackson Jemima Gleason

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TABLE OF

CONTENTS 2021

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RGVision reviews 2020 with hope for the new year.

EDUCATION

Learning Opportunities pg 10 'Dedicated from the Heart' pg 12 Expanding Horizons pg 14 Outstanding Achievement pg 16 COVID-19 Protocols pg 20 Joys of Learning Music pg 22

BUSINESS

Do Your Research pg 24 Transport Services pg 26 SPARC pg 32 Financial Focus pg 34 Netix pg 36

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C HEER ON

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WORK- LIFE B A LA NC E

Texans urged to continue support for education funding.

H-E-B Park, Bert Odgen Arena put community first in 2020.

Defining boundaries in everyday routine.

HEALTH

New Year's Resolutions pg 40 Get a Good Night's Rest pg 44 Your Heart is in Your Hands pg 46 Smiles for Days pg 48 COVIS-19 Rebound pg 50 Alzheimer's & Dementia pg 52 Weslaco Micro Hospital pg 54 Brains as We Age pg 56

QUALITY OF LIFE

Fostering Hope pg 58 The Show Will Go On pg 62 Quaran-Dating pg 64 Diego's Food Truck pg 66 Outdoor Fun pg 74 Life Skills for All pg 76 Raptors Around Us pg 78 Pop Art pg 80

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RGVISION ADVISORY BOARD

Each and every member of our advisory board charges RGVision with growth and commitment within our business development, social engagement, and editorial efforts. Through their feedback and contributions, RGVision will continue to help tell and share the Rio Grande Valley’s stories and extend the invitation to join the conversation.

M A R I T Z A ES Q U EDA

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E D U C A T I O N

LEARNING

OPPORTUNITIES HCISD Breaks Ground on Transition Academy

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b y A s h l e y B e r r on e s Harlingen CISD held a groundbreaking Oct. 13, 2020, for the Transition Academy, a home that will further prepare students with special needs for life after high school.

Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education Joseph Villarreal opened the groundbreaking ceremony with a famous quote.

“Thomas Edison once said, ‘There is a way to do it better — find it,’” Villarreal said. “Well, HCISD found it and it is manifested in what will be a beautiful and functional home and learning space.”

Although the school district already

provides great life skill classes, HCISD dreamed of providing even greater opportunities for students with special needs to learn life and employability skills in a real-life setting.

“I remember a few years back I had lunch with [Superintendent Dr. Art] Cavazos and we talked about something like this,” Board President Eladio Jaimez said. “I told him, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have something like this?’

And he goes, ‘We are working on it,’ and that is the thing about HCISD. They are always working on it; they are always coming up with something else to meet the needs of our students — in this case,

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“Here at the school district, it is the hope that every single child who comes through this district leaves this district with opportunities that would not exist but for the opportunities that were created here.”

Ma nny Vel a , CE O of Val l ey Baptist Heal th Sy stem and p a r en t of an HCI SD al u mn u s

those of our special needs population.”

HCISD parent and Transition Academy committee member Meredith Brownell shared her dual perspective as an employee and a parent of a child with special needs.

“I am certain I speak for many parents when I say that I would like to see a seamless transition from high school to post high school in a structured setting,” Brownell said.

“We look forward to witnessing these young men and women develop life skills such as being able to dress and groom themselves properly and make decisions about money. I hope to see them work on daily living skills around the house such as cooking, doing laundry, and cleaning dishes.”

Brownell also mentioned how the Transition Academy committee was looking into partnering with South Texas College for a certification process that would help the students of the Transition Academy with employability skills.

Manny Vela, CEO of Valley Baptist Health System and parent of an HCISD alumnus, mentioned how great this academy would have been for his son when he was in school.

He also talked about how HCISD and Valley Baptist both create hope.

“What we do collectively is we create hope,” Vela said. “On the healthcare side, it is the hope of getting well and of living life with wellness. Here at the school district, it is

through this district leaves this district with

the hope that every single child who comes

will be completed in spring 2021.

opportunities that would not exist but for the opportunities that were created here.”

Cavazos thanked all the individuals and organizations involved with the project, including the HCISD Board of Trustees, the Harlingen Education Area Foundation, Transition Academy committee members, school district administrators, L & A Design owners, and a couple of other guests present at the event.

He explained why the Transition Academy was built on this site, across from Harlingen School of Health Professions and next to Memorial Middle School.

“Special needs children already have some said. “Location shouldn’t be one of them and opportunity should not be decreased.

Our students can appreciate our Transition Academy. They can realize that we are surrounded by all different types of people of all kinds of abilities and that we are one school community.”

After the speeches, school administrators, committee

members,

Transition

Academy

and

two

students,

future Melissa

Danielle Green from Harlingen High School

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South, grabbed a shovel and broke ground.

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Berrones from Harlingen High School and

Construction of the Transition Academy

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things they have to overcome,” Cavazos

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‘DEDICATED FROM THE HEART’ Catching Up with STC’s Google IT Certificate Students

Omar Villanueva is fresh off the job, undertaking a massive re-imaging project that had him assisting with the installation of software on thousands of computers while being coached by IT professionals in the field.

Most importantly, Villanueva said he learned how valuable teamwork is in the information technology field. Being able to help each other out as a team and correct each other is key to fixing crucial steps, he said.

“Sometimes, being an IT person means that you have to be dedicated from the heart, (and) if you have the heart to do it, as well as the motivation, I

think you're going to be really successful,” Villanueva said. “I'm here to do a job, and it’s important that I keep my word. It’s important that I stay true to being a technician, to my education, to what I've learned, my skills, and all the things my instructors have taught me.”

Students at South Texas College like Villanueva who are pursuing a bachelor’s degree in the Computer & Information Technologies Program (CITP) now have the opportunity to improve their chances for employment in the IT industry by graduating with both a bachelor’s degree and a professional certificate from Google.

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A $10,000 grant by Jobs for the Future has given including video lectures, practice exercises, and students in the CITP program the opportunity to supplemental reading, to support and enhance the complete a Google IT Support Professional Certificate learner’s information technology skills. while enrolled in the bachelor’s degree program.

The certificate program was only available to students “I’m still looking at being a software engineer, and in the fall 2020 semester as part of the CITP 3306 Internet/ while security was never my first choice, I am realizing as Intranet Server Integration curriculum. After successfully a professional, it’s something I’m going to have to have,” finishing the Google IT Support Professional Certificate said CITP student Alejandro Farias. “Getting hands-on program, students are eligible to receive a scholarship experience is an eye-opener because you realize that one between $200 to $300. little thing can mess up everything.”

“We know our students are very happy with the IT support professionals play an essential role in knowledge they receive at South Texas College,” said the lives of people across the world. From installing Saeed Molki, associate professor of computer science software and configuring network infrastructure to and department chair of STC’s CITP. “Now they are supporting cloud computing solutions and protecting applying this knowledge in the real world. We don’t teach computer systems from hackers, these professionals are theory. Rather, everything has a real-world application — an integral component in and this is why our students every industry. can find jobs fast.”

STC is one of 100 Villanueva said he was able community colleges across to gain valuable experience “Sometimes being an IT the country and four in the working through a contracted person means that you state of Texas currently vendor who was selected for have to be dedicated from offering the certificate a project with South Texas the heart, (and) if you have program.

Health System. He said the “This is our top priority. experience was about being the heart to do it, as well Everything we do revolves dedicated to the job as well as the motivation, I think around students getting the as adhering to his expertise you're going to be really experience they need for as a technician. It was about successful." their future careers,” CITP harnessing the skills he instructor Nick Hinojosa acquired as a student in CITP Om a r V i l l a n u e v a , i nf or m a t ion tech n ol ogy stu den t said. “We want to make and transferring those to the at S ou th Texas Col l ege sure they are prepared to go medical community in their work. We want them to do a time of need, he said. good job because it affects “I learned to not be afraid to us, too. If they go work somewhere, and they don’t have jump in, and just get in there, and just start working on the skills they need, then we have failed them. the computer,” Villanueva said. “We all helped each other “Everything we do in our program is very hands-on in out as a team and we corrected each other … the heroes order to give them the best experience. That way, when in this project were the people who showed their skills they go into the real world, even though it might be a and teamwork.” shock at first, they can always fall back on their training,” Industry leaders have acknowledged STC’s he added. commitment to preparing students for work in the field.

An initiative of Grow with Google, the certificate “This should serve as confirmation that the Rio program is offered in partnership with Coursera, a leading Grande Valley is developing a highly skilled workforce online learning platform for higher education. The Google comparable to those found in major cities in Texas and IT Support Professional Certificate course focuses across the United States,” said Juan Suarez, system on mastering fundamental skills in the IT workforce, director of information services at STHS. “We’re including troubleshooting, customer service, networking, forever thankful to South Texas College and their operating systems, system administration, and security. instructors for their commitment to the community, The coursework includes a dynamic combination and look forward to working with their students and of interactive learning strategies and assessments, graduates in the future.”

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EXPANDING HORIZONS STC Encourages Women to Pursue Career in Electrician Technology

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b y R GV i s i on As an industry that is quickly expanding, the electrician field is a promising career path for students seeking a secure future. At the Technology Campus at South Texas College, electrician technology continues to be a highly sought after area of focus.

Highly qualified technicians are required in this particular industry, and STC is committed to training and developing candidates that will excel in this field. Electrician technicians are responsible for assembling, evaluating, and maintaining electrical wiring equipment as well as troubleshooting and repairing malfunctions and appliances.

Maria Gonzalez, electrician technology student at South Texas Technology Campus, recommends women pursue a career in this field, highlighting the potential success that comes from it for all.

“Technology is always changing but electricians will always be around to work that technology,” Gonzalez said.

Electrical technicians assist in creating, maintaining, and repairing the electrical elements in any electric-based device. With the wind turbine industry growing, Gonzalez foresees an abundance in job opportunities. She believes women and men have the same amount of potential when it comes to pursuing a successful career path.

“You can do anything as a woman if you just set your mind to it,” she said.

Familiar with the demand in electrical technology, she argues that those pursuing a career in this field is a decision that would benefit anyone interested. Gonzalez reassures women that the mentality that the electrician technology field is an industry exclusive for men is not true.

“There have always been more males in this industry, but we want to encourage women to get into the industry and be more independent and feel confident that they can do this job,” she said.

The electrician technology program at STC provides students with the opportunity to gain knowledge in the electrical industry. As stated in their curriculum, graduates from this program will learn to properly install electrical

systems in many structures including factories, office buildings, and homes.

With this field come many stereotypes regarding who has the potential to succeed in it, but Gonzalez does not succumb to them — nor does she believe others should, either.

“I would recommend this program to other students — especially women — because I know there are going to be more job opportunities as technicians to work in that field,” Gonzalez said.

Proud to be in a program that has taught her many useful skills, Gonzalez encourages other women to do the same. If you are a prospective student contemplating which career path to choose, the electrician technology field is booming with opportunities.

“Let's break the cycle and let's continue education here at South Texas technology campus,” she said. “And remember, nobody can take that certificate away from you — no one!”

Learn more about the electrician technology program and other essential careers at South Texas College by visiting bt.southtexascollege.edu/persist. Funding was provided through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board with Carl D. Perkins Basic funds.

Students pursuing a career in electrician technology at STC may receive: CERTIFICATE • Electrician Assistant, Certificate ASSOCIATE DEGREE • Electrician Technology Associate of Applied Science What career can I have as an electrician assistant?

• A challenging and rewarding job as a: • Utility worker • Electrical maintenance worker • Sales in home improvement and supply companies • Self-employed (entrepreneur) business owner Funding has been provided through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board with funds received from the Carl D. Perkins Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century (Perkins V) Act of 2018

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OUTSTANDING

ACHIEVEMENT Brownsville ISD Awarded Certificates of Excellence and Achievement for Outstanding Financial Reporting

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by Bro w ns vi l l e ISD | p h o to s b y Ja mes H or d The Brownsville Independent School District (BISD) announces today that The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has awarded BISD an Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting – also known as the PAFR Award.

“I am once again extremely proud of our Business and Finance teams,” said Dr. René Gutiérrez, superintendent of schools of Brownsville Independent School District.

“Last year, only five school districts were awarded out of the entire State of Texas.

Now, BISD will be included this year and it shows that we are efficiently meeting the program’s standards of financial reporting.”

The award represents a significant achievement by BISD. In order to be eligible for the PAFR Award, a government must also submit its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) to GFOA’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellent in Financial Reporting Program and receive the CAFR Award for the current fiscal year.

Each eligible report is reviewed by judges who evaluate the report based on the following categories: Reader Appeal, Understandability, Distribution Methods, Creativity, and other elements.

For more information, contact the Brownsville Independent School District at 956.548.8000.

ABOUT BROWNSVILLE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT: Established in 1915, The Brownsville Independent School District is a public school district whose mission is to graduate students who are prepared to excel in higher education and successfully pursue career opportunities in a changing global society by maximizing resources to ensure equitable opportunities for all students. Recognized for its top-rated performance through the Texas Education Agency, the Brownsville Independent School District is the largest employer in the Rio Grande Valley with 54 schools, 6,458 employees, and 43,028 students. The Brownsville Independent School District provides a broad selection of academic activities and programs for all students that range from Early College High Schools to support programs for students with special needs. Thanks to the support of the local community, the Brownsville Independent School District is The Best Choice with a graduation rate of 93%. For more information, visit www. bisd.us.

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Br ow nsvil l e I SD Bu sin ess an d F in an ce teams receive awards for fin an cial re po rt in g .

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House Bill

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Texans Urged to Continue Support for Education Funding

support for House Bill 3 in the 87th legislative session in order to help schools catch up and recover from the impacts of disrupted learning in 2020.

COVID affected school sessions across the entire world this year. However, not all students, teachers, and schools were impacted to the same level of severity.

In the RGV, the disparity between our most vulnerable students and those of greater advantage has become even more apparent.

“Educators across the state are thrilled that HB3 has provided them with the resources necessary to recover from the impact of COVID,” said Bridget Worley, executive director of the Texas Impact Network, which is working alongside RGV Focus to implement House Bill 3 across the Valley. “It’s more important than ever that educators and their supporters make their voices heard during this legislative session to ensure those resources are there for years to come.”

Teachers, parents, and students are relying on legislators of both parties to continue to support funding for the investments already in place. To learn more about HB3 and how it benefits our region, visit TEA.Texas.gov, TIATexas.org, or InvestEdTx.org.

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In June 2019 during the 86th legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott signed an unprecedented education finance bill called House Bill 3. According to the Texas Education Agency, House Bill 3 supports teachers, focuses on learning, increases funding, and reduces and reforms property taxes to benefit school districts across Texas.

House Bill 3 not only provides essential funding for elements of education already in place, but also creates innovative new practices to improve outcomes and promote equity. HB3 funding gives a necessary educational boost to students who are academically and economically behind their peers and bridges the gap for English language learners.

The Rio Grande Valley has been leading the state in equitable education outcomes for years, and now is at the forefront of HB3 implementation. Five local districts were approved by the Texas Education Agenda in the initial cohorts of the Teacher Incentive Allotment, a program that rewards excellent educators and incentivizes them to work on rural and/or high poverty campuses, and more plan to apply by the next application deadline in Cohort D. It is especially important to continue

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COVID-19 PROTOCOLS Harlingen CISD Seizes the Moment to Improve Education in District

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by Da n y a Pe r e z There likely hasn’t been a more contentious backto-school year than 2020, as COVID-related health concerns were met with the need to get students and parents back on track.

Since the start of the pandemic, school officials, teachers, students, and parents have been under neverbefore-seen pressure to adjust to new teaching and learning environments. And by the summer, the pressure shifted to decide when and how to begin returning to the classrooms.

But what good can come out of such pressure?

Like most districts, Harlingen CISD was tasked with coming up with a back-to-school plan that addressed the many needs and concerns of its community.

Some parents had the ability to continue helping their children learn at home, while others needed the support of the school district and in-person classes to return to work.

After starting the first four weeks of the 2020-21

school year remotely, the district began to offer parents quarterly options for fully remote, face-to-face, or hybrid classes.

But even in the early planning stages, Superintendent Dr. Art Cavazos says the district saw a window of opportunity to not only respond to the pandemic but to use it to address long-standing issues.

“We would carve out time in the middle of planning to discuss what are the opportunities in the middle of a crisis?” Cavazos said. “What are the opportunities that can accelerate our transformation in HCISD?” Closing the digital gap, for example, had been on HCISD’s list for years. While the issue of access to a device had been addressed at the school level by providing devices and internet connection while at school, the pandemic heightened the need to also address the issue at home.

Like most school districts, HCISD provided hot spots and devices for students to take home. For those

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adapted for students who were going to be remote.”

The district also took advantage of a three-week gap to not only focus on the teaching methods but also to organize a student and parent academy to get everyone adjusted to the different online platforms used for remote learning.

“In the parent academy, there was a session being held on how to support their child in remote learning,” Cavazos said.

“We had about 400 parents Zooming into that session at once. So the appetite was there. People wanted to learn, they wanted to engage.”

The training was a good jumpstart for the first four weeks of remote learning, which also prepared parents and students to make the decision of whether or not to transition into the classroom for the following weeks.

While the uncertainty of the pandemic remains a constant at Harlingen CISD and all districts across the state, Cavazos says he is proud of his team’s ability to turn challenges into opportunities.

“Without a pandemic, we may have been tackling these problems for many years,” he said. “There’s a saying that says, ‘in your urgency to rush back to normal, take this quiet time to really think what parts of that normal are worth rushing towards.’”

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who couldn’t access a secure connection, the district opened up campus park-andlearn options to go upload and download assignments and assigned routes for district vehicles with connections to go park at their homes.

But this digital gap doesn’t end at access, Cavazos noted. One of the biggest issues was digital proficiency, in which most students had a huge advantage over their parents and even teachers.

“Some teachers were able to pivot a lot faster because they lived in that digital world,” he said. “Some teachers needed to retool and what we found is that they were able and willing — they just didn't have the skill.”

Having already identified their digital proficiency over the spring, the district put together a tier system of professional development over the summer to train teachers and start them at their own level.

They also worked on coursework that would be better suited for online needs to support teachers and students.

“Over 300 teachers came together and they became the leaders of leaders,” Cavazos said. “Their charge was to do an Instructional Reset, where the documents and the teaching plans, all of that, was more

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music J O Y S

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L E A R N I N G

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by Nathaniel Mata

In our bilingual, bicultural region, there is one language that often gets forgotten.

It’s spoken, sung, and played by thousands of middle schoolers and high schoolers in the Rio Grande Valley.

You might even hear a mariachi next to your dinner table serenading the room during a night on the town.

Knowing how to read music takes knowledge of symbols that translate to sound and meaning, and gives musicians the ability to connect with others with the same knowledge.

Edelir Garza, who runs Musical Living Academy on 10th Street in McAllen, knows that music is a language in its own right.

Instructors who pass on this wisdom are ambassadors of a script that dates back to 13th century Europe. Music is thousands of years old — older even than written history.

“There’s plenty of articles and resources that discuss and promote

the benefits of music education,” Garza said. “In my 20 years of teaching, I’ve seen students of all ages. For kids, I think music can really help them structure their thoughts and structure their way of learning. It is 100 percent the same as learning a language.

There are symbols. Those symbols are translated to sound where it’s a piano, saxophone, or your voice. And then there’s the interpreter's side to how you’re hearing that.”

Musical notation even has a unique script that takes years to learn, master, and practice. Those are traits of language, methods of human communication.

Music transcends borders that others cannot.

“I can go to France and I don’t speak French, but put me in front of a piano and I will play and I guarantee you people are going to bond,” Garza said. “Whether it’s other musicians or just an audience, it connects with

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people. I often use the phrase that music is the language of emotions or music is the language of the soul.”

He said for young people, this knowledge can open a new world and also help with education in general.

“The process of learning to read and how to study [music] really helps a student how to structure their time, how to approach problem-solving,” Garza said. “That’s why the studies show a correlation between students in band and choir and higher performance in school. I believe it’s really because it starts changing the way you think. You start to think of things in steps, in processes.”

So if you are a parent, perhaps consider

putting your youngster in a music class or encouraging them to try out for band. The benefits could last a lifetime.

“Learning music is the first level of enjoyment,” Garza said. “Making music is the next level of enjoyment. And the highest level is making music with others.”

That music elevates our life experience, he added.

“In a world where we are taught to quantify everything and give numbers and progress is measured by this,” Garza said. “The most precious things in life are almost not quantifiable. Love, passion are the things that drive humanity. It’s the reason we have language and the reason we have music.”

E d el i r G a r z a , M u sical L ivin g Academy

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"In my 20 years of teaching I’ve seen students of all ages. For kids, I think music can really help them structure their thoughts and structure their way of learning. It is 100 percent the same as learning a language."

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E D U C A T I O N

B U S I N E S S ARTICLE PROVIDED BY

Bill Martin, CFP® Vice President, Investments 1845 Capital of Raymond James, 1400 N. McColl Road, Suite 101 | McAllen 956-331-2777

DO YOUR RESEARCH

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10 Questions to Ask your Financial Advisor

• We use a deliberate process of gathering information, developing goals, identifying best options, evaluating alternatives, creating and implementing a financial action plan, and revising the plan as needed.

Hiring a professional is often treated differently than other services, but should it be? Consumers will often pour hours of research into which car, lawn mower, or phone to purchase. Shouldn’t they place as much consideration in who they trust for their family’s wealth and well-being?

The challenge with a financial advisor (wealth manager, financial consultant, etc.) is the titles can be vague and often the public cannot differentiate between their meanings without a certifying body for the titles. I’ll let you in on a little secret: There may be no difference except what title employers grant. So, how do you choose an advisor and know they are competent?

Simple — conduct an interview and educate yourself on the industry a bit.

Below are some questions I recommend for such an interview. I will provide my answers so that you can get a taste of what you can expect.

What types of clients do you typically work with?

• Current and former small business owners and professionals • Nonprofits and foundations • Our average household assets is +$1,000,000, but we work with many starting out who are serious about building wealth Will you be the only advisor working with me?

• I have an advisor partner and an experienced service team.

How will I pay for your services?

• Our business is split between fees and commission depending on the product or service required. We will discuss which applies to your individual situation or investment mix.

How much do you typically charge?

• We have a standard fee schedule and would be happy to share.

What are your qualifications, credentials, and experience?

• 23 years in the industry with three firms • I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.

• Licenses/Exams passed: Series 66, Series 63, SIE, Series 31, Series 7, Texas insurance

Do others stand to gain from the advice you give me?

• We operate with minimal conflicts of interest and disclose any known in a recommendation.

Have you ever been publicly disciplined for any unlawful or unethical actions in your career?

• No, but you should do a simple background check on FINRA BrokerCheck for any advisor you are considering.

In a perfect world, an advisor knows their client’s family, business, and financial situation intimately in order to make well-informed recommendations. My hope is that you are now well-prepared to evaluate who you will trust to share your life’s important details.

What services do you offer?

• We are focused on multigenerational wealth management with a full service firm offering a broad range of investment products, financial and retirement planning, estate, charitable giving, and trust services, as well as banking/lending services and insurance solutions.

Will you have a fiduciary duty to me?

• Yes, as a CFP® professional, I can only act in my client’s best interest.

What is your approach to financial planning?

Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC

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TRANSPORT SERVICES Commercial Vehicle Litigation by the Numbers b y Ma r y Ti p p s , E xec uti ve Di r e ct or, Te x a n s f or La ws u i t Re f or m a n d Ser gi o Co ntr er a s , P r es i d ent/ C E O, R GV C i t i z e n s A g a i n s t La ws u i t A b u s e

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As we’ve all seen in the past few months, our well-being depends on commercial vehicles delivering services and goods to distribution centers, retail outlets, and our front doors. It is essential. Unfortunately, lawsuits against commercial vehicle owners and operators have become big business for the cadre of plaintiff lawyers who are endlessly searching for another big payoff.

What started as lawsuits targeting big trucks has evolved. Now any vehicle with a company logo on it — no matter the size, industry, or whether they were at fault in a crash — is a target for lawsuits. That means everyone from rideshare services to restaurant delivery vehicles to plumbers is at risk of an unnecessary lawsuit.

Commercial vehicle litigation is reaching a tipping point that, unless addressed by the Texas Legislature, will result in business failures, increased costs of doing business for the companies that survive, and increased costs for the goods and services we all need.

TRIAL LAWYER TARGETING OF COMMERCIAL VEHICLES IS WORKING Personal injury trial lawyer ads seeking clients to file car crash lawsuits are ubiquitous on television, in newspapers, and on billboards. Many of the advertisements specifically seek clients to sue owners and operators of commercial vehicles. The advertising seems to be working.

Motor vehicle litigation is increasing in Texas, while other kinds of personal injury litigation are decreasing.

According to the Texas Office of Court Administration, the number of motor vehicle lawsuits has climbed 118 percent from fiscal year 2008 to fiscal year 2019.

During the same period, other kinds of injury and damage cases decreased 7 percent.

Additionally, by 2019 in Texas, a lawsuit was filed after about one out of 10 vehicle crashes. Just 11 years earlier, in 2008, the lawsuit-to-crash ratio was 1 in 17. This is a 71 percent increase in the lawsuit-tocrash ratio in only 11 years. Anecdotal information we have received indicates the lawsuit-to-crash ratio may be closer to 1 in 5 if a large truck is involved.

Based on the data, it appears Texas is moving toward a litigation environment in which a collision with a truck — no matter who is at fault and no matter the severity of the event — is an opportunity to hire a plaintiff’s lawyer promising riches. That is simply not a place we can afford to go.

Abusive lawsuits kill Texas jobs. They make the products and services we need more expensive and harder to get. And they clog up the courts for legitimate lawsuits.

As we work to recover from the pandemic, Texas should be doing everything it can to create jobs and strengthen our economy. That’s why the Keep Texas Trucking Coalition — a broad coalition of nearly 80 businesses and industry groups of all sizes — has banded together to stop abusive lawsuits against commercial vehicles. The future of our state depends on it.

Visit www.keeptexastrucking.com for more information or to join the coalition.

DEFINING THE PLAYERS Commercial vehicles fall into a number of classes, from minivans used to deliver flowers to big rigs that carry goods across the nation. Many are small, “mom and pop” operations. In fact, nearly 88 percent of active carriers registered in Texas operate 10 or fewer vehicles. Many other commercial vehicles are operated by small businesses, from swimming pool cleaning to pest control. These are entrepreneurs doing their part to create jobs and make a living. And all of them are targets for personal injury lawyers because they all have deep pockets.

Yes, even the mom and pop operators of commercial vehicles have “deep pockets” because a commercial vehicle operating in Texas must carry substantial liability insurance, ranging from a minimum of $300,000 to a maximum of $5 million. Many carry more than the minimum, with layers of insurance reaching into the multi-million dollar range.

In addition to insurance coverage, many commercial vehicle operators have tangible assets that can be subject to judgments. In other words, through insurance and their own assets, these companies have deep pockets — which are irresistible to personal injury trial lawyers.

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CHEER

ON H-E-B Park, Bert Ogden Arena Put Community First in 2020

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The entertainment, sports, and leisure industries were hit by a ton of bricks when COVID-19 affected the ability to gather, cheer, and compete.

Now multiply that uncertainty with the biggest arena and stadium in the Rio Grande Valley. This is exactly what the Toros and Vipers management had to grapple with during 2020, the most unusual year in modern history.

RGV FC Toros and Golden Grape Entertainment — which operates both venues — President Ron Patel took a few moments to explain how two entities, who work in coordination, used their facilities for good as they navigated nine-plus rocky months.

Patel took over as the team’s second president in February after a successful start with USL rival New Mexico.

“It’s different when you don’t have any fans in the stands, which was self-imposed for us,” Patel said. “The state said we could have had 50 percent attendance at the Toros game, but we decided to start with no fans. We had a calculated slow approach; first, we started with no fans, then we had a drive-in where fans could watch the big screens from their car, and then we welcomed back some of our suite holders, and then we welcomed back fans at like 10 of 11 percent capacity of H-E-B Park.

We’re in the ‘moments’ business — we provide the opportunity for a family of friends to come together.”

Without sports as a centerpiece, there wasn’t a ball in sight for 2020’s most important

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moments at H-E-B Park and Bert Ogden Arena.

“We had to take a hard look in the mirror and say, ‘all right, we’re in this global pandemic where we can’t have events and that’s the business we’re in — mass gatherings,’” Patel said. “Most venues around the country shut down and furloughed their nonessential staff and that was it. That is a route we could have gone but the route we took was we looked at why H-E-B Park and Bert Ogden Arena were built and that was to serve the community.”

The organizations knew that different needs arose as COVID affected daily life.

“When the community can’t come together, we thought why not find a way to bring value to the community with the facilities we have?” he said. “We started with a food drive with the Rio Grande Valley Food Bank at both facilities. We started a Bert Ogden arena

‘spotlight series’ where they played to no one in-person but thousands of people online and we raised money again for the Food Bank.”

Creative solutions were key to utilizing the arena and stadium to the fullest of their potential.

“We had a few hand sanitizer distribution events, including partnering up with Tito’s Vodka. Sanitizer is a byproduct of vodka, so it was pretty clever how they did that,” Patel said. “We host some blood drives that we did at the facilities. And then of course we hosted one of the largest federal COVID-19 testing sites. You went to the arena first to check-in and get a number and you would come over to the stadium to get your test time. We tested 35,000 Valley residents.”

The service didn’t stop there. After Hurricane Hanna hit the Rio Grande Valley, the arena parking lot was transformed into a rendezvous point for AEP contractors,

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Ron Pa t e l , RGV FC Toros an d Gol den Grape E n tertain men t presiden t

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“We started with a food drive with the Rio Grande Valley Food Bank at both facilities. We started a Bert Ogden arena ‘Spotlight series’ where they played to no one in-person but thousands of people online and we raised money again for the Food Bank.”

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working harder to restore power to communities that were hit hard by the storm.

“They came in with all their trucks and equipment and it was packed with their vehicles, but we were able to help do our part to help thousands of families restore power after the hurricane,” Patel said.

There are still just as many questions as answers as Patel and staff await answers from the USL about logistics of the 2021 season — which will also be outside of the norm.

On the Vipers side, there are reports that the NBA G League could host a bubble tournament in a location like Atlanta. Teams would have to pay a set entry fee and participation would be optional, up to each club.

So the next time you’re enjoying live sports in Edinburg, remember the long road it took to get back — and the important work that took place on that site.

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( l e ft p h o t o ) H- E- B Pa r k a nd Be r t Ogde n A r e na have given back to th e commu n ity du rin g th e pan demic, in cl u din g col l e c t in g f o o d a n d r a is i ng m o ne y f o r the Fo o d Bank o f the RGV an d distribu tin g 27,0 0 0 T ito’s Han d San itizers for free.

B U S I N E S S

SPARC Rethinking Emergency Relief Aid for Local Businesses b y D a nya Per ez | p h ot os p r ov i d e d b y C i t y of E d i n b u r g

in general.

“Our priority was to make sure that we were providing resources specific to our local residents,” Edinburg City Manager Ron Garza said. “We wanted the assistance provided here to stay here.”

Using federal stimulus funds, the City of Edinburg put together the Stimulus Program Aimed at Recovery from COVID, known as SPARC, to issue about $2 million in economic aid to local businesses and residents.

The city came up with a program that issued $2,000 grants to about 560 businesses and paired it with a Community to Business program that issued $100 gift cards to over 9,000 residents.

The first round of funding was issued in early July, starting with small businesses that had been forced to shut down by executive orders, such as restaurants, gyms, and hair salons, Edinburg Assistant City Manager Brian Kelsey said.

“We tried to target those with the most urgent and immediate urge first,” Kelsey said. “That provided some people with immediate relief for things like payrolls, rent, business operations.”

The second part of the program was gift cards for community residents, targeting low-income households.

The cards were linked to local businesses only and residents were provided with a list of places where they could spend the funds.

“It was definitely a different concept,” Garza said. “And people did question it a little bit … but we had to keep communicating that it was meant to keep that money within those businesses that suffered the most impact.”

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As we all know by now, the coronavirus pandemic has upended many aspects of our everyday lives. And for local business owners, it also brought major shifts in focus.

What may have initially been goals of growth and expansion for their businesses quickly pivoted to simply staying afloat until the spread of the virus subsided or restrictions loosened.

Many small businesses faced closures that lasted weeks or even months, a challenge not only for the owners of those businesses but for the local economy

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The city came up with a program that issued $2,000 grants to about 560 businesses and paired it with a Community to Business program that issued $100 gift cards to over 9,000 residents.

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the $20,000-to-$30,000 mark in revenue coming from the programs.

What they also noticed was the business sector getting creative with how to engage the public to spend their funds at their location. Things like getting more involved in social media, offering curbside pickup, and even specials for those using the SPARC funds.

“I think it created a sense of urgency for business owners,” said Kelsey. “You would hear more and more of them saying they were now on Facebook when maybe they didn’t really try to leverage social media in the past.”

While the program was a success with some businesses, Kelsey and Garza say they are still aware that about 10 to 15 percent of local businesses remain closed due to the pandemic. The true economic impact may not be fully known until sometime in 2021.

The federal funds had to be spent by the end of the year. And while these are officially gone, the plan now is to use the experience and knowledge to offer capacity-building programs through a partnership with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and better prepare business owners for similar hardships.

“We are still facing a digital divide that needs to be closed because not everybody has access to high-speed internet or basic computer literacy,” Kelsey said. “I think it’s important to understand that and try to do what we can to close those gaps.”

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For participating businesses, having the community encouraged to use their gift cards in their shops was a way to also introduce many of them to their services and products.

The restaurant Señor Cactus, for example, was one of the few that happened to open in the midst of the pandemic. The business is located in a new development at 403 W. Trenton Road. While there was a delay in opening plans, the investment could only hold off for so long.

“We opened on June 20, practically at the height of the pandemic,” Ricardo Mares, general manager at Señor Cactus, said in Spanish. “We wanted to wait to open a little longer, but at that point, it wasn’t possible.

We had to open and open now.”

Part of the focus at the time, Mares said, was to stay on top of messaging from the City of Edinburg to know if more closures were coming or if there was any possibility for help. That’s how they found out about the grant program and quickly completed an online application. “[The grant] was applied more than anything for payroll expenses,” Mares said.

“The initial incoming and outgoing expenses were a bit heavy. And as it is, new businesses don’t generate profit immediately.”

The city collected data on how much restaurants made stemming from the grants and gift cards. The top 10 restaurants — which included Señor Cactus — surpassed

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B U S I N E S S

B U S I N E S S ARTICLE PROVIDED BY

Leonardo F. Chang Financial Advisor Edward Jones 4500 N. 10th St., Suite 40 | McAllen 956-630-0241

FINANCIAL FOCUS

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Are You Still Planning to Retire Early?

Have your retirement plans changed because of COVID-19? If so, you have plenty of company. Nearly 40 percent of those planning to retire say the pandemic has disrupted their intentions, according to the Edward Jones/Age Wave Four Pillars of the New Retirement study. You might have been thinking about retiring early — can you still do so?

Even without a crisis, it’s not a bad idea to review your important life goals from time to time. So, in thinking about the possibility of early retirement, consider these factors:

and retirement accounts, you’ll need to establish a

• YOUR RETIREMENT LIFESTYLE: Your ability to retire early depends somewhat on what sort of lifestyle you’re anticipating during your retirement years. If you think you’ll be traveling extensively or pursuing expensive activities, you might not be able to afford to retire as early as someone with more modest ambitions. Of course, there’s no “right” or “wrong” way of living in retirement — we all have our own dreams and preferences. But be aware that different lifestyles do carry different price tags — and have different effects on when you can retire securely.

motivated by, among other things, a weariness of your

• SOURCES OF RETIREMENT INCOME: Obviously, a key factor in knowing whether you can retire early is the amount of retirement income you can rely on. So, you’ll have to assess all your sources: Social Security, any other pensions you might receive, and your investment portfolio, including your 401(k) and IRA. The amounts you receive from these sources will depend on a variety of factors.

For Social Security, the longer you wait until collecting, the larger your monthly payments (although they will “top out” when you reach 70, excluding costof-living adjustments). In regard to your investments

than originally planned, you’d likely gain some financial

withdrawal rate that’s appropriate for the length of time you expect to be retired. So, by adjusting these variables — taking Social Security earlier or later, taking more or less money from your retirement accounts — you can help determine if the retirement date you had in mind is viable.

• YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT WORK: Your goals are not static — they can change in response to any number of reasons both external and personal. When you first decided you wanted to retire early, you might have been current job. But has that changed over time? Have you found new challenges that interest you at work? Or, if you were forced by the pandemic to work remotely, did you actually enjoy the arrangement and want to continue it?

After all, many employers have found that their workers can be just as productive working at home.

Even when we’ve gotten past COVID-19, we might see a sizable shift in the geography of the workplace. In any case, if your feelings about work have changed in some way, leading you to think you could work longer advantages. You’d make more money, for starters, but you’d also keep building your 401(k) and IRA — and you could even possibly delay taking Social Security.

The pandemic may lead to a re-evaluation of many financial goals — and taking early retirement might be one of them. By thinking carefully about your situation and your options, you can come up with a course of action that’s right for you.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC

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DR. FILIBERTO RODRIGUEZ Call 956-477-0628 to make your appointment today.

www.rgvcosmetic.com 3 1 3 1 W. Freddy Gonzalez Dr. Edinburg, TX 78539

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NETIX Magnetic Gym Bag Turns a Negative into a Positive

Netix is a magnetic gym bag that sticks to vertical surfaces instead of laying on the floor.

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right on top of my gym bag,” McCarthy said, explaining what sparked his idea for Netix, a magnetic gym bag that sticks to vertical surfaces instead of laying on the floor. “I was too excited to finish my workout and rushed home to get started.”

While news of the coronavirus spreading overseas and creeping closer to home played on TV for months, McCarthy was still able to get his product line developed and the company ready to go. “Typically, one of the first hurdles that startups run into is capital. For Netix, it was a global pandemic,” he joked.

“I launched Netix the week prior to COVID becoming a true concern here in the U.S.,” he said. “I would hear things on the news that made me feel uneasy, but I never secondguessed the launch. To tell you the truth, even if I wanted to postpone the launch there was nothing I could do. I put everything I had into inventory, and the only option I had was to put my head down, get creative, and fight.

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2020 may not seem like the year to start a new business, but that’s exactly what former baseball player, coach, and UTRGV business alumnus Mike McCarthy did when he launched Netix, the world’s first magnetic gym bag. “As cliché as it sounds, we only get one shot at this life,” he said. “So it’s imperative that we take calculated risks for our passion, which is what I did with Netix.”

McCarthy says that he always knew he wanted to launch a business, but for years he didn’t know what kind of business it would be. “I have always had a passion for entrepreneurship. The idea that anyone can create something from nothing is fascinating to me,” he said.

It wasn’t until he had a small mishap at the gym that he had his lightbulb moment.

“I was performing a set of hang cleans during my workout. As I finished my last rep, I dropped the barbell and the bumper plate awkwardly hit an ident in the platform. This redirected the barbell and sent it landing

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Rolling over and giving in just wasn’t an option.

“Unfortunately, a week after the launch, every gym in America shut down,” he added, explaining that this drastically impacted sales at first.

However, the Netix brand was able to pull through and make enough sales to overcome 2020’s unprecedented challenges for modern-day business.

The new company continues to see growth.

“As of today, we have customers in 40-plus states across the U.S. and are

continuously seeing sales increase month over month, which is extremely exciting,” McCarthy said. Netix was even mentioned online as “Best Gym Bags to Carry Your Gear in Style” by Fitness Gear for Guys back in July.

The unique gym bag is the first of its kind that gives users full, secure, and sanitary access to all of their necessary gym gear like cellphones, wallets, car keys, chalk, wraps, straps, belts, foam rollers, water bottles, gloves, and more throughout their workout while also keeping them out from underfoot (and

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barbell). The bag also has a built-in transparent, touch-sensitive mobile pocket so users can adjust their music, record their workouts, send texts, or take selfies.

McCarthy said that Netix was able to be so successful thanks to the support of the Rio Grande Valley. “There are many local RGV businesses that really stepped up and supported Netix over the past few months, including Aaron T Productions, UFC Gym, Kiss My Crossfit (Pharr), Gold’s Gym – McAllen, Gold’s Gym – Mission, Anytime Fitness

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“We are thrilled to continue bringing innovative fitness gear to the industry and cannot wait to see what the future holds.”

M i ke M cC a r t h y, N etix own er

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gear without violating new sanitation protocols.

The new company has a bright future ahead of it given its strength, flexibility, and endurance as a startup in 2020. “The possibilities are endless at this point. In the short term, we’d like to get Netix into the hands of as many fitness enthusiasts as possible and keep growing the brand,” McCarthy said. “We are thrilled to continue bringing innovative fitness gear to the industry and cannot wait to see what the future holds.”

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(Edinburg) and Alpha Fit (Edinburg),” he said. “These businesses have been an integral part of our success, and it means a lot to myself and the Netix brand to have their support.”

Netix is only getting started, especially as gyms have reopened with more stringent rules regarding gym bags and gear in order to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Many gyms no longer allow bags to be placed on the floor or set on top of benches or other equipment, making Netix bags the ideal way to still have access to gym

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H E A L T H

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

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FOR BETTER MENTAL HEALTH

When there are too many things going on in your life to keep track of, it might be easy to forget to prioritize one’s physical health. Mental well-being may also be neglected. It might seem that there are so many things that are out of your control. Luckily, lifestyle changes that promote better physical health can always be made and these ultimately enhance one’s mental well-being. The start of a new year is an excellent time for resolving to continue good practices, change unhealthy behaviors, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve one’s life. Several lifestyle changes that can aid in this may include exercise, adequate sleeping habits, healthful eating habits, social support, and self-care. Here are some tips that may help promote a healthy lifestyle in the new year.

few minutes a day is a great first step in making exercise a part of one’s routine. Some tips for different ways to exercise: • Visit the gym – go alone or invite a friend.

• Yoga or pilates – in person or through online videos.

• Take a walk – go with a pet or a friend!

• Take the scenic route – use stairs instead of elevators.

Of course, social distancing, wearing a mask, and following CDC guidelines is important while you engage in the above activities.

SLEEP Having a healthy sleep schedule can help both your mind and your body. Creating a healthy sleep schedule can help you function better and feel better during the day. A good sleep schedule may lead to enhancements in one’s mental performance, strengthen one’s immune system, and improve memory. Here are some tips to improve sleep: • Limit or eliminate afternoon naps.

• Reduce screen-time before bed.

• Avoid late-night meals or caffeine intake.

• Create a peaceful resting environment.

EXERCISE Exercising can help you achieve a healthier lifestyle in many ways. For example, routinely engaging in exercise can improve one’s overall health, enhance memory, reduce chronic stress, and improve self-esteem. In fact, exercise is an antidepressant! You feel better when you work out. It has been recommended that devoting just a

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SELF-CARE Self-care can aid in improving both a healthy lifestyle and your overall well-being. It is common to think that you do not have time for self-care, but it is important and sometimes necessary. Prioritizing self-care in your daily routine can improve your overall well-being, happiness, and satisfaction with life. If you can improve those domains of your life, you can better attend to the work that needs to get done — and do it well. Some tips on what to do for self-care: • Mindfulness and meditation exercises – videos available online!

• Read a book – find a comfy spot.

• Keep a diary – track how you’re feeling and what you’re thinking.

• Breathe mindfully – just take a few deep breaths, use your senses (what do you hear?), be present in the moment.

HEALTHY EATING HABITS Implementing healthy changes in your daily diet can have a big effect on your health and mood. Having healthy eating habits may reduce risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and even cancer. A healthy daily diet will look different for each individual, and habits that work for one person may work differently for someone else. Some tips to consider when creating healthy eating habits: • Eat regular meals.

• Add fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your diet.

• Drink water — stay hydrated!

• Reduce sodium, sugar, and junk food intake.

• Avoid excessive alcohol consumption.

• Limit trips to Taco Palenque — and other fast food restaurants.

Co-authors include Dr. Mercado’s Mental Health Lab at UTRGV: Amanda Palomin, Andy Torres, Frances Morales, Pablo Ruiz, Maria Sevilla-Matos, Stephanie Navarro, Sandra Chapa, Abraham Jimenez, and Josue Cerroblanco.

ARTICLE PROVIDED BY

Alfonso Mercado PH.D., Licensed Psychologist Valley Psychological Services - Assistant Professor Department of Psychology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | www.utpa.edu/psychology

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SOCIAL SUPPORT Achieving a healthier lifestyle is not something that has to be done by yourself. Spending time with family and friends is a great way to enhance one’s overall wellbeing. Having social support can help encourage the development and maintenance of the healthy behaviors previously mentioned. Social support can come from family, friends, or people you just met! Some tips to help create a social network: • Volunteering – get involved! You will meet other people interested in what you are interested in.

• Extracurricular activities – find hobbies to do with friends and family.

• Stay connected – remain in contact with friends and family or meet new people through online platforms!

• Again, doing these activities while adhering to CDC COVID-19 guidelines is important!

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Resources: • Mindfulness & Meditation: https://psychcentral.com/ blog/1-minute-mindfulness-exercises/ • Diet and Sleep Health: https://www.mayoclinic.org/ diseases-conditions/insomnia/expert-answers/foods-thathelp-you-sleep/faq-20057763 • Tropical Texas Behavioral Center Crisis Hotline: 1-877289-7199

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WORDS OF ADVICE While these are only a few ways that you can help create a healthy lifestyle, find what works best for you. Initiating good lifestyle habits is the first step toward creating a lasting healthy life. It is never too early (or too late) to start living a healthy life, so start today!

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LIFE BALANCE b y Ro c i o Vi l l a l o b o s

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Defining Boundaries in Everyday Routine

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With a limited number of hours in a day and responsibilities in both your work and personal life, things can quickly get overwhelming.

At least, it can if you have not yet struck a proper work-life balance.

Dr. Lisa Cortez is a licensed professional counselor from McAllen with 15 years of experience specializing in anxiety, depression, behavioral problems, and stress. She says despite there only being 24 hours in a day, you can figure out how to balance your obligations in a way that does not leave you exhausted or your duties neglected.

“There is no such thing as ‘I do not have time,’” she said. “It is just about managing your time right.”

As for the benefits of having that healthy balance, Cortez explains it is good for both your physical and mental health.

“Emotionally, it is better for you because you’re not stressed out,” she said. “Plus, when you're not irritable, it is easier mentally for you to be a better parent, spouse, employee, daughter or son, and friend.”

She adds that at this time especially, it is important to control your stress levels. Too much stress can actually weaken the immune system, making one more susceptible to a severe illness.

With the pandemic leading many to work from home, Cortez says knowing where to draw the line between work and personal time has gotten a little fuzzy.

“It is combining two things we normally have separate spaces for,” she said. “Also, if you have kids, the combination of having to be a mom and employee at the same time can become difficult.”

The best solution, in this case, is to designate a specific spot to work, making sure it is not at your dining table or on your bed or sofa where you may spend time with family or resting.

She also advises designating family members to step up and help with tasks at home and recommends “unplugging” to further escape the

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get to do things you enjoy. She recommends scheduling in time for yourself every day — even if it is just 15 minutes.

“A lot of times we do not realize that we are not doing anything for ourselves,” she said. “So, be sure to add that to your calendar as well. Do not schedule anything because something is already scheduled. Even though it feels like you are not doing anything, that is your break.”

In the moments you may feel in over your head and in need of destressing, there are healthy practices that can help.

“Meditation, breathwork, and journaling — writing down how you are feeling — can really help your mind,” she said. “It is also very important to stay active with some kind of physical activity.”

While she recommends that everyone see a therapist even if there is nothing too serious going on, she says just talking to a friend can also be beneficial.

“Everyone is struggling right now so do not be so hard on yourself,” she said. “Trying your best is good enough.”

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feeling of living at work.

“Try not to have your emails set up on your phone because it is important for you to just unplug,” she said. “An email can come in through your phone and it is easy to say, ‘I am just going to check it really quickly,’ but it activates your work mind and makes it hard to pay attention to your family and get to spend quality time with one another.”

One way to avoid that feeling of not having enough time, she adds, is to write everything down in a calendar — physical or digital is fine, as long as you keep up with it.

“A lot of times we take on too much and do not realize how much we are doing,” she said.

“When you put everything on a calendar — both work and personal tasks — it becomes real.”

Another benefit to keeping track of your todos and activities is that it becomes easier to set boundaries and say “no” when you have a log of everything you are doing.

On top of holding up your responsibilities at work and to family, Cortez says it is just as important to prioritize yourself and ensure you

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GET A GOOD NIGHT’S REST Exercises to Combat Insomnia

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by Ro c i o Vi l l a l o b o s Though it is one of the most important functions of our body and something we’re supposed to spend one-third of our life doing, many people struggle to get to sleep at night.

A 2018 study by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found about 1 in 4 Americans experience acute — or short-term — insomnia every year. Apart from re-energizing you for another day, adequate sleep can help improve concentration and productivity and even lower one’s risk for weight gain.

According to Mayo Clinic, insomnia — difficulty staying or falling asleep — can result from various factors, such as stress, changes in life events, mental health disorders, stimulants, and other medical conditions.

And more severe cases can bring about health complications, such as an increased likelihood of substance abuse, and may also lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.

If insomnia is something you regularly experience, there are several sleeping exercises involving breathwork to try out before resorting to medication.

Hilario Patino, a Rio Grande Valley meditation expert with decades of practice, shares a few breathing methods rooted in ancient yoga that can help relax your body and prepare you for a good night’s sleep.

4-7-8 The 4-7-8 breathing technique requires inhaling for four counts, holding your breath for seven counts, then exhaling for eight counts.

“You’re expected to really breathe into your diaphragm, meaning you push the stomach down so lots of oxygen enters your lungs,” Patino said. “It makes the interchange between oxygen and carbon dioxide more efficient.”

Effective oxygenation of the brain, he adds, allows it to

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expel toxins to help it better control the body’s functions.

20-20 Similar to the 4-7-8 technique, the 20-20 requires inhaling and exhaling for a number of counts. Patino said this is the method he himself uses.

“Don’t attempt the 20-20 version until you have been grounded in the 4-7-8,” he cautions.

For 20-20 breathing, you simply inhale for a count of 20 then exhale for the same count.

If you’ve mastered the 4-7-8 technique but you have not worked up to breathing in for 20 counts, you can attempt a modified version in which you inhale for as many counts as you can and exhale for just as long.

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ALTERNATE NOSTRIL “This kind of breathing is supposed to balance the internal energy in your body — positive and negative energies,” Patino said.

For this exercise, you sit on your bed or another seat while keeping the soles of your feet on the floor. Take your thumb and close your right nostril, then inhale with just the left nostril. Switch and close your left nostril to exhale from the right nostril. Then reverse and keep the left nostril closed to inhale through the right, then switch and exhale through the left. Repeat switching sides until you feel at ease.

Apart from these techniques, other natural remedies that can help combat insomnia include meditation or just reading a book.

“Read something good that feeds your mind positive thoughts,” Patino said. “Sleeping with a relaxed body and a peaceful mind are good medicines for insomnia.”

If you would like to try these exercises but are already taking over the counter medication to help induce sleep, Patino recommends slowly weaning yourself off.

“For example, if you’re taking it every night, maybe you can take it four times a week at the beginning, then three times a week, then two, then one, and see how your body copes,” he said. “It’s not good to immediately stop what you’re doing because the body has been used to it. Gradual things really work as long as you’re consistent.”

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TENSE AND RELAX Begin by lying flat on your back in bed with your arms to your side and quickly inhale and exhale two deep breaths through your mouth.

“You tense your whole body, ankle, foot, thighs, stomach, neck, forehead all at the same time while doing this,” Patino said.

Then after the two breaths with the body tensed, you release the tension and do the same two deep breaths, then repeat alternating a tensed and relaxed body.

“After about five sets, your body gets very relaxed,” said Patino, adding this is his personal favorite method. “These kinds of practices should not just be done sporadically. You must take the time to make this a routine.”

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YOUR HEART IS IN YOUR HANDS South Texas Health System Clinics' Cardiologist Urges Patients to Take Charge of Their Heart Health

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by Amy Casebier What’s the secret to a healthy heart? You, as it turns out.

“Doctors are here to help patients, but patients have to help themselves,” said Victor J. Castro, M.D., a board-certified interventional cardiologist who recently joined South Texas Health System Clinics in McAllen.

Castro is highly trained and skilled in identifying and treating a wide range of heart conditions, from acute coronary syndromes such as heart attacks to chronic issues such as congestive heart failure, blocked arteries, and more. He earned his medical degree from Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru, and completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowships in critical care, heart failure/heart transplant, and interventional cardiology at New York Medical College in Valhalla.

Whether providing care in his office, virtually or in the hospital, patients can expect to receive dedicated, compassionate attention.

“I enjoy taking care of patients, and seeing the happy faces of their family when they’re reunited after a serious condition is resolved,” he said.

He treats a wide spectrum of cardiac conditions, and like the entire cardiology team at South Texas Health System Clinics, has seen patients through dire emergencies. With access to advanced technologies, he and the specially trained team have been able to positively impact the quality of their patients’ lives.

Of course, Castro would prefer patients seek care before an issue becomes a medical emergency, when he and his colleagues can offer the most treatment options.

Cardiologists like Castro and the team specialize in diagnosing heart and vascular diseases, determining risk factors for heart conditions, and managing those conditions through medicine, surgery, and lifestyle modifications. The heart is a complex organ and the South Texas Health System Clinics’ heart team offers multiple programs to help ensure it is functioning at its best.

“Doctors are here to help, but the day-to-day care falls to the patient themselves,” Castro said.

You might not visit your cardiologist every day, but every day you have the opportunity to fix a healthy breakfast and take a brisk walk. Incorporating even thirty minutes of exercise into your routine can improve your overall health significantly.

“People can modify their lifestyles in many ways to take better care of themselves,” Castro said.

“Most know this, but they sometimes need a little encouragement from their physician.”

To protect their heart health, Castro urges everyone to: • exercise regularly • trim extra weight • eat well • avoid smoking and excessive alcohol intake • take measures to reduce stress • make and maintain safely distanced social connections with others

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Doctors will always be there to guide their patients, but it’s up to the patients to develop and follow healthy habits.

“I'm most looking forward to helping patients manage or overcome their heart issues so that they can get back to enjoying their lives with their loved ones,” he said.

To Make an Appointment: Call 956-630-5522 or schedule online at sthsclinics.com (Physician referral may be required.)

Virtual Visits Available Accepts Medicare, Medicaid and most medical plans

DO YOU KNOW THE SIGNS OF A HEART ATTACK?

• tightness and pain in chest, neck, back, or arms • sudden tiredness • feeling lightheaded • anxiety • abnormal heartbeat V i ct or J. C a s t r o, M . D. , board-certified in terven tion al cardiolo g is t Dr. Castro sees patients at: 500 E. Ridge Road | Suite 300 | McAllen, TX 78503

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Don’t skip a beat! When in doubt, seek medical attention — it is always better to be safe than sorry.

For language assistance, disability accommodations and the non-discrimination notice, visit sthsclinics.com

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In addition to the above, women are more likely to experience the following: • cold sweats • jaw pain • nausea or vomiting • shortness of breath

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When should you call 9-1-1? The following symptoms may indicate that you’re experiencing a possible heart attack:

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SMILES FOR DAYS General and Cosmetic Dentistry Available with Rodeo Dental in-house Specialists

If you’ve ever walked into any Rodeo Dental office, you’ll notice that the environment is typically a vibrant, colorful one. While one of the main goals is to make it appealing for children the minute they set foot through the doors, many people don’t realize that Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics also caters to the entire family — including adults.

“Here at Rodeo, we provide a lot of different services,” said Dr. Adam Carson, DMD. “We cover everything under general dentistry and we have an

in-house group of specialists that can provide specialist care and minimize the need to go anywhere else.”

Though cavities are the main issue pediatric dentists treat on a day-today basis, adults with a full set of teeth may experience other concerns.

Tooth decay is not uncommon among the general population, and requires special treatment or procedures such as implants, crowns, or root canals.

One thing the team members at Rodeo Dental all have in common is the

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“We cover everything under general dentistry and we have an in-house group of specialists that can provide specialist care and minimize the need to go anywhere else.”

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Erika Cavazos.

“My favorite part about cosmetic dentistry is when patients realize their tooth can be saved after they come in thinking they need an extraction,” she said. “In reality, we can save your tooth and make it into a big, beautiful crown through crown prepping, making the crown look the same as your natural teeth.”

Rodeo team members realize the role a smile plays in the way patients feel about their appearance. Rodeo Dental & Orthodontics patients may also receive dental services such as crowns, bridges, fillings, braces, root canals, extractions, removable prosthetics, and implants, among others.

Aside from the wide range of services offered, patients feel welcome by the staff and continue to return to Rodeo Dental for follow-ups.

Booking dentist appointments for your entire family has never been easier — everyone can receive dental care under the same roof and walk out knowing the team at Rodeo Dental is hard at work in reconstructing your smiles.

Registered dental assistant Arnulfo Gonzalez says his favorite part about working at Rodeo Dental is playing a role in the reconstruction process of a smile.

“It is the most amazing feeling to get that all treated and fixing that bright smile,” Gonzalez said.

“You know it just changes their lives — they gain so much confidence and it's really the best feeling in the world for me.”

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pride they take in patients leaving their facilities with a smile. Every patient who walks through those doors in need of cosmetic dental care walks out with genuine gratitude. Part of that is due to the level of care they receive.

A smile truly is everything.

It embodies an individual’s confidence, composure, and even persona at times — and the staff at Rodeo Dental understands that in full.

“When a patient comes in and we are able to fix their smile after they're missing their two front teeth, it's priceless,” said registered dental assistant Ivette Ibanez. “They just walk out of here so grateful — Dr. Carson is amazing. He takes his time with his work and [patients] notice it.”

“I come here to Rodeo Dental because of how they treat me,” said Natalia Rocillo, a Rodeo Dental patient. “They always explain the procedures and what they will be doing so I always feel comfortable with the staff and the doctors here.”

Though she is a new patient, Rocillo is excited to bring her 6-month-old to Rodeo Dental for a check up.

Carson takes pride in treating patients, restoring their smiles, and transforming their overall confidence. He is proud to be a part of a team that goes out of their way to make each patient feel comfortable. They are dedicated to making people feel their best.

Sometimes, patients think their tooth is not salvageable, says registered dental assistant

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COVID-19 REBOUND Doctor Urges RGV Residents to Continue Following Pandemic Safety Protocols

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by Nathaniel Mata Positive COVID-19 cases in the community are facts of life. Since March, the virus — and trying to avoid and limit the spread — has altered all aspects of life, work, and interactions.

Thousands in our community have already caught coronavirus. And until a vaccine is widely available and utilized, even more can become infected.

So what happens after recovering from the virus — following initial isolation, quarantining, and eventually testing negative for COVID? Dr. Joel Solis of Valley Medical Arts Clinic stressed caution to the community over staying safe during the pandemic.

The clinic has been a big part of the COVID vaccine trials, enrolling over 700 participants to take part in the “doubleblind” trials, which means subjects don’t know whether they received a placebo or vaccine.

Solis said that after their initial infection ends, COVID patients shouldn’t assume immunity to the virus.

“We have to be a little careful from a standpoint of perspective,” he said. “If you’re asking me about the COVID patient that was positive in April or May … we

know it’s possible for them to be reinfected because we’ve seen it happen in other parts of the country.”

Getting over COVID-19 isn’t a magic elixir that provides protection. Research shows it doesn’t come with long-term immunity.

Patients who have recovered from COVID might have some protection for a limited amount of time, but that’s not something Solis says people should rely on too much.

“It depends how long the antibodies that are made against COVID lasts,” Solis said.

“The question is, how long do they last in an individual? I think what we’re all learning is … anytime I talk COVID, I like to preface ‘at present time we believe.’”

He says this is extremely important with a novel virus aided by people’s behavior and misinformation.

“Coming out and saying we know something for sure with a virus like this is difficult for me. I don’t like to mislead anyone with either false hope or false information,” Solis said. “We’re all different and we can’t say everyone got the same virus, the same viral load, the same type of infection. So clearly not all of us have the same type of post protection.”

As a healthcare provider, he is also an

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now know how to utilize it even better. So, yes we do still want people who have had COVID to inquire with a facility about donating and being a part of that.”

Even with the promise of a vaccine rolling out, safety protocols are still key in helping our community from COVID. “What’s going to end up happening if you send the wrong message that they have protection then that individual might not wear their mask,” Solis said. “The bottom line recommendation has not changed — regardless of if you’ve had COVID or not.”

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important player in the battle for information.

He stressed that being safe during this pandemic applies to everyone.

“It’s not safe to change the parameters that we’re living our lives today,” Solis said. “Which is wearing your mask, social distancing, and washing your hands. That will continue until we feel like it’s safer out there from a vaccine perspective or COVID treatment. Being smart about where we’re going, where you have been, and where we’re going next. You don’t want to be that vector in case you didn’t adhere to the proper protocols.”

While the pandemic precautions have been in place a long time, they are still important and manageable steps to promote community health.

“The right thing is not as hard as people make it sound — masks, washing hands, and distancing,” Solis said. “It is difficult because you have to think about where you’re at.”

One recommendation that has also endured is the suggestion for formerly positive patients to donate plasma. He said COVID has resulted in a surge of research and discoveries.

“We’re doing research from a preventative aspect with a vaccine,” Solis said. “The same type of work that [Doctors Hospital at Renaissance] did with studying the convalescent plasma early on. They formed an alliance with a lot of the local hospitals. If you look at where we are today and you look at their efforts in getting people to donate and receive the plasma at the important time, we

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ALZHEIMER'S & DEMENTIA Expert Recommends that RGV Communities Invest in Enriching Environments for Health

by Nathaniel Mata

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drive 10 minutes for interaction and cognitive engagement at times.”

She asked the question again.

“How can we enrich our environment? And I’m not talking about money.”

The general health of the community is an investment in which returns don’t necessarily show up in a figurative bank account but rather with a higher quality of life for RGV residents.

Maestre said this is an early part of improving the situation in the Rio Grande Valley.

“We are at the phase of the diagnosis of how big this problem is and where it’s located,” Maestre said, “so we can create targeted strategies that need it the most.”

She says the solution to preparing the RGV for the next decades is a holistic approach to health problems that have lingered in this area — for people “There are opportunities to improve but we really need to talk about it,” Mastre said. “We as a community can do something. City officials and city planners — they need to do their part. Even before the pandemic and after the pandemic, urban public spaces are in need. There is a phrase that says ‘public spaces are public health.’”

She believes awareness and public support are a part of the solution. Some groups and organizations already have these concerns high on their priorities, Brownsville Senior Coalition, which advocates for

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Maestre acknowledged, indicating groups like the

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young and old.

healthy and active aging.

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Memory loss concerns many as we age. Even young adults who misplace their keys may worry.

The possibility of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia exists for everyone — particularly older individuals. Unfortunately, the Rio Grande Valley has higher levels of disease prevalence.

Dr. Gladys Maestre is a world-renowned neuroscientist and director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research, which was established in 2018.

She explained that the early signs of the disease are very personal. They might start with simple forgetfulness, but eventually, family members will have to overcompensate for these lapses in memory.

“It’s the Hispanic population that’s taking the highest toll and there’s no question about it,” she said. “It’s higher at so many levels, with fewer services. When someone has a memory problem and goes to the doctor, they might not speak any Spanish or might not be aware of the cultural clues.”

Maestre asked an important question that can improve the health of those living in the Valley: “How can we enrich our environment?”

Experts say that building brain skills and practicing cognitive engagement is the best way to fend off Alzheimer's and dementia. This includes both social and physical activities.

“This needs to be an issue that is tackled from many points of view,” Maestre said. “I live in Rancho Viejo and it’s a nice community, but it doesn’t have walkways. If I was in a wheelchair, I wouldn’t be able to get around. It can be unsafe to walk in the street as an elderly person. In poor neighborhoods, there are no walkways. That’s just the basic stuff we should be doing for these communities. Where are the recreation spaces? They are not embedded in the community. You have to get in the car and

“Talking about it is important — the more we talk about it the better,” she said. “We need to create this anxiety somehow, this desire to change this.

We need more people like you talking, capturing the voice of people.”

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BIG THINGS COME IN

SMALL PACKAGES Valley Baptist Micro Hospital Cares for Weslaco Community

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b y Amy Ca s eb i e r | p h ot o b y Wa l d o Pa l om a r e s Imagine needing emergency medical services and not having to endure long delays in a waiting room.

That scenario has been made possible by Valley Baptist Micro Hospital in Weslaco.

“What [patients] can expect is really little to no wait time and to be greeted by a staff of skilled, licensed, registered healthcare experts who are committed to providing quality care all in a safe and compassionate environment,” said Celina I. Gutierrez, nurse manager at the facility.

The micro hospital offers standard services when it comes to health care — with additional advantages unique to its size.

“Since we are basically a smaller version of a larger hospital, it allows us a more personalized visit with the

patient,” Gutierrez said. “The physicians are able to sit longer, be more thorough, and really establish a great rapport with them.”

The micro hospital encompasses 29,000 square feet full of new, state-of-the-art equipment and services for the community. This includes eight rooms for inpatient care, a full-service ER with 14 rooms and two trauma bays, a full-functioning laboratory, and pharmacy, respiratory, and imaging departments.

Recognizing a need in the Mid-Valley community for convenient and easily accessible health care, the micro hospital offers outpatient services like lab draws or CT scans, ultrasounds, or X-rays during extended hours.

These services are available up until 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and until 5 p.m. on Saturday.

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"The micro can provide more services to the community than a freestanding emergency room and the acuity level at the micro is much broader than that of the average urgent care."

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see for the entire time you are there.”

In a larger hospital setting, multiple caregivers can cause confusion. A patient and their family members may not be sure which physician is delivering which type of care. Elangwe and the rest of the team at the micro hospital work together to provide excellent care for their patients while getting them back to normal.

“We try to keep people out of the hospital,” he said, explaining that the micro hospital staff facilitates ongoing home care, therapy appointments, and other resources for patients who need it. “We try to minimize their stay. I’m passionate about getting them out as soon as medically possible.

“It’s a great opportunity for the folks here in Weslaco.

Valley Baptist is doing their best to expand access to health care in this community.”

The micro hospital has also been strictly adhering to safety protocols to address COVID-19. Everyone who enters the facility — patients, family members, physicians, and staff — is screened, including answering questions about their health, any symptoms, and recent travel, as well as a temperature check.

Masks are required. If a patient or visitor does not have a mask, one will be provided for them. All staff and physicians wear proper personal protective equipment, and rooms and equipment are sanitized following guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control.

In short, there’s no reason to delay necessary medical care because of pandemic concerns.

“Valley Baptist is an established household name — you’re going to get the same quality of care that you would receive at the main hospital,” said Maru De La Paz, business development manager for the micro hospital. “We have experienced staff. The cleanliness of the place and the protocols we have established should make every patient that walks in the door feel safe.”

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“It gives that flexibility of being able to come and get those services done and managing your health care without having to take time off work,” said Ronda Lewis, site administrator.

It’s touches like these that make the micro hospital stand out from other facilities.

"I’ve said this since the beginning: We don't only want to come in and service the community — we want to be part of the community,” Lewis said. “We are honored to have been accepted by Weslaco and surrounding areas as part of the community.”

The micro hospital marks one year of service in January. It has provided care for everything from pneumonia and allergic reactions to diabetes management and dehydration — and many additional conditions — to the Mid-Valley community.

“The biggest advantage is [patients] stay locally — they don’t have to be transported to Harlingen,” said Dr. Paul Elangwe, a physician at the micro hospital.

“It also gives them an opportunity to stay in the Valley Baptist system.”

Valley Baptist Health System has served the Lower Valley for 95 years, delivering compassionate, patientcentered care. The micro hospital is the first of its kind in the RGV, and streamlines medical services in a powerful way for the community it serves.

“The micro can provide more services to the community than a freestanding emergency room and the acuity level at the micro is much broader than that of the average urgent care,” Lewis said.

Another advantage the micro hospital has when it comes to its size is the committed medical team.

“The staff is very respectful — they maintain your privacy,” Elangwe said. “They respond quickly, so if you need any assistance, somebody will be right there.

[Patients] don’t see multiple providers in a day. At the micro hospital, you just have one physician that you

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Ro nd a Le wi s , site admin istor

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BRAINS AS WE AGE Seize the Moment When it Comes to Learning New Things b y Ka r l a A r r e d on d o

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become more difficult as we age, but not impossible. The potential is there, and once we achieve it, it becomes integrated into our other sources of information.

Increased wisdom, perhaps?

We also know some ways to continue to exercise our cognitive abilities as adults with small but significant daily challenges. For example, switch hands each day to brush your teeth, take a new route to work every now and then, listen to a stimulating podcast as you drive, disconnect from electronic devices and connect to the present moment with your senses, and move your body in a meaningful way. Sleep, food, and positive social relationships help us stay young in body and mind.

Learning new things requires not only cognitive abilities but also an open mind. Whether you underestimate or overestimate yourself in a new challenge, approach it with curiosity and see what happens. Listen and turn to others as you absorb new ideas that may be contrary to your own. Sometimes, the biggest block to learning is stubbornness — the inability to see beyond our habits and beliefs.

Start with curiosity. Remember that child you used to be? As you grew up, ideas and behaviors became ingrained in your personality because of circumstance, culture, socioeconomic status, and other factors. The combination of factors that make up a person are endless, and how we are shaped and defined as adults is like a big game of probability. Yet here you are — what will you do with your brain today?

Learning and unlearning are opposite and powerful tools as we evolve our brains and our self-concept to better serve ourselves and others. Follow that dream, learn that inspiring skill you did not have a chance to do before, and forget the idea that you can’t continue to store new information as you age. Everything is possible. In the words of Charles Dederich, each day is the beginning of the rest of your life. What do you want to learn today?

“Although you may face some extra difficulties at 30, 50 – or 90 – your brain still has an astonishing ability to learn and master many new skills, whatever your age.”

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Does our age impact our motivation to continue to learn new things? Scientists used to believe that as we age, our brain’s capacity to store new information and retrieve old facts become more and more impaired.

Where does science stand on this now? Can we still resort to “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” to get out of learning something new, or is it never too late to refresh that long-forgotten skill?

“Psychologists often define learning as a relatively permanent change in behavior as a result of experience,” mental healthy website Very Well Mind states. “The psychology of learning focuses on a range of topics related to how people learn and interact with their environments.”

Harvard research shows that, “there is no period in life when the brain and its functions just hold steady. Some cognitive functions become weaker with age, while others actually improve.”

To put it in perspective, when we are young, we are able to take in new information and store it — or create new memories. That is where the phrase that children are like sponges comes from. The ability of children to soak up information all around them is marvelous and, in a healthy and nurturing environment, we really see them thrive. As we age, that ability dampens, but another one emerges and flourishes: the ability to capture the whole picture, or analyze different sources of information. Harvard research finds that “perhaps this is the foundation of wisdom. It is as if, with age, your brain becomes better at seeing the entire forest and worse at seeing the leaves.”

So how do we take advantage of this information along our lifespan?

“Although you may face some extra difficulties at 30, 50 — or 90 — your brain still has an astonishing ability to learn and master many new skills, whatever your age,” BBC Psychology states. Acquiring new information may

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FOSTERING

HOPE Palm Valley Animal Society Programs Grows in Leaps and Bounds

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Keely Lewis isn’t positive which of the three kittens she took in at the end of November 2020 counts as her official 200th foster, but she’d probably say it’s Junie. The trio were positive for ringworm, prompting Lewis to open her doors after she thought she was done fostering for the year.

People are hesitant to foster ringworm kittens, which Lewis, board president for Palm Valley Animal Society, says she can understand — even as she believes they still deserve a chance. PVAS used to euthanize pets with the curable skin condition, which is caused by a fungus.

Now, though, ringworm-positive pets can be fostered — along with neonatal kitten litters that, without a mother, wouldn’t survive.

These and other efforts enabled PVAS to recently become recognized as a no-kill shelter with an over 90 percent live outcome rate. The thriving foster program is one part of a multi-faceted approach to save a majority of the 27,000 animals that pass through the shelter each year.

“If I can do 200, there are people out there who can do 10 or 20 a year,” Lewis said of her fostering. “It’s feasible.”

There are about 800 foster homes registered in the Rio Grande Valley that work with PVAS on getting pets out of the shelter, says Allison Le Grice, community engagement manager. And through the support of a grant received in 2020 from Maddie’s Fund, PVAS has been able to pull

together kits with crates, food, bottles, toys, and other items to encourage more participation in the foster program.

These resources, an app to track the pets’ progress and vaccinations, and a Facebook group of nearly 700 PVAS fosters and volunteers have made fostering more accessible than ever before.

“The shocking thing when you go to the shelter is just the sheer amount of animals that are there. It’s just unbelievable,” said first-time foster Lisa Morrell. She ended up adopting three of her foster cats — including Charlotte, a former runt beset with health challenges.

“Even a short-term foster can make a positive difference in freeing up shelter space and saving more lives.”

Monica Perez Palacios, a self-professed dog person, was seriously considering adopting her two 6-week-old foster kittens at the time of publication. “They definitely grow on you,” she said.

Her fostering experience has imparted what she hopes will be lifelong lessons for her young children.

“It’s taught my kids the meaning of actually making a difference,” she said. “They’re little, but anytime they see an animal on the street, they’re like, ‘Mom, Mom,’ and, yep, I’m on it. They definitely value these little animals.”

As fulfilling as the experience may be, there are also

Sa ndy Ov e r ly p la ys w i th he r ca t Ch eeto, adopted by San dy after previou sl y fosterin g. N ov. 27, 20 20

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challenges — and sometimes heartbreak.

Palacios lost two of her neonatal kittens to preexisting conditions. Andrea Casas, another foster, lost kitten Robin.

But when she saw how easily Robin’s brother, Batman, weathered 2020’s Hurricane Hanna with her, she decided to keep him.

“He’s a little spicy cat, now,” she said.

“I think his favorite word is ‘parkour.’”

A person ending up adopting their foster pet is known as a “foster fail.”

But PVAS Executive Director Donna Casamento prefers to call it a “foster fit” — a family deciding that a foster pet fits best in their own home.

Casamento focuses on keeping pets out of the shelter. PVAS is the second biggest shelter in the country in terms of volume of intake, but it operates at a fraction of the budget of similar organizations. That’s why donations are so important to the mission at PVAS — such as a new Animal Compadres initiative that allows participants to give any amount on an ongoing monthly basis.

The PVAS team has revamped the way the shelter operates, including growing the foster program, expanding volunteer opportunities, opening a pet food pantry for people in need, and controlling the stray population through education on spaying and neutering and the Community Cat Program.

Sandry Triplett Overly monitors a community cat territory in a retirement village where her in-laws live. To date, she has transformed the lives of 22 felines. Despite her husband’s initial reluctance, she became a foster this year. They just adopted two of their foster kittens: Cheeto and Possum.

I, too, became a first-time foster in September 2020 for the K-Pop litter: three kittens just 3 weeks old. In time, they became Dr. Murder, an adventuresome blue-eyed siamese, Minnaloushe, a p h o t o s u b m it t e d by A m y Ca s e bi e r.

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Hu n dreds of dogs an d cats are avail abl e for fosterin g an d adopti o n at Pal m Val l ey An imal Society .

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mischievous black bob-tail with a white starburst on his chest, and cuddly Crust, who matched Minnaloushe in every way except for the tail. For nearly two months, the brothers grew up in my bathtub — you need less space than you think to successfully foster. The joy they sparked was tinged with a wish to keep them forever.

“You have to be ready for letting them go,” Casas said, and perhaps I wasn’t when the rescue partner came calling. The brothers got new homes in Tennessee.

“It’s very rewarding. It’s also very hard,” Le Grice said of the moment when fosters turn over the pets to their forever homes.

Le Grice shows me photos of the three brothers in their new homes. Dr. Murder poses in front of sliding doors overlooking a deck, cotton ball fur already sleeker since the last time I saw him. Crust snuggles up to a beaming woman, white starburst ablaze on his chest. Tailless Minnaloushe sprawls on a lap, needle claws out, making biscuits, as his new mom strokes his back. Seeing them shiny and contented and loved like this is an easier last memory for me.

“Especially with the pets that wouldn’t have lived without a caregiver, that keeps fosters going,” Le Grice said. “Seeing them adopted out and just knowing that they changed that animal’s life.”

Pets can change fosters’ lives, too.

“People need a release from everything that’s going on. You get to focus on something that’s nothing but positive,” Casamento said. “Fostering is fun even if you have pets or you’ve never had experience with pets. Whatever your level of comfort is, we’re going to help you through the process.”

For more information on volunteering, fostering, adopting, and donating at Palm Valley Animal Society, visit pvastx.org.

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The Show Will Go On McAllen Performing Arts Center Discusses Upcoming Shows

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stations, and plexiglass dividers will also be in effect for the public.

Among the events planned by the performing arts center include a livestream of Moscow Ballet’s ‘Great Russian Nutcracker’ and a socially distanced performance of ‘The Nutcracker’ presented

by RGV Ballet in December. The latter show will have limited seating and performers wearing masks.

In January, the Broadway musical will aim to make its rescheduled Jan. 21 date followed by a performance of the Spanish play “¿Por qué los hombres aman a las cabronas?” the following week.

Musical groups and performers such as Mutate, Christian Castro, and David Bisbal are planned for the rest of the year.

In-person shows will have a 50 percent capacity limit and each group of attendees will be seated 6 feet away from the nearest group.

“We hope that when we come back to a new normal, we’ll be able to offer what we can to the community,” Flores-Delgado said, adding that the center has a local economic impact of $70 million.

“Since we’ve been closed, we’ve lost $40 million and we’re trying to work diligently to reimagine how we do events in a safe way for the public,” Flores-Delgado said. “These venues play a vital role in our community.

They educate and provide captivating performances that create memories for our community. Not being able to provide that has been devastating for us as employees and for the community itself.”

Flores-Delgado said she is happy the performing arts center will be able to continue showing ‘The Nutcracker’ for the community, which has become an annual tradition for families to attend.

“It’s really important for the community and performers that they look forward to this year after year,” Flores-Delgado said.

“We made it a point to reimagine how we present these events and not cancel Christmas. We’re changing the presentation and ending the year on a brighter note to continue these events.”

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At the beginning of the year, the McAllen Performing Arts Center had 100 exciting shows, concerts, and events lined up for 2020.

By March, however, curtains for these events — and the thousands of people who regularly enjoy them — came down due to the coronavirus pandemic that made gathering in large groups a dangerous health risk.

“Mass entertainment public facilities such as these were the first to close at the start of the pandemic,” said Yajaira Flores-Delgado, director for the McAllen Convention Center (which oversees the McAllen Performing Arts Center). “There is no doubt that they will be the last to reopen.”

When the McAllen Performing Arts Center closed its doors March 15 under local and state orders to prevent public gatherings of more than 10 people, the center planned and budgeted for a 10-week shutdown.

Instead, the center ended up canceling or postponing multiple shows, including touring Broadway productions of “Rent” and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” a stage show based on the children’s show “Peppa Pig,” a ZZ Top concert, and the latest series from the Valley Symphony Orchestra.

“For ‘Beautiful,’ we actually had two backto-back sold-out shows that we had to cancel and we still haven’t been able to open at the same capacity since,” Flores-Delgado said.

“We’re talking to different trade organizations on what our next steps should be. We don’t think we’ll be able to go back to full capacity until fall 2021, and that’s us being proactive.

We’re looking right now at putting back these events on the schedule if they permit.”

Currently, the center is going through a phased reopening where each show on the schedule will be decided if it’ll be shown virtually, in person, or in a hybrid setting at 50 percent capacity with attendees wearing masks and practicing social distancing.

The performing arts center announced major upgrades in its sanitizing process, which includes the use of electrostatic disinfecting guns and new HVAC filters to regularly pump in fresh air into the building.

Temperature checks, hand-sanitizing

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b y J e m i m a G l e a s on Skye and Noah were high school sweethearts, and ended up getting married after graduating college back in 2017. They would never understand the struggles of modern online dating, Lily thought, much less dating in the era of ghosting.

Dating couldn’t couldn’t possibly get any worse.

Lily took a deep breath and a swig of her iced coffee and composed herself before sending a message to her latest connection.

Well, well, well, she typed, look who it is. She laughed at her own message but hesitated before sending it.

Ugh, no, he’s definitely not responding to that, she thought.

SPRING 2020 “Oh-em-gee, we just matched. What do I say to him?” Asked Lily.

“What do you mean, ‘what do you say to him?’ Wait for him to message you first,” said Skye.

“We matched on Honeycomb, not Flame, so I have to make the first move on this one, remember?” Said Lily.

Lily had her back to her iPad, lost in thought while Skye watched through her side of the FaceTime screen.

“That’s right, I don’t know how you keep track of all these dating apps. I can't imagine dating online. Thank God for Noah.” Said Skye.

Lily rolled her eyes.

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everyone dining in looked just as uncertain to be there as she felt.

First dates are usually a little awkward, but with new anxieties about the virus and wanting to feel safe, it took a little extra time to break the ice. Thankfully, after a little bit of chit chat, their food arrived and they were able to take off their masks. Oh-em-gee, he’s soooo cute!, she squealed inwardly. The rest of the date went smoothly, and they talked and laughed as if it were a normal date.

They continued to talk for several weeks after that, venturing out to have outdoor picnics at the park, exploring local nature trails, and enjoying iced coffee as they went on walks. This is going great! I guess I have a life even when there’s a virus. Things were definitely looking up for Lily in the dating area. Or so she thought.

3 weeks in and she suddenly found no digital trace of her new man. Complete radio silence.

FALL 2020 He’s totally ghosting me, she thought.

Days went by. Long hours. Zero pings. An imbalance in the messaging ratio as she continued to add texts to the messaging thread with no reply.

Dating looks and feels different with COVID, but some things never change, Lily thought, as she lay in her bed in the dark. Just before she lost all hope, her phone screen lit up with a ping.

His name loomed large in her notifications as she read his last text in its entirety: “I’m sorry I’ve been MIA. My life has been a bit crazy. I am dealing with a lot, and I need to take care of my mental health.”

Gutted. Then why try dating right now, idiot? She wanted to cry. But I guess that’s fair. This year hasn’t been easy to deal with. But, come on, dude! Thanks for nothing.

She texted her friend to chat about her newest update and answered a FaceTime from Skye to talk it out over their favorite pints of ice cream.

Even though online dating was already difficult to navigate and now a global pandemic put a damper in the system, thankfully friendships weren’t so easily damaged.

A banner notification from Chirp filled the top of her screen and the headline read: “COVID-19 vaccination could start December 11th”.

Oooh a vaccine! Finally, she thought. I wonder how that could change dating options in the future.

Hopefully things will start to look a little brighter in Spring 2021.

She closed out the Honeycomb app and opened up Chirp, her second favorite social media platform, and her most trusted source for updates on news and current events around the world.

She clicked on the trending tab and gasped at the headline in bold at the top of the screen.

“Gov. Greg Abbott tells Texans to stay home except for essential activity in April” “Oh my gosh, Skye, did you see this?” Her voice was an octave higher than usual and Lily read her the update. Lily nearly spat out her coffee as the words sank in, wondering if dating could be considered essential.

COVID was very much a threat in the nation, state, and more recently the RGV, and so many things were suddenly changing.

Great, this is just what I needed, she thought. First, we’re asked to readjust and work from home, even with a curfew being enforced. How am I supposed to socialize?

SUMMER 2020 Weeks after the mandatory shutdown, Lily noticed some new changes in the dating apps. There was now a set of questions in the ‘edit my profile section’ regarding the level of comfort when it came to actually going on a date in person.

The options listed by some of the apps included video-calling, socially distance with masks on, and socially distanced.

I guess that’s necessary, I suppose, she thought.

She had had some close friends and family members become ill with the virus, but she didn’t want to put her life completely on hold if she could just take some extra precautions.

She thought about how comfortable she would be to meet in person while perusing her apps and eventually accepted a socially distanced lunch date with a verified connection, but only after making sure that neither had been exposed to the virus.

“Have you come in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID in the past two weeks?”

They asked each other, “Have you felt any symptoms that may signal you have contracted the virus?”

They decided to meet for sushi at one of her favorite local spots and were greeted with ‘masks required’ signs as they waited to get their temperature checked.

They scanned QR codes to receive the online menu directly to their phones, avoiding any form of contact with a physical menu.

The restaurant was filled to 25% capacity, and

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DIEGO'S FOOD TRUCK From Family Farm to Your Family’s Table

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b y Jo s i e M. B a r r er a | p h o to s b y J a s on G a r z a Saunter over to the McAllen Food Park on a weekday evening and you’ll be greeted with an unexpected twist on casual dining. Linger long enough and you’ll notice the aroma of freshly roasted tomatoes and other home grown veggies.

Diego Ramos, owner and chef at Diego’s Food Truck, has had an interest in preparing dishes early on — experimenting with different flavors has always been second nature to him.

He shared the vegetables at local farmer’s markets, gaining loyal customers from all over the Rio Grande Valley long before opening the food truck.

“You know I kind of decided that McAllen Food Truck Park was like the best place for me to start a central location. The demographics of the customers that come here are mostly families. That was the same thing at the farmers market,” Ramos said.

One of the most popular dishes on the menu is the burgers. Made with meat sourced from their family farm, Provenza Cattle Ranch in Elsa, Ramos tends to the cattle himself, ensuring they are grass-fed.

In the past year he’s been open, Ramos has not had the need to go buy meat at a grocery store — that is one constant that comes straight from the farm.

“Even if the lettuce or the tomatoes aren't

from the farm, the beef will always always, always, always be from the farm,” he said.

Though his family farm has been around for years, Ramos prides himself on specializing in beef. He admits that due to the low number of cattle, he needs to get creative in creating dishes that serve every part and cut.

“Once, I made a dish of just bones and cartilage,” he said. “What I want people to understand is that I’m out there with the cows myself. I go with the butcher and request the cuts I want.”

The eatery’s menu is not limited to one culture. Ramos experiments with different dishes every day. The burgers are always on the menu, but the vegetables are constantly switched out depending on what’s in season.

“We come up with ways to just make it work,” he said. “We have Taco Tuesday but then Wednesdays we do a Paella Wednesday.

Thursdays used to be mushroom Wednesdays from my friend who produces mushrooms. We would buy all sorts of gourmet mushrooms and we like to slice up a steak and serve it up with some mushrooms that are sauteed — and then that changed Thursday to steak night.

Diego’s Farm to Table Food Truck opened its doors in September 2019 only to face an unavoidable obstacle a short six months later.

During the month it remained closed at the

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His creativity is not limited when it comes to piecing tasty options together. Diego’s Cherry Tomatoes, an item on the menu, is a direct reflection of his imagination at work.

“One day, I threw some tomatoes I had with other veggies I had on hand at the time, and my mom tasted it and was happily surprised. She insisted it be added to the menu and now it's one of my favorite dishes to serve,” he said.

Ramos says that the food truck would not be as successful as it is without the support of his family and his team.

“I really am thankful for all the people we've met and all the help we've gotten along the way,” Ramos said. “You have no idea how many hands have helped. It's always important to just take it all in. I'm taking in all the advice.”

Diego’s Food Truck offers a different lineup of dishes daily, depending on what crops are available at the farm that day. You can find the updated menu on Instagram and Facebook as @diegosfoodtruck. They are open from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at the McAllen Food Park.

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beginning of the pandemic, Ramos was able to restructure his operations and integrate better planning for the menu.

“That was a little scary at first. I think March was probably the most difficult month just because I was divided between being the restaurant that stays open and caters to people during this time, or just closing and kind of staying away from all the problems,” he recalled. “In a way, I feel like we were moving and growing too fast before the pandemic, so the month that we had off during March I kind of took the time to rethink everything that we did.”

After taking the time to restructure, Diego’s Food Truck reopened with a better understanding of the impact they were having on the community.

“People are coming over here to experience what farmto-table is and knowing that it's going to be good just by whatever is on the menu,” said Ramos. “We will post the menu two or three hours prior to when we open, but people are always telling us ‘I came today because the menu looks amazing.’ The original intent of the changing venue was for our customers to stay updated and never expect the same thing.”

Onward to

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time with each other as they tried to set boundaries between work and life.

Individuals became more self-aware about their mental health and ways to care for themselves as the state of the world was unwritten.

“Although social distancing has limited the amount of physical contact people get, remaining engaged with loved ones over the phone or internet has helped nurture human connection,” said Dr. Alfonso Mercado, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

In regards to mental health, he said having a strong network of support — even remotely — has been essential for many.

“In addition to human connection, practicing selfcare has helped sustain mental wellness. Taking care of one’s well-being can help reduce your stress and produce positive feelings,” Mercado said. “Self-care involves being kind to oneself, obtaining adequate sleep, nourishing your body with a healthy diet, avoiding alcohol and drugs, and exercising and stretching, among others.”

In addition to mental health awareness, education was greatly impacted by the virus.

Many sudden changes affected schools in the spring of 2020. Teachers across the Valley, state, and nation were asked to relearn a new form of instruction as the coronavirus spread around the world.

The greatest change was the switch to remote learning.

“We had dabbled a bit with remote learning and online, but we did not have a system in place that was designed for remote instruction,” said Alicia Noyola, Harlingen CISD chief academic officer.

As bad as the virus is, Noyola said it accelerated a lot of systems for learning, remote, and hybrid instruction.

She hopes that by the summer, the district will be able to switch gears fully and transition back into face-toface instruction.

“I think that the biggest takeaway for me was that

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Remote learning, working from home, social distancing.

These are just a few of the phrases we all became familiar with as the last year unraveled.

As stated by one of the greatest thinkers and scientists of our century, Stephen Hawking, "Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change." In 2020, it would be a phrase that more than ever held meaning and relevance around the world.

After Dec. 31 2019, COVID-19 took everyone by surprise and normal life for everyone was reduced to quarantines, social distancing, and uncertainty. Technology would keep us informed and connected in a way we weren't used to. In fact, it would bring us closer together.

Public education, business, health systems, and activities in general looked for a way to get ahead in the midst of uncertainty. In many cases, they did it successfully.

With the immediate two-week lockdown across the state, essential businesses rose to the occasion and kept us all afloat, improvising with every day that went by. Small business owners were forced to think outside the box and figure out how to cater to their everyday customer while following CDC guidelines.

Retail shops allowed customers to shop by appointment to limit the number of people in the store and some transitioned into e-commerce sites with curbside pickup. Local bakeries and restaurants pushed for delivery and curbside, as well, signing up for third-party delivery services like GrubHub, Favor, and DoorDash.

Event planners and decorators got creative as driveby celebrations became a thing of the present. Though people were social distancing, they were still able to come together this way and feel that support from their loved ones.

More and more people turned to the outdoors, visiting bike and nature trails across the Rio Grande Valley.

With people working remotely, families spent more

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“Although social distancing has limited the amount of physical contact people get, remaining engaged with loved ones over the phone or internet has helped nurture human connection.

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Dr. A lfo ns o Mer c a d o, an as s oci ate p r of e ssor of psy ch ol ogy at th e Un iversity of Texas Rio Gran de Val l ey

the sense of not knowing how the vaccine will impact life as we know it, he said. He is optimistic that local businesses will continue following CDC guidelines to protect the community.

Another sector that we saw a visible change in was the construction industry.

Ramiro Garza Jr., president of Noble Development, shared his experience during the first few months of the pandemic.

“Early on in March when everything started as far as changes with the shutdown orders, the challenge was the uncertainty of how long the shutdown was going to last,” he said. “Everything came to a standstill.”

Fortunately, Noble was able to continue operating, keeping employees and serving clients. Though the service sector was impacted, growth was visible in the commercial construction industry.

With the new social distancing practices in place, a lot of restaurants closed their dining areas temporarily and focused more on serving customers through delivery, drive-thus, or curbside services. H-E-B stores, banks, and franchise restaurants are just a few of the entities that adapted and restructured their operation systems to move forward.

Though 2020 was a year of loss and challenges, there were silver linings. One of the biggest lessons learned throughout it all was learning how resilient we are as a community.

Teachers, cashiers, and frontline medical personnel experienced firsthand what it meant to face the virus head on every single day. Travel nursing agencies deployed an army of travel nurses to help treat COVID patients in our hospitals as numbers of positive cases reached an all-time high in July and August.

The community welcomed the nurses in a warm embrace and hundreds of businesses all over the Valley sent care packages to DoubleTree Suites by Hilton McAllen, where they stayed during their time here.

Though there were patients in COVID units, many people were skeptical about setting foot in a hospital,

you can never replace the value of a teacher and the value of the interaction that are critical for the success of students,” Noyola said. “We are so proud of all of our teachers. In spite of it all, they never wavered.”

With the two versions of the coronavirus vaccine officially out as of December 2020, things are expected to change in 2021. Closing the achievement gap between students remotely and hopefully face to face down the line is a priority.

Javier De Leon, who served as the executive vice president of government affairs at Texas State Technical College in Harlingen at the time of this interview, said teachers adapted overnight.

“They’ve had to reinvent teaching as they knew it,” he said.

In order to help assist educators on the frontlines, all school districts called for outside expertise, professional development, weekly meetings, and constant access to information technology services.

“For every challenge, there is a positive opportunity.

We all know that the future is going to be incorporating technology in instruction,” De Leon said. “We are years ahead of where we’d be if it wasn’t for the pandemic. We are years ahead with our virtual teaching and learning — we will continue to improve and adapt.”

In the business sector, we saw an abrupt halt as non-essential businesses shut down for the first few weeks in the spring. After the lockdown order was lifted, businesses reopened, adapting their entire model to comply with CDC guidelines. Many continue to implement these rules as coronavirus cases persist across the Valley.

“The pandemic did not discriminate against any one specific industry,” said Sergio Contreras, president of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership. “Industries were able to navigate to the water either by remapping how they conducted business or they were essential.”

Contreras recognizes that there is still uncertainty in 2021. However, businesses now have more experience in coping with the pandemic. Things will be difficult in

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Hundreds of millions of people have lived through lockdowns,” Mercado said. “Many have made the abrupt shift to working and schooling from home; millions have lost jobs. The future looks uncertain. We don't know yet when, or if, our societies might return to normal or what kind of permanent changes the pandemic will leave.”

One thing we know, he says, is that most of us in the developed world were forced to rely on technology even more than we were already doing so — and the skills that we acquired are likely to help us thrive in many aspects.

After a year of dealing with unforeseen events, we can only hope to have learned and move forward. There are still uncertainties that lie ahead, but the biggest factor is overcoming them as a community.

Some people have already returned to restaurants and bars, weddings and funerals, vacations and celebrations.

But it’s less clear if we will continue to wear masks, use hand sanitizer, and check temperatures forever. An even bigger question is whether we will continue to work remotely from home.

“Now that many companies have been working remotely, it would not be surprising if many decide to continue to work from home. Most employees appreciate flexibility, especially those with long commute times,” Mercado said. “However, over time, face-to-face interaction is required to facilitate collaboration, build relationships, solve complex challenges, and generate ideas. Even worse, continuous remote work extends the workday, diffuses work-life boundaries, and reduces mental wellbeing.”

fearing they would contract the virus. This was difficult to come to terms with, especially when patients who were waiting to go into the emergency room were those who could not physically afford to prolong treatment and care.

Despite all of this, Matt Wolthoff, CEO of Harlingen Medical Center, saw the Valley come together in a way not many of us have had the opportunity to experience.

He says that one of the biggest takeaways was the advancement in telemedicine. It isn’t a new concept by any means, but it is definitely something providers realized could be streamlined.

“I think those in the Rio Grande Valley can be very, very proud of the capability and the resiliency of its medical professional work,” said Wolthoff. “I think it's pretty remarkable that the health systems came together to take care of our community and step up to the challenge.

All the systems really pulled together and collaborated more than ever, especially those in Cameron County.”

One of the biggest challenges? Mental health support for medical professionals.

“We’ve got to be better about providing resources and treating the emotional well-being of our staff to be able to continue to take care of more patients as they come in,” he added. “They're working around the clock and unfortunately, you lose patients. They were exposed to a lot. That whole concept really became one of the major lessons from being involved in a long-lasting pandemic.”

“More than nine months have passed since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

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RGV Trails to Help You Stay Active

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by Va lerie Ja c ks o n You’ve started a new year, stretched out your hammies, prepped your water bottle, and packed your bike. Now, where to? RGVision is here to help you discover incredible running and bike trails in the Rio Grande Valley. Finding the perfect trail can assist in achieving your New Year’s resolution of being more active. So lace up your shoes — let’s get moving, RGV! 25th Street Hike & Bike Trail: The 25th Street Hike and Bike Trail runs from north to south through Harlingen, connecting several neighborhoods and key destinations.

The fun trail runs parallel to a canal with a paved path of 4.8 miles.

• 25th Street, Harlingen, TX Bicentennial Hike and Bike Trail: The Bicentennial Hike and Bike Trail is perfect for outdoor activity and exercise for the whole family. While enjoying this scenic, fully paved 5 1/2-mile trail, you will see several noteworthy locations, like the International Museum of Art & Science.

• Bicentennial Boulevard, McAllen, TX

Second Street Hike and Bike Trail: Second Street Hike and Bike Trail is a great place to go running, jogging, skating, cycling, or walking with the entire family. The trail is over 8 miles, and is mostly located through a residential area. You will experience great sights and an even better workout!

• West Nolana Avenue, McAllen, TX Mission Hike & Bike Trail: This trail features a system of more than 10 miles of hike and bike trails that connect homeowners and visitors to nature. The trail offers a safe option for outdoor runners with both paved and unpaved routes — all varying in intensity. The trail is designed to get you close to the area’s many species of birds and wildlife.

• 1414 S. Conway Ave., Mission, TX East Lake Tract (LRGV NWR): East Lake is a 1,700-acre tract nearly 5 miles west of Raymondville on Highway 1761. This tract contains inland hypersaline lakes and

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• On Highway 186, 5 miles east of Interstate 69 Fordyce Nature and Hiking Trails: The Fordyce Nature Hike & Bike trail is a 4.04 rough mountain bike trail that will challenge cyclists.

This is an intermediate trail course.

• 1496 U.S. 83, Rio Grande City, TX Avoid failed resolutions, and find joy in discovering all the scenic trails our beautiful region has to offer.

Happy trails, and Happy New Year!

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provides great insight into our region’s wildlife. The hiking/walking trails are accessible by foot only.

• Highway 1761, near Raymondville Heavin Resaca Trail (San Benito Resaca): The Heavin Resaca Trail is an asphalt trail along the resaca that is 2.6 miles long. The park space is populated with amenities including fitness stations, picnic tables and shelters, swing sets, outdoor grills, basketball courts, and more.

• 143 South Reagan St., San Benito, TX La Sal Del Rey Tract (LRGV NWR): La Sal del Rey, or “the King’s Salt,” is one of three naturally occurring salt lakes in South Texas. This historic tract is perfect for a scenic run.

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LifeSkills forAll Cooking, Cleaning, Managing Finances Among Many Responsibilities to Master

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b y Ka r l a A r r e d on d o Many cultures push some life skills on women, such as domestic chores and housework. In 2020, are we still bound by these outdated gender roles? Is a traditional upbringing relevant in today’s modern families and living arrangements? We may be missing the true meaning and benefit of being able to complete basic life skills no matter what gender you identify with.

Basic life skills include cooking, grooming, bathing, dressing, toileting, cleaning and tidying up, managing finances, and using your own or public transportation to get from place to place, among others. From the objective point of view of someone who works with individuals to help them gain independence in everyday life, these skills are not dependent on gender — and everyone benefits from experience in as many as possible. Cesar Cespedes, OTR, MS, at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen works with men and women desiring to regain or acquire increased independence in their everyday lives

due to illness, injury, or who are there learning how to care for a loved one.

“When an illness or injury limits one’s meaningful life activities, the occupational therapist will work together with the individual and their family to establish goals that will assist the person to re-integrate their meaningful daily activities and live life to its fullest,” he said.

“These activities and skills are not genderbiased or limited to the individual performing them, but are used when needing to care for someone else.”

For example, the tasks of caring for a newborn, assisting someone who has acquired an illness or injury, or supporting a terminally ill individual are all instances where knowing how to perform basic life skills becomes essential for someone’s well being. “This is why it is very important to be open-minded when it comes to learning new activities and life skills,” Cespedes said. “I have seen an individual that could no longer perform their ‘normal’ household duties due to an injury.

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rounded adults? It starts at home — not so much by what we teach as by what we model. If you have children, remember that little minds are the most curious and eager to help and get involved. Boys and girls both enjoy helping mom and dad no matter what task it is.

Allow them to wash dishes, sweep, mop, help repair something, assist in diaper changes — whatever it is as long as it is age appropriate. Take turns with your partner doing different house chores and responsibilities. This way, children observe that life skills are everyone’s responsibility. If you know there are skills you could learn to increase your independence or help a loved one, you could be proactive and take initiative by asking a friend or parent to help you learn and fill in the gap of essential life skills.

We no longer attribute self-worth or judge others’ worthiness by how skillful they are in outdated gender roles. Women and men are both individuals with different and equal roles in society. Everyone benefits at the individual and the societal level from knowing how to perform basic life skills, modeling these for children, and using them to help others.

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This leads to the other members of the household to take on roles and responsibilities that may be viewed as non traditional.”

But learning how to perform basic life skills is not exclusively beneficial in situations of hardship. Most committed partnerships today are made up of individuals who work and enjoy hobbies and social engagement with others. Some decide to enter parenthood and new roles and responsibilities emerge. Being capable at performing basic life skills makes a well-rounded adult who can support their partner and loved ones when they may be in a phase of rest and recovery, such as new motherhood, or if one partner travels often for work or is the main caregiver for their children or a family member. If someone gets sick and needs to recover for a few days, the other partner can take over roles without hesitation, allowing the household to continue to function and flow without too much added stress.

There are also individuals who choose to enjoy life as single adults for whom the traditional way of upbringing hinders their independence.

How do we support universal life skills to raise well-

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RAPTORS

AROUND US Birds of Prey Fun to See and Beneficial to our Communities

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odd as it sounds, mouse urine and feces absorb UV light, leaving dark markers for the kestrel to follow in its hunt.

While some of our raptors are mostly found in habitats without many people — Hook-billed Kites are secretive snail-eaters of dense thorn forests — many of them can be seen in urban and agricultural settings. If you have a bird feeder, you have likely seen a Cooper’s Hawk or Sharp-shinned Hawk dive in and grab a dove — or at least scare all the birds away momentarily.

Peregrine Falcons are another species that frequent our towns and cities, often perching on water towers and on tall buildings. One time I was stopped at an intersection with a water tower and happened to notice feathers falling outside my truck window. Sure enough, I looked up and saw a Peregrine Falcon feasting on a Rock Pigeon.

The magic and majesty of birds of prey are readily seen. The next time you are out and about, keep an eye on the sky (safely, of course).

You might see a hunting harrier, or a soaring Red-tailed Hawk, or the rich chocolate brown of Harris’s Hawk highlighted by a South Texas sunset. I hope you will see them, but am positive that the sharp eyes of a hawk have seen you.

Help keep our birds of prey safe! Be cautious about using pesticides; many of the pests they target are things raptors eat. Know your local laws; it’s illegal to shoot a bird of prey. Conserve habitats; one of the leading causes of raptor declines is the loss of the spaces they need.

For more information about birds of prey, contact Quinta Mazatlan.

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There may not be a more impressive sight than a bird of prey. Their power, elegance, and amazing flight capabilities have made them a favorite of more than just birdwatchers; they are the symbols for countries, businesses, and sports teams around the world. Think of the national bird of the United States of America — the Bald Eagle — as an example of the many mascots of sports teams across the country.

Here in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, we have a vibrant (and beneficial) community of raptors that live with us.

All told, scientists and birdwatchers have documented 32 species of hawks, eagles, kites, and falcons in our four-county region. They lead diverse and interesting lives but are bound together by some common traits (though of course there are exceptions). Raptors, or birds of prey, tend to be larger in size, eat meat, have powerful beaks and talons, and strong flight.

They are also renowned for their great eyesight — “eyes of a hawk” is a common phrase for a reason.

One of the greatest benefits of having raptors around — aside from getting to enjoy their beauty and character — is as part of nature’s pest control crew. Worried about diseases spread by rats and mice? There are many hawks and falcons that help control rodent populations and in style! White-tailed Kites are graceful denizens of grasslands (including fields in our towns and cities) known for their remarkable ability to hover perfectly in place, then drop stealthily on their unsuspecting prey. American Kestrels, our smallest falcon, use their ultraviolet vision to see the paths mice make through the grass. As

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b y Ur b a n E c o l o gi s t Jo h n B r u s h , Q u i n t a M a z a t l a n Wor l d B i r d i n g C e n t e r i n M cA l l e n

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FACES IN THE VALLEY:

POP ART frame, or sometimes 24 hours for a big mural stretched out into several nights,” Gonzalez said.

His brother, Tony, stands nearby with a light and to offer assistance and document his brother’s process to be shared on his Instagram account @popc_ulture.

The mural currently has three people painted on it: Itzel Lea, a pharmacist who owns the property where the mural is painted, Jesse de la Garza, an EMT from Weslaco who died from COVID-19 in Weslaco, and Pedro

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Alexander Gonzalez can be found spending his entire night making murals.

At night he avoids the heat and there are fewer people around him, he says.

Besides, the bright colors he creates pop out more under the cover of darkness.

Currently, Gonzalez is working on a mural across from Mayfield Park in San Juan that will be painted with photos of first responders working on the frontlines of the pandemic — and who have died during it.

“It can take me seven hours to do each

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Local Artist Honors Beloved Figures

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Angel Duran, a McAllen registered nurse.

The mural will soon be decorated with other paintings of other local heroes.

“I call it pop art, but I’m not an artist. I just create what I envision,” Gonzalez said when asked to describe his murals. “I don’t know if it’s graffiti or pop art but it’s a mix of everything I’ve gathered throughout the years. I want to make a statement saying I’m here and my art exists.”

Gonzalez, who signs his mural with his Instagram handle, started on his most recent mural in early November 2020 and has created over a dozen others since February 2020.

His murals depict fallen celebrities and political figures such as U.S. Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman, and NBA superstar Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna.

Gonzalez has also drawn murals in honor of fallen heroes such as Fort Hood soldiers Vanessa Guillen and Elder Fernandez and fallen law enforcement officers including Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Moises Sanchez, McAllen policemen Edelmiro Garza Jr. and Ismael Chavez Jr., and Mission policeman Jose “Speedy” Espericueta.

The murals are spread out in multiple cities throughout the Valley. For some of the murals, people reach out to Gonzalez to request he build a mural.

For a lot of them, such as the murals of Vanessa Guillen, Gonzalez approaches property owners for it. He’s made multiple murals of her in Donna, Pharr, Weslaco, and San Juan for the same reason he’s made murals of people who have died from tragedy.

“They don’t have a voice and they need it,” Gonzalez said. “Gloria, Vanessa’s sister, was doing the outcry for people to find Vanessa and give her the justice she needed, so I wanted to help her. People

voice for them.”

who are still here are the ones who can provide a

amazing feeling to influence more people.”

Gonzalez’s need to make a statement with his figures also scratches what he calls a “creative itch.”

He has been painting since he was a high school student and found inspiration from his art teacher, Gerardo “Jerry” Gorena.

“He and my mom had the most faith in me when I started painting 13 years ago, but I never knew their worth,” Gonzalez said. “Even with that, I knew I wanted to create something that would reach people.”

With nearly 4,000 followers on Instagram and two new murals from Gonzalez to commemorate missing soldier Vanessa Guillen in Donna and San Juan making the news, Gonzalez’s artwork has indeed reached more than a few people.

“I’ve gotten a lot of messages of support from people across the Valley and even outside the U.S. requesting a mural, it’s unbelievable,” Gonzalez said.

“At the beginning, I painted on canvas in my room and kept them to myself. I didn’t think it was worth going public with them. Now I have a lot of support across the country.”

Gonzalez has made painting his full-time job as he accepts commissions from businesses and donations to support his artwork.

Gonzales said he hopes his murals will inspire others. He’s currently mentoring a young artist who has painted Pebbles, a character on “The Flintstones,” alongside his mural of first responders.

“I don’t want to be the only one in the Valley doing

By contributing with other artists, sooner or later they could go to their own paths and create more color.

We need it. I’ve been seeing more murals pop out and want to challenge other people to be creative. It’s an

“It can take me seven hours to do each frame, or sometimes 24 hours for a big mural stretched out into several nights."

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contributing to anything if you’re not helping others?

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“I could be the best guitar player but are you really

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art — I want others to do this, too,” Gonzalez said.

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WHEN WE SERVE TOGETHER IN OUR COMMUNITIES, EVERYONE SOARS. Southwest Airlines® proudly partners with those who are helping to shape our communities all across America. One good deed—when coupled with another and another and another—can truly make a positive difference in our daily lives.

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