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Joe Vera, the man responsible for the success of the city of Hidalgo’s BorderFest and coveted Border Texan of the Year accolade, died Wednesday morning. He was 69.

McAllen City Manager Isaac Tawil announced Vera’s death during Thursday’s news conference for Border Texan of the Year, which will be awarded at this year’s MXLAN event in McAllen on May 8.

Tawil was visibly shaken by the news.

The assistant city manager for McAllen for nearly 11 years, Vera has worked in public service for more than 50 years and began his career in city leadership in 1996, when he was hired as city manager for Hidalgo.

He was among those considered integral in growing BorderFest, a popular festival held annually since 1976 in celebration of the Rio Grande Valley’s symbiotic relationship with its border with Mexico.

Vera, who had also headed the Hidalgo Chamber of Commerce, was then hired as assistant city manager in McAllen in 2014 and helped grow the city’s events, particularly its holiday parade.

Managing the convention center, Palm View Golf Course and the public library, including the city’s parks, Vera was also active with United Way, the Boy Scouts, Lions Club, 4-H and Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

In a news release announcing Vera’s death, the city of McAllen expressed “profound sadness” over the news and called him a visionary leader “whose dedication and passion transformed McAllen into a vibrant hub of culture and community.”

“His leadership was instrumental in positioning McAllen as a regional destination, notably through the coordination of major events like the McAllen Holiday Parade, which attracted over 240,000 attendees in 2024 and was recognized as the Best New Event by the International Festivals and Events Association in 2014,” the release stated, further noting that the parade was named the World’s Best Parade eight times and the Best Parade in Texas nine times through various organizations, such as the International Festivals and Events Association

Among the honors bestowed upon him over the years include being named to the International Festivals and Events Hall of Fame and the Texas Festivals and Events Association Hall of Honor.

A “legacy … etched into the very fabric of McAllen,” Vera’s legacy is one created from an “unwavering commitment” and vision to grow the city’s events and identity.

“Joe would often quote PT Barnum, ‘The noblest art of all is making others happy.’ In that sense, Joe was … an incomparable artist who brought joy to countless lives,” the city said in the release. “As we gather for the Border Texan of the Year event, another example of Joe’s visionary leadership, let us honor his memory and celebrate the immense contributions he made to our community.

“We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all who were touched by his remarkable life.”

Texas is the land of delicious food, I mean it's the home of steaks, BBQ, and chili. That doesn't even include all the mouthwatering desserts. I mean, Texas is home to Blue Bell Ice Cream. Not to mention have found a way to layer food in gravy or cheese and we tend to throw everything in a fryer. However, with all the indulgent food Texas isn't even close to being the most overweight in the US. It's somewhere in the middle.

That's why it's hard to imagine that a Texas city is ranked as the most obese, overweight, and fattest.

That honor or dishonor, depending on how you see it, goes to McAllen, Texas. According to a study done by Wallet Hub, this city sits at #1 on the list. McAllen has been the most obese city in the country since 2022 at least.

This Texas city has the highest percentage of obese adults and it is the most physically inactive in the country. McAllen comes in 2nd for the most obese teenagers and 5th for obese children. All these statistics put it at the top of the list.

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In a world that looks down on obesity, this is a title that most cities don't want. People equate obesity with being unhealthy, which isn't always the case. Unfortunately, it's a lose/lose situation for many people. For those who struggle with weight loss and being overweight, the struggle is real. For some no matter what you do the weight won't come off, even with healthy eating and exercise, so you turn to alternative methods like surgery or weight loss drugs. When you finally find a way that works to get the weight off and lose, you didn't do it the "hard" way so you cheated and it doesn't count.

Weight Loss is a billion-dollar industry in the US, in fact, it's estimated at over $425 billion per year. Keeping people overweight is good for business, so it’s no surprise that most of America is overweight or obese.

McAllen wasn't the only Texas city on the top of the list this year. San Antonio made the list at #13 and El Paso at #20.

Hundreds of water rescues were reported as nearly two feet of rain flooded parts of South Texas.

Record-breaking rainfall in South Texas on the evening of March 27 led to deadly floods with lasting impacts.

Heavy rain inundated southern Texas Wednesday night through Friday morning, flooding roads and homes and prompting hundreds of water rescues.

At least four deaths were reported after over a half year’s worth of rain forced water rescues along the Texas-Mexico border where hundreds were trapped in flooded homes and cars stranded in high waters. Three of the deaths occurred in hard-hit Hidalgo County where a declaration of local disaster was issued to help cleanup operations. Carlos Sanchez.

A man drowned in Reynosa, Mexico, the Associated Press reported, citing authorities in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas where nearly 700 people were rescued amid flooding, according to Mexico’s Civil Protection Coordination.

More than 21 inches of rain had been measured a few miles west of Harlingen, Texas. Harlingen typically gets about 24 inches of rain in an entire year.

In McAllen, Texas, a hospital's first floor was flooded forcing staff to divert walk-in and ambulance patients to nearby hospitals and pause visitation hours, it said in a Thursday evening update on Instagram. The hospital was reopening to visitors on Friday, though some parts of the first floor could be “restricted” because of the damage.

Over 50 water rescues were performed in surrounding Hidalgo County, CNN reported. Video on social media from that county showed portions of Interstate 2 underwater with abandoned vehicles and even a fire truck underwater.

In the past 48 hours through Friday morning, at least five AccuWeather AmbientWeather rain gauges in the area reported more than 18 inches of rain: Rio Hondo, Harlingen, Santa Rosa, Stuart Place and Tierra Bonita; the last one reported 19.38 inches. The Harlingen airport measured 14.11 inches, while Port Isabel recorded 13.17 inches.

"Severe flooding has impacted the RGV (Rio Grand Valley) leaving many homes and properties damaged," Cameron County Constable PCT 5 wrote on Facebook. "City and county workers, along with law enforcement, are working tirelessly to assist those in need. This photo captures just how extreme the situation is—residents navigating floodwaters by boat as streets remain submerged. Stay safe, and please avoid flooded areas if possible."

The Texas’ agriculture commissioner said the damage included significant losses to agriculture and livestock. Dozens of school districts and college campuses canceled classes and thousands of power outages were reported.

“The bed is the only thing dry right now, because the sofas are soaked. Everything is soaked,” Jionni Ochoa told the Associated Press from his home in Palm Valley, near Harlingen where he was waiting with his wife to be rescued Friday as the water inside reached their knees.

Two flash flood warnings were in effect early Friday, one for eastern Cameron County and another for west-central Cameron County. Both warned of life-threatening flooding.

River flooding will continue through early next week. The Rio Grande River near San Benito is the only National Weather Service flood gauge in Cameron County that provides a river level forecast. That gauge was at 40.37 feet Friday morning and was forecast to rise to 48.6 feet Saturday and 51.4 feet by Tuesday.

Fortunately, the heavy rain is over, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tom Kines says.

"There can still be a downpour this morning, but these will be few and far between. Dry weather is expected this weekend into the first half of next week, with temperatures above normal," he added.

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Hold on to your tortas.

A new study conducted by WalletHub determined that the McAllen metropolitan area is the most overweight city in the United States.

According to a report on WalletHub’s website that was published on Monday, McAllen has the highest percentage of obese adults and the highest percentage of physically inactive adults.

“McAllen, TX, ranks as the most overweight city in the country, because it has the largest percentage of adults who are obese, at 45%, with an additional 31% overweight but not obese,” the report read. “McAllen also has the second-highest share of obese teenagers and the fifth-highest share of obese children.”

This is the second year in a row that the McAllen area has earned the number one ranking in the annual report.

The list ranked McAllen number one overall, followed by Little Rock, Arkansas; Jackson, Mississippi; Mobile, Alabama; and Knoxville, Tennessee. The next lowest ranking city from Texas to make the list was San Antonio, which came in at number 13.

When it came to the subcategories, McAllen ranked number one in the percentage of obese adults and the percentage of physically inactive adults.

The report added that McAllen residents are also “very affected” by diseases that can result from being overweight.

“One reason why many people in McAllen are overweight is because they don’t exercise very much, as the city has the highest share of physically inactive adults,” the report read. “That may not be entirely their fault, considering McAllen has the second-lowest percentage of residents who live close to parks or recreational facilities.”

Chip Lupo, a writer and analyst for WalletHub who contributed to the report, said that data is pulled from a number of websites including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States Census Bureau, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to help determine rankings.

The data is then broken down into three categories: obesity and overweight, health consequences, and food and fitness. Those categories are then broken down into 19 indicators including physically inactive adults, projected obesity weight rates by 2030, and healthy food access, among others.

“We’re trying to go a little bit beyond,” Lupo said. “People just automatically assume that obesity, overweight is related strictly to diet. It’s a key factor, but there’s other issues and other factors at play, some socioeconomic and some logistically. We try to create a comprehensive look to why some of these cities rank so high in obesity and overweight, and what some of the ones that aren’t and what they’re doing well also.”

He said that the purpose of the report is not to shame anyone, but to raise awareness about where there might be problems so that readers and policymakers can try to make their communities more healthy.

“Number one in this case is, of course, McAllen, Texas,” Lupo said. “So that’s, by our research, considered one of the most obese cities, metro areas in the U.S. Now keep in mind also, this is part of a nationwide problem. I mean, McAllen is the worst among a pretty bad situation nationwide, because we found through our research that 42% of U.S. adults are obese.”

Dr. Ivan Melendez, health authority for Hidalgo County, said that he is not surprised by the results of the study.

“Quite frankly, what does it matter for number one or number 37? We are definitely among the most obese in the country,” he said.

Melendez said that the Rio Grande Valley has always ranked low when it comes to diabetes, hypertension and obesity, access to health care, and education — statistics that are often revealed in similar reports.

“It’s information that we are already aware of, that everyone already knows,” Melendez said. “You look around you and you just see people are overweight. If we bicker over the formulas, or for number one versus number three, you’re missing the point. The point is, we are in a very bad situation when it comes to obesity.”

He said that there are actually a number of factors that can contribute to the problem with obesity in the area.

“When you add an access to quality food, processed food, poverty, a lack of education, genetic predisposition, culture that believes that bigger is better, including weight, it certainly makes a lot of sense why we are where we’re at,” he said.

McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos said that while he is unsure about the process used to determine the results of the WalletHub report, he said that the city is continuing to try to promote healthier lifestyles for its citizens.

“I think you all know we have over 30-something miles of walking and biking trails and thousands of acres of parks,” Villalobos said. “We just keep on doing stuff that really promotes, but at the very end it is, it is up to the individual.”