MCALLEN, RGV – NPR News’ three-part series on corruption in the Rio Grande Valley, which was written and presented by John Burnett and produced by Marisa Peñaloza, has now concluded.
The first part gave an overview of the issue, with an interview with Rock Stone, who heads the FBI’s new Rio Grande Valley Public Corruption Task Force in McAllen. This aired on Morning Edition on Monday.
The second part, which aired on All Things Considered on Monday evening, was titled With Corruption Rampant, Good Cops Go Bad In Texas’ Rio Grande Valley. It included an interview with now imprisoned Jonathan Treviño, who headed the infamous anti-narcotics Panama Unit in Hidalgo County.
The third part, which aired Tuesday on Morning Edition, focused on vote harvesting. Well-known Brownsville politiquera Herminia Becerra is interviewed in this piece, along with Citizens Against Voter Abuse founder Mary Helen Flores and longtime Valley political strategist Mike Carrera.
There has been a lot of reaction to the series. In a Valley Morning Star story, reporter Fernando Del Valle interviews Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell, Bronwsville Mayor Tony Martinez, Cameron County Judge Pete Sepulveda, and Rio Grande Valley Partnership President Julian Alvarez. All say corruption is not unique to the Valley.
Rio Grande Guardian columnist Gary Mounce echoed those sentiments. He said: “Did you know corruption doesn’t exist anywhere else? That all up state Anglos and others are pure as the driven snow? That only ‘Mexicans are bad? I am so sick of this.”
Click here for part one of the NPR News series.
Click here for part two of the NPR News series.
Click here for part three of the NPR News series.
Editor’s Note: The main photo accompanying this story shows 86-year-old politiquera Herminia Becerra of Brownsville. (Photo: NPR/John Burnett)
Editor’s Note: The NPR News series ‘Corruption in the Rio Grande Valley’ aired in the Rio Grande Valley on RGV Public Radio 88 FM, the Valley’s NPR station and a news media partner of the Rio Grande Guardian.
