Jim Darling first came to McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley in 1977. The freshly minted graduate of the Baylor Law School who was looking for something new. “I saw the palm trees and felt the warm weather, and thought, ‘I think I want to stay here,’” said Darling, a native of Rochester, NY. Stay Darling did, serving 28 years as McAllen’s city attorney. Many of those years, he was…
Texas Southmost College of Brownsville continues to develop its industrial sector education by recently celebrating its first graduates in one program and offering a new degree program in another. The college this month marked its first graduates in its Industrial Insulation program. Nine students were part of the inaugural class. The graduates were promptly offered jobs with BrandSafway, a leading global provider of services for industrial and commercial markets. Juan…
The world of real estate today is one where anyone in the world can see a local property for sale. It’s a world of visuals, said one of Brownsville’s young and aspiring realtors. Hector Cardoza believes he is in a good position to seize the opportunities of a growing market. The 29-year-old Cardoza grew up locally, a graduate of Los Fresnos High School and the University of Texas-Brownsville. He started…
A Seattle-based maritime contractor has chosen a Port of Brownsville tenant to build the largest hopper dredge in the United States. Manson Construction Co. is one of the nation’s leading builders of marine infrastructure projects. Its contract with Keppel AmFELS has AmFELS building a 15,000-cubic yard hopper dredge. It will have a length of 420 feet and a breadth of 81 feet. A dredge is a marine vessel – a…
A customer called Cissy Infante Guerrero to let her know they wouldn’t be coming by that week – but no worries – a return to Tucker’s Barbecue was guaranteed. “It was so sweet of her to call,” Infante Guerrero said of the customer. “She was worried about us and wanted to assure they would be back to see us.” The months of COVID-19 have consequently tested local businesses. They’ve adjusted…
The drive-through line was snaking around a bend on a recent Friday at Tucker’s Barbecue in Raymondville. A Texas Department of Public Safety vehicle pulled up and dotted the line. Michael Guerrero kept the pit fire going as his wife, Cissy, and her staff worked through orders hanging on a wire with clothespins. “It has been tough,” Cissy Infante Guerrero said of dealing with COVID-19 challenges. “Our business has been…
There’s a little patch of green on Texas Boulevard in downtown Weslaco. The morning sun lights up a beautiful courtyard that’s lush and green with oak trees and a small playhouse with hanging plants. It’s the sort of place of calm and reflection that Yvonne Reyes seeks in bringing her patients for therapy. Reyes, an occupational therapist, works to improve the focus, motor skills and sensory perceptions of her patients.…
It’s a two-block walk from the historic Pan American Airways Complex to the Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport‘s emerging $70 million passenger terminal. The 91,000-square-foot terminal is within easy view of the spot where on March 9, 1931, Charles Lindbergh flew in for the opening ceremonies of Brownsville’s first airport with Amelia Earhart in attendance. History will be made again in December 2020 when Brownsville transforms air travel again…
An executive with First Community Bank has been elected to the board of directors of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas. Ricky Leal, the senior vice president/commercial lending for First Community, was selected during the organization’s recent virtual annual convention. Leal joined First Community 15 years ago as a commercial lender before rising to serve on the company’s executive team. First Community is the only bank company of its type…
The City of McAllen is planning to host its first major public event since the beginnings of COVID-19 when it stages the annual Fiesta de Palmas early next month. Fiesta de Palmas celebrates the cultural heritage of border communities and highlights McAllen as an international city with strong ties to Mexico. This year’s event will be modified to fit the current era with an emphasis on social distancing. Drive-through, curbside…