Alan Williams works with cities and schools in developing native habitats and will cut to the chase and ask local leaders what they’re willing to invest in green spaces. “Something I’ve talked to city managers and parks directors about is to be honest with ourselves and look at the time public works departments spend on tree care,” said Williams, who is the landscaping and gardening director for the Region One…
Nathan Burkhart in his six-year tenure at the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation was on the ground floor of the beginnings of the space industry coming to his hometown. He served as the vice president of entrepreneurship and innovation at BCIC and became familiar with the leadership of SpaceX and its Starbase on Boca Chica Beach. It was during his BCIC tenure that he also met business owners and executives from…
The Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport opened a new 90,000-square-foot terminal in early 2021 amidst much fanfare in promoting the city’s transformation of its air traveler experience. Left behind was a 1970s-era 30,000-square-foot terminal whose outdated appearance was a striking contrast to the sleeker and more modern terminals found at airports in Harlingen and McAllen. All of that is in the past because the stylish terminal of today in…
Bill DeBrooke’s family referred to him as a “Grandpa Grumpy Pants” with a scruffy appearance and coarse demeanor who was unconventional and yet highly successful in making projects flourish. DeBrooke’s look and style could be misleading. He possessed a genius for problem solving and built “a Monopoly-like real estate empire from scratch.” The empire in this case refers to Downtown Harlingen. It’s where he and his family acquired dozens of…
The walk up to La Sal Del Rey gives hints of what lays ahead in glimpses of white between the thick and thorny green stands of South Texas brush. Then it opens in full view, a stunning expanse of an ancient lakebed with four million-plus tons of salt under shallow waters that reflect like mirrors to the clouds above. In dry months, the water recedes and then is completely gone.…
The rampant online speculation about the construction of a data center in Harlingen has come into clearer focus as the Cameron County judge and the city’s mayor acknowledged such an interest exists while emphasizing no formal proposals are under consideration. The property site for a possible data center is an 1,800-acre space adjacent to Valley International Airport and just outside of Harlingen’s city limits. This means any possible approval of…
McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos gave his fifth State of The City Address in February and described his community as having “movement, energy and success.” Villalobos was exuberant in giving the address before a crowd of 1,300 at the McAllen Convention Center. The mayor walked around a large stage with a wireless headset microphone and enthusiastically ran down a list of accomplishments and projects achieved in 2025. Villalobos often cited the…
It was more the opportunity to restore a historic building than starting a business that was the initial inspiration for Hector Zavala when he saw a 1860s-era building in Downtown Brownsville. Zavala was in his mid-20s at the time when spotting an old botica building on the corner of 11th and Washington streets. The over 160-year-old pharmacy building that also housed doctors’ offices and a clinic had been left vacant…
The Arroyo Colorado at its historical core is an ancient channel of the Rio Grande that formed during one of the main river’s many flood events. The Arroyo is 90-miles long. Its headwaters are located south of Mission. From there it winds east – most prominently through Harlingen – in crossing through three counties before flowing into the Laguna Madre. The Arroyo cuts through the heart of the Rio Grande…
The growth of a small business can come from the result of well-crafted planning – or sometimes by happenstance. Norma Ozuna and her husband Eddie, with years of experience in working for corporate restaurant chains, made the move in 2021 to open their own business along Expressway 83 in Mercedes. O’s Burgers & More is located adjacent to the emerging Shops At Mercedes. The latter is a 250,000-square-foot retailing development…