Author Archives: VBR

Rio Grande Regional Hospital Earns Distinction For Surgeries

e-Brief Features Healthcare News Comments
Dr. Jaime Villarreal, cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon, and Dr. Adriana Gomez, chief medical officer, of Rio Grande Regional Hospital.

Rio Grande Regional Hospital has earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons for its patient care and outcomes in aortic valve replacement combined with coronary artery bypass grafting. The three-star rating, which denotes the highest quality category, places RGRH among the elite for AVR+CABG surgery in the United States and Canada. Rio Grande Regional Hospital is the only hospital in south Texas to currently hold a…

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STC Police Academy Cadets Graduate With Guaranteed Jobs

e-Brief Features Education Government News Comments
STC 30th Police Academy

The South Texas College 30th Police Academy recently celebrated the graduation and recruitment of every single graduating cadet in a ceremony joined by friends and family at the Regional Center for Public Safety Excellence in Pharr. For the first time in program history, all students were offered conditional job offers from the Hidalgo County Sherriff’s Office weeks before completing the 22-week program. Sherriff J.E. “Eddie” Guerra attended the ceremony and…

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Quinta Mazatlan Holds Youth Nature Photo Contest

Community Events e-Brief Features News Comments
Quinta Mazatlán Nature Photo Contest

Quinta Mazatlán is currently hosting a free Summer Youth Nature Photo Contest along with nature photo workshops designed for children. In partnership with The Valley Land Fund, the center encourages children to get creative and explore nature with a camera and/or smartphone. Kids ages 5 to 18 are invited to take nature photos anywhere in the eight most southern counties of Texas this summer. Each child can enter up to six…

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IMAS Receives Grant To Expand Arts Access 

Arts Featured News Comments
Visitors immerse themselves in the vibrant world of creativity in the student exhibition at IMAS. (Courtesy)

The International Museum of Art & Science is the recipient of a grant from Texas Women for the Arts, a program of the Texas Cultural Trust. The grant funds will support art education through ongoing Student Art Exhibits at the museum. The Student Art Exhibits at the IMAS will be an opportunity for the Valley community to view the work of young artists in grades 6 through 12 in a…

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Port of Brownsville Gains Ground In Energy Sector

Featured Manufacturing/Industrial News Comments
Rio Grande LNG’s 984-acre facility will involve the liquefaction of natural gas and its export to foreign markets.

NextDecade Corporation has made a positive final investment decision to construct the first three liquefaction trains at the company’s Rio Grande LNG terminal. It will be the largest proposed liquefied natural gas export facility in the United States and it will be at the Port of Brownsville. “The future of the Rio Grande Valley’s economy begins at the Port of Brownsville,” said Brownsville Navigation District Chairman Esteban Guerra. “On behalf…

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Edinburg Public Works Receives State Safety Award

Featured Government News Comments
Edinburg Public Works Department

The City of Edinburg Public Works Department was recently recognized by the Texas Chapter of the American Public Works Association at the organization’s statewide conference in Waco. City staff attended the event and came back as the winners of the 2023 Exceptional Performance Award for Safety in recognition of their Real-Time Hydrological System. The department’s RTHS is a progressive flood management project that allows staff to access up-to-date information on flood…

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Pharr Police Collaborates On Operation Slow Down

Community Featured Government News Comments

The City of Pharr Police Department, in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation, is conducting Operation Slow Down from July 14 through July 30. The primary objective of this initiative is to enhance the enforcement of traffic safety-related laws, ultimately reducing the number of fatal and serious injury crashes. Operation Slow Down will involve increased enforcement efforts and public education campaigns to promote safer roadways. These efforts will emphasize…

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Texas State Parks Among the Nation’s Best

e-Brief Features News Recreation & Tourism Comments

Texas State Parks is competing against three other state park systems to receive 2023 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. Presenters for the award are the National Recreation and Park Association along with the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration. “I’m proud to have the hard work of our Texas State Park staff recognized for building one of the best state park systems in…

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City of McAllen Offers Cooling Centers

Community e-Brief Features News Comments
McAllen Public Library, McAllen cooling centera

As temperatures and heat indexes continue to soar, the City of McAllen would like to remind the public that many city facilities are open and available to the community as cooling centers. McAllen Community Centers are open for patrons to come in and cool off. Seats are available in the lobby as well as access wi-fi and areas to recharge phones. In north McAllen, the Lark Community Center at 2601…

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Edinburg Hosts 10th Annual FridaFest

Community Events e-Brief Features Featured News Comments
10th annual FridaFest

The City of Edinburg invites the community to its 10th annual FridaFest on July 15 at Edinburg City Hall, 415 W. University Drive. Some indoor pre-festival events begin at 5 p.m. with the outdoor community festival hours being 7-11 p.m. A Women’s Empowerment Panel kicks off the evening at 5 p.m. at Edinburg Municipal Auditorium (behind city hall). This empowerment panel showcases local women who have excelled in their careers…

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