Category Archives: Community

McAllen ISD Launches Adult HS Diploma Program

e-Brief Features Education News Comments
diploma completion

McAllen ISD is now offering the Step-up Program, a free diploma completion program for adults ages 18 to 26 who left school before graduating. The program accommodates flexible scheduling, allowing students to attend in the morning or afternoon, Monday through Friday, to match their personal commitments and to proceed at their own pace. The program is planning to launch with approximately 50 students early this fall at McAllen ISD’s Lamar…

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Vaqueros Ready To Roll For ‘The 956’

Education Featured News Comments
UTRGV football

The clock was ticking down over the summer to an Aug. 30 kickoff on the sports websites of the nascent UTRGV Vaqueros football program. A “T-minus” ticker was going until a Saturday evening kickoff under the summer lights of a converted soccer stadium in Edinburg. It was the UTRGV Vaqueros versus the Sul Ross State Lobos in the first ever college football game in Rio Grande Valley history. It was…

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McAllen ISD Teacher Named Teacher of the Year 

e-Brief Features Education News Comments
Isidro Lerma

Isidro Lerma, a theatre arts teacher from McAllen ISD’s James “Nikki” Rowe High School, has earned Regional Secondary Teacher of the Year honors by the Region One Education Service Center. In the past 35 years, McAllen ISD teachers have earned 23 Regional or State Teacher of the Year titles – the most in the South Texas Region. This year, the Region One Education Service Center celebrated 51 district teachers of…

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TSTC Names New Harlingen Provost

e-Brief Features Education Moving On Up News Comments
Gina Cano-Monreal

Gina Cano-Monreal, Ph.D., is the new provost of Texas State Technical College’s Harlingen campus, effective July 29.  Cano-Monreal previously served as the college’s associate vice chancellor for instructional shared services, supporting TSTC’s 12 campuses across the state. In that role, the Harlingen native oversaw curriculum quality and alignment, instructional design and support, and instructional resources and solutions.  “TSTC is making significant investments to expand premier technical training in the Rio…

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STC Offering Free CPR Courses

Community e-Brief Features Education Featured Healthcare News Comments
South Texas College Continuing Education is holding free Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Basic Life Support and first aid with certification.

South Texas College Continuing Education is currently holding free Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Basic Life Support and first aid classes with certification from the American Heart Association. Registration is now open to anyone in the community including health care professionals, police officers and community members who seek training that can help save lives in emergency situations. The free CPR courses are funded by a grant from Texas Mutual, which has been providing…

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STC Professor to Serve on National Education Committee

e-Brief Features Education Moving On Up News Comments
South Texas College Assistant Professor of Psychological Science Liza Veliz

South Texas College Assistant Professor of Psychological Science Liza Veliz has been appointed to serve on the Committee on Associate and Baccalaureate Education, a national-level committee under the American Psychological Association’s Board of Educational Affairs. Veliz will officially begin her term in January 2026, representing psychology faculty at two-year colleges nationwide. Her position comes from being nominated by colleagues from across the country recognizing her leadership, advocacy and commitment to…

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IMAS to Host Free Back to School Bash

Community Events e-Brief Features Featured News Comments
IMAS Back to School Bash

The International Museum of Art & Science invites families to celebrate the start of the school year at its annual Back to School Bash on Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The family-friendly event offers free admission and a full day of interactive learning, creativity and community connection. Back to School Bash, supported by McAllen Public Utility, H-E-B Helping Here and Wonderful Citrus, will feature hands-on art and…

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Chamber Leaders See Winter Texan Shifts

Community News Comments
RV Parks throughout the Rio Grande Valley continue to be the primary places of residency for Winter Texans. (Courtesy)

The demographics of Winter Texans are changing and professionals in the tourism and hospitality industries are calling for more frequent studies and research into this vital group of visitors with deep connections to the Rio Grande Valley.  Leah Woolridge, the vice president of Visit McAllen, sees an age shift among Winter Texans. Retirees are younger, more active and looking for things to do, she said. “You use to be able…

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Ring! Ring!

Community News Comments

As school has started or will very soon, let’s ease off the accelerator and keep an eye out for our little ones. Hot summer temperatures of course are really kicking in, and so are the classroom doors for a new year of learning, growing and exploring. Back-to-school sales, stuffing the backpacks and new sneakers are all part of daily lives this month. The roads are again congested, and the frequent…

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Summit Touts Delta Area Unity

Community News Comments
Leadership Elsa provides training sessions to equip community leaders, small business owners and city staff with the skills to make a positive impact in their city. (Courtesy)

The Delta Area communities of Edcouch, Elsa and La Villa are a cluster of cities along state Highway 107 and located away from the main strip of regional business activity along Expressway 83. These communities are steadily getting a foothold in raising their collective profile in the Rio Grande Valley. Elsa is seeing retail growth and the rooftops of new homes along FM 88 that are located near a Wal-Mart…

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