Category Archives: Community

“Member Bingo” Supports Edinburg Restaurants

Community Food & Entertainment News Comments
Member Bingo

The Edinburg Chamber of Commerce is encouraging social distancing in a creative way by launching its Member Bingo. The bingo-style game encourages citizens to patronize participating restaurants, as local businesses take a hit from COVID-19. Each square on the bingo card features a different Edinburg Chamber member. Players must order to-go from any of these members, spend a minimum of $10 and save their receipts. Once the “BINGO” is complete,…

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Classic Rock Radio Premiers in RGV

Community Featured News Comments
105.5 Rocket

A new classic rock station, KRIX-FM, 105.5 Rocket, is now up and on the local airwaves. Dubbed “The Valley’s Classic Rock Station,” 105.5 Rocket broadcasts classic rock music from the ‘70s, ‘80s and early ‘90s. According to owner Eduardo Gallegos, 105.5 Rocket is the only classic rock station in the region. “Classic rock is very popular in metro markets,” Gallegos said, “and it’s actually a perfect format for the Rio…

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Medical School Dean Predicts Early-May Peak in RGV

Community Featured Healthcare News Comments
ohn Krouse at the Innovation, Transformation and Disruption panel in January. (UTRGV School of Medicine photo)

The dean of the UTRGV School of Medicine believes strict stay-at-home orders will likely lead to the coronavirus spread peaking in early May in the Rio Grande Valley.  Dr. John Krouse said models he is seeing suggest the Valley is coming up to its COVID-19 peak time. “The latest models I’m seeing coming out of the state are looking at a peak, perhaps in early May,” Krouse said during a…

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Traffic Volumes Dropping

Community e-Brief Features Featured Government News Comments

Social distance practices and shelter in place directives from county judges appear to be having the effect intended. At least one Rio Grande Valley city reports significant declines in vehicular traffic. The City of McAllen reports a nearly 70 percent drop in normal vehicular traffic at two of its busiest intersections. Those locations are 2nd Street and Nolana Avenue and Ware Road and Nolana. Both intersections as of March 28…

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McAllen ISD Students Create Modern Chaos

Arts News Comments
Gisselle Costa and Denisse Damken in the hallway of McAllen ISD’s Lamar Academy, showing recyclable fashions in their Modern Chaos line.

Dressing “on trend” is vitally important to many teens, but Gisselle Costa and Denisse Damken are designing their own recyclable fashions, creating Modern Chaos in the process. Costa and Damken are seniors in McAllen ISD’s International Baccalaureate Programme at Lamar Academy. They named their fashion line Modern Chaos, as we learned in January when their classmate, Alexis Alvarado, wrote about their designs. We decided to follow up with Costa and…

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Magnet Schools Adapt to Changing Times

Education News Comments
Simulation Lab Facilitator Linda Valdez shows the variety of equipment in her lab at Med High

Engineering students are at work inside a new innovation lab building on the Mercedes campus of the South Texas Independent School District campus. They peer over laptops and move from table to table, conferring over projects and looking over numerical formulas that offer solutions.  “These kids know they’re not on an island,” said Gabe Valdez, an instructor at the school. “They collaborate. They look for opportunities to teach each other.”…

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Down But Not Out

Business Advice Community News Comments

To say we are all in limbo, nervous and confused about the coming weeks, months and years is an understatement. Most of the world and especially our world, the RGV, is operating in survival mode as we await possible spreading or containment of COVID-19. It has created an abundance of uncertainty for every man, woman and yes, even most children.  Normalcy was put on hiatus mid March and the future…

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Area Hospitals Seek PPE Donations

Community Featured Healthcare News Comments

In their effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, two Brownsville-area hospitals are reaching out to the business community for assistance in obtaining personal protective equipment. Both Valley Baptist Medical Center and Valley Regional Medical Center are low in supplies. The hospitals are looking to purchase or borrow and replace PPE equipment. This includes face shields, gloves, masks and other types of PPE. They are looking for all types of PPE,…

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A Healthy Dose of Success

e-Brief Features Education Healthcare News Comments
TSC Licensed Vocational Nursing students. (photo TSC)

Working to fill a national nursing shortage, the Licensed Vocational Nursing program at Texas Southmost College recently saw its largest graduating class. In addition, it is maintaining a solid 92-percent pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination. “I am so proud of what our team and students have been able to achieve,” said TSC Vocational Nursing interim program director Molly Showalter. “This type of success gives our program a…

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Partnership Provides Free Wi-Fi Hot Spots in McAllen

Community Featured News Technology Comments
wi-fi hot spot

The City of McAllen has recently made free Wi-Fi hot spots available throughout the city. The McAllen Independent School District made available equipment necessary for the connection points to provide the Wi-Fi spots. With public schools across the Rio Grande Valley going virtual through April, many families who do not have internet service in their homes are struggling to find a way to fulfill these assignments. “These are just some…

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