Category Archives: Community

SPI Entertainment Tides Coming In

Party goers dance the night away at Laguna BOB.

Many of the country’s beach resorts have a place where the locals and visitors alike like to hang out. South Padre Island has its Entertainment District as well. It’s a place with about a dozen businesses that cater to families and to those who enjoy dancing, dining, fishing or who simply like to watch the many beautiful sunsets over the usually tranquil waters of the Laguna Madre. There are also rides for…

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McAllen Community Job Fair Saturday

job fair

McAllen Public Library, in partnership with Workforce Solutions, invites the public to a job fair Feb. 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event at the Main Library will host 40 different companies ready to accept applications and conduct on-site interviews. Attendees should bring updated resumes and dress interview-ready. McAllen Public Library hopes the job fair will act as a point of contact for people to gather and network…

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STC Path Links Low-Income Students to Careers

Valley lawmakers join leadership from South Texas College for the official launch of a pilot program targeting 80 low-income students, existing firefighters and first responders. The grant will encourage students to complete or re-certify their first responder certification. (photo STC)

South Texas College is offering a new pilot program to match the needs of low-income students with the ongoing demand for skilled first responders. The program will target 80 low-income students as well as existing firefighters and first responders. The goal is for participants to complete or re-certify their first responder certification. With a grant from AT&T, the pilot program will cover all costs associated with the first responder certification.…

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McAllen Public Library Hosts International Festival

In addition to the international festival, the McAllen Library will host lanterns from the City of Jinju, South Korea's famous lantern festival.

The McAllen Public Library will host an international festival Feb. 8, launching its new World Languages Collection. The festival will celebrate the successful introduction of new materials offered in Korean, Tagalog and Hindi. The festival will include food, visual displays, story time, and arts and crafts activities. Guests of all ages can also enjoy stories featuring multi-lingual storytellers including Cat Avila and Dr. Mohammed Uddin. Additionally, a temporary exhibit of…

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TSTC Offers New School Bus Driver Course

Workforce Training and Continuing Education at Texas State Technical College is introducing a new course that will help both the region and state fill a need for endorsed bus drivers. As early as next month, the School Bus Driver Endorsement course will begin and is already enrolling students. “We’ve been working on bringing this program to life for a little over a year, and we’re excited to finally launch it,”…

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VIDA Nurse’s Budding Career Path

Aime Bautista, who graduated from South Texas College in Dec. 2019 with an associate’s degree in nursing, holds a candle at STC’s ceremony recognizing new nurses. The candle, when lit, is symbolic of a nurse passing on the flame of hope, service, compassion and peace.

Aime Bautista was a single mother of an 8-year-old daughter, working as a sales associate and earning $8.25 per hour. A lifelong resident of Mercedes who was raised by her grandparents, Bautista and her daughter were living with her grandmother.   In the summer of 2019, Bautista gave birth to another daughter and no longer had a job. A student in the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement told Bautista about…

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UTRGV Professors Creating a Buzz

Joanne Rampersad-Ammons and Dongchul Kim are collaborating across disciplines to study the honeybee population in South Texas. (photo Paul Chouy, UTRGV)

Research by two UTRGV professors is monitoring the critical honeybee population in South Texas via tiny cameras placed on their hives. The research by Dongchul Kim and Joanne Rampersad-Ammons is receiving funding from a federal research grant from the USDA. Kim is an assistant professor of computer science and principal investigator on the project. Rampersad-Ammons is co-PI and professor in the School of Earth, Environmental and Marine Sciences. “Applying Computer Vision…

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Mission PAWsible Hosts Pet Fair

Pets and owners are signed in to Wellness on Wheelz at the Mission PAWsible pet fair.

Health and pets were the names of the game Jan. 11 as Mission PAWsible held a pet fair at Bannworth Park and its dog park. Pet vendors were on site selling their favorite pet goodies and welcoming all dogs to come join them.  The main attraction was Wellness on Wheelz, a mobile veterinary clinic serving South Texas. Wellness on Wheelz veterinarians provided basic checkups, vaccines, heartworm testing and prevention, and…

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City of Pharr Hosts Census 2020 Job Fair

The 2020 Census brings jobs and on Jan. 10, the public was able to learn more about them and apply in person thanks to the City of Pharr. The Census 2020 Job Fair was open to the public with computers onsite for job applications. Available jobs are temporary and end when the Census 2020 is complete. However, positions offer individuals the opportunity to be a part of their community while earning…

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Hidalgo County Holds Surplus Auction

Hidalgo County's surplus auction Jan. 18 includes county vehicles.

Hidalgo County will hold a surplus auction by AMT Auctions at Palmer Pavilion (301 E. Hackberry Ave., McAllen) on Jan. 18. The auction will include the sale of office furniture, computers, IT equipment, security cameras and office chairs. Also on auction are filing cabinets, commercial washers and dryers, printers, IP phones and more. Items will sell by the pallet load. Interested buyers can pre-register and view items on Jan. 17…

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