The International Museum of Art & Science invites the community to celebrate with them in its upcoming winter festivities. IMAS will host a Biodiversity Festival & Market at the Museum and its “Annual Christmas Tree Forest” as well as Winter Programs including a Winter Camp and an Adult Folk Art Workshop. The Biodiversity Festival celebrates the variety of life on Earth. Patrons may explore the field of biodiversity through hands-on…
On Oct. 14, Valley Interfaith and Industrial Areas Foundation had the rare opportunity to visit with Pope Francis at the Vatican. An interfaith delegation of 20 leaders and organizers from the West/Southwest IAF met with Francis to share their collective work of broad based organizing at a time when the Pope is guiding the global church in a Synod listening process. The Pope sat side by side with the group at…
Hispanic Outlook on Higher Education Magazine has ranked UTRGV second in the country for awarding bachelor’s degrees to Hispanic/Latino students in its annual “Hispanic Outlook Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics” edition. The magazine also notes that while UTRGV ranks second, it still had the largest percentage of bachelor’s degrees specifically awarded to Hispanic/Latino students, with 93 percent. UTRGV places fourth for total master’s degrees awarded to Hispanic/Latino students and…
The City of McAllen will celebrate the South Pole Illuminated Festival, presented by H-E-B, Nov. 30 through Jan. 1. The 33-day event at the McAllen Convention Center will unveil the tallest RGB Christmas Tree in America, spanning over 10 stories tall. The digital red, green, blue color light model tree will be just one aspect of helping guests to experience a walking journey through millions of lights. The South Pole…
The familiar The Red Kettle Campaign of The Salvation Army will soon be in full swing in Harlingen. The Christmas season represents the organization’s busiest and most important fundraising time of the year. Every dollar raised through the iconic Red Kettle Campaign remains in the community. The donations makes it possible for The Salvation Army to deliver life changing programs and services throughout the year. “From its humble beginnings in…
Farming and ranching history and heritage runs deep in Mercedes. The city was founded in 1909 by a land company which built some of the first canals in the Rio Grande Valley to irrigate farm fields and attract agricultural interests from the Midwest. The Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show would find its home in Mercedes in the late 1930s and continues running strong to the present. The Farm Fest this…
South Texas College Board of Trustee Chairwoman Rose Benavidez was recently inaugurated in New York City as the chairwoman of the Association of Community College Trustees board of directors. She is the first Latina to hold this distinguished position in the organization’s more than 50-year history. The Starr County native will serve on the national stage, working with leadership from the White House to Congress and the U.S. Department of…
The Weslaco Area Chamber of Commerce is currently accepting vendors for its Holiday Market taking place Dec. 1. The market takes place from 6:30-9:30 p.m. after the tree lighting ceremony, which also includes school performances, light displays and more. The Holiday Market will be held in the Weslaco City Hall parking lot at 500 South Kansas Ave. Booth fees are $35 and food truck fees are $55. Weslaco Chamber member discounts…
The Rio Grande Valley communities between McAllen and Brownsville for much of their history lacked a local higher education option to college campuses a long commuter drive away. Donna, Mercedes, Weslaco and surrounding Mid-Valley communities with their high school graduates may have seen a college education, or technical training, as being out of reach. In the late 1990s, the gap began to be addressed with the launch of the Mid-Valley…
Mercedes was one of the first Rio Grande Valley cities established between Brownsville and the Starr County communities of Roma and Rio Grande City. There was the American Rio Grande Land & Irrigation Company setting up operations in what would become Mercedes in 1909. The land company and its investors brought one of the first east-west railroad extensions from Brownsville to Mercedes and into the heart of what would become…