Category Archives: Community

Killam Development of Laredo broke ground recently on a 175-acre business park at Anzalduas International Bridge that is part of a 3,400-acre project south of Mission. Cliffe Killam, the president of the development company, was among the dignitaries and community leaders at a May 2 groundbreaking. It marked the official beginning of an industrial park that hopes to attract manufacturing, logistics, cold storage and distribution facilities to the Sharyland Business…

Edinburg Chamber Recognized By UTRGV

May 11, 2022

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Community Education Featured News Comments

The Edinburg Chamber of Commerce was recently recognized by the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley’s Graduate College as the 2022 UTRGV Community Engagement Partner Award. The chamber’s nomination came from Sandy Hansmann, dean of UTRGV Graduate College, for its efforts to support graduate education. The university commended EDD Executive Director Ronnie Larralde for leading the effort to transform the RGV through student success, community engagement and sustainable development…

Paz Named San Benito Chamber Executive Director

May 10, 2022

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Community Featured News Comments

Texas Southmost College business student Phoebe Paz was recently named executive director of the San Benito Chamber of Commerce. The position stems from an internship she received as a new student at the college. “It really is an honor to have been chosen for this position, it’s a huge step,” said the 20-year-old. “When I became an intern, I never imagined that this would become a possibility for someone like…

MXLAN Returns, Exhibit Space Available

May 8, 2022

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Community Events Featured News Comments

MXLAN, McAllen’s five-day interactive arts and culture festival, returns July 27-31 and is currently accepting sponsors and exhibitors. The festival celebrates Mexico and Latin America’s heritage and its influence on the Hispanic community in the United States. MXLAN 2022 offers a wide range of sponsorship opportunities for businesses that want to bring their brands to a new level in an organic way. MXLAN Mercado offers exhibit space for local creators…

All Five McAllen ISD High Schools Nationally Recognized

May 5, 2022

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Education Featured News Comments

U.S. News & World Report has recognized all five McAllen ISD high schools among its rankings of the “2022 Best Public High Schools.” This is the eighth straight year McAllen ISD has had its high schools recognized by either U.S. News & World Report or The Washington Post. The McAllen ISD schools are Achieve Early College High School, McAllen Memorial High School, James “Nikki” Rowe High, McAllen High School and Lamar Academy. Achieve Early…

South Texas Builders Expo Coming To Edinburg

May 5, 2022

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Community Community Events e-Brief Features Featured News Comments

Editor’s Note on May 19, 2022: The South Texas Builders Expo has been postponed to Aug. 20-21. The Edinburg Chamber of Commerce and South Texas Builders Alliance will host their inaugural South Texas Builders Expo June 4-5 at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance. The event will host the region’s top exhibitors in home-building products, service solutions and up-to-date technology. This event comes in light of the city of Edinburg’s…

Pharr PD Mental Health Unit Receives Organization of the Year

May 4, 2022

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Community Featured Government News Comments

The Pharr Police Department’s Mental Health Unit was awarded “Organization of the Year” by the Texas Crisis Intervention Team Association at its annual conference this past weekend. Pharr’s Mental Health Unit provides specialized police responses to individuals with mental illness or who are experiencing a mental health crisis. “We are seeing the positive impact that the Mental Health Unit is directly having in our community, and to be recognized by…

Palm Awards Returns Live In McAllen

May 3, 2022

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Community Events Featured News Comments

Hundreds of Rio Grande Valley high-school theater students will learn who receives the pinnacle of their secondary theater careers, a Palm, on May 15. The red carpet will roll out for these students from more than 30 high schools at the Palm Awards that evening at the McAllen Performing Arts Center. PSJA ISD high-school-theater teachers Michael Alebis and Gilbert Zepeda Jr. began the Palm Awards in 2017. The vision was…

Texas Unemployment Rate Declines to 4.4 Percent

May 2, 2022

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Community News Comments

In March, the seasonally adjusted Texas unemployment rate was 4.4 percent. This is a decrease of 0.3 percentage points from February 2022. It is also two percentage points below the level set one year ago. Texas added 30,100 total nonagricultural jobs in March 2022. For the fifth consecutive month, the state set new employment highs as total nonfarm jobs, reaching 13,207,600 in March 2022. Texas has added a total of…

CEO Welcomes Winter Texans With Smiles & Appreciation

May 1, 2022

Ricardo D. Cavazos, VBR content editor