Esmeralda Villarreal spent 15 years in Brownsville’s hospitality business, watching and taking note of how her city attracted business travelers from far and wide. “I was mesmerized by how we were visited by so many travelers,” she said. Villarreal recalls that many were tied to the maquiladora industry or related investors in the border economy. Villarreal’s career goal during that time was to become a general manager at one of…
The Edinburg Chamber of Commerce will host 53rd annual Fiesta Edinburg Feb. 24-26 at H-E-B Park in Edinburg. The family-oriented festival provides an opportunity for friends and family to celebrate Edinburg as the home of the county seat with live entertainment, food, vendors and the Heart of America Carnival. Fiesta Edinburg averages more than 10,000 people in attendance each year. Fiesta expects to draw an even larger crowd in 2022…
Businesses in McAllen now have an additional funding opportunity to rebuild and develop new opportunities. The McAllen Small Business Support Fund has a total of $4 million to assist small businesses within City of McAllen limits. The McAllen Small Business Support Fund will help McAllen businesses adopt safer operating procedures and weather periods of closure. It will also mitigate financial hardship resulting from the COVID-19 public health emergency. The funds will…
The Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care has reaffirmed South Texas College’s Respiratory Therapy Program accreditation for the next 10 years. Following a thorough review, CoARC determined that Respiratory Therapy met all national established accreditation standards. It commended the program for its continuous quality in education. The reaffirmation was essential for the college so it can continue awarding its Respiratory Therapy Associate of Applied Science degree. Accreditation by CoARC provides assurance…
McAllen ISD is one of eight school districts that are finalists for H-E-B’s 20th annual Excellence in Education Awards program. It is also one of five public school boards H-E-B is recognizing to highlight the importance of strong leadership at the board level. McAllen ISD is one of five districts in the Large School Districts category; three other districts make up the Small School Districts category. Four early childhood education…
It is an all-too-common example of Catch-22. A person decides the only way to get out of a low-paying job is to get certification or a degree. In order to pay for school, the person needs a job. However, to keep the job, the person has to be able to work. School schedules can make that quite difficult. Sebastian Mendoza almost found himself stuck in such a Catch-22. He enrolled…
Hidalgo County will hold a Webcast Auction of general merchandise, fleet, heavy equipment and court awarded vehicles Jan. 25. The public may view Items in person at Palmer Pavilion and the San Carlos Community Resource Center Jan. 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed noon to 1 p.m.). AMT Auctions will auction all items “as is” with all sales final. Bidding begins Jan. 24 at 10 a.m. until the…
Later today (Jan. 6), local officials will open an inclusive park at Blanca E. Sanchez Elementary School. The park bring with it new avenues of play for children of all abilities. A ribbon-cutting will take place from 4:30 to 6 p.m. to officially open the park at 2901 Incarnate Word Ave., between Sanchez Elementary and the McAllen Youth Baseball Complex. Participating officials include those from Hidalgo County Precinct 4, City…
The Texas Workforce Commission has awarded 41 grants totaling $10,379,293 to multiple public community colleges, public technical institutes, public state college and independent school districts for programs that focus on supporting high-demand occupations through the Jobs and Education for Texans grant program. Locally, recipients include South Texas College as well as Brownsville, Harlingen, La Joya and South Texas ISDs. The JET grant program focuses on projects that develop training programs to…
The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education has awarded UTRGV a $1.5 million grant to support a growing need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers and technicians. The UTRGV grant is now active and goes to a five-year project. It will fund scholarships for 60 full-time, first-generation college graduates pursuing a graduate degree in mathematics or physics. Incoming graduate students can receive up to two years of financial support. The cohort-based…