The Brownsville Independent School District is launching its Seamless Summer Option Program beginning June 6. The district’s Food and Nutrition Services Department will offer free breakfast and lunch meals through Aug. 5. This program is sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture and provides nutritious free meals for children up to age 18. All families have to do is find a site, have their child show up for breakfast…
The McAllen Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has named Josh Mejia as president and chief executive officer effective June 29. Bianca Cardenas, who has been serving as Interim President/CEO over the last eight months will continue her role as VP of Membership Services. Mejia is an economic development executive with more than 10 years of experience in economic development, entrepreneurship, government relations and marketing. He comes from the Brownsville…
The Associate Degree of Nursing program at Texas Southmost College now has full approval and accreditation by the Texas Board of Nursing. The milestone has been a goal since the program’s inception at the college in 2019. To receive this status from the Texas Board of Nursing, the program had to meet all rules, regulations and stipulations set by the board of nursing. This includes a National Council Licensure Examination…
The South Texas Chile Co. is on a dual-track mission that sets it apart from other Rio Grande Valley nurseries. The first goal is to grow all the chiles, “from jalapeno to the wild chiles like chile de monte,” as the nursery’s website states. The Raymondville nursery does offer more standard plant choices such as cucumbers and beans, but it has set out to be the chile specialty nursery of…
McAllen ISD begins its annual Summer Feeding Program on June 1 at 21 locations. The participating sites will serve free, nutritious meals to children 18 years of age and under. Some sites will provide two meals per day. There are a mixture of school and community sites. No documents or proof of income are required. Children can simply show up to any one of the participating locations throughout the…
The Catholic Diocese of Brownsville has taken a step toward green energy with the help of UTRGV. To help oversee the installation of solar panels at two parishes in Brownsville, a memorandum of understanding was established between the Catholic Diocese and the UTRGV Engineering Technology Program within the College of Engineering and Computer Science in August of last year. The Catholic Diocese owns 72 parishes, 44 missions and 14 Catholic schools across Starr,…
Joseph Duenas sought new experiences after graduating from Mercedes High School in 2006. He joined the Marines. Duenas trained to become an infantryman and did multiple combat tours in Iraq. He would stay on after his military service, working for a security firm contracted by the State Department. “I spent most of my 20s over there,” Duenas said of Iraq. The skills and training learned overseas were put to good…
McAllen resident Rebecca Gutierrez always had career goals, but barricades kept getting in her way. “It was always financial challenges of either paying bills or paying for school,” Gutierrez said. “I was not able to do both, at times.” Gutierrez is a Valley native. She is also one of six children who witnessed their parents perform the grueling labor only migrant farm workers know. “My parents both worked hard for…
The private recreational angler red snapper season in federal water opens June 1 with new federal regulations via the DESCEND Act now in effect as of January 2022. The DESCEND Act requires all commercial and recreational anglers to possess a venting tool or a rigged descending device on their boat while fishing for reef fish in the Gulf of Mexico. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, “Research shows…
More than one-third of all South Texas College graduates who will walk across the stage for commencement are already employed or have jobs waiting for them once the celebrating is over, according to STC leadership. Announcing the latest graduation numbers at the college’s first-ever Workforce Summit on May 5, STC President Ricardo J. Solis said the graduate figures are proof that the college’s role is increasing. He also says the…