Category Archives: Featured

Recycler EMR Group recently announced the completion of the first European Union ship recycled in the United States by International Shipbreaking Ltd. The project follows a $30-million investment in new equipment and processes at ISL’s site at the Port of Brownsville to meet the requirements of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation. The MT Wolverine is a 158-meter-long chemical tanker with a carrying capacity of 16,000 tons. Prior to her decommissioning, she…

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…

Shop Sparks Good Vibes & Warm Welcomes

May 1, 2022

Ricardo D. Cavazos, VBR content editor

SBA Launches T.H.R.I.V.E. Business Training

April 30, 2022

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Business Advice Featured News Comments

The U.S. Small Business Administration recently launched T.H.R.I.V.E. (Train, Hope, Rise, Innovate, Venture, Elevate), a reimagined training program for small business leaders, formerly known as Emerging Leaders. “T.H.R.I.V.E. Emerging Leaders Reimagined initiative will provide up-and-coming small business leaders with tools, knowledge, and access to the best and the brightest minds in economic development to help them accelerate their growth and help them become competitive in an increasingly global economy,” said Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. Local…

McAllen ISD Chess Teams Finish Top Among Nation

April 29, 2022

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Community Education Featured News Comments

Going up against the best of the best, two teams from McAllen ISD earned spots in the top seven for the entire country. Teams from Lamar Academy and Achieve Early College High School took third and seventh, respectively, in the National High School Championship April 8-10 in Memphis, Tenn. They were also the top two teams in Texas. Individually, Cameron Williams (Achieve ECHS) and Jeffrey De Groot (Lamar) finished tied…

New Study Highlights Winter Texan Impact

April 28, 2022