Category Archives: Featured

September is National Disaster Preparedness Month. With the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Ida, I felt compelled to share information and encourage small business preparedness. First and foremost, every business has unique vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Knowing which disasters are most likely to affect your business can thus help you return to operations faster. In addition, a back-to-business self-assessment can help you gauge your risks for common hazards. This includes hurricanes,…

Life-Changing Decision Leads To Nursing Career

September 9, 2021

Chris Ardis

e-Brief Features Education Featured News Comments

When McAllen resident Maria Delgado first applied to the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement in 2012 after learning about it from an outreach counselor at South Texas College, the VIDA staff knew she was an excellent candidate. Delgado was a single mother with two daughters, ages 11 and 5, unemployed and on public assistance and a first-generation college student. She served in the National Guard for two-and-a-half years. But…

Salvation Army Feeds First Responders Sept. 10

September 8, 2021

VBR

Community Community Events e-Brief Features Featured News Comments

The Salvation Army in Harlingen will provide an appreciation luncheon for all first responders Sept. 10 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event is completely free for any and all first responders in the community. The Salvation Army asks any first responders not in uniform to present their credentials. First responders may eat inside the facilities at 119 E. Monroe in Harlingen or they can take it with them.…

SBA Hosts Small Business Week Virtual Summit

September 5, 2021

VBR

Business Advice Featured News Comments

The U.S. Small Business Administration hosts its National Small Business Week Virtual Summit Sept. 13-15. The event honors the nation’s 31 million small businesses for their perseverance, ingenuity, triumphs and creativity. The free, three-day conference takes place in a virtual atrium, showcasing a series of educational panels on best practices for small businesses to pivot and recover in a changing economy. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Resilience and Renewal,” spotlighting…

Interchange Getting $300-Million Makeover

September 1, 2021

Ricardo D. Cavazos, VBR content editor

Featured News Transportation & Travel Comments

The girders and concrete pillars form a trail of construction at FM 495 in Pharr and head toward what is the Rio Grande Valley’s largest highway construction project since the region saw its first convergence of freeways in the 1990s. The project of three decades ago would be called the Pharr Interchange. The highways in the early 1990s, known as U.S. Highway 281 and Expressway 77/83, are now I-69C and…

McAllen Holiday Parade Returns in December

August 31, 2021

VBR

Community Events Featured News Comments

McAllen city officials recently announced the return of the McAllen Holiday Parade for Dec. 4. Stepping off the parade at 6 p.m. at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium is the U.S. Air Force Parade Element Honor Guard and Drill Team. “A lead step-off sets the tone of the parade and creates excitement for the rest of the floats and bands as they march down the parade route,ˮ said McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos. …

Local Restaurant Combines History & BBQ

August 26, 2021

Ricardo D. Cavazos, VBR content editor

e-Brief Features Featured Food & Entertainment News Comments

Eduardo Casas knew he was doing more than repurposing an old building into a new restaurant when he opened SMOKE: Texas BBQ & Watering Hole. SMOKE BBQ would be housed where the Rainbo Bakery held forth on Harrison Avenue in Harlingen. Rainbo was a mainstay Harlingen business for over seven decades. Memories run long in the city when it comes to the iconic bakery. “My idea in opening here was…

McAllen Teacher Is Finalist for State Teacher of the Year

August 24, 2021

VBR

Education Featured News Comments

Jennifer Han, a fourth-grade teacher at McAllen ISD’s Seguin Elementary, is now a finalist for the Texas Teacher of the Year Award after being named the Regional Elementary Teacher of the Year. She is one of only six finalists for the statewide award and the only one from the Rio Grande Valley. Han has been teaching for 13 years and is also a robotics team coach. She is a 2003 graduate…

Brownsville Attorney Receives State-wide Recognition

August 23, 2021

VBR

Featured Government News Comments

Victor A. Flores is the recipient of the 2021 “Rising Advocate in Government Law Award” from the State Bar of Texas – Government Law Council. Flores is an attorney with the Brownsville City Attorney’s Office. The annual award recognizes one Texas governmental entity lawyer who has made outstanding contributions to the practice of government law practice and serving the public. Flores’s service includes legal counsel to several communities in South…

Ladies Kingfish Tournament Names Champions

August 21, 2021

VBR

Featured News Recreation & Tourism Comments

The South Padre Island Chamber of Commerce welcomed anglers, captains and their families to the 40th Annual Ladies Kingfish Tournament the weekend of Aug. 6. Early Saturday morning, anglers hit the waterways returning to the docks before 7 p.m. to weigh in their catch. The Awards Ceremony on Sunday brought anglers and their families back together to recognize those who took top prizes. Winning anglers received canvas prints featuring the…

Featured Archive