“Be prepared, not scared. Be proactive, not reactive.” ~ Stuart I.R. Haniff. When your mission is to fight hunger and to feed hope, countless people in your community are relying on you to be prepared. Stuart I. R. Haniff, the chief executive officer of the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley Inc., took that mission to heart in preparing his organization’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. Haniff and his…
During these rough times, the Alamo Economic Development Corporation continues to offer its programs to aid businesses in Alamo. One of the EDC’s most popular options is the Micro-Loan Program. The creation of the Micro-Loan Program came in order to help local business owners with storefront improvements, repairs and renovations. This program now utilizes a micro-loan as working capital to help alleviate operating costs that business owners have trouble covering.…
UTRGV is now offering a Fall/Spring Relief Package which will provide eligible students with up to $1,500 in financial assistance during the 2020-21 academic year. The funds come through a combination of CARES Act funds and university funds. Starting This Fall: All enrolled eligible students will receive a $500 CARES cash grant they can use to defray expenses they may have incurred while attending school during the pandemic. This includes…
The annual celebration of high-school theater in the Rio Grande Valley, the Palm Awards is going online. Event organizers of the Palm Awards will livestream the awards show May 24 at 3 p.m. on the Palm Awards Facebook page, on TV (Somos El Valle channel 5.2 or cable 1240) and also streaming online. “The Palm Awards is the ultimate celebration of high-school theater in our region, with over 1,700 in…
In this time of online teaching, one Mercedes teacher took a day off on May 8 to instruct her students in person. Donning gloves and a face mask while carrying around a large bottle of hand sanitizer, Mercedes High School physics teacher Roxana Merino stepped out to help some of her students with their assignments. Merino first set a block of time in the morning to teach and/or tutor her…
The Port of Brownsville ranks third among U.S. ports for “strong financial resilience” surveyed in a new report issued by Moody’s Investor Services. This underscores the ongoing value of the port’s prudent financial stewardship in light of economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Moody’s analysis evaluated American ports on a range of key factors surrounding financial responsibility. This includes the ability to handle the impact of a significant decline in…
Some face-to-face classes are gradually returning to South Texas College this summer after integration of federal, state and county safety protocols. STC will begin in-person courses for select programs and will continue for summer courses which officially begin on June 1. STC is currently open for its police and fire academies at the Regional Center for Public Safety Excellence. Throughout the week of April 27, nearly 200 students were completing…
South Padre Island will celebrate Memorial Day weekend with a fireworks display on May 24. The fireworks show continues to be the traditional kick off for the summer season. “We are excited to welcome everyone for a much needed long weekend on the Island,” said Ed Caum, executive director for the convention and visitors bureau. “There’s no better way to show our appreciation than with a rousing fireworks display in…
The Texas Workforce Commission advises jobseekers that individuals misrepresenting businesses may attempt to secure sensitive, personal information through deceit. This fraud can take the form of a bogus job opportunity used as bait to solicit information. TWC reminds all jobseekers to practice caution when providing anyone with personally identifiable information. Dishonest individuals may use public sources, such as social media accounts, to find personal information such as phone numbers and email…
Hidalgo County’s Hidalgo Cares website HidalgoCares.org is live to respond, recover and rebuild in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The new community-based website provides recovery assistance information to businesses and individuals. It includes a guide to local restaurants, as well as utility assistance and housing information. There is also the latest information on economic recovery, and available resources for food, health, safety and education. Other helpful resources for bolstering…