Category Archives: Industry

MFE Grant to Fund Terminal Improvements

(photo McAllen International Airport)

More than $25 million is coming to the 15th Congressional District following the passage of the recent 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 ensures funding for critical government functions and programs, supporting various sectors and agencies in fiscal year 2024. Part of the total funding was the $7.4 million allocated for terminal improvements at the McAllen International Airport. “Thank you to Congresswoman De la Cruz for…

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UTRGV School of Medicine Grant Funds Expansion

UTRGV School of Medicine

Resident physician opportunities at the UTRGV School of Medicine will soon be expanded by a $17.5 million grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The funding spans the 2024-2025 academic year and bolsters expansion of the UTRGV School of Medicine’s Graduate Medical Education programs by offering new residency options within the community. The School of Medicine’s goal is to increase its resident training capacity by academic year 2025 with…

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TPW Authorizes New Cameron County State Park

Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge

Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission recently authorized the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to pursue acquisition of approximately 477 acres for a new state park in exchange for approximately 43 noncontiguous acres from Boca Chica State Park. “This is an exciting opportunity to acquire land that has been of interest to us and the conservation community for many years,” said TPWD Executive Director David Yoskowitz. “We look forward to working…

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UTRGV Acquires H-E-B Park

UTRGV Stadium

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has acquired H-E-B Park, designating the venue as the primary home for the upcoming Vaqueros football program. The announcement came during a recent press conference at H-E-B Park, now to be referred to as UTRGV Stadium. Since 2017, the venue had served as the home of the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros of the United Soccer League. The organization ceased operations in December…

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Buckeye Brings Gift Of Music to RGV

The South Texas Academy of Music teaches its student musical skills and highlights the need for teamwork. (Courtesy)

Nick Dozer grew up a metal rocker and a buckeye in the rolling hills of southern Ohio. Dozer considers himself part of Buckeye Nation, as in Ohio State University football lore, but these days he finds himself in the Rio Grande Valley. He met a Valley girl while living in Nashville where both he and Dina Obrego were what he called “musicnaries.” It was ministry through music as Dozer and…

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Teen Promotes Financial Literacy To Peers

David Arturo Muñoz-Matta has had a fascination with finance for years. He moved to the United States with his mom, Mariel Muñoz-Matta, at the age of 6, having no idea where that fascination would eventually take him. Muñoz-Matta would talk about stocks with his science teacher, Mike Aranda, during his years at Brown Middle School. He laughs, noting he was not a stellar student then. He preferred to study people…

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Island Vibe Suits SPI’s Only Dentist

Brooke and Aaron Unterbrink relocated their family to South Padre Island where Aaron has a dental practice.

Dr. Aaron Unterbrink got through 2020 and 2021 when, as a dentist, he tended to one emergency after another. Unterbrink had five dental offices at the time in Hidalgo County. His main office was in McAllen with another one in Alton and another in Donna. The frantic pace of those years and the constant medical emergencies he dealt with took a toll. It convinced Unterbrink there had to be a…

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Young Entrepreneur Building Presence

Nayelli Valdemar is a one-woman shop for now, a young mother who has aligned her personal values with a passion to run “a business I know inside out.” Only 25, with the energy of a budding entrepreneur, Valdemar embodies her motto, uno solo puede. “One can do it” is a general translation and is reflective of the work ethic demonstrated recently at her Funky Flower Shop in Mercedes, just a…

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Reading Turtle Offers Break From Online World

The number of independent bookstores like The Reading Turtle are on the rise in the United States.

Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda is known for making the rounds of her city and dropping in on locally-owned small businesses. In mid-January, she made such a visit to The Reading Turtle. In the mayor’s words, it’s “a cozy bookstore” and where she made a pact with her young son. “I’ve made a deal with my son,” Sepulveda wrote on her Harlingen mayor Facebook page. “Every time he completes a book,…

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MFE Launches New Nonstop to Cancun

McAllen International Airport has partnered with Volaris to announce its newest nonstop route to Cancun, Mexico. Already on sale, this new partnership will connect two key destinations for tourism and business starting on July 3 with two weekly departures (Wednesday and Saturdays). “McAllen’s newest partnership with Volaris to launch air service to a world class destination like Cancun reinforces our commitment to develop strong economic ties with Mexico and beyond,”…

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