An abandoned railroad property that runs through the center of town will soon face a transformation into the $1.25 million City of Elsa Community Trail Park. On March 20, the project became closer to reality thanks in part to a $500,000 grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. The city government will be providing $250,000 in local funds for the park. They are further expecting to receive $500,000 from the…
The City of McAllen recently participated in key government and business meetings in Mexico City. Officials traveled to the area to forge stronger tourism and ties, while also increasing awareness of Aeromar Airlines’s non-stop flights. The meetings provided an opportunity for preliminary discussions to begin the process of forging Sister City ties with Mexico City. City of McAllen officials visited Mexico’s capitol city to continue promoting Aeromar’s non-stop route from McAllen…
South Texas College, Hidalgo Independent School District and Texas Workforce Commission united for a check presentation benefiting student workforce training for careers in manufacturing and healthcare March 28. The grant provides both equipment and instruction for students in manufacturing and pharmacy technology career fields. More than $166,000 came from TWC in the form of the High Demand Job Training Grant and the Jobs and Education for Texans Grant. In partnership with TWC and…
April is McAllen Public Library’s fourth annual Amnesty Month with removal of fines for overdue items returned to branches. Throughout the month, returns of overdue books, CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays may be made at any of MPL’s three locations. All items regardless of how overdue, qualify for removal of fines from a patron’s account. “Amnesty Month has two goals: returning overdue items to our shelves and welcoming people back to the library…
Fresh out of college at 23 years of age, David Hernandez saw an opportunity and then seized it. With $30,000 in hand from his relatives, Hernandez used it as seed money to open the first of what would become 12 Pop-A-Top stores in the Rio Grande Valley. The yellow stores with blue trim became ubiquitous across the region. “Coldest Beer In Town” was the Pop-A-Top signature line and Hernandez meant…
Applications from 22 South Texas businesses were in by the March deadline for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Emerging Leaders Initiative intensive course. Interest is high for the first area offering of the course via the SBA’s Lower Rio Grande Valley District. The SBA started the initiative nationwide in 2008. Yet, this is the first time businesses from Deep South Texas north to Corpus Christi can take advantage locally. “We…
A beauty and beast team is riding a wave of success of almost fairy tale proportions with a line of fresh, healthy meals and other related products. On a good week, Beauty & Beast Cuisine cooks and packages in the neighborhood of 27,000 meals in its Edinburg kitchen. “It’s just been an explosion of opportunity,” said Carlos Hernandez, the beast in the partnership with his wife, Francesca, the beauty. “It…
In the spring of 2018, Sophiah Rodriguez was worried about her health. She was in search of something that could change the way she felt. “My health was not where I wanted it to be,” said the Harlingen native, born-and-raised. She then settled on trying a ketogenic diet, which seeks to dramatically lower carbohydrates by eliminating grains, rice, beans, potatoes, sweets, milk and fruit. The keto diet lowers insulin levels…
A lifelong devotion to the love of music drives the success of a Rio Grande Valley business that has shared that passion for more than four decades. “Everything we do and continue to do flows from our love and passion for music and music education,” said Matt Perez, president and chief executive officer of Valley Keyboards of McAllen. His wife, Debra, manages the education department of the company, which is…
The Port of Brownsville once again posted a record year for 2018, moving 11.3 million tons of cargo with operating revenues of more than $24.2 million. That translates into a 6.6-percent increase in cargo along with a 25-percent bump in rail movements. Revenues were also up 2.5 percent over the previous year, according to figures released during the State of the Port event in March. “The Port of Brownsville made…