Texas Workforce Commission Chairman and Commissioner Representing the Public Andres Alcantar will retire from state service effective July 31. “The last ten years of service to the people of Texas through the Workforce Commission has been the highest honor and privilege of my professional life,” Alcantar said. “I am sincerely grateful to my fellow commissioners and thank the governor for the opportunity to serve our great state in this capacity.…
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine has launched UTHealth RGV, the school’s clinical practice which provides patients throughout the Valley additional access to primary and specialty care. The practice has several offices open, providing primary and specialty care. This includes pediatric genetics and neurology care, as well as women’s health specialists, general and endocrine surgery and rheumatology. Locations are found throughout the Valley, with more opening in coming…
Michelle and Danny Quiroz have been on a coffee journey for more than a decade. Today, they roast beans from all over the world and serve hot, steaming cups of java at Reserva Coffee Roasters in McAllen. “My husband and I have been coffee enthusiasts for a long time, like over 10 years,” Michelle said. “We really had an affinity for good coffee. Everywhere we would travel we would seek…
With culinary lessons learned at fine-dining establishments in places like New Orleans, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, a couple has teamed up with Laguna Madre area veteran restaurateurs to create a new dining experience on South Padre Island. “There are some really great restaurants here but we wanted to offer something different,” said Walter Greenwood, executive chef of F&B SPI. “For example, we want to bring coastal Italian flavors here.…
Hotelier Barry Patel is upping his ante in the South Padre Island tourism economy with the construction of a Courtyard by Marriott near his Hilton Garden Inn on the north end of the coastal town. He is wagering the Island’s future will deal him a full house. “I am very optimistic about the Island,” said Patel, a former mayor. “The things that the city has done in the last three…
The windows that wrap around Stephen Reynolds’ office at the Echo Hotel look out into a city that has grown around the nearly 60-year-old facility. “It’s one of the grand hotels of the (Rio Grande) Valley,” said Reynolds, the general manager and one of the owners of the iconic Edinburg hotel. “It was built by the citizens of Edinburg and it’s still a great facility with a lot of character.”…
When it comes to having a burger, most people think about fast-food joints like McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s or Jack in the Box. Others favor chains known for having some of the best hamburgers in the country, like Corpus Christi-based Whataburger and In-and-Out Burgers of Irvine, Calif. Some people might say that all beef patties placed inside a bun or roll are basically the same, but three of the oldest…
This week, Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina and the city council gave a commitment for funds establish the city’s first downtown bus trolley system. The $126,000 letter of commitment is as a local match for a federal program that through Valley Metro – if approved by the Federal Transportation Administration – would provide an additional $719,000 to establish routes in the local community. Funds from the federal goverment would come via the…
Grainger Industrial Supply recently made a donation fo $6,000 worth of tools to South Texas College. The tools were given in effort to assist students preparing to enter the workforce, The donation of tools to STC marks the first time the broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating products has donated in bulk to the college. STC has now created a system for dual enrollment students who are unable to afford…
Forty community leaders and stakeholders from the Rio Grande Valley recently traveled to Washington, D.C. for the second annual RGV2DC fly-in. During their time in D.C., attendees met with members of Congress, including senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and Congressman Beto O’Rourke. Mayor of McAllen Mayor Jim Darling; elected officials from Mission, Pharr, and Brownsville; as well as senior leadership from the RGV Partnership, University of Texas at Rio Grande…