Category Archives: Industry

Sea Wolf Howls on Island

The Lobo Del Mar Dance Troupe performs an eclectic blend of international dances. (Courtesy)

Palm Street Bar & Grill on South Padre Island used to be just a place to grab a sandwich, enjoy a spirit or listen to good music. Not anymore. The bar and grill, now operating under the name Lobo Del Mar Café, has transformed into a potpourri of entertainment, art, food and people under the direction of a large family group of entrepreneurs. Sitting at the end of West Palm…

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TSTC Helps Fill Nursing Shortage

TSTC nursing

The Texas State Technical College nursing division in Harlingen is celebrating its second consecutive 100 percent national exam pass rate for its vocational nursing program. The milestone is a mark of distinction for the department working to relieve a shortage of nurses in the Rio Grande Valley and across the state. “We hold all of our students to a high standard,” said Heather Sauceda, TSTC vocational nursing program director. “Here…

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New UTRGV Doctorate Program Approved

(photo UTRGV)

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has received approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to establish a new degree program for a Doctor of Philosophy degree in clinical psychology. The new PhD program will focus on producing clinical psychology scientist-practitioners with knowledge about Hispanic cultures in the Rio Grande Valley and the United States. “Providing new educational opportunities for the students of the Rio Grande Valley is…

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Mission EDC Teams Up for Educator Training

computer science professional development

More than 100 teachers and counselors in Mission will receive computer science professional development this summer thanks to a local partnership. Mission EDC, Code/Interactive and the Mission Consolidated Independent School District are joining forces with Google to offer the training to 100 teachers and 20 counselors in elementary and junior high schools. One teacher from every grade level in Mission CISD’s 14 elementary and four middle schools will receive training.…

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UTRGV medical student receives award

David Goldblatt (photo UTRGV)

David Goldblatt, a second-year medical student at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine, is one of 66 students in the nation to receive the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Medical Research Fellows Award for the 2018-2019 academic year. The HHMI Medical Research Fellows Program provides students financial support for one year of full-time, mentored research training in fundamental biomedical research. Awards are given to medical, dental and veterinary students interested…

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BCIC Offers Economic Development Grants

BCIC

Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation is seeking nonprofit and city partners to partner with to promote economic development. BCIC looks to promote the development through the BCIC Partnership Grants which focus on community development projects. Both nonprofit organizations and city departments are the focus of the grants. By design, the awards engage in the necessary community development needed to promote economic development opportunities. Through the grants, the BCIC will supplement up to $5,000…

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Does Your Nonprofit Need a Website?

Local nonprofits in need of a website may apply until May 27 to have a WordPress website created specifically for them. The charity hackaton do_action takes place June 22-23, allowing the RGV community to create websites for local nonprofit organizations. Created by CodeRGV and the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, the hackathon, providing five nonprofits with completed websites. The 24-hour event will be a platform for participants to works as teams, bringing unique…

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Building ‘Soft Skills’ for Success

UTRGV students collaborate on last-minute details during the GreenpowerUSA South Texas Electric Car Competition. (Courtesy)

Public-private collaborations to build a workforce for the future have picked up speed in recent years amidst growing concerns that some skills needed to prosper are lagging behind advancements in technology. Electric cars whizzing around at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour offer a recent example of how some young people in the Rio Grande Valley are looking forward. Thirty-one teams representing middle schools, high schools and colleges…

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Historic Valley Funeral Homes

Raymondville’s David Wittenbach now operates one of the oldest family-owned funeral homes in the Rio Grande Valley. (VBR)

Most funeral homes in the Rio Grande Valley are located in the more heavily populated cities like Brownsville, McAllen and Harlingen, with many of them owned by large corporations. But a few are still family-owned and operated. The small Willacy County city of Raymondville has two of them, down from three just a few years ago. Duddlesten Funeral Home and Good Shepard Funeral Home are both located along West Hidalgo…

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Island Native Surfs to Success

Island Native Surf Shop owner Kerry Schwartz stands among some of the surfboards he sells. (VBR)

Kerry Schwartz discovered surfing at a young age growing up in the Rio Grande Valley. “Surfing was always my passion,” he said. “I even had a little surf shop in Brownsville in the 60s when I was just a teenager.” Today he owns and operates Island Native Surf Shop on South Padre Island, which he opened in 2003 when he retired. After college Schwartz lived in the Houston area where…

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