Ruben Sanchez’s man cave doesn’t feature the usual bank of big screen televisions and pool tables, with a stuffed deer head or two mounted on the walls. For Sanchez, it’s “my sanctuary,” a place to retreat within himself to take away “a lot of my demons.” He is a Purple Heart recipient and former airborne paratrooper who uses his getaway to assemble handmade fishing rods in a converted garage of…
The South Padre Island spring breaks of most recent years were quite different from those that came before them. There were lower numbers but some good came out of the leaner seasons of 2020 and 2021. The imagery of rollicking college-aged students was replaced by the more mature demographic family groups. There were fewer crowds to get through with the temporary decline of college youth on semester breaks. The pandemic…
Manuel Alvarez describes himself as a persistent sort, who once putting his mind to something is not easily deterred. Those personal attributes were put to the test when Alvarez took on the challenge of being a baker of detail-heavy Japanese cotton cheesecakes. With the help of his wife Nadia Escalante, Alvarez would “start a business out of nowhere.” Rio Grande Valley communities are dotted with pan dulce shops and long-standing…
Cassy Rodriguez had what she called “the best job ever” as a driver for pre-production Ford trucks displayed at car shows and big entertainment venues featuring stars and celebrities. The job paid well, too, but the Mission native was spending weeks at a time away from home. It was a huge sacrifice for the mother of three young children. The tours to promote a new F-150 model or a Ranger…
The Port of Brownsville remains a stronghold for the Rio Grande Valley’s economy, providing record-setting tonnage and robust operating revenues for FY 2021. Brownsville Navigation District Board Chairman Sergio Tito Lopez highlighted these achievements at the 2022 State of the Port Address last week at the Rancho Viejo Convention Center. The unaudited operating revenues for FY 2021 surpassed the $30-million mark for the second consecutive year at $34 million. Cargo…
A walk into Quinta Mazatlan takes patrons into a visual and architectural history of McAllen. It was on this 80-acre site over eight decades ago that adventurer and writer Jason Chilton Matthews built one of the larger adobe homes in Texas. The 10,000-square-foot home stands tall today with a regal dignity overlooking an estate of lush green habitat. Quinta Mazatlan is one part an architectural wonder in how the Spanish…
Valley Regional Medical Center is the recipient of a 2022 Patient Safety Excellence Award from Healthgrades. The distinction places Valley Regional Medical Center among the top five percent of all short-term acute care hospitals as evaluated. Valley Regional Medical Center colleagues protect the safety of their patients with daily safety huddles. It also consistently has real-time systems in place that use data and analytics to identify and manage risks. This includes…
Mario Lizcano of Pharr has been appointed to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement by Governor Greg Abbott. As a regulatory State agency, TCOLE establishes and enforces standards to ensure that the people of Texas are served by highly trained and ethical law enforcement, corrections and telecommunications personnel. “I’m truly and humbly honored to have been appointed by Governor Abbott to this amazing board,” said Lizcano. “I’m supportive of all…
The U.S. Small Business Administration invites eligible non-profit organizations, state and local government agencies, private sector firms, and institutions of higher learning to submit proposals to provide synchronous online entrepreneurship training to transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses. The entrepreneurship training shall be a continuation of the training participants receive as part of SBA’s Boots to Business training program. The awarded organization will develop and maintain a curriculum about entrepreneurship for…
The Texas Workforce Commission is launching the Early Childhood Texas website, a streamlined resource for Texas parents to access information about available early childhood services available through various Texas agencies. The new website serves as a one-stop-shop to connect Texas parents with access to a variety of free or low cost services and resources available through different state agencies and different programs. “In the past, I have spent hours researching for…