Javier Villalobos settles into the chair of his mayor’s office on the third floor of McAllen’s City Hall. From there, he has a view of Main Street heading into downtown McAllen. Twenty months passed since downtown and the rest of McAllen had last seen its revenue lifeline of Mexican shoppers stream into their stores. That finally came to an end on Nov. 9, the day the U.S. government allowed Mexican…
Three students representing the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program at the UTRGV Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship earned first place at the Restaurant Finance and Development Conference Nov. 8-10 in Las Vegas, Nev. The team of Andrea Garza, Paulina Martinez and Abelardo Villarreal earned first place in the “Restaurant of the Future” competition. Their restaurant concept, “Wonder,” was an immersive, multisensory culinary experience using augmented and virtual reality technology. “Dining…
The Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce’s is rescheduling its Jan. 8 Longest Causeway Run and Fitness Walk to April 9, 2022. “Unfortunately, an ongoing five month maintenance project on the causeway has forced us to change our dates,” said Chamber President Betty Wells. “We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause for our participants and hope to return to our normal schedule in 2023.” Online registration is still available on…
Matt Wolthoff is the new president of Driscoll Health System’s new hospital in Edinburg, Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley. The health system expects the hospital to open in Spring 2023. As president, Wolthoff is directly responsible for the overall operations and performance of the new hospital, including implementation. He will report directly to Eric Hamon, president and CEO of Driscoll Health System. Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley will…
South Padre Island’s last movie house closed recently, leaving an entertainment void for tourists and local residents alike. Robert Gallagher’s Nana’s 7D Cinema isn’t a movie theater, but it does aim to provide visual entertainment along those lines. It opened earlier this year – with its official ribbon cutting and grand opening celebrated late last week – and the 3D cinema experience it provides is proving to be a hit. …
In honor of both active and retired military, Texas State Parks will wave daily entrance fees for all day-use visitors Nov. 14. “The dedication, sacrifice and service displayed by the women and men that serve in our country’s military is unparalleled and is a source of pride throughout the country,” said Rodney Franklin, director of Texas State Parks. “Their commitment to service undoubtedly inspires us at the Texas Parks and…
The Texas Workforce Commission recently approved $2.45 billion in direct support for the Texas child care industry. Providers may use these funds in a variety of ways to support their program’s operating costs. These are one-time funds available through federal child care stimulus dollars. The funds intend to help child care providers address the impacts of COVID. Awarding of funds will go to regulated child care centers and homes beginning…
The UTRGV School of Medicine and UT Health RGV officially opened its Institute of Neuroscience with a ribbon-cutting last week. The facility measures at more than 30,000 square feet. The institute, which broke ground in 2019, is an all-encompassing research, education, clinical care and community partnership facility. The facility’s goal is to transform brain health for the Rio Grande Valley community. ION will bring advanced care and training in…
Texas Southmost College, in collaboration with the Brownsville Police Department, recently hosted a multi-agency first responder coordination meeting to discuss emergency response in and around the college. TSC and Brownsville PD proposed to other local, state and federal agencies a three-phased approach for creating a coordination plan among agencies. “TSC’s unique location to the border and within the city of Brownsville means that multiple law enforcement agencies are within minutes…
The U.S. Small Business Administration is celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit and resilience of veteran small business owners during National Veterans Small Business Week now through Nov. 5. “National Veterans Small Business Week is a time to honor the service and celebrate the impact of our nearly 1.8 million veteran entrepreneurs who are a driving force in our economy, generating approximately $1 trillion annually and employing nearly 4 million people,” said SBA Administrator Isabella…