The view from Isla Blanca Park across a ship channel presents a long lens picture similar to that of Cape Canaveral in Florida. In South Texas, it’s SpaceX off in the distance at Boca Chica Beach. It’s still close enough that with a smartphone camera you can zoom in and get a clear view of a silver rocket being built for liftoff in the months ahead. “I tell people that…
McAllen ranks sixth lowest in Texas regarding burglary and theft, according to researchers at Porch.com. The city also ranks seventh lowest in the United States for Small Cities. This news comes soon after a recent report by the Texas Department of Public Safety showing McAllen ranks second lowest in Texas for violent crimes. The survey analyzes crime data regarding burglary and theft over a four-year period across 258 cities in…
Quinta Mazatlán World Birding Center‘s Sticks and Bones Trail opens Oct. 23 and a Halloween party will follow one week later on Oct. 30. The trail will be up through mid-November. Guests can stop by Tuesdays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and until 7 p.m. on Thursdays. The trail is free with park admission. The Halloween Party in the Park takes place from 9 a.m. to 1…
To fill a gap in cybersecurity and promote the importance of cyber safety, Texas Southmost College will introduce a new Cybersecurity program in spring 2022. “We are excited to kick off this program,” said Murad Abusalim, TSC dean of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. “This program will produce graduates highly sought after by industry. Job opportunities in this field are numerous and the demand for cybersecurity professionals will only continue…
Brownsville Interim City Attorney Victor Flores was elected to serve on the Texas City Attorneys Association‘s board of directors during the association’s fall meeting in Houston Oct. 7. Flores is one of only two attorneys who have been appointed to the board from the Rio Grande Valley since TCAA’s inception in 1928. Directors on the TCAA Board will attend numerous TCAA board meetings a year. TCAA is an affiliate of…
Harlingen’s largely vacant Valle Vista Mall is getting an investment boost as a Los Angeles-based company announced it had acquired the retail space formerly occupied by Dillard’s. BH Properties said it is analyzing the best use for its new property, which since 1983 had been an anchor store at Valle Vista until its recent closure. The company said its Harlingen acquisition is a good fit in its strategies to re-imagine…
The Texas A&M University System and two of its state engineering agencies recently announced a new initiative to invigorate an important Rio Grande Valley industry sector, advanced manufacturing. Together with the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, the system will provide workforce development programs that will prepare people for high-need jobs. The Texas A&M RGV Advanced Manufacturing/Training Innovation Now program gathers community input, creates…
VTX1 Companies has acquired TISD Inc., a wireless internet service provider headquartered in Victoria, Texas. TISD’s service area consists of more than 3,000 square miles with a subscriber base of 9,900 customers. The acquisition increases VTX1’s existing subscriber count to approximately 34,000 subscribers in the South Texas Region. This elevates them to become one of the largest independently-owned internet service providers in Texas. “TISD is happy and excited to be…
When you learn, teach. When you get, give. ~Maya Angelou Weslaco native Gilda Lee Sauceda grew up with a single mom who became disabled when her daughter was just 10 years old. She felt grateful that they had a roof over their head and their basic necessities, but the struggles were real. The labels were there — eighth-grade drop-out, GED holder, low-income — but Sauceda did not allow labels to…
SWG Engineering held a grand opening Sept. 30 for its new solar-powered office building off International Boulevard in Weslaco. The engineering firm specializes in innovating municipal infrastructures. On hand to help celebrate were representatives from the Weslaco Chamber of Commerce, Valley Baptist Micro Hospital, Frost Bank and Smith Security & Fire. Daniel Montez, campus administrator of South Texas College Mid-Valley, attended the event due to his interest in learning more…