In the social media-driven world where a hobby can turn into a business in a flash, Samantha Cervantes is proof how fast such a thing can happen. The mid-20s-year-old mother of two children was looking for a job last year to help her family’s finances. It was a tough go of it as the employment market contracted with the shutdowns and slowdowns. Cervantes also had the issue of childcare for…
The many historical buildings that dot downtown Brownsville are coming back to life as investments in the city’s heritage. It makes business sense. Youthful investors are transforming old buildings in the city’s core, giving them makeovers, and turning them into restaurants, art studios and cafes. In one case, it’s stylish new lofts. Botica Lofts is gleaming new and on the corner of 11th Street and Adams in downtown Brownsville. It’s…
TSTC will soon launch two new online boot camps that train for in-demand careers in both cyber security and full stack web development. These boot camps require no previous experience, and contain tools and support to help students obtain a well-paying job in a short amount of time. TSTC’s Cybersecurity Analytics course incorporates 13 weeks of online training beginning March 1. According to TSTC, there will be 3.5 million unfilled…
South Padre Island will celebrate its second National Cook Your Catch Day Jan. 23 with events for avid anglers and cuisine fans of South Padre Island. The celebration includes a VIP fishing trip and dinner for regional influencers. Currently, eight restaurants will cook the catches of participants. The event also includes tips from fishing guides on techniques for catching different species and ideas from SPI chefs on how to make…
The McAllen Public Library is now allowing borrowers 17 years and older to take home video game titles for PS4, PS5, X-Box One, X-Box Series X and Nintendo Switch. The new circulating games carry ratings of E–For Everyone and T–For Teens. Video game borrowers must reside in the City of McAllen and be 17 years or older. They must also have an MPL card and provide verification of a current…
On Dec. 31, President Donald J. Trump issued a presidential permit for the expansion of the Pharr International Bridge. The 2020 permit amends the current permit to allow for the addition of another bridge at the international port of entry. This second span will add additional lanes to completely separate trucks and cars. Dedicated lanes for empties, full cargo, certified cargo and passenger vehicles will add capacity and reduce wait times. Pharr…
Miguel Lozano holds a tiny wooden box with a mesh top and points to what’s crawling underneath it. There’s a queen bee in there of European origin. It’s an important distinction, he said, because when she’s put in a hive, this queen will center a cluster of bees with Africanized roots, the ones dubbed “killer bees.” “She will calm the box,” Lozano said, looking out toward several hives in boxes…
Hidalgo County Commissioner Eduardo Cantu had modest expectations when he set out to bring a hike-and-bike trail to Pharr and San Juan. It was early 2015 and Cantu was well aware of the health and fitness improvements made in Brownsville, McAllen and Harlingen as those cities have constructed and opened miles of outdoor trails. The same has occurred in Mission and San Benito as hike-and-bike trails have flourished across the…
Weslaco had one sweet spot going for it during the slowdown and shutdown months in the spring and summer of 2020. Happiness Cupcakes never closed. The city deemed it an essential business and the cupcake shop with an outdoor patio on Texas Boulevard stayed open. The close-to-the-nest residents of Weslaco and adjacent communities found solace in the array of cupcakes, pies, cakes and breads at the shop on Texas. “It was…
Medical residency programs always bring and require what Dr. Timothy Heath calls an “intensity of experience” as young physicians make their way through real-life training. Add the rigors and challenges of dealing with the recent pandemic and coping with situations not seen in a century. The reality of it all is testing 14 physician residents under Heath’s supervision in ways no one imagined. “I’ve spoken to colleagues and I can…