Shrimping in the Gulf of Mexico has been a way of life for thousands from the Brownsville/Port Isabel area to the Texas upper coast. It’s also been the livelihood for hundreds of others who come from as far as Mexico and Central America. Each new shrimp season usually starts on July 15, or a month and a half after hurricane season begins. But just as the farmers of the land face…
For many years, downtown Brownsville looked like a ghost town, particularly during evening hours. The only exception was an H-E-B supermarket on East Elizabeth Street. Here, shoppers from south of the border stopped by to buy goods before going across the Rio Grande into Matamoros. After a group of concerned citizens began looking into how to revive the city’s oldest business district several years ago, the area started coming alive. New…
Effective July 4, the Pharr International Bridge has new hours of operation of the temporary pilot programs designed to relieve congestion, increase truck throughput and reduce border wait times at Pharr’s international land port of entry. The primary change to the schedule is that priority will be given to commercial traffic during regular business hours (Monday – Friday). Cars and passenger vehicle lanes will close for cars to give priority to…
Only 10 days remain to nominate an individual or organization for their contributions to preserving Texas’ heritage. The Texas Historical Commission offers awards to recognize both worthy accomplishments and exemplary leadership in preserving Texas history. The deadline for submissions for the 2019 THC Preservation Awards is July 12. The THC is accepting nominations for the following historic preservation awards Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation John L. Nau III Award of Excellence…
Rob Neagle was on his way to becoming a journalist before he took a job delivering pizzas. That’s when he made a discovery. “I found out that I love the hospitality industry,” he said. The delivery job while making his way through college – where he was at one time the sports editor of the University of Texas-Pan American newspaper – introduced Neagle to Pizza Hut. He would go on to…
Michael Menchaca was less than a year into running and owning his own night clinic and navigating the maze of health insurance requirements and documentation when a thought came to him on his daily commute home from Harlingen to Weslaco. “I thought, ‘there has to be a better way,’” he recalled. “Why can’t healthcare be like gym membership?” Menchaca describes it as an “overnight” change. The young nurse practitioner went…
In the mid-1990s, Carlos Rodriguez found himself back in his native Mexico. He had an industrial engineering degree in hand, but with an economy in tatters, he found no real jobs in his field. “I had no job, no car, no nothing, but a lot of enthusiasm to start a new adventure,” he recalled. Rodriguez had just returned from Canada. Here he took intensive English classes in Vancouver to bolster…
Now that summer has officially begun, head out to South Padre Island for some action. Try some different action, not the kind like windsurfing, paddle boarding, buggy riding, off-road driving or hopping on a boat to go after one’s favorite fish. The south and north end of the Island gets the most crowds, there is a facility near the end of Texas Highway 100 that provides plenty of things to…
The San Benito residents living south of Expressway 77/83 will soon have something they have never had -– a comprehensive park. What is currently being called Southside Park is nearing completion. The six-acre project is the first phase of what is hoped to be a 12-acre park. The first half of the project will have plenty for residents to enjoy. It will include a splash pad, walking/jogging trail, two soccer…
For 38 summers, youth from churches across the state have been visiting the Rio Grande Valley to participate in Mission Service Project. MSP is a week-long service opportunity where teenagers work with adult sponsors to improve a home for someone in need. This project began at the Mission United Methodist Church in 1981. It was inspired by a trip their group had attended in the Appalachian Mountains. They went on…