Category Archives: e-Brief Features

Fiesta Edinburg Begins Feb. 27

Fiesta Edinburg

The 56th annual Fiesta Edinburg is coming up from February 27 to March 2 at the Bert Ogden Arena, expecting to draw in thousands of attendees to Edinburg. This year’s star-studded musical lineup kicks off on Friday with Corrido artist Edgardo Nuñez, T3R Elemento, and Nivel. On Saturday, five-time Grammy Award winner La Mafia takes the stage as well as Latin Grammy Award-winning artist and former lead singer of Grupo…

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Pharr EDC Foundation Scholarship Now Open

Pharr EDC Foundation Scholarship

The Pharr EDC Foundation, in partnership with the Pharr Economic Development Corporation and the City of Pharr, is currently accepting applications from eligible students for the 2024-2025 Pharr EDC Foundation Scholarship. Applications are available online with a submission deadline of March 14 by 5 p.m. “The Pharr EDC Foundation is dedicated to investing in the future of our students by providing financial assistance for higher education,” said Victor Perez, president…

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McAllen Breaks Sales Tax Record

McAllen sales tax and retail

The City of McAllen has shattered its all-time sales tax record, receiving an unprecedented $11.9 million in February’s sales tax allocation for the same month of December (2024 vs 2023). This is a 12.3 percent increase over last year’s collection for the same period. The milestone surpasses the previous high of $10.6 million collected last year. “McAllen’s long-term strategy of becoming a destination city, encouraging booming residential and commercial development, facilitating international…

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San Juan Mom Receives a Lifeline with VIDA

Rosa Diaz

San Juan resident Rosa I. Diaz describes life as a single mother with four children as both challenging and rewarding. Working full time as a provider, she earned above minimum wage; however, stretching her $11-per-hour earnings proved to be no small task. “While I was grateful for my job, I knew I wanted more for myself and my family,” Diaz said. She saw an advertisement for the Valley Initiative for…

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MFE Reaches Historic Passenger Milestone

McAllen International Airport

McAllen International Airport achieved a historic milestone for commercial air service in the Rio Grande Valley in 2024 with more than 1.2 million travelers. This achievement marks a 25 percent increase in year-over-year total passengers. “Thanks to McAllen International Airport’s expanding air service, reaching 1.2 million flyers marks one of the many achievements for McAllen in 2024,” said City of McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos, “Non-stop service to key domestic and…

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STC Earns Designation for Online Excellence

South Texas College has earned an “Exemplary Program” designation by Quality Matters indicating the highest level of achievement for all its online courses.

More than five years in the making, South Texas College Digital Learning has become the only online program in the state of Texas to earn an “Exemplary Program” designation indicating the highest level of achievement for all its online courses. The designation awarded by Quality Matters, an international leader for quality assurance in online and digital environments, came about through a college-wide effort where STC met rigorous standards of online…

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SBA Offers Heartfelt Tools for Small Businesses

Tools for Small Businesses

Just like any meaningful relationship, managing a small business requires effort, care and the right resources. In the spirit of appreciation, we’re sharing the small business resources we love just in time for Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just  starting your journey, these resources will help you blossom.   SBA Resource Partners The U.S. Small Business Administration has built an extensive support network of resource partners that provide a…

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Texas Labor Market Growth Continues

Texas, Austin

The Texas labor market achieved a new record-high level for jobs and the civilian labor force in December 2024. The state added 37,500 positions over the month, reaching a total of 14,318,700 nonfarm jobs. Texas added 284,200 jobs from December 2023 to December 2024, bringing the annual nonfarm growth rate to two percent, which outpaced the U.S. growth rate by 0.6 percentage points. December marks the 12th consecutive month of…

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Living History Day Brings the Past into the Present

Living History Day

Texas Southmost College will host its latest installment of its Living History Day on Feb. 1 at the TSC South Hall Lawn. The event is free and open to the public. Since 2017, Living History Day has been an event of sights and sounds of the past, celebrating the impact of both global and local historical eras. Visitors are encouraged to wear their best historical time-period costumes, meaning that it’s…

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Grant Funds IMAS Early Childhood Workshops

Children participate in a Young Adventurers workshop at IMAS. (Courtesy)

The International Museum of Art & Science is continuing its Young Adventurers program, thanks to funding from a PNC Foundation grant. The program provides accessible early childhood learning opportunities to children ages 1 to 6 with an accompanying adult, emphasizing the importance of play and exploration in fostering early STEAM skills.  Young Adventurers is an educational program offering monthly weekday morning workshops from 10-11 a.m. Each session introduces a unique…

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