Category Archives: e-Brief Features

McAllen Launches Website to Attract Developers

e-Brief Features Government News Comments
McAllenMeansBusiness.com

The City of McAllen leadership recently launched McAllenMeansBusiness.com, an online resource specifically for local, state and international developers seeking to expand in McAllen. The platform showcases McAllen’s position as an international gateway, supplying current data, analytics and other useful information to support informed decision making as McAllen’s economy continues to attract interest in investment opportunities. “We are thrilled to unveil our new website to the public and provide an enhanced…

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Mission to Host 30th Annual Community Health Fair

Community Events e-Brief Features News Comments

The Greater Mission Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Mission Regional Medical Center and the City of Mission, will host the 30th annual Mission Community Health & Wellness Fair on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6 at the Mission Event Center. The free event from 7-11:30 a.m. is open to the public, providing a variety of essential health services. These include blood pressure checks, strength tests, stroke risk assessments, medication reviews,…

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IMAS Presents Mysterious Cosmos Family Fun Nights

Community e-Brief Features News Comments
Mysterious Cosmos Family Fun Nights

The International Museum of Art & Science will begin hosting Mysterious Cosmos Family Fun Nights on Nov. 21, providing an immersive educational series for families to explore the wonders of the cosmos. The series takes place monthly until February, featuring hands-on activities, presentations and guided stargazing experiences.  The museum invites patrons to bring a foldable chair, sit back and gaze into the mysteries of space with telescopes provided by UTRGV’s…

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McAllen Recognized for Balance in Work Environments

Community e-Brief Features News Comments
Work Environments

A recent study by commercial real estate blog CommercialCafe.com ranks McAllen eighth in the top 10 Texas cities for mixing work from office (WFO) and work from home (WFH). Furthermore, McAllen’s top four statistics for WFO rankings are top three in the state of Texas. To determine which Texas cities best meet the needs of households managing various work styles, CommercialCafe.com created a ranking system that evaluated each city’s capacity…

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Culinary Icon Choi Headlines UTRGV Speakers Series

Community Events e-Brief Features News Comments
Roy Choi

Roy Choi, the culinary trailblazer of the modern food truck movement, will serve as the inaugural speaker for the 2024-2025 season of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Distinguished Speaker Series. DSS, a free event, takes place Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the UTRGV Performing Arts Center (EPAC) in Edinburg. Choi, a Seoul native raised in Los Angeles, will share his journey and insights into how he transformed…

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Port of Brownsville Leads the Valley’s Economy

e-Brief Features Manufacturing/Industrial News Comments
Port of Brownsville

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Annual Report features the Port of Brownsville’s ascension to 50th position among 150 U.S. maritime ports for waterborne cargo. In 2022, the port handled 9.1 million tons of cargo, up from 8.9 million tons in 2021, moving from 55th to 50th place. The port’s comprehensive logistical network comprised of rail, trucking lines, vessel and barge services and pipeline connectivity are key to the transportation…

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Alliance Gives South Texas Higher Profile

e-Brief Features Government News Comments
Palmview Mayor Ricardo Villarreal says he is picking up ideas from larger cities in attending meetings of the South Texas Alliance of Cities. (Courtesy)

The South Texas Alliance of Cities launched in 2023 with the goal of fostering greater cooperation and collaboration among communities in addressing key issues. The partnership appears to be off to a good start. The majority of the communities in the pact are in the Rio Grande Valley although it does extend to San Antonio. That city’s mayor, Ron Nirenberg, has attended some of the alliance’s quarterly meetings. The focus…

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UTRGV Opens Center for Human Genetics Building

e-Brief Features Education Healthcare News Comments

The UTRGV School of Medicine has opened of its new, state-of-the-art Center for Human Genetics, headquartered on the Brownsville Campus. The new facility is dedicated to cutting-edge research that addresses major public health concerns in the Rio Grande Valley, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, liver cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and depression. The 17,246-square-foot facility, funded by a Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation grant and support from the UT System Permanent University Fund, will…

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Texas Master Naturalist Program Begins Pollinators for Texas

Community e-Brief Features News Comments
Pollinators for Texas 

The Texas Master Naturalist program is teaming up with H-E-B for a new Pollinators for Texas initiative. As part of this new partnership, H-E-B is providing $50,000 to the TMN program to fund the initiative. TMN chapters across the state will have the opportunity to apply for project awards of up to $3,000 each to support large-scale community-based projects that enhance native pollinator populations and their habitats. “We are proud to partner…

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Texas Civilian Labor Force Exceeds 15.4 Million

e-Brief Features News Comments
Texas added 10,500 Professional and Business Services jobs in September, registering the industry as the largest over-the-month increase.

Texas’ labor market achieved new record highs in September in terms of the job count and number of people in the civilian labor force. Texas’ seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment increased to 14,289,900 after 29,200 jobs were added over the month. Texas added 327,400 jobs from Sept. 2023 to Sept. 2024. Texas’ annual nonfarm growth rate currently sits at 2.3 percent, outpacing the U.S. growth rate by 0.7 percentage points.…

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