Manuel Alvarez and his wife, Nadia Escalante, started out with an at-home bakery in Brownsville, creating their Pastel Japones. Said another way, they are Japanese cotton cheesecakes. The popularity of the fluffy sponge-looking cake would take off. In part it was due to the uniqueness of the product in the Rio Grande Valley market. It’s a region filled with pan dulce shops and custom cake bakeries. It’s difficult to find…
Texas Workforce Commission is partnering with the Department of Defense on the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood-PLUS program to increase access to child care for military families. Through the program, DOD provides fee assistance to eligible military families to offset the cost of child care when there is no availability on base. In October, MCCYN-PLUS expanded into Texas, home to 15 active duty military installations with an economic impact of over $100…
Farming and ranching history and heritage runs deep in Mercedes. The city was founded in 1909 by a land company which built some of the first canals in the Rio Grande Valley to irrigate farm fields and attract agricultural interests from the Midwest. The Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show would find its home in Mercedes in the late 1930s and continues running strong to the present. The Farm Fest this…
South Texas College Board of Trustee Chairwoman Rose Benavidez was recently inaugurated in New York City as the chairwoman of the Association of Community College Trustees board of directors. She is the first Latina to hold this distinguished position in the organization’s more than 50-year history. The Starr County native will serve on the national stage, working with leadership from the White House to Congress and the U.S. Department of…
The Weslaco Area Chamber of Commerce is currently accepting vendors for its Holiday Market taking place Dec. 1. The market takes place from 6:30-9:30 p.m. after the tree lighting ceremony, which also includes school performances, light displays and more. The Holiday Market will be held in the Weslaco City Hall parking lot at 500 South Kansas Ave. Booth fees are $35 and food truck fees are $55. Weslaco Chamber member discounts…
Brownsville’s extensive network of hike-and-bike trails has a new addition with the opening of the West Rail Trail. The nearly 7-mile-long trail was officially opened on Oct. 14 at Oliveira Park during a ceremony with remarks from Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. and Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez. The $8-million trail project runs from Palm Boulevard in the heart of the city and on northward past Alton Gloor Boulevard. It…
A groundbreaking ceremony took place Oct. 14 in Weslaco, with the Weslaco EDC announcing the development of the Mid Valley International Industrial Park. The second industrial park for the city will be on the corner FM 1015 (International Blvd.) and Mile 9 Road (Sugarcane Drive). The development is a master-planned, 146-acre industrial and retail subdivision. The existing park, less than a mile away, has limited space available and the demand…
Estella G. Lopez and Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa are the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce‘s 2022 Man and Woman of the Year. The chamber will honor both of them at its annual Installation & Awards Banquet on Nov. 16 at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and also includes recognition of Mario Lizcano as incoming chairman and Michael J. Williamson as outgoing chairman for the…
The Centennial Celebration of Texas State Parks is right around the corner, and park lovers are invited to get outside and join celebrations across the state. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, in partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, will celebrate 100 years of Texas State Parks beginning in Jan. 2023. “We invite all Texans to experience these precious public lands that truly belong to them,” said Rodney Franklin, TPWD’s…
Working at home as a full-time wife and mother has been recognized as an honorable and rewarding job, as well as one of the most difficult. And, unfortunately, it does not come with a paycheck. Vanessa Cantu of Brownsville watched her husband, Norberto, go to work each day as a driver for a car dealership as she cared for their three sons. Despite his commitment to his job, they struggled…