Category Archives: e-Brief Features

UTRGV Elevates Agreements Across Valley

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has agreed to boost its dual credit offerings with an area school district that has campuses throughout the region. The South Texas Independent School District and UTRGV announced this week an expansion of an existing dual credit program. Beginning in 2023, STISD students will be able to take college courses through UTRGV if they plan to attend the Valley’s university. The two educational…

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Edinburg Chamber Welcomes New Membership Director

Dulce Cortina

Dulce Cortina is the new director of membership for the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce. She will work closely with chamber staff and the board of directors to expand and service more than 400 chamber members. Cortina demonstrates a strong commitment to leadership growth and training, having more than eight years of experience in management. “I am excited to be able to join the team and have a positive impact on…

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Keep McAllen Beautiful Seeks Artists For Public Art

KMB standpipe art

Keep McAllen Beautiful Inc. is actively recruiting artists from McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley for a chance to have their work featured on irrigation pipes in McAllen. The deadline to apply is tomorrow, Sept. 16. The initiative will promote a strong presence of public art and aims to give experienced artists an opportunity to represent McAllen’s agricultural history, as well as their sense of civic pride. KMB will provide…

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STC Faculty To Lead Presentation On National Stage

Gabriel Viera, Nicholas Hinojosa, Saeed Molki and Meng-Hung Wu will present at the SACSCOC National Conference in December. (photo STC)

South Texas College Computer Science faculty members are on their way to Atlanta this December to present at the prestigious Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges National Conference. The proposal and presentation will focus on Competency-Based Education. The faculty members include Saeed Molki, associate professor of Computer Science and Menghung Wu, professor of Computer Information Technology. Computer Science instructors Nicholas Hinojosa and Gabriel Viera will also attend…

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VIDA Program Sparks Future Electrician

Rogelio Garcia

Four years ago, Brownsville resident Rogelio Garcia depended on government assistance to feed himself, his wife and their five children. Today, thanks to the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement, that’s no longer the case. In early August of 2013, Garcia had a near-fatal accident that resulted in him going on disability. During his recovery, a friend told him about VIDA and its Commercial Electrician Program, focused on increasing the…

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Summer Causeway Run & Fitness Walk Next Weekend

Causeway Run (photo Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce)

The Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce will host its seventh annual Summer Causeway Run & Fitness Walk on Sept. 17. The 5K Walk and 10K Run will feature thousands of participants starting in Port Isabel and crossing the causeway. Walkers will end at the Padre Balli statue on the South Padre Island, while runners will continue to the finish line at Louie’s Backyard. The run will start promptly at 7…

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Boxing Tourney Highlights Harlingen & RGV Fighters

Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda, center left, and Chamber of Commerce representatives welcome Rio Grande Valley boxers to the city in anticipation of an October tournament in the city.

A World Boxing Council-affiliated event is coming to Harlingen in early October, expected to attract 400 amateur boxers and 4,000 fans to the city’s convention center. Atlanta-based Sugar Bert Boxing Promotions is bringing its Green Belt Tournament Series to Harlingen. It will likewise be the first time Sugar Bert will hold one of its tournaments in Texas. There will be four rings in the convention center, each hosting 50 bouts.…

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Hinojosa Finds Satisfaction In Helping

Martha Vela Hinojosa, owner of LHM Employment Group in McAllen.

Help Wanted. Now Hiring. Join Our Team. Signs posted at entrances and on marquees of many local businesses share these messages.  Employee shortages seem to be affecting most industries, resulting in shorter hours of operation, canceled flights, sections of restaurants closed and rising stress levels. Martha Vela Hinojosa believes she was created for these current times of employers searching for workers.  Born and raised in Mission, Hinojosa graduated from Mission…

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TWC Funds Hundreds Of STC Apprenticeship Candidates

South Texas College is the recent recipient of an Apprenticeship Texas Expansion Grant from the Texas Workforce Commission. The $593,934 grant allows for the largest expansion of apprenticeships ever funded by a single grant. With the grant, STC will create 297 new apprentices, as well as create seven new registered apprenticeship programs and two new pre-apprenticeship programs this fall. Registered apprenticeship programs through TWC are paid internships. The programs are defined…

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New SBA Webinar Series Helps Navigate Economic Challenges

The Bottom Line (Photo Charles Abell, SBA)

U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman and John Arensmeyer, founder and CEO of Small Business Majority, recently signed a co-sponsorship agreement to partner on a new webinar series, “The Bottom Line,” to introduce small businesses across America to SBA tools and resources to address timely economic challenges. “This alliance between the SBA and Small Business Majority will help expand and deepen the SBA’s outreach network to better connect with…

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