In December, the seasonally adjusted Texas unemployment rate was 5.0 percent, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from Nov. 2021. Texas added 50,000 total non-agricultural jobs over the month, making gains in 19 of the last 20 months. For the month, the state reached another record employment level with 13,059,600 jobs. Texas has added a total of 694,400 positions since Dec. 2020. “Seeing a second consecutive month of record-setting employment,…
The American Advertising Federation – Rio Grande Valley is accepting entries for the 2021-2022 ADDY Awards through Jan. 21. The awards honor both professionals and students, recognizing and rewarding the creative spirit of excellence in advertising. The American Advertising Awards, home of the ADDY Award, is one of the industry’s largest creative competitions. It attracts nearly 35,000 professional and student entries each year through competitions via local AAF clubs. Conducted…
McAllen ISD is one of eight school districts that are finalists for H-E-B’s 20th annual Excellence in Education Awards program. It is also one of five public school boards H-E-B is recognizing to highlight the importance of strong leadership at the board level. McAllen ISD is one of five districts in the Large School Districts category; three other districts make up the Small School Districts category. Four early childhood education…
The City of Edinburg and its economic development corporation are starting the new year with a new addition to an existing program designed to assist locally owned businesses through COVID-19-related hardships. The city’s Stimulus Program Aimed at Recovery from COVID is adding assistance to business owners who are based out of their homes. The SPARC program will provide up to $2,000 in grants for use to purchase furniture, supplies and…
It is an all-too-common example of Catch-22. A person decides the only way to get out of a low-paying job is to get certification or a degree. In order to pay for school, the person needs a job. However, to keep the job, the person has to be able to work. School schedules can make that quite difficult. Sebastian Mendoza almost found himself stuck in such a Catch-22. He enrolled…
Hidalgo County will hold a Webcast Auction of general merchandise, fleet, heavy equipment and court awarded vehicles Jan. 25. The public may view Items in person at Palmer Pavilion and the San Carlos Community Resource Center Jan. 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed noon to 1 p.m.). AMT Auctions will auction all items “as is” with all sales final. Bidding begins Jan. 24 at 10 a.m. until the…
Later today (Jan. 6), local officials will open an inclusive park at Blanca E. Sanchez Elementary School. The park bring with it new avenues of play for children of all abilities. A ribbon-cutting will take place from 4:30 to 6 p.m. to officially open the park at 2901 Incarnate Word Ave., between Sanchez Elementary and the McAllen Youth Baseball Complex. Participating officials include those from Hidalgo County Precinct 4, City…
Welcome 2022 with a First Day Hike at one of 89 Texas State Parks. Parks statewide will host a variety of self-guided and guided events so visitors can walk, bike or paddle their way into the new year. First Day Hikes at Texas’ state parks and natural areas aim to help visitors commit to their New Year’s resolutions to get healthy. Last year, 2,668 visitors ushered in 2021 by hiking, biking…
UTRGV now offers a doctorate in Mathematics and Statistics with Interdisciplinary Applications in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. The program provides a strong mathematics and statistics background that supports intense quantitative work in a wide range of disciplines. The curriculum prepares scholars to work on problems at the intersection of mathematics, science, engineering, medicine, finance, computer science and other quantitative disciplines. It aims to be the most inclusive…
The Mid-Valley area will soon be getting a second food truck park when Mercedes opens its version in early 2022. The Queen City Food Park will be located right alongside the south side of Expressway 83 on its access road where it intersects with Virginia Street. Its owners are Ashley and Roy Gonzalez, who began the process of having a food park in mid-2020. The couple has worked closely…