Small businesses across the Rio Grande Valley are moving quickly to adapt to a new and shocking environment they were thrown into by the coronavirus crisis. New days, new paths Linda’s Cakes & Desserts in Brownsville is now selling essential items such as eggs, milk, potatoes and beans in addition to their usual assortment of sweets. Hardknox Strength & Performance, also of Brownsville, is using its social media outlets to…
Working to fill a national nursing shortage, the Licensed Vocational Nursing program at Texas Southmost College recently saw its largest graduating class. In addition, it is maintaining a solid 92-percent pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination. “I am so proud of what our team and students have been able to achieve,” said TSC Vocational Nursing interim program director Molly Showalter. “This type of success gives our program a…
March 17 update: The 2020 South Texas All Hazards Conference has been postponed until the August-September time frame. The eighth annual South Texas All Hazards Conference takes place March 25-26 at the McAllen Performing Arts Center and McAllen Convention Center. It is the second largest training conference of its type in the state of Texas. More than 3,000 individuals from public health, public safety, public works, incident and emergency management…
American Express is teaming up with Main Street America to give 10 small business owners $10,000 each to help their businesses innovate in this evolving retail landscape. The American Express Future of Shopping Small Grant Program celebrates small businesses across the country. The program supports small businesses that demonstrate new approaches to traditional business strategies. It also looks to help those looking to try out creative techniques, while also helping…
For a week in early February, McAllen businessman and City of McAllen Public Utilities Vice Chairman Tony Aguirre spent countless hours at Edinburg Regional Medical Center where his mom was a patient. He watched TV with her and sang conjunto songs playing on his phone’s Pandora app with her. He monitored her vitals while she slept and had conversations with all of the medical professionals treating her. One of the…
This month, South Texas College celebrates Women’s History Month. It is marking 100 years since women nationwide were able to achieve the right to vote after years of effort. A lecture by Sarah Bell takes place March 9 in the Pecan Campus Library Rainbow Room as part of the celebration. Bell give a talk to commemorate the centennial of the women’s suffrage amendment being adopted nationwide. Bell serves as the…
SWG Engineering LLC, a local civil engineering firm, was recently distinguished by two national organizations for the solutions it provided Rio Grande Valley municipalities in 2019. The American Society of Civil Engineers Rio Grande Valley Branch presented SWG with the 2019 Innovative Project of the Year award. The recognition comes for the firm’s canal-to-pipeline conversion for the Delta Lake Irrigation District. SWG turned the A-20 open canal into 4.5 miles…
In 2019, record growth hit McAllen International Airport with 432,178 passenger boardings. This is a 20 percent increase from 2018 and also the highest number of enplanements in MFE’s history. Over the last 20 years, MFE’s compounded annual growth rate in passenger enplanements has trended progressively steady at 1.4 percent. This steady growth has MFE as the leading airport in the Rio Grande Valley, capturing the majority of market share…
Students pursuing a General Educational Development diploma through the Brownsville Independent School District can also now train and get certified as a phlebotomist through TSTC’s Workforce Training and Continuing Education department. The offering comes with a new partnership between Texas State Technical College and the BISD Adult Continuing Education program. “This is the first time we have partnered with BISD in this capacity,” said Myra De Leon, Workforce Training and…
Rio Grande Valley veterans will receive honors during a Rudy’s Barbeque-catered Veterans Appreciation Dinner Feb. 25. The free event is complements of senators Donna Campbell and Eddie Lucio Jr. “There is no more honorable title than to be a veteran. We want to honor and thank all veterans of the Rio Grande Valley and hope they will join us,” said Campbell. A public hearing of the Texas Senate Committee on…