Category Archives: e-Brief Features

Startup? Speak at 1 Million Cups McAllen

e-Brief Features Events Featured News Comments

1 Million Cups McAllen is currently seeking local startups to present their companies to a diverse audience of mentors, advisors and entrepreneurs. The group meets the second Wednesday of every month, engaging entrepreneurs in the McAllen community. Each month, 1 Million Cups offers two local startups an opportunity to present. In turn, speakers expand business reach and receive feedback from McAllen city leaders. The program is a simple way to engage entrepreneurs in…

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Weekend Fishing in Port Mansfield

e-Brief Features Events News Recreation & Tourism Comments
Red fish will be viewed during this weekend tournament.

The 45th annual Port Mansfield Fishing Tournament is this weekend, so head out to this fishing village about 20 miles east of Raymondville. More than 200 anglers are expected to participate in the two-day tourney raising funds for the local chamber of commerce. Registration is Thursday. Fishing takes place Friday and Saturday. The award ceremony is Sunday.  The tourney is the largest such contest here and the one which attracts most…

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The Time is Now for Valley Entrepreneurs

Business Advice e-Brief Features Featured News Comments
Texas

The economy is booming, especially in Texas, and it is creating great opportunities for entrepreneurs. According to WalletHub’s most recent report on the best and worst states to start a business, Texas ranked number one overall. The Lone Star State beat other high-profile states such as Silicon Valley’s California (ranked eighth), Amazon’s Washington (ranked 12th) and New York (ranked 42nd). The results were determined using 26 relevant metrics that focus across…

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Mangoes, Mangoes, Mangoes!

Agriculture e-Brief Features Events Featured Food & Entertainment News Recreation & Tourism Comments
Jason Hess shows one of the many mangoes at the grove in Bayview.

Got mangoes? If not, go this Saturday to Paradise Gardens in Bayview as a fest to celebrate the ever popular tropical fruit. The gardens, previously known as River’s End Nursery, will turn into a celebration of mangoes for people of all ages from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Owners Jason and Lara Hess have one of the largest mango groves in the Rio Grande Valley. It has close to 30 varieties…

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State Association Recognizes HIDTA Agents

e-Brief Features Government Moving On Up News Comments

Two agents of the Hidalgo County Criminal District Attorney’s Office – High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force have top honors from the Texas Narcotic Officers Association. HIDTA Commander Juan Pablo Sifuentes is “Supervisor of the Year” and Agent Genovevo “Geno” Martinez III “Narcotic Officer of the Year” for the TNOA South Region. Both will receive recognition at the organization’s annual conference Aug. 19-22 in South Padre Island. Hidalgo County Criminal District…

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Shrimping Season Begins With a Blessing

Agriculture e-Brief Features Events News Comments
The Rev. Mark Watters blessing the trawler at the Brownsville Shrimp Basin

Shrimping in the Gulf of Mexico has been a way of life for thousands from the Brownsville/Port Isabel area to the Texas upper coast.  It’s also been the livelihood for hundreds of others who come from as far as Mexico and Central America. Each new shrimp season usually starts on July 15, or a month and a half after hurricane season begins. But just as the farmers of the land face…

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Mission is an All-America City

e-Brief Features Featured News Comments
Mission delegation celebrates after gaining All-America City honor in Denver.

Mission earned All-America City recognition for the first time in its history on the same weekend that it lost a local hero, police Cpl. Jose Luis “Speedy” Espericueta.  The weekend of June 22-23 was a joyous one. City leaders were in Denver to compete for and eventually gain the All-America recognition. Earning the award came after months of preparation to go with the years of work that went into the…

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Economic Development Summit July 12

e-Brief Features Events News Comments

The Starr County Economic Development Summit: Shaping the Future, a strategic planning summit, takes place July 12. The event will focus on developing a roadmap for Starr County. This will allow for economic and community development that is “driven, transparent, adaptable and whose shared success is measurable.” In late 2018, South Texas College and the Starr County Industrial Foundation received a $100,000 federal planning grant to assist in updating the…

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Downtown Brownsville Comes Alive

Arts e-Brief Features Food & Entertainment News Recreation & Tourism Comments
A conjunto trio plays in one of the new music venue in the downtown area. (VBR)

For many years, downtown Brownsville looked like a ghost town, particularly during evening hours. The only exception was an H-E-B supermarket on East Elizabeth Street. Here, shoppers from south of the border stopped by to buy goods before going across the Rio Grande into Matamoros. After a group of concerned citizens began looking into how to revive the city’s oldest business district several years ago, the area started coming alive. New…

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EDC Sells Interest in TSTC University Center

e-Brief Features Education News Comments

The Harlingen Economic Development Corporation has sold its interest in the University Center building on the Texas State Technical College for $4.4 million. The 38,000-square-foot building first opened its doors in August 2011. Since then, Harlingen residents and the region the opportunity have had opportunities to attend major universities without leaving the area. Currently the center partners with four universities: University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Texas A&M…

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