Thousands of candle luminaries will soon line the trails of Quinta Mazatlán in McAllen to celebrate the winter holidays around the world. ILLUMINA Fest 2020 takes place on Dec. 16-19 from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. nightly with more than 30 art installations sharing the light of the world. The outdoor exhibits celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and the Chinese New Year. It also features a Native American tipi village, the…
South Texas College Culinary Arts students strapped on their aprons to support their peers in need this holiday season. In lieu of the department’s annual Thanksgiving Buffet this year, the South Texas College Culinary Arts Program hosted a Thanks-for-Giving Virtual Bake Sale in support of the college Student Food Pantry. In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, Culinary department chair chef Jennifer Guerra directed students in the fundraiser. Students baked thousands of cookies, hundreds of loaves…
For 10 years, Mercedes native Jose M. Gutierrez worked for Dollar Tree, earning the titles of store manager and district trainer. But four years ago, despite his success with the company, Gutierrez felt a sense of discontent. He began exploring the possibility of going to college and changing his career path. Gutierrez enrolled in evening class at the South Texas College Mid-Valley Campus in Weslaco. Two years later, after completing…
The Associate Degree of Nursing program at Texas Southmost College will soon be able to increase its training opportunities thanks to a Nursing Innovation Grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. TSC’s nursing program is one of 45 nursing programs throughout the state to receive this grant. The $75,000 grant will support clinical learning experiences. It will also support the program’s use of evidence-based alternatives to hands-on practice with patients.…
The handshake, lunch meetings and traveling where necessary to meet promising prospects are all part of what makes economic development successful. In 2020, some of those elements have been put to the side. It has been a challenge to deal with for economic development professionals. The same is so for the business world they connect with daily. The trips to a company’s headquarters have been replaced with Zoom calls. Longer…
The iconic red kettles of the Salvation Army and their greeters ringing Christmas bells by store entrances will continue through the challenges of an eventful 2020 – with added precautions. The kettles will be frequently wiped down with disinfectant to keep them clean. The volunteers will also be trained to keep themselves and others safe. Both the Christmas cheer and services of the Salvation Army will continue, no matter the…
McAllen Mayor Jim Darling recently made a suggestion in advocating for fully reopening international bridges. The border, he said, could have a temporary move to the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias. Darling made the suggestion somewhat in jest and out of frustration that he and other Rio Grande Valley leaders have been unable to open the crossings to non-essential travel. “It didn’t go over too well with some folks,”…
Khanh “Connie” Nguyen’s first impressions of the Rio Grande Valley in 2008 were of a place she didn’t plan to stay long. In the midst of the Great Recession, and buffeted by the upheaval of the banking industry where she worked in southern California, Nguyen’s mother advised she head to the Valley for a fresh start. Nguyen had family here and she decided it was worth a try. “Too hot,”…
Twenty-seven-year-old Nick Rhodes, the president of Esperanza Homes, moved to the Rio Grande Valley six years ago. Two years later, he applied for Leadership McAllen Class 36 and was selected. Throughout the course of the year, Rhodes and his Leadership-McAllen classmates learned about the multi-faceted city from both a historical and present-day perspective while also learning about each other. “Many in our group, some single and some married with no…
Jim Darling first came to McAllen and the Rio Grande Valley in 1977. The freshly minted graduate of the Baylor Law School who was looking for something new. “I saw the palm trees and felt the warm weather, and thought, ‘I think I want to stay here,’” said Darling, a native of Rochester, NY. Stay Darling did, serving 28 years as McAllen’s city attorney. Many of those years, he was…