Category Archives: News

UTRGV Offerings New Certificate in Disaster Management

Education News Comments
Disaster Management

Starting this fall, the UTRGV Graduate College will offer a Disaster Management and Sustainability certificate. There is no application fee for the 12-hour program, which is completely online. This is in addition to the GRE currently is being waived for students applying to accelerated online graduate programs until Fall 2020 Module II. “We are hearing about local officials or people who are in the disaster management field, and they have been working for…

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TWC Funds Look to Increase Apprenticeships

Business Advice Education Featured News Comments

The Texas Workforce Commission has proposed $5,000,000 to Registered Apprenticeship Funds for FY 2021. Proposed funds require approval of the commission along with the FY 2021 operating budget. “The Registered Apprenticeship Training Program is one of the many programs providing Texans with options to improve their future and our overall Texas economy,” said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel. “Employers create a pipeline of workers who have the exact skills their businesses need to grow and be…

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Port of Brownsville Awards High School Graduates Scholarships

e-Brief Features Giving Back Manufacturing/Industrial News Comments
Port of Brownsville scholarships

Thirty-two local high school graduating seniors will receive $1,000 scholarships from the Brownsville Navigation District. The inaugural Port of Brownsville program helps deserving students pursue their education and career dreams. “On behalf of the entire Port of Brownsville organization, we are proud to support these local students and families at this time,” said John Reed, chairman of the Brownsville Navigation District. “We are excited for the students as they continue…

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Pharr EDC Launches Grant Program for Businesses

Business Advice e-Brief Features Giving Back News Comments
Pharr EDC

The Pharr Economic Development Corporation is helping businesses recover from the COVID-19 crisis. Earlier this month, the members of the Pharr EDC board of directors approved the Pharr CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Support). Similar to the federal financial relief program, Pharr CARES provides financial relief in the form of working capital. The forgivable grants between $2,500 and $5,000 are for businesses who have been negatively impacted by the…

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TSC Virtual Art Show Showcases Innovation

Arts e-Brief Features Education Events News Comments

For the first time ever, the Department of Fine Arts at Texas Southmost College is hosting a virtual art show to replace the program’s annual art show. It just comes to show that nothing, not even a pandemic, can stop the department from showcasing its students’ artwork. TSC Art Instructor Robert Andes said he is thankful for the support the department has received with the TSC Fine Arts Show. “Naturally…

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IMAS to Reopen With Capacity Limits

Arts Community Featured News Comments

The International Museum of Art & Science is planning to reopen to the public on June 11. An IMAS member preview will take place June 9 from 3-7 p.m. When the museum opens, there will be a capacity limit of 25 percent, following the recommendations of the Texas Department of State Health Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of the interactive areas will not be accessible…

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San Benito Pharmacy Recommits to Community

Healthcare News Comments
Smiles and great customer service are the rule of thumb at the Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy of San Benito. (Courtesy)

David Garza opened his San Benito pharmacy on April 1, 1980. That same day, his wife Dorothy gave birth to their first child.  It’s 40 years later and The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy endures. The landmark anniversary has been met by a worldwide pandemic in the spring of 2020. The COVID-19 virus has put a dent in the longstanding community pharmacy. It perseveres, however, under the primary watch of a second…

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Harlingen Loans Support Local Businesses

Business Advice News Comments
Small businesses in Harlingen can seek emergency loans through an EDC program to help during the COVID-19 crisis.

The rush to apply for and receive emergency federal funds during the COVID-19 crisis didn’t reach everyone. The result of the first come/first serve component of the Small Business Administration-affiliated loans is many American businesses left out of the funding loop. In Harlingen, city leaders and the economic development corporation are doing something about it. The EDC put aside $1 million in funding in establishing Harlingen’s Emergency Loan Program, HELP.…

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Solidarity & Unity Needed to Contain COVID

Community Giving Back News Comments
Nurses and medical staff at Rio Grande Regional Hospital receive free meals from area businesses as a way of saying thanks for their work. (Courtesy)

Yolanda Carrillo and her staff of chaplains at hospitals in the Rio Grande Valley have seen heartache and felt its pain in recent months.  The outbreak of COVID-19 has consequently separated the sick from their loved ones with the denial of hospital visitations. Hospital chaplains have stepped in best they can. They are waving hellos and also making signs of prayer through windows looking into intensive care units.  The Valley…

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Lone Star Steps Up To Help

Finance/Banking News Comments
Restaurants like this one in Brownsville are the type of businesses that applied for SBA emergency loans. (VBR)

Lone Star National Bank President David Deanda knew he and his staff had the challenge of a banking lifetime before them.  The outbreak of COVID-19 had brought the South Texas economy to a sudden and shocking halt. Small businesses in the Rio Grande Valley were soon desperate for help. The federal government offered two lifelines. One was the Paycheck Protection Program. The other was the Economic Injury Disaster program.  Both…

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