Category Archives: News

ADDY Award Submissions Open Until Jan. 9

e-Brief Features News Comments
AAF RGV board members Flower Guerrero, Dr. Kimberly Selber, A.B. Barrera, Lynda Lopez, Maria Alvarez and Sally Fraustro Guerra at the 2024 ADDY American Advertising Awards. (Courtesy)

The American Advertising Federation Rio Grande Valley is now accepting student and professional entries for the American Advertising Awards, home of the ADDY Award. Regular entries are accepted through Jan. 8. Jan. 9 submissions will be accepted with a late-entry fee. The ADDY Award is one of the industry’s largest creative competitions, attracting nearly 35,000 professional and student entries each year through competitions offered through local AAF clubs. The mission…

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Elsa Imagines Delta Area On Ice

News Comments
An aerial photograph shows workers placing the finishing touches on the surface of Elsa on Ice. (Courtesy)

Kristyna Mancias spent eight years at the McAllen Parks and Recreation Department in seeing the impact a range of events can have on a city.  Her last job in McAllen was superintendent of athletics of the city’s park and recreation department. In June 2023, Mancias decided to make the move to run and manage her own department as the city of Elsa’s director of recreation and communications. It represented a…

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Entrepreneur Builds Brands & Positivity

Food & Entertainment News Comments
Espresso, lattes, cappuccino, smoothies and more are served up at Rossina. (Photo Gaby Cueva)

Gaby Cueva doesn’t mind being seen as a disruptor. In fact, she wears the label with pride. A disruptor was formerly referred to as an individual who causes disturbances or chaos. Today, the term also denotes a person who causes a noticeable or even radical change in a market through innovation. Cueva has been disrupting the taco and café scene in the upper Rio Grande Valley in recent years, and…

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South Texas ISD Celebrates 60 Years

Education News Comments
Community leaders from Mercedes and other RGV cities join South Texas ISD leadership for a late-2024 ribbon cutting of the district’s new administrative headquarters.

A school district that began in 1964 as a rehabilitation facility and today has career and technical campuses across two counties is celebrating its 60th anniversary. The South Texas Independent School District is based in Mercedes – the city where it got started – and grown far beyond its original mission. In the mid-1980s, the district opened South Texas High School for Health Professions (Med High). It was the first…

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Fun Runs & Marathon Enhance Community Life

Community Events News Comments

A 10K race that started in the early 1980s as a way to honor a beloved school teacher and running advocate in Edinburg has gone from lean beginnings to an event that attracts over 10,000 participants.  The namesake of the David Chavana 10K Run/Walk has called the event and others connected to it as being a “big time race for a small town.” Organizing the yearly event in early February…

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Arts Center ‘Sparks New Era’ In Edinburg

Arts News Comments
Dance is among the arts that are featured at the new ACE center in Edinburg. (Courtesy)

Edinburg’s opening of its new Arts & Cultural Events Center marks a new commitment by the community to build upon its “city of festivals” designation. The 36,000-square-foot facility was opened with much fanfare in late 2024. Having such a downtown-area venue to host art exhibits, live performances and community events has long been a dream for Edinburg leaders active in local arts. The Edinburg Arts & Cultural Center is located…

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Bequita’s Flowers Sees A Vision Bloom

Agriculture News Retail Comments
Bequita’s Blooms offers books, plants and insights at a shop near downtown Harlingen.

Rebecca Rodriguez describes herself as being a florist – and a farmer. The latter is a distinction well-earned given Rodriguez grows many of the flowers she sells at her shop in Harlingen. Rodriguez tills the soil and grows an array of flowers at a family farm located between Harlingen and Santa Rosa. Her farm-grown flowers include marigolds, zinnias, cosmos and anemones. She refers to the farm-to-shop model as being “sustainably…

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McAllen Appoints New Assistant City Manager

Government News Comments
Juan Olaguibel

The City of McAllen has appointed of Juan Olaguibel as assistant city manager, overseeing McAllen’s EB-5 and foreign investor programs, international relations, intergovernmental relations and special projects. In addition, Olaguibel will continue to remain in his position as superintendent of bridges for the McAllen International Bridge System. “Juan’s extensive experience in international affairs and his proven leadership at McAllen’s international bridges make him uniquely qualified to excel in this new…

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Pushing Through a Journey of Hurdles

Education News Non-Profit Comments
Alyssa Soto

When it comes to surmounting barriers to higher education, Alyssa Soto of Pharr could be a first-place hurdler. In her mid-30s, Soto is a single mother of three children, ages 8, 9 and 14. Prior to 2022, she had been a stay-at-home mom for 10 years. When her circumstances changed, Soto realized she needed to pursue a degree; she chose nursing and gained acceptance to South Texas College in the…

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National Honor Highlights UTRGV eBridge Center

Community e-Brief Features News Comments
Veronica Gonzales, senior vice president of Governmental and Community Relations, at the 2023 opening of the eBridge Center. (Photo David Pike, UTRGV)

 The UTRGV Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center has earned the University Economic Development Association Award of Excellence in the Engaged University category. The recognition highlights the ECC’s eBridge Center for Business and Commercialization in partnership with the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation. The prestigious award acknowledges the ECC’s eBridge network, dedicated to economic development, innovation and community collaboration through various programs and initiatives. “The UTRGV Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center plays a vital role in Brownsville and the lower Rio Grande Valley by…

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