Category Archives: News

BCIC Scores Five More International Accolades

Community e-Brief Features News Comments
Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation

The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation is the recipient of five prestigious awards from the 2024 International Economic Development Council Excellence Awards. With these additional awards, BCIC is now the most awarded economic development organization in Rio Grande Valley history. BCIC will receive recognition at the IEDC 2024 Annual Conference in Denver, Colo. taking place Sept. 15-18. The Excellence in Economic Development Awards program covered 26 categories, scored by 163 judges.…

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MFE Sets Record-Breaking Passenger Activity

e-Brief Features Featured News Transportation & Travel Comments
McAllen International Airport

McAllen International Airport set an all-time total traveler record for July in 2024 with 114,694 total passengers, an 8.7 percent increase over the previous record set in June 2024. Overall traffic in 2024 has increased 23 percent year over year, with 70 percent more flights since same time in 2023. “McAllen International Airport has set records in four of the past five years, however this year we have taken it…

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Anzalduas Expanding Trade Possibilities

News Transportation & Travel Comments
Mission Mayor Norie Gonzalez Garza welcomes Ricardo Gallardo Cardona, the governor of San Luis Potosi, to Mission during a recent ceremony at the Anzalduas International Bridge. (Courtesy)

The $83 million project to transform the Anzalduas International Bridge into a full-service cross-border commercial port is entering its final stages of construction. A first quarter completion in 2025 is now anticipated. In late July, the governor of San Luis Potosi, Ricardo Gallardo Cardona, visited the bridge south of Mission to see the work being done and to meet with city leaders from Mission, McAllen and Hidalgo. The bridge opened…

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Merchandisers Tout 956 Culture & Pride

News Retail Comments
Pride in the 956 is promoted by the merchandising company, 9INE 5IVE 6EIS. (Courtesy)

David Salinas and his creative partners at 9INE 5IVE 6EIS grew up in the Rio Grande Valley of the 1990s.  The touchstones of their RGV era included listening to B104 on the radio and shopping for groceries at Carl’s Supermarkets. The nostalgia connected to their youth is one reason for starting a merchandising company that celebrates the region’s culture and history. The 956 as in the region’s area code has…

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Academy Program Links STC, Texas A&M

Education News Comments
The Texas A&M Engineering Academy saw enrollment more than triple from its first to second year of existence. (Courtesy)

A partnership with Texas A&M University is bringing the Aggie spirit to South Texas College students who aspire to be part of the university’s renowned engineering program.  The Texas A&M Engineering Academy at the STC McAllen campus is one of 10 such partnerships in Texas. The program links Texas A&M’s flagship campus in College Station with higher educational institutions around the state. The academy introduces A&M’s engineering program to first-…

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Hardware Store Serves ‘Working Town’

News Retail Comments
Rafael Aguilera is now owning and running a hardware store in his ‘retirement’ from a state agency job.

The motto of a local hardware store speaks to its place in its community and the area around it. “Heart of a Working Town,” it says on a store window by an entrance of Express Hardware in Elsa. The store is located about a block away from the intersection on FM 88 and state Highway 107. It has become a crossroads corner for the communities that make up what’s known…

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Restoration Honors History Of School

News Real Estate Comments
Angela and Marc Millis stand near the hound/beagle mosaic on the east side of The Annie, the couple’s second sign that they should purchase the historic property.

Angela Diaz-Millis and her husband, Marc, noticed a desolate building four years ago that is bordered by 16th and 17th streets in McAllen. A sign declared the property was for sale.  The couple are licensed realtors and own Millis Real Estate Group. They couldn’t overlook the distinct architectural elements of the building, which told their trained eyes that it held historic significance. The property was under contract, they discovered, but…

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Edinburg Chamber Opens New Opportunities

News Comments
edinburg chamber staff

The Edinburg Chamber of Commerce has announced the departure of its Director of Membership Dulce Cortina and in turn, is now seeking candidates to fill two pivotal roles. “We are incredibly grateful for Dulce’s contributions to our organization,” said Ronnie Larralde, executive director of the Edinburg Chamber of Commerce. “Her dedication and hard work have been instrumental to our growth. While we will miss her greatly, we wish Dulce nothing…

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TSTC Honors Stone at Distinguished Alumni Gala

e-Brief Features Education Events News Comments
Joel Stone

Texas State Technical College will present its inaugural Distinguished Alumni Gala on Sept. 10, recognizing inspiring TSTC alumni who embody a legacy of success. Receiving the the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award is Joel Stone, an alumnus of the college’s Building Construction Technology program and now the chairman and CEO of construction company SpawGlass. Stone received his certificate of completion in 1984 when TSTC was Texas State Technical Institute. “TSTC has been a foundation in the…

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SBA Seeks Nominations for Small Business Awards

e-Brief Features Featured Government News Comments
2025 Small Business Awards

The U.S. Small Business Administration is now accepting nominations for its highly celebrated National and District Small Business Week Awards, including Small Business Person of the Year. To help nominators prepare a successful package, the Lower Rio Grande Valley District Office will present two September webinars explaining the nomination guidelines. “The SBA’s Lower Rio Grande Valley District Office is ready to accept nominations,” Angela Burton, district director, said. “I encourage…

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