The Port of Brownsville continues to gain strength in the steel industry as Forza Steel invests $60 million to build its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at the port. The Mexican company, which specializes in the manufacturing of carbon steel pipe, plans to install equipment in July to begin rolling mill operations. For over 20 years, Forza Steel has serviced the Mexican and U.S. steel markets from their manufacturing facility located in…
The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office will be offering jobs to graduates of the new Corrections Academy at South Texas College. Once students complete the six-week academy and pass the corresponding Texas Commission on Law Enforcement licensing examination, their careers in law enforcement can start immediately. “This is a full-time accelerated program that can help students start a career in law enforcement with a job secured. It’s a short commitment that…
In response to this past weekend’s damaging storm, the Pharr Building and Code Compliance Department is prioritizing permitting and waiving fees for fence and re-roofing (shingle replacement) repairs. Permitting fees will be waived through May 14. This waiver only applies to repairs for damages on fencing and shingles caused by the April 28 storm. “This storm caused severe damage and we are working with our community to support our citizens…
The South Texas College Regional Center for Public Safety Excellence invites all females interested in joining STC’s Police Academy to receive free training for the physical entry exam. From now through the end of June, STC’s Law Enforcement Instructor Jennifer Rosillo is welcoming all women interested in becoming a peace officer for weekly exercise and equipment training. This will help potential applicants become familiar with the requirements of the academy’s…
The view from the levee separating the 200-acre Llano Grande Resort from its 18-hole golf course is worthy of stopping for a moment to take in. It’s the expanse of what’s essentially a small town within Mercedes’ city limits. The resort has over 1,100 spaces where its 2,000-plus residents reside in homes, cottages, apartments, mobile homes and RVs. Llano Grande recently celebrated its 50th anniversary in Mercedes and is nestled…
The McAllen Independent School District is the home of the Regional Day School Program for The Deaf and has long played a key role in the education of hard-of-hearing students. The McAllen program got its start in 1979 as the Regional School for the Deaf. An Easter Seals donation came to the program in the form of an audiometric booth for conducting student audiological examinations. On March 24, McAllen’s regional…
The development of open spaces along Expressway 83 between Pharr and Harlingen is accelerating as developers look to fill gaps and bring brand names in retailing and restaurants to smaller communities. Cities like Donna and Mercedes were formerly excluded from the Rio Grande Valley’s rapid growth of the last two decades. The same was once the case for San Juan. In the early 2000s, San Juan was a community that…
Anna Gomez and Deborah Rios were the best of friends before deciding to become business partners. Friendship and business don’t always mix but this is a partnership that works. Gomez is a banker by profession and manages a branch bank in north McAllen. Rios is a teacher in Edinburg who co-owns a business with her husband. They had previously bandied about the idea of someday going into business together. For…
Eduardo Campirano has been the chief executive officer at the Port of Brownsville for 16 years. For the majority of those years, one grand project has rattled around as a possibility during his administration. He recalled that 12 years ago, the earliest discussions began of a liquefied natural gas plant at the port. What began as both a distant dream and remote possibility has evolved over the years to one…
Brownsville’s band of brewery brothers is inching closer to opening the city’s first soup-to-nuts craft beer business. The Pluton Brewery Company is nearing completion of its 5,280-square-foot building on 805 E. Elizabeth in the city’s downtown. It’s a long time coming for Daniel Arizpe and Joey Martinez along with their partners and team of employees. They are taking their dream from making beer in the garage of a west Brownsville…