Leo Rivera left the Rio Grande Valley to get his art training and education at a Denver-area design school. It was in Colorado where the Harlingen native did his first large-scale wall mural. Rivera was active in the Denver arts scene for 11 years after graduating from the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design. Returning home in 2020, Rivera set off to work as what he calls an “artist…
The front gates of the Yturria ranches along U.S. Highway 77 represent a contiguous network of brush lands with a history that dates back to the pre-Civil War era. The patriarch of the Yturria ranchlands is Francisco Yturria, a close business associate of Charles Stillman and who would become known as Richard King’s banker. The former is considered one of Brownsville’s founders and the latter became a rancher of legendary…
The McAllen Wind Ensemble website reads that the group was established in 1973 by local music supporters and “sparked by Bill Wilson’s inspiration from plaza bands in Mexico.” But who is Bill Wilson? Bill Wilson was not a musician who wanted to start his own band. He was a man who saw a need and fulfilled it without fanfare. He was an Oklahoma native and led his high school band…
The head football coach of a brand-new college football team had a blank slate as his UTRGV Vaqueros kicked off their football season in late August 2025. Travis Bush had been through this before as an assistant coach when UT-San Antonio launched its first football season in 2011. Now Bush was the head man of a new football venture further south in Edinburg. “Coming in there weren’t too many expectations,”…
The welding industry is a growing field as it experiences a strong demand that is driven by big infrastructure projects and increasing manufacturing needs. Retirements in an aging workforce are creating a need for younger replacements as one industry estimate says there are over 82,000 jobs to be filled annually in the field. It remains a male-dominated industry but some shifts are being seen. The percentage of women welders has…
There were three things that Steven Aguilar was sure of when he graduated from Donna High School in 2014. One, he was going to college out of the area. Aguilar was also certain that he would never return to the Rio Grande Valley to live permanently nor go into the family business of pest control services. The Texas A&M graduate was ultimately but happily proven wrong on all counts. In…
United Airlines has awarded AGI, the ground handling team operating at McAllen International Airport, with its Gold Safety Excellence Award, recognizing AGI’s outstanding commitment to safety in all aspects of its airport operations. “Safety is universal, and safety culture is something that’s hard to build and easy to lose,” said Marlon Suarez Garcia, senior manager-Line Stations Safety and Regulatory Compliance for United Airlines. “Safety culture is a feeling — and…
The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation is one of 13 organizations recently recognized with UTRGV’s Community Partner Recognition Award for the 2024-2025 academic year. The recognition is connected to UTRGV’s Carnegie Community Engagement Reclassification work and highlights partners whose collaboration supports community engagement across the Valley. BCIC’s recognition reflects its long-running partnership with UTRGV’s Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center. Together, BCIC and UTRGV ECC operate the eBridge Center for Business and Commercialization…
In the new year, South Texas College is introducing a new community course – Essentials of AI, or artificial intelligence. The course, beginning Jan. 20 through STC’s Continuing Education and Workforce Development, is an entry-level introduction to AI. Faculty from STC’s Advanced Manufacturing and Mechatronics Technology and Cybersecurity programs will teach the course. Vice President and Provost of Academic Affairs and Economic Development Anahid Petrosian said for the last two…
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley held a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday for the Marine Ecosystems Research Facility, marking the start of construction on a $21.5 million coastal research center that will expand the university’s capacity in marine and environmental sciences. The project was approved earlier this year by The University of Texas System Board of Regents and will be constructed at 905 S. Garcia Street in Port Isabel. The 14,500-square-foot…