The Port of Brownsville is utilizing record revenue years leading up to COVID-19 to deal with the pandemic’s challenges. The port reported a record $25.4 million in annual revenue in fiscal year 2019. The figure tops the previous record from 2018 with continuous robust growth over the last six years. The port’s performance was recently recognized by Moody’s Investor Service, ranking the Port of Brownsville third among all U.S. ports…
The walls at Skinny Fish are sandy beige with beach blue water tones to make it a chill place. It’s how Mike Mares describes the ceviche restaurant he and his wife Rosa own in Brownsville. Skinny Fish is an alternative to the Mexican-style ceviche restaurants that are common in the Rio Grande Valley. Walk into Skinny Fish – a take-out only restaurant – and you will see options of healthy…
People across the Rio Grande Valley came out in full force 22 years ago to support Monica Montanaro, a senior at McAllen Memorial High School. Monica was fighting osteosarcoma (bone cancer). A group of Monica’s classmates became known as Monica’s Angels when they worked with Rosemary Treviño, a local angel-pin designer, to create a “Monica” angel. People lined up on Dec. 18, 1998, Monica’s 18th birthday, for the first Monica’s…
The Brownsville Navigation District is lowering the overall tax rate for property owners living within the district effective Oct. 1. The measure comes after unanimous approval at a regular Board of Commissioners meeting Sept. 9. The 2020 property tax rate for the BND will be at $.029778 per $100 valuation. This is a 17 percent decrease from the previous year’s rate of $.035920. The 2020 rate contains a debt rate…
Texas Southmost College was awarded reaffirmation of accreditation by its regional accrediting agency earlier this month. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges reaffirmation accredits TSC through 2030. “Accreditation from SACSCOC is the most important designation TSC can achieve for our community,” said TSC President Jesús Roberto Rodríguez. “Not only does it attest to the high quality of programs and services we offer, regional accreditation is required…
Keppel AmFELS at the Port of Brownsville will be building the largest hopper dredge in the United States thanks to a contract with Manson Construction Co. The 15,000-cubic-yard hopper dredge FREDERICK PAUP’s design is in collaboration with Hockema Whalen Myers Associates Inc. of Seattle, Wash. It will have a length of 420 feet, breadth of 81 feet and draft of 28.5 feet. The dredge is slated to be fully operational…
The Port of Brownsville will join the U.S. trucking industry in celebrating National Truck Driver Appreciation Week Sept. 13-19. This year’s celebration takes on a special meaning due to the spread of COVID-19. Professional truck drivers stepped up when they were needed most, and have kept the economy on its feet despite facing unprecedented obstacles. On average, more than 1,500 trucks enter the Port of Brownsville daily to pick up…
The Catholic Diocese of Brownsville is launching Census Sundays in an effort to bolster census participation in areas that are still undercounted. In addition to announcements to parishioners, certain area churches will host drive-through events every weekend through Sept. 27. “A vital part of the mission of the Church is to care for the people of God – all people – Catholic or not,” states a release from the Diocese.…
For the first time in 13 years, the Port of Brownsville resumed the export of grains overseas via vessel. WestPlains LLC, the operator of the port’s grain elevator, loaded 34,000 metric tons of sorghum onto the M/V Tian Fu in late-August. The grain was harvested from throughout the Rio Grande Valley. This is the first of four vessels with sorghum that WestPlains will ship to China this year. The port…
It was new. It was different. But taking the next step toward a lifelong goal and the sighs of relief were all the same when 35 Texas Southmost College Criminal Justice Institute cadets “walked the stage” on July 24 during TSC’s first-ever CJI Virtual Graduation Ceremony. Among the 35 graduates are nine female cadets, the most in any previous CJI class. “It took a little while to get here, but…