Yolanda Carrillo and her staff of chaplains at hospitals in the Rio Grande Valley have seen heartache and felt its pain in recent months. The outbreak of COVID-19 has consequently separated the sick from their loved ones with the denial of hospital visitations. Hospital chaplains have stepped in best they can. They are waving hellos and also making signs of prayer through windows looking into intensive care units. The Valley…
A nonprofit executive like Traci Wickett has connections everywhere in a community. The president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Southern Cameron County heard from Brownsville’s Good Neighbor Settlement House about growing needs they were seeing as furloughs and unemployment set in with the outbreak of COVID-19. The demand for served meals and emergency pantry items doubled in less than one week in early April. “Unemployment sent…
The Port of Brownsville ranks third among U.S. ports for “strong financial resilience” surveyed in a new report issued by Moody’s Investor Services. This underscores the ongoing value of the port’s prudent financial stewardship in light of economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Moody’s analysis evaluated American ports on a range of key factors surrounding financial responsibility. This includes the ability to handle the impact of a significant decline in…
Texas Southmost College is ensuring the safety of its students, faculty and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, including its youngest population. Since mid-March Texas Southmost College’s Raul J. Guerra Early Childhood Center followed the college’s lead in extending spring break and then closing. The center serves more than 50 children between the ages of two weeks to 6 years old. “These have been trying times,” said the center’s manager Marisela…
On May 16, the Port of Brownsville will observe its 84th anniversary. Opened in 1936, the port signified a new hope for economic prosperity in the Rio Grande Valley region. The port was the vision of an Italian immigrant Louis Cobolini. The 17-mile long Brownsville ship channel has since welcomed foreign travelers and businesses to its shores. In the port’s early years, agricultural exports brought citrus fruits from local groves and…
Foreign Trade Zone No. 62 at the Port of Brownsville reported a record-setting $8.9 billion in the combined value of exports and imports for 2019. The total value of export shipments through FTZ No. 62 reached $4.3 billion in 2019. This is an increase from $3.8 billion the year before. In turn, the FTZ received $4.6 billion in imports. These numbers are the highest in the zone’s history. Products in…
The month of March started like any other with businesses to run, bills to pay and jobs to fill. There was also a general awareness of a growing threat. The COVID-19, known as the coronavirus, was making its way across the oceans to the United States. In fact, it had already arrived. By mid-March, the threat was very real. Coronavirus outbreaks hit both coasts of the United States. Texas would…
For Andrea Bernes, it started with a question that would transform her bakery in the coronavirus era. “A customer asked me if I would sell her flour,” said Bernes, the owner of Linda’s Cakes & Desserts Specialty Shop. Bernes mulled that over. It was mid-March and long lines were forming at grocery stores as the COVID-19 crisis arrived in the Rio Grande Valley. “Then one of my suppliers asked if…
One day, Bonnie Emerson was getting ready to stage another weekend Rancho Viejo Farmers Market – and then the world changed. The threat of the coronavirus led Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to issue an executive order on March 19 that limited public gatherings and eventually led to the closing of many businesses. The Rancho Viejo Farmers Market of March 21-22 saw an abrupt cancellation with no roadmap of what to…
Texas Southmost College’s registration is currently underway for both the summer and fall 2020 semesters. TSC Executive Director of Academic and Student Services Vanessa Vasquez said it’s important for students to keep in mind the benefits of registering early. “We’re moving ahead with registration anticipating this COVID-19 crisis will be behind us soon,” said Vasquez. “Classes fill up fast, so locking in your schedule early gives you time to work…