Tag Archives: Brownsville

Helping Business Owners Help Themselves

Christopher Wycoco conducts free one-hour seminars as part of his Business Made Easier series.

For Christopher Wycoco, business isn’t just about making money. It’s also about helping the community.  That’s why this young entrepreneur and owner of Wycotax is hosting regular free seminars for business owners who want to learn more about running their companies, whether it is a store, restaurant, doctor’s office or insurance agency.  Wycoco has been holding seminars called “Business Made Easier” throughout the Valley for several months and he will continue…

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Development Makes the RGV Prosperous

Eighty years ago, the Rio Grande Valley was a rural, agriculturally based economy with little growth happening. Fast forward to 10 years ago, and the RGV was quickly becoming a thriving metropolitan area as development intensified. Today, the region has completely transformed economically. It has become an area developed by improving and increasing commercial, retail, industrial, entertainment, medical and higher education institutions.  Education In 2013, the transformation of the RGV’s…

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Port of Brownsville Has Positive Economic Impact

Port of Brownsville ship channel

The Port of Brownsville supports a total of $3 billion in total economic activity for the state and is responsible for more than 51,000 jobs within the borders. These figures come from an independent analysis by Martin Associates on port activity for the 2018 calendar year. “We celebrated a record year in tonnage earlier and are pleased to see our economic impact set a strong foundation for future growth,” said John…

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Tugboat Operator Brings Much to Port

Signet Maritime’s fleet at the Port of Brownsville includes three tugboats, the Signet Defender, Signet Ranger and the Signet Magic. (photo Port of Brownsville)

In June, Signet Maritime celebrated 21 years of tugboat operations at the Port of Brownsville. The company’s full-service navigation center provides ship, barge and rig movements as well as harbor tugboat operations since 1998. The fleet includes three tugboats, the Signet Defender, Signet Ranger and the Signet Magic. These high-powered tugs assist ships and barges, often more than ten times their size. They also navigate through the 17-mile long Brownsville…

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Bulk Cargo Dock Rehabilitation Nears Completion

Port of Brownsville bulk cargo dock

The Port of Brownsville will resume exporting grains by vessel with the rehabilitation of the bulk cargo dock scheduled for completion this month. The renovation project is part of a 2016 agreement between the port and West Plains LLC to restore and operate the grain elevator. The elevator has a capacity to store three million bushels of grain. Since restoration efforts began, West Plains has invested multiple millions of dollars…

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Farmers Market Freshness

Rebecca de la Garza buys a specialty bread from April Kminiak of Frannys' Garden of Bayview at the Brownsville farmers market.

Although the Rio Grande Valley is one of the state and country’s best fertile regions to grow fruits, vegetables and livestock, consumers have not had the opportunity to get the best the land produces unless they go to a grocery store or to a fruit stand. Winter vegetables, for example, usually ship to many places in the United States. Goat cheese isn’t a supermarket staple in this part of the…

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Hands-On Healing

Lori and Marc Saldana operate two Total Rehabilitation physical therapy clinics and four pediatric therapy clinics.

It’s rare, but not unheard of, when an accident suddenly makes a body part that was working yesterday dysfunctional today. When that happens, it’s priority number one to find someone that can help repair or rehab that body part. That’s where Total Rehabilitation comes in. Their physical therapy programs have helped countless patients regain use, mobility and strength of damaged limbs and muscles.  The client care at Total Rehabilitation is…

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Shrimping Season Begins With a Blessing

The Rev. Mark Watters blessing the trawler at the Brownsville Shrimp Basin

Shrimping in the Gulf of Mexico has been a way of life for thousands from the Brownsville/Port Isabel area to the Texas upper coast.  It’s also been the livelihood for hundreds of others who come from as far as Mexico and Central America. Each new shrimp season usually starts on July 15, or a month and a half after hurricane season begins. But just as the farmers of the land face…

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Downtown Brownsville Comes Alive

A conjunto trio plays in one of the new music venue in the downtown area. (VBR)

For many years, downtown Brownsville looked like a ghost town, particularly during evening hours. The only exception was an H-E-B supermarket on East Elizabeth Street. Here, shoppers from south of the border stopped by to buy goods before going across the Rio Grande into Matamoros. After a group of concerned citizens began looking into how to revive the city’s oldest business district several years ago, the area started coming alive. New…

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TSC Lowers Tuition and Fees

TSC campus

Texas Southmost College’s tuition and fees are now lower. This comes after a unanimous vote by the college’s board of trustees at a meeting June 27. “We are excited to be able to lower tuition and fees for the second time in six years,” said TSC Board Chair Adela G. Garza. “The board of trustees has been working diligently with administration to continue to make a college education affordable for…

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