VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Healthcare System in Harlingen has been awarded the 2025 Veterans Health Administration Customer Experience Award for Best Patient Experience Award for facility complexity level 2. This national recognition honors VATVCBHCS demonstrating the Under Secretary for Health’s Veterans First priority by delivering exceptional patient experiences and exemplifying VHA’s mission to build trust, improve access and provide high‑quality, veteran‑centered care. The VHA CX Awards recognize facilities that…
Read More
Bill DeBrooke’s family referred to him as a “Grandpa Grumpy Pants” with a scruffy appearance and coarse demeanor who was unconventional and yet highly successful in making projects flourish. DeBrooke’s look and style could be misleading. He possessed a genius for problem solving and built “a Monopoly-like real estate empire from scratch.” The empire in this case refers to Downtown Harlingen. It’s where he and his family acquired dozens of…
Read More
The rampant online speculation about the construction of a data center in Harlingen has come into clearer focus as the Cameron County judge and the city’s mayor acknowledged such an interest exists while emphasizing no formal proposals are under consideration. The property site for a possible data center is an 1,800-acre space adjacent to Valley International Airport and just outside of Harlingen’s city limits. This means any possible approval of…
Read More
SBA Lower Rio Grande Valley presents “Managing Cash Flow” on Feb. 13, emphasizing cash flow management as an essential competency of business ownership. No matter where you are in the development of your business, this session encourages you to answer questions about your business and prepare to meet with your accountant to analyze the flow of cash in and out of your business. During this session, learn: The purpose of…
Read More
Join the Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce for the State of the State Luncheon on Jan. 15 at the TSTC Cultural Arts Center. This signature event will feature distinguished federal and state elected officials sharing key updates, insights, and priorities that impact our region and the State of Texas. Connect with business leaders, community members, and policymakers shaping the future of our state. For table reservations or sponsorship opportunities, contact…
Read More
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…
Read More
Join the Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce for the 2025 State of the County Luncheon on Dec. 18. This annual event offers valuable insight into the progress, priorities and future of Cameron County. Hear directly from county leaders as they discuss key initiatives and community developments shaping our region. Speakers include: Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr. Commissioner Pct. 1 Sofia C. Benavides Commissioner Pct. 2 Joey Lopez Commissioner Pct.…
Read More
David Carter grew up a Kansas kid experiencing some of the more extreme weather fluctuations seen in the United States. There are severe winter storms and blizzards to go with severe thunderstorms over the Midwest plains. Then there are the tornadoes. Kansas averages over 80 tornadoes a year and the big storms of the state became immortalized in “The Wizard of Oz.” “I grew up in southwest Kansas and I…
Read More
Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System will be accepting and disposing of prescription medications from the community during the DEA National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Oct. 24. Individuals (not only veterans) can use the local VA facilities in Harlingen and McAllen to dispose of unused controlled substance prescription medications. VA holds Medication Take Back Days to align with the bi-annual U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration National Prescription Take Back…
Read More
Photographs of the early days of Jackson Street Market Days depict an event trying to get its footing in Harlingen. It’s 2001. What few booths and vendors that show up at the street festival’s inception space out along a city block in downtown Harlingen. A now long-gone Lack’s furniture store serves as the primary backdrop. There were doubts back then that Market Days would stick in Harlingen. “My husband said,…
Read More
