Israel Vega is a nurse practitioner who dabbles in renovating classic Chevys and is a founding member of a Rio Grande Valley-based semi-pro soccer team. Since January, you can add co-owner of a Los Fresnos coffee shop to his portfolio. PJ’s Coffee is a shop he co-owns with his business partner and fellow Los Fresnos native, Adam Abrego. They wanted to create a sense-of-community kind of place where people could gather…
While in the Vocational Nursing Program at Texas State Technical College in Harlingen, Yvette Garcia attended an informational session conducted by the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement. Little did she know that day how much this session would impact her life. Founded nearly 30 years ago through a collaboration between Valley Interfaith and business leaders from across the Rio Grande Valley, VIDA has remained true to its original mission.…
Thirty-two local high school graduating seniors will receive $1,000 scholarships from the Brownsville Navigation District via the 2023 Port of Brownsville Scholarship. The program is in support and encouragement to the pursuit of higher education for students within the district. The scholarship winners – selected for their academic performance, community involvement, extracurricular activities, and work experience, as well as for essays penned as part of their applications – attend 16…
The population of Los Fresnos nearly doubled from the 2010 Census to the one done a decade later. The city’s current population of over 8,000 residents is a jump from the 4,500 in 2010. Los Fresnos at 47 percent population growth ranked second behind Edinburg among Rio Grande Valley cities in measuring 2020 over 2010 increases. The gross numbers are far below Edinburg’s as that city has gone over 100,000…
People all over the world enjoy having a glass of wine. Some make special trips in search of this spirit that has been produced for decades in countries like France, Spain, New Zealand and Australia. Some go to the Texas Hill Country, now home to dozens of wineries. Others go to California’s Napa Valley, the top producer of wine in the United States. But do you know that sometime this…
Three Rio Grande Valley communities rank at the top of Texas cities of their size in a statewide competition that focuses on healthy actions like doing a workout, eating notorious food and drinking ample amounts of water. McAllen, Harlingen and Los Fresnos each finished first among all cities of their population ranges in the 2020 It’s Time Texas Community Challenge. The competition recorded an eight week-period of time this year…
David Garza opened his San Benito pharmacy on April 1, 1980. That same day, his wife Dorothy gave birth to their first child. It’s 40 years later and The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy endures. The landmark anniversary has been met by a worldwide pandemic in the spring of 2020. The COVID-19 virus has put a dent in the longstanding community pharmacy. It perseveres, however, under the primary watch of a second…
Single mom Erika Elizondo was working as a front-desk receptionist less than two years ago at a resort on South Padre Island. She was earning $9.30 an hour when a friend told her about Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement. “I was always interested in the medical field to help relieve people’s suffering,” Elizondo said. “I chose Emergency Medical Science because of the fast pace, I love the adrenaline rush.” There…
The Los Fresnos Volunteer Fire Department made history this week by donating thousands of dollars in equipment to their counterparts from Matamoros, Mexico. Representatives of the two departments met Thursday night in the year-old LFFD/Emergency Medical Services. Here, all witnessed the generosity from a department that has 35 volunteer firefighters. Chief Gene Daniels estimated the equipment at some $40,000. It includes a brush truck, the jaws of life, boots, tanks…
While the holiday season is over for most people, another traditional celebration took place among some Rio Grande Valley residents. Such was the case for those who celebrated Three Kings Day with the traditional Rosca de Reyes, a round-shaped pastry consumed by people who follow the customs each Jan. 6. Bakeries throughout the region prepared the item by the hundreds, decorating the rings with dried fruit, cherries and other ingredients. Spanish-speaking…