Foreign trade zones were sparse in 1965 and those in existence back then had ocean and river connections. There was not a single land port-based foreign trade zone in the mid-1960s. It was 1965 when a group of McAllen business leaders got the idea of establishing a FTZ. These zones allow companies to bring goods onto U.S. soil without paying duty taxes and use parts to manufacture a product that…
Mari Rodriguez accepted a job with Central Power and Light and moved to the Rio Grande Valley in 1994. She thought it would be only for a year. Her plan did not include meeting a pharmacist from San Antonio named Cecilio who had also moved to the Valley. Mari would not return to Corpus Christi, where she lived previously. Mari and Cecilio would walk down the aisle. The couple then…
UTRGV will invest $1.5 million to double the amount of merit-based scholarships available in Fall 2021. The additional funding comes in effort to retain top high school students from the region. The UTRGV Scholars Program currently awards 200 merit-based scholarships. Starting next fall, the program will double to have 400 merit-based scholarships available. Overall, over the course of the four-year scholarship program, UTRGV will invest a total of $8 million dollars.…
McAllen ISD is inviting staff, the community and parents to participate in the annual It’s Time Texas Community Challenge. The statewide effort instills healthy habits among Texans through friendly competition between communities. Participants earn points through a variety of easy endeavors promoting good health. McAllen ISD finished second among school districts in the entire state last year in the “Mid-size” category. The distrct’s contribution was also instrumental in the…
The Reading Reindeer Walk is now up along the City of McAllen’s hike and bike trail next to Bicentennial Blvd. this holiday season. Walkers can scan a series of signs (spaced out over the course of one mile) each of which contains a stanza from the classic poem ’Twas the Night Before Christmas. The oval-shaped route begins at Harvey Avenue and goes north half of a mile toward Nolana Avenue…
Martinez Furniture and Appliance, and Vital Church have given a collective total of more than $1 million in gifts to McAllen police officers. The gifts for each of the 298 McAllen police officers include a voucher for a new mattress set with a retail worth of $2,000 from Martinez Furniture and a two-night stay at Beach Resort at South Padre Island. Each will also receive a Beach Park at Isla…
McAllen Police Department is holding its “Christmas for Kids” for local children in need and is seeking donations. The McAllen Chamber of Commerce is accepting donations of new, unwrapped toys to deliver to the department. The drop box location is at 1200 Ash Avenue. Hour of acceptance are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Toy distribution takes place Dec. 23 at the McAllen Convention Center. The event will…
The Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement is offering to pay tuition, tools and books for the Commercial Electrician Program beginning Jan. 11. Classes will take place in McAllen and Brownsville. According to VIDA, with this training, anyone with construction or electrician experience will be closer to gaining their electrician license. For individuals with no experience, the program will get them on a career path to achieve the Journeyman License.…
Thousands of candle luminaries will soon line the trails of Quinta Mazatlán in McAllen to celebrate the winter holidays around the world. ILLUMINA Fest 2020 takes place on Dec. 16-19 from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. nightly with more than 30 art installations sharing the light of the world. The outdoor exhibits celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and the Chinese New Year. It also features a Native American tipi village, the…
South Texas College Culinary Arts students strapped on their aprons to support their peers in need this holiday season. In lieu of the department’s annual Thanksgiving Buffet this year, the South Texas College Culinary Arts Program hosted a Thanks-for-Giving Virtual Bake Sale in support of the college Student Food Pantry. In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, Culinary department chair chef Jennifer Guerra directed students in the fundraiser. Students baked thousands of cookies, hundreds of loaves…