Tag Archives: Donna

Donna Store Offers New Candy Twist

Juanita Sanchez and her two daughters, Sarai and Dinah, offer a wide range of freeze-dried candies at their Donna store.

It was an idea whose origins came from social media.  Dinah Sanchez saw on TikTok where the sweet novelty of freeze-dried candy was garnering a considerable amount of attention and viewer numbers. She was intrigued by the concept of candy in freeze dried form. How does it taste? What is its texture? A further look around revealed there was almost none of this sort of product in the Rio Grande…

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Brand Names Finding Opportunities In Smaller Markets

Store manager Cesar Cid prepares to snip a blue ribbon that will officially open Starbucks in Mercedes.

The development of open spaces along Expressway 83 between Pharr and Harlingen is accelerating as developers look to fill gaps and bring brand names in retailing and restaurants to smaller communities. Cities like Donna and Mercedes were formerly excluded from the Rio Grande Valley’s rapid growth of the last two decades. The same was once the case for San Juan. In the early 2000s, San Juan was a community that…

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New Study Highlights Winter Texan Impact

Kristi Collier of Welcome Home RGV speaking at the luncheon.

Kristi Collier had an upfront message recently when addressing a luncheon attended by several hundred community and industry leaders connected to tourism in the Rio Grande Valley. “The number of Winter Texans isn’t growing,” said the president and CEO of Welcome Home Rio Grande Valley. “It’s on the decline.” The message was delivered during a luncheon on April 22 at the Victoria Palms RV Resort in Donna. Collier presented highlights…

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Another Journey Begins With VIDA

Mariana Lozano

Growing up, Donna resident Mariana Lozano watched how hard her parents worked and yet how they struggled just to make ends meet. As she watched, she made plans. Her plans were to finish college so she could help them as her family’s first college graduate. “A friend told me I needed to apply to VIDA,” Lozano said.  VIDA is the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement. The nonprofit organization was…

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From Restaurant Cook to Patient Care

Juan de la Rosa

Juan de la Rosa of Donna was working as a cook at Longhorn Steakhouse when he decided to pursue a career in a high-demand field where he could earn more money while helping people. He decided to enroll at South Texas College in the Patient Care Technician Program. In this program, de la Rosa knew he would also be taught entry-level skills in phlebotomy, EKG and monitor technician. While enrolling…

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Leadership Mid-Valley Offers Mini Grants

Leadership Mid Valley XV at its class fundraiser, Sabor de Weslaco, at Valley Nature Center in Weslaco. Funds from that night are going towards a mini grant program for Weslaco Chamber member businesses.

Leadership Mid-Valley Class XV is currently offering 20 $500 mini-grants to Mid-Valley businesses that are Weslaco Chamber Members. Applications are available online through June 3. Businesses will be selected by a lottery system on Facebook live on June 15. “These times have resulted in economic hardship for millions of small businesses throughout the United States and there is no better time to give back to our very own,” LMV Class…

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Kapal Gains State Designation

The Donna facility of Kapal Industries, a cabinet and countertops manufacturer.

Irineo Capetillo knows what it’s like to navigate through the birth, emergence and subsequent struggles of a business that even in success, needs assistance if it hopes to see further growth. Going into 2019, Capetillo knew his Kapal Industries had outgrown its Donna facility. He also needed a second facility to expand his cabinet making and countertops manufacturing operations. The early search for a second facility in the Rio Grande…

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Love Builds Hope For Rural Areas

The Catholic Diocese of Brownsville’s “Love Builds Hope” campaign will help address growth in rural areas. The San Juan Diego Church was recently built between Mission and La Joya for colonia areas in western Hidalgo County.

The Catholic Diocese of Brownsville has begun a two-year, $24-million campaign to address key issues, including its growth in rural areas and colonias. Bishop Daniel Flores has titled the campaign “Love Builds Hope,” covering six key areas. The building of new mission churches and community centers is among those priorities. The Diocese is focusing on areas like those north of Donna. Here, it is planning to build a new mission…

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Project Please To Grow Special Ed Leaders

Project PLEASE

Faculty in the UTRGV College of Education and P-16 Integration have been awarded a $1.2 million grant for Project PLEASE, a collaborative initiative to help grow leaders in special education administration. “Project PLEASE is a personnel training grant that will give scholarships and stipends to 14 vetted candidates to complete their doctorate in education in special education administration,” said Hsuying Ward. Ward is an associate professor of Human Development and…

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Hurricane Preparedness Fairs Begin

hurricane

In an effort to prepare the community for hurricane season, emergency preparedness fairs are going on this week across Hidalgo County. The 10th annual Dare to Prepare fairs aim to assist residents in planning for weather-related emergencies. To better reach the public, some of the fairs are in the evening and at larger and more convenient locations. Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez, who also serves as the county’s emergency…

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