Business News

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Jobless claims fall in February

By KYLE ARNOLD/The Monitor

McALLEN — The number of unemployment claims across the Rio Grande Valley shrank in February as local government added more jobs. The jobless rate in Hidalgo County dropped from 7.3 percent in January to 6.5 percent in February. Cameron... Full story

Cell phone owners: Beware of the clones

By CHARLENE VANDINI/Valley Morning Star

It can happen anywhere: Lisa Laabs' cell phone was cloned in Nuevo Progreso; Jacky Pauken's cell phone was cloned in Florida.About three weeks after Laabs returned to Wisconsin from visiting her parents in Port Isabel, a representative of her cell... Full story

Remodel of local restaurant under way

By MIKE GONZALEZ/Mid-Valley Town Crier

WESLACO — “Closed.” That is the message displayed on a sign as well as in the windows of the Stars Restaurant in Weslaco on Business 83. But the restaurant won’t stay that way for long. Fans of the longtime chain fast food... Full story

Incentives after GM’s big losses

By KYLE ARNOLD/The Monitor

McALLEN — Multi-billion dollar losses at the world’s largest automaker are turning out to be a gain for car buyers. This week, General Motors Corp. told its dealers to roll out a round of incentives on new vehicles. “We are... Full story

Is H&H on the selling block?

By KYLE ARNOLD/The Monitor

MERCEDES — Rumors that H&H Foods is on the sales block have run rampant for months. Even before the local food processing company filed for bankruptcy Dec. 31, the buzz in supplier and other circles was that a Latin American investor was... Full story

Edelstein’s sold after 102 years

Family furniture business will change hands this week

By AARON NELSEN/The Brownsville Herald

BROWNSVILLE - The family-operated Edelstein’s Better Furniture, a Rio Grande Valley institution since 1906, has been acquired by Famsa, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of the Monterrey-based Grupo Famsa. On Feb. 1, Grupo Famsa will assume control... Full story

Shipping deadlines closing in before Christmas

By JARED TAYLOR/The Monitor

McALLEN — Add another to the list of countless Christmas carols that ring throughout the holiday season: “The sooner, the better,” said David Franzen, owner of Pak Mail in McAllen. Franzen and other shipping specialists said if... Full story

Sweet Delivery

By CLARISSA MARTINEZ/Valley Morning Star

HARLINGEN — Local residents can take citrus season for granted since the Valley-grown fruit is so readily available in the area, Terri Crockett, owner of Ferris Valley Groves, said. But the seasonal citrus bounty is desirable and anticipated... Full story

Valley gas prices surge to nearly $3

By KYLE ARNOLD/The Monitor

McALLEN — Blame the extra dime a gallon for gasoline on a weak dollar. Blame it on China or even Iran. But increases in fuel costs in the Rio Grande Valley are a product of pure speculation, according to gasoline and oil experts. Across the... Full story

Outlet mall increases sales tax receipts by $2 million

By CLARISSA MARTINEZ/Valley Morning Star

MERCEDES — In one year, sales tax receipts have increased by $2 million and property values have jumped by $100 million, city officials said. Both increases are a result of one new business enterprise: the Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets... Full story

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