WESLACO — Economic Development Corp. Director Hernan Gonzalez was beaming as he showed city commissioners a photo of an 18-passenger aircraft and its owners during a presentation Jan. 17. That plane, and possibly another that carries 50,...... Full story

RIO GRANDE CITY — The new Greater Chamber of Commerce Rio Grande City is starting the new year with a full plate. The six board members hit the ground running after their first official meeting in September. The Chamber worked on the annual...... Full story

NEW YORK — Don’t forget to take your 401(k) on the way out. As the job market picks up, one of the most important loose ends to tend to when changing jobs is your workplace retirement account. The actions you take — or fail to...... Full story

McALLEN — Silvia Tamayo couldn’t find a job in McAllen. After marrying a U.S. citizen, the Reynosa native found herself north of the border, sharing a one-room apartment with her husband and two children. The family had one...... Full story

PHARR — Luis Bazan, Pharr’s Chamber of Commerce president, spent three days last fall in Arizona learning about how to build and keep businesses. Now, Bazan wants to take those lessons back to Pharr in the form of the city’s first...... Full story

NEW YORK — The last time Mark Stella went to the dentist he didn’t need an insurance card. Instead, he pulled out a Groupon. Stella, a small business owner, canceled his health insurance plan more than three years ago when his premium...... Full story

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks opened sharply higher Tuesday in the first trading of 2012 after positive economic reports from around the globe. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped more than 260 points. The gains gave the market a head start on the...... Full story

McALLEN – A family laughed and hummed to themselves, spooning more dessert into their mouths Wednesday, as Sabita Ramchandani walked into her Orange Leaf frozen yogurt store at 601 Trenton Road on Wednesday. Carrying a bulging bank deposit...... Full story

HIDALGO — Across the Rio Grande Valley, most international bridges counted fewer people headed to Mexico this year. It’s a familiar story for bridge managers, who have watched drug-related violence, the stagnant economy and post-9/11...... Full story

RIO GRANDE CITY – The spelling of Casa Victorianna might seem strange to some, but it looks perfect to the store’s owner. Leticia Garza named her boutique after her two granddaughters, Victoria, 6, and Anna, 5. The name also...... Full story

MADRID — Day after day, Spanish chef Jesus Lopez serves up treats like a steaming stew of red beans with spicy chorizo sausage and bacon chunks. And that’s just the first course. Next comes hake au gratin on a bed of spinach, and...... Full story

NEW YORK — It seems like the most wonderful time of year for credit card rewards. With the holiday season fast approaching, card issuers are dangling big sign-on bonuses and richer rewards that they say will help consumers offset their...... Full story

NEW YORK — The cheapest fares for Thanksgiving and Christmas aren’t going to the travelers who booked months in advance. Experts say they’ll go to those who can take advantage of some last-minute deals. In previous years, the rule...... Full story

NEW YORK (AP) -- October is somewhat cursed for the stock market - the Crash of 1929, Black Monday in 1987, a slow-motion meltdown in 2008. This time, the demons made a last gasp, but Wall Street still managed to break the jinx.Stocks had their best...... Full story

Stocks edged between small gains and losses Friday afternoon as traders scrutinized a plan to contain Europe's debt crisis that sent the market soaring a day earlier.The Dow Jones industrial average was down one point to 12,207 with half an hour...... Full story