https://fronterasignal.com/blog/ Plain answers for Rio Grande Valley businesses, from the numbers behind the weekly issue. en-us Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://fronterasignal.com/blog/building-material-prices-rio-grande-valley// https://fronterasignal.com/blog/building-material-prices-rio-grande-valley// Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT Valley big box shelf prices as of Oct 29, 2026: 2x4 stud $3.98, OSB $14.51 a sheet, #3 rebar $7.38, drywall $14.98. OSB rose 7.6% by mid October. https://fronterasignal.com/blog/valley-new-business-permits-september-2026// https://fronterasignal.com/blog/valley-new-business-permits-september-2026// Wed, 28 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT 797 places of business in Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr and Willacy counties got a state sales tax permit in September 2026, twice the September 2025 count. Texas rose 78%. https://fronterasignal.com/blog/home-health-agency-ratings-rio-grande-valley// https://fronterasignal.com/blog/home-health-agency-ratings-rio-grande-valley// Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT As of Oct 21, 2026, the Valley's 74 rated home health agencies average 2.33 of 5 federal quality stars, and just 7 of them hold 4 stars or higher. https://fronterasignal.com/blog/pharr-bridge-commercial-wait-times// https://fronterasignal.com/blog/pharr-bridge-commercial-wait-times// Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT Commercial trucks waited 10 minutes at the Pharr bridge on Oct 26, 2026. Valley ports moved 87,393 trucks in September 2026, 16.2% fewer than a year earlier. https://fronterasignal.com/blog/rio-grande-valley-restaurant-bar-sales-2026// https://fronterasignal.com/blog/rio-grande-valley-restaurant-bar-sales-2026// Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT McAllen bars and restaurants sold $6,632,479 in alcohol in September 2026, up 0.7% from a year earlier, while Valley sales fell 0.9% to $17,442,435. https://fronterasignal.com/blog/san-juan-donna-mercedes-alton-sales-tax-2026// https://fronterasignal.com/blog/san-juan-donna-mercedes-alton-sales-tax-2026// Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT San Juan, Donna, Mercedes and Alton drew larger state sales tax allocations in October 2026 than a year earlier, led by Alton, up 19.5% to $204,478.