News

Palestine Economic Development Corporation (PEDC) is pleased to share details about the newly launched Texas Travel Industry Recovery Grant Program (TTIR Program).  One-time grants of up to $20,000 will be issued to reimburse eligible costs to qualifying Texas entities negatively impacted by COVID-19 in the tourism, travel, and hospitality industry. TTIR Program funds, totaling $180 million, were received from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund, established under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. Applications will be accepted in phases through the TTIR Grant Program Portal following timelines sorted by industry groupings identified by NAICS codes. Only privately-owned for-profit and nonprofi...

July is Park and Recreation Month! Parks and recreation not only enhance the health of individuals, they function as economic drivers by creating and fostering attractive, vibrant, and resilient communities like Palestine, Texas. Research on communities about the size of Palestine has found that amenities such as recreation opportunities are likely as big of contributors to healthy local economies as traditional “business-friendly” measures such as lower taxes and labor costs. Hometowns with a more desirable quality of life experience both higher employment and population growth than similarly situated communities, including those that rank high by traditional economic competitiveness measures.  Today, people expec...