b'The Texas State Aquarium is taking a huge step forward in its mission to rescue and rehabilitate marine wildlife on the Gulf Coast. Over $25 million was contrib-uted by private and corporate donors toward the construction of an ultra-mod-ern animal care center, replacing the laboratory that operated on the back side of the North Beach peninsula for over 30 years. The new Wildlife Rescue Center, now being built next to the Aquarium on Corpus Christi Bay, will feature state-of-the-art veterinary, rehabilitation and boarding facilities. Unlike the old lab, the new wildlife center will allow public access that includes glassed-in treatment and boarding areas, along with a theater where rescue stories can be told. Two generations of dedicated Aquarium science staff have saved thousands upon thousands of birds, marine mammals, and especially sea turtles, and the new, 20,000-square-foot rescue center will allow them to expand their mission, while providing a larger veterinary education facility. TexasStateAquarium.orgThe United States Department of Veterans Affairs will soon open its new, state-of-the-art regional outpatient clinic at the corner of S. Padre Island Dr. and West Point Rd. in Corpus Christi. Just two years following the opening of the tech-nologically-advanced main building at Christus Spohn Shoreline Hospital, the new VA clinic will bring the most modern medical and psychological treatment under one roof, with the goal of providing all vital services to veterans in one convenient, comforting and caring environment. The new, 75,000-square-foot facility is exponentially larger than the VA clinic it will replace, currently located at Old Brownsville Rd., across the freeway, and its Gulf of Mexico-themed design will create an open, pleasant space for veterans, unlike any VA clinic seen before. The addition of the new VA Outpatient Clinic to the Coastal Bends healthcare landscape adds to the regions appeal as a retirement destination, as well as a place to relocate for younger veterans and their families. VA.gov100THE COASTAL BEND GUIDE TheCoastalBend.com'