HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — State troopers and Border Patrol agents arrested two people and detained 39 people believed to be in the country illegally after a human smuggling pursuit left a tractor-trailer in flames and shut down southbound U.S. 281 for hours. According to a news release f...
Recent reporting and curated coverage across every beat we cover.
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — State troopers and Border Patrol agents arrested two people and detained 39 people believed to be in the country illegally after a human smuggling pursuit left a tractor-trailer in flames and shut down southbound U.S. 281 for hours. According to a news release f...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — An Elsa man was arrested after police say they found him in a drug-free zone with a loaded gun, drugs and cash. Mauricio Rocha Jr, 24 of Elsa, faces the following charges: On Tuesday night, police came across a suspicious vehicle parked at Mario Leal Park after ...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Brownsville Police Department issued a warning on Thursday and reminded the public that using artificial intelligence technology to create sexually explicit images without a person's consent comes with criminal consequences. On May 27, Brownsville police arr...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Sharyland Rattlers baseball team is off to make history at the state championship. The Rattlers will face off against Lucas Lovejoy Friday night in Round Rock. "Everyone has pride here in the RGV," said Alejandro Islas. "I mean, me as a player, I would love ...
A computer rendering of the configuration of the International Space Station as of May 17, 2026. Six spaceships are parked at the space station including the SpaceX CRS-34 Dragon, the SpaceX Crew-12 Dragon, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL, the Soyuz MS-28 crew ship, and the Progress 94 and 95 resupp...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — May 2026 may ultimately be remembered as a turning point for the theatrical experience—one defined not just by record-breaking box office numbers, but by the rise of unconventional films that connected with audiences in a big way. The momentum began with the un...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A graduation ceremony was held on Thursday to swear in a class of cadets who completed a nine-month training program to become peace officers. The Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office swore in 20 cadets who completed the program, known as the Basic Peace Officer Acad...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Rio Grande Valley nonprofit is encouraging the Willacy County community to come together to increase child abuse awareness after the tragic loss of an infant in Raymondville. Criminal complaints obtained by Valley Central confirmed earlier reporting that 19-ye...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Rain showers, non severe thunderstorms stay in the forecast through the weekend with highest chances Friday then isolated, spotty showers Saturday and Sunday. Of those two days Saturday looks to be the most dry compared to Sunday. The activity won't be a washout...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A new wave of television is coming to the Rio Grande Valley. Once up, our over-the-air signal will reach all four counties across the 956. Our enhanced broadcast will reach from South Padre Island all the way to Roma, encompassing all of Hidalgo County. To mak...
Screenshot By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PARADE As summer visitors begin arriving in the Laguna Madre area, local restaurants are preparing for another busy season filled with live music, community events, waterfront dining and family-friendly entertainment. Two popular destinations, Lobo De...
By Steve Hathcock Summer is here, and thanks in part to the popularity of treasure-hunting television shows, metal detecting continues to grow as a hobby. As a result, I regularly receive questions from visitors and residents interested in searching the beaches of South Padre Island. One recent i...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) -- Another warm, humid day is scheduled for Friday with partly cloudy skies and modest southeast winds. The last several days the Valley has seen afternoon, sea breeze thunderstorms roll in from the east. Now the mechanism driving rain chances will shift to out of...
By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PRESS The Port Isabel-San Benito Navigation District Board of Commissioners approved a federal grant application seeking $7.1 million for port infrastructure improvements and authorized a new hire during its regular meeting May 21. Commissioners voted to submit ...
By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR. Special to the PRESS This Tuesday, June 2 the Port Isabel 7on7 squad traveled to Weslaco to compete in three games against some stiff competition from Edcouch-Elsa, Weslaco East, and San Benito teams. The Tarpons got off to a great start as they beat San Benito in th...
By Steve Hathcock Special to the PRESS Moments in Time is a collection of recovered newspaper briefs and other publications, compiled by local historian, Steve Hathcock, offering a look back at the history of the Rio Grande Valley. Steve Hathcock is a local historian and a regular columnist for t...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — SpaceX awarded students from the Brownsville Independent School District with $100,000 in scholarships on Thursday. The partnership between SpaceX and Brownsville ISD awards 10 students with $10,000 scholarships each to help them pursue a higher education and su...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is urging residents to keep their pets indoors following reports of cat deaths in a north McAllen neighborhood. The call for action by the nonprofit organization PETA is followed by a social media post from U.S. Co...
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer wanted in Minnesota for allegedly shooting a Venezuelan man had a bail of $200,000 set during a hearing Thursday morning in Cameron County. Christian J. Castro, 52, originally had no bail set when he appeared...
The Brownsville City Commission held its regular meeting on June 2, recognizing community leaders and organizations while receiving updates on major city initiatives focused on housing, infrastructure, workforce development, and youth engagement.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from the city of San Benito. HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The city of San Benito will discuss the letter of resignation submitted by City Manager Fred Sandoval during a special city commission meeting next week. According to the ci...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Texas Attorney General and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Ken Paxton announced Thursday his office is launching an investigation into Celsius Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Alani Nutrition, LLC, which is linked to a wrongful death lawsuit involving ...
Harlingen, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The National Civic League invites residents of Harlingen to take part in a community survey that could help the city achieve national recognition. The city was recently named one of twenty finalists for the 2026 All-American City Award, which honors communities ...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) —All the rain we have been receiving over the last few weeks is making a definite difference in our drought conditions. New data released Thursday morning shows that some areas of Hidalgo and Starr counties are no longer considered in drought, while areas indicate...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — To be a Food 4 Thought, ¡QUE RICO! Top Performer, a business must have a routine inspection report with zero health code violations. Like an inspector, the Food Patrol’s Derick Garcia and Jerry Salinas arrive without warning. This edition of Food 4 Thought spotl...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A series of burglaries at a Harlingen RV park has left residents concerned and prompted neighbors to take extra steps to protect their community. According to the Harlingen Police Department, officers have received about half a dozen reports of break-ins at Enco...
The City of Brownsville and its Planning & Redevelopment Department hosted the first Brownsville Housing Master Plan Public Input Meeting on June 3, 2026, and there are more public meetings to come.
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) —The Weather Prediction Center has issued a marginal risk for excessive rainfall across the entire Rio Grande Valley through Friday evening. This outlook is driven by a combination of sea-breeze-induced showers and thunderstorms, along with additional storm develo...
NEW YORK (AP) — SpaceX says it plans to raise up to $75 billion when it goes public this month, setting the stage for the largest-ever stock market debut and putting Elon Musk on course to becoming the world's first trillionaire. The company, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp....
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) —The Hidalgo County Judge's Office on Wednesday partnered up with the Hidalgo County Office of Emergency Management and the Fire Marshal to launch "Storm Safe with Sunny", an interactive puppet show educating children about hurricane preparedness. Families gathere...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A federal jury on Wednesday found a Weslaco mother and her daughter guilty of attempting to smuggle a man past the Sarita checkpoint last year. Enedelia Garcia, 55, of Weslaco, and Ashley Garcia, 37, of Brownsville, face up to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors say...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A driver is in custody on Wednesday afternoon after evading authorities in Harlingen, according to a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety. Several DPS units and EMS were seen at the intersection of the Frontage Road and F. Street at about 4:14 ...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A teen charged with murder in connection with a deadly Pharr shooting pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, according to the Hidalgo County 430th District Court. Emanuel Flores, 19, was charged with murder, a first-degree felony, in January. On Jan. 3, at approximate...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — For the third straight year, Isla Blanca Park on South Padre Island has claimed the No. 1 spot on USA Today's best beaches in Texas list. The list is compiled after a panel of travel experts nominates their top picks, and readers cast their vote to decide the wi...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Whether you are a first-time father or a third-time father, a nonprofit organization based in the Rio Grande Valley is supporting men throughout fatherhood with events and resources. RGV Dads, founded by Jesus T. Peña in July 2018, was created to connect fathers...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Just like on Tuesday, rain activity will stay isolated to widely scattered. The severe weather threat is low but not zero; damaging winds and large hail can't be ruled out completely, but, to reiterate, the threat is wicked low. Those who do see anything fire up...
By Daisy Yuhas This story is part of a series by Public Health Watch and MyRGV.com. McALLEN — When neuroscientist Kelsey Baker hears the low buzz of planes over her home in the Rio Grande Valley, she grabs her dog and hurries indoors. The drone means the crop-dusters are back, spraying pesticides...
Bryan Ramos | Staff Writer MISSION — Sharyland High is set to take the biggest stage in Texas high school baseball as the Rattlers prepare to play seven innings with a state championship on the line. Sharyland is just the fifth team in Rio Grande Valley high school baseball history to reach the ...
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — At the Cameron County Commissioners Court meeting held Tuesday, a long and often heated public hearing about possible tax breaks for a maritime defense technology company ended with no decision made. ValleyCentral first reported in February that Saronic Techno...
Free weekly digest. Local news that actually matters — no spam, no clickbait, easy unsubscribe.
By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. We never sell your data.