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Starbase annexes 7,000 acres; intends to take portion of SH4

S TARBASE — City commissioners voted unanimously Monday to approve the annexation of about 7,133 acres of land and voted to approve the voluntary annexation of 444 acres of land recently disannexed by Brownsville. Commissioners also approved a resolution of intent to annex State ...

MyRGVSep 22, 2026

Federal judge rejects attempt to stop SpaceX land swap

A request by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) for an emergency injunction to halt a land swap between SpaceX and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was rejected on Monday by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The land in question is part of the L...

MyRGVSep 21, 2026

Federal judge rejects attempt to block SpaceX land swap with wildlife refuge

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A federal judge on Monday denied conservation groups' attempt to pause a land swap between the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge and SpaceX. In a 27-page order, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ruled that the Center for ...

ValleyCentralSep 21, 2026

SpaceX launches 27 Starlink V2 Mini satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Sept. 19, 2026, carrying 27 satellites into orbit on the Starlink 15-27 mission. Image: SpaceX. An early-evening Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base Saturday added another 27 satelli...

Spaceflight NowSep 19, 2026

North Main Drain Project in Cameron County nearing final phase

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The North Main Drain Project in Cameron County is nearing its final phase. Crews are regrading the North Main Drain Channel, a 17-mile-long channel that starts in Primera and flows to the Arroyo in Rio Hondo. The project launched in 2025. Phase ...

ValleyCentralSep 18, 2026

Civil War-type cannonball found at Boca Chica

Steve Hathcock is a local historian, treasure hunter, and columnist for the Port Isabel South Padre Press, where he authors “Moments in Time,” a historical collection of recovered Rio Grande Valley newspaper briefs. A member of the Cameron County Historical Commission since 2010,...

Port Isabel PressSep 18, 2026

Spice of Life: Leo’s Grill brings exotic flavor to Brownsville

I ndian cuisine has officially arrived in Brownsville. Thank Leo and Latha Titus, who opened Leo’s Grill in Port Isabel less than two years ago to rave reviews and just recently launched a takeout location next to 7th & Park coffee/bike shop at 1554 E. Seventh St. in Brownsville,...

MyRGVSep 17, 2026

SpaceX pushes back target date for Starship 14 test flight

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — SpaceX pushed back the target date for its next launch by several days and is now eyeing Monday, Sept. 28, for its Starship 14 test flight. The flight is still pending regulatory approval. SpaceX previously announced that it expected to launch i...

ValleyCentralSep 17, 2026

SpaceX prepping for first Starship orbital mission

S paceX is aiming to launch its first orbital Starship mission from Boca Chica/Starbase as soon as Sept. 28, with a 75-minute launch window opening at 7:15 a.m. The company says the upcoming launch of Flight 14 will be the first time Starship has orbited around Earth. “Flight tes...

MyRGVSep 16, 2026

TxDOT offering free child car seat safety resources

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Texas Department of Transportation has launched a statewide campaign to raise awareness about child car seat safety. According to TxDOT, 46% of child car seats nationwide are misused or are the wrong seat for a child’s size. Common child car...

ValleyCentralSep 16, 2026

SpaceX launches national security payload for U.S. Space Force from Vandenberg

A Falcon 9 stands on Space Launch Complex 4E ahead of the USSF-259 mission at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Image: SpaceX. Update Sept. 16, 9:40 p.m. EDT (0140 UTC): SpaceX landed the booster on the droneship. Update Sept. 15, 9:05 p.m. EDT (0105 UTC): SpaceX scrubbed ...

Spaceflight NowSep 15, 2026

SpaceX sets tentative launch date for Starship 14 flight

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — SpaceX is eyeing Tuesday, Sept. 22, for Starship's fourteenth flight from Starbase. The company said the flight is still pending regulatory approval, and that target dates may change. The 75-minute launch window will open at 7:15 a.m. on Sept. 2...

ValleyCentralSep 15, 2026

Letters to the Editor | Week of Sept. 14-19, 2026

New businesses draw opposition T his is a rebuttal to Justin Katusak’s recent commentary on the glossy photos and billion‑dollar headlines surrounding SpaceX, Rio Grande LNG and Port Alpha (July 28). The advertising spin hides what the Rio Grande Valley cannot afford to ignore: T...

MyRGVSep 14, 2026

Photo Gallery: Los Fresnos Falcons fly past McAllen Memorial, 54-20

Los Fresnos’ Evan Mcchesney, right, carries the ball against McAllen Memorial’s defenders Rene Solis, left, during a game at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com) Los Fresnos’ Tyler Stachowiak, left, breaks fr...

MyRGVSep 12, 2026

Company launches data center’s $4B first phase near Harlingen

H ARLINGEN — A developer is launching the $4 billion first phase of a project aimed at building a 1,100-acre data center east of Valley International Airport between Harlingen and Rio Hondo. Earlier this month, Fluidstack offered the city $20 million if commissioners grant ...

MyRGVSep 10, 2026

SpaceX launches classified payload for the U.S. Space Force

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base to begin the USSF-153 mission for the U.S. Space Force on Sept. 10, 2026. Image: SpaceX Update Sept. 10, 12:23 p.m. EDT (1623 UTC): SpaceX landed its first stage booster. SpaceX fle...

Spaceflight NowSep 9, 2026

Free Narcan available in vending machines across Hidalgo County

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Hidalgo County Health and Human Services Department has launched accessible Narcan vending machines to help reverse opioid overdoses. An event was held on Tuesday to celebrate the launch of five Narcan vending machines across Hidalgo County....

ValleyCentralSep 9, 2026

Brownsville ISD student to pursue CTE aviation pathway

T he Brownsville Independent School District and Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport’s Flight Academy of South Texas are getting ready to launch a CTE aviation pathway for BISD students. On Friday, the aviation academy, FAST for short, played host to BISD officia...

MyRGVSep 8, 2026

Brownsville driver arrested after deadly hit-and-run

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating a fatal auto-pedestrian hit-and-run crash in Brownsville. At approximately 12:02 a.m., DPS troopers responded to a crash near Boca Chica Boulevard, also known as State Highway 4, and west of...

ValleyCentralSep 6, 2026

McDonald's highlights the Valley with '956' collectible cup

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — McDonald's launched its Texas bundle meal on Sept. 1, featuring collectible cups designed by Texas-based artist Avery Orendorf, with different areas of Texas and the 956 Valley is one of them. The meal includes 10-piece spicy or regular Chicken ...

ValleyCentralSep 6, 2026

SpaceX launches 80th Starlink mission of 2026

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Starlink 15-24 mission on Sept. 6, 2026. Image: SpaceX Update Sept. 5, 11:46 a.m. EDT (1546 UTC): SpaceX deployed its 27 Starlink satellites. SpaceX completed a Labor Day wee...

Spaceflight NowSep 5, 2026

Vaqueros shut out UTPB in season opener

UTRGV Vaqueros shut out the UT Permian Basin Falcons 44-0 in the season opener Saturday at the Robert The post Vaqueros shut out UTPB in season opener appeared first on The Rider Newspaper ....

UTRGV RiderSep 3, 2026

SpaceX water deal monies could be refunded if Brownsville misses milestones

B ROWNSVILLE — A controversial deal between the city and SpaceX to secure funding for major water infrastructure upgrades includes terms that will refund unused portions of the $220 million if the city fails to meet milestones, along with provisions to restart the flow of money. ...

MyRGVSep 2, 2026

SpaceX launches Starlink mission from West Coast

Falcon 9 first stage B1063 lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on the Starlink 15-23 mission. Image: SpaceX. A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from the company’s West Coast launch facility early Wednesday morning to add another batch of satellites to SpaceX’s Starl...

Spaceflight NowSep 1, 2026

Brownsville commissioners approve disannexation of future SpaceX property

B ROWNSVILLE — City commissioners voted unanimously late Saturday night to voluntarily disannex more than 444 acres of land at the request of SpaceX after a tense, six-hour special meeting. At stake was a $220 million agreement with the trillion-dollar aerospace company that city...

MyRGVAug 30, 2026

Roman Space Telescope, NASA’s next ‘great observatory,’ launched

The Falcon Heavy soars by the rising Sun as it departs Florida’s space coast with the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now. Update: The Roman Space telescope was successfully launched and is on its way to its operating location at L2. Using a don...

Spaceflight NowAug 29, 2026

BPUB takes no action on proposed SpaceX agreement

B ROWNSVILLE – The Public Utilities Board of Directors here took no action Thursday on closed meeting agenda items that included a proposed agreement with SpaceX. During the special meeting, board members spent about two hours in a closed session on two issues, one of which was “...

MyRGVAug 28, 2026

SpaceX plans expansion near Brownsville port through 444-acre acquisition

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — SpaceX is one step closer to expanding operations near the Port of Brownsville after the Brownsville City Commission approved a first reading of an ordinance disannexing hundreds of acres of land in Cameron County. SpaceX representatives have to...

ValleyCentralAug 25, 2026

SpaceX launches 27 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg

A file photo of a stack of Starlink satellites prior to deployment from a Falcon 9 upper stage. Image: SpaceX Update Aug. 26, 6:15 a.m. EDT (1015 UTC): SpaceX landed its first stage booster. SpaceX launched its latest Starlink mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in the preda...

Spaceflight NowAug 25, 2026

Falcon State Park closed after gas line explosion

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Falcon State Park is closed after a gas line explosion inside the park Tuesday morning, according to staff. The explosion happened in one of the oil pad locations. Staff said that everything is under control and no injuries were reported. As a p...

ValleyCentralAug 25, 2026

Los Fresnos, La Joya Palmview win weekend tourneys

BROWNSVILLE — Los Fresnos is on fire to start the season. After winning McAllen’s Poundfest, the Falcons won the Brownsville ISD tournament for the third-straight season on Saturday by defeating Brownsville Veterans in two sets. The Chargers had the Falcons on the ropes a couple ...

MyRGVAug 24, 2026

Chick-fil-A to launch limited-time fall menu item; Chicken & Waffles sandwich

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Chick-fil-A is expected to launch a limited-time fall menu item starting Monday at Rio Grande Valley locations. The new items include a regular and spicy chicken or waffles sandwich, along with a s’more milkshake and s’mores frosted coffee. Loca...

ValleyCentralAug 22, 2026

SpaceX launches 100th orbital mission of 2026

A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Starlink 15-20 mission on Aug. 22, 2026. Image: SpaceX Update Aug. 22, 3:51 a.m. EDT (0751 UTC): SpaceX landed the first stage booster on the droneship. SpaceX launched its 100th or...

Spaceflight NowAug 21, 2026

Great Health for America launching in Brownsville

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the launch of four Great Health for America pilot programs nationwide. The city of Brownsville is one of the four cities selected to launch the program aimed at preventing chronic disea...

ValleyCentralAug 21, 2026

Starbase Police Department prepares for launch

STARBASE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Starbase Police Department is preparing for launch. Starbase began soliciting applications for two police sergeants and six officers in August. They will report to police Chief Glenn Bennett, who accepted the job in June. “I’m confident we’ll...

ValleyCentralAug 21, 2026

Donna ISD launches new dual credit program

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Donna Independent School District has partnered with South Texas College and the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement to launch a new dual credit program for seniors. The Basic County Corrections Academy will provide up to 20 students from Do...

ValleyCentralAug 20, 2026

Starbase plans 46% property tax hike

STARBASE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The city of Starbase plans to approve a 46% property tax hike in September. Mayor Robert “Bobby” Peden and the City Commission discussed the tax hike during a meeting on Wednesday night. “My opinion is that we should move forward with this,” Pede...

ValleyCentralAug 20, 2026

Starship flight 13 recovered after 24 days at sea

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — SpaceX announced Tuesday morning that Starship Flight 13 was successfully guided to a location off the coast of Christmas Island after efforts were made to recover it from the Indian Ocean. According to SpaceX, the recovery team successfully dir...

ValleyCentralAug 18, 2026

SpaceX exceeds 11,000 satellites in low Earth orbit

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base on Aug. 18, 2026. Image: SpaceX Update 2:06 a.m. EDT (0706 UTC): SpaceX confirmed deployment of the satellites. SpaceX sent another batch of Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit w...

Spaceflight NowAug 18, 2026

Los Fresnos wins Poundfest, Mission Vets takes Donna Tournament

M cALLEN — Los Fresnos’ head volleyball coach Anissa Lucio said her team still has opportunities to be better. She said that after the Falcons did something that Lower Valley teams usually do not do, win McAllen’s Poundfest. Lucio has not won the tournament as a coach despite num...

MyRGVAug 16, 2026

Photo Gallery: Los Fresnos defeats Edinburg Vela for Poundfest title

M cALLEN — The Los Fresnos Falcons defeated the Edinburg Vela Sabercats here on Saturday, marking the Lower Valley team’s first win in the McAllen ISD’s Poundfest tournament in at least 15 years, according to head coach Anissa Lucio. “Super proud of them, we went through some adv...

MyRGVAug 15, 2026

La Joya ISD launches new service to help families with transportation concerns

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — With the start of the school year already in motion, the La Joya Independent School District is prepared to help families get their loved ones to campus and back home safely. The La Joya ISD transportation help desk is the district's newest serv...

ValleyCentralAug 13, 2026

A first look at 'Prometheus', a 50-foot bronze statue at Starbase

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — French sculpture group Atelier Missor has revealed the first look of its 50-foot bronze statue of Prometheus being built in Starbase, Texas. Atelier Missor, a French foundry, is a traditional metal-casting workshop that specializes in titanium s...

ValleyCentralAug 12, 2026