The Brownsville
SpaceX’s Starship-Super Heavy rocket stacked at Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas, ahead of the Starship Flight 14 mission. Image: SpaceX via video SpaceX assembled a Starship-Super Heavy rocket on the launch pad at Starbase in south Texas early Wednesday as it awaited approval for the ve...
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 ...
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...
The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) has launched a public interactive map and a one-page Historic Rehab Tax Credit Cheat Sheet to help property owners identify buildings with existing historic designations....
Today, the City of Brownsville is launching a new Service Management System to improve our Call Center and 546-HELP services.
SpaceX rolled its Super Heavy booster, tail number B21, out to Pad 2 late Sunday night, Sept. 20, in preparation for the launch of Starship Flight 14 no earlier than Sept. 28. Image: SpaceX SpaceX placed a Super Heavy booster on the launch pad at Starbase in Texas Monday, as it c...
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 ...
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...
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 ...
Mission Veterans Memorial’s Roman Reyna, left, drags Los Fresnos Aaron Saldana, right, as he lunges for a score during a game at Tom Landry Stadium Thursday Sept.17, 2026 in Mission. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com) Mission Veterans Memorial’s Fabian Ruiz, right, with a cat...
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,...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
Norma Sepulveda H ARLINGEN — A $27 million question’s hanging over the area as a developer launches construction of a 1,100-acre data center project between Harlingen and Rio Hondo. Days after offering Harlingen $20 million along with $7 million to fund a drainage project, Fluids...
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 ...
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...
The City of Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department is bringing a new community-driven resource to local neighborhoods with the launch of Community Micro Cabinets, providing residents with convenient access to non-perishable food and essential goods....
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...
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket soars past the American flag during the launch of the O3b mPOWER mission for SES. Image: John Pisani/Spaceflight Now SpaceX launched a trio of satellites for its oldest commercial customer, SES, on a Falcon 9 rocket flying Sunday afternoon from Florida. T...
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...
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 ...
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...
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....
B ROWNSVILLE — The 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 t...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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 ....
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...
The City of Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) has officially launched its Fall/Winter Playbook, giving residents a look at seasonal events, recreational programs, and community activities planned from September through December....
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. ...
By Berenice Garcia | The Texas Tribune M cALLEN — Home values in Cameron County more than doubled over a six-year period, and property tax bills are going up along with it, according to research from the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M University. SpaceX’s arrival ...
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...
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...
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 “...
Cameron County is set to benefit from a $192.4 million investment to widen State Highway 4 (Boca Chica Boulevard) between Brownsville and Starbase as part of Texas’ newly approved 10-year transportation plan....
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...
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...
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...
T he Brownsville City Commission has approved the first reading on an ordinance regarding a request by SpaceX seeking additional land for expansion. The ordinance concerns the voluntary disannexation of 444 acres of land in Cameron County located along South Connector Road, just ...
A streak shot of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket as it lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base on the Starlink 10-49 mission on Aug. 25, 2026. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Update Aug. 25, 7:18 a.m. EDT (1118 UTC): SpaceX confirms deployment of t...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
A SpaceX Falcon 9 soars past the clouds above Florida’s Space Coast during the Starlink 10-39 mission on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Update Aug. 21, 11:54 a.m. EDT (1554 UTC): SpaceX landed its first stage booster Update Aug. 20, 11:58 a.m. EDT (155...
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...
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...
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...
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...
A streak shot of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Aug. 15, 2026. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now SpaceX launched back-to-back missions for Globalstar and the U.S. Space Force Saturday night, shrinking i...
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...
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...
