Local journalism across Texas, Florida, and national newsrooms — part of the Nexcom Media network of independent publications.
Recent reporting and curated coverage across every beat we cover.
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Our Wednesday morning started off on the stormy side, as linear thunderstorms moved across the Valley, with some of those storms becoming severe. These storms brought some pretty impressive rainfall totals for most of the Valley. Futurecast indicates that it sho...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Rainy weather conditions played a part in a recent alligator sighting in the Rio Grande Valley, according to a local wildlife biologist. On May 20, an alligator was spotted by Military Road and Grulla Elementary School in Starr County, a game warden with Texas P...
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX Starship launches are on hold pending an investigation into last week’s test flight. The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that the hourlong spaceflight resulted in a mishap based on the performance of the mega rocket's first-stage booster. Min...
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The storm that pushed across the entire Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday morning caused street flooding on Padre Boulevard on South Padre Island. The Texas Department of Transportation posted a video of the aftermath on the island, showing rainwater on si...
The Federal Aviation Administration made the determination after analyzing the results of Starship Flight 12, which took place on Friday, May 22.
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Funeral services for a 17-year-old Progreso Independent School District student who drowned in a Mercedes canal while fishing have been announced. The body of Samuel Hernandez was recovered from a canal located at Mile 1 and Mile 10 in rural north Mercedes by a ...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Starting Wednesday, a bridge replacement located on Minnesota Avenue in Brownsville will cause road closures until July 31, the Texas Department of Transportation announced. According to TXDOT, the road closures will affect traffic on Minnesota Avenue between St...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — An Edinburg resident is feeling like a million bucks after winning the $1 million top prize from a scratch lottery ticket, the Texas Lottery announced Wednesday. The scratch ticket, Premier Play, was purchased in TXB 82, a convenience store, located at 780 Carte...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A severe weather alert has caused power outages affecting thousands of customers, according to AEP Texas and Magic Valley Co-Op outage maps. 11:56 a.m. Nearly 2,000 customers in Cameron County have a power outage, the outage maps report. In Hidalgo County, the n...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Esteban "Steve" Guerra has won the Democratic nomination in the May runoff election for Cameron County Judge, according to unofficial election results. According to unofficial results with 100% of precincts reporting, Guerra won with 55% or 10,010 votes. Incumb...
The Starlink 17-37 mission flew on the 60th Falcon 9 rocket launched in 2026. Liftoff from pad 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened at 7:50 a.m. PDT (10:50 a.m. EDT / 1450 UTC).
The mission was SpaceX’s 60th orbital flight of the year, including one Falcon Heavy launch and 59 Falcon 9 flights. Liftoff of the Starlink 10-47 mission from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 7:48 a.m. EDT (1148 UTC).
The Starship upper stage was equipped with six third-generation Raptor engines and one of three optimized for operating in vacuum shut down early during the climb to space. The flight computer kept the other five engines running longer than originally planned to make up for the shortfall, putting...
By DIANTÉ MARIGNY editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com The Point Isabel Independent School District Board of Trustees recognized dozens of students, educators, and community members during its regular school board meeting held May 19 at Port Isabel Early College High School. The meeting opened with a ...
By DIANTÉ MARIGNY & JACQI LEYVA-HILL editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com Incumbent Mayor Michael “Mike” Carter’s reelection victory in Laguna Vista was officially upheld following a formal recount conducted May 14 at the Cameron County Historic Courthouse exhibit room in Brownsville. The recount conf...
Jose Bautista, 25, of Donna, died following a workplace accident at SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica, according to Cameron County officials. By DIANTÉ MARIGNY editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com A 25-year-old Donna man died after a workplace accident at SpaceX’s Starbase facility near Bo...
(Port Isabel boys soccer coach and players at East vs West All-Star game. May 19, 2026. Picture by PIECHS) By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR. Special to the PRESS As the 2025-2026 school season comes to a conclusion, we wrap up the season’s All-District awards with boys’ soccer and golf. In boys’ soccer...
(Port Isabel’s Jesus Ramos scores during PI vs San Benito 7on7 game. May 14, 2026. Picture by Constancio Martinez Jr) By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR. Special to the PRESS As the 2025-2026 school season comes to a conclusion, we wrap up the season’s All-District awards with boys’ soccer and golf. In b...
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 the Port Isabel South Padre Press. He ha...
The mission will see the debut of several upgrades to the launch vehicle, including redesigned engines. Liftoff from Pad 2 at Starbase, Texas, is scheduled during a window that opens at 5:30 p.m. CDT (6:30 p.m. EDT / 2230 UTC).
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Joseph L. Lucio won the Democratic nomination for the Cameron County Commissioner Precinct 2 race, according to unofficial election results. Lucio received 3,469 votes, or 50.30% of the vote, while incumbent Joey Lopez received 3,427 votes, or 49.70% of the vot...
SAN BENITO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The San Benito Consolidated Independent School District has begun construction on a $24 million state-of-the-art performing arts center funded through the 2018 bond election. While the facility is located on the grounds of Veterans Memorial Academy, it will be ...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Julio Salinas is the Democratic nominee who will be on the ballot in the Texas House District 41 midterm race in November. Unofficial results show that Salinas carried a majority of votes, totaling 3,349, with 84% of precincts reporting. Haddad received 44% or 2...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Gary Groves will head to the midterm election in November after garnering the majority of votes in the Texas House District 41 Republican primary runoff race, according to unofficial election results. Unofficial results show that Groves is leading the race with ...
The Brownsville Animal Regulation and Care Center (BARCC) is asking for the community’s help after recently receiving multiple batches of puppies and kittens in urgent need of care.
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A line of thunderstorms developing across northern Mexico will push east through lunchtime Wednesday, posing a risk for gusty winds and or damaging wind gusts, heavy rainfall, lightning and thunder. While the chance for redevelopment through the afternoon is unc...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Starr County will be under a severe thunderstorm watch until 6 a.m. on Wednesday. Additionally, Starr County and the western portions of the Rio Grande Valley are under a slight risk for severe weather on Tuesday night going into Wednesday morning. While forecas...
Downtown Brownsville is about to get even more colorful as First Friday: Paint the Town returns with an evening full of creativity, live entertainment, local flavor, and community energy.
For Brownsville resident Ralia Karavasilis, one of the biggest takeaways from the City of Brownsville’s One City Information and All-Hazards Preparedness Fair was learning about the City’s 546-HELP hotline.
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that candidate Joey Lopez was arrested on a charge of DWI and not Joseph L. Lucio. HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Unofficial early voting results indicate challenger Joseph L. Lucio is ahead of incumbent Joey Lopez in the Cameron County Commi...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Oziel “Ozzie” Ochoa Jr. has secured the Democratic nomination in the District 37 race, unofficial results show. With 82% of precincts reporting, Ochoa garnered 3,195 votes, while Cantu-Castle got 1,931 votes, according to unofficial results. Ochoa's win comes af...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Polls are now closed for the 2026 Primary Runoff Elections. Below is a list of results for the May 26 runoffs:
The Starlink 10-31 mission was the 58th Falcon 9 launch so far in 2026. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 6:04 a.m. EDT (1004 UTC).
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The city of Brownsville, alongside the Warriors United in Arms and Cameron County Veterans office, held an unveiling for a Vietnam Veteran Plaque on Monday. The ceremony was held on Memorial Day at the Veterans Memorial Park to honor Vietnam Veterans from Brow...
The City of Brownsville and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley have completed the initial report of the Task Force of the Future, a collaborative initiative created to strengthen UTRGV’s presence in Brownsville and Cameron County.
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Musicians from across the nation participate in a nationwide performance of taps at 3 p.m. every Memorial Day. Harlingen trumpet player Richard Brotzam performed at the Iwo Jima Monument at the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen on Monday afternoon. More than ...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Unofficial voting results indicate challenger Esteban "Steve" Guerra is ahead of incumbent Eddie Trevino Jr. for the democratic nomination for Cameron County Judge. Here's what to know about Cameron County judge Democratic candidates, incumbent Eddie Trevino Jr....
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Two Democratic candidates are facing off in the primary runoff race in hopes of making their mark on the November midterm election. Julio Salinas and Victor 'Seby' Haddad are facing off again to determine who will represent the Democratic party and face off agai...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — As Election Day takes place on Tuesday, two Democratic candidates, Esmeralda Cantu-Castle and Oziel Ochoa, Jr., face off to secure a seat representing the Democratic Party in Texas House District 37. In Oct. 2025, Cantu-Castle announced her Democratic campaign f...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Election Day is underway for Texas primary runoff races across the Rio Grande Valley, and voters are encouraged to cast their ballots until 7 p.m. Local races On the Democratic side, Esmeralda Cantu-Castle and Oziel Ochoa, Jr. face off to secure a seat represent...