City officials and co‑founder Sean Downey announced the reopening of 5×5 Brewing Co. in Edinburg, with a new 8,000‑square‑foot facility near UTRGV backed by a $2.5 million investment. The brewery will feature an indoor tap room, kitchen, outdoor concert area and expanded production, aiming to serve the local community and veteran population.

Emeritus UTRGV professor Eduardo Del Rio has released a new collection titled "The Lost Train and Other Stories," comprising ten short stories that explore Latino experiences with immigration, race, religion, misogyny and climate change. The book, written after he began the title story in 2019, imagines a future where immigration issues have intensified, a scenario that resonates with many Rio Grande Valley residents.

The City of Edinburg announced that Lieutenant Orlando Garcia will become the interim police chief after Chief Jaime Ayala retires on Oct. 30, with Garcia assuming the role on Oct. 31. Garcia, a native of Edinburg, has served with the department since 2001 and previously worked in Internal Affairs under Ayala. The city hired Strategic Government Resources to conduct a 90‑day search for a permanent chief.

The Mission Economic Development Corporation announced Monday that it has hired Altiva Management Group of Edinburg to run a search for a permanent chief executive officer. Applications open through Nov. 18, with a selection expected in January and the new CEO starting in March; the position offers a salary between $165,000 and $190,000 and oversees an $8.2 million annual budget for the city of about 89,000 residents.

The city of Mercedes hired Altiva Management Group of Edinburg to run the search for its next city manager, who oversees 163 employees and a $29.6 million budget. Applications are open until Nov. 13; interviews start in January and the new manager is expected to begin in late February, inheriting water and wastewater projects, street upgrades, park facilities and a retail center opening on Interstate 2.

Bobby Pulido, Tejano singer and Latin Grammy winner, greeted fans at the UTRGV football tailgate on Saturday, signing photos and urging them to vote as he campaigns for the Democratic seat in Texas’ 15th Congressional District. Pulido, a Valley favorite, is challenging the Republican incumbent in a seat Trump won by 18 points in 2024, stressing border security and Latino financial goals, a pitch Rio Grande Valley voters are watching.

The Edinburg School District’s School Health Advisory Council met on Wednesday to approve a wellness policy that bans the sale and consumption of high‑energy drinks and other caffeinated foods on district property. Director of Health Services Diana Davila explained that staff will confiscate or discard such items and then call parents to provide information, emphasizing education rather than in‑school suspension. The measure aims to prevent illness among middle‑and high‑school students.

First Stop Bagels opened a few weeks ago at 4113 South Sugar Road, introducing New York‑style hand‑rolled bagels to the Rio Grande Valley. Owners Jesus Alvarado and Melissa Blanco, who learned the craft at the New York Bagelfest, say the shop will give locals a fresh alternative to the region’s beloved breakfast tacos.

Edinburg’s city commission voted on Oct. 6 to adopt more than 60 staff‑recommended changes to the Unified Development Code. The revisions require any data center to obtain a special‑use permit and ban such facilities in 11 zoning districts, limiting them to light‑industrial or general‑industrial zones. Mayor Omar Ochoa said the updates also reduce minimum lot sizes for homes, a change that could affect future neighborhood density.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed on Thursday the conviction and death sentence of 31‑year‑old Victor Godinez of Edinburg for the 2019 shooting of DPS Trooper Moises Sanchez. Godinez ran a red light after a drunk‑driving crash on April 6, 2019, fled, and then shot the trooper, who later died in a Houston hospital. For Rio Grande Valley residents, the ruling confirms the ultimate penalty for a local defendant.

A 45‑year‑old Edinburg man, Jorge Luis Ramos, was sentenced to 60 years in prison after being convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful restraint, continuous family violence, and assault of a pregnant person. The crimes stem from a Dec. 2, 2024 incident in which neighbors heard Ramos beating, burning and attempting to set fire to his pregnant girlfriend, leaving her with severe facial and body injuries.

Edinburg’s The Caffeine Library, a family‑run coffee shop and bookstore operated by the Montelongo family, is located at 1518 W. University Drive directly across from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley campus. The shop is celebrating its first anniversary and offers both coffee and a selection of books, a combination that local students and workers find especially convenient.

Edinburg Mayor Omar Ochoa said the city’s planning and zoning department has recommended amending the Unified Development Code to require a special‑use permit for any data‑center project within city limits. The proposal, announced on Friday, would give officials an extra review step but does not ban such facilities. Residents should note that future data centers would face this additional permitting process.

Vanessa Denise Rico, 48, of Edinburg, was arrested Wednesday and arraigned Thursday on charges of manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance causing serious bodily injury or death and of delivering cocaine. Police say the investigation began April 10 after officers found a 39‑year‑old man unresponsive at Dove Avenue in McAllen; a search of Rico’s Edinburg home seized 1.85 grams of cocaine and she was held on a $10,000 bond.

Mayor Omar Ochoa of Edinburg announced on Facebook Thursday that the city has revised employee health‑insurance premiums after earlier quotes showed steep hikes. The updated rates, released before the enrollment period beginning Monday, Sept. 7, cap the largest increase at $90 a month, with some plans seeing virtually no change, down from previously reported increases of up to $400. The city said it will cover part of a $2 million cost gap.

Edinburg police chief Jaime Ayala announced his retirement, effective Oct. 30, after five years leading the department. Ayala, who began his career as a volunteer reserve officer in Edinburg and spent 32 years with the Arlington Police Department, will return to North Texas to be with his family. He highlighted the city’s 2025 homicide‑free year and a 16 % drop in major crimes.

The Dinsburg school board met on Tuesday and voted unanimously to issue a request for qualifications for an independent forensic audit, amid a $15 million deficit in the proposed next‑year budget. Board members Leticia “Letty” Garcia, David Torres and President Xavier Salinas also approved soliciting public bids for the sale of a 113.35‑acre property originally slated for low‑ and moderate‑income housing development.

Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez said the county is working to reopen the courthouse after it was closed when a driver crashed a car into the main entrance, and while engineers consider the building structurally sound, they are addressing egress safety concerns before resuming operations; the driver, 49‑year‑old Jesus Maria Alaniz Jr., is believed to have been intoxicated and faces DUI charg

The Edinburg Human Resources Department sent a city‑wide email to employees on Friday with insurance premium quotes that showed large increases, but city leadership said the figures were incorrect and are preparing new rates. Mayor Omar Ochoa said he took full responsibility for the error, apologized to staff, and indicated that revised rates will be released soon, though no specific date was prov

A video released by MyRGV.com shows a red BMW driven by 49‑year‑old Jesus Maria Alaniz Jr. crashing into the Hidalgo County Courthouse around 11:35 p.m., exploding in flames and causing extensive damage; Alaniz was hospitalized in critical condition and faces a DWI charge. County officials announced that the courthouse will remain closed to the public on Wednesday and Thursday while engineers asse

A BMW traveling southbound on Closner Boulevard in Edinburg crashed into the front entrance of the Hidalgo County Courthouse around 11:35 p.m. on Sunday, causing extensive structural damage and leading to the courthouse’s closure on Monday while repairs and cleanup began.

Emergency personnel extracted the driver, identified as 49‑year‑old Jesus Maria Alaniz Jr. of Edinburg, who was taken to a hospital in critical condition after the BMW crash into the courthouse entrance; investigators suspect alcohol involvement, the driver will be charged with DWI, and the courthouse remains closed Tuesday pending safety assessments.

The school board approved by a 4-3 vote a three-year contract for new superintendent Angela Domínguez, with an annual salary of $335,000, while the debate focused on the serious $15 million budget deficit and other financial problems facing the district.