McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A woman accused of counting cash at a stash house was held without bond Tuesday. Leila Lizette Vallejo, 21, of Donna allegedly recorded herself counting cash at a stash house in Mission. When federal agents searched the stash house, they found about $903,000 in cash — and videos of Vallejo counting [...]

MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — As data centers expand across the country — including several projects planned for the Rio Grande Valley — concerns over how much water they use are growing. The facilities are designed to store and process massive amounts of information, including the computing power behind artificial intelligence. Jacob Garza, a principal engineer with [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — McAllen police are searching for a man wanted on several felony warrants stemming from a domestic-related investigation. Jakobie Deanthony Harris, 23, of McAllen, is wanted on two counts of violation of certain court orders, a third-degree felony; two counts of continuous violence against the family, a third-degree felony; injury to a [...]

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A man accused of working for the Gulf Cartel pleaded not guilty to federal terrorism charges last week. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas brought terrorism charges against Jose Flores Flores, 21, of Reynosa in mid-August. Flores handled “regional protection and enforcement” and “disposal of human remains” [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A McAllen man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to operating human smuggling schemes that involved the social media recruitment of juvenile drivers, resulting in deadly high-speed chases, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas. Jose Manuel Silva-Lopez, 27, of McAllen, [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — With a heat advisory in effect in the Rio Grande Valley through 6 p.m., the city of McAllen is opening cooling centers to help residents escape the heat. According to the Valley Storm Team, the heat index could potentially reach 115 degrees. Residents are encouraged to stay hydrated, limit outdoor activity [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The McAllen Police Department is asking the public for help locating a man accused of burglarizing vehicles. Police say on Aug. 24, two victims reported that someone stole personal property from their vehicles in a parking area on the 200 block of Expressway 83. Police identified 43-year-old Jesus Manuel Trevino, with [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Nestled in McAllen's Mercado District, the Mexican restaurant Momole is now on the same culinary distinction as restaurants in cities like Berlin, Sydney and Singapore. The Mexican Consulate on Wednesday presented Momole USA with the Sello M Gastronomy Certification, an honor awarded by Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mexican [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Five men were arrested on solicitation of prostitution charges, the McAllen Police Department announced Wednesday. Officers with the McAllen PD conducted a law enforcement initiative that resulted in the arrest of three men on Aug. 26, one man on Aug. 28, and another man on Sept. 2, police said. McAllen PD [...]

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration seized more than $700,000 and 180 pounds of cocaine on Sunday, when federal agents raided a stash house in Mission. At 8:50 p.m. on Sunday, the DEA and the Texas Department of Public Safety raided a stash house in Mission. Two people lived in the three-bedroom [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Night closures are scheduled for a portion of the frontage road in McAllen. The Interstate 2 westbound frontage road between Jackson Road and Jackson Avenue in McAllen will be closed nightly from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting Tuesday, Sept 1. Closures will be in effect through Friday, Sept. 4. All [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The McAllen Independent School District is partnering with Sames Auto Group for the third time to give a high school student with perfect attendance a brand-new car. On Tuesday, the district and dealership kicked off the Annual Drive Sames for Education program, which will reward a student with perfect attendance at [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The city of McAllen had a head start on Hispanic Heritage Month with a celebration on Tuesday with leaders from Saltillo, Mexico. Leaders from both cities came together at the McAllen Performing Arts Center to honor 200 years of history and partnership between McAllen and Mexico. One of the keynote speakers [...]

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A judge sent a gangster and his girlfriend to prison Tuesday for illegally buying a gun. Saul Armando Aguilar, 26, of Elsa and his girlfriend, Jeanette Davila, 42, of Edcouch, sold drugs. Aguilar and Davila had felony convictions, which prevented them from buying weapons. In 2023, the couple paid another person [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — An offense report obtained by ValleyCentral alleges a McAllen man killed his aunt and pushed his grandma after an argument about him hallucinating. The incident happened Aug. 22 at a home on the 1500 block of Redwood Avenue. The McAllen Police Department previously said that officers responded after receiving a 911 [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The McAllen Independent School District will soon offer free American Sign Language classes to the community. Classes will be presented by the Regional Day School Program for the Deaf, a campus coordinated through McAllen ISD that serves deaf or hard-of-hearing students throughout Region One. Three sign language classes will be offered: [...]

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A man who smuggled nearly 500 pounds of marijuana through Starr County pleaded guilty on Wednesday. The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested David Garcia, 27, of Zapata after a high-speed chase in May. When his silver SUV finally stopped, troopers discovered that Garcia had been hauling nearly 500 pounds of [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — McAllen city staff and first responders attended a two-day training course on how to prepare for disaster recovery. The Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's MGT-482 Disaster Recovery Public Assistance program hosted the course, which trained staff on how to prepare for, document, manage and maximize [...]