McAllen city leaders convened Monday at town hall to review the next steps for a proposed new city hall. The preliminary design phase is complete, but officials remain undecided between two façade concepts, and a schematic shows staff could rise from 198 to 354 by 2046, requiring a 51,514‑square‑foot office area. Residents will see the building’s exterior design debated.

The South Texas Flavor column writer celebrated friend Laredo Jose’s birthday at Santa Fe Steakhouse & Cantina, located at 1918 S. 10th St. near La Plaza Mall in McAllen. The review notes a dress‑code atmosphere, a $5‑6 beer, a $12 watermelon paloma, and a 6‑ounce petite filet steak priced at $40 with mashed potatoes for $7. The author spent about $85.

Comedian Gary Owen is headlining the No Hard Feelings Tour at the McAllen Performing Arts Center on Sunday, marking his first show in the Rio Grande Valley. Owen, who has appeared in films such as “Back on the Strip” and “Ride Along,” said he is part Mexican, loves tortillas, and is excited to try the local Mexican food.

Mayor Pro Tem Pepe Cabeza de Vaca and city officials unveiled the largest mural in deep South Texas on Tuesday morning at the downtown parking garage on Chicago Avenue and South 15th Street in McAllen. The 14,000‑square‑foot piece, painted on both sides, portrays many bird species that live in the Rio Grande Valley, a feature that residents say showcases the area’s natural heritage.

Bank and city officials announced Thursday that Lone Star National Bank and McAllen are extending their partnership to sponsor the Wild Brite South Pole Illuminated Festival and the McAllen Holiday Parade. The new LSNB Kids Free Days will let children under 12 enter the festival free on selected Wednesdays, aiming to draw more families to the holiday attractions.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized nearly $800,000 worth of alleged cocaine at the Hidalgo International Bridge on Sept. 27 after a black Chevrolet truck from Reynosa was sent to secondary inspection. Non‑intrusive equipment and a K‑9 team detected anomalies and the scent of narcotics, leading officers to recover 22 packages totaling about 60 pounds. Homeland Security Investigations agents opened a criminal investigation.

A Hidalgo County jury sentenced 38‑year‑old Armando Adrian Arebalo of McAllen to life without parole for the June 19, 2017 killing of 41‑year‑old Nicholas Anthony Bazan during a botched cash and meth robbery. The shooting happened in the 2100 block of North Main Street, McAllen, after police responded to gunfire calls at 12:42 a.m.; co‑defendant Alex Arevalo earlier received a 45‑year term, and three other suspects remain charged with capital murder.

On Tuesday evening, local officials, healthcare workers and community leaders gathered in McAllen to celebrate the opening of Texas Oncology‑McAllen West, the newest clinic in the region’s cancer‑care network. Dr. Guillermo Lazo, a medical oncologist and hematologist, highlighted that the facility expands local treatment options, aiming to spare Valley residents from traveling far for exams and diagnoses.

Liberate Ediciones, a McAllen nonprofit, announced the McAllen ArtWalk will resume in De Palmas District on the first Friday of each month through December, featuring nine businesses showing art, literature, photography and mixed media. It runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at venues from Business 83 to Pecan Boulevard, and the key point for Valley residents is that it includes popular spots like Ponte Creative Studio & Gallery and Nerve Coffee.

Mend Collaborative, the design firm hired by McAllen for a downtown‑revitalization study, unveiled a plan on Monday at city hall. The strategy divides the historic core into five zones—a commercial east‑Broadway sector, a mixed‑use residential area, a government hub, an entertainment‑cultural district, and a Main Street historic retail corridor—and proposes incentives and a possible historic‑district designation to unlock tax credits. Local business owners will see new development patterns and support programs.

Pablo Javier Almaguer was named director of the Colonias Program at the Texas A&M Higher Education Center in McAllen after Oscar Muñoz retired following a 31‑year tenure. He will build on a university‑DHR Health medical‑legal partnership that provides low‑income colonia residents with legal assistance and aims to expand rights‑education, training and trust‑building services, especially given community fears about ICE.

McAllen attorney Della Fay Perez was sentenced on Sept. 17 in a Dallas federal court to one month in prison and a year of supervised release for knowingly possessing information about bank fraud and failing to report it. She must surrender by 2 p.m. on Oct. 20, will pay a $100 special assessment, and will not be fined due to lack of assets.

McAllen Public Utilities is developing a brackish groundwater desalination plant to diversify the city’s water supply amid ongoing South Texas drought conditions, with production wells slated to go to bid in February. City Director Mark Vega said the project’s final cost is still uncertain, but if it exceeds current estimates residents could face a second rate increase after the $14‑per‑month hike that began in October.

Avan Ruben Mendoza, 21, was sentenced to 38 years in prison after pleading guilty to the 2022 murder of 22‑year‑old Ryan Michael Serna outside the No Manches Wuey bar at 211 S. 17th Street in McAllen, where the shooting occurred just before 2 a.m. on Oct. 2, 2022. The case follows earlier convictions of co‑defendants Alejandro Gomez (18 years) and Joel Gonzalez Jr. (38 years), while remaining suspects had their charges dropped for lack of evidence.

Man Julio Diaz, 38, was sentenced to life on Monday for July 10, 2023 shooting that killed McAllen lodge member Robert Wise. A jury convicted him of murder and two arson counts after less than an hour of deliberation; surveillance video captured the attack, which he posted online while claiming a “reptilian” conspiracy. The killing occurred at 118 N. 11th St. in McAllen, a concern for Rio Grande Valley residents.

On Saturday afternoon, the 2026 South Texas Regional Bands of America contest took place at Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen, featuring 24 high‑school marching bands from across the Rio Grande Valley, including Harlingen, Roma and Brownsville. Harlingen High School South’s 17‑year‑old bass clarinetist Angel Lopez Solis said the summer rehearsals paid off, and organizers highlighted the strong local turnout as a boost for students from lower‑income Valley communities.

Metro McAllen launched a one‑way bus line from downtown to the Hidalgo‑Reynosa International Bridge, starting late last month and running Monday‑Saturday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m., and Sundays at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. The $3 fare route, which carries about 90‑100 passengers daily, is popular with cross‑border commuters, students and medical‑appointment travelers, and city officials say it may become a two‑way service if demand continues.

McAllen officials presented the city’s budget on Monday, keeping the property‑tax rate at 44.89 cents per $100 of assessed value after earlier discussions about a possible increase. The unchanged rate is expected to generate about $675,000 less from existing property, while a median‑value homestead bill will rise roughly $16. Residents will also see a $70 million desalination plant slated to break ground next year and a 3 % cost‑of‑living adjustment for city employees.

The South Texas Book Festival, hosted by the McAllen Public Library, announced a rebrand as the South Texas International Book Festival for its edition in 2026, emphasizing a platform for cross‑border cultural exchange. The festival is scheduled for October 24, with kickoff events beginning September 19, including a local author showcase and a library‑wide “Read Around Town” series. Organizers note the program draws families from sister cities across the U.S.–Mexico border.

Texas has introduced an optional designation for deaf or hard‑of‑hearing individuals on driver’s licenses and state identification cards after the passage of House Bill 3132, a change advocated by Liza Lara of the Regional Day School Program for the Deaf to improve communication with law enforcement and other responders.

A 27‑year‑old McAllen man, Jose Manuel Lopez‑Silva, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for directing teenage drivers in a long‑term smuggling operation that involved several high‑speed pursuits, one of which resulted in three deaths, including a minor, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office press release. The release said he recruited drivers as young as 14, used social media to coordinate pick‑up

The McAllen Public Library is celebrating Library Card Sign‑up Month in September by giving children who register a limited‑edition card featuring the mascot Marty the Cat and highlighting its wide range of resources and early‑literacy programs.

A 39‑year‑old man with schizophrenia was charged with homicide after stabbing his aunt, Anna Maria Hidalgo, in the chest and assaulting his grandmother, Guillermia Hidalgo; police entered the home, found the aunt unresponsive and arrested the suspect.

The McAllen International Airport runway and taxiway improvement project experienced a delay of roughly 1,000 days instead of the contracted 415 days, prompting a supplemental agreement that adds $977,987 for consultant KSA, with the city saying the cost will be covered by liquidated damages despite the mayor’s uncertainty.