Lucinda “Sandy Feet” Wierenga, a long‑time South Padre Island resident and sand sculptor, said ICE agents seized her friend and handyman Alfredo Mendez on Oct. 15 while he was driving her husband’s car on the island and transported him to Harlingen for processing. The agents stopped him at a traffic light, tailgated his vehicle and even asked if he was her husband’s brother, despite his lack of a criminal record.

The iconic Coconut Jacks Bar and Grill, built by Amy and Jack Salander and opened on March 23, 1990 on South Padre Island overlooking Laguna Madre Bay, has been demolished after more than three decades of operation. The concrete structure now sits empty as a national‑franchise‑styled seafood restaurant is slated to be built on the site, ending the beloved local surf‑community hangout.

A parking and mobility planner, Jon Forster of Fishbeck, presented the results of a study commissioned by South Padre Island’s City Council on Oct. 5. The analysis found a seasonal parking shortage and recommended a mix of paid parking and one or two parking structures, but Mayor Patrick McNulty said no action will be taken yet and public workshops will be held before any decision.

Sandcastle Days 2026 took place on South Padre Island from October 2‑4, where world‑class carvers built large hand‑carved sand sculptures that are now slowly eroding on the beach outside the island’s biggest bar. Organizer Lucinda “Sandy‑feet” Weirenga said rain forced a schedule shift but the artists, including her nephew Emerson Weirenga Schreiner, used spray‑glue and sealed work to protect pieces, keeping the event’s spirit alive.

The City of Port Isabel will hold a free public ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 11 a.m. at the Port Isabel Event & Cultural Center, 317 E. Railroad Ave., to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 15 collapse of the Queen Isabella Causeway that killed eight people. Marketing director Valerie Bates said the program will feature a color guard, speakers, a panel discussion and a Texas Department of Transportation documentary.