McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A federal judge on Thursday recommended that border wall construction near the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge remain paused until trespassing claims against the government’s construction contractors are resolved. After reviewing a lawsuit filed by Hidalgo County Irrigation District #2, which owns a canal near the wildlife refuge, U.S. Magistrate Judge [...]

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) — 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 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 [...]