HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — To spread the word about Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Tom Castaneda of South Texas Health System stopped by the ValleyCentral studios on Monday morning to talk about STHS's Think Pink initiative. As part of the campaign, STHS is offering discounted mammograms every Monday in October through its Mammo Monday program, which rotates [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) – The City of La Grulla says a water leak triggered low water pressure so they have issued a boil water notice. City Administrator Robert Salinas says the city's public water system was ordered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to notify residents to boil water until the water testing comes [...]

Santos Ramos, a 76‑year‑old Harlingen resident, recounts how a follow‑up call after a routine mammogram led doctors to discover breast cancer early, allowing her to become a survivor. Her experience is highlighted during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when the National Breast Cancer Foundation promotes early detection, and she joins others such as 62‑year‑old Melanie Smith, who was diagnosed on September 29, 2001.

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — In week 6 of High School Football, Valley Sports Central has nominated three teams for the Team of the Week. The nominees are Mercedes, Brownsville Hanna and Brownsville Pace. Mercedes Mercedes opened district play with a 24-10 win over a Donna team that came in at 4-1. The Tigers held an [...]

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.

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Vannie Cook Children's Clinic celebrated its 25th anniversary with a luncheon at the Embassy Suites in McAllen on Wednesday. Clinic employees and volunteers were honored at the luncheon. People who have fought and beat cancer also spoke at the event in emotional testimonies. The Vannie Cook Children's Clinic in McAllen [...]

The Harlingen Independent School District announced that health insurance costs will rise for many employees as the board adopts a $21.2 million self‑insured plan with higher employee deductions, discussed at a special meeting on Sept. 16. The new Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Essentials HMO and Blue Choice PPO plans take effect Jan. 1, after a $5.3 million shortfall in the 2025‑2026 fiscal year. A key point for Rio Grande Valley residents is that employee premiums will increase under the new policy.

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Pharr International Bridge discovered more than $25 million worth of methamphetamine hidden in a shipment of vegetables. On Tuesday, Sept. 8, a tractor trailer traveling from Reynosa to Pharr was ordered to undergo a secondary inspection. That's when CBP officers say they found [...]

Eighty‑year‑old Arturo Gómez, a retired mechanic in Rio Grande City, says he and his wife must turn off the air‑conditioner after 9 p.m. to afford the $600 electric bill. They use a fan and endure heat that makes their three dogs “follow me around with their tongues out” when the A/C is off. Rising electricity costs and temperatures have forced seniors to choose between paying the bill and buying food.

The piece reports that the Rio Grande Valley is among the first U.S. regions to adopt hemodiafiltration (HDF), an advanced dialysis method that removes larger toxins, and provides statistics on kidney disease prevalence and transplant wait‑lists in Texas.

San Perlita ISD schools were temporarily closed after a rapid spread of COVID‑19 cases, but county health officials said the modest increase in cases is a normal seasonal pattern and not a major concern, noting that the virus is now less likely to cause hospitalizations and mainly threatens high‑risk individuals.

Valley Baptist Medical Center in Brownsville installed bi‑plane imaging equipment to treat stroke patients on site, reducing the need for hour‑long transfers to Harlingen and enabling faster, more precise thrombectomy procedures.

The Weslaco Fire Department and Knapp Medical Center have launched a grant‑funded Community Healthcare Program that offers home visits and follow‑up calls to patients in Weslaco and Progreso who meet specific medical criteria, with the pilot year being fully covered by a $100,000 grant.