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.

Two months after Harlingen’s $72 million general‑fund budget passed without raises, City Commissioner Daniel Lopez said about 400 employees could receive a one‑time 5 % pay increase costing roughly $845,000. Lopez discussed the proposal with Finance Director Robert Rodriguez and City Attorney Mark Sossi, noting that if the raise continues, the city may need to raise property taxes. Residents will watch for any tax impact.

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.

Amanda Puryear El, a 43‑year‑old poet from Pharr, talks about her turbulent upbringing, gang involvement and three expulsions from PSJA North while teaching at Buell Central High School’s DAEP. She has published 11 books, delivered a TEDx talk and was reappointed as Pharr’s first poet laureate for another year, a point of local pride.

City officials and co‑founder Sean Downey announced the reopening of 5×5 Brewing Co. in Edinburg, with a new 8,000‑square‑foot facility near UTRGV backed by a $2.5 million investment. The brewery will feature an indoor tap room, kitchen, outdoor concert area and expanded production, aiming to serve the local community and veteran population.

Carlos Guadalupe Bautista (born 1989) and Sergio Enrique Navarro (born 2007) were arrested in Mission, Texas, after a smuggler caught at the Anzalduas International Bridge on Oct. 13 led agents to a stash house containing about 121 pounds of cocaine. During a traffic stop, agents found a duct‑tape‑wrapped brick hidden under the engine hood of the Cadillac and a white Dodge Charger, and both were taken into custody at the Mission residence.

The federal government is weighing moving a segment of the border wall from a levee beside the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge onto land inside the refuge. During a federal‑court hearing on Oct. 14, after contractors were accused of trespassing on property owned by Hidalgo County Irrigation District No. 2 and the plan stalled since July, officials said the change could spark further litigation, a point of interest to Rio Grande Valley residents.

Owner Luis Foncerrada says El Hueso de Fraile, a live‑music bar in downtown Brownsville, now faces a $6,000 back‑rent bill and one month of operating costs and is seeking donations by November. The venue, which started Brownsville’s First Friday art walk, opened a GoFundMe that has raised about $1,600 toward the goal. Supporters hope the bar can stay open and become a nonprofit event space.

State Rep. Ryan Guillen, who switched from Democrat to Republican in 2021, says the 2024 election will likely bring a “correction” as Starr County— which voted for a Republican presidential candidate for the first time since 1896—may swing back to the left. Guillen, whose district includes Rio Grande City, noted the size of that shift is uncertain. The article highlights his long service in South Texas politics.

Nightmare on La Homa, a family‑oriented haunted house, opened in October in Mission, Texas, created by members of the Kali Productions boxing gym. The production blends theater with local Mexican and Hispanic folklore, featuring characters such as La Llorona and La Lechuza, and is led by the Caretaker played by poet laureate Gabriel Sanchez. Residents of the Rio Grande Valley can experience the interactive Halloween attraction at the Mission venue.

Brownsville city commissioners approved on Tuesday the steps to secure $27 million in facility improvements, authorizing tax‑exempt bonds and a traffic‑signal contract. City Manager Alan Guard said certificates of obligation will be issued in January or February to fund the 2027 capital plan, with about $8.8 million earmarked for the municipal landfill’s Cell 6 development and equipment, and the financing does not require a resident vote.

Christopher Lee Soto pleaded guilty to the October 30, 2023 murder of 38‑year‑old Brittany Kay Ireland at the Acacia RV park in Alamo and was sentenced to 40 years in prison by District Judge Bobby Flores. The killing involved a bloody, silver serrated knife, and Soto had previously been found incompetent in July 2025, a status later restored for trial. The 40‑year term is the key penalty for the case.

On Monday, a jury sentenced 21‑year‑old Rogelio Martinez Jr. to death for the October 2023 shooting that killed San Benedict police Lieutenant Milton Resendez after a multi‑state chase that began on South Padre Island and ended in Brownsville. After nearly nine hours of deliberation over three days, jurors found Martinez guilty of murder, while co‑defendant Rodrigo Axel Espinosa Valdez had previously pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

On August 30, 49‑year‑old Jesus Maria Alaniz Jr. of Edinburg drove his red BMW into the entrance of the Hidalgo County courthouse around 11:35 p.m., sending the car airborne and igniting a fireball inside the building’s eatery. The courthouse reopened on September 4, but officials still lack a total repair cost estimate, having spent $72,743.36 so far from the county fund. The crash, linked to a DWI arrest, left the façade and main doors needing replacement.

Laura Lamb, a PhD student at UT Austin and Rio Grande Valley native, released this month the final issue of her four‑part “Wasteland Zine” series on South Texas underground music from 1998‑2008. The McAllen‑based Libérate Ediciones funded the project, which includes over 300 flyers, photos and band memorabilia, and Lamb is now beginning an oral‑history interview series with 16 prominent scene figures.

Brownsville ISD evacuated Pena Elementary on Friday morning after smoke from a brush fire near the school drifted onto the campus, moving students and staff to Garcia Middle School. The fire department was called to extinguish the brush fires on the development site, and the district provided lunch for all. Parents could pick up children early with a valid ID, and the early pickup did not affect attendance.

Jeremiah and Maria Luisa Yzaguirre, 47, of Harlingen, were sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiring to commit health fraud by billing Medicare roughly $14 million for power‑wheelchair parts and repairs that were never provided. Jeremiah received more than nine years in prison and Maria nearly seven years; they were ordered to pay $9,248,976 in restitution and a $25,000 fine. The scheme affected 37 Medicare beneficiaries.

City commissioners in Harlingen rejected Cameron County’s proposal to act as a middle‑man for a $7 million canal‑widening project serving Valley International Airport. Mayor Norma Sepulveda and Commissioner René Perez urged data‑center developer Fluidstack to hold a town‑hall meeting and said the improvements could be done without any taxpayer expense. The discussion took place at the Wednesday city‑council meeting.

Early voting began Monday in Hidalgo and Cameron counties, and the first four days produced a sharp rise in participation compared with 2022. Hidalgo County recorded 68,794 early‑vote ballots, a 69 % increase, while Cameron County logged 32,305 ballots, up 49 %; officials note the surge is driven by gubernatorial, Senate and congressional contests. The state total reached 2,249,055 ballots as of Thursday.

A 61‑year‑old Pharr man, Martin Hernandez Alvarado, was sentenced Monday by State District Judge Bobby Flores after a jury found him guilty of continuous sexual abuse of a 6‑year‑old and a 12‑year‑old. The court imposed a 40‑year term for the continuous abuse and a concurrent 20‑year term for indecency with a child. The case stemmed from allegations received by Pharr police on March 17, 2021.

On Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, job seekers filled the Brownsville Events Center for the Careers and Coffee expo, which hosted more than 75 employers. Organizers said about 3,500 people pre‑registered and roughly 1,200 checked in before noon, with recruiters from SpaceX and Snelling among the attendees. The fair was promoted by Greater Brownsville Economic Development Corp. marketing specialist Eryka Rodriguez as a chance to find good‑paying jobs.

In Harlingen and nearby Brownsville, families are flocking to stores such as Bernie’s House of Fun on Dr. Hugh Emerson Road to buy costumes, fake blood and decorations for Halloween. Pastor Nathan Wendorf of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Treasure Hills said he has acquired about 8,000 pieces of candy and 600 mini water bottles to give to the thousands of trick‑or‑treaters expected this year.

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.