The Dinsburg school board met on Tuesday and voted unanimously to issue a request for qualifications for an independent forensic audit, amid a $15 million deficit in the proposed next‑year budget. Board members Leticia “Letty” Garcia, David Torres and President Xavier Salinas also approved soliciting public bids for the sale of a 113.35‑acre property originally slated for low‑ and moderate‑income housing development.

East Point Energy said its 100‑megawatt battery storage plant on a six‑acre site off Grimes Street and Loop 499, south of Valley International Airport in Harlingen, is ready to power the grid and can serve up to 80,000 homes for two hours. Officials said the plant will bring $19 million in tax revenue over its 20‑ to 30‑year life, was built with fire‑department training, and Rep. Janie Lopez urged more battery projects.

The Mission City Council held a public hearing on its preliminary budget on Tuesday afternoon, during which resident Manuel Pescador confronted Mayor Pro Tem Ruben Plata about using his phone while speaking. Council members, including Mayor Norie Gonzalez Garza and City Attorney Eden Ramirez Jr., addressed the complaint and clarified that no tax increase is being considered, with the final budget vote scheduled for Sept. 15.

On Sept. 1, Cameron County commissioners approved the 2026‑2027 budget and kept the property‑tax rate at about $0.42 per $100 valuation. The $265 million budget, a rise of over 8 percent, starts Oct. 1, and the board also reviewed Border Patrol agent Omar Vidal’s request to test a hidden rescue beacon at EK Atwood Park’s Beach Access 5, which commissioners said lacked agency markings.

Harlingen Independent School District announced that Superintendent Veronica Kortan will serve under a new contract extending to June 30, 2029, with a salary of $260,100, up from $255,000. The agreement adds a $700 monthly transportation stipend, a $200 phone and internet allowance, and a $1 million term‑life insurance policy, while retaining benefits. Kortan, who was appointed in March 2025 after a two‑month internal search, will continue leading the district through its financial recovery.

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.

The Texas Commission on the Arts officially designated Brownsville’s Mitte Cultural District as a “Texas Cultural District,” joining three other newly announced districts and bringing the state total to 61. The designation creates a new source of funding for nonprofit arts groups operating in the Mitte District, a benefit highlighted for local residents and cultural organizations.

Connie Nguyen, a Vietnamese immigrant who moved to the Rio Grande Valley after the 2008 financial crisis, opened Café Ngon two months ago at 700 W. Ferguson Avenue in Pharr, offering authentic Vietnamese coffee, food, snacks, sugar‑cane refreshers and ramen. The cafe’s simple menu features pictures for each item, and its location next to the highway makes it easily accessible for Valley residents seeking a new coffee spot.

Melody Saldana sued the city of Edcouch, its election officials and mayor, alleging they prevented her from appearing on the November 3 ballot for the Place 1 city‑commission seat currently occupied by Alderman Joel Medina Jr. She says her application was rejected for alleged 2018 tickets despite offering payment, and she was barred from filing until the last day of the July 18‑August 17 filing period, prompting the lawsuit after a Facebook post on August 26.

The Brownsville Independent School District and the Flight Academy of South Texas (START) announced on Friday a CTE aviation pathway for BISD students. Senior Camilla Olvera flew a Tecnap P‑Mentor trainer from the airport’s historic Hunt Pan Am hangar to South Padre Island and back, showing a program that will start with a private‑pilot PPL requiring at least 40 flight hours. START plans a 60,000‑sq‑ft hangar for the flight school and an aviation‑mechanic school.

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.

Cameron County authorities charged 45‑year‑old Aldo Vargas with murder after he allegedly beat his 43‑year‑old wife, Dulce Vargas, to death with an unknown blunt object. Deputies responded Sunday to the 29,000 block of Siesta Lane in Bayview after Vargas called 911; Dulce was found unresponsive with multiple injuries and pronounced dead at the scene. Aldo Vargas is being held at the Cameron County Carrizales‑Rucker Detention Center awaiting arraignment.

Police reported that someone fired at the home of a sitting Brownsville city commissioner early Saturday morning and that an active investigation is underway, though the commissioner has not been identified and no suspects have been named. Mayor John Cowen Jr. said the incident is being taken seriously amid a tense political climate and urged the community to cooperate with investigators.

A 68-year-old Penitas man died after a Ford F‑250 driver ran a stop sign and collided with his Kia Optima, then struck a FedEx truck in a three‑vehicle crash on Texan Road and 5 Mile Line north of Palmview. The Ford driver, a passenger, and the FedEx driver were taken to hospital with non‑life‑threatening injuries, and the crash remains under investigation.

The article describes the opening of the "Pharr: Packed with History" exhibit at the Pharr Memorial Public Library, where museum director Francisco Guajardo spoke about the city's agricultural and railroad past and guided visitors through crate labels, photographs, and stories illustrating early local development.

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.

The City of Mission is set to vote on its upcoming fiscal‑year budget and a modest increase in its no‑new‑revenue property tax rate—from $0.5580 to $0.5653 per $100 valuation—with a public hearing on September 22 and council votes scheduled for September 15 and the following Tuesday, and officials say the rise reflects changes in property valuations, higher exemptions and freeze adjustments rather

The article announces that the musical “Rent” will open on September 11 at the Camille Playhouse in Brownsville, describing its focus on marginalized groups and its origins in the 1990s.

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.

The article notes increasing public distrust of Flock Safety cameras, cites that many are located in McAllen, Edinburg and Brownsville, and includes statements from Hidalgo and Cameron County sheriff’s offices about using the cameras for license‑plate reading and emphasizing transparency.

The article reports that TxDOT's I‑69E preventive‑maintenance project in Brownsville, which began in February 2025 and includes milling, overlay, striping and guard‑rail upgrades on a 3.5‑mile stretch between Ruben Torres Boulevard and State Highway 4, has caused regular evening lane closures and traffic diversions, with Old Highway 77 being rebuilt as a single unpaved lane; substantial completion

The Texas Attorney General’s Custodial Death report states that 33‑year‑old Angel Vasquez Mendoza, detained by Palmview police on Aug. 23 after a disturbance and released to the ER/24‑7 Mission, died on Aug. 27 following delays in his transport to Rio Grande Regional Hospital because ICU beds were unavailable.

Harlingen officials are planning a town‑hall meeting to consider Fluidstack’s request to discharge runoff from a proposed data‑center project into a city‑owned canal, with commissioners slated to vote on the request after hearing public input.

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