HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A drug search warrant in Brownsville led to the arrest of a 52-year-old man on Thursday, according to the Cameron County Sheriff's Office. Gerardo Sandoval Martinez was arrested at his home located in the 2100 block of Autumn Sage Street, after the Cameron County Sheriff's Office Special Investigations Unit seized more than [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Our first cold front of the season is expected to arrive Friday afternoon. Here’s what you can expect: The front will bring cooler temperatures, but low humidity, gusty winds, and dry vegetation will also create favorable conditions for fire weather across much of the valley, excluding the coastal areas. The National [...]

RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Starr County judge candidates Joel Villarreal and Rose Benavidez are outlining different approaches to economic development, property taxes and funding essential services as voters prepare to choose the county’s next leader in November. The candidates are seeking to succeed County Judge Eloy Vera, who has held the office for nearly [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — What started as a hobby for Gleb Dudin has turned into a career that has earned him the highest title attainable for chess players and a spot on his national team at one of the world's most prestigious chess tournaments. Dudin, 22, a senior at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, [...]

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A “local golfing legend” pleaded guilty to a federal gambling charge on Thursday. During a hearing on Thursday afternoon, Ronald Lynn Kilby, 71, of Lakeway, Texas, admitted to running an illegal gambling ring. Kilby managed LoneStarSB.com, which allowed people to bet on sports. Gamblers who lost money paid Kilby using PayPal [...]

An ICE agent pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of elder abuse and assault in Fresno, California, and is scheduled to appear in court again on Oct. 20.

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A smuggler transported three migrants from Port Mansfield to Corpus Christi last week in a “speedboat-style vessel,” according to a criminal complaint against him. Along with the migrants, Alec Ray Foss, 28, of Corpus Christi had a pistol, a semi-automatic rifle and four pipe bombs in his boat. “That seems to [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The biggest weather story this weekend is the cold front moving in Friday. Meteorologist Lexie Walker dives into the impacts such as: colder temperatures, less muggy conditions, possible but low rain chances, fire danger concerns, dangerous/ life-threatning impacts to the coast and strong gusty north winds. In the second half of [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The second annual Ruben Vela Festival is coming to Santa Rosa on Saturday, Oct. 17. The free event, taking place at 116 Santa Vista Avenue, features food, a kids zone and a lineup of eight bands, including Orphanage Road, Marlissa Vela, Ruben Vela y Los Muchachos, Reny Roland, Los Garcia Bros, [...]

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — On Tuesday morning, when he appeared before a judge for sentencing, Jacob Lix Par said Border Patrol saved his life. Jacob Lix Par, 41, of Guatemala lived in Houston for about 20 years. In 2025, however, the Houston Police Department arrested Lix on a misdemeanor charge — and he was deported. [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Thursday is the final day that we'll see warm conditions before a cold front moves in Friday, bringing us Fall-like weather over the weekend. Highs will climb into the low to mid 90s Valley wide under mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies. Light southeast winds all day long. Feels like temps [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The votes are in for our Week 7 Team of the Week. San Benito earned the top spot with 451 votes or 56% of the vote. PSJA North came in second with 209 votes, or 26% of the vote, and Sharyland came in third with 153 votes, or 18%. ValleyCentral thanks [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) -- Out at the fieldhouse, the Vaqueros men's basketball team inches towards the tipoff of the 2026 season. This is the team's first season under head coach Brandon Chambers, and the anticipation is starting to settle in. The men's basketball team held a press conference on Wednesday in anticipation of the season [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) -- The Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District hosted a community outreach event on Wednesday to provide free health screenings. The free event was held at the Junior's Supermarket located in San Juan. At the event, guests were offered health screenings to check blood pressure and glucose levels. The event also provided the [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) -- A few more days of heat and humidity are in store for the Rio Grande Valley until a cold front arrives this weekend. A cold front is forecast to sweep across the Valley on Friday. This front will bring cooler temperatures, strong northerly winds, and a chance of showers and thunderstorms. [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) -- It's time to recognize another standout athlete in the Rio Grande Valley. Each week, our Valley Sports Team announces its pick for Athlete of the Week. The Athlete of the Week title is awarded to the person who had an outstanding performance for Week 7 of high school football. Many athletes [...]

An Army Chinook helicopter that was part of new border patrols over the Rio Grande Valley encountered mechnical troubles, according to an Army report.

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The McAllen Citizens League held a forum in McAllen on Wednesday for candidates in the Texas House District 41 race. Republican Gary Groves and Democrat Julio Salinas answered several topics, including affordability and taxes, the proposed state-funded teacher pay raises, water availability, immigration raids, and whether to allow data centers in [...]

SAN JUAN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Catholics across the Rio Grande Valley are coming together in prayer for Pope Leo following news of his cancer diagnosis, a development that has left many faithful shocked and concerned about the pontiff’s health. At Mass on Wednesday, parishioners prayed for the pope’s recovery, with his health mentioned three times during [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A forum will be held Wednesday evening with all the candidates running for mayor in Mission. The forum will be hosted by local nonprofit Village in the Valley, Leadership Mission, and The John Lewis Voters Coalition of Hidalgo County. "We are grateful that every mayoral candidate has agreed to participate," said [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A student is in custody after allegedly bringing a gun to Brownsville Early College High School, the district announced Wednesday afternoon. The district said the campus was immediately placed on lockdown as a safety precaution. The Brownsville Police Department is investigating the incident. READ ALSO: Driver charged with intoxication manslaughter after [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will hold several public meetings next month to discuss an environmental impact statement following SpaceX's proposal to increase launches and landing operations at Starbase. The FAA issued a notice on Wednesday saying the agency intends to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) and hold public scoping [...]

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Military Highway Water Supply Corporation on Wednesday lifted a boil water notice that was issued last week. The MHWSC issued a boil water notice for Del Mar Heights customers on Friday after the ERHWSC experienced an emergency waterline break. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality required the water system to [...]

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A man who climbed the border wall near Hidalgo was sentenced to more than three years in prison on Tuesday. Edgar Guadalupe Cruz Velasco, 48, of Mexico illegally crossed the Rio Grande in May and climbed the border wall near Hidalgo. “I fell from the wall, from 16 feet up,” said [...]