The newly appointed Environmental and Conservation Task Force in Brownsville was sworn in on Wednesday at the Brownsville Event Center, where about 40 attendees heard City Manager Alan Guard open the meeting. Members, including SpaceX engineer Carolyn Wood, faced immediate public criticism and calls for her removal, while the 11‑person panel is tasked with delivering a preliminary report on data‑center impacts by December, a timeline residents will watch closely.

Florentino Garcia Lerma, a 67‑year‑old man from Alamo, was sentenced this week after a Hidalgo County jury found him guilty of multiple sexual offenses against three children under 14. The convictions stem from allegations reported to Alamo police on Nov. 3, 2023, and resulted in a 50‑year prison term, the length of which residents will note as the key outcome.

Jurors in Brownsville began deliberations Thursday afternoon on the sentencing of 21‑year‑old Rogelio Martinez Jr., convicted of killing San Benito police Lieutenant Milton Resendez on Oct. 17, 2023. The defense urged a life‑without‑parole verdict, while prosecutors pressed for the death penalty. Residents will learn whether the jury opts for capital punishment or a life sentence.

During the sentencing phase in Brownsville, both the state and defense rested after Melissa Resendez, the wife of slain San Benito officer Lt. Milton Resendez, testified on Thursday. The jury, which previously found Rogelio Martinez Jr. guilty of murder on Oct. 8, will now hear closing arguments and begin deliberations on whether to impose the death penalty. Martinez’s co‑defendant has already pleaded guilty to a lesser murder charge.

Emeritus UTRGV professor Eduardo Del Rio has released a new collection titled "The Lost Train and Other Stories," comprising ten short stories that explore Latino experiences with immigration, race, religion, misogyny and climate change. The book, written after he began the title story in 2019, imagines a future where immigration issues have intensified, a scenario that resonates with many Rio Grande Valley residents.

Brownsville will hold a free community fair on Oct. 21, 6–7:30 p.m., at the Public Library Main Branch, 2600 Central Blvd., to explain the city’s proposed Municipal Drainage Fee. City Engineering and Public Works staff and consultants Freese & Nichols will discuss the fee structure, planned drainage projects and how the new utility would replace the Resaca Fee. About 90 % of homes would pay $6.25 a month, with the remaining 10 % paying $3.00.

County Administrator Pete Sepulveda Jr. told Cameron County commissioners that the bridge system posted about a $2.8 million revenue increase for July‑September 2026, leaving roughly $1.9 million as surplus. The Free Trade International Bridge at Los Indios generated nearly $1.7 million with about 157,000 crossings, and commercial trucking traffic now averages 400‑500 trucks per day, prompting a $9.2 million federal grant for a new truck‑parking lot.

The City of Edinburg announced that Lieutenant Orlando Garcia will become the interim police chief after Chief Jaime Ayala retires on Oct. 30, with Garcia assuming the role on Oct. 31. Garcia, a native of Edinburg, has served with the department since 2001 and previously worked in Internal Affairs under Ayala. The city hired Strategic Government Resources to conduct a 90‑day search for a permanent chief.

Jose De La Cruz, 30, pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter and assault after a crash on FM 509 that killed 77‑year‑old Oralia Garza. The collision occurred at about 1:27 p.m. on Nov. 15, 2025, when De La Cruz’s Chevrolet Tahoe struck a semi‑truck and veered into Garza’s Hyundai. He received an 18‑year prison sentence on Oct. 19, and all three occupants were taken to Valley Baptist Medical Center, where Garza died the next day.

The Mission Economic Development Corporation announced Monday that it has hired Altiva Management Group of Edinburg to run a search for a permanent chief executive officer. Applications open through Nov. 18, with a selection expected in January and the new CEO starting in March; the position offers a salary between $165,000 and $190,000 and oversees an $8.2 million annual budget for the city of about 89,000 residents.

On Wednesday in Brownsville, jurors heard Victoria Ortiz, aunt of 21‑year‑old Rogelio Martinez, say she does not know the details of his conviction for killing San Benito police officer Lt. Milton Resendez and disagrees with the verdict. District Attorney Luis V. Saenz cross‑examined her, accusing her of dishonesty and asking why she never visited Martinez in jail, as prosecutors pursue the death penalty in the sentencing phase.

The iconic Coconut Jacks Bar and Grill, built by Amy and Jack Salander and opened on March 23, 1990 on South Padre Island overlooking Laguna Madre Bay, has been demolished after more than three decades of operation. The concrete structure now sits empty as a national‑franchise‑styled seafood restaurant is slated to be built on the site, ending the beloved local surf‑community hangout.

The writer recounts an afternoon visit to Mariscos Lauro Villar, where the dining room was full and the staff served a menu of botanas, ensaladas, soups, cocktails and various seafood dishes. After scanning the options, the author chose the fried calamari as the sole entrée, noting its appeal among the many offerings. The account highlights that the restaurant offers fried calamari on its menu this afternoon.

Harlingen city commissioners will consider a $7 million proposal to widen the 90‑foot canal that drains Valley International Airport, a project backed by data‑center developer Fluidstack, which also seeks permission to discharge its storm‑water runoff into the channel. The offer, presented at a Sept. 2 commission meeting and again on a Wednesday session, includes a $20 million pledge for other infrastructure. Rio Grande Valley residents will want to know that the canal widening and runoff discharge could affect the area around Gomez Road, FM 1595, near Rio Hondo.

The 2026 UIL Region 28 5A‑6A Marching Contest’s 84th Pigskin Jubilee took place Saturday evening at Bobby Morrow Stadium in San Benito, featuring marching bands from across the Rio Grande Valley. The Harlingen High School South band, directed by Ronnie Rios, performed “The Night Window” and earned a Division 1 rating that qualifies them for the area competition in Laredo on Oct. 31, while other schools displayed colorful uniforms and enthusiastic crowds.

A parking and mobility planner, Jon Forster of Fishbeck, presented the results of a study commissioned by South Padre Island’s City Council on Oct. 5. The analysis found a seasonal parking shortage and recommended a mix of paid parking and one or two parking structures, but Mayor Patrick McNulty said no action will be taken yet and public workshops will be held before any decision.

Comedian Gary Owen is headlining the No Hard Feelings Tour at the McAllen Performing Arts Center on Sunday, marking his first show in the Rio Grande Valley. Owen, who has appeared in films such as “Back on the Strip” and “Ride Along,” said he is part Mexican, loves tortillas, and is excited to try the local Mexican food.

The Texas Historical Commission is hosting an Archaeology Fair at the Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site in Port Isabel, Texas, as part of Texas Archaeology Month. Activities begin Friday at 3 p.m. with a presentation at the Lighthouse Boutique Hotel and continue with tours, talks, vendor booths and live shovel tests on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., giving residents a chance to explore local maritime history at no cost.

Governor Greg Abbott told a news conference on Monday that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission will not vote on a possible sale of Boca Chica State Park to SpaceX in the near future. Abbott said he knows little about the proposal, which Texas Monthly said would be discussed in a closed‑door session of the commission’s Nov. 5 meeting, and emphasized his commitment to adding more parkland across Texas.

Juan Samuel Olguin of Alamo and Michael Anthony Lopez of Pharr, both 19, were indicted on Oct. 8 for the capital murder of 40‑year‑old Hervey Marin De Leon in a July 16 shooting outside an H‑E‑B parking lot in San Juan. Police said the victim’s brother drove him for a drug transaction, Lopez shot him in the backseat, and he was taken to South Texas Health System McAllen while the suspects were detained.