RIO GRANDE VALLEY

A couple of cold fronts will push through the Rio Grande Valley this week bringing cooler temperatures to the area. And although it won’t be as cold as last week, there will be some cooler days ahead. Then, they will drop somewhere between 14 to 16 degrees Wednesday, with temperatures in the mid to upper 60s, the National Weather Service in Brownsville/Rio Grande Valley reports. According to the NWS, an active mid-level flow will bring the pair of cold fronts to the Valley. The low temperatures Friday and Saturday night look quite cool, with widespread upper 30s to lower 40s.

Frank N. Boggus, a pillar of the Harlingen community and a well-known Rio Grande Valley businessman, died peacefully early Saturday morning.

Back in late October, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted a warmer and drier than average December through February across the southernmost third of the United States, including the Rio Grande Valley. Nobody wanted to hear that, since the Valley was already plenty warm, dry and dealing with drought, water levels in Amistad and Falcon reservoirs having become alarmingly low. “Water conservation guidelines remain strongly encouraged as drought, dryness and increasing warmth will impact agricultural and municipal supplies,” he said. Dry grass and brush combined with likely “dry fronts” between February and early March will increase the threat of fast wildfire spread and growth, Goldsmith said. Goldsmith also recommended that Valley residents remain vigilant for sharp cold snaps and freezes until early March.

A former Santa Maria ISD school board trustee is among more than a dozen men and women who have been implicated in a years-long scheme to smuggle hundreds of pounds of cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin through the Rio Grande Valley.

Valley International, McAllen and Brownsville-South Padre Island airports have all had flights canceled over the past two days, with a number of others delayed. American Airlines canceled more than 800 flights Wednesday, 28 percent of its daily flights, and Southwest Airlines canceled 672, about 17 percent of total daily flights. Dallas-Fort Worth, Dallas Love Field and Austin had the most outbound flights canceled nationwide Wednesday, totaling 651, 197 and 176, respectively. Here in the Valley, the Dallas and Austin disruptions have led to more than a dozen cancellations at Valley International Airport. On Tuesday, seven flights were canceled, and on Wednesday another seven flights never made it to VIA.

School districts in the Rio Grande Valley and across Texas’ 34th Congressional District will receive $159.1 million in Title I U.S. Department of Education grants during fiscal year 2023, U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez announced Tuesday.

It’s definitely going to be time for some caldo and hot chocolate over the next couple of days, as a blast of arctic air has once again pushed through the Rio Grande Valley.

Another surge of arctic air is headed to the Rio Grande Valley Monday evening dropping overnight temperatures into the 40s.

Another surge of arctic air is headed to the Rio Grande Valley Monday evening dropping overnight temperatures into the 40s.

With Charro Days right around the corner, Sombrero Festival announced in a press release that Grupo Frontera has been invited to perform at the Premio Lo Nuestro awards in Miami.

With Charro Days right around the corner, Sombrero Festival announced in a press release that Grupo Frontera has been invited to perform at the Premio Lo Nuestro awards in Miami.

MERCEDES — South Texas ISD leadership last week discussed its response to a legislative push to restructure its funding mechanisms as more Rio Grande Valley school districts added their names to the list of institutions calling for reform. Edcouch-Elsa ISD school board member Ricardo Ochoa had to abstain from the South Texas ISD resolution vote since he also sits on that board. There are 24 elected and appointed directors of the district, a body self-described as the largest independent school board in the U.S. South Texas ISD has responded largely by saying those districts and the media are spreading “misinformation” that’s skewed and biased, arguing that it’s a quality institution with funding mechanisms that are not inequitable to other districts in the area. STISD has argued since the beginning that other Valley districts should focus more on improving funding for everyone than on knocking South Texas ISD down a peg.

For the last three years, the Humane Society of Harlingen sustained a no-kill status for their shelter, the only shelter in the Rio Grande Valley to do so.

A strong line of thunderstorms will impact portions of Cameron and southeastern Willacy Counties through 4:45 p.m. today, according to the National Weather Service in Brownsville/Rio Grande Valley.

These spring and summer-like temperatures the Rio Grande Valley has been experiencing over the past couple of weeks were expected to change a little with the passage of a cold front late Tuesday afternoon.

Starting this week, each Chick-fil-A restaurant in the Rio Grande Valley area is giving away a complimentary chicken sandwich to guests who place an order through the Chick-fil-A mobile app. From now until Saturday, Feb. 4, residents can use the app to redeem the reward at participating Valley-area Chick-fil-A restaurants. The offer is limited to one person per Chick-fil-A One account. “We invite guests to come and join us for a complimentary chicken sandwich,” Luis Maldanado, local restaurant operator of Chick-fil-A at 27th & Nolana, said in a news release. “We are grateful for our community and hope our guests will stop by for a free entrée to start the new year.”

The two groups will receive the free emergency contraception on a quarterly basis for the foreseeable future. The donations are part of the company’s Julie for All program, which launched with the goal of increasing access to emergency contraception. However, there are other organizations locally that are also available for free emergency contraception like South Texans for Reproductive Justice who have also partnered with Julie. STRJ has a free emergency contraceptive program through which someone can fill out a form online and the organization will mail the medication to them. That need will determine how many units of emergency contraception Julie will be sending in the following quarters.

The National Weather Service in Brownsville/Rio Grande Valley has issued a wind advisory for inland and coastal Cameron and Willacy counties.

A Rio Grande Valley state representative recently filed several bills proposing to diversify energy production sources, create transparency when purchasing concert tickets and changing opaque insurance policy contracts to protect the elderly. Two bills filed last week target the fees associated with buying concert tickets or renting a home for a short stay. Guerra said two elderly constituents experienced the consequences of an insurance policy in need of transparency. According to the news release, their insurance policy had an automatic loan provision clause that drained their $10,000 plan to nearly nothing. The Monitor is providing a resource page to check out all the bills filed by state representatives and senators in the current legislative session.

Special to The MonitorMaddie Barnes is a 2021 Rio Grande Valley Teach for America corps member, and an 11th-grade English teacher at Rio Grande City High School in Rio Grande City. What motivated you to apply to join Teach For America and choose to teach in the Rio Grande Valley? There is no better place to not only promote literacy but celebrate biliteracy than in the Rio Grande Valley, where I am able to explore the strengths and beauty of two languages interacting and blending. Together, through legal backing via the Equal Access Act, we completed all necessary requirements and I became the sponsor of Rio Grande City High School’s first successful GSSA. Here in the Rio Grande Valley, 61 corps members work in seven districts across the region.

Some public school districts are calling for the elimination of the South Texas Independent School District, which has been a star of South Texas education for more than a half century. Such a change could make the future worse for hundreds of Valley students and those who benefit from their education and skills — and for Valley property owners. STISD is Texas’ only all-magnet public school district. In 28 of the Valley’s public school districts in Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties, property owners pay two assessments, one for their public school district and one for STISD. Moreover, STISD largely has been free from the scandals and turmoil that have plagued so many of the Valley’s other public school districts.

Some public school districts are calling for the elimination of the South Texas Independent School District, which has been a star of South Texas education for more than a half century. Such a change could make the future worse for hundreds of Valley students and those who benefit from their education and skills — and for Valley property owners. In 28 of the Valley’s public school districts in Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties, property owners pay two assessments, one for their public school district and one for STISD. Moreover, STISD largely has been free from the scandals and turmoil that have plagued so many of the Valley’s other public school districts. STISD has proven its value to South Texas and beyond, both in educational excellence and the benefits reaped by the businesses that have hired them.

After serving the Brownsville area for 170 years and the first school to open in the Rio Grande Valley, Incarnate Word Academy is closing.

The Pharr-San Juan-Alamo school district board on Monday voted to move forward with a forensic audit after engaging with a popular firm in the Rio Grande Valley for the service.

The Pharr-San Juan-Alamo school district board on Monday voted to move forward with a forensic audit after engaging with a popular firm in the Rio Grande Valley for the service. Board President Cynthia Gutierrez said Tuesday that the board has chosen Weaver and Tidwell L.L.P to start the initial steps in the audit. Two incumbents losing re-election bids in November signaled a power shift on the board that directly preceded the exit of former superintendent Jorge Arredondo. I think it’s important that we take this opportunity to look at the state of the district,” Gutierrez said. Forensic audits have frequently coincided with district shakeups at Rio Grande Valley school systems in recent years, including in Weslaco, San Benito and Donna.

The Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley will be hosting its annual farm dinner fundraiser Feb. 24 ​​at the food bank’s on-site community garden and farm in Pharr.

The Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley will be hosting its annual farm dinner fundraiser next month. The fundraiser is scheduled for Feb. 24 ​​at the food bank’s on-site community garden and farm, which is located right behind the Food Bank RGV at 724 N. Cage Blvd. “The farm dinner helps support our community garden and farm,” Rosie Martinez, Food Bank RGV Manager of Marketing and Communications, said. “It helps support the farm by allowing us to expand our community garden. The Food Bank RGV is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information, or to learn about sponsorship opportunities, visit foodbankrgv.com.

Assault happened Christmas Day in Cameron County

Such kidding exposes a much more serious issue: Many Valley residents aren’t prepared for extremes in weather, whether they are hot or cold. They and other Texas residents need to be confident that when temperatures hit extreme levels, they can still run their heaters when it’s freezing or air-conditioners when it’s baking. What they don’t need is our energy grid managers to try to avoid accountability by claiming governmental immunity. ERCOT is trying escape a rash of lawsuits stemming from the catastrophic system failure during a February 2021 statewide ice storm. That storm killed hundreds and left much of the state, including south Texas, without power for several days of sub-freezing weather.

A total of 133 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Hidalgo County, officials reported Friday. The hospitalizations were a 24.3% increase from earlier this week when the county reported there were 107 total patients hospitalized with COVID. As hospitalizations in Hidalgo County continue to increase, county health officials also reported 12 additional COVID-related deaths this week. Hidalgo County health officials also reported 1,448 new cases this week, including 576 confirmed and 872 probable cases. In Cameron County, three more of its residents died due to COVID-related complications, county officials reported on Friday.

A red flag warning has been issued for most of the Rio Grande Valley through 6 p.m. Thursday.

Momentum to eliminate South Texas ISD’s taxing authority increased Monday as another Rio Grande Valley school district approved a resolution supporting the push. McAllen ISD’s resolution contends that South Texas ISD enrolls less than 1% of special education students and has strayed from its original mandate. “South Texas ISD was initiated in 1964 not to compete with us. And I don’t think that we should be competing with South Texas ISD,” Trustee Debbie Crane Aliseda said Monday. Critics argue that not all residents are guaranteed enrollment at South Texas ISD and that not everyone benefits from it.

A news conference was held Monday morning to help kick off the 2023 It’s Time Texas Community Challenge in the Rio Grande Valley.

That’s right: A news conference was held Monday morning to help kick off the 2023 It’s Time Texas Community Challenge in the Rio Grande Valley. “Go out there and be proactive and active to maintain your health.”In the 11 years since the challenge was first introduced, over 40,000 Valley residents have participated. “As of kickoff today, we just surpassed 10,000 participants for this year’s challenge throughout the state,” Community Challenge Program Director Sam Gervase said. Guerrero acknowledged that many residents in the area struggle with weight and diabetes, but she said that she hopes the community challenge will inspire healthier decisions. But in the evening, you can go out to a park.”Anyone interested in participating in the community challenge can download the app and register there.

Republican National Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel's visit to the Rio Grande Valley coincided with Biden’s stop in El Paso where he traveled with a congressional delegation, including Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

New tracts of land were added to two national wildlife refuges in the Rio Grande Valley, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials report.

As Rio Grande Valley cities grow, so too are new amenities and outlets that continue to spring up locally and which are meant to bolster infrastructure and quality of life, and the faith community has not been the exception.

More recently, in fact, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints appears closer to opening what many are calling the only Mormon temple in the region and one of only several in Texas. Located at 250 W. Trenton Road in McAllen, the temple has already taken shape and construction looks to be nearing completion. McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos, however, spoke about the temple recently and pointed to the new house of faith as a sign of progress. According to the Church of Jesus Christ Temples, the groundbreaking for the temple was held Oct. 5, 2019 and construction began in November 2020. “The McAllen temple represents the hard work of many faithful members that have been pioneers on (sic) this area, leaders and thousands of missionaries that have been serving with all their heart,” Edgar De Anda said in one review.

The South Texas Auto Theft Task Force has dismantled an auto theft ring that is responsible for stealing vehicles from across the Rio Grande Valley from at least September. Fourteen members of the auto theft ring have been arrested by Brownsville Police Department officers who are on the South Texas Auto Theft Task Force. Balderas, Delgado, Rubalcava, Garza and Arnold were all found in possession of uncoded keys, Sandoval said. Although authorities believe this particular auto theft began operating in September, there’s a possibility that they might have been operating longer than that. It’s not your normal theft ring where somebody goes in, breaks your door and kind of breaks your ignition and takes your car,” Sandoval said.

Trends in evangelical Christianity are influencing Hispanics and their attraction to the GOP.

President Joe Biden will not be visiting the Rio Grande Valley, according to a statement made by U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez on Thursday.

El Paseo Arts Foundation has a busy month planned for theater junkies throughout the Rio Grande Valley.

El Paseo Arts Foundation has a busy month planned for theater junkies throughout the Rio Grande Valley. The second production scheduled this month is “Permanent Record,” a one-man show by acclaimed comedy writer Pat Hazell. “(Hazell) has created this story about the permanent record and talks about his kind of experiences and draws the audience into sharing their experiences of things that are on their permanent record of what they feared would be on their permanent record. Tickets are available for purchase at SOS, the SPI Art Incubator, the Art Gallery in Lighthouse Square, and online at www.elpaseoarts.org. Tickets are available for purchase at SOS, the SPI Art Incubator, the Art Gallery in Lighthouse Square, and online at www.elpaseoarts.org.

Joe Biden was elected president in part because of his promises to address our nation’s indefensible inability, and unwillingness, to improve our immigration problems. The president has announced an end to some immigration restrictions that were imposed by the previous administration, but court orders have kept those restrictions in place. Nowhere is that more evident than in the Rio Grande Valley, where immigration restrictions threaten major hits to our local economy. Our need to restore the flow of immigrants into this country is an obvious truth, especially here in the Valley. Once we are able to process properly those who wish to enter our country, many of our other immigration problems will be reduced as well.

Joe Biden was elected president in part because of his promises to address our nation’s indefensible inability, and unwillingness, to improve our immigration problems. The president has announced an end to some immigration restrictions that were imposed by the previous administration, but court orders have kept those restrictions in place. Nowhere is that more evident than in the Rio Grande Valley, where immigration restrictions threaten major hits to our local economy. Our need to restore the flow of immigrants into this country is an obvious truth, especially here in the Valley. Once we are able to process properly those who wish to enter our country, many of our other immigration problems will be reduced as well.

Lubbock-based Vexus Fiber has announced it is rolling out a high-speed fiber optic network in the Rio Grande Valley. The internet service will be available for both business and residential customers in the McAllen and Harlingen areas, company officials say. “We are extremely excited to be able to further increase our service footprint throughout Texas,” said Jim Gleason, CEO of Vexus Fiber. Vexus already is providing internet service in Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico. High-speed internet service varies depending on how much speed you need.

Rio Grande Valley citrus growers, already dealing with lingering drought and still recovering from the devastating February 2021 freeze, dreaded what forecasters said was headed this way in the days leading up to Christmas. So says Dale Murden, a citrus grower and president of Texas Citrus Mutual, a trade association representing the industry. “Citrus growers pretty much plan ahead,” Murden said. Murden predicted the Valley’s citrus growers will get through the next year fairly well for the most part. A tree can last a long, long time.

After a three-year global pandemic that killed millions of people worldwide, and more than 6,000 in the Rio Grande Valley, and political unrest inspired by an aggressive, confrontational president, most people probably welcome days that largely are uneventful. Certainly, remnants of the stressful days that filled the past few years remain. The number of violent attacks has fallen and many of the more aggressive politicians were unsuccessful in the November elections. We saw more questionable behavior among public officials, especially in public school districts where bickering dominated several school boards, superintendents resigned or were fired, and one Brownsville school board faced an indictment for nepotism that ultimately was dismissed. Other achievements include the RGV Vipers NBA G League championship and the McAllen High School Mariachi Oro’s state championship.

Certainly, remnants of the stressful days that filled the past few years remain. The number of violent attacks has fallen and many of the more aggressive politicians were unsuccessful in the November elections. We saw more questionable behavior among public officials, especially in public school districts where bickering dominated several school boards, superintendents resigned or were fired, and one Brownsville school board faced an indictment for nepotism that ultimately was dismissed. Other achievements include the RGV Vipers NBA G League championship and the McAllen High School Mariachi Oro’s state championship. The new year begins with hopes for more achievements and progress for the Valley.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in the Rio Grande Valley increased to 108 which is a 185% increase health officials report.

ABORTIONOne such story was the April arrest of a Starr County woman on a murder charge for a “self-induced” abortion. Just 48 hours after her arrest, the Starr County District Attorney’s Office dismissed the charges, saying she should not be prosecuted. About two months later, in June, the Supreme Court overruled Roe V. Wade, which affirmed the right to an abortion. Bush is the son of former Donna High, PSJA High and PSJA North head football coach Bruce Bush. Local school district leadership say they have responded, putting safety front and center; however, it’s often difficult to see precisely what measures are being put in place.

Low turnout, Democrats protect South Texas congressional seats but get overwhelmed across rest of state

Henry Cuellar vs. Cassy Garcia; results below beginning at 7 p.m.

Whole Woman’s Health, which owned the building for nearly two decades, said they were “duped” after the doctors who bought the building sold it to the McAllen Pregnancy Center.

The two-time Democratic presidential candidate visited Central Texas and South Texas amid concerns that young and working-class voters are not mobilized enough for the midterm election.

Six men have pleaded guilty after a search in Rio Grande Valley yielded 15 kilograms of cocaine and more than $325,000 in cash.

Before the gubernatorial debate between Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke in the Rio Grande Valley, the parents of Robb Elementary students stepped up to the microphone to voice their opinions on one of the state’s most divisive topics: gun control.

Washington D.C., New York City, Chicago, San Antonio seek advice from director of Catholic Charities RGV for migrant response.

The two companies awarded contracts on Thursday will erect border barriers in Del Rio and the Rio Grande Valley.

It has been nearly six months since the trucker-blockade at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in response to Governor Greg Abbott’s additional inspections. Alicia Barrera is back in the Rio Grande Valley to see what's changed since the order was lifted.

In these historically Democratic border areas, some voters are turning to the Republican party, while others remain unmoved.

A teacher in the Rio Grande Valley has been arrested a month after a 5-year-old boy died because he was left inside a vehicle on campus, according to media reports.

The Texas Education Agency has dismissed the notion that the accountability ratings are a poverty rating. As evidence, they point to districts like those in the Rio Grande Valley, which have achieved high marks while serving a high number of economically disadvantaged students.

O’Rourke wants more debates, but Abbott has indicated this is the only one he is willing to do before the November election.

“If it’s gonna rise by that much, I don’t think we’re prepared,” one South Texas mayor said of temperature increases.

Allysa Cole will join the KSAT 12 team in September. She comes from a local TV station serving the Rio Grande Valley, KRGV.

Authorities say migrants were stopped fewer times at the U.S. border with Mexico in July than in June, a second straight monthly decline.

The governor said Tuesday he has agreed to debate O’Rourke, his Democratic opponent, on Sept. 30 in the Rio Grande Valley.

If both candidates agree, Abbott and O’Rourke will square off in Edinburg on Sept. 30

The national Democratic Party needs to stop taking voters in the Valley for granted and better understand their values, Texas lawmakers said during a Texas Tribune event Wednesday.

In a Texas Tribune event Tuesday, university leaders discussed why Hispanic students finish higher education programs at a lower rate than the state average but have better performance in the Rio Grande Valley and El Paso.

A Mexican immigrant who worked in cotton fields to pay for school supplies, Flores is a source of hope for Republicans looking to gain ground in the Rio Grande Valley. But her staying power will be put to the test this November.

A delegation of Republican senators led by Ted Cruz and John Cornyn of Texas will pay a visit to the Rio Grande Valley on Thursday and Friday to survey the current state of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Less than 24 hours after opening new processing facility in Eagle Pass, Border Patrol agents say its almost at capacity.

García served as the president of the University of Texas at Brownsville until it merged with the University of Texas-Pan American to become the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She is the first Mexican American woman to lead a college or university in the United States.

Border Patrol hosts security event Tuesday morning in the Rio Grande Valley. The event is aimed to cast a light on dangers undocumented immigrants face when entering the US.

Starr County, one of the four counties that make up the Rio Grande Valley, has not been able to produce campaign finance reports that it is required to maintain, according to a GOP group targeting the area.

A day after an 18-year-old man opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, killing 19 students and two teachers, law enforcement in North Texas and the Rio Grande Valley said they intercepted guns and credible threats against schools.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s too-close-to-call runoff got most of the attention, but three other primary runoffs Tuesday carried big stakes for Democrats as they try to defend South Texas from a new GOP offensive.

United States Secretary of Homeland Alejandro Mayorkas is in the Rio Grande Valley as he gets an update on border security efforts.

Cheap regulated and unregulated medication is available over the counter at Mexican pharmacies, including abortion-inducing drugs that are strictly regulated in the U.S.

A Rio Grande Valley mother claims her infant son died from a bacterial infection after consuming powdered infant formula that was later recalled.

The full and often unchecked power of the prosecutor was on display when a South Texas woman was charged with murder for a self-induced abortion.

The law went into effect in September, a week before Mexico’s Supreme Court dissolved a Coahuila state law that made abortion a crime. Now some Texans further along in their pregnancies are going there for abortion-inducing drugs.

The winner of the special election will replace former U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, who resigned last month to work for Akin Gump.

The Rio Grande Valley, often seen as a reliable vote against abortion, has a long history of advocacy to increase access to the procedure.

Commercial traffic at the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge stopped Monday and a similar protest affected traffic into and out of El Paso. The blockades could impact the flow of produce to restaurants and grocery stores.

A special election will determine who finishes Vela’s term, and while the winner will only serve for a short period, Republicans are already eyeing the contest to show momentum in South Texas.

Democrats in the region still had higher turnout, but Republicans celebrated the narrowing of the gap. Despite the improvement, nearly 87% of registered voters in the Rio Grande Valley did not vote in the primary, similar to the rate in 2018.

The administration says it’s filling in wall gaps for agent safety and flood control, and documents suggest an environmental assessment for 86 miles of wall in South Texas is a stalling tactic.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a rule earlier this week to list the prostrate milkweed, which lives along the Texas-Mexico border, as an endangered species. The rare plant is threatened in part by border security activities, scientists say.

Police officers in the Rio Grande Valley discovered more than 700 gallons of liquid meth worth at least $10 million inside a tanker trailer.

The National Butterfly Center, along the U.S.-Mexico border in Mission, has been the target of conspiracy theorists since 2019.

Gov. Greg Abbott delivered remarks Thursday at a border security briefing in the Rio Grande Valley with attorneys general from across the country.

The Brownsville Democrat said his resignation will be effective Jan. 31. That sets up a potential special election to finish his term, though whoever wins would only serve for a short time.

The Republican governor officially announced his reelection campaign Saturday in McAllen, while likely Democratic opponent Beto O'Rourke campaigned in El Paso.

Republicans including former state Sen. Don Huffines of Dallas and former Texas GOP chair Allen West are challenging Abbott for the Republican nomination.

The U.S. government has withdrawn from settlement negotiations to end lawsuits filed on behalf of parents and children who were forcibly separated under the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance border policy.

Lucio announced Thursday that he is not seeking reelection after three decades in the Senate.