Area Breaking News
Judge may order federal government to fix Hidalgo County levees before the start of hurricane season
U.S. District Judge Randy Crane may order the federal government to fix levees in Hidalgo County before the start of hurricane season. During a hearing on Monday morning, Crane asked Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Smith III how the federal government planned to fix gaps in the levee system caused by construction on the border…
Read MoreRGV Border Patrol Arrests MS-13 gang member, two criminal migrants
EDINBURG (4/22/21) – Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a Mara-Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang member, a migrant previously convicted of attempted capital murder in Virginia, and a sex offender. Yesterday morning, April 21, Fort Brown Border Patrol Station (FTB) agents apprehended a group of six migrants near Brownsville. Record checks revealed one noncitizen, an…
Read MoreBorder patrol encounters three large migrant groups
EDINBURG – McAllen Border Patrol (MCS) station agents encountered three large groups totaling 320 migrants in two days. MCS agents working in Hidalgo County responded to several reports of large groups of noncitizens crossing the Rio Grande. The three groups encountered on Monday morning and Tuesday evening totaled 320 migrants. The groups consisted of 229…
Read MoreHolocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony to be held tonight
After the horrors of the Holocaust, the world vowed to never let such a thing happen again. For that reason, the City of McAllen and Temple Emanuel will host the second McAllen Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony, to be held tonight at the McAllen Performing Arts Center, 801 Convention Ctr. Blvd., tonight, April 21, 2021, with…
Read MoreFormer guard at East Hidalgo Detention Center sentenced to more than two years in prison for bribery
A judge sentenced a former guard at the East Hidalgo Detention Center to more than two years in prison Thursday for accepting bribes — including a horse. U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced former Correctional Officer Amber Marie Estrada, 22, of Weslaco during a hearing Thursday morning. Estrada apologized for accepting bribes and thanked the…
Read MoreFormer political candidate drops temporary restraining order, allowing Pharr to proceed with Hidalgo County EMS deal
An attempt to stop the city of Pharr from buying the assets of Hidalgo County EMS during a bankruptcy auction failed spectacularly on Friday. Lorena Singh — a social worker and longtime Pharr resident who mounted an unsuccessful campaign for City Commission in 2019 — filed a lawsuit against the city, attempting to stop the…
Read MorePharr reaches ‘agreement in principle’ to acquire Hidalgo County EMS
The city of Pharr apparently plans to acquire the assets of Hidalgo County EMS and start a city-owned ambulance service. The city submitted a bid for Hidalgo County EMS — a privately owned ambulance company that responds to emergency calls in Pharr, Edinburg and rural parts of South Texas — during a bankruptcy auction that…
Read MoreTrial in Weslaco water treatment plant bribery case delayed until September
A federal judge on Thursday rescheduled the Weslaco water treatment plant bribery trial for September. Concerned about the prospect of bringing together three defendants, a half-dozen attorneys, federal prosecutors, witnesses and jurors for a high-profile trial in the middle of a pandemic, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez delayed jury selection until Sept. 8. In January,…
Read MoreFormer Customs and Border Protection officer pleads guilty to bribery
A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer pleaded guilty to bribery on Thursday, when he confessed to accepting $17,000 during a federal sting operation. Oziel Cantu, 47, of Alamo — a former Customs and Border Protection officer assigned to the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge — pleaded guilty to bribery on Thursday morning. During a federal…
Read MoreMission firefighters warn about ‘toxic and hostile’ work environment
The Mission Fire Fighters Association warned the City Council on Tuesday that Fire Chief Gilbert Sanchez had created a “toxic and hostile” workplace — and requested an investigation. Firefighters are frustrated with Sanchez and Assistant Fire Chief Rene Alvarez, according to a letter from association President Robert Lopez to members of the City Council. The…
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