Area News

Moviegoers spending a summer without theaters For many people, the smell of buttered popcorn wafting through the air among the whispers of an audience waiting for the movie to start is one of the most exciting moments when watching something at the movie theater. It’s an experience that many across the nation, however, have not…

The stillness of the Rio Grande River was interrupted nearly every 90 minutes when, like clockwork, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection patrol boat zoomed past the area where a 3-mile long stretch of a border wall was built a few feet away from the riverbank. Every time the boat raced past the wall as…

An embattled south Texas county is receiving aid from the state in facing the COVID-19 pandemic. Starr County will hold a plasma donation drive next week in the county’s sole hospital. “We do understand the significant needs there are in the Valley for plasma to treat patients with every possible resource we have so Starr…

When he first heard the idea of it, Joel Zamora Jr. was understandably taken aback by it. Zamora Jr., the general manager of the Palmhurst location for Tropical Smoothie Cafe, was gearing up for the opening of his store with a week long series of deals and giveaways that would conclude with a red ribbon…

In the midst of an unprecedented pandemic, the Mission CISD is working to ensure there are less financial burdens for students and parents alike. According to a press release from the district, the administration announced that all registered Mission Consolidated Independent School District students will be provided with their 2020-2021 school supplies.  “We understand the…

The Hidalgo County Cares Small Business Grant Program has amended the requirements and criteria to apply for assistance, the county announced in a Thursday news release. “The new amendments will allow more flexibility on the qualifying criteria,” Hidalgo County Economic Development Director Laura Matamoros said in the news release. The program was created to financially…

Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez extended the county’s Shelter at Home order Wednesday. The new order went into effect Thursday at 12:01 a.m. and remains in effect until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, August 19, 2020. “In these past two weeks, our residents have adhered to the shelter at home order which has helped our…

The Hidalgo County COVID-19 death count rose by 16 Wednesday as another 450 tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of known positive cases to 18,699. A total of 743 people in the county have died from COVID-19 complications Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez said in a Wednesday news release. “I am truly sorry…

The total number of known positive COVID-19 cases in Hidalgo County increased to 18,249 Tuesday, the same day 45 more residents died from COVID-19 complications. 498 tested positive for the virus, the county reported in a Tuesday news release. The county COVID-19 death total now stands at 727. Forty-four of the positive cases are listed…

The total amount known COVID-19 cases in Hidalgo County rose by nearly 400 on the same day 26 county residents died from complication released to the disease. 398 people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of known positive cases to 17,751. The county death total now stands at 682, according to a Monday…