The McAllen
Laura Escamilla T he former executive director of the Stars Scholarship Fund has been charged with theft of property by the Texas Rangers, according to a news release and jail records. Laura Escamilla was booked into the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center last Friday on a char...
Mike Burton, a three-time Olympic swimming champion who was the first American to win gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle at consecutive games, has died according to his son. He was 79. Eric Burton announced his father's death Friday on his Facebook account. “My dad, Mike Burton, h...
Christian Castro A former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent made his first appearance in court Thursday after he was booked in the Hennepin County Jail the day prior. Christian Castro was working with ICE when he was accused of shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Vene...
McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A bookie who collected nearly $3.8 million from high-rollers in South Texas pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge on Monday. Marco Antonio Cardenas, 48, of Mission — and other people who participated in the conspiracy — received nearly $3....
M cALLEN — Hundreds of believers gathered in the historic Cine El Ray, draped in silk and saturated in colorful light, to celebrate the great, great grandson of a curandero, as he keeps his family’s magic alive through the release of his debut book: “The Joy of ...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Better Business Bureau Rio Grande Valley is advising consumers regarding a misleading Facebook post. According to the news release from the BBB Rio Grande Valley, the post is claiming that Habitat for Humanity is offering free roof installat...
A literary festival in the Rio Grande Valley is crossing borders to share the love of reading. In 2026, the deeply rooted South Texas Book Festival, an annual award-winning community event hosted by the McAllen Public Library, is honoring its bilingual and borderland literature p...
P HARR — Moments before the city unveiled its new exhibit Wednesday evening, Francisco Guajardo, chief executive officer for the Museum of South Texas History, offered a few words to a small crowd gathered inside the Pharr Memorial Public Library. Standing before a wall of curtai...
A library is a special place, and September is a special month for that very reason. September is Library Card Sign-up Month at the McAllen Public Library, and it is rewarding young readers who receive their card with a special surprise and a world of discovery. Kate Horan, libra...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A local influencer is highlighting the Rio Grande Valley's most haunted locations and the history behind them. Karla Paola, also known as Karla's Paradise on TikTok and Karla's Haunted Files on Facebook and Instagram, began her paranormal conten...
A textbook summer pattern will remain in place across the Rio Grande Valley this weekend, bringing plenty of sunshine, a few fair-weather clouds, and afternoon temperatures climbing to 100 degrees or higher. While most areas will stay dry, there is a slight chance of isolated aft...
Edinburg City Hall is seen in this undated photo. (Courtesy: City of Edinburg /Facebook) L ast Tuesday, Edinburg started taking a look at the next fiscal year’s budget, which includes a commitment to maintain the tax rate, while also consider raising water rates by 11%. That even...
MISSION — Sharyland Pioneer finished the 2025 season as the top team in the Rio Grande Valley after winning a District 31-5A title and making it to the third round of the playoffs. The Diamondbacks ended up graduating half of their roster. However, the players they retained and t...
Madison Booker, Hannah Hidalgo and Sarah Strong will have an NIL deal with Unrivaled for the second straight season as the 3-on-3 league continues to sponsor top college players. The trio, who star at Texas, Notre Dame and UConn respectively will be joined by KK Arnold — Strong's...
Donovan Yandel Martinez Tirado C ameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz announced on Facebook Monday the sentencing of a teenager who pleaded guilty to killing a man when he was 16 years old on June 1, 2024. Donovan Yandel Martinez Tirado, who is now 17, pleaded guilty to ...
Roberto Baez is seen in this undated photo at Los Fresnos City Hall. (Courtesy: City of Los Fresnos /Facebook) T he city of Los Fresnos announced it has appointed Roberto Baez as city manager. According to a Facebook post published Tuesday, the city said Baez has already spent ti...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The McAllen Public Library is calling on all young artists across the Rio Grande Valley to participate in its 2026 Youth Bookmark Contest. The contest is part of the library's South Texas International Book Festival — an annual celebration of bo...
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Lucas Glover removed his shoes to retrieve his ball from the hole in the final round of the 3M Open, TV commentators speculated it was in protest of the AimPoint green-reading system used by many PGA Tour players. Turns out, he went shoeless for another re...
GENEVA (AP) — One week after the World Cup final, FIFA President Gianni Infantino attacked perceived critics for “spreading hate and false rumors” about the tournament. Infantino praised FIFA for “delivering the best show in the world” and spoke of the World Cup bringing “joy and...
The parity era in the NBA seems like it could continue. At least, that's what oddsmakers and bettors appear to believe after LeBron James' latest decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers. New York's championship run last month capped a season that extended an unprecedented run of ...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The San Juan Memorial Library and Hidalgo County Health & Human Services Department will host a free Narcan training on Friday. The free event will begin at 10:30 a.m. Attendees will learn how to recognize an opioid overdose and how to properly ...
McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A man who threatened a federal agent with “lights out” avoided prison Monday. In June 2025, when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided a taqueria in San Benito, bystanders recorded the confrontation — and posted the video on Facebook. An...
The first reported case of New World screwworm in the Rio Grande Valley was confirmed Sunday by Starr County officials. In a Facebook post, officials said the case was confirmed in the western part of the county, but did not specify any further. Officials also did not specify wha...
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark seemed “bouncy” to Indiana coach Stephanie White before the Fever faced the Seattle Storm on Friday night. The sharpshooting star not too far removed from a back injury bounced right into the record books — her own, her team’s and the WNBA’s. Cla...
Stephanie Tovar poses with her new book “Make Way For Madison: The Seven Summits.” (Courtesy photo) “Once there was a girl named Madison and she loved to climb,” Brownsville mom Stephanie Tovar wrote in her new children’s book dedicated to her seven-year-old daughter. In three mo...
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper said he did not know a Cameo video he recorded would be used by FanDuel as a reward for a VIP customer who later sued the sportsbook, saying it took advantage of his gambling addiction. The Philadelphia Inquirer repor...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) -- The Hidalgo County Health and Services hosted its first public opioid overdose prevention and awareness training on Friday in Mercedes. Health officials visited the Mercedes Public Library to provide insight on the steps to take and how to admi...
McAllen Couple Booked On Charges For...
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Sportsbook operators anticipated this year's World Cup would set betting records because the major elements were aligned. The world's most popular sporting event is being played in North America, so U.S. audiences can see the games live while the sun is out or in...
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Farah Mazid Saddah is a writer and a poet whose work explores identity, resilience, and the transformative power of the human spirit. Throughout her journey as an author, she has published five books: "Princess of the Tide", "Belong to the World...
Andre Burakovsky is on the move again, this time to the team he father once played for. Chicago traded Burakovsky to Ottawa on Friday for a 2027 sixth-round pick. The Blackhawks clear his $5.5 million salary cap hit off the books for next season, while the Senators get a 31-year-...
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — It's halftime at the World Cup. Take a break, everyone. Wednesday marked the midpoint of the 104-match tournament — technically, just past the midpoint, with 54 matches now in the books and 50 remaining before a World Cup champion is crowned in East Rut...
The early results are in: This U.S men's national team is for real in this World Cup. With a quick and creative offensive attack producing goals in front of stadium-shaking home crowds, the Americans have already won their group and booked their place in the knockout round. A fin...
Gabriel Sanchez has been selected as McAllen’s poet laureate, celebrated for giving voice to border communities and his unwavering commitment to preserving cultural narratives at Speer Library Friday, May 1, 2026 in Mission. (Delcia Lopez | dlopez@themonitor.com) “The power of ar...
Are you a Book Babe? Three South Texas sisters have discovered that the Rio Grande Valley’s reading culture is much bigger than it seems. To meet a growing demand for literary events and strengthen the local reading community, Three Sisters Co., founded by Maria, Linda and Nayell...
