RIO GRANDE CITY

Scores, schedules and recaps of the regional quarterfinal round of the UIL High School softball playoffs for Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend.

After throwing out Tamez at first, Rattlers first baseman Ava Cortinas turned and converted a double play, throwing out Brownsville Veterans’ Rebekah Izeta to end the inning. Game 2 is scheduled for 3 p.m. today at the Brownsville Veterans Softball Field. Rio Grande City pitcher Denzy Saenz picked up the victory for the Rattlers, pitching all seven innings while allowing just one run. Brownsville Veterans’ Alexis Tamez pitched the entire game for the Chargers, tallying six strikeouts. The Rattlers’ defense locked up the Chargers following the first, never facing more than four batters again to protect their lead and secure their victory.

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

2022 Corpus Christi high school soccer playoff schedule, results for the UIL playoffs.

Border Patrol agents find $1.2 million worth of drugs in six different incidents over the course of the weekend.

Border agents seized over 450 pounds of marijuana following a vehicle pursuit near Sullivan City on Thursday.

Senior Adi Fleischmann hit a last second bucket to send McAllen High to the Region IV-5A quarterfinals.

Scores and schedules for Corpus Christi and Coastal Bend boys high school basketball playoffs.

The Rio Grande City school district is making schedule changes in preparation for more cold weather expected in the Rio Grande Valley Friday. The district will have a late start for all students that day, a statement on social media made Thursday morning reads. For elementary students, buses will run at 7:30 a.m. and classes will start at 8:30 a.m. Bus service will begin at 8 a.m. for middle schoolers and class will begin at 9 a.m., while buses will run at 8:45 a.m. for high schoolers and classes will start at 8:45 a.m.Additionally, the post says, students will be permitted to wear warm ups both Thursday and Friday. “On behalf of Mr. Adolfo Pena Jr., Superintendent of Schools, and the entire Board of Trustees, we hope everyone can bundle up and stay safe and warm!” the statement read.

A new Buffalo Wings and Rings project is preparing to take flight in Rio Grande City. According to Gilbert Millan, Rio Grande City planning director, the first inquiry about the permit happened in June 2021. “The growing sports restaurant chain may break ground anytime within the next year, before the permit expires. “An awesome dining experience beyond buffalo wings awaits families, sports fans, and connoisseurs of good food coming soon to beautiful Rio Grande City,” Rio Grande City Mayor Joel Villarreal wrote. Buffalo Wings and Rings isn’t the only big-name restaurant announcement this January for the town of 17,000-plus residents.

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

In the weeks before the December filing deadline to run in the March primary election, Project Red Texas traveled South Texas to recruit candidates to run for county offices. The group ended up helping get 125 candidates on the ballot across 25 counties.

Police are investigating after a man was killed in Rio Grande City on Wednesday night. Officers responded to a call reporting a homicide at a residence near the intersection of Old El Sauz Road and Sr. Corona Circle around 9 p.m. Wednesday. “Upon arrival officers discovered a male subject to be deceased,” a news release from the department stated. The man’s name has not yet been disclosed, and the case remains under investigation.

“We intend to file a motion to dismiss charges against Mr. Danny Garcia, your honor,” said Marco A. Palmieri, a prosecutor with the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice. Court records show the motion was formally filed shortly after the status conference ended; however, the two-page motion makes no mention of what led prosecutors to drop the charges against Garcia. I know his parents went to church right after (prosecutors) announced that they were gonna dismiss it,” Vega said. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss the remaining charges against him. He died just days after the court denied an emergency request from prosecutors to memorialize his testimony via deposition.

“We intend to file a motion to dismiss charges against Mr. Danny Garcia, your honor,” said Marco A. Palmieri, a prosecutor with the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice. Palmieri said the government would officially file its motion to dismiss the charges against Garcia by the end of the day Tuesday. The indictment alleged that Garcia used his attorney trust account, also known as an IOLTA account, to launder bribes from the alleged scheme while keeping some of the proceeds for himself. Since the superseding indictment was unsealed, one defendant — John Cuellar — has since reached a plea deal with prosecutors. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss the remaining charges against him.

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The matter of the vacant city manager position in Rio Grande City won’t be resolved until 2022, though the city attorney sought to dismiss the issue before the new year.

Two men arrested a day after Thanksgiving for smuggling over 100 pounds of cocaine on horseback through Rio Grande City were indicted on Tuesday.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has identified the individual found dead this week...

Two cousins who crossed about 385 pounds of cocaine on horseback the day after Thanksgiving in Rio Grande City were arrested and charged with drug smuggling.

An open government advocate said this week that if Texas legislators are one day successful in closing a loophole in the state’s public information act, municipalities such as Rio Grande City would no longer be able to work around certain requirements — such as responding to requests.

For over a year, Rio Grande City has not hired a city manager, though its own city charter requires such an appointment and the commission voted to begin the hiring process in May. On Wednesday, the city was prompted to initiate the search

The Starr County GOP chair who ran for a seat on the Rio Grande City commission is preparing to mount a signature campaign to propose term limits for the commission.

Federal court records indicate Evaristo Sepulveda, an alleged Rio Grande City drug trafficker, will plead guilty.

EDINBURG — U.S. Border Patrol agents caught 37 migrants in a stash house and vehicle pursuit Thursday in north Rio Grande City. The Starr County Sheriff’s Office assisted Border Patrol in apprehending 33 migrants found inside a stash house Thursday afternoon. All were taken into Border Patrol custody. The driver of the Ford failed to yield and led agents on a vehicle pursuit. This fiscal year, Border Patrol agents have found over 400 migrant stash houses and apprehended 7,400 migrants as a result throughout the Rio Grande Valley, according to a news release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

LA FERIA — The Rio Grande City Lady Rattlers defeated the La Feria Lionettes 23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-16 in a non-district matchup Saturday in La Feria.

By BERENICE GARCIA and VALERIE GONZALEZA man who was suspected of killing a woman in Rio Grande City in 2019 has died in prison, according to the 229th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Starr County. Ismael Mares Jr., 44, died in custody at the Ramsey unit in Rosharon, Texas, according to Starr County District Attorney Gocha Ramirez. In December 2020, the Texas Rangers turned over the case to the Starr County DA’s office, Escobar told The Monitor. Mares and his older brother, Luis Mares, 47, are both suspected members of the Mexican Mafia. The Starr County Special Crimes Unit made the announcement on July 26 and corroborated Luis Mares’ allegations that a key piece of evidence in the case, a DNA match with Luis Mares, was disregarded 17 years ago.

Leaders from both sides of the border along Starr County met Friday to strategize and focus efforts that, they hope, will lead to a prosperous region. “A binational, regional concept” is how Joel Villarreal, Rio Grande City mayor, described the goal of the regional roundtable discussion that drew mayors and chamber of commerce representatives from Starr County, Roma, Rio Grande City, Miguel Aleman, Camargo and Diaz Ordaz. A video put together by the Rio Grande City EDC and played during the meeting highlighted a highway route that went from Monterrey toward Roma and veering into the U.S. through Rio Grande City. We really want to focus on that,” Jaime Escobar Jr., the Roma mayor said. So, if it’s not in my city, it could be with my neighbor,” Villarreal, the Rio Grande City mayor said.

A Hidalgo County grand jury indicted Manuel Morales on Aug. 10 and he is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday. DPS arrested Morales on Aug. 20, 2020, after troopers deployed a spike strip as he entered Rio Grande City, causing him to crash. “The vehicle continued to drive recklessly almost striking other vehicles on the expressway,” the affidavit states. DPS says the chase continued toward Mission where they allege Morales tried to strike a marked DPS unit from the rear. At the time of the incident, DPS said troopers determined several people inside Morales’ vehicle were in the country illegally.

Democratic Congressman from Laredo, Henry Cuellar helped lead a meeting between several south Texas community leaders and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Border Patrol agents in Rio Grande City rescued an immigrant who fell from a cliff on Wednesday morning. The 21-year-old Honduran national was able to call 911 for help and told Rio Grande City Police that he’d fallen from the cliff and injured his leg. On Tuesday night, agents found more than a dozen immigrants hidden in a tractor-trailer rig at the Falfurrias checkpoint. According to a news release, a canine unit alerted agents to possible contraband inside a black Peterbilt 18-wheeler. When agents opened the trailer they discovered boxes of produce and then found several immigrants laying on top of boxes of onions.

This Rio Grande City smoke shack has barbecue in its name, but its Mexican dishes really shine.

A woman pleaded guilty to harboring nearly 70 people in the country illegally inside a Rio Grande City stash house.

The wife of a Rio Grande City man accused of drug trafficking was arrested Friday and is scheduled to make her initial appearance in federal court Monday morning. Julisa Peña, 32, was arrested Friday and charged for her role in using up to $110,000 derived from drug trafficking. Peña took the stand last year during the detention hearing for her husband, Evaristo Sepulveda, after he was arrested on drug trafficking charges in January 2020. “The payments were generated from Evaristo Sepulveda’s involvement in illegal drug trafficking and the sale of illegal drugs,” the complaint read. Peña’s husband of 10 years, Evaristo Sepulveda, was arrested in January 2020 in relation to a smuggling event involving 320 kilograms of cocaine moved through Starr County the previous year.

Within the last 24 hours, U.S. Border Patrol agents in Rio Grande City encountered 229 people crossing the border illegally in two separate large groups, the agency said in a news release Wednesday morning.

Rio Grande City Border Patrol Station agents found 736 migrants in three large groups in La Grulla this weekend, including one the agency is describing as its largest group yet this year. Border patrol agents first saw a large group of migrants “make landfall” near La Grulla Friday morning. On Saturday, Rio Grande City agents found an even larger group of migrants — 298 — walking north on a ranch road after illegally entering the country. “This has been the largest group of migrants encountered by RGV agents this fiscal year,” the news release said. Sunday afternoon, Border Patrol agents encountered yet another large group of migrants walking north on the same ranch road as the previous day.

Calls from two concerned citizens on Friday resulted in a Border Patrol aerostat operator spotting a group of nine people crossing into the country illegally near Rio Grande City.

Many locals in the Rio Grande Valley complain that the 'surge' of DPS troopers is more of a nuisance than an effective crime-fighting force.

Many local officials and business leaders along the border say that the rhetoric is misplaced and that the broader needs of their communities can often get lost.

Nearly two months after receiving information from a concerned citizen about a possible stash house in Rio Grande City, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested an alleged caretaker after finding nearly 40 people there last Thursday.

A man was arrested north of San Ygnacio for transporting migrants from Roma to Laredo,...

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers seized 346 pounds of marijuana after a traffic stop in Rio Grande City.

Border Patrol on Wednesday arrested a woman in Rio Grande City who they accuse of harboring 15 people who entered the country illegally.

A probable cause affidavit for the arrest of a 41-year-old man alleges he fired two shots at Texas Department of Public Safety troopers during a vehicle pursuit through Rio Grande City.

Border Patrol arrested a Mexican woman Monday accused of operating a stash house in Rio Grande City where 67 people who entered the country illegally were found.

Two Rio Grande City men face federal kidnapping charges related to their alleged involvement in an incident in which an Edinburg man was held against his will, records show.

Brothers J.R. Castill and Bobby Castillo umpired a game together for the first time in nearly 20 years on Friday at Cabaniss Baseball Field.

“I was so hurt last year that they shut everything down at the start of district,” Ramirez said. The Rattlers have rebounded behind the strength of a talented corps of freshmen and sophomores that have boosted one of the Rio Grande Valley’s deepest lineups and powered the Rattlers to one of their best seasons and first district title in more than a decade. “A lot of girls have been practicing extra after practice and it’s been showing and helping us a lot. Among the squad’s three upperclassmen, Cortinas has provided Rio Grande City with veteran leadership for a young team in the midst of a season filled with unique obstacles. But Rio Grande City has also been able to rely on its pitching thanks to the performance of freshman ace Denzelle Saenz, who has proven RGC can win games in the circle, too.

FILE - In this July 27, 2020, file photo, notes to medical personnel are hung in an area as they prepare to ender a COVID-19 unit at Starr County Memorial Hospital in Rio Grande City, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A raging coronavirus outbreak in Laredo, now one of the biggest hotspots in the U.S., is leading to hundreds of new cases a day around the border city as Texas again reported more than 400 new COVID-19 deaths Friday. Overall hospitalizations in Texas continued showing potential signs of stabilizing, but the rising toll of new deaths continued to be the worst since the pandemic began. More than 1,200 new deaths have been reported in the past three days alone as January is already set to go down as the deadliest month of the pandemic in Texas. Abbott said Laredo has received more than 29,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

The U.S. has seen two distinct peaks in daily deaths. Then, over the summer, outbreaks in Texas, California and Florida drove daily deaths to a second peak of 1,138 on Aug. 1. That's down about 25% from two weeks ago but still not low enough to match the early July low of about 500 daily deaths, according to an Associated Press analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Two weeks later, the state reached its highest seven-day average in daily reported deaths. She noted that daily deaths are still rising in some metro areas, including Memphis, Sacramento, San Francisco and San Jose.