Category: News

Laguna Vista City Council holds meeting

By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PRESS Laguna Vista Town Council opened its Jan. 13 meeting with ceremonial recognitions, followed by public concerns regarding delayed grant funding and updates tied to emergency response improvements and long-term infrastructure planning. The Council meeting began with a recognition of  Elizabeth Baldwin, the retiring director of the Laguna Vista …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2026/01/15/laguna-vista-city-council-holds-meeting/

TxDOT seeks input on Tex-Mex Border Transportation Plan

By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PRESS The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is hosting virtual public meetings through January 30, 2026, and inviting residents, business owners, and cross-border travelers to comment on the update of the Texas–Mexico Border Transportation Master Plan (BTMP). These virtual public meetings opened on Friday, December 19, 2025, to provide …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2026/01/15/txdot-seeks-input-on-tex-mex-border-transportation-plan/

Walkout occurs at Port Isabel animal advisory board meeting

By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PRESS After ten years without meetings, the Port Isabel Animal Advisory Board convened a public session on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, restarting a committee required under Texas law to provide guidance and oversight related to municipal animal shelter operations. The meeting featured citizen comments, election of officers, and discussion …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2026/01/15/walkout-occurs-at-port-isabel-animal-advisory-board-meeting/

Moments In Time: Hounds put on jail breaker’s trail

Moments in Time is a collection of recovered newspaper briefs and other publications, compiled by local historian, Steve Hathcock, offering a look back at the history of the Rio Grande Valley. Steve Hathcock is a local historian and a regular columnist for the Port Isabel South Padre Press. He has spent many years collecting and …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2026/01/15/moments-in-time-hounds-put-on-jail-breakers-trail/

Winter Texan finds creative home on SPI

By DIANTÉ MARIGNY editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com For nearly two decades, South Padre Island has been more than a winter escape for Lorn Bergstresser…it has been a place of reflection, creativity, and connection. Each year, Bergstresser and his wife, Laura, travel nearly 2,000 miles south from their small hometown in Manitoba, Canada, trading snowbanks and subzero temperatures for …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2026/01/08/winter-texan-finds-creative-home-on-spi/

Doula serves Laguna Madre families

By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PRESS A birth and postpartum doula who is known as Doula Yarlett Navarro, serves families across the Rio Grande Valley, including  the entire Laguna Madre area. She is working to expand access to personalized birth support in the region. Her path to doula work began after the birth of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2026/01/08/doula-serves-laguna-madre-families/

Tarpons Boy’s Basketball fall in championship game

By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR. Special to the PRESS   During the holiday break the PIECHS Tarpons boys’ basketball team took to the road as they competed in the Odem Owl Holiday Basketball Tournament. The event featured 12 teams separated into four pools. The Tarpons were placed in Pool B along with Bishop and Flour Bluff …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2026/01/08/tarpons-boys-basketball-fall-in-championship-game/

Port Isabel Powerlifting Season To Begin

By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR. Special to the PRESS With the powerlifting season right around the corner, the Port Isabel powerlifting teams are gearing up to compete in the upcoming Brownsville Pace Vikings Invitational. The meet will take place on January 9 at the Brownsville ISD CAB Building with a 10am weigh-in time. The powerlifting program …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2026/01/08/port-isabel-powerlifting-season-to-begin/

LV City Manager outlines priorities for New Year

By JACQI LEYVA-HILL  & DIANTÉ MARIGNY Special to the PRESS The Town of Laguna Vista is entering 2026 with a clear set of priorities for community improvement, according to City Manager Victor Treviño’s Weekly Update released January 2, 2026. The message, shared on the Town’s official Facebook page, and on the official city website, extends …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2026/01/08/lv-city-manager-outlines-priorities-for-new-year/

PI Animal Advisory Board met, first in decade

By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PRESS   The Port Isabel Animal Advisory Board has scheduled a regular meeting for Thursday, January 8, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in the City Chambers Meeting Room at 305 East Maxan, according to an official notice from the City Secretary’s office. This marks the first meeting of the board …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2026/01/08/pi-animal-advisory-board-met-first-in-decade/