Category: News

Tarpon Volleyball team earns All-District honors

By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR. Special to the PRESS   The (11-23) 2025 PIECHS Volleyball team had a brutal non-district schedule, but it was scheduled by design as it ultimately prepared the team for the district race. By the end of the district games, the Lady Tarpons finished with a 6-4 district record and a trip …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/12/25/tarpon-volleyball-team-earns-all-district-honors/

Moments in Time, 1927: Women To Serve on the Home Front

By Steve Hathcock Special to the PRESS 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. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/12/25/moments-in-time-1927-women-to-serve-on-the-home-front/

Commander Rosenlund leads Wreaths Across America Ceremony in Port Isabel

By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PRESS   Commander American Legion Post 498 Philip Rosenlund says this weekend’s Wreaths Across America ceremony offered the Port Isabel community a meaningful opportunity to pause, reflect, and honor those who have served and sacrificed for the freedoms Americans enjoy today. The wreath-laying ceremony will take place Sunday, December …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/12/18/commander-rosenlund-leads-wreaths-across-america-ceremony-in-port-isabel/

Tarpons fall to Saints, 71-59

By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR. Special to the PRESS   This Tuesday, December 16, the (5-8) Port Isabel ECHS Tarpons hosted the (12-7) STX Saints in a non-district basketball game. Prior to the matchup, the Tarpons had wrapped up competing in La Feria’s C.E. Vail Tournament where they finished with a 1-2 record. The Tarpons picked …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/12/18/tarpons-fall-to-saints-71-59/

Laguna Vista Honors Jacob Baker with Proclamation Day

By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PRESS   The Town of Laguna Vista formally recognizes Jacob Baker Proclamation Day, honoring a resident whose life reflects perseverance, faith, and a steadfast commitment to serving others. The proclamation, authorized by State Representative Janie Lopez of District 37, designates December 20, 2025, as a day of recognition in …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/12/18/laguna-vista-honors-jacob-baker-with-proclamation-day/

Uncovering SPI’s common jingles

By MARY GRIZZARD Special to the PRESS Mermaid’s Toenails. Golden Shells. Saddle Oysters. These are all every day names for the mollusk Anomia Simplex, but it’s best known as the Common  Jingle, a small and often overlooked bivalve shell found on South Padre Island beaches. They are extremely thin and translucent, measuring between 1-3”, and …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/12/18/uncovering-spis-common-jingles/

Port Isabel–San Benito Navigation District takes action on budget

By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PRESS   The Port Isabel–San Benito Navigation District Board of Commissioners met Monday, December 15, 2025, at the district offices on Industrial Drive, opening with an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance. No members of the public signed up to speak during public comment. Commissioners first approved minutes from …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/12/18/port-isabel-san-benito-navigation-district-takes-action-on-budget/

Laguna Vista holds town council meeting

By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PRESS   The Laguna Vista Town Council meeting on December 9 covered routine town business, board appointments, and project updates, but confusion over how an Ethics Board vacancy was handled led to disagreement among council members and later public discussion. Early in the meeting, the council approved a proclamation …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/12/18/laguna-vista-holds-town-council-meeting-2/

CCRMA presents annual report

  Special to the PRESS BROWNSVILLE, TX—The Cameron County Commissioners received the Cameron County Regional Mobility Authority’s (CCRMA) Transportation Reinvestment Zone (TRZ) 2025 Annual Report and Project Status Update last week. The report, and the accompanying presentation to Commissioners’ Court, outlined progress on a range of transportation initiatives, including roadway expansions, highway connectors, rail improvements, …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/12/18/ccrma-presents-annual-report/

SPI Fire Station mural honors Island’s First Responders and Coastal Heritage

BY JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PRESS   A splash of color is turning heads at the South Padre Island Fire Station, where a new beach-themed mural outside the Ocean Rescue Office is quickly becoming a favorite stop for lifeguards, firefighters, and island visitors. The idea began with Fire Chief Jim Pigg, who envisioned a …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/12/11/spi-fire-station-mural-honors-islands-first-responders-and-coastal-heritage/