Tarpon Football prepares for homecoming

By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR. Special to the PRESS   This week the Tarpons will be enjoying a spirited week that leads up to the annual Homecoming game on Friday night. Highlights included a mum-making day at the High School, voting for Homecoming King and Queen and court, a Homecoming parade and ending with the Homecoming …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/10/02/tarpon-football-prepares-for-homecoming/

Tarpons get stung by Yellowjackets, 28-7

By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR. Special to the PRESS   This past Friday night the (2-2) Port Isabel ECHS Tarpons took to the road as they faced off with the (2-2) Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets in a non-district matchup. The Jackets were coming off a 35-10 loss to Edinburg while the Tarpons were coming off a 61-7 win …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/10/02/tarpons-get-stung-by-yellowjackets-28-7/

Laguna Vista City Manager addresses budget confusion

By DIANTÉ MARIGNY editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com   After several recent letters to the editor raised concerns about the Town of Laguna Vista’s budget and employee salaries, City Manager Victor G. Treviño reached out to clarify the facts. Treviño, who marks his six-month anniversary as City Manager this month, said he understands why some residents were upset but …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/10/02/laguna-vista-city-manager-addresses-budget-confusion/

Guiding Light: Jason Ellsworth and Third Coast Sound

By: Trina “Indi” Johnson Jason Ellsworth’s music has long been a steady guide through the currents of southern roots music. From the dusty streets of Harlingen, Texas, to stages across the nation, his journey has been one of patience, humility, and quiet generosity, like a lighthouse standing firm against changing tides and shifting winds. His …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/10/02/guiding-light-jason-ellsworth-and-third-coast-sound/

Lucinda “Sandy Feet” Wierenga: Sculpting Life in Sand

By: Trina “Indi” Johnson Lucinda “Sandy Feet” Wierenga has been shaping sand for more than four decades, transforming grains into towering castles, intricate figures, and fleeting masterpieces that live in memory long after the tide claims them. Her journey began in Weslaco, where she was a high school English teacher. “I met Amazin’ Walter. He …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/10/02/lucinda-sandy-feet-wierenga-sculpting-life-in-sand/

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT EVENTS: Replacing sirens with smiles in SPI & Port Isabel

By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PARADE   National Night Out (NNO) began in 1984 through the nonprofit National Association of Town Watch (NATW) with a simple goal: turn strangers into neighbors and neighbors into partners. The tradition continues in Port Isabel on October 6th and on the South Padre Island on October 7th this …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/10/02/national-night-out-events-replacing-sirens-with-smiles-in-spi-port-isabel/

Port Isabel’s Pachanga (Party) in the Park: New Location, Same Big Energy

By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PARADE   Save the date for the 13th Annual Port Isabel Pachanga! This big, vibrant community festival will be held October 11–12, 2025, and promises two evenings packed with food, Tejano, Country, and Conjunto music, rides, and cultural celebration—all free and open to the public. To make the event …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/10/02/port-isabels-pachanga-party-in-the-park-new-location-same-big-energy/

HalloWings over SPI – Fall Migration Celebration

By: Javier Gonzalez Special to the PARADE We all eagerly await that first cool northern breeze of the fall. The long summer is always peak fun, but we are left totally drained by the relentless heat. Our sizzling skin yearns for that cool relief as we drag our dehydrated, raisin-like bodies into a new season. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/10/02/hallowings-over-spi-fall-migration-celebration/

Laguna Madre Humane Society to Host Barktober Fest 2025

By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PARADE If you love animals, you will love this heart-warming event that will benefit the 501c3 nonprofit Laguna Madre Humane Society (LMHS).  Barktoberfest 2025, set for the last  Sunday in October, the 26th, will be the 3rd annual celebration that combines fun, food, and furry friends in a festive …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/10/02/laguna-madre-humane-society-to-host-barktober-fest-2025/

Family’s Plea for DWI Awareness: Mother of 2 killed in SPI golf cart crash

    By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Spcial to the PRESS   On Saturday, August 9, 2025, at around 2:15 a.m., a young family’s life was forever changed. At the intersection of Padre Boulevard and Morningside Street on South Padre Island, Kaylinn Churchill, a devoted mother of two little girls from Fort Worth, was killed when a …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2025/09/25/familys-plea-for-dwi-awareness-mother-of-2-killed-in-spi-golf-cart-crash/