PI powerlifters compete among Texas’ best

By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR. Special to the PRESS This past Friday, March 27 the Port Isabel Early College High School boy’s powerlifting team traveled to Abilene, TX to compete at the Texas High School Powerlifting Association State Meet.  The PIECHS boys powerlifting team featured a fairly young group this season, led by just two seniors, …

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Teams face stiff competition at Meet of Champions

By CONSTANCIO MARTINEZ, JR. Special to the PRESS This past weekend, March 27-28, the Port Isabel ECHS track teams competed in the Meet of Champions track meet. The annual two-day event featured a whopping 54 RGV schools from all classes.    The lone male competitor from PIECHS was Aidan Ramos who came in 21st place …

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Dianté’s Mom Diaries: Almost Summer on the Island

Juvi (7), left, and Gia (10), right, at one of our favorite island restaurants, Daddy’s, where they love the great seafood and karaoke.  photos courtesy/Hugo Robles  Gia (10), left, and Juvi (7), center, stands with their grandmother, Edith Robles, as they enjoy the popular sunset Dolphin Watch boat tour on the Laguna Madre…on a school …

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RIO HISTORY: The Mansfield ‘Cut’

By: STEVE HATHCOCK In March of 1950, the Willacy County Navigation District appeared in court and sued to have the 1,760 acres of land immediately surrounding the port facilities of “Red Fish Landing”  condemned. In a court ordered settlement, the District paid the American Legion three dollars an acre for the land it owned. The …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2026/04/02/rio-history-the-mansfield-cut/

American Redstarts dazzle in spring migration

By: M. Kathy Raines In the Rio Grande Valley, April is not, as poet T.S. Eliot called it, “the cruelest month”—not by a longshot. Here, April is a pure joy. Furtive bobcats, awash in breeding hormones, suddenly appear along trails. Cottontails pop out, along with a host of lizards. Birds dolled up in breeding finery—great …

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Port Isabel Celebrates Selena Quintanilla

By JACQI LEYVA HILL Special to the PARADE A Selena-themed celebration is set for Thursday, April 16, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Pelican Station in Port Isabel, honoring the life and legacy of the late singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez as part of Selena Day in Texas. The two-hour event promises a full tribute to the …

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Fishing tournament funds scholarships

By JAQI LEYVA-HILL Special the PARADE The 5th Annual Superintendent Scholarship Fishing Tournament is scheduled for April 10–11 in South Padre Island, bringing anglers and community members together to support student scholarships in the Point Isabel Independent School District. The event begins Friday, April 10, with a Captain’s Party from 6 to 10 p.m. at …

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Beach Waterpark celebrates 25 years of Island fun

By: DIANTÉ MARIGNY editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com For a quarter of a century, the waterpark on South Padre Island has been a place where families gather, memories are made, and summers truly begin. Now known as Beach Waterpark, the attraction is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year—marking not only its longevity, but its continued evolution as a staple …

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Causeway Run returns this April

Participants walk across the Queen Isabella Causeway during a previous Causeway Run & Walk between Port Isabel and South Padre Island. Courtesy photo / Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce By JACQI LEYVA-HILL Special to the PARADE  The 42nd Annual Causeway Run & Walk is scheduled for Saturday, April 11, bringing runners and walkers from across …

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Free Naloxone, contraceptive distributed

 (Distribution efforts by RGV Harm Reduction during spring break 2026. courtesy/ Loro Jurkin)   By DIANTÉ MARIGNY editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com   Amid the crowds, music and parties that filled South Padre Island during Spring Break, a different kind of outreach was quietly taking place—one focused on saving lives. A small group from the Rio Grande Valley handed …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2026/03/26/free-naloxone-contraceptive-distributed/