The summer of 1902 in Brooklyn, New York, wasn’t just hot; it was wet, heavy, suffocating. Like South Padre in August at noon with no offshore breeze.
By Gregg Wendorf | Advance News Journal
Those Hidalgo County residents who value water, its availability, have to hope and pray that the AI debacle now seen in Cameron County never lands here.
By P.j. Hernandez Advance News Journal
EDINBURG — The Rio Grande Valley Vipers have been making some off-season moves to prepare for the upcoming season. The team announced on Friday that they have selected two new players — Kacper Klaczek and Yura Melikyan — from the 2026 NBA G League International Draft that took place the day prior.
By Staff Report | Advance News Journal
PHARR — This weekend will for sure go out with a bang as the City of Pharr is inviting the public to its Independence Day festival on Saturday.
Today's News
EDINBURG — A former Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District employee turned themselves into the authorities Wednesday after allegations involving an inappropriate relationship between an educator and a student.
By Staff Report | Advance News Journal
A sweeping 2023 Texas immigration law that lets state authorities arrest and deport people suspected of having illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border can go into effect after a federal appeals court on Friday lifted a lower court's stoppage of certain provisions.
By Alejandro Serrano And Alex Nguyen | The Texas Tribune
The Pharr Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and the UTRGV Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center (ECC), will host Doing Business in Pharr, an upcoming business roundtable designed to help entrepreneurs and small business owners better understand how to start and grow within the city.
By Special To The Advance
News
A new update to U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s plans for a border wall indicates that 30-foot wall segments will be built in two parts of Big Bend Ranch State Park, the latest in a series of mixed messaging about construction in the region.
By Ayden Runnels The Texas Tribune
July is “National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month,” and for those of us who have lost friends, family to suicide, it’s a stark reminder that mental health is every bit as important as physical health.
By Gregg Wendorf Advance News Journal
Former school district financial officer charged in $1M fraud scheme HOUSTON — A 50-yearold Tomball resident has been charged with wire fraud after allegedly stealing approximately $996,174 from Tomball Independent School District, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Kristi Williams is set to make her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard W. Bennett July 13 at 10 a.m.
Sports
EDINBURG — The Rio Grande Valley Vipers have been making some off-season moves to prepare for the upcoming season. The team announced on Friday that they have selected two new players — Kacper Klaczek and Yura Melikyan — from the 2026 NBA G League International Draft that took place the day prior.
Out of the 20 players who were drafted during the event, the Vipers had both the 6th and 16th pick, in which they selected Klaczek and Melikyan, respectfully.
By P.j. Hernandez Advance News Journal
EDINBURG — For the second- straight season, UTRGV has sold out on its season tickets for its football program. The university announced earlier in the month that it has sold 7,600 season tickets for the upcoming football season. That is an 8.57% increase from last year where 7,000 season tickets were sold.
As of now, there are still roughly 3,000 individuals who are on the waitlist to purchase season tickets.
By P.j. Hernandez Advance News Journal
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Athletics department showed a glimpse of their 2030 and 2031 football seasons as they scheduled two games as part of a “Home and Home” initiative with the University of Montana.
The first game against the Grizzlies will be over at their place on Aug. 31, 2030 in Montana at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Then, in 2031, the Grizzlies will come down to the Rio Grande Valley and play against UTRGV onAug. 30.
By P.j. Hernandez | Advance News Journal
Opinion
One of the first interviews I ever did was with Lincoln Borglum. It never appeared in one of these columns but (instead) was televised to the Rio Grande Valley.
By Tom Haughey Advance News Journal
Happy 250th anniversary?
Did you see the depressing poll published over the weekend that shows less than 50 percent of Americans knows what July 4th is actually celebrating?
How did our education system, parents at home, fail us so miserably?
A 2026 national poll by the Cato Institute revealed that 46 percent of Americans don’t know that the holiday and America’s 250th anniversary commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
By Gregg Wendorf Advance News Journal
A couple of centuries ago, a gentleman wrote that the food supply wouldn’t keep up with the population growth and that overpopulation was set to destroy this planet. Shortly after his prediction, however, the industrial revolution came and caused tremendous growth in our ability to produce food. We, therefore, shelved his prediction. The people in trouble wouldn’t overturn the lifeboats in an effort to get into our food-rich environment.
By Tom Haughey Advance News Journal
Lifestyle
Absurdity in modern-day America is…
“The fact that the San Antonio Spurs managed to blow a 29-point lead last week as they lost the NBA championship to the NY Knicks?”
No, that’s not it.
“How about a guy like Texas AG Ken Paxton, who has enough baggage to sink a naval carrier, beat a relatively decent guy like John Cornyn in last month’s GOP primary?”
By Gregg Wendorf | Advance News Journal
This week, Cinderella is featuring two great dogs, Little Laddy and Sweet Sammie. Both were born in 2024 and are affectionate, as well as friendly. He’s a small male and she’s a medium-sized female.
Laddy, the lovable boy
Born in December 2024, Laddy is an adorable fellow who weighs only 15 pounds. He’s a cross between an Italian Greyhound and a Chihuahua.
By Cory Raymond | Cinderella Pet Rescue
Matthew 5:14-16 (Jesus speaking), “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
By Chris Voss | First Christian Church
Obituaries
Maria Olivia (Lopez) Sanchez, 91, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at Rio Grande Regional Hospital in McAllen.
Anselmo “Chemo” Zuniga, 83, passed away Sunday, May 3, 2026, at his residence in Pharr.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Feliciano and Valvina Zuniga; his brothers, Pedro, Rodolfo, Edelmiro, Feliciano Jr., and Arturo Zuniga; and his sister, San Juana Zuniga.
Ireneo “Nene” Sanchez, a lifelong resident of Pharr, was born on January 14, 1940, to Tomas and Margarita (Herebia) Sanchez. He passed away on Feb. 26, 2026, at the age of 86, at the hospital following a brief illness.
Nene was preceded in death by his baby sister, Olivia Sanchez; his beloved mother and father; his sister, Maria Luisa “Chita” Sanchez; and his sister, Margarita “Mague” Sanchez.
Photo Galleries
SAN JUAN — The PSJA Bears, who are arguably the best team in the RGV, won their first postseason game against the Harlingen Cardinals on Thursday by the score of 13-0.
The second game is set for Harlingen on Friday. If there is a third game needed, it will be on Saturday in San Juan at 1 p.m.
The UTRGV Vaqueros (5-8. 0-3) took a regular season series against the Texas Southern University Tigers during a home stretch in Edinburg.
On Wednesday, the Vaqueros took the commanding win, 10-4. The night before that, they won 5-3.
This weekend, starting on Friday, UTRGV will host a Southland Conference three-game series against New Orleans University.
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