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.
By Gregg Wendorf Advance News Journal
Law enforcement to patrol roads this weekend; calling for ride considerably cheaper than DWI
By Gregg Wendorf Advance News Journal
Former Hidalgo County District Clerk Omar Lopez Guerrero, 49, is back in the news after being on the run from law enforcement for 13 years, holed up somewhere south of the border. Occasionally, someone would come back from Monterrey and say they had spotted him there, but that was as close as anyone got until last week when the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office announced his capture, which took place on the Yucatan Peninsula (Tulum).
By Gregg Wendorf | Advance News Journal
With one of Elon Musk’s SpaceX launching pads not 80 miles east, at Boca Chica, not to mention NASA’s recent trip to the moon and back, it’s easy to see why so many of us have space on the mind.
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
Former school board president gets 40 years for child porn possession HOUSTON — A 61-yearold Houston man has been ordered to federal prison for possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of a child, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Jerry James Svatek Jr. pleaded guilty Dec. 5, 2025.
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal by Robb Elementary students and teachers who argued failures by the Department of Public Safety and Uvalde County contributed to a botched response to the 2022 shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers.
The court’s order, issued without comment, upheld a February ruling by the San Antonio-based 4th Court of Appeals that dismissed the lawsuit.
By Colleen Deguzman The Texas Tribune
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.
In an effort to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary, the city encourages its residents and other visitors from the region to head over to Allen & William Arnold City/ School Park to get in on the festivities.
By Staff Report Advance News Journal
Sports
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
There were five teams from the Rio Grande Valley who represented the region this past weekend at the 7-on-7 state tournament in College Station.
Four of the squads were from Hidalgo County — PSJA North, Weslaco, Economedes and Mercedes. The last squad from Cameron County were the Port Isabel Tarpons.
By Staff Report Advance News Journal
Some cats solidified their state tournament berth after capturing the top spot in their respective brackets.
The Mid-Valley Classic 7-on-7 State Qualifier Tournament was held Saturday at both Weslaco High School and Weslaco East. The teams who won the bracket they were placed in earned a berth to the state tournament, which is held from Thursday to Saturday over at College Station.
By Staff Report | Advance News Journal
Opinion
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
If you are one of those people who still thinks we can win the war with Iran, or that we haven’t already lost it, I’m begging you, begging you to go to YouTube and pull up the video shown in this editorial. Then take about a half an hour and watch it. Unlike what you might see on Fox News, you will at least hear the unvarnished truth.
No BS, no lies, no spin, no Ted Cruz insanity, just the straight scoop about our war with Iran.
By Gregg Wendorf Advance News Journal
Happy Birthday to the most talented of the Fab Four – Paul McCartney – born June 18, 1942.
Still remember my mother, the pianist who could play any song by ear, making sure the TV was tuned to the Ed Sullivan Show when the Beatles made their first televised appearance in the U.S., Feb. 9, 1964. I was eight, going on nine, still clueless about the world in general. A blissful period to be sure.
By Gregg Wendorf | 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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