U.S., Mexico agree to new deal that sends water to South Texas
The latest development in a years-long push by South Texas farmers and officials to get Mexico to fulfill a 1944 treaty would still fall short of what is owed. Full Story
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Berenice Garcia is a regional reporter covering the Rio Grande Valley. She works at the Tribune as a corps members with Report for America. She previously covered local government, crime, healthcare and general assignments for The Monitor in McAllen where she was born. Though she's spent the majority of her life in the Valley, she traveled east to attend New York University where she studied journalism and politics. While there, she interned at the New York Daily News, the Daily Beast and NBC News. When she’s not working, she enjoys fighting for her life at the gym. Berenice is based in McAllen.
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![The Lake Falcon Dam International Crossing, seen from Starr County, on May 15, 2024.]()
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Starbase, the SpaceX site, is likely Texas’ next city. What happens next?
City leaders, who will be elected in May, will have just a short window to decide what services to provide, like police or fire, and how to tax residents. Full Story
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![A row of homes located on SpaceX owned property near Starbase on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas.]()
Credit: Angela Piazza/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS -
“A global loss”: Millions of Texans mourn the death of Pope Francis
Some churchgoers in the Rio Grande Valley remembered the leader of the Catholic Church as a forward-thinking figure who cared for everyone. Full Story
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![Jeanie Piña, 67, pays her respects in front of the image of Pope Francis at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle in San Juan, Texas on Monday April 21, 2025.
Gabriel V. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Gabriel V. Cardenas for The Texas Tribune -
“The Valley matters to us”: Texas Democratic Party leader makes first pitch to reclaim South Texas
In 2024, President Donald Trump won all four counties in the Rio Grande Valley, once considered a reliable Democratic stronghold. Full Story
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![Newly elected Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder addresses attendees at a town hall event in McAllen on April 12, 2025. The event organizers invited CD-15 Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz to the event, but she did not attend.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Federal judge rules against Trump, halts deportation of Venezuelans held in Texas under wartime act
The ruling extends a temporary restraining order for three Venezuelan migrants detained in South Texas who are facing deportation. Full Story
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![A man crosses a jet bridge as Venezuelan migrants arrive on a flight after being deported from the United States, at the Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela on March 30, 2025.]()
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South Texas county leaders will lose some authority over SpaceX launches under new bill
The lawmakers behind the bill promised there would not be an increase in the number of days the beach is closed. Full Story
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![Members of the ENTRE Film Center, a local film center and regional archive, hosted the gathering at Boca Chica to celebrate the beach and motivate people to fight for its preservation, which they view as being in jeopardy since the arrival of Elon Musk's SpaceX. Aug. 8, 2024.]()
Credit: Ben Lowy for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ Rio Grande Valley didn’t see last week’s historic storms coming
The region is still cleaning up after last week's storms in which at least six people died. Full Story
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![Floodwaters in Primera, Texas, on the morning of March 28, 2025.]()
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3 dead, more than 200 rescued in South Texas after severe storms cause flooding
Homes were inundated with water and cars were abandoned across the Rio Grande Valley region. Full Story
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![A crowd of vehicles lay stranded on frontage road in front the McAllen Convention Center during a downpour on Thursday, March 26, 2025, in McAllen, Texas.]()
Credit: Joel Martinez/The Monitor via AP -
FEMA wants the names and addresses of migrants helped by Texas nonprofits and local governments that got federal grant money
A letter sent this week claims the grant recipients, including many Texas cities and counties, may have illegally “induced” undocumented immigrants to enter the country. Full Story
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![Migrants walk from a DHS tent facility in front of the McAllen bus station to Catholic Charities RGV Humanitarian Respite Center on April 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate panel sends message to Trump: Get our water from Mexico
Farmers and elected officials told a Senate committee Monday that the lack of water is becoming dire, with little relief in sight. Full Story
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![Water marks are seen on the dam gates and concrete at the Falcon Dam in Starr County on Aug. 18, 2022. This area of the reservoir is normally under water, but because of an extended drought, water levels have been below 20% full since earlier this year. The Falcon Dam was dedicated by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mexican President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines in 1953.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune