EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — May is Mental Health Awareness Month and school districts across the Valley are taking this time to focus on the mental health of their students. The Office of Counseling and Mental Health, based in Region One, has only been around for a little over a year. Region One received a grant of nearly $6 million last year which helped launch the program. Since its creation, the Counseling and Mental Health Department has reached over 50,000 students and trained more than 10,000 educators ..read more

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Officers responded to a barricade situation Wednesday night after a man shot a homeowner in Harlingen with a BB gun, police said. According to Harlingen police, a man shot the homeowner on Marchita Avenue. The homeowner walked to a neighbor's house to call for help. While he was being treated, it was learned that he had been shot with a BB gun in the forehead, according to police. At this point, the suspect had barricaded himself in the home. Shortly after 9 p.m., Harlingen police told ValleyCentral that the man came out of the home and was taken into custod ..read more

ALAMO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Traffic is backed up on the expressway in Alamo due to a car accident. A white vehicle can be seen with damage to its rear side. Law enforcement and fire officials are on the scene. Photo Courtesy: Gabriela Gonzalez Traffic can be seen backed up on the expressway near the Alamo Road exit. ValleyCentral has reached out to city officials and will update the story as information becomes available ..read more

MERCEDES, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Harlingen woman told authorities she had nine beers before a crash that left a woman dead, a criminal complaint stated. Imelda Velez was arrested on one count of intoxication manslaughter, according to Hidalgo County Jail records. Imelda Velez (Hidalgo County Jail) At 6:36 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2023, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was dispatched to a two-vehicle crash on expressway IH-02 westbound, near exit ramp 163A in Mercedes. Upon arrival, he noted that a Dodge Ram had collided with a Ford Fusion. The trooper added the Ford Fusion had severe dam ..read more

EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Edinburg residents will now be required to minimize their outdoor water usage due to drought conditions in the area, according to city officials. "Several factors, including a lack of rainfall, Mexico's scarce delivery of water under the terms of a 1944 treaty and the combined water level at the Falcon and Amistad Dams require that mandatory compliance begin," the City of Edinburg announced. The city is enforcing residents to limit outdoor watering hours to designated days based on address number. Addresses with odd numbers will be able to water on Wednesdays ..read more

DONNA, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Mexican man living in Donna was sentenced to six years in federal prison for downloading child pornography, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced. Angel DeJesus Torres, 32, pleaded guilty to his charges on Jan. 19. At his hearing, the court learned that Torres used several peer-to-peer applications to download child porn ..read more

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Harlingen physician's medical license was reinstated after he was found not guilty of a manslaughter charge. The Texas Medical Board reinstated Dr. Ameer Hassan's medical license last month, according to state records. Ameer Hassan/File Photo On April 18, the executive director of the Texas Medical Board entered an order that rescinded the temporary suspension of Hassan's license. Harlingen physician found not guilty in fatal auto-pedestrian crash "The Board found that on April 16, 2024, the Honorable Judge Gloria Rincones of the 44th District Court of Came ..read more

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Have you been suffering from a scratchy throat, watery eyes, or a runny nose lately? Odds are your body is reacting to the smoke in the air. It is a common thing this time of year for the farmers in Mexico to burn their fields. Huge swaths of Mexico farmland are set ablaze to prepare for the next crop. All that fire generates tons of smoke. The smoke is carried along by the prevailing winds which brings it to the Valley from as far away as the Yucatan Peninsula and mainland Mexico to our south. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality forecast keeps t ..read more

BOCA CHICA, Texas (ValleyCentral) — SpaceX has rolled out another Starship rocket for testing at the Boca Chica facility, according to LabPadre. At midnight Wednesday, SpaceX rolled out S30, or Starship prototype 30, from its production facility to the testing site ..read more

ALAMO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Alamo Firefighters Association is reporting that a major gas leak is causing neighborhoods to be evacuated. Alamo city officials told ValleyCentral the leak occurred at the 800 block of S. 13th Street, where a pipe was busted while moving a mobile home. Photo taken from gas leak in Alamo (Victor Delacruz/ ValleyCentral) Photo taken from gas leak in Alamo (Victor Delacruz/ ValleyCentral) Pharr police provide update on fatal crash involving child on bicycle "Please stay clear of this area," the post stated. "Neighborhoods in the area are being evacuated." T ..read more