Mcallen

Last Night: Go Tejano Day 2013 at Reliant Stadium

Go Tejano Day feat. Julion Alvarez, Los Invasores De Nuevo Leon, Mariachi Invitational Finalists Reliant Stadium March 10, 2013 I've said it once or twice, but I will say it again, and continue to do so until I am proven wrong. Tejano music is dead, at least at RodeoHouston. In its place is banda m ... More >>

The 30 Essential Texas Restaurants: The List Is Live

Sorry about that teaser earlier this week. No fooling around this time, though: Our list is live. Go check out this week's feature -- "Eat Here: 30 Essential Texas Restaurants to Visit Before You Die" -- before reading on. We don't want to spoil any surprises for you. *** Read it yet? Are you sure ... More >>

Rockets Rookie Royce White Battles Anxiety in the Brutal Spotlight of Pro Sports

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night unable to breathe, feeling like you are suffering a heart attack. Your first instinct is to dial 911, but your hand is paralyzed, unable to move out of fear. You lay there, completely still, struggling with every breath without the power to speak. It's da ... More >>

Nayely Ruby Herrera, 21: Houston Woman's Strawman-Purchasing Spree Nets 15 AK-47-Type Weapons

A 21-year-old Houston woman has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for using false information to purchase at least 15 AK-47-type weapons over a two-month period. Nayely Ruby Herrera, 21, made her purchases at a Valley gun store called The Armory, located in McAllen. "During trial, th ... More >>

Carnage: 9 Dead as Van Crammed With Illegal Immigrants Crashes

A Chevrolet Astro van designed to carry seven passengers was packed with 19 illegal immigrants when it crashed trying to get away from police near McAllen last night. Nine died, six were injured and two escaped from the 10:30 p.m. crash in Palmview, police say. "The bodies, believed be those of il ... More >>

Rafa & Cuco: Smuggling 17 Illegals in a Toyota Tundra

Two men received stiff sentences for running an illegal-immigrant smuggling business that was exposed when a Toyota Tundra carrying 17 of their clients crashed, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Houston announced today. Rafael Valles, "a.k.a. El Viejo or Rafa," and Refugio Reyna-Huerta, "a.k.a. Cuco," ... More >>

José Gustavo Diaz-Velasquez: Used Craigslist, YouTube To Recruit Immigrant Smugglers

Doing business in this modern world can be cutthroat -- you either keep up with the times, or you die. Any good business gets itself on the web. Even if that business is smuggling illegal immigrants. The U.S> Attorney's Office in Houston has announced the arrest of José Gustavo Diaz-Velasquez, 29 ... More >>

More Texas Cities Considering Bans on Plastic Grocery Bags

Brownsville set a trend last year when it became the first city in Texas to ban the use of plastic grocery bags in nearly all consumer settings. Brownsville mayor Pat Ahumada told the New York Times that the ban had eliminated 350,000 plastic bags per day, a decrease that "transformed our city from ... More >>

Adrian Parada Jr.: Border Patrol Cop Accused in DWI Death Rocks The Affliction T-Shirt in Mugshot

Photo by McAllen PDAdrian Parada Jr.: Left the Ed Hardy shirt at home.​A Border patrol agent has been charged with intoxication assault for causing an accident that has left one person in critical condition. The victim is on life support, meaning the charges against Adrian Parada Jr. may be u ... More >>

Occupy Wall Street: 99 Percent Protesters March to City Hall for Occupy Houston

See lots more pics of the protest in our slideshow. Joining a movement of protests across the country, several hundred Houstonians gathered at Market Square Park this morning to march to Hermann Square in front of City Hall, which they plan to occupy indefinitely in solidarity with the Occupy Wall ... More >>

Alleged McAllen Starbucks Masturbator Immortalized in Song

Jose Maravilla, celebrated in song​In the borderlands of South Texas, there has long been a tradition of immortalizing revolutionaries in song. Corridos, as these tunes are known, date back to the decades before the Mexican Revolution, and have been written in honor of people like Emiliano Zap ... More >>

Too Much Pavement

Houston's strip malls increase heat, pollution.

Texas School Buying "Smurf Turf" Football Field; Superintendent Speaks To Criticisms

"Smurf turf" is coming to Canutillo High. ​West Texas' Canutillo Independent School District hasn't been bringing in much green of late so they've decided to sing the $350,000 blues. Last week, CISD board of trustees approved the installation of a "smurf turf" field that will replace, for "s ... More >>

Fetuses In A Public Landfill: Not The Way It's Supposed To Happen

Just no​We all know that the souls of aborted babies go to live with Jesus, but what of their earthly remains? Well, in Texas, they legally can't be disposed of in landfills -- which is exactly where the remains from two abortion clinics have been going, according to Texas Commission on Enviro ... More >>

Jose Maravilla: Most Detailed Public-Masturbation Story Ever

Jose Maravilla: Taking care of himself.​We here at Hair Balls are not a squeamish lot. We make no pretensions towards being a "family newspaper." Hell, as a blog, we are not even a newspaper at all. We are gonna go ahead and assume that the opposite is true at The Monitor, the daily paper in ... More >>

Houston Allergies: Why Are You Sniffling? There Are 65 U.S. Cities Worse Than Us

At least you're not in Knoxville​Spring is in the air, but you may not be able to smell it if you're wheezing and sniffling and full of phlegm. Take heart, though: You could be living in Knoxville, Tennessee. That city is the worst in the U.S. for spring allergies, according to the latest ra ... More >>

Pro Life Group Uncovers Health Problems at Clinics

​Texas abortion clinics are plagued with health and administrative violations and have tons of gross medical waste, including fetal remains, in open trash bins outside their doors, according to the results of a three-month undercover study by Christian pro-life group Operation Rescue. The gro ... More >>

Bartender Chat: Kallie Weyland of Byzantio

​After braving the icy winds this week in search of a worthy Bartender Chat candidate, I was very pleased to meet Kallie Weyland at Byzantio. Not only was the place warmly lit and inviting, she also had some great stories to share over samples of her signature Ginger Pomegranate Martini.

Oscar Gonzalez Jr.: Valley Teacher in Hot Water After Marriage to Lolita Turns Sour

The Grand Plaza, in all its grandness​Just in time for the run-up to Valentine's Day comes this tale of romance vengeance from the Rio Grande Valley... In April of 2009, love bloomed in a science classroom at Economedes High School in Edinburg. The girl, named "Ms. G" in the police reports th ... More >>

Texas Catfight Videos: Ferocious Filmed McAllen Brawl Bests Beaumont Battles

Well, Beaumont, your reign as Capital of Texas Catfights was short. Not ten days after the wide publicizing of the long-running BMT Brawlz series of DVDs and the debut of the now nationally-infamous Chuck E. Cheese Throwdown, a new champion has emerged. After you see it, we think you'll agree with ... More >>

Taco Palenque

Walmart Wants to Be Friends on Facebook

​Although Texas has weathered the economic downturn better than most states, that's small consolation to those residents still unable to feed their families. According to research published by the Food Research and Action Center earlier this year, Texas has the 13th-highest rate of food hardsh ... More >>

Falcon Lake: Case Closed? Five Remaining Oddities In A Very Weird Case

One more thing, ma'am....​After the murder and decapitation of one of their own, Mexican investigators are calling off the search for David Hartley's body, temporarily at least.So, is it case closed? Is STRATFOR's theory -- that Hartley was gunned down by Zeta thugs who believed he was a scout for ... More >>

Jennifer Martinez: Posing As A Bribe-able Immigration Official

If you're going to bribe someone, at least make sure they're legit​A woman who posed as an immigration officer took cash from hopeful immigrants, promising to get the papers, will get almost five years in prison for her trouble.Jennifer Martinez, 36, of McAllen, was sentenced here in Houston today ... More >>

Further On Up the Road

Excerpts from the Press's copious online coverage of SXSW.

SXSW Aftermath: The Texas Garage-Rock Torch Passes At The Continental Club

Photos by Brittanie SheyChristopher Gerniottis of Zakary Thaks (left) joins Austin's Ugly Beats​ In February, Magnolia City Mixtape mentioned a piece in Texas Monthly about the storied history of garage rock in Texas written by Aftermath nerd-crush Michael Hall. (His reporting has gotten men on de ... More >>

Big Brother Is Watching You Buy Cellophane

​Police in the Rio Grande Valley have a new tactic in the war against pot smugglers: staking out office supply stores. In three cases since last November, suspects have been followed after making large purchases of cellophane. Here's more on the most recent case, from Valleycentral.com. U. ... More >>

The Feds Stage A Blitz On Illegal Gun Sales In Houston, And Rack Up Numbers

​For most of the spring and summer, a souped-up squad of 100 ATF agents was running all over Houston and South Texas doing everything possible to slow the raging river of guns illegally flowing into Mexico.Agents followed up old leads, tracked down new ones, made scores of arrests, confiscated hun ... More >>

Artist of the Week: BetterLuck

Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? Email their particulars to introducingliston@gmail.com.For some reason, back in 20 ... More >>

Shades Of The St. Patricio Brigade: Conjunto Meets Irish At The I-Fest

Photo by Olivia Flores AlvarezConjunto Los Diamentes opened the Roomstore Latin Stage on Sunday. The high-school group came in from La Joya, Texas ("You know where McAllen is?" asks 16-year-old accordionist and music arranger Roger Guerra. "It's a little lower from that.")Since they aren't a profess ... More >>

Border Patrol Amps It Up This Weekend

Weekend Music: Help Save the Houston Music Scene

Music Deaths

The Greil Marcus Rock Death Meter returns

Labor Day Show at Proletariat

McAllen sextet will wind down audiences from three-day weekend

Border Fence May Destroy Wildlife Habitat

U.S. Fish and Wildlife services spent $80 million to reclaim wildlife habitat in South Texas. Now Homeland Security is ready to wipe that out.

Frankie G Gets Busted

McAllen DJ found with marijuana

Shorthanded

Foreign pickers aren't getting through the post-9/11 barricades to harvest U.S. crops

School's Out

Dallas outshines Houston when one magazine rates education

Peace -- For Now

A caravan to Cuba isn't hassled. Yet.

Cancún Cuisine

Take a little trip to Cascadas Cantina y Restaurante

Letters

Float Like a Butterfli, Swing Like a Trapeze

Whether boogying on the floor or dangling from the ceiling, Yvette Perez's dancing divas want to be artists, not eye candy

North Guadalajara

Fonda Dona Maria transforms into a colossal palacio

The Bored Patrol

Border Patrol agents in South Texas contend they are getting paid to stay put as illegal immigrants go around them. Is this how the much-hyped crackdown along the Rio Grande is supposed to work?

Texas Thunder

Stay true to Pantera. They're true to you.

Death and the Salesmen

Psst: Wanna buy a truckload of smoke-damaged caskets?

RV Xmas

In which our intrepid reporter goes searching for the heart of America on a trailer pad. And finds disappointment, isolation, kindness and a great way to cook himself a turkey.

Law and Disorder

In Janice Law's quests for a judgeship, the fourth time was a charm -- and now an alarm for the rest of the courthouse

The Woman George W. Bush Didn't Marry

The question is why

Goin' South

I learned many things when I accompanied a trio of bounty hunters to Mexico to fetch a fugitive drug suspect. Foremost among them: never leave your map at home...