• 

  5804 Yucca Circle

  Stunningly gorgeous channel front home with four bedrooms and four full baths.

   

  
  
  
• 

  Coastal Cottage

  New Construction at The Shores. 

   

  
  
  
• 

  Bay Side Estate

  The opulence of this upscale bayfront estate will astound you. This Spanish-inspired villa offers spectacular features, entertaining areas, marble flooring, beautiful art niches, sweeping bay views, and more.

  
  
  
• 

  Los Corales 801 S

  Stunning and exclusive beach front unit with unparralled amenities. 

   

  
  
  
• 

  Sapphire 1802

  Breathtaking Gulf and Bay views from this north tower unit. 

   

  
  
  

> Local man bikes more than 500 miles for PTSD awareness

 As the sun beats down on his face, drying up his skin and giving him sunburn, Joseph De la Garza just views this as a sacrifice he has to make to get the word out. 

Staying in bed and breakfasts, hotels and camp grounds, De la Garza is on a mission to bring awareness to mental health in the military and break the stigma around PTSD through a very long bike ride.

The Harlingen native, who now resides on South Padre Island, served in both the Army and Navy between the years 1993 and 1996 and then again in 2004 and 2005.

After dealing with his own mental health issues, the cause is one that hits close to home for De la Garza.

In February, the 53-year-old retired from the Harlingen Fire Department after 20 years of service.

Following his retirement, De la Garza said it was time to do something with all his free time and use it to raise awareness.

“I’m going to make the effort and I’m going to go out there and put some skin in the game,” De la Garza said.

The goal of his ride is to spark a conversation among people about the mental health battles that a lot of veterans face.

Waiting for his train to arrive to take him back west to Sedalia, Missouri, De la Garza is cycling across the Katy Trail State Park in Missouri.

The park is one of the longest trails in the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, an organization that works to preserve unused train rail corridors and turn them into rail trails for biking and walking.

More than 200 miles long, De la Garza is using the trail as a starting point for his mission.

Often he records his rides and skits on the trail for Youtube and links to organizations that raise money to benefit veterans suffering from mental illness such as Pedal for PTSD and the Wounded Warrior Project.

Every day, he dedicates his ride to a veteran who is either currently living or has passed away.

“It’s not about me,” De la Garza said.

His ride is about bringing awareness to the mental health issues military veterans face every day and rid the stigma.

De la Garza said he would regularly make donations to charities, but since he has retired he decided it was time to do more.

Averaging 30 miles a day on bike, De la Garza has already biked more than 500 miles since beginning on May 1.

He will continue his ride and drive to Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois to bike his goal of 30 miles a day before heading home to finish his last 30 miles of the month-long journey.

By ALEXIS AGUIRRE Staff Writer

Read more

> Chicago service added, Brownsville to O’Hare

On Nov. 3, United Airlines will begin providing nonstop service from Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. 

United is already taking reservations for the once-a-week flights, which will last through March. Airport Director Bryan Walker said the carrier is targeting the leisure traveler, though he thinks Brownsville-Chicago service will also appeal to business flyers connected with Mexico’s auto manufacturing industry, and believes reservations will reflect that.

Walker said the airport will market the seasonal route aggressively to fill seats and show United how much demand there is. He said the South Padre Island mayor’s office and SPI Convention and Visitors Bureau have also pledged marketing dollars.

“The airline sees that as a big incentive because they don’t have to put their money toward that,” Walker said.

He said the carrier has already talked about adding extra flights around high-travel dates, while emphasizing that the new service is a trial run. The current flights are scheduled for Saturdays.

“If it does well, then it definitely would be back next year,” Walker said. “If it does amazingly well, we’ll have year-round (service) or increased frequency.”

He said airport officials had been talking with United about the new route since October, and visited the company’s Chicago headquarters in January to discuss details and address questions. A number of conference calls followed that visit, Walker said.

The airport relied on consultant Air Service Development for the data used to convince United that the route was worth a try, he said. Credit card information shows the story of where ticket buyers reside, their destinations and other factors that can point to viable new markets, Walker said.

He admitted there was some skepticism that Brownsville would be able to land even a trail route to Chicago.

“I was told that we couldn’t do that, but we set it up and made our meetings,” Walker said. “It’s been a long time in planning but we managed to pull it off.”

A nonstop air route between Chicago and Brownsville helps simplify traveling north to south during the winter, meanwhile, when bad weather often snarls the best laid travel plans, he said.

“If you can get on the plane, get it de-iced and in the air, you’ll arrive at an island retreat,” Walker said.

By STEVE CLARK STAFF WRITER

Read more

> Fireworks over the Bay

Join us at Louie’s Backyard for Fireworks Over the Bay every Thursday and Friday at 9:15 p.m.

Read more

> Memorial Day Weekend: XPogo Shows

Come join us in a free display of some of the world’s best competitive pogo stick exhibition. Performed in over 23 countries and holding 13 Guinness World Records, XPogo will perform shows in the Entertainment District of South Padre Island.

Shows will be at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. & 6 p.m. on May 26th & 27th.

Read more

> Memorial Day Fireworks Over the Bay

A special Fireworks Over the Bay for Memorial Day will take place at Louie’s Backyard at 9:15 p.m.

Read more