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Manatee Sighting on SPI Excites Residents

April 21, 2021

  The salty waters surrounding South Padre Island are home to various marine wildlife, but some islanders were in for a surprise on a recent afternoon when a manatee made an appearance at a local boat dock on the northwest side of the Island, according to Parrot Eyes Water Sports employee Ryan Fuentes. Fuentes, originally from Miami, is familiar with manatees from his native state but said he hadn’t see...

USS Independence nearly ready to depart following delays

April 19, 2021

The arrival of the USS Independence at the Port of Brownsville has been delayed by fears on the part of environmental regulators that some of the preparations for the ship’s departure from the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard were polluting the water there. According to a Jan. 10 article from the “Kitsap Sun,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Department of Ecology were concerned that the scraping of...

Young Brown Pelican Rescued, Rehabilitating

April 19, 2021

Much like a little puppy, the young brown pelican follows people around. Wildlife rehabbers Dr. Ronald Hines and his wife, Gloria, said the little guy is used to people and loves to be around them. “He’s real gentle. I talk to him while he eats,” Gloria said. This behavior is definitely a step up from one week ago, when he was found sick, without his mama, along the highway. Animal lover Renee...

Island Brewery Recognized for its Beer

April 9, 2021

Mark Haggenmiller was ahead of his time when he started brewing hand-crafted beer on the Island in 1995. Since then he has been mixing hops and barley for a family of premium beers available only at the Padre Island Brewing Company. Because of his foresight and his dedication to the craft of brewing beer, Gov. Greg Abbott awarded Haggenmiller withThe Governor’s Small Business Award.  Haggenmiller was recognized at the Governor’s...

Red Tide No Longer On South Padre Island

April 9, 2021

Red Tide is usually considered a problem for people near affected areas. Red Tide Rangers conducted a cell count this week determining there is no Red Tide in South Padre Island anymore. The increase in Karenia Brevis Algae, otherwise known as Red Tide is now gone. This week the Red Tide Rangers confirm there is 0 cells of this algae per milliliter. This recent bloom lasted a few months. Tony...

Port’s iconic silos being put back into service

December 16, 2020

The Port of Brownsville will soon be back in the grain business as the result of a deal with West Plains LLC, which is leasing the port’s towering grain elevator and has already made substantial improvements and repairs to the long-idled, 50-year-old facility. West Plains is owned by Houston-based BioUrja, a Houston-based energy and grains commodities trading company. The deal was facilitated by OmniTRAX Inc., part of The Broe Group,...

SPI to create ad hoc Healthcare Committee

January 14, 2020

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — This city is taking the next step toward possibly bringing a hospital to the Laguna Madre area. The City of South Padre Island approved the formation of an ad hoc Healthcare Committee Jan. 8 during a city council meeting. The purpose of the ad hoc Healthcare Committee is to put together a group of people from the healthcare industry who can come up with a roadmap...

SPI announces traffic plans for Causeway Run/Walk

January 10, 2020

It’s not something people get to do everyday. Saturday morning thousands of people will be running and walking across the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway in the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce’s 36th annual Causeway Run and Fitness Walk. According to a press release from the City of South Padre Island, motorists should expect traffic delays before and after the event. The run and fitness walk will begin at 8 a.m....

Fitness with a view; PI Chamber to host 36th annual Causeway Run

January 5, 2020

PORT ISABEL — Soon thousands of people will be able to witness the marvels of this coastal area as they run and walk across the Queen Isabella Causeway. The Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce will host its 36th annual Causeway Run and Fitness Walk January 11 starting at 8 a.m. at the Port Isabel Community Center. “This is a really exciting and unique opportunity to be able to cross this...

Award-winning wildlife filmmaker says his time in the Valley was ‘life-changing’

January 5, 2020

A last-minute change on a project turned into the start of an award-winning film career for Sandesh Kadur. His work has been featured in film festivals around the world. He was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2013, and is now a BAFTA winner and Emmy-nominated cinematographer. Before all that, though, he was a student at UTRGV legacy institution UT Brownsville/Texas Southmost College. In 1996, Kadur had plans to...