Space Florida is bracing for a major blow to the Sunshine State that could come as soon as this week. The state agency said SpaceX is close to publicly announcing a new commercial launch complex in Brownsville, Texas. “We kind of have known it’s coming for a while,” said Dale Ketcham, of Space Florida. “But it’s still going to be traumatic and not insignificant disappointment.” Just last week, SpaceX cleared...
Local performer and Texas Southmost College (TSC) professor Dr. Jonathon Dotson arrived for his scheduled interview carrying his guitar case. Hopes for an impromptu performance were quickly squelched, however, when he revealed he’d only brought it with him because it was too hot outside to leave the valuable instrument in his vehicle. “This guitar is worth more than my car!” said the guitarist, gently setting the case close to...
The Federal Aviation Administration has approved SpaceX’s proposal to develop the world’s first private commercial vertical launch site in Cameron County. FAA on Wednesday issued its Record of Decision, a critical step that paves the way toward licensing launch activity at Boca Chica Beach. Finding that the proposal by Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies would have unavoidable impacts on the environment, which would be mitigated, the Record of Decision explains...
Officials at South Padre Islans are increasing patrols to keep tourists safe this summer. The Cameron County Precinct 1 Constable, Horacio Zamora, tells Fox 2 News, thousands of visitors keep coming from Central Texas and Mexico to enjoy a few days at the beach, but with the increase the number of tourists, authorities have also seen an increase in emergency calls ranging from missing persons reports to speeding and rescues....
Kenny Braun’s life changed the day his next-door neighbors came home with a pair of surfboards. It was the mid-1970s, and from then on Braun’s life in Houston centered around strapping boards on the car and driving south to Galveston. He and his two high school buddies were far from the first to catch waves along the Texas Gulf Coast, but they were early members of the Texas surf...
The first SPI Beer Fest will take place Saturday Aug. 23 at the convention center from 6 p.m. – midnight. The event will showcase over 200 beers ranging in styles, flavors and breweries. Tickets can be purchased at www.spibeerfest.com. There will be a $100 VIP, $20 General Admission (Pre-sale), $30 General Admission (at the door), $30 Designated Driver VIP Band, $10 Designated Driver Band General Admission. Due to the recent...
About 30 persons, a mix of Sea Turtle, Inc. staff, interns, volunteers, two NOAA representatives and one from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, braved rough seas on June 28 that left many on the boat feeling as green as seaweed. Their mission during the early hours before dawn was to release 94 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, and four hawksbills, into the wild. The four hawksbills were rehabilitated turtles from Sea...
Accidents and drownings at the beach are preventable, but prevention requires awareness, officials say There have been five drownings on South Padre Island beaches this year, including a Harlingen man who drowned on June 6. Two occurred within the Island’s city limits, the SPI Fire Department said. Three others were at county beach accesses, Cameron County Parks Police said. “A lot of our visitors aren’t used to the beach or...
A Coast Guard crew patrolling in the Gulf of Mexico off South Padre Island has found an illegal net containing hundreds of dead sharks. A Coast Guard statement Tuesday says the 5-mile-long gill net was found loaded with 345 dead sharks about 17miles north of the U.S.-Mexican border. Gill nets are illegal throughout Texas, and Coast Guard Cmdr. Daniel Deptula described the nets as “wasteful.” He says such fishing methods...
