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...
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) is cracking down on drunk driving this fourth of July holiday weekend. Troopers are focusing on areas that are high-risk and will patrol those areas at times when alcohol related crashes are most frequent. State statistics show every 20 minutes a person is killed or hurt in an alcohol-related crash. The Fourth of July crackdown is annual effort but comes as DPS recently began...
With summer upon us let’s face it the travel bug has likely gotten the best of you, right? No worries, since there’s a place down south in Texas that has just the cure for warm weather fever and good fun. South Padre Island, you’ll know you have arrived when you cross the bridge and end up in paradise. Indeed, it’s a place where the weather will make you smile....
The Fourth of July holiday is this week, and AAA estimates 2.5 million Texans will be hitting the roads. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, people spend more time traveling on the nation’s roadways during the summer months than any other time of year. The Texas Department of Transportation released tips for drivers while traveling to summertime events and family vacations. Tips for highway driving Always obey posted speed...
