Good morning Harlingen! Your connection to what's happening around town is here. Take a sip of coffee and read on. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: 100 Couples Who Care 2026.
Today's riddle: What is the difference between a jeweler and a jailer? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. Proposed $350M highway would connect Harlingen to South Padre Island (krgv.com) — A $350 million "outer parkway" is being planned to start near I-69E north of Harlingen, creating another route toward South Padre Island and potentially requiring land purchases from nearby property owners. Cameron County officials are still choosing the exact route and are asking residents and landowners to review plans and give feedback, including at a public meeting in Rio Hondo.
2. Student, 17, accused of making threat against IDEA Elsa Academy (valleycentral.com) — From a Harlingen-based Valley outlet, authorities report a 17-year-old IDEA Elsa Academy student was arrested after classmates reported a verbal threat involving a firearm and a list of individuals. Elsa police say the teen faces a terroristic threat charge, remains in custody pending bail, and they're urging parents and students across the Valley to immediately report any school-related threats or suspicious behavior.
3. Judge denies Minnesota's request to force extradition of ICE agent from Texas (wdio.com) — A federal judge's ruling in Texas could soon free an ICE agent who was arrested in Harlingen and is being held in Brownsville while Minnesota seeks to prosecute him for an on-duty shooting. The decision turns on extradition and timing rules, and Texas officials are still weighing his status, including whether he might qualify as a refugee under employment-related relocation terms.
4. What is the future of unaccompanied children representation after federal funding loss? (abajournal.com) — A Harlingen-based legal nonprofit, ProBAR, has suddenly lost its federal funding to represent unaccompanied immigrant children, putting help for hundreds of young clients in jeopardy. Staff say they'll keep existing Harlingen-area cases going while scrambling for new money, even as a nationwide network of children's legal services faces deep cuts and a controversial new contractor steps in.
5. Border Report Live: Immigrant advocacy group rallies against Flock cameras (wkrg.com subscription) — From Harlingen, an immigrant-rights group is warning communities about Flock license-plate cameras, saying the technology can enable racial profiling and intrusive surveillance. The Ohio-based advocates argue public money should go to other safety measures, even as the company promises new safeguards and lawmakers nationwide scrutinize how these systems are used.
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Ok Harlingen! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: A jeweler sells watches and a jailer watches cells. (Thank you Jean D. for sending it in!)
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