LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - In a recent update from the Laredo Police Department, authorities have identified the motorcyclist involved in Tuesday’s crash at the intersection of N. New York and Corpus Christi as 52-year-old Manuel Rangel.

Rangel, the sole rider of the motorcycle, was thrown off and suffered a severe head injury in the incident that happened early Tuesday afternoon on November 15. He was airlifted to a San Antonio hospital, where he is currently listed in critical condition.

The LPD Crash Team, investigating the single-vehicle accident, revealed that Rangel was operating a white 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R when he lost control, leading to the crash. The impact caused him to be ejected from the motorcycle, ultimately striking the back of his head.

LAREDO, Tx. (KGNS) - Authorities need your help locating a man wanted for allegedly stealing shampoo from a store and assaulting the clerk.

Laredo Police are searching for Alex Christian Garcia, 30, who has an arrest warrant for robbery.

The incident was reported on Friday, May 5, 2023, at around 9:40 a.m. when police responded to a robbery at the 3600 block of N Arkansas Avenue.

A store employee told officers that a man identified as Garcia assaulted her after he stole some shampoos.

According to the victim, she saw Garcia walk towards the shampoo aisle and load the items in his pants.

When the employee confronted Garcia, he allegedly hit her in the abdomen, and fled the store without paying.

If you have any information on Garcia’s whereabouts, you are asked to call Laredo Police at 956-795-2800 or Crime Stoppers at 956-727-TIPS.

All calls will remain anonymous, and you may qualify for a cash reward.

McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — Hundreds of grandmas who are members of Grannies Respond are being asked to buy second-hand winter coats at thrift shops nationwide and send them to a Brownsville nonprofit that is helping migrants on the South Texas border.

Catherine Cole, executive director of the New York-based group Grannies Respond/Abuelas Responden, told Border Report they launched the coat drive after visiting the Rio Grande Valley in October and meeting with officials with Team Brownsville, who told them they need heavier winter coats to give to migrants who are traveling north after being legally released by the Department of Homeland Security.

“You never know how many coats they’re gonna get but I’m hopeful that if I spread the news, far and wide, we’ll get a good array of coats. And we’re doing used coats, because, unfortunately, the dollars will go much further than new new coats. And probably better quality for the money,” Cole told Border Report on Monday.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Grannies Respond asked members to buy coats from thrift stores and send them to Team Brownsville, which helps migrants on the border in Brownsville, Texas.

“*URGENT COAT DRIVE!!* Team Brownsville needs coats for asylum-seekers traveling north from the border! We need people to go to local thrift stores and buy up mens and women’s size S and M winter coats and ship them to the border,” the Facebook post read.

A third-party organization, Give Back Box, will help mail it for a reduced cost. They charge $20 for a shipping label to send up to 70 pounds of clothing to its partner nonprofits, like Team Brownsville. A shipping label can be purchased here at this link.

Cole says they are reimbursing members for the coat purchases, and she urges them to scour all second-hand stores wherever they live.

In the New York City area alone, the group has about 1,200 members, and Cole says they have members in cities throughout the country. The group is especially active in New York, where thousands of asylum-seekers have been bused to from Texas by Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star. Cole says they plan “welcoming rallies” and work with other nonprofits to supply backpacks and other items for the newcomers.

“These people are going to be quite cold. And I’m hoping that the scouts that are reaching out to me can find some nice, warm toasty coats for these people,” Cole told Border Report.

Team Brownsville volunteers tell Border Report that they welcome the help because it’s hard to find hardy winter coats in South Texas, where the temperatures are much more often in the triple digits and hardly ever get below freezing.

“The grannies are collecting on our behalf. They’re collecting, they’re collaborating with us,” Team Brownsville volunteer coordinator Andrea Rudnik said.

The coat drive was born after a group of Grannies Respond, including Cole, visited Team Brownsville about a month ago at the Welcome Center in downtown Brownsville. Rudnik said the group offered to make a donation, but she urged them to go thrift store searching and to send coats, instead.

“I said you can take your money, and you can triple it, quadruple its value by going into some of those thrift shops and picking out some nice jackets that we can give out to people that are going to Chicago and New York and Denver — places where it’s really freezing cold. That’s what we want to do. We want to have people prepared for what they’re going to encounter when they get to their new home,” Rudnik said.

The coat drive just launched so the boxes have yet to come in, but Team Brownsville board member Kathy Harrington said that if they get enough supplies then they will send extras south of the border to migrants waiting alongside the Rio Grande in a river encampment and to others at a shelter that has been transformed from what once was a hospital.

“It depends on how many we get. And the biggest thing is when people are leaving here and going to New York, Minnesota, Montana, wherever, Chicago, they need warm clothes and they just don’t have any, and a sweatshirt is not going to do. So that’s who our main target is. But we also take them to kids across the river if we have extra,” Harrington told Border Report.

A wet and cold weather system has dropped inches of rain practically nonstop since Friday on the Rio Grande Valley and northern Mexico, with temperatures in the 60s — which is a big drop from the 90s last week.

“It’s very very wet, and it’s very very cold for them right now,” Harrington said.

Over 1,000 asylum-seekers are living at a renovated hospital compound in Matamoros, Mexico, about a 10-minute drive from the border that has been converted to a sea of tents for the migrants.

Rudnik says only a couple hundred migrants remain at the muddy encampment on the Rio Grande in Matamoros, where thousands once lived.

The organization is planning on sending a large load of supplies soon including heavier blankets, hats, tents tarps and other winter supplies.

“The colder weather is already upon us, even if it’s only rain here in colder weather. So we’re already planning to take a large shipment of sleeping bags of blankets of socks, the kinds of things that people will need in colder weather,” she said.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - The City of Laredo and Laredo College have recently formalized a significant agreement that is poised to reshape recreational opportunities in the community. The partnership, aimed at maximizing underutilized sports facilities, particularly pools and courts, was officially announced on Tuesday, November 14.

The agreement grants the Parks and Recreation Department access to Laredo College’s extensive sports facilities, comprising sixteen courts and sports fields sprawled across the main and south campuses. Laredo College, having discontinued its sports division, found its courts and pools in need of revitalization. The collaboration with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department is expected to breathe new life into these spaces.

Speaking on the collaboration, JJ Gomez, Director of the City of Laredo Parks and Recreation Department, emphasized the financial benefits of the agreement. Gomez stated, “It’s a great tax saving for all of us. If we were to build this facility anywhere in Laredo with pools and fields, you’re talking anywhere between 10 and 12 million dollars. We have the facility, we need it, so we work together, and hopefully, there are more MOUs to come with other entities, school districts, TAMIU, and all that. That’s the plan that we want to move forward with at the city.”

On November 27, the Parks Department will start using these facilities, ushering in a new era of recreational possibilities for Laredo residents.

Anticipation is building for the grand opening of the pools, scheduled for March 2024.

The City of Laredo shares optimism that similar agreements with other entities, including school districts and TAMIU, may follow suit.

ZAPATA, Tex. (KGNS) - While high school graduations may be months away, Zapata County Independent School District (ISD) in South Texas is taking a proactive approach to equip students not only with a diploma but also with valuable job certifications.

At Zapata High School, the welding program, a vital component of the Career Technical Education initiative, has garnered significant interest with approximately 60 enrolled students. Danny Garcia, the welding program teacher, notes that the program, now in its fifth year, begins with teaching fundamental skills, including proper personal protective equipment (PPE) use and safety measures.

Garcia emphasizes the program’s benefits, especially for students in rural areas where access to universities may be limited. “They go out to the field and start working; they don’t depend on having to drive an hour or two hours to go to college when they have already started here,” says Garcia. The program provides a direct pathway to job opportunities post-graduation, reducing the need for extensive travel.

Students in the welding class graduate with a Welding Assistant Certificate, which serves as a foundation for further education at institutions like Laredo College or through dual enrollment classes. Tyler Garza, a welding student, envisions becoming an engineer and highlights the program’s relevance to his future profession, stating, “What Garcia will teach us will help me a lot.”

The flexibility of the program is evident as students pursue various career paths. Kiana Villarreal, a welding student with aspirations to become a dental hygienist, appreciates having welding skills as a fallback option. She says, “Knowing that I can be a welder will be beneficial.”

The program’s competitive edge is further highlighted by its participation in a February competition in San Antonio. Students showcase projects created over the months, with a chance to win $10,000 for their higher education.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - After an Austin Police Officer, along with two others, was killed during an incident on Saturday Morning, the Laredo Police Department took to social media to send their condolences to the men and women of the Austin Police Department.

The department posted a statement on Facebook on Saturday, adding that they are sending their well wishes for a speedy recovery to the second officer who is getting treatment at the hospital.

The post went on to say that they wish for people to come together and to keep the brave officers, their loved ones, and all law enforcement officers in their “thoughts and prayers”.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Border Patrol agents working at the I-35 checkpoint seized more than 3,600 pounds of marijuana.

On November 3rd, a tractor-trailer was coming through the checkpoint when canines alerted agents about something inside.

When referred to secondary inspection, agents discovered 156 bundles of marijuana inside the trailer.

It had a street value of over $2 million.