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Ten-134! Arrest that Speedo wearer!
Dan Parker | July 16, 2025
Police in recent years have been moving away from the use of ten codes on their radios, and I’m a little sad about that. I always thought those codes were...

Donors quietly push back
Tom Purcell | July 16, 2025
My hat goes off to them. I speak of the wonderful people who give their own money to Washington in hopes of reducing the national debt. Since 1961, the U.S....

Generation needs help rising to occasion
Danny Tyree | July 16, 2025
“In a great big land of freedom, at a time we really need ‘em/They don’t make ‘em like my daddy anymore.” – Loretta Lynn With the 100th anniversary of my...

Beetlejuice…Beetlejuice…Beetlejuice!
The story of the ghost with the most will come to the Port Aransas Community Theatre stage for a three-week...

Free concert planned
Bring the family and meet up with some friends at a free concert beside the ship channel as the sun...

Blood drive Friday
Roll up your sleeves and donate blood on Friday, July 18. ValueBank Texas is hosting the Coastal Bend Blood Mobile...

Library programs continue
Programming for youth continues at the William R. “Bill” Ellis Memorial Library through the end of July. Dungeons and Dragons...

PAST second out of eight at meet
July 16, 2025
The Port Aransas Swim Team came in second while competing against eight other teams at the Coastal Bend Championship Summer...

Sound vibrations
July 16, 2025
The William R. ‘Bill’ Ellis Memorial Library held an activity Thursday, July 3, where kids were invited to learn about...

PAISD new student enrollment July 29
July 16, 2025
Enrollment for new students at Port Aransas ISD will be on Tuesday, July 29. The hours for getting enrolled will...

Sharks caught
July 16, 2025
Mackenzie Strain, 9, and her dad, Randy Strain, caught bonnethead sharks on a 4-hour state water trip on Tuesday, June...

Shotgun start to begin tourney
July 16, 2025
Anglers will be hunting the biggest billfish and heftiest paydays at the 2025 Billfish Pachanga, Wednesday through Saturday, July 16...

Made it snappy
July 16, 2025
Ernest Amador of Victoria shows a nice red snapper he hooked while on a recent 12-hour offshore trip out of...

Snapper catch
July 16, 2025
Hunter Rodriguez, 19, of Granbury, shows off his red snapper catch on Monday, June 30. He was on an 8-hour...

What a wahoo!
July 16, 2025
Robert Martin of New Braunfels, left, caught this 79-pound 57.5-inch wahoo recently. He was fishing aboard the Gulf Eagle on...

The answer to ‘why’
Coffee GirlRenae Brumbaugh
The events of the past week, here in Texas, have gutted me. It’s left us all devastated. The Guadalupe River...

The importance of sun safety
State of AffairsTodd Hunter
July is designated as National Ultraviolet (UV) Safety Month. According to the American Cancer Society, individuals with a high level...
Go fish
Whether inshore or offshore, fishing has been a big deal in Port Aransas for many years. Here are some Port Aransas fishing photos from past and present.


Wernecke, Rogers reel in top honors at Deep Sea Roundup
Vivian Carlson
Staff writer | July 16, 2025
Scores of anglers of all ages turned out to fish in the 89th edition of the Deep Sea Roundup held Thursday through Sunday, July 10 through 13 in Port Aransas. The oldest tournament on the Gulf coast is hosted by the Port Aransas Boatmen, Inc. Anglers fished the bay/surf and offshore divisions on Friday and Saturday. “We had close to...

Island Cafe gets new owners
Dan Parker
Editor and co-publisher | July 16, 2025
The Island Cafe, a Port Aransas institution, has been sold after four decades of ownership by the Arzola family. Dora and Pete Arzola signed the sales papers on Friday, July 4. “Just tired, dude,” Pete, 62, explained as the reason for selling the business. “I’ve been in that business since ’85, and actually even before that.” While Pete and Dora...

Council talks about goals
Beach parking permits, short-term rentals on radarTeresita Dominguez
Reporter | July 16, 2025
The Port Aransas City Council discussed dozens of goals and priorities for fiscal year 2025-2026 during a daylong workshop on Monday, July 1. Beach parking permits Possibly increasing the price of beach parking permits was one topic that came up. The current price of a parking permit is $12 and hasn’t changed since 2004, according to Darla Honea, the city’s...

Crabs on the beach
July 16, 2025
An array of crab kites were staked on the beach, and other sea creatures were flying in the sky on the beach at Marker 13 on a recent day. Admiring the display were, from left, Taylor Grisham, Evelyn Grisham, 8, and Lisa Grisham, all of Hutto.

Here to help
July 16, 2025
The Gaff was packed for a fundraiser held at the 323 Beach St. bar on Wednesday, July 9, to benefit victims of river flooding in the Hill Country. The event, put on by Trinity-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, raised more than $70,000, with donations still coming in a few days later.

City council to consider sign ordinance changes
Teresita Dominguez
Reporter | July 16, 2025
The Port Aransas Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to approve a draft of recommended changes to the town’s sign ordinance on Thursday, July 10. The measure will now be brought to the Port Aransas City Council for consideration at its meeting Thursday, July 17. Any changes to the ordinance will require approval by the council at three meetings before […]

For flood victims
July 16, 2025
Members of the Port Aransas Volunteer Fire Department recently conducted a drive to collect donations for victims of flooding in the Hill Country. Sorting through some of the donations at a local garage, above, from left, are Jacob Arnold, Steve Martinez and Jacob’s father, Nathan Arnold. After driving supplies to the flood-stricken area, they also helped unload a 53-foot semi […]

Collision
July 16, 2025
A vehicle is put on a tow truck after a two-car collision Tuesday, July 8, at Ninth Street and Avenue J. The accident ocurred close to Coffee Waves. No major injuries were reported.

Back to the Gulf
July 16, 2025
Rehabilitated sea turtles were released into the Gulf by Amos Rehabilitation Keep personnel on Thursday, July 10, at Marker 35. Carrying Olive, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, were ARK volunteers Annika Gorman, left, and Chrissy Moore. Watching in the foreground are Amelia Stafford, 4; Savanna Stafford, 2,; their mom, Victoria Stafford and their grandmother, Laura Kusak, in the hat. All […]

Shrimp season opens
July 16, 2025
Folks are now able to buy fresh Gulf shrimp off the commercial boats again. Commercial shrimp season both in state and federal waters reopened in the Gulf 30 minutes after sunset on Tuesday, July 15, according to a news release from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The release said the TPWD Coastal Fisheries Division uses data from samples collected during […]

Trash bags
July 16, 2025
Victor Rodriguez, a heavy equipment operator, left, and Randall Porter, a park technician, install a blue box to hold trash bags Wednesday, July 9 at Marker 62 on the beach, outside of Gulf Shores Condominiums. The yellow trash bags are free for public use.

Commercial planter for July
July 16, 2025
The Farley Boat planter at the American Bank, 216 S. Alister St., was named the July Commercial Farley Boat Planter of the month by the Port Aransas Garden Club. The boat is planted with vinca, petunias, pink dianthus, beach spider lily, golden bush daisy and snapdragons. American Bank staff from left are Francis Stokes, Morgan Milligan, Kim Thetford, Shelby Ferris, […]

Ramping up
July 16, 2025
Members of the Port Aransas Surf Rescue team adjust the ramp on a new tower at Marker C on a recent day.

July residential planter
July 16, 2025
The Farley Boat planter at the home of Lisette and Alan Barton, 513 Marina Dr. in Island Moorings, was named the Planter of the Month for July by the Port Aransas Garden Club. The boat is planted with plumbago, esperanza, bougainvillea and purple mandevilla. The Bartons have lived there since 2016. They said the house was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey, […]

Kids enjoy reelin’ in perch at contest
July 16, 2025
The Piggy Perch Contest took place on Friday and Saturday, July 11 and July 12, at the Dennis Dreyer Municipal Harbor in Port Aransas as part of the Deep Sea Roundup fishing tournament. The contest is free and gives kids up to 12 years old the chance to take part in the tournament. Both mornings, kids fished in two divisions: […]

Early exposure to nature valuable
Institute InsightsKyra Jean Cipolla | July 16, 2025
Growing up, my siblings and I were constantly playing within, in my older brother’s words, “different types of nature.” From swimming in the ocean and searching for unique seashells at the Jersey shore to jumping over small creeks in the forest near my house to even watching fireflies in our backyard, we had been surrounded by numerous ecosystems and interacted...

Sea horsing around
Brett Hippler, then 14, splashes through the surf with his brother’s miniature horse, named Big John, at the beach in Port Aransas on July 21, 2007. Big John lived on property that the Hippler family had near Portland. Using a horse trailer, they brought the horse to the beach just for fun, hooking Big John up to a small carriage...