Update: After press time, MCISD officials said the start date for the resignation incentive plan had changed. Staff can begin volunteering for the program on Sunday, Feb. 6.

Continuing a strong troop tradition, several members of Mission Boy Scout Troop 84 are earning their Eagle rank, Scouting’s highest rank.

Gavin De Leon and Gabriel Seigel are currently working on their Eagle projects, while Daniel Hinojosa, Derick Reyna and Aaron Tijerina are in the planning stages for theirs. Another member of Troop 84, Chris Martinez, has completed his Eagle project and only lacks submitting the paperwork and meeting with the Eagle board to complete his Eagle.

Read more: Troop 84 Scouts uphold Eagle rank tradition

MISSION — Three groups are set to put the final, and arguably most important, touches to their floats for the Texas Citrus Fiesta on Friday before unveiling them at Saturday’s Parade of Oranges.

“We start putting the fruit on the float on Friday,” said Ben Lopez, a volunteer on the float for Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. “We’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us starting at 4 p.m. on ‘til 4 a.m. the next day.”

Read more: Product parade float designers dish secrets to success

MISSION — Thirteen students from Veterans Memorial High School (VMHS) learned how to save lives over their winter break.

Members of their school’s Health Occupation Students of America of HOSA group, the students completed 21 hours of training with the help of the Mission Fire Department.

Read more: VMHS Students the First Community Emergency Response Team

MISSION — Hailey Alexandria Tijerina may moonlight as a white-belt in karate, but next weekend, she’ll get her biggest kick on the parade route as the Princess of Tangerine for the Parade of Oranges along side Queen Citrianna 74th and other members of the Tangerine Court.

“I get to sit in the front,” said Hailey.

The Texas Citrus Fiesta Royal and Tangerine Court will have their first public event at this weekend’s Royal Reception Ball at the Mission Community Center. The Yoyal Coronation, where the community gathers for the crowning of King Citrus and Queen Citrianna 75th, will be held Thursday, Jan 27. at the Mission Neuhaus Center at 7 p.m.

Read more: Texas Citrus Fiesta princesses eye the queen’s crown

LA JOYA — La Joya Independent School District board discussed the findings of an annual financial report for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31 that shows the district has approximately an extra $30 million in its general fund.

The school district’s general fund has increased from $63 million last year to over $93 million this year, officials said at last week’s board meeting. Revenues exceeded expenditures by over $25 million after the district did less spending than what they budgeted for.

Read more: LJISD’s fund balance grows by $30 million

MISSION — When Elianna Perez was told she had leukemia, she wasn’t so concerned about the diagnosis, but instead the news that she’d be losing her hair after chemotherapy. Then came a discovery she never saw coming: she couldn’t sing.

Read more: SINGING A NEW TUNE

EL PASO — The United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) will be performing aerial surveys along the Rio Grande through March as part of a program to map and assess the agency’s Rio Grande flood control system.

During the project, residents may see several small planes in a crop row pattern flying back and forth at an elevation of about 5,000 feet while ground crews set up ground targets in the form of a white X.

The IBWC is publicizing the activity to inform residents who might otherwise be concerned about the unusual flight pattern along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Read more: IBWC using aircraft to survey Rio Grande flood control project