MISSION – A 17-year-old was arraigned this week for burglarizing two stores. Another male juvenile was also charged.

Israel Alejandro Tovar, 17, was at the Mission Municipal Court this week after being arrested over the weekend for burglary. Police found Tovar and a juvenile walking at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday, May 4, after reports of a burglary at Beep Beep, a convenience store on the 800 block of North Schuebach Road in Mission.

According to Cpl. Manuel Casas, the two men broke into Beep Beep at around 3 a.m. Saturday morning. The glass doors were kicked in and beer, cigarettes and other items were stolen from the convenience store. Not too long after, Cool Express, a little shop that sells snow cones, Cheetos® and other snacks, was also broken into where a money jar was stolen.

Read more: Teens arrested on burglary charges

ALTON—With a new fire station on the way and a new franchise, the City of Alton is living up to its slogan, by becoming a “City on the Grow.” Assistant City Manager Steve Peña said construction plans have come in for the construction of a McDonald’s fast food restaurant.

“Construction plans have come in; they have passed the City of Alton Planning Department processing stage,” Peña said, although they have not yet secured a building permit.

Peña explained they are currently waiting for the franchise to tie up loose ends on their portion of the planning process. He added the location would be on Alton Blvd.

Read more: New businesses, housing spur growth in Alton

MISSION — The Mission Redevelopment Authority Board discussed the status of the $1 million Conway Avenue Streetscape Project Tuesday, explaining that the input of local merchants will be sought, said Executive Director Ricardo A. Perez.

The project spans from 1st to 14th street.

Perez said the City of Mission approved the contract for planning with Spawglass Contractors Inc. for the project on Monday.

Read more: $1 mil Conway Streetscape Project discussed

The Mission Police Department, along with the nation, will observe National Peace Officers’ Memorial Week the week of May 12 through May 18. A ceremony will be held on Monday, May 13, at 9 a.m. at the Mission Police Department.

This ceremony is a way for the men and women of today’s public safety family, city officials and other dignitaries to pay tribute to those members who gave their lives in the line of duty for the betterment of the community and public safety as a whole, said Robert Dominguez, interim chief of police.

There are approximately 800,000 law enforcement officers in the United States, including 146 sworn members of the City of Mission Police Department. More than 20,000 law enforcement officers in the United States have made the ultimate sacrifice and have been killed in the line of duty, including two members of the Mission Police Department.

Read more: Mission observes Peace Officers’ Memorial Week

MISSION — Over 1,000 Rio Grande Valley residents joined the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life for a 10-hour walk to raise funds for cancer research.

The event made its first appearance in Mission at the Mission High School Tom Landry Stadium.

Community Manager Heather Marks said the relay started in 1985, and since its inception, has grown tremendously.

“There are actually 5,200 Relay for Life events held through out the nation,” Marks said. “Every single one of them has a goal to celebrate cancer survivors, to remember those lost and to fight back against cancer.”

Read more: American Cancer Society holds Relay for Life in Mission

MISSION — After more than two years of construction, the Bannworth Pool is finally complete, but negotiations between the City of Mission and the Sharyland Independent School District to set terms for the district use of the pool have failed.

This comes despite the presumption by both parties two years ago that the school’s swim teams would use the pool.

The pool has been in the planning since Feb. 22, 2012, when the Mission City Council authorized staff to seek bids on improvements at Bannworth Park, including an enclosed swimming pool and a separate multi-purpose gymnasium for an estimated cost of $2.2 million.

Read more: SISD, city fail to reach agreement on pool

MISSION — Agape Christian School from kindergarten through sixth-grade created informational posters, towers and robots all with recycled materials from their homes as part of an Earth Day activity titled “Our Planet, Our Earth.”

Earth Day, nationally recognized on Monday, helped charge the campus-wide event. The campus’s main hallway was decorated with posters and projects made from recycled newspapers, milk jugs, cans, paint and cardboard.

Fourth-grader Alicia Gomez said recycling could help save the planet.

Read more: Agape Christian School holds Earth Day poster event

MISSION—For only the second time since 1935, a One Act Play from Mission Consolidated Independent School District is advancing to the state competition. The Veterans Memorial High School Harlequins placed first at the regional competitions held this past weekend, qualifying them for state.

In addition to qualifying for state competition, several individual honors were received by members of the Harlequins at the regional competition. Beto Cantu and Alex Hinojosa were named part of the all-star cast. Anna Olivarez was an honorable mention.

This will be the second year in a row that the Harlequins have qualified to compete at the state level.

Read more: VMHS Harlequins advance to state for second year in a row