McALLEN — This Saturday state Rep. Sergio Muñoz, McAllen Mayor Richard Cortez and others will kick-off the Trees for Parks Program that will make the city "greener" and provide the essential benefits that only trees can bring to a community.

"We are on a mission to ‘green up’ our communities here in deep South Texas," said Muñoz. "Adding trees to the landscape provides many benefits to the environment, beautifies the area and in this case creates a degree of movement in the economy.”

Muñoz said he plans to duplicate the program in other cities.

Read more: Rep. Muñoz participating in McAllen tree planting events

MISSION — The city’s top lawman submitted his resignation to the Mission City Council on Monday after 25 years of service to the city to spend more time with his family.

Mission Police Chief Leo Longoria’s resignation is effective Jan. 1, 2012.

“I think it is time for me to pay more attention to my wife and children,” Longoria said.

City Manager Julio Cerda read a list of Longoria’s accomplishments during the meeting while accepting his resignation.

Read more: Mission’s police chief retiring in 2012

Family maintains hopeful as search for son stretches over two months

ALTON — San Juanita Gonzalez Villegas has left her son Tony’s room untouched. She’s removed a few dirty socks from the floor, but his Disney Pixar “Cars” blanket remains on his bed, as does the mini shrine the 20-year-old made for himself with images of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and candles that have remained lit.

Today is the 69th day since Tony Villegas Jr. has been home. In the two months since he’s disappeared from a sugar field in south Mission, the community has rallied behind the Gonzalez and Villegas families offering prayer and an ear on the ground for leads.

Read more: ‘We have to find Tony’

MISSION — Last week Sharyland Independent School District board members, along with an architect and engineers, visited the site of the proposed second high school on 6 ½ Mile Line and Shary roads to allow trustees to see land and ask questions on where buildings were going to be and what needed to be done to prepare for construction.

The land, more recently being used as agricultural property, will need to be raised nearly 36 inches to be higher than Shary Road. Water and sewer lines will also need to be established. Board members are waiting to see if the City of McAllen will annex the property so they can be tied into the city for sanitary lines, or if other options will work.

Read more: SISD visits site of proposed second high school

MISSION — The Mission City Council upheld the Planning & Zoning Commission’s decision to revoke a permit for a drive-thru convenience store located at 210 N. Conway Ave. amid complaints that residents and customers in the area were unable to move in and out of the neighborhood with delivery trucks blocking alleyways.

Read more: Mission revokes permit for drive-thru

MISSION — On Monday, voters here can begin deciding whether to allow the Sharyland Independent School District to sell $55 million in bonds to build a second high school in the district’s north side to address overcrowding that has doubled in the last 10 years.

If approved, the bond could increase tax rates next year for the district by $0.097, making the total tax rate for the district $1.297.

Read more: Early voting for Sharyland HS starts Monday

LA JOYA – The La Joya High School cosmetology department is hosting a Locks of Love event to provide hair to make hair prosthetics for financially disadvantaged children. LJHS will be opening its doors for hair donations on Wednesday, Oct. 26, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. A free shampoo and blunt haircut will be provided for each individual. Bleached hair cannot be accepted.

Locks of Love is a not-for-profit organization that provides the highest quality hair prosthetic to financially disadvantaged children with medical hair loss. Most recipients have lost their hair due to an auto-immune condition known as alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. Others have suffered severe burns, radiation treatment, or any number of dermatological conditions resulting in long term or permanent hair loss. Approximately 150,000 hairs are injected by hand into the silicone base, all of them from donated ponytails (about six to 10 inches).

For more info, call 580-5100, Ext. 5172.

On Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m., Lou Ann Gramann will be presented in concert by the First Presbyterian Church of Mission as a part of their Celebration Sunday Concert Series. She will be joined by David Bowen, pianist.

The concert series is now in its 14th year. All concerts are held in the Sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church of Mission, 1102 Ash. These concerts are open to the public and free of charge.

Read more: Harpist Gramann to perform at First Presbyterian