LA JOYA – At this week’s La Joya Independent School District board meeting, board members voted to give employees a choice of whether they want to be paid bi-weekly or monthly.

The district had conducted a survey where 1,356 employees casted their votes. Of those votes, 625 (46 percent) employees preferred to be paid on a monthly basis and 731 (54 percent) employees preferred to be paid on a bi-weekly basis. Professional and para-professional employees were surveyed.

Read more: LJISD employees given choice on paycheck option

ALTON—The Alton City Commission approved a budget and program amendment for Urban County Funding during their March 26 meeting. Assistant City Manager Steve Peña explained they hoped to utilize remaining surplus funds from previous years.

The total remaining funds from Street Improvements projects in 2009 -2011 and Section 108 line item, repayment from a loan component under Housing and Urban Development Funding, is $195,331.

Read more: Alton Commission reallocates $195,000 in Urban County funds

MISSION—Mayor Norberto “Beto” Salinas argued that a property developer should have some assistance from the city on the project in constructing a lift station for its commercial development, which includes an apartment complex.

“It’s too much money that has nothing to do with construction,” he said at Monday’s Mission City Council meeting.

Read more: Mission mayor objects to high cost for developer

MISSION—Eight selected Mission Boys & Girls Club members ran excitedly, from room to room through a newly painted and furnished club building last Thursday. A large painted space ship seems to fly off the wall in the front entrance and polka dots decorate the hallways to individual playrooms.

The facelift to the Boys and Girls Club building was provided courtesy of 150 T-Mobile employee volunteers who converged on the club last Thursday, performing a one-day, sweeping makeover of the facility. The volunteers repainted rooms, added painted murals, prepared flower beds and created outdoor games for the children. The club also received new furniture, school supplies, books and games.

Read more: T-Mobile employees give Boys & Girls Club facelift

MISSION — The Special Weapons and Tactics, better known as SWAT, teams are a common staple on television. They carry shields and batons going into dangerous riots, geared up and ready to run into a house to apprehend a suspect and rescue hostages.

Read more: S.W.A.T. - Mission PD trains special tactics unit

PALMHURST—City officials gathered with representatives from H-E-B to celebrate not only the ground breaking of a new H-E-B store in Palmhurst, but also the 85^th anniversary of the chain servicing the Rio Grande Valley.

“The Valley represents the time the company started gaining some traction, so we are thankful for the support that all of you have given H-E-B over the years,” Director of Retail Operations Tony Gonzalez said. “The store will be 96,000 square feet…it is going to be a pretty large store.”

Gonzalez added that the new store will be unique to the area, and he hopes it will meet the needs of the community. He said the store would be a different type of model with a larger bakery, guacamole station, a party center, and will offer a larger variety of fully cooked products and quesos frescos.

Read more: H-E-B breaks ground on Palmhurst store

Recycling is becoming more and more popular, especially in bigger cities, but some small cities are taking part in the recycling business as well. While some Valley cities are just getting started, others have been working their recycling program for years.

City of Alton has been conducting a recycling program for nearly four years. They started the program in early 2010. Rudy Garza, public works director, said their intention from the beginning was to include schools in the area. The city focuses a lot on educating school students about the importance of recycling.

Garza said families get more involved in their recycling efforts when the children are excited about recycling. The city even has a recycling mascot, HERO (Helping Earth Recover Resources).

Read more: Alton partners with local schools in recycling

“Where good things are growing” was the theme of the 74^th Annual Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show (RGVLS) which took place March 8-17 in Mercedes. The theme was especially fitting for many elementary, junior high and high school aged students from Mission, Sharyland and La Joya who walked away with many of the banners, buckles and ribbons and much of the prize money awarded at this year’s edition of the Valley’s largest livestock show.

Read more: Local students excel at Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show