A lawyer hired to represent the La Joya Independent School District in a high-stakes case against the Texas Education Agency plans to charge $750 per hour. La Joya ISD hired attorney John Scott of Austin-based law firm Scott & Scott to handle an administrative case against the agency, which wants to replace the local school…

After the FBI arrested her father-in-law on federal drug charges, Alondra De Leon stepped up. De Leon sent a text message to someone who had purchased drugs from her husband’s family — and still owed them money. They set up a meeting. Less than a month later, the FBI caught De Leon red-handed with nearly…

  A state trooper charged a former Sullivan City police officer with driving while intoxicated last week. The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested Miguel Chester Cervantes, 46, of Roma on June 14. Cervantes, who joined the Sullivan City Police Department in February, declined to comment. He previously worked for the Starr County Sheriff’s Office,…

A judge will hear the La Joya Independent School District’s case against the Texas Education Agency on July 31. Attorneys for La Joya ISD and the agency filed a joint motion with the State Office of Administrative Hearings last week, setting the case for July 31. After the hearing, an administrative law judge will decide…

A man accused of attempting to intimidate a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent outside the federal courthouse in McAllen was charged with obstruction of justice last week. Hector Reyes Jr., 19, of Mission stared and spat at Special Agent Patrick Zaruba on May 9, according to a criminal complaint filed by the government. Zaruba worked…

IDEA Public Schools may sell the Inn at Chachalaca Bend, a boutique hotel in Los Fresnos that former executives allegedly purchased without board approval. During a meeting on Wednesday morning, the IDEA Real Estate Committee unanimously approved a motion to “recommend the next steps related to sale of property in Los Fresnos.” The Inn at…

A federal judge dismissed the drug trafficking case against Reynosa City Councilwoman Denisse Ahumada-Martinez on Thursday after concluding prosecutors lacked probable cause to charge her with a crime. Border Patrol arrested Ahumada-Martinez on Saturday, when agents found about 42 kilograms of cocaine in her car. During a hearing on Thursday, however, prosecutors could not prove…

The Texas Legislature passed a bill last week that would allow the troubled Agua Special Utility District to be placed in receivership. State Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa authored Senate Bill 1188 after becoming concerned about corruption at Agua SUD, which serves more than 17,000 customers in western Hidalgo County. “I think the present board is…

A sergeant retired from the Mission Police Department in May — seven weeks after officers found him behind the wheel of a stolen car and charged him with public intoxication. Sgt. Adan Beltran retired on May 16. “I would like to commend the men and women of the Mission Police Department for their professionalism and…

A man accused of sacrificing animals to protect drug shipments pleaded not guilty Wednesday. Hector Reyes, a man in his mid-30s from Rio Grande City, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to smuggling drugs and violating the federal Endangered Species Act. Attorney Jose Maria “Chema” Garza Jr. of Rio Grande City, who represents Reyes, declined to comment.…