A judge sentenced a former Customs and Border Protection officer to 10 years in prison Wednesday for accepting a $17,000 bribe during a sting operation. U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced Oziel Cantu, 48, of Alamo to 10 years in federal prison followed by three years on supervised release. “I’m sorry,” Cantu said Wednesday afternoon,…

A judge sent a sex offender back to prison Monday after he pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced James Archie Wells III, 64, of Edinburg to 15 years in prison during a hearing Monday morning. “I am sorry for what I’ve done,” Wells said. “Not only this case…

When the Peñitas City Council met on Monday, nobody saved a seat for Mayor Rodrigo “Rigo” Lopez. Lopez — who is awaiting trial on federal theft charges — hadn’t shown up for a City Council meeting since April. “We would like for him to show up or step down. Fulfill his duty or give it…

  The FBI returned 19 boxes of documents to La Joya in July, nearly three years after federal agents raided City Hall. Agents seized the documents in August 2019 during a public corruption investigation that focused on former Mayor Jose A. “Fito” Salinas, former City Administrator Mike Alaniz and the mayor’s daughter. La Joya picked…

The Mission City Council had second thoughts last week about a decision to limit public comment. Texas law mandates that Mission allow members of the public to address the City Council during meetings. The law, however, doesn’t specify how long members of the public may speak. Mission originally allowed people to speak for three minutes.…

Mission police Chief Cesar Torres attempted to stop officers from speaking with the Mission City Council, a flagrant violation of their First Amendment rights, according to a letter from the Texas Municipal Police Association. Torres told officers they couldn’t speak with City Manager Randy Perez or members of the City Council about “Police Department operations”…

The Mission Police Department suspended eight officers in March after investigating a high-speed chase that injured an innocent bystander. Officers failed to follow department policy in September, when they chased a Dodge Durango from Mission to San Juan at speeds of up to 125 mph, according to documents released under the Texas Public Information Act.…

The state Public Safety Office placed a financial hold on Peñitas Police Department and Peñitas Fire Department grants last month after the FBI arrested Mayor Rodrigo “Rigo” Lopez on public corruption charges. Grants from the Public Safety Office provide the city of Peñitas with body cameras and fire department equipment. They also pay for a…

IDEA Public Schools filed a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last month, attempting to block the release of videos that reveal what board members discussed in public meetings. The Progress Times filed a public information request in November for videos of IDEA Finance Committee meetings. IDEA, however, claimed that portions of the videos…

The Peñitas City Council had plenty to discuss on Monday. Heavy trucks had damaged Tom Gill Road. The sewer system had problems, but the parts Peñitas needed to make repairs are back-ordered. And residents on the south side of town had petitioned the City Council to install speed bumps. Mayor Rodrigo “Rigo” Lopez, though, didn’t…