A man accused of sacrificing animals to “bless” drug shipments was arrested in Mexico last month. Hector Reyes, a man in his mid-30s from Rio Grande City, is charged with smuggling drugs and violating the federal Endangered Species Act. Reyes recruited drivers to transport drug shipments, according to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Patrick…

A security guard who brought marijuana to Mission High School pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drug charge last month. James Guerrero, 26, of Alton pleaded guilty to possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana in a drug-free zone, a Class A misdemeanor, on April 3. Hidalgo County Court-at-Law Judge Federico “Fred” Garza Jr. placed…

The La Joya Independent School District set the stage for a high-stakes showdown with the Texas Education Agency on Monday. During a contentious meeting on Monday afternoon, trustees voted 4-3 to “proceed with any action necessary” to stop the Texas Education Agency from replacing the elected school board with a state-appointed board of managers. “I…

The La Joya Independent School District and Ruth Villarreal Insurance settled a long-running lawsuit in March. As part of the settlement agreement, La Joya ISD approved a seven-year contract with Ruth Villarreal Insurance and coughed up $600,000 to cover the company’s legal bills. Ruth Villarreal Insurance, meanwhile, agreed not to collect nearly $2.7 million in…

A former La Joya school board trustee accused of assaulting a political opponent was arrested Wednesday on a misdemeanor assault charge. Rita Garza-Uresti, 56, of Palmhurst is accused of assaulting former Agua Special Utility District board Director Cesar Rodriguez Jr. on May 6, when Peñitas held a mayoral election. After investigating the incident, the Peñitas…

  Sullivan City held a swearing-in ceremony Tuesday for two new councilmen. Nicolas “Nick” Cerda Jr., 35, a teacher at Juarez-Lincoln High School, and Ruben Villalon, 50, a local businessman, joined the City Council on Tuesday. “I was told once: ‘If you’re in a position to make a change, take the change,’” Cerda said. “So…

The city of Mission collected about $232,000 in additional revenue after replacing nearly 9,600 old water meters, according to information reviewed by the City Council on Monday. Mission began replacing old, mechanical water meters with new, electromagnetic water meters in 2021, when the City Council approved a nearly $17 million contract with Performance Services Inc.…

This article appeared in the May 12 issue of the Progress Times.   A local insurance agent dropped a lawsuit against the La Joya Independent School District last week. Alberto “Bob” Treviño, who owns Pharr-based Workplace Benefit Advisors LLC, decided to drop the lawsuit on May 2. “We felt we got what we wanted,” said…

The Texas Education Agency, troubled by corruption and conflicts of interest at La Joya ISD, released a report Tuesday that concluded the local school board should be replaced with a state-appointed board of managers. After reviewing the findings of a federal investigation, which resulted in criminal charges against two former school board trustees and three…

Calls for change at Peñitas City Hall fell flat Saturday, when voters backed Mayor Ramiro Loya by wide margins. Loya defeated former La Joya school board President Claudia Ochoa, according to preliminary results published by the Hidalgo County Elections Department on Saturday afternoon. “The people have spoken here. And that’s what they want,” Loya said.…