The Mission Police Department arrested a former IDEA Public Schools teacher Thursday after she was accused of having sex with a student. Officers arrested Karen Bereniz Sosa, 27, of Mission on Thursday, according to Det. Art Flores, a spokesman for the police department. Sosa worked at IDEA Mission, which is located on Schuerbach Road. The…

A businessman who bribed a member of the Weslaco City Commission was sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced Ricardo “Rick” Quintanilla, 55, of Weslaco to 200 months in prison — nearly 17 years — during a hearing on Wednesday afternoon. Along with the lengthy prison sentence, Alvarez…

John F. Cuellar, a larger-than-life figure in Weslaco politics who served on the City Commission for nearly two decades, was sentenced to 3 years in prison Wednesday for accepting bribes. During a hearing on Wednesday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced John F. “Johnny” Cuellar, 60, of Weslaco to 3 years in prison and…

Former Hidalgo County Commissioner A.C. Cuellar, who pocketed nearly $1 million during a conspiracy to bribe members of the Weslaco City Commission, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced Arturo “A.C.” Cuellar Jr., 69, of Progreso Lakes to 20 years in prison, fined him $915,000 and ordered…

A judge dismissed a smuggling case Wednesday after prosecutors apparently concluded they had charged the wrong person. U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez dismissed the case against Ivan Luna, 39, of Mission on Wednesday. “They got the wrong guy,” said attorney Rick Salinas of Mission, who represented Luna. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Guerra filed a motion…

La Joya hired a new city attorney on Tuesday. Mayor Isidro Casanova and the City Council selected Isaac V. Sulemana, 36, of Sullivan City — the chief of staff to Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez — for the job on Tuesday afternoon. “Being a man of the law, the opportunity to help the city of…

The Mission City Council on Monday rejected a request from retired Fire Chief Gilbert Sanchez to cash out more than 1,500 hours of sick leave. Sanchez had more than 1,500 hours of sick leave when he retired on Dec. 31, according to a document Mission released under the Texas Public Information Act. Based on his…

An engineer charged in the western Hidalgo County corruption case may head to trial in February. Mariano Garcia, 50, of Mission — the owner of M. Garcia Engineering — is scheduled for jury selection on Feb. 27. “We expect that our case in chief will take two days, probably, at most,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Roberto…

The city of McAllen set aside $450,000 in December for a feasibility study on Boeye Reservoir. Mayor Javier Villalobos and the City Commission want to drain the reservoir, which is located on prime commercial property, and make the land available for development. The feasibility study may provide the City Commission with more information about potential…

  Mission welcomed a new attorney to City Hall on Tuesday. City Attorney Victor Flores was sworn in Tuesday afternoon by Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Boyd during a brief ceremony at City Hall. “Mr. Flores is, as you know, a dedicated family man. He is a man of faith. He is a well-respected lawyer,”…