Police arrest former Pharr PD chief
Officers from Pharr PD arrested Andy Harvey, the department’s former chief, Saturday evening on allegations that he abused a 911 service and resisted arrest. According to a criminal complaint from the Pharr Police Department, Harvey made “abusive or harassing” statements to dispatcher Abigail Cuevas via several non-emergency text messages, after which he resisted police arresting…
Read MoreFormer trustee named in-house counsel at McAllen ISD
McAllen Independent School District trustees named attorney and former school board trustee John Ball the district’s first staff attorney Monday after learning last month that the district’s general counsel intended to change its billing structure. Ball served on the board for four years, choosing not to run for reelection in 2017. He practices law in…
Read MoreLa Joya ISD board OKs superintendent contract
La Joya ISD trustees approved a contract with Heriberto “Beto” Gonzalez Wednesday evening, officially making him the permanent superintendent of the district. Gonzalez joined the district as interim in April after the hasty departure of Gisela Saenz. The board named him the lone finalist for superintendent last month. “I know that it’s not easy coming…
Read MoreClinic chain at center of federal healthcare fraud probe closing
Texas Federal Wellness Health and Rehab is closing its doors after authorities arrested two of its operators and accused them of cheating a Department of Labor worker’s compensation program out of as much as $80 million. A federal indictment alleges that between 2014 and 2019 Ricardo Cano, of McAllen, and Rosita Cano Meeks, of Edinburg,…
Read MoreSharyland superintendent announces plan to retire
Sharyland ISD Superintendent Maria Vidaurri announced this week that she plans to retire in June of 2024 after five years at the district’s helm. A Premont native, Vidaurri replaced Robert O’Connor as superintendent in 2018 after serving as superintendent in Robstown and spending most of her career as an educator at Rio Grande Valley school…
Read MoreSuit alleging Sharyland water plant “deteriorating, non-compliant” transferred
A suit alleging that the Sharyland Water Supply Corporation’s $22 million Water Treatment Plant Number 3 is “deteriorating, non-compliant, and potentially hazardous” was transferred to the 476th District Court last month. In March the Sharyland Water Supply sued SWG Engineering, HRM Environmental, Ovivo USA and R.P. Constructors for their roles in the plant’s construction, alleging…
Read MoreSharyland High paraprofessional arrested for sexual assault, improper relationship
Mission police arrested former Sharyland High School paraprofessional Samantha Carranza Friday on charges of sexual assault of a child and improper relationship between an educator and a student. Carranza was still being held in the Hidalgo County Jail Friday afternoon on bonds totalling $10,000, records show. According to Sharyland ISD, the district responded to a…
Read MoreOcaña to stay at Ann Richards Middle School
Ann W. Richards Middle School Principal Thomas Ocaña will stay on in his current position at the school after the La Joya ISD decided not to go through with a considered plan to switch him over to one of the district’s high schools. La Joya ISD trustees were greeted by about a dozen community members…
Read MoreLeadership personnel change at McAllen ISD prompts one-month superintendent search
McAllen Independent School District trustees launched Tuesday a speedy superintendent search on the heels of a significant number of personnel changes at the top of the district. The district is conducting the search itself, with aid from legal counsel, and hopes to name a lone finalist for superintendent with at least some Texas education experience…
Read MoreLa Joya ISD transportation dept. clerk arrested, charged
The Texas Department of Public Safety arrested two La Joya ISD transportation department employees Thursday morning, although according to the district police charged only one of those individuals with a crime and released the other after determining he hadn’t engaged in criminal wrongdoing. Hidalgo County Jail records show DPS arrested Penitas resident Laura Rodriguez…
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