McAllen ISD considers cutting planning periods
The McAllen Independent School District may cut planning periods for 374 teachers, a move that could save the cash-strapped school system a little over $3 million at the cost of riling up its teachers. Middle school and high school teachers at McAllen ISD get a planning period in addition to a conference period. According to…
Read MoreSullivan City city attorney resigns
Sullivan City City Attorney Frank Garza resigned Wednesday afternoon after serving in the role for a little more than two and a half years. Garza declined to comment and a copy of his resignation letter obtained by the Progress Times doesn’t elaborate on what prompted him to quit. “My law firm has had the opportunity…
Read MoreLa Joya Housing Authority gets new director, chair
The habitually-troubled La Joya Housing Authority is once again under new management. La Joya Housing Authority commissioners approved a management and operations agreement with the Mission Housing Authority in April, which means that organization and its staff are going to run the show in La Joya. The La Joya Housing Authority had been operating under…
Read MoreMission council OKs $75,000 time clock buy
Mission City Council voted last week to approve the purchase of 25 new biometric time clocks and the retrofitting of nine existing clocks for $75,738.12, a move described as an accountability measure. The city expects to pay $16,722.54 annually for hardware support and maintenance of the clocks. The time clocks have fingerprint readers, which means…
Read MoreCandidates for Hidalgo County Appraisal District board fail to file campaign finance reports
At least two candidates running for a seat on the Hidalgo County Appraisal District Board of Directors failed last week to file a required campaign finance report. Candidates who fail to file campaign finance reports are sometimes punished by the Texas Ethics Commission. Elected seats on the appraisal district board are new, the result of…
Read MoreRowe baseball coach reinstated, allegations dismissed
Officials cleared James “Nikki” Rowe Head Baseball Coach Michael Segovia of any wrongdoing on April 16 after a brief suspension based on a parent complaint. McAllen ISD placed Segovia on administrative leave in early April after a parent submitted a video of Segovia speaking with a player about athletics in the summer of 2022. The…
Read MorePeñitas flower shop swindled thousands from La Joya ISD
The La Joya Independent School District Police Department is investigating a Peñitas flower shop that swindled thousands of dollars from the school system through unauthorized credit card charges last fall, fraudulent charges the district’s previous administration never had law enforcement investigate even though administrators were aware of it. According to a statement from the district,…
Read MoreMcAllen weighs cracking down on political signage
The city of McAllen may soon tighten regulations on political advertising and it’s looking to start that process with one of the most popular spots in town to prop up a campaign sign: Bicentennial Boulevard. Doing so could be complicated. Just to further regulate political signage on Bicentennial, city commission will have to weigh the…
Read MoreSalinas keeps job as Agua SUD chief
The Agua Special Utility District Board of Directors decided not to terminate General Manager Roberto Salinas last Monday. The board discussed firing Salinas and finding a replacement for him during a lengthy closed door executive session discussion before voting to not do so. The board did, however, vote to establish a three-director committee to…
Read MoreMission lacks staff for in-house EMS program
This article originally ran in the April 26 edition of the Progress Times. Not only did the city of Mission launch its new in-house EMS program with absolutely no financial plan for it, but it did so without enough personnel to provide adequate service without overworking its employees. Leadership from the city and representatives from…
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