Area News

The FBI served the La Joya Independent School District, the city of Mission and the Agua Special Utility District with grand jury subpoenas last month — requesting documents on more than a dozen public officials or corporations affiliated with them. Agua SUD released the subpoena under the Texas Public Information Act. The Progress Times obtained…

Peñitas Chief of Staff Andy Morales pleaded not guilty to four gun charges on Wednesday. Morales pleaded not guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and three counts of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. Morales waived his right to a formal, in-person arraignment and…

Sharyland High School’s Matthew Worthington accepted admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point in March — an accomplishment that has been years in the making. The SHS senior had been working on his West Point application since he was a sophomore, but conversations about the school had been present throughout his childhood.…

At the start of his freshman year, Xavier Piña was a shy and introverted kid unsure what he would do with his high school career. Now accepting the opportunity to attend Harvard, he shares how people who pushed him helped him seize the possibility of success. After joining Palmview’s Mariachi Los Lobos, he was encouraged…

When coming into high school as a freshman, Anaili Garcia believed she wouldn’t fit in. After finding her place in leadership for multiple school organizations and a calling for art that won her the Gold Seal at state twice in a row, Garcia led a journey that made her four years at Palmview High School…

Valedictorian Amanda Salinas and Salutatorian Elizabeth Abila, both students from The Academy of Health Science Professions and STEM, will be graduating with their home school, Juarez Lincoln. Salinas has been chosen as 1 of 8 in the state of Texas to receive early admission into the physician assistant program. She will be graduating with her…

Despite undergoing a rollercoaster of a school year, Luis Sarabia accepted and overcame the challenge COVID placed in front of him with his acceptance to Stanford with a Gates Millennium Scholarship. “Coming into high school, I was shy, I was timid, I was quiet,” said Sarabia, saying his younger self never would’ve expected to be…

Johnny Joe Gutierrez almost didn’t go to the state championship finals and may not have won the title of 2021 State Accordion Champion if it wasn’t for the encouragement of his parents. Gutierrez wasn’t interested in playing music when he was younger, but after his father took him to the ranch with his friends and…

Valedictorian Aaliyah Alvarez and Salutatorian Briana Chapa are both La Joya High School graduates pursuing degrees in the fine arts. Some say to keep the arts out of schools, but these two young women defy the odds with their artistic ambitions. Alvarez will be attending the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Arizona. She…