Area News
Peñitas Mayor Ramiro Loya & Councilmembers Joel Roel “JR” Flores and Guadalupe Moreno File for Re-Election
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NEWS RELEASE Peñitas, Texas – Surrounded by family, friends, and supporters, Mayor Ramiro Loya officially filed for re-election on Monday, February 6, 2023, seeking a second consecutive term in office as the city’s Mayor, a position to which he was appointed to last year. Loya was joined by his current colleagues on the…
Read MoreCommunity demands answers after principal reassignment
Feb. 13: This article has been updated to include information about Anthony Limon’s pay and correct the spelling of Elizabeth Gongora’s name. Parents of the Sharyland ISD community have gone through several days of protest following the sudden reassignment of Shimotsu Elementary Principal Anthony Limon. After parents learned about the change in campus leadership, they…
Read MoreLongest-serving city employee retires
With tear-filled words and a special celebration, the City of Mission bid farewell to Belinda Garza, who retired from employment at the end of January after 44 years. Mission honored Garza at the January city council meeting, presenting her with a service award for her dedication and commitment to the community. Garza, known as Bel,…
Read MorePeñitas may approve ‘review’ instead of audits
The city of Peñitas may approve a “review” instead of audits for 2018, 2019 and 2020. Unlike an audit, which is designed to provide the public with a “high level of comfort on the accuracy of financial statements,” according to the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, a review provides only a “basic level” of…
Read MoreJudge orders controversial ‘animal rescue team’ to leave Palmhurst within two weeks
The Franklin All Animal Rescue Team needs to find a new home — and fast. During a hearing on Tuesday, state District Judge Marla Cuellar ordered Jesus Meave, who founded the nonprofit organization, to stop operating from a home in Palmhurst. Cuellar issued an identical order in June 2022, but Meave never moved. More than…
Read MoreLocal ISDs attempt to change legislation, relieve taxpayers
For decades taxpayers in Willacy, Cameron and Hidalgo counties have unknowingly been paying double taxes. But at least 20 school districts across the three counties banded together to ensure that does not happen anymore. It recently came to light that residents in three of the Valley counties have been paying taxes to their home districts…
Read MoreMission CISD stadiums sport new turf
The fields at Tom Landry Hall of Fame Stadium and Veterans Memorial Patriot Stadium reached substantial completion last week for the turf installation projects. Both fields received new artificial grass after nearly 10 years. And for the first time since about 2017, Tom Landry stadium has no ongoing or upcoming construction. Although the turf on…
Read MoreMission City Council — EMS, contracts, construction
During the Jan. 23 Mission City Council meeting, the mayor and council approved an amendment regarding administrative pay for the fire-based EMS program. Previously, the local law regarding base pay and incentives only pertained to the various EMT certification holders. However, firefighters with Mission FD have experienced a more strenuous workload since the department adopted…
Read MoreFormer Santa Maria school board trustee pleads not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges
A former Santa Maria school board trustee pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges on Tuesday. Oscar Saldivar Jr., 56, of Weslaco appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker by videoconference on Tuesday afternoon. Wearing an orange jail uniform, Saldivar said he understood the charges and wanted to plead not guilty. “His only…
Read MoreLa Joya ISD plans to close 2 campuses, cut nearly 140 jobs
Faced with a slow, steady decline in enrollment, the La Joya Independent School District plans to close two campuses and eliminate nearly 140 jobs when the school year ends. La Joya ISD plans to shut down Leo J. Leo Elementary School in Palmview and Rosendo Benavides Elementary School in Sullivan City. The district also plans…
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