Area News
Region One revamps teacher certification program
Throughout the last 50 years, there has been a steady decline in people earning degrees in education. Combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, retirement, extreme burnout and low pay, the Rio Grande Valley is one of the regions facing what has been dubbed a national teacher shortage. However, education researchers recently spoke about how shortage might…
Read MoreAgua SUD’s fraud case against Performance Services Inc. heads to arbitration
The Agua Special Utility District agreed Wednesday to take a fraud case against Performance Services Inc., the company at the center of a major corruption case in western Hidalgo County, to arbitration. Agua SUD filed a lawsuit against Performance Services Inc. last year, which demanded more than $1 million in damages. Performances Services Inc. denied…
Read MoreFormer Border Patrol agent sentenced to 10 years in prison for protecting cocaine shipments
A former Border Patrol agent who shepherded cocaine shipments through the Falfurrias checkpoint was sentenced to about 10 years in prison Friday. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced Oberlin Cortez Peña Jr., 23, of La Joya to 121 months — about 10 years — in prison during a hearing on Friday morning. “I know…
Read MorePolice arrest former IDEA Mission teacher accused of improper relationship with student
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…
Read MoreBusinessman sentenced to nearly 17 years in Weslaco water treatment plant bribery case
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…
Read MoreFormer city commissioner who testified against his cousin in Weslaco water treatment plant case sentenced to 3 years in prison
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…
Read MoreFormer Hidalgo County commissioner sentenced to 20 years in Weslaco water treatment plant bribery case
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…
Read MoreMission joins statewide wellness competition
Mayor Norie Gonzalez Garza announced that Mission signed a commitment to participate in the It’s Time Texas Community Challenge — a statewide health and wellness program encouraging Texans to get active. It’s Time Texas is a nonprofit organization that champions a culture of health in Texas by promoting physical activity, nourishing eating habits and optimal…
Read MoreProsecutors drop smuggling case against Mission man
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…
Read MoreLa Joya hires new city attorney
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…
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