Area News

Incumbent Hector Rivera faces off against Rene Morales for place 5 on the Sharyland ISD board of trustees. Morales, an educator and reserve officer, is looking to unseat the three-year board veteran by running on a platform that focuses on school safety, security and communication. The Sharyland resident of 20 years has two children in…

A judge sentenced a Starr County drug smuggler to time served Monday after he provided federal prosecutors with information about a corrupt police detective. U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey sentenced Rolando “Flaco” Garcia, 27, of Rio Grande City to time served — the 25 months he’d already spent in jail — during a hearing…

The La Joya Economic Development Corp. brought a new attorney onboard last week. The La Joya EDC board hired attorney Marco A. De Luna of Mission during a meeting on March 31. De Luna replaced attorney Jose L. Caso of Edinburg, who resigned in February to focus on federal work. “When Mr. Caso decided to…

Faced with financial problems, the Agua Special Utility District may be forced to pull money from a reserve fund to cover bond payments in August. Rick Perez — an executive vice president at Rio Bank who serves on the Agua SUD board — questioned General Manager Roberto J. Salinas about the situation during a meeting…

After exactly 35 years in law enforcement, Mission police Chief Robert Dominguez is ready for retirement. The city thanked Dominguez — who joined the Mission Police Department on April 6, 1987 — with a retirement ceremony at the Mission Event Center on Wednesday afternoon. “Probably some police chiefs won’t like this, but just about anybody…

The La Joya City Council approved a settlement last month with Finance Director Gregoria Jackson, who claimed former Mayor Jose A. “Fito” Salinas fired her for political reasons. Mayor Isidro Casanova and the City Council unanimously approved the settlement during a meeting on March 29. “She was wrongfully terminated for political reasons, from what I…

Against city staff recommendation, Mission City Council approved the renewal of animal control interlocal agreements for the cities of Alton, Granjeno and Palmview. The reason for the recommendation was because staff had concerns about the overcapacity at the City of Mission Animal Shelter.  When asked how often the 59 kennels at the city facility fill…

The campaign to increase the minimum wage to $15 for city of Mission employees came to a standstill not long after it began.  Activist organization Ground Game Texas teamed up with local advocates La Unión del Pueblo Entero and announced the Mission Quince initiative in December 2021. They intended to start the campaign in January,…

This article first appeared in the Jan. 7 issue of the Progress Times. Local and state activist organizations teamed up to promote a minimum wage increase for city of Mission employees and contractors the city hires. Ground Game Texas and La Unión del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) held a press conference last month to announce the…

It has been two months since the National Butterfly Center in Mission closed its doors to the general public following harassment from right-wing extremists. But the community is just a few weeks away from being able to walk the conservatory’s grounds again. Unproven rumors about the Butterfly Center being a hub for human trafficking spread…