Area News

  The kickback scheme apparently started with a text message. “I’m with my Dad,” Frances Salinas wrote to her friend Sylvia Garces Valdez on June 1, 2018. “I have a proposition for you.” Three years after that fateful message, Frances Salinas and her father, former La Joya Mayor Jose A. “Fito” Salinas, are scheduled for…

This article appeared in the Nov. 19 issue of the Progress Times.   A judge on Tuesday denied Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina’s request to disqualify the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office from handling the voter fraud case against him. Attorney Carlos A. Garcia of Mission, who represents Molina, argued that Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo…

This article appeared in the Nov. 19 issue of the Progress Times.   The Agua Special Utility District plans to adopt a nearly $11.5 million budget in December that absorbs higher operating costs without increasing water and sewer rates. General Manager Roberto J. Salinas and the utility board discussed the proposed budget during a workshop…

Following an incident in which a high school student brought a gun to campus, Mission CISD is administering district-wide changes to ensure student and staff safety. On Nov. 1, Mission police arrested a Mission High School student after discovering a firearm in his backpack. The weapon was loaded, but the student did not use it…

Sharyland ISD suspended a 5-year-old boy at Martinez Elementary for having long hair, and now the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas is fighting on his behalf. On Nov. 11, the ACLU filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights citing gender and religious discrimination. For about a month, the…

Before he pleaded guilty to bribery and bankruptcy fraud charges, former Peñitas City Manager Omar Romero sent a cryptic message to members of the Texas City Management Association. Romero, who had just become the president of the South Texas region, said he needed to resign. “I know in the coming days and weeks that there…

  La Joya bid farewell to City Councilwoman Mary Salinas and City Councilman Rey Acosta on Tuesday. The City Council thanked Mary Salinas and Acosta — who didn’t run for re-election — with a resolution that praised their “dedication, enthusiasm and outstanding public service.” Acosta didn’t attend the City Council meeting on Tuesday afternoon, which…

The city of Palmview may add a stormwater fee to monthly trash bills to pay for drainage projects. City Manager Michael Leo said Palmview could bring in roughly $144,000 annually by charging $2.50 to residential property owners and $6 to commercial property owners every month. “These funds are restricted funds that would only be able…

  La Joya held a swearing-in ceremony Thursday for two newly elected members of the City Council. Juarez-Lincoln High School baseball Coach Esequiel “Chuck” Garza, 33, and former City Councilwoman Angie Garza, 73, took the oath of office Thursday afternoon at City Hall. Chuck Garza and Angie Garza — who aren’t related — ran on…

11/11/2021 In light of recent events, Mr. Humberto Garza has been appointed City Manager by the Peñitas City Council, effective immediately. In an effort to keep Peñitas operating effectively and continuing to grow and develop, Mr. Omar Romero has been demoted and will continue in a supportive role to ensure continuity of services on projects…