Area News

By Maria Ruiz  The Sharyland school board disclosed new COVID-19 guideline updates following the success of last Thursday’s drive-thru community vaccination clinic on Monday evening.  Mark Dougherty, executive director of facilities and risk management, gave an update to the Sharyland ISD vaccination clinic that opened up Thursday of last week.  Sharyland ISD teamed up with…

Frustrated by years of financial shortfalls, the La Joya school board may sell the Howling Trails Golf Course. La Joya ISD lost about $155,000 on Howling Trails during the 2019-2020 fiscal year, according to the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report approved by the school board in January. The red ink wasn’t anything new for Howling Trails.…

The Palmview City Council revived a committee intended to improve cooperation with the Agua Special Utility District on Tuesday. Mayor Rick Villarreal, City Councilman Jose Luis Perez and City Councilwoman Alexandra Flores met with Agua SUD last week to discuss the sewer project. They reported back to the full City Council on Tuesday afternoon. “It…

A home away from home, the experience of a lifetime, people from all walks of life… All clichés – but, as they say, clichés have a way of becoming truths. How could I say no to a sendoff article in the Progress Times? For those who I did not come to tell personally, this will…

Alma D. Salinas, the wife of La Joya ISD school board President Oscar “Coach” Salinas, is running for mayor in Sullivan City. Alma Salinas, 49, the director of Library Services and Instructional Resources at the La Joya Independent School District, launched her campaign last month. “Since I started this 12 years ago supporting my husband…

Every king needs its queen and for TCF King Citrus TJ Flowers, his queen was Palmview native Kaylee Ann Silva, who was named Queen Citrianna 84th during last year’s coronation and will reign alongside Flowers in representing the TCF. “It felt like it took forever to get here but I’m here now with my Royal…

Hidalgo school board Trustee Ben Arjona won a long-running election lawsuit on Thursday. Arjona narrowly defeated Mentor Cantu during the 2018 Hidalgo Independent School District election. Cantu filed a lawsuit, claiming the election had been tainted by fraudulent mail-in ballots and improper voter assistance. After a three-day trial in May 2019, state District Judge Federico “Fred”…

Last week, representatives from the Agua Special Utility District and the city of Palmview met to break bread, literally. Agua SUD directors Homer Tijerina, Esmeralda Solis, Maribel Diaz and the utility district’s General Manager Jose E. “Eddie” Saenz met with Palmview Mayor Ricardo “Ricky” Villarreal and commissioners Jose Luis Perez and Alexandra Flores where, during…

12 more Hidalgo County residents have succumbed to the COVID-19 virus as another 579 cases of the disease were reported Thursday by county health officials. The new numbers make it a total of 2,478 COVID-19 related fatalities and 66,851 total cases of the disease. Of the total cases, 2,414 remain active, county health officials stated in a news…

Nearly one year following her arrest, a former Hidalgo County assistant district attorney pled guilty Wednesday for her role in a bribery case that involved her brother. The charge stems from a bribery investigation involving four individuals -including Alanis’ brother McAllen attorney Roel Alanis. They were charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and bribery in…