Area News

 Officials with the Hidalgo County Health and Human Services Department reported 17 more COVID-19 related deaths 204 new known positive cases Friday. The new numbers bring the total amount of known COVID-19 cases in the county to 33,352 with 2,337 of them remaining active.  The COVID-19 death toll now stands at 1,841, the county announced…

A fundraising tradition in the Valley will be held virtually this year. The 11th annual Mission Pink 5K Walk/Run, benefitting the “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” cause, will start virtually this Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020. The event, hosted by the American Cancer Society and Mission Regional Medical Center, will run until Oct. 31, 2020. According…

Before participating in any extracurricular activity, Sharyland students will be required to test negative for COVID-19. Last week, the school district started practice for fall sports on campus and students from other extracurricular activities such as marching band, dance and cheerleading followed suit. At a Wednesday school board workshop, Sharyland student services assistant superintendent Belinda…

Traditionally, the parking lot at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is always packed with thousands of cars belonging to students and teachers arriving at the university. It’s a sight that hasn’t been seen there since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the school to close its doors in March for the remainder of the spring…

In what its executive director is calling a “big stepping stone” to get the La Joya Housing Authority out of its “troubled” status with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the agency approved a second action plan to fix its myriad of financial and management problems. During their Tuesday meeting, directors with the…

Leo’s Drive In locations sold to 7-Eleven Leo James Leo Jr. still remembers the time his father gifted him his own store in 1981. Leo Jr’s father, Leo James Leo Sr., was the owner of Leo J. Leo Drive In Grocery which had three locations throughout the La Joya and Palmview area. Leo Jr. worked…

On Sept. 12, 2019, a memorandum was sent to Mission CISD principals instructing directors to reduce unnecessary travel expenses. The memo, from Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Sharon Roberts (through Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carol G. Perez), let principals know that in lieu of sending staff to a Texas Assessment Conference in Austin,…

Officials with the Hidalgo County Health and Human Services Department reported 19 more deaths related to COVID-19 and 130 new known positive cases, Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez said Thursday. The total amount of known COVID-19 cases in the county now stands at 33,148 with 2,409 of those cases marked as active, according to a news…

Council members Ruben Plata and Alberto Vela will be remaining on the city council for Mission. The 2020 election for the city, which would have involved Place 2 and Place 4 on the council, was cancelled in early August following the passing of candidate John A. Lopez. Lopez was originally slated to run against Plata…

Bigger polling locations, PPE for all poll workers and social distancing among all voters are among the things Hidalgo County is implementing for the November 3 General Election. These changes are being implemented to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus, county election Administrator Hilda Salinas said. “We’re being safe, we encourage all our voters…