Area News

Both incumbents on the Sharyland school board of trustees will be facing challengers in the upcoming school board election. Certified Public Accountant Ricardo “Ricky” Longoria and engineer Julio Cerda are seeking reelection to the Sharyland school board after serving there for 12 and six years, respectively. Longoria is facing three challengers to his Place 1…

By Kenneth Roberts The Starr County Sheriff’s Department is continuing to investigate two murders committed within a six-day period, with the most recent slaying occurring in the late afternoon hours of Wednesday, Feb. 19 near Garciasville, a small community about eight miles east of Rio Grande City. In the Feb. 19 homicide, Juan Carlos Olvera,…

A Mission native who was greeted in Australia with a thunderous applause received a similar homecoming back home last week. On Thursday, Feb. 20, Mission native Rey Navarro, 39, an assistant fire management officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was recognized by the Boys and Girls Club of Mission after spending over a…

After four years serving on the board, John J. Peña announced Tuesday he is stepping down from the La Joya Housing Authority board of directors. Peña, who served as chairman of the board, announced his resignation during the latest housing authority meeting. “I feel sorry to say this, I love all of you guys, and…

The La Joya school district is seeking over $1 million from its health insurance agent of record over what they say is a breach of contract. The lawsuit, filed Thursday, accuses Ruth Villarreal Insurance of failing to disclose that several of its employees and agents did not hold the necessary licenses to provide service to…

MRMC is the first hospital in South Texas to earn Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation Seniors living in the Rio Grande Valley can find especially focused care at the Mission Regional Medical Center. On Jan. 5, 2020, MRMC got word they had earned a Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) after…

A Mission man will serve 45 years in prison after he was convicted of sexually victimizing two children. Luis Nava Jr., 53, was convicted Monday of these charges, according to a Wednesday news release from Hidalgo County Criminal District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez, Jr. The release states Nava’s sentence was handed down Monday by 389th District Court…

Both the mayor and first lady of Sullivan City were issued warrants for assaulting each other earlier this month. Sullivan City Mayor Leonel Garcia and his wife, Evelyn Vela, have different versions of the story. Vela called the Sullivan City Police Department on Sunday Feb. 16 for the incident, which had already occurred. Officer Esteban…

A Hidalgo County assistant district attorney was arrested Monday by federal authorities. Cynthia Alanis, 27, was taken into custody following the return of an indictment alleging she made a false statement to authorities in a bribery investigation, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. The charge stems from a bribery investigation involving…

After 9 years together, with her dressed in a white wedding dress and him in a tuxedo, Erika and Carlos Torres tied the knot on Valentine’s Day last week at the county Precinct 3 courtroom. “We’ve been best friends since middle school and started dating in high school,” Ericka explained. “We were supposed to get…