Area News

Faced with a felony drug charge, former Agua Special Utility District board member Francisco “Pancho” Flores rejected a plea agreement Tuesday — and may take the case against him to trial. Officers arrested Flores in October 2015, when they searched him after a traffic stop and found less than 1 gram of cocaine, according to…

The La Joya Housing Authority board approved a contract with attorney Javier Villalobos on Monday. Villalobos agreed to represent the housing authority for $150 per hour. He will not receive a monthly retainer. “He’s very experienced,” said housing authority Executive Director Ruben Villarreal. “If you look at his resume, he works a lot with local…

A motorist struck and killed a man Saturday morning in Sullivan City. At about 6:30 a.m. Saturday, the Sullivan City Police Department responded to an auto-pedestrian collision on U.S. 83, said police Chief Richard Ozuna. The motorist reported that a group of people attempted to run across U.S. 83. The motorist accidentally struck and killed…

Lisa Zuniga was just four years old when she awoke to find her mother’s body in their living room-dead at the hand of her mother’s boyfriend. “I sat down next to her on the living room floor, touched her face and I asked her to wake up. I was only four years old and I…

When she wasn’t busy stealing cocaine from drug traffickers, Carmen Saldaña Meyer apparently dabbled in bank fraud. Saldaña, 63, of Mission — who is awaiting sentencing in a federal drug trafficking case — pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to commit fraud, a federal felony punishable by a maximum of 30 years in prison. Wearing khaki…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Oct. 4, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. Hundreds of first responders from across south Texas converged in McAllen to deal with the next possible emergency, with them as the victims. The local organization Proactive Education for Emergency Responders hosted their third annual safety and wellness summit earlier…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Oct. 4, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. When the Agua Special Utility District board met on Sept. 16, members had a major decision to make. Construction on the Palmview sewer project had started in 2017. Two years later, the work still wasn’t finished — and Palmview residents…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Oct. 4, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. With one in every other child going to bed hungry in rural areas, the La Joya Housing Authority is partnering up with the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley to address this need. On Wednesday, the La Joya Housing…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Oct. 4, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the governor of Tamaulipas announced 10 new targets on Tuesday for the Se Busca Informacion program. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Tamaulipas Gov. Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca joined law enforcement officers…

Weslaco businessman Rick Quintanilla — a key player in the Weslaco water treatment plant bribery case — surrendered to FBI agents Thursday. Ricardo “Rick” Quintanilla, 52, of Weslaco surrendered Thursday morning to face new charges: conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and wire fraud, according to Angela Dodge, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s…