Area News

This article originally appeared in the Friday Sept. 27, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. Seven familiar faces in Mission community leadership were honored last Thursday, Sept. 19. The Mission Historical Museum held their 13th annual dinner banquet at the Mission Event Center last week, hosting a fundraising raffle with items donated from business vendors,…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Sept. 27, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. The Palmview City Council approved an $11,000 raise for City Manager Michael Leo last week. Mayor Rick Villarreal and the City Council approved the raise, which bumped the city manager’s salary from $94,000 to $105,000, on Sept. 17. “When we…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Sept. 27, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. After previously voting to leave the current property tax rate unchanged, Alton commissioners approved a $5.9 million budget for their next fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. At their Tuesday meeting, city commissioners approved the budget which included a general…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Sept. 27, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. State District Judge Keno Vasquez held court at La Joya High School last week. “This is not ‘Judge Judy,’” Vasquez said Sept. 20, when he brought the 398th state district court to La Joya. “This is the real thing.” Vasquez…

Faced with a tight budget and a lackluster credit rating, the Mission City Council discussed creative ways to pay for the Madero bridge project Tuesday. The City Council held a joint workshop with the Mission Rail Bridge Action Board on Tuesday afternoon. They discussed ways to build the bridge — a project that will cost…

The La Joya Housing Authority board is considering a three-year contract with Executive Director Ruben Villarreal, who would earn an $84,000 annual salary. Villarreal — the former mayor of Rio Grande City — is the fourth person to hold the position during the past 12 months. Approving a three-year contract may insulate the executive director…

The Pharr Police Department arrested a Hidalgo County bailiff last week on drug and weapons charges. Investigators arrested Jose R. Hernandez, 40, of Pharr on Sept. 18, when they caught him with three baggies of cocaine and two handguns, according to Pharr Municipal Court records. Officers arrested Hernandez at about 5:30 p.m., when they conducted…

Following two public hearings and four council workshops, the city of Mission adopted a tax rate of 0.5212 per $100 evaluation. Ordinance #4835 was passed during this week’s regular city council meeting, officially adopting the property tax rate for the next fiscal year in Mission. After freezing the tax rate in his first year as…

30 years after a deadly bus crash claimed the lives of 21 students from the Mission school district, members of the community reflected on how they coped with the tragedy. Last week, members of the community were invited to a special memory honoring the 21 students who died after a traffic collision resulted in a…

Nine new civil servants joined the city of Mission, and two current civil servants were promoted this week. The city of Mission police department and fire department each held a pinning ceremony for new officers and firefighters, and promoted a new captain and deputy fire chief. Each ceremony, held on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, celebrated…