Area News

After 44 years with the La Joya school district, Mission Mayor Armando O’Caña retired from his job with the district last week to devote himself to the city of Mission. O’Caña’s last day as the district’s safety director was Friday, Aug. 30. The Greater Mission Chamber of Commerce will be throwing a retirement breakfast in…

Mike and Estella Flores are working every day to keep the spirit of tejano music alive – in practice and celebration. The Flores’ run M&E Productions, a local business that rents out sound and lighting equipment and acts as a full sound production company that runs lighting, back line instruments and sound for tejano bands…

With 176 students out of 857 successfully being named AP scholars in the previous school year, the Sharyland Independent School District is recognizing these individuals for their achievements. During their previous school board meeting, Sharyland trustees congratulated 176 students from all three of their high schools. According to Jennifer Martinez, district director of assessment and…

Last Friday, leaders from across the RGV gathered at the Pharr Events Center to discuss a proposed new trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada. U.S. Senator John Cornyn and U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar were part of a panel held during the USMCA forum (hosted by RGV Leadership and Futuro RGV) on Friday…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Sept. 6, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. A judge last week dismissed a felony charge against a former Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office jailer accused of sodomizing an inmate with a baton. Former Detention Officer Michael David Hinojosa, 35, of Mercedes pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Sept. 6, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. The Mission Housing Authority, which spent thousands on extravagant meals for board members and paid the bill with taxpayer money, attempted to avoid criticism last week by finding a new source of funding. Executive Director Joel A. Gonzalez and Deputy…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Sept. 6, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. The results of the Mission election trial may not be determined until some time in 2020. Attorneys for former Mission Mayor Norberto “Beto” Salinas filed a petition to the Supreme Court of Texas in order to review their appeal of…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Sept. 6, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. $40,000 in funds to maintain meal operations at the senior center in Mission’s Palm Plaza Development remain on hold after board members with the Mission Housing Authority expressed concerns with continuing to let a handful of non-tenants of the housing…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Sept. 6, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. Three years later, Sally Ibarra and her family continue to keep Abraham’s legacy alive. In 2016 Abraham Ibarra, a basketball player and aspiring bodybuilder from Veterans Memorial High School, was diagnosed with stage III Burkitt’s Lymphoma, a rare and aggressive…

In 1985, when Thomas Slowinski first worked at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in Falfurrias, the process for searching passenger cars wasn’t exactly sophisticated. “We actually had a set of Walmart car ramps if we wanted to look under a vehicle,” Slowinski said. “Now you look at the technology and the capabilities that we have…