Area News

The La Joya Housing Authority board hired former Rio Grande City Mayor Ruben Villarreal as executive director on Wednesday night. Ruben O. Villarreal, 56, of Mission — who served as mayor of Rio Grande City from 2008 to 2015, campaigned for U.S. Congress in 2016 and currently works as a social media strategist — is…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Aug. 30, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. Every time Claudia Vasquez and her two children see rain clouds in Mission, City Manager Randy Perez gets a phone call. Last Thurs. Aug. 22, 2019, the city held a public hearing at the Mission Event Center to present drainage…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Aug. 30, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. Four months after a surprise groundbreaking for his future home, U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Miguel Simental and his family were welcomed into their new house-providing a literal strong base for the family. On Thursday, Aug. 22, Simental and his family…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Aug. 30, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. In a move similar to what school districts across the state of Texas are doing, the Sharyland school board of trustees voted unanimously in lowering the tax rate. During Monday’s school board meeting, Ismael Gonzalez-assistant superintendent for business & finance-presented…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Aug. 30, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. A former Pharr police officer who threatened to kill two people during a drunken rampage pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon last week. Omar Gutierrez, 31, of Edinburg pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon,…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Aug. 30, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. When he arrived in Auxiliary Court A on Tuesday morning, Francisco “Pancho” Flores didn’t turn any heads. Back in October 2015, when Sullivan City police officers charged him with possession of cocaine, Flores served on the Agua Special Utility District…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Aug. 30, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. A veteran of World War II, Vietnam and Korea, Robert Fisher – now 97 years old – has seen quite a bit in his lifetime. On Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019, he continued to solidify his place in United States history…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Aug. 30, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. The La Joya school board on Wednesday approved a nearly $396 million budget, which included higher pay for teachers and a significant raise for support staff. To balance the budget — which included nearly $391 million in revenue and nearly…

The Progress Times announced today that nominations are now open for the annual citizens awards for Mr. Mission First Lady of Mission, Man of the Year and Woman of the Year. Dee Rendon, publisher of the Progress Times, announced that nominations for the awards will be accepted until 5 p.m., Sept. 13 at the newspaper…

This article originally appeared in the Friday Aug. 30, 2019 issue of the Progress Times. During this week’s regular meeting, the Mission city council approved a proposed tax rate of 0.5212 per $100, 3.5 cents higher than the current tax rate. This will be the first raise in the property tax rate since 2011, but…