Area News

Seven individuals filed this month to run for seats on the La Joya Independent School District Board of Trustees that are currently practically meaningless. In February, the Texas Education Agency installed a board of managers and a new superintendent to oversee La Joya ISD after rampant corruption. That installation left the district’s elected board essentially…

Students across the Sharyland Independent School District’s 14 campuses will now receive free meals for the first time in history.       The historical announcement comes after SISD leaders broke the news of the CEP (Community Eligibility Program) expansion to lunch staff during a press conference Monday afternoon.   “The goal was to have…

Alton will vote on the No-New-Revenue Tax and Voter Approval Tax rates on August 26, with City Manager Jeff Underwood proposing that the rate remain unchanged — as it has been for the last three years.     During a regular meeting Tuesday evening, the City Commission discussed current and past tax rates to decide…

The Alton Fire Department will be instructing EMS courses in-house for the first time after the City Commission consented to affiliation agreements with local hospitals and neighboring municipalities.     Tuesday evening, the Alton City Commission approved affiliation agreements that would help outsource on-site experience for first responders looking to train for Emergency Management Services…

Mission and McAllen have been at stage two water conservation since August 2022. But with the reservoir levels slowly depleting and rainfall becoming fewer and farther in between, Hidalgo County has to prepare for possible worsening conditions.   A drought has a domino effect on an area — water supply shortages can lead to an…

The McAllen Independent School District is aiming to develop a facilities master plan that should help it capitalize on more financial flexibility in two years.   A facilities master plan would essentially appraise the current status of the district’s physical infrastructure and forecast infrastructure needs for the future.   Superintendent René Gutiérrez told trustees at…

From Wisconsin to the southern tip of Texas, La Joya Superintendent Marcey Sorensen has dedicated herself to serving educators and students for 28 years.     Sorensen, a first-time superintendent appointed to La Joya ISD in February 2024, brings experience in leadership with past roles as a deputy and assistant superintendent, an executive director of…

The La Joya Independent School District is planning to have an external auditor audit its special education program which the district’s new administration has — at least in part — found to be “broken.”   In June, Superintendent Marcey Sorensen described at length the district’s plans to fix a $55 million budget deficit.   None…