Area News
Conservative book ban activists target Rio Grande Valley school districts
At 3:27 p.m. last Friday, McAllen ISD Superintendent René Gutiérrez and then-Board President Debbie Crane Aliseda received a not-so-subtly threatening email with a demand: purge your schools’ libraries of 676 books or else. The threat was delivered by local representatives of Citizens Defending Freedom and the Remnant Alliance, associated conservative advocacy groups founded outside of…
Read MoreUniversity paid UTRGV basketball coach $250,000 to resign
This article originally appeared in the May 3 edition of the Progress Times. The University of Texas System agreed to pay former UTRGV Head Men’s Basketball Coach Matt Figger $250,000 to resign in March, according to an agreement obtained by the Progress Times through an open records request. Figger appears to have resigned while some…
Read MoreMission CISD hires law firm to review superintendent’s contract
The Mission school board voted Tuesday to hire supplemental legal counsel for special projects, chief among them reviewing Superintendent Carol G. Perez’s legally questionable decade-long contract. That contract, which runs through 2030, seems to blatantly violate a portion of the Texas Education Code that limits superintendents’ contracts to five years. The school district’s attorney, David…
Read MoreGarcia leaves SISD, board inducts new trustee
After nine years on the Sharyland ISD Board of Trustees, Jose “Pepe” Garcia vacated Place 4, and Andrew Riddle replaced him. During the May 4 election, voters chose Riddle and Maritza Venecia to represent the community on the SISD school board. At the May 14 special meeting, the trustees canvassed the votes and declared the…
Read MoreWestern Hidalgo County reflects on National Police Week
Each year in the middle of May, law enforcement agencies across the nation remember their fallen officers who passed in the line of duty, defending the law and their communities. Through the week of May 12-17, western Hidalgo County police departments united to pay respects to the fallen heroes who protected their cities. From Mission…
Read MoreUTRGV to acquire vacant Brownsville elementary for School of Art & Design
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is expanding its School of Art & Design after planning to acquire an old elementary from the Brownsville Independent School District. After the University of Texas System Board of Regents (BOR) authorized the purchase in February, UTRGV and Brownsville ISD agreed to terms and are now under contract…
Read MoreOutgoing MCISD trustees say goodbye, new members inducted
The Mission CISD Board of Trustees canvassed and approved the May 4 school board election results, making Iris Iglesias, Jerry Zamora, Natividad “Nati” Sosa and Dolores “Loli” Reyna the official winners. In Place 2, incumbent Iglesias took home 1,854 of the 3,178 votes. In Place 3, incumbent Zamora received 1,937 of the 3,187 votes. In…
Read MoreSaldivar to resign from McAllen school board
Long-serving McAllen ISD School Board Trustee Sam Saldivar, Jr. plans to step off the board at the beginning of next month. Saldivar penned a letter Thursday saying he plans to retire from the board on June 1. The McAllen school board is slated to discuss his resignation Monday. Saldivar didn’t respond to…
Read MoreMission tentatively OKs firefighter union agreement
The city of Mission tentatively signed off on a 10-article meet and confer agreement with Mission Fire Fighters Association Local 3609 Thursday. Many of the articles in the agreement relate to the city’s new in-house EMS program, laying out rules for things like staffing, medic hiring and certification, EMS training and pay. The agreement also…
Read MoreMercedes trustees approve stipend pay for acting superintendent
The Mercedes Independent School District Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve stipend pay for its acting superintendent and refrained from taking any action on the employment status of the district’s permanent superintendent, who appears to still be on leave. The Mercedes board voted a little over three weeks ago to place Superintendent Maria Chavez…
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