Area News

During a Tuesday meeting workshop, the Mission Consolidated School District reviewed its 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 financial reports, highlighting the issues of recent decrease in student enrollment. Deputy Superintendent for Business and Support Services, Joel Garcia, highlighted the annual attendance report in the fiscal year report for 2023-2024, something he has done since financial reports began…

McAllen ISD may finally move staff out of David Crockett Elementary after over a decade of failing to do so. Last month school board trustees heard a presentation from the district’s administration that, through a somewhat complicated series of staff and student relocations, would ultimately result in the couple dozen administrators who work out of…

City of Mission representatives say the municipality has virtually no plan for its new in-house emergency medical service and that it doesn’t even fully understand the fiscal implications of that service. That lack of planning somewhat hampered negotiations Tuesday between the city and Mission Fire Fighters Association Local 3609 over a 10-article meet and confer…

La Joya Independent School District’s superintendent announced at Wednesday’s board meeting that she’s hired a chief of staff. Superintendent Marcey Sorensen says Joseph Niedziela will start in that role on April 2. La Joya ISD doesn’t presently have a chief of staff on the payroll and it’s not clear that it’s ever had one. The…

During a regular Tuesday meeting, the Edinburg Consolidated School District approved educational resources and an open bid for HVAC improvements on their elementary and middle school campuses. The district will spend $52,695 on 800 book materials for Pre-Kindergarteners to learn Spanish as part of a bilingual summer program. The item was the first of six…

After receiving a good-standing audit report for the fiscal year 2023, the Alton City Commission approved the first purchase using the Operation Stonegarden grant awarded to the Alton Police Department. After the opening prayer, the Commission met with an auditor, Jenna Gonzalez, from Cascos & Associates, who has been the city’s auditor for three years.…

The Sharyland Education Foundation celebrated its 20th anniversary with past and present members while also bidding farewell to superintendent Dr. Maria Vidaurri. Sharyland ISD students performed for guests in the Texas Regional Bank parking lot last Thursday, with Griffin Parkway echoing with mariachi music and the clicking heels of Folklorico dancers. Sarah Samaniego, president of…

A major motion picture on border crossing and cartel affairs continues via pre-production in Brownsville, Texas, loaded with a Valley-native cast and crew. A Treacherous Border, written by San Diego-born Lawerence M. Watson, follows a single mother traveling with her child to cross the Rio Grande River and the dangers that lie with it. It…