Area News

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect the 3-2 vote by the council in favor of amending the Texas Citrus Fiesta bylaws which erroneously stated that Councilman Alberto “Beto” Vela and Councilwoman Jessica Ortega were against the amendments when in fact, they were in favor of making the change along with Mayor Pro-Tem…

The La Joya school district found a history of questionable compensation practices from the previous administration, including seemingly deliberate obstruction of pay increases and limited documentation to provide an explanation. For the past two years, the chief staff has been working to correct more than a decade of financial issues. Although external auditors reported improved…

The La Joya ISD Board of Managers underwent a few changes this month, although they remain in place as a unit through 2028. At the Feb. 11 meeting, the board unanimously voted in favor of reorganizing its officers. Julian Alvarez III remains president, while Alyssa Peña takes on the role of vice president. Celso Gomez…

The board of directors for the Texas Citrus Fiesta (TCF) accused Mission councilwoman Jessica Ortega of interfering in its internal operations, according to a letter it addressed to the city council on February 10 and obtained by the Progress Times.     The four-page letter on TCF’s official letterhead alleged Ortega made “repeated attempts to…

The McAllen Independent School District Board of Trustees Tuesday voted to place a $335 million bond package in front of the public in May.   McAllen ISD hasn’t passed a real bond in going on two decades. Trustees have been seriously considering a bond for more than a year.   The district initially considered rushing…

LA JOYA, Texas — La Joya ISD is launching a comprehensive long‑range facilities master planning process to guide how the district will maintain, modernize and strategically repurpose its schools over the next 10 to 20 years. At its Feb. 11 meeting, the La Joya ISD Board of Trustees approved MGT Impact Solutions to lead the…

Just before the spotlights illuminated the glamour of local royalty, ball gowns, and tiaras in Mission recently, a storm brewed among the volunteer organizers of the Texas Citrus Fiesta (TCF). That storm could result in the Texas Citrus Kings Association moving future events out of city hands and back under its own direction.   TCF…

The Mission City Council is considering five new options for primary legal representation, some kind of transitional agreement with its current attorney and a potential change to how it’s traditionally done legal services, and it’s doing it almost entirely out of the public’s eye.   Last Wednesday Mission City Council heard presentations from attorneys who…

Filomena Leo didn’t consider herself a revolutionary, but she managed to accomplish a good deal of change anyway.   Leo, who died Sunday at the age of 76, was for decades the stately matriarch of the dominant political family in La Joya and a longtime educator at La Joya ISD, a career that culminated in…

La Joya ISD will remain under the authority of the board of managers for two more years, according to Commissioner of Education Mike Morath. The state appointed the board of managers and Superintendent Dr. Marcey Sorensen Feb. 1, 2024, following years of corruption in the district and among trustees. The board replacements rendered elected school…