Area News
Incumbent mayor and councilmen win big in Peñitas as calls for change fall flat
Calls for change at Peñitas City Hall fell flat Saturday, when voters backed Mayor Ramiro Loya by wide margins. Loya defeated former La Joya school board President Claudia Ochoa, according to preliminary results published by the Hidalgo County Elections Department on Saturday afternoon. “The people have spoken here. And that’s what they want,” Loya said.…
Read MoreRio Grande City man who failed to show up for sentencing in major drug case pleads guilty
A man who failed to show up for sentencing in a major Starr County drug case struck a deal with prosecutors on Monday. Ricardo Hinojosa, 51, of Rio Grande City — who confessed to smuggling thousands of pounds of marijuana through Starr County — didn’t show up for sentencing in October 2020. Hinojosa apparently slipped…
Read MoreSullivan City starts accepting game room applications
Sullivan City started accepting game room applications on Wednesday. After reviewing the applications, Sullivan City may issue permits to a maximum of five game rooms. “If they are breaking the law, we are going to enforce it,” said Hidalgo County District Attorney Terry Palacios. “That’s all I can say.” While slot machines aren’t legal in…
Read More‘I gave it my all’ — Longtime Sharyland trustee steps down
After 15 years on the Sharyland ISD board of trustees, Ricky Longoria had difficulty compressing the experience into a 30-minute interview. “How do you do that,” he asked. “How do you serve it justice?” He reminisced on the accomplishments, the highlights and the efforts that went into holding the Place 1 seat. But with the…
Read MoreSharyland approves $1.7 million for turf and track
Hellas Construction will replace the turf at both Sharyland ISD football stadiums and the track at Pioneer High School. The contract is for $1,692,650, and the funds will come from the general operating fund. Generally, the lifespan of artificial turf is about 10 years. But the high temperatures in the Rio Grande Valley cause the…
Read MoreMission hires new tax collection firm after 24 years
Mission City Council approved a contract with Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson LLP for delinquent tax collection services after terminating the contract with the previous legal service agency in February. Linebarger has a three-year contract, including a six-month transition period with King, Guerra, Davis & Garcia PC — Mission’s previous tax collection entity. The King…
Read MoreMission CISD falls in accountability ratings
The Texas Education Agency audited Mission CISD’s industry-based certifications and found that about 352 student certifications lacked verification. Because of their findings, TEA dropped the district’s rating from 89 to 87. However, the agency weighs both scores as a “B.” For TEA to consider certifications as verified, students need to complete three steps — testing,…
Read MoreNew details surface about man accused of coordinating drug shipments for Jalisco New Generation Cartel
In 2016 or 2017, when Ivan Ornelas-Pio worked for a McAllen restaurant, a friend asked him for a favor. “That favor was to pick up some speaker boxes from a trailer — like a taco truck — down near Pharr, Texas, near the bridge,” said U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Kevin Beverly, who spent…
Read MoreBill to reform ‘energy savings’ contracts stalls in Texas Senate committee
A bill designed to stop unscrupulous “energy savings” contractors from bamboozling local governments stalled in the Texas Senate last week. State Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa drafted Senate Bill 1828 after the city of Mission, the La Joya Independent School District and the Agua Special Utility District borrowed millions to pay for energy savings projects. Texas…
Read MoreAttorneys pour money into Peñitas mayoral election
Almost half the money collected by political candidates in Peñitas came from just two attorneys. Candidates reported about $40,900 in donations from Jan. 1 to April 5, according to campaign finance reports filed with the City Secretary’s Office. Almost half the money came from two attorneys, Monica M. Galvan of Edinburg and Frank Garza of…
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