Good morning, Brownsville.

A Brownsville resident claimed $1 million in the Texas Lottery's Million Dollar Loteria scratch ticket game after buying the ticket at Circle K on Military Road — the winner chose to remain anonymous.

This claim marked the ninth of ten top prizes in a game offering over $378.2 million in total prizes.

Brownsville police say scammers posing as code enforcement officers have been calling local businesses and demanding cash payments immediately—business owners are urged to hang up and report any suspicious calls.

Law enforcement agencies pursued a suspect vehicle near Chavez Elementary School on Monday morning in connection with human smuggling—six individuals were arrested while the school was locked down to secure students and staff.

A Brownsville Independent School District teacher, Julio Ricardo Trujillo (43), was terminated Tuesday night at a special meeting after he was accused of having an improper relationship with a 19-year-old student from Rivera Early College High School; he was later arraigned on a felony charge and released on bond.

A Brownsville man was arrested for animal cruelty after police found puppies in a hot, unventilated car near East St. Francis Street and Sam Perl Boulevard around 2 p.m. on Saturday— the puppies showed distress and were turned over to Brownsville Animal Services, and the man was released on a six-thousand-dollar bond.

Dr. King launched two programs to help dropouts earn their diplomas and industry certificates—one to restart recovery programs in local school districts and one to open a charter school in Brownsville, Pharr, and Laredo—and each site will enroll 300 adults in its first year with plans to grow to 2,000 students.

The Brownsville ISD School Board voted Tuesday to terminate teacher Julio Ricardo Trujillo—who served as head girls basketball coach and criminal justice teacher at Rivera Early College High School—after he was accused of having an improper relationship with a 19-year-old student, and he has 15 days to appeal his termination to the Texas Education Agency.

A federal grant will provide $116 million to South Texas schools in Rio Grande City, Roma, and San Isidro starting July 1 — Congressman Cuellar’s advocacy helped secure the boost.

Over 1,250 South Texans signed a petition led by documentary filmmaker Joshua Moroles demanding that the Rio Grande Valley be recognized as facing a human rights emergency after the March 27 flood exposed contaminated water and unsafe living conditions.

The petition calls for environmental testing—improved water treatment, drainage projects and health screenings—to protect vulnerable residents and secure government action.