LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - The Mexican Consulate will have a mobile unit in Zapata this Saturday to help Mexican citizens with a variety of procedures.

They will be assisting with passports, voting cards, and other legal paperwork.

The consulate will begin offering services at 8:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the Zapata County Technical and Advances Education Center located at 605 Highway 83.

The Mexican consulate encourages people to make an appointment on its website, but walk-ins are welcomed.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - The Fourth Court of Appeals has denied the re-hearing request in the case between Daisy Campos Rodriguez and Ricardo Rangel Jr. over the District 2 City Council seat.

The three-judge panel made the decision early Wednesday evening.

All of this comes from a dispute over the recent election for District 2.

The Fourth Court of Appeals had previously ruled in Rangel’s favor earlier in November.

Rodriguez had filed the appeal back in January, and the justices began reviewing the case in July.

In two separate opinions, the justices had ruled in favor of Rangel saying that he had gotten more votes than Rodriguez in the November 2022 election and had won the election.

Rodriguez now has 45 days to file a petition for review to the Texas State Supreme Court.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - The salesman, 38-year-old Edmundo De La Torre, has been ordered to serve 36 months in federal prison.

De La Torre pleaded guilty on April 19th for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme where he reportedly altered “hundreds of documents to get otherwise unqualified buyers’ approval for government-backed mortgages”, according to the Department of Justice.

As a salesman for a Laredo area homebuilder, De La Torre used his position to get Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-backed mortgages for at least 38 clients.

The Department of Justice says these homebuyers were unqualified, and the scheme cost the department nearly $1,000,000.

De La Torre was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1.17 million in addition to his prison sentence.

He remains on bond and will voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

NUEVO LAREDO, MX (KGNS) - A shelter-in-place order has been issued in Nuevo Laredo.

On Wednesday morning, the U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo posted a statement on its Facebook page saying, officials are receiving reports of increased government of Mexico Activity in Nuevo Laredo.

Out of an abundance of caution, residents are being asked to shelter in place until further notice.

U.S. Government employees have also been instructed to shelter in place or avoid the area until further notice.

While Mexican Government officials have not confirmed it, several Mexican media outlets say a cartel member has been arrested.

The man has been reportedly identified as César Alejandro Silva. According to the Mexican news outlets, he was in charge of the Noreste Cartel in Nuevo Laredo.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - A man is under arrest after a dating app meet-up goes wrong.

Overnight, police responded to a robbery call near the 5300 block of San Bernardo Avenue.

The victim told officers he rented a motel room for a meet-up with a guy from a dating app.

According to the victim, the encounter turned violent when the suspect allegedly made a threat to rob and kill him.

The suspect took the victim’s bracelet, Apple Watch, iPhone, wallet, items from the room, and the victim’s car.

The victim was able to escape as the suspect was allegedly threatening him with a bat.

Officers identified the suspect as 24-year-old Isaiah Luna.

Police reportedly found Luna with the victim’s items near the 5200 block of San Bernardo Avenue

Luna is now facing aggravated robbery charges.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - All around Laredo, Christmas tree lightings and neighborhood decorations have started to introduce the most wonderful time of the year.

With the sights of Christmas set, the sounds of the season is all that is left to complete the holiday mood.

To help with that, the Laredo Philharmonic is set to host a Christmas concert for the Laredo community to enjoy.

Representing the Laredo Philharmonic, Dr. Joe Crabtree says the concert will have a little bit of everything.

While the classics and other familiar tunes will be played, Dr. Crabtree alluded to contemporary jingles such as those in Home Alone 2 and other Christmas carols that the audience is invited to sing along to during the concert.

The “Deck the Halls” Christmas Concert at Laredo College will take place at the Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Theater.

The concert is scheduled for Sunday, December 3rd at 3:00 p.m. and general admission tickets are $30.

For more information about the concert, make sure to click on the interview above.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Authorities in our sister city reported a fatal accident involving a trailer that took place on National Highway 157, just south of Nuevo Laredo.

Public safety officials responded to the accident at around 4 p.m. on Saturday.

At the scene, they found a deceased and two other individuals who were transported to the hospital for injuries.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation