LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - The Laredo City Council will hold a series of workshops on the city’s 2025 fiscal year budget from Wednesday, August 7, to Friday, August 9.

The workshops will discuss budget concerns and city department needs.

The current budget proposal city officials are working with is over $950 million, including a bond referendum that will likely be voted on in May.

City Council Member Melissa Cigarroa shared some of the specifics of the bond referendum.

“That bigger bond package will include 3 new fire stations that we need because of our growth. We were looking at police substations in different neighborhoods as well, which makes sense for police to have a shorter reaction time to get to where they’re called. It will include extra money for repairing the streets, and extra money for our utility infrastructure,” said Cigarroa.

The meetings will start at 5 p.m. at City Hall from Wednesday, August 7, to Friday, August 9, and will be open to the public.

PARIS (AP) — Paris prosecutors said Friday that police have opened a hate speech investigation following a complaint by Olympics opening ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolly over death threats.

The Paris prosecutors’ office said in a statement that Jolly filed a police complaint on Tuesday, four days after the opening ceremony, for death threats, “public insults” and “defamation.”

Jolly said he has been “the target of threatening messages and insults on social networks criticizing his sexual orientation and his wrongly-assumed Israeli roots,” the statement said. France’s Central Office for Combating Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes has been charged with the investigation.

Jolly’s complaint comes after the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony prompted a storm of outrage, including angry comments from Donald Trump, in the wake of a contentious scene featuring drag queens and other performers. Although Jolly has repeatedly said that he wasn’t inspired by “The Last Supper,” critics interpreted part of the show as a mockery of Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting showing Jesus Christ and his apostles.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo expressed “unwavering support” of Jolly in the face of the threats and harassment.

With his opening ceremony, “Jolly held our values high,” Hidalgo said in a statement Friday. “It was a pride and an honor for Paris to be able to count on his talent to magnify our city and tell the world who we are.”

Hidalgo added: “Paris will always be on the side of artists, of creation and therefore, on the side of freedom.”

Barbara Butch, a popular DJ and LGBTQ+ icon who performed in the show, also said she suffered a torrent of online threats. Butch has filed a complaint alleging online abuse and harassment, which police are also investigating.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Laredo police reported a rollover accident on U.S Highway 83 near Guatemozin Street.

Sunday night’s rollover caused traffic backup.

LPD closed the southbound lanes on 83. People were asked to seek alternative routes.

It’s unknown what led up to the rollover or the severity of the injuries.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) -The atmosphere above continues to dry out and heat up above. This mountain of hot air will block weather changes from arriving in our area for quite a number of days, and will lead to temperatures edging up another degree or two. Late nights and mornings will be humid. Each afternoon, drier air above will stir in, lowering humidity. 

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - A woman who allegedly robbed an eight-liner business is arrested.

Deputies with the Webb County Sheriff’s Office arrested Rosalinda Puente, age 34, is the second person arrested in connection to a robbery that took place at the twelve-hundred block of Espejo Molina Road in Rio Bravo.

Early reports from deputies indicate a person entered the eight-linear business and forcefully took money from the victim.

Deputies arrested Sergio Javier Torres, age 19, that same night in connection to the incident.

Investigators later found out Puente was Torres’s aunt, and both admitted to taking part in the robbery.

Puente faces a seventy-five thousand dollar bond.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Webb County Sherrif’s Officer alert community about federal court documents scam.

Federal court documents that look real have been getting emailed to people in Laredo.

According to officials to the Webb County Sheriff’s Office said the scammer is emailing fake order of arrest for obtaining funds fraudulently.

Scammers tell people that receive the email to pay the fine by depositing money at two local gas stations.

The Webb County Sheriff’s Office said they don’t collect fines or payments at kiosks.
If you have received an email or are a victim report of this scam report it authorities.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Despite growing doubts and questions about the transparency of the voting tally following Venezuela’s presidential election, Nicolás Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, was declared the winner of the July 28 election by the Electoral Council.

Videos circulating media outlets have shown protests erupting in response to the results.

Joryi Perez, a Venezuelan living in Laredo, described his reaction to the election results: “We were hopeful that there would at least be a new candidate to vote for. We stood there like, ‘What happened?’ We had all been voting for the new candidate, and all of a sudden Maduro came out saying he won. What a disappointment! That’s why the people are upset because they are saying the votes were stolen, they were made up, like in the years past when crazy Fidel Castro was in charge.”

Perez, who left Venezuela about 10 years ago and traveled through much of Latin America before arriving in the U.S., now works as a barber, a job he had in his home country. He said he earns a livable wage here, unlike in Venezuela.

“My country is the same. I’ve lived here two years, and it’s still ruined, ruined, ruined. You can go if you have money, but if you have money, they could use you to benefit government officials and take your money away,” Perez said.

Perez remains in contact with his family and friends in Venezuela. His mother is a surgeon and a lawyer, and his father works for the police, yet their combined income is insufficient.

“It doesn’t matter how powerful you are. They don’t validate your studies because the money, your pay, is not what it should be,” Perez explained.

The lack of economic opportunity has driven many to leave Venezuela in search of better prospects. While the election initially brought hope, the announcement of Maduro’s victory has sparked widespread protests, as seen in videos Perez has received.

Despite the ongoing chaos and occasional violence, Perez still sees beauty in his homeland. “I would like to see my country free already, free from oppression, that you can be worthy in your country, that you can be everything you want to be, but within your own country, that you can see the liberty, prosperity, and abundance. In my country, you grab and toss any seed, and with eyes shut into your backyard, and plants will grow, flowers grow, trees grow,” Perez said.

The United States has recognized Maduro’s opponent, Edmundo Gonzalez, as the winner of the election, and several Latin American countries have refused to acknowledge Maduro’s victory.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - According to Laredo Police, the Mexican Customs System went down around 2:30 p.m. on Friday, August 2, causing significant delays.

At around 3:40 p.m. Laredo Police confirmed that the Mexican Customs system had become operational again.

The issue was found to be nationwide, traffic has since resumed and is now flowing as usual.

The traffic delay had affected The Loop connector to the Mines and World Trade Bridge areas.

All non-commercial vehicles were recommended to stay off the Eastbound Loop 20 connector to avoid being stuck in truck traffic.