ARIZONA DAILY STAR: The number of illegal immigrants in Arizona is down much more sharply than in the rest of the country, a new estimate says.

New figures from the Pew Hispanic Center say that in 2009 there were about 375,000 people in Arizona who either entered the country illegally or overstayed their legal visas. That compares with Pew's estimate 475,000 for 2008. That 21 percent drop compares with a decline of just 4.3 percent nationwide.

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PRO 8 NEWS: Video has surfaced today of "La Barbie" as he's interrogated. Villarreal told police about his relationships with other drug lords and his extensive criminal activities.

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EL PASO TIMES: For the first time in two decades, the flow of undocumented immigrants is dropping, a new report shows. An unstable labor market and tougher immigration enforcement are deterring immigrants from crossing the border and staying in the United States illegally.

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EL PASO TIMES: Socorro Mayor Guillermo "Willie" Gandara Sr. and up to 10 other El Pasoans were named in a new federal indictment handed up in the FBI's continuing public corruption investigation, the El Paso Times has learned. The indictment focuses on several former school district officials and their dealings with Access Healthsource, a health-care provider.

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EL PASO TIMES: One of the executives charged with embezzling millions of dollars from government programs while on the National Center for the Employment of the Disabled board has reached a deal with federal prosecutors and will enter a plea on Friday, court records show. A new arraignment hearing for Patrick Woods, 52, is set for 10 a.m. Friday before U.S. District Judge Frank Montalvo.

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THE MONITOR: The University of Texas-Pan American was the recipient this week of the largest one-time donation of scholarship funding in the institution’s history. The $1 million contribution comes from the Valley Alliance of Mentors for Opportunities and Scholarships, a McAllen-based nonprofit group committed to improving and broadening educational opportunities for Hispanic students in South Texas.

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THE MONITOR: Officials in the cities of Edcouch and La Villa are offering amnesty for the residents of each city who have overdue tickets. Anybody with an unpaid ticket that is 90 days past due faces an additional $200 fine. However, the cities will waive that penalty if ticket recipients pay their initial fines by the end of this month, said Eloy Cardenas, who is chief of police for both Edcouch and La Villa.

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THE MONITOR: Maria Leanos first arrived to this country as an 8-year-old immigrant who couldn’t speak or write English, but after almost 16 years of persistence, dedication and education, the now 23-year-old social worker is well on her way to achieving the American dream. Like Leanos, many immigrants across the United States are assimilating at high rates and showing higher signs of advancement the longer they live here, concluded a new study released Wednesday by the Center for American Progress, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute.

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THE MONITOR: Personal income in the McAllen area grew slightly last year, while most metro areas in the United States experienced a decline. Although the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area — which comprises all of Hidalgo County — saw 2.8 percent growth in personal income, per capita personal income remained stagnant, according to statistics released by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis.

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VALLEY MORNING STAR: Early voting began Tuesday for a Sept. 18 election in which school officials will ask voters to allow the district to shift its tax dollars to leverage more state money to pay employee raises. The election will not ask voters to increase the district’s property tax rate of $1.30 per $100 valuation, said Emma McCall, the district’s business manager.

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VALLEY MORNING STAR: City commissioners Wednesday approved a $63.7 million budget for the next fiscal year without increasing taxes. The City Commission also approved a contract for a new city manager which includes a salary of $140,000.

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BROWNSVILLE HERALD: Local law enforcement authorities say they can do nothing to stop shootouts in Mexico or bullets from crossing the border into the United States. The best preventive measure they can take against drug war violence surging on the other side of the Rio Grande is maintaining surveillance, officials and lawmakers said, which is why most are welcoming the use of unmanned aerial drones to patrol the Texas-Mexico border— even if the drones come at a high price.

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BROWNSVILLE HERALD: With the November general election just two months away, the Cameron County Elections Department is gearing up for another period of voter registration. The last day to register to vote in the Nov. 2 general election is Oct. 4, according to the Secretary of State’s Office, which means citizens who have yet to register have about a month to do so.

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BROWNSVILLE HERALD: Outspoken residents who appeared at a public hearing Tuesday unanimously rejected the city of Brownsville’s proposal to increase property taxes some 8 percent for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. “We need to be able to live within our means,” concerned resident and former City Commissioner Ernesto De Leon told the City Commission Tuesday during the budget hearing.

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