Good morning, Laredo.

TAMIU will host Shakespeare Fest from Friday, Nov.

6 to Thursday, Nov. 12 at the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts and the Laredo Center for the Arts to celebrate Laredo’s connection to Shakespeare through free theatrical performances, lectures, and exhibits (including a borderlands-themed talk).

Historias Fronterizas Festival is set to run from 7 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, Oct.

17 at the Pan American Courts. Attendees will see the Ballet Folklorico performance at 8 p.m. and enjoy food trucks and a vintage market celebrating Mexican-American heritage.

Martin High School is celebrating Red Ribbon Week today with cheering, learning activities + a parade to honor DEA Agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena, marking the largest drug prevention campaign in the country aimed at educating students.

TAMIU will host a series of spooky-themed events from Oct.

19 to Oct. 23 to celebrate National Transfer Week for new transfer students. The program includes a movie night, networking session, campus treat tour and a silent disco held at various campus venues.

Romina Boccia, director of budget and entitlement policy at the Cato Institute, is set to speak on Social Security at TAMIU's IBC Bank & Commerce Bank Keynote Speaker Series.

The free lecture will take place Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. in the Student Center Ballroom and will be broadcast live via Microsoft Teams.

TAMIU is hosting a traveling exhibit and documentary, 'Ancient Landscapes of South Texas: Hiding in Plain Sight,' on Tuesday, Oct.

27 at 6 p.m. in the Student Center, Room 236; the exhibit remains on display until Dec. 15 in the Senator Judith Zaffirini Student Success Center and admission is free.

Students from TAMIU and Laredo College will work on Make a Difference Day by cleaning four sites along Zacate Creek on Saturday, Oct.

24 from 9 a.m. to noon. The event will include trash pickup + graffiti cover-up to beautify public spaces in our community.

Laredo is exploring whether treated wastewater can supplement its drinking water from the Rio Grande.

The Rio Grande International Study Center and Natural Systems Utilities partnered with Rep. Henry Cuellar to study cost and technology options, with findings due to be presented to City Council.

At the special meeting on Oct.

12, the Laredo College Board of Trustees appointed Luis F. Mendoza III to fill Board Position 3 after Trustee Mercurio Martinez Jr.'s retirement. He brings finance experience as a licensed advisor and will guide governance in support of the college's mission & community.

Laredo Health Promotores will host its third annual Halloween Health Fair at El Eden Park on Saturday, Oct.

17 from 4 to 7 p.m. Families can enjoy free haircuts for everyone, free dental screenings for kids, food distribution, raffles, candy, costume contests, and face painting at this community event.

A Webb County employee is reevaluating his county health insurance as rising costs cut into his pay increase, while a city presentation shows that expensive prescriptions (including GLP-1 costs) are straining local health funding.

Laredo officials continue to balance benefit needs with increasing healthcare expenses.