Week in Review: Former Heights High janitor sentenced; Killeen govt. approached on data center; Cove celebrates ‘State of the City’

The Killeen Daily Herald reports on several notable stories from the past week in the Killeen, Texas area. Former Harker Heights High School custodian Ofelia Negrete-Arriaga was sentenced to time served, around 5 months, for illegal re-entry into the U.S. Her defense attorney said the sentence is standard for someone with limited criminal history, and immigration enforcement will now take custody of her. While the city of Killeen and its economic development corporation have not confirmed discussions, emails show the city was approached in December about potentially opening a data center on South Fort Hood Street. No permits have been officially filed yet. Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old student at a Killeen ISD middle school, which shocked the community and raised questions about the district's security measures at the time. In neighboring Copperas Cove, the mayor delivered the annual State of the City address, celebrating accomplishments like population growth, infrastructure funding, and the selection of the city for a new 250,000 sq ft VA clinic. Finally, a Harker Heights man was indicted for organized retail theft after allegedly being involved in a string of thefts from a home improvement store in 2024. He has multiple prior theft convictions in the county.