Lytle Police Chief Richey Priest honored Officer Luis Diaz and Sgt. David Lopez during Monday’s council meeting for their bravery and not hesitating to act in a “fast-moving hostage situation” last week. Officer Garcia was also commended for thrwarting a large theft. (Photo by Anton Riecher)
When Officers Luis Diaz and Sgt. David Lopez found themselves in a very dangerous situation, they did not hesitate to act. Lytle PD received the 9-1-1 call for help on Magnolia Street last Monday morning, August 7th. The call came from a resident who was outside the home, who told police there were two more people barricaded inside with the suspect. “Upon arrival, they heard a gunshot, and knew there were two innocent people inside, so they went barreling through that door,” Chief Priest said. “We knew there were two innocent people inside, and so it was treated like an active shooter situation. The subject, who does not live at the residence, was barricaded inside the house with a woman and a disabled man who were in a fast-moving hostage situation.” After forcing their way into the residence, the officers subdued the subject without further gunfire, using a taser, and rescuing the two other occupants. The subject who fired a gun was transported to the hospital. “There was no long standoff because Officers Diaz and Sgt. Lopez charged in and took care of business. Under a very stressful situation, they just used really good judgment and respect for human life. Incidents like this involving guns can easily turn into a tragedy. This was one of the most critical incidents we have had in the last several years. We invest a lot in training, and this is the reason. It’s for calls like these,” Chief Priest said. Sgt. Lopez, an Advanced Peace Officer, has served with the LPD for over 10 years, and Officer Diaz has been a peace officer for a little over six years (serving a little over 2 years with LPD). More commendations In other commendations, Chief Priest noted that David Lopez helped make possible an exchange of 47 outdated firearms for 14 new handguns, saving the department $12,000. In July Officer Roger Garcia was making a routine night shift building check when he arrested three people for felony theft.
Mark your calendars. Devine’s Athletic Booster, Band Booster, and community members will host a Meet the Athletes, the Marching Band, and the Cheerleaders Pep Rally Friday, August 18 at Warhorse Stadium.The event kicks off at 7:00pm.Free hot dogs and water add to the excitement and serve as a bonus because all who show up will also not have to worry about cooking dinner that night.
Wyatt and Carter Noll, starting 1st and 3rd grade, are all smiles on the first day of school at Natalia ISD. More back to school pics on page 14.
By Kathleen Calalme Publisher In an interesting turn of events, Devine City Council decided to temporarily “terminate and stop advertising” in their search for a City Administrator until further notice, or September 18th, on a Debbie Randall/ Flipper Vega motion. The motion passeda 4 (Randall, Vega, Hernandez, and Pyron) to 1, with Josh Ritchey voting against stopping the progress. “I would like to terminate advertising for the city administration position until further notice or until September,” said Debbie Randall, District 5 Councilwoman. “Not until September…?” questioned Interim City Admin. Dora Rodriguez. “I think you need a time, September 15 or so,” suggested Mayor Butch Cook. “Okay, September 18”, Randall replied. After executive session at 8:11 pm the council reconvened and the mayor announced no action was taken during the executive session item, “Personnel matters- discuss and consider City Administrator issues.” Randall immediately made the motion to terminate advertising for a new city administrator. “The motion is to discontinue advertising for a city admin until Sept 18”, said Cook. “Any discussion? Already done?” Without any further discussion on why, Flipper seconded Randall’s motion and the motion carried with 4 ayes and 1 nay. Council and mayor responses After the meeting, The News offered each council person and the mayor a chance to express their opinion on this new turn of events in order to help the public understand why they are holding back on their search for a City Administrator. They were given the opportunity to elaborate on their “personal reasoning or opinion” for or against this motion to terminate the search, until Sept 18, about 48 days. Debbie Randall, District 5 response: “I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful, but my motion was based off of what was discussed in executive session, something I cannot discuss in public without breaking the trust of council”. Josh Ritchey, District 4 response: “Officially, I can’t share what happened in the closed session. In my opinion, it is extremely irresponsible to cease the search for a city administrator with our current lack of staffing and high level of debt. This reminds me of when Mayor Thompson simply stopped releasing resumes to council. While Mayor Cook is releasing resumes, the council has chosen not to interview until sometime in September, if I recall correctly.” Stacy Pyron, District 3 response: “While I can’t comment on discussions in executive session, I will say that I believe this was the best decision at this time. This is also temporary, and the position will be advertised again in September.” Flipper Vega, District 1- no response as of press time. Michael Hernandez, District 2- “All I can say is the only reason we put the thing on hold for hiring a city manager is because of budget. Interviewing 2-3 candidates in one day will take up so much time during budget session. The last 4 people we interviewed took almost 1 1/2 hours each and that was just 2 interviews per council session.” Butch Cook, Mayor- “It is my personal opinion that we should continuously and aggressively pursue hiring a competent and qualified City Administrator and it should be our top priority. In our style of government, the City Administrator is the most important person of all – more so than the Mayor or any individual Council member and until we accomplish this goal we will just be treading water.” Next on agenda was the budget workshop, something the council will continue to meet often to decide on priorities, the budget and tax rate. New Council and Mayor suggesting changes to several procedures The new City of Devine Council and Mayor are voicing some concerns over old procedures and suggesting new ones. Some would require changing of the ordinances, others not. Mayor Butch Cook just took office three months ago in May 2023 as well as council members Stacy Pyron and Michael Hernandez. Josh Ritchey was elected to the council last year. Flipper Vega has served several terms as well as Debbie Randall.
Members of the Medina County Emergency Management District No. 4 huddled together to review prospective designs for a new shoulder badge. (Photo by Anton Riecher)
By Anton Riecher What was initially suspected to be a heat-related mass casualty incident in Medina County involving undocumented immigrants turned out to be relatively benign by comparison, Allegiance District Chief Patrick Bourcier reported to the Emergency Service District No. 4 board.
By Anton Riecher With the new school year rapidly closing in area school districts are pushing hard to fill remaining open teaching and staff positions before student fill the hallways. At Devine ISD 13 teaching or combination teaching and athletic positions are posted on the district website. At the elementary level, positions are open for two special education aides and one school instructional aide. To qualify for these positions, the applicant must meet Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) “High Qualified” requirements equaling 48 college hours or two years, or attend the Teacher Orientation and Preparation Program (TOPP), a State Board of Educator Certification approved alternative route to teacher certification by means of the ESC-20 Educator Preparation Certifications Program. Applicants must have knowledge of basic computer operations and skills, ability to operate personal computer and educational software and ability to work with students and teachers using effective organizational skills, the website states. At the intermediate level, openings exist for school teacher and school special education teacher for grade three through five. The school teacher posting requires an early childhood-grade 4 (EC-4) generalist or a grade 6 (EC-6) graduate initial teaching certification specialization. The master’s degree in early childhood education is a 36-hour program, designed to provide students with as background and advanced study in early childhood education. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree with a valid Texas teaching certificate. The applicant must also have knowledge of curriculum and instruction, ability to instruct students and maintain highly structured and orderly teaching environment and strong skills in organization, communication and interpersonal skills. Like the school teacher position, the special education teacher position requires an early childhood-grade 4 (EC-4) generalist or a grade 6 (EC-6) graduate initial teaching certification specialization. It also requires a special education EC-12 certification. Aside from the standard abilities required for other positions, the job requires knowledge of special needs students, ability to develop an individualized education program (IEP) through the admission, review and dismissal (ARD) committee, the team that determines eligibility based on a full and individual evaluation. Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) training is preferred. CPI training specializes in the safe management of disruptive and assaultive behavior. At the high school level, Devine ISD is searching for a secondary science teacher for grades 6-12 and a high school career and technology teachers/boy’s athletic coach for grades 9-12. The district is also looking for an athletic trainer with a valid license from the Texas Advisory Board of Athletic Trainers and a current adult cardiopulmonary automated external defibrillator (AED) certification. Also posted on the district website are openings for a part-time athletic department secretary, special education aide, a speech language pathologist or a speech language pathologist/speech language pathology assistant. The website also lists openings for substitute nurses, bus drivers, custodians and cafeteria workers. At Natalia ISD the only remaining academic openings are for a speech language pathologist and a speech dyslexia intervention teacher. At the staff level, the district has openings for two bus drivers, multiple custodians and a cafeteria worker. In Lytle, academic openings remain for a junior high art teacher, a district wide substitute teacher, a high school plumbing teacher and a special education teacher at the elementary and junior high levels. The district is also for a certified professional teacher on the district wide level. “This application is not designated for a particular job opening,” the district website states. “This application is put into a pool of applicants that are certified teachers. When job openings are posted, applicants will be notified automatically by email and will have to apply for the job they qualify for.” The district also has staff openings for the child nutrition staff and custodians and custodian substitutes.
For students in Elementary and Intermediate, post cards with your teacher’s name should come in the mail next week sometime. All campuses in Devine Independent School District will host parents and students to a “Meet the Teacher” night at the following dates and times: JJ Ciavarra Elementary Thursday, August 17 – 5:30-7:00 p.m. Devine Intermediate Thursday, August 17 – 5:30-7:00 p.m. Devine Middle School Tuesday, August 15 – 5:30-7:00 p.m. Devine High School Tuesday, August 15 – 5:30-7:00 p.m. Parents and students may go to teachers’ classrooms any time during the time periods listed above. At the elementary and intermediate campus, parents may bring labeled school supplies to their child’s room. Parents will be able to put money in the child’s lunch account, join PTO, and confirm bus numbers and routes. Elementary and Intermediate students should receive a postcard in the mail soon stating their teacher(s) for the school year. At both campuses, parents may check in the office during “Meet the Teacher” if they are unsure of their child’s room assignment and/or if registration information is not complete. Middle and high school teachers will be in their classrooms to talk to parents about their classes and about the expectations of the class. Middle school students may pick up their class schedule in the cafeteria. If you have any holds such as immunizations or proof of residency, report to the office to turn in your documents and pick up your schedule. High school student schedules will be given out in the multi-purpose room. Reminder: All immunizations (when applicable) and proof of residency requirements (3rd, 6th, and 9th graders) must be complete before students can pick up their schedule and attend school on the August 23rd. If your student recently received immunizations, please bring an updated record to the school office at your earliest convenience. Proof of Residency documents should be emailed to enrollment@devineisd.org or dropped off at the campus office.
According to the Medina County District Attorney’s Office, Jeremiah Jordan Brown, 19 of San Antonio, will be tried this week on charges of 1st Degree Murder. The case stems back to a shooting victim who was found in Medina County on February 6, 2022. According to news reports, a gentleman was walking along Castroville Regional Park trails before he crossed over to what locals call Canal Road, where he sadly stumbled upon a deceased young man near the top of the hill in Castroville. The young man was later identified as Elijai Alton Chandler. The case was investigated by the Texas Rangers. Brown was indicted for Murder on March 14, and now faces a trial which will be held at Medina County Courthouse Annex.
Lytle P.D. stuff for the week ending July 30, 2023, Officers handled 48 calls for service and conducted 83 traffic stops. Of those 83 stops, 54 resulted in a citation and 29 were warnings. I missed one property crime in last week’s report. A rental trailer at a residence on Main St. had the ramps stolen! They probably wanted the whole trailer but decided to just get what they could. I’m not sure I would want to run into whoever stole those ramps; they were on the heavy side. For the past week, we only had one property crime reported! A resident in the 14400 Blk. of Main St. reported that someone entered his vehicle and removed an American Tactical .45 Cal. Handgun (1911 style). Arrests: Lytle PD Officers arrested 4 people last week: #1 – A male was arrested for public intoxication after he was found passed out behind the H.E.B. C-Store. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #2 – A traffic stop on FM 2790 N. resulted in the arrest of a female who had an active warrant out of Bell Co. for Tampering with Govt. Records. She was booked into the Medina Co. Jail. #3 – A disturbance in the parking lot of the Lytle Community Center resulted in the arrest of a female for possession of Marijuana and unlawfully carrying a firearm. She will also be charged with possession of a stolen firearm. A Sig 9 MM was recovered, it had been reported stolen to San Marcos P.D. She was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #4 – A traffic stop on the access road of IH-35 resulted in the arrest of a female for possession of a controlled substance and unlawfully carrying a weapon. She was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. We recovered one stolen handgun this week and had one handgun reported stolen. I guess that means we broke even. The Lytle VFW is planning an event to commemorate the events that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. They will hold a Freedom Walk at John Lott Park on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. From what I understand, the route will start at the park and then take about a one-mile walk through some residential streets and then end back at the park. I think they have some other plans in store, but I don’t have the details. Rumor has it you might get a free hotdog out of this! We have always been a community that appreciates free hotdogs. On the police side, we will make sure we have plenty of officers to keep the walkers safe so don’t hesitate to bring out the whole family. Maybe we will get lucky and need a light jacket. August is upon us so it might start getting hot. A fellow at church last week said he knows what it feels like to be under “house arrest” because the heat is so intense you can’t leave the house. Yep, I look outside and think I need to work on something and then I open the door and change my mind. Our schools will be back in session next week, please take extra caution when motoring around the schools. I agree, traffic can be challenging with the construction and now school traffic. Try to be patient and go with the flow. If you can figure that out, then let me know the secret.
Aint no need to talk about the weather…hotter’n it oughta be and if it was to rain, it would only turn to steam before it hit the ground. Need more prayers for rain sent. Lost another good one last week. Wanda Gardner was a staple at City Council meetings in the late 80’s and 90’s. Nothing got past this lady. She was not the least bit hesitant to hold Council’s feet to the fire and ask the questions that are sometimes hard to answer honestly but, she insisted on an answer. If she was ever absent from a Council Meeting, it was suggested that someone go check on her. She was a staunch (yellow dog) Democrat…unlike the ones in power now, she had morals and believed in holding her local government accountable. I liked to joke with her and bring up the fact that her son, Bobby, was a State level elected official in Colorado…AND was a Republican. She would respond with something like “we have our differences of opinion but, doesn’t everybody?” It was usually a short lived subject as she moved the conversation along. As her eyesight failed, she would call me and give me her two cents worth and I appreciated hearing from her. Always respectful, short and to the point with a comment about having to read my column with a magnifying glass now. Speaking of Democrats with no morals, the head of the snake told the American people that “America is moving again and your life is going to improve for the better” as he pitched the 2021 Infrastructure Bill. Well, it ain’t happened yet. For example…Jan 6, 2021 gas price was $1.59 and last week, gas was over $3.00. In the time period of the $1.59 gas, America was the biggest producer of crude oil in the world. Since then, the Senile Puppet in Chief went begging for more from the Arabs…what a maroon. He and his handlers are the reason that America is in what seems like a death spiral. Don’t know what happened in Commissioners Court last week…didn’t go. I’ll check with Danny and see if anything newsworthy happened. One day closer to rain…keep praying.
In my “growing up days”, the chores assigned to my sister, and I were well defined. While we shared some common inside duties, the kitchen was pretty much her domain, and the outdoor tasks were mine. We started out young with jobs, given my Mom’s paralysis due to Polio. Rhonda was cooking meals under the eagle eye supervision of Verna Dell Walker Rosenauer by age eight, and I was banished to the yard assignments a bit earlier in life. My first job for pay involved mowing lawn for other parties by the summer of my 8th year. That limited exposure to culinary experiences has continued over the many years married to The Boss Lady. She was an Award Winning 4-H young person, earning Statewide and National honors in a variety of Home Management areas, and I am below average support person, ranking below our Son and Daughter in terms of ability. Recently she was somewhat annoyed that I did not know where to put up certain “cookery items” while unloading the dishwasher. Foolishly I asked her if she would like to go check the oil in her vehicle or reset the game feeder clocks at the Home Place. Needless to say, it was NOT well received. That exchange, followed quickly by my hasty retreat from the kitchen area, caused me to ponder the implications, both positively, and negatively, of such a division of labor. Both of us are intelligent, well-educated people with long-standing successful careers, and a very blessed lifestyle. But like in all successful organizations, we do what we do best to support the entire process. While I am hopeful neither of us will have to “take on” each other’s respective jobs anytime soon, I imagine she could figure out some of the jobs I have better and quicker than I could hers. But just in case, maybe I should start a contact list of local cafes and other domestic services companies near me. After all, an Old Aggie Doc like me cannot be too careful!
