Author: admin

Medina County Appraisal district eyes strip mall for new location

By Anton Riecher
A Hondo strip mall is under close scrutiny as the potential new home of the Medina Central Appraisal District, MCAD board president Cindy Malone advised Medina County commissioners during their Dec. 30 meeting.
“We’ll be back in front of you in February to say, ‘Okay, it’s time for a vote,’” Malone said.
The Ridge building located at 728 18th St. offers 7,900 square feet of space contained within five separate storefront offices. The location was the former home of the Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Center.
Projected cost for the purchase and remodeling is between $1.5 million and $1.6 million, Malone said.
Board member Jody Jacobs said MCAD inquired into leasing the strip mall and has since learned that the owner, Sheldon Grothaus, is interested in selling the location. Jacobs said he did not want to discuss specific pricing at this time.
“We feel like with the space that’s there and the ability for us to repurpose it, it’s going to be…

Read the full story at www.devinenewsmembers.com

Adult sexual assault goes unreportedMedina County DA official states

By Anton Riecher
Medina County had only three adult sexual assault cases filed in 2024, said Scott Simpson with Criminal District Attorney’s Office. That number represents the severe degree to which the offense goes underreported.
“What I want the community to know is that the DA’s office stand ready, willing and able to prosecute these cases” despite the legal difficulties involved, Simpson said.
Simpson addressed the Medina County Commissioners Court on Dec. 30 to give the biennial Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) report. A retired prosecutor with 20 years of experience in Bexar County, he took charge of the Medina County team in February.
SART meets monthly with members of the mental health community and law enforcement to encourage reporting of sexual offenses.
“The purpose of the sexual assault response team is to try to get the same type of integration and cooperation the county has successfully done through the..

Read the full story at www.devinenewsmembers.com

Medina County funnels $ into wastewater plant for subdivision

By Anton Riecher
Medina County commissioners gave their blessing to use $125,000 in COVID-19 stimulus funds to finish construction of a wastewater treatment plan serving the Megan’s Landing subdivision near Castroville.
County Judge Keith Lutz said the money amounted to the last of nearly $10 million that the county received under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package passed by Congress in the wake of the COVID pandemic.
“This is really pretty simple,” Lutz said. “This project is already underway.”
The decision made during the Dec. 30 commissioners’ court meeting came only one day before the final deadline for obligating remaining ARPA funds. Last minute budget changes were made to shift the funds from other projects, Lutz explained.
According to Lutz, the funds approved will be used to reimburse the Yancey Water Supply Corporation for money spent to cover the final three to four months of construction on the water reuse plant, also known as a water recycling facility.
The plant treats wastewater generated by the subdivision and reuses it for various purposes such as irrigation. As of November, Megan’s Landing has only five homes out of a projected…

Read the full story at www.devinenewsmembers.com

Texas A&M Wesley Foundation Group giving back to Devine

Saturday was the Wesley Group’s first day of work. They also helped the Salvation Army Outreach Response Center by building shelves meant to store supplies and serve as a place of outreach in case of a natural disaster like the snowstorm.

By Brianna Paredes
Every year, the Texas A&M Wesley Foundation Group, a student leadership organization funded by other Methodist churches, takes a trip to a small town to spend a week helping out the community. Liam Eshleman, a member of the group whom was interviewed, says that this year’s trip to Devine, in particular, is special because of his family roots to the small town. His family has lived in Devine their entire life and he views it as giving back to them and the town.
Saturday was the Wesley Group’s first day of work. They spent it at the Methodist Church cutting off some trees that were hanging off the roof, working on the playground, attaching posts, power washing, and doing more yard work. They also helped the Salvation Army Outreach Response Center by building 40 shelves from plywood and painting the cabinet they went into. These shelves are meant to store supplies and serve as a place of outreach in case of a natural disaster like the snowstorm that occurred back in COVID.
On Sunday, the Bluegrass Band, associated with the Wesley group, played at the…

Read the full story at www.devinenewsmembers.com

Who would like to “adopt” Heart Gallery kid’s for January?

Meet Julian, Kayla, Natalye! These three sweet kiddos are waiting for adoptive families and are being featured in a small Heart Gallery at Chayito’s Mexican Restaurant. There are 30 kids in our local Heart Gallery featuring children in care of the state of Texas. Being featured in a Heart Gallery like this increases their chance of adoption by 60% according to statistics, so you can help out in a big way! Please contact The Devine News if you would like to host a Heart Gallery in January or February at your business or church. Call Kayleen at 830-665-2211.

Who would like to “adopt” Heart Gallery kid’s for January?
By Kayleen Holder
We already have several businesses and churches signed up to display some of the children waiting for adoption this January, but we need several more businesses and churches to come on board.
So far signed up for January, we have Charlie’s Daughter On the Green Restaurant, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Mag’s Place, The Devine News, Alamo Truck Accessories, Trinity Baptist Church, Chayito’s Mexican Restaurant, Napa Auto Parts, and…??????
Please let us know if you can display 2 or 3 or maybe even 5 or 6 of these photos featuring children who are in complete care of the state of Texas, and need adoptive homes. Being featured in a heart gallery increases their chances of being adopted by 60% according to statistics!!!!
We want to say a Huge THANK YOU to all of the following churches, local businesses, and organizations for who have been displaying photos! Y’all are the best!!! Already, we have seen a huge impact, with at least two local families starting the adoption process!


Heart Gallery photos of children waiting for adoption were displayed at the following locations this December:
Brown Dodge
Chaparral Ford
Brown Chevy
Devine VFW
St John Bosco Catholic Church
First Baptist of Natalia
Black Creek Baptist Church
Lytle Methodist Church
City of Devine
Devine PD
Devine ISD Special Education Office
Chayito’s Mexican Restaurant
Napa Auto Parts
You can contact Kayleen Holder on Facebook or call The Devine News 830-665-2211 and ask for Kayleen if you would like to host the next heart gallery in January or even February. All that is needed is space in a high traffic area such as a lobby or entry way.

Feast of the Epiphany

The holidays have come and gone, they were exciting while they lasted, and my family and I had a wonderful time. Now, the weather has changed, and many members of my family and various friends have the coughs, sniffles and whatever it is that seems to get into people’s systems this time of year. My youngest daughter was in this weekend. After attending a funeral in Hondo, she came here to spend some time with me, and we took down my Christmas tree, she did some cleaning for me, and as I had recently purchased shades for my sewing room, she cut them to size and hung them for me! We had a great time visiting and re-hashing the holidays, which we both decided had been a wonderful time.
January 6 was the feast of the Epiphany. This word is from Greek and means appearance. It is also called the Feast of Lights, Feast of the Three Kings and Twelfth Night. It concludes the period allotted in the church calendar to the Feast of the Nativity. In the West, Epiphany commemorates the visit of the Three Kings, or Wise Men, to the infant Jesus. It is a major Christian feast commemorating the appearance of Christ. The Nativity itself was celebrated on this day, but, in the fourth century A.D, it was assigned to December 25. What began as a most solemn feast, Twelfth Night became a time of revelry, especially during the sixteenth century in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Continue reading “Feast of the Epiphany”

Report suspicious activity to your local law enforcement

Welcome to my first weekly email of 2025! Your Lytle P.D. Officers handled 48 calls for service (we have been trending low on call volume) and conducted 125 traffic stops. Of those 125 stops, 78 resulted in citations and 47 resulted in warnings.
We didn’t have any property crimes reported last week! Wow, that is music to my ears.
Officers managed 5 arrests last week: #1 & #2 – A traffic stop for speeding on Benton City Road resulted in the arrest of a 33-year-old male. He had an active warrant out of Bexar Co. for DWI. Another occupant, another 33-year-old male received a citation for Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia and was released. The D.W.I. warrant “guy” was booked in the Atascosa Co. Jail. #3 – Officers responded to a suspicious female knocking on a door in the 18600 Blk. of Wisdom Rd. The 42-year-old female was arrested for Public Intoxication and booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #4 – A traffic stop on Main St. for speeding resulted in the arrest of a 44-year-old male for an active warrant out of Bexar Co. for Assault W/Bodily Injury (Family). He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #5 – A traffic stop on McDonald St. resulted in the citation and release of a 28-year-old male for possession of drug paraphernalia.
New Year’s Eve was quiet; we were not dispatched to any calls for fireworks. I did receive one voicemail complaint about them though. I went to bed early, but the people I talked to and the officers working said that fireworks usage was down from years past.

Continue reading “Report suspicious activity to your local law enforcement”

Making yourself smaller

IF you are thinking this Tale is about losing pounds off the body, go ahead and quit reading right now! That is not the focus here, and I am DEFINITELY NOT the right person to listen to on that topic!
The emphasis here is on the ability to “know and accept” that there are times when a person needs to simply “stand away” from the Limelight. This important principle is valid in a good many settings, and I will only use a few examples for you to ponder upon here.
One of the examples, and you KNOW I would bring this one up, is when hunting. Standing out LOUD AND PROUD is generally not conducive to successful hunting, at least not in La Brasada, when pursuing the native animals. Getting small and NOT drawing attention to yourself or your location is by far a better option for success in observations and harvesting. My Grand Dad, Charlie Rosenauer, would often comment on how getting “little and still” was FAR more important than the latest fashions in camo.
Another example I have a good deal of experience in deals with Teaching. When it comes to the SUBJECT matter, that is the most important. The focus needs to be on what the information can teach, not the messenger. Look and Listen to Me, is rarely as successful as addressing what the content and context is from a subject perspective.

Continue reading “Making yourself smaller”

Respiratory Virus Season and Vaccines for Older Adults

Coughing, sneezing, fever, and chills. Let’s not forget body aches, sleeping in the recliner and trying to sort through your medicine cabinet for cough syrup, ibuprofen and cough drops. Oh, and where did I put that humidifier? Here are a couple of ways that may help you feel not so sick or miserable this time of year. Let’s look at some of the available vaccines for older adults. We have a few good choices. The RSV vaccine is one. It helps protect against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) which is a common cause of coughs and colds. RSV usually gets better by itself but in some people, especially babies and older adults, it can cause illnesses like pneumonia and bronchiolitis (a chest infection that affects babies). Also, RSV can make some conditions worse, like people who have COPD. The vaccine is recommended for adults ages 75 and older. If you are ages 60-74 and may be at increased risk of severe RSV disease, your doctor may recommend it. It is not currently an annual vaccine like the flu shot is. So, if you have received an RSV vaccine, like last year, you should not get another one at this time. Additional data is still being collected to see how long protection will last. You can get an RSV vaccine at any time but the best time to get it would be in late summer and early fall.

Continue reading “Respiratory Virus Season and Vaccines for Older Adults”

John Wesley Cook Jr.

The evening of January 3, 2025 my father’s restless soul found peace. John Wesley Cook Jr. passed away peacefully at the age of 77.
The eldest child of John W. (Jack) and Beulah Gilcrease Cook, Dad was born in Arkansas on August 20, 1947. He grew up in Beeville, Corpus Christi, Devine, and Lytle, Texas. John joined the Navy after high school and served during the Vietnam War. But his greatest pleasure was being a cowboy. Whether working as a ranch hand in New Mexico or Texas, cowboying at the Stockyards or the rodeo in San Antonio, or guiding hunts in the mountains of Wyoming, Dad was in his element around horses, cattle, and wildlife. My brother, Johnny, used to say that the song “Desperado” by the Eagle’s could have been written about Dad and I couldn’t agree more.
He is preceded in death by his father, his mother, an infant sister (Grace Emile), his brother (Tommy), his son (Johnny), and our mother, Patricia.
He is survived by his sister, Patsy Cook of Lytle; daughter, Heather Yanta (Chris) of Devine, daughter in law, Patricia of San Antonio, and stepson, Lance Rogers (Shari) of Nebraska; and six amazing grandchildren: Michael Cook, Ethan Yanta, Bryce Yanta, Jacob Yanta (Maggie), Jessica Rogers, and Jarred Rogers; and a great grandson, Matthew Yanta.
A private celebration of life will be held in the Spring and Dad will be laid to rest near his son in Devine.
In lieu of flowers, we are asking for donations in his honor to be made to Mission Devine, PO Box 42, Devine, TX 78016.
“The LORD cares deeply when His loved ones die.” Psalm 116:15 NL