Give blood and get rewarded! Donate Blood on February 22nd from 10 am to 3 pm at 2078 State Hwy. 132 N, Natalia and score a Visa Gift Card as a thank you for your lifesaving contribution. The Blood Bank is sending out two mobile units – one for Platelets and the Bloodmobile. To schedule online take a picture of the QR code and it will take you to registration. The Blood Drive will benefit Scott. Scott and his family moved to Pleasanton to be in their forever home.
By Kayleen Holder Editor If the wonderful story shared by the Martinez family this week inspired you, we wanted to let you know that a 10-year-old little girl in Lytle will soon be on the waiting list for a living kidney donation. Alessa Nino is a 4th grader at Lytle ISD. In fact she was seeing her kidney doctor for a check-up as we were going to press. “When she got the flu her kidney function dropped from 22% to %15. Anything lower and she will need the transplant,” her mom said in an update this Tuesday. Because dialysis would be extremely traumatic for a child her age, her medical team is hoping to find a person who is a match for Alessa who is willing to donate a kidney to Alessa when the time comes. “The goal is to go straight to transplant with no dialysis, so we need to have someone on standby when it’s time,” her mom adds. “And if we can find a living donor with blood type B the kidney can last up to 30 years.”
By Anton Riecher During the Lytle City Council meeting Monday Mayor Ruben Gonzalez addressed the most recent boil notice issued for city water Jan. 30 when pressure dropped during repair work on a six-inch water line. “We want to make sure people are aware of what’s going on and what has actually occurred up to this point,” Gonzalez said. The boil notice, which was not rescinded until Feb. 3, was required by the Texas Commission on Environment Quality because pressure throughout the water system dropped below 20 pounds per square inch, City Administrator Zachary Meadows reported. “We started the repair and it kind of went south,” Meadows said. “Unfortunately, we lost the pressure in our system.” Most of the complaints regarding the boil notice were made via social media rather than calls to city hall, Meadows said. The few calls received were mainly to inquire as to when the boil notice would be lifted. District 4 Alderman Michael Rodriguez thanked Gonzalez for taking an active role by means of social media to keep the public informed and respond to questions during the emergency. Gonzalez said the repair was one of nearly 21 longstanding repair projects outlined for public works in recent months. Some of the long neglected projects go back as far as a dozen years. To continue reading login to www.devinenewsmembers.com
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All members of the City of Devine Council (with the exception of Debbie Randall) voted to release details of a confidential report given to the city council back in 2019 by City Attorney Tom Cate who was hired to provide facts and give his professional opinion on the possible Golf Course management agreement with Scott and Shirl Grego. His recommendation of “Do not enter into the proposed golf course management with Scott and Shirl Grego…they do not have the qualifications needed to make the golf course a viable financial project” was ignored by the sitting council who voted 2-2 to give it to the Gregos, with Mayor Cory Thompson throwing the tie breaker vote to 3-2. It was a Debbie Randall- Jennifer Schott motion on November 21, 2019 to give SG Golf Management the contract. David Espinosa and Steve Lopez voted against it. At the time the District 1 seat was vacant.
By Matthew “Moose” Lopez Staff writer Ten years ago, Marcos Martinez came home for lunch just like any other day. His mother called him into the room and broke down when she told him her kidneys were failing and she needed to start dialysis. “My first question was ‘What do we need to do?’said Marcos, who was still in high school at the time. Fast forward ten years later, and February 11, 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the day Elvia Martinez, 60, received the “gift of life” from her son Marcos, now 28. It was a full circle moment because her son to whom she gave life, was saving her own. Marcos was still in high school at the time. “He’s my hero,” Elvia said. “He was young when he gave that kidney and to see him as a man now…the love he gave me is something I could never let him know how much I appreciate it.” Elvia said when she was first told about her kidney failure she was horrified. At her wits end with dialysis, Elvia was suffering so much she was losing the will to live.
Her children immediately got tested to see if they were a match for their mother rather than wait on the transplant list, as it can take an average of three to five years to find a donor. Three of her children were a match but it was Marcos who had the procedure. At the time, Marcos’ brother just had his first son and his sister was new mom. “I didn’t want anything to happen to them and leave their kids behind,” Marcos said. Marcos said the process leading up to the procedure was “overwhelming.” His mother was on dialysis for over a year. And the family would set up her machine every night before bed and accompany Elvia to every appointment. However, regardless of how tedious the process was, with his family supporting them, Marcos was steadfast in his decision to go through with the donation. “I was more scared of losing my mom than scared of something going wrong with the surgery with me,” he said. Mrs. Martinez had lost her eyesight in the months leading up to the operation. When Marcos woke up in recovery after a successful operation, his mother exclaimed that her vision had returned. “As soon as woke that’s all I heard was ‘Marcos I can see you! I can see you!’” It only lasted one day, but to be able to see her entire family for that one day holds a special memory in their hearts.
The court in the DSAC building will now be officially known as “Sessions Court” in recognition of the family’s exceptional contributions to Devine ISD and the community. In December, the DISD Board of Trustees approved the name change, acknowledging the Sessions family’s decades of service. From teaching and coaching to volunteering as scorekeepers and bus drivers, Don, Gayle, Neva, and Jim Sessions have given more than 108 years of dedicated service to the district. Coach Paul Gomez commented, “What a wonderful dedication for a family that has positively influenced so many. You just felt such a great presence in the DSAC last night! Jim, I know you were so proud of our Arabians and Warhorses. They played with such passion and heart for you last night brother! It was an awesome environment!” “Gayle and Jim were the only two members of the Sessions family to coach basketball, amassing an estimated 1,800 victories in the sport alone. They also coached other sports, while Don and Neva were math teachers at DHS, and always present at games. This dedication is a testament to their devotion to both the district and the community,” Dr. Todd Grandjean said. The renaming of Sessions Court will serve as a reminder of the legacy left by the Sessions family, inspiring future generations of Arabians and Warhorses. The court will stand as a symbol of the family values that DISD cherishes: integrity, respect, and a commitment to excellence.
Filing ends at 5:00 pm on February 14, 2025 at the City of Lytle office, 14916 Main St. Positions expiring May 1 are: Districts 1, 2 and 3 currently being held by Aldermen Aguirre (1), Hughes (2) and Emery (3). Filings so far for a place on the ballot are Richard Hughes for District 2 and David Emery for District 3, as of Tuesday morning, Feb. 4. The City of Lytle operates with a Mayor-Council form of government. The council consists of five Aldermen that each serve a single member district. The City Council’s primary duty is policy making. The council identifies the needs of the city’s residents and provides programs to meet the changing requirements of the community and measure the effectiveness of ongoing services in the city. See qualifications for becoming a Council member at lytletx.org. Currently serving are : Ruben Gonzalez-Mayor; Miguel Aguirre-Alderman, District 1; Richard Hughes-Alderman, District 2; David Emery-Alderman, District 3; Michael Rodriguez- Alderman, District 4; and Matthew Martinez- Alderman, District 5.
Nine more days to file for City of Devine council February 14 deadline The City of Devine will be calling for a mayoral and city alderman election to be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025. Positions currently held by Butch Cook, Mayor and Michael Hernandez (District 2) and Debbie Randall (District 5) are expiring. Filing so far are: Butch Cook for Mayor, Hal Lance, Jr. for District 5 and Michael Hernandez for District 2. Deadline to file for a position is Friday, February 14th by 5:00 p.m. at city hall. All voters can vote in the mayoral election. You have to live in the district you want to run for. And you must live in the district to vote on a district race.
Feb. 14 deadline to file for Devine ISD trustee election Devine ISD will be calling for a school board election for District 2 and the two At-Large positions to be held on Saturday, May 3, 2025. Positions currently held by Carl Brown (District 2), Renee Frieda (At-Large) and Chris Davis (At-Large) are expiring. So far only Chris Davis has filed for election, At-Large position, and Carl Brown (District 2). Deadline to file for a position is Friday, February 14th by 5:00 p.m. at the Superintendent’s Office.
A Bigfoot man was airlifted after being attacked with a machete this past Thursday, January, 23rd in the 8000th block of E FM 462 in the community of Bigfoot. Suspect Jonathan Lee Pruitt, 34, was quickly identified and arrested in the case. Frio County deputies responded quickly to the incident reported around 2:42 am.
According to deputies, the victim was outside on his front porch when he was attacked. Upon arriving at the scene officers found two witnesses outside who advised them that the injured party was inside of the residence.
“Upon entering the residence, Deputies found a subject sitting on the couch. When asked where he was injured the subject advised that he was not injured but he was the one that committed the assault. Deputies at that time detained the subject and identified him as Jonathan Pruitt,” a press release states.
“Deputies then followed a trail of blood down the hallway where they discovered the victim lying unconscious….LOGIN to READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT WWW.DEVINENEWSMEMBERS.COM
