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Cheer Camp/ Football Camp

The following programs are offered to Devine ISD students:

July 14 – 17 – Mini Cheer Camp for Kinder from 9 am to 12 noon and grades 1 through 8 from 9 am to 3 pm at DHS Gym. Cost is $45 for Kinder and $65 for grades 1 through 8. Theme days will be: Let’s Glow Monday (Neon); Tiki Tuesday (Beach/Hawaiian); Workout Wednesday (Workout Clothes); and Super Slay Spirit Thursday (Maroon/Gold).
July 14 – 17 – Warhorse Football Camp for grades 3 through 6 from 8:30 am to 11:30 am at the Warhorse Practice Field. Cost is $50.

Lytle council faces tough decisions on wastewater rate hike in next five years

Matthew Garrett, managing director of client relations for NewGen, offered the council rate projections for the future.

By Anton Riecher
With the number of water and sewer customers expected to grow by 700 connections in the next five years, the Lytle City Council reviewed a presentation on recommended rate projections offered by a consulting firm specializing in public sector finances.
Based on the June 16 presentation by NewGen Strategies and Solutions, Mayor Ruben Gonzalez said the council will most likely keep water rates at their present levels. However, wastewater and sewer rates may see a percentage increase in collection fees in order to fund more than $15.3 million in infrastructure expansion.
Gonzalez said the presentation drove home two important points. The first involves water.
“Basically our city is on track and where we need to be in the sense that we already had some of the major projects funded,” Gonzalez said.
Unfortunately, the second point, expansion of wastewater infrastructure, needs to be a focus of concern, he said.
“That one needed to be targeted,” Gonzalez said. “With this presentation we’re getting it down in black and white what we need to do in the near future.”
Matthew Garrett, managing director of client relations for NewGen, offered the council rate projections for the future, recommendations and “thoughts to be considered taking action in the future based on our input.”
“Obviously, the utility fund is an enterprise fund,” Garrett said. “We’d like it to be self-sufficent.”

Garrett’s entire presentation and 2025-2026 budget proposals by several city department is included in video coverage posted by the Devine News’ YouTube channel.


Leatrice “Lea” Joy Strunk

Leatrice “Lea” Joy Strunk, of Devine, Texas, passed away on June 4, 2025, at the age of 87.
Lea is preceded in death by her parents, Cecil and Vinita Patterson, and daughter JoBeth Nieto, and son, Wesley Aliff.
She is survived by her husband, Billy Strunk, Jr., daughter, Judith Gonzales (Joel), brother, Terry Wayne Patterson (Eunice), and sister, Kay Johnston. She also leaves behind numerous nieces, nephews, and grandchildren.
The family will have a Memorial Service at Evergreen Cemetery at a later date.
Funeral arrangements under the care of Primrose Funeral Services of Devine, Texas, 303 W. College Ave, 830-663-4445.

Pascuala De La Rosa

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Pascuala De La Rosa, a great daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother of Devine, TX. She was born on December 15, 1943, in Candela, Coahuila, Mexico, where she spent part of her life. She passed away peacefully on June 18, 2025, in San Antonio, TX., at the age of 82.
She is survived by her husband, Joe De La Rosa; son, George A. De La Rosa (wife), Bea De La Rosa; son, Hugo De La Rosa (wife), Leticia Luna-De La Rosa; niece, Violeta Mata, and many grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her father, Juan Castillo; her mother, Pascuala Cadena; her daughter, Nadia C. De La Rosa; and her son, Juan J. De La Rosa.
There will be a visitation on Friday, June 27, 2025, from 9 A.M. to 10 A.M., and a funeral service will begin at 10 A.M. All located at Primrose Funeral Services in Devine, Texas. A burial will follow at St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery, located in Devine, Texas.

Brian Preston Koehler

After a long battle with cancer, Brian Preston Koehler died on June 20, 2025. He was surrounded by his loved ones and was not in pain.
Brian is survived by his wife of forty-one years, Joni Koehler, his son, Adam Koehler, his daughter, Amy Koehler Catterson, his son-in-law, Arman Daniel Catterson, and grandsons Gabriel Heshmat Catterson and Anthony Terry Catterson. In addition, he is survived by his sisters, Ginger (Jonathan) Garcia and Bonnie (Tim) Friesenhahn, and their families, including nieces Holly (Rene) Muniz, Maggie (Dustin) Burleson, Erin (Tucker) McCord, Lindsay (Trace) Morrow, and nephew, Nicholas (Mairead) Friesenhahn, along with seven great nieces and two great nephews. On Joni’s side, he is survived by in-laws Audrey and Terry Wilkinson, brothers-in-law David (Tracey) Arneson and Jonathan (Mayela) Wilkinson, and sister-in-law Libby (Kevin) Paterson, and their families, including nieces Victoria and Emma Wilkinson and Kaitlan Gil-Najarro, and nephews Austin, Jordan, and Travis Paterson. He is preceded in death by his father, Preston Herman Koehler and his mother, Josephine Kunz Koehler.
In family gatherings, Brian was the one the babies all gravitated toward. He was kind and patient, and always put his family’s needs before his own. He loved hunting and being in nature and also tinkering with broken machines, often fixing things that would otherwise be lost causes. He volunteered for many years in his church and community.
Brian worked at Southwest Research Institute in the Fuels and Lubricant division for 39 years. He frequently traveled for his job, and went to many different countries, including China, which he visited multiple times. He was a committed employee and was trusted by many in his workplace as a problem solver.
As busy as his work life was, he found time to coach tee-ball and baseball, drive teenagers to contests and events, and be a present and loving parent, husband, brother, and son.
Our hearts are broken over his loss, but we know that his suffering is at an end, and for that we are grateful. We know that he is with his parents now, and is probably out hunting or watching all of the James Bond movies.
Brian’s celebration of life will be held at Primrose Funeral Home at 3 p.m. on July 27, 2025. In lieu of flowers, Brian requested that donations be made to the American Cancer Society at donate.cancer.org.

Carol Ann Pitman Ashley

Carol Ann Ptiman Ashley of Devine, Texas, formerly of San Antonio, entered eternal rest on June 20, 2025. Born in Jacksonville, Florida on March 13, 1944, she was the only child of Ruth (Knight) and Jerome Carroll Pitman. Carol graduated from Sam Houston High School in San Antonio in 1962 and went to work at Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. She worked there for twelve years. She married Frank Wayne Ashley, her husband of 53 years, in 1972. She is survived by her three daughters: Suzanne (Jack) Craig, Melanie (Matthew) Kotzur, and Michele Ashley, and her beloved grandchildren: Kirsten, Annalise, Jack, Aubrey, Ava, Logan and Maxston.
Visitation will be on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 from 5pm-7pm at Mission Park Funeral Chapels South. Graveside service will be on Thursday, July 3, 2025 at San Jose Burial Park, San Antonio, TX.

Devine ISD calls meeting for June 26 to hire Athletic Dir. & HS Principal

The Devine ISD Board of Trustees called a meeting for Thursday, June 26 at 6:30 pm at the Superintendent’s Office to possibly hire a high school principal and athletic director as well as the start of school closes in, only five weeks away. The hiring of other professional staff will take place as well.


Teacher in-service starts in five weeks on August 4th, students August 12 on the new style schedule.

Bids on tennis court, softball field and sale of building
Also the board may take action on the Tennis Court Bids and Softball Field Bids which they wanted to wait until after the final budget was set. They will also look at the bid of the Portable Building Sale.
Agenda items are as listed:

Continue reading “Devine ISD calls meeting for June 26 to hire Athletic Dir. & HS Principal”

Texas leaders prepare to launch “fly dispersal” facility in South TX

“The United States has defeated NWS before and we will do it again,” said USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins during the big announcement this past Wednesday, June 18.  Congressman Tony Gonzales and  Rollins laid out the plan to launch an $8.5 million “fly dispersal facility” using sterile New World screwworms (NWS) in South Texas. 

Per the USDA, the facility in South Texas is expected to be ready within six months. In addition, they announced a sweeping five-pronged plan to detect, control, and eliminate this pest. 

 “Today’s policy changes represent a huge step forward to eradicating the screwworm and protecting American livestock, especially the opening of a U.S.-based eradication facility in South Texas. This facility has been one of my top priorities in Congress. From introducing the STOP Screwworms Act to leading funding efforts through my seat on the House Appropriations Committee, I am determined to do everything possible to eliminate this deadly parasite,” said Congressman Tony Gonzales.  

  “We do not take lightly the threat NWS poses to our livestock industry, our economy, and our food supply chain,” Rollins said. “The United States government will use all resources at its disposal to push back NWS….We have the proven tools, strong domestic and international partnerships, and the grit needed to win this battle.”  

Continue reading “Texas leaders prepare to launch “fly dispersal” facility in South TX”

What a blessing…

Little Ellajae Dishman presents Leticia Esquibel with a Bible signed by the Mission Devine volunteers and leaders. More photos of projects completed by this wonderful organization inside.

Like father, like son….
Daniel and son Carson Bowyer made a great team helping out with projects for Mission Devine.

Mission Devine volunteers wrapped up another successful work week this June.

And the Rains came

By Kayleen Holder
Editor
Local Wildlife Biologist Matt Reidy recorded getting 7.4 inches in 1 day, Thursday, June 12 in the Lytle area. That’s the biggest 1 day rain he has recorded in the past 13 years for that area. “The closest I have had to that kind of rain in a day was 4.35 inches in 2012,” Reidy said.
Local feed store operator, Fred Morales reports that “we did pretty well here in Devine” too.
“Everyone around Devine is sitting right at 6-7 inches in the past week. We got about a quarter of our annual rainfall, in 2 days. Most of it in 1 day,” Morales said, something he says is starting to seem like the “new normal.”
As far as farming goes, “it’s late for corn and row crops, and early for peanuts,” Morales noted. “But it’s going to be great for our pastures and our ponds. A lot of times, cattle ranchers struggle as much with keeping water in their ponds as much as they do grass in the pastures….It’s also great timing for our warm season grasses, which is predominately what we have around here.”
Between Devine and Castroville, another reader recorded between 5-6 inches. In the Black Creek area outside Devine, another reported getting up to 7 inches.
According to the SA Express News, they got over 6 inches of rain recorded at San Antonio International Airport on Thursday, which is according to them, the highest one-day rainfall total since 2013. In addition, KSAT reports it’s also San Antonio’s 10th highest daily rain total of ALL TIME (with records beginning in 1880s).
Water rose quickly, and 15 vehicles were swept away from the Loop 410 and Perrin Beitel access road into the creek below, according to SAFD. The death toll of flooding in Bexar County rose to 13 as of Monday.