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ESD board appointments

By Anton Riecher
Patrick Bourcier, long associated with EMS in Devine, and former Devine City Council member Debbie Randall were named to two-year terms on the Medina County Emergency Services District 4 board of commissioners Monday.
Also, Medina County commissioners reappointed Ken Nighwander, Jerry Stevens and Abigail Beadle to two-year terms on the Devine-based ESD2 (Fire) beginning in January.
Bourcier, a resident of Natalia, serves as district chief with Allegiance Mobile Health which was replaced as the third-party provider for ESD4 (EMS) in October by Castroville-based ESD1. His history in local EMS goes back to the late 1970s when he joined the first ambulance services established in Devine.
Until last year, Randall served as the district 4 representative on the Devine City Council.
Bourcier and Randall replace former board president Anthony Martin, who stepped down in December after serving as board vice president his final year, and Juan Zamora, who stepped down as assistant treasurer earlier this year.
The ESD4 (EMS) replacements were appointed by a 3-0 vote on a motion by Precinct 3 Commissioner David Lynch, seconded by Precinct 1 Commissioner Jessica Castiglioni. Precinct 4 Commissioner Danny Lawler abstained from voting due to an application submitted by a relative.
Brenda Butler, named as a temporary member earlier this year, was reappointed to a full two-year term.
In Castroville-based ESD1, board president Marvin Dziuk and assistant treasurer Leroy Haby were reappointed to new terms. Rodney Hitzfelder, who chose not to apply for a new term, will be replaced by David Foster.

Lytle Feb.13 deadline to file for city office

The City of Lytle holds its election for city council and Mayor on the first Saturday in May of each year. The election for Districts 4, 5, and the mayor are held in even numbered years.
Michael Rodriguez is the Alderman of District 4, and Matthew Martinez is the Alderman of District 5. Ruben Gonzalez is the Mayor. All of these positions expire in May 2026.
Filing period for a place on the ballot starts January 14, 2026 and ends February 13, 2026.

Warhorse hoops on a scoring high

Your 2025 varsity Warhorses standing for the pledge of allegiance. Photo by Brigid Howard.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
There were some fantastically entertaining ball games played by the Warhorse basketball team last week. Between their Tuesday 81-65 romp in Poth and their championship game worthy performances in their home tournament that saw the Warhorses go 3-2 and falling to San Antonio Holmes 42-20, Devine is on the right track to challenge for the District 27-4A title as that chase begins soon.
Devine averaged 72 points a game through the first four games of the tourney, winning three of those. The sole loss over the first four games was to San Antonio Holmes, a team they faced once again in the championship match on Saturday.
A defensive battle broke out in that one, with Devine falling just short 42-40.
Several players stood out for different reasons at different times of the tournament, but the All-Tourney nods went to Karson Ray and to Cecilio De La Garza.
vs Poth
Mason Beaver’s 37 point outing along with Tanner Davis getting his normal double-digit Poth on December 9 by the final score of 81-65.
Mason connected on 13 of 24 shot attempts (54%) including 6 of 11 (55%) from downtown. Karson Ray knocked down 19 points as part of his 10-rebound double-double, Davis snatched 10 boards of his own, and Ray’sean dealt a game-high 11 assists. Christian Beaver added his own double-double with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds while also assisting on 6 other Warhorse conversions.
Devine jumped on Poth early, building a 21-12 lead after one. The Pirates had a little fool’s gold in the second quarter as they closed the deficit to only two points at the break.
The Horses slowly…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Lady Pirates to begin district play against Dilley and Poteet

The Lady Pirates crash the boards during their “best game of the year so far” against Cole High School.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
The Lytle girls basketball team has played their last preseason games and will enter district play starting this week. They enter the regular season with a record of 2-11 but have played with hustle and grit in all their games. In their last two games of the preseason, the Lady Pirates traveled to Stockdale then hosted Cole High school. 
Vs Stockdale
In their final road game of the preseason, the Lady Pirates fell to the Brahmas 26-46. Head coach Lori Wilson emphasized how the team needs to improve their ball security…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Pirates basketball is back to full strength

Varsity Lytle Pirate #3 Weston Jackson gaurds up on the inbound pass in Lytle’s game against Fox Tech. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
The Lytle Pirates are 4-4 so far through the preseason and return to action against St. Anthony after a weeklong break from the court. Before the break the Pirates participated in a Cole High School basketball tournament then traveled to Stacey High School where they beat the Eagles 63-54. 
Head Coach Arturo Vela said this tournament was “one of the better…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Lady Mustangs Silver bracket champs; District play begins in Crystal City

Lady Mustang #15 Lilliana Vasquez guards the top of the key while #0 Jade Mata has her head on a swivel as the help defender. Photo by Moose Lopez.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
With the last tournament of the year behind them, the Natalia girls basketball squad has officially entered district play. With a record of 8-14, the Lady Mustangs have shown poise, connectivity and defensive tenacity in all of their preseason games. 
“I feel like we are as ready as we are going to be at this point in the season,” head coach Steven Spangler said. “We’ll have some strategies going into each game and we’ll see how well we are able to execute them.”
Spangler said that…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

Mustangs take third at Tilden Classic

The Mustang defense collapses on the shooter during Natalia’s intense game against Yorktown. Photo by Mable Byrd.

Matthew “Moose” Lopez
Sports Editor
The Natalia varsity basketball team earned third place at the Tilden Classic tournament, after going 3-2 with Jordan Castro earning the All-tournament team honors. Head coach Justin Welsh said his team did a great job of responding after performances that “weren’t up to the standard” of Mustang basketball. 
“We played against several well-coached and well-prepared teams that made us work for everything on the offensive end, and while we had our moments of struggle, our guys consistently found ways to bounce back.”
Tournament season is a great opportunity for teams to better understand their strengths and weaknesses and how they match up against certain offensive and defensive schemes…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

DHS Drama Club producesA Christmas Carol

Madelynn Mitchell, Natalie Gutierrez, and Griffin Blouin in A Christmas Carol.

Jerel Beaty
Staff writer
Devine ISD Theater Directors Mrs. Patricia Taitano and Mr. Jose Guardiola and their ensemble of fine performers presented A Christmas Carol: A Play for Live Radio to a crowded audience in the DSAC on December 10.
The story, told vintage radio-style, is an adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens set in Victorian England in the early 1840s. The 10 Players dressed in black pants and while long sleeve shirt sat V-style behind decorated desks telling the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and his story of salvation and redemption.
Included in the beautiful evening were other DHS departments that added to the celebration of Christmas and the promotion of several students from other organizations.
Head Band Director Bert Sanchez and assistant Pete Alexander Olguin had several band members entertain in the foyer prior to the doors closing for the reading of Christmas Carol.
In addition, Mrs. Linsey Outlaw and her FACS students baked cookies and other delicious treats available for the attending audience while Mrs. Dawn Hamby and her art students had many of their own handmade favorite pieces of art on display for all to enjoy.
The Players
Nolan Beaty, Griffin Blouin, Cat Brown, Kayla Dzierzanowski, Viola Dzierzanowski, Natalie Gutierrez, Madelynn Mitchell, Dakota Nighswander, and Angeliana Rendon-Zapata.
The Crew
Ella Bowyer, Kassandra Fajardo, Lindsay Garcia, Emma Martinez, and Emerie Ruiz.

Dakota Niighswander and Viola Dzierzanowski perform in A Christmas Carol.

Kayla Dzierzanowski read five parts in A Christmas Carol.

Nolan Beaty as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.

Reopening and guest appearance by Santa @ the Library Friday

Press Release–The Driscoll Public Library is delighted to announce that, after several weeks of dedicated work by library staff and the City of Devine Public Works crew, the library will officially reopen its doors to the public on Friday, December 12 at 10:00 a.m.
During the first few days, staff will be busy catching up on patron needs and preparing for the holiday season—but the real celebration begins on Friday, December 12th from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The community is invited to join library staff, the Devine Police Department, and fellow city employees as we commemorate the grand reopening of the newly renovated library.
Guests can enjoy complimentary cookies and hot cocoa courtesy of the City of Devine—perfect for warming up while exploring everything the refreshed library has to offer. The Devine Police Department will also be welcoming a very special visitor: Santa Claus himself! Families will have the opportunity to take photos with Santa, check whether they’ve made the “nice list,” and share their holiday wish lists.
This festive celebration is the perfect chance to tour the updated space, reconnect with your community, and help us usher in a bright new chapter for the Driscoll Public Library.
Please join us as we celebrate the season, our community—and the joy of reading—together!