Category: Events

The Alsatian Pioneers Children of the Republic of Texas (CRT) is reactivating. For information visit us on May 23 at the Medina County Museum between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. during the Heritage Day Celebration. Goody bags will be provided for current members and serious prospective members.

Executive Summary:
Data centers are increasingly integral to the modern economy, but without prompt action, this industry threatens to strain an over-burdened electrical grid, deplete limited water supplies, raise costs for Texans; harm public health; and overwhelm local governments and utilities. Texas is second only to Virginia in U.S. data center development and is on track to surpass Virginia by the end of the decade. Within Texas, the San Antonio-Austin South-Central Texas region saw a four-fold increase in data center development between 2023 and 2025 and now ranks among the top global markets for expansion. Hyperscale facilities built for AI purposes and cryptocurrency mining facilities are driving this regional growth, and they consume energy and water supplies at a scale that Texas’ regulatory and planning systems were not prepared to absorb.
Data centers already use enough power to supply over half of Texas’ homes and could drive a 70% increase in statewide electricity demand by 2031.
Texas data centers could use roughly 494,091 acre-feet of water by 2030, with impacts expected to be concentrated on the individual communities where the facilities are located.
Because the State Water Plan relies on historical data and surveys, this sudden increase in demand will not be reflected in official planning until at least 2032, worsening an already projected minimum 5 million acre-feet shortfall in water supplies by 2070. Wastewater from data centers may also overwhelm local utilities and could impact downstream water quality. Data centers’ planned reliance on fossil-fuel energy, along with their cooling procedures and general facility operation, could exacerbate other types of pollution and public health impacts in the state. Texas’ data center tax exemptions also cost the state more than $1 billion in 2025 and are projected to cost at least $9 billion in total between 2025 and 2030, not accounting for city and county-level exemptions, even as individual facilities create few permanent, local jobs. No Texas or federal law to date requires facilities to disclose water or energy use, and nondisclosure agreements routinely shield project details from local officials and the public. Local governments and entities lack the appropriate tools to respond to the pressures data centers are putting on local water supplies and utility rates. This paper highlights international and national policies and recommends Texas, its local governments, regional entities, and utilities adopt policies that could serve as guardrails against the adverse impacts of data center development. These include policies to improve data gathering and state and local planning; allocate costs fairly; improve and expand local regulatory tools; limit incompatible land uses; improve transparency; limit detrimental energy and water use; and limit increases in pollution and public health impacts. The paper also recommends data center operators themselves adopt measures to limit potable water use; reduce demand on local water supplies; limit fossil-fuel energy generation and its public health impacts; and demonstrate their investment in being responsible neighbors in their community.

Foreword by Annalisa Peace, Executive Director Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance:
April 22, 2026– It was in November of 2025 when we decided that GEAA needed to dive into the exploding phenomenon of data centers and their impact on our water supplies. Over the past months, each time we thought we could publish, an avalanche of new information had us diving deeper into the topic. Some aspects of data generation, such as crypto mining, are easy to dismiss as a useless waste of resources that should be prohibited. However, weighing the pros and cons of the infrastructure needed to support Artificial Intelligence (AI) demands a more nuanced approach, as this new technology is both scary and wonderful. While many Americans persistently ignore the threats to our planet from climate change, the outcry about threats from super-intelligent AI may be taken with a grain of salt. In many ways, development of new technologies, both by AI and to serve data centers, may presage progress towards sustainability goals that we all endorse. For example, water utilities are using AI to better detect leaks within their systems and to manage conservation strategies, thus resulting in significant net gains of available water. The industry is creating a demand for longer use storage batteries to support solar options for data centers, and many data centers are considering the use of direct vs alternating current to save energy, which could further spur conversion of our energy system to renewables and lead to greater energy conservation. And, instances of marvels to come abound. For example, AI was used to create a new flexible, high-strength, rust-resistant 3D-printable form of steel. Conversely, GEAA’s 21 county service area, and most of Texas, has been in persistent drought for several years now. We are well aware of the concerns of our constituents about locating this thirsty infrastructure in our region. Our local temperatures are increasing and rainfall is diminishing. It could be that Central Texas cannot sustain the energy and water requirements for data centers and still support the growth we are experiencing. Many communities and rural landowners lament the prospect of big, noisy, polluting boxes dotting their landscapes. And they are taking action: 25 data center projects across the country were canceled in 2025, about four times as many as in 2024. Meanwhile, out of 770 planned data center projects, about 99 are being contested by local activists or residents, with $64 billion in projects being canceled. If the addition of the infrastructure needed to support AI is to proceed smoothly, economic equity, stakeholder engagement, policy priorities, and regulation must all be considered. Meanwhile, it is incumbent on tech firms to acknowledge that their facilities can indeed have outsized impacts on local communities, and take concrete steps to address issues of concern. Although Texas passed some laws regulating AI in the 89th session, they did not take up any related to data centers. Given public outcry, we can expect the 90th legislature is likely to consider some regulation, as other states have done. However, how new state laws might be considered, approved, and enforced given that the Trump administration has issued an order that prohibits states from adopting their own regulations is anyone’s guess. Perhaps I am overly optimistic in believing that Texas can accommodate the digital economy without compromising the reliability and affordability of resources for its residents by requiring transparency, incentivizing efficiency, and prioritizing alternative water supplies. Changes to state law that empower unincorporated areas to address the siting of data centers will also be required. Realistically, AI, and the need for attendant data centers, will not magically vanish. So, we felt it was incumbent on us to come up with recommendations as to how data centers might be designed, built, and regulated. We had fun brainstorming and researching this fascinating topic. I hope that you, the reader, will find some merit in these pages. My gratitude and admiration go out to the author of this report, Rachel Hanes, for her persistence, patience, beautiful writing, and good judgment.
The GEAAA is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes the effective broad-based advocacy for the protection and preservation of the Edwards Aquifer.

May
6 – Purpose Women’s Conference at Natalia Corinth Baptist Church from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
6 – Lytle Public Library Story Time ages 2-5 from 10:30-11 a.m.
7 – Special Presentation: A Journey with the Shroud of Turin from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at St. John Bosco Mission Church Natalia, TX
7 – Lytle Public Library Craft With Us from 5:30 – 7 p.m.
7 – Devine Driscoll Public Library Crafting After Hours from 6 – 8 p.m. | Registration Required
7 – Live Music at Cora’s 471 Grill featuring Damon Curtis at 7 p.m.
8 – Plant Swap at the Devine Driscoll Public Library from 2 -3 p.m.
8 – Mother’s Day Pet Adoption Event & Bake Sale at Lytle Animal Shelter from 12 – 3 p.m.
8 – Lytle ISD Wellness Fair at Lytle Jr. High Gym from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
8 – Lytle VFW Karaoke Night at 7 p.m.
9 – Teen ACTS Bake Sale Fundraiser at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
9 – Mother’s Day Market at My Time at The Garden from 5 – 10 p.m.
9 – Mother’s Community Resource Fair at St. Paul Community Center from 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
9 – Spring Fling Artisan Market at the Poteet Grange Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
10 – Lytle VFW Bingo | Card Sales 2 p.m. | Early Bird 2:30 p.m. | Game Starts 3 p.m.
12 – Devine Driscoll Public Library Preschool Story Time at 10:30 a.m. | Registration Required
13 – Lytle Public Library Story Time ages 2-5 from 10:30-11 a.m.
13 – Storytime with Jamie Lin Wilson at the Castroville Rainbow Theater with special guest Wade Bowen at 7 p.m.
13 – Stitch Club at the Devine Driscoll Public Library from 6 – 7:30 p.m. | Registration Required
14 – Live Music at Cora’s 471 Grill featuring JJ Villarreal at 7 p.m.
14 – Lytle Public Library Craft With Us from 5:30 – 7 p.m.
16 – Live Music at Billy’s Dining & Dancing featuring Kelbi Lynn Winters & Steven Mireles from 9 p.m. – 12 a.m.
16 – Moon & Makers Market at Dahlgreen Somerset TX from 5 – 11 p.m.
16 – Get Up Girl Women Conference at 111 A South Teal Devine Tx 78016 at 8:30 a.m.
16 – Spring Pop-Up Market at Pleasanton Saint Andrew Parish Hall at 10 a.m.
17 – Blackie Boehme Tournament at Devine Golf Course at 12 p.m. tee time
19 – Regular Devine City Council Meeting at Devine Community Center at 6 p.m.
19 – Devine Driscoll Public Library Preschool Story Time at 10:30 a.m. | Registration Required
19 – Embroidery Club at Devine Driscoll Public Library from 5:30 – 7 p.m. | Registration Required
20 – Lytle Public Library Story Time ages 2-5 from 10:30-11 a.m.
21 – Lytle Public Library Craft With Us from 5:30 – 7 p.m.
21 – Live Music at Cora’s 471 Grill featuring Grant Ewing at 7 p.m.
21 – Devine Driscoll Public Library Planner Club from 5 – 6:30 p.m. | Registration Required
21 – I Know What You Did Last Summer at Roosters Icehouse at 7 p.m.
23 – Inner Ritual and Co Pilates Class at Texicana Boutique at 9 a.m.
23 – Lunch Opening at Cora’s 471 Grill featuring Garrett Talamantes at 3 p.m.
23 – Live Music at Cora’s 471 Grill featuring Kade Isakson at 7 p.m.
24 – Spring/Summer U-Picks at Petále Haus Flopral Design at 9:30 a.m.
25 – Dia de Los Warriors at Dahlgreen Food Truck Park Somerset at 12 p.m.
26 – Devine Driscoll Public Library Preschool Story Time at 10:30 a.m. | Registration Required
27 – Collage Club at the Devine Driscoll Public Library from 5:30 – 7 p.m. | Registration Required
27 – Lytle Public Library Story Time ages 2-5 from 10:30-11 a.m.
28 – Devine Driscoll Public Library Crafting After Hours from 6 – 8 p.m. | Registration Required
28 – Lytle Public Library Craft With Us from 5:30 – 7 p.m.
28 – Live Music at Cora’s 471 Grill featuring Matt Kirk at 7 p.m.
30 – Lytle VFW Comedy Night featuring Patrick Christopher, Danny Ingle, Dallas Vann from 7 – 10 p.m.
30 – 2nd Annual Seed & Soil Scramble Tournament at the Castroville Alsatian Golf Club at 8:30 a.m.
June
3 & 4 – Free Summer Kid Movie Series at Castroville Rainbow Theater showing Bad Guys 2 at 10:30 a.m.
6 – Yard Sale at St. John Bosco Church Hall from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
10 & 11 – Free Summer Kid Movie Series at Castroville Rainbow Theater showing How to Train Your Dragon at 10:30 a.m.
13 – City of Devine Flag Day Celebration at Briscoe City Park
17 & 18 – Free Summer Kid Movie Series at Castroville Rainbow Theater showing Gabby’s Dollhouse at 10:30 a.m.
24 & 25 – Free Summer Kid Movie Series at Castroville Rainbow Theater showing Dog Man at 10:30 a.m.
If you want to add an event to this calendar, please email devinereporter@devinenews.com or call (830) 665 – 2211 and leave a message for Brianna.

A lingering dispute related to a controversial management change at the Devine Golf Course in 2022 was thought to be put to rest by the Devine City Council last week at its April 21 meeting when the council originally agreed to a 99-year lease exchange to retain clear access to a portion of the course’s paved golf path but the vote was cancelled after the meeting by Cook.
Two days after the meeting Mayor Butch Cook used his power to “nullify” the action so the item can be voted upon again.…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!

Lieutenant Christopher Andrews was honored for his 34 years of service with the City of Devine Police Department! Pictured above is Mayor Butch Cook, Police Chief Joe Brown presenting Lieutenant Andrews with an Employee Recognition Award at the City Council Meeting Tuesday. Photo by Anton Riecher.

By Anton Riecher
More than $653,000 in state education grants received by Devine ISD is in the process of being implemented with a focus on long-term academic improvement, Superintendent Todd Grandjean reported to the school board Monday night.
The announcement about the Texas Education Agency Learning Acceleration Support Opportunities grant, also known as LASO, came during Grandjean’s monthly report to the board.
“As the district concludes our end-of-year assessments, including our STARR (2025 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) testing, overall student performance continues to reflect the dedication and hard work of our teachers, support staff and our administrators,” Grandjean said.
LASO is a single, consolidated application that combines grants, allotments and in-kind support issued through the TEA. More than 600 school districts applied during the most recent cycle of LASO funding.
Devine ISD will receive $533,000 in funding…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!

PRESS RELEASE –
CITY OF DEVINE – The recent water-sewer rate increases have yielded better than expected results for the City of Devine resulting in outstanding reports from both the city’s financial advising firm and the city’s annual financial audit.
According to Mark McLiney of long time advising firm to the city, Samco Capital, the water rate study has accomplished its intended purpose ahead of schedule and the water-sewer system is becoming solvent and self-sufficient, and will no longer be a drain on the General Fund.
“What a great year you had. Congratulations!” McLiney said. “The last couple of years, the City has covered Utility Fund Debt with the General Fund and now those funds can be moved back to the General Fund which will give the City the opportunity to borrow for General Fund projects without increasing the tax rate. I would estimate you could borrow between $4,500,000 and $5,000,000 later this summer…again without changing the tax rate.”
McLiney also suggested going forward, the City should program a 2-3% increase annually for water-sewer rates to keep up with inflation and avoid the pitfalls that resulted from 8 years of no increases. Such increases are normally enacted by municipalities for maintenance and operations.
“City staff and the City Council should be proud of these results,” McLiney said.
The City’s annual financial audit report by the firm Armstrong, Vaughan & Associates for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 presented in March by Carl Goering to the City Council also lauded the City’s performance.
“The audit opinion we gave is ‘unmodified’ which is the best opinion we can give on an audit. My goal as an auditor is to form an audit opinion and determine whether or not the financial statements are free of material misstatement and conform with generally accepted auditing principles,” Goering said.
“The audited numbers tell a story of financial stability directed with ‘great oversight’ by the city administrator,” Goering said.
Highlights of the audit showed the City with a Debt to Asset ratio of 41.5% with total debt of $17.62 million compared to total government wide assets of $42.43 million. This indicates the overall leverage of the government and about two-fifths of the city’s asset base is financed with bonded debt. Ratios below 50% are considered favorable.
The City also reported favorable numbers in the categories of Debt to Equity, Equity Ratio, Net Debt to Assets, Debt Service to Revenues, Interest Burden and Cash to Debt.
The report also stated the overall financial flexibility of the City is stable with the net position increasing during the year and the debt structure shows limited near-term repayment pressure.

By Anton Riecher
A long-delayed plan to build an ambulance substation in Natalia moved forward April 8 with action by the Medina County Emergency Services District No. 4 board of commissioners to negotiate the purchase of a city-owned site located between the police station and fire department.
Board president Steve Smith made his feelings on the issue clear going into the vote.
“We’ve been too damn long and it needs to be executed,” he said. “I understand we wanted to make sure and do a lot of due diligence to find a location.”
On a motion by board vice president Patrick Bourcier, a Natalia resident, seconded by board treasurer Patrick DuBose, the motion authorizing Smith to negotiate with Natalia city council member Darin Frazier on the purchase was approved by a 4-0 vote. Board secretary Brenda Butler was absent.
Natalia…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!

PRESS RELEASE–MM Myers, a rising voice in children’s literature, is inspiring readers across the nation with not only her award-winning books, but also her powerful story of perseverance, faith, and determination.
Living with legal blindness and dyslexia, Myers has faced significant obstacles throughout her life, yet she has turned those challenges into a purpose-driven writing career that continues to uplift and encourage others.
Myers began her journey as a storyteller in a deeply personal way: creating stories with her grandchildren. What started as a simple bonding activity became something far greater.
Myers first gained national attention when her magical children’s tale Pocket Watch Portal Adventure was named a finalist for a prestigious storytelling award, earning her an invitation to a Hollywood gala in 2025. Through every hurdle, Myers credits her faith as the foundation that has guided her forward and given her the strength to pursue her dreams.
“God has carried me through every challenge,” Myers shares. “I’m legally blind, dyslexic, disabled, and not exactly young, yet this all is happening. I don’t say that for sympathy. I say it because God is still in the business of moving mountains.”
Myers dedication has led to remarkable success: four of her children’s books have received national awards, earning recognition for their heartfelt messages and engaging storytelling.
About MM Myers
MM Myers lives in Moore, Texas, south of San Antonio.  Myers is an award-winning children’s book author whose storytelling journey began with her grandchildren and grew into a nationally recognized body of work. Living with legal blindness and dyslexia, she draws on her life experiences and strong faith in God to create stories that inspire resilience, hope, and confidence in young readers. Her works, including If I Were a Butterfly? and Pocket Watch Portal Adventure, celebrate hope, legacy, and the power of storytelling to heal and unite. To learn more, visit mmmyersauthor.com