What is your opinion on natural remedies?

While Doctor Neel does not practice alternative medicine, per se, he has seen natural medicine go a long way through the stories and experiences of patients.
“Doctors are taught to be skeptical of natural things that are out there, but in reality, there are a lot of really great supplements,” Dr. Neel said.
“There are doctors out there who specialize in that; so I don’t practice alternative medicine, but I do study it and I do use it myself. If there were three of me, one of me would probably practice alternative medicine,” Neel said.­­
“Some of my happiest patients are the patients who have found something natural that works and are able to stop taking drugs,” Dr. Neel said. “I had a lady who has had really bad psoriasis all her life—all over her body—she tried some pycnogenol (which is actually French maritime pine bark), and within a couple weeks, it was so much better.”

He is also a believer in…… CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com

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Reservoir levels continue to drop, Medina County in most severe level of drought

The US Drought Monitor is classifying Medina, Frio, and Atascosa Counties as being in an “Extreme” Drought.
Centered directly above Medina County is an area classified as an “Exceptional Drought” (the highest level of drought).
“Groundwater and reservoir levels continued to drop in the San Antonio area amid very large precipitation deficits,” it notes, leading to the development of an area of exceptional drought centered above Medina.
Growing concerns about water security, especially with our rapidly growing Medina County area, recently prompted local cities and water groups to band together forming the “Regional Water Alliance”.

How does he do it?…Lewis Stroud,81 years young

At the age of 81 he is hanging up his whistle. Stroud has worked an estimated 6,000+ games in his career, running about 4 miles per varsity game, “which means Lewis ran the distance around the earth– 24,901 miles– on a basketball court,” said Butch Cook, presenting a plaque. We caught up with Stroud and picked his brain about how to stay so active and healthy. Here’s what he had to say…

By Kayleen Holder
He wakes up at 6 am every morning, and he takes his coffee black. More than likely, you’ve never seen Lewis Stroud frown, and that’s no accident! Whether you know him as coach, teacher, co-worker, or referee, Mr. Stroud is a friend to all, and for him, “being positive” is the only way to be. At 81 years old, he continues to get up and “go to work” each day– long after he retired–spreading encouragement and appreciation to everyone he meets, every chance he gets.

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Story behind the story: Dog digs up 100 human teeth

By Kayleen Holder
It was a dog who dug up a pile of human teeth this past Tuesday, March 4 at a residential home in the 1500 block of Avenue J in Hondo. As you can imagine, it was one of the most bizarre calls they’ve ever gotten, Chief Justin Soza said.
“When the homeowner saw what the dog dug up, they called the police,” Chief Soza said. “We found approximately 100 teeth including some possible old dentures.”

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Q&A with Dr. Neel

Why do you believe it’s important to conduct a physical examination?
“I get a lot of complaints from patients saying some doctors only talk to them from the doorway, and that they don’t get enough time to ask questions,” Neel said. “When I went to medical school, they harped over and over again that you need to touch the patient. I check eyes, ears, nose, throat, heart and lungs just out of habit. I don’t want somebody to walk out of here with something obvious that went unnoticed.
“I’ve had several patients who had seen multiple doctors who never felt their abdomen to see if their spleen was enlarged. They ran all kinds of test, but failed to do the basic lab tests and physical examinations.”

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Some great Upcoming Local Events

Lytle Music Festival set for March 21&22

The Lytle Music Festival 2025 is set for Friday and Saturday evenings March 21 & 22 in the John Lott Municipal Park in Lytle, Texas featuring six artists.
The event is free. There will be food trucks and vendors.
Music will start at 6:30 pm on Friday and at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Friday evening will feature at 6:30 p.m. Bidi Bidi Banda opening up for a 8:30 p.m. show by Mario Flores.
Saturday evening music will start at 5:00 p.m. with Texas Double Shot, followed by 6:30 Weston Ripps. At 8:00 p.m. the Chuck Wimer Band will perform.
Bri Bagwell will headline the night taking the stage at 9:30 p.m.

BBQ plate sale at VFW on March 8, tickets on sale

The VFW Post #3966 in Devine is hosting a BBQ plate fundraiser on Saturday 8, 2025.
The plates will include Chicken & Sausage, rice, beans, jalapeno, pickles, onions and a slice of bread. Donation is $12.00 per plate, pickup to go or dine in.. The bqq will be at the VFW Hall next to the Post Office in Devine at 211 W. College Ave. Members will be selling tickets. If you would like to purchase one you may also contact Jesse Rodriguez at 210-289-6204 or Gary Saathoff at 210-289-6204.

Natalia Bluebonnet Parade & Festival scheduled for March 29th; accepting registrations

The 2025 Natalia Bluebonnet Parade & Festival will be held Saturday, March 29, 2025 in downtown Natalia. The yearly festival is the major fundraiser for the Natalia Veteran’s Memorial Library. We are still accepting food/craft vendors and parade registrations. In addition, we are also seeking sponsorships. For updated information on music, schedule of events and more please visit the website at nataliabluebonnetfestival.com, facebook page, stop by the library at 501 Third Street or call Amy Edge at 210-213-1990.

Country for a Cure @Devine Acres April 5
Devine Acres Farm will host a huge Country Music Fest this year, and it’s all for a great cause! On the stage Saturday, April 5 will be Jamie Lin Wilson, Small Town Habit, Jeremy Richards, and Keith Lutz.
There will be plenty of fun for the whole family! Devine Acres Farm attractions will be open for the kids, the singing princesses will be there for a meet and greet, and there will be plenty of dancing. There will also be a huge Silent Auction fundraiser, food/drinks, and more!
ABOUT THE FUNDRAISER
The Audrey Jane’s Light fundraiser and Country Music Fest will benefit Audrey Jane Capps and the A-T Children’s Project. Audrey is battling a rare neurological disease called Ataxia telangiectasia, and her family is in a race against time to find the cure for this awful disease that affects more kids in Texas than any other state.
Audrey is the daughter of Josh and Brittany Capps and granddaughter of Ken and Debi Capps and Thomas and Kathleen Calame.
Because there is very little funding for research of rare diseases, families like the Capps and Calames and grassroots organizations like the A-T Children’s Project band together to fund crucial research. According to the National Organization for Rare Diseases (NORD), 1 in 10 Americans are affected by a rare disease. That is between 25-30 million Americans.
If you would like to be a sponsor of this event contact Kayleen Holder at The Devine News 830-665-2211, or sign up online atcp.org/audrey. Sponsorships are tax deductible, and will go to helping the A-T Children’s Project find a cure for A-T.

ESD4 board pledges solid options for Natalia EMS station

By Anton Riecher
In a wide ranging Feb. 12 meeting the Medina County Emergency Services District No. 4 board of commissioners pledged to have solid options ready for action in March on a permanent ambulance station in Natalia.
“Y’all have been paying taxes for all this time,” said new ESD4 treasurer Patrick DuBose. “You deserve to have a station over there. It’s going to happen.”
DuBose and EMS Chief Jason Miller, responding to questions from Natalia alderwoman and former mayor Ruby Vera, said that options as to the style and cost of the new building would be ready for board action at the March 12 meeting.
Current Natalia Mayor Tommy Ortiz and alderman Darin Frazier were also on hand for the Feb. 12 meeting.
“We’ve all been on the council for 20 years,” Frazier said. “We’ve busted it to help the ESD from day one. We’ve all gotten old on promises.”
Aside from the new role for DuBose as treasurer, Steve Smith accepted the position of board president for the coming year.
“I’m willing to serve where I’m needed,” Smith said.
Former president Anthony Martin will serve as vice president with previous treasurer Juan Zamora assigned the role of assistant treasurer. Jerry Beck agreed to act as board secretary.
Martin said he would probably step down from the board when his current term expires in December.
With Zamora absent at the February meeting, the board voted 4-0 to adopt a $20,000 homestead exemption together with tax exemptions for district residents over age 65 and disabled. The exemptions were originally proposed by Beck in November.
The board also voted to for an option offered by Allegiance Mobile Health under which Allegiance will take over the lease payments on the ESD’s ambulance units and cover maintenance on the units in exchange for using the district’s vehicles, including ambulances, with the district retaining ownership in the event the board decides in future to change directions. The need for a 3 and 5 year plan for the ESD District was talked about throughout the meeting, and would affect some decisions.
A report that would serve as the basis for a final decision on the option is expected at the March meeting.
Other issues addressed during the February meeting included the recent decision to address EMS staff shortages by working 72-hour shifts, maintenance issues with the emergency generator at the Devine station and an ambulance out of services due to problems obtaining repair parts.
The contingent from Natalia made their voices heard early on during the Feb. 12 meeting when Vera was asked for her option on the hours of the staffing issue. She quickly brought the longstanding issue about posting ambulance personnel in Natalia to the forefront.
“Initially, when we started this ESD business, people came to me — I was mayor back then – everybody promised me the moon,” Vera said. “We went door-to-door making sure everybody voted for it. But it was always with the promise that we were going to have something permanent within our community.”
The board agreed that crews stationed at the Natalia Volunteer Fire Department station would now work 12-hour shifts in Natalia. Currently they were posted their 9 to 5. Allegiance Mobile Health District Chief Patrick Bourcier noted that the Natalia VFD station lacks bathing facilities to accommodate longer shifts..
Miller also asked the board to establish a subcommittee on the proposed Natalia station. Beck suggested adding one or two members of the Natalia City Council to the subcommittee as well.
The board later returned to the issue of building a permanent Natalia ambulance station, with Miller noting that construction of a pre-engineered metal building would possibly eliminate the cost of hiring an architect for the project.
However, DuBose stood in opposition when Miller suggested that a single-wide mobile home might suffice as a base for Natalia operations. A mobile home might cost as much as $60,000 and have no resale value if operations moved to a new location.
The city of Natalia has donated property next to the police station for the proposed ambulance station. Frazier said the city would be willing to compromise on the size of the new building but needed immediate action.
“It’s time,” Frazier said. “We cannot sit here waiting another year or six months.”
DuBose countered that the board was in no position to commit to the project without further research.
“We’re going to form a committee and move forward with this,” he said. “You heard the discussion. We want a place over there for the unit to stay. Y’all have offered a place. All we have to do is finish our side of the deal and figure out how much we can spend.”
Miller noted the recent upheaval regarding plans for ESD4’s future.
“To be fair, six months ago our vision for the future was vastly different from what it is today.”
By comparison, the board’s action on the homestead exemption, previously postponed to allow for more research, was relatively uncontentious. The motion by Beck that the board approve adoption of a general homestead exemption in the amount of $20,000 was seconded by DuBose and approved by a 4-0 vote.
A similar $20,000 exemption for district residents over 65 or disabled proposed by Beck was seconded by Smith and approved by a 4-0 vote. The exemptions are an either-or proposition and cannot be claimed simultaneously.
“The idea is to have a self-contained EMS service here,” Beck said. “To do that, you want to get the community involved. I think what we need to do, like I expressed last time, is offer them something. A home exemption is the way to do that.”
The estimated impact on the district’s bottom line is about $61,000 a year that can be made up from other sources, he said.
More contentious was discussion regarding the recent decision to move to 72-hour shifts for staff. Miller said the action was endorsed by the crew to deal with staffing shortages, Miller said.
DuBose said he was concerned about the impact of staff health, safety and patient care.
“I really want you to watch your crews because I’m concerned for them and for patient care if they’re working 72 hours straight,” he said.
Bourcier said the 72-hour shifts are intended to resolve short-term staffing problems resulting from the ESD board’s decision not to proceed with plans to take complete charge of ambulance operations.
“I’ll be honest with you,” Bourcier said. “I didn’t start hiring for here because I honestly thought we were leaving in November.”
Miller said the 72-hours shifts are not meant to be a permanent solution but to be tried for several months and then reevaluated. The standard shift length for an operation the size of ESD4 is typically 48 hours.
Leading a list of maintenance issues discussed is the recent discovery that the $25,000 emergency generator installed at the Devine station in 2022 is not running an automatic monthly test to insure reliability. No maintenance agreement has been found covering the generator.
“This qualifies as an emergency situation,” DuBose said. “It’s $650 to come out and look at it and make it work.”
Most hospitals and other emergency response facilities require a one-hour test of the emergency generator each week, he said. Bourcier said that the generator did come on as needed during the last power failure at the station.
Action was tabled until it can be determined if the generator is still under warranty.
The board approved maintenance work to reprogram the district radios to allow them to operate on private call mode when staff members are trying to sleep. The special mode activates the radio only when dispatchers have a specific call for the Devine station instead of all emergency calls within the county.
“These guys have to listen to the radio 24 hours while they try and sleep at night,” DuBose said. “I guarantee if you’re doing that you’re not sleeping. Every time a tone goes out in the county you think ‘Is that mine or not?’”
Also approved was maintenance work on the station’s malfunctioning garage doors, original to the station when it was built in the mid 1980s. Ordinarily, a safety mechanism activates to automatically retract the door if it comes down on a vehicle.
“Right now, if the door is closing and you are standing under it, you will be crushed,” Miller said.
The approved maintenance, budgeted at $3,498, includes installing an infrared sensor to detect any obstruction to the door closing. The work also includes safety lights to better alert drivers to the position of the garage doors.
Miller reported to the board that one district ambulance is out-of-service for the time being until a necessary part for the transmission can be obtained.
“Our president has this whole trade war going on,” Miller said. “The part is actually stuck in customs.” Once it clears customs it will be shipped to the mechanic and the repairs made, he said.
The ambulances used by the district are built in Canada, Miller said.
Board members also took action to resolve an ongoing salary dispute involving ESD coordinator Christy Merendon. Former treasurer Zamora challenged the payment of $7,100 to Merendon saying it was never approved by the board.
DuBose noted that Merendon has an annual contract for $11,200 with the board. Under the agreement, the amount that Merendon was paid in October and November is pro rated from that amount.
“She has a justified argument that the board paid her,” DuBose said. “I don’t know how that transpired,” DuBose said since he wasn’t on the board at the time. “But when someone signs a check you can’t play stupid afterward and say ‘We shouldn’t have signed it.’”
Merendon’s contract states $11,200 and when she reaches that total for the contract year, payments would cease. She is under a contract, and is not an employee. The new fiscal year starts October 1.
Many expenses including phones, phone plans, and several internet services being used were questioned and being eyes for ways to save money. Those items were tabled until more research could be done.