Category: Top News Stories

By Anton Riecher
A representative for the accounting firm handling the 2024-2025 outside audit of Medina County finances praised officials for exceeding the recommended fund reserve to protect against unexpected economic emergencies such as the 2020 COVID pandemic.
John Manning with Waco-based Pattillo, Brown & Hill told county commissioners at their Monday meeting that the county collected nearly $1.3 million more in revenue than the amount budgeted. Also, the county spent less than the budgeted amount.
“So, really, all in all, the reserves of the county are really good,” Manning said. “The budgetary controls are really good.”
According to the Government Finance Officers Association, government entities should hold enough in reserve to fund operations for up to three and half months. Medina County has enough for seven and a half months ($16.3M), exceeding that standard reserve, Manning said.
The reserve fund balance for 2024-2025 just cleared a $16 million threshold, making it a very good year for the county, he said. Medina County, has nearly $35 million in total assests.
Manning’s accounting firm categorized the audit as “unmodified,” the highest level of assurance that the company can offer.
“It means that we did not need to modify our opinion for anything the county was doing incorrectly,” Manning said.
The bulk of the county’s cash holding is held in investment pools such as TexPool, serving more than 2,750 communities as the largest and oldest local government investment pool in the state. Auditors are able to get independent confirmation for those balances, Manning said.
Likewise, confirmation of money collected in ad valorem taxes comes straight from state tax system, he said.
“It’s very easy to look at what was levied, what was paid and what was left,” Manning said. “There’s just not a lot of risk there on the balance sheet.”
In other business, the commissioners voted unanimously to…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!

By Kayleen Holder
Editor, The Devine News
We are excited to share that hometown girl Carrie Lyssy, of Devine, is featured in a music video by fast-rising country star Ella Langley. This role is just the latest of several projects Lyssy has been featured in, beginning with the TV show 1923, a popular television series starring Harrison Ford.
She said stepping onto the movie set of 1923 was “a moment I’ll never forget.”
“Standing there, surrounded by lights, cameras, and the sheer scale of the production, I was already in awe. And then Harrison Ford walked onto set. That feeling hit all at once…In that moment, everything shifted. I realized I wasn’t just surviving anymore. I was stepping into something new. I was hooked. From that point on, I made a…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!

Join us for Audrey Jane’s Light Country Music Fest at the Devine Acres Farm on April 18, 2026 for a day of family fun and music! There will be lots of farm attractions, dinner, a silent auction, gun drawings, dancing, drinks, music and more! This event is a fundraiser to help find a cure for 8-year-old Audrey Capps, of Devine, and other children with ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T).
This day of family fun will begin at 4 p.m. with a meet and greet with Paw Patrol and the Power Rangers! Children are encouraged to wear their costumes if they’d like. There will also be jumping pads, playgrounds, a silent auction and chicken fajita plates for sale from 5-8 p.m.
Live music will start at 6 p.m. featuring Chesney Friesenhahn, followed by Weston Ripps at 7 p.m. and close with Jeremy Richards Band at 8 p.m. until midnight.
A-T is a rare…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!

The event is being hosted in conjunction with the Love Mercy Charitable Fund first annual fundraiser called “Cookin’ for a Claus” which is hosting a barbeque cookoff on Friday evening and a crawfish boil sale on Saturday. Saturday event starts at 9:00 am with a vendor market.
The crawfish boil sale starts at noon until sold out. Live music starts at 12 noon Saturday featuring Keith Lutz at 12 noon, Matt Hawk at 2pm, DJ Reece all day, and from 8-12 midnight the Jeremy Richards Band.
A $5.00 donation gets you in to all events, Friday and Saturday…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!

By Kayleen Holder
Editor, The Devine News

Five years…10 years…15 years…25 years…
30 years…40..50…60…65 years…

On a dance floor filled with married couples, surrounded by candlelight, the announcer called for couples to leave the dance floor as he called out the number of years they’ve been married. Toward the end, only 2 couples remained, their eyes filled with joyful tears as they recalled the last 65 years.
Don and Irma Dunford, of Devine, were 16 and 15 years old when they met, and it wasn’t long before they knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. They got married during Holy Week in 1961. This week, they sat down with us to share their whole story–from their humble beginnings, to the life and legacy that they have built over the past 65 years of marriage, one of the largest businesses in our area which is one of the biggest community supporters, Chaparral Ford.
“I think the thing that I like most about us–her and I– is we are basically proof that the American Dream really exists,” Dunford said. “We started with zero and we’ve done really, really well over the past 65 years.”
He later added, “I want younger folks to realize, they can do anything in their life that they want…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!

By Anton Riecher
The Devine school board voted unanimously Thursday (March 26) to continue with a hybrid class calendar for the 2026-2027 school year walking the the line between the traditional five-day school week and the amended four-day week found in many Texas rural systems.
Also, in another unanimous action, the board voted to continue its current plan to purchase two new school buses annually to comply with new legislation requiring all school buses in Texas be equipped with three-point seat belt restraints by September 2029.
Regarding the school calendar, district superintendent Todd Grandjean reported during the March 26 meeting that board members originally adopted a shortened school calendar in January 2025. Although the board chose not to resort to a four-day week calendar, the decision called for no less than 177 teaching days, each at least 450 minutes long.
The Texas Education Agency requires that school…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!

Devine High School One Act play cast and crew will be advancing to the Area round after a standout performance at the Bi-district contest in Navarro on March 24. This will be the first time the troupe has progressed this far in nine years and will take the stage April 7 in New Braunfels. Pictured above: Director: Mr. Jose Guardiola Cast/Crew: Maverick Beaty, Nolan Beaty, Melenie Cardenas, Jacelyn Delaney, Gwyn Deleon, Isabella Duron, Miranda Guerrero, Payton Hester, Manuel Leal, Dakota Nighswander, Emma Martinez, Nathan Sanchez, Griffin Blouin, Angelica Castillo, Zach Martinez, Natalie Gutierrez, Briana Balderrama, Jessica Ballesteros, Deidre Bishop, Kayla Dzierzanowski, Kassandra Fajardo, Taylor Garcia, VeraLee Martinez. Not pictured Mia Gonzales and Isaac Medina. STORY INSIDE

By Kayleen Holder
Editor
Aidan Hildenbrand, son of Will and Miranda Hellums, recently deployed overseas as part of Operation Epic Fury. He is a part of the 9th SMOAX squadron and left for his deployment on March 18th.
Hildenbrand graduated from Devine High School with the Class of 2022, and enlisted in the Air Force his senior year.
He completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base. Hildenbrand finished his training on aircraft maintenance for the C1-30 at Shepherd Air Force Base in Wichita Falls before…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!

By Kayleen Holder
Editor
We had a short visit with Vonna Jo Smith, of Devine this week, who is thrilled to announce she is bringing her practice to Devine, where she has lived for about 20 years now. Smith received her Bachelor’s from A&M and Master’s from UTSA, and began practicing about 4 years ago in San Antonio, before deciding to launch her own business–Devine Counseling & Wellness right here at home.
“I love helping people solve problems!” Smith said with a welcome smile. “I love seeing people become empowered to feel better when they realize they don’t have to stay in mental pain.”
Her motto is a John Wayne quote, “Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway.”
Smith is especially passionate about working with grandparents and caregivers as well. Smith has a Master’s in Psychology and a minor in special education, which she feels is very helpful in understanding the complexity of being a caregiver, as well as those facing disabilities.
“It’s a passion for me. I understand the stresses, lack of support and long hours being a caregiver entails,” Smith said. “They are a population that is often misunderstood…Very few people understand the complexity of the situation.”
She lends…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!

Authorities responded to a serious rollover on I-35 around 8:20 pm this past 3/25 near mile marker 124 in Medina County.
According to a DPS report, “Preliminary information indicates that a 2003 Brown GMC Yukon was traveling north on IH 35, experienced a mechanical failure, and rolled over into the center cables.”
A total of 5 people were occupying the vehicle (3 adults and 2 juveniles).
“A 45-year-old female driver was ejected and transported to a hospital with serious injuries. A 21-year-old male passenger was also transported with serious injuries. The other occupants were not transported. This investigation is ongoing, and no more details are available at the time of this release,” DPS Sgt De Luna Jr. stated.
Crews on site hours…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!