Category: Top News Stories

The Bulk and Brush Pickup for the City of Devine is scheduled for February 23 through 27. Ten days prior, starting on Friday, February 13 residents may start placing their brush and bulk pickup items out.
Then on Monday, February 23 the trucks will start the week long pickup cycle…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!

Stricker vs Gentry,
Pepper vs Balderrama

Devine ISD
Devine ISD will have their 2026 General Election on Saturday, March 3, 2026 for two positions on the board of trustees.
There are two new candidates for the District 3 seat, Britny Stricker and Kristi Gentry that Henry Moreno, Jr. currently holds. “District 3 Trustee Henry Moreno, Jr. had signed up prior to the deadline, but withdrew his application,” said Geri Woods, Executive Assistant to Superintendent & Board of Trustees, on Tuesday morning.
District 4 candidates are incumbent and Board President Nancy Pepper and challenger Matthew Balderrama.
Last day to register to vote is April 2, 2026. Early voting first day will be April 20, last day to early vote is April 28, 2026. Election is Saturday, May 2, 2026.
City of Devine
The City of Devine will not need to have an election in May.
District 3 Councilman Jeff Miller signed up for his second term, but has no opponent.
District 4 was open. Adrian Valle is the lone candidate to file for District 4.
District 1 Councilman Ray Gonzales did not seek re-election, but his term does not expire until May. No one submitted their name for this position. The council will have to make a decision before May what to do with this position.
City of Lytle
The City of Lytle will not need to have an election in May.
The only district with two candidates at one point was District 1, and one candidate withdraw his application.
Candidates filing for office are: District 1 Anna Carrillo, and incumbents District 4 Michael Rodriguez, District 5 Matthew Martinez, and Mayor Ruben Gonzalez.
Mike Vasquez withdrew his application for District 1.
Lytle ISD races draw five candidates for the May 2 election

Two Single Member Districts are up for election. The following candidates have filed to be placed on the ballot. 
Single Member District 3 – Incumbent:  Bobby Sollock and challengers Jamila Kuykendall and Wesley Garcia.
Single Member District 4 – Incumbent : Eva Burley and challenger Johnny Tschetter.
Only voters who reside within a specific Single Member District may vote for the candidate(s). Anyone may run for office pending eligibility requirements are met and does not have to live in the district they are running for. 
Last day to register to vote is April 2, 2026. Early voting first day will be April 20, last day to early vote is April 28, 2026. Election is Saturday, May 2, 2026.

Heads up…
TxDot announced they will be closing the IH 35 southbound main lanes and detouring traffic through Devine on SH 132.
This was scheduled to take place on two mornings (February 17 and February 20) to pour both halves of the new bridge.
“We anticipate only having the closure for 4 hours from 2:00 am to 6:00 am,” TxDot said in an email update, weather permitting.
All IH 35 southbound traffic will be detoured off of IH 35 at Exit 124 during this time.
This will allow them to set up a concrete pump truck on the existing southbound Chacon Creek bridge and pour a portion of the new deck.
The detour off of IH 35 at Exit 124, will travel west on FM 463, then travel south on SH 132 (through Devine) to the IH 35 southbound frontage road, and then travel back to IH 35 utilizing the entrance ramp on the frontage road.
This closure should be finished/picked up around 6:00 am, TxDot representatives stated.

By Kayleen Holder
Editor
Jim and Kathy Lawler, affectionately known as “ma and pa” by many in the community of Devine, met on a blind date in Vail, Iowa. This February 15, they will celebrate 57 years of marriage. When it comes to how love and marriage works, I noticed that they nearly always spoke in a way that finished each other’s sentences.
“Our first date was to the big city celebration which was the Pony Show and carnival,” Kathy said.
It wasn’t long before Jim gave her a black pearl promise ring, and about a year and a half after they met, they were engaged to be wed.
“We got engaged on New Year’s Eve,” Jim said. “We were on our way to a party in our 1967 Oldsmobile Cutless.”
Kathy chimed in to explain, “He stopped at a stop sign and he said ‘Hey reach in the glove compartment and get something for me…..I don’t remember what it was that he said he needed. But all that was in there was a ring box.”
“I wanted to surprise her,” Jim said with a smile.
“I was shocked!” Kathy replied. “I think I said something like ‘You’re crazy, but yes!”
“So it was a good New Year’s Eve,” Jim said.
That was December 31, 1969.
Kathy came from a “large Irish family of 14 children,” Jim noted, joking “I got #5 of the litter!…I loved her from the beginning but the more I dated her–it just cemented my opinion.”
The Lawlers said they loved to go dancing, bowling, playing cards and hanging out with family. And they soon started a large family of their own, having six children.
But life hasn’t…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!

Opening of Goodwill last Thursday, February 12 amongst a large crowd of excited shoppers, local leaders, and Goodwill team members.
President and CEO Carlos Contreras was there to address the audience as well as board chair Eddy Salas and Mayor Gonzalez. The idea for a new location in Lytle was presented to the board about 4 months ago, they said.
“Goodwill exists for a mission, and that mission is to change lives through the power of work,” Contreras said. “Goodwill is much more than a store….we are delighted to be part of the Lytle community. This is the epicenter of everything south of Bexar County, and we are excited to be part of it.”
He noted that “every cent spent” will go towards that mission of helping people facing barriers to find work.
“Together we can create a ripple effect of positive change that will go throughout Lytle and beyond,” he said. In an interview after the event he added, “All of the Goodwills exist to help people gain employment. Many people struggle to find work due to a barrier of some kind,” and Goodwills workforce training is here to help.
Mayor Ruben Gonzalez also took…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
In another setback in placing an ambulance substation in Natalia, the Medina County Emergency Services District No. 4 board of commissioners voted at its Feb. 11 meeting not to proceed with the purchase of a second proposed site after a negative report on a concrete foundation already at the location.
The decision means the sacrifice of $1,200 in earnest money pledged to reserve the site of a former vegetable cannery at the intersection of State Highway 132 and FM 471.
Board president Steve Smith 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!

ching is in his blood! Little TG Crain, 6, stole the hearts of the crowd at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo this past Valentine’s Day, February 14. Crain set an all-time arena record with his 98 point ride in the Mutton Busting event, riding a sheep named Lamborghini!
Mom and dad, Seth and Kelly Crain, were both raised in the agriculture industry, and little TG is a fifth generation cowboy and rancher. TG is named after his grandfathers Terry Fosbery of Kalispell, Montana and Glen “Butter” Crain of Devine who both helped instill his love for the cowboy life. He’s been riding horses before he could…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
Bobby and Evelynn Lassere of Devine, 87 and 82, are celebrating 65 years of marriage this year. The Lasseres were kind enough to share their love story with us this week as we celebrate Valentine’s Day and think about this fun thing they call love.
Their love story didn’t begin with a super romantic first date or a fancy proposal, but it has culminated in a marriage that’s spanned six decades and then some.
The two love birds first met at a little cafe on the south side of San Antonio.
“I was in there eating a steak when the waitress said ‘hey there’s somebody back there in the corner that wants to talk to you. It was Evelynn and her sister. I thought she was a pretty good looking gal.”
Their first date wasn’t exactly what either of them hoped for though.
“We went to the drive-in theatre at Lackland, and I fell asleep,” he said with a chuckle, explaining he had a long day that day. “I called and asked if she wanted to go to a movie again the next weekend, and when I went over to her mother’s to pick her up, I brought a big bunch of marigolds with me. I minded my p’s and q’s! We went to the movie and straight home. I had to have her back by midnight.”
The marigolds came from his own crop, as he was farming flowers and vegetables at that time.
Mrs. Lassere recalls the couple writing love letters back and forth to each other when she went to West Texas to visit her grandmother for a short time during their courtship.
“It was just a few days, but you couldn’t call each other in those days. Everything was long distance.”
Mrs. Lassere also recalls, “Most of our dates were to the farm…I watched him pick flowers, and once in a while he’d bring some home for me.”
They got married at St. Joseph’s in South San Antonio on November 25, 1961.
The couple began their honeymoon in Castroville at a little hotel where the Bill Miller’s stands now, followed by a trip to the coast. They both laughed as they recalled, “We went out fishing for our honeymoon. I remember the boat captain stood up and said ‘I want to make an announcement. This couple just got married and he’s taking her fishing for a honeymoon!” Mr. Lassere said with a smile.
“It was funny, but we enjoyed it,” Mrs. Lassere added.
Then, “We rented an old, abandoned house for $30 a month,” Mr. Lassere said. “We didn’t have a lot of money to go anywhere, but we did a lot of puzzles and paint by number. We did everything together….If I went hunting or fishing, I always brought her along. I’d go buy some shotgun shells and bring home a rabbit to eat.”
“If it wasn’t for rabbits and ducks, we wouldn’t have had much to eat,” Mrs. Lassere reminisced fondly.
“We were broke, but we were happy,” they said, emphasizing that money troubles can’t outweigh love. They fondly recalled memories of all the ways they found a way keep the family fed and have fun.
“We just thought of each other,” Mrs. Lassere said.
“Yeah,” Mr. Lassere agreed. “When you love each other, you’re just happy and have fun anyway.”
They both laughed as they remembered how they brought home bull frogs for supper one night, and how they were leaping out of the pot!
Mr. Lassere warmly recollected how sometimes just taking a long drive through the Hill Country together was the only adventure they needed.
“Just about all I had was an old pickup truck. So we’d get a tank of full of gas, load up, and just go riding. We’d ride and ride. We’d take some barbeque with us and sometimes we’d stop and eat or camp by the lake.”
They loved to go…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!

When it comes to why Bobby loves Evelynn, he couldn’t quite put it into words. “It’s just something that happens, it’s not something you can point your finger at.” Photo by Kayleen Holder.

By Anton Riecher
A resolution to convert the regional water alliance spearheading a proposed $166.7 million aquifer storage and recovery project into a public utility agency eligible to file for grant funds was unanimously approved by Medina County commissioners Monday in Hondo.
To date, Yancey Water Supply Corporation has served as the administrative agency for the Medina County Regional Water Alliance, County Judge Keith Lutz said.
As a public utility agency, the water alliance…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!