Category: Top News Stories

Keep up with what’s going on in Devine, Natalia, Lytle, Bigfoot and Moore areas in Medina, Frio, and Atascosa Counties.

Solar farm project in Moore draws heat from local opponents

Frio County Precinct 2 Commissioner Richard Graf and Frio County Attorney Joseph Sindon address questions from the audience during a community meeting in Moore.

By Anton Riecher and Kayleen Holder
Opposition to a rumored solar panel farm being planned in Moore brought a capacity crowd together Thursday evening (Aug. 25) at the local community center.
Ray Freitas, manager of the Moore Water Supply Corporation, told the audience that a neighbor on Black Creek Road/CR 1660 had confirmed leasing acreage for a solar farm, sometimes referred to as a photovoltaic power station, using a large array of solar panels to convert sunlight into electrical energy.
In an interview afterward, Freitas expressed the concern that “one of the properties leased is part of the Black Creek system and could possibly contaminate the watershed.”
A landowner in the area, Darla Bacon, explained that in all, the solar farm project could span close to 600 acres.
“Solar farms form what’s called a thermal heat island effect, which increases temperature. I am surrounded on three sides so I will be right in the middle of that. It can increase temperature by 5 to 7 degrees,” Bacon said. “I am going to lose my dove hunting operation, and I am probably going to lose my cattle operation too. I have talked to a man in Deport,Tx who lives near a solar farm like this, and he said the humming sound that it makes is another thing that has driven people nuts. Replacing land with photovoltaic panels will likely increase runoff volume and reduce recharge for our water tables.”
Local bee keeper David Park also lives near the proposed solar projects.
“The biggest thing I am worried about is how it will de-value my property. We live in a house on a hill and can see for miles. We have lived here for 17 years. Who wants to look down on 500 acres of solar panels?”
Like most residents, Graves Wallace, had more questions rather than answers.
“Well, it’s certainly not something that you would expect to happen right next door to you. I did not see it coming. How will it affect the value of my property? What are the effects to our environment? And what are my rights? I truly don’t know. Those are questions I haven’t been able to find a positive answer to. One thing is for sure, time will tell us.”
When it comes to progress, Wallace said, “Electricity is great. Technology is great. But that old hand-crank ice cream maker–it always works.”
Moore VFD Fire Chief JD Earls has his own concerns on the firefighting side.
“Equipment, extinguishing agents, training, costs…..What is needed and how do we obtain it? Where do we get specialized training we’ll need?” Chief JD Earls said. “You cannot put water on electricity.”
At the meeting….
A pamphlet presented at the meeting titled “Drawbacks of Living Near a Solar Farm” set down a litany of possible issues with solar farms ranging from health concerns about electromagnetic waves, increased risk of fire from the radiated heat and the potential that harmful chemicals such as cadmium, arsenic, silicon, copper and lead could contaminate the environment. The concern is that damaged units may release contaminants into the environment. 
Frio County Precinct 2 Commissioner Richard Graf presided over the meeting. Also on hand to field questions were Frio County Attorney Joseph Sindon and incoming precinct 2 commissioner Mario Martinez who takes office in November.
Graf told those attending that his office received nearly a dozen calls last week concerned about the rumored solar farm project.
“I’d really like to say that as of this date (the county) still has not been formally asked or told that a solar company is coming in,” Graf said. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t doubt at all that they are coming in.”
However, unless the company applies for tax abatement, it is under no obligation to inform the county of its plans. Graf said he brought the rumored project before the Frio County Commissioners Court during its regular meeting on Aug. 24.
“Based on all the information I’ve got it will be my pleasure to recommend to the court that we do not give them one,” Graf said.
He said the commissioners were “very attentive to what I had to say and were anxious for this meeting to happen so that I could get back with them.”
Graf and Sindon both stressed that the county has no regulatory authority to restrict industrial development.
“We all like living in Texas because we don’t want a lot of regulation,” Sindon said. “The government lets us do what we want.”
People are largely allowed to do what they want “unless it upsets the neighbors,” Sindon said. He noted that the commissioners approved tax abatement for a solar panel farm located on a large ranch with no immediate neighbors to the project (in the Pearsall area).
“Nobody complained,” Sindon said.
Martinez said he was in agreement with Graf in opposing the project.
“For the most part I’m with everyone here,” Martinez said. “I’m not saying we’re going to please everyone 100 percent but we want to look out for your wellbeing.”
Here is the link to the Moore Community Center meeting about the solar farm: https://youtu.be/qQs6pLCOX9g
Please note, there was some confusion at the meeting about how much acreage the Moore solar farm would include, but has since been settled and is reflected in this article as of information we received Tuesday.
The company which has leased land in Moore is based out of Chicago, a landowner said, and is not the same company that received tax incentives in the Pearsall area solar farms that are expected to become operational in 2023.

Exploring a Treasure beneath the surface of Medina County

The Davis family has lived on the land for 23 years and had no idea what was hiding underneath. Now explorers will work to find any caves that could be connected to the massive cavern discovered last week. Pictured above is Matthew Taylor. Photography by Bennett Lee

By Kayleen Holder
Editor
MEDINA COUNTY–When landowners stumbled upon a hidden sink hole with a small hole on the Seco Valley Ranch north of Hondo, they dropped a rock inside, “and it took a long time to hit bottom.” They knew then they had found something special, but had no idea just how truly extraordinary it would be. A neighbor who had grown up exploring the ranch knew of at least one sink hole on the property, the Davis family said, so they called out the local grotto. Little did he know as a young boy, there truly was a treasure beneath the surface of the family ranch.
“Located only a few hundred yards from our foreman’s residence, this sinkhole was concealed in a brushy area no-one had ever explored due to the rocky terrain,” said landowners Mr. and Mrs. Don and Debbie Davis. “We knew of one (other) large sinkhole on the property that our neighbor Randy Rugh told us about many years ago. Randy is the great-nephew of the previous landowner and grew up exploring the entire property.”
Last Monday, August 22, two lucky cave explorers went inside and discovered the massive underground room, measuring about 130 tall x 70 feet around. Cave explorer, Bennett Lee was the first one in the hole, along with fellow explorer Matthew Taylor.
This was certainly a day to remember for Lee, who is a computer tech man by day and a “caver” just for fun.
“There are only a few caves in Texas with a room this big. It’s really rare to find a room and formations this big,” Lee said. “As a caver, you go to hundreds of sites and stick your head in, and most of the time, almost always, it’s nothing. This is one we are all looking for!”
Lee has been exploring caves since the 80s and has seen a lot over the years, and he notes that any possible connecting caves could be even more remarkable.
“The underground world is something that most people will never see. It’s like the last frontier,” Bennett said. “Every mountain top, every stream, someone has walked it, but these underground caves have been sealed up for hundreds of thousands of years. It’s like walking on the moon. We know we are the first people to ever set foot down there,” Lee said.
“It is hundreds of thousands of years old,” he said, and there are impressive formations all over the walls of the cave.
“The two main formations in there dwarf the others,” Bennett said. “One was about 30 feet high, and then there are two stalagmites that grew together about halfway up, and those are about 20 feet. The photo was taken on the uphill side, so it does not show the full height. Formations this large take a very long time to form.”
Another unique feature is what he calls a “broomstick column” which is formed by a stalagmite and a stalactite which grew together from above and below.
He spoke a little about how sink holes form.
“Usually what happens is the ceiling of a cave collapses, slowly over time. Over hundreds of thousands of years, little pieces of rock fall from the ceiling, one after another, into this now huge cavern underground. The rock above the cave becomes weak and as it erodes and falls, eventually, you start to see this sink hole form on the surface,” Lee said. “Exploring caves is a very fun, exciting, and dangerous business!”
In this stunning underground room, named Woot Cavern, explorers will search for a connecting cave, which could be even more marvelous than the initial discovery. Lee has worked on a project near Leakey, for example, where cavers found a cave spanning over six miles long, underground, with no end in sight.
“With a room this size, there was obviously something there at one time,” Lee said. “We just have no idea what to expect. We have to go back down there and poke around, see if we can find a connecting cave and get past the breakdown. There are several large boulders. We may never get past the break down,” Lee said.
The 1,883-acre ranch in northeast Medina County has several sink holes, but nothing like this one.
When you are looking for a sink hole, you might look for “a circular depression about 10-30 feet in diameter, that’s about 6 feet lower than the ground around it,” Lee said. “Sometimes smaller, sometimes only 2 feet deep.”
“Winter time is a great time to walk the ranch. If you see any steam coming up from the ground, that’s a huge sign. Or after a huge rain, water might run down into a sink hole. Sink holes are important recharge zones for the aquifer.”
If you suspect you see a sinkhole on your land, you can contact the Bexar Grotto team, and they will come check it out for free.
Limestone is typical of caves and Texas is covered with limestone. From San Antonio to Austin, sink holes are actually very common, he says. The Grotto group does what’s called “karst walks”, where we have a line of people and walk across the land looking for signs
“There’s a lot of caves around here, especially around the Hill Country area,” Lee said. “It’s just a matter of finding them.”
Q&A with the Davis family at Seco Valley Ranch:
How did ya’ll first see it?
Last February, we invited members of Bexar Grotto, a non-profit caving group, to explore the cave associated with the sinkhole about which we knew. They opened up passages enough for people to crawl in and discovered a large room with ancient stalagmites and stalactites (remember your school mnemonic; Stalactites hold tightly to the ceiling and Stalagmites might make it to the ceiling someday). The Hydrologist with this group explained to us this sinkhole and others in the area were springs in the Paleolithic Era where aquifer waters were forced upwards and fed the shallow sea that covered this area. These openings now serve to direct rainfall down into the aquifer. YouTube video with images of this karst feature. https://youtu.be/t1556eJzKow
Prior to initiating exploration of that karst, we named DWD Grotto, our ranch foreman Jaime Sanchez discovered a second sinkhole while clearing juniper brush. We still plan to excavate this cave that is located near a wet weather creek. https://youtu.be/B0XAGk0pgN0
The EAA uses precise satellite hill shade maps to identify depressions on the land surface. They located two more areas of interest. The third turned out to contain the small opening to this spectacular cavern. We invited Bexar Grotto out again. Bennett Lee and Matthew Taylor rappelled 80’ down from the tiny entrance and discovered a huge open room with a spectacular column of glistening flowstone and a second tower. https://youtu.be/kYWKgqm_rfU
Our ranch is located along the Balcones Escarpment, an area known for its high aquifer recharge ability due to fracturing from the ancient Balcones Fault line. The aquifer supplies water to the city of San Antonio, among others. Due to climate change and increased urban water needs, the Edwards Aquifer Authority is actively seeking private lands to enroll in conservation easements, a program that pays landowners a percentage of the current land value to restrict development in perpetuity.
We decided along with several of our neighbors, to conserve this significant area. As part of the research conducted by EAA, a team of Geologists and Hydrologists work in cooperation with Biologists with Green Spaces Alliance, a 501(C)3, to survey the properties, mapping noteworthy features.
How many sink holes have ya’ll found in all? 4
What did ya’ll do when ya’ll first found the hole?
While shining a light down the small opening, we could see there was a floor. Tossing in a rock was our first attempt to determine the depth of the cavern. It took 3 ½ seconds to hit the bottom. Next, I tied a cord to a rock and lowered it, so I could measure the length of cord. I measured roughly 70 feet.
Did ya’ll imagine it was going to be anything like it turned out to be?
Heavens no! We could tell the room opened up after the tiny entrance, but could only see darkness. We never dreamed this would be larger than the first karst we explored.
How long have ya’ll lived there? 23 years
Please share any ranch history or interesting stories?
We are about 2 miles northeast of the large Valdina Sinkhole on the Seco Creek. There are numerous caves in this area. This ranch was pieced together in the 1930’s by Charlie Rugh. He left the property to his two nephews that divided the ranch. We purchased half from one brother and our neighbor Randy and his brother inherited their side from their parents Ronnie and Carolyn. Charlie was a sheep and goat farmer. His nephews leased the grazing for cattle and goats. When we took over management, we converted to a cattle operation where we produce grass-fed beef on a small scale for sale to end users.
What is it like–knowing there could be a massive cave running underground across your ranch from this site?
Very, very exciting. We are conservation ranchers. We manage our grazing holistically to sustain soil health while raising a Critically Endangered breed. In a drought year such as this one and the previous two, it is hard to regenerate the soils, but we do our part not to cause damage to soil health and maintain groundwater retention.
We already were making plans to create some kind of land trust, so when we are gone, a living herd of conservation genetics Texas Longhorns will be perpetuated for public appreciation, education and scientific research. The Texas Longhorn is the only breed that evolved in this region by natural selection. They are uniquely adapted to thrive in this environment and promise to be of economic importance to the future of our nation’s food supply as our climate changes. Although there are tens of thousands of horned cattle in this country, only perhaps 3000-3500 animals possess Iberian-descent genetics not mixed with other breeds. These are the cattle we raise. Protecting and developing these karst features for the same public use falls right into our conservation goals. Our ranching operation is also Audubon Certified Bird Friendly Land. This area is sanctuary for endangered Golden-cheeked Warblers and many colorful songbirds.
We do not have any children to inherit our property, so our focus is conservation for the public good.

Deputy tells touching story of a night he won’t soon forget

Frio County deputies Matthew Cuellar and the late Corp. Justin Longria.

By Kayleen Holder
When Patrol Deputy, Matthew Cuellar stepped into his vehicle this past Tuesday, August 23, he had only one thing on his mind– protecting the citizens of Frio County. That night, he and other deputies encountered a human smuggling operation, and he was involved in a dangerous pursuit that left his vehicle totaled and Deputy Cuellar unconscious. It was a night that he won’t soon forget, for more reasons than one.
“Yesterday was a very scary one,” he said. “It’s still eating me up inside to see how careless this subject was that we were in pursuit of. These people don’t care about vehicles, lives, property or anything for that matter, only about the money they’re making to commit this crime.”
Cuellar noted that deputies are facing multiple pursuits every day and week, but this one ended a little differently.
“I lost control of my patrol unit while in pursuit of a suspect and went into a tree,” Cuellar said. “I was unconscious.”
When he awoke, he found himself “alone on the county road with everything destroyed”–but in that moment he also realized something special had just happened.
Suddenly he recalled “seeing a unit approach from the east, the opposite direction my team went. As it approached, I realized it was my best friend Justin (Deputy Justin Longoria who died in a vehicle accident last year). Justin put his arm out and said ‘You’re going to be alright come on.’ “Once I touched him, I woke up and heard the radio going off.”
At that point, he awoke from unconsciousness, and was able to crawl out and call for help, he said.
“This moment still has me torn because I miss my brother so much, but to know when people say he’s always there, and having experienced that, I believe it,” Cuellar said, still emotional thinking about what happened.
Deputy Cuellar thanked his fellow heroes and community for the unwavering support they have shown.
“Thank you to Sheriff Mike Morse and Chief Peter Erica Salinas for being there throughout the night at the hospital,” Cuellar said. “And of course thank you to my community, the love and prayers that have been sent my way have kept me strong. I woke up this morning feeling like a train hit my body. I’m grateful I was able to leave with a few cuts and a minor concussion. It’s going to be a long week but I will get better. Love everyone.”

Drought conditions worst in a decade, though not yet at 2011 levels

As of Aug. 16, 97% of the state is in some level of drought, ranging from abnormally dry to exceptional. The Texas Tribune reports that this is the worst drought in the past decade, but has not surpassed the trials of the 2011 drought.
More than a quarter of Texas currently faces exceptional drought conditions, compared with almost three quarters during the same time period in 2011
Sources: Texas Tribune and US Drought Monitor

Devine to host first home football game Friday, Natalia and Lytle on the road

Ethan Santos runs the ball up the middle and down the right side.

The Devine Warhorses will host their first football game at home this Friday, August 26, kickoff is 7:00 pm against SA Memorial in a non-district game. JV does not have a game on the schedule for this week.
Natalia Mustangs will travel to Jourdanton to take on the Indians; kickoff is 7:00 p.m. in a non-district game. The JV will host Jourdanton on Thursday at 5:30 at home in Natalia.
The Lytle Pirates will travel to Jefferson; kickoff is 7:30 p.m. in a non-district game. The JV will play at Jefferson on Thursday at 5:0 0 p.m.

Police identify 2 subjects in Walmart incidents, ask victims to PLEASE CALL IMMEDIATELY so they can locate other subjects

A pursuit between this vehicle and Medina County SO ended in a rollover on the I-35 access road near Lytle this past Wednesday, August 17. Five undocumented migrants and the driver were all transported to University Hospital. Courtesy Photo.

Several recent incidents at the local Walmart in Devine have residents on edge. Reports of men following and approaching female shoppers have come in one after another on social media. Two of the men actually followed a woman out of the store.
Devine PD is asking victims to please call them instead of just posting online, so they can identify subjects and address the situation.
“In one case, the two men actually followed a woman out of the store and all the way to the frontage road, and were on both sides of her vehicle, on bicycles, from what I understand,” Chief Kandi Benavides stated. “She took a different route home, but still, no one called us. After seeing social media posts, I followed up with a few of the women in these cases because I want to get to the bottom of it.”
So far, police made contact with one juvenile male and one adult male from Guatemala who were identified.
“The two men who were identified were spoken to. We let them know we are aware of what has been occurring and unless they are shopping at Walmart, they don’t need to be there,” Chief Benavides said. “They did not really have an explanation as to why they were there.”
Benavides notes that Devine PD has officers patrolling in Devine 24/7.
“There is no excuse for this kind of behavior and we won’t tolerate it,” Benavides said. “Please call us and we will send someone immediately. We will make contact with you, and then address the suspects, so that it is properly documented. So if it happens again, and it is the same subjects, then we can take further action.”
“A third subject (seen in footage) will be contacted when we are notified of his return to Walmart in Devine,” Devine Lieutenant Chris Andrews said.
“Unfortunately, we were not notified until after the fact in these cases. We made contact with each victim for every post that was brought to our attention,” Andrews added. “If something occurs, please notify the police department immediately, and/or store management.”
Earlier this August, one local family shared their story of one of these incidents.
“First, my daughter was approached by a man who started speaking Spanish to her. She acted like she didn’t understand him, so he moved closer to her and repeated it until she got out of line and moved to another register. She asked for someone to walk her to her car. It scared her to death,” the family stated.
“The next night, while I was at Walmart, I could tell I was being followed by two men with an empty basket. I called my husband to come to the front and pick me u. In the meantime, my husband noticed there was a white van in parking lot with Mexico plates and a man standing out by it talking on the phone. Then another man came out of the stores and got in the van. I will not be going back there. They need to hire security officers!”
Devine PD is urging citizens who encounter situations like this to please call 830-663-4403. After 5 pm, this same number will transfer to county dispatch who will notify an officer in Devine immediately.
“We have to be aware of our surroundings everywhere we go,” Chief Benavides adds. “Some of these women have said they felt something was not right but didn’t want to bother us. So instead they asked an unarmed employee to walk them out to their car. So I asked, without a weapon, what could that person have done to stop someone from harming you? Follow you gut–if something doesn’t feel right–please call us. We are here to help. We want our community to feel safe.”

Concerned community meeting this Thursday about large solar farm project in Moore

There will an important meeting at the Moore Community Center this Thursday, August 25 at 7pm regarding a solar farm project that has been proposed.
Frio County Commissioner Graf and County Attorney James Sindon will be there to talk about some details on the potential Black Creek Solar project. This is a very important meeting for all of the citizens who live in our small community because risk of devaluing our land, and environmental and health concerns.

City accepts $3.47 million bid for water system improvements
in Devine

New water pipes sit ready to replace asbestos lines in the City of Devine.

By Anton Riecher
The Devine City Council voted 3-0 to approve a $3.47 million bid by a Burnett County construction company for water system improvements during a regular session held Aug. 16.
Qro Mex Construction, Inc. of Granite Shoals won the project with the best of six bids submitted. Other bids ranged up to a high of $5.667 million.
“I want to say that Qro Mex is a very good company,” City Engineer Raul Garcia Jr. told the council. “We’ve worked with them and they are currently working on a project here in Devine right now. I think this is a very good bid for the council to consider.”
A motion to approve the bid was made by Josh Ritchey and seconded by Debbie Randall. Council members Angela Pichardo and David Espinosa were not present.
The contract is funded through a loan obtained from the Texas Water Development Board as part of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. The fund, authorized by the Safe Drinking Water Act, provides low-cost financial assistance for planning, acquisition, design, and construction of water infrastructure.
Included in the project is installation of 20,343 linear feet of 8-inch water main, 3,327 linear feet of 5-inch water main, 6,613 linear feet of service line, plus various valves, hydrants and fittings.
Garcia told the council he has met with Qro Mex to review issues with previous improvement projects involving other companies “so that these issues don’t come up again.”
“We are confident they are going to follow our guidelines and work with us unlike our prior contractor,” Garcia said.
Work on the project is expected to begin in mid-September, Garcia said.
See article on tax rate and other council matters inside.

HS principal discusses offering 6 career education courses in future, Devine ISD adopts tax rate

By Anton Riechcer

The Devine ISD school board voted unanimously Monday at adopt a 2022 tax rate of $1.0946 per $100 of property value to support a general fund budget of $20.3 million.

Continue reading “HS principal discusses offering 6 career education courses in future, Devine ISD adopts tax rate”