Category: Top News Stories

Devine FCCLA attended the State Conference in Dallas, Texas, April 9 – 11, 2026. Four hundred chapters from Texas registered to attend, with 3,300 participants. Devine FCCLA took 10 teams to compete in the STAR (Students Taking Action for Recognition) events. Seven of those teams placed in the Top 5, and three of those teams will advance to the National FCCLA Conference in Washington, D.C., in July to compete.
Results are as follows:
National Qualifiers (1st and 2nd place)
1st place: Kelvey Cortez and Isabella Gonzales, Interpersonal Communications, Level 1
2nd place: Kamden Paige, Leadership, Level 2
2nd place: Catherine Brown and Kayla Dzierzanowski, Public Policy Advocate, Level 2
Other Top 5 teams:
4th place: Paige Barron and McKailee Sorrell, Focus on Children, Level 3
5th place: Melenie Cardenas, Esteban Mendoza, and Margarita Vizcarra, Interpersonal Communications, Level 3
5th place: Amy Outlaw and Myla Sorrell, National Programs in Action, Level 2
5th place: Briana Balderrama and Angeliana Rendon-Zapata, Professional Presentation, Level 3
Others competing at the State conference:
Prezley Freeburn and Olivia Taylor, Focus on Children, Level 2
Nayelii Munoz and Collier Paige, Interpersonal Communications, Level 2
Jillian Brumage and Rubie Weyel, Professional Presentation, Level 2
Michael Gomez, the current Devine High School principal and a former Devine FCCLA officer, supported our students by volunteering as an evaluator to ensure the state conference’s success. Former Devine FCCLA advisers Korrey Paige and Madeline Steubing also volunteered many hours to help teams with their projects. The team members and Mrs. Outlaw thank all of them for their help!

In the center is Kamden Paige, took 2nd place in Leadership, Level 2, and will also represent Devine FCCLA at Nationals.

Devine FCCLA 1st place team Kelvey Cortez (right) and Isabella Gonzales (left) will compete at Nationals in Interpersonal Communications, Level 1.

Amy Outlaw and Myla Sorrell

Brianna Balderrama and Angeliana Rendon-Zapata

Collier Paige and Nayeli Munoz

Jillian Brumage and Rubie Weyel

McKailee Sorrell and Paige Barron

Melenie Cardenas, Esteban Mendoza and Margarita Vizcarra

By Kayleen Holder
Editor
Local leaders, firefighters, city crews, and community members gathered to accept a $300,000 donation to Lytle VFD, presented by representatives of Rowan Industries, the company constructing a 400-acre data center campus located just south of Lytle along Hwy 132, known as “Project Cinco”.
Rowan’s Director of Government and Community Affairs, Tim Alborg, was on hand for the presentation along with Communications Director Nathaniel Brown, and Genevive Flores, and Senior Project Manager for Rowan George A. Gomez P. E.
“This is the largest single community donation that Rowan has ever made as a company–and I am really excited about that… I could not imagine a more deserving recipient,” Alborg said.
“Before shovels hit dirt–we reached out to Chief Garcia and his team to learn more about how they operate and how we might work together if we were fortunate enough to build a world-class data center here in Medina County,” Alborg said. “Those conversations led us to this moment. The investment will make sure that these firefighters have the training, equipment, and support they need to do their jobs safely and effectively. It’s one way we can show that we see their effort, that we value it immensely, and we stand behind them.”
Lytle VFD Chief Roger Garcia thanked…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 sheriff was on his way to Corpus this week to pick up one of the victim’s vehicles as they continue their investigation of the horrific double homicide that occured this past week in a remote area of Medina County.
“Autopsies are ongoing,” said Sheriff Brown in a short interview Tuesday, who noted there have only been a handful of double homicides in his almost 30 years with the department.
Remarkably, the suspects were captured within hours of deputies discovering foul play.
“It was truly a team effort to go from nothing to be able to gather the information, find the vehicle, and then getting them caught that same night was remarkable. A lot of pieces came together to make it happen.”
Sheriff added, “It’s just a really sad situation, and it involved two small children as well. Thankfully we were able to get them into the care of DFPS and family members as well.”
None of the suspects or victims are…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
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!