Category: Top News Stories

Robert David Brown passed away on January 7, 2026, at the age of 70.
Robert was born in San Antonio, Texas, on October 26, 1955, to Robert (Bob) Brown and Ruth Hernandez Brown.
He moved to Devine at age 10 after his father, Mr. Brown Sr., had the opportunity to open a Chevrolet dealership in town. It was then that Robert discovered his first passion—the auto industry.
He began with humble beginnings at the dealership; his first assignment was washing cars for years.
Robert graduated from Devine High School, Class of ’74, and went on to college with all his Beatles albums—music being another of his passions.
He attended the University of Texas at Austin, graduating in the Class of ’78 with a degree in Business Administration.
One of his proudest memories from this time was driving from Austin to Devine almost every weekend to sell cars and continue learning about the auto industry.
Along his college journey was his high school sweetheart, Connie, whom he married on July 8, 1978. They shared…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 Medina County District Attorney’s Office:
The Medina County Criminal District Attorney’s Office concluded its year with guilty verdicts on all charges against Don William Dubose following a jury trial in the 454th Judicial District Court, presided over by Judge Daniel J. Kindred.
Jury selection in the case began on December 8, 2025. After hearing the evidence and testimony presented, the jury found Dubose guilty on all counts, including:

• Count One: Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child Under the Age of Six
• Count Two: Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child Under the Age of Six
• Count Three: Indecency with a Child
  Following the jury’s verdict, Judge Daniel J. Kindred assessed punishment at:
• 35 years’ imprisonment for Count One
• 35 years’ imprisonment for Count Two
• 10 years’ imprisonment for Count Three
  The Court ordered that all sentences run consecutively. Dubose will be required to complete the first 35-year sentence before the sentence in Count Two begins to run, followed by the sentence for Count Three.
  The case was prosecuted by…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!

There are 14 candidates vying for 6 spots in local Medina County government. Among those are the following:

COUNTY COMMISSIONER PRECINCT 2 RACE:
GARZA, JOHN V. REPUBLICAN 1
SITTRE, LARRY (Incumbent) REPUBLICAN 2

COUNTY CLERK RACE:
WALDEN, JESSICA A. REPUBLICAN 1
BERMEA, KIMBERLY REPUBLICAN 2
EVERETT, CINDY MODGLING REPUBLICAN 3

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PRECINCT 2 RACE:
BARR, MICHAEL REPUBLICAN 1
TSCHIRHART, BILL TERRY (Incumbent) REPUBLICAN 2

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PRECINCT 3 RACE:
FRANKLIN, LAINEY REPUBLICAN 1
KOCH, TERESA REPUBLICAN 2
SANCHEZ, MICHAEL REPUBLICAN 3

PRECINCT CHAIR FOR PCHR_2B_REP RACE:
DOLLASE, ARNIE REPUBLICAN 1
ILTIS, JEROME A. (Incumbent) REPUBLICAN 2
PRECINCT CHAIR FOR PCHR_4B_REP RACE:
MANNING, BONNIE REPUBLICAN 1
HULSE, STAN O. (Incumbent) REPUBLICAN 2

Republican Candidates unopposed in the primaries are: COUNTY JUDGE KEITH LUTZ, COUNTY COURT AT LAW JUDGE MARK CASHION, DISTRICT CLERK CINDY FOWLER, COUNTY TREASURER DEBRA GRAFF, COUNTY COMMISSIONER PCT 4 DANNY LAWLER, JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PCT 1 PHILLIP LANGE, JUSTICE OF THE PEACE PCT 4 TOMAS RAMIREZ, REPUBLICAN COUNTY CHAIR CHRIS SCHUCHART.
A list of local democratic candidates will be published when submitted.

Anyone is welcome to come out and check out some great heifers and ranch yearling colts who have been raised by local 4-H students. More like a traditional auction, bidders will go home with the animals they win from these events and support a great cause at the same time. Here are the details on these two auctions:
Commercial Heiefer Sale:
The sale will be held January 23 at 5pm. Local kiddos will have about 116 head of cattle which will be split into pens of 2-3 animals. Bidders will bid per head, but they will be sold as a lot of 2 or 3 (depending on how many are in that pen).
There will be various breeds. You can register and bid online as well. Or you can just walk up and register the day of. You can view the cattle that will be for sale online.
Colt Sale:
This sale will also be January 23rd and will kick off at 2 pm. Local kiddos expect to bring about 19 yearling ranch colts to the sale. These colts will be around 2 years old, and students will have started on ground work and saddling, but not all will be ridden down. You can register and bid online as well. Or you can just walk up and register the day of.

Driscoll Public Library is beginning the New Year with exciting plans for 2026. Following recent interior renovations, the library at 202 E. Hondo Ave. is pleased to announce expanded hours, new programs, and returning favorites for all ages.
Starting January 10, 2026, the library will expand its operating hours to include Saturdays. The library will now be open on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Saturdays of each month from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The 2026 program calendar also brings several exciting additions. Due to its continued popularity, Crafting After Hours is expanding to include a second monthly session. The original meeting will continue on the 2nd Thursday of each month, with an additional session added on the 4th Thursday. Both sessions will feature the same craft project, allowing more community members the opportunity to participate.
As previously announced, the library staff has grown with the addition of Stacy Pyron, who brings fresh ideas and engaging new programs launching in early 2026.
One of these new offerings is Sit & Stitch, a relaxed gathering for fiber arts enthusiasts. Participants are invited 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!

George Strait autographed guitar in auction

The Devine Livestock Booster Dinner & Dance will be held January 10 from 6pm-Midnight. The event will be held at The Devine Golf Course. You can get 2 tickets for the dinner and dance for $125 total. Jerry DeLeon and the Southbound Band will be providing the live music for the evening. For dinner, the club will be serving fajita plates with rice and beans.
There will be a silent auction and ticket auction going on as well as a Card Deck Drawing for guns. The highlight of the silent auction will a guitar signed by George Strait himself!
You can buy a pair of tickets from any 4-H kid or from Sam Barber at 830-741-0300.

Capital Highlights Week of Jan. 5 – 9– A spate of new laws took effect on Jan. 1, The Dallas Morning News reported. Here’s a brief summary of the most notable new laws now in force:

• County sheriff’s offices are now required to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after the passage of Senate Bill 8. Local jail staff are now authorized to verify the immigration status of inmates and to honor certain federal immigration warrants. A grant program was created by the state to help sheriffs cover training and implementation costs related to the new law.
• Eviction proceedings involving unauthorized occupants must be held in court from 10 to 21 days of filing. Also, the new law limits legal delays occupants may take to avoid eviction.
• With the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence systems into many aspects of daily lives, House Bill 149 established a statewide framework for regulating AI and providing transparency. Companies using AI must notify people when they are interacting with an AI system. The law also created a state advisory group to oversee the implementation of oversight and compliance. Penalties can be assessed for violations of the new requirements.
• The business inventory tax exemption has been raised to $125,000, cutting property taxes for small businesses that maintain stock. The previous exemption was $2,500.

Local man Don Bottoms, of Devine, brought in this treasure of a photo taken during the “Salvage for Victory” campaign launched during World War II, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was just a young man then (pictured on the far right), and in the photo above he and his buddies are collecting scrap metal to be melted down and used to build ships, airplanes, ammo, and other things associated with the war effort.
“We would go from home to home asking ladies if they had any pots and pans they didn’t use or any kind of scrap metal or steel,” Bottoms recalls. “In the picture you can see an old lantern, bicycle rim, hot water heater, and car parts. We would take it to the drop off site, and the Army would pick it up and melt it down to be used for guns, airplane parts, whatever they needed.”
Thanks to Mr. Bottoms for sharing this piece of local history!