Celebrating 126 Years of Serving the communities of Devine, Natalia, Lytle, Bigfoot, and Moore in Medina, Frio, and Atascosa Counties
Keep up with what’s going on in Devine, Natalia, Lytle, Bigfoot and Moore areas in Medina, Frio, and Atascosa Counties.
Someone’s excited for some candy! Photo by Brianna Paredes.
Lytle’s first-ever Nighttime Homecoming Parade was a huge success with a record turnout. Above, the horse riders come down Mainstreet. Photo above by Ray Thompson.
The up and coming Lytle Pirates fill the streets with their Pirate Pride and set the tone for Homecoming week. Photos by Brianna Paredes-Devine News. More photos on Devine News Smug Mug website!
Information Release by ESD 1 MEDINA COUNTY Sept 25—Last week we posted about the recent severe vehicle accidents within our district. And again yesterday our crews were challenged with an accident that tested the skills of some of our most experienced responders.
Just after 1pm multiple 911 calls begin arriving, reporting a major accident on Potranco Rd near FM 471N of two vehicles head on and entrapments. Engine 8115 arrived first within 5 minutes to find a two vehicle accident with one vehicle with catastrophic damage that was now on fire with an occupant severely trapped. Stations 10 and 14 were already enroute to assist.
Engine 15s crew quickly extinguished the vehicle fire ultimately saving the occupant from burning allowing the best chance for survival. Crews were only able to see a very small portion of the patient but were able to determine that this patient had survived the initial impact and fire. Had there been any delay in response the fire would have consumed the vehicle with the driver in it.
Crews then developed a plan for the extrication and recognizing the need for additional assistance Bexar County 2 Fire Department Station 124 was dispatched. It then took just over an hour to meticulously remove the car piece by piece from around the driver so our EMS crews could stabilize and ultimately place him on a medical aircraft for quicker transport to the trauma center.
We share these images, while graphic, it highlights the dangers that drivers have placed themselves, as well as others in, and what our responders are faced with.
All the crews that responded to this scene performed diligently in the face of an extremely challenging incident, with a small margin of error to truly save the driver’s life and we are proud of what they did on this incident as well as daily to protect the citizens of the county.
We continue to encourage you to talk with your families about the dangers of distracted driving or just poor choices while operating a vehicle.
Pray for living kidney donor to step up to the plate
By Kayleen Holder
Editor
Known affectionately in Jourdanton as “Coach Dru”, Andrew Guerra, 42, coached Little League and Youth Football for many, many years. He and his wife Amanda both work at Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office, but volunteering in youth sports has always been a passion for “Dru.” In fact, he began coaching his little brother’s team when he was just 17 years old.
Today, this beloved Atascosa County man and his family is waiting for a life-saving donor to step up to the plate, and according to family, if a living kidney donor would step forward on his behalf that would be the best case scenario. His doctors at Methodist Transplant Center estimate it could be as long as another three years if a living donor cannot be found.
After being on the transplant list for two years already, Guerra was re-evaluated this week to ensure that he is able to receive a transplant, and his family is…
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By Anton Riecher
An additional half million dollars has been earmarked for street improvement by the Devine City Council after disappointment earlier this month that a $496,0790 repair project approved by the council would include only four local streets.
District 3 Council Member Jeff Miller best expressed the unanimous support that the street proposal won from the council.
“You’re not going to get a ‘no’ out of me on doing additional streets,” he said. “That to me has to be a priority. Everybody wants better streets.”
Also during the Sept. 17 budget workshop and regular session, the council narrowly gave tentative approval to joining the Medina County Regional Water Alliance in promoting a massive aquifer storage and recovery project.
Also discussed were issues arising from the takeover of local building inspection by the Devine Fire Department. The city is transitioning to DFD handing inspections formerly handled solely by a third-party contractor known as Bureau Veritas.
Regarding the street project, the council earlier this month approved nearly…
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Devine Area Health and Hospice Resource, Inc.
TOYS-FURNITURE-DECOR-CLOTHES-SHOES-DISHES-BOOKS-MOVIES-JEWELRY-ART & MORE
By Kayleen Holder
Editor
Devine Area Health and Hospice thrift store is only one store I know, where we can feel good about every cent we spend. That’s because every penny you spend at Devine Hospice thrift store goes back to a good cause in our community!
The work that these volunteers do really packs a punch, allowing them to be part of one of the absolute greatest organizations in Devine. In fact, Devine Hospice thrift store donated over $190,000 to local charities, scholarships, and more.
Another special thing they are able to do is help with people’s medical bills. In the past five fiscal years, they have donated over $230,000 toward helping area families facing overwhelming medical issues.
What a unique place this is, and what a beautiful way the community comes together here, raising enough funds to donate over $725,000 to help others in need over the past five years!
If you’ve ever shopped here, it’s no wonder they are so successful, you can find anything from beautiful paintings, to furniture, to jewelry/clothes and dishes, all organized beautifully and for a bargain price!
So the next time you are looking for a good deal, or have…
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City Administrator David Jordan and Mayor Butch Cook.
Revised golf course contract discussed
By Anton Riecher
A $496,070 bid by a Castroville construction firm for major improvements to four Devine roads – McAnnely Avenue, North Bright and South Bright Drive and Live Oak Street – was approved Sept. 10 during a special session of the Devine City Council.
Mayor Butch Cook said there was no doubt that Live Oak and McAnnely “are the two worst streets in the entire town.” However, he expressed surprise that so few streets made the final priority list agreed on by the council.
“At least it will be nice to see something get done,” he said.
Beside the street improvement project, the council met with members of the Devine Golf Group to discuss a new contract for management of the city golf course. The council also conducted its latest budget workshop on the fiscal year 2024-2025 city budget.
Wayne Rodgers Construction was the lowest of eight bidders on the street improvement projects. City Engineer Raul H. Garcia said that of the references provided…
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$72.2 million budget-Tax increase narrowly avoided exceeding the voter-approval tax rate threshold
By Anton Riecher
Medina County commissioners voted Monday to approve a $72.217 million spending plan for fiscal year 2025 supported by a 6.37 percent tax hike.
On a motion by Precinct 3 Commissioner David Lynch, seconded by Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Sittre, the commissioners approved a property tax rate of $.4511 per $100 valuation, effectively a 6.37 percent tax increase over the previous year.
Lynch also made the motion to adopt the $72.217 million budget which includes all contingency reserves. Minus those reserves, the budget stands at $58 million. Lynch’s motion was seconded by Precinct 4 Commissioner Danny Lawler.
Both the tax rate and the budget passed by unanimous consent.
The commissioners also approved a precinct 2 special road tax rate of $.0400 per $100 valuation, effectively a 5.54 percent increase. The motion by Sittre was seconded by Precinct 1 Commissioner Jessica Castiglione.
County Judge Keith Lutz said the tax increase narrowly avoided exceeding the voter-approval tax rate threshold that would have allowed taxpayers to…
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Saturday, Sept. 21
Bigfoot VFD will host its 16th Annual BBQ Fundraiser on Saturday, September 21, 2024 at the Bigfoot Park. We will be serving BBQ brisket and Kiolbassa® sausage plates for $14.00 starting at 11:00 am.
We always have a Bake Sale with homemade treats and some great items in our bid sheet and ticket auctions too.
Since we always strive to improve our service to our community, we’ve added representatives from different agencies with information about a variety of programs and services that are available. Frio County landowners will also have the opportunity to sign up for the very popular landowner notification program.
Vendors will also be set up with some nice items to sell. We always have a great time catching up with friends and neighbors we haven’t seen for a while. We look forward to seeing you on September 21st for some fantastic BBQ and lots of fun! We always appreciate your support! If you are a vendor or if you would like to volunteer or donate, contact Denise at (210) 542-0774 or email (d4woody@gmail.com).
