Professional Soccer player Mahammed Abu is coming to Devine to help with a free soccer clinic January 25 (from 12 to 2 p.m) and a workshop 26 (from 2 to 3:30). The clinics are free to anyone who wants to play or coach in the newly founded Major League Soccer club in Devine. The free clinics will be hosted at the practice field beside Devine High School. But the new league is looking for a permanent place to build a nice soccer field. To get the club started up and run year-round, Carmona is still looking for the right place to build a field. “All I need is a green space,” said Pablo Carmona, who also runs Anywhere Anytime Plumbing in Devine. “We are willing to plant the grass, put up the goals, mow and maintain the…
WWII Veteran Mr. George Schroeders Jr will be celebrating this 101st birthday this Friday, January 17, 2025 in his home here in Devine, shown here enjoying a hamburger and telling stories.
By Kayleen Holder Editor WWII veteran Mr. George A. Schroeders Jr., of Devine, Texas was born in San Antonio on January 17, 1924. He will celebrate his 101st birthday this Friday, January 17th, 2025. Devine and the surrounding communities are invited to send him Happy Birthday cards to make this milestone extra special. This local veteran would enjoy getting as many cards as we can send him! Please mail cards to Mr. Schroeders at 402 Wilson in Devine, TX 78016. Mr. Schroeders joined the…
Most of the brush and trash from the Winter Service projects done locally were transported back to Devine First UMC where it was picked up by South Texas Refuse Disposal Inc. (STRD). Thank you to Freddie Cuellar and Blake Caesar with STRD for making this happen! Thank you also to the college students from the Texas A&M Wesley Foundation for your generous time and hard work in Devine! “We like helping, especially churches,” said Cuellar.
By Anton Riecher In what amounts to an annual tradition, Medina County commissioners voted Monday to borrow up to $1.980 million from the county general fund to pay upcoming debt obligations that will eventually be covered by tax collection. County Auditor Eduardo Lopez said he did not anticipate needing to use the entire amount authorized by the commissioners. “We haven’t collected enough from the tax office yet, so what we do every year is borrow from the general fund,” Lopez said. “As soon as we receive revenue from the tax office we pay back the general fund.” The borrowed funds will be used to make payment on a certificate of obligation, plus two tax anticipation notes (TANs). A TAN is a short-term debt security issued by government to fund project secured by future tax revenue. Lopez said he anticipates receiving the December 2024 tax report from Medina County Tax Assessor-Collector Melissa Lutz within the next few days. On a motion by Precinct 2 Commissioner Larry Sittre, seconded by Precinct 1 Commissioner Jessica Castiglione, the commissioners approved borrowing the funds by a 3-0 vote. Precinct 3 Commissioner David Lynch was absent from the meeting due to illness. The monthly auditors report presented by first assistant county auditor Jennifer Konegni showed a cash balance of…
Medina County dispatch received a call for a welfare check for a Devine resident on Sunday, January 12 around 11:14 pm. Devine PD responded to the residence in the 1300 block of Windy Knoll in Devine where they sadly found 78-year-old Lloyd Fowler deceased.
“The man had a single gun shot wound,” said Lieutenant Chris Andrews. “Any questionable death is investigated as a homicide. The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.”
Devine PD added that “the anonymous caller refused to identify their names upon first contact with dispatch.”
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While the exact location is unknown to us. The 440-acre property under development has two water wells owned by the company. Data centers use large amounts of water to operate cooling systems needed to protect sensitive equipment. Although two water wells exist on site, Rowan is working with East Medina County Special Utility District and the City of Lytle to provide water and sewer service.
Negotiations also call for the site to maintain 40 full-time jobs at 120 percent of the county’s average wage which is $32,091 according to the latest Census.
Build-to-suit data center gets $17 million tax break
By Anton Riecher Medina County commissioners have unanimously approved an 80 percent property tax break covering the initial 10 years of Project Cinco, a proposed $2.1 billion data center campus west of Lytle that developers hope to have annexed into the city. County Judge Keith Lutz extended warm greetings to officials with Colorado-based Rowan Digital Infrastructure following the Dec. 30 vote to designate the project a reinvestment zone under chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code. “Welcome officially to Medina County,” Lutz said. Aaron Henry, Rowan’s director of economic development, said the company intends to request annexation by the city of Lytle upon completion of first phase construction at the site. The final decision will rest with city officials. “If that doesn’t happen we will still follow the city of Lytle ordinances so we are governed by a project standpoint and do have oversight from the city of Lytle, no matter what happens, annexation or not,” he said. Henry said the company plans to partner with the county and city in an “open house” presentation to the community in January, most likely at the Lytle Community Center, to share information about the project. “We do it with little…
By Anton Riecher A Hondo strip mall is under close scrutiny as the potential new home of the Medina Central Appraisal District, MCAD board president Cindy Malone advised Medina County commissioners during their Dec. 30 meeting. “We’ll be back in front of you in February to say, ‘Okay, it’s time for a vote,’” Malone said. The Ridge building located at 728 18th St. offers 7,900 square feet of space contained within five separate storefront offices. The location was the former home of the Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Center. Projected cost for the purchase and remodeling is between $1.5 million and $1.6 million, Malone said. Board member Jody Jacobs said MCAD inquired into leasing the strip mall and has since learned that the owner, Sheldon Grothaus, is interested in selling the location. Jacobs said he did not want to discuss specific pricing at this time. “We feel like with the space that’s there and the ability for us to repurpose it, it’s going to be…
By Anton Riecher Medina County had only three adult sexual assault cases filed in 2024, said Scott Simpson with Criminal District Attorney’s Office. That number represents the severe degree to which the offense goes underreported. “What I want the community to know is that the DA’s office stand ready, willing and able to prosecute these cases” despite the legal difficulties involved, Simpson said. Simpson addressed the Medina County Commissioners Court on Dec. 30 to give the biennial Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) report. A retired prosecutor with 20 years of experience in Bexar County, he took charge of the Medina County team in February. SART meets monthly with members of the mental health community and law enforcement to encourage reporting of sexual offenses. “The purpose of the sexual assault response team is to try to get the same type of integration and cooperation the county has successfully done through the..
By Anton Riecher Medina County commissioners gave their blessing to use $125,000 in COVID-19 stimulus funds to finish construction of a wastewater treatment plan serving the Megan’s Landing subdivision near Castroville. County Judge Keith Lutz said the money amounted to the last of nearly $10 million that the county received under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package passed by Congress in the wake of the COVID pandemic. “This is really pretty simple,” Lutz said. “This project is already underway.” The decision made during the Dec. 30 commissioners’ court meeting came only one day before the final deadline for obligating remaining ARPA funds. Last minute budget changes were made to shift the funds from other projects, Lutz explained. According to Lutz, the funds approved will be used to reimburse the Yancey Water Supply Corporation for money spent to cover the final three to four months of construction on the water reuse plant, also known as a water recycling facility. The plant treats wastewater generated by the subdivision and reuses it for various purposes such as irrigation. As of November, Megan’s Landing has only five homes out of a projected…
