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.

A sea of lights…..Caddells crowned winners

Winners of Caitlyn’s Christmas Light Contest have been announced….
Crystal Caddel, 1st place (pictured below) is a sea of lights, full of fun scenes and characters.
Jeffrey Ingleston, 2nd place
Dionicia Gonzales, Jack’s Pick
Kenneth & Crystal Williams, Rainey’s Pick
Donna Rhode, Winter Wonderland
Donna Morris, Best Animation
Joanne Boyd, Most Magical
Loyd Richeson, Silent Night

Vehicle inspections no longer required 

Drivers will no longer be required to get annual safety inspections beginning Jan. 1, the Texas Standard reported. However, drivers in the state’s 17 most populous counties will still be required to get an emissions test in order to register their vehicles.
While mandatory vehicle inspections are going the way of the pay phone and video cassette recorders, drivers will still end up paying a $7.50 “inspection replacement fee” when registering their vehicle and getting a new windshield sticker.
The emissions test required in urban counties consists of an engine and exhaust test to ensure a vehicle isn’t exceeding the state’s legal limits on… Continue reading at www.devinenewsmembers.com where you can get full online and print access for as little as $36 per YEAR!

Customers evacuated during incident at Walmart

Saturday, December 28th– Devine PD responded to a 49-year-old female in mental health crisis inside Walmart. According to the PD, “she had a steak knife to her own throat and was threatening to kill herself.”
Staff quickly evacuated customers out the door.
Devine PD and county officers responded to the scene.
“The female finally dropped the knife and was taken into custody without injury. The female was evaluated by Ems and transported to university hospital for an emergency detention. A Devine officer rode in the ambulance with them,” the PD stated.

Forensic auditexplored by ESD2 in Devine VFD missing money

By Anton Riecher
Medina County Emergency Services District No. 2 is seeking proposals from auditing firms to conduct a “forensic audit” of the Devine VFD’s financial records following the arrest of Devine Volunteer Fire Department office administrator Heather Schultz on a charge of tampering with evidence.
The arrest amounted to an controversial “elephant in the room” for the MCESD2 commissioners during the Dec. 17 meeting at the fire station – an obviously contentious issue that no one was comfortable discussing.
“Obviously, we have to be very careful about what we say here,” board president Todd Summers said.
Schultz, who served as an office administrator and accounts manager, went unnamed during the portion of the meeting open to the public. The meeting concluded with a closed executive session at which Devine VFD Chief Greg Atkinson present along with two other firemen.
“If the fire chief decides he has additional information he wants to share with us, being that it is personnel, we’ll have to go into executive session for him to share that with us,” Summers said.
A forensic audit is a detailed examination of financial records intended to identify any potential fraud, misconduct or other irregularities.
On a motion by board commissioner Kenneth Nighswander, seconded by Jerry Lee Stevens, the board voted unanimously to move ahead with the forensic audit. Summers said the audit was necessary “especially in light of what has been going on.”
“One of the things we have to determine is what funds were touched,” he said.
Schultz was arrested by the Medina County Sheriff’s Office on Dec. 5 after a search warrant was executed for her home, authorities report. The sheriff’s office is working with the county Criminal District Attorney office in the investigation.
According to Sheriff Randy Brown, Devine VFD chief Greg Atkinson reported monies missing several weeks before the arrest.
Atkinson told MCESD2 commissioners that he could not deliver the routine Devine VFD financial report presented at monthly board meetings.

Read the full story at www.devinenewsmembers.com

Who would like to “adopt” Heart Gallery kid’s for January?

By Kayleen Holder- We still need several more businesses and churches to come on board. So far signed up to display Heart Gallery photos in January, we have: Charlie’s Daughter On the Green Restaurant, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Mag’s Place, The Devine News, Alamo Truck, Napa, Chayito’s, and ???? Please let us know if you can display 2 or 3 or maybe even 5 or 6 of the 30 photos featuring children who are in complete care of the state of Texas, and need adoptive homes. Being featured in a heart gallery increases their chances of being adopted by 60% according to statistics!!!!

We also want to say a Huge THANK YOU to all of the churches, businesses, and organizations for who have been displaying photos this past December! Y’all are the best!!! See page 3 for more info if you want to help with this important effort!

Medina County supports plan for seawater desalination plant near Corpus to supply more water for Texas

By Anton Riecher
John J. Byrum, the authority’s executive director, told Medina County Commissioners that with its two major reservoirs operating at 19 percent of capacity the Nueces Basin is registering a daily deficit of nearly 235 million gallons. That deficit is expected to grow to 402 million gallons daily by 2070.
That estimate only includes population growth, not industrial demands, Byrum said.
“We need water and God gave us a big puddle of water just south of Corpu Christi called the Gulf of Mexico,” he said.
The Nueces River Authority serves as a regional water resource planning agency for all or part of 22 counties in South Texas, monitoring state and federal activities affecting the Nueces Basin. The desalination project calls for removing water yet replacing the brine as not to effect the deep sea ecology.
Support from Medina and other counties will be important when the authority approaches the Texas Legislature to fund the project, Byrum said.

Kirk family asks for prayers as Jett fights hard in the ICU

The family of little Jett Kirk, 7 years old of Natalia, is asking for prayers as Jett is fighting hard in the ICU this week. Jett has been in the hospital since the 9th and was transferred to the ICU on December 15 after contracting RSV and then a secondary infection. He is currently on a non-invasive ventilator.
“We came to the hospital last Monday for a sore on his back that ended up being a rare skin infection, and while that has healed, he was also positive for RSV and now he’s fighting bacterial pneumonia,” his mom Mrs. Megan Kirk said.
Jett, who also has Down Syndrome and battles Cerebral Palsy, has overcome so many obstacles in life from the day he was born, Mrs. Kirk explains. December 15 should have marked a day of celebration, as the Kirks were celebrating Jett’s 2nd Adoption Day. It’s been two years since Jett was adopted and as you can tell by that big smile, he brings joy to everyone he meets.
“He can brighten anyone’s day with his smile,” Mrs. Kirk said. “His big brothers and little sister are his whole world. He loves music, cheering on his daddy’s team (the Mustangs), and spending warm days at the baseball field. He loves fiercely. His joy is contagious.”
Through all of this, Mrs. Kirk, wants to raise a red flag about how serious RSV can be, especially those like Jett with compromised immune systems.
“A lot of people think it’s just a bad cold, but really it’s life threatening to the special needs population,” Mrs. Kirk said, who wishes to highlight the importance of protecting the vulnerable population.
“It is a horrific RSV season. The nurses say this is the worst one yet,” Kirk added.
The community has shown the Kirks a great amount of love, with ongoing fundraisers, a meal train, and more.
“We are so grateful for our community that is all over Texas that has supported us both monetarily, through prayers, or helping with our other kiddos,” Mrs. Kirk said.
Here’s the meal train link: https://mealtrain.com/kd8k0r
While the family doesn’t know what the next five minutes will hold, they know that prayers are a powerful thing and they could sure use some right now.