Raul Vasquez Jr and his daughter Reyna are both very grateful for the outpouring of love from the community after Thursdays tragedy.
By Kayleen Holder Editor The Vasquez family lost their home to a horrible fire this past Thursday, October 3rd, but like many families going through crisis, they have seen the love of our great little community with a big heart. The fire which started in the garage spread quickly. Multiple fire departments responded to the scene, but weren’t able to save it. “All in all it was a county wide effort with several mutual aid trucks keeping us in the fight by doing water runs,” said one volunteer fireman. With deepest gratitude, Raul Vasquez Jr. and Reyna Vasquez submitted the following statement to The Devine News: “In the wake of the devastating fire that destroyed our home, words cannot fully express the depth of our gratitude for the incredible outpouring of support we’ve received from the community. During such a difficult time, we’ve been overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of friends, neighbors, and even strangers who have stepped up in so many ways—offering shelter, donations, meals, and emotional support.” “ We never expected to be in this position, but knowing we’re surrounded by such a caring community has been a source of strength for our family. While we face a long road ahead, we are beyond grateful for every act of kindness that has come our way. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to everyone who has supported us during this challenging time. Your generosity has lifted us when we needed it most, and we will never forget the kindness we’ve been shown.”
The Culpepper & Merriweather Circus is coming to our area soon! There will be two shows in Lytle this Sunday, October 13th, at the Lytle Memorial VFW Post 12041 Grounds located at 1425 FM 2790. Shows will be at 2:00 and 4:30 pm. If you can’t catch that one, be sure to catch the circus in Von Ormy which will be held Saturday, October 19th. This show will be held at 14729 Quarter Horse in Von Ormy with shows starting at 2 and 4:30 pm. C&M Circus has been providing quality, local family entertainment for 38 years. This authentic One-Ring, Big Top Circus has been featured on the A&E Special: Under the Big Top, Nick News: On the Road with Circus Kids and most recently OETA’s Big Top Town. This year, we’re very excited to bring you our brand new 2024 performance featuring Big Cats presented by Trey Key, our Aerialist Extraordinaire Simone on the trapeze, 10th generation Loyal Bareback Horse Riders, the Perez Daredevil Duo on the Tight Rope and Wheel of Destiny, Elizabeth Ayala’s incredible foot juggling and hair hang and everyone’s favorite Circus Clown Leo Acton.
Everyone is invited to watch the Big Top rise! You’ll also get a chance to tour the grounds and get a behind-the-scenes look at our show! Learn about life on the road and the care our animals receive. Tent raising & Tour are only of the first day of the circus event. Circus Day Schedules 9:30 a.m. – Tent Raising & Tour 1:00 p.m. – Midway Opens Pony Rides, Moon Bounce, Giant Slide, Face Painting, Concession Stand and Box Office open up for some extra fun! 2:00 & 4:30 – Circus Performance Get ready for an amazing show the whole family will love! Each show lasts about 90 minutes. Box Office Prices Adult Ticket – $16 Child (2-12) or Senior (65+) – $9 Box office tickets go on sale at the Circus grounds starting one hour before each show. To find out more about this year’s show, find us online, visit our social media, call, or e-mail! Website: cmcircus.com, Facebook: Culpepper & Merriweather Circus, Instagram: @cmcircus, E-mail: cmcircus@gmail.com, Phone Number: 580-326-8833
The City of Devine will be implementing Phase I of its street improvement project starting October 8th and continuing through October 31st. This will be an $496,070.00 investment into the following streets.
McAnelly
Live Oak Dr.
North Bright Dr.
South Bright Dr. Please plan your routes accordingly and expect some delays. For any questions or concerns, feel free to contact City Hall. 830.663.2804.
Sheriff Randy Brown called to let us know that they are collecting donations of items such as toiletries, flashlights, batteries, non perishable food, water, clothing. People from several law enforcement agencies will be traveling to Carolina to help disaster aide efforts.
“We will be going into some of the rural areas that have maybe just a two or three man fire department and really need the help, ” Sheriff Brown said.
“I remember going to help during Hurricane Katrina and how much a pair of socks meant to people who have lost everything,” Brown adds.
You can Drop off donations at the Medina County Annex in Devine or in Hondo offices. If you have any questions, call 830-741-6150.
If you have donations and can’t drop them off, they can possibly pick them up as well. They will be leaving Monday, October 7th. Any monetary donations can be made out to the Medina County Brown Santa program.
Wanted Suspect: Description of Suspect: White Male approximately 5’8”, believed to be in his mid-30’s. He was wearing a black baseball cap, plain black shirt and black pants. He had a triangle shaped tattoo on his face, and sleeve tattoos on both arms.
Investigators are reviewing video footage as they search for the suspect who robbed the Subway sandwich shop at gun point this past Friday, September 27. According to Lytle PD, a male suspect presented a gun at the sandwich shop located on McDonald St in Lytle, demanding money. It happened as the cashier was closing for the night. According to the report, the suspect said he “demands money or ‘he will shoot’ her.” The suspect then pulled out a dark colored semi-automatic style handgun. “The clerks complied and he fled on foot. Both clerks were sure it was a pellet or BB gun, and the video even supports this. Not that it makes it any lesser of a crime,” Lytle Police Chief Richey Priest said…
Local resident, Angela Ortiz Pichardo, is headed to Space Center Houston – NASA after accepting a new Trainer/Educator and Bilingual Translator position. A Devine Alumni, Pichardo has been an Aviation/Aerospace teacher for approximately 30 years at area schools, and her love for science and space started right here in what’s now Devine Intermediate School. Space Center Houston NASA is projecting to go Global, Pichardo explained, and she is excited to hopefully assist in the first implementation in Venice, Italy, as this location is being considered to be an extension for Space Exploration and Education. Pichardo says her middle school Science teacher Mr. Browning is one of the people who inspired her love of space exploration. “I didn’t know about NASA until Middle School,” Pichardo said. “I just loved everything about Rockets and Jet Propulsion, and the spark was ignited. What inspires me about Space is the endless Possibilities that are here for Everyone — Infinity!!” That year, she helped build a solar oven for her science project. “Mr. Browning shared a small book on Science Experiments and my dad helped me build the oven,” Pichardo said with a smile. “We cooked Hot Dogs on it!” Pichardo says she loves to share that story with her students about how…
Coming up…October 19th for Devine The City of Devine had declared Saturday, October 19 as their annual City Wide Garage Sale date. No permit will be required, and all fees will be waived, for this one day only event.
By Anton Riecher In a 3-2 vote the Devine City Council approved a tax rate of $.59 cents per $100 valuation to support a 2024-2025 city budget of $4.408 million during a Sept. 24 special session. District 4 Council Member Josh Ritchey and District 5 Council Member Debbie Randall opposed both the tax rate and budget action. Randall served as mayor pro tem in the absence of Mayor Butch Cook. “This budget will raise more revenue from property taxes than last year’s budget by an amount of $165,085, which is a 12.12 percent increase from last year’s budget,” Randall said. “The property tax revenue will be raised from new property added to tax rolls which is $18,316.” An $80,000 golf course maintenance and repair project approved during the Sept. 24 meeting is also included in the new budget. The council voted 4-1 to supplement $20,000 already set aside for the project with an additional $60,000. Under the general fund, the budget designated $3.197 million for water and sewer services…
Gary Hobbs to headline live music Live entertainment will take place all day Saturday, October 5, 2024 during the annual St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Octoberfest with accomplished Tejano artists Gary Hobbs headlining the evening concert opened up by Los Escorpiones Del Norte. Live entertainment also includes singer/songwriter Cheyenne Saenz of Von Ormy, Mariachis, Folklorico dancers, and square dancers round out the live entertainment. There will be a $5.00 entry fee only. The festival includes food and drink booths and craft booths all day. BBQ Plates, family fun, children’s games and activities. A cash Bingo. Silent Auction. Corn hole. The annual drawing with lots of nice prizes will take place Saturday as well. The grand prize is a Ford Maverick Truck donated by Chaparral Ford -Devine & Lytle. Tickets for the drawing are $10. The beautiful blue truck can be seen in the parking lot of the church daily with the sign on it “Win Me”. A list of the prizes are on the ticket which can be purchased at the church office or from parishioners. St. Joseph’s is located at 108 S. Washington St., Devine, Texas. Octoberfest will take place all day on Saturday, Oct. 5 from 11:00 am to 11:30 pm.
Gary Hobbs Gary Hobbs biography- Gary Hobbs’ rise among Tejano Music’s Elite performers has taken years of determination. Gary’s history of hit records, gold and platinum awards, industry achievements, humanitarian contributions and hard work are legendary. Gary is a Tejano Music Awards’ Entertainer of the Year winner, a Latin Grammy Nominee and a Tejano Music Hall of Fame recipient. Gary was raised in Eagle Pass,Texas along the Texas border and Piedras Negras,Coahuila;Mexico. This gave him a unique upbringing in listening to both Spanish and English radio that translated to a great tradition of excellent music with his very own style which makes him one of the most versatile singers in the Tejano Music Industry. His non-stop touring, recording and dedication to the Tejano Industry have earned him the love and respect of his family, friends and supporters. Gary Hobbs started his Tejano Music career in 1983. Throughout his career he has recorded for Hacienda Records, RCA International, CBS International, Capitol Records, EMI Latin and Sony Discos. In 2001 Gary Hobbs went independent on all his new recordings. Throughout the years Gary Hobbs has won numerous Music Awards from the different Award Shows while amassing hits such as “Las Miradas”, “Amame y Bésame”, “Te Vas A Acordar” and “Por Favor Corazón” to name a few songs while charting Billboards Latin top list of songs and receiving 6 BMI Awards. In 1996 Gary Hobbs was sponsored by Coca-Cola Classic in Atlanta,Georgia becoming only one of four Tejano Artists to ever been sponsored by the global brand. His sponsorship with Coca-Cola Classic were followed by sponsorships and appearances with Paul Mitchell, Churches Fried Chicken and Sears. National TV appearances on Univision, Telemundo and Televisa TV Networks brought him to the forefront in exposing Tejano Music across the nation and Mexico. Gary Hobbs signed a multi-year record deal with the Legendary Freddie Records Label from Corpus Christi, Texas in April of 2022 which produced his first album “Sin Fin”. This album was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2023 for Tejano Album of the Year. Gary Hobbs continues to tour his 100+ dates a year promoting his classic hits and his new music.
