By Anton Riecher Medina Central Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Johnette Dixon addressed the commissioners’ court June 10 to further clarify changes in the minimum acreage requirement for agricultural exemptions under the latest MCAD guideline. “We are not removing anyone’s ag exemption as long as they are currently using it, continue to use it and have between 10 and 20 acres,” Dixon told the commissioners. A press release issued by MCAD in mid-May stated that local agricultural operations…
Ninth Annual Golf Tournament June 29, Golfers/hole sponsors needed
Thea Marie Keskinen-Burke is one of the most amazing six-year-olds we have ever met. She loves God, her family and everyone she meets. Her faith shines through every day. Thea suffers from Generalized Idiopathetic Epilepsy. She had her first seizure at the age of two. Thea has both Tonic-Colonic (Grand Mal loss of consciousness) and violent muscle spasms and absent seizures (brief sudden lapses in attention). She must be watched 24/7.
Opening day at the library 1965. From left: Attorney Melvin Corley, Attorney Joe E. Briscoe (Library Board Chairman), High School Instructor Lucille Day, Librarian Margo Symington, Board Member Willie Mae Driscoll, Mayor Sid Malone, Library Assistant Nettie Petri, and Board Member Jack Tilley.
The struggle, cooperation and amazing volunteerism that brought the first public library to Devine
By Sherry Symington March 23, 2001 “One small boy stood in the fireplace to look up the chimney, another peered under the desk. A little pixie of a girl popped in, her head swathed in black ruffled lace covering large rollers. Suddenly a baseball flew through the open door and several rows of books clattered to the floor.” –Margo Symington, Librarian, May 27, 1965 The description above, written by the new librarian in her journal, was a typical evening in the first days of the Devine Public Library. Opened in a modest 1-room building next to the Little League field, Devine’s first library had more potential than polish in those early days. However, without the dedication of a handful of people to jump start the project, and the support and hard work of many of Devine’s citizens, this library may never have happened. Now, 36 years later, Devine boasts one of the largest, most modern, and most well stocked libraries for a town of its size. Bookless in Devine Before 1965, you couldn’t get books to read in Devine unless you bought a paperback at the grocery store or had access to the high school library. “This town needs a public library!” declared Ida Sample, English teacher at Devine Public High School. The year was 1955 and Attorney Joe E. Briscoe was listening. Together…
The first Devine Public Library was housed in a 1-room former Boy Scout building next to the Little League field. The new sign on the building and freshly planted trees in 1965 hinted at the treasure of books inside.
Gov. Greg Abbott inaugurated the base, which will be able to house at least 1,800 troops when construction is finished. Credit Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune
By Alejandro Serrano Courtesy of The Texas Tribune MAY 31, 2024–EAGLE PASS — Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday welcomed the first group of Texas National Guard troops to move into a new 80-acre base being built here as part of the state’s $11 billion border initiative. The base, located on the southern edge of the city, has a dining hall with chef-served meals, dorms that will give each soldier a room and a pavilion where troops can have picnics or put up a basketball hoop. Three hundred troops — who have been living in hotels and other temporary lodging in the region and commuting up to an hour to the border — moved in Friday morning, marching single file with their backpacks and rifles into the food hall. Officials estimate the base will help the state save $11.5 million a month in…
TxDOT is discussing creating additional entrance and exit ramps, AND converting two-way frontage roads to one way, Ripps said. Photo by Anton Riecher.
By Anton Riecher Development along the Interstate 35 corridor extending through Medina County is included in the Texas Department of Transportation 2025-2028 Rural Transportation Improvement Program, according to a presentation made to the Medina County Commissioners Court Monday. “We’re looking at it from a holistic standpoint, studying it to hone in on what is priority one, two, three, four, then work on ways to secure funds,” said Clayton Ripps, deputy district engineer for TxDOT’s San Antonio District which encompasses Medina County. From Loop 410 south through Medina County, TxDOT is looking at the need for…
Press Release by Devine PD–On June 4, 2024 at 8:20 a.m., Corporal Feliza Miller was dispatched to the Walmart located at 175 IH 35 in response to a reported theft. Upon arrival, Miller met with the store’s management, who reported…
Medina County Tax payers over the age of 65 may see additional tax bills due July 1– 1,600 accounts had to be manually corrected
By KK Calame Several computer errors in trying to allow for the new $100,000 homestead exemption caused additional tax bills for some Medina County taxpayers over the age of 65 or disabled and major frustration for all involved from the tax staff to the taxpayers. If you got an additional tax bill for 2023 it is real and needs to be paid by July 1. Be sure to make payment arrangements. It applies to all School district taxes for anyone with a freeze. We asked Melissa Lutz, the Medina County Tax Assessor/Collector, to help explain what happened, why, and who it affected. She explained as follows: The original issue was due to the freeze adjustments for the School districts not being figured correctly. The Homestead exemption in 2023 was raised from…
Lucas Thomas was the first Devine ISD (Class of 2024) student to get his National Registry of Emergency Medical Technician certification prior to graduation. He is in the hiring process for a fire department already, just waiting to take his fire certification test. Career ready graduates are the mission programs like of the Devine Fire & EMS Academy.
Jeremy Douthit, 36, of San Antonio, pled guilty to the murder of Jose Espinoza Martinez, 31, committed just days after Christmas 2023. The Medina County District Attorney’s Office has resolved a number of criminal cases with significant sentences this past month including this…
