This is a sample of the Tax Freeze proposition that is up to the voters of Medina County.
Medina County voters will get a chance to vote on the proposition for an ad valorem tax freeze for homesteads of an individual over 65 years of age. Voting Underway…Locations and Times are inside.
Contested local races on Medina County ballot County Commissioner, Pct 4. Daniel Lawler (REP) Loyd Richeson (DEM)
County Commissioner, Pct. 2 Larry Sittre (REP) incumbent Van Johnson (DEM)
Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1 Phillip M Lange (REP) Dan Young (DEM)
Contested local races on Atascosa County ballot Atascosa County Judge Weldon P. Cude- Rep Dustin Delgado- Dem County Commissioner Pct 2 Mark Bowen – Rep Vickie Eckert- Dem
Justice of Peace, Pct. 1 Felix Herrera III- Rep Charles Urbina Jones- Dem Justice of Peace, Pct. 3 Willie Leal Jr- Rep Orlando Carrasco-Dem
STATE RACES There are many state races including a contested Governor race as well as US Representative for District 23. Sample ballots include the following candidates for our area:
US Rep for District 23 Tony Gonzales (REP) incumbent John Lira (DEM) Frank Lopez Jr (IND)
Governor Greg Abbott (REP) incumbent Beto O’Rouke (DEM) Mark Tippetts (LIB) Delilah Barrios (GRN) These are just a few of the state races. See full Sample Ballots on the county Elections website.
Volunteer firemen and women who have served with the Devine Volunteer Fire Department are invited to come, bring their stories and memories to share with all as the new fire house is dedicated this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. And bring those photos to share like the one above.
On October 8th at 3:00 pm ESD 2 and Devine Volunteer Fire Department will dedicate the ESD 2 fire station to the DuBose family! “Today I got the great opportunity to go through old pictures of former DVFD staff with my assistant chief and dear friend Charlie Patrick DuBose. Since Devine fire’s inception in 1929 the DuBose family has played an intrical part in fire and EMS protection here in Devine,” said DVFD Chief Greg Atkisson. “ “There has been a DuBose on the roster for 83 out of the 93 years of Devine Fire Department existence. A DuBose helped found the department, helped incorporate the department, and a DuBose even helped in establishing the Emergency Service District 2. So join us October 8th at 3pm for the dedication and plaque unveiling for the newly named DuBose station! Please join DVFD as we salute all the volunteer firemen and women who have protected our community with their lives, time, talents and dedication and would love for them to join us as we honor them, the founders, and generations of families who have help protect our home, businesses and lives as well as the DuBoses. “Devine VFD is integral to our town’s history. In the earliest days fires changed the landscape of our young town. There were so many fires from the mid-late 1890s to the early 1900s-1910s that the city leaders created ordinances or laws for the historic downtown that said if a building burned it had to replaced by a brick or rock building,” said Nancy Saathoff.
America’s Night Out Against Crime, is asking for you and your family to come partner up against crime in Devine at our Devine Municipal Golf Course. This event is scheduled for Tuesday, October 4th from 6 to 9 pm. There will be a balloon artist, caricature artist, and face painter there for the kids. There will be fire trucks, police vehicles, and helicopters flying in as well. Outside they will have free snow cones, nachos, hot dogs, popcorn, and bottled water while supplies last. The Solis Brothers will also be providing live music, and there will be a few food truck vendors selling goods as well.
Lytle
Lytle’s National Night Out event will be held next week on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at the Lytle Community Center from 6 PM – 8 PM. “There will be numerous community groups set up as well as displays of fire and police vehicles and equipment. The Lytle VFW and their Auxiliary will cook and serve hotdogs for us. We also will have a DJ! There will be plenty of drinks and snacks too. It’s a fun time to come out and meet your public safety workers,” said Police Chief Richey Priest. They will also be giving away gun locks.
Natalia
Natalia will be hosting the 39th Annual National Night Out on Tuesday, October 4 in front of the Natalia Police Department on 3rd Street from 6 pm to 8 pm. Our community will be celebrating the event with several million others across the Nation. NNO is a program made in partnership with local Law Enforcement Agencies for an evening to heighten crime and drug prevention and as in the past, free food, fund and giveaways. We joined with this event, also known as “America’s Night Against Crime” and began inviting neighbors to join us in our front yard but has since grown to closing down an entire block of 3rd Street. We will be joined by our local Law Enforcement, Volunteer Fire Department along with EMS. Bring your chairs and enjoy the evening getting to know local law enforcement and those that have chosen to serve and protect the citizens of our area.
Lylte Pirate #4 Connor Martin soars up to try and secure a catch as Natalia’s #9 Paul Zapata closes in. Photos courtesy of Mike Quintero/Texas Sport Shots, www.texassportshots.
Eric Smith Staff Writer The Lytle Pirate offense came out and looked sharp in their opening drive last Friday night vs. rival Natalia. They used a 10 play, 70 yard drive before settling for a field-goal. Natalia made adjustments defensively, and this would be the only three points for the Black and Gold. Natalia on the other hand reeled off 47 points en route to a 47-3 win. “I felt like we finally got into a rhythm for the first time all year and we didn’t put ourselves in bad situations,” Natalia Head Coach Ilyan Martinez said when asked about his team’s first win of the season. The Pirates received to start the game and got the ball at their own 30 yard line. Lytle used a nice mix of runs by Connor Martin and passes by Freshman QB Toby Davila to players like Darren Martinez and Rudy Cepeda to get down to the Natalia 11 yard line. Unfortunately for the Black and Gold, they had to settle for a 28 yard field goal by Marcos Alvarado with 8:15 to go in the 1st quarter. Natalia got the ball at their own 42 yard line and went to work quickly. Jaieden Burford came out with a nice pass to Josh San Miguel for a 33 yard gain to set the tone. Two runs in a row by Luis Buentello was capped off with two runs by QB Burford and a Natalia touchdown with 6:38 to go in the 1st quarter. This capped off a 5-play 58 yard drive. The PAT by Miguel Sanchez was good, as Natalia led 7-3. Lytle came out with their second drive of the evening, but unfortunately could not get anything going as the Natalia defense rose to the occasion forcing a 3 and out punt. Natalia got the ball at the 50-yard line with 5:58 to go in the 1st quarter and went to work. Natalia used 15-plays of a good pass and run mix to score as Burford found Elijah Banda to score his first of four touchdowns on the night on a 23 yard receiving touchdown. The PAT by Sanchez was good, as Natalia extended their lead to 14-3. Things only got worse for Lytle in their opening quarter, as their third drive of the game went south quickly. Freshman Davila, who had shown lots of positives early with his arm and mobility, threw up a long ball for a receiver over the middle, but Natalia’s Paul Zapata soared into the air and intercepted it. Natalia got the ball at the Lytle 14 and needed one play to strike. Burford found David Silva for a 14 yard play to give the Stangs a 21-3 lead with 11:32 to go in the 2nd quarter following a Sanchez PAT. On the ensuing drive, Lytle began to find success as they started at their own 34 yard line. Lytle used eight plays to march down field to their own 48 yard line before the Natalia defense ended the threat again, this time with a David Silva interception. Natalia got the ball at their own 42 yard line with 7:31 to go in the 1st half and went back to work. Natalia needed just eight plays to march down field and score on a nice hard run by Elijah Banda. The PAT by Sanchez was blocked, but Natalia’s lead was now 27-3 with 4:36 to go in the 1st half. This is how the score would stand at the half. Natalia scored their first touchdown in the second half with 4:20 to go in the 3rd quarter, as Banda capped off a six-play 40 yard drive with a 3-yard run. The PAT was blocked again by Lytle, but Natalia’s lead was now 33-3. The Mustangs went on to score two final touchdowns in the game. One came as Burford found Justin Curiel on an 11 yard strike and the final touchdown was on a 37 yard run by Banda giving Natalia a solid 47-3 victory. “Everything we do starts up front and offensively we were physical and sound in our assignments,” Martinez said. “This allowed our RBs to have a big game on the ground and allowed for our QB to have time to make some plays downfield.” Coach Adrian Trevino was asked his thoughts on the loss vs. Natalia and had the following to say: “We felt that there were some things offensively and defensively that our team did well,” Trevino said. “There were also some things we didn’t do well enough to keep us in the game. Our kids continued to play hard and if we capitalized on some of the opportunities given, we feel we could have possibly changed the momentum of the game.” Final Team Stats: Natalia led offensively as they used 62 plays to account for 413 yards of offense which included 162 passing and 251 rushing. Lytle used 51 plays to account for 240 yards of offense which included 164 passing and 76 rushing. Rushing wise, Natalia ran 44 times for 251 yards for an average of 5.7. Lytle rushed 26 times for 76 yards for an average of 2.9. Receiving Natalia had 13 for 162 for an average of 12.5 as Lytle had 9 for 164 for an average of 18.2. Penalties- Both teams had too many as Natalia had 12-107 and Lytle 13-105. Lytle had 4 turnovers and Natalia had 2. Natalia dominated the 1st down mark with 21 compared to 11 by Lytle. Neither team was great on 3rd down, as Natalia was 4-11 and Lytle 3-12. Individual Stat Leaders: Burford led Natalia at QB and was 12-17-141-3TDs-1INT. Toby Davila was 9-25-164-4INTs. Rushing: Banda was 9-94-3TDs as Buentello was 18-94 and Burford was 14-90. Davila led on the ground for Lytle as he was 13-56 as Martin was 2-14. Receiving: San Miguel led Natalia was he was 3-71 as Silva was 7-55-1TD. Cepeda led Lytle with 4-112 as Martin was 2-32. Defensive Stat Leaders: Natalia: Assists: Simon Garcia 6, Austin Sutton 3, Luis Buentello 3, AZ Zapata 3. Solo Tackles- Sutton 6, Garcia 5, RJ Velasquez 3. Pass break-ups: Silva 1, Gerardo Colchado 1, Zapata 1, David Rodriguez 1. Interceptions: Silva, Zapata, San Miguel 1 each. Lytle: Albert Aguilar- 12 solo tackles/4 assists/1 forced fumble; Anthony Perdomo 7 solo tackles/4 assists; Roland Cordova 3 solo tackles/2 assists; Drew Gonzales- 4 solo tackles/1 assists/1 tackle for a loss/1 QB Sack; Luke Estrada- 3 solo tackles/ 1 assist; Jake Guevarea- 3 solo tackles/2 assists/1 QB sack. Coachs final comments “We need to continue to work on being consistent in all phases of the game,” Trevino said. “We feel if we could have executed better in the red-zone and in the goal-line areas, it would have given us more momentum early.” Martinez was asked his thoughts on winning 8 straight vs. Lytle. “We feel fortunate to be a part of that, but I am really proud of our player’s approach to the tradition that was built here and the importance of the game to the alumni and community,” Martinez said. “Our guys understand the significance of the game and we were focused on the task at hand. We enjoyed and are happy with the outcome, but we need to re-focus and get ready for a tough district.” Upcoming Games Natalia will have the week off as they enter the open week 1-3 in a tough four slate of contests ion non-district. Natalia opens district play on Friday, September 30th on their brand new turf field vs. the Comfort Bobcats. Lytle will prepare for their final non-district game at home Friday vs. Pearsall. See the preview story for further details.
Tye Ray Frisby, born on February 19, 1962 to John Paul Frisby and Elva Frisby went into eternal rest on September 12, 2022 at the age of 60 years old surrounded by his wife. Tye was co-owner of Vel’s Construction. He was survived by his wife aka “Honey” Velia Brieno Frisby of Devine, TX. He is also survived by his children: Kyle and Tyler Frisby of Devine, TX, Rosalyn Beamish of Devine, TX, Beth Ford of Bandera, TX, Courtney Lamb, Alexander Eric Gonzalez of San Antonio, TX, Ashley Maree Renteria of San Antonio, TX, Alyssa Sara Yanez of San Antonio, TX and Juan Antonio Yanez of San Antonio, TX; 19 Grandchildren; and other relatives. A Celebration of Life Service held at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 21, 2022 in the Hurley Devine Chapel with Pastor Herbert Halbeisen of the Exchange Life Christian Church officiating. Services to conclude at the chapel.
Patrick Joseph Rooks of Universal City passed away on July 27, 2022 at the age of 51. He was born December 6, 1970 in San Antonio, Texas to Charles Lee Rooks and Anna Mae Coffee Rooks. In 1989, Patrick graduated from Medina Valley High School. He earned his BS in Biology from The University of Texas at San Antonio and went to work in the insurance industry as a claims manager. He loved to hunt and fish, especially with his daughter, Kaiden. On December 17, 2005, Patrick married Lisa Ann Benton in Las Vegas, Nevada. They were blessed with sixteen years of marriage. Survivors include his wife, Lisa Rooks of Universal City; daughter, Kaiden Rooks; stepdaughter, Kimberly Folley (Bryan); grandchildren, Sebastian Folley and Bryleigh Folley; parents, Charles and Anna Mae Rooks of Natalia; brother, Clyde Rooks (TerriAnne) of La Coste; Deanna Huff (Chad) of Helotes; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and other relatives. Patrick was preceded in death by his brother, David Rooks. Visitation will be Tuesday, August 2, 2022 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Tondre-Guinn Funeral Home with the Holy Rosary recited at 5:30 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 3, 2022 at the Our Lady of Grace Parish Hall. Interment will follow at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Cemetery in La Coste. Memorials may be made in Patrick’s memory to the Universal City Animal Shelter, MD Anderson Cancer Center, or the charity of your choice. Arrangements by Tondre-Guinn Funeral Home. Visit www.tondre-guinn.com
Another week with not too many calls, that sure is nice. Officers handled 47 calls for service and conducted 88 traffic stops. Those 88 stops resulted in 79 citations and 9 warnings. Officers made one arrest last week. Sgt. Hanson and Ofc. Pena responded to a domestic disturbance on N. Benton St. and arrested a male for assault causing bodily injury to a family member. Only three property crimes were reported to us. #1 – H.E.B. Plus reported a theft that occurred on a prior day. An unknown female was observed on camera leaving the store with $9 worth of unpaid merchandise. All I can say is that they have some rather good cameras up there, $9 doesn’t buy much these days …. maybe you could hide that in the palm of your hand. # 2 – H.E.B. Plus reported another theft, a male left the store with a rotisserie chicken and an adult beverage. I’m not sure which flavor rotisserie chicken he got but if I were going to steal one it would be the lemon pepper, it’s good. #3 – A complainant reported that somebody got their new debit card and set up a pin and “went to town”. They charged about $600 before the card was shut down. In another case, a complainant who reported his handgun as stolen back in 2020 said he found it. We removed it from the system as stolen. I misplace stuff all the time, never done that with a gun though. In another case: A gentleman found a wallet and turned it into the PD, it was full of cash. I thanked him and told him that most people take the cash out before they turn it in. We were able to locate the owner and reunite him with his wallet and cash within the hour. Mark your calendars for the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022. We will be hosting our first National Night Out event since 2019. The event will be held at the Lytle Community Center, so the heat or rain won’t ruin our event. If your group or business is interested in setting up a booth, please email me. I am sure we will be providing food, drinks, and snacks. It should be a fun night. I would have a celebrity show up, but I don’t have those kinds of connections.
The Medina County Commissioner’s Court met for their regular meeting on July 14, discussing a variety of important issues including proposals for the Castroville Loop to ease traffic due to the booming growth there. The County Commissioners discussed the need for notice of any surcharge on countywide bids, prior to accepting any bid. All agreed this would enable discussion of the surcharge before any bids are accepted. All members voted to approve this proposal.
LACOSTE–The City of La Coste is accepting applications for a new police chief after the May 27 resignation of Johnny Kendricks following accusations of his handling of an alleged March 8 shooting incident. Former Police Chief Richard Gonzalez is acting as part-time interim chief until a permanent replacement can be found, city manager Darrell Rawlings said. Voting unanimously, the La Coste City Council acted May 17 to authorize Mayor Andy Keller to take disciplinary action “up to and including termination” against Kendricks, citing “tardiness and absenteeism” during his 180-day probation period. The action came in the wake of controversy in which citizens complained about the way Kendricks handled an incident in which a man reportedly fired a gun at two 12-year-old boys and attempted to run one down with a sports utility vehicle. Parents of the two children spoke at the May 17 meeting during a period set aside for public comment prior to a closed executive session “to deliberate the appointment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal of a public employee; Chief of Police,” the council meeting agenda stated. The next city council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on June 21.
Voting unanimously, the La Coste City Council acted May 17 to authorize Mayor Andy Keller to take disciplinary action “up to and including termination” against Kendricks, citing “tardiness and absenteeism” during his 180-day probation period. The action came in the wake of controversy in which citizens complained about the way Kendricks handled an incident in which a man reportedly fired a gun at two 12-year-old boys and attempted to run one down with a sports utility vehicle. Parents of the two children spoke at the May 17 meeting during a period set aside for public comment prior to a closed executive session “to deliberate the appointment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline or dismissal of a public employee; Chief of Police,” the council meeting agenda stated. The next city council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on June 21.
Jay Charles Carter of Natalia, Texas died Saturday, May 14th at the age of 39. Jay was born on February 22, 1983 in Anderson, South Carolina to William and Janis Carter of Natalia. Jay was active in FFA and Band; he graduated from Lytle High School. Jay belonged to Boy Scout Troop 369 and earned the highest level of Eagle Scout. He was an active member of Bellaire Baptist Church and dreamed of becoming a Deacon just like his PePa. Jay was well liked and never met a stranger. He was knowledgeable about the world and could carry on a lengthy conversation with most anyone about any topic. A lover of all types of music but especially of KISS and Garth Brooks. He took great pleasure in shopping with his mom, working on projects with his dad, playing cards, dominoes and board games. Jay enjoyed his life with family and friends and wearing his beloved boots, hats and jeans. Jay is survived by his long-time love, Jessica Rouse of San Antonio; Uncles Charles Maurice Carter (Cathy) of Hartwell, GA and Stephen Cupp (Rogene) of Devine, Texas; Aunts Helen Faye Neely of Hartwell, GA and Virginia (Suki) Abernathy (Jimmy) of DeLeon Springs, Fl. He is also survived by many cousins and a very large extended family. A memorial service will be held May 28, 2022 at 11:00 am at Bellaire Baptist Church, 105 Clovis Street, San Antonio, Texas 78221. In Lieu of flowers, please make contributions to Bellaire Baptist Church (210) 923-1613.
