Celebrating 126 Years of Serving the communities of Devine, Natalia, Lytle, Bigfoot, and Moore in Medina, Frio, and Atascosa Counties
The Devine Golf Course will be the site of the 1st Annual Angels in the Fairway Golf Tournament on September 23rd, 2023 with registration beginning at 9a.m. and a shot gun start at 11a.m.
Continue reading “Angels in the Fairway Golf Tournament Sept 23”
Individuals looking to grow their money have many options at their disposal. For example, real estate is often cited as a wise investment, as the value of property has historically increased by a significant margin over the course of a lifetime, providing a substantial return all the while fulfilling the basic need for housing that everyone has. But buying property is not the only potentially lucrative long-term investment strategy.
At its monthly meeting Monday, August 21, DISD Board of Trustees unanimously voted to call for a $11.255 million bond election and a voter-approval tax ratification election (VATRE) for Tuesday, November 7, 2023.
What is a VATRE?
The Devine Golf Course will be the site of the 1st Annual Angels in the Fairway Golf Tournament on September 23rd, 2023 with registration beginning at 9a.m. and a shot gun start at 11a.m.
The entry fee is $150 per player which includes the green fee, cart and lunch. The format is 4 person scramble (red & white tees only). The first place payout is $1,600, second place is $1,200 and third place $600.
The tournament is a fundraiser for the Samantha Buvinghausen scholarship fund, the Dillon Burleson Memorial and the Jacob Sanchez Scholarship. All were proud members of DHS class of 2006.
For more information, please contact the Devine Golf Course at 830-665-9943 or Ali at 210-508-6606.
Jerel Beaty
Staff Writer
The Devine Arabian volleyball team definitely has had more than its fair share of grueling matches going into Friday night’s District 29-4A opener in the DSAC. Countless games against 5A and 6A schools as well as numerous other matches against perennial powers prepared Head Coach Leigh Anne McIver and her players for what lies ahead over the course of the 46 day stretch of district competition.
Continue reading “Arabians to play District opener this Friday night in the DSAC”
PRESS RELEASE by Mark Haby, Medina County Criminal District Attorney
A 19-YEAR-OLD SAN ANTONIO MAN WAS SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS IN PRISON FOR THE MURDER OF ELIJAI ALTON CHANDLER AFTER A MEDINA COUNTY JURY REJECTED HIS CLAIM OF SELF-DEFENSE.
Jeremiah Jordan Brown
Jeremiah Jordan Brown, who was 17 at the time of the murder, was with the 24-year-old victim during a shooting at an East-Side Valero Gas station in the early hours of February 6th, 2022, in which one man was wounded and taken to the hospital, though he did survive his injuries. Brown and the victim immediately fled the area until they found a dark service road in Castroville, Texas, where they then attempted to dispose of and bury the gun used in that earlier shooting.
Testimony from the forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy revealed that the victim had been shot in the head seven times with no evidence of defensive wounds. Brown fled the scene in the victim’s car, taking the gun with him and ultimately disposing of it, resulting in additional charges for Tampering with Physical Evidence and Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle.
The Texas Rangers were called in to investigate the discovery of the victim’s body, which was found by a hiker less than 100 yards from Highway 90 and just down the hill from the well-known Hillside Boutique & Spa. Through an investigation involving numerous interviews & review of cell phone evidence that lasted more than 30 straight hours, investigators identified Jeremiah Brown as the shooter. Both in his interview with the Rangers, as well as at trial, Brown and his defense team claimed he acted in self-defense, arguing that he was acting in “sudden passion” after seeing his biological sister’s new boyfriend get shot at the San Antonio area gas station. Evidence from Brown’s cell phone, as well as interviews with family members who saw Brown after the shooting, revealed that he sought to avoid being tied to the first shooting, telling others that he didn’t know where the victim was and that he had last seen him when he abandoned him at a convenience store.
After three full days of testimony, the jury deliberated on Brown’s guilt for less than two hours on Friday, August 11th, swiftly rejecting his claim of self-defense. The court immediately moved to the punishment phase, which concluded on Monday, August 14th. Brown was sentenced to 30 years for Murder, 10 years for Tampering with Physical Evidence (the maximum allowed by law), and 2 years for Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle (also the maximum allowed by law). Brown must serve half his sentence before he is eligible for parole.
“Our community has begun to feel the effects of crime spilling over from San Antonio, and this verdict sends a strong message to any would be criminals that they will be held accountable” said District Attorney Mark P. Haby.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Christian Neumann & Jeff Diles, while Brown was represented by the Hill Country Regional Public Defender’s Office.
Mark your calendars. Devine’s Athletic Booster, Band Booster, and community members will host a Meet the Athletes, the Marching Band, and the Cheerleaders Pep Rally Friday, August 18 at Warhorse Stadium.
The event kicks off at 7:00pm.
Free hot dogs and water add to the excitement and serve as a bonus because all who show up will also not have to worry about cooking dinner that night.
By Kathleen Calalme
Publisher
In an interesting turn of events, Devine City Council decided to temporarily “terminate and stop advertising” in their search for a City Administrator until further notice, or September 18th, on a Debbie Randall/ Flipper Vega motion.
The motion passeda 4 (Randall, Vega, Hernandez, and Pyron) to 1, with Josh Ritchey voting against stopping the progress.
“I would like to terminate advertising for the city administration position until further notice or until September,” said Debbie Randall, District 5 Councilwoman.
“Not until September…?” questioned Interim City Admin. Dora Rodriguez.
“I think you need a time, September 15 or so,” suggested Mayor Butch Cook.
“Okay, September 18”, Randall replied.
After executive session at 8:11 pm the council reconvened and the mayor announced no action was taken during the executive session item, “Personnel matters- discuss and consider City Administrator issues.”
Randall immediately made the motion to terminate advertising for a new city administrator.
“The motion is to discontinue advertising for a city admin until Sept 18”, said Cook. “Any discussion? Already done?”
Without any further discussion on why, Flipper seconded Randall’s motion and the motion carried with 4 ayes and 1 nay.
Council and mayor responses
After the meeting, The News offered each council person and the mayor a chance to express their opinion on this new turn of events in order to help the public understand why they are holding back on their search for a City Administrator.
They were given the opportunity to elaborate on their “personal reasoning or opinion” for or against this motion to terminate the search, until Sept 18, about 48 days.
Debbie Randall, District 5 response: “I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful, but my motion was based off of what was discussed in executive session, something I cannot discuss in public without breaking the trust of council”.
Josh Ritchey, District 4 response: “Officially, I can’t share what happened in the closed session. In my opinion, it is extremely irresponsible to cease the search for a city administrator with our current lack of staffing and high level of debt. This reminds me of when Mayor Thompson simply stopped releasing resumes to council. While Mayor Cook is releasing resumes, the council has chosen not to interview until sometime in September, if I recall correctly.”
Stacy Pyron, District 3 response: “While I can’t comment on discussions in executive session, I will say that I believe this was the best decision at this time. This is also temporary, and the position will be advertised again in September.”
Flipper Vega, District 1- no response as of press time.
Michael Hernandez, District 2- “All I can say is the only reason we put the thing on hold for hiring a city manager is because of budget. Interviewing 2-3 candidates in one day will take up so much time during budget session. The last 4 people we interviewed took almost 1 1/2 hours each and that was just 2 interviews per council session.”
Butch Cook, Mayor- “It is my personal opinion that we should continuously and aggressively pursue hiring a competent and qualified City Administrator and it should be our top priority. In our style of government, the City Administrator is the most important person of all – more so than the Mayor or any individual Council member and until we accomplish this goal we will just be treading water.”
Next on agenda was the budget workshop, something the council will continue to meet often to decide on priorities, the budget and tax rate.
New Council and Mayor suggesting changes to several procedures
The new City of Devine Council and Mayor are voicing some concerns over old procedures and suggesting new ones. Some would require changing of the ordinances, others not.
Mayor Butch Cook just took office three months ago in May 2023 as well as council members Stacy Pyron and Michael Hernandez.
Josh Ritchey was elected to the council last year.
Flipper Vega has served several terms as well as Debbie Randall.
In the week ending July 9, 2023, Lytle P.D. officers handled 56 calls for service and conducted 95 traffic stops. Of those 95 stops, 73 resulted in a citation and 22 were warnings. This doesn’t even come close to describing everything we did, but it is the best “snapshot” I can come up with.
Officers took three reports of property crimes. #1 – Officers took a report of a damaged city-owned manhole and cover. The damage occurred during the construction on IH-35 @ FM 3175. #2 – Big Tex Trailer (IH-35 Access Rd.). The officer on patrol arrested three people for stealing tires and wheels (more details below). #3 – H.E.B. Plus reported a theft, and the suspect was cited (more details below).
Officers also took a report of debit card abuse. The card was taken from the victim, who lives outside the city, and was used numerous times in our jurisdiction. Surprisingly, we haven’t had a lot of these lately.
L.P.D. officers made five arrests last week. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 were from the same incident. Ofc. Roger Garcia was on patrol (just after midnight) and checked the Big Tex Trailer sales and located a suspicious vehicle parked in the back, next to the fence. Upon further investigation, and listening to a bunch of lies, he found the truck bed loaded with new tires and rims. Three suspects were arrested for theft, and their vehicle was impounded, and one of the suspects also picked up a felony dope charge. All three were booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. Sgt. Hanson assisted him. That was first-class police work! Excellent job Roger! I wish your mother would have had triplets…I would have hired all three of you. Arrests #4 – Ofc. J. Cortez conducted a traffic stop on Main St. for no vehicle registration and determined the driver had a felony drug warrant out of Medina Co. He was booked into the Hondo Hilton. Arrest #5 – A suspect was cited for theft (class C) and released at the H.E.B. Plus. He almost got away with fajitas, cream cheese poppers, and beer…. instead, he took home a citation. Just reading the report and looking at the evidence pictures makes me hungry.
Please remember that the FM 3175 lanes under I-35 will be closed effective 12 July and should re-open on Monday, August 7th. All this means is that you will need to detour up to the FM 2790 underpass, the one by Lytle State Bank/H.E.B. The access roads should both be two-way, so it shouldn’t be too complicated. This one-way road stuff has been driving me crazy.
The 4th of July event at John Lott Park was another success! There were lots of people and it looked like the food trucks were busy. I had a pepperoni and mushroom pizza that hit the spot. I saw a lot of kids with baseball gloves, baseballs, and soccer balls, having a fun time and getting in some physical activity. I sat in my patrol truck with the AC on and watched them while I ate my pizza. Lots of people of all ages were hanging out and having fun. It would have been the perfect backdrop to film a mustard or ketchup commercial.
When I am at these events, I don’t take a lot of pictures; I am laser-focused on the safety of the event and eating. Our mayor, Ruben Gonzalez is the picture guy…. check out his Facebook page.
By Kayleen Holder
Editor
We got the chance to interview Mike Hanson, of Natalia, who has over 30 years experience in horse training and breeding, and he shared a few tips with us for you horse lovers. The Hansens have opened a new business, just 10 minutes from Devine with a top notch covered arena where he is offering lessons for beginners and clinics for more experienced riders.
If you have your own horses, bring them, and if you don’t, that’s okay too. They offer lessons on their own horses or clinics on your horse.
Hansen has taught everything from barrel racing to roping to basic riding skills.
“I once trained horses for a Civil War reenactment near Houston. They were shooting off horses and fighting with swords. You can train a horse to do anything. If you have the money, I have the time,” Hansen said.
The basic price for lessons and clinics is $60 an hour.
He teaches local clinics on:
-Basic Riding Lesson Skills (western) for ages 8 and up on our horses
-Roping
-Barrel Racing
-Cow horse
-Tack
-Trailer loading
“You can break most any bad habit of a horse within three days,” Hansen said including some of the most common issues like trailering, walking off while the rider gets on, biting when cinching up, or not staying tied.
“Those are the most common problems I see–he won’t load, he won’t stand still to get on, he bites while being cinched up, or he won’t stay tied,” Hansen said. “A lot of people have a horse with one of those problems and go for years not realizing they can bring it to someone like me and get it fixed for about $180.”
He estimates that any one of these common issues can be fixed with about 3 one-hour clinics, once a day. He offers to keep your horse on site for those three days for an additional $8 a day to cover feed.
“Walking into a trailer with a horse who is uncomfortable is probably one of the most dangerous things people do,” Hansen said. “In three days, I can have most any horse loading with no problems. You are welcome and encouraged to stay and watch while we work with the horse too, because if you take him home and try to load the horse the same old way you did before, it’s not going to work,” Hansen said.
Hansen has lot of knowledge in the field, and as a horse lover myself, I learned more and more as the interview went on.
“A horse has seven facial expressions, and if you learn those it will make your life a lot easier. Horses can’t speak, so they feed off your expressions. Most people don’t know it, but a horse can hear your heart beat from four feet away. If you walk up with a racing heart, all nervous, that horse is going to be nervous too, right from the beginning. They are fight or flight animals, so they are going to be wondering, ‘What’s going on? What’s this person so nervous about?’”.
Another thing people don’t always realize, he says, is how sensitive horses really are.
“A horse can feel a tiny little fly land on the hair of their back,” Hansen said. “That’s why you’ll see them swishing their tail back and forth to swat flies. Think about that the next time you go to whip a horse.”
When it comes to roping, he loves to teach beginners.
“Like any sport, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. When you learn the correct technique, you’d be surprised how easy it really is,” Hansen said.
Hansen has shown horses in AQHA and APHA and has raised both. He also managed cattle ranches for many years.
When it comes to working cows, he has plenty of experience and tips to make your life easier.
“A cow cannot see straight behind them. It’s all about your position to their eye. If you are by the eye, you are going to stop em. If you are in front of the eye you are going to turn them, and if you are behind the eye you are going to drive them. There are so many little details like that that. I’ll teach you how to read the cow,” Hansen said.
He has the kind of knowledge that only comes with experience.
“Trust me, there was a time long ago when I had more bad habits than I did good when it came to horses, but once you learn the right techniques, it makes you life a whole lot easier,” Hansen said.
Hansen estimates he has started more than 500 colts over the years.
“There are so many people out there who don’t feel safe when they ride their horse,” Hansen said. I can teach you and your horse the skills you need to get the job done and to feel safe whether you are doing competitive trail ride, playdays, rodeo, or just riding for recreation,” Hansen said.
Hansen Horses is located between LaCoste and Natalia on FM 471, just 10 minutes from Devine. They have a nice covered arena for shade during lessons and clinics.
They also offer a competitive trail riding course with lots of obstacles (water, bridge, etc).
Schedule a private clinic or lesson by calling 830-261-1072.
