Category: Uncategorized

Police Chief resigns following outcry


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

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.

Devine ISD to fill several unanticipated job vacancies, this year’s Dexta display to trace history of Devine ISD back to 1890s

Nancy Saathoff makes presentation to Devine ISD board.

By Anton Riecher
The Devine School District Board of Trustees voted May 16 to authorize Superintendent Todd Grandjean to hire professional staff as needed during the summer.
A motion by Chris Davis, seconded by Ali Buvinghausen, came after a closed executive session to discuss personnel. Grandjean has earlier mentioned during his monthly report to the board that the interview process was underway for new principals at the elementary and intermediate schools.
Interviews with the candidates for principal were scheduled for May 18, Grandjean told the board.
“We are going to ask for hiring responsibilities tonight like we normally do in the summer,” he said. “We would have that start tomorrow and then finish up at our August board meeting.”
However, Grandjean said he had no plans to hire a new athletic director on his own authority.
“We are not going to hire the new AD on my own,” he said.
Several unanticipated job vacancies have been posited by the district in addition to early retirement resignations that were expected, Grandjean said.
“I’ll give a full report when we go into executive session,” he said.
In further action following the executive session, the trustees voted to change professional contracts entered into by the district to one-year terms as recommended by Grandjean. Again, Davis’ motion to approve the proposal was seconded by Buvinghausen.
Grandjean reported that the district is continuing to meet with the Devine Fire Department regarding the development of a fire and EMS training academy that would prepare students to obtain their certification as emergency responders from the Texas Commission on Fire Protection.
To earn a certificate, responders must undergo an approved basic fire suppression program, pass an exam and earn accompanying emergency medical qualifications.
“We talked about that a little bit in our budget workshop,” Grandjean said. “We have a draft master schedule ready at the high school. All the kiddos are ready to fit into the slots if we can get it moved forward.”
Devine HS student would concentrate on firefighting in their junior year and move on to studying to be emergency medical technicians (EMT) in their senior year. Plans call for the academy to start this fall with the new 2022-23 school year.
“Our current talks involve the complexities of funding as soon as we get some clear options,” Grandjean said.
Grandjean reported that a meeting of the board of trustee’s strategic planning committee is anticipated in the near future. The committee consists primarily of teachers and community members involved in accessing a comprehensive, long-range facilities plan for the district.
“We are putting our needs into a guide that we can use to continue to the next step,” Grandjean said.
Action by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality remains pending on the district’s application for funding to cover replacement of four school buses. TCEQ earlier authorized $48,000 towards replacement of a 2006 school bus still in use, he said.
Nancy Saathoff with the Devine Ex-Student /Teacher Association reported to the school board on plans for the high school homecoming festivities Oct. 7 and 8. Beside the Friday night football game, the association plans to display its archive collection tracing the history of Devine ISD back to the 1890s.
The association also plans to honor the Devine High School graduating class of 1972 on its 50th anniversary, she said.
“Our annual homecoming information pages and membership forms will be mailed this week to hopefully build up our membership base,” Saathoff said.
This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the Dexta Student/Teachers Association, she said.
“We have a long tradition of serving and supporting our alumni as well as giving annual scholarships for graduated seniors at DHS,” Saathoff said. “All of our funds are raised from the $10 annual dues and $100 lifetime memberships as well as through memorial and honor donations from our generous alumni.”
See updates from latest meeting in article on new hires.

Medina Co: “It’s the worst kind of fire”… could take days to stop

Medina County Emergency Manager Keith Lutz broke the bad news to us around 6PM…..”There is just no way to put it out right now,” Lutz said.

“It’s the worst kind of fire due to the terrain and the wind and dry conditions. They are laying down fire retardant and the fire is jumping ahead of it.”

“Experts are expecting this to be a multi-day event,” Lutz said. “I just got off a phone call with CNN.”

Several subdivisions on the north end of Medina County are in great danger, according to Sheriff Randy Brown. A short update from Sheriff around 5:30PM :

 “If you even smell smoke, you need to pay attention. And if you are in one of those evacuation areas–you need to pack up and go. That’s all there is to it -Sheriff Brown

“It’s threatening to jump the highway at 1283, and we are not having much luck stopping it,” Sheriff Brown said. “The wind keeps changing directions.”


The map above was as of 6 PM on 3/26/22. It will NOT be updated in real time. Refer to social media for further updates. It is designed to show the general area of SOME of those in the path of this fire, which is expected to be a multi-day event.

Medina Co TX : There is a mandatory evacuation in place for all residents in the following area North and Northeast of the fire near Medina Lake. If you are East of County Road 271 and West of the Medina River, and South of FM1283, You must evacuate now! This includes the town of Mico. This is a dangerous situation!! A shelter is open at Loma Alta Middle School, 266 County Road 381 South, San Antonio, TX. See social media for updates

The subdivisions listed on the previous message issued in the EARLY AFTERNOOON of 3/26/22 stated: Summit Ridge, Bear Springs, Ranchland Oaks, Medina Oaks, Laurel Canyon, and the general area.  That was last listed as voluntary evacuations, but Sheriff says “that’s subject to change any time”.

NOTE: Some of the county’s emergency messages are having long delays in getting to some cell phones (including mine). So please watch the social media side as well.

Other officials noted: “This fire continues to burn with limited containment on the north. Residents need to heed evacuation orders. All vehicle traffic needs to avoid the area as it is preventing response crews from reaching areas of importance. Neighborhoods north of 1283 need to have an evacuation plan and be prepared to leave if advised.”

See social media for up to date information as the evening progresses.

BOIL WATER NOTICE for Devine, East Medina, Lytle, and Natalia

Due to precautionary reasons, nearly all local entities are notifying customers to boil their water prior to consumption (e.g., washing hands/face, brushing teeth, drinking, etc). Children, seniors, and persons with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to harmful bacteria, and all customers should follow these directions).

To ensure destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and ice making should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes. The water should be brought to a vigorous rolling boil and then boiled for two minutes.

In lieu of boiling, individuals may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source for drinking water or human consumption purposes.

When it is no longer necessary to boil the water, the public water system officials will notify customers that the water is safe for drinking water or human consumption purposes.

Once the boil water notice is no longer in effect, the public water system will issue a notice to customers that rescinds the boil water notice in a manner similar to this notice.

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses).

Praying for Baby Delcan…a living miracle

We are sending prayers to North Carolina this week for the Morel family, and their sweet baby boy Delcan Dean Morel. We wanted to share his story with our readers here in Texas and everywhere, as a lot of prayers are needed for this little miracle.

“When I say miracle, I absolutely mean 100% a complete and total living, breathing miracle. This boy is showing everyone how great our God is and we couldn’t be more proud,” stated his mother Melissa.

On June 30, 2020 baby Declan was born at 4 lbs and 4 oz. This sweet little angel was unable to breathe on his own when he came into this world, and was extremely swollen, in addition to having a cleft lip. They later discovered his brain has excess fluid on it and heart problems were discovered as well.

“While Nathaniel and I are indeed overjoyed that our sweet Declan Dean made his appearance, we are also overwhelmed with emotion and praying for God’s hand of healing and mercy on our baby boy,” Melissa said. “Declan means ‘man of prayer’ and Dean means ‘valley’ – these names could not be more appropriate for this fighter of a little boy. We will be praying our way through this valley each and every day.”

On Day 2 in the NICU, she stated, “Declan had an amazing day and my momma heart is so full and grateful for all of the prayers we’ve been getting. It’s as though a blanket of comfort has been thrown over my shoulders and it means more than I can say that people who don’t even know us are praying for our boy.”

On Day 3, she reported, “His facial swelling has gone down so much that he’s almost unrecognizable from when he was first born. So that is a HUGE victory and a blessing from God. We’re hopeful that the swelling in his head will continue to go down…..They’ve got him on a different ventilator setting that allows him to breathe on his own with the machine set to kick in if he skips a breath. They did have to up the oxygen to assist him for a bit, but he’s breathing on his own with the assistance and we are just floored and so proud of him.”

By Day 4 in the ICU, she stated, “Facial swelling is down even more and he’s getting so much more active every single day…..His progress at this point just keeps blowing everyone away…..All of your prayers and well wishes have clearly been working miracles for our boy and we are forever grateful.”

An interview and photos from family in Italy

The Bianki family, who are close friends of some local Texas residents, agreed to share their story and photos of what they’ve seen first-hand in their community in Italy.

Doctors in Italy are comparing the situation at hospitals to “war-time” triage, where they are having to focus on helping the ones they can, because they cannot help them all.

“It’s not just the lethality of this virus but the fact that many people need to be hospitalized in ICU and/or hooked up to mechanical ventilators,”Bianki stated.

Bianki, who is one of the many people on lockdown with the rest of her community stated, “We had “patient one” (first Italian to be infected in Italy) on the 21st of February, and in a little over 2 weeks we are over 15,000 cases.”

She adds, “Until Monday, people weren’t really taking this pandemic seriously…people made a lot of jokes about the virus, and went out with friends. “

“Now we are in total lock down…” Bianki adds, “It is forbidden to exit your town/village, police are now enforcing this ban, you will find patrols that can fine you or even arrest you if you don’t comply. You should have a valid reason to be walking in the streets: work for example, if you are employed by some of the business places still open since all non-essential goods’ shops have been forcibly shut down and only some factories are still operating.”

This is a photo of an emergency triage outside Pisa’s hospital, taken by the Biankis just days before the lock down. Photo credit: Shigita Bianki
This photo was taken at the local grocery store where the Bianki family lives. As Bianki says, you can see “people are complying with the strict but necessary laws that put the whole country in lock down… in this case staying a mandatory 1 meter distance from each other.”
Photo Credit: Shigita Bianki