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.
Sponsored by: Lytle Memorial VFW Post 12041 Thanks to the sponsorship of the Lytle Memorial VFW Post 12041, the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus is coming to Lytle, TX on Sunday, October 13th, to the Lytle Memorial VFW Post 12041 Grounds located at 1425 FM 2790 with shows at 2:00 & 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 Schedule 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. Advance Tickets Prices Box Office Prices Adult Ticket – $13 Child (2-12) or Senior (65+) – $8 Advance tickets can be purchased BEFORE Circus Day from these locations: Lytle Memorial VFW Post 12041 Location & Members
A higher percentage of advance tickets goes back to the sponsor, meaning more money back into your community! You’ll also save money and can skip the lines at the box office! 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
Octoberfest on Oct. 5th at St. Joseph Catholic Church
Tickets are on SALE for $10 each at St. Joseph Catholic Church office in Devine as well as by the parishioners to be drawn on October 5th, 2024 at their Annual Octoberfest on the church grounds. The Grand Prize is a stunning Atalas Blue Metallic colored 2024 Ford Maverick Lariat Pickup Truck, a $37,000 value generous donated by parishioners Don & Irma Dunford Family, Chaparral Ford, Inc. of Devine and Lytle. Prize #2 is a Utility Trailer Prize Package to include a 10 foot trailer with ramp gate and weed eater shelf. Plus a $1,000 gift card and a weed eater! There are 8 gift card prizes of $1,000 each. And 5 gift card prizes of $500 each. Also are three more prize packages which will be drawn on September 14 in an early bird drawing. The truck is parked on the side of the church in the parking lot facing HWY 173 if you would like to look at it labeled “WIN ME”. Tickets are available in the church office Monday-Friday, closed Wednesdays as well as from parishioners for $10 each, need not be present to win.
Festival, games, fishing, hayrides and more fundraiser Oct. 26th thanking life-saving heroes at Bigfoot Fire department
By Kayleen Holder Editor Mark your calendars, it’s gonna be a fun event! One local family is hosting a very special fund raiser for the Bigfoot Volunteer Fire Department this coming Saturday, Oct. 26 after seeing first-hand the amazing way these heroes help our community in times of crisis. The event will be an old-fashioned fall festival/haunted hay ride, with lots of games for the kids. Cash only! There will be lots of old-school kids games, as well as fishing and the haunted hayride. Kids will also get to see the big fire trucks. Bobby Thompson, of Bigfoot, shares a little about what inspired the family to host this event… “On July 4th, 2023, my family had our family reunion at my place in Bigfoot. Two teenagers were leaving my house about 10 pm that evening when a hog ran out in front of their vehicle. They swerved to miss the hog and over corrected, rolling their truck.”
“Both boys were ejected from the truck and landed in the ditch on separate sides of the road. Both were seriously injured,” Thompson said. “We called 9-1-1 and the Bigfoot Volunteer Fire Department arrived in a very short time. The Bigfoot Volunteer Fire Department was very professional and administered what I believe was life-saving medical attention to the boys.” “My family owes a great amount of gratitude to the Bigfoot Volunteer Fire Department,” Thompson adds. “They sacrifice personal family time to be volunteers and it is evident that these volunteers are 100% committed to our community. In a rural area, we are blessed to have these high-quality committed volunteers.” Also, if anyone is interested in volunteering for this one-day event they can contact me, Bobby Thompson, at 830-267-0059. We also want to invite anyone interested in joining the Bigfoot Volunteer Fire Department to reach out to the Fire Chief Mark Leach.
Zion Lutheran Church will be hosting their annual Ham Dinner on Sunday, October 6th. You can stay and eat or drive-thru. Serving time will be 11 am to 1 pm. Plates are $12 and consist of ham, potato salad, slaw, beans, bread, tea and cake. There will also be a giant rummage sale on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5 and 6, as well as a silent auction, quilt drawing and kids’ activities. Music will be provided by Joyful Noise. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Medina County Food Pantry. Everyone is welcome to join us for worship at 10 am. We are located at 1106 Fiorella St in Castroville.
TX-TF1 Urban Search & Rescue members Clint Cooke and Patrick DuBose are in the devastated Yancey County of North Carolina this week help with search and rescue missions. Both have ties to Medina County. Chief Cook is the Fire Chief of MCESD1 and DuBose is a retired Fire Chief of Devine VFD. Both have/had professional fire department careers alongside their volunteer positions with many years of service to their home communities as well.
First Responders Patrick DuBose of Devine, Texas and Clint Cooke of Castroville, Texas deployed with the Texas A&M Task Force 1 (TX-TF1) last week in response to Hurricane Helene to Florida a couple days ahead of the storm. The search and rescue team of 80 personnel, and 6 dogs, with their equipment and rescue vehicles arrived ahead of the storm on Wednesday, September 25 in Pensacola, Florida.
He is now in his 27th year of dedication of dedication to the Urban Search and Rescue team.
Task Force 1 helped with missions in Tampa, Florida after the Category 4 Hurricane Helene hit. They next headed to Athens, Georgia on Sunday and then on to Yancey County, North Carolina. They are currently searching for survivors and victims’ in Yancey County who have been devastated by the 1,000 year flood and mudslides as a result of Hurricane Helene. “The mud slides are still happening,” said Patrick DuBose. “There is a lot of work to be done up here, we will be here for a awhile.”
