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South Texas Coaches Association All Star Game

Coach Gomez pictured one last time with his athletes Sam Guardiola, Gabriel Esquibel, and Corey Dirck at the STCA All Star game.

44 Anthony Perdomo and #8 Drew Gonzales represented the Lytle Pirates at the STCA All Star Game.

Natalia Mustangs representing at the STCA All Star Game.

Representing Natalia at the STCA All Star game Elias Deluna, Zachary Tanner, and Jordan Roberts.

Coach McIver with Rylee Esquivel and Brooklyn Miller at the South Texas Coaches Association All Star volleyball game 3col bw

Three Devine ISD classes place in state top 10 in national math challenge

Mrs. Briscoe’s class

By Anton Riecher
A first grade class at Devine ISD taught by Brittany Briscoe placed first in the state of Texas in a national math solving competition known as SplashLearn.
Briscoe’s class is one of three Devine ISD kindergarten and elementary class to place in the top 10 in Texaas. Both Brittany and fellow first grade teacher Shelby Spivey received official recognition for their achievements during the Devine school board meeting Monday night.
“Teachers have been competing over the last 10 weeks in a program called SplashLearn, a math challenge that students all over the U.S. participate in,” veteran Devine ISD pre-kindergarten teacher Melissa Gutierrez explained to the board.
SplashLearn is a game-based learning program that adapts to each students’ skill level and helps them master appropriate math skills at their own pace. Once enrolled, students can immediately start…

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Deficits overshadow drafting of Devine ISD 2024-2025 budget

By Anton Riecher
Devine is only one of many Texas school districts facing potential budget deficits as school board trustees labor into the summer months developing their 2024-2025 budgets.
“We can only write checks for the amount of money we have in the bucket,” Devine superintendent Todd Grandjean said. “You have to start making tough decisions about personnel and resources.”
The Devine school board met May 14 for the second of three workshops scheduled to decide what should be included in the budget.
With no additional state funding for schools approved by the Texas Legislature in 2023 unofficial estimates project that more than half of the state’s school districts face dipping into money set aside in unassigned fund balance to cover emergencies.
Grandjean said the school board finds itself in much better shape regarding the new budget than anticipated.
“You always start with everything that anyone can possibly list as to what they feel can benefit students, improve…

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Medina County seeks fire inspection arrangement with Microsoft; county cash balance at $34.2 million

By Anton Riecher
Medina County commissioners have approved an agreement with Microsoft under the Texas Local Government Code to provide fire inspection services at the company’ new 106,012-square-foot data center near Castroville.
The action was taken May 13 during the commissioners regular session.
“This is a culmination of something started several years ago when Judge (Chris) Schuchart was still here,” County Judge Keith Lutz explained. Starting with the new Microsoft campus the objective was to position the county government to conduct commercial code inspection countywide.
The three-year agreement with Microsoft will bring the county $100,000 a year to perform fire inspection services at the new $230 million data center on FM 1957. Under chapter 381 of the Texas Local Government Code counties are allowed to provide incentives encouraging developers to build in their jurisdictions.
In other development news, a public hearing on levying assessments on property located within the Haby Farms Public Improvement Distrtict improvement area number one drew no comment.
Commissioners passed an order accepting and approving a service and…

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Congressman Gonzales working to deliver $4.5 Million Emergency Operations & Training Center in Devine

Congressman Gonzales is working in Congress to deliver a $4.5 million community project to build a new emergency operations and training facility in Devine. This building would serve as an emergency operations center, emergency services training facility, warming center, voting center, and provide educational services. This project would improve emergency services, bolster economic development, as well as provide educational and occupational opportunities. 
“This project will help everyone in the region from age 1 to 100 and would not have been possible without the diligent efforts of Congressman Gonzales and his staff. Two years of planning and hard work to…

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