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“The United States has defeated NWS before and we will do it again,” said USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins during the big announcement this past Wednesday, June 18.  Congressman Tony Gonzales and  Rollins laid out the plan to launch an $8.5 million “fly dispersal facility” using sterile New World screwworms (NWS) in South Texas. 

Per the USDA, the facility in South Texas is expected to be ready within six months. In addition, they announced a sweeping five-pronged plan to detect, control, and eliminate this pest. 

 “Today’s policy changes represent a huge step forward to eradicating the screwworm and protecting American livestock, especially the opening of a U.S.-based eradication facility in South Texas. This facility has been one of my top priorities in Congress. From introducing the STOP Screwworms Act to leading funding efforts through my seat on the House Appropriations Committee, I am determined to do everything possible to eliminate this deadly parasite,” said Congressman Tony Gonzales.  

  “We do not take lightly the threat NWS poses to our livestock industry, our economy, and our food supply chain,” Rollins said. “The United States government will use all resources at its disposal to push back NWS….We have the proven tools, strong domestic and international partnerships, and the grit needed to win this battle.”  

Continue reading “Texas leaders prepare to launch “fly dispersal” facility in South TX”

By Kayleen Holder
Editor
Local Wildlife Biologist Matt Reidy recorded getting 7.4 inches in 1 day, Thursday, June 12 in the Lytle area. That’s the biggest 1 day rain he has recorded in the past 13 years for that area. “The closest I have had to that kind of rain in a day was 4.35 inches in 2012,” Reidy said.
Local feed store operator, Fred Morales reports that “we did pretty well here in Devine” too.
“Everyone around Devine is sitting right at 6-7 inches in the past week. We got about a quarter of our annual rainfall, in 2 days. Most of it in 1 day,” Morales said, something he says is starting to seem like the “new normal.”
As far as farming goes, “it’s late for corn and row crops, and early for peanuts,” Morales noted. “But it’s going to be great for our pastures and our ponds. A lot of times, cattle ranchers struggle as much with keeping water in their ponds as much as they do grass in the pastures….It’s also great timing for our warm season grasses, which is predominately what we have around here.”
Between Devine and Castroville, another reader recorded between 5-6 inches. In the Black Creek area outside Devine, another reported getting up to 7 inches.
According to the SA Express News, they got over 6 inches of rain recorded at San Antonio International Airport on Thursday, which is according to them, the highest one-day rainfall total since 2013. In addition, KSAT reports it’s also San Antonio’s 10th highest daily rain total of ALL TIME (with records beginning in 1880s).
Water rose quickly, and 15 vehicles were swept away from the Loop 410 and Perrin Beitel access road into the creek below, according to SAFD. The death toll of flooding in Bexar County rose to 13 as of Monday.

Natalia Volunteer firefighters responded to the scene of a horrible accident Friday, June 13 around 8:55 pm. The young man driving a Hondo Civic crashed into the guardrail on FM 1343 between Devine and Castroville, right after the S curve past Custom Refinishing.
When first responders arrived, bystanders had already pulled the young man out of the vehicle. Air life was too far out, so he was transported by EMS to University Hospital with serious injuries.
“The cabin of the car was full of smoke, and they thought it…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!

By Kathleen Calame
Publisher
A Houston based developer, ANLARR, is proposing to build a 100 tiny home gated community in Devine on about 19 acres on Highway 173 between to WOG and O’Reilly’s/ Walmart. area
Rahul Reddy, ANLARR Project Manager, presented the proposal to the Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday night and then to the City Council the next night on Tuesday.
Many answers to questions are being sought on both sides, from the city and the developer as this is in the preliminary stages.
Several feasibility studies need to be done including some by TxDOT.
City Administrator David Jordan suggested to the committee and council, “Give me your questions and we will send them to the developer and meet again in two weeks”.
City Planner Brandon Melland presented the council with a suggested ordinance that would cover special projects like this that come up, called a “PD District.” A PD District is adaptable to the unique needs of each project, he explained.
“For example twenty years ago tiny homes weren’t a thing so not covered by the ordinances you have. A PD District gives the council flexibility”.
Studies have shown there are both advantages and disadvantages to the creation of special districts like this.
In addition, the project would be a gated community, with amenities available to people who live in it. The 100 Devine Tiny Homes Community would include key fob gates, a small park/ play area, tennis court, gazebo with picnic tables, tiny swimming pool, vegetable garden, walking trails, and detention ponds.
The tiny homes have a maximum of 399 square feet of living space, plus a porch, small yard, and a drive way.
The homes would be sold to customers on payments at $1,200 to $1,300 per month for 20 years. The land underneath would be leased and included in the loan. If homeowners decided to move their tiny homes that is a possibility if the debt is paid up, rent to own.
“This is the first tiny home project, but I’ve built apartments, schools and hotels. Projects in Live Oak, Schertz, and mostly in Houston,” said Reddy. “We want to be in a community that needs and supports our vision”.

By Anton Riecher
For the month of May, ESD4 ambulances responded to 209 emergency runs, reported Allegiance Mobile Health Care District Chief Patrick Boucier during his report to the ESD 4 board of commissioners June 11.
Of those runs, 58 were within Devine city limits, 27 within Natalia city limits and 122 made to unincorporated areas of the district.
At least 11 calls were made from Moore and another two from Pearsall. Only two mutual aid calls were made from ESD4 to other adjoining ambulance districts, Bourcier said.
Of the total calls reported, 142 patients were transported to hospitals. Sixty-seven runs did not result in a patient transport. Ten calls were cancelled before the ambulance reached the scene, and six involved welfare checks.
Medina County emergency service dispatch reported 230 calls to ESD4 units for the same period, Bourcier stated.
“I went through these reports,” he said. “They are a little confusing but I went ahead and added the numbers anyway. I’ll get clarification later.”
Terms and definitions can be the determining factor in the statistical breakdown of monthly runs made by the Medina County Emergency Services District 4 ambulance service.
For example, the difference between a response to a reported fall or to assist a patient transferring from a wheelchair to a bed can be important, said Boucier.
Patients wary of the expense of a hospital visit tend to choose their words carefully when calling for help, Bourcier said.
“We consider a fall an injury, but the call comes in ‘I need a lift assist,’” Bourcier said. “They want to get up off the floor and be put back in their chair. That sounds simple enough but y’all know that normally when we fall, especially when we are elderly, we usually break something.”
In elderly patients, the nervous system does not always process pain the way one would expect, he said.
“Things can be broken and they don’t feel it at the time,” Bourcier said. “So we try to treat these patients not as a lift assist but as a true fall.”
Allegiance Regional Vice President Amanda Baum, on hand for the board meeting, noted that personnel are trained to use a fall check list that asks questions such as “Are you high risk?” and “Did you mean to be where you are?”
“If you’re in your wheelchair and you need help to get in bed, that is a lift assist,” Baum said. “If you meant to be in bed and you’re on the floor that is not a lift assist – that’s a fall.”
The quorum for the meeting consisted of board president Steve Smith and commissioners Patrick DuBose and Tony Martin. Board commissioner Jerry Beck was absent. Due to Beck’s absence, no progress was reported on the Natalia substation project.
One board seat remains unfilled in the wake of Juan Zamora’s recent resignation. It was the first board meeting in the wake of ESD4 EMS Director, Jason Miller’s, untimely death.
Smith briefly outlined his plans to transition the district’s computer operations to its own server rather than storing data remotely, accessing it through a third-party provider.
“It’s going to be ours and we will have sovereignty of that,” Smith said. “It’s not going to be in the cloud on someone else’s computer.”
He also laid out strategy for future development in the district, broken down into three key components – operational, financial and personnel. Long term, the district should be looking at opening one or two new substations within the next three to five years.
“What does that mean for us?” Smith said. “That means we have to look at statistics from the data being collected.”
It also means taking a hard look at the money available for this future expansion, he said.
Smith also noted that work was needed on the contract relationship between ESD4 and Allegiance Mobile Health.
“We were in the process of developing the contract compliance program and we have not implemented the quarterly contract review,” Smith said.
Smith said he wants to meet with Bourcier and Allegiance management to “tweek” the contract to make sure both sides are getting what is being asked for.
No action was taken by the board following a closed executive session to discuss personnel and property acquisition, Smith said.