The 2025 Natalia Bluebonnet Parade & Festival will be held Saturday, March 29, 2025 in downtown Natalia. The yearly festival is the major fundraiser for the Natalia Veteran’s Memorial Library. We are still accepting food/craft vendors and parade registrations.
In addition, we are also seeking sponsorship. For updated information on music, schedule of events and more please visit the website at nataliabluebonnetfestival.com, facebook page, stop by the library at 501 Third Street or call Amy Edge at 210-213-1990.
STATE QUALIFIERS PICTURED ABOVE: On the far left, is the Best Mayor” Documentary Production Team: Joseph Garcia, Alexa Leal, Miriam Armas, Madison Prather, Romana Perez, Caleb Morton, Jeffrey Vargas and Giovanni Mosqueda. NOT PICTURED: Aylin Casas and Aryana Reyes Snakes animation video Ashley Trevino (middle) “He Will Continue to Serve” Production Team (right): Alexa Leal, Miriam Armas, Alieha Rodriguez, Kaelyn Vega, Isaiah Leven, Joseph Garcia, NOT PICTURED: Valentina Ayala. Photoa by L Migura. FULL STORY INSIDE!
It’s official: Lytle High School is an AWARD-WINNING video production program. With hundreds of films to compete against each year, students have had ten documentaries place in the TOP SIX in the State UIL Young Filmmakers competition, since its inception in 2014. And, in February 2023 and 2024, Lytle won back-to-back UIL State Championship honors. Lytle filmmakers will compete at the UIL Young Filmmakers State Competition again on February 26 in Austin.
Give blood and get rewarded! Donate Blood on February 22nd from 10 am to 3 pm at 2078 State Hwy. 132 N, Natalia and score a Visa Gift Card as a thank you for your lifesaving contribution. The Blood Bank is sending out two mobile units – one for Platelets and the Bloodmobile. To schedule online take a picture of the QR code and it will take you to registration. The Blood Drive will benefit Scott. Scott and his family moved to Pleasanton to be in their forever home.
By Kayleen Holder Editor If the wonderful story shared by the Martinez family this week inspired you, we wanted to let you know that a 10-year-old little girl in Lytle will soon be on the waiting list for a living kidney donation. Alessa Nino is a 4th grader at Lytle ISD. In fact she was seeing her kidney doctor for a check-up as we were going to press. “When she got the flu her kidney function dropped from 22% to %15. Anything lower and she will need the transplant,” her mom said in an update this Tuesday. Because dialysis would be extremely traumatic for a child her age, her medical team is hoping to find a person who is a match for Alessa who is willing to donate a kidney to Alessa when the time comes. “The goal is to go straight to transplant with no dialysis, so we need to have someone on standby when it’s time,” her mom adds. “And if we can find a living donor with blood type B the kidney can last up to 30 years.”
By Anton Riecher During the Lytle City Council meeting Monday Mayor Ruben Gonzalez addressed the most recent boil notice issued for city water Jan. 30 when pressure dropped during repair work on a six-inch water line. “We want to make sure people are aware of what’s going on and what has actually occurred up to this point,” Gonzalez said. The boil notice, which was not rescinded until Feb. 3, was required by the Texas Commission on Environment Quality because pressure throughout the water system dropped below 20 pounds per square inch, City Administrator Zachary Meadows reported. “We started the repair and it kind of went south,” Meadows said. “Unfortunately, we lost the pressure in our system.” Most of the complaints regarding the boil notice were made via social media rather than calls to city hall, Meadows said. The few calls received were mainly to inquire as to when the boil notice would be lifted. District 4 Alderman Michael Rodriguez thanked Gonzalez for taking an active role by means of social media to keep the public informed and respond to questions during the emergency. Gonzalez said the repair was one of nearly 21 longstanding repair projects outlined for public works in recent months. Some of the long neglected projects go back as far as a dozen years. To continue reading login to www.devinenewsmembers.com
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All members of the City of Devine Council (with the exception of Debbie Randall) voted to release details of a confidential report given to the city council back in 2019 by City Attorney Tom Cate who was hired to provide facts and give his professional opinion on the possible Golf Course management agreement with Scott and Shirl Grego. His recommendation of “Do not enter into the proposed golf course management with Scott and Shirl Grego…they do not have the qualifications needed to make the golf course a viable financial project” was ignored by the sitting council who voted 2-2 to give it to the Gregos, with Mayor Cory Thompson throwing the tie breaker vote to 3-2. It was a Debbie Randall- Jennifer Schott motion on November 21, 2019 to give SG Golf Management the contract. David Espinosa and Steve Lopez voted against it. At the time the District 1 seat was vacant.
By Matthew “Moose” Lopez Staff writer Ten years ago, Marcos Martinez came home for lunch just like any other day. His mother called him into the room and broke down when she told him her kidneys were failing and she needed to start dialysis. “My first question was ‘What do we need to do?’said Marcos, who was still in high school at the time. Fast forward ten years later, and February 11, 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the day Elvia Martinez, 60, received the “gift of life” from her son Marcos, now 28. It was a full circle moment because her son to whom she gave life, was saving her own. Marcos was still in high school at the time. “He’s my hero,” Elvia said. “He was young when he gave that kidney and to see him as a man now…the love he gave me is something I could never let him know how much I appreciate it.” Elvia said when she was first told about her kidney failure she was horrified. At her wits end with dialysis, Elvia was suffering so much she was losing the will to live.
Her children immediately got tested to see if they were a match for their mother rather than wait on the transplant list, as it can take an average of three to five years to find a donor. Three of her children were a match but it was Marcos who had the procedure. At the time, Marcos’ brother just had his first son and his sister was new mom. “I didn’t want anything to happen to them and leave their kids behind,” Marcos said. Marcos said the process leading up to the procedure was “overwhelming.” His mother was on dialysis for over a year. And the family would set up her machine every night before bed and accompany Elvia to every appointment. However, regardless of how tedious the process was, with his family supporting them, Marcos was steadfast in his decision to go through with the donation. “I was more scared of losing my mom than scared of something going wrong with the surgery with me,” he said. Mrs. Martinez had lost her eyesight in the months leading up to the operation. When Marcos woke up in recovery after a successful operation, his mother exclaimed that her vision had returned. “As soon as woke that’s all I heard was ‘Marcos I can see you! I can see you!’” It only lasted one day, but to be able to see her entire family for that one day holds a special memory in their hearts.
The court in the DSAC building will now be officially known as “Sessions Court” in recognition of the family’s exceptional contributions to Devine ISD and the community. In December, the DISD Board of Trustees approved the name change, acknowledging the Sessions family’s decades of service. From teaching and coaching to volunteering as scorekeepers and bus drivers, Don, Gayle, Neva, and Jim Sessions have given more than 108 years of dedicated service to the district. Coach Paul Gomez commented, “What a wonderful dedication for a family that has positively influenced so many. You just felt such a great presence in the DSAC last night! Jim, I know you were so proud of our Arabians and Warhorses. They played with such passion and heart for you last night brother! It was an awesome environment!” “Gayle and Jim were the only two members of the Sessions family to coach basketball, amassing an estimated 1,800 victories in the sport alone. They also coached other sports, while Don and Neva were math teachers at DHS, and always present at games. This dedication is a testament to their devotion to both the district and the community,” Dr. Todd Grandjean said. The renaming of Sessions Court will serve as a reminder of the legacy left by the Sessions family, inspiring future generations of Arabians and Warhorses. The court will stand as a symbol of the family values that DISD cherishes: integrity, respect, and a commitment to excellence.
