Wilson County News

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The State Board of Education gave final approval last week to a new required reading list for every grade level and also passed a rewrite of the state’s social studies requirements for kindergarten to eighth grade, the Austin American-Statesman reported. Both plans include Biblical concepts, essentially making the state the first in the nation to mandate the teaching of Christianity in public scho...

A two-vehicle crash on June 12 in which both drivers died was caused by a driver who was “fatigued or asleep” and drove the wrong way on U.S. 181 north of Floresville, according to the final crash report issued by the Texas Department of Transportation. According to the report, at approximately 9:20 a.m. that morning, Wayne Earl Christiansen, 53, was driving a 2006 Dodge Ram pickup truck, travelin...

A Wilson County man has been arrested after walking completely naked along U.S. 181 South in Poth. At approximately 12:24 a.m. on June 26, the Poth Police Department received a report of a man walking naked along U.S. 181 South near Live Oak Street. Officer Mark Guerra located the individual, who appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance. The individual — identified as Roy Marroqu...

The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office invites the public’s assistance in an active homicide investigation. On June 21, at approximately 6:02 p.m., deputies responded to the 12200 block of U.S. 181 S., near Foster Road in southern Bexar County, for a report of an injured male. Deputies located an adult male — identified as David Verdecanna, 60 — at the address, deceased from multiple gunshot wounds. An...

Area law-enforcement agencies have reported the following recent activity: Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested and charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt. Department of Public Safety •June 20, Ernest M. Gonzales, 19, of Stockdale was arrested at the intersection of S.H. 123 and Main Street in Stockdale and charged with possession of betwee...

The following defendant was among those listed on recent dockets for the 81st District Court in Wilson County: •Jose Escobedo, 63, of Floresville pleaded nolo contendere (no contest) June 1 to a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, after an alleged incident in April 2023. He was sentenced to three years in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility and ordered to pay court costs...

A memorandum of understanding was approved between Wilson County and CASA of South Texas (Court Appointed Special Advocates), not the Children’s Alliance of South Texas-A Child Advocacy Center, as stated in the Wilson County Commissioners Court “Meeting Watch” in the June 24 issue of the Wilson County News. Readers can alert the Wilson County News to any errors in news articles by emailing nkilbey...

John Claypool shares this story in “Leadership” Vol. 12, No.1: “Winston Churchill had planned his funeral, which took place in St. Paul’s Cathedral. He included many of the great hymns of the Catholic church and used the eloquent Anglican liturgy. At his direction, a bugler, positioned high in the dome of St, Paul’s, intoned, after the benediction, the sound of ‘Taps’ — the universal signal that s...

Nine years after a war injury changed his life completely, a local veteran and amputee has rediscovered his purpose through the power and healing of adaptive sports. Retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Andrew May of La Vernia was one of the 200 service members to compete in the 2026 Warrior Games in San Antonio, showcasing resiliency and athleticism following service-related injury. May, a North Carolina...

Men of Elm Creek Baptist Church near La Vernia lay their hands on Bryan Van Pelt in prayer June 28, as he is installed as the church’s new pastor. The church’s former pastor, Michael Insley, passed away last September. Learn more about Pastor Van Pelt in a coming issue of the Wilson County News. Article Link

WCN “Meeting Watches” present highlights from recent meetings of some area entities; not all entities, or their actions or discussions, are included here. Floresville City Council Meeting: Regular meeting, June 25, 6-8:02 p.m.; public hearing 6:08-6:10 p.m. Actions: •Tabled the May 28 meeting minutes to consider items to be corrected •Approved a proclamation declaring July as Parks and Recreation...

What does being an American mean to you? Why are you proud to be an American? What do you think are the best things about our country? As our nation prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we want to know from our readers what makes the United States of America so special! Respond to one of the questions above and send us your thoughts — maxim...

Not all the men who rendered the greatest services to Independence were delegates in Congress in July, 1776. The Declaration was not signed by all who voted for it, nor were all who signed it members of Congress when it was adopted. It wasn’t until Aug. 2 that most of the signatures were attached. One, that of Thomas McKean, present on July 4 but not on Aug. 2, was not added until 1781, although p...

Celebrate America’s 250th birthday by hearing a live reading of the Declaration of Independence on Saturday, July 4, at 9 a.m. at the Schley Avenue Veterans Memorial, 1045 Schley Ave., in San Antonio. A “messenger from Philadelphia,” donned in American Revolution-era attire, will deliver a reading of the historical document in the small park surrounding the memorial. This short annual event, spons...

Do you have an interest in what students learn in your school district, or how the district is run? Now’s your chance to serve! The East Central and Floresville independent school districts (ISD) will hold elections for school board trustees in November. The filing period to secure a place on the Nov. 3 ballot will open Saturday, July 18, and closes Monday, Aug. 17. Generally, to be eligible to se...

Dear Dave, My fiancée and I are getting married in a few months. Everything seems great between us, except when it comes to money and finances. She’s not a big spender, but not long after we got engaged, she said she wants me to manage the money and make all the financial decisions. It seems to me that married couples should make decisions together. Do you have any advice on how I should approach...

One way our nation’s most “prestigious” newspapers show they’re Democrat Party propaganda sheets is when their fashion critics apply all of their tawdry partisan biases to their evaluations of the clothes of politicians (or their spouses). Robin Givhan of The Washington Post was a transparent Democrat, and so is Vanessa Friedman of The New York Times. A white pantsuit worn by Hillary Clinton, as w...

The little girl had to go to the bathroom. They went into the cafe, one of a small chain, and the barista was happy to help. The father, who wasn’t really thirsty, bought a cup of coffee anyway and added a tip to thank her. A few hours later, a picture of the man, apparently taken from the store’s surveillance camera, appeared in an Instagram post reportedly written by the shop’s owner. The messag...

Editor: Re: “More decent, honest public servants,” June 10 My goodness, I have never seen as many falsehoods in one article as this one contains. You recognize them, just as I do, so I won’t pick at them. The author does a good job of establishing his position. There is one item the author and I could agree on in the last paragraph — “We need more decent, honest, and law-abiding public servants, w...

Editor: The world was safer with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) intact. The current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is essentially an attempt to rebuild a floor that already existed and worked before it was dismantled by Trump. The 2015 JCPOA was a multilateral, highly detailed nuclear accord with strict enrichment caps, centrifuge limits, uranium stockpile reductions, and robust...

Editor: The Texas Farm Bureau appreciates U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Nutrition Chairman John Boozman and his staff for their leadership on the “Agriculture Act of 2026” and their continued work to move this critical legislation forward. Farmers and ranchers have waited far too long for a full, five-year farm bill, and Congress must deliver certainty as producers face a toug...

Editor: Re: Letter, “Voting for Paxton? Really?,” June 24 SMSgt. Caballero, you are right that voters should educate themselves. With that in mind, here is a closer look at Mr. James Talarico’s positions. •Public education — Mr. Talarico opposes school choice and supports giving teachers greater authority in the classroom, often above parental preferences. His record and statements reflect this st...

Editor: Our Constitution begins with “we,” not “me.” On this our 250th birth of our country, our citizens should realize that from the very beginning our country was all about “we,” fighting to rid ourselves of a “me.” May God bless our United States on this Fourth of July. NELL LYSSYPoth Article Link

This year, our country celebrates 250 years of independence, and celebrations large and small are taking place across the United States to mark this significant birthday with Fourth of July parties, parades, festivals, and fireworks. But you don’t have to travel to Washington, D.C., or anywhere else to celebrate. You can join the celebrations right here at home! Floresville The city of Floresville...