Wilson County News

Attendees respond to questions about higher fly populations June 18, at a workshop in Panna Maria on the New World screwworm, hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension offices in Karnes and Wilson counties. The standing-room-only event drew approximately 500 participants to the Panna Maria Hall, based on an estimate by the Karnes County Extension Office. See more photos on page 13A, and learn mor...

The Tiner-Hendrick House, a historic home in the Sutherland Springs area, has a new home! On Friday, May 29, the house made its way from the field in front of the old oak tree at its old location to its new place to stand, on F.M. 539 near the Polley Mansion, also known as Whitehall. It is appropriate that the house stands here, because Connie Findley Tiner was the granddaughter of Joseph Henry Po...

On June 18, East Central Independent School District (ISD) Superintendent Roland Toscano was surprised by representatives from Education Service Center Region 20 with the news that he had been named the 2026 Region 20 Superintendent of the Year. As the announcement was made, family members, friends, school board members, colleagues, and district staff filled the room to celebrate a leader whose li...

Family members of the late Octavian Estrada award three Floresville High School students with the Octavian Estrada “I Got You” Memorial Scholarship May 4. Pictured are (l-r) Octavian’s niece, Carolena Estrada, with scholarship recipients Natalie Valdez, James Marlow, and Madison B. Harden, alongside Octavian’s nephews, Marcus Estrada Jr. and Ryan Estrada. Octavian “Tave” Estrada, a beloved Floresv...

Members of the Floresville Chamber of Commerce name The Autism Therapy Group as the chamber’s Business of the Month for June. The therapy group has a location in Universal City and also offers in-home services in San Antonio and the surrounding areas. For more information, visit www.atgtogether.com. Article Link

The Wilson County Commissioners Court (front) gets a visit June 8 from the Floresville Peanut Festival Association’s 82nd “Court of Confectionery Creations,” including Princess-elect Amariah Ruiz (back l-r), First Runner-up Princess-elect Chloe Ascencio, Queen-elect Nicole Pfeil, King-elect Cooper Wehe, Princess-elect Brinley Baggs, Prince-elect Ryan Bray, Princess-elect Mckenzie Sefcik, Prince-el...

When you see the head man at H-E-B in Floresville straightening the shelves, you know store Manager Richard Bray is a real team player! Article Link

Rural counties trying to slow or even block data center construction are finding they have limited legal authority, the Texas Standard reported. Hill County, for example, rescinded a one-year moratorium on data center construction after being sued for 0 million by a company planning a large-scale data center project near Hillsboro. RCM Hill argued that the county lacked the legal authority to impo...

In observance of Independence Day on Saturday, July 4, city halls will be closed on Friday, July 3, in Elmendorf, Floresville, Poth, and Stockdale. La Vernia City Hall will be closed on Monday, July 6. All Wilson County offices will be closed on Friday, July 3. The Wilson County Collections Facility will close on Saturday, July 4, and remain closed until Tuesday, July 7. Additionally, all Wilson C...

The board of directors of the Nixon Hospital District gathered June 19 to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new 3,500-square-foot medical clinic for the Nixon Hospital District, marking a significant investment in the future of healthcare for the Nixon area. The ceremonial groundbreaking highlighted the district’s commitment to expanding access to quality medical services for local residents, alon...

The Floresville and Stockdale school districts will host public meetings this week to adopt their 2026-27 budgets. These meetings are open to the public. The meetings present taxpayers with an opportunity to see what local taxing entities plan to spend tax revenue on in the coming fiscal year, and the proposed tax rates to support the budgets. Upcoming hearings include: •Stockdale Independent Scho...

What or where (WOW) is this? The first correct guess drawn Monday, July 13, will win a prize package that includes a one-year subscription. Send entries — including your name, hometown, and a daytime telephone number — to WOW!, Wilson County News, 1012 C St., Floresville, TX 78114, or email reader@lavernianews.com, putting WOW in the subject line. Entries must be received by 9 a.m. on Monday, July...

COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M Forest Service recently approved .3 million in funding for grants to Texas volunteer fire departments through the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program. Three area departments are among the 531 grant recipients. China Grove Fire & Rescue and the New Berlin Volunteer Fire Department each will receive ,000, allocated toward fire and rescue equipment....

Dear Dave, My husband and I are debt-free, including our home. My husband is a great guy, and a talented man, but he’s also a bit of a dreamer sometimes. He has written three or four novels that haven’t been accepted by publishers. He feels he’s close to a breakthrough, and he asked me the other day about my thoughts on selling our home and living on the money we make so he can really concentrate,...

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 11, Jaylon R. Hellings, 24, was arrested on U.S. 181 and charged with failure to identify as a fugitive by giving false or fictitious information. Flore...

The following defendants were among those listed on recent dockets for the 81st District Court in Wilson County: •Christopher W. Jonsson, 41, of La Vernia was originally sentenced in November 2023 to 10 years in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility, suspended to 10 years of community supervision, for two charges of arson from an alleged incident in September 2022. After a May 27 motion...

Open your heart to a homeless dog or cat June 27 at an adoption event presented by Wilson County Adoption & Rescue Services. The Saturday event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1350 Hospital Blvd. in Floresville in partnership with Wilson County Emergency Services Districts 4 and 5. Between six and 10 dogs and between four and eight cats will be available for adoption. All animals will...

My dad used to carry around a frayed knot in his pocket, just an old tied-up piece of rope. Then any time someone asked him something and the answer was, “no,” he would just pull out the frayed knot and say, “’fraid not!” and he would burst out laughing. Nobody else thought it was funny. Being a great father is like shaving. No matter how good you shaved today, you have to do it again tomorrow. De...

View WCN’s video coverage of these meetings online at wilsoncountynews.com/meeting-coverage/. Commissioners Court, June 22 Wilson County Emergency Services District 1 (Eastern Wilson County) Meeting: Regular meeting, June 19, 8:32 a.m. to 1 p.m. Actions: •Approved minutes of the April 10 and May 8 regular meetings, and district financials •Approved to appoint Wilson County Tax Assessor-Collector D...

“Why not you?” These are the three words that Dareion Murphy carries with him wherever he goes in life. Dareion, Floresville High School class of 2022, walked the stage May 26 as a graduate of Princeton University in New Jersey. Dareion’s father, Rex, spoke these three words to him throughout difficult moments of his life; the words propelled Dareion throughout his youth and toward his journey to...

On May 28, the Wilson County Extension Master Gardeners (WCEMG) celebrated the program’s newest certified Extension Master Gardener, Marissa Carlton! There was also a phenomenal special presentation on urban farming and self-sustaining ecosystems by the Urban Ag Renaissance after the monthly meeting. The group’s next monthly meeting and presentation will be on Thursday, June 25, from 6-7:30 p.m. a...

Article Link

What cruel irony that we learned last week that Social Security is going broke even sooner than we thought. The Social Security trust fund will be exhausted in 2032, according to the latest Trustees Report. How odd that it is even referred to as a “trust fund,” because there is no trust, and there is no fund. Because of the Ponzi scheme structure of Social Security that only works if you have more...

In a new interview this week, Hillary Clinton identified the key decision that resulted in President Donald Trump’s election in 2024. It all boiled down, in her view, to a “terrible miscalculation” — former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s decision to run for re-election. Mr. Biden made a “terrible mistake for himself, his legacy and for the country” in deciding to seek re-election at the age of 81...

Editor: Re: Letter, “Please elaborate on Talarico’s platform,” June 17 It’s the reader’s responsibility to educate themselves on the political candidates and their positions on the various issues. If you don’t want to vote for Talarico, then don’t. But it’s not Mr. Yingst’s responsibility to educate you on Talarico’s qualifications. Mr. Yingst was merely expressing his opinion, as is his right, ju...