Newspaper/Media 
Editor‘s note: Leader-News staff updated this story at 8:30 a.m. July 13 to clarify Mariano Pargas Jr. did not win reelection. Uvalde County Commissioner Roy M. Kothmann proposed lowering commissioner pay to $25,000, down by $7,407.45 from their current salary of $32,407.45, at a July 8 budget workshop. Kothmann, the newest member of the governing body with about 19 months experience, […]
UCAD losing $1 million from HB9
A new state law will cost local taxing entities about $1.14 million in property tax revenue, Uvalde County Chief Appraiser Roberto Valdez told the appraisal district’s board in June. House Bill 9, signed into law in 2025, raised the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $125,000 effective Jan. 1. Appraisal district board members have anticipated losses since April, […]
Trial date set for alleged courthouse arsonist
John Aubrey Field, the Camp Wood man accused of setting the Uvalde courthouse aflame nearly three years ago, is set to stand trial Jan. 25, 2027. In the early hours of Aug. 9, 2023, Uvalde law enforcement responded to a report of flames emerging from the windows of the 100-year-old courthouse. Nobody was injured, but the fire significantly damaged tax […]
El Progreso must raise $1.4 million by August 19
El Progreso Memorial Library must raise $1.4 million by Aug. 19 or risk losing a Mabee Foundation grant, and director Tammie Sinclair is calling on the community for help. In May 2025, the Mabee Foundation agreed to donate $600K to the library’s capital campaign fund if over 40 percent of the $5.9 million fundraising goal was met — but government-issued […]
Pilot’s widow suing helicopter companies
NTSB has not published final report on 2025 helicopter crash that killed twoJudge Kelley Kimble set a hearing August 12 in a $1 million civil suit filed May 15 in 38th Judicial District Court by Maci Robertson against Holt Helicopters Inc and Heli Tech LLC. Robertson is the wife of helicopter pilot Garrett Robertson, 31, who died in the Feb. 27, 2025, crash off U.S. Highway 90 in Kinney County. She is […]
Legislature cuts SWTX budget by $3 million
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board slashed Southwest Texas College’s funding this year by $2.9 million despite the school performing better, and the cuts will “undoubtedly impact services and programs,” according to president Hector Gonzales. The board released its funding estimates June 10 for all Texas community colleges. This year’s allocation fell by 6.5 percent across the board, and brought […]
Border committee holding transmission line meeting
FREEA representative of CPS Energy will answer questions from the Border Sub-Regional Planning Commission at 6 p.m. July 16 at the William R. Mitchell Uvalde County Fairplex, including how the Howard Solstice Transmission Line might affect the environment or the private property owners’ rights. The commission includes members of governing bodies in Sabinal and Uvalde. It is a sub-regional planning […]
Utopia meeting to cover water, transmission line
FREEThe Bandera County River Authority & Groundwater District and the Hill Country Preservation Coalition will discuss water resources and flood warning systems July 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The entities will also provide a brief update on the proposed Howard Solstice Transmission Line. The meeting will be held at The Blue Flame at 282 Main Street in Utopia.
CHDI offering free shoes, school supplies
FREECommunity children can get a free pair of sneakers, immunizations, and school supplies at Community Health Development Inc.’s 26th-annual Wellness Fair. The event is set from 4 to 7 p.m. on Aug. 7 at the Willie de Leon Civic Center. Children can choose from over 1,000 pairs of sneakers. The fair will also offer dental screenings, backpacks, health education and […]
Utopia rodeo draws crowd, generational riders
The Sabinal Canyon citizens have been reflecting on two great weekends in our little community following the big rodeo and a fabulous celebration of America 250 on July 4. The 139th rodeo weekend drew good crowds for the bull riding and the open rodeo as well as the EMS-VFD barbecue. For those of you who have attended the Utopia Rodeo […]
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