Report For America

Emergency responders transported three additional young passengers to Uvalde Memorial Hospital for treatment. The 12-year-old driver died at the scene.

After leading Uvalde’s school district through the aftermath of the 2022 Robb Elementary shooting, a series of budget cuts and an academic overhaul, superintendent Ashley Chohlis knew it was time to go. She said a good leader can recognize when they’ve taken a community as far as they’ll follow. “I took the hit and did a lot of hard things, […]

On a warm, balmy evening on the Uvalde Methodist Church lawn, elementary schoolers filed in line behind police units, each clamoring for a turn to haul their box of stuffed animals into the officers’ trunks. “We’re donating little stuffies to people who don’t really have a home or anything, and they’re just lonely. They need a little friend,” John Garza, […]

A federal judge sentenced Kenneth Mulkey, a former Sabinal Independent School District teacher and coach, to 30 years in prison on April 1 for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor after he sent lewd Snapchats to a police officer he thought was a 14-year-old boy. Mulkey pled guilty to the charges on Aug. 11. Sentencing guidelines for the crime […]

Uvalde High School student Alicia Teague earned first-place honors in news writing, feature writing, copy editing, editorial writing and headline writing March 25-26 at University Interscholastic League academic competition in Floresville, making a significant contribution to the 36 medals Uvaldeans brought home. Uvalde placed third overall in the district-level competition, and its teams also earned first place in literary criticism […]

In February, 7-year-old Calliope Puente returned to school at Dalton Elementary for the first time in six months. Her parents say it shouldn’t have taken three school board meetings, two conferences with the superintendent and a run-in with the police to get her there. Calliope has gastroparesis, a condition which causes paralysis of the stomach muscles, and a genetic mutation […]

About 229 students in the Uvalde area have applied for Texas’ new private school voucher program ahead of the March 31 deadline, although data doesn’t indicate if those applicants are currently enrolled in private or public school. Texas Education Freedom Accounts will provide $10,474 for students who enroll in private schools next year, and up to $30,000 for those who […]

Uvalde’s school board approved Juan Hinojosa’s interim superintendent agreement on March 23, ushering in a new era of administrative leadership for the beleaguered district. Hinojosa, Ed.D., returns to Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District from a 10-year stint at Harlandale ISD in San Antonio, where he served as executive director of operations. He’s also worked as a football coach and athletic […]

Two individuals were transported to San Antonio for medical treatment after colliding on U.S. Highway 90 West in front of the Southwest Texas Livestock Exchange around 4:30 p.m. March 24. According to the Department of Public Safety, the driver of a 2018 Silver Ford F250 truck was traveling west, and unsafely turned left from the center lane into the Livestock […]

Uvalde’s school board voted to not spend $6 million replacing nearly all of their school buses at a March 23 meeting, leaving trustees laughing at the unrealistic scope of the request. “Madam board president, I make a motion that we do not purchase 37 new school buses,” trustee Robert Quinones said. “Are you sure?” board member Jaclyn Gonzales quipped back. […]