Area News

Former administrator returns as assistant Less than a year after he retired from full-time service as administrator for the city of Cotulla, Larry Dovalina has been hired as the assistant to his successor, David Wright. The decision by the city council came Thursday evening, February 8, in a split vote that followed an hour of…

Audit still underway as Cotulla looks to earn over $1M from hotel bookings this year A Houston-based company has been contracted by the city of Cotulla to conduct an audit of the municipal tax payments made by hotels and motels in the community and to determine whether all have met their dues. In a brief…

Environmental studies nearly complete; construction begins in 2025 A San Antonio-based company announced this week that it is set to begin construction in 2025 on a solar farm in southeastern La Salle County, offering employment for installers before generating 500 megawatts of electricity for the regional power grid. The OCI company, owned by OCI Holdings…

The second in a series of three public forums hosted by the Cotulla – La Salle County Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, February 13, will include candidates running for the office of county sheriff in the March 5 primaries and in the November general election. The forum will be held at 6 p.m. in the…

Zertuche seeks re-election as sheriff La Salle County Sheriff Anthony “Tony” Zertuche has announced his bid for re-election in the March 5 primary for the Democratic Party. Zertuche is a life-long resident of La Salle County and has over 20 years of law enforcement experience. He holds an Advanced TCOLE peace officer license. Sheriff Zertuche…

COUNTY ARRESTS Seventeen individuals were arrested in La Salle County over the past two weeks on a range of felony and misdemeanor charges as well as on warrants issued locally and in other jurisdictions. Arrests were made by deputies of the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office, officers of the Encinal Police Department, and county constables.…

District Attorney Audrey Louis’ office will host a Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) in Frio and La Salle counties this month as part of an effort to provide civilians with education and defense tactics in the event of an active shooter scenario. According to instructor Harry Jimenez of HJ Security Solutions, the average…

Pedro O. “Peter” Salinas is announcing his candidacy for Sheriff of Frio County. Salinas is a lifelong resident of Frio County, the son of the late Roger and Eliva Villarreal Salinas of Pearsall, and is married to Erica Garcia Salinas, daughter of Jesse ‘Tute’ Garcia and Maria ‘Connie’ Garcia of Dilley. Salinas brings over 23…

The Texas Department of Public Safety has taken over an investigation into the circumstances surrounding an apparent accident on a residential street in Cotulla last week in which a two-year-old child was run over by a car. Emergency responders were dispatched to an address between SW Lane Street and Orosco Road shortly before 4 p.m.…

Public notice published with errors? Although Cotulla Mayor Javier Garcia told a local resident on Thursday last week that he feels sorry she was erroneously targeted for a nuisance citation, the city council has stopped short of offering a formal apology. Jacqueline Barraza addressed the city council at its meeting in the AB Alexander Convention…