Press Release from Uvalde CISD

08-25-26

This week, UCISD campuses will be hosting Open House events for  families.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday, August 28, is a student holiday and teacher
professional learning day, and it is also our first home football game
of the season.

 

 

 

Football tickets may be purchased online through our
Athletics website below.

https://athletics.ucisd.net/o/athletics

 

 

 

 

 

In addition, Uvalde CISD will be closed on Monday, September 7, in
observance of Labor Day.

 

Top Image Credit: By NBC – www.nbc.com/the-celebrity-apprentice, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54691286

Commentary by Michael Robinson: Uvalde Hesperian

08-22-26

  Prior to President Donald Trump’s ascension to the Presidency, Trump had a popular show called “The Apprentice.”    Mid-career businesspeople with some professional backgrounds were divided into teams and given a weekly business challenge.   Those that did not meet the goals of the challenge were bright into an executive board room and bluntly told, “You’re fired.”

The Apprentice in Real Life

  The US currently has two prominent groups of socioeconomic classes of people, the asset holders that accumulate passive income and those that trade their hourly work for a wage.  The Apprentice has both winners and losers. So does the U.S economy. 

 Years ago, I worked as an advertising sales representative for a classified newspaper Waco. I remember the sales manager telling me, “We have all the money in the world for winners; nothing for losers.”

Same Philosophy: Different Stage

  A short clip video is making its rounds on social media where President Donald Trump, during an interview on August 19th and 20th,  weighed in on current bond market pressure and put pressure on the Fed.

  In the clip, Trump said, “I see countries like Switzerland, where they have the No. 1 lowest interest rates, a half a percent, and we pay 3.5%.” In the President’s speech, he was comparing the Swiss Interest rate to near zero and contrasted it with the United States Federal Funds Rate at 3.5% to 3.75%.

According to a news report by Yahoo! Finance, it said, the federal funds rate still stands at a range of 3.5% to 3.75%. 

   In the clip Trump said, ““My point is, years ago, 25 years ago, when the country announced good numbers, interest rates went down because we had a stronger country,” Trump said. “Now, when we announce good numbers, the better they are, the worse it is for interest rates.” 

  Trump claimed that if the Fed would adjust the U.S Federal Funds Rate down, the US economy’s GDP would skyrocket. 

  He said, “We could have a GDP of 10 times that you know they say better they are the worst it is for interest rates so we could be we could have a GDP of 10 times that you know they say: Oh it’s gonna be three times or 4.1 we could have a GDP of 10 1215 times if they just leave us alone, let us let the rates go down.”

  The economy’s rule of thumb is if interest rates are lower it makes more sense for investors to spend money in the market than save or to invest the money. With more money being spent, rate means more dollars are chasing goods which often drives inflation, and the costs of goods up. 

  For investors, a higher interest it makes more sense to park money in an investment such as in real estate or an interest paying savings account instead of spending those dollars. 

  In the President’s speech, he implies the U.S. economy is good and with a lower interest rate the national economy would soar.

  Is the U.S economy good?

  Trump’s assumption is this: the U.S, economy is good and most people have money to spend or invest.

  For many regular, non-economist people, a presidential speech on U.S. interest rate is as boring as watching socks dry on a clothesline. 

The Rhetoric vs. the Mechanism:

The key take-away many working-class voters who support Trump likely heard, “lower the interest rate and grow the economy.” They are assuming with a robust U.S. economy all boats will rise. However, in an economy designed to extract money from the working class, “growing the economy” means inflating the assets that the ownership class holds.

  When Trump compares the United States economy to the Swiss economy, he is not talking about Swiss factory workers, he is talking about Swiss bankers and asset holders.

 The strong economy the President wants to supercharge is the portfolio economy, not the paycheck economy.

  Trump’s working-class voters heard “grow the economy” and thought jobs, wages, factories, me. But in the extraction economy, “growing the economy” means inflating the assets that the ownership class holds. When he compares U.S. rates to Switzerland’s, he’s not talking about Swiss factory workers. He’s talking about Swiss bankers and Swiss asset holders. 

  The guy they voted for to “fix it” is pushing policies that make the extraction run faster. 

  In the President’s world, the economic market has all the money in the world for winners; nothing for losers.

 

By Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian

08-26-26

The City of Uvalde City Council meeting on August 25th was live-streamed to the public. For one hour, 29 minutes and 18 seconds the video played without audio. The entire meeting lasted approximately two hours and 8 minutes.

After City of Uvalde Police Chief Homer Delgado finished addressing the council members, the first sound heard in the video was “ Thank you, Chief”

The entire City Council meeting lasted for 2 hours, 7 minutes and 31 seconds. After Chief DELGADO’s report to the Council, the governmental body approved three purchases for equipment for the Uvalde Police Department. Following those actions,

Uvalde Mayor Hector R. Luevano announced at 7:30PM the Council was convening into executive session. Following the executive session announcement, the live stream audio once again went silent as the video feed showed the following message “We’ll be right back!””

At the 2:05 time stamp of the video, the council returned to the council chamber and the live-stream audio was on again. Mayor Luevano announced “ At 8:04 PM, the council has reconvened back into regular session to consider action, if any on matters discussed in executive session.”

At 8:05PM the council adjourned.

Residents who could not attend in person—working parents, seniors, the disabled—were left watching silent footage of officials conducting public business.

Update from the publisher: I spoke with City of Uvalde Hector Luevano this morning, and he said that they are aware of the issue and after talking with the cities IT person they believe it was a network issue. He did say that the city has acquired some new AV equipment and they did test it out prior to the meeting last night.
They are taking the matter seriously to try to find ways to fix future problems.

 

 

Commentary by Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian

08-19-26

(Names are changed in the first story)

Back in the mid-1990’s, I worked at as a media sales representative at a classified newspaper in Waco. The internet was still in its infancy.  At the time, business communications relied on the landline telephone, fax machine and pager. Email was available but not widely accessible for sales reps like me. The owner of our local publication and sales manager each had a desktop computer with each with an email account. The production manager, Sarah, who had an office upstairs had her own computer with email.

In 1996, our sales manager, Bill and the publisher Charlie liked to email jokes and memes to each other. That was the extent of the company’s use of email. Over time, myself and the other sales reps started hearing from our customers: “Hey, can we just email over our ad material to you?”  One day, during our weekly Wednesday afternoon meeting, we asked Bill the sales manager if the company could provide a computer with email so the sales staff could receive emails from our customers. Bill said he’d ask the owner about it.

Several days went by and nothing more was said.

While meeting with the sales manager one day, I asked Bill, “Did you ask Charlie about having a sales computer for the sales staff to communicate with our customers?

Bill said. “I did. But Charles turned the idea down. He said, “Email is just for jokes.”

While email started as a novelty for many, enough people realized the serious business functions for which it could be used.

Facebook Origins:

Mark Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard University, developed a precursor to Facebook called Facemash

Zuckerberg accessed photos of female students and designed a site where users were shown pictures of two college-aged women and prompted to pick which one was better looking.Soon the application became popular on campus and additional colleges and university were added.

Facebook eventually did evolve into something more than an app college guys used to objectify female classmates and into a sophomoric “who’s hottest” contest.

Over the years, Facebook became a global social media platform, and Mark Zuckerberg became a billionaire. Yet. if you compare what email is used for in business and the content seen today on Facebook, email clearly went on to get its PhD and Facebook couldn’t help but return to the proverbial Junior High Boys P.E locker-room.

Because of the massive number of users Facebook has, many businesses including City and County governments, public school districts, government officials and law enforcement offices have chosen to make Facebook its primary way of communicating with the public. Press releases once sent directly to television and radio stations as well as traditional newspapers are just posted to Facebook. Now, traditional news outlets have reporters canvassing government Facebook pages looking for hand-me-down press releases.  Additionally, some local municipalities live-steam their public meetings to Facebook.

A Degraded Platform

City governments, school districts, sheriff’s departments—they all made the same calculation: It was free, it reached people, and it let them avoid the hard work of maintaining their own platforms, and their own professional standards. They traded institutional dignity for convenience, and now they’re the ones standing in the locker room wondering why the serious people left.

The sad part I don’t think they see the degradation. They think they’re being “accessible” and “modern.” They don’t realize they’ve made themselves indistinguishable from the noise.

Peter Pan built Neverland so he’d never have to grow up. Zuckerberg built Facebook so the entire internet could stay in the dorm room with him. Peter Pan gathered the Lost Boys—kids who never wanted rules, never wanted responsibility, never wanted to face the adult world. Zuckerberg gathered billions of users and told them the same thing: You never have to leave. You never have to mature. You never have to be accountable for what you say,

Facebook still has its own locker room. The toxicity is there, the pile-ons are there, and the current ownership has made it a more volatile space. The difference is the DNA: Facebook was built to rank girls’ photos and never escaped that adolescence.

Because of this, the Uvalde Hesperian will be limiting its presence on Facebook in an effort to create a publicly that strives to elevate the level of civic discussion.

Those wishing to comment can always submit a letter to the editor which will be considered for future publication.

By Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian

08-19-26

  On Thursday, August 14th, 2025, the Uvalde Hesperian emailed a public records request to 38th Judicial District Attorney Christina Mitchell asking for the search warrant issued on or about May 24th, 2022, for the residence of Celia “Sally: Gonzalez; residence where Salvador Ramos was residing prior to the shooting at Robb Elementary School on that same date.

  After the request was received, it was sent by the District Attorney Mitchell to the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office for a decision.

   The Texas Attorney General issued an official letter decision dated October 22nd, 2025 and mailed it to Mitchell’s office. A copy of this letter  was received by the Uvalde Hesperian. The letter decision stated the requested information was not excepted from disclosure. 

   To date, the Uvalde Hesperian has not received any mail or email from Mitchell’s office which might provide additional information that might preempt the Texas Attorney General’s letter decision. 

   Four years after the Robb School Tragedy on May 24th, 2026, there appears to be official records that continue to be withheld from the public by government officials.

08-17-26

By Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian

News followed by commentary

  As construction continues on its new last-mile warehouse on land purchased from the City of Uvalde on March 2nd, Amazon notified its existing customers on August 14th on its Conditions of Use and Amazon Prime Terms & Conditions. 

  The following message was received as a text message from Amazon:

  “Amazon: We have updated our Conditions of Use and Amazon Prime Terms & Conditions, effective August 14. The updated terms include (i) a mandatory pre-arbitration dispute resolution procedure, (ii) an arbitration agreement and class action waiver, and (iii) changes to the applicable law. Please read the full updated terms, including the arbitration agreement, here: https://a.co/d/0cKoMGOB and https://a.co/d/0b9WnuFM. As always, your continued use of any Amazon service constitutes your agreement to the Conditions of Use. Thank you for choosing Amazon. “

  The updated terms effectively limit customers’ legal recourse for disputes to binding arbitration and prohibits a group of customers from utilizing a class action lawsuit.

  According to an article from the Graduate School of Stanford Business it states:

  “It’s the “mandatory arbitration” clause, and it’s in contracts that cover trillions of dollars of business. In the event you have a dispute with the company, it says, you agree in advance to surrender your right to sue and to submit your grievance to a supposedly neutral private arbitrator.

  Almost every financial firm insists on mandatory arbitration, but so do legions of businesses in other realms: AT&T and Verizon, Amazon and Apple, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, even Spotify and Shazam.

  Now, a new analysis of almost 9,000 arbitration cases from the securities industry confirms what many have long suspected: The system is biased against consumers — and not just because big companies have more money to spend on lawyers.

 When it comes to arbitration, the study finds, companies have a big information advantage in fishing for arbitrators who are likely to rule in their favor.

Making matters worse, the arbitrators themselves know that being pro-company in one case greatly increases their chances of being picked for future cases.”

On February 18th, Jessica Breaux, Amazon’s senior manager of economic development replied.

“Hi Joe-
Yes, I am tracking the Council action needed in next week’s meeting. For the Council meeting, our preference would be to share as little detail as possible and our PR team suggests something like, “We are working with Amazon to develop a new facility to support customer delivery in Uvalde. The company will share additional details about their plans when they can. For any immediate questions, please reach out to amazon-Rr@amazon.com.” Any inquiries to that email address will go straight to our PR team so they can manage any questions until we’re able to complete the land transaction. ”

Commentary by Michael Robinson

• Amazon knew everything about the city’s finances, infrastructure capacity, and tax situation (they did due diligence)
  • The city—and the taxpayers—knew nothing about Amazon’s real plans, timelines, or contingencies

The announcement has generated real excitement here, but residents want more than headlines—especially around jobs, timeline, and impacts.

1. How many positions will this station create (full-time, part-time,
   seasonal)? Any breakdown by role?
   2. When do you expect construction to begin, and when will it be
   operational?
   3. How much of the facility’s operations will use robotics or AI—and
   will that reduce human staffing over time?
   4. What made this site ideal—land cost, incentives, highway access? Were
   there tax breaks or grants?
   5. Has Amazon completed traffic, noise, or environmental studies? What’s
   the plan for truck volume and air quality?
   6. Is this a standalone hub, or could it expand (e.g., drone operations,
   air cargo)?

Later that same day, the Uvalde Hesperian received the following statement from Daniel Martin, Amazon Spokesperson: ““We’re exploring the development of a new facility to support faster customer delivery in Uvalde. Additional steps remain but we appreciate the great working relationship we have with local officials and will share more information as it becomes available.”

A customer can cancel Prime. A town cannot cancel its new neighbor—especially when the neighbor already owns land that used to belong to the public

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Micharl Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian

Top photo is from a previous Uvalde County Commissioners Court Meeting

 (The following news report was made utilizing the Uvalde County Commissioners Court livestream.)

03/10/26

 Ken Dirksen spoke at Monday’s August 10th Uvalde County Commissioners Court seeking approval for the final plat for the The Bella View Subdivision. However the question raised on the availability of well water caused the Court to table the decision until the issue of available well water was clarified.

 On the agenda item,  Uvalde County Commissioner Ronnie Garza brought up a recent Texas Law passed in 2023 which requires developers to obtain a statement prepared by a licensed engineer or geoscientist to certify adequate groundwater availability for subdivisions relying on it. This is in Local Government Code Sections 212.0101 and 232.0032.

 Commissioner Ronnie Garza asked Dirksen, “Ken  there was a Senate bill that was passed and ratified in the legislature a couple years ago that required a hydrologist to do a study on the availability of water. Are you familiar with that?”

“I’m not familiar with that one,” Dirksen said.

“They wanted to know that there was water there and we weren’t or the developers were not selling, I mean, lots of adequate water,” Garza said.

Derksen stated the subdivision consists of 14 acres subdivided into one-acre lots, The proposed subdivision is located on FM 2369 on the east side of the drive into The View Subdivision.

“I’m not at all comfortable with this until we find out for sure if that Senate Bill is still in effect and if we’re following the rules.” Garza said,Commiss

Uvalde County Commissioner, Precinct 1  John Yeackle asked Uvalde County Acting Judge Jerry Bates, ” Judge has John reviewed this? Just to check the things of that nature: John Dodson? 

  The motion to table the decision was seconded and the final vote to table passed 4 votes to one with Yeackle voting Nay.

Bates gave a brief answer that could not be heard clearly on the Court’s Official livestream.

Trackbiil.com stated the following in reference to the author’s intent of the Texas State Senate Bill:

“AUTHOR’S / SPONSOR’S STATEMENT OF INTENT
There have been many instances around the state where new housing developments are being built and groundwater is stated as an available resource. There is no guarantee that groundwater is actually there and many people who are buying their retirement home or their first home are
stuck without water.
This has also been happening in other states, where developers state there is available groundwater when there is not.
(Original Author’s/Sponsor’s Statement of Intent)”

 

 

 

Hesperian note: Texas DPS included the name of the deceased driver. The Uvalde Hesperian has withheld the victims name since the crash occurred earlier today. Texas DPS and other officials do not release victims names unless family members have been notified.

Press Release Texas DPS

08/08/26

 DEL RIO – THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY (DPS) is investigating a two-vehicle fatal crash that occurred on August 8, 2026, at approximately 5:02 am., 16 miles west of Brackettville in Kinney County.

   Preliminary investigation revealed that a 2024 gray Dodge 350 pickup truck was traveling westbound on US 90, and a 2022 blue Chevrolet Equinox sport utility vehicle was traveling eastbound in the westbound improved shoulder. The Chevrolet drove on the wrong side of the roadway.

  The Dodge took evasive action to its left to avoid going head-on with the Chevrolet. The Chevrolet struck the Dodge’s front-right quarter panel. Due to injuries sustained, the driver of the Chevrolet, a 25- year old woman from Uvalde, Texas, was pronounced deceased at the scene.

  The driver of the Dodge pickup truck reported minor injuries as a result of the crash. DPS Troopers continue to investigate this fatal crash.

August 7th, 2026

News report with commentary by Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian

 One year and a few weeks after the Guadalupe River suddenly rose over 25  feet above its normal levels, houses and buildings built along the banks of the south fork of the Guadalupe River near Hunt,  still show signs of destruction. many with broken and boarded up windows after powerful currents gutted many structures including resort guests.

After watching  Left to Die | The 2025 Camp Mystic Flood Disaster on YouTube, I drove up to see the camp myself.

I was surprised to learn Camp Mystic is closer to the Uvalde area than I thought: a mere 30 minutes drive from the Lost Maples State Natural Area.

  A year later a civil lawsuit against Camp Mystic is still ongoing, but is now paused as the owners of the Camp filed for          Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on June 24th, 2026 according to the Associated Press according to an WNG article.

The article states, “The camp’s debt was listed at more than $10 million. Camp Mystic and its owners face several wrongful death lawsuits from families seeking over $1 million in damages over the July 4, 2025, flooding disaster. Two counselors and 25 young campers died in the floods, along with camp owner Dick Eastland.”

  Having parked along a two lane highway facing the Guadalupe River and the brick cabins and a larger hall built near the river on a low lying area it looked like a postcard. Nearby, a small memorial was found on the side of the highway with wide eyed stuffed animals, candles and other remembrances left at the base of a large wooden cross.

  Some have stated the devastating flood was an “Act of God”and could not have been predicted. 

  I wanted to go see the area myself. I chose not to go in the immediate aftermath of the July 4th flood because I didn’t feel like as a news reporter I could offer any unique story perspective that already wasn’t being covered by the larger news outlets. Also I felt like my presence would get in the way of emergency response and recovery efforts.

I waited a year.

Beauty and the Beast

The view of the Guadalupe River and the land where Camp Mystic is located looks like a picture from a postcard. However, the beauty and the danger are connected. 

Yet, as I drove along Highway 39, I could see signs that the Guadalupe River was in fact a proverbial sleeping lion that would on occasion awake from its slumber. Here is what I noticed:

  The Limestone Bluffs: South Fork of the Guadeloupe River was bordered by towering stone bluffs that were covered by the river over tens of thousands of years. Even after the 2025 flood, the awesome force of the water ripped out huge chunks of limestone likely weighing thousands of pounds. Those bluffs presented an ancient message: This river becomes violent and floods.

  The Low Ground: At Camp Mystic, several brick cabins were built on low ground. One building named Giggle Box, was the sleeping quarters of some of the youngest girls camping at Camp Mystic. It was the cabin that had the most loss of life. It was obvious that many of the cabins were built in a low lying area.

  The Highway: Highway 39 follows the Guadeloupe. It crosses the river numerous times. During a large flooding event like 2025, most of that highway would be flooded and impassable.

Contributing to the geological dangers there are indications that the owners of Camp Mystic, Richard “Dick” Eastland and the Eastland Family did not have a viable emergency plan to evacuate the campers or the counselors situated in the structures located on the low ground nearest to the river.

The Evacuation Plan Failure

 According to San Antonio Express News Reporter Peggy O’Hare, she tweeted, “Richard “Dick” Eastland exerted tight control over Camp Mystic’s operations, according to a report prepared for Texas lawmakers. So when a deadly flood struck one year ago, camp staff waited for his instructions. But most were never told what to do,” 

  In a Tweet by Federal Courts Reporter Elizabeth Zavala, she wrote, CYMI — Report: Camp Mystic did not call any of the 39 adults on its grounds to help evacuate.

It was also reported in the documentary,Left to Die: The 2025 Camp Mystic Flood Disaster,  Camp Mystic had a “Shelter in Place” order for a flood event. Information in the documentary also states the camp counselors were not allowed to have their own cell phones.

Cici Williams Steward, the mother of 8-year old victim Cecilia “Cile” Steward was 8 said, “Shelter in place was a death sentance camoflaged as safety. Dick Eastland enfoeced a culture of obedience so powerful that there staff including the directors of the camp and his children were afraid to assist helpless children if it meant defying  Dick’s orders.”

 

 

 

 

 

Top Pictures Credit: Diana Olvedo-Karau

Press release from Uvalde County Acting Judge Jerry Bates

08/05/26

August 3, 2026

INFORMATION FOR COUNTY RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY THE RECENT FLOODING
Uvalde County is continuing recovery efforts following the recent flooding and is asking residents to follow the guidelines below to help ensure debris is collected safely and efficiently.
Residents who experienced flood damage should separate debris into the following categories before placing them in the County right of way:

• METAL/HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES
• HOUSEHOLD AND CONSTRUCTION DEBRIS
• BRUSH

To assist with collection efforts, we ask that you call the Road Department at (830) 278-9213 and give your name, phone number and address to schedule a day and time for pick up.
Residents should place debris at the edge of the public right of way, away from mailboxes, utility poles, trees, and other obstacles. Do not place debris in the roadway, where it could block traffic.
Remember to separate debris into the categories listed above. Mixing debris will delay collection. County crews will begin debris collection when scheduled with the Road Department.
The County appreciates the patience and cooperation of all residents affected by the floods. Working together will help ensure debris is removed safely and efficiently.
For additional information or questions regarding debris removal, please contact the Uvalde County Road Department at (830) 278-9213.