2025 YEAR IN REVIEW

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Part I of a two-part look back at the past 12 months of Boerne Star coverage of people, events and happenings in Boerne and Kendall County. “Review Part II” is set for Sunday, Jan. 4.

JEFF B. FLINN

Managing Editor

Every year contains 12 months of joy and sorrow, pleasure and madness, elation and anger, just to tap a few sentiments.

2025 proved no different.

JANUARY

The year started on a tragic note, as 1-year-old Mkaya Amrani, injured Dec. 19, 2024, when a vehicle plowed into a fence surrounding kids playing behind the ExcellED Montessori school, died on Jan. 2 from the injuries she sustained.

A teacher at the school, Alexia Rosales, was pronounced dead at the scene.

An early morning Jan. 1 blaze attributed to improper storage of fireworks was allowed to burn itself out. Boerne Fire Chief Manny Casarez said fire crews were dispatched shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday to investigate a blaze in the 400 block of Whitworth Road.

The fire involved a detached garage filled with hybrid vehicles, complicating efforts due to the lithium-ion batteries. The fire did not threaten the main residence.

As the last few seconds of 2025 ticked away, 451st state District Court Judge Kirsten Cohoon prepared to preside over her first duty of the new year — the swearing in of new Kendall County Precinct 1 Commissioner Jennnifer McCall.

As the clock struck midnight, Cohoon began the year with, “Would you raise your right hand and repeat after me ...” McCall won the Republican primary in March 2024 and the general election in November. She will sit for her first meeting as a county commissioner on Jan.14, 2025.

Kim Blohm, president and CEO of the Greater Boerne Chamber of Commerce, was named one of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives’ “40 under 40” honorees.

Since Blohm’s 2019 arrival in Boerne, chamber membership has more than doubled, to 1,100 members, and the chamber has maintained an 83% membership retention rate.

Boerne took care of “The Four Ps” — people, pets, pipes and plants — as temperatures are about to take a tumble. An Arctic front was expected to arrive Jan. 8 through Jan. 9 with below-freezing temperatures and a chance of freezing rain or snow dominating the scene.

The National Weather Service said to expect an overnight low of 28 degrees, accompanied by a 60% chance of precipitation, resulting in rain or freezing rain, on the 8th. Expect to wake up Thursday to temperatures hovering around 30 degrees.

Big changes are coming to Boerne City Park, the recipient of $150,000 of improvements courtesy of the Boerne Parks Association organization.

Construction started Jan. 6 and is expected to take eight to 10 weeks. Improvements include “inclusive” attractions, including a “Celebration spinner,” inclusive swings, a butterfly photo station and a Buddy Bench, to foster friendship and connection.

TxDOT crews announced they would be out to restructure and resurface a stretch of Texas 46 West after a Jan. 5 accident killed a motorist and his passenger, when a large septic truck crossed the median and struck the Mazda head-on.

Crews would be working Jan. 14-15 on the roadway west of Boerne, which is the same roadway where three members of a Pipe Creek family were killed in late October, when a pickup crossed double- yellow lanes and collided head-on with their car, killing all three occupants.

The Fair Oaks Ranch City Council moved closer to completing a draft of a possible Community Center to serve the city. The approximate 5,300-square-foot building would be a point for city councils, commissions, boards and elections to be held, as well as possible civic functions. The estimated price tag had grown to $2.4 million range.

Boerne Fire Department firefighter Santiago Anaya shipped out Jan. 11, bound for California to aid in the Palisades fire, one of the largest wildfires to ever sweep into residential areas.

The fire would eventually leave 12 people dead, scorch over 23,000 acres and consume 6,387 structures, the third-most-destructive fire in state history.

The Kendall County Fair Association canceled its Jan. 16 annual membership meeting in the wake of public release of three lawsuits filed against it, stemming from the Aug. 30 fairground bleacher collapse that killed one person and injured 11 others.

Two sons of Vera Smith, 79, who died Sept. 5 from injuries sustained in the collapse, filed a wrongful death suit against the KCFA. Two other suits were filed, one by an individual and one by a family, all of whom were injured that night.

Boerne Community Theatre opened its 2025 season with its production of “Seeing Stars in Dixie.” The play opened Jan. 10 and ran for three weekends at the theater on East Blanco Road.

Kendall County residents woke up Jan. 20 to find sleet, ice and a slight dusting of powdery snow fell overnight. Schools declared a snow day, area businesses closed or delayed opening, and most people decided just to stay home, as temperatures hovered in the 30s all day.

The Fair Oaks Police Department got its man — its new chief. That is. City Council voted to remove the “interim” Police Chief Todd Smith’s title, setting a Jan. 30 date to swear him in as the new Fair Oaks police chief.

Smith, who entered law enforcement in 1995, found the Fair Oaks Ranch position too tempting to pass up, after having spent the previous 20 years with the Austin Police Department, retiring as an assistant chief.

Maggie Dominguez began the week of Jan. 20 as the new communications director for the Boerne Independent School District. The Gregory- Portland High graduate had worked in development and communications for the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor since 2020 and will oversee all areas of marketing, communications, public relations, partnerships, and outreach for the school district.

A lawsuit filed on behalf of two victims of a deadly incident at a Boerne area daycare facility seeks $1 million from both the driver and from the school, claiming negligence on their parts.

On Dec. 19, a vehicle driven by Valerie Haas accelerated into another vehicle, propelling both vehicles into a black metal fence, which then collapsed into an ExcellEd Montessori School play area, pinning teacher Alexia Rosales and 1-year-old MKaya Amrani underneath. Rosales was pronounced dead at the scene; Amrani died two weeks later.

The efforts of Boerne’s Parks and Recreation Department toward developing Northside Community Park received a significant boost with a $750,000 grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The funds were approved at the TPWD’s Jan. 23 meeting in Austin. The $750,000 grant represents the highest award granted to any community in this funding round.

Construction on Northside Community Park is expected to begin in summer 2025.

Boerne City Park was named a 2025 Lone Star Legacy Park by the Texas Recreation and Park Society, one of eight parks statewide to receive the prestigious designation this year. On average, nearly 236,000 people visit the 125-acre park every year.

FEBRUARY

An attorney appointed to handle the estates of a Boerne couple who died in a 2021 murder-suicide was charged with stealing nearly $540,000 set aside for their six surviving children.

Karen Hogan, 68, a San Antonio elder law, wills and estate attorney, was charged with three felony counts for alleged mishandling of funds in two accounts set up for the six surviving children of Jason and Emily Evans. Withdrawals began in the summer of 2023, with $400,000 withdrawn in October alone.

Transformation House, a nonprofit opened in 2018 to provide transitional housing for women and children impacted by domestic violence in Kendall County, was named “Nonprofit of the Year” by the Greater Boerne Chamber of Commerce during the annual Chamber Gala.

A 25-year-old Boerne man will spend the next five years in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting a neighbor. Giovani Kitts was found guilty of sexual assault by a Kendall County jury, which then sentenced him to five years in prison.

The incident occurred March 13, 2022. After a party, the female victim said she awoke to find the defendant sexually assaulting her.

Parents of children attending Thrive Early Learning Academy lit up cellphones and social media Feb. 3 after the daycare facility on Sisterdale Road abruptly closed its doors.

Roughly 100 parents had to find alternate care after customers and staff arrived to find the doors locked and a note on the door.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the temporary closure of Thrive, effective immediately,” Thrive owner Jeff Stokes wrote. Later, Stokes said the family-run business entertained offers for its purchase. However, no deal was struck by Jan. 31 and the decision was made to close.

A Feb. 3 two-vehicle collision on FM 289 near Comfort claimed the lives of both drivers and left a passenger injured. DPS officers said a 2008 Toyota Camry, being driven by Jaynee Boggan, 21, was traveling in the wrong direction — southbound in the northbound lane — on FM 289 when it struck head-on a 1998 Chevrolet Silverado towing a horse trailer, being driven by Garry Lee Hohmann, 65.

Boggan was pronounced dead at the scene, and Hohmann died later at an area hospital. A passenger in the pickup was admitted to the hospital in stable condition.

Fair Oaks Ranch City Council was made aware at its Feb. 6 meeting that Acadian Ambulance Service did not intend to renew its contract for service to the town.

The council will likely seek an agreement with Bexar County ESD No. 4, which already provides fire service to Fair Oaks Ranch. The contract with Acadian will end service on April 30.

A last-minute filing on the final day to do so filled out the ballot for May’s city and school board election. Boerne Mayor Frank Ritchie will be opposed by former city employee Laura Haning in a re-election bid to the position he first won in 2023. District 2 Councilwoman Sharon Wright will be facing Joe Bateman, the man she beat in 2023 by 21 votes to step into office. District 4 Councilman Bret Bunker is unopposed.

In Fair Oaks Ranch, Place 3 Councilman Ruben Olvera will face challenger Scott Rose; Place 5 incumbent Scott Parker will be opposed by Kevin Cox; and Place 4 will see James Roff and Dale Pearson vie for the spot left open when former Councilwoman Laura Koerner “termed out” of the position.

In the Boerne ISD, Place 4 incumbent Maritza Gonzalez- Cooper will face resident Sarah Faulkenberry, while Place 5’s Garrett Wilson is being challenged by Scott Newberry.

A San Antonio man faces intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault charges after a two-vehicle collision on Feb. 16 killed a Boerne woman on her way to work.

Manuela Rodriguez, 53, was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision at about 6:30 a.m. near the Interstate 10 exit to Comfort. Allen Graham, 27, remained in the Kendall County Jail Tuesday, Feb. 18, on bonds totaling $480,000, officials said.

A Bandera parolee accused of leading officers on a highspeed chase down Interstate 10 near Boerne last year received a one-way ticket to prison. The man later cut off his ankle GPS monitor while awaiting trial.

Bryan Scott Pena, 36, was sentenced Feb. 14 to 30 years behind bars just a week shy of the one-year anniversary of the pursuit, in which speeds reached 120 mph, prosecutors said. Pena crashed his motorcycle, ran away and was arrested in front of a car dealership on the frontage road.

When Ann Marie Palacios was born, her parents knew she wouldn’t be long for this world. The extremely rare disease she was born with came with a doctor’s prognosis of only a few months to live.

But “Ammie” defied their projections, living three-plus years, bringing smiles to her parents’ faces — and leaving a legacy of playtime for years to come for developmentally disabled children and their parents. “Ammie’s Playground” will open in Boerne City Park in mid-March.

The park’s old playground equipment, mounted on a mulch base, has been replaced

See REVIEW, page 4 by an inclusive playground with a smooth surface, making playtime accessible for children with limited mobility.

Ammie was born Jan. 9, 2020, with epilepsy and MPPH Syndrome, a rare condition that affects the brain, hands, feet and other parts of the body.

Her multiple disabilities left her “medically fragile,” her mother, Brady Palacios, said. Ammie, also being non-verbal, was able to wave her hands, which her parents, Brady and Adam Palacios, put to good use, teaching her to “sign” certain words.

“She knew what her words meant. We taught her to sign certain words,” Brady said. “The very last sign she ever used before she died was “I Love You.’” Ammie passed away on May 20, 2023.

Boerne’s Patrick Heath Public Library was honored with the 2024 Achievement of Library Excellence Award by the Texas Municipal Library Directors Association.

The award recognizes libraries that go above and beyond in 10 key areas, including community outreach, literacy support, workforce development and digital inclusion.

The library averages nearly 680 programs every year and welcomes 170,000 visitors annually.

County officials expect a new EMS substation on Voss Parkway to have staff in place prior to a March 3 grand opening ceremony. The $3.9 million facility will house a 24-hour EMS crew to respond to the continually developing area off State Highway 46.

The station sits on land leased from the Boerne Independent School District adjacent to Voss Middle School — a 50-year lease at $1 per year.

Extreme cold that swept through the Boerne area left some Esperanza residents without a flow of natural gas to keep their houses warm. Boerne Utilities observed an increase in natural gas consumption on Feb. 19 following the bitter cold weather that moved into the Hill Country overnight. Temperatures dropped into the teens with a windchill hovering around 3 degrees.

The bitter cold, combined with the increased demand, resulted in isolated outages for 10 customers who contacted the city’s customer care and billing office.

MARCH

The month opened with long-awaited news: Sitework for the Buc-ee’s location on Interstate 10, at the U.S. 87 (South Main Street) dead-end was underway.

Out of sight of I-10 East access road traffic, a Caterpillar sheepsfoot and a track loader began pushing piles of dirt and rock around, prepping the area for construction of the Buc-ee’s Family Travel Center.

The long- awaited, much- anticipated and often-delayed opening of the $38 million, 53,000 squarefoot facility is still 16-to-18 months away, according to a Buc-ee’s spokesman.

The Boerne Police Department announced the retirement of K-9 Emma, a Belgian Malinois in use since 2019.

Emma was born in Czechoslovakia on Dec. 10, 2018. Her efforts resulted in 125 narcotics-related arrests, the seizure of 123.9 kilos of marijuana/THC, 2 kilos of methamphetamine, 6 kilos of cocaine, and $184,143 in U.S. currency. She will now enjoy “the retired life” with her handler, detective Brandon Goudreau.

Fabra Elementary School Principal Troy Latiolais was surprised when he was informed he had been chosen as a principal finalist in the 2025 H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards. Fabra principal since May 2019, Latiolais received an oversized check for $1,000 from H-E-B, matched by a $2,500 check to the school in his name. He now competes with four other principals in the state for the title of top principal, an award that would put $10,000 more in his pocket and land a $25,000 grant in Fabra’s lap.

A Comfort man convicted of sexually assaulting a teen under his care three years ago is headed to prison for 35 years after accepting a plea agreement.

Gregory Louis Garza, 31, was sentenced on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a 13-year-old child by Judge Kirsten Cohoon in the 451st state District Court.

The 13-year-old victim was subjected to repeated acts of sexual abuse while under the defendant’s direct care at his residence in March 2022.

Dozens of residents of the Shady Rest Mobile Home Park have been relocated following a mass eviction of all its residents.

Shady Rest, off Cascade Caverns Road, was home to 53 mobile homes before residents in December received a mass eviction notice from the landowners, informing all residents of a Feb. 28 move-out date. By March 5, the trailers sat empty, ransacked and abandoned.

Bryce Boddie, Hill Country Family Services senior director of behavioral health, said the property fell into disrepair over the years. “The property owner was not keeping it up. There were 25 failed septic systems ... overflowing, every week, some without tops, just open air.”

A money-laundering scheme connected to an ATM robbery in California led to the March 7 convictions in Kendall County of four defendants.

A Feb. 3, 2024, DPS traffic stop ended with Tahj Luchin, Montoi Weatherspoon, Jada Dancer and Jamyra Smith charged with money laundering and engaging in organized criminal activity.

Luchin received a 16-year prison sentence, and Dancer and Weatherspoon each received a two-year sentence. Smith was assessed five years of deferred adjudication.

A sidewalk intended to allow children from a Fair Oaks Ranch apartment complex to walk to their elementary school has been scrubbed, saving the city over a quarter-million dollars.

A 1,300-foot sidewalk linking the Vantage at Fair Oaks Apartments with Van Raub Elementary was deemed no longer necessary after the Boerne Independent School District adjusted attendance zones. The Vantage Apartment students will be bused 5.2 miles to Kendall Elementary, negating the need for the sidewalk.

The Kendall County Criminal District Attorney’s Office March 7 said it will not pursue criminal charges in connection with the collapse of a section of bleachers at the Kendall County Fairground last fall that left one person dead and injured 11 others.

Spectators attending the Aug. 31, 2024, pro rodeo rushed to the fairground’s bleacher section after its metal supports gave way. Vera Asher Smith, 79, died six days after the collapse from extensive internal injuries.

Hill Country Family Services announced March 16 that it received a $100,000 donation fromMethodist Healthcare Ministries.

The funds will be used to address and overcome the lack of mental and behavioral health resources for children in both the Boerne and Comfort school districts.

Cellphone use in Texas schools could soon be a thing of the past if House Bill 515, introduced by state Rep. Ellen Troxclair, R-Lakeway, gains support in the legislative session.

The measure would take cellphones out of school classrooms from the first bell to the last, beginning with the 2025-26 school year.

Troxclair called the statistics leding to the ban “absolutely shocking”: teen suicide is up 300%, self-harm among girls is up 250% and anxiety and depression rates are skyrocketing as well.

Kendall County fire officials dispatched personnel and equipment this weekend to help firefighters battle the Crabapple Wildfire that has consumed nearly 10,000 acres of land near Fredericksburg.

The Sisterdale Volunteer Fire Department and Boerne Fire Department each dispatched a brush truck and team of two firefighters on March 15 when the call came for aid in battling the Crabapple Fire, 8-10 miles north of Fredericksburg.

A Lake Hills man arrested March 19 on a warrant charging him with the deaths of three family members in a two-vehicle collision on Texas 46 is out on bond.

Carl S. Galm’s 2022 Ford Super Duty F-250 pickup was traveling 93 mph Oct. 29, 2024, and attempted to pass an 18-wheeler when his vehicle slammed into a 2015 Toyota Corolla carrying a Pipe Creek father, his wife and their daughter. All three died at the scene.

Galm, 58, charged with three counts of manslaughter, a second-degree felony, was released the following day from the Kendall County Detention Center on bonds totaling $75,000.

Champion High School’s Emma Barraza captured first place and was named State Champion at the UIL Youth Film Festival for her traditional animation, “Baked With Love.”

The sole visual arts student to represent Boerne ISD in Austin, Barraza is the first to earn back-to-back state champion recognition for the CHS visual arts department. Her film, “Lost and Found” took home the gold medal in 2024.

Kendall County is under a local disaster declaration that effectively bans outdoor burning, hot works, and the sale and use of all fireworks for the next few days.

County Judge Shane Stolarczyk signed the disaster declaration on March 18, certifying that elevated fire weather conditions “pose an imminent threat of widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property.”

Boerne ISD Superintendent Dr. Kristin Craft has been named a Distinguished Educator of the Year by her alma mater, Sam Houston State University.

Craft will be among five honored alumni at the SHSU College of Education’s 20th annual Distinguished Educator of the Year gala on March 29 on the campus in Huntsville.

A San Antonio woman already on probation in the death of her sister during a traffic accident will now spend 18 years in prison on charges of driving under the influence and evading arrest.

Epiphany Richmond, 37, accepted a plea offer March 21 in 451st state District Court assessing eight years behind bars in a case involving a wrong-way driving incident on Interstate 10 nine months ago.

According to prosecutors, Richmond agreed to serve the sentence cumulatively with a 10-year adjudication out of Bexar County for a 2014 intoxication manslaughter conviction stemming from a case that resulted in the death of her sister — for the 18-year total.

An 18-year-old Kerrville motorist died March 15 in a crash on U.S. 87 three miles north of Comfort. Department of Public Safety troopers responded to an 8:30 a.m. call for a wreck on 87 near Turkey Run Lane. A Ford F-150 driven by George Eric Forlee Jr. lost control, over-corrected and struck a truck-tractor towing a flatbed trailer. Forlee was pronounced dead at the scene.

Fair Oaks Ranch has been recognized as one of the safest cities in Texas, ranking 16th in the latest SafeWise report.

This marks a significant improvement, with the city moving up 18 spots from the previous year. It is also the only city in our region to place in the Top 20.

Over the past year, the city has seen a decline in both violent and property crime, “a trend that highlights the effectiveness of proactive policing strategies and strong community involvement,” the report said.

APRIL

Das Greenhaus plans to launch a search for a new leader after the departure of its program director. Das Greenhaus is a business incubator aimed at temporarily housing and nurturing startups with an end-goal of bringing strategic businesses into the city and Kendall County.

Justin McKenzie had been at the helm of Das Greenhaus since its inception, but took the position in an interim manner. McKenzie has since taken on a different business opportunity, an exit another Das Greenhaus official said “was totally expected.”

Fair Oaks Ranch Elementary second-grade teacher Denise Bakkar walked out of the Boerne Education Foundation’s “Rock On in Music City” gala $10,000 richer, being named the Boerne ISD Teacher of the Year.

Bakker’s hugs all around and the presentation of the oversized check from Vic Vaughn Toyota of Boerne were among highlights of the event, sponsored by the Boerne Education Foundation at the Kendall County Equestrian Center.

The Boerne Home and Outdoor Living Show made its debut at the Bevy Hotel’s 15,000-square-foot meeting and ballroom, drawing a strong crowd.

Participants were given insights into a wide variety of vendors. The event provided possible customers with the opportunity to touch and feel the products, experiencing their potential firsthand.

Champion High School Principal Natalie Banke can’t contain her enthusiasm for sharing details about the school’s new 38,000-square foot P-Tech addition.

The Greater Boerne Chamber of Commerce brought its team to Champion April 1 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, to help the district officially unveil the two-story tech wing, a project approved by Boerne voters in the 2022 bond election.

The 18-month construction project began in June 2023 and wrapped up about three months ago.

See REVIEW, page 5 The building is a hub for STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education and its pathways.

Two important intersections in Boerne will soon not be intersections at all, but the location of roundabouts, designed to move traffic safer and more efficiently than common crossroads.

The Adler Road-Plant Street project includes a roundabout — still in the design phase — that will move traffic in lanes around an inner “circle” without need for installation of a traffic light.

Next up on the roundabout installation list is the Johns Road-School Street intersection adjacent to the Boerne ISD central office and Boerne Middle School North.

A Boerne Police Department canine was killed in the line of duty Thursday during a traffic stop along Interstate 10.

Shortly after midnight, a Boerne officer initiated a traffic stop in the parking lot of a gas station at the Johns Road and I-10 intersection. The officer requested assistance from a police K-9. Another officer responded to the scene with K-9 Chico, and the officer deployed Chico from his patrol vehicle.

Chico conducted a sniff of the suspect vehicle and gave a positive alert for narcotics. Following the alert, Chico’s handler secured him inside the patrol vehicle and assisted with a search.

As the pair began to leave the scene, the door of the patrol vehicle unexpectedly opened when the locking mechanism on the vehicle did not properly latch. Chico exited the vehicle and ran toward the interstate.

Officers immediately began searching the area to locate and recover the canine. A short time later, Chico was found in the grassy median of the interstate, having been struck by a vehicle.

He succumbed to his injuries shortly after being located.

The National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg will dedicate its new education classroom as the Bryan Degner Education Classroom.

Degner, whose innovative teaching shaped the lives of generations of Boerne students, is receiving the unique and lasting honor. The dedication of the Bryan Degner Education Classroom at the Museum’s George H.W. Bush Gallery will take place at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 16.

Widely recognized for his outstanding contributions to history education during his 16 years teaching at Boerne Middle School North, Degner’s passion for teaching had a lasting impact on his students.

Fair Oaks Ranch City Council is expected to approve a resolution on April 17 authorizing construction of The Gateway Project, the expenditure of $224,840 on construction of a monument welcoming guests to the city.

The project, funded by a grant from the city’s Municipal Development District (MDD), covers construction costs of $199,840 and $25,000 already spent on engineering and design costs.

An evaluation committee met and selected AAA Time Saver Services to construct the gateway monument, to be positioned just inside city limits at Fair Oaks Parkway and Leslie Pfeiffer Drive, about a quarter-mile from the Interstate 10 West access road.

The Guatemalan father of a girl found in a rundown trailer with roaches on her body faces deportation after he serves a 21-month sentence on charges of abandoning and endangering a child.

Jose Ramiro Monterroso Vasquez was sentenced April 10 after pleading guilty to the child-endangerment charges before Judge Kirsten Cohoon in the 451st District Court.

Officials said Vasquez, who hails from Guatemala, will be released to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents once he completes his time behind bars.

A Boerne woman was sentenced to four years in prison for embezzling more than $60,000 from her former employer, Brady’s Auto Repair.

Kacie Lynn Paulk, working as office manager at Brady’s Auto Repair, allegedly misappropriated approximately $60,839 from the company by forging 57 checks drawn from the company’s bank account, made payable to herself.

Paulk was sentenced April 10 in the 451st Judicial District Court by Judge Kirsten Cohoon.

The unauthorized checks were issued and deposited over a period from July 7, 2022, to January 17, 2024, according to evidence submitted in court. A luxury auto dealer and his son are behind bars, charged with what investigators say is an elaborate scheme to bilk customers. Richard Hovey Sr. and son Richard Hovey Jr. remained in the Kendall County Detention Center Friday, April 18, on charges of theft over $300,000 and misapplication of financial property between $30,000-$150,000.

The pair operates Hovey Motorcars, a dealership established in 1998 best known for high-tier automobiles and luxury vehicles. The business relocated to Boerne in 2018.

During a nearly year-long investigation, detectives said they uncovered an elaborate system in which a pair of auto dealers are suspected of illegally acquiring victims’ money — the value of which was tied to the vehicles — without the vehicle owner’s permission and intending to keep it for themselves.

Boerne native Jordan Smajstrla will be the first to tell you, “I didn’t see it coming” — but everyone around her, did.

Smajstrla, 22, was named the 2025 Grand Prize Illustrator winner at the 41st annual Writers of the Future and the 36th annual Illustrators of the Future L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards Gala.

Smajstrla is currently a 4.0 senior at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia, set to graduate with honors in June.

The Boerne Independent School District earned its fourth “A” consecutive rating from the Texas Education Agency, solidifying its reputation as one of the top-performing school districts in Texas.

Superintendent Dr. Kristin Craft applauded the achievement as a “team effort” on her staff’s behalf.

Boerne ISD also received 20 distinction designations that recognize districts and campuses for exceptional performance across several key indicators, including academic achievement, student progress and postsecondary readiness.

Kendall County Animal Control confirmed finding two cases of rabies, both involving raccoons that tested positive for the viral disease. These are the first two cases logged in 2025, County officials said one case occurred in the Comfort area off Old #9 while the other was recorded in Boerne, off West Fabra Oaks.

Kendall County Animal Shelter Coordinator Charity Fegenbush said the first incident on April 14 involved a raccoon found deceased in the stall of a horse, while the second, on April 16, involved a Boerne resident calling about a sickly raccoon spotted in her backyard.

Thirty bands and performers will take to 11 stages May 1 in the second rendition of Music On The Mile.

Organizer Nancy Holekamp said venue owners and musicians both were eager to participate. Musicians are set to step on stage up and down Main Street starting at 10 a.m. and lasting to midnight at select locations.

Eleven venues — Cibolo Creek Brewing, Tusculum Brewing, Free Roam Brewing, 259 Brantley’s Bistro & Bar, Pure Country BBQ, Salvador Dobbs, Lost Oak Cellars, Black Rifle Coffee, The Shoppes at 222, 248 N. Main St. Chateau, and the Main Plaza gazebo — will be host to up to 30 musical acts, playing anywhere from half-hour to three-hour stints.

The Hill Country Fire Coalition of Texas recently received a $10,000 grant in support of the May 3 Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, when the group will host a Wildfire Preparedness Workshop at the Herff Farms.

The grant — one of only 12 granted nationally — is from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and State Farm.

Wildfire Community Preparedness Day was established to encourage all Americans to participate in activities on and around their homes that have been scientifically proven to help reduce the risk of wildfire ignition.

MAY

St. Peter the Apostle Catholic School opens the month of May with an open house May 10, introducing the community to the new church school and new principal.

The church broke ground in August 2024 on the 44,000 square-foot school building on land adjacent to the church, purchased from the neighboring Benedictine Sisters of Boerne campus.

St. Peter will be opening a school of pre-K3 through sixth grade in August of 2025, utilizing existing classroom at the church until the new 44,000 square-foot two-story structure is ready sometime in the summer of 2026 for the 2026-2027 academic year.

The Kendall County District Attorney’s Office believes there are more victims of a car dealership’s alleged fraudulent acts than those who have filed police reports.

District Attorney Nicole Bishops’ office in early May pinned a “Victim Questionnaire” on its website and Facebook page, seeking comment from vehicle owners who may have had dealings with Richards Hovey Sr. or Richard Hovey Jr., particularly in the past seven years.

The pair were arrested April 16 and charged with theft over $300,000 and misapplication of financial property between $30,000-$150,000.

The pair operated Hovey Motorcars, a dealership established in 1998 best known for high-tier automobiles and luxury vehicles. The business relocated to Boerne in 2018.

“We believe there are additional victims beyond those who have already come forward,” the DA’s office stated in a recent release.

A long-standing land dispute in Fair Oaks Ranch held a 345-acre development “off the books” for more than a decade.

Now, with that issue resolved, city officials have announced a date to vote on a development agreement for the new Post Oak Subdivision.

City Council is expected to consider approval of the proposed development agreement at its May 20 meeting. If approved, the city will initiate an annexation process and related zoning actions later this summer.

Boerne moved one step closer to seeing a second Starbucks Coffee Co. outlet open in town, but not without a set of conditions that focus on traffic mitigation along one of the city’s major thoroughfares.

The Boerne Planning and Zoning Commission met May 5 and voted 6-0 to approve a special use permit for LJA Engineering to allow the Starbucks Coffee Shop drive-thru at its proposed 84 Herff Road location, near the intersection with Gallant Fox.

Discussion Monday centered primarily on the movement of traffic along Herff Road toward Main Street. The matter now goes to City Council for approval or denial.

Words came hard for Boerne Police Chief Steve Perez May 6. Standing behind a podium on the nineteen:ten Church stage, Perez paused to gather himself, before leading a prayer in the name of K9 Chico, the Boerne Police Department canine officer killed last month in the line of duty.

Dozens of law enforcement officials from several counties attended the memorial service for Chico, who died April 10 after being struck by a vehicle following his drug-search service at a traffic stop near I-10.

A Geneva School of Boerne teacher is on administrative leave after an investigation into a weekend domestic dispute ended with her arrest.

Janicea Oliver, 43, was released on a $2,500 bond May 4 about 12 hours after being charged with assault causing bodily injury-family violence, according to reports.

Oliver, a humanities instructor, is on administrative leave while the matter is investigated, as per school policy, said Head of School Leslie Moeller.

A Helotes man is behind bars, charged with two counts of intoxication manslaughter in connection with a fiery January collision that claimed two lives on a dangerous stretch of Texas 46.

Robert D. Gray, 55, remained in the Kendall County Detention Center May 9 in lieu of posting bonds totaling $200,000.

The charges follow an investigation by the Department of Public Safety, which indicated on Jan. 5 a black Mazda CX-5 headed west on 46 was involved in a collision with an eastbound septic truck that veered into the opposite lane.

Investigators named Gray as the driver of the septic truck.

Newly elected Boerne ISD Trustee Sarah Faulkenberry officially joined the board May 12, sworn in along with re-elected Trustee Garrett Wilson.

The board reorganized its officers, with Trustee Kristi Schmidt nominated as the new board president, and Courtney Darter-Bruce as new vice president.

Wilson won re-election over challenger Scott Newberry and Faulkenberry defeated longtime Trustee Maritza Gonzalez-Cooper in the May 3 school board election.

A Boerne man investigated in the burglary of his grandfather’s Fair Oaks Ranch home is headed to prison after being handed an eight-year sentence, prosecutors said.

Evan Trapasso, 27, on May 8 pleaded guilty in the 451st state District Court in connection with a break-in Jan. 13 at the home of Frank Trapasso, identified as the defendant’s grandfather.

The elder Trapasso reported the burglary, which occurred sometime during the night, after discovering a broken window indicating an intruder forced his way into the residence. Police Chief Todd Smith introduced six new police department employees to Fair Oaks Ranch City Council and residents during a recent city council meeting.

Smith, relatively new to the chief’s position himself, having taken the oath of office Jan. 30, 2025, brought the three new police officers, two civilian investigators and an animal control officer before council.

The Boerne ISD has been told that May 28 marks the “substantial completion” date for its Aquatic Learning Center — nine months after the project’s original completion date.

Boerne ISD board and administration met May 5 with management from Tegrity Contractors, the firm hired in summer 2023 to build the $8.7 million facility, approved by Boerne voters in the 2022 bond election.

Boerne ISD broke ground Sept. 19, 2023, on the facility, with an estimated August 2024 completion date. That, however, didn’t happen.

The long-standing Boerne Art Waddle is reinventing itself, becoming the Hill Country Art and Wine Fest in its 13th year, over Memorial Day weekend.

Rob Ziegler, Hill Country Council for the Arts treasurer and co-chair of the Hill Country Art & Wine Fest, said the transition has helped bring art front-and-center, now occupying Main Plaza for both May 23 and 24.

Kinderpark, a “go-to” spot for fun and recreation for Boerne youngsters since 1997, lacked an important cog, especially where children are concerned: a restroom.

Problem solved, as of May 20. Previously, children and parents at the park had to drive to nearby businesses simply to use a bathroom.

Delivery of a pre-manufactured bathroom facility was delayed by supply chain issues until last month, when it arrived and was installed. The one-seat uni-sexed bathroom is tied into the city’s water and sewer system, a procedure that took several weeks to complete.

The Boerne Chamber of Commerce sponsored a ribbon-cutting at the park Tuesday.

For the 15th consecutive year, the city of Boerne and its Parks and Recreation Department have been recognized as a 2024 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, honoring the city’s continued commitment to effective urban forest management.

To achieve Tree City USA status, a community must meet four core standards of sound urban forestry management: Maintain a tree board or department; have a tree care ordinance; dedicate at least $2 per capita annually to urban forestry; and host an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

The Boerne Independent School District has purchased a 70-acre tract of land located off Interstate 10 and Old Fredericksburg Road, just south of Boerne in Kendall County.

The acquisition, finalized on May 20, marks a major milestone in the district’s approach to accommodate future growth, expand educational opportunities and meet the needs of its constituents, school officials said.

While specific plans for the property have not been finalized, Superintendent Kristin Craft emphasized the importance of the acquisition.

A series of lightning strikes from a slow-moving storm system forced Boerne ISD officials to halt the school’s May 22 graduation, opting to resume the ceremony at 9 a.m. the next morning, the

See REVIEW, page 8 district announced.

School officials said the delay — forcing about half of its senior class to cross the stage Friday morning — was the first time a graduation ceremony had been delayed or postponed.

About half of Thursday’s graduating class crossed the stage before school officials were forced to shut things down.

Drought-ravaged Kendall County received a healthy dose of rain Monday, with rain gauges across the county showing anywhere from 1.5 to 3.25 inches from the deluge.

The rain providing desperately needed precipitation that brought Cibolo Creek up to a healthy state and aided in filling some smaller streams and private wells.

The downpour was a welcome relief for the area. Personal rain gauge readings came in at 1.86, 2.5 and 3.25 inches, while the city of Boerne’s official gauge at Esser and Herff roads, came in at 2.5 inches, according to Chris Shadrock, Boerne communications director.

After seven years on the force, Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department K9 Buddy retired from serving the town in many searches, arrests and seizures, as well as public service to schools and community organizations.

May 15 marked Buddy’s end of duty with Fair Oaks Office David Magness, his handler throughout his service to the department.

Fair Oaks Police logs show Buddy — whose favorite toys are Kong rubber toys and tennis balls — took part in 134 deployments, 85 seizure incidents and 77 arrests over his time with Magness and Fair Oaks Ranch.

Kendall County Commissioners Court May 27 approved the launch of a pilot program supplying paid firefighters to the Bergheim Volunteer Fire Department.

Commissioners Jennifer McCall, Andra Wisian and Chad Carpenter voted to kick-start the four-month pilot program, while Commissioner Richard Chapman and County Judge Shane Stolarczyk voted against, seeing the effort as little more than a stopgap to the larger pressing problem of adequately staffed and trained fire departments.

Bergheim Chief Adam Hawkins called the program, funded at $46,675, “a major step forward in ensuring consistent and reliable fire protection in our area.”

JUNE

Boerne Mayor Frank Ritchie and District 2 Councilman Joe Bateman began serving three-year terms Tuesday as city administrators revealed their plan for the three-year council term proposal enacted by passage of Proposition A in May.

Ritchie and Councilmen Bateman and Bret Bunker won their respective races in May. Boerne voters also approved Prop A — which replaces existing two-year terms for the mayor and council, with three-year terms — by nearly a 3-to-1 margin.

At the May 27 council meeting, City Manager Ben Thatcher reviewed the proposed election schedule under a three-year rotation: 2026 election, District 1 (Ty Wolosin) and District 3 (Kyle Mickelsen); 2027 election, Dist. 4 (Bret Bunker) and Dist. 5 (Joe Macaluso); 2028 election, Mayor (Frank Ritchie) and Dist. 2 (Joe Bateman).

Boerne will play host to one of six Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (AAMPO) public meetings this month, to gather feedback on transportation projects and programs competing for $256 million in funding.

TxDOT officials will join MPO authorities Wednesday, June 25 at Kronkosky Place/The Center to provide updates on major highway projects including Interstate 10 and Loop 1604.

Public comment remains a critical part of the MPO’s funding recommendation process.

Das Festival of Kendall brings a three-day festival back to downtown Boerne over Father’s Day weekend, reminiscent of the celebratory atmosphere of its predecessor, Berges Fest.

A two-day party last year on its initial run, Das Festival expands to June 13-15 this year, with major recording acts hitting the stage each night ... and yes, there will be stein-holding and Dachshund races.

Patsy Torres takes the stage Friday night, a night of music, beer and post-work camaraderie on the plaza. The Lost Mule Band and the Toman Brothers are on stage at 5 and 7 p.m. before Torres.

Samantha Morganroth admittedly has worn many hats since her January 2024 arrival at Das Greenhaus, the business incubator that aids entrepreneurs in developing their vision into reality.

Morganroth is going to need a larger hat rack now, having accepted the position of program manager for the two-year-old business support organization. She officially stepped into her new role in May 2025.

Das Greenhaus opened its doors to budding businessmen and women in June 2023, with Justin McKenzie spearheading the effort as its interim program manager. McKenzie stepped away in March of this year, deeply involved in several other entrepreneurial support systems, leaving program coordinator Morganroth at the helm.

A 37-year-old Boerne man thrown from his pickup died in a one-vehicle rollover accident early June 4, officers said.

Daniel Busby was pronounced dead at the scene. Department of Public Safety troopers said they were called at 1:10 a.m. to investigate reports of a wreck at 26 FM 474.

A green 2006 Ford F-250 driven by Busby “failed to safely navigate a curve in the roadway” and overturned, ejecting the motorist onto the roadway.

Jennifer Barreras-Rawls, a retired federal law enforcement officer and small business owner, was named Kendall County Republican Party chair last week.

She succeeds Michael Wheeler, who served as party chairman for the past year.

Barreras-Rawls is actively involved in Republican party leadership, currently serving as the first vice president and program chair of the Kendall County Republican Women.

For the first time in over two decades, Kendall County expects to maintain a balanced budget next fiscal year.

“We’ve come a long way,” Judge Shane Stolarczyk told members of the Kendall County Commissioners Court Monday, during the first of several planned budget meetings.

The balanced budget of $24 million has been made possible, the judge said, based on several factors.

An increase in home values is expected to bring in more than $2.7 million new dollars in revenue in 2025-26, as compared to the current fiscal year ($46,3456,032 expected this year, and an estimated $49,061,392 next year).

Included in the budget is a 2% raise for all non-elected county employees, four new positions related to creation of the 498th District Court in October, four full-time paid firefighters (two in Comfort, two in Bergheim), one addition to the EMS staff and a new Road and Bridges crew leader.

Boerne Middle School North Principal Daniel Owen has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest last week for driving while intoxicated, according to school officials.

Kendall County sheriff’s deputies stopped Owen, 48, late June 5 and charged him with driving-while-intoxicated- second offense and for unlawful carrying of a weapon, according to reports.

Owen, booked into the detention center at 4:36 a.m., was released at 1:30 p.m. Friday from the Kendall County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond.

The Boerne Independent School District severed its contract with Tegrity Contractors last week, opting to sign on with another firm to finish its long-delayed Aquatics Learning Center.

Boerne ISD signed on with Tegrity Contractors Inc. in the summer of 2023, following the 2022 bond election passage that included $8.7 million to build the complex on land near Champion High School and Cibolo Creek Elementary School.

A completion date of August 2024 was never realized, and a renewed “substantial completion” date of May 28, agreed upon by the district and Tegrity officials during a May 7 school board meeting, failed to happen.

A tryst with a 17-year-old student that led to inappropriate contact over social media with other female pupils netted a former Comfort High School teacher and coach a four-year prison term, prosecutors said. Tye Britton Rexrode, 39, entered into a plea agreement after being charged with an improper relationship between an educator and a student, officials said June 6.

The courtroom outcome follows an investigation that revealed an educator “exploited his position” with the school district by engaging in an improper sexual relationship and further illicit conversations with multiple underage female students, investigators said.

The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office continues its look into the tragic death of a 6-year-old at an area Montessori school. In the June 6 incident, authorities received a 911 call about 10 a.m. for a child found unresponsive in a restroom.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said the little girl gave no indication of being ill when she went to the bathroom, according to school officials.

Employees called 911 and began administering life-saving measures to the little girl. She was transported by EMS to University Hospital (in San Antonio) where she was pronounced dead at 11:25 a.m.

After seven years at the helm of revamping and turning Hill Country Family Services into one of the area’s more formidable relief/aid agencies, Chief Executive Officer Staci Almiger is moving on, ready for life’s next assignment.

Almiger in 2018 took a waffling agency with little to no guidance or direction and turned it into one of the county’s more active agencies dealing with law enforcement, emergency and other service organizations.

Enter Bryce Boddie. Boddie, soon became part of the agency’s formal corporate succession plan.

A new monument honoring Purple Heart recipients was installed in mid-June at Veterans Plaza, thanks to a local effort led by the Purple Heart Project and the Veterans Owned Small Business Organization, funded entirely through private donations.

Located in a shaded area near the center of the park, the new memorial serves as a tribute to service members wounded or killed in combat. The installation is the latest addition to a historic park that has long served as a gathering place to honor the military service of Kendall County residents.

The Purple Heart Project, the group behind the effort, is dedicated to recognizing and supporting those who have received the Purple Heart.

Turnout for the threeday Das Festival of Kendall exceeded expectations, according to the organization’s president Dave Parent. Estimates for the June 13-15 attendance runs as high as 8,500.

“I’m going to say it was at least 100% better than what we thought it was going to be,” Parent said on June 16, the day after the festival wrapped up.

Main Plaza housed two large tents all weekend, one covering a stage and tables and chairs for about 300 people, while a second large tent covered the games area, including the six-lane Dachshund and blindfold wheelbarrow track.

Between 650 and 700 protesters turned out for Saturday’s “No Kings Day” protest in Boerne, chanting, waving signs and cheering the frequent horn honks of motorists driving by the protesters’ position on Main Street.

“This has far exceeded expectations,” said rally coordinator Peg Layton. “

Protesters lined Main Street in front of the Boerne City Hall building, with overflow crossing the street — mingling with about 30 Trump supporters who showed up.

The “No Kings Day” protest was part of a national rally in cities across all 50 states, organized by people who oppose the president’s policies and actions.

The Boerne Independent School District will increase pay to $60,000 for its firstyear teachers once it gains voter support in November, while the district absorbs $3.81 million from House Bill 2 and expects to adopt a balanced budget later this summer.

BISD board members peppered Chief Financial Officer Wes Scott during the June 16board meeting with questions and comments on his budget presentation that showed the district possibly achieving a balanced budget for 2024-25.

For 2025-26, the district will provide raises for many teachers, thanks to the anticipated HB2 funding, and despite losing $2.4 million in hold-harmless compression property tax funding from the current fiscal year. They have also budgeted salary increases for auxiliary staff and those who are paid hourly.

Eighty years after being inducted into the U.S. Army, Pedro Vera received the French Legion of Honor — the country’s highest civil and military distinction — on June 18, for his service on D-Day, where he aided wounded soldiers following the invasion of Normandy.

Tracy Huff, Alamo Honor Flight’s president, said Wednesday’s recognition was the first ever for Vera, inducted into the U.S. Army in December 1942 at Fort Sam Houston.

Retired Major Gen. Robert Parker reviewed highlights of Vera’s service, which included landing on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and taking part in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944.

Fair Oaks Ranch City Council voted to sever its grant agreement with the Municipal Development District, officially ending the city’s latest attempt to construct a community center.

The city and the MDD had signed off on an agreement for $1.2 million to be spent developing and constructing a community center on the city complex, now with a price tag in excess of $2.4 million.

City Manager Scott Huizenga Monday said the intention of the council on June 5 was to go back to the MDD and request the full $2.45 million, but the council vote has now postponed that motion.

A Boerne resident has claimed a $5 million top prize in the Texas Lottery’s $400 Million Mega Bucks scratch ticket game, according to a press release from the Texas Lottery.

Sukhwinder Bal owns the Metro Stop convenience store at 1415 E. Blanco Road, near Boerne ISD Stadium, where the winning ticket was purchased. Bal on June 24 said while the winner is a frequent customer — who chose to remain anonymous — he does not know him by name.

“He buys a whole pack of this one all the time,” Bal said. “He spends the $1,500 for the whole pack.”

Michael Wheeler said he will continue to call Boerne home, even though he’s now living and working some 1,600 miles away in the Trump administration.

Wheeler, the former Kendall County Republican Party chair, began his new role June 9 as a senior adviser for the U.S. Small Business Administration, serving in the Office of Investment and Innovation in Washington, D.C.

The Bexar County Emergency Services District No. 4 board of directors accepted the resignation of Fire Chief Craig Ramon last week and were scheduled to meet June 27 to begin the task of finding a new chief.

Ramon’s resignation as chief of the Leon Springs Volunteer Fire Department was submitted and accepted, but not without its share of controversy.

Firefighters flooded a June 16 meeting when the ESD 4 board met for its annual performance review for Chief Ramon, and supporters rallied to his cause on June 23, only to be met with word Ramon was submitting his resignation.

COMING SUNDAY: The months of July-December in The Star’s “Year In Review”