Throughout local flood relief events this week, Del Rioans shared their personal stories of connection to Kerr County. VFW Post 8225 leaders reflected on their frequent trips to the Veteran’s Affairs office in Kerrville. Children recounted stories from their grandparents about the 1998 flood in Del Rio that were passed down through the generations. And a local father provided photos of the Kerrville disaster zone, taken when he dropped his daughter off at Schreiner University

On April 20th, 2025, at approximately 8:55a.m. a Del Rio Police Department officer observed a silver in color, Nissan Rouge ran a stop sign at the intersection of West Garza Street and Broadbent Avenue.

Local efforts for Texas Hill Country Flood Relief will continue throughout the next week. Opportunities to volunteer and donate may be extending all the way into August. A rush of drives, rallies, and fundraisers launched in Del Rio within the first 72 hours. But as Del Rio knows from 1998, flood relief efforts take longer than one week. Once the primary search and rescue have concluded, there will be months of continued clean up and years of financial recovery.

The VFW Post 8552 of Del Rio, TX began taking donations on Monday for central Texas Hill Country flood relief efforts. Post 8552 was reportedly "overwhelmed" by the amount of items donated which includes over 8,000 bottles of water, clothes, diapers, and non-perishable food. The VFW plans to depart from Del Rio on Thursday morning (July 10th) and is taking donations until Wednesday evening.

Support services for sexual assault victims are now locally accessible! Vital resources such as individual counseling and SAFE hospital exams are available right here in Del Rio, for free, for the first time in local history. These public services have never before existed within county lines. Wintergarden Women’s Shelter Inc. took over operation of the Val Verde Battered Women’s Shelter in January 2025 and have been transforming the program ever since.

Look out for more cost increases on the horizon, by municipal and Investor-Owned Utility (IOU) service providers like American Electric Power (AEP). A Special City Council meeting was held to review the City of Del Rio Schedule of Fees & Charges on June 17, 2025. They are currently in revision and fees will be presented to Council for approval and adoption within the next several weeks. Finance Director Linda Coones explained why some fees are increasing 50% or 100% or more.

A father and his two sons set up outside Del Rio Police Department headquarters Thursday to serve free pork ribs to about 50 officers and staff. Brad Bradley and his sons, C.R. and Heath, formerly owned a thriving barbecue business in the Texas Hill Country. They’ve since relocated to Del Rio, bringing their pitmaster barbecuing skills with them. While they’ll soon offer catering services locally, the Bradleys wanted to give back to the community before thinking about profit.

A happy coincidence for the Independence Day Rodeo, the County Fairgrounds just received an infrastructure face lift. The 18-wheeler access roads have been reinforced with tons of fresh caliche, including the main entry road, bulk road, and circle around. As thousands of passenger cars are preparing to descend upon the fairgrounds, dozens of rodeo trailers have already begun unloading. Thankfully, the recent roadway repairs should keep the traffic flowing.

The United States Air Force announced in a statement the establishment of a new National Defense Area (NDA) at the U.S. southern border along approximately 250 miles of the Rio Grande in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties, TX, near Brownsville. NDAs are meant to "support the Department of Defense’s ongoing mission to secure the souther border", says the statement. 

The 2025 Val Verde Juneteenth Celebration provided a safe space for community fellowship, said Pastor Paul Millsaps of the Greater Mount Olive Baptist Church. Pastor Paul helped organize the special event and remarked on the increased attendance this year as compared 2024. He described the invisible boundaries which normally keep people separated into small groups, saying he hopes the local success of Juneteenth encourages the whole community to come together more often.