A prominent Texas Hill Country wine executive was arrested on charges of drunken driving and unlawfully carrying a weapon. South Texas’ spring outlook is calling for wetter, but hotter weather. Here are this week’s most-read news stories.
Texas wine leader arrested on DWI, weapon charges
Kerrville police arrested John Rivenburgh, a prominent Texas Hill Country wine executive, and charged him with DWI and unlawfully carrying a weapon. Authorities recorded his blood-alcohol level at 0.15%, nearly twice the legal limit in Texas. He was booked into the Kerrville jail and held on $3,500 bond for the DWI and $1,500 for the weapon charge, then released the same day. Rivenburgh previously led Texas Wine Growers and has ties to Kerrville Hills Winery and other ventures, and he did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Lakes McQueeney and Placid begin refilling
Yearslong projects to rebuild dams at Lakes McQueeney and Placid were recently completed, and both reservoirs began filling back up after sitting largely empty for years. Waterfront property owners had created taxing districts to finance the projects. Each dam cost more than $40 million to repair.
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South Texas eyes a wetter spring but hotter days
Central and South Texas started 2026 exceptionally dry, with San Antonio at 35% of normal rainfall, Austin at 31%, Corpus Christi at under an inch, and Laredo at just 0.06 inch. As spring arrived, the region entered peak severe weather season, raising odds for hail, damaging wind and tornadoes alongside needed rain. The Climate Prediction Center gave South Texas even odds for spring precipitation, while European and American ensemble models leaned slightly wetter, signaling 5 to 6 inches for San Antonio through mid-spring and even higher totals to the north…