December 29, 2021 Hays Free Press by Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch

DECEMBER 29, 2021 GIFT OF HEAT

TEXAS HISTORY

Local HVAC company gives deserving resident free heating services.

Stephen F. Austin’s right-hand man caused him some headaches.

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With COVID-19 numbers as high as they were at the end of last year, Megan Cardwell and her husband decided to spend the New Year holiday in the safety of their home. When Cardwell started having contractions, there was no

Vol. 127 • No. 40

time to rush to the hospital. “Within about like an hour and 15 minutes was when I was like this is real labor and we are pushing,” Cardwell said. “It happened really fast. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get in the car to the hospital so I hopped in my tub.” “My husband, thank God, was smart enough and aware enough to call the paramedics,” Cardwell told the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch. “They talked him through everything he needed to do until the paramedics got here.” The Cardwells’ child is considered a rainbow baby. When a family previously loses a child due to miscarriage or stillbirth, another baby may be born soon thereafter. This is known as a ‘rainbow baby,’ coming from the idea that a rainbow breaks the clouds of a storm.

Serving Hays County, TX

When 14-year-old Gaby Castro was introduced to aerial dance and acrobatics at the age of 12, the competitive dancing world as she knew it was about to change. She decided to be an aerialist instead just when “The Greatest Showman” was released in theaters. Gaby’s daily schedule as an aerialist includes breakfast, morning homeschool, handstands and other classes. She said one of her favorite parts is embracing new challenges along the way.

A look back at 2021

It took six years, but the Kyle Police arrested 47-yearold Larry Simon of Louisiana on two capital murder charges without bond on Feb. 2 of 2021, for a 2015 double homicide at a home in the 800 block of Sledge Street. He was charged with killing James Wright, 45, and Tina Combs, 44. Simon was a known associate of Wright and was identified as a person of interest early in the investigation.

The soaring hawk is making its first appearance as the official mascot of Hays High School. Hays High School unveiled its new Hawks logo and branding package on March 24. Students finalized the Hawks as the new mascot in January of 2020.

The Lehman Lobos boys and girls powerlifting teams this past year proved lightning can strike the same place twice. On March 27, Lehman Lobo boys powerlifters Brayden Bromonsky and Jacob Vasquez both secured first place in their respective weight classes at the Texas High School Powerlifting Association (THSPA) Boys 5A/6A state meet in Abilene. As a result of their exemplary finishes, the Lobo boys powerlifting team captured the 2021 5A/6A THSPA State team title, finishing two points ahead of Odessa High.

Left, Roxanne Castillo sent in a picture of a snowman she and her daughter made. Above is a photo submitted by Wynne Galpin.

It was a fight to protect water where no aquifer district had jurisiction, but in the end House Bill 3405, passed in 2015, meant that a permit allowing pumpage of more than 289 million gallons of water had to be granted. A lawsuit filed by Trinity Edwards Spring Protection Association (TESPA) in early 2020 combatting the permit ended with slight oversight of the permit through 2027. In 2019, the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) granted a well water permit to Needmore LLC. to withdraw 289,080,000 gallons of

water annually, then got sued over the decision. Needmore, a 5,000 acre-ranch just outside of Wimberley, is allowed to withdraw this maximum amount of water for agricultural irrigation and wildlife use. In 2015, when House Bill 3405 passed, it gave BSEACD jurisdiction over previously unregulated portions of the Trinity Aquifer in Hays County, including Needmore’s land. HB 3405 entitled existing well owners to use maximum production of their well. The BSEACD did not favor the requirement, but were legally bound to comply, according to a press release from BSEACD.

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There were few dry eyes in the house at the Moe and Gene Johnson High School softball field April 6 as the Lehman Lobos and Johnson Jaguars softball teams rallied together in support of a Hays CISD employee who is battling cancer. At the conclusion of the April 6 district game, both teams joined together for a quick photo to show support for Johnson High Athletic Trainer Amber Jones, who earlier this year was diagnosed with breast cancer and is combatting the disease. Along with the show of support, members of the Lehman High softball team prior to the contest offered a signed softball to Jones that had numerous words of encouragement and well wishes for her fight. Meanwhile, the Jaguar softball team also had Jones’ initials (AJ) and a pink ribbon, symbolizing the fight against breast cancer, drawn behind home plate.

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posted July 12, 2021 PHOTO FROM SOCIAL MEDIA

Democrats broke quorum and left the state of Texas this past July in a move to stop the bills prioritized by Gov. Greg Abbott in the special session. Bills legislators did not want to pass included a bill that would disallow transgender students from competing on teams of the opposite sex they were born into, a bill that would limit access to voting and a bill that would further restrict abortion access in Texas.

The Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch family mourned the loss of editor Anita Miller Byley who served in that roll for more than a year. Anita had a following in journalism, having worked at the San Marcos Daily Record for 39 years. She was known for her passion for community, the San Marcos river, and her involvement in many local organizations.

Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch • December 29, 2021

posted February 22, 2021 PHOTO COURTESY OF J.R. GONZALES Fabrizio and Elpida Sarna, owners of Amici, an Italian food truck in Buda, began delivering free, warm meals to people in the middle of the Texas snow storm beginning Feb. 14 when they realized some of their neighbors may lack essential resources for survival. The storm only got worse and households experienced long electricity out-

ages, water outages and bursting pipes. On Wednesday, Feb. 17, Creekside Villas Senior Village in Buda, an apartment facility for older adults, experienced a flood in the first floor along with a power outage. When its residents were relocated, they needed hot meals. Amici once again stepped in with owners and staff of Helen’s Casa Alde as well.

A look back at 2021 For the first time, a Johnson High athlete competed against the best in Texas at the UIL state wrestling meet. On April 18, Johnson High sophomore Breanna Salgado qualified by claiming third place in her 215 pound weight class at the UIL Region IV-5A wrestling meet at the Toney Burger Center.

World renowned skateboarder Kenny Reed is usually off in the Middle East teaching kids how to skateboard and helping them build ramps in the summer, but this year, Reed was in Dripping Springs, teaching children lessons on how to embrace the fall. There are ongoing efforts to find funding for construction of a skatepark on 1.5 acres of land at Founders Memorial Park that was set aside for a skatepark.

For the first time in decades, Buda put on a rodeo that wrangled up more than 1,500 residents. For one chilly night in early October, the Pinballz Kingdom parking lot turned into a haven of cowboy hats, barbecue, the sound of music and children, topped off with the smell of beer. Spectators clung to the rusty metal bars as they cheered on the bull riders and mutton busters.

Milburn and Rhonda King built a haunted house in their home in Whispering Hollow in Kyle 16 years ago at the request of their daughter and it became a tradition they continue every year. It’s a tradition they still continue because they say the neighbors and kids really seem to appreciate it. But since the pandemic, the Kings decided to put everything outside. Their Halloween landscape featured a yard full of animatronics from aliens, to a headless horseman (and his horse) to the talking, man-eating plant.

Happy Holidays Wishing you and yours peace, joy, and good health throughout this holiday season and in the year to come. And remember, we are always here for you … days, nights, weekends, and holidays. — Your ARC family

Senator Judith Zaffirini embraces two of her favorite blessings. What she works for and hopes for Asher and George is what she works for and hopes for all children. May you and yours enjoy a blessed Happy New Year.

ARCafterhours.com

Opinion

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” –Michael Altshuler, motivational speaker

Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch • December 29, 2021

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8mm memories in a digital age In an interview promoting his new movie “Being the Ricardos,” about the beloved sitcom “I Love Lucy,” writer-director Aaron Sorkin referred to Lucy’s “Friday audience taping.” I suppose even a media maven like Sorkin should be forgiven for bollixing terminology about motion pictures. We all do it. “Lucy” was never taped. In fact, videotape was not in use in 1952 when the story takes place. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were actually pioneers in developing a three-camera set-up using 35mm film, not tape. This time of year, most of us shoot a lot of digital cell-phone video, and we might call it “taping” or “filming” but it’s not. To appreciate the distinction, you had to grow up back when people really did shoot film. The Kodak camera my parents owned in the 1950s used 8mm film and had to be cranked before each use, sort of like a child’s wind-up toy. A small reel of film was good for about 3 minutes. Once exposed, the precious footage was given to the local drug store for processing, which usually took about a week because they had to send it out to a lab. When the film came back, on another tiny reel, Dad carefully set-up his projector to display the glorious, bouncy, scratchy, silent moving pictures on the living room wall. Since there was never adequate indoor light during photography, color images were almost too dark to identify. Lighting was better outdoors — except that sun flares often obliterated the picture. Still, the family watched in rapt attention, with the kids yelping about how goofy we looked. As for my parents and grandparents, whenever the camera was pointed their way they waved. They didn’t smile much back then, but they really knew how to wave. True horror came

Guest Column by Peter Funt

when the film jammed. The projector’s bulb required so much wattage that it became red hot, causing the film catch fire. We’d watch an eerie image on the wall of a still frame burning from the center outward until it melted away. Home-moviemaking became simpler when videotape reached the consumer market in the 1970s. Technically, we were no longer “filming,” we were “taping.” I owned a bulky Panasonic camcorder that used fullsized VHS tapes and was so heavy I had to balance it on my shoulder. Most of us quickly discarded our movie projectors, leaving many 8mm reels of unwatchable family memories. I sent my film to a company that transferred the content to VHS so it would “last forever,” which turned out to be roughly 15 years. VHS tapes wore out, especially during furious fast-forwarding and rewinding, with hours of material on a single tape. I had Christmas celebrations, followed by baseball games, followed by an old episode of “Saturday Night Live,” followed by another Christmas gathering. When digital formats came along, I sent my VHS tapes to be digitized so they would, you know, “last forever.” That’s when I started reading about something called “digital rot.” It refers to the fact that when our phones stop functioning, or online storage sites disappear, video memories are lost. Nowadays I’m using a fancy iPhone to shoot “high dynamic range” video (HDR). I’ll be thrilled if the images last as long as episodes of “I Love Lucy.” Peter Funt’s new memoir, “Self-Amused,” is now available at CandidCamera.com.

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WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — An appropriately picturesque walking bridge connects the Visitors’ Center at Colonial Williamsburg to the meticulously recreated historic site about a mile away. And every step along it is a step backward into our tangled, jumbled, and often painful history as a nation. At regularly spaced intervals, plaques set into the concrete remind you that in the not-too-distant past, there was no television and long-distance travel was onerous and difficult. That until 1920, women were denied the right to vote, and until 1865, you knew someone who owned another human being. In 1776, you were still subject to the whims of a king an ocean away. As I walked that bridge for the first time a few days ago, I was struck by the notion that the simple poetry of those bronze plaques reflected the arc of the nation — always moving forward, even if sometimes bumptiously, expanding the rights of our fellow citizens, even if that progress was irregular and always long overdue. To come to Williamsburg is to be reminded of the optimism of the American experiment, and to remember that the work of creating a more perfect union is always ongoing. It occurred to me that, for the first time in my lifetime, there are forces afoot, real and palpable, that are working to turn back the

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Guest Column by John L. Micek

clock on all those hardwon gains. That battle has unspooled in public school classrooms, waged by people who misguidedly want to preserve a very specific version of our national story, one that prioritizes white and privileged voices over those who have been marginalized for too long. But to do that is to defy the reality of history. It’s impossible to tell the full American story without including the voices of its native people, the enslaved and formerly enslaved, upon whose backs the country was painfully brought to life. That battle has also moved into our courtrooms, before a U.S. Supreme Court that seems perfectly ready to strip bodily autonomy from half our population. And in the doing of it, turn back the clock a half-century to a horrifying era where people who can get pregnant went to deadly lengths to assert control over their own futures. As those brass plaques along the bridge make clear, we were once a nation that celebrated science. One particularly makes note of Thomas Edison helping to bring the nation out of darkness

in 1879, by building his first light bulb. Nearly a century-and-a-half on, the president of the United States pleaded with the American people this week to follow basic science and get vaccinated against a virus that has so far killed more than 800,000 of their fellow citizens. We see it in attacks on voting rights and the legitimacy of our elections. In Washington, though he lacks the votes to change the filibuster, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he planned to take up a voting rights bill during the first week of January. Schumer also threatened rules changes if the chamber’s Republicans continued their resistance. But it’s hard to say how far Schumer might go, given that two of his fellow Democrats, Joe Manchin, of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema, of Arizona, remain opposed to such changes. Meanwhile, the myth of the stolen election and the rise of the far-right, which is extending its reach into local offices with oversight of elections, continues unabated. And a former president continues to spread the fiction that he won the 2020 election, despite clear evidence to the contrary. Worse, he’s been abetted by many of his fellow Republicans. The destructive effect of this sustained attack on the underpinnings of our republic isn’t academic. One expert in foreign civil wars is warning that the United

States is “closer to civil war than any of us would like to believe.” Indeed, things have deteriorated so badly over the last five years that the country no longer technically qualifies as a democracy, according to The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank, citing research by University of California at San Diego political science professor Barbara F. Walter, who serves on a CIA advisory panel called the Political Instability Task Force. Instead, the country is now an “anocracy,” which puts it somewhere between a democracy and an autocratic state, according to Walter. It sounds cliché to say it, but we’re at a tipping point as a nation. And as we head into a new year, with a contentious campaign season ahead, every choice we make as a country in the 12 months to come will reverberate into history. There’s a final plaque set into the concrete on the return leg to the Visitors’ Center. The question it asks is as simple as it is towering in the challenge it poses: “What difference will you make?” The answer has never been more important. An award-winning political journalist, John L. Micek is Editor-in-Chief of The Pennsylvania Capital-Star in Harrisburg, Pa. Email him at jmicek@ penncapital-star.com and follow him on Twitter @ ByJohnLMicek.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Arlene Monroe

Kimberlee Griffon

NEWS TIPS

A reminder of what we’ve gained, and could yet lose

CONTROL YOUR DOGS! A big black long haired dog and a brown pit bull with white on the head just killed a miniature horse of mine in my back yard. A few years ago, two dogs – one red dog and a black

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one – chased an expensive saddle horse into a water tank. I saw them come out of the pasture all wet. I didn’t realize they had chased the horse until I found it in the water dead. This happens all the time. People don’t realize

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the damage loose dogs can do. My neighbors left home with their Great Dane loose. It killed one horse and another one had to be put down ... their own horses. I can name at least ten cases in the last fifty years

LETTERS GUIDELINES

I have live here on Cotton Gin Road of damage from loose dogs. The more subdivisions the worse it gets. There is a Hays County law against loose dogs. Where’s the enforcement? Albert Busse Uhland

We welcome locally written letters to the editor on timely topics of community interest. We ask that you keep them to about 350 words in length and that you not indulge in personal attacks on private individuals. Letters may be edited for brevity and clarity. All letters should be signed by the author and include a daytime phone number where the author can be contacted for verification. Letter writers are limited to one letter per month. Letters can be emailed to csb@haysfreepress.com.

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Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch • December 29, 2021

Austin Regional Clinic STATE NEWS State steps up DUI enforcement during holidays Center Street adds The Texas Department of Transportation has kicked off its statewide “Drive Sober. No Regrets” drunk driving prevention program for the holidays. Throughout the month, TxDOT has released videos of people who deal with the daily consequences of driving while impaired, either as an offender or survivor. The stories and facts about drunk driving can be found at SoberRides.org. “It is our hope that these moving, first-hand accounts will encourage all of us to make the right choice and not ever drive after drinking or doing anything that can alter our judgment,” said TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams. “We don’t want to turn a happy time of year into one that could be marked by tragic loss caused by someone’s poor decision to drink and drive.” During the December holiday season last year, there were 2,462 DUI-alcohol related traffic accidents, killing 93 people and seriously injuring 215.

TEXAS TO DISTRIBUTE ADDITIONAL $123.3 MILLION IN ED FUNDING The state will invest an additional $123.3 million in federal funds provided through pandemic relief legislation. “The state of Texas remains committed to students and their success in our education systems — that includes ensuring parents have an option to send their kids to a high-quality charter school and providing direct support to families with children who have special needs,” Gov. Greg Abbott said. This final round of funding includes money for students with severe cognitive disabilities; charter school grants; financial aid for nursing students; shortterm credential training for front-line health care workers; initiatives to improve student enrollment and retention; financial aid programs for higher

Capital Highlights by Gary Borders

education; cybersecurity enhancement; and aid for those seeking commercial driver license training. “For some of our most at-risk students, this significant new round of funding will prioritize getting families across Texas direct access to special education and other targeted supplemental services to support their children’s varied educational needs,” said Mike Morath, Texas education commissioner.

USED VEHICLE PRICES AT RECORD HIGHS The average listing price for a used vehicle topped $27,000 for the first time, according to a report from Cox Automotive. A primary reason, according to a story in the San Antonio Express-News, is the relative scarcity of new vehicles because of supply-chain disruptions and an initial drop in demand when the pandemic struck. For example, Toyota stopped production at all its plants across North America and in Southeast Asia, except for its San Antonio factory. The company had hoped to return to full prediction in December but has again suspended work at some plants as a shortage of computer chips has stymied vehicle production. The spike in used vehicle prices has benefitted car owners looking to sell. “With the way the market is right now, I’ve seen people make money on their vehicles, especially with diesel. It’s crazy,” Zachary Gilman, a salesman at the Jordan Ford dealership in Live Oak, told the Express-News.

MORE FUNDING FOR OPERATION LONE STAR The state’s Public Safety Office has awarded an additional $38.4 mil-

Buda, Texas • 15300 S. IH-35 • 312-1615

Debbie Thames, Agent 251 N. FM 1626, Bldg. 2, Ste. C, Buda, Texas 78610 312-1917

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lion in funding to cities and counties along the Texas-Mexico border for law enforcement efforts. That amount doubles the funding provided for those counties since last March. The funding is for specialized law enforcement equipment, labor costs including overtime, construction of additional communication towers and increased jail capacity and travel costs for law enforcement personnel from non-border counties that provide assistance. “This additional funding will strengthen our response to the border crisis and ensure our law enforcement and local partners have the resources they need to keep our communities safe in the federal government’s absence,” Abbott said.

COVID-19 CASES SPIKE; OMICRON VARIANT SPREADS As Texans continue to navigate life during a nearly two-year pandemic, the number of new cases of COVID-19 rose during the past week to 51,479, an increase of 41% from the previous week, according to the Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University. The number of new deaths dropped to 266, a decrease of 44%, however. Researchers have said that while the omicron variant is more contagious than the delta variant that sparked the last wave, its symptoms thus far are not as severe. The number of lab-confirmed hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients stayed at about the same level as the previous week, with 3,376 reported by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The number of Texans who are fully vaccinated stood at 16.36 million as of Sunday, which is 56.1% of the state’s population. In addition, 4.35 million of the state’s residents have received an additional dose, according to DSHS.

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Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm 251 N. FM 1626 #2C, Buda, TX 78610 Oﬃce: (512) 312-1917 • Fax: 312-0688 dvthames@austin.rr.com

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The state Public Utility Commission last week voted unanimously to enhance both short-term and long-term reliability of the state’s electric grid through what it termed “major reforms” to the state’s wholesale electricity market. “In prior years, any single one of these changes would have been considered significant. Taken together, they are a generational shift in the Texas electricity market,” said Peter Lake, PUC chairman. “This (is) a move away from the crisis-based business model we have operated under for the past two decades. This new model centers on reliability.” Some of the major changes: • Changes in the mathematical formula used to

CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS, 7

CHURCH OF CHRIST

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

Faith Assembly of God 1030 Main St., Buda

Buda-Kyle Church of Christ 3.5 miles south of Buda on FM 2770

Monte del Olivar Christian Center 2400 FM 150 E., Kyle

BAPTIST

Southern Hills Church of Christ 3740 FM 967, Buda

The Connection Church 1235 S. Loop 4, Buda

EPISCOPAL

Antioch Community Church Old Black Colony Rd., Buda

First Baptist Church-Buda 104 San Marcos St., Buda First Baptist Church-Kyle 300 W. Center St., Kyle Hays Hills Baptist Church 1401 FM 1626, Buda

Manchaca Baptist Church Lowden Lane & FM 1626 Immanuel Baptist Church 4000 E. FM 150, 4 miles east of Kyle Center Union Baptist Church Goforth Rd., Buda Primera Mision Bautista Mexicana Kyle Baptist Church of Driftwood 13540 FM 150 W. CATHOLIC Santa Cruz Catholic Church 1100 Main Street, Buda

Texas Crossword, from page 6

PUC APPROVES ELECTRIC GRID RELIABILITY MEASURES

St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church 725 RR 967, Buda St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church RR 3237 (Wimberley Rd.), Kyle St. Alban’s Episcopal Church 11819 IH-35 South JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses FM 2770, Kyle Jehovah’s Witnesses South 10802 Manchaca Rd., Manchaca LUTHERAN Living Word Lutheran ELCA 2315 FM 967, Buda Redeeming Grace Lutheran LCMS FM 1626 & Manchaca Rd., Manchaca Resurrection Church, CLBA 401 FM 967, Buda St. John Lutheran Church 9865 Camino Real, Uhland The Well Buda Buda United Methodist Church San Marcos & Elm St., Buda

Pure Texas

New Covenant Community Church 1019 Main Street, Buda (in Dance Unlimited)

Spring Water! Privately owned From local springs FREE DELIVERY 1ST 20 GAL. FREE

Vertical Chapel 400 Old Post Road, Kyle A Fountain of Life Church 302 Millenium Dr. Kyle

Friendly, Courteous Service

Fellowship Church at Plum Creek 160 Grace Street at 2770, Kyle

Call 1-866-691-2369

Word of Life Christian Faith Center 118 Trademark Drive, Buda

BUDA

Por Tu Gracia Fellowship 701 Roland Lane, Kyle

DRUG STORE

203 Railroad Street Downtown Buda Pharmacy 312-2111 Fountain 312-2172

PENTECOSTAL Mision de Casa de Oracion S. Hwy. 81, Kyle

Journey United Methodist 216 Kirkham Circle, Kyle

CHRISTIAN

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church 7206 Creedmoor Rd., Creedmoor

New Life Christian Church 2315 FM 967, Buda

Manchaca United Methodist Church FM 1626 & Manchaca Rd., Manchaca

St. John’s Presbyterian Church 12420 Hewitt Ln., Manchaca

Iglesia Israelita Casa de Dios 816 Green Pastures Dr., Kyle

Driftwood United Methodist Church RR 150 at County Road 170

First Presbyterian Church 410 W. Hutchison, San Marcos, TX 78666

New Life Sanctuary Kyle Science Hall Elementary 1510 Bebee Rd. PRESBYTERIAN

First Baptist Church

A loving & caring Southern Baptist Church 104 S. San Marcos Street, Buda Buddy Johnson, Pastor • 295-2161 Sunday School...........................................9:30 a.m. Morning Worship....................................10:45 a.m. Wednesday Bible Study/Youth Activities...6:00 p.m. AWANA’s (Wednesday)..........................6:00 p.m.

www.hayshills.org 1401 N. FM 1626

Providing you with your most important local news for Kyle, Buda and surrounding communities

Mission Fellowship Church 200 San Marcos Street, Buda

St. Michael’s Catholic Church S. Old Spanish Trail, Uhland

Adult (including an 8:30 a.m. early bird class), teen, children’s classes * Children’s worship Professionally-staffed nursery & pre-school

Hays Free Press

Kingdom United Christian Church 100 Madison Way, Buda

Kyle United Methodist Church Sledge & Lockhart St., Kyle

9:30 a.m. Classic Service 10:45 a.m. Contemporary service

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Completed & Perfected Faith Church Tobias Elementary Cafeteria, FM 150, Kyle

St. Anthony Marie Claret Church 801 N. Burleson, Kyle

Baptist Church

TEXAS LEHIGH CEMENT CO. LP

Trinity United Chuch of Niederwald 13700 Camino Real, Hwy. 21, Niederwald

METHODIST

Hays Hills

the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. She will see and treat a number of dermatological conditions, including acne treatment for adult and teen skin, care for chronic skin problems, mole evaluations and skin cancer screenings, evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of hair loss, and other services. Kathryn Siems is currently welcoming new and established patients to her Dermatology practice at ARC Center Street for appointments beginning January 4. Appointments can be made online or by calling the clinic, 737-4040347.

Debbie Thames Insurance Agency

ASSEMBLIES OF GOD

Southeast Baptist Church 5020 Turnersville Rd., Creedmoor

Texas Crossword Solution

The Texas labor market exceeded the previous pre-pandemic high in February 2020 by hitting just under 13 million nonagricultural jobs in November, the Texas Workforce Commission reported last Friday. The adjusted jobless rate was 5.2% last month, down slightly from the previous month. “Reaching this milestone for job creation in Texas shows the strength of our economy,” TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel said. The Amarillo area had the lowest unemployment rate among Texas Metropolitan Statistical Areas at 3.1%, followed by the Austin-Round Rock MSA at 3.2% and College Station-Bryan at 3.5%. “Texas continues to reach unprecedented milestones thanks to our unwavering commitment to economic freedom and our young, skilled, growing, and diverse workforce,” Gov. Greg Abbott said.

Austin Regional Clinic (ARC) Center Street in Kyle is adding Dermatology to its services in early January 2022, with Kathryn C. Siems, PA, FNP-C. Dermatology services will move from ARC Kyle Plum Creek to ARC Center Street, located at 22420 IH 35, Suite 203. Cody Seel, PA, who has practiced Dermatology at ARC Kyle Plum Creek, is relocating to ARC South 1st Specialty & Pediatrics. Ms. Seims holds a master’s degree for Physician Assistant, with Honors, from the Baylor College of Medicine, School of Allied Health Sciences in Houston, TX, and is certified by

Come worship with us

Sledge Chapel Missionary Baptist Church 709 Sewell, Kyle

Sudoku Puzzle, from page 6

Dermatology

STATE’S WORKFORCE SURPASSES PREPANDEMIC HIGH

Nursery Provided

www.firstbaptistbuda.com • fbcbuda@austin.rr.com

Your Hometown McDonald’s

McDonald’s of Buda 15359 IH-35, Ste. B • P.O. Box 1364, Buda, TX 78610

512-312-2383

Locally owned and operated by Jimmy and Cindi Ferguson

Sunset Canyon Baptist Church 8:45 AM

Sunday Morning

11:00 AM

Sunday Worship

5:45 PM

Wednesday Meal

6:30 PM

Wed TouchPoint SCBC Preschool Children Ministries Youth Ministries Family Ministries

A Family of Faith... www.sunsetcanyonchurch.org

(512) 894-0480

4000 E. HWY 290

Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch • December 29, 2021

Page 5

Dripping Springs makes zoning changes “You are kind of cutting into a community that I think is going to impact our existing residents in a way that I’m not comfortable doing right now.”

BY MEGAN WEHRING

With a unanimous vote, a zoning map amendment also was approved to change a Single Family-Low Density (SF-1) to Manufactured Home (MH) for about 2.279 acres out of the Phillip A. Smith Survey located at 910 Creek Road. –Mayor Pro Tem Taline Manassian The properties around the lot primarily consist of manwho lives in the neighthat process will be looking ufactured homes. Property owner Sumer borhood. “It’s extremely at a future land use map. Hernandez Scott requested dangerous to pull off TimThat’s what really helps us the zoning change beberline onto Ranch Road 12, guide these decisions for especially if you are going zoning changes. If we had [a cause the existing house is south. I have pretty steep request] come forward even too small for her growing family. concerns about a bunch of next week, we would likely “Life threw us some extra traffic.” put that on hold until we got curves,” Scott said. “So Both Manassian and King through the moratorium.” also expressed their concerns about whether it is the right time to add in more commercial zoning. “You are kind of cutting into a community that I think is going to impact our existing residents in a way that I’m not comfortable doing right now,” Manassian said. This request was submitted prior to Dripping Springs entering the development moratorium. “We are in a moratorium,” said Ginger Faught, deputy city administrator. “We are going through our new Comprehensive Plan [and] getting ready to select a contractor for that. Part of

DRIPPING SPRINGS — Two zoning requests were given the green light on Tuesday by the Dripping Springs City Council. A request to amend zoning from Manufactured Home (MH) to General Retail (GR) was only passed with a 3-2 vote, with Mayor Pro Tem Taline Manassian and council member Wade King as the dissenting votes. The 1.44-acre property consists of lots 1, 2, 3, 26, 27, and 28, block C out of the North Forty Section 2 subdivision located at the intersection of Ranch Road 12 and Timberline Drive. In 2018, a Conditional Use Permit was approved for a tattoo studio on the property; the business is still operating and will not be affected by this zoning amendment, according to staff. Specific retail establishments were not announced for the property, but the proposed amendment left several council members worried about the effect it will have on the neighboring subdivision. “I am a little concerned about the increased traffic regardless of what they do on Timberline,” King said,

we went from having two kiddos to four kiddos last September. We are in the process of adopting my niece and nephew. We have six people in a thousand square-foot home built in the 1950s with one bathroom [and] three bedrooms. We have already upgraded and tried to do as much as we can there but we are trying to stay in Dripping Springs.” The property currently consists of two separate parcels, one of which does not have current access to the road, according to the planning department’s staff

report. Under the zoning amendment and subsequent final plat, the property would ultimately create a flag plot that would need approval of an administrative waiver. “[We] are trying to divide the property into two separate pieces,” Scott said, “to allow us to put a manufactured home on the back piece of the property that would be the flag lot and keep the front piece as a home on its own. So if we need to sell that to afford to live and make everything work financially for the back, then we can.”

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Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch • December 29, 2021

Local HVAC company gives gift of heat BY BRITTANY ANDERSON

One local heating and A/C company is gearing up for its fifth year of helping keep a member of the community warm in his or her home as colder days approach. Since 2017, Garner Heating & Air Conditioning (GHAC) in Kyle has assisted a family or individual in need of a heating system or major repair to their current system during the winter season through their “Gift of Heat” program. According to Sarah Mottu of GHAC, there is no specific criteria for nominating someone for the program — only that a true need for assistance can be verified. Residents in any of GHAC’s services areas, which include Kyle, Buda, Wimberley, San Marcos and into south Austin, are eligible to be nominated. “The idea is to do something that helps the community,” Mottu said, adding that GHAC owners Doug and Karen Garner wanted to use their platform to help during a time when heat is so

“The Gift of Heat Program is something really special to all of us at GHAC,” Garner wrote. “It’s one way we can use our talents and resources to give back to those in need.”

necessary. Garner said on the GHAC website that one of the hardest things their technicians encounter when they go to a home is homeowners having no means to replace or repair a non-functioning or failing heating system. “The Gift of Heat Program is something really special to all of us at GHAC,” Garner wrote. “It’s one way we can use our talents and resources to give back to those in need.” Their hope for the program is that it “brings glory to God, blesses families in need that are going through a tough time and inspires and motivates others in a position of influence to do the same.” Past recipients include San Marcos resident Clemente Saucedo in 2019, who experienced a complete home flood in 2017 that

left significant and costly damage to his home of 65 years. Saucedo was forced to only run electric heaters in his home’s most frequently occupied rooms at specific times in order to minimize the likelihood of an electrical fire, leaving the rest of his home without heat. GHAC was able to provide Saucedo with a new heating system in time for the winter season, ensuring that he stayed “warm and comfortable all season long.” If you or someone you know would benefit from this program, the nomination form can be found at www.garnerac.com/ gift-of-heat-nomination. The nomination deadline has been extended to Jan. 15. For more information, contact info@garnerac.com or call (512) 392-2000.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GARNER HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING. Doug and Karen Garner (right) of GHAC with the 2019 Gift of Heat Program nominee winner Clemente Saucedo of San Marcos. Angie Mendez (left).

Austin’s right-hand man a big headache On Dec. 30, 1847, eleven years after the death of Stephen F. Austin, the Father of Texas’ right-hand man opened the first real bank in independent Texas. Samuel May Williams came from a distinguished Rhode Island clan that took root in New England a century before his birth in 1795. A long list of illustrious ancestors included a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a president of Yale College. Leaving home at the age of 20, the young wanderer wound up in New Orleans. During his seven-year stay in the Crescent City, he picked up enough French and Spanish to become fluent in both tongues. Williams’ language skills landed him a job as an interpreter right after his arrival in Texas in the spring of 1822. He soon met Austin, two years his senior at 29, and in 1824 accepted an offer of employment from the colonizer. Assuming a multitude of varied and demanding responsibilities, Williams evolved into the empressario’s indispensable righthand man. Although his formal titles were restricted to official secretary and public recorder of the Anglo-American settlement,

Texas History

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there was no limit to his actual duties. He did whatever had to be done, which regularly meant running the contentious colony during Austin’s prolonged absences. The position was anything but cushy. Williams’ headquarters, the land office at San Felipe de Austin, was a ramshackle structure that provided minimal shelter against the whimsical weather. The sum total of furniture was two chairs and a whiskey barrel converted into a desk. Essential supplies were extremely scarce in the primitive province. Williams had to send off to Louisiana for a log to record land transactions, a routine request that took six months. Austin was an exceptionally private person, who rarely confided in anybody. But his assistant gradually earned his trust and in time became his closest if not only true friend. By 1834 the colony was a thriving community, and

Williams finally felt free to informed that you charge pursue more personal goals me with a want of regard after a decade of dedicated for your standing and charservice. Austin grudgingly acter,” he wrote without a accepted the fact that his hint of an apology. “All that able aide needed to get on I can do is to call upon you with his life, and the pair to reflect and examine the parted on amicable terms. motives you think I could However, in a matter of have for such a proceedmonths, the ex-eming towards any ployee managed man I esteemed to besmirch the as a friend, reputation and more his menespecially tor had towards labored you.” so long Austin to keep waited above until earrely Noproach. vember Williams to reply. engaged Considin land ering the specufact that lations the land Samuel May which, though speculation Williams technically scandal had just legal, provoked cost him the presiharsh criticism from many dency of the Republic, his colonists who jumped to response was remarkably the unfounded conclusion charitable. that Austin was involved in “Williams, you have the shady deals. wounded me very deeply, The resultant rift wrecked but you are so deeply rootthe relationship both men ed in my affections that, treasured. For two years with all your faults, you are they did not exchange a at heart too much like a single word. wild and heedless brother In August 1836, four to be entirely banished.” months after the Battle of That touching and genSan Jacinto, Williams broke erous letter may have been the awkward silence. “I am Austin’s last. Exhausted by

his nation-building toil, he died seven weeks later at the tragically early age of 43. Ever the shrewd though not always scrupulous entrepreneur, Williams went on to make a fortune in the shipping business. Using his political contacts to circumvent the constitutional ban on banks, he opened the Commercial and Agricultural Bank at the corner of Market and Twenty-Third Street in Galveston at the end of 1847. The intense animosity of most Texans toward land speculators was surpassed only by their burning hatred of bankers. Opponents immediately filed suit to have Williams’ charter canceled and subjected him to a relentless campaign of public vilification while awaiting the verdict.

The Texas supreme court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in 1859. The justices ordered the Commercial and Agricultural Bank closed and its assets liquidated down to the last penny. But Samuel May Williams was beyond caring. He died six months before the decision, the victim of what his doctor called “a giving way mentally and physically.” Put another way, he lost interest in living. Austin tried to tell him there was more to life than money, but his right hand foolishly ignored that simple truth. Order your signed copy of “Texas Depression Era Desperadoes.” by mailing a check for $24.00 to Bartee Haile, P.O. Box 130011, Spring, TX 77393.

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Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch • December 29, 2021

Page 7

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PUBLIC NOTICES

NOTICE OF APPLICATION TO SUBDIVIDE

An application has been filed with HAYS COUNTY to subdivide 53-acre of property consisting of 8 lots, each greater than 5 acres, located along Ledgerock Road, Wimberley, TX 78676. information regarding the application may be obtained from Hays County Development Services 512393-2150. Tracking Number: PLN-1844-NP.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

On October 25, 2021, Ethel Savilla Buler Shumaker was appointed to serve as Independent Executor without requirement of bond or other security of the Estate of Daryl William Shumaker, Deceased, in Cause No. 21-0383-P, pending in the County Court-at-Law, Court No. 2, of Hays County, Texas. The address of Independent Executor is c/o Andrew C. Friedmann, Attorney & Counselor at Law, 4408 Spicewood Springs Road, Austin, Texas 78759, and all persons having claims against this estate are required to present them to such address in the manner and time required by law.

NOTICE TO ALL PERSONS HAVING CLAIMS AGAINST THE ESTATE OF CARL WAYNE CLARK, DECEASED

Notice is hereby given that original Letters Testamentary for the Estate of CARL WAYNE CLARK, Deceased, were issued on December 13, 2021, in Cause No. 21-0388P, pending in the County Court at Law of Hays County, Texas, to SHERRY ROSE CLARK. The post office address is: Sherry Rose Clark, Independent Executor Estate of Carl Wayne Clark, Deceased c/o Samuel E. Long, Jr. Shackelford, Bowen,

McKinley & Norton, LLP 9201 N. Central Expressway, 4th Floor Dallas, Texas 75231 All persons having claims against this Estate which is currently being administered are required to present them within the time and in the manner prescribed by law. DATED December 22, 2021.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Notice is hereby given that original Letters Testamentary for the Estate of Theo Blyn Gray, Deceased, were issued on December 13, 20214 in Cause No. 21-0444-P, pending in the County Court at Law No. 1, Hays County, Texas, to: Donnie Holder. All persons having claims against this Estate which is currently being administered are required to present them to the undersigned within the time and in the manner prescribed by law. c/o: Ryan V. Vickers Attorney at Law 121 Hall Professional Center, Suite A Kyle, TX 78640 DATED the day of , 2021. Ryan V. Vickers Attorney for Donnie Holder State Bar No.: 24079518 121 Hall Professional Center, Suite A Kyle, TX 78640 Telephone: (512) 262-0232 Facsimile: (512) 268-5404 E-mail: rvv@glicklawtx.com

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Notice is hereby given that original Letters of Administration for the Estate of Alice E. Hunsucker, Deceased, were issued on December 17, 2021, in Cause No. 21-0343-P, pending in the County Court at Law, Hays County, Texas, to: Kimberly Kay Brandl. All persons having claims against this Estate which is currently being administered are required to present them

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27% of the fatalities, with 127 incidents, according to TDI. Fatalities in the transportation and warehousing industries had the second highest, accounting for 20.4% with 96 people killed. Natural resources and mining recorded the third-highest number with 54 fatalities, or 11.5%.

RAISING THE BAR FOR HIGHER EDUCATION The Commissioner of Higher Education said last week the state is raising the bar for higher education. In an address before nearly 200 higher education leaders, Harrison Keller released “an ambitious vision for higher education,” according to a news release

from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The updated strategic plan for the state’s higher education system includes: • Adding a new goal for 35- to 64-year-olds who need new skills to compete in today’s economy. • A broader range of postsecondary credentials of value to fit workforce needs.

• The goal of students having no college debt or at least a low, manageable debt. • A greater focus on research and development to drive innovation. • Renewing the state’s commitment to advancing equity for all Texans to complete postsecondary degrees and certificates. Keller called the present

time “the greatest opportunity since the end of World War II to make an impact in higher education.” “As we emerge from the global pandemic, we arrive at another defining moment in history,” he said. “In Texas, the window of opportunity is open for us to work together to advance and enhance this vision for higher education and en-

rich the lives of generations to come.” Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@ texaspress.com.

Page 8

Kyle residents only got to see 10 minutes of the July 4th fireworks with no big finale, even after a promise of a 30-minute show. The city’s vendor ended the show early due to a fuse box that was programmed to the wrong channel and was not receiving the signal to launch. Additionally, three crew members from the firework company did not show up.

The city of Kyle honored service members this Memorial Day by breaking ground for Heroes Memorial Park at Kohler’s Crossing in May. Work began on Monday, May 31, but it will take about one year to 15 months for the memorial to be complete, according to Kyle City Council Member Dex Ellison.

The five-acre park will have service members’ names, a quiet area for reflection, a picnic area, tree buffers, a cafe, an active area and a peace garden. Heroes Memorial Park is located on FM 1626, Kohler’s Crossing, near an existing lake and next to the Hays CISD Performing Arts Center. It is also close to the Brick and Mortar District.

The Kyle Police Department (KPD) will soon have a brand new Public Safety Center to better serve the city’s explosive growth. The city held a groundbreaking on Friday on the corner of Kohlers Crossing and Marketplace Avenue, the site of the future center. The upcoming two-story, 64,000-square-foot center was part of a $37 million bond package passed during the November 2020

mark of the day on her fourth attempt out of six tries, edging out Mansfield Timberview’s Jordyn Tiggs for fourth in the standings, a career best. This marked the third time in four years Nikayla competed at the UIL State Track and Field Meet in Austin.

Completing a height of 6-feet, 6-inches in May, Hays High’s Michael Boudoin III closed a wildly successful senior season with a 6th place finish at the UIL 6A boys State high jump competition in Austin. In addition, Boudoin forever etched his mark in Hays High history by clearing a height of 6-feet, 9.5-inches in March, breaking the school’s 38-year high jump record by .5 inches.

election, and is slated to open in fall 2022. The center will allow KPD to grow over the next 20 years and beyond by expanding its services with space to improve emergency center response times, creating an investigations suite and canine unit, increase officer training, expand communitybased programs and mental health services, and more.

On March 4, the Johnson Jaguars softball team opened the inaugural Hays/Johnson Softball Tournament with a 3-1 win over 6A foe Westlake.

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In a first for Johnson High School, the Rosettes Dance team celebrated its inaugural Spring Show April 17 at the Hays CISD Performing Arts Center. Last year, the Rosettes’ 2020 Spring Show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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In 2015, Tayler Saucedo was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays as a relief pitcher and has been in the game several times, his father said. In June 2021, shortly before his 28th birthday, he joined the team in the majors as

With a day’s best jump of 18 feet, 7.50-inches in May, Lehman Lobo senior Nikayla Fitzgerald closed her high school track and field career in style by taking fourth place in the UIL girls 5A state long jump competition in Austin. Fitzgerald hit her best

Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch • December 29, 2021

pitcher. He had played for several farm teams, leading up to his debut as pitcher on June 17, 2021. At that game, the left-hander pitched a scoreless inning against the New York Yankees and notched his first career strikeout.

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Get some cheer out of your home this holiday season.

Decorative rocks were scattered in the outdoor garden at Inspired Minds Art Center downtown, welcoming local artists and community members to enjoy the colorful mosaic. The BAAC, which was started in 2020, works to serve visual artists in the Buda area while also encouraging the public to embrace their creative roots. Linda Chido and cochair Amanda Rainey have over 50 years of combined experience in the art industry. Above, Steven Harris and his masterpiece, the 3D spider.

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