Locals fetch prize at dog show
The Crow talks open carry
Tiger hoops take on Bobcats
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News-Dispatch Volume XXXVI No. 13
Serving Western Hays County, Texas since 1982
75¢
Thursday, January 7, 2016
FEMA center to remain open until Jan. 15 SUBMITTED REPORT Due to the increase in registrations and visitors requesting information about the flood recovery process, FEMA determined that it will continue to operate its Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) at the Hays County Government Center through January 15.
This after FEMA had planned to permanently shut down the DRC on Dec. 30. According to a Hays County press release, the DRC will be open during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Hays County Government Center, located at 712 S. Stagecoach Trail in San Marcos. Residents and business
owners who had storm damage can register for FEMA assistance online at www. DisasterAssistance.gov or call 800.621.3362 toll free until further notice. Multilingual operators are available. Applicants who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY should call 800.462.7585 directly; those who use 711 or Video Relay
Service (VRS) should call 800.621.3362. All toll-free telephone numbers operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) daily. Assistance for eligible survivors can include grants for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses or funeral and burial costs.
Open carry
LAGNIAPPE DSCL annual children’s planning meeting
The Dripping Springs community is invited to the annual Dripping Springs Community Library children’s planning meeting on Jan. 7, 2016 from 2-4 p.m. in the library’s meeting room. Idea people and possible volunteers are both needed. If you want a say in what is planned at the library, have a special talent that could benefit children, or might be interested in becoming a volunteer for kid’s programs, be sure to come by. Those who can’t attend should email marie@dscl.org.
Alzheimer’s Support Group
The Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group will meet Thursday, Jan. 7, at 1 p.m. at the Wimberley Presbyterian Church Library at 956 FM 2325. If you or someone you know is caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s Disease or some other form of dementia, please join us. This is an opportunity to discuss the latest information and to share with other caregivers who are traveling this same journey. For additional information, contact Linda Germain, volunteer for the Alzheimer’s Association, at 512 924-3661.
Jacob’s Well reopened
Jacob’s Well Natural Area reopened Jan. 2, 2016 after being closed for flood repairs. Swimming reservations for spring and summer can now be made. The main entrance is located at 1699
LAGNIAPPE, 6
Low-interest disaster loans from SBA may be available to cover residential and business losses. Eligible survivors should register with FEMA even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but under-insured applicants may receive help after their insurance claims have been settled.
Hays County readies for new gun law SUBMITTED REPORT
PHOTO BY MOSES LEOS III
With a great leap from the side of the Founders Park pool, a handful of brave Dripping Springs residents took the plunge as they participated in the inaugural Dip in Drip Polar Plunge on New Year’s Day. Participants endured temperatures that hovered around 50 degrees, but were treated to the water of the heated pool. Below, a lifeguard, clad in cold weather gear, watches over swimmers who opted to stay in the warmer waters of the Founders Park pool on Jan. 1.
Dippin’ in Drippin’
Locals splash in the new year with swimming Tigers BY PAIGE LAMBERT
News-Dispatch Reporter
C
entral Texans rarely experience freezing temperatures but some Dripping Springs residents brought in the New Year in Arctic-like waters. The Dripping Springs High School swim and diving booster club hosted the “Dip in Drip Polar Plunge” Jan. 1 at Founders Memorial Park pool. The club met all of its financial and event goals, said Linda Freeman, the booster club member who helped create the event. “We got the community engaged, everyone had fun and we made money,” she said. “The event exceeded our expectations.” The Plunge was the booster club’s first fundraiser for the team. The club was created in September when the district’s main booster club splintered into sections for each sport. Jennifer Reid, who is the swim club booster president, said funds will pay for better transportation and hotels for regional and state meets. “Being on a school bus for hours is really hard on the kids,” Reid said. “It’s something a little different in Dripping Springs and hopefully becomes an annual thing.” Freeman said the club held some concerns about what the turnout would be. By the end of the event 30 to 40 people had taken the plunge and donated to the team. “People responded so well and had a blast,” she said. “I think this is absolutely something the swim team will continue to do.” According to Freeman, many Dripping Springs residents drive to Austin and Barton Springs Pool to participate in a Polar Plunge. “It’s really a world-wide event,” she said. “Now there’s one close to home.”
“[The Polar Plunge]’s really a world-wide event ... Now there’s one close to home.” – Linda Freeman, swim team booster club member
Other avid swimmers, such as those from the master/adult swimmers class, joined in on the inaugural fun. “One lady I knew popped out of the water and said ‘This is a dream come true, I’ve wanted to do this for so long!’” Linda said. Linda said holding a swimming event not only brought the community together but also brought awareness to the team. Participants met with booster club members and the team members who weren’t volunteering as lifeguards. Olivia Freeman, captain of the Dripping Springs swim team, said she was excited to have a fundraiser that was more than a bake sale. “I can relate it more to the sport that we love,” Olivia said. “We are passionate about it and it’s nice to turn it into money we can use.” Reid said she was glad to have an event that let the swim team
have fun in the pool. Her two boys typically leave before the crack of dawn for practice and leave right after. “Both of my boys are excited about giving back to the community,” Reid said. “Now they’ll have the fun of getting into the pool without practice and with their friends.” While air temperatures were hovering at or around 50 degrees, the pool itself wasn’t completely frozen over. Founders Park pool was heated to a balmy temperature around 78 degrees. In addition, warm drinks and donuts awaited the brave souls who participated. “The water wasn’t freezing but it was cold when they got out,” Linda said. “So it did feel like a polar plunge.” Linda said the booster club will also hold a community meet on April 2. The Swim 4 Swim meet will be open to anyone and all skill levels.
Following opinions from the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Hays County officials are readying the Hays County Government Center for licensed persons carrying firearms, concealed or unconcealed, to have access to appropriate areas of the building. The Government Center houses many administrative offices as well as criminal courts. Hays County had requested an opinion to clarify the Legislature’s intended relationship between courthouse security concerns and the rights of licensed handgun carriers. It comes after House Bill 910, which allows for the open carry of firearms, went into effect on Jan. 1. HB 910, which was passed by the Texas Legislature last summer, allows for persons to obtain a license to openly carry a handgun in a shoulder or belt holster in the same locations that allow a licensed concealed handgun. Following the AG’s opinions, the county will reallocate some of its screening areas so that licensed handgun carriers who want access to the first floor can have access while carrying their hand guns. Those visiting other floors can be screened separately and either leave their handguns in the custody of the Sheriff’s Office Security Detail while in the building or return their guns to their vehicles. “The AG’s opinions helped us determine how to structure access,” Hays County Sheriff Gary Cutler said. “We now have a plan in place that no doubt we will refine as we move forward, but will allow us to be in compliance with the appropriate screening and signage when the building reopens January 4.” Cutler said that as of January 1, the public might see citizens who are not law enforcement officers openly carrying firearms based on the new law. According to Cutler, the Sheriff’s Office has been training for this legislative change. “As with any legislative change involving law enforcement, we will adjust as necessary to respond to circumstances based on the information available to us and the law in effect at the time,” he said.