Vipers strike Lady Tigers
Brewery looks to farming, preservation page 3
DSHS senior wins state title page 5
page 4
News-Dispatch Volume XXXVI No. 15
Serving Western Hays County, Texas since 1982
Thursday, January 21, 2016
The mudslinging begins...
Sheriff faces abuse allegations BY PAIGE LAMBERT
Former Hays County Sheriff Tommy Ratliff has announced he will run against incumbent sheriff Gary Cutler in a March 7 primary. At right, Ratliff on the Hays County Courthouse stairs publicly accuses Cutler of wrongdoing last Thursday.
News-Dispatch Reporter
PHOTO BY PAIGE LAMBERT
Talk of conspiracy rang at the Hays County Courthouse steps Thursday as Tommy Ratliff put Hays County Sheriff incumbent Gary Cutler under the microscope. Ratliff’s allegations of a cover-up to a 2014 case led him to call for Cutler’s resignation roughly a month before the two square off in the March 7 primaries. “He abuses his position to ensure that cases are not moving forward any farther
than the sheriff’s office,“ Ratliff said. “He’s not trustworthy, not anymore.” The case Ratliff referred to involved former internal affairs officer Bruce Boardman and his family. The controversy began in February 2014 when Hays County deputies were called to a family violence issue where the wife allegedly hit her husband, resulting in a concussion. The couple was later identified as Jesse and Brittany Hedland in a July 20, 2014 incident report,
ALLEGATIONS, 7
LAGNIAPPE Monarchs 101
Join Hays County Master Gardener Diana Black at the Dripping Springs Community Library on Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. for a fun informational session on attracting monarch butterflies to your garden. Please email suzanne@dscl.org if you plan to attend.
‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at DSHS
The Dripping Springs High School Theater presents “Fiddler on the Roof.” Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 21, 22, 23 and 25 and 2 p.m. on Jan. 24. In addition to regular performances, there will be an opening night dessert gala reception after the show on Jan. 21. All performances are in the DSISD Performing Arts Center. Tickets are reserved seating and are $10 for students/seniors and $12 for adults, and may also be purchased online at www.seatyourself.biz/dsisd or at the box office one hour before curtain. All online tickets are $10. Go to www. dshstheatre.com for details.
Second annual BAMBI Awards
The annual Wimberley Village Library film festival and awards ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, at the Emily Ann Theater in Wimberley. The event will be complete with red carpet, ersatz champagne and popcorn for participants and
LAGNIAPPE, 8
PHOTO BY PAIGE LAMBERT
The 2016 Hays County Livestock Show excitement began with the announcement of the show duchesses and queen. These include, left to right, Hannah Fults, Makenna Hawkins, Avery Herron, Shamar Woods, Bailey Anderlitch, Kate McCallick, Grace Baxter and Queen Madison Hawkins. Not pictured: Taya Schwiening
Queen’s court, horses kick off livestock show BY PAIGE LAMBERT
News-Dispatch Reporter
Hays County Livestock Show Queen Madison Hawkins begins her day around pigpens and makes sure her pigs get breakfast before she does. Following a long day at school, she does it all over again, spending hours washing, feeding and walking her pigs and lambs. But for the Hays High School senior, there’s nothing else she’d rather be doing. “I really wasn’t into dance and I wasn’t really into sports,” Madison said. “I get to be outdoors and I love showing.” Madison shows her four pigs and two lambs with 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA). While FFA is a great experience, she said, it’s only limited to high schools. 4-H is one of the largest youth development and mentoring organizations in the country. There are nine clubs in Hays County and anyone can join. Madison joined when she was eight years old. Madison, according to her mom, Betty, began by showing rabbits. “Rabbits were the girls’ first project and typically it’s a very short commitment, so we could see if they were interested,” Betty said. “Then we added on and now we have rabbits, lambs, pigs, chickens, you name it.” Madison wasn’t completely in the dark about showing. Both her parents showed in high school. In addition, the 4-H community always lent advice, anything from where to get feed to correcting showmanship in the ring. “We have project leaders, so whoever did rabbits in our club would help me,” she said. “Still to this day, I still have one of my friends who graduated help me and share tips.” Madison said the community and the advice they give is one of the greatest parts of 4-H as she correctly leads her lamb
75¢ DRIPPING SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL
Marriott height variance granted BY PAIGE LAMBERT
News-Dispatch Reporter
Dripping Springs’ next hotel could be right around the corner and taller than expected. By a 6-0 vote, the Dripping Springs City Council unanimously approved a height variance for the number of stories and total height for a potential new Marriott Courtyard hotel. Mayor Todd Purcell was not in attendance. The potential Marriott Courtyard would sit between HEB and Home Depot. According to Sumay Parikh of DS Hospitality, LLC, the proposed hotel would hold 90 rooms and cater to the wedding industry. A conference center would also be constructed and be open for local businesses to use, he said. A full bar and restaurant would be in the center. “The whole idea of the courtyard is to have an organic concept where there are no walls,” Parikh said. “You can sit down in the lobby and get served there.”
CITY COUNCIL, 7
Fischer bridge ahead of schedule BY MOSES LEOS III
News-Dispatch Editor
Madison said. “I take that money and put it back into them.” Kima Coltharp, a Wimberley resident, said she got her sons involved because of the family involvement and the skills they learn. “It’s all about teaching your kids the basics of life,” Coltharp said. “And giving back to others.” Coltharp said 4-H is structured to help the kids and mentor them in any direction they go, whether it is by raising livestock, public speaking or other skill projects. One example was when members of the Buda Club encouraged a 7-year-old girl to participate in meetings when she wanted.
After months of waiting, residents who rely on the Fischer Store Bridge in Wimberley may regain the damaged thoroughfare sooner than anticipated. According to Hays County Precinct No. 3 Commissioner Will Conley, repairs on the bridge damaged during the Memorial Day flood could be completed as soon as February or March. The county had envisioned reopening the damaged bridge by the anniversary of the Memorial Day flood. Conley said that a partnership between the county and the state would get the bridge “open sooner rather than later.” It comes after Conley and other Hays County officials spoke with state officials and question of how the state could be helpful to citizens was posed. Conley said repairs to the Ranch Road 12 bridge in Wimberley, which also suffered damage in the storm, was one way to help. Having the state take on the design and the development of repairing the Fischer Store bridge was another factor. The bridge was completely washed away as a result of the historic Memorial Day flood that occurred on the Blanco
LIVESTOCK SHOW, 2
BRIDGE, 3
PHOTO BY PAIGE LAMBERT
Madison Hawkins sets her lamb, Uno, in a showmanship stance in preparation of the Hays County Livestock Show. Hawkins and other Hays County students spend hundreds of hours caring for their show animals.
GET YER BOOTS READY
Hays County Annual Livestock Show Jan. 26-28 at Dripping Spring Ranch Park Event Center See full schedule at www. hayscountylivestockshow.com.
with her bare hands. To prepare for shows, like the Hays County Livestock Show, Madison has to give the animals more attention and mix special feed. The extracurricular can get expensive. 4-H clubs and local shows focus on building the community. Most county shows are nonterminal, where the owners get to keep their animals. “We aren’t selling our animals, people are giving us money and sponsoring us,”