APRIL 13, 2022 WARRIORS JOURNEY
HAYS CITY FORUM
Local verteran volunteers for mission to Ukraine with nonprofit
City of Hays holds forum for upcoming election.
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HaysNewsDispatch.com
Vol. 42 • No. 30
Serving Hays County, TX
DSISD committee addresses future growth; seeks feedback STAFF REPORT Dripping Springs ISD has convened a committee to address the district’s explosive projected growth with recommendations on developments for the next five to 10 years, and the committee is seeking community feedback on these recommendations. Three community feedback meetings on the Long-Range Facility Planning Committee (LRFPC) were held this week at the DSISD Central Office to discuss the committee’s recommendations. DSISD is a fast-growth district that currently enrolls more than 8,000 students and employs over 1,000 employees across eight campuses, an administration building and transportation facility. From October 2021 to October 2022, DSISD experienced a 9.9% growth. The district is projected to enroll more than 10,000 students by the 2025-2026 school year, and nearly 15,000 students by the 2030-2031 school year. As a result, DSISD created the LRFPC, a 50-member committee comprised of district staff and teachers, parents and stakeholders to assist the district in planning for this growth. The committee was formed during the 20192020 school year, and after temporarily pausing due to COVID-19, reconvened in October 2021. It serves as an advisory committee to the DSISD Board of Trustees and work to develop long-range facility recommendations to meet the needs of the growing district. In the 11 times the committee has met, it has
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Tigers punch ticket to the state tourney STAFF REPORT
defeated the Tigers in the 4th round of the playoffs. This year the Tigers The Tigers (25-3) entered the UIL 5A regional shutout the Cowboys with strong defense by the enfinals after defeating tire Tiger team. The Tigers Sharyland High School have punched their ticket from Mission on Friday to the state tournament with a final score of 2-0. The regional finals were next Thursday in Georgeheld in Corpus Christi on town. In the starting lineup Saturday. In the regional there are 4 players that finals The Tigers faced have played together Porter High School from since the age of 4. This Brownsville (22-3-2). core group has progressed During the 2021 postseason Porter High School through club level com-
petition.and they have brought a wealth of experience to the Tiger Soccer program. According to the school roster there are currently 10 seniors and 3 have signed to play at the college level in the fall. The senior players are: Enrique Alvarez (capt), Adam Knutson (capt), Javier Ortega (capt), Ian Driggers, Brenden Gajewski, Javier Gonzalez, Chase Menjivar, Colin
Patrick, Matthew Patrick, Diego Zamudio. According to the team historian this is the 2nd appearance in the state tournament in school history. The last Tiger team to play in the state tournament was in 2010 and was led by Kris Tyrpak who went on to play at the pro level. The Tigers are currently 25-3, with 2 of the losses to #1 and #2 ranked teams in division 5A. They
Hays County implements new system for vote-by-mail ballots STAFF REPORT HAYS COUNTY -County Election officials want voters to be aware of the new state vote-bymail ballots and process to ensure that every vote is counted. "To vote by mail in Texas, you must qualify under one of the following categories," said Jennifer Doinoff (formerly Anderson), elections administrator, in a news release. "Eligibility includes being age 65 or older, disabled (or have an illness) in a manner that prevents you from entering a polling location without injury to yourself, expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day and confined in a jail or civilly committed but otherwise eligible to vote.” If a voter meets any of those criteria, Doinoff said they can request that her office send a vote-by-mail ballot to their home address. She also explained that one the most important aspects of the new process is voters need to fill out the application completely.
Example of a mail-in ballot (photo provided by Hays County) “New voting laws require a ballot by mail voter to include their Texas-issued ID number, or the last four digits of their Social Security Number (SSN) on the Application for Ballot by Mail Form,” Doinoff said. “The numbers provided must match the numbers on the voter’s registration file to be accepted.” Many voters have both their identification and last four SSN digits on their voter registration file. “We recommend entering both your Texas-issued ID and the last four of your Social Security Number on the application just to be safe,” Doinoff said. “You can also call the Hays County Election Office at 512-393-7310 to see what we have on file for you.” She noted that the ID and SSN numbers will need to be entered on the voter’s application as well as on the ballot carrier envelope, which comes along with the ballot. Once a voter receives their ballot, they should complete it fully and accurately.
FAREWELL
Newspaper legacy continues with new generation.
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ELECTIONS ADMINISTRATOR JENNIFER DOINOFF SAID THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO CORRECT A BALLOT ENVELOPE: • Go in person to your election office to certify your ID information within six (6) days after Election Day. • Go to www.votetexas.gov, and click “Track My Ballot” to certify your ID information within six (6) days after Election Day. • A voter may vote in person at any polling location, by cancelling their mail ballot.
“We recommend entering both your Texas-issued ID and the last four of your Social Security Number on the application just to be safe. You can also call the Hays County Election Office at 512-393-7310 to see what we have on file for you.” –Jennifer Doinoff, Hays County Elections Administrator
“After you complete your ballot,” Doinoff explained, “place it in the secrecy envelope then place that in the carrier envelope, which is white with a purple stripe.” She added, “Before you seal the carrier envelope, lift the flap and fill in the blanks under the “Required Information” section.” Doinoff said this was
a step that some voters missed during the primary election and the information helps identify that the voter is the same person that requested the ballot. “The section under the flap is where the voter will enter either their Texas-issued ID, or last four of their Social Security Number that
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played these teams early in the season and gained tremendous experience which carried over to district play. The Tigers have set a school record with 25 wins, 116 goals and have only allowed 16 goals this season. There are only 4 teams remaining in the UIL 5A division state tournament. The TIgers will play Katy Jordan on Thursday, April 14, 2022 at 5pm at Georgetown High School.
Founders Day Festival coming up STAFF REPORT Thousands of people are gearing up to gather in Dripping Springs’ historic downtown district to celebrate the city’s heritage and pioneer spirit. Dripping Springs will hold its 33rd annual Founders Day Festival on Mercer Street from Friday, April 22 to Sunday, April 24. Hosted by the city of Dripping Springs and the Founders Day Commission, the festival will feature food vendors, a beer booth, cookoff competitions, over 150 arts and crafts booths and business vendors, free music and entertainment, a “Drippin’ Through the Decades” themed parade held on Friday and the Mighty Thomas Carnival. On-site ticket purchases are 40 tickets for $40. Advance carnival tickets are on sale now and can be purchased for half-price (40 tickets for $20) at South Star Bank, Lone Star Capital Bank, Prosperity Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Sunflower Bank, Broadway Bank, Texas Regional Bank, Martin’s Wellness DS Pharmacy or Dripping Springs City Hall. The carnival will be open on Friday from 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and
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