Mermaid Parade and Aqua Festival The Mermaid Society SMTX invites the public to its second annual event in downtown San Marcos on Sept. 16. The parade will take place downtown from 10 a.m. to noon, and will feature floats, music, the newly crowned Mermaid Queen and her court, and pictures with merma...

y favorite shade trees of all time are the oaks. Planted and watered properly, young trees will grow fast and can dramatically enhance our landscapes. Apart from their beauty, there is a practical consideration too. If you plant them in the right place, shade trees will cool off the air around your ...

Header Garrett Chick, right, and Tyson Thompson, healer, participated in Team Roping at Dripping Springs Ranch Park on Saturday as part of the Gunner Thames Memorial Rodeo. Chick, from Salado, earned a first and second place to win $3,700 and Thompson, from Monday, won $1,480 for second place. Cowbo...

eaching techniques on how to grapple and restrain an opponent as it relates to jiu jitsu is a daily experience for Joao Crus. Crus, who owns a jiu jitsu studio in the Dripping Springs area, has taught the martial art for close to two decades. But it was helping instruct a student with attention defi...

County burn ban is off Torrential downpours associated with Hurricane Harvey have led to Hays County officials calling off the countywide burn ban. Fire Marshal Clint Browning reminds residents to ensure that a responsible adult is on the scene of an outdoor burn and that there is a water source ava...

ew birds fly around more than the albatross.   It spreads its 12-foot long wings and soars across oceans, fair weather or foul, literally spending years at sea, forsaking land for long periods at a time. The world’s premier ocean aerialist, this bird has longer and thinner wings than any other avian...

igeons don’t get a lot of respect.   In fact, some people refer to them as “flying rats.” Cher Ami is one of the famous pigeons in the modern world. The patriot delivered a crucial message to American forces in World War One. (photo courtesy of Jerry Hall) I think that is unfair and I consider pigeo...

A Sycamore Springs Elementary student happily poses for parents for a first day of school photo. (courtesy photo) The first bell of the 2017-2018 school year rang across Dripping Springs ISD campuses Aug. 23 as classes officially got underway. Last week opened a new era for the district as it welcom...

he effort to gather funds for a Dripping Springs ISD employee’s chemotherapy treatment has already reached half of its goal in roughly one week. Efforts to raise $10,000 for Melissa Fleming, a Dripping Springs ISD school counselor, are underway thanks to Charlene Cox, Dripping Springs ISD nurse. Cox...

Hurricane Harvey relief fundraiser The Dripping Springs High School Student Council has initiated a district- and community-wide relief effort to assist those impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Donations are being collected for displaced families and those in need of basic supplies. Collections are being...