On Friday, April 19, the Hays Free Press and News-Dispatch staff received multiple awards in the South Texas Press Association annual contest for content published in 2023. The Hays Free Press awards are: First place News Photos, first place Editorial Writing, first place Feature Photos, first place...

HAYS COUNTY  —  As the spring blooms across the nation, so does a heightened sense of awareness regarding a prevalent, yet often overlooked issue: alcohol use disorder (AUD). April marks Alcohol Awareness Month, a time dedicated to shedding light on the challenges, complexities and solutions surroun...

HAYS COUNTY   — Commissioner Michelle Cohen has held the ambition of writing children’s books for as long as she can remember. In a few weeks, her dream will come true, with the release of “A Day in the Life of a Hays County Commissioner.” “When I became county commissioner, even before that, when I...

KYLE — After being shut down in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kyle Area Youth Advisory Council (KAYAC) is back. What started years before the pandemic in 2013, KAYAC is a committee of students in grades 9-12 who all live in the Kyle city limits or attend a Hays CISD school. The committee is...

HAYS COUNTY — As the area has experienced significant population growth over the past decade, the Board of Commissioners of Hays County Emergency Services District No. 9 has called for a proposition to be placed on the ballot for the May 4 election. An Emergency Services District (ESD) is a local go...

KYLE — Kyle City Council received a report on the preliminary five year financial fiscal forecast for the city’s general fund for the fiscal years 2024-25 through 2028-29 at its April 16 meeting. Director of Finance Perwez Moheet said that this is part of beginning the city’s budget process: “The pu...

BUDA — The Hays CISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved a seat belt plan at its April 15 meeting, which will equip the district with a fleet of buses fitted with seat belts at the earliest possible date. On March 22, a Tom Green Elementary School bus was returning from a field trip to the Capita...

Wimberley ISD Superintendent Dr. Greg Bonewald, left, presents the March Texan of the Month award to Erin Baumann, an English teacher at Danforth Junior High School. The honor came with a $250 cash gift from sponsor Stevens & Malone, PLLC, a massage from The Med Spa Wimberley and Baumann’s choice of...

Dripping Springs High School Senior Brooke Thompson poses with John Lopez after being named the recipient of the Special Forces Association Excellence Award. This award is given to students around the nation for scholastic excellence and military proficiency, in keeping with the traditions and ideal...

HAYS COUNTY — The Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center (HCWC) accepted the second half and final payment of the $644,000 grant unanimously approved by the Hays County Commissioners Court in August 2022. This grant, funded through the Hays County allocation of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Loca...