Staff Report HAYS COUNTY — Jose Nicolas-Gonzalez, 45, was sentenced to 60 years in prison on Sept. 15 for two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child.   Jose Nicolas-Gonzalez Nicolas-Gonzalez’s trial began on Sept. 12. The jury learned that he assaulted a young female relative repeatedly begi...

By Brittany Anderson and Amira Van Leeuwen HAYS COUNTY — What feels like something that would only happen in a far-off community, or is just a “big city problem,” has quickly become reality for Hays County residents: fentanyl is here, and it’s killing children as young as 15.   Fentanyl is an approv...

On Tuesday, Sept. 6, Uvalde students returned to school for the first time since the tragic shooting that happened on May 24 at Robb Elementary School. Hays CISD and members of the community joined other school districts around the state in standing with Uvalde by wearing maroon and white to show so...

By Brittany Anderson HAYS COUNTY — Knowing what to do in the face of a natural disaster or other crises can help save lives, and various leaders in Hays County are working to build a stronger, more resilient community to ensure that its residents are prepared for times like this. Inside the Hays CIS...

Staff Report As part of the Healthy Hays Forum Series, the Hays County Local Health Department (HCLHD) will host two Hispanic/Latino Health-Diet Forums on Sept. 20 and 27 at Lehman High School, located at 1700 Lehman Rd. According to a press release, the health department wanted to bring to light co...

By Brittany Anderson Correction: KASZ received $200,000 from the county, not $20,000, as previously written in the headline and first paragraph.  KYLE — The local senior activity center is continuing to grow, both in its membership and meeting space. The Kyle Area Senior Zone (KASZ) received a $200,...

Staff Report SAN MARCOS -- A 20-year-old fentanyl distributor was arrested in San Marcos. On Friday, September 2, at approximately 9:30 p.m., the San Marcos Police Department executed a search warrant at a residence for a man suspected of supplying fentanyl pills to members of the community. After w...

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Kyle Police Department, and Hays County Sheriff’s Office held a joint press conference on Thursday, Sept. 8, at 3 p.m. at Kyle City Hall to announce the latest efforts to address the recent uptick in overdoses in Hays County. View the Hays Free Press' v...

Hays CISD Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright the following  email to parents on the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 7, to address an autopsy that came back from a student death earlier in July showing fentanyl as the cause of death and additional fentanyl-related incidents. Dear Hays CISD Family, I have som...

By Amira Van Leeuwen   HAYS COUNTY — Monkeypox is believed to have been around for centuries but was first noticed in 1958 in rodents in Africa. The disease belongs to a family of viruses called poxviridae, and within the poxviridae family are different viruses. One of the viruses within the poxviri...