Hays County now has a Countywide Fire Code. The new standards and rules were adopted by the Commissioners Court last month. The code became effective Jan. 1 and is designed to provide the basis for fire protection for the occupants of new construction as well as authorize the Fire Marshal to make “f...

The New Year has just begun and hurricane season is still five months away, but if the past is any guide, chances are that Hays County will experience at least one natural disaster during 2020. According to FEMA, the state has seen 266 natural disasters since 1953 – 161 fires, 40 floods, 21 hurrican...

Adriana Cruz, former president of the Greater San Marcos Partnership (GSMP), has been named to the Advisory Council on Cultural Affairs, a division of the Governor’s Office, by Governor Greg Abbott. Her term is set to expire on Feb. 1, 2023. Abbott also named Cruz vice chair of the council, which ad...

Hays County’s first “no refusal” New Year’s Eve in six years appears to have achieved its proactive goal of cutting down on the number of people arrested for driving while intoxicated during celebrations to ring in 2020. According to District Attorney Wes Mau, five DWI arrests occurred during the ta...

Once again, the Hays County Commissioners Court has proclaimed Jan. 20 to be Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The court voted unanimously on the designation during their Tuesday meeting. Celebrations of what would have been Dr. King’s 91st birthday include a wreath-laying ceremony in San Marcos at the Cr...

Selena, Thomas Edison, Barack Obama and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were just a few of the famous figures presented by Fuentes Elementary 5th graders during the school's 2nd annual "living wax museum" held in the campus cafeteria. The event was the culmination of a nearly two-week long biography project whe...

More than two years after the Kyle City Council passed an ordinance designed in part to lower parking fines, residents began getting refunds for overcharges. Council member Rick Koch, who is also now mayor pro tem, began trying to get the fines lowered while he was still a private citizen. He finish...

The Hays Free Press reached out to both candidates running in the Jan. 25 special election to replace Daphne Tenorio on the Kyle City Council. Here’s what Brandi Heindl and Michael Tobias had to say. 1. The city has embarked on an ambitious goal of a 2020 bond election for the purpose of acquiring a...

Evelyn Alma Rios was born at Ascension Seton Hays at 2:12 a.m. on New Year’s Day. She weighed 8.7 pounds and was measured at 20.5 inches long. Parents are Jeremiah and Pauline Rios. She is pictured with her older brother. She is the youngest of four. Delivered by Dr. Jennifer Goss, OB/GYN at Ascensi...

The Hays County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information on three suspects who reportedly burglarized two firework stands on Christmas Day. Fireworks valued at $5,800 were stolen from the two locations, one on Windy Hill Road and the other on FM 2001. The time of the burglaries was not available, nor...