AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission sent a letter yesterday to the United States Department of Agriculture seeking permission to allow Texas Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to use their benefits at take out and drive-thru res...

Staff report The COVID-19 threat and the response to it is unprecedented in the minds of most living Americans. One aspect of the crisis, however, is something we’ve seen in the wake of natural disasters like floods and hurricanes. It’s time to be on the lookout for price gouging, the Texas Attorney...

Staff report The Hays County Food Bank has changed its distribution model in order to adhere to social distancing intended to slow the spread of COVID-19 — just as Executive Director Eleanor Owen-Oshan predicted. And, more changes may follow as the full effect of the closure of bars, restaurants and...

Shoppers stand outside of H-E-B, leaning on their empty carts, waiting so they can finally get a turn inside where only about 25 people can shop at once. H-E-B has taken many measures to ensure that it reduces the spread of the Coronavirus while people shop in-store, but their efforts did not stop o...

Delayed memorial services and live streaming of funerals are among options being developed at Harrell Funeral Homes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funeral Director Doug DuBois said he and other staff members are “working with families to schedule memorial services sometime in the future – hop...

Staff Report As the COVID-19 clampdown continues, community newspapers are among small businesses struggling to survive. That situation is made worse by the fact many paper mills in the U.S. are expected to be cutting back. All this has forced the Hays Free Press and News-Dispatch to find new ways t...

Hays County’s 8th and 9th cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in two people in separate households with connection to Carpenter Hill Elementary School in Buda. All cases confirmed so far have occurred in adults. The new cases mark four among people with connections to public schools. A person who ...

Wedding bells are not ringing amid the Covid-19 outbreak. Many couples have changed their celebration dates and some have even cancelled. Party venues are taking the hit, but some in Hays County have tried to ease this stressful time on their clients. Each venue has its own protocol to handling this...

The city of Dripping Springs says the Farmers Market will be held this Wednesday, March 25 at Veterans Memorial Park/The Triangle. All activities will follow CDC guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19. The city said in a Monday press release that the decision was made "to provide access to health...

The Hays County Local Health Department has been notified of one additional case of COVID-19, bringing the total cases in Hays County to seven. The person had contact with someone who had already tested positive. CDC image. The adult person was on the San Marcos High School campus on March 12, 2020 ...