Staff Report The staff of the Hays Free Press once again has brought home the gold. The newspaper was named the Best Newspaper for its size in all of south and west Texas by the South Texas Press Association Aug. 7 for 2019. Hays Free Press staffers celebrate the good news in a Zoom meeting. Left to...

Staff Report The new Hays County Sheriff’s Academy facility now under construction will be named in honor of the late Sheriff Allen Bridges. His widow accompanied current Sheriff Gary Cutler when he made the request to the commissioners court on July 28. The vote to approve was unanimous. Bridges pa...

By Sahar Chmais There are those mornings when some university students wake up with the sunrise. They tick off their to-do list with an early workout, then a quiet walk to a sparsely filled building to get a head start on their work, after that they grab a coffee or tea and just revel in the morning...

At a special meeting on Aug. 3, the Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved Superintendent Todd Washburn’s recommendation of Cedric Menchion as the district’s new Chief Financial Officer. Menchion has been the controller at Killeen ISD since 2014 and has more than 20 years of exp...

The Central Texas Food Bank, in partnership with the city of Kyle, is hosting a mass food distribution event on Thursday, Aug. 13 from 8-11 a.m. at the Smile Direct Facility, 300 Vista Ridge Dr. — across from the Home Depot. Central Texas residents facing food insecurity can drive to the event to re...

by Sahar Chmais The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act has allotted $4.8 million to Hays County to spend on resident and staff COVID-19 safety. So far, the county has decided how 20% of the funds will be spent, and the rest is in the works. It is necessary that the county uses 75% of ...

By Anita Miller County Judge Ruben Becerra is trying again. Becerra has called a special meeting for 1 p.m. Friday concerning the vacancy created when Pct. 3 Constable Ray Helm on July 31 surrendered his peace officer certification for life in order to avoid prosecution for falsifying records and ot...

By Anita Miller There’s a new avenue for pre-trial detainees – who make up the majority of those incarcerated in Hays County Jail – to be released from custody and returned to their families, without experiencing any financial impact. The community bond program was launched in the spring by the acti...

Staff Report Gov. Greg Abbott issued declarations this week regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the reopening of Texas public schools and the resumption of standardized testing. On Monday, Abbott extended the early voting period by nearly a week, beginning Oct. 13. Additionally, he said mail-in ballots...

by Chase Rogers Dripping Springs ISD approved a return-to-school plan Monday, July 28, cementing guidelines for in-person and remote instruction for the fall semester. The DSISD Board of Trustees voted 7-0 in favor to approve the “Return, Reimagine, Connect” back-to-school plan, taking effect after ...