On Saturday, April 22, Cyndy Slovak-Barton, former owner and publisher of the Hays Free Press and News-Dispatch, received the South Texas Press Association’s Chester Evans Award for distinguished service, in recognition of her years of dedicated service to the South Texas Press Association. Slovak-B...

Staff Report   After 38 years in the newspaper business and serving as publisher for the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch for more than two decades, Cyndy Slovak-Barton is retiring from the paper to take over other family ventures. The current Hays Free Press was founded by the Harwell family of Kyle i...

Our local state representative Erin Zwiener stopped by the Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch office to present our publisher Cyndy Slovak-Barton a resolution in recognition of her induction to the Texas Newspaper Foundation Hall of Fame. Congratulations Cyndy! RESOLUTION WHEREAS, Cyndy Slovak-Barton, aw...

I read a statement this week from Rev. David Sweet regarding the sentencing and imprisonment of his dad. Charles Sweet, a former deacon at Hays Hills Baptist church, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for to molestation of two young girls. David Sweet’s statement simply made me cry, because I know ...

“Dear God, Lead me. I cannot do this on my own. #Team Jesus” These words of faith from Victory Today were forwarded on Friday morning by Lee Taylor on his FaceBook. Below came a string of responses that gave to me the news that Lee’s son, Mayor Phillip Taylor, died on Thursday night after his orange...

Kyle Chamber of Commerce business awards were announced this week at the annual Excellence in Commerce luncheon. Winners this year included the following: Volunteer of the Year • Marisa Coon, Randolph Brooks FCU Irene Melendez presents to Marisa Coon Spirit of Kyle Award and Ambassador of the Year A...

et me say up front that my family owns guns. All kinds – rifles, shotguns. We use those against critters that constantly encircle our house and yard – coyotes looking to get into the yard to snack on our dogs and wild hogs rutting around and making a mess of the ranch land. But never in my wildest d...

An instructor at the Kyle Correctional Facility shows men how to crochet stuffed animals. The correctional facility inmates crocheted more than 30 animals to send to Port Aransas and have also sent hundreds of animals to the police and sheriff’s departments for children in trauma. (courtesy photo) t...

resident Trump has had a tough few weeks. Really. His CEOs quit his corporate advisory committees, he ousted Steve Bannon from his White House staff, he is under fire because of his non-apology for saying the Charlotteville violence came from many sides. Now, the Secret Service says the department h...

t’s strange who you run into driving across the vast expanse of Texas. My family and I were on our way to a Colorado vacation last week when I ran into a friend. I stopped in my tracks when I ran into the Texas Press Association Chairman Randy Mankin. He owns The Eldorado Success and he and his wife...