OCTOBER 26, 2016 POLKAFEST
B-BALL
See photos from last weekend’s local events.
Lobos, Rebels prep for basketball season.
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Hays Free Press ©Barton Publications, Inc.
Vol. 120 • No. 31
HaysFreePress.com
SH 45 SW to move ahead
Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX • 75¢
Mail-in ballots returned in Hays County STAFF REPORT
BY MOSES LEOS III
news@haysfreepress.com
TOLL ROAD, 2A
PHOTO BY BRITTANY TATE
An accident near the 217 exit along southbound IH-35 early Sunday morning, resulted in the death of a San Marcos woman and four others suffering injuries.
Woman killed in I-35 wreck BY MOSES LEOS III
news@haysfreepress.com
One woman was killed and four other people were injured after an accident along southbound Interstate 35 near the 217 exit in Buda early Sunday. The accident, which involved a Ford Explorer
that had five total occupants and a Nissan Juke, occurred before 7 a.m., said Brittany Tate, Buda Police Department spokesperson. The accident remains under investigation. Melissa Barrientos, 41, of San Marcos, was identified as the victim in the accident, according to Tate. Barrientos
was sitting in the front passenger seat of the Explorer. Hays County Pct. 5 Justice of the Peace Scott Cary pronounced the victim deceased at the scene, she said. The four other passengers in the Explorer, which included one adult and three children, were transported to University Medical Center
Brackenridge in Austin with non-life threatening injuries. One occupant in the Juke was evaluated at the scene and released. Buda Police is continuing to investigate the accident. No further details are available at this time. Updates to this story can be found at www. haysfreepress.com.
BALLOTS RETURNED, 4A
City issues hit Buda council forum Funds BY SAMANTHA SMITH
news@haysfreepress.com
Business and affordable housing were two of many topics addressed at Monday’s Buda City Council candidate debate held by the Buda Area Chamber of Commerce. The two-hour roundtable style debate featured candidates John Hatch, Theo Kosub and Lee Urbanovsky, who are running for the Place 1 seat. Monday’s debate also featured the race for the Place 2 seat between incumbent Wiley
Hopkins and candidate Jeffrey Morales.
PLACE 1 When asked what would their first priority be, should they be elected, Urbanovsky said he would look at all the construction and design plans for the bond packages to verify that they are all on schedule and on budget. Kosub said he would first address transportation issues, then the bond projects. Kosub added he would look into safer school corridors. Hatch said his
first action would be to create a Neighborhood Advisory Council, which would give the city council direct, formal interaction with Buda neighborhoods. The candidates were all in support of bringing small businesses to Buda and agreed that Buda is business friendly. But a point of contention among the candidates arose when the moderators mentioned the possibility of rejoining the Greater San Marcos Partnership (GSMP). Urbanovsky supported the city rejoining the
partnership and said it’s the “best resource we have to keep in touch with nearby governing bodies.” Kosub chose not to answer the question due to lack of information on the topic, while Hatch said he would be reticent to rejoin the GSMP due to the competition among members. The topic of affordable housing was an additional point of contention among the candidates. Hatch said Buda was
DEBATE, 4A
COMING UP Center Street Trick-or-Treat On Saturday, Oct. 29, from 1-4 p.m. head to downtown Kyle for the Center Street Trick-orTreat! Local businesses and organizations will set up tents and tables at City “Scare” Park to provide a fun and safe opportunity for trick-or-treating. We invite all ghosts and goblins young and old to come out to our Treat Trail for a fun afternoon of treats and a costume contest!
Mary Ruefle at KAP Boo-da Halloween
On Oct. 29, head to the Buda greenbelt from 5-7 p.m. for family-friendly Halloween fun. Dress in your best costume for free safe trick-or-treating and spooky activities in downtown Buda and the Buda Public Library.
MAIN ST.
Buda joins Texas Main Street program. – Page 1D
INDEX
An injunction filed by various groups trying to stop the State Highway 45 southwest project in its tracks was struck down by a federal judge earlier this month. According to a report from the Austin American-Statesman, the injunction, filed by multiple groups including the Save our Springs alliance, was denied by Judge Lee Yeakel. The decision allows the Texas Department of Transportation, along with the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA), to begin the construction process on the proposed $100 million, four-lane toll road. The road is projected to connect FM 1626 at Bliss Spillar Road in Hays County to MoPac in Austin. Hays County has committed $5 million for the project, while Travis County is committing $20 million. The remaining balance would come from a loan from TxDOT, which would be paid back from monies gathered from the toll road. “This is something this area has been waiting on for 30 years,” said Mark Jones, Hays County Pct. 2 Commissioner. “This is for mobility and connectivity and improving quality of life.” Jones said he “strongly agreed” with Yeakel’s decision, which determined construction of the SH 45 southwest project was not dependent on two other additional MoPac projects. According to documents on the ruling, the groups sought the injunction on the claim TxDOT and CTRMA had “improperly segmented” three projects,
A processing issue at post offices in some areas of Hays County is believed to have led to some completed ballots-by-mail to be returned to residents, according to the Hays County Elections Office. In a press release, the Elections Office received approximately 100 calls or visits by residents who have had ballots returned to them by mistake. According to officials, the issue extended to post office equipment reading a white label containing the voter’s name and address on the back of the ballot envelope, instead of the Elections Office address, which is located on the front. “Any voter-by-mail who has not yet returned their ballot to the Elections Office or who receives one returned by the post office is asked to cross out the address only on that white
Come out to Texas State University on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 3:30 p.m. and the Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center on Friday, Oct 28 at 7:30 p.m. to meet with author Mary Ruefle. Ruefle is the author of many books of poetry, including Trances of the Blast; Madness, Rack, and Honey; Selected Poems; A Little White Shadow, an art book of erasures; and The Adamant, winner of the 1988 Iowa Poetry Prize.
News …………… 1-4A Opinions …………… 3A Sports …………… 1-2B Education ……… 3-4B Community …… 1-4C
Best Bets ………… 4C Business ………… 1D Service Directory ..... 3D Classifieds ………...2, 4D Public Notices ……2, 4D
low in race for sheriff BY MOSES LEOS III
news@haysfreepress.com
With less than two weeks before voters officially cast their ballots, Hays County Sheriff incumbent Gary Cutler has just over $28,000 left in his war chest in his bid for reelection against challenger Rodrigo Amaya. According to a campaign finance report filed 30 days before Election Day, Cutler, who has served as the Hays County Sheriff for six years and is running for reelection, had $28,015.25 in political contributions maintained as of Oct. 11. Between July 5 and Oct. 11, Cutler received $100 in political contributions. Meanwhile, Amaya, who is a former Department of Public Safety Trooper, collected $1,400 in contributions from July 15 to Oct. 11 Roughly $1,000 was contributed from the Group of Legal Specialists out of Harlingen.
FINANCE, 2A