JANUARY 23, 2019 25 YEARS
LOBO THRILLER
Buda Fire Chief celebrates 25 years on the job.
Lehman basketball stuns Del Valle in 65-63 nail-biter.
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Hays Free Press © Barton Publications, Inc.
75¢
Vol. 123 • No. 43
HaysFreePress.com
Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX
Locals worry over SH21 expansion scope BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
While the expansion of State Highway 21 is expected to begin this summer, local residents feel the project might be too little, too late. The estimated $17 million project, spearheaded by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), calls for adding a significant number of passing lanes to alleviate gridlock. According to a TxDOT PHOTO BY MOSES LEOS III statement, the average Residents who attended the SH 21 open house discussed the daily traffic on SH 21 is project with TxDOT engineers to see how the construction predicted to increase by 39 percent from 2017 to 2037. would impact traffic and property lines.
Improvements of SH 21, which connects Hays, Caldwell and Bastrop counties, would extend from Highway 80 in San Marcos to U.S. 71 in the Austin area.
Additionally, TxDOT is looking to add eightfoot shoulders on SH 21, predominantly on the Hays County side. But the biggest change to the highway is the addition of seven east and westbound alternating passing lanes that would be a mile to two miles in length. But for some longtime residents along SH 21, the
proposed passing lanes will not be enough. Hays County resident Arlene Smith can hear 18-wheelers speeding along SH 21 from her house. The trucks have become more of a common presence on the highway as San Marcos and Bastrop continue to grow.
SH 21 CONCERNS, 2
Police seek Kyle man in child injury case
Shut down PHOTO BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
Ruben is one of 800,000 federal employees who have not received a paycheck since the government shutdown began Dec. 22.
Government shutdown causing financial stress and uncertainty for local families BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
From the moment he entered Kyle H-E-B Jan. 22 with a grocery list clutched in hand, Ruben made it his mission to seek every available yellow coupon he could find. Like most families, Ruben and his wife know every little bit counts. That now means so much more for the duo who are both furloughed federal employees. While partial government shutdowns are nothing new to Ruben – he’s lived through five of them since the 1990s – the latest, which is now the longest in U.S. history, leaves him and his family fearful for the future. They’re two of the roughly 800,000 federal employees who have gone without pay for the last month and are struggling to ensure they can make ends meet. “I’ve been through five shutdowns, but nothing like this. When I was watching the news when it happened, I knew this
“When I was watching the news when it happened, I knew this would be different. I’m not pointing the finger at anyone. A lot of people are to blame. But we are being held hostage and used as pawns. Our leaders cannot find solutions and we are left to suffer.” –Ruben, a government employee
would be different,” Ruben said. “I’m not pointing the finger at anyone. A lot of people are to blame. But we are being held hostage and used as pawns. Our leaders cannot find solutions and we are left to suffer.” Since the shutdown began Dec. 22, Ruben and his wife have filed for unemployment, desperate for any help they can receive from the government. The money they have from the last
HOME LOANS
Government shutdown impacting home closures.
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INDEX
INJURY OF A CHILD, 12
New life for old annex
Buda OKs lease with local VFW BY MOSES LEOS III
STAFF REPORT Authorities are asking for the public’s help in locating a man suspected of causing multiple injuries to an infant. RichBLYTHE ard Vincent Blythe, 19, of Kyle, is wanted for injury to a child/serious bodily injury, according to a city of San Marcos press release. Blythe is a white male, 5-feet, 6-inches tall, who weighs approximately 200 lbs. Blythe has blonde hair, blue eyes and could have facial hair. His last known address is a residence in the Kyle area. According to the release, San Marcos
FILE PHOTO
The Buda VFW currently meets at the Buda Fire Department. Their new home will be the old city hall annex.
paycheck they received is strictly for groceries and bills. As a couple, they have sat down and crunched numbers. Which bills must paid soon and which can they hold off on are questions they regularly try to answer. The family also have to account for around $83,000 in outstanding student loans. As the shutdown lingers, Ruben said his colleagues are suffering psychologically, anxiously
News…………………… 2 Opinion………………… 3 Sports…………………… 4 Education……………… 5 Community………… 6, 7
Giving area veterans a place to call their own was the first move Buda officials made toward finding a use for its former municipal facilities. By a 6-0 Jan. 15 vote, the Buda City Council approved a lease agreement with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 12161 to reuse what was Buda’s city hall annex building. Per the agreement, the VFW will lease the building along Houston Street for a four-year period. Buda officials agreed to not place the structure on the market for the duration of the lease, so long as a suitable replacement structure is not found. Prior to the meeting,
VFW LEASE, 9
Former commish retires from board
waiting at home for some hope. The brain begins to linger on frightening thoughts, he said. Confidence begins to dwindle. Finances are running low and the days seem like months. Amid the uncertainty, area organizations and entities are stepping in to help federal employees stay on their feet. But those organizations are also starting to see the shutdown’s impact as well. Mallory Best, Hays County Food Bank coordinator, said the organization has received an influx of individuals who are in need of assistance since the start of 2019. “For confidentiality, we do not specifically ask what brings people to the food bank, but some citizens have told us it is because of the government shutdown,” Best said. “It can be difficult for people, especially those who are employed, to receive these services.” Best said the food
Citing a change of direction in his life, a former Hays County Commissioner announced plans to resign as chairperson of an area transportation board. Will Conley, who has chaired the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (CAMPO) Transportation Policy Board since 2012, said Jan. 14 he intends to step down from the position. The CAMPO TPB is a 20-person governing body made up of area elected officials, as well as representatives from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and Capital Metro. The TPB decides CAMPO policy and how federal and state funding for area transportation projects is allocated. More information
GOV’T SHUTDOWN, 9
CONLEY RETIRES, 2
Obituary………………… 7 Business……………… 8, 9 Service Directory……… 8 Classifieds………………10 Public Notices…… 10-12
STAFF REPORT