FEBRUARY 5, 2020 CENSUS
REALIGNED
Hays County ramps up efforts for complete census count.
Realignment brings drastic change for Hays County athletic programs.
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Hays Free Press © Barton Publications, Inc.
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Vol. 125 • No. 45
HaysFreePress.com
Kinder Morgan reacts to newest anti-PHP lawsuit
Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX
Style guide for Kyle targets front-facing garages
Revisiting the 80s...
BY ANITA MILLER
BY ANITA MILLER
KINDER-MORGAN LAWSUIT, 8
with Anthony Michael Hall PHOTOS BY VERNA WOMMACK
Breakfast Club star visits Kyle for special screening
KYLE STYLE GUIDE, 8
Tobias will not seek another term on school board
Anthony Michael Hall, one of the stars of the Breakfast Club, hosted a presentation of the iconic 80s movie in Kyle last week at EVO Entertainment Center. Above, Hall meets with fans and signs autographs with his wife Lucia Oskeroba. Right, superfans Sydney Holzman of Austin and Perla Wilbur of Florida attended the showing. See story page 6.
STAFF REPORT
POPULATION CONTROL
County renews feral hog abatement program BY ANITA MILLER Spring is but weeks away and along with bluebonnets and warmer weather, the change brings the about birthing season for Texas’ estimated 1.5 million feral hogs. To help keep ahead of the infestation, the Hays County Commissioners Court on Jan. 28 renewed its interlocal agreement with Texas State University for feral hog control. The county will use $5,000 out of up to $7,500 in its feral hog abatement grant for the program, which is administered by The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, for 2020. Services, which are associated with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension program, range over a number of areas including supplies, technical support, education and contracted services. Believed to be the descendants of hogs first introduced to
Texas more than 300 years ago by Spanish explorers, the feral hogs of today also encompass the genetics of Russian boars introduced in the 1930s. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the population of feral hogs was boosted during the 1800s during hostilities between the United States and Mexico by hogs that escaped after being brought here by settlers. They can weigh up to 400 pounds and though reproduction can occur at any time during the year, most young are born in the early spring. Females can have litters up to 12 in size, and some have two litters each year. They normally travel in family groups of two females and their young, and their range has expanded to virtually all areas of the state. They are omnivorous, meaning they eat plants and animals. They also eat
SHOOTOUT
Season high scoring by Lady Rebel Lily Guevara.
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INDEX
A lawsuit alleging Kinder Morgan has violated the Endangered Species Act with its approach to building a natural gas pipeline through the heart of the Texas Hill Country has added new plaintiffs. The Hays County Commissioners Court voted unanimously Jan 28. to join the suit, which was filed by the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD). The cities of Austin and San Marcos are on board, and the Kyle City Council voted to join the effort at its regular meeting Feb. 4. The law firm of Braun & Gresham will represent Kyle in the litigation, and council committed $5,000 toward the effort. The Hays County vote also authorized devoting $75,000 to the legal fight. Pct. 4 Commissioner Walt Smith, whose jurisdiction much of the proposed route of the Permian Highway Pipeline (PHP) would cross, predicted the action when he issued a press release days ahead of the court’s vote. Smith noted that the suit also acknowledges the fact that because the pipeline is considered infrastructure, the company building it has the power of eminent domain. “The action taken by the court today will continue our fight on behalf of the private property rights of the citizens of Hays County,” he said. An earlier action including many of the same plaintiffs that was filed in the spring of 2019 targeting the powerful Railroad Commission (RRC), which oversees projects like pipelines, was thrown out within months by a district judge. In addition to Kinder Morgan, the lawsuit alleges
Proposed changes to the city of Kyle’s Residential Style Guide are intended to create a “higher standard” in neighborhood design, according to Development Director Howard Koontz. The City Council on Jan. 21 heard a presentationby Koontz on amendments to the style guide. No action was taken, but council directed city staff to make further revisions before bringing the issue back for further consideration. That said, much of the impetus for the changes was HB 2439, which was passed by the Texas Legislature in 2019 in order to address “vendor-driven” building regulations which are felt by the bill’s sponsors to be overly
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Feral hogs can weigh up to 400 pounds and though reproduction can occur at any time during the year, most young are born in the early spring.
carrion, and have been linked to at least one human death in Texas. They are attracted to many agricultural crops and while they feed mainly at night, they have been seen in daylight hours as well. Abatement techniques utilized by the Meadows Center mirror those recommended by the state. Prime among them are remoteoperated traps that can be triggered when hogs
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have congregated. The program also has a social media campaign component, and two landowner outreach events are planned. Hog removal in the county will also be tracked, and there will be cost sharing incentive programs for trapping supplies and aerial hunting for some program participants. A final report will be submitted to the county by Aug. 31.
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Community…………… 6 Service Directory……… 8 Classifieds………… 10-11 Public Notices…… 10-12
Hays CISD Trustee Teresa Tobias announced Jan. 29 that she will not seek re-election for a third term as the representative on the Hays CISD Board of Trustees TOBIAS for single-member-district 1. “After considering it thoroughly, I have decided to step back from the board to allow me more time to focus on my other volunteer work and my family,” Tobias said. “I have loved my time on the school board and I am proud of our accomplishments as a team. Together, I know we have made a tremendous difference for our students and teachers. I wish everyone well.” Tobias plans to continue serving on three Parent Teacher Associations in Hays CISD and will continue to volunteer with special needs advocacy groups. Tobias was first elected to the Hays CISD Board of Trustees in 2014. She and her family have a rich tradition of involvement with schools in the district and deep ties to the
TOBIAS NOT RUNNING, 8