JULY 5, 2017 INDEPENDENCE DAY
TOUGH ENOUGH
See photos from local Fourth of July celebrations.
Elite local athletes train through summer months.
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Hays Free Press
© BARTON PUBLICATIONS, INC.
Vol. 121 • No. 15
HaysFreePress.com
Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX • 75¢
Two years later
Questions, frustrations linger in unsolved Sledge Street murders BY MOSES LEOS III Every day for the past two years, Indiana resident Rachael McPherson and her family have anxiously waited by their phones. They do so with the hope that the person on the other end of the line could give them the answers they seek. It’s been over two years since the bodies of Jimmy Wright, McPherson’s uncle,
County jail at capacity again BY SAMANTHA SMITH Continued capacity issues at the Hays County Jail led county leaders to approve a pair of interlocal agreements to potentially outsource prisoners to two new locations. Per the agreements, which were approved by a 3-0 vote, Hays County would be able to send prisoners it cannot house to McLennan County and, if needed, Limestone County. Hays County Pct. 3 Commissioner Will Conley and Pct. 2 Commissioner Mark Jones were absent when the vote was taken. Captain Julie Villalpando, the Hays County Jail administrator, said the Hays County Jail is at capacity and needs to relocate inmates on an as needed basis until expansion of the current facility is completed. The 1-year agreement stipulates that Hays County will pay $49 per day, or $17,885 annually, per inmate to McClennan County, with a total
and Tina Combs were found in a home in the 800 block of Sledge Street in southwest Kyle. Since then, McPherson and others have tried to piece together exactly happened to Wright and Combs that night on Sledge Street in June 2015. Even as the investigation into Wright and Combs’ murder continues into its second year, few answers have been given into one of the more mysterious cases in Kyle’s
history. Grief, however, now turns to frustration for those close to Combs and Wright, who fear the case could be getting cold. “It boggles my mind. They took 200 pieces of evidence and sent it to the crime lab… and in 2 years, you’ve got nothing back? It’s weird, it’s strange,” McPherson said. The investigation Jeff Barnett, Kyle Police
Department chief, said there is “nothing else to release” as far as new information in the unsolved double homicide. Kyle Police discovered the bodies of Wright and Combs in a home on Sledge Street following a welfare call in June 2015. Autopsy reports ruled each death as a homicide, with the cause of death determined to
HOMICIDE, 2A
Tina Combs
Jimmy Wright
+41%
Kyle lights
Big increase in county Hispanic population BY MOSES LEOS III Nearly 80,000 people made up the Hispanic population in Hays County in 2016, which constituted a 41 percent rise since the 2010 Census. That figure, part of newly released Census Bureau estimates, followed the trend of a rapidly growing Hispanic population in Texas and the United States.
POPULATION GROWTH, 4A
From high above ground level, a firework bursts in midair during Kyle’s annual Fourth of July show. While the hundreds of revelers who watched the show at the Hays CISD Performing Arts Center may not have had this spectacular vantage point, they did get roughly 30 minutes of fireworks over the night sky in celebration of America’s 241st birthday. More July 4th event photos can be found on page 1C.
PHOTO BY TRAVIS MITCHELL
JAIL, 2A
COMING UP Blanco River/Onion Creek Forum
All are invited to this water issues forum concerning Blanco River and Onion Creek at the Wimberley Community Center, 14068 Ranch Road 12 in Wimberley on Thursday, July 13 beginning at 9 a.m. Presenters will join panel of representatives to answer questions at 12:30 p.m. and the forum concludes at 2:30 p.m. For more information contact David Glenn at david.glenn@vownet.net or (512) 557-3595.
Summer Writing Contest
TWO WHEEL Local brews up business in Buda. – Page 1D
INDEX
It’s time once again for the Friends of the Buda Library summer essay writing contest for young writers. The contest helps give young library patrons a chance to flex their writing muscles and show off their imagination and literary skills. The contest is open to all Buda Library card holders between 8-17 and essays must be received at the library by Saturday, July 22 at 5 p.m. The contest is split into two divisions, with one for children ages 8 to 12, and a youth contest for writers 13 to 17. See more at haysfreepress.com.
State slams brakes on texting while driving BY MOSES LEOS III
Kids in Cars Inspection Station
Schedule a car seat inspection at no cost for July 8 between 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kyle Fire Department. A Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician will provide you hands-on assistance in fitting your child’s seat, inspect your car seat to ensure that it is not recalled, expired, or unsafe to use, determine if your car seat is the correct fit for your child’s height and weight, help you learn how to install your car seat and ensure it is compatible with your vehicle, help you learn how to properly harness your child in the car seat and answer any questions or concerns you have about your child’s safety while riding. Call 512-324-TOTS to make an appointment today.
News …………… 1-4A Opinions …………… 3A Sports …………… 1-2B Education ……… 3-4B Community …… 1-4C
Best Bets ………… 4C Business ……… 1-4D Classifieds ………... 2D Service Directory ..... 3D Public Notices … 2-4D
After several attempts in past legislative sessions, Texas lawmakers in May were able to pass a bill outlawing use of electronic devices while driving statewide. House Bill 62, authored by State Rep. Tom Craddick (R-Midland) and sponsored by State Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo), was signed into law June 6 by Gov. Greg Abbott and will become law Sept. 1. Under the new law, which would make using an electronic device while driving a Class A misdemeanor, drivers will be cited for driving their
DRIVING, 4A