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JULY 11, 2018 HELPING HANDS

FLYING COURAGE

Community efforts restock empty shelves at local food bank.

Neighbors rally in support of Hays CISD educator

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Hays Free Press © Barton Publications, Inc.

75¢

Vol. 123 • No. 15

HaysFreePress.com

Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX

Kyle-ites indicted in major crime ring BY MOSES LEOS III

Two Kyle residents have been indicted in connection with a major 20-person crime ring that stole more than $765,000 worth of heavy construction equipment over several years. An investigation into the theft ring, which involved 18 law enforcement agencies, confirmed the involvement of mem-

bers and associates of criminal gangs, including the Aryan Brotherhood and Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, according to a press release. William Shawn Lawrence, 42, of Kyle, and Sonya Elayne Brown, 38, of Kyle, were indicted in June on theft of property greater than $200,000, a first-degree felony, and engaging in organized criminal activity, a first

BROWN

LAWRENCE

degree felony. Both were also indicated on fraudulent use or possession of identifying information of

50 or more items, also a first-degree felony. Sixteen other people, several of them from Travis County and Caldwell County, were also indicted for their participation in the ring. Two other men were recently arrested in connection with the crimes. Spearheading the bust was San Marcos Police, which began its investigation in August 2017 when

they discovered a reportedly stolen trailer while investigating a suspicious vehicle call. SMPD expanded its investigation after two more pieces of stolen equipment were recovered in September and October 2017, according to the release. That includes a Kubota excavator worth more than $50,000. The department’s subsequent investigation en-

compassed multiple years and included a handful of agencies, including the Hays County Sheriff’s Office, Kyle Police and Buda Police. Authorities also identified “large groups of individuals” responsible for theft, storage and sale of the stolen equipment. The suspects are accused of stealing equipment from construction sites and

CRIME RING, 2

Buda eyes new water source with pilot program

Dripping settles permit fight

BY KATERINA BARTON

BY EXSAR ARGUELLO

To mitigate stress on Buda’s water supply during the dry summer months, the city is looking into building a pilot well for an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) system. The proposed ASR project would inject groundwater into the Trinity Aquifer and store it for later use. A pilot well would be drilled and tested prior to building the ASR system, to make sure the well site would be viable. At a July 3 city council meeting, the city’s Water Resources Coordinator, Blake Neffendorf, said the ASR would be advantageous to the city in two cases. “One is to try to meet seasonal peak demand. So in the summer months when we have higher usage, we can kind of rely on some of that, the other method is what we call our drought demand,” Neffendorf said. In the case of a lengthy drought, the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD), from which the city gets its water, could curtail water

After a legal campaign and community outcry, the city of Dripping Springs has reached a settlement with affected parties that will change provisions to its wastewater permit. Per the settlement, which was finalized last week, Dripping Springs agreed to reduce its proposed discharge limit to 822,500 gallons per day (gpd). Originally, the city had submitted an application with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to expand its wastewater treatment system to a

Let freedom ring

PHOTO BY EXSAR ARGUELLO

Alliance Water project to save $60M

Top: Brody Burke, a young Willie Nelson fan, sits down for a little picnic and the most creative float trophy in the Buda July 4th parade. Inset, Uncle Sam shows off his red, white and blue while participating in the annual Wimberley Fourth of July parade. More photos of Hays County July 4 can be found on page 9.

BY KATERINA BARTON

ASR, 2

PHOTO BY CARLIE PORTERFIELD

COMING UP BUDA

Weather permitting, area residents can pull up a lawn chair and take in a movie at the Buda Sportsplex Park July 13. The free event features the showing of “Despicable Me 3,” which will begin at 8:45 p.m.

KYLE

Residents will need a bigger park Friday, July 14 when they take in the showing of “Jaws” during Kyle’s Movies at the Lake event. The film begins after sunset at the amphitheater at Lake Kyle Park.

Essay contest ends July 12

Don’t forget! July 12 is the final day for submission for the Friends of the Buda Library Summer Contest for Young Writers. Essay prompt information can be found online at haysfreepress.com.

START-UPS

Texas named one of the top states for new business.

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INDEX

Movies in the Park

WASTEWATER, 2

Dripping Springs Rodeo

Cowboys and cowgirls alike will take to Dripping Springs Ranch Park for the 7th annual Dripping Springs Fair and Rodeo, held July 27-29. The event features two nights of CPRA Rodeo, as well as various games, booths and much more. Ticket information and schedules can be found online at dsfairandrodeo.com.

News………………… 1-2 Opinion……………… 3 Sports…………………… 4 Education……………… 5 Community………… 6-7

Church Directory……… 7 Business……………… 8 Classifieds ……… ... 10 Service Directory…..... 11 Public Notices…… 10,12

A savings of more than $60 million is expected on the Alliance Regional Water Authority’s (ARWA) 45-mile water pipeline project, due to a new partnership struck June 20. That partnership, which includes the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA), cut $30 million off of ARWA’s cost for the project, meaning its participants will not have to raise rates as much as previously thought. ARWA Executive Director Graham Moore said the partnership also could provide opportunities for future projects and create a reduction in environmental impact by consolidating water projects. ARWA plans to construct a pipeline that would funnel groundwater from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer to its member entities. In 2017, GBRA closed on

ALLIANCE, 11


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