July 20, 2016 Hays Free Press

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JULY 20, 2016 ON A MISSION

JR OLYMPIANS

Brain tumor survivor gives hope through experience

Four Hays CISD students qualify for Junior Olympics

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Hays Free Press ©Barton Publications, Inc.

Vol. 120 • No. 17

HaysFreePress.com

Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX • 75¢

Argument leads to arson charge for Kyle woman BY MOSES LEOS III

news@haysfreepress.com

A Kyle woman was arrested Wednesday after she was suspected of setting her boyfriend’s couch on fire and then trying to escape from custody. Kyle Police arrested Margaret Anne Welch, 47, of Kyle, who was booked into the Hays County Jail

on one charge of arson, a state jail felony, and for resisting arrest, a Class A misdemeanor. According to a Kyle Police arrest affidavit, officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Langley for a Criminal Mischief call. When an officer arrived, they found Welch in the driveway, where she allegedly appeared intoxicated and smelled of burnt

rubber, according to the affidavit. Welch said her boyfriend, who claimed she lit his couch on fire, had kicked her out of her home. Welch told the officer she and her boyfriend had an argument and she was forced to sleep on the couch. Welch told police she lit a candle “for her ‘Zen’” and then went to sleep.

When asked by the officer how the fire started, Welch said she lit the candle, fell asleep, then woke WELCH up to the fire on the couch. She said she began to scream and woke her boyfriend.

Her boyfriend, however, said he woke up to the sound of his smoke detector going off. When he entered the living room, he found the left side of his couch on fire and Welch standing by the front door, staring at the fire. After the boyfriend opened the door and moved Welch outside, he put out the fire with a fire extinguisher. He then saw

flames and smoke coming from underneath the couch, forcing him to use a blanket to snuff out the flames and discovered it was one of Welch’s flipflops. The boyfriend told officers he observed the candle on the coffee table in front of the couch when he emerged from his room.

ARSON ARREST, 4A

BOND UPDATE

Road projects nearly finished BY MOSES LEOS III

news@haysfreepress.com

A total of 38 projects completed over an eightyear span highlighted a presentation given to the Hays County Commissioners Court as a progress report on its 2008 Road Bond. Voters authorized the bond, which was passed by voters by a 2-to-1

margin, for roughly $207 million for the PassThrough finance program and priority road bond program projects. Mike Weaver, transportation consultant with Prime Strategies, said in a press release the amount invested for road projects was doubled from the $207 million passed in the bond to $493 million.

ROAD PROJECTS, 2A

WATER BOARD

PHOTO BY RAFAEL MARQUEZ

Black Lives Matter march

A handful of peaceful protesters hold up signs supporting the Black Lives Matter movement as they made their way through the streets of downtown San Marcos during Sunday’s Black Lives Matter march. The event, which was peaceful and drew hundreds of participants, began from Greater Bethel Baptist Church and ended at the Hays County Courthouse on the square in San Marcos. The message from those who marched Sunday was focused on peace, unity and that human lives matter.

No discussion on discharge permit Kyle considers FM 1626 roundabout news@haysfreepress.com

Citizens packed the Dripping Springs Water Supply Corporation meeting Monday to relay concerns about the possible effects on DSWSC wells if the city’s proposed discharge permit of treated effluent is approved. The board, however, opted not to place an item on next month’s agenda to discuss the topic. Area resident David

Crowell was concerned that the board is ignoring recent findings from the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) that Onion Creek recharges the upper and middle Trinity Aquifer, which DSWSC wells draw from. “By that coming up as a possibility by scientists and them ignoring that, I think they are going to be culpable if these wells get contaminated by ignor-

ONION CREEK, 2A

BY BAILEY BUCKINGHAM

In locations that were converted to roundabouts, there was a 35 percent decrease in crashes and a 90 percent decrease in fatalities, James Earp said.

news@haysfreepress.com

A proposed roundabout at the intersection of FM 1626 and Dorman could be on the horizon after the Kyle City Council approved a resolution Tuesday allowing City Manager Scott Sellers to involve the Texas Department of Transportation in the conversation. Council approved the resolution, which

showed support of future conversations involving a roundabout, by a 5-1 vote. District 6 council member Daphne Tenorio casting the lone dissent-

COMING UP

Meet your friends at the Kyle pool for a screening of "Happy Feet" on July 25. Pool staff will begin handing out admission tickets at 7 p.m. until all 230 tickets are handed out. The pool gates will reopen at 8 p.m. and only admit those 230 people with admission tickets. Gates open at 8 p.m. and pool closes 30 minutes after conclusion of the movie. For more information contact Kyle Parks and Rec at 512-262-3939. The event is free to the public.

It’s rodeo time again! The Dripping Springs Fair and Rodeo will be held July 21-24 at Dripping Spring Ranch Park. Come out for a weekend of bull riding, mutton busting, carnival rides, live music, pony rides and music. Visit www. drippingspringsfairandrodeo.com for a full schedule and more information.

TOO RAW

Kyle food truck ordinance gets sent back to the kitchen. – Page 1D

ing vote, while council member Becky Selbera was absent. Sellers presented the proposal to council with the intention of get-

ting approval to begin discussions with TxDOT regarding the potential roundabout. Sellers said TxDOT had mentioned to him, but did not guarantee, that if council wanted to move forward with the roundabout, TxDOT could be able to come up with funding for the project. Tenorio, however, voiced opposition due to her concern over safety

ROUNDABOUT, 2A

Dive-in Movie

Dripping Springs Fair and Rodeo

INDEX

BY MOSES LEOS III

News …………… 1-4A Opinions …………… 3A Sports …………… 1-2B Education ……… 3-4B Community …… 1-4C

Summer Porch Party

Come celebrate all the awesome reading everyone has done for the summer reading program at the Kyle Public Library, Thursday, July 21 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Summer Porch Party will feature a free book giveaway and summer crafts. Plus, don’t forget to pick up a tasty snow cone and cotton candy to enjoy with all your friends. All ages are welcome.

Best Bets ………… 4C Business ………… 1D Service Directory..... 2-3D Classifieds ………… ...2D Public Notices ………2D


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