AUGUST 31, 2022 BUDA HOSTS FIRST-EVER MARGARITA SALSA FEST
KICKOFF TO FALL SPORTS PAGE 11
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Hays Free Press
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HaysFreePress.com
Vol. 128 • No. 25
Serving Hays County, TX
Battle for bragging rights BY ASHLEY KONTNIER
he crossed the finish line, Becerra exclaimed “Thank the Lord it’s over!” People of all For the Love of Go board backgrounds, sizes and member Jennifer Crosby abilities flooded downtown said, “The Fire Department Kyle Saturday for the inaugural Beat the Heat 5K. put on a phenomenal event! Runners came up to The Kyle Professional tell me how much fun the Firefighters Association course was, the volunteers, (Local 4567) and the Kyle getting to run through the Fire Department hosted bays of the fire station! their first ever 5K this past Kyle PD brought runners weekend, with the help of local nonprofit For the Love and had volunteers on the course. Having the event at of Go. At 7:30 a.m., 336 runners (humans and dogs Mary Kyle Hartson Park was included) lined up at Mary a treat! A beautiful venue, lots of space to spread out, Kyle Hartson City Square enjoy the shade, and see Park in hopes of claiming the finishing stretch of the victory in their particular race.” division. The Beat the Heat 5K is Entrants included Chief a part of a bigger Red and Kyle Taylor of the Kyle Fire Blue Challenge. The follow Department, along with up event will be the Blue his wife Laurie and their Santa’s Dam 5 Miler, to be dogs Bonnie and Max, held Saturday, Sept. 24 at Hays County Judge Ruben Five Mile Dam. Participants Becerra and wife Monica, firefighters from across the who complete both Beat the Heat and Blue Santa’s state, IDEA Kyle students 5 Miler will be entered and more. into a drawing for $200 “She runs the first half to donate to the police or of the race and I run the fire department of their second half. If you saw us choosing. Proceeds from at the beginning, she was this event will benefit the dragging me,” said Sean Kyle Law Enforcement Claes, owner of Top Dog Association’s Blue Santa award winner Towdah. With arms raised high as Program. In addition to division
PHOTO BY ASHLEY KONTNIER
Representatives of the Austin Bats Dance Team, Gloria (left) and Andrea cheer on runners coming around the final curve of the race. awards, two volunteers of the day were recognized. Lilah Cardec and Alyssa Gil stood out to runners and fellow volunteers alike. The ultimate challenge of the day came down to the fastest fire department personnel, Cameron Saucedo, vs. the fastest police department personnel, Matthew Leathers. In the end, Saucedo claimed the victory for the fire personnel. “At the Kyle Fire Department, we are extremely happy with the outcome. Thanks
to the Kyle Professional Firefighters Association and all our sponsors to make this happen,” Freddy Rolon, division chief of training for Kyle FD said. “In the fire service, there is something we call Brotherhood; not only for the good times, also for the challenging times. When the idea of the 5K came to us, immediately we knew who [we} will be helping, a fellow brother from Buda Fire Department in the battle with cancer. “ While final numbers are still being tallied, initial estimates suggest that the race raised over $4,000 that
PHOTO BY ASHLEY KONTNIER
Brianna Yanez and grandpa Joe Deleon celebrate as they cross the finish line together. will benefit local firefighters and their families in need of assistance. For full Beat the Heat results, visit www.
haysfreepress.com. For more information on the upcoming race, visit www. dam5miler.com or www. fortheloveofgo.com.
Fentanyl crisis hits close to home Kyle council approves
BY BRITTANY ANDERSON
KYLE — Fentanyl is not just a “big city” problem — and with the drug causing the death of three local students in the span of a month, it is evident that there is a crisis right here in our community. Various Hays CISD officials, along with local law enforcement and first responders, held a media briefing on Aug. 24 to address the ongoing fentanyl crisis that has made its way to Hays County and Hays CISD students.
Pharmaceutical fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, commonly used for treating severe pain, such as advanced cancer pain. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it is similar to morphine but 50 to 100 times more potent. Illegally-used fentanyl is sold as a powder, dropped onto blotter paper, put in eye droppers and nasal sprays or made into pills that look like other prescription opioids. Dealers will mix it with other drugs because it takes very little to produce a high, making it a cheaper option. Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett said that the department started noticing a fentanyl trend in January 2022. Since then, at least seven people have died due to overdoses. Barnett said that recently, pills found with fentanyl have been light blue in color and stamped with ‘M30’, similar to Oxycodone or Percocet. Pills can also be made to look like candy, and some of the ‘street names’ or nicknames that Kyle PD have been made aware of are “Coloring” or “Rainbow,” among other terms. “Drug dealers are going to adapt and try to market their illegal product to children in
any way they can,” Barnett said. “The more enticing they can make it look, the more commonplace they can make it look. … then that's absolutely what they're going to do,” adding that dealers will use various cell phone apps and code words to sell the drugs and remain as anonymous as possible. San Marcos Hays County EMS Deputy Chief Jim Swisher noted that at the beginning of this year, the amount of medication carried on EMS vehicles had to be increased because fentanyl is so potent that normal treatments were not working. Additionally, Swisher said that the problem is that many times, by the time EMS arrives on scene, it’s “way late in the game.” “There is no piece of these pills that is safe,” Barnett said. “We are hearing in subsequent interviews from survivors that they believe that if they break the pill into smaller pieces they can take an amount of that pill that is safe. Then, when they don’t get the reaction they want, [like] a high, they decide to take a second piece, or third piece, or the other half of a piece. And that doesn’t contain the same amount of fentanyl as the first piece or first half.” Naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, is a medicine that is an antidote
PAWS SHELTER CELEBRATES REMODEL OF KYLE LOCATION – PAGE 6
to opioid drugs, including fentanyl. Narcan helps those experiencing an overdose let their body “wake up” and keep breathing. Narcan can be administered in the form of a nasal spray or injection. Realizing the level of crisis Hays County is facing, Kyle ER & Hospital stepped up over the weekend to help by offering 100 doses of Narcan spray free to the community. Shelly Joyner, director of marketing, is passionate about getting these life-saving measures into as many hands as possible. Joyner said she plans to continue getting shipments in when possible and will give them away “no questions asked.” There is no need to provide a name or any identifying information, they only ask that recipients be age 18 or older. Supplies are limited to one box (containing two doses) per adult. Joyner explained that, generally, those who are not active drug users are the most at risk of overdose. She stressed the importance of parents of middle and high school students having Narcan on hand. “The boxes are small, they can be kept in the car, in a purse, a backpack,” Joyner said. The best place to get information on current availability is the Kyle ER
$212.6 million budget
BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN
KYLE —Kyle City Hall was buzzing with excitement on Thursday, Aug. 25, in anticipation of city council unanimously approving the city’s new $212.6 million budget for Fiscal Year 20222023. Colorful balloons were spread across the upstairs floor of City Hall. City employees filled the room wearing shirts that said ‘Stronger Together,’ holding signs that said ‘Council Rocks,’ ‘We are Family,’ and ‘Approved!’ with three hearts scrawled with colorful markers. At the council’s special meeting, Mayor Travis Mitchell motioned to approve the budget as amended, and council member Ashlee Bradshaw seconded it. “These are exciting times,” Mitchell said. “I think the city is starting to grow up and trying, as best as we can, to emerge as leaders in Hays County." The proposed budget for FY 2022-2023, as presented by Acting City Manager Jerry Hendrix and amended by the city council, also includes 55 new full-time positions, for a total of 360.0 full-time equivalent positions. See FENTANYL, page 12 According to budget
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documents, of the total $212.6 million proposed budget, the city's General Fund budget for the FY 20222023 totals approximately $45.6 million for operations and maintenance and roughly $14.5 million in transfers from the fund balance, primarily to pay for major capital improvement projects instead of issuing bond debt. Environmental Services and Trades Division Manager Chance Padier has been fighting for wage increases since the city started parities years ago. Padier believes the employee wage increase is well-deserved. “I think a lot of the guys deserve it, especially with the talent we have and the amount that we’re actually able to train [them],” Padier said. The budget includes increased police wages and general wages, as well as money to upgrade city parks, roads and wastewater plants. Human esources generalist Taylor Bennett said it’s a big opportunity. “It’s gonna put us on another leg up to be very competitive here along the I-35 corridor and just reaffirm that this is an employer of choice and Team Kyle’s where you wanna be,” Bennett said.