SEPTEMBER 5, 2018 FIRST WIN
EXPANSION
Rebs run roughshod over Rattlers in season opener.
New problems arise in county jail expansion.
– Page 9
– Page 5
Hays Free Press © Barton Publications, Inc.
Vol. 123 • No. 23
HaysFreePress.com
Kyle to take another look at public transit BY KATIE BURRELL Ideas of public transportation in Kyle are rising once again as a Kyle city leader aims to assist disabled residents and senior citizens, this despite several failed attempts in the past. On Aug. 28, City Council member Alex Villalobos announced his interest in solving the problem of public transportation in Kyle. Villalobos argued that it is the city’s responsibility to offer transportation around Kyle and out of Kyle that residents do not have to get permission for. However, the city has tried multiple attempts to fulfill the public transportation needs of Kyle residents, but the cost always wins out in the end. “They should be able to get to appointments and go shopping,” Villalobos said during the meeting. “Our residents should also be able to get around to be social. We should be able to offer it for them.” One attempt to offer public transit utilized the Capital Area Rural Transport System (CARTS), which the city stopped providing funding to in 2010. Residents using CARTS would call and schedule a date and time to be picked up and taken to their destination. However, CARTS allows for multiple citizens to make appointments throughout the day. For some residents, a trip to a doctor’s appointment or a grocery store could be an all-day affair. The federal government helped Kyle pay for the CARTS service for two years, but by the third year, Kyle was paying for the majority of the service and sought help from Hays
KYLE PUBLIC TRANSIT, 4
Serving Buda, Kyle and Northeast Hays County, TX
Flyin’ high at Pie in the Sky
As the sun rises, crew and passengers on the hot air balloon Pix (foreground) watch as the balloon Confetti also ascends into the air during Saturday’s launch from Lake Kyle Park at the 2018 Pie in the Sky festival.
An undocumented Buda resident still in Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody officially had her first day in court earlier this month. For the family of Janelie Rodriguez, 25, the fight to have her released from federal custody continues, as the worries about her condition grow. Chito Vela, Rodriuguez’s attorney, said his client went through a scheduled bond hearing Sept. 5. Rodriguez, 25, was detained in October 2017 after she was arrested during a mental health episode at her Buda home. Rodriguez was taken to a hospital that night, and was later trans-
HOT USAGE, 10
FATAL WRECK, 5
guez, said her daughter experienced a few more psychotic episodes before being arrested in January for felony assault of the police officers who originally took her to the hospital. The charges were eventually dropped, but due to an ICE detainer, Janelie Rodriguez was moved to Pearsall. “She had never been to a hospital before, but I didn’t know what to do,” Janeth Rodriguez said. “She was diagnosed schizophrenic when she was 20 and has been PHOTO COURTESY OF MANO AMIGO medicated since. I didn’t Supporters of Janelie Rodriguez hold a sign advocating know how to help her for her release from Immigrations and Customs Enforce- that night and she needment Custody. ed a hospital.” Mano Amiga, an ferred to the Kerrville cation. advocacy group that Mental Hospital and Rodriguez was reassists undocumented eventually to jail where leased from the hospital residents, put Janeth it took months for her in late November. Her to receive proper medimother, Janeth RodriICE DETENTION, 13
Buda adjusts language in hotel tax ordinance for broader use BY MOSES LEOS III
Updating language in Buda’s existing hotel occupancy tax (HOT) ordinance will now pave the way for the city to expand how it uses those funds. The measure, approved by a 7-0 Buda City Council vote Aug. 28, was done in coordination with changes
Cities in Texas that collect HOT can use those funds for nine specific uses, including wayfinding signage.
in state law, which took place during the 2017 Texas Legislative session. Lysa Gonzalez, Buda tourism director, said one of the key changes was to identify city
THINK SMALL
Tiny home trend comes to Hays County.
– Page 10
owned sports facilities in the list of uses for HOT funds. Cities in Texas that collect HOT can use those funds for nine specific uses, including wayfinding sig-
BY MOSES LEOS III
nage. HOT is collected by the state from hotel operators or managers who rent a room or space in a hotel costing $15 or more each day. The tax applies not only to hotels and motels, but also to bed and breakfasts, condominiums, apartments and houses, according
Concerned family fears for undocumented Buda resident BY KATIE BURRELL
Chisholm Trail fireman killed in SH21 wreck Chisholm Trail Fire Rescue Chief Mark Padier knows how much community meant to fellow firefighter Nick Zoulek. Born with “a servant’s heart,” Zoulek wasn’t shy in offering to help out anyone and everyone he could. From his family and friends, to those he served with on the fire line, Zoulek always thought of others before himself. Often, Padier recalled Zoulek inquiring about incidents and whether someone – anyone – was on the way to respond. “He always helped out in any way he could,” Padier said. It’s that selflessness Padier and many in the community remember about Zoulek, who was the victim in a fatal Aug. 31 three-car collision along State Highway 21 near Niederwald. According to a Texas Department of Public Safety press release, authorities were dispatched around 4:20 a.m. Aug. 31 on SH 21 east of Niederwald. According to the report, a 2010 Ford pickup truck, operated by Zoulek, was traveling southbound on SH 21 when, for unknown reasons, it collided headon with a 2008 Jeep Wrangler that was operated by Jazmine Garcie-Montelongo, 23, of Dale. The Jeep then spun and struck a 2016 Nissan Sentra driven by Aljandro Villegas Alejandre, 39, of Elgin. Zoulek was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. He was identified by fellow CTFR officials who responded to the wreck. Garcia-Montelongo “self-extricated” herself from the vehicle and was taken by her parents to Seton Medical Center Hays. Alejandre was transported to Seton Medical Center Hays by Luling EMS. The conditions of Garcia-Montelongo and Alejandre are unknown at this time, according to DPS officials. Padier said only he and two other CTFR firefighters were on scene when they discovered Zoulek was killed in the wreck. Padier said they immediately canceled calls for more CTFR assistance, and enlisted the help of the Kyle Fire Department. Zoulek’s death, however, has been difficult for
PHOTO BY MOSES LEOS III
INDEX
75¢
News………………… 1-5 Opinion……………… 3 Community…………… 6 Obituaries……………… 7 Education……………… 8
Sports…………………… 9 Business…………… 10 Classifieds ……… 11-12 Public Notices…… 11-12 Service Directory…..... 13