JANUARY 27, 2021 AIMING HIGH
DSISD NEWS
Local competitive dancer sets sights on being professional aerialist.
New elementary named, superintendent search continues.
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News-Dispatch
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HaysNewsDispatch.com
Vol. 41 • No. 17
Serving Hays County, TX
HAWKS is Hays’ new mascot BY MEGAN WEHRING HAYS CISD — Hays High School will see a new mascot beginning the 2021-2022 school year: the Hawks. While there were several enticing options, including Dragons and Honey Badgers, Hawks was the favored choice with 461 votes. Waiting for months to see a change, current
A total of 1,453 students voted. Raptors came in second with 376 votes then dragons with 267, honey badgers with 191 and hornets with 157. 9th through 11th graders along with middle school students in the feeder pattern nominated and voted for their mascot choices in early January. A total of 1,453 students
conversations with the district’s graphic design and branding partners. School colors will remain red and blue yet the school will need to order new uniforms and change voted. Raptors came in signage, following the second with 376 votes, then selection of a new logo and Dragons with 267, Honey branding package. Badgers with 191 and While the mascot Hornets with 157. change was estimated to The next steps in the be as high as $800,000, the mascot timeline include district hopes the transition
could be completed at a lower amount. Band and athletic uniforms will take up a bulk of the expenses. The district plans to incur the uniform replacement costs for the upcoming school year and then return to a staggered schedule over time. Other large, one-time expenses include: replacing the
school’s gym floor logos, equipment vehicles and front entrance marquee. The funding will come from the district’s operating budget or fund balance. Hays CISD’s Hemphill Elementary does use the ‘Hawks’ as its mascot, but the district does not anticipate any conflict as it does not feed into Hays
HAYS HAWKS, 2
The cloth that kills COVID-19 County to reopen
COVID-19 vaccine portal Friday
Manufacturing moves to Buda
STAFF REPORT
BY SAHAR CHMAIS
tested Ghost Brand’s treated cloth. The Ghost Brand came up lab used varying with a technology that amounts of the viwould protect against rus and compared COVID-19 before the virus it with normal existed – precisely eight clothing items. years before. It is not a Scott Weaver, dipill, vaccine or a machine. rector at UTMB InThis technology is treated stitute for Human cloth that decontaminates Infections and materials from COVID-19 Immunity, and and microbes. his research team Viruses were the last found that this thing on the company’s material could be mind when the owners useful in treatcame up with a miliing scrubs and tary-grade idea that would medical clothing prevent microbes from to protect medpenetrating clothing. So ical personnel if a person wears a shirt, against the virus. socks or any other materi- When doctors, al treated with their key in- nurses and others in the gredient, Duritex, the item medical field are around would defeat the sweat. the virus for hours on end, This prototype was ideal the virus is accumulating for intensive jobs, such as on their clothing, posing a military personnel. higher risk for their safety, Like many technology according to the research. companies, Ghost Brand “It’s very useful to treat has moved its manufacPersonal Protective Equipturing out of California ment for healthcare workand into Buda. ers who are at high-risk While this technology exposure from patients can be useful to those who might be coughing or with laborious jobs or sneezing,” Weaver said. those who do not like Weaver’s team put Durito sweat through their tex-treated and untreated clothes, its function may cloth in with a sample of soon turn medical. When the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Afthe COVID-19 pandemic ter two hours, they could hit, Ghost Brand put its not detect the virus on clothes to the test. the treated cloth. Weaver The University of Texas added that even very brief Micro Biology (UTMB) exposure to the material division in Galveston on the fabric “kills quite a
Ghost Brand, a tactical apparel company originally centered in California, has incorporated an antimicrobial cloth to their clothing, including face masks and other Personal Protective Equipment. The company has moved their production to Satterwhite Road in Buda.
bit of the virus.” The lab then soaked the treated cloth in higher viral loads and it continued to kill the virus within a few hours. But even the baseline amount of the viral load the experiment used is a higher concentration than people are generally exposed to, Weaver said. They continued saturating the material for nine days with repeated exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and the results continued
to turn up that the virus is below the level of detection. The research team said that “this technology may also have the potential for use in laboratory PPE such as masks, shoe covers and laboratory coats, or for making self-disinfecting clothing and face coverings for the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
GHOST BRAND IN BUDA, 2
Founders Day Fest canceled BY MEGAN WEHRING
Parade and other activities including music, entertainDRIPPING SPRINGS — ment, the Mighty Thomas The period of event cancel- Carnival, concessions, lations is certainly not over cook-off competitions and as COVID-19 numbers and other vendors. concerns continue to rise. Residents and visitors are The Founders Day Festival forced to erase the festival in Dripping Springs is one off their calendar this year. of many events that will not Mayor Bill Foulds, Jr. move forward as planned. reminds residents that Thousands of people the festival is important to usually gather in downtown everybody, especially those Dripping Springs annually who plan it every year. to celebrate the origin of “The commission, along the community. Typicalwith countless volunteers, ly, the three-day festival pour their hearts and souls starts off with the Grand into this annual event,”
COUNCIL MEETINGS
See stories from Tuesday night council meetings online at www.haysfreepress.com or www.haysnewsdispatch.com.
Foulds said. “Many of them have worked for years delivering a celebration of Dripping’s heritage and spirit. All of them are hurting that they had to come to this conclusion.” While the festival is the largest annual event in Dripping Springs, the Founders Day Commission said it’s even more important to keep every single person safe. “We keep in our prayers those who are battling
FESTIVAL CANCELED, 4
HAYS COUNTY – Registering for the COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be tricky as the demand continues to exceed the supply. Hays County announced that it will reopen the registration portal on Friday at noon. Those who qualify under the Phase 1A and Phase 1B groups can make an appointment, either through the online portal or by calling (512)938-1650. Residents who have internet access are highly encouraged to utilize the portal and allow the phone line to be open for those who need it. Scheduling, including the phone line, will not go live until Friday at noon. The county is designated as a hub for distributing vaccines yet officials are reminding residents to have patience while waiting for more doses.
VACCINE PORTAL, 4
Those who qualify under the Phase 1A and Phase 1B groups can make an appointment, either through the online portal or by calling (512)938-1650. Residents who have internet access are highly encouraged to utilize the portal and allow the phone line to be open for those who need it.
Buda loses a familiar fellow BY SAHAR CHMAIS
going around town in his cowboy hat and cowThere’s one bar stool boy shoes, had a strong left open with a glass of involvement in city and red wine waiting; Buda even state affairs. He resident and attended countlocal gadfly T.J. less city council Higginbotham meetings where died recenthe always gave ly, and fellow input, helped barflies, gadflies start an orgaand foodies are nization called saddened. Take Back Texas Buda resiadvocating for dents, those property rights, who have been and told people HIGGINBOTHAM he helped bring around for decades, will recCabela’s to Buda. ognize the name He also served on T.J. Higginbotham from Buda’s Historical Comhis social visits and talks mittee. at bars and local stores. While he was known On Jan. 21, in his early for all of his involve70s, Higginbotham died. ments, he also loved his The reason has not been red wine and Mexican announced, but word on food. But perhaps he the street says COVID-19 loved a good political claimed another person. Higginbotham, always OL’ BUDA BOY DIES, 4
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