Tigers take down Medina Valley
Over $200K raised for local groups
Tiger band performs at USS Missouri
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News-Dispatch Volume XXXVII No. 23
Serving Western Hays County, Texas since 1982
75¢
Thursday, March 16, 2017
County searches for suspect in shooting BY MOSES LEOS III A Hays County man is recovering after he was shot following a verbal altercation with another man at a Dripping Springs residence last Wednesday night. Authorities are now searching for Grosbin A. Sabillon, 30, who is suspected of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. According to a Hays County press release, authorities
received a 911 call around 4:23 p.m. for “suspicious circumstances” in the 28000 block of Ranch Road 12 in Dripping Springs. When deputies arrived, they found a 26-year-old man with a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to an Austin-area hospital with a nonlife threatening injury. During the course of their investigation, authorities discovered an argument had ensued between the victim and
suspect before the shooting occurred. The suspect, later identified as Sabillon, was not at the scene when they arrived. Sabillon is described as standing 5’7”, 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Sabillon has medium skin tone and no visible tattoos, according to the release. He left in a 2006 Red Dodge 4-door truck with tinted windows. No license plate is available at this time. Sabil-
lon is considered armed and dangerous. A warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which is a second-degree felony, has been issued for Sabillon. Anyone with information regarding this case should contact the Hays County Sheriff’s Office at 512-393-7896 and speak with the Criminal Investigations Division or contact Hays County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-324-8477.
Authorities are searching for Grosbin A. Sabillon in connection with a nonfatal shooting last week.
SABILLON
Missing New wine bill demands 100% ballots lead to policy change House Bill 1514, filed Feb. 2, would require wineries looking for a Texas wine distinction to use 100 percent of the grapes grown on Texas farms and produce it entirely in the state to qualify. See story on page 2.
PHOTO BY PAIGE LAMBERT
Sommelier Erika Fritz, whose family owns Solaro Estate Winery in Dripping Springs, inspects a glass of wine at her family’s vineyard. Fritz is the youngest person in the nation to earn a sommelier certificate from the International Wine and Spirits Guild. Solaro Estate is one of many area wineries that would be effected by the proposed House Bill 1514.
LAGNIAPPE Hill Country Writing Symposium
From March 16-18, meet at the Wimberley Village Library for insight into writing for fiction, nonfiction and poetry as well as sessions on publishing at this new public event. The seminar is presented by the Texas Authors
LAGNIAPPE, 7
Bathroom bill approved 21-10 BY LESLY DE LEON After a long debate Tuesday, Texas Senators approved Senate Bill 6, which would require transgender people to use public bathrooms of their sex at birth, by a vote of 21-10. The Senate must take up the bill again for its third reading before sending the bill to the House for its vote. The floor vote was taken in the Senate after a marathon hearing. Hundreds of individuals opposed the legislation. For many, such as Dripping Springs ISD parents and students, the bill’s impact is personal. Many Stripes, One Tiger, an organization supporting DSISD’s case-by-case approach to providing accommodations to transgender students, has opposed SB6 because its members say the bill is discriminatory. The organization was created when parents rallied to oppose Texas Values, a faithbased conservative lobbyist group that opposed DSISD’s accommodations for a third grade transgender student at Walnut Springs Elementary. The nine-year-old student’s request to use the girl’s restroom has been cited by legislators to justify SB6, said Andy Hutton, a creator of Many Stripes, One Tiger. “We don’t think that’s right,” Hutton said. “We don’t think a law that hurts nineyear-old child is good idea.” Organization members have contacted local legislators, including state Rep. Jason Isaac (R-Dripping
BY LOGAN MCCULLOUGH A policy lapse that resulted in more than 1,800 ballots not being counted in the Nov. 8, 2016 election has led to the implementation of new policies and procedures within the Hays County Election Administration. Jennifer Anderson, who took over the job of Elections Administrator on Jan. 1 of this year after former administrator Joyce Cowan’s retirement, said that even one vote left untallied is unacceptable. “Everybody that comes to
VOTING ERROR, 2
Deal still in works on TCEQ permit BY SAMANTHA SMITH
outside lobbying group who came in and stirred up trouble at our school.” Parents also attended the bill’s hearing in front of the Senate State Affairs Committee Feb. 7 to testify and register their opposition, Hutton said. After more than 13 hours of testimony, mostly in opposition, the committee advanced the bill for Senate vote. “We tried to make clear to the committee members how we feel,” Hutton said. “We want this issue to stay in hands of the teachers and the
Negotiations continued after an executive session during Thursday’s Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) meeting on Dripping Springs’ request to discharge treated effluent into the Onion Creek Watershed. The BSEACD reviewed with its attorney the draft settlement prepared by the city of Austin in response to the city of Drippings Springs’ permit application to discharge treated wastewater into Onion Creek. While the district and other entities review these documents, it is generally thought that most of the entities are waiting until the Texas Legislature closes, due to the number of bills about water and water management working their way through committee hearings and onto the floor. Dripping Springs’ water district board of directors reviewed with their attorney activities related to the 85th Legislative session in executive session as well Thursday night. One bill, HB 2424 by Donna Howard, is of particular
BATHROOM BILL PASSES, 2
DISCHARGE, 7
PHOTO BY MOSES LEOS III
While wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the Many Stripes, One Tiger logo, Dripping Springs resident Steve Kling listens to a speaker at a gathering the group organized at a Driftwood residence Feb. 3. The group was organized in support of transgender students’ rights in DSISD.
Springs), whose children attend DSISD, and state Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels) to express their opposition to SB6. Hutton said he felt like Campbell, a SB6 co-author, hasn’t been responsive to parents’ concerns. While Isaac has not officially taken a stance on SB6, he opposed DSISD’s decision at a press conference with Texas Values in November. “That was pretty disappointing to a lot of people,” Hutton said. “But I’m hopeful that he’ll listen to the stories of the parents who actually live in his district, not just an