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Tiger thespians awarded
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News-Dispatch Volume XXXVIII No. 29
Serving Western Hays County, Texas since 1982
75¢ Thursday, April 26, 2018
Development over recharge zone draws concern BY CARLIE PORTERFIELD
Anxieties over the impact a proposed masterplanned development along FM 967 near Buda could have on neighbors and the Edwards Aquifer is steadily rising.
According to community organizers, the development, located in Dripping Springs’ extraterritorial jurisdiction, calls for 1,200 homes to be built out on almost 800 acres of land. The development is located
over the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone. However, variance requests outlined in the proposed development agreement with Dripping Springs have left neighbors concerned about what the growth
could mean for them. Jannine Inbody, who lives downhill from the proposed development site, organized a town hall meeting April 19 at Southern Hills Church of Christ in Buda, where about 60 of her fellow
neighbors discussed their concerns and the actions they can take. Among those issues is the question of where their potential residents would be drawing their water from. Large community wells can have a
negative impact on the aquifer, and all of the homes in the existing subdivision are on individual wells which draw from the Edwards and Trinity aquifers.
WATER CONCERNS, 6
SHATTERED DREAMS
PHOTO BY MARY GILROY
Maria Garcia talks with reporters following her release from ICE detention on April 3.
Activists step in to assist area resident in federal custody BY KATERINA BARTON An undocumented Wimberley woman detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a misdemeanor arrest was released from custody April 3. The release of Maria Garcia, of Wimberley, was due in part to the work of local groups that have helped a handful of area residents temporarily avoid deportation. Karen Muñoz, co-founder of Mano Amiga, an immigrant advocacy group in San Marcos, started the organization in 2017 after she felt like there was a lack of resources for immigrants in the community. So far, the group has helped four individuals with deportation defense proceedings, including Victor Avendano-Ramirez, who was arrested after a traffic stop in Kyle, when officers saw he had active warrants for other traffic violations. Both Garcia and
ICE RELEASE, 2
PHOTOS BY MOSES LEOS III
Bloody, bewildered and desperate for help was Dripping Springs High junior Ross Lincecum (right) who cradled a classmate while playing the role of a drunk driver in the school’s annual “Shattered Dreams” program held on campus April 20. The program, which involved a score of Dripping Springs High students and staff members, simulates a fatal drunk driving accident and the ramifications it has on those who are affected. A full story on Shattered Dreams and how one Dripping Springs High senior looks to ensure its impact can be found online at haysnewsdispatch.com.
Last Dance
Mercer Street to turn out the lights in May BY MOSES LEOS III
An iconic downtown Dripping Springs dance and music venue will bring down its curtains for good next month. On Monday, owners of the Mercer Street Dance Hall announced via a gofundme crowdfunding page plans to close the location, citing a lost battle against “exorbitant rent increases” by landlords who own the property. But owners of the
venue are now setting their sights on possibly starting a new dance hall on a parcel of property they own between Dripping Springs and Wimberley. Nick Dotin, co-owner of Mercer Street Dance Hall, said he and his wife, Shelby, who is also co-owner, have fought “for years” against rent increases, but felt it was “time to let this battle go.” The landlord notified the Dotins they had 30 days, or until
May 10, to vacate. Nick Dotin said his family realized closing the venue could happen, but they didn’t expect it to happen “so fast.” “We have stood and fought against the potential exorbitant rent increases that each new landlord (we are on our third) have felt compelled to thrust upon us,” according to a post on a gofundme page created by Shelby Dotin. But Dean Erickson, broker and owner of Erickson and Associ-
ates, an Austin area brokerage firm, said Dotin’s plans and those of the landlords “couldn’t match up.” Following probate of the will of former property owner, H.C. Carter, Carter’s family is taking possession of the property. Erickson said his brokerage firm took over the property in late December 2017 and Clark’s family gave Dotin “a significant amount of time” to renew the lease.
Software that allows the city of Dripping Springs to archive posts on its own social media pages was given the green light April 17. Archive Social, a program that allows entities to archive social media posts, even if those posts have been deleted, will allow Dripping Springs to monitor its six city Facebook pages and two Twitter pages. However, the program will not collect data from pages that are not managed or owned by the city. This will allow the city to not only ar-
duty to be transparent for our citizens.” But in light of security concerns stemming from data breaches, a national disconnect between elected officials and social media corporations still looms. At the council meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Bill Foulds asked city staff if this program
CITY’S SOCIAL MEDIA, 6
CHARGES DROPPED, 6
DANCE HALL CLOSES, 2
Archive Social, a program that allows entities to archive social media posts, even if those posts have been deleted, will allow Dripping Springs to monitor its six city Facebook pages and two Twitter pages.
chive posts for open records, but to archive any citizen comments or concerns, according to city staff. By state law, cities are required to provide its citizens access to public records and information, and the laws are enforced by the Attorney General’s office. This includes physical and digital copies of any legislation, meetings, citizen
comments, development plans and other city records. “This year alone we have had around four people ask, through an open records request, for social media posts on the city’s pages,” said Andrea Cunningham, city secretary for the city of Dripping Springs. “This allows us to archive that information and stay on top of our
BY EXSAR ARGUELLO A former Dripping Springs Water Supply Corporation (DSWSC) general manager accused of stealing company property, vehicles and money was acquitted of criminal charges earlier this year. The decision, rendered by 428th District Judge Bill Henry, nearly ends seven years of vitriolic sparring between Doug Cones and the company he once worked for. “My reputation was ruined,” Cones said. “They accused me of stealing company vehicles and other property, all which had no merit. Try finding a job with criminal charges to your name. For 25 years, this was my trade. I knew nothing else. And they took that away from me.” On the September 18, 2011, the DSWSC board of directors voted 3-2 to fire Cones, which negated his retirement contract. In addition, the DSWSC turned over its investigation to the Hays County District Attorney’s office, which later brought two felony counts against Cones. In response, Cones filed a counter-suit in 2014 for unpaid wages and attorney fees, cit-
Dripping Springs OKs software to archive social media posts BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
Former general manager cleared of theft charges