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News-Dispatch Volume XXXVIII No. 37
Serving Western Hays County, Texas since 1982
75¢ Thursday, June 21, 2018
Food truck vendors get another RR 12 accident claims lives of victory in Dripping Springs BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
COURTESY PHOTO
The property on Hwy 290 on the same lot as Pig Pen BBQ was previously only allowed three vendors at that location. After the city council’s decision, seven vendors are now allowed.
Wimberley Valley cities go dark
A mobile food vendor court received approval to allow the operation of seven different food trucks on the property at 1005 West Highway 290 in Dripping Springs. The decision was a victory for mobile food vendors in a city which has historically not been easy with its regulations regarding the food trucks. At the June 12 Dripping Springs City Council meeting, council unani-
mously approved the addition of two more food trucks for the food court after months of deliberation. The property, which is owned by Bill Warren who operates Pig Pen BBQ on the same lot, was previously only allowed to contain up to three vendors, placing a financial burden on Warren. New revisions were added to the city’s code or ordinance in April, to
FOOD TRUCK COURT, 3
BY KATERINA BARTON The Wimberley Valley is the newest member of the exclusive club of only three Texas Dark Skies Communities. The area, which encompasses the cities of Woodcreek and Wimberley, was officially designated the third International Dark Sky Community in Texas on June 11 by the The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA). The designation was two years in the making, and efforts began in the summer of 2016 when the Wimberley Valley Dark Sky Committee was formed. Committee Chair Shannon du Plessis worked with the two cities and the community to meet IDA standards for designation. “Light pollution is one of the easiest forms of pollution to correct because if you turn the lights off or shield the lights you can really get instant gratification there, so it’s pretty easy for people to support,” du Plessis said. The committee had to make sure both the city of Wimberley and Woodcreek had lighting ordinances compliant to IDA requirements, the cities made proclamations supporting the effort, updated municipal buildings to have compliant lighting, and hosted several educational presentations in
WIMBERLEY GOES DARK, 3
three residents STAFF REPORT
ing to a final stop. Ramirez’s vehicle, Three Wimberley reshowever, kept going in idents were pronounced the southbound lane, dead Sunday evening and hit another car occuafter a driver veered off pied by two Wimberley into oncoming traffic and residents, 40-year-old struck another vehicle on Angela Mary Masullo Ranch Road 12 near San and 44-year-old Daniel Marcos. Stuart Masullo head on. According to the Texas The Masullo’s vehicle was Department of Pubpushed up backwards on lic Safety, 22-year-old top of a guardrail, and Ramiro Ramirez was the vehicle Ramirez was traveling northbound driving came to a stop on Ranch Road 12 three and burst into flame. miles south of San MarThe Masullos and cos around 9 p.m. when Ramirez were both prohe swerved into the nounced dead at the southbound lane and scene, while Richter was struck an SUV being treated and released. Two driven by Elizabeth Kay additional passengers in Richter, a 63-year-old the Masullo’s SUV were New Braunfels resident. transported South Austin Richter’s vehicle then Medical Center, where spun and skidded along their conditions are unthe guardrail before com- known.
Woman dies in fatal motorcycle wreck near Dripping Springs BY KATERINA BARTON A female motorcyclist from Dayton, Texas, was the victim of a fatal motorcycle accident which took place June 8 on U.S. 290, one mile east of Dripping Springs. Driver Debra Lee Robinson, 59, was killed when a group of deer crossed the roadway in front of her motorcycle, according to a report from the Texas Highway Patrol. According to the re-
port, Robinson tried to avoid the deer but was unsuccessful and hit the deer, causing her to be thrown off her motorcycle. The motorcycle then collided with the guardrail on the north side of the roadway. She was driving a 2004 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy. The driver died due to her injuries. She was pronounced dead at 11:30 a.m. by Judge Terry Kyle, Hays County Justice of the Peace pct. 4.
Aquifer district presents plan to harness EP BY EXSAR ARGUELLO
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WIMBERLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
San Marcos joins large cities to fight immigration bill BY EXSAR ARGUELLO On May 7, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law Senate Bill 4, which disallowed cities to designate themselves as sanctuary cities, and forced the local entities to cooperate with immigration authorities. The controversial bill was revised to allow law enforcement officials to ask the immigration status of anyone who had been detained or arrested. Since the signing, counties around Texas have retaliated and a lawsuit against the bill is currently in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. The city of San Marcos is
The forum’s main intent was to educate the public on how to protect immigrants and the limitations law enforcement has when asking for immigration status. one of the smallest cities joining the fight against SB4, with the likes of its big brothers of Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas. On June 14, Hays County residents gathered in San Marcos for a public forum on SB4. Among the crowd were members of San Marcos City Council, the San Marcos Chief of Police
and immigration activists. Abbott has stated that SB4 does not allow racial profiling or improper detainment, but Hays County community members cry otherwise. Illegal persons in the United States have rights protected under the constitution. This in-
SENATE BILL 4, 6
Almost 200 Hays County residents crammed into the Wimberley Community Center Monday to hear the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District’s (BSEACD) recommendation on a 2.5 million gallon per day pumping permit by Electro Purification (EP). BSEACD general manager and staff recommended a plan for Electro Purification’s pumping permit, which originally called for 2.5 million gallons per day of water to be pumped from the Trinity Aquifer. The forum was hosted by BSEACD to discuss the staff’s recommendation to the board for the permit. The goal for the aquifer district was to inform the public about the permit and clear any misconceptions surrounding EP’s submitted application and the staff’s recommendation. EP, which originally submitted an application to pump nearly a billion gallons of water a year from the aquifer, was met with serious scrutiny from the scientific team at BSEACD, citing the proposed pumping
“It is our goal to avoid unreasonable impact to the aquifer. We don’t just issue permits: we scrutinize them. For this permit, we’ve spent months reviewing all of its implications.” –Vanessa Escobar, senior regulatory compliance coordinator for the BSEACD
would cause unreasonable impact on the aquifer and its surrounding wells. “It is our goal to avoid unreasonable impact to the aquifer,” said Vanessa Escobar, senior regulatory compliance coordinator for the BSEACD. “We don’t just issue permits:
EP PUMPING CONCERNS, 2