Sheriff’s office feeds seniors
Watch for closures on U.S. 290
Lady Tigers go 1-1 in season opener
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News-Dispatch Volume XXXVII No. 44 • Serving Western Hays County, Texas since 1982
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75¢
Thursday, August 10, 2017
PHOTO COURTESY OF LAKE TRAVIS FIRE RESCUE
Lightning fire damages Dripping Springs area home
No one was injured early Monday after a large fire devastated a two-story, single family home in the Twin Lake Hills subdivision just outside of Dripping Springs. According to Lake Travis Fire Rescue officials, lightning woke up a resident in the home, which is located in the 17000 block of Avion Drive. That resident found the house on fire, and notified two other residents. All three residents in the home safely escaped, fire officials said. LTFR crews arrived and found the fire through the roof. Crews worked to extinguish the blaze with hand lines and ladder trucks. Assisting the LTFR was Oak Hill, Austin and Pflugerville fire departments, along with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office and Austin Travis County EMS. The fire is currently under investigation. It’s unknown at this time how much in damages was caused by the blaze.
Luxury development to break ground in Dripping Springs
Funds set for tax credit housing BY MOSES LEOS III
COURTESY RENDERING
The Bunker Ranch development along U.S. 290 will have homes valued at up to $1 million.
BY MOSES LEOS III Ground could be broken within the next 30 days in a Dripping Springs subdivision that includes homes ranging from $500,000 and up. Construction of homes in the first phase of Bunker Ranch, a luxury master planned development along U.S. Highway 290, is expected to start within the next month, said
developer Jim Boushka. The subdivision is situated on a 214-acre property and will have 165 lots that range in size from three-quarters of an acre to larger. Boushka said homes in the property, which will be gated, is projected to have a price range of $500,000 to $1 million. Monticello Homes is currently contracted to construct 29 of the first
50 homes in the first phase of development. Currently, roads are complete within the subdivision and the entrance of the developement should be completed by the end of August. Boushka said Bunker Ranch is expected to be completed in four phases, with full buildout potentially occurring by the end of 2018.
“We’re hoping to bring other custom and high end builders,” Boushka said. Over a year ago, Boushka, along with Steve Harren, who is also a developer of Bunker Ranch, approached Dripping Springs for a development agreement for water service. Water will be provided by the city of Dripping Springs, while all homes will be on individual
septic systems. Boushka said developers are trying to maintain the natural “hill country” feel. He said developers attempted to keep as many trees as possible on the property. “I think that Dripping Springs is a fun little Texas town and I think a lot of people are trying to get out of the hustle and bustle of traffic in Austin,” Boushka said.
Legislation could revamp funding for children’s therapy BY MOSES LEOS III Legislation making its way to the Texas Senate could partially restore funding cut from speech, occupational and physical therapy services for disabled children. House Bill 25, by Sarah Davis (R-Houston), would appropriate $79 million in federal and state funds to the commission for Medicaid acute therapy services in 2018. The bill, which has four co-authors, would appropriate $84.1 million in 2019. The bill was voted out of committee and
House Bill 25, authored by Sarah Davis (R-Houston), would appropriate $79 million in federal and state funds to the commission for Medicaid acute therapy services in 2018. received bipartisan support, according to State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin). HB 25 was passed by a 21-0 vote with six absences. It now moves on to the Texas Senate Committee. Rodriguez added HB 25 demanded “the legislature’s immediate
attention” after severe cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates for acute therapy were made during the 2015 Legislative session. “Disabled children don’t enjoy the same fierce representation by paid advocates as the special interests who often shape the
A proposed workforce housing development in Dripping Springs moved one step closer to reality after $720,000 in state tax credits were awarded Friday. Those funds, awarded by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, pave the way for developers of the 72-unit Western Springs apartment complex to move forward.
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Texas says goodbye to former governor BY MOSES LEOS III
legislature’s agenda behind the scenes ... Instead, it’s up to us – the members of the Texas Legislature – to set aside our differences and work together on their behalf. Every day we spend clashing over wedge issues represents a failure of leadership” Rodriguez said. As a result of the $350 million cut in December, several providers have left the Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) program, according to a Texas Tribune report, leaving the program in a state
A gregarious personality with a passion for education is how many remembered former Texas Governor and Dripping Springs resident Mark White, who passed away at age 77 this week. White, a graduate from the Baylor University School of Law, served as Texas’ attorney general and secretary of state before he was elected governor in 1983. His tenure lasted for one term and went from 1983 to 1987. During his tenure in the Governor’s Mansion, White, a Democrat, crusaded for education, based primarily on his mother, who was a firstgrade teacher, according
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