Texans advance to state
Growth spurs medical center expansion
DS man sentenced for death threats
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News-Dispatch Volume XXXVIII No. 11
Serving Western Hays County, Texas since 1982
75¢
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Man charged in shooting death of SMPD officer BY MOSES LEOS III
Hays County authorities have now formally charged the man suspected of shooting and killing San Marcos Police officer Kenneth Copeland on Monday. Stewart Thomas Mettz, 58, has been charged with capital murder of a peace officer. Mettz was
also charged with injury to an elderly person, which is a third-degree felony and assault causing bodily injury, family violence, according METTZ
to a press release. Bond has been set at $500,000 for the latter two charges. Hays County Justice of the Peace Maggie H. Moreno did not set bond for the capital murder charge. Mettz is currently awaiting transport from an Austin area hospital to the Hays County Jail. He is currently under
24-hour guard by Hays County Sheriff’s deputies, according to the release. According to a Hays County probable cause affidavit, Copeland responded to Mettz’s residence in the 100 block of Valero Drive in San Marcos to serve a felony arrest warrant. When officers arrived and knocked on the front
door, Mettz opened the door and began firing an unknown caliber firearm at the officers, who then returned fire. Copeland was struck by gunfire and later died as a result of his injuries, according to the affidavit. Mettz suffered a gunshot wound to his left side and was provided first aid by a peace
officer. While first aid was provided to Mettz, a law enforcement official read Mettz his Miranda rights. Mettz allegedly said he had shot a police officer approximately two times in the chest, according to the affidavit. He then claimed the gunshot wound he had was inflicted by an officer.
PHOTO VIA AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL LIVE STREAM
Speaker Bill Oliver strums his guitar as he sings a song in opposition of a proposed agreement involving the cities of Austin and Dripping Springs’ proposed wastewater permit. Oliver was one of several people who voiced opposition to the proposed agreement.
Austin pushing against Dripping’s wastewater permit BY MOSES LEOS III
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NORTH HAYS COUNTY FIRE RESCUE
A North Hays County Fire Rescue first responder sprays down construction equipment that had caught fire during a controlled burn Dec. 8. North Hays crews responded to three fires over the course of 48 hours. No one was injured in any of the fires.
Fire destroys RR12 home BY MOSES LEOS III
No one was injured when a manufactured home went up in flames along Ranch Road 12 near Dripping Springs Dec. 9. Scott Collard, North Hays County Fire Chief, said the structure, located in the 27000 block of Ranch Road 12 was mostly destroyed.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time and the Hays County Fire Marshal’s office is currently investigating. Collard said upwards of 12 units were on scene, which had to navigate up a long, narrow driveway to the residence. Fire crews hauled water from hydrants to the scene. North Hays County crews were on
scene for several hours as they worked to extinguish the blaze. The Dec. 9 fire was the last of three the department responded to over the course of a 48-hour period last week. The first involved a fire at a barn located on Ella Lane on Dec. 8. Collard said no people or animals were injured in the barn fire, which was determined
to be accidental in origin. Five units responded to help put out the barn blaze. Several hours later, North Hays crews were dispatched to a controlled burn in the Dripping Springs area where construction equipment caught fire. No one was injured in the incident and only three units responded to the incident.
DSISD eyes alternative to proposed admin building BY MARIA GARDNER Significant changes may be underway in the conceptual plan for the Dripping Springs Town Center project approved by the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) Board. On Dec. 4, the Dripping Springs Independent School District (DSISD) Superintendent Bruce Gearing said the district is developing an alternative plan for the location of its administration building. It may include converting Walnut Springs Elementary School into the district’s new administrative office. Gearing said the district is in the middle
“We’d rather put money in schools than an administration building.” –Bruce Gearing, DSISD superintendent
of an evaluation of its capacity to handle the rapid growth that is projected in the area. As a result, it may shift its priority away from construction of a new administration building. “We’d rather put money in schools than an administration build-
ing,” he said. The district’s LongRange Facility Planning Committee, made up of school staff, parents, administrators and community members, is leading the assessment. The committee is expected to bring recommendations to the school board by January 2018 at the latest on whether to call for a bond election to pay for infrastructure improvements, Gearing said. In the proposed Town Center, a new district administration building will be constructed adjacent to a new Dripping Springs library with a meeting center in the
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Reservations over the rushed nature of a settlement agreement involving Dripping Springs’ proposed wastewater permit led Austin city leaders to express discontent Dec. 8. While no action was formally taken, two Austin City Council members said they wouldn’t approve the proposed agreement with Dripping
Springs if it came back up for a vote. The agreement is part of Dripping Springs’ push for beneficial reuse associated with its wastewater expansion permit with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The permit would allow the city a discharge point at Walnut Springs, which is a tributary of Onion Creek.
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Library plans for facility expansion BY MARIA GARDNER The task of stacking books on crowded shelves is a daily reminder of the limited space the Dripping Springs Community Library faces. On Dec. 5, Dripping Springs Community Library District (DSCLD) Board of Trustees reviewed and discussed Dripping Springs’ Town Center concept plan, a project that, if approved by the Board of Trustees,
would be another step toward realizing its vision for a larger facility. The Town Center concept plan visualizes a new library in proximity to Dripping Springs Independent School District (DSISD) administration office, Dripping Springs City Hall and a Hays County Office amongst other entities on land currently occupied mainly by DSISD.
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LAGNIAPPE EmilyAnn Trail of Lights
Head to Wimberley to celebrate the 20th annual festival at EmilyAnnTheatre and Gardens through Dec. 28. Enjoy more than 100 lighted exhibits created by Wimberley businesses and organizations 6-9 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 6-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Get parking info and more details at emilyann.org
Starlight Symphony
Celebrate the holidays with the Starlight Symphony Orchestra’s performance of its holiday series “Innovative Traditions.” The orchestra will have three performances this season: Dec. 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. at the Hays PAC Dec. 17 at 4 p.m. at Wimberley First Baptist Church.
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