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Countdown '24: Hays HS football preview
The countdown to the 2024 High School Football season takes a look at the upcoming football season for the varsity football teams in Hays county. DRIPPING SPRINGS TIGERS The Tigers are coming off a 11-3 season where Dripping Springs finished second in the district play behind Austin Westlake. Dripping Springs advanced to the 6A D2 Region IV Final before falling to Cibolo Steele. The Tigers remained put in District 26 along with Austin High, Austin Akins, Austin Bowie, Austin Del Valle, Austin Westlake and Lake Travis. The Tigers return just five offensive starters and one defensive starter from last year’s team. Dripping Springs will look...
Organization provides hope in the form of shoes
PHOTO COURTESY OF GARY JOB CORPS CENTERHays County Commissioner Michelle Cohen and volunteers of the organization pose for a photo at the July 27 event in Buda. Thousands of residents participated in the donations of shoes, backpacks, socks and food to serve the community.
Judge Neidhardt continues livestreams, cites transparency
SAN MARCOS — The Hays County District Attorney’s Office was notified on July 1 that 483rd District Judge Tanner Neidhardt began livestreaming the trial proceedings of a case. Questions and concerns from the prosecution led Neidhardt to discontinue and remove the livestream from YouTube. Nearly a month later, Neidhardt took to YouTube again to stream his docket, citing the need for transparency. Prior to the livestream, Neidhardt announced on social media that he will be livestreaming his docket in the upcoming week: “Our Constitution says, ‘All courts shall be open,’ (Art. 1, Sec. 13). Let the people see what our judges, [district attorneys] and attorneys are doing, we demand,” said the judge. On July 23, the livestream began and displayed two cameras: one of which was focused where Neidhardt would be sitting and another angled to face the court benches. The latter was placed behind him to give a view of the room, according to the judge, As Neidhardt entered the courtroom, the microphone was unmuted and he immediately launched into a statement revealing the ongoing stream. The judge then motioned to a screen on the side projecting a notice of the livestream, which he included after receiving feedback. He then placed a separate camera in front of him, stating that this is where it sat when the claims the device was “secreted” were made. So, he wanted to advise those in the room where the cameras are positioned to avoid that same argument. Hays County Criminal District Attorney Kelly Higgins, who previously stated that the cameras “were secreted and installed prior to the trial without the knowledge of all parties” in response to the initial livestreaming occurrence, later advocated for the stream: “I heartily welcome broadcast or livestreaming of court proceedings … I am happy to see the courts livestreaming proceedings, as long as the parties are informed and any measures needed to preserve identities and investigations are taken. I take the court’s recent introduction of notice to the courtroom as an understanding that informing the parties and public is necessary and proper … No one should be gaslit into believing that this office opposes livestreaming. Our objection was never that the court initiated a livestream. That is full within the discretion of any court. Our objection was, and remains, that the court livestreamed proceedings without informing the parties. Apart from that, we do not object or have any reservations about livestreaming judicial proceedings.” The reasoning behind the need for the stream, said Neidhardt, is transparency. He stressed to the court that he believes the judicial system is under attack, due to “half of the county” assuming that the court is there to attack individuals. The livestream would provide an opportunity to give constituents insight on what goes on inside the courtroom — how attorneys defend community members and protect their rights — and encourage skeptics to believe once more in the system, he continued. Higgins agreed with the sentiment that transparency is important, revealing that “If I had my own way, there would be even more transparency than that represented by livestreams. I would have the county know everything, but the rules that govern my comments prevent my saying more,” he concluded. Before the 483rd District Court began its docket, a defense attorney questioned if Neidhardt had considered the implications of the stream if a defendant sought an expungement. In response, Neidhardt noted that there are several counties in Texas that hold livestreams and that he has been in touch with them and will look into the implications. One of the counties that hosts regular livestreams is Harris County. The county courts have dedicated a portion of their website to include livestream links. Each court has an icon of a camera next to the link and when they are live, the camera will turn green and residents are able to view the stream in real time. Through viewing the more than five livestreams that occurred on July 24, the Hays Free Press noted that the camera for Criminal Court at Law No. 13 with Judge Raul Rodriguez, who was streaming a docket as well, was set up similarly to Neidhardt. There were two cameras, with one facing the judge and another that was more direct and front facing the benches. Rodriguez did mute the stream throughout for certain individuals or attorneys. Although, instead of YouTube, the county uses a separate server to host the streams. There was also an ongoing trial in the 281st Civil Court that was livestreamed. This time, with three cameras: one was placed in front of the jury seats and faced the courtroom (the jurors were not shown), another on the witness stand and, finally, one facing the benches as the other streams were. The Hays Free Pres s was able to view the initial livestream that Neidhardt held on July 1, which confirmed that the set up for the trial was the exact same as Harris County’s trial stream, with a camera on the witness stand, on the judge and facing away from the jurors. During the Harris County trial, the camera stayed on the entire time, with the microphone being turned off during breaks. Throughout the duration of the stream, there were no less than 30 viewers. Closer to Hays County is Bexar County's 187th District Judge Stephanie Boyd, who streams daily on YouTube. She currently has more than 1,000 videos and 31,300 subscribers. “People have the right to access our courts, but if they can’t actually come here because they have a job from nine to five or if they are a student and they have to be in class or they’re a mom that has kids, but wants to know what we’re doing in here about the fentanyl crisis. They can’t really come, so what is the right to access if they can’t come in and actually see it,” emphasized Neidhardt. “Ultimately, I believe in your right to access the courts — and now, I’m going to make that right actually mean something.” Neidhardt’s stream occurred for four hours and 33 minutes on July 23 and can be viewed at bit.ly/4fksrU4 .
Fire at Roadrunner Recycling, building may be saved
, A fire at Roadrunner Recycling on Highway 123 spread black smoke across much of the eastern portion of Hays County on Tuesday morning, but crews believe the damage is contained to the items that caught fire without harm to any structures. The York Creek Fire Department was called to Highway 123 and Beback Inn Road just beyond the San Marcos city limits at 8:45 a.m. on July 30. “Units arrived to find heavy black smoke from behind a metal recycling plant,” Bryce Houlton, assistant fire marshal for Guadalupe County, said. “Units forced entry through the gates and found a large pile...
Health department confirms first positive human case of West Nile virus in Hays County
The Hays County Health Department has confirmed the first positive human case of West Nile virus in Hays county. The case was identified in the 78610 zip code (Buda) area. Last week, health officials reported that mosquitoes infected with the West Nile virus were found in traps near Wimberley. Human infections were also confirmed in Montgomery and Williamson counties. While 80% of people infected with West Nile virus do not experience symptoms, 20% may exhibit symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea, skin rash, and swollen lymph nodes. Individuals aged 50 and older, and those with compromised immune...
Sheriff ’s Office issues warning about scam calls
The Hays County Sheriff ’s Office posted a warning on Facebook about an increase in scam calls with scammers claiming to be local police officers. “We're hearing about several phone scams happening around the county in which people are calling about pending arrest warrants, both for the Hays County Sheriff's Office and the San Marcos Police Department,” the post said. “These callers will say you must pay a fine or fee to clear the warrant. They’re also saying that you may need to post a bond for a subpoena that you failed to honor.” The Sheriff's Office said that some of the...
2024 Hays County Property Tax Reassessment Shows Commercial Properties Up By 10.5%
Austin Metro Single Family Value Appreciation vs Hays Assessment Increase %. O'Connor concluded that Hays County property tax reassessment shows commercial properties up by 10.5% in 2024. AUSTIN , TEXAS , UNITED STATES , July 31, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Residential Property Values Show Modest Growth of 1.6% in 2024. In...
Prepare your pup for the heat dome
It sure hasn’t felt like July lately in Central Texas, with rain and mild temperatures keeping the dog days of summer at bay, but that may be changing. A “Heat Dome” is predicted to hit the area, bringing hot temperatures. A heat dome is a ridge of...
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