JULY 28, 2021 VAX CONCERN
FIRE FORECAST
Johnson & Johnson vaccine efficacy of delta variant in question.
Local emergency officials warn weather conditions bad for wildfires.
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Hays Free Press HaysFreePress.com
Vol. 127 • No. 18
Serving Hays County, TX
Kyle moves forward with outdoor rec projects BY BRITTANY ANDERSON
Kyle residents can soon look forward to enjoying more outdoor recreation. During its July 20 meeting, Kyle City Council members discussed several upcoming projects that would expand the city’s parks and trails. Mayor Pro-Tem Rick Koch, alongside council members Dex Ellison and
Michael Tobias, are part of a task force that will seek to incorporate bond-related capital for the citywide trail system. Kyle is working with the Great Springs Project and other partners along the IH-35 corridor to create a spring-to-spring network of trails from San Antonio to Austin. City manager Scott Sellers told council that
In a motion approved 7-0, council members Dex Ellison, Robert Rizo and Yvonne Flores-Cale were appointed as members of a task force that will start design plans and incorporate community feedback on the park improvements.
in light of the $10 million Proposition B approved by
voters in November 2020, which included a trail
dedication, the task force hopes to leverage those funds and receive additional sources of outside funding. Sellers also said that the task force is now at the point of utilizing some of those dollars towards various logistics of the trail, including its width, design and amenities like benches, dog waste stations and parking areas.
Ellison has been a key player in the addition of a skate park to Gregg-Clarke Park, which was allocated $1 million for improvements in Proposition B. Ellison said that he is ready to get started on the project and believes they can do a great job with the allocation of the bond funds for this park, and
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Buda Bond Advisory Committee finalizes package BY BRITTANY ANDERSON BUDA – After months of rigorous work, the Buda Bond Advisory Committee (BBAC) made final recommendations regarding the bond package at its seventh meeting on July 19. The package next goes to the city council for approval to put on the ballot. The projected $88.7 million package is aimed at improving Bu-
The projected $88.7 million package is aimed at improving Buda’s roads and parks. da’s roads and parks and the committee has been meeting since February. Buda council members
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State reps plea for school COVID safety BY SAHAR CHMAIS
after an overall surge in COVID-19 cases across State representatives Texas, where a Texas are urging Texas Gov. Tribune report stated Greg Abbott and Texas that the positivity rate Education Agency Com- has gone over 10% for missioner Mike Morath, the first time since to provide more options February. for schools and students “Students are young for COVID-19 safety and less likely to be measures. infected,” Goodwin’s letSo far, 32 state repre- ter reads, “but some are sentatives have signed immunocompromised Rep. Vikki Goodwin’s and any of them can letter to the governor carry the virus home and commissioner. In to older or sick family the letter, Goodwin members. Families are states that virtual inconcerned about matstruction should be an ters of life and death.” option for students who State Rep. Erin are at higher risk for Zwiener (D-Driftwood) contracting the virus. was among the 32 who This concern comes signed the letter.
PHOTO COURTESY OF VECINOS UNIT LLC
Rupert Reyes as Roberto (foreground) is one of the main characters in the movie “Vecinos: Love Thy Neighbor”. Vecinos was filmed mainly in Buda. The scene shown is recognizable from the inside of The Carrington in downtown Buda.
Vecinos: Love thy Neighbor
Local movie about neighboring families premieres in Buda BY CYNDY SLOVAK-BARTON Lehman High’s Mariachi Band was just a precursor; the students set the mood for an evening that included a lot of laughs. And some tears. The movie, “Vecinos: Love Thy Neighbor,” was having a premiere showing in the Carrington Friday night. And locals who know the Buda area recognized a lot of the scenes. But the characters on screen spoke from the heart, hauling audience members into the scenes, where they looked at the lives of two families who become neighbors.
Their lives entertwine, and love and troubles follow. Vecinos is Alex Avila’s first feature film and his second as a producer. Avila, who is a native of Austin, now lives in Buda. He spent 25 years as a professional journalist, and is an award-winning NPR producer. This film originated as a play by the film’s lead actor, Rupert Reyes. Reyes and Avila started working the play into a film in 2014 and years later – despite COVID – the film is being entered into various film festivals. Most of the film was shot in Buda during
Coming Up
COSTCO COMING
CostCo coming to Kyle and other growth announcements.
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with Reyes noting that he borrowed against the equity in his house. But he wanted everyone to know that he thought the investments was well worth the risk. And the audience seemed to agree, as many asked how they could help with money to send Reyes and Avila on to festivals. The premiere was put together by the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce, which is headquartered in Buda. The Buda Area Chamber of Commerce helped with the presentation and sponsorship of the premiere.
Help on the way
Local family makes a difference for neighbors
SILVER SCREEN SENIOR MOVIE NIGHT The Silver Screen is a Senior Movie Night hosted at the Kyle Area Senior Zone’s Krug Activity Center (the old Kyle City Hall). Join them for a showing of the 1951 classic The African Queen. In WWI Africa, a gin-swilling riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced missionary to use his boat to attack an enemy warship. For more information contact Adult Services Librarian, Jesus Hernandez (jhernandez@ cityofkyle.com).
the summer of 2019. Both Reyes and Avila pointed out that they wanted to make sure this did not play to the Mexican American/Hispanic stereotypes so often seen in films. Instead, this is a true love story and comedy, showing tender moments between families that anyone is able to understand. And anyone coming from a small town will also understand the connections, the community and the caring between the characters. Reyes said that he and Avila put a lot of their own money into the movie,
BY SAHAR CHMAIS
LIKE GOATS?
Get to know the goats at Jester King Brewery. From 6 to 7 p.m. Friday, get ready for a hands-on engagement with the brewery’s goat handlers and meet the family of more than 40 Nigerian Dwarf goats in the Goat Pen.
Getting in and out of her trailer home was becoming a near-impossible mission; for 10 months, Debbe Purcell would have to crawl in and out of her home when she needed to leave due to severe knee problems.
The Hays Free Press Barton Publications, Inc. The Hays Free Press (USPS 361-430) published weekly by Barton Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 339, Buda, TX 78610. Periodicals postage paid at Buda, TX 78610 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Barton Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 339, Buda, TX 78610. ISSN#1087-9323
“In October, I hurt my knee and I had been scooting across the floor and would use crutches to go in and out of my trailer,” Purcell said. “I reached out on the Love Thy Neighbor [Facebook page] to see if someone can help. [Jon
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