NOVEMBER 18, 2020 COLLEGE BOUND
TURKEY PARDON
Several Hays CISD and Dripping Springs ISD athletes sign letters of intent.
Presidential turkey pardon, a tradition that began with Lincoln in 1863.
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Vol. 126 • No. 34
Serving Hays County, TX
RM 150
SOS lawsuit against TCEQ dampens Dripping wastewater expansion
Committee seeks more input for road name suggestions
BY SAHAR CHMAIS
BY MEGAN WEHRING
DRIPPING SPRINGS – The water fight is on again between he Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the city of Dripping Springs and Save Our Springs Alliance (SOS). TCEQ and Dripping Springs have filed an appeal to the Third Court of Appeals regarding the Texas District Court’s decision to reverse the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“TPDES”) wastewater treatment permit. The TPDES permit was issued by TCEQ to allow Dripping Springs to begin the much-needed expansion of its treatment plant and address the area’s growing wastewater needs. However, in late October, Judge Maya Guerra Gamble of the 459th Texas District Court reversed that permit. The original permit was granted by TCEQ following an evidentiary hearing and a lengthy legal process, when a judge at the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) concluded that the permit met the applicable Texas Surface Water Quality Standards and the notice requirements. The commissioners of TCEQ agreed with the SOAH judge and issued the permit. However, SOS filed a lawsuit against TCEQ claiming the permit violated a subset of Texas’ water quality standards that apply to Onion Creek. Gamble reversed TCEQ’s order, stating that the Texas Surface Water Quality Standards were not satisfied (relying primarily on an interpretation of federal law) and that notice was deficient. Now, the city and the TCEQ are appealing that district court decision to the Third Court of Appeals. On appeal, the city says it will show, among other things, that the evidence presented at SOAH by
KYLE — After months of going back to the drawing board, the West Ranch to Market 150 renaming committee finalized six names at its meeting on Monday, Nov. 16. The deadline for suggestions is Wednesday, Dec. 2. While the committee received countless suggestions, each name has to follow specific criteria before it is considered sufficient. Cultural, historical and social significance were looked at along with duplicate names, symbolic value, importance to community and whether the name would be offensive. The following names are moving forward to the next meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 2: Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd; Silvestre S. Herrera Drive; White Drive (J.H. White or Dr. James H. White); Driftwood Drive; Freedom Drive; Resilience Drive. The committee encourages more comments from residents at each meeting. Laura McMahon, president of Kyle Cultural Awareness, was the first to step forward to bring her own suggestion for the
PHOTOS BY CASEY ENGLISH, STEM LAB TEACHER AT ELM GROVE ELEMENTARY
STEM education prepares students for post-high school While some school districts use only the STEM classes, Hays CISD incorporates art into the program, thus adding the “A” and making it a STEAM program at Hays CISD.
BY MEGAN WEHRING
HAYS CISD — University planning begins at the elementary level; Hays CISD has incorporated art and design into science, technology, engineering and math to create STEAM programs at some campuses in the district. While some school districts use only the STEM classes, Hays CISD incorporates art into the program, thus adding the “A” and making it a STEAM program at Hays CISD. STEM-related jobs grew three times more than non-STEM jobs between the years of 2000 and 2010, according to
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the Smithsonian Science Education Center, and they also rank higher in pay by 12% to 30% compared to other fields. There is a wide variety of STEAM programs offered across the Hays district. Saturn V, a magnet program for fourth and fifth-grade students to work on STEM-based activities like team building and engineering, is housed
on the Carpenter Hill, Kyle, Pfluger and Tobias campuses. STEAM labs are incorporated into the specials rotations at the following campuses: Camino Real, Blanco Vista and Hemphill elementary schools, and Wallace and Dahlstrom middle schools. Most of the STEAM programs at the high school level are consolidated into
the Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses. “At the elementary level, within our specials rotations, that’s when the kids have the STEM or STEAM labs,” Katie Campbell, STEAM Coordinator for Hays CISD, said. “It’s not on every campus. We probably have about seven campuses that don’t have a STEM specials rotation.” Campbell added that she encourages all teachers to get involved in STEAM education even if they are not specialized in the field. “Any teacher can do STEM,” Campbell said.
New Hays County Covid Cases by weekly total
to prepare for future needs of the community. The Transportation Master Plan for the city of Dripping Springs will: • Promote safe mobility within the city’s transportation infrastructure • Develop a future transportation system that accommodates growth • Establish the ul-
2ND WAVE?
Coronavirus spikes as we head into holidays.
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timate roadway network and identify right-of-way needs to meet future growth • Identify mobility improvements At this virtual open house, attendees will learn about the proposed Thoroughfare Plan and the Multimodal Plan developed as part of the Transportation Master Plan. Interactive maps will
Hays CISD combatting high failure rate caused by virtual learning BY MEGAN WEHRING
depict the enhanced and proposed roadways and the accompanying pedestrian and bicycle improvements. A sample of proposed roadway cross- section illustrations will also be included. Information about the planning and development process, including the public feedback and the inter-
HAYS CISD — Going to school during the pandemic is like walking on eggshells for many, in fear that they may get sick. Virtual learning is the alternative, still unfamiliar to some, and it is causing a high failure rate for the first nine-week grading period in Hays CISD. There were 4,444 students failing at least one class for the first nine-week grading period of the 2020-2021 school year, compared to 2,583 students of the 2019-2020 school year, according to Hays CISD. “We are getting better,” Derek McDaniel, director of curriculum and instruction, said. “That first nine weeks was a steep learning curve for students, parents and teachers. It’s taken us time to adjust.” McDaniel said the main
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Public input sought on Dripping Springs Master Plan during virtual open house DRIPPING SPRINGS – The city of Dripping Springs is finalizing its Transportation Master Plan and will be holding a virtual open house for public comments through Dec. 8. A Transportation Master Plan is a planning document that defines goals and policies for a city’s transportation system and develops recommendations
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