Six months ago, pre COVID-19, no one thought of wearing a face mask. Even as awareness of the coronavirus began to spread, wearing one was a subject of debate. But now, covering one’s face as a way of preventing the spread is simply a matter of course. The small piece of cloth has come a new, albeit...

Fireworks exploded over Tiger Stadium in Dripping Springs May 29 to celebrate the Class of 2020 as part of the Senior Sunset show. Like elsewhere, graduation ceremonies for Dripping Springs High School were delays by the COVID-19 pandemic.    

Black Lives Matter. Why is it that so many people cannot understand those three simple words?.   Black Lives Matter. More puzzling is how such a simple, innocuous phrase stirs up so much vitriolic, internal hatred in people. Black Lives Matter. Maybe even worse is how some attempt to rationalize the...

Following the lead of Buda and others, the city of Dripping Springs has announced the formation of a committee to create a COVID-19 Disaster Relief Program for businesses. The action was approved during the council meeting May 20. Committee members include city staff along with Susan Kimball, presid...

COVID-19 and its impact on high school sports Years from now, many will look to publications such as the Hays Free Press to see just how much COVID-19 impacted our daily lives, both big and small. And while the medium of athletics across the globe tried to hold out hope of conducting business as usu...

There’s little room on the highways for them, but they have to be there – particularly at this time of year. The presence of farm equipment puttering down Central Texas roadways is a familiar sight to longtime residents but, one hay and cattle producer notes, the tractors, combines and hay balers ar...

Sylvia Coffey, left, stands with her son Grant in front of her home in Mountain City as more than 50 cars stream past in a surprise retirement parade. Coffey has worked at Buda Elementary School for more than 15 years. She said she’s excited about her retirement but she’ll still be helping out at sp...

Gov. Greg Abbott on May 18 allowed restaurants to increase occupancy to 50% and relaxed his earlier executive orders that limited certain other public activities over the last two months to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Reopenings, Abbott said, must adhere to restricted occupancy levels and minimum...

President William Howard Taft, all 335 pounds of him, personally welcomed the Abernathy brothers to Washington D.C. on May 27, 1910 and gave the famous travelers a guided tour of the White House. At only ten and six years of age, Louie and Temple Abernathy already were bigtime celebrities with thous...

While the coronavirus didn’t entirely stop the wheels of justice from turning in Hays County, efforts to slow the spread of the highly contagious disease have slowed their turning somewhat. Some functions are due to reopen June 1, along with county buildings. In part to avoid an avalanche when full ...