Staff Report More Texans will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine soon. Beginning on Monday, all adults will be allowed to receive a vaccine, according to an announcement by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). While an increase in vaccine supplies is expected for next week, DSHS h...

By Megan Wehring When Steve Fox and wife Rebekah adopted their sons in 2019, they planned to visit family in Michigan last summer. Then, the pandemic halted their travel. Once Steve and Rebekah receive their second COVID-19 dose, they said they will feel more comfortable to travel with their sons to...

By Megan Wehring and Sahar Chmais HAYS COUNTY — Businesses are in a difficult position right now. Owners have to decide whether to implement their own safety protocols. If they enforce a mask rule, they may lose some customers; if they do not enforce the rule, they could also lose customers. Effecti...

Saving people’s lives during Winter Storm Uri was on the minds of 21 Hays CISD Transportation employees who operated temporary warming centers in their buses. For their efforts, these employees were presented March 5 with Superintendent Coins of Excellence by Hays CISD Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright...

by Megan Wehring To mask or not to mask is a burning question circulating in the education community following Governor Greg Abbott’s removal of the mandate effective on March 10. The answer for many school districts in Hays County is masks will still be required unless the school board votes otherw...

By Sahar Chmais and Megan Wehring The masks that came on one year ago are coming off — but that will not erase the changes the COVID-19 pandemic brought to Hays County. In a matter of one year, the virus took its toll on every household in its own unique way. COVID-19 affected the future of all resi...

By Sahar Chmais Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines are available at private medical clinics in Hays County in the first week of rollouts, beginning March 8. The J&J vaccine is 85% effective in preventing severe disease about 28 days after vaccination, according to the company’s data. Unlike Moder...

By Sahar Chmais  In the hustle and bustle of a barbecue disaster relief event, the lash of storm Uri and COVID-19 were almost forgotten in Buda. In the six-day event, over 31,000 meals were served to Hays County residents.  The feeding effort had a small trial run on Feb. 20 and Feb. 21, where Tito’...

By Megan Wehring  BUDA — When 15-year-old Trace Jansen went fishing on Feb. 28, it was beyond his wildest dreams that he would land the heaviest largemouth bass ever caught at Lake Travis in Austin.  Jansen, a student at Johnson High School in Buda, caught a 15.32-pound bass, breaking  a lake record...

By Sahar Chmais  Since Governor Greg Abbott announced that he will remove the mask mandate, many parents were left worried about how it would affect schools. After one day of the announcement, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) came up with a solution – masks will remain mandatory.  Nothing in the TEA...