STAFF REPORTS The Texas Department of State Health Services designated Central Texas Medical Center (CTMC) as a Basic Level IV Trauma Facility at the start of the year. “By earning our Level IV Trauma Certification, we’re demonstrating our ongoing commitment to provide the best possible medical care...

by BOB BARTON Sales tax receipts this month for Hays County’s 10 cities dipped a bit below last year’s March totals, with only San Marcos, the City of Hays, Mountain City and Woodcreek showing a slight uptick in statistics released over the weekend by State Comptroller Susan Combs. Based on January ...

by JEN BIUNDO If e309f4afc2d7ac311fb2acc417b8b122he weae309f4afc2d7ac311fb2acc417b8b122her is warm and e309f4afc2d7ac311fb2acc417b8b122he days are long, ie309f4afc2d7ac311fb2acc417b8b122 muse309f4afc2d7ac311fb2acc417b8b122 be e309f4afc2d7ac311fb2acc417b8b122ime for T-ball. Here, members of e309f4afc...

On Center Street by BRENDA STEWART Boy, it’s amazing how much this town empties out over spring break. I guess everybody grabbed their kiddos and headed to the beach. I know that my girls were definitely ready for a break but you could almost smell the glee emanating from the teachers on Friday afte...

Buda Bits by SANDRA GRIZZLE Sisters Stephanie Pecuch and Ann-Marie Pecuch Sheely have spotted the first bluebonnet. The Texas state flower was seen growing in Oxbow Trail. Get your cameras ready, this should be a great year for all those bluebonnet pictures! ••• A big Buda thank you to all who parti...

Odds & Ends by MYRTLE HEIDEMAN Hope everybody is enjoying their Spring Break. When I went to school we were always glad when the school was in session or when it rained, so we did not have to work in the fields, chopping weeds, picking cotton, etc. Even though many of us had to walk several miles to...

by CHRISSY GRAY Guest Column If you’ve been suffering from a mysterious cold that won’t respond to over-the-counter medications, you may not have a cold at all. In fact, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, you may be the one-in-seven Americans who suffer from seasona...

It’s About Thyme by CHRIS WINSLOW I received an e-mail over the weekend from Blaine and Ruth Fehenbacher. They want to know more about plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. They already seem fairly expert in this subject. From reading a local magazine they knew about phlox, penstemon, mo...

This Week in Texas History by BARTEE HAILE Santa Anna overruled his general on the ground on March 23, 1836 and gave the infamous order for the mass execution of all the Goliad prisoners. The Tampico captives served as guinea pigs for the dictator’s get-tough policy toward meddlesome foreigners. A n...

Check it out by BOB STRAUB Jack is back and better than ever! Jack Higgins ties The Wolf at the Door to his previous book, A Darker Place, in which Alexander Kurbsky defected to the British. In this novel, Daniel Holley, once a provincial Irish Republican Army terrorist, is captured by the Soviets w...