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SAN MARCOS — During National Pet Month, the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter took the opportunity to share its current conditions and how community members can get involved. SMRAS is the stray animal open-intake facility for all of Hays County, explained community engagement coordinator Minnie Buckhaults, meaning that any animal within the county gets transported to the shelter, due to ongoing contracts with the animal control departments. Along with the responsibility of being the county intake shelter, the increasing amount of strays within the cities also causes overcrowding. Buckhaults described the lack of resources as the reasoning behind the high number of stray dogs and cats, citing lack of low cost spay and neuter, low cost vaccination and a general “lack of awareness from our community.” “We are trying to find as many positive outcomes for the animals that enter our facility, whether that be through adoption, transferring them to rescue partners, [etc.],” said Buckhaults. “We just want to get as many animals out [as we can]. A shelter is no place for an animal.” Part of this initiative is the creation of Space Force, a program within the shelter that aims to promote positive opportunities for the animals. “We make sure that anyone that hits the 30-day mark has a bio, they have new photos [and] they have notes that we can talk to a doctor about. And when they hit a 60-day mark, we will make sure that they’ve been on a Dog’s Day Out, that they’ve had a foster plea and a rescue plea. Then, we also identify dogs that may need a little help being advertised, more rescue pleas sent out, more time in the yards or medically checked out,” said Buckhaults. For example, a dog at the shelter named Candidia will be receiving a hospice plea due to the discovery of cancer. Veterinarians estimate she only has six months to a year left to live. Despite the efforts of the shelter, the 93 kennels are filled with more than 160 dogs, some of which are stationed in pop-up crates. During the interview, Buckhaults revealed the stacks of crates in her office filed with puppies, as the shelter is attempting to fill every space to accommodate the amount of dogs. When these numbers rise too high, the shelter has to unfortunately consult behaviorists to determine if any animals must be put on a euthanasia list. In early May, six dogs were planned with a deadline for Thursday, May 9. Prior to the list being posted on social media, three were picked up by rescues. Through various posts and tags from community members, two of the animals were adopted and the last, Jackson, left with a foster. “The only way we could operate is with community involvement,” said the coordinator. “Whereas our team has the one person reaching out to rescues over and over for Jackson, when the community adds their hundreds and hundreds of voices, it really makes a difference.” Buckhaults said that the communities, along with cities, are doing a lot in attempt to aid SMRAS. According to the coordinator, the city of San Marcos recently instated an ordinance which requires all animals to be microchipped in an effort to return dogs to their owners and prevent them from going missing. The city also required pet stores to provide animals from a shelter rather than a breeder if there is going to be an adoption event.

After Tristan Pride, an urban and regional planning junior, was a few days late to pay his utility bill, the power in his townhome at Windmill Townhomes & Duplexes shut off. Pride said he was left scrambling to figure out a way to get the additional funds to restore power.

The Hays County Crime Stoppers staff pose at the Second Annual Summer Health Fair held on May 11. Crime Stoppers regularly attends local fairs to promote its EZ Child ID fingerprinting system, which creates a digital file for parents should something ever happen to their child.

SAN MARCOS — County Court-at-Law #3 Judge Elaine Brown presented an update on the Mental Health Court to the Hays County Commissioners Court at its May 7 meeting. Brown’s court also serves as the Mental Health Court and she expressed wanting to display its achievements and plans for the future. According to the judge, approximately 19.86% of American adults are experiencing a mental illness, or about 50 million, 4.91% of which are experiencing a severe mental illness. She also stated that in Texas, 17.17% reported a diagnosable mental illness. “In our local jail, 64% of the people sitting in our jails report a severe mental illness. Now, compare that to the overall population and you can see that our jails are actually being used de facto as mental health providers for a majority of the people who are suffering from mental illness,” said Brown, who also revealed that this number is 55% in state prison and 45% in federal prison. The Mental Health Court is a treatment court or a “problem solving court,” explained Brown. She stated that the goal is to “link justice involved individuals to long-term community-based treatment and rehabilitation.” The court wants to improve public safety, improve the quality of life for those who participate and their families and provide an alternative to incarceration in a humane and effective way. The presentation listed nine components to a successful court: • Integration of mental illness and the processing of cases in the judicial system • The use of non-adversarial approach to promote public safety and protect due process rights • Early identification of these mental health problems • Access to evidence-based services and treatments • Ongoing judicial integration and accountability • Diversion to treatment • Monitor and evaluate the program • Continuing interdisciplinary education • Development of partnerships with agencies and community organizations The program is a minimum of 12 months, but sometimes a longer participation is recommended for those with larger needs. Often, those who are in the court have had previous suicide attempts, the judge said, and helping these individuals provides a ripple effect on the community because when those people are helped, their families and their friends heal, as well. To be a candidate, one must be at least 17 years of age, be diagnosed with a primary mental health disorder, have a pending misdemeanor, live in Hays County and there must be a nexus between the mental health disorder and the charge. Every individual is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, so some have been allowed to enter with felonies or if they live outside of the county, but the crime occurred within it. Although, those with crimes of a sexual nature or continuous violence are disqualified. Any community member can submit a referral to the court on its website, located at www.hayscountytx.com/courts/hays-county-mental-health-court. The individual is then evaluated through a mental health partner, followed by a staff meeting to determine whether the candidate is a good fit and if they believe that the individual would benefit from the program.

The Central Texas Food Bank and Hays County Pet Resource Center will host a drive-up food distribution for people and pets on Saturday, May 25, from 9:30 -11 a.m. at McCormick Middle School in Buda. The event is open to anyone in Hays County and pets do not need to be present to receive pet food. Pet food for cats and dogs will be provided in addition to the normal food distribution. Assistance in Spanish will also be available. This is the second pet food distribution event held in Buda. In March, CTFB and Hays PRC served over 250 families in need of pet...

Homeowners in Travis, Williamson and Hays counties have until Wednesday, May 15, to submit their protests.

From Legally Blondie to Barbie, find your caffeine fix.

, , , , , , , A violent storm with hail and 100 mileper- hour straight line winds created havoc in Wimberley last Thursday as citizens experienced shredded foliage, uprooted trees, broken windows, damaged roofs, punched siding and dented cars. A large hackberry tree was uprooted behind the Gypsy Market on the square and fell on the building’s roof, impacting the neighboring Senior Citizens Craft Shop by pulling down power lines and the exterior electrical panel. A tree in the HEB parking lot was uprooted and the grocer’s Bootiful Boot sculpture and grocery basket were turned over. Crews could...

AUSTIN, Texas — A former Ascension Seton patient is now suing Ascension following a cyberattack earlier this month. The Hays County woman claims her information was compromised following the ransomware incident on May 8. According to the lawsuit, the woman was a patient at Ascension Seton Williamson Hospital in...

Three residents of Canyon Lake, Texas, are now facing felony drug charges after authorities busted them with an array of narcotics during a raid on Wednesday. According to reports by FOX San Antonio, the Comal County Narcotics Unit executed a search warrant at a residence on La Cresta Drive and made a significant discovery.