The city of Dripping Springs is set to twinkle with creativity as it launches Stars of Dripping Springs, a city-wide art initiative featuring captivating star sculptures. Organized by the city of Dripping Springs, Destination Dripping Springs, the Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Dripping Springs Art League, this project will be a vibrant public art project that invites local artists to share their talent while also highlighting the city’s Dark Sky community. “We are excited to invite artists to participate in this exciting project that will turn our downtown into an outdoor art gallery and bring awareness to the beautiful...

On May 1, the city of Dripping Springs Planning and Building Departments will be relocating to a new building, the former Pedernales Electric Cooperative building, located at 661 West Highway 290, in Dripping Springs. The city of Dripping Springs is witnessing significant growth. The decision to relocate comes as a result of the departments outgrowing their current space at city Hall. The new location represents an exciting opportunity for the city to better serve its residents and businesses. Deputy City Administrator Ginger Faught expressed optimism about the move, stating, 'As our city continues to grow and evolve, it is crucial that...

Five Dripping Springs High School student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent this week to continue their athletic and academic careers at the collegiate level. Below is information on each of the signees. Noah Chomout, Lacrosse, Ohio Northern University Noah Chomout is a four-year member of the Dripping Springs High School lacrosse team, playing longstick midfielder and defender for the Tigers. As a senior, he has served as team captain while guiding the squad to a 12-5 record so far this season. Chomout has anchored the Dripping Springs defense this season while scoring multiple goals on four occasions. He earned the team’s Mark...

Dr. Sarah Saxon and the staff at Saxon MD Facial Plastic Surgery celebrated joining the Dripping Springs community with a ribbon cutting last week. The ceremony, cosponsored by the Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce, took place on Friday, April 19. A native of Carthage, Dr. Saxon attended Baylor University, where she expressed a particular interest in transforming her lifelong fascination with surgery into expertise. After graduating from Baylor, she spent over a decade training in facial plastic surgery, which included four years of medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, five years of residency in Otolaryngology...

Dripping Springs ISD announced Karalise Moreno and Libby Geisinger as the District Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year, respectively, at the DSISD Board of Trustees meeting on Monday. Moreno and Geisinger were chosen by a volunteer committee comprised of retired educators, and will now represent DSISD in the Region 13 Teacher of the Year selection process this summer. Moreno is in her 15 th year teaching pre-K at Walnut Springs Elementary, having spent her entire career in DSISD. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Learning and Development. Moreno...

Dripping Springs ISD has been recognized with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for the fifth consecutive year for its outstanding commitment to music education. Now in its 25th year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement for providing music access and education to all students. The award program recognizes outstanding efforts by teachers, administrators, parents, students and community leaders who have made music education part of a well-rounded education. To qualify for the designation, DSISD answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community musicmaking programs.

Election season is back in swing for the May 2024 elections with early voting now underway for local candidates. The early voting period, which began on April 22, will continue until April 30. On the ballot in Dripping Springs are five Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees candidates: incumbent Stefani Reinold, incumbent Mary Jane Hetrick, Shanda De-Leon, Terri Purdy and John Adams. Election Day is Saturday, May 4. The DSISD Board of Trustees consists of seven unsalaried district patrons elected to three-year terms to represent all residents in the school district boundary. Dripping Springs ISD trustees do not represent “places.” The top two votegetters on May 4 will be elected. In Dripping Springs, early voting is available at one location: Headwaters Hub, 708 Headwaters Blvd. The early voting hours are as follows: • April 22-26: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. • April 27: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. • April 29-30: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information about votin candidates and pol ing locations for the May 4 election, visit hayscountytx.com/departments/ elections. More information about the DSISD board election is also available at dsisdtx.us/ elections.

The annual Founders Day Festival will take over the streets of downtown Dripping Springs this weekend, celebrating the city’s heritage and pioneer spirit. The three-day celebration will officially kick off on Friday, April 26, with the Founders Day 35 th Anniversary Parade at 6:30 p.m. The parade will run through the middle of Dripping Springs, along Mercer Street. The event will continue on Friday with a carnival and free, live music until 11:30 p.m. The main portion of the festival will run on Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Food and drinks will...

A man, later identified as 22-year-old Malachi Williams, was killed last week in an officer involved shooting with the San Marcos Police Department. According to a press release from the city of San Marcos, a call was made to 911 on April 11 around 9:30 p.m. from two men who said a man was following them near East Hopkins and Cheatham Streets. The callers reported that the man followed them from a convenience store on Cheatham Street into a neighborhood nearby. They told dispatchers the man following them displayed two large knives and threatened them with the weapons. The man was described...

Ascension Seton Hays announced last week the opening of a fourth cardiac catheterization lab, increasing cardiovascular services available at the hospital. The new catheterization lab, commonly referred to as a cath lab, is an examination room with diagnostic imaging equipment used to visualize the arteries and the chambers of the heart and treat any stenosis or abnormalities found. The investment also includes electrophysiology capabilities, which diagnose and treat heart rhythm problems. 'This state-of-theart equipment augments our ability to diagnose and treat a wide range of cardiovascular diseases. Adding EP capabilities, alongside our skilled interventional cardiologists and heart surgery program is a true...

The Dripping Springs High School varsity winterguard was awarded the bronze medal in the Scholastic National A Red Round category at the Texas Color Guard Circuit State Championships on Saturday, April 6 at Reed Arena in College Station. Dripping Springs totaled 88.995 points, finishing more than 2.5 points ahead of fourth place Cedar Park. Buda Hays took first place with 89.660 points and Pearland placed second with 89.590 points. The Tigers went undefeated during the regular season with five first-place finishes. They also captured the TCGC Area West SNA Championship to qualify for the state competition. Photo provided by Dripping Springs ISD.

Coming off a string of four road losses, Dripping Springs High School Lacrosse rebounded in a big way last week to defeat visiting 2023 Class B State Champion Westwood High School and 2023 Class C State Champion Alamo Heights High School. In the Westwood win, Drip Lacrosse’s Senior Attackman Kyle Parker set the single season scoring record. Hammer Practice Players of the Week were Senior Defensive Midfielders Dylan Reeves and Deacon Ivey. Versus Westwood The Westwood matchup was a last minute, mid-week addition to the schedule. Westwood scored first but Drip quickly followed. Drip then ripped off six in the second...

In a continuing effort of community support, Dripping Springs Elite Real Estate Professionals recently donated $1,000 to the Austinarea chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace. SHP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing beds for children who are going without one. Steve Gielda, Chapter President for Sleep in Heavenly Peace, accepted the donation at DS Elite’s monthly meeting last week. “These funds which are so generously donated will help us build more beds for kids who don’t have one in Dripping Springs,” Gielda said. “Each bed cost $250 so this means four children in Dripping Springs will get a real bed to...

The Hays County Commissioners Court recognized April 2023 as National Donate Life Month in Hays County, urging all residents to consider becoming donors. “I’m a two-time heart recipient. Both hearts [were] received at Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin,” said Lemuel Bradshaw, United Tissue Resources communications director. “I have ten grandchildren, none of whom were born before my very first of two transplants. What that means is the decisions that people like those in this room and others have made let me be a part of their lives.” The proclamation stated that National Donate Life Month is observed each April. “While NDLM is...

Dripping Springs High School senior Health Science student Jasmine Zogaib placed third in Prepared Speaking at the Texas HOSA State Leadership Conference to earn a qualifying spot for the 2024 HOSA International Leadership Conference. A three-time state qualifier, Zogaib qualified for the state competition after finishing first in the area contest in February. She participated in Dental Science at the state competition last year and competed in Prepared Speaking at the state level in 2022. Zogaib will compete at the HOSA International Leadership Conference from June 26-29 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.

Thirteen Drippin Springs High Schoo track and field athletes placed in the top four in their respective events at the 25-26 Area Meet on Wednesday, April 10 in Georgetown to qualify for the Region IV-6A Meet. The boys 4x200meter relay team of Cooper Reid, Jackson Mills, Kyle Koch and Croix DaCunha highlighted the competition with an area title by winning the event in a time of 1:29.24. DaCunha and Mills also qualified in the 4x400 relay with Beckham Kelly and Maddox Maher, timing 3:22.24 for third place. The girls’ 4x400 relay consisting of Megan Hancock, Morgan Riley, Rylea Bernhard and Kaleigh Howell...

The Edwards Aquifer Authority declared an increase from Stage 2 to Stage 3 Critical Period Management permit reductions for Edwards groundwater permit holders in the San Antonio Pool of the EAA’s jurisdiction within Atascosa, Bexar, Caldwell, Comal, Guadalupe, Hays and Medina counties. The EAA officially confirmed that the ten-day rolling average at the J-17 index well was 639.9 feet above mean sea level (ft msl) as of April 3. The EAA Critical Period Management Plan Stage 3 for the San Antonio Pool reduces the annual authorized withdrawal amounts available to affected Edwards groundwater permit holders by 35%. These reductions apply to all...

Preliminary property appraisals show that residential values have dropped across almost the entirety of Hays County over the last year, but the drop in average property values has been offset by substantial new residential and commercial construction. The new construction caused a significant increase in the overall market value of all property across the county. “The driving forces of property value are both economic and population growth,” Hays Central Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Laura Raven said. “As the population rises so does the demand for services, development, and employment opportunities. New improvements added to the roll contributed most to the total...

Editor’s Note: April is both Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Awareness month. The following article is the second article of a five-week series focusing on raising awareness about sexual assault and child abuse. Locally, HCWC served 616 community members that experienced sexual assault or abuse and 899 children that suffered abuse and their protective caregivers. Roxanne’s House, the Children’s Advocacy Center of the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center, works collaboratively with community partners by employing the multidisciplinary team (MDT) model to address child abuse allegations effectively. This approach, endorsed by the National Institutes of Health and the US Department of Justice, fosters collaboration...