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Sally Trapp is running for Place 1 on the Wimberley City Council against Steve Thurber. She has lived in Wimberley for 23 years. Trapp works as an interior designer and has served on the Wimberley City Council for the last year. She is a member of the Blanco River Cypress Creek Watershed Association, the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association and the Wimberley Institute of Cultures while also volunteering from organizations like My Neighbor’s Keeper, Junior League of Austin and the Animal Trustees of Austin.

What is your opinion on the sewer system options?

Steve Thurber is running for Place 1 on the Wimberley City Council against Sally Trapp. He has lived in Wimberley 20 years. Thurber is a Certified Public Accountant with a practice in Wimberley and also owns a self storage facility and office space. He was originally elected to the Wimberley City Council in 2008 and served on the council until 2014 when he was elected Mayor. Thurber was the mayor of Wimberley until 2016. He previously served on the Wimberley Planning and Zoning Commission and the Economic Development Advisory Board. He is currently on the board of the Friends of Blue Hole and previously served on the board of the Wimberley Players and the Senior Citizens Center.

What is your opinion on the sewer system options?

Tragedy struck on Oct. 6, 2016 when Lance Wheeler was killed in an accident when his motorcycle struck a guardrail on Devil’s Backbone. 

Wheeler’s father and brother, Don and Travis, have started a memorial safety initiative in Lance’s name intent on making roadway safety changes at the state and, hopefully, the federal level.

“We know, on the surface, that there are so called roadside safety equipment out there that is not safe and does not do what it is supposed to do,” Don Wheeler said. “When Lance died, we thought there was something about the end caps, the big rectangular, yellow and black striped plates at the end of the guard rail. Something about that needs to change. We can make a better mouse trap.”

The end caps are intended to help peel back the guardrail during a head on collision. 

Wimberley’s Jacobs Well Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) were excited and held a celebration for their formation on April 18 to mark their 25 Anniversary of the Wimberley’s DAR at Milagros Restaurant. They were formed officially on April 18, 1992.

About 100+ ladies were in their finest and laughter, food and camaraderie were the main objects, cherishing their membership to the DAR. (DAR) is a lineage-based organization, meaning a direct descendant of a veteran of the American Revolutionary War are the members. 

It is a service organization for women and a non-profit group, which promotes historic preservation, education, and patriotism. Some of the projects they have been sponsoring locally are:

Wimberley has long been known as a special place visit, but one local inn has recently received recognized from one of the most widely read publications in the south.

Southern Living, which has nearly three million monthly readers, held a reader’s choice contest for The South’s Top 10 Inns in 2017 and Blair House Inn placed third.

“It is really just starting to sink in,” Chris Mahoney, who owns Blair House with his wife Lois, said. “It was just out of the blue. We didn’t contact them or anything.”

Mahoney said that Southern Living called them about six months ago asking questions and named them a top 20 Inn in the November issue. Around 22,000 readers then voted on their favorite inn, which resulted in the Blair House’s third place finish.

In many ways, Wimberley is a divided community – as anyone involved in local politics can certainly profess – but that isn’t particularly unique these days. 

Matthew Dowd, a former political strategist for President George W. Bush who now lives in Wimberley, said that the country is living through a “disruptive moment,” and he hopes his new book on leadership, “New Way: Embracing The Paradox As We Lead and Serve,” can help be a guiding light.

“You can take it from healthcare to whether or not Tractor Supply should be able to build a store in Wimberley or the decision over sewage systems,” Dowd said. “People lock into these tribes, and it’s hard for them to come out and make decisions for the common good. Our democracy depends on it. It’s happening at every single level.”

The Warrior and Family Support Center at Brooke Army Medical Center isn’t as packed these days as it once was – and that is a good thing.

Just a few years ago, at the height of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, up to 700 wounded service members traversed the grounds of the support center. In March, that number was closer to 200. 

“We try and get warriors back into the community or the community back into them,” Darin Schartner, with the Warrior and Family Support Center, said. “We have warriors with PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury and often those needing refitting of prosthetics.”

Tuesday’s rains are forecasted to bring some minor flood levels to the Wimberley area.

According to the National Weather Service, the Blanco River is expected to peak at just over 16 feet overnight. This level is at the very top of what is considered “minor flood” levels. In Wimberley, the Blanco River enters flood stages at13 feet in height. “Moderate flood’ stage starts at 17 feet.

At 16 feet in height, low water crossings and water recreation will be impacted significantly, but homes in the Wimberley area, should the river actually peak at 16 feet in height, should be safe.

Below is an article originally published a in May of 2016 detailing how each flood level is expected to impact the area.

The Hays County Sheriff’s Office responded to yet another Impersonating a Public Servant traffic stop call on March 27, 2017 at approximately 8:30 pm. During this incident, a male motorist was on FM 2001 near Windy Hill Road when a pickup truck began following the motorist and activated red and blue emergency lights. The victim thought he was being pulled over for a traffic stop. The suspect, whom the motorist believed was a peace officer, was described as a white male, approximately 5 foot 9 inches, medium build, medium length dark hair wearing shorts and a T-shirt.

When the victim saw what the suspected driver was wearing, he immediately drove off. The pickup truck with the red and blue lights did not follow the victim.

Algae growth in Deer Creek, which is nearby the current Wastewater Treatment Plant in Blue Hole Regional Park, caused a stir over the weekend.

A picture of the algae growth was posted on social media, and many people were concerned that it was caused by the treatment plant.

There was a spill from the city’s lift station near Deer Creek in late February. The city said that the 500 to 1,000 gallons of wastewater absorbed into a small dirt area without runoff into the creek. The problem that caused the spill was fixed the same day. 

Many were worried that the algae was a result of this spill or perhaps possibly other issues with the treatment system.