News

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Authorities have identified the body of the man found in northern San Marcos Sunday afternoon and have recovered the body of a child from the Blanco River in rural Hays County.

Dayton Larry Thomas (DOB 11/01/40) was identified Wednesday by Central Texas Autopsy using medical records made available to them. With the identification of Thomas, the number of people from Hays County officially listed as missing has fallen to eight.

Recovery crews also found the body of a male child on the banks of the Blanco River near Water Park Road in rural Hays County. Local authorities are not able to identify the child or determine the age, and are sending the body to Central Texas Autopsy for identification.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the Ranch Road 12 bridge over the Blanco River in Wimberley has been opened and will remain open.

Temporary traffic lights have been installed at each side of the bridge to allow for one way, alternating traffic flow. According to Chris Bishop, with TxDOT, this system will remain in place until repairs are made on the bridge’s guard rails.

“We are putting out an emergency contract bid this week to get the work done as soon as possible,” Bishop said. “It could take several weeks, but in the mean time, the bridge will be open and traffic will go across it one way at a time.”

It became readily apparent how important the bridge was to Wimberley residents. The only way to get out of town when the bridge was closed involved a 30 plus minute detour.

Update 1 p.m
Despite what TxDOT has said it appears the bridge on Ranch Road 12 is open one way for traffic in alternating direction.

Original story: The Texas Department of Transportation told the Wimberley View on Monday morning that the bridge on Ranch Road 12 over the Blanco River will be closed starting immediately and could be closed for weeks.
The bridge does not have guard rails, which has caused it to become a safety hazard for drivers.

Due to the possibility of additional flash flooding and the continuing danger posed by existing conditions within Hays County, the Hays County Judge, in cooperation with the cities of San Marcos and Wimberley, has ordered a curfew beginning May 24th at 9 p.m. and ending May 25th at 7 a.m. for the following areas:

The water is receding, but the damage had been done in what is quickly being called the worst flood in Wimberley Texas history.
So far, there have been no fatalities reported but the sheer gravity of the event has first responders concerned that reports will come. Wimberley Fire Chief Carroll Czichos said he believes hundreds of homes may have washed away.
The fire department, along with swift water rescue teams from across the state, are in the process of preforming over 60 swift water rescues.
While the water is receding, it may rise again as another round of rain is on the way. Current estimates say that the river hit its peak at 42 feet, a record flood.
The large bridge on Fischer Store Road has apparently washed away causing local first responders to request aid from Canyon Lake to help evacuate Those still trapped.

More than six and a half inches of rain fell during the past two weeks causing minor flooding throughout Wimberley.

At one point during the last two weeks, it had rained 11 out of 12 straight days. Depending on the rain gauge, as there are multiple National Weather Service gauges throughout Wimberley, anywhere from 1.82 to 2.42 inches on Sunday alone in the Wimberley Valley.

While the heavy rain may be over, though that certainly isn’t a sure thing, this weather pattern appears to be sticking around.

Wimberley ISD was named one of the top school districts in the state of Texas by Children At Risk, a non-profit, non-partisan research and advocacy organization dedicated to addressing the root causes of poor public policies affecting children.

The school district as a whole received an “A” rating and was ranked as the 81st best school district in the state.

“I think it speaks well of our teachers, our administrators and our school board,” Superintendent Dwain York said. “We do the absolute best that we can especially given the revenue issues we have with (Robin Hood). Whenever you have great teachers and family support like we do, it really does farewell.”

As bills race through the House and Senate in the closing days of the Texas Legislature, things are heating up in the ongoing battle between Electro Purification and those who wish to regulate the company’s pumping.

Representative Jason Isaac managed to get a bill, which did not have any pro-Electro Purification amendments, passed through the House. The same could not be said for Senator Donna Campbell’s bill in the Senate, as it was thoroughly marked up.

Senator Charles Perry, who heads the Agriculture, Water and Rural Affairs committee, was at the forefront of amending Campbell’s bill, and he would not let it leave the committee without the changes. 

The past week has been great weather for ducks and Saturday was great weather for Wimberley EMS. The rain clouds parted and people were partying at the Rio Blanco Resort for the Annual Duck Race, the largest fundraiser for the group that serves Wimberley, Woodcreek and parts of Driftwood, more 16,000 residents.

Music was played, food munched on and faces were painted awaiting the brace of ducks to be released.

A few anxious rubber ducks tried to get a head start, but were quickly corralled and a false start was called but the race got under way and the champion waddlers crossed the finish line. 

Although there were lots of disappointed duck owners, everyone knew it was for a good cause.