MEDIA

1 The fourth wave of COVID-19 has come quickly with cases rising from a few dozen a day across all of Hays County a few weeks ago to more than 300 a day in the latter part of last of the report on December 7 from the Hays County Local Health Department, there were 11 active cases of COVID-19 in Dripping Springs rising to 17 on December 13 and 16 on December 20. On December 28, there were 62 active cases in Dripping Springs. On December 29 there were 91 active cases and on December 31, the last day the county reported before the Century news ' time of press, there were 105 active cases in Dripping mirrors the increase across the county. In the second full week of December, the Hays County Local Health Department reported 185 new active cases, which was similar to the 179 reported the week 2,693 CONFIRMED ACTIVE CASES OF COVID-19 BREAKDOWN OF ACTIVE CASES:There have been 33,537 total cases in Hays County, with 30,430 recoveries and 414 COVID-19 related fatalities, according to the county.

2 Updated 12/31/2133,537 TOTALA ustin: 59 77 95 Buda: 329 429 537 Driftwood: 10 22 33 Dripping Springs: 62 91 105 Kyle: 480 664 830 Manchaca: 1 1 1 Maxwell: 5 11 17 Mountain City: 3 5 11 Niederwald: 11 12 18 San Marcos: 472 706 872 Uhland: 6 6 8 Wimberley: 72 130 166 TOTALS 1,510 2,154 2,69312/3012/2812/31prior and the 196 reported the week before that. However, on December 28, there were 1,229 new cases reported from the previous week across the county and over the next three days an additional 1,298 cases were of December 31, Hays County has reported 33,537 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those, 30,430 are considered recovered with 2,693 still active.

3 There have been 414 COVID-related fatalities, 28 of which are in the Wimberley County has had a total of 1,420 total COVID-related hospitalizations and 15 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 at the time of the report. Of those, 13 people were unvaccinated representing 87%. Seven people who were unvaccinated were hospitalized in the ICU Another candidate has filed to challenge incumbent Walt Smith for the position of Hays County Commissioner in Precinct 4 in the Republican Party Primary candidate Moira Zinn s early withdrawal from the campaign season, the race for County Commissioner has remained fairly quiet. Smith sent out his official campaign announcement on Tuesday, Dec.

4 21 and had since been running unopposed in the public eye. Now, Republican challenger Joe Bateman has joined the launched his Facebook campaign page with a post on Saturday, Jan. 1. His campaign will formally kick off with an event at Twisted X Brewing Company on Monday, Jan. 10 at 5:30 , according to the said he decided to run for Moira Zinn, once a Democratic candidate for Hays County Commissioner in Precinct 4, left the campaign trail without so much as a publicly announced her candidacy on Thursday, Dec. 9, challenging incumbent Walt Smith s re-election campaign. Her platform was built around the importance of reasonable conversations to society, presenting a middle ground that supported fiscal conservancy and social liberalism.

5 Less than two weeks after her announcement, all traces of her campaign press release for Zinn s withdrawal was sent out. Her campaign website, , It s another year in Dripping Springs, and community leaders across the area are looking forward to further growth and development in 2022 both personally and Shell, County Commissioner for Precinct 3, said he is especially excited to get to know the territory he gained through redistricting. My number one new year s resolution is to make the most of every single day, he said. There s always room to do more, to do better, and with this new territory, it s exciting. I ve been in Hays (County) for a while; I grew up here, he continued.

6 But now, getting to represent Dripping Springs, it s a whole new group of people I get to meet. Similar resolutions were made by the president of Dripping Springs Independent School District s board of trustees. My main goal for this year is to use whatever gifts and talents I have to continuously better myself and my community, said Mary Jane Hetrick, This includes seeking out and seizing opportunities that will bring our community together in support of Dripping Springs ISD. I want every student who attends school here to have an exceptional educational experience that prepares them for a bright future. Meanwhile, Pam Owens, president of the Dripping Springs Visitors Bureau, said her resolutions are to get away from my computer and the office more, so I can enjoy our great amenities in Dripping Springs.

7 I can be a tourist in my own hometown, she is a new year and another opportunity to self reflect. Even for those who have been in Dripping Springs for decades, there are opportunities to get out and explore all that Dripping Springs has to having entered its third pandemic year, Dripping Springs is projected to have a bright future in a part of Hays County, Dripping Springs belongs to the fastest growing county in Texas and in the United States (in populations of over 100,000 people). It also sits directly adjacent to Austin, named the #1 place to live in the United States, according to the news & World Report. Neither area is expected to stop growing anytime soon, said Jason Giulietti, president of the Greater San Marcos Partnership.

8 Austin has bloomed beyond its borders, and Dripping Springs has become very much a part of that narrative as it continues to grow outward, he explained. Highway 290 continues to branch out west, and that pushes retail, restaurants and other businesses down towards Drip. It s becoming a pretty direct pipeline of people. That pipeline, Giulietti said, has helped Dripping Springs to brand itself as a hospitality-type environment, especially as a destination for wineries, breweries and distilleries. In 2022, though, the Dripping Springs area is expected to begin moving past its hospitality and retail roots. I think you re going to see more office, more professional-type careers cents 32nd Year No.

9 1 January 6, 2022drippingspringssportsupdate page 8san marcos company helps in rescue page 7su orita winsaward ofexcellencepage 10see covid page 2 Dalton Sweat Editor Fourth wave of COVID-19 reaches Dripping SpringsPREDICTING2022 High: 58 Low: 50 Rain: 10%FridaySaturdayMondayTuesdayHigh: 75 Low: 55 Rain: 40%High: 71 Low: 44 Rain: 18%High: 58 Low: 38 Rain: 24%High: 57 Low: 43 Rain: 15%High: 66 Low: 48 Rain: 23%Sunday6 Day ForecastWednesdayMadi TelschowStaff Reportersee zinn page 2see bateman page 2see predictions page 2 Resolving to get to know even more about Dripping TelschowStaff ReporterMadi TelschowStaff ReporterZinn drops out of race for County CommissionerMadi TelschowStaff ReporterBateman joins Republican Primary race for CommissionerMoira Zinn.

10 SUBMITTED PHOTOVISITOR'S BUREAU PRESIDENT PAM OWENSCOUNTY COMMISSIONERPRECINCT 3 LON SHELLSCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENTDR. MARY JANE HETRICKJoe Bateman. SUBMITTED PHOTOD ripping Springs news and advertising source, in print, online, we keep you informed. We offer advertising plans to fit any business, large or small. The Dripping Springs Century- news has the answer for your Box 732 Dripping Springs, TX 78667 MEDIABUYER :Dalton Sweat - General ManagerMarcy Holt - Advertising DirectorSuzanne Warmack - Advertising SalesTaffy Baker - Customer Box 732, Dripping Springs, TX 78667 Phone: DISPLAY RATES*All retail rates are noncommissioned - Per calendar monthRate Card Effective February 1, 2022 Newspaper publishes on ThursdaysNON-PROFIT 501(a)(3) POLITICAL ADVERTISING RATES NATIONAL DISPLAY RATES* Combo discount rates available Contract rates available COLOR RATES FOOTER RATES* DAILYOPEN RATE $ per column inch5-29 inches $ per column inch126-251 inches $ per column inch252+ inches $ per column inch$ per column inchThis rate is available to Not-for-profit organizations with have a 501(a)(3) tax-exempt status.