Concerned that Hays County is likely to loose its attainment status under the federal Clean Air Act, Hays County commissioners are asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to approve a standard by which the county wouldn’t be penalized for air pollution in Austin.

Hays County could lose a seat on the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), now that the regional planning board has agreed to include Bastrop and Caldwell Counties.

Organizers of an initiative to place San Marcos CISD in the Austin Community College District will soon announce a petition drive with hopes of putting the matter on the November ballot. About 2,000 voters within San Marcos CISD would have to sign the petition by April 9.

The San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors recently cut a ribbob for My Texas News, an online news publication. Owner Greg Hardin was accompanied by colleague Susi Thames in cutting the ceremonial ribbon.

Hays County’s $50,000 contribution in 2008 to the Central Texas Greenprint for Growth project bore fruit last month in the form of interactive Geographic Information System (GIS) maps depicting the region’s land conservation priorities.

The board of directors for the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BS/EACD) voted Thursday night to downgrade its drought declaration to a less restrictive stage.