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The Austin Chronicle •

New Texas Law Will Require Most K-12 Teachers to Be Certified

Texas school districts have increasingly turned to uncertified teachers to fill classrooms during a historic teacher shortage. But a new provision in House Bill 2 is poised to phase out that reliance.






One part of the bill (Section 21.0032) will require all K-5 math and reading teachers to be certified by fall 2026 and all teachers in other core subjects like science and social studies to be certified by fall 2027. The policy allows a phased reduction of uncert...
The Austin Chronicle •

Eugenics Controversy Looms Over Natal Conference at UT’s AT&T Center

A conference promoting pro-natalism – a belief in maximizing births in response to declining birth rates which they believe threaten civilization – will take place later this month at the University of Texas at Austin’s AT&T Hotel and Conference Center. Speakers include advocates for genetic selection and pseudoscience attempting to legitimize racism.

The Natal Conference, set for March 28-29, markets itself as a premier gathering of scholars, policymakers, and tech entrepreneurs discussing sol...
The Austin Chronicle •

Bills Reignite Debates Over Church-State Separation

This legislative session, some Texas lawmakers are again looking to inject religion into public schools. Senate Bill 10 would require every classroom to display the Ten Commandments, while Senate Bill 11 would create a daily period for prayer and religious readings. Both bills, championed by conservative legislators, have reignited debates over religious freedom, the separation of church and state, and the First Amendment.

Supporters argue the measures uphold America’s Christian heritage, but c...
The Austin Chronicle •

Suspected El Paso Serial Killer Near Execution Insists He’s Innocent

After 31 years behind bars, David Wood, one of Texas’ longest-serving death row inmates, is scheduled for execution on March 13. Convicted in 1992 for the murders of six women in El Paso, Wood’s case has long been marked by contested evidence, unreliable testimony, and, now, new forensic findings that his attorneys argue prove his innocence.

Branded the “Desert Killer” by prosecutors, Wood was accused of luring women into his pickup truck, driving them to the desert, sexually assaulting them, a...
The Austin Chronicle •

Lawmakers Consider Restricting College Degrees Leading to Low-Paying Jobs

Higher education in Texas is not only changing with federal funding cuts. It is also a key issue in the 89th Texas Legislature – again. While debates over DEI policies and state funding dominated the previous session, this time Texas Republicans are pushing to restrict degree programs based on how graduates’ debt stacks up against their income.

While in many countries public university education is free, in Texas students owe a staggering $120 billion in federal student loans. As student loan d...
The University Star •

Demonstrators spark counter-protest of hundreds at TXST

Trigger Warning: This story contains references to offensive language
Update: Texas State sent the following statement to The Star via email at 3:29 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6.
“Texas State University’s (TXST) highest priority is the safety of our students, staff, and faculty at all times. As a public institution, TXST supports the First Amendment and is required by state law to uphold freedom of speech in public areas on our campuses, even if such speech may understandably offend some members of ou...
The University Star •

Residents sue Hays County over handling of road bond

Four Hays County residents are suing Hays County over an alleged Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA) violation when approving a road bond election.
The Hays County Commissioner’s court approved placing a $439 million road bond election on the Nov. 5 ballot on Aug. 13.The lawsuit seeks to stop the county from taking any further action to implement the road bond, even if it is approved by the voters.
“Commissioners failed to include the public in shaping the bond package, unlike previous bond proposals...
The University Star •

Hays County General Election 2024 voting guide

The general election is on Nov. 5. Early voting began Oct. 21 and will continue until Nov. 1. The University Star has compiled a guide for use before heading to the ballot boxes in Hays County.
What’s on the ballot?
The following federal, state and local elections are featured on ballots in San Marcos. For a view of the sample master ballot listing all races in Hays County, visit the Hays County Election website.
Federal
U.S. President/Vice President
 
U.S. Senator
U.S. Representative, District...
The University Star •

Hays County district judge accused of unlawfully asking for students’ votes

Tanner Neidhardt, a professor in the School of Criminal Justice and an incumbent running for Hays County district judge, is being accused of violating state law for attempting to influence students to vote for him in the upcoming general election using his Texas State email. 
Tyler Key, an attorney at the Key Law Office, the same firm where Neidhardt’s Democratic challenger Alicia Key works, emailed The Star documents related to Neidhardt’s violation.
In an Oct. 21 email to his students, Neidhar...
The University Star •

The Davenport discontinues ‘A Brunch of Drag,’ sparks community concerns

Once a month, A Brunch of Drag brought the San Marcos queer community together at The Davenport. On Sept. 22, the event held its final show before the venue shut it down.
Eileen Dover, drag artist and performer, hosted A Brunch of Drag every fourth Sunday of each month for the past two years at The Davenport on South Guadalupe Street. She said the last show, which celebrated the event’s two-year anniversary, was sold out, which typically consisted of 125 to 150 people.
A typical Brunch of Drag s...
The University Star •

San Marcos Police Department, FBI investigate false shooter threat at San Marcos High School

The San Marcos Police Department (SMPD), in collaboration with the FBI, is investigating the false active shooter threat in San Marcos High School (SMHS) on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
At a Sept. 25 SMPD press conference, San Marcos Communications played a recording of the 911 phone call reporting an armed individual at SMHS. In the call, two gunshots went off. After the first gunshot, the caller did not continue communication with the dispatcher. 
“I was walking in the hallway to the bathroom and I saw...
KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station •

How is Big Stacy Pool naturally heated?

Our next ATXplained live show is on Oct. 23 at Bass Concert Hall. Get your tickets now!You know how Barton Springs Pool is 70 degrees year-round and naturally fed from underground springs? Well, think of Big Stacy Pool as the same thing, except hot. But how?That's what Texas Parks and Wildlife botanist Anna Strong wanted to know when she posed the question back in October. What she didn't know when she asked was that the swimming hole's natural heating is at risk.Big Stacy is nestled in the Trav...
Texas Monthly •

From I-35 to MI5: A Texan’s Journey Into Espionage

Ava Glass started every London weekday the same way. In the entrance to her office building, she would place her belongings on an airport-style conveyor belt to be x-rayed. Then she’d enter one of ten pods. She would scan her ID card, step inside, and the doors on either side of her would shut. For those few seconds, it was just her and her thoughts in the “glass coffin.” “We all used to talk about it,” she said. “What goes on? Was it sniffing for explosives?” These were a few of the lighter que...
The University Star •

Presidential candidates refuse TXST debate

The first of three presidential debates planned at Texas State on Sept. 16 may no longer take place.
On Nov. 20, 2023, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) announced Texas State’s San Marcos campus as the first host site for the 2024 presidential debates. However, on May 15 the Biden administration sent a letter to CPD refusing its debates.
“The purpose of this letter is to provide notice that the President will not be participating in CPD’s announced debates in 2024 and plans to partici...
Texas Monthly •

Simone Biles, Sha’Carri Richardson, and 11 Other Texans to Watch at the Paris Olympics

When the members of Team USA float down the Seine at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics, only California and Florida will have more athletes representing the red, white, and blue than Texas, which is sending more than forty Olympians and Paralympians to compete this summer. From global superstars like Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in the history of her sport, and Sha’Carri Richardson, the reigning fastest woman in the world, to a skeet shooter and a speed climber who are...
KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station •

After dismissed lawsuit, weed is still decriminalized in San Marcos — for now

A Hays County judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against the City of San Marcos in response to a proposition decriminalizing low-level marijuana possession.Judge Sherri Tibbe dropped Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s suit against San Marcos on Monday. Paxton has already filed a motion to appeal the dismissal, according to the city.Paxton filed the lawsuit against five Texas cities — Killeen, Denton, Elgin, Austin and San Marcos — back in January. In a press release, Paxton said he will "not stand...
KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station •

Downtown Austin safety team increases patrol in response to APD staffing shortage

Austin has been grappling with a police understaffing problem, making patrolling the downtown area harder. In an effort to fill that gap, the Downtown Austin Alliance created a safety team to hit the streets.The DAA, a nonprofit that works with businesses and property owners downtown, began the effort in May and has tripled the size of the team since its launch.First things first. Members of the safety team are not police officers, but they do collaborate with the Austin Police Department. You c...
KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station •

Texas State has a new free speech policy. Some students have concerns over how it will be policed.

There are a few more weeks until college is back in session, but the summer break hasn’t stopped some Texas State University students from questioning whether they will be able to continue pro-Palestinian demonstrations come fall.Texas State changed its free speech policy to comply with a mandate from Gov. Greg Abbott that the governor says is meant to curb antisemitic language and incidents on the state's public college campuses. Consequently, student groups have raised concerns about how the u...
KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station •

Hays CISD officials warn of fentanyl dangers while kids are out of school

Lee esta historia en españolNoah Rodriguez was gearing up for his sophomore year in high school when he died from fentanyl poisoning on Aug. 21, 2022.Noah was one of six Hays Consolidated Independent School District students who died that school year after taking fentanyl-laced pills.There was one student death in the last school year. “Noah was a good kid, and sharing his story and letting kids know there is help out there if they’re struggling — that is how we keep his memory alive and how we...
KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station •

‘Don’t Block the Box’ tickets are rare these days, with only three issued in Austin last year

Lee esta historia en españolAnyone driving in downtown Austin has probably seen the "Don’t Block the Box" signs above intersections, threatening a fine up to $500 if you block the intersection from cross traffic. The Austin Police Department does hand out fines, but according to data from the Municipal Court the number has dropped from 109 citations in 2018 to just three in 2023.APD Lt. William White, who is in charge of highway enforcement, said traffic patrol has not been high on the list of p...
The University Star •

River Fest results in multiple injuries

At least two students were injured at River Fest on April 11 after attendees forced their way into Sewell Park, breaking down the barricades.

University Police Department (UPD) Sgt. Michael Rodriquez, who was on-site, said 20,000 to 30,000 people were in attendance. However, UPD Chief of Police Matthew Carmichael, who is out of town, said approximately 5,000 students were at River Fest. Meanwhile, Texas State Fire Marshal James Frye who was also on-site said there were less than 10,000 people t
The University Star •

Black graduation rates lowest among TXST students

As spring graduation looms over Texas State, a stark contrast emerges: while many students prepare for the milestone, the graduation rates of Black students are disproportionately lower than their peers.

In 2010, Texas State attained Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) status with Hispanic students comprising at least 25% of its population. Fast forward to fall 2023, the university has an increased diverse landscape, with Hispanic students at 40.7%. While their graduation rate stood at 52.97% in
The Borgen Project •

Photography Program Helps Improve Colombian Education

As part of the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Juntos Aprendemos (Together We Learn) program, two artists launched Veanvé in Medellín, Colombia, specifically at the Joaquin Vallejo Arbeláez Educational Institution. This initiative aims to teach students photography skills, through which they can channel their thoughts, emotions and creativity into an art form. By doing so, the Veanvé hopes to increase student enrollment and retention in areas affected by migration, w
The University Star •

Organizations work to update Prop A one year later

Despite the residents of San Marcos embracing a progressive shift in the stigma surrounding marijuana through the passage of Proposition A (Prop A) in November 2022, the University Police Department (UPD) still issues citations and arrests for any amount of marijuana in ones possession.

Prop A saw a resounding 81.84% approval, ending marijuana-related arrests and citations for up to four ounces. Texas State, however, retains the ability to set its own rules, separate from the city’s ordinances.
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