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The University Star •

Texas State revises 2024 Annual Security and Safety Report

Texas State released a revision of its 2024 Annual Security and Safety Report showing a decrease in burglary and hate crimes on Nov. 4 as compared to its original publication on Sept. 26. 
Hate crimes in 2023 changed from seven to four. The count went from five vandalism cases: three based on sexual orientation, one on religion, two based on race, along with one intimidation case related to sexual orientation to one vandalism, one intimidation, one larceny/theft, all based on sexual orientation,...
The University Star •

Burn ban lifted in Hays County

Hays County lifted its burn ban, allowing residents to resume outdoor burning following recent rainfall, on Thursday, Nov. 7, according to a Hays County press release emailed to The Star. 
The release stated Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra lifted the burn ban because the rainfall resulted in favorable moisture conditions. Hays County Fire Marshal Steve Seddig said these conditions provide an opportunity for people to clear potential fire hazards from their properties. 
Seddig also reported a sur...
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 •

Voters approve $439 million road bond for Hays County

*Results are complete, but unofficial.
Hays County voters passed Proposition A (Prop A) in the 2024 General Election with 64,422 (55.75%) votes to approve and 51,130 (44.25%) to reject. 
Prop A is a road bond that calls for the county’s use of $439 million to work on the maintenance, construction and operation of 27 county road projects.
Since the road bond was approved, property taxes would go up by about 2 cents for every $100 of a home’s value, according to the proposed road bond plan. This w...
The University Star •

Amanda Calvert elected Hays County district clerk

*Results are complete, but unofficial
Amanda Calvert (DEM) has been elected to serve as the district clerk for Hays County to serve her first term from 2024-26.
With 62,266 (52.48%), Calvert beat her Republican opponent, Philip Muzzy (47.52%), by a margin of 5,892 votes.
Calvert said she wants accountability to be high on the list of priorities for her as district clerk. 
“Accountability and getting experience in that office and applying and making sure we’re in compliance with everything,” Calv...
The University Star •

FBI, SMPD investigate threatening anti-Harris flyers

At least three reports of anti-Kamala Harris flyers have been filed with the San Marcos Police Department (SMPD) according to San Marcos Communications in an email to The Star.
According to SMPD, they are working with the FBI to investigate the incidents and find the individuals responsible.
The flyers read: “YOU have been identified and are now in our National Database of miscreant Harris supporters, either by social interactions with your neighbors who are on our investigations team, or by yar...
The University Star •

Pro-Palestinian organizations call on Damphousse to apologize for use of ‘antisemitism’

Organizations from the Texas State, Austin and San Marcos community gathered at the Stallions statue condemning Texas State President Kelly Damphousse for calling pro-Palestine graffiti antisemitic on Monday, Oct. 28. 
The groups involved in the press conference were the Texas State Palestine Solidarity Committee, Texas State University Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA), Palestine Solidarity SMTX and the Austin chapter of Council on American Islamic Relations. 
Amanda Smith, an activ...
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 •

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 •

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 •

First-time voters and non-voters discuss elections

As the general election draws near, Texas State students are preparing to make their voices heard at the polls, with some eager to cast their first votes and others choosing to sit this one out.
Carly Fisher, music education freshman, grew up with her parents’ voices echoing the same message: voting isn’t just a right, it’s a responsibility. That belief is what pushed her to register to vote in Denton County as soon as she turned 18 and what’s taking her to the polls next week.
“I think there’s...
The University Star •

San Marcos to return to Stage 3 drought restrictions

San Marcos will return to Stage 3 drought restrictions effective Oct. 27 for the first time since July 2023.
This is also the first time the city reaches this stage since San Marcos changed its restriction policy in April.
The press release from the city of San Marcos stated Stage 3 drought restrictions are triggered when critical water sources, including the Edwards Aquifer, Canyon Lake and the Alliance Regional Water Authority, drop to levels that demand urgent conservation measures.
The San M...
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 •

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 •

Texas State, San Marcos community hold protest and vigil in solidarity with Palestine

Texas State students and community members gathered at the Stallions statue on Tuesday, Oct. 8, to hold a protest and vigil in solidarity with the people of Palestine along with civilians in Lebanon, Yemen and Syria who have died since Oct. 7, 2023.
Texas State’s Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC) and Texas State’s Young Democratic Socialists of America organized the almost four-hour long protest that started with speeches and ended with prayers and a vigil. Over 30 people gathered around the...
The University Star •

San Marcos High School cleared after false threat

San Marcos High School (SMHS) has released students after clearing the active threat lockdown on Sept. 24.
“We have zero reports of any injuries at all of any sort,” Les Stephens, San Marcos Fire Department fire chief said.
No shots were fired and no casings were found, according to Stephens. 
According to a San Marcos Consolidated ISD (SMCISD) press release, the report was a false threat. While students are cleared from the school, the investigation is still ongoing.
“SMCISD is working with the...
The University Star •

Mayoral candidates debate ahead of general elections

The San Marcos mayoral candidates debated their platforms during an event hosted by Texas State’s Student Government at 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 14 in the LBJ Ballroom.
San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson and challenger Juan Miguel Arredondo are vying for the mayoral seat in the upcoming general election. During Monday’s debate, the candidates laid out their visions for the city’s future, highlighting their key policies that affect Texas State students.
Texas State hit record enrollment this year with 40,...
The University Star •

Hate crime on campus prompts action from NAACP, TXST

Content warning: this article contains discussion of a hate crime.
A freshman’s car was vandalized with a racial slur in a suspected hate crime on campus on Sept. 24.
Jemein Lefang, computer information systems freshman, parked his car in the Woods Street Parking Garage at 11 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22. He said he doesn’t usually park in that garage but all the surrounding lots and garages were at capacity that night.
“It was late at night. I’m not sure if somebody maybe saw me park it or if someb...
The University Star •

Annual Security & Fire Safety Report shows increase in Violence Against Women Act offense reports

Texas State released its 2024 Annual Security & Fire Safety Report that outlines reported crimes for the past three calendar years that occurred on and off the San Marcos and Round Rock campuses on Thursday, Sept. 26.
The reported crimes in the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report are split into four categories: primary crimes, arrests and referrals, hate crimes and Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) offenses.
Texas State reported 29 rapes in 2023, all on campus and of which 28 were specifically...
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...
The University Star •

Community members hold protest to counter Democratic rally at TXST

As some Texas State students lined up to attend the Our Fight Our Future rally with Democrat party politicians like U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the LBJ Ballroom, others gathered to protest the lineup of politicians in the rally on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
Signs reading “Stop Genocide,” along with Lebanese and Palestinian flags, filled the air as attendees kicked off the protest at 11:30 a.m. at the Stallion statue, a symbol of free speech at Texas Stat...
Her Campus •

Women In Politics: San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson

San Marcos Mayor Jane Hughson has been a woman in local politics since 1996. As the presidential election approaches, there is potential for a woman to step into the forefront of national politics. Hughson is a veteran in that sense, as she hopes to take on her fourth term as mayor of the city in central Texas, dotted by towering oaks and rolling hills.When Hughson looks back at her beginnings in local politics, she thinks of her parents – her dad, on the school board and the brains behind integ...
Texas Monthly •

Watch These Texans Run, Shoot, and Throw for Glory at the Paralympic Games

Texans delivered at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. From Simone Biles conquering gymnastic skills named after her, to competitors from the Lone Star State claiming more medals than many countries, sports fans from the Rio Grande Valley up to the Panhandle had plenty of cause for cheer. But Texan athletes aren’t done with Paris just yet. As the 2024 Paralympic Games begin in the French capital, here are eight athletes hoping to bring more glory back to the state. With stars ranging from discus cham...
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