NEWS
LIFE & ARTS
SPORTS
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SCHOOL VOUCHER BILLS SPARK CONCERNS
LOCAL BANDS DISCUSS GROWTH
COACH LEADS REVIVAL OF TENNIS PROGRAM
TUESDAY April 1, 2025
VOLUME 114 ISSUE 27
AYDEN OREDSON | STAR PHOTOGRAPHER
(Left) Texas State wide receiver Joey Hobert (10) hauls in a catch at Texas State football’s Pro Day, Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at UFCU Stadium. (Right) Texas State quarterback Jordan McCloud (4) rolls out during position drills at Texas State football’s Pro Day, Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at UFCU Stadium.
Texas State football hosts Pro Day By Ayden Oredson Sports Reporter
Wednesday afternoon was a busy day at UFCU Stadium as Texas State football conducted its Pro Day in front of NFL scouts searching for a group of Bobcats looking to have their name called at the 2025 NFL Draft. “I think these NFL scouts were really impressed by what they saw,” Texas State head coach G.J. Kinne said. “They tested really well. I think a couple of guys rose up on some draft boards.” The Pro Day included 16 players who not only wanted to impress the 26 teams attending the event in San Marcos, but also to see what skills or abilities they needed to work on to better themselves and prepare for a professional career. There were a few players who stood out at Pro Day. Offensive
lineman Nash Jones was undoubtedly one of the primary players most teams came to observe. Jones impressed scouts throughout the season but did even more at the NFL Combine despite an early exit when he tweaked his right hamstring during his second attempt in the 40-yard dash. Jones measured 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, completing 29 reps on the bench press, hitting 31 inches on the vertical jump and 9-foot-5 in the broad jump. Despite his impressive film, Jones was not invited to the NFL Combine, which he used as motivation going into the Pro Day. “I’ve been competing against the guys at the Combine...I felt like I got snubbed,” Jones said. “I felt like I should have been there...[now, scouts] see how good I am.” Jones is one of the few players
who has met with NFL teams. He has reportedly met with the Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks. He is scheduled to meet with the Minnesota Vikings and previously visited the Denver Broncos. Quarterback Jordan McCloud also impressed scouts during the Pro Day. He did not test during the Combine but did participate in position drills. McCloud measured 6 feet even, weighing 207 pounds. He met with the New York Jets, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
AYDEN OREDSON | STAR PHOTOGRAPHER
Texas State tight end Konnor Fox (9) attempts to haul in a one-handed catch during position drills at Texas State football’s Pro Day on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at UFCU Stadium.
SEE FOOTBALL PAGE 7
Donald Trump orders closure of Department of Education Effects on TXST remain unclear By Ryan Claycamp Assistant News Editor
On March 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to begin dismantling the federal Department of Education. The executive order calls for the Secretary of Education “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education.” It remains unclear how this order will impact Texas State or how soon it will feel the effects. “The proposed dissolution of the U.S. Department of Education is a continually evolving situation that the Texas State University System and Texas State University are closely monitoring,”Texas State wrote in an email to The Star. According to the Department of Education’s website, federal student aid, such as loans and grants, accounts for $120 billion in spending every year. According to an email from Texas State, early indications show that student loans and grants will remain in place, however, Trump said they will be moved to the Small Business Administration (SBA). “I do want to say that I’ve decided that the SBA... will handle all of the student loan portfolio,” Trump said in a March 21 Oval Office press event . “That is coming out of the Department of Education immediately.
SEE GOVERNMENT PAGE 3
Teen’s death at Cape’s Dam ruled as accidental drowning MEG BOLES | ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
Cape’s Dam located in Thompson’s Island Park, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Marcos. By Jacquelyn Burrer News Reporter
San Marcos officials ruled on March 21 the death of 17-year-old Ross Webb Jr. as an accidental drowning, according to the case report released in a March 26 public records request. Ross Webb Jr. died on Nov. 9, 2024, after getting trapped underwater for approximately two minutes near Cape’s Dam in the San Marcos River, according to the report. Ross Webb Jr. became “stuck on something under the water” while swimming near river rapids and did not return to the surface, the police report stated. According to Russel Wilde, San Marcos public safety communications specialist, Ross Webb Jr.’s case closed on March 21. Jon Cradit, friend of the Webb family and San Marcos resident, said Ross Webb Jr. was out with his dad and friends at the time of the
incident, hunting plecostomus, also known as suckermouth catfish, near Cape’s Dam. “When you’re under the water like that, you may not realize exactly where you are,” Cradit said. “He was poking along the bank of the river and ended up underneath the concrete and the dam there, and when he tried to come up, he got tangled up in the wire and rebar that had been dumped there and concreted in.” When The Star requested the police incident report via public information request (PIR), San Marcos Police Department (SMPD) asked The Star to withdraw the request on Feb. 24, citing the case was still open as the autopsy report was incomplete, and also denied a partial records release. The Star refused to withdraw the request, and instead of sending the PIR to the Attorney General’s office as specified in the Open Records Act, SMPD closed the PIR.
SEE SAN MARCOS PAGE 2