NEWS
SPORTS
LIFE & ARTS
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HAYS COUNTY ROAD BOND OVERTURNED
MULTIPLE BASEBALL PLAYERS TRANSFER OUT OF TXST
RED BUS BAZAAR HOSTS MONTHLY MARKETS
TUESDAY July 1, 2025
VOLUME 115 ISSUE 2
SOPHIE GERKE | ASSISTANT DESIGN EDITOR
Pac(k) your bags: TXST to join Pac-12 in ‘26 By Ayden Oredson Sports Reporter
Texas State adds to the NCAA conference realignment craze as the TSUS Board of Regents approved the Bobcats to join the Pac-12 conference starting in the 2026-27 year. At 9:30 a.m. the TSUS’s Board of Regents held a Special Called Meeting regarding Texas State’s University’s discussions with another athletics conference. After a brief recess
with the meeting entering Executive Session, the board approved the motion with no objections. The board approved a $5 million payment to the Sun Belt Conference for Texas State’s exit fee. Texas State made arguably its biggest move in school history since first moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2012 today as Texas State is set to become the league’s ninth overall member and eighth football member. They join the likes of
Oregon State, Washington State, Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Utah State and Gonzaga (non-football member). The Pac-12 had been looking at the Bobcats since at least September 2024, when ESPN Reporter Pete Thamel reported they expressed interest along with the Mountain West sending a verbal offer. Texas State declined the invitation to join the Mountain West and there had been little chatter besides rumors that had been popping
Beyond the storefront: Alchemy Records’ next chapter begins By Cady Clements Life and Arts Reporter
Old friends reunited, laughter filled the air and energy buzzed through Private Park as Alchemy Records entered into a new season. Alchemy Records, once a home for experimental music, punks and everything in between, returned on June 14 as the Alchemy Collective, a new effort to keep the spirit of Alchemy alive. The Alchemy Collective is a group booking shows like the ones previously put on at Alchemy Records, in a decentralized way.
Alchemy Records was a local record shop off The Square that put on concerts for the genres of music that don’t normally get stage time in San Marcos. It evolved into more than a record shop or venue, becoming a shared space where people in the alternative and DIY music scenes could make friends and have a good time. After the final packed show at Alchemy Records on April 26, a community who lost their second home became determined to keep the legacy alive and well. Seeing its effects on the community fueled Evelyn
CADY CLEMENTS | STAR PHOTOGRAPHER
A bassist plays Alchemy Collective’s first show, Saturday, June 24, 2025 at Private Park.
Middleton, Deerspine band member and a local organizer who previously booked shows at Alchemy Records, to keep it going. “All of a sudden this massive thing people relied on... didn’t exist anymore,” Middleton said. “There needs to be something that people can reliably go to meet and talk to other people.” Middleton believed Alchemy’s efforts to foster community were worth working for. Along with Angel Gorostieta Perez, former Alchemy Records cashier and sound tech, they could keep booking shows in a decentralized way, beyond the four walls of Alchemy Records. “Instead of having a specific venue, we’re trying to put shows on at a series of different businesses and locations within the city,” Middleton said. Planning for the Alchemy Collective started soon after Alchemy Records closed. Middleton and Gorostieta Perez spoke with Alchemy Record’s owner for permission to use the namesake. They looked for places willing to host a show and bands willing to play at them. Posts on social media went out about the launch of Alchemy Collective, giving hope to the community.
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up online since mid-January. Recently, those rumors grew louder before ultimately culminating in another Thamel report posted in the evening of June 15 that confirmed the Bobcats were heavy favorites to receive an invitation for the Pac-12, one that could kick off a series of realignment moves affecting the Sun Belt and Conference USA.
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Spin scooters to cease operations By Lesdy Hernandez News Reporter
Spin electric scooters and bikes will end services in San Marcos and Texas State University due to low ridership levels on June 30. In September, San Marcos, in partnership with Texas State University, signed a contract with Spin, a micro-mobility company, launching dockless electric scooters and bikes throughout the city and TXST campus. Micro-mobility services are small lightweight vehicles aimed to provide more accessible, sustainable and affordable ways of transport. Multimodal Parking Initiatives Manager Charles Campbell said prior to cancellation of the contract, San Marcos spent and maintained between 250 to 300 units of Spin devices, with amounts fluctuating on operational usage. “The program resulted in an estimated reduction of 18,000 kilograms of CO2 emissions,” Campbell said. “It helped ease congestion by reducing the number of vehicles on the road and offered a viable alternative to personal vehicle usage, and it expanded transportation options for low income households and third shift workers,”
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