NEWS
ZONING COMMISSION APPROVED DATA CENTER PAGE 2
LIFE & ARTS
SPORTS
INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE STUDENT GROWS NONPROFIT
FOOTBALL TRANSFER PORTAL BRINGS NEW FACES
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TUESDAY
January 20, 2026
Homegrown Healthcare VOLUME 115 ISSUE 17
Partnership allows nursing students to stay in San Marcos FEATURE
CARLENE OTTAH | LIFE AND ARTS EDITOR
Texas State University nursing juniors pose for a photo with their professors, Texas State President Kelly Damphousse (back right) and CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital staff, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital — San Marcos.
By Rae Knight Life and Arts Contributor
With the start of the spring 2026 semester, St. David’s School of Nursing, Texas State’s College of
Health Professions, begins its second semester of furthering its students’ education close to the main campus, due to its partnership with CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital — San Marcos. The goal of the partnership is to
keep students in San Marcos. Until last semester, all Texas State nursing students had to attend the Round Rock campus during their junior and senior years. Twenty of the 130 students in St. David’s School of Nursing who
applied to stay in San Marcos currently attend class in the Santa Rosa Hospital facility and will begin their clinical rotations at this location in the spring.
SEE CHRISTUS PAGE 5 CITY
FOOTBALL
Bobcats twist and turn SMPD trains through final Sun Belt season officers in mental health
By Adrian Ramirez Sports Editor
Coming into 2025, one question loomed large over the Texas State football team: Could they turn the corner? Head coach G.J. Kinne’s first two years marked what looked like the beginning of a new era in San Marcos after back-to-back eight-win seasons and bowl wins. However, expectations increased in 2025, as Texas State sat atop the projected standings in the Sun Belt. After a promising start to the season, things quickly spiraled downhill for five straight weeks before eventually taking a hard turn back in the right direction and finishing the season with the third consecutive season. Texas State’s season was anything but smooth. Here is a look back at the Bobcats’ 2025 campaign.
SEE SEASON PAGE 9
By Jakob Salsgiver News Contributor
MEG BOLES | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
Texas State freshman quarterback and bowl MVP Brad Jackson (8) celebrates with the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Trophy, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth. Texas State defeated Rice for their third consecutive bowl victory, 41-10.
COUNTY
Hays County community protests recent ICE actions in Kyle, Buda By Arabella DiChristina Assistant News Editor
In front of the Kyle City Hall, over 100 Hays County residents gathered to protest the recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in Kyle and the Section 287(g) program. Headed by Mano Amiga, an advocacy group that supports immigrants and marginalized families in Hays and Caldwell Counties, commu-
nity members protested against a ICE raid in Kyle, off of I-35, near Costco on Jan. 15 that resulted in a detainee’s hospitalization. Section 287(g) is a partnership between local law enforcement and ICE, allowing local law enforcement, such as the sheriff’s office, to act as ICE agents. Currently, Hays County’s Sheriff’s Office has not signed 287(g). Mano Amiga Policy and Executive Director Eric Martinez said to the crowd that three ICE agents beat one
person so severely that paramedics had to be called in Kyle. “This is not an isolated incident. It follows the raid last April, where 47 people, including children, youngest three years old, were taken and abducted by ICE from a family birthday party,” Martinez said.
SEE PROTEST PAGE 3
The San Marcos Police Department announced that all eligible frontline officers are now certified as Mental Health Peace officers, accounting for 59% of the department, according to a press release. The certification requires an officer to have a minimum of two years of service, 74 hours of specialized instruction and a 24-hour Mental Health Officer course. Prior to the 24-hour course, officers must also complete a 40-hour crisis class and an eight-hour de-escalation class, according to Joseph Osborne, the Police Corporal in charge of the Mental Health Unit. Osborne said the Mental Health Officer course teaches officers how to help the community, identify signs and symptoms of mental health issues, strategies for interviewing those who are experiencing mental health crises, and laws regarding emergency detention for mental health treatment. “The number one benefit, I think that our chief and administration is striving for, is that no matter what officer responds to a call, [they are] a mental health certified officer,” Osborne said. Kelly Castillo, a mental health specialist with SMPD, said the training utilizes virtual reality goggles to put someone in a situation where they address a mental health crisis, as opposed to role-playing.
SEE POLICE PAGE 3