NEWS
LIFE & ARTS
SPORTS
PAGE 2
PAGE 5
PAGE 6
DROUGHT CAUSES INCREASED FIRE RISK
THE STUDENTS BEHIND BOKO ALUMNA WINS POETRY AWARD WITH MULTI-GENRE COLLECTION DESCRIBE LIFE AS MASCOT
TUESDAY
March 10, 2026 VOLUME 115 ISSUE 24
UNIVERSITY
Celebrating 115 years of Journalism Excellence
ALERRT Center training helps response to March 1 Austin shooting RHIAN DAVIS | MANAGING EDITOR
Logistics Technician Clayton Williams counts training ammunition for shipments at the Texas State ALERRT Center, Monday, March 9, 2026 in San Marcos. About 40 nationwide training shipments are made every day. By Ryan Claycamp and Arabella DiChristina News Editor & Assistant News Editor
Trigger warning: this article contains mentions of gun violence A Texas State training facility is credited as playing a key role in the police response to the March 1 mass
shooting on West Sixth Street in Austin, which resulted in the deaths of three victims and the shooting suspect. Austin Police Department (APD) Chief Lisa Davis credited the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center in saving lives during and after the shooting. “In Texas, we are fortunate to
have the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training — that is the ALERRT Center through Texas State,” Davis said during a March 2 press conference. “There is no doubt that the training and coordinated response with EMS saved lives on this night.” The ALERRT Center was created in 2002 as a partnership between
SOFTBALL
Texas State, the San Marcos Police Department and the Hays County Sheriff’s Office. According to James Keith, director of external relations for ALERRT, the center is now a world-renowned leader in active attack response training.
SEE POLICE PAGE 3 UNIVERSITY
‘Cats claw their way to victory Professor against ranked Texas A&M claims free By Ayden Oredson Assistant Sports Editor
After a month of action, the Texas State Bobcats (15-8) started March with their second win over a top 25 opponent in a close 3-1 victory against the then-No.15 Texas A&M Aggies (17-8) on Friday, March 6 at Bobcat Softball Stadium Texas State hosted the San Marcos Showdown this past mid-week from March 4-6, featuring St. Francis, Tarleton State and Texas A&M. After splitting the first two games of the Showdown on Wednesday and Thursday, with a 7-0 no-hitter from senior pitcher Emma Strood against the Red Flash and a late 6-5 loss to the Texans respectfully, the Bobcats entered Friday with a doubleheader against the Texans and a marquee evening matchup against the Aggies. The Bobcats started the day with a strong comeuppance against Tarleton State, as an eight-run scoring sixth inning allowed them to give the Texans
a taste of their own medicine. Not long after, they would later take the field to take on the contending Aggies. “We talked about [it] before this game, but if anything’s gonna happen, they have to believe it’s gonna happen,” Texas State head coach Ricci Woodard said. “I had a whole team in that dugout that believed we could win [the A&M] game.” Prior to Friday’s matchup, Texas A&M won the last three games against Texas State, all in College Station, most recently a 9-1 run-rule victory in February 2025. The last time Texas State defeated the Aggies was at home in 2024. Strood, who came off a one inning performance against the Texans the night before, started in the circle for the Bobcats against junior Sidne Peters, who previously pitched a one GRACE DARCY | STAR PHOTOGRAPHER hit complete game against St. Mary’s Texas State junior pitcher Madison Azua on Feb. 28. (22) celebrates after the final strikeout
SEE UPSET PAGE 6
of the game, Friday, March 6, 2026, at Bobcat Softball Stadium. The Bobcats won 3-1 against #15 Texas A&M.
Hays County primary turnout rises to highest level in six years amid state record
COUNTY
By Ryan Claycamp and Arabella DiChristina News Editor & Assistant News Editor
The March 3, 2026, Hays County Primary Election saw a record number of voters cast ballots, mirroring a statewide trend. 27.22% of voters cast ballots in the 2026 primaries in Hays County, up from 18.89% in the 2024 primaries, according to Hays County Elections data. The election also saw more Democratic ballots cast than
Republicans for the first time since the 2020 presidential election. Assistant Professor of Communication Studies Wallace Golding said increased turnout was motivated by several factors, such as mid-decade redistricting, displeasure with national politics and the ability of certain campaigns to motivate voters. “It’s clear from polling data that many people are unhappy with the current state of national affairs. Democratic enthusiasm in particular can probably be understood as a
reaction to unpopular federal policies, especially around issues like the economy, trade, and immigration,” Golding wrote in an email to The Star. Golding wrote that turnout in the May 26 runoffs is likely to drop, but he couldn’t predict if November turnout would be higher than normal. “I’d argue it has a lot to do with what the national political environment looks like in a few months’ time,” Golding wrote. “If it cools off, I would
SEE POLITICS PAGE 2
speech rights violated over sign removal By Ryan Claycamp News Editor
A physics professor and speech advocacy group are alleging Texas State is violating freedom of speech after making the professor remove a sign from his office door. Assistant Professor of Instruction of Physics Saeed Moshfegh claimed he was threatened with disciplinary action after hanging a sign on his door declaring his office as a “safe space for immigrants,” and a second sign declaring it a “safe space for immigrant students.” The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) sent a letter to Texas State University condemning the incident, but received no response. According to the letter, Moshfegh did not receive written reprimand because “an unknown individual” removed the second sign from his door. “One day my department chair knocked on my door and said ‘you can’t have this sign on your door,’” Moshfegh said. “He said ‘oh because it is against the law.’” According to Zach Green, director of faculty legal defense at FIRE, Moshfegh was accused of violating Senate Bill 4, a 2017 Texas law. SB 4 prohibits local governments and government organizations from establishing any sanctuary policies for immigrants.
SEE FREE SPEECH PAGE 3