NEWS
RESIDENTS EVICTED FROM SAN MARCOS ASSISTED LIVING PAGE 2
OPINION
L&A
STIGMITIZATION AS A BARRIER TO ADDICTION RECOVERY
COMMUNITY SHARES FAVORITE SMTX SUMMER ACTIVITIES
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TUESDAY July 7, 2026
VOLUME 115 ISSUE 32
Summer in The
FEATURE
Park ABEL BARCENAS | STAR PHOTOGRAPHER
San Marcos residents dance to the music in the summer in the park concert,Thursday, June 18, 2026, at Plaza Park.
By Andrea Martinez Life and Arts Contributor
From square dancing to laughing on Plaza Park’s lawn with family, Summer in the Park has given San Marcos 40 years of free concerts and bringing the community together. Summer in the Park is a series of free weekly concerts held throughout
June, July and August, at San Marcos Plaza Park. Each week features a different artist and musical genre, bringing together community members with a variety of musical tastes to enjoy live performances and a fun, family-friendly activity without the cost of admission. Staying dedicated to the community, Summer in the Park is produced
by a collaboration of various local organizations and non-profits like Summer in the Park 501c3 non-profit, and various other San Marcos non-profits. The anniversary marks another milestone for an event that has become a staple in the community’s summer itinerary. Summer in the Park has slowly grown in attendance, artistic
CITY
quality and reputation throughout the years. Barry Brittain, Summer in the Park director, said the event’s key to success over the last 40 years is the commitment to a familyfriendly environment and upholding local values.
SEE COMMUNITY PAGE 8
CONFERENCE
‘Cats floating west: TXST officially joins Pac-12 Conference By Ayden Oredson Sports Editor
San Marcos becomes first city in Texas to prohibit data centers
STAR FILE PHOTO
By Arabella DiChristina News Editor
San Marcos became one of the first Texas cities to ban data centers within city limits, utilizing its home rule authority. During its June 16 meeting, the city council updated the Land Development Code and Design Manual, effectively
banning data centers while setting restrictions on this type of future development, making it not possible for a data center to be built in the city. The decision came after months of discussing the future of data centers and a denied data center proposal. Cities with populations over 5,000 and have adopted a home rule charter, like
San Marcos, have home rule authority, which them the right to create their own zoning codes and control development within their jurisdiction, however, their authority is not absolute with county regulations and state preemption, or higher authority.
SEE DATA PAGE 3
University Police announces new parking permit system ahead of Fall
UNIVERSITY
By Madison Winzer News Contributor
Texas State University Police Department is implementing a new parking permit system for the 2026-27 academic year, allowing students living on campus
to purchase a permit to an assigned parking lot near their hall with guaranteed parking availability. According to UPD, the permit changes follow recommendations from a recent parking study that gathered feedback from
students, faculty and staff. Now, permits will be priced by semester rather than a full year, billed through student accounts and provide students with guaranteed parking availability within their assigned lot.
SEE PARKING PAGE 2
Texas State University has officially gone west after joining the Pac-12 Conference on July 1, 2026. The Bobcats transitioned out of the Sun Belt Conference in hopes of strengthening their national brand. The Pac-12, a 110-year-old institution and former power conference, returns as a non-power conference following notable exits from Texas and Oklahoma to the Southeastern Conference. The newly rebuilt conference has been working to re-establish itself nationally. Texas State is one of nine schools competing in the rebuilt Pac-12, featuring two original members, Oregon State and Washington State, five Mountain West schools:
Boise State, Utah State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Fresno State and Gonzaga, a non-football member but basketball powerhouse. Texas State’s 13-year tenure in the Sun Belt comes to a close after a long saga stretching back to September 2024, culminating with an official invite from the Pac-12 which led to the Texas State University System Board of Regents approving the $5 million exit fee to the SBC just a little over a year ago. The Bobcats joined the Sun Belt in 2013 after only one year in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), with the transition happening after the WAC stopped sponsoring football. Texas State had moved up to the Football Bowl Subdivision a year prior, the top-level in collegiate play. Texas State wrapped up its time in the SBC as the highest-ranked team in the conference in the 2025-26 Learfield Directors’ Cup, a way to rank college athletic programs’ overall success, and placing 93rd overall out of 299 Division I schools.
SOPHIE GERKE | CREATIVE SERVICE DIRECTOR
SEE PAC-12 PAGE 6