San Marcos news

Updated June 27, 2008, 1:30 p.m.

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Local loan company’s owner settles attorney general action over identify theft safeguards
This week, Austin-based EZ Money L.P. and EZ Pawn L.P. agreed to pay the state $600,000 and take future precautions to keep sensitive information away from people who could use it to steal identities.
(June 27, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

Mayor hosting presentation on new ‘smart’ utility meters
San Marcos residents are invited to a sneak preview of the city’s new “smart” electric and water meters at a special display Tuesday, July 1, from 2-4 p.m. at City Hall , 630 E. Hopkins.
(June 27, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

City awards contract for pedestrian bridge across river
Work will start any day now on a new pedestrian bridge spanning the San Marcos River after city council members this week awarded a construction contract.
(June 19, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

Grant to fund interactive exhibit at LBJ Museum
Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, has awarded an $11,938 grant to Texas State University for a project that is being developed in collaboration with the Lyndon Baines Johnson Museum of San Marcos.
(June 17, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

Man flees restaurant after allegedly trying to video teen girl under table
Described as a dark-complected Latino with a Fu Manchu mustache, the suspect left Taqueria Mazatlan after 14-year-old’s family took cell phone from him.
(June 11, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

Newsom won’t soon be forgotten at Texas State
Rollo Newsom, who served in many administrative positions at Texas State, is retiring for good at the end of August.
(June 9, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

Prime Outlets expansion pulling more sales taxthan city projected
A major renovation of Prime Outlets completed more than two years ago is generating considerably more revenue than projected when the city council agreed to an economic development subsidy for the expansion.
(June 5, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

Tightened candidate requirement survives first discussion
A provision that would disqualify residents of recently annexed neighborhoods from running for mayor or city council received preliminary, informal approval from the city council at their regular meeting this evening.
(June 3, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

For orphaned sisters, no place like home
As their health deteriorated, so did Roy Martinez’s and Mary Torres’ small frame house on Linda Drive. Now community members are trying to raise funds to repair the home for the Martinez girls who lost both parents within a two month span.
(May 27, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

Conference center, hotel bolster tourism ambitions
With little more than four months before its October opening, the San Marcos Embassy Suites Hotel, Spa & Conference Center is already spurring tens of millions of dollars in other construction along Interstate 35 in the city’s southern half, officials say.
(June 24, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

City council finalizes trash rate decrease, sort of
City council finalizes trash rate decrease, sort of.
(May 21, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

City cleared for low-wattage radio station
FM 92.5. In the future, that’s where San Marcos residents may turn their radio dials for emergency alerts as well as other community information from the City of San Marcos.
(May 21, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

State says sect member who gave birth is adult
Child Protective Services officials acknowledge that a teen who gave birth in a San Marcos hospital last month is a legal adult. Her baby boy remains in foster care, one of 463 children in state custody after the April raid on a polygamist sects’ ranch in West Texas.
(May 18, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

Federal judge reconsiders
Planet K car case
A federal judge who threw out Planet K’s suit against San Marcos in March recently decided to reconsider whether a junked car is an appropriate vehicle for an artistic statement.
(May 13, 2008)
See the San Marcos Mercury story.

Seton bids for indigent clinic
The Seton Family of Hospitals is attempting to open an indigent care clinic in San Marcos before opening the Kyle hospital in 2009. (May 3, 2008)
See story.

San Marcos goes outside
Commentary
For the first time in 29 years, the people of San Marcos went outside their ranks in search of a city manager. They might as well have looked on another planet. (April 26, 2008)
See story.

When is a car not a car?
Commentary
Though Federal Judge Sam Sparks recently ruled for San Marcos against Planet K in their junk vehicle case, he did not rule as to whether the car-turned-planter is a car or a planter. That remains a philosophical question. (March 25, 2008)
See story.

Collision at closing time
Commentary
A disastrous collision between a truck and two pedestrians on the San Marcos Square late Friday night highlights that pedestrians too often neglect their responsibility for traffic safety. (February 3, 2008)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Seeking a city manager
For the first time in 29 years, San Marcos is looking outside of town for a city manager. Next week, the public will weigh in on the process. (January 25, 2008)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Wirelessless in San Marcos
A proposed citywide wireless project in San Marcos has become so expensive that the city can't pay for it without going into the wireless Internet business — a disquieting possibility. (January 21, 2008)
See The Daily Drive entry.

CTMC announces expansion
Responding to increased numbers of births in the area, Central Texas Medical Center announced a $35 million expansion Friday. (January 18, 2008)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Artworks and eyesores
A sculpture outside Planet K in San Marcos used to be an automobile. The city argues that it's still an automobile, an abandoned automobile. Even after the courts decide the legal question, the philosophical question will remain. (January 15, 2008)
See The Daily Drive entry.

San Marcos in 2007
The year 2007 set the table for new wrinkles in San Marcos, including a downtown master plan, a new city manager and U.S. Olympic trials in kayaking and canoeing. (January 1, 2008)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Narvaiz to chair CAPCOG
San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz will take on additional responsibility in 2008 as the chair of a regional government council. (December 19, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Power problem
With four years left to negotiate an extension with the LCRA for electricity, the agency and San Marcos are trying to untangle thorny problems. (December 16, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Olympic trial comes to county
A U.S. national kayaking team trial is coming to Rio Vista Falls in February as local kayakers envision San Marcos as a winter wonderland for their sport. (December 12, 2007)
See story.

Kyle hands over two acres
San Marcos will accept two acres from Kyle tonight to facilitate annexation of property around the coming Yarrington Road rail overpass. (December 10, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

A week of bad living
Commentary
The cases before the San Marcos Police Department in a week don't paint a pretty picture of human experience. (December 8, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Flooding concerns
San Marcos residents basically liked a downtown master plan, as presented Wednesday night, but expressed concerns about flooding. (November 29, 2007)
See story.

Downtown planning
Downtown master plans for San Marcos are taking shape. The public will discuss the plan tonight. (November 27, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

'Tis the season
The holiday shoplifting season is well underway as San Marcos police have recovered three stolen diamond rings this week. (November 23, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Prather concedes after recount
San Marcos city council challenger conceded Thursday morning after the city's recount showed he lost last week's election to incumbent Gaylord Bose by the same three votes. (November 15, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

San Marcos wins a dam award
The Texas Municipal League awarded San Marcos for excellence in innovation last week for quickly and beautifully rebuilding the Rio Vista Dam. (November 14, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Prather requests recount
San Marcos city council hopeful Jude Prather is asking for a recount and exploring legal options after losing Tuesday's election by three votes. (November 7, 2007)
See story.

City names interim officers
The face of city government will change with the appointments Monday of an interim city manager and an interim economic development director. (November 5, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

'Didn't happen'
Hays County Elections Administrator Joyce Cowan denied claims by San Marcos City Council candidate Jude Prather that university students were inappropriately turned away from the polls in early voting. (November 2, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

The students and the council
San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz showed up for a Monday student government meeting at Texas State and reportedly disputed statements by two city council incumbents up for re-election. Not surprisingly, the student government endorsed the challengers. (November 1, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Prather protest?
San Marcos City Council candidate Jude Prather claimed irregularities at the polls earlier this week, but said Thursay that he has no plans to protest if he should lose the Nov. 6 election. (October 25, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

Narvaiz warns of factions
In her annual State of the City address, San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz warned that city council factions could stall progress. (October 17, 2007)
See story.

City Manager O'Leary resigns
After 28 years with the city, the last five as city manager, Dan O'Leary is resigning to spend more time as a grandfather. (October 4, 2007)
See story.

Jim Neuhaus
Commentary
Former San Marcos CISD school board president and one-time legislative candidate Jim Neuhaus died late last month. (August 9, 2007)
See The Daily Drive entry.

San Marcos claims 50,000
Counting a population increase of nearly 50 percent in the last seven years, San Marcos moves into a new stratum of cities. (July 4, 2007)
See story.

Progress and preservation
Commentary
What do you do when your road extension is right on the site of a small society that thrived 2,000 years ago? Call your local archaeologist. (June 11, 2007) See The Daily Drive entry.

Body farm blues
Commentary
Texas State University, citing concerns of the San Marcos Municipal Airport, has to change its plans for a forensics research facility. But why does the university have to look in town for a location? (May 11, 2007) See The Daily Drive entry.

Messin' with the mayor
Commentary
Mayor Susan Narvaiz sounded like a frustrated utility customer when Centerpoint Energy went before the San Marcos City Council looking to extend its gas franchise agreement. Let's just say the agreement hasn't been renewed. (May 2, 2007) See The Daily Drive entry.

San Marcos re-organizes
San Marcos City Manager Dan O'Leary as taken on two assistant city managers with hopes of streamlining the city government and simplifying the permitting process. (April 27, 2007) See The Daily Drive entry.

Fire damages San Marcos landmark
Commentary
The former Blevin Street hospital, rumored as a haunted house by a generation of city youth, took substantial fire damage Sunday night. (April 11, 2007) See The Daily Drive entry.

For the nth time
Another public meeting to discuss the direction of San Marcos brought out permanent residents with their complaints about Texas State students. (March 31, 2007)
See story.

Council passing Freeport
The San Marcos City Council moved ahead on a Freeport exemption Tuesday, voting down a motion to table the measure. (February 7, 2007)
See story.

San Marcos speaks
San Marcos voters were pretty clear about their preferences in Tuesday's election. (November 9, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

The thrill is gone
Commentary
A wild San Marcos election season is down to one contested city council race and a slate of dull charter amendments. (September 5, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

Teachers, students and college towns
Commentary
Ed Mahalkanin's resignation from the San Marcos City Council raises a question: Why don't more political scientists in college towns serve on councils? (August 19, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

City escapes student stare down
Councilmember Chris Jones wanted an electoral fight over a proposed charter amendment raising the minimum age of city council membership to 21. But the city council didn't want the fight. (August 16, 2006)
See story.

Higher stakes
Commentary
Ed Mihalkanin's resignation from the city council makes the November city election in San Marcos more critical than ever. (August 15, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

San Marcos proposes $116 million budget
San Marcos councilmembers still must decide what else they can squeeze into their spending plan. (August 8, 2006) See story.

Kids and councils
Commentary
A body of charter amendments proposed in San Marcos includes one that challenges the city's university students. (July 21, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

The San Marcos Metropolitan Area?
Commentary
The city's annual report, maybe with tongue in cheek, lists its metro population at 3.3 million. (June 27, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

Austin or San Marcos?
Commentary
With the opening of the Kyle Parkway, San Marcos becomes a much more attractive amusement option for Northern Hays County residents. (June 23, 2006) See The Daily Drive entry.

Re-opening the dam is remembering Ivar
The city celebrated its rebuilt river dam as it dedicated a maple tree to Ivar Gunnarson. (June 23, 2006) See story.

Jones first student on San Marcos council in 30 years
Texas State student Chris Jones defined a new electoral majority with Tuesday's political victory. (December 7, 2005) See story.

Jones hopes to hold lead
Today's San Marcos run-off election between Moe Johnson, right, and Chris Jones will fill the only remaining city council seat. (December 6, 2005) See story.

It's student vs. teacher
in San Marcos run-off election
A city that has long lived in tension with its university has sent an ambitious student and an aging professor to a run-off election for a city council seat, unseating a business community incumbent along the way. The San Marcos race will pit Texas State student Chris Jones against Texas State kinesiology professor Moe Johnson. (November 9, 2005) See story.

City passes $11.2M in bonds
Susan Narvaiz was one happy mayor Tuesday night. Voters cheerfully gave her and her city council $11.2 million for infrastructural improvements in Tuesday's election, overwhelmingly approving five of six bond proposals. (Noveber 9, 2005) See story.

City voters face choices
Election Day presents three city council candidates going for one seat and six bond proposals worth a combined $12.2 million. (November 8, 2005) See story.

Shopping for balance
City officials are bullish on the economy. So bullish, in fact that the city's Fiscal Year 2005-06 general operating budget actually is designed to balance with a lower property tax levy, predicting a significant sales tax increase. (October 15, 2005) See story.

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