April 11 2016

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MONDAY APRIL 11, 2016

VOLUME 105 ISSUE 55 www.UniversityStar.com

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TRANSPORTATION

Commissioner: Partnership with Lone Star Rail ‘suspended—not terminated’ By Bailey Buckingham SENIOR NEWS REPORTER @bcbuckingham

The San Marcos Police Department began issuing citations to motorists in violation of the city’s hands-free ordinance in the month of March.

fore not collected. “It’s an epidemic,” said Otto Glenewinkel, officer of the University Police Department, regarding the public’s tendency to drive while distracted. “It’s worse than driving drunk. Statistically, we are only just beginning to get a clear idea of how dangerous it is.”

Some commuting students voiced their support of a possible commuter railway after Hays County Commissioners decided to end membership with Lone Star Rail District, which planned a passenger railway. Hays County Commissioners voted at a March 22 meeting to discontinue the county’s membership with LSRD. LSRD officials planned to use the existing Union Pacific rail line to develop a commuter rail line between San Antonio and Georgetown. After U.P. officials ended the partnership with LSRD, commissioners decided not to renew the LSRD membership. County officials are open to the idea of a railway, said Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe, Precinct 1. Ingalsbe said she considers the county’s membership with LSRD

See HANDS FREE, Page 2

See RAIL, Page 2

DARYL ONTIVEROS MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

HANDS-FREE ORDINANCE IN FULL EFFECT By Rae Glassford NEWS REPORTER @rae_maybe

Nine citations were issued in March since the handsfree ordinance went into effect Feb. 1. The ordinance, which prohibits drivers from using handheld electronic devices while operating a moving vehicle within the

city limits of San Marcos, went into effect Feb. 1, followed by a 30 day grace period allowing drivers to receive a warning on their first offense. “The ordinance applies to handheld mobile devices, not things like food or makeup,” said Chase Stapp, chief of the San Marcos Police Department. “But anything you

might use to communicate, like cell phones, PDAs or laptops are not allowed.” Prior to February, using a handheld mobile device while driving was illegal in all Texas school zones as per state law, but this new ordinance applies the same restrictions city-wide, Stapp said. “The violation rate is neither higher nor lower than

we expected,” Stapp said. “My hope is that this law will create a reduction in traffic collisions related to distracted driving, and create an overall population of drivers who are more aware of their surroundings.” The number of warnings issued to offenders during the grace period was not tracked by the Department of Public Safety, and there-

SAFETY

Texas ranks first in railroad collisions, third in fatalities By Rae Glassford NEWS REPORTER @rae_maybe

Highway-rail grade crossing collisions are no stranger to Texas, and neither are trainrelated fatalities in the Hill Country area. Texas is currently ranked first in the nation in highway-rail grade crossing collisions, according to the Operation Lifesaver website. Of the 2,059 vehicular railroad collisions that occurred nationwide, 224 occurred in Texas. In highway-rail grade crossing fatalities, Texas is ranked third in the nation with 19 in 2015. For many, these numbers are mere statistics—that is, until a friend, acquaintance or family member is involved in such an accident. On March 26, 13-yearold Tanley Yacos and another teenager were walking alongside train tracks

in Buda when Yacos was hit and killed by a northbound train. Police officers responded to an emergency call from a Union Pacific engineer around 1:50 a.m. The other girl was uninjured. “The incident is currently still under investigation,” said David Marino, Buda public information officer. “Two teenage girls were walking alongside the tracks, when one of them was hit by an oncoming train. As far as the autopsy is concerned, nothing unusual was found. The toxicology report will be coming in three weeks.” Union Pacific officials installed cameras on their trains, and Buda police officers have been reviewing the video in an attempt to piece together everything that may have lead up to the accident, Marino said. “We know that the engineer honked his horn,”

Marino said. “This town doesn’t have a quiet ordinance in place, so it is perfectly legal for train engineers to blow their horns—something that isn’t always legal in other places, depending on local laws.” Marino said police know the train was going 47 mph, while trains typically run at approximately 60 mph in Central Texas. The train was not speeding as it approached the girls. “Walking along railroad tracks isn’t a safe thing to do anywhere,” Marino said. “Another problem we see often is people driving around the railroad guard arms.” Guard arms go down if train crews are working anywhere from 50 to 100 yards down the track, he said. Stories such as this one are all too familiar to Union Pacific, the largest railroad network in the continental United States, which has

CITY

DARYL ONTIVEROS MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

been in operation since the 1860s. “This state, unlike other parts of the nation, is still experiencing exponential

growth and economic development, so we are fortunate to see a large amount of freight railroad use for delivering resources and

goods,” said Jeff DeGraff, director of corporate relations and media for Union

See TRAIN, Page 2

ENVIRONMENT

Local programs seek to help Some say Cape’s Dam is necessary educationally disadvantaged adults By Bailey Buckingham SENIOR NEWS REPORTER @bcbuckingham

By Richard Dray NEWS REPORTER

Some San Marcos adults are going back to school. Jean Baggett, in charge of an English as a second language education program at St. John’s Church, has been making an effort to get the word out about her relatively small organization in the last year since she took over the program. The main goal of the organization is to help nonEnglish speaking residents learn how to converse in English in order for them to feel more comfortable with joining the communi-

ty and taking part in their children’s schools. “Our teachers are very committed,” Baggett said. The grassroots, nonprofit organization is run primarily by volunteers and on the un-paid work of the local community which started this year with 50 students. The classes are held at the activity center at St. John’s and are open to the public. “The whole point in this is to make San Marcos schools better,” Baggett said. This is not the only ESL education group that has existed in San Marcos, as

there used to be a Conversation Club that met at the San Marcos Public Library last year. However, the Conversation Club dissolved as many of its members could not make the meetings due to scheduling conflicts. Deborah Carter, librarian at the San Marcos Public Library, said the Monday morning meetings were too difficult for members to get to. Baggett’s program has tried to step in and pick up some of the students who were unable to make it to

See CONVO, Page 3

Advocates for the removal of Cape’s Dam feel it is a necessity for the river’s ecosystem, and beneficial for all uses of the river, including recreation. Though there are residents of San Marcos protesting the Cape’s Dam removal, proponents of the action feel it is the right move for everyone. Thom Hardy, biology professor and chief science officer at the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, said Cape’s Dam is not affecting a single positive on the river and its ecosystem. Hardy has done many studies on

Cape’s Dam and its effect on the ecosystem, as well as the effect removal will have on recreation. “From an ecological standpoint, you’re simply removing an artificial barrier and restoring the river to its natural channel,” Hardy said. “There are zero positive benefits to the environment from Cape’s Dam.” Shane Scott, former city councilman, said when he was on the board, he voted in favor of Cape’s Dam so that a new Rio Vista Park would be built there, because the current park is overpopulated. However, Scott said he understands if the dam needs to be removed for safety reasons. Hardy said removing the dam will reinstate fish

passage and other animals that migrate the river’s corridors. Dianne Wassenich, program director for San Marcos River Foundation, said Hardy’s research found the removal of the dam will actually benefit recreation, instead of harm it as protestors have alluded. “Dr. Hardy has done hundreds of measurements,” Wassenich said. “Sediment, muck, has piled up to sometimes 10 feet thick and that dam is what has held it there. That sediment is the key to all of the problems that everybody is focused on.” Wassenich said with the removal of the dam, the

See CAPE’S, Page 2


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April 11 2016 by The University Star - Issuu