October 19 2015

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MONDAY

OCTOBER 19, 2015 VOLUME 105 ISSUE 22

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EDUCATION

Students increasingly choosing Teach for America after graduation By Darcy Sprague SENIOR REPORTER @darcy_days

Teach for America, a program dedicated to sending teachers to low income school districts, is reaching for national success by recruiting select graduate students. The number of Texas State graduates in the organization is growing, said Dana Cronyn, director of recruitment communications at TFA. In the past three to five years, 65 to 80 Texas State students have applied to join the corps. “(Joining) Teach for America, on the whole, is probably one of the most important, life-changing decisions I have ever made,” said Sarah Rebollar, Texas State alumna. “I am beyond grateful for all I have gained from it.” When Rebollar was attending Texas State, she joined TFA due to her desire to serve in the field of education. “It is an experience most people don’t get to have,” Rebollar said. “It grows you personally and professionally.” TFA recruits educators to poor districts where schools do not have the funds to

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BEN KAILING STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Wildfires in Bastrop county have consumed over 4600 acres, destroyed at least 48 structures and remains only 40% contained. What is being the Hidden Pines Fire was one in a series of fires that broke out on Tuesday October 13th. Firefighters were able to suppress the other fires but the Hidden Pines Fire proved too much for them to control. Air support vehicles, including a DC-10 Air Tanker flown in from Tennessee, have joined firefighters in their continued efforts to suppress the damage being caused.

Hidden Pines Fire brings awareness to San Marcos By Darcy Sprague SENIOR REPORTER @darcy_days

As the second catastrophic fire in recent history burns through parts of Bastrop, cities across Central Texas are taking precautions to prevent a similar situation. “The topography of San Marcos and our surrounding neighbors would make a grass/brush fire extremely difficult to combat if allowed to grow to the size of the current Bastrop fire,” said Les Stephens, San Marcos Fire Chief. Stephens said the Bas-

trop fire does not directly affect San Marcos. However, as state and local resources are sent to assist the emergency in Bastrop, there are less resources immediately available, should something happen in the surrounding area. The Bastrop fire, called Hidden Pines Fire, is 40 percent contained as of 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning, said Steve Pollock from Texas A&M Forest Service, at an Oct. 17 press conference. Bollock said the fire is contained, but not controlled. He said it could take several days to get it

under control. Robert Tamble, Smithville City Manager, said 244 people, as of Saturday have registered at the evacuation shelter. Paul Pape, Bastrop County Judge, said 48 structures have been destroyed and 4,600 acres have been burned, as of Saturday. “It is what it is; we’ve done everything that we could do in the right way,” said Mike Fisher, emergency coordinator for Bastrop County. Fisher said he does not think the firefighters made any mistakes in attempting

to control the fire given the severity of the situation and the dangers of dealing with wildfires. Pape said now that fire crews have been able to draw a containment line around the fire, they will begin working on targeting hot spots. “Our crystal ball is a little cloudy in terms of telling how soon this fire will be wrapped up,” Pape said. The Hidden Pines fire was believed to have been caused by a spark from malfunctioning farm equipment, possibly a shredder. The last major fire in Bas-

trop was in 2011. There were 34,000 acres burnt in the 2011 fire. Two people1were killed and 691 houses were lost. It took 24 days to totally contain the 2011 fire. Stephens said it is possible for San Marcos to see a wildfire similar to the one in Bastrop. Fire conditions in Hays County are currently categorized as elevated. He said the city is taking precautions to try and prevent similar situations from happening in San Marcos, and has implemented

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SOCIETY

Cardboard cutouts commemorate victims of domestic violence By Darcy Sprague SENIOR REPORTER @darcy_days

Hays County officials are participating in National Domestic Violence Awareness Month by commemorating those who have lost their lives to abusers, including recently killed residents. Fourteen red cardboard cutouts of the human form have been placed throughout the county to memorialize

victims of domestic violence. Nine of the cutouts are equipped with purple hearts, referring to specific Hays County victims who were killed in recent years. “What bringing awareness means is changing people’s minds,” said Catherine Shellman, founder of Leaving Out Violence Everywhere . “No matter what part of advocacy you are involved in, the end result is trying to end violence by bringing awareness to the

community.” Shellman knows the effects of domestic violence firsthand. Her daughter, Tiffanie Perry, is one of the women memorialized on the cutouts. Hays County police placed the cutouts in local high schools, law enforcement agencies, the district attorney’s office and the Quad. Football teams throughout the county will wear purple ribbons on their helmets dur-

ing specific games to bring awareness to the domestic violence, said Hays County Lieutenant Jeri Skrocki. The teams’ members will read statistics about domestic abuse during the game. According to data provided by Penny Dunn, San Marcos Assistant Chief of Police, reports of domestic abuse increased by 25 percent in the past three years. Thirteen Hays County residents, including some chil-

dren, were murdered by a partner or parents between 2002 and April 2015. There were 119 women killed by their partners in Texas during 2014, according to an Oct. 1 Hays County press release. The Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center served 955 victims of abuse, and of those individuals, 674 of whom are residents of Hays County. Melissa Rodriguez, director of development and community partnership at

the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center, said approximately half of the victims the center serves are from San Marcos. San Marcos police responded to 316 incidents of domestic abuse situations in 2012 while officers from the University Police Department responded to eight, according to the latest statistics provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s

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HEALTH

Upcoming breast cancer awareness events to inspire community to “think pink” By Rae Glassford NEWS REPORTER @rae_maybe

Central Texas Medical Center has launched its annual Think Pink initiative, a series of breast cancer awareness events hosted throughout October. Think Pink is a collaborative community event series intended to maximize the support of breast cancer awareness organizations in

Hays County, said Margie Lieck, director of women’s services at CTMC. The partnership was formed five years ago after officials of local health organizations realized they were scheduling breast cancer awareness events on the same dates, making it impossible for people to attend them all, Lieck said. “The partnership helped lead to coordinated, efficient event planning so that these

events support each other rather than compete with one another,” Lieck said. CTMC gives out 100 free mammograms to socially disadvantaged women, she said. The procedures are partially funded by Susan G. Komen, a national breast health organization. “Many women are unable to get mammograms because they have to work through clinic opening hours,” Lieck said. “So the CTMC Wom-

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en’s Center for Breast Health has expanded its hours.” Pink Hearts Savings, a Think Pink fundraiser, will donate a percentage of the money raised through the purchase of local business gift cards to CTMC, Lieck said. She said it’s important to keep the effort local. “Oftentimes, when people give money to United Way or other large nationwide health centers, donors see very little of the money affect people

they know,” Lieck said. “But these events stay in the county, so the money stays in our area, where we can see and measure the benefits.” A portion of the funds raised do not go into paying for cancer treatment, but into additional financial support for patients, Lieck said. “Some cancer patients spend up to $7,000 a month on treatment alone, so they require extra money to be able to pay their rent and

feed their families,” Lieck said. “Our fundraising gives patients a little extra money to live on.” Bras for a Cause, a premier event held annually in Comal County—just south of San Marcos—donated $57,000 last year to help patients in need. Thirty-eight patients were able to receive financial support from the money that came from that event alone,

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