Nestled between the intersection of Guadalupe Street and Martin Luther King Drive is the historic neighborhood of Dunbar, a largely African-American residential area that has shaped San Marcos for more than a century.

The streets of Dunbar are lined with historical landmarks and sites from the early twentieth century, and are still home to many residents who have grown up with the neighborhood.

The City of San Marcos took one more step toward ensuring the preservation of Purgatory Creek with the newest expansion of green space.

Through the efforts put forth by several environmental and conservation organizations, the City of San Marcos was able to acquire an additional 107-acre tract of land to add to Purgatory Creek Natural Area’s existing 463 acres for more than $1.6 million. Fund contributors include Hays County, the Trust for Public Land, the Edwards Aquifer Authority, the Nature Conservancy, the Meadows Foundation and the Knobloch Family Foundation.

The Trust for Public Land, a national non-profit organization focusing in the creation of city parks and local conservation areas, purchased the land from private owner Marian Posey and then sold it back to the City of San Marcos.

San Marcos is looking to become the next city in Texas to enact an ordinance banning single-use bags.

Plastic bag ban supporters and protesters alike are still waiting for the San Marcos City Council to make the next step toward a decision for the new item of legislation. This item is not expected to hit their bi-monthly meeting’s budget for at least a couple of months.

“(City council) is looking to postpone the bag ban at this time,” Melissa Millecam, director of communications of the city of San Marcos, said. “Hopefully it will be more ripe in the future than it is right now.”

Millecam said the council has yet to receive the recommendations for this potential ordinance put forth by the Solid Waste Task Force.

The Environmental Conservation Organization, a student-run group, presented the original proposition for the plastic bag ban to city council in Nov. 2011.

The sound of trumpets, xylophones and beating drums coming from outside the Music Building can be heard throughout campus on any given day, however the symphony of sound only takes place outside practice rooms out of necessity.

Texas State’s music program is experiencing a shortage of instrument practice rooms — there are 39 practice rooms available for the 550 students.

Future university budget cuts and campus safety were two issues addressed at last week’s Faculty Senate meeting.

Faculty Senate invited University President Denise Trauth and Provost Eugene Bourgeois to weigh in on current topics of concern. This was part of the monthly President’s Academic Advisory Group (PAAG), when faculty senators discus issues and solicit suggestions from top officials.

A topic of discussion was how the university budget will fare with the expected $12 billion shortfall coming from the Texas Legislature.

Keys to the City of San Marcos were awarded to three young individuals yesterday afternoon at City Hall.

The recipients of the award — Elizabeth Gary, Lance Corporal Sean Moore and First Lt. Brad Frailicks — are all either former or current Texas State University students.

Presenting the awards was City Councilmember Jude Prather, Place 2, who said San Marcos strives to acknowledge the community’s leaders for their hard work.

Jessica MacCall, Staff Photographer

Texas State University System chancellor Brian McCall weighed in on how higher education fared in the last legislative session at a Texas Tribune talk Wednesday morning.

Texas State is partnering with other universities and entities to give hope to a San Marcos neighboring community.

As of Oct. 15, the newly created Amistad Resource Center, along with the help of Redwood Community Center Inc., is reviving an abandoned program to provide social services for the residents of a poor rural community outside of San Marcos.

Initiatives of the Personalized Academic and Career Exploration program were presented to faculty senators, and one was met with skepticism.

The Faculty Senate invited Dan Brown, director of the soon-to-be P.A.C.E. program, to their Wednesday meeting to speak about the initiatives and procedures involved with the implementation of the program.

Austin Humphreys, Photo Editor

Mass Communication Week began Monday afternoon with a pioneer who utilized the Internet to broadcast personal media.

Texas State welcomed Burnie Burns, writer, filmmaker and co-creator of the viral Web series Red Vs. Blue, to an open interview Monday.