A new schedule allowing students the option to use meal trades earlier than 1 p.m. at The Lair could become a reality.

ASG Sen. Fidencio Leija said Chartwells officials recently asked if the student government had any questions or concerns, and The Lair was on the top of his list.

“I brought up that you have to wait until 1 p.m. to use your swipes,” Leija said. “The question I had is ‘Why can’t we use it at noon?’”

The Lair is the only place on campus with a set time that students can use meal trades.

Jake Marx/Star Photo
Candidates running for City Council addressed community members Monday at the League of Women Voters debate.

Candidates running for City Council Place 5 — Lisa Marie Coppoletta, Shaune C. Maycock and Ryan Thomason — launched the debate by communicating individual experience of their campaign.

Bike Cave workers received a notice Oct. 9 to pack their gear and move to the Colorado Building — one third the size of the current location.

Student organization presidents can expect weekly e-mails from ASG beginning next week.

The ASG senate passed legislation requiring more communication between student government and organization leaders in an effort to increase transparency.

The bill, authored by Sen. Melanie Ferrari, requires a summary of the ASG minutes and legislation to be sent to all presidents of campus student organizations.

Ferrari said she wrote the bill in response to several organization presidents asking what ASG is doing to communicate with students.

Economic hardships are not affecting San Marcos as immensely as other cities, said Mayor Susan Narvaiz.

Narvaiz spoke at the fifth annual “State of the City” address at the City of San Marcos Conference Center.

Attendees varied from a representative for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson to a spokesperson for a group of elementary school children.Narvaiz discussed San Marcos’ past actions, recent accomplishments and goals for the future.

Possible changes to red parking permits were addressed at Wednesday’s Faculty Senate meeting.

According to the Parking Services Web site, having a permit does not guarantee a spot on campus. However, some faculty said they believe red permit holders should be assured a spot. Robert Gratz, special assistant to the president, said Parking Services used to operate under a universal permit system — allotting parking authorization in a “first come, first serve” manner.

Jake Marx/Star photo

City officials and airport staff have sky-high hopes for the San Marcos Municipal Airport.

Officials broke ground Wednesday in preparation of building an airport control tower designed to enhance take-off safety.

Airport Manager Scott Gallagher said the tower will coordinate take offs and landings, aiding private pilots whose planes are of different models and speeds.

While incarcerated at the Hays County Jail in 2000, Todd Dietert, 36, made it a point to avoid contact with both quarrelsome inmates and the ever-present mold in the showers.

“We’d wear shower slides on our feet, but the showers were so small you couldn’t avoid coming into contact with the wall, which was covered in mold and mildew,” Dietert said.

Dietert eventually suffered a staff infection, which he attributes to the jail’s teeming population.

Ben Rondeau/Star photo

The recession is emptying offices and filling classrooms throughout the country.

Texas State is currently experiencing this effect, as non-traditional students — those who are 26 years or older — are returning to school to pursue higher degrees.

There are 3,870 students enrolled in the graduate college, which is a 375-person increase from fall 2008.