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"After careful consideration of what is needed to best position our company for the future, Hooters made the difficult decision to close certain company-owned locations," a company spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.

The closing of the Hooters at 310 S. I-35 South Frontage Road, Suite 201, San Marcos, TX 78666 created a stir in the community and saw lovers and haters of the casual dining spot reply to a Reddit post entitled "Bye bye San Mo Hooters."

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"Time to drop out of uni," r/Late_Ambassador7470 replied, a nod to the wing hut's close proximity to Texas State University.

Others like r/Thankyekindly wrote "Dang. That and Zaxby's. Not that I ever go to either of those places." While r/Antheral wrote "Thank God we still have twin peaks. THANK GOD."

Prior to the bankruptcy filing, the company made headlines in June 2024 after it had shuttered dozens of "underperforming" locations in several states, according to USA Today. Fast forward to April 2025, the company decided to overhaul its image, looking to pivot toward a more "family-friendly" environment shortly after the bankruptcy filing in March. This marked a significant drift away from their infamous, bright orange shorts and revealing tank-tops for its waitresses.

While no Hooters were slated to close following the bankruptcy announcement, the 42-year-old chain is among the growing list of casual-dining chains, including Bahama Breeze, TGI Fridays and Denny’s, who are all gradually closing the doors of locations amid economic issues for the casual dining sector.

But, is Hooters going out of business? Despite the closures, the company remains steadfast in continuing its operations.

"Hooters is here to stay, and with a stronger financial foundation and streamlined operations on the other side of this process, we will be well-positioned to continue delivering the guest-obsessed hospitality experience and delicious food our valued customers and communities have come to expect well into the future," the company wrote on its website following the filing for bankruptcy in March.

Three separate data center projects are in motion within a 3-mile radius in the Greater San Marcos area. After months of discussion on data centers in San Marcos, City Council revisited the topic at its June 3 meeting, and heard community members' concerns around growth, infrastructure and transparency.

The latest

At the meeting, council members appointed Mayor Jane Hughson and council members Amanda Rodriguez and Lorenzo Gonzales to begin negotiations on a development agreement with Carson Select Investments LP and Sabey Data Centers. This marks Sabey’s first formal step toward establishing a facility in San Marcos. Entering negotiations does not guarantee final approval.

Also during the meeting, the council held a public hearing for another proposed data center that has appeared before the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council multiple times. The project was most recently denied by the commission March 25, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

With Sabey’s proposal added, three data centers are now pending in the Greater San Marcos area. Two are within city limits or the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. The third, discussed at the May 20 Hays County Commissioners Court meeting, is located outside of city jurisdiction and falls solely under Hays and Guadalupe counties’ jurisdictions.

Sabey Data Center

The applicant tied to Sabey Data Centers is requesting a development agreement to guide the use of approximately 786 acres located southwest of the intersection of South Old Bastrop Highway and Centerpoint Road.

The proposal includes a mix of land conservation, housing and data center development, according to the agenda documents. Plans outline 184 acres for light industrial use, including a “state-of-the-art” data center and a Pedernales Electric Cooperative substation, according to the City Council presentation. At least 392 acres would be designated as Character District-1 open space, while a separate 209 acres would be reserved for future Character District development.

Character District-1 is designated for open space preservation, limiting development to uses such as parks, trails and conservation areas, according to city documents. Character District 2.5 serves as a transitional residential zone, permitting low-density housing options like single-family homes.

'Maberry' Data Center

The council also revisited the proposed data center by Highland SM One LLC, associated with John Maberry, and Donald and Germaine Tuff. Residents have dubbed it the “Maberry" data center since the intended operator has not been announced.

The project covers two tracts located at 904 Francis Harris Lane: a 125.91-acre parcel already annexed into San Marcos and a 63.68-acre unzoned parcel. A cemetery located in the middle of one of the tracts would remain accessible to the public, according to the applicants.

At a March 25 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, about 70 public comments were submitted by 52 speakers in opposition to the proposed data center, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

The same item was discussed again at the council’s June 3 meeting, where a public hearing was held on whether to change the site's future land use designation to allow more commercial development. No action was taken, and a vote is scheduled for July 1.

At the July 1 meeting, the applicant plans to present a restrictive covenant intended to address community concerns, including building height and articulation, parking locations and buffer requirements. A restrictive covenant is a provision limiting certain property uses, such as water consumption, according to Cornell Law School.

The Sabey Data Center is located directly across the street from the "Maberry" data center.

CloudBurst Data Center

Hays County Commissioners Court discussed a separate proposed data center May 20. The facility, managed by CloudBurst, is planned for a 96-acre site on Francis Harris Lane, just outside the city limits and ETJs of both New Braunfels and San Marcos. The property was previously released from San Marcos’ ETJ.

The project is under review in Hays County for a flood hazard permit—the only active application there. In neighboring Guadalupe County, proposals are underway for the first phase of the center and an accompanying natural gas plant.

Hays County Development Services Director Marcus Pacheco clarified that, like all Texas counties, Hays County does not have legal authority over land-use regulations or zoning for the site.

The location is less than 3 miles from the two other proposed data centers. For details on the CloudBurst data center, more information is available here.

Some context

Data centers are physical locations that organizations use to house critical applications and data, according to the Data Center Coalition. These centers require cooling to maintain temperatures and prevent equipment damage.

The number of data centers has increased over the years. The U.S. Department of Energy states that data centers consumed over 4.4% of total U.S. electricity in 2023 and are expected to consume approximately 6.7% to 12% of total electricity by 2028.

What residents are saying

Residents voiced concerns about water and energy usage, noise and light pollution, federal data center policy, and more. Many acknowledged that the addition of a restrictive covenant to Maberry's proposal was a positive step, but said it did not change their overall opposition to data center development.

“I don’t want to live next to a data center—I will never be able to duplicate my home of the last 25 years, there’s nothing like it anywhere,” resident Torrie Martin said. “Today, I stand up here filled with grief that us, the wildlife, the livestock, will all suffer because of someone's greed and neglect for our town. ... Money isn’t going to fill back up that river once it’s gone. ...To quote my father, ‘If I had all of the money in the world, I would still live right here.”

Virginia Parker, executive director of the San Marcos River Foundation, said the foundation is tracking seven proposed data centers within the San Marcos River watershed—only one of which is located within San Marcos city limits. She said one has already been approved by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, in Caldwell County.

According to Parker, it is her understanding that ERCOT may only be able to approve one or two data centers in the area due to limitations on its infrastructure.

“The ERCOT region has experienced significant growth in demand on the grid due to new large electrical loads from data centers, as well as other large loads from cryptomining to oil and gas operations,” an ERCOT representative said in an email to Community Impact. “As more large loads are wanting to connect to the grid, ERCOT’s interconnection process ensures that these loads connect to the grid in a timely manner while maintaining the reliability of the grid. “

“If we knew that Maberry would block CloudBurst, it’d be a no-brainer,” Parker said.

What’s next

The next steps for the "Maberry" data center is as follows:

Jamie joined Community Impact in January 2025 after graduating with a degree in journalism from Texas State University in San Marcos. Focusing on accessible, hyper-local news, she covers city issues and city councils in San Marcos, Buda, and Kyle. Prior to joining CI, Jamie worked as a news reporter and life and arts contributor for The University Star. When she is not writing, she enjoys music, films, and exploring Hays County. Have any feedback or tips? Email Jamie at jmoore@communityimpact.com.

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An electric scooter company has said it will pull out of San Marcos when its contract with the city and Texas State University expires at the end of this month — threatening to end a popular form of transportation the city has sought to grow in recent years.

If the company, Spin Scooters, does withdraw its service, the city and Texas State will issue a request for proposals from other so-called micro-mobility companies — those offering scooters or e-bikes for individual use — willing to come in and fill the gap, Sabas Avila, San Marcos's public works director, said at the June 3 meeting of the San Marcos City Council.

Spin informed the city of its decision via email on May 30, citing low ridership levels and the potential impact of tariffs on the availability of spare parts, he said.

The city and Texas State entered into the contract with Spin in September 2021, bringing its scooters to a limited area west of Interstate 35, including the university campus. Two years later, Spin was acquired by global e-scooter company Bird, which in recent months has pulled its services out of several communities across the U.S., ranging from Oswego, New York to Bay City, Michigan, according to news reports.

For years, San Marcos officials have touted the e-scooters as being environmentally friendly and helpful in reducing traffic congestion.

On June 3, the council voted unanimously to extend the contract through 2026, with Mayor Jane Hughson saying she hoped Spin would change its mind. Texas State had already voted to renew the contract, Avila told the council.

The city issued a news release this week announcing Spin's decision after it had been discussed at the council meeting. The city pointed out that until it finds a new vendor, residents can consider getting around by city-operated buses and the university's Bobcat Shuttle, which is free to all San Marcos residents.

Avila said the e-scooter service has improved "transportation equity."

"We appreciate the partnerships we've had with Spin and Texas State University to provide our community with an environmentally sensitive alternative to single-passenger vehicles, and we look forward to continuing to offer the service with Spin or with a new vendor," he said in a written statement.

Over the past year, the council has approved two pilot programs bringing the scooters to new parts of town. The first, approved in July, allowed them east of I-35 along Aquarena Drive and Uhland Drive, and expanded their service hours to include midnight to 5 a.m.

The second program, approved in May, brought the scooters to the Blanco Gardens neighborhood alongside Willow Springs Creek east of I-35. The scooters were deployed at bus stops and had access to the area's Walmart Supercenter.

The scooters have been available for anyone to ride, paying with a smartphone application.

Spin's service in San Marcos had a total of 70,634 rides in 2024, 81,232 in 2023, 75,835 in 2022 and 62,159 in 2021, according to the June 3 council agenda.

A spokesperson for Texas State declined to comment. An email sent to a spokesperson for Spin Scooters was not returned on Tuesday.

June 11, 2025

SAN MARCOS, Texas — The Gary Job Corps Center in San Marcos, the largest Job Corps center in the U.S., is preparing to close its doors after six decades of providing free education and job training to thousands of students.

The closure follows a recent announcement from the U.S. Department of Labor that Job Corps centers nationwide will cease operations after “an internal review of the program's outcomes and structure.”

Norman Turner, the director of the Gary Center, said the decision has significant consequences for the 1,400 students currently enrolled, many of whom will now have to relocate. Additionally, 500 staff members will lose their jobs.

"We have upwards of 15, 16 technical training programs for students to come from all over the state of Texas. And our goal here is, of course, to provide just as much quality training that allows our students to be able to prosper in life and become highly productive citizens,” Turner said. "For us not to be here anymore is devastating.”

For students like Devin Haley, the closure is a major disappointment and came suddenly. Haley spent years completing his Clinical Medical Assistant program and was pursuing a second trade when he received the news.

"It's hard when you have so many plans and so many ideas that you want to go do and things that you want to build for yourself, and for that to come to a halt in just a couple of days – they just told us like, a week ago. And, you know, now we're leaving,” Haley said.

Georgia Cheatham, who worked at the center for 58 years, said she witnessed firsthand how the program changed lives.

“So many students – I had one that went to work for the railroad, and within the first year, he purchased his own home, new car, paid cash. Didn't owe anybody anything,” Cheatham said. “So these students, these young people, can do well. They can do all things."

Instructor and alumna Heather Escalante echoed that sentiment, saying without the program, she wouldn't be where she is today.

"This was the last house on the block for me. So, I fully believe if it was not for Gary, if it was not for Job Corps and all of the counterparts, all of the people here in it, I don't think I would be here today,” she said.

Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra released the following statement:

For 60 years, the Gary Job Corps Center has been a vital resource in San Marcos, offering no-cost education and job training to hundreds of young people—many from marginalized backgrounds who might otherwise fall into the judicial system. Instead, they become skilled, tax-paying citizens.

While the national success rate for Job Corps is just 32%, Gary achieves an outstanding 92%, and at a lower cost per student. It strengthens our workforce, economy, and public safety.

Closing Gary is shortsighted and bad for Texas. It’s also a reminder why I believe government should be small and locally controlled—because even with good intentions, decisions made from afar often miss the mark.

With operations scheduled to officially halt by June 30, current students are being transferred out of the campus. Turner said the center is working with local partners to help students continue their training and find education or job opportunities.

The Comal River roared as rushing waters cascaded downstream on Thursday, June 12, reflecting the aftermath of the deadly, torrential downpour that struck Central Texas overnight.

The downpour comes as Central Texas waterways, including the Guadalupe River, Comal River and Canyon Lake, are experiencing historic low water levels. More than three inches of rain fell within 30 minutes in the New Braunfels area, resulting in the reported flooding.

The Comal River levels have surged to nearly 14 feet, a drastic increase from the four feet recorded just 24 hours earlier, according to USGS water data of the Comal River. In response, the City of New Braunfels announced a temporary closure of access to the river and said it will reevaluate river conditions on Friday, June 13, to determine when Comal River recreation can safely resume.

Additionally, the city’s Spring Fed Pool at the Landa Park Aquatic Complex will be temporarily closed for the day.

San Marcos River levels

While the Comal River now gushes with water, the San Marcos River experienced a dramatic rise due to the torrential downpour. Just before 1 a.m., the river was recorded at 3.43 feet, but by 2:15 a.m., it had surged past 5 feet, according to USGS water data of the San Marcos River. The storm also caused significant power outages in areas just outside Austin.

The City of San Marcos posted on Facebook that utility crews have been working to restore power after the storm impacted more than 2,000 meters. As of 11 a.m. Thursday, only five meters remain without power across the service area.

Canyon Lake water levels

However, despite the heavy downpour, historically low Canyon Lake levels continue to persist. Over several hours, the storm caused only a minor increase in water levels for Canyon Lake, according to Water Data for Texas. As of 10:15 a.m., the lake’s level was reported at 877.79 feet (45.7% full), a slight rise from 877.18 feet (45.4%) the previous day.

New Braunfels road closures

The City of New Braunfels followed up the Comal River closure with the closing of six roads in connection to the heavy rainfall and flooding. They are as follows:

Travelers are told to check the City of New Braunfels website for up to date info on road closures.