Cover Story
The Texas Biennial lands in San Antonio with a program exploring race, immigration and activism
Once upon a time, the term “biennial” applied to the arts elicited one thing only: La Biennale di Venezia, a twice-annual exhibition inaugurated in 1895. Over the course of its 126-year history, that iconic institution grew into an expansive international affair that birthed its own discipline-focused spinoffs, including the Venice International Film Festival. It also…
San Antonio’s inaugural Dark Side of the Brew & Skew Music Festival to marry food and tunes
San Antonio food and music lovers now have another fest to look forward to. The locally organized Dark Side of the Brew & Skew Music Festival will make its debut Saturday, October 23 at Sunken Garden Theater. The inaugural musical lineup will include former Journey vocalist Steve Augeri, Austin-based Reggae outfit Micah Shalom, Los Angeles-based…
San Antonio startup Wholesome Meats will supply sustainable beef to Texas grocer H-E-B
San Antonio-based startup Wholesome Meats will supply beef to grocery giant H-E-B in a deal the companies said will raise the mainstream profile of meat not produced on factory farms. Wholesome Meats partners with a network of small, independent ranchers who adhere to strict protocols designed to protect the land and ensure better treatment of…
San Antonio-born Quick Sip Cold Brew Coffee now available at Central Market, some H-E-B stores
Quick Sip Cold Brew Coffee — a single-origin java brand born on a San Antonio college campus — is now available at 16 local H-E-B supermarkets, as well as all of the grocer’s Central Market locations. The Alamo City-based company purports to be Texas’ first and only cold-brew black coffee brand to create each of…
San Antonio’s Southtown Music Studio to offer sound meditation workshop at grand opening
Folks curious about music-driven meditation — and we’re guessing plenty of us could use a cerebral escape right now— may find solace in a Sunday, September 5 workshop from new wellness center Southtown Music Studio. The new, Latina-run center will open its doors within Southtown’s Mercury Project Contemporary Art Space that day with a class…
Texas Right to Life sets up site asking for anonymous tips on people who get or offer abortions
With the Lone Star State’s “heartbeat” abortion law poised to take effect September 1, the group Texas Right to Life has set up a website urging people to anonymously turn in alleged violators. The group’s prolifewhistleblower.com site includes an anonymous form to report people who purportedly breach the controversial measure, considered one of the country’s most restrictive…
San Antonio International Airport will add Whataburger outlet inside Terminal A next spring
Just call it a Whatalanding. Alamo City-based burger conglomerate Whataburger will be among the concessionaires offering fare to hungry travelers at San Antonio International Airport, KSAT reports. The outlet will open next spring in Terminal A. Airport and Whataburger officials announced the new culinary addition during a Tuesday news conference at the terminal. View this…
San Antonio-based Shotgun House Roasters’ fresh chai now being sold at Central Market stores
Caffeine fiends now have another San Antonio-produced option when shopping at fancy AF grocery chain Central Market. Downtown-area Shotgun House Roasters has landed its fresh chai concentrate on the shelves of the upscale supermarket concept owned by Texas grocery giant H-E-B. The roastery alerted fans to the development in its emailed newsletter, announcing that both…
After devastating flood, San Antonio’s Comfort Café will receive $10,000 from Yelp aid initiative
Thanks to a new initiative from review site Yelp, San Antonio brunch favorite Comfort Café is poised to get a financial break from recent setbacks, including a flood that shuttered its flagship Bandera Road location. The pay-what-you-can eatery will get a $10,000 donation from Yelp as part of the online company’s Make It Happen Day Fund,…
San Antonio’s Freetail Brewing introduces Texas horny toad can as part of conservation program
San Antonio’s Freetail Brewing Co. has unveiled a new can design as part of its Conserveza beer series, which supports global wildlife conservation programs. This go-round — the craft brewer’s fourth can design in the series — features a true Texas icon: the Texas horned lizard, or horny toad. Freetail’s Conserveza program, launched in 2017,…
Abbott asks Texas Supreme Court to strike down ruling protecting San Antonio’s school mask mandate
After a motion filed by Gov. Greg Abbott, the Texas Supreme Court is once again expected to rule on San Antonio’s order requiring masks in public schools. The request that the state’s highest civil court strike down an appeals court ruling protecting San Antonio and Bexar County’s mask rule is the latest move in a legal…
Desperate Texas doctors turn to antibody treatments to slow down surging COVID-19 hospitalizations
What surprised Texas retiree Kathy Hardman most was not that she got COVID-19 five months after being fully vaccinated. And it was not even that she qualified to receive an increasingly popular — yet still largely unfamiliar — experimental treatment that had been prescribed to some of the most powerful people in the country. What…
San Antonio playwright, poet and journalist Gregg Barrios has died
San Antonio playwright, poet and journalist Gregg Barrios died last week at age 80, the San Antonio-Express News reports. A native of the South Texas town of Victoria, Barrios wrote plays that were produced around the country, including I-DJ, which premiered to acclaim in San Antonio in 2012 before going on to an opening in…
UTSA and Southwest School of Art will combine to form new art school in downtown San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio and the Southwest School of Art (SSA) are taking steps to fold the independent art college into a new school inside the public university’s College of Liberal and Fine Arts, according to the San Antonio Report. The UT System’s board of regents and SSA’s board are expected to hammer…
San Antonio’s first Mochinut now open, serving up trendy Korean doughnuts
L.A.-based chain Mochinut opened its first San Antonio location over the weekend, offering fluffy, Korean-style doughnuts near Clark High School. The snack shop, located at 5222 De Zavala Road, held a soft opening on Friday, August 20, serving up raspberry, coffee, guava, matcha, banana and ube — or mashed purple yam — versions of its…
San Antonio beer joint Brooster’s Backyard says it will open South Side multi-sport complex
Southside family-friendly spot Brooster’s Backyard Icehouse plans to open a multi-sport venue, according to its a weekend social media announcement. “Did you know Brooster’s is opening a multi-sport complex here on the Southside?” the business posted Saturday on Facebook. “It will be complete with Softball, Sand Volleyball, Pickleball, Badminton, Horseshoes, Cornhole and of course a…
San Antonio chefs still in the running on Hell’s Kitchen: Young Guns hosting Monday watch party
San Antonio chefs Emily Hersh and Antonio Ruiz are still giving Gordon Ramsay hell on his Hell’s Kitchen: Young Guns cooking show — and they’re inviting local fans to a Monday watch party to cheer them on during the newst episode. Hersh and Ruiz — from Jason Dady’s Jardín at the San Antonio Botanical Garden and…
San Antonio’s Santikos Entertainment will revive shuttered Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes
Movie buffs in San Antonio have reason to celebrate. San Antonio-based theater operator Santikos Entertainment has taken over the lease at the former Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes location, MySA reports. The dinner-and-a-movie theater was officially shuttered by the Austin-based chain in April of this year after an extended closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The deal…
Allen West, GOP candidate for governor, calls wife’s DWI arrest in Dallas ‘insidious’
The wife of Texas Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen West was arrested in Dallas County for allegedly driving while intoxicated Friday night, according to the Dallas Police Department and West himself. Angela Graham-West, 61, was driving home from dinner at P.F. Changs with her 3-month-old grandson when she was pulled over and arrested for a suspected…
Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine has received full FDA approval
The Food and Drug Administration has given full approval to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, making it the first coronavirus vaccine to clear that final regulatory hurdle. The widely anticipated decision on Pfizer’s two-dose vaccine replaces emergency use authorization granted by the agency last December. Approval for the vaccine applies to adults 16 and over. Full approval of…
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tests negative for COVID-19 four days after positive test
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he has now tested negative for COVID-19, four days after testing positive for the virus. “I am told that my infection was brief and mild because of the vaccination I received,” Abbott said in a video he posted on Twitter Saturday afternoon. “So, I encourage others who have not yet received the…
Abbot Positive for COVID, Mask Mandate Court Battle: The top 10 headlines in San Antonio this week
Gov. Greg Abbott’s game of hardball with San Antonio and other Texas municipalities as they issued mask mandates to contain the spread of COVID-19 was the big story this week. That is, until Abbott revealed that he himself had tested positive for the virus he repeatedly assured us that Texans had “mastered the safe practices”…
Where to Get Yuengling, Box Street All Day: San Antonio’s biggest food stories of the week
The Current’s biggest food stories this week included legal woes surrounding the never-opened culinary venture of a country music star and TABC-driven shenanigans, but optimists, don’t fret! There was positive news, too. For instance, Texas bars began doling out Yuengling Lager in the Lone Star State for the first time in the company’s 192-year history,…
Proposed Department of Labor tip rules likely to be a pain in the ass for restaurant owners
Bar and restaurant owners, take note: things might get more complicated for your managers thanks to proposed changes to federal tip credit rules. The U.S. Department of Labor in June proposed changes that would require employers to closely monitor tipped employees’ work and sort it into three categories: “time spent on tasks that produce tips,…
San Antonio snack shop Chamoy City Limits will debut line of CBD-infused treats this fall
San Antonio snack shop Chamoy City Limits this fall will debut Mexican Candy Edibles, a CBD-infused line of sweets that will include ice pops, pecan pralines and sugary hard candies. “I’m being very precise with developing my formulas, designing all of the packaging … we’re in a good place,” Chamoy City Limits owner Ana Fernandez…
San Antonio’s Ida Claire to host six-course pairing dinner featuring Balcones Distillery spirits
Kitschy Southern-inspired eatery Ida Claire will hold a six-course dinner showcasing amber spirits produced by Waco-based Balcones Distillery. Executive Chef Nels Christensen’s menu for the Tuesday, August 24 will include items such as seared scallops with marcona almonds, fried capers and an apple cider glaze. The scallop dish will be paired with a Honey Pot…
San Antonio’s Cereal Killer Sweets launches walk-up sweet shop called C.K.S. Pastry House
The minds behind the ginormous and over-the-top creations of Cereal Killer Sweets have launched a new walk-up shop in Castle Hills called C.K.S. Pastry House. The Cereal Killer crew is offering more than just their namesake puffed rice cereal treats at the fledgling spot, however. The shop’s menu includes hybrid croissant muffins, dubbed “cruffins,” along…
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick falsely blames Black people for Texas’ climbing COVID-19 numbers
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, no stranger to racially charged rhetoric, falsely blamed African Americans for Texas’ surging COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations during a Thursday night appearance on Fox News. When asked by host Laura Ingraham to defend criticism leveled at Gov. Greg Abbott for mishandling the delta variant surge, Patrick instead deflected the blame to “African Americans…
Pirate-themed outdoor escape game, billed as ‘world’s largest,’ coming to San Antonio in October
Yarr, me hearties! This fall, the Pirates Treasure Hunt — billed as the “world’s largest outdoor escape game” — is bringing the fun to San Antonio for a pirate-themed one-day-only event. Organizers City Scavenger will bring the timed treasure hunt to downtown San Antonio on October 2. The family-friendly, outdoor event is designed for teams…
The pandemic has forced women in the restaurant industry to reevaluate how it values their work
In a series of studies from last year, economists documented the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and its financial fallout on women, particularly in service professions. As they inventoried the damage, they adopted the term “She-Cession” to describe the devastating, long-term impacts on women in the restaurant industry — financial and otherwise. Local experts say that…
San Antonio holiday attraction Rotary Ice Rink will return to Travis Park in November
The Rotary Ice Rink will make its triumphant return to Travis Park in November, KSAT reports. After skipping the 2020 season due to COVID, the popular holiday attraction will bring winter cheer to San Antonio starting November 19. The rink, organized by the Rotary Club of San Antonio, will remain open through January 17 of next…
CityScrapes: An open welcome letter to San Antonio’s new economic development director
Editor’s Note: The following is CityScrapes, a column of opinion and analysis. Welcome to San Antonio, Brenda Hicks-Sorensen. Congratulations on your new job as head of the city’s Economic Development Department. You obviously face a great many challenges. But I’m sure the senior city staff have already told you of the enormous opportunities here. You…
Photo op-focused venue The Selfie Box opening new location at San Antonio’s North Star Mall
San Antonio’s self-described “selfie museum” The Selfie Box will open a second location, this one at North Star Mall, according to a Thursday announcement shared on Instagram. The business’ flagship location, opened in February at 1602 Southwest Military Dr., offers ten interactive spaces for visitors to capture birthday pics, promo shots, music videos and plain old…
San Antonio’s North East ISD votes to require masks in all of its schools
North East Independent School District’s board voted Thursday to make masks mandatory on its campuses for up to six weeks and allowed the possibility of keeping the rule in place longer. The move makes NEISD the latest San Antonio school district to require students and staff to wear masks to curb the spread of the…
Texas-based Sommelier Rania Zayyat named one of Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40
Rania Zayyat, a 34-year-old Austin wine guru, has been named one of Wine Enthusiast magazine’s 40 Under 40 Tastemakers of 2021 for her advocacy work to promote gender equality in the wine industry. Zayyat, an advanced sommelier, founded the annual Wonder Women of Wine conference in 2018 to celebrate diversity and bring balance to the industry. The…
Texas Supreme Court temporarily allows school mask mandates to remain
The Texas Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for school districts to require people to wear masks in classrooms — at least for now. For cities, counties and school districts that have defied Gov. Greg Abbott by issuing mask mandates in public schools, the Thursday ruling is a victory on a technicality: The high court…
State of Texas sues San Antonio ISD to stop it from requiring its staff from getting vaccinated
As the local revolts grow over Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s COVID-19 orders, so does the state’s docket of lawsuits. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the San Antonio Independent School District Thursday after its superintendent said he’ll require all staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19 before an October 15 deadline. The suit, filed in Bexar County District Court…
As COVID surges, Texas Attorney General asks people to rat out municipalities requiring masks
As legal battles intensify between Gov. Greg Abbott and municipalities who push back against his order banning local mask mandates, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking Texans to rat out local officials. In a Thursday tweet, Paxton’s office urged residents to email a dedicated account to let staff there know “if your local entity…
Texas can ban common abortion procedure in second trimester, appeals court rules
Texas can limit access to the most common procedure used to end a pregnancy in the second trimester, an appeals court ruled Wednesday, in a decision likely to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. The ruling paves the way for Texas to be the first state in the nation to impose such a ban.…
Austin’s ACL Fest will require proof of vaccination or negative COVID test for entry this fall
Live music fans will need to bring their vax cards or a negative COVID test to Austin’s ACL Festival this year. The Texas-sized music festival, which draws an average of 75,000 people per day, announced the pandemic safety precautions Thursday on social media. To get in, attendees must either present a printed copy of a negative COVID-19 test…
When asked, Texans tend to round down the number of sexual partners they’ve had, survey says
New York-based Bespoke Surgical has released results of a survey showing how truthful Americans are — broken down by state — about the number of sexual partners they’ve had in their lifetime. Turns out, Texans fib when it comes to sharing their naughty numbers. The survey found that Texas residents have boned an average of…
San Antonio’s Castro brothers tout Biden’s infrastructure bill as Democratic bus tour rolls into town
Congressman Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, and former Obama housing secretary Julián Castro joined local officials in touting the Biden administration’s infrastructure plan Thursday morning in San Antonio. They, along with Mayor Ron Nirenberg and District 7 Councilwoman Ana Sandoval, appeared at Woodlawn Lake Park as part of the Democratic National Committee’s “Build Back Better” bus…
San Antonio’s Nina Diaz looks ahead, even as she helped reimagine a 1979 Elvis Costello LP
A Spanish language reimagining of Elvis Costello’s This Year’s Model titled Spanish Model will feature Nina Diaz, former frontwoman of San Antonio’s Girl in a Coma, kicking the entire album off by singing “No Action.” The honor of being in the pole position on a tribute Costello’s seminal 1978 album by a lineup of Latin…
San Antonio’s Roadmap Brewing donates nearly $11,000 to global mental health initiative
Roadmap Brewing Co. has joined the fight against mental health stigmas in a big way, raising nearly $11,000 through the Things We Don’t Say: Craft Beer for Mental Health initiative. The downtown-area business joined forces with other beer makers across the globe to release a special collaborative IPA as part of the program, which invites…
Team behind Angry Elephant bar to open new, upscale spot on San Antonio’s North Side
The team behind San Antonio’s politically themed drinkery The Angry Elephant will soon introduce a more upscale North Side space called Shin-Dig, MySA reports. The brainchild of Chip Ingram and the Angry Elephant team, Shin-Dig will feature an inviting, upscale feel with booths for private parties and a bar with granite countertops, according to the…
New monthly Vogue Nights series aims to bring ballroom culture to downtown San Antonio
With roots that date back to Harlem masquerades thrown by Black and Latino LGBTQ+ communities as early as 1869, ballroom culture is enjoying a mainstream moment — thanks in part to TV shows such as Ryan Murphy’s Emmy-winning FX drama Pose and the HBO Max reality competition series Legendary. Introduced to the masses via Jennie…
ICU doctor says Gov. Abbott’s reaction to COVID diagnosis shows he’s ‘scared’ of virus he downplays
In a tweet, emergency room physician Dr. Vin Gupta urged Texans to “take note” of Gov. Greg Abbott’s “anxious and scared” reaction after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. After Abbott’s office shared news of his positive test, Gupta — a lung doctor and NBC News contributor — tweeted that the Republican governor’s quick access…
Free Agarita performance gives voice to San Antonio Museum of Art’s ‘America’s Impressionism’
For the ensemble’s latest collaborative concert, Agarita has joined forces with the San Antonio Museum of Art for a free performance that will be held in the museum’s Great Hall. The program takes inspiration from SAMA’s current exhibition, “America’s Impressionism: Echoes of a Revolution.” Attendees are encouraged to come early and take in the exhibition…
Live Music in San Antonio This Week: Miranda Lambert, Joan Jett, FEA and more
Whether it’s a female rock icon playing a storied country venue or a tribute act hitting a gorgeous downtown theater, music fans have an eclectic choice of performers to check out this week — at an equally eclectic array of venues. Let’s hit the highlights. Wednesday, August 18 The Wallflowers Though he will likely always…
San Antonio Museum of Art screens French tearjerker Marona’s Fantastic Tale on its lawn Thursday
When Marona, a half-Labrador mix, is involved in a tragic accident, her life flashes before her eyes, taking her and the audience through a tour of her memories and the many stories she’s lived in a single lifespan. In Marona’s Fantastic Tale, the telling of Marona’s life isn’t a simple one, but instead filled with…
Developer behind never-opened Toby Keith bar in San Antonio pleads guilty to federal charges
Frank Capri, a former mobster turned government witness turned developer, who sold a franchises to develop Toby Keith- and Rascal Flatts-branded restaurants in San Antonio and other cities, pleaded guilty last week in Arizona to federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and tax evasion. Capri’s scheme, which began in 2011 and continued through…
USA Today names San Antonio’s Cottonwood Wine Tours one of nation’s 10 best wine tours
San Antonio-based Cottonwood Wine Tours has landed the 10th-place slot on USA Today’s recent roundup of the nation’s best wine tours. Owned and operated by husand-and-wife team Matthew and Brandy Garcia, the company rounded out a USA Today 10Best list of the top wine-centric tour providers. The newspaper based the list on the tours’ quality of…
San Antonio’s new Gravves Coffee bringing spooky vibes to St. Mary’s Strip
Folks on the lookout for a hauntingly good cup of coffee, take note. Gravves Coffee is now serving up colorful, Halloween-worthy specialty brews on the St. Mary’s Strip, MySA reports. The San Antonio-based — but Salem, Massachusetts-inspired — mobile coffee spot slings alternative drinks such as the The Forest Dweller, a mossy colored brew that…
San Antonio’s far North Side to gain Texas comfort food staple Kerbey Lane Cafe
Folks looking for a taste of hearty comfort food may soon have one more spot to frequent: longtime Austin staple Kerbey Lane Cafe has set its sights on the Alamo City for a future expansion. Regulatory filings show a San Antonio location of the restaurant is planned for 5515 N. Loop 1604 West, near Velvet…
Texas school district finds the perfect loophole for requiring masks in class: its dress code
While San Antonio and other Texas municipalities duke it out in court with Gov. Greg Abbott over his refusal to allow schools to issue mask mandates, a district in Northeast Texas has taken another tack — finding a loophole. On Tuesday, the Paris Independent School District announced that it will require face masks as a…
San Antonio Metro Health doctor says COVID crisis could stretch for a year without rise in vaccinations
Metro Health Medical Director Dr. Junda Woo warned during Tuesday night’s city and county COVID-19 briefing that if vaccination rates and mask use don’t improve, residents could be in for a long haul in dealing with the virus. “Do we want to be in this for another few months? Or do we want to be…
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has tested positive for COVID-19
Gov. Greg Abbott tested positive Tuesday for COVID-19, according to his office. Abbott, who is fully vaccinated, is not experiencing symptoms and has isolated at the Governor’s Mansion, spokesperson Mark Miner said in the statement. The Republican governor also is receiving Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment. “The Governor has been testing daily, and today was the…
Ford Holiday River Parade will return to San Antonio River Walk for 40th anniversary in November
Another San Antonio tradition is back: the Ford Holiday River Parade. The event returns on Friday, November 26 for its 40th annual installment. Festivities begin at 6 p.m., and the parade will be broadcast on KABB-TV/CW35 from 7-8 p.m. Under the banner of “40 Years of Magic,” the parade will celebrate its history with 28 illuminated…
State authorities request five morgue trailers to station in San Antonio as COVID-19 deaths rise
In a replay of a scene from last summer’s COVID-19 surge, Texas has requested five mortuary trailers from federal authorities that it will station in Bexar County to deal with a wave of deaths among the infected. State health officials submitted the request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency earlier this month, according to an…
Olla Express Café the sole San Antonio business to contend for H-E-B’s Quest for Texas Best prize
Coffee vendor Olla Express Café is the sole San Antonio-based contender in H-E-B’s eighth annual Quest for Texas Best contest, in which small food businesses compete for cash and space on the grocer’s shelves. Alamo City-based H-E-B’s contest pits 20 businesses against each other in a battle of budding entrepreneurship. A panel of H-E-B-selected judges…
Owner of San Antonio’s El Remedio food trucks plans Mexican sushi concept
San Antonio birria and mariscos food truck operator El Remedio will soon debut a mobile Sinaloa-style sushi concept, featuring 10 types of rolls packed with items including chicken, beef, shrimp, crab and cheese. El Remedio owner Joshua Palacios told news site MySA that the newest mobile kitchen in his three-vehicle fleet will be dedicated to…
Highly anticipated San Antonio eatery Box Street All Day to hold sneak peek pop-up this weekend
Long-awaited downtown restaurant Box Street All Day is expected to open its doors by year’s end. But for those who can’t wait, chef-owner Edward Garcia and and co-owner Daniel Treviño will offer a sneak peek at the casual, chef-driven concept’s menu via a Saturday, August 21 pop-up. The event will feature bubbles and brunch items from…
San Antonio ISD will require teachers and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19
San Antonio ISD will require all staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, district Superintendent Pedro Martinez told the Express-News. SAISD appears to be the first large Texas school district to make employee vaccinations mandatory, according to the Texas Tribune. District workers who haven’t yet received their shots are expected to be fully vaccinated by Oct.…
Sen. John Cornyn says he won’t support legalizing pot because of, get this, opioid overdoses
Don’t expect U.S. Sen. John Cornyn to be swayed as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer works to build support for marijuana legalization in the upper chamber. NORML recently shared a letter Cornyn sent a constituent who asked him about marijuana policy, and in that reply, the Texas Republican said he won’t vote to legalize cannabis…
San Antonio-based Whataburger the latest food chain to get in on the branded apparel trend
Move over, Cheetos and Pizza Hut, San Antonio-based Whataburger has joined the bevy of food brands angling to break into the fashion biz. We say “angling” here because Whataburger die-hards can now reel in fishing trip-worthy attire in the chain’s signature orange and white color scheme. The new duds are part of a partnership with clothing company…
San Antonio and Bexar County win court victory over governor, upholding school mask mandates
A Bexar County district judge has ruled that San Antonio and Bexar County can, at least for now, maintain mask mandates despite an order by Gov. Greg Abbott seeking to block local entities from enacting such requirements. Judge Antonia Arteaga on Monday afternoon issued a temporary injunction allowing the city and county to continue requiring masks…
These San Antonio bars are serving Yuengling as the cult beer makes its Texas debut on Monday
Pennsylvania’s D.G. Yuengling & Son — the oldest operating U.S. brewery — began brewing its famous suds in Texas back in May, and as of Monday, two of those brews will start flowing freely in the Alamo City. Since Yuengling’s distribution previously reached only as far west as Louisiana, a Texas source for its easy-drinking brews…
San Antonio’s 13th Floor Haunted House is hiring actors to scare the shit out of people this Halloween
San Antonio’s 13th Floor Haunted House is looking for folks eager to unleash their inner ghoul — and make some money while they’re at it. 13th Floor is now hiring actors to scare the shit out of visitors who line up for its fall tours in advance of Halloween. In addition to populating the haunt with spooky…
San Antonio is home to top staycation-worthy hotels, according to latest Yelp ranking
Labor Day weekend is nearly upon us, and those looking to plan a staycation can turn to a new report from review site Yelp that ranks 21 San Antonio spots in its Top 100 Places to Stay in Texas. While the list is broad enough to include bed and breakfasts and so-called “glamping” spots, the…
Greg Abbott’s $250 million in funding for a border wall likely to get him 20 miles, report suggests
Your tax dollars at work, Texas. New state spending amid Gov. Greg Abbott’s $250 million pledge to resurrect Donald Trump’s border wall suggests all those dollars will get the Republican governor a whopping 20 miles of barrier, the Texas Tribune reports. The news organization based its estimate on details of a $25-million state contract to…
Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation building $8 million growing site for medical pot
Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation has broken ground on a nearly 100,000-square-foot cannabis cultivation and processing site in Bastrop, a half hour east of Austin. The company, one of three approved to legally grow weed in Texas, is building the $8 million facility to keep up with patient demand as the state expands its so-called compassionate…
TABC threatens to pull licenses from Texas eateries requiring proof of vaccination for entry
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is now warning restaurant operators that Senate Bill 968, passed during the last regular legislative session, bars them from making customers show proof they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19. The TABC has already asked six Texas businesses to stop requiring proof of vaccination or risk having their alcohol permits revoked, the Texas…
Dancers Maks and Val will let it all hang out at San Antonio’s Tobin Center on Tuesday
Perhaps you remember new waver Adam Ant’s ’80s hit “Strip.” Well, this event has nothing to do with that song, except for one big thing — and we’ll give you a hint: it’s not Adam Ant. Brothers Maks and Val Chmerkovskiy will be, uh, “getting real” with the crowd, baring their souls “intimately” with storytelling,…
Three dead, two wounded following early Sunday shooting at East San Antonio sports bar
An as-yet identified man fatally shot three people and wounded two others outside of East San Antonio’s Boom Boom Sports Bar following an argument, according to police. The shooting occurred at about 3:30 a.m. Sunday, August 14 at Boom Boom Sports Bar, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus told news site KENS5. Investigators said an…
Court rules that smokeable hemp can be sold in Texas, as long as it’s not produced inside the state
So much has been going on in Texas’ court fights with municipalities over mask mandates, that it might have been easy to miss a significant legal turn about smokeable hemp in the state. Last Thursday, a Texas appeals court handed down a mixed bag of a ruling that says regulators can’t stop smokeable hemp products…
Texas Supreme Court temporarily halts mask orders, but San Antonio will still require them in schools
In the latest turn in the ongoing COVID-19 showdown between Gov. Greg Abbott and the state’s large municipalities, the Texas Supreme Court on Sunday temporarily blocked mask mandates in Bexar and Dallas Counties. The all-Republican court’s ruling came after some school districts and counties around the state defied Abbott’s executive order banning local entities from…
In blows to Gov. Greg Abbott, appeals courts uphold mask mandates in San Antonio and Dallas
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott suffered a pair of defeats Friday afternoon in his bid to overturn mask mandates in Dallas and Bexar counties. The 4th Court of Appeals in San Antonio tossed out Abbott’s appeal to nix an order by the local health authority in Bexar County mandating mask-wearing in local public schools. Abbott sought to…
Texas draws criticism with plan to lure tourists to sites where Indigenous people were banished
This story was published in partnership with The Guardian. Texas, which exterminated or displaced most of the Indigenous people in the state, now wants to cash in on them. While lawmakers support legislation that could further restrict how Indigenous history is taught in schools, a state agency appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott is trying to…
San Antonio’s ‘Queen of the Accordion’ is still forging her own path
Eva Ybarra plays her accordion with such passion that it can feel like fury. Smashing the instrument’s buttons and stretching her arms out wide, then quickly contracting, Ybarra bends air to produce rich vibrations of sound. One of her original ballads, “El Eco De Mi Voz,” is a booming, dramatic affair: When she starts to…
San Antonio-based Cruising Kitchens gifts $250,000 food truck to Olympic gold medalist’s mom
New Olympic gold medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock made headlines last week, when she told Houston TV station ABC 13 that she planned to use part of her winnings from the games to buy a food truck for her mom. San Antonio-based entrepreneur Cameron Davies did her one better and offered to gift the wrestler’s mother a $250,000…
San Antonio’s Comfort Café closed this weekend following staff-wide COVID exposure
Local brunch darling Comfort Café will be closed this weekend, marking its second consecutive weekend closure following staff-wide exposure to COVID-19, MySA reports. Owner Teri Lopez told the news site she plans to reopen the restaurant, located in the Los Patios development, on Friday, August 20 to ensure staff is able to safeguard against spreading the…
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz accuses Biden White House of ‘persecuting’ some Capitol insurrectionists
Storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6 doesn’t automatically make someone a criminal, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz told the Huffington Post Thursday. In an interview with the news site, the Texas Republican said that if someone assaulted a police officer during the melee, “they should spend a long, long time in jail.” “If, on the other…
Andrew Dice Clay, School Masks Lawsuit: The top 10 headlines in San Antonio this week
With so much dysfunction racking the state of Texas right now, people must be looking to escape with laughs. How else to explain the Current’s most-read story of the week was an interview with standup comedian Andrew Dice Clay, who was booked to play the AT&T Center’s newly revamped Terrace Club? But, apparently not all…
Luna Rosa, Mr. Crabby’s: San Antonio’s biggest food stories of the week
The Current’s biggest food stories this week consisted mostly of opening announcements for new restaurants, including Bar Loretta’s debut of its craft cocktails and fancy fare in Southtown, and steaming seafood on the Northeast side from McAllen-based Mr. Crabby’s. The oddball of this week’s top stories focused on a report from a home-project advice site…
River-Level Revamp: Hotel Contessa’s upgraded Ambler Texas Kitchen isn’t just pretty to look at
When I first learned that the river-level restaurant at San Antonio’s Hotel Contessa had been renovated and rebranded, I’ll admit I wasn’t exactly looking forward to a visit. My last to the hotel was circa 2015, and my memory focused on a dingy, slightly off-smelling water feature that spanned one wall of the cavernous, almost…
E-grocer specializing in Asian and Hispanic food products launches service in San Antonio
San Antonio is home to plenty of international markets, but folks hankering for a taste of their home countries — or just looking to broaden their culinary horizons — now have an another online option too. Weee!, an e-grocer specializing in Asian and Hispanic products, this week launched service in the Alamo City. The California-based…
Across Texas, frantic parents search for options to keep kids safe in school
Heather Robertson has been on lockdown since March 2020. While restaurants, stadiums and stores have reopened across the state, Robertson and her Sugar Land family have not been afforded the comfort of pre-pandemic life. Her 7-year-old son, Reid, had a liver transplant when he was 10 months old, leaving him immunosuppressed and more at risk…
San Antonio-tied Lone Star Beer introduces hilariously unnecessary bar sign-slash-bug zapper
What’s a product launch without a good gimmick? To celebrate the recent-ish introduction of its Lone Star Agave Seltzers, San Antonio-tied Lone Star Beer and its ad agency of record, CALLEN, have debuted a four-foot-by-four-foot neon bar sign that doubles as a functioning mosquito zapper. View this post on Instagram A post shared by CALLEN…
California psych masters The Blank Tapes will roll into San Antonio’s Lowcountry on Sunday
The Blank Tapes, one of American’s best purveyors of throwback guitar music, will bring its indomitable California psych to Lowcountry on Sunday, August 15. Local acts Sunjammer, Aunt Baby and Mockingbird Express will round out the free show. The Blank Tapes’ sound, on record at least, brings together the playful low-fi charm of DIY cassette culture with a…
Surge in calls amid current COVID wave ties up San Antonio EMS units for 26 minutes on Thursday
All of San Antonio’s available EMS units were tied up for 26 minutes on Thursday due to a surge in 911 calls for COVID-19 and other emergencies, KSAT reports. San Antonio City Manager Erik Walsh said all 39 available units were in use for that nearly half-hour period, according to the TV station. San Antonio…
2021 San Antonio Beer Run will kick off in early September — no actual running required
Thirteen San Antonio craft breweries will participate in 2021’s San Antonio Beer Run, an event that aims to connect local brewers with locals who savor quality suds. The Beer Run encourages brewery-goers to snag new beers from each participating brewery during the week of September 4-11 and get a special passport stamped at each visit.…
Analysis: Abbott’s mishandling of COVID-19 may become his biggest liability — if Dems seize on it
A few weeks ago, it looked like Gov. Greg Abbott’s biggest political weakness as he runs for 2022 reelection was his unwillingness to hold anyone of consequence accountable for February’s devastating power failures. But as new COVID-19 cases wash over the state, threatening to overwhelm hospitals, Abbott has painted himself into an unenviable corner with…
Hear ye, hear ye! Texas Renaissance Festival to open online ticket sales on Friday
San Antonians who regularly use the exclamation “Huzzah!” may delight to know the Texas Renaissance Festival will begin selling tickets to its 2021 festivities on Friday, August 13. This year’s fest — which takes place in Todd Mission, about an hour north of Houston — will include 50 performers plus food vendors, artisans, wine tastings and…
Burger joint P. Terry’s brews up exclusive coffee collaboration with San Antonio-based H-E-B
P. Terry’s Burger Stand has inked an exclusive deal to offer San Antonio-based H-E-B’s Cafe Olé Organics coffee in all of its locations. The Austin-based chain will brew the organic medium roast coffee in-house daily from freshly ground beans. Fans of the brew will also be able to pick it up at their area H-E-B,…
Texas Senate outlasts 15-hour filibuster by Sen. Carol Alvarado to pass GOP voting-restrictions bill
Since before sunset Wednesday, state Sen. Carol Alvarado had been on her feet speaking, not allowed to sit or lean against her desk, on the Senate floor. Unable to take bathroom breaks or drink water, she had worn a back brace, eyeglasses and running shoes and talked slowly behind a desk stacked with papers and with…
When Garrett T. Capps sings about loving San Antonio, best believe he means it
Human culture accrues in a sedimentary fashion, each generation adding its own layer to the earlier ones. San Antonio is no exception to that rule. Our history and cultural legacy can seem so monolithic at times that, almost as a coping mechanism, we forget what a rich history we have. Sometimes, though, a person arrives…
San Antonio’s Second Pitch Beer Co. will celebrate first anniversary this month with daylong party
Northeast San Antonio’s Second Pitch Beer Co. will celebrate its first year in business with a Saturday, August 28 blowout featuring beer-themed trivia, artisan vendors, live music and a charity dunk tank. The celebration will also offer eats from local food trucks, birthday cake, live music and onsite haircuts from Diesel Barbershop. “We cannot believe…
San Antonio’s Vista Brewing launching summer music, barbecue pop-up series
New-ish downtown-area beer garden Vista Brewing will hold a summer music and food series featuring San Antonio-based musicians and mobile kitchens. The series will kick off Saturday, August 14 with music from singer-songwriter Brandon Padier from 6-8 p.m. and eats from Reese Bros BBQ, a smoked meat outfit which recently announced plans for a brick and…
San Antonio’s Northside ISD still isn’t requiring masks after the county’s court victory over Abbott
Northside ISD, Bexar County’s largest school district, plans to keep masks optional for students and personnel for the time being, even though Metro Health has ordered all districts in the county to require face coverings. In an email to district employees obtained by the Texas Tribune, Superintendent Brian Woods said he’s delaying a mask mandate…
Live Music in San Antonio This Week: Lance Bass, Goatwhore, Mountain Goats and more
This week’s slate of shows in San Antonio has a caprine theme, apparently. On Wednesday and Friday, Paper Tiger plays host to two bands named for bleating animals — Goatwhore and the Mountain Goats. If goat-themed bands aren’t you thing, there’s plenty else to choose from, including a blast from the past by none other…
Comic Iliza Shlesinger is ‘Back in Action’ with new tour coming to San Antonio’s Tobin Center
Comedian Iliza Shlesinger isn’t about to settle. “It’s easy to vilify women because our voices have been so underrepresented,” Schlesinger recently told ABC News. “It’s easy to make us into the enemy. Women are supposed to be grateful, and we’re supposed to just like whatever we’re given.” Instead, the 2008 winner of Last Comic Standing…
San Antonio-based company will pay out $420,000 over alleged harassment of Black employees
San Antonio construction firm CCC Group Inc. will pay $420,000 to settle a lawsuit accusing it of creating a work environment “rife with racist comments and discriminatory work conditions,” according to federal regulators. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced the settlement Tuesday, adding that CCC Group also agreed to other forms of relief including…
WWE Monday Night Raw returns to San Antonio’s AT&T Center
RAW World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Champion Bobby Lashley, RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton are only a few of the big-name pro wrestlers on the schedule when the WWE comes to San Antonio’s AT&T Center with its popular TV series. The live event takes place five days before the highly…
Heartwarming comedian Jesus Trejo brings the laughs to San Antonio on Thursday
The word “heartwarming” doesn’t exactly spring to mind when it comes to standup comics. Unless it comes to Jesus Trejo. Trejo’s done a Showtime standup special and appears on shows including Mr. Iglesias, Alone Together and Teachers. That’s standard fare for a successful comedian. The “heartwarming” thing comes in via a documentary the AARP made…
New seafood joint Mr. Crabby’s now open in Northeast San Antonio
McAllen-born Mr. Crabby’s Seafood Kitchen and Bar has opened in the northeastern suburb of Selma, doling out shrimp boils, crab legs, lobster and oysters in a variety of preparations. Live Oak City Council held a Tuesday ribbon-cutting ceremony at the space, located at 14601 Interstate 35 North, which formerly housed a Houlihan’s. According to an…
UTSA modifies course delivery, implements mandatory COVID-19 testing for fall semester
A Wednesday email from University of Texas at San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy shared two principal adjustments being made to campus operations for the first three weeks of the upcoming fall semester. Though the fall semester will begin as planned on August 23, the state university will hold most courses online for the first three weeks,…
Here We Go Again: How bad is San Antonio’s new wave of COVID infections? The choice is yours.
Editor’s note: The following is Current Events, a column of opinion and analysis. We were warned about this. For months, the nation’s public health experts told us exactly what would happen if enough of us didn’t roll up our sleeves and step up for our Fauci ouchies. And now here we are. The highly contagious…
San Antonio’s revered mini-chain Taquería Datapoint to open Northside location next week
SA’s beloved Taquería Datapoint will open a location on the city’s North side next week, bringing tacos San Antonians swear by to 4503 De Zavala Road, MySA reports. Luz Elena, sister of the taquería’s owners, told the news site that the new location is scheduled to open next Monday, August 16. “We are very happy…
TPR and Slab Cinema present an outdoor screening of silent film classic Safety Last! on Thursday
Texas Public Radio and Slab Cinema are teaming up to screen the 1923 silent romantic comedy starring Harold Lloyd, Safety Last! In the movie, Lloyd plays a young man who travels to the big city to find a job, so he can make enough money to marry his girlfriend. If you’ve never heard of the…
Tlahco Mexican Kitchen is opening a second location in San Antonio’s Stone Oak neighborhood
Popular San Antonio eatery Tlahco Mexican Kitchen will bring its fresh, Mexican flavors to the Stone Oak area this fall, the San Antonio Express-News reports. The second location at 1662 Encino Rio, Suite 100 will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, stretching into late night, the daily reports. The opening date hasn’t been announced,…
‘I am frightened by what is coming’: Texas hospitals could soon be overwhelmed by COVID-19 caseload, officials say
Texas hospitals are on the brink of catastrophe, close to being completely overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients, leaders of some of the state’s largest hospitals told state lawmakers Tuesday. Official after official used their strongest descriptions to get the point across to legislators: Hospitalizations are rising too fast for them to keep up with, and it…
Fast and furious filmmakers will screen movies Wednesday at San Antonio’s 48-Hour Film Fest
If the 48-Hour Film Project — or 48HFP, as it’s known among the cognoscenti — was an athletic competition, Philip Nelson, producer of San Antonio’s 48-Hour Film Festival, said it would be akin to a marathon. “In other film competitions, winning is all anyone cares about,” he said. “With the 48HFP, being able to say you…
San Antonio’s Tobin Entertainment bringing former Verizon Amphitheater back to life as venue
After more than a dozen years without regularly hosting touring concerts, the former Verizon Amphitheater is about to return as a full-time music venue. Tobin Entertainment LLC, the tour promotion arm of San Antonio’s Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, has inked a deal to take over booking and management of the 20,000-seat, open-air amphitheater,…
