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CPS, Sprawl and Solar: SA’s sustainable report card
It’s hard to realistically plan for life in San Antonio 26 years into the future. By 2040, every current player in a Spurs jersey will be long retired, seven presidential elections will have passed and—at the current rate of production—19 new iPhone models will be introduced into and phased out of consumer pockets. Meanwhile, the…
Heroes and Fantasies Debuts New Star Wars Comic Cover
Just in time for the Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser, comic shop juggernaut Heroes and Fantasies has revealed an exclusive variant cover for Marvel’s Star Wars #1, featuring Boba Fett and Han Solo. A “variant cover” is a print run of a comic book with unique art featured on the comic book’s cover page.…
The Red Mamba Teams Up With Big Red
San Antonio’s Spurs Forward Matt Bonner, known for his range from downtown and signature red hair, has signed on to serve as Big Red’s brand ambassador. “The Red Mamba” might be the biggest free agent signing in the history of the Texas-based soft drink company, which will plaster images of Bonner with Big Red all…
Appeals Court Stops Texas from Killing Mentally Ill Inmate
A mentally ill Texas inmate who shot and killed his in-laws in 1992 won’t be executed today. Scott Panetti, a diagnosed schizophrenic, believes he is being executed for preaching the gospel, not for the brutal murder he committed in front of his estranged wife and child years ago. “We STAY the execution pending further order…
Teen Birth Rate Continues to Decline, But Still Higher Than National Average
The teen birth rate in Bexar County continues to decline, new data released by San Antonio Metro Health and Project Worth show, but our rate is still higher than the national average. In 2013, the Bexar County birth rate declined to 40.1 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19, totaling to 2,590 births for…
Q&A with Texas House District 123 Candidates: Melissa Aguillon
Our Q&A series with the candidates running for Mike Villarreal’s Texas House of Representatives position continues with candidate Melissa Aguillon, a local public relations and marketing professional. We still have no date for the special election, though. [Related: Q&A with Texas House District 123 Candidates: Diego Bernal] Tell us about your background. How will your professional…
Austin Psych Fest Announces 2015 Lineup
[Psychedelic wolf whistle with heavy reverb] Austin Psych Fest has announced its 2015 lineup and it’s a lysergic doozy. From indie gems like Mac DeMarco and Tame Impala to heavy hitters like The Flaming Lips, and Jesus and Mary Chain (doing ’85’s Psychocandy), the Reverberation Appreciation Society presents another stunning display of mind-melting music. For…
Senator Wants to Beef Up Texas Synthetic Pot Laws
Synthetic marijuana is already illegal in Texas, sort of. The legality of the product depends on chemical composition and only certain chemical structures are listed as controlled substances in the Lone Star State. Texas District 28 Senator Charles Perry wants to change that. “In shops across the state, dangerous synthetic drugs are being sold to…
5 Ways to Get Your Drink/Grub on This Week
Friday, December 5: The Esquire Tavern is celebrating its birthday this Friday, marking 81 glorious years of legal alcohol consumption since the end of Prohibition (aka Repeal Day). The boozy party will feature a live jazz quartet and a performance by the award-winning Stars and Garters burlesque troupe. David Alan, Tipsy Texan blogger, will be…
11 Free Events Happening this Week
Tuesday 12/2 Bohanan and Say Sí’s Annual Downtown Celebration ‘Tis the season to enjoy candy canes, bright lights, merry tunes and festive trees, but what would the holidays be without a festive range of classic cocktails, delicious bites and your favorite wines? Join Bohanan’s Restaurant & Bar for Holidays on Houston Street, as Executive Chef…
Marijuana Policy and Texas’ 84th Legislative Session
With the next legislative session rapidly approaching, we thought we’d take a look at whether any marijuana bills were going to be introduced. And sure enough, on December 2, Houston Representative Harold Dutton, D-142, filed a bill seeking to reduce certain penalties for marijuana possession. But legalese is hard, so we contacted Marijuana Policy Project Texas Political…
Aural Pleasure: Foo Fighters’ ‘Sonic Highways’
Foo Fighters | Sonic Highways | RCA | ★★★★ The Foo Fighters traveled to virtually every music mecca in the United States to harness each music scene into their eighth studio album, Sonic Highways. Dave Grohl and company went on a voyage to eight prominent cities (Chicago, D.C., Nashville, Austin, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Seattle…
Marco Belinelli Posterizes Sixers in Spurs Win
There’s 10 minutes left in the second quarter of the Spurs visit to Philadelphia when Marco Belinelli goes the opposite way on a pick from Jeff Ayres. Belinelli, not known for such monstrous posterizing, gets up and jams in the face of forward Henry Sims. The carve-left-slam-right move was the highlight of Belinelli’s night, scoring…
Q&A with Texas House District 123 Candidates: Diego Bernal
Some two weeks after mayoral candidate Mike Villarreal resigned from his seat in the Texas House of Representatives, former District 1 Councilman Diego Bernal and public relations consultant Melissa Aguillon, with their eyes on the Texas Legislature, officially launched their campaigns over the weekend. And, according to the San Antonio Express-News, former councilman Walter Martinez…
SA City Council to Discuss Ride-Share Companies
December 3, Update: City Council will vote on the proposed amendments to Chapter 33 of the Transportation Code on December 11. The council had a robust discussion today, where we heard much of the same stuff we’ve heard over the past few months. The real fireworks will come December 11 and we’ll be there to…
5 Things You Have to do This Week
Tuesday 12/2 & Saturday 12/6 OPEN: Downtown Pop Up Shops Easily among the nicest surprises of last year’s holiday season, the Center City Development Office’s OPEN: Downtown Pop Up Shops return to activate underutilized Houston Street storefronts every Tuesday and Saturday in December. Although the collab between property owners, small businesses and artists has yet to…
Texas Attorney General Rules Against Our Open Records Request
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and heir to the Lone Star State’s governorship, recently ruled against an open records request we filed. After a black man named Michael Brown was killed earlier this year by a white cop named Darren Wilson, we watched and listened, like most of the nation, as Ferguson, Missouri, erupted into…
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Trailer Arrives on YouTube
As expected, the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer is now on YouTube. Earlier this week, Disney announced that 30 cities would see a glimpse of the latest film in the iconic sci-fi franchise in movie theaters this weekend, and San Antonio is not on the list. But not to worry, you can watch it…
4 Ways to Get Your Drink/Grub on This Week
Friday, November 28: This one’s for the bros. Dallas-based Twin Peaks will host a “real black Friday” across the country as servers don their sexiest black lingerie instead of their usual teensy flannel “shirts.” Stop in to your local man cave-esque Twin Peaks and take in the show. Hours vary, 12790 I-10 W, 702 NW…
Downtown Rally and March for Ferguson Planned Friday
On Friday, November 28, San Antonio protesters will reconvene at the Bexar County Courthouse for a rally and march held in solidarity for Ferguson, MO. Organized by a group of citizens that bill themselves as SATX4Ferguson, the protest is meant to highlight the excessive use of force by law enforcement and Monday’s grand jury decision…
What Are Texans Thankful For?
Facebook released a map this week that has a state-by-state breakdown of what people say they are thankful for on social media. The map is a bit mundane, but looking it over will kill a few moments between your Thanksgiving meal and dessert. While many states have a religious sentiment to their gratitude (Utah is…
With Popovich Out, Spurs Win Over Pacers 106-100
Spurs Assistant Coach Ettore Messina turned a humdrum November game against the Indiana Pacers into a historic night at the AT&T Center, becoming the first European-bred skipper to helm an NBA team. While Head Coach Gregg Popovich took the evening off to recover from a minor medical procedure, Messina guided San Antonio to a 106-100…
Sippin’ and Shoppin’ on Small Business Saturday at the Alley on Bitters
SPONSORED CONTENT Join The Alley on Bitters for a holiday celebration. They’re kicking off a toy and gift drive for St. Peter-St.Joseph Childrens Home, where you’ll enjoy visits by Santa, a Flat Stanley Santa Hide-n-Seek Raffle and have your chance to win additional prizes, all while sippin’ on complimentary beverages. Your sippin’ and shoppin’ journey will…
NPR is Thankful for the San Antonio Spurs
According to commentator Frank DeFord, who, by the way, has the greatest sideburns in the history of facial hair, 107 percent of people polled love the San Antonio Spurs. That math seems legit. It comes from a piece today that aired on NPR’s Morning Edition about giving thanks for San Antonio’s NBA champions. In his…
H-E-B Schools Rampage Hockey Players on Healthy Eating
In the spirit of Thanksgiving feasting, eleven members of the San Antonio Rampage attended a cooking class at the H-E-B Culinary Academy. Chef Matthew Davis, Culinary Training Manager, along with assistant Caleb Carter, Culinary Trainer, led players through a condensed version of their “boot camp.” [Related: 37 Photos of San Antonio Rampage Hockey Players at the…
Texas Set to Execute Schizophrenic Inmate
Scott Louis Panetti believes he is going to be executed for preaching the gospel. That’s far from the truth, but Panetti—a diagnosed schizophrenic, who is insane and suffers delusions—is being executed for murdering Joe Gaitan Alvarado, Jr., 55, and Amanda Carrion Alvarado, 56, in 1992 at their Fredericksburg home. The Alvarado’s were his estranged wife’s…
For Three Artists at Artpace, the Mechanics of Photography is the Message
The Fall 2014 Artists-in-Residence exhibition at Artpace is a study in taxonomy, and a fine example of the curatorial ideal that work exists in conversation. Most surprising, the work that seems at first the least pre-possessing possesses tremendous power; not just as a series of beautiful objects, but as an utterance about the gallery experience.…
Hank Lee Builds the World
If you try to research Hank Lee on the internet you won’t learn much, but you will find two things: 1. A man named Hank Lee owns San Angel Folk Art Gallery and 2. Hank Lee’s Magic Emporium closed and generations of would-be magicians are pretty bummed. While the latter has no affiliation to San…
Game On: Grown-up fun at 4th Quarter Sports Bar
Let’s face it: In our quest to cover just about every bar in San Antonio, I’ve been to too many bars that haven’t made for the best experiences. Sure, I try to find the silver lining and let readers decide whether they’ll visit a spot, but sometimes bars win me over from the get-go. This…
On the Rocks: Rye’s time to shine
It’s fall, and you know what that means: Pumpkin Spice Latte!!! Not. I withdraw the statement—especially the exclamation points which can be recycled and more honestly used somewhere else. And besides: This is San Antonio, not exactly the land of Hot Toddys and buttered rums. No, let’s look instead to drinks that, befitting our mostly…
Flavor File: Moves for Quarry Farmers & Ranchers Market, Big Bob’s helps Elf Louise
Times are a-changing for the Quarry Farmers & Ranchers Market after receiving a letter of early termination from the Alamo Quarry’s management company, American Assets Trusts, which terminates their lease agreement effective December 8. A bit of history: The market, founded by F. David Lent and Heather Hunter, has spent the last three years at…
6 Ways to Get Your Drink/Grub on this Week
Thursday, November 27: The Omni Colonnade is celebrating Thanksgiving with some bubbles and breakfast faves. Take the family down for breakfast entrees, including Southwest Eggs Benedict with chipotle hollandaise sauce; an omelet station; seasonal fruit; fresh-baked breads and pastries; cheeses and cured meats; a soup and salad garden; a seafood display; and a carved-to-order station.…
Lunchtime Snob: Gaucho Gourmet
I’m a sucker for a good grilled cheese—the cheesier, the better. So when Gaucho Gourmet (935 Isom) announced the “reload” of the warehouse last month with a line of to-go sandwiches, snacks and pasta sides (arguably the best sides of all time), available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, I knew I had…
Flying High: Airport bites that don’t suck
With the holidays comes one of the most dreaded aspects of the season: travel. When stale pretzels and a watered-down Diet Coke won’t do, cozy up in one of these Texas airport hot spots for some first-class bites (and a lot of drinks) that will take the edge off until you can make it home…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): What exactly do you believe in, Aries? What’s your philosophy of life? Do you think that most people are basically good and that you can make a meaningful life for yourself if you just work hard and act kind? Do you believe that evil, shapeshifting, kitten-eating extraterrestrials have taken on human…
Mayoral Horse Race
For new mayoral candidate State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, it’s far too early to tell whether San Antonio’s nondiscrimination ordinance meets the mark or needs work. “Until we see the statute utilized there’s no way to tell,” Van de Putte said, adding that a judgment would be premature. There are currently two complaints filed…
Savage Love: Cruel Intentions
I am a bi male in my early 20s who until recently was in the closet. I have been exploring my sexuality for the past year, and I didn’t want to label myself and open a Pandora’s box of oppression in the American South before I knew who I was for sure. I learned through…
SAWS Leads Nation in Water Conservation
If it weren’t for a blind cave-dwelling salamander San Antonio might have never seen the light when it comes to water conservation. The Texas Blind Salamander is a state and federal endangered species, and in the 1990s the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit that resulted in the formation of the Edwards Aquifer Authority and in…
The Home Vidiot: November videos overdose on delirium
New video releases include lots of the visionary mavericks who make cinema worth living. A simple love story launches into jazz-fueled surrealism from the get-go in Michel Gondry’s Mood Indigo, a head-spinning explosion of visual creativity that starts out dizzy and delirious and finishes glum and gloomy. There’s an extended cut (30 minutes longer) that’s…
The Fight for Better Care for Pregnant Women in Texas Jails
Shela Williams, a 29-year-old mother living in Austin, was incarcerated when she was 18 weeks pregnant with her second son, Israel. Williams was seeing a specialist before she went to the Travis County Jail because Israel had spina bifida and the pregnancy was high-risk. Williams told the Current that although she told the jail’s medical…
While Tommy Lee Jones Plays, Hilary Swank Steals ‘The Homesman’
There aren’t a lot of women in Westerns. Most of the time they’re on the edges of the screen, left behind on the homestead, kidnapped by injuns, enticing men into saloons. As a rule, a woman does not drive the Western plot, but this year’s The Homesman is one of very few exceptions. In this…
SA Sound: The internet aesthetic of Virtual Thugz
Though they’re based out of San Antonio, Virtual Thugz rep the internet first and foremost, like an arched ab tat of ‘Wi-Fi’ in gothic font. Or, as frequently depicted on their URLs, an ethernet cable IV’d into the wrist of a user. Founded by SA musician Ben Benjamin, Virtual Thugz began as an umbrella group…
SA Sound: Figurae’s ‘I’ and the sounds of language
The debut EP of SA/ATX duo Figurae, I brings a unique approach to the idea of vocal sampling. “I was thinking of language as a tactile thing and a very textural thing,” says producer Jake Momsen. “I was pulling samples from speech therapy sessions, talking about the mechanics of the mouth and how they make…
The Art of Really Listening: Wolverton Home Concerts
Those who have been paying attention to the San Antonio art scene over the past 20 years will no doubt be acquainted with Hills Snyder. The Lubbock-born artist and UTSA Senior Lecturer has spread his insight, good vibes and creative talent all over town, and has been deservedly celebrated for it. And now for something…
