It starts at sunrise. Two lines of teenagers in military garb form on either side of the international bridge between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo. A February chill permeates the air high above the placid Rio Grande. From the United States, customs officials in their dark blue uniforms and Border Patrol agents in their trademark olive green…
Who needs one film festival when you can have five? Like most film festivals across the nation this year, the 26th Annual San Antonio Film Festival (SAFILM) will go exclusively online – but will do so with a slight twist. Instead of its regular week-long festival, SAFILM will extend its event until the end of…
San Antonio-based grocery giant H-E-B has launched an initiative billed as the Summer of Giving, pledging to donate to nonprofit group Feeding Texas each time a shopper buys an H-E-B brand product. H-E-B has committed to a total gift of up to $2 million, funding more than 20 million meals for hungry Texans. Feeding Texas…
Some movie viewers live to hear the heart-pounding, tribal drumbeat that lures people in into a magical — and dangerous — jungle board game. If you’re among that bunch, you may want to head to banquet facility Colonies House this weekend for a socially-distanced drive-in screening of the Robin Williams classic Jumanji. However, due to…
San Antonio contemporary art staple the McNay Art Museum is bringing its exhibitions straight to our homes weekly via a new series of virtual field trips. The virtual field trips will offer connections to McNay educators, who will lead a discussion about three works of art and a universal theme selected for each week. The museum encourages…
Next month, the McNay Art Museum will feature San Antonio artist Victoria Suescum in the new exhibition “Folk Pop: Victoria Suescum’s Tienditas.” For this body of work, Suescum took inspiration from the vibrant painting style of advertisements found outside local mom-and-pop stores across San Antonio, as well as in Mexico and her native Panama. According to…
Salt Lake City-based coffee roaster Black Rifle Coffee Co. is moving forward with plans to expand its Texas footprint, holding a soft opening August 8 for a new SA location. The Northside space is located at 180 W. Bitters Road near U.S. Highway 281 and will offer a full menu of Black Rifle coffees, breakfast…
Medical marijuana provider Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation has opened a temporary dispensary in San Antonio, the first such facility in the Alamo City. The Alamo City dispensary will serve around 170 patients and open Fridays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The company doesn’t provide the location except to patients with prescriptions. Prior to the opening of…
Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission have extended the application deadline for the federal Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer program, or P-EBT, until August 21. The original deadline was July 31. P-EBT is a one-time benefit for families of $285 per eligible child who lost access to free or reduced-price school meals…
Folklores Coffee House, the long awaited Government Hill project from chef Tatu Herrera and wife Emilie, has opened for business. After working through the COVID-19 pandemic to help feed elderly San Antonians, the Herreras finally managed turn on the lights at their new coffee spot at 1526 E. Grayson St., near Fort Sam Houston’s Walters Street entrance.…
Are Texas wines finally getting their due? The Texas Hill Country is among the 20 contenders for Best Wine Region in USA Today’s annual 10Best contest, pitting it against larger, more established growing areas such as Napa, Paso Robles and the Finger Lakes. The regions were chosen by luminaries in the wine field, including renown expert…
A coalition of Democratic organizations plans to reach out to all 1.5 million of Texas’ Black voters by mid-August as part of what’s being billed as the largest effort to mobilize Black voters in the state’s history. The Texas Democratic Party, the Texas Coalition of Black Democrats and former presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke’s Powered by People initiative will call…
Back in April, the team at Pur IsoLabs was granted a Texas Department of Agriculture license to produce cannabis hemp. Now, nearly three months later, owners Austin and Jennifer Ruple are beginning to see the fruits of their labor, KENS5 reports. “The Texas Department of Agriculture issued our license in April, so we started with…
After months of undercounting coronavirus deaths, Texas’ formal tally of COVID-19 fatalities grew by more than 600 on Monday after state health officials changed their method of reporting. The revised count indicates that more than 12% of the state’s death tally was unreported by state health officials before Monday. The Texas Department of State Health Services…
Controversial television evangelist John Hagee, his ministry and four parents of students attending his Cornerstone Christian Schools have sued San Antonio and Bexar County officials, alleging a local order delaying the start of the school year is unconstitutional. In a suit filed last week in Bexar County District Court, the pastor argues that a recent Metro…
This article was originally published on CBD Topicals. To view the original article, click here. Different types of CBD products are now available in the market. We all might have wondered how these products are manufactured. There are several procedures involved in making CBD products. It starts from the cultivation of the hemp plant to…
As if our collective faith in humanity hadn’t been shaken enough recently, local gelato shop Paciugo took to Facebook Monday to share security footage that appears to show a woman stealing cash from the tip jar at the Quarry-area shop. “THIS IS NEVER OKAY,” the Facebook post began. “But especially during a pandemic where employees…
Last week, The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word closed their sesquicentennial ceremony by signing a conservation easement agreement to protect the San Antonio River headwaters. The easement, signed in partnership with Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas, will preserve in perpetuity a 50-acre natural area surrounding the headwaters. “Preserving the Earth’s resources is…
Face masks, 2020’s new mandatory accessory, have proven to be a stumbling block for the deaf and hard of hearing community, who rely on the ability to read lips and facial expressions to communicate. However, a local student is looking to change that. Inspired by an ASL class, Layla Votion, 14, launched the nonprofit Deaf…
Spare Parts’ Sunday Funday returns in an all-new online format to get locals crafting, sustainably. The San Antonio nonprofit is offering a virtual version of its activity-based art event this Sunday, August 2, which focuses on zero waste art education. The activities will be facilitated by artist, educator and Spare Parts board member Eric Cavazos,…
Chefs Rico Torres and Diego Galicia of nationally lauded progressive Mexican restaurant Mixtli will relocate the eatery to a bigger space in Southtown this fall. The new space will feature a larger dining room, an open kitchen and a full bar complete with a separate menu. Mixtli will also feature an agave-spirits cart that will circulate…
Twang’s prepared Michelada Cocktail Mix, a tomato-based blend meant to assist michelada lovers in conveniently creating the libation at home, is now available in H-E-B stores across Texas. The michelada, the popular beer cocktail native to Mexico, is quickly gaining notoriety throughout the United States as a milder version of its boozier cousin, the Bloody…
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, folks. A video making the social media rounds Sunday that purported to show Hurricane Hanna flattening a section of Trump’s border wall is likely weeks old and not from the Texas coast, according to federal officials. Section of Donald Trump's 'indestructible' border wall COLLAPSES https://t.co/qGco2V2DRv — Daily…
In congressional testimony, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said San Antonio event planner CRE8AD8 fell 250,000 boxes short of delivering on its federal contract to feed hungry families, the Express-News reports. “They supplied about 500,000 boxes,” Bruce Summers, administrator of the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service testified at a House Agriculture subcommittee hearing last week. “They did not supply…
This weekend, bars across state participated in “Freedom Fest,” an event defying Governor Greg Abbott’s June 26 order that closed drinking establishments to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases. The protest aimed to show bars can safely reopen like other types of businesses around the state, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Chris Polone, owner of…
Late last week, the DoSeum announced the fourth artist selected for its annual Artist in Residence Program: San Antonio-based photographer and educator Sarah Sudhoff. This fall, Sudhoff will debut the interactive installation The Reading Brain in conjunction with the DoSeum’s exhibition “Beautiful Minds: Dyslexia and the Creative Advantage.” Sudhoff’s installation aims to bring life and color…
Despite the COVID-19 crisis sweeping South Texas, one South Padre bar owner is encouraging Texans to vacation in the virus hotspot, MySA reports. Clayton Brashear, owner of Clayton’s Beach Bar and Grill, has been a proponent of keeping area businesses open during the pandemic — even as the number of COVID-19 cases in the region…
Early this election cycle, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn publicly worried about complacency within the Texas Republican political class — even after Democratic gains made in 2018. So in early 2019, the state’s senior senator encouraged Texas Republicans in the U.S. House to bolster their fundraising and think twice about sending money out of the state. “There’s…
Just before summer, an 11-year-old student visited BiblioTech’s Public Library South location for help. The boy had been issued a laptop from his school, but he didn’t have internet access at home and a language barrier kept him from understanding the login information. A librarian issued a hotspot for the student to access at home, then helped…
On Sunday, 1,044 patients were hospitalized in Bexar County to treat COVID-19, marking the seventh consecutive day hospitalizations have declined, according to city data. While the trend is a positive sign, local officials have cautioned during recent briefings that local hospitals are still being pushed to the brink and the numbers can reverse quickly. A…
A wise person once opined that many of the best things in life are frozen. That person was probably imagining ice cream, gelato, paletas or even Dreamsicles. Definitely not slushy drinks made with sugary, pre-packaged margarita mix. Here’s a late-breaking news flash for you: there’s a way to a better brain freeze. Several ways, for…
San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood marched in plain clothes with #BlackLivesMatter protestors, along with his sons. “I’m marching because I’ve been witnessing the injustices of people of color all of my life, and I think it’s important that people look through the lens of a minority, particularly a Black man, who are living in…
John Cornyn had an important message for Texas Republicans. “I’ll be blunt — because I know I’m among friends here,” the U.S. senator told delegates to the virtual state GOP convention last weekend. “Republicans are facing the greatest electoral challenge we’ve faced in the last five decades.” There was one problem with Cornyn’s speech, though: Delegates could…
When the CARES Act was signed into law on March 27, tenants living in federally-backed properties across the U.S. were promised protection from eviction for 120 days. In San Antonio, city officials estimated 4,542 properties, or 125,996 units, are protected under the mandate. However, time is up. Friday marked the expiration of the CARES Act protections.…
When some think of disability, the image that springs to mind is a person in a wheelchair. But when Melanie Cawthon, director of San Antonio-based disABILITYsa, hears the word, she pictures a whole range of people, from those with sight and hearing impairments to mental health disorders. “Where we need to improve in our society…
Sodexo Quality Life Services, which operates several retail and foodservice facilities at USAA’s Northwest San Antonio headquarters, has informed the Texas Workforce Commission that it will permanently lay off more than 300 workers, the San Antonio Business Journal reports. Late last month, USAA extended work-from-home orders to its employees through December 31 following a statewide…
Delia’s, the Rio Grand Valley tamale purveyor with a cult-like following, has announced the opening date for their long-awaited San Antonio location — and it’s soon. The new location at 13527 Hausman Pass, near Loop 1604, will open for drive-through service next Friday, July 31. The company, which currently has six shops in the Rio…
We reviewed four movies this week, including the directorial debut of actor Dave Franco (The Disaster Artist). His film is the only one that is opening at local theaters, so make sure you wear a mask if you decide to venture out. See you on the flip side. Radioactive Oscar nominee Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)…
San Antonio chef Andrew Weissman is expanding his burger concept Mr. Juicy to include a second location, this one near the north-of-downtown Monte Vista neighborhood. Renovations on a former Jack in the Box building at Hildebrand and San Pedro should be finished in time for a late August opening, MySA reports. Located a half-mile from…
Just because Comic-Con was forced online this year doesn’t mean that we won’t be getting any big pop-culture reveals. Case in point: famed director — and San Antonio native — Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn, Machete) dropped a bombshell in an online panel hosted by entertainment website Collider yesterday. During the panel, in which…
The team behind lauded Pearl eatery Southerleigh Fine Food and Brewery has adjusted the opening plans for its new Rim location, shifting the focus from chicken to seafood, MySA reports. Southerleigh Haute South, the new concept with a “heavy seafood focus,” is hoping to welcome its first guests for brunch, lunch and dinner by the…
You read that right: a self-serve taproom. New concept The Dooryard will feature a wall of 30 taps loaded with self-serve beers, seltzers and wines, MySA reports. Customers can pour as much or as little as they want since pricing is set by the ounce. “The idea is to be able to sample a variety…
San Antonio’s Magik Theatre has joined a group of 37 children’s theater companies nationwide to co-produce a free virtual performance of A Kids Play About Racism. The musical play is based on Jelani Memory’s A Kids Book About Racism, one in a series of minimalist books that use word art and color to explain tough…
Organizers of New Braunfels’ Wurstfest have called off the fall beer-and-sausage bash over COVID-19 concerns, marking the first cancellation in the event’s 60-year history. After a meeting Tuesday to assess the situation, a committee monitoring developments in the COVID-19 crisis found that an early-November mass gathering wouldn’t be feasible, according to a notice on the festival’s…
Say what you will about Bexar County GOP Chair Cynthia Brehm, but she’s certainly made election season entertaining. After area Republicans voted on a two-to-one margin earlier this month to replace Brehm with real estate appraiser John Austin as local party chief, she’s now refusing to certify the election results. In a news release supplied to…
Three weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott required Texans to wear masks, epidemiologists and disease modelers say they are cautiously optimistic that the mandate is helping the state turn a corner in its efforts to contain an outbreak that has killed more than 4,500 Texans. Throughout the summer, Texas’ coronavirus outbreak became grimmer by the day and…
In 2015, Rémy Cointreau Group, the distributor of Louis XIII cognac, hired San Antonio native and filmmaker Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) to direct a short film called 100 Years. A hundred years is reportedly how long it takes before a bottle of the luxury brandy is ready for consumers to sip. In keeping with that…
In a Facebook post Thursday, Roadmap Brewing Co. alerted fans of a recently discovered “loophole” in its license which it said allows guests to order to-go beers and imbibe at the tables next to its building. Under an executive order from Gov. Greg Abbott, establishments whose alcohol sales make up 51% or more of total sales are…
Texas beaches may be open during the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean they’re safe places to swim, according to a new study of levels of fecal bacteria along the Gulf Coast. And by “fecal,” yes, we mean shit, or poo — or whatever brown-tinged euphemism you prefer to use. For the report, Environment Texas Research and…
The Batman of Mexico — a tequila-forward cocktail named for ecologist and bat habitat preservationist Dr. Rodrigo Medellin — first appeared on the debut menu of Downstairs at the Esquire Tavern in 2016. With novel ingredients such as Bittermens Hellfire Habanero Shrub and fresh corn syrup, the drink offers a pleasant, slow burn and showcases the floral,…
Federal lawmakers have thrown a lifeline to the nation’s small and mid-sized live music venues, many teetering on the brink of closure due to the pandemic. The Save Our Stages Act, introduced by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, would offer $10 billion in Small Business Administration grants to help venues to pay…
Late Wednesday night, the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission reversed a recent guideline change that would have let the state’s breweries reopen their patios for service. The move is an abrupt about-face from last week, when the TABC signaled that brewers could pour product for patrons, so long as they quaffed their beers outside. Under that…
Given the current state of things, we’re not afraid to say that National Tequila Day — Friday, July 24 — is the goofy food holiday we need right now. After all, a bracing shot or sweet-and-sour margarita both sound like great ways to take the edge off. These local establishments agree, and they’re ready to…
We all have our burdens to bear — sometimes physically and sometimes emotionally. Evoking the title of Texas-based author Tim O’Brien’s famous 1990 novel, Laredo artist Gil Rocha seeks to capture those things and feelings in his new exhibition “The Things We Carry.” “We all carry things, we carry things in pockets and bags, sometimes…
Hello world — the new computer girls are here to make their mark. Last week, experimental electronic musicians claire rousay and mari maurice — who perform under the moniker more eaze — debuted a brand new imprint, new computer girls ltd., along with the glitch-pop EP </3. (The lack of capital letters in all of…
Under current pandemic conditions, advantage goes to those restaurants with available outdoor space. Not only does al fresco eating appear to be safer than indoor dining, but the additional seating can compensate for lowered capacity ordered by the state. In addition to local restaurants with desirable patio options — La Fonda on Main being one example…
Abu Omar Halal, a Houston-based mediterranean food truck operator, will open a second San Antonio mobile kitchen on August 1 near the Medical Center. Abu Omar Halal started as Houston’s first Halal-based food truck back in 2011, and the fleet has since grown to include 15 across the state. “Halal” is an Arabic word referring…
How about that timing? A provocatively titled book by former San Antonio city manager Sheryl Sculley on her battles with the city’s public safety unions will drop August 11, according to an Express-News report. While the tome is unlikely to become a bestseller, the release date pretty much ensures it will become required bedtime reading…
If you’re a Bexar County elected official, Robert Vargas III wants you to know that if you don’t protect and defend your constituents, he’s eager to replace you with someone who will. Brazen, persevering and always to-the-point, the Democratic political strategist and radio host has never been one to mince words, even at the risk…
Eight Texas Democratic lawmakers, including State Sen. Jose Menéndez of San Antonio, are calling for the removal of all Confederate memorials at the state Capitol. In a letter to the state House and Senate Administration committees, the group identifies seven items — ranging from a portrait of a Confederate general to Confederate army cannons —…
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas liquor brand Tito’s Vodka is churning out a different type of alcohol. The Austin-based distillery has partnered with Spurs Give to distribute 20,000 bottles of Tito’s Hand Sanitizer on Thursday in the parking lot of San Antonio’s AT&T Center. The company has donated sanitizer to more than 500…
Tex-Mex punk purveyors Piñata Protest aren’t strangers to national media exposure. Even so, the band’s pretty geared up for a forthcoming appearance on the resurrected cable hot rod show Monster Garage. On Thursday, the San Antonio-based group will perform its song “Vato Perron” in Austin for inclusion in an upcoming episode of the Discovery Channel series.…
Initially postponed to October due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Kerrville Folk Festival has now been cancelled altogether. The organizers are struggling to sustain the event after not putting it on in May as originally scheduled, KSAT reports. While the promoters are prepared to offer refunds to anyone who bought tickets, RV spaces and craft…
Threesome dating app 3Fun released a report ranking the cities that used it most use since onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. And, apparently, San Antonians like to get their freak on. Data shows that 5,375 local residents have used the app in the past few months, placing the Alamo City at No. 6…
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, husband and wife team Keith and Alex Simpson are preparing to open their second Squeezers Co. juice bar in San Antonio in the next three weeks, MySA reports. The new location of the fresh-squeezed juice outlet will be located in the Midtown Commons shopping center near the Pearl development. The new…
The coronavirus pandemic pushed María and her family from a small two-bedroom apartment in southeast Houston into homelessness in less than a month. Her boss cut her hours in a clothing warehouse in mid-March as business slowed. Without enough money to pay rent, she packed her belongings and found another place to live even though…
The body of Private Mejhor Morta, a 26-year-old Florida native, was found near a lake in the vicinity of Fort Hood Tuesday, NBC News reports. Morta is the third Fort Hood soldier discovered dead near the installation this month. Mejhor Morta “was found unresponsive July 17 in the vicinity of Stillhouse Lake,” according to authorities.…
A new report outlines “staggering” unemployment and underemployment rates among military spouses, specifically citing the difficulties faced by those in San Antonio. The unemployment problem is especially profound in the Alamo City due to the size and density of its military population and the limited job opportunities available to spouses on or near Fort Sam Houston, according…
For all his claims that the left lacks civility, GOP Sen. Ted Cruz sure seems to delight in getting into celebrity pissing matches on Twitter. This week, Texas’ Republican junior senator got into a feisty bout of name calling with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban that ran the gamut of topics from athletes kneeling during…
After a two-month hiatus prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, NBA basketball returns this month in Orlando, where the San Antonio Spurs will make a final run for a record-breaking 23rd consecutive playoff appearance. Despite a favorable schedule, it will be a daunting task for a Spurs team that’s 11-22 away from the AT&T Center this…
The term “junk food” typically refers to items that, while tasty, are high in calories from sugar or fat and offer little nutritional value. Such empty calories are celebrated today, July 21, as part of National Junk Food Day. Because we know you care about your body and what you put into it — well,…
A new poll shows that roughly three-quarters of Texas voters — including majorities of both Republicans and Democrats — consider police brutality a serious or somewhat serious problem and that police use-of-force reforms are needed. Those results, from a poll commissioned by Progress Texas in the aftermath of the George Floyd protests, suggest that there’s a…
The USAA Foundation has awarded the San Antonio ISD Foundation a $325,000 grant to increase access to online learning across the city, according to KSAT. This grant comes just one week after SAISD announced that the first three weeks of the 2020-21 school year will be online only. Grants from USAA Foundation — the nonprofit…
President Donald Trump on Tuesday opened a new front in his effort to keep undocumented immigrants from being counted when lawmakers redraw congressional districts next year, a move that could cost Texas several seats in Congress if it succeeds. Trump attempted last year to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census, but was shot…
Brick at Blue Star’s weekly markets — a Southtown staple in the “before times” — have long been a great way to support local vendors and artisans. On August 2, the Blue Star venue will introduce a virtual version of its Sunday shopping event. The event, which Brick promises will be the “first of many,” will…
As the pandemic surges amid Governor Abbott’s failed bid to reopen the state, the fallout appears to be extending into fall. The latest casualty? The San Antonio Symphony’s planned return for its 2020-2021 season. On Tuesday, the Symphony announced that all season programs originally slated to take place from September 25 of this year through…
San Antonio U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro has confirmed he’ll run to chair the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee. Citing aides familiar with his plans, the Washington Post last week reported that the Democrat, who currently chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, was likely to announce a run. The move pits him against senior House members for the leadership…
A new survey finds that one in three Lone Star State craft breweries believe they’ll be forced to close within the next three months without a change to the state’s COVID-19 shutdown order. Further, two in three believe they won’t make it to the end of the year under current state restrictions, according to the survey…
Documents obtained by local media paint a picture of an escalating conflict between former Metro Health Director Dawn Emerick and her direct supervisor prior to her surprise June 25 resignation. The day before the departure, San Antonio Assistant City Manager Colleen Bridger sent a memo to the city’s human resources director arguing that Emerick lacked…
Pretty much from the moment Wayne Holtz burst onto the San Antonio music scene in the mid 2010s, he seemed destined for a bigger stage. The consummate showman’s mesmerizing live performances include a full-on choreography, back up dancers, costume changes and hefty doses of attitude. He puts on a stadium-ready show regardless of how small…
A San Antonio convenience store clerk is getting online accolades for her two-fisted response to a problem customer. Video recently shared on social media shows an employee at a San Pedro Avenue 7-Eleven tire of a hostile customer, come from behind the counter and mix it up. One man tries to break up the fight…
Outdoor movie institution Slab Cinema continues to bring San Antonians a socially distanced film experience in partnership with Southtown’s The Good Kind restaurant and bar. While tonight’s Noir Monday screening of Touch of Evil is sold out, anyone that didn’t get the chance to snag tickets needn’t worry, because two more movies are screenings this week. On…
The Texas Testicle Festival plans to move forward with its August 1 start date, welcoming all adventurous and COVID-19-free foodies, according to a MySA report. The ball-fest held a previous event in January, where 150 attendees gathered to celebrate the nuances of various animal testicles in culinary applications. While some places now allow gatherings, it…
With all the con drama brewing in San Antonio, we expected that some fallout and cancellations were coming our way in 2020, just … not like this. On Friday, Big Texas Comicon officially threw in the towel, canceling the three-day event planned for September 18-20 at the Henry B. González Convention Center. When the first…
When actor Anthony Michael Hall made a special, in-person appearance at EVO Entertainment in Schertz six months ago for a screening of his 1985 comedy The Breakfast Club, he hoped the success of the event could expand into a film festival that would feature a handful of his classic movies. Then, COVID-19 began to spread,…
Since the city’s COVID-19 emergency housing assistance program launched in late April, roughly $30 million has been committed to helping San Antonians pay rent, their mortgages or other living expenses, according to a new online dashboard. [ View the COVID-19 Emergency Housing Assistance Program dashboard. ] Last week, the City of San Antonio launched the dashboard…
Dr. Jean Bousquet, honorary professor of Pulmonary Medicine at Montpellier University in France, has published a study suggesting there’s a link between low COVID-19 fatalities and national dietary differences, specifically fermented cabbage. According to a study Bousquet and his research partners published in the journal Clinical and Translational Allergy, countries where fermented cabbage features prominently in…
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the program Get Shift Done has provided paid opportunities to over 1,000 unemployed San Antonians willing to pick up work on a shift-by-shift basis for nonprofit organizations. The initiative, which started in Dallas, hires workers — predominantly from the beleaguered hospitality industry — at $13 an hour to…
SA’s Ranger Creek Distillery and the Texas Whiskey Festival have released a specialty barrel-aged rye, the first in a series of collaborations the festival is undertaking with Lone Star State distillers. The Texas Whiskey Festival’s Tejas series will allow it to collaborate with distillers around the state to create unique offerings that showcase their individual methods…
Nice work if you can get it. At the same time as COVID-19 decimated jobs and emptied state and local coffers, the wealth of Texas’ 56 billionaires rose by a collective $24 billion, or 10.1%, during the first three months of the pandemic, according to a new study by a pair of national tax reform…
When Amelia Rico was five years old, her mother walked in on her sobbing in front of the mirror. When she asked her daughter what she was doing, Rico was more than willing to tell her. “I told her that I was practicing crying,” Rico told the Current during an interview last week. “Tears were…
Thanks to an ingenious rig of tarps and mini-stages, customers of the San Antonio Men’s Club on SA’s North side can now experience drive-thru entertainment, online news site MySA reports. While the establishment was ordered to close per Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest order to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the enterprising staff found another…
Bexar County on Sunday hit a record high of 2,202 new COVID-19 cases, eclipsing an earlier record of 1,334 set on July 3. Metro Health officials also reported six deaths related to the pandemic, bringing the area’s total death toll to 257 and its number of cases to 30,835. Only 10% of the area’s staffed…
The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice on Friday announced plans for how they will resume hearings for asylum seekers currently in the Migrant Protection Protocols after court dates were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The program, also called remain in Mexico, requires that most asylum seekers wait in Mexico for…
The median income in the San Antonio-New Braunfels region increased slightly from $71,000 to $72,000 for a family of four, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The uptick represents a 1.4% increase, which is lower than the 6.3% increase the year before. For the past five years, the local area…
In January, vaccine researchers lined up on the starting blocks, waiting to hear a pistol. That shot came on January 10, when scientists in China announced the complete genetic makeup of the novel coronavirus. With that information in hand, the headlong race toward a vaccine began. As the virus, now known as SARS-CoV-2, began to…
EL PASO — A federal judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration must start accepting new applications for the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that shields some undocumented immigrants from deportation. The decision comes four weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the 2012 initiative to remain in place. The policy, known as…
After nearly a century, San Antonio College is removing the Ranger as its college mascot. The College Council, a group of more than 60 faculty, staff and administrators chaired by SAC president Robert Vela, voted unanimously to make the change on Tuesday. The community college will begin the process of choosing a new mascot in…
The groundbreaking exhibition “XicanX: New Visions” was going to hit headlines no matter what, but it ended up making more of a splash than originally anticipated. That’s because city officials yanked Xandra Ibarra’s “La Tortillera” at the eleventh hour due to the video piece’s alleged “obscenity.” Even though the show was supposed to remain on…
San Antonio artist Ghost will unveil a tribute mural in honor of deceased U.S. Army soldiers Specialist Vanessa Guillen and Private Gregory Morales on Sunday. Both soldiers disappeared from US Army base Fort Hood, only to be discovered dead months later. The mural is sponsored by local nonprofit Circle of Arms and will adorn the side…
The Public Theater of San Antonio is paving the way for COVID-safe theater in a novel way — one-person performances. As the small, non-profit theater adapts to COVID-19 social-distancing challenges, two things are for certain in the updated season: safety and flexibility. The amended program, now billed as the 2020-202ONE season, will be comprised of…
The Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy has given a 2020 Rising Star Award to Anthony Betori, program director at San Antonio-based nonprofit Healthy Futures of Texas. The award recognizes individuals under the age of 30 who become an emerging leader in the field of adolescent health in the state. In his role, Betori has has…
Some movie theaters in San Antonio are open, so if you decide to venture out, please wear a mask and social distance. The more we follow common-sense guidelines, the quicker we can put COVID-19 behind us and get back to the theater for some of the big, new releases that haven’t been rescheduled for next…
Facing growing backlash from teachers, parents and health officials, Texas education officials Friday relaxed a previous order that would have given public schools just three weeks from the start of the fall semester to reopen their classrooms for in-person instruction. School districts will be allowed to delay on-campus instruction for at least four weeks, and…
San Antonio eatery Alamo Biscuit Co. has made a name for itself with delectable dishes, but its more recent buzz is all about the installation of a “disinfection portal” at its entrance. The frame just outside the front door mists guests for about 10 seconds with a chlorine-based disinfectant as a precaution against COVID-19, according…
San Antonio’s city pools and splash pads will remain closed this summer due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. “We need the public’s support to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus,” Homer Garcia III, director of San Antonio’s Parks and Recreation Department, said in a press release. “Keeping pools and splash pads closed…
Although the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of slowing down, the Culinary Institute of America San Antonio (CIA) has welcomed students back to campus, offering a combination of in-person and online classes to allow for more flexibility due to COVID-19. Classes have resumed at limited capacity, and Savor, the student-run on-campus restaurant is currently only…
Already sold out for its first two weekends, Anthony Michael Hall’s Summer Drive-In Film Fest has announced an updated lineup and two new celebrity guests Sorry, horror fans — the drive-in fest’s previously planned Halloweekend is out, along with guest James Jude Courtney. But never fear, because Samwise Gamgee is here: Sean Astin will join…
Plenty of bands dream of working with one of the biggest names in their musical genre, but San Antonio’s Ӕternal Requiem grabbed opportunity by the balls made it happen. With ambition, perseverance and the help of an online fundraiser, the metal band flew to Finland early last year to record its sophomore album Rise with…
If this isn’t a major dad move, we don’t know what is. A Castroville man became a Twitter sensation after his daughter posted photos of his pandemic-era work outfits, for which he matches his face masks to his ties. “Dad….. whyyyyy,” @ki_eeks tweeted on Wednesday, along with two selfies of her father sporting custom face…
As the U.S. faces a moment of self-awareness, monuments to Confederate and colonial icons are becoming more difficult to defend. Bronze statues and marble cenotaphs have become lightning rods for cultural reckoning since their construction was often just as symbolic. But other tributes are more complicated. Like high schools. Highlighting that complication, the San Antonio…
The Parks and Recreation Department voted unanimously Thursday to send a proposal to rename Columbus Park to city council, taking another step to disassociate the city with the explorer who perpetrated genocide against indigenous peoples. The department took written, recorded and live comments during a virtual public hearing Thursday evening on renaming the public space Piazza Italia…
Hoping to harness the opposition to Gov. Greg Abbott’s handling of the coronavirus, several Texas Democratic strategists are launching a new political group to defeat him in 2022. Their group, the Beat Abbott PAC, will raise money that will ultimately go to the Democratic nominee against Abbott in 2022, when he is up for a…
Even after pleas from independent Texas wineries, Gov. Greg Abbott has remained silent on whether he’s open to rewriting mandates that ban onsite alcohol consumption at wineries, tasting rooms and breweries. For weeks, the state’s wineries have been advocating for him to rethink those guidelines, saying their facilities and tasting rooms don’t present the same risks…
The population of the McNay Art Museum’s sculpture garden is growing by three this summer. The San Antonio museum has added a trio of outdoor sculptures to its more than 22,000-work permanent collection. The new pieces coincide with the first phase of a landscape master plan scheduled for completion in September. “When our community is…
Move over bald eagles. The San Antonio Zoo celebrated the Fourth of July with a different rare bird this year. On the patriotic holiday, the zoo’s Aviculture Department successfully hatched a Micronesian kingfisher chick for the first time in five years. Only 140 of the birds live under human care, and the species is completely…
With the release of three Black is Beautiful stouts under its belt, Weathered Souls Brewery is hard at work on the next phase of its social justice initiative, which now boasts more than 1,000 partner breweries. The Black is Beautiful project — which encourages brewers to add their unique spin to a Weathered Souls imperial…
The Hayden, a long-awaited neighborhood cafe with a Jewish twist, is on track to open just north of downtown in early fall — state pandemic rules permitting. “I am optimistically projecting a mid-September opening, but [I’m] going to see how the mandates look in a month or so and make a decision at that time,”…
During a Wednesday video call with reporters, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich expanded his list of political targets beyond President Trump, blasting Texas’ GOP leaders as “cowards” for their handling of the pandemic. Speaking from the Orlando, where NBA teams are playing out the remainder of this season, Pop said the safety in the “bubble” stands…
After President Donald Trump’s shambolic Tulsa rally, did anyone not see this coming? On Wednesday night, Trump demoted former San Antonio web designer Brad Parscale from his spot as 2020 campaign manager. The move comes as a growing number polls show the incumbent trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden — in some cases, by double digits.…
Art and social justice are increasingly intertwined in our quickly changing world. As artists, museums and organizations face long-overlooked issues of diversity, inclusion and accountability, art itself seems uniquely poised to educate, enlighten — perhaps even change minds. A homegrown hybrid described as a “cultural arts social enterprise,” La Printería fits squarely into this equation.…
Mauro E. Garza, the owner of the Pegasus Nightclub, which is located on the Main Avenue Strip, has won the Republican run off beating opponent Mike Allen in the race for the 20th Congressional District with more than 60% of the votes. In the November election, Garza will face Democratic incumbent Joaquin Castro, who is widely…
Director Alex Winter turns the camera on several actors, including San Antonio native Henry Thomas, to speak candidly about their experiences working in Hollywood as children in the new documentary Showbiz Kids, which debuted on HBO Tuesday. Along with Thomas, Showbiz Kids features interviews with actors Wil Wheaton (Stand by Me), Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen),…
A new organization is vying to let San Antonio voters decide next May whether to roll back collective bargaining for the local police union and end an arbitration process that makes it difficult to fire bad officers. Ojiyoma Martin, founder of newly minted Fix SAPD, said she’s in talks with other organizing groups to secure…
Mental-health nonprofit Circle of Arms will stage a live art installation-meets-protest Sunday in memory of slain U.S. Army soldier Vanessa Guillen. The event will take place at the San Antonio 9/11 Memorial near Lackland Air Force Base. Participants are encouraged to bring an empty photo frame adorned with the hashtag #iamvanessaguillen and the branch of…
Iconic ’80s teen actor Anthony Michael Hall is riding the drive-in wave with a new weekend film series in the Texas Hill Country. Starting this weekend, Hall is hosting a month of double features for his Summer Drive-In Film Fest, which will take place on alternating evenings at EVO Entertainment’s Schertz and Kyle locations. Each…
As dress rehearsals go, Tuesday’s Texas primary runoff elections weren’t bad, but for some voters and poll workers, they revealed problems that need to be fixed before November’s big show. With much lower turnout than primary or general elections, the first in-person election day during the coronavirus pandemic saw voters reporting heavily sanitized polling places,…
SOLI Chamber Ensemble is back, and while they’re not playing a cactus this time (yes, that really happened), they are holding a series of contemporary performances online. SOLI’s premiere of the first episode of Moments of SOLIcitude happens today, July 15, at 5 p.m. on YouTube. The ensemble will kick off its new summer video…
Texas families whose children qualify for free or reduced meals through their school district can still claim an additional $285 per child via the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Program, or P-EBT. Families must act fast to apply, though — the deadline for applications is July 31. The latest data from the Texas Department of Agriculture shows…
Recent months have marked deep divisions inside the Bexar County chapters of both major political parties. However, only one opted for new leadership in Tuesday’s runoff. The Bexar County Republican Party voted by a two-to-one margin to replace controversial chairwoman Cynthia Brehm with real estate appraiser John Austin. Last month, GOP leaders including Gov. Greg…
The first time I interviewed actor and San Antonio native James Roday was in 2008 before the premiere of the third season of his hit comedy TV series Psych. The show would go on to spawn eight total seasons and two movies (Psych 2: Lassie Come Home debuts July 15 on NBCUniversal’s new streaming service,…
