Cover Story
A Quiet Place: Here’s what’s at stake as a task force reviews San Antonio’s noise ordinance
Longtime San Antonio musician Roland Delacruz vividly remembers the city’s early ’90s noise crackdown that disrupted the St. Mary’s Strip during its boom years. His band at the time, the Haskells, was trying to play a gig at outdoor venue Tycoon Flats when police showed up with noise meters. After officers threatened to write tickets…
Thanksgiving is almost here. Ready to show off those pandemic baking skills?
While the pandemic is still with us, this holiday season is likely to be a more positive experience that last year’s. First and foremost, the Centers for Disease Control now says families can gather to celebrate, assuming everyone’s been vaccinated. But second — for some of us anyway — the holiday marks our first opportunity to show…
Comedian Chelsea Handler adds San Antonio performance to her Vaccinated and Horny Tour
Stand-up comedian, talk show host and author Chelsea Handler will hit San Antonio next spring as part of her Vaccinated And Horny Tour. Handler announced a Saturday, May 14 date at the Majestic Theatre as one of 24 additional performances added to the tour. Tickets go on sale Friday, November 19 at 10 a.m. The comedian hosted…
Live Music in San Antonio This Week: La Oreja de Van Gogh, (Hed)PE, Mexstep and more
If anyone tries to tell you San Antonio lacks for musical diversity, feel free to call them a big dummy. As evidence of that theoretical naysayer’s dummydom, the Alamo City will play host this week to a former American Idol contestant, an avant-garde harpist, a former Ozzy sideman, a rapper with a PhD, a nu-metal…
Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Biden administration for requiring COVID-19 vaccine for health workers
Texas’ legal crusade against COVID-19 vaccine mandates continues. State Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued the Biden administration over its emergency order requiring heath workers to be inoculated against the coronavirus. In a statement issued Tuesday morning, the Republican AG called the rule “an unprecedented federal vaccine decree.” Texas is among 10 states suing the White House…
San Antonio-based Whataburger opened a Kansas City location, and diners there are going batshit
So many diners swarmed the grand opening of San Antonio-based Whataburger’s first Kansas City location that the Missouri Department of Transportation urged drivers to “plz use caution & be courteous.” MoDOT took to social media Monday to warn residents of the KC suburb of Lee’s Summit that long drive-thru lines were spilling into surrounding thoroughfares.…
Beto O’Rourke tells San Antonio crowd he wants to unite Texas as he runs to unseat Greg Abbott
Beto O’Rourke appeared in San Antonio Tuesday, a day after launching his latest political campaign, and urged residents to help him become the first Democrat to win a spot in the Texas Governor’s Mansion since 1990. The former El Paso congressman told a cheering crowd that he supports common sense policies Texans can unite around,…
San Antonio chocolatier Nacho Aguirre returns to Food Network to judge holiday competition series
San Antonio pastry chef and chocolatier Nacho Aguirre has returned to the Food Network to help judge Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Showdown, MySA reports. The five-episode series premiered Monday, November 15. It will air Mondays at at 8 p.m. and stream on Discovery+. Aguirre, co-owner of Délice Chocolatier and Patisserie, is no stranger to the national spotlight…
Beto O’Rourke enters 2022 a weaker candidate with a harder race
Four years ago, a little-known Democratic congressman from El Paso named Beto O’Rourke announced he was running for U.S. Senate, challenging Republican incumbent Ted Cruz. O’Rourke got started early, launching more than a year and a half before the general election. At the time, a majority of voters told pollsters they were unfamiliar with him. And…
Little Caesars becomes the latest big food brand to debut ‘cheesy’ merchandise line
Detroit-based pizza outfit Little Caesars has debuted a “cheesy, campy collection” of merchandise, fresh off the Crazy Bread catwalk. For the record, “cheesy” and “campy” are their words, not ours. “Our inspiration was, ‘pizza so good you want to wear it,’” Little Caesars chief marketing officer Jeff Klein said in release. “We’re embracing the fact…
Senators call on Biden to pardon all nonviolent cannabis offenders
U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Jeff Merkley of Oregon sent a letter to President Joe Biden last week calling on him to use his executive authority to issue a blanket pardon for all nonviolent federal cannabis offenders, whether currently or formerly incarcerated. In the letter, the senators, all Democrats, called America’s…
Yelp names San Antonio’s Boudro’s one of the best spots in Texas to get holiday dinner
Online review site Yelp has named River Walk staple Boudro’s Texas Bistro one of the 20 best restaurants in Texas for Thanksgiving food. Yelp compiled its list — which includes restaurants and bakeries from across the state — using data from reviews mentioning the phrase “Thanksgiving.” Researchers then ranked those spots using factors including the total…
Texas among the 15 most overweight and obese U.S. states
They say everything is bigger in the Lone Star State. Apparently, that includes its residents. A new study by personal-finance website WalletHub named Texas the 11th-fattest U.S. state. The analysis compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions: the prevalence of obese and overweight residents, their obesity-related health consequences and…
San Antonio Water System tells residents of two Northside neighborhoods to boil their water
San Antonio Water System on Sunday afternoon issued a boil-water advisory to 700 Northside homes and businesses. The neighborhoods of Terra Mont and Stonewall Estate, both located west of Interstate 10, suffered pressure drops prompting the advisory, SAWS said in a statement. Crews are working to fix the problem, but in the meantime, the utility…
Topo Chico Hard Seltzer will soon be available in San Antonio in glass bottles
Fans of super-bubbly Mexican mineral water Topo Chico’s hard seltzers will soon be able to get their fix in the brand’s iconic glass bottles. Starting Monday, Topo Chico Hard Seltzer’s most popular flavor, Strawberry Guava, will be available in 12-ounce clear bottles in seven states, including Texas. The glass bottles have become virtually synonymous with…
Beto O’Rourke is running for Texas governor, capping months of speculation
It’s official: Beto O’Rourke, Texas’ highest-profile Democratic political figure, will challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. After months of teasing a run, the former El Paso congressman made his 2022 campaign official on Monday morning. “I’m running to serve the people of Texas, and I want to make sure that we have a governor that serves everyone,…
Buy your Christmas tree early, because the industry is dealing with supply issues going back to 2008
So this is Christmas? Retailers are urging shoppers to check their Christmas shopping lists twice as early due to supply chain disruptions, due, in part, to a so-called “worker shortage” (ahem, the fair wage revolution). The United States Postal Service and other shipping services have also been citing delivery delays that are expected to impact…
No, COVID-19 vaccines won’t make you infertile, but getting coronavirus can
The World Health Organization has warned that the globe is dealing with two pandemics. One is the spread of the coronavirus, but the other, equally dangerous, is the spread of misinformation and disinformation. False or misleading information has sprung up about the virus, treatments, vaccines, masks and just about every other aspect of the pandemic…
How a YA oral-sex scene touched off Texas’ latest culture war
Kathy May was getting her four kids ready for another day at school in late October when she got an urgent voicemail from a friend. “OMG, OMG, this book,” her friend said, alerting May to a book found by another parent in the library catalogue of Keller Independent School District, where their kids go, called…
CPS Energy Revenues, Luminaria: The top 10 headlines in San Antonio this week
Looks like San Antonians are still processing the fallout from February’s catastrophic ice storm — especially as it relates to CPS Energy. At least, that’s what we’re inferring from the Current’s most read story this week, which looked at the city’s continued reliance on the municipal utility’s revenues in its budget. The week’s most-read stories…
Shark Tank alum Jackson’s brings line of sweet potato-based snacks to San Antonio
Health-focused San Antonians have one more snack with which to fuel their days, thanks to Jackson’s, a Colorado-based sweet potato kettle chip line now available in the Alamo City. Vegan, gluten-free, paleo, nut-free and kosher, Jackson’s chips are made from non-GMO heirloom sweet potatoes sourced directly from small farms. The chip line currently boasts four…
San Antonio American Idol drag performer Ada Vox will compete on new Queen of the Universe series
After slaying her way into the top eight of American Idol a few years back, many predicted big things for San Antonio native Ada Vox, the long-running singing competition’s first drag queen contestant. And they were right. Vox has joined a cast of 14 international drag performers competing for a $250,000 prize on the new Paramount+…
San Antonio reverend giving away 300 turkeys in honor of late mother Verna Mae ‘Mama’ Boone
San Antonio’s Rev. James Robinson will continue his late mother’s legacy of supporting the community through a Thanksgiving turkey giveaway that will provide 300 birds Saturday to families in need, news station KSAT 12 reports. Robinson’s mother, Verna Mae “Mama” Boone, died in 2009 after a life dedicated to helping those less fortunate, especially people…
San Antonio’s Hotel Emma to hold fancy AF Le Grande Champagne Dinner next week
If the phrase, “no troubles, just bubbles,” sounds like a mantra you can get behind, Hotel Emma’s Nov. 18 champagne dinner may be an event right up your alley. The luxury hotel’s fancy AF Le Grande Champagne Dinner — a five course dinner featuring uber rare, hard-to-find bottles of bubbles — will take place Thursday,…
Traveling Wizard’s Ball, La Segunda Bartique: San Antonio’s biggest food stories of the week
Most of the Current’s most-read food stories of the week centered around new openings or at least restaurants that are coming soon. Among those are vintage shopping-and-bar mashup La Segunda Bartique, Austin based burger empire P. Terry’s and conveyor-belt sushi spot Kura. We also learned that a local bar group was served with a cease-and-desist…
Doughboy will give away 150 free lunch pizzas at San Antonio’s El Camino food truck park on Friday
Hey, San Antonio, got lunch plans? Mobile pizza kitchen Doughboy will give away 150 free pepperoni pizzas at newish food truck park El Camino this Friday starting at noon. The occasion? To make up for being temporarily closed due to staff shortages. The woodfire-oven pizza purveyor closed down for roughly a week earlier this month…
Man in mask altercation with Texas gubernatorial candidate Allen West says he wants to press charges
A man involved in an airport scuffle with Texas Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen West wants to press charges, alleging West “violently” tore off the mask he was wearing, the Dallas Morning News reports. Lawrence Eric Stern told the paper that a detective at DFW International Airport informed him the case had been presented to the Grapevine Municipal…
Ahead of Saturday’s San Antonio gig, blues guitarist Sue Foley talks about new album, book project
Armed with a pink paisley Telecaster, Austin-based guitarist, singer and bandleader Sue Foley muscled her way into the boys club of electric blues in the early 1990s, drawing raves for both her scorching instrumental prowess and heartfelt vocals. Over the course of 15 or so albums, Canada-born Foley established herself as one of the genre’s most…
Texas said delta-8 is illegal. But state troopers haven’t made a single arrest.
Over the past month, there has been increasing confusion over delta-8, the popular cannabis derivative that until recently could be found in vape cartridges, tinctures and candy at smoke shops and CBD stores across the state. On the one hand, the Texas health department insists delta-8 is a controlled substance, and that it has been…
Both state and federal courts deal Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defeats over his ban on local mask rules
Two courts — one federal and one state — handed defeats to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday over his orders barring local entities from imposing pandemic mask requirements. A federal judge ruled that the Republican governor’s order blocking schools from imposing mask mandates violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and cleared district officials to resume…
Pet-related tech company Rover Group Inc. will open San Antonio office, creating 90 jobs
Pet lovers contemplating a career change take note. Pet-related technology company Rover Group Inc. plans to open a San Antonio office next year and staff it with 90 people, the San Antonio Business Journal reports. Seattle-based Rover runs an online system and app that connects dog and cat owners with pet specialists — think sitters,…
Pearl-area San Antonio Bike Shop will close permanently after nearly 10 years
San Antonio Bike Shop, a mainstay of the local cycling community, will permanently close its Pearl-area storefront next month. In a Wednesday Facebook post, the nearly 10-year-old shop cited national bike and part shortages as the reason for its shutdown. “It is with a heavy heart as I post this. We will be closing our…
Viet-Cajun spot Pinch Boil House to close original downtown San Antonio location permanently
Just two months after opening a new Alamo Heights location, Viet-Cajun eatery Pinch Boil House said it will permanently close its original downtown location by year’s end. The Southeast Asian-inspired seafood and street fare shared the news Tuesday via social media. “It is with a heavy heart that we announce Pinch Downtown will be permanently…
Texas governor signs bill allotting $180 million for food and tourism recovery
In between politically motivated crusades, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott actually found the time to sign a bill that could have a measurable impact on the state’s beleaguered hospitality sector. On Monday, Abbott signed Senate Bill 8 into law, allocating nearly $16 billion in federal pandemic-relief cash to state resources and programs, including $180 million in aid…
San Antonio Spurs putting arena naming rights for AT&T Center on the market for first time in 20 years
Say goodbye to the AT&T Center. For the first time in 20 years, Spurs Sports & Entertainment is putting the naming rights to the NBA team’s 19,000-seat arena on the sales block. SS&E’s partnership with AT&T will end following the 2021-22 season, and the team has retained Legends Global Partnerships, which has helped other teams…
More San Antonio Symphony concerts postponed, canceled as musicians’ strike continues
As the strike by San Antonio Symphony musicians drags on, the orchestra has postponed or canceled more of its planned concerts for the 2021-2022 season. On Tuesday, the Symphony Society, the orchestra’s managing body, announced the postponement of the Nov. 19-20 Russian Masters and Nov. 26-27 Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto performances at the Tobin Center and…
The Speakeasy at Salvation Spirits now open in Fredericksburg, north of San Antonio
Fredericksburg’s first and only speakeasy will welcome guests Thursday, serving up fancy AF cocktails using fresh fruit and spirits created on-site. The Speakeasy at Salvation Spirits is located on the 290 Wine Trail, on a sprawling property that will eventually host a winery, brewery, German beer house, entertainment venue and restaurant. The the Insta-worthy space…
Biden’s infrastructure plan will set aside about $35 billion for Texas projects
The White House estimates that Texas will receive about $35.44 billion over five years for roads, bridges, pipes, ports, broadband access and other projects after federal lawmakers passed a long-anticipated national infrastructure bill on Friday. The influx of capital is set to advance existing transit plans, pay for much-needed repairs and could lay the groundwork…
Gov. Greg Abbott demands criminal investigation of so-called ‘pornography’ in public schools
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott escalated his crusade against what he calls “obscene content” in public schools Wednesday, demanding in a letter that the Texas Education Agency investigate criminal activity related to minors accessing “pornography” on campus. Without offering proof any such material exists, Abbott urged the TEA, which has no law-enforcement authority, to look for instances…
San Antonio’s The Good Kind will hold Friendsgiving event with local market, live music and cocktails
Southtown spot The Good Kind will hold a Friday, Nov. 26 Friendsgiving event featuring a maker’s market, Texas whiskey and a live set from classic-country band The Texases. The Black Friday gathering is intended to help San Antonians spend their holiday shopping money locally and will feature vendors of handcrafted art, jewelry, clothing and gifts.…
Jewish Federation of San Antonio to host two family-friendly Hanukkah events this month
The Jewish Federation of San Antonio will celebrate Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights, with two events at area venues on Nov. 28 and 30. On Sunday, Nov. 28 — first night of Hanukkah — families with young kiddos can head out to SeaWorld, where a lighting of a menorah will take place just…
Italian sandwich concept Gigi’s Deli to hold grand opening at San Antonio’s Little Death wine shop
San Antonians with an affinity for Italian sandwiches can mark their calendars for a Friday, Nov. 12 grand opening party of epic proportions, featuring sandos from Gigi’s Deli and champagne from Little Death wine shop. Gigi’s Deli kicked off its pop-up concept at Little Death earlier this fall, slinging hearty, loaded sandwiches at the St. Mary’s Street…
Film series at San Antonio’s Peacock Alley continues with anticapitalist comedy Office Space
If Office Space taught us one thing, it’s that sometimes the best way to deal with work-induced stress is to take a printer into a field and smash it up with a baseball bat. Or maybe it’s to flip off your punctilious manager and storm out of your underpaid foodservice job (for good). With strikes…
CPS Energy tries to assure customers it’s ready for this winter at Tuesday virtual town hall
Top officials at embattled CPS Energy fielded questions from the public at a virtual town hall on Tuesday evening, insisting they learned from last February’s “unprecedented” freeze and are ready for this winter. “I can sit here and tell you that CPS has been focused and on the job,” said Rudy Garza, interim president of…
New San Antonio holiday favorite the Rotary Ice Rink returning to Travis Park on Nov. 19
After debuting to much fanfare in 2019, then suffering a pandemic-forced cancellation last year, one of SA’s newest holiday traditions is making a comeback on Friday, Nov. 19. The Rotary Ice Rink is returning to downtown’s Travis Park. In addition to daily skating hours, the attraction will host themed nights and offer discounts including free-admission Mondays for military…
Study: unvaccinated Texans were 20 times more likely to die during September COVID-19 surge
During the September surge in Delta variant cases, unvaccinated Texans were 20 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than those were fully vaccinated, according to a new study from the state’s health department. The analysis, published this week by the Texas Department of State Health Services, found that 81.3% of COVID-related deaths in the…
Bad Takes: Ineptitude and corruption explain Democrats’ recent losses, not ‘wokeness’
Bad Takes is a periodic column of opinion and political analysis. “If liberals are so fucking smart, how come they lose so goddamn always?” news anchor Will McAvoy, portrayed by Jeff Daniels, asked nearly 10 years ago on the pilot episode of Aaron Sorkin’s journalism drama The Newsroom. To that point, corporate Democrat extraordinaire Terry…
Annual Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival to celebrate Native American traditions on Saturday
In celebration of the artistic traditions of Native American communities, the Briscoe Western Art Museum will hold the free Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival to share art displays and artifacts of the local Native American tribes that helped shape the kind of city San Antonio is today. Through storytelling, artist demos, workshops, lectures, drum circles, music,…
A new Republican-led bill could be the middle-of-the-road solution to legalizing and taxing marijuana
Just when we thought full-blown marijuana legalization remained a distant reality, a Republican-led congressional marijuana legalization bill comes along that could end the federal prohibition on weed. Online news site Marijuana Moment obtained the 116-page draft legislation, which is being led by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and aims to give 68% of Americans what they want:…
10 endangered Komodo dragons hatch at the San Antonio Zoo
The San Antonio Zoo announced Tuesday that it successfully hatched 10 Komodo dragons, an animal recently downgraded from “vulnerable” to “endangered” by wildlife watchers. The Indonesian reptile is the largest living lizard in the world. Two of the hatchlings are male, four are female and four are “yet-to-be-determined dragons,” according to the zoo. The eggs hatched…
Judge grants injunction making delta-8 THC legal in Texas again — for now
Texans are in for a case of delta-8 whiplash: first it’s legal, then it’s not, and now it’s legal again — temporarily. Travis County District Judge Jan Soifer on Monday issued a temporary injunction barring Texas from enforcing a ban against the sale of delta-8, the Dallas Morning News reports. On Oct. 15, the state…
Stolen Luminaria art installation found in San Antonio but will require major repairs
Art group Of the Serpent’s large art installation for the Luminaria Contemporary Art Festival, which was stolen Sunday along with artist Timofay Trofimenkov’s truck, has been recovered. “The Serpent has been found! Thank you San Antonio for rallying behind our artists!” Luminaria organizers wrote in a post on Facebook Monday evening. “The piece will require some repair…
Luminaria Contemporary Art Festival will light up downtown San Antonio this Saturday
Billed as “the most prominent arts festival in South Texas,” Luminaria features a wide array of artists and performers representing various disciplines including visual art, dance, fashion, film, theater and poetry. The annual festival returns to downtown San Antonio this year after a pandemic-induced cancellation in 2020. It will take place across Hemisfair, the Henry…
Citing LGBTQ-themed books, Gov. Greg Abbott demands removal of ‘pornography’ from Texas schools
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has fired off a letter asking Texas education agencies remove books from schools he described as “pornography,” specifically citing a pair of memoirs about LGBTQ+ characters that include frank descriptions of sex. Abbott’s letter to the Texas Education Agency, Texas State Library and Archives Commission and State Board of Education comes days after…
Installation at San Antonio’s Luminaria art festival stolen prior to this weekend’s event
One of the large installations set to be showcased in this weekend’s Luminaria Contemporary Art Festival has been stolen. On Monday, Luminaria sent an email requesting locals be on the lookout for a truck and trailer containing the stolen art piece, an installation made by Of the Serpent, a group of artists comprised of Joseph…
San Antonio Police Department says it’s suspended an officer over alleged domestic violence incident
An off-duty San Antonio police officer was arrested and charged with assault Sunday following what SAPD officials described as a domestic violence incident, KSAT reports. The arrested officer, Philip Ortiz Jr., has since been suspended without pay, according to the TV station’s reporting. SAPD officials told KSAT that Ortiz physically assaulted his significant other during…
In what may be his next Cancun moment, Ted Cruz says Big Bird spreads ‘government propaganda’
Apparently, there’s no tweet too innocuous for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to fan into a blazing Trumpster fire of outrage. Witness the senator’s hyperventilating Twitter meltdown this weekend over Big Bird. Yes, that’s right, the eight-foot-tall, yellow Sesame Street character. On Saturday, the Twitter account for the fictional character shared what amounts to a…
The Farmer’s Butcher to host whole hog cook-off between San Antonio chefs on Sunday
A Sunday, Nov. 14 cook-off at San Antonio’s The Farmer’s Butcher will showcase three local culinary teams’ skill at preparing humanely raised artisan pork. Northwest San Antonio restaurant Humo and mobile kitchens The Smokin’ Bull and Geaux Pig or Geaux Home will each whole-roast a hog supplied by Farmer’s Butcher owners Mark and Kelley Escobedo’s South Texas…
Redland Ice House opens in New York Bar’s former space in far North San Antonio
The far North San Antonio spot that once held New York Bar has reopened with a new look and new name: Redland Ice House. The dimly lit New York Bar, known for its Big Apple-themed decor, closed earlier this year. Its space, located at 2838 North Loop 1604 East, Suite 105, sat vacant until Tuesday, Nov.…
After letter from Warner Bros. lawyer, San Antonio’s Harry Potter-themed bar crawl changes its name
Accio, eye roll! Entertainment giant Warner Bros. late last week slapped a San Antonio bar-ownership group with a cease-and-desist letter over its planned Harry Potter-themed pub crawl. In the document obtained by the Current, a California attorney tells local company Boulevardier Group that its use of Harry Potter-related characters and “all other elements” of the book and movie…
New Southtown San Antonio spot La Segunda Bartique marries vintage shopping with drinks
If you just can’t seem to get in enough shopping and drinking, Southtown’s new La Segunda Bartique & Gallery is looking to satisfy both vices. The spot, owned and operated by local musician and Lighthouse Lounge partner Eduardo Hernandez, offers an entire house stocked antique mall-style with vintage wares while serving up beer and wine to…
Live Music in San Antonio This Week: 100 gecs, Garrett T. Capps, Myke Towers and more
Depending on how old school or boundary pushing they feel, this week is going to be a busy one for Alamo City music fans. Among the trad-side options, legendary Texas songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard will play his 75th birthday party at a storied dance hall, while one of the premiere Beatles tribute acts will bop…
Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine rules for big businesses temporarily blocked by federal appeals court
Texas Republicans on Saturday claimed an early victory after a U.S. federal appeals court temporarily blocked the Biden administration from mandating that companies with more than 100 employees require workers to get coronavirus vaccines or submit to weekly testing. In a two-page order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit cited “grave statutory…
Dairy Queen Back Wages, Abbott vs. O’Rourke: The top 10 headlines in San Antonio this week
The San Antonio Current’s cover story this week may have been headlined “A Quiet Place,” but it sure as shit wasn’t a quiet news week. Beyond that article, which looked at fears surrounding San Antonio’s new noise task force, our most-read stories of the week documented the feds ordering a local Dairy Queen franchisee to…
After February freeze, San Antonio must break its addiction to CPS Energy’s revenues
Editor’s Note: The following is CityScrapes, a column of opinion and analysis. “And I sincerely doubt many know that 14% of CPS Energy’s revenues are remitted to the City of San Antonio’s general fund each year, accounting for 20% of the city’s operating budget.” — Bill Greehey, Foreword, Powering a City, 2017. “If the truth be…
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues White House over new business vaccine rules
Can’t say we didn’t see this one coming. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Biden White House on Friday over its new rule requiring large businesses to mandate vaccines for their workers or conduct frequent COVID-19 testing. The federal order, announced less than 24 hours ago, applies to private employers with staffs of 100 or…
San Antonio chef PJ Edwards to bring wine bar-grocery concept to The Alley on Bitters this winter
This winter, fans of the hearty fare at Meadow Neighborhood Eatery will gain another concept from its owners. Chef PJ Edwards and his wife Lindsey will open a new wine-and-grocery concept called Vintage Wine Bar & Specialty Foods at The Alley on Bitters, the complex that houses their existing restaurant. The Alley is also home to food businesses…
‘I Just Like to Make Work’: A peek inside the weird world of enigmatic San Antonio artist James Smolleck
While some artists are driven by the prospect of fame and fortune, others are simply driven by the need to create. San Antonio native James Smolleck easily falls into the latter category. “I always kind of knew I was going to be an artist,” Smolleck told the Current during a recent studio visit. His business-minded…
Breakfast at Mama’s Cafe, ‘Chipotlanes’: San Antonio’s biggest food stories of the week
The Current’s most-read food stories this week spanned from breakfast to pizza to … um … Harry Potter. Yeah, you heard that right. In addition to stories on Mama’s Cafe adding a breakfast menu and downtown pizza spot Playland opening a basement club, plenty of folks read up on local cocktail guru Jeret Peña’s plans to revive…
San Antonio chef Steve McHugh to host special Macallan Scotch pairing dinner at Landrace Nov. 18
Whiskey lovers, rejoice! (And open your wallets.) On Thursday, Nov. 18, lauded San Antonio chef Steve McHugh will host a pairing dinner at new-ish hotel eatery Landrace focused on uber-fancy Macallan Single Malt Scotch Whiskey. Widely considered a luxury whiskey even among Scotch fans, Macallan Single Malt has won copious awards and commendations for its approachable-yet-complex elements. McHugh…
As court considers delta-8’s future in the state, new poll shows 94% of Texans support it being legal
As a judge begins to hear a legal challenge Friday to the Texas health department’s recent declaration that delta-8 is an illegal drug, a new poll shows that 94% of Texans oppose a ban on its sale. The survey, released Thursday by cannabis consumer research firm CBD Oracle, found that 45% of Texans think delta-8 should be…
Austin’s P. Terry’s Burger Stand to open fourth San Antonio location as part of breakneck expansion
As part of its aggressive Alamo City expansion, Austin-based P. Terry’s Burger Stand will open its fourth location here in less than a year, news site MySA reports. After opening its first store in San Antonio just four months ago, the chain has its sights set on future locations including stores in Stone Oak and…
New Bar Ludivine in San Antonio’s Southtown serving up craft cocktails, beer and French wine
Southtown residents now have one more neighborhood drinkery to frequent with the opening of Bar Ludivine in the space that formerly housed J&O’s Cantina, the San Antonio Express-News reports. The new spot, located in the south-of-downtown Lavaca neighborhood, serves up craft cocktails and beer along with wines from Southern France. “The new bar is a…
The I F**king Love San Antonio podcast spins its ‘Cheers for Local Beers’ segment into its own show
It’s a running joke across the nation that Texas residents have an outrageous love for their state, and the Alamo City seems to host its own microcosm of that kind of over-the-top pride. San Antonio native Alex Arredondo, the guy behind the I F**king Love San Antonio podcast, is certainly an embodiment of that sentiment.…
San Antonio native Nicolas Cantu’s character keeps developing in final season of Walking Dead spinoff
He may have only spent the first 10 years of his life in San Antonio before moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, but Nicolas Cantu has fond memories of the Alamo City. “I was very young when I lived there, so I remember I liked going to Six Flags and a lot…
Transgender stand-up comedian Joan Riviera Simoncelli explains what Dave Chappelle got wrong
As a stand-up comedian, Joan Riviera Simoncelli wants fellow comics to have the freedom to entertain audiences however they see fit. To her mind, nothing should be off limits. People need to laugh. “The week after my mom died, I went on stage and made jokes about her death,” the San Antonio-area comedian told the…
Kura, San Antonio’s forthcoming conveyor-belt sushi bar, plans spring 2022 opening
Sushi diehards have been salivating for details since the Japan-based Kura chain this summer unveiled plans for a San Antonio location. Now, we know that its first Alamo City outpost will start serving in the spring, news site MySA reports. Kura’s claim to fame is that its fresh, handmade sushi is carried along on a revolving conveyor…
Texas woman said her ‘white skin’ would keep her out of jail, but she gets 60 days for Jan. 6 attack
A Texas real estate agent who boasted on Twitter that her blonde hair, white skin and good job would allow her to avoid prison for participating in the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection was sentenced to two months behind bars. While Jennifer Leigh Ryan of the Dallas suburb of Frisco only pleaded guilty to a minor…
U.S. Justice Department sues Texas over new voting law
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Texas over the state’s new voting law, arguing that the some measures passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature earlier this year would “disenfranchise eligible Texas citizens who seek to exercise their right to vote.” The Texas voting law, known as Senate Bill 1 and signed into law by Gov. Greg…
U.S. Senate confirms San Antonio native Robert Santos as first Latino to head the Census Bureau
The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed San Antonio native Robert Santos to head the U.S. Census Bureau, making him the first Latino to oversee the federal government’s top statistical agency. Santos, whom the Biden White House nominated for the position in April, will guide the Census Bureau as it seeks to move past the turmoil…
Two San Antonio high schoolers among five winners in statewide culinary competition
A pair of Alamo City high school students were among the five winners in the Texas Food & Wine Alliance’s Culinary Arts Career Conference contest. Each snagged a $3,000 scholarship to the esteemed Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. George Ramos and Jonathan Alvarez, students at Legacy of Educational Excellence (LEE) High School, bested 850 other students…
Beleaguered CPS Energy will hold tele-town hall next week to discuss preparations for winter weather
Nervous about the power staying on as we slide into winter? After the freeze that clobbered Texas last February, it’s understandable. To get out ahead of those concerns, San Antonio’s CPS Energy — which took a public clobbering of its own due to the disaster — will hold a tele-town hall Tuesday, Nov. 9 to to…
San Antonio cocktail king Jeret Peña reviving Harry Potter-themed bar crawl this month
Accio, cocktail! San Antonio fans of a certain bespectacled wizard-in-training will be able to suit up for a Harry Potter-themed bar crawl hosted by local cocktail guru Jeret Peña on Thursday, Nov. 18. The event was nixed in 2020 due to the pandemic, but Peña says he’s sure fans of the books — and special alcoholic…
Trinity University Press releases coloring book featuring badass women of Texas and Mexico
On Tuesday, San Antonio’s Trinity University Press released the coloring book Revolutionary Women of Texas and Mexico, which is full of portraits of ass-kicking female role models. And it’s already sold out. Inspired by the book by the same title, the collection features 24 portraits of some of the most inspirational women in Texas’ and…
Austin Eastciders to launch seasonal spiced peach flavor Nov. 13
Spiked cider outfit Austin Eastciders is set to launch a new seasonal Spiced Peach flavor that the company says tastes “like peach cobbler in a can.” And we all know how much folks in San Antonio and the Hill Country love their peaches. The newest addition to the Eastcider lineup is a crisp apple cider…
Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s slashes price for San Antonio tickets to $25 — for one day only
Good news for folks who love guitar shredding, indoor fireworks and Christmas: metal-tinged Holiday music group Trans-Siberian Orchestra is slashing ticket prices for its upcoming San Antonio concert to $25. The catch for this early stocking stuffer, however, is that the offer is only good through Friday, Nov. 5 at 10 a.m. Tickets are available through…
In Texas governor’s latest ‘catch and jail’ border policy flub, migrants released due to bad paperwork
Gov. Greg Abbott’s “catch and jail” border policy has racked up yet another procedural blunder, according to the Texas Tribune. A court last week dropped state trespassing charges against roughly 30 migrants arrested under Abbott’s attempted border crackdown, the nonprofit news site reports. The cases were dismissed because court documents didn’t identify the property where the…
San Antonio Symphony management files NLRB charge against musicians’ union
Following a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) charge filed last week by the local chapter of the musicians’ union against the Symphony Society, the board has fired back with a charge of its own, the Express-News reports. The Symphony’s musicians have been on strike since Sept. 27. According to the daily, the Symphony Society —…
Chipotle opens two new San Antonio stores with drive-thru ‘Chipotlanes’
Burrito chain Chipotle has opened two new San Antonio locations, both boasting a new feature: Chipotlanes. Yes, the punny term refers to drive-thru lanes that that let diners pick up orders without leaving their cars. How novel! The first SA Chipotle with the new feature — a Southside spot at 2741 SW Military Dr. —…
McNay Art Museum hosts four-day activation of sonic sculpture by Texas Biennial artist Steve Parker
In addition to the work he currently has on display at the McNay Art Museum as part of the Texas Biennial, Steve Parker is bringing his installation Sanctus to the museum’s lawn for a four-day activation. Constructed of salvaged brass, parabolic sound dishes, copper tubing, concrete acoustic mirrors and birdseed, the sculpture plays four liturgical…
Texas residents willing to cut three years off of their lives to keep drinking, according to survey
Texans enjoy their whiskey and beer. They also enjoy their ranch water and tequila. They also enjoy their hard seltzers and Hill Country wine. And, well, we could go on. Turns out Lone Star State residents are so fond of booze that they’d rather shave three years off of their lives than stop imbibing, according…
Mediterranean grill Ladino will take over former Il Sogno space in San Antonio’s Pearl development
Ladino, a new Mediterranean restaurant centered around fare cooked over a charcoal grill, will move into the former Pearl site of SA chef Andrew Weissman’s shuttered Il Sogno next summer. Helmed by Executive Chef Berty Richter, Ladino will pay homage to Richter’s Sephardic roots, allowing him to share the Jewish-Balkan cuisine he grew up eating.…
Family-owned Man Overboard Brewing Co. set to open near San Antonio’s Pearl complex
San Antonio craft beer fanatics will soon have another downtown-area spot to add to their rounds. Family-owned Man Overboard Brewing Co. is set to open near the Pearl complex next month. Owned and operated by Navy veteran Ron Merriman and his family — wife Cindy, son Justin and daughter-in-law Irene — the new brewery will…
Bingeworthy German bier and cuisine return to New Braunfels for Wurstfest starting Friday
Longtime fall fan favorite Wurstfest is back in New Braunfels for its 60th year celebrating German culture and food. This year’s festival marks the first in the grounds’ new Marktplatz building, the original having been destroyed in a fire days after the 2019 gathering. Just like before, spend the day — or if you choose…
Rising star Gina Brillon posts up at LOL Comedy Club for three nights of shows
Puerto Rican standup comedian Gina Brillon is on a high this year with the accolades she’s receiving from her latest comedy special Gina Brillon: The Floor is Lava. She won a 2021 Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation for the special, now streaming on Amazon Prime. She was also nominated for…
Annual Diwali celebration returns to downtown San Antonio this Saturday
Created in 2009 to commemorate the signing of a sister-city partnership with Chennai, India, through a national initiative — San Antonio currently has 11 sister cities — the Diwali SA Festival brings Indian culture and tradition to the Alamo City during a one-night event. This year, the 13th annual festival will feature traditional Indian dance, food,…
U.S. reopens land borders with Mexico to vaccinated travelers
EL PASO — After 19 months of closure, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Monday reopened its ports of entry to vaccinated travelers from Mexico, a long-awaited event for business owners who depend on tourists and Mexican nationals who had not been able to visit family on the American side for more than a…
Comedian Hasan Minhaj stops at Tobin Center Thursday as part of The King’s Jester national tour
The past few years have been busy for standup comedian Hasan Minhaj. Best known for six seasons of his Peabody Award-winning comedy series Patriot Act on Netflix and for the time he spent working as a news correspondent on The Daily Show, Minhaj also served as the featured speaker at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner…
Live Music in San Antonio This Week: A Giant Dog, Piñata Protest, The Soul Rebels and more
San Antonio music hounds have the chance to take in live rock ‘n’ roll in pretty much all its varieties this week. Whether it’s the glam-tinged swagger of A Giant Dog, the Tex-Mex punk of Piñata Protest or the prog-metal vocal stylings of former Queensryche frontman Geoff Tate, this is your chance to sway, slam or thrust those devil horns…
San Antonio’s WeFlamenco Fest returns with over a week of events celebrating the dance form
After last year’s socially distanced and mostly online performances, the WeFlamenco Fest returns for a 12th year with a full set of events throughout the city. The festival, founded by Joel Settles in 2010 and headed by Paula Sullivan since 2014, highlights both students and professionals and aims to “celebrate, educate and invigorate” the local…
San Antonio Spurs look to overcome growing pains with two home matchups against the Mavs
Following a 96-102 loss to the Nuggets in Denver, where he paced San Antonio with 27 points, Spurs forward Keldon Johnson succinctly summed up his team’s turnover-plagued performance. “Just bad decision-making,” Johnson told reporters. “We just made some stupid decisions. It happens in basketball. We’re a young team. We’ll just go into tomorrow’s game and…
Alton Brown goes ‘Beyond the Eats’ in live show at the Tobin Center Wednesday
Award-winning chef, bestselling author and creator of the Food Network’s hit show Good Eats, Alton Brown is stepping out of the kitchen and onto the stage to deliver a wide-ranging variety show featuring comedy, music, cooking demonstrations and what’s described as “culinary shenanigans” and “potentially dangerous sciencey stuff.” Brown, who relaunched Good Eats in 2019…
Waging War: Symphony Society slashes health benefits as latest volley in ongoing musicians’ strike
The San Antonio Symphony was to have held its first performances of the season by now. Instead, its musicians are a month into a strike over unilaterally imposed contract terms they call unfair and detrimental to the orchestra. Last week, as the latest development in that dispute, the Symphony Society, the orchestra’s managing body and…
