Sep 9-22, 2020
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Bexar County Is No. 2 in Texas for Officer-Involved Shootings; Black Residents Are in the Crosshairs
Officer-involved shootings of civilians in Bexar County were the second highest of any county in the state from 2016-2019, and their frequency increased in three of those four years, according to a new report by the nonprofit group Texas Justice Initiative. What’s more, while more white people were shot by law enforcement officers in Bexar…
Let’s jazz up our Black History Month with some cannabis
For better and mostly for worse, due to prohibition and the War on Drugs and more, marijuana has been tied to communities of color. But there is one shining example of marijuana being a huge positive influence: jazz. Jazz has been recognized as America’s only original art form. While that shining light emerged as a…
Artpace San Antonio partners with San Antonio Public Library for 17th annual Chalk It Up
In partnership with the San Antonio Public Library, Artpace San Antonio’s annual Chalk It Up Day will take place on October 10 at ten different library branches and also in a virtual format. The annual art festival, which in past years drew crowds downtown to create and view ephemeral murals drawn on the city streets,…
San Antonio march will honor Vanessa Guillén on what would have been her 21st birthday
Boerne-based military-assistance nonprofit the Pink Berets will host a march honoring slain Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillén on what would have been her 21st birthday. The march will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30 at the Alas de Mexico statue at Hemisfair. It will end at the same location at approximately two hours…
San Antonio family physicians, struggling amid COVID-19, asking for healthcare overhaul
San Antonio physicians say they’re being pushed to the brink by declining revenues during the COVID-19 pandemic — even as insurance companies across the country rake in enormous profits. That situation, they argue, represents a grave threat to practices across the state and country. “There are a lot of practices that are in danger,” said Dr.…
True crime-themed theatrical walking tour Art Heist comes to downtown San Antonio in October
For those true crime fans itching to play gumshoe and get out of the house, live theater is reinvigorating a cold case. Next month, San Antonio thespians will perform the U.S. premiere of Art Heist, an interactive outdoor show based on the biggest, still unsolved, art theft of all time. Audiences will work in limited,…
San Antonio Halloween staple Monster-Con returns from the dead for online event
They’re baaaack. Virtually this time. Monster-Con — a San Antonio convention celebrating everything monstrous, scary and Halloween-y — is returning this year in an online incarnation. Resurrected from the ashes of cancellation, the con’s eighth annual installment will be a virtual costume contest and vendor space. The online Art and Gift Bazaar will run from September 25 to…
Kid- and pet-friendly Brooster’s Backyard Icehouse to open on San Antonio’s South Side this fall
Bar and restaurant vet Norman Velez is using his 20-plus years of nightlife experience to open Brooster’s Backyard Icehouse, a nearly 10,000-square-foot icehouse on the South Side, MySA reports. Set to open in November, Brooster’s will offer a full bar, mocktail menu, snow cones for the kids and a variety of food trucks, as well…
After 14-year absence, Pabst Brewing Co. moves its corporate headquarters back to San Antonio
Pabst Brewing Co., the one-time owner of the Pearl Brewery, has moved its corporate headquarters back to the Alamo City. The brewing conglomerate behind Lone Star, Pearl and its namesake Pabst Blue Ribbon has leased space in downtown’s Rand Building, 110 E. Houston, according to a joint story by KSAT and the San Antonio Business Journal. The…
Downtown San Antonio gallery Hopscotch reveals artist lineup and other details for October opening
Hopscotch, the massive new art space slated to open in downtown San Antonio next month, has revealed the full list of participating artists as well as details on its food and beverage offerings. The experiential art space will open with 14 featured installations from artists around the globe, including San Antonio’s Amada Miller, Gary Sweeney,…
Texas Republicans sue to stop Gov. Greg Abbott’s extension of early voting period during the pandemic
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is facing a lawsuit over his extension of early voting for the November election from prominent members of his own party — including state party Chairman Allen West, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and members of the Texas Legislature. In July, Abbott added six days to the early voting period, moving the…
San Antonio craft brewer Brew Monkey sued for trademark infringement
Brew Monkey Beer Co., which celebrated its grand opening less than a month ago, is being sued by another Texas brewery for having a name that’s “confusingly similar,” the San Antonio Express-News reports. According to the daily, Suds Monkey Brewing Co. of Dripping Springs — alleges that Brew Monkey’s name has caused the Austin-area brewer financial…
Analysis: The 2020 election and Texas’ incremental blues
Democrats in Texas — and increasingly, Democrats outside our borders — are focused on winning the Texas House majority they lost in 2002. To do so, they must win nine more seats now held by Republicans. That’s ambitious, because the political maps were drawn by Republicans. But in the 2018 election, the Democrats increased their…
Owners of Pappadeaux, Pappasito’s may try to save Texas’ iconic Luby’s cafeteria chain
Christopher and Harris James Pappas, the Houston-based restaurateurs behind Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen and Pappasito’s Cantina, are weighing a potential deal to save square fish purveyor Luby’s. Earlier this month, the owners of San Antonio-born Luby’s Inc. revealed plans to liquidate and dissolve, closing down its namesake cafeterias and the Fuddruckers burger chain. However, a new securities filing shows…
Texas Historical Commission halts plan to move the Alamo Cenotaph
After a marathon Zoom meeting full of highly charged public comment, the Texas Historical Commission shot down a controversial plan to relocate the Alamo’s Cenotaph, a key step in redeveloping the historical site. THC voted 12-2 on Tuesday night to deny San Antonio’s request to refurbish the deteriorating monument and move it a few hundred…
UTSA receives $3 million commitment for the Najim Career and Innovation Center
Entrepreneur and philanthropist Harvey E. Najim has committed $3 million to the University of Texas at San Antonio’s efforts to help students prepare for post-graduation careers. The donation will go help create the Harvey E. Najim Innovation and Career Advancement Center, created to help students of all majors develop pathways to fulfilling employment. “My…
San Antonio’s MOVE Texas hosting biggest online National Voter Registration Day event in the U.S.
San Antonio-born voter mobilization group MOVE Texas is hosting what it’s billing as the largest National Voter Registration Day event in the country with a goal of phoning more than 100,000 unregistered voters on Tuesday evening. The online gathering will include celebrity appearances, a statewide music showcase and activist conversations. The goal is to spur more…
Texas A&M-San Antonio launches free tuition for applicants in top 10% of their high school class
A new Texas A&M University-San Antonio program will extend free tuition to high school seniors who graduate in the top 10% of their class. The same no-tuition offer is also available to those who earn at least 30 credit hours while attending an Early College High School in Texas. The school’s fledgling Achiever Promise initiative…
As Texas college towns emerge as coronavirus hot spots, universities try to keep students from infecting locals
In Texas — as around the country — college towns are emerging as new hot spots for the coronavirus, with cases surging among student populations and administrators scrambling to keep infections from reaching the broader population. In the counties where four-year college students make up at least 10% of the population, including Lubbock, Hays and…
Austin-based seafood eatery snaps up former Tacos and Tequila space near San Antonio’s Pearl
Austin-based Señor Fish Seafood Bar is about to make a splash in the Alamo City, the San Antonio Express-News reports. Señor Fish, which specializes in Mexican twists on fresh seafood, will open its first San Antonio location in the Pearl-area space formerly occupied by the defunct Tacos and Tequila. The restaurant is located at 1915 Broadway…
Rosario’s owner buys Southtown space formerly occupied by El Mirador but is quiet on her plans
Rosario’s owner Lisa Wong appears ready to expand the Mexican food hotspot’s footprint into the vacant property that was the longtime home to El Mirador, the San Antonio Express-News reports. According to the daily, a banner appeared on the facade of the El Mirador property that simply says, “Rosario’s Coming 2021.” The million-dollar question is…
LOL/Improv chain clears standup Bryan Callen to perform in Texas after LA Times sexual misconduct story
Standup comedian and former podcaster Bryan Callen is scheduled to perform at the Improv Comedy Club in Addison, Texas, October 29-31. His final night at the Improv will mark exactly three months since Callen was publicly accused of sexual assault and misconduct by four women. In late July, the Los Angeles Times ran an investigation into…
New cold-press juice and smoothie bar Jujuice opens near San Antonio’s Witte Museum
Laredo-based Jujuice Cold Pressed Juicery has expanded into the Alamo City, posting up in a space near the Witte Museum. In a Saturday Facebook post, the smoothie and juice bar said the new location at 4009 Broadway Street is now offering raw cold-pressed juices and superfood smoothies, along with acai, matcha, coconut and pitaya bowls.…
History Channel show American Pickers looking for Texans willing to put their junk on full display
Hoarding hidden treasures? American Pickers may want to pay you a visit. The long-running History Channel show, which follows antique collectors Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz as they “pick” for resale goodies, will film in the Lone Star State this November. To make it a worthwhile excursion, the producers are casting about for Texans willing to show…
Judge issues order blocking Texas’ recently enacted ban on smokable hemp products
A Texas judge has blocked the state from enforcing its recent ban on smokable hemp until the resolution of a trial questioning whether the ban is legal. Last week, Travis County Judge Lora Livingston ruled that four hemp producers who sued the state over its ban showed sufficient cause for her to issue a temporary…
Article alleges job discrimination under State Sen. Pete Flores’ watch at Texas Parks & Wildlife
A 2012 Austin Chronicle investigation raised allegations that Black game wardens at the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department faced career roadblocks while State Sen. Pete Flores, who’s now seeking reelection, headed its Law Enforcement Division. Just three Black game wardens were commissioned during Flores’ 2005-2012 tenure as director, the Chronicle reported in a story examining…
Texas Historical Commission vote to relocate the Alamo Cenotaph is expected on Tuesday
Brace yourself for more monumental meltdowns. The Texas Historical Commission is scheduled to vote Tuesday whether to shift the Alamo Cenotaph — erected in 1936 to honor those who died defending the site from the Mexican army — some 500 feet from its current location. Moving and refurbishing the deteriorating cenotaph is part of a $450…
San Antonio chef dishes about new oyster bar opening in Southtown this fall
Little Em’s Oyster Bar, helmed by chef Benjamin Crumley — a 25-year veteran of the hospitality industry and 2020 San Antonio Current Bloody Mary Battle champion — is slated to open this fall, offering a seafood-focused menu for weekend date nights and Sunday brunches. SA restauranteurs Emily and Houston Carpenter chose Crumley to facilitate the…
A new demography course at UTSA tracks the pandemic’s impact on local and global population
COVID-19 isn’t just changing the way college students attend class, it’s changing what they’re studying. Case in point: a new course at the University of Texas at San Antonio is using the pandemic as a laboratory for examining and applying demographic methods. The undergraduate course, part of the UTSA Honors College curriculum, was developed by…
San Antonio Current lands two 2020 Association of Alternative Newsmedia Awards
The San Antonio Current was recognized in two categories last week at the 2020 Association of Alternative Newsmedia awards. Current Editor-in-Chief Sanford Nowlin’s “Detention Inc.: Trump’s Immigrant Crackdown Means Big Money for Private Prisons” received an honorable mention in the Long-Form News Story category. Writer Chris Conde also received an honorable mention for Music Writing for…
San Antonio artist Jose Villalobos receives Tanne Foundation Award
San Antonio visual artist Jose Villalobos keeps racking up the accolades. In addition to being selected for the prestigious Joan Mitchell Foundation Residency Program this year, Villalobos has now been named one of the 2020 Tanne Foundation Award recipients. The Tanne Foundation has provided unrestricted funding to support artists for 21 years. This year, the…
Texas needs more poll workers this year because of the pandemic. Here’s how to become one.
Kathy Schneider worked as a Dallas County election clerk in 2018, but out of concern about the coronavirus, she’s choosing not to this year. “I am 64 and really not interested in exposing myself to coronavirus any more than I need to do,” Schneider said. Instead, she’s volunteering as a poll watcher for the Democratic…
San Antonio Spurs food truck will take to the streets with throwback colors and chef-prepared eats
A new San Antonio Spurs Street Eats food truck will soon be cruising the Alamo City, serving up chef-prepared bites — one of which fans will have a hand in selecting. The truck — cloaked in the team’s throwback colors of aqua, pink and orange — will sell local favorites including empanadas, street tacos and…
San Antonio-area Stripes stores release commemorative Selena cups, special Slurpee flavor
Let’s all raise a drink to the Queen of Cumbia. A Slurpee that is. Stripes convenience stores has released the final two commemorative cups in a limited, four-cup series it launched this year to honor the iconic Tejano singer who was killed 25 years ago. Stripes worked with Selena’s sister, Suzette Quintanilla, to design the…
Texas’ top agriculture official says he supports expansion of medical marijuana in the state
During a tour of an Austin marijuana cultivation facility last week, Texas’ top agricultural official said he’s in favor of expanding the use of medical cannabis in the state. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller told Austin TV station KXAN his interest in expanding pot’s medical use came after he met with a group of parents…
From abortion access to immigration, the battle over the open Supreme Court seat will affect Texas for a generation
WASHINGTON — The jolt of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death — and of the vacancy she left behind — was so fully felt across Texas this weekend that even the state’s most hardened political players conceded they didn’t have a handle on the implications. What they do expect: an apocalyptic fight in the…
Historic vote to decriminalize marijuana in the House postponed as moderates pump the brakes
The U.S. House of Representatives’ long-awaiting vote to decriminalize marijuana on the federal level has been postponed until after Election Day, drawing criticism from pot advocates. The House was scheduled to vote next week on the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, expunge some criminal…
San Antonio’s top 25 Thai food restaurants, according to Yelp
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Ted Cruz and John Cornyn indicate support for confirming a new Supreme Court justice before the election
WASHINGTON — The death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg left the Texas political class in shock Friday night. For Democrats at the tail end of Republican President Donald Trump’s first term, it was the nightmare scenario they’d long been dreading. The GOP-controlled Senate has displayed in recent years a cutthroat approach to moving…
Blood donations show that the United States is still nowhere near herd immunity
To better understand how widely the coronavirus has spread in the United States, some researchers are turning to an unusual source of data: blood donations. In an effort to encourage more donations, many blood collection centers have been offering to test donated blood for antibodies to the coronavirus, which indicates a past infection with SARS-CoV-2,…
Members of Congress meet with Fort Hood leadership about rash of soldier deaths
Representative Jackie Speier, D-Calif., visited U.S. Army installation Fort Hood Friday, leading a delegation of members of Congress to investigate claims of harassment and the spike in deaths of soldiers at the Texas post. The congresswoman will hold a press conference Friday evening to share the delegation’s findings, as news of the deaths of nearly 30…
Analysis: Texas reopenings tied more to COVID-19 severity than to spread
If you want to know what’s happening with business reopenings during the pandemic in Texas, watch your local hospital. Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday that COVID-19 hospitalizations are the most important number in his decision-making about how many people to allow in restaurants and other businesses in the state. He made the announcement a few days after…
Voting begins in a month. Here’s what is at stake in Texas.
In late November 2018, just weeks after U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz eked out a win against Democratic phenom Beto O’Rourke, Texas’ senior U.S. Sen. John Cornyn went on the radio with a warning: “Texas is no longer, I believe, a reliably red state.” O’Rourke, a former El Paso congressman, had lost by just 215,000 votes, the closest…
Long-awaited new restaurant Ming’s opening early next week near San Antonio’s Pearl district
Ming’s, the much anticipated new spot from Ming Qian of Ming’s Noodle Bar, will finally open next week, according to an Instagram post shared Thursday. “It’s been a long time in the making, and it finally happens [sic],” the post reads. “Tuesday, September 22, we will open our New Location Ming’s at 914 E. Elmira…
Two San Antonio Mexican eateries featured in second season of Netflix’s Taco Chronicles
If you’re looking for binge-worthy content to fill your weekend, consider the new season of Netflix’s Taco Chronicles, which features local taco havens Teka Molino and Ray’s Drive Inn. For the “American Taco” episode, the show stayed within California and Texas — Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Antonio — to explore textures and tastes…
Bihl Haus hosts virtual talk on environmental impact of border wall construction this weekend
Construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border wall has been widely decried as a human rights issue, and scientists also worry that its already had a negative impact on the environment and wildlife in the Rio Grande Valley. On Saturday, Mariana Trevino Wright — executive director of the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas…
Prepare your hole, McDonald’s is giving away its new spicy McNuggets this weekend
You probably respect your intestinal tract, so you probably don’t know that McDonald’s now has spicy McNuggets (even this writer, whose eating habits resemble those of a trash panda, had no clue). Well, the fast-food chain wants you to be very aware of the first flavor change since the classic McNugget debuted in 1983, so it’s…
Cool Crest Miniature Golf team to open Metzger Biergarten at site of former owners’ home
Cool Crest Miniature Golf, one of the oldest operating miniature golf courses in the country, is opening a Biergarten where the home of former owners Harold and Maria Metzger once stood. The 3,000 square foot property — dubbed the Metzger Biergarten in honor of Harold and Maria’s legacy — will open October 3 with a two-day…
Cinematic Spillover: Short reviews of The Devil All the Time, Kajillionaire, Antebellum and more
We’re nearing the start of fall, which means that awards season is almost upon us. But what is that going to look like this year with the pandemic? How will studios present what they believe to be their award-worthy films to the public and to critics? We’ll find out soon enough. Until then, here are…
Rotary Club of San Antonio cancels Travis Park ice rink due to ongoing pandemic
Anyone hoping to engage in outdoor iceskating fun in Travis Park this winter may need to brace themselves. On Thursday, the Rotary Club of San Antonio, the organizers behind last year’s popular downtown attraction, officially put the kibosh on the skating rink’s planned return in a statement posted on Facebook. “Due to uncertainty regarding social…
San Antonio restauranteur Jason Dady opens the doors on latest venture at Botanical Garden
Jardín, the new restaurant at the San Antonio Botanical Garden helmed by SA chef Jason Dady, has opened its doors to guests, offering serene garden views and flavors of the Mediterranean Basin, MySA reports. The new eatery will feature lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch menus that showcase flavors from Italy, Spain, Morocco and Israel. Small…
Southtown eatery Hot Joy to offer Luby’s-themed tribute family meal all weekend long
While it may not have been haute cuisine, we can all agree Luby’s holds a special, nostalgic place in Texan’s hearts. Southtown eatery Hot Joy is attempting to salve the grief of its impending closure with a Texas-sized tribute family meal this weekend. Hot Joy’s Family Feast features corn flake-crusted fish, fried chicken and miso…
Feds slap Texas ice cream brand Blue Bell with $17.25M penalty for distributing contaminated product
A federal court has ordered Texas’ Blue Bell Creameries to pay $17.25 million in fines for sending out contaminated ice cream, the largest-ever criminal penalty in a food safety case, according to the U.S. Justice Department. The Justice Department announced the fine Thursday, saying it stems from Blue Bell’s inadequate response to a 2015 listeria…
New online performance by San Antonio’s Jump-Start deals with family and Alzheimer’s
Seeing family members go through Alzheimer’s and memory loss is a heart-wrenching experience. But Lisa Suarez, whose play I’ll Remember For You was inspired by her own experience with her mother’s struggle with the disease, explores more than just sadness in the work. It’s also funny, honest and Latina-centric. San Antonio’s Jump-Start Performance Co. will present Suarez’s…
San Antonio Zoo’s annual event ‘Zoo Boo!’ will kick off the beginning of spooky season this weekend
To celebrate the spooky season, the San Antonio Zoo is launching its annual Zoo Boo! beginning Saturday, September 19. The family-friendly celebration is included in standard admission tickets and free for annual zoo pass holders and members. Attendees can enjoy trick or treat stations, pumpkin painting, dance parties, costume contests and a hay maze. Children…
State releases numbers showing low Texas public school infection rates, but the data is limited
More than 2,300 of Texas public school students who have returned to school in person since the beginning of this academic year — about 0.21% — have reported testing positive for COVID-19, according to a dashboard the state released Thursday in a first effort to publicly track the way the pandemic is impacting public schools. The…
San Antonio council approves $2.9 billion budget, pushing aside activists’ call for police funding cut
Despite calls from activists to rein in police funding, San Antonio’s city council unanimously approved a $2.9 billion budget Thursday that pumps more money into SAPD’s coffers. The new budget includes $8 million in additional police funding in addition to spending increases for housing assistance and public health. SAPD’s funding will rise to $487 million…
San Antonio’s McNay Art Museum wins $1.5M grant to cover expenses during the pandemic
San Antonio’s McNay Art Museum has landed $1.5 million in operating support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the largest funder of arts and the humanities in the United States. The grant is part of the foundation’s new Art Museum Futures Fund, an emergency grant program created to help support the arts during the COVID-19…
Sen. John Cornyn runs TV ad touting his support of DREAM Act despite record of voting against it
Amid a tough reelection bid, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas is airing a Spanish-language TV ad saying he supports the DREAM Act, even though he twice voted against it and once called its attempted passage a “political stunt.” The DREAM Act would extend legal status to certain undocumented immigrants who came to the United States…
Gov. Greg Abbott loosens coronavirus restrictions for restaurants and other businesses in most regions of Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday that most of Texas will be able to loosen some coronavirus restrictions, including letting many businesses increase their capacity to 75%, as soon as Monday. The standard that Abbott unveiled applies to the 19 out of 22 hospital regions in the state where coronavirus patients make up less than 15% of…
New San Antonio cocktail spot Amor Eterno ropes in pop-up ¡Bucho! to serve ‘Tejano street fare’
Newly unveiled Southtown cocktail bar Amor Eterno has struck a partnership with popular pop-up ¡Bucho! to provide a selection of chef-prepared bar eats that fit the drinkery’s Puro SA vibe. ¡Bucho! is operated by Jerry Moreno, Sohayla Hendrix and Gino Vidal, who have more than 30 years of combined experience in the service industry. The…
New San Antonio restaurant Tidy Ben’s offers vegan spin on childhood favorite sloppy Joes
Those nostalgic for the culinary curiosity that is the sloppy Joe may be thrilled to learn SA has a new Joe-focused spot called Tidy Ben’s Sloppy Joes. Surprise may accompany that thrill when they learn that the restaurant is all vegan. That’s right, the new joint specializes in meat-free sliders that consist of a shredded…
San Antonio’s Alamo Drafthouse Park North fighting back in rent dispute with unforgiving landlord
Theater chain Alamo Drafthouse has fired back in an ongoing rent dispute with the landlord of its Park North location after skipping more than $660,000 in rent payments due to the pandemic, the San Antonio Express-News reports. The theater chain stopped paying rent on its location in the North Side retail development after the business temporarily closed…
New Thai restaurant opening in San Antonio’s Five Points neighborhood Friday
SA’s Five Points area will soon be home to a new Thai curbside and delivery spot, MySA reports. Owned by husband-and-wife team Jerry Gonzales and Siwaporn Archariya, Hew by Akhanay Coffee Roasters serve up authentic Thai street food, coffee and teas for at-home enjoyment. Menu items available at Friday’s soft opening will include the classic Thai…
San Antonio welcomes first vegan, full-service dry bar with CBD-infused mocktails
HASH — short for Heal and Spread Healing — launched this week, becoming San Antonio’s first dry bar, featuring craft non-alcoholic beers and a vegan food menu, MySA reports. Owners and brothers Rogelio and Michael Sanchez held a soft opening Monday, where the restaurant served items such as Chik-N-Waffles and Buffalo HASH alongside CBD-infused mocktails,…
San Antonio’s Briscoe Museum shows modern view of Native American stories in new exhibit
On Friday, September 25, the Briscoe Western Art Museum will debut its latest exhibition, “Visual Voices: Contemporary Chickasaw Art.” “Visual Voices” will showcase stories of the West and a modern view of Native American stories through 15 Chickasaw artists and almost 60 pieces of art. “An exhibition of the caliber of ‘Visual Voices: Contemporary Chickasaw…
San Antonio-born Christopher Cross says he was paralyzed by COVID-19, re-learning to walk
After coming down with COVID-19 this spring, San Antonio-born soft rocker Christopher Cross revealed on his Instagram account that he’s still struggling to overcome his health crisis. In a post shared with followers on Wednesday, Cross said his COVID-19 infection introduced another ailment, Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which causes paralysis and can require a year or more…
How years of underfunding public health left Texas ill prepared for the pandemic
In the spring, as public health officials were beginning to see the novel coronavirus spreading in Texas, Danny Updike had bad news and good news for health care workers in the San Angelo region where he works in emergency response. The bad news was that the pandemic had brought a sudden shortage of masks, gowns,…
San Antonio nonprofit expanding health services for local food and hospitality workers
San Antonio nonprofit the Saint City Culinary Foundation is expanding its mental-wellness program Heard by developing a comprehensive health program specifically for hospitality industry professionals. Joel Rivas, founder of the Saint City and Heard, has been working with healthcare provider app Galileo for the past year on a partnership that will offer foodservice workers affordable,…
Amazon holding San Antonio voter registrations as part of bus tour promoting new documentary
A bus tour by Amazon Studios promoting a new documentary on voter suppression will roll into San Antonio’s West Side this week to screen the film and register voters ahead of the November election. Amazon has dispatched five buses promoting the streaming doc All In: The Fight For Democracy, which follows former Georgia House of Representatives Minority Leader Stacey…
Three San Antonio food and drink establishments serving up Diez y Seis de Septiembre specials
Diez y Seis de Septiembre — that’s September 16 for you non-Spanish speakers — marks the day in 1810 that Father Miguel Hidalgo y Castilla helped launch Mexico’s separation from Spain with a grito (or cry) for revolution. Since Texas was part of Spain’s empire back then, the day holds significance not just for Mexico but also…
Share of positive COVID-19 cases as Texas reopened was higher than originally reported, new state calculations show
State health officials published new data this week that showed the state’s positivity rate was higher in the spring that originally disclosed, even as public officials cited the data to justify business reopenings during the pandemic. The Department of State Health Services on Monday announced a new method for calculating the positivity rate, or the…
Teachers union sues San Antonio ISD, saying it broke the law when letting charter firm take over school
The Texas State Teachers Association has sued San Antonio ISD and the state’s education commissioner, alleging they violated the law when they turned over a struggling elementary campus to a New York charter school operator. In a suit filed Tuesday in state district court in Austin, the union argues that SAISD and Texas Education Commissioner…
San Antonio public health officials offering free drive-thru flu vaccines but appointments needed
Local health officials are teaming up with H-E-B Pharmacy to provide free flu vaccines to San Antonio residents — whether or not they have insurance. University Health System and H-E-B will host a drive-thru flu vaccination clinic at Freeman Coliseum on Saturday, September 26, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free clinic will provide 2,500…
Watch Texas lawn guy cuss up a storm as the tree he chops down smashes into his client’s house
First, if you’re going to watch this clip, it’s imperative that you have the sound up. Second, be advised that said sound is not workplace safe. Not even remotely. Unless, of course, you’re working from home, which is a good possibility right now. This viral video gem shows disaster strike — an entirely avertable disaster,…
San Antonio earmarks $21.9M for housing relief, but Councilman Treviño says city not doing enough
At the request of some on city council, an additional $21.9 million has been earmarked to help San Antonians stay housed during the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase from the $5.25 million allocated under the proposed fiscal year 2021 budget. The new funding, which becomes available October 1, may also come with new guidelines. City officials…
San Antonio Film Festival returns with second iteration of this year’s online film series
If you missed the San Antonio Film Festival’s first set of 2020 screenings, have no fear: a second virtual mini-festival kicks off this week, running September 16-20. The 26th Annual San Antonio Film Festival turned what is normally a week-long festival into a series of five virtual mini-festivals to ensure the health of audiences and filmmakers during…
More people in Texas have lost health insurance during Trump’s term than in any other state
The number of Texans who lack health insurance has soared by 689,000 during President Donald Trump’s time in office — the largest increase of any state — according to a new study of U.S. Census data. Texas’ increase mirrors a national trend, according to the analysis, released Tuesday by investigative journalism site Capital & Main. The ranks…
Bexar County deputy latest to face disciplinary action after Facebook post calling for lynch mob
A Bexar County sheriff’s deputy was fired last week over allegations he made a social media post saying an accused mail thief should face a lynch mob, KSAT reports. Jackie Farmer was terminated Thursday for posting “an offensive Facebook comment that incited violence,” a spokeswoman for the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office told the TV station. The…
Texas officials walk back $15 million proposed cuts to women’s and children’s health services
State health officials walked back a plan to cut $15 million in funding from health and safety net programs, including services that offer low-income Texans access to birth control and cancer screenings, and support families of young children with disabilities or developmental delays. They are instead looking at other belt-tightening measures this year to find…
San Antonio restaurant pros doing volunteer work as part of the Campari Day of Service
Campari has teamed up with the United States Bartender’s Guild National Charity Foundation to hold the third annual National Day of Service on Tuesday, a 24-hour window where bar and restaurant professionals join each other in community service efforts across the nation. San Antonio’s Day of Service team is helmed by Karen Tartt, craft bartender and…
Elise Russ, San Antonio pastry chef and restauranteur, accepted to industry-focused organization
Chef Elise Russ, owner and pastry chef of Clementine restaurant in Castle Hills, has cause to raise a glass, as the San Antonio chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI) has accepted her as its newest member. Les Dames d’Escoffier International is an invitational organization of women leaders in food, beverage, agriculture and hospitality whose…
North San Antonio restaurant to hold Oktoberfest dinner with Houston-based brewery
Copa Wine Bar, located on SA’s North side, has released details of its Oktoberfest-themed dinner event, featuring Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company craft beers. The five-course dinner will feature German-inspired bites such as soft pretzels with a roasted pineapple & bacon beer cheese fondue and smoked sauerbraten brisket with spaetzle and beer-braised red cabbage. Each course…
Dorćol Distilling + Brewing Co. to team up with Chef Ernie Bradley for birria and beer flight pop-up
It’d be an understatement to say that birria, the rich and complex beef or goat stew originally from Jalisco, is having a moment in San Antonio. Chef Ernie Bradley, of Kuriya at the Cherrity Bar, has teamed up with Dorćol Distilling + Brewing Co. to bring birria to Southtown with their Noche de Birria pop-up…
San Antonio Housing Trust acquires portion of Friedrich complex for $68.7M redevelopment
The San Antonio Housing Trust Public Facility Corp. (PFC) recently purchased the bulk of the former Friedrich Air Conditioning Co. complex on East Commerce Street, a major step in the redevelopment of the long-derelict industrial site. Construction of the $68.7 million Friedrich Lofts is expected to begin in the spring of 2021 and take 22-24…
Teachers union catalogs hundreds of COVID-19 safety violations as Texas schools reopen
Texas educators have reported hundreds of violations of COVID-19 safety rules since schools began reopening this fall, one of the state’s biggest teachers unions said Monday. In an online survey conducted by the Texas State Teachers Association, 664 school employees from 135 Texas districts reported polices and practices that violated pandemic-related safety guidelines. “The biggest…
San Antonio author Amalia Ortiz wins American Book Award for oral literature
Tejana author, activist and spoken-word artist Amalia Ortiz has been named one of 2020’s American Book Award winners. On Monday, the Before Columbus Foundation announced the winners of the 41st annual awards, which were created to “provide recognition for outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of America’s diverse literary community.” Ortiz received the Oral…
San Antonio-born Carole Baskin makes Dancing with the Stars debut with tiger-themed paso doble
Thrust into the limelight by Netflix’s hit true-crime series Tiger King, animal sanctuary chief Carole Baskin is embracing her newfound stardom as a contestant on the latest season of Dancing with the Stars. On Monday, San Antonio-born Baskin made her debut on the ABC’s celebrity ballroom dance competition with a paso doble danced to —…
Thousands of immigrants in Texas could be forced to leave the country following court decision on protected status
Tens of thousands of immigrants who are living in Texas legally under humanitarian protection could be forced to leave or face deportation after an appellate court ruled that President Donald Trump can end the program. The 2-1 decision out of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California means that immigrants from El Salvador,…
San Antonio’s Our Lady of the Lake creates mass communication school with $2.1 million gift
As part of a $2.1 million donation, San Antonio’s Our Lady of the Lake University this week launched a new school of mass communication and theater. The gift was from Verónica Salazar Escobedo — a 35-year veteran at the San Antonio Express-News who served as both a columnist and executive — and her husband Rubén M.…
Glitter Political: Precinct 1 commissioner candidate Gabriel Lara wants voters to think local
Five years ago, 38-year-old Vanessa Puente, an art teacher at Southwest High School, was killed by a hit-and-run driver, within walking distance from the far Northwest Side home of retired paramedic Gabriel Lara. After unanswered calls to Bexar County Commissioner Sergio “Chico” Rodriguez to do something about the speeding cars on that street, Lara decided…
Texas Restaurant Association CEO warns that River Walk restaurants are ‘sitting ducks’ amid pandemic
San Antonio’s River Walk restaurants are low on cash and need a financial lifeline soon to avoid a wave of closures, Texas Restaurant Association CEO Emily Williams Knight told the San Antonio Business Journal. Willams Knight recently met with downtown restaurant operators to gain more insight into their plight during the now six-month-long COVID-19 pandemic. “It…
Under agreement with FAA, San Antonio will offer Chick-fil-A concession at airport
In an informal agreement negotiated on September 10 with the Federal Aviation Administration, the City of San Antonio must now offer Chick-fil-A concession at the San Antonio International Airport. The FAA’s agreement comes as the result of an investigation initiated by the U.S. Department of Transportation at the request of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton…
Texas-based Garrison Brothers Distillery releases over-proof, unfiltered sweet mash bourbon
Garrison Brothers Distillery has announced the 2020 release of their highly anticipated Cowboy Bourbon — an uncut, unfiltered, limited-edition bourbon that clocks in at a potentially-blinding 66.95% ABV. The award-winning bourbon comes from barrels hand-selected by the distillery’s master distiller, and boasts distinct tasting notes developed by several years of maturation. Cowboy Bourbon is bottled…
Sen. Ted Cruz keeps up anti-Hollywood tirade by blasting French film on Netflix
Like the iconic, prehistoric sea monster Godzilla that destroys Tokyo, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, or #Cruzilla, is on a relentless rampage through Hollywood. Between trolling the cast of The Princess Bride on Twitter and introducing legislation to block U.S. movie studios from accessing government funds if they “alter content to suit Chinese censors,” Cruz found…
Original Mr Juicy location to be closed Monday so staff can focus on operations at new space, will reopen Tuesday
Popular burger joint Mr Juicy took to social media Monday to inform fans that the original location, at 3910 McCullough, will be closed today to assist in operations at the new spot, just a half mile down the road. “Due to an overwhelming response this weekend … (3000+burgers sold) we will be consolidating the team…
Curator Coffee to hold local artist pop-up at central San Antonio food truck park
On Saturday, local coffee pop-up Curator Coffee is taking over the Rose Bush food truck park for a coffee and art sale featuring San Antonio creatives. So far, the artist lineup includes ceramic artists Yuli Chang and Pamela Barclay, as well as illustrators Zachary Mojica, Don Robles and more. The pop-up event will give visitor…
Cinematic Spillover: Short reviews of Tenet, Cuties and The Social Dilemma
We finally made it out to the drive-in theater to review Christopher Nolan’s new time-warping film Tenet. We also have reviews of two new films on Netflix – a documentary on the negative aspects of social media and a feature film from France that has been receiving a considerable amount of online condemnation over the…
San Antonio restauranteur Blanca Aldaco to host free cooking segment from home kitchen
Those who love Aldaco’s iconic enchiladas verdes may want to clear their evening for an at-home cooking lesson hosted by Blanca Aldaco herself via Zoom on Monday, September 14. Aldaco has partnered with Renée Yanta, now running to represent Place 1 on the Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals, to share coveted Aldaco’s enchilada-making secrets, while…
San Antonio takes annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration online
For 25 years, Folklorico dancers and the ring of trumpets and violins down the street marked the celebration of Mexican independence and Hispanic Heritage month in San Antonio. This year, the streets may be largely empty to avoid the spread of coronavirus, but the Fiestas Patrias will continue online. The City of San Antonio has…
Biden campaign adds more staff in Texas
Joe Biden’s campaign is expanding its staff in Texas, bringing on 13 more people as the state continues to look competitive with just over seven weeks to go before the November election. The Democratic nominee’s latest hires, shared first with the Texas Tribune, include several experienced Democratic operatives from the state. They include Dallas Jones,…
Mixtli Man: Celebrated San Antonio chef Rico Torres dishes on culture, techniques and ingredients
This has been a big year for chef Rico Torres, co-owner of Mixtli Progressive Mexican Culinaria, the San Antonio restaurant widely lauded for its creative spin on interior Mexican cuisine. First, he got national media exposure through an appearance on the inaugural episode of Taste the Nation, a Hulu series hosted by Top Chef’s Padma…
COVID69, MUD BUTT and NOPENIS are among the vanity plates Texas has rejected this year
If the only vulgarities you experience on your morning commute are those you shout at other motorists, thank — or blame — the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. During the first half of this year, the DMV rejected 2,151 vanity license plates requested by Texans that it deemed too crude, offensive or otherwise unworthy to…
Texas Democrats From the Border Team Up for new PAC in Effort to Flip the State House
A group of Democrats representing the state’s border with Mexico in the Texas House has launched a new political group to unify their ranks and pitch in on the fight for the lower-chamber majority this November. The House Speaker Pro Tem, Rep. Joe Moody of El Paso, is helping organize and serving as the treasurer of…
A Sobering Breakdown of Severe COVID-19 Cases Shows Young Adults Can’t Dismiss It
Although older adults face the highest risk of being hospitalized with or dying from COVID-19, younger adults can also end up in the hospital (SN: 3/19/20). If they do, the outcome can be serious, and a new study is providing a look at just how severe the disease can be for those patients. Of roughly 3,200…
San Antonio Man Replaces Grocery Labels with Facts About Local and National Police Issues
A sneaky San Antonio graphic designer has made label alterations in local grocery aisles in the name of Black Lives Matter. On Friday, the Portland Mercury’s Alex Zielinski, a San Antonio Current alum, tweeted photos of some normal looking grocery items — that is, until you read the labels. One of my San Antonio friends has…
Texas Gives Preliminary Approval for Revised School Sex Ed Policy That Excludes LGBTQ Issues
The Texas State Board of Education gave preliminary approval this week to a sex education policy that includes teaching middle schoolers about birth control beyond abstinence — its first attempt to revise that policy since 1997. In jam-packed meetings held Wednesday through Friday, the 15-member Republican-dominated board came one step closer to revising minimum standards…
Burton Ball Returns in October as Drive-Through Experience at San Antonio’s Traders Village
We can still sing along to the catchiness of “This is Halloween” and set our eyes on spooky décor as the Burton Ball returns for its ninth iteration this October. Although, this time there’s a twist. For the safety of San Antonio fans of macabre movie director Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Sleepy Hollow), the annual event…
San Antonio’s Inaugural Taco Week Launches This Month, Highlighting the CIty’s Go-To Food
It’s kind of hard to believe it took until 2020 for San Antonio to have an event called Taco Week. Be that as it may, now it does — and the inaugural edition is almost upon us. San Antonio Taco Week runs Saturday, September 26, through Sunday, October 4, giving residents a chance to pair…
Maruchan Noodle Company Expanding Factory South of San Antonio
Maruchan — the company responsible for brightly packaged, over-seasoned, three-minute ramen and other noodle-y things — is expanding its factory just south of the Alamo City, the San Antonio Business Journal reports. The company filed documents with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation that show plans to expand the footprint of its facility in…
Greg Abbott’s Talk on Punishing Cities for Cutting Police Budgets Unlikely to Yield Legislative Action
Gov. Greg Abbott this week amped up his threats to punish cities that cut police funding — rhetoric that may have strategic value during an election year but is unlikely to yield action by the Texas Legislature, political observers say. “I think Abbott has the sense that talking about the coronavirus, talking about unemployment right now,…
Rooftop Cinema Rolling Out New Fall Film Series at San Antonio’s Fiesta Texas
Drive-in theaters have made quite the comeback in 2020, and the trend doesn’t look like it’ll slow down anytime soon. Fieata Texas’ pop-up Rooftop Cinema Club is keeping the momentum rolling this fall with a new slate of outdoor movies for San Antonians to enjoy. On Thursday, the theater announced the lineup for the first…
New CDC Report Links COVID-19 Cases With Dining at Restaurants
Thinking of going out to eat during the pandemic? According to a recent study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults over the age of 18 who tested positive for the coronavirus are “twice as likely” to have dined at a restaurant two weeks before reporting symptoms, CNN reports. The study used data…
Waiting Game: The COVID-19 Crisis Also Takes Its Toll on San Antonio’s Day Laborers
Carlos Vasquez was eight years old when his parents left behind their village in Zacatecas, Mexico, 732 miles from the Texas border, and carried him and his siblings across the Rio Grande on a black inner tube. A decade later, Vasquez, 36, became a U.S. citizen. That makes the mason stand out among the undocumented…
San Antonio’s Max & Louie’s New York Diner Launches YouTube Channel
Max & Louie’s New York Diner, known for delectable pancakes and authentic New York deli fare, has launched a YouTube channel to let guests to go behind the scenes of some of its most popular dishes. The inaugural segment, hosted by owner and New Yorker Drew Glick, takes viewers into the Max & Louie’s kitchen and documents…
Build-Your-Own Mac and Cheese Bowl Restaurant Coming to San Antonio Next Year
I Heart Mac & Cheese, a fast-casual chain specializing in build-your-own macaroni and cheese bowls and customizable grilled cheese sandwiches, will open its first Alamo City location next year. San Antonio franchisee Zachary Northcutt said he plans to open the first I Heart Mac & Cheese location in Northwest San Antonio by winter of 2021. So,…
Analysis: College Football is Back — as Both a Spectacular and a Science Experiment
Texas’ college football players won’t be the only people with butterflies in their stomachs this weekend. They’re just the most public players in the state’s reopenings of educational institutions, a fraught statewide foray into in-person education, live arena events, and the kinds of young adult interactions that have made coronavirus hot spots of campuses and…
San Antonio’s Black Laboratory Brewing Releasing Sweet and Sour Piccadilly-Inspired Beer
The minds over at Black Laboratory Brewing may have concocted their most San Antonio-specific flavor profile yet. So much so, the craft brewer has dubbed the new brew Puro San Antonio. The East Side brewery doctored a blonde ale base with pickle juice, cherry Kool-Aid and chamoy to replicate the sweet, sour and spicy treat known…
TABC Working With VFWs to Reopen Local Halls; San Antonio Vets Say They’re Unimpressed
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has launched an initiative to let veteran-services facilities reopen after being shuttered for nearly four months by Gov. Greg Abbott’s pandemic safety orders. But San Antonio-area Veterans of Foreign Wars commanders say they’re underwhelmed by the details they’ve seen so far. They maintain they shouldn’t have been considered bars and…
Comic Felipe Esparza Brings Groundbreaking Specials Bad Decisions and Malas Decisiones to Netflix
As much as stand-up comedian Felipe Esparza likes to say the phrase “fuck you,” there’s no doubt in his mind that it’s funnier in Spanish. “If I were to tell you, ‘Fuck you,’ I can’t really say it in a funny way,” Esparza, 44, told the Current during a phone interview late last month. “I…
Bruce Campbell Heads to San Antonio for Socially Distanced Halloween-Weekend Screening of Evil Dead
Hail to the king, baby. Pandemic be damned — B-horror icon Bruce Campbell is headed to San Antonio next month for a special, socially distanced event at the Tobin Center. Just in time for Halloween, Campbell will host a screening of his breakout film Evil Dead, the cult Spam-in-a-cabin film that spawned a decades-spanning career…
Sidewalk Storyteller: Artist Anne Wallace Still Cementing the History of Lavaca, San Antonio’s Oldest Neighborhood
Just before the turn of the last century, artist Anne Wallace won a commission to embark on a years-long public art project exploring the rich history of Lavaca — San Antonio’s oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood. However, that commission came with an unusual stipulation: her artwork needed to be integrated into the sidewalks. Taking cues from Ed…
More Than Half of Bexar County Households Live in Poverty or One Financial Emergency Away
More than half of Bexar County families were either in poverty or living a single financial misstep away from it in 2018, according to a new study by the United Ways of Texas. During that period, 17% of Bexar County households fell under the U.S. poverty level. However, an even greater number — another 35% — were on…
The Percentage of Texans Testing Positive for COVID-19 Is Dropping, but Experts Say the Threat Isn’t Over
The number of positive COVID-19 tests in Texas has continued to fall to a level not seen since cases began to spike in June, a trend that has public health experts cautiously optimistic even as they warn that the threat is far from over. The positivity rate — the proportion of positive tests — fell…
Bond’s 007 Rock Bar Throwing BBQ Plate Sale, Raffle Fundraiser to Weather COVID Closure
Downtown metal music venue Bond’s 007 Rock Bar is hosting a barbecue plate sale and raffle fundraiser to help it ride out the extended COVID-19 closure. The Saturday, September 19 benefit will include plate sales of pulled pork sandwiches with chips and a soda for $8. The $5-a-ticket raffle give rockers a chance to win eight…
Assclown Alert: Ted Cruz Claims Pregnancy Isn’t Life Threatening As He Tries to Ban Abortion Pill
In addition to shutting down the U.S. government to make a point and engaging in pointless Twitter snits with celebrities, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz likes to consider himself an expert on women’s health. Last Monday, the Texas Republican led a group of 20 senators in sending a letter to the FDA asking it to ban…
Public Theater of San Antonio Launches Season with Virtual One-Man Show Buyer and Cellar
The Public is starting its 2020-202ONE season on a lighthearted note with Jonathan Tollins’ one-man comedy Buyer and Cellar. It is the first in a COVID-safe lineup of one-person plays the theatre will produce for live virtual viewing. The comedy follows a struggling LA actor who accepts the bizarre role of staffing Barbara Streisand’s private…
Actress and San Antonio Native Michelle Rodriguez Gives Trump Ultimate Backhanded Compliment
It’s been 20 years since action star Michelle Rodriguez (The Fast and the Furious) made her film debut with the independent boxing drama Girlfight. Now, she’s taking off her gloves to offer President Donald Trump a compliment – well, not really. “I’m really grateful for Donald Trump,” Rodriguez told the Current this week during a…
San Antonio’s Viva Vegeria Named One of PETA’s Top 10 Latinx-Owned Vegan Restaurants
San Antonio’s Viva Vegeria has landed on the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals’ list of the top 10 Latinx-owned vegan restaurants in the United States. In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month — September 15 to October 15 — PETA and PETA Latino joined forces to highlight Latinx-owned eateries that promote a vegan lifestyle…
Lone Star Beer Introduces New Seasonal German-Style Kölsch
San Antonio-born Lone Star Brewing is debuting another seasonal beer, this one with a German twist and a Texan-Teutonic name: Das Bier Y’all. The new brew is a classic German-style Kölsch flavored with peach, which the brewer says honors the Lone Star State’s German heritage. It follows on the heels of Lone Star’s recent Rio Jade…
Texas Leads the Nation With Highest Rate of Uninsured Health Care Workers
The pandemic has highlighted just how many Americans don’t have access to health insurance. And, as it turns out, healthcare workers — frequently on the front lines and susceptible to COVID-19 exposure — are among the vulnerable groups lacking coverage Nearly 600,000 U.S. healthcare workers are currently uninsured, according to a recent study by the financial…
Gourmet Hot Dog Cart RockerDogz Opens Brick-and-Mortar Location in South San Antonio
Nearly 10 years after chef Kris Martinez debuted his gourmet hot dog cart RockerDogz, the late-night mobile eatery has found a permanent home on San Antonio’s South Side. Nestled in the Mission San Jose neighborhood at 3014 Roosevelt Ave., the new location is hard to miss thanks to its bright pink exterior and checkerboard accents.…
As Congress Weighs a New Coronavirus Aid Bill, Will U.S. Citizens From Mixed-Status Families Get Left Out Again?
Patty Ram doesn’t have time to stay glued to TV news coverage for the latest information on a new stimulus bill for Americans. She’s too busy working from home and corralling her four children, who are studying remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ram was left out of the first round of government stimulus checks, so…
San Antonio Chefs Dish on Iconic Cafeteria Chain Luby’s Likely Disappearance
The pending dissolution of square-fish purveyor Luby’s has racked San Antonians with waves of nostalgia and sadness. Some have even taken to social media to inquire about many Luann Platters we’d need to eat to save the Alamo City-born cafeteria chain. (Spoiler: Luby’s hasn’t done that math.) Since it looks like the iconic Texas eateries…
Massive New Art Gallery to Open in Downtown San Antonio in October
Hopscotch, an immersive art gallery that first debuted as a pop-up in Austin in 2019, will open a permanent location in downtown San Antonio in early October. The brainchild of entrepreneurs Nicole Jensen and Hunter Inman, the gallery will open in a 20,000-square-foot, two-story space in the Travis Park Plaza Building, 711 Navarro St., on…
Texans Will No Longer Receive $300 in Federal Jobless Benefits, Workforce Commission Says
The federal government is about to turn off the tap for Texans who were getting an extra $300 a week in jobless benefits, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. In a letter sent to claimants, TWC said the Federal Emergency Management Agency notified it that the funds — authorized through an executive order by President Donald…
Gov. Greg Abbott Calls on Texas Candidates to Sign a Pledge to Oppose Police Budget Cuts
Gov. Greg Abbott has doubled down on law-and-order rhetoric amid ongoing Black Lives Matter protests, urging Texas political candidates to sign a pledge not to cut police budgets. “Some cities in Texas want to defund and dismantle police departments in our state,” Abbott says dramatically during a YouTube clip posted Wednesday to promote his pledge. “This reckless…
San Antonio Public Library Now Offering Physical Card Pick-Ups at 29 Locations
To provide better access to its materials during the pandemic, the San Antonio Public Library (SAPL) has promoted new ways to access online reading, including a digital library card. Now, to celebrate September’s National Library Card Sign-Up Month, SAPL is offering physical library cards via contact-free pickup at 29 of its locations. A card allows…
Texas Ordered to Immediately Fix Flaws in Method Used to Reject Some Mail-in Ballots
As Texas prepares for an expected deluge of mail-in votes in November, a federal judge has found that one facet of the state’s signature verification rules for those ballots is unconstitutional and must be reworked for the upcoming election. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ruled Tuesday that the state’s process for determining whether there is a…
Local Visual Artist Celebrates San Antonio With New Poster Benefiting Live Music Venues
Local artist Regina Morale is selling a new puro San Antonio poster for a rockin’ good cause. The Chicana artist designed a new print in collaboration with the “Bring Music Home” initiative to raise money to benefit workers at music venues affected by COVID-19 closures. Skilled as both a trumpet player — she played at…
Congressman and Top San Antonio Doctor Warn COVID-19 Drug Running in Short Supply
San Antonio hospitals are being forced to ration the drug remdesivir, used to quicken the recovery of COVID-19 patients, because of a slipping national supply, a doctor at UT Health San Antonio warned Tuesday. On a Tuesday conference call, Dr. Tom Patterson, chief of infectious diseases at UT Health San Antonio’s Long School of Medicine, and U.S.…
