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December 30, 2017 Slideshows » News

The Greatest Things That Happened in Texas in 2017

By San Antonio Current Staff

        
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There’s a lot we’re leaving behind in 2017, but it wasn’t entirely a hot mess. Here are a few stories worth remembering that happened in Texas this year.

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Five San Antonio Spurs’ players made Sports Illustrated’s Top 100 NBA Players List for 2017-2018. A round of applause for: Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol, Danny Green and Patty Mills. Read more.

Google Fiber is here! Even though it’s limited to a few San Antonio residents at the moment, this breakthrough Internet service could change the technological landscape in our city. Read more.

Officer Juan Bruno dusted off his salsa skills when he responded to a noise complaint at a San Antonio residence. Many applauded the moment as good community-building. Read more.

Not long after “losing” $10 million in a World Series bet, Mattress Mack gave away a houseful of furniture to 30 families in the spirit of Thanksgiving. Read more.

The ciiiircle of liiiiife! An incredibly cute giraffe was born at the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch in November. Read more.

With this funding bump, Texas kids and expecting mothers in low income homes got an extra month of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, a health coverage plan that helps people who don’t qualify for Medicaid. Read more.

Texas Tech safety Justus Parker got the scholarship of a lifetime from NFL superstars Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola of the New England Patriots. Read more.

Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke (D) and Will Hurd (R) hopped in a rental and jetted across the country together after their flight was cancelled in the hellacious snow storms that happened earlier this year. Read more.

Huge congrats to Spurs hall-of-famer Tim Duncan and his girlfriend Vanessa Macias for having a baby girl in March this year. The couple paid tribute to Guardians of the Galaxy with the super cute baby name: Quill. Read more.

The O'Connor High School football team showed Helotes what teamwork is all about. The guys showed up to 8th grader Diego Hernandez's birthday party after all his “friends” didn’t show up. Read more.

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The Spurs advanced far into the playoffs last season. Unfortunately, they had to play the Golden State Warriors, who sweeped them 4-0. There’s always next time. Read more.

Brian Picard flew in from Oklahoma to sweetly propose to his girlfriend, Catherine Pisano, at the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon. Spoiler: she said yes. Read more.

San Antonio became the first city in Texas vowing to end AIDS by 2030. San Antonio was the 14th city to join this initiative called the Fast Track Cities. Read more.

The long-contested anti-abortion bill SB8 was finally thrown out by a federal judge for putting an "undue burden" on women seeking a second trimester abortion in Texas. Read more.

After a teacher allegedly made a racist comment to student, many kids flocked the halls chanting, "Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here!" :’) Read more.

Guinness Book of World Records bestowed Buc-ee’s in Katy with the World’s Longest Car Wash. The record? 255 feet. (If that doesn’t sound impressive, think about it this way: that’s almost a football field.) Read more.

Right here in our very own Alamo City was a Women’s March to be remembered. Read more.

Cards Against Humanity drummed up cash with an “America-saving” promotion to buy a piece of land along the Texas-Mexico border. We like to think that no wall is a good wall. Read more.

San Antonio’s Bee Clean Car Wash was the real MVP by donating $10,000 to the victims of the Sutherland Springs tragedy. Read more.

San Antonio's Southwest Research Institute was selected by NASA to design, build, and lead a 2021 mission exploring the solar system's oldest asteroids 400 million miles from Earth. Read more.

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A young San Antonio girl was reunited with her father stationed overseas on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. With her mom by her side, it was an especially heartwarming and emotional moment to experience. Read more.

The San Antonio Zoo debuted an insanely cute 2-year-old hippo in October. The zoo crowdsourced San Antonians to name the little hippo, and we hope it went better than most other name contests this city participates in. Read more.

It’s been a tumultuous year for athletes taking any political stance, but our beloved Spurs found a way to show solidarity without pissing off half of America. Read more.

Tim Duncan flew back to his homeland, the U.S. Virgin Islands, to join the relief efforts after Hurricane Irma. Seriously, what a GOAT. Read more.

San Antonio cracked down on dog tethering laws by completely banning the use of chains to restrain or tie up a dog. No more inhumane treatment for our best buds! Read more.

Coach Pop being awesome once again and leaving a $5,000 tip on an $815 check while dining in Memphis. Read more.

Trey Ganem of Victoria, Texas showed the true value of community when he offered free caskets to the families affected by Sutherland Springs. Read more.

Bexar County announced a new “cite and release” policy for minor marijuana possession. One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. In Texas, that is. Read more.

Converse released a very limited edition of Spurs-styled Chuck Taylors. Read more.

A San Antonio science teacher won over $10,000 on Wheel of Fortune. Read more.

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San Antonio’s SeaWorld brought a new baby beluga whale into this world! Read more.

Renown director Tyler Perry left a $500 tip on a $27 check for a waitress at Green Vegetarian Cuisine in the Pearl. Oh, and Janet Jackson was there. Read more.

As part of its Disaster Rental Program, Airbnb offered free housing for displaced residents and relief workers in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Read more.

We’d like for all prisoners to have access to habitable temperatures, but we’ll take this small victory instead. Read more.

Six Flag Fiesta Texas announced the world’s first Wonder Woman roller coaster coming in Spring 2018. Read more.

San Antonio joined 300 other cities in combating climate change by pledging to the Paris Agreement, which President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from earlier this year. Read more.

Gordan Hartman built the all-inclusive water park Morgan’s Inspiration Island where people of different ability levels can take a dip together. Read more.

Video-streaming juggernauts Hulu brought their sleek new headquarters and 300 new jobs to San Antonio this year with the promise of 200 more jobs in 2018. Read more.

Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four was named a finalist for the prestigious Peabody award. The documentary explores the case of four San Antonio women wrongly convicted of gang-raping two children in the ‘90s. Read more.

San Antonio took a huge step forward this year by becoming 8th largest source for solar energy in the United States. Read more.

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A group of women put their necks on the line for what they believed in and protested Texas’ anti-abortion bill at the Texas Senate in Handmaid’s Tale costume. Read more.

Trinity University coaches and athletes signed an open letter saying that everyone should be afforded the same opportunities “both in sport and under the law.” Good on ‘em. Read more.

One of the 21 abortion clinics forced to close in 2016 was finally allowed to reopen this year and we couldn’t be happier that women have a safe option for reproductive care. Read more.

Please excuse this self-indulgent moment, but we’re a little chuffed that we’ve been kicking it with y’all for 30 years. Read more.

A Texas mosque was horribly burned down in a mysterious fire, but the residents of a local Jewish community gave them the keys to their synagogue in the aftermath. Read more.

These two high school football players are allowed on the field again after tackling a referee for making racists comments. Read more.

Fifty of San Antonio’s best and brightest women hopped on a bus and made their way to change history in the D.C. Women’s March. Read more.

A photojournalist from San Antonio who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time in January was found not guilty of all charges against him, which were that he attended the inauguration…? Read more.