2+ week, 1+ day ago (226+ words) A public artwork called "Kindred Spirits" was dedicated on Friday along the World Heritage Trail that connects the South Side Missions. Descendants of the Tehuan Band of Mission Indians of San Antonio performed at the dedication in recognition of Native American Heritage Month. Many indigenous people to this day live in the neighborhoods that sprang up in the shadows of the missions. The artwork depicts hands joined by rippling water It's the first public work by artist'Ashley Perez'who drew inspiration from the mission descendants and other South Side groups. "The water itself, you know, it's kind of something that binds the city together and why missions are where they are. But it's also about sharing information and culture from generation to generation," she said. Among those at the ceremony was the daughter of Mission San Jose descendant Vincent Huizar who…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago (306+ words) A brief pep rally was held on the steps of San Antonio City Hall Friday to celebrate the victory of Props A & B passing on Election Day. The approval was the first component of a new downtown arena for the San Antonio Spurs. District 3 Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran said that anyone who is interested in the downtown revitalization project should visit a web page " SA.gov/sportsdistricts " that will include opportunities for community input. "One thing I heard that people were saying, 'you did not get to hear my voice,' 'I did not get informed.' So we are here to change that today. We all want to be part of what's next downtown," Viagran said. Centro San Antonio workers and CEO Trish DeBerry were at City Hall to give a pep talk. Other attendees included representatives for Visit San Antonio, the…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago (697+ words) There's a huge house surrounded by trees in downtown San Antonio that you may have missed, even though it's located on a very busy block. "It's called the Maverick Carter House, and Paul Carter knows the 132-year-old beauty like no one else. This was his grandmother's house. "I used to run around as a kid with my grandmother, Aline Badger Carter, and Aline was just the most fun to be with," Carter said. Carter's grandmother loved young people, and she loved education, in particular, science and the arts. "I was probably seven and eight when she would give some of her astronomy lessons, and I got to be one of the youngest students in her class and had a great time," he said. If you wonder how she made astronomy exciting to children, Marlene Richardson said the Maverick Carter house…...

5+ day, 17+ hour ago (216+ words) Bexar County Elections Administrator Michele Carew has announced the elections department will receive $4 million in federal funds from the Help America Vote Act. "They originally offered $86,000. I am delighted that we will receive $4 million as it will allow us to expand our voting locations and also to purchase more poll pads," Carew said. Those poll pads allow election workers to process more voters at a time, reducing wait times. Carew told the Bexar County Elections Commission about the fund allocation at their Nov. 20. meeting. The commission also received a briefing on elections in general from the elections administrator. Carew told the commission she decided to delay sharing early voting results when the polls closed because more than 3,200 people were still waiting in line to cast their votes. Her decision was permissible under Texas Election Code. Commission members praised her staff's…...

2+ week, 2+ day ago (535+ words) One of San Antonio's longest serving mayors will formally announce a run for Bexar County judge this Saturday, Ron Nirenberg is expected to be joined by family and friends at the Backyard on Broadway to start his bid to unseat incumbent Peter Sakai, who recently made his intentions clear that he is running to remain in office. Nirenberg has been teasing such a run for a while, perhaps in part to see if local Democrats would denounce such a challenge to Sakai, who is still relatively new, having taken office in 2023. The former mayor, who served as the top elected official of the city from 2017 to 2025, posted a video to his Instagram account about his future. "Saturday, I'll have something to share with you," he said. "Something I've been thinking about a long time, and I want you to be…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago (218+ words) A multi-agency operation raided a North Side business early Sunday morning. Agents from the FBI, Homeland Security and other federal, state and local law enforcement took part in the action. Texas Public Radio reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the FBI for comment concerning an apparent enforcement action near San Pedro and Basse, in North Central San Antonio, over the weekend. TPR received a statement after the inquiry, but no exact locations of enforcement action were given. In the statement, the federal agencies announced the new formation of the Homeland Security Task Force of South Texas, or HSTF-South Texas, and some of its recent enforcement activities. What is also known is federal agents have been very active filing new immigration enforcement cases within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas, which covers…...

2+ day, 5+ hour ago (287+ words) The holiday shopping rush kicks off this Black Friday. It's a time when a lot of smaller retailers make the most of the profits they need to stay in business for another year. San Antonio Greater Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jeff Webster said the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and the Texas State Comptroller believe the year will end on a high note for retailers. "They really think that December will end OK-to-strong. And then the lead into '26 is going to be great. So, I think we're at the start of something big really happening here in San Antonio and in our great state." Webster said there is a strong "buy local" vibe this year and retailers see light at the end of the tunnel" and it's not a train. Local holiday retail sales will also get the…...

3+ week, 2+ day ago (467+ words) A report examining the June flooding that killed 13 people in San Antonio was released to the city council on Thursday. It highlights the velocity of floodwaters reaching eight feet per second and more than two feet high in some places. The city hired Kleinfelder, an engineering and design firm, to assess what caused the flooding and what changes needed to be made. Kleinfelder project manager Justin Murray told the council intense bursts of heavy rain combined with dense vegetation led to the unpredictability. According to the report, "vehicles entering the [west bound frontage road] during the early stages of flooding but unable to cross the sag point were effectively trapped, with no alternate escape routes available." A 13-square-mile portion of the watershed that begins around Loop 1604 and ends around Loop 410 and Austin Highway was analyzed. 1. Install staff gauges and warning…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago (274+ words) This is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Local organizations that work to relieve both of the problems of hunger and homelessness held a news conference Tuesday morning at the San Antonio Food Bank. Hunger and homelessness often go hand in hand, according to the organizations, like the City of San Ant'nio, Close to Home and Haven for Hope. The end of the federal government shutdown is good news for the 300,000 San Antonians who rely on SNAP Benefits. Eric Cooper is the CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank. "By tomorrow, most of those benefits will be fully loaded onto their Lone Star cards now through the end of the week," Cooper said. Cooper said the demand on the food bank soared during the federal government shutdown. "We saw a dramatic increase in the number of individuals and families seeking food…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago (187+ words) Judge Orlando Garcia heard arguments Wednesday in Federal Court in San Antonio involving a lawsuit against the state of Texas requiring the Ten Commandments be placed in school classrooms. This hearing was the latest lawsuit challenging Texas Senate Bill 10 and the requirement that public elementary and secondary schools display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. Attorney Jonathan Youngwood represents the parents of children in several school districts and argued that the Texas law violates the state constitution. "The First Amendment of the Constitution protects against state establishment of religion," he said after the hearing. "It also guarantees that individuals have the right to free exercise and to make choices about their religious beliefs. Our case is about both of those parts of the First Amendment to the constitution, and our submission and our argument to the court is that this…...