Cities & Counties
News Briefs (Aug. 20): Therapy dog arrives in Alamo Heights ISD; Tobin Hill hospital sees progress on murals; city OKs airport Terminal A/B project; H-E-B expansion receives tax break
By Edmond Ortiz This edition of News Briefs features the introduction of a trained counseling dog helping students at an Alamo Heights school, and the approval of key leaders for an upcoming San Antonio International Airport project. Also, local residents recently applied their creative skills toward a mural project at a Tobin Hill neighborhood hospital….
Durango to replace Cesar Chavez in city street name reversal
By Edmond Ortiz The name Durango Boulevard is returning to city street signs. City Council unanimously voted Aug. 20 to remove the name Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard in favor of the former road name, Durango Boulevard, an action that applies to a busy east-west corridor that runs between Southwest 36th Street on the West Side…
Converse council nixes asphalt plant proposal
By Edmond Ortiz Converse City Council voted unanimously Aug. 18 to reject the construction of an asphalt manufacturing plant. Council took the city planning and zoning commission’s narrow approval of a special use permit, which was being sought to build an asphalt plant on an undeveloped tract along Farm Road 78 near the Salitrillo Creek…
Contested races await Converse, Schertz, Windcrest, Edgewood ISD voters in November
By Edmond Ortiz Converse, Schertz, Windcrest and the Edgewood Independent School District will have full slates of contested races in the Nov. 3 elections. Aug. 17 was the deadline for local candidates to snag a Nov. 3 election ballot spot in one of the five San Antonio-area cities and school districts slated to hold an…
Local nonprofits answer call for ‘crisis nursery’ that aids at-risk young families
By Edmond Ortiz A local nonprofit aims to boost Bexar County’s efforts to develop a system for helping young families who struggle to stay together amid personal crises. What is happening Officials with Respite Care of San Antonio said Aug. 18 that they are growing the San Antonio-area’s first crisis nursery, a safety net of…
City Council narrowly rejects call for a Spurs arena funding election
By Edmond Ortiz San Antonio City Council voted 6-5 Aug. 17 to nix a proposal to let San Antonio voters formally consider the city’s pledge of $489 million in specific-use funds towards construction of a new San Antonio Spurs arena downtown. What you should know Worries about the city’s $158 million budget deficit, a proposed…
Converse council mulls controversial asphalt plant proposal
By Edmond Ortiz Converse City Council meets Aug. 18 to consider permitting an asphalt plant that could arise in the middle of town. What you should know Local officials are looking at a special use permit application for an asphalt plant on a vacant 26-acre lot on Farm Road 78 between Legion Drive East and…
Windcrest tries to get tough with panhandlers
By Edmond Ortiz A newly adopted ordinance in Windcrest gives local police more flexibility in directly dealing with individuals who are panhandling or aggressively seeking money from local merchants and residents. But an executive leader of one San Antonio-based nonprofit that serves the homeless population says law enforcement is only one part of a larger,…
San Antonio council mulls tax hike and challenging budget; PreK 4 SA election set
By Edmond Ortiz San Antonio City Council is weighing a proposed property tax increase that local leaders hope will help to pare down a budget deficit, but they still face a range of proposed spending cuts and other tough fiscal decisions before arriving at a new budget. The council is also adding a special election…
City Council to hold special meeting to weigh possible fall election on Spurs arena funding
By Edmond Ortiz City Council will have a special meeting at 9 a.m. Aug. 17 on whether to call a Nov. 3 election on the city’s previous pledge to allocate nearly $500 million in specific-use funds for the San Antonio Spurs’ planned downtown arena. The meeting is to be held at City Council chambers, 114…