Tag Archives: San Antonio

San Antonio to install rainbow sidewalks

Can’t have rainbow crosswalks, so this will have to do. The City of San Antonio has started preparing the sidewalks on N. Main Avenue to be painted in rainbow colors. The decision comes after the city was forced to remove … Continue reading

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Who wants to take a “luxury commuter van” ride?

I dunno. Houstonians now have a new way to hop between cities, and it comes with Wi-Fi, leather seats, and a guaranteed Buc-ee’s stop. On November 17, mobility startup Shutto launched its luxury van service connecting San Antonio, Austin, and Houston, offering … Continue reading

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Recycle those old Christmas lights

You’ve hopefully already made a plan to recycle your Christmas tree. Now you can do the same for old and broken Christmas lights. The Houston Zoo is accepting old and broken Christmas lights to recycle them and keep them out … Continue reading

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San Antonio will move its elections to November

Good move. San Antonians will cast ballots for municipal elections in November of odd-numbered years — instead of May — beginning in 2029 after a fractured City Council approved the calendar change, a move championed by Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones. … Continue reading

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Time for another Lone Star Rail update

Because I will always write about Lone Star Rail updates. As Travis County Judge Andy Brown runs for reelection, one of his top campaign priorities is building a train between Austin and San Antonio. “You want trains; I want to … Continue reading

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San Antonio rainbow crosswalk appeal denied

Not a surprise. The Texas Department of Transportation has denied the City of San Antonio’s request to keep the pride district’s rainbow crosswalks after Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to remove “any and all political ideologies” from Texas streets. In an Oct. 8 news release from … Continue reading

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San Antonio considers moving its elections to November

They should! San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has asked City Council to move the city’s municipal elections from May to November, a move state lawmakers set the stage for earlier this year. The change would save taxpayers $1 million, … Continue reading

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The rainbow crosswalk ban comes for student artwork

Every day and in every way, this gets dumber and dumber. Two crosswalks painted by students in Bedford will be removed this month, in line with a new Texas state policy banning “non-standard surface markings, signage, and signals that do not directly support … Continue reading

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Waymo coming to Houston, Zoox doing demos in San Francisco

A twofer here, beginning with the local news. You may have spotted Waymo’s self-driving cars across Houston since the company began testing in the city earlier this year. Now, the autonomous ride-hailing service is preparing to take off the training … Continue reading

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Tesla robotaxis are coming to Houston

Eventually. Real Soon Now. When Elon gets around to it. Tesla plans to bring its driverless robotaxi service to Houston, following CEO Elon Musk’s announcement that safety drivers will be phased out in Austin by the end of 2025. Musk … Continue reading

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San Antonio and Dallas to fight the rainbow crosswalk ban

Good for them! San Antonio has formally asked the Texas Department of Transportation to approve an exemption allowing the city to keep its rainbow-colored crosswalks at North Main Avenue and East Evergreen Street, arguing that the intersection has become safer … Continue reading

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Where the rainbow crosswalk ends

This is deeply stupid and deadly serious at the same time. At the intersection of North Main Avenue and West Evergreen Street just north of downtown San Antonio, semi-faded rainbows connect each street corner in place of standard, white crosswalks. … Continue reading

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“Death Star” lawsuit filed in Dallas

Welp. Two years after state lawmakers passed a sweeping law aimed at preventing Texas cities from adopting progressive policies, that law may finally get its first major test. Three Dallas residents sued the city in Denton County District Court Wednesday … Continue reading

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Michelin 2.0

They’re back, with more stars. The Michelin Guide announced its picks for top Texas restaurants at the Wortham Theater Center Tuesday night. Last year, 15 Texas restaurants earned a Michelin star, including six in the Houston area. Michelin recognized 117 restaurants in total last year. Stars … Continue reading

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A different approach to Austin-San Antonio commuter rail

Very interesting. Deeply flawed, as far as I can tell, but interesting. Travis County leaders are exploring new ways to connect Austin to San Antonio. On Tuesday morning, county commissioners approved a $124,953 study from HNTB, an engineering company, to … Continue reading

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Metro makes its excuses

Weak. Metro board chair Elizabeth Brock on Thursday stood by the agency’s decision to remove the Montrose rainbow crosswalk this week after a Houston resident asked why it was erased so quickly. “My primary concern is how quickly y’all allowed … Continue reading

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Austin seeks waiver for its rainbow crosswalk

All the cool kids are doing it. The city of Austin is exploring a waiver that would allow its current street art to stay in place. In a message board post on Monday, Mayor Kirk Watson said the city plans … Continue reading

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We could have asked!

I am smacking my forehead so hard, you guys. The City of San Antonio will seek an exemption from the State of Texas in order to keep the city’s rainbow crosswalk. The decision comes after the state issued a mandate … Continue reading

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Harris County sues over Solar For All funds

Good. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee filed a lawsuit Monday contesting the Trump administration’s cancellation of more than $400 million in solar energy grants earmarked for Texas-based organizations. The federal funding, part of a $7 billion Biden-era program known as Solar for All, was meant … Continue reading

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A brief recap of the whole rainbow crosswalk situation

Let me see if I’ve got this right: Greg Abbott gets his knickers in a twist over the recently-repainted rainbow crosswalk on Westheimer at Taft, after having been spun up about it by some online wingnuts. These crosswalks are no … Continue reading

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The second life of old EV batteries

Very cool. East of San Antonio in Bexar County, 500 electric vehicle batteries at the end of their automotive lives will soon be repurposed to provide energy storage for Texas’ electric grid, a California company, B2U Storage Solutions, announced on … Continue reading

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Waymo comes to Nashville, driverless trucks come to I-10

Two for the price of one today. Story #1: Robotaxi leader Waymo on Wednesday announced that its driverless vehicles will begin transporting passengers in Nashville, Tennessee, next year while heading in a new direction by teaming up with Lyft instead … Continue reading

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Nirenberg’s choice

I know what I’m rooting for. Former Mayor Ron Nirenberg is mulling his political future, even as he’s adjusting to his new day job — lecturing Trinity University students on communications. The two main paths he is considering are Bexar … Continue reading

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On expansion and realignment

Some big changes could be coming to MLB in the next couple of years. In an interview during ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast from the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pa. on Sunday night, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred reiterated his … Continue reading

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Appeals court upholds “Death Star” law

Bad, though not yet actually damaging. Two years after a district court declared that a new state law diluting the policy-making power of blue urban areas was unconstitutional, an appeals court on Friday overruled that decision. Texas lawmakers in 2023 … Continue reading

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The flood insurance problem

This is only going to get worse unless we take steps to mitigate it. Less than 5% of residential properties in high-risk areas in Kerr County were covered by flood insurance before the July 4 storm, according to a Houston … Continue reading

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Hill Country flood roundup

Just some articles of interest, no real thread. Climate Change Helped Fuel Heavy Rains That Led to Devastating Texas Flood Climate scientists said the torrential downpours on July 4 exemplify the devastating outcomes of weather intensified by a warming atmosphere. … Continue reading

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So now the Lege will get involved

As I said yesterday, I don’t know if Greg Abbott would have called a special session to address the great tragedy happening in the Hill Country if one hadn’t already been on the calendar for other reasons. He didn’t call … Continue reading

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The flood warning history of Kerr County

They’ve tried for awhile to get some funding for a flood warning system. They’ve failed every time. Nearly a decade before catastrophic flash flooding killed at least 75 people in Kerr County, including 27 children, several local officials were hard … Continue reading

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On the value of disaster warnings

It’s hard to know where to start with this. For the last three days, state Rep. Wes Virdell has been out with first responders in Kerr County as they searched for victims and survivors from the devastating floods that swept … Continue reading

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Hill Country flood update 2

A brief overview of the situation, written on Sunday at noon. The death toll rose to 68 as a result of the Fourth of July floods along the Guadalupe River, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said. That includes 28 children. There were … Continue reading

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SCOTx rules for San Antonio in the Brackenridge Park religious liberties case

Noted for the record. The Texas Supreme Court has sided with the City of San Antonio in a dispute involving a Native American church that worships at Brackenridge Park. The case centers on the Lipan- Apache Native American Church, who … Continue reading

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What’s next for Ron Nirenberg?

Hopefully something political. In his last official address as mayor, Ron Nirenberg described how a global pandemic shook the one of the country’s most impoverished large cities into action on addressing poverty — and shaped his own approach to leadership … Continue reading

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San Antonio to start construction on its first BRT line

Exciting times. Work starts next month on VIA Metropolitan Transit’s biggest construction project to date — a system of corridors designed to get riders faster to their destination using dedicated bus lanes, prioritized traffic signals, and more frequent pickups and … Continue reading

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