This is TPR's roundup of the latest headlines and news developments. It provides a succinct and clear summary of the stories TPR is following.
Today's weather: Today's high will be 80 and the low will be 64.
San Antonio ISD ballpark deal moves forward
The San Antonio ISD school board approved Monday night the guidelines of an agreement to sell a piece of land for the new proposed downtown baseball stadium.
The Memorandum of Understanding specifies the terms under which SAISD would agree to sell its Camaron St. property to Bexar County.
The MOU includes an agreement for affordable housing and other stipulations for the county and developer, Weston Urban.
The board vote paves the way for attorneys to draft legal contracts but is not an official vote to sell the land.
Coach Popovich breaks silence following stroke
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich released his first statement Monday after suffering a mild stroke last month.
"As we work together on my recovery, I want to take a moment to share that the outpouring of support we've received during this time has been truly overwhelming in the best possible way," Coach Pop said in the statement.
Longtime Spurs assistant coach Mitch Johnson has taken the helm as acting coach in Popovich's absence.
It's unclear when Popovich will return.
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 16, 2024
City council changes contracting policies
San Antonio City Council voted this month to stop giving preference to women- and minority-owned small businesses in its contracting processes.
The city's program was aimed to give historically disadvantaged groups a leg up in obtaining city contracts. The new policy goes into effect next August.
Krystal Cross, CEO of the Alamo City Black Chamber of Commerce, said removing the system was not necessarily a bad thing.
“I’m pretty sure removing it is probably going to be a harder feat for us to get contracts, but maybe now it would be an equal playing field so maybe no matter who you are you have an equal opportunity," she said.
CPS customers have new payment option
CPS Energy announced new in-store payment options for customers.
Energy bills can now be paid in cash at retailers including HEB, CVS, and Walgreens.
Customers can make payments at the checkout or a designated station by presenting the barcode from a CPS bill.
Debit cards are accepted at select retailers like Dollar General, Family Dollar, and HEB. Credit cards are not accepted.
Experts warn about vaping dangers
Excessive vaping has become a major concern for parents of teenagers across the U.S.
Locally, a Boerne high school removed hallway doors leading into restrooms in an effort to crack down on vaping. This highlights a larger trend in the U.S. of teens using and "hacking" e-cigarettes.
Delaney Ruston, a Stanford-trained physician, told TPR's The Source that companies are minimizing the risks of vaping by promoting flavors like watermelon or mango.
She said a national ban on flavored e-cigarettes would likely decrease usage in teenagers.
Favor delivery app highlights Texas trends
H-E-B's on-demand delivery app, Favor, has released its annual report on what Texas ordered in 2024.
Tacos top the list of most-delivered dishes, followed by hamburgers.
Queso beat out salsa and guacamole as the best chip dip. Enough fries were ordered to line I-35 from San Antonio to Austin and back.
The most popular delivery note on the app was "don't knock."
National Film Registry adds 5 Latino-led films
Five new Latino-led films have been added to the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.
Four of these were among 25 films nominated for inclusion by San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus earlier this year, including Mi Familia, American Me, Up in Smoke, and Spy Kids.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was also inducted and features iconic Latino actor Ricardo Montalban.
"The new Latino-led films added to the National Film Registry tell complex and sometimes difficult stories, featuring Latinos as heroes and villains, hard-working immigrants and goofballs, space travelers and so much more," Castro said in a statement.
This year marks the most inductions of Latino-led films in the Registry's history.
