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: It will be mostly sunny and windy today with a high near 66 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Clear tonight with a low near 41.
Feds approve direct flights from SA to DC
The Department of Transportation Tuesday approved American Airlines flights from the San Antonio International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
San Antonio leaders and several legislators have pushed for years to make the flights possible between the two cities.
They pointed to the need to better connect "Military City USA" with the Pentagon in the nation's capital.
Direct flights are expected to begin the spring.
Ready for takeoff! SA ✈️ DCA is finally here. pic.twitter.com/hRBZRrFvfj
— Mayor Ron Nirenberg (@Ron_Nirenberg) December 17, 2024
House committee wants death row inmate to testify
A Texas House committee is again attempting to get death row inmate Robert Roberson to testify this week about the use of junk science in his conviction.
The bipartisan committee issued a last-minute subpoena for Roberson before he was scheduled to die in October, but the Texas Supreme Court ruled last month the subpoena could not stop his death.
The House committee has called for Roberson to testify Dec. 20.
The lawmakers and Roberson's legal team said they don't want Roberson to testify virtually because his autism could impact his ability to properly make his case.
Four councilmembers vote against North Side affordable housing project
Councilmembers Marc Whyte, Marina Alderete Gavito, Manny Pelaez, and Melissa Cabello Havrda voted in September against an 80-unit affordable housing project on the North Side.
The project would have been supported by $20 million in state tax credits. Those funds have now been revoked and will be given to another community.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement that the city’s loss was an “embarrassment."
He blamed his four colleagues, who had assured the community that the money could be used on another affordable housing project in San Antonio.
Council to consider how to improve biking in San Antonio
The San Antonio City Council will soon consider adding new quick-build infrastructure to improve biking in San Antonio.
A federal grant is supporting the vast majority of the project, which will include paint and plastic flex-posts to separate bike lanes from streets in five different parts of the city.
City Council members who reviewed the plan on Tuesday pushed to shorten the project’s overall five-year timeline.
It includes identifying where the builds go and the evaluation period so that more of them can get out to city streets sooner.
Alamo Ranch parkway expansion plan moves forward
A plan to expand Alamo Ranch Parkway on the Far West Side to eight lanes was recently approved, but work won’t start for another two-and-a-half years.
The $94 million project was approved recently to expand the road. The area has grown rapidly and in turn made the area congested.
The proposed project plans to expand the full 2.4-mile road to eight lanes instead of the four it is now, as well as adding overpasses, according to a presentation by the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority board.
The funding comes from $140 million in ARMA funds and $190 million from other sources to advance multiple new projects for the city. The construction is set to begin in the summer of 2027.
NEISD to host meetings on potential school closures
The North East Independent School District will host three meetings next month with communities that could be impacted by a proposal to consolidate campuses.
The district announced earlier this month that it is considering closing three schools at the end of the current school year.
District officials will present consolidation scenarios at the meetings — including which schools would potentially receive students. It will also take community feedback on proposed attendance boundaries.
The three community meetings include:
- Tue., Jan 21, at Driscoll Middle School from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Wed., Jan. 22, at Wilshire Elementary School from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Thurs., Jan. 23, at Clear Spring Elementary School from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Report: Women given meds during childbirth then reported to authorities
An investigation from The Marshall Project showed multiple women around the country were given medication to help during childbirth, then were promptly reported to child welfare services.
Amairani Salinas was rushed to the hospital at 23 weeks pregnant, and doctors found her baby had no heartbeat, so she went in for a C-section and was given benzodiazepines before the surgery.
According to the report from The Marshall Project, she was holding her stillborn child when she was told she was reported to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services for drugs found in her system — the drug she was given by the hospital.
KERA's Toluwani Osibamowo contributed to this report.
