This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateA statue of Christopher Columbus — heralded for more than 500 years as the explorer who “discovered” the Americas — is no longer standing in a downtown San Antonio park.Crews hauled the statue rented from Home Depot in a calm ceremony.Columbus was long credited with discovering the “New World.” But in the past two decades, he has been widely re-assessed as a violent colonizer who slaughtered indigenous people.The removal of the statue, originally donated by the Christopher Columbus Italian Society, was accelerated in the wake of...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateA statue of Christopher Columbus — heralded for more than 500 years as the explorer who “discovered” the Americas — is no longer standing in a downtown San Antonio park.Crews hauled the statue rented from Home Depot in a calm ceremony.Columbus was long credited with discovering the “New World.” But in the past two decades, he has been widely re-assessed as a violent colonizer who slaughtered indigenous people.The removal of the statue, originally donated by the Christopher Columbus Italian Society, was accelerated in the wake of...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateA team of top-level business and community leaders was supposed to figure out a plan for businesses in San Antonio and Bexar County to safely reopen whenever the COVID-19 pandemic showed signs of releasing its stranglehold on the economy.But Gov. Greg Abbott beat them to the punch.Last week, Abbott opted to let retailers, restaurants, shopping malls and other businesses reopen — before the committee could issue its own report.Abbott has promised that more reopenings will follow in the next few weeks, provided Texas doesn’t see a...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateA team of top-level business and community leaders was supposed to figure out a plan for businesses in San Antonio and Bexar County to safely reopen whenever the COVID-19 pandemic showed signs of releasing its stranglehold on the economy.But Gov. Greg Abbott beat them to the punch.Last week, Abbott opted to let retailers, restaurants, shopping malls and other businesses reopen — before the committee could issue its own report.Abbott has promised that more reopenings will follow in the next few weeks, provided Texas doesn’t see a...WW…

SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio and Bexar County can no longer require people to stay at home, wear masks or take several other steps to slow the spread of COVID-19, Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday — the latest move in the state’s push to neuter local governments’ ability to implement their own emergency restrictions.“We trust you will act quickly to correct these mistakes to avoid further confusion and litigation challenging these unconstitutional and unlawful restrictions,” Paxton, a Republican, threatened in a letter to Mayor Ron Nirenberg and County Judge Nelson Wolff.But Nirenberg,...…SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio and Bexar County can no longer require people to stay at home, wear masks or take several other steps to slow the spread of COVID-19, Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday — the latest move in the state’s push to neuter local governments’ ability to implement their own emergency restrictions.“We trust you will act quickly to correct these mistakes to avoid further confusion and litigation challenging these unconstitutional and unlawful restrictions,” Paxton, a Republican, threatened in a letter to Mayor Ron Nirenberg and County Judge Nelson Wolff.But Nirenberg,...WW…

The city furloughed 270 municipal employees Wednesday and cut off payments on arts contracts from May to the end of the fiscal year as the coronavirus crisis batters San Antonio’s coffers.The employees work in several departments funded by tax revenue through hotel room bookings, which have plummeted as the travel and tourism industry dried up in recent weeks.That drop in activity also will hit the city’s arts programs. Centro de Artes programming has been suspended through Sept. 30, when the city’s fiscal year ends, and all city galleries will remain closed at least until then.And, after...…The city furloughed 270 municipal employees Wednesday and cut off payments on arts contracts from May to the end of the fiscal year as the coronavirus crisis batters San Antonio’s coffers.The employees work in several departments funded by tax revenue through hotel room bookings, which have plummeted as the travel and tourism industry dried up in recent weeks.That drop in activity also will hit the city’s arts programs. Centro de Artes programming has been suspended through Sept. 30, when the city’s fiscal year ends, and all city galleries will remain closed at least until then.And, after...WW…

For the first time in its 37-year history, San Antonio’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. March will go virtual over concerns that the coronavirus pandemic still might be gripping the community.The city’s independent MLK Commission unanimously voted late last month to nix the in-person march in favor of a completely online event in January, the march’s chair, Renee Watson, said Friday.“We can still march from our porches,” Watson said. “We can still be involved. We can still celebrate and still recognize Dr. King. But we’re just going to have to do it in a different way.”Mayor Ron Nirenberg...…For the first time in its 37-year history, San Antonio’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. March will go virtual over concerns that the coronavirus pandemic still might be gripping the community.The city’s independent MLK Commission unanimously voted late last month to nix the in-person march in favor of a completely online event in January, the march’s chair, Renee Watson, said Friday.“We can still march from our porches,” Watson said. “We can still be involved. We can still celebrate and still recognize Dr. King. But we’re just going to have to do it in a different way.”Mayor Ron Nirenberg...WW…

A group of organizers looking to gut the union that represents San Antonio police officers have formally launched a petition drive to take their push directly to voters, aiming for next year.Fix SAPD started talking in June about repealing two laws that give police the right to bargain collectively over wages and working conditions as well as the ability to challenge firings and disciplinary action before arbitrators. Authorized by the Texas Legislature, voters in San Antonio approved the laws decades ago.Critics of those laws — including Police Chief William McManus — say they help SAPD...…A group of organizers looking to gut the union that represents San Antonio police officers have formally launched a petition drive to take their push directly to voters, aiming for next year.Fix SAPD started talking in June about repealing two laws that give police the right to bargain collectively over wages and working conditions as well as the ability to challenge firings and disciplinary action before arbitrators. Authorized by the Texas Legislature, voters in San Antonio approved the laws decades ago.Critics of those laws — including Police Chief William McManus — say they help SAPD...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateDespite calls from activists to spend less on San Antonio police, City Council members unanimously passed a $2.9 billion budget Thursday that includes a boost in funding for the San Antonio Police Department.In drawing up the budget, San Antonio leaders were confronted with the nation’s two major crises this year — the coronavirus pandemic and outrage over police brutality, particularly toward people of color. Officials grappled with the blow to the city’s coffers dealt by the pandemic’s economic fallout as well as calls from...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateDespite calls from activists to spend less on San Antonio police, City Council members unanimously passed a $2.9 billion budget Thursday that includes a boost in funding for the San Antonio Police Department.In drawing up the budget, San Antonio leaders were confronted with the nation’s two major crises this year — the coronavirus pandemic and outrage over police brutality, particularly toward people of color. Officials grappled with the blow to the city’s coffers dealt by the pandemic’s economic fallout as well as calls from...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateAfter excluding Chick-fil-A as a vendor at San Antonio International Airport last year, the city now must offer the Georgia fast-food chain a spot at the airport if it wants federal officials to drop an investigation into the controversial decision.Whether Chick-fil-A or City Council members have the appetite for such a deal is a different question.San Antonio has reached an informal agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration over the city’s decision to strike Chick-fil-A from a new slate of airport vendors prepared by an...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateAfter excluding Chick-fil-A as a vendor at San Antonio International Airport last year, the city now must offer the Georgia fast-food chain a spot at the airport if it wants federal officials to drop an investigation into the controversial decision.Whether Chick-fil-A or City Council members have the appetite for such a deal is a different question.San Antonio has reached an informal agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration over the city’s decision to strike Chick-fil-A from a new slate of airport vendors prepared by an...WW…