Category: San Antonio News

The 72-year-old Pedro Almodovar has been a force in Spanish cinema for 40 years, inspiring filmmakers in Spain and around the world with his knack for telling stories full of color and complexity. The writer/director tends to work with many of the same actors, including internationally famous ones like Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz, the latter of which he has directed no fewer than seven times. The filmmaker and actor have teamed up once again…

San Antonio police and Crime Stoppers are looking for the driver of the car that fled the scene after a deadly crash last month.

Mariano Lugo, 30, was killed in the crash on Jan. 23.

He was riding a 2004 Suzuki motorcycle westbound on West Southcross Boulevard when a person driving a maroon 2008 Honda Accord drove through a red light on the Interstate 35 South access road and crashed into Lugo at the intersection.

Police said the driver of the Honda and any other occupants who may have been in the vehicle ran from the scene of the crash without checking on Lugo, rendering aid or calling for help.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

Tips can be made by phone by calling 210-224-7867, online at sacrimestoppers.com, or on the P3 Tips app.

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As Texas begins to thaw from the recent wintry mix, concerns remain about the state’s infrastructural stability and the economic threat that poses.

This week’s Real Estate Recap features two apartment properties selling to out-of-town buyers.

An ode to Texas kids is coming in the form of a 7-foot-tall book titled “I Am Texas” — and students are encouraged to take part.

Texas students in grades 3-12 are asked to submit fictional or non-fictional stories, poetry and illustrations that follow the “I Am Texas” theme. Submissions are due by March 2, and they can be made online at iamtx.org.

The book — which will earn the Guinness World Record of the largest book in the world by kids for kids — will consist of work from 1,000 students.

Students selected for publication will receive a copy of the book and become part of illustrators Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos’s “Ordinary People Change the World” series. Kids will also walk the red carpet at the organization’s annual book signing event and official adjudication in Houston on Nov. 5.

There are also prize money and scholarships up for grabs.

Editor’s choice, featured artists and regional winners will receive prize money up to $2,000 and a $20,000 scholarship to be used over four years to Schreiner University.

Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation will award three Texas schools $5,000 and 15 classrooms $250 by having their students participate.

To read more about the awards and prizes, click here.

After the book debuts to the public, it will be displayed permanently at The Bryan Museum in Galveston.

The iWrite Organization, The Byran Museum, illustrators Meltzer and Eliopoulos, H-E-B and Phillips 66 are behind the book.

“iWRITE has been professionally publishing kids for 13 years, and now, with the help of our partners, we are giving kids a chance to be a part of history,” said Melissa Williams Murphy, iWRITE Founder and Executive Director of The Bryan Museum.

Publishing contest sponsor H-E-B has been behind the competition for the last four years, according to a news release.

“H-E-B is proud to partner with a nonprofit that aligns so well with our mission of diversity and inclusion. We love that this contest gives all students the opportunity to share their story and celebrate the unique diversity of Texas through their writing,” said Lisa Helfman, Senior Director of Public Affairs, H-E-B Houston.

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Editor’s note: This story was published through a partnership between KSAT and the San Antonio Business Journal.

Cedar Fair L.P., owner of more than a dozen theme parks, including Schlitterbahn water parks in New Braunfels and Galveston, confirmed receipt of an unsolicited, non-binding offer from SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. to purchase the company.

Ohio-based Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN) said it is currently consulting with its independent legal and financial advisors and its board of directors will carefully review and consider the proposal.

The offer is more than $3 billion, according to a Bloomberg report. It comes less than three months after Orlando-based SeaWorld reported an increase of more than 11 million park guests in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the same period a year ago.

“You’ve got to look at a lot of things. You’ve got to look at the balance sheets and see what the debt loads are,” said Dennis Speigel, founder of International Theme Park Services Inc., a consulting company that provides services including feasibility analysis, operations planning and management. “When you look at the two companies, in my opinion, Cedar Fair has a much deeper bench strength.”

Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. has made some significant headway toward profitability. In November, it reported a net income of nearly $148 million for the third quarter of 2021. That gain was tied in large part to $753 million in net revenue, a 5% improvement over same-period revenues in 2019 — prior to the pandemic.

Cedar Fair lost more than $21 million through the first nine months of 2021. That’s considerably better than the nearly $485 million loss the company sustained over a comparable period in 2020.

Speigel, who is also involved in merger and acquisition work, said there is heightened discussion in the industry about potential deal making. He also said SeaWorld has an aggressive chairman in Scott Ross.

Yet Speigel believes SeaWorld may be “pressing the throttle to the limit” with such an offer.

Cedar Fair officials said the company will determine a course of action it believes is in the best interest of the organization and its shareholders.

Click here to read the full story on San Antonio Business Journal.

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Texans planning a wedding anytime soon may want to scrap the tux and gown in favor of some new eat-your-heart-out apparel from a cherished San Antonio- based burger chain. Just in time for wedding season and Valentine’s Day, Whataburger has released its new lineup of WhataWedding garb and accessories, augmenting its plentiful collection of burger-branded garments and gifts. The new collection includes designs for her and him in the form of short- sleeved WhataBride and…

Firefighters who fought a fire at a mobile home park in Southeast Bexar County Friday morning believe an electrical problem is what caused the blaze.

The fire, in the 5000 block of Trout Lane, sent a family of six running out into the frigid weather before 4 a.m.

RELATED: Mobile home fire sends family of 6 out into frigid cold

“The family woke up to some popping noises coming from the electric panel in the master bedroom area,” said Fire Chief Robert Hogan with Bexar County Emergency Services District 10.

As the couple and their four children huddled in cars nearby, fire crews rushed in, trying to save the home and keep the fire from spreading.

“A quickly moving fire, especially with the wind,” Hogan said. “Once that front door was opened, then the fire just started going through the actual structure itself and through the roof.”

Crews also had to work quickly to keep the fire from spreading to other homes.

They kept it contained only to the family’s home, which was left with extensive damage.

Hogan says the family also may have lost a pet.

“There were a total of three dogs. One is unaccounted for right now,” he said. “No other injuries.”

Hogan says he had notified the American Red Cross about the family’s need for shelter and clothing.

San Antonio ISD’s Child Nutrition Services staff will distribute meals at select curbside locations from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday or while supplies last.

A lunch and breakfast meal bundle will be distributed to all children 18 years of age and younger. Children do not have to be enrolled in SAISD to participate.

Meal pick-up guidelines:

If the child is not present in the car during curbside meal pickup, please be prepared to present one of the following:

Official letter/email from the school listing children enrolledIndividual student report cardsAttendance record from parent portal on school websiteBirth certificate for childrenStudent ID cards

Curbside locations:

Jefferson High School, 723 Donaldson Ave, 78201Lanier High School, 1514 W. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd, 78207Edison High School, 701 Santa Monica Drive, 78212Sam Houston High School, 4635 E. Houston St, 78220Highlands High School, 3118 Elgin Ave, 78210Rhodes Middle School, 3000 Tampico St, 78207Poe Middle School, 814 Aransas Ave, 78210Beacon Hill Elementary School, 1411 W. Ashby Place, 78201Washington Elementary School, 1823 Nolan St, 78202Graebner Elementary School, 530 Graebner Ave, 78225Schenck Elementary School, 101 Kate Schenck Ave, 78223Japhet Academy, 314 Astor St, 78210ML King Academy, 3501 M.L. King Drive, 78220

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