Category: San Antonio News

The Alamo City’s new fast-casual franchise location will offer gyros, tzatziki and fresh feta fries.

Editor’s note: We’re looking back at the hottest San Antonio headlines of 2021, and today we dive into the biggest restaurant and bar stories of the year. It wouldn’t be a San Antonio list without H-E-B making an appearance, but this year’s most popular dining headlines also highlight several restaurants making their San Antonio debut, as well as local favorites finding the spotlight. 1. H-E-B reverses mask decision for customers after backlash. In early March,…

Roughly 10 months after the Texas Attorney General’s Office touted the arrest of a Medina County Justice of the Peace, a judge agreed to dismiss those charges, court records showed.

Tomas Ramirez III, a Republican who was elected to the office in 2018, was charged with one count of engaging in organized election fraud, 17 counts of unlawful possession of a ballot or ballot envelope and 17 counts of unlawfully assisting voter voting by mail in February.

Shortly after his arrest, the Texas Attorney General’s Office included the case in a round-up of arrests in relation to election fraud. The office alleged that Ramirez was behind a vote harvesting scheme at assisted living centers in Medina County during the 2018 primary election.

Ramirez won that race by 74 votes, he wrote in a lengthy statement provided to KSAT 12 News, and went on to win unopposed in the general election.

The justice of the peace assumed office on Jan. 1, 2019, and was not arrested until Feb. 13, 2021.

“I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong or illegal,” Ramirez wrote.

Ramirez, who was suspended from his office pending the outcome of the case, said that he and his lawyers found a “gaping lack of evidence” in the case against him. He chalked up the arrest to Paxton’s efforts to find election fraud in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

On Dec. 21, a judge agreed with Ramirez’s defense attorneys and agreed to dismiss the case. Though Ramirez said the dismissal is a relief, he said the experience he went through could never be undone.

“I can never be fully free from the ramifications of Paxton’s decision to unjustly and maliciously prosecute me,” Ramirez wrote.

Ramirez has filed to run for reelection in the 2022 midterm. He will be facing three other candidates in the Republican primary.

Earlier this month, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued an opinion that confirmed the attorney general cannot unilaterally prosecute election cases. Instead, the attorney general can only investigate a case when asked to by county and district attorneys.

Read more:

Texas attorney general cannot unilaterally prosecute election cases, state’s highest criminal court rulesOmicron variant taking over Bexar County COVID-19 cases

When a little more than a third of all Consumer Price Index (CPI) components are now experiencing inflation above 6 percent, this is not the time for the Federal Reserve to be deliberate.

Every outdoor enthusiast worth his weight in beer knows a happy camper is one with a brew in hand. And that’s exactly the crafty idea behind Alamo City’s newest bar and entertainment space. Camp 1604, a 12,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor camping-inspired beer garden, opened this week at 5535 N. Loop West at the Rim Crossing in Northwest San Antonio alongside other entertainment and food concepts like Top Golf, Andretti Karting, Velvet Taco, and a soon-to-open Kerbey Lane…

A man is in custody after police say he shot his neighbor’s son who confronted him while he was attempting to steal tools from the victim’s truck outside a Northwest Side home.

Joe Lee Johnson, 32, is charged with aggravated robbery.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the victim, 35, walked outside his mother’s home in the 11000 block of Spring Dale and saw Johnson reaching into the bed of his truck where he kept his tools. When the victim confronted Johnson, Johnson shot him, the victim told police.

A witness who lives a few houses down told police that he heard the shots and then saw Johnson drive away. The witness said Johnson cursed at him and fired several rounds into the air as he was fleeing.

The victim was injured but survived the shooting. He and the witness both identified Johnson as a longtime neighbor.

Also on KSAT:

Man charged in alleged assault on fellow AT&T Center worker after Spurs gameMan shot at West Side motel while confronting alleged robbery suspects, police sayPolice release teen in fatal Texas gas station shooting, say gunman still on the loose

The finalists will each be recognized and a winner crowned at a gala on Jan. 26 at the McNay Art Museum.

A man who worked as an usher at the AT&T Center was arrested after investigators say he beat a fellow employee with a club after a Spurs game in October.

Dante Nious, 42, is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the assault happened at about 11:30 p.m. after the Spurs played the Lakers on Oct. 26 as the victim, 52, was conducting his parking lot duties.

The affidavit states that the victim instructed the driver of a sedan to stop while he allowed another flow of traffic to exit the AT&T Center parking lot. The victim told police that the driver, whom he recognized as an usher, got out of his car and started arguing with him.

After they exchanged profanities, the driver — later identified as Nious — retrieved a wooden club with a metal fitting from his car and hit the victim in the head, torso and hand, the affidavit states. Nious then drove away.

The victim was treated at the hospital for his injuries.

Nious was identified by the victim and fellow employees and a judge issued an arrest warrant on Dec. 10.

Also on KSAT:

Man shot at West Side motel while confronting alleged robbery suspects, police sayPolice release teen in fatal Texas gas station shooting, say gunman still on the looseFormer Schlitterbahn co-owner pleads guilty to drug charge

The most iconic feature of the home is the large private waterpark.

While it may be said that everyone loves a winner, fans of the San Antonio Spurs love the team no matter what.

For proof of that, you have to look no further than the nearest wall.

Whether you’re on the South Side, East Side, or any points in between, you are bound to come across a mural paying tribute to the hometown team.

“All of them are fabulous,” said Carlos Woods, who describes himself as a lifelong fan. “If you look at them and drive around town, various parts of San Antonio, you see these murals.”

Judging from his hat bearing the Spurs’ name, it appears Woods tends to wear his team pride on his clothing,

However, he says he has a great appreciation for the way others have expressed their support.

Woods says the Spurs have earned the adoration of fans.

“Five championships, a dynasty, Hall of Fame coach, Hall of Fame players. It doesn’t get any better than that,” he said.

Although you may not catch Rodney Miller saluting the Spurs, he doesn’t fault those who put their pride on display in the form of wall paintings.

“I’m not a big Spurs fan but I understand what they mean to San Antonio,” Miller said.

Still, he has his favorites when it comes to murals.

At the top of his list is one on the side of a barbershop in the 2700 block of E. Houston St.

It features all of the team’s former superstars, such as Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, surrounding Coach Gregg Popovich.

At the bottom is a banner touting the team’s five championship wins.

Amelia Sheppard, who lives next door to it, says the mural is a big draw for people who want to take selfies.

“We have a lot of people from all out of town coming,” she said. “I even had to go over there and take a picture of a lady myself.”

A mural right across the street from that on the side of a convenience store also attracts a lot of attention, Sheppard said.

Other popular spots include a building that once housed Franky Diablo’s bar, in the 1300 block of Roosevelt, and Rudy’s Seafood, in the 4100 block of S. Flores.

The murals at Rudy’s wrap completely around the building and include pictures of players past and present.

Some murals, including one in the 100 block of E. Grayson St. and one on the side of an old ticket-selling business across from the AT&T Center pay tribute to the team mascot, the Spurs’ coyote.

The paintings not only honor the team but seem to inspire hope among the fans.

“It’s a pretty tough couple of years but I know the Spurs eventually, they’re gonna get it together,” said Rodney Miller.

Woods agreed, saying he has no doubt that another championship is in the team’s future.

“Yes we can,” Woods said. “With Pop as coach, we’re going to do it again.”

Read also:

‘If These Walls Could Talk’: Murals at San Antonio’s airport do more than beautify space‘If These Walls Could Talk’: Work begins on murals at Travis Park Church