Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai talks jail, baseball

1 big thing: Getting to know Peter Sakai

Photo illustration of Judge Peter Sakai next to a pattern of gavels. 

2. Clean water for Texas colonias

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3. Inside the Loop

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On this day in San Antonio history: Pecan shellers strike

4. 📷 Pic du jour: Remembering the pecan shellers

Rows of pecan workers, mostly men, sit side-by-side at a plant in 1939. 

Take your career to the next level

5. A guide to cozying up 

S'mores set up with crackers, chocolates and marshmallows. 

Hello, it's Tuesday and National Hot Chocolate Day. Warm yourself up with a cup.

🌧 Today's weather: Cloudy with a high near 37° and a low around 36°. There's a 50% chance of rain during the day that will increase to 80% at night. 

Area schools have canceled or delayed classes. Check with your districts for the latest and find an updated list of closings from KENS5.

💰 Situational awareness: Today is the last day to pay your property taxes without penalty. Payments can be made online, in person or by mail (must have today's postmark). 

It’s a great day to contribute to our newsroom by becoming a founding member! 

Today's newsletter is 939 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Thanks to our editor Bob Gee and copy editors Keely Bastow and David Chiu. 

🐻 Madalyn is glad she ordered a heated blanket just in time for this week's chilly temps. 

🧑‍🍳 Megan is grateful she has plenty of leftovers from the Thai curry risotto she made over the weekend to keep her warm this week.

San Antonio

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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting San Antonio.

Axios San Antonio

San Antonio begins new hot spot policing initiative

1 big thing: City begins new hot spot policing initiative 

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Ice knocks out power to thousands in San Antonio

2. Thousands lose power in winter storm 

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3. Inside the Loop 

Illustration of a puffy taco flying into a hippo's mouth.

4. New Englander's new take on the city 

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A new career is waiting for you

5. One groundhog map to go 

Hello, it's Thursday and also Groundhog Day. 

Some of you may be craving an early spring after this week, but be careful what you wish for. 

☁️ Today's weather: Cloudy. High near 49° and low around 35°. 

💵 Situational awareness: Bexar County extended the property tax deadline to today, after county offices closed Tuesday and Wednesday due to weather.

Today's newsletter is 955 words — a 3.5 minute read. 

Thanks to our editor Bob Gee and copy editors Judith Isacoff and Keely Bastow.

😬 Madalyn is not a fan of post-apocalyptic shows or zombies, but is considering giving "The Last of Us" a chance. 

📽️ Megan is glad she got to see "Lost Highway" thanks to Slab Cinema at Blue Star.

San Antonio wants more Airbnbs to pay city taxes

1 big thing: City wants to crack down on Airbnbs that don't pay

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San Antonio events honoring Black history

2. Honoring local Black history 

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The Hayden is adding a second San Antonio restaurant

4. Jewish diner expanding 

Five plates of food from The Hayden displayed on a table. 

Plan your future

5. One map to go: Eggs-orbitant prices

🧊 Today's weather: Cloudy, with a high near 36°. Rain through the day and night. 

Continue to watch out for ice on roads. The worst of this week's winter weather could arrive this morning, the National Weather Service said on Twitter. 

📱 Situational awareness: Watch out for scammers. CPS Energy will not call you to disconnect electricity during a winter weather event.

Today's newsletter is 928 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Thanks to our editor Bob Gee and copy editors Keely Bastow and David Chiu.

🥣 Madalyn is looking forward to warming up with a big bowl of fideo. 

📺 Megan is finally finished watching "Gilmore Girls" and doesn't know what else to do with herself. 

Austin bar owners opening San Antonio spot near Pearl

1 big thing: Austin bar owners' nostalgic new venture near Pearl 

Illustration of a street sign with two beer bottles clinking.

Historic east side San Antonio home moves closer to new life

2. Big decision for home with MLK ties 

Exterior of Alma Chavarria's Cactus Street home. 

4. Chart du jour: Warm Januarys

Your future begins here

5. Redefining local news

Illustration of a blue street sign that says Driving the News, featuring an Axios logo.

Today's weather: High of 74° and low of 60°.

✈️ Situational awareness: We're in Washington, D.C., until Wednesday to meet with our colleagues and cook up big ideas for the year.

We'll still be in your inbox every day, but expect a lighter version of the newsletter Tuesday through Thursday.

Today's newsletter is 922 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Thanks to our editor Bob Gee and copy editors Judith Isacoff and Keely Bastow

🤩 Madalyn is excited to see her coworkers in person instead of on Zoom. 

✈️ Megan is excited to be on her way to Washington, D.C., for good company and good eats.

1 big thing: Young scientist goes national 

Hannah Guan standing in front of a greenery background. 

Some San Antonio neighborhoods see rent jumps

2. Tracking S.A. rents

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'The Last of Us' star Pedro Pascal's San Antonio roots

4. 'The Last of Us' star is one of us

Pedro Pascal, giving two peace signs at a premiere. 

New jobs to check out

A weekend guide to San Antonio rodeo events

5. Western Weekender Guide

😎 Today's weather: Here comes the sun! High near 57° and low around 35°.

🏀 Situational awareness: Tonight is your last chance to catch a Spurs home game for a while, before the team embarks on the annual Rodeo Road Trip. 

Tipoff against the Philadelphia 76ers is at 7pm. 

Today's newsletter is 963 words — a 3.5-minute read.

🏛️ Madalyn is taking suggestions for can't-miss Washington, D.C., restaurants. 

☕ Megan is enjoying her coffee at home with a new bag of beans from What's Brewing.

East Side homeowners Alma and Eugenio Chavarria are a step closer to transforming their historic property into something they can share with the community.

Driving the news: City Council has unanimously approved the rezoning of 230 Cactus St. — which consists of 106- and 113-year-old structures — to become an East Side performing arts center.

Context: As the East Side experiences rapid gentrification and loses its original housing stock, the home stands as part of the city's social and historical heritage.

The homeowners say they've heard stories about Martin Luther King Jr. visiting the house during the civil rights movement.

"What an honor to preserve American and Black history right here in the Alamo City," Alma Chavarria told Axios. 

Flashback: Alma says neighbor George Frederick, a community outreach leader, remembers the home being at the epicenter of local civil rights activism with visits from King and his local associate, the Rev. Claude Black, in the 1950s and 1960s.

The city's Office of Historic Preservation in 2018 recommended that City Council designate the house as a historical landmark, for the oral histories of King's visits, as well as its previous incarnation as Abernathy grocery store from 1922 to 1967, and as a polling location and as an important community space.

What they're saying: "Thank you so much for honoring Dr. King's legacy by opening a performing arts studio for east side youth. I'm proud to support this item and I'm proud of the efforts of Alma for the creation of this wonderful center," Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, whose district includes the property, said during Thursday's meeting. 

What's next: The Chavarrias will launch a GoFundMe campaign to generate support for the renovation.

The owner plans to create a performing arts center.

Alma and Eugenio Chavarria's home (forefront) and the former grocery store, which they hope to convert into a performing arts studio. Photo: Courtesy of Alma Chavarria

East Side homeowners Alma and Eugenio Chavarria are a step closer to transforming their historic property into something they can share with the community.Driving the news: City Council has unanimously approved the rezoning of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="230 Cactus St." data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2023/01/13/cactus-home-mlk-san-antonio" data-vars-content-id="074fae18-9bd3-4c6d-8a2e-453a708ff940" data-vars-headline="Historic east side San Antonio home moves closer to new life" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2023/01/13/cactus-home-mlk-san-antonio" target="_self">230 Cactus St.</a> — which consists of 106- and 113-year-old structures — to become an East Side performing arts center.

News

The owners of several popular Austin bars are combining on a San Antonio project near Pearl. 

What's happening: A midcentury modern building at 519 Josephine St., which previously housed Worthington Laundry & Cleaners, will become a bar, owner Nathan Hill tells Axios. 

Context: Hill is part of Open Road Hospitality, a new group that includes Austin businessmen Jeremy Murray and Travis Norman. 

Hill owns The White Horse, Stay Gold, Frazier's Long and Low, High Noon and soon-to-open DayDreamer, all in East or Southeast Austin.

Murray owns Kitty Cohen's, also in East Austin. He also co-owns High Noon and DayDreamer with Hill. 

Norman, who is at the helm of KKDW Construction, built out High Noon and Frazier's Long and Low, and is working on DayDreamer. 

Exterior of  the upcoming Jackie's Desert Rose. 

Open Road Hospitality's project is underway at the corner of Josephine and Alamo streets. Photo: Madalyn Mendoza/Axios 

Details: According to architectural planning details, the renovation of the 5,000-square-foot building will cost an estimated $500,000. 

Hill expects to spend the duration of 2023 completing the project. 

Zoom out: Hill and Murray's Austin bars offer a range of aesthetics and atmospheres, from a honky tonk to a Palm Springs-inspired pool bar. 

Zoom in: It's unclear what the new space will look like after the renovation, but Hill says there's plenty of nostalgia tied to it. 

He grew up in San Antonio while his dad was stationed at Fort Sam Houston. 

The bar's working name, Jackie's Desert Rose, is an ode to his late grandmother. 

"I feel both honored and elated to return to San Antonio to build out such an amazing space that I think will add even more value to the incredible growth in the area while bringing a fresh energy and perspective." 

What they're saying: Government Hill business owners Houston Carpenter and Ricky Ortiz are excited for Hill's bar to join the neighborhood

Carpenter's Restaurant Claudine and upcoming sushi restaurant Nineteen Hyaku, will be neighbors of the new concept. He thinks Government Hill is the next walkable entertainment district. 

"I think it's going to be the most exciting area of the city. The more the merrier. Let's bring everyone else in here," Carpenter says. 

"Once the Broadway corridor opens back up and street parking improves, I think it'll bring new life to an already booming neighborhood," Ortiz, owner of Bésame and El Camino, tells Axios. 

Their Austin spots include Kitty Cohen's and The White Horse.

Land development

The owners of several popular Austin bars are combining on a San Antonio project near Pearl. What&#x27;s happening: A midcentury modern building at 519 Josephine St., which previously housed Worthington Laundry &amp; Cleaners, will become a bar, owner Nathan Hill tells Axios.

San Antonians are claiming Chilean American actor Pedro Pascal as one of their own and for good reason. 

Driving the news: Pascal, who is also known for his roles in "The Mandalorian" and "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," is in the spotlight for playing Joel in the hit HBO series "The Last of Us." 

Context: The show, which is based on a 2013 video game, takes place 20 years after a global pandemic caused by a fungal infection. 

Nearly 6.4 million viewers tuned in to the third episode on Sunday, according to Variety.

Pascal has garnered praise for his leading role. Wired called him the "new face of Sci-Fi"; another publication declared "Pedromania."

Flashback: But in the 1980s, he was a San Antonio kid sneaking into movie theaters. 

Last year, he told MySA.com that he and his family fled the military dictatorship in Chile and were granted political asylum in Denmark soon after he was born. Then the family immigrated to San Antonio, where he lived until he was 11.

He attended Colonies North Elementary on the north side and was a competitive swimmer. 

Pascal remembered sneaking around local movie theaters to see early 1980s classics like "Poltergeist" and the R-rated "Cujo."

Tacos are always a Texas topic of contention and Pascal made his stance clear in a 2022 interview with the Austin American-Statesman during South by Southwest. 

What's next: Pascal will host this weekend's "Saturday Night Live" on NBC at 10:30pm.

Pedro Pascal is puro San Antonio, through and through. Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic via Getty Images

San Antonians are claiming Chilean American actor Pedro Pascal as one of their own and for good reason. Driving the news: Pascal, who is also known for his roles in &quot;The Mandalorian&quot; and &quot;The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,&quot; is in the spotlight for playing Joel in the hit HBO series &quot;The Last of Us.&quot;

We've lassoed a list of events taking place this weekend as the city saddles up for the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, which starts on Thursday. 

(Cattle) driving the news: Western Heritage Weekend starts today with the Vaquero Cook-Off at Market Square and lasts through Sunday. 

The Wrangler Breakfast will take place at Milam Park at 9am Saturday.

The Stampede 5K will also start at the park at 9:30am Saturday. 

The cattle drive will follow, taking over Houston Street at 11am Saturday. 

Yes, but: The weekend fun isn't all boots and buckles. 

Full Goods Diner is hosting a limited-time music series with DJs and evening eats throughout February on Thursdays through Sundays from 6-10pm. 

First Friday, the free family-friendly monthly art walk in Southtown, starts at 6pm today at the Blue Star Arts Complex. See the full schedule here. 

The Contemporary at Blue Star is opening its spring exhibition today for First Friday. JooYoung Choi creates a fictional world called The Cosmic Womb that explores issues of identity and belonging through science fiction and fantasy. It features painting, video, sculpture, animation and music. 

We've lassoed a list of rodeo things to do.

We&#x27;ve lassoed a list of events taking place this weekend as the city saddles up for the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, which starts on Thursday. (Cattle) driving the news: Western Heritage Weekend starts today with the Vaquero Cook-Off at Market Square and lasts through Sunday.

Things to Do

Hannah Guan, a 16-year-old BASIS San Antonio student, is one of 40 finalists from 1,900 applicants selected for the Regeneron Science Talent Search, a national competition founded in 1942 for high school seniors. 

Why it matters: According to the Society of Science, which organizes the competition, Guan is the first San Antonian to compete since 1990, when Sean McGuire, a Keystone School student, was a finalist. 

What she did: Guan spent six years building the Multi-Dimensional Interpretable Interaction Network, which models how a person's health evolves with age.

Guan used a public data set of vitals for 27 people over a 22-year span to test her software. 

"The end goal is to be able to take in a patient's vitals to output the person's health trajectory and survival rates," Guan says. 

What she found: The COVID-19 pandemic presented Guan an opportunity to expand her research. While she was inspired by similar models, Guan noticed a gap that did not include pre-existing conditions.

She readjusted her model to account for how age or health conditions would affect a COVID-19 patient's trajectory. 

Zoom in: Guan says her research was inspired by the area's older residents, specifically 2020 census data that showed Bexar County's 70- to 74-year-old population increased 60% between 2010 and 2019. 

Her motivation was galvanized when her neighbors in the north side neighborhood where she lives were hospitalized due to COVID-19. 

What's they're saying: Maya Ajmera, CEO of Society for Science, said the competition identifies the next generation of scientists.

"She (Guan) is one of the top thinkers and leaders in science and engineering," Ajmara tells Axios. 

What's next: Ten Regeneron Science Talent Search winners, who will receive $40,000 to $250,000, will be announced during a livestreamed ceremony in Washington, D.C., on March 14. 

The finalists will spend the week leading up to the announcement in Washington, where they will undergo an intense interview process and meet with science leaders from their respective regions. 

Guan was accepted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was also awarded $25,000 as a finalist, which she will use to expand her model. 

San Antonio teen competing in prestigious science event

Hannah Guan is the first local to be finalist since 1990.

Hannah Guan in front of a greenery background. 

Hannah Guan is a finalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search. Photo: Courtesy of Hannah Guan

Hannah Guan, a 16-year-old BASIS San Antonio student, is one of 40 finalists from 1,900 applicants selected for the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Regeneron Science Talent Search" data-vars-click-url="https://www.societyforscience.org/regeneron-sts/2023-finalists/" data-vars-content-id="dcea25fc-5ace-4055-bd7e-66f9d9c879d9" data-vars-headline="San Antonio teen competing in prestigious science event" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.societyforscience.org/regeneron-sts/2023-finalists/" target="_blank">Regeneron Science Talent Search</a>, a national competition founded in 1942 for high school seniors. Why it matters: According to the Society of Science, which organizes the competition, Guan is the first San Antonian to compete since 1990, when Sean McGuire, a Keystone School student, was a finalist.

Madalyn Mendoza

Stories

Historic east side San Antonio home moves closer to new life

Austin bar owners opening San Antonio spot near Pearl

A weekend guide to San Antonio rodeo events

San Antonio teen competing in prestigious science event

'The Last of Us' star Pedro Pascal's San Antonio roots

Newsletter editions

From cleaners ⏩ bar

🔬 Teen science wiz

🚔 Hot spot policing

💸 Rogue Airbnb rentals

🧑‍⚖️ Judge Sakai's Bexar-ings