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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Austin. Written by Nicole Cobler and Asher Price.

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San Antonio

Axios San Antonio

For a holiday getaway without the airport hassle, San Antonio is home to postcard-worthy Christmas scenes that are just a road trip away. 

Driving the news: Now that the Thanksgiving leftovers are finished, the most wonderful time of the year is underway.

What to do: San Antonio's famous River Walk is a must-see during the holidays, when more than 100,000 lights are draped over the cypress trees that line the waterway.

The lights, which are free to see, stay on until Jan. 9.

Narrated river barge cruises are also available. Tour prices range from $8.50 to $32. 

For the 21-and-up crowd: Snowbound and Miracle, two national Christmas cocktail pop-up bars, have returned to San Antonio. 

Snowbound — Chicken N Pickle's onsite pop-up — is a ski lodge-themed bar trimmed with tinsel and offers a menu of coordinated drinks. 

After a three-year hiatus, Miracle is back at Esquire Tavern. 

Esquire is known as the oldest bar on the Riverwalk and it has transformed into "Miracle on Commerce Street" for the holidays. The menu includes drinks like Grandma Got Run Over by a T-Rex and Jingle Balls Nog. 

Where to stay: A place in the downtown area or Southtown would be ideal for holiday shopping.

Yes, but: The festive focus isn't solely on downtown. For more than 60 years, residents of Windcrest, a municipality within Bexar County, have elaborately decorated their homes with Christmas lights for the public to enjoy for free. 

The bottom line: Whether you're traveling with kids, trying to save money or are looking for a night out with kitschy cocktails, San Antonio has a bit of everything. 

Houston

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A travel guide to holiday fun in San Antonio

The famous River Walk is a must-see during the holidays.

San Antonio's River Walk at night, decorated for the holidays with lights draped over trees lining the water.

Visiting San Antonio's River Walk during December is like living in a holiday postcard. Photo: MyLoupe/UIG/Getty Images

Travel

For a holiday getaway without the airport hassle, San Antonio is home to postcard-worthy Christmas scenes that are just a road trip away. Driving the news: Now that the Thanksgiving leftovers are finished, the most wonderful time of the year is underway.

Things to Do

As part of a battle for young Latino voters in Texas, activists have turned to sponsoring quinceañeras, both in Austin and across the state.

Driving the news: Actress and activist America Ferrera recently hosted a quinceañera-themed event in San Antonio with hundreds of people showing up for a parade to a voting center to encourage civic engagement ahead of the Nov. 8 elections.

Why it matters: Pew Research Center estimates 6.2 million Hispanic people in Texas are eligible to vote, making the state home to the second-largest Hispanic voter population, behind California.

Context: Quinceañeras, or 15th birthday celebrations, are a monumental rite of passage for young women in Latino culture.

What happened: Harness, a nonprofit co-founded by Ferrera, and Austin-based Jolt Action, which describes itself as the "the largest Latino progressive organization in Texas," organized the symbolic "Ride to the Polls" activation. 

The event featured about a dozen debutantes, lowriders and a mini festival with voting information.

Young women in sparkling debutante gowns encircled "La Veladora of Our Lady of Guadalupe," a ceramic mosaic by Jesse Treviño, to kick things off. 

Eulogia Rodriguez, 14, participated in the event and said civic engagement isn't "popular" in her community but she wants to be part of the change by sharing voting information.

At her upcoming birthday, Rodriguez will give a speech centered on civic engagement. Jolt, which provides a free photo booth, will also register guests to vote at her celebration.

What they're saying: Pacita Rudder, programs manager at Harness, told Axios the civic engagement group hopes the cultural relevance of the activation reaches Latinos throughout the U.S. and combats apathy tied to the electoral process. 

"We know that a lot of times the young folks in families are actually the ones that are pushing their older family members and relatives to make change, so having them speak up about voting is a really powerful moment," Rudder said.

Ferrera noted the teens involved in the event aren't old enough to vote, but believes the "power and strength" of their early engagement motivates their family and friends to participate.

"Our voices are worthy of being in the rooms where decisions are being made," Ferrera said.

By the numbers: Jolt has held 17 Poder Quince events around the state, including one in Austin — with another scheduled for later this year.  

Jolt registered more than 13,600 voters this year.

As part of its get-out-the-vote efforts, the organization has sent out more than 55,000 mailers and more than 19,500 texts. 

NextGen, an organization that targets young, likely progressive voters, told Axios a year ago that it aimed to register 150,000 individuals this election cycle — but a spokesperson declined this week to release to Axios its registration figures until after the election.

Meanwhile: Gov. Greg Abbott has been running ads emphasizing his Hispanic connections — one ad features his wife, who is Hispanic; another features a niece, who calls him Tío Greg.

This week, Abbott, who has vowed to win the Latino vote, was in Laredo, appearing at the Republican National Committee's Hispanic Community Center. 

Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke has been conducting rallies in Spanish, campaigning in South Texas and appearing with luminaries like Dolores Huerta and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

What's next: Friday is the final day of early voting in Texas. Election Day is Nov. 8.

Texas activists empower Latino voters at quinceañera-themed events

America Ferrera organized a quinceañera-themed activation for civic engagement.

Actress America Ferrera stands at a press conference surrounded by teen girls wearing colorful quinceañera gowns. 

America Ferrera speaks during the "Quince to the Polls" event on the Westside of San Antonio on Oct. 29, 2022. Photo: Jeff Segura/courtesy of Harness

Midterm elections 2022

As part of a battle for young Latino voters in Texas, activists have turned to sponsoring quinceañeras, both in Austin and across the state.Driving the news: Actress and activist America Ferrera recently hosted a quinceañera-themed event in San Antonio with hundreds of people showing up for a parade to a voting center to encourage civic engagement ahead of the Nov. 8 elections.

Politics

News

Texans can now cast ballots in this year's midterm elections.

Why it matters: Voters will decide key statewide seats as well as congressional districts, legislative offices and the State Board of Education.

Plus: Races for local elected positions and local referendums are on ballots.

Election Day is Nov. 8 with polls open 7am–7pm.

🗳 Review your sample ballot here: Travis County, Williamson County, Hays County, Bastrop County.

Details: During the early voting period, registered voters can cast their ballots at any polling location in their county.

A list of polling locations will be published here on Oct. 22.

If you are 65 or older, sick or disabled, expected to give birth within three weeks of Election Day, or in jail but not convicted of a felony, you are allowed to vote by mail. Also, if you are absent from the county of registration during the early voting period and on Election Day or are civilly committed under Chapter 841 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, you are allowed to vote by mail.

Download the vote-by-mail application here.

The last day to apply to vote by mail is Oct. 28.

1-minute voter guide to the top statewide races

Five questions with Austin mayoral candidate Jennifer Virden

Five questions with Austin mayoral candidate Kirk Watson

Five questions with Austin mayoral candidate Celia Israel

Austin bonds on November ballots total more than $3B

Midterm elections 2022: Voting in greater Austin

Austin-area voters will weigh in on key races up and down the ballot.

Illustration of a row of voting booths casting long shadows, the side of the booth reads "VOTE" with a checkmark as the V.

Texans can now cast ballots in this year&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="midterm elections" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/midterm-elections-2022" data-vars-content-id="89153513-9ee0-475c-afa4-3bcb3e3e8f05" data-vars-headline="Midterm elections 2022: Voting in greater Austin" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/midterm-elections-2022" target="_self">midterm elections</a>.Why it matters: Voters will decide key statewide seats as well as congressional districts, legislative offices and the State Board of Education.

As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to an end on Saturday, Latinos in Texas are diversifying their media coverage and organizing events that are inclusive of all countries, rather than lumping Latinos together under the state's heavy Mexican influence. 

By the numbers: Hispanic residents may now be the largest population group in Texas, surpassing the white demographic, according to unofficial statistics released in September by the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. 

Latinos account for 40% of the state's total population, while non-Hispanic white people make up 39%, the data shows.

The big picture: That milestone, coupled with Hispanic Heritage Month, is motivating people to highlight the diversity within Latinos. 

Nancy Flores, publisher of Austin Vida, says it's "always a work in progress," and "gold star examples" of inclusivity are hard to come by. But she and Lilia Swayne, vice president of Sociedad Cultural Hispanoamericana San Antonio (SCHASA), offer ways communities can create a wider scope of celebration.

Explore cultural festivals throughout Texas.

Think about who hasn't been included previously in events.

Between the lines: Mexicans account for 33% of Hispanic Texas residents, but Flores and Swayne represent and celebrate all Latinos through their work.

Flores is Mexican American and originally from Eagle Pass. Swayne is of Colombian descent.

What's happening: Austin Vida was launched as a cultural hub for Latinos. Flores says readers are sometimes surprised to see their countries covered by her team. 

SCHASA organizes events in San Antonio throughout the year to integrate and showcase folkloric dances, gastronomy and art from countries like Peru, Colombia, Panama and more. 

"It shouldn't be this big shock, no matter what kind of cultural ties you have, to see yourself in a publication. I know what it feels like to not see yourself in the city and I want to help change that," Flores says. 

What they're saying: Flores and Swayne are hoping the population growth will encourage the exploration of Latino arts, food and customs outside of the dominant Mexican influence in the state. 

"We are not a monolithic group, and it's really that diversity within our culture that makes us special," Flores says.

"Most people, when they hear someone speaking in Spanish, [they] assume right away that this person is Mexican. In fact, the person speaking Spanish could be originally from one of the 19 different Latin American countries," Swayne says. 

Go deeper: Austin Vida's coverage of the sazón Latino artists are bringing to Austin City Limits, from Cuba to Colombia.

The Hispanic Trails Cultural Festival, which showcases 14 Latino countries, is taking place from 12-8pm Saturday in San Antonio at Wonderland of the Americas. 

Hispanic Heritage Month: Texas Latinos are not monolithic

Texans are working to highlight all Latinos as the population group grows.

Illustration of a light bulb with a filament in the shape of Central and South America.

Hispanic and Latino Americans

As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to an end on Saturday, Latinos in Texas are diversifying their media coverage and organizing events that are inclusive of all countries, rather than lumping Latinos together under the state&#x27;s heavy Mexican influence. By the numbers: Hispanic residents may now be the largest population group in Texas, surpassing the white demographic, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="unofficial statistics" data-vars-click-url="https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=DP05&amp;g=0400000US48&amp;tid=ACSDP1Y2021.DP05" data-vars-content-id="e2d8efbe-1a11-4468-918e-a3814066c9f8" data-vars-headline="Hispanic Heritage Month: Texas Latinos are not monolithic" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=DP05&amp;g=0400000US48&amp;tid=ACSDP1Y2021.DP05" target="_blank">unofficial statistics</a> released in September by the U.S. Census Bureau&#x27;s American Community Survey.

Madalyn Mendoza

Featured stories

A travel guide to holiday fun in San Antonio

Texas activists empower Latino voters at quinceañera-themed events

Midterm elections 2022: Voting in greater Austin

Hispanic Heritage Month: Texas Latinos are not monolithic