San Antonio's 160-year-old horse-drawn carriage industry will be phased out by 2030 under a five-year plan approved by the City Council yesterday.

Why it matters: Supporters of a ban say horse-drawn carriages are outdated and inhumane, particularly in an increasingly hot city.

• But carriage operators say the horses are well cared for. They also warned that the ban would put the horses at risk of being auctioned off and cause personal financial hardships.

Catch up quick: District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran filed a proposal in November 2022 to ban horse-drawn carriage rides and transition to electric carriages and pedicabs.

• There was immediate backlash from carriage companies.

The latest: The original proposal was a three-year plan to phase out the carriage rides by Jan. 1, 2028.

Yes, but: District 10 Councilmember Marc Whyte offered a compromise: extending the transition to five years, with a gradual reduction in operating hours starting in 2027, to give the five carriage companies time to pay off debts.

What they're saying: Animal rights advocates and small business owners, including some horse carriage operators, spoke up before the vote.

• Joe Straus Jr., a horse breeder and co-founder of the Retama Park horse racetrack, called the proposal to ban the carriages an injustice.
• "Government should not be the cause of financial ruin," Art Martinez de Vara, a lawyer representing four carriage companies, said.

The other side: Mariah Smith, an animal rights activist who in 2022 launched an online petition to ban carriages, countered arguments centered on the tradition of the attraction.

• "Just because something is a tradition or even a business doesn't mean it's right," she said. "Refusing to change because of tradition is very closed-minded."

What's next: Horse-drawn carriage businesses can operate as usual until June 2027, when schedules will be reduced by four hours as part of the phase-out. Hours will then be cut by an additional three hours between June 2028 and December 2029, according to the Express-News. 

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"Selena y Los Dinos," a documentary featuring never-before-seen footage from the Quintanilla family archives, will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

Why it matters: Selena's story, a heralded chapter in Latino representation, will reach broader audiences through its debut at the prestigious festival.

The latest: The film festival revealed its lineup on Wednesday.

Zoom in: Director Isabel Castro, whose 2022 Sundance entry "Mija" explored similar themes, captures the Queen of Tejano's journey from performing at quinceañeras to becoming a cultural legend.

• Suzette and A.B. Quintanilla III, Selena's siblings, are executive producers on the documentary.

What they're saying: "The warmth of the home videos is like sitting with the Quintanillas and reliving their journey firsthand," Sundance Film Festival programmer Stephanie Owens writes online. "Castro showcases Selena's charisma and love of performing while giving her family space to celebrate their daughter, sister, and wife."

By the numbers: Selected from nearly 16,000 submissions, the documentary is one of 87 films to be featured at the festival.

What's next: The festival starts Jan. 23 in Park City, Utah. The film will be available for online streaming Jan. 30 through Feb. 2.

Tell a Selena fan

📃 Gov. Greg Abbott, along with 25 other GOP governors, said he would use "state law enforcement or the National Guard" to assist with President-elect Trump's mass deportation plans. (Axios)

⚖️ Carlos Uresti, the former San Antonio state senator who was convicted of a felony, was set to be released from federal custody yesterday after serving nearly six years of a 12-year sentence for securities fraud and money laundering. (Express-News 🔒)

🚧 City Council approved a nearly $20 million facelift for the Tower of the Americas set to be completed by the end of 2025. (KSAT)

San Antonio's winter temperatures are getting warmer along with most of the U.S. — a result of human-caused climate change.

By the numbers: San Antonio's average winter temperature from December to February has climbed from 51.7 degrees in 1970 to 55.3 degrees in 2024, according to an analysis from the research group Climate Central.

• Overall, our winters have warmed 3.8 degrees over the last 54 years.

Zoom out: Winters are warming quickly across much of the Lower 48 states, particularly during the past three decades. 

• States known for their cold weather — including Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Vermont and Maine — have seen some of the fastest warming rates, research shows.

Google Trends has released its annual report on what San Antonians have been searching online throughout 2024.

Why it matters: There's nothing more personal than your internet search history, so it says a lot about who we are at any given moment.

The big picture: No surprise here, but Google's national data shows that this was a big year for politics with top trending searches including the words election, Donald Trump and … uh … the Olympics chocolate muffins.

• Other top trends included Mike Tyson, the New York Yankees and Usher.

Zoom in: In San Antonio, our top searches matched national trends with searches for Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson. 

• There was also interest in the viral Dubai chocolate. 
• Our top-searched song was KSI's "Thick Of It."

💭 Madalyn's thought bubble: I'm very surprised searches for Spurs news, food or voting didn't make it to our top ranks.