🚂 Thursday already. The week's train is moving right along.

🌧️ Today's weather: A chance of storms after 4pm. "Feels like" temps remain above 100.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Coby Pyron!

👀 Situational awareness: It's budget day for the City Council. All eyes are on whether councilmembers will approve a property tax rate increase or force deeper cuts.

Today's newsletter is 1,051 words — a 4-minute read.

The family of a San Antonio woman who died from pregnancy complications is suing local officials and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, alleging the state's abortion ban is unconstitutional.

The big picture: Tierra Walker died in December 2024 at age 37 after she was diagnosed with preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related disorder marked by high blood pressure. She had spent months in and out of the hospital with worsening conditions. The lawsuit alleges she was denied an abortion.

The latest: Walker's aunt, LaTanya Walker, filed the lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of Tierra Walker's teenage son, husband and mother. They are represented by Amplify Legal, the litigation arm of nonprofit Abortion in America.

• The suit seeks an unspecified amount of money for the Walker family.
• The other defendants are University Health, UT Health Science Center San Antonio, Texas Medical Board (TMB) executive director Stephen Brint Carlton, Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales and three doctors.

A spokesperson for University Health declined to comment on the case.

• "In general, our clinicians make patient care decisions based on each patient's clinical condition, applicable medical standards and legal requirements," spokesperson Shelley Kofler tells Axios. "We take concerns about patient care seriously and review them through appropriate internal clinical and quality processes."
• Spokespeople for the UT Health Science Center San Antonio and the TMB declined to comment to Axios.
• Paxton's office and Gonzales' office did not respond to requests for comment.

Context: The state's abortion ban includes exemptions when the life or health of the pregnant patient is at risk. But it has led to confusion and fear among many doctors and patients about when the exemption applies, and that "intimidates doctors into inaction," the lawsuit alleges.

• The TMB in June 2024 issued guidance saying Texas doctors don't need to wait until a pregnant person is at risk of death to provide them an abortion — but didn't provide a list of conditions that would permit an abortion.

What they're saying: "Tierra Walker is proof that there is no exception, because if she did not qualify — if even her doctors were too scared to act — then the medical emergency exception is nothing more than words on a page," Molly Duane, litigation director with Amplify Legal, told reporters yesterday.

Keep reading

A Night in Old San Antonio (NIOSA) will not take place as planned next year as organizers confront declining attendance, financial shortfalls and the loss of event space at La Villita.

Why it matters: The event is both a major Fiesta tradition and a fixture of San Antonio's cultural calendar, with a history stretching back more than seven decades.

The latest: The Conservation Society of San Antonio, which organizes NIOSA, announced the cancellation yesterday, suggesting the event could return later without providing a timeline.

• The news comes less than a month after the organization announced a "strategic refresh" of NIOSA, saying it planned to rethink the event and streamline operations.

The big picture: NIOSA has raised millions of dollars for historic preservation throughout its history.

What they're saying: "We are choosing to hit the pause button now so we can protect the long-term legacy of the San Antonio Conservation Society and the funding necessary to carry out our historic preservation mission," Conservation Society president Betty Bueché said in a statement.

• "Rather than compromising the quality of the experience under shrinking logistical parameters, we are using this intermission to streamline operations, explore potential new locations and formats."

Zoom out: NIOSA is the second major Fiesta event to be sidelined recently — Alamo Heights Night was canceled this year.

What's next: Organizers will spend the upcoming year gathering feedback from volunteers and the community as they rethink the event, according to the announcement.

⏸️ Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio said it will temporarily pause programming at its East Side location starting at the end of the month, citing financial challenges. Parents were left scrambling to find child care. (KENS)

📈 The Alamo Colleges District board voted this week to raise its tax rate for the first time in more than a decade, by nearly 9%. (SA Report)

🎸 Metallica will perform at the Alamodome in May with Limp Bizkit and Avatar. Tickets for the general public go on sale at 10am Sept. 25. (News 4)

Friday

🎶 Enjoy live music at Chicken N Pickle, 7-10pm.

🪩 Join a beginner-friendly bachata dance lesson at Salsa On2 School at 9pm, followed by an afterparty with DJs.

• Tickets start at $25.

Saturday

🪡 Learn how to sew with a free class at Grome's Sewing Machine in Universal City, either 10am-noon or 1-3pm.

📑 Head to the free San Anto Zine Fest at Our Lady of the Lake University, 10am-5pm.

👻 Prepare yourself for Paranormal Fest at Victoria's Black Swan Inn, 3-11pm. Hear from a psychic, get a tarot reading, tour the haunted property, shop vendors and more.

• Ticket prices vary.

🎥 Catch a free screening of "Selena" at Mission Marquee Plaza at 7pm.

• Blankets and lawn chairs encouraged; food trucks will be on-site.

Sunday

🍷 Head to Cape Bottle Room for the Bougie Bites Summer Soirèe with wine and bites, 3-6pm.

• Tickets cost about $18.

Axios Social Club brings together curious locals for good food, good conversation and a night out with people you might never meet otherwise.

How it works: Take a quick quiz, reserve your seat and we'll match you with five fellow locals at one of our favorite restaurants.

Here's the twist: You won't find out your restaurant or dinner crew until the day of the event. After dinner, all the tables meet up at a surprise afterparty.

If you go: Join us Oct. 6 at 6:30pm in Southtown.

• Tickets cost $15.99 per person.
• Food and drinks are purchased separately.

Come hungry. We'll handle the rest.

Thanks to our editors Astrid Galván and Bob Gee.

💔 Madalyn is already missing her Smirnoff preparada from NIOSA.

😭 Megan thinks Fiesta won't be the same without NIOSA.