Electric vehicles are gaining popularity across the U.S., but they're not sparking much interest locally.

Driving the news: EV registration rates in San Antonio were near last among 28 Axios Local cities in January 2023, per data analyzed by Axios' Joann Muller.

By the numbers: EVs accounted for only 3.4% of new vehicle registrations in San Antonio, up from 2.5% in January last year.

Meanwhile, Other cities saw significant year-over-year growth, with the most pronounced increases on the West Coast.

• Seattle's registration rate climbed from 8.4% to 17.2% and Portland's from 5.5% to 13.1%.
• Austin's rate rose from 7% to 9.3%.

Between the lines: EVs are gaining popularity as a cleaner alternative to gasoline-powered cars, but obstacles like charging access and high prices are still preventing buyers from going electric.

Zoom in: San Antonio's Office of Sustainability 2022 annual report, released in March, says 69 EVs, hybrids and battery electric vehicles were added to the city's fleet between 2021 and 2022.

• Electric Vehicles San Antonio is in the process of upgrading charging stations at Pearsall Park, the Martinez parking lot downtown, the zoo and the Carver Community Cultural Center.

Flashback: In November, the City Council adopted a new building code that requires builders to install 240-volt outlets in new single-family homes to make it easier and cheaper for residents who want to charge EVs.

• The code also requires that 5% of total parking structure/lot spaces be designated for EV charging.

Reality check: Less than 1% of the 279 million cars and light trucks on American roads are electric.

• The Biden administration recently announced new restrictions on auto emissions, but it will still take decades for the slow transition from gas-powered to electric vehicles to be complete.

Bexar compares poorly to other large Texas counties when it comes to health, but is still in the top quartile of the healthiest in the state, according to a ranking by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

Why it matters: The annual ranking identifies the healthiest to least healthy counties in each state to help officials decide where to invest their resources.

How it works: The annual ranking crunches data measuring health outcomes, such as premature death, low birth weight, and self-reported mental and physical well-being, along with such health factors as the number of dentists in a community and the rate of sexually transmitted infections, Axios' Emily Harris reports.

Zoom in: Bexar County ranks 51st for health outcomes and 43rd for health factors among 244 ranked counties in the state.

Zoom out: Travis and Harris counties fare better for health outcomes, in the 8th and 31st spots, respectively.

• Dallas County is right behind Bexar in the 52nd spot.
• Collin County, north of Dallas, is the healthiest in the state.

Between the lines: Four local residents were recently selected for the Aspen Institute's Healthy Communities Fellowship.

• The Aspen fellowship aims to support leaders in communities disproportionately affected by economic and health disparities.

🌐 Port San Antonio is moving forward with plans to build a futuristic-looking office tower at the entrance of the South Side campus. The design architect will work on concepts for the tower in the coming months. (KSAT)

🙄 A random study recently named the River Walk as one of the biggest "tourist traps" in the U.S. The "study" used any mentions of "tourist trap" by people on TripAdvisor to describe places they visited. (SA Current)

A San Antonio man faces a murder charge in the death of Carol Joyce Deleon, who last seen at a local nightclub in June 1981, days after her high school graduation. Larry Allen West was charged after the Texas Rangers got a break in the decades-old case last month. (KENS 5)

Councilmember Clayton Perry will enter his final months in office without jail time. Instead, he faces a year of probation for his drunken-driving and hit-and-run cases from 2022. He cannot drink alcohol. (Express-News 🔒)

The San Antonio Missions will again take up the "Flying Chanclas" moniker for a few games this season.

What's happening: Minor League Baseball is honoring symbols of Latino identity as part of its Copa de la Diversión, a series-long initiative aimed at appealing to U.S. Hispanics, Axios' Russell Contreras writes.

Why it matters: The Copa de la Diversión is seeking to grow its Latino fan base as professional baseball continues to see declining attendance and viewership.

• 28.5% of all Major League Baseball players are Latino.

Details: Minor League Baseball, now in its sixth season of the Copa campaign, recently unveiled the schedule of games and the 95 on-field Hispanic identities teams will take on.

• The Flying Chanclas name is meant to honor abuelitas, the matriarchal figures of discipline and love in Latino families, who also boast notable throwing accuracy with their chancla, or sandals, per the MLB.
• See the full Flying Chanclas schedule here.

Flashback: The Flying Chanclas debuted in 2018 with merchandise, Fiesta medals and the Mama Peño mascot.

By the numbers: Before the pandemic, Copa-designated games drew a 20% larger crowd than non-Copa games, the league says.

💼 See who’s hiring around the city.

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In case you haven't noticed papel picado lining the streets and your co-workers requesting time off en masse — Fiesta starts Thursday, and everyone is getting in on medal mania, including city government.

Driving the news: The city of San Antonio recently released an official medal called "The Spirit Within," which features three alebrije-inspired pins.

The intrigue: The medals commemorate a massive, in-progress mural of the same name, which will be at Market Square.

• The artwork is a collaboration between Ashleigh Garza and Hailey Marmolejo in coordination with San Anto Cultural Arts.

How to get them: COSA will have a medal giveaway on Wednesday from 3-5pm at the Centro de Artes Gallery.

• If you miss that, you can donate $20 or more to the city's art program here and have them mailed to you.