San Antonio has been recognized as a national leader in health policy — earning a gold medal in CityHealth's 2025 assessment for the fourth consecutive year.

Why it matters: The ranking reflects continued progress in a city long dogged by poor health metrics.

What they did: CityHealth, an initiative of the de Beaumont Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, evaluates 75 of the nation's largest metros on 12 evidence-based policies tied to housing, public spaces, early education and healthy environments.

• San Antonio is one of eight cities to earn an overall gold medal, along with Boston, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Portland, Oregon, and St. Louis.

State of play: San Antonio earned gold medals in six categories: affordable housing trusts; complete streets; green space; healthy food purchasing; high-quality and accessible pre-K; and smoke-free indoor air.

• The city earned bronze in eco-friendly purchasing.

Yes, but: While the gold medal recognizes progress, gaps remain, particularly in renter protections, tobacco restrictions and safer alcohol sales.

What they're saying: "Health doesn't start in the clinic — it starts in the communities where people live, learn, work, and play," Bechara Choucair, executive vice president and chief health officer at Kaiser Permanente, said in a statement.

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No longer blocked from doing business with the state of Texas, the New York-based investment firm BlackRock is making a big marketing push in the Lone Star State.

Why it matters: With billions of dollars at stake, BlackRock is seeking to woo institutional and individual investors.

Driving the news: Last month, BlackRock served as a chief sponsor of the Texas Tribune Festival, hosting panels on retirement planning, including one with its new pitchman, former University of Texas football coach Mack Brown.

Flashback: In 2022, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar, a Republican, barred state agencies from signing contracts with BlackRock and other firms believed to "boycott energy companies," following a 2021 law designed to protect the state's oil and gas industry.

• Lawmakers had BlackRock in their sights after company founder and CEO Larry Fink told shareholders that the firm would make climate change "a defining factor" in its investment strategy.

State of play: BlackRock put on a full-court marketing and lobbying effort, hiring lobbyists and beefing up its communications team.

• BlackRock got off the naughty list in June — Hegar cited its stepping back from a trade association concerned about global warming known as Climate Action 100+, among other steps it took.

What they're saying: Jaime Magyera, head of BlackRock's U.S. wealth advisory business, told Axios at Trib Fest that the company had done "a really poor job talking about what we do and how we work in the state of Texas."

• "We're now proactively telling our story," she said.

Read the rest

🗒 Councilmembers Teri Castillo and Marc Whyte are pushing for a public dashboard to track progress and spending on the planned $1.3 billion Spurs arena. (SA Current)

🏨 GrayStreet Partners is seeking a zoning upgrade to build a mixed-use project — including a 211-room AC Hotel and up to 37 apartments — on the former Pig Stand site. (SA Business Journal 🔑)

🛑 The Growler Exchange has closed its Midtown bar after two years, while its Mahncke Park location on Broadway remains open. (CultureMap SA)

🐶 The City Council approved a $15 million contract to expand Animal Care Services' cramped clinic into a 17,000-square-foot veterinary hospital on the West Side. (TPR)

A knight, Gremlins and Princess Diana walk into a holiday movie list.

• Our colleague Claire Trageser compiled a list of her favorite unconventional Christmas flicks — that is, movies not necessarily about the holiday season but that take place during yuletide.

Caveat: Not all of these movies will fill you with the holiday spirit. In fact, most of them won't.

🏰 "The Green Knight": This movie involves a weird tree-looking knight challenging Dev Patel to "The Christmas Game." Definitely about Christmas.

🎭 "Eyes Wide Shut": It starts at a Christmas party and ends with Christmas shopping. What happens in between has little to do with Christmas.

👸🏼 "Spencer": Princess Diana's Christmas weekend is the highest level of forced time with the in-laws. I'm still scarred by the idea of weighing everyone before and after all the feasting.

🚋 "Meet Me in St. Louis": The song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" was introduced in this movie.

👹 "Gremlins": You've probably heard the debate about this one. I land on the "it's a Christmas movie" side.