San Antonio’s Tricentennial year has been eventful, with twists and turns that will have repercussions for the city for years to come. From the Alamo Plaza redesign to the passage of two city charter amendments that will change the way the city is run, 2018 was a notable year.
But before we turn the page to 2019, we at the Rivard Report wanted to share 10 of the most important stories from the past year, and be sure to see our 2018 Photos of the Year package.
Thank you for reading and we look forward to continuing to provide San Antonio strong community journalism in 2019.
– The Rivard Report Editorial Team
SA Symphony Says It Is Resurrecting Its Season
Sebastian Lang-Lessing, the San Antonio Symphony’s musical director and conductor, announced to a Tricentennial Celebration concert audience in January that the orchestra’s shows would go on, reversing the announced cancellation of the Symphony’s season.
San Antonio’s Hidden Black History and The Struggle to Tell It
When a small group of San Antonians interested in local African-American history approached the City’s Tricentennial Commission, its members hoped it would be their chance to share with the whole city the rich trove of stories they had uncovered.
Edgewood ISD Will Consider Placing Superintendent on Leave While It Investigates Harassment Complaint
The Edgewood Independent School District board of managers considered action in February to place Superintendent Emilio Castro on paid leave pending an investigation into harassment allegations made against him by a district employee.
A Seat at the Table: Where Are All the Female Superintendents?
On a mid-February afternoon, the City gathered its most powerful education leaders to talk about school finance, and a startling picture emerged: All the superintendents at the table were male.
Citing Costs and ‘Disruptions,’ Nirenberg Says San Antonio Will Not Pursue 2020 GOP Convention
After San Antonio City Council members discussed possible economic incentives for, and the impacts of, hosting the 2020 Republican National Convention during a closed-door meeting, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and at least four Council members agreed that the costs of hosting the GOP convention outweighed the benefits.
A Decade After Her Murder, Viola Barrios’ Children Advance Her Legacy
The oil painting hangs prominently in Los Barrios, the restaurant Viola founded in 1979. From high on a wall behind her favorite table, she gazes across the room, first-generation customers dining with the second and third generation below.
Cenotaph Artist Pompeo Coppini’s Trust Academy Victimized by $216K Embezzlement
A former board member of the Coppini Academy of Fine Arts allegedly embezzled $216,000 from the small nonprofit organization, according to documents and several people who have been associated with the academy.
Commentary: A Modern-Day Surrender at the Alamo
The latest battle of the Alamo (There have been many. See Adina Emilia De Zavala versus Clara Driscoll.) is over. Mayor Ron Nirenberg, unlike William Barret Travis, chose to surrender.
Final Count: Voters Approve Props B and C, Reject Prop A
Voters sent unique messages for each of the City’s three highly disputed ballot propositions on Election Day. They supported Proposition B, with slightly more than 59 percent voting in favor of capping tenure and compensation for future San Antonio city managers, and Proposition C, the measure about arbitration for the firefighters union labor contract.
Commentary: Why is San Antonio Still Building a 20th-Century City?
If city leaders and planners really want to address worsening traffic congestion, they should design a more robust incentive plan to support greater urban density and a reduction in vehicles on surface streets.
