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John Esquivel, the beloved street performer known to the city as Hispanic Elvis, has died. Esquivel, whose Elvis act was a fixture at Market Square for more than 20 years, was 76 years old when he was hospitalized earlier this year with COVID-19 and an esophagus infection. The San Antonio Spurs raised $200,000 by selling NFTs in honor of head coach Gregg Popovich last month breaking the NBA’s all-time record for regular season victories. Minted in collaboration with a Toronto-based cryptocurrency platform, the “1336 Coach Pop Collection” features images of five offensive plays drawn by Popovich. The average price of the NFTs is $6,500. Celebrating Pop? Priceless.
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The San Antonio Police Department shut down multiple residential streets around the St. Mary’s Strip last Thursday through last Sunday, testing the impact of restricting access to the popular nightlife district in response to noise and traffic complaints. Some residents raised concerns about an increased police presence in the neighborhood, while business owners said they are committed to being “open-minded” about the reduced-access testrun. A Houston-area student won a $90,000 settlement over allegations her teacher harassed her for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. The student objected to the inclusion of “under God” in the pledge and also believes the U.S. doesn’t offer “liberty and justice for all.” In response, the teacher said that he would give the student a zero on an assignment, and the student’s suit alleged he went on a racist diatribe in class. — Abe Asher
YOU SAID IT!
“[U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar] sees criminalization as a way to line the pockets of his private prison donors.” — Jessica Cisneros
Democratic congressional candidate on her primary opponent’s vote against the House’s landmark marijuana legalization bill.
ASSCLOWN ALERT
Patrick Von Dohlen and the Power of Positive Thinking Assclown Alert is a column of opinion, analysis and snark. Last Friday, the Texas State Supreme Court found that conservative activists failed to deliver the required evidence in their lawsuit claiming the City of San Antonio violated the state’s controversial “Save Chick-fil-A” law. The all-Republican panel sent the suit back to a trial court, maintaining that Bible-thumping activist Patrick Von Dohlen and the San Antonio Family Association failed to show harmful action taken by the city after the law’s passage. The suit alleges the city officials broke the state law by failing to approve Chick-fil-A with an airport food concession. However, city council’s vote not to cut the Atlanta-based chain in on the contract happened six months prior to the measure’s passage and can’t be applied retroactively, the state’s high court ruled. Sounds like defeat for the San Antonio Family Association, right? After all, the justices agreed with the city’s argument, and in media statements, City Attorney Andy Segovia predicted a speedy resolution by the lower court. But that didn’t stop the San Antonio Family Association from giving the ruling the rosiest of spins, announcing on its website that “religious liberty WINS.” “Now we will re-plead with facts and merits of the case showing adverse action after the effective date of the enactment, and we will win in the name of business owner conscience rights and religious liberty for all,” the group said its word salad of statement. Interesting take, to say the least. Von Dohlen, who sits on the association’s
Less than a month after voting with just 16 other members of the House against banning Russian oil imports, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy announced last week that he’s a leader in “advocating for Ukrainian orphans.” As justification, he explained that he’d signed a letter with other lawmakers asking the White House to make it easier for U.S. families to adopt children from the war-torn country. Federal health officials have restored $7 million per day in funding to Texas hospitals after a six-month pause over concerns about how the state pays for services that hospitals provide to Medicaid patients. The feds paused the funding after saying some hospitals were potentially in violation of the state’s agreement with the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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board, is no stranger to statements that embrace of what former Trump White House shill Kellyanne Conway called “alternative facts.” Last year, during his third failed attempt to represent District 9 on city council, the activist falsely labeled incumbent John Courage a “Marxist.” He also incorrectly accused Courage of wanting to defund the police and supporting “federally funded abortion on demand.” It’s unclear whether Von Dohlen had a hand in penning the Family Association’s statement, but it certainly bears his assclownish grasp of political reality. — Sanford Nowlin
A San Antonio jury ruled on March 24 that a gay couple’s 25-year relationship constituted a common law marriage — allowing Christopher Hoffman the ability to legally divorce his partner and be eligible for alimony and other benefits. Though gay marriage wasn’t yet legal when Hoffman and his husband began their relationship in 1996, the jury found that they were married under Texas Family Code. Legal observers said it’s the first finding of its kind in Texas. — Abe Asher
Twitter / @RepChipRoy
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