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In the final stretch of the 2026 midterm election, text messages are flying from campaigns and the outside groups supporting them.

Political strategists say texting has grown in popularity as a relatively cheap way to contact voters — costing as little as 1 cent per message — though opinions vary on their efficacy as a campaign tool.

“They’re the robocalls of the modern political age,” said San Antonio political strategist Kelton Morgan, whose firm CSG Campaigns specializes in direct voter contact and print mail. “They are horribly ineffective, but they’re so cheap; it’s just an easy numbers game.”

San Antonio political strategist Bert Santibañez, who has used the ads in recent local campaigns, said political text messaging has improved since it first started, and offers a cost-effective way to reach voters, particularly those in a younger demographic.

“People use graphics in texts, they now use video within texts, so it’s a very direct and efficient way to get your message out,” Santibañez said.

Read more at our link in bio.

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Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson, the airman who died in a rappelling accident Saturday, leaves behind two young sons and his wife, Niki Patterson.

“Our hearts are broken for Niki and her two young boys following the tragic loss of Ian, a beloved husband and father whose life was taken far too soon,” her brother Mitch Blunn wrote in a GoFundMe message.

He said the donated funds will be used to help Patterson’s family relocate to be close to extended family members for support.

The 15-year U.S. Air Force veteran died Saturday evening during a pregame ceremony at the Alamodome ahead of UTSA’s matchup against the Navy — an annual Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans football game.

The incident is under investigation by the Air Force. UTSA and the Alamodome did not respond to requests for comment.

Read more at our link in bio.

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Our 2026 Voter Guide breaks down the races and candidates you need to know before casting your ballot. 🗳️✅ Watch for free without ads at the link in our bio. You’ll also find a link to San Antonio Report’s voter guide for you to read the full breakdown.

Early voting runs from Monday, October 19 - 30. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3rd.

Produced in collaboration with @sareport and @texaspublicradio 💙🩵💜

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When redistricting took a primarily West Side district to one that encompasses nearly all of downtown San Antonio, the 20th Congressional District turned bluer than ever, effectively curbing any Republican challenger’s bid for the seat.

That doesn’t mean U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) has been sitting this election out.

Instead, Castro is standing outside the gates of immigration detention centers in South Texas, drawing national attention to the issue of detained children and families and criticizing the Trump administration for brutality.

He’s also working to help Democrats statewide and nationally take control of Congress during the upcoming midterm elections, he said.

Castro’s opponent on the ballot is Edgardo Báez, a U.S. Army veteran, retired medical professional and lawyer whose campaign looks to pick up the voters shifted in during redistricting.

Read more at our link in bio.

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Doors open at 4:30 PM for cocktails and early bites at the bar, followed by dinner service at 5:00 PM.

Whether you start with a crisp seasonal greens salad, enjoy flawlessly seared salmon over roasted grains, or finish the evening with Chef Auden’s house-made spiced swirl cheesecake and coffee on the patio, it’s River Walk dining at its absolute finest.

📍 203 S. St. Mary’s St
⏰ Bar & Cocktails from 4:30 PM | Dinner from 5:00 PM
🔗 Reserve your table at biga.com

#BigaOnTheBanks #SARiverWalk #sanantoniorestaurants #SanAntonioDining #sanantonioeats

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While the City Council was melting down over how to solve budget deficit last month, East Side Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2) was locking down funding for some major projects in his historically underserved district.

A new senior center and public pool for the East Side is expected to break ground in 2029, while he’s also closing in on another city land acquisition for affordable housing.

Once a progressive outsider on a business-friendly dais, McKee-Rodriguez, 31, is now in his third term on a council filled with like-minded members.

Together they join a growing list of progressives nationwide who are channeling their national policy frustrations into grassroots solutions — while bucking the traditional economic development models that they say have long failed to deliver on their promises.

“Right now people are exhausted of the tension and conflict and arguing at all levels of government. We see it at the federal level and it’s exhausting, and then at the state level, it feels even worse sometimes,” McKee-Rodriguez said in a wide-ranging Sept. 14 interview.

Read more at our link in bio.

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Imagine a large kitchen table between San Antonio and Monterrey, Mexico. It sits inside a borderland cantina with generous plates, cold drinks and warm hospitality, a place that connects people from two regions in two countries.

Restaurateurs Lizzeth Martinez and Francisco Estrada created the concept, which carries an evocative tag line: “North Mexican. South Texan. No rules.”

Santonia Cantina is one of five new concepts scheduled to open at Pearl by spring. Later this year, Bludorn Hospitality Group will launch an unnamed concept in the 19th Century Boehler’s Liberty Saloon Building. And Loverboy House Eats, a coffee, lunch and cocktail spot, will open next to Perlen House, a boutique hotel scheduled for completion in May.

Read more at our link in bio.

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San Antonio filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday seeking to halt development of a planned immigration detention facility on the East Side until federal authorities comply with environmental review requirements.

The lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seeks to stop the conversion of a nearly 640,000-square-foot warehouse acquired by ICE in January on Southeast Loop 410 into an immigration detention and processing facility capable of holding up to 1,500 people.

City Attorney Andy Segovia announced the legal action Tuesday morning alongside Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones and several City Council members, marking the city’s most significant effort yet to challenge the proposed facility.

Read more at our link in bio.

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Southside residents have for decades worried that the cluster of metal recycling plants in the area is polluting the air and exacerbating their health issues. Now, researchers are collecting data to find out.

The Health Collaborative, a Bexar County health nonprofit, and researchers with University of Texas at San Antonio are offering to put small air quality monitors at the homes of residents who want to participate in the program.

The monitors, made by PurpleAir, will help researchers gather data on particulate matter outside of residents’ homes. That data will be compared to other parts of the city and analyzed to find potential sources.

Read more at our link in bio.

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Construction of San Antonio International Airport's $1.7 billion Terminal C is halfway complete and on track for a 2028 opening. The new terminal will be larger than the airport's two existing terminals combined, with 18 gates, expanded passenger amenities, and an outdoor patio overlooking the runway. Read More👉 [[shareURLPlaceholder]]

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🏠 YOUR PROPERTY TAX BILL IS ARRIVING. DON’T LOOK AT JUST THE TOTAL.

The San Antonio Report highlighted My City Is My Home’s concern about this year’s budget decisions: tax relief for some homeowners does not directly protect renters and small businesses. San Antonio raised its property tax rate, while Bexar County held its rate steady by using reserves. Our concern is that today’s relief could be overtaken by higher costs in future years.

As October bills arrive, compare yours with last year’s. Check your property value, tax rates and exemptions—and ask questions if something looks wrong.

Keep protesting an inaccurate appraisal every year you need to. A value protest cannot reverse a tax-rate increase, but it remains one way to protect yourself. The regular deadline for protesting your 2026 appraisal was in May; receiving a tax bill in October does not restart that deadline. Start preparing now for the next appraisal cycle.

Read the article, including My City Is My Home comments:
https://sanantonioreport.org/12-takeaways-san-antonio-and-bexar-county-budget-season/

Homeowner resources: https://mycityismyhome.com/homeowners/

Tax relief should be lasting—not a temporary pause before another affordability crisis.

#PropertyTaxes #BexarCounty #SanAntonio #TaxProtest #homeowners

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President Donald Trump’s supporters started lining up at 2:30 p.m. for a last-minute campaign rally at San Antonio’s Freeman Coliseum on Wednesday evening.

Trump was in town rallying support for two candidates who owe their political careers to the president, and are now facing tougher-than-expected races in red territory this November.

Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Ken Paxton is trailing Democrat James Talarico in recent polls — a nightmare scenario for national Republicans trying to defend a large number of incumbents on the Senate map this year.

Trump endorsed Paxton over U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) just as voting started in their primary runoff, after national Republicans had already spent tens of millions of dollars protecting Cornyn.

Meanwhile Carlos De La Cruz, the GOP nominee in Texas’ 35th Congressional District, is in a tough race for a district that was drawn specifically to elect a Republican.

Republicans only redrew Texas’ congressional districts at Trump’s urging, and he swooped in at the last minute to back De La Cruz over popular state Rep. John Lujan (R-San Antonio), who the district was originally drawn for.

Read more at out link in bio.

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