Express Briefing

Our 52 Weeks of Food Trucks series returns today with a look at a trailer that gives peanut butter and jelly sandwiches an adult flavor upgrade. Check our Taste team's page before lunch. Thunderstorms that pounded the San Antonio area Wednesday night are likely to linger into the weekend, though with less intensity. In San Antonio today, expect a high of 74 with more showers. With all this rain in the forecast, you should check out our interactive flood risk map. It allows you to enter a property address or zoom and drag the map to see the percentage of properties in a given area that are at risk of flooding in the next 30 years

The White House has tapped Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez to lead the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — the agency that Gonzalez challenged under former President Donald Trump. Gonzalez wasn't the only Texan in national political news yesterday. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is suing the federal government over a program that provides debt relief to racially and ethnically diverse farmers and ranchers that he says discriminates against white ones, including himself. With three days left in April, don't expect to see the sun much before the calendar flips to May. It'll be mostly cloudy today with possible showers and a high of 90.

Today is the last day for early voting in the local election. If you're headed to the polls today, check out our voter guide and the complete list of our Editorial Board's recommendations. Election Day is Saturday, and we'll have a lot more on the races on expressnews.com. Express-News subscribers, you can have a ball at a future game at the AT&T Center! Enter for a chance to win tickets to the San Antonio basketball game on May 2. Don't put away your umbrellas and rain boots just yet. More precipitation and thunderstorms are expected, thanks to a front and dry line that will move through the area this week. In San Antonio today, expect a high of 85 with possible showers.

Is Texas "very close" to herd immunity, as Gov. Greg Abbott says? On Fox News earlier this month, Abbott told a national audience that it’s a matter of simple math. Here's a fact check on that claim. Keep reading for more on vaccinations and herd immunity. Worlds are converging in Boca Chica, and despite a groundswell of supporters around the world, not all of SpaceX’s South Texas neighbors are thrilled with a rocket factory and launch pad in their backyard. Our top story over the weekend took a look at 'Starbase, Texas.'

A Texas-led effort to address the migrant surge, a history of the chancla, and a $3.6 million Cordillera Ranch 'villa,' here are the stories to start your day. Top Stories: Cordillera Ranch retirement home is an entertainer’s dream Texans lead bipartisan effort to address migrant surge at border The chancla has become a venerated symbol of Mexican American culture. Here’s why and how.

The Justice Department is opening a sweeping investigation into policing practices in Minneapolis after a former officer was convicted in the killing of George Floyd there, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Wednesday. In political news a little closer to home, the possibility of Matthew McConaughey as a candidate for Texas governor was one of the topics of conversation on this week’s episode the Express-News’s Puro Politics podcast. Check it out here.

In Minnesota and Texas, friends and family reacted to the verdict in a watershed case involving the death of an unarmed and handcuffed Black man under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. Derek Chauvin was convicted Tuesday of murder and manslaughter for pinning George Floyd to the pavement last year.

A settlement is reached in the wrecked Ferrari case, Fort Hood honors Vanessa Guillén, and SAWS enacts Stage 2 water restrictions. Read more in today's Express Briefing.

Early voting is set to begin today for local elections, including heavily contested races for San Antonio mayor and City Council seats, two propositions and a number of suburban and school district contests. We have a whole lot more information below. We'll be keeping an eye on the Sutherland Springs trial as it enters its third week. On Friday, a leading researcher on mass shootings testified for the Air Force that the gunman targeted First Baptist Church to “defend” his second wife from embarrassment.

The Biden administration announced Thursday the U.S. is expelling 10 Russian diplomats and imposing sanctions against dozens of companies and other people, holding the Kremlin accountable for interference in last year's presidential election and the hacking of federal agencies. In the midst of a pandemic season perhaps hazardous to NBA players’ health, rest days might finally be in the offing for some prominent Spurs. San Antonio hosts Portland tonight, then visits Phoenix on Saturday. Our Spurs Nation newsletter delivers the info you need the morning after every game.

The San Antonio City Council has serious business on its plate today regarding the long-discussed, often-stalled makeover of Alamo Plaza. Here’s a primer to explain the significance of the decision facing the council. The Texas Department of Transportation will host a virtual public hearing from today until May 1 on the proposed expansion of FM 1560 from two lanes to four lanes between Bandera and Culebra Roads. Here's how to make your voice heard.

President Joe Biden will withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on America that were coordinated from that country, several U.S. officials said Tuesday. That's later than an agreement under the Trump administration, but leaves no room for additional extensions. Gov. Greg Abbott’s news conference in front of Freeman Coliseum was a prime topic of conversation on this week’s episode of the Express-News’ Puro Politics podcast. Reporter Brian Chasnoff joined Gilbert Garcia to talk about it. Express-News subscribers, you can have a ball at a future game at the AT&T Center! Enter for a chance to win tickets to the San Antonio basketball game on May 2.

The police officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright, a Black man, during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb on Sunday, apparently intended to fire a Taser, not a handgun, as the man struggled with police, the city’s police chief said. Family, friends and admirers of Ron Snider, credited with bringing new energy to downtown New Braunfels with the reinvigorated Krause’s Cafe, will gather at Krause’s tonight for a memorial to toast Snider, who died April 2 at age 70. Express-News subscribers, the ball's in your court! Enter for a chance to win tickets to the San Antonio home team basketball team on May 2.

Over the weekend, San Antonio kids who have a parent in prison got to learn from former Dallas Cowboys and college stars at a one-day football camp. Read more about the event organized by Prison Fellowship here. On today's date in 1981, NASA launched its first space shuttle. 40 years later, the program leaves a "mixed legacy." Was it worth it? Like every Monday, we have more from this week in history below.

The civil trial between survivors and families of the 2017 Sutherland Springs shooting and the federal government continues today, following emotional testimony from his parents. Reporter Guillermo Contreras has the latest below. And in another step toward normalcy, the city announced many facilities will re-open to in-person services starting next week.

The massive loss in power generation during the Texas blackout in February was caused primarily by power plants freezing up under historically cold conditions, according to a new report by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Texas counties that are poorer, whiter, less-educated and where former President Donald Trump won a larger share of the vote have vaccinated a fewer people than the state average, a new analysis found. Here's what that means for Texas' ability to quickly reach herd immunity for COVID-19.

Yesterday, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo testified on Day Six of the Derek Chauvin murder trial that the now-fired officer violated departmental policy in pressing his knee on George Floyd’s neck and keeping him down. Today, Bexar County commissioners will take up issues related to COVID-19 testing in schools, pandemic recovery, and a lawsuit involving the 2019 death of a jail inmate. Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.  

As the coronavirus pandemic eases its grip on San Antonio, hunger persists in the city. That was evident at a special food distribution event for the holiday weekend. In the Texas Legislature, a bill on the fast track to approval has civil rights groups saying Black and Hispanic voters will be disproportionately affected. Here's what you need to know about the debate surrounding Senate Bill 7. The NCAA women's basketball tournament in San Antonio wrapped up last night, and the championship game of the men's tournament is tonight. The matchup between Baylor and Gonzaga is one made in hoops heaven.

The recent influx of Central American migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border was a prime topic of conversation on the latest episode of our Puro Politics podcast. The podcast featured U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a veteran centrist Democrat whose district includes eastern San Antonio and much of the South Texas border region. Keep an eye on our Taste team's page this morning for our latest stop on our tour of San Antonio food trucks. This week's review features one of San Antonio’s best Philly cheesesteaks. Is it time for lunch yet? Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.

With the easing of coronavirus restrictions, more people will have access to in-person church services on Easter Sunday, but the traditional Good Friday passion play will be virtual for one more year. The Derek Chauvin murder trial continued Wednesday in Minneapolis. Witnesses saw video of the arrest of George Floyd last spring. Here's a report from the courtroom. Listen to today's Express Briefing for a full roundup of San Antonio's top headlines. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism.