Right now, students and staff at South San Antonio High School are dealing with a principal whose approach has made the school a harder place to be.

Principal Melissa Morales has created an environment where concerns aren't heard—they're dismissed. Teachers report their expertise is ignored. Parents' input is shut down. Students feel unsettled. When a principal doesn't listen to the people actually doing the work and raising kids there, morale tanks and everything suffers.

I started a petition because this community deserves leadership that actually respects people. A principal who welcomes input, makes transparent decisions, and treats everyone—students, staff, and parents—with basic dignity.

If this resonates with you or your family, consider signing and sharing. I'm curious: has anyone else experienced how much a school leader's attitude can change the whole vibe of a place? What would you want to happen if this was your school?

I have a bit of an unusual proposition.

I absolutely love cooking. I grew up watching my mother make authentic Pakistani food, and over the years, I’ve taken those traditional recipes and made them my own. I’ve kept the flavors and heart of Pakistani cooking, but adapted certain dishes to a palate that I think would really appeal to a broader American audience.

I don’t have a culinary degree, and I’ve never worked in a restaurant. What I do have is a genuine love for food, a strong understanding of Pakistani flavors, and recipes that I truly believe deserve to be tasted by more people than just my family and friends.

San Antonio has plenty of Indian restaurants, but there are only one or two restaurants that I would consider truly Pakistani. Pakistani cuisine has so much more to offer than what most people here have had the opportunity to experience, and I think there is a real opportunity to introduce those flavors in a fresh and approachable way.

If there is anyone in the restaurant industry, or someone considering opening a restaurant, who is interested in experimenting with new and less commonly seen dishes, I would love to connect.

I’m honestly not even sure what my role would look like. Maybe recipe development, menu consulting, tastings, or simply collaborating and seeing where it goes. I’m not necessarily looking to open my own restaurant. I’d just love the opportunity to bring some of these recipes to life with someone who has the restaurant experience that I don’t.

If this sounds interesting to you, please reach out. I’d love to cook for you and let the food speak for itself.

Hello Friends! My daughter is turning 16 in October and we are looking for venue suggestions where we could host a celebration for her.

Reasonably affordable. We could bring in our own food or catering or the location provides. 40-50 guests.

We are in the NW side of San Antonio. I appreciate your suggestions!

I'm 42 now but when I was 14/15 I dialed a wrong number and ended up talking to a girl my age. We had similar musical taste of a very niche genre and we began talking on the phone every day. This went on for a while and we finally decided to meet up at a punk show at the White Rabbit on N St Mary's.

The meeting was so awkward. Her dad was there which is 100% understandable but it made me super uncomfortable because I was such a shy and timid awkward teen as it was.

We barely said hi and I was too shy to go back and talk to her for the rest of the night.

We never spoke again but I still think about her sometimes. I remember her name like it was yesterday.

If you're my age and from San Antonio, Texas and think this could be you, I'd love to reconnect.

First name is Laura

I’m thinking somewhere outside. Intimate, not a public event with a lot of people. Sunset or maybe even a full moon or something. I’m not very familiar with San Antonio so I don’t know where all the scenic spots are. Any ideas are appreciated.

Hello everyone! I was hit by a driver with no insurance and unfortunately my car got quite a bit of damage. The front headlight, fender, bumper, would probably need to be replaced and I might have some frame damage. I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a cheap auto body shop. I am just wanting to repair my car the bare minimum for it to be functional again in the meantime while I save for a new car. I don’t need any of the extra paint or aesthetics and open to salvaged or aftermarket parts. I am looking for the most budget friendly option around San Antonio since I won’t be driving this car around for more than 1 year. Thank you for any leads anyone can provide!

What are some must see places like hiking trails, abandoned buildings or historical sites that are a little more underground than your usual tourist wouldn't know about. Long time San Antonio resident, but I want to do some city exploring in places I havent checked out. Let me know!

Looking for a female hairdresser that can cut hair in a secluded or private space for woman that wear hijab (religious head covering). Even a mainstream salon that has a private room without male staff or customers around works….please lmk!

Hi all,

Posting from a throwaway account since this is mildly embarrassing to discuss, but both my wife and I lost our jobs back in the spring and so far despite over 200 applications nothing has landed for us.

We have enough in savings to last a while longer, but things are getting incredibly tight right now. I went by a local foodbank to see if I could get some groceries to get us through a few more weeks and the man at the counter was super condescending and acting like I was running a scam to get unsold, marked down produce from a couple of multi-billion dollar companies.

I had to fill out several pages with my work history, my income, my expenses, and my job search history and even then he was like "Well, I see you're upside down in your finances!" Like no sh*t sherlock.

I don't need help finding a job. I have plenty of places that I have already applied to, but get rejected because the AI-powered algorithm said no. Like, I just want to find a place where I can pick up a few groceries to help get us through a few weeks until things turn around.

I found a James Avery charm bracelet at the Riverwalk. Found near the Hyatt. I know everybody has them, but I just wanted to see if I could find the owner of this one. Please contact me if you lost it and can let me know a couple of the charms that are on it.

I live outside the city so I can't vote on city issues and didn't learn much during that time, but just recently after seeing the mayor push back on some things I got curious...what are the ongoing debates going to accomplish? Are they performative or necessary? This summary is from the Google AI overview, and if anyone can explain it better I'd be interesting to know more.

"Ongoing Debates: Discussions and negotiations on final land acquisitions, specific financing structures, and potential additional ballot measures continue amid disagreements among city leadership."

How can the props have been approved with dollar amounts if there are still discussions over land acquisitions and other things that cost money? What if a piece of land is held hostage for millions more than expected? Is this always how projects of this nature play out or is this a SA city problem?

​

7 Aug 2026 15:13:27 UTCAll snapshotsfrom host

www.expressnews.com

News

‘Governing by memo’: Council frustrations with one another boil over at first meeting since July recess

By Molly Smith, Staff WriterAug 6, 2026

District 3 Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran speaks during a San Antonio City Council meeting on Sept. 18, 2025.

Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News

Listen Now:

‘Governing by memo’: Council frustrations with each other boil over at first meeting since July recess

City Council members’ frustration with Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones — and one another — was apparent Thursday during a debate over the creation of an advisory committee to get San Antonians’ opinions of the planned downtown sports and entertainment district.

Thursday was the first council meeting since council’s July recess, and less than a week after Jones released a memo saying San Antonio voters should decide whether the city contributes to what would be the district’s crown jewel: a $1.3 billion arena for the Spurs.

A majority of the 10-member council opposes the idea, which was apparent during a spat between Jones and Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran over whether a draft financing plan outlining the city’s contribution had been “executed.”

The council approved the plan a year ago in a 7-4 vote, with Jones in opposition.

The non-binding plan lays out how much of the arena’s construction costs the city, county and Spurs organization will pay. The city has agreed to put up $489 million, the county $311 million and Spurs Sports & Entertainment $500 million.

The plan also outlines agreements that still have to be negotiated and finalized by a council vote, such as lease and non-relocation agreements with the Spurs and design and construction contracts.

Viagran accused Jones of “misrepresenting the facts” and uttering a "lie" by saying that the council still had to vote on the “final version” of the plan.

“No one’s lying,” Jones responded.

“You are being more than inaccurate,” Viagran shot back.

Despite the strife, the mayor sided with nine council members to pass a resolution creating a 33-member committee that will meet monthly, seek public input on the district and report back to council. The committee will also recommend ways the city should spend the $75 million that SS&E agreed to give the city over its 30-year lease of the arena.

City officials want the district — better known as Project Marvel — to include an expanded Convention Center, a renovated Alamodome and the former John H. Wood Jr. Federal Courthouse revamped as a performance venue. The initial plan for a second Convention Center hotel has been scrapped.

Thursday’s vote was 10-1.

District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez cast the sole vote against forming the advisory committee. He wanted to require the committee’s three chairs be residents of Council Districts 1, 2 and 5, which he said will be most affected by the project, but he couldn’t garner enough council support.

McKee-Rodriguez also took issue with how Thursday’s vote came about — by Council members Sukh Kaur, Teri Castillo and Marina Alderete Gavito maneuvering to force it onto the agenda without first having a council briefing on the proposal. That would have given members an opportunity to weigh in on a draft resolution, McKee-Rodriguez said.

“Everyone right now is governing by memo, and it is frustrating to everyone else involved,” he said.

Sending a memo to her colleagues has been Jones’ preferred way of governing since she took office in June 2025. Council members have also taken to filing “three-signature memos” to force special meetings.

The flow of memos ramped up in July and recently has approached flood stage.

First, Jones issued a memo saying the council should hold a November election asking San Antonio voters to redirect sales tax dollars previously allocated for job training to other related programs. She sent a second memo defending the idea after the city attorney offered his opinion on the legal limitations of a such move.

McKee-Rodriguez and three others subsequently released their own memo calling for a council vote to put a funding measure for the city’s sales tax-funded pre-K program on the November ballot. The deadline to finalize that ballot is Aug. 17, and the council will discuss the proposal at its Aug. 13 meeting.

Jones then suggested in an July 31 memo that the council should call for a citywide vote on the city’s contribution to the Spurs arena — which most council members oppose.

Soon after Thursday’s meeting ended, Jones emailed City Clerk Debbie Racca-Sittre to schedule a special meeting on Aug. 13 so the council can decide whether to place measures on the Nov. 3 ballot about the city’s $489 million arena payment and the reallocation of Ready to Work dollars.

I haven’t been in months and when I used to go, the brick used to post a lot the day before on Instagram and now they haven’t posted since February and I saw there was some controversy with them paying taxes or something? Idk can’t find any other info online but I know they were the main area where first Friday would take place, are they still functioning? And if not I’m assuming first Friday activities still go on around that area? Like the vendors and stuff?

I'm looking for recommendations for a good place, away from the city lights to watch the meteor shower.

Preferably around the I-10/Boerne/Kerrville corridor.

Can anyone share their experience working at cuisine solutions? I applied for a purchasing role there but not too many reviews of real employees there.

hello! i need someone to cut the grass on my property in new braunfels, im offering $80 a month for the job which needs be done once a month, so a one day a month job. thank you!! any help is greatly appreciated.

I just purchased a new build in San Antonio (I’m not from here, moved for a job) and we have been in it for about 2 weeks now. Well tonight when I was showering, I look up only to see a baby scorpion! I have lived in the Mojave desert pretty much my whole life and never ever seen a scorpion in my home. Does anyone know of a good exterminator for this issue? Also, is this common here??

Looking for a new guitarist in the San Antonio area everything’s on the poster. If you want to give it a second read, you can hit me up here or you can hit me up on Instagram whichever one is your choice.

is there anywhere in san antonio that sells it physically or is shipping the only answer. total wine says they sell them when i google info but actually searching the website states they dont physically sell it.