Not subscribed to local news but still want to stay up-to-date on the happenings around town? Look no further. Highlighting notable stories from external San Antonio news sources, State Of The City summarizes the most captivating news headlines of the week. This week’s topics range from the temporary closure of all San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) campuses to a ban on humorous highway signs.
SAISD shuts down all 98 campuses
As students and staff complained about the freezing temperatures in the classrooms, SAISD temporarily closed all campuses on Thursday and Friday. Due to Texas being faced with one of the coldest temperature drops since 2021, Superintendent Jaime Aquino announced that about 70% of schools in the district had “experienced failures of heating systems, with anywhere from 20 percent to 100 percent of those buildings unable to receive appropriate heat.” Aquino posted a statement on the district website apologizing for the freezing conditions and began to conduct the necessary repairs and quality control checks to ensure classes could resume promptly.
Main lane and interchange experience closures
Over the weekend, as TxDOT continues construction on the massive expansion project in the area, the main lanes of Loop 1604 at the I-10 interchange on the Northwest Side will be closed. Weather permitting, the closure is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. on Friday and end at 5 a.m. on Monday, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. However, the latest report states that the interchange will be closed from Jan. 19 to Jan. 22. Workers will install steel beams as part of the ramp from 1604 East to I-10 West in Boerne during the closures. Law enforcement personnel will be present to manage traffic.
The Texas Department of Transportation is well-known for its amusing holiday signs advising drivers to drive sober and safely. However, according to recent rules from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, beginning in 2026, signs can no longer be amusing or make any reference to popular culture. Safety campaign messages are still permitted by the regulations, but they must now be straightforward and free of puns, humor and pop culture allusions.
Signs regarding UTSA, such as “Birds up, phones down. Go Roadrunners,” are even at risk of being excluded from Texas highways. Despite these regulations, TxDOT is determined to still incorporate their witty puns to promote safety on the roads. As a spokesperson from TXDOT stated in MySA, “Every message we post includes a safety component, and we will continue to do that.”
