Scene In S.A.
TOP DENTISTS
The result of our annual survey
Cover story:
Life’s a Peach
By Patsy Swendson
What could be better? A warm summer day and a perfectly ripe Texas Hill Country peach are hard to beat.
Features:
Chivalry is Not Dead—
Noble Knights Teach Character
By Sean Ward
Among the throngs in boots, wranglers, and Stetsons, visitors to San Antonio’s Stock Show and Rodeo were greeted with the vision of knights in full armor on great Flemish stallions towering over riders on quarter horses and thoroughbreds.
Die-hard Democrats
By Julie Cooper
He’s from Massachusetts; she’s a military “brat” who grew up in San Antonio.
(Second in a three-part series highlighting Republican, Democrat and Libertarian philosophies, depicted through the lives of loyalists.)
Viva Coca Cola:
The Hidden Battle Over Mexican Cokes
By Charles H. Booker
Why has the popularity of “Mexican” Cokes grown so steadily
in the United States over the past decade?
and more!
Posted on 21 April 2008 | 8:58 am
Fun Fiesta Food
By Patsy Swendson
If fiesta festivities become too much for you, why not try a celebration in the comfort of your own home: here’s some fun finger foods (and recipes), with a different twist.
More Than Tough—Flip This House Team
Keeps Viewers Enthralled
By Julie Cooper
One of the most popular couples in the A&E stable of home flippers, Armando and Veronica Montelongo started their fourth season amidst the usual “Armando” controversies.
The Godfather of San Antonio Politics
By Randy Lankford
Produce magnate Frank “Pancho” Sepulveda helped break the back of the Good Government League, a group of north side land developers who ruled San Antonio politics for decades.
Taking UTSA To The Next Level
By Randy Lankford
UTSA hasn’t made any secret of its goal of becoming a Tier 1 research institute, the gold standard of American higher education, and now it has a roadmap of how it’s going to get there.
Everything You Want To Know About Your
Daily Cup of Java
By Jennifer Chiesa
Seventy-nine percent of the adult population in the United States wakes up and smells the coffee on a regular basis, according to the National Coffee Association. But what do we really know about this “good to the last drop” beverage?
Posted on 31 March 2008 | 11:59 am
Wow! There's a lot to read about this March!
Cover Story:
Who Owns San Antonio’s
100 Most Expensive Homes?
The list of the most expensive homes in San Antonio is both a “who’s who”
and a “who’s that?”
Features:
Courting Controversy
By Cynthia Leal Massey
Known for his “guerrilla tactics” on behalf of clients and a “flamboyant” personality, San Antonio PR pro Timothy J. “TJ” Connolly was recently indicted for violating the Texas Election Code, a third degree felony. Is it “karma,” or just a chink in the road for this “very smart” PR guy?
San Antonio Housing Market Bucks Downward Trend
By Julie Cooper
One of the biggest mistakes reporters make is talking about national trends. The challenge is that national numbers are pretty much irrelevant. Real estate is like the weather — it’s all local.
Glossary of Common Medical Specialties
Ever wonder what the field of Otolaryngology entails? This list of 45 medical specialties and sub-specialties will provide that information,
and more.
Encountering Rattlesnakes
By Charles H. Booker
If you encounter a rattlesnake, give it wide berth and get the
heck outta Dodge.
Plus:
Book Review
Helotes, Where the Texas Hill Country Begins
and always: Scene People
Don't Miss out-pick up a copy at your local H-E-B on racks by the checkout, starting March 1.
OR call to subscribe (210) 828-4209.
Posted on 14 February 2008 | 11:44 am
There is a familiar face in a new place this month.
The much missed Nacho Guarache has joined
Scene in S.A.
For 20 years, cartoonist Leo Garza drew the very popular satirical strip for the San Antonio Express-News. Now he has signed on with Scene in S. A. magazine to bring Nacho back to San Antonio every month.
“We’re delighted to have him in the pages and look forward to a long and happy association,” says publisher John Ziller. “The reaction has been more than enthusiastic among friends and colleagues. Leo and Nacho have many loyal fans out there and this should make them happy.”
Garza says he loves living and working in San Antonio. “I like the variety, the never ending subject matter available… the cartoon ideas are always there.”
Leo’s character, “Nacho ” is a beloved “everyman” who endures the political and social goings on in San Antonio and South Texas with a bemused outlook.
Garza was born in McAllen and raised in Laredo. He moved to San Antonio in 1987 bringing Nacho with him to skewer local movers and shakers. In addition to cartooning, Garza has a serious side and paints Western scenes in oil and watercolors. SA
Posted on 14 February 2008 | 11:40 am
Doggies from Heaven
“Penny’s from Heaven” is more than just a song. To servicemen and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan it is a San Antonio organization offering encouragement and support through pet assisted therapy.
The Penny’s from Heaven Foundation is the brainchild of Patsy Swendson. She should be a familiar name and voice to San Antonians – she was on KENS television and radio for twenty years and has written 49 cookbooks. Today, she also owns and operates Cook’s Cottage, a bed-and-breakfast in Fredericksburg, but her passion is working with and promoting therapy dogs.
It was Swendson’s veteran therapy dog, golden retriever Penny, who inspired her book, “Penny’s From Heaven: Stories of Healing.” Swendson founded the group in 2006 to “honor America’s fallen heroes by providing support and encouragement to our service men and women in rehabilitation, through pet-assisted therapy, offering hope and inspiration to them, as well as their families – nurturing, training and caring for the special dogs that provide therapy or services.”
She stresses that the dogs in the program aren’t just the “meet and greet” dogs that you might see in hospital or school settings, though those dogs certainly have a special place.
“We are different because we are utilizing the sensitivity and intuitive nature of the dogs as a modality to reach specific goals and expectations with the patients/clients.”
The dogs and their owner/handlers work with patients at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Institute of San Antonio (RIOSA), Fisher House and The Barracks at Brook Army Medical Center (BAMC).
Currently, there are ten volunteer teams who make up Paws on Therapy. Among them are Staff Sgt. Nathan Combs and his dog Bak, a drug detection dog at Randolph AFB; and Pastor Barbara Galloway Edgar of Coker United Methodist Church and her dog, Gracie. These teams work with church and hospital settings.
“We work with the staff who let us know what the patient’s goals are,” Swendson says. For example stroke patients might need help working with their hands, and that’s when it would be beneficial to brush a therapy dog. Patients with depression or in need of other physical therapy after surgery also find help working with the dogs.
Their work with injured servicemen has been praised by animal and veterans’ organizations, and best of all by the soldiers themselves.
“We even have prescription cards we made that remind a patient who the dog was they worked with and ask them to (for instance) remember the dog’s name,” which is a good memory exercise, Swendson adds.
In addition to their work with live dogs in therapy settings, the foundation is hard at work providing stuffed animal toys for children in war torn Iraq. Operation Puppy Love sends toys that soldiers on patrol give to children in schools, on the street or in the hospital.
The organization also sends K9 comfort packages to military dogs hard at work in Iraq and Afghanistan. Donations are accepted from around the country and sent to military bases.
Contributions can be made through the Web site:
www.pennysfromheavenfoundation.org.
see link on upper right side
Posted on 31 January 2008 | 8:20 am
Susan Reed, The Most Feared Woman In Town
By Charles H. Booker
Do something wrong and you may find yourself facing Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed. Do not let her smile fool you. This is one tough cookie.
Cover photo by Robert McLeroy
Also In our February Issue:
Culinary Boot Camp
By Randy Lankford
Some of the best, and most demanding, chefs in the world teach at San Antonio’s world-class culinary school.
SA’s Celebrity Chefs
By Randy Lankford
Three who have carved out a niche in the elite fine dining market and put the Alamo City on the worldwide culinary map.
Lazy Acres Yield Robust Peppers
By Randy Lankford
When he retired, Somerset farmer Joe Bissett didn’t just want to “sit in a rocking chair”; instead he decided to grow chili peppers, which has grown into a lucrative Internet business.
Fiercely Conservative, Fiercely Republican
By Cynthia Leal Massey
She is from Cuba; he a Jewish Holocaust survivor from Amsterdam.
(This is the first in a three-part series highlighting Republican, Democrat and Libertarian philosophies, depicted through the lives of loyalists.)
Posted on 22 January 2008 | 8:56 am
The Jan 2008 Issue is a real keeper!
San Antonio’s Best
& Worst of 2007
From a new city council member to disgraced lawyers to a malfunctioning elevator, here’s what we think are San Antonio’s Best and Worst of 2007.
Plus:
2008 Stock Show & Rodeo Entertainment Preview
Alan Jackson, Ronnie Milsap, Brooks & Dunn, and many other celebrity singers and entertainers will descend upon the Alamo City, January 31-February 17, for the annual stock show and rodeo. Check inside for info on the stars, ticket prices and information on the new “Rodeo Star Experience” ticket package.
The Dirty Little Secret of DUI Laws
By Charles H. Booker
Does the federally mandated .08 blood alcohol concentration law really work to lower rates of drunk driving?
A New Kind of Immigrant
By Berit Mason
There has been an influx of foreigners into San Antonio, and not just from Mexico. Our city is becoming like Los Angeles: it is not uncommon to overhear a conversation in a language you don’t understand.
And!
Scene Inc: The Changing Face
of Aesthetic Medicine
By Jennifer Chiesa
Once considered exclusively the domain of trophy
wives and actress-model-wannabes, cosmetic
alterations are becoming a mass-market activity,
and San Antonio cosmetic doctors are seeing
an influx of both men and women who are
eager to keep up appearances.
Posted on 20 December 2007 | 7:37 am
Haute Tamales
By Julie Catalano
We’ve eaten a million of them, but what do we really know about the
little shuckers?
Cover photo: Photography by Tracey Maurer. Food Styling by Rose Rankin.
Also:
Comanche Moon Actor Wally Welch
By Jennifer Litz
In Larry McMurtry’s latest installment of the Lonesome Dove series, Comanche Moon, you’ll see another native Texan—Wally Welch, screen actor/ranch broker extraordinaire.
In a One-Brewery Town, Microbrewers & Brewpubs Pick Up the Slack
By Randy Lankford
Once the home of two major beer labels, San Antonio now has one brewery, which is making about 400 barrels a year.
Gone To Texas: Myths and Legends
of the Lone Star State
By Cynthia Leal Massey
Texas is the only state that can boast of having been a sovereign nation. From this lofty beginning grew the myths and legends of Texas.
Harry Jersig: The Man Behind Lone Star Beer
By Jennifer Litz
He died in 1986, but his legacy continues.
Posted on 6 December 2007 | 11:12 am
It's Not Too Late to Grab Our October Weather Issue
Call us! 210-828-4209 or come by our office at 900 NE Loop 410, Suite D-430 and puchase a copy today. You still have the chance to read all about Flash Flood Alley!
Posted on 7 November 2007 | 10:04 am
Also in November: Cattle Kings
Cattle Kings of Texas,
A Pictorial
Edited By Charles H. Booker
More than twenty-five years ago, Dian Malouf began a lengthy project photographing the last of the great South Texas ranching families. Forty thousand miles later, she had the makings of a masterpiece.
Posted on 1 November 2007 | 8:31 am
Third Annual Top Doc Survey-Don't Miss it!
San Antonio’s 2007 Top Doctors
As Referred by Their Peers
Scene reveals the results of our third annual survey of San Antonio’s Top Doctors as Referred by their Peers. The response to the survey includes more than 800 medical specialties.
This month's Scene Inc:
Focus on the Business of Aviation
By Jennifer Chiesa
From a sought-after flight school, to the interior design of a luxury airliner, to photographing aerial shots, the business of aviation is flying high in San Antonio.
Posted on 31 October 2007 | 9:45 am
The Weather Issue: Coming in October
Cover Story:
Storm Chasers—SA’s Top Weathercasters
By Jennifer Litz
San Antonio weather—one of Mother Nature’s more unruly offspring—keeps SA’s top weathercasters on the edge.
Also:
Flash Floods: Coming To A Creek Near You
By Charles H. Booker
The rapidly growing corridor from San Antonio to Dallas is the most
flash-flood prone area in all of North America.
Predicting Mother Nature
By Julie Catalano
Long-term weather patterns just don’t switch that easily – or quickly –
according to experts.
Move Over Seattle, San Antonio’s the
New Emerald City
By Randy Lankford
It turns out the Alamo city is more environmentally conscious and
conscientious than it gets credit for. We’re greener than we know.
Raising the Veil on Mortuary Services
By Randy Lankford
As more people become aware of their options, family-managed funerals
are making a cautious comeback in America.
Choosing An Attorney
Careful research is required; after all, you are choosing someone who will be handling your wealth (such as it is) and your freedom (if things really get bad).
Plus!
Rising Stars—Lawyers Chosen By Their Peers
By Jennifer Litz
A continuation of our San Antonio Best Lawyers Survey, this list showcases
the lawyers voted “Rising Stars” by their peers.
Posted on 20 September 2007 | 9:13 am
License to Carry
By Charles H. Booker
On September 1, 2007, new gun legislation went into effect and, for once,
Texas legislators have wrought a political wonder.
Cover photo by Vivian Crook
OTHER FEATURES
Is Hi-Tech Cheating Par for the Course?
By Jennifer Litz
Surely something civil, yet effective, can be done to curtail the rampant cheating using cell phones and portable electronic devices in our schools today.
Batten the Hatches: We’re in the Path of a Perfect Storm
By Charles H. Booker
Three negative social trends will soon merge to form a mega threat to our society, democracy and economy, according to an Educational Testing Service report. How accurate are the report’s predictions?
PLUS
Scene Inc.: Focus on Commercial Development
By Jennifer Chiesa
Grumbles about the weather and the cost of gas abound, but expecting the unexpected is just part of the job for those in an industry that contributes over $20 billion to the local economy.
RETIREMENT LIVING
SA DENTISTS
and of course, Scene People!
Posted on 29 August 2007 | 6:30 am
Best Lawyers on newstands now!
COVER STORY
One Ranger, One Scandal
By Charles H. Booker
On February 23, 2007, at 12:45 p.m., Texas Ranger Brian Burzynski got the
call that would not only change his life, but also confront him with real evil.
Cover photo by: Cindeka Nealy of the Odessa American.
FEATURES
One Riot, One Ranger, A Brief History
of the Texas Rangers
By Cynthia Leal Massey
The Rangers have played an important role in Texas history and have been involved in some of the most well-known criminal cases in the history of the
Old West.
The Forbidden Smooch
By Charles H. Booker
As of January 1, 2005, it became illegal to marry your first cousin. Up to then it was okay, Pard, no problem, but now it’s naughty, naughty and don’t do it.
Los Colores de Coahuila
Photos by Robert L. Jones, Text by Marimer Navarrete
The idea of this photographic essay began in 1999 during a working trip to Nuevo Laredo when Jones—a native of the Baltimore, Maryland area—was captivated by the lively street life of Mexico, and decided to return to photograph it.
PLUS
Scene People
Posted on 29 August 2007 | 6:23 am
Is UT Holding Our History Hostage?
By Cynthia Leal Massey
Where do the Bexar Archives belong, at UT, where they have resided for 107 years, or in San Antonio, where they originated?
Illustration by Patrick Zeller.
Also in our July issue:
A Rock & Roll Photographer Exposed
By Jennifer Litz
Tom Wright’s photos of The Who and other rock stars fill the pages of Roadwork, Rock & Roll Turned Inside Out, offering an interesting glimpse into the behind-the-scenes world of sixties and seventies rock & roll celebrities in their heyday.
The Cemetery That Isn’t
By Cynthia Leal Massey
On a windswept hill sits an old mansion with a graveyard that isn’t, graves that aren’t and tombstones that don’t belong.
Legendary Spa Rises
Like a Phoenix
By Julia Hayden
Burned to the ground myriad times, reincarnated and rebuilt, the former Hot Wells Spa and Resort is awaiting yet another reincarnation.
More! Be sure to pick one at your local HEB or Borders store. Also, available at select Tetco stations.
Posted on 19 June 2007 | 8:41 am
Are Developers Destroying the
Heart and Soul of Alamo Heights?
By Cynthia Leal Massey
While on the surface it appears that everyone in Alamo Heights is holding hands and singing “Kumbaya,” there is discontent within the ranks of developers, builders and residents who have come up against the new residential ordinance.
Also:
The Sexing-Up of Water
By Jennifer Litz
There’s a rapidly growing market for a particularly portable product right now, whose worldwide brand offerings exceed 3,000.
Bringing Hope to Stray Animals
By Berit Mason
In September 2006, a new director of the city of San Antonio’s Animal Care Services came to take measure of the way our city treats its orphan animals and strays. How has our city—and Jef Hale—fared?
The Wolffs—Political Opposites Agree Public Service Best Forum to Give Back
By Randy Lankford
Even though the father and son are on opposite sides of the fence on the
national level, they see pretty much eye-to-eye on local politics.
Plus:
Money Matters
Planning your financial future.
Posted on 25 May 2007 | 8:37 am
Printing in Red Ink
By John H. Ziller
The Hearst Corporation is expanding its print-news monopoly in San Antonio, which bodes ill for everybody—readers, consumers, advertisers, small publishers—except, of course, Hearst.
Also:
SCENE INC: Focus on the Business of Art
From what you see hanging over the water cooler at work to how the Symphony stays solvent, the merger of art and business is bringing some exciting changes to San Antonio.
Top Dentists, As Referred By Their Peers
Scene’s second annual dental survey yielded a valuable list of top-rate dentists in seven-plus specialties.
Ya Basta! Enough! The Scourge of Mexican Kidnappings
By Jennifer Litz
Dr. Ricardo Ainslie’s provocative film shows the personal toll of the lucrative “trade” in Mexico.
Realtors
Posted on 25 May 2007 | 8:33 am
Book Review: Taddy McAllister’s New Novel RUT
By Charles H. Booker
Don't miss it in our April issue.
Leave your comments here!
Thanks
Posted on 26 April 2007 | 10:51 am
Just who are these people who grace the airwaves with opinions and observations on issues of the day? How did they get where they are, and what do they look like?
Posted on 22 March 2007 | 9:56 am
The 100 Most Expensive Homes and the People Who Live in Them
The people who own the most expensive homes in San Antonio have been successful in a variety of fields. Here’s a vicarious tour of the fruits of their labors: palatial estates.
Posted on 19 February 2007 | 9:44 am
Don't miss our February issue
Also in this issue:
How We Will Lose Our
Freedom of Speech
By Selwyn Duke
Lone Star Olives, the New Texas Oil
By Randy Lankford
Medicine Down Under
By Megan Powers
THE WILD AND WOOLY WORLD
of ONLINE DATING
By Jennifer Litz
Plus REALTORS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Posted on 31 January 2007 | 9:17 am
Celebrity Hair–
Where Local Celebs Get Coiffed
By Jennifer Litz
Ever wonder where those in the public eye go to get gussied up? In this feature, some local media mavens and politicos share a few of their cosmetic “secrets,” and they may surprise you.
Photo: ©iStockphoto.com/ Lise Gagne
Posted on 19 December 2006 | 9:16 am
In Our December Issue:
Who’s Teaching Your Kids?
San Antonio’s Top Professors
By Cynthia Leal Massey
What distinguishes a quality professor? Eighty-four professors at nine San Antonio universities and colleges exemplify the answer.
Photo: ©iStockphotos.com/Christopher O Driscoll
Also:
Rising Stars—Lawyers Chosen By Their Peers
A continuation of our San Antonio Best Lawyers Survey, this list
showcases the lawyers voted “Rising Stars” by their peers.
Uvalde’s Proud Heritage
By Terri M. Tucker
A walk down Uvalde County’s historical road shows that it is paved with impressive people and events.
Haute Dogs
By Jennifer Litz
Pooches dressed in holiday apparel are undeniably cute, but are clothes good for your pup?
Posted on 17 November 2006 | 10:34 am
We welcome your comments, suggestions and ideas. We encourage you to share your comments here on this blog site.
Thanks! Scene Staff
Posted on 8 November 2006 | 3:54 pm