Did H-E-B offload acreage it once eyed for a would-be grocery store? A site in San Antonio’s far North Side was sold to a commercial real estate agency under conditions that would prevent the company from building a competing retail store. In other news, a newly formed nonprofit is launching a bid to buy Camp Mystic, where 27 died in last year’s catastrophic floods in the Hill Country. These were the most-read stories this week:
H‑E‑B sold 7.5 acres of vacant land at Canyon Golf Road and East Borgfeld Drive on San Antonio’s far North Side to an entity tied to Birnbaum Property Co., with the site valued at $3.71 million. The deed imposed 55 years of restrictions capping grocery and household goods sales to the smaller of 500 square feet or 5% of a store’s floor space, while allowing a convenience store up to 6,000 square feet, a card or stationery shop up to 2,500, or a liquor store up to 3,000. The move reflected a common tactic by retailers to keep competitors at bay, even as the nearest H‑E‑B sat nearly 5 miles away and Sam’s Club roughly 6 miles south.
Nonprofit moves to buy Camp Mystic land to relaunch girls camp with new safeguards
Firefly Fields Foundation sought to purchase Camp Mystic’s 749 acres through bankruptcy court to create a new Christian girls camp on higher ground that does not flood. The group is planning a new name and leadership, while pledging to meet or exceed Texas’ updated youth camp safety rules, secure a new state license. It is also considering a permanent memorial to the 27 campers and counselors who lost their lives in 2025’s catastrophic floods. The Eastland family was not involved, and while the foundation engaged victims’ families and the creditors committee, a source close to the families denied coordination and said the judge would decide. Camp Mystic filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid lawsuits alleging gross negligence.
SpaceX’s Starship reached orbit for the first time and deployed 26 Starlink satellites before the company cut the mission short due to engine problems. The Super Heavy booster splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, while Starship reentered with a fiery plasma display and splashed down in the northern Pacific where it partially exploded. Elon Musk declared the flight a success, and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman publicly praised the mission. SpaceX said lessons from a previous recovery improved the heat shield and touted Starship’s potential to supercharge Starlink and carry future orbital data center satellites.
Wembanyama lauds U.S. opportunity, questions everyday hardships
Victor Wembanyama said he felt lucky to live in the United States as a pro athlete but called life difficult for the average citizen. The French star noted he could not vote in U.S. elections yet expected to be affected by the nation’s political climate. He previously condemned the ICE shootings of two U.S. citizens and said he felt horrified by violence framed as acceptable. Teammate Harrison Barnes said Wembanyama favored George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm, underscoring his interest in politics and power dynamics.
Fired for ‘abusing volunteers,’ nurse-youth pastor later faced assault charges
A San Antonio-area church fired travel nurse and youth pastor Jesse Daniel Skaggs, 32, for “abusing volunteers,” then allowed him to keep volunteering in children’s classes and prayer teams before asking him to leave after a theological dispute. Skaggs was later arrested and charged with indecent sexual contact with his infant son, and police said he admitted to assaulting unconscious hospital patients as a nurse, prompting a broader investigation. Church social media posts identified him as Next Gen director and showed him ordained as youth pastor, despite the lead pastor later describing him only as a volunteer and denying complaints. Members called for transparency and questioned how church leadership handled warnings.
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