Sexually charged texts between U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-San Antonio) and a then-campaign aide have placed the embattled congressman under renewed scrutiny this week. Gonzales exited his reelection bid earlier in March after admitting to an affair with a staffer. Also among this week’s top stories was a legal fight over the Poteet Strawberry Festival. Here are the most-read stories:<\/p>\n
Explicit texts put Rep. Tony Gonzales under renewed scrutiny<\/p>\n
Newly obtained messages showed Tony Gonzales, then a candidate, repeatedly sent sexually explicit texts to his campaign political director and pressed for nude photos and sex, despite her refusals, though the relationship never became physical. The staffer said the advances made her uncomfortable, but she stayed on the campaign. She later spoke out after learning of his affair with married staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, who died by suicide. Gonzales ended his bid for reelection in March after GOP leaders urged him to step aside.<\/p>\n
The Poteet Strawberry Festival Association suspended the Poteet Rotary Club from this week\u2019s festival, citing an unpaid $30,000 Pepsi bill and questions over the club\u2019s tax-exempt status. The Rotary Club filed for a federal restraining order to rejoin and claimed sole ownership of the festival name, while the association sought its own order and pointed to five federal trademarks it has held for decades. The dispute moved to federal court, where the club asked a judge to preserve the status quo and invalidate the association\u2019s trademarks as fraudulently obtained. The clash threatened a long-running event that draws about 125,000 people and funds local charities.<\/p>\n
Police arrested Ryan Pe\u00f1a, 50, a senior leader at Church of Acts, on a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, and he was released on partial house arrest after posting a $150,000 bond. An affidavit alleged a consistent pattern of abuse against multiple female relatives, including grooming a girl beginning in childhood, choking victims until they blacked out and intercourse that continued into her teens. Investigators said the incidents occurred at several Northwest Side homes and deemed Pe\u00f1a a continuing threat given his access to juveniles through church roles linked to a private Christian school. Pe\u00f1a denied the allegations in an interview before requesting an attorney, and attempts to reach him and church officials were unsuccessful. Victims told police they confided in family over the years but did not report to authorities until recently.<\/p>\n
Family sues energy drink brand after teen\u2019s death, alleging dangerous marketing<\/p>\n
Attorneys for the family of 17-year-old Larissa Rodriguez filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging Alani Nu energy drinks caused her fatal heart condition through prolonged caffeine consumption. They said a county medical examiner linked her death to cardiac stress from high caffeine, and toxicology showed no other substances. The suit accused Alani Nu of defective design and youth-targeted marketing on social media with inadequate warnings. It named Texas distributor Glazer\u2019s Beer and Beverage as a defendant for supplying the product to H-E-B stores. Lawyers said other young consumers have reported heart, liver and kidney issues tied to energy drinks, and the case could expand as discovery proceeds.<\/p>\n
A top seasonal model indicated the developing El Ni\u00f1o could reach super strength, with better-than-even odds of hitting rare ocean temperature thresholds by fall. Even without that peak, forecasters expect at least a moderate-to-strong event that historically cools Texas winters slightly and makes them much wetter. In San Antonio, past strong El Ni\u00f1o winters produced more than double the typical rainfall while temperatures ran about 1.4 degrees cooler.<\/p>\n