Just This.

This week in Just This, Rivard Report Editor-in-Chief Beth Frerking and veteran San Antonio newsman and columnist Rick Casey review the primary election results of several top local, statehouse and congressional races.

Among others, we unpack the heated battle for Bexar County district attorney that led to incumbent Nico LaHood’s ouster; the crowded contests in both parties to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) of congressional Texas District 21; and the toppling of freshman incumbent State Rep. Diana Arévalo (D-116) to the man who previously held the seat for 16 years, Trey Martinez Fischer.

This week in our Just This podcast, Rivard Report Editor-in-Chief Beth Frerking and former San Antonio news columnist Rick Casey discuss the latest skirmish in an ongoing war between City Hall and the San Antonio Professional Firefighters Association.

This round, the union is working to place propositions on the ballot that would give voters the right to consider capping the city manager’s tenure and salary; negotiate contracts through binding arbitration (if other avenues fail); and to make it easier to have citizen-led referendums that could impact City finances. City officials, including Mayor Ron Nirenberg, have drawn hard lines against the effort led by firefighters’ union chief Chris Steele.

In the inaugural episode of our weekly podcast Just This, veteran newsman and former columnist Rick Casey and I talk about three stories dominating local news the week of Feb. 19.

• A federal jury found State Sen. Carlos Uresti, a Democrat, guilty of 11 counts of felony fraud and money-laundering charges related to his involvement with a now-defunct fracking sand company, FourWind Logistics. What’s in store for Uresti, a 20-year veteran of the Texas Legislature, as he makes his appeal?
• Trustees of the Edgewood Independent School District are launching an investigation into allegations by a district employee that Superintendent Emilio Castro harassed her on three separate occasions. They’re considering putting him on leave during the probe. It’s yet another challenge for an already beleaguered school system.
• And the San Antonio Independent School District votes to sell five acres of prime real estate near Hemisfair for $14.5 million to the developer of the Pearl Brewery. This isn’t only about the development itself, but about the strong signals it sends about the future of Southtown.

We kick off the introduction episode of Just This. A weekly podcast covering the people and places that shape San Antonio. Tune in every Friday right here or wherever you get your podcasts.