KSAT Explains

Water may just be the new oil in Texas. As droughts become more frequent, cities continue to sprawl, and demand rises, the value of water is forecast to increase. With that in mind, where does the water for San Antonio, which sits on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, come from?

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the pharmaceutical fentanyl is a synthetic opioid approved for treating severe pain, typically advanced cancer pain. Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and is prescribed as transdermal patches or lozenges. The CDC says the most recent cases of fentanyl-related harm, overdose, and death in the U.S. are linked to illegally made fentanyl.

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If you’ve driven on Highway 90 in San Antonio, you’ve likely seen the signs directing you to exit at General Hudnell Drive and Port San Antonio. “There’s a misconception that this is some sort of strange, off-the-grid federal enclave that operates under a different law, which isn’t true,” says Port SA CEO Jim Perschbach. What is true is the name “Port San Antonio” does not necessarily reflect what happens on the campus nowadays. The term “port” leads you to believe it’s a trade hub, which, in this KSAT Explains, we learn is only partly accurate.

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An important part of Latino culture is tradition, and in recent years, there has been a push to make voting another important cultural custom. Every election season, the Latino vote is a term that is discussed, but what does that mean? Is the Latino vote a sleeping giant? In this episode of KSAT Explains, we compare the “red and blue” of Latino politics, break down common misconceptions, and discuss the emerging wave of more Latinos making their voices heard.

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Meteorologists and weather experts in South Texas rely heavily on Doppler radar technology, but how does it work? How can a giant soccer-ball-shaped tower, known as the radome, detect clouds hundreds of miles away and send them to a computer as rain? In this episode of KSAT Explains, KSAT meteorologist Justin Horne visits the National Weather Service station in New Braunfels for answers, as well as the Bracken Bat cave which is a common hotspot on radar images.

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Whether it is Easter camping or just an afternoon picnic, San Antonians have a long history with Brackenridge Park. The centrally located green space offers miles of nature trails, the Sunken Garden Theater, the Japanese Tea Garden, the Witte Museum, and the San Antonio Zoo. But one area, in particular, is the center of a debate between San Antonio’s Parks and Recreation Department and a group of local advocates. While centuries of history surround the entire 349-acre park, the highlighted portions (phases one and two) in the rendering above are the focus of this story. The question at hand is: Can the city preserve the park’s rich history while protecting its fragile nature?

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It’s a question that might start a household debate; what can be recycled and what can’t? San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the U.S., meaning we produce a lot of trash. However, two local recycling facilities are making a significant dent in the amount of recyclable material that ends up in landfills. Most San Antonio homes have access to color-coded bins to make the process easier, but deciding what goes in each bin can also lead to a debate. In this episode of KSAT Explains, we show you how two local companies combine humans and robots to streamline the recycling process and explain what recycling means.

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You see them popping up on nearly every corner, small white boxes atop utility poles. Those boxes are providing 5G data to a number of devices like cellphones and cars. But what is 5G? In this KSAT Explains we breakdown what 5G means, what regulations are in place for the devices to be installed and what doctors are saying about the potential health risks associated with the technology.

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Death is a topic hardly anybody enjoys talking about, but it’s a harsh reality none of us can escape. For this KSAT Explains, our crew got a rare behind-the-scenes look into the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office (BCMEO) to find out what happens when a body comes in with no trace of who they are.

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We’ve all felt it -- the heavy weight of paying more for necessities like groceries and fuel. Inflation is a term with a relatively simple definition, but dealing with it is far from easy. KSAT Explains.

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