SAN ANTONIO - “Hush, dad. I’m talking.”

Selena to Abraham. On the bus. In Austin. She was in control. Says Joe Nick Patoski, the man who wrote the book “Selena: Como La Flor.”

At the time, Patoski was writing a story on Selena’s burgeoning stardom for Texas Monthly. And the book… that wasn’t even on the radar; that only came after her death.

Patoski spoke to News 4, along with many others close to Selena Quintanilla-Perez, in reflection of her passing. [Editor’s note: Patoski spoke to us just before the pandemic.]

In this interview, Patoski reflects on Selena’s rise in the music industry, but also explains her other dream and all that was lost in March 1995. He also describes how Yolanda Saldivar, still imprisoned for Selena’s murder, befriended the Tejano singer.

The aftermath of Selena’s death revealed a lot about Texas, says Patoski. Those who didn’t know her. And those completely devastated by her sudden passing.

Patoski has written about Texans for decades. He’s also written books on Steve Ray Vaughan and Willie Nelson. Patoski was a staff writer at Texas Monthly for 18 years and has also written for the Texas Observer, People Magazine, National Geographic and The New York Times.

With many San Antonio residents still reeling from February’s devastating winter storm, Mayor Ron Nirenberg opens up about the aftermath.

In a sit-down interview with Randy Beamer, Nirenberg talks about the city’s role and problems dealing with the sudden blackouts. He talks about when the city learned of ERCOT’s power crisis and what happened from there.

He also gets into how local agencies responded and communicated trying to cope with the freeze, blackouts and water disruptions – and how quickly the city is making changes to improve things.

And Nirenberg speaks out about the state’s role in what happened, and his efforts to make sure San Antonians don’t bear the brunt of the huge costs of energy during the blackouts.

In response to the pandemic, the Mayor speaks up about the importance of masks. [Note: We recorded this interview one day before Governor Greg Abbott announced his decision to open up Texas 100% and remove the state mask mandate.]

And on a very surprising personal note, Nirenberg tells Randy how very close he came to taking an entirely different path in life and working in sports media!

He opens up about the reason he turned down a BIG job offer from an iconic company in the northeast and moved to San Antonio instead.

Nirenberg was elected Mayor in 2017 before winning re-election in 2019. Prior to that, he served two terms as Councilman for District 8 in San Antonio.

Everyone has a story. But no one has one like Chris Perez, at least not in South Texas.

A self-taught Rock ‘N’ Roller. Guitarist for a Tejano star. And, of course, Selena. The friendship, the romance, the marriage, the Quintanillas.

In a one-on-one interview with Randy Beamer, Perez shares how he got into music, how the music led him to Selena, and what life was like for the two of them. The San Antonio native details how their friendship blossomed into love and also reveals the bond he once had with Selena’s father, Abraham.

In this podcast, you’ll likely hear stories you never knew and you’ll find out what life is like now for Perez as a father, musician and budding businessman.

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SAN ANTONIO - University Health is vaccinating 4,000 people a day at the Wonderland of the Americas mall, but that might be the most it can administer even if it gets more vaccines.

In this week’s San Antonio’s Voice, Dr. Bryan Alsip, Chief Medical Officer at University Health, explains why to our Randy Beamer. In early January, University Health became the first medical provider in San Antonio to begin a mass vaccine clinic. Since then, it has expanded to the second floor at the mall and is now administering first and second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Alsip and Randy delve into the latest pandemic trends in San Antonio and how a couple of big events might impact us relatively soon. Alsip also shares what the vaccine arrivals have done for hospital staffing. Plus, he gives his expert opinion on the Janssen Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine that may soon get FDA approval.

Dr. Bryan Alsip is the Chief Medical Officer for University Health. Previously, he served as the Assistant Director of Health for the City of San Antonio. Dr. Alsip is a primary care physician with Board Certification in Preventive Medicine and Public Health who also served on active duty in the United States Army. He holds faculty appointments at the UT Health San Antonio School of Medicine and the University of Texas School of Public Health.

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SAN ANTONIO - The future of the San Antonio Police Department is at stake, staring down Danny Diaz, the new president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association (SAPOA).

On his first day on the job, Diaz went one-on-one with Randy Beamer about the critical timespan now facing SAPD. Diaz spelled out his number one priority - negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement that in recent years has turned into a bitter, messy battle with the City. The negotiations begin soon with the current CBA set to expire later this year.

Diaz and Randy also talked about an attempt to remove these bargaining rights. Currently, there is a group trying to get these rights on the May ballot. Diaz says efforts like these are similar to the ‘Defund the Police’ movement.

Plus, Mayor Ron Nirenberg is up for re-election. Randy asked Diaz if the SAPOA will stay out of the race. And in answering, Diaz says there are other council districts that may get SAPOA’s attention.

Diaz became president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association on February 1, 2021. Prior, Diaz served for nearly 30 years with the San Antonio Police Department. During his tenure, Diaz served on South Patrol, in the Street Crimes Unit, and for 20 years as a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit. While executing a narcotics warrant in 2010, he was shot three times. For his service, he was awarded the Meritorious Conduct Award and the Purple Heart. He has also earned several merit awards for apprehensions.

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Approximately 9,000 people a week are getting their COVID-19 vaccines at the Alamodome. The San Antonio Fire Department operates the drive-thru portion of the Alamodome’s clinic. 

In this week's San Antonio's Voice podcast, San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood sits down with Randy Beamer to explain step-by-step what to expect if you have an appointment. He also talks about a program in place to check-up on city employees with COVID-19. Hundreds of city workers have had the disease and Hood says the program has saved lives.

The facility has been serving as one of Texas’ vaccination hubs since mid-January. Chief Hood says one of the city’s prized events will require the Alamodome’s vaccine clinic to relocate. 

Plus, the pandemic has changed what firefighters and EMS technicians do every single day. What’s life like for them now? What kind of help are their families receiving? That’s all discussed in this edition of San Antonio’s Voice.

Hood became the first African American Fire Chief in San Antonio when he was sworn in back in April of 2007. He commands approximately 1800 personnel. Hood began his career with the City of Phoenix Fire Department in 1984.

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Despite a raging pandemic and a ravaged economy, people are gobbling up homes in a red-hot San Antonio real estate market. So what's the one thing home buyers are looking for?  (Spoiler: It's a certain room to make it so much easier to WFH.)

Despite a raging pandemic hitting many businesses and parts of the economy very hard,  people are still gobbling up homes in San Antonio, with sales up by 11 percent from 2019 to 2020. Average prices are up by nine percent from $269,000 in 2019 to $294 in 2020.

Cher Miculka is the Chairman of the San Antonio Board of Realtors and this week’s guest in San Antonio’s Voice.  She tells me low interest rates under three percent for most loans have helped fuel a buying appetite. The result is more homes sales, and higher prices, with bidding wars now common in a certain price range.

She reveals what that price range is - and shares some great, practical tips for both buyers and sellers to save you time and money in this market.

Miculka is the 2021 Chairman of the SABOR. She began her real estate career in 1986 and has worked in several aspects of the industry including REALTOR, broker, property adjuster, loan officer and home-building operations manager. She was the recipient of SABOR’s 2017 Broker of the Year Award and is a certified real estate instructor.

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Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff - "We do have hope in the United States Congress for an infrastructure bill."

With the new session of the state legislature just beginning and a new congress now in session, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff talks with News 4 San Antonio’s Randy Beamer about what he’s hoping to see from lawmakers and how it could affect all of us.

For our San Antonio’s Voice podcast this week, Wolff gives us a great view of what’s in the works downtown right now – from just outside his office on the 10th floor of the Paul Elizondo tower on the west side of downtown.

He explains a number of projects you can literally see on the horizon, including what could be wrapped up this year and what’s on the drawing board that will take longer.

And if you haven’t been downtown lately because of the pandemic, you’ll be surprised at what you see.  

Plus Wolff opens up about the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines in Bexar County, his New Year’s wishes, and his celebratory drink (it’s not champagne).

Wolff has been Bexar County Judge since 2001. From 1991 to 1995, he was the Mayor of San Antonio and is only the second person in more than a century to serve in both positions. Previously, Wolff was a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Texas Senate, and San Antonio City Council.

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If you have a virtual learner, is your child missing out?

Northside Superintendent Dr. Brian Woods says yes in the newest episode of San Antonio’s Voice.

Woods agrees that the health metrics with COVID-19 are important to monitor, but so is the well-being of students who are not on campus.

In what he calls an "Educational crisis," Woods says virtual learners may not be growing emotionally the way they should.

Woods spoke at length to me about what to expect the second half of the school year.

Great information for all parents, even if your child isn't at northside.

Randy Beamer put together this special edition with local lawmakers interviews so you can hear first-hand what it was like to be in lockdown, their reactions to what was happening, and what they expect will happen next -- and what it could mean for San Antonio.

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