As the United States entered its second year of the coronavirus pandemic, a weary public, including San Antonio readers, looked to distance itself from the topic.
While three COVID-related stories were among 2021’s top 10 stories list, none appeared among 2022’s final tally. Instead, San Antonio Report readers were drawn to stories about government and politics, the migrant crisis and San Antonio’s favorite coach.
Here is the Report’s top 10 list of most-read stories for 2022.
SAPD fires its rookie officer who shot, injured 17-year-old
The termination of probationary San Antonio Police Department Officer James Brennand, who was accused of shooting a teenager at a McDonald’s parking lot, was the Report’s top story of the year. The incident, which SAPD chief called “entirely against policy and training that we receive,” was met with widespread outrage after receiving worldwide attention from the media.
Secret philanthropist: Coach Popovich’s gruff persona belies his generosity
Gregg Popovich is a famously private person. So, when Ken Rodriguez’s commentary on the San Antonio Spurs head coach lifted the veil on Popovich’s generous side, readers were eager to learn more, making this the second most-read story on our site.
Affidavit: Councilman Perry had 14 drinks in 4 hours before hit-and-run collision
Reporter Raquel Torres’ story on the latest development in San Antonio City Councilman Clayton Perry’s involvement in an alleged hit-and-run crash was only on the site for less than two days, but it still rocketed to the third most-read story of the year. Reader interest on Perry’s troubles has been high since the story broke in early November.
Why has this summer been so dang hot? State climatologist explains summer heat wave
Reporter Lindsey Carnett helped answer what was on the minds of most people who endured the San Antonio area’s brutal heat wave in 2022. The fourth most-read story included the state climatologist’s three reasons why the heat wave hit Central Texas so hard.
Texas moves to take back Broadway and stop city’s redevelopment project
The Texas Department of Transportation’s move to retain control of a portion of Broadway, after handing it to the City of San Antonio in 2015, stunned officials and halted plans for a redevelopment project. Columnist and San Antonio Report co-founder Robert Rivard donned his reporter’s hat to deliver the fifth most-read story on the site.
Report: Perry charged with DWI in connection with hit-and-run
A local television station’s report in late November that San Antonio police had filed a driving while intoxicated charge against City Councilman Clayton Perry for his involvement in a hit-and-run collision was the sixth most-read story on the site. A police spokesman, however, denied the report and said the case was still under investigation. The DWI charge was ultimately filed in late December.
27-year-old migrant says he was paid to help fill Martha’s Vineyard flight
After news broke in September that asylum-seekers in San Antonio had been duped into agreeing to travel to the East Coast, Raquel Torres got an exclusive story in which a Venezuelan immigrant said he helped recruit the migrants. The story was the Report’s seventh most-read story for the year.
Some H-E-B employees say policy change penalizes workers for calling out sick
A look at H-E-B’s attendance policy amid complaints from some employees was the eighth most-read story for 2022. The San Antonio-based grocery store chain explained that the most recent changes were part of a push starting in 2020 to digitize attendance scheduling.
Taxes too high? Here’s how to protest your property appraisal
Rising property tax bills have been a big concern for Bexar County homeowners, so reporter Shari Biediger’s story explaining how to protest property appraisals was of high interest to our readers. It came in as the year’s ninth most-read.
The death of Rackspace’s ‘Fanatical Support’
Robert Rivard’s mid-December opinion piece on the recent troubles of Rackspace and the cloud computing services company’s past glory completes our top 10 list.
