🌱 Local Teen Debuts Coffee Business + Zarzamora Safety Crosswalks

Hello, neighbors! It's Elaine Thompson, your host of the Patch newsletter. Keep reading for everything you need to know that's going on these days in town, including:

• Sixteen-year-old entrepreneur makes his company debut at San Antonio Coffee Festival.
• $4.5 million safety crosswalks to be installed along a street infamous for pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
• Top cultural and social activities that keep the city alive.

But first, today's weather:

Cloudy; breezy in the p.m.. High: 70 Low: 59.

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Here are the top stories today in San Antonio:

1. Sixteen-year-old Darren Mota made his entrepreneurial debut at Saturday's San Antonio Coffee Festival. Twenty-eight coffee roasters offered samples of flavors from around the world. Mota said that part of his success is guidance from his family, especially his father, who helped him during the steps of building his business. Mota opened Texas Bay Brew Coffee a month ago, in partnership with Third Day Coffee Seguin, the business of a family friend. “I’ve always wanted to have my own business and be an entrepreneur.” Mota said. (KSAT San Antonio)
2. A much-needed set of eight safety crosswalks will be installed along Zarzamora Street, thanks to a $4.5 million federal grant. According to Vision Zero, "Between 2016 and 2020, there were 43 serious injuries and 13 fatalities along the Zarzamora corridor." The decision to award the "The Safer Streets For All" grant was partly due to the residents of Zarzamora being historically underserved and low-income. Acapulco Barbershop owner Adrian Gonzalez says, “Sometimes people don’t respect the people that walk on the street." Read more on KSAT San Antonio.
3. In a city incredibly rich in cultural and interactive social scenes, here are a couple of top events: New owners of Majestic Theatre will bring an all-day music festival March 4, and a beautiful and bright array of vivid colors shared at the recent 18th Annual Cowboy Mardi Gras.
4. An unidentified man was shot in the chest by an officer around midnight Saturday at Twin Peaks off 410. This incident began after the patron was asked to leave for “being intoxicated and belligerent.” After he refused to leave, an off-duty officer was escorting him out of the restaurant when the patron took an officer's stun gun and tased him with it. The officer returned fire and the man was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Visit WOAI for more details on this story.
5. Local DJ LateNite (Anisa Vargas), voiced her concerns about how heavy construction has significantly slowed down her Djing business. She said a construction project on North Mary St. "hindered the businesses and bars like the Squeeze Box, where she DJs at, which lost over $200,000 in revenue." Vargas attributes the lack of business coming in to little to no parking for patrons. Since construction began near her venue, Vargas has taken on part-time work in other fields to make up for lost income. Pop over to Spectrum News for more on this story.

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Today in San Antonio:

• Band Winter Concert at Alamo Heights High School (7 a.m.)
• EPIC Business Series: Business Leader Primer 101 at Schertz Civic Center (7:45 a.m.)
• Bird Walk with Bexar Audubon Society at Canyon Lake Madrone Trail (8:30 a.m.)
• BFF Galentine's Day at San Antonio Zoo (9 a.m.)
• Total Body Strength Class with Beyond Fitness by Christina at Schertz Public Library (10:30 a.m.)
• Spanish Story Time: Cuentos y Canciones at Parman Library (12:15 p.m.)
• Studio Time Valentine's Day (18 Months-9 Years) at Kid Create Studio (4 p.m.)
• Swing Crush at Hermann Sons Ballroom (7 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Hit-and-run case: "San Antonio police are investigating a hit-and-run crash that left a man hospitalized with a head laceration Friday night." (KSAT San Antonio)
• Shooting on Coney Street: "A man was shot in the torso after what police are saying could simply be a case of mistaken identity." (KENS5)
• Watch out for possible scamming! " If you receive a phone call from someone claiming they’re with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office and are demanding money from you in order to avoid being arrested, don’t pay up." (KSAT San Antonio)
• Puppy's storm drain journey: "A puppy in distress was rescued from a city storm drain before being reunited with her family." (KSAT San Antonio)
• Rosario's heads south: "A Mexican food restaurant with a 30-year history in the Alamo City just opened its new home in Southtown." (The Business Journals)
• Apartment fire in unit that was supposed to be vacant: "SAFD says the fire started in a first floor apartment that was listed as vacant, but appeared to have evidence of someone living there." (KENS5)
• San Antonio Zoo has a Hippo event for you! "Wednesday, February 15th, is Locals Day and National Hippo Day! Learn about all things Hippos at San Antonio Zoo through Animal Chats, enrichment-making activities, and much more." (San Antonio Zoo Instagram)

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Featured events:

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You're officially in the loop for today! I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow with another update.

— Elaine Thompson

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming San Antonio Patch newsletter? Contact me at sanantonio@patch.com