TPR News Now: Tuesday, August 11, 2026

You're listening to Texas Public Radio News. I'm Marianne Navarro. San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz-Jay Jones is pushing for city voters to get another say on the proposed downtown Spurs Arena. Bear County voters narrowly approved up to $311 million in county funding last November. Jay Jones now wants a separate city vote on San Antonio's $489 million contribution. Mayor Jay Jones tells DPR's a source that a vote is only fair given that the city's financial situation has changed with a projected $158 million budget gap and possible property tax increases. So I think it's only fair that city taxpayers weigh in on the city's $49 million contribution. At least six council members oppose another election. The city council must approve an ordinance by August 17th for the question to appear on the November ballot. You're more of the conversation with Mayor Jay Jones on TPR.org. Just search for the source. Bear County is changing how people are medically screened when they're booked into the county jail. The changes follow a review that found many inmates who died in custody had serious health problems when they entered the jail. The San Antonio reports, Diego Medell, has more. Bear County is creating a new medical screening area at the county jail's intake facility so people can be evaluated as soon as they're brought in. Officials say the changes will help identify medical emergencies, drug withdrawal, and mental health crises before someone is admitted to the jail. County Judge Peter Sakai called it an important first step. What we've done today is basically get some immediate solutions that will help alleviate the jail, but more importantly, recognize the needs of the people that are coming into the jail, especially those that are medically fragile or have medical issues. Commissioner has also directed staff to create a public dashboard, tracking jail deaths and other measures, while continuing work on diversion programs designed to connect more people with treatment instead of jail. I'm Diego Medell in San Antonio. A new study from U.T. Health, San Antonio, has found that just a little physical activity may reduce a person's risk of developing dementia, particularly in Hispanic people. UT Health San Antonio researcher, Claudius Saville, co-authored the study. It found that even a little physical activity made a difference in long-term brain health. That doesn't mean that you need to run a marathon, but anything that you can do to increase your activity. By a little bit, we'll do wonders for your brain and will reduce your risk of dementia in older ages. Tadisabal gave some recommendations for light exercise. So it could be things as easy as gardening, walking, dancing. Really what we found is that any activity protected your brain down the road. The study also found that non-Hispanic white people who included a little physical activity in their lives had better control of their blood sugar, which is also associated with slower cognitive decline.

A San Antonio jury has found several people liable for defaming a Sagine woman in connection with a Netflix documentary about a contentious guardianship case. TPR's Corey Cook reports. The jury awarded Tanya Barina $8.5 million after funding that statements made about her in the Netflix series Dirty Money were defamatory. The defendants included a retired San Antonio attorney who says he plans to appeal. The documentary focused on Barina's court-ordered guardianship of her elderly great-uncle Charlie Thrash. Barina's attorney Glenn Dedman says the verdict shows she did not abuse the guardianship or take money from Thrash's estate. One of the defendants, retired attorney Philip Ross, represented himself at trial. Ross says the jury did not hear his full side of the case. He plans to seek a new trial and, if necessary, appeal all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Netflix was not involved in the trial. I'm Corey Cook and San Antonio. And you're listening to Real Reliable Texas Public Radio. I'm Maria Navarro.