From the courtroom to the basketball court at Frost Bank Center, San Antonio won’t be lacking for major headlines in the coming months.
SAN ANTONIO — From historic flooding and elections to high-profile arrests and Spurs departures, San Antonio didn’t lack for major news stories in 2025.
And as it turns out, some of those very stories will continue developing as we head further into 2026.
Here are some of the stories sure to dominate the talk around town and that KENS 5 journalists will be following in the coming months.
Uvalde shooting trial
The first days of the new year have brought a high-stakes trial to Nueces County—the first criminal trial related to the botched law enforcement response at Robb Elementary School, where 19 students and two teachers were fatally shot on May 24, 2022.
Adrian Gonzales, who was a Uvalde schools police officer at the time, faces more than two dozen counts of child abandonment/endangerment in connection with the shooting. Then-Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo has also pleaded not guilty to child abandonment/endangerment charges, but a trial date for him has not yet been set.
The Gonzales trial could last up to three weeks.
Other major trials on the docket
Closer to home, Bexar County is currently slated to see other high-profile trials this year.
They include the murder trial of Brad Simpson, who was accused of killing his wife Suzanne after she disappeared from their Olmos Park home in October 2024, sparking searches in multiple counties. Court records indicate a pre-trial motions hearing is set for Jan. 20, with the trial expected to get underway Feb. 13.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Christopher Preciado and his father, 55-year-old Ramon Preciado, are scheduled to go on trial in early February after their alleged involvement in the 2023 Christmas season murders of Savanah Soto, Matthew Guerra and their unborn son. Charges were dropped against Myrta Romanos, Christopher’s stepmother, in the fall.
This year could also see the criminal trials of Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez, accused of killing “King of the Hill” voice actor Jonathan Joss last summer. He was indicted in November, but a trial date has not yet been set.
Less likely to begin this year is the trial of Ashley Pardo, accused of helping her teenage son plot an attack on his middle school last spring. She faces a charge of aiding in the commission of terrorism, but the case has yet to go before a grand jury.
Race for Bexar County judge
The 2026 campaign for Bexar County judge, which anchors the Commissioners Court, took a twist in the fall when Ron Nirenberg – just a few months removed from leaving the office of mayor – announced his candidacy against incumbent Peter Sakai, who is seeking a second term.
It sets up a clash between the two Democrats in the March 3 primary.
That election will also determine the general election candidates for Sen. John Cornyn’s seat; former San Antonio teacher and State Rep. James Talarico is facing off against U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett on the Democratic ballot, while Cornyn is looking to fend off Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and six others on the Republican side of things.
Can the Spurs return to the playoffs?
The last time San Antonio’s beloved Spurs played beyond the regular season, Victor Wembanyama was just 15 years old.
Now 22, the All-Star center and ascendant NBA superstar – along with key players De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Keldon Johnson – is hoping to bring the Spurs one step closer in their return to the sport’s mountaintop.
Halfway through their season, San Antonio is in great shape: The Spurs are 28-13, tied for the second seed in the West and (fairly) fresh off three December wins over the defending champion Thunder in Mitch Johnson’s first full season as head coach. The question at this point may not be can the Spurs make the playoffs for the first time since the 2018-19 season, but rather: How much noise can the team make?
What’s next for Project Marvel?
Supporters of a downtown Spurs arena expected to cost upwards of $1.3 billion celebrated a major victory in November, when voters green-lit the allocation of $389 million in county tax dollars to the project—effectively triggering other funding from the City of San Antonio and the Spurs organization itself.
According to a term sheet approved by City Council last summer, the team anticipates that designing and developing the new arena would take 57 months. Project Marvel also includes plans to expand the Gonzalez Convention Center, “reimagine” the Alamodome, bring new retail and housing to the area, and creating a new live music venue.
But there are plenty of conversations that must still be had and details to iron out first.
With City Council this week approving a $30 million land purchase tied to the arena, officials say 2026 will focus on convention center expansion, mixed-use development, connectivity with the east side, “operational needs” for the Alamodome ahead of a more substantial makeover down the road and the Spurs arena.
Searching for the city’s next top cop
Fine-tuning details of the downtown sports and entertainment district is one big task San Antonio leaders have this year. Another: Searching for the next chief of the police department.
Chief William McManus, who has filled that position for 20 years (he briefly left in 2015 to serve as senior director of security for CPS Energy before returning later that year), announced Friday he plans to retire by September. The city is expected to announce more details of its eventual search in the coming months.
The Hill Country’s recovery
Months after the Guadalupe River rose to historic levels in the Texas Hill Country, bringing deadly floods that killed 119 in Kerr County alone, the region is still recovering.
The tragedy sparked change – including plans to install flood sirens where there previously weren’t any and legislation to safeguard camps in floodplains – as well as an ongoing effort to return stronger than before. Meanwhile, the search remains ongoing for two people: 8-year-old Cile Steward and 63-year-old Jeff Ramsey.