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The UTSA Roadrunners (8-14, 2-7 AAC) visit the Wichita State Shockers (9-13, 1-8 AAC) after losing three straight road games. The Shockers are favored by 9.5 points in the contest, which begins at 7:30 PM ET on Wednesday, February 7, 2024. The matchup has an over/under of 157.5 points.

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Why do we create time capsules? If you think about it, it’s a bit of a quirky human tradition, burying a box of items to be dug up by a future generation.

The San Antonio Zoo gave us an opportunity to ponder some of these questions after a 30-year-old time capsule was rediscovered on the site.

The time capsule dates back to January of 1993, and was found during construction of the zoo’s savannah habitat, which is undergoing an expansion.

Cyle Perez, the director of public relations for the zoo, said zoo staff had more or less forgotten the time capsule was there.

“Really, this was a collective experience that all of the departments seemed to have contributed to,” Perez said. “But really, it wasn’t until this expansion that we discovered this engraving on one of the fences in what used to be the Elephant Yard, but it will now be the expanded savannah habitat. And that gave us the clue, and seemed to jog some memories of what might be in there.”

The engraving was on an eight by eight plate — just the date, “1993.” Perez said the zoo facilities manager, Raul Valadez, worked with the elephants in the 1990s and was able to confirm there was a time capsule.

“It was in kind of like a PVC pipe, but a thicker one – I would say was about three feet long and maybe like a foot in circumference,” Perez said. “And so within that we could hear some things rattling around, but had no idea until we really opened it up to reveal what’s inside.”

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Inside the pipe, the zoo uncovered materials contributed by each department back in the day.

“You got to get a peek into what each department found important to really preserve and push through,” Perez said. “But some of the items that we found were from the nutrition center, animal diets from that time. We found things from the marketing department, like old Zoo News and magazines, calendars that we used to give out on a regular basis. We also found some general office correspondence that said ‘beware of the myth of the computer virus.’ Or we found newspaper clippings that had the Dallas Cowboys celebrating a championship.

And so it was really funny to see and reflect on all these different departments and what they chose to include. But a lot of fun, great things and a lot of ’90s graphics.”

Perez said it was interesting to see how the zoo’s mission has stayed more or less the same over the last 30 years.

“There was even a list of employees that worked here, donors, board members, and there are a lot of the same names that we see here today. We’re turning 110 years old pretty soon, but we have a very beautiful following of people who see our vision of securing a future for wildlife and support us for generations on end,” he said.

“Also how our unwavering commitment to conservation has just been present for so long. And again, we were built in 1914, but just a snapshot into 1993 we were still going strong and still doing our best to be the best zoo in the country.”

Perez said nobody remembered any additional time capsules once this first one was discovered, but he wouldn’t be surprised if another one pops up somewhere as the zoo continues to expand and update.

“We are growing. We’re in our probably most monumental growth period that we’ve ever had in the history of our 110 years,” he said. “So there are plenty of projects that are coming up. We’re about to build one of the largest gorilla habitats in the nation, our expanded savannah, where you can stay overnight with these giraffes.”

And, Perez said, they haven’t ruled out replacing the time capsule to be opened again in the future.

“It’s just another form of storytelling. We can’t wait to see what it looks like in 30 years from now, or 40, 50, 60 years,” he said. “The San Antonio Zoo’s here for a long time. So we are certainly considering recycling this and keeping the story alive.”

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A nonprofit dedicated to trees is issuing a warning to Texas citizens who own oak trees: Put down the pruning shears.

Homeowners and landscaping types may be tempted to do some spring pruning, but when it comes to oak trees, now is not the time.

The reason: oak wilt, a devastating, incurable fungus that has been slowly spreading over a large part of the U.S. This tree disease is contagious and can kill an oak in as little as two weeks.

This is why Texas Trees Foundation is urging homeowners and business owners to NOT prune oak trees after February 1, and to refrain from pruning them between February 1-June 30. (Technically, this is a Dallas group, but officials in San Antonio warn of the same issue.)

Do not prune unless there is an emergency, and avoid wounding your oak trees during this time.

Oak wilt is an infectious disease caused by the fungus Bretziella fagacearum, which invades and disables the water-conducting system (xylem) in oaks. Beetles who carry the disease are attracted to bark damage or "wounds" where tree limbs have been removed.

All oaks can be infected. However, some oak species are affected more than others.

Most susceptible oaksRed oaks: Members of the red oak group, particularly Texas red oak (AKA Spanish oak), shumard oak, blackjack oak, and water oak are most susceptible to the fungus and may play a unique role in the establishment of new oak wilt infections.

Live oak and Texas live oak are intermediate in their susceptibility to oak wilt, but are most seriously affected due to their tendency to grow with vast, interconnected root systems that allow movement of the fungus among adjacent trees.

White oaks: Members of the white oak group include post oak, bur oak, Mexican white oak, white shin oak, durand oak, lacey oak, and chinquapin oak. Although white oaks show some tolerance of the disease, all oaks can be infected by the fungus. White shin oak, lacey oak, and chinquapin oak can grow in stands with interconnected root systems, enabling the fungus to possibly infect adjacent trees that are susceptible to the fungus.

How to detect oak wilt Foliar symptoms, patterns of tree mortality, and the presence of fungal mats can be used as indicators of oak wilt. However, laboratory isolation of the fungus is recommended to confirm the diagnosis. A certified arborist should be contacted when in doubt.

Foliar (leaf) symptoms on live oaks include:

Defoliation may be rapid, and dead leaves with brown veins often can be found under the tree for months after defoliation.

Patterns of tree mortality: Most live oaks defoliate and die within 3 to 6 months following initial appearance of symptoms. Some live oaks take longer to die, and a few untreated trees may survive many years in various stages of decline. Occasionally, a few live oaks in an oak wilt center may escape infection and remain unaffected by the disease.

Red oaks never survive oak wilt and often die within 4 to 6 weeks following the initial appearance of symptoms. During summer months, diseased red oaks can often be spotted from a distance because of their bright, autumn-like coloration in contrast to the surrounding greenery. This symptom is called flagging. So sad.

How to manage oak wilt Awareness is important when identifying oak wilt. There are four primary approaches used for oak wilt management in Texas:

Successful control usually depends on an integrated program incorporating measures from all four approaches. These measures will not cure oak wilt but can significantly reduce tree losses.

How to slow the spread of oak wilt Regardless of season, immediately paint all pruning cuts and other wounds to oaks. Any kind of wound dressing or paint can be used, and all are equally effective at preventing infections from fungal spores when applied immediately.

To repeat: Avoid pruning or wounding oaks from February 1-June 30.

Debris from diseased red oaks should be immediately chipped, burned, or buried.

When to prune The least hazardous periods for pruning are during the coldest days in winter and extended hot periods in mid to late summer. The best time to prune oaks is during late fall.

Proper pruning techniques should always be used. These include making proper pruning cuts and avoiding injurious practices such as topping or excessive crown thinning. As a general guideline for pruning, clean all pruning tools with 10 percent bleach solution or Lysol between sites and/or trees.

The Texas Trees Foundation is a nonprofit tree planting organization dedicated to greening North Central Texas. Established in 1982, the Texas Trees Foundation manages the nation’s largest non-profit urban tree farm and plants trees on public property.

On January 31, 1949, the snow-covered city saw its all-time coldest temperature

San Antonio is far enough north of the equator where bitter-cold temperatures and snowfall are not out of the realm of possibility. But we also sit close enough to the Gulf of Mexico that significant winter weather doesn’t happen very often. So, to see San Antonio’s all-time record low temperature is shocking, even to a meteorologist. Zero. Yes, San Antonio dropped all the way down to zero degrees on the morning of January 31, 1949. As you would expect, it took a rare combination of events to get the mercury that low.

First, a little perspective. Here are San Antonio’s coldest readings, since records have been kept. Notice that January 30, 1949, the day prior, also ranks in the top 3.

It takes a powerfully cold airmass to surge deep into South Texas. That was the case as a massive front blew through just days before. Take a look at this archived weather map from January 30th, 1949, courtesy of NOAA.

You can see a cold front which has pushed all the way into central Mexico. But even the coldest of airmasses wouldn’t be enough to cause temperatures to plummet to zero in South Texas. It took another component: snow. The cold air behind it would coincide with an overrunning pattern producing widespread snow for Central and South Texas. Austin received 5-7 inches, while San Antonio reported 4 inches on the ground. The pictures below show a blanket of snow over San Antonio.

Just like in the northern part of the country, snow on the ground often acts to bring temperatures even lower. The snow releases any energy or heat into the atmosphere, causing rapid cooling. That’s what happened the morning of January 31, 1949. It caused San Antonio to be colder than many places in the nation, including locations well to our north. As for other sites nearby, it was also a record-setting day.

It has not been since December 23, 1989 that San Antonio has even dropped below 10°, making 1949′s rare arctic reading all that much more impressive.

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San Antonio restaurateur Chad Carey is expanding his downtown footprint with a pizza joint and a second location of cafe and coffee shop Extra Fine.

The businesses will occupy space in the historic Rand and Savoy buildings at 114-116 E. Houston St. Both are owned by Weston Urban, a local developer that’s building hundreds of apartments in the area.

“Every neighborhood needs a coffee shop, and this particular area of downtown doesn’t have one,” Carey said Tuesday. “There are a variety of catalytic projects about to come online, three new residential projects within a three-minute walk of our location, with more to come, and thousands of new units that are a 15-minute walk. San Antonio is going to continue to grow.”

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RELATED: Six groups own nearly 30 of San Antonio’s restaurants and bars. Here are their portfolios.

The original Extra Fine, created by chefs Jessica and John Philpot, is in Monte Vista. The downtown location will also offer a variety of baked goods, lunches and beverages but more grab-and-go options. The yet-to-be-named pizzeria is inspired by single-slice shops in New York and will sell pizza by the slice as well as whole pies and pitchers of beer.

Both restaurants are expected to open by summer. Carey’s Empty Stomach Group operates restaurants, bars and nightlife venues including Double Standard in the Rand Building, Barbaro in Monte Vista, Hot Joy in Southtown and Little Death on the St. Mary’s Strip.

Weston Urban is trying to draw more residents, office workers and students downtown by building apartments, restaurants and office space on the more than 20 acres it owns in the area.

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“Our landlord, Weston Urban, is significantly invested in building great places down here, because great places are where people want to be,” Carey said. “They have our same long-term vision and commitment to making things happen in San Antonio.”

RELATED: 20 major projects to watch around San Antonio

The firm is constructing a 32-story high-rise dubbed 300 Main at North Main Avenue and East Travis Street with about 350 apartments, retail and a parking garage. It’s expected to be finished this year. It also is renovating historic buildings including the former Continental Hotel and erecting a high-rise with more than 300 apartments and commercial space on a block bounded by San Pedro Creek and Commerce, Dolorosa and Laredo streets, and anticipates finishing construction in 2025.

Weston Urban, co-founded by Rackspace Technology Inc. co-founder Graham Weston, built the Frost Tower in 2019. Its holdings also include the Weston Centre offices and the Milam building.

Weston and co-founder Randy Smith are also part of a group that bought the San Antonio Missions in 2022 with plans to build a downtown stadium for the Double-A baseball team.

Feb 6, 2024|Updated Feb 6, 2024 2:04 p.m.