Last day to join 515,000 early voters; Diwali starts tomorrow; Vapes added to San Antonio smoking ban

This is TPR's roundup of the latest headlines and news developments. It provides a concise and clear summary of the stories TPR pursues.

Today's weather: Expect a high of 83 and a low of 69 today. A cold front next week will bring highs in the 70s.

The Tropics: There is no significant tropical activity in the Gulf and Caribbean regions. The Atlantic hurricane season ends on November 30th.

Don't forget to retreat: On Saturday evening, set all clocks back one hour. Daylight saving time ends on Sunday at 2 a.m. The San Antonio Fire Department says this is also a good time of year to make sure all smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are working. Most of the US will jump forward again on March 9th.

One final day to join the 515,000 early voters in Bexar County

Today is the last day to vote early in the November 5th election. The election agency reported that 515,207 people in the county have cast ballots since early voting began last week. The county's 51 polling stations are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m

In interviews with TPR, voters expressed varying political opinions during this early election cycle.

Many Donald Trump supporters said they trust him more on economic issues than Democrat Kamala Harris.

Many voters continued to cite restoring abortion rights as an important reason to support Harris. Longtime Democrat Dianne Montalvo said she has worked to support candidates who support public schools by opposing vouchers and to keep Trump from returning to the White House.

Straight Democratic voter Ernest Barrientos had high hopes that this election would give Texas a different color on the electoral maps. Some polls show there are some close races that make this possible, including the Senate race between Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Colin Allred.

The Puerto Rican insult at the Trump rally still resonates

An ugly joke told at a recent Donald Trump rally at Puerto Rico's expense continues to resonate with Latino voters, particularly Puerto Ricans.

Since that rally, Trump has tried to explain that the joke does not reflect his opinion of Puerto Rico.

Christina Ponsa-Kraus, a professor of legal history at Columbia Law School, told TPR's The Source that Trump's history shows the opposite.

“We saw from Trump and his response to Hurricane Maria and his opposition to sending funds to Puerto Rico and that scene where he throws paper towels at Puerto Ricans as if that would somehow help — and his comments about selling Puerto Rico .”

The backlash to the joke could hurt Trump's chances of winning the key swing state of Pennsylvania. More than 90,000 Puerto Ricans live in Philadelphia and could express their outrage at the ballot box.

Vapes have been added to San Antonio's no-smoking policy

The San Antonio City Council voted Thursday to add e-cigarettes, often referred to as vapes, to its definition of smoking.

This means that smoking e-cigarettes is prohibited in all city-designated smoke-free areas.

District 9 Councilman John Courage says updating the smoke-free ordinance is the first of several steps the council should take to curb e-cigarette use.

Non-smoking areas include all areas within 20 feet of outdoor public transportation stops, all enclosed public areas and stadiums.

Council members and public speakers pointed to increasing research pointing to the negative health effects of e-cigarettes and their use by children as key reasons for including it in the definition of smoking.

The head of Bexar County's civil rights division is resigning

The head of the Bexar District Attorney's Civil Rights Division announced his resignation Thursday. Assistant District Attorney Jeffery Mulliner will resign on November 14th.

He was named head of the department earlier this year. The unit handles officer-involved shootings, in-custody deaths and allegations of excessive force by law enforcement.

The DA's office said it would begin the search for Mulliner's successor immediately.

It added that the aim would be to avoid any disruption or delay in the cases pending in its department.

Pneumonia while walking now in San Antonio

Spikes in walking pneumonia have been reported across the country. Experts say the wave also hit San Antonio.

Dr. Tess Barton, associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at UT Health San Antonio, said atypical pneumonia, or walking pneumonia, is a mild case of the disease and can sometimes look like a cold at first glance.

“One of the best ways to prevent outbreaks of viral or respiratory infections, whether viral or mycoplasma,” she explained, “is for the sick person to stay home and not go to school or work.” pass it on to everyone else.”

Barton said an outbreak of mycoplasma pneumonia occurs every few years, and this year there is a strong trend toward low immunity and a higher risk of illness. The bacteria are transmitted through coughing and contact with others. People should stay at home if they are sick.

Diwali starts tomorrow

This weekend's celebration celebrates the victory of good over evil and the emergence of light over darkness. One of the main attractions of the festival, apart from music and culture, is the food of India.

“Representative of both the northern and southern parts of India,” said Pallavi Nemani of Anuja SA, the festival organizers. “We also have fusion offerings that combine the traditions and flavors of Texas with Indian flavors.”

Diwali begins at the Arneson River Theater, then Hemisfair Park and Civic Park downtown. It starts at 4:30 p.m. and lasts until midnight.

Dogtober has 176 adoptions

Nearly 200 dogs and cats found new families thanks to the Dogtober Fall Festival hosted by San Antonio's Animal Care Services this past weekend.

The festival set an ACS department record with 176 adoptions in a single event.

Weeks before the festival, shelter staff and volunteers completed preparations, including building agility and entertainment areas, setting up pet gathering spots with selfie stations, and posting colorful signage throughout the shelter.