OK, BLOOMER

30+ San Antonio nonprofits invite locals out for NatureFest and 5K run

Green Spaces Alliances is inspiring a love of the outdoors through a free family-friendly event.

Photo courtesy of Green Spaces Alliance

San Antonio, like many U.S. cities, isn't exactly known for its green spaces. From the twisting iron of downtown's La Antorcha de la Amistad to the timeworn stone of the missions and sweeping arches of Confluence Park, much of what makes the city unique is manufactured.

Nonetheless, organizations like the Green Spaces Alliance (GSA) work diligently to protect undeveloped land and cultivate open spaces to ensure the landscape isn't completely dominated by concrete and steel. Its latest fundraiser, NatureFest, hopes to inspire locals' love of the environment through a family-friendly event.

Held at Mission County Park on November 4, NatureFest will feature a Conservation Fair showcasing more than 30 local nonprofit partners. Other activities include a family hike challenge, gardening demos, educational workshops, and games. Food trucks will also be parked to keep munchies at bay.

Athletic types can also break a sweat during the event's popular Run the River 5K. Those who register before November 3 can take advantage of a discounted registration fee of $40 for adults and $20 for youth under 17. All proceeds benefit GSA.

Though some might resist rising early on a Saturday, early birds to the event will get a particularly tasty worm. The nonprofit has prepared fresh produce packs from its urban gardening associates to give to the first 200 attendees.

The fun begins at 9 am and lasts until 1 pm, with 5K registration kicking off at 8 am. The event and parking are free, but visitors might consider making a pit stop on the way to the park. Donations help GSA continue organizing community events and conserving outdoor space for future generations.

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Vehicle News

What to know about new car inspection requirements in San Antonio

Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

Texas is changing requirements for vehicle registration.

Beginning January 1, 2025, Texas vehicle owners will no longer need to obtain a safety inspection prior to vehicle registration. House Bill 3297, passed during the 88th Legislature in 2023, eliminates the safety inspection program for non-commercial vehicles.

We'll all be free, free, free of the oppression of the safety inspection process. However …

Under the new law, the $7.50 fee that drivers had to pay as a safety inspection fee has not gone away. It now appears on your registration notice under a new name: "Inspection Program Replacement Fee."

This name change comes courtesy of the legislature, who want to keep collecting this fee because the funds go to state programs such as construction and expansion of state highways — funds they previously collected from the Safety Inspection Fee.

And while the safety inspection is gone, state law will still require that drivers in 17 counties must pass an "emission inspection" on vehicles that are 2 to 24 years old, in order to get your vehicle registered. In Bexar County, the new requirement will go into effect in 2026.

But what does an "emissions inspection" mean?

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) details the following changes:

Safety inspection out, emissions testing in
Until December 31, 2024, safety inspections are required for vehicle registration in all 254 counties. Beginning January 1, 2025, noncommercial vehicles in Texas will no longer be required to have an annual safety inspection. Instead, vehicles will have to get an emissions inspection on gasoline-powered vehicles that are 2 to 24 years old.

What is no longer going to be "inspected"?
Texas Transportation Code §548.051 specifies the list of old-school inspection items which will no longer be checked. Moving forward, they will no longer be checking: tires, wheel assembly, safety guards, safety flaps, brakes, steering, lighting, horns, mirrors, windshield wipers, sunscreening devices, and front seat belts in vehicles on which seat belt anchorages were part of the manufacturer's original equipment.

What will still be inspected are listed as "Items 12–15": exhaust system, exhaust emissions system, fuel tank cap, and emissions control equipment. These will be part of the emissions inspection process in 17 counties.

Those 17 counties where this is relevant include:

Austin: Travis and Williamson
DFW: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, and Tarrant
Houston: Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, and Montgomery
El Paso County

In Bexar County, emissions inspections will be required beginning on November 1, 2026.

Where will emissions inspections be obtained?
Emissions inspections can be obtained at DPS-certified vehicle inspection stations in the 17 emissions counties. These will be the exact same inspection locations we've been going to all along, when it was called a safety inspection. Emissions inspections are not available in the other 237 Texas counties.

DPS offers an inspection station locator online.

What is the estimated cost of an emissions inspection?
Vehicle owners will pay an emissions inspection fee of $2.50 annually to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) at the time of registration. The actual fee you'll pay at the inspection station (as listed on TCEQ’s website) will be $25.50. Just like the former "safety inspection" fee.

In short: There is little that's changing about the entire inspection process, except they won't bother making you honk your horn.

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