San Antonio News Today: Storm Recovery Continues as Power Returns, Schools Adjust and Major Local Issues Develop
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Aug. 31, 2026 - San Antonio is starting the week in recovery mode after a powerful Friday-night storm left widespread damage, major power outages and two deaths under investigation. While utility crews have made substantial progress, the storm remains the dominant local story as residents, schools, businesses and city departments work toward normal operations.
Storm recovery makes major progress
By 10:20 a.m. Monday, 1,992 CPS Energy customers remained without electricity, a dramatic improvement from the tens of thousands who were without power over the weekend. CPS Energy says the remaining repairs are increasingly complicated because crews have moved from large-scale outages into smaller problems involving individual homes, damaged poles, lines and equipment.
Crews have replaced more than 50 poles and worked through hundreds of reports of downed wires. CPS Energy expects restoration work to continue into Tuesday for some customers, assuming additional weather does not interfere. Meanwhile, San Antonio crews are tackling fallen trees, storm debris and damaged infrastructure throughout the city.
The human toll is more serious. San Antonio police are investigating two deaths connected to the storm. A 46-year-old woman was found dead after being swept into rushing water near San Pedro Creek, while authorities are investigating the death of a man in his 50s whose body was found at Woodlawn Park.
Traffic signals and debris remain a problem
Drivers may continue seeing storm-related trouble on San Antonio streets. The storm knocked scores of traffic signals offline or forced them into flashing mode, while downed trees and other debris created additional hazards.
City crews are continuing traffic-signal repairs, and officials are asking motorists to treat any intersection with a nonfunctioning signal as a four-way stop. According to the latest recovery reporting, the city expects signal repairs to continue through Wednesday.
The city has also extended its waiver of storm-related brush-disposal fees through Saturday, Sept. 5, while cleanup continues.
Most area schools reopen, but some disruptions remain
Most major San Antonio-area school districts returned to normal schedules Monday despite the storm.
San Antonio ISD, South San Antonio ISD and Edgewood ISD are operating normally. Southwest ISD reopened most campuses, although Medio Creek Elementary remained closed because of a power outage. Sun Valley Elementary reopened after electricity was restored and was also being used as a cooling center for families still without power.
Our Lady of the Lake University canceled Monday classes and closed its San Antonio campus while assessing storm damage, power problems and cleanup needs. San Antonio College, meanwhile, reopened Monday.
Bluebonnet Learning enters San Antonio classrooms
A separate education debate is unfolding as San Antonio ISD students begin working with the state's Bluebonnet Learning curriculum at select elementary schools.
SAISD approved the reading curriculum in a 6-1 vote earlier this month and is introducing it at Crockett Academy, Graebner Elementary and Herff Elementary. Supporters point to its alignment with state standards and structured instructional resources, while critics have raised concerns about religious references contained in portions of the reading materials.
San Antonio is hardly alone. Ten area school districts planned to use at least some Bluebonnet materials during the 2026-27 school year, although most are using the program for mathematics rather than the more debated reading component.
More than 150,000 Bexar County voters placed in suspense status
With the Nov. 3 midterm election approaching, another important story involves Bexar County's voter rolls.
KSAT reports approximately 153,537 Bexar County voter registrations are currently in "suspense" status. That wording deserves some context: being on Texas' suspense list does not automatically mean a person's voter registration has been canceled. Texas election guidance says a voter on the suspense list remains registered and retains voting rights while the registration information is being resolved.
Suspense status can occur when election officials receive information suggesting that a voter may have moved, when registration mail is returned as undeliverable or when a voter does not respond to an address-confirmation notice.
Residents whose addresses have changed should update their registration before the Oct. 5 registration deadline for the Nov. 3 election.
Brad Simpson murder case moves closer to trial
One of the San Antonio area's highest-profile criminal cases also returned to court Monday.
A judge told attorneys in the Brad Simpson murder case to prepare for a possible trial in early 2027. Simpson is accused of killing his wife, Suzanne Clark Simpson, an Olmos Park mother and real estate agent who disappeared in October 2024. Her body has never been recovered.
Simpson faces charges including murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and tampering with a corpse. Judge Joel Perez has asked attorneys to submit a proposed scheduling order as the court moves toward trial preparation.
The bigger picture
For San Antonio, Monday's news is largely a story of recovery. The outage count has fallen sharply, campuses are reopening and streets are gradually being cleared, but nearly 2,000 customers were still without power late Monday morning and infrastructure repairs remain underway.
At the same time, education policy, election readiness and a closely watched criminal case are moving onto the local radar. It makes for one of those unusually packed Alamo City news days where weather, government, schools and courts are all sharing the front page. 🌆📰
Sources and direct links
Texas Public Radio: San Antonio storm recovery update, Aug. 31
San Antonio Express-News: Thousands still without power Monday morning
MySA: Difficult repairs delay full power restoration
City of San Antonio: Official storm recovery update
CPS Energy: Current outage information
KSAT: Bexar County voter registrations in suspense status
Texas Secretary of State: Voter registration and suspense-list guidance
KSAT: SAISD students begin Bluebonnet Learning
TPR / San Antonio Report: Bluebonnet Learning in San Antonio districts
San Antonio Express-News: Brad Simpson case moves toward 2027 trial