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bigcitysmalltown with Bob Rivard

Community & Social Impact Episodes

Stories of grassroots movements, nonprofits, and initiatives making the city more equitable and sustainable.
April 4, 2025

112. San Antonio's Culinary Legacy: 25 Years of Biga on the Banks

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we explore the vibrant culinary landscape of San Antonio, with a spotlight on one of the city's longstanding culinary institutions, Biga on the Banks. Celebrating its 25th anniversary at its iconic location on the...

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March 28, 2025

110. San Antonio’s Model for Homelessness: Why Other Cities Look to H…

This week on bigcitysmalltown we delve into the evolving landscape of homelessness support and services in San Antonio. As Kim Jeffries, the CEO of Haven for Hope, prepares to depart her role to take on the establishment of a comprehensive homeless...

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March 22, 2025

109. The Last Word - The City of San Antonio Can’t Hire Everyone

This week’s Last Word addresses a pressing local decision San Antonio faces amidst national upheaval. With jobs at risk due to political chaos in Washington, city leaders are contemplating hiring displaced federal workers. While the intention is...

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March 21, 2025

108. What It Takes to Host the Final Four—Inside San Antonio’s Big Mo…

This week on bigcitysmalltown, host Bob Rivard is joined by Elena Wells and Jenny Carnes from San Antonio Sports to discuss the upcoming 2025 NCAA Men's Final Four hosted in San Antonio. With the city on the brink of this prestigious event, what can...

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March 7, 2025

104. Inside UTSA Honors College: A Different Kind of Higher Education

This week on bigcitysmalltown, we take a deep dive into UTSA Honors College—one of the most unique and rapidly evolving honors programs in Texas. Unlike traditional programs, UTSA Honors College is built around real-world experience, preparing...

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Feb. 28, 2025

102. The San Antonio Report at 13: Local News, Elections, & The Futur…

This week’s episode of bigcitysmalltown takes a deep dive into the state of local journalism and its future in San Antonio. As traditional news models struggle nationwide, nonprofit newsrooms like San Antonio Report are working to reshape how...

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Feb. 22, 2025

101. The Last Word - Bigcitysmalltown is Growing: 100 Episodes & What…

This week’s Last Word is a special one: bigcitysmalltown has hit 100 episodes. Host Bob Rivard reflects on this milestone, the journey so far, and what’s ahead for the podcast that tells the stories of the people shaping San Antonio’s future....

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Feb. 21, 2025

100. The Future of UTSA with President Taylor Eighmy: Merger, Expansi…

This week’s episode of bigcitysmalltown explores how UTSA is rapidly evolving into a top public research university—and what this means for San Antonio’s future. With its confirmed merger with UT Health San Antonio now in progress, UTSA is...

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Feb. 15, 2025

99. The Last Word - Bexar County Seeks to Expand Mental Health Servic…

This week’s Last Word commentary examines the growing demand for mental health services in Bexar County—and whether the state will provide the funding needed to meet it. Bob Rivard unpacks the county’s plan to expand in-patient mental...

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Feb. 1, 2025

95. The Last Word - San Antonio City Council’s Failed Vote to Fund Ab…

This week’s Last Word commentary examines the San Antonio City Council’s failed vote on funding abortion travel, a decision that reflects both the city’s political divide and the larger struggle between state and local governance in Texas. Bob...

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Jan. 31, 2025

94. Will the Immigration Crackdown Impact San Antonio? A Legal Expert…

This week’s episode of bigcitysmalltown dives into one of the most pressing issues facing San Antonio: the future of immigration policy and how it will impact our community.  We’re joined by Claudia Hernandez, an immigration attorney at...

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Jan. 25, 2025

93. The Last Word - The Gulf of Neighbors

This week’s Last Word commentary reflects on the enduring connections between Texas and Mexico through the Gulf of Mexico—a shared space of culture, trade, and history. As the relationship between these neighbors faces new challenges in the next...

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Jan. 24, 2025

92. Meet San Antonio’s New Family-Friendly Art Residency: Parts & Lab…

This week’s episode of bigcitysmalltown spotlights something new in San Antonio’s arts community: a residency program tailored to support artists who are also caregivers. We’re joined by Liz Stehl Kleberg & Meaghan Mitts, the founders...

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Jan. 3, 2025

87. VIA's Jeff Arndt Rides Off

This week’s guest is Jeff Arndt, who has served for 13 years as president and CEO of VIA Metropolitan Transit, San Antonio and Bexar County’s public bus system. Listen as Arndt discusses his career at VIA ahead of his retirement, the challenges...

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Dec. 13, 2024

84. Craig Garnett: Uvalde’s Newspaper Publisher

This week’s guest is Craig Garnett, the longtime publisher and owner of the Uvalde Leader-News, the daily newspaper in Uvalde, a South Texas town of 15,000 that became national news on May 24, 2022, when 18-year-old Salvador Ramos opened fire in...

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