The company signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire The Grand Theaters and AmStar Cinemas from VSS-Southern Theaters.

Tim Handren was elected in May 2019, prior to the pandemic. He’s serving out the final year of his second two-year term.

Boerne’s population grew by more than 70% from 2010 to 2020.

Santikos New Braunfels is getting a remodel and will expand to add arcades, bowling and a sports bar.

San Antonio-based Santikos Entertainment is now pursuing new ground-up expansion in one of the city’s fastest-growing areas.

Beginning Tuesday, September 6, the Santikos Silverado location at Bandera and Loop 1604 will start phase one of a two-phase revamp.

The mayor of Balcones Heights says there is interest in the theater site.

That continued explosive development northwest of San Antonio comes at a cost. And Boerne, a quaint town grappling with its own growing pains, could pay a steep price.

Santikos will open a new theater this summer in New Braunfels.

BOERNE, Texas – UPDATE: The city of Boerne website reports there are no more appointments available for this event. (Original Story)The city of Boerne will host a COVID-19 vaccination hub Friday for 500 doses of the Moderna vaccine at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church. According to a news release, residents can register to reserve a vaccination slot on the city of Boerne’s website starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday. A link to the registration forms will be posted on the city’s website and residents will have the option to switch to Spanish translation. View below a message from Handren to residents regarding the vaccination hub.

Boerne Mayor Tim Handren said Kendall County received about 1,200 vaccines in early January, but they were used quickly. AdHandren says the state seems to give preference to hospitals, and Kendall County doesn’t have one. It’s also about accessibility, and many in that community can drive to hubs like San Antonio for a vaccine. Kendall County will be receiving about 600 Moderna vaccines this week -- 400 for the city and 200 for the county. Yates says she got lucky taking a drive to San Antonio and getting a shot.

SAN ANTONIO – Editor’s note: This story was published through a partnership between the San Antonio Business Journal and KSAT. Santikos Entertainment has obtained a $50 million loan that puts the Alamo City-based owner of several movie theaters on firmer financial footing as the COVID-19 pandemic drags on. The loan — facilitated by The Bank of San Antonio through the Federal Reserve Bank’s Main Street Lending Program — will be used to pay off an existing private banking loan whose terms had become burdensome. Without the new loan, Santikos would have been forced to maximize its debt against other assets to maintain operations, CEO Tim Handren said. Read more on this story at the San Antonio Business Journal.

BOERNE, Texas – City-sponsored holiday events in the city of Boerne won’t happen this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. “As stated from the beginning, we were hopeful to be able to hold our holiday events knowing that many look forward to them. The cancellation of the holiday events were “out of an abundance of caution,” according to city officials. This also comes as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations continue to increase across the nation and across Texas. The Hill Country Mile will be decorated and covered in festive lights, and outdoor holiday music will be playing on select weekends for residents to enjoy as they visit stores downtown.

Regal Cinema, the second largest cinema chain in the nation announced Monday it is temporarily closing all of its U.S. theaters and some in the UK. Santikos Entertainment CEO Tim Handren told KSAT his theaters have suffered some blows, but nothing to that extent. Handren said out of the nine local Santikos theaters, seven are open to customers. The National Association of Theater Owners adopted our standards,” Handren said. As for Regal Cinemas, the statement released Monday said the closures are temporary, but did not say anything about when the theaters might reopen.

SAN ANTONIO – Santikos Entertainment emailed loyalty members on Wednesday asking for help saying COVID-19 will make theaters “supremely challenged to survive.”The entertainment company said that the virus has limited capacity limits in buildings, and the entertainment industry at large is suffering from a lack of exposure overall with limited releases of new movies. “To say it is frustrating would be an understatement,” the company said to loyalty members in the email. The company said it has “worked for months to create safe physically distanced seating, implemented new sanitation policies and created health screening standards for customers.”Despite these efforts, the company is still challenged to survive the COVID-19 outbreak. “The COVID-19 pandemic has put movie theaters like ours at risk of going dark for good,” the email said. “From small independent screens to nationwide exhibitors, movie theaters employ over 150,000 people and have formed a cornerstone of the American experience for generations.”Additionally, the email from Santikos urged loyalty members of the company to lobby Congress, urging representatives to take action to prevent the closure of theaters.

BOERNE, Tx Kendall County and The City of Boerne announced that they have updated their emergency health declaration by adding mask requirements for large retailers on Tuesday. According to a press release from The City of Boerne, Mayor Tim Handren and Kendall County Judge Darrel Lux signed an addendum to previous emergency health declarations. The addendum mandates that the countys largest retailers establish a Health and Safety Policy, which will require customers to wear facial coverings where social distancing cannot be maintained. Handren and Lux said, in a city press release, that they have communicated with management at all the impacted retailers and they have said they will abide by the declaration. As of June 30, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services has reported 66 cases of COVID-19 in Kendall County, Handren said the virus low impact will not stop local leaders from preventing an increase.

BOERNE, Texas – Boerne city leaders are hoping that temporarily closing Boerne City Lake on weekends and holidays will help reduce the spread of the coronavirus, according to a press release. The lake is expected to be closed June 27-28 and July 3-5 “but will remain open during normal hours of operation during the week,” the release states. Comal River tubing company temporarily shuts down due to increased COVID-19 cases in the areaBoerne Parks and Recreation also canceled the screening of Toy Story 4, set for this Friday, as part of its ‘Movie in the Park’ series. Mayor Tim Handren and City Manager Ben Thatcher made the decision to cancel certain events and adjust days of operation at Boerne City Lake for everyone’s “best interest,” according to the release. City of Boerne officials continue to ask everyone please continue to abide by CDC guidance to frequently wash your hands, maintain social distance and wear facial coverings when out in public.

SAN ANTONIO – Santikos Entertainment announced earlier this week that it will furlough its employees as COVID-19 continues to spread across the city of San Antonio and the nation. Santikos theaters closed their doors on March 19 when the city’s mandatory closure of non-essential businesses went into effect. Economic Security Act); however, businesses with more than 500 employees are not eligible, and Santikos employs more than 500 people. “I figure, if that’s what I have to do to you all then that’s what I have to do." COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019.

BOERNE, Texas – Boerne Mayor Tim Handren has been using social media to stay in touch with his community during the coronavirus pandemic. “There’s no playbook for this -- when you step into a role as mayor -- that says, 'Here’s how you handle a COVID-19 situation,” Handren said. He said the city had to decide to close Boerne City Lake Park because there were too many people gathering this past week. “They’re going out there to hang out together, and that’s kind of not abiding by the principles that we are all setting.”As of Tuesday, there are seven confirmed COVID-19 cases in Kendall County. That includes our county, our school districts, cities of Fair Oaks and Boerne.”COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019.

BOERNE, Texas – Boerne Mayor Tim Handren isn’t pulling any punches when it comes to addressing the public in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Handren took to Facebook Live Monday morning and seemed perplexed by the fact that some people still weren’t practicing social distancing. “There are some people that frankly still don’t believe this is real, which I don’t get," Handren said. HANDREN LIVE: Mayor Tim Handren has an update on the situation in Boerne regarding COVID-19. Posted by City of Boerne - City Government on Monday, March 30, 2020COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019.

BOERNE, Texas – Boerne Mayor Tim Handren on Monday amended the city’s public health emergency declaration to add more restrictions in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. According to a news release, Handren urges residents to stay home unless they are required to be at work providing essential services to the community. Essential services include law enforcement, medical services, banking services, food and supply services or essential communication services. The updated declaration will give public safety teams more enforcement ability. This is the third time the declaration has been amended and it comes as San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg is considering more restrictions for businesses, as well.

SAN ANTONIO – Santikos just announced plans to open a new theater on the North Side. Santikos announces new theater on far northwest side of San AntonioSantikos puts 100% of the company’s profits back into the community through the San Antonio Area Foundation. “John Santikos’ vision was to have his businesses grow and continue operating for the benefit of the community.”Santikos announced the opening of its 10th theater in November. SA’s newest dine-in movie theater Flix Brewhouse announces opening date, dealsSantikos Galaxy Theater on San Antonio’s Northeast Side reopened on Nov. 22 after an extensive remodel. The goal is to carry on John Santikos’ legacy and make an impact in our community,” said Handren.

SAN ANTONIO – Locally based Santikos Entertainment will open its 10th theater in the San Antonio area. The movie theater chain said construction on the new theater will begin soon near Interstate 10 and Boerne Stage Road. Santikos Galaxy Theater to reopen after extensive remodelingThe theater will include 10-12 auditoriums “with a few of those showcasing our premier large format AVX version,” Andrew Brooks, executive director of marketing and sales, said. The Galaxy Theater originally opened in 1979. Construction at the Boerne Stage Crossing Shopping Center is underway in this Nov. 15, 2019, photo.