For longtime San Antonians, Helotes used to be thought of as rural, and was best known for the annual Cornyval Festival in the early spring. But its recent designation as an official Boom Town by The Gadberry Group may make you rethink that perception.

So how did it get this status, which only seven other cities in the entire country got? With its booming population and growth. The population of Helotes grew from just 3,080 in 2000 to 13,919 households in 2008 - a nearly 400% leap! Who knew so many people were racing for this suburb, which counts itself as the "Gateway to the Hill Country."

For more information on Helotes, see my Helotes Profile.

Texas is one of the few remaining states in the union where smoking is still legal in some public places. As of right now, you can smoke in designated smoking areas of public establishments, or anywhere in one that is clearly marked as not having a non-smoking section.

But all that will change soon if State Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton has her way. After a failed attempt in 2007, she once again is leading the charge to make smoking illegal in all public establishments, including bars, clubs and restaurants. State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston will file the bill in the Senate, while Crownover will file it in the House.

Under the proposed law, those caught smoking in the newly illegal places would be slapped with a Class-C Misdemeanor, which carries a fine of up to $500.

What do you think of the proposed bill? Will it pass, or will it fall short once again like in 2007 (when it passed the House but not the Senate)? Do you feel this is a good thing for the public, or does it infringe on smokers' and business owners' rights?

In a time when California is nearly bankrupt and everybody from New Jersey to the porn industry is thinking of asking for a bailout from the federal government, Texas seems to once again buck the trend, giving San Antonians something to be thankful for even as the holidays end.

State Comptroller Susan Combs will send her annual budget report to the State Legislature today, and the news isn't great, but definitely not as gloomy as elsewhere.

Basically, what it boils down to is less taxes and income were collected last year, which will cause some budget constraints. However, the State will not go bankrupt or force employees to take unpaid leave like other states. At least, that is the forecast.

For a full breakdown of what was collected and what money goes where, you can visit the State Comptroller's Official Site which will also have a copy of the report up sometime today or tomorrow, after Combs has officially presented it to legislators.

Those with an HDTV and only basic cable can rejoice! You now have another high definition channel to choose from: Hallmark Movie Channel HD.

Not sure what is actually on Hallmark Movie Channel HD? The only Hallmark I knew was the greeting card stores, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that the channel includes a nice balance of original movies and Hollywood favorites from years past.

The channel made its San Antonio debut last April but was only available on the premium HD tier of programming. The move to the regular digital tier means more people get to see it without an extra charge. It's nice to see additional service without additional price! Doesn't come very often, so enjoy!