"SA Councilman Impersonated; Man Tries To Prevent Car From Being Towed"

If you are parked illegally, it's probably best not to impersonate someone the police might recognize.

From KSAT-12:

SAN ANTONIO -- Someone allegedly tried to use District 10 City Councilman Chip Haass' name to get out of a jam.

According to Haass, a man illegally parked his 2000 Audi in the 2000 block of Jefferson on Wednesday. When it was about to be towed away, the man told police he was Haass.

Police told Haass that the man said, "I'm a city councilman, please don't tow my car." ...

Despite the man's pleas, the car was still towed away.

I guess claiming to be the mayor would have been too obvious.

"Woman Receives Severed Finger In Mail"

This is not quite in San Antonio (it happened a couple of hours away in Corpus Christi), but a strange dude gave his ex-girlfriend the finger. Literally.

From KSAT:

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- A woman received a severed human finger in the mail along with a threatening letter from her ex-boyfriend that read, "This is my last chance to touch you," police said.

Corpus Christi Police Capt. John Houston said police weren't sure which finger was removed or how, but that it appeared to have been washed before it was mailed Friday. ...

The man faces Class A misdemeanor charges from that incident and additional charges because of the threatening nature of the letter.

Weird. Also scary since the guy is obviously unbalanced, and -- though he was apparaently last known to be in Spring, near Houston -- his current whereabouts are unknown.

First declared candidate for S.A. mayor will pray for city

Patrick McCurdy is a former pastor who owns a restaurant and bakery and feels he is called to lead San Antonio. And he thinks the town needs a lot of prayer.

From the Express-News:

The former Baptist preacher's platform: citywide prayer for forgiveness.

"I absolutely, unapologetically believe that is the answer for San Antonians," said McCurdy, 52. "My calling is to lead San Antonio to prayer, and the vehicle is mayor."

I suppose, all told, that's not too strange. After all, there is a Jewish cowboy on the ballot for governor.

"Stranded Braunig Lake boaters get unconventional rescue"

If you're on Braunig Lake south of San Antonio, and your boat gets stuck on a cable in a remote area, don't expect a helicopter rescue.

From KENS 5:

[Jessica] Valdez said she and her father were trapped, and when nearby boaters refused to help, she called the lake's office.

"She said, 'Where exactly are you?' and I said, 'I don't know, we're in the lake,'" Valdez said. "And she said, 'If you don't tell me exactly where you are, I can't help you.'"

Valdez said when help finally arrived a couple hours later, it wasn't the lake staff or trained rescue personnel who showed up.

Apparently, the clerk — who was working alone — made a deal with some park visitors. She let them in for free, in exchange for promising to rescue the Valdez family.

A bit strange, but just a bit. Was it really something to alert the media about?

Is the point of art to have a point?

OK, I know artists can get a little weird, and I know they don't expect us pedestrian types to "get" their work all the time, but shouldn't they have at least one or two themes they explore at a time? According to the Artpace Web site, local artist Katie Pell is all over the map.

Through drawing, ceramics, performance projects, and comic books, Katie Pell irreverently explores personal and cultural identity, as well as the potential for greatness in everyone. Pell has completed two bodies of work focusing on the dormant fame in each of us. The pastel drawings show ordinary people Mick Jaggar-a-fied, while the comic book humorously tells of the fantastic effect of a Mick apparition on the otherwise humdrum life of a teenager. A more recent series portrays a parallel universe in which women use their disposable income to customize domestic appliances with the competitive zeal of male car fanatics. In these projects, and others, Pell delves into the role of fate and circumstance in creating a disconnect between how we appear and who we would like to become.

I could be wrong, but I think Pell needs a little focus.

"San Antonio ranks high on 'Sweatiest Cities' list"

But we're only sixth sweatiest?

San Antonio ranked sixth in a listing of the nation's heaviest sweaters during the summer months, according to Old Spice's Fifth Annual Top 100 Sweatiest Cities List. ...

Phoenix earned its stripes this year as the nation's top perspiration producer, with the average resident losing 26 ounces of sweat during a typical summer day in 2005.

Dallas took the No. 4 ranking, Houston dropped to the No. 9 spot this year -- two notches below its No. 7 ranking in 2005.

Oh, the injustice. We are way sweatier than Dallas.

Getting back in

Been out for awhile, but now I'm back. New posts soon.

Hiding in plain sight

Sometimes, the job is just plain easy. I mean for the federal agents who happened to find a wanted man helping to construct their new building.

From KSAT:

SAN ANTONIO -- FBI agents working out of a satellite office on the far northwest side did not have far to go to find a Nueces County fugitive -- he was working construction [on] their new office building.

That is a bit strange.

More on the stolen bird

From Brian Chasnoff of the Express-News:

The theft of Baby has left the Crowley family bereft — particularly Molli Luna, Crowley's daughter, whose memories of early childhood are limited mostly to the popcorn-crunching, trash-talking bird.

"She was bad. She was sweet," said Luna, 25, tears in her eyes. "She would call you up — 'c'mere, c'mere' — and she would bite you."

That is quite strange.

Bird stolen

This is a little strange -- a thief who wants only a bird.

From WOAI:

A 26-year-old macaw named "Baby" was taken from the Loveable Pets store on Fair Avenue on the South Side. Many people are familiar with the talking bird from its days in McCreless Mall.

Police say someone broke into the store using a crowbar and took Baby, cage and all.

"Sex Offender Asks Judge To Let Him Teach Kids About Sex"

This is a strange request.

From WOAI:

Richard Martinez was best remembered in the boxing world for his articles at the Express News and La Prensa. He was arrested last July for sexually assaulting the 14-year-old nephew of a boxer he was writing a story about.

Martinez maintains he’s innocent. The judge disagreed and found Martinez guilty on Friday.

During sentencing, Martinez and his attorney approached the judge and asked for probation so Martinez could spend his time teaching children about sex. [emphasis added]

The judge apparently wasn't swayed by Martinez's reason for wanting probation. Martinez got 10 years in the slammer.

"What happens on Pat Booker, stays …"

Just what the San Antonio area needs, a Las Vegas-style wedding chapel.

From The Herald:

There used to be a time when a couple would have to slip away to the “friendly confines” of Las Vegas to enjoy a traditional “chapel wedding.”

Now, Angel’s House of Flowers in Universal City is opening its 1,500-square-foot wedding chapel on Pat Booker Road, complete with “all the trimmings” of a Vegas-styled wedding. Angel’s “Wedding Chapel” opens this weekend with a Grand Opening and Bridal Show Extravaganza set for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the store’s new location, 900-A Pat Booker Road.

That's a little strange.