Finding ordnance

In the street. And, supposedly, it was a missile.

A missile was found in the middle of a street in West Bexar County Thursday morning.

The missile was discovered around 9:00 a.m. at the intersection of Firefox Den and Barking Wolf, near Loop 1604 and Marbach Road.

Bexar County officials said the missile, which was 16" to 18" long, was used for training purposes and was not a 'live.'

(from WOAI-TV)

I don't know, a foot and a half seems a bit short to be a "missile". I know that it's possible something that size could be guided, and then, therefore, a missile. But that sounds more like a rocket.

Either way, it's not something you would expect to find in the street, whether it is "a 'live'" or not.

Gettin' medieval on Talisman Street

Here in Texas, home invaders better think twice. Most of us will shoot back.

But a select few will take you back to the Middle Ages.

 Three men who broke into a home Thursday morning on the city's East side were confronted by a homeowner with a sword, San Antonio police said.

The homeowner, Robert Suniga, told police the men said they were looking for his son.

"They were saying that they were SAPD. They were saying they had a search warrant. They were saying that he raped their little sister," Suniga said.

Suniga didn't buy the mens' story. Instead of handing over his son, Suniga armed himself for a fight. He went to his bedroom to get a sword that a friend gave him as a gift, telling him to use it to protect his family.

(from KSAT-12)

Burning Christmas

It looks like Ebenezer Scrooge is still alive. And I don't think he's changed much.

A torched Christmas tree sent people scrambling from a Denny's restaurant early Sunday and investigators say the fire was no accident.

The fire happened at the Denny's near 35 and Rittiman just after 3:30 a.m.

Investigators say it appears someone set the restaurant's Christmas tree ablaze.

(from KSAT-12)

"New LED street lights fail in the rain"

Sometimes it's better to be a late adopter of a new technology. That way, you let all the other folks work through the bugs before you spend your money on it.

But the leaders of San Antonio seem to love to adopt anything "green" just as soon as they possibly can, even before all the problems have been discovered. And sometimes this produces head-shaking results.

Earlier this year we told you the City of San Antonio and CPS Energy are spending more than $14 million of your money to replace street lights with energy saving LED fixtures.  Now the News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooters have uncovered that all 25,000 of the fixtures had to be sent back to the manufacturer because of a glaring defect.

Close to 2,000 of the street lights are already up in a few areas around the city, but installations came to a halt a few weeks ago when some of the new fixtures began to fail. 

...

In September CPS Energy noticed something similar happening: some of the new lights going dark shortly after installation.  And the cause?  Rain… getting into the fixtures and shorting them out.

(from WOAI-TV)

Seems they've also had problems with bird droppings covering up the sensors that are supposed to tell the lights to shut off in the daytime. In the end, these LED lights will probably work out to be a good product, but I bet you didn't know that you, as a San Antonio taxpayer, were helping to pay for the beta testing.

And you don't even get to play with it.

Micromanaging, to the nth degree

Think you run your team? Maybe you don't.

NBA Commissioner David Stern says the San Antonio Spurs will be hit with "substantial sanctions" for their decision to send four regulars home before their game in Miami on Thursday night.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green were sent home by San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, who cited a desire to get them rest at the end of a long road trip. The NBA was not happy, and Stern released a statement saying he apologizes "to all NBA fans."

(from KSAT-12)

All of them. Not just the ones who follow the Spurs.

That's what a commissioner is for, apparently.

Ruining your job prospects

If you're looking for a job, I understand that you might be a bit desperate. But you might actually get called back for a second interview if you can control yourself and refrain from robbing the customers.

Maybe.

Management at the Hacienda Vallarta Mexican Buffet at 7200 Bandera Road gave KENS 5 surveillance video of the suspect, who can be seen entering the restaurant then breaking into the truck before leaving the parking lot in a red Ford Taurus.

They say the man had stopped in at the restaurant to see if there were any job openings.

...

Surveillance video shows the suspect walk into the restaurant at 2:27 p.m. Monday. Three minutes later he finishes stealing [Bob] Martinez's belongings and flees in his car.

(from KENS-5)

Bonus strangeness: The man is a repeat customer/applicant.

The manager at Hacienda Vallarta says they recorded the same man entering the restaurant then breaking into an employee's car three weeks ago.

"Butterfly travels to SA on plane"

I don't know, it just seems like they're enabling this underachiever.

A lone Monarch butterfly flew from Albany, N.Y., to San Antonio Monday not on it's [sic] own, but onboard a Southwest Airlines flight -- for free.

It was all to help the butterfly make its migration to Michoacan, Mexico, for the winter.

The butterfly emerged from its chrysalis too late to travel with other butterflies and it was already too cold in the northeast to make the trip.

...

"I said, 'What are you doing here? You're late! Your very late for a important date!'" said [the Butterfly Woman of Shokan, N.Y. Maraleen] Manos-Jones.

(from KSAT-12)

I hope that date isn't with one of San Antonio's many grackles. For Ms. Manos-Jones's sake, that is.

Car crashes into house

Well, really it's a bar. But there's no denying the loads of strangeness contained within this story.

A woman crashed a pickup into a bar this morning, then ran away in high heels, police and witnesses said.

She was headed south in the 1800 block of Quintana Road about 7 a.m. when she veered into oncoming traffic, clipping a Hyundai Accent before barreling through a parking lot and into Dayzee Dukes Saloon, police said.

George Valdez, who lives next to Dayzee Dukes, peered out a window after hearing the impact and saw a large dust cloud at the bar.

Dazed, the driver emerged from the building and appeared to have difficulty getting her balance, Valdez said.

“She looked kind of wobbly, but I don't know if it was from the crash or the heels,” Valdez said.

Then, she sprinted away, chased by a beer truck driver.

(from the Express-News)

Now read that again. And tell me you didn't chuckle just a little.

A truck.
In a bar.
Named Dayzee Dukes.
A cloud of dust!
A wobbly woman emerges.
In heels.
She sprints!
Chased by a beer truck driver.

It's all there, telling a story in a way that I don't mind reading over once or twice. Good writing, Ms. Ana Ley. Good writing.

"Slippery thieves stealing used grease from S.A. restaurants"

At first glance, I wonder why restaurant owners would be upset about this situation.

Big’z burgers and fries aren’t the only things popular at this award-winning restaurant — so is the used cooking oil.

“The more people you serve, the more grease you go through (and) the more full that grease trap is out there,” manager Matthew Coker said.

But lately, the grease trap has appeared empty. The fry cooks noticed it first. Then, the restaurant turned to its surveillance cameras.

“There’s been what looks like a company truck backing up and stealing it. It has happened to us several times already.”

(from KENS-5)

I'm clueless about this. Do restaurants sell their used grease? I was always under the impression they had to pay someone to haul it away, like trash, in which case the theft wouldn't really be that big of a deal. Of course, if the restaurants do make money selling the old oil I can see why they'd be irked if someone stole it.

Does anyone know more about this? Is it standard practice for eateries to sell cooking grease? I am genuinely curious.

Not making the cops go too far

You know, if you're going to crash into another vehicle, you might as well make it easy for the police to respond.

It was wrong place, wrong time and definitely wrong vehicle for a driver who crashed into a PD wagon right in front of the new downtown police station.

Police say that driver slammed his car into the police wagon just after midnight Saturday.

The wagon was on a mail delivery run and parked outside the new station in the 300 block of S. San Saba.

(from KSAT-12)

"3 deadly pedestrian crashes on San Antonio streets have others alert"

Geez, is a certain race in town, or what?

An especially deadly day for pedestrians on San Antonio streets has other people on alert. Three people were hit and killed Tuesday while crossing busy roadways.

San Antonio police said the triple tragedies began with the death of Erna Zwicke, 90, who was hit while crossing Fredericksburg Road near W. Agarita Avenue in a wheelchair around 7:30 a.m.

Twelve hours later, a man who friends said was homeless died after being hit by a pickup as he crossed Walzem Road near Montgomery Drive. The driver sped away from the scene, according to police.

...

Shortly after 8 p.m., San Antonio officers were called to the scene of a third fatal crash.

An accident report stated that a 47-year-old woman was struck by an 18-wheeler on the Interstate 35 North access road near Fisher Road.

(from KSAT-12)

Run fast, if you're on foot. Slow down a bit, if you're not.

Not thinking long enough about a good place to nap

Sometimes the criminals just kind of catch themselves, don't they?

San Antonio police made two big arrests Wednesday, detaining two suspects they believe are linked to numerous burglaries with theft in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Officers said one of the suspects who is in his 20s was found sleeping in a car full of electronics at an apartment complex located off of Vance Jackson and Orsinger.

Police said the suspect in the car told police the property belonged to someone inside an apartment.

After going into the apartment they found a stolen gun and another suspect, also in his 20s, hiding in a closet, detectives said.

(from KENS-5)

And they like to smile for the cameras, too.

I love you, mija. I'll see y'all later!

"Neighborly feud ends in south-side street brawl"

Well, that makes it sound like everyone was getting along just peachy as they were exchanging fightin' words. You know, before it got all western on the South Side.

An argument between two south-side neighbors turned into an all-out street brawl late Tuesday night.

The brawl, which involved nearly a dozen people, started as an argument between two women at the intersection of Linda Lou and Hackberry, San Antonio police said.

Each of the women called more family members outside to help, police said. It didn't take long for the two families to start exchanging punches.

Police said everyone scrambled into a home when officers arrived at the intersection.

(from KENS-5)

And on National Night Out, no less.

Not behaving ethically

In case you haven't heard, yet, the City of San Antonio's deputy manager sat on a selection committee for a very big contract while at the same time applying for a job at a place where one of the head honchos also runs a company that was bidding on said big contract. He got the job, and the relevant company got the contract.

And now he seems baffled that some people don't find the smell quite right.

Deputy City Manager Pat DiGiovanni said late Tuesday that he made a regrettable, embarrassing mistake by not recusing himself from a committee charged with selecting a construction company for a $300 million Convention Center expansion project because of a potential conflict of interest.

DiGiovanni, 54, said he is drafting a letter to the city's Ethics Review Board that he expects to file this week to determine whether he violated the city's policies.

He served on a bid review committee while negotiating a new job with a nonprofit whose vice chairman has a financial stake in the Convention Center project, the San Antonio Express-News reported last week.

...

DiGiovanni accepted a job as CEO of the Centro Partnership, a nonprofit created to encourage downtown development, the day before he sat on a panel hearing presentations from four companies vying for the Convention Center project. The panel ultimately recommended the project go to a joint venture of Phoenix, Ariz.-based Hunt Construction Group and San Antonio-based Zachry Corp.

(from the Express-News)

Guess who's vice chairman of the Centro Partnership: David Zachry.

Seeking out HIV

If you see this van cruising your neighborhood ----

---- then you know you're in an at-risk area.

Oh, wait. Never mind. They're just calling out the neighborhoods anyway.

"Now we can reach out into the deep east side, south side and the west side, where there's a lot of barriers to getting to health clinics or to getting testing," explained SAAF Director David Ewell.

(from KENS-5)

What, do they have music playing, like ice cream trucks, to let the neighbors know they're in the area? Do they park and just hawk their services, like food trucks? Seriously, how do they get the people who need testing over to the truck to take the test? I would think most people passing by would have a reaction similar to this guy in the video at the news story link:

I probably would not use it, but I think it's an excellent social resource.

And I think most people who are thinking about getting a test to see if they are HIV positive would rather do so in a more discreet location, so they are probably likely to shun this resource as well, as excellent as it may be. Perhaps it will be useful and helpful in the long run, but I kind of doubt it.

I do like the way they Hispanicized the whole thing by throwing in a gratuitous "¡Ay!" in the thought balloon. Maybe the California outfit that donated it thought us San Antonians would appreciate that little bit.

Thanks, Cali.

Beer!

It's only Bud Light, but it's still a shame.

The wreck happened just before 10:30 a.m. on the ramp from 35 South to I-10 West.

Police say the beer truck driver lost control on the curve and crashed into a retaining wall.

His truck trailer flipped and beer poured out onto the roadway.

(from KSAT-12)

Snake!

Don't play with the rattlers!

Officials at a northeast-side school say students will be allowed to play at recess after a student was bitten by a rattlesnake at the playground after school on Wednesday.

Aubrey Chancellor, spokeswoman for the North East Independent School District, said the 8-year-old boy was bitten near the back of the playground at Longs Creek Elementary.

The boy was rushed to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

(from KENS-5)

The school caught the snake and released it somewhere "far away from the school". That's too bad. They should have killed it and given the skin to the boy, so he can always remember. And so he can show his grandchildren the snake that wasn't snake enough to take him out, even as a kid.

Someone who should have thought a little more

About his choice of shirt, that is.

 The 29-year-old suspect, who wasn't immediately identified by police, told reporters he knew the trailer belonged to a local Boy Scout Troop as he was being led out of the N[or]th Side substation where he was questioned be detectives.

The suspect said he needed the money and said he was sorry for stealing from the Scouts.

(from KSAT-12)

Seriously, if you are thinking about beginning a career as a petty criminal you might want to start investing in plain clothing. And you might want to start wearing said clothing all the time. You know, just in case.

It's hard to be sexy and you know it when you're wearing PD jewelry.

Losing the focus on fitness

When does San Antonio's newest fitness craze (closing down a street to emphasize non-motorized modes of transportation) stop being such a fitness craze and starts becoming just another excuse to party?

When people start wining.

The city’s third Síclovía, a free event during which residents can walk, run, cycle and play on a 5-mile stretch of Broadway closed to traffic, will be joined by Feastivàl, a wine and food event, on Oct. 7.

...

Feastivàl, part of the Culinaria wine and cooking festival, will take over the Pearl Brewery complex with wine tastings and cooking demonstrations of healthy recipes from noon to 3 p.m.

(from the Express-News)

I wonder if the clientele mixes well.

Car crashes into house

This one did not end well at all.

Two people are dead and a home destroyed after a speeding car crashed into a house sparking a two alarm fire.

Firefighters say the driver of that car and a person who lived in the home were killed.

The fire started just before 2:30 a.m. Sunday when the car veered off the street and slammed into the house in the 4200 block of Timberhill.

(from KSAT-12)

Car crashes into house

And tries to disguise its attack as bad weather.

A van plowed into a home in the 3600 block of Crossette Drive near Babcock and Hillcrest Tuesday night. The driver then fled the scene, San Antonio police said.
Damages were estimated at $6,000, according to San Antonio police.

The homeowner was inside when the van came crashing into his sitting room and garage at about 10 p.m.

"Well, I thought it was thunder," Carlos Mata, the homeowner said. "It was big thunder. I thought (a) tree fell down."

(from KSAT-12)

Not thunder.

Car crashes into house

And tries to throw investigators off its scent by taking out a fellow automobile

A car smashed into a house on the northeast side sending three people to the hospital.

It happened just before 1:30 Saturday afternoon at Somerset and Sunrise.

According to emergency responders the car ran right through the stop sign at the intersection, hit another car and slammed into a house.

(from WOAI-TV)

Bonus strangeness: Just now, when I went to type "WOAI", I caught myself starting to type "KMOL" instead. How weird is that? It's been a while since that station used those call letters. Is that some kind of subconscious long-term memory thing? Or am I just some old geezer remembering the old days?

I am genuinely curious.

Bringing in more basketball

Is this really necessary?

Just had an interesting conversation with Steven Haney, CEO of the new American Basketball League that will begin play in January with a franchise in San Antonio ... .

Haney said the ABL’s overarching purpose is to develop players for competition in various leagues around Europe. The majority will be homegrown American players, but Haney said the ABL has gotten “tremendous” feedback about possibly serving as a farm system for young foreign players who aren’t getting time at home, similar to the loan system in professional soccer.

(from Spurs Nation)

Don't we already have a team?

Confusing the twins

Ha-ha, KSAT! Don't forget anybody's name, or anything!

Mayor Julian Castro is admittedly a little nervous about speaking at next week's Democratic National Convention.

...

"I'm going to talk about my family story. The context of creating opportunity in America. How our nation has been the land of opportunity, and what we need to do in the future to ensure that that path to opportunity is sustained," Mayor Castro said.

Saturday morning Mayor Castro, with his wife Erica, daughter, and brother Julian by his side, said goodbye to a room of hundreds of supporters.

(from KSAT-12)

Poor Joaquin. Julian seems destined forever to steal his thunder. But he shouldn't worry. Around here in the Alamo City, we all know he and his twin brother would never do anything that would lead us to confuse the two.

Hailing a getaway

Obviously he needed the money for a car.

San Antonio police arrested a man suspected in a robbery at a credit union who used a cab as his getaway car.

Police said the robbery happened about 2:15 p.m. on Thursday at the San Antonio Federal Credit Union on Bandera Road.

...

Police found the cab and the driver said he just dropped the man off.

(from KSAT-12)

I wish this story had more details, like:
1. Did the guy get the cab first, rob the bank, then leave? Or did he call for the ride after the deed?
2. Did the cabbie not find it odd that his fare told him to drive to a bank, to wait there, and then to drive away quickly when he returned?
3. Did he pay his fare from the stolen loot? Did the money he paid with have dye on it?
4. Did he tip the cabbie?
5. Does the cabbie get to keep the tip?
6. Does he get to keep the fare?

I am genuinely curious.

Get back to us, KSAT. San Antonio wants to know.

Dying on the ranch

The mayor of Hollywood Park has died.

He was killed by a donkey.

An aggressive donkey is being blamed for the death of Hollywood Park Mayor William “Bill” Bohlke.

He was found on his Atascosa County ranch about 50 yards from his truck about 10 p.m. Monday, at least 10 hours after a stud donkey apparently attacked him, Atascosa County Chief Deputy David Soward said Wednesday.

“They can become very aggressive, very mean, sometimes triggered by a female in heat,” Soward said. “We'll probably never know what triggered it, but it was evident that this particular donkey was involved, based on the evidence at the scene and what we saw on this donkey.”

When asked if Bohlke was kicked or trampled, Soward replied, “We can just surmise, based on the evidence that we have, all of that.”

(from the Express-News)

Strange. Very strange.

"Man found dead in Pearl Brewery smokestack"

Not something you expect to find every day at the work site.

A man believed to be a construction worker whose family told police he'd been missing for days was found dead at the bottom of a smokestack at the Pearl Brewery on Tuesday.

Workers reported smelling a foul odor and called police to the 300 block of Pearl Parkway just before 1 p.m.

...

Police believe he had been working on a construction project in a building adjacent to the smokestack, which bears the words “PRIDE” and “PEARL” in large white letters. He apparently was inside a covered walkway that connects to the smokestack when he fell to the bottom from a height of about 20 feet, [San Antonio Police Department Sgt. Javier] Salazar said.

(from the Express-News)

Have you ever hung out in a smokestack? By yourself?

"Man proposed marriage to girlfriend after Family Dollar robbery"

Because nothing says love quite like an equal stake in aggravated robbery.

Police say a man identified as Sean Foxx, 27, proposed to his girlfriend, Treila Woods, 24, after the pair had just been arrested in connection with an aggravated robbery at a Family Dollar Store.

Investigators said Foxx was in a getaway car outside the store Monday morning waiting for Woods to come out.

Store managers claim Woods was shoplifting and attempted to stop her as she was leaving through a broken door. Foxx saw what happened and then went inside, police said.

...

Foxx and Woods were arrested a short time later and charged with aggravated robbery.

Police said after the arrest Foxx popped the question and Woods accepted.

(from KSAT-12)

And what's next? Marriage, of course.


Does the Family Dollar take wedding registries? Perhaps all could be forgiven, then.

Someone who really needs to find a hobby

One that doesn't involve telephone calls of any kind.

A 22 year old man is facing charges after police say he allegedly made several calls to 911.

"He called four times in 28 minutes, and there was no emergency, officers determined that once they went out to the suspects residence, " said Officer Matthew Porter with SAPD.

Officer Porter went on to say Walton was making calls to 911 while police were already at his home, "The individual was cursing at the operator, " replied Porter.

(from WOAI-TV)

Help, damn you! The cops are after me! I can hear them in the other room! It's true!!!

"Screaming man pulled from Mission San José"

Now here's something you don't expect to see in an old Spanish mission in San Antonio:

A Heat fan.

Father Tony Posadas, pastor of Mission San José, said the man entered the roped-off sanctuary and started to move furniture around to create a private prayer area for himself.

Park rangers noticed and told him to move away, but he became violent, throwing furniture and toppling potted plants in the sanctuary, Posadas said.

Authorities used pepper spray and a stun gun to subdue the man, Posadas said, then took him away in handcuffs around 12:30 p.m. — about 90 minutes after his outburst began.

(from the Express-News)

Car crashes into house

Egad! The offensive is real! The surge is under way!

Ruben Chavez and his girlfriend, Denise Ramos, left their west San Antonio home to get food from McDonald's. When they returned, a vehicle had driven through their house.

...

Ramos and Chavez live in the 700 block of S. Navidad. Emergency crews were called out to the home just before 2 a.m. for a car that smashed into their home.

The 21-year-old man who was driving the vehicle was in the driveway, according to San Antonio police. He reportedly hit the accelerator instead of the brakes. That sent his vehicle barreling into the house.

(from KENS 5)

He's scared of cars, now.

Car crashes into house

I'm beginning to think the automobiles are waging a new offensive in their war against the domiciles, a surge, if you will.

A teenager is in big trouble with the police after crashing a car into another vehicle and a house.

The crash happened Sunday morning in the 6100 block of Jackies Farm.

Police said the teen crashed into a truck on Mystic Sunrise and tried to drive away, but that driver followed him.

The boy then sped through the eastside neighborhood and lost control, crashing into a driveway, a car, and a house, said police.

The car he hit went into the garage, badly damaging the home.

(from KSAT-12)

Hmmm. Sounds like that auto got some inside help.

Car crashes into house

No! Not a car, this time! Now the autos have enlisted Optimus Prime in their crusade against the abodes!

A southside family had a rude awakening Saturday when big rig crashed into a car then slammed into a section of their home.

The crash happened at a home in the 1800 block of Kendalia.

Police say the rig slammed into a car, then dragged it as it crashed into the home.

(from KSAT-12)

I bet that other car was a Decepticon.

Car crashes into house

No, make that through a house!

And that auto must have really had it in for that house, because it showed no indication that the owner's status as a police officer bothered it in the least bit.

It was supposed to be a simple home sale -- one police officer to another. In fact, they were all set to close at the end of this month.

That is, until both of the officers said their plans were wrecked by a truck smashing into that home early Friday morning.

San Antonio police said a 17-year-old driver was behind the wheel of a Toyota Tundra that slammed into the front of the home and stopped at the rear.

Inside of the house, pieces of the truck, damaged appliances, and an interior ripped apart by the crash were evident.

(from KENS-5)

Brave truck.

ADDED: This truck wimped out. It didn't dare take on a cop's house. It decided to take on the city's pound instead, thinking that the animals might be grateful to escape.

The accident happened around 12:15 p.m. Friday at the main [Animal Care Services] facility in the 4700 block of Highway 151. ACS spokesperson Lisa Norwood told News 4 WOAI the vehicle hit their training center. Norwood said it appeared a vehicle traveling on Highway 151 drove off the highway, over the grassy median and access road and then into the building.

(from WOAI-TV)

It only took out a training building, though. Better luck next time, truck

Thinking on the fly

There's only one thing I can think to say about this:

¡Puro San Antonio!

A medical helicopter missing half its landing gear came to a gentle rest on top of three mattresses during an emergency landing at San Antonio International Airport, where the aircraft was diverted after it struck a cellphone tower early Sunday.

Around 3:30 a.m., a PHI Air Medical chopper carrying one patient and three crew members hit a tower near Interstate 35 and Binz-Engleman Road, knocking off one of the aircraft's two skids, PHI spokesman Brad Deutser said.

...

[SAFD Captain Kevin] Campbell said the pilot, communicating through the airport's control tower, asked if firefighters had anything to put under the chopper so it could land.

... “He suggested mattresses, and I told Engine 23 to grab three or four mattresses from the dorm. We also brought out weights from our weight room to hold the mattresses down.”

...

“It was tense for a little bit,” Campbell said, “but we stacked the mattresses and weighted them down with four, 45-pound plate weights and he landed on top of it. It worked great.”

(from the Express-News)

Bonus strangeness: It sounds like that pilot has done this before! I don't know whether to be nervous or grateful for knowing that.

Your tax dollars at work

Or at play, depending on how you look at this.

The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting of an off-duty deputy in his home. However, the incident, initially, is being called “accidental.”

The deputy, who works as a detention officer at the Bexar County jail, was celebrating his 26th birthday when he was shot, according to sheriff’s investigators at the scene.

...

[Sgt. Louis] Antu said the deputy was in a bedroom of the home in the 2300 block of Marilyn Kay Street when he was shot in the hand with a shotgun, nearly severing his index finger.

The shooting happened during the deputy’s birthday party, and there were several people in the home at the time, including other off-duty detention officers, deputies and dispatchers, Antu said.

Because some of the party guests had been drinking alcohol, detectives, at first, had difficulty in getting information.

...

San Antonio Police Department records show at least two other calls at the home.

Police officers investigated a burglary at the deputy’s home in late July. In January, someone at that address suffered a drug overdose, police said.

(from KSAT-12)

Work hard, play hard. And all that.

Say, isn't the sheriff's job an elected position?

What happens on the South Side ...

... stays on the South Side. Who needs the Kickapoos when you've got eight-liners in fine establishments such as this in your own home town?

The Rodriguezes said [Shamsuddin] Momin is an old friend who came to them a few months ago, offering to rent out an old shed on their property on El Jardin Road.

Desperate for money, they said they agreed, thinking, at first, that he planned to use it to store some slot machines.

Instead, police said the storage shed became an illegal gambling parlor.

(from KSAT-12)

Sure, I'm just going to store some slot machines in the shed. That's all. Nothing to worry about. Don't mind the line of people going in there at 3:00 a.m., though. They're just techs.

Someone who should check a little closer

On the paperwork, that is.

San Antonio-based restaurant chain Sushi Zushi will reopen some locations as early as next week, CEO Alfonso Tomita said this morning.

All eight of Sushi Zushi's locations, which include four in the Alamo City, closed their doors on Friday after about 100 employees didn't show up to work because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was conducting an audit of the company, Tomita said. The chain employees about 500 people, he said, speaking to reporters at the location on Basse Road.

A sign hanging on the restaurant's door said Sushi Zushi is hiring for all positions. Tomita said it's particularly difficult to find sushi chefs. Executive chef Luis Ramirez is among those who didn't show up to work last week, Tomita said.

(from the Express-News)

One-fifth of your entire workforce fails to show up for work. Twenty percent. Because of a rumor. Because they are afraid of being deported.

Perhaps it's time to review your hiring practices, Mr. Tomita. You know, to make sure your employees don't all have the same SSN.

Bonus strangeness: Apparently it's "particularly difficult" to find Americans willing to be sushi chefs, so difficult you have to hire illegal immigrants instead.

Remember that next time you fork over $15 for a Yummy Yummy Roll.

Anyone should have seen this coming.

Diego Mascorro, 19, was charged with making terroristic threats through family violence, a Class A misdemeanor. Bail was set at $10,000.

Mascorro's mother went to police headquarters Monday to report that he'd threatened her recently after she locked him out of the house.

She said Mascorro was carrying a gun as he told his mother he could break down the door and get in if he wanted.

Police said his mother told them he “claims he is the king of the house and is untouchable.”

After his mother told him to go live with his father, Mascorro told the woman to go live with her mother, who's deceased, police said.

(from the Express-News)

And what, you might ask, was it that might have suggested that this guy would come to no good?

Perhaps this?

Friends don't let friends tattoo faces.

Sustenance and recreation

It looks like this guy was ready for the munchies.

A high-speed police chase ended in a crash, and police found meat and drugs inside the car.

...

A car matching the speeding vehicle's description crashed near the intersection of Piedmont and Drexel on San Antonio's southeast side.

The driver jumped out and ran, leaving the passenger to face the police.

Officers said they arrested the passenger and found a load of wrapped meat and some marijuana in the car.

(from KSAT-12)

Butcher, dealer ---- hey, when they're all in the same neighborhood, it makes sense to combine trips.

"S.W. Side ‘riot’ not that riotous"

Hahahahahaha!

About a dozen police officers responded to a call about an alleged riot in progress in a Southwest Side neighborhood this morning.

Former City Councilman and Texas House District 117 hopeful Phil Cortez was speaking to members of the media inside his home, where he alleged that his opponent in the Democratic runoff, lawyer Tina Torres, doesn’t live in the district.

Outside, meanwhile, the “riot” consisted of about a dozen pro-Torres protesters, who were chanting that Cortez shouldn’t spend his time keeping tabs on his opponent.

(from the Express-News Newswatch blog)

Man, sometimes you've just gotta love politics in this town.

Someone who should think a little more

About where he consumes the fruits of his endeavors, that it.

Police say the assault happened in the 100 block of Eross around 8 p.m. Thursday.

According to police, the suspect flagged down the ice cream van and somehow got inside.

He assaulted the driver and officers found him a short time later walking in the area with merchandise from the van.

(from KSAT-12)

Walking in the area. Just casually, I assume. With "merchandise from the van". Not a care for the cops at all.

But inquiring minds want to know: How much "merchandise" was he carrying? And was he worried about it melting (this is summer, you know)? Did he have a freezer handy? And what was he eating at the time? A drumstick? A fudgesicle? One of those weird foot-shaped things with a gumball in the big toe? Choco-taco?

Please, please television journalists, ask the right questions! I am genuinely curious!

Car crashes into house

Actually, it was an apartment building. And this time the automobile seems to have been on a course of vengeance on behalf of a human.

Police say 33-year-old Miguel Martinez Jr. was intoxicated when he crashed a 2002 Ford Expedition into an apartment in the 1300 block of Rigsby Road early Monday morning.

But as of Monday afternoon, he's not facing any charges, police said.

When police arrived at the scene of the crash, which occurred around 1:15 a.m., he was bleeding from the back of his head and his upper body was covered in blood.

And police say he's a victim.

According to a police report, Martinez got into an argument with neighbors, then several men used a steel pipe to hit him on both knees and in the back of the head.

Martinez told police that's the last thing he remembers. He said he doesn't remember getting into the SUV or crashing it.

(from KSAT-12)

Of course he doesn't remember. You don't have to when your capable SUV takes over to avenge the wrongs visited upon you.

Someone who should think a little more

About how to win friends and influence people. Especially cops.

Juan Jose Del Toro did whatever he could to escape police custody early Saturday, including attempting to bribe two officers — and attacking one of them — jumping about 14 feet onto a highway and then trying to cling to the side of an 18-wheeler, a recently released police report said.

When an officer stopped Del Toro ... he jumped out of the vehicle and tried to walk away, the report said. He refused to give the officer an ID and then told her there was a warrant out for his arrest and tried to bribe her with $50, according to the report.

When the officer attempted to handcuff him, Del Toro punched her in the face and she fought back ....

Del Toro ran south on Jackson Street and jumped to the lower level of Interstate 35 North. A second officer on the way to help saw an 18-wheeler pulled over and slowly moving forward, so he stopped his cruiser and ordered it to stop, the report said.

Del Toro was hanging on the outside of the cab's passenger side. Once he was in custody Del Toro upped the ante, the report said, this time offering $100 to the officer to let him go.

“I told (arrested person) that I wasn't going to prison for 10 years for a $100 bribe,” the officer wrote in the report of the conversation. “He replied ‘I won't tell anyone you took the money. It will be ok.'”

(from the Express-News)

You gotta love the way cops fill out reports sometimes. The littlest details may prove relevant. Or just kinda funny.

One of the saddest sounding headlines I've ever read

Is this:

"No ‘beer machine' at Alamo"

No, I'm not taking a stand on whether or not it's a good idea to allow alcohol sales at private events after hours on the grounds of the Alamo. I'm expressing amazement at the notion that there could be such a thing as a "beer machine", for which I'm imagining a fully-functioning robotic unit that dispenses beer with mechanical precision (preferably while rolling around on tracks or mounted to a mech frame), not just a pressurized tap. And then I'm realizing that such a thing is not a thing, and that it will never be available to me at the Alamo.

And I'm a little sad.

Making it easy for the police

Sometimes the bad guys seem like they want to get caught. And I think I'm OK with that.

Thursday, the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force arrest Marshall Aponte, 19, at a gas station on West Avenue.

U.S. Marshals said Aponte was wanted in connection with several recent gas station robberies.

According to an affidavit, Aponte not only matches the description of the suspect's physical build, but that they also recovered a text message that he sent to a friend saying, "just robbed the exon" and, "2 pistols and made 300 dollars."

(from KSAT-12)

If my exposure to cops is any indication, one thing they know how to operate for sure is mobile telephones, iPads, and the like.

Bonus strangeness: The robber's booty:

The clerk said he cocked one of the[ handguns] before taking money from the register and leaving with two cans of Bud Light.

I hope they were tall boys, at least. You know, so he doesn't have to get up as often.

Back

I'm back!

OK, I never really went anywhere, I just got busy. But the busy-ness has seemed to abated somewhat, and I think I can get back to doing a little hanging out here and there on the internet again.

And looking out for strangeness, when it comes my way.

Hiatus

Things are still pretty busy for me. Hopefully I will start catching up around mid-July, and I hope to get back to regular blogging at that time. Until then, I will still catch up on my regular blog reads.

I'm still around. I just don't have much extra time.

Hit and run

Literally.

Police said a man was test-driving a friend's car in the 600 block of Lombrano Street, when a man who was sitting on a curb stood up.

The car then hit the man and the driver took off on foot, police said.

(from KSAT-12)

Mayhem.

Finding a body

Yergh. Not something you expect to see on any day.

A man walking on East Dewey Street just west of Ogden Place found a body in the bushes this morning.

The decomposing body was behind a vacant house. Police spokesman officer Matt Porter said little was known about the man found, but foul play was not suspected.

(from the Express-News)

That's by San Antonio College. And guess what alerted the passer-by to the body's presence. The smell.

No word on whether this was a homeless person, but they found drug paraphernalia near the body, which seems to suggest a drug-related death in a spot out of the way enough so that the dead man was not noticed right away. Not until a few days later, at least.

Car almost crashes into house

Lightweight.

San Antonio Police report they are still searching for a young man who bailed out of a vehicle after it almost crashed into a house at the corner of Harwood and Buckeye.

Instead, the small, two-door car slammed into a red truck parked outside the bedroom where homeowner Ernest Montez said he and his wife were resting.

(from KSAT-12)

The automobiles are starting to lose their mojo. Not only are they missing their domicile targets (apparently), now they are also bungling their attacks to the point of harming their own. It's a shame, really.

Bonus strangeness: Someone who obviously does not know their firearms.

[Officer Matt Porter, SAPD spokesman,] also said a rifle or shotgun was recovered at the scene.

Who do you think couldn't tell the difference, cop or reporter?

(One of those choices is a pretty safe bet!)

"Woman says husband tried to throw her off bridge"

This is something you just don't hear about every day.

[Guadalupe] Moreno’s estranged wife told investigators they have been separated for years, but Moreno has continued to terrorize her, according to an arrest affidavit.

The woman said Moreno ran up to her and her children outside a restaurant and threatened to kill all of them if she didn’t go with him, the affidavit stated.

She said Moreno then drove her around, pulling her hair the whole time. She told investigators Moreno finally pulled over in the 14400 of Somerset Road and got out of the car, the affidavit stated.

When she tried to run away, the woman said Moreno caught her and tried to throw her from a bridge, the affidavit stated.

(from KSAT-12)

She got away, but she needs to be extra careful in the future. The story says she had filed kidnapping charges against this guy in the past, but then this bridge incident happened.

Sounds like she needs to make some new friends. Like anyone named Smith. And Wesson.

Making noodles

Bachelors of San Antonio, rejoice! Your food of convenience and choice is not just available in this town, soon it will be made in this town!

Ramen noodles!

Eat it cheap! Then get a job, make it, and make money with it, too!

International food manufacturer Maruchan Inc. is taking steps to open a major manufacturing, warehouse and shipment facility in southwest Bexar County.

The maker of instant ramen noodle soup products plans to construct a 500,000 square foot facility on approximately 60 acres at the Medio Creek Business Park near San Antonio.

"The Maruchan Inc. facility represents tremendous movement in our efforts to aggressively pursue economic development projects that will benefit the southwest region," says Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff. "With a capital investment of approximately $325 million, this project will have a positive and lasting impact on our county."

(from WOAI-TV)

Did you hear that? These noodles are a "tremendous movement" for San Antonio. Now that's a statement I can get behind.

Car crashes into house

And this time the auto has a willing accomplice. With a likely excuse!

Police say a woman crashed into the home while rushing home Wednesday night for an emergency -- a bathroom emergency.

The woman was driving north on Broadway at around 11:15 p.m. when she hit a curb and struck a house in the 10400 block of Fox Hollow.

...

Police said the woman did not appear to be intoxicated. Officers said she admitted that she was just in a rush to get home to use the restroom.

(from KENS-5)

So, did she get to go? Or did the problem just go away at the point of impact?

I am certainly curious.

Always think a little more

In certain situations, at least. Like when some stranger stops his car and offers you a ride.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit, the victim told police a man in a blue Oldsmobile SUV approached him early Saturday while the victim waited for a friend downtown.

The victim, 20, said the man offered him a ride, and he accepted.

The man then allegedly drove him to an unknown location and sexually assaulted him, overpowering him with his weight.

Using a description of the vehicle and its license plate number, detectives found [Carl] Pelayo at his house and questioned him about the incident. He denied any involvement in the crime.

He told detectives he is a “bootleg taxi driver” and likes to pick people up and transport them to their destination for a fee, though he is not a licensed cab driver.

(from the Express-News)

Strange hobby.

Car crashes into house

Though I have been busy lately, it seems that the vehicles have not relented on their pugnacious attacks upon our very homes. And fences. So I must report on them.

A homeowner on the city's northwest side has some cleaning up to do after a vehicle plowed into her house on Sunday.

Police said the woman driving the car lost control while making a turn and ended up over correcting, sending her car through a gate and into a home in the 9500 block of Gladeview.

(from KENS-5)

"Woman's nose eaten by fleas; Animals will now be removed"

I'm a little late in the game with this one, but here's the latest:

Neighbors say Bexar County is finally taking responsibility two weeks after an elderly woman was removed from her home after her skin was eaten away by fleas.

A Northwest Bexar County neighborhood begged county agencies for more than a year to help the woman.

There’s now a plan to care for the several animals she kept on the property.

...

A[nimal] C[are] S[ervices] says it removed two dogs at the request of the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office on May 21. Since then, the hold-up has been a warrant to gain legal access to the property.

ACS officer Jeanne Martinez says the agency now has the warrant and a plan.

"We're working in cooperation with the neighbor and we're going to be taking the traps out to him,” she says. “He will be watching over the traps to make sure the animals are safe once they're caught."

(from WOAI-TV)

I don't know what anyone else's experience with ACS is, but mine is that they are barely engaged with the citizens they are supposed to be serving. Wild animal in your yard? Call someone else. Stray cat or dog causing problems? Trap it yourself, get it spayed or neutered, then release it back into your own neighborhood. Need to give up a pet, for any reason? Fork over some money, first, and then make an appointment for the convenient day of Wednesday. Any other problems? Don't bother us.

But, I do have to hand it to ACS for the following tip on how to safely bring in your cat for surrender:

Felines must be in a carrier or pillow case

Heh heh heh. Shouldn't they always?

Remember

Vietnam War Memorial
San Antonio, Texas

Losing control

How freakin' fast do you need to be going for this to happen?

Carlos Cardenas with the San Antonio Fire Department Rescue Station 51 said that the driver was headed west on the access road of 1604 when he lost control, ran off the road through two pillars under the 1604 overpass and then up an incline until he got stuck right under the highway.

Rescue crews from the Shavano Park Fire Department and the San Antonio Fire Department both responded to get the driver out.

The 51-year-old driver is was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay.

(from KSAT-12)

Another news report said the driver might have been going about 100 mph at the time of the accident. So, that's how fast.

Bonus strangeness: The guy wasn't hurt that bad! He's expected to be OK! Though I bet he needs some new pants after this one.

Staying busy

Sorry about the long gaps between posts. Demands of life, and all that. Things should settle down soon.

Someone who should think a little more about technology

Hahahahahaha!

Officers asked [Jeremey Thomas] to come with them to a home in the 4700 block of Casa Espana, where he found several detectives and piles of stolen belongings.

"Found the checkbook, really didn't find anything else," Thomas said.

It turned out Thomas was one of at least two people who had their vehicles stolen by two men.

But it was what they stole from inside the vehicles that ended up getting them caught.

Officers tracked the two burglars down by the locator on a stolen iPad.

They then called the number of one of the phones that had been stolen.

It was in the suspects pocket, ringing.

(from KSAT-12)

Let's hope it was a really cool -- and really distinctive -- ring tone. Oh, I don't know, maybe something like this:

Hanging out at the Cornyval

What the hell?

(Seen at the Cornyval, courtesy of this KENS-5 slideshow.)

House crashes onto person

The domiciles are starting to fight back, but I think they are taking it out on the wrong entities.

A man was taken to University Hospital after police said a house fell on him Sunday afternoon.

At around 3 p.m. on the West side, police said the 32-year-old man was trying to do some leveling work on his house when it fell on him.

"What had happened is the main pier that he was jacking up actually tilted," said San Antonio Fire Department Battalion Chief Richard Giusti. "The whole house shifted and when it shifted it trapped the bottom part of his torso."

...

The victim was taken to University Hospital and as of Sunday evening was in stable condition, but paramedics were also checking for internal bleeding.

(from KSAT-12)

Maybe he was a car buff.

Doing Fiesta

Did you remember it was Fiesta? Have you been having a good time? There are a couple of days left to the party, so you've still got time to put your party face on and share it with friends, if you haven't done so already.

Just remember, everyone else is watching you have a fun time, too. So make it a good party face.














(from KENS-5)

Car crashes into house

Apartment building, really. But you get the point.

The accident happened at the Hunter's Ridge Apartments located in the 2300 Block of Northwest Military.

Crystal Marcs said she was trying to make a left hand turn onto Northwest Military when a Ford Focus came speeding through the traffic light at Braesview.

"He was doing probably about 50 miles an hour and slammed right into the building," Marcs said.

The car ended up in the front door of one of the buildings at the apartment complex.

(from KSAT-12)

I guess those bollards don't do much good, in real life. Or maybe they do. Maybe that car would have ended up doing a lot more damage without them.

But it seems there was definitely some damage going on inside the car as well.

Officers arrested the driver and found a large zip-lock bag of pot inside the car. Marcs said it appeared to her the teen was under the influence.

"When I asked him if was OK he was like, 'Oh my God, what did I do? Where am I?', I had to get his driver's license just to get his name," Marcs said.

Yes. Where are you, indeed.

Someone who should have started thinking a long time ago

Kinda hard to feel sorry for this guy.

Police say the man suspected of fatally stabbing two women and injuring an 11-year-old boy on Thursday morning was hospitalized after getting hit by a truck while running from police.

San Antonio police Chief William McManus said 36-year-old Corey Hiller is expected to survive.

Hiller is accused of stabbing his 39-year-old ex-girlfriend Rhonda Watson-Hammonds, her 11-year-old son and a 48-year-old family friend on Thursday morning at a house in the 4500 block of Emil Street.

...

Hiller, who fled the scene and was missing Thursday morning, was later spotted and led police on a chase that ended when the suspect bailed out of his car near I-35 and Walters.

"Just when he got to the top of the highway, he turned around and made an obscene gesture to the police officers who were following him - trying to apprehend him - and then threw a knife at the officers," said McManus. "We don't know if it's the same knife that was used this morning. But then he ran out into the highway and was struck by a truck."

(from KENS-5)

I don't believe in karma, but if I did this incident would have bolstered my faith.

Someone who should think a little more when dressing

If you decide to embark upon a life of crime, you might want to seriously consider what you're wearing when you commit your illegal deeds. You know, in case you get caught after trying to carjack someone. And you get put on television wearing your Stewie-as-thug T-shirt.



(from KSAT-12)

Of course, if you're the cop who gets to escort this guy out in front of the cameras, you might want to put something on over your Coors Light shirt. That takes some consideration, too.

"Man, 82, dies in freak lawn accident"

Gruesome.

Edward Turgeon, 82, died Monday morning after suffering severe leg injuries while clearing heavy brush from his property in the 5600 block of South Flores.

Turgeon was using an old-style bush whacker with a circular saw when he somehow fell and the blade cut both of his legs.

"The blade is not even sealed. It's wide open," said Moses Garza, a longtime friend and tenant, who rented out space on Turgeon's property. "It's a dangerous piece of equipment there."

(from KSAT-12)

The old man probably had that horrific piece of equipment since the days when he was a young man, so many years ago. Those were more dangerous times, in many ways.

Ozzy?

Apparently someone thinks he's a rock-and-roll rebel.

Daniel Athens, 21, was allegedly intoxicated when he was detained in front of the Alamo around 9:25 p.m., according to a member of the Alamo Rangers. He was arrested on two Class C misdemeanors, for public intoxication and urinating in public.

According to Melinda Navarro, the Alamo Committee chairwoman with the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Athens walked around the olive tree in front of the shrine, then ducked under a chain and did his deed on the nearly 300-year-old limestone façade. One of three rangers guarding the historic site Saturday night saw Athens, Navarro said. There were numerous visitors also on the grounds.

“The ranger started running towards him, but the guy had already done his thing,” she said. “So he took him inside the gates and waited for the San Antonio Police Department.”

(from the Express-News)

But, also just as apparently, this isn't such a rebellious thing to do.

The last person arrested for urinating at the Alamo was in January 2009, according to published reports.

Do it first, you're a rebel. Do it fifth, you're just a copycat.

No, Cujo! No!

(from the KENS-5 slideshow covering the El Rey Fido coronation)

When taking photographs, even casually, you should pay close attention to forced perspective. Whether you want it to be there or not.

The gift of life

This is a heart-warming story that started off scary, included some heroic behavior, and ended happily with a bit of sentence to go with your solace.

Gina Walker said she was only a few weeks pregnant with her fifth child when things first started going wrong..

She thought she had a miscarriage but it turned out she had a blood clot.

She said things got worse from there.

"The whole pregnancy was horrific. Every week was a new symptom, a new hemorrhage, a new blood clot, a new this, a new that. The baby was going to have issues," she said.

Eventually, doctors said she had a condition called Placenta Percreta, which occurs in about 1 percent of all pregnancies.

...

Parker said the medical team was prepared for a lot of bleeding [during the birth] but they had never had a case this complicated.

They expected Gina to need about 10 liters of blood. She required 117. That's roughly about 35 gallons of blood.

...

Friends, family and hospital staff rushed to donate blood to keep up with the demand.

(from KSAT-12)

The mother survived. And so did the baby. And we all have those friends, family, and hospital staff workers to be grateful to.

Thank you.

You will believe a car can fly

And then land with a mighty crunch.

A driver lost control of her SUV Monday night, leaving the highway and crashing into several cars in a church parking lot, police said.

The accident happened shortly after 6 p.m. outside Loop 410 West after the Northwest Military Highway exit, according to a police at the scene.

Police said the driver swerved off the westbound lanes of Loop 410. The SUV then crossed the access road, jumped a concrete barrier and rolled over half a dozen cars in the parking lot of a church.

(from KSAT-12)

Waking up on Easter

For those who don't know, camping out in the city parks on Easter weekend is a tradition for some people. They've been doing it for a long time, and they're going to keep doing it, no matter what, so the City of San Antonio accommodates them by lifting the ban on overnight camping for the weekend. It's sort of like an annual Occupy event that's been going on for decades, but one that's less angry and that's over by Monday morning.

If you've never camped out in the parks yourself, KSAT-12 has a brief look at the scene. For your entertainment, of course. The station sent one of its brave -- and perhaps a bit foolish -- reporters out on Sunday morning to see what it's like when these campers first wake up for their Easter festivities. Or, really, when they get woken up by a bright light and a camera.

Check it out. The fun part really starts at 1:10.

Fireball over San Antonio

Did you see it? Something hot and flamy fell through the sky over San Antonio today.

People who reported seeing a fiery ball of light in the cloudless noon sky today really did see an unidentified flying object.

The flying object has not been identified. But no one has conjectured that it held little green men with giant eyes.

It's likely falling space debris or a meteor, according to the National Weather Service.

...

Jane Marke, an amateur astronomer, said she was at a traffic light near the airport when she saw a bright light streaking across the eastern sky at 11:49 a.m.

“I saw a brightness of light fall from the sky, going very fast,” said Marke. “I would say it was about 1 magnitude. That's about as bright as you can get.”

(from the Express-News)

I didn't see today's event, but I did see something similar and very cool back in the late 1980s (possibly early 1990s). That something was a Russian satellite.

On that night so many years ago, I was driving home from work sometime between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m., and I saw a big ball of flame burn its way across the black sky. It definitely surprised me, and I slowed down almost to a stop (don't worry; rural roads -- little to no traffic) just so I could watch the thing lumber across the sky until it burned out. I say "lumbered" because it didn't look like the streak of a typical meteorite. It looked big, and it looked like it was moving slow, and it was definitely burning. I could see real flames, and it took several seconds for the fires to burn themselves out into the blackness of the night.

I went home, thinking I had seen a meteor. And, since I lived alone at the time, I had no one to share the experience with right away. And then the next morning on my way to class I listened to the morning news on the radio and heard them announce that a defunct Russian satellite had re-entered the atmosphere and burned up somewhere over Central Texas.

I was ecstatic! I had seen it! I had actually been in a position to witness such a hardcore event firsthand, with my own eyes, and with the opportunity to slow down and appreciate the moment as it unfolded. I never found out if they located that Russian wreckage, and I have no idea what satellite that was, but it was very cool to see.

So I was a little jealous when I heard this news today. I would have liked to have seen it.

If you saw the event today, tell me: Was it cool?

"Man shot in head while hunting vermin on San Antonio River"

Duck!

A man was rushed to the hospital early Monday morning after Bexar County deputies say he was shot in the head while hunting vermin along the San Antonio River near Braunig Lake.

Deputies said they received a call from a man around 4:40 a.m. saying his hunting partner has [sic] been shot while hunting on private property.

...

The men were first believed to be hunting for feral hogs, but deputies said the [sic] Davis's hunting partner then clarified that they were actually hunting vermin.

(from KENS-5)

I have to admit, I've never done any hunting at night (at least not with guns). Are the possums easier to hit in the dark?

I am genuinely curious.

How not to act toward a cop

Where did this guy think he was? Mexico?

According to a police report, the restaurant manager approached two officers in the parking lot as they were about to enter the business to buy food.

The manager told officers about a man who was acting aggressively toward customers, cussing at them, and banging his head against a glass partition, the report said.

While the officers were talking to the manager, [Alejandro] Alviar walked out of the Subway with his fists balled up and approached the officers, the report said.

At one point, he threatened to head-butt an officer, but the officers tackled him and took him to the ground, police said.

After he was in handcuffs, they said, Alviar admitted to drinking and using drugs earlier in the evening.

Two other officers who had arrived later to transport him to jail said he offered them up to $200 cash to let him go.

(from KSAT-12)

He offered a bribe to the police officers of "up to $200"? What, was he negotiating?

"Man arrested in beating of woman who refused threesome"

Well, this seems like an odd way to convince someone.

Police have charged a San Antonio man in the beating of a woman who refused to partake in a sexual threesome.

Jack Lee Buck, 50, was charged late Saturday with enhanced family violence assault, a third-degree felony. Bail was set at $15,000.

Police responded to a domestic disturbance at a house in the 4000 block of Lord Road in December.

A woman there said Buck had struck her in the knees and back using a wooden baton outside the home after she declined the threesome.

(from the Express-News)

A wooden baton? Do they mean a police baton? If not, why not just say "stick"?

Car crashes into house

OK, it's a truck, not a car. But apparently that pick-up had it in for other trucks as well.

According to officers, the man was headed west on Ruiz when he lost control of the truck.

Police said he hit another pick-up truck before he slammed the house.

A family was inside in the kitchen and debris from the accident injured a woman.

Police said she was taken to the hospital but her injuries were not believed to be serious.

(from KSAT-12)

"Police: East S.A. is Gang Related"

You don't say.



(from KABB-29)

Oh, the difference a "shooting" makes.