Car crashes into house

Beware the flying, house-destroying cars.

From WOAI-TV:

According to neighbors, the Ford Mustang was speeding down the street when it suddenly jumped a curb. It came between some trees, flipped over and went straight into the house.

"I went outside and opened up the door," Lopez told News 4 WOAI. "I said, what is that? I said, oh man. There's a car in my backyard."

Lopez says no one inside the house was hurt, but they have a huge mess to clean up.

The car's occupants were injured and taken to the hospital. Perhaps now they will slow down in the neighborhoods.

"Man Arrested for Urinating on Major Road"

I guess, for some people, if you've got to go then police be damned!

From WOAI-TV:

[Police] had to use pepper spray to arrest a man who was urinating along Military Drive. The unidentified man was on the median of Southeast Military when they tried to get him to stop.

But police say he pulled a knife out and started swinging it at the officers.

On the median. Not on the side or in the ditch. And that's a very busy road, too.

I wonder if he had been drinking.

"Texas market analyst is tied to 29 deaths in Sierra Leone"

Military junta members from Africa, mass executions, human rights investigations -- all discussed in an immigration case in San Antonio.

From Guillermo Contreras at the Express-News:

A government witness testified Wednesday that an Austin market analyst was involved in the mass killings of 29 people who planned to overthrow the leadership he helped establish in his native Sierra Leone in 1992.

The heavily disputed account of Joseph Gayah, a former bodyguard for Sierra Leon[e]'s head of state from 1992 to 1996, could be the critical factor in whether a San Antonio immigration judge decides whether Samuel "Sam" Kambo should be deported.

Kambo, 38, is in custody in San Antonio, fighting attempts by U.S. immigration authorities to boot him from this country based on allegations that he was involved in extrajudicial killings in December 1992.

Sounds like an interesting case.

UPDATE: So glad we had this time together ...

The childhood home of Carol Burnett, which was in danger of being razed, may in fact be saved.

From WOAI-TV:

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A group led by former US housing secretary Henry Cisneros has committed to raise enough money to save the San Antonio childhood home of comedienne Carol Burnett.

American Sunrise is a nonprofit housing and education program. It says it'll raise the 75-thousand to 100-thousand dollars needed to move the century-old house from its current location on San Antonio's West Side.

A barbecue restaurant wants to use the home's lot parking.

That's good. I hope they raise enough money to save it, and I hope it is kept in good shape.

"Man stabbed with pitchfork while trying to stop fight"

If you have been drinking, and you get in an argument with a relative about who was born first (!), you might want to leave the farm implements alone.

From the Express-News:

All three men were drinking in their mobile home in the 1200 block of Paseo Derecho around 10 p.m. Sunday, when the two cousins began arguing over who was older.

One of the cousins grabbed a pitchfork, and when the uncle stepped between his nephews, he was stabbed in the arm. The uncle was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

That'll teach him to break up a fight between cuzzins.

"Thieves Target a Church's Money Maker"

If you are a thief, but still think God might exist, wouldn't this be a quick way to get on His bad side?

From WOAI-TV:

Thieves stole a trailer from a pastor's backyard, and inside that trailer were thousands of dollars worth of gospel CD's the church members had planned to sell to raise money for the church.

The biblical music was meant to inspire. It was the third CD made by the church, Mensajores Del Gran Rey. 150 CDs of that album and $12,000 worth of instruments are gone.

Where would the thieves think they could fence those CDs?

"Couple Says Motorist Littered Kittens"

It's pretty nasty what happened to the kittens in this story from KSAT-TV (they were thrown out of a moving car), but I found the choice of words used by the headline writer to be poor. I don't know if the writer was trying to be cute by playing on the multiple meanings of "litter", but, given the nature of the offender's conduct, this probably wouldn't be a good story on which to demonstrate linguistic prowess.

A fat cat and a fat bird

Boteros at the San Antonio Central Library, courtesy of San Antonio Daily Photo.

If you've never been to the Central Library, it's really a neat building. A couple of the contributors to San Antonio Daily Photo work at the library, and some of their posts feature different shots of the edifice and its surroundings. There's no shortage of photo-worthy views around there.

"Inflatable gyms worth $25,000 stolen from party supply store"

If you suddenly see your neighbors having bounce castle (or "moonwalk") parties for their kids every day, don't feel bad if you think something might be amiss.

From KENS-TV:

On Monday, nine moonwalks worth $25,000 were stolen from a party supply store on the city's West Side.

Richard Cambero is not jumping for joy. A sign reading, "Never mind the dog ... beware of owner!" with a picture of a gun wasn't enough to scare off bandits who bounced into his business and made off with nine moonwalks.

"We only have one left right now," Cambero said. That one was rented out at the time of the theft.

Now, he has to break the news to his little customers.

"When they stole the jumpers, I wasn't happy," one little boy said.

Aww, that's sad.

"Police say teens responsible for damaging sewer lines"

The Express-News reports on some persistent vandals.

Amid the stench, San Antonio Water System employees work to replace a stretch of sewage pipe. On Friday, vandals unbolted the manhole and stuffed stumps, large rocks and even a mangled car door into the system.

"The sewage was just spewing out and just flowing down into Salado Creek. Just gallons and gallons of it," neighbor Tania Walshe said.

...

Retaliation seems to be a theme. SAWS workers say a tree stump pulled out of the pipeway on Sunday was found back in the hole Monday.

If these kids keep doing this, sooner or later they will be caught. And I don't think the neighbors will be feeling too kindly toward them.

"Man nabbed in scam aimed at businesses to fund fake parties"

Always be careful whenever anyone asks you to contribute money. Scam artists have no compunction about playing your emotions against you.

From Jeorge Zarazua at the Express-News:

A 62-year-old Corpus Christi man was arrested Friday after an Atascosa County business reported it was scammed into sponsoring birthday parties for children who didn't exist.

Kenneth De Long is being held without bond at the Atascosa County Jail on a parole violation warrant for a previous drug-related conviction.

The man would pretend to be a rich, generous benefactor who was helping needy children, and he would con businesses into sponsoring fake parties. Someone complained to the sheriff's department about this guy, and he was caught because he happened to launch his spiel within earshot of a deputy.

De Long was arrested when [chief deputy David] Soward overheard him introduce himself to the manager of a Pleasanton café, offering to reserve a large space there for a birthday party.

"Once I heard him introduce himself, I recognized the name," Soward said. "I just happened to be at the right place at the right time."

A search of De Long's silver 1993 Toyota minivan revealed a receipt book of businesses he would receive money from for the "Foster Kids Birthday Party" fund.

Be careful who you give money to.

"Thieves Leave Behind Major Clue"

Do thieves use cash anymore?

From WOAI-TV:

Surveillance video released Friday shows the two men pulling up to a gas station in a stolen jeep from earlier in the week. It's the same jeep police say the men used during a high speed chase through Wilson County, before ditching the SUV.

Those men got away, but Floresville police found the video because the men left their gas receipt in the jeep.

They were obviously in a hurry, or they might have remembered to take the receipt with them.

Pitching for the hometeam

San Diego may have a bunch of Padres, but the San Antonio Missions have a ringer on their team: Archbishop Gomez.

The Express-News has the story:

Catholic archbishops are seldom seen throwing out the first pitch at a professional baseball game — but San Antonio Archbishop José Gomez is an exception.

The leader of South Texas' estimated 800,000 Catholics put on a San Antonio Missions cap and jersey and tossed out the first pitch Tuesday night for the third year in a row at the Missions' game against the Corpus Christi Hooks at Nelson Wolff Stadium on "Catholic Night."

...

"I like to let people know that I'm a person just like them and I like to be close to them," Gomez said as he waited to be ushered onto the field.

"This is not exactly ministry, but it helps for people to see that I'm approachable and like to have fun."

Photographer Tom Reel caught the opening pitch:

"Teenage Father Admits Biting Baby"

Some people just aren't ready to be parents.

From KSAT-TV:

Anthony Miranda told KSAT 12 News that the incident happened at his daughter's great-grandmother's house three weeks ago.

Miranda said he and his baby, Salyne, were in a bedroom, where he bit her upper back repeatedly.

...

Miranda told police and KSAT 12 News that he bit his child because he was angry and frustrated with the baby's 15-year-old mother. He also blames physical and mental problems.

"Mom Beats Intuder with High Heel"

Sometimes crime just doesn't pay, as this story from WOAI-TV illustrates:

The mother of four who did not want her identity revealed said she came home to find a man waiting inside. She accidentally left the wash room door unlocked, and the man got in, the mother said. She saw him in her bedroom.

“I had no time for fear,” she said. “I thought, ‘My kids are in this house, so no you're not in my house.’"

“I just grabbed my high heel and beat him,” she said. The mother hit the intruder until police arrived.

Good for her. The man was actually taken to the hospital for his injuries.

New Braunfels councilman recalled over beer rules

Remember the New Braunfels City councilman who was facing a backlash from area outfitters because he wanted to limit alcoholic beverages consumed by people partying on the local rivers? He has been recalled.

From the Express-News:

NEW BRAUNFELS — Voters turned District 6 Councilman Ken Valentine out of office Saturday in a successful recall effort spurred largely by anger over Valentine's advocacy of strict new rules for tourists floating on the Comal and Guadalupe rivers.

...

Valentine was the council's leading proponent of controversial rules aimed at taming the rowdy, drunken behavior that has bothered riverfront residents for years.

He helped persuade a majority of the council to ban Jell-O shots and beer bongs, adopt one of the country's strictest noise ordinances and prohibit alcohol in riverfront parks.

But the measure that caused the biggest backlash limited the size of coolers allowed on the rivers.

Recall proponents said Valentine was preoccupied with river issues and did not pay enough attention to other city problems. They also criticized his style on the council as too confrontational.

New Braunfels gets a lot of visitors. I guess enough people in the town didn't want to see those visitors go elsewhere that they thought it would be better to turn out one of their council representatives. But, Valentine could still run for the seat in the fall, and he might do so. It would be interesting to see if he could get elected again.

Half a tree

This half-tree is on Cincinnati Street near Fredericksburg Road.

"Buzzard Concerns Delay Plans For 'Body Farm'"

In the United States, there are only two body farms, places where forensic students can study how human bodies decompose. Texas State University in San Marcos (between Austin and San Antonio), wants to build a third body farm, but there was a problem with their first choice of location.

Buzzards.

As KSAT-TV reports, those buzzards (which would be attracted to seemingly easy meals) would pose a risk to nearby flight paths.

Texas State's proposed 17-acre site was on Texas Highway 21 near the San Marcos Municipal Airport. But after meeting with the airport's commission Tuesday, the university quashed the plan out of concerns that buzzards would pose a risk to pilots.

"While the increased risk might be very small, it cannot be completely eliminated, and we cannot go forward with the Highway 21 site," Texas State provost Perry Moore said.

The body farm is on hold for now, I guess until they can come up with another site.

Tony Parker not getting any?

So far I haven't found a major news outlet that has picked this up, but, according to Josh Hart, Eva Longoria is withholding the goods from Tony Parker until after the NBA playoffs.

Eva told late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel last week that she and Tony have agreed to put a ban on sex while Tony's San Antonio Spurs team are in the NBA playoffs in America. She said: "Luckily, we're getting married after the playoffs and then we need to consummate the marriage. I scheduled it that way."

The sexy Latina and soon to be real life Desperate Housewife is set to tie the knot with Tony on the 7th July in Paris. She added: "We picked that date because it's the only weekend we're both off."

And, I bet they both get off that whole weekend as well. [rimshot]

"Group offers hugs to SA"

In this slideshow from KSAT-TV, you can see some concerned citizens offering free hugs to people in San Antonio.

Carle Meier, one of the hugger volunteers, said the hug handouts are part of a world-wide campaign for world peace.

That's nice. But it's pretty darn easy to do here, or any other Western nation. I wonder if any of the hugger volunteers made it to Darfur. Or Iraq. Or Sri Lanka. Or Somalia.

Car crashes into house

OK, it's not a car. It's a great big truck! And it hit some apartments!

From KSAT-TV:

Police said the driver was asleep in the tractor-trailer rig when the parked vehicle rolled down a hill and crashed into the Escalante Apartments at 1440 West Bitters Road.

The impact caused the big rig to spill about 100 gallons of diesel fuel.

The driver was apparently sleeping off some drink when the accident happened. It's a good thing he had the presence of mind to take a nap instead of driving, but it still ended badly for him.

"Sonic Manager, Car Hop Arrested In Drug Raid"

Uh, yeah, I'll have some extra salt with that order, wink-wink. (from KSAT-TV)

SAN ANTONIO -- Police charged a Sonic drive-in manager and a car hop waitress with serving up orders of cocaine to customers.

Police said an anonymous tip led them to manager Jesus Ledesman, who they accused of running the drug ring with some of his employees on Zarzamorra Road.

Car hop Francisca Riojas is accused of delivering the drug orders.

Sgt. Joe Rios, San Antonio police spokesman, said narcotics were found stashed in roller skates and a tool box.

And, even stranger, this isn't the first time an employee at this fast-food joint has been arrested for selling drugs at work. Perhaps the remaining workers will learn from this incident.

"Sewage is leaking onto school's grounds"

Yuck. (from the Express-News)

Elementary students at Bracken Christian School will not be allowed to use the bathrooms inside their school building starting Monday, after a Comal County inspection found the septic system is failing and untreated sewage is pooling on school grounds.

School officials said the septic field is far from any areas used by children on the 20-acre grounds and they will have 10 portable toilets outside the school by Monday.

"I'm meeting with a septic tank installer right now," School Administrator Craig Walker said Friday. "We have three weeks left in our school year and we hope to have the problem fixed in two weeks. Hopefully the children will look at it as a fun experience."

Hey, it could be a field trip! Why go visit the local sewage treatment plant when you have one on school grounds?

About that floating chihuahua ...

Regarding that chihuahua that was floated above the crowd at the Pooch Parade during Fiesta: Cathy Rosenthal, an animal blogger at the Express-News, took exception to the treatment of the dog. She said:

I am sure I would have been called a party pooper for saying something, but I would have had to say something to the owners of the floating chihuahua. Whose entertainment is this for? Certainly not the dog who would have preferred, I am sure, to have been carried or pushed in a stroller along the parade route.

And some commenters on her post agreed. Interestingly enough, the owner of the dog weighed in on the situation, and she said:

WOW--- some people have nothing better to do than sit around and judge others whom they don't know at all about. I am the owner of the CHIHUAHUA you speak of. Myra was very relaxed and I was at her side at all times... I would never do anything to hurt my dog and I resent the fact that you think I would. The harness was specially made to fit and support her entire body. She was tethered to my body and I had complete control of her the whole time. Myra loves people and enjoys attention, she was not scared nor was she in danger at anytime! As a matter of fact at one point I looked over at her and she had her eyes closed. Your entitled to your opinion but it is untrue and unfounded! I suggest you keep your premonitions limited to facts and/or limited to situations involving your own family. thank you!

And, all I have to add is, Wow. All this over a little dog. I don't think this balloon incident qualifies as cruelty to an animal. If it does, then we should take exception to Rosenthal's desire to confine a dog to a stroller. That would be even crueller, I would think.

C.C. the Alamo Cat

Keeping watch over the shrine of Texas liberty, and protecting it from rodents and insects -- it's C.C. the Alamo Cat.

Car crashes into house

This time, the wreck has a tragic result.

From WOAI-TV:

Authorities say they first spotted the silver Dodge truck driving erratically in Alamo Heights around 3:15 a.m. They say the truck refused to pull over for police, but instead sped away. According to officers, several people inside the truck were seen throwing items out of the windows.

The truck finally crashed into a house on Elmhurst near North New Braunfels, in Terrell Hills. Police found a man's body lying outside the vehicle. They believe he was the driver.

"Gator Stops Traffic"

It seems alligators are showing up more and more around San Antonio.

From KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- An 8-foot alligator created quite a challenge for San Antonio police when it showed up Sunday at Loop 410 on the city's South Side.

The large gator stood its ground against police when they tried to move it off the roadway with some poles.

The reptile became aggressive, hissed at the officers and even chomped down on the bumper of a police cruiser.

I swear, gators didn't used to be so common around here. Houston, yeah; but not here. Now they seem to be popping up in all kinds of places around the city.

Maybe it's global warming.

UPDATE: USAToday picked up on the excitement ("Illegally parked alligator snarls Texas traffic"):

"I don't remember any of this in the academy," police Officer Albert Silva said of the traffic jam early Sunday. "As far as I know, there's no procedure on this other than: 'Don't get bit."'

Sounds like good advice to me.

A chihuahua held aloft by balloons

This is part of the Express-News slideshow featuring the Pooch Parade, among other Fiesta celebrations.

"Panties Stolen During Store Robbery"

Well, I hear they do have great merchandise.

News 4 WOAI’s Erik Runge found out that several dozen panties were stolen from the Victoria’s Secret in the Alamo Quarry Shopping Center. The thief also took bottles of perfume.

And, the really strange thing is:

This is the second time the Victoria’s Secret location in the Quarry has been robbed in the last six months. A woman with a gun robbed it back in December.

Like I said, good merchandise.

Just another odd mayor's race VI

The Express-News has a voter's guide for the upcoming elections in San Antonio. Though there are a lot of candidates out there for all the council seats (28 in all), and there's a lot of information in this guide, it's the mayor's race that seems to have the most characters. Phil Hardberger, the incumbent, will most likely get re-elected, but it's fun to take a quick look at the other people vying for his job.

Here are the mayoral candidates, and a brief line from the E-N voter's guide to give you a taste of what we have to choose from in the Alamo City.

R.G. Griffing - "He also sold 'ZonaPair Invisible Underwear' and parcels of land on Mars."

Phil Hardberger - "He came out of retirement in 2005 to run for mayor, ultimately defeating two sitting council members and a handful of other candidates."

Michael Idrogo - "On his campaign Web site, he identifies himself - without further detail - as a 'veteran of foreign wars' and one-time naval commander."

Patrick McCurdy - "Patrick McCurdy, owner of Joseph's Storehouse bakery and restaurant, says he believes God called him to run for mayor 'to lead San Antonio to prayer.'"

Julie Iris Oldham - "Oldham is a frequent mayoral candidate."

Eiginio Rodriguez - "Councilwoman Patti Radle appointed him to the city's Zoning Commission in 2005, but council members initially blocked the appointment, questioning whether he would operate fairly."

Rhett Smith - "Smith ran against U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith in 2004, capturing 35 percent of the vote."

That's a lot to choose from, and I'm sure they've got a lot of promises to give. But, I'm thinking of saving my vote for the one that will promise to keep the elevators running at the Tower of the Americas.

Cornyation 2007

Billed as the raunchiest, cheapest event of Fiesta San Antonio.

I've never seen the Cornyation, but, from what I hear, that seems to be a good description of the event.

"Lightning Strike Destroys Church"

This is a little sad, but also a little strange.

From WOAI-TV:

Firefighters believe a bolt of lightning sparked a two-alarm fire at a South Side church overnight.

The flames erupted around 3:00 a.m. at Iglesia el Jordan off Loop 410 near Zarzamora.

"Medal Mania"

One aspect of Fiesta that is always popular is the wearing of quirky and colorful medals. The Express-News has an extensive line-up of current medals here.

"Women charged with animal cruelty, neglect"

I'm not sure what to think of this story from the Express-News:

Sunday morning, police responded to a home and business in the 2900 block of West Commerce on a report of an injured rooster being kept in a cage with no water or food.

...

As they got closer to the home, police said they found a pigeon with its heart cut out, and other cages holding chickens, hens, pigeons and turtles.

Police said [Diana Patricia] Martinez then came out to explain the injured rooster, telling police the bird got into a fight with another animal.

However, officers said, as they entered the home, they found evidence that Martinez sacrifices animals for religious purposes, and then eats them. In fact, police said the woman was dissecting a chicken when they responded to the call.

Hm. I know chickens taste good, and you often have to cut them up to cook them. I wonder what the evidence is that the animals were specifically for religious purposes.

UPDATE: Well, I guess the evidence is clear when the person says so. (also from the Express-News):

"This is Santeria," said Diana Patricia Martinez, who along with shop co-owner Lee Nelly Morales was arrested and charged with animal cruelty Sunday morning after officers entered their home. "It's a religion."

"Plus, we eat them," she later added in an interview Monday.

That just about settles that question.

"Man beaten in early-morning carjacking"

Here's a good idea: don't pick up people late at night, even if you think you know them. And especially if you have been drinking.

From the Express-News:

Police said the victim had just dropped off a friend when he saw two men he thought he knew on Custer at about 2 a.m. Monday.

The victim offered the men a ride, but when they got in, he realized he didn't know them.

They beat up the guy and stole his car. I hope he recovers, but he's lucky something worse didn't happen to him.

"Hardberger signs pact on greenhouse gases"

The mayor wants San Antonio to cut its emissions, as the Express-News reports:

Several years ago, Phil Hardberger the pilot used to fly his plane over San Antonio and marvel at the 30-mile clear visibility. On Saturday, Phil Hardberger the mayor blamed increasing air pollution for cutting that distance to about 5 miles now.

"As a personal pilot, I have seen this with my own eyes — how our air has gotten dirtier and dirtier. ... [sic] You really don't know how bad it is till you're up there and look down and you see this yellow cloud," he said. "It's what we used to associate with Los Angeles."

To show he's serious about climate protection, Hardberger on Saturday became the 465th mayor in the country to sign a document committing him to work to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in San Antonio. ...

Hardberger cited the resolution and several other city initiatives, saying San Antonio is getting serious about going green.

Last week, the city replaced 21 of its fleet cars with hybrid vehicles, bringing to 86 its total number of such environmentally friendly vehicles, he said.

Do personal planes come in hybrids, too?

One of these things is not like the other

On this page in the Southside Reporter, the editors haved grouped a few religious articles with some religious advertising. That makes a certain amount of sense, thematically. But, the editors apparently didn't have enough filler for the page, so it seems they dropped in whatever they had at hand.

That happened to be Lexus sales figures for March.





















I guess this isn't that strange, from a certain point of view.

The Holly Golightly Croquet Club ...

... knockin' balls around on the lawn. (slideshow here)

Slide number 3 is quite humorous.

"Woman walking dog finds severed human foot"

Odd.

The Express-News reports:

Medina County authorities hope that DNA from a severed human foot found beside County Road 151 on April 9 will help them identify from whom it came.

Sheriff Randy Brown said a woman walking her dog in a wooded area near the Holiday Village subdivision located the decomposed foot, which was submitted to the Bexar County medical examiner's office for testing.

"Substitute Charged With Terroristic Threat"

After the Virginia Tech murders, school officials are taking threats very seriously. Especially if they come from one of their own.

KSAT-TV reports:

SAN ANTONIO -- Police charged a former Northside ISD substitute teacher with making terroristic threats after they said he threatened to shoot several district employees Tuesday.

Police said they arrested Thomas Kincaid, 60, at his home after he threatened to shoot employees at the Northside human resources building on Grissom and employees at the administration building on Evers Road.

Pascual Gonzales, Northside ISD spokesman, said that after Monday's massacre on the Virginia Tech campus, they did not want to take any chances.

That's good, but I would have hoped that they weren't taking any chances before the Virginia Tech massacre as well.

UPDATE: The guy says he was just blowing off steam.

A Pipe Creek man arrested Tuesday on a terrorist threat charge admitted talking about shooting employees at Northside Independent School District, where he worked as a substitute teacher, but claimed he just was venting and had no intention of harming anyone, Bandera County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Scott Sharp said Wednesday.

I can think of better ways to vent.

El Rey Fido

From the Express-News:

Kyle, a West Highland terrier, was crowned the fifth El Rey Fido on Saturday at the Humane Society/SPCA of Bexar County on Fredericksburg Road. He and his royal court will be ambassadors for the society at the Pooch Parade, the King William Fair parade and other events during Fiesta and throughout the year.

It's Fiesta time.

UPDATE: Coronation photos here.

"Helotes Horse Dies, Injures Rider"

This is a bit odd.

SAN ANTONIO -- A horse injured a man after it fell on him while he was riding it on Sunday in Helotes, Texas, authorities said.

EMS arrived at a home to find the man trapped underneath his horse that had died, authorities said.

The story from KSAT-TV isn't entirely clear on what happened. But, judging from the headline, it seems that the horse just keeled over while out on a ride, falling on top of the rider in the process.

I'm not a horse buff, so I'm not sure if it is unusual for one to suddenly die while exercising. Do horses have heart attacks? If so, are they common enough to pose a danger to riders?

Car crashes into house

OK, so it's actually a truck, and the building is the Express-News building downtown, but it's still a little weird.

From KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- A man led police on a high-speed chase before crashing his pickup truck into a San Antonio Express-News building Friday.

Police pulled the man over near Jones and Austin streets, where the man got out of his pickup truck and ran, police said.

The man then got back into his vehicle and drove off, leading police on a chase, which ended in a crash several blocks later at Broadway and McCullough, police said.

I guess he thought that, after running a bit, the police would forget what his truck looked like.

Trying to curb the growth

San Antonio is a growing city, and, according to Express-News columinst Carlos Guerra, it's growing too fast. In fact, he wants outsiders to stay away.

Fellow San Antonians, the time has come to move to curb San Antonio's explosive population growth. I'm not a native, mind you, but I love San Antonio as if I were, and it is a love born during my childhood, when my family's periodic trips here brought me close to the many magnificent trees this city once had, its architecture and the friendly people.

...

Alarmed by the destruction now visited by the rapid migration to our city — almost all of from legal aliens from the United States — I am forming the Lesser San Antonio Chamber of Commerce to counter the mindless growth long advocated by another organization of vacuous boosters that I will not dignify by naming.

As the self-appointed executive vice president for communications of Lesser San Antonio, I am also asking that you send me true stories — or halfway believable lies — that we can spread about our city to discourage people from moving here.

Guerra's column sounds a bit tongue-in-cheek, but not by much. I think he truly wishes that not one more person would move to this city, one that he admits he is not a native of.

I disagree with him. Cities change over the years, whether they grow or shrink, and I would rather see more people wanting to move to my town than to see a wave of natives fleeing it. Monitoring and controlling the growth of the city is a good idea, but making outsiders hate it isn't. We don't need to be scaring anybody away from San Antonio.

"Fiesta float destroyed by vandals"

Aww, this is just uncool.

From WOAI-TV:

After seven months of hard work, the Image Dance Co.'s Fiesta float was destroyed by vandals.

...

"We walked into our storage facility and this float was beyond damaged. It was demolished," dance instructor Michelle Angulo said. "It was shocking. We had seven props and four of them were demolished and flattened ... [this ellipsis in original] The whole back end of our float and the structure inside, totally demolished."

...

"Our main thing is to safety [sic], to make sure it's safe for the children," Angulo said.

Won't someone please think of the children?

"Mom Places Ad on MySpace: Kidnap Son for $500"

What's stranger than a woman looking for someone to kidnap her son using MySpace? The people who are willing to do it for as little as $500.

From WOAI-TV:

The mother of a 2-year-old boy was locked up Monday because of an online advertisement. Bexar County Sheriff's deputies say she paid strangers to kidnap the boy from the boy's father Saturday night.

Deputies say the boy's mom posted the kidnapping ad online on her MySpace page. She was willing to pay $500 to get the job done.

That ain't a lot of dough, but a man and a woman answered her ad, kidnapped the boy, and accepted the money as payment. For that small amount of money, the two kidnappers have been arrested, as have the boy's mother and her aunt. The boy is now back with his dad, who is seeking to get custody of the other child he has with the woman.

A chilly Easter

It's San Antonio. It's the night before Easter. And it's 35° F.

That's strange.

"Does Campaign Catch Phrase Cross The Line?"

If you were running for the city council of a small Texas town, and if your name was Schindler, would you ask people to put you on their "list"?

From WOAI-TV:

Billy Schindler is running is a councilman in Converse and is up for re-election. His campaign signs ask voters to add him to your list, a reference to 1993 movie title "Schindler's List." The movie documents the life of Osker Schindler, a Nazi who helped save more than 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust.

...

"I went through many years of people who had a hard time pronouncing my name and spelling it until the movie. Now I go into places, and I tell them what my name is, and I get the reference back from them 'oh, Schindler's list.' "

Would you vote for him?

Protesting his garbage

John Posey is a man who says he doesn't generate garbage, so he shouldn't have to pay the City of San Antonio for garbage pickup. The city says he can't opt out of the trash program; it is a municipal service that everyone gets charged for, including him.

The story is presented by the KSAT-TV Defenders.

I'm not sure I believe this guy produces absolutely no garbage. For one thing, he claims to not take the newspaper, but he proudly shows off by balancing a sheet of newsprint on his chin, which means he obviously has some kind of reading material somewhere. (What does he do after his trick, ask his guests to take the newspaper home with them?) For another, he surely must buy at least the bare minimum of personal toiletries (soap, toothpaste, the like). These things come in packaging, and, unless he's eating the boxes they come in, he has trash that needs disposing.

So, I don't know what Posey is trying to accomplish by protesting his garbage service. It seems like a personal publicity stunt to me. What's next, a refusal of sewer service?

"Man killed after running in front of train naked"

This is a bit strange (from the Express-News).

According to police, Brian Benavides stripped his clothes off around 1 a.m. and ran onto train tracks at 10th and Austin streets.

The conductor saw him and tried to stop the train, but it was too late.

At this point, it seems that authorities are not sure whether this was an accident or a suicide.

It's almost that time of year!

Fiesta is this month! Click here to get a list of some sanctioned Fiesta events (there's even a parade for dogs).

What fun in San Antonio!

Pillow fighting comes to San Antonio

And, it's for ladies only.

KSAT-TV has a bit here.

"7-Foot Gator Caught on the Southeast Side"

Last October, there were some alligator sightings on the East Side. This is not unusual for East Texas, but it is strange for San Antonio.

Now, WOAI-TV reports that they have caught that great big lizard.

The chicken traps worked! Now a big alligator that crept into an East Bexar County pond is finally gone. But one neighbor doesn't think we've seen the last of the gators.

“This morning I got up about eight o'clock, and I looked out the window. I said, ‘That gate is down! He's in there!’” recalls Harold Rauschuber.

Sure enough, Harold found a seven-foot gator in the trap game wardens left outside his house near State Highway 87 and Southeast Loop 410.

“And it weighed about 150 pounds,” said Harold. “They estimated about six and a half, maybe seven feet long. Something in that proximity.”

They took that alligator down to Choke Canyon and let it go. Be careful if you go camping down there.

"Couple Finds Large Boa Under Pickup Truck Hood"

Snakes under a truck hood are definitely strange.

From KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- A Comal County woman said her husband found a South American Boa Constrictor under the hood of her pickup truck last Friday.

Ron Gulledge found the nearly 7-foot-long boa coiled underneath the hood of the family truck while trying to jumpstart their riding lawnmower.

Betty Gulledge said Ron saw the large snake when she asked him to clean out the dry leaves under the truck hood.

Dry leaves that need cleaning out from under a truck hood are strange, too. Although, I guess parking a vehicle under a live oak tree in the spring time will result in a large amount of leaves on said vehicle. Maybe it's not that strange to need to clean out leaves from under a hood.

The presence of the snake is still strange, though.

"Man Claims Strangers Shot Him After Invitation To Look For Girls"

If some strangers come up to you and offer to take you to some other part of town to look for women, it might be a good idea to refuse their invitation.

From KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- Police said a man claimed that a group of strangers shot him after they invited him to look for girls.

The man told officers that he met the strangers on the city's West Side and they invited him to go to North Side, police said.

The man said the group pulled over and walked down into a culvert [!], police said.

He said by the time he realized they weren't taking him to find girls, one of the men pulled out a gun and shot him in the arm and the chin, police said.

Sounds like he got lucky. He's alive. And maybe he will go looking for women alone or with friends in the future.

"Man Allegedly Steals Fish From Church"

At first glance, I thought the headline from this KSAT-TV story promised to tell of aquarium pilfering. But then, I remembered that this is the Lenten season, and it made more sense. Still, the man's motivations seem a bit odd.

SAN ANTONIO -- Seguin police said they arrested a man who they accuse of stealing hundreds of dollars worth of fish and seafood from a Catholic church.

Police said Patrick Vaughn, 38, stole $800 worth of cod, catfish, and shrimp from Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic church last week.

Police said Vaughn tried to sell the fish on the streets.

Be careful of what you buy from some guy on the streets. It could be stolen food from a church planning for a fish fry.

"Police dog bites officer instead of suspects during chase"

Usually, "dog bites man" is hardly a news story. But, then again, you would expect the canine police officers to bite the suspects.

From KENS-TV:

An officer was bitten by a police dog during a foot chase for two teen suspects that had stolen a vehicle Wednesday night.

...

During a search around the area for the suspects a canine became confused in the dark and bit a officer in the leg.

The officer's injuries are minor and he is expected to be okay.

I wonder if the dog was put on administrative leave.

"Pipe Bomb Found Near Botanical Gardens"

Finding a pipe bomb is, sadly enough, not that strange. It happens from time to time across the United States. But, what is strange, is what the discoverer of the bomb did when he found it.

From KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- A man found a pipe bomb Wednesday afternoon near the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, police said.

The man noticed the white, 6-inch device, with a green fuse lying on Lucas Street near his mini van, police said.

He picked it up, put it in his van, and called police. [emphasis added]

That doesn't sound like a particularly smart thing to do. Except for the calling the police part, that is.

A burning pile of mulch -- no more

It's official: that great big pile of mulch in Helotes that has been burning since Christmas has finally been put out.

From the Express-News:

The Helotes debris fire is finally out after three months and at a cost of about $5.5 million, officials announced today.

State officials say they'll continue for a while to monitor aquifer conditions and will oversee the landowner's efforts to clean up the mess left behind but expect no lasting impact to the Edwards Aquifer.

...

Dozens of people who had been staying in hotel rooms paid for by Bexar County to escape the smoke for health reasons were cleared to return home for the first time since Jan. 6, officials said.

That's good news, but the fire should have been put out sooner. I understand why the San Antonio Water System was reluctant to allow water to be put on the fire (they didn't want the Edwards Aquifer, San Antonio's primary source of drinking water, to get contaminated), but their stalling dragged out the process, and the mayor of Helotes sure wasn't happy about his town smelling like a great big smoke pit for so long. And the state officials came out looking pretty inept in the handling of the whole situation.

I hope they've learned some lessons and can make better emergency decisions in the future. After all, there are more piles around.

"San Antonio River cleanup uncovers an explosive box"

During the annual cleanup of the San Antonio River, a strange, explosive item was found.

From the Express-News:

Jerry Rowry was careful Saturday morning to troll for any unpleasant surprises that could lurk along the banks of the San Antonio River for the 13th annual Basura Bash.

...

But he wasn't expecting to find a metal box with protruding wires that turned out to be a commercial blasting cap used to detonate explosives. Though not quite a bomb, the contraption nonetheless posed a danger.

One girl, however, wasn't very worried. That's because the professionals seemed to be keeping their cool.

"She thinks it's a hoax," said Susie Gutierrez, a volunteer.

The relaxed demeanor of emergency responders comforted the girl, who refused to give her name or age for fear her mother would get mad at her for lingering near the blasting cap.

"They're not swarming the place in Jedi outfits," she scoffed. "Storm troopers, I mean."

Though Jedis would be more than adequate to deal with a blasting cap, no?

But, don't worry about the find, turistas. That part of the river is pretty far downstream from the River Walk.

"Woman's Body Discovered in the Middle of Highway 90"

The body was literally in the middle of the highway, but tucked between some barriers in such a way that no one noticed it was there. Until the smell.

From WOAI-TV:

Street sweepers found the woman along Highway 90 near General Hudnell on the west side. The body was directly hidden right in the middle of the east and westbound lanes of traffic.

...

"Some street sweeper people from the state were out here clearing the side of the highway," added Sgt. [John] Bocko. "They noticed a strong smell. And when they looked inside this area right here they saw what appeared to be a dead body."

What remains a mystery right now is how the woman got to this bizarre spot in the middle of the highway.

It's a strange story, and I bet there's a lot more that they will find out in the investigation.

"Paramedics answer 911 calls for splinters, cramps, plumbing"

Folks, please don't call 911 unless you absolutely have to. If you call and you don't really need the service, you are sucking up resources that could be used to help other people in worse conditions. But, it seems that some of you already know that.

From the Express-News's Ken Rodriguez:

The San Antonio Fire Department estimates up to one of four transports for basic life support is noncritical. But that may be low. In 2000, emergency medical workers found that in more than half of their calls, "patients" did not require hospital attention.

...

For every legitimate 911 call, there seems to be an illegitimate one. Some without insurance call to receive treatment for minor ailments. Others phone in order to skip long lines at the ER.

"People now realize," one North Side paramedic says, "that if they go to the hospital on a stretcher, they'll get seen quicker."

Sometimes, a guy on his back with a migraine can see a doctor before a woman bent over with a bloody face. [emphasis added]

Strange, indeed. And sad.

"Update: San Antonio Principal Fails Test 37th Time"

If you needed to take a test in order to keep your job, and you just failed it for the 37th time, would you feel a nice, warm sense of job security (knowing you weren't fired the first 36 times)?

From WOAI-TV:

Smith Elementary principal Elizabeth Rojas took the state exam required for her job again just a few weeks ago. The day after we revealed she had already failed it 36 times, more than any other educator in the state.

Rojas told the Trouble Shooters, "I go into the testing situation feeling the anxiety of...throwing up, nervousness."

Her test score is in and Rojas has failed again, for the 37th time. San Antonio ISD declined to comment on her latest attempt.

I have nothing else to add.

"Dogs Rescued from Filthy Home"

So, how many dogs do you think can fit in one home? More than 20, apparently.

“I'm still a little bit in shock,” Linda Binkley of the Bulverde Area Humane Society said. “I don't think I've ever quite seen animals in this condition before."

Since the owner moved out of the home, the dogs have had the run of the place.

The home was so filthy, rescuers had to wear protective booties over their feet to walk around it. They told News 4 WOAI Wednesday that the home was the worst case of animal neglect that they have seen.

Yuck. Be sure to watch the video at the link. It's amazing.

Car crashes into house

I include this story from WOAI ("Drug Buyer Kidnapped & Run Down by His Own Vehicle") because, besides the other strange things that happened in the incident, a vehicle smashed into a house once again.

Celebrating Che

Here is an embarrassingly weird thing about San Antonio: a local arts group called the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center recently put on a play about Che Guevara, one that Jeremy McCarter at New York Theater says "skims over his bloody deeds as an apparatchik—the executions, collectivization, and labor camps that followed his march into Havana with Castro." I personally think Che was a troublemaker at the least (any friend of Fidel Castro can't be all good), but I also believe in free speech. Anyone is free to write plays praising communist revolutionaries if they want to, and theaters are free to stage such plays without worrying about a government shut-down.

But, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center gets money from the City of San Antonio, and I'm not too comfortable with that. The city won't reduce or cut off funding because of this, not since the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center won its case against the city over a defunding flap. San Antonio just can't cut off funds to any particular group because of a viewpoint that's expressed.

While I agree that a government shouldn't repress ideas simply because they are unpopular, I don't think that the same government has an obligation to expend money to ensure all views are expressed. If I had my druthers, I would prefer that the city not fund any private arts organization to any extent. They sink or swim on their own, and my tax dollar shouldn't support their points of view.

Especially if it is sympathetic to Che.

"Teen's wild ride ends in capture"

If you're a young girl, and your boyfriend is running -- literally -- from the police, how do you help him escape? Well, a diversionary tactic might work.

From the Express-News:

The witness, who didn't want to give her name, said she saw the teen outside, looking dazed and confused. The woman then saw a man dash from two police officers, who gave chase.

During the chase, one of the officers dropped his keys, said San Antonio Police Department Sgt. George Antu.

The girl looked at the car, cursed the officers, picked up the keys and jumped in the cruiser, witnesses said.

The chase ended when she turned the car over on its roof. She was fine, but guess what her main concern was after wrecking the car.

"Did he get away, did he get away?" she said after police apprehended her.

He didn't.

"Turns out Conan is chimp's daddy"

Did you ever want to know this much about chimpanzee vasectomies?

From the Express-News:

Forget about Anna Nicole's baby. The world's biggest paternity "whodunit" really revolves around a 40-something retiree named Teresa from San Antonio.

Teresa had emerged from her wooded habitat at Chimp Haven primate sanctuary in Louisiana one crisp January morning with a newborn chimpanzee cradled in her arms.

Her caretakers' jaws collectively hit the ground. Teresa, retired two years ago from San Antonio's Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, was well past her prime and hadn't given birth in 13 years.

But a real conundrum arose over who was baby Tracy's daddy. Teresa lived on a 5-acre habitat with 17 other chimps, including seven grinning, grunting bachelors.

However, all of them had undergone vasectomies years ago.

I think I'll stop there. Read more, if you like. If you dare.

"Shooter Injures 2 Over Cell Phone Dispute"

Someone needs help with his rage issues, as KSAT-TV reports:

Police said 19-year-old Quentin Lewis became upset when another man that shared a cell phone plan with him had it turned off for non-payment.

In his rage, Lewis opened fire on a group of people standing outside a home in the 7600 block of New World and injured the two women, police said.

The guy's on the loose. I hope they find him before he goes off again.

Car crashes into house

It has happened again, an auto has a close encounter with an abode.

From KSAT-TV:

Police say a driver hit a home after he fell asleep at the wheel early Tuesday morning.

The driver crashed his pickup truck into a bedroom of a home on the city's Northwest Side, police said.

...

Police said no one was in the home at the time of the crash.

That's fortunate.

"Homeowner Wounds Alleged Shooter Returning For Cell Phone"

Wow. This is one brash criminal. But, ulitmately, not too bright. After he and his buddy threatened some people in their home -- and then got scared away -- this guy and his friend have the strange gumption to return and demand his phone!

From KSAT-TV:

The woman's father was able to scare the men away but they fired several shots at the home, the woman said.

In the process of making their getaway, one of the men happened to drop his cell phone.

The woman said the men later knocked on the door and demanded the homeowner return the lost cell phone.

And, what did he get for his trouble? Shot.

This time, the woman's father answered the door armed with a shotgun, the woman said.

The men ran and the homeowner fired his shotgun, the woman said.

Pellets from the shotgun grazed one of the men's face, the woman said.

Now, after running from the cops and getting caught flushing drugs down a toilet, the two men have some charges pending against them.

"Police: Drunk Man Attempting Night Club Robbery Gets Stuck"

If you're drunk, and you're breaking into a bar, and the cops are after you, you might want to check the window before you leap out.

From KSAT-TV:

San Antonio police arrested the man, who they said tried to rob the Electric Company night club in the 400 block of West Laurel.

Police who responded to a burglary alarm said they found the suspect intoxicated.

The man tried to flee the scene by jumping through a metal awning but got stuck.

That made for easy pickings for the cops. The man's got a few charges pending, now.

"Mom Accused of Being Drunk with Kids in Car"

If you're drunk, your kids are in the car, and a police cruiser is blocking your way, it's probably not a good idea to go ahead and ram the cruiser.

From WOAI-TV:

Police had come to her house to calm a family fight, and that’s when [Yvonne] Delgado, got behind the wheel of a car, authorities said. An officer parked behind Delgado’s car, but she tried to leave anyway, police said.

Delgado backed out of the parking spot with her three children, ages three, five and eight, inside the vehicle, police said. It crashed into the patrol car, officials said.

She's had a few charges filed against her.

A burning pile of mulch XVII

WOAI-TV has the best headline so far about the Helotes mulch fire:

"Helotes Fire Fiasco Continues"

The latest spat comes as firefighters pour water directly onto the fire, in violation of an agreement with SAWS. TCEQ now says they have no idea when the fire will be extinguished, and it could burn into April. Both TCEQ and SAWS have indicated a willingness to sue the other to resolve the water use issue after contaminated water was found in five test wells.

Just what we need, a bunch of agencies willing to sue each other.

"UPDATE:Capital murder charge filed against mother of slain children"

The couple that put their dead babies under the house have been caught.

From the Express-News:

Police Chief William McManus and District Attorney Susan Reed announced at a news conference that Valerie Lopez, 19, and her boyfriend, Jerry Salazar, were arrested at 5 a.m. today near the intersection of Zarzamora and Interstate 35 by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, a multi-agency group headed by the United States Marshal's Office.

McManus said Lopez admitted beating her 18-month-old daughter, Sariyah Garcia, to death and hiding her body beneath the house at 1301 W. Winnipeg, where the couple were living.

Reed Sariyah [sic] was killed on Christmas Eve, and that Lopez told investigators that her six-month-old son, Sebastian Lopez, died about two months later when she accidentally rolled over him. His body was also placed under the house.

I was wrong about them bugging out to Mexico. Apparently these two were not bright enough to even leave the city.

They are a danger to society.

"Rattlesnake season is here"

If you've been seeing a few rattlers around, there's a reason. As Bridget Smith at KENS-TV reports, it's rattlesnake breeding season.

[Jarrod] Forthman, considered a rattlesnake expert for 20 years, said breeding season in South Texas has slithered upon us.

"They're popping up in garages, backyards, little kids are finding them," he said. "So, it's kind of scary knowing that a lot of these snakes could hurt kids."

Note to kids: be careful around the snakes. Some of 'em are nasty ol' rattlers.

"Mystery surrounding children's death grows"

The Express-News has more on the situation where the bodies of two babies were found under a house. The mother and her boyfriend are now on the run, and the police want to find them, though a relative almost got them first.

Wednesday night, Miguel Lopez had them in his sights, he said. The moment was propitious — both [Tina] Vara and Miguel Lopez had vowed to help police find their sister [the babies' mother] so she can be questioned about the deaths.

...

Miguel Lopez had driven to his father's South Side apartment around 9 p.m. Wednesday to take his dad to a rosary for the slain children. When he arrived, he said, he saw [Jerry] Salazar trying to enter the apartment through a window.

Salazar ran for the Buick and jumped into the back seat with Valerie Lopez, Miguel Lopez said. Somebody else was driving, a man whom Miguel Lopez did not recognize.

The Buick sped off, ran red lights and swerved onto U.S. 90 before exiting and turning back toward downtown, eventually stopping at Metropolitan Methodist Hospital, he said. A woman emerged from the car and ran inside, and the Buick screeched off again.

Miguel Lopez followed it onto Interstate 35, traveling at speeds of up to 100 mph, he said. But traffic was too thick; he lost the car.

I hope Valerie Lopez and Jerry Salazar are found soon. If they had anything to do with the deaths of their babies, they are a danger to all children they may come into contact with (her previous two children were taken away from her). They need to be brought to justice, though I suspect they might be in Mexico by now.

A burning pile of mulch XVI

The bickering has started again.

From KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- A second water war erupted Wednesday over the Helotes mulch fire, but this time San Antonio Water System and the state's environmental agency are in the fray.

TCEQ wants to extinguish an underground fire by putting water on what remains of the smoldering pile that has burned since Christmas.

However, SAWS found fecal coliform and fluid from decaying material in at least five nearby private wells.

SAWS official[s] said they want to prevent more contamination and keep their original agreement by squelching the blaze in clay-lined pits instead of directly hosing the pile.

...

The local and state agencies will continue trying to come to some sort of agreement with SAWS.

In fact, a SAWS team was at the site late Wednesday afternoon for a tour, so both sides are still talking, trying to reach an agreement on how to finish the job without contaminating the Edwards Aquifer.

Just do it soon, for everyone's sake.

So glad we had this time together ...

The San Antonio childhood home of Carol Burnett may be torn down to make room for a barbeque restaurant. Too bad. She seems to have fond memories of the place.

"2 Infants' Bodies Found"

This is strange and very sad.

From KSAT-TV:

Police were called to a triplex in the 1300 block of West Winnepeg Avenue at 7 p.m. Tuesday after residents reported smelling a foul odor that been lingering for as long as two weeks, San Antonio police spokesman Gabe Trevino said.

"At the time, they thought this still could have been an animal ... in (a) plastic bag," Trevino said. "(They) took a knife, cut the bag a little bit, and ... a child's leg came out of the bag."

A second plastic bag was taken to the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office, where a confirmation was made that the bag contained remains of a second child, police said.

The bodies were that of a 2-year-old girl and a 5-month-old boy, Trevino said.

Neighbors told police that the children's mother, Valerie Lopez, and a man named Jerry moved out of the triplex without the children about two weeks ago, Trevino said.

Horrible.

"Modern-Day Fight at Alamo is Against Mold and Deterioration"

Over 170 years ago, the Mexican army attacked the Alamo. Today, the assault is coming from mold.

From WOAI-TV:

Left untreated, the mold creeps down from the top of the building, first darkening and then eating away at the creamy colored stone, said Alamo historian and curator Bruce Winders.

"What it does is dissolve the rock," Winders said. "It doesn't do it immediately, but it's one of those really gradual processes."

That's one of the hazards of a very humid climate, deterioration of historic structures. Good thing a shot of fungicide helps.

Scavenging your way to jail

Down in Laredo, the kids may call it a scavenger hunt. But the authorities just call it stealing.

From the Express-News:

Police realized a rogue operation was in effect after an officer pulled over a speeder at about 12:30 a.m. Saturday, police spokesman Juan Rivera said.

"He found a stop sign — which they obviously weren't supposed to have — a garden hose and a bunch of other stuff," Rivera said.

The students confessed, and that, combined with noise complaints from residents, led officers to an empty lot that was the meeting spot.

The Police Department assembled a team of officers to watch the lot and arrested students as they stopped by.

...

The biggest item on the scavenger hunt list — which no one got — was a giant globe that serves as a centerpiece at Texas A&M International University, several students said.

They arrested 40 students, all told.

Protesting what?

The San Antonio Toll Party, a group opposed to toll roads, joined its friends in Austin to protest toll roads in Texas. At least, that's what I think they were protesting. They also seem to be against a lot of other things.

From the Express-News:

AUSTIN — A protest against toll roads highlighted a rally on the Capitol steps Friday, but the Texas Independence Day holiday put folks in the mood to raise hell about other grievances as well.

Many also complained about a national animal identification tag. Some grumbled about the state's loss of control of its borders. A few warned about the coming "North American Union." And some excoriated the United Nations for wanting "to take your gun," exhorting anyone within earshot to "get us out of the U.N."

That's quite a few disparate topics to be lumped together with toll roads. Oh well, I guess if you have the crowd together, and the people are worked up already, might as well get them to holler about your cause as well.

A burning pile of mulch XV

The Helotes mulch fire is almost out.

From KSAT-TV:

Firefighters said the size of the burning mulch pile has been greatly reduced over the past several days to half its original size. But smoke continues to be a problem.

Officials with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality announced Friday that the fire was about 75 percent out. They said they hope to have it under control by early next week, but the state agency said they aren’t ready to declare victory just yet.

And the key to getting it done now instead of much later?

"Once everybody got on board and once SAWS and TCEQ worked out their deals, I think it moved pretty good,” said Jon Allan, Helotes Mayor.

Yes, quit bickering and get it done. Good advice in this case and many others.

"New Braunfels Councilman Faces Recall"

If you are a politician in a town that gets a lot of tourists, you might be careful about trying to limit the activities of your visitors. If you do decide to impose limits, keep in mind that there might be some backlash.

From KSAT-TV:

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas -- Critics of recent City Council actions aimed at taming rowdy river parties have collected enough signatures to force a recall election for a councilman linked with the measures.

City Secretary Michael Resendez said Thursday that residents had gathered enough valid signatures for the election, which targets Ken Valentine.

...

The council voted last month to limit tubers on the Comal to one six-pack-size cooler each and those on the Guadalupe to a 12-pack-size cooler. It also voted to restrict open containers from three riverfront parks and the last public tuber exit on the Comal.

The recall petition accuses Valentine of failing to represent the majority of his constituents and pushing divisive issues.

New Braunfels is on IH-35 northeast of San Antonio, and it is home to Schlitterbahn, a popular water park. People like to go to the town to have fun and party during the summer, and rowdy visitors causing commotions on the rivers have been an issue for some residents. But, if this story is any indication, there also appears to be a significant portion of the New Braunfels population that likes such visitors. And their cash, I bet.

It'll be interesting to see where this recall goes. (The election is May 12.)

"SA Couple Accused Of Illegally Taking Mexican Baby"

Want to get a baby with minimum hassle? Apparently Mexico is the place you want to be.

From KSAT-TV:

MONTERREY, Mexico -- A San Antonio couple was arrested in Monterrey after inquiring about a visa at the U.S. Consulate here for a 2-week-old baby boy they said was given to them, police said Thursday.

...

The couple told police the baby's mother gave them the baby because she was too poor to care for him. They said they paid for the woman's expenses during childbirth but denied buying the baby boy.

...

The couple told police they had traveled to Monterrey a year ago to try to adopt a child but were rejected because they were living in the United States. They said they hadn't tried to adopt in Texas because it is too expensive.

"We thought it would be easy to do it this way, but we didn't do it in bad faith," [Tomasa] Ibarra told El Norte. "We wanted to do it the right way, that's why we came to ask."

Let's see, they didn't want to play by the adoption rules in their homeland because the process is too expensive. Then they try to adopt in another country, but they are turned down because they don't live there. So they try to find an "easy" way to skirt the rules by paying some poor woman to give up her child.

Sounds like buying a baby to me. At least it wasn't done in "bad faith".

UPDATE: More here from the Express-News.

The Alamo -- in musical form!

Aaaahh God! Singing at the Alamo!

I don't care for musicals, and I think they are especially lame when they deal with serious subject matter (anyone remember Cop Rock?). So, you can imagine what I think about the worthiness of combining musical theater with the Battle of the Alamo.

And the musical is showing here, in San Antonio.

March 2, 1836 heralded the birth of the Republic of Texas and this year, THE CHURCH THEATRE commemorates the day with the opening of “GONE TO TEXAS, THE MUSICAL”, the award-winning production dramatized by San Antonio composer Tom Masinter, Austin playwright Steve Warren and New York producer-lyricist June Rachelson-Ospa.

Led by an all-star cast and directed by five-time Globe winner Diane Malone, the famous struggle for power and honor is chronicled in a new script with never before heard songs about the legendary men, wives, and families who fought at the Alamo during the 13 day siege that defined Texas history.

I wish the production luck. Really, I do. I like to see smaller ventures succeed, especially music-oriented ones, and I like to see San Antonio and our history promoted in positive ways. Just because I have no plans of seeing "Gone to Texas, the Musical" doesn't mean you shouldn't, if you happen to like musicals. I don't. Which is why, when contemplating this one, I can just barely muster this: Aaaahh God!

"Man Confesses to Mutilating and Killing School's Animals"

What an odd way to pass the time.

From WOAI-TV:

In January, security cameras caught several teens breaking into Madison High School's animal barn and mutilating and killing the animals. One lamb was hanged from a rafter and gutted, and two others were stabbed. ...

Police said an [sic] former Madison student, 19-year-old Horacio Favela, confessed to killing the lamb.

The police are still looking for his cohorts.

Just another odd mayor's race V

R.G. Griffing, one of the contenders for the mayor's seat in San Antonio, finds it difficult to take on city hall ("Hardberger's Office Blacklists RG Griffing").

Mayor Hardberger's Communications Gatekeeper, JJ Saulino, lost his temper and possibly his mind last week when he decided to blacklist the San Antonio Lightning from City Hall.

RG Griffing, editor and publisher of the Lightning, is currently running against Hardberger in the Mayoral Joust. ...

Saulino refused to comment on the pictures, or to identify the staffer involved. He went further to say that since Griffing is running for Mayor, Saulino's office will no longer respond to questions from the Lightning.

"You can't be in the media AND run for political office," Griffing quotes Saulino as saying.

Actually, you can. It's squishy ground, though.

"Child Adds Gasoline To BBQ Grill; House Catches Fire"

A child adds gasoline to a barbeque grill, which is not a particularly bright thing to do at any age. The house burns, but luckily no one is hurt. Bad move, but, he's a child, right? Perhaps he didn't know any better. And, where were the adults anyway?

Oh. KSAT-TV tells us:

Investigators said the child was being supervised at the time of the incident.

Poor kid.

A Streetcar named "San Antonio-gou"

This streetcar isn't in San Antonio, but it's named for San Antonio.

The Streetcar Catalog is a photoblog dedicated to images of the streetcar system in Kumamoto City, Japan. Since Kumamoto is one of San Antonio's sister cities, they are apparently honoring the Alamo City with a streetcar named after it. This isn't really that strange, but I thought it was pretty cool, so I put it on here. Thanks, Kumamoto.

A burning pile of mulch XIV

More good news on the Helotes mulch fire: though another well was found to be contaminated, the firefighting efforts continue, and the majority of the fire is put out.

Details from Jerry Needham of the Express-News:

Greg Flores, spokesman for SAWS, said the smoky water was discovered as part of stepped-up monitoring activities agreed upon by the two agencies in an effort to protect the drinking water supply for 1.7 million people in the region.

[Texas Commission on Environmental Quality communications director Andy] Saenz said firefighters have made "tremendous progress" since resuming operations on Feb. 12. TCEQ seized control of the pile and hired contractors to extinguish the blaze on Jan. 9.

"The latest estimate we have is that we are between 60 percent and 70 percent extinguished, so we are right on track if not maybe a little bit ahead of schedule to put this thing out," he said, adding that the schedule calls for having it doused by
March 5.

By the way, the winds must have been blowing my way (southeast of Helotes) today, because I could smell that fire all day long.

"Big Rig Catches Fire; Chocolate Bars Destroyed"

The horror! The horror! Chocolate destroyed!

From KSAT-TV:

Police said that the big rig was headed eastbound on Interstate 10 near Roland Avenue at 3 a.m., when a back brake is believed to have caught fire.

The fire caused the tires to explode, creating a flash fire that burned at least half of the trailer, which was hauling Nestle's Crunch chocolate bars.

Mmm, I bet that was one good-smelling fire.

"Two dozen dogs seized from Southeast Side home"

We've seen too many cats. We've seen too many people. And now, there are too many dogs in one local home, as KENS-TV reports:

"We had information that there were too many dogs at this location. We thought there was gonna be 15, but when we got out here, turned out to be 24," animal cruelty investigator Eddie Wright said.

All of the two dozen dogs were Pit Bull mixes, and 10 of them were puppies.

Just what we need, more pit bulls.

UPDATE: It looks like the initial report was wrong. The dogs weren't in the house, and they were being cared for and loved. ("ACS returns 24 pit bulls to owner")

Animal Care Services had seized the dog, along with 13 other adult dogs and 10 puppies of the same breed, from a vast backyard on the East Side where Gilbert Lopez, 22, has raised the dogs for years. ...

Animal control officers suspected Lopez's animals were being used for dogfights. But when they arrived at his home in the 200 block of Roesler, they encountered animals living in exemplary conditions within a subculture that rejects the pit bull's nasty reputation.

The well-fed, muscular canines sat in spacious cages on 1.4 acres outfitted with a septic tank to eliminate bad odors. The property is equipped with outdoor lighting and a portable toilet for those who attend dog shows on-site.

"The dogs appear to be show dogs more than anything else," said Eddie Wright, animal cruelty investigator for the city. ...

In their brief time at the pound, the 24 seized pit bulls were conspicuously calm — a sign they were well cared for and not a threat, [spokeswoman for Animal Care Services Lisa] Norwood said. Only one dog seemed to rebel against its temporary captors, urinating on a mud flap of the truck used to haul it away.

Looks like these particular pit bulls aren't a danger. I wish I could say the same about the rest of them in this town.

"Duck dilemma dogs development"

If you lived in a neighborhood with too many ducks, would you treat them like your children?

From the Express-News Neighbors section:

El Dorado, a Northeast Side neighborhood between Nacogdoches and O'Connor roads, has around 70 ducks at its two ponds — 20 to 30 more than normal, according to Ann Caldwell and Linda Sarsfield, whose yards back up to the ponds.

The self-described wildlife lovers have become surrogate mothers to the brace of ducks (called a flock of ducks in flight and a raft of ducks on water).

"Ducks make a contribution by controlling snakes, mosquitoes and other undesirable things around a pond," Caldwell said. [emphasis added]

For those neighbors who aren't so surrogate-mother-minded, though, there's always a way to control the duck population.

Car crashes into house

Here it is, your latest report on a vehicle coming into fast contact with a dwelling in San Antonio.

From WOAI-TV:

Police are searching for a driver who slammed his car into a home on Rio Grande overnight.

Officers say the man driving the car ran off following the crash.

According to police, a woman was left inside the wrecked vehicle. She called a friend to pick her up.

Possible overheard conversation: "Uh, can you pick me up? I'm at somebody's house, somebody I don't know, and I'm still in the car. -- No, I'm in the house, too. -- Yeah, so's the car. -- Uh, when you get here, do you mind if I drive home?"

"Uresti's wife says she called cops 'out of revenge'"

This is more than a little strange. In fact, it's downright embarrassing when the wife of a state senator calls the cops on her husband because she thought he was cheating on her. No proof of infidelity, just a suspicion, and the woman calls the police.

From the Express-News:

Yolanda Uresti said Tuesday she was seeking revenge against her husband, state Sen. Carlos Uresti , when she called police to their Southeast Side home early Saturday.

“We said things we wish we hadn't, and, I'll admit, I called the police out of revenge,” she said in a written statement. “As they say, though, what is done is done, and no matter how much we may wish to, we cannot take it back.”

When police turned up at their residence in the 9000 block of Walhalla Avenue , Yolanda Uresti told officers she was upset with her husband “due to him having a possible affair,” according to the San Antonio Police Department incident report. ...

The SAPD dispatcher originally coded the call as a case of family violence with a gun. But the incident was ultimately classified as a disturbance.

Who wants to bet the "incident" is ultimately forgotten? Politics are funny that way.

A burning pile of mulch XIII

Time for an update on the mulch fire in Helotes. The good news is, everything is going well, and the fire that has been burning since Christmas Day should be out in a couple of weeks.

From KSAT:

SAN ANTONIO -- Firefighting crews in Helotes have reduced a huge burning pile of mulch by 25 percent and officials said the fire should be completely extinguished in two weeks. ...

Officials from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said it appears the water is not seeping into the Edwards Aquifer.

That's good for everyone, especially the residents of that town. I just wonder if it will be awhile before they can stomach a big fat link of smoked sausage.

"17 year old shot in both legs"

Wow. Shot for staring.

From the Express-News:

A 17-year-old boy was shot in both legs on the East Side Friday after he and his friends and another group of men “stared each other down,” before one party became aggravated and came after the other.

The news story says the two groups of people were merely staring at each other, and it doesn't seem as if there was any other provocation than that. I wonder if there's more to this story than what has been reported.

Just another odd mayor's race IV

R.G. Griffing is back in the race for mayor of San Antonio, and the Express-News gets around to covering this strange candidate.

Minutes before the City Council put its stamp Thursday on a proposed $550 million bond package, R.G. Griffing formally entered the mayor's race and essentially gave a Bronx cheer to the spending plan. ...

Griffing, publisher of the San Antonio Lightning, a sometimes gossipy, sometimes inflammatory Internet news site, said he simply didn't buy the absence of a tax increase and doubted the need for the proposed $550 million in spending. ...

Griffing filed paperwork for the race Thursday morning, pitting him against Mayor Phil Hardberger and Rhett Smith, the only other candidates so far that have officially thrown hats into the ring. The candidate filing period started Monday and ends March 12.

Bakery owner Patrick McCurdy also is expected to jump into the race.

It will be interesting to see how Griffing covers this on his own Web site. After all, he is the man who announced his candidacy with the declaration, "You people make me sick!", thereby endearing him to all the voters in the Alamo City.