"Weapons Found In Baby's Crib, Diaper Bags"

I suppose if you are the type to join a gang, deal in drugs, and keep loaded weapons within easy reach, it might just make a certain amount of sense to you to make those weapons available to the babies as well.

From KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- Eight people, including seven documented gang members, were arrested in a weapons and drug raid Wednesday night on the city's East Side.

Bexar County sheriff's deputies said they confiscated nine pistols, an assault rifle and various high-capacity magazine clips at a home in the 1200 block of Aransas Avenue. ...

"We recovered one loaded weapon in the crib," said Sgt. Ron Tooke of the Bexar County Sheriff's Office. "And another diaper bag with two loaded weapons and 30-round capacity magazines in the diaper bag. And another two loaded weapons in the sides of the diaper bags and throughout the floor of the home. And they were where the children were getting into cabinets and loaded weapons everywhere."

The sheriff's department says the household was apparently gearing up for a defense from a drive-by attack.

Cooking out inside: not a good idea

Grills and barbeque pits are meant to be used outside. Here's an example of what can happen if you don't heed such advice.

From KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- A mother and daughter were injured in a fire that started after they tried to cook with an open barbeque pit in their home, authorities said.

"It appears they were cooking inside the house with briquets cooking with charcoal inside the house," District Fire Chief Chris Varelas said. ...

One of the victims managed to run out of their back door carrying the barbeque pit that had caught fire, a neighbor said.

She tossed the pit outside, but caught fire, a neighbor said. ...

The 59-year-old daughter suffered from smoke inhalation and burns.

Her mother suffered burns from the waist up.

I hope the ladies recover from this accident, and I hope everyone else keeps their grills outside.

Car crashes into house

A man had stolen a car (allegedly!) and was running from the police when he lost control and crashed into a house -- just when the homeowner, after completing some remodeling, was talking to someone about renting the dwelling.

From WOAI-TV:

The man was trying to get away from officers when he lost control of the car and hit a home on Ligustrum and Woodlawn Tuesday, police said.

The homeowner was doing renovations on the house, and in seconds, three months of hard work was gone. ...

“All this hard work for nothing,” homeowner Raymond Bueno said. “The day we were suppose to rent it out, this happens."

That sucks. And (sorry for the obvious Spanish pun) the whole situation for Mr. Bueno is no bueno.

Marrying on Valentine's Day

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and, once again, Bexar County is offering free marriages for the holiday. The only catch is that you and your spouse-to-be must show up at the courthouse at one of the scheduled times: midnight, 11:00 a.m., noon, or 6:00 p.m. And, yes, you do need a valid marriage license.

While I understand the sentiment that prompts couples to tie the knot on February 14, what I think is strange is that anyone would want to do it at midnight.

I bet it's crowded at that time, too.

"Man Stabbed: Robbery or Self-Inflicted?"

Here's another "ouch", perhaps self-inflicted.

Emergency crews arrived at the Beverly Gardens Apartments on the 7200 block of Harlow just after 11:00 p.m. Sunday. They found the victim inside his apartment, stabbed once in the stomach. He was taken by ambulance to Brooke Army Medical Center.

The man claims a robber attacked him and stole dozens of his DVDs. However, his wife told officers that the two of them are having marital problems and the man may have stabbed himself.

Well, now, surely there are better ways to fix a marriage.

"Man Impaled While Evading Police"

Ouch!

SAN ANTONIO -- A man that was running from police was impaled by a fence stake, police said.

The man jumped over a fence to escape police, he slipped, and was impaled in the leg by a metal spike on one of the stakes, police said.

The man will probably be fine. But, again, ouch!

"DWI Dude helping to clear people of charge"

Get arrested for DWI in San Antonio? The "DWI Dude" may be able to help you out.

From KENS-TV:

Attorney Jamie Balagia calls himself the DWI Dude.

"I'm not inexpensive, but good lawyers aren't cheap, and cheap lawyers aren't good at this," he said.

Balagia keeps a big, red truck emblazoned with messages like, "Just say no to the DWI cops," and "No blood, no breath, no tests," parked across from the Bexar County courthouse.

Very interesting.

A burning pile of mulch XII

The San Antonio Water System has agreed to let water be used the Helotes mulch pile, which has been burning since Christmas. But with conditions.

From KSAT-TV:

Under the SAWS plan, they will provide no more 300,000 gallons a day for fighting the fire. After three days of firefighting, efforts will cease for two days to test more than 30 wells.

If the wells show no contamination, efforts will continue.

"If anything shows up in the aquifer or if anything shows up in the local wells TCEQ, will immediately stop the operation,” said Steve Clouse, of the SAWS.

In addition to the two-day tests, TCEQ will sample all wells in the area twice a day.

Complicated, but better than doing nothing, I suppose.

A burning pile of mulch XI

Out of concern for the Edwards Aquifer -- San Antonio's primary source of drinking water -- the San Antonio Water System is prepared to take legal action to prevent anyone from dousing the burning mulch pile in Helotes.

From KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- The board of the San Antonio Water System on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution that authorizes lawyers to seek a temporary restraining order that would prevent water from being poured directly onto a huge pile of burning mulch in Helotes. ...

During an emergency board meeting, board chairman Alex Briseno said the SAWS must be prepared to go to court in order to stop firefighters from "screwing up our water." ...

SAWS staff member Steve Clouse said the utility wants to help pursue other way[s] to fight the stubborn fire that has been smoldering since Christmas Day.

"Our intent is to look for equipment or methods that can move the material off of the pile, put it into the clay-lined pits and then extinguish it," Clouse said.

Work has already begun to build clay-lined pits around the fire, which has not been battled for nearly two weeks after water contamination was discovered in two private water wells. ...

Clouse added that SAWS officials will meet with representatives from the Texas Commission On Environmental Quality, possibly as early as Thursday afternoon, to map out a plan of action. [emphases added]

Man, if leadership was ever needed to cut through bureaucratic bickering, it's needed here.

UPDATE: More from the Express-News.

Just another odd mayor's race III

In previous posts, I have drawn attention to R.G. Griffing's quixotic quest to become mayor of San Antonio, including his strange approach to winning the voters over: "You people make me sick!"

Now Griffing seems to be out of the running because he missed a filing deadline. And he blames the city -- and perhaps even the current mayor, Phil Hardberger -- for cutting him from the race.

San Antonio City Clerk Leticia Vacek has admitted that City computer problems pervented Mayoral Candidate RG Griffing from filing required financial records on the proper due date in January, however she refused to allow an extension of the filing deadline beyond January 18th, even though she acknowledges the glitch was not fixed until the next week.

When asked directly if she had been influenced in her decision by any City officials, including Mayor Hardberger, she refused all comment. ...

Griffing's maverick campaign has been encountering problems with others in the inbred SA establishment, including the Express-News which refused to accept his political advertising on the grounds that it was not in their "best interest," according to E-N spokesperson Cheryl Cantu.

"Inbred". That's endearing.

A burning pile of mulch X

Well, just when the firefighters get ready to start battling the Helotes mulch fire again, the local water system pulls the plug.

Or maybe the metaphor should be, plugs up the pipe.

From KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- San Antonio Water System board members on Tuesday denied a request for 300,000 gallons of water to help fight a huge mulch fire in Helotes.

Board members apparently were concerned how runoff might affect the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone, KSAT 12 News reported.

The decision came hours before a contractor was going to resume efforts to fight the blaze, which has been burning since Christmas Day.

Ever get the feeling that what's needed most for this situation is some real leadership? Right now, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, SAWS, Helotes officials, Bexar County Commissioners, and just about everyone else is bumping heads over this fire. It's past time someone took charge and just got the thing done without worrying about stepping on any toes.

UPDATE: And BexarMet, a rival water company, steps in to save the day.

SAN ANTONIO -- BexarMet announced Tuesday that it would provide water to extinguish a Helotes mulch fire after San Antonio Water System board members voted to deny a request for 300,000 gallons of water.

BexarMet spokesman T.J. Connolly said BexarMet is obligated to help their neighbors in need.

"This is one of the most challenging environmental problems we've seen in this area in decades, and the idea that SAWS would cut and run and not help their neighbors is inexcusable."

And SAWS is upset.

UPDATE II: Yet, the ineptness goes on (from the Express-News) as the state can't make up its mind: "Vulcan Materials, which operates a nearby quarry, has water on site and Bexar Metropolitan Water District has offered to help, but the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality hasn't decided which water supply it will use."

And the Feds wait in the wings: "At any time, the state could call on the federal government for help. The Environmental Protection Agency says it's monitoring the fire, but the TCEQ hasn't asked for its help."

As I said, this situation needs leadership.

"SA Named Stingiest City in America"

San Antonio? Stingiest? Most miserly? Least charitable?

Nah. I don't buy it.

From WOAI-TV:

According to a new survey by the makers of TurboTax, people in San Antonio give the least amount of money to charities. On average, San Antonians donate $717 a year. People in Houston and Dallas donate more than a $1,000 each year.

TurboTax. Now there's a reliable polling firm.

Seriously, though, the only thing this survey reflects is what people are willing to admit on their tax forms.

Claiming the top spot on America's Stingiest City list is San Antonio where residents donated far less to their favorite charities, doling out on average just over $700 per resident, as reported on Schedule A of the federal 1040 tax form.

I'm willing to bet that people in my home city are much more generous with their money for the real reasons, i.e., they give to charity because it is the right thing to do, not to get a tax break.

But, we all know it's ultimately just a sales pitch.

The residents of Salt Lake City know that giving to charity not only helps others but it also helps cut their tax bill. Charitable contributions, both cash and donated items, are among the more than 350 possible deductions and credits included in TurboTax Deluxe Deduction Maximizer. TurboTax is the most trusted tax software package, helping millions of Americans year after year prepare and file their taxes with confidence — no matter which city they live in.

Gee, thanks for offering to keep track of our charitable givings. But, you already pissed me off with the "America's Stingiest City" comment.

"Police Pull Naked Man From Dumpster"

I offer this story from WOAI with no comment.

San Antonio Police pulled a naked man out of a dumpster overnight, after he was attacked with a knife. ...

The woman told officers on the scene she was angry with [Jessie] Martinez because he wanted to have sex with her 21 year-old daughter. She told police she wanted to cut Martinez’s penis off.

She now faces sexual assault charges.

Car crashes into convenience store

This is not quite as strange as a car crashing into a house, but the vehicle in this case got pretty far into the gas station store.

From KSAT-TV:

The crash occurred at the intersection of Huebner and Bandera roads.

Police said the woman drove into the store when she became dizzy and disoriented and mistook the gas pedal for the brake. ...

The car clipped a clerk's leg while he was stocking shelves in the back of the store, police said.

The car eventually came to a stop before going through the store, police said.

A burning pile of mulch IX

Somehow, this doesn't surprise me: "Helotes Mulch Fire May Ignite Lawsuit"

Dozens of Helotes residents who live near the mulch fire met with a Houston-based law firm Wednesday night to discuss their legal options.

Resident[s] said they want those responsible for the mess to pay for their expenses.

No lawsuits have been filed.

Yet. But they want to go after the owner of the pile.

I still haven't seen anything that pins down the cause of this fire, but, if the cause is accidental or the result of arson, and if the owner has truly been following state guidelines for the past 15 years in the maintenance of his huge pile of mulch, it hardly seems fair to sue him. Perhaps the state regulations need to be changed, but it seems a bit mean to go after the man if he truly has been doing his best to ameliorate the situation.

"Hoarded Cats Found In Home"

When the smell gets so bad that your neighbors have to call animal services, perhaps it's time to get rid of some of your 58 cats!

From KSAT-TV:

"There is no reason for that many cats," Elaine Adams, a neighbor, said. "You can't be happy and healthy with that many."

Eddie Wright, an animal care employee, said the cat hoarding case is one of the worst incidents he's seen.

"It's not the worst we've ever seen, but it's close," Wright said.

The city only allows someone to keep 10 cats total. That's still a lot of cats in one house, but the woman in this story had almost six times the maximum feline level allowed.

"Vultures Lurking At School Cause Health Hazard"

Egads! Vulture droppings may be hazardous to your health, but I think that if my kid went to this school in New Braunfels, I'd be more worried about the fact there are vultures at my kid's school!

From WOAI-TV:

As many as 40 Black Vultures are roosting in trees near Seele Elementary School in New Braunfels.

The trees are also near where many students walk, forcing many kids to walk through bird droppings. Principal Cris Vasquez says she's concerned about kids carrying that into the school, as well as in the student's cars and homes.

They are considering several options for getting rid of the birds.

New Braunfels is between San Antonio and Austin.

"Thief Preys on Church Members"

Here's another odd thief. He has been stealing tires from a church parking lot for about a year now.

From WOAI-TV:

A man is now in jail, accused of preying on people in church. For months, parishioners' tires have been stolen from the parking lot at St. Jude's Catholic Church on San Augustine. ...

Church leaders say more than 15 tires have been stolen over the past year.

Some of the church members say they will patrol the parking lot during services to discourage any more thefts.

I'm a bit surprised they weren't doing that some time ago. It seems a bit late now that the thief has been caught.

"Armed Men Threaten Homeowner, Steal AC Unit"

Another home invasion nets the criminals an unusual item: a window air-conditioning unit.

From KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- Police arrested two men accused of breaking into a home and threatening the homeowner.

Police said the men broke into a West Side home and asked for someone who didn't live there.

The resident told police that afterwards the men threatened him with a gun and stole his air-conditioning window unit

Even stranger: the AC unit was full of drugs. Maybe those invaders knew what they were after all along.

Car crashes into house

Once again a driver has somehow managed to put a vehicle into somebody's home.

From WOAI-TV:

The crash happened close to 10 a.m. Saturday on IH-35 near Rayburn, officials said.

The SUV was swerving in and out of traffic, and the driver lost control on the exit ramp, authorities said. The SUV hit a curb, flipped and then smashed into the home.

Wow.

A burning pile of mulch VIII

Now officials are saying the owner of that burning pile of mulch in Helotes didn't have the proper permits.

From WOAI-TV:

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Texas environmental officials have accused the owner of an enormous mulch pile that caught fire of failing to have proper permits and other environmental violations.

The violation notice disclosed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on Friday listed 13 violations at the facility in Helotes, just outside San Antonio. Among them, failing to have proper permits, creating air quality problems, discharging waste water and allowing the pile to grow larger than its permit allowed.

This is interesting. Initially the problem seemed to be that the owner was in compliance with regulations, and that perhaps the regulation process was flawed to allow this situation to develop. Now the state is laying the blame on the owner of the pile. It will probably be some time before this is all figured out, but I am curious to see whether the owner was skirting regulations all along or whether the state is just trying to find a scapegoat.

"Poteet officer in snoozing case is reinstated"

Perhaps you can get away with speeding in Poteet. You just have to be at the right place at the right time.

From the Express-News:

POTEET — City leaders here agreed that fired Officer Justin Sadler violated policy when he allegedly was caught dozing off in his patrol car, but decided Wednesday to reinstate him to the police force anyway.

The City Council voted unanimously to overturn Police Chief Henry Dominguez's decision to terminate Sadler in October after the chief claimed he spotted Sadler napping while parked in front of the Police Department.

The council didn't give a reason for the decision, and Mayor Lino Donato declined to discuss the issue afterward.

Poteet is a small town south of San Antonio, and it is known for its annual Strawberry Festival.

A burning pile of mulch VII

There's a new plan for fighting the Helotes mulch fire (.pdf document here). This plan calls for clay-lined pits and water-well monitoring. And, if all goes well, the fire should be out by March.

A burning pile of mulch VI

Now the Helotes mulch fire has its own line of memorabilia.

A man who does not live far from the burning compost fire in Helotes has figured out a way to make money off of it by starting a side business of "Helotes Fire Attire,” News 4 WOAI learned Tuesday. ...

Now, you can buy Helotes Mulch Fire t-shirts, mugs, aprons, and even the Helotes fire trucker cap online. [John] Largent even created a spot on his website for folks to come up with catchy slogans about the fire.

Largent told News 4 WOAI he understands the seriousness of the situation, but he said this is his way to help. Largent said any money made will go to the Helotes Volunteer Fire Department.

A burning pile of mulch V

Things have slowed down in the fight to extinguish the Helotes mulch fire (which was supposed to be out by now), and officials are rethinking their approach.

From WOAI-TV:

Monday emergency crews met at Helotes City Hall to talk about a new plan to get the massive fire out. Tuesday was the deadline to get that fire put out, but late last week two water wells in the area showed contamination. ...

There are a lot of options being talked about, including installing drains in the fire pit or putting a clay like material down to help protect the well water, with the biggest concern being the Edwards Aquifer [San Antonio's primary source of water].

"Perhaps change the kind of construction equipment we're using... [sic] perhaps changing the way our operators are working. The idea is to use less water and make sure the aquifer is protected", said [the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality]'s Terry Clawson.

That thing may actually end up burning for a year, as was initially speculated. I bet, by then, Helotes residents are really tired of smelling like barbeque.

A burning pile of mulch IV

Ken Rodriguez, columnist for the Express-News, takes on the state and local authorities who told the owner of that burning pile of mulch that it was all square with regulations -- and that it posed no danger -- for so long.

Nineteen months before a mountainous heap of compost began burning, an inspector from the county Fire Marshal's office said the 60-foot high pile could not burst into flames.

"There is a recurring complaint about that place (on Henry Zumwalt's property), but it is not a fire hazard at all," inspector Kevin Walton told Express-News reporter Amanda Reimherr on June 22, 2005. "The pile is about 75 percent dirt, so that prevents any fires."

The heap that couldn't catch fire has been burning since Christmas, 28 days ago.

I bet the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality changes some of their regulations after this.

Icy night

This is definitely strange in San Antonio:





















Earlier this week we had a bit of an ice storm here in the Alamo City. Since icy conditions are not that common, and snow even rarer (the last significant snowfall was in 1988), we San Antonians just don't know how to properly deal with the frigid stuff. We don't have the equipment to abate the ice by any appreciable amount, and not many people really know how to drive on the frozen streets and bridges.

So we shut down the town. We huddle up and enjoy the cold weather, and we take lots of pictures. Here are a few more:

"Man Sues After Truck Crashes Into Home"

On this blog I've pointed out several times where a vehicle has crashed into a house, apartment, or some other kind of building, mainly because it seems to happen quite often in this town. That seems strange to me, and I don't know if this is common in other cities.

But, lest you think that these cars are destroying homes with impunity, here is a man who has decided to fight back. With a lawsuit.

A year ago, a delivery truck slammed into a house, barely missing a man sitting on his front porch. The truck crashed through the garage and a wall collapsed. Now the homeowner, a retired Vietnam veteran, says he felt like he was back in combat.

“Suddenly there was this explosion, and there's a wall behind him that's collapsing. It triggered a flashback and he really thought he was back in Vietnam,” Frank Gasca’s lawyer, Fernando Cruz, told News 4 WOAI’s Aubrey Mika. ...

The recently filed lawsuit claims that the truck driver, Samuel Ellis, didn't put on the parking brake of his Schwan's delivery truck. The company and the driver are now being sued for negligence.

That sounds pretty scary. The crash, I mean.

Though I guess a lawsuit is scary, too.

A burning pile of mulch III

That mulch fire that has been burning in Helotes since Christmas is getting popular. Even more popular now that it's on MySpace.com (www.myspace.com/mulchfire).

The Express-News has the story here.

"The mulch fire has made enough enemies, maybe it is time to start making some friends," said Vanessa Macias, a local TV personality listed on MySpace as a friend of the mulch fire. ...

Macias, who lives downwind from the burning pile, said she's not one to belittle mulch madness. Her dogs are wheezing and she's emptied bottles of fabric freshener trying to kill the smoky stench settling into her curtains and couch. But that doesn't stop her from having a chuckle at the fire's expense.

"The situation is here, you might as well make fun of it," Macias said. "You can't stay mad at (the mulch) forever."

Mighty strange.

"French envoy to talk trade, Mideast in S.A."

The French ambassador is coming to San Antonio. Hooray!

From Gary Martin's article in the Express-News:

WASHINGTON — Jean-David Levitte, the French ambassador to the United States, will discuss France's perspective on the Middle East and the trade climate between America and Europe in an appearance today in San Antonio.

Levitte is meet [sic] with South Texas business leaders and students at the University of Texas at San Antonio during a daylong swing through the city.

I'm not sure what prompted Mr. Levitte to make an appearance in San Antonio. I can't think of any obvious connections to France that this town has.

But here's an odd bit from Mr. Martin's article that I did not know:

The United States and France share extensive trade ties, which, along with direct investment, has integrated the two economies.

Integrated? The economies of France and the U.S. are now one unified whole? I highly doubt that. We may have important trade ties to France, but I don't think our economy's well-being is entirely dependent on the French economy. I could be wrong, but I am skeptical, to say the least.

"Missing SA Baby Found In California"

What's stranger than a woman who, for some reason, thinks it's a good idea to give her child away? The other woman who apparently thinks it's a good idea to receive a baby as a gift.

From KSAT-TV:

Buena Park Police Department officers in California informed the San Antonio Police Department that they found Isiah Ramirez in Buena Park, Calif.

Police said a woman told the Buena Park police she was given the child by a woman in Texas.

Even odder is that Isiah's mother -- after driving to a distant small town in Texas to complete the transaction with the woman from California -- tried to play it off by saying she did not know what happened to the child.

There's a lot more to this story than what has been reported so far.

Three-wheelin'

Don't really have much to contribute today, except maybe this picture of Grave Digger driving through the Alamodome after losing a wheel.
















Strange or not, I leave you to decide.

"Sgt. Relieved Of Duties After Posing Nude For Playboy"

I know this has already been all over the place today, but I thought I would point it out since the woman is stationed at Lackland Air Force Base here in San Antonio.

From KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- An Air Force staff sergeant who posed nude for Playboy magazine has been relieved of her duties while the military investigates, officials said Thursday.

In February's issue, hitting newsstands this week, Michelle Manhart is photographed in uniform yelling and holding weapons under the headline "Tough Love." The following pages show her partially clothed, wearing her dog tags while working out, as well as completely nude.

"This staff sergeant's alleged action does not meet the high standards we expect of our airmen, nor does it comply with the Air Force's core values of integrity, service before self, and excellence in all we do," Oscar Balladares, spokesman for Lackland Air Force Base, said in a statement.

Well, I'm not sure what to make of this. She thinks she is standing up for her rights, but she has been in the service long enough to know that certain behaviors are probably frowned upon, especially if it appears that she is representing the armed forces in some way. I don't think she has a leg to stand on, and I haven't yet decided whether I come down on her side or on the Air Force's side in this.

But, she is pretty hot.

"Fight over Compost Fire Costs Going to Court"

I knew this was coming: the state of Texas is sending a bill to the owner of the mulch pile in Helotes that has been burning since Christmas.

From WOAI-TV:

The state sent a letter to the property owner, Henry Zumwalt, saying it is up to him to pay for the clean up costs, Zumwalt’s attorney said. Zumwalt has filed a lawsuit claiming he is not responsible for the bill, News 4 WOAI learned.

The latest estimates show the fire will be out by the end of the month at a cost of $1.75 million dollars.

“This was not Mr. Zumwalt's fault,” Zumwalt’s attorney Michael Black said. “He's been a good guy in trying to protect the citizens and property in Helotes in trying to put this thing out.”

Zumwalt’s attorney said his client has already paid up to $150,000 to fight the fire. His lawyer claims Zumwalt is not responsible for that bill as well.

“This is a compost fire that was started by arson.” Black said. “Mr. Zumwalt is as much of a vicitm as anybody else.”

I feel for Zumwalt somewhat. If this was indeed arson, then I think he's getting a raw deal from the state. After all, the San Antonio Fire Department doesn't seem to charge for putting out house fires, no matter how they start. And, it seems like Zumwalt was doing all he could to fight the blaze himself. I'm not sure the state of Texas should be charging him for an emergency response.

What do you think?

Turkey spill

Truck driver tries to beat train at rail crossing. Truck driver doesn't quite make it. Result?

A road full of frozen turkeys.

From the Express-News:

A slew of frozen turkeys were spilled over a South Side road this morning after a train hit a truck carrying the frozen food.

At least no one was hurt. And, it gives me the opportunity to once again recall Les Nessman's turkeys.

A burning pile of mulch II

The state of Texas has now declared that it will pay a contractor to put out that giant burning mulch pile in Helotes.

From WOAI-TV:

[Texas Commission on Environmental Quality] officials are hiring a Pasadena, Texas-based company called Oil Mop to put out the compost fire, officials said.

According to the company's estimated timeline, crews will spend this week prepping the site with its equipment and workers. Oil Mop crews will begin dismantling the stock pile January 14th and will continue that process through the following nine days. They hope to have the fire extinguished by January 24th, according to the timeline.

Cost to the state: $1.7 million. Let's hope Oil Mop does what it claims it can do. This fire looks to be a bit out of their field of expertise, but they are probably better qualified than the owner of the pile to tackle the situation.

Floating banana

Coming in summer 2008, high over the skies of Texas--a giant banana?

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A Canadian artist hopes to make the Texas sky his canvas by sending a 1,000-foot-long helium-filled-banana to float overhead next year.

"I want to bring some humor to the Texas sky," Montreal artist Cesar Saez, 38, told the San Antonio Express-News for its Sunday editions.

If the plan works, the giant bamboo and paper dirigible will be launched from a site in Mexico in summer 2008. It will then drift eastward over Texas at a stratospheric altitude of 20 miles before disintegrating.

If that project ever comes to fruition, and if I can see that banana in the sky, you can bet I will post pictures here. Of course, that's a year and a half away. A lot could happen between now and then.

Pig Stand update

The Pig Stand is back in business!

From KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio landmark restaurant Pig Stand was forced to close late last year, but the restaurant chain has now reopened one of its locations. ...

In November, the restaurant and drive-in was forced to close because it's [sic] owner owed the state several hundred thousand dollars in back taxes.

A former car hop who had worked in San Antonio for 40 years brought the Pig Stand back to life, leasing the building from the liquidator.

That's good news for lovers of this quirky restaurant. Here is my previous post on this situation, and here is a picture of the place taken by Thiên at San Antonio Daily Photo, a nice photoblog that focuses on the Alamo City.

The pig is back!

"Uke can do it"

The art of playing the ukulele is alive and well in the suburb of Leon Valley.

From the Leon Valley Recorder:

An instrument that once seemed the sole province of the late Tiny Tim and a host of Hawaiian islanders has a flock of Leon Valley youngsters making a joyful noise as they strum and sing along with their teacher, Joyce Flaugher, who leads the Leon Valley Ukulele Club under the awning of the Leon Valley Public Library (right). She says the instrument is “enjoying another resurgence.”

Aloha!

"Man Stabbed While Giving 2 People Ride"

Would you give a ride to two guys who called you at two o'clock in the morning, especially if you did not know them very well? If you would, be careful.

From KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- A 24-year-old man was stabbed early Wednesday while he gave two other men a ride.

Police said the pair called the man at 2 a.m. and asked him for a ride.

When he picked them up, the two other men starting stabbing him as they reached their destination. ...

The victim told police that he didn't know his attackers, who fled the scene, very well.

The victim is in critical condition. I hope he pulls through, and I hope next time he will stay in bed when someone calls him for a ride.

A burning pile of mulch

Out on the nortwest edge of San Antonio, there's a fire, and it could be burning for another year.

That's because it's a pile of mulch that is on fire. A big pile.

KSAT-TV reports:

HELOTES, Texas -- A giant mulch pile smoldering near Helotes would burn for at least a year if left alone, while dousing it would require as much as 100 million gallons of water over a week's time, according to a contractor's assessment. ...

"We have had the pile for at least 15 years and have always done what we were required to do," said Lennie Turpin, general manager for Zumwalt Construction. "We are doing all that we can right now to stop the fire by pulling the pile apart with backhoes." [emphasis added]

I think it's a little odd that there's a need for such a pile in the first place. A 15-year-old pile at that.

By the way, they suspect arson. There's a reward for information.

UPDATE: The owner of the pile now says that he will extinguish the fire in 45 days.

UPDATE II: The state wants immediate action. (from the Express-News)

State officials have demanded the owner of a massive pile of slow-burning mulch that has billowed smoke for nearly two weeks produce a written plan by Monday explaining how he'll snuff the blaze.

At the same time, they're contacting a private firefighting firm in case they need to step in and take over the job, said Richard Garcia, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regional director for the San Antonio area.

Sounds like a big job.

"Animal Care Services revises cat trapping policy"

Interesting. I didn't even know this town had a cat-trapping policy.

Draining the river

It's that time of year again: the annual draining of the San Antonio River. They do this at the first of each year to clean up a little, and visitors to the River Walk should expect to see a little less atmosphere than they might be used to (from KSAT-TV).

City officials said the first week of the new year is the best time to conduct the cleanup.

"There's never really a good time to take down the river," said Paula Stallcup, director of downtown operations. "But certainly, we work around the existing conventions and all of our visitors. This is the time to do it because this is the slowest time, if there is a slow time for San Antonio."

Up next, the annual Mud Festival, complete with a ball, a parade, a coronation, a pub crawl, and an arts and crafts show. All to celebrate the draining of the river.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, San Antonians will hold a party for just about any reason.

"18-year-old woman dies playing reverse Russian roulette"

This is odd, and sad.

A game of reverse Russian roulette early Thursday in a South Bexar County home ended with an 18-year-old woman dead and a man behind bars after he was charged with firing the fatal shot. ...
The three had engaged in a game of reverse Russian roulette using a .357 magnum. Rather than point the gun at their own heads, participants point the weapon at other people, according to [Bexar County Sheriff's Department Lt. Dale] Bennett.
Details of what happened next are unclear. The suspect said he was about 15 feet away from [Amanda] Studymire when he pointed the gun at her and accidentally shot her in the head, Bennett said. He also claimed not to know the gun was loaded.

Right. Then why play the game?

It's never smart to play with guns. It's even dumber to play Russian roulette. And it's even dumber than that to try out variations on the game.

And it's tragic when someone's plain stupidity ends up hurting or killing another.

Two truck stop deaths blamed on drugs

Lomi Kriel of the Express-News reports that two of the several mysterious deaths at area truck stops can be blamed on drugs.

The deaths of a man and woman discovered inside their idling big rig at a far East Side truck stop in November was an accident and the two overdosed on methamphetamine, the Bexar County medical examiner's office ruled Tuesday.

Harry Akroyd Jr., 35, and Michelle McLean, 32, were discovered inside their locked cab Nov. 1 at the Petro Stopping Center in the 1100 block of Ackerman Road, just off Interstate 10. A trucker who had parked next to them noticed a foul smell coming from the 18-wheeler and alerted managers. ...

The couple's deaths were the first of several in the area near the truck stop — over the course of a month, five truck drivers were found dead, none with any apparent trauma to their bodies.

On Nov. 20, Robert Monroe was found inside an 18-wheeler at a truck stop in the 11390 block of Interstate 35 South near Fischer Road, but it was determined the 69-year-old had died of heart disease.

On Thanksgiving Day, 42-year-old Byron Gonzalez was found dead inside his rig. The cause and manner of his death is pending a toxicology report.

Ray Hardestey was found dead Nov. 27 inside his rig at the Flying J truck stop, in the 1800 block of Foster Road. It was later ruled that Hardestey, 53, died because of a heart attack.

Truckers, be careful. It looks like there's nothing insidious going on here, but drugs probably should not figure into your job in the first place. And the truck stop owners probably appreciate people staying alive in their parking lots. Heart attacks are less easy to avoid, but the drugs can be overcome.

Just something to think about.

Taking a machete to church

This happened in Fort Worth, not San Antonio, but I thought the story of a man taking a machete to a Christmas Eve service was too strange to pass up.

From WOAI-TV (original story here):

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - A man who scared churchgoers on Christmas Eve when he pulled a handmade machete from his pants and placed it on the altar while he prayed remained jailed Tuesday on a weapons charge.

Paul Ray Smith Jr., 39, was charged with unlawful carrying of weapons. Bail was set at $750.

He also had a dagger and a homemade gun on him.

Car crashes into house

Once again, a vehicle has been driven right into an abode. And, this time, it looks intentional.

KSAT-TV reports.

Just another odd mayor's race II

Back in August, I called attention to one of the candidates for mayor of San Antonio, R.G. Griffing (first post is here). This man runs a righty Web site he calls the San Antonio Lightning Newspaper, and he likes to shine his bright, muckraking light on local governmental organizations, politicians, and news organizations. He especially delights in skewering the San Antonio Express-News.

So, I wasn't particularly surprised when Griffing reported on his own site that the Express-News was refusing to run his campaign advertisements. I don't know what the daily newspaper's advertising guidelines are, but I can see where they would think running Griffing's ads would not be in their best interest, as Griffing himself says.

And, let's just remember the words he used to announce his candidacy:

You people make me sick!

Yes, you!

You are hicks and rubes and suckers. You lay down for every tax increase that comes your way. Every stupid political idea.

I sometimes doubt your intelligence.

You are a politician's dream.

Easy marks.

A carnival worker's delight.

Nothing but beasts of burden.

Sometimes you are oxen. Sometimes simply sheep.

You people make me sick!

Yep, that'll win over the voters.

Then, there was the polite armed robber

From KSAT-TV:

"She said that he apologized," said Sgt. Brian Custard of the San Antonio Police Department. "He thought she was a young lady and didn't realize she was older and crippled. (He) even offered to put the gun up if it would make her feel better."

Wow. I hope he gives up his ways before he comes across a young woman. He may not be so nice next time.

"Woman Tied Up in Home Invasion"

Looks like another less than succesful home invasion.

She claims three masked men barged their way into her home. They had two guns and an assault rifle. One of the men pointed the rifle at the woman's head and demanded money.

The woman was tied up with plastic ties, while the robbers ransacked her home looking for cash.

They got away with nothing.

It's sad that these terrifying crimes are happening, but at least they don't seem to be very profitable. Let's hope the dimwits get discouraged before long.

"Cell Phone Stolen in Home Invasion"

You would think that if somebody went to the trouble of orchestrating a home invasion, they might take more than just a telephone. Wouldn't you?

From WOAI-TV:

Police say a pair of robbery suspects stole an unusual item during an overnight home invasion. Instead of grabbing cash or jewelry, officers say the two men made off with a cell phone. ...

Six people were home at the time. Officers say one of those people was pistol-whipped by the suspects.

I think there's more to this than just some thieves' desire to get a new cell phone. There must be something on that phone that's very valuable to the perps.

"Elderly Woman Accused of Hiding Drugs in Underwear"

Maybe we should be frisking little old ladies.

From WOAI-TV:

A fourth grade teacher and an 81 year old grandmother are not the type of people you would expect to be charged in a drug smuggling ring. But that is the case with two women who went before a federal judge Wednesday. The elderly woman is actually accused of hiding cocaine in her underwear! ...

Prosecutors argued the 81 year old drug suspect is key to this investigation.

"Josefina Campos was a leader in the organization," said Asst. US Attorney Greg Surovic.

Campos is accused of carrying the drugs across the border in her underwear.

San Antonio's official city seal: ugly

As far as municipal flags go, San Antonio has one that actually looks pretty cool (you can check it out at Flags of the World, or on the top banner on the city's Web site). But the same cannot be said about the city seal.


Witness this screen capture I got from a Defenders story on KSAT's Web site (it is taken from the video story titled "Some Upset With City's New Garbage Cans"):



















That is the most garish, gaudy, overdone, tasteless, uninspired, and just plain loud official seal I have ever seen. It's a little embarrassing, and I think the city needs a new seal.

There is a brief and somewhat charming history of how the current seal came about here, but I don't think an interesting background is justification for keeping such an eyesore. To be fair, the original designer apparently did not assign the colors for this seal (he carved it out of wood), but the current incarnation is downright ugly, and it should go.

Let's hope some inspired council member on some future council floats the idea of updating the city seal.

"Sewage Spill Damages Town Homes"

Yuck!

SAN ANTONIO -- Several town homes were damaged Monday on the Northwest Side after raw sewage spilled into the residences.

Residents said they woke up to find sewage water on the floors of their town homes in the 4900 block of Ali Avenue. ...

[Angel] Bustamante said his belongings, including Christmas trees and gifts, were damaged by the sewage.

He added that Christmas will not be the same this year because of the mess.

I'll bet. What's sad is that the sewage came into the homes because a main was blocked, but the local water utility says it is "not responsible for the damages because the sewer main was blocked by grease and rags." That's a drag.

"Woman Shot, Bound and Stuffed in Barrel"

This is scary strange.

The body of a 25-year-old woman was found stuffed in a barrel in the backyard of an east side house, and San Antonio Police were looking for her killer Monday. ...

Investigators told News 4 WOAI when they got to the house, the front door was open. Several shell casings were found on the front lawn. They found several pools of blood and an assault rifle in the backyard, officers said.

Moments later, [Chanell Monique] Dixon’s body was found inside a 55-gallon drum in the backyrad of the home, authorities said. ...

Dixon was shot, officials said. Her body was bound in a garden hose and wrapped inside a carpet[.]

Let's hope the police find the dirtbags that did this.

UPDATE: WOAI-TV reports that the police have a suspect.

Correcting an entire news story

The San Antonio Current has great coverage of local music and art events, but I have often found their news stories to be seriously lacking in journalist quality. Witness this correction from the December 13 issue. It is reproduced in its entirety.

The December 5-12 news story “Reproductive Outlook?” incorrectly said a Southside Planned Parenthood clinic had closed; it was converted from a free-service clinic to a full-fee clinic in January 2006. Abortion care throughout San Antonio was provided to 1,400 patients, not 10,000. Texas elected six new pro-choice housemembers, not five. And $10 million in federal funding went to Federally Qualified Health Centers for family planning care, while $5 million went to crisis pregnancy centers. [emphases added]

That's four serious mistakes in a 680-word news story. Poor journalism. I wonder if alt-weeklies in other cities suffer from the same utter vacuity when it comes to news and commentary. But, as I said at the outset, at least they have good music and arts coverage.

"Tribute to furry friends"

I don't mean to make light of mourning, but this story by Scott Huddleston of the Express-News does seem a little strange and over the top:

The Austin resident was one of about 60 people of all ages, along with several cats and dogs, attending the 4th annual Tribute to Tails, a candlelight service celebrating the lives of companion animals, particularly the ones that have died.

For well over an hour, pet owners read poems, shared stories of beloved pets and contemplated one central question: Do pets go to heaven?

Pastor Ivan Ujueta of Family Vision Center Church, where the service was held Tuesday, said he believes they do — but that their owners have to keep God first, if they want a reunion in the hereafter.

I like dogs and all, but this is taking anthropomorphization to a new and absurd level.

"Fetus found buried in bottle in backyard"

This is weird -- a fetus found buried in a bottle in a West Side yard. And, the police found it by accident.

From the Express-News:

Police discovered the fetus on the 1300 block of Billings Drive around 4 p.m. Thursday, after being called to the home for a burglary in progress, police spokesman Sgt. Gabe Trevino said. ...

As they checked the house, they discovered drug paraphernalia and drug residue and secured the home while they obtained a search warrant, Trevino said.

During that process, a photograph of the fetus was found inside a shoebox ....

The woman in the home, who was in her twenties, claimed she had been assaulted during her pregnancy, causing her to miscarry around May.

She then told them she put the fetus in a bottled and buried it in the backyard, where it was found by police. I'm sure more details will be forthcoming.

Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn: the San Antonio Connection

Did a local college student cause two Hollywood celebrities to split up? WOAI-TV looks into it.

The co-stars of the movie, "The Break-up" ended their real life romance after Vince reportedly had a one night affair with a junior from Trinity University.

Star Magazine reports Vaughn met the San Antonio student while she was studying abroad.

UPDATE: The woman who broke up the celebrity couple talks to the Express-News. She's sorry that her e-mail talking about her night with Vaughn became public, but she's not sorry for spending time with him. And, she says she didn't have sex with him.

In an exclusive interview with the Express-News Tuesday, Lane, a 20-year-old Trinity University junior said she has no regrets about having spent a night with Vince Vaughn, a dalliance that reportedly led to his break-up with Jennifer Aniston. ...

“It was an innocent night of meeting a celebrity,” Lane said by phone from Rome about her one-night encounter that occurred in late November. “The experience itself is not what I am wanting to change because nothing happened,” she emphasized. “I was star struck. I didn't do anything that hurt anybody else.” ...

“I'm in Europe. I met a star. I acted in the way that any 20-year-old girl would. I don't feel I did anything horribly wrong — except maybe having a lapse in judgment by sending out the e-mail.”

Or, except maybe spending the night in a hotel room with another woman's man.

Burying records in Texas

Here's an odd thing. Until recently, it was legal in Texas for governments to just put private records under some dirt when disposing of them. And, apparently, they did not have to be secretive about it.

From the Express-News:

Thousands of pieces of personal information — a gold mine in this age of identity theft — was found buried in a park in Converse. ...

"Drivers license (numbers). Social Security (numbers). Lot of photographs. All the information you'd ever want if you were going to do any kind of fraud," said David Meyer, who is part of the crew that discovered the files. ...

Converse City Manager Sam Hughes did not want to go on camera but says the city never envisioned that all those files, which were buried in 1998, would ever be
accidentally dug up.

In 1998, it was perfectly legal to bury that kind of paperwork, but the state law was changed five years ago.

And while routine paperwork can still be buried all personal information has to be burned, recycled or shredded.

Monday morning the city sent in at least half a dozen dump trucks to haul out all of the buried files.

But it's where the files were sent that's concern [sic] some people. The files were sent straight over and buried at the other city park in Converse.

Converse is a suburb of San Antonio. If you live there, be careful with your identity.

"Burglars Target Day Care Centers"

Overall, it's not that strange that mothers distracted by small children are being burgled. But, it seems odd to call your child care facility a coop.

From KSAT-TV:

A month ago another woman, an employee, was targeted at the neighboring Kiddie Koop.

"I opened the doors and all the papers were on the floor and I went, what? So then I looked and my purse was gone and I went, oh!” said Christy Flores, a victim and employee at the Kiddie Koop.

Ms. Flores is quite expressive, isn't she?

Car crashes into house

Actually, it's a cell phone store.

From WOAI:

An elderly woman was parked out in front of the store on FM 78 Saturday morning when instead of hitting the brakes, she hit the gas, authorities told News 4 WOAI. The car came crashing through the window of the store.

Giving it to the anti-tollers

I've talked about the silliness of the San Antonio Toll Party before. Specifically:

In short, Ms. Hall and the San Antonio Toll Party seem to be low on reason and acumen and high on raw passion and invective. The debate is heated (check this link to Pat Driscoll's blog to see some of the arguments on both sides), but Ms. Hall's approach is blowtorch hot. I don't see her winning over many undecided citizens with that approach, but I don't think that's her ultimate goal. She just wants zero toll roads, no matter what anyone else may think.

Now, Pat Driscoll from the San Antonio Express-News takes on the Toll Party's tortured logic on his blog with "Myth vs. Reality".

Once again, Terri Hall of San Antonio Toll Party is spouting homespun fallacies and misrepresentations in her effort to shoot down toll roads.

For more than a year I've explained to Hall at different times why some of her so-called facts don't see the light of day in the Express-News, yet she keeps marching on with the same wrong information.

It's a shame, because legitimate concerns and questions about toll roads are being couched in a cardboard argument.

He goes on to pick apart her assertions made in a statement released by the Toll Party November 29, whipping her back to reality in a manner usually reserved for dishonest politicians. This woman is not seeking office, but she is being dishonest. And she's using scare tactics to bully people to her point of view.

Those tactics, however, are backfiring, and people are blaming her and the Toll Party for holding up much-needed road improvements in San Antonio. For a taste of the heated opinions on toll roads in the Alamo City, check out the comment thread to this post on Driscoll's blog.

"Could Truck Stop Deaths Be Related?"

OK, this is getting really weird. Five mysterious deaths have occurred at local truck stops, and police still don't know why.

From KSAT:

SAN ANTONIO -- San Antonio police said Tuesday that they are looking into the possibility that foul play may be involved in the deaths of five people at three local truck stops.

Police spokesman Gabe Trevino said that someone may be giving truckers bad drugs and there could be a possibility that more bodies will be discovered. ...

The latest victim was found Monday afternoon at the Flying J Truck Stop at Interstate 10 and Foster Road.

The other bodies were found at truck stops at Interstate 10 and Ackerman Road and at Interstate 35 and Fischer Road.

Be careful, truckers.

"Third Body Found At San Antonio Truck Stop"

This is weird.

SAN ANTONIO -- Police were investigating the death of a truck driver at the same truck stop where two people were found dead earlier this month.

A friend found the body of Byron Gonzales inside his big rig Thursday morning, the Bexar County medical examiner's office said. ...

On Nov. 1, fellow truckers found the bodies of Michelle McLean and Harry Edward Ackroyd inside the cab of an 18-wheeler parked at the same truck stop. The rig's engine was running, and the bodies were partly clothed.

None of the three bodies had any signs of obvious trauma.

The medical examiner is still trying to determine what killed the first two people, but, if this death is related, that truck stop is going to start getting an unwanted reputation.

"Accused Killer Claims Evil Forces Control Him"

And, apparently, they want him to outdo all other evil people.

Vincent Seard is accused of killing a man and a woman at a ranch in Comfort back in 2003. Several doctors told a judge they don't believe Seard is competent to stand trial right now.

They've diagnosed Seard as chronic paranoid schizophrenic. Doctors say Seard's multiple personality disorder has him believing there is a force in his life causing him to be the "evilest in existence."

Someone to keep an eye on, for sure.

"Police: Man Shoots Self During Standoff"

From time to time, police officers must deal with very stressful situations. And I'm sure they don't relish scenarios that end in "suicide by cop", where a suspect threatens officers to provoke them into firing their weapons, thereby ending his life at someone else's hands.

That's strange enough, but I wonder how often the person actually announces his intent, as in this story from KSAT-TV:

SAN ANTONIO -- A 56-year-old Fair Oaks Ranch man suffered a self-inflicted wound during a police standoff Monday, Fair Oaks police said.

According to Fair Oaks Ranch Police Chief Scott Rubin, the man called the police department at 6 p.m. Sunday and told the dispatcher that he wanted to commit suicide by cop. ...

After police tried to persuade to surrender [sic] peacefully, several shots were fired from the home around 6 a.m., Rubin said. Police then made a tactical entry into the home and found the man with a self-inflicted wound to his hand.

Poor guy. He needs help. Let's just hope he gets it before he seriously hurts someone.

Pig Stands close

Bummer.

Initial plans to keep the restaurant once labeled the "World's Fastest Drive-in" open have been shelved -- at least for now.

Officials with locally based Texas Pig Stands Inc. said that the company's remaining Pig Stand restaurants in San Antonio and in Houston have been closed until further notice. The stores were closed by order of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

Robber foiled by hair stylists

If you are looking for an easy place to rob, don't try to hold up the Hair Express on Marbach Road. The people who work there won't stand for it.

The six flags over Texas

There haven't been too many strange things catching my eye lately, but I wanted to put something up here to show that I'm still around. So, here is a picture of a docent at the Alamo giving a little history of the place. The flags he is standing in front of are the Six Flags over Texas.

















The flags represent the six nations that have claimed sovereignty over the area of land now known as the state of Texas. From left to right, the nations represented are:

The United States of America (1845-1861 and 1865-present)
The Republic of Texas (1835-1845)
The Confederate States of America (1861-1865)
Mexico (1821-1835)
France (1685-1689)
Spain (1690-1821)

Claiming victory in the face of defeat

Critics of toll roads have been very vocal and very passionate about making sure those roads never get built in San Antonio. As I've said before:

In short, Ms. [Terri] Hall and the San Antonio Toll Party seem to be low on reason and acumen and high on raw passion and invective. The debate is heated (check this link to Pat Driscoll's blog to see some of the arguments on both sides), but Ms. Hall's approach is blowtorch hot. I don't see her winning over many undecided citizens with that approach, but I don't think that's her ultimate goal. She just wants zero toll roads, no matter what anyone else may think.

With the recent election, though, many of the people the toll road critics supported for their anti-toll stances were defeated. Yet, the San Antonio Toll Party is still claiming victory. Here's their press release on the topic, and Ms. Halls direct words: “Our preferred candidates may not have won, but their opponents, with the exception of Perry who didn’t win a majority, said they were anti-toll.”

So, their candidates lost, but the Toll Party still won.

And here's Pat Driscoll's take on it.

It also helps to not count a list of "good guys/gals" as endorsements — a distinction the Texas Toll Party didn't make — which cuts the local endorsements by half. Of eight left, four won, which doesn't sound so bad.

Then, let's see, assume that all the people who voted for Kinky Friedman would have voted for the Toll Party's horse in the governor's race, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, had Friedman not run. Though Strayhorn still would have lost by a large margin statewide, she would have carried Bexar County, a "major accomplishment."

The Toll Party is going to great lengths to make it seem like they had a big impact on the election in Texas, when it seems that their influence was negligible at best. It's strange to think your cause prevailed at the polls when the candidates you supported didn't get enough votes to win.

But, it's important to remember the Toll Party seems intent on doing whatever they can to prevent the construction of toll roads, no matter what form they might take or where they might be built. Now that the election is over, it will be interesting to see what the Toll Party does next.

Car crashes into house

OK, so it's really an SUV. And it crashed into a church, not a house. But it's still strange.

From WOAI:

Church leaders were cleaning up after an SUV slammed into the wall of building [sic] early Sunday morning, officials told News 4 WOAI.

The SUV collided with a car on Wurzbach and Ironside close to 3 a.m. Sunday, and the SUV ended up crashing into House of Prayer Lutheran Church, police said. ...

"I'm very shocked they could travel this far and cause this much damage," church member Doyle Griffin said. "It's a long way from the highway."

More from KSAT

.

"Man's Bullet-Riddled Body Run Over By Train"

Initially, it seemed that this was an accident, and then the police thought it was a suicide. But, now it looks like someone tried to cover up a murder.

From KSAT:

SAN ANTONIO -- The bullet-riddled body of a 23-year-old man was placed on some railroad tracks in south Bexar County where he was run over by a train, sheriff's officials said. ...

A railroad conductor told law enforcement authorities that he saw a dark sport utility vehicle turn off its lights prior to running over Garza's body.

Baby born on a city bus

Stories abound about the odd places where women have given birth, but have you ever heard of a baby being born on a bus?

From KTSA's script:

AN INCIDENT ON A VIA BUS GIVES A WHOLE NEW MEANING TO "BABY ON BOARD."

VIA SPOKESWOMAN PRISCILLA INGLE SAYS AN EXPECTANT MOTHER WENT INTO LABOR ON A BUS ON SUNDAY, THE DRIVER STOPPED AND HELPED DELIVER THE BABY ON BOARD.

Now that's going above and beyond the call of duty.

The Junk Yard Dog is complete

Bob Wade's sculpture of a dog -- made out of car parts -- is done. Scott Huddleston has the story.

[previous entry here]

Who's bigger than Bigfoot?

In the Texas gubernatorial race, apparently no one.

We'll get back to Bigfoot in a moment. First, let's talk about two columnists.

Ken Rodriguez writes opinion columns for the San Antonio Express-News, our mainstream daily newspaper. Dave Maass writes for the San Antonio Current, our lefty weekly newspaper. And Maass seems to hold Rodriguez in contempt, so much so that he vents in a column about some recent work by Rodriguez. And, if Maass has a point other than he doesn't like Rodriguez, it is lost in his own words.

Now, some background:
The Texas governor's race is about par for the course for politics in the Lone Star State. The current governor, Rick Perry (R), faces opposition from Chris Bell (D), Carole Keeton Strayhorn (I), Kinky Friedman (?), and James Werner (L). So far, Kinky has been getting a lot of press (because he's strange), and Strayhorn has been getting a fair amount herself (primarily because of her opposition to toll roads). Bell, though running on the Democratic ticket, can't seem to turn anyone's head.

Earlier in October, Ken Rodriguez wrote a piece about Bell's lack of name recognition. He began that column talking about "somebody from the Chris Bell campaign freak[ing] over an unscientific MySanAntonio.com poll" (click here to read it all), and he finishes the piece saying, "The race is crazy. So crazy that back in July, a few Bell supporters with busy fingers and time to blow made an all-out attempt to win a local dot-com poll."

Fair enough. Rodriguez is an opinion columnist, and commenting on political antics is to be expected. But Dave Maass (who apparently disagrees strongly with Rodriguez's analogies and comparisons, even when light-hearted) took exception to Rodriguez's characterization of Bell as an unrecognizable candidate. Maas especially found this excerpt to be rage-worthy:

On July 21, the Web site asked readers: Who's your pick for Texas governor?

After two days, Rick Perry had garnered the most votes, Bell the fewest. That should have surprised no one since A) Perry is the Republican incumbent, and B) more people had heard of Bigfoot than Bell, the Democratic candidate.

Maass seemingly found the whole sasquatch comparison to be abominable, because he then devoted an entire column to trying to prove that nobody is bigger than Bigfoot. And, he seems to think that personally asking pollsters a bunch of questions is actually a scientific study.

Three weeks ago, Rodriguez penned a column explaining how politicians react to polls, illustrated by gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell’s spasm at his poor results to the daily’s online poll. The columnist wrote: “That should have surprised no one since ... more people had heard of Bigfoot than Bell.”

Huh? We called him on it.

“It was a one-liner,” Rodriguez said.

“It was a two-liner,” we corrected him.

“It was a joke. It wasn’t anything that was scientifically backed up. As you know, I write opinion. I am a columnist. I couldn’t get away with writing that if I were writing a news story about the gubernatorial race,” he blustered.

“But even as a joke,” we explained, “it doesn’t make sense because you can easily say more people have heard of Bigfoot than Rick Perry.”

And so we set about proving it, meticulously and scientifically, by canvassing the pollsters on our lists about Bigfoot’s name recognition. Here are our results. [emphasis added]

At first, I thought Maass was being humorous himself. But, he told me himself that he thought the Bigfoot comparison was ridiculous and that the Express-News editors should be watching Rodriguez more closely. So, I take him at his word that he thinks Rodriguez is ugly and full of shit. And, I can only wonder what he hopes to accomplish by actually calling pollsters with a question that asks who has more name recognition than a mythical creature.

For the record, here is who Maass contacted with his "meticulous" poll and how they responded to him (according to him):
Gallup - wouldn't comment
SurveyUSA - "I'm trying to take you seriously ..."
Zogby - "Bigfoot wins out over everyone but Superman."
Rasmussen - wouldn't comment
Blum & Welprin - Bigfoot's bigger
Opinion Analysts, Inc. - Bigfoot's bigger than Rick Perry
Baselice & Associates - wouldn't respond

Maass then rounds out his research with a Google search, counting the number of hits generated by "Rick Perry sucks" and "Kinky Friedman blows". And then, somehow, he takes all of his collected data, analyzes it, and comes to the conclusion that Ken Rodriguez "is a tool".

Really.

At least, if you can believe him. Maass's piece might be an attempt at humor or parody. But, either way, it is poorly researched and poorly conceived. I'm not sure what he's trying to communicate other than inquiries about Bigfoot, when posed to people who conduct polls, might hint at stupidity in Rodriguez, but I don't think he even accomplished that. He simply showed that pollsters don't like to be bothered with silly questions.

If this is the fare that the Current truly offers as an alternative to the mainstream media, then the publication has slipped into utter vacuity. That's too bad, because they have a great music section.

Man crashes into house

Usually I will point out media reports when a car crashes into a house, mainly because it seems such incidents happen fairly often in this town. And I find that strange.

But, as WOAI reports, this time it was just a person who crashed into a house, with tragic results.

The man laid the motorcycle down on the street and hit a car. He was then thrown from the bike and hit the house, authorities said.

The 26-year-old man was killed in the accident.

UPDATE: The Express-News reports that the man hit a car, not a house.

"2 Men Accuse Deputies Of Forcing Them To Eat Marijuana"

I guess making them flush their pot down the toilet wasn't good enough.

"US bans Vegemite"

Because the stuff contains folate, Vegemite has been banned from the United States. It appears that only breads and cereals -- and not yeast extracts -- are allowed to contain added folate, which is why the Aussie treat is banned from our borders.

But, what's a bit strange is that this piece from The Courier-Mail in Australia somehow found a U.S. businessman that was flummoxed by the ban, and he makes his living in San Antonio:

"I was flabbergasted." Paul Watkins, who owns a store called About Australia in San Antonio, Texas, said he had been forced to stop importing Vegemite six months ago.

"We have completely stopped bringing it in," he said.

About Australia's Web site is here. The only other location for this international store is in the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Perhaps that's where Mr. Watkins hails from.

A bit more on this at Overlawyered. At that site, I learned that you truly can buy anything on Ebay.

UPDATE: Ted Frank at Overlawyered thinks this might be an urban legend in development.

UPDATE II: Snopes has debunked the ban. It is an urban legend.

"Man Slashed with Machete, Almost Loses Arm"

And, the man's buddy did it.

Richard Villaneda, 40, was cut about three a.m. Sunday at a home on Santa Monica, northwest of downtown, authorities said. Villaneda was been [sic] hanging out with 41-year-old Jerry Garcia. Garcia then pulled the blade and cut Villaneda, police said.

Officers arrested Garcia at his home next door early Sunday. Garcia had been sleeping.

Wait, I thought he was dead.

"Public Toilet Collapses under 300-Pound Woman"

Even if you weigh over 300 pounds, you would expect a toilet to hold you up, wouldn't you?

WOAI reports:

A toilet collapsed under a woman in a public restroom. She's blaming the city for it what she considers a humiliating incident. ...

The victim's attorney says the bowl in question literally crumbled beneath his client causing serious injuries and humiliation. That was in January of 2005. ...

"Poor Ms. Dilworth had to crawl to the door, and ask a security guard who was around the corner to page her mom," said Dilworth's attorney, Hugo De Los Santos. "She was seriously hurt. She's been unable to work up until today because of this."

It's a strange story, but be sure to check out the video link for images of an attractive newswoman putting her hands all over a public toilet. That's beyond strange. That's just icky.

Painting some big boots

Hot dog! They're repainting them big boots in front of North Star Mall. Next, maybe they could give Paul Bunyan a shoe shine.

"Alligators Spotted In East Side Neighborhood"

An alligator sighting in East Texas won't raise too many eyebrows, but it will around San Antonio. As such, some East Siders are keeping their eyes on a nearby creek, as KSAT reports.

Neighbors along Rosillo Creek near Rigsby and Loop 410 have seen an alligator and two baby gators in the area lately. They said they don’t want to see the alligators killed, but they don’t want them around. ...

Officials said that if residents see the alligators, not to feed them, get too close to them or swim near them. And especially don’t try to catch one.

Nice bit of advice. Leave the alligator wrestling to the professionals.

"Man Discovers Chop Shop In His Garage"

Sometimes, when a man comes home early from a business trip, he finds his wife or girlfriend in the act of cheating on him. For one local man, not only was his woman seeing another man, they were apparently using his property for an illegal business.

From KSAT:

Police said Homer Barrett, 26, arrived early from work, which usually keeps him away from home for weeks or months at a time, to find an unfamiliar pickup truck parked in his driveway, police said.

Suspecting that a burglary was in progress, Barrett called police.

Inside the home, police found Barrett's girlfriend, Gina Beaulieu, 25, and a man, Douglas Ewert, 24.

Police found two stolen vehicles, some motorcycles, including one that was in the process of being stripped for parts, police said.

I bet he broke up with his girlfriend after that.

"More than 50 Illegal Immigrants Found in Home"

Wow, first it was 50 cats. Now it's 50 people!

As WOAI reports:

Police were called to the home on Senisa Wednesday after they received a tip about stolen cars, officials said. When they arrived, they saw four people running from the house. They looked inside and found the immigrants — 38 men, 12 women and a teenage girl, authorities said.

“This is a case where we obviously just can't walk away,” Sgt. Gabe Trevino with San Antonio Police said. “We called the federal government to come out here and do their job.”

That's a crowded house.

Shocking the drunks

Electric chairs at a bar. San Antonio Daily Photo has the picture to prove it.

"Russian Roulette Turns Fatal For Teen"

Don't drink and play with guns. And, don't ever play Russian Roulette, even when you haven't been drinking.

From KSAT:

Police said that Juan Garcia, who had been drinking heavily, showed off a partially loaded revolver to several other people inside a home in the 1300 block of Swaying Oak at 2 a.m.

Garcia put the gun to his right temple and fired, but nothing happened, police said.

Witnesses told police that Garcia then put another bullet in the chamber and spun it and fired again, police said. This time, the gun discharged, instantly killing Garcia.

The Deer Hunter is an ugly movie. There's nothing beautiful about it. I wonder how anyone could ever watch that movie and actually think Russian Roulette would be fun.

It's strange, and sad.

The "Grotto" in San Pedro Springs Park

San Pedro Springs Park is the oldest public park in Texas, and the second-oldest in the nation. Established in 1729 by King Philip of Spain, the park has had plenty of time to amass an interesting history, and you can find out more about the park here.

Probably one of the oddest features of San Pedro Springs Park is the "grotto", a strange heap of a building covered in moss and other growth. Here's a picture:




















The origins of the grotto are unclear, and the structure is strange enough by itself. But, one day while strolling through the park, I noticed something a little peculiar about the low wall that surrounds the verdant pile. The wall is topped with shallow depressions that are vaguely crescent-shaped, and it took me a while to figure out their purpose, for I believe them to be more than mere decoration.

Take a look at these pictures I took, and see if you can figure out the purpose of the depressions.






























Figured them out, yet?
















Well, I'll let you know what I think they are, and see if you agree.

They're butt grooves.

Honestly, I think that's what they are. The wall is just the right height to squat down upon, and the depressions nicely conform to one's posterior when seated. Look again:

















It's quite odd, don't you think?

Seriously, though, San Pedro Springs Park is one of the gems of San Antonio. You can read more about the place here and here. It's full of history, and it's quite beautiful, too. If you're new to town, I urge you to check it out sometime.

"50 Cats Taken From Local Home"

Wow. Fifty cats in one house.

Investigators loaded up the cats up in cages Tuesday morning from a home on Cartwright Trail in west Bexar County, and said the home had a lot of animal waste inside.

"She cares about animals and she had way too many, and it's just not livable in there", said Det. Jesse Vidal Bexar County Sheriff's Dept.

Phew! What a bad day to be an animal control officer.

"Unbelievable Chain of Events Trigger Chase & Explosion"

A man gets cut. He and his father confront someone at their home. Shooting from the home ensues. Three men from the home bolt in a truck. Father and son follow. Father and son ram the truck. Truck catches fire. Truck explodes. Ammunition in truck goes off. Men in truck exit burning truck. They are on fire. They get taken to Brooke Army Medical Center, an excellent burn facility.

Let's hope they make a full recovery. In the meantime, let's marvel at their adventure.

WOAI has the full story here.