Living with screwed priorities

It can be a weird experience to live your life not knowing what should come first. Quite weird.

[A] maintenance worker had stopped by the couple's unit to fix a water leak. The man told police he heard a baby crying, and that's when he discovered a one-year-old child left alone inside one of the apartment closet's [sic].

"After the maintenance man calls police and EMS, the occupants of the apartment returned. At that point they're put under arrest. And the story, preliminarily, is that they left the baby unattended to purchase a mouse for the pet snake," says SAPD's Sgt. Chris Benavides.

The child is alright and currently is in care of Child Protective Services.

Police also say while they [sic] the toddler was left crying in a closet, the young couple took their pet snake with them on their trip to the pet store. Officers found it loose in the back of the suspect's vehicle.

(from KENS-5)

I suppose it's a good thing they didn't leave the kid and the snake behind together, for the baby's safety. Of course, it would have been just as safe to, you know, take the kid instead.

Does that really have to be said?

"Shooting Victim's Sister Seeks Meaning Of Graffiti Quotes"

This is a tad weird.

SAN ANTONIO -- Besides sharing a name, Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara and San Antonian Raul "Che" Gonzalez were killed four decades apart -- Guevara by the Bolivian army in 1967; Gonzalez by an unknown shooter on June 10.

Now they are linked by two of Guevara's famous quotes.

Someone left the first message at the crime scene soon after the 32-year-old father and music producer was shot in the face and chest behind a strip mall at Ingram and Callaghan.

Gonzalez's sister, Sandy Levy, said she can only speculate why someone first scrawled, "Go ahead and shoot, coward, because you're only killing a man. I am Che."

"It made me sad because it made me realize how much my brother meant to this community," Levy said.

The second Guevara quote appeared most recently at a laundromat at Wilson and Cincinnati, near where Gonzalez's mother still lives.

Levy said their mother was taken aback when she went there to dry her laundry and saw what was crudely scrawled at the entrance, "I don't care if I fall as long as someone picks up my gun and keeps on shooting. I am Che."

(from KSAT-12)

I doubt this has anything to do with the shooting victim. I think someone is using Che Guevara as a pitiful source of inspiration for the mysterious graffiti, but the similarity to San Antonio's Che Gonzalez is purely coincidental. Someone's trying to be clever and edgy (if references to Che Guevara could ever be "edgy" anymore), and Gonzalez's family sees meaning in it, but I don't think they have anything to worry about.

San Japan

Did you catch the show at the Rivercenter Marriott?



Did you find your way there?



If you didn't, don't worry. KENS-5 took some pictures for you.

Strange at Cowboys Camp

Just as long as he doesn't ask about the basement in the Alamodome.

Pee-wee Herman made a surprise appearance at Dallas Cowboys training camp on Thursday night and posed for pictures with various front office members, coaches and players. No reason was given for the visit, so we'll assume it's because he was invited by Dez Bryan.

(from Yahoo Sports)


AP photo

Actually I think he was in San Antonio as part of a shoot for one of the Food Network shows that's taking place at The Pearl. As to why he made an appearance at the Cowboys' practice, I don't know, but I think it's kinda cool.

Car crashes into house

More carnage, this time on Grosenbacher Road.

Miguel Martinez had just finished changing a light bulb in the bathroom Monday morning when he heard a loud crash at the opposite end of his West Bexar County home.

Martinez, 41, said he tried to stay calm, gathering his two daughters who were with him on the same side of the house at Grosenbacher Road and White Birch Street and sending them to a neighbor.

“By then I knew what probably happened,” he said. “I could hear the driver moaning. I came out and saw him.”

...

Bexar County Sheriff's Office spokesman Dale Bennett said [James Anthony] Gonzales was driving south on Grosenbacher when he dropped his cellphone on the passenger side floorboard.

When he reached down to grab it, his knee got stuck beneath the steering wheel, and he lost control of his truck, Bennett said.

(from the Express-News)

And the errant vehicle did this much damage ...



... after taking out a utility pole! That's one sturdy truck.

Someone who needs to start thinking. At least a little.

If you got arrested for, say, committing a burglary, you'd want to make sure all that stuff they allege you have stolen is well-hidden, right? Who can blame you? But you might want to make sure it's all hidden before they actually pick you up.

Police say they picked up Sean Simmons on [a burglary charge] Monday, July 25th. While he was in their custody, he reportedly made a call to someone asking them to hide some stolen guns and televisions he had at his home. Police later recovered those items.

(from WOAI-TV)

Sometimes they make it so easy for the police. And for that, I'm grateful.

Alcove crashes into River Walk

This definitely something that you don't want happening on your world-famous tourist attraction.

SAN ANTONIO -- Crews on Monday were removing large chunks of limestone after Saturday's collapse of one of two slabs over an alcove for a decorative fountain on the River Walk, just down from Main Plaza.

Paula Stallcup, director of downtown operations, said the slabs overhead are 8 to 10 feet long, 14 inches tall and about 2 to 3 feet thick.

She said no one was injured.

Stallcup also said an engineer will look into why the collapse occurred as well as make certain the remaining slab is secure.

(from KSAT-12)

Car crashes into house

Apartment, really, but there was someone living there nonetheless. And he got a rude awakening.

A father says he woke up to the sound of a vehicle smashing into his Northwest Side apartment early Thursday.

The accident happened around 4:00 a.m. Thursday at the Stone Brook Apartments on Border Brook, near Wurzbach Road. The Jeep crashed into the father's bedroom. The father said he at first thought he was dreaming. His daughter was asleep in another room. Both escaped injury.

(from WOAI-TV)

No fences were involved, though.

Not revealing the identity

This is a sad story, and it is weird all on its own.

SAN ANTONIO -- A 6-year-old girl was found dead inside a large microwave in her family's backyard Saturday night, police said.

Police said the girl was reported missing shortly before 7 p.m., and discovered at about 10 p.m. in what officers described as a large, old-fashioned microwave. Her death is currently being treated as an accidental sudden death.

(from KSAT-12)

But what is really strange is that simultaneous with saying that officials have chosen to withhold the girl's name ...



... KSAT decides to lead to this story from its home page with a full-on image of the child. [The blurring below is mine. KSAT did nothing to disguise the image.]



Is it sweeps month, yet?

Parents who should have thought a lot more

That's about all I can say.

SAN ANTONIO -- Christopher Murrell, 24, and Monica De Leon, 22, were arrested June 23 after witnesses said they were using heroin in their car in the parking lot of Southpark Mall as their three children sat in the back seat,[sic] .

According to the police report, there were several syringes found in the car, one lying near the children in the back seat.

Police said they also found a bag of heroin and a baby bottle filled with water they were reportedly using to clean the syringes for their heroin use.

(from KSAT-12)

BONUS STRANGENESS: The video at that link is about a horse track.

Someone who should have thought a little more

About his heist, that is. And if it would be worth the possibility of being caught and locked up for a long time.

Police are looking for a man who allegedly walked into a Walmart store, pulled a gun on employees and then took off with an inflatable kiddie pool.

Officers said the man also tried to steal an inflatable boat before taking off in a yellow taxi.

(from KENS-5)

C'mon, KENS, we need to know more. Did the taxicab belong to him, or was it waiting for him while he made his hurried purchases?

I am genuinely curious.

Car crashes into house

Well, it was a storage shed, really. But it happened at an apartment complex!

Police arrested [Christopher] Marin at the Villas at Costa Brava apartments in the 7300 block of Potranco Road, some time after 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Neighbors told police they saw Marin get behind the wheel and ram his SUV into a small building in the front of the complex that acts as a storage shed for the maintenance staff. A worker at the complex Wednesday morning said everything inside the shed, including golf carts and several 5-gallon cans of paint, had been destroyed.

Priscilla Medina, 6, was outside with her family when the chaos unfolded, starting with a loud fight at the apartment next door. Medina said she saw a man who was visiting the residents break a window, then jump behind the wheel of an SUV and slam into the building wall.

"He was driving crazy then went straight and hit it," Medina said. "Then he started walking toward the bus stop."

(from KSAT-12)

Of course he was headed for the bus stop. He obviously didn't have a working vehicle after the incident.

BONUS STRANGENESS: The fact that a news outlet would interview a six-year-old kid for a story about a serious and potentially dangerous course of action and then use the kid's quote to illustrate the story.

Missing the obvious

Cockfighting takes place in Texas, and it obviously happens in San Antonio, too.

SAN ANTONIO -- The Bexar County Sheriff's Office and San Antonio Animal Care Services have busted what they're calling a cockfighting operation.

Deputies discovered the illegal gambling Sunday morning on a property located in the 15900 block of Henze Road on the city's Southeast side.

A total of 60 roosters were seized by Animal Care Services and the Sheriff's Office, said Lisa Norwood, a spokeswoman for ACS. Norwood said the property where the birds were found had a covered arena where the birds were forced to fight in a ring for money.

(from KSAT-12)

But the presence of the cockfighting ring is not what really caught my eye as unusual. No, that was what the ACS spokeswoman had to say about the fates of these yardbirds gone bad.

Norwood said none of the surviving birds are likely to live much longer because they are too dangerous and will have to be euthanized.

"These animals are bred to fight; they're bred to kill," Norwood said. "Unless you can find an organization that's willing to take these animals in, house them individually for the rest of their lives, there's not really much you can do in terms of rehoming fighting roosters." [emphasis added]

Ummm, can we eat them? I mean, they may be ornery, but they are still chickens, right? They're not dogs or cats that you can adopt out, and people around here already find chickens do quite well in fryers, on grills, and in the oven instead of just in coops. So, why bother "rehoming" them? Maybe they don't need a home at all, and maybe they can do just as well in another place. Some place that could be a haven, so to speak.

"San Antonio B-cycle program fails miserably"

Oh, no. Trouble in cycling paradise.

The whole B-cycle system is flawed. The 30-minute time limit is way too short, and if they can’t even keep the kiosks working, I'd hate to actually test the condition of the bikes. My advice is to skip the whole system and rent from a bike shop like the Blue Star.

(from WOAI's CyberBob)

A few months ago I drew attention to the new bicycle sharing program called B-cycle and noted that it was the first of its kind in Texas. I would have thought that Austin would have beaten everyone to the whole bike-sharing thing. But I also said this in the comments: "It should be interesting to see what state the program is in a year from now." If CyberBob's experience is any indication, that state won't be anything to crow about.

Independence Day

Happy birthday, America.

"Seguin reclaims title as home of the world's largest pecan"

Thank heavens. I was worried.

The small town of Seguin has reclaimed its title as home of the world's largest pecan. Since the 1960's the world's largest pecan has been sitting on the city's courthouse lawn. "It's been a focal point in the community right here in the heart of Seguin, ", said City Manger Doug Faseler.

Seguin lost it's title to a town in Missouri several years ago, and the city leaders knew they had to do something. It took several months, but the The Texas Agricultural and Heritage Center built a new pecan.

"It weights 23 hundred pounds, it's 16 feet long, 8 feet in diameter," said Mel Grones with the Texas Agricultural and Heritage Center.

(from WOAI-TV)

Feh. Who thinks of Missouri anyway when someone mentions pecans?

Not strange in San Antonio

Did you know the San Antonio Public Library has one of these?



That's a rare, first edition print version of the 1611 King James Bible. That thing has been around for 400 years.



It's on display in the Texas/Genealogy section of the Central Public Library through August 26.



If you get the chance, check it out. Get up close and see the detail, and find out how well it's held up over the centuries.



Who knows when they will put it on display again?

We're #1!

In pole dancing!

Athletes competed for the crown of Miss Texas Pole Dance over the weekend in Dallas, demonstrating strength, flexibility and balance.

San Antonio's own Jennifer Huff, a married mother of two children, was the winner of the 2011 competition.

(from KENS-5)

Ah, yes ---- simply one more thing to stoke S.A. pride.

Riding in comfort

Who knew it would be so easy to make a convertible for cows?

SAN ANTONIO -- The top of a trailer was torn off when a truck driver drove under a bridge on the South Side Monday afternoon.

The accident happened around 3:00 p.m. Monday at South St. Mary's and Roosevelt on the South Side. Officials say the driver simply misjudged the height on his trailer[.]

(from WOAI-TV)

Historical blabbery at the Alamo

It's always good to hear some news about the Alamo, some new understanding of the history of the place that no one was aware of before. But it's bad to hear about it this way.

On Thursday The Daughters of the Republic of Texas announce[d] a historic discovery inside the Alamo Shrine.

While conservation crews were working they found writing carved into a wall: "1802"[,] the letters "WVA"[,] and the number "54".
The writing was on the window seal just above the main doors of the shrine.

Pam Rosser who is the Alamo Conservator says "this discovery is important because it opens up a whole other chapter of the Alamo that hasn't really been researched. There was a time in Texas were the French was moving in the Spanish was her but not as prominent." [emphasis added]

(from WOAI-TV)


What?