Category: San Antonio News

“It may seem like winter is the time to put all home projects on hold, but there is actually a lot you can get done right now”, says Bailey Carson, a home care expert from Angi.

“If a deck or patio is on your list for next spring and summer, go ahead and find your pros now, start the planning process and get a head start. Also, you might find some off-season deals if you go ahead and hire your pro now”.

Carson says if you are thinking about fixing any foundation issues or building an addition, consider starting while the temperatures are still low. The frozen ground and dry air in winter are easier to deal with than the higher humidity or wet soil of spring or summer. Getting your project done faster means you are spending less on labor costs.

She adds, “Winter can be a great time for indoor projects. Think about any interior home painting you might want done or indoor room remodels. If interior painting is on your list, it’s an excellent time because there’s no humidity that is often in the spring or summer, and so the paint dries more evenly. Additionally for room remodels, demand is lower in the winter. Particularly, in materials, you might find some savings”.

As you look beyond winter to prepare for projects in the spring, pencil in building a deck or patio, installing new windows and adding insulation. The soft ground will make it easier to build your deck or patio and you can have it ready to enjoy all summer long. Windows are popular in the summer so; get ahead by booking them for the spring when it will also be more comfortable for the pros who have to work outside.

“Once it warms up, think about any fireplace and furnace repairs. You’re likely not to need these during the warmer months, but they’ll be in perfect condition when it gets colder, and you’ll be ready to go; additionally, if you’re thinking about any major renovations, try syncing them up with your summer vacation. This way, you’ll get a break from living in the mess, and you’ll come back to a newly remodeled home”.

Fall will be a great time to get good deals on landscaping services, since peak season will have already passed. The cooler temperatures and moist soil are great for planting, and you can start winterizing your outdoor spaces at the same time. Also consider replacing appliances around Labor Day and Black Friday sales.

San Antonio police are investigating a possible homicide after a woman was found dead in a driveway, just northeast of downtown.

A passerby discovered the woman’s body around 7 a.m. Saturday in the 200 block of Post Avenue, near Broadway and notified authorities.

Police said she had visible injuries, though it’s unclear what transpired. Officers are labeling the incident as a possible homicide.

The medical examiner is working alongside investigators and further details are limited at this time.

We’ll bring more updates as they become available.

A Texas woman is now out on bond after sheriff’s deputies said she tried to purchase another woman’s child while waiting in a checkout line at Walmart.

According to a report from KSAT’s sister station KPRC, Rebecca Taylor, 49, came up to the woman’s shopping cart in the checkout line. The woman’s cart had two children inside at the time.

Taylor started to make comments about one of the woman’s two children before allegedly asking if she could buy him for $250,000, KPRC reports.

The mother refused her offer and Taylor pressed further. She increased the offer to $500,000 and allegedly threatened to take the infant, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said the mother still refused and was able to leave the store with her children safely. That’s when she notified authorities of what happened.

Taylor was arrested and charged with sale or purchase of a child, a third-degree felony in Texas.

As of Thursday, records show she was released on a $50,000 bond.

More on KSAT:

East Texas county official pleads guilty to misdemeanor election fraud

Doi touched on a range of topics, challenges and opportunities to land on her desk since the Covid-19 pandemic ensued.

Dream Week is known for creating an environment for discussion to promote equality, diversity, and tolerance, but one event is striking a chord with some in San Antonio.

Paul Rusesabagina is known for saving hundreds of people from genocide in Rwanda. He also made the Alamo City his home and was a keynote speaker for Dream Week 2020.

His family says he was then kidnapped and jailed by the Rwanda government during a business trip.

Since speaking at Dream Week, organizers have said they wanted to include the Rwandan community in a future event.

Friday’s event included an ambassador from Rwanda, a decision that surprised Rusesabagina’s son, Tresor Rusesabagina, but he says he wanted the event to continue.

“I say let them speak. The better it is for us anyways. And also, this is a free country. They should be allowed to say what they want,” Tresor Rusesabagina said. “Unlike them, unlike this dictatorship that we’ve been fighting for a long time. We don’t silence people that we disagree with. We let them speak and let them dig their own grave, so to speak.”

Organizers say the event presents the opportunity for dialogue, and they have tackled controversial subjects and people in the past.

The Rwandan community in San Antonio chose to invite the ambassador of Rwanda for this event.

The Rusesabagina family has continued to fight to have their father freed from a Rwandan jail.

ALSO ON KSAT.COM

Conflicting claims swirl around treatment of Paul Rusesabagina in Rwandan prison; his family in San Antonio alleges abuse

Therapies to treat COVID-19 are in short supply in Bexar County.

“There’s not enough of it right now, and most places are waiting on another shipment to have enough to treat people,” said Dr. Jan Patterson, professor and infectious disease physician at UT Health San Antonio.

Yet another potentially detrimental shortage, COVID-19 therapies are not readily available when and where they need to be.

Last week, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary asking for help in managing and distributing remdesivir, which is in short supply. So far, according to Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, they’ve gotten no response.

“We’re, you know, limiting it to just hospitalized patients right now. Even though the outpatient use has been shown to be beneficial, we just don’t have enough right now in our system,” Patterson said.

Remdesivir isn’t the only therapy running low.

“Where the scarcity is right now is in the monoclonal,” said Dr. Jason Bowling, an epidemiologist with University Health.

Bowling says it’s concerning because monoclonal antibody treatments are also scarce since the treatment could keep people from getting so sick that they need to be hospitalized.

“If we can keep people out of the hospital, that’s better for the person, right? And it’s also better for the health care systems,” Bowling said.

Oral antiviral treatments by Merck and Pfizer need to be prescribed. They’re good options because they’re taken at home at the onset of symptoms, and you don’t need an IV or to be monitored by your doctor, physicians say.

“There are some courses available in the San Antonio area, but it’s a very limited number,” Bowling said.

A Department of Health and Human Services site allows doctors around the country to actively monitor how much COVID therapy is available in their area. It shows numbers for Astra Zeneca’s monoclonal antibody treatment, as well as Pfizer and Merck’s pills.

The numbers available pale compared to the number of people dealing with COVID-19.

“We have to make sure that we’re targeting the highest risk patients,” Patterson said.

It forces hard decisions for doctors, but they’re at the mercy of government allocation.

Both doctors reiterated the importance of vaccines, especially with the limited availability of COVID-19 treatments.

The vaccines can prevent severe symptoms and allow the COVID-19 medications to be used for those who really need them.

A 40-year-old Ingram man was arrested and charged for sexual assault of a child and child pornography after a victim came forward Thursday, according to the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office.

KCSO said investigators were tipped off about a sexual assault with a child on Monday. They were able to speak to the identified victim Thursday, who led them to Richard Hernandez, Jr., of Ingram.

Hernandez confessed to investigators that he sexually assaulted the 16-year-old victim, KCSO said.

“The encounter between Mr. Hernandez and the minor victim began via an online dating site and continued through social media. Online dangers continue to be a growing threat to our youth,” said Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha.

The sheriff’s office’s Digital Forensic Unit performed a forensic examination of Hernandez’s phone, where they found “a large amount of child pornography.”

KCSO said Hernandez was recently fired from the Hill Country Youth Ranch job.

The suspect was charged with one count of sexual assault of a child and one count of possession of child pornography. He was booked into the Kerr County Jail and is being held on a $150,000 bond.

Teachers are trying to make up for a lag in learning over the past two years because of COVID-19 shutdowns and quarantines.

But they’ll have to focus on playing catch-up later. Right now, they’re just trying to keep the learning going.

A trademark of the latest COVID-19 surge caused by the omicron variant has been staff shortages. The rapid spread of that version of the virus has meant that more teachers and school staff have been absent and all at once.

In Northeast ISD, the district has seen an average of 800 staff absences daily since the start of the year. About 600 of those are teacher absences.

That’s double the average absentee rate in the district before the pandemic.

Its why Hallie Ramirez, a mother of four, decided it was time to step in to substitute teach.

“In the first-grade class they were having an inconsistent substitute. And I asked how I could help,” Ramirez said.

As a former teacher, that inconsistency was troublesome to Ramirez.

She’s considered a long-term substitute at East Terrell Hills Elementary.

“Kids need consistency, and they need somebody that’s going to give them the same thing every day,” she said. “Whether it’s the rules in how to do things, they need that consistency every day.”

She describes this week as ‘crazy,’ with as many students absent in her class as she’s seen since she started subbing after the holiday break.

But just as crazy is the number of teachers who are out, too.

Ramirez says she sees new faces around the school all the time and they’re all covering for each other.

“There was a girl subbing last week in first grade, and she also had to do crossing guard, so she couldn’t take her kids at the end of the day to where they needed to be because she had to be out on the street. And so we covered for her while she did her other job.”

When NEISD can’t fill sub positions, they turn to principals or other staff, including those working in the district’s central office.

But you don’t need prior teaching experience to help out. In fact, some districts have changed their substitute teacher requirements and increased pay in order to fill the vacancies.

Jessica Garcia, a senior at Texas State University, began subbing for the very first time this week in Northside ISD.

She is studying to be a teacher and is already familiar with the needs of the district.

Her sister is an NISD teacher, her mother works in administration and her father, a military veteran without a teaching background, is subbing as well.

“The good thing about substitute teaching though is that no matter what career you come from or what discipline you come from, you can always substitute teach to give back to the community,” Garcia said.

If you feel you just won’t make the grade subbing, there are plenty of other ways to help fill the gap right now. Ramirez says an extra set of hands can go a long way.

“I think it’s a community issue because these are these kids are our future,” Ramirez said. “Whether it’s subbing or coming and sitting with a class or helping at lunch, there’s places you can help.”

The best way to find out what’s needed is to contact your local school or district.

In this week’s Real Estate Recap, developers land an $11.8 million mortgage loan, a retail center sells for $13.65 million and Dutch Bros. Coffee leases yet another new location.

Get more election news on KSAT’s Vote 2022 page.

Voters will head to the polls during this 2022 midterm election year to elect representatives from the county level all the way up to U.S. Congress.

The first chance to weigh in on those races comes with the March primary election and culminates with the General Election in November.

Here are all of the important dates and deadlines that voters need to know about for 2022:

Dates & Deadlines for March 1, 2022 Primary

Monday, Jan. 31 – Last day to register to voteMonday, February 14 – First day of early votingFriday, February 18 – Last day to apply for ballot by mail (Must be received, not postmarked by this date.)Friday, February 25 – Last day of early votingTuesday, March 1 – Election Day. Absentee/mail-in ballots must be be postmarked or delivered by hand by 7 p.m. Ballots from overseas voters must be received by the 5th day after Election Day. Ballots from members of the armed forces must be received by the 6th day after election day.

Dates & Deadlines for May 24, 2022 – Local/County Elections and State Constitutional Amendment Election

Thursday, April 7 – Last day to register to voteMonday, April 25 – First day of early votingTuesday, April 26 – Last day to apply for ballot by mail (Must be received, not postmarked by this date.)Tuesday, May 3 – Last day of early votingSaturday, May 7 – Election Day. Absentee/mail-in ballots must be be postmarked or delivered by hand by 7 p.m. Ballots from overseas voters must be received by the 5th day after Election Day. Ballots from members of the armed forces must be received by the 6th day after election day.

Dates & Deadlines for May 24, 2022 – Primary Runoff Election

Monday, April 25 – Last day to register to voteFriday, May 13 – Last day to apply for ballot by mail (Must be received, not postmarked by this date.)Monday, May 16 – First day of early votingFriday, May 20 – Last day of early votingTuesday, May 24 – Runoff Election Day. Absentee/mail-in ballots must be be postmarked or delivered by hand by 7 p.m. Ballots from overseas voters must be received by the 5th day after Election Day. Ballots from members of the armed forces must be received by the 6th day after election day.

Dates & Deadlines for Tuesday, November 8, 2022 General Election

Tuesday, October 11 – Last day to register to voteMonday, October 24 – First day of early votingFriday, October 28 – Last day to apply for ballot by mail (Must be received, not postmarked by this date.)Friday, November 4 – Last day of early votingTuesday, November 8 – Election Day. Absentee/mail-in ballots must be be postmarked or delivered by hand by 7 p.m. Ballots from overseas voters must be received by the 5th day after Election Day. Ballots from members of the armed forces must be received by the 6th day after election day.

Read more on KSAT’s Vote 22 page