Texas State University President Denise Trauth announced Monday that all classes will be held virtually for the first two weeks of the spring 2022 semester due to a COVID-19 surge.

All classes will be temporarily moved to online/remote learning beginning Jan. 18 through Jan 30.

Texas State campuses and offices will remain open and offer services in-person or virtually, Trauth said. Other campus facilities, such as the library, transportation services, dining, residence hall services, recreation centers, the student center, and the student health center will remain open.

Texas State officials ask that students and faculty practice social distancing and wear masks while in school facilities.

“I cannot stress this enough — it is critical that we all follow the steps we know protect us from COVID-19. While the university cannot mandate actions, I strongly encourage you to be vigilant about wearing a mask, social distancing as much as possible, test regularly, and get vaccinated and boosted,” President Trauth said.

On Dec. 27, Trauth announced that all students living in on-campus housing and Bobcat Village Apartments will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 test before move-in.

While not required, university officials ask that all other students, faculty, and staff get tested for COVID-19 before returning to campus for the spring semester.

President Trauth said the university intends to return to in-person classes on Jan. 31.

Students, faculty, and staff looking to get tested, can visit the university’s testing page.

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The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District has raised Bexar County’s COVID-19 risk level to “severe” this week due to an increase in stress on the local hospital system, a rise in daily cases over the last two weeks, as well as a 27.3% positivity rate, according to officials.

Metro Health says the new omicron variant expectedly accounted for 90% to 100% of cases in the county.

There were 3,894 new COVID-19 cases and two new deaths reported Monday. Officials said 506 patients are hospitalized, 22 of whom are pediatric.

“While the case numbers are surging, the data indicate that vaccines are preventing severe illness,” said San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg in a written statement. “Vaccines remain the best defense against any variant of COVID-19. Get vaccinated, wear a mask and stay home if you are sick.”

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said University Health announced Friday that hospitals were going into a critical situation.

“We have asked for 400 nurses and will be asking for more,” Wolff said in a written statement. “People need to help us avoid filling up our hospitals by taking precautions such as masking up, sanitation and avoiding gatherings.”

Nirenberg and Wolff are pushing extra COVID-19 precautions to prevent more virus spread. Masks, social distancing and vaccinations are essential amid a spike in cases to avoid severe illness, officials say.

Metro Health says the City of San Antonio has requested expanded testing capacity at the state’s testing sites. Additional city testing sites will be set up this week, and officials will provide an update when they open to the public. Find no-cost city testing sites by clicking here.

Metro Health is offering the following testing guidelines:

Consider using a self-test before joining indoor gatherings with others who are not in your household.A positive self-test result means that you have an infection and should avoid indoor gatherings to reduce the risk of spreading disease to someone else.A negative self-test result means that you may not have an infection. Repeating the test with at least 24 hours between tests will increase the confidence that you are not infected.Ask your healthcare provider if you need help interpreting your test results.

Click here to find more city COVID-19 resources.

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KIPP Texas officials announced Monday that students will return to class from winter break one day later than originally scheduled so that staff, students and families can get tested for COVID-19.

According to a news release, school times and schedules will resume as usual starting Thursday after PCR testing is conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the rise of COVID-19 cases as the omicron variant spreads across San Antonio and Bexar County.

The free drive-through testing will be available at each campus for all students, staff, and their families from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Our commitment to our KIPPsters and each other through our priority of caring for our Team and Family has always been and will always be what makes KIPP special,” said KIPP Texas Public Schools CEO Sehba Ali. “We will continue to center Team and Family by putting empathy, care, and community first as we launch 2022 and navigate the challenges of the Omicron variant in the weeks ahead.”

KIPP Texas is also proud to have Dr. Maria E. Rivera, a public health physician and board-certified pediatrician, serving as the Managing Director of Student Wellness for KIPP Texas.

At KIPP, a 10-day quarantine is required for those who test positive for COVID, in addition to staff and students who live with someone who has tested positive.

Students who are quarantining will have access to KIPP Remote Learning Academy.

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Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon spoke to news outlets on Monday for the first time since accepting the head coaching position with the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces.

Hammon said taking over as head coach of the Aces was an opportunity she could not pass up. Still, she had many sleepless nights debating whether to leave the San Antonio Spurs organization and NBA to return to her roots in the WNBA. Hammon played 15 seasons in the league and was a six-time all-star with the New York Liberty and the San Antonio Stars, who later became the Aces.

She said after eight years as an assistant with the Spurs under Gregg Popovich, she wanted the opportunity to lead a team, build a roster and sit in the “big seat.”

Becky Hammon speaking to media for the first time since accepting Las Vegas Aces coaching position said she had many sleepless nights debating whether to leave Spurs/NBA but LV was willing to give her an opportunity and she’s ready to sit in the “big seat” and lead a team. pic.twitter.com/rFDgXKn8yu

— RJ Marquez (@KSATRJ) January 3, 2022

The Aces front office initially inquired whether Hammon would be interested in leaving the Spurs to return to the WNBA when her jersey was retired in September.

Hammon said Aces owner Mark Davis and president Nikki Fargas made it clear over the past few months that they wanted Hammon to be the Aces head coach and had no reservations about that decision. Hammon has previously interviewed for several NBA head coach openings but hadn’t received an offer to be the first woman to lead a team.

“I sat in on a lot of head coaching interviews, and one or two things that a lot of people said was that you’ve only been in San Antonio, and you’ve never been a head coach,” Hammon said Monday. “I can tell you right now that Mark Davis met me, Nikki met (me) and said, ‘That’s a head coach right now. We’re going after her. She’s the person.’ So, that’s why they got me, and I couldn’t be prouder to come back to the ‘W.’ It’s where I’m from.”

Hammon also alluded to some criticism that going back to the WNBA is a step back for her career.

“This a step forward and a step in the right direction for myself and women’s basketball. I can not emphasize the importance of this opportunity that I have. This is more advantageous for growth. There’s something to being a head coach,” Hammon said.

According to several reports, Hammon will be the highest-paid coach in the league, potentially earning three or four times more than the highest-paid player.

She has been a basketball pioneer and accumulated many coaching “firsts” in the NBA. On July 3, 2015, she became the first woman to serve as head coach in the NBA’s Summer League, where she led the Spurs to the league title. Nearly a year ago, she became the first woman to lead an NBA team as a head coach for a regular season after Popovich was ejected.

“Becky has become an integral part of our program in every way, shape and form,” said Popovich. “This is a great opportunity for her to highlight her many skills. Her intuitive feel for the game and ability to teach will serve the Aces very well as she institutes her system and culture.”

Hammon said on Monday she had no intentions of leaving the NBA at the moment but is now ready to accept another career challenge.

“I couldn’t be happier to come back, give back and invest in these girls, not only as basketball players but as young women and as leaders — not only in the community but in the world. So I am stoked,” Hammon said.

Hammon is expected to remain with the Spurs as an assistant through at least April. The WNBA season begins on May 6.

The Aces finished with the second-best record in the WNBA last season at 24-8 before falling to the Phoenix Mercury in the semifinals. The franchise, looking for its first WNBA title, has a solid core led by former MVP A’ja Wilson.

The shortage of rapid test kits continues into 2022, and it’s unclear when any of the 500,000 test kits promised by President Joe Biden will make it to San Antonio.

The post-holiday demand has lead to long lines and longer wait times across Bexar County.

On the city’s East Side, lines at Nomi Health’s COVID-19 testing site stretched down Rigsby Avenue on Monday.

“Last week, I think it was Thursday, we (waited) here almost four hours,” said Cherise Campbell, who tested positive for the virus around Christmas.

“I try to keep my boys safe, and so far, we’ve all been good. But I keep trying to make sure that we’re still in the clear. Now, I’m here for the last (test), hopefully,” Campbell said.

Just north of Fort Sam Houston, another traffic buildup as people line up in their cars to get tested at a drive-thru site at 1712 Austin Highway near Eisenhauer Road.

Those in the Stone Oak area experienced similar wait times to get tested at Livingston Med Lab’s testing site located at 18322 Sonterra Place.

Not far from there on a Loop 1604 frontage road was another line of cars with people in them eager to make it Alzafar Shriner’s parking lot to determine if they’re sick or not.

However, there was a different story on the city’s West Side across the street from Our Lady of the Lake University.

“(There was) one person in front of me so, maybe a minute (wait), said Dustin Dorbritz, who drove by other COVID-19 testing locations, but the lines there were too long. “I wasn’t feeling well, so I wanted to make sure before I got back to work and around other people, (that I was negative). I want to be responsible about it.”

Short wait times were also reported at Edgewood Square Shopping Center located at 1157 South General McMullen Drive, where at some points there were less than 15 people in line.

Although neither West Side locations offer drive-thru service, Dorbritz said it was worth standing in line for the test.

You can find a COVID testing site by clicking here.

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Deputies in Louisiana made a grim discovery Thursday after a woman called about her missing husband.

Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies received a call Wednesday evening from a visually impaired woman who said she hadn’t heard from her husband since 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

Deputies arrived at the woman’s home in the 100 block of Levee Road to follow up on 76-year-old William Robert ‘Bob’ Lang Jr.’s disappearance and noticed that his vehicle was in the driveway.

“The responding deputy observed a broken window glass on the residence and requested permission to enter the home to look for Mr. Lang,” according to a press release from the NPSO.

Deputies went to the area where they saw the broken glass and discovered Lang’s body on the ground with several gunshot wounds to his body.

A photo of the scene posted on the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office Facebook page shows Lang’s car in front of the home.

Lang’s death has been ruled a homicide, and deputies have interviewed family members and canvased the area but have not yet been able to identify the shooter.

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