Category: San Antonio News

Editor’s note: Each weekend, we share five stories that captured the attention of the Alamo City over the past seven days. Here are the most-read stories of the week. And to look back on the hottest San Antonio headlines of 2021, head here. 1. Massive new beer garden and entertainment hub camps out in San Antonio. Cheers to this new San Antonio watering hole, which boasts 12,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor fun. 2. Top San…

Ready to try your luck for $500 million? If so, you may want to snag a Powerball jackpot ticket.

The jackpot continues to climb on Saturday, from $483 million to $500 million ($355.9 million cash value) after no winner was drawn last Wednesday.

Powerball officials said tonight’s drawing at 9:59 p.m. will be the Powerball’s first drawing on New Year’s Day in two years.

The last winner of the Powerball jackpot was in California on Oct. 4, 2021 when a single ticket won $699.8 million. This was the fifth largest in Powerball history and the 7th largest in U.S. lottery history, according to Powerball officials.

If you win the Powerball drawing, you can choose to receive your prize as an annuity, paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years, or a lump sum payment, according to officials.

Still, both of the prize options are prior to federal and jurisdictional taxes.

Powerball tickets are $2 each, and results will be livestreamed online at Powerball.com. To learn more, click here.

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$699.8M Powerball jackpot won, ticket sold in California

A man is critical condition after his car veered off the road and struck a tree on the Northwest Side Friday night, according to San Antonio police.

The crash happened in the 5900 block of Thunder Drive around 11:53 p.m.

Police said a man, 24, was driving south on Callaghan Road when his car continued straight, even though the road curved to the left.

The man’s car jumped a curb, drove through the grass, crossed over on Thunder Dr. and struck a tree, authorities said.

The man was taken to University Hospital by EMS in critical condition. Police said the man suffered two broken legs and a severe laceration to his face and had to undergo surgery.

Police said prior to the man being transported, he showed signs of intoxication but was not evaluated due to his injuries.

The investigation is ongoing.

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Man found shot, killed in vehicle outside NE Side apartment complex, police sayMan shot, critically injured while leaving bar near UTSA on New Year’s Day, SAPD says

Two men are injured after San Antonio police said they lit off fireworks in the road before they were hit by a truck overnight.

The incident happened around 12:16 a.m., Saturday, in the 600 block of S. San Eduardo.

Police said two men were lighting fireworks in the road when a Toyota Sequoia that was heading northbound struck them.

The Toyota kept heading northbound, away from the scene after the incident, according to officials.

One of the men had serious injuries, and the other had minor injuries. Both were taken by EMS to University Hospital for further treatment, police said.

The Toyota was later located a block away from the incident, but the driver is still on the run.

When arrested, police said the driver will be charged with failure to stop and render aid-SBI and failure to stop and render aid-moving.

We’ll bring more updates as they become available.

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Man found shot, killed in vehicle outside NE Side apartment complex, police sayMan shot, critically injured while leaving bar near UTSA on New Year’s Day, SAPD says

A man who was leaving a bar early New Year’s Day is in critical condition after San Antonio police say he was shot in the back during a drive-by.

The incident happened around 3:30 a.m., Saturday, in the 5100 block of UTSA Boulevard.

Police said the man, 22, was sitting in a vehicle in the rear parking lot when a red Nissan Altima drove through at a low rate of speed with headlights turned off.

Moments later, someone in the vehicle opened fire and struck several vehicles and the man, who was sitting in the backseat of his vehicle, was hit in the back.

The Nissan took off before officers arrived. The man who was shot was rushed to University Hospital and is in critical condition, according to police.

Authorities said they believe two people were inside of the Nissan at the time of the shooting. Search efforts for the pair are still ongoing.

Further details are limited. We’ll bring more updates as they become available.

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Man found shot, killed in vehicle outside NE Side apartment complex, police say

A man was found fatally shot in his vehicle in the parking lot of a NE Side apartment complex and San Antonio police are still searching for the suspects responsible.

The incident happened around 10:12 p.m., Friday, in the 3800 block of N PanAm Expy.

Police said the man, in his 40s, was sitting in his vehicle when two other men pulled up in their vehicle, got out and shot him.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene, according to SAPD. No other injuries were reported.

Both of the armed men got back in their vehicle and took off before officers arrived. Search efforts are still underway for the pair as of Saturday morning.

Further details are limited at this time. We’ll bring more updates as they become available.

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Chuck Campbell, CEO of Friedrich Air Conditioning, is leading the company into its next cool invention.

But, the company already has a rich history of some pretty cool stuff that’s still around.

Wentzel Friedrich was a German cabinet maker who migrated to the U.S. and eventually moved to San Antonio. He taught his sons Ed and Richard Friedrich the trade.

Wentzel became famous for his horn furniture and in 1883, Ed founded ‘Friedrich.’

“They started out making furniture and over time got into different types of products in the 1920s. They got into refrigeration equipment for restaurants, bars, things like that, and in the 1950s got into air conditioning,” said Campbell.

But it was the next big venture that launched them into the AC business.

“In the 1950s, we were the first to introduce a window air conditioner and it really caught on quickly,” Campbell said.

About a decade ago, one of the first units made was discovered, and was still in working condition.

“Several years ago, a consumer called us up and said they had a really old air conditioner. Would we like it back?” he said. “We found out it was the fourth air conditioner we ever built in1952, and to this day, it still runs and blows cold air.”

Friedrich ACs can be found in homes, hotels, apartments and senior living centers. The headquarters, testing and engineering is still based in San Antonio.

The company has gone on to other firsts, including the first to use environmentally friendly refrigerant, and the first to connect products to Wi-Fi and smart devices, according to Campbell.

“We want people to see Friedrich products locally and think that we’re a good employer and part of the local community,” he said.

Friedrich is listed on the City of San Antonio’s Office of Historic Preservation’s list of Legacy Businesses.

After a one-year hiatus, San Antonio’s New Year’s Eve party Celebrate SA is back on and in-person.

The event took place after University Hospital officials and city leaders urged people to avoid large gatherings, even if they’re outdoors, to help curb the spread of COVID-19 and prevent hospitals from exceeding capacity.

Hospital officials said they’re seeing an increase in trauma, heart attack and stroke patients, in addition to an uptick in COVID-19 visits.

They fear the virus spike will continue to worsen following Christmas celebrations, and with New Year’s Eve gatherings added to the mix, it could fill up the remaining beds.

University Health officials are asking people to only go to the emergency room if it is an emergency.

“Omicron is highly, highly transmissible and in order to break the chain, we’re asking people to wear masks. Don’t gather in tight crowds,” said Mayor Ron Nierenberg.

Although the city’s party plans went on as anticipated, Nirenberg urged residents to proceed with caution, and if possible, avoid large gatherings.

Many people who attended the city’s celebration wore masks, but many did not.

Some attendees said choosing to celebrate in-person comes with risk, but it’s a risk some are willing to take.

“I think if you’re sick, you should stay inside. If you’re not sick, then you should be able to go out and party,” said Seattle Lamphere.

“If you’re elderly, I would imagine you probably wouldn’t be out here. I would hope not. If you do, I mean, that’s on you I guess,” said Patrick Walsh.

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff joined the plea of University Health and Nirenberg, reminding residents to get vaccinated to protect themselves and the community against COVID-19.

“80% of our hospitalizations are unvaccinated, so I would say to you if you got an unvaccinated friend, try and talk him into getting it or stay the hell away from them,” said Judge Wolff.

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City, county leaders warn of new COVID-19 spike, stress on healthcare system

Authorities are asking for the public’s help in finding a missing 81-year-old man near Houston.

Jack Scott was last seen at 11:30 a.m., Friday, in the 12900 block of Lentando Lane in Cypress, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. He was traveling in a red 2018 Nissan Titan with a Texas license plate that reads, “KXL7398.”

Scott is described as having gray hair, blue eyes and was last seen wearing a maroon shirt, blue jeans and green shoes.

He is also diagnosed with a cognitive impairment, and deputies said his disappearance “poses a credible threat to his own health and safety.”

Anyone with more information on Scott’s whereabouts is urged to contact the HCSO at 713-755-7427.

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Urgent alert issued for missing teenage girl in San Antonio

If you needed another reason to curb the New Year’s Eve celebrations this year, here’s one — AAA won’t be providing free rides home for those who may have had too much to drink.

In years past, AAA Texas offered the service to take drivers and their vehicles home free of charge, up to 10 miles.

But in 2020 and now again in 2021, AAA won’t provide the service due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

“To help reduce the exposure of our contract station drivers to COVID-19 given the rapidly spreading omicron variant, as well as a growing number of canceled New Year’s Eve events, AAA Texas will not provide Tipsy Tow this New Year’s holiday,” said AAA spokesperson Daniel Armbruster.

Community health leaders have urged people to celebrate responsibly this year with omicron variant COVID-19 cases growing exponentially in the last week, asking people to stay home or wear a mask in public.

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City, county leaders warn of new COVID-19 spike, stress on healthcare systemSan Antonio law enforcement hopes to prevent spike in drunk driving crashes during New Year’s holiday weekendUniversity Health urges people to use ERs only in true emergencies, skip New Year’s Eve parties due to omicron surgeMetro Health officials warning residents to celebrate NYE safely as COVID-19 cases rise