Category: San Antonio News

Most Texas school districts were dealt what seemed like an overwhelming wave of COVID-19 cases at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year. Despite the challenges, many school districts managed to handle the situation and ended the semester with a lower positivity rate trend.

Texas Tribune public education writer Brian Lopez has been keeping tabs on the trends.

“One of the big topics going into the school year: ‘How do we get children back into the classroom as safely as possible? How do we keep their families safe, and how do we keep teachers safe?’” he said.

Overall, Lopez said three factors helped lower COVID-19 cases. One was those districts with mask mandates, and those who pushed for mask-wearing often times had lower numbers. Two — the arrival of vaccines for younger children and the boosters. And three was the adaption of a new normal of social distancing and cleaning rituals.

Lopez said it remains to be seen if districts decide to apply what they’ve learned into the next school year.

“Experts have said that, you know, we’re in a state right now where we can kind of navigate this pandemic. We know what works, what doesn’t,” Lopez said.

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A 1-year-old baby is in serious condition in the hospital along with two others after a two-vehicle crash on the West Side, San Antonio police said.

The crash happened just after 8:30 p.m. Friday near 38th Street and Amires Place.

San Antonio police say an SUV ran a stop sign resulting in the driver hitting a pickup truck. That truck had two adults and the baby inside.

The people in the truck, including the baby, were all taken to University Hospital for various injuries.

As for the SUV driver, police say he is detained and under evaluation for DWI.

A man is dead, and San Antonio police are searching for his killer after a shooting on the far West Side.

The victim was shot Friday afternoon in front of a home on Kernan Street, near Ray Ellison and Highway 90.

Police say the victim was talking to another man, and that man pulled out a gun and fired.

The victim was hit in the torso, and he staggered into the home.

Police say neighbors tried to do CPR on the victim until emergency medical services arrived.

Crews worked to save the man, but he did not survive.

Witnesses told police they saw the shooter leave the scene in a silver car.

The victim has not yet been identified.

Ayad Kaisi, slight in stature yet known for his big heart, is a former Iraqi refugee who has become an “ambassador” for the Center for Refugee Services as a devoted volunteer and board member.

Without family in the U.S., Kaisi said, “They are like a family to me. It’s become part of my life.”

“I’m still driven by the need of a family,” he said.

That, coupled with his faith as a Christian, is why Kaisi said he’s helping Afghan arrivals however he can as his way of paying it forward.

Kaisi, who worked as a petroleum engineer and later a businessman who sold dialysis machines in Iraq, became a U.S. military interpreter like many Afghan men who’ve come to San Antonio.

Kaisi also had to leave his country because of armed militias and instability after the fall of Saddam Hussein. He said many of his friends and colleagues were disappearing.

“They don’t come back again,” Kaisi said. “Then, later, we hear that they’re being simply killed and kidnapped.”

Up until then, Kaisi said he’d never considered coming to the United States until he had no choice.

When he applied for his visa in 2007, one of his sponsors was a military chaplain from La Vernia.

“Oh, I am going to La Vernia. I thought it was a big city or something,” Kaisi said.

The chaplain recommended Kaisi come to San Antonio because the climate is somewhat similar to Iraq.

Years later, having become a U.S. citizen, Kaisi said, “I’m now part of this great nation.”

Come Christmas morning, 200 more San Antonio children will be waking up in their own beds, thanks to the local chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

The nonprofit estimates 2% to 3% of children across the country don’t have a bed. Instead, chapter president Eddie Arnold says kids may be doubled up in beds or sleeping on couches, air mattresses, or even the floor.

“We know that having a good night’s sleep impacts them both physically, mentally, emotionally and really throughout their life,” Arnold said. “So this is a way that we can help kids here in San Antonio be better people overall for the long haul.”

Though the nonprofit builds and delivers beds year-round, the dozens of volunteers loading up a fleet of personal vehicles were making the biggest push of the year — 200 beds in all. The volunteers delivering beds to families around the city also assembled them.

The group also provides mattresses, bedding, and pillows. For the Christmas Eve deliveries, they included a Christmas stocking and fleece blanket for each bed, too.

Four of the beds were bound for the Martinez household, where six young boys share an apartment with their parents.

“We had some of them on our mattresses and also sleeping with us in our bed as well, just because they don’t like to sleep alone at night,” said Billy Martinez, the boys’ father.

Martinez said he found the nonprofit while looking on the internet for help with beds.

“So when we moved, we had to really just start over with furniture and everything,” he said. “So which is why we were needing the help. And we’re really blessed for these guys to come help us out with the beds for our kids.”

Though each bed makes a difference to the family that receives it, the demand is high. Applications are first come, first served, Arnold said, and there are plenty coming in.

In the past week, Arnold said the chapter had received 300 new applications, which has resulted in 700 kids being added to their list.

In four years, Arnold says the San Antonio chapter has built roughly 2,500 beds, and it aims to build and deliver 2,000 next year.

IN NEED?

Arnold says there’s no financial statement requirement in applying for the beds. If a family feels like they need them, they can apply.

If you or someone you know needs a bed for a child, you can apply on Sleep in Heavenly Peace’s website.

Maybe you were lucky enough to receive a new big-screen TV as a gift, or perhaps you’re thinking about upgrading for the Super Bowl. Whether new or old, one thing is the same: TVs need to be properly anchored or mounted. Consumer Reports explains why and walks us through the safety steps to avoid a TV tragedy.

Sadly, TVs do fall on people, with tragic consequences—between 2000 and 2019 at least 354 people in the U.S. were killed in incidents involving TV tip-overs. Almost all were children.

Even though today’s TVs are thin, they can still pose a risk. A 75-inch TV can weigh about 75 pounds. And CR says the danger is also significant if the TV is on a piece of unanchored furniture that also can tip over. Putting a television on a dresser is not recommended because kids can pull out the drawers and climb up, destabilizing the dresser.

So, what should you do? You can mount your TV to a wall or anchor it to a media console if it’s substantial enough. Just remember that any furniture should also be anchored to the wall. Also, make sure cords and cables are tucked away. And avoid putting things that attract kids, like toys or the remote, above the TV or on the TV stand.

You can find kits for anchoring your TV at many retailers, including Amazon, Home Depot, and Target.

You’ll get some peace of mind by taking these simple, preventive steps to avoid tragedy.

One last tip from CR: If you have an older tube TV in your home, consider recycling it, and don’t move it into a child’s room.

KSAT 12 Sports’ Big Game Coverage (BGC) and Texas Sports Productions are expanding their high school sports streaming partnership to include boys and girls basketball and baseball and softball, as well as football, in 2022.

To kick off this exciting new development in San Antonio-area high school sports and media, KSAT.com will stream a high school basketball tournament at Central Catholic High School on Dec. 27-29, with the first matchup tipping off at 2:30 p.m. Monday.

The streams are free to watch but exclusive for members of KSAT Insider, a community of 50,000 of our most engaged readers and viewers who get access to exclusive content, giveaways and events. It’s completely free to join and start streaming.

3 ways to stream live games

Computer: Watch the streams on an Insider-only page on KSAT.com.Phone: Download the Big Game Coverage (BGC) app in the App Store or Google Play Store, or by searching the stores for “KSAT12 Big Game Coverage.” Become a KSAT Insider or sign in and start streaming on your phone.TV: Download KSAT Plus, our free streaming app that works with Roku, Amazon Firestick, Apple TV and Android TVs.

Tournament schedule

Eight teams from San Antonio and around the country, including Marianists and Non-Marianist schools, will compete over three days in the Kahlig-Cowie Convocation Center (KCCC) located at 1403 N St Mary’s St. KSAT.com will stream all games.

Day One – Monday, December 27, 2021

Game 1 – 2:30 PM (Chaminade West Hills, CA vs St. Michaels, TX)Game 2 – 4:00 PM (Chaminade Julienne, OH vs Central Catholic, TX)Game 3 – 5:30 PM (Archbishop Riordan, CA vs St. Stephens, TX)Game 4 – 7:00 PM (Archbishop Moeller, OH vs St. Joseph, TX)

Day Two – Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Game 5 – 2:30 PMGame 6 – 4:00 PMGame 7 – 5:30 PMGame 8 – 7:00 PM

Day Three – Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Consolation Game – 12:00 PMConsolation Championship 1:30 PM3rd Place Game – 3:00 PMChampionship Game – 4:30 PM

How to join KSAT Insider

Becoming a member is a free and simple process that requires an email address, a user name and a password on the main Insider page. Once you verify your email and sign in, you will immediately unlock all the exclusive benefits.

You can access the sign-up page in the top right-hand corner of any page on KSAT.com.

If you have any questions or feedback about the program, please email us at insider@ksat.com.

Event organizers are anxious to move on from the challenges they faced in 2020

The San Antonio Police Department issued two indefinite suspensions for an officer who mishandled a domestic violence call and struck a cyclist with his car in a separate incident, according to records recently obtained by KSAT 12 News.

Laurence Levi, who has been with the department since 2016, received both indefinite suspension notices in October, the records showed. It isn’t immediately unclear whether he is appealing the decision through arbitration.

Domestic violence incident

Levi was first cited for an incident on April 25, when he responded to a minor car crash at West Cesar Chavez and South Chupaderas, according to the records.

The woman told police the crash occurred as she was trying to get away from her ex-boyfriend, who she said assaulted her and hurt her head.

Levi asked the woman if she need paramedics to respond, and though she said yes, he never requested medical services for her, according to the suspension document.

The officer did not request investigators photograph the woman’s injuries, and he failed to check her ex-boyfriend’s criminal history. Police said the ex-boyfriend had a violent history and was out on bond for another criminal charge.

Levi was also cited for being “argumentative” with two other officers “and initially refused to comply with their requests so that the assault case could be correctly filed,” according to the suspension records.

‘Officer Levi’s investigation lasted for only approximately 45 seconds’

Nearly two weeks after that call, on May 8, Levi allegedly “sideswiped” a bicyclist, suspension records showed.

The investigation found that Levi did not fully stop at a red light, leading the cyclist to fall off the bike after colliding with the patrol car.

Levi assigned himself as the handling officer in the incident even though he was involved in the crash, the records showed.

“Officer Levi’s investigation lasted for only approximately 45 seconds,” according to the suspension document.

While reviewing Levi’s vehicle records, investigators also discovered several other traffic violations committed by Levi, mainly for failing to stop at red lights.

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Update: This livestream has ended.

On the fifth day after Lina Sardar Khil’s disappearance, the San Antonio community planned to come together for a prayer vigil on Christmas Eve.

The interfaith vigil for the 3-year-old girl will take place at 10 a.m. Friday at the St. Francis Episcopal Church, located at 4242 Bluemel Road. KSAT will livestream the vigil in the player; if there is not a livestream available, check back at a later time.

San Antonio police said they do not have any updates in the search for Khil, who disappeared between 5-6 p.m. Monday at the playground of the Villas Del Cabo apartment complex in the 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road on the Northwest Side.

She was last seen wearing a black jacket, red dress and black shoes.

Officers searched the surrounding areas, vehicles and apartments, reviewed available footage, and interviewed residents, but have not had much success, SAPD Chief William McManus previously said.

They’ve also requested the help of an FBI rapid response team, which could provide officers with additional resources.

Anyone with information is urged to contact SAPD at 210-207-7660.

On Thursday night, the reward for information in her disappearance stood at $150,000. That includes $100,000 raised by the Islamic Center of San Antonio and $50,000 from Crime Stoppers.

Read also:

Reward for 3-year-old Lina Khil grows to $150,000 as San Antonio police ask for public’s helpSearch for missing 3-year-old Lina Khil enters fifth day. Here’s everything we know.Parents worried about safety of their own children after Lina Khil, 3, vanished from playground‘The longer the time lapses, the less hopeful we become’: Search continues for missing 3-year-old Lina Khil