Category: San Antonio News

The Texas barbecue community has lost a legend. Barbecue pitmaster John Mueller, a member of the Mueller barbecue dynasty, died last week at his home in Frisco at age 52. Daniel Vaughn, barbecue editor at Texas Monthly, broke the news December 16 on Twitter. Vaughn reports that Mueller died after a long illness. “Mueller bounced between fame and infamy; mercurial, infuriating, hilarious, and generous would all accurately describe him. Through it all, he remained memorable,”…

A home on the Northeast Side is considered a total loss after a fire on Tuesday morning.

San Antonio firefighters responded to the home in the 9300 block of Interstate 10 East, near Loop 1604, just before 8 a.m.

Nobody was home at the time, so they’re not sure how many people live there, firefighters said. No one was injured.

Firefighters found evidence that the fire was caused by a wood-burning stove, authorities said.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Read also:

Man shot during altercation outside South Side bar, police say

After a whirlwind couple of years of cancellations and postponements of some of San Antonio’s most beloved events and concerts due to the coronavirus pandemic, many celebrations are getting back to a normal schedule in 2022.

From Fiesta to Wurstfest, San Antonio and the surrounding areas have tons of things to do on the calendar next year.

Whether you call San Antonio home or you’re just passing through, there’s something for everybody.

Here are some events you can check out next year:

January 17 – San Antonio’s MLK March is considered to be among the largest such events in the U.S. and draws up to an estimated 300,000 people annually. The march dates back to 1968, the year King was assassinated, when the Rev. Dr. Raymond Callies started a march to highlight the need for basic infrastructure on the East Side.February 10 – 27 – The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo will be held at the AT&T Center and Freeman Coliseum fairgrounds. Several country stars and a Norteño legend are set to make appearances for next year’s rodeo.February 24 – People looking to walk through the artwork of famed artist Vincent van Gogh will finally get the chance in February after the traveling art exhibit that was supposed to open in San Antonio in November was pushed back.March – May – Seven Seas Food Festival at SeaWorld San Antonio offers 60 fresh global cuisine choices to pair with nearly 50 beer, wine and cocktail selections. The culinary adventure will take place over select dates March through May.March 25 – Comedian Jim Jefferies is heading back to San Antonio on March 25 at the Tobin Center. Jefferies was named as the Stand-Up Comedian of the Year at the Just for Laughs Festival in 2019 and he has several stand-up specials on Netflix.March 31 – April 10 – Fiesta San Antonio is returning to its regularly scheduled springtime dates. The party with a purpose is a San Antonio tradition that brings a food-filled event schedule and tons of visitors each year.April 2 – 3 – San Antonio Highland Games will return to Helotes at the Helotes Festival Grounds. Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Celtic and magical wares will be available at vendor booths and bands will perform throughout the weekend in addition to the games themselves.April 3 – Comedian Whitney Cummings is returning to San Antonio as part of her “Touch Me Tour.” Aside from being a comedian, author, writer, actor, producer, director and podcast host – she’s also a champion of turtles. Cummings saved a turtle from some nearby trash in the San Antonio River in May 2021.June 25 – Pride San Antonio will take place at Crockett Park on June 25. Pride is a way to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community in San Antonio and across the nation.July 23-24 – Float Fest, a popular Central Texas floating and music festival, will return to a 765-acre ranch in Gonzales. Attendees will be able to float on the water, camp and listen to music from more than 25 bands on two stages.November – Wurstfest is a New Braunfels tradition that celebrates the city’s German heritage and started in 1961. The 10-day annual festival attracts thousands of visitors every year.

This list will be updated as more events are announced.

A list of concerts and musical acts in the San Antonio area in 2022 is forthcoming. Keep an eye on the Things To Do page for that list in the upcoming weeks.

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A face full of acne during picture day, a pimple that just won’t go away… are you trying everything you can to have a clear face and perfect skin? But what if all the things you’ve been told are not true? Here’s what to believe and what not to believe when it comes to your skin.

We’ve all had skin that looks uneven, is acne prone, or wrinkly, but what if how we’ve been told to take care of our skin isn’t true?

“When I educate patients on, if they came in with a skin myth I’m usually trying to go and look at what the evidence shows,” Dermatologist Jesleen Ahluwalia, MD said.

Fact or fiction: drinking eight cups of water a day promotes clear skin.

“We lose moisture barrier from the very top of the skin, it doesn’t have a whole lot to do with water intake,” Ahluwalia said.

Scent free moisturizers, short lukewarm showers, and moisturizing right after bathing will do more for your skin than drinking water.

What about this one: avoid eating chocolate or you’ll have acne?

“We don’t really see a lot of correlation between diet and acne, there are likely a number of other factors involved,” Ahluwalia said.

Last myth: is purchasing expensive skin care products better for keeping your skin looking young?

“For the most part it doesn’t really matter,” Ahluwalia said.

Harvard Health reports that products with topical vitamin-A based drugs called retinoids may reduce fine lines and wrinkles and can be found in products sold at drugs stores.

Here’s a question for you… are skin products labeled as “natural” better for you?

The answer is, no.

The word “natural” has no regulatory meaning in terms of the FDA. The term “organic” is regulated by the USDA and means the products are free of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and other non-organic substances.

It’s important to note that natural and organic products aren’t necessarily safer and can still cause allergic reactions and skin irritation.

San Antonio police plan to resume their search of the Northwest Side for a three-year-old girl who disappeared Monday afternoon.

Lina Sardar Kihl, 3, was last seen at an apartment complex in the 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road around 5 p.m.

RELATED: San Antonio police seek missing 3-year-old girl last seen on Northwest Side

The Texas Department of Public Safety later issued an Amber Alert for her.

Police also conducted a thorough search of the area late Monday but did not find the child.

Officers were posted throughout the apartment complex all night long.

Early Tuesday morning, they could be seen searching vehicles as they arrived and left from the property.

A sergeant at the scene told KSAT 12 News that Lina was at a playground in the apartment complex when she disappeared.

He said her mother told officers she left the child for just a minute, then when she came back, she noticed her daughter was gone.

Police say they have not located any witnesses who were able to offer any information on a possible suspect.

However, according to their news release, they are handling this as an abduction case.

The sergeant said there has been a bit of a language barrier between officers and the girl’s mother.

He said they plan to bring in an interpreter to communicate with her.

Lina was wearing a black jacket, red dress and black shoes when she disappeared.

A flyer distributed by police says she is four feet tall, weighs 55 pounds and had her shoulder length hair in a ponytail.

Anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to call SAPD’s missing person unit at (210) 207-7660.

A man in his 30s was shot during a fight with several men outside a South Side bar early Tuesday morning, San Antonio police said.

Officers were called just before 2 a.m. to Thirsty’s SA bar in the 8900 block of South Presa Street, not far from Old Corpus Christi Road after receiving word of a shooting.

According to police, an argument started in the parking lot of the bar between the victim and four other men. That’s when, police say, one of the men pulled out a gun and shot the victim in the shoulder.

Police said the four men got into a black four-door vehicle and fled after the shooting. Officers saw the vehicle speed off, but were unable to catch up with it, police said. The men have not been found.

The man shot was taken by EMS to Brooke Army Medical Center, where he is listed in stable condition.

The San Antonio Police Department, the San Antonio Fire Department and EMS all answered the call.

SAPD did not say what the argument was about. The investigation is ongoing, police said.

San Antonio police are investigating a shooting at a motel that sent two men to the hospital early Tuesday morning.

Officers were called around 2 a.m. to a Motel 6 in the 5500 block of Interstate 35 after receiving word of shots fired.

According to police, a fight occurred between two men staying at the motel. SAPD said the investigation has been difficult, since they are getting conflicting stories.

Police say they’ve determined that one of the men went to the other’s room and knocked on the door, asking for cash. When one of the men refused to give more money he then pulled out a gun, but the panhandler took it away, shooting him twice in the shoulder and grazing his head.

The panhandler was then grazed by a bullet after the two men fought over the gun, police said.

One man was taken by EMS to Brooke Army Medical Center in stable condition. The other was taken to Northeast Methodist Hospital for their injuries, police said.

SAPD said they are still working through the details of the case. The investigation is ongoing.

Eleven of the thousands of Haitian migrants who set up camp under the international bridge in Del Rio in September have filed a lawsuit against the federal government. The documents filed allege physical abuse, racial discrimination and failure to process asylum claims.

The Innovation Law Lab and several other groups are representing the migrants. They say the thousands of Haitians who were expelled should be brought back to the U.S. to pursue their claims.

U.S. Border Patrol received backlash after agents were seen on horses holding what seemed to be ropes or whips. Several days later, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it would not put agents back on horseback in the region.

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San Antonio police are searching for a missing 3-year-old girl last seen on the Northwest Side.

Lina Sardar Khil was last seen at 5 p.m. Monday, in the 9400 block of Fredericksburg Road.

According to police, Lina and her mom were at the playground of the Villas Del Cabo apartment complex when Lina’s mother went inside to quickly get something. When she returned, Lina was gone, police said.

Officers searched the area and even brought out a K9 to assist, but did not find her. No witnesses have come forward.

Lina is 4 feet tall, weighs 55 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. Officials say the child has straight shoulder-length hair that was last seen in a ponytail.

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

Police believe the child may be in grave or immediate danger. If you have any information about the abduction, call SAPD at 210-207-7660.

It’s going to be another COVID Christmas this year.

The average number of COVID cases is climbing again in our area and nationally the omicron variant is the one the CDC is seeing the most.

Eight days ago, the first two cases of omicron were confirmed in Bexar County— that number is now up to five according to a local doctor.

“We cannot prevent the omicron surge. It is surging around the world. It’s a matter of time before this becomes a dominant strain locally,” Dr. Anita Kurian, the assistant director of Metro Health said.

Less than a month after it was first detected in the U.S., the omicron variant has now become the dominant strain across the nation accounting for 73% of new COVID cases, according to federal health officials.

“We expect it to surge here as well. So there is no need to panic. How high the wave of the surge is going to be depends entirely on each one of us,” Dr. Kurian said.

Locally, we don’t know the full extent of omicron cases as the genetic sequencing to identify the variants takes 10 to 14 days.

Dr. Kurian says nationally, cases numbers are doubling every two days and those who already had COVID are not necessarily in the clear.

“Based on the latest assessment from UK, the risk of reinfection. Omicron at this time is estimated to be five point four times greater than the Delta,” Dr. Kurian said.

When it comes to specific symptoms that we’re looking for, there are some variations.

Dr. Ruth Berggren with UT Health San Antonio says some omicron patients have complained of sweating and body aches. She says for now it’s important to wait for more information before jumping to conclusions about severity.

“It may not be quite as lethal, but we can’t say that with certainty yet because we haven’t accumulated enough data and those data have not been peer-reviewed yet,” Dr. Berggren said.

There’s some disagreement between doctors on the severity of infections but all agree, the best way to protect against the omicron variant is to be vaccinated, boostered, and wear a mask if you’re in a crowded area.

With Christmas around the corner, Dr. Kurian says we should consider keeping celebrations local.

“If you can postpone or delay your travel plans, we recommend you do that. No travel at this time is is this the only thing that is risk free,” Dr. Kurian.

Dr. Berggren said she has Christmas recommendations for people who are vaccinated and those unvaccinated.

If your family is vaccinated and no one is immunocompromised, feel free to take masks off indoors if everyone is feeling healthy.

For those unvaccinated, she said she’s worried and they should only celebrate within their strict social circle.

If you still want to get vaccinated, Metro Health is offering a vaccination clinic at Travis Park from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

They’re offering Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, boosters, and flu vaccines.

University Health’s Wonderland COVID-19 vaccination center is open for walk-ins Monday – Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for this week and next. The center will be closed on Thursday and Friday of those two weeks.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be available.