Category: San Antonio News

San Antonio’s long-loved historic crown jewel formerly known as the “Building of 1,000 Lights” is once again illuminating the city, this time taking on the form of a world-class entertainment venue destined to dramatically alter the local nightlife scene. The former Sunset Station Train Depot — located at 1174 E. Commerce St. in the St. Paul Square district on San Antonio’s Near East Side — has been painstakingly transformed into 1902 Nightclub, a sophisticated and…

A report released last week delves into hurdles to achieving housing stability and identifies possible solutions for tenants, landlords and policymakers.

The apartment sector has been on a roller coaster since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A meat market on the city’s North Side was written up last month after ants were found crawling on its sink, walls, prep tables and a cinnamon container.

Dona Concha, located in the 3300 block of West Avenue, received a score of 72 and was also cited for not cooling food properly.

The market’s food prep tables and utensil bins also had food debris on them, Metropolitan Health records show.

The establishment was ordered to go through a re-inspection.

To see more health inspection scores and to go Behind the Kitchen Door with Dillon Collier, click HERE for our special section.

Score Guide:

100-90 = A (Very Good to Acceptable)89-80 = B (Acceptable to Marginal)79 or lower = C (Marginal to Poor)

Metro Health indicates that scores of 69 or lower are failing scores

Other scores this week:

Rios Barbacoa, 9815 Culebra Rd., 100Shipley Donuts, 2815 N. FM 1604 East, 100Jenny’s Authentic Mexican Food, 8035 Culebra Rd., 99Nola Eatz, 5514 Walzem Rd., 98Chuy’s Tex-Mex, 8438 State Hwy. 151, 97El Itacate Tacos To Go, 2501 Nogalitos St., 95Boxcar Bar, 125 Lamar St., 94Hong Kong Harbor, 8230 Marbach Rd., 94Bun & Barrel, 1150 Austin Hwy., 92Bill Miller BBQ, 135 S. W.W. White Rd., 91Vida Mia, 19141 Stone Oak Pkwy., 90Jesmas Mexican Restaurant, 1722 Rigsby Ave., 88Aladdin, 15503 Babcock Rd., 86Oasis Cafe, 210 McCullough Ave., 86Tequila Mexican Restaurant, 1059 SE Military Dr., 86El Rodeo Mexican Grill, 9775 Culebra Rd., 84Fred’s Fish Fry, 1126 Cupples Rd., 84Rosita’s Cafe, 1335 S. Gen. McMullen, 83Taqueria Reyes, 10517 U.S. Hwy. 181 South, 82Maria’s Cafe, 1401 Cupples Rd., 81Dona Concha, 3303 West Ave., 72

For food establishment complaints in the city of San Antonio, send an email to Metro Health or call 210-207-8853.

Check out more restaurant scores by clicking here.

Alcohol, red meat, pizza, potatoes, popcorn. The list of foods with negative health effects is never ending. But some of these foods might not necessarily be bad for your health.

Red meat has been given a bad rap lately with its association with heart disease and type-2 diabetes. But a study from Harvard University found that risk is associated more with the processing of the meat. So hot dogs, bacon and cold cuts have a higher associated risk than steak. Steak is also a good source of protein and iron.

“Dairy actually gets a bad reputation, especially lately, but in reality, cow’s milk is actually very nutrition dense. So, I personally am a fan of dairy, it has our vitamin d, it has our calcium,” Ashley Hinds, a registered dietitian said.

What’s better for you, Lay’s Baked Potato Chips or Lay’s Regular Potato Chips?

U.S. News and World Report says the baked chips are cooked in genetically modified corn oil and contain torula yeast, which is used for flavoring in processed foods, including pet food, they also contain up to 50 flavor chemicals. While regular chips are made from real potatoes and cooked in vegetable oil. So, the verdict: the original chip may be your better choice.

When it comes to liquor, tequila may be the way to go. It is plant-based and does a better job at metabolizing into our system, meaning less of a hangover, less inflammation and belly fat.

“I don’t necessarily believe that there’s any good foods, bad foods, because what ends up happening is if we think too much about, let say a bad food or a societal bad food, then that’s all we can think about,” Hinds said.

Pizza does not always have to be unhealthy. Homemade pizza topped with lots of veggies, tomatoes, and low-fat cheese can be a good source of vitamin A and C, potassium, folic acid and many more beneficial nutrients.

Added bonus: it could be another way to sneak in veggies into your kid’s meals.

San Antonio police are still searching for the person who fatally shot 37-year-old Angelo Polendo more than five years ago at a West Side intersection.

Polendo was found dead on Oct. 11, 2016, at North Sabinas and Lombrano streets, according to a Crime Stoppers report.

Police said at the time of the shooting, several gunshots were heard and a gray-colored vehicle was seen leaving the scene south on North Sabinas Street.

According to a previous KSAT 12 report, two men were arrested following the release of a Crime Stoppers report. However, the charges were dismissed in December 2016 due to “insufficient evidence.”

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 210-224-STOP (7867). Tips can also be made by texting “Tip 127 plus your tip” to 274637 or via the P3 Tips app.

The driver of a car is being assessed for a DWI following a head-on vehicle crash with a truck on the city’s North Side early Monday morning, San Antonio police said.

The crash occurred around 1:20 a.m. on West Woodlawn Avenue, near Blanco Road.

According to police, a man driving a sedan was attempting to turn left onto Blanco Road from Woodlawn Avenue when it crashed head-on with a truck containing a male driver and a female passenger.

Police said the truck tried to avoid the collision but the truck instead rolled over.

The driver of the sedan was taken to University Hospital in stable condition. He will be assessed at the hospital for a DWI, police said.

The male driver of the truck did not appear to have any injuries. The female passenger was taken to University Hospital, but her condition is not currently known.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing, police said.

One person is in the hospital in critical condition following a shooting outside a bar just north of downtown late Sunday night, San Antonio police said.

Officers were called around 11:30 p.m. to Heat Bar in the 1500 block of North Main Street, not far from McCullough Avenue after receiving word of a shooting.

According to police, an altercation between two groups of people inside the bar spilled out into the parking as they all were leaving. That’s when, police say, one of the groups got into a car and fired upon the other as they stood on a street corner.

Police said a bar employee who was taking water out to a security guard was struck by the gunfire. He was taken by EMS to University Hospital, with a possible life-threatening gunshot wound.

SAPD said the security guard returned fired at the suspects as they sped off in the vehicle. A description of the suspects was not released.

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

The investigation is ongoing, police said.

At 20-years-old, Asante Contreras’ life was cut short. He was the victim of a head-on crash involving a driver who was running away from police for violating his bond.

Asante’s mother Anja Contreras blames the justice system for letting her son’s killer walk and for having to bury her son.

“We miss him everyday and that we love him always and we will see him again,” said Anja.

Joseph Woolard, 37, will spend 60 years in prison for crashing head-on with Asante’s vehicle. Woolard pleaded guilty to murder on Friday morning — a charge stemming from the crash that happened on May 3, 2020.

Woolard had warrants out for his arrest for violating bond when police said they spotted him driving. Officers tried to initiate a traffic stop at Potranco and Waterstone Pl., but Woolard wouldn’t stop his vehicle.

Authorities pursued Woolard until he turned onto an exit ramp for Northeast Loop 410 to Northbound IH-25 into oncoming traffic. It wasn’t long before Woolard’s vehicle struck another car head-on, killing its driver, Asante.

“I don’t think he should have ever been out to begin with. He should have never been out on bond. I’m glad he’s off the street. He won’t hurt anybody else because I don’t think he was ever going to change,” said Anja.

Anja said she doesn’t understand why Woolard was able to make bond after leading deputies on a chase that ended in a shootout in March of 2019. She believes it was a mistake by the justice system that cost her son his life.

She said Asante was just one week away from graduating from UT Health San Antonio’s paramedic school.

He was buried the same day his graduation would have been. Asante had dreams of becoming a paramedic and then an ER physician.

“He had it together and he was going to go places and it breaks my heart that he doesn’t get the chance to do that because he deserved to… he deserved to,” said Anja.

More on KSAT:

San Antonio man who killed college student in wrong-way crash sentenced to 60 years in prison

It’s a symbol standing tall at the Ingram Park Mall — the Giving Tree.

For the seventh year, Donate Life has brought the unique display back to San Antonio to share stories of lifesaving donors, like William Berlin.

Looking at Highway 90, you’d never know this is the place where Max and Gloria Berlin’s lives changed forever.

”Yeah, my training made it harder,” Max, William’s father, said.

His training as a military and civilian medic gave him firsthand knowledge of what was happening with his son.

“Him and his friend apparently ran across Highway 90, they made it across the eastbound side, they almost made it to the westbound side,” Max said.

They were hit by a pickup truck back in November 2017.

William was thrown before being taken to the hospital. After two weeks there, he died from his injuries.

”Even at death he was able to answer prayers for some people who needed donations,” Gloria Berlin, William’s mom said.

Unfortunately, William died at the age of 22. He was able to donate kidneys, corneas, and tissue.

Their son’s story is one of many featured on the Giving Tree, a display by the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center and Texas Organ Sharing Alliance.

”It’s to honor all of those who gave the gift of life through organ, eye, and tissue donation,” said Ashley Frolick, the digital services manager at STBTC.

The demand for donors is continuing to grow.

“There’s hundreds of thousands of people who need a transplant throughout the year. Whether it’s organ, eye or tissue, and just to have those folks who say, ‘you know ‚this is what I want to do’ and sign up for the registry, it’s so helpful,” Frolick said.

By sharing these stories, Frolick and the Berlins hope others will want to be like William and make the choice to become organ donors.

“William was always a giving person — even at death, he gave. And I’m sure he would be very proud of what he did,” Gloria said.

The lighting ceremony for the Giving Tree will be held virtually on December 22nd at 6:30 p.m.

More on KSAT:

Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program providing 7,000 gifts to local children this holiday season