Category: San Antonio News

We have been living with COVID-19 for the better part of 2020. The virus has infected millions of people, killed hundreds of thousands around the world and upended our daily lives.

Many people believe life will return to normal with a vaccine. It’s not that simple.

SMART. IN-DEPTH. LOCAL: CLICK HERE FOR MORE EPISODES OF KSAT EXPLAINS

In this week’s episode of KSAT Explains, which can be streamed in the video player above, we examine the challenges to create a potential vaccine, how they are tested and how long it takes before a vaccine can safely be introduced into the general population.

According to The New York Times, there are more than 165 COVID-19 vaccine trials underway.

The trials are broken up by phases and some of the research is being conducted in San Antonio.

Below is a video that explains how San Antonio is involved and a chart from the CDC which shows the vaccine life cycle.

Vaccine Safety Process From CDC by RJ Marquez on Scribd

HOW VACCINES WORK WITHIN THE HUMAN BODY

Vaccines help the human body develop an immunity to a disease by imitating an infection. Here’s a breakdown of how they work within the human body.

HISTORY OF VACCINES

Vaccines have evolved over centuries and have become a part of human life. We look at the history of immunizations dating back to 1000 AD.

QUICK GUIDE TO WHAT ELSE YOU WILL SEE IN THIS EPISODE OF KSAT EXPLAINS:

How quickly vaccines have been made in the pastWhat makes San Antonio well-positioned to host COVID-19 vaccine clinical trialsThe new set of challenges that will be presented in communities if a COVID-19 vaccine is approved

The discussions surrounding the start of a new school year are completely different this year.

Instead of shopping for new backpacks and outfits for the first day of school, parents are checking Wi-Fi connections and watching for updates from their school districts.

SMART. IN-DEPTH. LOCAL: CLICK HERE FOR MORE EPISODES OF KSAT EXPLAINS

The upcoming school year, like so many aspects of life during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been uncertain.

At the center of the discussions being had is how do we keep our students and teachers safe, while also making sure no child falls behind in the process?

This is what we wanted to explore in this week’s episode of KSAT Explains.

In this episode, you will hear from local superintendents, educators, parents and students from all parts of the city. They shared their concerns with in-class instruction, classroom safety and the pros and cons of remote learning.

HOW WE GOT HERE

There has been so much uncertainty that it can be hard to wrap your head around what plans are for back-to-school.

Information seems to change by the day and the guidelines for this upcoming school year have been hard to follow.

Krista Torralva, an education reporter with the San Antonio Express-News, spoke to KSAT Explains about the ever-changing landscape and the back-and-forth between the Texas Education Agency, state officials and local health authorities.

LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT PLANS

Plans to reopen classrooms are an evolving work-in-progress for every San Antonio-area school district.

Districts that have released guidelines have to remain flexible as they watch how the virus continues to affect the community.

KSAT Explains spoke to the superintendents of Edgewood, Northside and San Antonio ISDs about the challenges of leading educators in this pandemic, and some of the biggest things weighing on their minds as they plan for the school year.

TEACHER CONCERNS

Not until it’s safe. That’s the message we have heard from some teachers preparing for the new school year. KSAT Explains spoke with three area teachers to hear what they think about returning to the classroom.

QUICK GUIDE TO WHAT ELSE YOU WILL SEE IN THIS EPISODE OF KSAT EXPLAINS:

Parents discuss the difficult decision they face in sending their children back to classrooms.How Texas private and parochial schools will approach back-to-school.Is homeschooling an option for parents and what is a neighborhood “school pod?”What some local students are saying about a possible return to classrooms.How a recent UIL decision has affected the start of high school sports in Texas this fall.

For this episode, we created a word cloud to determine what subjects our educators, parents and students discussed the most.

In San Antonio, it’s not a matter of if flooding will occur every year, it’s a matter of when.

Every year, flash floods happen across the city as heavy storms move through the area, often during hurricane season. Bexar County officials monitor 178 low-water crossings, updating road closures when they occur.

Drivers warned to ‘Turn Around, Don’t Drown’

While more seasoned residents know which places to avoid, newer residents may not know which areas are most prone to flooding:

Salado Creek at I-35:

When heavy rain falls, the water pools up on the access roads, resulting in closures in the area.

Basse Road and 281:

After heavy rains, Olmos Creek will quickly rise, flooding the roadways it runs through.

Pinn Road:

Pinn Road and Highway 151 has been the scene of some notable high-water rescues before. Leon Creek runs below the road, leaving it prone to flooding.

Lower levels of I-35:

The lower levels of I-35 tend to shut down after heavy rains lead to flash floods on the highway.

While those are some of the most well-known flooding spots, intersections around San Antonio can also flood, depending on where the rain falls.

Find the latest on the storms here from KSAT’s meteorologist, including forecasts, warnings and watches and an interactive radar.

The number of facilities that are able to test for COVID-19 in Bexar County continues to grow.

Anyone who is experiencing symptoms, including fever, cough, and shortness of breath can be tested. Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure. (More below on asymptomatic testing.)

What you need to know about COVID-19 testing, according to UT Health experts

If a person has a primary care physician, they can call to see if their doctor is offering testing.

Otherwise, here is an updated (on Dec. 29, 2021) list of places where someone with symptoms of the new coronavirus can get tested in the San Antonio area for free.

No-Cost Testing Facilities for People with Symptoms:

American Legion – Curative Mobile Trailer #1 – 3518 Fredericksburg Rd San Antonio 78201. Curative COVID-19 Testing Site, Curb-side, must register and be seen first, appointment required. Hours: M-F: 8am – 6pm; Sat & Sun: 8am – 6pm.Center of Advanced Wellness – 8723 Botts Lane San Antonio 78217. No Appointment Needed, Walk-In Only. Phone: 210.999.5523. Hours: M-F: 9am – 5pm; Sat: 9am – 1pm; Sun: Closed.Center of Advanced Wellness – 3107 TPC Pkwy San Antonio 78259. No Appointment Needed, Walk-In Only. Phone: 210.905.0663. Hours: M-F: 9am – 5pm; Sat: 9am – 1pm; Sun: Closed.CentroMed – Palo Alto Clinic – 9011 Poteet Jourdanton Fwy San Antonio 78211. Drive-through, appointment required. Phone: 210-922-7000. Hours: M-F: 8:30am – 4:30pm; Sat & Sun: Closed.Claude Black Community Center- Curative Kiosk #11 – Curbside, must register and be seen first, appointment required. Hours: M-F: 8am – 6pm; Sat & Sun: Closed.Conqueror’s Assembly Church – Curative Kiosk #7 – 937 W Magnolia Ave San Antonio 78201. Curbside, must register and be seen first, appointment required. Hours: M-F: 8am – 6pm; Sat & Sun: Closed.Cuellar Community Center – Symptomatic Testing Only – 5626 San Fernando St San Antonio 78237. In building, no appointment needed, walk-in only. Hours: M-F: 8am – 4pm; Sat & Sun: 8am – 4pm.Dascena Labs – Fredericksburg Rd – 612 Fredericksburg Rd San Antonio 78201. Drive-Through, appointment optional. Hours: M-F: 9am – 5pm; Sat: 9am – 5pm; Sun: Closed.Dub Farris Athletic Complex/ Spartan Testing – 8400 N Loop 1604 W San Antonio 78249. Drive-through, appointment optional. Phone: 888-998-3568. Hours: M-F: 8am – 4pm; Sat: 8am – 4pm; Sun: Closed.Edgewood Square Shopping Center – Curative Kiosk #1 – 1135 S General McMullen Dr San Antonio 78237. Curb-side, must register and be seen first, appointment required. Hours: M-F: 8am – 6pm; Sat & Sun: 8am – 6pm.Gembler Lot – 622 Gembler Rd San Antonio 78219. Appointment Required. Phone: 833-213-0643. Hours: M-F: 8am – 4pm; Sat & Sun: 8am – 4pm.Goodwill Store and Donation Center- 12332 IH 10 W San Antonio 78230. Drive-through, no appointment required. Hours: M-Sat: 8am- 6pm; Sun: 8am- 5pm.Harlandale Park – Curative Kiosk #6 – 7227 Briar Pl San Antonio 78221. Curb-side, must register and be seen first, appointment required. Hours: M-F: 8am – 3pm; Sat & Sun: 8am – 3pm.Highland Forest Elementary- Curative Kiosk #12 – 3736 SE Military San Antonio 78223. Curb-side, must register and be seen first, appointment required. Hours: M-F: 8am – 6pm; Sat & Sun: Closed.Jack Inselmann Baseball Field- Curative Kiosk #10 – 7001 Culebra Rd. San Antonio 78238. Curb-side, must register and be seen first, appointment required. M-F: 8am – 6pm; Sat & Sun: Closed.Oblate School of Theology – Curative Kiosk #8 – 285 Oblate Rd San Antonio 78216. Curb-side, must register and be seen first, appointment required. Hours: M-F: 8am – 6pm; Sat & Sun: Closed.Our Lady of the Lake – Curative Kiosk #2 – 411 SW 24th St San Antonio 78207. Curb-side, must register and be seen first. Hours: M-F: 8am -3pm; Sat & Sun: 8am – 3pm.Pittman Sullivan – Curative Mobile Trailer #2 – 1101 Iowa St San Antonio 78203. Curb-side, must register and be seen first, appointment required. Hours: M-F: 8am – 3pm; Sat & Sun: 8am – 3pm.Ramirez Community Center – Symptomatic Testing Only – 1011 Gillette Blvd San Antonio 78224. Curb-side, must register and be seen first, no appointment needed, walk-in only. Hours: M-F: 8am – 4pm; Sat & Sun: 8am – 4pm.Salvation Army Missions Corp – Curative Kiosk #9 – 3802 SW Military Dr. San Antonio 78211. Curb-side, must register and be seen first, appointment required. Hours: M-F: 8am – 6pm; Sat & Sun: Closed.Somerset ISD Central Office – Curative Kiosk #13 – 7791 E 6th St. Somerset 78069. Curb-side, must register and be seen first, appointment optional. Hours: M-F: 8am – 5:30pm; Sat & Sun: Closed.St. Mary’s University – Curative Kiosk #3 – 1 Camino Santa Maria San Antonio 78228. Curb-side, must register and be seen first, appointment required. Hours: M-F: 8am – 5pm; Sat: 8am – 5pm; Sun: Closed.University of the Incarnate Word – Curative Kiosk #5 – 7615 Kennedy Hl San Antonio 78235. Curb-side, must register and be seen first, appointment required. Hours: M-F: 8am – 3pm; Sat & Sun: Closed.Wheatley Heights First Baptist Church – Curative Kiosk #7 – 7538 Midcrown San Antonio 78218. Curb-side, must register and be seen first, appointment required. Hours: M-F: 9am – 5pm; Sat & Sun: Closed.Zarzamora Testing – Curative Mobile Van #1 – 4531 S Zarzamora St San Antonio 78211. Curb-side, must register and be seen first, appointment required. Hours: M-F: 9am – 5pm; Sat & Sun: 9am – 5pm.

Free Testing Facilities for Asymptomatic People:

Barshop Community Jewish Center – 12500 NW Military Hwy. Testing hours will be 9 a.m to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.COVID Testing Station – Austin Highway- 1712 Austin Hwy. Drive-through, appointment optional. Phone: 210.201.6336. Hours: M-F: 9am – 5pm; Sat 9am – 1pm; Sun: Closed.COVID Testing Station – Culebra Rd- 8339 Culebra Rd. Drive-through, appointment optional. Phone: 210.201.6336. Hours: M-F: 9am – 5pm; Sat 9am – 1pm; Sun: Closed.COVID Testing Station – Nacogdoches Rd- 14092 Nacogdoches Rd. Drive-through, appointment optional. Phone: 210.201.6336. Hours: M-F: 9am – 5pm; Sat & Sun: Closed.Cuellar Community Center – 5626 San Fernando St. The hours are 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m – 4 p.m. on Saturday. Appointments are not required, and walk-ins are welcome. Proof of insurance is not required.Dascena Labs – 2300 Oakhill Rd San Antonio. Appointments are optional.Dub Farris Athletic Complex/ Spartan Testing – 8400 N. Loop 1604 W. The hours are 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Appointments are optional but pre-registration is encouraged. Proof of insurance is not required.Rackspace Technology Headquarters –1 Fanatical Place near I-35 and Walzem. Testing hours will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.Ramirez Community Center – 1011 Gillette Blvd. The hours are 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m – 4 p.m. on Saturday. Appointments are not required, and walk-ins are welcome. Proof of insurance is not required.

The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District has opened a COVID-19 Hotline for residents to ask questions about the virus. Residents can call 311 and select option 8. The hotline is available in English and Spanish from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Testing Facilities with Fees/Medical Insurance:

There are also many places where someone either with symptoms or without can get tested for a fee and/or with medical insurance. Click on the links to find the locations and protocols for each facility.

Advanced Diagnostic Laboratory LLC – 901 N Loop 1604 W Access Road, San Antonio, 78232Alamo City Urgent Care – Multiple LocationsARCPoint Labs of San Antonio West – Medical CenterBexarAid – 2015 Broadway St, San Antonio, 78215CommuniCare Health Centers – Multiple LocationsComplete Diagnostics – Multiple LocationsCOVID Drive Up – 6011 Broadway St.COVID Drive Up – 4747 Fredericksburg Rd.Davies MedClinic – Multiple LocationsDNA Reference Lab, Inc – 5282 Medical Dr., Ste 312, San Antonio, 78229FastMed – Multiple LocationsFull Spectrum Emergency Room & Urgent Care at the RimImpact Urgent Care – Multiple LocationsInnovative Urgent Care & Family Health Clinic – Multiple LocationsLASO Health – 4511 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, 78229Little Spurs Pediatric Urgent Care – Multiple LocationsLivingston Med Lab – 18322 Sonterra Place, Suite 101, San Antonio, 78258MacGregor Medical Center – 9969 Fredericksburg RdMD Toxicology Group, LLC – 11827 Starcrest DrMedPost Urgent Care – Multiple locationsPJW Health Services – 7710 W I-10, San Antonio, 78230Premier Health TX – 8332 Fredericksburg RoadSan Antonio78229Prompt Urgent Care – 5893 Babcock Rd, Ste # 103, San Antonio, 78240Quality Forensic Toxicology – 4726 Shavano Oak, Ste # 105San Antonio 78249Quality Urgent Care – Multiple locationsSouth Texas Allergy & Asthma Medical Professionals- STAAMP – Multiple locationsTexas MedClinic – Multiple locationsWalmart Pharmacy Drive-Through – 8923 W Military DrSan Antonio

The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) have launched an interactive online COVID-19 test collection map to help Texans locate test collection sites within their community. See the map below:

More on KSAT:

How to register for the COVID-19 vaccine in San Antonio when appointments are availableWhat if I get COVID-19 before getting the 1st or 2nd dose of the vaccine?Click here for the latest news on the COVID-19 vaccine

UPDATE: Upon appeal, Claudia Moreno-Devora had her termination reduced to a suspension and has since returned to work.

Two employees with San Antonio’s Center City Development & Operations Department have been fired after an investigation found they exchanged disability parking placards that should have been reported to the state and destroyed.

City officials confirmed that Claudia Moreno-Devora and Veronica Douglas were both terminated.

Municipal court supervisor accused of slapping security guard, calling him ‘rent-a-pig’

Discipline paperwork for Moreno-Devora, obtained by the KSAT 12 Defenders through an open records request, shows that she coordinated with Douglas to get disability placards that had been seized by parking enforcement officers.

Moreno-Devora also provided her city parking card to a co-worker for their personal use, according to the documents.

Moreno-Devora was also accused of refusing to answer inquiries from city officials attempting to investigate her possible wrongdoing.

Her dismissal paperwork, finalized in late October, found that she violated rules related to fraud, waste and abuse and procedures for seized disability placards.

Attempts by the Defenders to reach Moreno-Devora and Douglas for comment were unsuccessful.

A traditional Mexican pastry with citrus flavors and dried fruit is a reminder that the Christmas season isn’t over. Rosca de reyes or Three Kings bread is an oval-shaped pastry that resembles a crown as is eaten to celebrate the Epiphany.

Roscas de reyes can be found in most Mexican bread bakeries during the holidays including, La Panadería in San Antonio.

“The tradition is that on January 6 we’ll gather in a house, invite people that we love, you bring a rosca de reyes this and everybody eats it,” David Cáceres said. “It takes 72 hours of preparation before we put it into the oven.”

Cáceres, co-founder of San Antonio’s La Panadería attributes his fascination of making bread and pan dulce to the rosca de reyes.

If you have a sweet tooth check out this pan dulce map of San Antonio

Traditionally, the Christmas-essential-pastry is decorated with candied dried fruit and stuffed with a small white plastic figurine that represents the infant Jesus.

“Whoever gets one of these baby Jesus has to bring tamales on Día de la Candelaria, or Candlemas on February 2,” Cáceres said.

La Panadería sells mini roscas as well as the traditional size for larger families at both of their locations. For more information on how to order, visit the bakery’s by clicking here.

KSAT has teamed up with the San Antonio Zoo to bring viewers a 24-hour livestream of the tree kangaroo habitat.

The zoos’ Matschie’s tree kangaroos are 14-year-old Libby and 16-year-old Omeo who is darker in coloring than Libby.

*If the video is taking a long time to load – click the loading screen and the video should appear shortly.

While tree kangaroos are typically solitary, the habitat at San Antonio Zoo is unique as Omeo and Libby are housed together.

Tree kangaroos are difficult to study in the wild but it is assumed their life span ranges from 15-20 years, however, the animals are known to live past 20 in captivity, according to Zoo.org.

See more from our KSAT Kids section here

Omeo and Libby are participating in the Species Survival Plan, according to an official with the San Antonio Zoo. That means there could be a new tree kangaroo addition to the San Antonio Zoo soon.

“Occasionally, the tree kangaroos may get into a tussle, but this is common when Libby is cycling,” said San Antonio Zoo’s Director of Public Relations Jennifer Pue.

Video: NEISD shares famous enchilada recipe

The colorful backdrop of the Matschie’s tree kangaroos habitat was hand-painted by an animal care specialist who works at the zoo, Pue said.

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Get top-notch local news relevant to you and your family right at your fingertips by searching “KSAT” in your device’s app store and downloading these apps.

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iPhone and iPad users, click here or search “KSAT Weather” in the App Store.Android users, click here or search “KSAT Weather in the Google Play store.

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Big Game Coverage (BGC) app

High School Football is big in Texas and KSAT 12′s Big Game Coverage team will cover all of our South Texas teams. Download the BGC app today and don’t miss this year’s exciting action.

iOS and iPhone users, click here or search “KSAT Big Game Coverage” in the App Store.Android users, click here or search “KSAT Big Game Coverage” in the Google Play store.

Hurricane Tracker app

A direct hit from a hurricane could have catastrophic effects on San Antonio. Make sure you’re prepared with breaking hurricane updates and state-of-the-art tracking with the KSAT 12 Weather Team.

iPhone and iPad users click here or search “KSAT Hurricane Tracker” in App Store.For your Android device, click here or search “KSAT Hurricane Tracker” in the Google Play store.