Category: San Antonio News

The Great Hearts Forest Heights community is mourning the loss of a teacher who “passed away tragically” on Thursday morning.

In an email sent to parents and students, Forest Heights said Michael Echaniz, 23, was killed in a parking lot outside his home. He was a fourth- and fifth-grade apprentice teacher at the school.

Public data shows that Echaniz’s last known address was in the 4800 block of Gus Eckert. It’s the same location where San Antonio police responded to a shooting just before 8 a.m. on Thursday. Police have yet to confirm whether Echaniz was the victim in that shooting.

When officers arrived, they found the shooting victim lying on the ground near his vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to SAPD Chief William McManus.

It appeared he was trying to get inside his vehicle, he added. Witnesses said they saw a man in a blue hoodie running from the scene.

No further details, including motive or information about the shooter, have been released at this time.

Great Hearts said that Echaniz worked with fourth and fifth graders at the school for two years.

His students “loved him and knew him as the teacher always ready to join in on soccer games at recess,” the email said. “His passion for history and talent for teaching math were evident, and he impacted many students above 4th and 5th grade by giving his time to coaching basketball and helping with debate club.”

“As a colleague, he was a dear member of our family, certain to be present whenever we made time to be together. We are so grateful for the time he spent with us and the mark he made on our community.”

The school is offering counseling services at the campus from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday.

He previously attended Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, where he graduated in 2020, according to the college and his LinkedIn profile.

Read also:

29-year-old man who died in head-on crash on Northeast Side identifiedSan Antonio man faces charges related to shooting death of 2-year-old girl on Southeast Side

It’s spring break time for many school districts in the area and a great opportunity to go exploring.

AllTrails.com has photos and locations of local trails all over the world and has curated a list of San Antonio-area trails that are well suited for families.

Here’s the latest weather forecast if you’re thinking about heading out.

Here are 10 trails to explore in the San Antonio area that are great for families:

Hillview Nature Trail Loop – This 2.9-mile loop trail is located within Eisenhower Park on the far North Side of San Antonio and takes an average of one hour and 21 minutes to complete. This trail is dog friendly and popular with locals.

Main Loop and Juniper Trail – This 2.7-mile loop is located within Friedrich Wilderness Park near I-10 and Loop 1604 on the city’s Northwest Side and takes an average of one hour and 18 minutes to complete. Dogs are not allowed on this trail but it’s popular for trail running so you’ll likely run into other people.

McAllister Park Loop – This 2.4-mile loop trail is located within McAllister Park off Jones Maltsberger on the city’s North Side and takes an hour, on average, to complete. Dogs are allowed. This trail is specifically noted as being wheelchair friendly.

Bosque, Vern Del, Juniper Ridge and Main Trails Loop – This 2.6-mile loop trail is located within Friedrich Wilderness Park and takes an average of one hour and 17 minutes to complete. This trail does not allow dogs.

El Camino and Rio Medina Loop Trail – This 2-mile loop trail takes an average of 52 minutes to complete and is open year-round, but May through September are listed as the best times to visit. Dogs are allowed. The trail is located within Medina River Natural Area in far South San Antonio.

Cedar Flats Trail – This 1.9-mile trail is located within Eisenhower Park and takes an average of 53 minutes to complete. It’s considered an easy route and dogs are allowed.

Yucca and Hillview Nature Trail Loop North – This 2.5-mile loop trail is located within Eisenhower Park and takes an average of one hour and 12 minutes to complete. Dogs are allowed.

Savannah Trail Loop – This 2.3-mile loop trail is located within Government Canyon State Natural Area in Northwest San Antonio and takes an average 58 minutes to complete. Dogs are welcome.

Wilderness and Wildlife Trails – This 1.4-mile loop trail is located within Brackenridge Park, north of downtown San Antonio, and has the shortest average completion time at just 35 minutes. Dogs are allowed.

Morningstar Boardwalk – This 1.9-mile trail takes an average of 47 minutes to complete and is located right outside Lady Bird Johnson Park on the city’s North Side. It’s a boardwalk-style trail as the name suggests. Dogs are not allowed.

Related:

Fiesta is back! View the Fiesta 2022 event schedule, day-by-dayCity splash pads open this weekend in San AntonioThings to do in San Antonio in March

Due to a drop in the Edwards Aquifer, the City of Castroville has implemented Stage 1 water restrictions.

Residents are only allowed to water before 11 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on their designated water day, according to an email from the city. The watering day is determined by the last digit of their address.

The watering schedule is:

Monday: 0/1Tuesday: 2/3Wednesday: 4/5Thursday: 6/7Friday: 8/9

The Stage 1 water rules apply to irrigation systems and sprinklers, but watering with a handheld hose is OK any time of the day.

The 10-day rolling average of the level of the Edwards Aquifer dropped below 660 feet on Wednesday morning, triggering utilities to put restrictions on water use. Coming out of drought stages can be considered 15 days after the aquifer is above the trigger.

Read also:

Stage 1 water restrictions to go into effect Thursday for SAWS customersStage 1 water restrictions declared in New Braunfels

A 69-year-old man who died in a house fire on the West Side has been identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Jesse Phillips Jr. died of thermal injuries and smoke inhalation, authorities said.

The fire broke out at the home in the 5100 block of Grovehill after 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

San Antonio firefighters said they arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the single-story home.

Neighbors had already rescued a 94-year-old woman and her 76-year-old daughter from the house.

They tried to rescue Phillips, but were unable to because that section was already heavily involved in flames.

“We heard him asking for help. We heard him twice. We tried to get in. We tried,” neighbor Gena Garza said. “We couldn’t get back in to get him. The fire, the smoke was too much for me and my neighbor.”

Firefighters had to extinguish the flames before they could enter that portion of the home. They later found the man’s body in a front room.

The women were taken to the hospital and were later released, according to relatives.

A family member who showed up at the home later said that both of them had been discharged.

An arson investigator told KSAT 12 News that the fire did not appear to be suspicious, but the cause is still under investigation.

A 29-year-old man who died in a head-on vehicle crash on the Northeast Side has been identified by the Bexar County Medical Examine’s Office.

Arturo Sida died on blunt force injuries sustained in the crash, which happened around 2:30 a.m. Thursday on FM 78 near Lakeview Drive, not far from Rittiman Road and North Foster Road.

San Antonio police previously said that he was driving a small sedan and traveling on the wrong side of the road on FM 78.

That’s when, police say, he crashed head-on into another car.

Sida was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the female driver of the other vehicle was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center, with non-life-threatening injuries.

At this time, the cause of the crash is not currently known. SAPD did not say if alcohol played a factor.

Read also:

Overnight four-vehicle, chain-reaction crash sends 1 person to hospital, police sayMotorcyclist hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after crashing into car on North Side

A four-vehicle chain reaction crash on the city’s Northwest Side early Friday morning has sent one person to the hospital, San Antonio police said.

The crash occurred around 2:30 a.m. near Interstate 10 and the Loop 410 interchange.

According to police, a male driver for an unknown reason crashed with another vehicle. That’s when, police say, after the initial crash, another car drove into the back of the original wreck.

Police said a fourth vehicle then crashed, while police were trying to shut down the highway.

The male driver was taken to University Hospital with broken bones, where he is expected to recover. There is no word on any of the other drivers’ conditions.

SAPD closed down the highway as a result of the crash. It has since reopened.

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

The investigation into the crash is ongoing, police said.

For more information on traffic you can click here to view our traffic page on KSAT.com. To view more on the current weather conditions, click here.

Click the links below for current road closures.

San Antonio road closuresBexar County road closuresTxDOT highway conditions

Nationally, San Antonio is booming market. But new data is showing that the metro region is still outpaced by multiple Lone Star cities.

The iconic Texas Shiner Beer has been created at Spoetzl Brewery since 1909.

Spoetzl Brewery is in Shiner, Texas, about an hour and a half east of San Antonio. It was founded by Kosmos Spoetzl.

Even though Kosmos was the creator of the original recipe and set the tone of the importance of tradition and family at the brewery, it was his daughter known as Miss Celie, who kept the Texas Shiner tradition strong.

In the 1920s, Kosmos faced the hardships of prohibition. His wife also died. He felt defeated and decided to sell the brewery.

But then his young daughter stepped in and convinced her father not to.

“She saw this brewery as her father, it was her father, and she did it for him,” Tysen Kopyskinski with Shiner said. “Ultimately. She wanted to keep it going because it was him.”

Kopyskinski, an ambassador with Shiner Beer and Spoetzl Brewery told KSAT 12 Miss Celie’s story. She credits her for also saving the town of Shiner.

“Without the brewery, there’s not a lot of places to go,” Kopyskinski said. “So it definitely saved this town.”

When Kosmos died in 1950, Miss Celie stepped in as the owner where she ran the brewery until the late 60s.

During her time as owner, Shiner Premium was the flagship beer and Shiner Bock was only seasonal.

The original beer Shiner Premium was created by Miss Celie’s father, it was her favorite beer.

“Here everyone loved her,” Kopyskinski said. “She was kind hearted. She had a heart of gold.”

She wasn’t just beloved by the employees and town, but she was also breaking down barriers as a woman, owning and running a brewery — an anomaly then and even now.

“Less than 3% of craft breweries are solely owned by a female,” Kopyskinski said. “Only 3% in the U.S. and at the time, she was the only one.”

Miss Celie died in 1977. Shiner has been owned by several people since, but none of them have been a woman since Miss Celie.

Kopyskinski’s advice for women who want to be break into the brewery game like Miss Celie — don’t ever give up.

“Set your mind with what you want to do and do it, and that’s what she did. I really think that persistence. I think that pays off.”

For the first time in program history, the Boerne Champion boys basketball team took the court at the Alamodome for the UIL Class 5A State semifinals. Despite an inspired effort on both sides of the ball, their remarkable season came to an end on Thursday night.

Junior Braden Baum scored a game-high 23 points and was one of three Chargers that played all 32 minutes, but Champion fell to perennial power Mansfield Timberview 55-43.

The first play of the game set the tone. Wolves senior Braylon Crosby found Chendall Weaver for a soaring alley-oop dunk just 12 seconds into the game for a 2-0 advantage. Champion was undeterred, scoring the next four points on driving layups from senior Braxton Burdick and Baum. Both teams traded scores and runs, as the Chargers proved they could compete on the state’s biggest stage. Baum tied the game at 11 with a corner three and senior Jesse Peart scored on a layup that gave Champion a 13-11 lead after one quarter of play.

Clearly, Baum had the hot hand. He opened the second quarter with a three and hit another triple later in the frame to put the Chargers up 22-20. Peart added another three-ball for a five-point lead, matching their largest of the game. But Timberview closed the half on an 8-0 run and took a 28-25 lead into halftime.

The second half began with more than two minutes of scoreless basketball, but Champion seized momentum quickly. After Burdick knocked down a pair of free throws, Tate Owen drilled a triple that put the Chargers up 30-28. That would prove to be their last lead. The Wolves countered with a methodical 12-0 run and cruised through the final 10 minutes of regulation to win by 12.

Champion finishes their historic season with a 33-7 overall record.

A motorcyclist was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after crashing into a car on the North Side, San Antonio police said.

The crash happened around 6:30 p.m. Thursday at a store on West Bitters Road and Savannah Pass.

Police said the driver of a Nissan was pulling out of the store into the road when a man on a motorcycle T-boned the car.

Officers say intoxication did not play a role in the crash. It’s unclear how fast the motorcycle was going.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.