Category: San Antonio News

The pipeline for new office construction isn’t quite at pre-pandemic levels but appears to be inching closer.

A Chihuahua found himself in a muddy situation when he fell into a drainage pipe and remained stuck for hours over the weekend.

Animal Care Services on Tuesday shared the story of the dog, now named Picolo, who was discovered by a passerby.

The good Samaritan heard squawking barks coming from a drainage inlet along Blanco Road on Saturday and called ACS, the department said in a Facebook post.

The dog had been stuck for at least five hours when ACS arrived. ACS officers assessed the situation, but San Antonio firefighters arrived to assist with the drain cover.

A firefighter was able to squeeze through the opening and get to Picolo.

“He nervously corned himself, not understanding what was going on,” ACS said, adding that he later emerged from the drain.

Besides the mud on him, ACS said he had an injured leg. He was taken to ACS, where he received veterinary care.

“He has an injured leg, though we have no way of knowing if that was the result of falling into the drain pipe or not,” the post said.

ACS is now looking for a home for Picolo so he can recover from his injury.

“What we do know, with some extra care and attention, Picolo will be ready to warm your heart,” the post said.

Read also:

Animal Care Services seizes 60 cats, 2 dogs living in deplorable conditions at West Side house

One man is hospitalized and another man is in custody following a shooting outside an East Side bar early Wednesday morning, San Antonio police said.

The incident occurred around 12:20 a.m. at JD’s Sports Bar in the 2100 block of SE Loop 410, not far from Rigsby Avenue.

According to police, an argument that started inside the bar spilled out into the parking lot. That’s when, police say, one of the men pulled out a gun and shot the other multiple times in the chest.

Police said the suspect fled on foot and dropped the gun along the way, but he was apprehended by officers. His name and age are not currently known.

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

SAPD did not say exactly what the argument was about.

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

The investigation is ongoing, police said.

San Antonio police are trying to figure out how and why a 35-year-old man was shot on Tuesday afternoon.

The incident occurred around 10:40 p.m. in 2000 block of Hays Street, not far from North Walters Street and East Houston Street on the city’s East Side.

According to police, officers were called to the home by the man’s father after he was shot earlier that afternoon. The man refused to seek treatment and his father called for help after he fell asleep, police said.

Officials said the victim was not very cooperative, so they don’t have much to go on. He may also undergo a psychiatric evaluation, police said.

At this time, it is unclear as to exactly how or why the man was shot. The location of the shooting is also not known.

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

The investigation is ongoing, police said.

Throughout this pandemic, we’ve heard about housing concerns from our local communities, and on Feb. 28, San Antonio Housing Authority’s eviction moratorium will be coming to an end. More than 4,000 families face possible eviction by the end of the month.

“I’m going to be living on faith real soon. Like, my job is coming to an end real soon,” Gabriela Garcia said after applying for rental assistance.

Many wonder how they’ll pay back past due rent, like Patricia Mesch, who’s had to help her family deal with COVID-19 cases multiple times. She is also dealing with complications from knee surgery, which has kept her out of work.

“All I’m doing now is trying to focus and stay positive and pushing myself, so I can get back to work, so I don’t have to keep looking for help out there,” Mesch said.

Since March 2020, before the start of the federal eviction moratorium, SAHA has given its tenants a break. The moratorium has been extended five times now, but no more.

“We were trying to balance, you know, what the community is doing, what other utility companies are doing. We said it’s time,” said Brandee Perez, chief operating officer of SAHA.

SAHA residents owe almost $5 million in back rent.

SAHA has broken it down by district. Districts 2 and 8 lead the pack with $1.1 million and $880,000 owed, respectively.

“I’m going to encourage people to not get too alarmed,” said Councilman Manny Pelaez, who represents District 8.

Pelaez said he wants to calm fears and assure people there won’t be mass evictions at the end of the month.

“But there will be a day where people are going to be expected to stay current with their rent. Because what we got right now — not sustainable,” he said.

On Tuesday, SAHA worked alongside the city to help people apply for rental assistance.

Perez said they don’t want anyone to lose their homes. They’ll help people apply for assistance or start a repayment plan. Those in need just need to take the first step.

“Our goal is not to evict our families. Our goal is to keep them housed, but they have to communicate,” Perez said.

To apply for the city’s Emergency Housing Assistance Program, click here. Do so quickly because the deadline to apply is March 1. After that, no more applications will be accepted because of funding availability.

#TonightOnTheNightBeat San Antonio Housing Authority’s eviction moratorium is ending on Feb. 28th. More than 4,000 families owe almost $5 million in back rent. Tonight we’ll be sharing options available to help you avoid eviction. @ksatnews pic.twitter.com/1HMMXNOu3g

— Leigh Waldman (@LeighWaldman) February 22, 2022

A man is dead after he was found in a car with a gunshot wound near the Pearl, according to San Antonio police.

Police say they received a call for a person with a gunshot wound in a car on Pearl Parkway and Broadway around 8:27 p.m. on Tuesday.

When they arrived, they found the man in his mid-20s dead at the scene.

Police said there were three people in the car with the man. They told police that the shooting happened on the East Side. However, police said they have not found evidence that a shooting took place.

The investigation is ongoing, and further details are limited at this time.

More on KSAT:

Man, 29, in critical condition after shooting at cellphone store on East Side

Couple found dead in apparent murder-suicide identified; relatives said they had young child

Tuesday is not just an ordinary day of the year. In fact, some have coined this particular day “Twosday” because of its palindrome date 2/22/2022.

The sequence of numbers and the chance of them falling on Tuesday is so rare that it won’t happen again for another 400 years in 2422, according to the National Weather Service.

What’s even rarer, is to be born at 2:22 on 02/22/2022. But for one Hondo couple, they received the rarest and possibly luckiest surprise of all.

Vylah Rosie Jane Ytuarte was supposed to be born on March 1st, but doctors told mother Raphaella that she would need to be induced.

At 2:22 p.m, Vylah Rosie Jane Ytuarte was born 6 pounds and 13 ounces at a Hondo hospital, her father, Dedrik, said.

“We’re just excited. She was really lucky to be born at the time and date that she was born on, and she’s a special baby, beautiful,” Dedrik said.

Her date and time of birth isn’t the only thing special about her. Dedrik said she was named after his grandmother who passed away.

“My grandma passed away, and we named her kinda after my grandma — her middle name Jane. And she passed away exactly a month from today and she would’ve been excited to meet her,” Dedrik said.

Dedrik said Raphaella and Vylah are doing well, and they are excited for her to meet her other siblings.

As if home builders didn’t already have to contend with skyrocketing costs, Kevin Gear had three loads of lumber stolen in less than a week from a construction site in northern Frio County.

“Almost probably three-quarters of a whole house,” Gear said. “This was just night after night and trying to catch them.”

Finally, the fourth time proved to be the charm after the Frio County Sheriff’s Office teamed up with Sheriff Randy Brown in neighboring Medina County.

Raul Alaquinez and Baldemar Valdez from the Somerset area were arrested, and the fourth load of lumber was recovered.

“You don’t have a chance, so stay out of Frio and Medina counties,” was the message for the suspect from Pedro Salinas, Frio County chief deputy.

Gear said he’s also grateful “to Medina County for getting there right on time, and then Frio County coming in to wrap it up at the end.”

Salinas said northern Frio County is experiencing a housing boom and similar thefts at construction sites.

“With the cost of material nowadays, we’re seeing more and more of it,” Salinas said, but not repeated thefts at the same construction site.

He said the suspects are charged with felony theft, but they could later face charges of organized criminal activity.

Salinas said he also expects to make more arrests if his investigators confirm the materials are being sold to a contractor or business on San Antonio’s South Side.

It’s also possible the thefts at Gear’s construction site could be an inside job.

Each time loads of lumber were delivered, “they were being stolen shortly thereafter.”

Gear said the fourth load was stolen within hours of it arriving at the job site.

Luckily, his more than $30,000 in replacement costs are covered, Gear said, unlike other builders.

“They could have to eat those costs and, you know, totally lose on the job,” Gear said, or possibly go out of business.

Gear said he still had to pay his workers who had shown up only to find there was no lumber for the job.

Also, he said due to rapid inflation, the amount of replacement lumber he was buying had become more expensive.

“It’s just a loss after loss,” Gear said.

Still, he said, the arrests will help him prove to his insurance company the lumber was indeed stolen.

On Tuesday afternoon, Gear’s crew was framing the houses he’d planned to build with the lumber that had been recovered, as well as yet another new load of lumber.

Through horsemanship and dancing, a local group aims to amplify the skills and work of African American cowboys and cowgirls. San Antonio Royal Steppaz Trail Riding Club aims to connect members with nature and history and inspire the next generation.

The local trail riding club was founded during the start of the pandemic by Ronnie Jones and LaShondella Ford.

“We wanted things to do so, it just tied in and was perfect for us to be outdoors,” Ford said. “So, we got into horsemanship. After that, (Jones), our (club) president asked if we could start a Trail riding club. We started from there.”

They began with 35 members. Since then, they have helped rehabilitate and re-home five rescue horses, several members have purchased a horse of their own and they’re opened stables.

“This is a lifestyle,” Jones said. Jones serves as the club’s president. “This is an everyday thing for me, for most of us. Even the ones that just came in, they’re learning. It’s the best feeling ever, and we just want to motivate everybody to try to step out and do the same thing.”

Nearly 90 people now make up San Antonio Royal Steppaz and embody the cowboy life.

“As the Black cowboys and cowgirls, how we preserve the legacy is (by) teaching others how to ride,” Ford said. “(How to wear) the cowboy hats, the boots (and) keeping (the cowboy culture) going, like making country cool. (We want to make) sure that we are, like, giving others the opportunity and access to own horses and to ride.”

Ford and Jones have passed on the same lessons of horsemanship they received from Roy Ford, LaShondella’s father, and Jones’ grandfather. The group calls him “Pops”.

“I started riding horses when I was nine (years old),” Roy said. “My dad had me breaking horses, and I broke horses until I about about 13 in Louisiana, and we moved to Texas.”

In San Antonio, Roy said he has helped train horses for those in his neighborhood. According to the cowboy, it takes courage to train horses, but for him, it is therapeutic.

“You got to let the horse know you’re not afraid of them,” Roy said. “You got to be like one package (with the horse). Nothing scary about it.”

28 years ago, he purchased and began to work the land the Royal Steppaz use today.

“When I first came out, this (was full of) trees,” Roy said. “I cleared it out, and built it up with blood, sweat and tears. And now, this is what’s left of it.”

It’s a piece of land full of legacy, lessons, and passion for horses.

“I am really, really happy. Like, this was our father’s thing. He taught us,” LaShondella said. “If it hadn’t been for him training us, and then giving us this opportunity to, you know, to own property, (we wouldn’t have) this opportunity.”

The group wants to give back to the community by teaching any person interested how to ride a horse.

“Horsemanship (is) being around family, making those connections, friends participating in trail riding events and just riding horses and being free in nature,” LaShondella said. “That’s what we really like. That’s our theme.”

Jones wants to encourage others to experience a trail riding event with other groups.

“It’s like a parade. Let’s say a Mardi Gras parade just out in the country, you know,” Jones said. “Hundreds of party wagons, thousands of horses and trillions of people (celebrating cowboy culture).”

Another big part of their group is line dancing.

“I built them a stage so they can dance,” Roy said. “Oh, and boy, do they go, they go.”

Roy said he’s proud of his daughter, nephew and every member that has brought life back to his piece of land.

“I see how excited they are to learn,” Roy said. “I was out here for a long time by myself, but they started coming in and watching me ride, and it’s just been fun. When I come home, I feel much love. They all just shower with me with love. If you ever want to get excited, get your horse (and) go on a trail ride.”

The San Antonio Royal Steppaz’s next community event will be March 20th during the All Ladies Trail Ride which will feature live performances, food and horseback riding. The all-day event will take place at the Bexar County Junior Livestock Show Grounds at 7701 FM 1346.

A 29-year-old man is in critical condition after a shooting on the East Side, according to San Antonio police.

The shooting happened at a Metro mobile store in the 1800 block of South New Braunfels Avenue on Tuesday evening.

Police said the man was shot in the chest multiple times. He was taken to the Brooke Army Medical Center in critical condition.

Officers have a possible suspect detained.

The investigation is ongoing, and further details are limited at this time.