The congregation of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church is praying for the return of a sacred statue they believe was stolen last week.

Father Jimmy Drennan, pastor of the church located southeast of downtown said they noticed the statue missing Thursday, which puts the alleged theft sometime Wednesday night.

The statue is of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and was given to the church four decades ago by Jack and Theresa Fohn, who have since passed away.

“When I back my truck in, I always look across the parking lot, I say a prayer to the Holy Family, and on Thursday right before mass, it was gone,” Drennan said.

Drennan said the church has experienced crime before but nothing like this.

“It kind of hit a high point when the statue of the Holy Family, which has been here for 40 years in front of our activity center, was removed overnight and has just disappeared,” he said.

With the statue weighing at least 300 pounds and sitting high up on a concrete foundation, Drennan believes multiple people are responsible.

“I imagine it took a team effort for them to do this,” he said. “We are praying that they encourage each other to do the right thing. We are thinking it may be in an alley way, someone may have stolen it as a prank and dropped it some place.”

Drennan said the absence of the statue is a tragedy for everyone.

“It represents a great deal to the community,” Drennan said. “The image of the Holy Family represents the unity of the community as one family.”

He said the congregation does forgive the people responsible for the theft.

“We must first pray for those who have stolen the statue, and then do whatever we can to have it returned,” Drennan said. “We want them to know our doors are always open and that they are a part of this community. We love them and we just want the statue back.”

Anyone with information on the statue’s whereabouts is urged to call the San Antonio Police Department.

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Three people were taken into custody Monday after a shootout on the North Side resulted in two deaths, including an innocent bystander who was watching television at home, according to San Antonio Police Chief William McManus.

Police said the incident began around 2:30 p.m. near the intersection of Blanco Road and W. Mariposa Drive when a green Suburban that was circling the gas station with five occupants parked nearby.

Then, someone came up to the car.

“It looked like there was some sort of deal getting ready to go down,” McManus said.

One of the passengers stepped out of the car with a gun in his hand “and the shooting starts,” McManus said.

That person was killed and another passenger was injured by the gunman who had initially approached the SUV, McManus said.

A man in his 60s who was at home at the time of the shooting was also killed by a stray bullet in the incident.

“What we saw here today was risky behavior and it resulted in the senseless death of a resident in the neighborhood,” McManus said. “It’s just insane that people have no respect for other people’s safety. I’m outraged by this and trying to contain my emotion right now.”

Police are still searching for the gunman who walked up to the SUV, and the three other passengers of the Suburban have been detained pending further investigation.

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The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help locating a missing 65-year-old man who has been missing for more than a week.

Manuel Salvador Mendoza was last seen on Feb. 13 near Loop 1604 and Pleasanton Rd.

Mendoza is described as being 5 feet 9 inches tall with hazel eyes and black and grey hair. He was last seen wearing a maroon or red flannel shirt and blue jeans.

Deputies said Mendoza is reported to have health conditions that require medication.

Anyone with information regarding Mendoza’s whereabouts is asked to contact the BCSO Missing Persons Unit at missingpersons@bexar.org or call 210-335-6000.

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Unlicensed gun sales are a growing and potentially dangerous trend, according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The primary source is the internet, including online forums, websites and social media, said Robert Topper, assistant special agent in charge.

He said unlicensed dealers are well aware more people have been shopping online during the pandemic.

“That’s where a lot of the online sales come from, and that just provides a wide audience for people to buy and sell firearms,” Topper said.

Yet repeated transactions for profit without a federal firearms license or FFL carries up to a $250,000 fine or up to five years in federal prison, or both, Topper said.

The cost for a license is $500, and $90 to renew every three years, in addition to the paperwork involved.

Topper said the general rule is, “if you’re buying the gun to turn around and sell it, then you’re engaged in the business.”

if you buy the gun for the sole purpose of making a profit, then you’re engaged in the business.

In contrast, occasional sales from a personal firearms collection, do not need to be licensed.

“Everybody’s perfectly welcome to do that,” Topper said.

But if they’re making repeated sales solely for profit, Topper said, “They can do it the legal way and their customers will actually undergo background checks.”

However, he said, often their customers are willing to pay extra to avoid failing a federally required background check, which is why they seek out unlicensed firearms dealers.

Customers, he said, like cartels and criminals.

As a result, Topper said the weapons could likely wind up in Mexico as well as the community.

“We’ve got ongoing investigations now where guns have been used within a day of being purchased from an unlicensed dealer,” Topper said.

However, he said if ATF suspects someone is unknowingly selling firearms without a license, they’ll receive a warning letter and an application for the federal firearms license.

Topper said he said they can find additional information on the ATF website, or contact the local ATF field office.

He said the agency supports the right to own firearms, as well as selling them with the required license.

“Just to do it the right way,” Topper said. “It’s going to provide a lot more safety for our communities and do a lot to curb illegal firearms trafficking.”

ATF Guidance for Buying,Selling Firearms by Julie Moreno on Scribd

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An enormous black bear that has broken into at least 28 homes and has been eluding authorities around Lake Tahoe for months, has done it again.

Last Friday, the bear, who is affectionately known as “Hank the Tank,” broke a window and squeezed his massive 500-pound body through the small frame.

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, he’s caused extensive property damage in 33 documented cases in the last seven months.

“This bear is extremely food-habituated and has used its immense size and strength to break in and through front doors and garage doors. There have been, at last count, 102 individual reports of local police responses to this bear, including multiple hazing events to discourage the bear from breaking into homes and seeking human food sources,” said CDFW officials on Thursday.

Hank is nearly double the average size for his species. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife states that black bears weigh an average of 100-300 pounds, with males weighing more than females.

While Hank might be going global thanks to his size, some locals aren’t so happy about his presence.

John Barrett, who lives across from a home that Hank broke into, told KMOV “we have to be able to protect our children and be able to walk outside of our house.”

According to the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, Hank’s most recent break-in occurred on Friday when he broke into a secured home through a small window.

CDFW officials said euthanizing a bear is always the last option but that the department is “currently evaluating the possibility of placement of this bear when captured.”

“Placement of adult black bears can have significant negative consequences on their mental health and must be considered when evaluating placement options,” said CDFW officials in a statement on the department’s website. “At the time of this post, CDFW has not identified a placement option for this bear that meets the criteria of the Black Bear Policy.”

BEAR League, a nonprofit organization based in the area, is focused on saving Hank and a Facebook post from the organization said that the nonprofit has identified several sanctuaries that might be able to help Hank.

BEAR League officials said they are taking a step back to let CDFW have a chance to come up with a plan that doesn’t involve killing Hank.

“Thank you, Everyone, for caring so deeply about this friendly big bear. You give us hope for a compassionate future for all wildlife,” said BEAR League director Ann Bryant.

Movies dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, have a long history, going back at least to 1946’s Oscar-winning The Best Years of Our Lives. Some films address the symptoms of PTSD in subtle ways, and others are more overt about the aftereffects of war, including mental anguish, drug abuse, violence, and more. The new film Dog finds a nice middle ground, helped greatly by its unusual story. Channing Tatum plays Briggs, a former Army…

Editor’s note: The second episode of Breakdown with #StephAndSteve streams live Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. on all KSAT 12 digital platforms. Watch the first episode on San Antonio’s energy infrastructure here.

While there is no presidential election in 2022, there are still important races, both local and statewide. Some of the races during the March 1 primary election include Texas governor, Bexar County Judge and U.S. House of Representative seats.

The election will determine the Democratic and Republican candidates who will advance to compete in the final round of voting during the general election on Nov. 8.

On Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m., hosts Steve Spriester and Stephania Jimenez are joined by experts from around San Antonio to take a look at what is on the ballot for the Primary Election and the importance of the Latino vote, as well as the youth vote.

The panelists include:

Former Precinct 3 Commissioner and City Councilman Kevin WolffDemonte Alexander, San Antonio-based Public Affairs ConsultantJuan Sepúlveda, J.D., Trinity University President’s Special Advisor for Inclusive ExcellenceJamie Thompson, M.Ed., Trinity University Assistant Dean of Students & Director of Student Involvement

Talk to #StephAndSteve

If there are any topics you would like to see covered on the show’s future episodes, use #StephAndSteve and post your idea on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also fill out the form below to submit your story ideas.

How to watch

The show streams on all KSAT’s digital platforms, including:

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A man discovered an apparent murder-suicide when he went to check on his brother at a West Side home on Monday morning.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said the incident occurred in the 100 block of Enrique Avenue, not far from West Commerce Street and Hortencia Avenue.

The man found his brother and a woman dead from gunshot wounds inside the home, McManus said.

Police believe it may have been a murder-suicide.

The names of the deceased have not been released.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Comedian Katt Williams is bringing his “World War III” Tour to San Antonio next month.

The stand-up comic will be performing at Freeman Coliseum on March 19.

Tickets are still available on TicketMaster.com and start at $62 each.

Williams has earned many awards for his comedy throughout the years from Primetime Emmy Awards to Teen Choice Awards.

San Antonio appears to be the only Texas tour date on Williams’ tour lineup.

The Freeman Coliseum is located at 3201 E Houston Street next to the AT&T Center.

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