This category is for general business news stories local to San Antonio.
Highlights and reaction from the UIL Region 4-6A wrestling championships on Saturday afternoon at Littleton Gym, as area wrestlers compete for regional titles and berths in this year’s state tournament.
For full results from the boys brackets, click here!
For full results from the girls brackets, click here!
The basketball court at Al Forge Park was transformed into a stage for an anti-child abuse rally. Organizers, state representatives and law enforcement gathered to say enough is enough.
”These children are not just a statistic — they matter. They’re our children,” Representative for District 124 Ina Minjarez said.
“The winds of change are blowing” that’s what organizers of this child abuse call to action rally are saying this evening. @SATXPolice Chief McManus says he’s frustrated can’t fix this, that crimes like this keep happening. @ksatnews pic.twitter.com/toDwhQfXnd
— Leigh Waldman (@LeighWaldman) February 13, 2022
This call to action rally comes just days after two separate, horrific cases of alleged child abuse led to the deaths of 12-year-old Danilo Coles and 5-year-old Mercedes Losoya.
”This isn’t just abuse, this…this was straight up murder,” Carrie Wilcoxson said.
For 25 years, Wilcoxson has worked as a child abuse prevention advocate.
Hearing about the alleged beatings and treatment of both Danilo and Mercedes inspired her to organize this rally, to show the community the winds of change are blowing.
“We really need to be come back to the table and work smarter on how we’re examining our state department, our child welfare system,” Wilcoxson said.
In Mercedes’ case, SAPD Chief William McManus says both Child Protective Services and his department were involved yet there was still a failure to protect the little girl. It’s leaving him at a loss on a solution to this heartbreaking problem.
”We say enough is enough over and over again but apparently it, you know, it just doesn’t stop. And I don’t know how to change. I don’t know how we change people’s behavior to make them stop,” Chief McManus said.
Mercedes’ family held her photos and cried as the community lifted their hands to pray for the lives ended by violence, praying for the winds to truly bring change.
“Horrible, horrible tragedy with that little girl and that little boy prior to her,” McManus said.
One of the biggest messages shared — the community needs to step up and help children in need.
Also, if you see something, say something. A call for intervention could save a life.
A 29-year-old man is behind bars after Bexar County sheriff’s deputies seized $620,000 worth of black tar heroin during a traffic stop early Saturday.
Investigators pulled over Fabian Mora in his vehicle near IH-37 South and Fair Avenue. That’s when they found 10 bundles of narcotics were being stored in his vehicle.
Deputies said Mora was taken into custody without incident. The narcotics were later identified as black tar heroin, amounting to 6.2 kilograms with an estimated street value of $620K.
Mora is being held in the Bexar County Jail, pending transfer to a federal holding facility, official said.
He will be charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin within the western district of Texas, according to deputies.
The BCSO partnered with San Antonio police and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration during the investigation. We’ll bring more updates as they become available.
MULTI-AGENCY OPERATION YIELDS 6 KILOS OF BLACK TAR HEROIN
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office worked a multi-agency…
Posted by Bexar County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday, February 12, 2022
If you’re in need of a COVID-19 vaccine or a rapid test, you can get both free of charge at a new pop-up clinic Sunday on the city’s West Side.
The clinic will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, located at 2123 W. Commerce Street.
Families will be able to get COVID-19 vaccines for anyone over the age of five, and booster shots for anyone over the age of 12. No health insurance or ID is required, and no appointments are necessary, according to clinic officials.
The clinic is hosted by The Health Collaborative, UIW School of Nursing, Field Diagnostics, and Health Collaborative Community Health workers and navigators.
You can learn more about The Health Collaborative here. To find other vaccine or testing sites near you, visit the City of San Antonio’s COVID-19 website page.
Free N95 masks are being distributed in the San Antonio area. Here’s where to get yours.
A San Antonio fire lieutenant has passed away after battling occupational cancer, according to the San Antonio Fire Department.
Shody Henshaw was a 24-year veteran of SAFD and his last assignment was at the San Antonio Fire Training Academy where he served as a training officer, officials said.
Funeral arrangements are still pending at this time. We’ll bring more updates to this story as they become available.
Editor’s note: Each weekend, we share five stories that captured the attention of the Alamo City over the past seven days. Here are the most-read stories of the week. 1. Stunning San Antonio hotel checks in as Texas’ best in prestigious U.S. News ranking. The beautiful Alamo City property is No. 1 in Texas and No. 7 in the U.S. 2. 2 San Antonio steakhouses get some love among the most romantic restaurants in U.S….
Three people are in federal custody in connection with a human smuggling operation at a far West Side shopping center Friday morning.
Angel Villafranca, 17, Juan Garcia Jr., 17, and Fernando Castanon, 20, were taken into the custody of Homeland Security, according to an arrest affidavit.
During an interview with Homeland Security, Castanon said he was hired by Garcia to provide security for a big rig that was transporting a group of undocumented immigrants from Mexico to the U.S.
Castanon was told by Villafranca that his job was to make sure some immigrants were moved into other vehicles and the others were moved to “stash houses” throughout San Antonio., the affidavit said.
Garcia also recruited Villafranca to be a part of the operation with a third unidentified person, investigators said.
Gracia, Villafranca, and the third unidentified person waited for a call that the truck had crossed into the U.S and then began following them until they stopped in San Antonio.
The three were part of a group of nearly 30 people who were taken into custody after police spotted them climbing out the back of a big rig and scattering across the parking lot of a shopping center near Loop 410 and Highway 151.
Police said they chased down the immigrants, finding some of them hiding in garbage dumpsters in the shopping center, the affidavit said. Investigators later discovered 25 people had been inside the cargo area of the tractor-trailer.
They said most of them appeared to have been smuggled from various countries in Central America.
All of them were turned over to the Department of Homeland Security. When interviewed, some of the people told investigators they had paid a fee to be taken across the US-Mexico border and into Texas.
Garcia admitted to investigators that he did receive money to ensure the tractor-trailer crossed the border to San Antonio. Investigators said that Villafranca corroborated Garcia’s story.
Garcia, Villafranca, and Castanon are all facing federal charges of smuggling of persons, records show.
San Antonio police chase, catch more than 20 people in human smuggling caseDriver arrested in human smuggling operation, Kerr County deputies say
A woman who was killed after crashing her SUV into a dump truck on Highway 90 earlier this week has been identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiner.
Claudia Viramontes, 28, died from multiple blunt force injuries she sustained from the crash, according to the medical examiner.
The crash happened Wednesday morning in the westbound lanes at the intersection with Pioneer Estates, west of Highway 211, in west Bexar County.
Viramontes was driving a Toyota RAV4 in the westbound lanes when she crashed into the back of a dump truck that was pulling out of the Pioneer Estates subdivision, according to BCSO.
She was ejected from her vehicle. When deputies and first responders arrived at the scene, Viramontes was pronounced dead.
BCSO said the driver of the dump truck is not facing any charges at this time.
The roadway was temporarily closed for several hours as emergency crews worked the scene.
Woman killed in crash involving SUV, dump truck on Hwy 90 in West Bexar County
Traveling during COVID-19 has created new complications for people planning travel and it has led to many choosing to buy travel insurance just in case trips get canceled or postponed.
The Wall Street Journal recently looked at who needs insurance — and what exactly it will cover.
Many travel experts recommend insuring trips that cost more than a few thousand dollars but choosing the right plan can get tricky, especially with any COVID-19 complications.
If you were to contract the virus before travel, plans will generally cover postponement or cancellation of the trip.
You should keep in mind though, a usual travel insurance plan most likely will not cover a cancellation if you are traveling to a country that has closed its borders. Also, some policies offer clauses that will cover up to $200 a day if you test positive and have to wait before returning home.
To help choose the best policy for you, there are aggregators that sift through the details of what is available. Insuremytrip.com, travelinsurance.com and squaremouth.com are a few options.
You often will have two weeks after buying a policy to change your mind and get a refund.
Travel pros recommend using that time to sift through the details of the policy to make sure it’s right for you. During this time, you can also add clauses to your policy to cover other areas of concern.
San Antonio police are searching for a suspect accused of firing gunshots at a VIA Transit officer during a traffic stop near downtown overnight.
The incident happened around 11:12 p.m. Friday in the 100 block of E Maple.
Police said a black sedan was traveling at a high rate of speed and the officer decided to initiate a traffic stop.
As the officer was walking toward the vehicle, someone from inside opened fire and fired multiple gunshots toward the officer, according to SAPD.
The officer returned fire, but the vehicle then took off from the scene in an unknown direction.
Authorities said the officer was not injured in the exchange but did call for backup.
As police were investigating the incident, they were notified of someone who arrived at University Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.
Officers went to the hospital and interviewed the injured man, who was determined to have been involved in the shooting. It’s currently unknown if he was the shooter, police said.
The investigation continues.
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