Bexar County child abuse prevention advocates are calling on the community to speak up if they witness instances of abuse after two children were pronounced dead in separate cases in which parents were arrested.

On Sunday, San Antonio police responded to a call of a 12-year old found unresponsive in his family’s apartment, and he was later pronounced dead. The following day, a 5-year old was pronounced dead at a local hospital. He is believed to have been tortured to death.

In both cases, the children’s parents were arrested and charged. The autopsy for those children is still pending.

Yolanda Valenzuela with Kym’s Angels Foundation is calling on the community to step up and speak up for these children and others they know are being abused.

“This week is a defining moment for our county and our city that we need to do something more for child abuse,” Valenzuela said. “The church members, the next-door neighbors, people that say, ‘I don’t want to get involved in that.’ Well, you know what, if one of you all had gotten involved, maybe these two kids today would have been alive.”

Valenzuela said she worries that the severity of the abuse the children are experiencing is escalating. She said anyone who knows of a child suffering now needs to call Child Protective Services or the police right away.

“A lot of people knew these things were happening, but they say, ‘It’s not my business.’ It is your business. Saving the life of a child is everybody’s business,” Valenzuela said.

To become an advocate for Child Advocates San Antonio, click here.

Roberto Cardona was born in Piedras Negras Coahuila, Mexico and raised in Eagle Pass, Texas. Now, Cardona is getting players from the Cincinnati Bengals ready for Super Bowl LVI against the Los Angeles Rams.

Cardona is an assistant athletic trainer for the Cincinnati Bengals.

“(I have) always dreamt being able to play with the Lombardi Trophy, even if I’m not the one playing,” he said. “I think it’s always fun to be able to see our players and athletes succeed, and hopefully they come out on top.”

Cardona began working towards his professional career in 2008 when he moved to San Antonio.

“I’ve been around San Antonio all my life, really,” Cardona said. “I went to Our Lady of the Lake University for an undergrad in Bachelor of Science.”

Cardona went on to get his masters degree at Texas Tech University’s Health Sciences Center. His degree helped him land a job as an athletic trainer at UTSA and Louisiana Tech. In 2017, Cardona got his start with the NFL.

“I got the opportunity to be an athletic trainer fellow with the Cincinnati Bengals,” Cardona said. “I had the opportunity to do that for two years (and) was promoted to athletic trainer. We deal with the prevention, care and rehabilitation and treatment of athletic injuries, and that starts in the off-season.”

It’s also the support of his family in Eagle Pass and mentors throughout his career that keep him focused.

“They understand how big this is, and they’re excited. They want the best for me,” Cardona said. “They support me (even when) I can’t go home for holidays and miss birthdays (or see) them twice a year.”

Cardona works alongside a team of medical and football operations staff as well as strength and conditioning coaches to prepare the team for the season. Now, the Bengals will make their first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years.

“Everyone dreams of being a part of (the Super Bowl) or even just watching it live, you know,” Cardona said.

Traveling with the team to serve the players ahead of the big game is a dream come true for Cardona.

“(Before the season) we set goals, and we all want the same thing: to finish off strong and successful,” Cardona said. “We started by winning the division, and it’s one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. (Then), we won our first playoff game in 30-some odd years, and we kept going. And then we won the whole (AFC) conference. So, now, we got to finish off strong and complete the ultimate goal.”

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Long before civil rights and equal opportunity, African-American physicians were caring for San Antonio’s African-American community.

They and several others who made in-roads in their respective fields are highlighted in “Barrier Breakers: Pioneers in Medicine,” an online exhibit for Black History Month created by the San Antonio African-American Community Archive and Museum.

“I could not just stop thinking about how courageous and how brave every single one of those individuals was to stand in the face of so much adversity, to stand in the face of so many barriers to being an individual in medicine, and during those times,” Temi Adejuyigbe, a fourth-year medical student at the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio, said after seeing the exhibit.

Profiles in the exhibit include Dr. Greene J. Starnes, the city’s first African-American surgeon. Dr. Ruth Ann Bellinger and Dr. Charles A. Whittier Jr., who preceded her, were the first African-Americans admitted to the Bexar County Medical Society, and Dr. Robert L.M. Hillard, who the exhibit said is responsible for delivering over 10,000 babies.

Adejuyigbe said she can especially relate to Hillard.

“I’m really excited to be hopefully joining the OB-GYN field and making a difference in the lives of women,” Adejuyigbe said.

A first generation American whose parents came from Nigeria, Adejuyigbe said the issue of disparity in healthcare led her to medicine, probably like some of those medical pioneers.

Having spent time in Nigeria where some of her uncles are physicians, Adejuyigbe said the disparity between Nigeria and the U.S. is all too obvious, until she realized “even in this country, even in the State of Texas, there’s a huge disparity even within our own borders.”

Adejuyigbe said she wants to do her part to alleviate that disparity as a physician someday.

“I am hoping to be a part of that change and hoping to be a part of that representation for younger generations to be able to see role models in this field,” Adejuyigbe said. “I think that we have a long way to go with regards to representation of African-Americans in medicine.”

Professionally known as Dr. Lulu, an LGBTQ+ and parent coach, Dr. Uchenna Umeh said she was happy to see the exhibit.

“It’s a good thing to see people that came before you to make you know that or feel that you’re not alone and you’re standing on their shoulders,” she said.

Lulu said growing up in Nigeria she envisioned herself walking the halls of Howard University even though she’d never been to America.

Her dream became a reality. After studying at Howard University Hospital, she became a pediatrician, who after 30 years is now semi-retired.

Much like the medical pioneers profiled in the SAAACAM exhibit, Lulu said, “There’s a lot to be said about having vision and just self-belief that I could do this no matter what anybody says.”

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A “creepy Victorian murder doll” was caught terrorizing a small North Texas town and causing quite a stir among city staff, residents and first responders.

The doll, named Vicki M., was perched on a bench outside of the Keller Town Hall after city officials said it was left there by a group of teenage girls overnight Wednesday. Keller is a small town just north of Fort Worth.

When the sun rose on Thursday morning, so did newly instilled fear for all who met the doll’s darkened eyes and chilling gaze.

City staff found Vicki and were hesitant to approach the doll. So, they did the next best thing and took to social media in search of its owners.

“If you’re missing your Creepy Victorian Murder Doll — we’ll go with Vicki M. for short— she’s up here visiting Keller Town Hall, just chillin’ on the front bench presumably cursing every visitor who walks past,” the post reads. “So noooooormally we’d think nothing of it, but we’ve seen ‘The Craft.’ And ‘Annabelle.’ And ‘Child’s Play.’”

Eventually, city staff asked for assistance from Keller Public Safety in relocating Vicki. But, that didn’t stop the doll from causing some mayhem.

“Well, we didn’t begin our shift this morning thinking we’d be responding to calls from City of Keller Government employees about a Creepy Victorian Murder Doll, but here we are,” Public Safety staff said on social media. “Y’all…hauntings were not covered at the academy.”

In a video shared to Facebook, an officer is seen searching for Vicki. However, he seems to be unaware that Vicki is creepily following him at a distance.

The doll is seen in the background stalking the officer from behind a brick ledge, peeking through a tree before ultimately following him to his patrol vehicle.

Keller PD used the Vicki video to remind residents that if they see something suspicious, to report it to the department.

City staff says Vicki spent nearly 21 hours total seated outside of town hall as residents came to pay the doll a visit.

Eventually, someone claimed the doll just after 6 p.m. Thursday.

If you missed last month’s Jammin’ Jams event to score a free tree, then Saturday is your chance at a do-over!

The San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department is giving out another 600 free trees at a walk-up site at Monterrey Park, located at 5909 W. Commerce Street. The gates open at 5 a.m., the line starts at 6 a.m. and distribution begins at 8 a.m.

Tree varieties will include avocado, nectarine, peach, pear, orange, pecan, plum and each household is limited to one tree while supplies last. This event is very popular, so attendees wanting a free tree should plan on arriving early.

You do not have to be a San Antonio resident to receive a free tree.

This is the second of four Jammin’ Jams events planned by Parks and Recreation through the end of March. You can view the schedule of the other two events below:

March 5 – Texas A&M University-SA (One University Way/Parking Lot B) – Drive-ThruMarch 26 – Wheatley Heights Sports Complex (200 Noblewood Dr) – Drive-Thru

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600 free trees to be given away at drive thru Jammin’ Jams event

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A few interesting things happened on the way to Kenneth Branagh’s Death on the Nile being released in theaters. Originally scheduled for October 23, 2020, the pandemic pushed the release to September 17, 2021. But then, lead actor Armie Hammer was embroiled in a very strange sex scandal, pushing the film to its current release date. On the positive side, Branagh went on to direct a very personal film, Belfast, which is nominated for seven…

San Antonio police have opened a criminal investigation after a man who was detained by officers with “a whole bunch of money” only had $34 returned to him when he was released, suspension records show.

The department fired Officer Joe Castaneda and suspended Officer Bryan Aguilar for 10 days in connection with the incident that occurred on July 7, according to the records obtained by KSAT 12 News.

That day, the officers were dispatched to a shooting call at the Studio 6 Hotel located on Highway 281.

Castaneda then detained a man who was found in the parking lot hotel. After detaining the man, he allegedly told Aguilar, “He had probably just went to the bank … he has a whole bunch of money and a knife,” according to the suspension document.

Castaneda’s body camera showed him “handling in excess of $200″ that belonged to the man, according to the records. Aguilar was also seen accepting a cell phone, a military identification card and cash from Castaneda.

Records show the man was charged with deadly conduct and unlawful carry of a weapon and given deferred adjudication in October.

When he went to retrieve his property the day after he was taken into custody, he was only documented to have $34. The man alleged he was missing $4,400, a Zippo lighter, a silver money clip, and a Gerber brand pocket knife.

Like Castaneda, Aguilar was initially given an indefinite suspension for failing to handle the man’s belongings, but San Antonio Police Department Chief William McManus later agreed to reduce the discipline to a 10-day suspension. The reasoning behind the reduction is unclear.

Neither officer has been charged in connection with the case, but police officials confirmed on Friday morning that “the case is being criminally investigated.”

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It was a wet and early start at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, with plenty of preparations taking place by high school seniors for their livestock shows throughout the day.

Dozens of mini and large Hereford cows were getting ready for exhibition, primped and pampered to look their best.

And over at the swine barn, the sights and sounds were a little different, but the piggies were also prepping for showtime.

“I’m pretty excited, I’ve been showing pigs for 10 years now and this is my last show, so the last time I’ll ever show at this show,” Hudson Grey, a participant said.

Grey has been participating in livestock shows since the second grade and said it has been a part of his life ever since.

“Overall it’s taught me how to work for a goal, it takes a lot of hard work and just consistency that I’ll use in my later years,” Grey said.

And Hudson’s not alone. Ashlyn and Brooklyn Crossland are also high school seniors and form part of the Divine FFA. They say this will also be their last showing.

“We’ve done this for over 18 years, showing in the San Antonio open show, so It’s very sad but bittersweet at the same time,” Ashlyn said.

Brooklyn and Ashlyn showcased their pig, Lady Mae and Frauline, two spot class pigs who strutted their good looks for the judges.

“I was in class 36 and I went through the first judge, he really liked it and pinned me but then there’s only top ten. And when I got out there I was one of the second ones that got released but I learned from him because now I go to a show today in Kerrville and he wants him more flexible,” Brooklyn said.