THE DAILY NEWS

LOCAL UNITIED WAY WINS 25 MILLION DOLLAR GRANT FOR EAST SIDE EDUCATION

2011-12-20T05:07:00.001-06:00

The local United Way won a $24.6 million federal grant to bolster children's educational achievement and community development on the East Side, scoring the highest in the nation among applicants, the U.S. Education Department and Mayor Julián Castro announced Monday.

Local officials view the San Antonio Eastside Promise Neighborhoods grant, to be spent over five years, as an investment in early-childhood education, affordable housing and access to social services. Castro's office cited the grant as another sign of cooperation by the city in winning money and attention from the federal government, building on VIA Metropolitan Transit's four recent grants for transit improvements totaling $24 million.

“Santa came a couple of days early,” City Councilwoman Ivy Taylor said to cheers from a jubilant crowd of elected officials, educators, schoolchildren and United Way representatives gathered at the Ella Austin Community Center for the announcement.

Referring to students in the room, Taylor said, “We definitely don't want the ZIP code to be a predictor of their future.”

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SEVERAL ARRESTS TAKE PLACE MONDAY AT OCCUPY SAN ANTONIO

2011-12-20T01:00:00.000-06:00

Occupy San Antonio has marched to the beat of its own drum thus far, complying with city and police requests unlike some of their counterparts elsewhere. But Monday that cordiality ended with the arrest of at least five members.

Charged with interference with the duties of a public servant, the five, along with other occupiers, were near an open-air adobe structure close to the Tower of the Americas in HemisFair Park.

San Antonio Park Police officers informed the group about 8 a.m. that Downtown Operations workers were going to clean the area due to its “unsanitary condition,” a San Antonio Police Department report stated.

The occupiers, who were handed notices of violation of the city's no-camping ordinance a week ago, were given 15 minutes to remove their belongings and then got a 10-minute grace period before Park Police officers surrounded the building with yellow caution tape, Commander Steven Baum said.

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BEXAR FIREWORKS BAN LIFTED IN TIME FOR NEW YEARS DAY

2011-12-20T00:00:00.000-06:00

Their prayers for rain were answered, just in time for New Year's.

Now area nonprofit groups that sell fireworks to sustain their missions are hoping to cash in on pent-up demand when stands open today in unincorporated areas of Bexar County.

Some groups still are reeling from their financial losses this summer, when Fourth of July sales were banned because of the severe drought.

Although an outdoor burn ban remains in effect, Bexar County Commissioners Court has authorized fireworks sales because autumn rainfall vastly reduced the chance of wildfires. Some rockets and missiles still could be subject to a voluntary sales ban if severe winds develop on New Year's Eve.

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BOARD APPROVES DIVISION I MOVE FOR UIW

2011-12-09T12:55:00.001-06:00

The board of trustees at Incarnate Word has approved the university’s development of a plan to move the athletics program into NCAA Division I, a school official said Friday.

“”The board has approved the university’s continued developement, investigation and ultimate migration, if we so choose, to go to Division I,” UIW vice president David Jurenovich said. “So, in other words, if we choose to go that route, we’ve got their endorsement.”

A news conference is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. today at Benson Field House to discuss the plan.

Jurenovich said the UIW administration let it be known at the board meeting that a push for Division I “is our intent and that we’re going to continue to study it.”

The move is significant on several levels.

UIW can now relay the information to candidates for the football head coaching job and to potential recruits. UIW hopes to fill the coaching vacancy within a few weeks.

Also, it gives the school administrators a green light to begin discussions with the Southland Conference.

That’s an important step because UIW must have an invitation from a conference to begin the transition. Currently, UIW is a member of the Division II Lone Star Conference.

In addition, Jurenovich confirmed that UIW will hire a firm to conduct a feasibility study.

With the study, the university hopes to get a clearer picture of costs and administrative steps necessary to make the move.

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VIA METRO TO CHANGE 30 DOWNTOWN BUS STOPS

2011-12-07T11:43:00.001-06:00

VIA Metropolitan Transit brings a prototype of its new bus stop shelter — proposed for the stop on the northeast corner of Commerce and Navarro streets, but with plans to eventually install at 30 locations in the downtown — to the Historic and Design Review Commission.

The shelters of a modular design would have the capability of providing real-time bus schedule information, add more seating and lighting, consolidate signage (although the drawings seem to show more signs) and just improve the overall street aesthetic, and better brand VIA’s presence in downtown. The design, based on drawings submitted to the HDRC by VIA, does indeed to be more slick and less clunky than some of the stops. They also appear to provide a uniform style, which VIA would be able to adjust because of the modular design (add to, subtract from with ease) with ease.

The HDRC’s design committee appears to be enthusiastically on board, even suggesting in the agenda that VIA incorporate public art in the shelters, as well as trash cans.

The plan is for VIA, HDRC, the Downtown Alliance, the city, of course, and other stakeholders to dissect the prototype shelter and eventually agree on a design and functionality for the 30 bus stop locations in downtown.

(Courtesy of Ben Olivo at the downtown blog)

EAGLE FORD SHALE COULD PRODUCE 10,000 JOBS IN SAN ANTONIO IN THREE YEARS

2011-12-07T11:37:00.001-06:00

The Eagle Ford Shale already has brought 5,000 jobs to San Antonio, and former Mayor Henry Cisneros offered a new expectation Tuesday, saying the oil and gas development likely will bring a total of 10,000 jobs to the city within three years.

Ten thousand jobs would have twice the economic effect as that of the Toyota plant and its suppliers, he said, even as he sought to tamp down enthusiasm a bit.

“We must guard against irrational exuberance. When you have a windfall, it's not wise to blow it,” said Cisneros, chairman of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, who spoke at a panel discussion sponsored by the San Antonio Clean Technology Forum.

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SPURS ONLY TWO PRESEASON GAMES TO BE AGAINST HOUSTON

2011-12-05T14:24:00.001-06:00

As expected, the Spurs’ home-and-home preseason schedule will be against the Houston Rockets, beginning with a Dec. 17 game at Toyota Center in Houston with a 7 p.m. tipoff.

The two teams will meet at AT&T Center on Dec. 21., starting at 7:30 p.m.

Individual tickets for the Dec. 21 game will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. They can be purchased at all TicketMaster Ticket Center locations, or charged by phone at (210) 225-TEAM. They can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com or spurs.com.

Seats in the H-E-B Fan Zone will be available for $5. The pricing structure of remaining seats was still being determined as of early Monday afternoon.

THE DAILY NEWS

LOCAL UNITIED WAY WINS 25 MILLION DOLLAR GRANT FOR EAST SIDE EDUCATION

SEVERAL ARRESTS TAKE PLACE MONDAY AT OCCUPY SAN ANTONIO

BEXAR FIREWORKS BAN LIFTED IN TIME FOR NEW YEARS DAY

BOARD APPROVES DIVISION I MOVE FOR UIW

VIA METRO TO CHANGE 30 DOWNTOWN BUS STOPS

EAGLE FORD SHALE COULD PRODUCE 10,000 JOBS IN SAN ANTONIO IN THREE YEARS

SPURS ONLY TWO PRESEASON GAMES TO BE AGAINST HOUSTON

ALAMO BOWL TO PLAY HOST TO THE WASHINGTON HUSKIES AND BAYLOR BEARS

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS ANNOUNCE SAN ANTONIO CONCERT DATE

DOWNTOWN BASEBALL STADIUM GAINS MOMENTUM

MLK DRIVE BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT BEGINS TOMORROW

THE RIM OWNER EMERGES FROM BANKRUPTCY, PLANS TO EXPAND THE RIM

CITY COUNCIL TO VOTE ON FIESTA SMOKING BAN

NEW RIVERWALK CHRISTMAS LIGHTS GET MIXED REVIEWS

SAN ANTONIO LEADERS WANT TO BE HUB FOR MEXICAN INVESTMENTS

CITY STEPPING UP ITS RECYCLING EFFORTS

SAN ANTONIO TO HOST TEXAS SENIOR GAMES

HALLIBURTON BRINGING 1,500 HIGH PAYING JOBS TO SAN ANTONIO

TALONS AND SCORPIONS BOTH BEGIN TRY OUTS

LA VERNIA SEES BIG BOOM BECAUSE OF THE EAGLE FORD SHALE

DESTINATION SA PLAN SEEKS REVISIONS INCLUDING EXPANDED LUMINARIA

SILVER VENTURES REACHES MILE STONE AT PEARL BREWERY

WHATABURGER. UTSA TEAM UP TO BATTLE HUNGER IN SAN ANTONIO

MAGNITUDE 3.3 EARTHQUAKE HITS JUST SOUTHEAST OF SAN ANTONIO

ACTOR ARMIE HAMMER AND WIFE TO OPEN BAKERY IN SAN ANTONIO