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TxDOT Construction
11:18 am
Wed October 3, 2012

Discovery of Rare Spider Changing $15 Million Contruction on 1604

Credit Texas Department of Transportation
This TxDOT rendition shows the original project that would take 151 underneath 1604 and join it with Alamo Ranch Parkway.

The Hwy. 151 and Loop 1604 project is supposed to alleviate current and projected traffic congestion on the interchange by turning 151 into an underpass connecting to Alamo Ranch Parkway, but now the project’s completion date is in limbo.

Texas Department of Transportation spokesman Josh Donat said the agency will have to work with the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to redesign the roadway.

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Reforming Lackland
10:59 am
Wed October 3, 2012

Members of House Armed Services Committee tour Lackland

Lackland Gateway walkway
Credit Eileen Pace / TPR
Since all airmen must pass through training at Lackland to become full service members, the base is considered the "Gateway to the Air Force."

A delegation from the House Armed Services Committee visited San Antonio Tuesday. The group is touring the nation’s troubled basic training headquarters at Lackland Air Force Base.

The congressional delegation is meeting the new commanders in charge of Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland to learn how the sex scandal at the base began and how it was allowed to continue.

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Mexico's Drug War
10:52 am
Tue October 2, 2012

Nuevo Laredo Seeing Rising Death Toll

More than 15 people were killed in Nuevo Laredo over the last weekend. According to Mexican authorities, 13 died in gun battles between rival criminal organizations and two more were killed in a run-in with the Mexican Army.

Nuevo Laredo is across the Rio Grande from Laredo Texas and is 150 miles South of San Antonio.

Officials said they found seven dismembered bodies Sunday morning at a parking lot in Nuevo Laredo’s central business district. On the bodies was a message, but its contents were not released.

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Higher Education Destinations
10:11 am
Tue October 2, 2012

San Antonio Makes Rankings in College Destinations Index

Credit American Institute for Economic Research
Image by the American Institute for Economic Research.

This is the first time the San Antonio metro area has made the list of 75 best places for college students, and in its debut, ranked number 15 of 227 Metro Statistical Areas studied for the index.

The College Destination Index is compiled by the American Institute for Economic Research. It is based not just on the quality of the universities, but also on quality of life factors such as cost of rent, diversity of student population, cultural and entertainment values, income per capita, and unemployment rates.

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Early Education
9:56 am
Tue October 2, 2012

Castro Continues Push for Pre-K 4 SA Measure

Mayor Julián Castro
Credit Ryan Loyd / Texas Public Radio
San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro poses for a picture after receiving an appreciation gift from the West San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.

Mayor Julian Castro continues his push for his Pre-K 4 SA initiative at every opportunity. Monday, he spoke to the West San Antonio Chamber of Commerce about educational challenges the city faces.

He told business leaders that San Antonio is a rapidly growing city with educational challenges that will only grow more with the population increase.

Over bacon and scrambled eggs, he said Texas and San Antonio repeatedly ranks in the bottom-tier of educational achievement. "The challenge for San Antonio is that we can't abide by that anymore in the 21st Century," he said.

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SAISD Bus Accident
9:46 am
Mon October 1, 2012

Collision Kills SAISD Bus Driver in Front of Wagner High School

Credit Joey Palacios / Texas Public Radio
Bexar County Sherriff’s Deputies stand in front of the SAISD bus that crashed into the fence of two homes. The female driver was killed. Two students sustained minor injuries.

The accident happened around 8:00 a.m. at Foster Rd. and Candle Meadow. Bexar County Sheriff’s Lt. Jose Trevino said the SAISD bus was traveling north on Foster when witnesses say the driver appeared to lose control and the bus jumped the median.

“It collided head-on with the Judson School District bus that was going south on Foster," said Trevino. "The San Antonio bus then kept going and collided with the fence of two residences here.”

The unidentified 63-year-old female driver was killed, it’s unknown if a medical condition caused the accident or her death.

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Fort Sam Houston
9:39 am
Mon October 1, 2012

Navy Relocates Medicine Education and Training to JBSA-Fort Sam Houston

The Navy celebrated a milestone Friday when its point of accountability for all Navy Medicine training relocated to Fort Sam Houston from its former headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla..

The relocation stems from the Navy Surgeon General’s vision of streamlining Navy Medicine into a more efficient and responsive organization.

Initially, 12 military and civilian personnel will be assigned to N-METC’s new location. The opening of the facility comes a year after the Navy’s ‘A’ School, the Hospital Corps School, relocated to Fort Sam as part of the 2005 BRAC order.

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Emergency Preparedness
4:59 pm
Fri September 28, 2012

Home to SAPD Helicopter Unit, Stinson Airfield Ready for Emergencies

Councilwoman Chan at Stinson Airfield
Credit Ryan Loyd / Texas Public Radio
From left to right: Police Chief William McManus, helicopter pilot Sgt. David Torres, and Councilwoman Elisa Chan discuss the police department's role at Stinson Airfield.

In the span of several decades, Stinson Airport has grown tremendously in air operations, including touch-downs and take-offs, tenants, and a special section dedicated to emergency operations.

With the Department of Public Safety hangar, the San Antonio Police Department chopper unit and a dedicated fire station with aircraft rescue and firefighting capabilities, Stinson Airfield is one of San Antonio's main hubs for emergency situations.

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Bexar County
4:49 pm
Fri September 28, 2012

Judge Keith Baker Retires, Need to Fill Open Bexar County JP3 Seat

Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed and County Commissioner Kevin Wolff
Credit Eileen Pace / Texas Public Radio
Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed and County Commissioner Kevin Wolff discuss plans for revamping the Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace court.

The Justice of the Peace in Precinct 3 has been a part-time position for 30 years, through all of Judge Keith Baker’s tenure while he maintained a separate law practice. After a recent audit showed 10,000 warrants have been in limbo in his court since January, Judge Baker announced he will retire at the end of this year.

First, District Attorney Susan Reed got the word out that all of those warrants will be served within the next two weeks.

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Fronteras Desk
1:25 pm
Fri September 28, 2012

From Joe Arpaio to Nuevo Laredo, and everything in between

Credit Hernán Rozemberg / Fronteras
Blanca Velázquez has operated a mini mart for 19 years in a Nuevo Laredo neighborhood that received street paving thanks to a NADBANK-funded public works project.

Joe Arpaio has been sheriff of Maricopa County for two decades and is once again up for re-election; U.S. and Mexico address basic infrastructure needs in the border region with NADBANK; a study on voter ID laws reveals how voting rule changes may deter millions of Hispanic voters; and a new exhibit at the McNay Museum displays contemporary prints by Latino artists.

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