This is TPR's roundup of the latest headlines and news developments. It provides a succinct and clear summary of the stories TPR is following.
Today's weather: Expect a high today of 98 and a low of 63. Today is an Ozone Action Day.
The tropics: Hurricane Milton has moved through the Florida peninsula and is pushing out over the Atlantic Ocean. The South Texas Blood & Tissue Center has asked San Antonio residents to donate blood.
Election 2024 voter guides: Charter amendments on council pay, term lengths, ethics revisions
Appeals court ruling may affect Roberson execution case
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has granted a new trial for a Dallas man on the grounds that his 2000 conviction in a Shaken Baby Syndrome case was based on scientific understanding that has since evolved.
The state's highest criminal court issued the ruling in the case of Andrew Wayne Roark. He was convicted in March 2000 for injuries to his girlfriend’s 13-month-old baby sustained while in his care.
The court also found the state’s expert medical witnesses gave contradictory testimony on how the infant — referred to in court documents as B.D — received her injuries.
The now debunked Shaken Baby Syndrome theory claims violently shaking a baby can result in fatal brain damage — but without leaving any other signs of physical trauma like broken bones or neck injuries.
It was also used in the prosecution and conviction of Robert Roberson for the 2002 death of his daughter Nikki. His lawyers have filed an emergency motion to stay his Oct 17 execution date.
Bexar County hires engineering firm to improve road safety
Bexar County commissioners this week hired a traffic engineering firm to make roads safer in unincorporated areas. The county approved $400,000 for WSP-USA to identify and recommend fixes on injury or death prone roads out in the county.
New homes have led to new roads that have led to new safety concerns.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody wants the firm to look into improving safety for bikers. Precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Calvert said new East Side subdivisions have left some county flood control measures outdated.
A study comes first, and the physical fixes won't appear for a couple of years, according to the engineering firm.
SAISD invites public to suggest how to use empty buildings
San Antonio ISD has launched a survey to gauge the community's expectations of how closed district schools should be repurposed.
More than a dozen campuses closed earlier this year as part of the district's so-called rightsizing plan.
The survey asks community members to select from potential uses for empty buildings. This includes educational services for certain populations like infant children, individuals needing special educations resources, or education around STEM or fine arts.
The survey is available in English and Spanish at saisd.net.
County reaches understanding with Missions team over downtown ballpark
Bexar County Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday with the San Antonio Missions ownership group and Weston Urban developers to provide public financing for a new ballpark downtown.
The public funding would come from the issuances of $126 million in bonds, funded in part by revenue from a Houston Street taxing zone, which itself stands to benefit a lot economically from a new ballpark. The team plans a $34 million initial contribution.
The proposed stadium would be built in Precinct 2, represented by county Commissioner Justin Rodriguez, who has pledged to take care of residents displaced by the project, like those in the Soap Factory Apartments.
Commissioners were told economic development around the proposed stadium would happen because its contractual. The county is still bitter that talk of economic booms around Wolff stadium and what is now the Frost Bank Center never materialized.
Major League Baseball wants assurances a new home for the Missions will be ready by the 2028 season.
UT Health's Military Health Institute has new director
UT Health San Antonio announced a retired three-star Air Force general will be their new executive director for their Military Health Institute.
Retired Lt. Gen. Robert Miller has been appointed to the position.
He served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 30 years, where he was a command surgeon and director of education and training and the director of medical operations.
He will oversee research programs in military health, partnership with local, state and federal organizations, and work on development of new initiatives for military medicine.
White Cane Safety Awareness Day is Oct. 15
White canes are often used by visually impaired people to navigate unfamiliar environments.
Vibrant Works, formerly the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind, is a nonprofit that aims to empower people experiencing vision loss through employment opportunities and providing critical rehabilitation services to the community.
The group will participate in a celebration of employees that features a march and proclamation by the mayor on Thursday Oct. 10, at 10 a.m. at 310 Eads.
A White Cane Safety Day community celebration is Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 9:00 a.m. at Hemisfair.
