Community gathers at Baruch Hashem Congregation for Passover Seder
People from all over South and Central Texas gathered Monday at Baruch Hashem Congregation on Huebner Road for the annual Passover Seder, a ritual marking the beginning of Passover, which symbolizes the transition from slavery to freedom.
North Korea will no longer pursue reconciliation with South because of hostility, Kim Jong Un says
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said his country would no longer pursue reconciliation with South Korea and called for rewriting the Northโs constitution to eliminate the idea of shared statehood between the war-divided countries.
Federal forecasters predict warm, wet US winter but less snow because of El Nino, climate change
The upcoming United States winter looks likely to be a bit low on snow and extreme cold outbreaks, with federal forecasters predicting the North to get warmer than normal and the South wetter and stormier.
Texas power grid asks customers to cut electricity use as heat wave scorches southern US
Texasโ power grid operator is asking residents to voluntarily cut back on electricity due to anticipated record demand on the system as a heat wave keeps parts of the state and southern U.S. in triple-digit temperatures.
Foundations embrace organized labor with $20 million plan
Following a string of union victories at Amazon and Starbucks, a group of prominent progressive grantmakers is seeking to put a total of $20 million into a coalition with organized labor that will steer funds to organizing and advocacy campaigns in the South.
Heat wave keeps Midwest and South in its sticky grip
People are flocking to pools, beaches and cooling centers in a swath of the Midwest and South spanning from northern Florida to the Great Lakes, as a heat wave pushed temperatures into the 90s and beyond and may have caused the deaths of at least two people in the Milwaukee area.
Americaโs Walking Club national headquarters moves to historic King William neighborhood
SAN ANTONIO โ San Antonio is home to so many organizations and on Tuesday, Southtown welcomed a new national headquarters for Americaโs Walking Club. โIโve walked in all 50 states and 14 countries,โ Carl Cordes, Pacific Regional Director, of Americaโs Walking Club said. โThe fun of exploring new places that you would not find if you went on vacation to San Antonio. Tuesday is a special day for Americaโs Walking Club, and this kicks off a special week that encourages fun, fitness and friendship. If you are interested in checking out the new headquarters, the Americaโs Walking Club is hosting an open house from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 1008 Alamo Street.
Virginia, with 2nd-most executions, outlaws death penalty
Republicans argued that the death penalty should remain a sentencing option for especially heinous crimes and to bring justice to victims and their families. In addition to the 23 states that have now abolished the death penalty, three others have moratoriums in place that were imposed by their governors. Jason Miyares, a death penalty supporter, expressed disappointment in the new law. AdRobert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, and a death penalty opponent, said abolishing executions in Virginia could mark the beginning of the end for capital punishment in the South, where the highest number of prisoners are put to death. It is the moral thing to do โ to end the death penalty in the Commonwealth of Virginia,โ he said.
Proposed African American cemetery database pending in Congress
The representatives introduced the African-American Burial Grounds Network Act, which would create a national database of African American cemeteries. Fly, a landscape architect, was asked to serve as an adviser on the legislation, which is pending in Congress. โIf we allow them to be erased or desecrated, we lose that part of our history,โ Fly said. Roseann Bacha Garza, an anthropologist at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, said finding out about oneโs family history is more popular than ever. AdSome who already know their roots also would welcome being included in a national database of African American cemeteries.
Labor movement targets Amazon as a foothold in the South
Over decades, many white workers have drifted toward Republicans, attracted in part by cultural identity and an anti-establishment posture. Even without that law, labor leaders say the Amazon result could be a springboard for labor organizing nationwide. Merritt, an expert on Southern labor politics, drew a straight line from the pre-Civil War economy to the current climate. Before slaveryโs abolition, she said, white workers were threatened -- explicitly or implicitly -- with being replaced by slaves, stripping them of any leverage with employers. Eventually, northern industrialists entered Southern markets, joining white Southern land barons to take advantage of cheap labor in industries including textiles, steel and mining.
South Side shooting, crash, child abduction all stem from coupleโs dispute, police say
SAN ANTONIO โ San Antonio police are investigating what they say began as a child custody dispute but then turned into an even bigger mess. In the end, there had been a shooting, car chase and crash and claims of child abduction. During the dispute, police said a friend who had accompanied the babyโs father shot the man who had intervened. The babyโs father, later identified by SAPD as 18-year-old Kenneth Obaya, then took off with the child, police said. However, a police supervisor later identified the friend of the babyโs father as the suspected shooter.
Hospitals confront water shortages in winter storm aftermath
Joggers run down a street empty of cars Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, in Nolensville, Tenn. A second winter storm in a week is bringing more snow to much of Tennessee. A rural hospital in Anahuac, Texas, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Houston, lost both water and power. Memphis, Light, Gas & Water issued a boil-water advisory on Thursday out of concern that low water pressure caused by problems at aging pumping stations and water main ruptures could lead to contamination. That hospital has a water purification system for dialysis and has water reserves for tasks such as cooking and bathing patients, he said. Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare also reported problems at some of its Memphis-area facilities due to water pressure problems and the boil advisory.
Some electricity restored in Texas, but water woes grow
Houston and several surrounding cities are under a boil water notice as many residents are still without running water in their homes. But the crisis was far from over in parts of the South, where many people still lacked safe drinking water. The next phase of the stateโs disaster response will be to test drinking water from systems knocked offline by the cold. Power was cut to a New Orleans facility that pumps drinking water from the Mississippi River and generators were used until electricity was restored. Drinking water was made available at fire stations throughout Jackson and officials also planned to set up bottled water pickup sites.
India, China begin troop withdrawal from contested border
FILE- In this Sept. 14, 2017, file photo, Indian army trucks drive near Pangong Tso lake near the India China border in India's Ladakh area. According to India, Chinese soldiers occupied the area between Fingers 4 and 8 last year. โReciprocally, the Indian troops will be based at their permanent baseโ near Finger 3, Singh said. LAC is broken in parts where the Himalayan nations of Nepal and Bhutan border China. According to some Indian and Chinese strategic experts, Indiaโs move exacerbated existing tensions with China, leading to the June border clash.
Nothing to sneeze at: Global warming triggers earlier pollen
In this undated photo provided by Atlanta Allergy & Asthma, Dr. Stanley Fineman looks through a microscope at Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Center in Atlanta to examine the pollen. Just look at cherry blossoms opening several days earlier in Japan and Washington, D.C., he said. The South and southern Midwest are getting pollen season about 1.3 days earlier each year, while itโs coming about 1.1 days earlier in the West, he said. The northern Midwest is getting allergy season about 0.65 days earlier per year, and itโs coming 0.33 days earlier a year in the Southeast. But since the 2000s, about 65% of earlier pollen seasons can be blamed on warming, he said.
India, China soldiers brawl again along disputed frontier
FILE- In this Sept. 14, 2017, file photo, Indian army trucks drive near Pangong Tso lake near the India China border in India's Ladakh area. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)SRINAGAR โ Indian and Chinese soldiers brawled last week along the countries' disputed border, Indian officials said Monday, as a monthslong standoff between the nuclear-armed rivals continued. Two Indian security officials said at least 18 Chinese soldiers tried to cross into Indian-claimed territory at Naku La last Wednesday night and were blocked by Indian soldiers, leading to clashes with sticks and stones. The two officials said over a dozen Indian soldiers and at least eight Chinese soldiers received minor injuries. The frontier is broken in parts where the Himalayan nations of Nepal and Bhutan border China, and where Sikkim, the site of the latest brawl, is sandwiched.
Anonymous $40 million gift funding 50 civil rights lawyers
The NAACP's Legal Defense Fund launched a $40 million scholarship program on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, to create a new generation of civil rights lawyers. (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi, left, and Henry Griffin)ATLANTA โ The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund launched a $40 million scholarship program on Monday to support a new generation of civil rights lawyers, dedicated to pursuing racial justice across the South. With that whopping gift from a single anonymous donor, the fund plans to put 50 students through law schools around the country. In return, they must commit to eight years of racial justice work in the South, starting with a two-year post-graduate fellowship in a civil rights organization. โThe donor very much wanted to support the development of civil rights lawyers in the South.
The Latest: Mexico hits another record for COVID-19 cases
(AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)Mexico posted a record spike in coronavirus cases on Friday, with 21,366 newly confirmed infections, about double the daily rate of increase just a week ago. The National Health Commission said 90 of those confirmed cases were in Hebei province, adjacent to Beijing, where the countryโs biggest recent outbreak occurred. State health officials announced this week that vaccine eligibility would be expanded to educators and seniors beginning Jan. 23. But federal officials have since said the stockpile was exhausted when those promises were made and governors canโt expect any windfall shipments. President Donald Trump had invoked the Defense Production Act to address various aspects of the COVID-19 public health crisis.
5.6 million calls jam phone lines for WellMed COVID vaccine registration in San Antonio
SAN ANTONIO โ If you were having trouble accessing the WellMed locations on San Antonioโs South and West Sides this week you werenโt alone. As of Wednesday afternoon, a staggering 5.6 million phone calls had been received since registration opened over the weekend, Councilwoman Adriana Rocha-Garcia told KSAT. A total of 9,000 doses were available at the two facilities but all of the slots have been filled, according to WellMed officials. If youโre unable to get through, city officials say to keep trying as the lines are receiving hundreds of calls every minute. None of them have any vaccines available at this time.
Thousands line up for tests amid Thailand virus outbreak
People stand in lines to get COVID-19 tests in Samut Sakhon, South of Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020. Thailandโs Disease Control Department said Sunday that they found 141 more cases linked to the market outbreak. The new outbreak has been traced to a 67-year-old shrimp vendor at the seafood market. At the Mahachai seafood market, there was a listless atmosphere as idle workers sat around, unable to leave the area. With fewer than 5,000 cases and 60 deaths, Thailand has been able to largely control the virus.
Asia Today: Outbreak grows in Sydneyโs beach suburbs
Health workers record migrant workers ahead of collecting nasal swab samples from them to test for COVID-19 in Samut Sakhon, south of Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020. Thailand on Sunday reported a few new local infections, a day after identifying more than 500 cases south of Bangkok in a country that had largely brought the pandemic under control. (AP Photo/ Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul)SYDNEY โ The outbreak in Sydneyโs northern beach suburbs has grown to 70 cases with an additional 30 in the last 24 hours, and authorities say they may never be able to trace the source. A new list of cases, however, shows the virus had spread to greater Sydney and other parts of the state. Thailandโs Disease Control Department said Sunday that they found 141 more cases linked to the market outbreak.
As seen on SA Live - Thursday, November 5, 2020
Do you need a mini vacay? Where is your favorite Texas getaway? ๐ Look for your answers from 1-2 p.m. today on KSAT 12 & KSAT.com! SA Live airs weekdays at 1 p.m. on KSAT 12. Stream the show anytime from the KSAT TV app on Roku, Fire Stick, a smart TV or smartphone.
Forecasters: Drought more likely than blizzards this winter
Two-thirds of the United States should get a warmer than normal winter, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted. Only Washington, northern Idaho, Montana, the Dakotas and northwestern Minnesota, will get a colder than normal winter, forecasters said. The rest of the nation will likely be closer to normal, NOAA said. Judah Cohen, a winter weather specialist for the private firm Atmospheric Environmental Research, sees a harsher winter for the Northeast than NOAA does. But he said La Nina is the strongest indicator among several for what drives winter weather.
Padre Island National Seashore closing South Beach ahead of tropical storm
SAN ANTONIO โ Update: Vehicle access to North Beach has closed due to coastal flooding caused by Tropical Storm Beta. Driving accesses to both North and South beaches will be restored as soon as conditions allow. Bracing for flooding due to Tropical Depression 22, the Padre Island National Seashore will close its South Beach to visitors this weekend. South Beach will be closed to vehicles starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, the national seashore said in an email. The tropical depression developed in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday and may strengthen to tropical storm status.
Typhoon damages buildings, floods roads on Korean Peninsula
SEOUL A typhoon barreled through the Korean Peninsula on Thursday, damaging buildings, flooding roads and toppling utility poles before weakening into a tropical storm. No casualties have been immediately reported in either South or North Korea as a downgraded Typhoon Bavi headed into China after passing near the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, South Koreas weather agency said. It reported damage to houses and public facilities in North Hwanghae and South Hwanghae provinces, where the typhoon made landfall. In South Korea, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety reported damages to buildings, walls, roads and other structures. South Korean authorities also halted some railroad services, shut down public parks and sea bridges and moved hundreds of fishing boats and passenger vessels to safety.
Heeding mom, Tennessee lawmaker helped women gain the vote
Of the states yet to vote, Tennessee was the only one where ratification was considered possible under prevailing political conditions. At that time, women in more than half the states could vote in presidential elections. The attitude was, If you ratify the 19th Amendment, youre not a good son of the South,' Spruill said. 'These white radical women from outside are going to insist that Black women get the vote. The 19th Amendment was a starting point, wrote Sharon Harley, a professor of African American Studies at the University of Maryland.
Gov. Abbott deploys five Navy teams to South, Southwest Texas to help combat COVID-19
Governor Greg Abbott announced Sunday that five U.S. Navy teams will be deployed to South and Southwest Texas areas to aid in the states COVID-19 response. The five teams will include medical and support professionals that will assist with medical needs in hospitals throughout the state. The support from our federal partners is crucial in our work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our communities throughout Texas, Abbott said in a statement. DSHSs dashboard notes that to date, 10,492 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Hidalgo County. Related: Ten out of the 12 hospitals in Texas Rio Grande Valley are now full
US home construction jumps 17.3% in June
Construction of U.S. homes jumped 17.3% in June as some states reopened, but the pace still lags last year after this spring's massive slowdown in building activity due to the coronavirus outbreak. Even after a second straight month of increases, construction activity remains 4% below last years pace. Applications for building permits, a good indication of future activity, rose 2.1% to 1.24 million units. Home builders had been hopeful that housing would recover as the nation reopens, spurred by the lowest mortgage rates in 50 years. However its unclear whether the rebound is sustainable as infections have spiked, especially in the South, where business have reopened and people have been increasingly venturing outside of their homes.
As monuments fall, Confederate carving has size on its side
FILE - This June 23, 2015 file photo shows a carving depicting Confederate Civil War figures Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis, in Stone Mountain, Ga. But the largest Confederate monument ever crafted โ colossal figures carved into the solid rock of a Georgia mountainside โ may outlast them all. And Democratic proposals to strip the protective language from Georgia law have fallen flat with the Republican-controlled Legislature. The group hired sculptor Gutzon Borglum โ who later would carve Mount Rushmore โ to design a massive Confederate monument in 1915. Its website highlights miniature golf and a dinosaur-themed attraction while downplaying the Confederate carving, Confederate flags and brick terraces dedicated to each Confederate state.
HBO documentary following 2 San Antonio police officers now available on YouTube
SAN ANTONIO A documentary that chronicled two officers in the San Antonio Police Departments Mental Health Unit is available for viewers to watch on YouTube. Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops premiered on HBO last November amid national acclaim and follows SAPD officers Ernie Stevens and Joe Smarro as they responded to mental health calls around San Antonio. Its an intimate portrait of two Texas police officers who are helping change the way police respond to mental health calls.KSAT gets inside look at SAPD Mental Health UnitThe documentary sheds light on SAPDs 10-person Mental Health Unit as police brutality cases remain a hot topic for the nation. KSAT 12 rode alongside Stevens and Smarro in 2014. WATCH NOW: Life in the Shadows homeless specialThe documentary won South by Southwests special jury award and Independent Film Festival Bostons grand jury award.
70 years after Korean war, animosity and fear still linger
But this week it appeared to shift speed by suspending purported plans to take unspecified retaliatory action against South Korea. The North may want a South Korean commitment to resume operations at a shuttered jointly-run factory park in the North Korean border city of Kaesong, which was where the liaison office was located, or to restart South Korean tours to the Norths Diamond Mountain resort. However, any action is likely to be measured in a way to avoid a full-scale retaliation by the U.S. and South Korean militaries. They also vowed to restart South Korean tours to Diamond Mountain and operations at the Kaesong factory park when possible, expressing hope that sanctions would end. South Korea needs to quickly shift its focus from developing inter-Korean relations to managing inter-Korean hostilities, said Cheong Seong-Chang, an analyst at South Koreas Sejong Institute.
NASCAR race begins after show of support for Bubba Wallace
The car of Bubba Wallace (43) is prepped on pit row prior to the start of the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega Ala., Monday June 22, 2020. Wallace climbed out of his car and wept. The race began with Martin Truex Jr. on the pole in front of a mostly empty venue. Up to 5,000 fans were allowed into Talladega for the race only the second race with fans since NASCAR returned from the pandemic-forced shutdown but attendance was significantly lower Monday after the one-day postponement because of rain. It doesnt matter what your opinion is, its when you cross that line, then your opinion no longer matters.
More young people across the South are testing positive for coronavirus, officials warn
Officials in states across the South are warning that more young people are testing positive for coronavirus. Those younger groups testing positive are mostly asymptomatic and don't require clinical attention, the governor said. "We're also seeing that not only are they testing positive because they're testing more, they're also testing positive at a higher rate increasingly over the last week," DeSantis said, adding there's evidence of transmission between those younger groups. And Georgia's largest hospital also reported seeing an increase in patients in their 20s and 30s, according to CNN affiliate WSB. And the age of the people testing positive is trending younger, he told the news station.
HBO Max removes 'Gone With the Wind,' will add context
NEW YORK HBO Max has temporarily removed Gone With the Wind from its streaming library in order to add historical context to the 1939 film long criticized for romanticizing slavery and the Civil War-era South. Protests in the wake of George Floyd's death have forced entertainment companies to grapple with the appropriateness of both current and past productions. The BBC also removed episodes of Little Britain," a comedy series that featured a character in blackface, from its streaming service. "These racist depictions were wrong then and are wrong today, and we felt that to keep this title up without an explanation and a denouncement of those depictions would be irresponsible, said an HBO Max spokesman in a statement. Gone With the Wind has long been denounced for featuring slave characters who remain loyal to their former owners after the abolition of slavery.
N. Korea threatens to halt military agreement over leaflets
North Korea has threatened to end an inter-Korean military agreement reached in 2018 to reduce tensions if the South fails to prevent activists from flying anti-Pyongyang leaflets over the border. (Pyongyang Press Corps Pool via AP, File)SEOUL North Korea threatened on Thursday to end an inter-Korean military agreement reached in 2018 to reduce tensions if the South fails to prevent activists from flying anti-Pyongyang leaflets over the border. Sending balloons across the border has been a common activist tactic for years, but North Korea considers it an attack on its government. (South Korean) authorities will be forced to pay a dear price if they let this situation go on while making sort of excuses, she said. After years in her brothers shadow, Kim Yo Jong emerged as part of her brother's diplomatic efforts in 2018.
Texas driverโs license offices will reopen with limited services starting next week
SAN ANTONIO โ The Texas Department of Public Safety will slowly reopen driverโs license offices over the next few weeks. Greg Abbott on Thursday announced that DPS will open the offices in four phases, starting Tuesday with offices in the Northwest and West Texas regions. DPS offices in the South and Central Texas regions will reopen May 29 and offices in the North and Southeast Texas regions will reopen June 3. Real ID deadline pushed back due to coronavirus, Trump saysDuring this time, offices will have limited services that will be offered by appointment only. According to a news release, the offices will be open to customers who currently do not have a driverโs license, commercial driverโs license, learner permit or ID card, as well those who need a driverโs test.
Tornado confirmed in Texas, damage from another suspected in Louisiana
At least one tornado was confirmed early Sunday in central Texas, the National Weather Service reported, and the mayor of Monroe, Louisiana, said his town was damaged by suspected tornadoes Sunday. Tornadoes touch down in Texas and LouisianaThe Texas tornado early Sunday was confirmed south of Marble Falls, about 50 miles west of Austin, the weather service said. The National Weather Service in Shreveport, Louisiana, issued the highest level of tornado alert, a tornado emergency, for Monroe. Mayor Jamie Mayo said there was suspected tornado damage in various parts of Monroe, a city in north-central Louisiana of about 50,000 people, according to a post on the city's Instagram page. "The images and reports of major tornado damage in the Monroe area are heartbreaking, and my prayers are with the people there.
Pricey at the pump: Gas prices going up this week, per AAA Texas
This comes after gas prices were just below $2 a gallon at area gas stations last week. AAA reported the drop in gas prices reached all states in the South and Southeast, except for Florida. AAA report: Gas prices expected to fall under $2 per gallon next weekHowever, according to a new AAA report, the statewide gas price average in Texas is now $2.14 per gallon of regular, unleaded fuel. โTexas boasts some of the cheapest gas prices averages in the country,โ said AAA Texas spokesperson Daniel Armbruster in a press release. For more information on area gas prices and what to expect, click here.