Last year, Police Chief William McManus explained to an arbitrator why he had decided to fire an who was heard on a body camera repeatedly calling a handcuffed prisoner the n-word.“How can you have an officer working in the community that is as diversified as here with African-Americans as part of the population, after the public sees that he’s out here calling people the n-word, the (expletive) n-word, to quote?” McManus said. “That is the most inappropriate language I have ever heard used during an arrest, especially to a minority.”Until then, the police chief’s decision wasn’t...…Last year, Police Chief William McManus explained to an arbitrator why he had decided to fire an who was heard on a body camera repeatedly calling a handcuffed prisoner the n-word.“How can you have an officer working in the community that is as diversified as here with African-Americans as part of the population, after the public sees that he’s out here calling people the n-word, the (expletive) n-word, to quote?” McManus said. “That is the most inappropriate language I have ever heard used during an arrest, especially to a minority.”Until then, the police chief’s decision wasn’t...WW…

San Antonio tech entrepreneur Graham Weston is spearheading the private funding of a faster way to conduct and process testing for the coronavirus, with plans to demonstrate it with regular testing of all students and employees of a rural Southwest Bexar County school system.Somerset Independent School District will play host to a pilot program that backers hope will establish mass testing as a cheap, fast and accurate way for all kinds of organizations, not just schools, to detect the virus and slow its spread by allowing a fast response to new cases.The new nonprofit, called Community...…San Antonio tech entrepreneur Graham Weston is spearheading the private funding of a faster way to conduct and process testing for the coronavirus, with plans to demonstrate it with regular testing of all students and employees of a rural Southwest Bexar County school system.Somerset Independent School District will play host to a pilot program that backers hope will establish mass testing as a cheap, fast and accurate way for all kinds of organizations, not just schools, to detect the virus and slow its spread by allowing a fast response to new cases.The new nonprofit, called Community...WW…

In 2019, a city environmental plans examiner emailed then-state Rep. Roland Gutierrez to inform him he had violated San Antonio’s tree preservation ordinance by chopping down a large heritage oak without a permit on a lot he was developing.“There will be a work without permit penalty of $2,000 assessed to your project,” Robin Loyd wrote to Gutierrez, D-San Antonio.The fine didn’t stick.Upset by the penalty, the state lawmaker called Michael Shannon, director of the city’s Development Services Department, to protest. Shannon then instructed staff to waive the fine.Shannon’s decision caused...…In 2019, a city environmental plans examiner emailed then-state Rep. Roland Gutierrez to inform him he had violated San Antonio’s tree preservation ordinance by chopping down a large heritage oak without a permit on a lot he was developing.“There will be a work without permit penalty of $2,000 assessed to your project,” Robin Loyd wrote to Gutierrez, D-San Antonio.The fine didn’t stick.Upset by the penalty, the state lawmaker called Michael Shannon, director of the city’s Development Services Department, to protest. Shannon then instructed staff to waive the fine.Shannon’s decision caused...WW…

Fire Chief Charles Hood on Friday defended his posing for a photo while eating sushi displayed on a mostly nude woman at a firefighter’s birthday party this year, calling it “more or less a family event.”“You walk in the front door and there’s a sushi lady there that I guess is a business, so I stopped and posed and take a picture. That’s it,” Hood said. “It would be like me taking a picture with a flamenco dancer in Vegas or a Spurs dancer at Top Golf where the Spurs dancers happen to be there.”At the same time, Hood apologized to anyone who was offended by the photo taken in January at...…Fire Chief Charles Hood on Friday defended his posing for a photo while eating sushi displayed on a mostly nude woman at a firefighter’s birthday party this year, calling it “more or less a family event.”“You walk in the front door and there’s a sushi lady there that I guess is a business, so I stopped and posed and take a picture. That’s it,” Hood said. “It would be like me taking a picture with a flamenco dancer in Vegas or a Spurs dancer at Top Golf where the Spurs dancers happen to be there.”At the same time, Hood apologized to anyone who was offended by the photo taken in January at...WW…

In an about-face, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District is instructing its case investigators to advise those who lack symptoms of COVID-19 but test positive in an antigen test to isolate and quarantine.That’s a shift from last month, when case investigators were told to inform such patients that they were “.” Those were Metro Health’s instructions despite the high accuracy of antigen positive test results, even in those without symptoms.The policy had raised red flags for members of a Metro Health contact tracing work group. Mayor Ron Nirenberg last week for antigen positive cases...…In an about-face, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District is instructing its case investigators to advise those who lack symptoms of COVID-19 but test positive in an antigen test to isolate and quarantine.That’s a shift from last month, when case investigators were told to inform such patients that they were “.” Those were Metro Health’s instructions despite the high accuracy of antigen positive test results, even in those without symptoms.The policy had raised red flags for members of a Metro Health contact tracing work group. Mayor Ron Nirenberg last week for antigen positive cases...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe postmaster general ordered the removal of six mail sorting machines in San Antonio, two more than previously known to postal union leaders, who say cuts to the U.S. Postal Service are causing long delays in mail delivery.U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, confirmed the removal of the machines Wednesday after touring the main San Antonio post office and speaking with Dennis Stasa, senior plant manager for the Postal Service’s Rio Grande District.“They were told by Washington to remove those six machines,” Castro said...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe postmaster general ordered the removal of six mail sorting machines in San Antonio, two more than previously known to postal union leaders, who say cuts to the U.S. Postal Service are causing long delays in mail delivery.U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, confirmed the removal of the machines Wednesday after touring the main San Antonio post office and speaking with Dennis Stasa, senior plant manager for the Postal Service’s Rio Grande District.“They were told by Washington to remove those six machines,” Castro said...WW…

Ahead of an expected surge in mail-in voting, recent cuts to the beleaguered U.S. Postal Service have led to months-long delays and the removal of letter sorting machines in San Antonio, according to the leaders of two postal workers unions.“A lot of mail has been left on the floor, not only at the plant on Perrin Beitel but the stations as well,” said Chris Rincon, president of San Antonio Alamo Area Local 195. “There have been many delays in the mail. There have been many machines that have been taken out of service here.”At least four letter sorting machines were removed in recent weeks,...…Ahead of an expected surge in mail-in voting, recent cuts to the beleaguered U.S. Postal Service have led to months-long delays and the removal of letter sorting machines in San Antonio, according to the leaders of two postal workers unions.“A lot of mail has been left on the floor, not only at the plant on Perrin Beitel but the stations as well,” said Chris Rincon, president of San Antonio Alamo Area Local 195. “There have been many delays in the mail. There have been many machines that have been taken out of service here.”At least four letter sorting machines were removed in recent weeks,...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe pop of a champagne bottle, then another, and another sounded from a table of three friends at the Pearl on a sunny afternoon last week. They’d just come from eating indoors at a North Side brunch spot, their masks and sanitizer out of sight.Itiel Huerta, 21, had quarantined for months to protect herself and her loved ones from COVID-19. But after a while, she said, the health precautions left her feeeling “depressed.”“To be honest, I just feel like we have no way around it at this point, so I just kind of have to live with...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe pop of a champagne bottle, then another, and another sounded from a table of three friends at the Pearl on a sunny afternoon last week. They’d just come from eating indoors at a North Side brunch spot, their masks and sanitizer out of sight.Itiel Huerta, 21, had quarantined for months to protect herself and her loved ones from COVID-19. But after a while, she said, the health precautions left her feeeling “depressed.”“To be honest, I just feel like we have no way around it at this point, so I just kind of have to live with...WW…