Efforts to build railroad quiet zones to reduce train noise in Olmos Park neighborhoods are gaining steam with a pledge by a San Antonio City Council member to fund an engineering study examining the measure.
That's the assessment given by Olmos Park City Councilman Jeff Judson during the Nov. 20 regular meeting of the Olmos Park City Council.
Briefing his colleagues on the project that he is spearheading, Judson said San Antonio City Council member Mary Alice Cisneros – whose district abuts Olmos Park – has agreed to set aside money from her discretionary fund to study the matter.
“We're moving forward,” Judson said. “It's a little intangible, but we have an interlocal agreement to place it on their City Council agenda.”
While no date has been set for the council hearing, the pledge represents a major step toward making quiet zones a reality, Judson said.
Cisneros has tentatively agreed to earmark about $30,000 from her $310,000 discretionary fund to finance an engineering study on some of areas targeted for quiet zones.
Judson said private donations are being raised to study the feasibility of establishing other zones throughout Olmos Park.
“I'm hoping this will take place in December and the engineering study to commence early next year,” Judson said. “It depends on how quickly San Antonio acts on it.”
The councilman added he has secured assurances from a number of lawmakers to introduce the issue at a future session of the Texas Legislature to further enhance the measure's passage. Among those legislators are Joe Strauss, Jeff Wentworth and Mike Villareal, Judson said.
The councilman has sought to create quiet zones to quell noise in Olmos Park neighborhoods for the better part of a year now.
Citing the noise created by the roughly 40 trains passing through town daily, including during nighttime hours, he has proposed installing quiet zones at the four main railroad crossings within city limits at Basse Road, McCullough Avenue and Dora and Zilla streets.
But in that time, Judson has encountered roadblocks – a major one being that the rail tracks at some of the more noisy areas happen to be in San Antonio jurisdiction.
Facing initial resistance from San Antonio officials for the idea of quiet zones, Cisneros' pledge represents a measure of progress toward their creation.
Despite the nascent stages of quiet zone development, council members have discussed the possibility of financing their construction through sales tax revenue.
Blessings can come at any time
Thursday, 27 November 2008
By Miranda Koerner Staff Writer
Within a year, we have seen the best of times. We've also seen the worst of times.
We've seen the first African American president win an election. We've seen increases in medical technology once only dreamed of. We've seen communities bind together to move towards creating a healthy environment for not only humans but the creatures we share it with.
But, we've also seen the stock market fall and our 401Ks plummet. We've seen retirees weeping as they struggle to find new jobs they are overqualified for. We've seen hurricanes tear across the East; fires burn the West and a nation of people losing their homes as they spiral into debt. We've seen soldiers go to war never to come home. And we've seen the economy slide into a recession and its people into depression.
The magazines will be full of celebrities telling you why they are grateful and how they've helped the economy by flying coach. The television stations will be quick to show you the homeless and the terminally ill children and reminding you how desperately the United States needs proper healthcare and how much better you have it than them.
But that isn't gratitude.
Gratitude is defined as the quality or feeling of being thankful or grateful. It is not defined as guilt or comparing yourself to others. As H.U. Westermayer said, “The pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have ever been more impoverished than these who, nonetheless, set aside a day for Thanksgiving.”
And that's the kicker. For those who have seen the good and the bad, they understand the meaning of gratitude. Our grandparents knew the meaning of gratitude. They knew that a cake meant a celebration, not an every day occasion. They knew that going out was a treat, rather than a right. They knew that hard work and paying one's dues was an expectation, not an exception.
We of the iPhone and Internet generation do not know bad times. We know how popular we are on You Tube, how many hits our blogs get and how unfortunate it is our boss doesn't recognize our brilliance and give us that raise to afford a 3,000-square-foot house a year out of college.
Our bad times are that our parents didn't let us go to Mexico for Spring Break senior year or let us hold our wedding at the country club. If we've had a terribly bad life, we had to work AND go to school. Oh, the horrors!
But in the bad, there is always some good. If the Pilgrims, who traveled across an ocean to a foreign land without technology, modern medicine and electricity (many of us can't deal without our Blackberries for a day) can celebrate their thanks, so should we. Even if we have to resort to buying our clothes from thrift stores and scrounging for coupons, we have a lot to be thankful for.
We have freedom that men have given their lives for that no country has ever matched. Women and children have rights that aren't even an idea in other countries. We have an abundance of food and our fingertips on the pulse of technology.
And we have each other. We have our friends and neighbors who help us out when our car breaks down and we can't afford to fix it until next Friday. We have our families who give us a hand and a hot meal when we need it. And we have our community to create a net of hope and safety for our families.
If we are to experience bad times, then let's hope we continue with the good we have learned after the bad times have passed, particularly for those of us who are learning for the first time. For if we learn to be grateful for the good, perhaps we can stave off the bad.
Happy Thanksgiving!
MOMMY MATTERS: Rediscovering your thankful heart
Thursday, 27 November 2008
By Courtney Burkholder
With so much going on in the world, and specifically our nation, it may seem difficult to find a thankful heart this holiday season.
Sometimes, it's just easier to focus on the negative. At least, it is for me. I get bogged down in the hopelessness; the seemingly bleak light at the end of the tunnel. I feel frustrated by every aspect of my life. I'm scared and angry at whoever is responsible for my fears – and I'm not sure exactly who that is. I'm so sick of bad news and tired of discouragement.
But when I turn off the television and stop listening to the media reporting all the doom and gloom stories of a deteriorating economy, a looming recession, rising unemployment, and companies failing, I can once again focus on the things that really matter. I did that this week. I turned off the TV and got out my box of Thanksgiving decorations. It made me smile.
First out of the box: two hand-print turkeys with pictures of my boys when they were little on the thumb-heads of the turkeys. I hung them on the refrigerator and smiled every time I walked by them.
Next, a wooden turkey and an old iron Cornucopia I bought at Garden Ridge years ago. I put them on the dining table and stuffed them with the old Indian corn and acorns I've had for years.
Is it beautiful? Hardly! In fact, it's down-right tacky! The color on the turkey's waddle has faded to pink, and I had to color it with a marker to make it red again. The tail feathers got smushed in the box and were sticking out in the wrong direction, and the cornucopia is so rusty that metal flakes were falling off all over the table. The Indian corn looks as though a rat has been snacking on it in the garage.
Oh, how I wanted to run out and buy all new decorations!
But I bought those decorations when we moved into our first apartment, when we were desperately excited to have our own place and have family to our home to celebrate Thanksgiving. We didn't have two dimes to rub together back then! We set up card tables, and I borrowed linens from my mother-in-law to set the table.
I picked up horse apples, cup-over acorns, and pretty fall leaves from my parent's backyard and carted them all the way back to San Antonio for my Thanksgiving table. I spray-painted the acorns gold to make them look “dressy” and pressed the fall leaves for us to write what we were thankful on.
My sweet mother-in-law cooked most of the meal at her house in her much bigger kitchen, then carted it to our apartment so we could all cram in together and my husband and I could be the host and hostess in our new home.
Later, when the children came along, I would find that turkey all over the house – in the back of a dump truck, next to the bathtub, or in a fort tied to a jump rope like a pet. It was their favorite holiday toy! Memories of past Thanksgiving celebrations flooded through me, and for the first time in many months, I felt truly thankful and blessed.
No matter what is going on in the world around us, look inside for all you have to be thankful for. It's not about all the things you don't have this Thanksgiving – like beautiful, new decorations - it's about all the things you do! And we all have so much for which to be thankful.
Police Reports - Nov. 27
Thursday, 27 November 2008
TERRELL HILLS
Stranger kicks in door
Oct. 9, 4:50 p.m., 1000 block of Garraty: An officer responded to a report of someone kicking in the door at an apartment building. The officer arrived and found the door jamb was split in half and the lock broken. The resident said she was in bed when she heard someone yelling at the door and moments later, someone started kicking the door and yelling a name out. After the door had been kicked in, the suspect left the premises and the resident saw the person getting in a vehicle and leaving.
Campaign shenanigans
Oct. 18, 11:22 a.m., 1000 block of Wiltshire: A homeowner reported an unknown person had removed a campaign sign for the Democratic presidential nominee from her lawn.
Party politics?
Oct. 18, 11:31 a.m., 600 lock of Grandview: A homeowner said an Obama/Biden ’08 campaign sign had been taken from her lawn without her permission.
Sign pilfered
Oct. 18, 12:53 p.m., 400 block of Vandiver: Another victim of yet another act of small-time political pettiness, a homeowner reported her Obama/Biden sign had been removed from her lawn sometime during the previous night.
Change we can steal
Oct. 18, 2:01 p.m., 800 block of Ridgemont: A homeowner reported that someone had removed a campaign sign for the Democratic presidential nominee from her lawn without her permission.
Other party strikes back?
Oct. 19, 1:10 p.m., 200 block of Lilac: A homeowner reported an unknown person had stolen a large blue sign that read “Sarah!” (in reference to Republican vice-presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin) from her lawn without her consent.
ALAMO HEIGHTS
Drunk and disobedient
Sept. 14, 1:22 p.m. 6400 block of Broadway: After stopping a car for speeding, the officer noted the driver had slurred speech, red and glassy eyes, reduced motor functions and smelled of alcohol. The driver failed all sobriety tests and was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
When the driver was taken to the Alamo Heights Police Department for processing, he started to become uncooperative and belligerent, refusing to answer interview questions, accusing the police officers of stealing his money, and cursing and berating the officers. When placed in a cell, the driver began kicking and hitting the jail cell door hard and repeatedly. The suspect was eventually taken to the San Antonio Magistrate’s office for booking for DWI.
Broadway break-in
Sept. 16, 6:42 p.m., 5100 block of Broadway: A car owner reported that when he left a pub on Broadway, he saw a van parked next to his car and a man getting in the truck. After then van left, the driver noticed his car had been broken into and his wallet and game console were missing. The driver was able to identify the van and its driver, but not the license plate number. The reporting officer noted the driver’s-side door lock had been pried open using a screwdriver.
Tires taken
Sept. 17, 7:56 a.m., 100 block of Wildrose: All the tires and rims worth $2,295 had been stolen off a vehicle parked in a homeowner’s driveway.
Calendar - Nov. 27
Thursday, 27 November 2008
Sunday-Dec. 6
Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza
Texas’ largest and longest running mariachi music event, the 14th annual Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza, is a weeklong mariachi music festival with a Christmas-themed serenade on the Riverwalk and an opening mariachi Mass at the historical San Jose Mission.
The largest and most competitive mariachi group and vocal competitions are held during the festival at the Municipal Auditorium as well as a mariachi-themed art exhibit at the Centro Cultural Aztlán. A complete schedule of events held as part of the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza is posted on www.mariachimusic.com. Concert tickets are available through www.ticketmaster.com.
Tuesday
Holiday story hours at Hyatt
Grand Hyatt San Antonio managing director Tom Netting dons a special Santa suit for holiday story hours. Bring a camera and capture the fun taking place Tuesday and Dec. 9 and 16 at 10 and 11 a.m. at the hotel, located at 600 E. Market St. The newest hotel downtown is transformed with holiday decorations and thousands of lights. Families can enjoy the 24-foot by 20-foot holiday window display and the three-dimensional chocolate sculpture. Listen to the special message from Santa encouraging families to read together during the holidays and all year long. Complimentary cookies and milk served to all story hour guests. These events are free and open to the public.
Author at Twig
Bubba Stahl will discuss and sign copies of “The Salt Block: Heartwarming Stories from a Cowboy-Pastor” at 5 p.m. at The Twig Book Shop, 5005 Broadway.
Tuesday-Saturday
Christmas in the Mansion 2008
Come and enjoy an elegant holiday event in the historical Woodward House, built in 1905. See the house, located at 1717 San Pedro, decorated for the season and enjoy holiday shopping in the bake shop and boutique. Browse and shop the second-floor “Christmas Fair” with wonderful specialty items from participating Texas vendors.
Shopping hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 732-4811 or click on www.thewomansclubsa.org. All of the funds will be used for scholarships and renovations for this 109-year-old non-profit organization.
Tuesday-Friday
Christmas luncheons
The Woman’s Club of San Antonio present two luncheons daily with informal modeling and music at 11:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. Admission for luncheon is $23 per person. For more information, call 732-4811 or click on www.thewomansclubsa.org. All of the funds will be used for scholarships and renovations for this 109-year-old non-profit organization.
Wednesday
“Smart Women” Brown bag series
The San Antonio Women’s Chamber of Commerce hosts the second session in this year’s “Smart Women” Brown Bag series from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Children’s Shelter, 2939 W. Woodlawn. Topics discussed include how to say yes or no to volunteering and teaching children to be future leaders through volunteerism.
There is no charge for Chamber members and a $10 charge for non-members. For reservations, call 299-2636 or send an e-mail to
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“Hondo, My Father”
Becky Crouch Patterson will discuss and sign copies of “Hondo, My Father” at 5 p.m. at The Twig Book Shop. The book is about Patterson’s father, the so-called “clown prince of Luckenbach" who also was the inspiration for the hit song "Let’s Go to Luckenbach, Texas."
AWC event benefits Ajay Castro Scholarship Fund
Start the holidays with great food and fellowship and check a few gifts off your list at the Association for Women in Communications San Antonio Chapter holiday party and silent auction at 6 p.m. at Valentino’s Di Olmos at 4331 McCullough. Cost is $25 per person, which includes appetizers and one drink. A cash bar will be available.
RSVP by Friday to www.wisca.org or Mary Anthony at 508-0621. Proceeds benefit the Ajay Castro Scholarship Fund to assist women pursuing their education after an extended absence from high school or college. Applicants must be enrolled or accepted by an institution of higher education in Bexar County and pursuing a degree in a communications field.
Dec. 5
Trinity’s annual Christmas concert
Trinity University welcomes the holiday season with its 15th annual Christmas Concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Trinity’s Laurie Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public, and no reservations or tickets are required. Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.
The concert features members of the Trinity Choir, the University Chorus, the Trinity Symphony Orchestra, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and the Parker Chapel Handbell Choir. For more information, contact the Trinity music department at 999-8212.
Dec. 6
Breakfast with Santa
Make reservations for breakfast, activities and photograph with Santa at the historic Woodward House, 1717 San Pedro. Sponsored by the Woman’s Club of San Antonio, there are three seatings at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Admission is $15 per child and $12 per adult. For more information, call 732-4811 or click on www.thewomansclubsa.org. All of the funds will be used for scholarships and renovations for this-109-year old non-profit organization.
College prep tips
The Central Library at 600 Soledad offers “College Prep and Scholarship Tips for High School Teens and Parents” from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the first-floor auditorium. This free program is presented by Empowerment 21, a local non-profit organization. For more information, call 207-2500 or click on www.sanantonio.gov/library/central.
“Home 4 The Holidays” pet adoption event
The city’s largest pet adoption event, “Home 4 the Holidays,” is happening at The Rim Shopping Center on Interstate 10 at La Cantera Parkway across from the Palladium from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Animal Care Service and the Animal Defense league will have dogs and cats available for adoption.
Dec. 12-13
Handel’s “Messiah”
The San Antonio Symphony and San Antonio Symphony Mastersingers perform the holiday classic Handel’s “Messiah” at the Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., at 8 p.m. both nights. Individual concert tickets range from $10 to $60 and are available at the Symphony box office, by calling 554-1010 or visiting www.sasymphony.org.
Dec. 13
Holiday shopping at Bazar Sábado
The original San Antonio holiday market is back and well into its third decade. It’s located at the San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 West Jones Avenue.
The event is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is $3 for adults, while children 11 and under are free. Click on www.samuseum.org for more information.
Dec. 19-21
Christmas play
The World Center Church at 6804 Ingram Rd is presenting a Christmas play at 7 p.m. Dec. 19, 1 p.m. Dec. 20 (senior discount), 7 p.m. Dec. 20 (kids 50 percent off), and church groups on Dec. 21. Admission is $10. For more information, call 681-2700.
