Eileen Pace

The State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) said CPS demonstrated a strong commitment to the environment by recycling 92 percent of its disposable materials in 2011. The alliance is honoring the utility with a leadership award for Outstanding Construction and Demolition Programs.

"The goal is to really create a vibrant, walkable, livable downtown area," said Tom Kennely of UTSA's Institute of Economic Development, who could be talking about any city in the United States, or even San Antonio.

Located on Hwy. 87 east of San Antonio, La Vernia is a community of about 1,000. UTSA is working with the City of La Vernia to bring people back to the community's downtown area, and the university also offers business development and community development for 79 counties from its San Antonio office.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Texas fell to 6.8 percent in September, down more than one point from last year.

Andres Alcantar, chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission, said the Texas economy has been showing steady job growth for the past two years and seven major industries expanded in September.

"The highest growth came from the Professional and Business Services industry, which grew by 13,600 jobs in September. This industry has added 47,200 jobs over the past year," Alcantar said.

Drivers looking for a bargain will want to buy gas in San Antonio this week. AAA reports that prices fell a nickel per gallon in the Alamo City, more than the decrease statewide. A gallon of gas is averaging $3.46 in San Antonio, comparing to the national average of $3.74 per gallon and the statewide average of $3.51.

There are 20 military training instructors are now under investigation for inappropriate relationships with trainees at Joint Base San Antonio; five have already been court-martialed. This week, the Air Force set up a special hotline for trainees and others to report cases of sexual abuse.

So far, the redevelopment of Hemisfair has been mostly on paper, but planners are working to pull the park’s future into focus for residents. Officials are hoping holiday events starting on Halloween will bring families back to to the park.

Some of the scientists with the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas have resigned, with one warning that the $3 billion taxpayer-funded agency is headed down a path of systematic abuse.

Texas is home to the country’s second largest cancer-research fund, which is the largest of any state. The only entity funded at a higher level is the federal National Institutes of Health. C-PRIT has awarded almost $700 million in grants in the past three years.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can affect kids as well as adults, and often occurs in children who have been abused or neglected; the San Antonio Children's Shelter is co-hosting a special town hall conference on Childhood PTSD and Depression this week.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations said it has arrested two people in a conspiracy to steal and resell military equipment.

The OSI doesn’t describe the stolen property, or which branch of Joint Base San Antonio the equipment came from, but Joint Base Spokesman Brent Boller said seven federal search warrants were executed at a San Antonio tattoo parlor Tuesday afternoon.