Eileen Pace

Students in the San Antonio and Judson Independent School Districts are on notice that warrants could be issued if they have been skipping school. Parents and kids have just two weeks to clear up any truancy issues before pick-up orders are activated.

Judge Rogelio Lopez of the Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace court said he sees hundreds of students from Judson and SAISD each year, and students missing school has a dramatic effect on the drop-out rate.

October is Cyber Security Awareness month, and to reach out to the community, UTSA’s Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security offered a month-long program to educate people who use computers at home, businesses and organizations.

The community seminars are in plain, non-technical language, stressing current issues and solutions.

Bexar County has inked a deal that will give residents a discount on prescription drugs and add funds to another county health program.

The Coast-2-Coast RX Card is free to anyone, and Martin Dettelbach of Financial Marketing Concepts Inc., said it's similar to other prescription discount cards. He said his company has worked out agreements with pharmaceutical companies based on volume.

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.