Joey Palacios

Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas is expanding into the workplace with its Inspire U program which places ‘Littles’ with “Bigs’ on the job.

Inspire U isn’t new, but it is growing. Part of the SA2020 Initiative, the program enhances the little brother and sister experience by taking middle and high school students paring them with someone in the working world.  

President and CEO of  South Texas Big Brothers Big Sisters Denise Barkhurst said Inspire U is like 'mentoring plus.'

HEB’s Slimdown Showdown came to close this week as 24 contestants selected from all over Texas lost nearly 956 pounds collectively during the  16-week competition.

Slimdown winner Allison Spangler is a school teacher at Stevens High School in San Antonio; she lost 46 pounds during the competition.

"My life is completely different," said Spangler. "I feel fantastic and this is only my half-way point."

Spangler said the lower weight has given her more energy and a healthier lifestyle.

The cities of San Antonio and Chicago are entering a competition to see which one has the healthiest city employees.  

It’s a battle to see which city can reduce the bulge, put out the cigarette, and create a healthy lifestyle among its workers. The two cities will compete for three months to win a grant from the American Beverage Association.

Three people remain in recovery after an SAISD school bus jumped the guard rail on interstate 37 and plummeted fifteen feet to the ground; the district and SAPD are investigating the accident.

San Antonio police say the SAISD bus was traveling northbound on I-37 around 4:45 p.m. Thursday when another vehicle struck it, causing the bus to careen off the freeway and land front of a Comfort Suites hotel off East Houston St..

Sherry Chaudhry is the owner of the hotel and she said she and others in her office heard screeching coming from the freeway.

The San Antonio Symphony was one of many across the country to be in contract negotiations and is now one of the few to finally come to an agreement. Symphony Board Chair Dennert Ware said the collective bargaining agreement will extend the length of the performance season.
 
"We're slowly increasing the weeks from 27 to 29; we think that's a positive step," Ware said. "We made some very modest increases in salary."

The Hwy. 151 and Loop 1604 project is supposed to alleviate current and projected traffic congestion on the interchange by turning 151 into an underpass connecting to Alamo Ranch Parkway, but now the project’s completion date is in limbo.

Texas Department of Transportation spokesman Josh Donat said the agency will have to work with the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to redesign the roadway.

The accident happened around 8:00 a.m. at Foster Rd. and Candle Meadow. Bexar County Sheriff’s Lt. Jose Trevino said the SAISD bus was traveling north on Foster when witnesses say the driver appeared to lose control and the bus jumped the median.

“It collided head-on with the Judson School District bus that was going south on Foster," said Trevino. "The San Antonio bus then kept going and collided with the fence of two residences here.”

The unidentified 63-year-old female driver was killed, it’s unknown if a medical condition caused the accident or her death.

Nationwide Insurance is opening a new green building in San Antonio near Sea World with the hopes of hiring an additional 500 employees in the coming years. 

Nationwide previously had four call centers in San Antonio. Now the insurance provider is opening a single 280,000 sq ft. building for its 1,400 San Antonio employees. Regional Vice President Terrance Williams says the company chose to stay in San Antonio due to a friendly business climate and the skills job seekers here have to offer.

San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside (SAGE) has announced its first music festival will take place next month.

On Oct. 20, San Antonio's Eastside will be flooded with Jazz, R&B, Salsa, Tejano, Blues, Country and just about every other type of music.

SAGE is hosting the festival that touts itself as a celebration of diversity on the Eastside. SAGE executive director Jackie Gorman said that while recognizing culture, the festival will also be a fundraiser for the non-profit.