Ryan Loyd

Ryan Loyd
Credit Dan Skinner / Texas Public Radio
News Reporter

Ryan Loyd is Texas Public Radio's city beat and political reporter who brings more than a decade of news experience back to his hometown.

Ryan began reporting at KGNB radio in New Braunfels, followed by KTSA. He worked in television news in Joplin, MO, San Antonio, Sherman, Texas, and Austin.

Since joining TPR in October 2011, Ryan has covered stories of local, state and national interest including the 2012 Democratic National Convention, where San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro delivered the keynote address.

Ryan especially enjoys reporting on in-depth issues like the Eagle Ford Shale oil and natural gas boom, the ongoing conversation into redeveloping Alamo Plaza, the Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland sex scandal, and numerous city issues. Ryan is a regular contributor to NPR News.

For his coverage in 2012, Ryan won a Michael E. DeBakey Journalism award for his feature on a story about Canine PTSD, which ran locally and on NPR's "All Things Considered." The story explored the possibilities that combat dogs exhibit symptoms of a post-traumatic stress disorder, similar to the same disorder human soldiers experience.

The Michael E. DeBakey Journalism Award honors professional journalists whose reporting has enhanced public understanding of how the humane and responsible use of animal models leads to medical and scientific discoveries. Loyd accepted the award May 14 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

He also won the Reporting on Open Government award from the Society of Professional Journalists, Ft. Worth Chapter, for his stories relating to the sex scandal at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. The stories contributed to the Air Force's increased transparency to the media and to the public. 

In 2011 he won first place in the Ft. Worth Society of Professional Journalist's First Amendment Awards in the Green News category for his work on an environmental story while in Austin. He won a second place Associated Press Broadcasters award for beat reporting for his coverage of San Antonio city government at TPR.

Ryan is trying to become a more avid cyclist, but in the meantime he chases around a vibrant pre-schooler and a red-nosed dog with his wife, Sarah.

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City Infrastructure
2:56 pm
Tue December 4, 2012

San Antonio's Growing Pains: Road Repairs Part Of Progress

Construction is a constant obstacle in an old and growing city, as city leaders identify decaying streets, sidewalks and other infrastructure in need of repair through bond projects.

One of the areas in need of attention is Blanco Road. Phase one of a project includes Hildebrand to Fresno and El Monte to Olmos Creek; work still leftover from the city’s 2007 bond project.

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Travel With A Purpose
9:55 am
Tue December 4, 2012

Discovering America, One Breakfast At A Time

When Courtney Dillard and Matt Webber got married, they hit the road to visit cafes across America. The couple wanted to share their first meal of the day with 50 strangers, as a way to celebrate their marriage and set the standard for the type of lives they want to lead.

They call their trek, “Breakfast with Strangers”

“We were a little worried about the domestic nature of getting married and we didn’t want to narrow our lives too much; we wanted to do something different,” said 41-year-old Dillard, a college professor in Portland, Ore.

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Saving Animals
6:46 pm
Fri November 30, 2012

Animal Care Services Awarded $100,000 In Rachael Ray Challenge

Drummers and dancers dressed in brightly-colored costumes from the percussion and dance company, Samba Vida, helped celebrate an accomplishment never before achieved by San Antonio’s Animal Care Services.

The award for saving 1,384 more dogs and cats than the same three months in 2011 – August, September, and October – garnered the shelter a $100,000 prize.

But the real prize, said ACS Director Kathy Davis, is the animals that are happy and healthy today because of the community’s efforts to choose adoption.

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Homelessness In San Antonio
11:55 am
Fri November 30, 2012

Overcoming Homelessness In 2012: The San Antonio Homeless Population

Credit SAMMinistries

Numbers released this week show that the average income for a homeless family is $500 with affordable housing being the most requested service for the homeless (nearly 74 percent of those surveyed).

The 2012 Facts on San Antonio Homelessness were released by SAMMinistries and are based on statistics gathered and compiled by the Trinity University class on Applied Social Studies.

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Technical Education
7:30 am
Fri November 30, 2012

Workforce Center Of Excellence Taking Modern Approach To Technical Training

Credit Ryan Loyd / Texas Public Radio
Steve Hoenes from Lincoln Electric supervises a student welding on the company's virtual welding machine

In a classroom inside the new Workforce Center of Excellence on the city's Southwest Side the students are using virtual techniques to learn more efficiently.

Lincoln Electric’s Steve Hoenes guides the students through prompts on the screen and makes sure the helmet is fitted correctly. Before long, they are welding virtually and a score is produced seconds after a student finishes.

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Streetcar Transit
7:33 am
Thu November 29, 2012

Opponent Of Modern Streetcar Presents Policy Brief : 'The Streetcar Fantasy'

Credit Ryan Loyd / Texas Public Radio
Opponent of modern streetcars Randal O'Toole says busses, like this one about to go into service on the new Vía Prímo line, are better than streetcars for the environment and others sharing the road.

Opponents of Vía's modern streetcar plan say it is wasteful and illegal, and that commitments to subsidies will be a financial headache to San Antonians for decades to come.

The streetcar plan is for two lines, one that runs North-East on Broadway cutting through Hemisfair downtown, and another East-South from Vía's West Side transit hub, across Nueva St. and down Alamo St.

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Holiday Shopping
9:39 am
Wed November 28, 2012

Holiday Sales Off To A Good Start, Leaving Local Shops and Big Box Stores Happy

The dirty Thanksgiving dishes have been washed, visiting family members have all gone home, and holiday decorations are starting to light neighborhood streets.

It’s the start of another joyous season, and everyone knows – including retailers – that holiday shopping season is now in full swing.

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Local Business
4:06 pm
Tue November 27, 2012

Study Shows Manufacturing Made $22.5 Billion Impact In 2011

Credit Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce

The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce study shows that manufacturing grew from a $7 billion industry in 1991 to $22.5 billion in 2011.

“That is right up there with the biggest industries that we have in San Antonio,” said Chamber President and CEO Richard Perez. "Salaries have grown, so this is a place for young people to really find excellent jobs that will fulfill the needs of their families and themselves as being citizens of this community."

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Community Giving
12:29 pm
Tue November 27, 2012

Hostess Brands Donate Twinkies, Ho Hos and Zingers To San Antonio Food Bank

The San Antonio Food Bank is stocked with 4 million pounds of food at any given time, but turns this quantity over quickly to make room for more food that will eventually make its way to 535 distribution sites. President and CEO Eric Cooper said that every year the food bank pushes 50 million pounds of food to people in 16 counties.

"That's about six to seven semi truckloads a day that will come in and go out through the food bank,” said Cooper.

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Military Holidays
1:45 am
Mon November 26, 2012

Thanksgiving Celebration Teaches Latin American Service Members About Tradition

A program unique to the United States Air Force and Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland is the Inter-American Forces Academy where servicemen and women from countries like Bolivia, Colombia and Peru take classes to learn maintenance, leadership and technical skills.

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