A Comal County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been terminated after investigators said he crashed his truck on Interstate 35 while driving intoxicated Dec. 24.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hailed the shooting down of two Russian fighter jets on Christmas Eve, saying “This Christmas sets the right mood for the entire year ahead.”.

The typically bustling biblical birthplace of Jesus looks like a ghost town on Christmas Eve, with celebrations in Bethlehem called off due to the Israel-Hamas war.

Local organizers in Washington say three buses of recent migrant families arrived from Texas near the home of Vice President Kamala Harris in record-setting cold on Christmas Eve.

During this holiday season, several groups are aiming to gather toys for the children of Uvalde. One group's focus is the survivors from rooms 111 and 112.

Authorities have concluded that a great white shark killed a bodyboarder last Christmas Eve in central California.

An animal rescue in the Detroit area got an unexpected delivery on Christmas Eve in the form of hundreds of parakeets.

Scottish singer Tom Walker has praised the piano skills of the Duchess of Cambridge after the pair recorded a Christmas tune that was shown during a carol concert.

The staff is tired, the omicron variant is bearing down and the intensive care unit beds are filling fast at a hospital in the French city of Marseille.

Amid the surge of coronavirus cases across the U.S., numerous churches have canceled in-person Christmas services.

From Bethlehem and Frankfurt to London and Boston, the surging coronavirus dampened Christmas Eve festivities for a second year.

Texans are taking varying levels of precautions as they finish holiday shopping and prepare for Christmas worship services.

Director of Airports Jesus Saenz says close to 30,000 passengers are arriving or departing San Antonio International Airport every day.

An assembly line of holiday films to make the heart sing is the Hallmark Channel's blueprint, and it works every year like mistletoe or eggnog.

A San Antonio grandmother is honoring her late granddaughter’s favorite holiday by giving back to the community. She is doing is so through an organization she created after the 6-year-old was gunned down earlier this year.

The European Union and Britain are back to quarreling less than a year after finalizing Brexit.

The Pentagon has announced it will keep a Navy aircraft carrier in the Middle East to provide protection for the more than 10,000 American and coalition troops withdrawing from Afghanistan in coming weeks.

SAN ANTONIO – A man is now behind bars after San Antonio police say he’s responsible for a murder that happened on Christmas Eve. According to an arrest affidavit, 42-year-old Adara Christopher Davis has been charged in the death of 23-year-old James Anthony Vargas. A witness told police the suspect arrived at the home with a baseball bat and accused Vargas of stealing from him. The suspect was later identified as Davis and he was taken into custody. RELATED: Man indicted for murder after allegedly running over ex-wife with pickup truck

UK chief trade negotiator David Frost looks on as Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson signs the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement at 10 Downing Street, London Wednesday Dec. 30, 2020. (Leon Neal/Pool via AP)BRUSSELS – Britain’s Parliament voted resoundingly on Wednesday to approve a trade deal with the European Union, paving the way for an orderly break with the bloc that will finally complete the U.K.’s long and divisive Brexit journey. With just a day to spare, lawmakers in the House of Commons voted 521-73 in favor of the agreement sealed between the U.K. government and the EU last week. She noted that the deal protected trade in goods but did not cover services, which account for 80% of Britain's economy. “We have a deal in trade, which benefits the EU, but not a deal in services, which would have benefitted the U.K.," May said.

SAN MARCOS, Texas – San Marcos police have arrested a 51-year-old man accused of stabbing another man in the chest near a homeless camp on Christmas Eve. When officers arrived, they say they found a 41-year-old stabbing victim bleeding profusely from a chest wound. The victim told police a man, identified as Richard Allen Davis, stabbed him near a homeless camp under the bridge on Highway 80. Police said the victim was removing trespassing signs in the homeless camp and was approached by Davis with a fixed blade knife in hand. An argument ensued between the two men, and Davis stabbed the victim in the chest, officers said.

San Antonio – The parents of a 14-year-old boy who was shot and killed a week before Christmas are speaking out against gun violence. Bobby Lee Carter Junior, their son, was killed alongside Robert Smith, 20, on the Northeast Side. Bobby Lee Carter Senior and Victoria Carter, his parents, said their son was a happy boy. He had a good heart and soul.”They said Bobby Lee Carter Junior suffered from ADHD, but was finding his own ways of dealing with it. Bexar County Deputies said Bobby Lee Carter Junior was trying to sell marijuana to Smith when two men approached their car, robbed them and shot them.

I will spend Christmas at home alone because I don't have anyone to spend them with. “I don’t feel like celebrating anything,” Otero said as she sat down to eat a plate of salmon with potatoes. “We have missed one another these Christmas holidays,” Cano said. I am one of the last ones left. I will spend Christmas at home alone because I don’t have anyone to spend it with.”___AP writer Joseph Wilson contributed to this report.

Taft High School comes out ready for their Christmas Eve game Thursday afternoon against Buda Hays. SAN ANTONIO – The high school football playoffs continued the day before Christmas, a rare occurrence considering there are still games to be played before all the champions can be crowned. PLAYOFF SCHEDULE: Saturday

SAN ANTONIO – Determined and likely desperate shoppers braved the crowds and the COVID-19 pandemic in their quest to find stocking stuffers and gifts they forgot or still needed to buy. “Last minute shopping -- you know how that goes,” said Socorro Morquecho, who was picking up some holiday pastries. She was among the shoppers on Christmas Eve who said they weren’t that worried, judging by what they saw. “But I still need -- well, we all need to be careful.”Others said it seemed that many Christmas Eve shoppers were aware they needed to be as safe as possible. Michelle Johnson, who was with her husband looking for stocking stuffers, said she was encouraged to see merchants were doing their part.

SAN ANTONIO – Jeff Traylor is officially out for his first-ever bowl game as the head football coach of the UTSA Roadrunners after the school announced on Christmas Eve that he tested positive for COVID-19 a second time. In a statement, the university says Traylor received his second positive test on Thursday afternoon, even though he is not experiencing any symptoms. Traylor has remained in isolation since his first positive test on Wednesday and is following the guidance set forth by university medical staff and state and local health officials. Since Traylor will not be able to travel with the team, UTSA associate head football coach and offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. will serve as acting head coach on Saturday. The Roadrunners face off against 16-Lousiana in the ServPro First Responders Bowl at 2:30 p.m. in Dallas on the campus of SMU.

In this photo provided by Maitrise Notre-Dame de Paris soprani singer Julie Fuchs and the Notre Dame Cathedral choir recording a Christmas concert on Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, inside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The concert will be broadcasted on French television on Christmas. (MSNDP/Musique Sacree Notre-Dame de Paris via AP)PARIS – Wearing hard hats and protective suits, members of the choir of Notre Dame Cathedral sang inside the medieval Paris landmark for the first time since last year’s devastating fire for a special Christmas Eve concert. The public was not allowed and isn’t expected to see the insides of Notre Dame until at least 2024. The Notre Dame choir used to give 60 concerts a year inside the cathedral but has been itinerant ever since, moving among other Paris churches.

Few people were there to greet them as the coronavirus pandemic and a strict lockdown dampened Christmas Eve celebrations. The Philippines prohibited mass gatherings and barred extended families from holding traditional Christmas Eve dinners. On Christmas Eve in Italy, church bells rang earlier than usual. In Athens, Christmas Eve was eerily silent. The schedule for Christmas Eve and Christmas day included Masses in English and Spanish, and a bilingual jazz vespers service.

(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)BEIJING — Authorities in China’s northeastern port city of Dalian are testing millions of residents after seven new coronavirus cases were reported there in the last 24 hours. It has a deal to secure up to 100 million doses of the potential vaccine produced by AstraZeneca. Koca said the first shipment of three million doses of CoronaVac would be shipped to Turkey on Sunday and arrive Monday. He said Turkey could get 4.5 million doses until the end of March and would have the option buy up to 30 million doses. Indonesia has reported nearly 700,000 COVID-19 cases, the largest caseload in Southeast Asia and second in Asia only to India’s 10.1 million confirmed cases.

It took more than three years of wrangling before Britain left the bloc’s political structures last January. If Britain were to quit the EU with no agreement governing trade, the two sides would reinstate tariffs on each other's goods. Even with a trade deal, goods and people will no longer be able to move freely between the U.K. and its continental neighbors without border restrictions. ”“And the difference that a trade deal makes is not going to be obvious to most people from that,” he said. ___Follow all AP stories on the Brexit trade talks at https://apnews.com/Brexit

Airports also recorded around 1 million travelers on each of the five days between last Friday and Tuesday. It took 292 days to reach 1 million cases on Nov. 11. Nurses are exhausted, terrified of what’s next and angry at those who ignore pleas to stay home and stay safe. “I wish they could just walk down our unit for a day and look at the faces of some of these patients,” said Holy Cross nurse Jenny Carrillo, her voice breaking. Associated Press writers Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri, and Shelley Adler in Fairfax, Virginia, contributed to this story.

After resolving a few remaining fair-competition issues, negotiators tussled over EU fishing rights in U.K. waters as they worked right into Christmas Eve to secure a provisional deal for a post-Brexit relationship after nine months of talks. A trade deal would avert the imposition of tariffs and duties that could cost both sides billions in trade and hundreds of thousands of jobs. Johnson has always insisted the U.K. will “prosper mightily” even if no deal is reached and the U.K. has to trade with the EU on World Trade Organization terms from Jan. 1. Rumors of a pre-Christmas trade deal surfaced in recent days based on progress on the main outstanding issues, other than fishing. On Wednesday, brokering on quotas and transition times for EU vessels to continue fishing in U.K. waters was in full swing, with progress reported from several sides.

All most people wanted for Christmas after this year of pandemic was some cheer and togetherness. Instead many are heading into a season of isolation, grieving lost loved ones, worried about their jobs or confronting the fear of a new potentially more contagious virus variant. Peruvians won't be allowed to drive their cars over Christmas and New Year to discourage visits even with nearby family and friends. South Africans won’t be able to go to the beach on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. There are no nationwide travel restrictions in the United States, but health officials have urged people to stay home and limit gatherings.

SEOUL – South Korea will prohibit private social gatherings of five or more people and shut down ski resorts and major tourist spots nationwide starting from Christmas Eve as it contends with surging coronavirus infections. The capital area has been at the center of a viral resurgence in past weeks that has overwhelmed hospitals and increased death tolls and raised questions to how the government is handling the outbreak. Forty-eight COVID-19 patients have died in the past 48 hours, the deadliest two days since the emergence of the pandemic. The viral resurgence has put pressure on the government to raise social distancing restrictions to maximum levels, something policymakers have resisted for weeks out of economic concerns. The mass outbreak in Samut Sakhon was revealed over the weekend when authorities reported more than 500 new cases, the country’s biggest single-day increase by far.

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio small business owner is putting in extra hours this holiday season to spread Christmas cheer. Along with their popular Philly cheesesteaks, Gino’s Deli also offers mail service to the North Pole. The deli owner, Aleem Chaudhry, said the red mailbox is constantly overflowed with letters that include wish lists, serious questions and testimonies of resilience. I learn humor (and) humility with (the letters).”Gino’s Deli is located at 13210 Huebner Road and can be reached at 210-764-0602. RELATED: You can watch a Christmas movie with Santa Claus at Santikos theaters

SAN ANTONIO – Living in and around San Antonio, you probably know that the weather on Christmas Day can sometimes be a bit warm. Thankfully, if you’ve been wanting it to feel cool Christmas day, you’re in luck! Christmas Week Forecast7 Day ForecastThe winter solstice will occur Monday at 4:02 a.m., officially kicking off the winter seasonMonday will be pleasant with a cold start in the 30s and a comfy afternoon in the low-70s. Christmas Day, Friday, will again start off with a light freeze. You can also keep up with the Christmas forecast on our weather page.

(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool, File)KANSAS — A western Kansas mayor announced Tuesday that she is resigning, effective immediately, because of threats she has received after she publicly supported a mask mandate. Brian Kemp and Public Health Commissioner Kathleen Toomey visited Savannah as the first four shots were administered to local health care workers. ___TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida’s largest hospital system said it was on track to immunize nearly 20,000 health care workers against COVID-19 as Gov. He traveled to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., on Monday and was given the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine. Several health care workers at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in the eastern part of the state also received injections.

NEW YORK – Christmas is still a few weeks away, but Mariah Carey is already orchestrating her dinner menu. 1 hits really going to sweat over a hot stove? “Magical Christmas Special” is another example of diverse, family-friendly holiday programming that hasn’t always been allotted by Hollywood. “As a kid, if I had to select one holiday, of course I’m going with Christmas. And while the pandemic has halted a number of projects, 2020 has been busy for Carey: In September she released her candid memoir “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” which debuted at No.

(AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)BRUSSELS – Please leave a chair empty at this year's family Christmas dinner as a precaution, or face the possibility of having that chair empty forever. That's the stark dilemma Belgium's prime minister has set to urge smaller festive family gatherings, as Europeans battle with containing the surging COVID-19 pandemic over the holiday season. Britain, with the continent's highest death rate at 57,031 yet a Christmas tradition unlike few others, could not resist the temptation of relaxation. Like Belgium, Italy, where the pandemic initially struck hard in Europe, is taking a hard line at Christmas. In Oberndorf, home of the world's most famous Christmas carol, they hope its lyrics will not be taken too literally.

The Heisman Trophy will be presented Jan. 5, but without the usual ceremony held in New York City, and the finalists will be revealed on Christmas Eve. The deadline for Heisman voters to submit their ballots is now Dec. 21, two days after the conference championship games are scheduled to be played. Before college football schedules were revised because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Heisman was set to be handed out Dec. 12. Now it will be awarded during the 10 days between the College Football Playoff semifinals on Jan. 1 and the championship game on Jan. 11. ___More AP college football coverage: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

SAN ANTONIO – Santa Claus is coming to town! Kris Kringle aka Santa Claus aka Saint Nicholas is going to be at different locations around the San Antonio area ahead of the holidays for photos. The key for 2020 Santa photos is reservations. They are required or highly encouraged at every location offering photos with Santa. The following locations are offering Santa photos for 2020:

President Donald Trump speaks during a Christmas Eve video teleconference with members of the military at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2019. The pastor of Family Church in West Palm Beach, Florida, Jimmy Scroggins, and his family greeted the Trumps as they arrived moments into a “Candlelight Christmas Celebration." The Trumps then returned to his private club, where they were greeted by applause as they entered for Christmas Eve dinner. Trump was asked what he'd bought Mrs. Trump for Christmas. Press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Mrs. Trump spoke with several children and heard items on their Christmas lists.

Time is running out to buy the perfect gifts or groceries for Christmas festivities. Several stores will keep their lights on for Christmas Eve, but will close early and remain locked for Christmas Day. ‘While You Were Sleeping’: FedEx employees get up early to guarantee speedy deliveriesHere’s what to expect as far as store hours on Christmas week. Christmas EveWalmart: Midnight-6 p.m.Target: 7 a.m.-10 p.m.H-E-B: 6 a.m.-8 p.m., curbside 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m.Walgreens: Open until 11:59 p.m.CVS: Open, hours vary by locationWhole Foods: 8 a.m.-7 p.m.Macy’s: 7 a.m.-6 p.m.North Star Mall: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.Ingram Park Mall: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.South Park Mall: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. The Shops at La Cantera: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.Rolling Oaks Mall: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.Dollar General: 8 a.m.-10 p.m.Dollar Tree: 7 a.m.-7 p.m.Best Buy: 7 a.m.-6 p.m.Barnes & Noble Booksellers: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.Costco: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.Academy Sports and Outdoors: 7 a.m.-6 p.m.Dick’s Sporting Goods: 7 a.m.-6 p.m.JCPenney: 7 a.m.-6 p.m.Nordstrom: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.Christmas Day